Targets

Target In order to complete and evidence all of our research and planning my groups need to:
Group targets:

• Start filming.
• Influence of production.
• Consideration of stereotyping.
• Create practice titles.

Individual targets:

• Get up to the same stage as the rest of my group.
• Publish all written drafts.
• Film interview with characters.
• Publish storyboard.

Costume Research

The antagonist is dressed all in black with their faced covered we did this in order to make them appear more mysterious and therefore scarier for the audience. This is quite common in horror films as we want the antagonist to appear different and not human. By the audience not being able to see their face it draws them away from the fact its a person and makes them unable to relate to them. The victim is just in every day clothes in order to maintain the realism of the opening and make the audience feel sympathy and pity towards her. The mum and the friend will also be dressed in normal clothing however we will try to make them appear older to make it more realistic.

We discussed many different ideas for the antagonist making them appear animalistic or ghostly but we wanted the antagonist to still be human to make the situation more realistic. This would make the viewer fear the antagonist more as its a normal everyday situation that they could find themselves in.

Make up Tutorials

We watched many different tutorials on slit throats in order to make the scene look more realistic when the antagonist slits Hannah's throat. After watching these we decided to create a much simpler way of doing it, we mixed Vaseline and flour with foundation to match the colour of Hannah's neck. Once this had dried we added fake blood to it to make it appear as if it was bleeding. We decided not to use liquid latex as its much harder to get hold of and is more difficult to get off.
Although we watched videos of make up tutorials for the antagonist we decided not to use any as we wanted the antagonists face to be covered. We did this to make them appear more mysterious therefore harder for the audience to connect/relate to. This created a scarier atmosphere and portrayed the genre of horror.

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

1.      How old are you?

o   11-15yr

o   16-20yr

o   21-25yr

o   26-30yr

o   31-35yr

o   36+

2.      Are you Male or Female?

o   Male

o   Female

3.      What is your favourite genre?

o   Romance

o   Action

o   Comedy

o   Adventure

o   Horror

o   Sci-fi

o   Drama

o   Musical

o   Fantasy

4.      Do you enjoy watching Horror films ?

o   Yes

o   No

5.      If yes what is your favourite sub-genre of Horror?

o   Psychological

o   Thriller

o   Gore

o   Action

o   Comedy

o   Super Natural

o   Sci-fi

o   Gothic

6.      What Location would you expect a horror film to be set in

7.      What Key Camera shots would you expect in a horror film

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8.What time of day would you expect a horror film to be set in?

9.      Is the sound in a horror film….

o   Non-diegetic

o   Diegetic

10.   What props do you find scariest in a horror film?

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Shot list

Some of the key camera shots we will use are:

• Close ups- We will use multiple close up's during our opening two minutes, this will emphasis key moments in the opening. We will also use it to highlight facial expressions and create more tension with the audience.
• Establishing shot- This will be used to introduce the viewer to the location, in this case the woods. As the woods is a commonly used location in a horror films it immediately indicates to the viewer the genre.
• Long shot/Medium shot- This shot will be used to portray body language of the characters, this will represent how even the character feels fear therefore so will the audience.
• Over the shoulder shot-To show the antagonist approaching the victim and build the tension  in the scene.
• Shot reverse shot-In order to track a phone call conversation and illustrate the fact these people are in two different locations.
• Low shot- This particular shot will be used to make the antagonist appear more superior and make the audience fear them, this will increase the 'fear factor' of the opening.
• Tracking shot- Although this shot will be hard to film we are going to try and track feet walking highlighting that the victim is alone and vulnerable.
• Panning shot- We intend to use this shot when the victim's throat has been slit to focus on the significance of this.

Location Research

We decided use the woods as the chosen location for our opening as its a commonly used location for horror films. Also it is very spooky and makes the victim appear more vulnerable as they are completely alone and will be difficult for anyone else to find her there. This will be the main location of our opening however there will be certain shots within a house, for the phone call. As we are filming during two different times of day, day light and dusk, the woods will look particularly scary in the dusk immediately letting the audience know our opening is a horror.  

Initial Ideas

This is the idea we have decided to use for our opening two minutes however parts of it may change. We considered doing different genres and different ideas and then created a mind map of our final idea.

