Preliminary Exercise

1. Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

I worked with Winnie, Jacob and Wanda for the Prelim exercise.  Firstly, we had a group meeting to discuss and plan what we were going to do.  We wrote our script, did the storyboard and then wrote our shooting schedule.  We all contributed ideas equally, were well organised and did this very easily and efficiently.  We’d learnt about the different roles before which were:

- Director

- Assistant Director

- Camera Person

- Sound technician

- Light technician

- Actors

As there were only 4 of us and me and Wanda were required to act in a lot of the shots, we had to double up roles.  Winnie and Jacob shared these roles between them mostly.  We took it in turns doing these roles to ensure we all had a go at all of them eg. When I wasn’t acting I would be Director and the Camera Person, we didn’t need a light technician as we didn’t need any particular lighting.  When we were editing our sequence, we all made suggestions and listened to each others ideas and got the editing done quickly and without any big problems.

2. How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try and take into account?

We did most of our planning in our group meeting.  When we wrote our script, we ensured it had narrative flow and made sense to the audience.  When drawing our storyboard, we planned how each shot would be framed and if we had a pan in the shot we drew an arrow to show the camera movement and direction, we also made sure we had a range of different shot types and that there wouldn’t be any jumpy transitions eg. We wouldn’t have an establishing shot to an ECU but we would have a MS to a CU to an ECU.  We also included the continuity rules such as the 180 degree rule so the characters had the same left/right relationship throughout the sequence and the ‘imaginary line’ was not crossed.  Also match on action when I’m opening the door, we planned to film this twice, once from outside the room and once from inside the room so we can just edit the shots together to create the match on action, also a shot-reverse-shot to show the conversation.  We planned on our storyboard the length of our shots and to film them longer than they will actually be as we can edit what we don’t want out.  We planned the location of all our shots too.  As we had all our shots on our storyboard, we can then write out our shooting schedule, we chose to shoot them based on location instead of order as this is much quicker and less set-ups.  After our meeting, we did a walk through to figure out camera placement and to ensure we had enough room for our shots, the lighting looked good and we were clear and confident about what we were doing.

3. What technology did you use to complete the task and how did you use it?

Hardware – We used a Canon HV video camera, a mini DV tape, a Tripod as oppose to holding it as this makes the shots look really smooth and is easy to move when doing a pan, and a shotgun microphone and headphones plugged into the camera to increase the quality and clarity of the sound and to hear if there is any background noise which would disrupt the shot.

Software – We used a PC based editing suite and we used Adobe Premiere Pro.  There were two monitors, the source monitor, the main one which we were editing on and the output monitor, where we could watch what we had edited so we would see what the sequence would look like and weather it looked right or not.  We dragged our clips onto two timelines so we could put the clips alternately on two different tracks so they were clear to see.  We cut the clips using the razor tool, this cuts them into separate shots so then we could just delete the clips, using the rubber band tool, we didn’t want.  When doing our shot-reverse-shot we had to cut the clips and then rearrange them to create the conversation.  Also we had to drag the clips right next to each other so there were no gaps so the sequence had narrative flow.  Finally, using the board titling software we created a title for our sequence at the start and we used a transition, a fade to black at the end.

4. What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

We had to take into account many factors when planning, shooting and editing.  When planning, we had to consider how we would manage our time shooting the sequence, we had 1 hour to shoot and 1 hour to edit so our storyboard and shooting schedule helped organise our time really well.  We also had to consider the location of where we wanted to shoot and if all the locations were free at the time we wanted to use them as all of the groups were using the corridor to shoot, so we arranged time slots for when we could film in the corridor.  

When shooting, we had to consider camera position, weather there would be enough room to comfortably shoot where we needed and the 180 and 30 degree rule as without these, the sequence would have looked disorientated.  We had to move around furniture in the room so that there wouldn’t be any distractions away from the characters and so there would be more space to do the pan and the establishing shot.  Sound was a big factor we had to take into account when shooting as we were picking up background noise from people which was disrupting the shot so we had to ask the other groups to be quiet while we were filming.  

When editing, we had to consider where to cut each shot to create narrative flow and techniques such as match-on-action and shot-reverse-shot.

5. How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and in hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?

