Planning Update 1.0!

I have been meeting with potential actors and planning my production, and I've organised actors, props, locations and shots. So far, I've planned a timeline for what needs to be done when in order to meet the deadline. Here is a short summary of what I need to do and when:

As there will only be one actress needed for the production, I can easily organise filming days when both of us are free and I can work on editing and post-production afterward. To ensure the realism and professionalism of the film, I want to take photos of other actors and use them in a police investigation-type board as suspects: arranging to take photographs of people is much easier than organising to film them, and it would also fit better into the opening sequence rather than introducing all the central characters in the first 2 minutes. 

In terms of locations, I needed a suburban neighbourhood setting, so I explored various options around my neighbourhood: we decided on Abbi's house as it was closer to school and easier to film at. I took some location shots which will be in a separate blog post, along with a storyboard and animatic I made (or attempted) which is an expansion of the original idea. I hope to start filming by February 20th, as I anticipate all the planning to be done by this stage and ready to move on to production! 

Synopsis and title ideas

The final idea I decided on is a psychological, missing person thriller in which a young girl is abducted and after a number of years held captive, she escapes the house in which she is being kept and runs away. The film will open with the girl escaping the house, and will cut repeatedly to a police investigation board of her own missing persons case. Cutting in this way will reveal narrative clues that would else be lost in the first two minutes, creating intrigue for the audience. If I was to continue and make the whole film, it would follow the present life of the escaped abductee, Lucy, but also the work of the police in their attempts to track down her kidnapper, and eventually flashbacks to her years inside the house as she begins to accept and adjust to life outside. At the very end of the film, the kidnapper would be shown with another abductee, repeating patterns he had with the main character, as the police find him. As is common in thrillers, tension would be high throughout the film, and a conventional happy ending would be too mundane for this type of film, therefore the disturbed kidnapper would suddenly commit suicide before he is caught by police for a plot twist. As I am only filming the first few minutes, I cannot give this much away, but by planting narrative clues and plot trails I hope to captivate an audience. 

Some film title ideas I came up with include:

- Stolen
- Predator And Prey
- Two Million Minutes
- Abducted
- Underdog

Initial planning and ideas

I have brainstormed a few ideas about my own opening sequence, and I created a mindmap (above) with a few of the ideas for the mise-en-scene in particular costume, props and setting. I also made a moodboard to put the ideas into image format (in a separate blog post) I took main inspiration from the BBC television show Thirteen, where a young woman is taken and missing for 13 years and finally escapes.



I plan on writing a full synopsis or even a script for the whole film, but the opening sequence would be similar to the opening scene of Thirteen in that the main character will be running away from where she has been held. Obviously this is a TV scene so there are no credits, so I would have these added in. I plan on writing additional blog posts about the soundtrack and other elements as my planning progresses. At the moment, I have a vague idea for narrative, actors and locations, but I'm still deciding on a soundtrack and a shot-by-shot storyboard for the opening scene.

Moodboard - opening sequence

This is a moodboard of visual ideas for my opening sequence, including settings like suburban streets and woods as these are the locations I want to film in. Ideas for costumes and props include tatty dolls or teddies to show the length of time the girl has been missing for, and suggest her age. I thought I could use makeup to make her look like she has been treated badly, and this would create more intrigue for the audience. I want to construct my own missing poster with photos of the actress on them to create realism.

BBFC age ratings research

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is an independent guide to media content, which aims to:

• protect the public, and especially children, from content which might raise harm risks

• empower the public, especially parents, to make informed viewing choices

• recognise and respect adult freedom of choice within the law

• respond to and reflect changing social attitudes towards media content through proactive public consultation and research

• provide a cost-effective, efficient classification service within our statutory remit

• work in partnership with the industry to develop innovative service models to provide content advice which support emerging media delivery systems

• provide an effective service to enforcement agencies

When thinking about the target audience for the film I am making, age ratings are important as they shape who will be able to access my content if it hit cinemas or eventually DVD. People who typically watch psychological thrillers are older teenagers to adults, both male and female, so this is my target audience. Whether to rate the film a 12 or a 15 comes from research on the BBFC website:

"Examiners look at issues such as discrimination, drugs, horror, language, imitable behaviour, nudity, sex, sexual violence, theme and violence when making decisions. They also consider context, the tone and impact of a work (eg how it makes the audience feel) and even the release format (for example, as DVDs are watched in the home, there is a higher risk of underage viewing)."

