Saturday, 22 December 2012

Evaluation


Ben created the idea for the project of a serial killer being stalked by possibly another serial killer. I, Henry & Chris decided that this would work as it allowed us to create interesting shots that was required for this cinematography project. From watching Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Vertigo I became very interested with the idea of using fake point of view shots in the film to mislead the audience and surprise them. I came up with the shots in the ally of using a fake tracking shot to fool the audience into believing it was in the point of view of the serial killer when actually it turns out to be the point of view from the stalker. I also created the shot at the end scene when the killer is searching for the source of noise from inside his house, the shot makes the audience believe that the stalker is following the serial killer, only for it to be revealed as a normal tracking shot then the real point of view from the stalker is revealed from the opposite side of the corridor as he attacks the killer.
False POV
False POV revealed
From the idea created by Ben and our entire group coming up with different shot ideas for each scene I created a script which was also more of a shot list with stage directions with the shots everyone agreed on that will work. Although Henry was the main camera man for this project as he has the most experience working with DSLR’s, Ben and myself worked with Henry strongly on the camera, especially on the framing and composition of each shot.

Long track
 Although on time scheduling and planning our group may have been slightly unplanned we did however work very well together. We were all technically proficient and became good problem solvers as there was many problems arising with certain tracking shots and lighting.

Drastic lighting choice add emotion and atmosphere

Some over exposure on certain shots

As one of the requirements was that there had to be a change in lighting, from watching and studying Kieslowski’s Three Colours: Blue I came up with the idea to show an obvious change in lighting colour during the scene in the house when the killer realises the stalker is in the house. I came up with the idea of using close-ups with the lighting colour changing from blue to red which would add intensity but also reveal to the audience the mood and emotion of the killer as we decided not to use sound or dialogue in our film, I created many shots that would easily show the moods and emotions of characters and situations from just the shots and acting.

Thursday, 20 December 2012

Equipment List

Dedo lighting kit x3


Kino lighting kit x2

Tripod x1

DSLR camera x1

Red & Blue Gels x2

Tracking kit x3

Early Planning & Storyboard - Killer's House

 
Wide shot static camera centre of room as Stalker hides from Killer.
 
 
Close up of Killer placing tools on the table.
 
 
Wide shot static of Stalker running up the stairs.
 
 
Static mid shot of Killer looking into hallway at noise.
 
Wide shot of Killer going upstairs looking for source of noise.
 
Track shot camera behind Killer - Point of view of Stalker
 
Wide shot static reveals trick point of view.


Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Early Planning & Storyboard - Alleyway

 
Cuts to Mid shot of Killer leaning on wall watching public walk past chosing his next victim.
 
 
Cuts to long shot of Killer's point of view, fast pans right to left observing people.
 
 
Zoom in on Woman, pan right following her walk into alleyway.
 
 
Cut to close up of Killer's face.
 
 
Cuts to camera central of alley. Static wide shot of Woman walking down alley. Camera tracks down alley following woman down alley, gives effect of Killer's point of view.
 
 
Killer runs into view of camera, grabs woman and drags her out of view. Camera continues to track down. Tricks audience - fake Point of view, not from Killer.
 
 
Camera continues to track down and pan left to reveal Killer stabbing Woman to death.
 
 
Cuts to mid shot of female Stalker watching Killer. Real point of view revealed.
 
 
Cuts to wide shot of alley way. Static, revels charcters positions.


Early Planning & Storyboard - Grindleford

 
 Opens with a long shot camera behind the Killer as he chops up a body.
 
 
Track to close up of killer, gives the effect of somebody's point of view walking towards the Killer. Killer hears noise behind him and turns around.
 


 Cuts to a long shot of Killer across the river, camera in front of Killer. Trick point of view as no one is behind him.
 
 
Cuts to close up of Killer's face searching for source of noise, then goes back to hacking up dead body.
 
 
Camera zooms out to long shot again across the river. Show's woman Stalker hiding, watching Killer cut up dead body.
 
 
 
 
Cuts to static Mid shot of blood flowing down the river.


1st Draft Script

Click pictures to enlarge
 
 

Group's 1st Meeting


During my group's first meeting, Ben came up with the idea of a "cat and mouse" film style film in which he shown us certain scenes from Korean films such as Oldboy and I Saw the Devil for a certain action style he was after. I then decided if it was a cat & mouse film narrative we was going for, we could trick and manipulate the audience by not being sure who's side of the narrative we are following.

I introduced and began to talk about trick P.O.V. where the audience believes the camera is showing the P.O.V. of one character but turns out to be another or no one's at all.

We talked of very drastic theatrical lighting that was obvious but gives it a certain style, such as deep reds to show killers anger etc.

We agreed to make storyboards with ideas of camera shots and lighting.

Cinematography Group

James Mellors
Benjamin Wilson
Henry Vinten
Chris Slater


I'm looking forward to working with my group, I have worked with Ben last year on a drama project and from that I know we share similar shot ideas etc.
I have never worked with Chris and Henry before but I highly like previous work they have created and I highly look forward to sharing ideas and creating something that could come out brilliant.

