My Film Opening Project - Mystery/Detective

Maddie Hopkins

Lily Rosenblum

Erin Watson 

Josh Young

Film Opening Research #2 - Murder on the Orient Express

how many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film? There is one title prior to the actual footage in the opening scene. It is a black screen with blue type written ink spelling out "Murder on the Orient Express". The black screen then slowly fades into what looks to be a sunrise which is an example of parallelism. The next title is during the establishing shot when the camera is panning the city then focuses in on the people and the wall and says "The Waiting Wall, Jerusalem, 1934". The date in this scene can really help the audience understand the time frame of the film.

what images are prioritized in the opening sequence? Some images that are prioritized in the opening sequence are the panning of the city, which is symbolic of the timeframe, and a little boy running through the peaceful town where everyone seems to be praying at the Waiting Wall. The scene of the boy is very significant because the suspenseful music makes it seem like someone is chasing the boy for whatever he is holding in his hands, yet the reason he is running is simply to delivery eggs on time 

what connotations do the images carry? The images carry importance to the main aspects of the film, the boy, and the time frame.

how is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? detective/mystery is not really shown yet this early in the clip. I believe it starts to get more mysterious as the plot continues. 

how does the film establish an enigma from the outset? The film establishes an enigma by using the little boy as such as an important character in the opening scene. The little boy runs back and forth over town just to get new eggs for someone who looks to be of high power. This gets the audience wondering if the little boy is a chef or if his father is a chef. 

what strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? Honestly, murder on the orient express does not really evoke any sense of mystery/detective at all. It just seems like an older film that may be a war movie.

how has technology been used effectively? technology has been used effectively by using symbolism in the editing at the beginning when the title turned into a sunrise. 

Film Opening Research #1 - A Quiet Place

how many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?

 Two titles are displayed during the opening scene. The first title is "Day 89" and the second title is a little later into the film opening which reads "A Quiet Place"

what images are prioritized in the opening sequence? The images that are prioritized in the opening scene are the ones that look the most abandoned. The opening scene shows an empty storefront, abandoned cars, and a quiet city.

what connotations do the images carry? The connotations that these images carry is loneliness and abandoned. The empty cars and stores show that everyone has left in a hurry or has been killed. This is important for the viewer to understand that these people are the only ones in this town.

genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? The genre is reinforced through symbolic and technical codes by showing a black screen with white words spelling out "Day 89" to start the scene. This type of title has become very well known to represent some type of apocalypse or hideout, which lets us know that the characters have been hiding for 89 days from some creature. 

how does the film establish an enigma from the outset? The film establishes an enigma from the outset by having the characters stay silent. The audience, including myself, can be very confused as to why the family does not speak and tries to not make any noise at all. 

what strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

The strategies that are used to ensure that the film appears to its target audience is the thematic content and type of shots, and editing techniques. In the outset, it is obvious that this is a suspense/horror movie just by the slow movements of the characters, the setting, noises that are present from the daughter Renee's perspective who is deaf, and the build-up of one the main characters deaths. The establishing shot is also very important because it shows the "Day 89" followed by the abandoned town which lets the audience know that this is going to be along the lines of an apocalypse film.

how has technology been used effectively? Technology has been used effectively in the opening scene in two ways that stood out the most. When the audience realizes that Renee is deaf, by hearing a low pitched hum when the view is from her perspective, and when the monster/creature is coming for the child and we only see flashes of his body before he attacks. 

Genre Research #2 - PowerPoint

      

   

My Favorite Movie Genre- Mystery/Detective

Click here to see my video!

Mystery/Detective

  

