Camera Angles
A two shot is used as Mr Lopez and the carer within the LAMP community discuss where Nathaniel spent the night in fear that he may have been killed. As the carer reveals that Nathaniel spent the night in the shelter, an over the shoulder shot is used to show Nathaniel eating his breakfast. An aerial shot is used to film Nathaniel to show his glee and happiness as he lies on his bed holding a bust of Beethoven in his hand whilst humming one of his compositions to himself. Again, an aerial shot is used when Nathaniel lies on his bed in denial on his "schizophrenic mind".
Editing
Cross cutting is used when Nathaniel hears the voices inside his head, the use of cross cutting achieves the disorientating feeling that Nathaniel experiences and gets it across to the audience. The chronology also gets a little off track showing that Nathan
iel is incapable of separating reality from his thoughts and imagination. A tracking shot is used as Nathaniel's sister approaches him at the LAMP community showing the foreign state of their relationship after years of no communication and her lack of knowledge about Nathaniel's condition.
Sound
The sound is mainly non diegetic as they were voice overs and were most likely to have been edited in during the editing process to create the impression of Nathaniel's thoughts taking over. The framing around around Nathaniel gets tighter as the camera zooms in and in combination with the sound, " You're of no consequence", "you're filthy", " "locked off from life", " my voice is all there is" we see the intensity of his schizophrenia rise when he's asked to perform an action independently. This triggers his flashback to his earliest memory of schizophrenia where the phrase "They're all looking at you" is repeated with an echo added into it creating an ambient sound and feel.
Mise En Scene
The framing around Nathaniel becomes tighter as it becomes apparent to him that he is alone on stage and therefore bad thoughts begin to consume him, making the tight framing relevant as it's almost as he's gradually being trapped within the shot. The lighting within the scene also reiterates the idea of Nathaniel being trapped, as everyone else is blacked out and the spot light is on him, making him the dominant of the scene and the center of attention. As Nathaniel has his flashback the use of colours highlights the schizophrenic factor and his perspective of the situation he was in at the time. With the colours in mind, canted framing was also used adding a disorientating feel for viewers.
Camera Angles Although, Mr Lopez's appearance doesn't show any distinctions, when a long shot it used to show both Mr Lopez and Nathaniel lying side by side on a street corner we can see the distinctions in what both of them want out of life - Lopes wants a story, Nathaniel wants to play music as it's what provides him with the greatest happiness despite being homeless and in no contact with his family. An establishing shot is used to see the two as they lay side by side on the ground, the establishing shot allows the audience to see the mess in which the LAMP community is in and the dangers
that Nathaniel could get into if left alone.
Editing
An eye line match is used from Mr Lopez's perspective as Nathaniel plays the cello at the LAMP community within his own comfort. Reaction shots are also used, as the camera pans around the residents at the LAMP community to reveal the calmity within the scene in a place there is usually chaos.
Sound The sound used is diegetic and taken from Nathaniel's diegetic dialogue as he talks about his view on music without any regard that he is in a conversation with Mr Lopez " beauty is art, music is beauty" "Beethoven the leader of Los Angeles". The constant chattering and the tempo at which Nathaniel's character commentates on everything around him, his schizophrenic mind becomes apparent to the audience. Furthermore, as he tells Mr Lopez about his mother, a voice over is used and in combination his cello playing is used as a sound bridge through all the flashbacks of his child hood. The non diegetic sound used as the sound bridge becomes very vigorous and thicker in texture giving off a very strong sound but this all comes to an end when Nathaniel makes a mistake in a flashback when he attended Julliard.
Mise En Scene Nathaniel's flashbacks use very dark lighting suggesting his struggle and downfall as his schizophrenia took over without any professional recognition. The lighting was only ever enough to sufficiently light Nathaniel alone making him stand out from his cohort and giving him the identity of a victim as it seems he was in terms of his schizophrenia.
Our trailer has been broken down into four sections, the opening section concentrates on the social isolation that our protagonist experiences during school.
For this scene, we are hoping use the library in school therefore, the mise en scene will look realistic and convincing and it would be easier to avoid other students walking past in the background. The protagonist will be sat in the corner of the library or towards the back highlighting her isolation from her class mates. Positioning her in the corner will add emphasis on her isolation, as will the back of the library if we consider using tighter framing. Our use of social isolation within our trailer will be conveyed through our protagonist being bullied at school. In the library, a class mate will bully her by judging her and this will be captured through the use of a close up from one character to another.
