31/12/13

On the 31st December 2013, We went to our first filming location with an actress who had previously auditioned and agreed to be in our production, the weather however was not great. The rain ended up ruining all of the footage we got, and we decided that the area in the location that we were filming in should be changed. We did however manage to get some good photos of the location which we are planning to use in the overall edit as a quick jump cut. This has led to us organising 3 more filming days one of which we have already been on. Overall the 31/12/13 was not as successful as we had hoped but we did manage to get a few shots that can be used to really show the location and why we choose it. The Props also let us down on this day and so did the costume, as the costume that we originally brought for the antagonist was too small and would have looked unrealistic if we forced him into it, which would have been unprofessional.

Casting

Prelim Film Evaluation

The planning stages

The shotlist and storyboard helped us to film our prelim because it gave us a base to work on so we could follow them and they would allow us to save time by not having to think about it on the spot during the filming.

There wasn't that much change between planning and filming because there was no need to but there was some changes in the editing. We added a filter onto the film to make it darker as the footage appeared to be quite bright after being filmed. As well as the filter, we had to cut some of the footage to make it look more connected to show continuity.

We didn't face too many challenges but a notable one would be that we had to include all the required shots. This was not difficult alone but the challenging part would be to make them obvious because the ones we included were not immediately obvious which meant that we had to edit them to make them more easily seen.

The task that we found particularly difficult would be creating our initial idea because we had to make a film that would have elements of originality since there will be many ideas that have been reused from other films of the same genre.

The prelim has made me think about whether our idea was good since it could become a horror film due to the elements that we included are seen in some horror films. Also, it has given us an idea of whether certain elements we will use will be effective or not for our real film. The prelim has lead us to use restrictive camera work and perhaps non-linear plot.

After completing the filming, I was required to edit the film which made my skills using the Final Cut Express software improve because I did not know how to use many of the functions on it. Also, my camera work has improved a little because we used some cameras angles I would not normally use if I was the director.

In our main task we will not use narrative because it is difficult to create an atmosphere that will keep the audience hooked while trying to reveal too much about the characters which we feel the audience should discover along the way as the plot advances.

We did not really gain influence from the prelim but it has made us think more about using different and suitable camera angles and movements.

Thrillers are fast becoming the dominant genre and society's favourite means of escape. Discuss.

In our world, Thrillers are becoming a more dominant genre and people enjoy watching them as a means of escape from the real world. Being immersed in the stories, people can relieve stress and feel happy rather than think about the worries of the real world. This is becoming society’s favourite way to do so. 

 

Thrillers are usually very exciting and keep you on the edge of your seat so they have interesting plots which keep peoples’ attentions. There are more and more Thriller films releasing which makes the genre bigger and more popular. Thrillers are popular because there are different sub-genres so they appeal to all people. Some examples of the subgenres would be crime thriller, disaster thriller, mystery thriller, political thriller, psychological thriller, supernatural thriller and techno thriller. Since the range of different types of thrillers is wide, they vary a lot and so some films can be mixed genres. A lot of the mixed-genres are used together because they work well and in several cases, the elements of the genres overlap with one another so they blend fine and can make the plot of the film more appealing to people.

Thrillers are one of the leading genres and new films are constantly released, but many old classic films still pop up and are watched by people who like watching Thriller movies. Some would be Pulp Fiction (1994), 8MM (1999) and Die Hard (1988). These are well known for being well executed and put together with good storylines.

I conclude that Thrillers are getting increasing popular and a dominant genre as well as being a means of escape for some members of society.

Storyboards Thriller

Creating Characters

The Character will be seen with a machete with blood dripping from it. The audience will decode this, informing them that this character is the antagonist.

These sorts of characters are successful due to their ruthless natures and only desire to inflict pain. They are also successful in the sense that they are never really defeated. They could even be considered as being invincible. It even hooks the audience in due to various connotations with other antagonists such as Freddy Kreuger and Jason Voorhees due to their reputation as sick and twisted serial killers.

These characters were constructed through their beaten and neglected past, and therefore decide to take revenge on humanity, because of their pasts, they become serial killers because they feel like they have nothing to lose. Their pasts also give them the reasons to become the menacing villains they are.

Mise en Scene

As you can see from the mind map above we have chosen to use costume as a way to signify different things to the audience. The opening sequence is to be set in the 1970's, we wanted to show this via costume and Location in different ways. We wanted to keep the identity of the antagonist concealed, but we also want to make it clear that the opening sequence is from the point of view of the antagonist. We want the antagonist to be wearing dark long clothing. We are also planning on casting a tall middle age man to be standing in the hall way of a dark derelict house, with mist and fog, however here we will just have a shot of his feet in the hallway with his machete touching the ground next to his feet and  mist and fog surrounding him.

We are planning to have different characters within our opening sequence all of which different ages and different ethnicities. We are planning to have a wide range of deaths, all of which will be photographed and either kept on a wall or in a draw in his study. They will be photographed with a polaroid camera to continue our theme of 1970s.

In our opening sequence we intend to use a weapon which imitates that of a scythe or machete. This is because these weapons are overly aggressive and basic, meaning they'll be able to demonstrate the true nature of the antagonist, being a violent, brutal character.  This will create the desired mise-en-scene through showing a gloomy, authentic killer, in an attempt to add to the authenticity of the 1970's looking clip.We're also going to use make-up to create large gouge wounds on our victims, vindicating the harsh nature of the antagonist. The make-up will also make the deaths look more realistic rather than a typical 70's movie death. This will create the desired mise-en-scene by again, adding to the authenticity and when combined with the focus on hue, the blood will be vibrant and focused.We're also going to use polaroid pictures to show the set time of our sequence, being the 70's. This will make our sequence unique and stand out amongst modernly set sequences. This will create the desired mise-en-scene by signifying the time of which it's set, creating a vintage feel.We're also going to focus on colour to engage the audience by presenting them with something that's not often seen. We're going to focus on colour hue, blue's, yellow's and red's. When combined with the polaroid pictures, this will create the desired mise-en-scene by contrasting the first black figure with then an explosion of colour, showing contrast and originality.

Group Discussion

This is our group discussion about ideas for our real film in regards to the aspects of how it will look like. Topics include camerawork, editing, mise-en-scene and any props we may need.

Prelim Film

Before we filmed our prelim video, we had to do this based on a set of guidelines. These were to follow the 180 degree rule,  use match on action and include shot/reverse shot. In order to make it interesting and appealing, we decided to create an interrogation scene which included the required elements of editing.

Prelim Shot List

Prelim Story Board

These are the storyboards of our prelim film which show the opening sequence in linear order.

Influential Texts

These are the different videos that we feel have influenced the idea of our film.

Seven 

Sinister

The Devil Inside

The Amityville Horror

Bedlam (TV Series)

The Ring

Insidious soundtrack

Jeepers Creepers soundtrack

Halloween soundtrack

Focus Group Interview

In our interview clip, we filmed four people who were our focus group. We asked them some questions which they answered to help us improve our film idea. They thought that we should add a cliffhanger instead of revealing more because we may have given too much away in the opening sequence.

Targeting a Specific Audience

Gratifications and Engaging the Audience in my Opening Sequence

In my opening sequence I will be engaging my audience by using chiaroscuro lighting to create a sense of mystery to the main character. I will also make it non-linear so that it creates more mystery for the viewer which makes them want to watch to film to find out more and solve the mystery.
There will be a character that appears in the sequence that will engage the audience because he is holding a weapon dripping with blood so the viewer may want to watch the film since they want to find out more about this character and who he has killed.
Lastly I will have some flashbacks to murders, newspaper clippings and photos to engage the audience because this will make them want to be solving the mystery and crime with the detective.

This will offer gratifications to the audience because it will be something people want to watch and they would want to talk about it with each other.
Also, people will be interested in this genre so they will want to go and see this film as a source of entertainment and well as escaping reality because they need a break from the worries of the real world.

Film Initial Ideas

Initial ideas as a group.

1. A psychological sub-genre of thriller. A journalist finds a collection of super 8 films, newspaper clippings and polaroid pictures of crimes that occurred in the 1960's.

2. A supernatural sub-genre of thriller. A series of cut outs of newspaper clippings to do with the salem witch trials, featuring flashes and pans to a priest putting these clippings together as a college, and a picture of a modern day women in the middle, as if she's a witch.

3. A horror, featuring chiaroscuro lighting and following a non-linear narrative. A figure walks into the set through a small gap of light holding a weapon dripping with blood. The scene then rewinds adding flashbacks to murders and ends with a black screen, then showing the film title.

Overall idea: A horror featuring chiaroscuro lighting and following a non-linear narrative. A figure walks into the set through a small gap of light holding a weapon dripping with blood. The scene then rewinds, showing the film title, then  adding flashbacks to murders  in a blue green red colour scheme, featuring newspaper clippings, photos and footage of murders, this ends with a black screen.

Film Gratifications

The presentation we made as shown above is about the different gratifications of films. The different ones we have included are entertainment, escapism, information, connection and social.

Thriller Essay

'In a menacing world, we flee into thrillers' Thrillers are fast becoming the dominant genre and society's favourite means of escape. Discuss.

