Section 1: During the production for
Battle Royale, my role in the making of the film was the director and the cinematographer. I did most of the film work besides when I was in the beginning of the film introduces the main character Jonathon. Also at times I had to capture the audio while filming simultaneously. In the scene where Junior tells Jonathon about this fighting, I thought of putting the camera under the table looking through it at Junior to make him look superior with a hint of mystery. For the ending of our film, it didn't turn out the way we, as a group, wanted it to end, but it turned out better then we thought. The ending we predicted and wanted to film would have took a lot of time and effort to get it done. We also ran out of time because of the post production steps(the script and location diagrams). Because of the delay, the time we expected to have didn't follow through for the last scene. The last scene was suppose to be a big fight scene under the theatre where lots of action would have happened and would of had a big group of extras. When it comes to filming, we need to manage our time better when we have a dead line to hit.
The actors that were casted for this film where part of the group. We didn't have the time to shoot out of class and get other people to play the roles because we were all busy in sports. On the other hand, these actors were definitely appropriate for the personalities and physical attributes of the character they are portraying. These actors, Luke and Edgar were able to portray their roles in a believable manner. In one scene where Luke's character gets picked on he smiles in one scene which wasn't suppose to happen but there was miscommunication when filming the shot. I think that both the actors have distinct personalities that give each character a clear distinct identity. The reason I think this is because Luke looks like someone who is shy which his character happens to be. Edgar looks like someone who knows his way around the school and the people and has a little bad boy edge to his style which his character happens to be too. There happens to be no physical and personality contrasts between the characters that I can see of.
These characters are capable of involving the audience emotionally. During the ending scene, the characters play the role realistically so that the audience feels the same as they do, how you would feel if you were being dragged away and etc. I honestly have to say that I don't think the characters are able to lose themselves into the character because its just a role they have to play for a little amount of time for a project. The talent pacing and energy level was positive. There wasn't a lot of trouble when having to put the characters in their mood. They knew what they had to do and what had to be done and they accomplished the tasks at hand. The actors read there lines correctly, but at times there was need for improvising.
The script is believable and relevant to its setting and characters. The dialogue is closely related to this characters and the actions that are going on in the scenes. This film meets the standards for a film noir film because of the betrayal that is portrayed at the end of the film between Jonathan and Junior. Also, this film meets the standards for film noir because of the lighting in the scenes and the changes in editing. The story and plot make sense through out the film because of the actions and words that are said between the two characters.
The wardrobe and makeup is what a normal teenager would wear. Since the main characters were boys, there was no need for makeup. Although, their wardrobe was what an average teen would wear at high school. Most of the film is took place in a high school surrounding, so we didn't want them to look out of place or too in place. We tried to make sure that between scenes continuity was occurring.
The music that is played in the movie is put at an appropriate sound level and so that it's not to high. In the scenes with sound the music isn't to low, but not high enough to wear it hurts your ear drums and that you can't hear the dialogue. The music brings attention to the audience because at the times of mystery the music is mystery type music. The loudness of the music fades in and out at the appropriate times when there may be no dialogue or during the credits.
The staging and props of this film were all found at our high school. We didn't have much props besides: money, a bag of chips, and a weight. The weight was taken out of the weight room to use at the end of the film and the money and bag of chips came from one of the group members. We used high school materials for props since our film was based at a high school. The set supports the characters rather than trying to get the attention. The set is not to overwhelming, but its neutral. The set also allows the characters, props, and wardrobes to stand out individually.
The lighting remains even and appropriate throughout the film. There wasn't a lot of lighting changed when close ups were made. We defiantly made sure that there was no extra shadows through out the film that would distract the audience from what is happening in the film. The sun was a major role when lighting occurred. We shot mostly outdoors. The sunlight remained constant through out the film except for the last scene which we wanted to look gloomy and dark. On that day of filming that scene the day was dark and gloomy and the perfect environment for a killing scene.
Type styles are appropriate to the nature of the production and to film noir. The credits and titles are legible and play within tittle safe from being cut off. There is no subtitles that occur through the film that may of distracted the audience. We felt that subtitles were not needed for this film. All of our titles and credits appear long enough on the screen for people to evaluate it. The type of font that was used is appropriate too.
The framing of each shot demonstrates our knowledge of the rules of composition. We made sure that we remembered the 180 degree line when two people are talking to one another and the camera angles change constantly. The zooms, tilting, and panning are smooth and motivated, as well as being appropriate to the pace of the production. From what I can think of, there is no camera movements that draw attention to themselves. There might of been one, but that scene was cut out of the film because it wasn't a scene that was necessary. The unnecessary and awkward camera movements have been minimized and adjusted for this film. The microphone placement provides for a consistent sound perspective. We made sure that the microphone was placed in the perfect location for the best quality of audio. At times we didn't need the microphone but for only background noise. There isn't really any noticeable differences between background sound levels and audio levels between successive shots. The audio is definitely clear and distinct in the film. We double checked that we were getting a good signal from the boom stick.
