Shutter Island

I recently went to watch the movie Shutter Island and I was very impressed with the film due to the twist in the end but I thought it was predictable that Teddy the main character was the 67th patient in the mental institute. The storyline and the actors were amazing throughout the film I felt many emotions such as confusion, fear and suprisment
I originally thought that they're continuity errors like when Teddy was taking drugs with a glass of water but in the next shot the glass was not there though due to the twist in the end it was him thinking that he was doing it. I loved that the memories of Teddy was mixed within the film when Teddy was dancing with his wife and he dreamt she was soaked which in the end turned out to be that she drowned her children, bleeding in her stomach as she was shot and the ashes as he believed she died in a fire.
I was confused during the film because I did not know whether the workers played to be the patients, there was a continuity error as when he swam to get his daughter who had drowned and bought her on to land and laid her down which was a wide shot,then the next shot was a close up and then the camera was a wide shot again and the daughter arms were crossed on her chest however Teddy did not cross them and I did not understand the ferry in the beginning did Teddy make it up or did they go on to a ferry.
The film is very clever which makes the movie so intriguing as Teddys name was made up and it was anagram of the murderer and during the film I was terrified at the tunnel scene as it was dark and the audience was waiting for some one to jump out and the camera was hand-held during the films which was shaky which intensified the scene,
I thought the ending of the film was brilliant as the death of Teddy is implied "Would you rather live as a monster or to die as a good man". I recommend the film to anyone as it was a great thriller and it had the audience thinking the whole way through the movie.

Paper Heart

I recently watched the film Paper Heart and I loved the film as I found it a brilliant, light hearted and witty comedy about love. I found the camera shots and techniques interesting as the film is meant to look like a documentary with a fictional storyline. Some shots were by hand held and the film crew and the director is shown in the film as they are talking normally to each other and they discuss how they should film the scene. The use of an unknown actress Charlyne Yi and the lead women falling in love with an actor Michael Cera which tricked the audience in to thinking it is a documentary and it gives the audience an emotional bond with the movie as the film is about love, I thought this technique of tricking the audience in to thinking it was a documentary an excellent technique to attract an audience.
I loved the film as Michael Cera is an amazing actor and I loved how the film tricked me in to thinking it really was a documentary as the characters played themselves. The camera shots used in Paper Heart reminded me of our opening as we use many mid and wide shots.
The film used the same technique as my group did in our opening of using implied scenes for example, near the ending there in an implied scene Charlyne where the enters the door to talk Michael and the camera does not go in, however Charlyne's microphone is still on so the audience can hear there conversation and then the sound cuts so the audience does not know if the couple worked their differences out.
If I was the director I would of left the ending implied so the audience could of used their imagination if the couple solved their issues. However, it was still a good ending and I would recommend the film for people who enjoy light hearted humour, Michael Cera fan and a love story with a twist.
This is the trailer for Paper Hearts:

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Last night I watched the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still I was dissapointed by the lack of a solid storyline in the film. I was drawn to the film due to the actors in the film like John Cleese who is one of my favourite actors and Keanu Reeves. I did not know that it was a re-make to a 1951 film, which I found very interesting. By knowing this I want to watch the original to compare both of the films to see if the special effects makes the re-make a better movie and difference in the story lines.
I decided to watch the film due to the actors who were appeared in it and I remembered the trailers for the film which made it look amazing with the special effects. However, I was left confused in some parts of the film due to they did not explain the story and I found that they kept reminding the audience of unnecessary stories for example, the young boy in the film father died and when they were suppose to be saving the world he went to the graveyard and tried to bring his father back to life. Even though it was emotional I thought it did not need to be bought up then.
There was not a variety of camera shots in the film but there were many mid shots to show that the one character is in focus, two shots as most of the conversations throughout the film are only two characters and wide shots which showed the background. I was disappointed in the lack of camera shots as I feel that different shots have different impacts, I think low angle shots could of been used to show 'the alien' power as he controls the future of the human species. In my opinion they should of included a variety of close up shots as when they mentioned a scientific chemical I did not know the importance of the chemical in the story as I did not pay attention to it.
In the beginning I thought that it was a sci-fi which it was but it soon developed in to a story of love, compassion and death, which I thought ruined the story as it lost focus on the earth ending the audience also focused on the development of the relationship towards the alien and lead women. I feel that they added the relationship to accommodate for peoples different favourite genres and to reach to a wider audience, even though it is understandable I think it would of made it a better movie if they did not include that aspect.
Even though the film is not suppose to be reality, it is suppose to make the audience think about the possibility's of the story happening. Which is why I did not understand why the leading women in the film ran through forests in torrential rain but her hair is still in a perfect pony tail, the clothes are dry and her make-up is still the same. This really annoyed me as it shows that the women in films are also made to seem beautiful, when the situation is opposite.
Watching this film I have became very interested in special effects even though it has nothing to do with my two minute film, I think its interesting to know if special effects make a film. This is a website about special effects which I found interesting.
----> http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/question295.htm
I do recommend this film as it has good special effects and good actors but it is very confusing. This is the website which has people's reviews about the film, most of them are negitive but they are worth reading.
-->http://www.themovieblog.com/2008/12/the-day-the-earth-stood-still-review

