Our group decided to make a short clip of an action/war sequence for our film studies work. Originally the idea was sparked from mine and another from the group’s idea. So we combined the 2 and decided on a sequence where 4 special operation forces broke into a terrorist facility and rescued 3 hostages.
When I first put everything up onto the timeline from our first series of filming, I noticed not much diegetic sound was involved in the sequence, and as I was decided to be the main editor for this group I found it harder to make the sequence make a lot of sense. So we decided to create some sounds and a basic soundtrack for the piece. We all put in our different opinions and I proposed that it should have an intense and slow sounding beginning intro which builds up into an explosion of high intense fighting music.
When we went out to film we had a lot of very good shots filmed and a lot of ideas also sparked in the filming location. One issue was finding all of the lighting for inside of the building to make the camera show up the people enough. We did eventually get the lighting right but after we finished the cut of the film and uploaded it the quality was reduced and it looked to dark so we thought we could change this if we re did the lighting in editing but it did not work as when it was uploaded the quality was reduced again.
A lot of the camera work was hard to decide on but we did mostly mid shots and close up’s as if you were involved in a high action fight. We would have added in more shots if we had more time for example we wanted to add in a close up of there feet as they were running through the muddy puddles.
When I started the final edit on this short scene I thought of many different effects that would work very well with the piece. For starters I thought adding in a lot of changes between fast motion and slow motion movements would give the sequence a more intense feeling to it and add a more stealthy feel as if the special ops were being careful on there whereabouts near the building, for example in this video sequence here:
When adding to the feel of the clip I decided that I should put in a more grainy effect over the entire section because if the colours were more dulled down I think that it gives it more of an action feel and like it is a much more intense piece and clip of this film.
This clip was originally intended to be near the ending of the main film and to be the last operation that this squad would attend to. But we decided that it would be better if the clip was at the beginning of the film and then the rest of the film could be changed to clips of how they got there and what happened to the one squad member who did not get captured.
My opinion of the final version is that I think a lot of parts could have been changed and made it a lot more intense. The sound I feel was the biggest issue for example there is appoint in the sequence where 3 of the special ops were running into the smoke and there is no gunshots noises there. Also with the whole sequence when the guns were being fired if we had added in a gun shot effect as in a picture of a small flame and added it in for 1 frame it would have made it look far more realistic. I also thought the whole last part of the clip where the special ops infiltrated the building would have been far better if it was a lot lighter but more grainy so if we had filmed it again I would have got a lot more lighting involved into the clip. One last thing that I believe could have been added or changed would be adding in some people talking over some radios between each of the faded parts of the clip.
In our AS film extract I was given the responsibility of sound design. Because of the specific nature of my micro responsibility, the choices I made were greatly influenced by the choice in genre, especially when applied to the use of diegetic sound. As sound designer, it was my responsibility to add sound effects to the film in order to heighten the realism and display clearly the genre conventions. The genre we had chosen to work in was 'War/Conflict', meaning that I had a fair amount of choice on how the soundtrack should sound.
This is a clip from Youtube.com showcasing the soundtrack for the hit war film 'Black Hawk Down'. This influenced me during the construction of our soundtrack, as it clearly helps to build up tension and anticipation in the film.
As the sequence we had chosen to do had to have a very specific style and feel, my choice of sound effects were limited to those that related specifically to war/terrorism; guns firing, explosions etc. When applied to non-diegetic sound also, the genre we had chosen influenced my decisions greatly. For example, when composing the soundtrack I attempted to create something that would give the film a dark feel, while creating a sense of anticipation and build up as the genre dictated.
My micro responsibility has had, to an extent, a large effect on the narrative as a whole. Sound effects that were added add to atmosphere and the realism of the production, meaning that the mood of the narrative is more serious and tense. Similarly, the soundtrack added tension to the narrative, and since it went hand in hand with the editing, indicated frequently critical points in the sequence.
Through my responsibility as sound designer, I worked with other group members in order to shape the narrative in such a way that it would live it up to the conventions of its genre. To achieve this, I communicated with my group and researched many aspects of the ‘war’ genre. We discovered that many war films have a slow paced sound track that increases in tempo slightly as time passes. Once we understood this, I was able to communicate to the individual in charge of editing so that the sequence fitted with the pace of the soundtrack.
