Sound Analysis

                    I have chosen to write about a scene from “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” In this scene                 Johnny Depp and Benico Del Toro attempt to enter a hotel in Las Vegas whilst   intoxicated.

                             

                        The song “She’s a lady” is playing in background at the start of the clip, the music is not coming from the car radio as it is loud and clear, rather than tinny and muffled.  The song is used as a sound bridge, it starts non-diegetic and becomes diegetic as the song cannot be heard by the characters outside but can be heard in the next scene by the characters inside the casino. When Depp talks to the woman behind the desk her head turns into a Moray eel and lurches towards him roaring, this noise in non-diegetic as it does not exist, only Depp can hear it. Later in the sequence blood starts pouring out of the ground in Depp’s imagination, the bubbling noise doesn’t exist but Depp can hear it making it non-diegetic. The music that is playing in the background in both scenes is mellow and relaxing, the fil maker is trying to support the laid back relaxed mood in the casino and in the bar.

                      

                      Depp narrates the scene, this is a non-linear technique as he is talking about what is happening on screen as if it were in the past. This reassures the audience that all will be well, as we are inclined to think that he and his partner are going to get into serious trouble due to their dream-like state of mentality.

              

               The diegetic sound in this sequence establishes the setting and adds atmosphere. To start the scene Depp pulls up to the hotel, sound effects of the handbrake, screeching brakes and engines are used to make the scene more realistic, also sound effects of people walking in the street and talking are placed in the scene to make the fact that they’re in central Las Vegas seem believable. When the two men enter the hotel/casino more diegetic sound effects are used such as slot machines paying out and people talking in lower tones with less volume. The sound is muffled as the scene has transferred inside instead of being clear , these sound effects make the scene more believable. Due to the fact that Depp is on LSD in the scene, the voice of a man on the phone is distorted and the volume is raised so that the audience can focus on it clearer. This voice distortion is accompanied by a weird on screen special effect where the pattern on the carpet morphs into the man’s leg, creating a surreal atmosphere for the audience. Again due to the fact the Depp is intoxicated, the sound of the woman behind the desk’s breathing is distorted and the volume is again raised which is irregular and unnatural.                                                                                            

          Although only Depp can hear the strange version of the voices, the sound is still diegetic as other characters on screen can hear the voices too, just not in a distorted way. Again the scene changes, a relaxing song is playing and Depp stumbles through the room in a calmer manner, the music changes the mood of the sequence. New sound effects are in place, voices are raised again and the chinking of glasses can be heard, this again makes the atmosphere of the room more believable. When Depp speaks his voice is high pitched and panicked, a reminder of how messed up he is from the LSD.

  

        The sequence is designed to showcase the extreme effects of LSD on the mind, however in a comical way. Non-diegetic sounds in the extract are used to achieve a level of chaos and abnormality by enforcing the hallucinations seen by Depp’s character. We as an audience are able to establish that the LSD has a profound effect on the two characters by what we see through their eyes and what we hear in correspondence to those images.

The Preliminary task

To start the prelim task I organized a group of four. Myself, Fred, Indie and Zel. We went to the studio and began preparing the Sony NX-5 camera and a tripod. There was already a set for us to work on with a door and a sofa. As a group we looked over the story board and decided what order we would shoot the task in. We numbered the different types of shots: Long shot, close up, over shoulder 1, over shoulder 2. We planned to shoot the whole thing in five takes. In every take we would read through the whole storyboard as to give us more to choose from when editing the piece. We were able to shoot the three long shots in one take, like wise the three close ups and over the shoulder shots. I think this worked well and made the filming process a lot quicker which gave us freedom to add more shots that were not included in the storyboard.

Storyboard

Fred and I were the actors for the compulsory part if the storyboard, with Zel as the Director and Indie as the camera operator. Of course we all had an input in how each shot should be filmed and how the camera should be positioned each time. Our communication skills were good and we worked well as a team, this was surprising considering we don't usually work together in class assignments. Before shooting we placed white markers down for our feet so that we would know where to stand in each shot, this helped us to have good continuity throughout the shots.

We ran through the shots methodically, starting with the long shot. When we filmed the over the shoulder shot we noticed that we did not need to reposition the camera in order to film the close up on my face, we simply had to zoom in. This was useful as it saved time for us to be creative at the end. 

