The storyline involves two girls who are willing to fight over money. This leaves both of them furious, over the unresolved issue causing one of the girls to give the other an unwelcoming, dirty look.
When a character is viewing something off screen, what they are viewing is seen by the other character in the following shot; this called an eye-line match shot.
Also, shot, reverse shot is used in this clip. As the two characters argue, the camera angle is transitioned to focus on the talking character, as well as the other character's response. This is used frequently throughout out short clip, especially when the characters are speaking to one another.
In addition, a match-on-action shot is used at the beginning of the short clip. When a character starts an action, you see them continue to pursue their action in the next shot; this is called an match-on-action shot. An example of this is when the character is seen arriving at the door, and then opening it; then the following shot is her walking through and closing the door.
Furthermore, as we were filming we had to be award of the 180 degree rule; it is a basic guideline that says that two characters in the same shot or scene should maintain the same left or right side of one another.
Despite uploading this particular video, we had an incident where our first initial footage sound was not working perfectly. This is the fault of the equipment and not our own, we were able to resolve the problem by simply starting over. It allowed us to have even more experience with the camera and it's elements.
The shots that were done particularly well and were relatively successful. The hair, costume, make up, props and mise-en-scene was kept the same throughout. On the other hand to improve it we could haves pursued a graphic match shot to make an even better short clip. A graphic match shot is when e.g. a bone is thrown in the air by an ape and then turns into a space station (Space Odyssey, 2001). We could film a hand sliding papers on the table, which turns into money as it slides into another hand. Following that, making sure that the camera is completely leveled and avoiding any irrelevant sounds interfering with out film and making sure the edit is neat.
At the beginning of the
thriller, the company logo is introduced by the sound of rain and eerie earthly
sounds, which illustrates a sense of irony in correspondence to the actual
company name, "happy days." It is the opposite of happy, thus be rain
symbolising sorrow, despair and there is also a sense of mystery by the earthly
sounds. The thunder also exemplifies villain associated elements, as well as
danger. The idea of nature can relate to the couple consuming natural, human
bodies.
Furthermore, the non-diegetic sound played throughout is a low
sound, immediately alerting the audience that there is something not right, and
suspicious happening. The tone rises to an uncomfortable high pitched sound,
thus increasing tension ad apprehension. There is also a piano sound, that is
continuously playing like a fast clock. It suggests that time may be running
out, or catching up to them. The sound of occasional notes intensifies anxiety
amongst the audience. Additionally, the sound of the dog in the background draws
the audience to be aware of the character'a actions. When the woman puts the
contents in the pot, the music creates a dark, dull and low tone; the opposite
of high pitched angelic tones, is used to warn the audience that the female may
not be as innocent as you think. The sound of the chopping board raises the
tension, as it gets increasingly loud. Moreover, when the chopping board is
revealed the piano note is high, thus causing tension to reach it's zenith; and
when the chopping board is revealed again, the low sound returns, emphasising
the intensity of the scene. Finally, at the end of the thriller the sound of an
evil choir close the end of the thriller, leaving a tension filled cliffhanger.
To find the music for our thriller, we used freeSFX. This is benefitial to us, as there will not be any copyright issues. If we were to use music from itunes, then copyright issues would appear if we did not ask permission from the artist. Asking for permission is time consuming because we would have to wait for a response, therefore freeSFX is more efficient and effective for us.
Ominous music is our choice as it would not distract the audience from what is occurring in our thriller.
The title is named "After 8" because it is short, which enables the audience to remember, instead of a longer name, which is not memorable. It also has a dinner theme as most people may have their dinner around the 8 o'clock time. The dinner theme, is a strong aspect throughout our film. The "After Eight," agenda is to highlight in the audience's mind that is something to do with eating, or consuming. Additionally, the name triggers thoughts of night, which emphasise a dark theme. Conclusively, "After Eight" leads to various possibilities of what could happen; mysterious, erie and dark atmosphere, which contains conventions of a thriller.
This is our company logo. It is called "Happy Days." The logo appears effective as it has a Hollywood theme to it. "Happy Days," has it's own twist on "Hollywood," movies. The logo is an assumption to the audience that the film produced by us will be cliche, however that is not the case. At the same time, the title represents the birth of where the films were made and produced. The word "Happy," is an ironic word which suggests our films have a happy theme, but that again is may not neccessary be the case.
This was our previous idea, however we discovered that it the scale was too large to fit with or small production company. We decided that it was too glossy for a production company on a small scale. Instead, we thought of a new, and improved idea.
The name is still, "Happy Days," it still contains the same irony, of the suggested theme of happiness. The umbrella represents a shield of danger, that the person or character is trying to protect themselves from. Also, the red bench represents the theme of danger, which is apparent in our film. The gloomy background, represents the thriller theme... not to expect a happy theme, but to be prepared for the unknown danger of what a thriller has to offer. This is represented by the distance that cannot be seen.
Collateral is a crime thriller starring the gorgeous Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. And directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie.
Mann introduced this as his first feature film which was shot using the new technology of high-definition cameras. The use of digital cameras made it quicker and easier to edit, which meant making films using digital cameras was more efficient.
