Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Welcome
Welcome to my blog. Here is a collection of posts demonstrating the research and planning that has gone into our final coursework production - Camp Ivy.
Friday, 3 May 2013
Thursday, 2 May 2013
Evaluation Q1 - Use of Conventions
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
TITLES:
As in the slasher film Madhouse (William Butler, 2004) the first titles displayed a 'fireline presents'. In madhouse's case it was 'Lions Gate Productions'. This is a commonly used convention. In our production we also used a convention shown in slashers such as Urban Legend. We displayed 'A cupkate Production', similar to Urban Legend saying 'a Gina Matthews Production'. Also similar to present in Urban Legend (Jamie Blanks, 1998) we displayed our lead actors in pairs as the opening sequence took place. As shown in Scary Movie (Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2000) and Urban Legend after the first killing is when the title of the film is shown. We also did this and similar to both these examples we centred the title and it fades to black as with the examples do here.
IDENTS:
A good and simple example of idents from a slasher film are An American Werewolf in London (John Landis, 1981). The idents from this film do look quite dated but the the simple animated letters concept is still effective, and continues to be used commonly in modern slasher films. Liking this concept we did very similar and all 4 of our company idents involved this same technique and some additional animation and effects. This helped create our idents to be simple, clear and effective.
OPENING SHOTS:
The first shot we show in our production is an establishing shot. This is a good way of instantly anchoring mood, genre and location of the film. Our establishing shot is of the wooden cabins where the main part of our film is set. An establishing shot also helps ease the audience into the film and the action. This same technique is used in many slasher openings, a good example is 5ive Girls (Warren P Sonoda, 2006).
GROUP SHOT:
At the very opening of our production we thought it was essential to include a group shot to help anchor the main characters, this is very commonly done for this reason and also the dialogue likely to be used along side this will add to the exposition revealed in the early parts of the opening. It also quickly introduces possible protagonist and antagonists to the audience.
NARRATIVE ENIGMA:
In our production we show narrative enigma whenever the killer is shown. By dressing the killer in a black hoodie the audience are never able to identify him, this along with the shots of only the killers feet gradually being cut into the action helps create narrative enigma. This same concept is used in lots of slasher films. A well known example is the Friday the 13th franchise where Jason is always seen wearing a mask to hide his identity.
SOUND:
The sound we used in the killing sequence of our production is inspired from slashers such as Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960). We Included high pitched string instruments that created drama and tensions and helped replicate the screams that would be heard. Psycho is a very famous example of this technique.
Throughout our opening we used a mixture of diegetic and non diegetic sound to create tension as well as keeping it realistic.
FINAL GIRL AND SCREAM QUEEN:
Carole Clover's theory of the final girl applies to the majority of films across the slasher genre, and our production is no exception. 'Charley' our final girl character follows this concept in a number of ways. Her name is unisex and she dresses very covered up and comes across a positive an very morally right person.
The binary opposite of Charley is our scream queen Ashley. Ashley dresses a lot less covered and has a lazy and negative attitude. She also comes across less immoral by having a boy friend.
Both these characters are common stereotypes of the slasher genre. A good example of a final girl is Sydney Prescott from Scream (Wes Craven, 1996). A good and extremely famous example of a scream queen is Janet Leigh from Psycho.
CONCLUSION:
All our audience feedback was positive and came across as getting our preferred reading. However, as not everyone we asked watched slasher films, intertextual references such as the blood dripping into the stream at the end being related to Psycho was fully recognised or understood.
We were most worried about our killing scene not coming across convincingly, but our audience feedback didn't bring up any concern about this. Using conventions from past examples has helped us to achieve better verisimilatude.
TITLES:
As in the slasher film Madhouse (William Butler, 2004) the first titles displayed a 'fireline presents'. In madhouse's case it was 'Lions Gate Productions'. This is a commonly used convention. In our production we also used a convention shown in slashers such as Urban Legend. We displayed 'A cupkate Production', similar to Urban Legend saying 'a Gina Matthews Production'. Also similar to present in Urban Legend (Jamie Blanks, 1998) we displayed our lead actors in pairs as the opening sequence took place. As shown in Scary Movie (Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2000) and Urban Legend after the first killing is when the title of the film is shown. We also did this and similar to both these examples we centred the title and it fades to black as with the examples do here.
IDENTS:
A good and simple example of idents from a slasher film are An American Werewolf in London (John Landis, 1981). The idents from this film do look quite dated but the the simple animated letters concept is still effective, and continues to be used commonly in modern slasher films. Liking this concept we did very similar and all 4 of our company idents involved this same technique and some additional animation and effects. This helped create our idents to be simple, clear and effective.
