Analyzing a "Pretty Little Liars" poster.

It’s a poster from the “Pretty Little Liars” series, season two.

Looking at this picture you can tell straight away who the main characters gonna be – four young good-looking girls, as they are sitting at the foreground.  They all are located pretty much at the same distance from the audience, nobody massively covers another character, what gives a connotation that they all are equal and there is no leader and that the series will cover the story lines of all four equally. Also the camera angle is eyelevel, what puts us at the same step as the girls – this may force us to put ourselves in their positions during watching a series, what will probably effect us further.

Moreover, I believe the directors had done a great job as this poster reflects and supports the contrast created in the name of the series. “Pretty little” and “liars” is the oxymoron, and the poster mirrors it as presents a contrast between nice white table, fresh fruits, high-heels(!) fancy clothes, all ripped up and dirty and girls covered with dust, sitting on the elegant chairs straight on the raw ground.

If you just glance at that poster – you probably would not notice anything strange. That what makes it so good – you actually need a bit of time to find this contrast, to see that the girls are supposed to be looking like they are about to go the the wedding, or the restaurant, but their clothes and faces are strangely dirty and instead they are in the middle of nowhere with some scary black trees on the back ground. It provides a connotation to the audience, that girls in the series would be somewhere or in the situation they would not want to be in, feeling lost and weird.

From that little piece of information we already can identify a genre. It’s going to be a thriller. And there’s gonna be a lot of unexpected, strange and dangerous things going on. You would even see some deaths and murders, some crimes, involving hiding a body, as you can see there’s a shovel at the girl’s feet, what also gives us an idea that they gonna be the killers.

What is the most interesting thing about this poster – are the emotions of the girls, in my opinion. There are 4 female characters on the poster and each of them provides a clue for the audience which we have to uncover.

Two girls on the left are both looking directly at the camera, but I would argue they have different emotions written on their faces. The blonde girl’s chin is pulled down, so she’s looking at us sullenly, like trying to threaten us. This gives a little clue about what kind of character she is – stubborn, strong, maybe even dangerous.

The second girl on the left is looking straightly at the camera also, but her facial emotions are rather mysterious, questioning, and even a bit tired. This may have a connotation of her being a weaker character, who cannot stand up for herself, but she doesn’t look terrified, she’s more looking seeking for the answer for me.

The second girl from the right is sitting at an angle with an open mouth. I would say she’s looking somewhere just above the cameras, what may be an indicator of her being a character who always look further, analyzing her current actions and trying to plan the future. Her open mouth may suggest that she’s talkative, or that she has a secret she’s just about to reveal to somebody who’s just above the camera.

The last girl on the right holds a finger on her lips. By the way, she appears like that at the every single season poster of the “Pretty Little Liars”, the directors promise the reason for that will be revealed in the last season. However, this gives us a strong imagery of this girl being highly important in the series. Also, as she looking straight at us we may feel a bit uncomfortable with that look at the way she tell us to keep our mouth shut. Moreover, I find it incredibly interesting how they put two girls I’ve talked about just above together. It looks like the one with an open mouth is just-just about to say something, and the one on the right tells her to shut up. This is a great way to make us realize that however this girls are equal, they would have secrets from each other, they are going to argue from time to time.

To conclude I want to say that this is an incredibly nice poster, as it’s full of juxtapositions in every little detail. I love the way the mise-en-scene is set, like they’ve ripped out a picture from a magazine and pasted it on the top of the spooky isolated place, with possible graves around. Just this one poster creates so much questions in your head that unwillingly you would love to watch that series. It also sticks in mind quite well, due to beautiful actresses and the soft pink and blue color, which, despite thriller genre, will probably be a series for young girls with love, dramas and nice clothes.

Types of cameras for fimmaking.

During our camera workshops we've used 'Black magic' cameras - which are relatively extensive and big. I wanted to find alternatives to 'Black Magic' and see what other types of cameras are used for film-making and what are their advantages and disadvantages:

Consumers 'handy-cams'.

