In this YouTube video I annotated the first 3 minutes as it was the opening sequence, the range of types of sounds varied greatly and I could use a lot of them to enhance my own production later own to add an authentic feel.
To see full analysis watch the video in big screen.
In the opening sequence the main plot starts with the protagonist sitting in a lab, in a separate room being experimented on, in-between these shots are images of x-ray scans of someone's brain. The protagonist transforms into the incredible hulk. A shot after this shows the people on the outside of the room staring at the the hulk. There are shots main lab in ruins which insinuates that the hulk has destroyed it. After two military men are seen shooting at him while he gets close to a woman while she is unconscious on the floor, the hulk attacks both men and continues to destroy the lab. Then there is a shot of the woman in a hospital with the protagonist by her side after transforming back into a human, he has then been kicked out by the military man he had injured previously. The woman wakes up as he leaves the hospital. Then there are various news stories about the destruction of various things and places which puts the hulk as the culprit. The next shots are of people from the military shown to be searching for the hulk. Then a series of flashbacks happen and the protagonist is seen to have woken up quickly and stopped a metronome, that's where the opening credits end.
(transition between comic book pages animation to main logo)
The institutional logo is super imposed and is typical of a superhero movie, it is right at the beginning and has an animation of comic book pages being flicked through then "MARVEL STUDIOS" in big bold white writing on a red background is shown. The comic books flicking through connotes to the audience that it is based on a marvel comic. The fact that they have used it as a separate shot rather than include it as part of the sequence connotes the importance of the role that the institution played in the production of the film. Also having the typography as big, plain white writing on a red background adds to the fact that they don't want the logo to be involved in the opening credits as it would disrupt the flow.
Here is an example of typography in the opening credits, the names are made bold and the other word are not . All of the titles are in green and are all put in the middle of the screen throughout the opening credits. The fact that the names are in bold highlight and draws the audiences attention to it. The act that the typography isn't huge and doesn't take up a lot of room on the screen connotes that it isn't there to draw the audiences attention too much away from the action happening but still gets them to look at it, and the writing being green connotes the protagonist of the film: the hulk because the hulk is green himself also the overall colour scheme of the film.. The incredible Hulk opening credits timeline:
I have learnt that the opening credits are not a massive distraction from the action on screen, they should be big enough for the audience to see but not draw all of their attention to it. Also it should not interrupt the flow of the sequence and if huge super-imposed graphics for titles are to be used it has to match with the scene. Also the titles have to stay on the screen long enough for the audience to be able to read it without it cutting away. In the incredible hulk opening credits, the production companies who all have made a contribution financially get to be first on the screen, then the actor's names are next, having this rather than having all the other jobs at the forefront engages the audience seeing as this is a Hollywood film and the actors are globally known. The order in which credits are billed generally signify their importance. For example, in films, the first credit is usually the motion picture company, followed by any other companies that helped produce the film, then the producers name. The major starring actors generally come next, then the title of the movie and the rest of the principal cast. If their contribution is seen as significant, other departments that helped make the film may also be included such as the head of the costume design department. These are then followed by the other producers, the screenwriters and the director.
'If the main credits occur at the beginning, then the director's name is last to be shown before the film's narrative starts, as a result of an agreement between the DGA and motion picture producers in 1939.' (Quoted from Wikipedia Billing page)
This week I have learnt that the commissioner: film 4 impacts greatly on the films they choose to produce and co-fund, seeing as film 4 is a big company it has the means to fund a huge amount of money into films, looking at the film 4 ethos, it says that are looking to fund at least £500,000 per film. Also film 4 being a British company they are looking to please the British public and one way they do this is by making their films relatable to that audience. Also Film 4 aim to produce 8 feature films a year, and they look for equal equity and look to co-finance all their films with their financing partners.
This will impact on production by making me think differently about how my production would be filmed and edited to create this innovative style that Film 4 are looking for as well as making it acceptable to be part of the British platform for BSR.