OPENING SHOTS:
The first shot we show in our production is an establishing shot. This is a good way of instantly anchoring mood, genre and location of the film. Our establishing shot is of the wooden cabins where the main part of our film is set. An establishing shot also helps ease the audience into the film and the action. This same technique is used in many slasher openings, a good example is 5ive Girls (Warren P Sonoda, 2006).
GROUP SHOT:
At the very opening of our production we thought it was essential to include a group shot to help anchor the main characters, this is very commonly done for this reason and also the dialogue likely to be used along side this will add to the exposition revealed in the early parts of the opening. It also quickly introduces possible protagonist and antagonists to the audience.
NARRATIVE ENIGMA:
In our production we show narrative enigma whenever the killer is shown. By dressing the killer in a black hoodie the audience are never able to identify him, this along with the shots of only the killers feet gradually being cut into the action helps create narrative enigma. This same concept is used in lots of slasher films. A well known example is the Friday the 13th franchise where Jason is always seen wearing a mask to hide his identity.
SOUND:
The sound we used in the killing sequence of our production is inspired from slashers such as Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960). We Included high pitched string instruments that created drama and tensions and helped replicate the screams that would be heard. Psycho is a very famous example of this technique.
Throughout our opening we used a mixture of diegetic and non diegetic sound to create tension as well as keeping it realistic.
FINAL GIRL AND SCREAM QUEEN:
Carole Clover's theory of the final girl applies to the majority of films across the slasher genre, and our production is no exception. 'Charley' our final girl character follows this concept in a number of ways. Her name is unisex and she dresses very covered up and comes across a positive an very morally right person.
The binary opposite of Charley is our scream queen Ashley. Ashley dresses a lot less covered and has a lazy and negative attitude. She also comes across less immoral by having a boy friend.
Both these characters are common stereotypes of the slasher genre. A good example of a final girl is Sydney Prescott from Scream (Wes Craven, 1996). A good and extremely famous example of a scream queen is Janet Leigh from Psycho.
CONCLUSION:
All our audience feedback was positive and came across as getting our preferred reading. However, as not everyone we asked watched slasher films, intertextual references such as the blood dripping into the stream at the end being related to Psycho was fully recognised or understood.
We were most worried about our killing scene not coming across convincingly, but our audience feedback didn't bring up any concern about this. Using conventions from past examples has helped us to achieve better verisimilatude.
Evaluation Q2 - Representations
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
The seven key areas of representation are:
The seven key areas of representation are:
- Social Class and Status
- Age
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- Physical Dis/Ability
- Sexuality
- Region Identity
AGE:
In our media production age is not a varied representation. Everyone in our media production is a teenager, including the killer. This follows the convention from slasher films that the authority figures (the scream queen's father not answering his phone) are useless and that is left to the teenagers to defeat the killer. The clothes that the teenagers are wearing anchor their age. By having the characters this age, they are very relate-able to the target audience. The final girl comes across innocent and sensible for her age, anchoring her role as a leader and eventually the one that will defeat the killer as stereotypical of the final girl. The jock character comes across as quite immature in his attempt to come across 'cool'. These qualities along with this lazy and rude attitude fits the jock stereotype well.
GENDER:
In our production gender comes across strongly using binary opposites. An example of these binary opposites is the scream queen and the killer. The scream queen fits the stereotype of her role with her long blonde hair and revealing clothing. She also fits the female stereotype by showing emotion and panic. She also portrays weakness by being the victim in the opening sequence. In contrast, the killer shows no emotion, and this is clear even though his face isn't shown to create narrative enigma. The killer also portrays strength with is a masculine attribute, this is shown by him succeeding to kill the scream queen. There are binary opposites with the scream queen and the final girl. In comparison to the scream queen, the final girl takes the leader role, portrays strength and masculine qualities. This follows Carole Clover's theory of the final girl and feminism in slasher films. These clear qualities may also provide intertextuality with the audience if they are clearly recognisable with the archetype examples from previous slasher examples.
SEXUALITY:
In our production, all the characters are heterosexual. By doing this we are reinforcing what the audience consider to be a normative representation. In our opening this is only shown through the coupling of the scream queen and the jock, anchored by them walking together and the background on the scream queen's phone.
PHYSICAL ABILITY/DISABILITY:
In our production all of our characters in our opening are physically able. Again by doing this we are reinforcing the normative representation. If we had used disabled characters the situation may have been slightly less realistic and difficult to accurately and believably portray.