Agent Carter

     In the five minute scene of agent carter, many aspects of the film are used, such as sound, angles/shots, editing, and mise-en-scene.
     First, we will start off with sound. Post-synchronized dubbing is used seconds into the start. The two characters talking is played over a cartoon film strip of the Marvel characters. Diegetic sound is also shown in the opening scene when the alarm goes off at the office and when the man answers the phone to listen to the emergency recording. Nondiegetic sound is added when the businessmen are walking up the stairs. In this case, we can hear the music but the characters could not have heard it when filming. An example of direct sound is when Agent Carter fights off all of the men (grunting and hitting), and when the character screams for help.
     Next, I focused on camera angles and different types of shots. Throughout the five-minute scene, most of the shots were taken at eye level, with an exception of a few. A point of view shot is shown when the man is on the phone and looks down at the piece of paper. We see the paper from "his eyes" to directly understand what he is looking at. Another point of view shot is when carter holds the picture of her significant other after taking it out from her desk. A high angle shot is briefly shown when agent carter makes one of her hostages get down on the ground and handcuffs him to a pipe. In this brief time where the angle is filmed from above it makes the character appear as small which is very symbolic because, at the time, he is very small because he has no authority and is being completely controlled by agent Carter.
     Some editing techniques were also recognized in the Agent Carter short clip. A cut is shown in the beginning scene when it transitions to a year from then, but this cut is also a fade because the colors fade away and the screen becomes black. Another editing technique that is shown in the five-minute clip is when agent carter is talking to the man maneuvering the spacecraft. The filming switches between the two characters to add suspense. Another example of editing is leitmotif, and this can be shown as when the alarm goes off. Even though leitmotif sound is usually nondiegetic, in this case, it is because the viewer and the characters all know that when that alarm goes off,  there is a crime happening that needs special assistance.
     Lastly, I recognized aspects of Mise-en-scene included in the agent carter clip. The setting in this movie starts off with agent carter at her office. We can tell that since Agent Carter is a girl, none of the men take her as seriously as they should, and this is shown when the scene changes and agent carter is knocking men out left and right at the gas station. Throughout the entire clip, lowkey lighting is used to convey a feeling of suspension and tension. This lighting is especially crucial when agent carter is at the gas station trying to get by all of the men in her way. Blocking is also another example of mise-en-scene that is shown in this clip when the two men were sent outside to tell agent carter she could not be at the gas station because of the gas leakage.

Graphic Organizer

Mise-en-scene in Hawaii Five-0

I decided to use the TV series Hawaii Five-0, specifically season four episode 12, for my mise-en-scene comments because it has a lot of different changes in scenery and in mood.

     At the beginning of every Hawaii Five-0 episode, there's a specific introduction scene which will tell the story for the episode ahead. This opening scene set the tone and storyline behind this episode. In this scene, the setting is a noisy, wild, and hectic club, known as The Hideaway Bar. This key scene of setting "sets" up the case for the investigation, being as the bar is where the murder took place. At the beginning of the scene, blocking is used to show how the owner, who is casually watching TV at his bar, has power and authority over his employee, who is behind the bar cleaning dishes. This introduces the character but also uses diegetic sound to make sure that the viewers catch on to the donation the owner has made to the Honolulu Police Department of $100,000 which shows his true character and will be an important detail to remember throughout this episode.

      At the bar, the viewer will easily notice that the lighting is very low-key, which makes the scene seem a bit mysterious. The lighting is very dark, with shadows and different colored lights and smoke emerging every minute. Along with the lighting, the loud music tends to add to the somewhat uneasy feel of this bar. Soon enough, a bar fight breaks out, which results in the owner kicking two gang members out. After locking up for the night, the owner walks outside to get a surprise attack from thr two gang members he previously kicked out. This scene is very dark and only shows the light when the three characters are hitting each other, trying to focus only on the action and intensity of the scene. The scene ends off with a hard punch to the owners face, which then opens to the title scene and introduction.
     Since the main characters are all cops in the present day, costume is also a very important aspect of mise-en-scene. When Danny or Steve, the two main characters, are not on call, Steve wears casual button-up shirts and cargo pants and Danny dresses a little fancier and wears business casual clothing. When the two are on active duty, they wear bulletproof vests, carry guns, tasers, handcuffs, and always have their walk-e talk-e's on them. The wardrobe of these two characters really makes the show out what it is supposed to be. Without the clothing worn by these two characters, the show could have a completely different meaning.

     Lastly, frontality is also used in Hawaii Five-0 as an example of mise-en-scene. When interviewing each suspect, they are faced directly at the camera which gives the viewer a more intimate and in-depth feel of what is actually going on in the show because they start to get involved. When questioning or "interrogating" each suspect, the suspect if handcuffed down to a metal chair and Danny and Steve casually stand in the cold, dark room and make their suspect talk. After persuading the suspect to tell them all they need to know, frontality is used when the suspect is talking to change the view of the scene and get the viewer involved.

Five Master Shots with Sound Effects

Click here to view my five master shots with sound effects!

Non Diegetic sound- The clip we used to represent non- diegetic sound was the symbolism clip of the water bottle transforming into a tree. This symbolism clip represented recycling buy showing a re-usable water bottle eventually turning into a tree. The sound we chose to include in this clip was chirping birds. By adding the sound of morning birds chirping, it enhanced the value of nature and natural beauty through recycling. The mood of this video changed by honoring the natural sounds of nature. Without the sound, the video still has the same meaning but adding calming nature sounds really enhances the natural beauty of recycling. 

