Hello... I'm Joe :D
On this blog i will post everything i have done during my AS media studies course, such as research, reviews/synopsis' of films and videos.
In my group is Nikkie Thorpe and Daniel Twinn
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Main Project: Plot Synopsis
Our idea for a movie is a psychological thriller, similar in nature to The Buttefly Effect. It would be aimed at a general audience with an interest in horror.
The plot is based around a young man with a very normal life- a job, a flat and a girlfriend- until one fateful day, all that changes. The man suffers with blackouts, and this gets him into real trouble when on a normal workday, he blacks out and regains conciousness next to the bloodied body of his girlfriend. He is adamant that he would never harm her, and spends the rest of the film trying to work out what really happened to her, with interesting results...
The opening sequence consists of the couple tacking a romantic stroll in each others arms, but unaware they are being followed by a shady character. A black screen the displays the title with the work 'Blackout' flashing. We cut to the man in the kitchen cutting a orange with a knife which shows the sinister side to making breakfast. This again establishes the normality of the day with a hint of suspicion, as we also do not see his face full on when in the kitchen. Then he leaves the house, to go off to work, the screen cuts straight to Matthew on the phone to his love. We then see Matthew making dinner for himself and his girlfriend (Rachel) and then we have a straight cut to when Matthew finds Rachel dead infront of him.
The plot is based around a young man with a very normal life- a job, a flat and a girlfriend- until one fateful day, all that changes. The man suffers with blackouts, and this gets him into real trouble when on a normal workday, he blacks out and regains conciousness next to the bloodied body of his girlfriend. He is adamant that he would never harm her, and spends the rest of the film trying to work out what really happened to her, with interesting results...
The opening sequence consists of the couple tacking a romantic stroll in each others arms, but unaware they are being followed by a shady character. A black screen the displays the title with the work 'Blackout' flashing. We cut to the man in the kitchen cutting a orange with a knife which shows the sinister side to making breakfast. This again establishes the normality of the day with a hint of suspicion, as we also do not see his face full on when in the kitchen. Then he leaves the house, to go off to work, the screen cuts straight to Matthew on the phone to his love. We then see Matthew making dinner for himself and his girlfriend (Rachel) and then we have a straight cut to when Matthew finds Rachel dead infront of him.
First Draft: Script for main project
This is the first draft of our project's script. We have settled on using the idea of a psychological thriller for our film. This script will definately be edited as we go along, but we wanted to write a draft so that we had some idea of how our scenes were going to go and what we were going to convey.
Calm, relaxing music plays as the shot pans around photographs of the happy couple.
When the title comes up, disturbing, jarring chords begin to play.
Anonymous man in V/O: So... tell me exactly what you did that day.
Matthew (in V/O): (eerily calm) (Pause) I got up...
[shot of him getting up and going to make breakfast]
had a shower...
[shot of him in the shower]
And went to work.
[Cuts to his lunch break, in coffee bar]
Matthew: ...right. Yeah, I might be a little late tonight, though.
[sound of girl talking back on the phone]
Matthew: Not that late, no. About 6ish. Yeah, I’ll cook.
[sound of girl talking back on the phone]
Matthew: OK. See you later, Cath. Love you too.
Matthew (in V/O again): She was there when I got home. She seemed fine... it was all normal. I started making the tea and then I realised we were out of milk.
[cuts to scene in kitchen]
Matthew: [holding empty milk bottle] I’m just going to the shops. D’ya need anything?
Cath: [shouting from other room] Oooh, I’ll have some Maltesers if you’re pushing the boat out! [laughs]
[As Matthew gets to the door he blacks out. The next shot is the blackness lifting with a sharp gasp and a shot of him lying on the living room floor. He surveys the room, breathing heavily. There is tension music playing and it builds up until he sees the bloodied body of his girlfriend. He recoilsand we hear a clattering sound. To his horror, he realises it’s the sound of him dropping a bloodied knife. ]
[Cut to an interview room. It is now obvious that the man in the V/O is a police officer.)
Police officer: And then?
Matthew: [looking bedraggled and bloodshot, whispering] I don’t know. I went to the door and... everything just went black.
Calm, relaxing music plays as the shot pans around photographs of the happy couple.
When the title comes up, disturbing, jarring chords begin to play.
Anonymous man in V/O: So... tell me exactly what you did that day.
Matthew (in V/O): (eerily calm) (Pause) I got up...
