Here is a video of our audience feedback. We gave other people the chance the chance to comment on our film and talk about the good points and bad points.
Friday, 14 May 2010
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Sam Boon's Evaluation
1. In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of media products?
The opening scene to our film includes and develops many of the conventions of a typical horror film. Firstly, the bulk of the opening scene is a chase scene through some dark woods, which is quite common for a horror film. Films such as 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Severance' use such a setting. The use of woods means that there's is more for the characters to interact with, such as tress, rocks and even bridges, and adds realism to the film because it shows there is no escape for the victim and even in the day it's dark. If the chase was through a city or down a street in the middle of the day, there would be plenty of places for the victim to get help, and just wouldn't scary or realistic. Also, woods are generally seen as scary because of the dark, mysterious feel to them, which is exactly what we wanted to capture. The use of the dark colours and abstract shots delivered it just how we wanted.
The chase scene is quite common in horror films as it captures both the insanity of the villain and the fear of the victim, and provides a chance for a fast paced scene. The characters in this scene apply to the stereotypical villain and victim too. The victim is fast, but in a panic and full of fear - which is captured and shown by the use of handheld and point of view shots - whereas the villain is calm, swift yet slower and reserved. The use of this type of victim is used in most horror films, and the use of the slow villain is also common, used in films such as 'See No Evil' which was one of our main influences for the villain. The use of this allows us to emphasise his strength and power, and actually make him look like something to fear. Also, the our villain fits the conventions of a typical villain as his identity is coevered by the use of wearing a hood and keeping his head down, which is very common to happen in horror films, as it adds mystery to who the villain is or what he looks like, whilst also making the villain seem scarier.
A way in which our film challenges the conventions of a typical horror is with the use of camera shots and angles. We tried to use the most different and as many different shots as possible to capture the chase scene in many different ways. For example, the use of hand held point of view shots whilst the victim is running down a path shows and emphasises the fear he has, and gives the real feeling of panic as it shakes around quickly making it hard to comfortably watch, and give the viewer the feeling that they are being chased or make them worry for the victim. On a few occasions we used a 'match on action' to give a more creative and technical side to the film. For example, as the victim runs and falls onto a bench, the shot changes to a different and closer angle to show the fall in more detail and for the viewer to understand the panic in the character.
Another way in which our opening 2 minutes challenge the conventions of a typical horror film is that it cuts straight into the chase scene without any introduction to the plot at all, which fits in more with the conventions of an action or thriller film. Usually a horror film starts off with a small happy or safe scene, for example a party, romantic late night walk, teenage campout etc so that when the horror kicks in it is unexpected. Whereas our film straight away cuts into the chase. This makes the viewer think what's happening and why, and keeps them on the edge waiting to see what happens. Then at the end of the chase scene it cuts to a college classroom conversation, when usually in a horror film it would be the other way round.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
All the characters in our film are young white males. The villain fits the stereotype of the young male been strong, powerful and masculine. But on the other hand, the victim is shown as weak, scared and inferior. The characters in the next scene represent males in different ways too. One is angry and couragious, whereas the other is sad and respectful. This represents young males in many different ways. The film would mainly attract young males and there are no female characters for females to relate to, but our target audience is of both genders aged 15-40 years old.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Our film wouldn't suit a major hollywood production, promotion or distribution as it's not completely original or doesn't have a large enough target audience. Dimension Films would be a suitable company to distribute our film as they distribute most horrors including 'Planet Terror' and 'Halloween'. In terms of cinema release, it would be released around winter when it's colder and darker to create the perfect atmosphere for the film showing, in contrast to a light, hot summers day. The film could also be released on rental sevices both in-shop and on TV/internet, if the demand was high enough. The opportunity for merchandising would be harder than that of a hollywood family film, but t-shirts, posters, comic books and even action figures could be sold as their is a high interest in merchandise and
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
Our film would be watched by most horror film fans, but specifically the target audience would be 15-40 year olds, mainly male. This is because all the characters are young males. However, the thick and complex plot would draw in older people. Films such as 'Saw' use very complex plot lines to add something more than just gore to horror films, and it gains the films a lot of fans, which is what would happen with our film. The age certificate would be 15 years old, this is because the plot line is unsuitable for anyone under 15, but not violent/gorey enough to have a certificate of 18 years old. We chose to make our film as a 15 certificate and not 18, as making it an 18 would throw off a lot of fans due to too much gore etc.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
We attracted a young male audience in several ways. Firstly, the cast for our film are all young male characters that the audience can relate to. Secondly, the second scene takes part in a college and one of the main characters is a 17 year old student, adding a sense of realism to the film and showing the everyday life of a young male at times. Also the use of point of view camera shots makes it easy for the viewer to feel drawn in and understand the characters position and thoughts, making it more enjoyable to watch, especially in the horror genre where films need to be as scary and realistic as possible.
6. What have you learnt about technology from the process of constructing the product?
We learnt how to use the camera in terms of filming and playing back, how to white balance (in different environments and types of lighting) and how to set up the tripod. We found that when filming outside, it's best to film away from wind as it ruins the audio in the scene you're filming, and to take spare batteries as the battery life on the camera we were using was quite short. However, it was easy to use and easy to take to wherever we needed to film. Not many problems were faced when filming and it was easy to overcome any problems we did encounter, such as lack on continuity between two shots. We used Final Cut Pro to edit our footage, and found it quite simple and easy to use. We were able to add sound and use effects to make the film flow and add tension to it. We faced a few problems with editing but overcame them with the use of different effects such as fading. Our main problem was that the opening scene was too long and so we had to cut a minute or so out, which was really simple.
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
We have learnt quite a lot from this task. First, we research the horror genre and found out all the conventions of the genre, and incorporated them into our own film. This includes setting, mise en scene, plotlines, sound, camera work and loads more. For example, horror films generally have dark settings with tense music and tend to look up at the villain to show their power. We noticed this and used low angle shots on the villain and high angle shots on the victim to show a difference in strength. We also used lots of creative shots such as point of view shots and complex editing like match on action edits to add a proffessional side to the film. I have also learnt how to use the equipment confidentally and wouldn't have to worry about being told how to next time. The same goes for the editing software, and can now use Final Cut Pro to put footage together and edit it, without the help of a tutor.
