Predictions
It is clear to the audience that this is a heist film because of the way we used stereotypical characters and locations.
Not giving too much information out in the first 2 minutes made sure that the audience were more engaged in wanting to know what would happen next.
I think it’s quite easy to make some kind of prediction from our opening because we have followed to some degree the common stereotypes given to the audience, for our genre. And the plot seems a conventional heist one.
Contact sheet
1. Title
The use of red and white as the colour for our film title is a way to try and make the titles to stand out straight away, hopefully grabbing audience attention - shows it will be a stylish film as often happens in genre.
The colour red helps it sticks out more and can be an indication of danger e.g. stop sign. The red in the title symbolises the danger the film will have in it creating a tense start to the piece. White is the opposite.
Also the red shows the bad in what the group do (criminals) whereas the white represents the fact they are good guys and in the movie will be presented as the ‘good guys’, even if they are criminals.
Furthermore it suggests the film will include oppositions.
2. Credits
A fire animation added on ‘After Effects’ placed over the word ‘firelight’ to create the effect of the word burning. The burning sound added to this enhanced the whole ident and brought it together.
This effect also tied in with our genre as it added to the representation that heist films stereotypically have explosions and fire in them. However, production idents are not related to the films that follow as hopefully our company will make many films. They do add institutional credibility.
The next set of credits are in red and yellow as these are eye catching colours to engage the audience and grab their attention.
The credits were made through the use of animations and effects all done on ‘after effects’ software. They are used to pull in the audience and create a face pace exciting start to the film. This reflects the genre well.
3&4.Characters
Heist films are very different to ‘real life’; they are different because of the characters and the way they are portrayed. In real life if a group of men were to rob a bank or even plan to so, they would not be seen as the ‘good guys’
Each character in a stereotypical heist movie is usually from a different background. This helps bring equality, companionship and individuality with each character. Seen in many heist films - a team of disparate individuals.
They are not always poor wanting to steal, the characters are very often seen as quite well off, but not wanting to draw attention to them at the same time. This is how we tried to portray our characters.
Our main characters are all male and each from a different background, this enhances our above points.
The actors being from different backgroundscan reflect the fact that each character has a certain role in play E.g. Weapon specialist, muscle within the group.
The way the characters are dressed takes away the suspicion, the fact they are going to commit a crime but in suits doesn’t fit the common stereotype of a thief.
The ages of the actors in our film are un-stereotypical as they look young and not credible to be criminals let alone con-artists. So this mixes the heist genre with a teen element that can potentially refresh the genre.
The main character in our piece is clear for the audience, he gets the most screen time and is frequently referred to as ‘Boss’
At points our actors are stereotypical in the way they behave, for example the way they meet up on a roof. This is a common place for criminals to meet because it’s out of the way and discrete.
Within the group there is a division of power, the younger get treated as such whereas the older more experienced characters are portrayed as perfectionists.
Most heist film such as ‘Takers’, have a stereotypical character that is unable to keep up and struggles at times to stay at the fast pace, this means they make mistakesor needs to have help(this is seen as the feminine role).
5&6. Mise-en-scene
Common stereotypes in Heist films are that plans that are created for future jobs are set in either a run-down location that is not much visited e.g. abandoned warehouse, or the opposite in an expensive private place e.g. hotel
The main characters dress to fit in with location they are going to heist. For example casino = suits, and a ‘Drug lords’ or gang = casual clothes as to not look different from surroundings.
In heist movies they often use weapons such as guns and knives - see e.g. "Lock, Stock". This makes it look more threatening and creates a sense of excitement for the audience. We chose to also use a gun but only show the weapons expert loading it. This meant he is distinguished as a character and creates a tenser atmosphere for the audience.
Different locations were used in our piece because it meant we looked more professional as it’s common that in heist films the group move around a lot to avoid detection.
Our first location is used to show how to a certain extent the environment was quiet and out of the way. This was to reflect the fact the group were meeting in secret and wanted to avoid detection.
The next location was a rooftop. We used this because the same as in heist movies it’s important for the group to remain undetected so a roof where no one goes is an almost ideal location.
The last location was at the back of the bank they were going to perform the heist. We see them in this environment as they are scoping out the job they are about to do. As in a heist film stereotypically they do this.
The suits make them seem like no threat, as well as boosting the appearance of power and social status. Financially they do not look like they need to rob a bank.
7, 8& 9 Camera work
The main shots we used were close up, and group shots. We did this a lot because it helped show the relationship between the characters to the audience. This is also a classic shot for a heist genre, as character relationships are key.
This is very typical in heist films because it’s important to create character profiles and see the on screen relationship between the groups, theses shots allow you to do so.
The use of the group shots can create a sense of friendship, but at the same time for others create intimidation. Strength in numbers can on screen be seen through a group shot, for example the ‘hero’ shot at the end of our piece. Classic shot used in many heist and gangster films, slow motio group walk, low angle e.g. "Reservoir Dogs".
The use of close ups were mainly used to show power in conversations, for example when the boss is talking on the roof to the group he gets more screen time. This gives him more authority over the group.
The younger character ‘Sean’ is not given a close at all in this conversation as he is again singled out, but through the use of camera work this time.
We also used the common over the shoulder shot for when the ‘Boss’ is talking to ‘Sean’ on the roof. This shot is always used in all types of films and is just a good way of filming a short conversation.
The shots we used are quite typical of an opening scene, especially the panning shot. This shot is used when the ‘boss’ is walking to the meet point. In films they are used to show the whole distance the character travels, it’s a transparent use of camera work. Therefore you aren’t supposed to really be aware of the transitions between panning shots, and therefore stay drawn to the action.
10. Editing
We used an ellipsis twice to try and give the sense of time passing. This was necessary because in the short time frame we had we could show how the group got from the first meet spot, to the next, and finally the back of the bank scene.
It’s common in heist films to have time changes like this.
We used a cross cutting technique at the start to cut between the panning shots of the boss and the titles. This was because the fast past titles made the otherwise basic and plain walking seem more exciting for the audience.
11 &12. Sound
The main sound element used in our piece was high tempo piece of non-diegetic music. It was played almost throughout the whole opening except from the conversation between ‘Sean’ and the ‘Boss’. It was turned down in post production to balance with the diegetic dialogue.
The background music here adds excitement to the scene, for example the high tempo sound along with the cross cutting between tittles and the scene creates a much more visually appealing scene. The sound complements all of the editing effectively.
The dialogue used is vey important as well, this is because it re-enforces the way the characters are all friends but at the same time individuals. For example when my character says “How much we talking” he is seen as asking more for himself, almost wanting to know how much he will get. Then the boss responds by saying “Enough for an early retirement”, this implies there is enough for everyone to have a lot.
The characters all speak like they have known each other for a while; the use colloquial language shows they are comfortable with one another.
For example when one character says “That’s what I’m talkin bout”.
This kind of dialogue is typical in heist films because it shows the audience the relationship between characters and this is key.
Other uses of dialogue shows how one character doesn’t really trust ‘Sean’, he says it in way that shows he still likes him as a friend but is unsure he can effectively step up and complete the job at hand. “I don’t trust Sean, boys”.
The way the characters all address each other is a clear indicator to the audience that they are not strangers to the ‘heist’ business. “How much we talking” and “Let's make it smooth” are examples. They both show how they have more than likely done this before.
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