[shot of him getting up and going to make breakfast]
had a shower...
[shot of him in the shower]
And went to work.
[Cuts to his lunch break, in coffee bar]
Matthew: ...right. Yeah, I might be a little late tonight, though.
[sound of girl talking back on the phone]
Matthew: Not that late, no. About 6ish. Yeah, I’ll cook.
[sound of girl talking back on the phone]
Matthew: OK. See you later, Cath. Love you too.
Matthew (in V/O again): She was there when I got home. She seemed fine... it was all normal. I started making the tea and then I realised we were out of milk.
[cuts to scene in kitchen]
Matthew: [holding empty milk bottle] I’m just going to the shops. D’ya need anything?
Cath: [shouting from other room] Oooh, I’ll have some Maltesers if you’re pushing the boat out! [laughs]
[As Matthew gets to the door he blacks out. The next shot is the blackness lifting with a sharp gasp and a shot of him lying on the living room floor. He surveys the room, breathing heavily. There is tension music playing and it builds up until he sees the bloodied body of his girlfriend. He recoilsand we hear a clattering sound. To his horror, he realises it’s the sound of him dropping a bloodied knife. ]
[Cut to an interview room. It is now obvious that the man in the V/O is a police officer.)
Police officer: And then?
Matthew: [looking bedraggled and bloodshot, whispering] I don’t know. I went to the door and... everything just went black.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Assignment on a Comdey Film - Pineapple Express
Opening 2-3 Minutes
Mise en Scene:
The mise en scene is the props used in the films such as the uniformed style of clothing to represtent that it is set back in time. It also has props like table, chair, desk's, old fashioned telephones, army guns and machinery.
Sound
At the start of the film it is back in time and the background music is all jolly but quite spooky/eery, which represents the fact that there going to a secret underground place. After that introduction there is no music but you can hear the machinery and 'going on's' in the background.
Lighting
The lighting in the film is just black and white with it brighter lights on the important parts such there face's... so you can see there facial expressions at different parts. There is also extra lighting added to important props such as the joint and the participant who is trying it, and the opposite it puts a darker light on the boss' to show they aren't happy and cruel.
Shots/Cuts
The shots vary throughout the opening scenes. They start with pannings shots to establish were they are and then has medium close up's to see what the characters. It then does close up's of the experimentor, the participant of the experiment and the participants commander. It uses close up's to show the facial expressions of the characters and at the start there are a few fading shots to merge to scenes together.
This is the trailer URL for Pineapple Express > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQqUyBN4g8M
Mise en Scene:
The mise en scene is the props used in the films such as the uniformed style of clothing to represtent that it is set back in time. It also has props like table, chair, desk's, old fashioned telephones, army guns and machinery.
Sound
At the start of the film it is back in time and the background music is all jolly but quite spooky/eery, which represents the fact that there going to a secret underground place. After that introduction there is no music but you can hear the machinery and 'going on's' in the background.
Lighting
The lighting in the film is just black and white with it brighter lights on the important parts such there face's... so you can see there facial expressions at different parts. There is also extra lighting added to important props such as the joint and the participant who is trying it, and the opposite it puts a darker light on the boss' to show they aren't happy and cruel.
Shots/Cuts
The shots vary throughout the opening scenes. They start with pannings shots to establish were they are and then has medium close up's to see what the characters. It then does close up's of the experimentor, the participant of the experiment and the participants commander. It uses close up's to show the facial expressions of the characters and at the start there are a few fading shots to merge to scenes together.
This is the trailer URL for Pineapple Express > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQqUyBN4g8M
Synopsis of Kidulthood
The film opens showing a school at lunch break with children playing football, while one of the students Blake gives out invitations to a party. We then see Trevor Hector ‘Trife’ using a drill press on an unseen object later found out to be converting a replica gun into a real one. We then see Alisa who is saying how she "doesn't feel well" and thinking about not attending the party, but her best friend Becky encourages her to go. We then see Sam Peel spitting into Katie's hair and asking her where his girlfriend Claire is. Jay is then seen kissing Claire, she asks Jay if he is scared and he said no. After break, Sam and his gang see Trife, Moony and Jay and he then insults them and forces them to pose for pictures.
Then later on in class, Trife defends Katie from a group of girls led by Sam, beating her up. Katie commits suicide and the whole year group at school is given the day off school. The film then slowly builds up to the climactic house party. It revolves around three teenagers: Trevor, who is more commonly known by his street name Trife, Jay and Moony.