We will have to be sure about not using any diegetic dialogue as it may make the trailer itself look and sound extremely unconvincing - especially as we have no budget at all so we lack a lot of equipment in order to allow the dialogue to have the right quality. Although, during this particular scene, the protagonists schizophrenia is made clear through the use of creative editing and sound but we may want to consider using voice overs and manipulate them to make them sound frightening, thus having a bigger impact on the audience as they experience the mind of a schizophrenic character.
Point 1: Mother and Daughter move Camera Angles
Establishing shots are used so the audience get an insight to what Ceci and her mother left behind in the city. It also creates a juxtaposition between the two locations, the life of the city and the calm of the suburbs. A two shot is also used as Ceci and her mother engage in conversation about their new living accommodation - the two shot highlights the close mother daughter relationship between Ceci and her mother Dahlia holds her in her arms.
Editing
Eye line matches are used in combination with non diegetic sound of an angelic choral sound to create an uplifting, positive and new atmosphere for Ceci and her mother as they approach their new home. As they approach their apartment in the building a montage edit is used as Ceci runs out of the lift into the building on her own accord - this is used to build up tension and allow the audience to brace the use of disequilibrium to come. Within the montage cross cutting and jump cuts are used as transits to each clip, the cross cutting is most effective to achieve the jump factor, a prime example of this is when we see the bloody hand prints on the wall of the apartment alongside the scratching sound of the non diegetic audio.
Sound
The non diegetic sound is used from the beginning of the trailer is composed of female choral voices to create a positive atmosphere for Ceci and Dahlia as they move into a new building. The voices create a rather ambient feel hinting at the possibility of something going wrong in the plot. As the montage edit takes place we hear the diegetic sound of the lift as it carries Dahlia up onto the next floor. There is also a lingering non diegetic whispering sound that mimics the sound of the lift door as it opens to add to the impact and sense of worry for Ceci as she runs off. Additionally, Dahlia's diegetic sound of her gasping equals out as the climax of that scene in terms of sound.
Mise En Scene
The opening scene revolves around the two location of outside and inside the building. The predominant colour in the scenes outside are brown, from the building, Dahlia's coat and the tree branches, connoting the protection over Ceci that unfolds through out the film. From the trees we can also obtain that it's winter, drawing our attention to the theme of death as the trees bare no leaves or flowers. As they move into the building the walls are covered with dirty green tiles connoting the corruption. Along the walls, the tiles are lied out horizontally thus creating horizontal composition in the frame a sense of weakness. Additionally, during the montage editing, the framing around Dahlia becomes tighter, drawing in on her entrapment and separation from her daughter, Ceci.
Point 2: Daughter discovers leak
Camera Angles
High angle at Ceci as she looks towards the ceiling making her look smaller than she really is. From this angle, Ceci looks even more vulnerable and innocent making her the most likely victim in the plot.This too is followed by an extreme close up of the leak, zooming in the longer Ceci stared at it. An aerial shot is also used, to add dimension to the scene as if there's another person looking down on Dahlia and Ceci as they stare at the leak. Once the leak is discovered, Dahlia is shown from an aerial view, giving off a sense of another person looking at her, adding to the suspense that the audience are aware of something that she is not.
Editing
An eye line match is used from Ceci's perspective as the leak is seen, as the leak is zoomed into there is a graphic match used as a transition to the next scene to a puddle in the same formation in which the leak was on the ceiling. Drawing importance to the leak which plays a large role within the plot of the story and the context behind it and the ending of the film.
Sound
The use of sound in this scene is mainly diegetic - we hear the dripping of water which symbolises the ongoing mystery behind the plot, it also acts as the thin layer that the sound gradually then builds up too in combination with the low, rumbling non diegetic sound. With this is place the eeriness has already started to build up, we then hear the non diegetic sound of a young girl singing Incy Wincy Spider - which adds uneasiness to the scene as an overall. The diegetic dialogue between the two men who care for the building acts as a sound bridge into the montage of events. The maintenance character's line "did you say upstairs? there hasn't been anyone up there for years" is the sound bridge by using this line the montage follows the enigma that it has created in order to give the audience an overall idea of the plot.