As we worked on the sequence, my micro responsibility became increasingly crucial. Through feedback we gained from our rough cut, we were able to identify many main changes that needed to be made, especially in my area of responsibility. We determined that sound effects needed to be utilized more frequently throughout the sequence, as well as the use of voice overs to replace inadequate dialogue. I thought that for the most part, we were able to successfully instigate these changes.
As sound engineer, I attempted to evoke a particular response from my audience through the use of the soundtrack and diegetic sound. I attempted to create a feeling of build up and suspense with the soundtrack. I used garage band to create a soundtrack in which the beggining was quiet, and then slowly built up, creating tension and anticipation in the audience on the way. As well as this, diegetic sounds such as sound effects were used in order to provoke a particular reaction from the audience. For example, sound effects such as gun shots were used in order to convince the audience of the sequence's realism, and therefore add to their anticipation and excitement.
This is a clip from Youtube.com once again showing a sequence from 'Black Hawk Down'. This sequence shows clearly the importance of sound effects in the 'war' genre, as sounds such as gun shots, ricochets and explosions make the sequence much more believable and tense.
The feedback we received helped me to pinpoint the good and bad decisions I made during the project. The general message from the feedback was that the soundtrack was successful in building up tension in the sequence, and worked well with the editing. I was pleased with this feedback, as it showed I was correct in my assumption that the soundtrack I had made was effective in building up tension in the scene. The feedback however also stated that more diegetic sound as well as dialogue should have been added to the scene in order to advance the narrative further and convey the storyline to a greater degree. This confirmed my worry that due to time constraint the story may not be properly conveyed as voiceovers and some sound effects were not added.
Throughout the project, my technical skill in the use of garageband and other apple software allowed me to effectively carry out my role as sound designer. Using this technical skill, I was able to take advantage of layers in garageband in order to produce a realistic gun shot sound by using many different sound effects on top of each other, as well as create a soundtrack that built up suspense while relating closely to the conventions of the ‘war’ genre.
For this group assignment, we decided that we wanted to create a stealth/action based war film sequence revolving around a hostage rescue attempt. Three groups of characters were identified as needed, these were: Special Forces soldiers, Terrorists and Hostages.
We wished to create a piece slanted towards the good triumphing over the bad action/war films that are created often, but also wanted to create a twist towards the end, where the good side encounters a failure early on from the start. This was done to try and add a sense of tension and fear in the viewer, as the expected ending may not be possible, and the evil side may triumph.
I took responsibility for the cinematography of our piece. I had to decide what types of camera shots were needed, how to frame the characters in each shot to get the maximum effect and which shots would be best for portraying the edgy, action sequence that we wanted to create.
During the preliminary research for the assignment, films such as Black Hawk Down (Ridley Scott, 2001), Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg, 1998) and The Rock (Michael Bay, 1996) were watched so as to see what kind of camera work was used to add drama and action to the films.
We also looked at some short films on youtube.com by OpsGear (below), as they showed the kind of finished product that we wished to produce in regards to effects, camera angles and de-saturated colours.
When taking the narrative of the sequence into account, I had to think of what shots would aid the viewer in understanding the story. It was decided that a series of wide shots would be used to try and include as many elements into each scene as possible.
The first few scenes of the sequence, where the Special Forces sniper is getting into position (below) sets up the sequence well. This is because it shows the viewer right from the start, that it is an action heavy film sequence, and it is possible for them to feel comfortable with the type of sequence they are about to see.
With certain scenes in the sequence, I decided that it would be appropriate to centre certain characters in the shot to emphasize their roles within that specific scene (for example the sequence where the grenade is thrown, shown below).
To contrast with these fairly closed shots, I decided that following up with a series of wider angled shots showing several characters, would add a large effect to the more action based sequences.
As we introduced the Special Forces characters to the sequence, a series of close up and slowed down shots were used. This quickly added drama to the sequence.
Whilst filming our piece, it was quickly realised that several of the higher angled shots we wished to include would not be achievable with the equipment available. This included the high, mounted shots during the terrorist ambush scenes.
