Media assignment 2 - sound exercise

Sound exercise - the final deed

Micro features - sound

Sound

Sound is a micro feature which is very prominent in the media industry. It is used effectively throughout movies to create different effects and atmospheres for the audience. The use of sound is very versatile when it is inputted into film and the different forms it appears in determines what effect it will have on the audience.



Forms of sound in film

Diegetic

Diegetic sound are real life noises made in the world of the film and occur in the  present while the action on screen is taking place. Diegetic sound appears in many different forms such as;

- Character dialogue

- background noises e.g. cars, door slams and sounds made by character actions on screen

- music from instruments on screen

Diegetic sound will occur in all types of films except from silent movies in which case no sound is used at all.

Non Diegetic

Non diegetic sound is all the music and background sound that is inputted into the film through editing and would not be heard by the characters in the film but the audience can which creates different effects. Examples of non diegetic sound are;

 - background music

 - background noises as an extension of the diegetic sound

On screen/Off screen sound

On screen sound is when the sound being produced on screen is visible to the audience. On screen sound relates with diegetic sound as the source of the sound on screen would be there in the film in real life and therefore is diegetic as well as on the screen. This may range from spoken word by characters on screen, instruments being played and electronic music from speakers.

Off screen sound refers to the sound produced for dramatic effect and is edited into the film to be played while the picture on screen is running and therefore interacts with each other and the off screen sound works as an extension of the diegetic action in the world of the film. However, the source of the sound is not present on screen and relates to the effect on the audience.



Media blog - Psycho

Media Blog - Psycho

Psycho is another iconic and suspenseful thriller created by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960. Following on from the prestigious thriller north by northwest made around the late 1950s, Psycho was under threat of being an understudy of the film based on issues such as low budget, a television crew and being in black and white picture. Despite this, with the master creativity of Hitchcock and exempt editing, Psycho is known and credited for being one of the most exotic thrillers of all time with famous scenes recognised by the entirety of the film industry and even television series in the present day based on the film and its origins.

Psycho is based on the Novel written by Robert Bloch in 1959 which was inspired by real life events such as Wisconsin murderer and grave robber Ed Gein. In the film we are introduced to Marion Crane, (Janet Leigh)  a secretary who when asked to bank, embezzles $40,000 from her company in attempt to flee and continue her life in California with her lover.

Hitchcock has set up the McGuffin of this story through this as it works as a catalyst for Marion's departure from Phoenix and drives the plot in the necessary direction.

While on her way, Marion finds it only practical to stay the night in a secreted motel after hours of driving and being caught in a ferocious storm where she is acquainted with Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) a troubled proprietor who's peculiar and suspicious behaviour, together with the domination of what seems to be his mother suggests there is a darker and more disturbing secret embedded in the Bates motel. The iconic motion picture also features Vira Miles and John Gavin.

Hitchcock's motives

Hitchcock knows that the audience believes that the film is going to about stolen money and they may further believe that it might become a quest for the other characters to find her and retain the money. The Bates motel therefore works as a Red Herring in the story as it drives it in the direction of a murderous psychiatric thriller film and the murder of Marion by Norman Bates shocks the audience and their outlook of the film completely changes. This is a very original and effective technique used by Hitchcock to make the audience experience strong feelings of suspense and anxiety while watching his films as the audience do not know what to expect from his films and Psycho is a prime example of this.

After the incident within the shower, the audience know there is an anonymous killer within the House across from the Hotel, however, they do not know the identity and the suspense is sustained as they do not know when another murder could happen and they thus remain tense. Despite this, it was in Hitchcock's best interest to stress that as the apprehension increased, there was a continuous decline in violence on screen and furthermore when there is eventually violence, it is a greater shock to the audience and the event is climatically stronger where there was not so much action prior to the event.

Archetypal Elements


Psycho is an Archetypal thriller based on the features of the film and what it consists of. The Mcguffin is established immediately in the $40,000 Marion steals from the bank which drives the plot as Marion attempts to flee the other workers at the bank and the authorities to be with her lover. Then the audience is presented with a Red Herring through the Bates Motel where Marion encounters Norman Bates and his psychotic behavior which drives the plot in a different direction with the murder of Marion. Furthermore, suspense and tension are both very prominent throughout the film which is synchronized with the thriller genre as the audience should have strong periods of anxiety while watching thriller films and scenes within Psycho such as the shower scene are key to suspense and this tension. However, to sustain tension, Hitchcock had to effectively divide aspects of the film such as the speed of the editing and violence on scene as there must be a build up to a climax in the film for the audience to feel suspense. A good example is the scene prior to the shower where the editing is slowly becoming faster and tension builds within the film and thus within the audience.

