Once I had picked one I was happy with I saved the document as both a JPEG and PSD file. The next stage was for me to add these onto my film using the final cut pro software.
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Analysing Credit Sequence
This week I created the edits for our short film. The first step I made was to jot down all of the key rules within the production of our film for example 'creative director' Once I had all of these titles I was able to type them up onto photoshop and test out some different layouts.
Once I had picked one I was happy with I saved the document as both a JPEG and PSD file. The next stage was for me to add these onto my film using the final cut pro software.
Once I had picked one I was happy with I saved the document as both a JPEG and PSD file. The next stage was for me to add these onto my film using the final cut pro software.
Camera Journal
As the camera man I had the role of making sure all the footage was suitable. I also had to ensure i got the required shots and angles in order to gain the maximum marks possible. As I had never had this role within a production before it was vital that prior to filming my production I carried out my own private research into the camera and best ways to film. This allowed me to familiarise myself with the different shots and angles and decide which would be best to use. I had to also try and understand the rules to recording a film for example i had to make sure i did not break the 180 degree rule.
When we started to film my job was to insure that the camera was kept in good condition and safe so we could capture all the footage that we had to record. I didn’t find keeping the camera safe a problem because I ensured all those involved in the filming were trust worthy and responsible. I on the other hand found the filming itself difficult hard because this skill isn’t something you can perfect in a day but it takes time and practise. Cause of my job u had to be in constant contact with my director. This was the director was in lead of the production, there word was final and I had to listen to it. I and the director had to work together to make sure it was what she wanted and up to standard. If I could do this role of camera man I would do a better job because this is all a learning process. I have learnt gained a lot of knowledge on what is right and wrong. I would put these skills into practise straight away next time and hopefully gain some more too.
I tried my best to produce a good quality of film for my group production. i do feel however that there were places I could have improved for example my organisation skills. Better organisation would have made everything much easier cause I would know what exactly I would need to be doing. But In conclusion I think that I have done well and that the end result is good. I have learnt a lot from being camera man for the first time and now feel confident that I can film a short piece.
When we started to film my job was to insure that the camera was kept in good condition and safe so we could capture all the footage that we had to record. I didn’t find keeping the camera safe a problem because I ensured all those involved in the filming were trust worthy and responsible. I on the other hand found the filming itself difficult hard because this skill isn’t something you can perfect in a day but it takes time and practise. Cause of my job u had to be in constant contact with my director. This was the director was in lead of the production, there word was final and I had to listen to it. I and the director had to work together to make sure it was what she wanted and up to standard. If I could do this role of camera man I would do a better job because this is all a learning process. I have learnt gained a lot of knowledge on what is right and wrong. I would put these skills into practise straight away next time and hopefully gain some more too.
I tried my best to produce a good quality of film for my group production. i do feel however that there were places I could have improved for example my organisation skills. Better organisation would have made everything much easier cause I would know what exactly I would need to be doing. But In conclusion I think that I have done well and that the end result is good. I have learnt a lot from being camera man for the first time and now feel confident that I can film a short piece.
Sunday, 18 December 2011
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Monday, 28 November 2011
Weekly Update
Last week the editing was completed on our film and we were able to transfer it onto the DVD. We had also uploaded our final draft onto YouTube so that we were able to gather back feedback for our Post-Questionnaire. We will now individually be starting our Evaluations.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
log rushes
I logged and capture all the film that we shot. I then categorized them into groups such as Landing scenes, Bedroom scenes and Basement scenes. This was so that if any thing went wrong on the time line I was able to find exactly what shots i needed and re edit them back into the timeline.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Sound Journal
As I was also sound editor as well as camera person it was my job to find and convert sounds to use within our production. With sound there are two types these are DIEGETIC and NON-DIEGETIC. Sound thats source i visible on screen or made my action within the film is known as diegetic or sometimes 'actual sound'. examples of this are:
- Voices of characters
- Sounds made by objects in the story
- Music from instruments within the story
Non-diegetic sound is made for the audience and is not visible on screen and has not been suggested to have been made by anything within the film. Examples of these may be:
- Narrators commentary
- Mood Music
- Sound effects added for dramatic effect
Above shows a snap shot where we can see an online software programme called freesounds.org this was where I gathered most of my sound effects came from. This site was really easy to used and enabled me to find sounds that met my genre. i was easily able to download the sounds i found most suitable to my personal itunes account as seen below.
The next stage was the hardest in terms of sound. Now that I had all of my sounds and music gathered I had to use final cut pro to download my music onto so that I would be able to put it onto what is called the timeline alongside our footage. However this was not always as simple as that. I also had to use soundtrack pro to to edit my sounds as some of the ones download were suitable for my film however were too long. for example with our main soundtrack used at both the beginning and end of our production up until 1:48 it was fine but the track then begin to change pace and tone and was not suitable for our horror genre. I therefore had to cut the track to finish at 1.48.
Here shows how I was able to cut and fade out sounds. In this particular case I needed a scream , however the one I had downloaded was too long i there for used this feature on final cut pro to pin point the individual points of sound in order to cut the specific part of the sound that I wanted to use.
- Voices of characters
- Sounds made by objects in the story
- Music from instruments within the story
Non-diegetic sound is made for the audience and is not visible on screen and has not been suggested to have been made by anything within the film. Examples of these may be:
- Narrators commentary
- Mood Music
- Sound effects added for dramatic effect
Above shows a snap shot where we can see an online software programme called freesounds.org this was where I gathered most of my sound effects came from. This site was really easy to used and enabled me to find sounds that met my genre. i was easily able to download the sounds i found most suitable to my personal itunes account as seen below.
The next stage was the hardest in terms of sound. Now that I had all of my sounds and music gathered I had to use final cut pro to download my music onto so that I would be able to put it onto what is called the timeline alongside our footage. However this was not always as simple as that. I also had to use soundtrack pro to to edit my sounds as some of the ones download were suitable for my film however were too long. for example with our main soundtrack used at both the beginning and end of our production up until 1:48 it was fine but the track then begin to change pace and tone and was not suitable for our horror genre. I therefore had to cut the track to finish at 1.48.
Here shows how I was able to cut and fade out sounds. In this particular case I needed a scream , however the one I had downloaded was too long i there for used this feature on final cut pro to pin point the individual points of sound in order to cut the specific part of the sound that I wanted to use.
Editors Journal
Editing Date: October 22nd 2011
Place: Editing suite
Time started: 3:10
What did I do: Logged and captured all the film onto Final Cut Pro and sorted them into categorised bins.
Problems encountered: No problems encountered
Time completed: 5:15
Editing Date: October 23rd 2011
Place: Editing suite
Time started: 3:30
What did I do: I started editing all the shots and putting them on the timeline in chronological order. Using trial and error I looked at what shots fitted and what didn’t. This took quite a lot of time, I wanted to make sure everything fitted perfectly and wanted to experiment with different shots and transitions.