As the themes of my film involve abduction and some violence, the themes would potentially influence the age rating. I personally think a 15 rating will be more suitable due to the violent themes and potential for strong language in the film, and this rating also helps shape the target audience. 

British Film Institute trip

On Friday 11th November, our media group went to London for the BFI Southbank's lectures by Tom Woodcock and director/actor Dexter Fletcher. I recorded the trip and a small section of Fletcher's lecture, where he talked about three films he'd directed (Wild Bill, Sunshine on Leith and Eddie the Eagle) and answered questions about their opening sequences to help with our coursework. Tom Woodcock did more of a teaching-lecture where we picked out micro and macro elements of opening sequences, and listened to tips for production and other students' ideas for their own coursework. We watched a few examples of student work and graded them, and overall the day generated some ideas for our own coursework and also gave us advice for the production side of the project. Fletcher gave more of an insight to careers in media and acting, and what being a director is really like.

Analysis of 'Edward Scissorhands' opening scenes

'Edward Scissorhands', a 1990 Tim Burton film, fits into the thriller genre but also features comedy, horror and romance. The opening titles are paired with an eerie soundtrack with an almost choir-like, lullaby mood, and this music alone informs audiences of the light horror aspects of the film. 

In the very first frame, we see the 20th Century Fox iconic logo, except for this film it has been adapted from it's usual gold, shiny colour to a grey stone in the dark snow. As a first impression for the audience, this unorthodox change in the Fox logo has darkened the mood and possibly suggested genre.



A fade to black transition reveals a new unknown setting, with a similar lighting and colour set up. Dark blues and greys dominate the whole sequence, again suggesting genre and leaving narrative clues: the themes of this film will be as dark as the lighting. 

 As the camera pans up and around this dark setting, an old wooden door is introduced in the background at the same time as the creator, Tim Burton, is named in the credits in the foreground. By 1990, Burton had worked on both Beetlejuice and Batman, so placing his name as first in the credits allows the audience to further agree that they are watching a dark thriller, thus they know what to expect from the film as the director has a reputation for the thriller/horror/action genres. The old-style wooden door is reminiscent of castles in fairytales, which the audience further see in the opening scene of 'Edward Scissorhands' as a grandmother tells a child a bedtime story.


Johnny Depp, playing title character, is next to be introduced in the credits after the title of the film is revealed to be behind the door shown, the words 'Edward Scissorhands' moving as if they were actually scissors. By 1990 Depp was known as a teen idol after featuring on 21 Jump Street, but he had only starred in one horror film in his career (Nightmare on Elm Street) and was more well-known for the comedy/action genres. As the audience realise Depp is starring in the film, their assumption of genre changes and begins to involve the comedy subgenre as well as thriller/horror. Just 50 seconds into the film, the audience has already made assumptions about genre and also seen narrative clues in the setting behind the credits: iconography associated with fairytales begins to reveal itself, and the low-key lighting represents a dark plot.



Further actors are credited, as the tracking camera continues to show the interior of an old, creepy castle. Winona Ryder, also having starred in Beetlejuice under Burton, was known primarily for teen movies of the 1980s, and was dating Depp at the time. The background begins to show machinery under the dark hues of the lighting: a large narrative clue as to how Edward Scissorhands came to be (again, this is reinforced in the opening scene with the grandma's tale).



