Single camera production is a type of film making commonly
used to create media products. Each shot is taken one by one in order to build
up a full narrative. Each shot is generally taken using the same camera so in
order to get various angles you will need to move the camera after each shot as
that's all you have. Not only does the camera change but the lighting is
normally changed to match the director’s vision for the next shot in the scene/film.
This is different to multi camera where scenes are filmed from different
angles, under the same lighting, simultaneously. Single camera can be used for
various different formats. For the purposes of this assignment I will be
looking at 3 different formats: Serial Drama, Soap Operas and Single Drama.
Soap Opera/Soaps
Soap operas also known to others as a soap is a television program which links together various story lines created around the lives of the characters who featured within. Soaps tend to use one location to set the narrative in so you often follow the lives of characters who live their. For instance the soap Coronation Street is set in Coronation Street. Also known as Corrie is created for Granada Television and is shown 3 times a week since 1960. Created by Tony Warren, it centers on a small town in Weatherfield. Since its creation has had over 8000 episodes. Coronation Street is currently following a plot where a small child has cancer that cannot be cured, because it's been well written in an understanding and tolerable way it pulls on the heart strings off readers. Which later on I will explain through the writers perspective.
The same goes for Emmerdale where it is set in the village of Emmerdale. Originally Emmerdale Farm until 1989 and then Beckindale until 1994 it is set in a Yorkshire Dales village. It was created by Kevin Laffan and has over 7000 episodes. Due to the fact is all seems to be in a narrow and crammed space for all these characters, who rarely get away from their homes, drama is created through emotional relationships. Which is the main focus of a soap. The writer see's that conflict is created through this. So much that it often creates melodrama. Which is where strong emotions often take place rather than a character detail. I.E Eastenders often results in loud shouting matches because the writer see's this as the only way for the narrative to move forward. As a result you often find stereotypes within soaps because it makes it easier for the writers to create mellow drama. I.E pitting two strong headed pairs against each other. Or the gangster/bad boy that turns up to cause havoc within a family. Most recently in Coronation Street they reused this trope and had the bad boy fall for the ditzy/attractive member of the family only to cause more drama once she found out his "true ways". And like most soaps the only way for the drama to end is for the character to be written of or die. Or even more like soaps find out she is pregnant with his child.
The same goes for Emmerdale where it is set in the village of Emmerdale. Originally Emmerdale Farm until 1989 and then Beckindale until 1994 it is set in a Yorkshire Dales village. It was created by Kevin Laffan and has over 7000 episodes. Due to the fact is all seems to be in a narrow and crammed space for all these characters, who rarely get away from their homes, drama is created through emotional relationships. Which is the main focus of a soap. The writer see's that conflict is created through this. So much that it often creates melodrama. Which is where strong emotions often take place rather than a character detail. I.E Eastenders often results in loud shouting matches because the writer see's this as the only way for the narrative to move forward. As a result you often find stereotypes within soaps because it makes it easier for the writers to create mellow drama. I.E pitting two strong headed pairs against each other. Or the gangster/bad boy that turns up to cause havoc within a family. Most recently in Coronation Street they reused this trope and had the bad boy fall for the ditzy/attractive member of the family only to cause more drama once she found out his "true ways". And like most soaps the only way for the drama to end is for the character to be written of or die. Or even more like soaps find out she is pregnant with his child.
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Other stereotypes include the promiscuous male/female. They often worm their way in to cause drama between a couple and often focus on the idea of affairs or a gossip. You also have the Troublesome Old Person. They have an older grumpy character who interferes with people's lives. They often know more than they should. Again using Coronation Street as an example you have Norris the owner of a newsagents who spends 90% of screen time talking about other people instead of doing his job ;often a comical character to viewers.
The last stereotype I will look at is the boss figure, they are often male and have an arrogant sense of personality to show their dominance. They often rub people up the wrong way which causes gossiping and leads to an overall conflict in the end which often repeats itself in cycles using the same characters. Emmerdale is currently focusing on a story line of "self-redemption" after he has managed to ruin the business and offend everyone around him.
The idea to use stereotypes is so that the writers aim to have their narratives more realistic and makes it more familiar in order to get the audience to easily emphasis with the characters. Soaps often tend to try and write in current trends within their soaps to further push the realism it tries to recreate. Even though story arcs often involve murder or mass accidents in order to shake up the plot.
Serial Drama
A serial drama is a show where the plot is continued by revealing more context and information in each sequential episode. A soap technically counts as a serial but other typical serial dramas work by following main story arcs that follow through right to the end of a TV season finale or a full run off the series. Instead of covering the whole plot in a film or single drama the writer chose's to have their narrative spread out over a series of episodes ranging from 30 minutes to an hour because their narrative is more complex. As more of the story will be revealed as you go on slowing bringing the narrative across instead of all at once confusing the audience and leaving them with a rushed narrative that no longer has its full effect. Recapping segments are often included to bring the audience back up to speed as shows often harness the tiniest of moments for a bigger impact later in the story arc. Every show is needed to be watched in order to get the overall picture. Where as something like CSI often has a new story every week referencing past events rather than building on them. To get a bigger picture I will now break down two serial drama shows.
