In the early 1900's the method of film making was done with no editing at all, it would just be one reel of tape when the method of cutting came about the editor would have to physically cut up the film and glue it together. This was done by holding each frame up to the light to identify it and then cut and paste them appropriately.
The Moviola is a machine of editing technology created in 1924. it allowed to operator to have smoother editing and introduced Edge numbering which allowed audio and video synchrony. The machine was slow and was limited, With further developments flatbeds were invented, it consists of two motorised disks, one for picture and one for sound. The plates move simultaneously with one projecting the visual and one for audio. Steenbeck and KEM which stands for Keller-Electro-Mechanik are the two main brands.
This method of editing is called Linear editing, the process of selecting, modifying and arranging the images and sound in a sequence. This method was inexpensive and quicker for smaller editing jobs. The first digital editing consoles were consisting of two minors, the CMX-600. The right monitor on the left was used to display the edited video with the right showing the preview video. In 1991 the Avid 1 was released, atThis is when digital products began to replace the classic editing tools such as the moviola. The editing then became largely computerised and operated in a way the original content isn't modified during the editing.
Non linear editing is a form of offline editing which is where raw footage is editing without effecting the original taken and it is now the major form of editing. The offline editing is essentially the whole process where the clips are cut together in a way that expresses a story and narrative.
Film editing is carried out in modern editing software such as final cut and premiere pro allow editors to transfer onto a hard drive. Premiere Lori was the first computer based non-linear editing systems with its first release in 1991.
This is the video that me and AJ created to express our understanding and ability to recreate different editing techniques.
Shot Reverse Shot -
Shot reverse shot or also known as shot/countershot is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (the other character is more than likely off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. 180 Degree Rule - The 180 degree rule is a cinematography guideline that states that two characters in one scene should maintain the same left/right coordination to one another. When the camera passes over the invisible axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line and the shot becomes what is called a 'reverse angle'.
30 Degree Rule - The 30-degree rule is a basic film editing guideline that states the camera should move at least 30 degrees relative to the subject between successive shots of the same subject. Cut In - In film a cut in shot is the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else. It is usually, although not always, followed by a cut back to the first shot, when the cutaway avoids a jump cut. The shot is only on screen for no longer than 2-3 seconds. Cross Cutting / Parallel Editing - Cross-cutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time, and usually in the same place. In a cross-cut, the camera will cut away from one action to another action, which can suggest the two actions are happening simultaneously. However it is not always the case. Establishing Shot - An establishing shot is usually the first shot of a new scene, designed to show the audience where the scene is taking place. It is usually an extreme wide shot. Match On Action - Or also known as 'Cutting on Action' is an editing technique or continuity editing in which one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action of the subject in the first shot. This creates the impression of a sense of continuity. The action carrying through creates a "visual bridge" which draws the viewers attention away from slight cutting continuity issues. Temporal Overlap - When an action is repeated from a different point of view and often within slow motion. Kuleshov effect - A recognition that a shot’s meaning is not only dictated by what it contains, but by its relationship to other adjacent shots
Eisenstein Montage -
An approach to editing developed by filmmakers in the Soviet Union in the 20s. It emphasises dynamic, often discontinuous, relationships between shotsand the juxtaposition of images. It’s primary focus was to engage with the viewer in anintellectual manner.
To start of this evaluation I would just like to state that 2/3 of the way through filming I decided to leave the group because I didn't like the way we were managing ourselves and I felt like my input was not being taken seriously and I got frustrated with the members of my group so I made the decision to leave the group happy with the work that I had helped with.
We chose the song I Only Wear Black by The Wombats because it was a song we all liked and after picking several songs we all liked we created ideas for each one and then we decided that our idea for the Wombats song was the best idea we had to go with the music and we felt like we could do the most with this song. I was away on holiday the first week of the unit but while I was away Connie and Leah held a focus group and helped get ideas and feedback on our idea and the song and asked for advice on the way we could do this to the best of our ability. After a focus group we were solid on our idea and it helped us become creative with what we are capable of.
