Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Pretty in pink analysis 2

PRETTY IN PINK OPENING SCENE. 



Opening Weekend ; $6,065,870 (USA) (2 march 1986) (827 Screens)
Production Dates : 1985 
Filming Dates: 22 june 1985 - 12 october 1985


After the paramount ident we are the first title " paramount pictures presents " , the white sans serif font on the black background signifies a documentary style film. It is smart and sophisticated which could convey the type of it is soon to be.

The opening shot shows an extreme long shot of a wagon driving down the street of a run down dark not very well maintained neighbourhood. This is an automatic signifier to the type of lifestyle that the protaganist may live. 


After we are shown then wagon the camera pans around the area that the opening is set in. We are shown a rail way line that seems to be abandoned and unused and an uncared for 'field' which really just looks like concrete with occasional patches pf grass. The contrast between the title " pretty in pink " and the background image contrast immensely. The background id not pretty and is not pink , "pretty in pink " also makes you think of very proper upper class ladies that live in big houses in wealthy neighbourghoods , but the background could not be any more far from that. 



                           

After we are introduced to the protagonist through a sequence of extreme and close up shots . The shots show her getting ready for example getting dressed , putting jewellery on and putting makeup on. After around 15 extreme close up shots of her getting ready we are finally introduced to her along with the first dialogue in the opening scene. 






This shot is a medium shot showing our protagonist from the waist up. She is typically wearing all pink which links to the title " pretty in pink" . As she walks out of her bedroom she shouts " Dad its seven thirty". The act of her shouting her dad to get up and not the parent shows that she is responsible and that maybe she looks after her dad more than he looks after her. The use of dad and not parents also signifies that she only loves worth her dafd and that the mum is not present at this time in the film.






WE are shown the girl making coffee and the proceeding to here farther room where she wakes him up and begins tho talk to him. we see shot reverse shot of them engaging in conversation which is broken up by a long shot of the bedroom. The bedroom is also a signifier to the sort of person and the lifestyle that the protagonist lives. The bare coloured walls and chairs with clothes on shows a lack of money, and as we watch we learn that the daughter us persuading her farther to go take a full time job in contrast to the past time job her currently has. 

Wednesday, 9 December 2015

Heathers Opening


Opening conventions 

Box Office: $1,110,000
Budget: $3,000,000 (estimated)
Running time: 3:06 minutes
Summary: In order to get out of the snobby clique that is destroying her good-girl reputation, an intelligent teen teams up with a dark sociopath in a plot to kill the cool kids.


The first shot that we see is a shot from behind - a girl tying her hair up with a red scrunchie. This suggests that the colour red has some significance throughout the film. The colour red represents the colour of love, but also blood. We can connote that the film may be a romantic film with a twist. There is non-diegetic music playing in the back ground. The music playing is called "Que sera, sera" which in translation is "what will be, will be". This suggests that that anything could happen - often later on in the film the protagonist dent want to kill the girls but ends up doing it anyway. The title 'Heathers; is in serif text. This suggests it is a romantic genre. It is almost as if the title has been written. the fact it is in pink suggests it is about the female generation in high school.


There is then a panning shot over to a clique of girls, in what looks to be a high class setting. We can donnote that the girls are surrounded by a white picket fence and are sitting surrounded by red roses, another symbolism of love and blood. Each girl is wearing similar clothing but each has their own colour. The establishing shot here gives us an idea that they are a group of upper class girls who are very close friends.


This screenshot shows a different angle on the girls. There is a panning shot getting closer to the girls. Giving us an idea that they are surrounded by the little white fence. Everything seems normal and nice- typical high school clique.


The girls then stand up simultaneously and walk together in a line. As the audience we wonder how they are going to get out of the surrounding plants and fencing. They find an easy solution. The girls simply walk on top of the flowers. Killing them. We see a medium shot of their legs standing on the flowers carelessly. We can connote from these violent actions that the girls may not be what they seem.







There is then a tracking shot from the left of the girls. From within the bushes. Almost as if we are watching the girls from the bushes. giving a sense of creepiness. We see they are wearing different colour. we can connote that the girl in the middle is the 'main girl' because of her placement in the scene. The middle. she is also wearing red, which seems to be a main colour of the film. We can see the title beginning to come up on the screen throughout. It is is sans-sarif text which is different tot the title 'Heathers'. The titles are white with a red shadow. White symbolises perfection and innocence. however the colour red shadowing the white letters suggests something twisted about it, we can make a connection between the 'Heathers" clique and the text type of the titles.