Contrast- The clip we used to represent a voice-over, was our contrast video. In our video, the scenes flip between both Lily and I casually getting homework done which is followed by us both rushing to get our homework done. This scene may have been confusing to viewers without sound, but when the sound is added the scene comes to life. For our first clip, Lily and I casually talked about how we had to get out homework done, and then in the next clip where we were rushing to get our work done we spoke in a more panicked voice explaining how we have little to no time to get our work done. Adding a voice over to this scene really gave a more clear understanding of what was going on in the scene and painted a picture of what an averages students school night might look like.

Parallelism- The clip we used to represent adding music was our parallelism shot. In our shot, we show us walking on a green screen which then turns into us walking on grass. The music we added was the song "I'm gonna be" by the Proclaimers. By adding the music to the scene it shows how the two scenes connect and are parallel to each other with a common sense of walking from one distance to another. 

Simultaneity- The video we used to represent diegetic sound was our simultaneity shot. Our shot shows two things happening at the same time (the murderer getting away, and the news searching for him). When recording our video, I talked, pretending to be a newscaster. This sound was already embedded in the video and the clip did not make sense without sound. 

Leitmotif- Another example of non-diegetic sound is represented through our leitmotif clip. Our clip is a clock ticking, with music slowly increasing as time gets closer to 11:59 when our assignment is due. Without the music, the clip would not be an example of leitmotif. The music adds suspense to the scene which represents what is felt when an assignment is very close to its due date. 

Examples of Editing Techniques in Film

Contrast

The scene I decided to use to show an example of contrast is Departed's 2006 famous phone call scene.  This scene is very important because the two characters have actually never met each other in person. This scene shows the characters interacting by using contrast. The opening clip is Colin picking up the phone and calling billy. Once the two are both on the line, they don't speak. The filming jump cuts between each character on the phone but not saying anything. The two different characters and different settings make this scene a great example of contrast. 

Leitmotif

All throughout Jaws (1975), there is a reoccurring leitmotif theme. Whenever there is a scene where a shark is present, or most evidently ready to attack, and danger is nearby, there is music that gets faster and faster. In this scene, "you're going to need a bigger boat", the music starts to play when the shark is spotted, and the music speeds us as the shark gets faster and faster. Since this music plays throughout the movie at various points, it really ties the whole suspenseful feeling together.

Parallelism

A great example of parallelism in a very well known movie is in 2014's American Sniper. The opening scene of this movie switches between what Chris Kyle sees through his eyes, and what is happening on the ground battle. This is very important to the movie because it shows the significant role Chris Kyle plays and that he must stay focused on his one job while he relies on his team to do the best. Unlike contrast, the scenes are shot for a greater amount of time, and in the same setting- both in the war zone. 

Symbolism
A very famous scene known for its symbolism is in Snow White, originally produced in 1937. The scene where the little old lady, aka, an evil witch, gives snow white an apple and tells her if she eats it her dreams will come true. In this scene, the apple can symbolize the devil, because snow white falls to sin, or temptation that the old woman posses upon her. The scene is mostly focused on the apple for about five minutes. The old woman comes to the house, wanting Snow White to make apple pies, showing snow white the apple. Then she gets her to try it first, which causes her to fall to the floor and die.

Simultaneity
In 2010's hit, Inception, simultaneity is shown very well. In this scene, or few scenes, so to say, the setting changes and so does the perspective. First, we are shown a man walking down a hall, very calm, and soon we are taken to a car race. Soon this car race turns into a manhunt and fight. Then, we are taken back to the hotel hallway and the calm man, is not so calm after all. Once the action breaks out in the first car scene, the fighting breaks out in this scene as well. Long cuts give these two scenes enough time for the viewer to fully understand what is going on, even when switching between the few scenes.

5 Editing Techniques

Click here to see my 5 Editing Techniques video!

Although creating this video was a lot of fun, it took a lot of time to pick what scene we were going to use for each example. Luckily, Lily and I both came up with some great ideas. Some of our shots could be used for more than one editing technique but we tried to pick some that stood out pretty well. When actually creating the video in Premiere Pro, I had a lot of fun. I am very familiar with the program so It was very nice to know how to create the video without referring to a guide. 

Symbolism- The first shot in our video represents symbolism. A symbolism shot moves from one scene to another, including a symbolic connection between the two. For our symbolism scene, we chose to use a metal water bottle for our first shot, and a tree for our second. From this comparison, were really pushing the importance of recycling and how using a reusable water bottle can save the environment, leading to healthier vegetation. 