With regards to the production of the music video we decided to do a narrative of following the monster around in his day to day life, the problems that came with this are that a lot of the shots in the sun are over-exposed which added some issues but to counter-act this we used heavy editing to balance out the saturation and the exposure. With filming within Connie's house we had the issues of space and the camera and tri-pod setting was very space consuming, to counteract this we did a lot of walking shots and hand-held shots and then just have to stabilise them in the editing phase of the music video.
The main problem my group faced was time-management and the conflict of schedules as we all had part-time jobs and other commitments etc. The first time we filmed Connie's boyfriend came over due to something that was already pre-planned which cut our filming short for example or like the time I had plans later in the day and filming ran later than intended and when we had planned to film other times we would do film about 15 minutes of footage because we would get distracted with other things. This ended up being very frustrating for everyone in the group because we felt like we were just wasting precious time when we could have been filming. Another issue we had was that the mask was very claustrophobic and hard to see in due to it being paper-mache. This made it hard to film for long periods of time because I would begin to feel light-headed, it also made seeing where I was going hard so this impacted on how natural the filming looked because sometimes my walking would be awkward and timid. To try and counteract this we would do the shot several times with and without the mask so I could try and gain some spacial awareness.
Another issue was that we broke continuity half way through the video because we filmed on a hot day where it reached 24 degrees and I did not feel comfortable or want to risk getting ill from the heat with wearing a mask I couldn't breathe in, fur and a jumper so we decided as a group to let me wear a t shirt with a similar design to the jumper on the front of it. This messed up our continuity but meant that I wouldn't be get ill or being uncomfortable.
This is the final video for what my group created up until 2:05 is where I took part and everything after that was filmed without me. Also at 0;47 the clip filmed isn't me either. I am proud of what I helped create with my group and it is a shame that things ended the way that they did but as far as i am concerned the 2 minutes of the video that I did help with are very good and we did do a good job as a group.
With editing the music video we decided that the best way to go about it was to label the clips and sort them into bins first. This makes the editing process easier and help with the putting together of the music video and just creates efficiency.
We then went through clips and decided what was the best way to go out about deciding what clips were useful and what weren't, to do this Me and Connie went through each clip and deleted what wasn't useful and what was. I sorted the clips out into folders that I figured were useful and then we imported them into premiere pro where Connie edited them.
With Connie taking the lead in the editing she had a lot of the creative freedom to create the best image and idea that we all wanted with the music video. She said a couple of times that she wished that the song was longer because it would have given her the opportunity to create an even better video because there was a lot to fit in with the short amount of time the music video allows.
This is my video essay on Roberto Rossellini and his influence in the italian neorealism era, I have done this through analysing scenes from several of his films, looking at his techniques, his views and his input into the new wave of cinema.
Equipment Needed;
1. A camera (own my own)
2. A tripod (need to talk to technician)
3. A SD Card (own my own)
4. Camera battery charger (own my own)
Locations
Clifton Bridge
Clifton Area
Observatory
All of these locations are within 15 minutes travel of the hostel we are staying in so they are easily accessible and we are going to be in the clifton area for the majority of our filming, we are going to close up filming of the bridge and the area and then use the observatory as a high point to get long, establishing shots of the area and the city itself. This will give us plenty of view points and attractive shots of the clifton area of bristol and hopefully make our video appealing and enticing and will encourage people to come.
Group Planning
This was our group planning board where we decided what group was going to film in what location and what each of us needed and the roles each of our groups would take. In our group we are taking on the Clifton area and Leah is our camera handler, Connie is our director and I am the safety and technology person.
Storyboard (I really can't draw so I'm relying more on explanation, sorry your eyes have to see this) Clifton Bridge
Using a tripod and camera we are going to go to a viewpoint where you can see the whole of the bridge and do a zoom/focus of the bridge, this will show the span of the bridge, highlight its magnificence against the scenery. (10 secs)
Using a hand-held camera we are going to drive down the bridge, this is to give a perspective shot of the bridge and to entice other people to come and see it. (30 secs)
A close up shot of a pillar of the bridge with the suspension, this is a good shot to get in as it shows the structure of the bridge itself. (10 secs)
Observatory
A close up shot of the observatory with a reverse dolly of the people in front of it to add a bit of flair to the video.
A far away shot of the observatory to establish the building itself, it will be a panning shot of the observatory and then moving onto the bridge to show how close together they are.
