MrGrays...His Story

I decided to Annotate it to help me establish my ideas:
Basic Plot:

Raza is a 26 year old librarian at a city university - quiet and unassuming - he has not been in trouble with the police before.  Both are members of the local Islamic community.  Raza lives at home with his elderly father Idi.  Jack gambles on-line in his spare time and has run up massive debt on multiple credit cards.  Faced with mounting bills and the cost of his father's care Raza faces a difficult decision.

From this first Paragraph- Scene- Camera Shots must establish a normal day or Razas life.
Camera work(Shots, Movements, Angles), Mise en scene(Locations) and Editing must be used to represent his job of being a Librarian at a City University.
The idea of him being quiet and unassuming can be a good thing, then again used against him in court of him not speaking out about his fathers debt. - they don't know it's Jack.
The idea of his dad Jack gambling- could be represented through shot reverse shot of the contrast in location of Jack and Raza. Razas location at the library and Jack sat at home infront lazily infront of a computer on gambling. The idea of them being in masses of debt could be of extreme close ups of letters posting through the door or read letters saying URGENT. Giving emphasis on the words of mounting bills of post at the door- the struggle of opening it.
The Difficult decision-
Can be shown through facial expressions of Raza. Being torn between caring for his father and working. But he must work to some how pay off the debts.
Can also show a representation of his debt through him coming home from work and wanting to buy something to eat or getting money out of the back and there's a overdraft.
Buying something in public- Shop would be more embarrasing being among other characters in the store.
Trying to get money out and seeing the amount he is overdue could help the camera work emphasise on the difficultie- He could smash his first against the machine, A close up of his first could be interperted/anchored as many stress, agressive issues.


Police arrive at the family home to inform Idi that Raza has been arrested at work - charged with the murder of a local man, Frank Cordingley (a colleague of Raza's, from the University - he is a security guard, and ex-soldier - having served in Iraq and Afghanistan).  Cordingley is found dead in his flat, following the extraction of a large amount of money from his bank account.  A neighbour has identified Raza as visiting the house earlier in the day.  Questioning takes place.

The Camera follows a cop car, it stops short of a house. Razas house. Two people- women police officers exit the car, the only sound is their footsteps on the empty street- flowers hanging on the balcony of Franks flat. Peoples curtains-nets twitching as nosey neighbours eyes follow the women as the walk through the front of the garden up to the steps and to Razas front door. The editing moves back to the location of the libary as many police surround the back and front of the premiss. The the signal of a policemans hand- 3 fingers counting down..  3 2 1.
"GO GO GO!" The echoe of the word Go. The police storm through the doors. Ask Raza questions- the sound is blocked out- music is played. The camera work emphasises on the characters lips for the audience to sort of make out what they are saying but can visually see whats going on. The idea of it being Raza is established as the murderer was wearing the same clothes as him and him and Frank were having an arguement over Jack.
Then the words of the policemen " I am arresting you on suspision of Murder, You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you say may be given in evidence."
At that the noise cuts to the sound of the doorbell.
Razas father opens the door. They walk in. He follows them in to the living room. Jack sees them, switches off the computer and acts shifty and alert- through camera shots and transitions within the camera.They gesture the father to sit down. He sits.
The editing changes the camera back to Raza getting assisted to a police van. He gets shoved in. Then the editing changes back to Razas fathers facial expressions of disbelief.

Idi does not believe that his son is capable of such an act - but the situation is complicated by Raza's behaviour. He has retreated completely into himself, and is refusing to speak.  The police inspector DCI Hammond (female) is convinced of Raza's guilt and wants a conviction to bolster the public's confidence in the system.  She is aggressive in her approach and single-minded.  Her sergeant, Sgt. Tomas Imanov does not believe that the evidence adds up (despite being the one to uncover Raza's gambling debts).  He is sympathetic to Raza's case, but frustrated by his vow of silence.

Sound through Dialogue can be used to show Idis beliefs about Raza being innocent- could be talking to a police women, Jack or even muttering to himself- to convince the audience he believes Raza is innocent.
Razas behaviour must be shown through Camera shots( such as close ups) - editing of flashbacks- sound being a sympathetic soundtrack- emphasise on the mood of current events and the emotion of Razas character.

Raza is held on remand in a large, inner-city prison.  The inmates are primarily white and react badly to a Muslim accused of murdering a British soldier.  One of the prisoners (another ex-soldier), Danny Blick is serving 20 years for the rape of a young women.  He takes it upon himelf to organise a campaign of intimidation and violence against Raza.  The prison guards are not sympathetic to Raza, but want to avoid any calls of institutional racism.

