Ext. scene:
View of a large manor like house, around the grounds the manor is located is a large wall like hedge and surrounding the house are stone gargoyles. Cut to Harry Nuttel looking rather scared at his new surroundings, grasping a long dark cane he approaches the house cautiously and proceeds to knock on the door.
Character name
Harry Nuttel: War veteran, mentally unstable
Character name
Denise: the troublesome niece who gets a thrill out of lying.
Character name
Aunt Mildred: Presumed mental.
Shot -
A close up of Harry as he awaits for the door to be answered the shot shall be from the point of view of the door. Next shot is a shot reverse shot of Harry and the denise at the door greeting one another, then she lets Harry in the house.
Int. Scene
The house is old fashioned with gothic architecture, they approach a large banister and stairs that lead to a undisclosed area, they walk through the corridor to the living room, there Harry is confronted with a open window.
HARRY NUTTEL:
Why what a curious window, now tell me do you know of my sister she was a few years ago.
DENISE:
Yes Sir I am aware of your sister, has she told you anything about me or my aunt?
Harry NUTTEL:
No I am afraid not, her description of this place was vague at best so I am fairly unaware of my current surroundings.
DENISE:
So you don’t know anyone here?
HARRY NUTTEL:
Unfortunately not.
DENISE:
So I am sure you are unaware of my Aunts tragedy that happened on this day 3 years ago after your sisters time here. It is much to do so with this huge open window.
(CAMERA PANS TO THE OPEN WINDOW THEN BACK TO HARRY AND DENISE STANDING WHERE THEY WERE)
HARRY NUTTEL:
Tragedy? No I am unaware but please tell me more if you don’t mind.
DENISE:
Well Mr. Nuttel, this very day 3 years both my Aunts husband, her two younger brothers one of which was singing a song called ‘Berty why do you bound’ he sang this because it particularly annoyed me, they also went out with the pet dog to indulge in there days shooting but they never came back , it was said that they were all engulfed into a treacherous bog. It had been that dreadful wet summer. There bodies were never recovered, poor aunt always thinks that they will come back one day, which is why she always leaves this open window open every day until dusk.
(AUNT MILDRED WALKS INTO THE ROOM)
MILDRED:
I hope Denise has been amusing
HARRY NUTTEL:
She has been very enlightening
MILDRED:
I hope you don’t mind the open window, my husband and brothers will be home from shooting shortly and they always come through the house this way, they’ve been out all day i’ve been waiting ever so long for them.
HARRY NUTTEL:
The doctors agree in ordering me complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise, and on the matter of diet they are not so much in agreement.
MILDRED:
No? (yawns at the last moment). Here they are at last!!! (shouting at the top of her voice) Just in time for tea and they don’t look as if they were muddy up to the eyes!
(THE CAMERA PASSES THROUGH THE OPEN WINDOW, MIST BEGINS TO BALL IN TO THE SCENE AND THREE FIGURES ARE CLEARLY VISIBLE UPON YONDER, HARRY SHIVERS SLIGHTLY AND TURNS TOWARD DENISE WITH A LOOK OF INTENDED SYMPATHY ONLY TO FIND THAT DENISE’S FACE STRICKEN WITH A LOOK OF HORROR, HE THEN TURNS ROUND TO THE OPEN WINDOW THUS SEEING THE FIGURES AND THE DOG MUCH CLOSER)
THE BROTHER OF MILDRED:
I say, Bertie, why do you bound?
(HARRY NOW GRABS HIS HAT AND WALKING STICK. HARRY RUNS PAST THE HALL DOOR, THE GRAVEL DRIVE AND THE FRONT GATE WERE DIMLY NOTED STAGES IN HIS RETREAT, A CYCLIST COMING ALONG THE ROAD HAT TO RUN INTO THE HEDGE TO AVOID AN IMMANENT COLLISION)
HUSBAND OF MILDRED:
Here we are my dear (coming in through the window) fairly muddy, but most of its dry. Who was that who bolted out as we came up?
MILDRED:
A most extraordinary man, Mr. Nuttel, he could only talk about his illnesses and then dashed off without a word of goodbye or apology when you arrived. You would think he would have seen a ghost.
DENISE:
I expect it was the spaniel, he told me he had a horror of dogs. He was once hunted into a cemetery somewhere on the banks of the ganges by a pack of pariah dogs, and had to spend the night in a newly dug grave with the creatures snarling and grinning and foaming just above him. Enough to make anyone lose their nerve.
STORYBOARD - THE OPEN WINDOW
After making the screenplay of The Open Window we then made a story board of the shots that could be used, this was also created to show visually how The Open Window would look with the types of shots that would be used to describe the open window.