Clifton Area
This is a shot of the houses within clifton, its known as a posh area and all of the houses are very grand and some of them have some history behind them.
This will be a shot of a park within clifton to show the communal areas of the area, it will be a panning shot from end of the park to the other.
Travelling to Bristol
This evidence of my different ideas and research into the travel to Bristol, Megabus seems to be the most cost effective and time-efficient way of travelling there after comparing a number of different methods. Overall
We aim to show a more rural, historical side to Bristol while also highlighting its greatest assets, such as the bridge and the observatory while also showing some lesser known places and making use of the picturesque setting and aesthetics of Bristol. We are aiming our video towards those who are more interested in sight-seeing and historically inclined people.
Promotional videos tend to have a sole focus point and tend to be zoomed in, constantly zooming in on the thing that they are promoting, the music used tends to be upbeat and positive to
Task 1 - Italian Neorealism Research
Italian Neorealism also known as the Golden Age Of Italian Cinema, after the Second World War and the fall of Mussolini's government film making within Italy lost its epicentre. The solution was to create a new type of film that focused on the repercussions of the war. The poverty stricken, the poor and the disadvantages became subjects for the films created that wanted to send a social message. Neorealism became the symbol of cultural change and social progress.
Roberto Rossellini
An Italian film director and screenwriter he is one of the influential directors of the neorealism period. During fascist Italy while Mussolini was in power Rossellini created the "Fascist Trilogy" between 1941 and 1943 with the films being sponsored by the propaganda centres within the government. With the collapse of the fascist regime in 1943 snd with the liberation of rome, Rossellini began to write and produce Roma Cittá aperta (1945) (Rome, open city). This was the start of the Neorealistic Trilogy, Paisá (1946) and Germany, Year Zero (1948) make up the later two films. The funding from these films came from small loans and the films were originally sold on the black market in Italy, due to the anti-fascim stance of the films they appealed to the disadvantaged of society. Rossellini used non-actors in his films but often struggled to find someone who's face he deemed interesting enough for his films. As he declared in an interview, "in order to really create the character that one has in mind, it is necessary for the director to engage in a battle with his actor which usually ends with submitting to the actor's wish. Since I do not have the desire to waste my energy in a battle like this, I only use professional actors occasionally".
Tom Dewe Mathews on Roberto Rossellini: gambler, sexual adventurer and master film-maker
"But the "man who knows nothing," as West put it, is also acknowledged as the father of Italian neo-realism, the director who introduced naturalism into world cinema in 1946 with his revolutionary film, Rome, Open City. Then, three years later, Rossellini again tried to change the way we look at films. This time - largely in his films made with Ingrid Bergman, such as Stromboli or Journey to Italy - his aim was to encourage the audience to understand and engage with his actors through an exploration with them of their surroundings on screen. This was in opposition to the more conventional Hollywood method of identifying with the characters on the screen. With Rossellini's way, he claimed, one watches "with one's own eyes".
This interlude, however, replenished him. "Few film-makers at this stage of their lives or careers were as adventurous or ambitious," notes Scorsese in the preface to a new book, Roberto Rossellini: Magician of the Real. Scorsese adds, "Rossellini's goal was nothing less than to educate the entire world." The method he chose was TV, which he regarded as an overlooked "educational tool" for mass audiences and the means he applied was biopics or "film histories" of cultural heroes from Socrates, Christ and St Augustine through to Pascal, Alberti and Karl Marx, in a proposed film that was cut short by Rossellini's death from a heart attack in 1977.
With Rossellini, however, there was always a distinctive method underlying any apparent madness. The same year he made Journey to Italy, Rossellini attacked the idea of pre-planned scripts in the style of Hitchcock. That was all right in Hollywood where films were made "purely for entertainment". For "realistic" films, he insisted, inspiration and spontaneity were what mattered. "An author writes a sentence or page, then crosses it out. A painter uses a red, then paints it out with a green. Why shouldn't I be able to cross things out too, to remake and replace film? This is why I don't think you can have a fixed script. If I thought you could, I'd think of myself as a scriptwriter. But I'm not a scriptwriter. I make films."
