Plot Castings

PLOT 5:

Title: Seeing Is Believing…

Plot: A student goes to see a psychic who warns her that her death is imminent. The student chooses to ignore the old lady, forcing her to put a curse on the student, only to realise that she accidentally transferred the power to her. One day the student gets a premonition of what she believes is her friend’s death, but ultimately is her own…

Cast: Jessica Alba – Student at University

Sigourney Weaver – Psychic lady

I thought the title of this film was quite clever-it refers to the psychic powers which the lead female possesses; which ultimately leads her to her death. I chose Jessica Alba to play the lead role of the student at university because she is approximately the same age; again this adds to the realism of the film. Jessica Alba played a similar role in The Eye (directed by David Moreau & Xavier Palud; 2008) therefore; I thought casting her in this thriller film would be effective. She seems to be comfortable in the genre of thriller and the film will appeal to many teenagers if she were to star in it. I cast Sigourney Weaver as the psychic lady because I felt an older actress was needed. Weaver has starred in a vast array of films, and is pretty much capable of acting in any genre. I believe she could bring the role of the sinister, eerie fortune-teller to life, creating an exciting and interesting film.

PLOT 6:

Title: As The Clock Strikes Twelve…

Plot: Cinderella, but not quite as you know it. The film focuses much more on her darker childhood and how she is shunned by most people. Cindy goes to the Prince Charming’s party after the Fairy Godmother casts a spell on her; however the spell wears off at midnight and with each passing minute, Cinderella becomes uglier and uglier. She is fed up with everything always going wrong and is desperate for her miserable life to end…

Cast: Megan Fox – Cinderella

Ashton Kutcher – Prince Charming

Angelina Jolie – Fairy Godmother

I chose this title because of the Godmother’s spell, which breaks at midnight. I wanted the title to create an enigmatic feel; the audience will ask themselves what will happen once the clock strikes twelve. After reading the plot synopsis, I decided to cast Megan Fox as Cinderella. This is because she is quite a young actress, who has appeared in quite a few films which appeal to a slightly younger audience. I thought she would suit the role of a ‘damsel in distress’ quite well. She is a contemporary actress, which means that she will fit the time period in which the film is set. Ashton Kutcher will play the role of the Prince; he is rather good-looking and best fits the character of Charming. Again, his age will help the plausibility of the story, as he is quite young himself and could pull off playing an 18 year old. His previous roles include Rom-Coms and so I feel he would play this part well. Finally, I cast Angelina Jolie as the Fairy Godmother because I thought an older, more experienced actress was needed. Angelina has worked in a variety of different genres so I thought she would be able to adapt to this sweet, motherly, yet vengeful role. I think the mixture of actors/actresses will make this film very interesting to watch.

Villains of Horror Moodboard

I was in need of a little inspiration so I decided to create this moodboard of some iconic villains seen throughout horror films. The likes of Freddy Kruger, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface and Michale Myers all appear in the collage. Whilst creating the board, I was focusing on any distinguishing characteristics that are needed in order to create a villain like such. I found that usually most of the characters are monsters or humans with some deformation, which makes them appear to be monsters. This is an interesting observation to have made and i will be sure to keep this in mind if I am going to choose Horror as my genre for my opening sequence.

...Plus I wanted to scare the bejeebers out of anyone who visits my blog!!!

Analysing Continuity Techniques

Titanic - Gun Chase Sequence
Titanic, directed by James Cameron (1997)

This clip is the chase sequence between Cal, Jack and Rose aboard the Titanic. I will be analysing this sequence for its continuity techniques.

The scene starts with a forward track as Cal and Mr. Lovejoy walk out of the frame. At 0:09, we see Cal reach inside Lovejoy’s pocket and the next shot cuts to Cal’s back. As he turns, we see that he is brandishing a gun – builds suspense. The camera cuts and pans on Cal as he swings around the banister (to shoot at someone out of the frame, we assume). This shot then cuts to an MCU of Jack hugging Rose. From Jack’s facial expression we can tell that Cal is pointing the gun at them (the cross-cutting at 0:14 initiates the pace of the scene that follows).

As Jack reacts to the gun being pulled on him, we cut to a low angle MS of Cal firing a shot; the camera then cuts again to Jack and Rose ducking out of the frame as the bullet splits the wooden balustrade in two. The shot is a CU from Cal’s point of view. This shot is zoomed in to illustrate to the audience just how close the bullet struck; the narrow escape builds excitement as the audience sense a chase is now underway. This is an example of a motivated cut.

From 0:18 the camera pans and cuts between the two being chased and Cal, as the chase continues. At 0:24 there is a CU on the split balustrade as Cal slips on it. This delays the action (slows down the pace of the scene and the attention to detail adds to the realism of the scene). Cal gets up and the chase resumes – camera cuts to J and R running down the stairs (the fact that they are going down the stairs implies that they will be trapped once they get to the bottom – makes the audience wonder what will happen once they get there). The camera follows them down the stairs from behind (0:31); as if the audience are part of the chase too. The mixture of short shots and longer lasting ones help speed up the pace and tension of the scene.

0:44 is an overhead shot, slightly panning to give a greater sense of the misé-en-scene. We can see the water below, which again, suggests foreboding entrapment. A VLS at 0:44 establishes the setting further.

