Filming a Conversation

In order to shoot a conversation in a film there are a few techniques which are necessary in some cases and add to the effect in others. Any basic conversation shot should follow the 180º degree rule in order to avoid confusion. This requires the camera to remain on one side of a conversation regardless of any action or other techniques being used. On some rare occasions this rule is ignored purposely in order to create an uncertain ambience. A commonly used visual technique is an over the shoulder shot which (as is suggested by its name) is a shot filmed over the shoulder of one character, focusing on another. This technique includes us (the audience) in the action as if we were a separate figure in the feature. A match on action shot is another technique used when shooting conversations. This is when you see an action taking place and then see the same action continuing from another perspective.  Other engaging techniques are made in the physical movement of the camera such as close/extreme close ups, panning shots, mid shots, and long shots.

When shooting conversations directors usually use a full array of cameras meaning that they can film from all angles and use these shots in various sequences to create a more appealing scene.

Warp Films

Warp films objectives are to bring the real world to our eyes. They do not patronize the audience and they deliver the cold hard facts of society. Warp Films have on many occasions produced films which deliver these ideals, for example "This is England" makes no attempts to glamorize life in Britain during the 1980's and the short film Rubber Johnny was originally banned due to its affiliation with drug use and other controversial  themes.

The company was set up in 1999 as the sister company to Warp Records (a record label set up 1989) with funding from NESTA Warp films came about and began their barrage of social realism titles.

the company employ no more than 14 members of staff showing how small and yet powerful they are.

the budget of the films tends to be under £1,000,000 which means that the genres that they can work with tend to be ones which don't need special effects (i.e. social realism and comedies.)Because of their blunt nature they generally have a high certification (usually 18's with a few 15's.)

The following are a list of films produced by Warp

My Wrongs (Dir: Chris Morris - 2003) (short film)
Dead Man's Shoes (Dir: Shane Meadows - 2004)
Rubber Johnny (Dir: Chris Cunningham - 2005)
Scummy Man (Dir: Paul Fraser - 2006) (short film/music video)
This Is England (Dir: Shane Meadows - 2006)
Grow Your Own (Dir: Richard Laxton - 2007)
Dog Altogether (Dir: Paddy Considine - 2007) (short film)
Crack Willow (Dir: Martin Radich - 2008)
Fur TV (Dir: Chris Waitt - 2008)
Arctic Monkeys At the Apollo (Dir: Richard Ayoade - 2008)
The Mighty Boosh Live: Future Sailors Tour (Dir: Paul King - 2009)
Curtains (Dir: Julian Barratt - 2009) (short film)
Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee (Dir: Shane Meadows- 2009)
Four Lions (Dir: Chris Morris- 2009)
This Is England 86 (Dir: Shane Meadows/Tom Harper - 2010)

Binary Opposites in Alfrod Hitchcocks Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock uses binary opposites as one of his key methods of creating suspense in his films. This is clearly visible in the film Psycho which uses this method on a regular basis to keep the audience in a state of unease.

The film opens on a wide shot of Phoenix Arizona, displaying the humdrum life and wide open spaces of the city and skyline. In contrast to this we next see the claustrophobic, as well as dimly lit, room where Marion and Sam are having their secret affair. This symbolises the openness of the outside world as opposed to the secrecy and deceit of the hotel room. As well as this it also induces an early feeling of being trapped - while the world outside goes on as normal we are stuck in this dreadful situation symbolized by this room. The situation we are in (or rather Marion is in) is the immoral affair which she can not escape from. She is torn between her love for Sam and the fact that they haven’t got the money to make their relationship moral by getting a divorce for Sam. The tension created by this is conventional of the thriller genre

Another binary opposite is the view of money by the different characters. We see the rich father who (although he claims to not have this view) is clearly trying to buy his daughters happiness. This, along with his ability to easily part with $40,000 without a second thought and trust a complete stranger with it, shows that he takes his wealth for granted and views it as a tool to win people over. The later is backed up by his flirtatiousness with Marion; as if he could get her because of his wealth despite his age. The opposite view to this is the one which Marion holds. Although she does wrong by stealing the money, she certainly does not take it for granted. The fact that she was willing to put herself in her position for this money shows her desperation to have it. On the other hand she does hold one similar view in that she intends to technically buy herself and Sam happiness by using to get Sam a divorce as well as make a life together with it. It may be argued that the opposite in this scenario is the position of the characters. The girl is getting a $40,000 house for doing nothing at all while Marion is a working girl who is in desperate need of the money and has no means of obtaining it.

Something which we see from very early on is Marion’s underwear. When we first see her she is trying to do the right thing and confides in Sam about their moral position. This side of Marion is reflected by the pure white underwear that she is donning. The binary opposite to this is seen later on when she has almost certainly made up her mind to steal the $40,000. This side of Marion knows she is doing wrong puts continues to do so in order to fulfill her own needs. The Black underwear which she is now wearing illustrates this dishonest, “tempted by evil” side to her. The black versus the white is an obvious symbol of good versus evil and how our emotions can turn us down these paths.

