Research and Planning

FILMING AND STORYLINE


When i was researching films, I started to come up with ideas for camera work, angles, story lines, edits, lighting and music. Watching lots of opening sequences of films that were to a similar genre to my own idea helped as it expanded my thoughts and showed me what had been done before, and what was popular in the film industry (this showing that because it is done in most films the audience must like it)


I looked at Thrillers and Horrors when doing my research and one of the main films that I watched was 'Cape Fear' as you can see below it is the opening sequence to the film and I have  wrote about how it has helped me and what I have learned from watching the clip.

Above is the opening sequence to Cape Fear, the music and sound plays a big part within this clip which changes the emotions of the audience when viewing this scene. It slowly introduces the character and then at the end of the opening sequence we get to fully view the whole of his face and here on in we then get the feeling that we will follow this character on a journey. The first shot in this scene shows a wall with pictures of fictional characters and men that look fierce and serious, it then slowly zooms out onto a stack of books which may reflect intelligence but however still at this point the audience still do not know what or who they are going to be introduced to. The music suddenly changes when we get to view the muscular back of the character which is covered in tattoos which also may help you to give a view of what they are going to be like. The music suddenly changes and sharpens and makes you want to know what is going to happen next,  it also may reflect that because the music dark and mysterious the character may have these qualities also. When the man eventually turns around and starts to walk closer to the camera we then get to see that he is in a prison which may mean he is a bad person and he is into crime. Then when he walks out of the prison the weather is bad and stormy which relates that something bad is going to happen as well as this when he is speaking to the guard he is talking about how no family is going to meet him, to show he is alone and fierce which my relate to him being emotionless by not needing any one and going alone. The last point that i am going to make will be that when he is walking out of the prison it is a long shot and he gradually gets closer to the camera until his face is very close and you can see the detail of his features. He looks very scary and serious this helps to spook out the audience as they feel intimidated by the character.


I do like the idea of introducing the character slowly and building up the tension for when the audience then finally get to have a full view of the character. It gives a sense of mystery and spooks the audience out as they do not know who the character is. I shall also be using a lot of sound in my own opening sequence to add to the suspense and build tension.




OPENING CREDITS
When researching for opening sequences i was looking at how the order of the opening credits were, according to Wikipedia here is a common order of how the opening credits would be listed;

• Name of the studio
• Name of the Production Company
• Producer Name
• Starring
• Films title
• Featuring
• Casting
• Music 
• Production Designer

As well these may also be included;

• Set Design
• Costumes
• Hairdresser
• Make-up Artist
• Sound Recording
• Visual Effects Director
• Editor
• Director or Photography
• Writers
• Directors

FINAL DESTINATION 3

This here is a clear example of what layout they have chosen to show the opening credits in as well as how they have chosen to film them. There is a big use of dark colours to represent dark things happening due to the genre and I also think this is what i would do as well.

When editing my own opening sequence i shall not include all of these credits but will try to include as many as i can, because i made most of the decisions on costumes, editing, lighting etc there would be no need to write my name down every time for every single little thing i did to contribute to this piece of work.

PRODUCTION COMPANY

In my opening sequence i have decided to have a production company that features at the beginning of the film and the reason for this is because in nearly every film this is the first thing that you are introduced to. Instead of using another production company and their logo for example, 20th Century Fox or Universal Studios, and to avoid using copyright material i think if i was to include a production company within my work it would have to one where i have created it myself.

All of the different production company logos and the sequences of the advertisement are all different and the reason for this being is so that they are all individual and stand out amongst others.Most of the logos are objects or images of the theme of the features of the company.

DREAMWORKS

The dreamworks logo is a young boy that is sitting on a moon whist fishing. The name of the company already gives you an idea of what you are about to be seeing as it has the word 'dream' in it. This may be a fantasy or simply making something impossible, possible.  Even the music in this clip is dreamy and makes you use your imagination, every single feature they have used to put into their company has given the audience an idea of ideology of what their company is like. This is very important because it relates to the audiences opinion of the company and how they would be able to recognise the company against others just due to the image or the sound that is being played.

