Unit 16 - A1- Purposes

Purposes:

Storytelling: 

Storytelling is when directors use certain and special techniques to try and convey a story. This is done so that the audience know the plot of the whole film and who the main characters in a film are. There are many examples of films where directors have used these techniques to try show a story or tell the audience who the main character is. An example of this would be in the film 'Godfather'. In the opening scene, you can see that he is talking to one of characters that has come and asked for his help. Through his introduction into the film and his particular choice of words, you can see that he is already the main character in the film. This is effective as the audience know who they are following in the film and this will help them to enjoy the film more.

An example of a special technique used in this film would be the medium close up of the Godfather in the opening scene when he is sitting on his chair speaking to the person who is seeking his help. This is very effective as it allows the audience to see his expressions ad how he is feeling. This then helps the audience to understand the character a bit more and it helps to develop an opinion. Also in this scene, as he gets up you see a lot of mis - en - scene. This helps the audience to connote things from the character such as the kind of person he is. For example you can see that he is wearing an expensive suit whilst smoking a cigar. This can give the audience the impression that he is a wealthy man with a very laid back approach.

Another thing which they did in this scene is that ensured that there was no random cuts and the scene would flow. This is effective because it makes the scene more enjoyable for viewers as they are able to focus on a scene without random cuts. In this scene, the shots are quite long and this is effective because it helps the audience to get to know the characters and it also sets the mood of the film.

Engaging the viewer: 

Films can engage the viewer in many ways. It is essential that the audience are drawn to the film at all times and that they feel like there aren't scenes which they should miss. There are a number of techniques that the director can use to ensure that the audience are focused at all times with what is happening in the film. An example of this would be in Fast and Furious 7 where they used a point of view shot during the scene where the bus was hanging from the cliff. This shot is very effective because the audience can see what is happening through Paul Walker's eyes. This is effective is they are clearly able to see what could happen to him if he doesn't survive and this engages them because they want to see if he survives. In Fast and Furious 7, there are also a huge number of jump cuts. This is used so that the audience so that the director could speed up time in action. This is effective because everything is done quick which will engage the viewer because they won't want to miss anything important happening in the video.

Relationship to genre: 

This is a technique where the editing is done in relation to the genre. For instance in Romantic films you will have a slow style of editing. However in genres such as horrors, there would be much quicker style of editing to suit the genre. An example of a film where there has been quick editing would be Bugsy Malone. In this film, there is a fight in the final scenes. During this scenes you can that a huge number of cuts during this scene to see everyone's face during the film. This has been edited quickly to ensure the audience stay engaged. It would be boring if the audience had to watch the fight unravel just from one still shot. There's a chance that you won't see the action. However this scene has quickly been edited to suit the genre. In the pre production stage, they have added gun shot sounds to give the audience a sense of realism. If they were to see guns being fired but not hear gun shots, they may get bored and turn off the film. 

Creating motivation: 

This is a technique where shots are put in a particular order to enhance the audiences experience and to create motivation for them through the film. This can be done through various things. One way in which they create motivation is through the sound. Motivation can be created through diegetic and non - diegetic sounds. For example in the Rocky they used a diegetic sound in music to create the mood and motivation. In the scene where Rocky is training, they plan some motivational music in the background. When the beat drops, you can see Rocky is doing intensive training. This is very effective as the audience can see how motivated he is and this can motivate them to carry on watching because they want to see Rocky succeed. Montages are usually created in the post production stage. This is because in montages there are often shots in different locations and it is difficult for production companies to film and edit everything together at the same time. Therefore they do it in the post production to make sure that they piece everything together and add the correct music to suit the scenes.

Creating pace: 

The length of each cut in a scene in a film can affect the tone and the flow of the film. For example it wouldn't look good if you have a two second shot and than a 15 second shot after. However sometimes this is done to suit the genre. An example of a film where there are quick cuts would be the Transporter. The Transporter is an action film. The length of the cuts are fairly short because they want to ensure that the audience see everything when they are watching the film. The cuts can make a film seem a lot faster which will keep the audience engaged. This suits the genre, because it is a fasted paced trilogy. There are a lot of fighting a chase scenes and by having short cuts, the audience are able to see the action from various angles and shots. This is very effective because it can get the audience excited. For example, in the film The Transporter, there are many chase scenes where the camera quickly switches between both cars to see both characters during the stage.