Mise En Scene
The use dirty green tiles and corridors are used to their advantage to mark the corruption within the story line however, as Dahlia walks down the corridor we notice the use of vertical composition illustrating the power that the antagonist has over Dahlia and Ceci. We also notice the bravery of Dahlia's character at this point in the trailer and this is shown through the casting. The conventional use of a vulnerable blonde woman has been subverted here therefore drawing away from the conventions. The use of composition shows the distinction between the two opposing sides in the trailer, we notice that as Dahlia enters the unoccupied room that the composition and framing around her remains tight and horizontal but as she enters the room the composition changes to vertical composition showing that the opposition has more power over Dahlia than she herself is aware of.
Point 3: Montage of events
Camera Angles
A reaction shot is used as the cleaner turns up in the lift as Dahlia is looking in and this acts as a downfall as at this point the audience expect bigger climax. Additionally a low angle shot is used as is an aerial shot to film Dahlia as she mounts the water tank to only find the body of a young girl. The aerial shot allows both the body and Dahlia's reaction to be in shot at the same time therefore giving the audience the overall perspective.
Editing
Overall, the whole scene is a montage, therefore montage editing is used. Canted framing is also used to establish the discomfort within the plot and be able to have a closer idea of what the characters within the film are feeling. Additionally, we also see a time lapse - sped up through the process of editing showing the vastness at which the leak spreads - thus showing the strength of the antagonist over the protagonist as the leak comes back after numerous attempts to fix the leak. The editing alone also fits the music closely, a good example would be as Dahlia slowly approaches the washing machine, she sees a ghostly face which appears in synchronization with a drum beat and on the next drum beat a jump cut is used.
Sound
The majority of sound used in non diegetic. Throughout the montage we hear the non diegetic sound of a young girl singing the well known nursery rhyme Incy Wincy Spider creating an eerie and discomforting atmosphere for the audience. The montage picks up its pace as does the sound, the closer the trailer gets to the climax the quicker the tempo of the non digetic sound becomes, it also builds up tension. The non digetic sound of the nursery rhyme is played throughout, although a whirring sound comes in to build up the tension and gradually rises in pitch to create anticipation as the beats by the percussion becomes more frequent.
Mise En Scene
In terms of the colour scheme there are mainly blacks, browns and greys used to create the dark undertone of the plot and set the atmosphere for the fatality at the end of the film as well as the other fatality that is discovered. We do not see the actual antagonist in the film, we only hear her as she sings Incy Wincy Spider so the use of red within the shot shows the danger that the antaognist provides and this is seen when the walls begin to get covered in blood as it streams down Dahlia's walls, consuming her apartment and all of her and Ceci's belongings.
Point 4: Typography
The typography for Dark Water is very simplistic and doesn't try to manipulate the font to paint the idea of water, avoiding the high chance of the typography not looking its best. Instead the typography is white, connoting the innocence of lives and youth within the film. The typography appears to be in the times new roman font, but the spacing and size of the title has been increased to make it
manageable to read. The typography rests on a blue background, which appears to represent the concept of dark waters therefore the image is relevant to the title therefore drawing attention to the mystery around the plot.
Point 1: Searching for a story Camera Angles
A long shot of Mr Lopez is used as he sits with his back towards the camera. We then see a reaction shot as he hears Nathaniel's violin playing, which soon zooms towards Mr Lopez and gives us a close up shot of his profile, allowing us to see his reaction as he hears Nathaniel playing the violin A track shot is then used to follows Mr Lopez as he confronts Nathaniel in conversation. A tracking shot is used as Mr Lopez approaches Nathaniel and draws close attention to detail at landmarks such as the statue of Beethoven through the use of a close up shot. Additionally, another close up shot is used as Mr Lopez watches Nathaniel play the violin, paying detail through the use of an extreme close up to reveal that Nathaniel only has two strings on the violin yet he's still able to produce an astounding sound.
Editing
An eye line match is used as Mr Lopez approaches the statue of Beethoven and then Nathaniel's trolley, which is used as a pivot point which then draws Mr Lopez's attention to Nathaniel himself as he plays the violin.
