Criticality 1

Criticality 1 

 There Comes A Knocking 

There Comes a Knocking

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For the first film, I want to analyse I decided to watch a short film, this is because our film will be a short film and our production is short so it would be similar to ours. The film I have decided to analyse is called 'There Comes a Knocking', I found this film on YouTube by Film Riot. Film Riot is a channel where they help aspiring filmmakers with tutorials and methods on how to manage with smaller budgets. The film is only 10 minutes long (including credits) which is 5 minutes shorter than what ours is going to be. During this analysis, I will be focusing purely on what a DoP would have done, so framing, camera movements, lighting, and grip equipment. I will begin with a description of what the film is about so that it is easier to understand. I will be using different sources from books, websites, and journals to help further my understanding of why the DoP did specific things to help the narrative. Doing this will greater my understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a DoP. 

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Fig 1, There Comes A Knocking Titles

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What is the film About?​

There comes a knocking focuses on a woman who has just become a widow. She has just bought a new victorian door and installed it, but did not realise it was locked. She was unable to open the door and tries to pick the lock. However, she drops the tool and it rolls under the door. This is when she tried to get into contact with the seller to try and get a key, but he makes her aware that there is no key and that she'd have to take the door off the hinges again. It then becomes night and she is listening to her husband's last voicemail before he died, whilst pouring a glass of red wine. The voicemail ends and then she is to listen to another one from a presumed friend, but she skips back to listen to her husband again until she falls asleep. At 3:00 am she is awoken by a cloak chiming, which is when she hears knocking coming from the Victorian door. Once this is heard she bolts upright in her bed, with fear in her eyes. At first, she just stares at the door of her bedroom, wondering if what she heard was correct, but then knocking happens again. After this, She decides to get out of bed to check the knocking and we see the Victorian door, which is when we hear the knocking again. The protagonist slowly approaches the door and gets on her knees to check under the door, which is when she sees that there is nothing there. Suddenly the door begins to knock violently as she backs away in fear and thinks that she is slowly losing her mind. The knocking continues when the tool she lost at the start rolls back from the other side of the door, which suggests that she's not alone and something is toying with her. As she is backing away from the door she begins to scream and turns to go into her room, however she freezes as she sees her dead husband on a rocking chair staring out the window. She begins to talk to her but gets no reply. The camera then pans round to a side profile of her when we then see a figure slowly approached her from the Victorian door, this is when her husband starts to reply. She then asks her husband if he can stay with her, he replies yes, but then we see her with the figure stands right behind her. This is when it cuts to black and the titles begin to appear.

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Framing

I watched this film multiple times and when watching the film and throughout I started to see a pattern with the framing, which worked well with creating tension especially in the final few minutes. The DoP clearly wanted to have conventional framing, which will be different from ours, but they have done it well. I noticed in the first few minutes that the main focus was to have the protagonist within the thirds of the frame "The rule of Thirds proposes that a useful approximate starting point for any compositional grouping is to place the major points of interest in the scene on any of the four intersections of the interior lines." (Blain, B. 2012) this was a key element to the framing as the DoP would have the main protagonist on the intersecting lines to create a more complex shot. ​

Fig 2.1 Example of The Rule of Thirds from Kingsman

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​Fig 2.2 Same Rule of Thirds that applies in There Came A Knocking

As shown in the figures above working using the Rule Of Thirds gives the shot a more clean and pleasing to the eye. Another element of using the thirds is to remember to consider the negative space within the frame "Negative space is simply the space around and between the subject of a composition" (Renée, V. 2017) which has clearly been thought-about within the film. As shown in the image the negative space has a mirror, which shows more of the house, this is done so that there is more to look at during the shot. Some DoPs like to intentionally put an object that will help the story progress, but in this case, it's be done purely to fill in that space. This is an element that I need to be wary of when designing the shot list for our film, however, I want to use these conventional methods and have my own twist to them. I want this because I want to audience to have an unnatural feeling throughout the film.

