Pitch For A Swede

A swede is a remake of a film, with minimum budget and usually is turned into a comedy. They take key scenes out of the film and remake them. Here is an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKugkROGOdM. They have only just started becoming popular after the film the film Be Kind Rewind (2008 Michel Gondry) and here is the trailer for that.



Paranormal Activity (2009 world wide release, Oren Peli) 

We are going to make our own. So here is my pitch, I think we should do a low budget swede of Paranormal Activity. This is because it will be really easy for our first film we do. Because the film was shot on a handheld camera from their hands. we will be doing the same. So we don't need to worry about the shots been jolty and moving about. The film was only half scripted and was half made up on the spot while filming between them. This will also make it easier for us, because we don't have to actually have a story line to the convosation in the video.

The majority of the film was filmed in the day, they just changed the mid tone colors to give the effect of filming in the dark. This will be very easy to do. We can remake all of the scenes in film, with a bit of editing. For example when the quilt gets lifted off the bed, alll you have to do is have a two clips. One shot of the room empty, then the other where you have a fan blowing the quilt up. Then put them together and mask out the clip with you holding the fan and feather It out. Also we can remake the scene where Katie gets pulled out of the bed by using the same editing effects called masking. The video will be easy to make because it's very simple. Because its a horror we can easily turn it into a comedy. I think 5 of us should do this because there at 5 cast in the film.

Katie (wife)
Micah (husband)
Dr. Fredrichs (psychic)
Amber (Katie's friend)
Diane (girl on the Internet)

I think we should do this because it is very simple and can be made into something funny. The cotumes would be very easy becase you can just wear your normal clothes. we could do this at our own house as well which would make it a lot easier.

Scenes:

1) Introducing yourself with the handheld camera to the audience when Katie comes home from work.

2) Talk to each other about hearing weird noises. And ask to get a psychic in to check the house out.

3) Psychic comes in and talks to Katie about her past and takes a look around the house.

4) They capture scenes at night on tape, of things moving. (The quilt moves up) see video below at 1:00 below. Then the door slams shut.

5) Talk about what happened last night with each other, and get friend Amber round.

6) Capture powder prints on the floor, and re-made to be funny, just like all the scenes will be.

7) Katie gets dragged out of the bed, by something. Edited like the real film. Then Micah runs after her.

8) Katie kills Micah in an unexpected way.

END

The film was made for £15,000 and made £193,000,000. So this low budget film can we easily made from our own camera at home and decent editing skills.

Paranormal Activity 1 First Trailer

Preliminary Video

The task was to create a short film which consisted of 3 camera shots which were, match on action, the 180 degree rule and the shot reverse shot. The video itself was shot in school.

Here is our finished preliminary video.

After we put all the clips onto the computer and used Final Cut Express. We had to roughly learn how to use this software but it was quite easy to work once you knew where to find everything. After editing we rendered it, and  kept the file size as small as possible to save time when uploading it to YouTube. This is because it can take a very long time with large files to upload onto YouTube. 

From this i have understood more about shot types and a little more into Final Cut Express. This will be very helpful and this will make me remember the shot types easier.

For our preliminary task we had to show  our knowledge of what we have learnt in class over the last few lessons. We showed this by making a short film/video showing a number of different camera shots and rules. The ones we used were "Shot Reverse Shot", "180 degrees Rule" and "Match on action". 

The first one we did was a Match On Action shot which connected the clips seamlessly and smooth, this is the  shot where Jake walks down the stairs and opens the door and walks through it. We used this to show and exaggerate the fact hes opening the door. The camera shows him walking down the stairs, then the next clip shows a close up of the door handle, then back to a normal shot at the other side of the door. This is all done with Match on Action to make it seem as all one movement.

We then used a low angle shot to capture Jake walking through the class. We purposely didn't show him face so we could leave it a mystery until he spoke. This is called Narrative Enigma, we thought this would be good because we wanted the video to seem a bit of a mystery, like James Bond.

Then we showed an over the shoulder shot. We also used the 180 degree rule while filming. At the end we used the Shot Reverse Shot, while Jake and Declan were having a convosation. This makes is play more smooth and makes the viewer seem like they are there.

Media Language In Se7en

Se7en
(David Fencher, 1995).

Here is the trailer.



I am anaylising 30 seconds of this scene 3:50 to 4:20 from the film Se7en. I am anaylising four main parts to the film of which is: Shots, Sound, Editing and Mis-enscene. The scene is about Brad Pitt having the decision to kill Kevin Spacey, to take the 7th deadly sin. If he kills him, then Kevin will win. This scene is edited and filmed to emphasise the emotion within the characters.




