similarities between the films........

Further research

After looking into various other films, I began to see a pattern. Most films that fall under this genre began at the end of the film. For example at the begining of ROTFS you are shown three dead bodies (the victims of the shootings at the end of the film). And in the begining of Cass you see an attemted murder of the main character which is due to the lead up and events he is associated with throughout the film. I decided to make a note of this and use this technique in my final piece.

Rise of the footsoldier research

Please click on the image to enlarge

Research for final project

As a class we were asked to split into groups or work by ourselves. I chose to work on my own because i find it easier to concentrate. Plus in groups ive learnt there can be allot of miscomunication which did happen with a few groups in my class.
once we were settled we were then asked to choose a genre and research over the week what happens in the first two minutes of 3 films that fall under our genre. What with Rise of the footsoldier, layer cake, cass and many alike being amongst my favourite films, i settled on the genre crime drama british gangster.

Preliminary Task

Here is my Preliminary task, once i had produced this i had taken it into my own hands in order to learn new techniques and effects I could put to work in my final piece. However i found by doing this my mind was too overactive with ideas for the project.........................................................

How to upload footage to final cut pro

1. Rewind footage on camera untill you are at the begining of your footage.
2. Attach the camera to the computer via the fire wire cable.
3. File, log and capture
4. Make sure audio is ticked so you dont just capture the footage.
5. Press play on the camera
6. Once all the footage has been captured press ESC

The rule of thirds

the rule of thirds is a compositional rule in visual arts such as painting, photography, design and film. its the idea that if a shot was split into a 3x3 grid the subject would create more tension, energy and interest if it were positioned in coalition with the lines. For example this photo wouldnt look half as satisfying if the tree was directly in the middle. Because the horizon is level with the lower third line and the tree runs through one of the verticle lines the picture has become alot more expressive and complimenting.

Shot Reverse Shot

A shot reverse shot or (shot/countershot) is one of the most conventional shots wherein one character is shown looking (Often off screen) and then the other character who is looking back at them. Because they are seen to be looking in opposite directions the audience learns the are looking at eachother. it is a classic style of continuity editing which alows the audience to percieve a scene as one continuous action.

Match on action

What is match on action? Match on action is a technique thats used when editing a film. When done successfully it allows motion to continue through a number of shots and seem uninterrupted. Therefore allowing the camera to be cut and then repositioned for the new shot but when you watch the finished product you've missed none of the action. Here is an example from a well known film, watch how the camera is infront of the gun as it shoots and then behind the doors as theyre blown off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gy-Cq75BWY">

180 Degree rule

In the example of a dialogue, if Ted is on the left and Bob is on the right, then Ted should be facing right at all times, even when Bob is off the edge of the frame, and Bob should always be facing left. Shifting to the other side of the characters on a cut, so that Bob is now on the left side and Ted is on the right, will disorient the viewer, and break the flow of the scene.
In the example of an action scene, such as a car chase, if a vehicle leaves the right side of the frame in one shot, it should enter from the left side of the frame in the next shot. Leaving from the right and entering from the right will create a similar sense of disorientation as in the dialogue example.

Preliminary task plan

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My labbelled PD170

Here is a quick tutorial i produced for the camera and then scanned into the computer. Please click on the image to enlarge

Brief

The brief for our course was to produce the first two minutes of a new fiction film. To help us get to know the basics we also had to do a preliminary task which involved filming someone opening a door, walking through it, walking to the other side of the room, then to sit down opposite someone and exchange a couple lines of dialogue. We then had to edit the footage we captured so we could learn about final cut pro which i really enjoyed.