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The wide variety of shots used in the short was done to a good standard, it looked as if the DoP has really thought about what shot would best suit the narrative at that time. This is the depth I will need to work to in order for our film to work. One-shot that was consistent throughout the film was the use of the long shot that was used to establish the victorian door; to create tension for the audience. The shot alone does not create that tension, it's the duration of the shot that would help with creating that suspense for the audience. This shot is also referred to as the static shot and it can create different emotions if done right, but this shot has a neutral perspective. Due to the shot having no perspective the shot holds on to the door it feels unsettling. Another example of the static shot being used is in 12 Years A Slave when the protagonist is being lynched. As the shot has no perspective, the audience is left just to watch as he struggles to breath "...this static shot with its neutral and cold perspective is far more unsettling." (StudioBinder, 2020)  this is the type of effect I want to achieve when filming Control.

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Fig 2.3 Static shot of the Victorian Door​

​Fig 2.4 Static shot of the protagonist staring at the door​

​Fig 2.5 Screenshot from StudioBinder video (12 Years A Slave)

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Overall, I think that the framing within this film is great and really suited the style and the mood the film was trying to achieve. However, I will not be using the style of framing seen in the film. As I've spoken with our Producer and Director and we have all come to the decision that we want to have un-conventional framing, to create more tension and an unsettling atmosphere for the world we're trying to create. 

​Camera Movements​

The use of camera movements that are seen within the film has been done to benefit the framing and storytelling. There are many different movements that the film has used, which helped create an unsettling mood and tension throughout. There are too many different movements used within this film that it would be pointless to mention them all, so in this case, I'm going to talk about the one movement that occurred twice within the film. The movement happens at the beginning and towards the final minutes of the film. Camera Movements can really affect and alter how the audience perceives the information being shown and it can also have an influence on how the audience should be feeling on an emotional level. Moving the camera is vital for filmmaking because "the movement itself, the style, the trajectory, the pacing, and the timing in relation to the action all contribute to the mood and feel of the shot." (Blain, B. 2012)  all of these elements have to work together in order for the movement to work efficiently, which they do in There Comes A Knocking. As all the movements benefit the story and help with the pacing of the film, some movements are done to slow down the pacing to create that tension, which was a strong factor in why the film was good.

 The first movement is the very second shot of the film, which focuses on a rocking chair and then pans around the room whilst tracking out of the room to the long hallway, where we see our protagonist trying to install the new door. This is a mixture of two movements in one a backward dolly and a pan.

Fig 3.1 Dolly/Pan Movement at the beginning of the film

Fig 3.2 Dolly/Pan Movement at the beginning of the film

Fig 3.3 Dolly/Pan Movement at the beginning of the film​​

​The backward Dolly is an interesting shot, but in its case, it has been done to hive the audience information without telling them. A backward dolly is done "To show a character feeling trapped in a moment, while also keeping the shot dynamic and interesting..." (Kenworthy, C. 2012) this is vital informational later in the film we are told that the protagonist has lost her husband and is constantly listening to his last voicemail. Showing that our protagonist is trapped in the past and is struggling to come to terms with his death. Not only does the shot consist of a backward dolly, but it also includes a pan. Panning can help the audience gaffer information withing a scene (especially within this film) "This includes depicting information in real-time with continuous movement." (Sijll, J, V. 2005) in the shot we see that one side of her bedroom is untidy and the other side has not been touched, this can also suggest that the main protagonist is going through a hard time. This is hidden information that the audience would have to watch to understand until it's later revealed. Doing this is a good way to show character information without revealing too much. Combining the two movement complement each other as the backward dolly suggests that she is struggling to come to terms (trapped in the past) and the pan reveals what the character is like by showing her uncleanliness.

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The second time this movement happens is when our protagonist is looking at the door and the paranormal activity is happening. She is screaming and backing away from the door when the camera tracks with her then tracks/pans around her to reveal her husband sitting in the chair, but it continues so that we then see a side profile of her and the door in the background. With this shot, however, it has been done to create that tension, with the slow pan around her to reveal someone is sitting in the chair it is hard-hitting for the audience. This just shows that this specific movement can have different ways of showing the audience information; whilst creating more tension making it unsettling for the audience. This is the type of camera movement I want to create multiple-meanings with the same movement, this shows that I understand how the movements work and to get the right move to not only help the narrative progress but to his the audience with the right emotion.​

Lighting

Throughout the film, there were three scenes that all had different styles of lighting, which all suited that represented how the main protagonist was feeling. Doing this style is interesting as it helps the audience feel what the character is feeling at that time. In the beginning, the lighting was warm and bright, the scene was lit well to show and tell the audience that at that time the character was safe within her home, The second scene then went for more practical lighting, using a fireplace and the light sources around the house to source the scene. Finally, the last scene, which took up most of the film had had the most planned out lighting to create the effect that it was night. All three types of lighting complimented the film in their own way.