To me, the opening sequence of the film echoes some of the scenes in Disney's 1951 Alice in Wonderland, particularly when the camera 'falls' downwards into solid darkness or when the shapes below are individually lit up, like the Cheshire Cat's face does in Alice. This may have been done to appeal to a younger audience, as the 'creepy' sequence conveys more of the horror/thriller genre and this childlike element will reassure audiences that it will not be a full horror film, but will also appeal to them. In terms of narrative, the character of Edward himself is shown in the first few minutes to be quite innocent and childlike, so these cut-out shapes could also represent his personality.

History of Thriller

As many genres do, thriller originated from literature; ancient poems such as Homer's Odyssey use similar narrative techniques as the thrillers audience watch today. The Three Apples from Arabian Nights is believed to be the first murder mystery story, and features plot twists and elements of detective fiction. 

With the development of film, the thriller genre began to take shape. Alfred Hitchcock's The Lodger (1926) was a silent film thought to be the first ever thriller film, based on solving the mystery of a 'Jack-the-Ripper' style killer. Hitchcock was one of the first and most well-known British filmmakers, but also one of the most famous influences for the thriller genre. Throughout the 1930s-60s Hitchcock dominated the thriller film scene, with other directors also releasing material such as Michael Powell's Peeping Tom and Terence Young's Wait Until Dark with Audrey Hepburn. 

By the 1970s, violence began to feature in thriller films, creating the thriller-horror subgenre. Films such as Ted Kotcheff's Wake in Fright (1971) and Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972) introduced violent aspects to the genre. Stephen King's horror/thriller books began to be adapted into films by 1990, and Misery gave the thriller genre the conventions of obsession and trapped protagonists. In the present day, thriller films are often crossed-over with subgenres, particularly action, horror and crime.

(info. from Wikipedia)

Notable Thriller Directors

Alfred Hitchcock
Most well-known for his film-noir and suspense/psychological thriller films, Hitchcock directed over 50 films during his career, with his peak being during the 1950s. Some of his most famous films include Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960) and North by Northwest (1959). Hitchcock was known as 'The Master of Suspense' as he used this element all the time in his films to create tension for audiences. Typical plot devices of his are placing an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances; or using mistaken identity where characters are falsely accused. Charming or sympathy-evoking villains are also a convention of Hitchcock's. Although Hitchcock's work is from the 20th century, it offers some inspiration for the thriller genre and may have influenced many other directors' work in the past.

David Fincher
Also a well-known thriller director, Fincher's work includes Gone Girl (2014), Se7en (1995), Fight Club (1999) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). He began his career by directing television adverts and music videos, and his first feature film was Alien 3 (1992) which was not received well by film critics. Despite this film's unsuccessful reception, Fincher released Se7en years later to much more success. A typical feature of his films is his confusing camerawork: as Fincher likes to be heavily involved with computer-generated imagery post-production, the camerawork is often difficult to tell apart from hand-held, motion-controlled or CGI. Close-ups and extreme close-ups are also typical of Fincher.

Christopher Nolan
Though Nolan is famous for other films as well as his thrillers, the thriller films he has directed have been incredibly successful. Memento (2000) and Insomnia (2002) are perhaps his most notable thrillers, as they achieved success in both the box office and reviews. The unique narrative of Memento meant that the film was raved about, some even stating that the script was 'the most innovative ever seen.' Nolan also directed the Dark Knight series, and these films have made him one of the highest grossing directors in history. He admits his influence from the film-noir genre, and his work often features a protagonist who is psychologically damaged and/or out for revenge. He uses hand-held cameras and shots such as point-of-view shots to convey realism and let the audience become immersed. 

Jonathan Demme
Demme directed a number of comedy and drama films, but the work he is most well-known for is the famous psychological thriller Silence of the Lambs (1991). This film was one of the only films to win Academy Awards in all 5 top categories, and the first 'horror' film to ever win 'Best Picture'. Demme also directed 2 episodes of the TV crime drama The Killing and the drama Philadelphia (1993) featuring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.