Game of Thrones is a long running serial drama that has been adapted from George R R Martins series off books (A Song of Ice and Fire) that are still ongoing. The video above details how the show came to light. One day David Benioff and D.B.Weiss had a box full of the novels delivered to their door. They hadn't done any major TV or Film work in the past but insisted that these series of novels needed to be developed for the media industry. Because the books where so big (Game of Thrones 600 pages, Clash of Kings 800 and then Storm of Swords 1100 pages) they decided it was only fair to have the show as a series. As the show feature hundreds of characters (now 907 cast members), new languages and characters with hard to pronounce names. After dinner/meeting with George the pair were granted access to pitch the show to HBO after correctly answering "Who is Jon Snows mother" a common question the audience still has.
The other serial drama is Hannibal developed by Bryan Fuller. Which was adapted from existing books and films by Thomas Harris and directors: Micheal Mann, Ridley Scott, Brett Ratner and Jonathan Demme. Fuller thought that there was an opportunity to bring the show to light by further developing the relationship of Hannibal and Will Graham. Since Lambs and Hannibal had a strong connection to Clarice, Graham only featured in Manhunter and Red Dragon. We see moments of torment between the pair but the show develops this so much that it manages to create its own back story. The show finished after 3 seasons after being cancelled due to low ratings (due to its gore). Week by week the audience saw how Grahams relationship with Hannibal grew whilst they solved various FBI murder cases. Yet all along it was Hannibal who was executing the murders controlling Will Graham all along sending him mentally insane to the point where Hannibal could further manipulate him. The show and existing material only begin to clash properly in Season 3 when Fuller explores Red Dragon in his own way.
So if you have watched the other content you could start from season 3 but to feel the full empathy you would watch it from the beginning. As Season 1 is the manipulation, 2 starts off with further manipulation until Graham realizes and counters it and 3 with Graham needing Hannibal's help against the Red Dragon. This was all planned and even revealed in an interview with Fuller himself: ". I knew that it was going to be very thoughtful and cinematic, and a deviation from the FBI crime-scene cases that we’d experienced in the first two seasons. And then I knew, of course, that we were going to be heading into the Red Dragon[story] after that chapter, and it just felt like that was a necessary conclusion for Will Graham,"
Single Drama
Compared to a serial, a single drama is a narrative told within one episode. This is because the writer see's the idea as only being able to be told in one go. It doesn't mean its a weak narrative it means the story can be told more effectively by having it in one show. This was most popular back during the 1970's yet these days series tend to be the norm. With single drama being left for new writers to have a trial at creating a concept to which one day may expand into a TV show much like a pilot.
A great example is the show Toast which was a one off for the BBC. It was an adaption of Nigel Slater's memoir. Following Nigel's journey from learning to cook at a small age yet his mother was a poor cook and he dad insists on Fray Bentos Pie as everything he cooks is too "exotic". After rough patches with his family and the death of his mother and father he sets his mind to go and work at the Savoy Hotel in London.The show could of easily been told in a series of parts showing his rise to becoming a cook; yet it was done in a single drama as the creators felt it was the most effective way to tell the story. It also acts as a nice summary to Slater's memoir as it can be enjoyed in one bit chunk. As if they split it up to detail every part of the book it might not for interesting TV and the plot development may feel too slow paced. So they took the decision to turn it into a one off program in order to tell the narrative in its most effective way.
It is also common for TV shows to have single drama episodes at Christmas time also known as Specials. Most recently Steven Moffat's Sherlock set their modern day adaptation back in Victorian times in order to show homage and references to the work they adapted on. The Abominable Bride was released on New Years day. Whilst in 1890 Sherlock is visited by an Inspector who tells him off a recently wed bride killing herself in public. Because it wouldn't fit in with the 3 episode series Moffat includes this story line as a special as people know it's going to be out of the ordinary and given extra creative control for the festive season. Moffat's other show Dr Who also has Christmas Specials but they normally tie in more with the show.
Narrative
Structures
Not every narrative is told within the same structure. I.E
the way the narrative unfolds. Directors will often piece together their
narrative in a way to add too/emphasis the overall meaning. I will now look at
4 different structures: Non Real, Realism, Linear and Non Linear.
Non real
Non real also known as anti-realist. Use ideas that do not
physical occur in real life and are surreal. The idea is then enhanced by using
practical effects or even following the current trend of using computer
generated images to create the product. These types of structures are typically
more creative as the director can create a narrative from their wildest dreams.
The audience can also expect to be in for more surprises as they often see
things on screen that are not only visually pleasing but also helps with the anti-realist
structure of the narrative. Although on the other side of the spectrum if the
effects, sets and the look of the film is off then the non-realism effect
structure can be critically panned by audiences and critics.
One of the most popular forms of Non Real films is the genre of Superhero’s. Take Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel for example. The film not only features a distant Utopian planet with a race of Krypton, the film features frequent flying, explosions, buildings falling and the effect of a gravity pull in Metropolis. The original Superman film harnessed the use of practical effects to achieve flying and now seems out dated. Man of Steel was a big step up in the Superman story that not everyone agreed with. They didn't approve of the city being destroyed, the over the top CGI and Superman killing a foe. Never the mind this is a great example of a Non Realist structure.
George Lucas's Star Wars is another example of non realism. The story takes place in a galaxy far far away bringing in elements of sci fi and fantasy. Following Luke Skywalker who comes across an accident Jedi Obi Wan on his home planet. He then learns of the force and begins his journey to become a Jedi Master through the original trilogy.In order to create the effects off all the different alien species various costumes/puppets were created and practical effects where used to create the final product. Most notable Star Wars is known for kicking off the practical effects industry with Industrial Light and Magic. Spaceships where shown moving by using models and camera trickery and Kenny Baker an actor with dwarfism was inside of R2D2 to operate him.