Raza is put on Trial at the Old Bailey - he is being prosecuted by a charismatic and ambitious Barrister, Ali, aged 30 (from a Muslim background - but not devout).  Ali realises that a conviction of Raza will be his meal-ticket to landing a promotion to partner at his legal chambers.  His defence lawyer, Stirling Ellison  is an ancient and apparently disinterested barrister (male, 65) who is close to retirement.  Things do not look good for Raza - he finally breaks his oath of silence on the witness stand (under intense pressure from Ali) and the revelation is shocking.  Things go from bad to worse outside the courtroom as sectarian (religious conflict) tension rises in London.  Inside the courtroom, the case is about to go down ... until Striling Ellison rises to make his case for the defence - surprising everybody with a virtuoso perfomance he hasn't put in for years....

Oh ... and by the way ... Raza didn't kill Frank.

It wasn't Raza. At the end of the scene you see a over the shoulder shot from a dark figure, the figure watching Raza. The camera view changes through editing to a close up of the dark figures eyes. The eyes turn get smaller- distant as the camera zooms out to the image of Jack.

Story I made.. BASE for Film:)

I had a feeling I was being followed. I looked behind me, nothing there. The pouring rain was cool on my burning checks. They were probably bright red from the night club. Why did I even go there in the first place? I was looking for answers; I know what I have to do. Leave. I know it's not safe.
The darkness can be a scary place. Especially when you’re on your own. My imagination always runs wild. Always.
My body feels numb. Goose bumps run up and down my arms as a cool breeze washes over me. The stale air rushes through me as if I am merely a sheet of paper being shoved around by the element of air.
Then the smell hits me. A smell of someone. Someone close. Too close. Them.
I continued running through the abandoned narrow, never ending alley way. I can hardly concentrate, as the load thudding of my heart fills the silence of the night. Every heart beat echoes louder that the one before. The shallow breathes escape from my mouth aren’t helping me stay less paranoid. Nothing's there. Nothing's there. Is all that runs through my mind. But the truth is even my mind knows there, there.
It's foggy and dark, only the light from the spaced out street lamps guide me a faint pathway infront but I can hardly see. I could be stepping in dog crap for all i know. The full moon shines high in the cloudless sky with its companions the stars. Making me feel less lonely but not less scared.
The sounds of the whooshing breeze sweep across and through the hollow large willow trees and bushes. There branches and the 6ft tangled up fence look as if they are stalking and taunting me. The wind whirls through me, knotting my hair. I can almost see myself in a mirror right now, soaking knotted hair; make up all run down my face. Very attractive. Erh.
I can feel the branches now as they scratch across my face from the overgrown trees but my feet are not failing me. For once. Even with water soaking through to my socks and between my toes. Disgust-
"NAME...?" The familiar voice echoes through the silent night, My body freezes instinctively. My legs slow down weakly into a mere jog. I cringe and move further and faster away from the voice. NAME voice. That was-
Feet don't fail my now. My feet pick up speed. Yes. But they will catch me, sooner or later. Shut up and Run!
The thudding noises of footsteps follow heavily behind. Getting louder and louder. I know they can hear my footsteps splashing though the puddles, but the shallow breathes escaping my lips aren't exactly helping and-
"Where do you think you're going then, aye. “NAME?" Said a familiar voice. I know its NAME. His whole body was standing in the exit to the alley. I have to get out of here. Now. My eyes scan around. Trying not to draw attention to where I'm looking, keeping my head still. Stay calm, I slowly turn around.
"Ha-ha."
There all here. Everywhere. No escape. Over the fence? Oh damn. Too Small. Forget it, worth a try.
"Aww, Look what we got here lads. No escape little NAME. Where are your heroes now aye?" NAME’s voice is eager to slice my thoughts.
"Right behind you, bitch." Now Jump.