In my opinion, our project was a success as by the end we had produced what we wanted to, in the right style with the right type of shots and acting. Obviously improvements could have been made like more back-up shots as some of the shots don't flow into eachother as perfect as possible, but other than that I'm happy with what we've done.
The opening scene to our film includes and develops many of the conventions of a typical horror film. Firstly, the bulk of the opening scene is a chase scene through some dark woods, which is quite common for a horror film. Films such as 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Severance' use such a setting. The use of woods means that there's is more for the characters to interact with, such as tress, rocks and even bridges, and adds realism to the film because it shows there is no escape for the victim and even in the day it's dark. If the chase was through a city or down a street in the middle of the day, there would be plenty of places for the victim to get help, and just wouldn't scary or realistic. Also, woods are generally seen as scary because of the dark, mysterious feel to them, which is exactly what we wanted to capture. The use of the dark colours and abstract shots delivered it just how we wanted.
The chase scene is quite common in horror films as it captures both the insanity of the villain and the fear of the victim, and provides a chance for a fast paced scene. The characters in this scene apply to the stereotypical villain and victim too. The victim is fast, but in a panic and full of fear - which is captured and shown by the use of handheld and point of view shots - whereas the villain is calm, swift yet slower and reserved. The use of this type of victim is used in most horror films, and the use of the slow villain is also common, used in films such as 'See No Evil' which was one of our main influences for the villain. The use of this allows us to emphasise his strength and power, and actually make him look like something to fear. Also, the our villain fits the conventions of a typical villain as his identity is coevered by the use of wearing a hood and keeping his head down, which is very common to happen in horror films, as it adds mystery to who the villain is or what he looks like, whilst also making the villain seem scarier.
A way in which our film challenges the conventions of a typical horror is with the use of camera shots and angles. We tried to use the most different and as many different shots as possible to capture the chase scene in many different ways. For example, the use of hand held point of view shots whilst the victim is running down a path shows and emphasises the fear he has, and gives the real feeling of panic as it shakes around quickly making it hard to comfortably watch, and give the viewer the feeling that they are being chased or make them worry for the victim. On a few occasions we used a 'match on action' to give a more creative and technical side to the film. For example, as the victim runs and falls onto a bench, the shot changes to a different and closer angle to show the fall in more detail and for the viewer to understand the panic in the character.
Another way in which our opening 2 minutes challenge the conventions of a typical horror film is that it cuts straight into the chase scene without any introduction to the plot at all, which fits in more with the conventions of an action or thriller film. Usually a horror film starts off with a small happy or safe scene, for example a party, romantic late night walk, teenage campout etc so that when the horror kicks in it is unexpected. Whereas our film straight away cuts into the chase. This makes the viewer think what's happening and why, and keeps them on the edge waiting to see what happens. Then at the end of the chase scene it cuts to a college classroom conversation, when usually in a horror film it would be the other way round.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?All the characters in our film are young white males. The villain fits the stereotype of the young male been strong, powerful and masculine. But on the other hand, the victim is shown as weak, scared and inferior. The characters in the next scene represent males in different ways too. One is angry and couragious, whereas the other is sad and respectful. This represents young males in many different ways. The film would mainly attract young males and there are no female characters for females to relate to, but our target audience is of both genders aged 15-40 years old.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Our film wouldn't suit a major hollywood production, promotion or distribution as it's not completely original or doesn't have a large enough target audience. Dimension Films would be a suitable company to distribute our film as they distribute most horrors including 'Planet Terror' and 'Halloween'. In terms of cinema release, it would be released around winter when it's colder and darker to create the perfect atmosphere for the film showing, in contrast to a light, hot summers day. The film could also be released on rental sevices both in-shop and on TV/internet, if the demand was high enough. The opportunity for merchandising would be harder than that of a hollywood family film, but t-shirts, posters, comic books and even action figures could be sold as their is a high interest in merchandise and
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
Our film would be watched by most horror film fans, but specifically the target audience would be 15-40 year olds, mainly male. This is because all the characters are young males. However, the thick and complex plot would draw in older people. Films such as 'Saw' use very complex plot lines to add something more than just gore to horror films, and it gains the films a lot of fans, which is what would happen with our film. The age certificate would be 15 years old, this is because the plot line is unsuitable for anyone under 15, but not violent/gorey enough to have a certificate of 18 years old. We chose to make our film as a 15 certificate and not 18, as making it an 18 would throw off a lot of fans due to too much gore etc.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?We attracted a young male audience in several ways. Firstly, the cast for our film are all young male characters that the audience can relate to. Secondly, the second scene takes part in a college and one of the main characters is a 17 year old student, adding a sense of realism to the film and showing the everyday life of a young male at times. Also the use of point of view camera shots makes it easy for the viewer to feel drawn in and understand the characters position and thoughts, making it more enjoyable to watch, especially in the horror genre where films need to be as scary and realistic as possible.
6. What have you learnt about technology from the process of constructing the product?We learnt how to use the camera in terms of filming and playing back, how to white balance (in different environments and types of lighting) and how to set up the tripod. We found that when filming outside, it's best to film away from wind as it ruins the audio in the scene you're filming, and to take spare batteries as the battery life on the camera we were using was quite short. However, it was easy to use and easy to take to wherever we needed to film. Not many problems were faced when filming and it was easy to overcome any problems we did encounter, such as lack on continuity between two shots. We used Final Cut Pro to edit our footage, and found it quite simple and easy to use. We were able to add sound and use effects to make the film flow and add tension to it. We faced a few problems with editing but overcame them with the use of different effects such as fading. Our main problem was that the opening scene was too long and so we had to cut a minute or so out, which was really simple.