20TH CENTURY FOX

This logo is very plain but is simple and easy to remember especially since the name of the production company is included within the logo. The fact that it is a 3D dimension makes it look modern and important. Also the music that goes with the film stands out and is individual so even if you heard the music and didn't see the image you could still identify it with this company. This is down to the individuality that has obviously worked, using this in my own production logo would to be to make it as individual as possible.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

The universal logo stands out and is also very individual, it is well known worldwide as well as the music that is included within the clip shown. When seeing the Universal clip at the beginning of a film automatically makes the audience think that it is going to be a good film as they have produced some very successful films before. I would like to stick to the individuality when creating my own production company logo as well as still making it to look modern and interesting but still plain and simple at the same time. 

Genre and the Codes and Conventions

One of the first decisions that had to be made was what genre was the opening sequence going to be? As i have already said we had an idea and had researched on the chick flick for a London based 'Sex in the City' we were so set on this genre and this idea as this is what we could relate to and what we enjoyed watching ourselves. Personally a rom-com or a girly chick flick would be my top choice when choosing a genre of film to watch.  But when we came across obstacles we then had to either change the idea and stick to the same genre which would more or less have the same kind of storyline seen as it would be sharing the same codes and conventions, or change the genre altogether and pick a totally new one. 

We decided that it would be easier and we chose to pick a different genre which was then a HORROR/THRILLER this we felt was quite easy to do when done properly without looking like it is meant to be a joke. It is also very easy to go wrong. I researched into horror and thriller films and then noted that there are a number of codes and conventions that usually appear in horror films. 

The main codes and conventions that feature were;

• The soundtrack is usually very slow, usually made this way through the use of classical instruments. Many horror films will have the music playing at a low volume to start with and then this increases in volume up to the point where the action happens, this is used to create tension. There is also the use of sudden sharp music at point in the film where suspense is being built up. This puts the audience on edge and makes it more jumpy.
• Throughout long shots are used a lot. This creates a strong sense of place and makes everything more creepy, and often to prove an isolated atmosphere. Close-ups are not always used as their main principal is to convey emotion which is not always needed as it can be shown through other ways in this genre. 
• The lighting is usually very dark. This is used because then it creates terror, to show the audience that the character can see very little and feel the tension in which that this causes.
• The weather is usually stormy when the main action takes place, this can relate the feeling of the character. 
• The most vulnerable characters are usually females. This is because they are stereotyped as the 'weaker sex'. Whereas males are usually portrayed as the stronger character who usually has to protect the female
• The killer will usually have a trademark that makes them unique, this could be the way that they kill or the way that they look. They are shown as to have very little feelings or emotion when they hurt or kill others and if anyone attempts to fight back they seem to appear unaffected. 
• Screaming is often used throughout. Weapons are also another convention which is used a lot with the most common weapon used being a knife. As well as blood being another major icon of the horror genre.
• Jump cuts are the most common way that are used to change shots throughout horror films. The reason for this is because it then creates a feeling of tension and when a number of small shots are edited in this way in a short space of time it then creates a sense of confusion and the audience automatically feels a sense of needing to be scared when it is necessary and this technique is used.

Research of Horror and Thriller Movies

I also watched a number of DVD's which would be related to the genre of the film sequence i would like to create, this included mainly horrors and thrillers. Below i will talk about each separate film for the opening 2 minutes and how they have decided to introduce us into the film.

DISTURBIA
-setting the scene (fishing with dad)
-backing music
-"father and son moment"
-switching from scene to scene
-climax (car accident)
-dad is killed but the boy survives
-music changes, more dramatic
-titles
"1 year later..."


