Brief:
to
receive from Lecturer and film team to be organised.
Title: “The
Pre-Exam Experience”
Concept:
the
thoughts passing between three students, located in an exam hall, sitting at
their desks, pre-exam. The kinds of thoughts that pass through their heads,
different for each student, the sense of tension and how people think in these
situations. There is the idea that two out of the three students have their own
separate thoughts and that the third student who is sitting behind them
inadvertently absorbs the thoughts of the other two. The third student receives
an intermittent messing of thoughts and sounds, (can be songs and words) of the
other two. The filming would be of their expressions with the passing of each
thought. The video would start with an overall distant view, then focus on the
individuals expressions as the story progresses.
Audience
& User Experience: this is a universal experience that
most people who have sat exams as students have experienced. Their motivational
perception may relate to any or all of the 3 subjects of the film.
More specifically the
audience are students and lecturers of the Creative Multimedia Programming
course, watching other students, at a familiar scene which is of a pre-exam,
that may elicit similar or different responses to the pre-exam thoughts.
Meaning
intended: to tell a story
about the ideas of those moments of intensity in life, our thoughts and
expressions.
Character
development: there is equal importance given to each
character, the variable is their different scripts and emotional responses to
the situation.
Technical:
this is the use of cameras in the treatment of ideas. The planning of the
shots, shot angles, lenses, orientation, scene selection and editing using
computer software and the final production. The production and the
post-production stages of the film.
Mise-en-scėne:
the physical and the compositional: the elements which include
the character and the props are visible within the frame of the shot and the
meaning is familiar, determined by the interaction of shot elements. The
connotation is the treatment of the images: physically and compositionally to
create and develop the idea and the narrative intention which is the conveying
of a series of moments pre-exam experience.
Physical:
o
Location
and scene: LIT exam hall
o
Script:
thoughts
that go through peoples head before an exam. Perhaps do a research survey of
students in the class to get more ideas for this.
o
Props:
chairs,
tables, pencil cases, calculators, pens, other stationary, drink.
o
Characters:
3
students each of two with differing thoughts and the third a mesh of the
thoughts of the other two.
o
Costumes:
representative
of different student types, with differing colours, jewellery etc., personal
taste.
o
Makeup:
representative of different student preferences.
o
Character
positioning: two students side by side and one behind.
Compositional:
o
Camera
Positioning & angles: angle B is used for characters A and
B as they glance at each-other, but not for character C as this character is
located behind the other two.
o
Frames:
balanced, use of ‘deep frames,’ ‘Rule of Thirds’ for depiction of motion
effects, use of frames to depict a generally static physical scene where the
variables are the characters.
o
Lenses:
choice
will depend on proximity of characters and scenes to the camera and the degree
of magnification.
o
Lighting:
bright,
evenly distributed, clinical type overhead lighting.
o
Sound:
play sounds of thought text/song to coordinate with expressions associated with
these thoughts.
o
Storyboard/
mood board: create this out of the research of other
students of their thoughts in these situations. Emphasis perhaps on more common
thoughts: large text, small text for different intensities. Callouts and
thought bubbles. Photos of peoples expressions.
Use
of frames (in more detail): For balance of the frame,
the weight is distributed evenly to convey an overall stable image. Then there
is the use of a ‘deep frame’ for up-close view of student’s expressions during
tense moments. Use of the ‘Rule of Third’s’ there is an interrelationship
between static and physical motion (expressions, physical movements) and mental
motion where the thoughts are affecting the physical motion in a kind of
erratic loop. It is overall a static image of a regularised scene (exam hall),
the variables are of movement is the engagement of thoughts and expressions of
the characters. Aspect ratios may be 1.78:1 and framing ratios vary being
determined from the composition of each shot.
Magnification:
the
degree of magnification is such that the magnification increases as subjects
are focused on with increases and decreases in magnification moving between the
characters and their thought types and expressions.
The
choice of ‘Shot Size’ is dependent on five basic reasons:
o
Function:
to enable the shots to demonstrate the story of the film.
o
Emotion:
to create a particular experience of thoughts, emotions and expressions through
a combination of shot types.
o
Importance:
different intensities are created by changing the sizes of the frame to reflect
the importance of moments in the narrative.
o
Theme/
Concept: the overall story must be first considered and then
the application of shot sizes to depict this story.
o
Formal:
to create a graphically engaging series of images.
Decisions
on shot sizes: the first shot is distant and then there
are sequential shots focusing in on the students with a group shot at the end
of the film. There is an alternation between students A and B who have
individual thoughts and student C who has a mesh of thoughts coming from
students A and B, focusing in on their expressions.
o
Long
shots: occurs at the start of the film to show the overall
scene, location and placement of characters, props and lighting.
o
Group
shot: of three students taken to view the front of the students.
o
Medium
close up shots: these shots are from the chest and
shoulders up where emphasis is on facial expressions with a connection to
expressions, particularly facial expressions.
o
Close
up shots: focuses on the face or whatever part of the body is needed
in the frame. It shows small details in features and facial movement. It is all
about capturing the words/songs and their connected expressions, where we can
deduce emotions and reactions through this method.
o
Eye-level
shots: are not used because the audience are not meant to
have too personal an insight into the characters. The audience is exposed to
the thoughts and the emotions of the characters. However, there is a degree of
‘physical,’ separation between the watcher and the watched in not having
‘eye-level shots.’ The idea is that audience have access to a general type of
thinking and expression of the characters which is common to many people in
these situations.
o
Over
the shoulder shots: from behind ‘Character C’ as this student
rapidly moves their attention between the ‘Characters A & B,’ as this
‘Character C’ receives an intermittent mesh of thoughts from ‘Characters A
& B.’
o
Closed
and Open shots: there are open shots at the very
beginning and very end of the film depicting the 3 students. Closed shots are
more frequent throughout the rest of the film as individual characters are
shown with the exclusion of other present elements (characters and props).
Front
to back angles positioning (in more detail):
The following is a
diagram and descriptive explanation of angle positioning from the moodle
lecture notes:
D + C are intimate and can engage the viewer.
C is called ¾ frontal
B is called a profile
shot and is neutral
A is called a ¾ back can
align the viewer with the subjects POV or create mystery
o
From this angles C and D are primarily
used for ‘Characters A & B’, as these are intimate angles and they can
engage the viewer. (Angle C is called ¾ frontal.)
o
Angles A, C and D are used for ‘Character
C,’ as this subject is located behind ‘Characters A & B,’ having that
additional viewpoint.
Shot
sequence: editing of the shots to achieve effects of mood,
tension, calm. The more tense the thought and corresponding expression the
shorter the shots are for intensity. Longer shots for calming thoughts.
Connection:
the
connection between the ‘watcher’ and the ‘watched’ is by the mood, tension of
the moments and related physical expressions created by the script and
associated sounds and views of the students.
Dramatic
sequence: this is when edited, there is a flow in the different
types of shots assembled so that they move seamlessly from one shot to the next
as a film.
The
End of the film: here the finish point of the film there is
a sequence juxtaposition to elicit an emotional understanding from the
audience. There is an intrusion from beyond the frame edges in terms a sound. This
is where the voice of the invigilator is heard announcing the handing out of
the exam papers. The three characters in the film pause their thoughts, all
three students look up and forward at the invigilator at the same time with the
same expression, to depict that particular moment of the exam experience that
is universal and the movie ends here.
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