The first scene is of Brad Pitt, this is a close-up mid angle to show the emotion in his face, as well capture him holding the gun up. The music is very tense to hold suspense. The scene is very desolate and blank to show the cold and for coming scene is going to be grim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1giVzxyoclE#t=232s

This then moves onto Morgan Freeman, which is a shot reversed shot. The camera angle is looking up at Morgan Freeman and is still, this is to show that he has power and how he can influence Brad Pitts decision.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1giVzxyoclE#t=233s

The camera then goes back to Brad Pitt which is a close-up again. This is to show the emotion still, how angry he and how is going to have vengeance as the consequence of anger. The camera pans with his face while he bends over with being upset. The music in the background, starts off slow then increases in pitch and volume. This is to show how something is about to happen, and preparing for something dramatic  The camera is also quite jolty trying to represent its being filmed through the eye sight of Kevin Spacey. 

In this scene, the clip is edited so that brad pits wife is shown for about half a second as a still picture. This is to try represent him having a flash back, thinking of her. Is it really worth killing him for her. The camera then focuses on him holding up the gun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1giVzxyoclE#t=236s

This is then a shot reverse shot from Brad Pitt To Kevin Spacey at a mid angle, it shows the relationship between them, and how he has a huge decision with his life. The camera is an extreme-closeup to show the facial expressions and emotion in Kevin Spacey face. He then closes his eyes and moves onto the next clip. The sound is very tense still gradually building up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1giVzxyoclE#t=240s

The camera then is far out in an extreme-long mid angle shot to capture the whole scene, how Kevin Spacey is on his knees and how Brad Pit has the authority and power. This captures the whole scene aswell which shows the grim deralict background, which relates to the upcoming death.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1giVzxyoclE#t=241s

The camera then quickly moves to an extreme-close up of the gun which Brad Pit is holding. This shows the bullet shot he takes at Kevin. The sound of the gun is played while on this close-up to exaggerated the gun shot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1giVzxyoclE#t=241s

It then goes back to the extreme-longshot where Kevin Spacey has just been shot and falls over. The music is still playing in the background to show that there is still tense and anger amoung them as he just did the final sin of which is "wrath".  The blood is edited in after, to make it look more realistic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1giVzxyoclE#t=242s

The clip then moves to a close up of inside the helicopter, showing the characters inside. The camera is very jolty to reprisent the feal of being inside the helicopter and also the quick movements of them reacting to Brad Pitt shooting Kevin Spacey. The sound is focused on the noise of the helicopter, and also the radio of the police.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1giVzxyoclE#t=244s

The camera then moves to a low angle long shot, trying to reprisent through the sight of Kevin Spacey. The camera is focused on Brad Pitt shooting him repetidly again. The clip is edited with muzzle flashes and gun shot sounds. The music is still playing to create suspense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1giVzxyoclE#t=246s

The next clip is of Morgan Freeman, with a low angle shot looking up a him. This is a close-up shot to show the emotion in his face how he is dissapointed and devastaed of what Brad Pitt just did. The gun shot sounds are still going on in the background which connects them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1giVzxyoclE#t=250s

Then is goes to a long shot mid angle of both Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman to show that there relationship is still their even after what he has just done. The camera isn't still and moves about slowly to try show the exhilerating and shock of what he just did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1giVzxyoclE#t=255s

My Favorite Film

My favourite film is Forrest Gump (Robert Zemekis, 1994).

Here is the trailer

I am anaylising 30 seconds of this scene 0:17 to 0:47 from the film Forrest Gump. I am anaylising the main area of this scene which is shots.

Shots

There is only one continuous shot in this scene. It is a tracking shot because the camera is physically moving which also pans from Benjamin Blue to Forrest Gump. First it starts off slowly with Benjamin while he is talking, this is to give the viewer more detail to his facial expressions as well as giving us an idea of the scene behind him. We are focused on his mouth and face to give us an idea of the character. This is Benjamin first scene in the film. This shot is called a Medium Close Up. The camera then moves onto Forrest when he begins to talk and slowly zooms into a Close Up. This is also to show his facial expressions, however keeping Benjamin in the shot at the same time. The camera keeps them both in the shot throughout the scene until right at the end. This is to show the relationship between them both that they are always going to be with each other because the don't leave each other in the scene. However right at the end in the last 4 seconds of the scene the camera zooms into Forrest's face, this is to try emphasise that we are going into forrest's mind, because we then hear him narrating in the next scene. This is so it feels like we are listening to his mind.