Induction Film Analysis

This induction task was to create a short film based around a change of hands of some sort of package. In our team, we decided to base the film around a narcotics deal, with the backdrop being 1960’s America, a time where mafia activity specifically was prevalent.

The film begins with an establishing shot to gauge location and then transitions into another pair of establishing shots to show the two different sides of the ‘change of hands’. In order to create a contrast in characters to portray the storyline, we used costume and the mise en scene to show the difference between the two sides. The first side was the meeting around the table of the mafia gang, whom were wearing smarter clothing and portraying a more serious notion. We then transition to the more amateur like ‘gang’ who are crouched around a bin.

Throughout, we use this serious/mafia vs amateur gang theme throughout with body language and slot selection in order to maintain continuity. As well as this, we took the decision to produce the film in black and white. Firstly, this aligns with the continuity of a 1960’s movie and secondly, I would say that black and white can help to make amateur shots look more professional which helped vastly as we could only shoot this film in and around the perimeter of the college.

 For our soundtrack, we used ‘Ave Maria’ by Franz Peter Schubert. We used this contrapuntal music in a ‘Reservoir Dogs’ fashion in order to create an uncomfortable and on edge feeling in the viewer. I found that this also adds suspense as the viewer is almost waiting for a either a climax in the music or a change of music.

 Continuity was the main aim set for this task so we took time to ensure that each shot worked in conjunction with one another. One continuity error that I have spotted on re-watching is at 1:10 of the video. Before this, a shot shows myself and Gleb walking towards the centre of a room, however the next shot, showing the same from another angle, appears to show us at a position further back than when the previous shot ended.
 Another criticism that I have of the finished product is that at some points, the camera unintentionally goes out of focus. Although we used this feature purposely in some areas, in others, it was simply the result of a camera usage error.

Overall, I am happy with the end product of our induction task as I believe that with the exception of minor errors, we managed to maintain the continuity well. As well as this, the narrative is clear and there is a decisive ending.