Thriller Genre: Iconography

I've made a moodboard for the iconography associated with thriller films/television/literature. After looking at many thriller films, I discovered that close up shots and low level lighting were common parts of the mise-en-scene: these micro-elements would be simple to incorporate into my own thriller opening sequence. Confined spaces or vast, empty ones were common settings, as these tend to emphasise the loneliness of the character in the setting, and also concentrates on the fears of the audience (an element of horror which has crossed over). Police investigations are often narrative features, as there is usually a body involved- protagonists are hence either police detectives, or people who take it upon themselves to solve the mystery outside of the investigation. As the thriller genre is often crossed over with other genres, it is difficult to single out icons of just the thriller genre, as it exists alongside others. For my own opening sequence, I'd join the thriller genre with another subgenre to make showing iconography easier: for instance, if it was a crime thriller, a detective badge or police tape would be a clear indicator of genre. If I chose a horror thriller, blood splatters and shadowy figures could work together to demonstrate this.

Iconography

Iconography is an essential part of genre; and is typically, in media, the 'icons' that hold meaning for an audience. Without iconography, the audience would find it difficult to establish the genre of a media text, therefore audience enjoyment would probably decrease. It originates from the study of art, and the concept of iconography applies as much to real life as to media.

In life, icons may include things such as a tie or glasses. A tie has connotations of intelligence, organisation or authority- it carries many other meanings to the individual, though the main ones are seen by the majority. Seeing a tie as a icon or symbol for these characteristics allows people to make judgements on the person wearing the tie, and possible assume their actions/behaviour. 

Similarly, in the media, icons are typical to certain genres. For example, in film, a western is clearly demonstrated by icons such as a cowboy hat, a gun, a saloon. These have become icons of westerns as they have featured in many films of the western genre over time. Each genre and subgenre has iconography to suggest to an audience what type of film they are watching. To convey this most effectively, producers would have to place icons in a film trailer and/or the opening few minutes so that audiences are immediately aware of the genre, and start to make assumptions about the narrative.

In my own opening sequence, I would have to think about the iconography associated with thriller films (contrast lighting, a murder victim, knives as a weapon etc.) and place a few of these in my opening sequence to suggest genre and also narrative/plot.

Narrative Theory

Male Gaze Theory- explanation and opinions

Hello! In this blog I'll outline the 'male gaze theory' coined by Laura Mulvey in 1975, and explain why I believe it is outdated.

In her article 'Visual Pleasures and Narrative Cinema', Mulvey slated the Hollywood film industry for objectifying the females in their films. Her basic ideas were that all films are shot with men at the centre: homosexual males are usually the protagonist, the camera acts as a man's eyes with the angles and shots, and the target audience often places men before women. Male gaze theory is therefore the way in which a camera places the audience in the position of a man, and is in turn the way films are mediated from a male point of view. Mulvey is, in my opinion, a quite radical feminist in her views, though some of what she stated in her article can be applied to the modern film industry. 

To use the James Bond film franchise as an example: excluding the main female characters, it has almost become a convention for a new attractive woman to become a temporary love interest for Bond in each new film. They serve no other purpose to the plot other than to satisfy both Bond and the male audience, and to show Bond's heroism in being saved by him towards the end. 

However, the majority of films are no longer like this. Many now have strong female protagonists, and varied target audiences other than simply men to be pleased. I do still think women suffer from sexual objectification in the media, particularly in film, though it is not as dramatic as Mulvey cut it out to be in her 1975 article. 

Camera shots and angles

Hello! To refresh our knowledge of camerawork, we explored the main shots and angles we could use in filming an opening sequence. Some examples with explanations are here:

High angle shot
This shot is taken from a high angle at the top of the stairs, so in theory it doubles as an establishing shot and a high-angle shot. This angle is often used in films to show inferiority of a character, to symbolise how small they feel or to show that the odds are stacked against them.

