Analysis/Reflection 2 – QUESTION 4

In the tute we screened a short film called Rolling – a film made in Film-TV1 a few years ago.

In 300 words or less describe what you thought worked or didn’t. At this stage we don’t expect you to have a great deal of film knowledge or language. Don’t be afraid to use your own words. Things you could talk about – script, casting, timing, camera movement, location. You may not remember much detail, if so, it could be helpful to talk about your first impressions, after all this is what most of us are left with after one viewing.

Rolling is a great , simple,straight forward short film that satisfies every requirements of a 5 minute film project. I love the fact that the movie is in a reverse order, when they showed the room full of toilet papers at first , making us the audience keep wondering guessing this odd event. Then through out the film, they smartly answer the question in a real simple but solid way. In another word, the script was executed perfectly, hands down to the script writer by successfully delivered a well done 5 mins short film.

As the director of photography and the technical person of our group, Rolling is a great example that I bring up every time we have group meeting , to remind others that we only have 5 minutes to deliver our story , straight forward just like Rolling did.

The location was really smartly picked. 2 easy locations, the grocery store and a small cozy apartment were good enough for a 5 minutes film.

On the other hand, the casts were really interesting. The star , the main character of the film, was amazing. He successfully portrait the image of an insecure, shy and awkward guy when it comes with girl, just like the director wanted. His facial expressions changes following up the atmosphere of the conversation , both funny and awkward at the same time. Unfortunately , I find the girl’s character was bringing the whole level of casting and expressing down when she sort of acted really unnaturally and can’t be compared with the amazing performance of the guy.

Another dislike was the camera movement. Some of the shots were not based on the rules of third and some were out of focus ( the scene when he opens his doors for the girl ) .
But overall, Rolling is a perfectly directed short movie that almost every viewer have good first impression watching it.

Analysis/Reflection 2 – QUESTION 2

Select from one of the readings, up to but not including Week 5, and briefly describe two points that you have taken from it. Points that excite you, something that was completely new to you.

Week 3 Reading – Sound Recording

According to Week 3 Reading – Sound Recording, I find 2 sound recording elements/technique that are completely new to me.

Indoor Recording is one hard process , according to the reading. Not only the barren walls and floors can affect the quality of our audio but also other really small things in a room that a microphone can recorded. Having no experience in sound recording, I find the solutions really helpful by hanging blankets on the walls , potion box or soft furnishing to break up the path of the sound waves; keeping the mic cables well away from electrical cables to prevent the picking up of a 50Hz hum from cables.

Microphone placement was another key point that I learned out of Week 3 Reading. Doing a site check and check the type of connection points before shooting is needed. This process struck me , as a director of photography I find this small process really important cause I didnt know such small work decides the good or bad slow flow of the shooting day. And a camera mount is not recommended to place your microphone because it will record the camera person’s voice, breaths and so on.

Analysis/Reflection 2 – QUESTION 1

In the film Clown Train how does sound contribute to the atmosphere of this film? Describe what you heard? Can you make reference to another genre film and how they utilise sound to create tension and a unique filmic space?

The sound plays the most important part in Clown Train, in my opinion, creating the whole intense and horrifying atmosphere of the film. The 30 seconds introduction sound itself helps building up the idea for viewers to start wondering and are really curious and attracted. Along the film, the perfectly recorded and put-in sounds of the flicking lights, the ambiance sound of the train itself, the air-condition, the drums and of course the scary background music contributed a really significant role creating unique tension and building up the 2 characters, the guy and the clown.
Referring to Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban (2004) . As Harry is on his way toward Hogwarts, their train got intercepted by grim reaper. As soon as the train got stopped, the atmosphere transforms from a safe and cosy mood into an intense and scary atmosphere as the grim reaper slowly walks on the wooden floor of Harry’s carriage, with “total” silence, the sound of the train, of Harry’s breath and the background music. They are all so pure and perfectly recorded and overlaid, create an amazing tension for viewers.