Relatively small camcorders like 'Panasonic V180' are comfortable and easy to film. They are usually the chose for schools or families. They also have quite good microphone.

Large Camcorders.

Large handy-cameras like the '4k Panasonic HC-WXF991' provide a better quiality video and also have microphone and headphones sockets.

ADVANTAGES: some are small and comfortable, much easier to film than with smartphones or SLR's, comfortable to hold, good image stabilisation.

DISADVANTAGES: although video quality is better than in smaller handy-cams, it's still relatively low compared to prosumer or pro cameras (especially in low lighting).

DSLR's and mirrorless cameras.

Still cameras with interchangeable lenses are the cheapest way to produce really good quality video - it's their biggest advantage, wherethe SLR's are better for still photography because of it's moving mirrors, but too bulky for film-making - mirrorless cameras tend to be much easier to use.

Interchangeable lens video cameras.

Large sensor cameras are really good for serious filmmaking, as provide a very high quality video. Most of them also have pro sound features and can record in formats that stand up better to being manipulated during editing. Cameras of that type are best for serious filmmaking, like news and documentary (if they can afford them:).

ADVANTAGES: excellent image quality, relatively good in low light, lots of creative control.

DISADVANTAGES: most are really bulky and very expensive.

Camera workshop 2.

Camera workshop 2.

During this workshop we’ve been introduced to some more ‘filming rules’ and have been actually shooting our first sequences.

First of all, we’ve been explained how each scene in the film is normally shot:

    1) You start with a long shot to establish the settings and the whole body of the main hero

    2) Then you move on to the mid long shot to show the character, his action and his emotions better

    3) Lastly, you make a close up, emphasizing on what you need to make accent on: eyes, props, e.t.c.  

  

  

These shots are filmed in this particular order because it makes the editing process easier. When you have three different pictures of the same scene you can easily bring action and feeling of movement and life by mixing all three together. This keeps audience from being bored.

You also want to start shooting with long shot, because when you move to closer one – the actor is already comfortable with what his body is doing and where he needs to go, which hand opens the door, e.t.c. To help the actor get every shot right you may want to put a mark on the floor, so he knows exactly where to stand.

Another important thing we’ve been taught during the workshop is what is continuity and why is it so important. 
Simplifying, this means that during the filming process you have be continually aware of what is happening in the scene. Otherwise, you will end up having problems with your shots such as:

-An actor picking up sunglasses with right hand in the long shot, but with left hand in the close up

-A crew member (not an actor) hanging around in the crowd scene

-One shot may catch a second camera filming


THIS VIDEO SHOWS HOW IMPORTANT IS THE CONTINUITY AND, PROBABLY, GIVES US AN IDEA OF HOW HARD IS IT THAT EVEN HUGE FILM-MAKING COMPANIES LET THIS HAPPEN.
 

Not to make such silly mistakes you and your team should always be switched on and working together. There is a whole system or even ritual of what to do before you start shooting. Firstly, everyone who involved in the process of film-making and are currently working should yell:
 ‘stand by!’ to each other in order to tell their colleagues they are ready. Afterwards, the director says: ‘roll camera’, which is a signal to all operators that they need to switch on their cameras. When it’s done they respond with: ‘camera rolling’. When everyone is ready and the camera is on the director have to say: “action!” to begin the scene, and “cut” when the scene is done, what means that operators can switch off their cameras.

This Is HIGHLY important you listen to your director and do not start filming after action or before the cut, because  it shortens the time of the shot and can cause a problem during editing.

Another funny thing we’ve learned, which I would never think of doing myself, is that you try to rather not watch your shots on the spot – wait until everything is done – it will save you lots of time and won’t disappoint the actors, as clear shots without editing  don’t always look very nice.