Working closely with the all members of the group, a strong idea for the types of shots possible, and creative style was decided upon. This is especially true when working alongside the group art director. This was important because we were able to work together to get a strong sense of what would be achievable in regards to possible shots and effects that would be included. We were also able to decide on which views would need to be changed due to time constraints or technical limitations, but in a way which would still give us the style that we wanted.
With regards to audience response, we wanted people that saw the sequence to want to know what was going to happen with the rest of the film. I think that ending the sequence with the held wide shot of the single, un-captured sniper helped us to achieve this as it gave a sense of both helplessness and hope to the sequence with regards to the captured characters in the scene.
Due to time constraints, it was not possible to get every shot that we wished to include in the sequence. This included close up shots of the terrorists as they moved in to ambush the Special Forces soldiers as they rescued the hostages. Also, due to camera issues, panning shots of outside the warehouse were deleted and therefore not included in the sequence.
Due to feedback received, it was clear to us that although the action sequence we wished to portray was created effectively, the overall aim of the sequence with regards to the hostage rescue, was not clear. This may have been remedied by including a close-up view of the hostages to show what the piece revolved around.
I think that our aim with this sequence was met quite well, although some of the missing shots and audio, such as the wide panning shots and close-up views may have helped with regards to the overall narrative of the sequence.
As an individual within the group I feel that the genre we chose to work in influenced the decisions I made greatly. I researched war films and studied the conventions displayed, hoping to incorporate the same techniques within our production. As Art Director, my job was to look at costumes, props, location and to a certain extent, editing. For example, we found that war films tend to have a slightly de-saturated filter (usually blue or green - see images 1&2), as seen in films such as ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and '. I feel that this genre gave me more ideas to incorporate into a production than any other genre would have done; this is because war films have a very unique look and to replicate this took quite a lot of effort. 1 Image 1 This is a screenshot from the film, 'Saving Private Ryan', 1998 (Steven Spielberg). It shows the effect I was going for; the green-blue filter effect applied. It works here as a better quality, highly saturated image would have given the film a less realistic and artificial appearance.Helps exaggerate mise-en-scene.
Image 2 This shot from 'Enemy At The Gates', 2001 (Jean-Jacques Annaud) also displays the mise-en-scene that we wanted to replicate in our production. It shows the muggy atmosphere with the green-blue filter effect.
Through my specific area of micro responsibility, I think that the narrative has been developed somewhat. I think that my area of the production is more successful in understanding the narrative then making obvious to the viewer of what the narrative actually is. The props and costumes (see images 3&4), for example, make it clear that the genre is war / conflict film, yet it doesn’t entirely explain the plot. This, along with the effects that I decided to put onto our production, the de-saturated filter; is effective as the appearance gives the impression of what the mood should be, and how it should be perceived. Therefore developing the plot somewhat.
Images 3, 4 & 5 Below are a few images showing the props and costumes we used, or very similar. These props and costumes helped make an appropriate mise-en-scene for our sequence.
In our group we worked together in order to develop the narrative; other group member’s objectives included creating a soundtrack, which after researching war film conventions, we matched quite well in my opinion. We found that many war films have slow-paced soundtracks, of which the tempo slightly picks up. I explained my ideas to the group member in charge of sound, and we managed to match the pace of the sequence to the soundtrack. (see video 1)
Video 1
This music was one of the main inspirations of our sequence; the 'Splinter Cell - Double Agent' soundtrack - a computer game. This soundtrack includes an ambient sound, yet has a slightly depressing element in that it is slow and not too upbeat. However, in our sequence we wanted a more upbeat and almost 'confident' sound, and so in Garageband created a more dramatic soundtrack that fit well into our chosen genre.
From classroom interactions we gathered feedback on how to improve, and parts that went well, meaning we were able to change our plans as we went (see image 5). It became clear to us that the areas in which we needed to improve were continuity, and minor details which would make the overall production more of a success. We also knew that we had to pay close attention to non-diagetic sound, and set about recording voice-overs to replace the dialogue (diagetic sound) that did not work successfully. We also worked with sound software, Garageband ,and created sounds made up of many different sounds put together in order to create realistic sound effects, such as gun shells bouncing off the ground. Together with Final Cut, we adapted the soundtrack to the sequence in order to make it work, and I feel that we did this successfully (see images...).
