Sion Roe Visit

Our usual media studies lesson was interrupted by Sion Roe (pictured above) who had taken the subject at The King's School a number of years prior to me. Sion spoke about how he was working on creating tour videos for popular musicians such as Diplo, which interested me as he had done this after succeeding in the same course i am currently taking. The lesson Sion conducted with our class was all about editing. He showed us a clip from a film he had made in which the title flashed over the screen with the background creating the words in a black background. Sion showed us how to edit clips together to form a film, he also put a lot of emphasis on teaching us how to create visual titles that were innovative. The lesson proved a success as I can now edit clips and add titles easily and will be doing so for other short films I create. Below are a few screenshots of the work i was doing in Sion's workshop.

The 180 Degree Rule

The 180 degree rule (directors line) is the relationship between the two characters on screen and the camera angle. The picture (left) shows the imaginary line between the two characters called the axis. The camera must be on one side of this line and can be anywhere within the 180 degree angle of this axis. Crossing this line with the camera is called 'jumping the line' and can be done, but only if the camera is still rolling while the line is crossed. If the line is crossed while the shot changes the audience can be easily confused as to where the characters are in relation to their background as their positions change on screen.

The 180 degree rule is used then to show the audience what is happening behind the characters during a section of dialogue without confusing them with complicated shot angle changes.

Director follow the 180 degree rule often and it appears in films, It allows for a style of editing called continuity editing and when done correctly makes films more understandable. The 180 degree rule has also been used to show split personalities in films such as 'The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers'. In This Peter Jackson film, Gollum has a conversation with himself in a cave. The 180 degree rule is used to show his bi-polar personality; good Gollum is seen to be looking left while bad Gollum is always seen looking right. This gives the impression there are two Gollum's having a conversation with each other. The effect is continued mid seen as the camera sweeps from left to right and Gollum is seen shifting his head from right to left.

The 180 degree rule can also be broken to good effect. In Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror, 'The Shining' the rule is broken to create mystery and disorientation in the audience. The two characters on scene are having a conversation when the camera flips to other other side of them, 180 degrees away. This creates confusion in the audience, adding to the tension and suspense of the film. Making it more psychologically entertaining. To the left is a video of this scene, please skip it to 6 mins as the only available clip is far too long.

In an effort to get to grips with the 180 degree rule, I have filmed a short movie demonstrating that i can use it to good effect. In the film above I have used the rule to shoot a conversation, halfway through the conversation the camera switches sides to show that the 180 degree rule can in fact be broken to good effect. This can disorientate the audience as they are viewing a completely different angle of the conversation. I would break the 180 degree rule in psychological thrillers and horrors to confuse the audience.

I have conducted this research into the 180 degree rule as I will be using it in my preliminary and main tasks. It is important i understand the rule correctly so i can use it to good effect.

Preliminary Task

For our first task of the course we are going to shoot a short 2 minute film that incorporates the shot reverse shot. The full brief is as follows; Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom he/she then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. I like the sound of this task as i can think of many films that have been successful using the same demonstrations, for example the torture scene in Reservoir Dogs when Mr White tortures the policeman. I have had several ideas for my film including a torture scene set in a shipping container in which lighting would have a huge affect on the audience and the scene itself. Other ideas include a job interview, a man being interrogated by police, a child being told off by a teacher or possibly a relative visiting a man in an old people's home.

The overall point of a preliminary task is to eliminate any uncertainties with making a film. It is important that I make a good film demonstrating all the film techniques i have and will learn, however it does not need to be of the quality of my main piece later in the year. I hope that i lear a thing or two about creating films from this preliminary task that i can then use in my main task at a later date.

Shot Reverse Shot

Shot, reverse shot is a camera shot type. It consists of usually a conversation/meeting between two people who are opposite each other. There is commonly a camera over the shoulder of the first person facing the second person face on. There is the same camera set up for the second person, over their shoulder facing the first person. Another camera is often set up facing the two characters face on. The shot gives the audience a sense of action as there is a constant change of shot with every characters turn of dialogue. 

