The Pursuer (Long Road Media)

The Pursuer is a very interesting opening sequence to the thriller genre because of its use of camera shots such as long shots and mid shots, there are particularly close-ups of a camera and photos so from that the audience know someone is being watched and that the person taking the photos is the antagonist. The audience have very restricted view of the antagonist which creates enigma and suspense. The opening sequence is very successful for building up tension which is done by someone watching someone also making the audience feel very uncomfortable. The music chosen by the director of this short sequence cleverly fits the film itself, the music is very tense and good at building up suspense. The audience know this is an opening sequence because of the credits which makes the sequence look realistic.

The Package

Evaluation

My task was to film an opening sequence using the conventions of a Thriller. In this i have used technical skills with the camera containing a range of camera shots, movements and editing skills. Before i filmed we first designed the storyboards so that we know when camera shots and dialogue would come in. After story boarding i then went to look at places within the school which may be interesting to film in then i chose who to cast in the opening sequence who were also in the group.

Camera shots and movements

In opening sequence to The Package i have used a range of camera shots such as establishing shots, long shots, medium shots and close-up's. The first shot i used was an establishing long shot which sets the scene so that the audience have an idea about where it is set, in this case it is set inside a school. The long shots were used to show where the character was, where he was going and to show what was in the background they were also used to show the characters visual codes such as the protagonist was wearing a hooded jumper which was black which may imply he is sinister . Next there was a match on action where the charcter comes through the door which then lead to a long shot of the charcter in the room about to sit down this was done so that the audience can see where the charcter was going and who he was about to meet. In the opening sequence there were also close-up's nad mid-shots of the characters face showing facial expressions which may give some information to the character himself for example he may look mysterious or evil, close-up's were also used to show the dialogue. The movements used in this opening sequence was very little. The movements used was panning showing where the character is and where the was going because the setting had lods of different doors which may give some enigma codes. The shot reverse shot was used when the protagonist was talking to the antagonist (the boss) sitting at the table. The 180 degree rule was used where both characters meet up, i think that these shot in this sequence were not very effective i don't think that the audience would think any different even if it was filmed all in one shot.

Editing

In the opening sequence there was a few editing skills for example fade and cuts . The fade used in this was when the character gets beaten up and where the audience see the antagonist give back the package to the boss which fades to show that time has passed. There were lots of cuts used on following what both of the characters so that the audience can see what they are doing this was used particularly where the camera cuts between the protagonist and the follower so the audience can see both views. The cuts were effective because it speeds up the mystery and action keeping the audience curious to what will happen next.

Strengths and weaknesses

My strengths to The Package was the pre-production and technical skills with the camera. I felt that planning the story boarding were my strengths because i am artistic and creative with the drawings. I also think that i am confident at using the camera and that i can use different types of shots, angles and movements, which i think i done to an appropriate standard in this sequence however using a tripod the clip was still shaking on the uneven ground which needs to be improved on. My weaknesses in this project i feel that is the editing skills, to be successful at editing you need to take time looking in to detail about where shots go however for this project there was very little time and there were a few editing mistakes where we see the antagonist punch the protagonist, this was very fast which didnt help the audience understand what just happened. I feel confident about the editing skills now and i feel i may be able to make a good sequence from what i have learn' t. The only difficulties i overcome was the attendance from he actors which i learned that i must rely on someone who will be in at all times. Finally i have enjoyed making The Package because i think it was very useful knowing the technical skills of a camera and i also learned editing skills which will come to use during the real project.

The Phone Call Project