Animatic

This is the animatic we created. We made this by taking photos of the post-its that created our storyboard and editing them together in Final Cut. This is a way of finding out if you have a good idea of your timing and also looking at how the story ideas run together. We also started to work on our credits, looking at the options available in Livetype and working on our placement.

Practice Filming

We know how we want the credits to appear at the end. This isn't exactly how the filming will go, bvut we just needed an approximation so we could look at slow motion and how this would affect the end sequence we have planned.

Chosen genre - Heist film

Heist Films

Heist films usually consist of groups of main characters of varying sizes. Heist films involve a group of people, somehow connected, not just one person. These characters are the main focal point in the movie and frequently set up heists to steal from either a villain or perhaps a bank.

Within the main group of characters there is always a leader, the leader that sets up whom to steal from and gets them all together ready for the job. The storyline usually consists of some kind of big job that will land them all with millions. The heist will mean they all get so much money they can retire happy and wealthy. The heists usually goes well and they often get away with it unpunished.

Heist films have an element of suspense will they get caught? Even though they rarely do the audience is always still on the edge of their seat because we are on the side of the con artist, as they are usually bringing down someone who is a bigger villain.

In the past probably because of the ‘Hays code’ (created in March 1930) most or all of the members involved in the heist would wind up caught, or dead. Although, more recently, we see heist films in which the heist members get away with the goods, unpunished and always come off as the heroes while the police are left giving the impression they are not important.

A good example of this is in the film Fast and Furious 5, where the main group of characters all split up to escape. The police chase them but are constantly sent crashing into other cars during chase scenes. Although the police are being injured the audience do not react to the seriousness of what is happening. This is because the way the characters in the main group are portrayed as ‘good’, almost like a Robin Hood type character. In these films, though, the target of the heist is portrayed as ‘bad’, being corrupt and being of low moral standing- i.e. Casinos, corporations, rebel gang members, or having betrayed the people performing the heist (as is the case in the Italian Job)

The props in a heist movie in modern times are usually a lot of advanced tech that is not available to the audience. All the characters in the main heist group carry walkie talkies and specialist equipment, the equipment they carry is often to do with the job they have. For example the techie would have a computer; the lock breaker has lock picks and stuff to help break open safes.

Plots and narrative

The main plot usually consists of a 3 section plot with many twists. First the group makes plan, then the group carries out plan, and finally the group gets the goods. These kinds of film will have the ‘nemesis’ character, either an authority figure (‘Tower heist’, 2012), large bank or casino boss (‘Oceans 11’, 1960 heist film directed by Lewis Milestone), or former partner who previously betrayed group or one of group’s members (‘Italian job’, 2003). Elaborate schemes are made for the heist, using innovative technology location to be robbed is revealed, alarm system is unveiled. The modern heist film can be set anywhere where you can place a bad guy or group/corporation to steal from. For example in ‘Tower Heist’ the film is set in the middle of New York, and the bad guy is a millionaire hotel owner.

In contrast to Fast and Furious which is set in Brazil, and the bad group that is stolen from is a rich gang leader that also controls the police. In the original heist movies, such as Oceans 11 the characters would rarely get what they set out to. In Oceans 11 the characters end up burning the money they worked so hard to get, but this is not the case in modern day heist films. ‘Takers’ is a good example of a film that has not stuck to the ‘Hays code’.

The modern day impression given off by heist films is that it is cool and quite a desirable thing to do, to steal. In the film ‘Takers’ the characters that steal are also the ones living the great lives with expensive cars and homes, as well as always ‘getting the girl’. The older generation of heist was that it was still against the law and would not necessarily give the audience the impression that they could go and do the same and get away with it. This is because the classic heist film has completely changed over the last fifty years. You can get away with doing things nowadays that perhaps would have been greatly frowned upon fifty years ago. Although this is true, heist films have always had that three plot system as well as the specific characters and their individual traits.

Characters

Quite typical iconography of characters is each member of the heist group has a specialty i.e. ‘the techie’; they are the one who breaks into unbreakable security systems and does all the technical stuff. ‘The charismatic leader’; is the guy who leads the group in a heist that he usually made the plan for. ‘The lock breaker’, is the one that is always opening bank vaults and breaking into buildings. There are usually two main groups within the members, the ones (including the charismatic leader) who search locations and build up relationships (visible characters), and the ones who do all the shady work, (including the techie) like rigging cars, handling explosives, hacking into confidential software, etc (invisible character). If you lose any character such as the ‘techie’ the whole plan would not work in a heist film. This is because there is never anyone that can take the place of another member.

Camera angels and shots

(Takers) This is a very common shot in high action heist films because it not only establishes the scene but it shows the main group of characters in a powerful light. It can also show the characters and there individuality. The person in the middle is clearly identifiable as the leader; this is because he is in the middle of the walking group, and he looks quite charismatic along with authoritative. The clothes they are wearing are quite different to the normal heist film. This is because most heist films have a shot of all the characters like this but in the same clothes usually a suit. This is because it keeps the audience seeing them as a group, rather than individuals, such as in ‘Oceans 11’, although that is what made the film quite distinctive, because all the characters are very much different but all still one group.
 

(Oceans 11 original)

 

Update

A group shot is the most commonly recognisable when it comes to a heist film. This is very frequently used as it allows the audience to see the group of characters together and show the close relationship they always have. As a group the characters can become much more enjoyable to watch in a heist film as the characters can all play off each other. The lighting in this is effective when it comes to shots like this and a common lighting tool is filters. The filters are used to create and set a tone to each scene. For example if the scene is taking place in a casino the lighting would be bright but with a tint of yellow or green. Another example is if the scene is when they are making the plan it is usually darker lighting creating a lot of secrecy and privacy that the scene needs.

Editing and post production

The editing done in post production is to make the scenes flow and look more realistic. When the editing is done for the main heist scene there is a lot of cross cutting from character to character. The whole group is never really seen together in these scenes because it is important to show the audience each character doing there individual job. Otherwise it would be hard to make sense of how they got the vault open for example. The cross cutting is always of each character in the group doing his or her job, and it mixes and matches to show the whole plan unfold before your eyes. A good example of this would be in the original Oceans 11, where you see one character cut the power in the casino that opens the cages , whilst it then cuts to another who steals the money.

Researching the Chosen Genre

Action/Comedy - Heist Films

In a typical heist movie the main actors are usually revealed to the audience in a dramatic way. They are also dressed in a way which makes it obvious to the audience that they’re up to something. Some are dressed in prison uniform which automatically gives the audience the thought that they will be broken out soon. Some are also dressed in suits and look extremely smart.

In a lot of heist films the story line involves a group of people teaming up to rub a bank or an extremely rich person. There is also usually a person in the group that becomes greedy and turns against the team and leads them into a trap. In most heist films, some members of the group lose their lives or get seriously injured in the process of doing the mission. This is to let the audience see the danger in what the team are doing. Also there is usually a happy ending in heist films by them getting the money but in the process they may lose an important member.

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In a typical heist film, there are always people in the group that are there because they have a talent in what is needed to rob/kidnap someone. There is also a leader, he looks authoritative and automatically stands out to the audience, and he also looks like a guy that can do a work himself but get other people to do it for him. In heist film there are different types of high-tech weapon and stuff are usually blown up to so the audience realise the danger in the film.

Mise-en-scene

The lighting in the location of where the teams meet up is usually a low key lighting.  Even though they’re revealing the plan to the audience, the environment makes the audience engage with the characters as if they’re keeping their secrete as well. The costume of the bad guys is normally the same and boring so they don’t create an attachment with the audience. For example if they’re killed the audience would not take notice of it but on the other hand if one of the main characters is killed, the audience will feel a sense of sympathy for them.
 

In heist films, there is also lots of machinery props used, e.g. cars, guns, explosive. In most films the cars are usually the most import gadgets as it is what is used to finally get away after performing the con.

The most common setting is in city/urban area this is probably to show the reason why they’re performing the con there because cities/urban locations are usually thought to be rich areas.

The most iconic of the characters are individuals in the team about to perform the con. The main actors in a heist film have to have the ‘look’. It helps the storyline fall into place and makes the film more believable to the audience. The main characters in a heist film are usually dressed in suits to look professional and not draw attention to them.

The Plot/Narrative Structure

The most common type of heist plot either involves something to do with robbery or a kidnap. Additionally, a plot normally is going to plan and something really wrong happens that changes the storyline the audience were expecting. This is used to keep the audiences interest in the   film and keep them excited to know what will happen next. Sometimes comedy is also added to make the film not just intense all the time. Depending on the characters in the film, there is usually a sense of romance going on between two characters. Most of the time there is a happy ending but a character loses his life in the process of completing the mission.  

      

Sound and Editing

In most heist films there is usually a voiceover on a scene, it is mostly used when the leader is describing what each individual will have to do. There is also a lot of non-diegetic music used, this is to establish time period, atmosphere, character and emotions. The non-diegetic sounds are

Silence is mostly used when there is an explosion. It expresses how tense the moment is. And it also lets the audience know the impact of the explosion. Silence is very powerful and it creates a real sense of emotion, especially when used with slow motion. It also forces the audience to concentrate only on what they can see. Dialogue is essential in a heist film as it helps tell the story and allow the audience to understand the film more. A lot of mid shot and close ups are usually used in a heist film to show the characters change in emotions when an action has occurred

Second Draft Storyboard

As you can see we have added more detail to our storyboard and additional notes about the way certain shots have to be filmed. This has made us much more confident we will get the effects we want.

