Taken (2008) Opening Sequence Mise en Scene Analysis

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Practice Shots and Angles

Here are some practice shots.

Shutter Island Film Opening Analysis

Shutter Island

The purpose of a film opening is to reveal action and instantly gain the viewers interest. The opening sequence of Shutter Island completes these aims successfully. We begin with a dark shot, immediately creating a dark and negative atmosphere within the audience. The diegetic sound is a sound track composed by classical instruments. Classical instruments are commonly used within horrors or thrillers. The heavy sounds from the instruments and the fact that this particular style of music is generally used within horror or thriller films, indicates that this film too belongs within the horror/ thriller genre. Revealing the genre of the film is a convention of a film opening, this aim has already been achieved very early on in the film. 

We witness very jolty movements created by the camera, this may be to imply that the film is not going to have a positive smooth feel, but a traumatic occurrence(s) or outcome. We are then shown fire along with a gun. Fire is associated with pain, when you come in contact with fire you receive a burn. This may be suggesting that pain and suffering will be an aspect of the film . The gun, which connotes violence is viewed as a negative object for obvious reasons. The outcome of a gun is also pain, and along with fire sometimes death. 

There is then a shot of rainy weather which slowly morphs in to snowy weather, suggesting that time has or is passing. Rain and snow are cold and wet and again dark. This is pathetic fallacy. There is a consistent focus on darkness, telling us that the film is going to be portentous. 

We are then shown the title, which is red. The color red has the connotative aspects of blood and evil, again reminding the audience of the genre. We then see a close up shot of one of one of the characters face possibly the antagonist or protagonist. This is the first time we see any character, creating a feel of almost relief . The close up shot allows the audience to see the characters facial expressions, allowing us to decide his emotions. The characters face demonstrates emotions such as stress anger and fear. 

The lighting changes from dark to light, illustrating contrast. We detect that this is a flashback scene as the character appears fresher and younger, and the entirety of the film so far has been in low key lighting, withholding a dark tone. We then switch back to a dark shot of the water and then witness a freeze frame of the female character from the high key shot. The freeze frame suggests her significant role within the film. 

Already, many of the conventions of a film opening have been covered. We have seen action, decided the genre, have become deeply interested in the mystery and have seen some main characters. 

Script Development

Scene: 6
Int. Day 
Location: Bedroom 

SID is sleeping in a plain white bed, he lays still.
The focus moves to the glass of water beside SID on the bedside table, before returning to SID.

SID

*sleeping, laying still in bed*

Shot focuses on the glass of water beside him on his bedside table
Shot focuses back on SID who remains asleep, laying still





Scene: 9
Ext. Day
Location: Bedroom 
SID hears THE GOOD and THE BAD whispering to him.

THE GOOD 

*whispering distantly* 

Everything is fine, it isn't your fault.

THE BAD

*whispering distantly* 

You're insane, you did this!

THE GOOD 

*whispering distantly* 

Everything is fine, it isn't your fault.

THE BAD

*whispering distantly* 

You're insane, you did this!

THE GOOD 

*whispering distantly* 

Everything is fine, it isn't your fault.

THE BAD

*whispering distantly* 

You're insane, you did this!

Scene: 11
Ext. Day
Location: Bedroom

SID looks into a mirror where he is alone. The shot transitions to a shot where we see THE GOOD and THE BAD standing either side of SID

SID

*looking directly into the camera (mirror) *

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

*barely audible whispering*

You need help.You need help.You need help.You need help.You need 

Close up of SID with THE GOOD and THE BAD either side of him.

THE GOOD and THE BAD 

*loud whispering*

You need help.You need help.You need help.You need help.You need help!!!

Focus Group for Test Footage

Our focus group described our props as:

"Very atmospheric" and "Reminds me of a haunted house"

This shows that the props we decided to include were successful and shows
 that they had identified genre conventions within our test footage.

They said that the candles were:

"Good lighting"

"Dangerous"

Some may say that the description "dangerous" is a negative comment. However, 
we believe that it is positive and relates to our genre. Our film includes danger,
therefore the fact that the candles were described as dangerous proves that our 
props are successful in the fact that they promote thriller conventions.

Garvey mentioned the darkness, quoting:

"There's a beauty of having darkness with very little light" 

Our choice of using low key lighting was effective in our shots and has aesthetic
 qualities about it which is positive because it means the audience will remain 
engaged and intrigued throughout the entire duration of our opening.

We also asked some questions about angles:

Over The Shoulder. 

"Gives all the info action without being boring"

"To be fair, that is a good camera angle, I'm not going to lie"

Over shoulder shots feature multiple times in our opening, making it 
important that we received positive feedback on it.

Low Angle

"Does nothing for me"

Negative feedback is also very helpful in the sense that we can  keep this
 in mind whilst filming so that the majority of our audience are pleased.

Birds eye view

"Someone looking down on you"

"Oppressive view"

These comments suggest that our birds eye view shot makes the 
audience sense dominance and control and makes them feel slightly 
uncomfortable.

 We can use this to our advantage and feature a birds eye view in some 
of our more tense scenes.