The camera then pans over to front facing the girls; however we still don't see their faces up close. We see their feted croquette balls and sticks, each in their own colour. The titles are surrounding the the balls. The smaller ext is much like the initial text in a writing font. Showing the contrast. 


We see yellow heather go first. Suggesting she isn't the most important. We can connote that the film was set in the late 80's due to the clothing. All wearing very feminine bright coloured clothing. 


We then get a close shot of the yellow heather with the red heather in the background. She is in every shot. Implying that she is a main character. The hair is a key suggestion of what era this is set in. The hair is large. There is also the first sound of diegetic dialogue. "Dammit". you don't expect this word to come from an upper class girl from the 1080's. Again giving a hint of a a twist on the typical clique in a high school in America. 


Yellow heather then says "It's your turn Heather". the girl in the red then laughs and says "It's not mine!" as if they should know she was going last . The order of what they hit the ball could give us an insight to what happens to each character.  (Which dies first). 


The green heather is distracted by reading the book "Moby dick". The intertextuality here suggests that a character has a distinct connection to the main character of 'Moby Dick'. The protagonist goes insane about trying to kill the whale. The book is about obsession and insanity. What we don't know yet is that the main character of 'Heathers' interacts with a boy who has psychological issues and becomes obsessed with killing this group of girls. It ends up driving her insane and she tries to kill the guy she is with. We don't see where the two heathers who have been hit the ball. This is narrative ignigma. We assume that they are hitting the balls through he gaps. However we find (after the red heather goes) that they are aiming the ball for the protagonists head.


The red ball hits her right on the head, where as the other two miss. This suggests that the girl getting hit on the head and the red heather will be the two contrasting characters.


The next piece of language is "dear Diary". This links back to the sans-serif text of being writing. The girl is centre screen, which we can connote means she is the protagonist. Or what seems to be the protagonist.

Tuesday, 8 December 2015

Casting

Cast 

Protagonist One - Sarah
Protagonist Two - Izzy
Side Pink Girl one - Tia
Side Pink Girl two - Amy

Sarah getting ready (scene one) - Niamh directing
Izzy getting ready (scene one) - Rian Directing
Girls running through field (scene three) - Niamh directing

Co-Directing throughout all other scenes.

Screen play - Niamh and Rian
Story boards - Niamh and Rian
Call sheet - Niamh and Rian

No sound person - only non-diegetic music in the background and sound effects

Places to film

For scene one we are filming the protagonists in their bedrooms. We are using Niamhs house and Izzys house. Even though they are in different locations when filming the girls coming out of their houses they will be neighbours.

 This is where Niamhs house is. It is in Ben Rhydding.

The house to the left and the house to the right are the houses we are going to use to give the impressions the protagonists are neighbours. As you can see there is an ally way in between the houses - this is where the girls are going to walk next to each other and make eye contact. The first scene and the last scene are filmed here
For scene three we are filming in the graveyard in Ben Rhydding. To be respectful we are going to use a family members grave. They will be looking down at the grave, and we chose this grave because there are many bushes and Sarah will able to hide in the bushes and over look the girls.

Monday, 7 December 2015

Improved screenplay

Scene one 

Girls getting ready
 Sarah  (Niamh's room)

  • View of bedroom panning over to her bed.
  • We hear the alarm going off. 
  • Hand homes out from under the duvet and knocks the alarm off the desk along with other objects.
  • Moves duvet from over head and sits up abruptly. 
  • Stands up and film a tracking shot following her downstairs to the kitchen.
  • Shoot her back seeing what she is wearing.
  • Gets cereal out spills it - giving us a title 
  • Gets milk out - shuts fridge - note on the fridge another title
  • Slump walk back upstairs and goes back to bed 
Izzy (Tias room)

  • Shot crosses over - creating a split screen
  • Her alarm goes off. 
  • see girl with face mask on laying neatly in pink duvet
  • Places hand on the alarm clock
  • Gets up smiling 
  • Tracking shot to back room - looking in mirror
Sarah (Niamhs room)

  • Looks in mirror 
(See both girls looking at camera - we see their faces)

Izzy (Tias bathroom)

  • Does make up into camera
Sarah (niamhs bathroom)

  • Brushes hair and walk out 
Izzy (tias bathroom)

  • does make-up
  • switch shots to behind izzy - spills make-up showing another title

 Shown alarm clock, both actors on screen ( split screen )
The screen showing Sarah widens, we then see a sequence of her getting up, walking to the bathroom. 
Titles possibly in makeup, clothes and breakfast - cereal -
Through out this showing glimpses of Izzy getting ready.
Camera shots on clothes and semiotics - not showing protagonists faces.

