Monday, 14 December 2009
Old Storyboards
After reading through our storyboards and discussing with Luke and Matt, we decided as a group that we needed to work a lot harder to make our narrative more realistic and origonal. 
Friday, 11 December 2009
Group Logo
This is a possible idea for our production logo. We want to have a logo which stands out but also goes with the concept of children.Taking this into acount we have come up with this idea, using childish pastel colours in a messy but effectivly placed way.
In addition to this we also have other ideas, however we need to have a further group discussion to allocate a logo for our group.
Locations
On Thursday afternoon during our media lesson, we went out as a group in the minibus with Adam to take photos of the locations for our sequence.
This is a photo of the house we are going to use in our thriller shoot. As a group we decided this location was perfect as the house looks very eery and creepy looking. As director of photography, Tom Cunningham, a member in my group, was in charge of taking the photographs for the group to reflect back onto. we choose this building in particular because it fits in with the horror/thriller stereotype. Also, they use a similar building in 'The Others' and 'The Orphanage'.
This is a photograph of a door on a side building of the house which the group liked, in particular Stephanie. we thought that it could have worked as the entrance to the cellar. However we decided that it would not be good to use as it did not fit with look of the house and we wanted stairs going down to make it more thriller-like and effective.
This is a photo of the house we are going to use in our thriller shoot. As a group we decided this location was perfect as the house looks very eery and creepy looking. As director of photography, Tom Cunningham, a member in my group, was in charge of taking the photographs for the group to reflect back onto. we choose this building in particular because it fits in with the horror/thriller stereotype. Also, they use a similar building in 'The Others' and 'The Orphanage'.
This is a photograph of a door on a side building of the house which the group liked, in particular Stephanie. we thought that it could have worked as the entrance to the cellar. However we decided that it would not be good to use as it did not fit with look of the house and we wanted stairs going down to make it more thriller-like and effective.
My Opinion of My Group Version
In my opinion our new idea is better. Although, when we first found out that our idea would not work well, we were upset. However, I now feel that our new idea will work better because it is much more effective, it makes sense and includes all the aspects of a thriller. It is interesting because we explore the theme of schizophrenia which builds tension and as a group we have learnt about the condition and applied this knowledge to our sequence.
Another factor which makes our sequence effective is the way that the main male character behaves. It builds tension and is scary because the audience does not know how he will act next. Another thing that makes this sequence good is that his wife doesn’t know that he has another life, but we do and therefore it gives the audience a sense of excitement. It holds together because the man does what he does because of the disfigurement of his brother’s face.
I think that with more money, more time, and more development, this film would get the ‘green light’. I think that with these resources it could reach Warner Bros. in Hollywood. The use of CGI for the man’s brother’s face along with a bit of makeup would help to build an effective disfigurement. I think that with more development of the narrative, explosions may fit in well which could be made using models and CGI. Although A British Film Company would be able to produce this film I think that it is Hollywood who would do this more effectively.
Another factor which makes our sequence effective is the way that the main male character behaves. It builds tension and is scary because the audience does not know how he will act next. Another thing that makes this sequence good is that his wife doesn’t know that he has another life, but we do and therefore it gives the audience a sense of excitement. It holds together because the man does what he does because of the disfigurement of his brother’s face.
I think that with more money, more time, and more development, this film would get the ‘green light’. I think that with these resources it could reach Warner Bros. in Hollywood. The use of CGI for the man’s brother’s face along with a bit of makeup would help to build an effective disfigurement. I think that with more development of the narrative, explosions may fit in well which could be made using models and CGI. Although A British Film Company would be able to produce this film I think that it is Hollywood who would do this more effectively.
Three Act Treatment
ACT ONE
1. Man steps out of his car in front of a scary looking building. He is isolated and in the dark. He walks into his ‘workshop’ where all of his tools are laid out neatly on a table. He starts ripping bed linen up, stabs knifes through to make eye holes and stitching them back together again to make masks.
2. The man picks up the mask, and walks down a corridor towards a trap door. He opens the trap door and walks down the spiral staircase. He lights a match which lights the candle. Then we see a girl tied up against a wall and she is whimpering. She wets herself and then the camera tilts up to see the girls face. Suddenly the man pulls the mask over the girls face and the title appears.
3. The man puts the child into a cage with lots of other children who are all wearing masks. Suddenly one child pulls off his mask and the man gets very aggressive. He takes out his knife and pulls the mask back over the head of the child. Full of anger, he runs out to his workshop where there are family pictures on the wall. In one, he and his brother are standing between his parents. However his brother’s face is deformed. Next to this photo there are newspaper articles about a car crash.
4. The man looks to the left and we see his brother sitting in a corner, unable to move with a mask in front of his face. However we can see his face is deformed because there are holes and rips in the mask. Suddenly we see lights flash down the corridor and the man grabs his brother and runs away.
ACT TWO
5. A female police officer called Annie comes to rescue the children in the cage and sees the pictures on the wall, but the pictures of the man are gone. The police officer is angry and says ‘There’s nothing I can do right now, we can’t find him’. She steps into her car and drives home for dinner with her husband. However when he greets her, we see that in fact it is the man who captures the children.
6. At that moment we realise that the man is a schizophrenic. The man says very nervously, ‘Did you find anything new?’ while having dinner. His wife answers, ‘No not yet, but we found a picture of a family’. The man gets very scared and tells his wife that he isn’t feeling very well. He gets up runs outside and jumps into the car and drives away.
7. On his drive, he gets flashbacks of himself with his brother. He is disgusted at the sight of his brother’s disfigurement, so he takes the bed sheets covers his face to hide it. Suddenly his phone rings and his wife is screaming ‘Look, look... I know it all of it – your brother is here... HELP!!’
ACT THREE
8. The man is driving the car and suddenly stops, he doesn’t know what to do, but then he spins the car around and goes back to the house to rescue his wife.
9. As he enters back into his house, he sees his wife tied up on a chair unable to move and his brother is standing in front of her, no longer wearing a mask. His brother smiles at him and says ‘Hello Brother’. The man is still close with his brother, so he thinks of ways to save his wife. However, as he looks into the face of his brother, he changes mind and looks back to his wife with an evil facial expression. He looks at the knife in his brother’s hand and says ‘Give it to me, let’s do it together’.
10. Annie screams and tries to get away as her husband says, ‘Let me do it’. The man hands the knife to his brother and he walks towards Annie. However he sets her free and they both walk towards the main male character (referred to throughout as ‘the man’). His wife says, ‘I’ve always known who you were Tom’. She walks towards him and cuts his face open, leaving it bleeding. She rips up bed sheets which were neatly folded after coming out the tumble dryer just hours before, and places it over his face.The man’s brother says ‘Good job darling’, kisses her, then stabs her in the heart and leaves the house.
