Storyboarding and 'P' is for Psycho (BLK Homework)

Why is storyboarding an essential part of the film making process?

- It allows the director to pre-visualize a motion picture, film etc.
- It allows the user to experiment with changes in the storyline as to evoke a certain reaction or emotion amongst the viewers. 

-They allow the user to re-arrange their ideas and to move away from their simple chronological order to create flashbacks etc.

- The process of storyboarding can be done within a group allowing a multitude of people to brainstorm ideas together, fostering more ideas.

'P' is for Phycho

What is happening in the opening sequence of the film?
The storyboard provides in depth analysis of how the shots should appear and how they should be edited with transitions when edited together. Firstly we are given the image of a male toilet door in low key lighting, the camera begins to zoom in until it mixes to a low angle shot of a mans legs, as the camera pans upwards we see he is clutching his hand over a sink. The shot cuts to a high angle shot of the mans possessions to the side of the sink and then cuts to an image of blood travelling clockwise into the sinks drain. The shot then cuts again to an image of the man wrapping his injured hand with a bandage before cutting again to a shot of him in the mirror clenching that same fist the camera tilts upwards and we are given a CU of the mans face before the sound of a door opening is heard and the man turns his head quickly from right to left leaving a motion blur effect. We are then shown a Mid Shot (MS) of a boy entering the bathroom.  The shot cuts to the man tucking a gun into his belt, the camera again cuts but this time to a Extreme CU of the mans eyes bathed in shadow where he says 'BAD MOVE, KID...' the shot fades to black and two gunshots are heard.

How is the narrative flow established?

The narrative appears fast-paced, concise and precise. This is achieved by the use of multiple close-ups, mid shots and one extreme close-up. The use of these shots coupled with dark lighting and shading make the piece appear ominous and the main character appear enigmatic and threatening. The use of pans and tilts somewhat slow the pace but not enough to counter-act the camera's placements. The narrative at first appears slow but as we find out more about the main character and the shots cut to and from different close-ups we are given a sense that the scene is intended to pick up pace and intensity. 

If you were directing this sequence, what aspects of the storyboard would you change?
Considering that the storyboard is already very successful at setting the scene and narrative flow it becomes difficult to find an aspect of the piece that i would be able to improve/change. However if I where to change something it would most definitely be the use of slow pans and tilts at the beginning of the scene. I would choose to change the pan into a whip pan as to make the scene more snappy and intense and change the slow tilt at the start to two separate shots and have a cut in between them. This will add pace to the starting half of the scene and make the 'Phycho' appear more frantic and insane.

Opening Sequence Analysis (DYM Homework)

Analysis to 2:48



Face/Off (1997) written by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary and directed by John Woo is a straight action film, all the way through. It is about government agent Sean Archer (John Travolta), whose son was killed in a terrorist act by Caster Troy (Nicholas Cage). In order to bring down the terrorist organization Archer takes on the face of Caster Troy, who was assumed dead but merely in a coma, wakes up and does the same. This short extract from the start of the movie is designed to draw the audience in, introduce the characters and deliver some knowledge of the characters back story to the audience.

The films starts to some eerie music whilst the main credits roll, a child's laughter can be heard as the backdrop fades from black to a slow motion merry-go-round with John Travolta and his son sitting upon a fake horse. This image is juxtaposed by the music and effects placed upon the sequence, We are made to feel threatened by the music as it appears creepy and disconcerting whilst we are given the image of love and innocence by the two actors in the shot. This makes the opening appear ominous and make the audience feel that something terrible is going to happen to either Travolta or his son.

After a VLS (very long shot) of the merry-go-round the camera zooms out to reveal a gun concealed by a blanket which is soon pulled off, this confirms the audiences suspicions that something bad is going to happen and shows that Travolta's character is in immediate danger. Caster Troy is first seen bathed in complete darkness indicating that he is the bad guy in the film. We are then given a CU (close-up) of Cage's character and he is seen with a straw in his mouth and with shade covering the left hand-side of his face, this shows the audience that there is some element of mystery about the character, and as for the straw it indicates
that killing someone is something casual to him such as having a drink.

At around 1:30 the camera swaps between the two images of Caster Troy with the gun and Sean Archer with his child, This shows the two very different lifestyles that the two lead. Sean Archer is seen running his hand down his child's face and closing his eyes with his fingers, this hints that the child will die to the audience and that it is Travolta's farewell to his son.

John Woo creates suspense by alternating between images of the gun's sight and shots of Travolta playing with his son, this creates tention and causes the scene to appear much longer than it actually is. As Travolta turns his back to the camera Cage fires a shot simultaneously time slows down and we see the bullet fly out of the gun and hit Travolta in the back. This infers that Cage's character is cowardly and dishonourable. We are then given a LA (low angle) shot of travolta falling of the horse suggesting a fall from glory etc. We again are given a juxtaposition with the carousel's horse covered in blood.

A single steady cam shot is shown after Archer falls to the ground where we see he is injured and that his son has been killed, this shows the passage of time and that in those few seconds his life has been changed. The camera then pans upwards towards the carousel and the music is layered with a whirring, screeching, nightmarish sound.


Throughout the starting sequence the background is constantly out of focus, with both Cages and Travoltas' characters, to show that it is an ongoing feud between the two characters and that all else does not matter.
 

Film Still Analysis (BLK Homework)

1. Describe your shot and identify in what way it could be described as representing your chosen genre?

My shot is an MCU of a white males foot chained to a weight. The subject is shown to be struggling with the chain as though trying to remove it from his ankle. My shot is intended to be from a horror/thriller genre and with a sub-genre of a slasher horror. This is shown by the lighting, the shot is dark and the camera has been put into NV (night vision) mode. The subjects hands are also blurred as though he is frantically trying to remove the weight possibly insinuating that he is in immediate danger with a murderer slowly approaching him.

2. What did you actually do to achieve the effect?

Firstly we changed the cameras mode to NV (night vision) and told our actor to constantly pretend to struggle with the chain to make sure that we could achieve a natural looking shot. We also decided to not include any other feature of the character apart from his foot as to portray a sense of urgency and that he is focusing only on removing the weight. We also placed our shot in the corner of a room, however this is not too clear, yet we did this as to show that the character is trapped.

3. Identify what is successful about your shot

I believe the shot is successful as it portrays its genre well and we are given a sense of urgency with the motion blur on the actors hands. It is also well taken and tightly framed creating a professional look and feel to the still.

4. What would you do differently in hindsight?

In hindsight I believe I would change the location of where the shot was taken as at the moment the flooring appears to be out of place with the rest of the shot. If I were to re-shoot I would choose to set it somewhere more dark and damp, possibly in a cellar or attic as to keep with the horror genre conventions. I would also change the weight to one a lot bigger and more stereotypical prison ball and chain, as at the moment it appears to be more of a doorstop than a serious issue for the victim.