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
We have learnt quite a lot from this task. First, we research the horror genre and found out all the conventions of the genre, and incorporated them into our own film. This includes setting, mise en scene, plotlines, sound, camera work and loads more. For example, horror films generally have dark settings with tense music and tend to look up at the villain to show their power. We noticed this and used low angle shots on the villain and high angle shots on the victim to show a difference in strength. We also used lots of creative shots such as point of view shots and complex editing like match on action edits to add a proffessional side to the film. I have also learnt how to use the equipment confidentally and wouldn't have to worry about being told how to next time. The same goes for the editing software, and can now use Final Cut Pro to put footage together and edit it, without the help of a tutor.
In my opinion, our project was a success as by the end we had produced what we wanted to, in the right style with the right type of shots and acting. Obviously improvements could have been made like more back-up shots as some of the shots don't flow into eachother as perfect as possible, but other than that I'm happy with what we've done.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Personal film opening analysis.
Halloween (2007)
Summary
On Halloween 1963, Haddenfield, 10-year-old Michael Myers, estranged and mentally unstable, is imprisoned in Smith's Grove Sanitarium under the care of Dr. Sam Loomis for the murders of his mother's boyfriend, his older sister, and her boyfriend. Now, 16 years later, he escapes and now in search of his baby Sister Laurie and Dr. Loomis must warn the residents of Haddenfield and get to Laurie before Michael does.
Summary
On Halloween 1963, Haddenfield, 10-year-old Michael Myers, estranged and mentally unstable, is imprisoned in Smith's Grove Sanitarium under the care of Dr. Sam Loomis for the murders of his mother's boyfriend, his older sister, and her boyfriend. Now, 16 years later, he escapes and now in search of his baby Sister Laurie and Dr. Loomis must warn the residents of Haddenfield and get to Laurie before Michael does.
Analysis
The film starts with eerie music and the "Dimension Films" logo comes onto the screen. This is the only company involved in producing and distributing the film. The logo then fades and a famous quote from the previous Halloween film comes onto the screen. The eerie music is still playing creating the atmosphere and tension. The audience does not know what will come next. The music then stops and a loud bang is heard. The title of the film is now visible in clear white writing against the black background. A slow rock n roll track is now playing and it cuts to a typical American house on Halloween. The settling is clearly in autumn as the leaves are on the ground and there are carved pumpkins outside the house. Writing appears on the screen explaining the place and year the audience is now looking at. Then film then cuts to a person with a clown mask on there face. It is not clear who this person is or what they are doing there so it creates a mysterious allure about the character. The music is still playing and is non-diagetic. He is wearing child's clothes which makes him seem more innocent.
The film now cuts to the person again and makes it clear that it is a boy. He takes a rat out of a cage and starts to talk it. Because the boy is still wearing the mask the audience still does not know how old he is but they know he is young because he is talking to the rat and he isn’t very tall. The then suddenly cuts to a ragged man in a kitchen. He is talking to his wife he is cooking breakfast. The sounds are now all diegetic sounds of the breakfast being made and the camera switches to handheld as they start to argue. A girl comes downstairs and it immediately becomes apparent that she is the daughter of the couple already in the kitchen. When she is told to go back upstairs to fetch the boy the scene switches to the boy in a bathroom. The music suddenly changes back to the eerie sounds as the camera moves to the sink and the boys hands are bloody and the rat is no where to be seen. As they both go back downstairs an argument breaks out between the family and the camera goes back to hand held. All the characters are now dressed in normal casual clothes.
The scene cuts to a school bathroom where the boy is and some other people enter. It is clear they are bullies as they are talking about the fights they have just had. The music quickly turns back to the eerie style but now they are faint bangs every so often. The boy is confronted and the edits quicken in pace. An argument turns into a fight. A teacher enters the bathroom and splits them up. The editing goes back to normal pace and the music stops. The film then cuts to an office and the boy now called Michael is being interviewed by physiatrist. The editing here is mostly close up shots of the characters faces showing the audience who they are and giving them a good look. Michael is then seen running away however the other characters do not see this. The shot is then a long shot of him running but the other characters conversations can still be heard. The sound is now mostly non-diegetic as faster paced music can now be heard. The film cuts again to outside the school and bullies are seen going home. However Michael is also seen hiding behind a tree. He is standing showing his dominance yet he is still hidden from view showing his mysteriousness. Now the film is in the woods showing long shots of the bully walking through them. The music is still playing and getting louder and louder as he goes further into the woods. The music suddenly cuts off and Michael springs out from behind a tree striking the bully with a large log. He is wearing a mask and a zipped up coat to try and conceal his identity creating a more mysterious feel to him. The editing now quickens as Michael repeatedly strikes the bully all over the body. The only sounds that can be heard are the thuds of the log hitting the bully and Michaels screams and shouts. The camera shots are now all handheld and shaky showing Michaels current state and out of control. The bully now begs for mercy but Michael carries on hitting him until blood is everywhere and the bully dies.
Evaluation
In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of media products?
In the 2 minute extract of our film we use many generic horror conventions in the typical way horror films usually do. Our film shows the main character and villain to be confident and strong. He is able to carry a heavy weapon with ease and his strides are long and powerful yet he still seems to remain calm and in control. Instead of wearing a mask like in most horror/stalker films our villain always has his head bowed low so the victim cannot see his real identity until he moves in for the final kill. He also has his hood up to mask his identity slightly. This challenges the normal convections in most horror/stalker films. Because of the absence of a mask our villains face can only just be seen. This points out his angry expression and even suggesting he has no mercy for his victim. This explains the film title to the audience and helps them to understand what the victim is thinking. This would make he audience more scared of the villain. At the start of the 2 minute film these convections are made obvious along with other generic horror conventions such as dark colors and not many bring vivid ones. The main color scheme for the 2 minute extract is black, green and grey. This is seen in most horror films such as "Saw". It is also in a similar stalker/horror film like ours called "Halloween". This makes the audience feel more scared and intrigued. The setting for our 2 minute film is a typical horror movie convention. Films such as "The Blair Witch Project" were filmed mostly in woods. Some of our inspiration came from the film. Other films such as the Halloween series often cut from a chase or death scene to an open dialogue scene between different characters. This is seen in our film at the end of the extract and some inspiration came from the Halloween series.
