Now we are sure of the locations we will be using of our two minute opening, we decided to gather some ideas together on what shots we want to use prior to us going out filming to ensure shooting runs smoothly and time is not wasted.

Shots

· Various close up shots (in order to express emotion) of families/couples/friends hugging and talking to one another after being reunited having just come back from their holiday

· Outside shot of the airport 

· Long shot of an airplane either taking off or coming into land

· High angle shot of passengers going up an escalator looking as though they're going to collect their baggage

· Over the shoulder shot of an individual about to hug another person
· Large crowds of people in order to make the airport look more crowded and busier

· Shops which could be in the duty free section of the airport so it would still look realistic

Outcome

Having sorted out both locations and shots we want to use for our two minute opening all that is left to do now is organise a time and date where me and my group are available to meet and film. Unfortunately this is very difficult to do as majority of the group work and having commitments over the weekend. Week days are not an option because of the amount of work for other subjects we each have and the fact the locations where we are filming at, in particular Chapelfield shut at 6:00pm and by the time we get there once we have finished Sixth Form we won't have enough time. Plus the fact Chapelfield will be undoubtably less busy at this hour and we ideally want as many people around as possible.We eventually decided that as the deadline is not until after half term that we would do the filming during one day that week when we're all available. 

Filming

DATE: 26TH OCTOBER              TIME: 11:30

''Love Actually'' - Production plan

Having looked at our list that we prepared last lesson of films that my group and I possibly wanted to do for our recreation of the two minutes to a film opening we started todays lesson by looking at these five on YouTube. Initially we just put down what films we all liked and thought would be interesting to recreate, however today we learn't that some of the films we had on the list are too complicated and far-fetched for us to recreate them realistically.
Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging;

For example we looked at the first two minutes of this film, but found that to get someone dressed in her costume, have enough people in one room to look like there is a party going on and then to get someone running down the street in a olive outfit was going to be too hard to do.


In the end we came to the conclusion as a group that Love Actually written by Richard Curtis would be the most appropriate in terms of practicality of filming, as well as having an effective opening that my group and I both liked.
Love Actually;










We have planned to film our opening in the following locations:

·Norwich Airport

·Chapelfield shopping centre

Justification

We chose these places because obviously the start to the film is situated in an airport, therefore Norwich Airport would be the most obvious and suitable place to shoot. Chapelfield shopping centre was chosen because even though Norwich Airport would undoubtable be the best place, it is a small scale airline and is not often very busy, so we decided to collaborate shots between the two locations in order to make the two minutes appear busier (like how it appears in the actual film.) Chapelfield was chosen because airports also have shops in them so the two will look like they're the same place.


Permission
Having chosen our locations where we would ideally like to film, as they are public places and we do not have the rights to film there we need to get permission.
To do this we went on Norwich Airport and Chapelfield's websites where they each had numbers of how they could be contacted:
·http://www.norwichairport.co.uk/contact.asp
·http://www.chapelfield.co.uk/About-Us/Contact-Us
We then rang each place and spoke to the relevant person to ask whether we would be able to film. Getting permission from Chapelfield was far easier as they only have one number by which they can be contacted. When we rang a lady answered and then straight away put us through to someone who could tell us if we could film or not. Norwich airport was far harder as there are various different numbers for different enquiries, eventually however, we were able to speak to someone who could give us permission to film. Luckily, both of our chosen locations gave us permission to film, but told us to be weary of other people and not to film them without their consent. Norwich airport also asked that we do not go outside to where the airplanes are taking off and landing for health and safety purposes. This is not a problem because if we want to get a shot of an airplane we can do so out of one of the airport windows. 

Opening two minutes of a feature flim

Character: Lestier Bernham  - (American Beauty.)
Reveals he's going to be dead in a year, but of course he isn't aware of that yet, however says he feels dead already. He's lost something about himself and is determined to get it back. His life is so dull at present and he seems quite unhappy that he reveals that the shower will be the highlight of his day, as everything goes downhill from there. We learn he has a wife named Caraen, who likes to keep busy - Lestier gets exhausted just watching her. She seems to be very organised, as Leister says she matches her clothing. He also says Caren's changed, the two of them used to be happy, him saying this indicates that they no longer are. Furthermore, the start of the film also reveals Leister has an only daughter called Jane, a typical teenager and two next-door neighbours, a couple, both of which are named Jim.