"Huh?" He looks around but in the same split of a second someone has hold of my leg. Oh crap. "Haha, really? How pathetic, still fighting. You haven't a chance darling." If I move he will have me, but heck he's gunnah have me anyway. I pull my leg away from his grip.
A massive sweaty palm stretches wide infront of my face. Getting closer and closer. The hand grasps me. Grasping a tight hold around my top. I'm going to die. I'm not longer touching the ground and I have feel the arm tense. My eyes automatically shut. I don’t want to see what one of them it is, I just want the pain to stop. Well, at least NAME and the family I always saw me being apart of are away safe. I can never put them at danger or risk to the world again. They can live- "
"Open your eyes I want to watch the fear in your eyes as I kill you. The memories in my mind will be a great and welcoming opportunity when NAME touches me-"
My eyes flash open. I can't breathe."He will never touch you."
"Oh, on the contrary he will want to know how his little bit of humanity was killed. He will turn rouge. Into one of us."
"Never." I meant to spit the word as if he didn’t scare me. The truth is he don't but the word barely came out. Hearing his name again...Just-
"Any last words."
What the hell. "Yeah I have a few things to say. One Tristan will never be any of you." Laughter erupted but that isn't going to stop me. I'm not finished. "Two, you are not scary. None of you. You are all scum. I mean even my little sister is scarier than you. Ha. What a disgrace. Oh and three-"
I had been building saliva up in my mouth. I spat at him. He didn't even flinch.
He wiped his hand across his face as if he was sweating and removed my saliva. I smiled. I mean, you got to die fighting right and they are really getting on my nerves. Heck I'm gunnah die anyway lets just get it over with. He laughs.
"Go to hell."
"Aww sweetie, still to last breathe you fight. Ha and surely you should know I don't cave to such flattery."
"What.... do mon- Vampires cave on."
"Innocent blood, power, and the truth is you will never know who you truly are. Goodbye NAME."
His hand grips tighter. My lungs are gasping growing tighter and tighter. Who I really am?
My eyes stay fixed on the piecing red eyes.
Images of dripping blood fill my mind. Please be fast. Please not the same torture. No ghosts. No holes. Just fast death.
As If he knew what I was thinking my whole body slams to the floor. Agony hits like a double Decker bus. Legs and arms pound me and my body feels odd. I can feel my body being torn and broken. I hold the screams, close my eyes and I just lay here silent and waiting for death to come.
The thudding of the body parts that pound me echoes through the night. I hold my legs tightly up against my chest. The pain in my chest hurts so badly. He winded me. I hold my eyes shut and the darkness slowly and finally has started to emerge.
Tires screech in a distance. Car doors slam. Great there's more of them, come to watch the final episode. Seems so far away but they will be here in seconds. I jolt as the guy holds me by the scruff of what’s left of my torn top. His red piercing eyes scar through my soul. He smiles admiring his work.
"It's only just begun. They're here. You're the live of the party. Bag her."
***************************************
I wake up disorientated. Broken with blood. Why aren't I dead?!
GRAVEYARD
"Get off her." My head snaps up. Blood pour, and drips from my face. Can it really be? I can't feel the pain as I see him walk out of the darkness and into view. To me. My body is frozen on the floor. My attack looks at him. Happy to have made him squirm. Happy to have made him in pain. I stare at him. It's really him. I follow him gaze unwillingly to the attack. His eyes still on me hungry. So this has to be it. I can't move and I can see my family, my angel, my world going to disappear infront of me. The scene of hatred. If looks could kill. I wish they could.
NAME, my attacker leans forward ready to strike. I know what’s coming. So do you.
"NO!!!!!!!!!"
The blade is sharp. It was like, I was a soft amount of butter as it seeped into me. Deep into my stomach. My voice and lips gave out a gasp. My body wasn't going to give out the satisfaction of a scream. Well the truth was I'm too tired to move. Too tired to fight. Too tired to live anymore. But they aren't save, the voice of NAME made my body shake.
My eyelids are like shutters, constantly opening and shutting. Flicking. I can see everyone. I can see, I just can't hear.