THE HAUNTING
-straight into setting the scene
-dark, night time
-wind and breathing noises
-titles then come on screen
-switches to day time
-argument between characters
-argument left unresolved


THE GRUDGE
-titles with backing music - slow music for a more dramatic effect
-set in a spooky house
-backing music then suddenly stops.... SILENCE!
-noises were then heard (from the left of the screen)
-sound effects then added to create tension
-character then goes up to the loft (which is in darkness)
-creaky floor boards as he walks up towards the loft
-light turned on and this scary figure appears
-girl then dies
-back to reality and then a story starts


CONSTANTINE
-"he who possesses the spear of destiny holds the fate of the world in his hands"
-"the spear of destiny has been missing since the end of World War II"
-silence other than surroundings
-scene it set (mexico)
-digging, the spear of destiny is then found
-character that found the spear is then hit by a car but survives
-titles then appear on screen, with a dark mysterious background
-then goes into a story, new scene is set (LA, America)


DEAD SILENCE
*in black and white*
-" in the 6th century BC. It was believed that the spirit of the dead would speak through the stomach region of the living"
-"From the latin VENTER for "belly" and LOQUI "to speak"
-"Hence the word VENTRILOQUIST"
-titles then appear on screen with the background image
-background image of sketching dolls
-red writing (which can either have a meaning of blood or danger)
-spooky music which is getting faster building tension
-making the dummies out of wood
-"How to make the perfect doll"
-music then gets faster to make the whole shot seem more dramatic - no speech
-the camera ends the shot on the last 'dummy'
-extreme close up of the eye
-camera zooms through the eye which fades into the characters and then the story line
*in full colour*
-creaking floorboards outside - knock on the door
-parcel left on doorstep which is containing the ventriloquist doll
-backing music then begins as they open the box and start to play around with the doll
-"beware of the stare of mary shaw, she had no children only dolls, if you see her in your dreams, be sure you never ever scream"


1408
-dark night (thunderstorm) - usually means something bad is going to happen or is happening
-backing music is slow but loud, it is then joined by radio music
-shows a man running through the rain
-he enters in the 'ghost' BnB
-man staying in paranormal room in attic
-titles then appear across screen as image plays
-background music is slow but also high pitched
-he is then recording himself on the tape recorder
-then writing a book "10 most haunted hotels"


THE DESCENT
-water sports down a waterfall (3 women) with a little girl and dad watching
-slow background music
-family then going home, there is a car accident (pole goes through the mans head)
-there is a black out screen
-next shot to appear on the screen is a girl blowing out candles on a cake
-then switches to a woman in a hospital corridor hearing voices, fast breathing
-all the lights going out
-screaming and falling into a friends arm
-then goes back to reality (hallucinating)
-the little girl dies
-titles then appear on screen and there is a black background with a single spotlight
-the scene is then set
-"1 year later.." Appalachian Mountain USA


SKELETON KEY
-the scene is set and there is a voiceover which then turns into a character reading a book in a hospital to a sick man, the man then dies
-switches from scene to a landscape shot
-they are then packing up the dead mans items and belongings
-country background music
-family want nothing to do with the dead man
-character seeking a new job for a career
-fast upbeat music then turns into slow motion
-they are in a car driving to the middle of nowhere
-there is a creepy house which is also a care home
-house is very old and everything is creaking


SCREAM
-titles appear on screen straight away with a black background, screaming in the background
-phone then rings and there is a mysterious man on the other end
-phone rings again and it is the same man
-phone rings a third time and it is still the same man
-girl is home alone
-phone rings a fourth time and it is the same man
-phone rings a fifth time and it is the same man
-girl locks herself in the house
-the man on the phone says he is watching and threatens to kill her
-"wants to play a game"
-slow background music adds dramatic tension
-man then kills the characters boyfriend