Over the shoulder shot
This is a type of over the shoulder shot which would be used in a conversation scene, as it shows both characters but focuses on the expression of emotion in one character's face. As we have done in this example, the shoulder itself is often not in focus, so that the opposite character can be seen more clearly and to create a professional feel of the whole shot. Over the shoulder shots are often reversed and repeated to create a 'shot-reverse-shot' of the entire conversation. This helps with fluency and also keeping the shots varied, helping with audience engagement.

 Close up shot
These shots, because of the proximity to the face, are often used in film to show emotion without using dialogue. It is closer to the actor than a mid shot, which includes the elbows/waist, but further away than an extreme close up, shown below. When cut with another shot of an object or person, the audience is led to believe the character is looking at the object/person or wants to interact with it.

Extreme close up
These shots are also used to show emotion, but it usually focusses on one facial feature which is almost disturbing for an audience as it is unnatural. An effective use of this shot would be in the thriller/horror genres, as a zoom on an eye can connote fear and anguish to the audience.

Bilateral symmetry shot
This example is obviously quite comedic, as our poses are relatively cheesy! The bilateral symmetrical shot is aesthetically pleasing as there is perfect symmetry on each side of the shot, but also has a quite eerie feel so may feature in sci-fi or horror films.

Dutch tilt angle
This camera angle may often be used in thriller or horror films, as it creates tension and is quite an unorthodox angle to use. It adds variety to the shots which can keep the audience engaged in the film or text, and is interesting to analyse as it is likely the director would have used this angle for a reason.

Establishing/Long shot
This shot establishes the setting of the scene and films often open with this type of shot to establish setting of the whole film, such as a high school movie. An extreme long shot or wide shot may also be used to open a film, such as a drone or helicopter shot to establish a city setting. 

Textual Analysis

In this blog post, I'll explain how textual analysis works in media, using the example of a film poster for 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'. 

Textual analysis is viewing a media text, and looking in detail at how it is constructed. It is looking at the meaning behind a text, and asking why and how the meaning is conveyed. This is done by analysing both micro elements (camera work, editing, sound- mise en scene) and macro elements: drawing conclusions from the micro level about representation, characterisation, genre, narrative and ideology. Different individuals have different interpretations of texts, so the analysis should incorporate different views of the same text. Textual analysis is essentially a three-step process: analysing micro elements, concluding the macro representations that these elements create, and considering the different interpretations people may have. Decoding is the way of understanding media texts by making meaning of the sounds (aural codes) or pictures (visual codes) presented.

This film poster for 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' can be analysed for plot clues and genre hints by simply looking at the micro mise en scene elements. The use of a utopian beach setting shows a 'perfect world', though the perfection is broken by the fact the heart-shaped cloud in the sky is broken by the plane, and Jason Segel's character's posture and body language connotes unhappiness. The proxemics of the characters, particularly how Segel is stood in the sea looking on at the lovers, conveys ideas of a storyline of lost love. This is reinforced by the tagline and title, the former of which gives away the genre explicitly: it is a comedy supposedly about 'getting dumped and taking it like a man' -- this tagline in itself is comedic, as Segel's character does not appear to be 'taking it like a man' at all. The casting also gives away the genre: Jason Segel and Russell Brand are both known for comedy, and the films mentioned that are by the same producers are both of the comedy genre. The use of colour is also symbolic for the plot and themes of the film: the poster is largely blue, which has many connotations but in this context the colour represents the sadness of the lonely man in the sea. The girl is dressed in green, which has a main connotation of envy/jealousy: this emotion is evident as Segel's character is visibly envious of Russell Brand's. Brand is dressed peculiarly for the beach- he is in all black, which is a common convention in more serious films for villains or enemies. His costume suggests his role as an antagonist in the film, as does his positioning with the character who is clearly Sarah Marshall herself. His facial expression reinforces this idea of a 'bad' character, as he sneers at the camera. Sarah Marshall is represented as quite shallow, as she looks into Brand's character's eyes devotedly and this allows an audience to make assumptions about her: she has left the 'everyman hero' of Segel's character for the arrogant rockstar she is now with. 