Problems encountered: Because I was new to the software the shots I had put on the timeline kept moving around as I didn’t know how to lock them. Also shots kept over lapping and so the edited shot I had put on were shortened.
How I resolved the problems: I went on Youtube and looked at tutorials on how to use Final Cut Pro and found out how to lock the shots on the timeline. I also found out how to ‘Edit Undo’ so that I could get back to the original timeline without any problems.
Time Completed: 6:35
Editing Date: October 24th 2011
Place: Editing suite
Time Started: 3:30
What did I do: I continued placing shots onto the timeline. As I became more experienced I was able to work faster and get more done. Everything was placed on the timeline and it played smoothly. I started turning up the sound in each scene as some of what the characters was saying wasn’t very clear. I also turned down some of the sound as there was talking from the director and camera person in it. You could also hear the moving of the camera.
Problems encountered: Some of the sound wasn’t able to be turned down completely and there seemed to be shots that went from silent to having some background noise. I had to come up wit ha way to make it seem like there was no noise at all.
How I resolved the problem: I looked on YouTube again to find possible solution to the problem. I found a way to mute the whole shot which was good because we could then add ambient sound on top to make the scene to work a lot better.
Time Completed: 5:40
Editing Date: October 25th 2011
Place: Editing Suite
Time Started: 3:10
What did I do: I made sure all scenes were in place and made sure all the sound was perfect so we could add ambient sound and add sound effects at appropriate times. The Sound Person and me looked at lots of different sounds and tried them in lots of different places. It took a while to get the correct sound for the bang but after many attempts we found the right one. We then had to work hard to get them in sync with the acting and make sure they faded in and out correctly. We also had to make sure that all the sound didn’t exceed the sound limit.
Problems encountered: The only problems we had were that some of the sounds didn’t download properly so we had to re download them. Also some sounds had to be cut down into the size that was needed for each shot and cutting them was slightly difficult. We had to make sure that it didn’t cut out any important bits.
How I resolved the problem: We worked cautiously around the sound and if things couldn’t be cut accurately we downloaded a different piece of music that also fitted correctly.
Time Completed: 7:15
Editing Date: October 276h 2011
Place: Editing Suite
Time started: 4:00
What did I do: Today we completed all the sound and made sure it ran smoothly. I then went on to creating filters for the film. We wanted it to look like it was the early hours of the morning so we had to make it dark. Using Colour Corrector 3 way I created a dark blue filter. This took a lot of time, as I had never used this software before. I played around with the contrasts and finally made a colour that looked like early morning.
Problems encountered: Because the Camera person filmed during the day it was very hard to get the filter to look dark but make sure everything was visible in each scene.
How I resolved the problem: Using trial and error we tweaked each filter until it looked the same throughout.
Time Completed: 7:15
Edit Date: October 27th 2011
Place: Editing Suite
Time started: 3:10
What did I do: Today I looked over all the film and made sure sound, filters and all the shots were in chronological order. I made sure everything was perfect. I then set about adding title sequences and end credits. Katy Kennedy Created them and I placed them on the timeline adding transitions and sound to them. This took a while because I had to wait for the credits to be made and then decide what transitions worked best with each bit. Also having to choose music for the beginning.
Problems encountered: The only problems we had were trying to get the resolution on the credits to look good. Because they were made on Photoshop, when they were transferred over they became blurry
How I resolved the problem: To resolve the problem we increased the resolution of both the film and the credits this made it less blurry but it still wasn’t clear enough so Katy re typed the credits in a clearer font and they looked much better.
Time completed: 7:15
Edit Date: October 28th 2011
Place: Editing Suite
Time Started: 3:20
What did I do: I checked every part of the film adding the final touches and making sure everything was in place. It then came to putting the final draft on YouTube and putting it on a DVD. I had to export it to QuickTime and then upload it to YouTube, which didn’t take too long. I then had to Use iDVD and create a sequence for the beginning of the film. This meant creating a play button. I also added a few snippets of the film and some scary music. Once this was done I burnt it to 3 discs so there were 3 copies, 1 for each member of the group.
Problems Encountered: When exporting the video to QuickTime it often took a very long time and when it did finally export the film was blurry so again we had to change the resolution. We ended up using Apple Pro Res, which then increased the quality. We then had to Re Burn the discs and upload a new version to YouTube.
Time Completed: 6:45
Place: Editing suite
Time started: 3:10
What did I do: Logged and captured all the film onto Final Cut Pro and sorted them into categorised bins.
Problems encountered: No problems encountered
Time completed: 5:15
Editing Date: October 23rd 2011
Place: Editing suite
Time started: 3:30
What did I do: I started editing all the shots and putting them on the timeline in chronological order. Using trial and error I looked at what shots fitted and what didn’t. This took quite a lot of time, I wanted to make sure everything fitted perfectly and wanted to experiment with different shots and transitions.
Problems encountered: Because I was new to the software the shots I had put on the timeline kept moving around as I didn’t know how to lock them. Also shots kept over lapping and so the edited shot I had put on were shortened.
How I resolved the problems: I went on Youtube and looked at tutorials on how to use Final Cut Pro and found out how to lock the shots on the timeline. I also found out how to ‘Edit Undo’ so that I could get back to the original timeline without any problems.
Time Completed: 6:35
Editing Date: October 24th 2011
Place: Editing suite
Time Started: 3:30
What did I do: I continued placing shots onto the timeline. As I became more experienced I was able to work faster and get more done. Everything was placed on the timeline and it played smoothly. I started turning up the sound in each scene as some of what the characters was saying wasn’t very clear. I also turned down some of the sound as there was talking from the director and camera person in it. You could also hear the moving of the camera.
Problems encountered: Some of the sound wasn’t able to be turned down completely and there seemed to be shots that went from silent to having some background noise. I had to come up wit ha way to make it seem like there was no noise at all.
How I resolved the problem: I looked on YouTube again to find possible solution to the problem. I found a way to mute the whole shot which was good because we could then add ambient sound on top to make the scene to work a lot better.
Time Completed: 5:40
Editing Date: October 25th 2011
Place: Editing Suite
Time Started: 3:10
What did I do: I made sure all scenes were in place and made sure all the sound was perfect so we could add ambient sound and add sound effects at appropriate times. The Sound Person and me looked at lots of different sounds and tried them in lots of different places. It took a while to get the correct sound for the bang but after many attempts we found the right one. We then had to work hard to get them in sync with the acting and make sure they faded in and out correctly. We also had to make sure that all the sound didn’t exceed the sound limit.
Problems encountered: The only problems we had were that some of the sounds didn’t download properly so we had to re download them. Also some sounds had to be cut down into the size that was needed for each shot and cutting them was slightly difficult. We had to make sure that it didn’t cut out any important bits.
How I resolved the problem: We worked cautiously around the sound and if things couldn’t be cut accurately we downloaded a different piece of music that also fitted correctly.