LAST, BUT NOT THE LEAST IMPORTANT, IS THE 180DEGREE RULE. IT’S WORTH SHOWING, BUT SIMPLIFYING - YOU SHOULD ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU ARE FILMING ON ONE SIDE OF THE 360 DEGREE CIRCLE. IF YOU CROSS THE LINE YOU FORCE YOUR OBJECT TO MOVE IN OTHER DIRECTION (IT WILL LOOK LIKE IT ON THE SHOT) OR YOUR CHARACTERS SWITCH PLACES WITH EACH OTHER –WHEN EDITING IT WILL LOOK AWFULLY.  WE’VE BEEN TOLD IT’S THE EASIEST THING TO GET WRONG WHILE FILMING, BUT I THINK IT’S QUITE EASY TO REMEMBER – OTHERWISE, YOU CAN LITERALLY DRAW A LINE ON THE FLOOR, WHAT WILL STOP YOU FROM FORGETTING AND CROSSING IT.

Visual explaining of 180 degree rule.

Overall, I’ve found the workshop really interesting and had a chance to become an actress for 10 minutes while we’ve been practicing filming one scene in long, mid long and close up shots in groups.

Camera Workshop 1.

Camera workshop 1.

During the workshop we've learn the basic rules of how to deal with professional cameras: how to pack and unpack it, how to put it on the tripod, how to move it on the tripod, how to put a battery on, and other basic movements. We've been introduced the Black Magic camera and I was really excited about how good is the quality of the picture it produces! We've then attached a battery on the back of it, put it on the top of tripod, made sure that spirit level (a green bubble at the tripod) is in the center and had a go on moving it all around, imitating camera movements like a panning with a pen. Spirit level is important as it's designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical.

I've also found out many interesting things like if you need to focus a camera - you need to zoom in to the maximum, then focus, and then zoom out. This makes the picture sharp. 

"Yours" and "mine" rule is also important. You have to say "I've got it" when somebody gives you a camera so that the person know you are in control of it now. It prevents such moments, when nobody is actually holding the camera and it falls down. It's quite expensive, so do not do it.

Moreover, we've covered some important settings in the camera. For example, ISO indicates camera's sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO - the more sensitive it is. ISO is measured according to international standards, which are ISO100. Also I know know what is a shutter angle - it monitors amount of light coming in the camera. It's ideal settings is 180, but you would want to change it according to the settings; if it's extremely dark or light. Another example of what we learned is what is the white balancing and how it can be changed in the settings. You need to change the white balancing settings according to the lighting at which you are filming and the type of light you want to achieve. In the settings you can make it seem cooler or warmer, for example. 

This picture illustrates different types of white balancing.

However, as we've been told, you should always try to film without any effects added. Because you may change your mind on whether to film or not your work in black/white on the spot during editing. This makes it tricky as there is no way back. So film with no effects - you can always add whatever you like during editing process.

Is a Practical This review on the camera from the Select Similar your Youtube.  I of the find IT really interesting as with the guy Explains really a well, picture talking about abilities of the camera, IT's advantages and Disadvantages.

During the workshop we've been divided into small groups to have a taste of the cameras and learn how to deal with them. I believe I've done fine, and now am pretty confident in how to use the Black Magic in order not to break it.

Looking through the lens.

Learning how to hold the tripod.

 Just me and hromakey.

Overall, introductory workshop was really fun! Looking forward for working with camera more often ^ - ^

Analysing the opening sequences of the movies.

Analysing the opening sequences of the movies.

I’ve picked three opening sequences,  in order to analyze how camera angles and movements reflect the genre and affect the audience: one from fantasy fiction and two from thriller-action movie and series: "Interception", "I am legend" and "The walking dead".

ITERCEPTION.

The sequence starts with fast close-up of Leo, which is a contrast to what is going on straight after – where the same character now looks differently(no bruises, no abrasions) and appears in mid "above the shoulder" shot, which establishes who is he talikng to. Those two shots follow one another what makes it look oddly, like two shots from different movies being accidently put together, or two shots from different times in the movie, what gives an audience a clue that the film is going to have many interesting layers in the plot. 