Scene two 

(Extreme long shot - both houses in shot)

Walk out of their houses simultaneously - different walks showing different personalities 

  • Sarah walking at a pace putting rucksack on shoulder 
  • Izzy walking out strutting and looking around
  • Both exit driveway at the same time - not making eye contact.
  • Walk separate ways

We then see that the live next to each other, leave walking opposite directions.
Both on screen (shared driveway - walk out together)

Scene three 

( in school reception )

  • Izzy, Amy and Tia walk through the entrance as the doors open. In triangle formation. 
  • Keep walking towards camera 
  • Walk past we see the doors shutting in Sarahs face - sarah looks panicked.
  • someone lets sarah in she then walks in towards the camera (front on)


Scene four 

  • We see girls (izzy, tia and amy) surrounding a grave (Ilkley cemetery)
  • Sarah hidden in a bush around the church, dressed in normal clothes watching the girls. 
  • While we are shown the the group looking down at graves; we see flash backs of girls in a field and old photos that give us the indication that they used to be friends.

(Faded shot) Sarahs face - then continues with her business. 

  • two small girls running in a  field
  • faded screens
  • sketchy playing of old videos


Scene five 

  • Girls walk through the drive way
  • stop
  • make eye contact then continue walking next to eachother 
  • Black out - bang title of film appears on screen.
  • Flash on screen - photo of girl getting crossed out 

Both girls walk into shared driveway - make eye contact (shot reverse shot)
continue to walk into house - tracking shot of sarah into her house
(Low shot) Sarah - crossing picture of wall of girl






Wednesday, 2 December 2015

screen play

Screen play 

Scene one 

Girls getting ready Sarah in Niamh's room and Izzie in Tia room. Shown alarm clock , two on screen ( split screen ) then the screen showing Sarah widens , we then see a sequence of her getting up , to the bathroom , makeup , clothes breakfast. Though out this show glimpses of Izzie getting ready , not showing faces through hole thing.

Scene two 

Walk out of their houses we then see that the live next to each other , leave walking opposite directions.

Scene three 

( in school reception )
Pink girls walk into school , flick hair shots and on phone shots. No diegetic sound involving laughter   and the sound of phones going off. Sarah then walks in late to the slow and loud sound of a clock ticking that matches her footsteps. we then see the girls sat in a class together all talking , and Sarah looking through the door window at them , she follows them and listens in to their convocation.

Scene four 

We see a funeral and Sarah hidden in a bush around the church , dressed in normal clothes showing no respect. while we are shown the funeral we see flash backs of girls in a field and old photos that give us the indication that they used to be friends.

Tuesday, 1 December 2015

opening ideas

Stereotypical girl :
Pretty in pink opening scene. 







Legally blonde opening scene.






tyrannosaur edits




Overview:
We shot tyrannosaur once. Then realising that the footage wasn't the quality that was necissary we decided to shoot the whole swede again. This time we worked better as a team. Everyone had different roles for each scene (there were three in total). This helped us all get a different view on the whole production of the swede. So now we get the feel of filming, directing and writing screenplays and storyboards. We all had a part in pre-production and filming production. Then we each edited our own swede.
 For scene one I created the storyboard. The storyboard helpss us create the scene order and follow the film shots that we had planned to use in the filming. 
 For scene three i was the director. I didn't really enjoy directing, however the filming came out well with help from the cast. 
 Everyone worked very well together and we all had our own roles, whether it was being a cameraman or acting. Most of us took part in acting in scene two. The funeral scene. We all attending the dogs funeral.
 I think that all the scene turned out well. The extreme long shot in scene two worked very well in giving the audience the feel of the situation and background that we were in. Because a swede is meant to be the opposite of the actual film, we made the funeral have many guests and everyone genually missed the dog, where as in Tyrannosaur it is simply the man burying his dog in his back garden.