Interview with Peter Jackson and crew on Storyboarding

This video consists of a series of interviews with the crew of Lord of the Rings and Finding Nemo on how storyboarding helped in creating their films. I think it is a useful video because it provides a summary of why storyboarding is useful and it is interesting to see at the end the actual storyboards that they were working from during the production process. It also demonstrates the use of storyboards in animated and real action movies.

'P' is for 'Psycho' Storyboard

What is happening in the opening sequence of the film?
In the opening sequence we see a man who we assume is the psycho that the title is referring to because he is washing blood off of his hands in a public toilet and we also see that he is carrying a gun. Through the dark/dimmed lighting and the psycho character we can tell that this film is a thriller/horror.

We start of with an establishing shot of the location which is a public toilet and this then mixes to a shot a man's legs. There is a slow tilt up in order to reveal the top half of the man. Shot 4 consists of a pan across a number of objects laid out on the surface, this allows for the audience to start making assumptions about who this character is, his interests, etc. This then cuts to a shot of blood in the sink and this demonstrates that he has been injured in some sort of conflict. As he is bandaging his hand someone opens the door. The character we are focusing on turns his head very quickly which tells the audience that he does not wish to be seen and therefore we assume that he has something to hide. In shot 8 the CU is quite dark suggesting that this character is somewhat evil. So when it cuts to shot 9 of a young boy entering the room the audience feels fearful for him because we know that the man inside could have intentions to hurt him. These ideas are confirmed when it cuts to a MS of the man in the bathroom tucking a gun into his belt. The ECU in shot 11 of the man's eyes is menacing because of the angry expression in them and the dialogue "BAD MOVE KID...". The last shot of the opening sequence is a black screen which makes the audience blind but we hear "BANG BANG" therefore we know that he has killed the young boy.

How is the narrative flow established?
The narrative flow is established in the opening sequence through the detailed annotations on the storyboard. They detail the camera angle, distance and movement. There is also instruction of how each shot will flow into the other, this storyboard mainly uses cuts, mixes and fades. The drawings depict what we will actually see in each shot and it helps us to visualise the content that will shown to an audience.

If you were directing this sequence, what aspects of the storyboard would you like to change?
If I were to direct this sequence I would change the fade from shot 11 to 12 to a cut because I think it would add more impact. The cut would make the end of the sequence more choppy and therefore more in tune with the thriller/horror genre.

The Importance of Storyboarding

What is a storyboard?

A storyboard visually represents the camera shots within a film sequence and when connected they create a 'narrative flow'. Similar to a comic strip the story of the film can be visualised by a series of drawings which demonstrate the location, characters, props and setting of each shot. Each image is accompanied by captions which detail the camera directions, action, lighting and basic dialogue.

Why is a storyboard important?

A storyboard is important because:

• It enables the director to visualise the flow of camera shots
• It highlights whether the shots will work or not and what changes need to be made
• It can be used to decide on the sequence of shots, movements of actors, camera and lighting directions
• It is used as a basis for various discussions (to establish plans on creating the costumes and set and what equipment, etc. is needed for each shot)
• It acts as a vital piece of communication between each member of the film crew as it states the outline
• It helps the actors give a believable performance (especially when using special effects)
• It can be used as a reminder of the sequence order (post-production)

Although it is not necessary to storyboard an entire film, it is essential that shots involving action, special effects or complicated camera work are storyboarded so everything is prepared and in place for those shots to work.

Reflections on my Film Still (BLK)

Q1. Describe your shot and identify in what way it could be described as representing your chosen genre

My shot is a CU of a young male who is sitting directly behind an open window with his hands perched on the windowsill. He is looking above and past the right side of the camera which suggests that he is either in deep thought or wishing for an escape. There is a sense of entrapment which is signified through both the character’s expression and the use of the windowsill. His expression looks quite sad but yet holds the slight hint of hope. It is clear that he is being held back because he is positioned behind the windowsill, which is acting as the physical barrier stopping him from escaping whatever he is unhappy about.

Behind the character we cannot see anything as it is pitch black, this connotes that he wishes to forget/ cast a shadow on whatever he has just come from. He is looking into the ‘light’ which suggests that he wishes for much bigger things. The CU and the darkness behind him create the idea of isolation because the audience cannot see anything about his surroundings and it connotes that he is very lonely.

The lighting outside of the window is very bright as the source is natural daylight, in some ways this adds a light-hearted effect to the still because of the brightness it adds. All of these factors create the genre which would be a children’s adventure/drama because of the young male sitting at an ordinary window hoping to become successful.

Q2. What did you actually do to achieve the effect?

To achieve the CU and ensure that there were no other obstacles in the frame I used the zoom on the camera. In order to remove any sign of tables, etc. behind the character we pulled the curtains behind him, in turn this cut out the light from the room which created the darkness behind him therefore isolating him from the rest of the world.
We purposely positioned the subject’s hands on the edge of the windowsill so that focus is drawn to it and makes it clear that it metaphorically and literally stands as a barrier. To further this effect we had the character stand behind the window while the camera was stationed outside looking in. A sense of innocence is created because of the brightness from the daylight.

Q3. Identify what is successful about your shot

I think that in this shot the framing and composition works well because it successfully tells the tale of this character’s loneliness and isolation from his world. By cutting out all other obstacles and only having the character and windowsill in the frame it demonstrates that he is his only company.
The character’s expression is successful in making it clear to the audience that he is currently unhappy and is waiting for something big to happen. The way he is looking to the sky represents a sense of hope and ‘wishfullness’.
Q4. What would you do differently in hindsight?

In hindsight I would have experimented more with the different modes on the camera, for example, night-shot. This is because in the still the composition and the lighting clash strongly which makes it slightly uneasy on the eyes and can cause confusion in the way the audience interpret the intentions. By using night-shot I would still be able to keep the innocence created because the character’s expression would still have the child like expression. But it would add further meaning and would add to the effect of wishing for an escape because it would create the ‘wishing on a star’ atmosphere.

I would also improve this shot by having the camera positioned at a higher angle in order to further the idea of isolation as it would make the subject seem inferior and therefore more intimidated.

Analysis of Opening Sequence: Pretty Woman (Marshall, 1990)

The first thing we see on screen is the Touchstone logo which overlays a black background. But the audience is given an idea of what to expect because we hear a piano being played which creates a ‘ballroom atmosphere’, so we already imagine the scene of a wealthy area where people are ‘socializing’, all before we have seen the establishing shot.
When the establishing shot is revealed to us we see a CU of two women’s hands holding gold coins while a magician/entertainer is demonstrating a trick. Even though we do not see the faces of any characters yet, we know they are wealthy and well groomed because of the gold watch and their seemingly perfectly manicured hands. During the demonstration we are watching the pair of hands until the magician reveals the coins behind the woman’s ear, this allows the audience to act as a third person in the event because we are put in the position where we would be focusing on their hands and would then look up towards her ear to see the trick.
After the trick has been revealed the camera then follows the next character who is a short, bald-ish man who introduces himself as Phillip Stuckey. We follow him as he mingles with the guests and we also hear the name Edward Lewis mentioned in every conversation that he has. This immediately tells the audience that Phillip is not the central character to the film he is almost Edward’s sidekick who is just keeping everyone happy. There is a delay between the time that we hear Edward’s name mentioned and the moment he is finally revealed to us. This is because it allows for a build up and it makes the occasion much more important and clear to the audience that this is the guy we will following through the film.
We are introduced to Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) through a MS of him on the telephone to his partner. Visually we get an understanding that he very much belongs in the party because of his costume (consisting of a smart suit and tie) but through his conversation we get a sense that this is just work to him. It becomes obvious to us as his other half explains that she talks to his secretary more than she talks to him, that Edward is constantly on the go and never really slows down to enjoy life. This is built up further as the camera moves to a high angle behind Edward’s shoulder because we get a strong sense that even though everyone else thinks he fits in, he just does not want to be in that world and he is tired of it. The high angle also makes him seem as if he is intimidated by the whole situation.
The film then cuts to Edward walking down the stairs with another colleague who seems very young and new to the business because he is being told how to do things by Edward. When he is finished talking to the young man the camera pans around the room in an attempt to follow Edward, but for a short while we lose sight of him. This connotes that Edward feels lost in this world and finds it all too much. This is confirmed for us later when we see him pleading for the keys to Stuckey’s car. When Edward is back in sight the woman in the yellow jacket from the start of the film appears and it is clear that they know each other and we learn that they once dated. Through Edward’s thoughtful facial expression when he asks whether she spoke to his secretary more than him during the time they dated, we feel definitely sure that he doesn’t enjoy being the person he is.
When Edward is leaving, Stuckey becomes panicked at the idea that he wants to use his sports car. This suggests to the audience that he loves the materialistic life that he is able to live through being Edward Lewis’s lawyer. A sense of humour is added through the use of the script and the movement of the car that we are shown on screen (moving and stopping abruptly). We also hear Stuckey say that “Beverly hills is down the hill” and yet we see Edward drive up the hill, not only does this make the audience laugh but it also demonstrates that Edward is not used to driving around himself.
At this point the opening music starts which is a very upbeat and cheerful music that represents that this is occurring at some point in the 80s/90s. It is very much the type of music you would hear in a romance. We start off by following the grey car from a variety of angles including bird’s eye, but then we start to get a view of the city. This acts as a transition where the audience are being slowly moved from the upper class life of Edward Lewis to the night life in Hollywood.
As the slow transition completes we start to see the night life of Hollywood which is nearly a world away from the scenes we have just come from. The camera allows us to witness what seem to be regular events by using CU's of a drug deal and prostitutes looking for business. The audience know the film is set in Hollywood because CU's of the Hollywood sign and the walk of fame are shown. When the opening credits have finished and the location has been established, the film cuts to a CU of a woman's legs. This is a very sultry shot (because of the bare legs and the dimmed light which has a hint of red) and is almost shocking to the audience because it is clear that this is a completely different world, as this wouldn’t be shown at the start where the party was taking place. The camera then pans across a corkboard which has a load of pictures pinned on it. This leads the audience to believe that the person in the pictures is going to be the main girl in the film, but we are not entirely sure of it.
The sequence that follows is of the character getting ready, and even though we only get to see CU’s of different body parts we can already tell that she is not upper class or wealthy like those in Edward’s world. This is signified through her clothes and accessories (studded bracelets), and we also see her use permanent marker to renew her shoes. The music at this point has also picked up pace and is very rock and roll and consist of the words “I’m a real wild one”, suggesting that this character is very wild and lives on the edge.
The film then cuts back to the silver sports car driving around the corner roughly, demonstrating that Edward is still lost. It cuts again back to the female character walking down the stairs and we hear a man speaking about collecting money for rent, and we then see the character quietly walk back up the stairs, showing us that she obviously hasn’t paid the rent. When she checks in the little money box hidden in the toilet, there is little money.
At 6:46 the opening music stops and we follow the female character as she walks through the crowd on the walk of fame. We witness more night activities and a policeman questioning someone over a victim that has been found in a dumpster in an alleyway and from the information released we learn she was a prostitute. The audience also pieces together that the female character whose name we still do not know (this makes the audience want to know more because we know she is important, we just don’t know her name), is uncomfortable and unhappy with the life she currently leads because of the facial expressions caught on camera through MS’s and CU’s. However, humour is still created because tourists from Orlando are taking pictures of the body bag.
The film cuts once again to the inside of the Blue Banana Club, and we know that our character has reached her destination. We see people dressed in a similar way to the female character and the dimmed colourful lights create an atmosphere of people living on the edge and having a good time. When she asks the bar man if someone named Kit has been there we are immediately aware that they frequently visit this club because he instantly knows who she is talking about. We are introduced to Kit by a CU of her combing her fringe with a very bored/relaxed expression, showing that this is nothing but normal to her. At this point we also finally learn the name of the character – Vivian. We also learn small details like the fact that they are roommates, and Kit owes Carlos money for drugs (even after spending all the rent money). A two shot CU of Carlos and Kit shows that he is very serious about his money but he leaves little space between himself and Vivian, portraying that he has a ‘thing’ for her. She is clearly not impressed by the face that she pulls.

Through their next conversation we know that Kit is helping Vivian out and she doesn’t seem to see what is wrong with their lifestyle. Yet it is confirmed to us that Vivian wishes to escape the scenes she is surrounded by everyday.
The film then cuts back to Edward Lewis in the silver car and he asks a homeless person who is rummaging in the bins for directions. This clearly signifies that Edward doesn’t really have any idea of what the night life in Hollywood is like. It also leads the audience to question what is going to happen between the two characters that we have been following because we keep switching between their stories. This information is being held from us because it keeps us hooked and although we know their paths must intertwine at some point, we still have the need to find out how.
Once again we are taken back to Vivian and Kit who are claiming their “turf” of which they work on. We learn that Kit is almost acting like a big sister for Vivian because she says that Vivian is with her and she ‘protects’ her from Rachel, while Vivian is standing in the middle almost looking lost. We also know that Kit is not used to being the one to ruin everyone’s fun, and she prides herself on being wild, whereas Vivian seems to be very level headed and smart. This only furthers us to question why she has turned to prostitution.
Throughout this opening sequence we have learnt small details about the two main characters who are Vivian and Edward. The audience are able to guess that somehow their worlds are going to collide because of the constant switching between them, which forms to the conventions of the romance genre because it follows the storyline of two people who are so different yet still fall in love. It is signified that they are so different because of the countless binary opposites included in just the first ten minutes. For example, Edward’s world is very upper class and wealthy, whereas Vivian’s world is full of desperation and poverty.
Even though we learn so much, we still don't know why they don't like their lives and how they ended up in the situations that they find themselves in. The audience are asking constant questions and this is what keeps them watching, as they have an aim to figure out what is going on. This opening sequence has shown that your audience must have some idea of what is going on and they should be introduced to the main characters at least once, so that they are not left confused. The genre should be signified through both sound and visual from the very start. But they should not have everything figured out straight away because there would be not flow of information to keep them interested.