Our film is a Horror film however it branches out into other sub-genres such as a stalker film or a thriller. It becomes clear in the first scene when the victim is seen sprinting away from something that does not become apparent until the next scene. Even them the stalkers face or body is not seen only his hands and arms are visible. This links to the first scene in the original Halloween film when Michael is about to kill his sister with a knife. However in our film this is changed to a large and heavy log.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our film characters are all within the same social group. They are mostly of the same age apart from the villain who is slightly older to portray his dominance over other characters and mostly his victim. In our 2 minute film gender is represented in the stereotypical way in some parts but in others it doesn’t. The villain is a large male suggesting his power and overall dominance. However the victim is also a male but is seen as weak. The other characters in the film have no significance apart from our film portrays the male sex to be both strong and weak. The target audience would be mostly male as this would not appeal to females much as they do not have any female characters to relate to in any way.
What kind of media Institution might distribute your media product and why?
Our film would not be suitable for distribution by a large media company such as Warner Bros. because of the many similar types of film already out there ready to be viewed. A major Hollywood studio could not produce this kind of film as it does not fit the criteria. Hollywood films are mostly action films, comedies or films suitable for family viewing. Such as "Die Hard 4.0" and "The princess and the Frog". Our film could be produced by a TV company such as "Channel 4" and displayed on national TV. The film would not be too graphic as it only has a 15 rating so it would be suitable for a TV release. However it could also be released on DVD to create more revenue and also over the internet as on-demand video. The film does not offer much chance for merchandising but this would depend on how good the ratings were and how many viewers I received on first showing. If it was popular a sequel could easily be made as the end of the film does not show how the main villain dies. At this point the sequel could be taken up by a large film company such as Film4 productions and be released in cinemas throughout the UK
Who would be the audience for your media product?
After researching age certificates for other horror films we decided that we would make our film within the age 15 certificate guidelines. We chose this because it allowed us to have some violence and gore and frequent horror scenes however it still allowed us to appeal to most teenagers and young adults. Similar films include the "Nightmare on Elm Street
We did not want to appeal to younger audiences because this would limit us to what we could do with our film and mean we would have to not include some of the horror and chase scenes we wanted to film. Also younger audiences would also be confused by the storyline as it is complex in places and we wanted our target audiences to be able to follow the film easily.
We also used setting as a key factor in attracting an audience. Some of the scenes in our film are shot I a school and the target audience can relate to this and make them think that the situation is believable. The chase scenes through the woods would also make the audiences become more engaged in the film and attract more people to watch. In the wood scenes we used different camerawork to appeal to the target audience a lot more. We used fast paced hand held shots and point of view shots to engage the audience and give them a better point of view of what the characters are seeing and experiencing. The audience is asked to put themselves in the shoes of the victim creating a terrifying atmosphere. This would also make the audience care more for the victim so when he eventually dies the audience's feelings are stronger towards him. This would make the audience want to watch more and hate the villain more which it they key to the horror genre and why it is so successful.
What have you learnt about technology from the process of constructing the product?
I have learnt a lot about working with and around cameras. I have learnt how to confidently set up a tripod and securely fasten the camera to it. I learnt how to level the camera out using the in-built leveling device on the tripod. The camera we used was suitable for creating a good quality short movie for our project however I do not think it would be good for creating videos/movies on a larger scale as sometimes when we were recording the sound altered in quality and there was a lot of wind which interfered with the sound at some times. We took more than 1 battery in case our main battery ran out because on our preliminary task the battery ran out very quickly. The camera was small enough to carry out good handheld and point of view shots. We did not use the zoom feature on the camera as we found is distorted the picture quality. The editing software I used was Final Cut Pro. I found this software to be very good and easy to use. At some stages during adding title sequences it got very difficult because I had never used the software before. I found the fade in and out effects useful for adding in the titles. We encountered a problem near the end of the film when we edited the last section as we found that the characters hands were not in the same position when we changed shots. We used the fade in and out effects again to create a flash forward effect.
Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I have learnt a lot more during the production of the full product than I did during the production of the preliminary task. The full product required much more research than the preliminary task. I learnt what it takes to create a successful horror movie within the competitive genre such as using dark colors and creating the perfect villain. I was not familiar with the horror genre before I started this project and now I feel I know a lot more about the genre. The detailed planning helped us to create our film without much problems and it shows that planning always helps. However during the preliminary task we were only required to film indoors. During the full product I found there were a lot more problems with filming due to location and weather conditions. I learnt how to deal with these problems and progress further with working with cameras and learning all the different camera angles and shots. I looked at the different shots used in some horror movies and then suggested they become incorporated into our final product. I think our best feature in our final product is the match on action shots as they are a major improvement from the preliminary task match on action shots we filmed.
I think that our end product fulfilled the task that was set. However I think more shots could have been filmed as we came across some continuity editing problems at the end of the film. I also think that more research could have been done to help us create a better victim in the film as our victim was just a normal person. I am happy with the overall end product and would feel comfortable using the equipment again to film.
Final filming Location and photos.
Shot list
Shooting Script – Opening two minute sequence
Exterior – Woods – Daytime
SHOT 1 Establishing shot – LS of woods.
LS of man running away.
PAN left following man running.
SHOT 2 MLS of man jumping through bush
SHOT 3 POV shot of lumberjack walking over to a tree and grabbing a stick.
SHOT 4 ELS of man running towards camera.
PAN slightly right following him hide behind tree.
SHOT 5 Medium shot over the shoulder of the victim.
Focuses switch to other character in background.
LS of lumberjack walking towards victim as victim runs away.
SHOT 6 LS of man running from tree.
PAN right following man run down path.
SHOT 7 POV shot of victim running down muddy path.
SHOT 8 ELS of victim running round a corner towards the camera.
SHOT 9 ELS of murderer waking down path towards camera.
SHOT 10 ELS of murderer walking round corner towards camera.
SHOT 11 ELS of victim running along through woods.