Fig 4.1 Lighting during the first scene 

Fig 4.2 Lighting during the second scene 

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 As shown in the first figure, scene one had two sources of light that helped with showing the character, the first being to the side of the door, and the second being through another door. The lighting in this scene is warm and bright, which suggests that she is a strong individual that is happy. The DoP has lit the scene like this as a good introduction to the character for the audience because lighting a scene this way has a strong influence on how the audience perceives their emotions at that given time. When lighting a scene you can wither make the scene warm, cold, or neutral all three can have a different effect on emotion. The direction of the light is coming from the side of her face, this is known as a sidelight, this type of lighting can create harsh shadows, but the DoP has also used a fill light. Fill light is used to fill in those shadows on the subjects face to help balance out their face, this creates what is known as soft lighting "Soft lighting is a type of light with few hard shadows that’s bright yet balanced. In soft lighting, the transition between the light and the shadows is more of a gradient and much smoother." (MasterClass, 2020) doing this creates soft and ill-defined shadows on the subjects face. This is the style of lighting I want to recreate for the beginning of Control to show that the aliens haven't started to tamper with him yet.

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in the second scene As shown in Fig 4.2 the lighting becomes more practical "Practical lighting is the use of regular, working light sources like lamps, candles, or even the TV. These are usually intentionally added in by the set designer or lighting crew to create a cinematic night time scene." (42 West, 2018) the practical light balanced well with the action of the scene, as this is where we discover that her husband is dead. During the scene, the character doesn't move she is just sitting there listening to voicemails on repeat, so using the practical lights made the most sense to try and create a sadder tone and emotion for the audience. Not only that but the practical lighting being seen within the shot meant that the DoP had to think about the location of these lights and the effect it would have on the scene. This is why the direction of the lighting is important within the shot "The direction of your light plays a role in how audiences will perceive the subject and environment in a scene..." (Renée, V. 2017)

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The final scene is what has the most lighting throughout the film. After watching the behind the scenes for film I discovered that the DoP and Gaffer had worked together to create a rig that shines down on the door throughout the movie. Not only that, but they have also used many different lighting techniques to create this soft sinister tone for the final third of the movie. They had one rig outside the house to simulate the moon's shine, and another inside the house, but behind a diffuser to create this soft tone on their actress. The darker tone was seen through the lighting in this scene, which helped with conveying and controlling the audience's emotion within that scene. However, the key element for the lighting to work is the colour and how they use it to hit the audience at a gut emotional level " Finding an appealing and unique way to stir up feelings within your audience through the use of color..." (Baker, L. 2016) the DoP and Gaffer uses this green/blue colour to create this unsettling lighting. With the green/blue light, this can suggest and show danger and isolation, and in the example shown this has worked. As it tells the audience that she is alone and the unnatural events could lead to something dangerous.

Fig 4.3 Lighting in the final scene ​

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Grip Equipment

Camera used

After doing some research into the film I have discovered that there were three cameras used throughout the filmmaking process, which I personally find to be strange. I don't see why they have one this because one camera could look better than the other and would give an inconsistent look throughout. However, I did not notice any differences between the cameras whilst watching, it wasn't until I saw the description of the film whee it showed what cameras they used. The cameras used in this film were the C300 MkII, Sont A7ii, and the C100. All three of these cameras are very respected in their field, but the camera that stands out for me is the Sony A7ii. The reason why this stands out is that for our film I want to use the Sony A7iii for our film and the camera they used is just an earlier version. From looking at the film and seeing the standard of all three cameras this just cements the idea of using the A7iii as it can produce moving imagery like in There Comes A Knocking.