ANALYSIS OF OPENING SCENES
Another part of our research and planning was to analyze opening scenes of films, they were three set films and we got the choice to analyze two films of our own choice. The films that we analyzed by choice was 'Snatch' and 'Jaws'. The three films that we were told to analyze were Children of Men, Se7en and Panic Room. Below is shown all of the films we chose to analyze.
Opening Analysis - Se7en
Se7en opening scene link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k2gsEI34CE
Camera Shot/Movement/Angle:
Camera shots: The opening scene of se7en starts off with a close up shot of a book being read by a unknown character presumed to be sinister due to the camera never focusing on his face making him unidentifiable. You can only see the book itself and then the shot moves onto another close up of a picture of hands in the same book of the last close up shot. In the opening scene there are not many camera shots used apart from the Close up shot and the extreme close up shot is also used in the opening sequence like for example there is an extreme close-up when one of the characters are writing in this book you see earlier on in the opening scene.
Movement: There is a lot of movement going on in this opening scene although it doesn’t seem like the camera ever moves it stays in a fixed position at all times shots I thought was used in the opening sequence apart from occasions where it would seem they have used tilt and Dolly although there was a lot of hand movement there didn’t seem to be many camera movements.
Angle: During the middle of the opening sequence there is a high angle shot of a picture of hands but there is no shots used of a low angle shot in the opening scene.
Sound:
There is mainly non-dietetic sound used in the opening sequence of an unnatural sound of music which creates a sense of dread in the scene making it unclear what’s about to happen next in the scene. This is a good feature to use in your opening scene as this kind of music lets you know that the film is a thriller, so you know what genre the film is categorised in as soon as it starts.
Editing:
There is a lot of editing used in the opening scene, I noticed that there is editing used with the opening credits they are presented very sporadically with many movements this along with the faced paced editing in the title adds much tension. I noticed that there is a lot of editing used when shots are cut from each other so going from shot to shot which is advanced editing. There is also more editing involved where you can see an actor’s name and a close up shot of a hand at the same time which again is also advanced editing.
Mise-en-scene:
There are a lot of props used in this opening scene for example you could see the book which could potentially call a prop and there is also more props used in this opening scene like the scissors, razors and even the photo’s that are used in the opening scene. The lighting in this scene seems to be dark throughout showing us not much in terms of brightness which could again also add to the suspense or the build up toward the next scene. There didn’t seem to be much costumes or characters in this opening scene.
Location:
The location of the scene is unknown as you do not see much in the opening scene but pictures and what it would seem to be a hand of a man writing in a book so I’m guessing that the opening scene could be in an office however with the little that is shown it seems to be in a very dark and dirty location presumably abandoned.
Narrative/plot:
You don’t get much of an idea of the plot in this opening scene as I said there is not a lot revealed or explained in it so all you really can do is assume such as the assumption that the person this opening seems to be centred around is a dark and sinister character.
Theme/genre:
From the music and pictures and also camera shots you see in this opening scene you would get the idea that this film could be either a thriller or a horror with the fast cutting and editing. With the music building suspense in the opening scene itself I would focus more on the thriller genre.
OPENING SCENE ANALYSIS - PANIC ROOM:
Panic Room opening scene link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqIclb4qsJI
Camera Shot/Movement/Angle:
Narrative/plot:
During this opening sequence you don’t get much sense of the narrative or the plot in this opening sequence as for most of the clip you only see the titles of actors names and titles of the directors names.
Theme/genre:
Due to the background music that has a slow tempo and is mysterious it would make you think that the theme for this film is thriller and this would also be the genre of the film as well.
OPENING SCENE ANALYSIS - CHILDREN OF MEN:
Opening scene link to Children Of Men: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCTgUq6hzUk
REPRESENTATION
WHERE is being represented?
Children of Men is represented in London in the future of 2027.
How is it being represented?
The film is being represented in a post apocalyptic world with the remaining survivors in London, England.
Is it a positive or negative representation?
I would say this film starts off as a negative representation as it starts off showing the youngest person on the earths death.
How is this created?
By showing the death of the youngest person in the worlds death in a restaurant full of people crying.
WHO is being represented?
The main character Theo Faron is being represented so far in this opening sequence.
Eg. Do we have a “hero”?
We are yet to find out if this character is a hero.
How do we know he is the hero?
Because he is the main character of the film and the camera follows him for most of the opening sequence we get the idea that he is the hero.
Does he fit all of our established ideas of what a hero in a film should be?
If yes, what are these: if no, what is there in the text which makes him unsatisfactory as a hero?
Yes he does fit our established ideas, because you get the idea that this man is a hero because the camera seems to follow him throughout the whole film as if his going to have a great adventure ahead of him.
How are women represented?