Again much like linear is the opposite of non linear. Realism is the opposite of non real. Realism is where the audience believe the film to occur in real life as they are often based off real life plots. This makes the plot more reliable but it also means directors have make really interesting conflict and characters to distinguish it from anything else you would expect. For instance Die Hard is not a realism film as you don't have one person armed with a gun to take down the whole terrorist organisation as you would really on a heavy swat team. Films like these are often associated with the rise in gun crime yet this is a tale for another time. Realism goes off what you would expect in real life, no heavy gun fights between two people (antagonist and protagonist), no flying super hero's. No car crash explosions and the need for over the top fighting and combat to tell a story. Devices on the list are often less saturated in realism to have more off an emotional and dramatic effect. You will not often see elements of creating out of this world concepts with CGI and puppets unless it's used in tiny pieces to add to the look of the film. To best understand realism let's take a look at two examples.
This is England is a realism film directed by English director Shane Meadows. The film is based on what life was like in Northern England during the period of skinheads, English nationalist and racism. Because it's based on real life and the beats of the film add harsh reality it easily creates a series of emotions because of it's links to reality. Because of how far the world as moved forward it almost makes it feel like that England has had a harsh history as this is only one accounting of a harrowing tale set in Sheffield. Although the story is fictional is wrote to be believable for that time period as it was based on true life experiences. The main story is followed by a young boy called Shaun who is especially rationalized into this life style eventually reversing his decisions and mind set when reality gets pushed too far.
Another great example of realism is the biographical drama film Social Network directed by David Finch. Because its biographical it's already based on reality. It also means that it will have to stick to what occurred in case is misrepresents people in the wrong way. The film has a great flow and interest just based on the characters as that's where the interest is; as it was the main reason to make a film around Mark Zuckerburg the creator of Facebook. No murder plot lines, no explosions or firefights. The drama all occurs from the real life actions of Zuckerberg and the people around him. The film itself is non linear and cuts between an on going law suit and the past events leading to why Eduardo Saverin ex co creator and twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss clients of Zuckerbergs are now turned against him. The Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin sums up the realism interest nicely:"What attracted me to [the film project] had nothing to do with Facebook. The invention itself is as modern as it gets, but the story is as old as storytelling; the themes of friendship, loyalty, jealousy, class and power. [...] "
Linear narrative structures are ones that tell the story in a cohesive manner. This means the story flows by developing scene by scene. There is no flashbacks or flash forwards information about the past of the plot and characters is often revealed by exposition dialogue. All the events happen in the present so the literal future of the narrative unravels as you go along. Where as non linear creates a film by displaying the scenes out off order in a non sequential manner. Narratives tend to take place introducing the audience to the character and setting with a hint of exposition in order for the story to move forward. The inciting incident then occurs which results in the rising action until the film reaches a crisis resulting in a climax. The action then dies down and unites the film summing up the narrative. Throughout the essay we have already looked at some linear films, to best understand the structures I will now break down the structures of films we have previously explored.
Man of Steel: The film starts with the destruction of Krypton as an unstable core is about to explode due to the result of running out of natural resources. General Zod over rules the council and makes his move to take over during a time of mass panic. Scientist Jor El witnesses the birth of his child just as the planet is about to explode. Jor El engraves a codex into his Son Kal El (Superman/Clark Kent) which houses the entire Krypton race. He ships Kal to Earth which begins the arc of the narrative. For the rest of the film we see how Kal now Clark Kent has grown up with his powers and how he has chosen to hide them in fear he will scare humans. During this Zod is trying to track down Kent to take the codex for himself. After showing his journey with earth he reveals his secret to journalist Lois Lane and meets other allies and foes. The film reaches it's climax after the pair finally stand off destroying half the city in the process.
Star Wars: A New Hope: The film starts by having Darth Vader's (A Sith/Of the Galactic Empire) Star Destroyer abducting a Rebel ship and demanding the plans that they stole for his super weapon the Death Star. A board the ship is Princess Leia who is taken by the Empire but managed to get the plans to a droid R2D2 who escapes off to Tatoonie with fellow droid C3PO. The film then cuts to a young farm boy Luke Skywalker. He met's the droids and finds the message for an Obi Wan which pushes the plot forward as they managed to find Obi Wan who in conversation with Luke sets up the exposition on the basis of Star Wars (I.E the force) and that he knew his father. The film then shows Skywalker coming into contact with other characters Han Solo and Chewbacca when they aim to travel to Alderaan by hitching a ride on the Millennium Falcon. After the destruction of Alderaan on the hands of Vader the plans change to go rescue Leia from the clutches of the Empire on the Death Star and concludes with the rise of the Rebels as they make an attack on the Death Star. The film unravels in a chronological order as you watch the story unfold from Luke Skywalker and his allies point of view.
