Analysis of another student film



The Marksman

Genre - This film is obviously in the genre of an action film; this is shown through the generic use of a violence, action and chase scenes throughout the opening. Similarly, the opening could also be in the genre of a drama, this is shown through the use of fast paced, tense non-diegetic.
Editing / cameras shots - This opening starts off with slow-paced editing, however it quickly becomes quicker; using editing effects, such as fade-to-blacks and heart-beat effects on the shots which are in sync with tense non-diegetic sound in the back. This creates huge amounts tension is the film and makes the viewer want to watch the rest of the film opt find out what happens: this is one positive point from the film. Similarly, the film uses an array of shots that give the film a professional feel; this is another positive I found from the film. Here is a couple example of  camera shot used:

Sound -  In terms of sound, there is a really good combination of non-diegetic sound used (mainly soundtracks from professional films) as well as diegetic sound, such as the characters talking and gun stops / foot steps etc. I think this is another good positive from this film as  the non-diegetic sound track used adds tension excellently and builds the viewer up for what it is about to happen, however the diegetic sound of gun shots, foot steps and talking between characters adds to the verisimilitude of the piece and this is always a positive. Furthermore, there is a use of sound before anything else in the film(at the beginning whilst there is a black screen) this allows the audience to focus of the sound being heard and again adds to the tension of the film. Overall, the combination of these two sounds adds to the professionalism of the film.

Titles - The use of titles in this film, although the film title has been done well, there are no other titles except the production companies at the beginning. The end title of the film has been made to seem professional and realistic, however there are no titles of cast members or actors, for example the director, the actors or costume design etc. This is one negative point about the film as this does not seem professional or realistic and is something that they should have thought about.

Character - In terms of character, we are not presented with much; the characters throughout this film are all sporadic and the viewer is unsure who is who. We have character that seem to be chasing each other, however the viewer is unsure why. Although sometimes this can leave the viewer wanting to watch more as they are not sure what is happening, however sometimes it can leave the viewer confused and unsure what is happening: I think this is one negative about the film as the viewer isn't sure who is who and no obvious characters or good vs. bad is being represented.

Positives - As I have mentioned above, I think the positives of this films are the use of editing and the camera shots and effects, as well as the combination of non-diegetic and diegetic sounds used throughout the opening. The camera shots / effects give the opening an idea of professionalism, similarly the sounds add to the verisimilitude as well as building tension through the soundtrack.
Negatives -  The main improvement I think could be made is the  lack of titles used throughout the opening. The only titles used are the production companies and the final film title at the end of the opening; there could be some cast credits and name of actors through the rest of the opening to improve.