As mentioned on a previous blog post, I intend on using the song, ‘Seasons in the Sun’ by Terry Jacks to accompany my montage. This song is relatively mellow and soft; however, I believe that the underlying intense meaning will accompany the sense of mortality and the inevitability of death, in my film.
After researching the soundtrack in Singles (Cameron Crowe, 1992), I think that it would be beneficial to my film if I bookend it with a song from the grunge genre. I listened to a variety of songs, in order to find a sound that complimented the idea of death and hopelessness. In doing so, I decided upon the song ‘Them Bones’ by Alice In Chains.
The song contrasts nicely with ‘Seasons in the Sun’ because it offers a much more ‘on the nose’ and ‘no-nonsense’ portrayal of death. Lyrics such as: “I’m gonna end up a big old pile of them bones”, implies the inevitability of death that will be the reasoning behind the woman’s decision to act on the task. For this reason, I think that the song will be most effective if it starts playing when we initially meet the woman and then rises in the mix, to enhance her character traits.
At the very end of the film, the song will rise in the mix again, this time when it’s just the man on-screen. This will show the ability of power to corrupt and the transition of power between the man and the woman, hence the transient nature of power itself. The song will peak at a crescendo during the fast lick at the end of the solo, when the man and the audience realise that the woman has unknowingly killed her own family.
Before choosing this song, I thought that the riff might not suit the negative portrayal of power that I am trying to present; however, after trying the song with an isolated guitar, I think that it has an exceptionally evil tone that is complimentary to the tone that I want to establish in my production.
After playing the song, I think that the dissonant qualities of the main riff will work well when slowly rising in the mix and that the melodic solo will work to build to a musical crescendo and a tonal crescendo within my narrative, that successfully captures and enhances the narrative twist.
Whilst inoffensive, Singles (Cameron Crowe, 1992) does little to push the boundaries of romantically-driven films. However, that is not what Crowe set out to do. Instead, the film acts, in a way, as a period drama and a case study of the grunge movement that emanated from Seattle and became a worldwide phenomenon in the early 1990’s.
Grunge or the ‘Seattle Sound’ had its roots in the punk rock movement of the 1970’s, most notably with The Ramones. The brooding foursome popularised music that used power chords with heavy distortion and growling vocals. The key difference between this and the Seattle Sound was that the latter had a much more melancholy nature to all facets of the musical composition.
It is significant to note that the ‘Seattle Sound’ was ‘headlined’ by four distinct bands. Whilst all of the bands fell under the media-attributed term of grunge, there were definite boundaries and intricacies between each group.
Undoubtedly, the most recognisable and commercially successful band to come out of this period, was Nirvana. With frontman Kurt Cobain’s angst-laden vocals, Nirvana’s 1991 album, Nevermind, wasn’t the first grunge album but it kickstarted the genre’s immeasurable popularity.
With this popularity, it is intriguing that Crowe decided against using Nirvana or Cobain in the Singles soundtrack, instead focusing on members of the other bands inside of the so-called ‘big four’ of grunge.
Most prominently featured in the Singles soundtrack, is Pearl Jam. With the ‘softest’ sounding music, the band covered some of the most intense and heavy-hitting topics tackling homelessness in ‘Even Flow’ to suicide in ‘Jeremy’. Nevertheless, lead guitarist Mike Mcready took his inspiration from another Seattle great, Jimi Hendrix, giving the music a very ‘bluesy’ and classical rock feel.
Chris Cornell, of the band Soundarden is also featured heavily on the soundtrack. Cornell had the most vocal range of all of the frontmen of the ‘big four’ and this was set against the backdrop of the experimental rock music that Soundgarden was known for. This is most notable in some of lead guitarist Kim Thayil’s solos, where he utilised an eclectic mix of effects pedals, to add flair and originality to his trills and arpeggios.
