RESEARCH INTO ROLES

The main roles involved in the making of a film can be rounded up to;

- Director 

-Camera operator

-producer

-editior 

-dop (euphoria)

-sound

 Role of the Director 

The key role or a director is controlling all of the creative elements of the film, from translating the script into a guide for the actors to working with the technical team to enhance the vision for the screen; Their role is crucial in the making of any film.

An example of a famous director, one that is growing in the industry is Greta gerwig, most notable for her film released in 2017, 'lady bird'. Gerwig is most famous for her unique film making choices in her straightforward yet touching films. 

After Gerwigs solo project 'Lady bird' reached success, gerwig became the fitch female director to receive a best director nomination.   

greta gerwig in an interview, referenced from (https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/filmmaking-advice-from-award-winning-directors-74217/) "“If you have reverence for the art form, your fear of failure could come from not wanting to muck up something you love. But I think there’s a time when the fear of not ever having tried is bigger than the fear of failure. And that’s when you get to work, because you realize you have fears on both sides; which one would you rather live with? You’ll make a bad movie or give a bad performance or write a bad song or make a bad painting. Because if you’re doing it, you’ll get some bad ones. That’s just the price of admission!”

This interview from Gerwig concludes the creative element of the role of a director and the art form of film making, directing a film.

role of a camera operator

the contribution of a camera operator is to essentially manage all of the technical aspects that come alongside any camera work: from operating the camera physically to preparing the scenes and the camera movement within it.  

As oppose to any other key roles within the making of a film, the camera operators get the least recognition due to the nature of it. However, an example from a very well renowned film due to not only the gripping story line but the sophisticated filming, specifically that of hand held, was done by Micheal Chapman. 

In an interview looking into the overall prospects of the role of a camera operator, referenced: (http://www.creativesgo.com/gail_jenkinson_camera_operator_director_of_photography_interview.html), Gail Jenkinson gave a 'career insight' into her role as a camera operator, explaining the roles technicalities. Furthermore, Jenkinson went on the evaluate the difficulty of her jobs nature about 'breaking through to become a regular op', where she wrote: "Keeping motivated during those in between times and not to panic. It's a transitional time and that in turn takes time. Thinking of your career maybe more like golf than other sports I find helps, you have to play the course."

Role of the producer 

The role of the producer is to essentially create the film from start to finish; this involves all the hiring of creative elements, for example the writer, director and all areas of the technical team, to overseeing all of the three areas of production and finally to releasing the film. In many cases, the director becomes their films producer, thus obtaining much more creative freedom with the film; a famous example of this would be Stephan Spielberg. 

Spielberg has directed and produced 7 out of 20 of the highest grossing films of all time; Spielberg shared his film making tips with  [https://collider.com/steven-Spielberg-filmmaker-advice-comments/] as he shares his knowledge whilst talking about his latest hit, 'West side story'. Spielberg wrote, “The only piece of advice I love to give is don't worry so much about technique and don't worry so much about where to put the camera or have a light. Worry about one thing or think about one thing, preoccupy yourself with, how do you tell a story that's really interesting, that you can get somebody not to walk out of the room right in the middle of your second act of your telling the story? How do you just tell a story that people lean into what you're saying and they don't lean back, they don't start looking around the room? Find a way first, a compelling way to express your art through your storytelling. Once you've got that, there's a lot of people in this world that will get around you and show you the ropes, but learning how to be a storyteller is the most important advice I can give you.”

role of the editor 

the role of the editor is to essentially gather all the clips and content of the film, cut it down, edit transitions, cgi and all the technical areas of what makes up the final experience of a film by combining the film into sequences to create the final motion picture. 

An editor works closely with the director from pre-production and assembling the scrip and screen play, to production and making sure the story telling is making sense with the attention to detail. Finally, during post-production, the director will work alongside the editor to assemble the final cut to then allow music and sound to be added. 