SCREAM 2
-the scene is set- at the theatre to see a scary film
-you get masks as you enter the film
-background music slows
-switches from real life into the film
-the girl goes to get popcorn - boyfriend scares her
-boy then goes to the toilet and the girl goes back on her own
-the boys hears voices in the cubical next to him so he puts his head against the door and gets stabbed in the side of his face
-someone then comes back and sits with the girl who has the mask on pretending to be her boyfriend
-he then stabs the girl in the cinema
-backing music then adds more tension
-titles then appear on the screen
-there is a new scene set - girl answering phone to a mysterious man


SCREAM 3
-scene set at night, birds eye view from a helicopter
-man in car then gets a phone call from a mysterious woman
-woman's voice then turns into a mans voice
-"want to play a game"
-outside his girlfriends room (threatening to kill her)
-the man then races to hers to the rescue
-background music is soft
-music turns on downstairs in girlfriends house
-a lot of close ups used which is to create tension and show emotion
-killer then pretends to be the boyfriend
-relates back to scream 1 and 2
-boyfriend then arrives and there is no sign of the girl so he then grabs a weapon
-slow tense backing music begins
-girl the attacks the boyfriend thinking that he is the killer
-this ends up in both the girl and boy dying
-titles then appear on the screen
-a new scene is set
-backing music begins straight away


THE AMITYVILLE HORROR
-"Based on a true story"
-dates November 13, 1974 (13 is supposedly an unlucky number)
-black and white
-fast cut montage of images (blury)
-voices saying " catch them, kill them"
-Hyponosis images
-"evil is a proof of God"
-3:15am (thunder and lightening) shows something bad is going to happen
-man then goes up from the basement with a shot gun
-stands and stares out of the window at a boat house
-goes up to the bedroom and shoots mum and dad
-these gun shots then wake up a little girl
-goes into the little boys room and covers them with a duvet and shoots them
-little girl is hid in the wardrobe "i love you jodie" and then shoots her
-zooms out to show house, creaking sign "high hopes"
-titles, with phone call in background to police
-images of the dead family
-news, murder investigation
"1 year later..."
-new scene, dear park long island
-story then begins


THE RING
-night time (darkness, black, scary colour)
-spooky house
-2 girls home alone watching tv
-trying to scare eachother
-phone then rings and the girls go down to answer it
-SILENCE
-tv turns on itslef, the girl turns it off but it turns back on so she unplugs it and sees somehting behind her in reflection
-calls up her friend but no reply
-runs upstairs to see water coming out of her bedroom door
-enters room........ empty
-tv is on, fuzzy tape
-fast cut montage of images of well and tree
-screen then goes fuzzy
-new scene is then set in school


THE RING TWO
-backing music slow and grand
-night time (dark, spooky)
-scene set at the beach
-birds eye view of the waves, close up on waves
-switches from scene to scene of water
-goes to a scene in a home
-boy and a girl home alone and they then watch a scary movie
-tense music
-boy then leaves the room and the girl puts on film
-switches shots from girl to boy and back and forth
-music is rising and getting faster, (building tension)
-girl watches tape
-phone rings, mate on the phone
-blood then comes under the door (imagination)
-girl couldn't watch tape
-boy is killed by girl from tape
-fast cut montage of black and white images
-scary organ backing music then comes on, screaming
-screen then goes fuzzy
-new scene then begins and the story then starts!


FINAL DESTINATION
-starts with spooky slow backing music
-titles then appear with moving images behind them
-finishes on "this is the end"
-senior trip to paris
-at airport saying goodbye to family
-airport flight screens messing up (imagination)
-board plane
-thunder and lightening (this means that something bad may happen or is happening)
-screaming baby
-has a dream that the plane will crash
-dream then begins to become reality
-creates a scene, gets of a plane
-a few others follow
-dream comes true and the plane blows up
-dramatic backing music adds tension


FINAL DESTINATION 2
-news report - 1 year anniversary of plane crash
-voice over of a news report while images shown of characters and objects relating to film
-road trip
-music on radio relating to film "Highway to hell"
-main girl character day dreams of a car crash
-day dream becomes true
-PANIC! background music then builds up which creates tension
-stops traffic
-whole day dream then becomes true and there is a big car crash
-friends killed
-switches scene to police station
-story dies down
(this is also linked with first film)