Featured on the soundtrack and also featured in the film as a live act, is the final band of the ‘big four’, Alice In Chains. Vocalist Layne Staley’s iconic screams and emotive vocal tones were synthesised with guitarist Jerry Cantrell’s vocal harmonies and heavy riffs. This created the most raw and emotional sound out of all of the bands.
Even though there are many differences between the bands, there’s something critical that links all of them together, rather that a factor as trivial as the location in which they originated from. That is, the band’s ability to capture a generational feeling of detachment and pessimism.
The importance in Crowe’s film therefore, lies not in the content of the narrative but in the significance of the soundtrack and, as such, the historical context behind the film. The commercial success of Crowe’s film was emblematic of the popularity of grunge music in the early 1990’s; which in itself is suggestive of Genration-X’s rebellious dismay towards towards the joyous facade of society. Singles and the soundtrack to it, is crucial in capturing and preserving this seminal moment in time, that is unlikely to ever happen again.
In light of the recent UK Lockdown, it is somewhat more challenging/impossible to access the locations in which my film will be set, most crucially – the beach. In this regard, compiling a primary photographic catalogue of locations, can’t be done to the fullest extent. Nevertheless, I have photographed the accessible locations, that I can use. My screenplay and storyboard would still be coherent without the beach; however, it may mean that I have to find and use some stock photos of a coastal location, for use in my montage sequence. I have added this to my action points and production possibilities post.
Below is a rough guide of the locations that I am going to use, naturally there will be a variety of different shots per location, utilising a range of camera shots and cinematography techniques. I haven’t manipulated any specific elements of mise-en-scene yet, as I want to continue to develop an idea of what the scenes should look like.
This is the location in which the man will first be seen.
This area feels cosy and secluded, allowing me to show how the man behaves, away from the powerful corporation. The window behind the chair, also suggests a potential ‘way out ‘ for the man and that he sees the other side of the divide in a more positive light than the woman does.
The fireplace, next to the seat.
Again, the fireplace will be used to enhance the cosy atmosphere, surrounding the man and showing some of his character traits.
The lock on the office door.
As per my action points and production possibilities post, I have managed to source a lock, for use on the office door.
The office.
This gives a rough idea of how the office might look, with documents and items strewn across the desks.
The woman’s desk, where we first see her.
The woman’s workspace is much more constricted and organised, emphasising her character traits. There is also the absence of a window, suggesting a further separation between the man and the woman.
Even though not all of the locations were available for me to scout, I think that this location scout has helped me to get a better picture of how I need to manipulate elements of film-form, to create meaning.
Titanic is perhaps most beloved for its captivating love story that launched the so-called ‘Leo-Mania’ and catapulted the two romantically-doomed protagonists into superstardom. However, underneath the superficial romance, is a deep-rooted division and sense of hierarchy that underlined a distinct class system in 1912.
This separation between the haves and have not’s, is something that I would like to feature predominantly in my narrative. I believe that it offers a fascinating explorative function, to establish a sense of good vs. evil in my characters and encourage my audience to connect with a desired character or theme. This will enable me to meet the brief of a narrative twist, as with these audience-character connections, I can subvert the roles of the characters, at the denouement of my narrative.
Critically, in Titanic, there are clear visual clues and elements of mise-en-scene, that allow for hierarchical themes to be presented. Most blatantly, the cabins on Titanic are separated vertically, with the poorest travellers, situated on the lowest cabin on the deck. Whilst this is more of a conventional feature on ships, than it is a feature exclusive to Titanic, it does present an interesting point. That is, the more well-off travellers are housed at the top of ships, almost deifying them. This religious imagery encourages a viewer to picture the rich as something that is idolised and that there is an aspiration to be like those citizens.
With that said, the path to this goal is literally blocked or has been ‘gate-kept’. This is shown towards the end of the film, when large metal gates are locked, preventing the poorer travellers from entering any of the upper decks. Whilst this is narratively used to show why the lifeboats are only half full (most of the travellers were located in the lower decks), it also suggests that there is an inevitability in this restriction.
