Movie Soundtracks

A good soundtrack is one which suits the genre of the movie and enhances the action taking place on the screen. A horror film may have discordant music, or perhaps organ music. An action film may have a rock music score. A thriller may have fast pumping techno music soundtrack. In Hanna the pumping techno soundtrack by The Chemical Brothers adds tension to the action sequences. Most films have between 40 and 120 minutes of music. However, some films have very little or no music; others may feature a score that plays almost continuously throughout.

The role of the soundtrack is to add another dimension to the action taking place on the screen. It also acts to signify the mood of a particular scene. An example of this would be in Spielberg’s film Jaws, the scene of a woman swimming in the sea is accompanied by a menacing soundtrack. You just know that something awful is about to happen.

Often the best known part of a movie soundtrack is its theme tune. The James Bond films often use singers, popular at the time of release. Not all films use especially composed music, some use chart music of a particular year to set the period that the film is set, The Boat That Rocked, and Made in Dagenham are two recent British films that were set in the 1960s and used music popular at the time as their soundtracks. Giorgio Moroder’s instrumental soundtrack to Scarface fits with the period when the film is set.

Films often have different themes for important characters. An example of this technique is John Williams' score for the Star Wars saga, and the numerous themes associated with characters like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia. The Lord of the Rings trilogy uses a similar technique, with recurring themes for many main characters and places.


Best Selling Movie Soundtracks (albums sold)

1. The Bodyguard (16 million)
2. Purple Rain (13 million)
3. Saturday Night Fever (11 million)
4. Dirty Dancing (11 million)
5. The Lion King (10 million)
6. Grease (8 million)
7. Footloose (8 million)
8. Titanic (8 million)
9. Top Gun (7 million)
10. Waiting to Exhale (7 million)

Film Classifications in the UK

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom. It has a statutory requirement to classify videos, DVDs and some video games under the Video Recordings Act 2010.

The BBFC currently issues the following certificates. The category logos were introduced in December 2002.

Preliminary Task - Josh, Josh, Jaymie and Mark

This clip features our preliminary task. We were tasked with making a short clip without a brief. This clip is very important to include on our blogs, if it isn't included, we would miss out on 15 marks from our final grade.

The clip depicts a 6th former in trouble, he's been accused of something he didn't do. I play the character in trouble, and Josh plays the character who is accusing me. Josh is the cameraman and Jaymie directs. 

Different Types of Camera Shots

Extreme Wide Shot (EWS)
This type of shot is used to show a huge area, eg. a field. The type of shot is otherwise known as EWS or XLS.

The shot is used so that the audience can’t see the character in the shot, but the surroundings he/she is in.

Very Wide Shot (VWS)

The very wide shot is much closer to the subject than an extreme wide shot, but still much further away than a wide shot. The subject is visible here but only just (in this case it's a boy leaning against the fence). The emphasis is very much on placing him in his environment.

This often works as an establishing shot, in which the audience is shown the whole setting so they can orient themselves.

The VWS also allows plenty of room for action to take place, or for multiple subjects to appear on screen.

Wide-Shot (WS)

In the wide shot, the subject takes up the full frame. In this case, the boy's feet are almost at the bottom of frame and his head is almost at the top. Obviously the subject doesn't take up the whole width and height of the frame, since this is as close as we can get without losing any part of him. The small amount of room above and below the subject can be thought of as safety room — you don't want to be cutting the top of the head off. It would also look uncomfortable if his feet and head were exactly at the top and bottom of frame.

Mid-Shot (MS)

The mid shot shows some part of the subject in more detail, whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as if they were looking at the whole subject. In fact, this is an approximation of how you would see a person "in the flesh" if you were having a casual conversation. You wouldn't be paying any attention to their lower body, so that part of the picture is unnecessary.

The MS is appropriate when the subject is speaking without too much emotion or intense concentration. It also works well when the intent is to deliver information, which is why it is frequently used by television news presenters. You will often see a story begin with a MS of the reporter (providing information), followed by closer shots of interview subjects (providing reactions and emotion).