This Is England: Shane Meadows realism film This is England follows the journey of young skinheads in 1983 England. The film follows main themes at the time of white nationalists and their clashing not only with themselves but the changing world around them. The main protagonist of the film is a young child Shaun who we first see get into a fight at school after another child mocks his dead father. On his way home he meets a young gang which is lead by Woody and laid back and accepting member of the group. He invites Shaun to join the gang in order to cheer him up. Throughout the film we see the relationships between Shaun and the characters around him. The film takes a darker turn when an ex member of the group, Combo, returns after being in jail. He is very charming at times but is quick to turn to violence. The views of Combo splits the group divide and places Shaun right in the center off the drama. Combo has strong English nationalists and racist views which causes Woody and the gang to leave apart from Purkey,Gadget and Shaun. As the tension between the groups rises the film ends in a climax of the groups black member Milky being stabbed by Combo. The film is not only realism but it is also a great linear film as the story unravels as Shaun joins the group of skin heads and his choices make the audience really see how dark the time was when a young child/gangs would threaten other groups of races for enjoyment and that even know there was some good people association of those effect everyone.
Man of Steel: The film starts with the destruction of Krypton as an unstable core is about to explode due to the result of running out of natural resources. General Zod over rules the council and makes his move to take over during a time of mass panic. Scientist Jor El witnesses the birth of his child just as the planet is about to explode. Jor El engraves a codex into his Son Kal El (Superman/Clark Kent) which houses the entire Krypton race. He ships Kal to Earth which begins the arc of the narrative. For the rest of the film we see how Kal now Clark Kent has grown up with his powers and how he has chosen to hide them in fear he will scare humans. During this Zod is trying to track down Kent to take the codex for himself. After showing his journey with earth he reveals his secret to journalist Lois Lane and meets other allies and foes. The film reaches it's climax after the pair finally stand off destroying half the city in the process.
Star Wars: A New Hope: The film starts by having Darth Vader's (A Sith/Of the Galactic Empire) Star Destroyer abducting a Rebel ship and demanding the plans that they stole for his super weapon the Death Star. A board the ship is Princess Leia who is taken by the Empire but managed to get the plans to a droid R2D2 who escapes off to Tatoonie with fellow droid C3PO. The film then cuts to a young farm boy Luke Skywalker. He met's the droids and finds the message for an Obi Wan which pushes the plot forward as they managed to find Obi Wan who in conversation with Luke sets up the exposition on the basis of Star Wars (I.E the force) and that he knew his father. The film then shows Skywalker coming into contact with other characters Han Solo and Chewbacca when they aim to travel to Alderaan by hitching a ride on the Millennium Falcon. After the destruction of Alderaan on the hands of Vader the plans change to go rescue Leia from the clutches of the Empire on the Death Star and concludes with the rise of the Rebels as they make an attack on the Death Star. The film unravels in a chronological order as you watch the story unfold from Luke Skywalker and his allies point of view.
This Is England: Shane Meadows realism film This is England follows the journey of young skinheads in 1983 England. The film follows main themes at the time of white nationalists and their clashing not only with themselves but the changing world around them. The main protagonist of the film is a young child Shaun who we first see get into a fight at school after another child mocks his dead father. On his way home he meets a young gang which is lead by Woody and laid back and accepting member of the group. He invites Shaun to join the gang in order to cheer him up. Throughout the film we see the relationships between Shaun and the characters around him. The film takes a darker turn when an ex member of the group, Combo, returns after being in jail. He is very charming at times but is quick to turn to violence. The views of Combo splits the group divide and places Shaun right in the center off the drama. Combo has strong English nationalists and racist views which causes Woody and the gang to leave apart from Purkey,Gadget and Shaun. As the tension between the groups rises the film ends in a climax of the groups black member Milky being stabbed by Combo. The film is not only realism but it is also a great linear film as the story unravels as Shaun joins the group of skin heads and his choices make the audience really see how dark the time was when a young child/gangs would threaten other groups of races for enjoyment and that even know there was some good people association of those effect everyone.
Non linear
Non linear is the complete opposite of linear. Where a linear narrative unravels by following the story in a cohesive manner; non linear film work by having a disrupted or disjointed narrative. In other words the story plays out in a order that is not chronological. One of the common types of moments in films when this is used is when someone is recalling a memory or having a dream. But it can also be used during the whole duration of a feature film for effect or for other creative reasons. To get the best understanding off a non linear structure lets take a look at two different examples.
A good example of when this was used, was in the 1995 film, "The Usual Suspects" by Bryan Singer the plot in general is : "Following a truck hijack in New York, five conmen are arrested and brought together for questioning. As none of them is guilty, they plan a revenge operation against the police. The operation goes well, but then the influence of a legendary mastermind criminal called Keyser Söze is felt. It becomes clear that each one of them has wronged Söze at some point and must pay back now. The payback job leaves 27 men dead in a boat explosion, but the real question arises now: Who actually is Keyser Söze?" This plot summary comes from IMDb. Throughout the film the identity of the powerful Keysey Soze is a mystery as it edited in a non linear fashion.
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Up until the very end of the film where there are shots of various elements of the myth. Such as a coffee mug with a made up name on , which had previously used as a lawyers name in a made up story by Kevin Spacey's character. Also a board full of characters and places, that had also been manipulated as part of a con. This piece of information could of been introduced at the start of the film, but what would be the fun in that? The editor cleverly puts this at the end so the audience will try and piece together the puzzle during the film instead of seeing it come together in a linear
fashion.
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Yet one of the most pop culture films that uses a non linear structure is Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino. The overall film follows 3 plot lines which all intersect throughout the film yet it is not made clear when the events occur. The 3 events involve Vincent Vega a contract killer played by John Travolta , Butch Coolidge a fighter played by Bruce Willis and Vega's partner in the contract crime Jules who is played by Samuel Jackson. The film starts and ends with a diner hold up staged by Pumpkin and Honey Bunny.
