Cinematography Examples

The excellent use of a crane in these shots makes the the sequence very appealing. The long running shots give a sense of flow to the movie, and shows both the setting and the full story of the character running away. This is very attractive to the audience as it shows the characters fully, without any breaks, making them appear more real and lifelike.


 

This amazing tracking shot from Soy Cuba (1964) follows a procession (a funeral) as it goes through a town. This shot was created by the use of a tower lift, and cables over the street, with a heavy camera which didn't need stabilisation, and a few cameramen. This is also very attractive to the audience, showing the full scene and creating a sense of being in the film by using the non-stop shot.

Storyboards

Ali's Part:

Kirsty's Part:

Original Storyboard Ideas

The are the original ideas I sketched down to get a general view of what the sequence will look like.

This is Kirsty's part:

Location Photos

These are the original location photos taken. Shots 1-4 are where the opening scene with the group will take place, on the steps. Shots 5-8 are the stairs which Ali (Ceaser) will walk up). This shot will be still, cutting occasionally as Ali walks up the stairs. Shots 9-11 are the music studio in which Ali will be working and where (in the movie) Ali and Kirstie (Flo) will first meet.

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These locations were chosen as they are suitable to the mood of the film. It is set in a school to represent the age of Ali (being a teenager and involved in the 'street' lifestyle), with the music classrooms included to show music as possibly being his way out of the ganglife. Also as the two main characters are connected by music, the use of a music classroom seemed suitable.

We chose this school as the steps, with the imposing bars, were the perfect scene for the shots we wanted to take. We could use the bars to our advantage to create some interesting cinematography, possibly splitting up the characters. We have chosen the music studio at school to represent that, while the boy may be involved with a gang, he is still at school and being educated.

The interesting shapes on the stairs could be used to create some interesting cinematography, possibly shooting through the shapes to create contrast. The light through the window, creating the natural light effect will also be useful as we won't have to use any external lighting. The natural light shining on the character could also represent some good about him, creating an angelic effect.

Script v.1

The first version of the script for our opening two minutes. 

'Youth Culture' Definition

The dictionary defines youth culture as "young adults considered as a cultural class or subculture" and "the sum of the ways of living of adolescents; it refers to the body of norms, values, and practices shared and recognised by members of the adolescent society as appropriate guides to actions".

The 'body of norms, values and practices' is what makes up the culture of youths. This can include things such as sport, music, clothing or vocabulary. This is divided up in to sub-categories and sub-cultures with different groups of youths connected by their clothing and taste in music.

Youth culture films specifically, usually refer to the extremes of youth culture at the time of the making of the film. This could include the mods and rockers of the 60s in films such as Quadrophenia, or gang warfare in youths in more modern times in films such as Adulthood. They often show groups of youths joined in their sub-category by their clothing and music, often in a war against another group with opposing ideas.

Quadrophenia, youths of the 60s

Adulthood, youths of today

Our film is set to challenge the generalisation by having the main character be a youth trying to get out of his 'gang' culture to find a better life for himself, as well as another, middle classed character, linked to the main character in an unusual turn of events.

'SyNC.' Title

SyNC.

The title for our film will be 'SyNC.", with the 'y' purposely lower case and with a full stop at the end. As the first characters we will see are under/working class, the 'y' will be used to signify a possible lack of education within this class. The actual word 'SyNC.' is shortened from the word syncopation, a technical musical term used to describe an offbeat rhythm in a song. This will portray the suppressed stereotype of youths being offbeat, and also incorporates music, as one of the main themes, into the film title.

Synopsis

SYNC. (Film title) Ceaser and Florence, two teenagers from two completely different backgrounds, share the same passion for music. A cross between 'Kidulthood' and 'Brown Sugar'. Both of them find themselves facing their inner demons and struggle to battle against them. Ceasar (Ali) tries to shed his 'gang life' image and Florence faces up to her parents as she refuses to live up to their great expectations of an academic career but to follow her dream to be in the musical industry(Kirsty) . Ceasar and Florence meet more and more to make music together but find themselves drifting towards being more than friends. They confide in each other sharing their problems and work together to overcome them. Problems arise and test their bond but they discover their shared passion for music and feelings towards each other are their only way out and nothing will make them go back to their old ways.