As well as being a comfortable, emotionally neutral shot, the mid shot allows room for hand gestures and a bit of movement.

Medium Close-Up

The medium close-up is half way between a mid-shot and a close up. This shot shows the face more clearly, without getting uncomfortably close.

Close-Up (CU)

In the close-up shot, a certain feature or part of the subject takes up most of the frame. A close up of a person usually means a close up of their face (unless specified otherwise).

Close-ups are obviously useful for showing detail and can also be used as a cut-in.

A close-up of a person emphasizes their emotional state. Whereas a mid-shot or wide-shot is more appropriate for delivering facts and general information, a close-up exaggerates facial expressions which convey emotion. The viewer is drawn into the subject's personal space and shares their feelings.

A variation is the chocker shot which is typically framed on the subject's face from above the eyebrows to below the mouth.

Extreme Close-Up (ECU)

The ECU (also known as XCU) gets right in and shows extreme detail.

You would normally need a specific reason to get this close. It is too close to show general reactions or emotion except in very dramatic scenes.

Cut-In Shot (CI)

This specifically refers to showing some part of the subject in detail.

This shot can be used purely as an edit point, or to emphasise emotion etc. For example, hand movements can show enthusiasm, agitation, nervousness, etc.

Cutaway Shot (CA)

A cutaway is a shot that's usually of something other than the current action. It could be a different subject (eg. this cat when the main subject is its owner), a close up of a different part of the subject (eg. the subject's hands), or just about anything else.

The cutaway is used as a "buffer" between shots (to help the editing process), or to add interest/information.

The Two Shot

There are a few variations on this one, but the basic idea is to have a comfortable shot of two people. Often used in interviews, or when two presenters are hosting a show.

A "One-Shot" could be a mid-shot of either of these subjects. A "Three-Shot", unsurprisingly, contains three people.

Two-shots are good for establishing a relationship between subjects. If you see two sports presenters standing side by side facing the camera, you get the idea that these people are going to be the show's co-hosts. As they have equal prominence in the frame, the implication is that they will provide equal input. Of course this doesn't always apply, for example, there are many instances in which it's obvious one of the people is a presenter and the other is a guest. In any case, the two-shot is a natural way to introduce two people.

A two-shot could also involve movement or action. It is a good way to follow the interaction between two people without getting distracted by their surroundings.

Over-the-Shoulder Shot (OSS)

This shot is framed from behind a person who is looking at the subject. The person facing the subject should usually occupy about 1/3 of the frame.

This shot helps to establish the position of each person, and get the feel of looking at one person from the other's point of view.

It's common to cut between these shots during a conversation, alternating the view between the different speakers.

Noddy Shot

Common in interviews, this is a shot of the person listening and reacting to the subject. In fact, when shooting interviews with one camera, the usual routine is to shoot the subject (using OSS and one-shots) for the entire interview, then shoot some noddies of the interviewer once the interview is finished. The noddies are edited into the interview later.

Point of View Shot (POV)

This shot shows a view from the subject's perspective. It is usually edited in such a way that it is obvious whose POV it is.

Weather Shot

In this type of shot the subject is the weather. The sky takes up at least 2/3 of the frame. This type of shot is common in television programs where the weather is of particular interest, e.g. sports shows.

Although the usual purpose of this shot is to show the weather, it is also useful as an establishing shot, for setting the general mood or for overlaying graphics.

A weather shot doesn't have to show the sky. Other shots often used to illustrate weather include:

·         Puddles, drain spouts, or any other form of rainwater.

·         Trees or anything else blowing in the wind.

·         People sunbathing.
·         Snowmen, snowball fights, snow sledding, etc.

Source: Media College

British Film Mind Map

British Films: British Lion - A Production Company

British Lion is a production company, and was founded by S.W. Smith in November 1927. By the end of World War II, the company had released over fifty five films including In Which We Serve for which writer/producer Noel Coward received an Academy Award. In 1946 Sir Alexander Korda bought a controlling interest in the company. Among early British Lion classics were The Third Man, Hobson's Choice, Odette and David Lean's The Sound Barrier.

1958 saw a significant change at British Lion. The new working management was film producers, the Boulting Brothers, Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder. Many notable films such as A Taste of Honey, The Entertainer, The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery, I'm All Right Jack, The L-Shaped Room and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning were released under their management.

The company was sold to Barclay Securities. Peter Snell was appointed Head of Production and then Managing Director. Don't Look Now and The Wicker Man followed. In 2010, British Lion produced The Wicker Tree.

British Lion will celebrate its 85th anniversary in 2012.

British Films: The Wicker Tree

The Wicker Tree is a 2011 film by British director Robin Hardy. The film contains several similar elements to the 1973 film The Wicker Man which was also directed by Hardy, but is neither a sequel nor a remake of that film.  It is due for wide release in 2011, having premiered in July at the Fantasia Festival in Canada.
Beth is a successful pop singer and a devout evangelical Christian from Texas, USA. She and her fiancé Steve both wear purity rings, and belong to a group known as the "Cowboys for Christ", who travel to "heathen areas" of the world to preach Christianity. They travel to Glasgow, Scotland, hoping to save some souls once there. However, they are shocked when they receive a very negative reception, Beth even being set upon by a large dog.

After performing a concert at a local cathedral, the duo is approached by Sir Lachlan Morrison and his wife Delia, the laird of the small village of Tressock in the Scottish lowlands. They invite Beth and Steve to come back with them to preach, but intend them for a more central part in Tressock's May Day celebration.

Meanwhile, detective Orlando is sent to Tressock, posing as the local police officer, in order to secretly investigate reports of a pagan cult. Orlando discovers that the people of the village worship the ancient Celt goddess Sulis.

Beth and Steve decide to begin their preaching at the May Day celebrations in the village. In an attempt to impress the locals, they agree to become the local Queen of the May and the Laddie for the festival not realising the consequences of their decision and not knowing what awaits them.

The Budget of The Wicker Tree is £7.75m. The film features a predominantly British cast, and is made by a British Director, the script is printed in English, Irish, Welsh or Scottish. The film is set in Scotland, UK. The release date for the film in Britain is 2011.

180 Degree Rule

In filmmaking, the 180° rule is a basic guideline that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.

The 180 degree rule enables the audience to visually connect with unseen movement happening around and behind the immediate subject and is important in the narration of battle scenes. The visual disjointedness of the battle scene on Geonosis in the Star Wars film Attack of the Clones is an example.
Avoiding crossing the line is a problem that those learning filmcraft will need to struggle with. In the above example with the car chase, a possible solution is to begin the second cut with the car driving into frame from the "wrong" side. Although this may be wrong in the geographic sense on set, it looks more natural to the viewer. Another possibility is to insert a "buffer shot" of the subject head-on (or from behind) to help the viewer understand the camera movement.

Source: Wikipedia

Transformers 3 Film Synopsis

"The Autobots Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide and Sideswipe led by Optimus Prime, are back in action, taking on the evil Decepticons, who are determined to avenge their defeat in 2009's Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. In this new movie, the Autobots and Decepticons become involved in a perilous space race between the U.S. and Russia, and once again human Sam Witwicky has to come to the aid of his robot friends. There's new characters too, including a new villain in the form of Shockwave, a longtime Transformers character who rules Cybertron while the Autobots and Decepticons battle it out on Earth."

Source: Blastr

Transformers 2 Film Synopsis

This plot follows on from the first transformer movie, because both movies have a plot that the main characters and the Autobots have to undergo a quest which entails finding an ancient artifact which is key for the Cybertron robots. Each step of the way for the good guys, they are being fought by the Decepticons. However, this film is set later on in the lives of the main characters, Sam Witwicky started off in high school in the first film, but in the second film he is starting his first days in college. There are other differences too, their are more new Autobots and Decepticons in the ultimate fight.