As is to be expected, there is an obvious dichotomy between the costumes worn by the poorer travellers and the richer travellers. On the actual Titanic, the first class passengers had to have multiple different outfit changes per day, versus the poorer passengers , who might have only had one set of clothes. This feature in the movie serves to remind the audience of the division in wealth between Rose and Jack but it also suggests that materialistic items are of little value because Rose seems intent on leaving her vast wealth.
One of the more intriguing elements of hierarchy in Titanic, is how violence is shown on-screen. For the poorer travellers, violence is shown to be omnipresent and consistently visible. This is present through the film, initially, during the card- playing scene and towards the end of the film, when the third-class travellers are dancing. The implication here is that these poorer passengers care little about their public perception, so they have no qualms about being somewhat violent in public.
Contrastingly, violence within the richer settings seems much more sinister and cruel. This is most explicit when we see Cal hit Rose, in an attempt to garner patriarchal obedience. Since this is under the blanket of isolation, nobody else witnesses this act of unbridled violence. This suggests that people from the upper-classes dare highly concerned with how the general public perceives them. As if they have to maintain a facade of modesty and discretion. However, this makes the rich people seem deceitful and false.
Obviously there are some serious limitations with using some of the thematic devices in Titanic, in my own production. Not least because the film ranks as one of the most expensive to be made. I do believe that there is some scope for utility, though. Namely, in my manipulation of mise-en-scene and in the idea of secrecy.
Firstly, Titanic has made it abundantly clear that effective costuming and props is a pre-requisite in establishing a rich-poor comparison and divide. For my production, as mentioned in previous blog posts, I intend on using lavish costumes and jewellery to show wealth. Whilst there will be some subtleties in the way my protagonists wear their outfits, this will be used to add unique layers and nuance for each character.
One of my favourite features of the hierarchical theming in Titanic, is the use of secrecy. Whilst my production already leans towards supporting a secrecy-lead plot, I can clearly add to this. For example, in the office I want to further underline the idea of decisions being taken literally ‘behind closed doors’. For this, I am going to use a lock; which I have added to my action points and production possibilities post. Like in Titanic, I want to suggest that the path to progression in the social hierarchy is blocked and that social manoeuvrability is stagnant and fixed.
It is unsurprisingly expensive to own a high-end three point lighting set up. However, the finished product that is achieved is unmistakably fantastic. Equally, using an elaborate three-point lighting set up gives the filmmaker a lot of scope for manipulation. That is to say that by experimenting with fill lights and key lights, different levels of shadows and low-key lighting can be created, altering mood and tone in the process.
Although it is not possible for me to access such professional standard lighting, I need to find some method of creating low-key lighting. For my film to have the sombre and dystopian feel to it, a high contrast would be needed to create a sense of gloom and dread. By manufacturing this mood through the use of my lighting, I feel as though it will give my film texture and a sense of weight.
I intend on using the ‘bounce’ light technique to light my male character initially. I will use a large, high-output light against a white wall, to create a high-key lighting and a somewhat bright feel. This will be juxtaposed with low-key lighting, when filming the woman character. This will be done using a fill light at a sharp angle and a clear wall as a background.
This dichotomy between characters will hopefully accentuate the disparity between them both, established through my dialogue and mise-en-scene.
In terms of exposure, since I don’t have any kind of extensive experience into manually adjusting exposure, I plan on using the camera’s automatic settings. However, if the exposure is extremely incorrect, I will try and use my new-found knowledge to adjust it accordingly.
In accordance with my plans on lighting, I have updated my action points and production possibilities blog post, to feature the equipment that I may now need to use, if it is possible to source them.
One of the aspects of film production that I am extremely unfamiliar with is the use of lighting. Clearly, it is a crucial element to all films, else it would not be considered in pre-production. However, I want to find out how lighting is used in professional films and how applicable this would be to my production.
To try and understand how lighting is constructed, I need to research its most common features and why different set-ups are used for different purposes.