PAN right to follow him running.
SHOT 12 Match on action. Victim falls on bench.
SHOT 13 MLS of victim landing on bench.
Tilt upwards. Low angle shot of victim catching breath.
SHOT 14 CU of victim catching breath.
SHOT 15 MS of victim suddenly looking up then looking around.
SHOT 16 POV shot of victim looking around and getting hit by murderer.
SHOT 17 POV shot of victim falling. Turns back up and looks at murder
Standing over him, murdered kills victim.
Exterior – Woods – Daytime
SHOT 1 Establishing shot – LS of woods.
LS of man running away.
PAN left following man running.
SHOT 2 MLS of man jumping through bush
SHOT 3 POV shot of lumberjack walking over to a tree and grabbing a stick.
SHOT 4 ELS of man running towards camera.
PAN slightly right following him hide behind tree.
SHOT 5 Medium shot over the shoulder of the victim.
Focuses switch to other character in background.
LS of lumberjack walking towards victim as victim runs away.
SHOT 6 LS of man running from tree.
PAN right following man run down path.
SHOT 7 POV shot of victim running down muddy path.
SHOT 8 ELS of victim running round a corner towards the camera.
SHOT 9 ELS of murderer waking down path towards camera.
SHOT 10 ELS of murderer walking round corner towards camera.
SHOT 11 ELS of victim running along through woods.
PAN right to follow him running.
SHOT 12 Match on action. Victim falls on bench.
SHOT 13 MLS of victim landing on bench.
Tilt upwards. Low angle shot of victim catching breath.
SHOT 14 CU of victim catching breath.
SHOT 15 MS of victim suddenly looking up then looking around.
SHOT 16 POV shot of victim looking around and getting hit by murderer.
SHOT 17 POV shot of victim falling. Turns back up and looks at murder
Standing over him, murdered kills victim.
Fades to title screen, then cuts to next scene.
Interior – College Classroom – Daytime
SHOT 18 Establishing shot – MS of student and tutor talking.
They turn as they hear a knock on the door.
SHOT 19 MS of scientist opening door and asking for a talk with student.
SHOT 20 MS of teacher leaving.
PAN left following tutor leave.
PAN right following scientist walk into room and sit down.
SHOT 21 Over the shoulder MCU of student whilst scientist talks.
SHOT 22 Fades to MS of student raging. Stands up, throws a chair and shouts.
Fades out.
1 EXT. Woods – NOON
Scientist stumbles through the woods. He looks behind him and sees the lumberjack murderer closing in on him.
SCIENTIST
Leave me alone
He runs through some bushes and downhill past some trees.
SCIENTIST
Oh God
The scientist runs along path.
The scientist runs round the back of a tree and stops to rest, looks over his shoulder and sees the lumberjack still walking after him.
The scientist is resting on the bench when he looks round and sees the lumber jack, the lumber jack then strikes the scientist down with a vicious blow. The scientist is knocked down dazed, he looks up and is struck by a killer blow.
2 INT. College – MORNING
Michael is talking to his tutor when there is a knock on the door
DR JAMES
Can I have a word with Michael please, its regarding family issues
Tutor then leaves the room
DR JAMES
This is going to be hard, I’m afraid, your father…he was murdered
MICHAEL
I’ll find out who did this….I swear to god I’ll kill em
Michael begins to rage before storming out of the room as the screen fades to black
1 EXT. Woods – NOON
Scientist stumbles through the woods. He looks behind him and sees the lumberjack murderer closing in on him.
SCIENTIST
Leave me alone
He runs through some bushes and downhill past some trees.
SCIENTIST
Oh God
The scientist runs along path.
The scientist runs round the back of a tree and stops to rest, looks over his shoulder and sees the lumberjack still walking after him.
The scientist is resting on the bench when he looks round and sees the lumber jack, the lumber jack then strikes the scientist down with a vicious blow. The scientist is knocked down dazed, he looks up and is struck by a killer blow.
2 INT. College – MORNING
Michael is talking to his tutor when there is a knock on the door
DR JAMES
Can I have a word with Michael please, its regarding family issues
Tutor then leaves the room
DR JAMES
This is going to be hard, I’m afraid, your father…he was murdered
MICHAEL
I’ll find out who did this….I swear to god I’ll kill em
Michael begins to rage before storming out of the room as the screen fades to black
Monday, 3 May 2010
Questionnaire Answers 2
How old are you?
Are you male or female
Do you like horror films?
If you don’t like horror films then what is it that you don’t like about them?
What kind of horror film do you like to watch?
What is it that you like about horror films
Is there anything that you would find inappropriate to watch in a horror film?
What sort of things do you expect to see when you watch a horror film?
What is your favourite horror film?
What time of day do you like to watch a horror film?
What film certificate do you usually go to watch?
Where do you like to watch horror films?
In my house through DVD Player
Questionnaire Answers
How old are you?
Are you male or female
Do you like horror films?
If you don’t like horror films then what is it that you don’t like about them?
What kind of horror film do you like to watch?
What is it that you like about horror films
Is there anything that you would find inappropriate to watch in a horror film?
What sort of things do you expect to see when you watch a horror film?
What is your favourite horror film?
Night of the Living Dead
What film certificate do you usually go to watch?
Questionnaire
How old are you?
Are you male or female
Do you like horror films?
If you don’t like horror films then what is it that you don’t like about them?
What kind of horror film do you like to watch?
What is it that you like about horror films
Is there anything that you would find inappropriate to watch in a horror film?
What sort of things do you expect to see when you watch a horror film?
What is your favourite horror film?
What time of day do you like to watch a horror film?
What film certificate do you usually go to watch?
Where do you like to watch horror films?
Evaluation
Evaluation
1. In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of media products ?
There are many ways in which our two minute film incorporates generic conventions, for example the very first scene shows a person running frantically away from a foe, he is sprinting at full speed and looks scared and desperate, desperation is a common theme within our film but is extremely common within the horror genre.