Type of Thriller and action 

In this specific film, the main villainous character is Norman Bates, he is the reason why this film is in the category of psychiatric thriller based on the fact that he is not a typical villain in a thriller film. He appears and odd and deranged character which gives him the persona of a "Creep." So unlike other thriller films, the audience are thriller in a different way as they are more uneased by Norman's character which makes them eager for him to experience bad fortune but from a different perspective than other villainous characters such as the group of villains from North by Northwest.

•“Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action"

This description of a thriller film relates to Psycho in a very significant way, there are various occasions throughout the film where we are subjected to this as the audience and Hitchcock does extremely well to meet all these criteria throughout the film:

1. Shower



This is the most iconic scene throughout the film. It is still used and remade in films in the present day and is recognized as a classic sequence in American film history. The scene starts rather peacefully where Marion is financially planning within her notebook for the future which is ironic based on her nearby departure from the film. It becomes clear that her next motive is to get in the shower by undressing and turning it on. The speed of editing at this point is still rather gradual as the suspense builds, the audience feel uneased as they have already encountered Norman Bates within the film and established that he is an odd character. As Marion is in the shower and she is naked, it shows that she is exploited and vulnerable to the audience as they know from real life that the shower is a private and not very exposed place. Apprehension is prominent at this section of the scene as the audience awaits what is going to happen. When they see the silhouette figure through the shower screen, the audience automatically become tense as the contrast of the brightness of the shower and the darkness of the figure connect. The editing becomes extremely fast and it appears that Marion is being stabbed to death in a very hostile way even though it is due to the editing that this is the effect on the audience. The scene has reached climax and the audience are tensed and wincing at the action. It uis very brutal and in 1960, the audience had never seen anything that shocking prior to Psycho. This is the main example in the film of fast paced action.

2. Staircase




This is another iconic and fast paced scene in the film. As Arbogast ventures into the large house that makes him look petit and very insignificant, the audience feel apprehension where there has not been much action prior too this point in the film since the shower scene and they therefore expect something major to take place. As he enters the house, there is a series of close up and point of view shots coupled together with mysterious and threatening music which makes the audience uneased. Then Arbogast cautiously begins making his way up the stairs where the unknown is, and this uncertainty keeps the audience tense. The close up of the door opening slightly implies something is going to come out of it, and the audience can pattern match this to previous points of the film such as the shower scene where Marion is violently attacked by the anonynous figure. Climax is then reached when the anonymous character appears and the piercing and menacing music is heard and Arbogast is stabbed and stumbles backward down the stairs. Although the audience most likely expected this, the event still shocks them based on how effectively Hitchcock manipulates them as tension builds up throughout the scene. It is another prime example which meets the criteria of fast paced action throughout the film.

Media assignment 1 - camera exercise

Media assignment 1-

safe place

Media assignment 1 - camera exercise - Evaluation

Media - camera assignment 1

Safe place is our sickly ironic title of our video project. Our plot is based upon two curious teenagers and their quest to find the dark and mysterious figure known to haunt their school corridors and which is trying to send sinister messages over to the living. We lure the audience to follow the two characters in their attempt to find and expose the mysterious cloaked figure, and to expose the gloomy secrets of Robert Clack School.

Our objective was to construct our video in order to demonstrate our developed understanding of the range of different camera techniques you can use when creating film. We were successful in the way that we were capable of utilising many of the techniques that we had previously admitted in our plan and were able to convey these with a suitable degree of accuracy and precision.

Unfortunately we were not able to include all of the different types of camera techniques in our short film based on various different things such as storyline, timing and whether it was necessary. Also, some shots were not pragmatic such as the crane shot and the rolling shot as we did not have the necessary equipment to perform them such as a crane or a dolly. An example of what a crane shot may look like if we were capable of conducting one could be;

It is evident that if we had the ability to execute a crane shot in our sequence, then it could be very useful in demonstrating how the characters may be exploited if the area that they are in is very vast and wide open. However, we did not see how we could input this into our film and therefore did not use this camera technique.

Long Shot

We chose to use the long shot camera technique for the opening section of our film based on the fact that it gives a good perspective of the setting where the film takes place and we allow the audience to be captured by the idea of two characters approaching them through a long shot. This choice of camera technique was successful in the way that it allows the section to flow smoothly without unnecessary editing which can make the picture appear distorted and not very structured, and the long shot is a very strong and thorough camera technique.

Pan

We believe that the pan shot should continue on from our long shot of the corridor based on the fact that it is a useful technique to allow the audience to follow the action and gain a feel of what direction the film is moving in. It gives a perspective of the stairs that lead on from the corridor and it is clear where the people in the scene are heading towards. No location confusion is associated with the scene.

Low angle shot

The low angle shot which views the staircase is a useful shot as it allows the audience to clearly identify that the two characters are coming down the stairs that they previously started going down in the section before. It allows the film to flow and is clever because the audience can register that the same people are coming down the stairs and that there is not a continuity error occurring.  However, this shot could have been executed better if perhaps we could have placed the camera in a lower angled position to fully embrace the full extent of the camera technique.