Even the smallest details are codes to suggest genre, representation or narrative, and being able to textually analyse media texts will not only help in exams but also with creating my own opening sequence to a film.

Exploring the Thriller Genre

Hello!
A genre is essentially a type of film, a "clique" that every film or book fits into. However, all good films can fit in to many sub-genres which make it unique: to use the example of 'Girl, Interrupted' (analysis of opening scenes here) it fits into the drama, biography, thriller and romance genres, but is primarily a drama film. For my own coursework, I'd like to explore the thriller genre as I love watching films and television shows within this genre. 

The mise-en-scene in thriller films are commonly low-key lighting and tense music, though there are other elements that are often seen. Dramatic high or low angled shots create an impression of the characters, and can also raise tension when paired with suspenseful music. A fast-paced editing adds to tension but also moves the action along quickly, and extreme closeups tell the audience a lot about how a character is feeling without using dialogue. The mise-en-scene in a thriller is mostly used to create tension and suspense for the audience.

A thriller storyline can have many different features, which largely depend on it's subgenre. There is often a quest to solve a mystery- this mystery could be a murder, disappearance, or kidnapping/capture etc. The events in a thriller are designed around the central tension necessary for a successful 'thrilling' film, which keeps audiences on the tenterhooks throughout.

An innocent victim is often the central character, even if they have disappeared/died, as the quest to find out why this happened is the plot for the whole film. A curious, inquisitive character usually sets out to discover the 'why', and they become a protagonist. Sometimes, to add an element of humour, this character appears inadequate for the quest at hand and the audience has doubts about them: inevitably the protagonist proves the audience wrong and ends up solving the mystery. A villain is usually disguised, and in films with a mystery/crime subgenre red-herrings lead the protagonist on false trails which can create dramatic irony and tension surrounding the actual culprit. Ignorant or incompetent police and authority figures also add humour but also frustration and tension as the protagonist must complete the quest on their own.

Sub-genres commonly associated with thrillers are action, science-fiction, crime and film-noir. For my own opening sequence, I'd like to explore the film-noir or crime sub-genres, as I think these are the most interesting personally and I would enjoy producing a film of this genre. Elements of the crime genre that can be incorporated are a criminal investigation: sometimes one that police are no longer interested in or cannot solve, so an outsider takes interest and begins to solve the case. As thrillers often include murder and violence, police are often involved, hence linking to the crime genre. The film-noir genre is obviously famous for the lighting and black and white filters, but I think elements from the genre can be incorporated into a thriller such as a narrative voice or cynical central hero, and also flashbacks to help with explaining backstories for characters.

Mediation Theory and Verisimilitude

Hello,
In this blog post I'll explain the theory of mediation and verisimilitude. Mediation is the theory that when an audience encounters a media text, they see someone's version of reality- either the director's or producer's. The creator of the text has their own view of the reality, so the audience sees it through their eyes. An audience is mostly aware that a television soap is not real, but they allow themselves to be immersed into the action: in contrast, audiences expect the news broadcast to be "the truth" and the mediation is not noticed as much as in a soap. News stories are mediated by the journalists and reporters as their opinions influence how the stories are perceived by an audience.

The Kuleshov effect is the name given to a film technique where the audience derives more meaning from two clips edited together than from just one of those clips. Lev Kuleshov was a Soviet filmmaker who made a short film which showed an actor with a neutral expression "looking at" a plate of food, a deceased child, and a woman in lingerie. Audiences in the 1920s stated that the actor's expression changed from hunger to grief to lust: in reality, the clip was the same all three times. Kuleshov's film is a demonstration of mediation theory as audiences can be manipulated to believe anything the editor wants them to. To show Kuleshov's ideas, we created our own version inspired by the original film. 