Time Completed: 7:15
Editing Date: October 276h 2011
Place: Editing Suite
Time started: 4:00
What did I do: Today we completed all the sound and made sure it ran smoothly. I then went on to creating filters for the film. We wanted it to look like it was the early hours of the morning so we had to make it dark. Using Colour Corrector 3 way I created a dark blue filter. This took a lot of time, as I had never used this software before. I played around with the contrasts and finally made a colour that looked like early morning.
Problems encountered: Because the Camera person filmed during the day it was very hard to get the filter to look dark but make sure everything was visible in each scene.
How I resolved the problem: Using trial and error we tweaked each filter until it looked the same throughout.
Time Completed: 7:15
Edit Date: October 27th 2011
Place: Editing Suite
Time started: 3:10
What did I do: Today I looked over all the film and made sure sound, filters and all the shots were in chronological order. I made sure everything was perfect. I then set about adding title sequences and end credits. Katy Kennedy Created them and I placed them on the timeline adding transitions and sound to them. This took a while because I had to wait for the credits to be made and then decide what transitions worked best with each bit. Also having to choose music for the beginning.
Problems encountered: The only problems we had were trying to get the resolution on the credits to look good. Because they were made on Photoshop, when they were transferred over they became blurry
How I resolved the problem: To resolve the problem we increased the resolution of both the film and the credits this made it less blurry but it still wasn’t clear enough so Katy re typed the credits in a clearer font and they looked much better.
Time completed: 7:15
Edit Date: October 28th 2011
Place: Editing Suite
Time Started: 3:20
What did I do: I checked every part of the film adding the final touches and making sure everything was in place. It then came to putting the final draft on YouTube and putting it on a DVD. I had to export it to QuickTime and then upload it to YouTube, which didn’t take too long. I then had to Use iDVD and create a sequence for the beginning of the film. This meant creating a play button. I also added a few snippets of the film and some scary music. Once this was done I burnt it to 3 discs so there were 3 copies, 1 for each member of the group.
Problems Encountered: When exporting the video to QuickTime it often took a very long time and when it did finally export the film was blurry so again we had to change the resolution. We ended up using Apple Pro Res, which then increased the quality. We then had to Re Burn the discs and upload a new version to YouTube.
Time Completed: 6:45
Directors Journal
On the 18th october 2011, we began filming our production ‘House Forty Two’ a short horror film, which is the genre that we had all agreed on. Camera Woman Katy Kennedy, Director Hannah Molloy-Herat and editor Sereena Lewis had met at the location, 42 Aldborough road South at approximately 4pm with our cast, protagonist Helena Morais and Natalya Martin.
After Katy Kennedy had set up and prepared the camera, we then went into the bathroom so that we could apply Helena’s makeup. Her makeup consisted of talcum powder in order to give her an eerie ghostly effect. We also used black eye liner on her lips and around her eyes as well as dripping blood (food colouring) from her eyes so this would emphasise the chilling, creepy effect that we wanted her to give off. She had also put her costume on which was a long white nightdress which had been designed too look as if there was blood on it, fitting in with the conventions of protagonists within many horror films.
Due to the camera being set up already, this meant that we could begin filming straight away. We entered the first bedroom, which would be the first scene of our film, and Camera Woman Katy Kennedy had got into position to start filming. Hannah Molloy-Herat had got into position as she was also in the film as well as being the director. This is due to her taking place of another individual who was not able to film that day. Although the storyboard was available, as the director, I had to make sure the Camerawomen could vision the production that I wanted, and the angles and shots that I wanted this short horror film to be consisted of. So myself, in collaboration with Katy Kennedy were able to figure out what the most effective way to film this production was. I was in charge of the rest of the crew and had to make sure that they knew what they were doing, knowing their lines as well as following my directions of when to start and stop acting.
Within the opening scene, I had decided to use various Close-up shots such as ones of their hands gripping together as well as a close-up of both of the characters eyes. I believe these close-ups were effective within the beginning of the film as it meant that the audience would be able to establish the fear that these two individual characters were encountering. Another shot, which I believe was used effectively within our piece was the point of view shot. At the time, you are able to see the ‘presence’ behind the protagonist, which then turns into a point of view shot when she briskly turns around to see what is behind her. It allows the audience to feel scared for the character as they know what is in the house but can see that the character is unable to see it, building up suspense and tension. The main shots that we used were close-ups of the antagonist faces, fitting in with the conventions a typical horror, showing the fear that these characters felt and allowing the audience to also feel this. We also used various other shots, regularly moving and re positioning the tri-pod in order to test numerous shots and angles in order to see which ones were best.
Throughout my role as director, I was constantly giving directions in which I believed would benefit our film and engage the target audience that we wanted to engage. I believe that all of the crew and cast worked very well together, taking and following directions that I had given, effectively. I feel that throughout the filming process I was able to take on the dominant speaking role highlighting what I wanted and expected from this film as well as allowing other individuals to express their ideas. I was very confident in conveying what I wanted, as without this confidence I wouldn’t have been able to fulfill the role as director effectively. Although everyone began getting tired of filming, and we had to keep moving and reapplying makeup, everyone worked very well together, supporting each other in order to get the best out of one another. We all individually developed our skills in time management as well as being able to work well within a team.
After Katy Kennedy had set up and prepared the camera, we then went into the bathroom so that we could apply Helena’s makeup. Her makeup consisted of talcum powder in order to give her an eerie ghostly effect. We also used black eye liner on her lips and around her eyes as well as dripping blood (food colouring) from her eyes so this would emphasise the chilling, creepy effect that we wanted her to give off. She had also put her costume on which was a long white nightdress which had been designed too look as if there was blood on it, fitting in with the conventions of protagonists within many horror films.
Due to the camera being set up already, this meant that we could begin filming straight away. We entered the first bedroom, which would be the first scene of our film, and Camera Woman Katy Kennedy had got into position to start filming. Hannah Molloy-Herat had got into position as she was also in the film as well as being the director. This is due to her taking place of another individual who was not able to film that day. Although the storyboard was available, as the director, I had to make sure the Camerawomen could vision the production that I wanted, and the angles and shots that I wanted this short horror film to be consisted of. So myself, in collaboration with Katy Kennedy were able to figure out what the most effective way to film this production was. I was in charge of the rest of the crew and had to make sure that they knew what they were doing, knowing their lines as well as following my directions of when to start and stop acting.
Within the opening scene, I had decided to use various Close-up shots such as ones of their hands gripping together as well as a close-up of both of the characters eyes. I believe these close-ups were effective within the beginning of the film as it meant that the audience would be able to establish the fear that these two individual characters were encountering. Another shot, which I believe was used effectively within our piece was the point of view shot. At the time, you are able to see the ‘presence’ behind the protagonist, which then turns into a point of view shot when she briskly turns around to see what is behind her. It allows the audience to feel scared for the character as they know what is in the house but can see that the character is unable to see it, building up suspense and tension. The main shots that we used were close-ups of the antagonist faces, fitting in with the conventions a typical horror, showing the fear that these characters felt and allowing the audience to also feel this. We also used various other shots, regularly moving and re positioning the tri-pod in order to test numerous shots and angles in order to see which ones were best.