To make our short production more interesting and unique we used a prop. Fred held a gun to his head throughout the scene, this made the scene very dark as the dialogue suggested that he should kill himself.

storyboard

Although we did not break the 180 degree rule, which was our main challenge, our group did come across various problems while shooting. The first problem was that it was difficult for Fred and I to learn our lines. This took up time in the beginning and we as a group were worried that we would not have enough time to make our short production compelling and different. However as a group we learned our lines and got on with the shoot. 

     Throughout the task our group came up with a variety of different ideas while shooting that we could have possibly used  after we finished the storyboard. For example an extreme close up on Fred's finger on the gun trigger, and an extreme close up on Fred's eyes before he kills himself. Also a panning mid shot on me entering and leaving the room on set. 

       We did shoot a further scene to conclude our short production. This consisted of the two extreme close ups and the mid shots i spoke of beforehand, a long shot of Zel, Indie and Fred lying dead on the floor, A low angle shot of me raising the gun up and pointing it at the camera, and a panning close up of my feet as i entered the room. 

    These final shots were not planned in detail beforehand so our group spent a little time perfecting and adapting these ideas which detracted from the overall amount of time we had remaining at the end, we did debate these ideas as a group and ended up with some good shots however in the future i will look to find a more effective method of communicating with my group to analyze each others ideas faster.

        Our short production was well shot and i look forward to editing the scene.

Camera lesson 2

In my second lesson in using the SONY NX-5 camera, i learnt about the 180 degree rule and the effectiveness of using more than one type of shot in a scene.

Firstly, the 180 degree rule. This is applied when filming two characters in dialogue , or an person/object facing in a certain direction.
  You can film around the object 180 degrees, however if you cross that line, it looks incredibly irregular to the viewer. Characters will end up on  the wrong side of each other, a car will look as if it is going the other way, a footballer will kick a ball into his own goal. Not only does this look weird but it can also create confusion and distract from the film.

After understanding the 180 degree rule, I was shown how effective the use of different camera angles is, I proceeded to film shots of an action between people. The group i was in chose to film a high five. We shot a close up on each persons face, a mid shot including both characters midsection and upwards, a long shot, including all of both people, feet to head, walking into the shot, and finally, a close up of the hands meeting briefly then passing each other for the high five.

What I took from that lesson was that continuity is important, If the action of the character changes in any way then the scene can  look very weird, for instance, if shooting is commenced the next day, and the actor is wearing different clothes, he will appear a shot later wearing different clothes in the feature and the audience will be confused- the make believe world that you are creating is shattered.

Textual analysis of a film poster.

Prisoners

Prisoners is a film about two young girls that are kidnapped, and the story of the process of finding them: the loose ends, the dead ends, the leads and the despair. It is a psychological thriller that has you on the edge of your seat throughout the film. This poster is a good representation of the film, and in advertising terms it is interesting and intriguing.

   The camera angles used are close ups on the two main characters. Showcasing their individual and classic emotions throughout the film. On the left is a sorrow-struck father distraught due to the loss of his daughter, who has been kidnapped. From his facial expression we can see his pain, he looks to the ground with tears in his eyes and a furrowed brow. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is on the Right, his facial expression is more determined, we can tell that he does not feel the same pain, or share the same emotions as the father, his eyes are fixed on something, he still has a hint of discomfort and pain on his face, but its more to do with his aim to find the missing girls.

   A light is shining on both of the characters inside cheek, suggesting that there is a light in the centre of the poster, in the middle of the maze. We cannot see the light but we can see that it is affecting both characters. This could be symbolic of the missing children.

 The colours of the poster are dark, almost black and white, the lack of colour is again a representation of the sadness and despair in the film. The parent has lost the colour in his face as his two girls have been lost to him. The world is as simple as black and white to the detective- “find the missing children, do my job”.

       The two character’s heads are placed In  front of a maze. The maze is obviously a representation of the difficult and confusing search for the two little girls. In the centre of the maze is the caption: “ A hidden truth. A desperate search” a fitting quote for this film as it pretty much sums up the plot.

     “A hidden truth” is mysterious, it suggests that there is some kind of plot twist, or intricate storyline, this makes us, the potential audience, want to watch it and find out what the hidden truth is.

   “A desperate search” sounds exciting and makes us want to watch the film, we are alerted that it is intense and that we are most likely going to be on the edge of our seats for the entirety of the film. Again, we are subtly encouraged to watch the film.

             At the top of the poster there is the names of all the main actors involved in the feature, Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal’s names are in the top left hand corner, we read their names first because we read from the left, they are advertising the film by promoting the actors, the fact that they are well known and have been in many good films encourages us to watch them in this film. In small print at the bottom is the names of the institutions, producers, director, writer, screenplay etc.