Rossellini Films:
Context of Italy's social situation:
Extracts from A history of contemporary Italy; society and politics 1943-1988 by Paul Ginsborg
Toward the end of the second World War, when the air raid sirens ceased to scream and enemy bombs ceased to fall, Italy awoke to find itself enveloped in crime and social unrest. Seizing the energy of a free society, one without the repressive controls of a dictator, film makers set out to record and document the rebirth of Italian society. The morose reality was recorded by the cameras of visionary film makers who found enough inspiration within their dismal atmosphere to create a new stylistic approach to film making: Neorealism.
Quite often, Italian Neorealism is considered a phenomenon which exploded onto the cinema scene when the Fascist regime fell, giving Italian film makers the artistic freedoms which were denied to them for over 20 years. It is commonly regarded as a smooth break from the repressive Fascist era. Neorealism's prescription for cinematic realism, set forth by film scholars and critics, called for the use of non-professional actors, regional dialects, current subject matter, authentic locations, documentary aspects, and the use of the film as a social statement. In 1945, Roberto Rossellini was hailed "The Father of Neorealism" with his first international success "Rome, Open City" which was consistent with the neorealist prescription. His next two movies, "Paisan" and "Germany, Year Zero" likewise did the same. However, the similarities between Rossellini's realism and that defined by the mainstream end here.
First, Rossellini's interest in the portrayal of realism was deeply rooted within the Fascist cinematic era in which he was trained by truly Fascist film makers and government officials. Apparently there was not a smooth break between the Fascist and the Neorealist eras. Second, he vehemently rebelled against critics, scholars, political figures and other film makers who tried to set and force others to follow guidelines as to what elements were necessary to portray reality. The tension between these two sides, which ran particularly height in post-war period to the early 1950's, caused Rossellini's popularity with the mainstream audience and critics to plummet substantially. One writer even wrote, "To change one's profession in certain circumstances is, without doubt, the wisest thing one can do," suggesting that Rossellini get out of the film business (Films 98). Even though, with each consecutive film, the ticket sales steadily decreased.
Rossellini continued to forge ahead in the development of his own personal portrayal of truth and realism, a movement which, though contrary to that of the mainstream, was important in shaping post-war cinema. Therefore, in order to show how his personal conception of truth and reality evolved within these high-tension years, it is essential to look at the evolution of these realistic aspects within his films from 1941 to 1953, apart from the interference of mainstream recommendations and criticisms.
With the war finally over and Mussolini’s repressive measures gone, Rossellini was given a type of freedom which he had never had before. After living under Fascist rule for over 20 years and silently abiding by the rhetoric, Rossellini broke free from this ideological conformation to take a moral stand. Two months following the liberation of Rome, he started to film one of his biggest successes,Roma citta’ aperta . Lacking a producer, Rossellini sold his furniture, took out loans, and, with the help of his friends, scraped together seven or eight million lire (Aprà 50). To cut down on production costs, he used post-synchronization of the sound as it was several hundred lira cheaper to develop silent film. In the box offices around the world Roma citta’ aperta was a big hit which signaled to film critics and scholars that a film revolution was beginning.
His next film Pasiá took one step further toward a revolutionary style of film making. He would place his cameraman in the middle of the main square in a rural town and choose his actors from the inquisitive faces who came to investigate. Rossellini, excited by the promise of his American producer, Rod Geiger, to bring along famous American actors like Lana Turner and Gregory Peck to interpret his script, was disappointed when he was presented with a group of unknown theater actors (Films 68). Since the main theme of this film is interaction between two foreign cultures, Rossellini first observed a personal chemistry between the actors in each episode. He finalized the script only after the actors of the episodes met with their foreign counterpart and developed a rapport.
After the tragic death of his son, Marco Romano in 1946, Rossellini's next film Germania anno zero was filled with pain, violence and pessimism. It resulted in an attempt to discover, through death, the reason for living (Rondolino 62) . It was financed by a French production house and filmed in that country's Berlin sector. Like his previous film, Rossellini first tried to find his actors in the streets of Berlin. He placed his camera man in the center of a town square as he did for a previous film but was surprised when nobody came to watch.
The people's search for food took precedence over the follies of film making. Finally, he found Edmund in a local circus, where his parents performed as stunt horse riders (Aprà 61). Edmund's father, who, interestingly enough, had been a silent film actor in previous years, was discovered in a public hospital. Ironically, Edmund's sworn Nazi brother came from a dignified university family and had been kept a prisoner of the Gestapo during the war. Finally, Edmund's sister was discovered as she was waiting in a bread line. A former ballerina, Rossellini was drawn to her by the desperation in her face.
Films made during the Fascist period, 1922 to 1943 virtually had been pushed aside and written off as meaningless propaganda. However, thanks to the Fascist regime, there is a lot of value and artistic expression to be found within these classics. Mussolini’s dictatorship was an authoritarian style of governing as opposed to Hitler and Stalin’s totalitarian style. In Russia and Germany, the government sought to control not only the public behavior of their people but also their private thoughts and opinions within their homes. For example, a German under Hitler’s rule could not even utter a word against the Führer in the company of his own family for fear that they would report him to the government and be arrested for his opposition. Meanwhile in Italy, Mussolini sought only to control people’s outward behavior to crush any opposition they may have toward the government while giving them a little more room to develop their personal thoughts and opinions. With this style of governing, Mussolini did not deport its intellectuals as Germany did. The government was more tolerant toward them as long as they did not use their opinions to incite the public. These differences between Italy, Germany and Russia also held true in the cinema industry.
Both Russia and Germany worked diligently to consolidate political interests and the cinema into one giant vehicle for propaganda. According to Stalin, 'Film is the strongest art,' and Russian film makers churned out hundreds upon hundreds of blatantly propagandist movies on the greatness of the Russian state and its leaders. Likewise, in Germany, Hitler used films to brainwash people as to the inferiority of certain races as well as embellishing on his right to power. Compared to Stalin and Hitler's film industries, Italian political and cinema groups never were able to work together in perfect unison. Luigi Freddi, who was in charge of Italian cultural control, never united Italy’s political vein with those of the cinema industry and, as a result, its films never achieved the marked propagandist content like those of Russia and Germany. True Fascist propaganda was to be found in “black” films, which championed the Fascist ideology and cause. They often were short newsreels shown in movie theaters before the main film, rather than full length feature films. On the other end of the spectrum, film makers produced "white telephone" films which were made up of melodramatic romances and light-hearted comedies. The majority of the films made under the Fascist era were in fact Fascist films, war-based films with a fictional story line and a heavy dose of propaganda, but usually could be found toward the middle of the Black-White spectrum.
In order to organize the film industry, the Fascist government experimented with political organizations and censor boards. LUCE ( L’Unione Cinematografica Educativa , 1925- 1929) oversaw all cinematic operations in Italy. It’s main goal was to promote the making of educational films and documentaries in order to raise an awareness of the link between film and politics. This organization was concerned mainly with newsreels and not with the commercial film industry (Brunetta 33).
In 1933, the government passed laws to preserve the integrity of Italian films abroad. According to these regulations, Italian films could not be dubbed into foreign languages. In addition, it was obligatory for all foreign films to be dubbed into Italian, the cost of which was covered by the foreign production houses. This tax, collected by the government, was later re-invested into the Italian cinematic endeavors.
In 1934, Luigi Freddi headed the Direzione Generale per la Cinema which was a state funded and controlled censor board made up of Fascists and War Minister officials. Their responsibility was to read and modify scripts, award prizes to film makers who championed the Fascist cause, and monitor the importation of foreign films (Brunetta 45). Quite a number of American films were banned because they could have influenced the Italian population in a negative way. The main goal of this censor board was not to ban Italian films that did not agree with Fascist ideology, but rather to modify them so that they didn’t contradict the government or incite the population to rise up against the government. Any script with pro-Fascist messages originally written in by the screen writer could receive up to 100% funding by the state controlled film section of the Banco di Lavoro . The Direzione could also recommend approved scripts to receive a 60% advance of capital, a hefty sum to come by in a time of war.