Character: Jerry Mcguire - (Jerry Mcguire.)
The film starts off talking about famous sports people and Jerry reveals that he looks after all these successful sports people. He comes across fairly arrogant and is very pro America, he seems to think it's where everything good happens. Jerry gets hundreds of clients per day phoning him and doesn't seem to be shy about asking clients for large amounts of money for his services. He appears to think he is the best of the best claiming he wont stop until people win. Jerry is obviously largely career driven, especially when there's money involved. He comes across a bit shallow, only thinking really about himself and the benefits he will receive rather than thinking about the success of his clients. - seems to just want the money.

Comparison: Leister Bernham and Jerry Mcguire:
If you compare the two characters from each film (Leister Bernham and Jerry Mcguire.) Leister appears to be rather unhappy in his life and doesn't really know who he is anymore. He seems quite unselfish, not really wanting anything apart from to feel himself again and to be the person he used to be. This contrasts with Jerry Mcguire, who seems to be very happy with his life, but comes across as very selfish. Another difference between them is that Leister has his family and in my opinion, although they are not very close, he secretly relies on them, whereas Leister is independent, he only ''needs'' his clients for financial gain.

Character: Ken - (Early Doors.)
Ken seems a jolly character, at the start he is singing and cleaning the toilet, so appears to be an average ''normal'' person, with nothing particularly unique or special about his life (the fact his clothes do not look very expensive but instead are just everyday/average clothing also shows this.) This may help the audience relate to him as he is just like one of them. He earns his livelihood as a pub owner. At first I thought Ken was going to be quite an honest person, however he poured cheap alcohol into expensive bottles, which surprised me. I didn't expect ''the average looking person.'' to be dishonest. When someone comes into the pub he listens to what the customer says but seems to be rather disinterested in what he has to say.  It is as though he responses because he has to and its part of his job to sell. Ken is quite humorous and laid back.

Comparing all three: American Beauty, Jerry Mcguire, Early Doors
When compared to the two previous American films there seems to be extremes, either depressed or rich and really happy (like the american dream - the ideal life.) Whereas as this is an English comedy, Len seems to be an average person.

Opening Sequences: - (London to Brighton.)
Dramatic start, mother and daughter look like they've been hurt, there seems to be a feeling of desperation and danger as though they're running away from someone/something. Their costumes emphasize the fact they're running away as does the fact they ran into the toilets, as if they were hiding from someone. They don't look like they have a lot of money, this is shown by the ragged-like clothes they were wearing and having to just share one portion of chips between them. The background of the scene emphasized their lifestyle, as did the way they behaved. The setting was unclean and contained rather a lot of graffiti, plus the fact the mother's language used by the mother was rather explicit and the fact she left her daughter all alone locked in a toilet cubical.

(The Graduate.)
It is a very simple start to this film.  Personally I found it rather boring, the colours used in the opening are also fairly plain and ordinary. However, it reflects well how the character feels. He's graduated and is just coming back from university and is flying back home and probably doesn't want to go back - doesn't feel like his life is going anywhere. Although I didn't really like the start of the film, I think the director did very well at communicating how the character was feeling to the audience. A good technique he used which I picked up on was the fact the audience could hear the instructions being given by the air hostesses over the tannoy to the passengers but the character wasn't taking any notice.  Perhaps this reflects the fact having been at university he has been told what to do for along time, therefore now he has decided he is going to rebel and not listen to the instructions he's been given.

(Napoleon Dynamite.)
The opening to this film was quite different to the others, no people were involved, just background colours and objects, yet it was quite an original idea. They had some good close ups of some of the objects, which allowed the audience to see them in greater detail. Also it allowed the audience to take more notice of the credits because of the fact there wasn't a huge amount going on. In my opinion, although it was a simple opening to the film, it worked well and surprisingly wasn't boring to watch.

Outcome:
Having now watched the first two minute openings of several films and analysed them in terms of what works well/what doesn't work well, what techniques (like camera shots) were good and what weren't, and how we portrayed the characters, my group and I are now debating which film to re-create for our two minute opening. Although we have not come to a definite decision on which film to choose we have came up with the following ideas:
1) Angus thongs and perfect snogging
2) Thirteen going on thirty
3) Love Actually
4) Football Factory
5) Bend it like Beckham

My Character Profile

Task:
Two character profiles -  I began with a well known character which helped to get me started via looking at his typical characteristics and as to how they're affective. I then started on my own character profile.