Women are represented as infertile or unable to reproduce and conceive.
How is the future represented?
The future is represented gloomy and dull.
Can you notice any other social groups or places which are represented?
As the film is set in London you don't get much of an idea of what other places are represented like, but there seems to be a social group of homeless people and a group of working class people.
How are these representations constructed?
MEDIA LANGUAGE:
Made up of lighting, camera work, editing, sound, mise-en-scene
Lighting:
What is the lighting like?
The lighting seems dark throughout the whole opening scene.
What is the effect of this on the text?
Because there is no fast music it gives you a boring effect and a dark doom and gloomy effect.
What is the effect of this on the audience?
It gives the audience an effect that something good is
about to come along as everything that has happened in the film so far has been bad.
Camera Work:
What do you notice about the camera work?
I noticed that there isn't much camera cutting during this first sequence and I noticed the long camera pan or tracking when there was an explosion
Does it conform to your expectations of a major feature (fictional) film?
Not necessarily because you don't much revealed to you in this sequence.
Is there anything you think is done differently?
The camera pan and editing is done differently because of the genre this films comes under.
Why have the camera shots been chosen?
These are the shots that the director chose to use.
Editing:
What kind of editing can you recognise?
I did not recognize much editing apart from the opening text editing.
What does this do to the text?
Makes the text look more basic
Does it change the pace at all through the clip?
It did not recognize any change of pace.
Sound:
What do you notice in particular about the way sound has been constructed in this clip?
I noticed that there was a calm pace of music in the background in some shots, this creates a laid back effect on the audience
Why do you think these choices have been made by the directors?
To give you a better sense of the plot of the film.
Mise-en-scene (everything you see in the scene):
How have the locations been created?
They have been created in a dark way to give you a better effect that the world is dying out.
What in them suggests time / location / situation to the audience?
It suggests to the audience that the world is dying out and there is not much hope for all of these people.
GENRE:
What type of film do you think this is, from the clip you’ve been shown?
I would say this film is under the science fiction genre.
What is there in this text which you could use to support each of these assumptions of genre?
The text is too basic too support this.
ie. How are these genres created / communicated in this clip?
The genre is created by showing futuristic computers and cars, although they are futuristic they also look as if they are years old.
Comparison of Panic Room and Se7en
Camera shots, Movements and Angle: The two opening sequences are completely different in the ways that they are presented in terms of camera shots for-instance the opening to Se7en is comprised mainly of close-ups on hands and inanimate objects whereas Panic Rooms opening is made up of wider angle shots showing off a city with grand structures and a large skyline. Also a difference between the two openings is the Camera movements, the camera in Se7en stays completely still however in Panic Room the camera pans, there is use of dolly shots and tracking shots. A similarity between the movements in the two films is that they are used to show the people involved in the film making. Angles in the two openings differ for example the only real angle in Se7en is a high angle shot in the middle of the sequence of a characters hands whereas in Panic Room there are a wide variety of high and low angle shots of buildings.
Location: In the opening to Panic Room takes place in the New York skyline giving us a clear view of the city in which the film will take place however in Se7en the location in which the opening takes place is not explained and is up to the viewer to make for themselves for instance i be in the villains headquarters or where he goes to devise evil schemes.
Sound: The opening music used in Panic Room is mysterious and uses a orchestral score making a non-diagetic it and is created with a live orchestra by a composer it starts off eerie and building then it changes when a ticking can be heard it gives the film a sense of dread and asserts the film in the thriller genre. The music in Se7en however is chaotic and inspires dread through the rapid changes it goes through there is mainly non diagetic sound.
Editing: The editing used in Se7en is incredibly sporadic anfd constatly changing with very quick cutting and advanced editing. This adds tension to the opening giving it a sense of terror and dread, however the editing in Panic Room seems to be slower with longer takes giving the city a sense of depth and realness however there are no real transitions and the cuts are fast.
Mise-En-Scene: In the opening to Se7en there are a whole host of props being used by the character whose face we do not see for instance scissors, razors and a book. In Panic Room it is fair to say the city itself is used as a prop with the skyline. The lighting in both films differs also where Se7ev is is shown lighted darkly foreshadowing the tone of the film whereas Panic Room is presented brightly.
Narrative/Plot: Something both film openings share is there overall ambiguity for instance in both of these openings we are told little to nothing about what the film is going to be about the only indicators we have are how the films are presented and the music.
Theme and Genre: The Genres of each film are identified within the first minute they are both thrillers and we are shown this mainly by the music that is used during both openings with them both being sporadic and changing.
Preliminary Task:
We had a preliminary task to complete before we did the construction of our final task. The reason for this task was to show three three different types of editing techniques. These were: Match on action, 180 degree rule and shot /reverse shot. We will also link these editing and filming techniques to our final thriller/horror opening.
