Prelim Task and Evaluation

THIS IS MY FINAL PRELIM VIDEO

After making my final prelim video, I had a group of people from my class watch the clip to review it and give me feedback and what did or didn't work.

All of my reviewers say that I have met the criteria necessary for the task. It has match on action on the door opening scene, shot reverse shot during conversation and our conversation has followed the 180 degree rule. In terms of the elements that the main task that would be marked on, the reviews and my personal opinion is that we met some of the criteria but not all of them. The use of camera was generally controlled and I think that the narrative makes sense. However, I feel that the use of mise-en-scene could be improved and this is one of the targets my peer review group identified.There is a game of monopoly in the background of our scene that we couldn't disturb but we could have tried to have avoided getting it into our shots, which would have been possible. 

One of the things that was identified as good in our clip was the use of shot reverse shot to show the different facial expressions in our conversations. This helped to build the narrative of our clip as it showed the emotions of our characters. One other thing the peer review group identified as a positive aspect of the clip was the close up shot on the table when we drop the money and drugs onto the table. It highlighted the importance of this within our scene. 

To improve our scene, one of the main aspects that I and the review group felt that we could improve on was the continuity within the clip. There is one part of the clip in which I was holding the drugs in one hand and then it cut to the next shot and it was in my other hand without showing any change in hand which made the clip hard to follow. Another thing that was left out of the clip entirely was sound and the review group highlighted that a score over the beginning of the clip would help build the tension and that it was something that was very typical of the genre. I agree with this advice and feel that adding a score over the clip would add to the meaning and narrative of the clip and this is something that I will definitely look to add into the main task. 

My Prelim Task Plan

The aspects of my Prelim that I am going to discuss are Setting, Costume, Props and Storyboard.

Photos of the room we chose

Setting: The setting that I have chosen for my prelim is an office type room next to our classroom. The difference between the photos above and the way we want it to look during the clip are simply removing the things on the wall which make it look like a school or college and removing some of the chairs and tables. The reason that we have chosen this room is because it is quite small enclosed space and could be quite easy to make dark to a desired level. These things would be useful for our genre in particular because it is easier to paint it as the sort of place that a gangster may hang around and partake in illegal activity. Also, there is a hallway leading up to it which could look like an alleyway where you might find a criminal.

My (Left) Costume and Charlie's (Right)

Costume: In my research I found that a lot of high profile criminals tended to be wearing smart clothing. Therefore both me and Charlie are going to be wearing a shirt and a coloured tie. This should give us the chance to both look like organized criminals and also express our characters. For example I am going to be wearing a purple tie which has connotations of affluence and Charlie is going to be wearing a red tie which could suggest a violent aspect to his character.

Props: The main prop that we are going to need for our prelim is a bag with something in it that resembles cocaine. We could use sugar or flour or something similar. This is because our characters are doing a drug deal and to make it look authentic and serious (fitting with the genre) it needs to look right. Another thing our group is considering is having posters of rappers, who are represented as gangsters by the media a lot, in the room to suggest that these are the people our characters idolize and look up to. However we are also debating whether or not a gangster would actually want a poster of one of these people in their personal space.

Storyboard: This is the initial line of events that we have planned for our prelim. There will first be a scene where I am walking down the hallway towards the room. At this point, we are not intending to show my face to give my character a shady feel. This could be done with a low angle shot from behind. This would mask my identity whilst also giving my character a high status suggesting that he is both mysterious and powerful. This could immediately show my character as a criminal.

There also needs to be a shot of me opening the door as part of my criteria. I think that the best way we could do this would be a close up of my hand on the door handle. This would maintain the lack of identity that my character has.

Then, I think a good way to include both an over the shoulder shot in conversation and the match on action would be to show me walking through the door with an over the shoulder shot of Charlie's character. This would also have the effect of empowering Charlie's character. With the over the shoulder shot, I am approaching him and my identity is revealed to him (as well as the audience) reducing my status and implying that I am there to try and bargain with him, or at least that he has the power in this situation. Still using the same shot I would sit down in the chair in front of him.

Then there is going to be dialogue initiated by him which ends in me buying drugs from him. To show the exchange of money and drugs I would use a medium shot of us both sat in the chairs putting them both on the table.

In terms of camera movement, I don't think that there should be too much of it. This is because I feel that way there will be more of an uneasy nature to the clip which would make it obvious that something that could make someone uncomfortable and I want to keep an element of mystery about the scene.

Research and Planning (Reservoir Dogs)

Another film I looked at was Reservoir Dogs. I felt that the organized crime genre has some parallels with the drug genre that we are looking to create. This is a still frame from the film:

This frame is from when they have a cop in the boot of their car. One thing that I found interesting about this was the choice of costume. They are all in suits which brings a sense of status to their characters because people with suits are generally dressed up to look smart for important events. When criminals wear clothing like this, it makes them seem important and as if their crime is something more of a big deal than petty theft that a regular person may commit. I might look to wear smart clothing in my clip to make my characters look like they are high status criminals, which is more interesting to watch.

Another aspect that is interesting is the fact that they are all smiling. This aspect of the actors' performance builds the idea that they are very casual about their crimes and the morality of it. This could imply that they have committed many crimes like this in the past and as a viewer it helps you build the picture of them as cold criminals. A nonchalant attitude towards crime is certainly something I want my characters to have and this aspect of performance could be a way to achieve this.

The fact that you can see Mr Blonde's gun clearly is a sign that he is quite open about his crimes. Whilst in America owning a gun isn't a crime, the fact that it is in plain sight shows that he is ready to use it at any moment. The use of props in this scene helps build an idea of their characters and appropriate props will be helpful for me in my prelim task.

Another part of this frame which adds to the genre is the POV shot of the man in the boot of the car. It creates a low angle shot on the criminals in the scene which makes them seem more powerful. Additionally the fact that you are placed in the eyes of the victim makes you more aware of what the criminals are doing and makes you more empathetic for the victim. This builds the image of the criminals as bad people even further. If I were to take any of the conventions of camera work from the this frame it would be the use of low or high angle shots to accurately create the sense of status I want certain characters to have.

Research and Planning

The first thing that I did in my research was look at this still image of a scene from Pulp Fiction. I feel that Pulp Fiction fits our genre. This is the picture:

As part of my analysis of the picture I looked at the mise-en-scene. One of the key aspects of this is the setting. I highlighted the fact that being in a cafe suggests that this kind of situation is usual for Jules. A cafe is a very casual and relaxed setting which some people may visit every day. This juxtaposes with the fact that a gun is being held at a person in this scene and this could build Jules' character as it shows he is not afraid to do this kind of thing in public. As the audience you think that Jules is a very powerful character is comfortable in any situation.

Another aspect of mise-en-scene that is evident, even in this still image is performance. Jules is lent over the table asserting his dominance over the guy he is interrogating. He is taking up more space on the table which suggests that he is intimidating the other character and perhaps an intimidating character himself. Additionally, the other character is backed more into his seat and has his hands on the table. This contrast of the characters highlights to the audience the fact that Jules is definitely in the position of power in the scene

The prop of the suitcase adds to the idea that Jules is a very assertive powerful character. He is guarding it from the other person which shows that he is not afraid of him and also possibly that he has something to hide. The contents of a suitcase like this is often something like a lot of money in this genre, and whilst in Pulp Fiction you don't know what is in the suitcase, the genre itself helps build Jules' character; in my own piece I think the use of a prop that is stereotypical may be a good thing to use to build the image of a crime genre.