The split personality seen in Norman is also a binary opposite. While at first we believe Norman to be an honest and kind (if not a bit weird) character we later learn that this is not the case. The opposition shown by this is the kind exterior opposed by the cold blooded, wicked interior. This creates a feeling of confusion as are perception has been deceived leaving us not knowing what to believe.

Norman is also involved in another opposite which is that of predator and prey. We first se this in the image of the mother in the window; from her high up position she can spy on Marion down below who is helpless in her current position. Her tyrannical and domineering nature adds to the idea of her being a predator while Norman (at this point) represent s another of her victims. He cannot escape her (literally as we later find out) showing how trapped in her talons he is. On the other hand Norman is also a predator in his own way. When we see him studying  Marion through the spy hole we get the impression that he is not doing this to satisfy his libido (due to his unorthodox nature) but rather just so that he can know what’s gong on almost as if he has adopted his mothers dominant personality. In this scene he is empowered predator and Marion is once again the helpless prey.

All of these examples show how Hitchcock puts us in conflicting situations to create a sense of ambiguity. Furthermore this ambiguousness leaves us unaware of what will happen next generating the tension that Hitchcock has intended construct.

Advert Evaluation Questions

1) The target audience for my advert is young to middle aged females who fit into the reformers category. The products key selling feature is that, unlike other products of its kind it is not harmful to the environment. This aspect is a commonly used device in many other products to help appeal to the group of people who are perhaps more concerned with matters such as the environment, fair-trade, health, etc. However it is unlikely that anyone within a C2 class or lower would buy the product as (reformer or not) these classes tends to choose the cheaper brands rather than the more specialist ones such as my product. Buy making the product eco-friendly it almost brainwashes the audience into thinking that by buying this product they are actually doing the world a service; the stereotypical reformer holds this as one of their key aspirations and hence the product will further appeal to this group.

The advert itself depicts several appealing factors to this category. The primary figure involved is a young female which conveys the message of who the product is aimed at (females.) Furthermore the transition between the before and after images suggests that the hair dye can bring you happiness. The hair colour of the female looks very natural which would appeal to its audience as those who are being targeted tend to go for a more natural look rather than an artificial one.

For this advert to reach the correct audience magazines would be extremely useful. Although the reformers category does not delve into “girly” magazines to the same degree they are nonetheless a strongly targeted group by these magazines. Or this reason this is one of the places where the advert should be featured. Another tactical place to put the ad would be in magazines and web pages with a cultured or eco-friendly theme; for example National Geographic or WWF.

2) Technology was absolutely vital in the construction of my advert. Firstly the camera used to take the initial photos was used to construct the bulk of the advert. I am very comfortable using the cameras and find no difficulties in changing the modes and settings to suit what I wish to create.

By using Photoshop I was able to manipulate the images in order to recreate them in an appropriate environment and get rid of anything unappealing about the pictures. In contrast to my abilities to using a camera I require more professional help in order for me to understand how to operate the system properly. However despite the initial complications Photoshop is a highly flexible and practical tool.

Websites such as DaFont aided me in creating an advert with more class to it. Without using online images for research and online tools for helping create a good looking ad the end product may have looked cheaper and poorly constructed due to having no frame of reference. Using the internet to find such things is very easy and moreover it itself can be used to help you use other areas of it.

Finally, Blogger has allowed me to show my advert to others in an extremely simple to use way, giving them the opportunity to compare theirs to mine and comment on the pro’s and cons. Although I have not completely mastered Blogger, I am confident in using the necessary basics required.

3) As my advert is primarily aimed at a female audience there is little to do with the masculine side. On the other hand as the advert implies that happiness can be brought about as a result of using the product it may appeal to men in a gift for a girl sense. As the key figure is a young female the female group is subsequently the one with the most representation in my advert. Furthermore younger people also have more depiction in the ad however this is very common and yet older people still purchase the products. Younger people require more representation as they are the ones who the consumers are trying to be by dying their hair and using other cosmetics. As a British product the model used is a white female and so other ethnic groups do not receive any attention. Nevertheless as the product is an eco-friendly one it does have a certain cultured element to it.

Those who receive higher representation are the ones that are most inclined to by the product. Young females are the main target audience for the majority of cosmetic supplies. This is because amongst this gender there is almost a pressure to use such items in order to blend with the crowd and look ones best. Males on the other hand tend to use other methods of achieving this and rarely use similar cosmetics, although male targeted versions are entering the public eye more and more. To the male audience this product is more likely to be something to be suggested to a female they know rather than actually for them. Finally, for many people the eventual goal of using various cosmetics is to feel and look younger than they are. Because of this it is important to use a younger model in order to give these consumers someone to aspire to and demonstrate to the already younger audience what they too can achieve.