BSR sounds
I have learnt that BSR films look a lot at music and foley sounds to make up a scene, especially during a fast paced scene music helps to add the atmosphere required to entice the audience as well as using foley sounds to add to the realism of the scene. Also I found that a lack of sound helps produce a powerful and intense feel to a scene seeing that the editing matches.
This will impact on my production by me looking at the different possible ways to use sound and how uniquely but effectively I could use it, for example, to give an idea of the current situation through music or the effective use of non-diegetic sound possibly flowing and becoming diegetic sound.
Film four productions produce, distribute and exhibit films. They have produced many films in the past, such as helping in the funding for 127 hours and attack the block, they have distributed films such as Gangster No 1 and Fever Pitch. On film 4 they usually show films that have been produced and distributed by themselves as well as films they haven't produced or distributed such law abiding citizen and karate kid (2010).
Film 4's parent company is Channel four television company limited which is a publicly owned company informally referred to as Channel four. They are are solely based in the united kingdom, the benefits of having a company like Channel four as a parent company allows film four exposure onto their sister channels whether it be on television or a music channel, the exposure from this allows them to obtain a wider audience and in turn produce more revenue, as well as having the sister channels, Channel four itself is a major television channel which would also obtain more viewers for film 4 seeing as channel four displays some of the same types of shows that would go on film four.
What do the company produce?
Film four are a company that co-fund a co-produce their films, with a certain amount of films they are looking to produce each year. It is quoted on the FAQ page of the film 4 section saying:
We aim to fund eight feature films a year with a mix of licence fee and equity and all our films are co-financed with other financing partners.
They also reveal on this page that they are not a solo producing company quoted by saying:
'Film 4 develops and co-finances feature length films for theatrical release in cinemas. Although ultimately we are looking for films that will eventually play on both Channel 4 and Film 4' (http://www.channel4.com/info/commissioning/4producers/film4-faqs)
Some of film 4's recent successes are slumdog millionaire, four lions and 127 hours. All of which went on to be played on their channels. On average film 4 fund around £500,000 on each production
Film 4 contributes vastly to the development of the BSR genre. Seeing that that Film 4 is essentially British and owned by a British company, connoting that a majority of the films aired or produced will be British. For example they have produced films such as Trainspotting, my beautiful laundrette and east is east. As well as producing films for the BSR genre they also produce films in the horror, action and adventure.
Where is the company based?
A majority of the films funded by film 4 are British, though sometimes they do co-fund some US films such as 127 hours. The reason as to why they fund mostly British films is that they are a British company looking to attract the main British audience.
Why is the company important to the UK film industry?
The ethos of Film 4 is to produce new British talent and be a leader of innovation in the British film industry, this is ethos is incredibly important for the UK film industry because Film 4 is a British company that wants to bring bigger and better films from the UK to broadcast world wide as a blockbuster as well as making it a hit in the UK.
A key success in the British film industry would be the inbetweeners movie and the kings speech.
They have also launched the careers of people like Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley and Blake Harrison.
This week we have learnt about the key themes and conventions of the British social realism genre. Conventions are seen as the ingredients to make up any scene, in this case the opening sequence. Themes are also a big aspect within BSR films because they show the audience what may happen later on in the plot or reveal what characters are like. We have learnt that themes can also be shown very subtly or quite obviously but both still make an impact on the scene and situation. While analysing different BSR films from the last 50 years and how they differ showed me how over time BSR has changed dramatically while keeping the same themes and ideals.
This in turn will inform my production by getting me to look at aspects that i would usually overlook in terms of how the setting is or how props and characters can portray themes just by the way they look. All of this will allow for my production to be more gritty and realistic as well as more comparable to real life, as what BSR films are set out to do.
I thought that looking at the opening sequence of London to Brighton was particularly interesting because it showed many themes in a short space of time while portraying them seamlessly and if I able to do so in my production effectively I think that it would certainly meet the aims of BSR films.
It is important to conform to conventions as they make up the ingredients to make a good opening sequence but they should be used in an original way with techniques that work but differ from the norm, this then is an imaginative way to give the audience a different perspective on what is typically seen in British social realism films.