In 1935, ENIC or Ente Nazionale Industrie Cinematografiche completed the Fascist infiltration of every aspect of the cinematic realm by buying up a movie theater chain. In 1938, the ENIC expanded to regulate the number of foreign films entering the country. It was the only channel in whereby foreign films could be imported, severely limiting the selection of popular American films which could be sold to distributors. Also in this year, Mussolini set up the Centro sperimentale di cinematografia , a professional film school which still functions today. More importantly, Mussolini opened up Italy’s first film studio, Cinecitta in 1937, to help film makers produce movies with Fascist messages. The day of its grand opening, April 21st, was significant in that it was the day believed to be the founding of ancient Rome, thereby drawing a link between the greatness of ancient Rome and that of Italian Cinema. Mussolini named himself the principal orchestrator in Italian Cinema by placing a picture of himself behind a film camera with a spinoff of Lenin's quote , “Film is the most powerful weapon” at the Cinecitta' studios (Films 5).
One aspect of film making that everybody, no matter what their position on the political spectrum, called for was more realism in Italian films . The cinema was following the literary movement's general trend toward realism. Political leaders also encouraged a more realistic cinematic language. Scenes shot in authentic locations, such as one of Italy’s most famous monuments, or documentary aspects fused together with that of fiction would make a film more believable and would surely receive a higher star rating than those produced indoor on constructed sets. Those on the Right, including Vittorio Mussolini, seized this idea for its double effect. Not only would audiences enjoy more authentic films, but the showing of Italian monuments, culture and subject matter would bolster pride and love for their country and raise popular support for the nationalistic actions of the Fascist government, especially during the early stages of World War II.
Freed from the ties of the Fascist perception of film making, Roberto Rossellini rose up out of the war destruction to photograph reality. Though he ran fast and far away from the Fascist war rhetoric, each of his Neorealistic films still addresses the theme of a country in war. This time, though, it was the war of liberation and of the partisan resistance. Interestingly enough, Rossellini's post-war films were not all that different from those of the Fascist era in that he used a similar prescription for portraying reality, hence, he had not made a clean break with the Fascist era in which he received his film training. Rather, he modified the Fascist recommendations of reality to complete a trilogy on the effects of the partisan struggle and the problems of liberation for Italian citizens.
The first realistic aspect of his Neorealist films, which he carried over from his Fascist era training, is that of using actual footage of the war and liberation to give each film documentary aspects and a newsreel feel. This functioned, as it had in the past, to give the films a greater authenticity and believability. Out of this trilogy the best example is in Paisá which is organized in episodes that follow the chronological events of the liberation by Allied troops. A voice- over introduces each episode giving necessary information including the dates and locations of the events to follow. As the voice explains the events, actual liberation footage is being shown. Even a map is displayed in order to trace the Allied progress and chart their successes. The voice-over is objective and announces only the facts without any hint of emotion. These introductions are merged so well with actual footage of the places and events described that it is difficult to distinguish which sections were war footage and which was scripted footage.
The second aspect that Rossellini extended from his earlier career was that of the use of non- professional actors. In a 1946 interview with the French magazine 'L'Ecran Française ' Rossellini gave his opinion on the use of professional actors: 'In order to really create the character that one has in mind, it is necessary for the director to engage in a battle his actor which usually ends with submitting to the actor's wish. Since I do not have the desire to waste my energy in a battle like this, I only use professional actors occasionally' (Aprà 51). Whatever his reasons, the lack of professional actors certainly created a stunning artistic effect especially in Paisáand Germania anno zero . Not only were these first-time actors used only in shooting the film but also in the script writing process. Ex-partisans and those who lived during this period were interviewed at length by Rossellini, who then re-worked the script in order to add their first hand accounts. In addition, Rossellini exploited the local color of these interpreters by employing their regional accent, dialect, and costumes.
In order to pursue the portrayal of reality even further, Rossellini began to occupy himself with portraying an unbiased perspective which would allow the viewers to judge the various ideologies for themselves. He attempted to do this in two ways, each of which is evident in Roma cittá aperta . First, in this film, Rossellini included at least one character to embody each different cause or ideology. Manfredi champions the Communist cause, Don Pietro represents the Catholic faith, and Major Bergmann embodies the Nazi ideology. These characters represent the main ideologies and causes while the other protagonists exemplify the common people who occupied themselves more with every day survival. This method of allowing all of the different political factions to voice their unadulterated views, allowed the audience to examine each platform without the interference of the director's own perspective. Therefore, the viewer was not force-fed any political preference and was urged to form their own opinions and preferences.
