Martin Scorsese is one of the most famous and successful directors in today’s film industry. He has directed an exact 31 films, all of which have been particularly popular with the viewing audience. Not only is he a film director but he is also a screenwriter, actor, producer and film historian. He is the founder of the ‘World Cinema Foundation.’ Scorsese has been awarded with numerous awards in his lifetime, from an Oscar, to a Golden Globe, to a BAFTA and finally he has been rewarded with a Directors Guild of America. Scorsese’s trademark is Italian/American Identity, Roman Catholic concepts such as redemption and guilt and lastly machismo and violence.
Here is a list of the 31brilliant films Scorsese has directed and in what year they were filmed:
Taxi Driver (1976), Goodfellas (1990), Raging Bull (1980), The Departed (2006), After Hours (1985), The King of Comedy (1983), Mean Streets (1973), My Voyage to Italy (2001), Casino (1995), Shine a light (2008), The Last Waltz (1978), The Aviator (2004), The Age of Innocence (1993), Kundun (1997), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Gangs of New York (2002), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), The Colour of Money (1986), Cape Fear (1991), New York, New York (1977), No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005), Shutter Island (2010), Boxcar Bertha (1972), Italian American (1974), American Boy: A Profit of: Steven Prince (1978), The Big Shave (1967), Made in Milan (1990), Silence (2008), Street Scenes (1970), Untitled Airbus Documentary Project (2006) and Vesuvius VI (1959).
Each individual film that Scorsese has ever directed has been a successful movie for the reason that they are films which are so close to the edge. They are realistic and gripping. What’s more is that his films are dangerous, they are the real thing. Scorsese is an extraordinary director because he is not frightened of using images and ideas from the “art world.” Every shot/scene in his films is truthful, humane and they speak of life realistically. He is a brilliant storyteller and a wonderful visual stylist.
Below are two trailers from the hit movies, Cape Fear and Shutter Island which were both directed by the incredible Martin Scorsese. By watching these trailers you can get a real understanding as to why he is one of the most renowned filmmakers of his era.
In class, we were asked to create a short film sequence as part of our preliminary exercise demonstrating the use of continuity whilst filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. The aim of this exercise is to demonstrate all the techniques we have studied in lessons and put that into practice. These include techniques such as match on action, shot/ reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.
1) Discuss how your group came up with the idea for the script. How efficient was the discussion? What key decisions were made?
In class we were categorised into 4/5 different groups, our group consisted of myself, David, Nimesh and Keval. We began to discuss the different genres in the film industry today and what we believed would be a powerful, gripping genre that would hold our audiences attention. After several minutes of an intense discussion, we finally came to the conclusion that we wanted to film a horror, mystery and suspenseful thriller. The discussion was extremely efficient as each of us took turns to explain our thoughts and ideas whilst the remainder of us began to write these ideas down to include them to our script and storyboard. It wasn’t long before our script slowly began to come together, clearly demonstrating the shot numbers, pictures/titles/graphics, and types of shot, duration and music, dialogue/sound effects. The key decisions that we came up with as a group were that we wanted the film to be a mystery so that the audiences were unaware as to what scene would take place next.
2) Reflect on the planning/storyboarding stages and upload these:
In my opinion, I believe that we worked extremely hard and effectively to produce our storyboard and script. Whilst we took some time to decide the order of shots and the different camera techniques and angles that we were going to use in our film sequence. We were consistent throughout and continued to ask each other what we thought about our thoughts and opinions on the script. Illustrated below is the planning stages of our storyboard and shoot schedule:
Shot 1 – Title of the movie, screen fades into a black backdrop and slowly we see Nimesh sitting down at the desk working away on the computer. This type of shot is a high angle, medium shot. Thriller music can be heard in the background of the scene.
Shot 2 – An extreme long shot of Nimesh sitting down at the desk working away on the computer. Thriller music can still be heard playing the background of the scene.
Shot 3 – This type of shot is a medium shot of David who passes by the window and smacks the glass, standing eerily up against it before slowly backing away. The camera gradually moves towards Nimesh who is staring towards the window horror stricken. Thriller music is played quietly in the background.
Shot 4 – This type of shot is a reaction shot of Nimesh as he is in shock and disbelief about the strange occurrences that seem to be taking place around him. The shot then changes to a medium shot as we begin to track Nimesh moving away from his computer towards the window to see if his “stalker” is still outside the building.
Shot 5 – We continue to film using a tracking shot of David outside of the building as he begins to walk away from the window down the street. The music begins to increase its tempo due to the speediness of the scene.
Shot 6 – This particular shot is a pan shot as we turn the camera away from Nimesh to focus on the bang/smack which is heard on the door behind. Thriller music is still being played quietly in the background of the shot.
Shot 7 – The shot used in this scene is a POV (point of view) shot as we zoom onto David’s face, which is only visible through the window frame in the door.