Trife is being tempted into the gangster lifestyle by his uncle who asks him to do illegal errands. However, a rumor that Alisa has slept with Sam might influence this life-changing decision. Trife has to deal with the school bully, Sam, who is out for revenge after Jay steals his girlfriend Claire and his weed, and on their escape from Sam's house, they push Sam's mother down the stairs by accident, which really pisses him off. At the same time, Alisa has just learned that she’s pregnant, and her friend Becky wants to take her out on a drug and shopping binge. Alisa considers whether to keep the baby and wonders if Trife (who thinks it's Sam's baby) will help her raise their child. After Moony and Jay abandon Trife because of an argument, he goes to see his Uncle, who forces Trife to torture a man from earlier who forgot to pay him by giving him a Glasgow Smile. After seeing this Trife decides what his decision is and abandons his gangster lifestyle. The film heads toward a conclusion with Katie's brother set on revenge for his sister’s suicide and with Sam looking for payback at the house party thrown by Blake. Trife and Alisa reconcile and decide to have the baby, whilst Becky tries to hook up first with Moony and then with Jay. Sam arrives with a baseball bat and attacks Trife because of the break in earlier in Sam's house. Trife is helped by Jay, who is also beaten up by Sam. Trife is then seriously injured after a straight blow to his stomach with a baseball bat. Moony steps in holding a knife, but cannot bring himself to stab Sam. Katie's brother Lenny arrives, brandishing a pistol he procured from Trife's uncle. He threatens Sam who cowers and cries in fright but Trife prevents Sam's murder with his final words of "He's not worth it". Then, as Katie's brother is leaving Sam insults him. Lenny fires the pistol, only to have it backfire due to a poor conversion from a replica to a real gun. Lenny and Sam flee the scene as the paramedics arrive to help Trife, as Jay insults the police for not turning up sooner and Moony restrains him. But it's too late, Trife's injuries from the baseball bat are fatal and he dies in Alisa's arms.
Then later on in class, Trife defends Katie from a group of girls led by Sam, beating her up. Katie commits suicide and the whole year group at school is given the day off school. The film then slowly builds up to the climactic house party. It revolves around three teenagers: Trevor, who is more commonly known by his street name Trife, Jay and Moony.
Trife is being tempted into the gangster lifestyle by his uncle who asks him to do illegal errands. However, a rumor that Alisa has slept with Sam might influence this life-changing decision. Trife has to deal with the school bully, Sam, who is out for revenge after Jay steals his girlfriend Claire and his weed, and on their escape from Sam's house, they push Sam's mother down the stairs by accident, which really pisses him off. At the same time, Alisa has just learned that she’s pregnant, and her friend Becky wants to take her out on a drug and shopping binge. Alisa considers whether to keep the baby and wonders if Trife (who thinks it's Sam's baby) will help her raise their child. After Moony and Jay abandon Trife because of an argument, he goes to see his Uncle, who forces Trife to torture a man from earlier who forgot to pay him by giving him a Glasgow Smile. After seeing this Trife decides what his decision is and abandons his gangster lifestyle. The film heads toward a conclusion with Katie's brother set on revenge for his sister’s suicide and with Sam looking for payback at the house party thrown by Blake. Trife and Alisa reconcile and decide to have the baby, whilst Becky tries to hook up first with Moony and then with Jay. Sam arrives with a baseball bat and attacks Trife because of the break in earlier in Sam's house. Trife is helped by Jay, who is also beaten up by Sam. Trife is then seriously injured after a straight blow to his stomach with a baseball bat. Moony steps in holding a knife, but cannot bring himself to stab Sam. Katie's brother Lenny arrives, brandishing a pistol he procured from Trife's uncle. He threatens Sam who cowers and cries in fright but Trife prevents Sam's murder with his final words of "He's not worth it". Then, as Katie's brother is leaving Sam insults him. Lenny fires the pistol, only to have it backfire due to a poor conversion from a replica to a real gun. Lenny and Sam flee the scene as the paramedics arrive to help Trife, as Jay insults the police for not turning up sooner and Moony restrains him. But it's too late, Trife's injuries from the baseball bat are fatal and he dies in Alisa's arms.
The Butterfly Effect
I have done a synopsis on the film 'The butterfly Effect' because it is a similar genre to the film we are goin to do as our main project
The film is about Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher), who suffered severe traumas as a boy and a teenager. He tends to blacks out frequently, often in moments of high stress.