Verisimilitude is the believability of a narrative, or how real a media text appears. For example, the likelihood of a zombie apocalypse film seeming real to an audience is down to it's verisimilitude: how relatable/complex the characters are, and how plausible the events. The verisimilitude of any film plays a big part in it's success: if audiences don't believe the storyline could actually happen, the film is likely to be less successful.

Preliminary Task

Hello!
For our first mini-task we looked at three filming techniques (match-on-action, 180-degree rule and shot reverse shot, all explained here) and created a short sequence using all of the techniques. We used two volunteer actors and scripted a small conversation between them, emphasising match-on-action by getting them both to walk through doors and editing many different angles of the same action together. We attempted to use the 180-degree rule, though in hindsight I think we could have used it more wisely; there are a few parts of the film that don't work and the fluency is disrupted. However, in my opinion we used shot-reverse-shot effectively and the idea of a conversation taking place works. We used a tripod and camera equipment so that the shots were still and professional-looking, though if we changed the camera quality the film would look a lot more professional and well put-together. Our editing was a strength in our film, as the actors' movements flow throughout and make sense. 

Preliminary task script and shotlist

Hi! So for our first group task, we have to create a short sequence including the three media techniques for continuity we have just covered. Our brief is to have a character walk into a room, sit down with another character and have a short conversation. We decided to base our situation in a school, particularly a quiet study area, with two of our friends as actors. In true stereotype, a boy will walk in on a girl trying to study and annoy her so much that she eventually leaves. As a group, we came up with a rough script and shot list, making sure we included a chance for match-on-action to be edited.

Script:

Dani: Hey.
(Mat sits down at the table and begins making noise)
D: You are the most annoying person ever!
M: It's just a bottle flip.
(M continues to make ruckus)
D: Can you stop?
M: No. (continues)
D: I actually hate you, you're going to make me fail my A levels!
M: You're just a nerd. Just relax, we have time.
D: Ben, I'm sick of you. 
(D gets up and leaves the room)

Shot list:

1. M walks through corridor doors, tracking shot.
2. M walks down Media corridor, long shot.
3. M opens classroom door and walks through, medium long shot.
4. M closes door behind him, walks towards table and D. Tracking shot.
5. Medium shot of D as she speaks.
6. MLS of M speaking, over the shoulder of D.
7. MS of M flipping bottle.
8. Close up of D.
9. CU of M.
10. MS of D as she leaves her seat.
11. LS of D walking towards door.
12. CU of door handle as D reaches for it.
13. MS of D walking out of the classroom.

Analysis of 'Girl, Interrupted' opening scenes

Hello! In this post I'll be writing a short analysis of the opening 3 minutes of 'Girl, Interrupted', a 1999 drama film directed by James Mangold, which was loosely based on Susanna Kaysen's memoir of the same name.

The film opens with a shot of a barred window, which then tracks downwards slowly to reveal the main character. The lighting is incredibly dark, as the only evident source of light is the window itself: the immediate onset of darkness suggests a possible dark narrative for the film in the first few seconds. The non-diegetic music is almost lullaby-like, but when contrasted with the dark setting it is quite eerie, which also suggests a dark narrative for the film.

The main character, played by Winona Ryder, is revealed as the camera continues to pan down. She wears an unreadable, vacant facial expression, leaving the audience intrigued as to what she is feeling and why she is in such an eerie environment. Another character is shown laying in her lap, played by Angelina Jolie. This character appears still, and the audience may question if she was even alive until she blinks, possibly crying. Her facial expression displays deep sadness, which leaves the audience even more confused as to the events that have lead the characters to this situation.

Two more characters are shown, one clearly distraught, disfigured girl holding a cat, which soon escapes her grip and begins to walk towards the window shown in the first shot. The camera follows it, almost as if it were the main character's own eyes following the cat. While this action is happening, the camera cuts to show broken glass on the floor being swept up. Another girl picks up a needle and hands it to someone off-screen: this suggests that someone has overdosed on drugs, and the audience may correlate to the almost-dead expression of Jolie's character.