High angle shot

We used the high angle shot to finish the sequence on the stairs because we made it our goal to keep the audience extremely involved in the direction of the short film and helped them follow the characters. This admittedly was not a major shot in our sequence although it does keep the flow of things. High angle shots are useful in situations such as this because they give good perspective of setting and location.

Over the Shoulder

 

We decided to utilise the over the shoulder shot when we were conducting the conversation scene. This is a highly effective technique to use as it allows the audience to fully engage in the conversation one of the characters in the film.

This exploits features such as facial expressions, gestures and movement of the characters involved so that the audience can thoroughly indulge in the conversation. It shows clearly that one person is speaking to another person in a direct approach which prevents confusion for the audience when watching. I believe we executed the scene generally quite well however there was a slight fault in our editing where two different mini clips were converted into one with a slight jump in the editing.

This was an important scene in the film because it holds the basis of our storyline and drives the direction of our short film.

We were inspired by the use of the shot from other different films and we would attempt to replicate these scenes to the best of our ability.

Medium shot

We used the medium shot to show us walking out of the doors into the playground as we wanted to show perspective of the location appearing on the screen for the first time but did not want to take the focus too much off of the two in the scene so that the audience does not get lost to what is going on. We conducted this scene to a good standard as we gradually showed the two of us coming closer to the camera to establish a medium shot. In this shot, I make a gesture with my head in a certain direction so that the audience can tell that we were referring to something off screen.  

There was an editing point in this short section which was a mistake because we had already walked past the location of the camera and then the next cut shows us behind that point again walking. This shows that we should have edited our film in a more refined way and that the usage of baggage editing may have helped in this situation.

We were also inclined to use the medium shot to show us taking the picture of the window so that both of us could be seen in the shot, and to show that it is clear what we were doing and this can be portrayed to the audience. We performed this shot to a good standard based on the fact that it provides good perspective of the setting and the meaning behind the clip is evident to the audience.

Extreme close up

We decided to use the extreme close up shot to show what we captured on the camera. The effect of this shot is that the dark figure can be seen by the audience on the camera and it gives them the idea that the two characters are looking at the camera to observe what they have found. This also has a sinister effect which relates to the genre of our film. We could have executed this shot with more precision and class where the camera could have been more central so that it looks professional. On the other hand, the sense of a shot that is unstructured and not too perfect has a realistic feel to it where it is more believable.

Whip Pan

  

We decided to use the whip pan shot following on from the extreme close up of the camera because it shows the two characters looking up towards the window and then the camera is whipped around quickly to see the figure in the window. The efficiency and smoothness of this shot allows tension to build and suspense to be created because everything is high tempo and fast, the audience feels like they are involved in the scene and the camera technique allows them to be on edge and alarmed.

This shot was inspired by famous directors such as Alfred Hitchcock where in his films he would use a close up on the character and then a point of view shot on what the person is looking at. Another close up shot of the character is shown to portray how the point of view shot has affected them. This then allows the audience to feel like they are the character and they are seeing what they are seeing in the film which makes them feel vulnerable and unsettled. An example of this is:

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The first image shows a close up of the woman and the concern on the face allows the audience to infer that she is looking at something that is troubling her. The next image shows what she is looking at which explains the concerned expression on her face. The next shot is another close up which shows her reaction to the horrific scene she has just witnessed.

POV

  

We used the POV shot for our final shot of the film. This sequence was very tense and fast pacing relating strongly with the genre of the film which is a thriller/horror. We utilised diagetic sound effectively in this scene as when I was running with the camera, I breathed heavily and quickly to add to the suspense and commotion on screen because the picture was quite distorted which gives off the idea that we do not have control over the situation. This is then cast on to the audience when watching and makes them feel like they do not have control over themselves and makes them feel unsettled and on edge.

I believe we executed the shot to a reasonable standard. However, there were some moments in the sequence where our editing was not to a high standard as both of the characters are holding the camera at different times and when I am holding the camera, Corey is running in front of me, but when the scene is cut, I am running in front of Corey which is a continuity error. This makes the scene seem less professional.

The last angle of the film is a low angle of Corey holding the camera up at the dark mysterious figure on the floor which is an effective camera angle for the end of the film because it suggests that the figure has power over us as we are on the floor and the figure is standing above us which means the being has a higher status over us. This is evident to the audience and then they can begin to feel fearful for us and our wellbeing.

By leaving the film on a cliff hanger it is effective because it is left to the audience to decide what happens next to the characters and this leaves them tense and creates and atmosphere of suspense.

