25th September 2014, Studio Lesson

180 degree Rule (Sony NX5)


180 degree rule is the idea of keeping the aspect of the scene, no matter were the next shot is, in the same 180 degree area. For example, a conversation between two people, person A on the left, person B on the right, if the 180 degree rule is kept, then this should always stay the same, if it doesn't then the aspect of the scene changes and everything looks out of place, as the focus aspect will have changed.


First we were taught how the worked and how a lack of the 180 degree rule would make films look, using a toy car to demon straight the idea.


We were then taught briefly about filming scenes, and the different shots that we could have to incorporate perspective, all the while maintaining the 180 degree rule. There was also an explanation into how this would work in editing. 


We were then sent off into groups to try the techniques ourselves, by filming a simple and short scene that incorporated different camera angles and perspectives, maintaining the 180 degree rule. We then split off into different groups and did this again, and then we had all of the footage reviewed.

3 Film Opening Sequences Analysis

Lucky Number Slevin

Lucky Number Slevin Poster

In the opening sequence to 'Lucky Number Slevin' the shots are all connected by either characters or actions of the characters and in each individual shot the main focus at that moment will be on the character which connects us to the next part of the sequence, all the time using a medium to close up shot. When it comes to the connecting actors they are all parallel to the centre of the camera, and the previous important character becomes either out of focus or, slightly out of frame.

(Fig 1)

In terms of connections through movement, one good example through a bartender on the phone to his nephew, telling him about a doped 'drugged' horse. The uncle picks up his drink and in the next shot his nephew (fig 1) puts his drink t his lips. The sequence goes through several characters, from the 'Doc' who doped the horse, until the Nephew (fig 1) a few characters later who is passed the information by word of mouth.

The sequence itself was specifically written so that the Nephew seemed distant from the knowledge of who did the doping, later in the early stages of the film this is used as an echo for the circumstances he finds himself in ( no spoilers ).



The Battle of Britain

Battle Of Britain Poster 

The First Shot in the film is of a Hawker Hurricane Fighter plane (pictured on the poster) doing a fly by and sloppy barrel roll over some refugees in the north of France, who are being lead by a British tank. The shot begins with the camera on a low angle filming the plane, it then pans down to a slight low angle onto the British tank with two soldiers on the top looking up at the fly by, one of them passes comment "who does he think he is fooling", the camera then pans left of the tank and onto the long line of refugees behind them, combining a high angle and extreme long shot to symbolise the hopelessness of a nation. A powerful image.


 Fly Boys

Fly Boys Poster

After some not so bad but hardily believable CGI fly through footage of some sky and clouds during the title sequence and some facts about the First World War Death count and some stuff about the background to the film.

The first (actual) shot begins with a slow pan from the sky ( from up to down ), onto a long shot of a rider from a medium distance coming towards a wooden entrance with the sign RR engraved on the top, the rider and entrance way being central to the camera, he then slows and the shot moves onto a close up, mixed in with a slight low angle, and of the rider looking mildly frustrated on reading a flyer that was stamped to the post of the entrance, the shot keeps in focus the actors face and the Bold writing on the flyer, which bares bad news for the owners of a specific ranch , pointing fingers at the horseback character for being the owner, explaining his frustration. 

He then throws to the flyer floor and then the scene reverts to the original long shot of the rider and the entrance. as the flyer falls to the floor and the rider hurries off. The flyer remaining parallel to the centre of the shot. signifying its importance.


( sorry about the lack of pictures Mike, YouTube didn't seem to be working at house, and the pictures above were the only ones that had any sort of relevance to the topics I was writing about, my apologies )

Sony NX5 Camera Lesson

Learning about the Sony NX5

Thursday 18th Film and Media lesson took place in the Hurtwood's television studio, the class was split into groups of 5, between 3 Sony NX5 Pro-Camcorders and 3 professional tripods. The class as a whole was taught the demographics of the Camcorder and tripod, and how to operate them.

Learning how to use the multiple focus, exposure and aperture features, and learning about White balance, something that I've never actually gone over before, so i did learn something fairly new today. Going over the operations was something that the members of the group took in turns to do.

2012 modle of the Sony NX5 Pro-Camcorder

At the end of the lesson, we were given the task of using the camera to come up with a shot, implementing all of the techniques that we had been taught that day, and as a group we decided to implement some ideas from the 'camera angles' lesson from the previous day.

Are final shot consisted of a glass mug on a doorframe, sounds boring, but we managed to get in just right, dim, but sharp enough so that the teacher could see the features of the doorframe and the drink inside the mug, having drained the inside. The shot was taken near to the ground, but the camera was above the mug at an angle, looking down onto it. We were told that we may have need to take a further look at white balance, but he complimented that it was very "moody".