Overall there is a variety of sequences that intersect throughout the film:
- "Prologue—The Diner" (i)
- Prelude to "Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife"
- "Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife"
- Prelude to "The Gold Watch" (a—flashback, b—present)
- "The Gold Watch"
- "The Bonnie Situation"
- "Epilogue—The Diner" (ii)
Fans have often spent time trying to break down the film to suggest what the order of the actual film is. Which is great that a film can get people talking about it afterwards from not only a critical point but also from a fan point to how it is actual put together.
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Finally, Christopher Nolan delivers a great non linear feature film. 2000's Momento is an American neo-noir psychological thriller. Mementos structure unravels by having two different sequences intersect during the film. One is in black and white and the other is interlaced with a sequence which is shown in reverse order. Which is helping the audience understand the problems of the protagonist who is suffering with amnesia. The two sequences interlink at the end to create one cohesive narrative.
The overall film tracks Guy Pierce's character Leonard who is trying to track down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The problem comes in that he has a rare case of memory loss and he cannot recall 15 minutes into the past but he can remember everything before his incident, that triggered the memory loss.
Technical Requirements
The technical requirements is what is needed to make a narrative. Directors harness lighting, sound, editing and direction style (shot types) to create films. In order to best see the directors input in story telling I will break down various directors work in how they create the Mise-en-scene (what is in the frame and how its framed) and harness the technical requirements. References for this part will be taken from Every Frame a Painting alongside my analysis and comparisons.
Micheal Bay
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Micheal Bay is an American director who currently specializes in producing Hollywood work and is known for his over the top cluttered action scenes and constant camera movement which has come together to become known as Bayism. He managed to show across a series of visual representations yet he moves the camera too much with the depth of field showing off too much movement. For instance in the Transformer series you are faced with constant camera swivels whilst there is motion in every axis.
He also uses a telephoto lens for close up swivel shots yet it doesn't work on a story telling point off view as it shows nothing new and often has the audience confused on whats going on. It also doesn't work as he often doesn't have detailed backgrounds to show off more about the location. Because every shot consists of some movement he edits to the movement. Which during his large scale multiple axis movement action scenes can often confuse the viewer. Although on a technical scale he is pulling off the dynamic shots, when put together they do not make a strong narrative as the actual content of the frame/mise en scene is too cluttered. For strong video evidence the video by Every Frame a Painting
Whilst we are on the topic of Micheal Bay he is currently following the trends that Hollywood and other action films current follow and that is Chaos Cinema. As the way Micheal Bay edits and uses sound in his films follows the theory to a tee.The following work comes from a previous assignment: Chaos cinema is the idea of going against continuity that early filmmakers established as "Classic" cinema. In "Classic" cinema every cut is chosen for a reason, the clips are also placed together so they keep a spatial relationship with the place the characters are in. But over the years of keeping to continuity and careful editing a new form of cinema is emerging, "Chaos Cinema".
For instance if we take a look at "Indiana Jones - Raiders Of The Last Ark":
The famous opening scene fits perfectly with the description of "Classic" cinema. Every cut creates a meaning and follows a sense of time and space. In every shot something new is revealed which builds upon the story. Although a series of frantic events is occuring the editing sticks to the ways of cohesion. Each shot is clear and well framed, the camera is also mainly still so all the movement follows the character. For instance, even though the editing is quick we see Indy grab a vine, he then only slips after we see the vine come loose in a different shot. There are also lots of cuts on action. we merge two shots together keeping the sense of time and space.
This film, like many other action films follow this style of cinema. This style lets the audience know where they are and whats going on in the scene is a nice and simple way. Even if the content of the film was complex, the plot was still easy to follow. This style of editing can also be seen in "Die Hard", directed by John McTiernan.
Although we are witnessing a frantic fight scene, the audience can easily follow the action without getting lost. This is because the edit has been carefully done, whilst selecting the best clips to put together. Again lots of still camera work is used as we see the movement of the characters. The use of cutting on action like Indiana Jones, it creates the sense of cohesion.
Although, modern day action films seem to have done the opposite. Instead of making the careful cuts commercial films seem to go for the messier approach with rapid editing. This can also be related to "Intensified continuity". Although Intensified editing is a more updated form of classic cinema and helps keep the viewer oriented.In Chaos Cinema, We often see shakier camera movement and more shots focusing on the destruction of objects rather than creating a sense of space and time. A really good example of this is from the movie "Expendables"
Once the action kicks in, the pace begins to pick and a series of shots are mashed together. Instead of showing a lead up to a fight between the pair, lots of cross cuts are used to show them suddenly fighting. We also lack a sense of spatial relationship, as when Sylvester Stallone's character suddenly runs into shot a truck randomly appears. Every shot in the scenes runs of adrenaline and scenes that might have been built up to in classic cinema, suddenly unfold in a matter of seconds.
It can also be said that the soundtrack used with the scene is more important than the cut in this style of film making. As the soundtrack carries the adrenaline and action through. Directors seem to care less about where we are, but what is happening instead. The sequences becomes chaotic with the rapid cuts and high intensity soundtrack. Directors such as Michael Bay and Christopher Nolan are prime examples who use this style of editing. For example in Bays "Bad Boys 2"
Whilst the action is fine to look at, the mix and match of the shots its hard to pull out a narrative. The shots are also seen to be shaky and still shots appear to be blurry to add to the disoriented feel. We have a faint idea of what is going on due to , again. the soundtrack. The sound design often increases in quality as the edit decreases. The gaps left by the visuals are often filled with realistic sound effects that make up for this. This style of edit came around after the audiences attention span lowered and the endless benefits of using CGI. The main thing to take away from this, is that chaos cinema isn't about making it clear for the audience; but to create excitement within and to get the audience's senses as dramatic as possible.
