Pre-Lim Opening.

For the pre-lim task our group wanted to stay simple and take on too much. To combat the complexity of some of the others pre-lim we kept to 2 rooms in school and 3 actors. Since it was most of our first attempt at practical use of sound (both diagetic and non-diagetic), cameras and editing we kept to basic but key skills that we knew would still have a strong effect.
The concept of the film was a loan gone wrong and how dangerous and sketchy the underground loan sharks are. The idea was to set up a opening that would leave the rest of the film on a cliff hanger and i believe this was done successfully. The way the debtor is abducted within the first minute of the opening not only shows how fast paced the plot could be. Another way we set up the rest of the film was though the dialogue and how each character spoke; we had the 'strong silent type' (both the guard and boss) witch shows how they are very professional and used to what they know do as an everyday 9 to 5, we also had the 'fidgety type' (dead man) who was careless and often un-aware (not to dissimilar to a child).
Below is a link to our groups film opening on YouTube-

Cherwell Media Pre-lim: Deadly Serious Debt. 2010

Key Words: Continuity, 180 Degree Rule and Shot-Reverse-Shot

Continuity- This is a technique used in film and TV editing. Its particularly useful to make sure the viewer isn't confused when either person, object or place is changed. For example if a character is moving room the editor needs to make sure the viewer understands that their entering thus to combat this issue a shot of a door handle being pushed and then a cut to the door opening on the other side makes it clear that the room is being changed. Without this the viewer might not assume that the room has changed this in turn could confuse them because the scenery has changed.

180 Degree Rule-

This is another technique that is designed to stop the viewer becoming confused. The camera must only ever shoot in the green section (180 Degrees) so that the characters aren't swapped round when the camera shot changes. If they are swapped round (seen in the picture <) the viewer can easily loose track. this is especially used in conversations between two people. This can be ignored if a sense of disorientation is wanted to be achieved (often used by Stanly Kubrick).

Shot-Reverse-Shot- Also an important method used in continuity editing. Once again its mainly used along side dialoge although not all the time. It aims to give us a strong over view of the conversation so that the viewer is almost part of it. The tecnequie its self is where for example two people are talking and the camera swaps from behind one to the other and back again. It in turn keeps the viewer focused on the conversation because they can always see the person who is talking. Over the shoulder shots are often used in conjuction with this tecnequie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gIdceyd1L8&feature=related (also uses 180 degree rule).

Analysis of a film opening.

The opening scene for Doghouse (2009) lasts 5:51; I think it’s so long because there is a lot that the viewer needs to understand about each character. The first shot we have is panoramic shot of London; this is also an establishing shot to show how the charters are from this vast city scope (very unlike Moodly (their next destination)). The next shot we have is another establishing shot of Vince's flat from outside, it’s almost as if we've zoomed in on our main character. Next we have a aerial shot of Vince's room its very dirty and messy, this is done so we have insight to his personality, then we zoom out giving us the first shot of a character it’s an medium aerial shot. Immediately we have a still of Vince with his name edited cross the bed, the style has also changed along with a few seconds of non-diagetic sound running alongside the freeze frame I think this is to give it an almost comic or cartoony feel but this quickly changes back to normal. On Vince's phone we now see Neil who's calling Vince (this shows there good friends however Vince blocks the call possibly suggesting he's in a bad mood). The shot we get of Neil is another medium shot with Neil central in it more non-diagetic sound has been edited in whilst the cut from Vince to Neil happens (this cut shows there quite different). The camera now tracks Neil keeping him in the centre of the camera whilst he moves around (this represents that he's quite self-centred) we then have an over the shoulder of Neil this is gives us a different perspective of him. Again we have the non-diagetic almost western noise edited over this freeze frame of Neil in an almost cartoony way. We soon cut to Graham and his partner who is looking very agitated (smoking & crossed arms) so far all we now of Graham is his voice but then we zoom out of the medium shot of his partner to  the entire room with 2-shot. Next we have a sequence of him in his partner with quite quick cuts from mid shot to mid shot of each of them. Graham now walks of the shot making the camera cut to just a shot of him, now he turns and we once again have the cartoon freeze frame with the non-diagetic western Esq. music. This quickly cuts to Mikey also having a row with his partner  as they walk out of the house with a slow zooming out medium to long shot, at this point his partner goes out of focus showing she’s not important. This long shot shows us his expression to his partner’s dialogue this cuts to another cartoon freeze frame but with another more electronic take on the once western music. Now instead of having a shot of both Mikey and his partner we have a sequence of cuts using close ups and over the shoulder shots. Now we hear a quite posh woman’s voice witch shortly cuts to a shot of Patrick (this voice was his partners) this shot is very short and before we know it we have another freeze frame but this time for Patrick. Next to a 2-shot of the both of them with her in background and him in the foreground we soon get a shot of his back whilst he puts head-phones in slowly the woman’s voice fades out and we hear what’s being played through the head-phones (which transpires to be a anti-stress talk). Back to Vince this time in a mid shot who is looking hopelessly out over his balcony (the non-diagetic western music is now back. We cut to this same long shot as we had at the begining of his block of flats but this time with Vince in the centre of the shot but in the background as well. We cut to a closer view of the upset Vince he turns his back whilst we have a voice being edited over the image of Vince. Whilst this voice talks about symbolic meaning we cut to a extreme close up zooming in on Vince’s lighter that has a Tigers paw print on it (symbolising Vince’s wildness) but the lighter is in tatters (showing how he isn’t anymore). Another cut leads us to this final introduction, this time it’s Matt. Matt is explaining to the child about the 'Evil Dead' (a comic at Matt’s store) whilst we hear the dialogue we see over the shoulder shots of both the young boy and Matt. In the corner of the room there is a plastic zombie woman which is fore-sight for later in the film. The camera however dismisses this plastic zombie and keeps following the dialogue by cutting to either the boy or Matt as each of them speaks. The camera now zooms in on Matt ending with a close up but quickly cutting to the comic which is on a page that has a zombie woman on it too. Now we see the why each character has been made to look like a comic book character in the freeze frame, it’s another way in which the plot is already being shown to us. Eventually we also get a freeze frame of Matt whilst the western music returns. After a cut to a close up of Vince going in to his house Mikey and Graham run down and almost kidnap Vince. As they run off the camera follows them into the distance until there out of the frame. Mikey Runs back on to grab Vince’s ‘Symbolic’ lighter immediately we cut to the boy from Matt’s shop. He’s throwing eggs at it but we cut to a close up of Matt shouting 'bastard' this leads to a sequence of all of the characters partners also shouting basted. Whilst the once calm non-diagetic sound turns quite heavy and rock like. At the end we cut to Neil’s one night stand who throws her shoe, the camera follows this shoe till it hits the ground then zooms in on it until the word 'DOGHOUSE' is edited above it. That final shot ends the opening scene and sets the themes of zombies, comics, brotherhood, women and violence.