This shot has become a staple of modern and classic film editing, almost every film uses the shot at some point. Early films that didn't use the shot for conversations were boring and often unwatchable. Below is an image of a scene from 'The Dark Knight Rises' in which Batman is conversing with The Joker; The camera is over The Jokers shoulder and so the image contains both characters face to face.

Below is my own short film demonstrating shot reverse shot. As it's only a demonstration it is very scruffy and floored. The film is only to demonstrate that i can shoot scenes using shot reverse shot. I found that whilst shooting the scene we had to pause the conversation after each characters line so that we could go around to the other characters side and shoot the clip of their speech. This was frustrating however there is no way around it. I have also learned how to join individual clips together to create a film.

 

I will be using match on action in my preliminary and main tasks so it is important that i comprehend the idea. My own version of match on action is poor quality and seems rushed however i have learned the basic technique and am comfortable using it in later films.

My Favourite Films

My Top 5 Films

As an Introduction to my blog, and myself, i am going to share with you my top 5 favourite films. This will hopefully give you an overview of my taste and to some extent, my personality. It will also give me an understanding of genre and what goes with each genre. I couldn't possibly decide on an absolute favourite so it's not in order, here goes;

1. The Martian (2016)

This film really is outstanding, its a true underdog story. A man trapped alone on mars defies all odds and manages to escape. Its a tale of hard work, teamwork and the will to live. Matt Damon won a Golden Globe and an Empire award for best actor while the film won several academy awards including a Golden Globe for best motion picture 2016.

2. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

This is a 90's blockbuster about killer robots sent back from the future to kill Sarah and John Connor. The film was ahead of its time, especially in the special effects department. Sophisticated computer imagery bought a liquid metal morphing terminator that scared all audiences, no matter their age. The movie won an award for best special effects alongside its other academy awards including peoples choice favourite movie, MTV best film and MTV best female lead. Altogether this film is a classic and will be remembered for years to come.

3. La Delicatesse [Delicacy] (2011)

This french romantic drama has a tragic beginning, with the female leads (Audrey Tautou) husband being killed off. The remainder of the film expresses Audrey's mourning and how she meets new people in her struggle to live a happy life. Long still camera shots enforce the desperation she feels.




                                                                                    4. Hot Shots (1991)
Comedy is common in this 90's Top Gun parody. It breaks the 4th wall which i find hilarious. The majority of the jokes are about other films, actors or political decisions in the real world. It makes Top Gun look ovally serious and boring. Charlie Sheen is exceptional and his timing is like no other, every joke is pulled of perfectly which makes the movie even funnier. There is no movie wackier from the same time period. The movie was successful, resulting in a sequel (Hot Shots: Part Deux) which was a parody of a similar film to Top Gun, Rambo. This sequel was on par with the original, some even say it's better.


5.Narcos (2015-2016)
Narcos is a Netflix original series that first aired on August 28th 2015. The series is about Pablo Escobar, it depicts his life from cradle to grave. Pablo was a columbian drug trafficker in the 1980-90's. The series is gripping and action packed, following American DEA agent Steve Murphy as he tracks down Escobar. Each episode was filmed in Colombia which gives incredible realism to the scenes. The series includes gunfights, stealth operations, political drama, prison escapes as well as constant drug production and taking. The series is definitely not for the faint of heart. The series won several awards and a third and fourth series has been bought by netflix besides the two that have already come out.

Of Blogs And Men

So you're probably wondering what this is all about?

Put simply, this blog will be a recording of all the work i have done this year in my AS media course. All the inspirations, sources and ideas will be included alongside tasks set by teachers and films i have made.

In order for you to fully understand my work, it's important you know a little about myself. My full name is Jacques Khaliq, Jacques is french after my mother and Khaliq is Pakistani from my dad's side. I'm a typical seventeen year old boy from Devon, England. I have a dog named Bailey and a sister named Eloise. I spend a lot of time visiting my mother in her house in Bath (the place, not the tub). I enjoy arts and architecture so find visiting Bath city centre interesting for its sandstone structures. I like football, skateboarding and other activities, but nothing compares to sitting down to a movie on a comfortable sofa with refreshments on hand.

You may be asking why I've taken this course and to answer the question truthfully, I'm not sure. I've always enjoyed film and the power to create whatever you want for others to judge at their own accord. I hope this answers any questions you have.