The primary way in lighting is set up in feature films, uses a three-point lighting system. This system employs a: key light, fill light and rim light. A key light is used to provide the ‘bulk’ of the lighting in the scene. The fill light seems to add light and reduce shadows, brighting objects in the frame. A rim light is finally used to make a particular object stand out in from the background.
In terms of light placement, the key light is placed in front of the frame but at a slight angle. It is also raised slightly off of the floor, essentially in the ‘fourth wall’. The size of the angle between the subject and the key light creates a different amount of shadows in the film. A smaller angle creates high-key lighting and fewer shadows; whereas, a larger angle creates low-key lighting and more shadows.
High-key lighting is bright and reduces the contrast between dark and light.
Low-key lighting is gloomy and increases the contrast between light and dark.
One of the most frequent employers of high-key lighting is the director, Wes Anderson.
Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson, 2012)>
In Moonrise Kingdom, Anderson uses high-key lighting throughout. We can tell this because even through the characters are located outside, they still appear bright and illuminated. This gives the film an overall happy and wholesome tone but this is in line with the generally upbeat mood in a film focused on coming of age.
The fill light is placed to the side of the frame. This is used to control shadows with more precision. The fill light is normally about 50% as bright as the key light, creating low-key lighting and increasing shadows. For high-key lighting, the fill light might be 100% as bright as the key light, reducing shadows and contrast. A reflector may be used in place of a fill-light but this doesn’t have as much precision because only low-key lighting is created, increasing shadows and contrast.
The rim light is placed directly opposite the fill light. Although facing the camera, the light is placed clearly out of shot. This creates a clear subject in the frame, distinguishing the edges of the subject clearly from the background.
Additional lights can be used in conjunction with three-point lighting. For example, a small cylindrical catchlight can be used at the front of the frame, to create reflections in the subject’s eyes. This creates a mystic and dramatic effect.
Whilst three-point lighting seems to be the industry standard, many short-filmmakers and independent filmmakers rely on more practical lighting techniques.
For example, filming outside enables the filmmaker. to capture a raw and gritty sense of lighting. Whilst there will be imperfections and shadows appearing, using natural light has a pure and beautiful look to it.
The sunlight can even be used as a rim light, if it is placed behind the frame. This brings focus and clarity to the subject; which is really useful for a film focused on character development.
For filming inside, it is a little bit more difficult because a lack of effective lighting can make the on-screen action more difficult to present professionally. Nevertheless, an extremely popular and effective method of lighting indoors, is to use LED lights. LED lights come in a variety of colours and emit an extremely illuminating light. They are also small, increasing their practicality and they are cheap and readily accessible.
An alternative lighting method indoors, is to use a high light output builders light. When this is reflected against a white background (often referred to as ‘bounce’ lighting), the light spreads out much more and there is an even high-key lighting effect.
One more factor that needs to be considered when lighting a scene, is the amount of exposure shown. Even though most modern day cameras and phones adapt to different lightings with automatic exposure, it may be necessary to manually set the exposure to ensure that the shot looks aesthetically pleasing.
Exposure is essentially a measure of how light or how dark the shot is. An overexposed shot is too bright, essentially being excessively high-key lighting. However, an underexposed shot is too dark, excessively low-key lighting. It is therefore important to get the correct exposure for the location because the on-screen action needs to be clearly visible.
Exposure is determined by three factors:
Sensitivity to light is a usually recorded and measured in ISO. Although high-quality cameras use extremely high ISOS (over 800), most cameras need in the region of 300 ISOS, to produce a clear image that captures a wide range of lighting and colours.
Aperture is a measure of how much light the camera lens lets through.
Shutter speed is the length of which the camera is exposed to the light shown.
For the shot to have the correct exposure, these three settings need to be altered. Increasing one factor means that you can decrease another to give a slightly different exposure and aesthetic. For example at 300 ISOS, if you increased the value to 600 ISOS, you could decrease the aperture by half. This means that a wider range of frequencies of light would enter the lens; however, less light would enter overall. This gives a slightly different exposure and visual look.