Rossellini also demonstrated the tension between the different factions as well as how they put aside their differences to unify against the common enemy, the Nazis (Films 52). He concentrated on a diluted version of the ideological and political tension between the Communist partisans and the Catholic partisans. First, Manfredi, a Communist, expresses his disapproval with Pina's decision to have a religious wedding in a Catholic church. However, he changes his mind when Pina responds that it is better to have a Catholic church wedding than a secular one by a Fascist official. This relatively modest example introduces the political tension between the Catholics and the Communists, the idea which Rossellini expounds upon in the final scenes where Major Bergmann's manipulates their ideological differences by threatening death if one did not betray the followers of the other.
By letting each group present their platform and by demonstrating the actual political tension between these partisan factions, Rossellini was careful to present an objective account that would realistically represent the events in Rome at the time. This effort could be viewed as a backlash against the strong messages of propaganda that Rossellini was forced to use in his previous films. He retreated from the Fascist extreme of forcing opinions to the objective extreme of trying to represent aspects of all beliefs. However, in the latter, an hour and a half film did not provide enough time to present the intricacies of each platform. It was just to much material to attack in a short film such as Roma citta' aperta . In an bid to compromise between these two extremes, Rossellini concluded his Neorealist Trilogy and began to look at other, more moderate methods of portraying reality.
A short film depicting a girl getting locked into a room and discovering something unfriendly and unknown, shows uses of pull focus, using non-diegetic sound and voice-over with choppy editing to create a story with depth and exploiting one or more of the senses. Uses of low-level lighting with a variety of angled shots creates a composition that jumps from the p.o.v angle to a spectator angle creating a depth that fully envelops the viewer into the film.
Evaluation: The film contains strong points, such as the quick editing and jump cuts, its continuity of the shots at the start of the sequence are fluid. The lighting in the film itself is well done and highlighted the shots well and portrayed the necessary and wanted effect. A weak point of the film was that it lacked a proper clear narrative that wasn't well explained enough through out the film so therefore caused slight confusion. the film itself was strong with its audio but points through-out could've benefitted from ambient sounds and sometimes even silence to create a greater effect.
2. An Unusual Perspective
A short film depicting a group of college students seemingly recording themselves being clueless about what they are doing and how to create a film for what they are planning, then at the end of the film it is revealed that this was there idea all along. With use of different angles and a more hand held feel camera it has a more real life documentary feel to it. With the use of upbeat music and editing to enforce that.
Evaluation: The film has a number of strong points such as its fit the ideology and that it creates a confusing perspective through the use of handheld cameras, the narrative itself is confusing as it was not as clear to others as it seemed to us. To improve this we could have shot the film from a number of different perspectives.
3. Any idea - Plan Challenge
Basic Story Outline:
The song starts and its like that quick drum beat so each beat can be like Emily stumbling down the street on her way to the pub n she gets inside and it's just like messy handheld shots of her drinking and like rolling her head in her hands and falling about. Then the camera will change to a shot of Connie and Leah in the background like whispering about her, pull focus back somewhere or something choppy and then Connie and Leah approach Emily near the bit of the song; the two lines before the 'kick me out’ bit and we can like come up to her and have a cheeky smile to each other and then the next shot is Emily like falling out of the pub doors in a slow mo at the first 'kick me out' and then a different angle of her falling at the second 'kick me out’. Then there's like a point of view shot from Emily's perspective looking up at us at we're standing at the doors looking down at her. Basically we ruff her up and give her a gun and turn her into one of the others {Connie and Leah are basically modern day outlaws that take misfits in off the streets}Genre: Grunge Music Video {with narrative}Music: Arctic Monkeys - Fake Tales of San Francisco {only be able to do like 2 mins of the song anyway so we can fade out at the instrumental bit around two minutes.