holiday break

I just got back from Dubai and forgot to leave a message before I left. We're now in our christmas holidays, we finished all our shooting and are going to continue with editing once we're back in school. Until then I'm not going to be doing any more blogging.
See you in 2009!

MEETINGS

We discussed the problems we were having in our group to try and overcome them and make our group work together more efficiently. The problems included
- Too little paperwork being done
- More conversations and interactions over blogs needed
- Equipment needs to be used correctly
- Charlotte needs to arrive on time to shoots

These were the four main issues which we figured away to overcome. We allocated different paperwork for different members of the group, we decided to interact more over the blog to show the marker we are communicating well as a team, we decided we would make sure the tripod and camera is set up correctly before every shot, and Charlotte promised she would set her alarm earlier to arrive on time to shoots.

After a few more sessions of editing we noticed there was a lot to re-shoot. Our second shoot is going to be after school on wednesday. Things we need to consider are:
- First shot of the eyes: the camera should pull back to show the audience where the character is, becaure right now, they do not know whether or not she is in the same room as the TV
- The POV shot is too wobbly and needs to be more smooth as if it is from someones perspective
- The establishing shot is too long. There needs to be a few cutaways (maybe have a close up of Charlotte picking up the glass of wine)
- We don't understand why she is switching the TV off. To make it more realistic we could have her switching through the channels to find nothing good coming on TV and then switching it off (A close up of her hand switching the TV off can also be used here)
- In the fridge shot, the reaction shot and the frame within a frame shot do not match. We need to retake both these shots to make the continuity invisible and we need to oil the fridge door to prevent the squeakyness which distracts the audience.
- We need to have more conventional things in the fridge door, in place of carrier bags! Maybe a bottle of water.
- The POV shot of Charlotte through the window is too dark. We could use some outdoor high key lighting to make her more visible
- As she walks back into the house and goes to pick up the phone she, she uses her left hand, yet in the next shot the phone is in her right hand.
- As she goes up the stairs we could have another cutaway to her hand on the stair handle.
- We need to re-shoot the scenes with the phone, with the phone actually ringing as we realised it would be too hard to match the phone and sound together- We would loose the diagetic sound.
- There is a lack of lighting in the last shot, making it look very grainy and unprofessional. We will add more high key lighting to make the copy look of higher quality and more professional.

So there is quite a lot of re-shooting to be done but it should be finished by the end of this week so we can get on with serious editing next week!

Here is a page from the storyboard I drew for our group. It came in very handy as we knew exactly what shots to take and roughly how long they should last. It prevented us from wasting time and shooting un-necessary shots

Real shoot and editing

REAL SHOOT
On saturday 29th December we had our first real shot - it went better than planned! As soon as all the members of the group has arrived we got started straight away and worked right up till the end with only one (fifteen minute) break! We took three of more shots of every shot as we figured this was essential after the number of suprises we had whilst viewing our test shot!
EDITING
We started editing today - began capturing and saving every shot seperately. Looking back at the shots, they looked really professional. The sound and lighting was good throughout, apart from a few at the end of the sequence. Next lesson we will start choosing which shot we liked most out of the three we took for every shot.

IDEAS

Here is a brief story line of my idea:

A teenage girl is sitting at home alone, watching TV downstairs, when she hears peculiar noises and creaks coming from upstairs. She goes upstairs into every room to see where this sound is coming from. She checks every possible room and every possible hiding place yet sees noone. She continues hearing footsteps and decides to call her friend who lives around the corner.
Girl: 'I think someone is in my house, I'm hearing noises upstairs but when I went to check, nobody was there'
Friend: 'Why don't you come to my house and you can stay here for the night, however, leave the phone off the hook incase I hear something'
Girl puts phone down on the table, off the reciever. She walks out the front door making sure she locks it and then runs to her friends house down the road. Just as her friend sees her running to his house from his bedroom window he hears the phone on the other line put back on the reciever.

GROUPS!

We've already been allocated our groups and I am workin with two of my very good friends: Charlotte Cooper and Loren Dodi. This will definitely help cominucation throughout this coursework yet may also cause many distractions and irrelevant conversations! We are all pretty keen media students and know when to get serious with work so I reckon shooting an opening sequence of a horror film will be an amazing experience and we'll do a pretty good job of it!
Our first test shoot was on Monday 24th November. We met up at my house at 13.00 and finished shooting at 19.00 (with breaks inbetween)
The test shoot was extremely useful and gave us starting confidence to shoot the real thing. After watching and reflecting back on the sequence, I realised there are many things I should take into consideration for the real shoot. Reflections on the sequence are on the group blog. The test shoot overall went very well; We accomplished what we were set to do and furthermore, discovered which shots worked well and which ones worked not so well. Because Charlotte and Loren are two of my very good friends, we did get distracted quicly and very often which made the test shoot finish later than expected. As a result we have decided that in the real shoot we are going to have an hour break where we can talk all we want after every two solid hours of media!

BLK feedback

Please keep up with your Stage 1 posting Nisha - you need to show how the project is developing from your own perspective.No evidence for this so far on this blog. Try to avoid long-ish gaps between posts.

Please see the main blog posts for advice on how to proceed with your individual blog if you're not sure what you should be doing.Your evaluation and continuity sequence link? What's going on?

OPENING SEQUENCE

THE RING (2002, Verbinksi)




This opening sequence is one of the best I've ever seen. A spine-chilling, engaging sequence which follows the conventions of a horror opening sequence, yet is individual by not following the Todorev classic narrative theory.
The sequence starts with a low establishing shot of a corridor. At the far end of the shot we see a girl running up the stairs in a skirt and a shirt,(portraying she may be school child) as if she may have just heard a noise. As she walks towards the puddle of water (in the foreground of the shot) her pace slows down, implying to the audience something mysterious is about to occur. The reaction shot really involves the audience as we know exactly how the girl is feeling. The close up of the door knob creates impact and emphasises on the dripping water. This is an enigma shot as the audience urge to know what is on the other side of the door. We are then taken into a long shot of the inside of the room, the audience are not yet sure whether this is her own room or someone elses. We hear a high pitched scream and a cut away to what the girl is looking at - a black and white fuzzy TV screen. The camera then zooms into the girls' shocked face, allowing the audience to empathise with her.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS
The girl is a blonde and looks innocent, making her look vulnerable and naive. She is dressed in a short skirt and an untucked shirt which gives the audience the impression she is a laid back, unorganised girl. Her nails are long and painted implying she is a 'girly-girl.' This allows the audience to sympathise with her as we believe she isn't the type of girl who will be able to defend herself.
SOUND
There is no soundtrack until 0.36 seconds into the sequence. This creates maximum impact on the diegetic sound in the shot. For example, the running up the stairs, and drip sound of the water are made audible and sound more primitive because of the deadly silence. The screeching of the TV stands in stark contrast to the deadly silence in the previous shots, giving the audience a suprised shock. The soundtrack then starts at 0.36 - the instument is a xylophone, paired with a more primitive string instrument which gradually seems to dominate the sountrack.