Outcome:
Doing this enabled me to come up with creative ideas and think in depth about how to develop a character. The task taught me how important it is to create a character with the right image and sett characteristics so that they can portray the part you want them to effectively. As well as this, it taught me how to start with an initial idea and then expand it, via using my own imagination as well as different films I have watched and collaborate the two in order to come up with a good character.

James Bond
He is a middle-aged male, roughly 54 years of age.
He doesn't have a specific place where he lives, he tends to be on the move a lot and doesn't stick to one area.
James Bond is a violent and aggressive individual as well as this he is also fairly stubborn/competitive - he doesn't give up easily until he wins. He's independent and doesn't rely on anyone. Furthermore, he's very active and never is in one place for long.
He doesn't have a set group of friends, instead he makes friends as he travels around and forgets them quickly once he's moved on. He doesn't have friends he stays with for very long. He uses people to fulfil his sexual desires as well as when he needs people to support him in difficult situations.
He finds himself in bad and dangerous situtions often, sometimes caused by himself and occassionally down to other people being violent towards him. He aslo tends to find himself in bed with various other women, as he is quite seductive.

Eugene Oakly - My made-up character
He is a young character, eighteen years of age.
He is the stereotypical geek, looks wise, but academically he is far from intelligent. This surprises the majority of people who meet him. He is a carer for his sick mother and they live in a one bedroom apartment by the sea. Occasionally when Eugene has the time, he does what he loves most and goes surfing on the sea, just near his home. No one would ever guess that Eugene, the typical geek was actually the World's number 1 surfer. At college Eugene sits alone in the canteen, where no one bothers to talk to him, and if they do acknowledge him, it is just to throw some food towards him. Little do they know, the person who they are looking at in the magazines they read each week is actually him on the front cover. He overhears pretty, good looking girls talking about how they want to meet him, yet Eugene does not say a word. Because everyday he pretends to be someone else and puts on his mask and costume.

Quick Test

Based on Mise En Scene and Three Point Lighting System


1. The term Mise en scene means everything you an see in a given frame or sequence of shots.

2. Five elements of Mise en scene:
- Settings and props
- Costumes, hair and makeup
- Facial expressions and body language
- Lighting and colour
- Positioning of characters/objects with in the frame

3. If you wanted to create a silhouette you'd use back lights - no key or fill light.

4. If the sun was used as an ambient light source it would be a key light, which is the brightest source of light.

Three point lighting system

Key Light:

-This is the main light. It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene. It is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow.

Fill Light:

-This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key. To achieve this, you could move the light further away or use some spun. You might also want to set the fill light to more of a flood than the key.

Back Light:

-The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Rather than providing direct lighting (like the key and fill), its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject's outlines. This helps separate the subject from the background and provide a three-dimensional look.

Five Elements of Mise En Scene

Looking in depth at the five elements of Mise en scene:
1. Settings and locations
Setting and locations play an important part in filmmaking and are not just backgrounds. They can either be built from scratch or a great deal of time is spent to find a setting which already exists. Settings are able to manipulate an audience by building certain expectations and then taking a different turn. The location sets the scene and also mood of the film. For example if the setting of a film is down a street alley way with graffiti written on the walls and rubbish on the floor, you get the feeling there is something uneasy about the area, perhaps it is not completely safe and that something dangerous may be about to happen. Whereas if the location of the film was in a pleasant area which was clean, this suggests something totally different to the audience. There is no longer an element of danger present. – It represents a happier, safer environment.
 2. Costumes, hair and makeup
The three act as an instant indicator to us of a character’s personality, status and job. It tells us immediately whether the film is set in the present and what society/or culture it will centre around. Certain costumes can signify certain individuals (i.e. black cloak for a vampire, spidey’s spiderman suit.) If a character is successful and career minded they may be dressed in a suit for example. If they are tidy and organized their costume will most likely be clean with their hair tied up perhaps. On the other hand, if a character is unorganized with a low paid job their clothing will most likely be scruffier looking and not looking expensive (no high end brands.) If a woman is giving the personae of being with various different men, she will wear more revealing clothing, showing her confidence and seductiveness. Contrastingly, if a character is shy  they are unlikely to wear revealing clothes and probably will be dressed in darker colours with minimal make up in order to ensure they do not stand out from the crowd.
3. Facial expression and body language