Shot 8 – We decided to use another tracking shot of Nimesh as he begins to walk around the room heading in the direction of the classroom door.
Shot 9 – Close up of Nimesh’s hand gripping the doorknob.
Shot 10 – Medium shot of Nimesh opening and walking through the door way into the main corridor of the building.
Shot 11 – POV shot of David standing at the end of the corridor, head bowed down.
Shot 12 – Tracking shot of Nimesh walking towards David.
Shot 13 – Close up of David as he looks up gazing into the camera.
Shot 14 – Tracking shot of David walking up the corridor towards Nimesh meeting him halfway.
Shot 15 – Medium shot of David stabbing Nimesh. The camera begins to turn away from the scene and slowly changes to a close up of David as he looks into the camera.
3) How efficient was the shoot? Additionally, embed screen grabs demonstrating the required techniques from the brief.
I believe that the shooting of our film sequence was extremely efficient for the reason that we all worked well together to co-operate and succeed in making a great thriller movie. Whilst we had a few hiccups where the camera stopped working we managed to fix these errors and threw ourselves back into our filming working harder than ever. Thankfully, we worked tremendously well together as a group and what’s more, we had lots of fun whilst filming our movie as well.
Thriller “Man on the Run”
In our groups we were asked to come up with a plot linked to the movie title “Man on the Run," this is a sub-genre of a thriller movie whereby the main character, either male or female finds themselves pursued by either a unknown character/an enemy/or the federal armed forces. In the majority of the film, the character must contemplate about the different ways he/she can make an escape whilst trying to avoid the 'enemy,' before eventually confronting them face to face. We had to be creative, and decide on a scenario whereby something thrilling and dramatic would take place. This was a fantastic opportunity for us, as media students to think of a brand new and exciting plot, whereby an action sequence would unfold. As we based our movie, on a spoof, we realised that realistically we had to think of other ‘serious’ movies which included scenarios which we wanted to include in our own original film, turning it into a spoof. The three movies we watched and took ideas from before creating our own spoof for the ‘Man on the Run’ were ‘The Bank Job, Shawshank Redemption and Johnny English.’ Below are the trailers from the movie "The Bank Job" and "Shawshank Redemption," these are the two films in particular that we decided to take scenes from in order to create our own "Man on the Run" movie.
The Plot:A young man (21-23) is depicted walking down a long, darkened alley way in a hurry. He is dressed in a dark pair of jeans, a grey shirt and a pinstripe blazer; he has a large holdall thrown over his left shoulder. He is in trouble as one of his enemies have kidnapped his girlfriend and the only way he can pay for the ransom is to rob a bank. As he emerges from behind the alley way, he begins to pick up his pace and is seen running towards a towering building. He smashes the window on the ground floor, breaking an entry into the building. Once inside he strolls through the lobby heading straight in the direction of a newly installed volt. Surprisingly, he manages to break through the entry code and ID test and robs just over 1 million pounds. However, what he doesn’t realise is that by removing the cash, a silent alarm has gone off, sending out an urgent signal to the nearest police station. Within minutes of the male trying to make an escape he is unfortunately captured and arrested for breaking an entry and stealing money from a bank. In jail, the man contemplates about the different scenarios whereby he could make an escape. Unfortunately all of his ideas fail to see him escape from jail. The male quickly decides that there is only one definite and realistic way to break out of jail, by removing the toilet from its holdall and squeezing down the sewage drain pipe placed underneath. From here, we see him slide all the way through the sewage pipe, amongst all the dirt and waste from the toilets above. Within seconds, he is seen making a run from the prison out into the unknown. Below is an example of a moodboard demonstrating the planning stages of our script based on the 'Man on the Run.'
The plot refers to a series of events or actions which sum up a films story line. A plot is a key/major turning point in a film's story which advances the action sequence and sets it into action.
The setting of our movie is quite dark, particularly eerie and suspenseful as it is set late at night, most likely two – three am. This builds up a more dramatic, enthralling scenario as we the audience are made to believe that something strange is about to take place in the scenes to follow. We thought that if our movie was to be filmed in broad daylight then it would not seem as scary as it was originally meant to resemble. By filming the movie late at night, this illustrates a more gripping and riveting setting.
The camera shots that I would most likely use to film our movie sequence would have to be a ‘close up;’ this will concentrate the audience’s attention on an important detail. Additionally, CU can be used to illustrate someone’s face when their expression tells us something. A ‘long shot,’ this zooms out onto a scenario or setting to highlight the whereabouts of characters and to direct the audience into understanding what else is happening beyond the characters. In addition, I would use a ‘crane shot,’ this is a technique which starts off as an eye level camera angle, and gradually changes to a low angle position and is titled upwards towards the subject. Furthermore, I would also include a ‘tracking shot,’ this demonstrates that when you are filming a character who is either walking or running, the camera should always be tracking the actor/actress so that you do not lose the character in your shot. Lastly, I incorporate the ‘match on action’ camera technique; this demonstrates a cut between two shots where no time has passed between them. This is an extremely important technique as it continues the flow of the scene.