One day whilst he was in his dorm room reading one of his journals to a girl, he finds that when he reads from his adolescent journals, he travels back in time and is able to "redo" parts of his past. But he soon finds out that there are consequences to his choices. His alternate futures vary from frat boy to prisoner to amputee. His efforts are driven by the desire to undo the most traumatic events of his childhood which coincide with his blackouts, including saving his childhood sweetheart Kayleigh, from being molested by her father and tormented by her sociopathic brother.
The actions he takes, and those he enables others to take during his blackouts, change the timeline in the new future where he awakes. As he continues to do this, he realizes that even though his intentions are good, the actions he takes have unintended consequences. Which result in the dozens of years' worth of new memories from the alternate timelines causing him brain damage. Ultimately he decides that his attempts to alter the past end up only harming those he cares about so he travels back in time once more to the first day he met Kayleigh and scares her away. He succeeds in undoing his childhood as he knew it, and then destroys all his journals so that he's not tempted to bring any of it back.
The film ends eight years in the future with Evan leaving an office building and passing Kayleigh on the street. After a moment's hesitation, he lets her pass by without noticing him.
The film is about Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher), who suffered severe traumas as a boy and a teenager. He tends to blacks out frequently, often in moments of high stress.
One day whilst he was in his dorm room reading one of his journals to a girl, he finds that when he reads from his adolescent journals, he travels back in time and is able to "redo" parts of his past. But he soon finds out that there are consequences to his choices. His alternate futures vary from frat boy to prisoner to amputee. His efforts are driven by the desire to undo the most traumatic events of his childhood which coincide with his blackouts, including saving his childhood sweetheart Kayleigh, from being molested by her father and tormented by her sociopathic brother.
The actions he takes, and those he enables others to take during his blackouts, change the timeline in the new future where he awakes. As he continues to do this, he realizes that even though his intentions are good, the actions he takes have unintended consequences. Which result in the dozens of years' worth of new memories from the alternate timelines causing him brain damage. Ultimately he decides that his attempts to alter the past end up only harming those he cares about so he travels back in time once more to the first day he met Kayleigh and scares her away. He succeeds in undoing his childhood as he knew it, and then destroys all his journals so that he's not tempted to bring any of it back.
The film ends eight years in the future with Evan leaving an office building and passing Kayleigh on the street. After a moment's hesitation, he lets her pass by without noticing him.
My Favourite Film Presentation - Shaun of the Dead
Synopsis
The film Shaun of the Dead is about a man named Shaun who is a appliance salesman whose life is going nowhere, his girlfriend Liz is unsatisfied with their social life, mainly because it consists only of evenings in The Winchester, Shaun's favourite pub.
He has issues with his stepfather Phillip, his flatmate Pete and a his job where his younger co-workers show him no respect. Following a broken promise to do something special for their anniversary, Liz dumps Shaun. He decides to drown his sorrows at the pub with Ed his best friend. After a night of drinking he decides to sort his life out.
This revelation comes at the same time as a uprising of the undead within London, who begin to attack and devour the living, not that the hung-over Shaun notices initially. Shaun finally realises the what's happing only after two zombies attack him in his back garden. As he finds out Pete has also become a zombie, Shaun and Ed plan to leave the house. They plan to rescue Liz, along with Shaun's mother Barbara and Phillip, who had been bitten earlier, and wait the crisis out in the Winchester. Liz's friends, David and Dianne , also come along.
During their journey, Phillip is bitten by a zombie but manages to make his peace with Shaun before turning into a zombie himself, forcing the group to abandon him and their car and go the rest of the way on foot. The remaining group find the Winchester surrounded by zombies, and they approach the pub by impersonating the zombie’s behaviour, but are then discovered after the zombies hear them talking and arguing.
Shaun draws the undead away while the others barricade themselves inside the pub. Shaun then returns to the pub thinking that he got rid of the zombie’s, but the zombie’s followed him, and soon break in. Shaun is forced to shoot his mother, who was bitten on the way to the Winchester, soon after David is pulled through a smashed window, torn apart and eaten, next up was Dianne who charges outside in a stupid attempt to save David, exposing the others to the zombies.
Ed attempts to prepare a fire, but is bitten by the zombie version of Pete, who is shot in the head by Shaun. After going into the cellar, Ed decides to stay behind while Shaun and Liz escape through the barrel lift. Shaun and Liz then prepare for one last battle against the zombie’s, but are saved by the army and others.