Detachment Short film, 'Suspence'

How the " Detachment " Short film, Created Suspense


The first Shot of the short is a close up of the protagonist, laying in bed, when he gets up, the first thing he does is go for a cigarette, and the audience get given the idea that he is a man with bad habits, but because this is only the beginning this questions the audience on what other bad things he does. the shots pans out from his bed and onto a very mistreated room with messy cups and plates. which makes us consider if he has better things to do, or if he is just Lazy, but it makes us want to explore.

In the background there is the sound of Ghetto style music and a fight coming from another room, of which the man pays no attention to, even as the confrontation gets more violent. He simply Puts on his cloths, showing a mutual face. As he finishes, the music gets louder and the fight in the next room get scarily violent, accompanied by the music to increase the effect, and at this point the man pulls out a high calibre sniper rifle, that he handles with some degree of confidence, questions of what he does and what he is going to do are unanswered. But if paralleled to the unravelling situation in the next room, which escalates to the point of which a woman begging for her life, I would consider that he is going to do something bad. And because the whole time he is showing an expressionless face, I would have thought that the activities he partakes in, are regular. Explaining a lack of remorse.

He then hides his gun in a large bag, and then leaves the room, the woman in the next room screaming as she is within an inch of her life. Suspense for the 'what happens next' question, still on the minds of the audience. Could he be a fixer or a hit man, or just a cold killer? what was happening in the next room, and was it anything to do with him? All elements from, his clothing, the type of gun, the style of music, and even the expressions on his face, were directed to insight a sense of confusion in the audience which, helped sustain the suspense till the very end.

Threads, Movie Review

Review of "Threads" "1984"

Made during the Height of the Cold war in the 1980s, threads is a Documentary style apocalypse flick  that views in disturbing detail what would have happened to the normal people like us, if it had all gone wrong. Directed by Mick Jackson and Written by  Barry Hines for the BBC.

The VHS cover, stating "the closest to Nuclear war that you will ever get", it wasn't far wrong,
even by modern film standards.

Based around Two families, the Kemps and the Becketts, drawn together through the love between their eldest children, Ruth Breckett ( Karen Meagher ) and Jimmy Kemp (  Reece Dinsdale ). As an international crisis between the United States and the Soviet Union takes place in Iran,  the United Kingdom, which backs the US prepares for war. Meanwhile,  the Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council ( Michael O'Hagan ) prepares the Central government for the worst, illustrating the British governments role in the crisis, and how even the ones at the very top are in no control at all when the worst comes. As nuclear exchanges between NATO and the PACT begin at an unimaginable but equally realistic scale,  the details and horrors of the characters' struggle to survive the aftermath are depicted without holding back on any detail. The balance of the story details the fate of each family as the characters face the medical, economic, social and environmental consequences of nuclear war. The film being commentated on so that the audience can be filled in on the finite detail throughout the film.

The iconic image, shown on the front of the Radio
Times, for the release day of the film. 

When Fist Released in 1984, you would be condemned if you were to watch the film and then sleep comfortably the following evening. the BBC reside letters which stated that the government should give suicide pills for " us old folk ' if the bomb were to drop. People who could not sleep, people who were physically sick, the list goes on. And no wonder, the film did not hold back on any sort of realism for the sake of protecting us from a lack of innocence, and to prevent the idea that it wouldn't be that bad. Details of how hospitals would not be able to cope and having to clean wound with washing machine powder and water, radiation sickness, capitol punishment, starvation, rape, untreatable diseases, survival of the fittest, and a lack of any central government to help anyone. 

A mother Clutching her dead baby, a day after the attack. having suffered burring of the skin
from radiation, the baby would have died instantaneously.

The film deliberately relied on the acting and the cinematography to shod the audience, there was very little FX, and no music. the film was truly a leap forward, the continuities and flaws did not have a great enough shout to over shadow the pure realism. An interesting casting technique was using locals and not professional actors to play the roles. The acting was not far from good, considering that they had no previous acting experience, and considering that they had to pretend to be in a situation of absolute devastation. Well, props and costume helped with that, as there attention to detail was immaculate throughout the film. 

Mrs Kemp, the moment the bomb hit sheffield, relaxing to late
that her son is outside in the bird cage and not safe.

Personally, i think the film was an accurate and shattering representation of the real deal, nobody can say they will enjoy this film, if you do, you have something wrong with you, the film is sickening and disturbing. Not a quite night in.