BFI...A-MAZ-ING

So yesterday, our media class took a little trip up to London to the British Film Institute, where we were given a presentation on films and the like not only by the chief examiner petesmediablog.blogspot.com but also by visual effects supervisor Simon Carr and also actor-turned-director Dexter Fletcher.

During the first talk of the day, Pete gave us a presentation on famous film openings and we studied how they set-up the rest of the filma nd what effect they had on the audience. He told us that film openings establish the genre of the film, the narrative, the principal characters and also the complete atmosphere. Pete showed us The Art of the Title website which we'd already looked at in classed and used to conjure up our own timelines of famous films (I used Mission Impossible II for my timeline example).

Pete really stressed the importance of sound - and foley - and how many students don't give it much attention or put much care into making/choosing a track. He showed us through another student's film how sound can be layered and what effect it can cause to generate interest into the piece.

Visual effects supervisor Simon Carr also talked to us and showed what his job entailed, so we could have a look at the finer details of film making- the special effects, cgi etc. I found his talk very interesting, especially as he did a case study of one of my favourite films ever feautring Ben Barnes- Easy Virtue!! And it was also a great chance to get an insight into the post production side of film-making too.

^Last December, meeting Ben Barnes at the Comedy Theatre (after an evening production of Birdsong)

                                    

Actor/director Dexter Fletcher gave us some very good advice about how to open a piece of film - one of the most important things to do first is to establish the characters and define them quickly, but not nessercarily through a script but through actions, and imagery. He also said a good idea is to get other peoples' feedback on what you've created during the actual making process, because for instance, if someone doesn't understand why a character does something, you need to change it so it makes sense for the audience but at the same time doesn't give too much information away or patronize them. Dexter Fletcher also said that when dealing with typical characters, to make the character interesting, turn them on their head. If you expect a character to react a certain way to a situation, make them deal with it in a different way to show variety and surprise in the story. 

Dexter Fletcher told us it was all about storytelling via letting the pictures tell the story and that's eaxctly what my group plans to do for our final thriller film piece. He also gave us some good advice including keep the location close and all sets near a base so it wouldn't take long if you had to quickly change plans and go to a different location.

Overall, it was a really great fun and informative trip, and I'll definately take everything I've learnt into consideration during this course.

25 Word Treatment - my thriller film - Charge.

Charge

When ex military leaders John Harper and Adam Seere join forces with lower respected ministers to overhaul the British government and get a lot of money in the process, it would seem nothing could go wrong for the elite team of secret masterminds. But when they recieve one letter that could change everything, it soon becomes a game of cat and mouse as the corrupt but intelligent team come face to face with the enemy and have to literally run for their lives.

An modern homage to Tony Scott, full of action, spying, mystery and tension supported by a good storyline and something for the audience to invest in.

Enemy of the State

I thought Enemy of the State was a really great and intriguing thriller that kept you watching right up until the end credits. It was fast and had twists and turns that you'd never expect. It also had an interesting take on the modern world we live in - and all the technology that we've discovered - and I think was really ahead of its time in 1998 when it was made.

It's directed by Tony Scott who directed other thriller films such as Top Gun and Spy Game. Scott often uses fast jagged and circling sort of shots when depicting car chases and action.

Espionage/Political Thriller - Brainstorm!

9 Frame Analysis - Enemy of the State

Frame One

This first shot sets up the entire scene as we see an establishing shot and also the font of the writing which is in the style of typical thriller.

Frame Two

In this shot, the audience is introduced to one of the main protagonists in a seemingly ambiguous circumstance. It is not until a little later in the scene, when his real character is revealed.

Frame Three

The conversation between the original two main characters entirely sets up the story, as the audience learns a bit about their past and also the reason why and how they know each other, and also what they're doing there, at the specific time.

Frame Four

As the scene goes on and the characters interact further, the audience is given clues as to why the character is really there. This scene builds the story up and the music behind it adds to the tense and mysterious tone of the piece.

Frame Five

The next establishing shot ecorporates the surrounding characters as the audience become more aware of what is about to happen. The piece has been fairly relaxed up until this point.

Frame Six

With fast camera editing, the audience find out what happens in this scene - that they have planned to kill the first character we see. And an important character at that, as it all relates to the entire story of the piece, and therefore relates to the end, when everything is sorted out. This character who is attacked is the main key to the whole story and narrative.

Frame Seven

We see this character has no remorse and feels no guilt about being a part of the murder that has taken place. We now understand that he is the 'villain'/ 'bad guy' of the film.

Frame Eight

The audience are very much let in on the story and encouraged into it as they see each part of the experience, including how the villains fake the death.

Frame Nine

In the last few frames, we see establishing shots as the car plunges into the lake. This feels like symbolism 'taking the final plunge' and a good, dramatic way to end the first scene before rolling the opening titles.



The Prestige - Film Analysis

I was utterly confused by this film but I loved every moment of it...

The Prestige

- The storyline is completely original and keeps you interested and on the edge of your seat right up until the last scene. It's pretty incredible and although the actual storyline and final result of the story is unclear, the narrative is very intriguing as it darts back and forth in time - interestingly a subject that's parallel to the actual story.

- The characters are well drawn and interesting with hidden layers and complex personalities that the audience can both relate to and enjoy watch as they go about in the film. It's a story full of magic and mystery but is at heart a brilliant thriller film that keeps you guessing, and even when it's finished, you still think and wonder about what actually prevailed.

-The Prestige is directed by Christopher Nolan who is famous for his thriller films and adaptions such as Momento, Batman trilogy, Inception and Insomnia. It also stars well known actors who appear in other thrillers such as Christian Bale (who played psychopath serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho)

Okay...

I've changed groups and am now a member of the group that consists of Joe Fitzpatrick http://joefitz-asmedia.blogspot.com/ and Abbie Hales http://abbie-hales.blogspot.com/ . We also have our new group blog --> http://joeabbiemaisy.blogspot.com/

We'll be having our first group meeting on Monday 21st November to discuss the planning for our remake of Parity.