Throughout my role as director, I was constantly giving directions in which I believed would benefit our film and engage the target audience that we wanted to engage. I believe that all of the crew and cast worked very well together, taking and following directions that I had given, effectively. I feel that throughout the filming process I was able to take on the dominant speaking role highlighting what I wanted and expected from this film as well as allowing other individuals to express their ideas. I was very confident in conveying what I wanted, as without this confidence I wouldn’t have been able to fulfill the role as director effectively. Although everyone began getting tired of filming, and we had to keep moving and reapplying makeup, everyone worked very well together, supporting each other in order to get the best out of one another. We all individually developed our skills in time management as well as being able to work well within a team.
Monday, 21 November 2011
Post Questionnaire
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Post Questionnaire Graphs
Once my partner had produced and given out the post questionnaire form to a selected group some of whom met our target audience criteria and some who didn’t, I had the role of collecting and converting the results. As there were a significant number of feedback forms I decided that the best way to do this would be to create simple graphs to show our results. The programme I used to do this was excel as graphs can easily be formed using a simple spread sheet. As I was familiar with this programme already I was able to create these graphs within a short amount of time. Below shows a print screen of how I did it.
The first graph shown below shows the results of the question ‘are you male or female?’ as you can see the results are 50/50. Some may find that this question is not very important however it is quite the contrary. This in fact is a vital question as we are trying to gain to feedback from our target audience which are both males and females therefore an equal amount of feedback from each is important. We also felt that perhaps individuals from each gender may be able to provide relevant feedback that will be constructive and help us to improve that we may not have been given if for example we had only surveyed females.
Below the results from the second question are shown in the form of a pie chart. The question asked was ‘how old are you?’ as we can see the majority of the people asked were within the ages of 12 and 15. It also shows that three percent where above the age of 23. This demonstrates that we surveyed a variety of people ranging for 12 onwards. However our main focus was in fact to looking at those within the blue and red categories as these are our main target group for our film due to the fact that our age rating is 15.
The third question asked was ‘what did you find most professional about our film?’ his was a very interesting question to look at the results for as we were able to see not only where we could have improved but also what we did well and how the audience felt about our piece. We can clearly see that in fact a large amount of those surveyed felt that the camera aspect of our piece is what made it look most professional. Second to this with 6 votes was the music. This was not a surprise to us as when constructing our film we found from feedback that the Main changed that we had to make were related to sound. Sound is a key feature in the film and we have learnt how much of an impact it really has on the production as a whole and that audience. However the aspect of our film that got the least amount of votes for professionalism was the acting ability. We feel that our production has depth and good acting quality and feel that we agree with the pole as the acting ability is not in fact influenced by our editing ability.
The fourth question that we had asked was ‘on a scale of 1 – 10 with one being the least how scary do you think our film was?’ This in fact was one of the most important questions we had asked as we did have some reservations on whether or not it was suited to the specific age rating. However we were pleasantly surprised with our feedback for this question. Three rated our film as 10/10 for scariness and only the majority of votes were placed at number 6 on the scale. We feel that the music and sound affects played the biggest role in the area. Without the music we feel that our film would in fact not meet this high on the scale and that it has helped us to create the atmosphere we originally wanted when making this psychological horror.
The final question asked was ‘do you feel that the genre of our piece is clear?’ This is the upmost important question as it was vital to meet the codes and conventions of our genre. With 26 out of the possible 30 voting yes we are confident that we did in fact meet our conventions. However out of those remaining 4 who voted no when asked to explain why they disagreed they gave the following statements. ‘I understood that the spirit creature shown was to be dead however I was not sure if the generally production was in fact a sci-fi or not.’ Another statement made stated that ‘It was hard to determine whether or not the film was in fact a horror or psychological thriller.’ We have taken these comments on board and understand where the audience are coming from and feel that we could have made this clearer with better use of costume and make up to establish that the demon was in fact the girl featured at the beginning who has died all those years ago.
In conclusion we are grateful for the audience feedback and appreciate their time. Generally we are happy with all comments made and understand where we could have made adjustments to improve our film. We feel that we have learnt a lot from this project and wouldn’t not have been able to achieve such a piece, if it weren’t for the audience feedback. As after all they are target audience and we are constructing our product to meet their needs.
The first graph shown below shows the results of the question ‘are you male or female?’ as you can see the results are 50/50. Some may find that this question is not very important however it is quite the contrary. This in fact is a vital question as we are trying to gain to feedback from our target audience which are both males and females therefore an equal amount of feedback from each is important. We also felt that perhaps individuals from each gender may be able to provide relevant feedback that will be constructive and help us to improve that we may not have been given if for example we had only surveyed females.
Below the results from the second question are shown in the form of a pie chart. The question asked was ‘how old are you?’ as we can see the majority of the people asked were within the ages of 12 and 15. It also shows that three percent where above the age of 23. This demonstrates that we surveyed a variety of people ranging for 12 onwards. However our main focus was in fact to looking at those within the blue and red categories as these are our main target group for our film due to the fact that our age rating is 15.
The third question asked was ‘what did you find most professional about our film?’ his was a very interesting question to look at the results for as we were able to see not only where we could have improved but also what we did well and how the audience felt about our piece. We can clearly see that in fact a large amount of those surveyed felt that the camera aspect of our piece is what made it look most professional. Second to this with 6 votes was the music. This was not a surprise to us as when constructing our film we found from feedback that the Main changed that we had to make were related to sound. Sound is a key feature in the film and we have learnt how much of an impact it really has on the production as a whole and that audience. However the aspect of our film that got the least amount of votes for professionalism was the acting ability. We feel that our production has depth and good acting quality and feel that we agree with the pole as the acting ability is not in fact influenced by our editing ability.
The fourth question that we had asked was ‘on a scale of 1 – 10 with one being the least how scary do you think our film was?’ This in fact was one of the most important questions we had asked as we did have some reservations on whether or not it was suited to the specific age rating. However we were pleasantly surprised with our feedback for this question. Three rated our film as 10/10 for scariness and only the majority of votes were placed at number 6 on the scale. We feel that the music and sound affects played the biggest role in the area. Without the music we feel that our film would in fact not meet this high on the scale and that it has helped us to create the atmosphere we originally wanted when making this psychological horror.
The final question asked was ‘do you feel that the genre of our piece is clear?’ This is the upmost important question as it was vital to meet the codes and conventions of our genre. With 26 out of the possible 30 voting yes we are confident that we did in fact meet our conventions. However out of those remaining 4 who voted no when asked to explain why they disagreed they gave the following statements. ‘I understood that the spirit creature shown was to be dead however I was not sure if the generally production was in fact a sci-fi or not.’ Another statement made stated that ‘It was hard to determine whether or not the film was in fact a horror or psychological thriller.’ We have taken these comments on board and understand where the audience are coming from and feel that we could have made this clearer with better use of costume and make up to establish that the demon was in fact the girl featured at the beginning who has died all those years ago.
