Clerks (Kevin Smith)

What elements of low budget film making are evident in 'Clerks'?

Had actors playing multiple roles.
Used only a few sets.
Was in black and white.
Few props.
Less/longer shots.
No special effects.
No licensed music.
Used natural lighting.
No use of popular actors.

Le Package
Our induction task was to create a short film using a certain amount and type of shots, camera movements and we were not allowed to use dialogue. We had to demonstrate our understanding of continuity editing and of mise-en-scene, camera angles, movements and distances.  In my group (Faye, me and Daniel) we decided to make our sequence about a drug deal.

 Overall we were happy with the end results and finished before the deadline.

Mise-en-scene.

This term means 'what's in the scene' and refers to all the objects, costumes, settings and props we used. We decided that the production would be based in a park and would feature, thug-like characters in hoodies. The production would then progress into a chase scene into a woodland area where our "rouge" will be pursued. We used two audio tracks in this production, the first ends at around 30 seconds and the second starts almost instantly after.

We started with an establishing shot of the park using a panning camera movement to establish the surroundings for the audience, we tried to get a fair proportion of grass, treeline and sky with lowered exposure to give it more of a gloomy atmosphere. We decided this would be the best place to insert the title as it is also at the beginning of the film. We added a fade edit from this shot to the next (this where one shot fades out of colour and another comes in) to suggest we are seeing a slightly different place while staying in the same time. 

In our assignment we were told that we had to have the transfer of a package involved somewhere in the short film, we did this when the mysterious hooded man passed an envelope to the rogue in red. We used a long shot that cut to a close up of the package being slid across the bench.

This is a shot reverse shot (where the camera repeatedly switches between two different shots, which are opposite angles off the axis of action, usually when a conversation is happening) between our two "baddies" using over the shoulder shots. This shows the audience that we are communicating to each other, but since we were not allowed dialogue we used a series of movements easy for the audience to interpret what we were communicating about.  

This was a POV ( where the camera is placed into the eyes of a character) shot of the rogue walking towards the woodlands. Because the rouge was our dangerous character we had her in red to connote danger and all other characters were in black because stereo-typically it is the colour for a shady thug.

This was our re-establishing shot in the woodlands, in our final piece this shot went on for far too long in my opinion and should be halved in length at least. we had to have this shot so that the audience would know where our characters are because the scene has now changed, we decided to try and get a shot that was bright on the left and dark on the right, fitting the cliche of the left is good, right is bad. We had the audio of running footsteps at the end of this shot to indicate that this is the place that the chase is held in.

We decided that a close up from a low angle would be the perfect shot for a chase to show the feet the two people running, it is conventional to that of a chase scene and puts the audience on edge because we cannot see how far apart the two people are, we also edited it so that the sound flowed from the previous scene to the next. This shot also had the audio of running footsteps.

This was a medium to long shot, we used a letterbox to give it the widescreen effect, we purposely showed as much bramble and woodland as possible to make the area look larger and maze-like. I think that the silhouettes make the characters appear as if they are moving faster than they actually are and the darkness connotes danger and death. 

This was an over shoulder shot taken of our rogue looking down at our "bad guy" because it was a high angle looking down it suggests that our rogue was in power, this was the point where she had just escaped.

This was our final shot, and my favorite, this is a close up on the cat mask with the rogue walking away in the background, the focus is on the mask and in my opinion makes the conclusion of the short film complete. This shot had the audio track fade out and we heard the mask drop to the floor.

What I've learned.

From this experience I have learned to edit using fades,cuts, audio-clipping (shortening audio tracks) and audio boosting (making audio louder or quieter).

I learned how to effectively use the equipment used in film making,e.g. camera, tripod, etc. and I used this knowledge to take multiple shots ranging from establishing shots to close ups.

I was taught the different types of camera movements such as pans, tilts, quick pans,etc.

When using the camera I learned how to get the right exposure and focus using ISO (low ISO means less light gets in and makes the image less grainy) 

Shutter speed (low shutter speed means longer exposure time meaning more light gets into the image)

Aperture (small aperture gives a sharper focus).

Photo Connotation Exercise

Photo connotation task.

LOVE

This image connotes love because it shows a couple holding hands resting on each others legs, this is seen as an act of love.

Lonliness

The image below shows a boy curled up in the corner of a bush, surrounded by litter, holding his arm and his head is buried in his knees, this connotates lonliness mainly because of the position of the boy, this position shows insecurity and depression.This shot is under exposed to express a feeling of fear.

This is a high angle and wide shot, the shot itself connotes weakness as it is looking down on the boy, because of the light (or lack of) it seems as though the boy is "In a dark place" mentally and physically.

Friendship

The image below is of three people's feet, we can see that the three people are sitting in a tringular shape, all in a similar position.

This is a POV (point of view) shot and because the shot is clear it suggest the the person whose eyes we are seeing from is comfortable, the light also connotates that it is a positive moment.

Wealth

This shot of a male sitting in a white room in front of a computer, playing with a credit card whilst on the phone, the white room is seen as a more wealthy colour to have in a house, this pose is often used in film when we see a business man or someone who is an important person.

The shot is a low angle which connotes power, suggesting that this "man" holds power, he is also wearing jewellry which may also be seen as a wealthy accessory to a persons appearance, black is also seen as a dangerous colour, suggesting this male is dangerous or powerful or both.

Purity

This image of a flower connotes purity, due to the contrast of the flower and background draws the viewer to look at the flower, white is seen as a pure and innocent colour.

This is a high angle shot which connotes weakness and delicacy, if something is delicate people may assume that it is kind and innocent.