An example of a famous and up coming female editor is Joi Mcmillon; most notable for 'moonlight' 2016. Mcmillon co-edited 'moonlight' and her and nat sanders received and oscar nomination, thus making her the first black women to receive a nomination. In an interview with source unknown, mcmillon explored her journey with editing moonlight; [from https://womenfilmeditors.princeton.edu/mcmillon-joi/]  “I think one of the lessons I learned was allowing the footage to speak to you. Sometimes as an editor you’re trying to pace things up to keep the audience engaged, but I think we learned to just allow moments to breathe and allow the audience to become acquainted with the surroundings. When we were cutting the diner scene, I was slightly nervous that we were lingering too long, but a lot of people tell me that they love being in that diner. You have to trust your instinct and your gut. Barry [Jenkins] would always say, ‘Don’t break it. It feels good.’ You’ve got to listen to that feeling.”

Role of the dop  

the role of the dop is to be able to understand the screen play and the directors intention and communicate the feel of the film through the lighting, framing and camera movement. The dop work extremely closely with the director to communicate their intentions through the visuals of the film, from the camera positions to the lighting and color choices and view all of the raw footage with the director. 

The dops role during production is to block out the exact movements of the actors and camera and to discuss what is needed of the camera operator to make sure that the filming goes smoothly 

AN example of a director of photography, andre chemetoff, worked alongside 3 others on sam levinsons Euphoria, creating unique cinematoc choices. CHemetoff discusses his work on mona fastvolds film 'the world to come'

[https://filmmakermagazine.com/110992-softness-to-achieve-an-ethereal-image-dp-andre-chemetoff-the-world-to-come/#.YdMNgWjP1PY] Chemtoff dicusses his biggest challenges as DOP: "The biggest challenges were inherent to shooting in remote locations, up the Carpathian Mountains on a very tight schedule. We indeed had to recreate a wintery feeling when shooting all interior sets during the summer, hoping there will be some snow end of fall when coming back to shoot the outdoors scenes. Luckily when we got back in the fall we were welcomed with white powdery landscapes.". He then goes on to discuss lighting; "The approach of lighting was quite frontal and filled up, as I wanted to make sure we could transcript the beauty of the colors and the details of the set created by the genius production designer Jean Vincent Puzos."

Role of the Sound designer 

sound designers are essentially in charge of choosing the right sound tracks to communicate the atmosphere of the scene and to successfully communicate the story line and the characters to present the directors overall intention. This differs with animation however, as all of the sound are completely made from scratch, making the sound designers job much more important in the progression of the film making process. 

EThan VAn der ryn, a notable sound designer, worked alongside erik aadahl on 'a quiet place'. From an interview with [https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/19/17253262/a-quiet-place-sound-design-eric-aadahl-ethan-van-der-ryan-interview] Ethan van der ryn dicuess how they went on communicating the script to essentially tell the story through sound, especially when working on a film where 'sound' is so important for the story line and the lack of dialogue leaves plenty of opportunity to create mood and atmosphere through non-diegetic sound: " We’ve done a lot of big action, special visual effects, creature movies, where there’s often a lot going on onscreen. What we’ve learned is that often, what can be the most effective in our work is to really strip down the number of sounds we’re playing, to try and get it very focused. And sometimes, we almost have to counter the visuals when there’s a lot happening visually. We feel like we have to actually get the sound more focused, in a way, to help tell the audience what is important at any particular moment.

So that’s something we’ve been working on, stripping sound down. Seeing how much we can take out. In a way, instead of seeing how much we can play, which is what a lot of people think about in terms of sound design — “How much sound can we play?” — for us, it’s been about the opposite. How minimal can we get, and how focused can we get? [A Quiet Place] is taking that to its logical conclusion." 

An interview on how sound designers in 'a quiet place' used sound to essentially shape the film

COMPARING TITLES

GREASE- TITLE SEQUENCE 

Genre- greases opening title depicts the films up-beat, comedic genre through the use of editing, sound, color, mise-en-scene, all of which establish the genre. The editing, for example, create the comedic  atmosphere through the fast paced duration of each clips and transitions, along with the non-diegetic, high energy sound track help convey the light heated, comedic tone of the plot. Another factor which contributes to establishing the genre is through the animated, charactiture characters and their 'behavior' which develop the comedy within the film

The key titles that show up in this opening follow the traditional title sequence, including the films title, the main characters, director of photography, music, director etc: 

The tone is similarly set through the openings use of sound, editing, color and mise-en-scene to depict the high energy, and light-hearted tone of the film; for example the colors featured are all vibrant which connect with the tone being established. Furthermore, the openings use of titles, specifically the fonts and sound track to go alongside, set to establish the musical element of the film; for instance as the opening title states the film's name, 'Grease', which works alongside the non-diegetic sound track that reveals the name within the lyrics to hint at a predictable musical element of the plot. The tone is also established through the placement and duration within introducing characters, for instance when 'Danny' and 'sandy' are introduced, there is a subtle hint towards a romantic element between them as they are introduced individually, one after the other which establishes a predictable relationship and because of the gender differences this notion is further imposed upon the audience. 