DVD COVER ANALYSIS

The colour theme of the 'Legally Blonde' DVD cover is blue and pink. The pink connotes girly, feminine and pretty. The blue and pink together are subtle and is 'easy going' (as blue connotes calmness) The main character is in the foreground, bigger than anything else in the image. She stands out as she is dressed differently and brightly in comparison to the people in the background. The protagonists in the back are insignificant and small. Creating all focus on Reese Witherspoon. They stand looking shocked (the girl looking jealous) in the background as she walks towards something the audience can not see: anchoring the slogan. 'Boldly goes where no blonde has gone.' Witherspoon is in her own world, ignoring the looks from other characters, showing she is determined to achieve whatever she wants. The university in the far back,clothing styles and the folders in Witherspoons' hand promises the audience that this is based at a university. Therfore, the target audience is teenage girls (maybe slightly older) as it gives the younger girls an inspirational character to look up to and the older girls something to refer back to - there uni days! 'Legally Blonde' is quite an anti climax title. 'Legally' suggest the film is based around law, and the 'Blonde' portrays clumsyness, glamourous and pretty. The words together suggest that it is adequate and achievable to be Blonde and clever!
In the bottom right corner 'Two thumbs up!' emphazies on how good this film must be! It shows that the movie must be a good film. Reece Witherspoon is a well known actress with many fans, therefore having her name on the front cover will help sell the film.
The back of the cover gives a small synopsis on the film. A few of the main characters are portrayed in snap shots, making the cover seem interesting and fun. 'A feel good girl power comedy!' is a valued judgement which promises the target audience that it will be funny. Witherspoons' boyfriend in one of the snap shots shows that the movie is a chickflick/romcom. On the left is an image of Witherspoon, surrounded by books and her dog. At the bottom of the back cover is a 'Special features' banner which reads everything that is included in the DVD. Such as, deleted scenes. This makes the audience think they are getting more than just what they want and therefore are encouraged to buy it. The pink and blue matches with the front of the cover.
A DVD cover needs to stand out and draw in the target audience. It needs to give away the main best selling points in oder to encourage the consumer to buy the DVD. Overall, I think this DVD cover engages with the target audience very well and is extremely intriguing. I would and have already bought it!

EVALUATION ON OUR PRELIMINARY TASK

Our preliminary exercise was a continuity task involving filming and editing a character openening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.

1) Who did you work with and how did you manage the tast between you?
My group consisted of five people: Jack, Bisma, Charlotte, Mary and myself. We decided the most sufficient way of of accomplishing this task was to manage it between us. In order for each of us to benefit from this practical we took turns in the different jobs - camera work, sound work and directing. The actors were Charlotte and I, Jack was mainly in control of the sound work, Bisma in control of the camera work and Mary the personal assistant.'Camera ready, sound ready, actors ready, roll camera, ACTION.' The benefit from allocating jobs was that we wouldn't waste time in swapping equipment every fifteen minutes as we were already under a strict time limit of an hour. Although we all agreed to our allocated jobs, we still helped out with other roles in order to make our sequence successful. We gave Bisma the responsibility of the camera work because she is new to media and is not yet famliar with everythin. The rest of the team aways gave her help and advice. During editing we all took turns. We had an hour to finish editing and therefore swapped editor every fifteen minutes so that every member of the group got to be familar with the editing hardware and the different tools used.

2) How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use?
In order for any task to be successful, it is essential to have beforehand preperation. Mary was the best drawer in our group and volunteered to draw out the shots on the story board whilst the rest of the group offered ideas of shot types, camera movements and character roles.The story board portrayed visually how the sequence would look like and where the person would be in each shot . It also gave us an overview of the continuity in our sequence. All of us helped out in the dialogue script at the same time. The dialogue had to match with the storboard, therfore we all decided to work on the storyboard and shooting script together. Furthermore we discussed the order of shoots. We decided all shots containing Charlotte by herself in the classroom will be shot first, then all the shots containing just me in the classroom. Finally we saved all the shots of the corridor of Charlotte walking into the room till last as this would save precious time. In the real shooting, it would be a clever idea to shoot one protagonists shots all together as it is much easier for the actor and the rest of the cast. We had a meeting the following week where we decided what props we needed, where the sequence was going to be shot and who wanted to be in charge of what. We also had a quick run through of our sequence, making sure there weren't any problems.

3) What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?
Various equipment and technology was used to complete this task. We used a hardware, camera mics (boom microphones) - to absorb and exaggerate every sound,
headphones - to hear exactly what is being recorded,making sure it is clear and accurate enough, therefore avoiding any suprising whilst editing!
HD mini Dv cameras - to shoot the sequence. I found them very useful as they were small and easy to carry and move.
tripod - to experiment with different types of shots: planning, tracking etc. Also keeping the camera steady and making the shoot look more professional.
premier pro (non linear editing) - to edit the sequence, put the shots in the correct order, give the sequence a meaning and cut out any unwanted scenes.
Razor tool - to cut the shots into appropriate lengths
grab tool - to re-order the shots, so that the overall sequence makes sense
Titling - Giving our shot a title - adding to the narrative image
Fade - Beginning and eding fading in to make it look more smoothe.
White board - this helps us whilst editing making the process quick and efficient.

4) What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
There were many factors we had to take into accounting whilst planning, shooting and editing. Planning:During planning, weather is one of the main factors we need to consider. Only the first bit of our sequence showed a protagonist outdoors therefore it didn't effect us. However if we were shooting outdoors we would have to make sure it wasn't raining as this would ruin all equipment and technology. We would have to make sure the continuity is correct and that the weather doesn't change noticably between shots - therfore checking the weather forecast is ideal. Time was another factor we had to consider during planning. We had an hour to shoot our sequence, therefore we had to work quickly and efficiently. We definitely benefited from preparing beforehand as this made us organised; preventing any time wasting. Location is another factor to consider; whether or not it is ideal for the scene (is it plausible? ls it logical?) and whether it will be available or not. Our group wasted a lot of time waiting for other groups to finish shooting in a certain location. To avoid this problem again, we would either avoid shooting at school and crowded places, or check whether or not the location is available before hand. Budget is obviously a major issue to take into account. We overcame this, as clothing and props were the property of either the actors, schools or other members in the group. Finally, the sequence was shot in school so we didn't have to hire or pay for locations or props.
Shooting: During shooting continuity, lighting, sounds and shot types were the most important factors to consider. A repeating error in our sequence was the continuity. Between shots we had to make sure the actor was in the same place in the frame and the clothing, hairstyle and props were the same. For example, if someone went to open the door with their left hand and the camera turned 180 degrees, he/she should still be holding onto it with their left hand. Lighting should be the same throughout the sequence (natural and artificial); part of a sequence can't be shot in daylight and the second half in the evening as this is a continuity error and is not plausible to the audience. Artificial lights should not be obvious. High key lighting is ideal as it lights up the studio but also looks realistic and doesn't create unwanted shadows. The microphone picked up every bit of noise - including unwanted background noise, which is why it was essential to shoot a shot more than once and to hold the microphone very still.
Editing: We had to make sure each individual shot was cut appropriatley and was put in the correct order. The continuity should be invisible and should not distract the audience from what is happening in the sequence itself.