Here is a breakdown for the chase sequence in the "Dark Knight" by Christopher Nolan:
Although the credibility and facts of the guy doing the breakdown, the video offers some interesting insights to how chaos cinema is created. As a sequence we think looks visually nice and pleasing, the actual editing of the clips is a mess. With all concepts of cohesion thrown out of the window. But by the use of the soundtrack, it holds the scenes together and carries the audience through. The lighting is also following the classical Hollywood look. Everything is lit so that you can see what's going on instead of for effect. For instant Film Noir heavily relies on various lighting techniques in order to convey its conventions. Females often lit in ways which enhance their figure, antagonists are poorly lit so it looks like they are emerging from the depths of the shadows. They when you move to the close ups half their face isn't lit as if they are aggressive and mysterious due to the harsh lighting.
David Fincher
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The next director is an American, David Fincher. Fincher started his career by making music video for the likes of Micheal Jackson and other artists at the time. He also produced other commercial work in the form of advertisements. His first debut was Alien 3 which wasn't well received by critics and fans. Since then Fincher has went on to direct several great feature films as well as starting up the American version of House of Card featuring Kevin Spacey. Here is a list of some of his films: Fight Club, Seven, The Game, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Gone Girl. To best see his work we are going to explore another: Every frame a painting and look as this links below:
Links used:
http://whatculture.com/film/the-effects-of-music-and-sound-in-david-finchers-the-social-network.php
http://vashivisuals.com/david-fincher-into-the-darkness-2/
Fincher often looks at the smallest detail on the screen and makes it known to the audience. He will often use exposition to tell the story but the drama occurs when the characters learn this new piece of information. Fincher doesn't use handheld unless it is absolutely needed. For instant in the end scene of Seven he uses to to show the nervous nature of the cops whilst finding out if his wife's head is in the box. Whilst Spacey's Jon Doe is a firmly locked off shot on a tripod. His camera movements make the audience wonder if in fact a person was filming it or not keeping the focus on the narrative itself. He also restricts when he cuts to a close up. He only uses it for effect as they gain power over the other shots that are in the sequence.
For instance in Seven again (4:00 in video) a triangle is formed between the three and the way the shots and actors pose themselves tell the power shift in the scene perfectly just by using different shot types and directing the actors. When lighting a scene Fincher often likes to make the scene dark. For instance in Fincher's House of Cards it is very dark in content, tone, lighting and color grade. Characters are always surrounded in low light, even in the sun. It's ominous and dread help further dramatize the situations and show that everyone is involved in Frank Underwood's game.
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Again look at Gone Girl, the same thing occurs characters are surrounded by secrets and blackness. The lack of light and color doesn't take away from the film it makes the film. As it matches the tone and way the narrative is unfolding.
(Image from)
Now that we have gained an idea of how he use's the camera in order to tell the narrative lets take a look at how he uses sound in order to do so. For the Social Network Fincher hired Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to score the film. Which will be the main film focus when talking about his approach to sound.
The film opens with the sound of talking in a social manner. Even before the film begins there's is already the idea of having a network of people talking socially as the first cut is then in a bar with Zuckerberg and his current girlfriend. Alongside this the sound track cuts in and the piano conveys the sense of intense urgency as if a life changing event is about to occur. Note: whilst we are on the opening scene notice how it's dark but it's not crushed in with the black parts of the image. There is a clear definition between the shadows and the highlights. Yet the highlights are lowered and more colored. When we look at a normal color temperature you see that Fincher mixes it up. There is often orange infused into both day and night; blue's and green's are normally the go to color but in the Social Network this isn't the case and helps further show off Marks character he goes by what he wants to do.
This soundtrack is then repeated throughout the film every time Mark has an effect on someones emotions. The theme music also rises in moments of character tension. Most notably during the talk between Mark and Eduardo when Eduardo's company shares have been cut back on. The music in the Social Network also has a sense of a montage as it's pacing the movie together. This can be seen during the building of the the Social Network itself.
This is also a constant use of voice over within the Social Network as Mark gets deeper and deeper into the subject he is talking about the music ramps up to match the characters rage then as soon as a character interrupts what he is doing the music slows and takes Mark out of his flow of writing on his blog. Finally repeated scenes often have music changes to often show the effects during the narrative off the film. The first time we see the twins rowing it is calm and peaceful like there is no care in the world, yet when Facebook is launched they are in a larger room practicing rowing . It is more intense and a lot louder than the first time we see the pair, the noise of the water being dragged by the panels is unsettling and is harmonized with the arguing that occurs between themselves and the bringer off the bad news that Zuckerburg stole their idea.
Fincher often looks at the smallest detail on the screen and makes it known to the audience. He will often use exposition to tell the story but the drama occurs when the characters learn this new piece of information. Fincher doesn't use handheld unless it is absolutely needed. For instant in the end scene of Seven he uses to to show the nervous nature of the cops whilst finding out if his wife's head is in the box. Whilst Spacey's Jon Doe is a firmly locked off shot on a tripod. His camera movements make the audience wonder if in fact a person was filming it or not keeping the focus on the narrative itself. He also restricts when he cuts to a close up. He only uses it for effect as they gain power over the other shots that are in the sequence.
For instance in Seven again (4:00 in video) a triangle is formed between the three and the way the shots and actors pose themselves tell the power shift in the scene perfectly just by using different shot types and directing the actors. When lighting a scene Fincher often likes to make the scene dark. For instance in Fincher's House of Cards it is very dark in content, tone, lighting and color grade. Characters are always surrounded in low light, even in the sun. It's ominous and dread help further dramatize the situations and show that everyone is involved in Frank Underwood's game.
(Image from)
Again look at Gone Girl, the same thing occurs characters are surrounded by secrets and blackness. The lack of light and color doesn't take away from the film it makes the film. As it matches the tone and way the narrative is unfolding.
(Image from)
Now that we have gained an idea of how he use's the camera in order to tell the narrative lets take a look at how he uses sound in order to do so. For the Social Network Fincher hired Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to score the film. Which will be the main film focus when talking about his approach to sound.
The film opens with the sound of talking in a social manner. Even before the film begins there's is already the idea of having a network of people talking socially as the first cut is then in a bar with Zuckerberg and his current girlfriend. Alongside this the sound track cuts in and the piano conveys the sense of intense urgency as if a life changing event is about to occur. Note: whilst we are on the opening scene notice how it's dark but it's not crushed in with the black parts of the image. There is a clear definition between the shadows and the highlights. Yet the highlights are lowered and more colored. When we look at a normal color temperature you see that Fincher mixes it up. There is often orange infused into both day and night; blue's and green's are normally the go to color but in the Social Network this isn't the case and helps further show off Marks character he goes by what he wants to do.
This soundtrack is then repeated throughout the film every time Mark has an effect on someones emotions. The theme music also rises in moments of character tension. Most notably during the talk between Mark and Eduardo when Eduardo's company shares have been cut back on. The music in the Social Network also has a sense of a montage as it's pacing the movie together. This can be seen during the building of the the Social Network itself.
This is also a constant use of voice over within the Social Network as Mark gets deeper and deeper into the subject he is talking about the music ramps up to match the characters rage then as soon as a character interrupts what he is doing the music slows and takes Mark out of his flow of writing on his blog. Finally repeated scenes often have music changes to often show the effects during the narrative off the film. The first time we see the twins rowing it is calm and peaceful like there is no care in the world, yet when Facebook is launched they are in a larger room practicing rowing . It is more intense and a lot louder than the first time we see the pair, the noise of the water being dragged by the panels is unsettling and is harmonized with the arguing that occurs between themselves and the bringer off the bad news that Zuckerburg stole their idea.
Martin Scorsese
(Image from)
Next up is Martin Scorsese. He is another American director who is often known to focus on modern crime and gang conflict. Known for his work on the films such as: Casino, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, The Departed and the Wolf on Wall Street. This summary will be shorter than previously due to the fact we have looked at the other two in great depth. Scorsese is the master of using silence in order to tell his story, yes he will use soundtracks in order to tell a story. But Scorsese knows exactly when not to use sound to efficiently tell the story. During his film Raging Bull he pulled out the effects as if you have been effected by numbing. The silence builds up the moment before the protagonist is attacked in the ring where it reaches full on sound effects as he is being hit repeatedly.
When remaking Internal Affairs the scene where the pairs ring each other and realize they are both snitches Scorese chose to remove the music it had in the original and leave it with silence telling the scene from the facial expressions of the actors. Every time silence is used it is used in order to tell the narrative.
Scorese always seems to following a pattern in his films not only harness the technical requirements yet it shows the audience his style of directing. He will often start films with segments from further on down in the story in order to create intrigue. To which can be seen in Goodfellas:
When the time is needed he also makes use of slow motion techniques and tracking shots. For instance during Goodfellas there is a famous tracking scene where the camera follows Henry Hill and Karen through the Copacabana nightclub which he has been dubbed the "King of the Tracking Shot"
He also uses long continuous takes and freeze frames with the other technical requirements in order to create deep and intense characterization. As characters is notably his highest priority. The cinematography is also very well constructed and all focuses on the idea of character. For instance Shutter Island always follows Decaprio's character which helps unravel the story in a way which causes the audience to think what's going on. If you suddenly cut away from him to the other detective in a different location then the whole film plot would be given away. Editing is also done in a way to which it appear invisible to the audience as he attempts to draw you into the narrative and for you to have a smooth and enjoyable time.
Lighting is done to show detail about the journey of the character and what type of character they are. For instant in Shutter Island the film start at the black of night and the first time we see the detectives they are on a low lit boat. Coming onto the island in the dark much like the audience. Yet as the film goes on the lighting starts to get lighter as what's going on is becoming more apparent. Those on the island are often lit with split lighting to give the effect of split personality and there is a darker side to them which further emphasis the narrative and the character detail.
Edgar Wright
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Finally, I will be looking at Edgar Wright. An English director known for the Cornetto film trilogy which features Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. As well as this he has created various shorts and music videos before going on to his feature films. He also directed Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and was originally going to direct Ant Man before he stepped away from the project. The main focus is what exactly makes Edgar Wright, Edgar Wright as we have looked at various technical requirements in and around this section. So lets take a look at visual comedy and Edgar Wright.