The location and time period was clearly imposed through the animated sequences and themes onto which state the 60's relevancy to the film. During the opening, the sequence shows clips of key moments that depict the films time period; 

Key characters are introduced through this opening title sequence, giving small insights into their age. We are first introduced to the supposed main characters of 'Danny' and 'Sandy', using editing to suggest a prospect of their relationship through the individual portrayal of the characters. 'Danny' is presented as a typical teenager, showing his messy room, suggesting a laid back personality. this is juxtaposed with the second character introduced, 'Sandy', as she is presented as feminine, loving and a fairy tale tone with the animated animals, presenting the two characters as binary opposites.  We also grasp a prediction of the characters ages through the setting of a school and the two 'gangs' of a girl group and a by group which also emulates the notion of teenage friendship.

American Horror Story: Murder House- Title Sequence 

American Horror story's genre is established through the opening sequence, depicting the unsettling nature of the show through the use of sound, editing, camera and mise-en-scene to enhance the supernatural and uncomfortable tone being set. Firstly, the use of the non-dietetic intrusive and alarming sound track playing throughout sets to emphasis the horror genre of the show which is further emulated by the Gothic, supernatural imagery being shown throughout. The underlying pleonastic sounds within the soundtrack depict the violent imagery of dripping and chainsaws further immerse the horror genre. The fast paced transitions between clips creates a disorientating atmosphere, suspending the audiences predictions upon the violent tone of the shows narrative. the use of the conceptual, unsettling sound within this openig with the dramatic use of editing works to further engage the abstract and 'confused' element of the foreshadowment of the plot and its overall tone and Gothic horror genre; for example, the fast pace of the transitions from what it seems like one genre, depicting extreme Victorian archetypes of dolls and the eras clothing mixed within extreme horror imagery, for example skulls, blood, fire. to then what it seems like a 'supernatural' adventure through the use of the low, 'flashlight' lighting covering the exploration of a house and thus prompting even more at a supernatural and even haunted tone. 

Another key method used to establish the overall tone, time and location is through the use of font; the gothic and Victorian like font displaying the cast further depict the Gothic style of the narrative and more so hints towards the era at which this could take place. 

The use of the rigid transitions between both of these fonts and the stylized choices of the 'ruin' of the image through a burnt photograph suggestion, further emulates the dark and dangerous tone of this opening.

Furthermore, the location is also suggested through the text within this opening:

Clearly suggesting the location is in America 

The overall narrative is also explored through these various concepets; for example, the use of the abstact editing techniques switchign from one era to another, hints towards an eposodic atmosphere of varying contexts and plot lines. This also coinsides with the overall genre through altering audieneces attention constantly and thus causing disconfort and confusion towards the narrative. 

The paranormal activity within the iconic horror imagery explored within, hints directly at the overall narrative of this exploration through time with this haunted style. for example, this opening consists of constant snippets of dark imagery

This continuity of disturbing images bombards the audiences awareness of the narratives obscure and dark themes and through the POv of the exploration of these images through the 'flashlight' lighting and camera tracking, we begin to predict the narratives 'exploration' and 'discovery' aspect which further relates to a mystery unfolding. Another telling element from the transitional aspect of this opening is the foreshadowed episodic quality that it holds through the differentiation of the images and the transition between the two story lines. 

This causes the prediction of the narrative containing multiple elements, characters and perhaps even plot lines; the extended lack of individualistic character presentation within the array of images constructs the prediction of a non-linear plot line being explored with no specific character being introduced. 

COMPARISON 

overall, these two openings differ in both style, genre and narrative with 'greese's opening foretelling a light-hearted and comedic tone with clear representations of individual characters displaying clear plot lines within the gender stereotypes as opposed to 'american horror stories' opening sequence displaying  much more dark and violent imagery and lacking a clear narrative due to the multiple, differenting images being presented through two seemingly different eras.  