5) How successful was your sequence? Please identidy what worked well and with hindsight, what would you inprove/do differently?
Overall, I thought our sequence worked very well. We achieved our brief and demonstrated match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule in the sequence.
The match on action is when


The shot reverse shot is when the two protagonists exchange dialogue. The camera moves from towards an over the shoulder shot of the teacher, to the student, and back to the teacher again.
The 180 degree rule is when the student walks in through the door of the classroom. We see her pushing the door and walking into the room from outside the room. The camera then switches to being in the classroom and watching her walk in. Although the overall sequence worked well, there were three minor contuinity errors which nobody out of the group could actually spot. The first one was when the student walks through the second door. She PUSHES it with her hand yet as she walks in she is HOLDING onto the handle.
The second continuity error is the computer screen the teacher was working on. In the first shot of the teacher, there is a file open on the screen. As the camera moves further back to the master shot the file is closed. Finally, when it closes up on the teacher again, the file is opened.
The third and final error is when the student gets up to leave. After saying 'Thanks for nothing Miss' she tucks in the chair fully under the table.However, the next panning shot shows the chair not tucked in. Although these continuity errors are not that obvious we need to be aware that the every action is the same in every shot. The location was also logical. The class being empty showed that the 'stoppy media student' came in after a lesson to complain about her group when the other group members weren't there. However, the sequence may have been more logical if it was shot in the teachers office. Overall, the continuity was invisible, the sequence made sense and flowed and there weren't any distractions.

6) What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?
The purpose of the preliminary tast was to experiment with different equipment and practise our shooting, planning and editing techniques. We had to also identify and learn from our mistakes (if any).
I have learnt how to use the razor tool, how to title and how to fade. How to work with the microphone and that it is essential to make sure there is no unwanted background noise being absorbed. I have also learnt how to demonstrate a match on action, shot/reverse shoot and 180 degree rule. I have learnt that continuity plays a big part in shooting and that it is essential to make a sequence flow well. I have learnt that it is essential to prepare before shooting as this saves a lot of time and that you don't need to shoot in the order the sequence is going to be shown as this will only waste time. The main thing to take away from this practical is to ALWAYS shoot every shot twice or more, because there will almost always be something wrong with one of the shots. This way, you will also have a wider variety to choose from and you won't have to worry about going back and shooting the shot again. (If you did, it would ruin the continuity as the location appearance or protagonist appearance is bound to have altered). I have learnt from my mistakes and will avoid making the same ones in my real foundation coursework.

OPENING SEQUENCES

What an opening sequence should include:
-Show institutions
-Engage audiences attention
-Introduce characters
-Introduce location/setting/time
-Show the theme and genre of the film
-Introduce a narrative structure
-Use the conventions of a certain genre
-Establish the iconography
-Contain soundtrack (or lack of)
-Show/set the overall pace of the film
-Give clues that relate to future storyline of the film

FILMING WITH A LOW BUDGET

Budget is an important factor to think about before filming. In order to make sure our film looks professional without spending much there are a few things we can do:
Actors (friends, drama students) - Well known characters are obviously way above our price range as they would help sell the movie. Aswell as talented actors, we need reliable ones. If actors/actresses don't turn up, production costs would rise and we would waste vaulable time. Animals and children also cost more to hire as they are harder to work with/train.
Locations - Keeping our locations limited is essential. Hiring out areas would be costly and therefore an ideal place to shoot is on public roads, houses, parks etc. Also, scenes set in moving vehicles are very expensive and time-consuming.
Special effects - Few low-budget movies can afford "real" special effects, such as explosions, special prosthetics, or computer graphics, so these scenes should be avoided. Instead, we'd have to add in special effects from our own software.
Heavy make up and hairstyles -Difficult make up and hairstyle will be time consuming, wasting production time. This would raise the cost of production as it will take longer to film the scene and hire the crew.
Costume - Although costumes are an ideal thing to make the scene seem as realistic as possible, they are also very expensive. Costumes of those in the group or the actors would be a good idea.

HAIRSTYLE, MAKE UP AND COSTUMES

Costumes and make up are a ideal source to make a surreal character come to life. In 'Exorcism of Emily Rose' and 'The Ring' the deadliest aspect of the characters was their hair - messy, uncombed and dragging across their face. It made the characters look disturbed and unable to mantain themselves: looking like they just escaped from their grave. Their faces are pale and zombie like. Other movies, like the scream are based around 'the mask'- that in itself is primitive as it leaves it to the audience to imagine what stands behind the mask. The more different the characters look to humans, the more threatening and mysterious they look. The iconic image of Frankenstein is a horror in itself as the audience question how it possible to have a bolt go through your neck. These strange 'superpowers' make the characters seem to have no feelings, and therefore nothing can be done to destory them. In my opinion, if the costume and make up is done realistically, it can be far more horror like than a mask.

THE RING - 2002, directed by Gore Verbinski

The ring, is quite possibly the most scariest horror movie I have seen. I thought it would be a great one to analyse because the character costume and make up are phenomonal and the basic storyline is spine chilling. The movie is about a journalist, Rachael Keller,investigating a videotape and trying to find out whether the urban legend about this tape:the viewer will die seven days after watching it, is true or not. Many people have been killed after watching this tape, proving the legend is correct, yet after she and her own son watch the tape, matters become worse and it is a race against time to find out why the tape is killing everyone and how it can be stopped. The girl in this tape is Samara Morgan, who died a dreadful death. Falling down a well, is a horror in itself. Her hair is draping across her face, showing nothing more than an eye and a bit of her nose, yet even from what we can see of her, we know she is forever frowning. This makes her seem disturbed yet mysterious, as the audience urge to see he full face. She walks with her arms stretched infront of her, like a zombie and grips onto anything which comes in her way.

THE POSTER
A long shot of a young girl bowing her head down, looking at the floor. She sits on a chair, with her hands in her lap, as the audience fear to see what lurks behind that long black hair which hangs across her face. Although she looks deadly, her position is insecure: her shoulders shrugged, and her back hunched. Making the audience almost feel almost sympathetic towards her. Wearing a plain white overcoat, the young girl is in the middle of the shot, with lighting around her. The four sides of the poster are dark and mysterious, and the black becomes fainter as it comes close to the middle of the poster, bordering and revealing the young girl. The quality is bad and olden. (like an olden days film) This creates narrative image as it is indirectly relating to the tape the young girl made before she died. The room she is sitting in is empty with nothing but a chair and pitch white clinical walls, there are no other distractions which attracts the eye of the audience- therefore the focus is completely on the young girl. The room looks like a prison room. This gives the audience the impression she is guilty for doing something, yet creates enigma as they don't know what she has done. Yet.
The white stands out in stark contrast to the black background. 'the ring two' is written without any capital letters and in a childs handwriting - perhaps the young girls'. This sets a primitive atmosphere as children are usually associated with innocence rather than murder. It contradicts to any parents thought. Finally the 'O' in two, is a ring - relating back to the title itself. Again, this creates enigma, as the audience have no idea what the ring does or why it is important.
'Fear comes full cicle.' - The alternative alliteration of 'C' gives off a chlastrophobic sense to the film, making the audience feel trapped and unwanted. The alternative alliteration of 'F' creates a fighting barrier - as Rachael Keller and her son fight against time to find out what the tape is about. The slogan is short, creating impact and does not give too much away. It leaves it to the audiences' imagination to decide what the slogan means.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN


I think this poster is absolutley terrific. The layout, background, text and foreground all work so well together. The centre of the poster focuses on the main male protagonist, Johnny Depp (standing furtherst towards the audience), immediately behind is the main female protagonist, Keira Knightly. Followed by Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush. The costumes of the characters set the atmosphere and location. With Johny Depp holding a sword across his body in a defensive posture and his head tilted slightly up, makes the audience feel timid towards his controlling personality. The dark night sky sets a mysterious atmostphere. The sea and boat at the back anchors the title 'Pirates of the caribbean' and the jewellery and skull in the foreground creates malignant imagery, making the movie seem eerie and mysterious. Finally, the flicky white writing stands out clearly. It is bold and looks like capital calligraphy

NARRATIVE IMAGE

Narrative image is about the marketing of a film: what we think and see of the film before it is released. 'It is less that the film. It is the promise.'
Narrative image is created via posters, adverts, directors, title, actors, merchandising, studio, slogan, websites, images, trailers etc

HOW DID STEP UP 2 CREATE ITS NARRATIVE IMAGE?
ACTORS : Many well known actors starred in step up 2 including: Cassie - the R n B singer, Chaning Tatum - the actor from many previous successful dance movies, and Briana Evigan who starred in Step up 1 - having these characters promised the audience something similar to the first step up movie which was very successful amongst its target audience. Good looking singers such as Cassie, Tpain and Missy Elliot also attracted not only fans of the movie, but also fans of the singer, helping sell the movie.
POSTERS and ADVERTS: Step up2 was advertised on billboards, sides of buses, telephone boxes, radio and TV adverts. Marketing strategies always raise the awareness of the product you are trying to sell. Step up 2 was also advertised on the internet - on a lot of youth websites. Pop up boxes on msn (a worldwide used chat) lead to the official step up website. There is also a group on facebook 'fans of step up2' and a link on myspace(www.myspace.com/stepupmovie). Advertising on well known links which have many viewers which helps spread word and mouth endorsement and boost the awareness of the film.
WORD AND MOUTH ENDORSEMENT: Like mentioned earlier, this was created by branding on famous websites and over the internet. Step up2 was also featured in magazines, making the audience well aware of when this film was coming out. I think word and mouth endorsement is the most important marketing strategy. It can 'make or break' a film. Therefore to make your film look phenomonal from the start is essential. Step up 2 had a positive word and mouth endorsement as many famous actors were featuring in it: Everyone's favourite - Chaning Tatum definitely helped spread the word and mouth endorsement.
TITLE: 'Step up 2' barely gives away any of the movie. It leaves the audience lingering on what or who needs to step up. It gives the movie the sense of a 'competition' based storyline. The title adds to the narrative image of the film, giving the audience a sense of what it is about. It creates enigma as it doesnt give too much away.
TRAILERS:

Trailers are introduced well before the film is released to give the audience a feel of what is coming soon in cinema. It makes them aware of the storyline, the characters, the genre and the releasing date.
The trailer for 'Step up' clearly indicates it is a musical with the variety of songs and dancing styles. From a mixture of RnB and hiphop to indie and jazz music, along with different dance styles including street dance and ballet, definitely brings in a huge variety of audiences. The trailer gives a brief over view of the storyline. The montage at the beginning of the trailer, fastens the paste of it, mirroring the fast music. 'Are you ready to step up?' is a rheotorical question: involving the audience. The text is messy and radical - portraying the high school life. The movie is based around the main character - Andie, therefore, so is the trailer. The camera is always around Andie or anything to do with her life. She's always having arguments or confrontations with others in the high school, making the overall story line seem more interesting and engaging. Different words such as 'respect' 'belive' and 'love' gives away a bit more on what the film is about and what the audience should expect. The audience go into the cinema knowing the movie is about the root of dancing and the rivalry between two groups. But they are left wanting to know who wins the competition and whether or not 'Andi' is accepted into the dance school.

SOUNDS - diegetic and non diegetic

Sound plays a huge role on the genre of the film. It helps create certain atmospheres or gives dramatic impact.

The first feature film released with a soundtrack was called 'The jazz singer.' Every film before was without sound (just a piano being played by a professional in the corner of the cinema!) The main reason why films didn't have sound till very late was because film companies didn't want to spend large amounts when they were already making huge profits with silent movies.

DIEGSIS- The world of a film
DIEGETIC- Sound that belongs to the world of the film.

OFFSCREEN - audience can hear it and see it

ONSCREEN - audience can hear it but not see it
NON DIEGETIC - Sound effects and added sounds. (Not sounds which are emphasised)

SOUND BRIDGE This is when the sound from one scene continues into or over the next scene. The images we see change but the sound is still from the previous scene.

PARALLEL SOUND - When the sound complements the visuals onscreen so that the music tone and mood/image matches.

CONTRAPUNTAL SOUND When the sounds we hear and the visuals onscreen that we can see do not match.

Jaws: the Revenge Opening Title Sequence

SOUNDS - NON DIEGETIC
The scene starts with a crescendo - making it seem as if the shark has just woken up. The sound varies from loud to soft as the shark picks up its pace swimming in the sea. As soon as the camera is above the water (sharks point of view) violins are introduced and the rhythm fastens creating a slight tension. AS the camera returns back under the sea the music contrastingly changes into something more relaxed and gentle. The uncertainty of the music reflects the unpredictability of what the shark can do next. The contrasting music of when the camera is nearer then bed of the sea and above the water gives and impressions that the shark is on a search for something and emphasises on what the sharks next target is: something on shore. The shark then reaches above the surface a second time, and the audience are welcomed again with the repetition of the deadly string instruments and all the elements of the orchestra creating a murderous atmosphere. At 2.07 you hear the shimmering of the water, which is a clear indication of the shark peaking through. As it approaches near land and sees the housing the music begins to rapidly pick up its pace with warning harmonies and create tension and suspense. The music quickens, gradually becomes louder and is then met to a sudden stop. As if the shark has found what it is looking for.

The overall impact of the sound, makes the scene seem so primitive and dangerous. It is appealing to our emotions and adds to the horror theme of the film.

COLOURS AND WHAT THEY CAN CONNOTE

Different colour create different meanings. In 'Don't look now' the most obvious colour coding was red:
The young girls red coat,
The red blood,
The red flowers,
The red paint,
The red pavement,
The red pillars atc
Red connotes love, danger, anger and death - which fits in excellently with the narrative image.
The young girl who dies from drowning at the start of the movie wore a long red coat, connoting the strong love bond between her and her father. Yet, towards the end of the movie, the serial killer who ends up killing the dad himself wore a long red coat similar to that of the daughters. The red which connoted 'love' has transformed into the red which connotes 'danger' and 'death' as the story unravels.

HORROR CONVENTIONS
Iconography - Iconography is the pictures/images the audience universally recognise with a certain genre. Some examples of famous iconography are:
Halloween mask, Psycho (shower scene, 'Here's Johnny', Frankenstein (bolts through the neck)
Props - An essential part of the horror genre. Props include, candles, weapons, daggers, blood etc. All these props make the genre and the world of the movie more realistic.
Style - Style includes the different shot types, editing, atmosphere created etc.
This is emphasises by Dark and shadowy figures (as seen from many horror movies)
POV shots, fast cuts, creepy music, climatic moment, sense of fear etc
Settings - Dark places, haunted houses, ally ways, castles and mountains, isolated places
A good example of a setting is 'Psycho.' Most of the movie is set in the hotel and the isolated house a few yards away from it. The hotel is just off a motorway, away from any sort of foodstores, restaurants etc, and has hardly ever any reservations- so little that there is no need to even have a registration book! - An ideal place for a murder to take place!
Characters - A serial killer, or just a killer. An innocent young child who always seems to be left home alone, devils, vampires, detectives, monster, human heroes, bazare creatures, women as the vulnerable victims.
Emotional pleasures are essential to make a movie successful. The audience need to feel involved in the movie and the actions. Themes include: fear, isolation, traps, death, gore, pursuit etc.

TIMELINE

Here is a timeline of a few of my favourite or well known horror movies throughout time.

Miss Thrashers homework

PLOT FOUR

ONE MORE STOP

ACTRESS: CAMERON DIAZ

Plot four is based around a young female who works in a charity shop. She gets the train to and for work. This is observed by her train driver. He is a 40 year old man who becomes so obssessed with her, he does anything to spy on her and find out about her life. His obsession leads him to jealousy when he sees her with another man, who she kisses as she gets off the train. He waits until a day when she is alone in the carriage. At the next station he tells eveyone to get off the train, but doesn't open the door to her carriage. He takes her to the end of the line, where he ties her to the train track. He attaches a note to her body - 'bad things happen to good people, so why be good?' He leaves, and when the next train comes into that station, she is crushed.
WHY I CHOSE CAMERON DIAZ TO ACT IN THIS FILM

Cameron Diaz is known for being stereotypical, glamorous blonde. Her previous work such as starring in 'In her shows' exaggerates this image. She looks like a young innocent girl who would be willing to work in a charity shop yet at the same time is gorgeous and is likely to attrack some male attention! She also seems rather vulnerable and wouldn't be able to defend herself in a situation like the one in the plot. This makes the movies seem more plausible as the characters can emphasise with a realistic character.

WHY WE CHOSE THE TITLE - ONE MORE STOP

This added to the location of the film, yet at the same time didn't give much of the storyline away, therefore it created enigma. 'One more stop' sounds quite spine-chilling as if someone is urging to get off the train. This adds to the narrative image of the film, and gives the audience a sense of what the narrative is about.

PLOT ONE
CAN-CAN SHE DO IT
ACTRESS: QUEEN LATIFAH AND HALLE BERRY

The plot ia about a girl whose dream is to one day move to Paris and become a Moulin Rouge dancer. She has a huge passion for this which is then ruined when her mum dies due to lung cancer, and her dad puts her and her sister up for adoption. The girl gets ripped away from her father and is adopted by a rich family in Washington DC. She changes into a different, posher, primer person. Her foster parents' dream is to see her become the first female president of the USA. One day, while she is funning for president she manages to reunite herself with her sister who makes her realise what she really wants. She drops out of the elections and moves to Paris with her sister where she pursues her dream of being a moulin rouge dancer.
WHY I CHOSE HALLE BERRY AND QUEEN LATIFAH
I chose Queen Latifah to be the older sister, as she was born in 1970 (the elder out of the two) therefore makes the role more plausible. She has is known as a great actor, daner and singer after performing in hairspray, 2007, directed by Adam Shankman. I chose Halle Berry to play the role of the younger sister as she comes across as naive with her short hair.She is also a very volatile actor who can play many roles. After acting in one of the James Bond movies, she has shown a serious side to her which would make the 'USA president elections' seem realistic. Race was an issue in this, as the two actresses need to be related we had to make sure they werent of different races.
WHY WE CHOSE THE TITLE - CAN CAN SHE DO IT?
The title is a play on words.
Can-can is relating to the dance style in the moulin rouge times. It adds to the narative image of the film, but doesnt give too much away. The rheotorical question creates enigma as the audience wonder what she can or can't do

HORROR MOODBOARD
Here is a moodboard I created based on the genre 'horror.' The images are from movies such as Scream, Final destination, Psycho, The Omen e.t.c. This moodboard helps visually portray the 'horror' theme ,

THE JOKER- played by Heath Ledger

'Why so serious?'

The Dark Knight Director - Christopher Nolan The Joker is more of a surreal character in comparison to Chris Gardner and various other characters. He is portrayed as the villain in 'The Dark Knight' Being bought up in a harsh background explains the dark, threatening personality of the character. Heath Ledgers remarkable talent left the audience on the edge of their seats as they watched this made up character seem so real.

Clothing/appearance - With no doubt, Heath Ledgers strange make up made him seem mysterious and unknown. His pale white face stood out in stark contrast with the deep red lipstick engraved against his cheeks: Making him look 'forever smiling.' I love the Joker’s makeup as I thought it created such a big impact to the character, believably reflecting how a disturbed person would apply makeup: smeary and chaotic. His always greasy, long hair simply added to his unpredictatble pesrsonality. Although is face looked in need of mantainance, he dressed smartly (wearing suits and waistcoats). This made him look professional in what he did. Personality - Psychioathic, freakish, mass murdering, depraved, witty, intelligent, powerful, eerie. Many describe him as a 'schizophrenic clown with zero empathy.' I can't help but cringe when thinking of the irritating, constant licking of the Jokers' lips. Furthermore, he always turned his head so sharply, as if something had always caught his eye. These habits simply added to make the character a real person.His constant chuckles and humorous personality made his darker, murderous side seem somehow, more deadly and sinister. Lines such as 'Why are you always so sad' and 'Why so serious?' gave the character a bazaar, unexpected personality, as the audience question, how a murder can ask someone why they are looking so sad. The characters' posture was always hunched to go with a deep, primitive voice. Heath Ledger was a gifted person with great acting talent. Nolan added no "digital effects" to alter Ledger's actual performance posthumously. May his soul R.I.P.

CHARACTERS

CHRIS GARDNER - played by Will Smith
'If you want something, go get it. Period.'
The pusuit of happiness
Director - Gabriel Muccino
Chris Gardner - A 51 year old man with a wife and son. He was born in Louisiana and lived through a difficult childhood. He lived with an abusive stepfather who beat his mother.Chris Gardner has faced some obstruction; those are lack of understanding from his wife, financial problem and his education background He is a real life character played by Will Smith. Will Smith, a famous actor, made this character come back to life.
Clothing/appearance - During the opening scenes of the film, Will Smith is dressed in poor quality jeans and a top. From this early clothing style, the audience already know he is a low quality man who finds it hard to pay off his debts. As the film unfolds and Will Smith is determined to make his way up to become a stock broker, he wears a suit. The same suit, every single day. Again, this makes the audience aware of his lack of income. His stubby beard and grey hairs make him look aged and feeble. It gives him a sense of vulnerabilty, yet his top botton done up and neat tie give the audience the impression of him being an organised, determined character. His big glasses gives off an 'old fashioned' yet intelligent sense from the character.
Personality - Caring/loving, determined, selfless, intelligent, punctual, preserving, intiative, self-confident and motivated.Chris Garden is a caring character, who deeply loves his wife and son. After splitting up with his wife due to money problems, he refuses to let his son go. Through his harsh days he manages to spend time with his son aswell as putting his all into his work. His determination and strength makes him an inspiring character. The audience sympathise with him as we know what he has to go through every day. Being such a strong character, makes it heartbreaking to see him cry when times have come to the worse, and he is forced to sleep in the toilets. His lines and morals in the film gave him his inspirational personality.

CRANE SCENE - spiderman 3

Spiderman 3,2007
SAM RAIMI
I chose this specific shot to analyse, as the crane scene in Spiderman 3 in my opinion, is one of the best shot scenes I've watched. The variety of shots creates both tention and suspense.
The photo i chose is a long high angle shot from the scene. In the foreground we see the characters hands grip tightly onto the bar which is keepin her alive, and in the background we see the high rise buildings, the busy roads and the fast cars.
The characters expressions are very important in this shot. As she screams for her life, the audience empathise and sypathise with her. They are taken above the scene to see exactly how far the fall is. As the audience watch the character hang from the bar they urge to help save her. If this shot was taken any differently, the impact on the audience wouldn't be as great as they wouldn't be able to see through the character's perspective. The audience feel her tention as they wait for spiderman to come to the rescue.

PSYCHO, 1960

ALFRED HITCHCOCK
An inspiring, influential, 1960's film maker and producer who specialised in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After watching Psycho, I realised why Alfred Hitcock was highly inspired by many. Psycho left the audience in suspence through out the whole movie. What I love about Alfred Hitchcocks' movies are his use of shot types. There are a few excellent shots in Psycho which create a big impact on the audience, making them feel part of the shot and empathise with the characters. One of the shots which inspired me the most is where Marion enters the creepy house where 'the mother' stays. She sees Norman running to the house and runs to the basement stairs. The camera here is in the corner of the room, showing both Marion looking through the bars on the stairs and Norman entering through the door. This long shot emphasises on how close the two characters are yet neither of them can see the other one. We can see both characters and therefore feel nervous and empathise with Marion, hoping she is not caught my Norman. This shot is very well done, and creates a perfect eerie sense to the film.

Some behind the scene gossip! In the famous 'shower scene,' Hitchcock used chocolate instead of ketchup, in place for the blood. The ketchup was too thin and therefore they needed something more visible and thicker- chocolate! Because the movie was in black and white, the colour of the blood didn't matter.

CHARACTERS
Anthony perkins - Norman Bates
Janet Leigh - Marion Crane
Vera Miles - Lile Crane
John Gavin - Sam Loomis
Martin Malsam - Milton Arbogast

LOCATIONS

The house where the mother lives.
This building follows the conventional horror elements: A detatched, creeky, wooden, decripit looking large house. We only see the outside of the house untill past half way through the film. This makes the house seem more mysterious. The audience always hear 'the mother' screaming from the house every time Norman enters it. Towards the end, we see 'the mothers' bedroom, where everything is left preserved the way it would if someone was still living in it.

sounds, shot types, and editing

Looking into continuity editing

Batman - the dark knight
Christopher Nolan, 2008
Starting off with a longshot of the truck we know where the scene is taking place. As we see the joker point his gun at the second truck we are lead to an inserting shot(where we see who/what the gun is pointing to.) This helps the audience follow through and understand the next shot as they see the bullets come through the other side of the vehicle. If the audience didn't see the bullets hit the outside of the truck, they wouldn't be clear as to where the bullets came from.At 0.28, one of the characters say 'What is that? A bazooka' This leads to a shot of the joker firing at the car (this is the insert shot) which takes the audience through the scene step by step to when the car is blown into the air. This shot contains many sudden changes of shot from one viewpoint to another. This helps, not only to build up an image of what is happening in the scene but is also deliberatley done to shock the audience, create tension and fasten the rate of the scene, keeping the audience engaged with every character throughout.

LOOKING AT SOUNDS, SHOT TYPES AND EDITING

Primeval
Michael Katleman, 2007
Starting off with a crane of the woodlands and the wildlife makes the sudden darkness in the next shot unexpected and frightening. The sound emphasises the eerieness from the whistling and tweeting of the woodlands, to the thunderstorm. The short extreme close ups create enigma as the audience are urging to know what the objects in the trailer are and what relation it has with the serial killer. The black scenes between each individual shot break up the continuity, speeding up the rhythm of the trailer. The blurry shots at 0.35 make it hard to make out who the characters in the film are. It makes the trailer more horror like as we are left unknowing who is who and why they have blood drippin down their face. The screaming in this section also emphasises on the sinister approach to the movie. The low angle shot in this section makes the character seem more dominant and controlling yet in the next shot we see rescue helpers carry dead bodies. This creates enigma as the audience have no idea how the character was killed. The forward tracking at 0.52 gives us a good look at the characters expression, making it obvious the serial killer is approaching her. She is left speechless, exaggerating her emotions. Finally, after a minute into the trailer sequence, we are introduced to the serial killer for the first time where his appearance is made even more disturbing with a close up. The long lingering darkness at 1.19 leaves the audience in suspence and thrill as they urge to know what's going to happen next. They are greeted with a shocking close up of someones mouth and a scream in the background. 1.40 is an establishing shot as we are introduced to the mise en scene and character as he directly addresses the camera. The sound differs with great extent from the 'drop' of the blood into the water to the 'RUN.' The different sound volumes and effects, shot types and fast snappy shots create an unexpected feel of the movie.
The Commentary/voice-over narration is used to introduce particular parts of the movie. The voice over starts with reading what is on the screen, yet follows on to add extra information which is not evident from the picture (it anchors the shot). We are told 'He is real, but he is not human' before we see the serial killer. Giving us a moment, to imagine what we think the serial killer will look like. As a whole, the voice over links the different shots in the trailer together.The commentary confers authority on a particular interpretation, in this case, the voice is a deep males voice: adding to the horror theme of the movie.

BLK feedback

Nisha! Where is that link?? Please add it now!

Step up 2

Directed by John Chu, 2008

For research we were asked to pick a scene of our choice and analyse the continuity effects. I chose a scene from step up 2, as I absolutley love dance movies and I found it a great scene to analyse. The scene opening starts with the characters walking towards the stairs.This long lingering shot stands in contrast to the following short snappy shots. The camera is on the male character (Name: Moose) as he talks. Then there is an over the shoulder shot facing Andie, the female character. This shot reverse shot is also a reaction show as you see Andies reaction to Moose's ringtone. The next shot is the master shot of the scene. It is an establishing shot following on from the MCU of the previous shot. However, this time it gives the audience a greater view on the mise-en-scene. As we see Moose climb up the stairs in the master shot, we are taken into another over the shoulder shot in perspective of Andie, where we still see him dancing as he walks up the stairs in around the same place on the staircase. The continuity editing is very well done taking the audience through the scene step by step in different angles. However, at 0.44 seconds in, the camera returns back to the master shot and Moose drops his bag and lets it fall down the stairs out of the shot. Yet, at 0.50 the bag is placed back on the stairs further up then he dropped it- continuity error! Futher into the scene, as the girl walks out the door on Moose dancing the camera takes another shot at Andie before focusing back on Moose. The new character in the scene is still holding the door open as she stares at him. As Andie walks up the stairs the camera is behind her. As it swaps to an over the (Moose's) shoulder shot she is still climbing up the stairs. This is a perfect example of continuity editing

BLK feedback

Excellent analysis and reflections on your horror shot - super work Nisha!

Great notes on the Mummy trailer - a good choice for analysis.

You've got some really impressive independent research as well, so well done so far.

Your blog is looking good, if you could add a link to my foundation blog that would be ideal , also don't forget to create a weblinks list as well.

www.launchingfilms.tv

Release a film
Who does the film appeal to?
How much money would it cost to market the movie?
What are the best ways and best channels to advertise your movie to appeal to your target audience?
How to promote the movie? Media partners include: radio, newspapers. Out door advertising include: Out door postors, billboards
Positioning & audience
Find out who your target audience is. Do they have a certain genre? Certain age are interested in certain directors and actors/actress.
Target audience
Look at past films and compare them. Was the film successful or unsuccessful to a certain target audience? Particular age groups do particular things. I.e most teenagers watch E4 television, whereas adults watch BBC1, news channels. We need to keep in mind that different age groups react differently.
Competition
There are many films released at the same time. Our film needs to stand above the others, it needs to have a reason why the audience pick our film over the others. Timing is also important. Most films targeted at teenagers are released in the October half term. It's usually cold and rainy therefore children are likely to go to the cinema.
P & A Budget
- Advertising costs (newspapers, magazines, television)
- Making the trailer
- Marketing
- Cost of printing the film
- Technical elements
Word and mouth 'is critical!'
Word and mouth determines the life expectancy of a film. It can break or make a film. Media partners help spread word of mouth endorsement. I.e: television, newspapers, radios. Word and mouth is one of the most important advertising strategies.
Marketing plan
Ways to publicise the film includ the press and advertising.
Ways of advertising include; Bill boards, newspapers, magazines, bus stop posters, interviews with the director broadcasted on the radio. etc.
Word of mouth endorsement is crucial and can make or break a film. To help spread word and mouth movies are screened before the release for free.
Internet using emails and viral campaigns.
If your film plays well to an audience then a film screening is key strategy in your marketing plan, it is also good on a budget.
Film trailers
Trailers are the audiences' first and only exposure. Trailers are crucial and have to create the right impact on the audience. It is important the overall concept of the film is portrayed well.
Link between
Has to convince the cinema/exhibitors to buy the film
Digital marketing
Digital marketing can help viral marketing. Digital marketing is an element that is good enough to send on. It then creates viral marketing which is the best source of marketing
Test screening
After doing research on poster ideas and trailers. Test screenings determine whether or not the movie has reached peoples' expectations. The makers get viewers to fill in questionnaires and can therfore find likes and dislikes of the movie. The director then changes the movie accordingly to help make the movie a hit.
Persuading cinemas
The first step is to sell the film to the exhibitors
Opening weekend
the opening weekend includes includes friday, saturday and sunday. In this weekend the film has to make the most money than any other film in the cinema. This determines whether or not the film gets another play date. If its not making enough money they take the film off.
Piracy
Piracy counts towards 20% of all DVD sales in the UK. The money may even be going to various criminal elements.

shot types

The trailer for 'The Mummy 3' has a variety of different shot types creating many different effects. Starting off with a medium close up to introduce the characters, gives the audience a sense of the surroundings/location and costume aswell as making them familiar with the characters' faces. Then the camera switches to a close up of the object the character was holding in the previous shot. The close up creates impact as makes the audience feel involved in the shot as if they are looking through the characters eyes. An extreme close up of the map makes the audience further empathise with the character, continued by a crane over the desert which is an establishing shot, showing the audience where the scene has taken place. At 55seconds in, there is an over the shoulder shot. This allows the audience to see through the perspective of the character. Showing how close the character is to the object, aswell as his actions is a clever way to show the audience what is happening in the shot. This is followed by a low angle shot of the sand coming in through the door, (at 59 seconds into the shot). The low angle makes the door seem eerie and controlling as it allows the sand to enter through the key hole. Again, it puts us into the shot and makes us feel vulnerable as if we are getting trapped. At 1.28 there is a medium long shot of the main characters changing to a high angle shot making them seem small and vulnerable as they fall in to the sea.

THR feedback

Well Nisha, you've made a good start, detailed analysis consisting of both outlining the technical codes and suggesting meanings and effects. It would be really great except you haven't finished! Come on grl!

SUCCESSFUL SHOTS

Successful horror shots

'Dawn on the Dead' This shot contains many horror related elements. The close up shot creates a big impact and really draws in the audiences' eye. The white background focuses all attention on the character which works really well and creates an interesting effect, as the dark colours on the character's face and clothing stands in stark contrast to the background. There aren't any distractions that steal the eye of the audience. Only half of the characters' face is revealed in the shot, implying he has a mysterious, dark side. Maybe darker than what we already see of him. The first thing we look at it is the characters eyes. Having no eyeballs make him zombie like. Furthermore, we don't know where he is looking which makes him seem more sinister and untrustworthy. The dark bags under the characters eyes stand out in start contrast to his pure white eyes. Either showing that the character has had a lack of sleep or has been in a fight (explaining why he also has blood dripping from his mouth.) The face expression creates a big impact. Gritting his teeth makes the actor look furious. His dirty teeth warns the audience beforehand to what extent this character can go!

This is the second shot I chose which portrayed an ideal horror shot. This is a two shot with one character in the foreground, peering over the wall at the scond character in the background. The character in the foreground is dressed in casual clothing giving the thought that she is trapped in this primitive place. Whereas, the character in the background is wearing dark clothing, making him look more sinister. He is facing away from the camera, creating enigma, as the audience eagerly wait to see who this character is and whether or not he will see the girl sneakily looking at him. The wall between the two character is postioned excellently as it splits the shot in two, signifying the two different worlds of the two characters. The character in the background looks like the villain in the shot, and seems to be more familiar with his location; knowing exactly where he is. The medium shot gives away enough information, from who the characters are and what they are doing, to the surroundings and the mise- en - scene. The low key lighting with candles as the only source of light creates a perfect, conventional horror shot.