Six months after the zombie outbreak, Britain has returned to normal, and the remaining zombies have now become a part of everyday life, being used as cheap labour and game show participants! Shaun and Liz move in together, along with zombie version of Ed, who is kept in the garden shed, who is left chained up with Shaun and his play station.
Shots
Shots are mainly close ups of all the main characters.
This could be to reinforce the confinement of Shaun’s life, and to show how close they will be throughout the whole of the film.
There are also over the shoulder shots between Shaun and his girlfriend Liz.
There is also a significant shot of Shaun and Liz talking with Ed in the middle of them, which gives you a hint that he could be the man in the middle of the couple.
Editing
There are also a lot of straight cuts from person to person which is simple but reinforces the characters simplicity. There is also a number of tilt shots throughout the film
Mise en Scene
The mise en scene in the first scenes are of a crowded, busy pub atmosphere
There are many people in the background, glasses and smoke floating across the shots.
There are also the noises of fruit machine which Ed is always playing on.
Setting the scene
In the first two minutes we have an idea of the main conflicts in the film. Shaun is having problems with his girlfriend because of his best friend’s reliance of Shaun and reliance on the pub, which becomes an important setting later on.
The film Shaun of the Dead is about a man named Shaun who is a appliance salesman whose life is going nowhere, his girlfriend Liz is unsatisfied with their social life, mainly because it consists only of evenings in The Winchester, Shaun's favourite pub.
He has issues with his stepfather Phillip, his flatmate Pete and a his job where his younger co-workers show him no respect. Following a broken promise to do something special for their anniversary, Liz dumps Shaun. He decides to drown his sorrows at the pub with Ed his best friend. After a night of drinking he decides to sort his life out.
This revelation comes at the same time as a uprising of the undead within London, who begin to attack and devour the living, not that the hung-over Shaun notices initially. Shaun finally realises the what's happing only after two zombies attack him in his back garden. As he finds out Pete has also become a zombie, Shaun and Ed plan to leave the house. They plan to rescue Liz, along with Shaun's mother Barbara and Phillip, who had been bitten earlier, and wait the crisis out in the Winchester. Liz's friends, David and Dianne , also come along.
During their journey, Phillip is bitten by a zombie but manages to make his peace with Shaun before turning into a zombie himself, forcing the group to abandon him and their car and go the rest of the way on foot. The remaining group find the Winchester surrounded by zombies, and they approach the pub by impersonating the zombie’s behaviour, but are then discovered after the zombies hear them talking and arguing.
Shaun draws the undead away while the others barricade themselves inside the pub. Shaun then returns to the pub thinking that he got rid of the zombie’s, but the zombie’s followed him, and soon break in. Shaun is forced to shoot his mother, who was bitten on the way to the Winchester, soon after David is pulled through a smashed window, torn apart and eaten, next up was Dianne who charges outside in a stupid attempt to save David, exposing the others to the zombies.
Ed attempts to prepare a fire, but is bitten by the zombie version of Pete, who is shot in the head by Shaun. After going into the cellar, Ed decides to stay behind while Shaun and Liz escape through the barrel lift. Shaun and Liz then prepare for one last battle against the zombie’s, but are saved by the army and others.
Six months after the zombie outbreak, Britain has returned to normal, and the remaining zombies have now become a part of everyday life, being used as cheap labour and game show participants! Shaun and Liz move in together, along with zombie version of Ed, who is kept in the garden shed, who is left chained up with Shaun and his play station.
Shots
Shots are mainly close ups of all the main characters.
This could be to reinforce the confinement of Shaun’s life, and to show how close they will be throughout the whole of the film.
There are also over the shoulder shots between Shaun and his girlfriend Liz.
There is also a significant shot of Shaun and Liz talking with Ed in the middle of them, which gives you a hint that he could be the man in the middle of the couple.
Editing
There are also a lot of straight cuts from person to person which is simple but reinforces the characters simplicity. There is also a number of tilt shots throughout the film
Mise en Scene
The mise en scene in the first scenes are of a crowded, busy pub atmosphere
There are many people in the background, glasses and smoke floating across the shots.
There are also the noises of fruit machine which Ed is always playing on.
Setting the scene
In the first two minutes we have an idea of the main conflicts in the film. Shaun is having problems with his girlfriend because of his best friend’s reliance of Shaun and reliance on the pub, which becomes an important setting later on.
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