FINAL DESTINATION 3
-titles appear on screen with moving images relating to the film in the background
-spooky backing music with screams too
-at a theme park
-taking pictures -picture messes up "high drive" "High Di c"
-Go to ride scary roller coaster
-Girl then has doubts about the ride because she is scared
-same girl then has a vision that the roller coaster will crash
-gets off the roller coaster and some people follow her
-watches as the roller coaster crashes just like her vision
-black screen SILENCE
-new scene (peaceful) new setting




RESEARCH ANALYSIS
the majority of the horrors contain a main event connected to the story line of the film, this is linked together with a line such as "1 year later..". They also contain a lot of background music as this adds to the tension and helps to build a suspense. Quite a few contain a mysterious phone call from an unknown number, and this really creeps out the audience too. These are the sort of conventions i will use in my piece

Trip to the Apple Store -MK

When we were during our planning and research and had just started to film some of our shots for our piece we took a school trip to the Apple store in Milton Keynes with the rest of our media class. This trip was really helpful as we all got time to have a one to one talk with one of the colleges who works at the Apple store about any queries or questions we may have on the macs, so anything we did not know how to use or special features that we did not even know were  available to us were talked through and they made sure that we understood what we were doing in order to achieve our final piece to the best quality, and to look as professional as we could. 

I learnt about how to use the blue and green screen, even though i did not end up using this in my final piece, me and Emma Smith still had in mind that we were going to film the London based 'Sex in the City' so instead of us having to take numerous trips to London we could take one trip and if anything was missed out we could have tried to have used the blue and green screen, so this was important for us to find out about.

Also another feature that I found out about was 'Precision Editing' this is when you have got two clips that you would put next to each other, but in order to make sure that they flow and cut to the exact second, you can move each clip easily through precision editing. I used this constantly throughout my work when editing. Here is an example of me using Precision Editing below;

Hypodermic Needle Model

The hypodermic needle model which is also known as the syringe theory is a model of communications which suggests that an intended message is directly received and accepted by the receiver. 

It a theory of media effect on audience. The term is to describe an interaction between the media and public belief, offering the the concept of people becoming affected by the information "injected" into them through their information medium. 

An example of this being; that television viewers would have their minds injected with sec and violence after watching too many graphically violent programmes, and this would then go on to affect their views and behaviour. 

The model tends to subject to powerful and effective propaganda messages wihch they have received and then reproduced.

Preliminary Exercise

Evaluation for AS Prelim

For this task I worked with Emma Smith, whilst I filmed, Emma took the pictures for the storyboard. Then I edited the piece of film on iMovie. We did come across some problems when it came to the filming as we filmed the piece on my own personal camera, but when we brought it to school we were to find out that it was not compatible with the computers here. Therefore we had to plan and start again and film the whole thing on a school camera. This was a disadvantage but we soon picked up and knew what we had to do, so carried on and successfully finished it on time even though the given space for the task was one week!

The basic storyline of the task we got set to do was for a character to open a door, walk across a room towards another character and transfer a few lines between them. When the conversations were to be happening you would have to show basic skills of the 180 degree rule and not ‘cross the line’. I successfully believe that I completed all of these points within my short piece of film.

The characters we used were friends of ours who are also media students, and because of our first problem we had they were a handy source to use. These were Sam Ling and Peter Remon, when in our first piece it was different people which meant that the people in our storyboard are different to the people in our final piece.

Overall however i believe that I included the right shots and camera angles needed to help the screen to give a more professional touch. As well as all of the clips flowing from one to another and successfully using the 180 degree rule too.

Foundation Portofolio Briefs

Video;
Preliminary Exercise: Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.
Main Task- the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes. All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source.