Contrast- The second shot in our video represents contrast. A contrast shot shows two things being compared with a clear distinction of the differences between them. For our shot, we chose to film a keyboard and pencil and paper. Over time, many people have stopped using handwriting, and now strictly rely on computers for typing, communicating, and sending messages. The back and forth filming between these two scenes really emphasize the difference between the two ways people adjust to a change in technology. 

Parallelism- The third shot in our video represents parallelism. A parallelism shot connects two different shots by comparing the differences and similarities between them. For our shot, Lily and I put our feet up against the green screen and took very small steps, almost like we were walking. The following shot, Lily and I are walking outside on the green grass. These two scenes compare the setting and color, and how even though both scenes somewhat looked like we were walking, one was on a wall, not walking at all, and one was walking on grass. 

Simultaneity- The fourth shot in our video represents simultaneity. A simultaneity shot is a comparison of two scenes that happen at the same time to cause suspense. For our two shots, I filmed a video of Donte "killing" lily, and in the other video, Lily filmed me reporting the murder on a news channel. Both these scenes are filmed in the same setting and are nearly minutes after each other, causing creepy suspense. 

Leitmotif- The final shot in our video represents leitmotif. A leitmotif shot includes music to show a reoccurring theme. In our video, we have jaws music playing to anticipate the stress there is when the time to turn in an assignment is near. 

Movie Angles

Sierra Burgess is a Loser 

Netflix Original Film 

2018

I chose to watch this movie because when I opened up Netflix, it was the first movie suggested. It is a Netflix Orginal. Although the storyline and acting were was not good, the thematic content was. The movie showed many of the camera angles and shots we have been learning in class which helped portray the "high school" theme very well. 

Establishing Shot

In the first few minutes of the movie, the focus in on the main character, Sierra, getting out of the shower and looking at herself in the mirror trying to pose in different positions, and not seeming satisfied with the way she looks. This gives a little information regarding the character and how she feels about herself and the level of confidence she has. The introduction says other people think she is weird because she is very smart, so this shows from the start that she knows she stands out a few ways she may not be comfortable with.

Point Of View Shot

This shot is from Sierra's point of view. In this scene, a boy is texting her thinking he is texting a popular cheerleader from school, but instead, he got Sierra's number as a prank. This scene shows how Sierra already thinks they have a relationship when in reality he is only texting this way to impress the cheerleader he thinks he is talking to.

Two Shot

Although there are three people in this shot, it is considered a two-shot because it is showing a conversation amongst a few people. TGhe conversation that the boys are having is crucial to the movie and by using a two-shot, the viewer thinks they are a part of the conversation. This shot worked well rather than just a basic conversation where two people are talking to each other because in this case, the boys look at the camera, which could be interpreted as looking at someone who is watching the movie.

Reaction Shot 

This is a reaction shot of Sierra and her best friend Dan when Jamey texts "I didn't want to scare you off but I know who you are". At first, both characters were confused as to how Jamey knew who he was actually texting, but they soon realized that he thought he was texting the cheerleader (Veronica), but has just realized a new side of her. Little does he know, he is texting Sierra Burgess

Eye Level Shot

This scene isn't very important, but it does relate to the common topic of Sierras English class where she succeeds highly in. This eye level shot of a girl rapping her poem about back rights was a good angle to use when filming because we can see her whole face which shows the true passion and emotion she has behind the subject. 

High Angle Shot

This high angle shot was taken when Jamey and Sierra were talking on the phone. Jamey is slowly falling in love with Sierra's voice and everything about her. Although he thinks he is talking to the varsity cheerleader, Veronica, he is talking to the sweet, smart, Sierra who he's actually never met before. 

Long Shot

This long shot shows the setting of the movie: High School. This shot really shows that it is like to walk through a high school; kids everywhere, lockers, and a few clubs trying to invite new members to join. This shot definitely gave the movie the high school feel it needed for sure. 

Week 3 Assignment: Critique

The blogs I chose to comment on were Miranda's and Mickeys. 

First, I started with Miranda's:

Full Shot- I really enjoyed Miranda's full shot of Kiley walking up the staircase.The lighting was great and made me feel safe and happy. This scene definitely looks like it is a from a movie filmed in a high school in Hawaii. The mood is very warm and very relaxed.