In conclusion we are grateful for the audience feedback and appreciate their time. Generally we are happy with all comments made and understand where we could have made adjustments to improve our film. We feel that we have learnt a lot from this project and wouldn’t not have been able to achieve such a piece, if it weren’t for the audience feedback. As after all they are target audience and we are constructing our product to meet their needs.
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Weekly Updates - Week
This week we made a budget so we could keep track of all the money we needed to spend. We then got a letter of permission for the persons house we wanted to use. Also we got an actor release forms written and sent to the actors we wanted to use.
When all of the above was completed we produced the shooting schedule to let us and the actors know when and where were filming.
When all of the above was completed we produced the shooting schedule to let us and the actors know when and where were filming.
Monday, 24 October 2011
weekly Update - week 4
This week we took pictures for our ancillary tasks (Poster and Film Review.) We also did some research on the 180 Degree rule, this would help us whilst filming. We came up with a name for our production team and created a logo that would accompany our film and be present on any Facebook group or Twitter page. This would help people identify which group we are in as there are 2 other media groups that also made a film. We came up with a list of Software that we used to create and edit our film and posted it to the group blog.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Monday, 17 October 2011
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Weekly Updates - Week 3
This week we created some ideas for the film and then created a script. We changed a few things to make sure the story line flowed and was in order. This created a second draft of the script. We then looked for possible cast members. We chose drama students because they were reliable and we had seen them act before. we then decided who was director, camera person and editor. After choosing our actors we realized one of the actors needed changing so we changed her to our director as she did drama as well and was always available the same time as us.
Monday, 10 October 2011
Location Release Form
Before we were able to go ahead and film I had the job of getting permission to use the location we had chosen. The simplest and most professional way of doing so is in the format of a letter. Below is the letter that I have created to give to the owner of the house where we plan to shoot our film.
Letter of Permission
Letter of Permission
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Equipment List
Below is a list of equipment that we used during our planning and research, construction and post production stages of our project. The first two images show the Sony Z1 camera that we used for the first time along with the Z1 tripod.
Prop Notes
Within our production we will not need to use many major props but we still need a couple to enhance the narrative.
Walking Stick:
This is a walking stick made out of ash tree.
One of the girls will be using this prop, picking it up as a weapon to defend herself on hearing a noise within the corridor.
Remote contol:
This is one of the main props that will help bring the story together. One of the girls will find this laying on the floor in the corridor, and is startled as she doesnt know how it had got there.
Mobile Phone:
It does not have to be this specific phone, but one will be used when the other gilr goes upstairs to retrieve it, leaving her friend on her own.
Friday, 7 October 2011
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Pre-Questionnaire Graphs
Once my partner had produced and given out the pre questionnaire form to a selected group some of whom met our target audience criteria and some who didn’t, I had the role of collecting and converting the results. As there were a significant number of feedback forms I decided that the best way to do this would be to create simple graphs to show our results. The programme I used to do this was excel as graphs can easily be formed using a simple spread sheet. As I was familiar with this programme already I was able to create these graphs within a short amount of time.
The first graph shown below shows the results of the question ‘are you male or female?’ as you can see the results are 50/50. Some may find that this question is not very important however it is quite the contrary. This in fact is a vital question as we are trying to gain to feedback from our target audience which are both males and females therefore an equal amount of feedback from each is important. We also felt that perhaps individuals from each gender may be able to provide relevant feedback that will be constructive and help us to create a peice that really does meet our targets needs.
Below the results from the second question are shown in the form of a bar graph. The question asked was ‘how old are you?’ as we can see the majority of the people asked were within the ages of 12 and 15. It also shows that 2 people asked where above the age of 23. This demonstrates that we surveyed a variety of people ranging for 12 onwards. However our main focus was in fact to looking at those within the blue and red categories as these are our main target group for our film due to the fact that our age rating is 15.
Below shows the results of the question ‘what is your favourite genre?’ This question was very important as although not the deciding factor it will have a big influence over what genre we do decided to pick for our main production. As we can see the majority with 33% voted for horror the least favourite Musicals with only a small three present of the vote. After many brain storms we had decided that our genre would be either horror, thriller or adventure. However after collecting in our feedback forms it was easy for us to make the decision and we went for horror.
Below shows the results of the question ‘how often do you watch films?’ The reason that we used this question within our survey was to gain a better understanding of the audience’s traits. As we can see a strong 11 people voted saying that they watched films at least one a week. This came as a surprise to use as we estimated that the most popular pole answer would be once a month. This tells us that films are very popular amongst both teenagers and adults. Showing that the film industry is very competitive and we therefore need to ensure we meet all conventions to make our film the best it can be. After all it seems that between our surveyed audience they watch many films on a regular basis making it essentially for us to create something new and fresh.
Below we can see the results for the final question that we asked. The question was ‘Which part of the film do you find least interesting?’ we included this question within our survey as we were interested in what the audience found leats exciting about a film. We wanted to ensure that we took the lowest sector voted and made it more interesting to provide the best for our target audience. As shown in the graph below we can see that 23 out of 30 voted saying that the credits were what they found least interesting within a film.
The first graph shown below shows the results of the question ‘are you male or female?’ as you can see the results are 50/50. Some may find that this question is not very important however it is quite the contrary. This in fact is a vital question as we are trying to gain to feedback from our target audience which are both males and females therefore an equal amount of feedback from each is important. We also felt that perhaps individuals from each gender may be able to provide relevant feedback that will be constructive and help us to create a peice that really does meet our targets needs.
Below the results from the second question are shown in the form of a bar graph. The question asked was ‘how old are you?’ as we can see the majority of the people asked were within the ages of 12 and 15. It also shows that 2 people asked where above the age of 23. This demonstrates that we surveyed a variety of people ranging for 12 onwards. However our main focus was in fact to looking at those within the blue and red categories as these are our main target group for our film due to the fact that our age rating is 15.
Below shows the results of the question ‘what is your favourite genre?’ This question was very important as although not the deciding factor it will have a big influence over what genre we do decided to pick for our main production. As we can see the majority with 33% voted for horror the least favourite Musicals with only a small three present of the vote. After many brain storms we had decided that our genre would be either horror, thriller or adventure. However after collecting in our feedback forms it was easy for us to make the decision and we went for horror.
Below shows the results of the question ‘how often do you watch films?’ The reason that we used this question within our survey was to gain a better understanding of the audience’s traits. As we can see a strong 11 people voted saying that they watched films at least one a week. This came as a surprise to use as we estimated that the most popular pole answer would be once a month. This tells us that films are very popular amongst both teenagers and adults. Showing that the film industry is very competitive and we therefore need to ensure we meet all conventions to make our film the best it can be. After all it seems that between our surveyed audience they watch many films on a regular basis making it essentially for us to create something new and fresh.