Se7en

In Friday's lesson our class watched the 1995 film Se7en directed by is a 1995 David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. The story follows a retiring detective Detective David Mills who was played by Morgan Freeman and his replacement Detective William Somerset who was played by Brad Pitt, jointly investigating a series of ritualistic murders inspired by the seven deadly sins.
I loved how dark and mysterious the fim was and how the viewer did not know what deadly sin was next, and how brutal the deaths were but the viewer understood how the murder matches the sin. I thought it was very clever how the director used different shots for example, the upcoming to the deaths the shots were quick but the scene was very long.
The camera shots used gave our group many ideas on what we think makes a good thriller/horror film, the camera shots and the techniques we may want to include. The speed of the cut aways was a camera technique my filming group has decided to do as it bulids up tension and the viewer finds themselves on the edge of their seat, the ending were Brad Pitt was deciding whether to kill Doe and there was a very bright shot of Somerset's wife Tracy but with a blink of the eye you can miss it but it adds mystery as the viewer wants to know what it was.
I really enjoyed this film, but I was disappointed with the ending but after thinking about it I cant see how they could of ended it another way. Watching Se7en has defiently been benefical as it has given our group many ideas of camera shots and techniques and how it make a brilliant Thriller film.

The Shawshank Redemption Camera Shots

The first shot is a high angle wide shot in a Court house. A man is in the centre who I believe to be the prosecutor, this shows that he is very significant throughout the film and it draws the audience right into the centre of the action. The camera is very high and steady which makes me believe that a crane could of been used, there is no establishing shot which I find interesting as it just goes into the story.
The camera shot then changes to a medium close up of the opposition holding a gun, the dialogue also is very dramatic. The use of medium close up brings the audience into the story and draws the audience closer into whats happening. In this shot I love how dramatic it is from the dialogue, props and the camera shot and it makes the scene intense and makes the audience asking questions, what has the prosecuted done? and why has he done it?.
The shot then changes to a mid shot which keeps zooming in and the camera is very steady which makes me believe that it is on a tripod. With the use of dialogue the shot seems like a flashback of a couple kissing, the shot then changes to a close up over shoulder shot of the couple but only the woman face is shown. I love this scene as before the shot it was very intense ' I summit this was not a crime of hot blooded passion ' shows more of an insight to the story, and draws the audience in because they have seen the victim who they believe has been murdered.
The camera shot then changes back to the opposition mid shot, which could represent the present date.
A cut in close up has then been added to show bullets being put in the gun, this scene is very intense as we know apart of the story already that a gun was used and I also like how it seems like a flashback.
The camera shot then changes to a mid, wide shot of the prosecutor in the centre showing he is the person who the dialogue which is in view of the opposition is aimed at. The camera slowly zooms into the prosecutor face as he is told the verdict. The use of a close up is to observe his reaction to the verdict which is shock and fear. I love the use of close up as you can see his reactions and after he closes his eyes, which could represent vulnerability, fear or regret.
The shot then follows through where the prosecutor closed his eyes to a black shot this could represent two possibilities if it was a dream or a flashback which I find very interesting.
A high angle camera establishing shot is used as it shows the prison and the equipment used for the high angle may of been a dolly shot as the camera is very smooth and steady or a plane as it is very high and goes around the prison. The use of a high angle shot represents how powerless the prisoners are and the vulnerability the prosecutor is going to feel.
A cut away side mid shot is used of Morgan Freeman the narrator and the dialogue then changes to him narrating and it also could represent he is a significant character.