One other way in which our film incorporates generic conventions is with the fact that it doesn’t use many vivid and bright colours, it instead ops to use darker seedier colours that attempt to make the audience feel slightly more scared. An example of this in our film is the scene where the victim fall onto the bench, all the colours within the scene except for the characters upper body clothing are dark and almost dim, they offer a more mysterious feel to the audience. Most if not all genuine horror films are set mostly in dark places and feature very dark colours on the screen.
Our film features a villain which is shown to be very powerful and unlike the victim he always remains calm and collected, he is portrayed as powerful and never gets effected by the situation he is surrounded by, this common within the genre, the villain is, like in our film, shown to be stronger than other characters in the films.
We tried to make our film have an element of surprise and a individual identity, we tried to give it a uniqueness with the shots we used and we did this by implementing shots such as a relatively long handheld shot that is used to confuse and bewilder the viewer, we tried to make our film settle into a pattern and then chance the pattern at random times so that you can never settle whilst watching our film, it keeps you on edge and wondering what is going to come next and how it will be implemented.
One of our conventions indicates that another film as influenced our work is with the design of our main villain, we looked closely at the main villain from “see no evil” and realised with the help of that what we wanted our character to look like, we decided our villain would be very strong and slow moving, his identity would not be fully revealed thus adding mysteriousness to this appearance, we decided he would rely on brute power not advanced knowledge to strike his victims. Also the characters outfit was slightly influenced by “see no evil” like that film we decided that our character would wear dull boring clothes.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our film consists of only male characters that are all of a relatively young age, these males are all white. In one way our characters do fit the stereotype of men been dominant in the way that the villain is very strong and assertive, and seems to be very masculine. On the other hand though we have a male character that is apparently very weak, and who is running away from the other character whilst been scared and he does fit the typical male stereotype. This may link into the target audience slightly as if there are no females, female members of the audience may have no character to relate to, although saying that our film is aimed at almost any audience.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Our film as the potential to be made by an major Hollywood studio as it features every aspect that would make it succeed, if this was the case our film would and should be released at a specific time and date, for example it is an horror film so should be released around Halloween or sometime in winter where it is dark early as this adds atmosphere for the viewer if it is dark when there going into cinema they will be more nervous than if it was a bright sunny day. Aspects of our film can be scene as similar to other films such as the chase seen where the victim is running away from the villain but in many other ways it is unique. Our film would be released at most cinemas around the UK to begin with, it would be released in the hope that it would make substantial amounts of money.
The opportunity for merchandising is relatively limited when you compare it with other films, one reason for this is that simply it is an horror film with only appeals to certain people and is hard to sell say figures of the characters when one of them is a murder. There are still chances for merchandising though in ways such as posters, or T-shirts. It would be hard for our film to sell merchandise from mise en scene within the film because people may not be willing to buy replica outfits of lumberjacks.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product
I think our film can be watched by any film lover really but the main audience who will view our film will be 15 - 35 year olds, this is for several reasons, such as the actors are of a young age and will appeal to young people. But on the other hand to this the story is deep and complex that's what will attract the older people to the film. Their are films that have similar aspects as our film such as the “Saw” series, they have a similar mentality to our film and they have a very large fan base and appeal to most people. The best age classification for our film would be an age rating of 15, this is because it features storylines unsuitable for younger viewer yet it is not graphic enough to warrant and 18 rating. http://www.bbfc.co.uk/
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
To attract the relatively younger audience that we thought would want to view our film we had to make the film contents relatable to younger viewers, so for example we had the cast be young in age so that other people would relate to them. Also one other way we targeted a specific younger audience is by having one of the scenes set within a school, this would make people who are at college and school think that this film is more realistic and could have happened to everyone.
Furthermore we tried to get at the younger audience with some of the camera work for example one of our point of view shots the audience are being put into the position of the man who is scared and running away, by doing this they can relate to his fear more than normal, they can understand what he is going through. Also when they are in the point of view of the man running away they are thinking at all times what is going to happen to the character and this helps create suspense.
6. What have you learnt about technology from the process of constructing the product?
We learnt much about the camera that we where using, we learn how to use it effectively and how not to use effectively, for example we noted that the camera we used was not suitable if their was alot of wind in our outside scene. One other limitation that we found out about the cameras is that the battery life is not really that long. One of the advantages of the camera is that it allowed us to take good quality film with ease and was easily accessible to all our group members.
We did face many problems during filming, some very small stupid issues caused by us such as one character having different things on in different shots, we also faced one relatively big editing problem when the hand position wasn’t the same in one of our conversation scenes therefore would not edit correctly. To resolve this issue we added on effect instead of a cut between to the two shots and after looking back at it, it is clear that it worked out, if not better, very well.
We used final cut pro to edit our film. We found final cut pro to be a very good and easy to used software which benefited our film greatly, it allowed us to uses simply effects to add tension to our film and also allowed to use sound effects which emphasises certain points of our film.
We learned many different things between the two stages of the task. The first thing that we learnt was in-depth knowledge of the genre and what is needed within the genre to make a film from the genre successful. For example we learnt that most horror movies featured dark setting and dim colours, we then incorporated that into our own film. As a group we viewed many different horror movies that have aspects that relate to ours and looked at things such as how were they edited and what were the people within the film wearing, we also looked at what camera shots were used. It is common within horror films to have the camera looking up towards the villain and that what we tried to do while filming ours to give the villain that extra bit of power and authority.
After looking at examples of match on action and point of view shots we gained more confidence in using them and then tried to implement more complex shots such as this into our film, when you do put more complex shots such as these into your film it gives your film more professionalism.
We have used the equipment alot and I now feel comfortable with it and was I every to use it again I feel I could get straight on with the task and not worry about my knowledge of the equipment.
I feel that our end product turned out well in my opinion, we realised some of the shots we wanted to do and edited the film with the way we had in mind, although there is always room for improvement and an improvement we could have made would be to film more shots as back-up in case some shots dont edit correctly
Personal Film Opening Analysis
PLANET TERROR
Brief Summary
Basically, Planet Terror is just a 'zombie breakout' film, that is funny and very enthusiastic when it comes to violence and gore. After a strange deal goes wrong and turns into a gunfight, a deadly gas is released into the air and the whole town become infected and turn into zombies. During the film several main characters who are trying to get through their problems in life then find themself in a group trying to get through the night.