Transformers 1 Film Synopsis

The film Transformers, is based on the life of a ordinary student at high school, but the film studies his emotions and his reactions when transforming robots land on planet Earth. These robots come from the planet Cybertron and the invaders are split into two robotic groups; the Autobots (the good robots), and the Decepticons (the bad robots). These two robot types fight it out on their planet, but their precious cube goes missing. They find out that it has landed on Earth and launch a full scale invasion to retrieve it. The Autobots are willing to work with humans, but the Decepticons find humans as enemies, and that they should be eliminated. The Transforming robots have the special ability to transform into either military vehicles (decepticons), or motor vehicles (autobots).

Source Code Film Synopsis

The film Souce Code is about stopping a dreadful terrorist attack. Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is horribly injured, possibly from an IED in a war-zone, and on life support in a futuristic tank. He is unknowingly taking part in a military experiment where his body takes the form of Shaun Fentress and goes back in time to prevent a terrorist attack from taking place. Fentress has to time travel back and attempt to find the bomber, before an even greater explosion occurs that would dwarf the previous bomb blast. Source Code is the military software within the tank that enables him to travel back in time and alter the future. Stevens is wired up to Source Code via his brain. Each time he travels back in time and he relives the train experience, his body progressively deteriorates. As he is close to death himself, this is the only way for Stevens to live longer than his injuries would permit. Whilst on his mission, he befriends a female character, Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan),and Fentress (or is it Stevens) is determined to save her from dying on the train.

4min Clip of Die Hard with a Vengeance

In this scene we see John McClane (Bruce Willis) trying to get to the local train station. For him to reach the train station on time he has to beat the stationary traffic which poses a big obstacle. To overcome this inconvenience, McClane drives on pavements, and through Central Park (not designed for cars). This reckless rampage continues for around three and a half minutes. The rampage finally stops when McClane reaches his destination (the train station), he gets out and runs down a flight of stairs so he can catch his train. I really like this clip as it's action packed and full of breathtaking stunts. It is also quite comical in places.

Sound Effect Clichés

·         Animals are never silent - dogs whine/bark/yip, cat’s meow or purr, cows moo, even in some cases where most animals wouldn't be making a sound.
·         Dogs always know who the bad guy is, and bark at them.
·         In a horror film when there is a full moon there is either an owl hooting or a wolf howling in the distance.
·         Car tyres and footsteps crunch on gravel.
·         In a chase situation car tyres squeal when car turns, pulls away or stops.
·         Every button you press on a computer makes some kind of beep or click.
·         Storms start instantaneously with a crack of thunder and lightning.
·         Thunder is always in sync with lightning.
·         In horror films, doors always creek when hero/heroine is searching big, empty house.
·         An approaching airplane or helicopter will make no noise until it is directly over the characters, at which point it will suddenly become extremely loud.
·         Even when depicted as foreigners (including aliens from outer space) all actors speak and understand a common language (usually English) unless the film's plot depends on a language barrier.
·         Kids always whisper even if their two inches away from a villain - he won't hear. If they step on a branch however, the villains will immediately know it’s not some animal, and catch them.
·         When villains fall to their deaths, you can hear their screams gradually fade out, even if they only fall ten feet or so.
·         Anytime a person speaks into a microphone, their first words will cause microphone feedback.
·         When listening to music on the radio in the car, the song on the radio never changes during a single scene. The scene rarely outlasts the song...if it does, one of the characters will turn the radio off before the end of the song.
·         There are never any commercials playing on radios or TVs.
·         People never answer the door until the doorbell or knocking has sounded at least twice.
·         Explosions in space make noise.
·         All machine guns sound alike.
·         When people are on the phone, there’s rarely any background noise.

Soundtrack Research

A soundtrack can be recorded music complementing and synchronised with the images of a piece of action, a book, television programme or a video game. It can be a commercially released soundtrack album of music featuring in the soundtrack of a film or television show; or the physical area of a film that contains the recorded sound.

