Evaluation

In my production I completed a live action encapsulation of a horror/thriller movie, which is based on an enigmatic entity stalking the central character. I filmed much of my film from a point of view shaky camera angle in order to create an intriguing mystique for the production and add an extra element of trepidation to the atmosphere of the film, as the audience is left constantly guessing unto the nature of this creature.

The shaky documentary style of filming also adds to the realism of the film, and I was inspired to pursue this style by the success of films such as the “Blare Witch Project” and ‘Paranormal Activity” which employed these styles with a great impact on the audience.

I chose to use this perhaps “Clichéd” storyline as I felt that whilst it conformed to many traditional conventions of cinema it allowed me to more intricately examine the actual filming techniques and to develop a more wholesome production without being caught up in the elaborate structure of the film.

The production satisfied all the key aims outlined in my statement of intentions and I felt it more or less tackled the required goal of the film, which was to create a tense and volatile atmosphere. This atmosphere was constructed upon the variety of camera angles, which insinuated fear and tension into the structure of the film making a horrifying impression on the audience.

I think that the factor contributing most significantly to the success of the film was its varying use of camera angles, which emphasised a “big brother” type atmosphere and aided to the dynamism of my production, which would have been otherwise lacking due to the absence of dialogue.

During the production I managed to more accurately master the functions of final cut pro, and in my production I employed the use of overlays, “speed up” and sound manipulation to sensationalise my production and emphasise its emotional impact upon the audience.

For me the most striking aspect of my film was the introduction to the night scene, which used rapid cuts between a first person perspective rapidly closing in on my front door and the protagonist typing on the computer, with a camera shot from behind him to emphasise his vulnerability and close ups on his hands to create a more dynamic scene.

There were numerous impediments to the success of my production and one of my major shortcomings was my lack of organisation and I found I difficult to schedule filming for myself and so fell behind on my filming. However, I managed to overcome this issue by filming extensively on weekends and participating in after school hours to catch up with my work. Another problem I faced with my production was my inadequate experience with final cut and I initially found it problematic to master the intricacies of final cut pro. However, with some advise I managed to properly apply final cut pro to fulfil its potential.

During the course of the production I acquired many new skills such as a profound mastery of final cut pro and a further in depth understanding on the impact of filming techniques upon the audience. The project also significantly improved my organisational skills and I feel better equipped with the skills to manage the production of a film.

Classic Hollywood Style

Classical hollywood productions framed the production of films during the 20th century, and it became a brand associated with formalism, idealism and high budget productions. However, the evolution of the Hollywood style into t0 the sleek and modern financial behemoth of today has been far from fluid, and its progress has been constantly moulded by the social and economic fluctuations of history.

It was during the "roaring twenties" of the United States that the Hollywood industry reached its zenith, both in terms of the rate of cinematic production and the sheer financial buttress provided by a booming American economy. It was during this period that the focus of society became more lucid and was freed from the rigid structure of hard work, and began to assume luxuries such as the theatre and the cinema, which became a commodity geared not only at the elite but also at the mass market of Americans. In Chicago over 40,000,000 cinema tickets were sold, which reflected the massive appetite within the United States for entertainment.

However, the security and prosperity of the United States was brought to a dramatic collapse in 1929 which heralded the decade depression. During the 1930s all American industries were severely damaged, however the entertainment industry was perhaps the most extensively damaged, as luxury became rarer and rarer throughout american society. As a direct result of this economic calamity, Hollywood had to adapt to a less decadent and more efficient style of production. The perfect example of this is shown with the growth of Warner Brothers, which adapted its policies to maximize efficiency of production to ensure a stable revenue. To contrast this the film studio MGM which had dominated much of the 1920s fell into a period of incorrigible decline, which was exacerbated by its preservation of its pre 1930s style.

The post-war period hosted the renaissance of Hollywood, which came to represent the classical American family, and was a strong promoter of American values and ideals. Hollywood cinema developed significantly from its war year role of propaganda yet it did not completely shed this function. In fact, the close ideological rivalry between the communist bloc of the east and the western capitalist nations ignited a new wave of propaganda which was channeled through the Hollywood medium.