Thriller Research- The Godfather

I have researched the genre Thriller and I found a worldwide poll in which the public chose the best and worst of thriller films. I then chose to look at the opening of the top best thriller film to see what what makes a good thriller opening. The Godfather reached number one with 365,190 votes.
The opening is intreging as the screen is blacked out, then the dialogue starts with 'I believe in America' which is intense as it makes the audience want to know the impact of what he just said and it sounds like he is defending himself.
The camera shot is a close up of a man talking about his daughter and as he talking the camera is in reverse zoom, which is a simple technique but effective in making the opening tense and already the audience are sitting on the edge of there seat.
I love how the opening is so dramatic and it adds tension to the atmosphere especially the dialogue as it talks about how his daughter was assaulted by her boyfriend and his friend, the audience gets a clear image that the man is the father and you get a sense of love he loves his daughter and the hatred he has for these men who attacked his daughter, this is easily told by the emotions in his face and his voice which has sunk the audience in to the film.
As the speech reaches to the most emotional part 'she was a beautiful girl (long pause) now she will never be beautiful again' and the father begins to cry and that line and acting is so dramatic and the audience gets emotional as well, and the camera begins to zoom out and the audience can see a shadowed head resting on a hand in the left hand corner, this makes the film more dramatic as the audience wonder who the man is and why is the father telling him this and it also gives a sense of the father seeing a councillor as the men are sitting opposite from each other.
As the camera is zooming out and the man figure is becoming clearer, then the other men immediately starts with 'Why didn't you come to me first' this gets the audience really wondering who the man is and how much power does he have to be saying that he is better than the law system.
In the opening my favourite part is when the second man asks what the other man wants done and the father whispers in his ear even though the camera is in extreme zoom between the two men the main focus is the mouth to ear, they are both blacked out which adds tension, mystery and a interest in the conversation between the two men.
As the father walks away the camera is medium zoom on the second man, he looks like he is thinking but his expression is blank which makes it seem he has heard worse things.
The opening is so dramatic and I think that's what makes a brilliant thriller opening.

The Shawshank Redemption

I have chosen The Shawshank Redemption as it is a brilliant film.
Already in the beginning it sets the characters to the film as the main character is the narrator and everything is told from his point of view which I find so interesting as you already feel like you know the character.
As the narrator introduces himself and the story in the opening 'Their must be a con like me in every prison in America I'm the guy who can get it for you, so when Andy Defrane came to me in 1949 and asked me to smuggle him to Hayven in to the prison there I told him no problem' shows he is judgemental and Andy is significant throughout the film and like the famous phrase 'Never judge a book by its cover'.
I also like the camera shots as it goes around the prison with dramatic music which shows the setting and it can represent the genre crime and drama. I find interesting how the camera focuses on to the two main characters Ray the narrator and Andy the person who Ray was talking about, and what I found most interesting is that the narrator tells Andy's story as to why he is in prison 'killed his wife and others' the quotation shows that he seems really violent but then the narrator says 'he was Vice President of a large cooperate bank' shows that he was successful but then the contrast between him being a murder and the vulnerability in Andy's face as all of the prisoners are cheerful and banging the fence like a parade.
It makes the audience wonder what will happen in the story as Andy luxuriates will be taken away and he seems like a lamb being fed to lions as he looks petrified, he seems like a child as he looks up to the prison building and its so tall and it makes the prison seem like a metaphor as it is intimidating and patronising, which could represent him going in to prison and his journey which is shown through his facial emotions.
What I love the most about the opening is how it is narrated as it seems like the narrator is remembering it 'I never thought a lot about him the first time I saw him' I think this gives more heart to the film and it also shows that Andy's journey is significant throughout the film, and the narrator and then the character talks and there is no pause between the swap.
I would recommend The Shawshank Redemption as it will have you sitting on the edge of your seat as there are themes of revenge, murder, prison and friendship and it is a brilliant and memorable film as well as the lines 'Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free'.