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lenses used 

The senses used for this production were Rokinon Cine lenses, which are a different brand that I was considering to use for Control. However, both lenses produce the same standard of imagery that I want to create. The Rokinon cine features "... a multi-layer coating providing good contrast, a sharp image, and protection from veiling glare." which shows through the film as all these lense features had been put to the test. Throughout the film, I noticed that the quality of the images being captured was very high quality and looked as if it was a Hollywood movie. This is the type of quality I want to create for Control, which is why I made the decision to use cine lenses as they give more variety with the images created.​

​Illustration List 

Fig 1 End credit titles of There Comes A Knocking (2019) [Film still, YouTube] In: There Comes A Knocking. Unknown. Film Riot.

Fig 2.1 Rule of Third being used [YouTube still] In: Using the Rule of Thirds in Filmmaking - Examples of the Rule of Thirds in Films. Unknown. Camber Motion. 

Fig 2.2 Rule of Thirds in There Comes A Knocking (2019) [Film still, YouTube] In: There Comes A Knocking. Unknown. Film Riot.

Fig 2.3 Static of Victorian Door (2019) [Film still, YouTube] In: There Comes A Knocking. Unknown. Film Riot.

Fig 2.4 Static shot of protagonist staring at the door (2019) [Film still, YouTube] In: There Comes A Knocking. Unknown. Film Riot.

Fig 2.5 Static shot of someone being hanged (2020) [YouTube still] In: Ultimate Guide to Camera Movement - Every Camera Movement Technique Explained [The Shot List Ep6]. Unknown, StudioBinder

Fig 3.1 Dolly/Pan movements (2019) [Film still, YouTube] In: There Comes A Knocking. Unknown. Film Riot.

Fig 3.2 Dolly/Pan Movements (2019) [Film still, YouTube] In: There Comes A Knocking. Unknown. Film Riot.

Fig 3.3 Dolly/Pan Movements (2019) [Film still, YouTube] In: There Comes A Knocking. Unknown. Film Riot.

Fig 4.1 Lighting during the first scene (2019) [Film still, YouTube] In: There Comes A Knocking. Unknown. Film Riot.

Fig 4.2 Lighting during second scene (2019) [Film still, YouTube] In: There Comes A Knocking. Unknown. Film Riot.

Fig 4.3 Lighting in the final scene (2019) [Film still, YouTube] In: There Comes A Knocking. Unknown. Film Riot.

Bibliography

42 West. (2018) Basic Cinematography Lighting Techniques. At:https://www.adorama.com/alc/basic-cinematography-lighting-techniques/#:~:text=Practical%20lighting%20is%20the%20use,subtle%20lighting%20for%20your%20subject. (Accessed24/12/2020)

Baker, L. (2016) Manipulate the Audience's Emotions With Color. At: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/manipulate-emotions-with-color-in-film/ (Accessed 24/12/2020)

​Brown, B. (2012) Cinematography Theory and Practice: Image making for cinematographers and Directors. (2nd ed.) Milton Park: Focal Press.

Dunham, B. (2020) What is the Rule of Thirds Definition and Examples in Film. At: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-the-rule-of-thirds/ (Accessed 23/12/2020)

Making of There Comes a Knocking (2019) [Documentary] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1jzsK3ZnKU (Accessed 28/12/2020)

​MasterClass. (2020) What is the Difference Between Hard Light and Soft Light in Photography? Learn How to Create Both Hard and Soft Light. At: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-the-difference-between-hard-light-and-soft-light-in-photography#how-do-you-create-hard-light (Accessed 27/12/2020)

​Renée, V. (2017) A Guide on How to Use Light to Communicate Emotion for film. At: https://nofilmschool.com/2017/06/guide-how-use-light-communicate-emotion-film (Accessed 24/12/2020)

Renée, V. (2017) Watch: What's Negative Space and How Can You Use It Effectively in Your Own Films? At: https://nofilmschool.com/2017/01/negative-space-film-frame (Accessed 24/12/2020)

Sijll, J V. (2005) Cinematic storytelling: The 100 most powerful film conventions every filmmaker must know. Laurel Canyon Blvd: Michael Wiese Productions.

Sony (Unknown) Full-frame camera with 5-axis image stabilization | a7 II | Sony UK. At: https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-7m2-body-kit (Accessed 28/12/2020)

There Comes a Knocking - (a Short Horror Film) (2019) [Short Film] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHlxqe2HRRk (Accessed 23/12/2020)