Camera Movement Task

We have planned in some camera movements so here we are practising working with shbots with a moveing camera to see if we can pull them off effectively or whether we will have to change them.

TASK

Film a conversation using:

Establishing shot that zooms in

Panning shot to show character 2’s arrival

Shot / reverse shot not equal distance representing one character as less prominent / lower status

Arc shot / 360 shot – character 2’s reactions to dramatic news

Tracking shot as character 2 runs off.

Objective: to practise camera movements and evaluate technical issues around them / pros and cons for their use.

Researching The Chosen Genre

Action/Comedy - Heist Films

In a typical heist movie, all the action stars are dressed in suits and look very smart. A few of the actors also have small weapons like handguns and very mechanical weapons / gadgets which are quite high tech. In many heist films  they do not have knives or other sharp objects as the audience does not expect a 'bloody' ending. The story line usually involves some kind of a robbery or a kidnap (criminal activity). Most of the story goes as they planned but some films makes it dramatic by adding some misleading information to the narrative. Most of the time one of the group members die or break up from the group. Almost all the heist films have a happy ending. In many films they act as a group and look like they are very close friends.

Actors in the team - group shot (typical hero shot)

Typical iconography of a heist movie includes police paraphernalia and people with guns. The iconography tends to be crime related - stolen money, safes, security systems etc.  The common locations presented in heist films tend to urban places - big cities, banks, large corporate buildings. In most of these films they have a traitor in the group, a computer/ techie person, a weapon expert, and a leader who plans the whole operation.


Actor who dies - the hero - with a light weapon

The group shot - the lighting is very effective in this shot

The most common setting a city/urban area where there are lot of people and cars. The main characters usually dress smartly (suits) and look like gentlemen to fit in with the wealthy people that they are hoping to con. Almost all of them look like they have good jobs and earn good money. Lighting enhances the scenes and tends to be bright and well lit (if the action takes place outside). It is very rare when the action takes place in a soft lit environment. When inside, the room looks full of light, but there is also effective use of low key lighting to create shadows, which suggest nystery and secrets.In terms of camera angles, there are many panning shots and tracking shots to follow the characters as they carry out the heist, and shot /reverse shots are commonly used as these filns tend to be dialogue-heavy as characetrs explain their plans and what is going well / has gone wrong.  Close-ups to show the reactions of the main characters, mid shots to set them in a context while still seeing their emotions and group shots are also very common.

The Plot/Narrative Structure 

The standard heist plot is to plan and succeed a robbery or a kidnap. This is often 'one last job'. This usually involves weapons but tends to rely more on brain work and trickery than violence. Comedy is involved and there are humorous moments as well as tense ones. Action sequences are very common throughout the movie, cross-cutting ebtween the different characters as they carry out their section of the plan. This mix between tense and funny moments and the overall slick style gives heist films their distinctive feel. Most of them also include romantic moments, although this is usually a sub-plot and female characters aren't very rounded - they tens to just be the 'love interst' for one of the male characters. In several cases, one of the team members dies or betrays the group - there needs to be emotional tension within the group at some point. A good example of this kind of plot device is seen in the  film called 'Takers'.

There are lot of cars around which shows that it is an urban area. Also note the suits and the way the relationship between the two characters is established to create an emotional connection.

Sound and Editing

There are lot of non-diegetic sounds involved during editing. Music is important to set the style and often has a jazz feel. Other sounds need to be added in post-production such as gun shots, explosions etc. The film also includes lot of ambient sounds like foots steps and door shutting sounds etc. Dialogue is crucial to explaining the plot to the audience, so thought has to be given to making scenes of exposition inteesting, often by filming from slightly unusal angles - this is something we need to think about carefully when we are planning our own dialogue, also the style of speech as this has to fit with individual characters.

During the video editing we may have to do lot of matches on action to create a sense of pace and movement and matches on dialogue to transition smoothly between scenes and to operate as a kinf of exposition - introducing a character or situation by something that was said before. Cross-cutting sequences help keep track of the characters and transitions present the movie in an interesting way and stylised way that keeps within the non-transparent, tongue-in-cheek feel of these kinds of films. We are also planning on a 360 shot which we may have to enhance during editing, as these are also common to establish a sense of wonder / awe / confusion as the con is carried out.

We have decided to display our titles and credits over the sequence rather than on separate blank title slides that come up between the action. This means that during filming we may have to leave some space for credits and will need to take account of this in our planning. The title will be displayed at the end of the two minute sequence with the conventional low angle slow motion 'hero'  shot. We will be using hip-hop music which is less old-fashioned than jazz but will still give the right laid-back and stylistic tone and also creates an urban and 'hero' vibe.