Tuesday, 9 October 2012

Three Colours: Blue - Krzysztof Kieslowski - 1993


Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colours Trilogy was created to show his ideals or visions of what colours on the French flag are representing; Blue being freedom, White representing equality and Red representing fraternity.
Three Colours: Blue opens with a static shot of the camera placed behind a tyre of car being driven on the motorway. The lighting has ambient soft fill showing the audience that it is early dawn and probably at winter from the mist and the cold blue lighting that lays over everything. It then cuts to the daughter Anna looking through the rear window of the car then cuts to her point of view at the traffic and tunnel lights which are purposefully distorted and out of focus into streaks of colour from the camera.

It then cuts to a static shot from beneath the car again this time the camera focusing on thick fluid substance dripping from the brake cables of the car, there is an out of focus image of the daughter Anna in the background running back into the car after making a toilet stop. This imagery along with the cold blue lighting create the emotion of an overhanging emotion of melancholy from which cinematographer Slawomir Idziak gives hint that something tragic may happen to this family in the car, which is then revealed when it cuts to a static long shot of the car crashing into a tree.
 
After the crash it cuts to a first person shot of the protagonist Julie's (Juliette Binoche) point of view, which is a long take of an extreme close up of her breathing onto a white feather with the sides of the frame is distorted and out of focus. The colour of the white feather could be used to represent life and freedom as Julie has survived and awoken from the crash. The surrounding fill key light is no longer a cold blue but also a dim white glowing in the background. A doctor in the background then emerges on screen from the right out of focus and then places his hand close to her eyesight, only the close finger tips in focus. It cuts to an extreme close up of Julie’s eye as you can see the doctor in the eye’s reflection as he informs her of the death of her daughter and husband. The cinematography for this scene I believe successfully portrays to the audience Julie’s emotions of disorientation and confusion. Director of Photography Slawomir Idziak achieves this with the use of extreme close ups and out of focus edges around the frame.
When the Julie hears the tragic news of the death of her family it cuts to a close up of Julie’s face, in the background there is a blue almost green tint that could represent her sadness and frustration at the tragic news. The colours are also rippling around Julie that I believe could be placed to also represent her disorientation and anger.
From this I researched what Kieslowski and Idziak’s meaning and message they were portraying for the colour of blue for this picture and how it represented freedom.
“It is clear that Kieslowski has made blue to be about personal freedom rather than political notions of freedom. It is about Julie’s struggle to find freedom in the realm of emotions as she struggles to achieve a sense of stability and independence after the death of her husband and daughter…Throughout the film the colour blue is not used as a symbol of “freedom”, but to create moods of melancholy and coldness, and to draw attention to the resonant emotional associations conjured up by objects and places in Julie’s mind”. Andrews. (1998). Pg 25.
The shot of Anna’s view of streaks of colour and blurred out of focus shots of passing vehicles during the opening sequence give hint that Kieslowski’s use of extreme close up’s and blurred use of focus represent his protagonist’s mental state. I also understood the use or lack of dialogue Kieslowski has used, instead he captures raw  emotion portrayed by the actor, he creates a powerful effect to tell the narrative and the protagonist's emotions. Something Andrew's I found agree's on:-
"Kieslowski focuses so closely and precisely on julie within the frame that the audience is constantly aware, without her needing to verbalise her feelings, of her intensely private responses to the world around her". Andrews. (1998). pg  27.
Most definitely going to experiment and try to capture this same effect to see if I can make it successful for my film.


In her shattered emotional state Julie attempts for a suicidal overdose but cannot swallow the pills as her will to survive is so strong. When Julie watches her husband and daughter’s funeral service on a miniature television we the audience discover that her husband was a famous and well respected music composer.

It then cuts to Julie sleeping on a hospital ground floor balcony. Julie is awoken suddenly by unexplained music and a blue lighting which shines on her and dominates the screen. The camera also moves away on a track and then returns to a close up of Julie, who in a startled state follows the movement of the camera. As the music and the blue lighting fades out Julie is then visited by a journalist who enquires whether it is true that Julie was really the writer of her deceased husband’s music. The ‘supernatural’ visit of the music and the blue lighting over Julie suggests that she may well have written the music for her husband, and that she cannot control her creativeness just as much as her melancholy emotional state.

Julie being visited by brief musical fragments accompanied visually by the extreme blue lighting could be seen as the obstacles to her quest for personal freedom and how she cannot escape her emotions of sadness, grief and depression. During this scene as well the glass balcony screen is the colour blue, which could also symbolise Julie’s melancholy constantly shadowing over her.

Kieslowski’s Three Colours of Red, White and Blue has for many years been one of my favourite trilogies. I highly admire the way he uses extreme close ups to portray/capture emotion to tell the narrative rather than the use of dialogue. I also admire the use of dramatic flashes/attacks of colour to also portray emotion of the characters and the mood of the atmosphere. I hope to use these techniques in my film and use them successfully.


Bibliography
Andrew, G. (1998). The 'Three Colours' Trilogy. Great Britain. British Film Institute.