We went about asking various people a couple of question of what they would expect in an opening to an action film. Overall, we got very simular answers from everybody and we used this to establish what we need to do when filming this task.
in conclusion, we understood that people, when watching an action film, will expect a lot of action and a very up-beat and tense atmostphere. People also said that they would not expect this opening scene to drag on longer then a couple of minutes.
Here is an example of the types of questions we asked, in this case to a friend of mine at school (Troy).
When in the process of filming, all actors, cast and crew will all be aware of any potential dangers and risks. I have gone through and anaylsed the risks which we will have to take on board. When filming, Tom, James and myself will all do this in the upmost proficiency and maturity.
the opening scene to my main task will start by establishing the main characters. This is done by a couple of shots showing the contrast between a criminal and two policemen.
the policemen come across the criminal selling drugs, they shout and as they do the picture freezes and goes into black and white showing the characters names underneath them. the scene then carries on but sped up to see the criminals startled face and then freezes on him in the same style, with his name underneath.
a chase now occurs with the policemen chasing after the criminal who doesnt have any intension on stopping.
the last scene will show the criminal throwing an object (most likley a bin bag) at the policemen and rubish going everywhere. throughout this last clip, the use of slow motion and speeding up will be used. then the characters run past the stationary camera and the titles come up on a black background in white writing.
There are 25 shots that we need to film in our opening scene, this does not include the title shots. We have decided to start filming straight after half term and do 5 shots a day. We are either going to film these shots during lesson time or between 5-6 o'clock after school, this way it will be a lot darker which will suit our opening scene. As there is very little dialogue in our scene a script is not going to be necessary, however we are going to film each shot multiple times in order to get it perfect. Then at the end of the week (and the week after if needed) we are going to go through the shots we filmed and pick out the best ones and then edit them together.
Whilst constructing our story board, we took the approach of using still shots instead of drawings. This helped us establish the location of each shot. All the locations we decided on are around the school, this makes it very easy for us to film. However we took a lot of time deciding where to do each shot as we want to make each shot look as if it is being filmed in an urban area.
The first camera shot we see is a close up. The close up is used to show the expression on the characters face, we get a sense of power from this character as his face is quite emotionless and cold even when he cuts himself shaving.
We then see the camera follow the characters hand holding his razor to give it to a younger character. The close up camera shot of this lets the audience establish its significant as it represents a father passing down a very manly item to his son. It also lets the audience think about why the father has no use of this item anymore, and possibly foreseeing something bad happening to him in the near future which he is aware of.
The shot reverse shot between the father and his son both at eye level and looking straight at the camera shows the similarities between these two characters and how close they are as relatives, this could also be a point of view shot. We also see the boy’s determination and passion as he speaks about a Saint. We then see how proud the father, as he is a pope.
The low angle shot, looking up at the pope marching out holding a cross in one hand. This gives the audience a sense of the characters power.
As the characters are marching out, the camera is constantly moving. This goes well with the upbeat music as it makes the scene high tempo and intense.
The camera then zooms out revealing an establishing shot of the location of the scene. From this shot the audience can truly grasp the hectic, noisy and busy scene this introduction is set in.
Sound
In the very first clip all we can here is the sound of the characters blade shaving his face. This immediately sets an tense atmosphere and builds up tension.
We then here a narrator’s voice and talking in the past tense about this scene. This shows that the scene is a flash back and the small boy is the narrator at a young age.
The music starts being played and the audience can instantly tell that the music represents this cult gang as it is mostly drums being played by hand and a whistle, reminds the audience of a tribe. It is also very upbeat and high tempo which fits the new high tempo atmosphere in the scene.
There is also a constant sound of people shouting and talking behind the music. This gives off the impression of a busy atmosphere and very hectic.
The music gradually increases speed and intensity. Then suddenly, when a character kicks open a door to a courtyard, the music stops and it is silent. This silence goes well with the emptiness of the scene as the audience would expect there to be something exciting after the build up. This creates a contrast to the noisy scene before.
Editing
In the scene there is a sequence of clips of men and women preparing for war merged into together to create a montage. This is particularly effective as it is fast and fits in with the upbeat music being played. It also shows the audience the importance of this event as there are many people preparing for it. It also sets a vibrant atmosphere for the audience.
Mise-en-scene
Throughout the introduction, it is set in a dark cave looking location. This gives the impression that they are an gang. There are also people playing drums and dancing around which gives off signs of tribal gangs.
the tittles in this scene appear on a black screen with white writting as the scene is happening. therefor the characters voice is still being heard. this is a good way to introduce the tittles as it allows the scene to keep going.
sound - the music in this chase is very up beat and quite jolly. this gives a light hearted feel to the scene.
- the effect of the boice over establishes who the main character is likly to be and also tells us about the story line of the film.
editing - the slow motion effect followed by slightly speeding up creates a very dramatic effect.
conclusion - in this scene i like the genre of music to create the atmostphere we are looking for in our main task. the slow motion/speeding up is very effective and would like to include this in our main task.
sound - sirens in the background adds to the industrial effect and also creates a sense of ciminal activity.
- the constant sound of the characters panting and heavy breathing throughout the chase makes the scene more intense and also adds a sense or realism to it. This also shows the characters fitness, and the audience may not think he is a cop due to his lack of fitness.
-there is no non-diegetic sound throughout the scene, this enhances the sounds the characters are making (panting, screaming) this also adds to the realism to the scene.
camera - the whole scene is shot as if following the character usuing a hand held camera. therefore the picture is very shaky. this also makes the scene very realistic and creates an intense atmostphere.
mise en scene - as the chase happens they run through various places which establishes the area. they first off run through a filthy yard and then a scappy car park. later on he runs through what looks like a council estate. this shows us the characters background.
editing - the whole scene has a blue tint to it, this creates a cold feeling to it and creates a tense atmostphere.
conclusion - i especially like a couple shots and ideas in this opening scene, the hand held camera effect and the sound of the characters heavy breathing. this creates great realism for the audience. i'd like to use this technique in my main task, however the atmpostphere of Narc is different to the atmostphere i am looking for as our main task will be a bit more light hearted.
