Group Rationale

Initial idea analysis

Initial idea

Techniques of Single Camera Production

Camera: Shot Types

Shot type is a technique of a camera, there are lots of shot types like close up, mid shot, extreme close and long shot etc. The different shots have different meaning for example the purpose of long shot would be to show the scenery. 

An example from the above short film would be when they use a close up at 1:20 of the film, the close up is of the face of the character, this is done to show there facial expression as you can see his facial is stress and his worried about what is going to happen, this tells us his worried and is taking a risk. 

The film maker has used this technique carefully and want to show how the actor is feeling and it also gives the audience greater detail, in my own experience i have used  a lot of close ups for example in an short film which i produced i had used an close up of the character to show the fear of the character this builds tension. 

Lighting: Natural

Natural light is when no other lighting is used to make a lighting a specific way by this i mean artificial lighting. The is different kind of lighting like artificial, side lights, high and low key lighting etc. Overall the each individual lighting have different purpose. 

An example of natural lighting from the above short movie will be at 0:16 when we see a establishing shot of where the film is set, the desert has no artificial lighting which means it is natural.

The impact this has on the audience is that they can see it more clearly and it makes it a lot more realistic in a way. The intention of the film maker is that he wanted to make it look more realistic and also it is cheaper to make if additional lighting is not needed. Where i have used natural lighting would be in most of the projects for example in the music video we had used natural lighting as we recorded outside and no additional lighting was needed.

Sound: Mixing Sound Tracks

Sound is very important and it is what the audience can hear, a specific would be mixing two sounds together, this is when you hear one sound track and then the eventually add another sound but then mix it together, it make it a lot more dramatic and entertaining to watch. 

An example of mixing sound track in the above short film would be at 0:21 when we see the the sound of the desert turn into a sound of a vehicle, this makes it a lot more entertaining to watch as the audience do not expect that so it creates shock and it makes it more flowing because if they just had a car sound drastically it would not flow very well. 

The film makers intention when using this techniques is that they want to make it more entertaining, this means the audience continuing to watch the film. i have used sound mixing when i had created a short film where we had to turn the sound down and then add dialogue on top.

Editing: Filter Blur 

There are many editing filters one would be blur this is could to send a specific feeling or giving the same view as the character this allows the audience to actually be in the film because they see the same view. 

An example of blur filter in the above short film would be at 4:07 when we see the character looking into the binoculars we see the vision go blur and then we see the zoomed in vision, this is what the character actually went through as the put the eyes in the binoculars. The effect this has on the audience is that it makes it a lot realistic and more entertaining to watch as it adds detail because of the effect.

The film makers intention when using this editing filter is to allow the audience to go through the same purpose they have actually gone through. I have used this technique in most of projects for example recently i had added a colour filter on my short film to show it is the past scenes.

Scripting: Costumes

The costumes  is what they character in film they wear, this is done to show the era or what kind of genre they are aiming towards. This helps the director send the right mode as the costume can be what the convention of the genre is.

An example of costume in the above short film would be at 1:01 when we see the character wear a cowboy hat which tells us the genre of the film is western. This helps the audience get a clue on what kind of film it would be and they can continue on watching if they liked western films, by using costumes it makes the audience more aware of the mode. 

The film makers intention when using costume is that they want to set the right mode and show the conventions of the genre, this helps the audience a lot. When doing many media projects we have to carefully think about what the characters wear for example when creating a show we need to think carefully what the presenters and guests wear as you want to set the right mode for the target audience.

Building a Scene: Death 

Building a scene is very important for directors as it should catch the audience attention, death may be a way to build a scene as it builds tension in the film which makes the audience watch the whole film. 

An example of building a scene would be death at 4:15 when we see a character get a gun out and then shot another character, then we see the death of a character. this makes the audience continue on to watch the whole of the film as they want to know what happens at the end and if the villain get caught.

The intention of the film maker is that they want to create tension and then it keeps the audience attention which makes them watch the whole film. I have used death to build a scene in my short film when i had a character get a knife out and then kill the character this made the audience asks question and watch the whole of the film.

Building a Story: flashback

Building a story may be flashbacks as the director shows us the past to fill in gaps or give the audience more detail of the story. By having flashback it allows the story to be more entertaining as the audience do not see the reason of the flashback, which they'll continue on watching it. 

An example of building a story would be a flashback from the above short film at 7:15 when we see the story go into a flashback and then we see the character go back to the same position, this gives the audience more detail why the character is in that position, this allows the audience to watch the whole film. 

The film makers intention when using flashback is that they want to give more detail for the audience which means that they find it more interesting and entertaining to watch as they can see what has happened in the past. Where i have used flashback is when i made a short film where we see the flashback of the character what happened in the past then we show the present when he seeks revenge.

