Film Sequence Evaluation

Our film extract was filmed under the genre mystery. The sequence was for the opening of the film. During the opening, the audience are introduced to the two main characters, the detective and the suspect. The narrative of the sequence is that the suspect is unknowingly being observed by the detective, who is following her. This sequence is to set the scene of the film and allow the audience to begin connecting with the detective and allow them to become interested in who the suspect is and why the suspect is being followed. The microelement I focused on was cinematography.

At the beginning of the sequence I filmed a series of shots in a side street. The way I filmed the shots worked with the mise-en scene to create a rundown urban city effect. These shots were also used to create the right mood and atmosphere for the opening of the sequence. In this shot, in particular, I filmed the top of a wall that had barbed wire and a security system, in order to convey that there is a high level of crime in the area. This was part of making the sequence fit under the mystery genre, making the audience feel suspicious and on edge.  A slanted angle was used for a number of these shots to give an uneasy feeling with an interesting perspective. If this had been filmed under a different genre such as a comedy the shots would have been shot to create a more upbeat atmosphere.

This shot is of the detective looking from behind the wall. The shot allows the audience to see the detective’s face, clearly showing his identity. This is to allow the audience to instantly connect with the detective so that they can feel sympathy for him later on when he loses sight of the suspect.  This shot should illustrate that the detective is trustworthy, as his identity is not hidden.  I decided to film at a slightly lower angle so that the camera is tilted up to make the detective seem more powerful and of higher status. The majority of the shots with the suspect however are at a high angle or at equal height, which conveys to the audience that the suspect is of lower status.

This camera movement was filmed in the point of view of the detective. It should allow the audience to feel closer and more familiar with him. This creates a large contrast from how the suspect is meant to be perceived by the audience. Instead of the camera moving along with the suspect, the shot is taken from one fixed point with the camera turning in an arc. This is to mimic the way that the detective would stand in one position, with only his head turning, while observing the suspect.

In this shot I used a small depth of field, focusing on the foreground, the detective’s shoulder, rather than the suspect. This should make the audience feel like they are hiding with the detective, so that they will be on his side. I decided to film the suspect out of focus to create an air of mystery and to make her appear to be a shady character. Shots that hide the suspect’s identity are very typical of the genre mystery as they are used to prolong the suspense.  Showing the whole figure of the suspect is rarely used as it could give too much of the identity away, however in this shot it quickly coveys to the audience what is happening and moves the narrative forward.

This shot was influenced by a sequence in Series 2 Episode 1 in the TV programme Misfits.  In this shot, in Misfits, a character has been silhouetted against the blue lighting, which works very well in keeping the character mysterious. I tried to create a similar shot when the detective is running up the stairs. One difficulty when filming this shot was that the tripod had to be balanced on the stairs meaning it was easily shaken. It was important to make sure this shot was steady so that, when the shots of the detective running up the stairs were edited together, the sequence would be fluid. These shots were filmed to move the narrative forward as the detective moved through the car park. To create a darker more intense atmosphere I tried to create a similar blue lighting effect throughout the sequence by altering the camera settings to create blue tones. This meant that blue lighting did not need to be used.

To mimic shots you would typically see in the genre mystery, I filmed this shot as a frame in a frame. Here the detective is looking through a window and in the distance you can see the suspect walking past. This instantly conveys to the audience that someone is being unknowingly watched. This also shows the typical mystery narrative of detective observing the suspect.  This coveys that, in this part of the narrative, the suspect and detective are further apart than they had previously been. In order to include this shot, we had to film in another car park. I think that the way the detective is silhouetted against the window so that he less of a focus in the shot works well as it enhances the suspect’s presence in background. It should also convey that the detective is hiding in a place where he cannot be seen.

I used a tripod to film so that when the shots were edited together they would flow smoothly. The only shot filmed without a tripod was the floor level numbers in the lift. I filmed at the same height as the suspect with the camera angled upwards to give the impression that this is the point of view of the suspect. This gives a brief insight into what the suspect can see however I wanted it to contrast this with the point of view of the detective. The camera movement, showing the point of view of the detective, is very smooth whereas this shot is shaky and unbalanced.  This should make the audience feel more at ease with the character of the detective than the character of the suspect. It should also give the impression that the suspect is much more nervous than the detective. The shot of the floor levels also moves the narrative along rapidly as it condenses the time period when the suspect is in the lift.

We came across a number of difficulties during filming the sequence. Technical skill affected some aspects of filming. For example, for one shot, I wanted to create the same camera movement as in the ‘Partners in Crime’ Episode of Doctor Who. The camera shot moves from a medium shot facing the character to a shot from behind the character angled upwards. However I did not have the equipment or ability to create this type of shot. Another issue we found during filming was that originally we planned to film on the same street as the car park however we found that the location did not create the right mood. We decided it would work better if we filmed on a different street entirely. To make the first street flow into the street with the car park, I had to work with the editor to get shots that he could edit to create one fluid movement of the characters turning a corner. One problem we found when filming in the lift was that the lift door was reflective and would show the camera. To avoid this, the shot had to be cut by the editor to show the lift door opening.

Overall I feel that the finished extract was successful. I think I managed to gain a range of shots that allowed the audience to connect with the detective and begin to question the suspect. I also think that we managed to set the right mood and atmosphere for the opening sequence.

Hannah Sargeant