Inquiry:

Firstly I chose this screenplay because Star Wars is incredibly popular for a good reason, especially ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ where we wanted to film a scene which is iconic and wasn’t too exhausting or lackluster to watch. Also I grew up watching Star Wars and it was a huge part of my childhood. This particular scene is widely renowned as one of the most famous plot twists in film history. Another reason for why I chose it because there are only two characters in the scene and doesn’t require as much screen directing as most of the scenes in the film.

Action:

To make the film, we wanted actors to be in as much character as possible, so we acquired props such as a Darth Vader mask and a sound recording editor to make the actor that played Darth Vader have his exact voice. During the production, there were only two actors, including me and Will and he was also the cinematographer as we were only a two-person group. Since we didn’t have a spare team member, Will and I had to film shot reverse shot (He filmed me and Darth Vader and I filmed him as Luke Skywalker). Also the mask I wore during production limited me form speaking clearly and as a result Will had to dub the audio over after production. So to make the choreography work, we had the exact scene playing from Youtube in the background so I would simultaneously act out Darth Vader’s actions and Will would act out the scene without the over dub during production as he knew the lines already.

Refection:

What we’ve learned from the production and working with my group mate was that Will was willing to hear my suggestions out on how we should film and act out the lines from the screenplay. Also he put effort into making stay in character as much as possible , as he provided the Darth Vader mask and the voice editor and was also willing to do much of the editing because he had prior experience to editing techniques. What I think we could improve on is time management as we only got to finish the overdubbing of the audio during the deadline of when the film was supposed to be completed and the editing was only finalised a week after the deadline. Another thing which we can improve on is to make the choreography in the film more dramatic because although I got the actions right for Darth Vader in that scene, I just wasn’t passionate or intense enough in the gestures i was making.

Why did the hub of film production in the US move from the East Coast to the West Coast?

They were trying to escape Thomas Edison and his patents fees that were put in place and also because California had more favourable weather.

Which nation’s film industry does Cousin’s describe as “the best in the world” in the 1910’s and why?

He saw Scandinavian countries as “the best in the world” because Danish directors like Benjamin Christensen saw film as an art form and use light as a key technique in his films, and an example of this is the film “Mysterious X”.

Give an example of two films and two directors from this place and time cited by Cousin’s as remarkable.

“Haxan” by Benjamin Christensen and “The Phantom Carriage” by Victor Sjöström.

What was the first film made by the Lumiere Brother’s and when was this?

‘Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory’ – 1895.

What is the “Phantom Ride”?

This was when someone put a camera in front of a train to make it look like a ghost was flying through the air.

What was ground-breaking about the silent films “The Sick Kitten” and “Life of an American Fireman” (Both 1903)?

It was because they were the first films to use the technique of close ups and cross cutting

What was the name of the first “film star” in Hollywood?

Florence Lawrence (1886-1938).

•How many cinema screens were there on Jersey during the “Golden Age” of cinema ? (1930s to 60s)was

In Jersey during the “Golden Age” of cinema, there was only 4 cinemas; Wests had only one screen, as well as the Odeon, New Era and the Forum.

•How many cinema screens are there now?

There are only 10 screens left in Jersey which are now at Cineworld.

•What independent cinema spaces currently exist on Jersey?

There are no more independent cinema spaces that exist in Jersey, only Cineworld, which is a commercial cinema, exists. Although places like Howard Davis Park show seasonal film screenings.

•Explain why the number of cinema screens have declined over the years and what you think the implications are for the film industry in general

As the number of screens have increased, the number of independent cinemas have decreased because there is a high demand to see more popular films at once, instead of shorter art films.

What is a screenplay? : A screenplay is a written work from a screenwriter which is used for film, television or video games. It includes the movements, dialogue,actions and expressions of characters which are comprised in the screenplay.

A film which in my opinion has a great screenplay and which has a good way of telling a story is Good Will Hunting. This is because the screenplay clearly shows how the main character becomes less defensive throughout the film and how the physiologist that helps Will Hunting, the main character, gains his trust and shares a bond with him. The language in the screenplay also implies his evolution throughout the film, as at first he’s very cynical and sarcastic and his attitude dramatically changes once he gets help from his psychologist and once he gets into a relationship.

	Production Role 1	Production Role 2	Production Role 3 – Complete Film
ROLE	Cinematographer	Editor	Director
GENRE (SUBGENRE)	Drama	Thriller	Drama	B
MOVEMENT INFLUENCE(S)	A	B	A	B
PRACTITIONER INFLUENCE (S)	Danny Boyle	B	A	B
TARGET AUDIENCE	Teenagers/ Adults	Teenagers/ Adults	Adults	B
PRODUCTION SCALE	A	B	A	B
KEY THEMES/ISSUES	A	B	A	B

Mark out of 10	Memorable scene
8	Where the Spitfire shoots down the ME 109

Foley Artist: This is the person who adds in sound during the post-production of the film. For example, the Foley Artist will recreate sound effects like footsteps if they were lost or weren’t recorded in the scene.

Examples of sounds that Foley Artists use:

• Wooden creaks (Old shipping pallet)
• Cigarette inhale (Saran wrap)
• Stacks of cash (Old deck of cards)
• Fire (Potato chip bag)
• Horse Hooves (Coconuts)

Sound editor: This is the person responsible for arranging sound recordings for the preparation of the final sound mixing or mastering for any type of digital media like television or film.

Sound mixer: This is the person responsible for recording all of the sound during the set for television or a film.

Diegetic Sound: This is sound that the characters and the audience can hear.

Non-Diegetic Sound: This is the sound that the audience can hear but not what the characters in the film can hear.

Shaun of the Dead (2004) Example:

Diegetic Sound:

• The Dialogue
• TV news broadcast
• Sound effects the characters make in the background (Foley Artist)
• Noise of the zombies
• Screams (non-verbal)

Non-Diegetic Sound

• ‘Atmos’ Sound (created to build tension)
• Music in the background (Record vinyl scene)

Foley Artist: This is the person who adds in sound during the post-production of the film. For example, the Foley Artist will recreate sound effects like footsteps if they were lost or weren’t recorded in the scene.

• Wooden creaks (Old shipping pallet)
• Cigarette inhale (Saran wrap)
• Stacks of cash (Old deck of cards)
• Fire (Potato chip bag)
• Horse Hooves (Coconuts)

Sound Motif: This is the sound that is associated with the entrance of a particular character, setting, situation or a breakthrough idea in the film. The purpose of the sound motif is to condition the audience emotionally for the intervention, arrival or actions of a particular character. A film that uses sound motif is Star Wars IV: A New Hope, where Darth Vader appears often.

Voice over/Narration: This is a sound device where one hears the voice of the character or narrator but the character in question is in fact not speaking those words or screen.This is achieved in the film, Fight Club (1999).

The Kuleshov Effect is a filming technique where there is a shot of an actor followed by a another shot of a either a setting, object or person, then their reaction to that previous shot. When shots are cut back and forth, this creates an effect towards the viewer.

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