All cuts and transitions are placed in good positions where there can be a smooth change from one scene to the next without any difficulty. Consistent visual perspectives are maintained so that the audience isn't confused. Also, when editing the film and changing location, there is no jump cuts to where it makes the audience feel uncomfortable. The changes in locations are smooth and easy going. The information that is needed to know to reach the climax is shown at each moment in the film. The shots do constitute logical visual statements. The edit decisions are most effective for the story development and variety in spacing because of the smooth editing. Both technical and general continuity jump cuts have been avoided in conclusion for an easy going story line for the audience. The editing is smooth and fluid to the point that it becomes virtually transparent because if the cuts were jumpy then the film would be disturbing to watch. All the scenes that are not essential to the goals of the production have been removed. There was one scene that we thought we should keep in, but by taking it out it made the film more easily going and not as confusing and on going. The length of the scenes are limited to the time it takes for the average view to grasp the essential information because the scenes don't drag on, but they make a direct statement.
The narrator of the story is the characters that are being portrayed in the film. There is no voice over narrative, but the story tells it's self through the actions and words of the characters. The implied narrators of this story is that characters once again. The spectators supply the emotion to the story and the characters in the film. The information that we provide in order to fill in the narrative gaps are not much at all but the common sense of the human mind on the word betrayal. The time is presented chronologically by the beginning starting with the new kid at school getting introduced my the principal on his first day of school leading to his unlikely death. I think the genre of this film is mystery and the common genres in a film noir film. The film says about the time period that it was based on is the teenage high school life. The dialogue is extremely believable for the age group that the actors are trying portray and the time period. The point of view that i telling the story is from 3rd person. The person is uninvolved in the story and never seen. The story is seen through the eyes of an outside source.
We differentiate the good guys from the bad guys by establishing the new kid in the beginning and seeing his "friend" taking bets for a fight. Women aren't portrayed as any different from the men in films, but in this film there were no women involved besides the role of the principal. The film's tone is mystery and threatening which creates a mystery that is being hidden from the audience. The tone reinforces the values of the characters because we are unsure through out the phone if Junior is a good guy or bad guy until the killing finally takes place.
Section 3:
This film connects to film noir because it addresses the theme of betrayal through out the film. The theme of betrayal is a key component when it comes to film noir films. Also the black and white filter changed the lighting and it makes the film look more mysterious. The aspect of mystery is incorporated through the film because we wonder why Junior killed the new kid at the end of the film and why he takes bets in the middle of the film. Through out the film there is a moment of curiosity that keeps the audience on their toes. Also, the shot angles are also an important component in film noir films. Shots from under the table, high and low angled shots were used through out our film. We tried to use different locations that no one at our school used to shot footage at. This would cause the audience to wonder where these locations are located. What the group and I could of done to make to make the film better was to incorporate scenes that are more dramatic and using different lighting tools that are film noir influenced. Another idea would be to have a female fatale, a female that has a dramatic role in the film and brought more attention towards the mystery. This female would shoe dominance over the other characters. Foreshadowing the new kids death would have been another way to use lighting that would have an effect on the soon coming climatic moment.
In this movie, a grown man is the main character. In this shot, we get to see a lot about this man's character. He is a well-dressed man because of the tux, who happens to be in the wrong situation. When i first saw this, I thought to myself, why would this wealthy looking man, be locked up in a box? As we can see, this man is the good guy/protagonist. Also, later on we see a shot of him asking a valet for his car as he is coming out of a party, which may indicate that he is rich. Because of the fine quality of the camera, we can make out his face features, and his body appearance. We can tell that in this situation, he seems to be very frustrated and confused because he explains to us that he doesn't know why he is in this situation.
In the end of this short film, we see that the resolution of the story line is that the man in the box will end up dead. During this shot, we feel a finished feeling because we know there isn't going to be anymore to the story once the man is dead. From being part of the audience, we understand that the good guy will not survive because he is unable to stop the villains from pursuing their plans.
This resolution of the shot of the picture show us a feeling of sadness because of the blue tint that is added to the shot. Also, we feel sadness because we know that this picture is reminding him of good memories which he will never have again since he is about to die. We can tell that the man is cherishing this photo as he will be taking his lasts breathe spent in a box under water. He is putting this photo in his mind, so it will never be forgotten even after he is gone. These shots are symbolic to the meaning of life. It is symbolic to the meaning of life because you never know when things are going to change in your life and sometimes things happen and you question it, but an answer is never revealed to you. Life is unexpected and this picture tells us to enjoy the good times and learn from the bad times in life.
In the end of this short film, we see that the resolution of the story line is that the man in the box will end up dead. During this shot, we feel a finished feeling because we know there isn't going to be anymore to the story once the man is dead. From being part of the audience, we understand that the good guy will not survive because he is unable to stop the villains from pursuing their plans.
This resolution of the shot of the picture show us a feeling of sadness because of the blue tint that is added to the shot. Also, we feel sadness because we know that this picture is reminding him of good memories which he will never have again since he is about to die. We can tell that the man is cherishing this photo as he will be taking his lasts breathe spent in a box under water. He is putting this photo in his mind, so it will never be forgotten even after he is gone. These shots are symbolic to the meaning of life. It is symbolic to the meaning of life because you never know when things are going to change in your life and sometimes things happen and you question it, but an answer is never revealed to you. Life is unexpected and this picture tells us to enjoy the good times and learn from the bad times in life.