Comedies these days often don't seem to understand how to fully tell comedy from a visual aspect. They rely on improvisation and joke telling. Edgar Wright relies on creating comedy by using the full range of technical requirements. For instance the typical moving of location is often done by ramping up the sound track and including lots of fancy Ariel shots. Yet Edgar Wright takes the chance to creatively do so by not only having a quick pace editing style but by also telling a narrative:
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When Simon Peggs character in Hot Fuzz is reassigned from London to a small English town we see a montage of his journey. The opening and ending shot of the montage is the two taxi shots which show exactly where he came from and where he went. The phone shots show the signal going down to show he has became detached from civilization and he always faces forward to show the direction the film is moving. Which is all cut to the beat and the jarring sound effects of the shot to which Pegg reacts to.
There is a also a good deal of foreshadowing and story telling in Shaun of the Dead whilst he is flicking through the channels the different shows cut together to form the exposition of the invasion. Yet Pegg sits baffled at the news flash and not what's been strung together. Whilst the focus of a girl in the card is more concerning to Frost's character. Where as other films would just cut to a shot of the invasion or even like most films show some really bad visual effects to make the scene more dramatic and then show characters reacting to the apocalypse.
Again montages are used constantly by Wright in order to get across a message. Instead of having an exposition and dialogue scene in The World's End there is a serious of well cut to the beat shots showing all the characters but one order a pint of beer yet Frost's character has a pint of water instead. Much to Pegg's shock.
According to Every Frame a Painting Edgar Wright does 8 things in order to create visual comedy. To which all will be featured with a film clip which best describes what that is.
Things enter the frame in funny ways
People leaving the frame in funny ways
There and back again - I.E walking to a location and then walking back to the scene
Matching scene transitions
The perfect timed sound effect
Action synchronized to the music
Super dramatic lighting cues
For this clip please see the link and the end of the scene: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/an-diWXJutmthnbn/shaun_of_the_dead_2004_phil_isnt_nice/
Fence gags.
In every one of the films in the cornetto Trilogy there is always one character who falls over a fence. Much like every films features a cornetto.
And finally here is a video with clips of Edgar Wrights work which best shows off his style:
Sound
Throughout this section we have looked at how various directors use sound in their movies in order to add to the narrative. Within single camera there is two different types of sound. Diegetic and Non-Diegetic. Diegetic sound is where the source comes from what's in the scene/shot. I.E if a character lit a cigarette on screen you would hear the sound of a match or lighter. This can also include factors such as dialogue, sounds make by objects (Chair being scraped across a floor, glass being smashed, etc...) and music coming from instruments in the scene. I.E if a character begins to play the guitar instead of a soundtrack playing then that is diegetic as the sound is originating from the film's "world". For instance in this video that has subtitles over the interrogation scene from Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight brilliantly shows when sounds are diegetic.
Non-diegetic sound is the opposite. It's where sounds have been added in post production. As it's sound that doesn't have a source on screen and is not implied to be part of the action in the scene. This includes things such narrator commentary, sound effects and the sound track. A common example of non-diegetic sound is during Horror films when the film tries to ramp up the fear of the audience they tend to go for the sinister and eerie music as the lighting starts to flicker on screen; or a character is walking to their doom. This short video by Youtube user Jessica Fleury shows how sound is used to create meaning by showing the effect off only using one sound over the over:
The use of sound is also important which is another message the Youtuber makes clear. As you can see during the end sequence of the film you see how an fast paced song without the diegetic sound makes it sound like a montage scene, but it also takes away the serious side of the clip. This marks the end of this essay.
Lighting
Lighting
Lighting is a technique used to create the mood and feeling of the film which we have explored previously. Videos can often use a mix of high and low lighting to create meaning from dialogue and action. For happy and uplifting shots in a film the light intensity if often high which portrays the mood as welcoming and cheerful. If the mood comes across as dark and unwelcoming then there if often little light in the shots. The average film set up that can be commonly used is a 3 way set up.
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The first light we use in the set up is the key light. The key light is the initial light and provides the main source to light up the subject. Although the key light can cause lots of dark shadows that mainly cover the subject. To counter balance this the fill light is used which softens the shadows and makes the subject appear lighter. Finally, the back (Also known as the hair light, as it brings out the details in the hair) light is used to show of the 3D nature of the subject and makes the outlines really stand out. Put these 3 together and it gives a really nice looking shot to your shot.
You can play around with the intensity of each light and the color temperature if you are using a rotolight. As the scale ranges from 1,000 kelvin which is candle light to 10,000 kelvin which is the sky on a clear day. By playing around with each of these settings then you can create different effects. I.E turning of the fill light means the subject is covered in shadows and appears darker. To reflect the light technicians will often use large reflected surfaces such as a white sheet; as white reflects light. To make areas absorb light so there is more focus on them, black surfaces are used.
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The diagram above shows the use of a white reflector which puts more lighting on the subjects in the frame. This is often used so the light intensity isn't wasted and it is all focused into one place.
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Pop lights will often have more glamorous lighting and shows off more vibrant colors in the lighting. Lighting can also be used to highlight certain objects and makes the audience focus on what the light is showing. In performance videos this is often the band or artist. Videos with darker themes will use darker lights and the intensity on light on the band will often be lower. Color temperatures can also be mixed which creates the color filters I mentioned earlier. Back lights can also be windows if there is no possible way of inserting a light; if you are on set you can put a light outside the window to give the same effect.
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