Analysis
The film starts off at first a tense sounding song, which then turns into a rock 'n' roll track as the institution logos come across the screen. Dimension pictures, R.I.P. and Grindhouse are the only companies involved in the production and distribution as the film was a low budget project. The first scene jumps in with the same backing song as it cuts into a fast guitar solo. The sound is non-diegetic however. It's set in a night club and it focuses a dance girl pole dancing, showing she is clearly one of the main characters. She is wearing a mini skirt and a bra, to create the character (by showing how she makes a living and what type of person she is). This first scene mainly conists of a selection of different medium shots and close ups of the character seductively dancing with several close ups of different parts of her body. Every now and again the camera pans round the stage to show the rest of the club behind her. The setting is quite dark, it is just lit up by the lights in the club to give it a dingey and realistic sense. The editing speed is fast and the shots are quick and short to go with the music. As she dances the cast names appear in small writing at different places on the screen, and then the same with the director, producer, main crew etc. The majority of the shots are taking from a low angle to show she is high up and confident but as the dance proggresses the camera becomes more level as if to show she is vunerable. As the music stops and she finishes dancing a close up is used to show the emotion on her face as she is crying.
The scene then cuts to the changing rooms for all the dancers and the camera follows a man who is obviously the club owner walk through as he shows his authority by telling the people there what to do. All the girls are getting changed and there is diegetic music playing in the background. The man makes his way through the room and makes his way to the girl from before who is wiping away her tears in the mirror. They begin to have a heated conversation and a medium shot is used to establish their positions in the conversation. Then a series of close ups are used to show their anger and a shot-reverse-shot is used to accompany the dialogue. The scene in short and when is finished by the girl leaving.
She leaves the club and starts to walk down the road. It's very dark and the only lighting involved is from the street lights or the lights from the vehicles that later pass by. Some non-diegetic horror music makes the scene tense as she continues to walk, whilst different medium and long shots are used to show her walking. She hears a strange groaning noise and then several military style trucks drive past and knock her to the ground, which is captured by the use of a medium shot then a close up of her face as she falls. The scene is finished by a pan of the trucks driving past and away, then focusing on a sign they drive passed labelled 'military base'.
A quick edit is used and it suddenly cuts to an army base where the trucks pull in and park outside a hangar. Tense action style music is played a series of longshots are used to show the base, the vehicles and the men around the base. After the setting is established it cuts to a long shot of a man getting out of one of the trucks, and walking over to a group of men with one man stood slightly ahead of them. A tense interregation takes place and close ups are used to show the anger in the man who got out of the truck and the fear in the man he is questioning. The conversation also includes a shot-reverse-shot. The man in power then murders the other and is shown by a medium shot. After that another man gets out of the truck. He is wearing a soldiers uniform but it is one of obvious power and authority. A strange and distressing sound is played several times to insinuate that there is something surreal about the man. He then has a tense argument with the man who previously seemed to be in control. Eventually the conversation turns into a gunfight and a string of different close ups, medium shots and very quick edits capture all the action and the use of speed creates realism and panic. A strange looking container is shot open and starts to release a green gas. The soldiers in uniform who have started to fall apart walk in relief towards it as if they are addicted to it or need it to survive. The men who were not yet infected become zombies . The man 'previously in power' before the gunfight manages to escape in the panic and many close ups are used to show his desperation. He gets in one of the trucks and starts to drive away. It is very dark with very little lighting and suddenly a zombies hand comes through and the car drives down a highway bridge in panic.
The car drives out of the shot, and using the same shot, another car with smoke coming out of it drives into the diner/gas station next to the highway, and the camera pans to follow it. The music changes from the tense action music from before to a more calm song. A barely dressed woman gets out of the car and starts to fix it. This is shown by several close ups and mediums of her fixing the engine and putting water in the tank.
Brief Summary
Basically, Planet Terror is just a 'zombie breakout' film, that is funny and very enthusiastic when it comes to violence and gore. After a strange deal goes wrong and turns into a gunfight, a deadly gas is released into the air and the whole town become infected and turn into zombies. During the film several main characters who are trying to get through their problems in life then find themself in a group trying to get through the night.
Analysis
The film starts off at first a tense sounding song, which then turns into a rock 'n' roll track as the institution logos come across the screen. Dimension pictures, R.I.P. and Grindhouse are the only companies involved in the production and distribution as the film was a low budget project. The first scene jumps in with the same backing song as it cuts into a fast guitar solo. The sound is non-diegetic however. It's set in a night club and it focuses a dance girl pole dancing, showing she is clearly one of the main characters. She is wearing a mini skirt and a bra, to create the character (by showing how she makes a living and what type of person she is). This first scene mainly conists of a selection of different medium shots and close ups of the character seductively dancing with several close ups of different parts of her body. Every now and again the camera pans round the stage to show the rest of the club behind her. The setting is quite dark, it is just lit up by the lights in the club to give it a dingey and realistic sense. The editing speed is fast and the shots are quick and short to go with the music. As she dances the cast names appear in small writing at different places on the screen, and then the same with the director, producer, main crew etc. The majority of the shots are taking from a low angle to show she is high up and confident but as the dance proggresses the camera becomes more level as if to show she is vunerable. As the music stops and she finishes dancing a close up is used to show the emotion on her face as she is crying.
The scene then cuts to the changing rooms for all the dancers and the camera follows a man who is obviously the club owner walk through as he shows his authority by telling the people there what to do. All the girls are getting changed and there is diegetic music playing in the background. The man makes his way through the room and makes his way to the girl from before who is wiping away her tears in the mirror. They begin to have a heated conversation and a medium shot is used to establish their positions in the conversation. Then a series of close ups are used to show their anger and a shot-reverse-shot is used to accompany the dialogue. The scene in short and when is finished by the girl leaving.
