TW: Storyboard Ideas

This part of the storyboard are ideas for filming in the woods location. These are four examples of possible A-Grade shots which we think would be suitable for our film opening sequence.

HW: Storyboard Ideas

This part of the storyboard are ideas for filming in the graveyard location. These are four examples of possible A-Grade shots which we think would be suitable for our film opening sequence.



FA: Technical Analysis

Inception (Nolan, 2010)

	Duration	Camera Techniques	Mise-En-Scene
1	10 seconds	LS establishing shot, slow pan	Sea location
2	2 seconds	MS – static	Crashing waves
3	6 seconds	CU swaying	Protagonist lying in the sea
4	2 seconds	Pull focus CU	Young boy playing in the sand
5	4 seconds	CU – static	Protagonist looks at the boy
6	3 seconds	MS – static	Two children playing on the beach
7	3 seconds	CU rule of thirds, swaying	Protagonist’s face resting on his hand
8	2 seconds	MS swaying	Children stand, young girl runs out of the shot
9	4 seconds	CU – static	Protagonist rests his head again
10	2 seconds	CU – static	Gun pokes protagonist’s back
11	2 seconds	Low angle CU – static	Gunman’s face and chest
12	3 seconds	CU, handicam	Gun lifts protagonist’s jacket
13	2 seconds	Low angle MS, handicam	Gunman looks to his left, dialogue
14	6 seconds	LS pan, tilted up, handicam	Another gunman, building
15	10 seconds	MS slow track forward	Inside room, low-key lighting
16	5 seconds	CU slow track forward	Back of a head, gun placed on the table
17	3 seconds	CU tilt down, handicam	Other item placed on the table
18	5 seconds	CU tilt to the left, handicam	The head turns to the left
19	4 seconds	MS slow track forward	Protagonist brought into the room by two men
20	8 seconds	CU tilt up	Bowl of food and protagonist’s hands
21	5 seconds	MS pull focus, over the shoulder shot	Protagonist’s shoulder and an old man
22	2 seconds	CU – static	Protagonist slowly lifts his head up
23	6 seconds	CU pan, tilt upwards	Old man picks up the item from the table
24	9 seconds	MS – static	Old man fiddles with the item
25	3 seconds	CU forwards slow track	Item spins on the table
26	7 seconds	CU tilt upwards	Old man, dialogue
27	6 seconds	CU tilt upwards	Protagonist’s looks at the old man

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to the first two minuites of Inception starts off as being an orchestral quiet, moody, and almost unheard underneath the diegetic sound of the waves in the location set. It gradually becomes slightly louder and darker, almost forceful upon the audience, until the shot changes from an outside location to an inside location. When this happens the music becomes even darker, signifying dramatic tension. Throughout the sequence, an underlying constant low tone of music is played, also conveying the genre of the sequence.

Evaluation

This technical analysis emphasises the importance of the opening sequence - it is the part of the film that engages the audience and 'hooks' them, making them want to watch more, or not in some cases. In Inception, together with the mise-en-scene and the soundtrack, the CUs, low angles, shot-reverse-shots and over-the-shoulder-shots all contribute to 'hooking' the audience. These techniques are an effective way of engaging the audience in the plot, and making them want to continue watching.

HW: Technical Analysis

Sin City Opening (Rodriguez, 2005)

Technical Analysis:

Shot type - Long shot, high angled shot

Duration - 13s

Mise en scene - Balcony setting looking over a dark city at night, woman walks out whos dress is highlighted in red. Fade from black at beginning.

Shot type - Mid shot, eye level

Duration - 15s

Mise en scene - Man walks from behind the woman, starts in darkness but walks into light to reveal his features and black suit. Balcony setting remains but lights are on inside the building suggesting a possible dinner or high class party based on the smart dress of the characters. 

Shot type - Mid shot, slightly high angle 

Duration - 4s

Mise en scene - Woman turns to face the man, city setting is still present in the background. Red lipstick is highlighted amongst the noir elements.

Shot type - CU

Duration - 1s

Mise en scene - Cigarette packet is evident, possibly used so characters can get close to one another. Woman is in slightly higher key lighting than man.

See shot 4

Shot type - CU, slightly low angle

Duration - 5s

Mise en scene - Half of the mans face is still in darkness so not all his features are revealed.

Shot type - CU

Duration - 5s

Mise en scene - More of the womans face and features are revealed in the light than the mans. Red lipstick is still highlighted aswell as the dress, possibly to emphasise the movement of her lips as she smokes and talks. Her eyes discreetly change colour.

See shot 5

Shot type - CU

Duration - 2s

Mise en scene - As the shots get closer and closer more of her features are revealed, her short hair and her eyes changing colour. She has black nails, and the cigarette is highlighted as white amongst the darkness.

Shot type - Big CU

Duration - 1s

Mise en scene - Lighter is the center of attention, as it clicks open the flame is revealed.

Shot type - CU, slightly low angle

Duration - 11s

Mise en scene - The white of the flame is highlighted with the cigarette, the smoke causally lingers in the air.Her eyes dramatically change colour and are much more noticeable than before as they match the dialogue.

Shot type - Mid shot, slow zoom

Duration - 28s

Mise en scene - As the shot zooms both characters become more surrounded by darkness, and their faces are covered like at the beginning of the scene. This matches the dialogue as he reveals a dark subject matter that paints the woman to be a darker character.

Shot type - CU, slightly low angle

Duration - 3s

Mise en scene - Most of the mans face is still covered in darkness sa he moves to kiss the woman.

Shot type - Long shot, level with characters

Duration - 6s

Mise en scene - Colour scheme changes completely to a completely black and white setting with no colours, where the characters are all both completely white and featureless. It is implied that the characters kiss however it is no longer clear. White rain falls even though it was not present before.

Shot type - CU, tracks up and down as it switches eye line between both characters. Follows the mans movement as he slides to the floor.

Duration - 30s

Mise en scene - The relationship between the 2 characters is emphasised, as they kiss one last time she rests on him. There is a flash to match the silenced gunshot sound before the gun appears, the woman is motionless as they fall. The rain is still falling and the previous dark colour scheme is present again.

Shot type - Long shot, very high angle

Duration - 13s

Mise en scene - The whole of the dress can now be seen, and its red colour stands out from the darkness of the floor they lay on. The gun is still in his hands and a cigarette butt can be seen on the floor, the rain continues to fall and create puddles on the ground.

 

Soundtrack:

Voiceover throughout shows the thoughts and feelings of the male hitman, he speaks in a soft voice and creates a melancholy feel throughout. There is lots of diegetic sound of the rain, the lighter, the gunshot etc. Quiet non diegetic music is used throughout, a slow piano melody. 

What did I learn?

The technical analysis allowed me to observe the number and type of shots commonly used in a scene, and has allowed to invision the amount of shots we will need for our production. Aswell as the types of shots we will need to fit the scene together and create continuity.