Below we can see the results for the final question that we asked. The question was ‘Which part of the film do you find least interesting?’ we included this question within our survey as we were interested in what the audience found leats exciting about a film. We wanted to ensure that we took the lowest sector voted and made it more interesting to provide the best for our target audience. As shown in the graph below we can see that 23 out of 30 voted saying that the credits were what they found least interesting within a film.
Monday, 3 October 2011
The Uses and Gratifications Theory
Uses and gratification is a theory formed by both Blumer and Katz the theory suggests audiences search for specific genre film or texts to suit their personal needs. The theory assumes that audiences are not influenced in the media they consume, but actually have a very active role in deciding what they consume, alongside this the theory suggest they also chose how to interpret the information themselves. According to this theory there are four basic needs. They are the following:
• Personal Relationships – Where media is used to fulfil their need for companionship and form relationships with others.
• Surveillance – Use media to find out information and events or current affairs that are going on around us, for example newspapers or the news.
• Diversion – Where the audience use media as an escape from everyday life and problems they have in order to relax.
• Personal Identity – Where the media is used by the audience to find out about themselves, where some characters can be related with.
Within our production we will allow our target audience to follow diversion and escape from their everyday troubles to be engaged with our film. This is because we aim to capture their attention as they follow our production.
• Personal Relationships – Where media is used to fulfil their need for companionship and form relationships with others.
• Surveillance – Use media to find out information and events or current affairs that are going on around us, for example newspapers or the news.
• Diversion – Where the audience use media as an escape from everyday life and problems they have in order to relax.
• Personal Identity – Where the media is used by the audience to find out about themselves, where some characters can be related with.
Within our production we will allow our target audience to follow diversion and escape from their everyday troubles to be engaged with our film. This is because we aim to capture their attention as they follow our production.
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Narative Theory: Todorov and Propp
Todorov and Propp
This sort of structure can be related to manycontemporary popular films and to an extent can also be related to our own.
In relation to our own film, the state of equilibrium will be the two girls who are asleep within the bed. When Natalya hears the banging noise and then Hannah begins to hear it this would be considered as the second stage of equilibrium, a disruption within the film by the action. When they both decide to go and search for what this noise may be this represents the two characters recognising that there has been a disruption in equilibrium. By the two girls going on search for what the noise may be and Natalya going upstairs to retrieve her phone this highlights the two girls trying to solve the disruption that has occured. The last stage would be a reinstatement of the equilibrium but this is not shown within teh film as it end on a cliff hanger and only shows the two girls being taken.
This sort of structure can be related to manycontemporary popular films and to an extent can also be related to our own.
In relation to our own film, the state of equilibrium will be the two girls who are asleep within the bed. When Natalya hears the banging noise and then Hannah begins to hear it this would be considered as the second stage of equilibrium, a disruption within the film by the action. When they both decide to go and search for what this noise may be this represents the two characters recognising that there has been a disruption in equilibrium. By the two girls going on search for what the noise may be and Natalya going upstairs to retrieve her phone this highlights the two girls trying to solve the disruption that has occured. The last stage would be a reinstatement of the equilibrium but this is not shown within teh film as it end on a cliff hanger and only shows the two girls being taken.
Friday, 30 September 2011
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Narrative Theory: Barthes and Strauss
We had followed Barthes theory of binary opposites by conveying the contrast between good and evil, the girls and the presence. This theory is a common convention that is displayed throughout many horror films so we believed in order for the audience to establish genre, we believe that we needed this.
Camera Angles & Shot Research
Camera Angles
Camera angles are used to position the viewer so that they can understand the relationships between the characters.
A bird's eye angle: is an angle that looks directly down upon a scene. This angle is often used as an establishing angle, along with an extreme long shot.
A high angle: is a camera angle that looks down upon a subject. A character shot with a high angle will look vulnerable or small. These angles are often used to demonstrate to the audience a perspective of a particular character.
An eye-level angle: puts the audience on an equal footing with the characters. This is the most commonly used angle in most films as it allows the viewers to feel comfortable with the characters.
A low angle:is a camera angle that looks up at a character. This is the opposite of a high angle and makes a character look more powerful. This can make the audience feel vulnerable and small by looking up at the character. This can help the responder feel empathy if they are viewing the frame from another character's point of view.
A canted angle: is used to demonstrate the confusion of a character the aim is to disorient you as the audience.
Before going out and taking my photographs I had to look into camera shots. There are many different types of camera shots that convey different messages.
Camera Shots
Extreme long shot: So far away from the subject that they are barley visible, often used as an establishing shot.
Very wide shot: The subject is visible but emphasis is remains on the surrounding environment.
Wide shot: The subject takes up the majority of the frame, head to toe.
Mid shot: Shows the subject in more detail but tends to be cut of at the waist.
Medium close up: This is half way between a mid shot and a close up.
Over the shoulder shot: Looking at one subjects over the shoulder of another.
Close up: A certain feature of the subject takes up the whole frame.
Two shot: A shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot.
Point of view shot: A view from the subjects perspective
Extreme close up: Shows an area of the subject in great detail, taking up the whole frame.
Camera angles are used to position the viewer so that they can understand the relationships between the characters.
A bird's eye angle: is an angle that looks directly down upon a scene. This angle is often used as an establishing angle, along with an extreme long shot.
A high angle: is a camera angle that looks down upon a subject. A character shot with a high angle will look vulnerable or small. These angles are often used to demonstrate to the audience a perspective of a particular character.
An eye-level angle: puts the audience on an equal footing with the characters. This is the most commonly used angle in most films as it allows the viewers to feel comfortable with the characters.
A low angle:is a camera angle that looks up at a character. This is the opposite of a high angle and makes a character look more powerful. This can make the audience feel vulnerable and small by looking up at the character. This can help the responder feel empathy if they are viewing the frame from another character's point of view.
A canted angle: is used to demonstrate the confusion of a character the aim is to disorient you as the audience.
Before going out and taking my photographs I had to look into camera shots. There are many different types of camera shots that convey different messages.
Camera Shots
Extreme long shot: So far away from the subject that they are barley visible, often used as an establishing shot.
Very wide shot: The subject is visible but emphasis is remains on the surrounding environment.
Wide shot: The subject takes up the majority of the frame, head to toe.
Mid shot: Shows the subject in more detail but tends to be cut of at the waist.
Medium close up: This is half way between a mid shot and a close up.
Over the shoulder shot: Looking at one subjects over the shoulder of another.
Close up: A certain feature of the subject takes up the whole frame.
Two shot: A shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot.
Point of view shot: A view from the subjects perspective
Extreme close up: Shows an area of the subject in great detail, taking up the whole frame.