As such, exposure must be changed for each location and time of the day or whenever the lighting changes. This is because you need to alter the exposure settings on the camera, so that they are complementary to the lighting of the environment.
A storyboard excerpt from Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975).
The function of storyboarding in the filmmaking process is to give a shot by shot representation of how the film progresses. It is used by directors and crew to visualise the initial idea for the film and to imagine how a concept might look on-screen. Due to this, adaptations and changes to the film can be made at a an early point, saving time and money.
Storyboards tend to conform to a selection of conventions, in order to maximise their utility. The storyboard excerpt featured above is from Jaws. Whilst the drawings are done in pencil, many storyboards are now produced online. Either way, the following features can often be observed:
The camera shot type is used to show how the action will be shot and as such, what the audience will see. This is especially useful in instances where a shot type is deliberately done to draw attention in or establish a theme, for example a close-up of a particular object. This is done in conjunction with other camera directions, such as: camera movements and cameraangles, for the same reasons.
There is also a reference to the type of sound intended to be used, diegetic or non-diegetic and potentially even details of sound effects.
Storyboards also note where the location of the shot is, as well as the characters being depicted, this is especially important when a character might not be in immediate view.
There is also a brief and succinct description of what is taking place in the shot and where the shot is in relation to the general flow of the narrative.
There may be some annotations in the form of arrows or labels, to further indicate what is happening in the scene, or to show the movement of a prop or character.
Usually, there is an indication of the type of edit that will be used, this helps to give a better sense of how the film will flow visually; this might not have been clear in the screenplay.
Potentially most importantly, is the time of shot and the position of the shot in the film (shown numerically). This allows there to be a visual indication of what is shown on-screen and when. Changes can then be made if the film doesn’t flow as well as intended.
It is apparent that storyboards are immensely important when used in conjunction with a screenplay. The storyboard visualises the conceptualised ideas, present in the storyboard. This enables the director or producer to adapt the film before production starts. This saves time and money. Storyboards also enable actors to gain greater insight into their roles as characters. This increased immersion ensures that the actors are prepared for their role and that they can convey a convincingly believable character on-screen.
An A screenplay excerpt from the opening to The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008).
Screenplays are the most critical part to a successful film. As such, there are particular codes and conventions that writers follow, in order to make the filming process more efficient.
In the screenplay excerpt above, we see how The Dark Knight’s iconic opening is detailed in the script.
As you can see, there are many distinct features:
A slugline (“EXT. HIGH-RISE — DAY) gives an extremely brief summary of time and place. Sluglines also signify the start of a new scene. This allows for actors or crew to easily identify what act or narrative point the excerpt is from. Certain abbreviations are used, namely: EXT – meaning exterior and INT, meaning interior.
Action, also known as text, (“A MAN on the corner… MASKS”) can be thought of as an extended version of the slugline. It is much more specific and elaborate in its detail because it shows the mise-en-scene and actions that characters take. In this respect, it helps the crew to know what props they might need to make sure are on-screen and it lets the actors know what they need to be wearing. In this excerpt, key features of mise-en-scene are capitalised, further drawing attention to them. The “CLOWN MASKS”, for example, are a key costume that associate the henchmen with the Joker from the offset, so it is crucial that they aren’t forgotten
Characters (“GRUMPY”) are quite self-explanatory in the sense that they are capitalised name that dictate which actor says what lines. There can also be additional abbreviated information next to the character to show whether the dialogue is off-screen. (O.S.) or as a voice-over (V.O.).
Directly underneath a character is dialogue (“That’s it? Three guys?”). This is placed in the centre of the page and denotes the words that should be spoken by the actor. Dialogue can be placed side-by-side if two characters are speaking simultaneously.
Parentheticals are bracketed information, that give additional information about the dialogue to the performing actor. Although not featured on this excerpt, parentheticals can include who the actor should be addressing or how they should emote.