Sound

Throughout our film we had a low background non diagetic tune which sustained a feeling of unease and maintained a good level of suspense. We could have further utilised sound by using sound effects for specific parts of the film such as when the camera is whipped around using the whip pan technique and the dark figure is seen in the window. I loud bang sound may have aided the suspense of this event and made it more impacting on the audience.







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Micro features - cinematography

Camera Shots

There are a range of different camera shots used in film for specific effects and how it makes the action on screen more impacting on the audience and more visually enhanced. The following are all the different camera shots used in film:

• Long shot
• Medium shot
• Close up
• Extreme Close up
• Point of view
• low angle
• high angle

Long shot

A long shot also known as a full shot or a wide shot portrays the entire object or figure on screen and usually includes most of the surroundings and setting on the set. Prime examples of long shots used in film could be when filming a long street with characters walking towards the camera or looking at a character secretly observing another from a long distance away

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Medium shot

A medium shot is the shot in between a long shot and a close up. On occasions it is difficult to separate between either a medium shot and a long shot or a medium shot or a close up. A medium shot is normally classified by the shot being taken of a person from the waist up. This can show the facial expressions of the character corresponding with their gestures and can normally display some features of the background in the shot.

Close up

A close up shot is used to display an object or a facial expression closely and with visual detail. This can be effective in making an audience feel a certain way such as a shocked facial expression on screen can make them feel tense or a stupid facial expression can make audiences laugh. Close up shots can also represent significance of things in films, especially inanimate objects.

Extreme close up

An extreme close up shot is when the camera is highly zoomed in and is only focusing on a specific detail of a subject such as the eye of a person. This shot is generally used to express the significance of a specific detail on screen but can also be effectively used in circumstances such as graphic matches leading one scene into the other. the shot can have an effect on the audience where they can realise something small but major in the film or portray a certain importance to the audience.

Point of view

The point of view or POV shot can be used to portray to the audience what a character on scene can see. This can be both first person or third person where the camera could be showing the direct account through an individual's eyesight or over the shoulder of the character making the shot a third person account. A POV shot can also be shared through dual or triple shots showing the point of view of two or three characters. Point of view shots especially in the thriller genre link up with close up shots where the camera shows the point of view at the character and then their reaction to what they have seen. There are also films where only the POV shot is used such as; Clover field and paranormal activity.

Low angle shot

A low angle shot is a shot that is below the eye line and usually tilted up towards the action. It can be used for circumstances where two people are having a conversation and the camera is in front and below them. It can also be used in situations on different sets such as when a character is walking down stairs or it can represent landscape such as significant buildings. It can be used to portray the action from a different perspective to give the audience a better feel to the action and allows them to relate to it in different ways. A prime example of a low angle shot is a trump shot.

High angle shot

A high angle shot is a shot where the camera is above the eye line of a subject or the audience. It can often be used to emphasize the significance of a setting despite not being the center of focus and can make the subject on screen seem weak and powerless by the camera being above them suggesting a higher status. In film, high angle shots are used in dramatic moments or when a character below is talking to a character above the camera.











Camera Movement



Pan

A Pan shot is the movement of a camera across a horizontal axis, a pan shot is an effective camera manoeuvre based on the way it can follow action on screen in an orderly and structured manner maintaining clear and concise imaging as the action progresses. A prime example of when a Pan shot is used in film is when an object or being is moving across the camera and can be followed through the efficiency of panning.



Tilt

A tilt shot is very similar to the pan shot in relation to how the camera moves, however, the tilt shot is the vertical movement of the camera in an upwards or downwards motion. The tilt shot can be used effectively in circumstances where the camera is following an object or item up into the air or in an opposite way where something on screen can be falling towards the ground and the camera begins in a high angle position and then tilts vertically towards the ground. An example of when this could be the case is if a person is falling directly to the ground or a hot air ballon is rising steadily off from the ground. 



Crane Shot

A crane shot is the camera above the action on screen located on a crane or jib. A crane shot can be used to establish the scene and setting and gradually move in closer to the action from a birds-eye position. In contrary, a crane shot can be used to finish a scene or decline from the setting and gradually draw out from the characters and action; this is effectively used to give the audience the indication of the film coming to a close and allows them to embrace the setting once more. 

Tracking shot

A tracking shot is the movement of the camera in a travelling format on a wheeled dolly being pushed along a railed platform normally with the director sitting on a chair behind the camera on the rails. The tracking shot relates fiercely to the name where it is capable of following the action on screen quickly and efficiently keeping a steady and even picture. This can be effective when an actor on screen could be running and the camera can follow them in the direction that they are running in. 

Rolling shot

A rolling shot is a very peculiar type of camera movement in which the camera rotates from side to side giving the impression of a distorted location or moment on screen. This can be when conducting a close up for instance when the camera rolls in front of the character on screen which implies that they are confused or baffled at that particular moment.