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Britsh Board of Classification (BBFC)
British Board of Film Classification
BBFC Research
All classification decisions are based on the BBFC’s published and regularly updated Guidelines. The Guidelines are the product of extensive public consultation, research and the accumulated experience of the BBFC over many years. They reflect current views on film, DVD and video game regulation.
In the most recent consultation over 8700 members of the public were asked for their views on classification – including consideration of issues such as language, discrimination, violence, sex and drugs in films, DVDs and video games, parental concerns about younger viewers and recent BBFC decisions. The Guidelines also take into account the various UK laws which the BBFC must consider and apply when making classification decisions.
The Guidelines are updated every four years and the current version was published in June 2009.
’15′
Suitable only for 15 years and over
No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.
Discrimination
The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.
Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.
Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.
Imitable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Language
There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.
Violence
Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.
BBFC Research
All classification decisions are based on the BBFC’s published and regularly updated Guidelines. The Guidelines are the product of extensive public consultation, research and the accumulated experience of the BBFC over many years. They reflect current views on film, DVD and video game regulation.
In the most recent consultation over 8700 members of the public were asked for their views on classification – including consideration of issues such as language, discrimination, violence, sex and drugs in films, DVDs and video games, parental concerns about younger viewers and recent BBFC decisions. The Guidelines also take into account the various UK laws which the BBFC must consider and apply when making classification decisions.
The Guidelines are updated every four years and the current version was published in June 2009.
’15′
Suitable only for 15 years and over
No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.
Discrimination
The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.
Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.
Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.
Imitable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Language
There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.
Violence
Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.
Synopsis
Left alone in House 42 for the night, Natalya and Hannah (Played by Hannah Molloy-Herat and Natalya Martin) are oblivious to the unexpected visitor that will be taking them from their home. However, this is no ordinary visitor, but one which was born in the very same house and vanished when she was 7 years old.
'House 42' opens 10 years before the present time. with a home recording of a young girl playing with her teddy bear. Although she may appear to be an innocent, fragile child she is also the young girl who had gone missing from her home and had returned to take all those that enter her house, with her. After the home recording has finished, the film then transforms into the present day where two teenagers (played by Hannah Molloy-Herat and Natalya Martin) are awoken by a strange noise they hear on the lower ground of their house. Startled and determined to know what the noise is, they decide to leave their bedroom together to find out.
Whilst entering the living room, one of the girls, Natalya, decides she will go upstairs to retrieve her phone and call the police, leaving the other young, scared individual on her own. Hannah suddenly hears a loud banging coming from the corridor, so runs towards it in order to catch whoever it may be. On grabbing a stick to protect and defend herself, she notices the remote control from her bedside table lying on the floor. Shaking and trembling whilst bending to pick it up she is suddenly grabbed from the side of her face by an unknown character and vanishes.
Natalya is now coming back down the stairs on search from her friend, still weary of what may be in the house. She notices the wooden stick lying on the floor and the basement door wide open. As she is slowly descending down the staircase, the presence suddenly grabs her, with the movie ending on a cliff hanger with the sound of her scream.
'House 42' opens 10 years before the present time. with a home recording of a young girl playing with her teddy bear. Although she may appear to be an innocent, fragile child she is also the young girl who had gone missing from her home and had returned to take all those that enter her house, with her. After the home recording has finished, the film then transforms into the present day where two teenagers (played by Hannah Molloy-Herat and Natalya Martin) are awoken by a strange noise they hear on the lower ground of their house. Startled and determined to know what the noise is, they decide to leave their bedroom together to find out.
Whilst entering the living room, one of the girls, Natalya, decides she will go upstairs to retrieve her phone and call the police, leaving the other young, scared individual on her own. Hannah suddenly hears a loud banging coming from the corridor, so runs towards it in order to catch whoever it may be. On grabbing a stick to protect and defend herself, she notices the remote control from her bedside table lying on the floor. Shaking and trembling whilst bending to pick it up she is suddenly grabbed from the side of her face by an unknown character and vanishes.
Natalya is now coming back down the stairs on search from her friend, still weary of what may be in the house. She notices the wooden stick lying on the floor and the basement door wide open. As she is slowly descending down the staircase, the presence suddenly grabs her, with the movie ending on a cliff hanger with the sound of her scream.
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Treatment
Product:
We will be creating a short film, with the genre of a horror and the sub genre of a psychological horror.
Genre:
Throughout our primary research such as creating brainstorms, we decided that we wanted to base our film within the horror genre. We decided to go with a Psychological horror based on our own interests, coming to the conclusion that these were the sort of horror films that we were most likely to watch. We followed our personal interests as this factor was important due to the fact that are target audience will be around the same age ranges as us. We had chosen the horror genre because we believed it was the most challenging and interesting to do, having the ability to come up with various unique ideas. For our research, we also looked at other horror films such as 'The Ring' and 'The Grudge' as they are known to be two very popular films within the film industry. We watched these films as well as other short films that were on YouTube and looked at the conventions that we could incorporate into our own piece in order to draw out the horror genre such as the location, Time, Characters, Costumes and Props. As well as looking at these conventions we also made note of the various shots and angles that were used so that we could portray to our audience the same creepy, chilling effect.
Target Audience:
Our film is aimed at a 15+ audience because we believed that this would be the most suitable rating for our film. We took into consideration the idea that viewers younger than this age may be frightened by the content that will be displayed. The age range of 15+ are the ages of viewers which would be interested in this type of film, also being an appropriate rating due to there being no aggressive language, sexual content or blood and gore. Our protagonists will be aged around 16-18 which means that are target audience will be able to relate to them. There is not a specific gender that are film is for, although horror films are generally aimed at young males, we will be catering for both genders.
Context:
Our film will be available to view within cinemas as well as TV channels such as Film4 and Sky Thriller. Our film will also be uploaded onto YouTube for our audiences to watch.
Representation:
Within our film we have used two young females showing them as fragile which reinforces the stereotype of women being seen as weak and vulnerable. We done this based on the idea that we wanted to follow the conventions of known horror films. We also want to show a contrast between both good and evil with our main protagonists and antagonists.
Media Language:
Throughout our film we will want to create visual language through the use of Mise-en-Scene. For instance through the location due to it being an empty, detached house, we believed that this alone would allow the audience to establish our film as a horror. Other aspects would consist of the costumes that our characters will be wearing, especially the protagonist as she will be wearing a blood stained nightie. She will also have white and black makeup on in order to give her the ghostly creepy affect. These will be following the conventions of a typical horror film such as 'The Ring' and will allow the audience to establish genre and narrative. Other visual language that we want to convey throughout our film is the aspect of lighting, conveying a dark creepy atmosphere to reinforce our horror genre. A great aspect of our film will be consisting of Aural language from the use of non diegetic sound such as the music and the sound effects. We will be using a lot of chilling sound effects such as the sound of footsteps and breathing to enhance the suspension as well as slow creepy music to bring in the atmosphere. Throughout our film we would like to also use zooms as the transition from one shot to the other in order to portray the intense emotions of fear that the characters may be feeling. As well as all of these types of media language, non verbal communication will also be highlighted. For example through the use of the characters body language, such as constant fidgeting and gripping of one another or themselves in order to keep the audience frightened and enticed.