The trailer introduces the thriller in a peculiar way; a love song plays at the beginning when the main character is with his potential love interest. The lighting dark, creating a mysterious atmosphere which lures us in to prepare for the action coming up next. It was as if the original agenda for the film was to be romance, however the scene is cut and "but plans change," appears on the screen. Someone enters his cab, who happens not to be his love interest; this creates an uneasy tension right from the moment he enters as the music changes into a dark, sinister and eerie tone. The tone picks up its pace as the man Vincent, tells Max he needs to a make a couple of stops. Immediately, we see a body smash unto his cab and we sense danger. Vincent pulls out a gun which startles Max as well as the audience. The scene switches back where Vincent is in the cab, continuing being driven by Max which makes the viewer wonder why Max did not just run away. Furthermore, more shots are shown but with shorter timing, making the shots much shorter and faster paced. The shots being shown are gun shots, running, chasing, more gun shots, a hospital area and life risking actions.
Mann famously chose to use the Vioer Film Stream High-definition Camera to film numerous secs ends that appeared in the film of Collateral. It was the first use in a major motion picture. If you look closely you may be able to recognize were the digital camera was used; in particular the scenes where the beautiful Los Angeles skyline or landscape is evidently visible in the background.
The filming of the Coyote running across the road contains the low light, which allows Mann to spontaneously film the fix without having the hassle to set up lighting for that particular shot. Later, Mann employed the same camera for his other famous movie of Miami Vice.
A fascinating sequence is the Korean nightclub scene (shot in 35mm).
DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures co
produced the film. The former studio handled North American rights, while The
latter held international rights. Paramount acquired the US/Canadian
rights on the purchase of DreamWorks in 2006. The film was released in Blu-Ray
by Paramount on March 30th, 2010. This happened to be the first Region 1 video
release they distributed. Previously, Universal Studios were the company
distributing them.
DreamWorks development books were say in
for three years by Collateral. Initially, Mimi leader was attached to direct
then passed on to Janusz Kamiński. The project wasn't generally starting any
heart until Russell Crowe became interested in playing the part of Vincent.
Michael Mann brought on board Crowe, however there was constant delays which
lead to Crowe leaving the project. Tom Cruise was then immediately was
contacted by Mann, Cruise adapted the idea of him playing the hit man and Adam
Sandler as the cabbie. Robert De Niro was the actor Beattie wanted to cast as Max (the exact opposite of Travis Bickle, making him a taxi driver). Unfortunately. the studio refused and emphasized how they wanted a younger actor to play the role.
The film successfully opened in the year of 2004, August 6th. It was opened in 3,188 theaters in the United States and Canada; it grossed $24.7 million in just its opening weakened and was number 1 at the box office. 14 weeks it remained in theaters and grossed $101, 005, 703 in the United States and Canada. It also grossed in other countries, with a total of £116, 758, 588 and worldwide, $217, 764, 291.
Scenes from Collateral
"Collateral Briefcase."
Max's hands are tied up in the car by Vincent, to make sure he does not attempt to escape. He grows increasingly anxious and determined to escape. He sees no option but to cry for help as he sees a group of males, hoping they will respond. Max feels relieved that a young male with long hair seems to appear innocent and willing to find out what is wrong. But that is only for a few seconds; for those few seconds the audience feel relieved also, until he reaches out for a gun and starts to act extremely aggressive. He is the dominant character of the moment. Tension rises back up again because not only is Max's life in danger because he's in the hands of Vincent, but Vincent is absent and his life is still in danger. At this point the audience knows the young male is some sort of thief as he takes Max's wallet and reaches out to steal Vincent's briefcase. He begins to walk away with the briefcase proudly, until Vincent appears he walks towards him, thinking he is dominant until he is shot. The dominance is rewarded back to Vincent as he retrieves his briefcase. The area is quiet, and isolated so that no bystanders are present to witness. The absence of music allows the audience to really feel the fear that Max feels, as if they are actually right there with him.
"Pulled Over."
The windshield of the cab Max drives is smashed and he is stopped by the police. There is a glimmer of hope that Max might be able to seek for help and escape. He asks for license and registration to ensure that he is an actual cab driver. Max begins to feel rather uneasy. He has to try to figure out what might happen next; his mind is confused on what to expect and how to respond as carefully as he can to avoid trouble with both the police and of course, Vincent. As soon as the police mentions blood on the cab, we as the audience begin to worry for Max for he is the innocent one having to ask questions. He responds by mentioning he hit a dear but the police are not buying his story, therefore asking him and the passenger to step out the vehicle and mentions opening the boot. They both eventually step out the car, Vincent holding a gun incase he senses a threat, but the police have another investigation so they inform Max to go "straight to the garage." When the police leave, they go back into the cab together; shattering the hope that the audience had that Max might be able to escape and pursue freedom from Vincent's company.
"Vincent's New Friend"
Flowers are given to Max's mother and she is aware of Max's financial state so she acts slightly bitter towards the gift, until she finds out that it wasn't from Max, but Vincent. She acts kindly towards Vincent, and acts somewhat kindly back. The audience's anxiousness rises as we are not entirely sure what Vincent's intentions are, especially with the sickly mother of who he holds captive. Max's mother says "you have to hold a gun to his head to make him do anything," which immediately increass tension as he gives Max a smirk. He surprisingly tells Max's mother that he is a friend, but friends do not hold one another captive and put them into serious danger. It is quite ironic because Max would not particularly consider him a friend. This makes the audience wonder why he chose the term "friend" of all terms he could've potentially used. Max becomes increasingly agitated because his mother may be in danger, as well as Vincent's intentions are not exactly clear.