Mood Board

The picture highlights some of the key props that will be used in our opening two minutes for example the knife and torch are all key props used within them. We also included pictures of the woods as this is the location that will be used in the opening. This is a commonly expected location in a horror film which is the genre we decided we wanted to use. In our mood board we tried to capture the idea that we are filming in two different times of day, one in broad day light and the other in more of dusk. Originally, we had the idea of using a police man and dog but we have decided not to include this as it we thought it would be difficult to capture the realistic effect of this.

Progress Targets

On return we begin the post production stage of our journey and editing begins from the onset - make sure you are video blogging and keeping your page relevant and up to date.  Make sure you have evidenced all the following areas of focus over the break to maximise your marks for research and planning.  The numbers reflect the amount of posts expected, at least.  You are capable of exceptional attainment here - grab it!

  Research

•Genre Research 10

•Soundtrack research (non copyright music) 1/2

•Costume and location research – google earth and pictures you’ve taken. 1/2

•Actors and props photos and interviews 3/5

•Audience Research and Profiling (typical audience member and similar films) 1

•Uploaded YouTube videos of openings – analysed 15/20

•Opening titles analysed in detail – font researched 1

•Analysed Film Openings from from your genre in particular 5/10

•Institution research (Paramount etc) 1

•Certificate research 1

  Planning

•Own film idea brainstorm 1

•Own film treatment 1

•Relevant Online Tutorials and Comment 4/5

•Documenting of influences on production 1

•Shot lists 1

•Consideration  of representation in your film and stereotyping – use theory from G322. 1

•Questionnaire (and feedback) Get some feedback on your initial ideas!

•Diary of filming/editing etc with photos and screen grabs

•Mood board 1

•Script 1

•Practice titles created and uploaded 1

•Storyboard – animatic.1

Target Audience

Horror films are typically targeted at people between the age
 of 15 and 25, this is because its a time of young adulthood

 where people are discovering new things and rush into things without the support of others.

Horror films are able to give this thrill to young people and are less put off by the nature of the film. Middle aged people may feel more negatively to these things. Stereotypically men prefer horror films as they are the typical thrill seekers, also as these films often contain violence it is preferred by males. These are aimed more to the working class due to the level of thrill and

excitement. The higher class tend not to enjoy horror films but if they were to watch them it would more than likely be accompanied with another genre. The audience of a horror film can usually relate to the situation taking place and would therefore have a stronger emotional bond to the film. This makes them more vulnerable and increases the ability to make them jump.

 This is another reason why we thought a 15 would be a better rating for our opening as people between the age of 15 and 17 are a large part of the audience of this genre.

Certificate Research

UU means universal this suggests a U film is suitable for an audience that is four and over, although it is impossible to predict what might upset a particular child. A U film can explore a wide range of themes as long as it is appropriate
for a young audience. This doesn't mean that all films rated U are children's films.


PGPG stands for Parental Guidance, this means a film is suitable for general viewing, although a few scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG film should be targeted for a child aged around eight or older. Parents should decide whether the content is appropriate to show children under this age. PG certificate means that nothing should upset a child eight or over.

12A
12A means 12 Accompanied/ Advisory this is suitable for those aged 12 and older they are also suitable for those under 12, but only if they are accompanied by an adult. 12A requires an adult to accompany any child under 12 seeing a 12A film at the cinema. Accompanied viewing cannot be enforced in the home, so the 12 certificate remains for DVD/Blue-ray, rather than the 12A.

12
A 12 is suitable for people who are aged 12 and older.The themes may be have to be suitable for young teenagers. The use of strong language is quite rare considering it is for young teenagers. Sexual context is allowed but has to be very brief and discreet.

15
Suitable for people who are 15 and older. All themes are allowed, provided the treatment is suitable for 15 year old. 15 films may include the following, Strong violence, frequent strong language, sexual activity and nudity.

18
An 18 is suitable for anyone older than 18 it will contain, strong violence, sexual activity, strong language, blood and gore and strong horror which would not be suitable for people under the age of 18. When watching this film in a cinema you will have to provide a valid ID as scenes may be upsetting for anyone under this age.