We will be creating a short film, with the genre of a horror and the sub genre of a psychological horror.
Genre:
Throughout our primary research such as creating brainstorms, we decided that we wanted to base our film within the horror genre. We decided to go with a Psychological horror based on our own interests, coming to the conclusion that these were the sort of horror films that we were most likely to watch. We followed our personal interests as this factor was important due to the fact that are target audience will be around the same age ranges as us. We had chosen the horror genre because we believed it was the most challenging and interesting to do, having the ability to come up with various unique ideas. For our research, we also looked at other horror films such as 'The Ring' and 'The Grudge' as they are known to be two very popular films within the film industry. We watched these films as well as other short films that were on YouTube and looked at the conventions that we could incorporate into our own piece in order to draw out the horror genre such as the location, Time, Characters, Costumes and Props. As well as looking at these conventions we also made note of the various shots and angles that were used so that we could portray to our audience the same creepy, chilling effect.
Target Audience:
Our film is aimed at a 15+ audience because we believed that this would be the most suitable rating for our film. We took into consideration the idea that viewers younger than this age may be frightened by the content that will be displayed. The age range of 15+ are the ages of viewers which would be interested in this type of film, also being an appropriate rating due to there being no aggressive language, sexual content or blood and gore. Our protagonists will be aged around 16-18 which means that are target audience will be able to relate to them. There is not a specific gender that are film is for, although horror films are generally aimed at young males, we will be catering for both genders.
Context:
Our film will be available to view within cinemas as well as TV channels such as Film4 and Sky Thriller. Our film will also be uploaded onto YouTube for our audiences to watch.
Representation:
Within our film we have used two young females showing them as fragile which reinforces the stereotype of women being seen as weak and vulnerable. We done this based on the idea that we wanted to follow the conventions of known horror films. We also want to show a contrast between both good and evil with our main protagonists and antagonists.
Media Language:
Throughout our film we will want to create visual language through the use of Mise-en-Scene. For instance through the location due to it being an empty, detached house, we believed that this alone would allow the audience to establish our film as a horror. Other aspects would consist of the costumes that our characters will be wearing, especially the protagonist as she will be wearing a blood stained nightie. She will also have white and black makeup on in order to give her the ghostly creepy affect. These will be following the conventions of a typical horror film such as 'The Ring' and will allow the audience to establish genre and narrative. Other visual language that we want to convey throughout our film is the aspect of lighting, conveying a dark creepy atmosphere to reinforce our horror genre. A great aspect of our film will be consisting of Aural language from the use of non diegetic sound such as the music and the sound effects. We will be using a lot of chilling sound effects such as the sound of footsteps and breathing to enhance the suspension as well as slow creepy music to bring in the atmosphere. Throughout our film we would like to also use zooms as the transition from one shot to the other in order to portray the intense emotions of fear that the characters may be feeling. As well as all of these types of media language, non verbal communication will also be highlighted. For example through the use of the characters body language, such as constant fidgeting and gripping of one another or themselves in order to keep the audience frightened and enticed.
Weekly Update - week 2
In this week we made a production schedule, we allocated roles to each other so that the work load is even. We watched films that we wanted ours to be like and got ideas and themes to make sure our film matched the right genre and style. We then made a pre questionnaire and uploaded it to our blog.
Monday, 26 September 2011
Socio Economic Groups
The population is divided into 6 socio-economic groups or social grades ,which are based on the occupation, or job. These 6 groups are:
A- Higher managerial, administrative, professional e.g. Chief executive, senior civil servant, surgeon
B - Intermediate managerial, administrative, professional e.g. bank manager, teacher
C1- Supervisory, clerical, junior managerial e.g. shop floor supervisor, bank clerk, sales person
C2 - Skilled manual workers e.g. electrician, carpenter
D- Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers e.g. assembly line worker, refuse collector, messenger
E - Casual labourers, pensioners, unemployed e.g. pensoiners without private pensions and anyone living on basic benefits
Our Target Audience will be based around the socio-economic groups C1, D and E as these groups consist of the supervisory, skilled and unskilled manual workers. We believe that all 6 socio-economic groups will be able to watch our films but it will appeal to those stated above due to it being a low budget film and may not suit the tastes of those within the higher managerial, administrative groups.
A- Higher managerial, administrative, professional e.g. Chief executive, senior civil servant, surgeon
B - Intermediate managerial, administrative, professional e.g. bank manager, teacher
C1- Supervisory, clerical, junior managerial e.g. shop floor supervisor, bank clerk, sales person
C2 - Skilled manual workers e.g. electrician, carpenter
D- Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers e.g. assembly line worker, refuse collector, messenger
E - Casual labourers, pensioners, unemployed e.g. pensoiners without private pensions and anyone living on basic benefits
Our Target Audience will be based around the socio-economic groups C1, D and E as these groups consist of the supervisory, skilled and unskilled manual workers. We believe that all 6 socio-economic groups will be able to watch our films but it will appeal to those stated above due to it being a low budget film and may not suit the tastes of those within the higher managerial, administrative groups.
First Photoshoot
These are a few of the pictures that we had taken just before our first filiming session. All of these picture consist of the antagonist which can be used within the Ancillary tasks.
This week I created a facebook account for our production. This will allow us to gain feedback from our target audience. As you can see we have uploaded our question on a polling system this will enable us to gathering the data in a shorter amount of time then it would take to use printed copies we are also able to see the results in a bar graph automatically.
Test Pictures
Below is a slide show of pictures that I have collaborated as 'test pictures' for our sub tasks. These also show work that has gone on whilst on location and filming was taking place. I have used the software called Photobucket to upload my images that can be seen below.
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Saturday, 24 September 2011
Weekly Updates - Week 1
Today we sat down and started to plan/brainstorm our ideas. We had looked into various aspects of a short film such as the genre. The majority fo the gorup decdied that they wanted to do a horror based film which meant that we had to the brainstorm other aspects of our film such as Location, Costume, Colours, Titles etc. We used bubbl.us as this allowed us to present our ideas in a presentable and organised way.
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Brainstorm 1
This is our first brainstorm of idea's, we thought of different genre's and any words that came to mind. After creating this brainstorm we decided that we would use a duel genre for our production. This would be a 'Psychological Horror'
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Health & Safety
Potential Hazards:
• Tripping over equipment
• Working with and around the public
• Working with electrical equipment
To prevent any `accidents whilst filming we ensured all leads wear taped together to prevent tripping over. No liquids were allowed on set as they could cause both harm to the equipment or become a slippery floor hazard to cast and crew. We also signed an equipment realise form to ensure responsibility of the camera, tripod and leads. As well as this a first aid kit was available on location at all times.
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