“Drag me to hell – Horror, Mystery and Suspense”
“Drag Me to Hell,” is a horror, mystery and suspenseful thriller directed by Sam Raimi, starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long and Lorna Raver. The trailer indicated below is from the hit movie "Drag me to Hell."
The Plot:
Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) works as a loan officer at a local bank but she is worried about the different situations taking place in her life at the moment. She’s in desperate competition with another loan officer for an “assistant manager” position and she is unsure about her status with her boyfriend. Concerned that her boss will think less of her because of her weaknesses in her job, she decides upon herself not to give an extension on an elderly woman’s mortgage payment, Mrs Ganesh, who is now set to lose her house. In retaliation, Mrs Ganesh places a curse upon Christine Brown, unknown that she will be sentenced to hell in 3 days time. With the help of a psychic she tries to get rid of the demons who are torturing her but she faces several obstacles in the days ahead. Below is an examle of a genre moodboard illustrating the horror, mystery and suspenseful thrillers using film posters to demonstrate this:
The setting of the movie is exceptionally dark and eerie as the majority of the film is set late at night or in dark locations, for example a graveyard. If the setting/backdrop is darkened this creates suspense and mystery. To the audience, this builds up a more dramatic and enthralling scenario, as we believe that something gripping and peculiar is about to take place in the upcoming scenes.
Sam Raimi used a variety of camera shots and camera angles in his movie “Drag Me to Hell,” to incorporate a more dramatic, uncanny film sequence. He used a ‘close up’ to concentrate the audience’s attention on an important detail and to illustrate a characters face when their expression tells us something. He used a ‘long shot’ to indicate a scenario or setting to highlight the whereabouts of characters and to direct the audience into understanding what else is happening around the characters. Additionally, he used the camera technique ‘reaction shot,’ this is to highlight a character’s reaction and to demonstrate whether they are shocked or surprised. He also used a ‘tracking shot,’ to highlight when you are filming a character that is either walking or running, the camera should always be tracking the actor/actress so that you do not lose the character in your shot. Finally, he used a ‘match on action’ technique to demonstrate a cut between two shots where no time has passed between them.
We were asked to watch a short clip from Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” as it is excellent at demonstrating the use of continuity in a sequence and how the range of techniques work together to create a fantastic film. Continuity has been used successfully in this particular section of the movie for the reason that it highlights how each camera shot flows into one another elegantly and how it continues from the last scene/shot into the next one. Continuity is a particularly hard technique to get to grasp with and understand since you have to keep check of where the last shot was taken, how close the camera was to the characters and what angle it was facing, if any of these rules were changed even slightly it could completely mess up the scene/shot as it would no longer flow against one another and it would jump, suggesting that the person who filmed the shot was most likely to be an ‘amateur’. If the scenes/shot in a film do not flow gracefully between one another this will annoy the viewing audience as they will get confused as to why the camera shots keep changing angles and why it seems to jitter between each individual scene, this creates an unfortunate, unsuccessful movie.
I have screen grabbed/shot two clips from Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” both shots in particular demonstrate the use of continuity successfully in this specific scene of the movie. This is depicted as the woman begins to open the front door from the outside of the house and as the scene changes we are shown the woman opening the front door but this time the camera shot is filmed inside the house. Miraculously, the camera stays in the same distance from when the camera was filming outside the house to when it began filming again inside the house. Clearly, this is an exceptionally good use of continuity as the scenes flow elegantly beside each other without and jumps or disruptions.
Halfway through the sequence, different effects and soundtracks are used to create anticipation and nervousness as we the viewing audience are uncertain as to what might appear onto our TV screens in the upcoming scenes. When the female character first comes into view, standing at the bedroom door, she hesitates for a brief moment before carefully and cautiously, pushes the door slightly ajar before peering into the room. One might say that this scene was produced in this particular way for the reason that it engages the viewing audience, allowing them to come up with a wide variety of thoughts and meanings as to why she might be hesitating to open the door. Additionally, the camera shots build up tension and apprehension as we are unsure as to what might take place in the following scene.
Moreover, when the woman appears in the kitchen glancing throughout the different rooms, the camera is presented as a medium shot, however moments later, the camera suddenly changes to an eye level close up, and this is continually used in filming to illustrate the actor/actresses expression. In this scene, an eye level close up has been specifically used to emphasize the actress’s shocked expression and to draw attention to the direction in which she is glancing towards. In addition, this builds up further anticipation as we desperately want to understand what has happened in the scene and why the actress appears to look taken aback. Additionally, this particular scene of the movie has to be my favourite section of the sequence, simply because it demonstrates a fantastic and successful use of continuity and the use of camera shots and techniques are mesmerising. Each individual technique and camera shot is dissimilar and work extremely well together. Each scene flows pleasingly well alongside one another throughout the movie.