The modern role of Hollywood is still extremely significant across the globe, and yet its domination on western cinema has been eroded by the growth of Art House productions and a globalist competitive environment in which financial resources are more accessible.

Photo Images

i selected this image because it contained an

interesting and subtle variation of colour and light .

The sharp upwards angle which includes a dramatic

lighting affect is akin to german expressionist

shots.

I chose this shot because it had a sharp transition from

shadow to light at an interesting angle.

This image has a long panoramic view point.

I decided to select this image because it had an extreme

contrast between light and shadow on the wall, and the light

is cast at a sharp angle to emphasise its affect.

The hallway has been photographed at an askew angle to

conjure feelings of confusion and to suggest a warped

persoective.

The stairs have been cast at an interesting angle, and there is

added affect from the reflection of the stairs to both extremities

of the shot.

Again, I used this image to create a feeling of confusion

and to suggest a warped perspective which comes

with the oblique angle being used.

I have selected these images to incorporate a variety of different angles and lighting techniques designed to mimic other filming genres and create an atmosphere in the set.

German Expressionism

German Expressionism

German Expressionism was a cinematic movement rooted in the nascent impressionist art movement which came into force during the late 1800s. German Expressionism was also based on gothic art and concepts, and the scenery of German Expressionist sets tended to incorporate unnatural angles and twisted jagged shapes. Perhaps the best known German Expressionist film was the early Metropolis, which was born out of a rising fear of machines, a bleak image of the future and the rise of fascism primarily in Germany and Europe.

The movement begun during the politically volatile and bleak period before the first world war, and developed and adapted its attitudes during the world war, where machines were used for the first time to kill people and warfare assumed an impersonal facade.

During the interwar years German expressionism went through a period of renaissance, as it was inspired by the rise of fascism in the war traumatized areas of europe and the rapid industrialisation of the United States of America. Another influential factor upon German Expressionism was the paralleled art movement called "Futurism" which pictured a future society dominated by machines and science and encased in new fascist ideologies.

Coupled with Metropolis, Edward Scissor Hands was also a famous exemplar of German expressionism in action, as it was based on a concoction of Gothic and modernist concepts and set in a classical gothic setting which became a visual signature of German Expressionism.

Realism vs Formalism

Realism and formalism are two opposing methods of cinematic structures, where realism is based on a perception of reality whereas formalism is designe

d for the sole purpose of entertainment and is so manipulated by the director even at the expense of realism. Early cinematography was largely realist, as the sheer marvel of the "moving picture" was deemed entertaining enough without the complications of a plot, and filming was also being seen in its experimental stages. However, as cinematography progressed entrepreneurs in the United States saw the role of the film as an entertainment, and they realised the potential wealth that could be created in cinema. This gave rise to formalism, which seemed ideal for the commercial culture of theunited states.

In Eastern Europe the rise of the Soviet Union meant a revolution in arts and culture, and the government which had become enwreathed in suspicion was keen to present a positive image of itself to be built upon. It recognised the potential of the cinema to serve this purpose and this gave birth to the hybrid genre of propaganda. Early examples of propaganda were Potemkin in the 1920s which was based on real life but twisted and biased to create a positive image for the Soviet Union.

Elsewhere, the United States realised the value of formalism in its opulent and melodramatic dramas and slapstick comedies which begun to dominate US cinemas. Formalist films often portrayed idealist concepts in American society, were primarily "plot orientated", and simplified in their perception of reality.

Whilst formalism is perhaps the most conventional and common filming structure exercised in modern cinema , largely due to the dominance of hollywood over modern western cinema, realism is still a prevalent concept used frequently in experimental art house productions but also in blockbuster movies within and without of hollywood. Recently, there has been a revival of realism, but the more conventional approach has been to integrate the two conflicting ideas within a single production.

Modern hollywood productions generally conform to a Formalist structure designed to promote American ideals and traditional values.