At 01.08 there is a shot of two teenagers rolling a joint, lighting and smoking it openly amongst other people also the fact that weed is illegal and is able to buy weed shows their lack of respect for the law and finding a way around it. Also they are most likely under aged to be smoking.
The fact that they are doing something illegal shows their lack of respect for the law and don't care as they are doing this openly and being under aged shows that they have been exposed to it by other people who are most likely older than them, connoting the theme corruption of youth.
In my film I may decided to explore the corruption of youth in a different way, most likely more subtly than this because corruption of youth is not a major theme in British social realism, for example i may decide to use simple things where a child is exposed to explicit posters or activity or much rather have them participate in it.
Violence - The football factory
At 01.57 there is a shot of these men beating up another man on the floor, while they are stamping and kicking the man in the face he is already blooded up and they are still attacking and hurting him just as bad not leaving him alone.
This connotes that these people are violent angry people who are most likely beating up this guy for no reason at all by football hooligans and that senseless violence is a re-occurring theme throughout British social realism themes. I would explore this theme in different ways just because the theme of violence is quite broad as a theme an can be portrayed in various ways as long as violence is conveyed to the audience. For example I could potentially show a guy getting beaten up or someone being stabbed.
Crime - Bullet boy
At 01.05 there is a shot of a man in jail locked up in a room who is about to be let out, he is looking anxiously at the door waiting for someone to open it. He is wearing a basic set of clothes.
This connotes that the man has clearly committed a crime and has had to go to jail and not having shown the crime he committed beforehand put being in jail tells the audience he has done so. His basic set of clothes shows that he has been there a long time because if he were there say for over night he would have kept his own clothes.
In my film opening sequence I could portray this subtly like in the opening sequence or more straight forward and show that an actual crime has happened, for example someone thieving from a shop or robbing a house.
Racism - Made in Britain
At 00.05 it shows a white man with a shaved head and tattoos as well as a swastika tattoo on his forehead openly sitting waiting to be called up for trial in court. He is wearing a plane but dirty shirt and an old jacket.
This connotes that he is racist from the the tattoo of the swastika on his head and also the fact that he is a skin head stereotypically represents him as a racist and the tattoo also means that he is openly racist as he knows everyone would be able to see it and has no problem with that.
Racism is a hard theme to portray in British social realism, but I would choose to show this in a less extreme way such as someone making a comment about another character.
Neglect - Ill manors
At 00.56 there is a shot of a boy being told to go sit down while his mum goes upstairs with a man to have sex, the boy is left all alone with a racist drug addict down stairs. He is left to sit in the corner of the room by himself to do nothing.
The fact that he is in a corner on a chair by himself highlights the fact that he has nobody,he is all alone even though he has his mum he is neglected by her for her own needs, again this is highlighted by the fact she leaves him with a racist man who the boy doesn't even know.
Portraying this in my production is not easy without having a child, it is the easiest of ways to show the theme of neglect and i would most likely explore it via a parent and child.
In this shot, it is a straight on shot showing a boy sitting next to a man, the England flag behind them connotes that they a from England. The man has lots of tattoos on his arms as well as being a skin head connotes that he is of lower class and possibly racist. Also the pictures on the right of the shot are very explicit and with the young boy being around connotes the theme of the corruption of youth. (00.08)
In this shot it is a straight on shot which denotes a fat man in a leather jacket sitting on a sofa, this connotes a typical representation of a man from the 1980s also the lack of furniture in the background supports the fact that these people are of lower class and don't have very much in terms of wealth. (00.23)
This shot shows a close up of the characters face with the light only highlighting one side of his face, and the side closer to the camera is dark showing thus connoting his character and how he is angry and a violent character also foreshadows what is too come and how dark-hearted it is. (03.10)
This shot shows a high angle view of the whole apartment, it connotes the victimisation of the black man, because he is alone on the bed and also being stared down by another character. This again highlights the fact their wealth is not at all a lot because there is not much furniture as well as the fact that it is a small apartment and four of them are all together there. (03.20)
In this shot it is a high angle shot which connotes authority and superiority, also the fact that its a point of view shot gives the audience a better understanding of how the character is feeling, in this case angry as shown from his facial expression. Also the fact that the character comes in the way of the light gives the shot a sad and angry feel to it. (03.52)
This shot denotes a boy sitting down crying with his head in his hands. The physical representation of the boy is typical of the 1980s era because of the smart clothes which would have been seen as casual back then as to now. Also the dull colours in the background set the mood of the shot connoting a gloomy atmosphere also re-enforced by the boy crying into his hands. (05.23)
British social realism is a representation of the lower or working class of Britain who usually don't have much in terms of wealth. These usually contain many corrupt themes such as drugs, violence and pursuit of money. This is usually built up around and urban, run down area such as an estate.