Role Reviews

Our final roles are confirmed and we are all fully aware of what responsibilities are ours. We have test footage and have our filming schedule. Our roles are:

• Sid/Sarah- a patient on a psychiatric ward who suffers schizophrenia and other mental disorders.
• The Psychiatrist- an evil, manipulative psychiatrist who trick and plays with her patients emotion and thoughts.
• Sid/Sarah's positive conscience- a positive, caring character who aims to guide Sid/Sarah in the right direction.
• Sid/Sarah's negative conscience- an evil, pessimistic and cynical character who aims to guide Sid/ Sarah in to making wrong decisions.

Mason Marrable will play the role of Sid.

I, Mia O'Brien will play the role of the Psychiatrist.

Claudia Messenger will play the role of Sid's positive conscience.

Cailin Brisbourne will play the role of Sid's negative conscience.

Test Footage Behind the Scenes

This evening we all met at our main location, my house. We tested out various angles and shots that we thought we might have difficulty with, when it comes to filming. In order to prevent this we worked together, finding appropriate angles that worked successfully.

Some of these include a birds eye view shot in both the bedroom sleeping scene and the psychiatrist's office scene. We went outside to the garden and tested our over shoulder shot of the window, which was a great success. We found  a perfect spot that allows the camera to see right up into the top window, where our protagonist is. We also tested our mirror shots. Again we found a brilliant spot for the tripod which allows the camera to see into the mirror and get a clear view of the protagonist, where the camera is not visible on tape. We searched the house to find the best mirror we could, that promotes thriller and is of an appropriate size.Whilst carrying out our test footage we discovered various props that we think look creepy and fit the Thriller genre conventions.

Next we went and filmed in our second location, Holly Wood Forest on Warley Hill. The forest is very spacious, allowing us to choose some particularly interesting spots in the forest.

We are now fully prepared for our filming and shouldn't stumble across any  problems with angles or shots when filming.



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Test Footage

This is our test footage we recently filmed and edited. We focused on overcoming any problems we though might hinder us during our filming process. We practised various angles, and took many shots using various light sources. We did this to ensure we have a very effective light source that isn't too bright nor dark, and gives us the effect were looking for. We focused on lighting as lighting is a very important aspect of filming, lighting itself communicated the genre of film and the atmosphere in the scene.

Production Diary 6

Stop Motion Story Board

Mise en Scene - Scene 11

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Mise en Scene - Scene 9

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Mise en Scene - Scene 6

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Scene 6 Story Boards

Scene 11 Script

Scene 9 Script

Scene 6 Script

Representation Ideas

Some stereotypical representations in films are:

• The Antagonist - stereo-typically male, criminal and has 'ugly' features. 

We broke this stereotype by choosing for our antagonist to be female and to firstly be perceived to be helpful kind and caring.

• The Protagonist - stereo-typically a blonde female, beautiful, smart and heroic.

We didn't follow this stereotype. We chose for our protagonist to be a brunette male who is constantly dazed and confused.

• Women - Women in films are stereo typically weak and vulnerable. We broke this stereotype by making the female in our film a character is in control.

• Men - In films, men are stereo typically strong, in control and generally plays the hero role. We broke this stereotype by making our male character the one who is being controlled ( by a woman) and is constantly confused and perceived as weak

Scene 11 Story Boards

 

Scene 9 Story Boards

Risk Assesment

Pitch

My Blind Test Script

Production Diary 5

Cailin's Blind Test Script

Claudias's Blind Test Script

Jordan's Blind Test Script

Word Play

As a group, we decided that an effective idea that would successfully demonstrate the confusion the protagonist is experiencing, we should change the order of words within the frequent question the antagonist asks him, which is;  How are you?
Our possible word arrangements are:

• how are you?
• how you are?
• you are how?
• you how are? 
• are you how?
• are how you?

We thought that by repeating these questions multiple times, it would effectively build up tension.

Equipment List

Equipment List:

• Tripod- to ensure the camera is held in a steady position 
• Video Camera- to film the opening 
• Computer (Apple Macs are very good for editing film)- so that we can edit our footage
• Sound Recording Equipment- for better sound quality 
• Editing Software (Final Cut Pro X, iMovie, Adobe Premiere Pro)- so that we can perfect our footage and make sure it all runs smoothly 
• Clipper Board- in order to stay organised and on schedule
• Script
• SD Cards
• Storyboard
• Hair & Make up Equipment

Props List

Props List:

• Mirrors

Mirrors are commonly used in Psychological Thrillers to portray the idea of the reflect of the characters inner self, as well as representing the 'dark side' of the character.

• A clinical appearing room

The room will represent a Psychotherapist's office, we require this as our film involves a psychotherapist and her client.

• Sofas or Chairs 

Commonly,within a Psychotherapist's office there are comfortable chairs for the client. This is so that they feel comfortable and almost  at home so that they can freely and truly talk about their problems.