She leaves the club and starts to walk down the road. It's very dark and the only lighting involved is from the street lights or the lights from the vehicles that later pass by. Some non-diegetic horror music makes the scene tense as she continues to walk, whilst different medium and long shots are used to show her walking. She hears a strange groaning noise and then several military style trucks drive past and knock her to the ground, which is captured by the use of a medium shot then a close up of her face as she falls. The scene is finished by a pan of the trucks driving past and away, then focusing on a sign they drive passed labelled 'military base'.
A quick edit is used and it suddenly cuts to an army base where the trucks pull in and park outside a hangar. Tense action style music is played a series of longshots are used to show the base, the vehicles and the men around the base. After the setting is established it cuts to a long shot of a man getting out of one of the trucks, and walking over to a group of men with one man stood slightly ahead of them. A tense interregation takes place and close ups are used to show the anger in the man who got out of the truck and the fear in the man he is questioning. The conversation also includes a shot-reverse-shot. The man in power then murders the other and is shown by a medium shot. After that another man gets out of the truck. He is wearing a soldiers uniform but it is one of obvious power and authority. A strange and distressing sound is played several times to insinuate that there is something surreal about the man. He then has a tense argument with the man who previously seemed to be in control. Eventually the conversation turns into a gunfight and a string of different close ups, medium shots and very quick edits capture all the action and the use of speed creates realism and panic. A strange looking container is shot open and starts to release a green gas. The soldiers in uniform who have started to fall apart walk in relief towards it as if they are addicted to it or need it to survive. The men who were not yet infected become zombies . The man 'previously in power' before the gunfight manages to escape in the panic and many close ups are used to show his desperation. He gets in one of the trucks and starts to drive away. It is very dark with very little lighting and suddenly a zombies hand comes through and the car drives down a highway bridge in panic.
The car drives out of the shot, and using the same shot, another car with smoke coming out of it drives into the diner/gas station next to the highway, and the camera pans to follow it. The music changes from the tense action music from before to a more calm song. A barely dressed woman gets out of the car and starts to fix it. This is shown by several close ups and mediums of her fixing the engine and putting water in the tank.
Personal Film Opening Analysis
See No Evil
A group of delinquents are sent to clean the Blackwell Hotel. Little do they know reclusive psychopath Jacob Goodnight has holed away in the rotting hotel. When one of the teens is captured, those who remain, a group that includes the cop who put a bullet in Goodnight's head four years ago, band together to survive against the brutal killer
As soon as the two police enter the house many things about the film begin to change, the first thing that is noticeable is that the lighting in much darker than before, the only light that is visible on the screen at this point is the light from the exit door which fades away as they move in, small torches that only provide a low amount of dim light and very small candles that don't really effect the level of lighting too much, essentially it is very dark which this time does fit in to the genre perfectly and is used to scare the audience. One of the only things that doesnt change between the two location (outside then inside) is the sound which at this point may have become non diegetic sound as you cannot possible hear the car radio from where they are but the music is still as loud.
One other notable change that can be scene between the two locations is the type of camera shots that are used, the outside scene was mostly made up of long and medium shots with not many close-up shots but when it switches to the scene inside the house there is many close-up shots that show the reaction of the characters on screen, not only this but it is also used along side the dark lighting to create a very claustrophobic atmosphere.
Interestingly it is around this time where the first female is introduced into the film. The female character wearing very simple clothing that doesn’t stand out and draw attention to her, also to back up the idea that she isnt important to the film she doesnt get named in the opening sequence. The female character does seem to fit a “typical” women stereotype and is seen to be very emotional and is crying and weeping throughout the scene. Another thing that is noticeable with the female is that she never gets of the floor, she never stands up but instead stays crying on the floor throughout the entire scene.
Also during this scene we first see the villain of the movie, the first time we “see” him we don't see any detain of him as he is just a silhouette behind a very thin curtain. This is used to give him an element of surprise and mysteriousness, and make him seem for intimidating to the audience.
When the villain is on screen the editing of the shots become much faster than before and you can easily notice that the pace of the film as increased, along with this the sound is upped at this point and diegetic sounds are very loud, these sounds consist of screaming, heavy breathing, a sound of an axe killing a human can all be heard.
In this scene everytime that you see the villain the camera is either at a close up or medium close up of the villain and is always tilted up at him, all these different type of camera techniques are done to give the villain extra power and make the other people in scene look small and weak in comparison.
The villain kills one of the police officers with a large axe, he stabs him with it twice, he then goes forward to the other police officer and uses his axe to then cut off his arm that is still holding the torch, he then goes for another axe shot that would be the finishing blow but the officer managers to get a shot off of his gun in is other hand that wounds the villain and causes him to flee, the remaining officer then calls for backup before slowly passing out
After that scene the titles start to appear on screen, they are very simple titles that are in a bold white font on mostly dark black backgrounds.
The scene then completely switches time and location and we are briefly introduced to several new characters who are all criminals, it is day time and everything is bright, they then begin to get on a bus and get driven away.
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Treatment for the 2 minute extract.
Duration: 2 minutes aprox
Audience: Horror loving audience’s ages between 15-32 Mostly male.
Resume: The first 2 minutes of the film is a chase scene through some woods and down a narrow isolated path. The start of the film cuts straight to the chase scene at the top of a hill in some woods. Here the audience gets to see both the characters. It is unclear why the chase is happening creating more suspense and mystery. The chase continues through the woods with the scientist falling and stumbling over tree roots. The chase breaks out onto an enclosed path with high hedges on both sides and an extremely narrow track. Because of the enclosed space there are many thorn bushes on each side and the victim keeps getting snagged slowing him down. However the lumberjack walks through them unharmed and without stopping. The path then comes into another wood and the victim realises he is lost and starts to panic. He continues to run and finally comes to a dead end in the wood and cannot find a way out. The lumberjack catches up and raises his weapon for the kill. The film then cuts to the title and then quickly onto a conversation between 2 people explaining that a boys father has been killed. No more details are announced adding more mystery to the film.
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