From researching this we have decided that a 15 is the most appropriate rating for our film opening because its apart of the horror genre. The majority of horror films are rated either 15 or 18 as the scene may be upsetting for anyone below this age. Also as our film will include violence, and a small amount of gore it would be unsettling for anyone below the age of 15.

Genre research

Within the genre of horror there is many sub-genres which include:

Action Horror: This genre combines the evil and an event of the supernatural; also commonly contain a chase scene. These commonly contain zombies, along with demons, gore and vampires. Examples of this include dawn of the dead and blade.

Body Horror: Deconstruction of humans, either being surgically removed or being pulled apart by monsters/creatures. David Cronenberg is very famous for this type of genre. Examples of this include all the Saw movies and The Human Centipede.

Comedy Horror: Comedic elements throughout a film which is typically described as being in the horror genre. Examples of this include Scary Movie and The legend of the sleepy hollow.

Gothic Horror:  This was much more common in early horror movies, containing elements of horror and of gothic, for examples very dark costumes and lighting within a horror movie. An example of this is Dracula.

Psychological Horror: This relies on people’s fears and beliefs; this includes characters that are emotionally unstable to build tension. It allows the audience to feel guilt and relate to the situation that the characters are in. Examples of this include the ring and the exorcist.

Science Fiction Horror: This type of genre involves animation when editing and often deals with the paranormal, normally created by accident or by a mad scientist. An example of this includes Alien.

Slasher Horror: Involves a large amount of violence normally involving a psychopathic serial killer killing a number of vulnerable individuals. The killer normally has a specific weapon which is their signature way of killing. This sub-genre usually involves a lot of suspense. An old classic in this genre would be PSYCHO.



Rules of Continuity in filming

 

Continuity is a type of editing which is many clips cut together in order to maintain continuous and clear narrative action by following specific rules including shot reverse shot, 180 degree and match shot.

Shot reverse shot: This is when two different shots are edited together in order to follow a conversation. This will show two alternate characters one whose face is focused on, as they are speaking, and the back/shoulder of the person they are addressing. Usually characters in one frame will look left, and in the following frame will look right

180 degree rule: This is a rule that must be followed when filming to maintain spatial relationships between the characters and the props which appear in the shot. The angle between any two consecutive shots must not exceed 180 degree, this can only happen when you take the viewer with you.  The clip below explains the 180 degree rule and the effect on the viewer if the rule is broke.

Match shot: Match shot is an editing or cutting technique which is when two or more shots are edited together to match each other. The action happening in each shot must be perfectly timed in order to continue the flow of the shot, however these may use different shot types. For example the action happening within the shot may be someone opening a door, the first shot may be of the person walking towards the door (long/medium shot) matched with a close up of the handle and then matched with the door opening from the opposite side. This example can be seen in our preliminary task.

Conventions of Action

Evaulating the Preliminary Task

 In our Preliminary task we tried to stick to three main rules; shot reverse shot, match shot and the 180 degree rule. Match shot was the most difficult to achieve as we had to ensure that we match the two different shots perfectly so the door opening was not jolty. After this we focused on shot reverse shot in order for the camera to follow the conversation that was taking place. We had to film this part twice to allow the camera to position over the shoulder without seeing a camera person filming. Whilst filming this we had to ensure that we did not break the 180 degree rule or it would begin to look unnatural to the viewer. Once we had got all of the required footage we had to edit it together making sure the shots were perfectly timed with one another.

The strength of our filming were the match reverse shot being timed so the viewer can follow the character through the door as if they were there at the time. Also as Hannah is walking down the corridor we positioned the camera in the middle of it. As Hannah is in the middle of the corridor the lines on the walls make it look neater because the viewer’s eyes immediately focus on the action happening between the lines. However we could have used another shot behind Hannah as she was walking up the corridor to emphases her movement towards the door. Also there is a slight jump cut from Hannah walking through the door to the conversation. To improve this we could have followed Hannah to the chair with the camera in order to prevent this from happening.

Preliminary Task

Evaulation of 'What are you doing here?'