• A wall full of Polaroid photos

This is to represent the past of the main character and to present images of the main character unconscious, and participating in activities that he she can not remember doing.We have decided to take a few pictures of our main character and cover the previous pictures. We are going to zoom in on a few of the pictures that contain the main characters face to make the antagonist look like a stalker and that the whole experience isn't random.

• Candle Light

We use candle light in our film as candles are commonly seen as mysterious. The candle light emphasises the darkness, reminding the audience of the genre.

• Animal Skulls

We show shots of animal skulls hanging on the wall, this demonstrates a theme of death, which creates fear along with mystery in the audience.

•  Mysterious pictures in frames

We also show shots of multiple frames, withholding creepy images. We chose to do this to create and maintain a dark and mysterious atmosphere and theme throughout the entire duration of our opening.

• Glass of Water

This is for the bedroom scene, where the antagonist puts the powder in his water.

Our Story Arc

1. Exposition Director- Claudia

The background artist, who plays a dog walker i strolling through the woods. There is close up shots of the woods.

2. Rising Action Director- Jordan
There is a male character running away from an unknown figure, he continuously turns to look behind him. Whilst looking behind , not focusing ahead, he misses the broken branch in front of him, leading him to fall and hit his head on a rock.

3. Exposition Director- Cailin 
The male character is unconscious laying on the floor in the woods, music continues to play from his fallen earphone.

4. Rising Action Director- Cailin
The mysterious figure's silhouette casts over the male characters body whilst he still lays unconscious.

5. Falling Action Director- Jordan
The male character snaps out of a daydream, finding himself in a psychiatrist's office. The psychiatrist asks if he is okay, how he is feeling, and repeatedly refers to him as "Sid", to which he does respond.

6. Exposition Director - Mia 
Male character is sleeping in a plain white bed. The audience is unsure of to where he is.

7. Rising Action Director - Claudia 
The psychiatrist walks up to the bed, appearing to check on him . She then puts powder into his glass of water on his bedside table next to his bed.

8. Rising Action Director - Cailin 
The male character wakes up startled and covered in sweat. He sees two figures flash next to him and assumes he is going mad. He then takes a large gulp from his glass of water, stands up and tries to work out where he is. It then cuts to an over shoulder shot from outside in the garden looking up on him in the window.

9. Rising Action Director - Mia 
The male character is sitting on the bed, putting his head into his hands. The two figures from before appear again beginning to flicker next to him. They both begin to whisper in his ear. One telling him that he is crazy and the other telling him that it isn't his fault. The character tries to convince himself that he is sane.

10. Exposition Director- Jordan 
The shot cuts back to the scene in the psychiatrist's office, where the psychiatrist continues to prod the male character with questions whilst his temper begins to build up

11. Rising Action Director - Mia 
The male character stands, looking at himself in a mirror , he is standing alone in the shot. The shot then positions from his perspective where voices are heard talking to him. As the short turns back to face the male character , the two figures appear again standing next to him. This is when the volume of the whispering voices increase.

12. Climax Director - Claudia 
The  voices get louder as the male character attempts to ignore them. The psychiatrist then asks one final question, leading the character to breakdown. As he is screaming, the shots jump from different perspectives of the scene.

Script (first draft)

Background Artist(s)-Yoli Wallbanks
Sid-Mason Marrable
Negative Conscience- Cailin Brisbourne
Positive Conscience- Claudia Messenger
Doctor- Mia O'Brien

Background artist is walking her dog through the park

Heavy breathing occurs when a shot of the forest is shown
(both characters -Sid and the Doctor are running through the forest)

Sid falls and hits the ground, becoming unconscious.

He wakes up in the doctor's office.

Shot of Doctor and Sid sitting in her office. 

Doctor; (softly)Sid, how are you feeling today?

Sid; Please... just stop

Doctor writes in her notebook

Doctor; Sid Sellick..Regressing.

Sid: I'm fine, I don't need to be here.

Cuts to a shot of Sid sleeping in his bed with the Doctor standing over him.

The doctor then puts powder into his water on his bedside table.

Shot of Sid in bed waking up, he leans over to his bedside table and drinks his water.

Sid stretches, stands up and looks outside his window 

Cuts to an over shoulder shot of Sid in his bedroom.

Film Title 'Skitz' appears

Summary of Selection of Actors

We specifically chose Mason as he conveyed confidence and seemed comfortable in front of a camera.He was able to take on a number of roles. Mason was sometime inconsistent, however this would be useful when we come to editing as we will have a larger selection of footage to choose.

We chose for me to play the psychiatrist as I am very reliable and played  the character well. I was able to stay in character and am able to present a what it seems a kind and caring character and successfully flip it, presenting an evil manipulative character. I am very professional and take this very seriously

Claudia was picked to play Sid's positive conscience as she came across as very timid and sweet when auditioning. She successfully stayed in character throughout the entire duration of her audition. She was very professional is extremely reliable.

We particularly like Cailin and thought that she would play the role of Sid'd negative conscience very well. She is very reliable and took her audition extremely seriously. She was able to stay in character and stay focused.

We chose Yoli to play the role of the Dog walker because she stayed focused and in character throughout her entire audition. She came across professional and seemed reliable.

Story Arc

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