This eye level mid shot shows all three characters to make it clear for the audience that they are actually talking to each other. The person in the middle seem to be dominating due to how the mise-en-seen is created – he is sitting in the middle, like a chairperson, with two men on his sides slightly bended towards him, what makes the audience understand “who is the boss” and that two men is wanting something from him.

In this scene the character of Leo is trying to explain and persuade on something. That’s why a close up is used – the director needed to make emphasis on what he is saying and showing, on his emotions, on his very calm and confident face. This is effective for the audience as gives us a first taste of the character in his body language. I also think there might be a little low angle, what makes the character look dominating and important and us trying to listen to him more carefully.

I AM LEGEND.

We can see that opening sequence is layered in two parts: the news talk of two women and how the man is driving a car in the town. I’ll skip the news talk and go straight to the part with a man in the car, which starts with showing the views of the town and the establishing shot of a town straight from a "bird's eye", where the audience can see the destroyed buildings, abandoned cars, chaos everywhere, what instantly gives them a clue that the film is set in post-apocalypse world and that the genre of the movie is thriller/horror. 

This close-up goes straight after the establishing shot, even before we saw the face of the main hero – we see his gun. The director kind of says: “no matter who you are, you have to have a gun”. Again this shows the audience that something dangerous is happening in here, giving a clue and preparing for what will happen next. We can’t hear any gunshots or any suspicious sounds yet, but the main hero has taken his gun ALREADY, what makes us fell tense.

In this scene we can see wild animals running in the middle of ex-town. This is a long shot, but what’s more important – it’s low-angled, what makes creatures look strong and fast, scary, while we fell weaker. This scene also suggests that even the main hero may also reflect our feelings. In terms of mise-en-seen wild animals completely ruin a picture of big city and persuade us to fear and think of how massive was the tragedy to destroy the whole city and make people abandon it. This is also a sign of innocence – animals might not realize how dangerous their position is.

THE WALKING DEAD.

Here the opening sequence is also divided into two parts: before and after the main hero is being shot, to show how it affected his life and how he was dragged into the world of zombies. The first season starts straight with an awful picture of birds eating a dead animal. I believe it's a shocking metaphor to an actual purpose of the series - it's scary and it's effective for the audience. This is also a close-up and what's interesting -it's nearly eye-level, what puts us in the same position as cruel bird predators or dead animal victim, neither of which roles is good for us. This awakes feelings of panic and disgust in the audience.

These two close-ups are made in juxtaposition. The first one is before the apocalypse, another one is after. Facial expressions of the main hero in these shots do not change much – he is in pain – but the mise-en-scene is the one who dictates the reasons for this pain. The main thing about contrast is how the colors have been chosen: bright yellow and orange for the first one to symbolize normality and ordinary sunny day, and darker, blue and green for the second one to reflect the mood of mystery, death and illness. This contrast brings the audience into the world of the main hero and make them feel his panic and feeling of lost as he doesn't know, just as us, what had happened in between these two periods of time - it seems scary, odd and supernatural.

This is a long shot, which shows the settings of the hospital, how scary and abandoned this place is. Such shots are highly important for the horror movies, as they tend to shock and create tension within the audience.

Summing up, I would say that two thrillers had something in common: the way camera moves, contrasting close-ups and long shots, and the settings reflect the mystery and tense of the plot.

I really like the way the “Interception” and ‘The walking dead” both start with fast close-ups which have no connection with the plot what so ever(at that stage), this really drags the attention of the audience, slightly distracting them from the main plot.

I’ve also noticed that “above the shoulder shot” or “mid shot” are commonly used in dialogues to emphasize that characters talk to each other, this type of shots is used in the opening scenes of ‘Interspersion” and ‘I am legend”(the scene with a dog in the car).