Link Between Ideas and Synopsis

We started to decide on the name for our film in the original ideas, with a few sketched out rough ideas at the bottom of the sheet.  We then went through a selection process during which we decided that 'SyNC.' would be the name of our film (for reasons and connections to youth culture see above).

During the drawing up of the original script ideas, we got a few ideas for how we would start the film, and a rough basic idea of any dialogue we would have. We also had a basic idea of shots we would use (e.g crabbing).

Original Script Ideas

These are the original script ideas, with a few logo/film title ideas at the bottom.

Other ideas for Film Title:

• Joined (a link between the two characters)
• Joint (a play on words, to do with drugs and a link between the two characters)
• Timing (a musical term)
• Connection (a link)
• Connextion (a more youthful version of the word connection, using an x)
• High/Low (a play on the middle and under/working class of the characters)

What We Will Use In Our Opening Two Minutes

(based on our audience research)

From our audience research I have gathered an idea of what our target audience want from a youth culture film.

They want:

A cast of a similar age- older teenagers and young adults, from 15 - approx. 22.
A stereotypical representation of todays youths.


From watching the opening sequences of our audience research subjects favourite youth culture films (Adulthood and Kidulthood) I have noticed some similarities that I can use in our movie.

• They both start black, with the institutions names showing up on the screen (for Adulthood- UK Film Council, Cipher Films; for Kidulthood- Hanway Films, Stealth Films, Cipher Films). After the institutions names, the first shot has an effect on it. In Adulthood the first shot (after the flashbacks from the previous film) is an artistic one with no clear objects. It is an out of focus shot of car lights. This then goes into focus. 
• In Kidulthood, the first shot is a slow motion shot of teenagers playing football. The next few shots are either sped up or slowed down, creating an interesting motion effect.
• I would like to use these- starting with a black screen with the institutions names, then an out of focus blurred shot, possibly with an effect.

Youth Culture Films Interview (Audience Research)

Audience Research:

We interviewed some of our peers asking the five questions:

• What are your expectations of the opening 2 minutes of any film?

"I should find out the main themes and a bit about the main characters"

"Know everything about what the film is trying to show me"

"Brief description (visually) of what's happening, the setting, the man characters"

"Set the scene- hooks you to the film"

• What are your expectations of the opening 2 minutes of a youth culture film?

"Find out what's going to happen, and how the film will develop"

"Get to the point"

"Show what area it's set in"

"Teenagers, walking around [...] in groups"

• Why do enjoy youth culture films?

"I can relate to them"

"I feel like I can relate to the problems the characters may feel"

"They are relatable to some of us"

"Teenagers enjoy watching other teenagers"

• How do you typically access films?

"On the internet"

"Download offline or DVD"

"Cinema or DVD"

"CInema is really expensive, so DVD or internet, peer to peer sharing"

• What is your favourite youth culture film?

"Kidulthood"

"Adulthood"

"Adulthood"

"(some mutterings with no real answer)"


What have I learnt from this?

I now know which youth culture films our peers (in our target audience group) enjoy the most, meaning I can take elements from these to incorporate into our movie.

I know how our target audience typically access a movie, the most common being (as our target audience has less money) on the internet, through downloading or on a website. Our film, being a first time amateur production, probably wouldn't make it into a cinema, unless at a free screening, so over the internet is a crucial way for our movie to be advertised and to find our target audience.

I know what our target audience expects from the opening two minutes of a movie, and more specifically from the opening two minutes of a youth culture film- generally that it sets the scene and introduces the main characters.