A series of cross-cuts are use to show the anger and frustration of Cal and the fear of Jack and Rose. A CU of Cal appears at 0:56 as he moves behind a pillar to fire (his face cuts off as the emphasis is focused on his gun) A longer-duration cut when Cal realises he’s run out of bullets marks the end of the chase, and ultimately his defeat.

1:13 a fast crab follows J and R as they continue to run through the dining hall, convinced they are still being chased. A parallel shot shows Cal as he attempts to get back out of the water (while J and R are still running) Longer timed shots are now used to slow the pace of the scene back down now that the chase is over. A slightly low-angled shot MCU of Cal shows Lovejoy enter the frame. At 1:29 there is a shot-reverse shot between Cal and Lovejoy as they converse. This then cuts to a master shot of the two (1:34) and places the characters in the actual scene.

This scene is highly effective because its use of short shorts, with lots of cuts placed in quick succession, mixed with slightly longer shots helps create a plausible, fast-paced action sequence. It manages to place the audience at the heart of the action and creates the ‘suspension of disbelief’.


The Ring - Noah's Death Scene
The Ring, directed by Gore Verbinski (2002)



In this clip, the scene where Noah dies, I will be analysing the continuity techniques used.

The scene starts with an MS of Noah as he walks towards the TV screen; so we can tell he is the main character in this scene. This shot then cuts to a low level shot of the TV with Noah walking into the frame; this is an example of a match on action shot. LS is then used to establish the setting, which in this case is his apartment. This shot then cuts to a forward-track as the camera zooms into Noah’s face (we can see his reaction as the TV comes back on). 0:23 shows a CU of the TV screen, which then cuts to a CU of Noah (eye-line matching). Then see Noah’s eyes look out of the frame as the phone rings. This shot is followed by a zoom in on the telephone as it continues to ring. This creates a sense of tension for the audience, as we wonder who is on the other end.

0:29 is a cutaway shot, which shows the audience that it is Rachel calling Noah. The camera then back tracks and zooms out slightly to show that she is in a different setting, with Aidan (different location, same time – parallel shot). This then cuts back to a CU of the TV back at Noah’s house – which zooms out at a low level. Noah’s feet are visible as he steps into the frame. An MCU of Noah is seen as he kneels into the shot; still in shock. We cut to an ECU of the TV and a shot reverse shot happens between Noah and the TV to emphasis his reaction as Samara comes out of the well.

1:00 camera fades in to create a sense of distortion and is uncomforting for the audience. The camera appears to flicker as if we are witnessing static from a TV screen. This adds to the sense of discomfort. The shot cuts to Noah again and an OTS as Samara gets closer. This slow movement builds up the tension as she gets closer to the screen.

1:20 is a cutaway OTS which shows Rachel driving a car. The break in shots adds to the tension, as we are left wondering what is happening back at the apartment with Noah. The camera slightly zooms in to give us a POV shot of Rachel; placing the audience behind the wheel of the car so we can feel the urgency of Rachel. We see the frantic turning of the wheel, which again shows the audience how under pressure she is to get to Noah on time. A CU of her on the phone helps the audience empathise with her as she desperately tries to reach Noah. LS shows the car as it swerves from behind to avoid a lorry which is a match on action from the previous cut.

At 1:32 the camera cuts back to Noah – the use if a crab and arc around the TV shows Noah on the floor, crawling backwards. From this shot, the audience can see the fear in his face and can actually relate to how he is feeling. The camera then back tracks as Samara crawls out of the TV; cuts to a reaction shot of Noah and forward tracks on his face to show the audience the terrified expression on his face. The camera then arcs around Samara as she crawls closer to Noah; who in return moves further away the closer she gets. This sequence of reaction shots is very effective at grasping the audience’s attention and keeping them on the edge of their seats as they can only watch, even though they would probably want to help the character in trouble. The camera crabs and follows Samara (we can only see her hands) and then another crab from behind the shelf shows Noah move towards the camera (ground level shot).

At 1:57 a series of jump cuts are used as Samara ‘jumps’ closer towards Noah. This technique is used to disorientate the viewer and make us feel uneasy by Samara’s presence. 2:06 is a low level camera, almost handheld shot of Noah as he struggles to get away from her. This use of shot emphasises his struggle and the audience really feel for him as he goes through this great ordeal. By now the audience fear for Noah’s life, just as he is, the director gets us to empathise with him and this makes it very effective. Another CU of Samara’s feet (2:10) shows a match on action cut, as we can see Noah still struggling in the background. This is the climax of the scene, as we wait with baited breath to find out what will happen. The camera tracks and zooms into Samara slowly, revealing her face for the first time in the scene. This is supposed to scare the audience as they look into the eyes of Noah’s killer for the first time; however I think it may have been more effective if her identity remained a secret – it would add to the eerie, tense atmosphere created by the scene already.

Lastly, there are 3 matched cuts in quick succession – they go from an MCU of Samara’s face, to a CU then an ECU of just her eye. These cuts were specifically used to create a fast-paced dramatic effect, as the sequence comes to an end. Finally, the camera zooms into a CU of Noah in his last moments before his death. We do not know for sure that he dies, but judging by his expression, we can assume the worst. The last thing we see in the sequence is a montage of random images, from the video tape – this was done deliberately to leave the audience on a cliff hanger, even though we know he will not survive.

This sequence uses a variety of techniques to build tension and create a sense of fear in the viewer; as well as using jumpy, short cuts to disorientate the viewer and place them outside of their comfort zone.