Image 6
This piece of sound is called Alternative Rock Bass. This piece plays nearly all the way through, and is one of the factors of the confident, upbeat sound.
There is a quiet drone that plays throughout, and a short drum roll plays continuously; this can be seen in many war films, and is present in the 'Splinter Cell - Double Agent' soundtrack.
@ 0:10 - gun shot sound; a composite of 2 or 3 sounds taken for Garageband, and reworked to sound like a realistic gun shot.
@ 0:27 onwards - guitar..
As the art director, I knew that my work would be likely to be the most apparent, as it was to do with appearance instead of something not so obvious, or something we cannot see such as the narrative. I wanted the audience to be able to notice my input into the sequence, yet keep it relatively subtle. Furthermore I wanted these changes to appeal to the audience, and for them to be familiar with the techniques, most likely from production films of the same genre.
Image 5
These are the feedback notes we received after all groups had viewed our work. The main criticisms we got were that there were too many fades that joined shots together, and that there were not enough close-ups. We then thought about this and realised that if we included more close-ups, this would in turn improve understanding of the film, and introduce props, costumes and characters much more effectively. However, we recieved a few compliments; the soundtrack appeared to be popular, proving our work with our influences effective. Also, the succesful build up of tension and the colouring of the filter was also noticed.
The feedback we received presented us with problems within the sequence as mentioned before. It was suggested to us by a few members of other groups that our sequence appeared to be a trailer, instead of a few scenes of a feature film. This could have been because of the music and the way it was structured around the footage, so we set about changing this. In my opinion, as a group too much time was taken getting the plot and order of scenes down, along with costumes, than the actual professional appearance of the sequence. This also had a knock on effect on the amount of time we had to edit, along with working the soundtrack around it. However, we received quite a few comments on the success of our production. For example, the soundtrack seemed to be popular, with people saying it fit in well to the genre. Also, the effort put into costumes was noticed and commented upon.
My technical skills have enabled me to make the creative choices I wanted to, and in my opinion, best suited the area I was assigned to. The editing we decided to do, required a certain amount of knowledge on editing software, but not a great amount as the work wasn’t too hard. The work required by me was to change levels and putting fades into the sequence to ‘tidy’ it up. I feel that art director was the area best suited for me, and allowed me to display my skills as best I could, given the assignment and mutual opinions of the group.
(Add screen grabs -timeline, stills from film, Garageband)
We are reasonably pleased with our rough cut although we feel we have left out a lot of clips and sounds which we will film on the next filming session we have. Also when we have uploaded our rough cut it has been darkened and does not seem to be the same as when we made it.
Part of the art director's job is to research and find images that help explain the desired feel of the production. Our aim is to achieve dark, stealthy feel, as this would fit in with conventions of the war film genre.
Many factors need to be thought about when trying to achieve this; the weather for example can change the mood of a production completely, and we think that filming on an overcast day would be very effective. Overcast weather lowers everybody's moods, thus making the production seem more serious. Below is an example image of a sky that would be appropriate to our genre and help when filming. (image from Google images).
As well as this, we can manipulate the footage, so that it appears desaturated; making the colours more dull. This effect can be seen on films such as 'Saving Private Ryan'. This is effective in that it can change the audience's whole perception of a production, whilst maintaining a realistic feel (reminiscent of the time it is supposed to be set in). Below is a still from the 1998 war film, 'Saving Private Ryan'. It appears to have a blue/green tint to it, and all vivid colours appear to have been removed. This is effective as bright colours tend to give a film an uplifting and light tone, whereas removing them tends to give it a moody feel. (image from Google images).
We also need to look at costumes, for both the 'good guys' and the terrorists. The 'good guys' will be dressed in dark clothing, with masks on to conceal their identity. Below is an example image of the same sort of look we would like to achieve of the 'good guys' in our production.
-> Masks -> Dark clothing, preferably black -> Weapons (imitation)
At first glance they will look like this; dark clothing with weapons (empty paintball guns for our sequence), and they will have a confident appearance, much like the SAS soldiers seen in the image. Protection may also be on display.(Google images).
The terrorists will look very similar to the 'good guys', but with a slight difference.
-> Balaclavas -> Dark clothing -> Weapons (imitation)