Facial expressions and body language similarly to costumes, hair and make up also show a character’s personality. If a character likes another character they will show open body language as well as give pleasant gestures, such as gently touching their arm for instance. They may also mirror their body language. Smiling and nodding is also a sign you are intrigued in what another individual has to say and are open and liste ning to them, which shows you like them as well as the fact the character is polite and attentive. If a character shows closed body language (this could be crossing their arms or legs) it shows they either feel uncomfortable, are disinterested in what the person has to say, or maybe that they dislike the character or are angry/upset with them. Alternatively, they could be shy. Facial expressions state someone’s mood, i.e smiling – happy, crying – sad, frowning – angry. Whereas body language reflects a person’s mood, i.e happy – open body language, lots of hand movements. Sad – closed body language, arms/legs crossed, perhaps hand covering their face. Anger – shoulders wide, hands on hips to represent power and authority over the situation.

4. Lighting and colour

Lighting and colour reflect the mood of a scene, or emphasize a specific prop or character depending on how the lights are on them, and the either the colour of clothing they are wearing or the colour of the background compared to different objects within the frame.

Colour’s often represent good or evil and anger or happiness. The most common colour used to reflect a mood is probably black. Showing mysteriousness and danger. If a prop is a certain colour compared to the rest of the background it makes that specific prop stand out, so consequently the audience knows that it is significant. Similarly, if a character is dressed in a different colour uniform for instance, compared to the remaining characters it shows they are either or a high or lower status within their job compared to the others.

When it comes to lighting, if the lights are bright, it shows happiness, if they are dim it shows a more reflective, sad mood. Light of course, most obviously can allow the audience to differencaite between night and day.

Lastly, depending on how the light is captured on an actors face, it can enhance their facial expression.
5. Props
Props can be used to tell us information about a characters lifestyle, i.e. if they are reading a book, we get an image they are fairly intellectual and like to relax. If a character is using their mobile phone it could indicate they like to be social with others, or alternatively that they are busy career wise. Props can also give us a n idea of a characters class status. If the props in their home look  expensive, then they are likely to be middle class and above. If there are few props in the background and the items that are are not very expensive looking this indicates they are more likely to be at the lower end of class status.

Mise En Scene Introduction

Out of all the techniques that are present in cinema, mise-en-scene is the one which we are most familiar with. A large amount of our most sharply etched memories of the cinema turn out to center around mise-en-scene.


''Mise en scene'' background:
A french term, ''mise-en-scene'' means ''putting into the scene.'' The term was first applied to the practice of directing plays. It was used to signify the director's control over what appears in the film frame. Expectedly, mise-en-scene includes the aspects of film that are also see within theater, such as lighting, setting and costume. Mise-en-scene is usually a technique used which has been planned. Having said this, the filmmaker may be happy for unplanned events to occur which may end up helping to enhance a dramatic effect. For example, an unexpected change in lighting or an actor adjusting his line slightly, both this occurrences could protentially make a scene better, even though they were not planned to happen.


''Mise en scene'' definition:
1. A french term meaning what is put into a scene or frame.
2. Visual information in front of a camera.
3. Communicates essential information to the audience.

Five elements of ''Mise en scene'': 
1. Settings and props
2. Costumes, hair and makeup
3. Facial expressions and body language
4. Lighting and colour
5. Positioning of characters/objects with in the frame


Realism of ''Mise en scene'':
Viewers often judge mise-en-scene via standards of realism. For instance, a gesture may not seem realistic because ''real people don't act that way.'' It is however, hard to keep certain aspects of mise-en-scene realistic, purely because notions of realism vary over time, among individuals and across cultures. Realism can also be debated, for instance if everything in a film was realistic would this not detract from the story line or the films excitement? simply because the event happening would not be able to happen in real life. For some people, this may lead them to liking the film more, as it has a dream-like element to it. The degree of realism shown should altimiately depend on the genre of the film and the message that is being communicated. Georges Méliés's mise-en-scene for example, famously allowed him to create a totally imaginary world on film. - A totally unrealistic concept that worked.