}Equipment:Nikon DSLRSpare Battery 18-55mm lens Macro Lens {extreme close-up - detailing of the clothing, facial expressions, props}Tripod {to create steady shots}Props: Fake Gun, alcoholLocation:The location will vary but it will all be inside Nuneaton due to travel expenses and the shortness of time we have to produce a 1-2 minute feature film. Most of the locations we will be scouting will have some sort of derelict aspect to fit with our ‘grunge theme’.Locations in particular that we want to shoot are:Pool ClubPool Club Car ParkIndependent food restaurants StreetsIdeas:Derelict places in Nuneaton and shoot cool shots of derelict area’s/buildings {Pool Club, Pool Club Car Park, Independent food restaurants and Streets}Dress: Grunge, Alternative Rocker, mid-1980s {teenage dirtbag}Sort of ‘on the lamb’ storyline, like we are running away from somethingSomething that happened in San Fransisco, using the song lyrics metaphoricallyIn the song the lyrics repeat ‘kick me out, kick me out’, swap the characters around; the first verse is Emily getting pissed in the pub and the getting kicked out, then Connie and Leah find her and we all run away togetherFake Gun: Emily shooting someone after she gets kicked out but we find her, save her and run away {have her point the gun at the camera then drop to the floor, have the camera placed on the floor so the camera just captures our feet running to her, and then get a tripod and set it up so it is framing an over the shoulder shot of Emily so we have the same shot from different perspectives}Emily has lost it because she is drunk, her having a gun make her go crazyWhen Emily has the gun pointing at the camera the editing could be very fast paced and choppy where as when she drops to the ground, the footage could be slowed down
Within the first minute of the scene; the editing is slow paced and lethargic, with the camera tilting slowly towards the sky and back down again, there is use of natural lighting and the shot type is continuous until the camera tilts, focusing on the run-down church behind them, this could be a symbolism of the absence of religion and the secularisation of America. The diegetic sound for the first minute is a press working win the distance and is a continuous sound until the 1 minute 44 second mark as the teenagers reach the peak of their high. The press overlaps with the dialogue in the scene. This creates a sense of disorientation as the overlapping sounds becomes louder and louder as they ingest the drugs. The girls taking the drugs through kissing is a symbol of sexual dominance as the boys become the girls access to drugs. As the drugs begin to take effect the speed of cutting increases significantly making the scene more jumpy and messy, the cuts of religious scripture, lens flares of the sun, the cemetery setting, the camera rotating with the clouds and the different figures creates the effects of the drugs. This causes the audience to seemingly partake in the drug use. This combined with the religious ideology creates a juxtaposition of the control of religion and the freedom and escape of drugs, it can also be the idea that drugs can often give a spiritual experience.
At 1 minute 15 seconds the camera begins to tilt further up the white building however the white of the church symbolises purity but with the dirt and wild plants due to neglect it is almost a violation of the building and what it represents, this symbolises the growing separation between the influence the church has on society and the American dream itself. The teenagers taking drugs at the base of the church is also an example of their disregard for the law and this paired with their obvious disregard of religion shows their rebellion and disregard for the law and the church, two foundations in society.
LSD is a psychedelic, these cause the user to have hallucinations and seemingly expand consciousnesses. The choice of this drug is a symbol of the freedom that the teenagers seek and was one of the more popular drugs in the 1960s. As the camera moves up into the sunlight a lense flare is used for the transition onto the next shot of the girl reciting scripture. At 1 minute 29 seconds the camera is titled up on a close up of the girls face reciting Matthew 17:23 this camera angle gives the impression of a power play between the girl and the viewer as it transitions into diegetic sound, It can either be perceived as the girl taking power over the viewer or the viewer becoming victim to the religious preachings. It is a power-play due to the positioning of the camera.
The contrast between the before and after of taking the drugs is that the cuts speed up, the diegetic sound becomes disorientating and confusing due to the overlapping sounds, this creates a drug like feeling as it makes the viewer experience the intensity. Which also helps the scene drag the viewer into it and makes the scene come to life and be believable. The use of quick cutting and jumping with the religious figures adds another layer to the drug induced haze of the scene as it creates the visual aspects of the high. This helps create the scene for the user as it overcomes another of the viewers senses. The sights and sounds of the scene combined with the natural lighting inspires an empathetic response that encourages the user to feel and experience the way the characters are feeling.