Sound
Within this scene we can hear the diegetic sound of Nathaniel playing the violin, however the acoustic that we hear from the violin implies that the location in which Nathaniel's character is playing in, would have been tested prior to filming or either that the sound the violin produces is actually non diegetic and added in to the film during the editing process. Nathaniel's diegetic dialogue too, also plays a large role, as this is where we first discover his mental incapability when he continues to talk to Mr Lopez non-stop, commentating on what is around him as well as what he knows - " you have to treat a violin like a child".
Mise En Scene
When we first see Mr Lopez, we notice the cut on the right hand side of his face, and his scruffy appearance. Through this choice of mise-en-scene the juxtaposition between Mr Lopez and Nathaniel is not all that different. We also notice that the predominant colour that Nathaniel wears is yellow showing the optimism within his character despite the fact that he is homeless. The bruises on Mr Lopez's face , happiness. Lopez quite scruffy - no significant difference between the two characters. With this in mind the cuts on Lopez' face lowers his appearance thus the film doesn't draw a focus Mr Lopez appearing to possibly "exploit" Nathaniel.
From watching a variety of films such as, The Soloist, Girl Interrupted, and a Beautiful Mind, a focus of mine has been costume. Especially concentrated around the character struggling with the mental illness, i.e: Schizophrenia. The Soloist
In the Soloist Nathaniel, is always dressed in yellow, with other items of clothing such as hats and jackets that highlight his creativity. Nathaniel's seen with thinning, wavy graying hair parted in the middle and plastered to his head. He wears a tattered wardrobe, giving off the impression that he wears whatever he finds or is given as he moves about during his time on the streets. One outfit he wears is composed of a silver sequined top, purple scarf, worn-out trousers and trainers. His outfit and characteristics convey's Nathaniel's poetic intelligence as well as his emotional and mental fragility. A beautiful mind
Similarly, like Nathaniel's character, John is also highly intelligent and in no way does his costume convey his mental illness or instability. Instead it steers us away from thinking anything of his mental condition - therefore there are points in the film where the audience do doubt their thoughts about John's schizophrenia when it starts to peak. In the print screen opposite, John wears a suit and bow tie looking extremely formal for moving into his new college room. The over the shoulder shot allows us to see the juxtaposition between his friend and himself in terms of their costume. His friend wears a checked dressing gown, which shows his casual and laid back approach to the day. Through this, although John's character remains awfully reserved at the beginning of the film we wouldn't assume that he was the one suffering with Schizophrenia due to his own self appearance.
Girl interrupted
Girl interrupted focuses wholly on the mental condition of more than one person in particular especially as it's set in a mental institution. Their costumes are chosen in a sense that it compliments how they look on the outside rather than what's really going on inside their head. Susana's room mate suffered from pseudologia fantastica, also known as compulsive lying disorder yet her costume, blond hair and bare face suggests otherwise as she looks innocent and possibly almost the most trusting person within the institute however this isn't so. When looking at Janet's character who suffers from anorexia - we first see her in a hospital gown as the nurses decide to not allow her to wear her clothes unless she eats something.
With this her identity is stripped and the audience see her as nothing but patient. Whereas, in the print screen opposite, she's wearing a dark pink dress with her hair tied up and earrings, highlighting the contrast between who she was when she was at her lowest to now. The choice of costume also signifies the well being of each character. Such as Cynthia, she wasn't mentally ill but in the era at which the film was set being a lesbian was a reasonable "diagnosis" in which you could place someone in a mental institution.
Our Trailer Out trailer will be focusing on a teenage girl aged around 17/18 who struggles with day to day life due to her battle with schizophrenia. In terms of costume, we have many options. We could opt for her to appear very artsy, therefore patterns, bright colours and perhaps some items of clothing that do not quite match. Although, with this option is mind we may have to consider not making her character look too artsy to the extent that her clothing alone makes her stand out too much. Additionally, her character could be extremely smart and her costume could signify that factor, just like in A Beautiful Mind. Moreover, the setting of our trailer will also determine our protagonists costume, e.g. if it were to be set in a school environment; we would have to take into account how she chooses to wear her uniform.
Meeting Time: 7pm Meeting Place: School Filming Location: Bexley Warren
Scenes to film:
Time lapse at sunset of protagonist sitting showing thoughtful nature, possibly with sketchbook to show creativity and complexity in personality. Also a very isolating scene. Sunset used for effect.
Shots included:
Establishing shot of field from first scene in trailer including possible close ups of protagonist looking out across field also in time lapse. Can be edited together.
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