Evaluation: Powerpoint Presentation

Evaluation: Fraction With Annotations

Above is the annotated version of Fraction. The reason I have annotated this is so that I can justify why we have done certain things at certain points, and so that I could talk about the institutional logo in terms of who could distribute it.

Lord Of War Opening Sequence Analysis

I really enjoyed watching the opening sequence for this film. I like the idea of watching the bullet being manufactured in the beginning and then being fired at someone towards the end. We are put in the bullets 'shoes' and get the see the bullets point of view. Its quite unusual to be shown an objects point of view. However, in my opinion, I thought the idea was creative and entertaining, and helped to engage the audiences interest.

Preliminary Task

Here is our preliminary task which we filmed to demonstrate that we had the ability to show match on action, shot reverse shot, eyeline match and the 180 degree rule when filming. Together as a group we have successfully managed to show all of these techniques. The preliminary task allowed us to practice our cinematography and editing skills for when we shot our final thriller coursework. I realize that the soundtrack used isn't really conventional for a thriller, and that the narrative and performance was very weak. However, one of the reasons why we didn't go to town with our preliminary task is because we only needed to show that we were capable of several different techniques. Doing the preliminary task helped me realize how much actually needs to be done to produce an A grade for our coursework.

'Premonition' - AS Thriller Opening' Analysis

In my opinion, the narrative was commendable. Apart from not knowing why the male was so aggressive towards the female i.e. grabbing her arm, the narrative was fairly easy to follow and I didnt feel that the flash fowards created any confusion what so ever. However, this can be seen as a good thing, in the sense that the opening sequence of most thrillers deliver an fairly ambiguous narrative to draw the audiences interest and to make them wonder what is going to happen next. 

I feel that the soundtrack used in this piece of coursework was effective because at the beginning of the soundtrack, limited samples are used. As we progress through the opening sequence, more and more samples are added in, gradually making the soundtrack louder, thus creating a tense atmosphere which helps to engage the audience. I like the way the soundtrack fades in and out, and I feel that this is a really effective way to evoke the audiences emotions. Diegetic sound is also used on top of the soundtrack to help create that sense of realism. This is evident when we hear the females footsteps as she walks down the corridor in the flash foward.  

In my opinion, I do not think that the group challenged themselves and used as many different shots as they could have. I counted four different types of shots, which included high angles shots, low angle shots, an over the shoulder shot and mid shots. If they had used a wider variety of more complex shots, I feel that the opening sequence would have been a little more entertaining for the audience, and more of a challenge for the group. I feel that if they had used a POV shot for when the female looks at the blood on her hands, it would have been more effective as it allows the audience to see the situation from her perspective.

The Number 23 Opening Sequence Analysis

The first thing that i am going to be talking about is the typography in the opening sequence of The Number 23. I really like how they have incorporated the titles onto what seems to be paper from a type writer. What they want us to see really stands out because the names of the people involved in the production of the film are amongst a sequence on numbers. Its easy for the audience to differentiate between numbers and letters quickly, and this is useful because it means that the titles can move reasonably fast and can still be read, without losing the audiences interest too quickly. Enigma codes are created in the title sequence because as the audience are watching it, the number '23' appears a number of times. The audience then begin to ask questions and wonder why the number '23' is so significant. Smears of blood have also been included in the title sequence which also raises enigma codes and questions from the audience.

The soundtrack used in the opening sequence of The Number 23 definitely takes the thriller genre in account without a doubt. At the beginning, the soundtrack starts off really slowly and a limited number of sounds are used. We hear the sound of what seems to be violins being played at a very low pitch. As we progress through the title sequence, the tempo of the soundtrack gradually increases and more and more sounds are incorporated into the soundtrack to build up a tense and mysterious atmosphere. The soundtrack helps to keep the audience engaged with the title sequence and makes the audience want to watch the entire film. In my opinion, the soundtrack for The Number 23 contains elements from the thriller, crime and action genres, which when cleverly are combined into one soundtrack, sounds very powerful and dominant, and elicits a tense and epic atmosphere.

Not much can be said about the cinematography, narrative or mise en scene in The Number 23 at this point because there are no scenes being shown. Instead, the titles appear on a piece of paper which doesnt really help to engage the audience and the audience may eventually lose interest. The only things being used to hold the audiences interest is the typography and the non diegetic soundtrack. Overall, I feel that the opening sequence is commendable, however I feel that if scenes were incorporated into the background instead of making the titles appear on a piece of paper, the opening sequence may have been more exciting and alot of effective.

AS Media - Thriller Opening - 'Taken' Analysis

In my opinion, I think that the general idea and the story of the opening sequence was well thought out, but what brought it down a bit was how the titles were displayed. The titles didn't look very professional, the font used didn't fit in with the whole thriller theme and they were just generally a bit too simple for me. They were a bit weak and they didn't really grasp my attention or interest me. However, what was lacked in presentation and display was made up for in narrative.

I like how they kept the narrative restricted, but at the same time, gave the audience an insight into what kind of thing would happen later on in the film. For example, when the boy comes downstairs for a glass of water, the man sitting at the table who he thinks is his dad is spinning a knife on the table. It is clear that the man with the knife has bad intentions, as we see in the beginning that he is a threat because the boy jumps when he see's him by his bedroom door. We don't know what exactly is going to happen, or how it will happen, and this leaves the audience feeling tense, anxious and on the edge of their seats anticipating what is yet to come. We know as much as the boy in the opening sequence does, although the audience do get slight clues that something bad is going to take place. 

One thing I didn't really like was the absence of non diegetic music. A soundtrack should have been added into the background of the opening sequence to create some sort of atmosphere for the audience. Although I was watching it and did feel a little anxious at times, I feel that the use of a soundtrack would have made the opening sequence a lot more effective. It would have created a tense and chilling atmosphere for the audience. The absence of a soundtrack made the opening sequence a little bit weak, and it didn't really make me want to watch it even though the performance was good.

Another thing that I liked was the use of cinematography. He has successfully used a variety of different camera shots and angles to effectively piece togther this opening sequence. I like the use of tracking when he goes downstairs to get a glass of water, its helps to audience to feel engaged with the protagonist. However, depending on the audience, some may interpret this as someone behind him following him, which creates a tense atmosphere. I also like the many different shots used when the boy is putting on his clothes. A variety of different shots are used here such as close ups, mid shots and low angles.

If I were to give this piece of work a grade, I would probably give it a B purely based on the fact that overall it is a good piece of work. The reason i wouldnt give an A is because of the absence of a soundtrack in the background. It really let the whole thing down in the sense that it didnt really create much atmosphere.