Evaluation - "The Meeting"

Evaluation

For our sequence we did a police officer and arresting a student for our chosen storyline. We used this because we could use the editing to portray a different meaning for each cut. However we found that the editing intertwines with the cinematography, as for the first shot we didn’t use a cut but a continual shot to give the police officer (me) authority and power in the eyes of the spectator. We used a continual shot because the next part of the “film” is just of me walking and so we used this technique to build on tension and suspense.
The next still of my feet walking we used the edit match on action as in the “film” the camera will go beyond my feet and track along the carpet. It then switches from the carpet I’m on to the carpet Amy’s on. We thought that is was a good technique because it shows a significant link between the two characters, showing that they will meet at some point during the “film”, hence why the title is “The meeting”.
The third edit is when Amy is in the classroom waiting to be arrested. We used a sort of cheat cut as we don’t waste time in actually showing you what time the clock says at first. We used this shot first of Amy looking nervous because it show how scared she is and how much anxiety was built up in her and at this point the spectator still has not idea what’s going on only that there will be a meeting of the two characters.
After this we used a straight cut from Amy to the clock to show that it’s four minutes to one and it forces the audience to conclude that Amy is expecting to be arrested at precisely one o’clock. This cut was used because we knew that it would heighten the sense of suspension and anxiety for the audience.
I think that this fifth cut was the best one as we portrayed that the camera zooms in towards the clock even further then used a graphic match then zoom out to reveal my handcuffs. We used this because the audience will now know that I’m a police officer and Amy is about to be arrested. We used this graphic match because we thought that now we’ve finally given away the plot, the audience will now included in the “film”. This cut yet again links the two characters together, showing that their meeting is evitable and is about to come very soon.
From my handcuffs to my feet used a straight cut because we thought that this will bring the audience back into the confusion they felt to begin with. It creates a feeling of uncertainty because it is prolonging the meeting of the two main characters.
In this cut we used a the transition fade from my feet to the clock showing that its now a few minutes past one, making the audience think that now that I’m late the meeting between the two characters is never going to come and that the film has no purpose what so ever.
Amy looks relieved in the next shot showing making the audience think she is also off the hook. We had this idea from Alfred Hitchcock films because he used the technique that builds up tension only to have nothing happen then suddenly a huge amount of tension is built all at once.
We then used another clear cut straight from Amy to the door handle opening very slowly to build the tension that vanished in the last shot, renewing the sense of anxiety and suspense in the eyes of the spectator.
In this shot, there was a lot of cinematography intertwined with the editing; I thought that this was also one of the best shots because of its cinematic quality. We used a jump cut from the door handle to the point where the door has already been opened so that we didn’t use a time consuming shot of the door actually being pushed open as it wasn’t relevant to the film. In this shot there was a point of view shot as well as both types of depth of field. The shallow depth of field is the door with my hand on it, to place me in the frame, which is from my point of view which gives me the importance in that shot. Amy is in the deep depth of field as she is out of focus and this gives her less authority than me. This shot also shows that the two characters have finally met and the deep and shallow depth of field shows that.
We used another clear cut from the door to Amy’s eyes looking scared, which shows the urgency of the situation and places the spectator in the film again so that they empathise on Amy’s feeling of fright, panic and anxiety.
After this we used a shot reverse shot, between Amy’s eye and mine reflecting on each one of the characters emotions and body language. Amy’s body language is tense showing she’s scared and mine is relaxed but also slightly intimidating because I know I have more power over Amy.
This shot is the continued cut of the shot reverse shot because in the last shot Amy is looking up at me and there is another point of view shot from me. In some way we also used another straight cut because it jumps from my eyes to Amy’s eyes then to my point of view what I’m seeing through my eyes. The “film” then ends on a parallel between the two characters, concluding “The Meeting” between them.