At this point, the camera cuts back to Ryder's character and she begins to speak on the voiceover: "Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your train moving while sitting still?" While she says this, security guard-like figures are shown at an entrance to the dark room, carrying torches. There is still no diegetic sound in the scene, only the music and the voice-over.

The voice-over continues: "Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe it was the sixties. Or maybe I was just a girl, interrupted." At this last sentence, Ryder turns towards the camera, face still vacant, and sirens begin to sound, cutting off the calm music. Hands grip her shoulders, and the scene immediately changes to her character being held down on a hospital bed with a tube down her throat. The editing between these two scenes is so effective as the settings change immediately as she says the word 'interrupted'.

This new setting contrasts wildly with the previous, as it is light and full of colour and noise. From what the doctors are discussing, the character has overdosed on aspirin with alcohol: this is a vital reveal of the narrative and genre, and the audience have some idea of what to expect from this character, though there is still intrigue as to why she tried to kill herself. The audience hears the character's voice for the first time as she moans "You should check my hand, there's no bones in it." Her wrist is shown with a large bruise, and a doctor is heard stating "Looks like a wrist banger. Is that why you did this?" She replies with "And other things. Sometimes it's hard, for me to stay in one place." Almost as rapid as the first scene change, the setting changes again, after the audio overlaps and the audience learn the character's name: Susanna.

A therapist-type figure is revealed to be the source of the voice calling Susanna's name. He asks "If you had no bones in your hand, how did you pick up the aspirin?" Susanna wears her vacant expression once again, though she looks slightly taken aback by the man's question. 

The genre of the film has been established as drama, as the opening scenes were definitely dramatic in their context, though it could also be a biography/life story film as it follows Susanna and her life closely. I chose to analyse Girl, Interrupted because I love the mystery of the very first scene: the characters are just shown, not introduced, and the events raise so many questions that are answered as the film goes on. Susanna as a character is difficult to establish as the entire film is about her struggle with borderline personality disorder, though even in the first three minutes her thoughts and feelings are introduced in the voiceover and overdose scene. The narrative is also suggested by the flash-forward at the very beginning, and the scene with the therapist hinting that Susanna is going to face the consequences of her attempted overdose.

Introduction - a few filmmaking terms

Hello! In this first post to my AS Media Studies blog, I'll be explaining some of the more important Media language terms to do with filming.

Firstly, the '180 degree rule'. This rule is in place to ensure that when two people are filmed having a conversation, the actors do not look as if they are facing the same way, which would be confusing for the audience and look quite unnatural. As shown in the image below, shots should be taken on one side of the actors or the 'line of action' so that when clips are edited together, the footage looks seamless and professional, and immerses the audience into the action. The rule is called the '180 degree rule' because the camera cannot move more than 180 degrees around the actors. The rule also works when one actor is looking at an object rather than a person.




'Match on action' or 'cutting on action' is an editing technique where the action of a character is started in one shot and completed in the other. An example of this is when someone walks up to a door and reaches for the handle, and the following shot shows the person walking through the door on the other side. The cut connects two views of the same action, making it seem like the action continues uninterrupted by the change of camera position. This aids continuity and creates a seamless view for the audience, though in reality the two shots may have been filmed days apart. Some examples of match on action cuts in the comedy show Friends are explained here.

'Shot/ reverse shot' is also an editing technique to improve continuity between shots. This particular rule is used when two characters are interacting: the first shot shows one character looking somewhere usually off-screen, and the second shot is reversed to show a second character looking back in the opposite direction, so the audience presumes they are looking at each other. To reinforce this, a third shot is usually included, a two-shot of both characters facing each other. A classic example of this technique is two characters in a restaurant/cafe, as a two shot showing both characters sat facing each other establishes who each character is looking at in the shot/reverse shot. This is a very popular technique and can be seen in almost every film or television show where characters interact.