Narrative Structures of Single Camera Production

Structures: 

Linear

Linear is a narrative structure this narrative structure goes in chronological order, by this i mean that the order is specific as there would be a beginning, middle and end. This narrative structure will be very fimilar to the audience as they would see it because most soap opera's use.

An example of linear narrative structure would be a programme called ' Eastenders' as we see it has a specific narrative that it follows, for example at the beginning we see a problem as the bus has crashed at 0:04 and someone is stuck under the bus, then at 03:14 we see the person who was under bus come out and then at 17:29 the person is in hospital fine. As you can see they followed the narrative because they had a problem at the beginning and by the end of the episode we see it get resolved. The impact this has on the audience is that they know what to expect and in a kind of a way the story line makes sense to them because they have seen the structure and it keeps them engaged as they can see different story line each day but them the same structure.

Non-linear

Non-linear is another narrative structure which is basically not in order and is very mixed up so they may have different segments by this it means they may have two different story lines from different perspectives.

An example of non-linear narrative structure would be the above programme called ' kenan and Kel' the show is a non linear because we see at 2.20 they open the show first and then we see the actor give a slight hint as he says to the other actor they need to be ready for tonight show this is not a usual structure as not all shows begin like that, by doing this i think it engages the audience more as it not the usual story line it is different as the audience can get bored watching the same old, this means that by using non-linear story line it can attract more viewers.

Flashback

Flashback is another narrative structure which is used by producers to give greater depth, flashback is when the story goes back in time to show a specific moment which adds meaning to the present, it is a good way to connect two scenes together.

An example of flashback would be from 'The Simpsion' as we see them go to the past, for example at 0:04 we see the character look at the foot locker which says US Army then we see at 0:05 it goes back to the time when the character was in the army, this tells the audience that the character was in the army, it gives the audience greater detail, the impact this has on the audience is that it gives them greater depth for example any audience watching the programme will have no idea what the foot locker meant but when we saw the flashblack it allowed the audience to understand that the character was part of the army which is significant to the foot locker found.

Realist

Realist narrative is shows or episodes which obey the physics, by this i mean that they have things which are likely in realty nothing which does not exist and inhuman. The reason producer follow realist is to make sure they relate to the audience. 

An example of realist is a series called 'Narcos', this programme meets the standard of realist narrative as everthing in the programme is physically possible and realistic. An example from the clip is at 8:40 we see it is set in a small village in coloumbia, this is very realistic as the roads are similar to roads which the audience and viewers see. The impact realiist narrative is that it allows the audience to relate with the programme this means the audience being more entertained and grabbed by the programme which them watching the whole series.

Anti-realist

Anti-realist narrative is when the story line involves which are physically not possible, this is mostly seen in animation as they can be creative with their designs.Anti-realist is literally the opposite of the realist as we would see element which is not real, anti-realist allows producers to be a lot more creative.

An example of anti-realist is a programme called 'Futurama', this programme is set in the future and we see that in the whole eposide through characters and location. An example in the above clip would be at 0:21 when we see flying cars this is not possible or realistic in real life and there is no kind of invention of flying this means it not being real. The impact this has on the audience is that it allows the audience to be more entertained as this programme is unique compared to others, this may mean the viewers watching more episodes.Also it allows the producer to be more creative and imaginative as they can add things which are not invented yet this will amaze the audience.

Endings: 

Open

Open ending is when there is usually a cliffhanger, by this i mean that each episode continue the story line, this makes it more entertaining as it gives the audience something to look forward to, open endings usually have a big ending as the audience would not have the information what is going to happen.

An example of an open ending is a programme called 'Neighbours' this programme always end the show without ending the story this means it continues it to the next episode. An example from the above clip would be at 20:57 when we see the character have a phone on the hand with a picture then it ends without telling us who this person is and what the relevance of it is.The impact this has on the audience is builds suspense and tension for the audience which means them waiting for the next episode as they want to know what happens, by doing this the producer has a big advantage as it get a loyal viewers which come back for the next episode every single day.

Closed

closed ending is when each show or episode has a different story or plot,this means that the episodes will not continue as the would have a new story for each episode, this means that beginning of each episode will be the same as everything will be fine but different problem.

An example of closed ending is an programme called 'American Dad' in each episode we see different problems occur then they are always solved by the end of the episode, so each episode has a new beginning. An example would be at 20:24 when everyone is happy and they have sold the mystery and it is a happy ending which shows us everything is resolved. The impact closed ending has is that it does not give the audience anything to look forward to and i think the audience is more relieved in a way as they know what has happened, it also allows the audience to look forward to new stories.