Visual Effects Used In Editing Of The Film

During editing, we decided to add transitions and effects to make the film a more complete and mature production.


Cross Fade
-We used this as the protagonist walked through the streets to meet the exchange man. This created a more fluent set of shots as one merged into another and showed the character's continual movement to his destination.

Cross Dissolve Of Shots
-This was used after the exchange man sends a text to the murderer. We decided to cross dissolve a close up shot of the exchange man's face with an upwards pan towards the streetlamp. This shot of the streetlamp focused on the light of the lamp and we zoomed in upon it, until it consumed the screen. When we layered these shots it created an efect that the exchange man's head was almost splitting open, his mind flooding the screen with blinding light and consuming the scene (including the protagonist and his actions in contacting the murderer) behind him. This was the desired effect as it showed clearly the secretive and sneaky nature of this character, betraying the protagonist by setting him up and sending him to his death.
-We used cross dissolve once again during the stabbing scene to show the uncaring outlook of the murderer with a low angle shot of his shadowed figure shown through a shot of his victim as he falls to the ground. This transition was effective as it showed the contrasting characters in the 'predator' and his victim, and the cold and calculated killer merely looking on as the other man dies.

Slow Motion
-We slowed down particular scenes in the film to enhance the action in the scene.
-The Party;Cocaine Scene. The shot of an extra taking coaine was shown and the following effects of the drug were shot. We slowed down the shots of the effects of cocaine to enhance the 'trippy' and disillusioned feeling that the character then experiences.
-We greatly slowed down the stabbing scene also. After the shot of the shadows as the 'protagonist' is stabbed, the following shots are slowed to allow the audience to take in the action and intensify the scene. This was very effective as it allowed the audience to focs on the expressions of the characters.

As the 'protagonist' dies, we get a point of view shot from him. As he lies on the floor, we used a dutch angle shot to watch the murderer walk away with the package. We cut in and out of this shot to darkness to create the effect of the blinking and going in and out of consciousness of the stabbed man. Gradually, the 'blinking' slows as he gets closer to death, and as he finally dies the shot cuts to darkness as the credits roll.

Stabbing Scene-Influences & Research

We decided first to create a poll of the most effective stabbing scenes in existing films. We got a focus group of ten people to vote on which stabbing scene was the most convincing and effective:

-Saving Private Ryan
-One False Move
-Psycho
-Halloween

With 70% of the vote was Saving Private Ryan and so we decided to study this scene to gain inspiration for our own media product.


SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
Saving Private Ryan is an epic 1998 American war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. It follows Tom Hanks as Captain John H. Miller and several men as they search for paratrooper Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), who is the last surviving brother of three fallen servicemen.


The stabbing scene in this film is between an American-Jewish infantryman Stanley Mellish and a German soldier. Mellish is fighting alone against the soldier and the German slowly gains the upper hand. Mellish pulls out a knife, but the German is too strong, and pushes Mellish's hand backwards, pointing the blade towards the American's chest. Mellish starts to beg.
The German slowly pushes the knife into Mellish's chest, quietly whispering something in German.We hear nothing else in this scene but this whispering, and this creates an extremely intense movement as the knife is pushed further and further into Mellish's chest.






This medium close up shot shows distinctly who is the victim in the situation. The length that the camera has been placed away from the scene allows us to get a fuller picture of the action yet still easily see the facial expressions of the men. The lighting is dim and natural, reinforcing the dirt and filth of the scene and emphasise the blood of the action of the room. As a war epic, the production team have tried to make this film as realistic and true to history as is possible, so the costume, setting and 'grime' of the scene is true to life, and not 'sexualised' in any way to show the glamour of a Hollywood film.




This close up is a perfect shot to show both the action in the scene and the expression of the character. The lighting, as it is still natural, shows the character as shadowed which creates a more intense and fearful scene for the audience and highlights the characters anguish in his tense mouth in a defiant yet fearful position. The dagger in the foreground is where our eye is next drawn and its size in comparison to the shot is also a cause for tension. It is clear to see the tip of the knife pushing down onto his chest, and this is a greatly uncomfortable scene for the audience, knowing that the German soldier only has to push to kill the other man. The fact that the shot is in close up is key to creating the tension, along with the use of light to show a darkened effect that enhances the anguish and fear of the situation.

The Stabbing-Original Planning & Filming

Originally, we went straight into the stabbing scene without much planning, and this greatly hindered the final product. The shots we filmed were, although well composed, short and made the overall scene ineffective. We wanted to create an intense and realistic scene that looked convincing as a murder. In our original scenes we did not focus enough on the reactions of either the 'protagonist' or the murderer and did not create a slow and gradual build up to create tension for the final event.
Therefore we decided to do further research into intense stabbing scenes in existing films to get inspiration for our film.

Location Scouting-Stabbing Scene

This is the location we decided on for the stabbing scene in our film. We had always intended to film this scene by or in a dark alleyway, so this rural lane was perfect.
-It has a streetlamp near by which we could use for lighting and would effectively produce shadow for when the murderer is in the scene.
-It is mysterious as you cannot tell what is down the lane or where it leads to, creating a sense of unease and uncertainty within the audience.

The Exchange-Planning & Filming

The main scene that follows the party scene is the exchnage of the package between the 'protagonist' and the 'exchange man'. After the 'protagonist' leaves the party, we follow him through the streets with different shots as he goes to meet the other man. We used a variety of shots for this to show the characters continual movement and also his fear of ebing followed or watched as he goes. We used tracking shots, panning shots, shots theough trees and high angle shots as the character walks past the camera to create this impression.
As he meets the exchange man at the chosen location, we used a point of view shot to see the other man exit from behind the trees, then a switch to a medium close up taken from the floor to show their feet meeting. We then used over the shoulder shots and shot/reverse shots to establish their relationship; one which shows a lack of compassion and no real recognition between the men.
The protagonist then leaves and we use a point of view shot to show that he is continuing to watch the other young man.
We show him taking out his phone with an over the shoulder shot, but we make it unclear of the content of the text until it is recieved by the other party.
The final shot of the exchange man is a close up of his face, and we decided to add a cross dissolve on this shot with a shot of the light of the streelamp.
LIGHTING:
For these shots we relied only on the light of streetlamps to illuminate the characters. Originally, we were unsure of the clarity this would provide, but it in fact enhanced our shots as, with a combination of this and night mode, we produced shots with an almost sepia tone that increased the feeling of threat to the character and emphasised his vulnerability in this dark night setting.