Kes (1960's)
Themes and Situations - the opening takes place in a school, a classroom full of children and a boy getting in trouble with a teacher. It shows the themes of authority and the undermining of youth.
Characters - the protagonist is an argumentative, cheeky character who doesn't realise the consequences of things after he's done it.
Locations and setting - set in Yorkshire in a school, it is easily recognisable as being in Yorkshire because of the strong accent.
Sound/music - idle chatting and the background noise in the classroom.
Camera work/ editing - for a long period of time there is not a change in shot and the camera angle stayed the same. Very few transitions are used.
Mise-en-scene - natural lighting through out, all characters dressed appropriately according to their era.
Quadrophenia (1970's)
Themes and Situations - the clip shows domestic violence, this is shown from the dad slaping his son. The theme of alcohol is portrayed as the boy comes home drunk.
Characters - protagonist is a teenager who is argumentative, angry carefree. The dad is an angry and strict character.
Locations and settings - London, due to the strong cockney accent, the location is a small house showing they are of working class.
Sound/music - fast paced non-diegetic music at the beginning gives the impression that there is a problem. The music fades into the sound of the motorbike which shows that the problem was resolved because of the bike.
Camera work - not a variety of types of shots, starts with and establishing shot then through out the majority of the rest of the clip it is a mid shot.
Mise-en-scene - Artificial lighting which means certain parts of the shots were highlighted bringing the viewers attention to it, the clothing is typical for the working man.
Scum (1980's)
Themes and Situations- there is a portrayal of violence, authority, friendship, fear all shown by the protagonist beating up a guy and getting in trouble with a higher authority figure.
Characters - A young adult who is violent ignorant, brave and a bully. The teacher is disrespectful, violent and tries to show his superior authority.
Settings and locations - set in London because of the cockney accent in a boarding school.
Sound/music - no music in the clip, this gives a raw gritty feel to it.
Camera work/edit - from 1.27 to 2.04 there are no edits and just a straight long take following the protagonist.
Mise-en-scene - filtered lighting used to give a dull and depressing feel to the scene.
Nil by mouth (1990's)
Situations and themes - portrays domestic violence, sex, parenting and neglect.
Characters - the adult male is an angry, violent person who is typical of the stereotype. Woman plays the victim in the scene trying to show innocence.
Locations and settings - working class house which shows BSR and relate able to a lot of viewers.
Camera work - there is a long take but does use a few transitions throughout as well.
Mise-en-scene - the dim lighting gives and sets the tone for the clip, dull and dim.
Situations and themes - petty revenge, sex, drugs, teenage life, friendship and violence all from the three boys robbing the apartment.
Characters - the 3 teenage boys all stereotyped of what they are seen to be by society
Location and setting - London, estate of the lower class people.
Sound/music - explicit language and also slang is used a lot, music at the beginning builds tension then stops then starts again as they leave the apartment.
Camera work - basic, limited variety of types of shots but more cuts and transitions between shots, also fast paced.
Mise-en-scene - all natural lighting to give the gritty and dull feel to the shots also characters wearing very causal baggy clothes.
Situations and themes - corruption of youth, neglect, sex, drugs, racism and theft.