Mise en Scène :)

Mise-en-scène is generated by the construction of shots and the ways that they lead to visual coherence, across the edits from shot to shot. It includes all the elements in front of the camera that compose a shot: lighting; use of black and white or color; placement of characters in the scene; design of elements within the shot (part of the process of production design); placement of camera characters in the set; movement of camera and/or actors; composition of the shot as a whole how it is framed and what is in the frame. Even music may be considered part of mise-en-scène. While not seen, at its best music enhances the visual and narrative construction of the shot.

Cinematic mise-en-scène refers to how directors, working in concert with their cinematographers and production designers, articulate indeed, create the spatial elements and coordinates in the shot and succeed in composing well-defined, coherent, fictional worlds. Composition and the articulation of space within a film carry as much narrative power and meaning as its characters' dialogue. Mise en scène is thus part of a film's narrative, but it can tell a larger story, indicating things about the events and characters that go beyond any words they utter.

Mise en scène can also be an evaluative term. Critics may claim a film does or does not possess mise en scène. For example, if a film depends entirely on dialogue to tell its story, if its visual structure is made up primarily of a static camera held at eye level on characters who are speaking in any given scene, if its lighting is bright, even, and shadowless, it lacks mise en scène. On a more subjective level, if a viewer's eyes drift away from the screen because there isn't much of interest to look at, the film lacks mise-en-scène. Such a film may succeed on other levels, but not visually; it is constructed not in the camera but in the editing room, where the process is much cheaper because actors are absent. Films with good dialogue, well-constructed narrative, and scant mise en scène can still be quite effective.

Film makers of Mise en Scène
Mise-en-scène has preoccupied filmmakers in several countries and periods. German expressionism developed immediately following World War I. In painting, writing, and filmmaking, expressionism was a mise-en-scène cinema, expressing the psychological turmoil of the characters in terms of the space inhabited by its characters. Major representatives of German expressionism in film include Robert Wiene's Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari ( The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari , 1920) and F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens , the first Dracula movie (1922). These and many others created a dark and anxious visual field, uneasy and frightening. German expressionism had enormous influence when its practitioners moved to the United States: Murnau's Sunrise (1927); Universal Studio's horror films of the early 1930s such as Frankenstein (1931), Dracula (1931), and their sequels; Citizen Kane (1941); the film noir genre of the 1940s; Psycho (1960); and Taxi Driver (1976). These, among others, borrowed their idea of mise-en-scène from German expressionism, though it was not the only influence on these films.

Camera Movement :)

A director may choose to move action along by telling the story as a series of cuts, going from one shot to another, or they may decide to move the camera with the action. Moving the camera often takes a great deal of time, and makes the action seem slower, as it takes several second for a moving camera shot to be effective, when the same information may be placed on screen in a series of fast cuts. Not only must the style of movement be chosen, but the method of actually moving the camera must be selected too. There are seven basic methods:

1.) Pan
A movement which scans a scene horizontally. The camera is placed on a tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned, often to follow a moving object which is kept in the middle of the frame.

2.) Tilts
A movement which scans a scene vertically, otherwise similar to a pan.

3.) Dolly Shots
Sometimes called TRUCKING or TRACKING shots. The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object. Complicated dolly shots will involve a track being laid on set for the camera to follow, hence the name. The camera might be mounted on a car, a plane, or even a shopping trolley (good method for independent film-makers looking to save a few dollars). A dolly shot may be a good way of portraying movement, the journey of a character for instance, or for moving from a long shot to a close-up, gradually focusing the audience on a particular object or character.

4.) Hand Held Shots
The hand-held movie camera first saw widespread use during World War II, when news reporters took their windup Arriflexes and Eyemos into the heat of battle, producing some of the most arresting footage of the twentieth century. After the war, it took a while for commercially produced movies to catch up, and documentary makers led the way, demanding the production of smaller, lighter cameras that could be moved in and out of a scene with speed, producing a "fly-on-the-wall" effect.This aesthetic took a while to catch on with mainstream Hollywood, as it gives a jerky, ragged effect, totally at odds with the organised smoothness of a dolly shot. The Steadicam (a heavy contraption which is attached a camera to an operator by a harness. The camera is stabilized so it moves independently) was debuted in Marathon Man (1976), bringing a new smoothness to hand held camera movement and has been used to great effect in movies and TV shows ever since. No "walk and talk" sequence would be complete without one. Hand held cameras denote a certain kind of gritty realism, and they can make the audience feel as though they are part of a scene, rather than viewing it from a detached, frozen position.

5.) Crane Shots
Basically, dolly-shots-in-the-air. A crane (or jib), is a large, heavy piece of equipment, but is a useful way of moving a camera - it can move up, down, left, right, swooping in on action or moving diagonally out of it. The camera operator and camera are counter-balanced by a heavy weight, and trust their safety to a skilled crane/jib operator.

6.) Zoom Lenses
A zoom lens contains a mechanism that changes the magnification of an image. On a still camera, this means that the photographer can get a 'close up' shot while still being some distance from the subject. A video zoom lens can change the position of the audience, either very quickly (a smash zoom) or slowly, without moving the camera an inch, thus saving a lot of time and trouble. The drawbacks to zoom use include the fact that while a dolly shot involves a steady movement similar to the focusing change in the human eye, the zoom lens tends to be jerky (unless used very slowly) and to distort an image, making objects appear closer together than they really are. Zoom lenses are also drastically over-used by many directors (including those holding palmcorders), who try to give the impression of movement and excitement in a scene where it does not exist. Use with caution - and a tripod!

7.) Aerial Shots
An exciting variation of a crane shot, usually taken from a helicopter. This is often used at the beginning of a film, in order to establish setting and movement. A helicopter is like a particularly flexible sort of crane - it can go anywhere, keep up with anything, move in and out of a scene, and convey real drama and exhilaration — so long as you don't need to get too close to your actors or use location sound with the shots.

