Critical Analysis of 'The Drug Runners'

This is the second film we have made for film studies. It is about a police officer (Harry Smith) interrogating a criminal (Jack Oxley). It appears that the criminal is the leader of an illegal drug operation and the police officer is trying to find the location of these drugs.

At the start of production, I wrote a short script which Jack and Harry stuck to during filming. None of the dialogue was improvised as we needed to keep it the same because we were recording the same shot from 3 different angles. As Jack and Harry are not actors, we took several shots on the first day of filming; none of which could be used because there were mistakes in each of them. There may have been one or two rushes to be used but we just decided to re-film everything because it would ruin the continuity of the sequence.

In our final product three different shots were used these were the master shot and two different over-the-shoulder shots. The master shot is also called the establishing shot because it is used directly at the start of the sequence and shows the audience what is happening in the scene. We used this to set the scene and to show the participants in the dialogue. The other two shots were over the shoulder shots from each character, we used this type of shot to show who is speaking, also to let the audience see their expressions and reactions to what is happening in the conversation.

During the whole of filming we used the tripod on the camera to make the shot steady so it doesn't look chaotic or uncontrolled. Eventually we had enough footage that could be used to create the sequence. It took several different cuts but we managed to gather enough rushes that could be edited together to create the film. As neither Jack or Harry are actors, the dialogue is not great. At points the speech is very fast so it is hard to understand what Jack and Harry are saying. Other than that issue, the footage we used was fine.

In the opening title of the sequence, we imitated a typewriter and also added some audio to match with it to make it sound like it was being typed as the film opens. The audio we used throughout the film was 'In the house in a heartbeat' by John Murphy. We used this to create a very tense situation and create more suspense in the scene. We synced the song so it starts just as Jack starts talking and then escalates exactly as the credits start rolling. We were planning to use the Godfather theme song for the credits and opening title but the 'In the house in a heartbeat' went so well with the credits we decided to use it instead and discard the idea of the Godfather theme song. For our contrapuntal version of the sequence we would have used 'The Flower Duet' by Lakmé to create a peaceful, tranquil atmosphere that would be very contrasting to the tense mood created by the original audio and the scene as a whole. All of this music was non-diegetic so none of the characters in the film could hear it.

In terms of diegetic sound, we had one notable piece of audio which was when Jack banged his fist on the table and shouted "I'm Innocent!" This was edited so it was louder to emphasise the anger and rage in Jack's character during this scene.

In the last sequence we produced, it was very short because we spent most of the time recording the same scene from several different angles. This time we needed to do this to show who was speaking in the conversation and to show the master shot for example. There was no way to avoid this problem that we had last time so we still ended up with a fairly short sequence.

Critical Analysis of 'The Takening'

The short kidnapping scene we published was called The Takening. It has no defined narrative and is just a sequence showing one person (me, Justin Chamberlain) being attacked and kidnapped by some-one else (Harry Smith) for unknown intentions.

From the start of filming we had a clear idea of one of the scenes that we filmed; the cupboard scene. It starts with me opening my eyes and getting blinded by the sudden bright light upon gaining consciousness. We made this effect by starting to film with the Lens cap on and then suddenly opening it to create the intended effect.

This scene we recorded from 4 different angles; a POV from me, the victim. Another POV from Harry, the kidnapper, a high angle displaying the contact when the victim gets punched and finally a low canted angle showing when the victim hits the floor. We had to film several different takes of these shots for the intended effect but we reached it eventually.

After we finished the recording process of this scene we edited it together and arrived at what we have now. However the clip was only very short so we decided to film some more scenes and edit them into it to create a better narrative and a longer sequence.

One of the scenes we recorded was the victim getting abducted, we filmed this several times to make sure we got the correct scene to use; this is currently in our final video. Another scene that we didn't manage to edit in was an over-the-shoulder shot of the kidnapper as he was walking down the corridor and also a close shot of his feet. We would have integrated these clips into the POV of the victim to create a sensation of panic, hysteria and terror. It would have also created tension because the viewer knows that something is going to happen to the victim and the victim may also be aware that something is going to happen, but not quite what.

The first shot shown in the sequence shows the victim being abducted. This angle was used because it shows a clear outline of what is happening but still keeps the kidnapper out of shot so the viewer doesn't know what is going to happen. It makes it seem very calm and as if nothing is going to happen up until the kidnapping scene.

In addition, the second angle is a POV of the victim. The use of opening the lens cap while already filming makes the camera blinded and out of focus for a short period of time to create a sense of disorientation and uneasiness. The victim then looks to his feet and seems shocked to discover that he is tied up in an unfamiliar place. The camera then starts to shake and become less steady to make the victim seem panicked and distressed.

Furthermore, the third shot is a POV of the kidnapper. This shot is steadier and is high to make the kidnapper seem in control and intimidating towards the victim. The camera angle changes just before the door opens so the identity of the kidnapper is unknown to make it seem more mysterious.

The fourth shot used was a high angle displaying the point of contact as the kidnapper struck the victim in the chair. This shot also hides the kidnappers face so the identity of him is still a mystery. The high angle creates a feeling of domination as if the kidnapper is in control of the whole situation.

Finally, the last shot used was a low, canted angle of the victim falling and shows the kidnapper looming over the body of the victim. The canted angle suggests that something is wrong with the scene and it is not as it should be. Only the shoulders downwards of the kidnapper are shown so that the identity is still a secret.

By doing this task I have learned several valuable lessons about the filming process. At the start we only recorded the same shot from 4 different angles, even though all of these were not shown. It is good to have lots of rushes to edit with but in the limited time it was necessary that we had lots of different shots that we would have used. If we recorded the cupboard scene with less angles, or not as much from each angle we could have spent that time recording more clips to create a better narrative of the sequence.

The Takening

A film made by Harry Smith and Justin Chamberlain for Film Studies at Robert Clack.

      This short film is about a man (Harry Smith) kidnapping another man (Justin Chamberlain) for unknown intentions.

      Please consider the fact that this our first video for Film Studies (and it will be bad).

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