1. Man steps out of his car in front of a scary looking building. He is isolated and in the dark. He walks into his ‘workshop’ where all of his tools are laid out neatly on a table. He starts ripping bed linen up, stabs knifes through to make eye holes and stitching them back together again to make masks.
2. The man picks up the mask, and walks down a corridor towards a trap door. He opens the trap door and walks down the spiral staircase. He lights a match which lights the candle. Then we see a girl tied up against a wall and she is whimpering. She wets herself and then the camera tilts up to see the girls face. Suddenly the man pulls the mask over the girls face and the title appears.
3. The man puts the child into a cage with lots of other children who are all wearing masks. Suddenly one child pulls off his mask and the man gets very aggressive. He takes out his knife and pulls the mask back over the head of the child. Full of anger, he runs out to his workshop where there are family pictures on the wall. In one, he and his brother are standing between his parents. However his brother’s face is deformed. Next to this photo there are newspaper articles about a car crash.
4. The man looks to the left and we see his brother sitting in a corner, unable to move with a mask in front of his face. However we can see his face is deformed because there are holes and rips in the mask. Suddenly we see lights flash down the corridor and the man grabs his brother and runs away.
ACT TWO
5. A female police officer called Annie comes to rescue the children in the cage and sees the pictures on the wall, but the pictures of the man are gone. The police officer is angry and says ‘There’s nothing I can do right now, we can’t find him’. She steps into her car and drives home for dinner with her husband. However when he greets her, we see that in fact it is the man who captures the children.
6. At that moment we realise that the man is a schizophrenic. The man says very nervously, ‘Did you find anything new?’ while having dinner. His wife answers, ‘No not yet, but we found a picture of a family’. The man gets very scared and tells his wife that he isn’t feeling very well. He gets up runs outside and jumps into the car and drives away.
7. On his drive, he gets flashbacks of himself with his brother. He is disgusted at the sight of his brother’s disfigurement, so he takes the bed sheets covers his face to hide it. Suddenly his phone rings and his wife is screaming ‘Look, look... I know it all of it – your brother is here... HELP!!’
ACT THREE
8. The man is driving the car and suddenly stops, he doesn’t know what to do, but then he spins the car around and goes back to the house to rescue his wife.
9. As he enters back into his house, he sees his wife tied up on a chair unable to move and his brother is standing in front of her, no longer wearing a mask. His brother smiles at him and says ‘Hello Brother’. The man is still close with his brother, so he thinks of ways to save his wife. However, as he looks into the face of his brother, he changes mind and looks back to his wife with an evil facial expression. He looks at the knife in his brother’s hand and says ‘Give it to me, let’s do it together’.
10. Annie screams and tries to get away as her husband says, ‘Let me do it’. The man hands the knife to his brother and he walks towards Annie. However he sets her free and they both walk towards the main male character (referred to throughout as ‘the man’). His wife says, ‘I’ve always known who you were Tom’. She walks towards him and cuts his face open, leaving it bleeding. She rips up bed sheets which were neatly folded after coming out the tumble dryer just hours before, and places it over his face.The man’s brother says ‘Good job darling’, kisses her, then stabs her in the heart and leaves the house.
Thursday, 10 December 2009
What is a Film Treatment?
Today, we learnt about Film Treatments. What they are and why they are necessary.
A Film Treatment is necessary because it allows the screenwriter to communicate their screenplay idea in a brief but compelling way, it is also a powerful and creative tool. Writing a Treatment is a fast way to test out an idea before it is transformed into a script because it allows a screenwriter some distance between the idea and the script.
It can also help the screenwriter to work out problems and determine if the narrative holds up. Also the narrative can then be developed according to what the people want to see. The length of a treatment is appropriate to the final product. It is necessary to communicate the narrative and the treatment should tell the whole story and focus on the highlights.
A treatment is a document which is a scene by scene breakdown of the actual script. A Treatment should read like a short story and should be written in the present tense. It should present the entire story with its end and maybe even use key scenes and some dialogue from the screenplay that it’s based on.
It should include a working title, name and contact information of the writer. Also an introduction to the key characters and answer the questions ‘who, what, when, why and where’. Another important aspect is that it should break up the story into three parts which are the foundation stores for the making of the narrative.
· Act 1 - Situation, characters, conflict is introduced.
· Act 2 - Conflict begins and expands until it reaches a crisis
· Act 3 - Resolution; conflict rises to one more crisis and then it is resolved .
A Film Treatment is necessary because it allows the screenwriter to communicate their screenplay idea in a brief but compelling way, it is also a powerful and creative tool. Writing a Treatment is a fast way to test out an idea before it is transformed into a script because it allows a screenwriter some distance between the idea and the script.
It can also help the screenwriter to work out problems and determine if the narrative holds up. Also the narrative can then be developed according to what the people want to see. The length of a treatment is appropriate to the final product. It is necessary to communicate the narrative and the treatment should tell the whole story and focus on the highlights.
A treatment is a document which is a scene by scene breakdown of the actual script. A Treatment should read like a short story and should be written in the present tense. It should present the entire story with its end and maybe even use key scenes and some dialogue from the screenplay that it’s based on.
It should include a working title, name and contact information of the writer. Also an introduction to the key characters and answer the questions ‘who, what, when, why and where’. Another important aspect is that it should break up the story into three parts which are the foundation stores for the making of the narrative.
· Act 1 - Situation, characters, conflict is introduced.
· Act 2 - Conflict begins and expands until it reaches a crisis
· Act 3 - Resolution; conflict rises to one more crisis and then it is resolved .
The Process of Development Which lead to our Final Version
Today we were criticized for the group thriller idea we initially had. Therefore we had to adjust our idea to make it better and less clichéd. The most important criticism was the fact that the storyline didn’t really make a lot of sense. Therefore, recently we have had a lot of work to do. As a group we had a long think about our new idea. Before the criticisms we were going to have a man get out of his car in front of a creepy looking house. Then, for the man to look around, hear scary noises and see flashing lights in front of the house. Then he would go back to his car scared and have flashbacks of children in potato sack masks which are being stitched. Then he sits back in his car and drives away until his car headlights hit a child with a potato sack mask in the centre of a road. The man blinks and the child is gone. Then the camera tracks into the windscreen of the car and the masked child is sitting in the back seat.
We were criticized a lot because it was felt that the idea was clichéd and had happened too often (Friday 13th, The Orphanage, Strangers). Another criticism was that potato sacks didn’t fit into our environment. Potato sacks are more used for a farmer environment.
Our new sequence consists of:A man gets out of a car and walks towards the creepy looking house. He walks down to steps towards his ‘workshop’ with his tools. Then we had a montage of the man ripping bed sheets up, picking up a knife and stabbing it through the sheets for eye holes but then sewing these back up. During this sequence the titles will be flashed in. After he has done this, he walks along a corridor and opens a trap door to where he goes down a spiral staircase. It is pitch black and he lights a match. The light from the match catches girl’s legs and then the girl is so scared that she wets herself. The camera tilts upwards and we see the girl’s face. At this point the man pulls the mask over the girl and the girl scream. Then the title of the film appears.
We were criticized a lot because it was felt that the idea was clichéd and had happened too often (Friday 13th, The Orphanage, Strangers). Another criticism was that potato sacks didn’t fit into our environment. Potato sacks are more used for a farmer environment.
Our new sequence consists of:A man gets out of a car and walks towards the creepy looking house. He walks down to steps towards his ‘workshop’ with his tools. Then we had a montage of the man ripping bed sheets up, picking up a knife and stabbing it through the sheets for eye holes but then sewing these back up. During this sequence the titles will be flashed in. After he has done this, he walks along a corridor and opens a trap door to where he goes down a spiral staircase. It is pitch black and he lights a match. The light from the match catches girl’s legs and then the girl is so scared that she wets herself. The camera tilts upwards and we see the girl’s face. At this point the man pulls the mask over the girl and the girl scream. Then the title of the film appears.
Friday, 20 November 2009
Process of Storyboarding
To begin the process of storyboarding we assigned different people to write out the different shots..
We talked further about props and locations in order to include this information on the storyboard.
It is important to produce a two and a half minute sequence of a Horror or Thriller for part of our coursework.
Within my group there are four of us, myself, Storm Webster, Tom Cunningham and Stephanie Kufferath.
To start with we wrote down the list of shots, and then transferred this onto the storyboard template while adding in the location, action, the shot type and movement within the shot, the sound, the lighting, the edit transition and the timing.
After we typed all of this onto the template in order, Stephanie, the storyboard artist drew the pictures to go with the writing.
Myself, being the producer, had to make sure this was done accurately in order for it to run smoothly on the day of shooting and thereafter for editing. however, we have discussed as a group and decided that the editing may be slightly different to the storyboard in order to make the sequence look better.
The storyboard provides instructions to the sound and camera crew and helps the director to organise the scene.
These are the shots and action of the sequence:
1. The gate is closed and we see a car arriving and stopping in front of the gate
2. Tom goes out to open the gate and then drives through it (when the leaves blow up they from 'Milano Production Presents')
3. Shot out of one of the windows in the house seeing the car arriving (we see the breath on the window and then a 'A Storm Cunningham Film' is written in there
4. POV shot of Tom looking at the house
5. Shot from in front of the house watching Tom get out of the car and starting to walk towards the house.
6. Track shot of Tom walking up to the front door.
7. Close Up of Tom's face looking around anxiously (next to him a door sign saying 'featuring Tom Mison and Alabama Jackson)
8. Extreme Close Up of Tom looking through the window
9. Mid Shot of Tom hearing humming.
10. Shot of the lights flashing behind the door
11. Mid shot of Tom walking down the front door stairs which ends in a long shot
12. Camera sits in the back of the car and sees Tom enter back into the car
13. Camera zooms into Tom's eyes and the flashbacks begin
14. Fast cut from long shot to Extreme Close Up of the masks on the children (cold breath comes out 'Produced by Amy Milan')
15. Cut to Tom
16. Shot of Tom stitching the masks (sticking stuff builds 'Directed by Storm Webster and Stephanie Mareen')
17. Cut to Tom
18. Bloody hands writing 'Edited by Tom Cunningham'
19. Zoom out of Tom's eye
20. Shot out of the window of the house seeing the car reverse
21. Close up of Tom changing gear stick into drive
22. Close up of Tom
23. Camera in the backseat of the car looking through windscreen POV of child watching car leave
24. Drives fast and the front lights hit a child
25. POV shot of child looking at the front lights of the car
26. Extreme Close Up of Tom blinking
27. POV shot of Tom and the kid is gone
28. Shot through the windscreen on the backseat is a child
29. Close Up of the child – breath coming out of child to present the title.
We talked further about props and locations in order to include this information on the storyboard.
It is important to produce a two and a half minute sequence of a Horror or Thriller for part of our coursework.
Within my group there are four of us, myself, Storm Webster, Tom Cunningham and Stephanie Kufferath.
To start with we wrote down the list of shots, and then transferred this onto the storyboard template while adding in the location, action, the shot type and movement within the shot, the sound, the lighting, the edit transition and the timing.
After we typed all of this onto the template in order, Stephanie, the storyboard artist drew the pictures to go with the writing.
Myself, being the producer, had to make sure this was done accurately in order for it to run smoothly on the day of shooting and thereafter for editing. however, we have discussed as a group and decided that the editing may be slightly different to the storyboard in order to make the sequence look better.
The storyboard provides instructions to the sound and camera crew and helps the director to organise the scene.
These are the shots and action of the sequence:
1. The gate is closed and we see a car arriving and stopping in front of the gate
2. Tom goes out to open the gate and then drives through it (when the leaves blow up they from 'Milano Production Presents')
3. Shot out of one of the windows in the house seeing the car arriving (we see the breath on the window and then a 'A Storm Cunningham Film' is written in there
4. POV shot of Tom looking at the house
5. Shot from in front of the house watching Tom get out of the car and starting to walk towards the house.
6. Track shot of Tom walking up to the front door.
7. Close Up of Tom's face looking around anxiously (next to him a door sign saying 'featuring Tom Mison and Alabama Jackson)
8. Extreme Close Up of Tom looking through the window
9. Mid Shot of Tom hearing humming.
10. Shot of the lights flashing behind the door
11. Mid shot of Tom walking down the front door stairs which ends in a long shot
12. Camera sits in the back of the car and sees Tom enter back into the car
13. Camera zooms into Tom's eyes and the flashbacks begin
14. Fast cut from long shot to Extreme Close Up of the masks on the children (cold breath comes out 'Produced by Amy Milan')
15. Cut to Tom
16. Shot of Tom stitching the masks (sticking stuff builds 'Directed by Storm Webster and Stephanie Mareen')
17. Cut to Tom
18. Bloody hands writing 'Edited by Tom Cunningham'
19. Zoom out of Tom's eye
20. Shot out of the window of the house seeing the car reverse
21. Close up of Tom changing gear stick into drive
22. Close up of Tom
23. Camera in the backseat of the car looking through windscreen POV of child watching car leave
24. Drives fast and the front lights hit a child
25. POV shot of child looking at the front lights of the car
26. Extreme Close Up of Tom blinking
27. POV shot of Tom and the kid is gone
28. Shot through the windscreen on the backseat is a child
29. Close Up of the child – breath coming out of child to present the title.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Research on Horrors/Thrillers
In my free time I looked at clips on ‘youtube’ to help me understand what makes a film effective. I discovered that special camera effects, sound, lighting and atmosphere all help to produce an effective film.
Most of the clips which I looked at were either Horror or Thriller to conform with the theme in which I am looking at. The legendary shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" is very good at portraying special sound effects and the lighting is very effective.
The Orphanage is very similar to our sequence in that the setting is a big empty looking house in the countryside and also the fact that there are masked children within each of the films.
I think that The Hallway Scene from The Shining creates a great atmosphere and really gets the audience on edge. I also think that the way the camera is used to get the effective shots it gets is amazing and I really want to be able to create these type of shots in our horror movie.
Most of the clips which I looked at were either Horror or Thriller to conform with the theme in which I am looking at. The legendary shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" is very good at portraying special sound effects and the lighting is very effective.
The Orphanage is very similar to our sequence in that the setting is a big empty looking house in the countryside and also the fact that there are masked children within each of the films.
I think that The Hallway Scene from The Shining creates a great atmosphere and really gets the audience on edge. I also think that the way the camera is used to get the effective shots it gets is amazing and I really want to be able to create these type of shots in our horror movie.
The Chosen Sequence
The sequence we have chosen to shoot is Storm's idea. Overall as a class we decided that it would be the one of the best ideas for a thiller/horror and we were put into groups according to who is good at what. For example we needed someone with good organisation for a producer, someone good at drawing for the main storyboard artist, someone who is good at sending off directions for the director and someone who is good at editing for the primary editor. i have been chosen as a producer as i am fairly organised and feel that i would play this role well. However we will all help out eachother for the different tasks and work well as a group to make the thiller/horror sequence as best as we can.
the sequence starts with a car driving up a drive, to a house at night. A man gets out, looks around, knocks on the front door of the house, hears a humming noise and lighting flash past the door and hurries back in the car. He drives back down the drive and, all of a sudden, he stops as there is a masked child in the middle of the road. The guy then has flashbacks of a cellar, with marks being stiched to childrens’ faces. This child then walks slowly to car and the driver tries to reverse and get away but, to his dismay, three other children start to appear. Eventually he drives off and you see in the rear view mirror the child in the back seat. Immediately after this, there is a blackout, leaving the audience with a sense of unease and the title will appear.
What the group will need:
A Man to play the primary male character (Tom Mison)
4 children (Alabama, Raffety and Ashley Jackson's two girls)
Exterior of House (Peaslake or Leith Hill)
Interior of Cellar (Ewhurst)
Car
Needle, Thread, Buttons, Material for Patchwork
Mask or potato sacks
Shabby clothes or old dress for children.
the sequence starts with a car driving up a drive, to a house at night. A man gets out, looks around, knocks on the front door of the house, hears a humming noise and lighting flash past the door and hurries back in the car. He drives back down the drive and, all of a sudden, he stops as there is a masked child in the middle of the road. The guy then has flashbacks of a cellar, with marks being stiched to childrens’ faces. This child then walks slowly to car and the driver tries to reverse and get away but, to his dismay, three other children start to appear. Eventually he drives off and you see in the rear view mirror the child in the back seat. Immediately after this, there is a blackout, leaving the audience with a sense of unease and the title will appear.
What the group will need:
A Man to play the primary male character (Tom Mison)
4 children (Alabama, Raffety and Ashley Jackson's two girls)
Exterior of House (Peaslake or Leith Hill)
Interior of Cellar (Ewhurst)
Car
Needle, Thread, Buttons, Material for Patchwork
Mask or potato sacks
Shabby clothes or old dress for children.
Friday, 6 November 2009
First meeting of new Production Group and Formation of Synopsis
An escaped orphan called Tony who is now aged 35, returns to an abandoned orphanage which is a mansion house in the English countryside. This is where he once was abused by catholic priests who thought abuseing them was for the good of the children and Christianity. The orphanage was abandoned because of the controversy when the abuses went public. In his day to day life, Tony is haunted through the voices and visions of his abandoned orphan friends when he escaped.Tony loses his job and his marriage he is being called back to the orphanage by the orphans which he abandoned. He goes crazy and returns to the mansion house where he imprisions himself for eternity.
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Presenting my Initial Idea
In order to begin the process of pre-production for our foundation projects, as a class we individually pitched potential thriller/horror film ideas to the remainder of the class. It was important that each idea fulfilled the conventions of the genre and provided an effective opening sequence that ancored down generic identity and was achievable and engaging.
My idea involved...
The main character is the woman stalker. Another important character for the first sequence is a man who is the main victim. I have decided to go against the social expectations of society by putting them this way round which i'm hoping will be more effective and maybe attract a larger target audiance. The titles would be in handwriting to connote stalker qualities.
The woman stalker is seen writing a letter which looks ordinary. However the camera will track back and we will see a lot of letters around her in piles. This then cuts to five cork boards each board is for one particular person covered in lots of pictures. So the audience sees that she has 5 victims. The camera tracks into the centre cork board which is the main victim explored in the opening sequence.
The camera then cuts to the woman walking out of her house and onto a street. The stalker is following this man on a road taking pictures of him on the opposite side of the road. The stalker follows this man to his house and watches him go inside. She waits outside briefly and sees him talking to a another man. As she is about to leave, the two men walk outside and she watches one man change the ‘for sale’ sign to ‘sold’.
The stalker runs home rips down this mans pictures from the centre cork board. Turns around and the POV shot sees hundreds of photos of her next victim. The sequence ends on the stalker taking one picture of the new victim and placing it in the centre of the centre cork board.
Locations I would need are...
Interior of Stalkers House/Office
Exterior of Victims House
Street/Road
Props/Actors I would need are...
5 Cork Boards and drawing pins.
For sale and sold sign.
Woman stalker with green eyes to connote envy (could be student)
One man (could be student)
How is tension created?
The audience knows that the victim is being stalked. The victim doesn’t and has a lucky escape.
There is more than one victim.
The ending shot is of the woman putting up a picture of a new victim.
Why should my idea be chosen?
I didn’t steal this idea from anything else.
Its not going to be expensive.
The locations are easy to find.
I’m open to ideas and changes.
It would attract female viewers as well because the stalker is a woman. They may be able to relate to it more.
I would envisiage this film to be made by an independant british production company such as channel for films. My target audiance would be proedominatly male, 25 + and would respond to a complicated unravelling narrative, the build up of suspence an enigma and a focus on voyerism.
My idea involved...
The main character is the woman stalker. Another important character for the first sequence is a man who is the main victim. I have decided to go against the social expectations of society by putting them this way round which i'm hoping will be more effective and maybe attract a larger target audiance. The titles would be in handwriting to connote stalker qualities.
The woman stalker is seen writing a letter which looks ordinary. However the camera will track back and we will see a lot of letters around her in piles. This then cuts to five cork boards each board is for one particular person covered in lots of pictures. So the audience sees that she has 5 victims. The camera tracks into the centre cork board which is the main victim explored in the opening sequence.
The camera then cuts to the woman walking out of her house and onto a street. The stalker is following this man on a road taking pictures of him on the opposite side of the road. The stalker follows this man to his house and watches him go inside. She waits outside briefly and sees him talking to a another man. As she is about to leave, the two men walk outside and she watches one man change the ‘for sale’ sign to ‘sold’.
The stalker runs home rips down this mans pictures from the centre cork board. Turns around and the POV shot sees hundreds of photos of her next victim. The sequence ends on the stalker taking one picture of the new victim and placing it in the centre of the centre cork board.
Locations I would need are...
Interior of Stalkers House/Office
Exterior of Victims House
Street/Road
Props/Actors I would need are...
5 Cork Boards and drawing pins.
For sale and sold sign.
Woman stalker with green eyes to connote envy (could be student)
One man (could be student)
How is tension created?
The audience knows that the victim is being stalked. The victim doesn’t and has a lucky escape.
There is more than one victim.
The ending shot is of the woman putting up a picture of a new victim.
Why should my idea be chosen?
I didn’t steal this idea from anything else.
Its not going to be expensive.
The locations are easy to find.
I’m open to ideas and changes.
It would attract female viewers as well because the stalker is a woman. They may be able to relate to it more.
I would envisiage this film to be made by an independant british production company such as channel for films. My target audiance would be proedominatly male, 25 + and would respond to a complicated unravelling narrative, the build up of suspence an enigma and a focus on voyerism.
Friday, 23 October 2009
Horror Posters
The hills have eyes is an effective horror poster because it gives us a sense that someone is being watched. The arm is in the first hotspot whichmakes our eyes drawn to the hand in which is touching someones face. The eyes of this person is looking upwards which draws our attention to the title. This horror poster makes me feel uneasy which is what makes it so effective.
This saw poster is particulary effective because it has a white background which means that we are more focused on the paradigms. At the top of the poster is a saw linking to the title 'saw' handing from the saw are teeth on wire. this connotes a great deal of torture thus making it horror. The title is in black and is in capitals, however the 'W' is in a different font which could represent the teeth on the saw along with the teeth hanging off the saw.
The uninvited is a very effective horror poster. The background/setting is obviously a forest due to the numerous tree. The poster is a window frame which makes the audiance feel on edge because of the fact that there is obviously a dark image of a person peering in yet you cannot see the face of this person. The title is placed in a hotspot which makes our attention drawn to it.
This is another powerful poster, this is because of the white background, which makes our attention drawn to the paradigms. In this case it is an open hand which has obviously been cut off becasue there is a pool of blood around the end of the wrist. There is also a joint which has smoke coming from it which covers two hotspots. The title 'the tripper' also links to the fact that drugs are invloved.
This saw poster is particulary effective because it has a white background which means that we are more focused on the paradigms. At the top of the poster is a saw linking to the title 'saw' handing from the saw are teeth on wire. this connotes a great deal of torture thus making it horror. The title is in black and is in capitals, however the 'W' is in a different font which could represent the teeth on the saw along with the teeth hanging off the saw.
The uninvited is a very effective horror poster. The background/setting is obviously a forest due to the numerous tree. The poster is a window frame which makes the audiance feel on edge because of the fact that there is obviously a dark image of a person peering in yet you cannot see the face of this person. The title is placed in a hotspot which makes our attention drawn to it.
This is another powerful poster, this is because of the white background, which makes our attention drawn to the paradigms. In this case it is an open hand which has obviously been cut off becasue there is a pool of blood around the end of the wrist. There is also a joint which has smoke coming from it which covers two hotspots. The title 'the tripper' also links to the fact that drugs are invloved.Thriller Posters
This is an effective thriller poster because of the dark background which makes the paradigms stand out. In this case the woman is the paradigm and she is reflected in what could be water. The title is completely centred which is effective because although it isn't placed in a hotspot, it is another important place which is looked upon. The woman's face is in an important hotspot and it is effective because she is looking slightly to her right and slightly downwards. It makes us, the audiance, think that she is looking at something important, which links back to the title that she could be looking at 'the life'.
'Quantum of Solace' is an effective thriller poster because we are looking at the two main characters on the poster. They look like they are in a desert which is an effective background because it shows they are in an unordinary place which effectively shows that they are on a mission somewhere. The man (James Bond) is slightly leading the way which shows that he has more power than the woman.
Crank is an effective film poster because of the man with a set of pliers in his mouth. the blurred image along with the jumpleads in this mans mouth shows that the film is about electricity which also links to the title and 'high voltage'. The audiance automatically generates the idea of this being a thriller genre because of this strong image.
What is a Thriller/Horror?
In generic terms the genre thriller is created by conventions.
A thriller is a ‘meta-genre’. It is difficult to pin down exactly what a thriller is because so many emotions and reactions are experienced.
There are many different types of thrillers for example there is espionage/spy, psychological, and supernatural/unknown.
A thriller relies on an intricate plot which creates fear, apprehension and suspense in hearts and minds of people watching.
A thriller plays on basic worries and infantile and repressed thoughts. These thoughts can be sexual, voyeuristic or violent.
A thriller achieves this by raising questions or enigma codes in the mind of the audience. Most thrillers have universal themes at their core - struggles over love, death or money. It is the struggle that often enthrals the spectator.
It is also done through a sense of delay when something does happen, there is a sense of relief from that tension. Thrillers are often sadomasochistic which means that the audience enjoys watching the director cause pain and suffering to the characters. Our pleasure is derived from their discomfort. However a thriller should also contain a certain element of ambivalence which means that the audience needs to feel sorry for the victim.
Thrillers must involve visceral, gut level feelings rather than sensitive, delicate emotions.
Horror films are movies that strive to draw out the emotions of fear, horror and terror from viewers. Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness. Many horror movies also include a central villain.
A thriller is a ‘meta-genre’. It is difficult to pin down exactly what a thriller is because so many emotions and reactions are experienced.
There are many different types of thrillers for example there is espionage/spy, psychological, and supernatural/unknown.
A thriller relies on an intricate plot which creates fear, apprehension and suspense in hearts and minds of people watching.
A thriller plays on basic worries and infantile and repressed thoughts. These thoughts can be sexual, voyeuristic or violent.
A thriller achieves this by raising questions or enigma codes in the mind of the audience. Most thrillers have universal themes at their core - struggles over love, death or money. It is the struggle that often enthrals the spectator.
It is also done through a sense of delay when something does happen, there is a sense of relief from that tension. Thrillers are often sadomasochistic which means that the audience enjoys watching the director cause pain and suffering to the characters. Our pleasure is derived from their discomfort. However a thriller should also contain a certain element of ambivalence which means that the audience needs to feel sorry for the victim.
Thrillers must involve visceral, gut level feelings rather than sensitive, delicate emotions.
Horror films are movies that strive to draw out the emotions of fear, horror and terror from viewers. Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness. Many horror movies also include a central villain.
Preliminary Task Evaluation
For our preliminary task, the location we filmed in was the studio. This worked really well because we had professional lighting, a blue screen behind the window and the set was well suited to the script. I took and active role directing the location and angles of the camera. Tom Cunningham was behind the camera shooting the sequence.
For our preliminary task, we used a mix between light and dark and used mainly hard light. This was effective and important to our scene because the light bought out the set and the hard light enhances the characters stance and position. The dark lighting was use to portray a derelict room and built tension to fit with the script.
For the filming, we had to make sure that the camera was set up properly. We ran a colour bar and when needed, ensured that the tripod was at the right level for each shot. We moved the camera into different positions to make sure that we were filming the correct angle of the actors. We also made sure that the lighting equipment was not in the shot as this was not part of the script and when bright light hit the camera the rays blocked the actor’s faces.
We choose appropriate shots and angles of shots. First we filmed the wide shots, and then we filmed over the shoulder shots. We added in mid shots to see whether these worked better than close ups but we also shot close ups. We did this purely for the purpose of when come to edit, what would look better. For both the mid shots and the close ups we film Dan in high angle and Laura in low angle. We also filmed a hero shot of Dan. This is because it gave Dan a role of importance and dominance and Laura a role of innocence and vulnerability.
We filmed some ‘experimental shots’. These consisted of a close up of a door handle opening, a close up on Dan’s feet and extreme close up on a light switch and a bulb turning on. Also we added in a pan from right to left of Laura running from the light switch to the window. We filmed a Bird’s eye view of the whole scene. This was particularly effective of Laura looking very worried and nervous. Another effective extra shot we added in was a tilt of Laura’s feet upwards to her face.
We also conformed to the 180 degree rule and never crossed the line. Finally we used the appropriate terminology, such as ‘stand by’, action’ and ‘cut’ which were very helpful to make sure everyone onset knew what was happening.
In the editing of our preliminary task we had to cut down a lot of shots to found ones that fitted with our storyboard. We eventually did that and then it was just a matter of putting them together. We were introduced to Final Cut pro, which was what we did most of the editing, but before all of that we had to use a ‘checking in, checking out’ process using Final Cut Server, this was were all our filming was stored and also where it was saved when we had finished editing after each lesson. During the editing process we came to a flaw where we had to insert a background image of a city in the window, because we were shooting in the studio we had a clue screen behind the window so that when it came to doing it, it was an easier process to insert. The process was very interesting to take part in as it showed us that it usually takes more time to edit than it does to shoot. We had to get the timing right when the actors were speaking, between different shots, so this meant we had to cut some parts out in order to insert others.
For our preliminary task, we used a mix between light and dark and used mainly hard light. This was effective and important to our scene because the light bought out the set and the hard light enhances the characters stance and position. The dark lighting was use to portray a derelict room and built tension to fit with the script.
For the filming, we had to make sure that the camera was set up properly. We ran a colour bar and when needed, ensured that the tripod was at the right level for each shot. We moved the camera into different positions to make sure that we were filming the correct angle of the actors. We also made sure that the lighting equipment was not in the shot as this was not part of the script and when bright light hit the camera the rays blocked the actor’s faces.
We choose appropriate shots and angles of shots. First we filmed the wide shots, and then we filmed over the shoulder shots. We added in mid shots to see whether these worked better than close ups but we also shot close ups. We did this purely for the purpose of when come to edit, what would look better. For both the mid shots and the close ups we film Dan in high angle and Laura in low angle. We also filmed a hero shot of Dan. This is because it gave Dan a role of importance and dominance and Laura a role of innocence and vulnerability.
We filmed some ‘experimental shots’. These consisted of a close up of a door handle opening, a close up on Dan’s feet and extreme close up on a light switch and a bulb turning on. Also we added in a pan from right to left of Laura running from the light switch to the window. We filmed a Bird’s eye view of the whole scene. This was particularly effective of Laura looking very worried and nervous. Another effective extra shot we added in was a tilt of Laura’s feet upwards to her face.
We also conformed to the 180 degree rule and never crossed the line. Finally we used the appropriate terminology, such as ‘stand by’, action’ and ‘cut’ which were very helpful to make sure everyone onset knew what was happening.
In the editing of our preliminary task we had to cut down a lot of shots to found ones that fitted with our storyboard. We eventually did that and then it was just a matter of putting them together. We were introduced to Final Cut pro, which was what we did most of the editing, but before all of that we had to use a ‘checking in, checking out’ process using Final Cut Server, this was were all our filming was stored and also where it was saved when we had finished editing after each lesson. During the editing process we came to a flaw where we had to insert a background image of a city in the window, because we were shooting in the studio we had a clue screen behind the window so that when it came to doing it, it was an easier process to insert. The process was very interesting to take part in as it showed us that it usually takes more time to edit than it does to shoot. We had to get the timing right when the actors were speaking, between different shots, so this meant we had to cut some parts out in order to insert others.
Friday, 16 October 2009
Thursday, 8 October 2009
Introduction To Photoshop
Our practical lesson about Photoshop consisted of learning the basics tools to be able to construct a poster. We learnt that the more we use Photoshop the better you become and you can’t just learn everything at once. We learnt how to use the drag tool, the spot healing tool this is used to cover any imperfections by taking pixels from around the area and copying them into the centre. The free transform tool, which changes the size of an image.
We also learnt about the clone tool, which copies an area which you can paste anywhere else on the page. The dodge and smudge tool, the blur tool which helps blend areas together, the burn tool which give the image or features on the images a reddish burnt effect and the sharpen tool, which sharpens edges.
Another thing which we were told about is layers and these are very important. Using layers are what help create a really good image. Layers are hard to grasp the understanding of at first and when having a problem with Photoshop, it is usually because you are on the wrong layer, but they are also very useful.
Lastly we learned about pixels. Pixels are what makes up a picture they are very, very tiny and the pixel size for a movie is 720 x 576.
Using these key skills which I have learnt, I have managed to create two posters for films, both of which I am very please with. Thanks Matt for our wonderful practical lessons!
We also learnt about the clone tool, which copies an area which you can paste anywhere else on the page. The dodge and smudge tool, the blur tool which helps blend areas together, the burn tool which give the image or features on the images a reddish burnt effect and the sharpen tool, which sharpens edges.
Another thing which we were told about is layers and these are very important. Using layers are what help create a really good image. Layers are hard to grasp the understanding of at first and when having a problem with Photoshop, it is usually because you are on the wrong layer, but they are also very useful.
Lastly we learned about pixels. Pixels are what makes up a picture they are very, very tiny and the pixel size for a movie is 720 x 576.
Using these key skills which I have learnt, I have managed to create two posters for films, both of which I am very please with. Thanks Matt for our wonderful practical lessons!
Sunday, 4 October 2009
Me at School
This is a photograph taken at school on languages day. I really like this photograph because the sky is really blue and the plants are really green. This is a low angle wide shot of me and I think it shows that I am layed back.
Me in Dance Studio
This is a photograph which Tamara took during a media lesson. We went to the Dance studio and she decided she wanted a photo of me like this. This is a slightly high angle wide shot. I like this photograph because it has my reflection in the mirror and I think it shows that I am quite shy.
Hard at Work
This is a photograph ofa girl in my media class called Tamara and Me reading a Media Studies textbook. This is a slightly high angle mid shot of us.
Party
This is me with some friends at an 80's themed party. This is a slighly low angle wide shot. I like this picture because it shows my enthusiasm about things and also i'm with my really close friends. My room mate is the girl on the very right of the picture. She has been my really good friend of five years.
Me, Ben and Alix
This is a photograph of Me, Ben and Alix. These are my two brothers. This photograph was taken on a Family holiday by my mum. We are at eyeline to the camera and this is called a wide shot because you can see our bodies.
Me and Friends in Newquay
This is a photograph of my really good friends which were from my old school. We are on a holiday in Newquay to celebrate finishing our GCSE's. We were dressed up for going out. This is a mid shot of us and shows a really close friendship between us all. Next to me is my friend Chloe who is also at Hurtwood House now.
Sophie and Me
This is a photograph of a friend called Sophie (left) and me (right). My room mate Francesca Burns took this two person mid shot. I like this photograph because we are both very smiley and our faces cover the four hot spots.
Preliminary Practical Preparation
We were set a task to shoot 20 seconds of a simple action shot for our preliminary practical preparation. My group of four of us used the camera to shoot a simple action shot of me walking into the frame, picking up a sugar pot from a table and walking out of the frame. We shot five different angles. These were: wide shot, mid shot, low angle mid shot, close up and a high angle close up of my feet, walking.
The whole aim of this task was to understand how to use the camera properly and to understand how to shoot an action shot. For example understanding that the camera needs to be still and we must let the action play through in front of the camera. We also had to take into consideration the 180° Rule. This is rule which is a basic guideline in film making which states that two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other if the camera passed over the imaginary line between the two characters; this is called crossing the line, and should never be done.
After we had shot our frame in groups of four, we watched each groups clip play back and a lot of criticisms were thrown around because people had not taken into account the lesson on cameras and had forgotten about the 180 rule. Also people did not take into account the bubble rule which means that the clip was shot at a slightly off straight angle. However my group got really good feedback as we had taken into account everything we had been told and therefore had a really good sequence to show. Because of this, we were told our group is able to utilize the TV studio with a constructed set for our Preliminary Sequence.
The whole aim of this task was to understand how to use the camera properly and to understand how to shoot an action shot. For example understanding that the camera needs to be still and we must let the action play through in front of the camera. We also had to take into consideration the 180° Rule. This is rule which is a basic guideline in film making which states that two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other if the camera passed over the imaginary line between the two characters; this is called crossing the line, and should never be done.
After we had shot our frame in groups of four, we watched each groups clip play back and a lot of criticisms were thrown around because people had not taken into account the lesson on cameras and had forgotten about the 180 rule. Also people did not take into account the bubble rule which means that the clip was shot at a slightly off straight angle. However my group got really good feedback as we had taken into account everything we had been told and therefore had a really good sequence to show. Because of this, we were told our group is able to utilize the TV studio with a constructed set for our Preliminary Sequence.
Tripod and Settings
A tripod is a stand with three legs which the camera can be connected to give a steady image. Tripods are good to set up the camera on a still image and let the action play though. A tripod has locking legs which gives the camera different heights. The tripod head has pan (left to right and right to left) and tilt (up to down and down to up) locking nuts. On the bottom of the PD 170 camera there is a metal plate called a shoe which connects to the tripod by pushing the button at the side, sliding the show on the base and then twisting the locking nut to tighten. This ensures that the camera will not slip or fall off the tripod.
Putting the microphone on the camera is important so sound is detected. To do this you need to untighten the thumb screw, put the handed inside and then retighten to make sure this is secure then attach the cable, to do this put the XLR into input 1.
Last of all, you need to connect the battery. To do this lift the eyepiece up, put the arrow facing downwards and listen for a satisfying click. To take the battery out, press the release button and lift the battery up.
Introduction To Video Camera and Settings
The camera we have been looking at is the PD 170. It is very important to have the camera on the right settings, otherwise the picture/film will have a bad picture and this makes the film look bad.On the top right of the screen is a battery symbol and it has the amount of minutes that the battery will run for before it needs to be recharged. On the top left of screen is the time code, it looks like: ( - - : - - : - - : - - ) the first ‘--’ shows how many hours have been recording for, the second ‘--’ shows how many minutes you have been recording and the third ‘--’ shows how many seconds you have been recording for. The forth ‘--’ shows the amount of frames which have been shot per second. The camera can shoot 25 frames per second. The minimum number is 0 and the maximum number is 24.
The perfect aspect ratio for the camera to be set to is 16:9 wide. This is good for watching movies on new televisions because they are a lot wider compared to the old square televisions which have the aspect ratio of 4:3. The pixels on the television per square inch are 720 x 576. The rectangle in the middle of the screen is used to show roughly where the four hot spots are. This can help the person filming know where to place the most important things which they want to stand out. DV CAM stands for Digital Video Camera and 48 K is the sound quality used for the movie.
The shutter speed should be set at 50 most of the time. The shutter speed number shows how many times the shutter shuts per second. The higher the number the shutter is on (above 50) the sharper the picture, which is good for action scenes. Below 50, the picture become more blurry and doesn’t make the film look good.
The dB should be at zero otherwise extra light is let in which is not needed. To change the dB, press the gain button on the camera and use the wheel to change the number. F6.8 is the perfect aperture, which is the amount of light let in. You can use the wheel on the camera to change the aperture if needed. Aperture above 6.8 makes the picture darker; aperture below 6.8 makes the picture lighter. The last important setting is the light bulb/sunshine symbol. When filming outside, the symbol should be on the sunshine symbol. However when filming inside, the symbol should be on the light bulb.
Interviews in the Television Studio
We had a practical lesson in the Studio giving and having interviews. Several of the people in my class were chosen to help with lighting, taking the interviews and filming the interviews. The other people were the ones interviewed. These people were very important in making the interview look good. For example the people in charge of lighting had to put lights in a good position to give the interview a good effect.
The person filming had to make sure that that they were recording the interview correctly and that everything in the frame was supposed to be in the frame. The person taking the interview was important to make sure that the interview ran smoothly. People were asked a range of different questions. Some of them were about why they choose to take media studies, what their favourite film is and what type of music they were into.
The purpose of this exercise was to see how interview were taken, and to show that scenes can be reshot. For example, the person behind the camera said, ‘ready-action’ and after the interview, or when there was a mistake said ‘cut’. This term means to stop recording and end the scene. This came from the olden days when people used to cut the reel and rejoin it to another scene. Another purpose was to show people what it was like to be on screen or behind the scenes because there will be a lot of this during our Media lessons.
The person filming had to make sure that that they were recording the interview correctly and that everything in the frame was supposed to be in the frame. The person taking the interview was important to make sure that the interview ran smoothly. People were asked a range of different questions. Some of them were about why they choose to take media studies, what their favourite film is and what type of music they were into.
The purpose of this exercise was to see how interview were taken, and to show that scenes can be reshot. For example, the person behind the camera said, ‘ready-action’ and after the interview, or when there was a mistake said ‘cut’. This term means to stop recording and end the scene. This came from the olden days when people used to cut the reel and rejoin it to another scene. Another purpose was to show people what it was like to be on screen or behind the scenes because there will be a lot of this during our Media lessons.
Monday, 28 September 2009
Analysis of Blade Opening Scene
What is your opinion of the shown extract?
I like the composition and the angles used to shoot this extract, however I find the images within the scene very disturbing which is what I dislike about it.
In what ways is this example of a generic construct? (What makes it the Genre that it is?)
Blade consists of three genres, Action, Horror and Thriller. I think that it is partially Action because there are many varied visual images such as a large group of people dancing with a lot of movement happening in a short space of time. However to some extent the extract contains horror features. This is portrayed through the disturbing images and special effects such as the blood sprinklers and the fact that the audience is unsure of what is going to happen next. Finally, the third genre concludes Thriller characteristics. This is because it makes the audience on edge about the sequence of events going to happen. Also we can relate to the character in the fact that he is fearful and confused about the incidents going on around him.
What do you think happens in the next narrative?
Having only seen the short opening extract, I have no idea what is going to occur. Although, I think that the main character is possibly hallucinating from a type of drug. I think that he had his drink spiked by one of the other people in the club. This is because everyone seems normal to begin with and then the panning gets quicker and the time shot on one image gets shorter and everything becomes quicker.
Who do you think this extract is targeted at and why?
I think that this extract is targeted at perhaps middle class people, of the male gender between the ages of 16 – 30. The reason I think this is because men can handle a lot more of the disturbing images shown and that men generally like action, horror and thriller films more than women. However anyone could watch this film or extract of the film depending on the genre they are interested in.
From the grid that you have constructed in the lesson, how was the extract put together?
The framing and composition is a wide and short shot, probably meant for the cinema and large screens. The extract uses different shot types, angles, and camera movement for example there is panning throughout. There are also shots from straight ahead filming people dancing, from below looking up to the blood sprinklers and also from above looking down at the main character (the only person who is not a vampire, possibly hallucinating) on the floor surrounded. The lighting is very bright and flashes a lot in short bursts. This, along with the loud club music (Public Domain), helps to make the setting more realistic in the club.
Does the extract remind you of any other stories/films that you know?
I can’t recall any stories or films like this. However there are similarities between Twilight and Blade simply because vampires exist in both films.
Production and Deconstuction of Horror Poster
Following our brief to create a horror poster, I created my poster for the movie ‘befriended’. A poster is to make people aware of the product which is trying to be sold. In this case, I am trying to make the audience aware of and want to watch my movie, ‘befriended’. I chose a primary close up photograph of an eye because I wanted to connote intimate thoughts of the antagonist. The solid black pupil is supposed to convey to the audience an insight into the stalker’s mind, the antagonist. The eye is not looking directly at the audience, it is looking just to the left, this is because I want the audience to feel uneasy when looking at the poster.I used a font which denotes hand written qualities to portray part of my narrative, which is the fact that the stalker writes notes to the victims in the movie. The blood on the bottom left corner of the eye is used to connote that this is a conventional horror film; however it is used to denote that the stalker is a murderer.
For my poster, I have used a female eye, this goes against the social expectations of people thinking that the stalker is a male. The film’s slogan is at the very top of the page because people generally read the title and then look up here to read this. I have used a slogan to give the audience a brief insight into the narrative of the movie, however I have not given it away because I want to attract people and draw them to the film rather than spoiling the plot.
I have used five different font sizes, the largest being the title of the movie, this is because it is the most important and I want it to stand out the most. The title also covers two hot spots which is very important because these are the things which we may be draw to first. The font I have used for the director is also fairly large because I want to draw the audience in to the fact that I have a good director and this is a primary selling point.
I have also included three of the main actors and actresses names as this is a huge selling point with a movie. Although their names are quite small the simple background makes the poster look straightforward and easy to read, also people will want to know which main actors are in the film so this will be read even if it is not on a hot spot.
I have used a white background to represent good, pure and heavenly in juxtaposition with the evil, tainted eye. However it is a metaphor to show that on the outside people can seem innocent but on the inside people can be evil, which depicts the stalker. The image is smudged in to the background to demonstrate that the stalkers evil side is portrayed gradually however I have used just an eye to make the audience want to find out about the rest of the character.
I find the syntagm effective because of the paradigms, such as the solid black pupil and the lines going from the inside of the iris to the outside of the iris. The large area of black shading to the left of the iris contrasts with the smaller white area on the right of the iris. I am originally attracted to the white area first and then the darker area. This represents that the stalkers good, innocent side is first revealed, however she has a dark side to her.
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Introduction
Hey,
I'm Amy and I'm at Hurtwood House studying Mathematics, Psychology, Sociology and Media Studies. I have two old brothers, Ben 17 and Alix 20. I have chosen Media Studies through reccommendation of Alix, who also came to Hurtwood House and is now at AIB studing Film Production.
I'm in the middle of my third week here at Hurtwood, and i love it! I'm in Cornhill Manor House sharing a room with Francesca Burns. My house master and his wife are so nice and last night she made us cakes!
My favourite type of films are Romantic Comedies, I mostly always cry at films. I like different types of music, there isnt a specific artist, song or genre i like, however heavy metal is going a bit too far.
Through the past two and a half weeks in Media Studies, we have been creating and deconstructing poster and trying to use photoshop.
I'm Amy and I'm at Hurtwood House studying Mathematics, Psychology, Sociology and Media Studies. I have two old brothers, Ben 17 and Alix 20. I have chosen Media Studies through reccommendation of Alix, who also came to Hurtwood House and is now at AIB studing Film Production.
I'm in the middle of my third week here at Hurtwood, and i love it! I'm in Cornhill Manor House sharing a room with Francesca Burns. My house master and his wife are so nice and last night she made us cakes!
My favourite type of films are Romantic Comedies, I mostly always cry at films. I like different types of music, there isnt a specific artist, song or genre i like, however heavy metal is going a bit too far.
Through the past two and a half weeks in Media Studies, we have been creating and deconstructing poster and trying to use photoshop.
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