In our world, Thrillers are becoming a more dominant genre and people enjoy watching them as a means of escape from the real world. Being immersed in the stories, people can relieve stress and feel happy rather than think about the worries of the real world. This is becoming society’s favourite way to do so. 

Thrillers are usually very exciting and keep you on the edge of your seat so they have interesting plots which keep peoples’ attentions. There are more and more Thriller films releasing which makes the genre bigger and more popular. Thrillers are popular because there are different sub-genres so they appeal to all people. Some examples of the subgenres would be crime thriller, disaster thriller, mystery thriller, political thriller, psychological thriller, supernatural thriller and techno thriller. Since the range of different types of thrillers is wide, they vary a lot and so some films can be mixed genres. A lot of the mixed-genres are used together because they work well and in several cases, the elements of the genres overlap with one another so they blend fine and can make the plot of the film more appealing to people.

Thrillers are one of the leading genres and new films are constantly released, but many old classic films still pop up and are watched by people who like watching Thriller movies. Some would be Pulp Fiction (1994), 8MM (1999) and Die Hard (1988). These are well known for being well executed and put together with good storylines.

I conclude that Thrillers are getting increasing popular and a dominant genre as well as being a means of escape for some members of society.

Léon Analysis - Narrative Theories

In this movie, the Protagonist (Hero) is Léon who saved a little 12 year old girl from her death by providing a safe place for her when she was in danger. The Antagonist (Villain) is the corrupt DEA agent, Stansfield who is storing drugs at the little girl's house. The Donor is Tony who is also the mafioso that gives Léon the Jobs (Dispatcher). The helper is Mathilda who is the little girl he saved, the Hero trained her to 'clean' which is to assassinate other people. She is also the Princess because she is quite vulnerable physically even though she had been trained by a professional assassin.

At the start the equilibrium is that the family lives in the apartment even though it is a dysfunctional family.
The disequilibrium is when Stan finds out that Mathilda's father had been secretly keeping some of the drugs for himself and they decide to kill Mathilda's family. The attempted repair would be when Mathilda tries to kill Stan for revenge and the new equilibrium is the ending where she fails to do so and Léon ends up sacrificing his life for her.

An action code would be when Léon is training Mathilda to 'clean' because it progresses the movie to her going to attempt killing Stan.

An enigma code would be when we see Léon at the start because we don't know who he is and he is quite mysterious since he seems reluctant to open the door for Mathilda and he has a gun in hand. He acts very serious and careful so we wonder who he is.

There is a conflict throughout the film which is the relationship between Mathilda and Stan who want to kill each other for different reasons. Mathilda, because Stan killed her baby brother and Stan because he doesn't want survivors of Mathilda's family.

The Terminator Opening Sequence

In the opening sequence of The Terminator, the audience is shown what happens at the start of the film which is a giant ship flying through a dark ruined area of Los Angeles in the year of 2029. The ship is shooting lasers at something and this is filmed in a long shot. As the ship flies on scene, it moves to the left and a panning shot is used to follow the movements. The scene changes to an explosion and then a giant tank robot is shown that also shoots lasers. It shows the treads of the robot to drive on the ground which is littered with skulls and then crushed by the weight of the robot. The robot is shown to have a headlight lamp which scans the area and then there is a tracking shot a person running away from them and disappears into the ground. The machines are shown to continue shooting while a screen of text appears which explains the current event and an idea of what is going on and what might happen.

At the start, the sound of the spaceship is heard coming on scene and the soundtrack starts playing at twenty seven seconds in the opening sequence. All the sounds used the opening sequence are non-diegetic and they help represent the genre because the film seems to be a science fiction which means that there will be extraordinary things that happen and not so many normal things. They make the robots seem believable because those sounds are the way media has portrayed those things to sound like such as the sound of the lasers. They probably don't really sound like that if we used them but because older films that first had them made them popular, that is what we all think they sound like.

The Mise en Scene was good because it was accurate for the type of movie it is. The costume of the person was an army uniform which makes it believable because the setting scene looks like grounds of war. The robots looked realistic and like the stereotypical standard robots so that was good. The lighting used was good because it is post-apocalyptic, there may no longer be a sun and it was dark but not too dark. Also I believe this was filmed in a dark scene so that the lasers would show up and so that they are more visible since they may not show up in daylight with the computer technology back when it was filmed. The props used would be a gun that the soldier had and that makes him look more like a soldier and not a civilian which was accurate. The performance of the soldier was good because is showed that he was desperate to run away so he dived into the ground. All these made it look good overall so the production design was good and professional.

I conclude that the opening sequence of The Terminator is very well made and fits in well with the genre which is a science fiction thriller and makes you want to watch this film.