In this film opening, a group of friends are seen playing a dare/seeking game. The game lures them to a set of car keys, leading to a montage of the teens taking the corresponding car on a joyride. I feel that the strengths that make up this film are found in the directors decisions in the camera shots, angles, and movements especially during the montage. However, I feel that the weakness in this film is the audio. While the background noise is very loud - too loud at times - the dialogue between the characters is very low and hard to understand.
Main takeaway: My main takeaway from this film is that while my group and I are filming, we should focus on how our audio sounds.
This film opener is about a girl who desires to go against the social norms of her family/community. I feel that the strengths in this film rely on camera shots as the director includes many close ups that build a mood for the film, for example, as the main character is getting scolded by her mother, there are many close-ups of her facial expressions, this allows the audience to get a better understanding of her character. Furthermore, the editing used strengthens the overall film opener. As the editor utilizes eyeline matching when the main character is admiring the scenery while walking through an outside setting, we can understand that she longs for freedom and adventure. Also, while she is getting scolded by her mother, crosscutting is utilized along with jump-cuts. As the camera cuts from her facial expressions to her mothers mouth speaking, then to completely different scenes of the main character (likely her fantasizing of freedom) we can infer that she is not fully paying attention to her mother's scolding. Despite having strong elements, the film absolutely needs improvement. For example, the "blue boar" pictured at the end has no pivotal connection to the storyline and even may throw some viewers off, also, despite the editing choices of the editor being good, it is very rapid and fast paced.
Main Takeaway: Every element included in the film opener needs a clear purpose and should add something to the storyline, also, editing should be paced accordingly to the film, not rushed.
White Coat is very strong visually, the color lighting are of high quality and build an ominous tone along with the smoke effects used in this opener. The camera shots also strengthen this film, for example, the director uses a shallow depth of field to add to the film' s mysterious vibe. Additionally, the director includes many close-ups that build tension and add to the sinister tone overall. Contrastingly, there are many weaknesses in this film as it is extremely slow paced which could bore the audiences and make the overall film feel dragged out.
Main Takeaway: While making a film, it shouldn't feel dragged out and should keep audiences entertained.
Stalker is meant to have a very tense atmosphere however, the technical choices made by the filming team makes the story line hard to follow and almost confusing. The audio in the majority of this film is very quiet, with no diegetic noises and little to no sound effects. Scenes in this film opener excel rapidly, not allowing the audience to digest what is happening. On a more positive note, the editing is paced accordingly to the film's tone.
Main Takeaway: My technical decisions should not make the story line hard to follow. Additionally, the audio in my film should be clear, including diegetic noises and appropriate sound effects.
Rise utilizes natural lighting effectively, developing an encouraging tone. The director's decisions in camera movements develop a fast paced atmosphere for the film. For example, the use of tracking movements while the main character is running soccer drills make the film look very smooth but also intense. Contrastingly, the lack of dialogue weakens the overall film and can confuse the audience due to the lack of context.
Main Takeaway: My film should have enough dialogue to prevent confusion among the audience.
Dear Lover is a film narrated by a girl who ran away from home, who is still contacting her past lover. This film opener has many strengths, mainly, in the director's choices in camera shots. The director utilizes camera shots like close-ups, establishing shots, and medium shots to convey a solemn and reminiscent tone for the audience. For example, one of the scenes includes the main character sitting quietly by a pond as the narrator speaks. These type of shots are extremely important to the film because they build the main tone and mood for the film overall. Despite the strengths of this film, i feel that there are weaknesses in the lighting. Although natural lighting is desirable, the mood of this film could have been conveyed better with lowkey lighting. Additionally, it is hard to tell what point in time we are at in the story as it jumps from past and present often.
Main Takeaway: While filming, appropriate lighting is essential to the development of mood and tone. It is also important to make the point in time of the story clear to minimize audience confusion.