The use of soundtracks in films only started to be used regularly in the early 1950s. They were first created by movie companies as “music from the original motion picture soundtrack.” This phrase was shortened to just “original motion picture soundtrack.” Such recordings usually consist of isolated music from a film, not the sound track with dialogue and sound effects.

In the soundtrack genre there are three types of recordings:

1.     Musical film soundtracks which concentrate primarily on the songs (eg. Grease, Singin’ in the Rain).

2.     Film scores which showcase the background music from non-musicals (eg. Star Wars, Exodus).

3.     Albums of pop songs heard in whole or part in the background of non-musicals  (eg. Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally).

The expression soundtrack generally refers to the music used in a movie or television programme, and to an album which is sold containing that specific music. Sometimes, the music has been recorded just for the film or album (e.g. Saturday Night Fever). Often, but not always depending on the genre of the movie, the soundtrack album will contain portions of the score, music made for dramatic effect as the movie’s plot occurs. In 1908, Camille Saint-Saens composed the first music especially for use in a motion picture (L’assasinat du duc de Guise), and releasing recordings of songs used in films became common in the 1930s. Henry Mancini, who won an Emmy Award and two Grammys for his soundtrack to Peter Gunn, was the first composer to have an extensive hit with a song from a soundtrack. A soundtrack record can conventionally contain different kinds of music appearing in the movie; the score contains only music by the original film’s composer(s).

Source used: Wikipedia

Two-minute Intros: Drama Genre - Winter's Bone (2010)

Crime Genre Clichés

Action Genre Clichés

Romance Genre Clichés

Comedy Genre Clichés

Horror Genre Clichés

The Markasaurus 2 Video Clip

In this clip you see me in conversation with Connor. The clip illustrates how a camera technique called the '180 degree rule' is used, it is used when shooting discussion between two characters. The rule states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.

Sid was the director, producer and main editor. Connor and I were the actors in the clip, and Sam had a smaller editing part.

The clip depicts a 6th former who has been caught misbehaving by another 6th former. The 6th former being questioned is me (Mark Taylor), and the questioner is Connor Wright. In this clip Connor questions my odd behaviour, putting me on the spot, and, feeling awkward, I give him evasive answers.

Two-minute Intros: Crime Genre

Scarface (1983)

The director (Brian De Palma) uses the opening sequence to set his fictional film (a remake of the Howard Hawks film of 1932) against a background of real events in recent American history.

The film begins with a driving Giorgio Moroder instrumental accompanying a rolling text sequence. The text reads: ‘In May 1980, Fidel Castro opened the harbour at Mariel, Cuba, with the apparent intention of letting some of his people join their relatives in the United States. Within seventy-two hours, 3000 US boats were headed for Cuba; it soon became evident that Castro was forcing the boat owners to carry back with them not only their relatives, but the dregs of his jails. Of the 125,000 refugees that landed in Florida, an estimated 25,000 had criminal records’.

Then the audience sees news footage of Castro’s speech to his people, explaining to them what’s being done, and why these people are leaving Cuba en masse. “…They are unwilling to adapt to the spirit of our revolution…”, “We don’t want them!”, “We don’t need them!” The huge crowd applauds his speech.

After this, the opening credits start and these are interspersed with more news footage of boats overflowing with Cuban migrants on their way to America. A lot of this footage is shot from helicopters. The migrants seem to be happy to be leaving Cuba. People are waving and smiling. A man is shown holding a child and he points significantly to the American flag on their arrival. The final shots of news footage show people waiting around in a US Homeland Security immigrant holding area.

The fictional film then begins with the camera panning from black shadow to the partially obscured face of Al Pacino. He plays the lead character, a Cuban migrant called Tony Montana, who is being interviewed by a number of Homeland Security officials. They are questioning him about his relatives and his past life in Cuba. They are concerned about how he got the scar on his face, and also the tattoo on his hand. The officials don’t buy his story and are suspicious about his motives. The scene ends with him being transported to “Freedom Town” for further questioning.