Reaction Shot-  Miranda's reaction shot was very fun and seemed like the viewer was really involved, almost like a point of view shot. I feel as cooper is looking into my eyes and showing me his initial reaction. I also liked how the length of the video was very short, kind of leaving the viewer wondering what exactly did Kiley do for cooper to react that way?

High Angle Shot- The high angle shot of cooper gets the job done well. The angle cooper is standing and positioned in the frame makes a nice scene. I really enjoyed this scene because it was also filmed at a diagonal angle.

Head on Shot- Mirandas head on shot of cooper what looks to be running away from something gives off a mysterious feel. It makes the viewer think, "who is cooper running from, and why?". Also having cooper not directly in the middle of the frame makes it more satisfying and not a basic shot.

Establishing Shot- The establishing shot Miranda chose to film is very peaceful. It seems like the opening scene to a movie or TV show. It sets up the environment, time frame, and setting very nicely.

Next, I reviewed Mickey's blog:

Cameo Shot- The cameo shot of cooper is very direct and straight to the point. It somewhat seems professional like an interview. I really enjoyed this shot. It was well shot and was very appropriate to describe this camera angle.

Tilt Shot-  This tilt shot is very dramatic and somewhat mysterious. I feel as if this shot could be used in a horror movie when exposing the monster or antagonist. I enjoyed how this was shot very slowly, it added nice emphasis to the fact that it was a TILT shot.

Extreme Long Shot- This extreme wide shot of cooper gives off a dark and yet again mysterious vibe. The bright yet dimness vibe/effect from the school lights make it seem like it is night time in this video, and sometimes makes the viewer ask "what is someone doing in a highschool that late?". I liked the distance cooper was from the camera and how the scene was busy, and not just of cooper himself. 

High Angle Shot- This high angle shot from the ceiling is very unique. For a high angle shot, most people focused on following the main character, or having them speak into the camera. I feel like this low-key video camera angle shot of cooper was much more interesting. 

12 Shots

Point-of-view Shot

A point-of-view shot is a shot from the camera persons perspective This shot was relatively easy to make but I had to make sure I was getting everything in the frame while managing to include my own hand. 

Extreme Close up Shot 

The extreme close up shot is a magnified shot of small detail, usually a subjects eye, therefore I decided to film Lilys eye because there was so much detail to focus on. This shot was relatively easy and i didn't have any trouble filming. 

Dolly Shot

A dolly shot is a moving shot, accomplished by moving the cameras as if on a set of tracks. For this shot i decided to creep up on my subject, focusing on keeping the camera still and staying in the line of my tracks. 

High Angle Shot

A high angle shot is filmed from high above the subject. To get this effect, I stood on top of a table as Lily looked up to me. This shot was not very hard to film but does require some props to get that higher level shot. 

Close Shot

A close shot is a shot in which the subject is shown from the top of the head to mid waist. For this shot, I decided to have Kiley standing up normally. This shot was fairly easy and only requires a subject.

Cameo Shot

A cameo shot is a shot in which the subject is filmed against a black or neutral background. I chose to place Lily up on a chair so I could get the neutral effect of the classroom wall. This shot was not hard to film, required little effort, and a plain wall of neutral color

Close up 

Although my extreme close up and regular close up are similar, they are not quite the same. The focus in this shot is on Lily's face, not exactly her eye. Although her eye is present in this video, the focus in on her face. This shot was very easy to film and only required a subject.

Full Shot 

My full shot includes Lilys whole body. Everything was in the frame, from the top of her head to the bottom of her toes. To get the full effect, Lily did a few spins in the frame.

Low-Angle Shot

This shot of Lily was taken from below. I crouched down on the floor as she stood above me. This was a simple but different shot. 

Two Shot 

For my two shot, I filmed Kiley and Lily having a casual conversation. There wasn't any specific camera angle involved, so I went for a head-on shot including both characters.

Pan Shot

For my pan shot, I simply moved the camera horizontally across the room. When filming this shot, it is important to have a steady hand so the video doesn't come out shaky. I suggest using a tripod. 

Freeze Shot

For this freeze frame of my dog, I made her sit still by capturing her when she was tired. The shot is of a still subject, to make the frame appear frozen. This clip is very short because my dog would only stay still for so long.

Why AICE Media Studies?

I chose to take AICE Media Studies as one of my seven classes this school year to educate myself on the use of every day media in today's world. Media can be used for good reasons, but can also be misused. I am very interested on how the media effects and plays an everyday role in our lives and hope to learn what makes it capable of doing so. Also, during this course I hope to learn how to film videos/ movies for a specific audience/ age group.