Match on Action Shot:
Shot Reverse shot:
Camera Shot: The first shot of the opening scene to Panic Room starts off with an establishing shot of New york city and a piece of writing that says “Columbia Pictures presents”.
In this opening sequence in the beginning of it the main shots that is mainly used is the establishing shot, but during the middle of the opening sequence there are a few camera pans used to tell you which actor is in this film and at the end you see a camera track of two women walking down the street having a conversation about a driver.
Angle: Throughout the whole of this sequence I managed to spot three High-angle shots and only two low angle shot was in this scene. The high angle shots I noticed were mainly of buildings in new york city as was the low angle shots I found.
Movement: Although it may not seem like it there was a lot of camera movement involved within this opening sequence, the main movement used was a camera dolly moving from left to right or vice versa and it was also moving up and down. These camera movements were mainly used to give you some information on the directors of the film, the actors and the casting. Even at the start of this opening sequence there is movement as there is a camera zoom in showing you New york city. Also towards the end of the opening sequence there is a camera track of two women walking down the road which again shows you there is a lot of movement involved within this opening sequence.
Sound:
The sound in Panic room is mysterious background music from the opening credits, with this mysterious music it straight away tells you that this film is going to be a thriller, also with the fast upbeat and ticking noises with fast pace can also help you identify the fact that this film is going to be a thriller.
Editing:
There is a lot of editing involved with this opening sequence as I am sure you have seen already from the first few screenshots I have taken. The main editing that has been used in this opening sequence is the editing of the names of the actors in the film and title sequences like ‘columbia pictures presents’.
Mise-en-scene:
There are not many props used for the Mise-en scene in the opening scene apart from the background of buildings in New York city. The lighting used for the Mise-en scene was mainly the daylight used as it is outside. There is no costume used for the opening sequence as there are no characters in the opening sequence apart from the last 5 so seconds.
Characters:
In this opening sequence you do not get much sense of the characters as they are hardly revealed but toward the end you can see two women talking to each other whilst walking down the street but you do not get any information of there names or anything along those lines.
Location:
The location of this opening sequence is set in New York city and this also seems to be the only location for the opening sequence.
180 Degree Rule:
Screenplay Of our Preliminary task:
INT. SCENE - DESCRIPTION
A boy holding heavy box’s he is on the phone with it pressed against his shoulder talking to his mum about moving out of his house into a loft.
RICARDO
(ENTHUSIASTICALLY)
Its fine seriously! (pause) no really i haven't even got that much to carry just some boxes you don’t need to come round and help (pause) yeah im just looking at the room now its alright well i have to go im going out for a drink with the lads see you mum.
SHOT
The boy then drops his phone on his desk and begins to empty out his box while doing this he comes across his yearbook he riffles through it smiling and occasionally giggling he then goes to the back page of the book to see a memorial to a dead student. A flash back begins a sad music score begins the scene is conducted entirely in black and white we see the girl pictured in the memorial being harassed and committing suicide again we cut back to the boy face filled with guilt and remorse.
EXT. SCENE
Flashback, cuts to Abigail being bullied by Ricardo and others on a staircase with physical abuse with music that has a taste of suspense from the start of the flashback to the finish of it. This flash back has no dialogue in it as it will create more suspense with the fast pace of music in the background.
EXT. SCENE
In the same flashback that shows abigail writing a long note to her family which leads to her hanging herself from an object in her room which has slow pace music in the background that is very sad and this also contains no dialogue.
Storyboard for preliminary task:
Storyboard for preliminary task:
Final Preliminary task:
FINAL TASK:
SCREENPLAY:
SCREENPLAY:
Int. scene - description
A boy holding heavy box’s he is on the phone with it pressed against his shoulder talking to his mum about moving out of his house into a loft.
Ricardo
(ENTHUSIASTICALLY)
Its fine seriously! (pause) no really i haven't even got that much to carry just some boxes you don’t need to come round and help (pause) yeah im just looking at the room now its alright well i have to go im going out for a drink with the lads see you mum.
SHOT
The boy then drops his phone on his desk and begins to empty out his box while doing this he comes across his yearbook he riffles through it smiling and occasionally giggling he then goes to the back page of the book to see a memorial to a dead student. A flash back begins a sad music score begins the scene is conducted entirely in black and white we see the girl pictured in the memorial being harassed and committing suicide again we cut back to the boy face filled with guilt and remorse.
EXT. SCENE
Character name
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Nunc vitae ipsum a neque vulputate iaculis.
Character name
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Character name
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Nunc vitae
Final Task Storyboard:
Final Task Storyboard:
