After watching the final edit of our film opening, Abbie and I agree that we are very pleased with the final project. We feel that our hard work and efforts are obvious in our final production of 'the delinquent. I personally think that we thought carefully about all elements in our film, including mise-en-scene, lighting, sound and camera angles and shots and i think that this consideration is shown in our work.
However, if Abbie and I were given the chance to do this project again, there are a few minor details that i would like to correct. From this feedback:
Greg Potter said...
"wow! firstly that was a great opening sequence to a film you can relate this piece to several other horror movies. The use of camera work to keep the killer a secret was excellent, the shot when the teacher turns around was quality. I was also very impressed with the use of zoom the way you zoomed in to show the reaction of the teacher before zooming out again was very effective. The one and only bit of critism is when the teacher is in the classroom she isnt wearing glasses but when she leaves the classroom she is, apart from that a very effective piece of film."
05 March 2009 19:52
Mirzo said...
"WOW.. well DONE !!! That is an excelent intro of the movie. I can tell it is Horror. The lighting and the location used was very good. The soundtrack kicked in at the right time which is quite creepy and creates tension. The camera movement was great so as the sound effects. The zooming was a little not stable. It could have been even better if you added some transitions duting editing. As greg mentioned about the glasses that confuses people a little. Other than that i thought filming was great and effective."
08 March 2009 22:06
HannahRoyall said...
"Wow that was really good. You really did capture the whole horror aspect. I liked that you used a variety of shots and angles. Also the music went really well. However to improve i noticed that in the classroom lacey wasnt wearing glasses and once she was out she was. It seemed unrealistic. Finally one more thing was i dont know if you would see the whole body shot of the 'killer' in the begining of the film.But i really did engjoy your film."
10 March 2009 10:16
Emily Harries said...
"That was so good girls :) The different camera shots and angles you used looked really good. The tension that is created is great you dont know what is going to happen at the end to the teacher and it leaves you in suppense and makes you want to see it. As everyone else said the only critisism is that the teacher is wearing glasses when she leaves."
10 March 2009 10:25
Zoë Benjafield said...
"i'm actually shocked, that was fantastic. I love the use of zoom within your production , how it enables us to instantly see the fear in the teachers eyes.The music you used really added tention, building up to the end shot of Cat.I thought the story was orginal, and very creative too."
10 March 2009 21:10
Rachel, Lucy, Nikki and Helen said...
"Hello, I really want to watch the rest of your film now! I think the music that you have used to build suspense is very effective but not too over the top. I also like that you only show parts of the delinquent and not the whole delinquent until the end of you scene. I think that filming it at night defienatly makes it seem scarier and I think that that was very clever.I like the match on action shot of Lacey opening the door, also i like way the the digetic sound of the door squeeking adds tension.I like the zoom shots, they keep the shots varied and interesting Well done !"
22 March 2009 13:01
Greg Potter said...
"The Mise-en-Scene in this piece is used very effectively, it is not clear at the beginning as the news reader scene plays the part of setting a scene rather than explaining the genre, but the moment you capture even a glimpse of the "Delinquent" it becomes clear that this is a Horror/Thriller movie.This is clear due to the quiet eery corridors where all you can hear is the echoes of footsteps and creaking doors. When we are shown the evil character we know this because of the evil dragging foot walk and out of place white clothing."
From this commentry from our media studies friends, it is possible to conclude that if given a chance to improve, continuity would be an element to focus on. This is because a very obvious mistake was made by having a shot of the teacher character walking through the classroom to the door without glasses and the next shot of the teacher walking out of the classroom door with the glasses on. This disorientates the audience, as some have said above.
One person mentioned that there was shuddery camera work. Although Abbie and I noticed this when editing, at that point in production, it was too late to do anything about. Therefore, if given the chance to make the film again, we would use a diffirent camera, more adapt to moving around quickly!
One further point i think anyone was too polite to mention is that our selection of music was really a very obvious choice. By this I mean that the music is from quite a popular horror film, so was quite easy to find.
However, as Abbie and I had only a limited amount of time to look for non-diegetic sound, it was difficult to find anything more obscure and less well known. So if given the chance to redo the 'delinquent', I would like to spend more time looking for a sound track.
By Catherine Gough
Wednesday 22 April 2009
Progression from ' The Rush' to our main task, 'Delinquent'
This was Abbie and I's first preliminary task. We were given the idea to do something very basic that allowed us to gain some experience with the camera equipment and the editing equipment. I think that this helped us greatly in the main task, not simply with the experience it gave us with the camera equipment and the editing technology, but also with the knowledge it gave us with different shots, angles and lighting.
I have already discussed the errors we made in this preliminary task. These include:
I have already discussed the errors we made in this preliminary task. These include:
- Shots used are too short, in terms of time, when they should not be. For example, the over the shoulder(OTS) shot of the girl sending the text message transcends from an OTS to a zoom close-up so quickly that it may discomfort the audience. This should be avoided in order to gain more of a professional film.
- Sound should remain under control. In this film, there is a great deal of unrelated diegetic sound from our fellow media students and other members of the school. This has quite an unprofessional effect on the film!
- The lack of continuity in this film, with Abbie's clothing for example, may confuse the audience
- One of the most apparent mistakes in this film is my inadequate camera knowledge. When Abbie walks down the stairs, for example, i zoomed in too quickly, and had to zoom out again. This has an effect of making the entire production look quite amateur like.
I feel that we didn't make any of these mistakes in 'Delinquent' because we learnt from these.
Some comments on this preliminary film include:
"There was a good use of zooming to emphysise on certain things, especially on the mobile phone. Paning and tracking shots were used well to show the setting and to show where the charactors were going. To maybe improve on this work, you could try and keep a steady camera when using the tracking shots and to make the zooming shots at a more consictant pace than being quite jerky." Nilesh Patel
"I really like your use of zoom, and the shots are faded out well, this links the shots together nicely. I think the tracking shots need to be slightly smoother and diagetic or non diagetic sound would be lovely." John Radley
By Catherine Gough
Tuesday 21 April 2009
Progression from 'Late Arrival' exercise to 'Delinquent'
Our preliminary task of the 'Late Arrival', our second ever attempt at filming. Even several months ago, we were training to complete a two minute opening of a chase, as in both preliminary exercises, Abbie and I used an intense atmosphere to create a chase scene.
This preliminary task helped us greatly in the main task, not simply with the experience it gave us with the camera equipment and the editing technology, but also with different camera shots, angles and how the composition of shots is an important part of making a film. This experience is prominent and evident in our 'Delinquent' film, in the shot of the teacher walking down the stairs, which is shot from above, showing the character's vunerablility.
The preliminary also gave Abbie and I the oppertunity to make mistakes that we could later learn from.
Two errors in this preliminary exercise include the continuity problem. This was shown with the watch used. Although not very obvious, this lack of continuity with the two different types of watches was still apparent, and Abbie and I learnt to avoid this in our final project, almost entirely! Continuity was still an issue, however, as the teacher was wearing glasses in one shot, and was not wearing glasses in the very next shot. This disorientated the viewer, and detracts from the overall excellence of the film.
A further error with the preliminary was with the camera work. As Abbie mentioned in an earlier post, one of the shots in 'Late Arrival', a zoom from an over-the-shoulder shot to a close up of the character's hand, was very jerky. This shot was very jerky, and made the audience feel disorientated.
We therefore took note of this, and whilst filming 'Delinquent', we ensured that all camera work was steady, aside from shots that were required to be shakey. This contributed greatly to the overall proffessional look to our film.
Some comments on this preliminary film include:
Editing
"I like the idea of the transition being like the clock face." Zoe Benjafield
"It seemed to flow really well, nothing seemed out of piece either." Zoe Benjafield
"This piece is a clean little piece of filming, the editing moves nicely along with the scene" Greg Potter
Sound
"The music flows really well, hearing the clock tick-tock." Zoe Benjfield
"The soundtrack and diagetic sound also creates an eerie atmosphere which perfectly suits the mood. " Matt Harrop
Mise-en-scene
"The mise-en-scene also works effectively as the acters look like the characters they are portraying." Matt Harrop
"the sense of realism is constantly brought to my attention, with the use of technology being used by the students like their constant use of the mobile phones and the typical "student" clothing is worn which does give you a feeling that these are actual students in this film."
Camera work
"The use of the close up of the hand tapping on the table was really effective too." Zoe Benjafield
"i really like the end shot which exposes the fear on the characters face." Matt Harrop.
These are all very positive comments! Although, Abbie and I were more critical with the faults of the film, such as the jerky camera and the lack of continutity. This meant that we effectively allowed our film to improve, as we knew we had to improve on the aforementioned points to create a good final piece.
By Catherine Gough
This preliminary task helped us greatly in the main task, not simply with the experience it gave us with the camera equipment and the editing technology, but also with different camera shots, angles and how the composition of shots is an important part of making a film. This experience is prominent and evident in our 'Delinquent' film, in the shot of the teacher walking down the stairs, which is shot from above, showing the character's vunerablility.
The preliminary also gave Abbie and I the oppertunity to make mistakes that we could later learn from.
Two errors in this preliminary exercise include the continuity problem. This was shown with the watch used. Although not very obvious, this lack of continuity with the two different types of watches was still apparent, and Abbie and I learnt to avoid this in our final project, almost entirely! Continuity was still an issue, however, as the teacher was wearing glasses in one shot, and was not wearing glasses in the very next shot. This disorientated the viewer, and detracts from the overall excellence of the film.
A further error with the preliminary was with the camera work. As Abbie mentioned in an earlier post, one of the shots in 'Late Arrival', a zoom from an over-the-shoulder shot to a close up of the character's hand, was very jerky. This shot was very jerky, and made the audience feel disorientated.
We therefore took note of this, and whilst filming 'Delinquent', we ensured that all camera work was steady, aside from shots that were required to be shakey. This contributed greatly to the overall proffessional look to our film.
Some comments on this preliminary film include:
Editing
"I like the idea of the transition being like the clock face." Zoe Benjafield
"It seemed to flow really well, nothing seemed out of piece either." Zoe Benjafield
"This piece is a clean little piece of filming, the editing moves nicely along with the scene" Greg Potter
Sound
"The music flows really well, hearing the clock tick-tock." Zoe Benjfield
"The soundtrack and diagetic sound also creates an eerie atmosphere which perfectly suits the mood. " Matt Harrop
Mise-en-scene
"The mise-en-scene also works effectively as the acters look like the characters they are portraying." Matt Harrop
"the sense of realism is constantly brought to my attention, with the use of technology being used by the students like their constant use of the mobile phones and the typical "student" clothing is worn which does give you a feeling that these are actual students in this film."
Camera work
"The use of the close up of the hand tapping on the table was really effective too." Zoe Benjafield
"i really like the end shot which exposes the fear on the characters face." Matt Harrop.
These are all very positive comments! Although, Abbie and I were more critical with the faults of the film, such as the jerky camera and the lack of continutity. This meant that we effectively allowed our film to improve, as we knew we had to improve on the aforementioned points to create a good final piece.
By Catherine Gough
Institution
It is necessary to take into consideration the kind of media institution which might distribute our product.
As our product is a horror/thriller film, I have researched the British Film Institution's participation with horror or thriller films.
This research has provided me with the knowledge that the BFI has had a vast history of both thriller and horror films, from the Lumière brothers' thriller in 1895 to Jonathan Glazer's Sexy Beast (2000). This suggests that the BFI may be the appropriate institution to distribute our film product, 'delinquent', as the institution's history suggests that it has great experience with the distribution of thriller films, and would therefore suit our film, the delinquent. A film that aims to bring about a thrill within the audience of ignorance of what will happen. This is similar to the films that the BFI advocates, such as The 39 Steps, Brighton Rock and The Lodger.
By Catherine Gough
As our product is a horror/thriller film, I have researched the British Film Institution's participation with horror or thriller films.
This research has provided me with the knowledge that the BFI has had a vast history of both thriller and horror films, from the Lumière brothers' thriller in 1895 to Jonathan Glazer's Sexy Beast (2000). This suggests that the BFI may be the appropriate institution to distribute our film product, 'delinquent', as the institution's history suggests that it has great experience with the distribution of thriller films, and would therefore suit our film, the delinquent. A film that aims to bring about a thrill within the audience of ignorance of what will happen. This is similar to the films that the BFI advocates, such as The 39 Steps, Brighton Rock and The Lodger.
By Catherine Gough
Sunday 29 March 2009
Further evaluation of Delinquent
Sound
The diegetic sound of the news reader's piece stands alone - no other sounds can be heard aside from the news reader's voice. This was done in order to allow no distractions from the piece, encouraging the audience to concentrate fully on what is being said by the news reader.
When the delinquent walks towards the school building, the diegetic breathing increases the tension as the sound of the breathing creates an eeriness that could be symbolic of the delinquent's long journey from the 'secure unit'.
The lack of sound when the camera zooms in to the teacher's face is used in order to exacerbate the noise of the delinquent crashing against the door, creating a sense of foreboding within the audience, as the prospects of the teacher begin to seem increasingly negative.
The non-diegetic sound of Halloween by John Carpenter begins, layered with the diegetic sound of the teacher opening her bag. The high pitched and fast paced non diegetic sound of the piano reflects the high speed exit from the school that the teacher must make.
The synchronous sound of the door being opened corresponds with the image on screen and the creak heightens tension, however, restricts the continuity of the piece, as this squeak is not continued through to the next shot, detracting from the reality of the piece.
When the non-diegetic sound fades, the diegetic sound of other people around the school ruins the effect quite significantly, but the intention was to stop the music to signify that something symbolic was about to happen, heightening suspense of the film. The synchronous sound, alone, of her shoes also heightens this suspense.
The scuffing sound following this is almost evidence for the audience and for the teacher that the delinquent is there, and not simply a suspicion, emphasising the thriller genre.
The non-diegetic sound plays behind this, quite quietly, so that the teacher's shoes may still be heard over the top.
When the delinquent goes past the camera, shot from inside the room, the non-diegetic sound takes on more of a sollom tone; using lower keys in the non-diegetic sound. The image on screen is reflected directly and accurately with the non-diegetic sound, bringing a certain intensity to the film. As other instruments are added to the non-diegetic sound of Halloween by John Carpenter, the sound is made altogether, more complex, reflecting upon the increased complexity of the film. This is due to fuller body appearances by the delinquent, who remained more of an enigma to the audience until the intensity of the music increased.
The synchronous sound of the delinquent's feet shuffling along the floor heightens the suspense for the audience, and brings in a sense of foreboding. The shuffling sound also links back to the original script idea, of the in-genuine limp with the left leg.
The increased frequency of the teacher's heeled shoes means that the apprehension in the audience is increased and emphasised, as the dangerous position that the teacher is in becomes more obvious to the audience.
When the delinquent comes down the stairs, the lighting is very low, (inspired by Hitchcock's The Lodger). This means that the sound is relied upon to portray what is happening. The slow, shuffling sound of the delinquent's feet signifies what is happening in the scene, if it is not evident on screen. This increases suspense, as it creates a contrast with faster paced walking of the teacher and the slow, confident shuffles of the delinquent. This suggests that the delinquent has greater control over the situation, and creates a sense of foreboding within the audience.
The non-diegetic sound of Halloween by John Carpenter layered over the sound of cars going by outside of the main school building gives more verisimilitude to the piece, thereby giving the film more of an eerie effect.
Camera Work
The fixed, static shot of the newsreader enables the audience to concentrate fully on the dialogue and her facial expression, rather than being distracted with interesting camera shots. This enables the context of the film to be set.
Further context set is shown through the establishing shot to the zoom, which emphasises where the filming will take place.
The handheld shot from the point of view, supposedly, of the delinquent builds on the tension, as there is an absence of much understanding of who's viewpoint is being shown.
The mid shot of the teacher then a zoom in and then a zoom out ensures that the audience concentrate on the facial expression of the teacher when the diegetic sound of the books are heard, allowing the audience to empathise with the teacher, as her emotions are shown most obviously to the audience.
The mid shot of teacher putting her jacket on and then the pan of the camera, following teacher walking across the room shows the audience what the teacher is doing following the loud noise, the teacher supposes is the delinquent.
The close-up of hand opening door is a shot inspired by The Lodger by Alfred Hitchcock because this film showed some close ups in order to emphasise to the audience what was happening without the use of dialogue.
The shot taken from outside the room, of the door opening, allows the audience to see the wariness of the teacher, who cautiously waits within the door frame, suggesting an earlier experience with the delinquent.
The shot of the teacher walking down the corridor, away from the camera - walking away from the safety of her classroom, gives the audience the impression that she is being watched from behind, as it follows her quite intently, and ensures that her expression is shown clearly, when she turns around to see the sound made.
The point of view shot, when the teacher turns around to see the delinquent running away - long shot of delinquent quick shot allows the audience to empathise with the teacher once more, as it emphasises the intensity of the situation and literally puts the audience in her position.
When the teacher goes down the stairs, a high angle shot is used. This highlights her vulnerability and causes more tension to be created, as the audience may begin to see why she is so vulnerable.
Following this shot, is a mid shot of the teacher's feet walking down the stairs. As Abbie and I liked the effects of the use of this shot in 'The Rush', we decided that using it again would be beneficial as it allows the audience to follow the movement of the main character.
The next shot, from inside the closed classroom door, of the delinquent walking past the door heightens the tension of the piece as it confirms that the delinquent is indeed following the teacher. The shot of my the delinquent's feet dragging along the floor about to go down the stairs, matches with the shot of the teacher's, and shows that the delinquent is following the path of the teacher in order to catch up with her, heightening the intensity.
The long shot of the teacher walking through the hall way, towards the camera, allows the audience to see behind her. This shows that the delinquent is expected to be seen approaching her from behind and suggests that the chase is almost over.
The long length mid shot of the 'delinquent' slowly walking down the stairs heightens the tension to a significant extent, as the length of this shot contrasts with the short sharp shots used previously.
These shot reverse shots allow a significant tension to build and are therefore a vital part of the ending of the opening of the film as this creates excitement within the audience and convinces them to watch the rest of the film.
The shot of the delinquent standing in the road, directly facing the camera suggests that the teacher has no hope and no way out, concluding the thriller element of the film.
By Catherine Gough
The diegetic sound of the news reader's piece stands alone - no other sounds can be heard aside from the news reader's voice. This was done in order to allow no distractions from the piece, encouraging the audience to concentrate fully on what is being said by the news reader.
When the delinquent walks towards the school building, the diegetic breathing increases the tension as the sound of the breathing creates an eeriness that could be symbolic of the delinquent's long journey from the 'secure unit'.
The lack of sound when the camera zooms in to the teacher's face is used in order to exacerbate the noise of the delinquent crashing against the door, creating a sense of foreboding within the audience, as the prospects of the teacher begin to seem increasingly negative.
The non-diegetic sound of Halloween by John Carpenter begins, layered with the diegetic sound of the teacher opening her bag. The high pitched and fast paced non diegetic sound of the piano reflects the high speed exit from the school that the teacher must make.
The synchronous sound of the door being opened corresponds with the image on screen and the creak heightens tension, however, restricts the continuity of the piece, as this squeak is not continued through to the next shot, detracting from the reality of the piece.
When the non-diegetic sound fades, the diegetic sound of other people around the school ruins the effect quite significantly, but the intention was to stop the music to signify that something symbolic was about to happen, heightening suspense of the film. The synchronous sound, alone, of her shoes also heightens this suspense.
The scuffing sound following this is almost evidence for the audience and for the teacher that the delinquent is there, and not simply a suspicion, emphasising the thriller genre.
The non-diegetic sound plays behind this, quite quietly, so that the teacher's shoes may still be heard over the top.
When the delinquent goes past the camera, shot from inside the room, the non-diegetic sound takes on more of a sollom tone; using lower keys in the non-diegetic sound. The image on screen is reflected directly and accurately with the non-diegetic sound, bringing a certain intensity to the film. As other instruments are added to the non-diegetic sound of Halloween by John Carpenter, the sound is made altogether, more complex, reflecting upon the increased complexity of the film. This is due to fuller body appearances by the delinquent, who remained more of an enigma to the audience until the intensity of the music increased.
The synchronous sound of the delinquent's feet shuffling along the floor heightens the suspense for the audience, and brings in a sense of foreboding. The shuffling sound also links back to the original script idea, of the in-genuine limp with the left leg.
The increased frequency of the teacher's heeled shoes means that the apprehension in the audience is increased and emphasised, as the dangerous position that the teacher is in becomes more obvious to the audience.
When the delinquent comes down the stairs, the lighting is very low, (inspired by Hitchcock's The Lodger). This means that the sound is relied upon to portray what is happening. The slow, shuffling sound of the delinquent's feet signifies what is happening in the scene, if it is not evident on screen. This increases suspense, as it creates a contrast with faster paced walking of the teacher and the slow, confident shuffles of the delinquent. This suggests that the delinquent has greater control over the situation, and creates a sense of foreboding within the audience.
The non-diegetic sound of Halloween by John Carpenter layered over the sound of cars going by outside of the main school building gives more verisimilitude to the piece, thereby giving the film more of an eerie effect.
Camera Work
The fixed, static shot of the newsreader enables the audience to concentrate fully on the dialogue and her facial expression, rather than being distracted with interesting camera shots. This enables the context of the film to be set.
Further context set is shown through the establishing shot to the zoom, which emphasises where the filming will take place.
The handheld shot from the point of view, supposedly, of the delinquent builds on the tension, as there is an absence of much understanding of who's viewpoint is being shown.
The mid shot of the teacher then a zoom in and then a zoom out ensures that the audience concentrate on the facial expression of the teacher when the diegetic sound of the books are heard, allowing the audience to empathise with the teacher, as her emotions are shown most obviously to the audience.
The mid shot of teacher putting her jacket on and then the pan of the camera, following teacher walking across the room shows the audience what the teacher is doing following the loud noise, the teacher supposes is the delinquent.
The close-up of hand opening door is a shot inspired by The Lodger by Alfred Hitchcock because this film showed some close ups in order to emphasise to the audience what was happening without the use of dialogue.
The shot taken from outside the room, of the door opening, allows the audience to see the wariness of the teacher, who cautiously waits within the door frame, suggesting an earlier experience with the delinquent.
The shot of the teacher walking down the corridor, away from the camera - walking away from the safety of her classroom, gives the audience the impression that she is being watched from behind, as it follows her quite intently, and ensures that her expression is shown clearly, when she turns around to see the sound made.
The point of view shot, when the teacher turns around to see the delinquent running away - long shot of delinquent quick shot allows the audience to empathise with the teacher once more, as it emphasises the intensity of the situation and literally puts the audience in her position.
When the teacher goes down the stairs, a high angle shot is used. This highlights her vulnerability and causes more tension to be created, as the audience may begin to see why she is so vulnerable.
Following this shot, is a mid shot of the teacher's feet walking down the stairs. As Abbie and I liked the effects of the use of this shot in 'The Rush', we decided that using it again would be beneficial as it allows the audience to follow the movement of the main character.
The next shot, from inside the closed classroom door, of the delinquent walking past the door heightens the tension of the piece as it confirms that the delinquent is indeed following the teacher. The shot of my the delinquent's feet dragging along the floor about to go down the stairs, matches with the shot of the teacher's, and shows that the delinquent is following the path of the teacher in order to catch up with her, heightening the intensity.
The long shot of the teacher walking through the hall way, towards the camera, allows the audience to see behind her. This shows that the delinquent is expected to be seen approaching her from behind and suggests that the chase is almost over.
The long length mid shot of the 'delinquent' slowly walking down the stairs heightens the tension to a significant extent, as the length of this shot contrasts with the short sharp shots used previously.
These shot reverse shots allow a significant tension to build and are therefore a vital part of the ending of the opening of the film as this creates excitement within the audience and convinces them to watch the rest of the film.
The shot of the delinquent standing in the road, directly facing the camera suggests that the teacher has no hope and no way out, concluding the thriller element of the film.
By Catherine Gough
Thursday 26 March 2009
Audience
Our target audience for this film would be and older audience who are likely to watch horror films, this may include teenagers as well because this age group do tend to enjoy horrors. We didn't really decide on the target audience at first, we came up with the genre and the audience came with it. Any horror is aimed at this audience because of the scary content so the decision of which target audience to aim our film at wasn't very difficult. When deciding our genre we researched many different films. The two genres that stood out to us the most was romance and horror, so we watched film openings from these genres. Research we came up with is shown previously on our blog but after watching the film opening of 'Gothika' we had a clearer idea of what storyline we wanted to use. This film was the inspiration for our film opening and helped us with the content of it.
'The use of camera work to keep the killer a secret was excellent, the shot when the teacher turns around was quality. I was also very impressed with the use of zoom the way you zoomed in to show the reaction of the teacher before zooming out again was very effective.' - Greg Potter.
This is one of the comments we received from our audience, it tells us that our use of camera work was effective and when he says 'the use of camera work to keep the killer a secret was excellent' this tells us our storyline has been recognised clearly and the meaning that we tried to portray about our secret stalker has been successfully received from the audience.
'I think the music that you have used to build suspense is very effective but not too over the top.' - Rachel, Nikki, Lucy and Helen.
'The soundtrack kicked in at the right time which is quite creepy and creates tension.' - Mirzo.
These are two more comments we received on our final film opening about the music we used. These comments show that the aim of our use of music has been successful, this is because we wanted our music to create tension and according to our feedback from members of the audience we have achieved this aim. The comments also show that the soundtrack we used related well with the genre and created the right effect and atmosphere that was vital for a successful horror.
'The Mise en Scene in this piece is used very effectively, it is not clear at the beginning as the news reader scene plays the part of setting a scene rather than explaining the genre, but the moment you capture even a glimpse of the "Delinquent" it becomes clear that this is a Horror/Thriller movie. This is clear due to the quiet eery corridors where all you can hear is the echoes of footsteps and creaking doors. When we are shown the evil character we know this because of the evil dragging foot walk and out of place white clothing.' - Greg Potter.
This comment is a great response and exactly the reaction we were hoping for. This feedback describes how we used mise en scene, sound and setting to make our film opening a successful and obvious horror/thriller movie. The sentence Greg wrote about our use of eery corridors reflects back to our evaluation on our use of setting and the reason why we chose this setting, showing that we have in fact used a setting that will have the right impact on the audience.
By Abbie Hawkins
'The use of camera work to keep the killer a secret was excellent, the shot when the teacher turns around was quality. I was also very impressed with the use of zoom the way you zoomed in to show the reaction of the teacher before zooming out again was very effective.' - Greg Potter.
This is one of the comments we received from our audience, it tells us that our use of camera work was effective and when he says 'the use of camera work to keep the killer a secret was excellent' this tells us our storyline has been recognised clearly and the meaning that we tried to portray about our secret stalker has been successfully received from the audience.
'I think the music that you have used to build suspense is very effective but not too over the top.' - Rachel, Nikki, Lucy and Helen.
'The soundtrack kicked in at the right time which is quite creepy and creates tension.' - Mirzo.
These are two more comments we received on our final film opening about the music we used. These comments show that the aim of our use of music has been successful, this is because we wanted our music to create tension and according to our feedback from members of the audience we have achieved this aim. The comments also show that the soundtrack we used related well with the genre and created the right effect and atmosphere that was vital for a successful horror.
'The Mise en Scene in this piece is used very effectively, it is not clear at the beginning as the news reader scene plays the part of setting a scene rather than explaining the genre, but the moment you capture even a glimpse of the "Delinquent" it becomes clear that this is a Horror/Thriller movie. This is clear due to the quiet eery corridors where all you can hear is the echoes of footsteps and creaking doors. When we are shown the evil character we know this because of the evil dragging foot walk and out of place white clothing.' - Greg Potter.
This comment is a great response and exactly the reaction we were hoping for. This feedback describes how we used mise en scene, sound and setting to make our film opening a successful and obvious horror/thriller movie. The sentence Greg wrote about our use of eery corridors reflects back to our evaluation on our use of setting and the reason why we chose this setting, showing that we have in fact used a setting that will have the right impact on the audience.
By Abbie Hawkins
Wednesday 25 March 2009
Representation
In our film opening Cat and I have tried to represent the teacher and psycho characters because these will be the main characters in the rest of the film. The teacher is represented in a stereotypical way with the glasses, smart attire, neat hair and make up. We have used this representation to make it easy for our audience to recognise who the character is straight away. The setting of our film opening also helped to represent the teacher because it was in a school and the surrounding props (pens pencils, books, laptop etc) also helped display this. We used the school setting because we believed it is a good place to set a horror/thriller. This is because of the long dark corridors it has and the large variety of shots you can include, which are vital for an effective horror. We also used mise en scene to represent the psycho in this film by dressing her in a white lab coat and messing her hair up. This use of mise en scene also made her stand out in the chosen setting making her seem unusual and create a feeling of uneasiness in the audience. We have strayed away from using background and surrounding characters so the attention is not taken away from the two main characters. We believe if we were to use background characters the tension would be lost because the teacher would not seem as vulnerable and alone and the psycho would not seem as intimidating and scary, so the representation of genre would be lost slightly.
By using the setting and characters that we did we believe we have constructed a good form of realism in our film opening. Nothing drastic happens (e.g a murder) so the audience have more to wait for in the rest of the film. The mise en scene is simple (the white coat for the psycho and formal attire for the teacher) so that the audience understands the storyline and the parts that the characters play in the story. The editing is also simple (fade to black) so that continuity is achieved and the element of verisimilitude is reached.
Using Technology
The use of digital technology in our film opening has enabled us to complete an effective horror. This is mainly because of the camera we used because we found it very easy to use and use to our advantage. The fact the camera is handheld made it easy for us to make the audience feel a part of what was happening because we we able to include point of view shots. But then with the use of tripods we could also make some shots steady so that the film seemed professional, the still shots may also make the audience feel uneasy which is a good feeling to create in a horror. The software, Ulead, that we used to edit our film opening was confusing to use at first but we found it easy to pick up and learn how to use. The practise we got when completing our preliminary tasks also helped us to perfect our skills for our final task. The wide variety of transitions they give you help you to test our different effects but because we wanted our editing to be simple, they did not end up being as helpful as they could have been if we were doing a different genre.
By Abbie Hawkins
By using the setting and characters that we did we believe we have constructed a good form of realism in our film opening. Nothing drastic happens (e.g a murder) so the audience have more to wait for in the rest of the film. The mise en scene is simple (the white coat for the psycho and formal attire for the teacher) so that the audience understands the storyline and the parts that the characters play in the story. The editing is also simple (fade to black) so that continuity is achieved and the element of verisimilitude is reached.
Using Technology
The use of digital technology in our film opening has enabled us to complete an effective horror. This is mainly because of the camera we used because we found it very easy to use and use to our advantage. The fact the camera is handheld made it easy for us to make the audience feel a part of what was happening because we we able to include point of view shots. But then with the use of tripods we could also make some shots steady so that the film seemed professional, the still shots may also make the audience feel uneasy which is a good feeling to create in a horror. The software, Ulead, that we used to edit our film opening was confusing to use at first but we found it easy to pick up and learn how to use. The practise we got when completing our preliminary tasks also helped us to perfect our skills for our final task. The wide variety of transitions they give you help you to test our different effects but because we wanted our editing to be simple, they did not end up being as helpful as they could have been if we were doing a different genre.
By Abbie Hawkins
Tuesday 24 March 2009
Late Arrival
This is our preliminary task, we had some difficulty in uploading it which is why we have been delayed in adding this video to our page. We completed this task after the first film we did, called 'The Rush'.
Evaluation
In this preliminary task we were given the idea of two people having a conversation and the build up to this conversation. Cat and I took this idea and tried to make it a little bit more interesting and intense by using the appropriate shots, sound and lighting.
Camera Work
The first shot we used was a mid shot of a girl waiting at a desk, looking at her watch and looking impatient. We believe this is a good opening shot because it introduces the character and also suggests the character is waiting for someone. We create alot of emphasis on the character's watch by using an over-the-shoulder shot and then cutting to a close up shot of the watch. This suggests more of the story and when the camera goes back to the close up shot of the watch later on in the film, the watch is at a different time, showing how long the character has actually been waiting. This may also make the audience feel like their in the character's shoes and may understand the feelings of the character in more depth. Between these close up shots you can also see a zooming in shot of the character's face, showing her facial expressions and really portraying her emotion. The shot then cuts to a point-of-view shot of the door, again making the audience feel like they are experiencing the same events.
One of the shots we filmed included the camera zooming in from an over-the-shoulder shot to a close up of the character's hand. This was very jerky and if we could have the chance of redoing it we would film it again and make it look smoother. At the end of this film there is a conversation between the two characters, we have used the technique of shot-reverse-shot. This shows a good conversational style and because the shots are on an 180 degree angle the audience won't get confused or disorientated.
Sound
The only sound you can hear in this film is a clock ticking in the background. We chose this backing sound because it adds suspense to our film and fits in well when the character looks at her watch. The only other sound you can hear is the dialogue at the end of the film which has relevance to the story and solves it for the audience.
Lighting
Lighting, in our eyes, was the most effective element in our film. We used a darkened room with a lamp shining on the character and her desk. We believe this created extra tension and contrasted well with what the character was wearing, therefore making her stand out in all the shots. It also made the character look slightly more powerful whilst she was impatiently waiting.
Editing
Most of our shots flow with a fade to black in the middle of each shot which we believe produces continuity. But we wanted to experiment with a different effect which was the 'clock wipe'. We only used this when a shot cut to the shots of the watch because we believe it fitted in well with this shot and made the shot more interesting.
by Abbie Hawkins
Evaluation
In this preliminary task we were given the idea of two people having a conversation and the build up to this conversation. Cat and I took this idea and tried to make it a little bit more interesting and intense by using the appropriate shots, sound and lighting.
Camera Work
The first shot we used was a mid shot of a girl waiting at a desk, looking at her watch and looking impatient. We believe this is a good opening shot because it introduces the character and also suggests the character is waiting for someone. We create alot of emphasis on the character's watch by using an over-the-shoulder shot and then cutting to a close up shot of the watch. This suggests more of the story and when the camera goes back to the close up shot of the watch later on in the film, the watch is at a different time, showing how long the character has actually been waiting. This may also make the audience feel like their in the character's shoes and may understand the feelings of the character in more depth. Between these close up shots you can also see a zooming in shot of the character's face, showing her facial expressions and really portraying her emotion. The shot then cuts to a point-of-view shot of the door, again making the audience feel like they are experiencing the same events.
One of the shots we filmed included the camera zooming in from an over-the-shoulder shot to a close up of the character's hand. This was very jerky and if we could have the chance of redoing it we would film it again and make it look smoother. At the end of this film there is a conversation between the two characters, we have used the technique of shot-reverse-shot. This shows a good conversational style and because the shots are on an 180 degree angle the audience won't get confused or disorientated.
Sound
The only sound you can hear in this film is a clock ticking in the background. We chose this backing sound because it adds suspense to our film and fits in well when the character looks at her watch. The only other sound you can hear is the dialogue at the end of the film which has relevance to the story and solves it for the audience.
Lighting
Lighting, in our eyes, was the most effective element in our film. We used a darkened room with a lamp shining on the character and her desk. We believe this created extra tension and contrasted well with what the character was wearing, therefore making her stand out in all the shots. It also made the character look slightly more powerful whilst she was impatiently waiting.
Editing
Most of our shots flow with a fade to black in the middle of each shot which we believe produces continuity. But we wanted to experiment with a different effect which was the 'clock wipe'. We only used this when a shot cut to the shots of the watch because we believe it fitted in well with this shot and made the shot more interesting.
by Abbie Hawkins
Wednesday 18 March 2009
Working with existing forms and conventions
When assessing our film beginning at a micro, technical level, i think that Abbie and I observed the conventions of continuity very well at almost all times. After watching the film opening several times however, there are two points which obstruct continuity. These are that firstly, when the teacher gets up to leave the classroom, she is not wearing glasses, however, when she comes out of the classroom, her glasses are on. This has been picked up by many members of our class, so is evidently quite noticeable. This detracts from the verisimilitude of the film as it disorientates the audience.
A second point at which continuity is obstructed is when the teacher walks out of the classroom and down the corridor and turns around suddenly. The point of view shot used here does not correlate with the shot of the teacher so well, as the teacher is further down the corridor than the point of view shot is. I find that this is both noticeable and disorientating, and does not allow continuity.
The conventions of language in the film are observed quite well, in my opinion, because the selection of language in the dialogue means that the language fits well with the film. For example, in the newsreader's piece, harsh words such as "severe" and "crippled" emphasise the horror/thriller genre of our film because of the intense language.
The edit is linked gramatically, very well throughout. The close-up of the teacher opening the door to the mid-shot filmed from the corridor is gramatically linked in that the editing appears to flow very well.
Our fictional film, Delinquent, does not challenge any conventions of the horror/thriller genre. Our film purposly conforms to the typical characteristics of a thriller/horror genre. Abbie and I did this in order to confirm the horror/thriller genre to our audience, as in the margin of two minutes, we needed to do this swiftly and obviously in order to convey what the rest of the film would contain. We therefore did not address the genre in a playful or ironic way, but rather in a serious manner.
We have not used intertextuality either, as we decided that whilst being inspired by other films, such as gothika and The Lodger by Alfred Hichcock, we wanted to remain as original as possible.
We have tried to pleasure an audience seeking a thriller. Abbie and I feel quite confident that we have done this, through their expectations of the opening of the thriller, in the tension created through various shots.
By Catherine Gough
A second point at which continuity is obstructed is when the teacher walks out of the classroom and down the corridor and turns around suddenly. The point of view shot used here does not correlate with the shot of the teacher so well, as the teacher is further down the corridor than the point of view shot is. I find that this is both noticeable and disorientating, and does not allow continuity.
The conventions of language in the film are observed quite well, in my opinion, because the selection of language in the dialogue means that the language fits well with the film. For example, in the newsreader's piece, harsh words such as "severe" and "crippled" emphasise the horror/thriller genre of our film because of the intense language.
The edit is linked gramatically, very well throughout. The close-up of the teacher opening the door to the mid-shot filmed from the corridor is gramatically linked in that the editing appears to flow very well.
Our fictional film, Delinquent, does not challenge any conventions of the horror/thriller genre. Our film purposly conforms to the typical characteristics of a thriller/horror genre. Abbie and I did this in order to confirm the horror/thriller genre to our audience, as in the margin of two minutes, we needed to do this swiftly and obviously in order to convey what the rest of the film would contain. We therefore did not address the genre in a playful or ironic way, but rather in a serious manner.
We have not used intertextuality either, as we decided that whilst being inspired by other films, such as gothika and The Lodger by Alfred Hichcock, we wanted to remain as original as possible.
We have tried to pleasure an audience seeking a thriller. Abbie and I feel quite confident that we have done this, through their expectations of the opening of the thriller, in the tension created through various shots.
By Catherine Gough
Introduction to 'Delinquent'
After deciding which genre our film should be, we began to formulate a general story line by using storyboards.
Our initial idea was to focus on an intense storyline, which would signify the genre of the film. We decided that by using a 'chase' as the foundation for our film opening, we would have an oppertunity to create great intensity and thrill through a variety of camera shots, anges, sound and lighting.
We decided that the film should open with a news reader explaining that there had been an escaped convict from a mental health hospital. We decided that this would be beneficial because it would allow the audience to understand the presentation of the main characters and the danger the characters might face. This encourages the audience to feel a sense of foreboding about the outcome of the film.
We decided that the escapee should come to the school, through, perhaps a way of revenge to her teacher. This was clearly expressed in the first draft of the film script :
"She is identifiable by the limp she carries on her left leg and the regulation white garments she is wearing. It is notable that her limp is not genuine, but she believes it to be authentic.
For the purpose of national security, information on her psychiatric state has been divulged to this station. The delinquent was sectioned and had been detained for 43 hours before she escaped.
Reports say that she was sectioned after it was found that the treatment she received from her school teacher had left her mentally crippled.."
(we had to shorten and cut this out for our film, as the time limit would not allow for such a long script).
We thought that the escapee should go back to the school to seek revenge on the teacher who attributed to her mental state.
This would be portrayed through the chase scene, where the teacher would be finishing marking at the end of the day and then hear a crash. She would then realised after a short while that this meant she had to leave, as she would be in great danger to stay. She finds that this is too late, as the escapee is already inside the school, and looking for her. This is followed by a chase between the escapee and the teacher, who leaves the school quickly, only to find the escapee facing her outside.
The main characters include a newsreader, who's character is in her costume- a shirt and a blazer. Her expression conveys her serious attitude and also the seriousness of the newspiece she is reading.
The escaped delinquent is another character. Her identity remains mysterious until the end of the film, where a full body shot is expressed through a long shot. Her white coat signifies her position in the film, as an escaped delinquent.
By Cat Gough
Our initial idea was to focus on an intense storyline, which would signify the genre of the film. We decided that by using a 'chase' as the foundation for our film opening, we would have an oppertunity to create great intensity and thrill through a variety of camera shots, anges, sound and lighting.
We decided that the film should open with a news reader explaining that there had been an escaped convict from a mental health hospital. We decided that this would be beneficial because it would allow the audience to understand the presentation of the main characters and the danger the characters might face. This encourages the audience to feel a sense of foreboding about the outcome of the film.
We decided that the escapee should come to the school, through, perhaps a way of revenge to her teacher. This was clearly expressed in the first draft of the film script :
"She is identifiable by the limp she carries on her left leg and the regulation white garments she is wearing. It is notable that her limp is not genuine, but she believes it to be authentic.
For the purpose of national security, information on her psychiatric state has been divulged to this station. The delinquent was sectioned and had been detained for 43 hours before she escaped.
Reports say that she was sectioned after it was found that the treatment she received from her school teacher had left her mentally crippled.."
(we had to shorten and cut this out for our film, as the time limit would not allow for such a long script).
We thought that the escapee should go back to the school to seek revenge on the teacher who attributed to her mental state.
This would be portrayed through the chase scene, where the teacher would be finishing marking at the end of the day and then hear a crash. She would then realised after a short while that this meant she had to leave, as she would be in great danger to stay. She finds that this is too late, as the escapee is already inside the school, and looking for her. This is followed by a chase between the escapee and the teacher, who leaves the school quickly, only to find the escapee facing her outside.
The main characters include a newsreader, who's character is in her costume- a shirt and a blazer. Her expression conveys her serious attitude and also the seriousness of the newspiece she is reading.
The escaped delinquent is another character. Her identity remains mysterious until the end of the film, where a full body shot is expressed through a long shot. Her white coat signifies her position in the film, as an escaped delinquent.
By Cat Gough
Saturday 14 March 2009
Evaluation of film
Mise en scene
The clothing we chose in the making of our film introduction was vital to show the audience the actor's identities. To show Lacey's role as a teacher we dressed her in smart attire. This included a smart white shirt and black skirt, but we decided to dress it down with a cardigan to suggest that school is over, so the attire can be more relaxed. We had her with her hair tied back and natural make up, again to show her as a smart teacher. One mistake we made in the making of our film introduction was when we re-filmed the beginning of our film introduction. This involved us forgetting to put glasses on our actor, when she is seen wearing glasses in the rest of the introduction. We did not realise this until we after we had finished the editing and if we were given more time we would have re-filmed it if we could.
Another actor we had to give a character to through the attire was the psycho. We dressed this actor in a white lab coat so it would seem like she had just escaped from a psycho ward, which is explained by the newsreader. We also messed this actor's hair up so she looks more scruffy and added a hint of craziness to this character. The last actor we dressed appropriately was the newsreader. Her attire was similar to the teachers, she wore a smart suit jacket with a shirt and had her hair tied back. This gives her the stereotypical look of a newsreader that we wanted to achieve.
Editing
The editing process was the longest process in our eyes, but was worth it to achieve a successful end product. We gained continuity throughout our film by carefully editing each shot so they flow smoothly from each shot to the next. The only effect we added was the fade to the next shot after the newsreader had finished her report. We used this effect to show the change in setting. We also had the point of view shot when the psycho is running up to the school. This shot is very jerky to add suspense and add a hint of creepiness to the shot. The little editing we used was to keep the suspense throughout and save the audience from getting confused.
By Abbie Hawkins
The clothing we chose in the making of our film introduction was vital to show the audience the actor's identities. To show Lacey's role as a teacher we dressed her in smart attire. This included a smart white shirt and black skirt, but we decided to dress it down with a cardigan to suggest that school is over, so the attire can be more relaxed. We had her with her hair tied back and natural make up, again to show her as a smart teacher. One mistake we made in the making of our film introduction was when we re-filmed the beginning of our film introduction. This involved us forgetting to put glasses on our actor, when she is seen wearing glasses in the rest of the introduction. We did not realise this until we after we had finished the editing and if we were given more time we would have re-filmed it if we could.
Another actor we had to give a character to through the attire was the psycho. We dressed this actor in a white lab coat so it would seem like she had just escaped from a psycho ward, which is explained by the newsreader. We also messed this actor's hair up so she looks more scruffy and added a hint of craziness to this character. The last actor we dressed appropriately was the newsreader. Her attire was similar to the teachers, she wore a smart suit jacket with a shirt and had her hair tied back. This gives her the stereotypical look of a newsreader that we wanted to achieve.
Editing
The editing process was the longest process in our eyes, but was worth it to achieve a successful end product. We gained continuity throughout our film by carefully editing each shot so they flow smoothly from each shot to the next. The only effect we added was the fade to the next shot after the newsreader had finished her report. We used this effect to show the change in setting. We also had the point of view shot when the psycho is running up to the school. This shot is very jerky to add suspense and add a hint of creepiness to the shot. The little editing we used was to keep the suspense throughout and save the audience from getting confused.
By Abbie Hawkins
Wednesday 4 March 2009
Thursday 26 February 2009
First scene dialogue
First Scene
The first scene of our film involves a shot of a news reader reporting on the current incidents that are relevant to the rest of our film beginning. The following shows the dialogue and stage directions involved in this scene.
Opens – fades from black to shot of news reader. She sits at a desk, looks up from sheets of paper in front of her on the desk, directly into the camera.
The scene opens halfway through the news readers ‘welcome’ sentence, (Sound fades in synonymously with image)
News reader speaks not frantically, but calmly as she tells the news. Any expression she shows is in her eyes – they suggest disturbance and bewilderment
She wishes to convey to the audience the serious nature of this news piece, she does this with her eyes.
News reader: Good evening and welcome to the six o’clock news.
We have just received reports of an escaped delinquent from Bethlem Royal Hospital. She escaped several hours ago from the ‘secure’ unit, River House.
The institute has requested that we give a severe warning to all of those within a five mile radius of the hospital.
She is identifiable by the limp she carries on her left leg and the regulation white garments she is wearing.
Reports say that she was sectioned after it was found that the treatment she received from her school teacher had left her mentally crippled.
The first scene of our film involves a shot of a news reader reporting on the current incidents that are relevant to the rest of our film beginning. The following shows the dialogue and stage directions involved in this scene.
Opens – fades from black to shot of news reader. She sits at a desk, looks up from sheets of paper in front of her on the desk, directly into the camera.
The scene opens halfway through the news readers ‘welcome’ sentence, (Sound fades in synonymously with image)
News reader speaks not frantically, but calmly as she tells the news. Any expression she shows is in her eyes – they suggest disturbance and bewilderment
She wishes to convey to the audience the serious nature of this news piece, she does this with her eyes.
News reader: Good evening and welcome to the six o’clock news.
We have just received reports of an escaped delinquent from Bethlem Royal Hospital. She escaped several hours ago from the ‘secure’ unit, River House.
The institute has requested that we give a severe warning to all of those within a five mile radius of the hospital.
She is identifiable by the limp she carries on her left leg and the regulation white garments she is wearing.
Reports say that she was sectioned after it was found that the treatment she received from her school teacher had left her mentally crippled.
Troubles we have had whilst filming
Location
We decided that our film location should be at school, as we felt that this would fit with our story.
However, certain aspects of school life has prevented us from filming when it would be easiest for us. During lessons, for example, we have been given time to film and to complete the practical aspects of the course, but the school location has made this difficult for us. When we have stayed after school to do some filming, it has meant also that there have been many interruptions. This includes from cleaners and teachers, who obviously must stay at school after hours also.
Lighting
As we need to shoot our film when it is dark, it means that we cannot film during lesson time, as it is too light. One particular incident included the ceiling lights. We needed to turn off the lights in order to create the right atmosphere for our film, but the cleaners would turn these on. This meant that our filming was delayed considerably.
After filming, we would use lessons to edit our film. It was then that we realised that in the shots we had already captured, there were subtle- but noticeable- differences in the lighting. This is because of the different times we shot the film. In a shot for example, the blue sky was noticeably reflected in a window, yet in the next shot, the darkness outside was clearly vi sable.
Sound
As in our film, there is a lack of dialogue, we decided to use an intense non-diegetic piece of music.
To find an appropriate piece, we listened to many different soundtracks from various horror films. We used YouTube for this. Helpfully, several users of YouTube had uploaded their "top ten horror songs".
Some of these songs had a fast tempo, and were often orchestral, we felt these did not suit our story and so we selected a song that has quite a fast tempo, but has a simpler sound in comparison to the songs used in most popular horror films.
By Abbie and Cat
We decided that our film location should be at school, as we felt that this would fit with our story.
However, certain aspects of school life has prevented us from filming when it would be easiest for us. During lessons, for example, we have been given time to film and to complete the practical aspects of the course, but the school location has made this difficult for us. When we have stayed after school to do some filming, it has meant also that there have been many interruptions. This includes from cleaners and teachers, who obviously must stay at school after hours also.
Lighting
As we need to shoot our film when it is dark, it means that we cannot film during lesson time, as it is too light. One particular incident included the ceiling lights. We needed to turn off the lights in order to create the right atmosphere for our film, but the cleaners would turn these on. This meant that our filming was delayed considerably.
After filming, we would use lessons to edit our film. It was then that we realised that in the shots we had already captured, there were subtle- but noticeable- differences in the lighting. This is because of the different times we shot the film. In a shot for example, the blue sky was noticeably reflected in a window, yet in the next shot, the darkness outside was clearly vi sable.
Sound
As in our film, there is a lack of dialogue, we decided to use an intense non-diegetic piece of music.
To find an appropriate piece, we listened to many different soundtracks from various horror films. We used YouTube for this. Helpfully, several users of YouTube had uploaded their "top ten horror songs".
Some of these songs had a fast tempo, and were often orchestral, we felt these did not suit our story and so we selected a song that has quite a fast tempo, but has a simpler sound in comparison to the songs used in most popular horror films.
By Abbie and Cat
Wednesday 11 February 2009
Genre Conclusion
To conclude our research on what kind of genre we would like to use for our coursework, we have decided to use horror.
We decided horror would be the most appropriate of genres, the reasons for this include:
We decided horror would be the most appropriate of genres, the reasons for this include:
- This genre relies mainly on camera shots and angles, our other choice of a romance film relies heavily on the effective use of dialogue. We feel that by emphasising the use of camera shots and angles we could achieve our full potential in creating a horror film opening.
- The limitations of locations would prevent us from creating an effective Romance, as that genre requires more elaborate scenery. A horror film, on the other hand, typically requires less emphasis on the location of the film, it concentrates more on the feelings that are portrayed in the scenes.
- As we are required to create a 2 minute opening of a film, producing the beginning of a horror film seems more appealing because it would allow us to create a more exciting opening, like the films we have so far researched. From the aforementioned research, it has been possible to conclude that romance films have a tendency to have graduated beginnings. This would not be beneficial to our production, as we must capture the audience within two minutes!
- Generally, horror films rely on the first few minutes in order to capture the audience's attention, whereas the typical romance film may spend the entire sequence drawing in the audience's emotions with the characters.
We feel, therefore, that the horror genre would be highly appropriate for our two minute film opening.
By Cat and Abbie
Thursday 5 February 2009
The Rush - an evaluation
Although we've had a bit of trouble posting this video, here is our preliminary coursework.
The preliminary coursework exercise required us to make a short film using a simplistic storyline.
The exercise also required Abbie and I to put our newly acquired knowledge into practise. This included camera shots and angles, composition and general rules to be used when filming, the 180 degree rule for example.
Although the difficulties we faced transferring the film from the disk to the Internet meant a long delay in posting the film, this may not have been such a hindrance. It is possible now to look back on the film and evaluate it's strengths and weaknesses with the appropriate knowledge and experience of filming and editing techniques, thus giving perhaps a more well-informed evaluation than may have been possible a few months ago.
After viewing this film again, i have taken note of several points to improve on for the coursework piece we are currently making.
These include:
- Shots used are too short, in terms of time, when they should not be. For example, the over the shoulder(OTS) shot of the girl sending the text message transcends from an OTS to a zoom close-up so quickly that it may discomfort the audience. This should be avoided in order to gain more of a professional film.
- Sound should remain under control. In this film, there is a great deal of unrelated diegetic sound from our fellow media students and other members of the school. This has quite an unprofessional effect on the film, and should be avoided in future!
- Continuity should also be a key element in the production of our current piece of coursework. The lack of continuity in this film, with Abbie's clothing for example, may confuse the audience and is an element of the project that we must take seriously!
- One of the most apparent mistakes in this film is my inadequate camera knowledge. When Abbie walks down the stairs, for example, i zoomed in too quickly, and had to zoom out again. This has an effect of making the entire production look quite amateurish and so i should perhaps gain more experience with the camera equipment!
By Cat Gough
Sunday 18 January 2009
Sabrina
Sabrina is a classic black and white romance, made in 1954. It stars Audrey Hepburn, William Holden and Humphrey Bogart.
Sabrina begins by fading in to an establishing shot of a mansion house, which sits comfortably upon a hill. This shot is a low angled, long shot. This could be used in order to emphasise the social differences between the two families in the film. Alternatively, this could be used to emphasise that the social status of the occupants is high.
Non-diegetic sound of the character Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) narrates this first scene, creating a fairy tale like atmosphere. This may give clues to the audience concerning the genre of the film. If we do make a romance film, this is something to take note of.
The next few shots are quite quick in succession, of a grand garden, a bay containing several boats floating on a lake, an outdoor and indoor tennis court, the quick succession is used in order to emphasise the scale of the grounds.
Following this is a close-up of a water fountain. The camera zooms into the fountain, in view of the goldfish "George". The camera pans, following the movement of the goldfish, George. This may reflect the way in which the film follows the events in the protagonist's life.
This long succession of shots of the grounds emphasises the wealth of the occupants and the scale of the grounds.
The next shot is of the character Sabrina and her father, washing a grand black car. The camera slowly pans and zooms towards the two characters, allowing their facial expressions to be presented clearly.
Sabrina then becomes sidetracked and wanders off screen, away from her father and the car. The protagonist's absence in this shot creates a sense of mystery, but only for a short time, reflecting the instantaneous style of story.
By Catherine Gough
Thursday 15 January 2009
Gothika
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0EKJ4cL3LWE
I decided to analyse the film Gothika because Cat and I thought horror might be a good genre to use for our film beginning. Gothika was released in the year 2003, starring Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz.
The beginning of this film is introduced with credits. The background is black and the typography is white with a creepy font. The words fade in and out creating a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere. Backing music is played during these credits, it sounds dark and creepy which suggest the film is a horror.
A woman with a disturbing voice begins to talk, at first you cannot see the speaker so the sound is asynchronous, but then the black background and credits fade to the speakers face. The shot is a close up of the woman speaking, she is looking straight at the camera, as if she is talking to you personally. This makes the audience feel slightly uncomfortable. This particular woman is looking dishevelled and disturbing. She is wearing no make up, her hair is a mess and her eyes look tired. The lighting is dark and dull, adding to the creepy atmosphere.
The camera then cuts to another woman who looks alot more conservative and normal, with her hair neatly tied back, some make up and looks generally more together and clean. The way she looks compared to the mental woman suggests she is of a higher status. Whilst the two characters are having a conversation the camera does a shot-reverse-shot, this means you can see both character's facial expressions and reactions, especially with a close up shot.
The next shot is from outside what looks like a cage, which the characters are sitting in, with a table between them. The cage makes the conversation seem more protected and confined, as if one of the women is harmful. You can see clearly now that the lady is interrogating the other woman because of their overall difference in appearance and the way they are speaking to eachother. There is an over the shoulder shot of the mental woman confessing. The truthfulness of what she is saying and how she is saying it is likely to make the audience feel even more uncomfortable. Throughout these shots the camera is constantly moving from when the camera cuts to the outside of the cage. You can see the normal lady writing on paper, clearly showing she is of some importance and is involved with the police. This introduces her possible job title straight away suggesting that she could be the main character of this film. When the camera shows a two shot of both of them sitting down you can see the normal lady sitting up straight, whereas the mental lady is more slouched. This contrast in levels could suggest who is more important and who has a higher status.
Throughout this scene the dialogue is constantly on the same tone of voice, until the mental woman shouts, creating an element of surprise and maybe making the audience more jumpy. This also creates tension and suspense. Lastly, the normal lady ends the interrogation which shows she has complete control over the situation which, again, shows her higher status.
Abbie Hawkins
I decided to analyse the film Gothika because Cat and I thought horror might be a good genre to use for our film beginning. Gothika was released in the year 2003, starring Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz.
The beginning of this film is introduced with credits. The background is black and the typography is white with a creepy font. The words fade in and out creating a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere. Backing music is played during these credits, it sounds dark and creepy which suggest the film is a horror.
A woman with a disturbing voice begins to talk, at first you cannot see the speaker so the sound is asynchronous, but then the black background and credits fade to the speakers face. The shot is a close up of the woman speaking, she is looking straight at the camera, as if she is talking to you personally. This makes the audience feel slightly uncomfortable. This particular woman is looking dishevelled and disturbing. She is wearing no make up, her hair is a mess and her eyes look tired. The lighting is dark and dull, adding to the creepy atmosphere.
The camera then cuts to another woman who looks alot more conservative and normal, with her hair neatly tied back, some make up and looks generally more together and clean. The way she looks compared to the mental woman suggests she is of a higher status. Whilst the two characters are having a conversation the camera does a shot-reverse-shot, this means you can see both character's facial expressions and reactions, especially with a close up shot.
The next shot is from outside what looks like a cage, which the characters are sitting in, with a table between them. The cage makes the conversation seem more protected and confined, as if one of the women is harmful. You can see clearly now that the lady is interrogating the other woman because of their overall difference in appearance and the way they are speaking to eachother. There is an over the shoulder shot of the mental woman confessing. The truthfulness of what she is saying and how she is saying it is likely to make the audience feel even more uncomfortable. Throughout these shots the camera is constantly moving from when the camera cuts to the outside of the cage. You can see the normal lady writing on paper, clearly showing she is of some importance and is involved with the police. This introduces her possible job title straight away suggesting that she could be the main character of this film. When the camera shows a two shot of both of them sitting down you can see the normal lady sitting up straight, whereas the mental lady is more slouched. This contrast in levels could suggest who is more important and who has a higher status.
Throughout this scene the dialogue is constantly on the same tone of voice, until the mental woman shouts, creating an element of surprise and maybe making the audience more jumpy. This also creates tension and suspense. Lastly, the normal lady ends the interrogation which shows she has complete control over the situation which, again, shows her higher status.
Abbie Hawkins
Sunday 11 January 2009
Breakfast at Tiffany's
To decipher what film genre Cat and I would like to use for our film beginning, we have decided to analyse the beginning of some romance films and some horror films, as these are our favourite genres so far. I have decided to analyse the beginning of the Audrey Hepburn film 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. The film that stars a character (known as Eliza Doolittle in this film) well known for her elegance, poise and general quirkiness, she makes this film by far one of my favourite romance films.
The beginning of this film shows Audrey being dropped off by a taxi, outside the jewellery store, Tiffany's. The first shot is an establishing shot of a city road, which looks like a high street with shops. This introduces the scene and gives the audience a good feel of were this film may be set, in the city. Music begins and it is the song 'Moon river' by Johnny Merger and Henry Mancini, which if you were to watch the rest of the film you would notice this song is the only song played throughout the film. A taxi is seen driving towards the camera from a distance, it is the only car in sight, the street is completely empty so the audiences attention is bound to be on this one taxi. It also suggests it is very early morning because of the emptiness of the street and the dull lighting, but not so dull that it could be evening. The camera continues to track the taxi until it stops outside a shop, as the taxi drives away a lady is revealed.
The lady is clearly recognisable as Audrey Hepburn. She is looking very dressed up in formal attire, with a black, floor length gown, pearls around her neck, long black gloves on her hands and her hair is done up very elegantly. The next shot is a very explanatory shot of the back of her head with the store sign, 'Tiffany' next to her head, in the distance. This clearly introduces where she is standing and what she is looking at. The camera tracks her walking towards the store window and then cuts to her looking at the display from a side on angle. She then gets out a paper bag and starts eating what looks like a croissant and drinks what looks like a cup of coffee. This shows the audience she is having breakfast at Tiffany's, clearly relating to the obvious title!
She then moves on to look in the next window and this shot is different because you see her from the inside of the window with her looking in, so you can see her face straight on. The camera focuses on her facial expressions and shows the audience her reaction to what she is looking at. You see her wearing a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses which creates a more laid back casual look about her, which is a change from the overall dressed up and formal look she creates on first impressions.
The camera then watches her walking away down the street, you see her throwing her paper bag away which ends that first iconic scene. Throughout this scene there is no dialogue or digetic sound, all you can hear playing is the backing soundtrack.
Abbie Hawkins
Thursday 8 January 2009
In addition to Cats conclusion on what we have been discussing in lessons, we have decided the best films beginnings to analyse from each genre (romance and horror) are 28 days later and Gothika for horror and Funny Face and Sabrina for romance. The romance films are Audrey Hepburn films who we both have a passionate interest in and we both believe the films she stars in are perfect and typical romance films, which we are likely to copy when it comes to the both of the film's style and elegance. The films we chose for horror are both quite different in terms of storyline. Gothika is more of a psychological, creepy horror, whereas 28 days later is more of a adrenaline filled thriller. By analysing the contrasting films we will be able to get an opinion on each film and we will be able to decide what storyline we could base our final piece on.
Abbie Hawkins
Abbie Hawkins
Genre
After another discussion in class, for our 2 minute film opening, Abbie and I have narrowed down the choices of genre to either a Romance or a Horror/Thriller.
We have decided upon doing these because we feel that these genres will be the most enjoyable to make and on the post 'the decision of genre' we decided that the 'cons' would not deter us from anything important or significant. Also, the 'pros' for both genres are all very positive and will be beneficial to the film. I think that either of these genres would allow us to make a very fun and exciting film.
In order to decide upon the genre, Abbie and I will write a few posts on the openings of films in the horror/thriller and romantic genres, to draw inspiration and in order to further our film research.
Cat Gough
We have decided upon doing these because we feel that these genres will be the most enjoyable to make and on the post 'the decision of genre' we decided that the 'cons' would not deter us from anything important or significant. Also, the 'pros' for both genres are all very positive and will be beneficial to the film. I think that either of these genres would allow us to make a very fun and exciting film.
In order to decide upon the genre, Abbie and I will write a few posts on the openings of films in the horror/thriller and romantic genres, to draw inspiration and in order to further our film research.
Cat Gough
Monday 5 January 2009
Midnight Cowboy
Midnight Cowboy begins with a blank screen, with vertical lines. The Non-diegetic sound of galloping horses, gunshots and yelping cowboys echos and as the camera zooms out, the sound fades out and is replaced by the synchronous sound of the minuscule rusty swings and roundabout, which move in the wind. The mise-en-scene and sound are both used in these first few seconds in order to create an eerie atmosphere and to emphasise a feeling of loneliness to the audience.
As the shot continues to zoom out, the establishing shot is revealed - a drive in theatre and a lonely Texan landscape.
Non-diegetic sound begins, the sound of a man singing an echoed country song, emphasising isolation or desolation.
This long shot could perhaps mirror the slow nature of this environment, which is juxtaposed with Joe Buck's personality.
The following shot is a close-up of a large foot tapping in a shower, splashing water. The foot is in the centre of the screen, a rectangular bar of soap is to the left of his foot. This use of the rule of thirds creates an artistic shot, and it is an element of this film that I'd like to draw inspiration from and apply this to our film. Perhaps in our film, we could use the rule of thirds by placing one person in the 1st third and another person in the 3rd third of the screen, and leaving the 2nd third empty, which could reflect the emotional distance between the two characters.
As the sound of singing becomes louder, it is evident to the audience that the singer is in this room, thus becoming diegetic sound.
The man bends down and collects the soap in an efficient sweep. His fast paced body language suggests that he is an outwardly confident person. He begins to wash his shoulders with the soap and continues to sing, the close-up allows the audience to see that he is content and happy, as he has a smile on his face. Suggesting perhaps that he is content with his identity at present.
The shot then quickly cuts to the man who was in the shower, who is now out of the shower in his room, looking into a mirror, singing the same country song, allowing a feeling of continuity, which could reflect the idea that the man's life is easy at this point. The shot is a low angle over the shoulder shot, showing perhaps the man's power in his current social situation.
Non diegetic sound of a woman yelling 'where's Joe Buck?' doesn't seem to phase the character.
The next shot is of a chef in a kitchen, the mise-en-scene allows the audience to figure out easily the man's position in the workplace. A stack of dirty plates and cups frames both the left and right side of the screen and allows the amount of work that needs doing to be emphasised, as the shot is accompanied by a low angle, making the cups and plates to seem almost intimidating. The chef also yells 'Where's Joe Buck?'
The shot then quickly changes to a close-up of a man taking a black cowboy hat from a box alongside non-diegetic sound of a man yelling 'where's Joe Buck?'
The next shot is a close-up of Joe Buck's profile, who is putting on his hat, and looking in the mirror again.
Another shot is of a woman in the kitchen, who yells to Joe Buck, her face is bordered by dirty plates and cups, highlighting to the audience Joe's attitude to work.
The film then transitions quickly into another shot of Joe in his room. He is now wearing a green cowboy shirt.
There is a shot of Joe doing up his flies, using a close-up in order to exhibit Joe's actions very clearly. There is more non-diegetic sound of a woman asking where Joe Buck is.
This succession of short, fast paced, close-up shots make the audience feel uncomfortable and clearly emphasises Joe Buck's desire for a faced paced lifestyle, or his irrational nature. The next shot of Joe, is when he is now fully dressed, with a suede jacket and a cigarette drooping in his mouth. He replies to the woman directing his dialogue into the camera, his eyes unflinching. This makes the audience feel discomfort, and emphasises Joe's intimidating nature directly to the audience. He then turns around very quickly, a panning shot mirrors his movement, reflecting his impatient nature. Outside, there is a close-up shot of the top step, and the bottom of the door frame. This heightens anticipation, and the door is kicked open, and non-diegetic sound begins. Cat Gough The next shot of Joe, is when he is now fully dressed, with a suede jacket and a cigarette drooping in his mouth. He replies to the woman directing his dialogue into the camera, his eyes unflinching. This makes the audience feel discomfort, and emphasises Joe's intimidating nature directly to the audience. He then turns around very quickly, a panning shot mirrors his movement, reflecting his impatient nature. Outside, there is a close-up shot of the top step, and the bottom of the door frame. This heightens anticipation, and the door is kicked open, and non-diegetic sound begins. Cat Gough
The camera pans with the cowboy boots down the stairs, and then pans slowly upwards, whilst zooming out. Emphasising the audience's emotional distance with the character. This panning reveals a long shot of Joe, who walks away from the building, with a zebra print suit-case in his hand. The constant panning in this shot is suggestive of a journey that Joe is about to embark upon.
Titles begin to appear on screen as the camera stops panning.
The pavement that Joe walks upon is just off centre of the screen, showing Joe's irregular situation. As Joe walks into the distance, the non-diegetic sound gradually increases in volume.
The 'Midnight Cowboy' title comes on screen, Joe's body is between the two words, emphasising his loneliness.
This succession of short, fast paced, close-up shots make the audience feel uncomfortable and clearly emphasises Joe Buck's desire for a faced paced lifestyle, or his irrational nature.
The camera pans with the cowboy boots down the stairs, and then pans slowly upwards, whilst zooming out. Emphasising the audience's emotional distance with the character. This panning reveals a long shot of Joe, who walks away from the building, with a zebra print suit-case in his hand. The constant panning in this shot is suggestive of a journey that Joe is about to embark upon.
Titles begin to appear on screen as the camera stops panning.
The pavement that Joe walks upon is just off centre of the screen, showing Joe's irregular situation. As Joe walks into the distance, the non-diegetic sound gradually increases in volume.
The 'Midnight Cowboy' title comes on screen, Joe's body is between the two words, emphasising his loneliness.
The decision of genre
After a long discussion in class about the possibilities of the genre our film opening could be classified as, Abbie and i decided that due to budget limitations and the difficulty of taking the camera out of school grounds, we have ruled out numerous genres. Although there would be definite visual advantages to some of these.
Listed below are the pros and cons of some possible genres we discussed in class.
War/Anti-war
Pros:
- The potential to use a variety of different shots
- An exciting viewing experience for the audience
- Easy to find a location for
Cons:
- The budget of this would be considerable, as mise-en-scene may cost a great deal (clothing, make-up etc)
- The cost may be even greater when attempting to achieve historical accuracy (this would be a vital element when attempting to create realism, which would be vital in order to create interest)
- The issue of taking the camera off the school premises could cause problems, which may take up a great deal of time. Taking the camera off of the school grounds would be essential in creating a realistic and convincing mise-en-scene
Horror/Thriller
Pros:
- Inexpensive to film, in terms of mise-en-scene, location, as it could be more effective if we used every day props, clothing etc to make the film seem more realistic, the audience could relate to this, and it would be more interesting in that sense.
- There are many horror/thriller films to draw inspiration from
- Filming at school wouldn't necessarily restrict the film in terms of the thrill or horror elements
- The genre does not require particularly good acting skills (good for Abbie and i)
- Dialogue wouldn't be so important, meaning that technical elements and body language could be given more significance in the film. This creates a great deal of tension, if done particularly well, like in Alfred Hickcock's Psycho. In my opinion, what makes Psycho so haunting is not the dialogue, but the body language of the characters, the characters themselves and the suspense created by Hickcock with the highly skilled use of camera shots and angles. Inspiration for camera angles and shots could be drawn from this film, along with Hickcock's The Birds.
Cons:
- If we decide upon tipping the balance of the horror/thriller genre in favour of horror, it would be challenging to create props and injuries to accompany these.
- It may be costly to acquire props and fake blood
- To make the film more realistic, it would be more effective to film in a house, which may cause trouble in terms of taking the camera off site.
- This is a very popular genre, originality may be an issue
Western
Pros:
- An interesting and fun film to make
- Many different plots are possible
- A variety of very interesting shots could be made
- costume is very straight forward and quite easy to create
- The Wild West scenery could be avoided by drawing inspiration from the beginning of a film like Midnight Cowboy.
Cons:
- Possibly the most important aspect of the Western genre is the location - the Wild West. We do not have a sufficient budget to create this mise-en-scene nor can we fly to America and film our 2 minute clip there, as this is off site, and just a bit expensive.
- Good acting is required
Comedy/Romance
Pros:
- Inspiration can be drawn from independent films (such as films exhibited at the Sundance film festival), thus helping to create quite a unique film in the plot lines and shots used
- Mise-en-scene would not be in issue in terms of cost
- Location could be anywhere (even on school grounds) as this would create verisimilitude
Cons:
- Dialogue is a very important factor in the film, which may limit the variation of camera shots
- A plot may be hard to think of
- It would be very difficult to create a film that both members of the group would be satisfied with, in terms of the sense of humour.
- Humour is a vital component of the film which must be done well in order to make the film successful (successful in terms of our satisfaction with it) which i would find very difficult
Adventure/Action
Pros:
- A large number of technical aspects could be used to an impressive effect
- A plot would not be too difficult to create
- An exciting viewing experience could be created for the viewer
Cons:
- Mise-en-scene would be highly expensive
- Any action moves would be very difficult for myself and Abbie to do
By Cat Gough
Friday 2 January 2009
Wanted Analysis
I analysed the first two minutes of the film 'Wanted', starring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy. The first thing you see on the screen is white words with a posh looking font. The writing stands out against a black background and explains something that is obviously a vital component to the rest of the film. By making the audience read straight away, it quickly captures their attention and causes them to concentrate on the film. The backing sound sounds mechanical and suggests the film could be a thriller/action movie because of its seriousness.
The screen then fades to a colourful, office setting with workers gathered around a table singing happy birthday. This changes the mood completely but it may confuse the audience, making them want to watch more. After a long shot of the workers dressed in smart clothes, suggesting they are office workers, the camera cuts to a close up of one man with a blank expression. An asynchronous backing voice begins as the camera cuts to this close up, it suggests the man talking and narrating these particular shots, is the man in the shot. He continues to insult his boss and the camera cuts to a close up of a big lady in her own clothes eating cake, showing straight away that she is the boss. By the look on the man's face he does not like her.
The shot then cuts to a high angle shot, whilst tracking him walking away from the cheery crowd that make him look even more solemn and depressed looking. He begins to explain his job title which matches with the setting and props used in the shot. (e.g computers and stacks of paper). This constant camera concentration on him suggests he is the main character in this movie.
Abbie Hawkins
The screen then fades to a colourful, office setting with workers gathered around a table singing happy birthday. This changes the mood completely but it may confuse the audience, making them want to watch more. After a long shot of the workers dressed in smart clothes, suggesting they are office workers, the camera cuts to a close up of one man with a blank expression. An asynchronous backing voice begins as the camera cuts to this close up, it suggests the man talking and narrating these particular shots, is the man in the shot. He continues to insult his boss and the camera cuts to a close up of a big lady in her own clothes eating cake, showing straight away that she is the boss. By the look on the man's face he does not like her.
The shot then cuts to a high angle shot, whilst tracking him walking away from the cheery crowd that make him look even more solemn and depressed looking. He begins to explain his job title which matches with the setting and props used in the shot. (e.g computers and stacks of paper). This constant camera concentration on him suggests he is the main character in this movie.
Abbie Hawkins
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