Media Institutional Research

Possible Distributors

• 21st Century Pictures  
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) 
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy 
• Revolver Entertainment
• Artificial eye
• Capelight Pictures
• Image entertainment
• Future Film
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment

Possible Production Companies

• BBC Films
• UK Film Council
• Channel 4 films
• Stealth Films
• Cipher Films
• TMC Films

Main Distribution Companies:

Channel 4 Films is a production company owned by Channel 4 TV corporation.  They produce British films for theatrical release and they plan to play the films on Film4 and Channel4 after release. They are responsible for producing a large number of films in the United kingdom. Walters directed by Stephen Frears was the first movie they produced in 1982.  Film4 Productions tend to look for movies which includes of young British which is really shown to the audience through Youth culture films. They often look for movies which tend to get a message through their story line in a particular genre. 

UK Film Council Was produced in 2000 to improve and promote the film industry in the United Kingdom.  It was a private company funded by the National lottery. the company was set up by the Labour party so it connects the government to the film industry. Their main aim is to improve the UK film and industry and make it good enough to compete with films world wide and they also want to promote the use of cinema through the UK. 

BBC Films is a British companies which works with worldwide film production. In recent years it has been the most successful British film producing company. It works with other British and International film production companies. The BBC aim to make films with good story lines and on a level to attract audiences worldwide and not just in the UK.  

Camera Angles Research

This is a short clip talking about different camera angles/shots. I watched this video to gain a clearer understanding of the varieties of shots available to use, and to get inspiration for shots we could use during our filming. We will be able to refer back to this when filming to make sure we are doing it correctly.

I learnt about the connotations of using a high or a low angle- I plan to use this to effect in our final piece. I will probably include a shot of the female character from a low angle to represent her power over the male character, showing connotations of love from the male to the female. I will also use some point of view shots when the two characters meet, possibly with the female character being higher (standing up) to represent her desirability.

Bullet Boy Opening Sequence

Bullet Boy Opening Sequence Analysis

TITLES: The titles are simple, with white lettering on a black background. The black background then changes to a dark shot of boy (we later found out that the boy is in the back of a car). The sequence then fades to white, with 'BULLET BOY' in capitals in black. This sudden change, along with the title being slightly offset, makes the audience begin to subconsciously think the film's general theme will be slightly unbalanced, maybe with a struggle or a contrast.

INSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION: Included in the titles are the logos 'BBC Films' and UK Film Council. The text 'A Shine Production' is also intermingled with the title sequence.

LOCATION: The first location seen is in a prison. This location, coupled with the title and the film poster (of the character with a gun) makes the audience think that the main character has commited a crime, possibly gun-related. The other location seen is someone in a car, possibly driving to collect the main character.

CHARACTERS: The original feeling that the audience gets from the main character is that he has committed a crime, shown from the prison, the movie title and the movie poster. The character seems laid back, lying down and seeming to be relaxing. The shot then shows a female police officer. The character seems to be on good terms with the officer, as she speaks colloquially to him, "Come on sleepy head, time to go 'ome". This shows that he may actually be friendly or familiar with the officer, maybe insinuating that he has been there before.

GENRE AND THEMES: The main theme shown in the opening two minutes is crime. This is represented by the prison. However, digging deeper into this, taking into account that he is a young black male in tracksuit, combined with his dialect and the film poster, the opening two minutes also represents to audiences and foreshadows the theme of gangs and gang violence, typical in a youth culture film.

OTHER EXPECTATIONS: The non-diagetic sound has an ominous feel to it, foreshadowing events in the film and creating tension.

Trainspotting Opening Sequence Analysis

TITLES: The titles introduce the main characters names with bold white titles in front of a paused image of the character- there is no film title ('Trainspotting') at the beginning. This introduces the characters well and shows a little bit of their personality (e.g Renton is laughing, showing his carefree attitude).


LOCATION: First shot starts with two main characters running down a high road, seemingly in quite a big town. They have just robbed a shop (shown by the appliances falling out of their pockets.

CHARACTERS: The main character (Renton) is shown to be the main character in the first shot as he is running slightly in front of the other character, making him bigger in the shot meaning the audience see him first. This is a medium closeup shot, using the rule of thirds to separate the characters. This opening sequence is unique, so attracts an audience.

GENRES AND THEMES: Products falling out of their pockets; crime. Shows Renton smoking at end; drugs.