Camera Angles:)

Camera Angles:


The relationship between the camera and the object being photographed (ie the ANGLE) gives emotional information to an audience, and guides their judgment about the character or object in shot. The more extreme the angle (ie the further away it is from eye left), the more symbolic and heavily-loaded the shot.

1.) The Birds Eye View
This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle. Familiar objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first (umbrellas in a crowd, dancers' legs). This shot does, however, put the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things. Hitchcock (and his admirers, like Brian de Palma) is fond of this style of shot.

2.) High Angle
Not so extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant (or scary). The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting - they become part of a wider picture.

3.) Eye Level
A fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that eg actors' heads are on a level with the focus. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground.

4.) Low Angle
These increase height (useful for short actors like Tom Cruise or James McAvoy) and give a sense of speeded motion. Low angles help give a sense of confusion to a viewer, of powerlessness within the action of a scene. The background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky or ceiling, the lack of detail about the setting adding to the disorientation of the viewer. The added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen.

5.) Oblique/Canter Angle
Sometimes the camera is tilted (ie is not placed horizontal to floor level), to suggest imbalance, transition and instability (very popular in horror movies). This technique is used to suggest POINT-OF-View shots (ie when the camera becomes the 'eyes' of one particular character,seeing what they see — a hand held camera is often used for this.

Camera Shots:)

Camera angles and movements combine to create a sequence of images, just as words, word order and punctuation combine to make the meaning of a sentence. You need a straightforward set of key terms to describe them.


When describing camera angles, or creating them yourself, you have to think about three important factors

— The FRAMING or the LENGTH of shot

— The ANGLE of the shot

— If there is any MOVEMENT involved

When describing different cinematic shots, different terms are used to indicate the amount of subject matter contained within a frame, how far away the camera is from the subject, and the perspective of the viewer. Each different shot has a different purpose and effect. A change between two different shots is called a CUT.

Framing or Shot Length
1 . Extreme long shot
This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot. It normally shows an EXTERIOR, eg the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action eg in a war film or disaster movie. There will be very little detail visible in the shot, it's meant to give a general impression rather than specific information.
The extreme long shot on the left is taken from a distance, but denotes a precise location - it might even connote all of the entertainment industry if used as the opening shot in a news story.

2. Long Shot
This is the most difficult to categorise precisely, but is generally one which shows the image as approximately "life" size ie corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema (the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall). This category includes the FULL SHOT showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom. While the focus is on characters, plenty of background detail still emerges: we can tell the coffins on the right are in a Western-style setting, for instance.

3. Medium Shot
Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Variations on this include the TWO SHOT (containing two figures from the waist up) and the THREE SHOT (contains 3 figures...). NB. Any more than three figures and the shot tends to become a long shot. Background detail is minimal, probably because location has been established earlier in the scene - the audience already know where they are and now want to focus on dialogue and character interation. Another variation in this category is the OVER-THE-SHOULDER-SHOT, which positions the camera behind one figure, revealing the other figure, and part of the first figure's back, head and shoulder.

4. Close-Up
This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mise en scène. Everything else is just a blur in the background. This shot magnifies the object (think of how big it looks on a cinema screen) and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character. In reality, we only let people that we really trust get THAT close to our face - mothers, children and lovers, usually - so a close up of a face is a very intimate shot. A film-maker may use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character, and usually uses a zoom lens in order to get the required framing.

5. Extreme Close-Up
As its name suggests, an extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes, with no background detail whatsoever. This is a very artificial shot, and can be used for dramatic effect. The tight focus required means that extra care must be taken when setting up and lighting the shot - the slightest camera shake or error in focal length is very noticeable.

History of Art through Film :) (Art of Film)

The idea behind the Art of the film is that the audiences expectations first come from the title sequence.
The creative side of a person is attracted by certain aspects within a title sequence.
The evolution of film has changed in history. More high technology has been made thoughout such as film-making directors, props, graphics has been made to represent themes such as Culture, Romance and action.

Titles In Silent Film:
Naming and lettering plays a huge part in the film industry.
In the past films, lettering was used as a indication of what was being said with motioned pictures. Sound hadn't been inveted. So the indication of only though who read in the older days would be able to fully understand the concepts within the film.

The main title from D.W. Griffith’s “Intolerance” (1916), which many reviewers and historians consider the greatest film of the silent era. Note that variations of the director’s name are featured in five ways:


Viewer cards such as these would help the viewer follow the story of the film.