I think our sequence was quite successful as a lot of things worked well.  Firstly I think the editing was very good, the shot-reverse-shot was cut exactly right and we showed the match-on-action very well as when I’m filmed opening the door from outside the room, the door is the same angle amount open when it cuts to me being filmed from inside the room.  We didn’t break the 180 degree rule, there was no camera movement and we didn’t have any background noise as we’d ask them to be quiet.  We also created a sense of the characters surroundings and atmosphere well for the audience as we had a few establishing shots.  All of this adds up to create very realistic narrative flow.

However, there were a few things that I would improve if I had the chance to do it again.  Firstly I would have a close up of my hand on the door handle pushing the door open as this would have been more effective, our original shot of this broke the 30 degree rule, it was too similar to the one of me walking in and the transition looked really jumpy so we couldn’t use it.  Secondly, when I walk across the room we originally planned me to say “Hi” to Wanda as she said “Hi” to me but we had to cut this out because it interfered with the match-on-action, so it looks like I’m ignoring her but walking towards her which doesn’t make sense to the audience.  Also, when I walk across the room and sit opposite Wanda, there is a pause which creates a sort of tense atmosphere, this wasn’t meant to be there but we had to keep it in otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting down yet.  Still, the transition between the establishing shot of me and Wanda sitting opposite each other to the shot-reverse-shot is really stiff and doesn’t flow at all, this was because we didn’t take a long enough shot to make this transition smooth.  We should have filmed this shot twice, once from the pan and once from Wanda’s point of view and we could have edited this together to create a match-on-action.  Finally, I think the last shot-reverse-shot when Wanda says “Sorry” is not long enough, we had to cut the end as she looked at the camera so I don’t think this was very effective.

6. What have you learnt from completing the task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of our foundation coursework, do you think?

I have learnt a lot and understand a lot more about planning, shooting and editing from completing this task, I see how important the continuity rules such as match-on-action, shot-reverse-shot and the 180 degree rule, are to make a sequence flow, make sense and be easy to watch for the audience.  I’ve learnt how important it is to film a shot much longer than you intend it to be and make sure you have the shot’s from all point of views and camera positions so you can edit and cut the clips down later to create the sequence, this ensures transitions are always smooth and never look jumpy or stiff.  I’ve seen how important planning is as this really helped us organise our time and we worked a lot quicker and efficiently with our storyboard and shooting schedule as we knew exactly what we were doing.  I’ve also learnt how important every little detail is as the smallest detail could disrupt the narrative flow.  I think this task will really help me when completing the rest of my foundation coursework as I’ve had experience with planning, shooting and editing now and I know I won’t make the same mistakes again.

Group 1C

DYM Applying Propp's Theory

Propp's theory

Vladimir Propp proposed that there are distinctive character types and actions in all fairy tales. He said that characters have narrative functions as well as being representations of people, he said that all fairytales had only 8 main character types:

• The villain - struggles against the hero
• The donor - prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object
• The (magical) helper - helps the hero in the quest
• The princess - person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative
• Her father
• The dispatcher - character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off
• Hero or victim/seeker hero - reacts to the donor and weds the princess
• False hero/Anti hero - takes credit for the hero’s actions/tries to marry the princess

He also suggested that all fairytales had a similar narrative structure and he broke it down into 31 functions that followed roughly the same order. He then broke these 31 functions down into 4 spheres which were:

• 1st Sphere - The introductory sequence
• 2nd Sphere - The body of the story
• 3rd Sphere - The donor sequence
• 4th Sphere - The hero returns

Propp's theory applied to Lion King

Synopsis

A young lion prince is born in Africa, thus making his uncle Scar the second in line to the throne. Scar plots with the hyenas to kill King Mufasa and Prince Simba, thus making himself King. The King is killed and Simba is led to believe by Scar that it was his fault, and so flees the kingdom in shame. After years of exile he is persuaded to return home to overthrow the usurper and claim the kingdom as his own thus completing the "Circle of Life".

The 8 main character types

• The villian - Scar
• The donor - Rafiki
• The helper - Timon and Pumba
• The princess - Nala
• Her father - Her mother Sarafina
• The dispatcher - Nala
• Hero - Simba
• False hero - Scar

Our board game

We showed the character/character types in the following way:

• Scar - If you land on a square with Scar, you have to go back or miss a go which disrupts your game as Scar disrupts Simba’s life.
• Rafiki - There is a big drawing of Rafiki in the centre of the board with the words “What will your destiny be”, showing he is the magical donor as he is in the film.
• Timon and Pumba - If you land on Timon and Pumba, they take you across a bridge which advances you in, and lets you skip some of the game, this is a memorable part of the film when they take Simba across the bridge and we are shown the time skipping as he grows from a child to an adult.
• Nala - If you land on Nala, she helps you move forward a few spaces and when you reach the end of the game, you marry her.
• Simba - You play as Simba so you are the hero moving through.
• Also if you land on a certain square, you must return to Prideland and miss a go to ‘restore’ it as Prideland needs restoring by Simba in the film.
• We drew a small image of Rafiki holding up Simba over Pride Rock when he is born symbolising Simba’s importance.

Examples of functions in Lion King

1st Sphere

• Villian attempts to deceive hero with trickery – Scar tricks Simba into believing it is his fault his dad Mufasa died
• Hero is deceived - Simba believes Scar

2nd Sphere

• Hero leaves home - Simba leaves home because he is so ashamed of what he thinks he has done, what Scar has convinced him to believe
• Hero discovers the lack - Nala finds Simba and tells him about what has happened to Prideland
• Hero decides on counteraction - Simba decides to return to Prideland, fight for it and restore it

3rd Sphere

• Hero and villian in direct combat - Simba and Scar have a big physical fight
• Villian defeated - Simba defeats Scar and Scar dies

4th Sphere

• True hero recognised - Simba restores Prideland and becomes king
• Hero marries and ascends throne - Simba marries Nala and is now king

Evaluation of Propp's theory

The biggest problem with Propp’s theory is that it was written such a long time ago, in the 1920’s, and it is hard to apply it to modern films. Also, the 8 character types are meant to be different characters but some of them double up in Lion King eg. Nala is the princess and the dispatcher and some of them were different characters completely eg. Nala’s father is not mentioned. Also, we found it hard to identify all of the functions as some didn’t happen and some weren’t quite right. As his theory is so old, contemporary films might not match his theory completely.

DYM Applying Todorov's Theory

Todorov’s theory of Equilibirum

Tzvetan Todorov discovered that folk tales and fairy stories all followed a similar structural pattern. This is known as the classic narrative pattern, and is directly applicable to mainstream films and TV dramas today. The classic narrative pattern works like this – Equilibrium --> Disruption --> Resolution --> Restored order --> New equilibrium.

1. Who are the agents: the protogonist (the main hero who propels the narrative forward) and antagonist (opposing agent)?

The protagonist in this film is obviously Cady as the film is based around her, we are introduced to her straight away and we see her with her family showing us she is the main character, the audience are made to sympathise with her as we she is going through a big change in her life. The antagonist seems to be ‘the plastics’, they are the most popular girls in the school and are shown to be ‘superior’ to everyone else, Damien describes them as "teen royalty", but to the audience they come across that they think they’re better than everyone else and very self-obsessed. Janis and Damien introduces the audience to all 3 of them individually emphasising their ‘importance’, also describing the main one as "evil in human form" emphasising their role as the antagonist.

2. Describe the equilibrium. How is it represented? What kind of camera shots can you identify?

The equilibrium is introduced immediately and is shown to be a nice innocent girl who is very naïve about starting an American high school, the film starts with some close up shot-reverse-shots of Cady talking to her parents focusing on their relationship, this forces the audience to realise she has a good happy relationship with her parents and they get along very well, but the title suggests this may change later on in the film. It also cuts back to an establishing shot showing us her surroundings, the street is a typical leafy homely American street suggesting to us they are quite wealthy as they have a big house and everything looks very nice. She meets Janis and Damien who are her real friends in the film and they guide her about ‘school life’.

3. Is the Disruption/Disequilibrium introduced or hinted at?

The disruption or disequilibrium is not introduced in this clip but it’s hinted at by the introduction of the plastics at 7:27, we can gather they will play a big part in the film and that Cady may be manipulated by them and sucked into their lifestyle as she is vulnerable and as she isn’t used to school life, could be easily influenced.

4. Are there any visual/verbal/aural clues that hint at what the hero's journey might be?

We don’t really get an idea of what the hero’s journey will be from this clip but we can assume that Cady will get caught up with the plastics, this is hinted at when Damien says “Oh you’ll get socialised alright”. Also, we can tell that Cady won't go on a physical journey as she has just moved to America but she will go on a mental/emotional journey in this film.

5. From your knowledge of the film, how will the equilibrium be restored and what will be the new equilibrium?

Throughout the film, we see how Cady gradually changes into one of the plastics, she becomes so obsessed with Regina, her scheme to make her unpopular and being a fake friend, that she becomes a ‘mean girl’ as she acts just like Regina and lets her real friends, Janis and Damien, down. There is a huge disruption when everyone finds out about Cady’s scheme, but the equilibrium is restored when Cady apologises to Regina so there is no longer an antagonist. The new equilibrium is that the plastics all go their separate ways, people are no longer divided into cliques and Cady, Janis and Damien are friends again.

BLK Continuity Sequence Analysis

I decided to use a clip from the film ‘Definitely Maybe’ looking at the techniques that have been used to create narrative flow.

• The clip starts with an establishing shot with a slow pan of the character’s walking, this sets the scene as we see clearly where they are and their position in relation to each other and other people.
• Then there is a reverse tracking mid-shot so it appears as if the characters are walking towards the audience. The camera then slowly pans around as the characters stand opposite each other so the transition to the close-up shots isn’t jumpy.
• A conversation then happens between Isla Fisher and Ryan Reynolds where shot-reverse-shot is used, this puts the audience in the conversation and makes them feel much more involved as oppose to watching the conversation from a distance, it also forces us to look at the character’s facial expressions and emotions. The dialogues for the shot-reverse-shot, which starts at 0:27, would have been filmed twice, once from her point of view and once from his point of view and then would have been edited together to create the conversation.
• The technique match on action is used at 0:34 when he opens the box. We see him start to open the box in a close up and then the shot is an extreme close up of the box the same amount open, this makes narrative flow and avoids confusion with the audience.
• Between the shot-reverse-shot, the camera cuts to the master shot eg. at 0:46 and 2:14, this breaks up sequence and reminds the audience where the character’s are in relation to each other and their surroundings etc.
• At the end of the sequence, 2:42, the camera cuts to a long shot so we see the characters exit the screen.
• Finally the 180 degree rule is used throughout this sequence as the character’s always have the same left/right relationship, Isla Fisher is on the left and Ryan Reynolds is on the right so the ‘imaginary line’ is not crossed. This avoids disorientation with the audience and creates narrative flow making it very easy to watch.

BLK Accident Sequence Evaluation

1. What did you think was the point to this activity?

I think the point of this activity was to learn about the rules of continuity, we did a six-shot sequence of an accident and by doing this you see how important continuity is for the shots to look right and make sense.  Also, it was helpful to break these rules as you see how ineffective the shots look without them.

2. In regard to your sequence, what worked well?

We used a range of shots which I think made the sequence realistic and successful. The first shot was the master shot, an LS of two girls facing each other and the audience get to see their surroundings so they get a sense of where they are and the space between them which builds up tension, then there is an over the shoulder shot which involves the audience and puts them in the scene and there is a CU of the girl’s angry facial expression forcing the audience to realise she is annoyed with the other girl. Also, action reaction is used in the last shot as we see her react to punching the pole, a high angle shot is used making the angry character look weak. We have 6 clear shots which makes the sequence flow and I think the cutaways between each shot breaks up the action and makes the sequence more effective. 

3. What would you aim to improve about your sequence?

I would improve quite a lot with this sequence as continuity rules were broken and the shot’s don’t really match together well. Firstly, we broke the 180 degree rule which is the most important continuity rule, the character’s should always have the same left/right relationship to each other but we filmed our shots on both sides of the ‘imaginary line’ which changes the viewer’s perspective, this can be quite disorientating confusing them. Also, I would make the establishing shot longer to give the audience more of a sense of the character’s surroundings and as one of the girl’s is walking towards the other in the next shot, she should be walking towards her in the master shot so the sequence flows better and isn’t jumpy. I think we should have used a shot-reverse-shot between the two girls before the punch, we only used an over the shoulder shot of one of the girl’s and I think a shot-reverse-shot would have been more effective because you would of seen both the girls expressions. Finally for the punch, the next 2 shots, we should of made sure there was match on action because it looks like she is punching twice. 

4. What did you learn from doing this activity?

From doing this activity I’ve learnt how difficult it is to achieve narrative flow and how important continuity rules are to make a sequence flow and be realistic. I’ve learnt how much attention is put in to timing and positioning etc. and that there is a lot more detail and work to create narrative flow than it looks.