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.'
Man on the Run Moodboard
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment