'The Prestige' Camera Shots

The first shot pans across a row of birds in cages, but it isn't a very smooth shot so perhaps it was done with a hand-held camera or a steadicam. (There is no establishing shot at the start, so the audience doesn't know where they are). Then there is a close up of Michael Cain reaching into one of the cages and just as he's about to pick up the bird, the shot changes to a cutaway shot that goes straight through one of the cages looking down through the whole row of cages, adding perspective.

Then there is a midshot of first Michael Cain, then the little girl. The camera then suddenly changes to a track/dolly shot of an audience in a theatre, followed by a longshot of the magician on stage. Both these shots are then brought together by showing a wide shot of the audience, stage and magician; this keeps the audience understanding the spatial relationships between characters.

There is then a shot of Christian Bale running down some stairs and the camera tilts down on a fixed axis to emphasize his urgency. The audience then sees a close up of the blind stagehand (flashing lights and shadows on this man's face create an eerie effect) and the next shot is a reaction shot (noddy shot) of Christian Bale after seeing the man's face.

The camera then goes back to Michael Cain and the little girl using an over the shoulder shot from behind the girl.

Lastly, the audience sees a point of view shot from Christian Bale's view as he watches Hugh Jackman's character get shut into the glass cage of water. There is a low angle shot looking up at the door of the cage banging shut. This low angle shot makes the cage seem bigger and more threatening.

Trip to the cinema...

Went and saw 'Inglourious Basterds' last night at the cinema. It was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and was possibly one of the best films about WW2 that I've ever seen. It's interesting how a certain amount of humour can be brought into a film about such a horrific event. I really enjoyed the film - although it felt like it was going on for ages! - because there were a few different stories running through it the whole time and then finally right at the end it all came together in an ending which leaves the audience feeling as though justice has been served and sufficient revenge has been received.

Although, Tarantino still manages to produce the film in a way that makes you leave the cinema feeling slightly uncomfortable. Even though the film is done in quite a comical way, you can't help but think about the reality behind it all. As all the individual stories within the film began to come together, it became clear that situations similar to those in the film would have actually happened in the war. Crazy!

Excellent film. I'd definately recommend it!!

Genre Research

So I've just been researching Thriller on wikipedia and apparently there are lots and lots of different variations of Thriller within itself, so if we chose to do a thriller we'd have plenty of ideas to choose from. Here's a few of them;

Action thriller: In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Notable examples are the James Bond films, The Transporter, and the Jason Bourne novels and films.

Psychological thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. The Alfred Hitchcock filmsSuspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Strangers on a Train and David Lynch's bizarre and influential Blue Velvet are notable examples of the type, as is The Talented Mr. Ripley byPatricia Highsmith (who also wrote Strangers) and The Good Son starring Elijah Wood and Macaulay Culkin.

Drama thriller: In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involves a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Examples include The Illusionist, The Interpreter and The Prestige.

...and the list goes on! Making a thriller as a class would probably be the simplest option for us to go with, but it could also be difficult because we'll be going up against so many other openings that come under the thriller category. A Chick Flick has the potential to be good but there's a huge chance that it could end up becoming really bland.

Action would never work...although maybe if we try and do Action it could turn into Comedy...?!

I think our choices are either thriller or comedy, because the other genres seem almost impossible to work with.

My Chosen Film Opening.

I chose to use the opening of the film 'The Prestige' because it's one of my favourite films and when I first saw the opening of it, I was instantly captured by the story. The audience is shown a variety of characters straight away, with no explanation as to how they relate to one another. For example, Michael Cane's character and the little girl seem to have no relation to Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale's characters. This is just one technique used in order to draw the audience into the film.

Another element that builds dramatic tension is the contrast between the two different events occuring. The audience sees one successful trick, a very light-hearted, simple trick done by an older man to entertain a child. The audience are also shown a trick being done on a much larger scale, with much panic and confusion, as it cannot be sure whether the man claiming to be part of the trick is telling the truth or not. (Another minor detail which creates an impact on the audience is the short time of silence when the magician falls under the stage. This too builds the dramatic tension.)

The fact that the audience does not get shown whether or not the magician survives or if he completes his trick plays a huge part in the attraction of this film. The opening also causes the audience to ask many questions (such as why does the magician need blind stage-hands?). All of these aspects of the opening together, culminate in a very compelling opening to a great film, making the viewer desperate to know what's really going on with the strange mix of characters and situations.