TITLES

(top ten title sequences of 2020)

What are Titles? 

Titles are embedded within films, normally either opening or end of the film that list the key institutional and creative names involved in the whole films making; from production, funding, producing and making.  

WHY are they included?

They are included to establish the key names involved and even has the ability to establish the premise of the films tone, narrative, genre and suggestions towards the character/characters through specific techniques; 

- font/ color                                                                                

'Split's title sequence is an exemplar model for the choice in font addressing the narrative 

-style 

-framing/screen placement

-place of credits 

an example of the font, specifically, effecting the prediction of the films genre is a the opening clip from 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark';

Traditionally, title sequences involve 21 titles which appear in set order:

 

Money 

Production 

Directors name film 

Main star 

Film title 

Actor 1 – (end of main section) 

Actor 2 

Actor 3 

Actor 4 

Actor 5 

Casting 

Costume designer 

Music 

Edited 

Production designer 

Director of Photography (DOP) 

Executive Producer 

Produced by 

Based upon 

Screen play (writer) 

Director  

Title sequences can also introduce the protagonist/ antagonist of the film, used through editing techniques that individualize a character; an example of this is the opening title sequence of 'EMMA' which clearly directs the audiences attention towards the protagonist. 

Director  

Money 

Prod

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER- DRAMA

 

 ‘The perks of being a Wallflower’ written by Stephen Chbosky and released in 2012 opens the film through the narration of a boy, who we assume as the main protagonist in the narrative.  

To begin with, the narrative is instantly established through the use of non-diegetic narration of the protagonist as we are introduced through a zoom from a close up of the boy's reflection to an establishing shot of his location: his bedroom. As the scene progresses, it soon becomes clear of the protagonists social anxiety as he navigates his way through his first day of high school; a key convention used to establish this prediction is through dialogue spoken within this clip as all of the protagonists dialogue is spoken purely through non-diegetic voice over narration whereas all other characters dialogue are diegetic and conversational which suggests to the audience of his social disability to comfortably converse amongst his peers, instantly gaining our sympathy. We instantly gain some understanding as to what the narrative will consist of as the scene is located predominantly within the boys' surroundings: the school. The use of this embellishment of the location and the characters within the high school, we can clearly predict this film to be roughly based around this boy's high school experience and from his social disability, perhaps how he overcomes it. Furthermore, the introduction of other characters via the boy's narration could also build this narrative of the pursuit for meaningful relationships and interactions, ones that are so universal and prominent in each of our lives specifically as we grow up. 

The introduction of these various characters through the boy's perspective clearly confirms to the audience of their relationship with the protagonist as it is purely from his opinion and views; for example, as we are introduced to his English teacher, we can clearly understand the respect and comfort that this character brings. A key example of this would be through the use of the camera tracking this teaching through the perspective of the boy as it uses a handheld shot which establishes the attention that the boy brings to the teacher and likewise respect. This introductory relationship between the boy and the teacher again builds this predictable narrative of perhaps the teacher's significant impact over the boy's high school experience. We also understand the boys significance within the plot as all of these characters are linked through him; his sister and her boyfriend, his old school friend Susan, his brother's old friend Brad and his teacher Mr. Anderson. His teacher specifically draws the audiences attention as the shot duration is elongated on him through the scene, showing the significance of his impact upon the protagonist, expressing hope and encouragement.  

This links into the target audience for this film, as this opening itself already recognizes the established location being predominantly set in his high school and therefore the adolescent ages at which the plot will focus on which translates to a coming-of-age narrative which will attract younger audiences. Furthermore, the use of costume choices also acknowledges the characters youth and modern era and thus attracting the target audience even more so through the relatability of not only the style but also the universal high school experience. However, one could argue that this film also hints around some deeper issues perhaps through the melancholic atmosphere set using the darker lighting at the beginning focusing on the boy which suggests darker themes and thus attracting a wider age range of audience.  

To conclude, this opening successfully reaches its aims to engage the audience through the relatability of the characters and their surroundings which simultaneously attracts the youth of the target audience. This opening also successfully builds the audiences expectations of the themes and tone set already around the perspective of the boy as he experiences his first. I would argue however that this opening lacks the depth at which dramas hold, blurring the translation of what genre is being shown to the audience which works in its favor to gradually build this sense of emotion throughout the narrative.