In this we decided to use three different locations and three different shot types. Our first location was a high angle long shot on the stairs; we used a long shot to allow the viewer to see the whole location and the body language. Another location was outside on the path, we positioned the camera at the bottom of a bank to create a low angle long shot. This therefor enabled us to portray a new setting and different people within the shot. Also by using a low angle shot it creates a different effect to the previous shot which was of a high angle. The final shot we used was a medium shot through a set of doors this introduces the viewer to a new location and makes the scene more realistic as the two people are bumping into each other. The sound in the film included diegetic sound saying ‘What are you doing here?’ which was said in a surprised manner making it more realistic. Between each of the shots we used fade to black to illustrate the passing of time and changing of location.

The strengths of this task were that we used three different shots to create different effects on the audience. We used these three different shots to introduce the viewer to a new location and a new set of people. This made the scene more realistic and was similar shots to those used in television dramas. However the weakness of our clip was the sound as we shot it from outside and from a long distance it became difficult to hear all the sounds particularly in the low angle shot. To prevent this from happening we could film the clip and then recorded the voices again so it’s clearer. Then we would just insert the voice over the top of the clip making sure it matches up.

When editing the clip we used Adobe which was good as it allowed us to cut our clips, increase the volume of the dialogue and edit it to have a cleaner finish. To start with we had to experiment with different things to figure out how Adobe worked and what would work most effectively on our clip. Adobe was quite challenging to use to begin with but became easier over time. It allowed us to make our clip look much tidier by inserting text over the top and using fade to black in between shots.  

What are you doing here?

Dirty Dancing (1987)

In this opening there is non-diegetic sound used to convey the genre of romance, the music is very upbeat and jolly, singing about love. The camera is very close up so we can see that the characters look very happy in each other’s arms and are situated very close to one another. As the scene is in slow motion it allows the audience to focus on the characters facial expressions, showing how happy they are, also as they are dancing and singing it highlights to the audience that this film is going to included lots of dance. As it involves lots of different people in the opening it express the fact that love can come in all different shapes and sizes, it’s a common factor shared between all of these people. This opening scene is in black and white meaning it is not a modern day film, although is still popular. The main shot type used in this opening scene is close ups and mid-shots this is because it allows the audience to focus on their body language and facial expressions. Although these shots are close up we can still see a large group of other people dancing behind them suggesting this is some sort of dance group. The non-diegetic sound gradually fades out very slowly so is not noticeable to the audience.

Conventions of Romance

Love Actually (2003)

In the first shot we follow a lady walking through a large crowd to her boyfriend where they are reunited and hug. This shot is very close up so we can see the relief and happiness on the mans face when he is hugging her. There is then a mid shot of a women returning to her children, this shot is then zoomed in so we can see the happiness on this child's face, this tells the audience that this film is going to be based on all different types of love. While this montage is taking place there is very calm relaxing music being played in the background, this allows the audience to completely focus on what is happening on the screen. With the montage still taking place there is then a voice over taking place explaining about love and how it is everywhere although not always commonly seen, the videos emphases what he is saying. Everyone in this film opening are very close together, with mid shots and close ups used to covey their facial expressions of love and happiness to the audience. They are all wearing different clothes and from different ages and ethnicity's but they all share one common thing and that is love. As the words 'love actually is all around' also come up on the screen it highlights that this film is going to focus on different types of love and how it is always there even if its not easily seen.

The Notebook (2004)

The scene starts with a long shot looking at the sun set with some very calming peaceful music playing in the background this immediately indicates to the audience that this is going to be a romance film. As the camera zooms into a mid shot we can see the silhouette of a person rowing a boat which is a common cliché of films of this genre. There is multiple shots of the lake which make the audience feel very calm and relaxed. Fade to black is used a few times throughout the scene to create a smooth transition between the clips, this being very smooth is what us as an audience would expect from a romantic film. The reddy/orange colour of the sun set makes every clip look much more romantic as red is a colour commonly associated with love. An other the shoulder shot is used of a women looking out over the lake, as she is the first person we have seen closely we assume she is going to be a key character in the film. Followed by this is a low angle long shot of a house which introduces us to the setting. The lady seems to be looking at the man rowing on the lake making the audience assume that they film is going to follow the two of them. we gradually zoom closer in to the ladies face to clearly show the audience her facial expressions. The camera is still focused on the women's face when we see another person appear behind her, as she says 'lets get you ready for bed' we assume she is a carer. The characters are all very apart making the lady at the window seem more distant from the rest of the world. We know that this set late because they are dressed in their pyjamas and the sun is setting.