Characters - shows the boy's life path as he grows older portraying a stereotypical representation of how a boys life will be if he is to grow up in a lower class society.
Location and setting - drug dealers basement, this shows where the corruption is happening.
Sound/music - music all the way through explain the story without dialogue from the characters.
Camera work - many cuts and fast paced edits to show a transition in time.
Mise-en-scene - ambient lighting for a realistic feel in the basement.
Over the last 50 years British Social Realism has changed dramatically in terms of how everything is portrayed, though the ideology of the narrative and themes are very similar. 50 years ago the ways characters were portrayed; such as being working class people who have normal lives and dress in a much different way to today's characters These characters are more urbanised and stereotypical portray what happens in today's society. In terms of camera work and edits there are certainly a much more wider variety of transitions being used such as cuts more often. While 50 years ago there was a tenancy to use long takes and not to break the shot up with edits. Also music is also a big factor where 50 years ago and up to quite recently music was mostly used to build tension but now music is used to tell the story of what's going on without actors having to speak.
I used the mark scheme and made notes for each production then picked two to analyse in further detail. In the two that I will be analysing I have pointed out both good and bad points.
Drained
Something which I thought was successful in the production was the fade from the clock in the house to the washing machine. This is because it is a very creative way to establish a different location without having a quick cut but rather to have a smoother feel with the fade and while doing so establishes a change in time.
Another thing i thought was quite successful was the the fact that they went out of their way to find a location which really helped to show what the narrative was all about. This meant that the audience would fully understand what or at least where the opening was taking place.
One thing I thought didn't work very well was the establishing shot primarily down to the fact that the camera was shaking and thus took away from the actual focus of the shot grabbing the audiences attention towards the actual place.
Another thing which I thought worked very well was a match on action which was put together with a lot of discipline in terms of how precise the cut was between the two actual shots this helped the continuity between shots which allowed the scene to flow easier it gives a visual bridge between the two shots and makes sure that it looks like a single action is being done rather than two separate actions.
Fast life
One thing I thought was done well in this production was the choice of character, all of which were clearly portrayed as being in the mid teens. This goes back to the brief where it says it should appeal to a 16-24 year old audience.
A thing that I thought wasn't done well was that a few pointless shots were used in the beginning which went on for quite long with no real action or relation to the actual narrative. This just meant that where an extended part of the opening could have gone was wasted.
Another thing that didn't work well was the preciseness of the edits of the shots because in this shot it started off shaking then became steady but while it was shaking nothing was happening in the shot, they could have cut down the shot even more to make sure the shot started steady.
An improvement that could have been made was the length of time that the credits stayed on the screen, because it was too quick for an audience to read before it was removed from the screen.
Also this shot dragged on for around 10 seconds which made the beginning less interesting and thus not keeping the audiences attention.
By looking at the mark scheme I have learnt that to achieve a decent grade it is quite simple if all of what is said in the mark scheme is done to a good standard, seeing as each level has similar requirements but it more attention to detail is needed as the levels increase. Peer assessing previous work using the mark scheme put into context at what we need to do to achieve a high grade. For example even small details as leaving shots to run on for a long time or having the credits too small or removed from the screen to quickly can impact on the grade, making sure that a lot of attention to detail is taken in and putting it all together so that it fits appropriately to the task at hand.
I think that this peer assessment will help me in my production because it will help me understand how to put together my production and what needs to be included as well as what should not be in it. I will try to create a realistic, gritty feel to the production which stereotypically represents British social realism which in turn should reflect in the production thus also making it obvious to the audience as to what the narrative is and avoid anything that can take away from that effect being created such as the right type of music used or the representations of the characters having the right archetypes.
Making the opening sequence believable is very important and is what I will set out to achieve by choosing and appropriate location, props, creating a personality or clear image from the characters while using camera language to portray these in pragmatic way.
This is the final edited short film that I created for the edit workshop where I followed the brief of including shot-reverse-shot, match on action and the 180 degree rule also trying to illustrate the rule of thirds throughout the clip.