Although not featured in this excerpt, title pages are found at the start of screenplays and feature: the name of the film and the name of the screenwriter. They also include a reference to an author if the film was based on a book.
In terms of modifications to my narrative, I intend on changing a few key features. Firstly, I’m going to add two more settings, in the form of the man’s house and the woman’s house. My plan for this is to construct two distinguishable environments, where each character is behaving differently. In other words there will be a clear personality clash from the offset, which will help to inform the progression of the conflict going forwards and allow me to build on each character as their personalities develop.
Equally, whilst I wanted to use the local seaside as a setting for where a part of the narrative takes place in, I have decided to use images instead. As a pose to giving the audience the chance to ‘visit’ the coast, by using pictures and photographs instead, I further highlight the distinction between power and purity. Additionally, this ensures that the focus remains on the interaction and conflict between my two protagonists. Thus, the coast is primarily used as a symbol to represent the binary opposition between freedom and determinism.
Finally, I intend on accentuating my dialogue with case studies and examples of fictional areas that had a similar problem with an overpopulated nation. This will allow me to allude towards particular periods in real-life and encourage the audience to question the morality of power in their own lives. Furthermore, by focusing on the dialogue between my protagonists, I should be able to present the conflict between them in a way that is made clear to the audience but also uses subtleties in passing – for example offhand gestures or facial expressions specified as stage directions.
For the production side of my coursework, there is a set of requirements that I must fulfil in order to confidently capture my photographs for my storyboard:
I must accurately manipulate the mise-en-scene for the protagonist’s houses, in order to convey a particular feeling and encourage the audience to associate a particular mood with each character.
For the man, this includes decorating his living room in a cosy and comforting manner. I will achieve this by placing books and candles in strategic positions.
For the woman, this includes manipulating features of her kitchen to allude to a sense of ruthlessness and grit. I will achieve this by limiting props in the kitchen, making the room look formal and conveying a sense of precision and efficiency.
In terms of styling costumes, I will strategically choose a mismatched outfit from the man’s wardrobe and a formal suit from the woman’s wardrobe.
For the office, I will decorate the room with traditional features found in a workplace, for example: a printer and files.
I will collect pictures and photographs of a seaside town to be used as props.
I will find an image to show the woman as a younger child.
I will try and source a reflector for my lighting set-up.
I will try to source a high-output light that can be used as a fill light, for example a builders’ light.
I will attempt to source a lock; which can be used on the door to the office.
I will attempt to source some stock photos of a coastal location, for use in my montage sequence.
After recording my pitch, I am confident that I was able to convey the general premise of my film. Equally, I think that putting my ideas into a spoken form was effective in enabling me to analyse the extent to which I could meet the coursework brief.
Ultimately, my film will centre on the conflict between two characters, so I appreciate that it is important to ensure that this remains an important theme throughout my narrative. When talking about this in my pitch, it became abundantly clear that the dialogue between my protagonists will have to be written in such a way that allows for the conflict to be clearly shown.
It is, therefore, my intention to manipulate particular literary devices to ensure that the conflict between my characters is made unequivocally clear. For example, in regards to the male protagonist, I am going to use anaphora in certain elements of his speech. This will emphasise the meek qualities of his personality, being that he is more aware of the emotive implications of genocide. Thus, putting him in direct conflict with the female protagonist in terms of emotions.
On the other hand, one piece of technical information that I missed out on including in my pitch was the use of peripeteia in my ending. That is to say, that the dynamics of power will be flipped, in that the man will uncover the horrific discovery that suggest that the woman has unwittingly killed her family. Not only does this signify a distinct turning point in the fortunes for the woman, it also grounds the story in reality. Suggesting that we are all susceptible to the horrors of death.
Additionally, this allows there to be a clear shift again in power. Therefore, implying that power is transcient in nature. It also bookends my narrative with an enigma, since the woman does not know what she has just done. This ensures that I’m conforming to the brief and psychological thriller genre conventions.
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