Research: Pitch

Research: Intertitles (Case study)

The Farmer's Wife (1928) by Alfred Hitchcock

One of the most famous films created by Hitchcock, The Farmer's Wife, intertitles were obviously a crucial part of the film for it allowed dialogue to be exchanged between the characters and for the audience to then read what they were saying. So they were pretty important at informing the audience of the narrative. In this Hitchcock film, the distributors would have 'stretch-printed' each frame of each title every time a print was made and released. This involved repeating the same, individual frame several times to ensure the titles would appear on screen for an appropriate amount of time.

Intertitle from The Farmer's Wife

At the BFI, they set to working on the restoration of the film, including the titles which was an extremely delicate procedure. The BFI had paired aims to re-integrate tighter and cleaner intertitles into the right length and with a fairly well-presented graphic quality. The issue with this was that it wasn't possible for the comapny to re-insert edited frames of each title (having been edited in programmes such as Photoshop) into a digital restoration master. The problem with this is that the titles would be left frozen, thus damaging the continuity and rhythm already established through the edits in the original film. In order to manage and move on from the problem, the BFI had to clean each frame in Photoshop and then record it back into the film.

Research: Intertitles

According to Wikipedia, intertitles can be defined as: "then known simply as 'titles', were a mainstay of silent films once the films became sufficient length and detail to necessitate dialogue and/or narration to make sense of the enacted or documented events".

Intertitle from The Mortal Instruments

Intertitle from The Mortal Instruments

Essentially intertitles are used throughout a film at any point where the characters exchange dialogue or a new scene cuts in which needs an establishing title to inform the audience of this. However, intertitles aren't as common in films today since they were implemented during the silent era where films heavily relied on this narrative device. Instead they are implemented more usefully in trailers where a lot of the time they are used for dramatic effect to outline important points in a film's narrative. For example, in the trailer for The Mortal Instruments you'll find there are two types of intertitles common to a trailer. One type of intertitle outlines a definitive point in the plot which we see in the shot above (left) and from this we get the reading that the film involves violence and conflict and that this is between a group of antagonists and protagonists. As for the second screenshot of an intertitle, you'll see that rather than detailing the plot, the intertitles provide the audience with a reason to watch the film- critical acclaim. So in trailers there are two forms of intertitles you're likely to come across.

As for short films, I have taken the example of a scene from a film featuring the  famous actor and comedian, Charlie Chaplin. In short films such as this it's easy to find that short films use intertitles to mimic the characters' speech and as said, act as a narrative device. For example, in the screenshots on the left one shot says, 'A successful retreat' whilst another shot shows the dialogue from one of the characters. Since it was during the same, silent era of film where nearly every film used intertitles, the typography was very similar. A formal, sophisticated font would have been used, just as is seen in this short, Particularly in the shot without dialogue we can see the 'A' has been written using a calligraphic-style. In some cases, films have used an equally 'fancy' border around the text. White text is also used on a black background, clearly very standardised. As for sound and editing these intertitles would commonly cut into the shot and have no sound motif attached, only the continued sound bridge of non-diegetic (incidental) music.

Just like the Chaplin film, you find that each film in the silent era similarly used, as said, the same typography and way of editing the intertitles into a film. Other examples include the two below which we can see have used a similar, formal font and use of the black background and white text, used because it was conventional of films to do this at the time.

The Cradle Snatchers by Howard Hawks (1927) 

The White Sister (1923)

Research: How it informs my film

I've done lots of research and looked at different short films, of a varying choice of genres as well as specified genre films and shorts specifically relating to the sub-genre I will be focusing my own short film on. What this research has fundamentally shown me is how to go about creating and distributing my own short film so I can make it the best it can be with the resources I have. The key elements which I have explored and that have taught me how I should alter them myself for an effective film to be accomplished, includes:

• Lighting- for the right mood, I need to carefully consider what lighting would be appropriate for my film. Ideally I would use low key lighting to create a foreboding atmosphere and thus make my scenes more intense. It is after all, an apocalyptic film where society has completely changed for the worse that I plan on focusing on, and low key lighting will help to reflect the characters' dismal and weary opinion of it.
• Typography- in the apocalyptic sci-fi films I've analysed, they all use upper case lettering to reflect the violence in the narrative or at least the undertones of aggression in society. So for me to adopt this in my own film, I will show that I am conforming to the conventional presentation of sci-fi titles, providing a reading of the genre I want my audience to recognise.
• Sound- ominous, eerie music and/or melancholic music is most commonly used in the apocalyptic films I've analysed although the genre-specific ones do however use some uplifting and dramatic music in order to create different effects and to affect the audience in different ways. I want to ensure that my film uses a variety of different types of music according to the reading I want people to have from watching the film. It may also be the case that I choose to put a heavy focus on diegetic sound rather than non-diegetic sound so that the film is made more realistic and therefore the audience will be able to connect with the story and the characters on a deeper level.
• Genre Iconography- I have mentioned in previous posts how the ability to use special effects and therefore the creation of futuristic weapons is something I am unable to do simply because of the lack of resources and money to implement them. Therefore the iconography that I would intend to use would be the sort of icons we see today. For example, I will want to include a weapon in my film but this will be more like a blade rather than a glowing sword or phaser gun. Furthermore backpacks will be another icon fundamental to my story because of how essential they are in showing that the characters are in hiding and using the bags to collect resources (a powerful and conventional icon of apocalyptic films).
• Editing- I would like to explore using slow motion to dramatise scenes in my short film as well as edits to convey that a scene is going into the past so the audience may find out more about my characters' pasts. This will then hopefully enable them to connect and sympathise with them.
• Camera Shot, Angle & Movement- I would ideally choose to involve as much of these as possible to convey different things, such as what has been described in the analyses I've completed. For example, extreme close up shots could be used to enhance the intensity of my characters' emotions. A low angle shot could familiarly be used to increase the antagonists' dominance over the protagonists in my film.
• Setting/location- In the apocalyptic films I've looked at, the location is usually a rundown or derelict site which is unattractive to look at yet conveys to the audience that something has happened and that now society s disorganised and much more corrupt. I would definitely like to use a location such as this so as to ensure the audiences' reading of my film will be that this is an apocalyptic/ post-apocalyptic sci-fi film.
• Characters- Make-up, hair and costume are all very important at conveying the genre. As I have seen, some of the films present the characters as appearing dishevelled and dirty whilst in others this is subverted and we find that they have been presented according to their position of authority. I would like to explore this in my film and adapt each character to show what position in society they are. For example, I might like to present my protagonists in an unkempt state whilst the antagonists who control society, just like what we see in The Hunger Games, look professional and smart yet subtly sinister.

Research: Short Film Analysis: (Apocalyptic Sci-Fi): The Shift

You'll find that what I've written for my analysis is taken from 4 minutes of this 20 minute film. I decided to pick this clip predominantly because the film is quite long yet I also wanted to base an analysis on it because of how different the short film is to any others that I've come across. It's also very powerful and a much more intense and interesting way in which the story was put across. What I have included in the analysis is some elements such as the titles and shots used during the first 4 minutes of the full film. However if you're wondering another reason why I chose not to watch further than 4 minutes, after the blackout, it because of reasoning relating to the creator's warning. The content does become quite disturbing and the later at night you come to watching this film the more intense it becomes, so while it's utterly remarkable and intuitively written/ made it does have dark themes which I didn't want to go into, just because I wouldn't want the content to affect whoever is reading this.

A really good clip, taken from the film can be found here, and it's really powerful because although it's creepy, it's more emotive than anything and I would definitely recommend watching this as it shows how powerful words can be in affecting the audience.

Film Analysis: The Shift (Short Film)

Research: Short Film Analysis: (Apocalyptic Sci-Fi): Relic

In this short, post-apocalyptic thriller, we find 15 year old, Scott, dealing with having to adapt and learn to survive on his own in a barren world. Following the death of his family, Scott is left him orphaned in a world where scraps of food are hard to come by and crime is more of an issue than ever. Although there isn't much of a plot to this short, we grasp a great deal of useful camera shots/angles and movements as well as sound and mise-en-scene, which will prove helpful for when I come to making my own short. Being a college film, it's even more beneficial that I learn from what these students did well and what they did wrong so I can hopefully better even them.

Film Analysis: Relic (Short Film)

Research: Short Film Analysis: (Apocalyptic Sci-Fi) Alone

Award-winning short film, Alone, documents the tale of a man doing his average day-to-day tasks as the only man left on Earth. We do not know why or how he became to be the last man standing but what we see is an effective use of cinematography and real grasp of the isolation faced by this one individual.

Film Analysis: Alone (Short Film)