BLK - why the following horror shots work well

'Dawn on the Dead' This shot contains many horror related elements. The close up shot creates a big impact and really draws in the audiences' eye. The white background focuses all attention on the character which works really well and creates an interesting effect, as the dark colours on the character's face and clothing stands in stark contrast to the background. There aren't any distractions that steal the eye of the audience. Only half of the characters' face is revealed in the shot, implying he has a mysterious, dark side. Maybe darker than what we already see of him. The first thing we look at it is the characters eyes. Having no eyeballs make him zombie like. Furthermore, we don't know where he is looking which makes him seem more sinister and untrustworthy. The dark bags under the characters eyes stand out in start contrast to his pure white eyes. Either showing that the character has had a lack of sleep or has been in a fight (explaining why he also has blood dripping from his mouth.) The face expression creates a big impact. Gritting his teeth makes the actor look furious. His dirty teeth warns the audience beforehand to what extent this character can go!

This is the second shot I chose which portrayed an ideal horror shot. This is a two shot with one character in the foreground, peering over the wall at the scond character in the background. The character in the foreground is dressed in casual clothing giving the thought that she is trapped in this primitive place. Whereas, the character in the background is wearing dark clothing, making him look more sinister. He is facing away from the camera, creating enigma, as the audience eagerly wait to see who this character is and whether or not he will see the girl sneakily looking at him. The wall between the two character is postioned excellently as it splits the shot in two, signifying the two different worlds of the two characters. The character in the background looks like the villain in the shot, and seems to be more familiar with his location; knowing exactly where he is. The medium shot gives away enough information, from who the characters are and what they are doing, to the surroundings and the mise- en - scene. The low key lighting with candles as the only source of light creates a perfect, conventional horror shot.

Our attempt at a horror shot

Film still practical

For our practical we were put in groups of 4 and had to produce a image based on 'horror.'

I reckon we reached the 'horror' theme well. This is a long shot of a teenage indian girl being hung from a curtain bar. The low key lighting creates a silhouette which leaves the character in darkness, hiding the face of the victim makes the shot primitive and mysterious. It also creates enigma as the audience are left unknowing of who the girl is and who hung her. The character is wearing a leather jacket and a skirt. The casual clothing makes the girl seem innocent and vulnerable. It also made it seem as if this murder was commited by someone else rather than a suicidal one.

Whilst taking this shot, there were many factors we had to think about before hand. Such as: the position of the character, and how she would look most timid. Her hands are hanging infront of her, with her head bowed down and hair hanging over her face. Making her seem dead.

The gender of the character - we chose a girl as this would make her seem more timid and less dominant and controlling.

The lighting - we had to make sure there was no extra lighting which would effect the silhouette of the character.

The shot - we chose a long shot as it would show the position of the character and what is happening to her aswell as a bit of the mise- en - scene, and where she is being hung from. The whole shot worked well as you could see the rope above the girl aswell as most of the girl herself to underline the story behind the shot.

Other objects in the frame - We made sure there werent any other distractions that inteferred with out shot and attracted the aundiences' attention which made our shot look more proffesional. Therefore, we kept the mise - en - scene very plain yet eerie at the same time. Outside the window you can only see a bit of a building: leaving the location unknown. This worked really well for the shot as it created enigma, as the audience are left wanting to know where the hanging has taken place. The silhouette works well as the clothes were fitted, making the postion of the character more obvious. If i were to redo this shot I would make sure the protagonist's feet weren't cut out. This would make it more obvious that the character is being hung, rather than just standing on her tip toes. We had to compromise with what we had, therefore the rope in the shot is actually a scarf rolled up. If I were to do this shot I would use a rope and make sure it was tight and firm making it look like the victim was being hung from it. The postion of the character, made her seem somewhat more evil than vulnerable. The leather jacket hunched up the characters shoulders giving the shot a completely different interpretation. I would also use some low key lighting to show the expression on the characters face. This would make the shot seem more mysterious and scary. Finally, I would change the mise - en - scene. A location more eerie and deserted is ideal. Perhaps the middle of an empty room with no windows or furniture, just writing accross the walls. If I were to use paint shop pro to edit the image, I would contrast it to make the light and dark areas more striking, making the silhouette bolder and more significant.

THR

SHOT 1
This is a MCU of a white male around thirty years of age.The MCU is close enough to see the expressions on his face and his position, yet far enough to see the wooden planks he is lying on. The character is lying on the floor with one hand pressed against the side of his face, and the other, holding a gun which is pointing slightly to the left of the camera. His eyes are following the angle of the camera making it onbvious that there is another person behind the camera. He's wearing a tie and black suit: giving him a professional, business man look. Yet the lighting turns the shot into something more primitive and horror like. Half of his body is in shadow, hiding the mysterious, unknown side of the character. The low angle shot, aswell as the character lying on the floor makes him seem somewhat vulnerable and desperate. THe gun pointing to the left of the camera creates enigma as the audience are left unknowing who the gun is pointing at.


SHOT 2
In this shot, the acmera moves further away to a high angle, over the head shot, revealing a second character and more of the mise-en-scene. The lighting creates and eerie atmosstphere as the unknown second character is stil in darkness, pointing a gun to the character from the previous shot. The audience grow a further understanding of what's happening in the shot from the position of the characters. The second character is towering over the victim making himself look more dominant and under control. The mise-en-scene further dramatizes the horror theme of the shot as the character on the floor is trapped on a pier by water from three sides, in a, what looks like, deserted place creating a chlaustrophobic feel.

SHOT 3
This shot is a different angle of the shot before, making the audience see what is happening from a different perspective and become aware of the surroundings. Unlike the previous shot, this shot makes the distance between the two characters clear. The low key lighting aswell as the nightlights in the background creates an eerie atmosphere. In this shot, a third charater is revealed. A young girl with long hair sits on the side of the shot, unnoticed, looking in shock. The crouching position of the girl emphasises her vulnerability. As she bows her head down, the audience feel her timidity and helpless ness as she tries to block out what is happening in her surroundings.

SHOT 4
The shot then zooms out further, into an extreme long shot to reveal a third adult watching what is happening. The second character is now in the centre of the frame gaining more importance in the shot. As a new character is introduced in every shot, the story becomes more confusing. It is unclear whether or not the the previous characters know they are being watched. A white male wearing a long black coat has been introducted to the shot, standing the tallest he seems to be the most significant, dominant character in the shot. The low key lighting still gives the shot different interpretations, though at this point it is clear there is a person in charge, who looks as if he is controlling another man to shoot his victim.

SHOT 5
This shot is MCU of the young girl sitting on the side of the pier from the previous shot. The unfocused background, focuses all attention on the charactes expression. The low key lighting in this shot works very well, as it leaves a spark in the girl's eyes making her look more innocent. The expression on her face dramatizes all the shot making the audience empathise with her emotions. Her long straight cut makes her seem to be an innocent young girl who has nothing to do with what's happening around her. Again, this shot creates enigma as the audience are left wanting to know what the girl is looking at as she loses control of her emotions.

SHOT 6

The final image is a VLS, including all three men. In this final image, the first character is now lying on the group implying that he is shot. His opponent towers over him taking one last look. The latest character is in the centre of the frame with the buildings in line either side of him, making him look the strongest and in control. The foreground shows this shot is taken in the same place as the previous shots, but in a different angle. Finally, the low key lighting makes the shot look eerie as you still can not make out the face of the latest character-leaving the audience un familiar with him. The cliff hanging ending creates enigma as the audience urge to know who this character is.