REGIONAL IDENTITY:
In our production all the characters have a mild Yorkshire accent and use typical 'teenage' slang, but little regional terms, to try and make the film appealing and understandable to a larger audience. The opening of our production is also set in a very rural area. This helps to anchor the region it is set and helps the audience to relate to the characters if they are from a similar area.
SOCIAL CLASS AND STATUS:
All of the characters in the opening come across as an equal class. They all speak similar and their clothes don't look different enough to class them different socially or give them more of a status. All the characters are portrayed as average working/middle class people. There is nothing that could define them as anything more or less than this. This class will be then same as the majority of our target audience, so again creating more reasons for them to easily relate to the characters and put themselves in the same situation.
In our media production age is not a varied representation. Everyone in our media production is a teenager, including the killer. This follows the convention from slasher films that the authority figures (the scream queen's father not answering his phone) are useless and that is left to the teenagers to defeat the killer. The clothes that the teenagers are wearing anchor their age. By having the characters this age, they are very relate-able to the target audience. The final girl comes across innocent and sensible for her age, anchoring her role as a leader and eventually the one that will defeat the killer as stereotypical of the final girl. The jock character comes across as quite immature in his attempt to come across 'cool'. These qualities along with this lazy and rude attitude fits the jock stereotype well.
GENDER:
In our production gender comes across strongly using binary opposites. An example of these binary opposites is the scream queen and the killer. The scream queen fits the stereotype of her role with her long blonde hair and revealing clothing. She also fits the female stereotype by showing emotion and panic. She also portrays weakness by being the victim in the opening sequence. In contrast, the killer shows no emotion, and this is clear even though his face isn't shown to create narrative enigma. The killer also portrays strength with is a masculine attribute, this is shown by him succeeding to kill the scream queen. There are binary opposites with the scream queen and the final girl. In comparison to the scream queen, the final girl takes the leader role, portrays strength and masculine qualities. This follows Carole Clover's theory of the final girl and feminism in slasher films. These clear qualities may also provide intertextuality with the audience if they are clearly recognisable with the archetype examples from previous slasher examples.
SEXUALITY:
In our production, all the characters are heterosexual. By doing this we are reinforcing what the audience consider to be a normative representation. In our opening this is only shown through the coupling of the scream queen and the jock, anchored by them walking together and the background on the scream queen's phone.
PHYSICAL ABILITY/DISABILITY:
In our production all of our characters in our opening are physically able. Again by doing this we are reinforcing the normative representation. If we had used disabled characters the situation may have been slightly less realistic and difficult to accurately and believably portray.
REGIONAL IDENTITY:
In our production all the characters have a mild Yorkshire accent and use typical 'teenage' slang, but little regional terms, to try and make the film appealing and understandable to a larger audience. The opening of our production is also set in a very rural area. This helps to anchor the region it is set and helps the audience to relate to the characters if they are from a similar area.
SOCIAL CLASS AND STATUS:
All of the characters in the opening come across as an equal class. They all speak similar and their clothes don't look different enough to class them different socially or give them more of a status. All the characters are portrayed as average working/middle class people. There is nothing that could define them as anything more or less than this. This class will be then same as the majority of our target audience, so again creating more reasons for them to easily relate to the characters and put themselves in the same situation.
Evaluation Q3 - Distributor
What kind of media institute might distribute your media product and why?
Digitisation is changing a lot how films and movies are distributed. As more and more films are being shown in the cinema digitally and not projected from a roll of film it will gradually become a lot cheaper for a company to distribute a film. A lot more films are also being watched online, which will greatly start to influence DVD sales. This online cheap method of advertising and distributing will make it a lot easier and accessible for indie productions, just like us.
Our production is a micro-budget indie film, it is a slasher film, and doesn't include any established stars. An example of this is Donkey Punch (Oliver Blackburn, 2008). This is a very low budget indie film, but it did get a theatrical release and had very successful DVD sales. Using the internet distributors can very easily advertise to a certain audience and pay for the film to be noticed and seen. Posters are another form of cheaper advertising for an indie as it would be nearly impossible for an indie production like us to have teaser trailers in the cinema.
The budget for our film will be practically zero, as the concept is simple and doesn't involve any costs when it comes to location or props. Due to us being an indie film, it would be impossible for us to be distributed by a company like Universal. There are some UK distributors that have got indie films theatrical releases in the US and will be bias to the fact we are also a UK based production.
The Distributors Optimum Releasing is an example of one of these UK companies. They distributed films like Dead Man's Shoes (Shane Meadows, 2004) which is a UK film based up north and used unknown actors. They had a slightly larger budget than us, but is still very comparable. This makes Optimum releasing a very possible choice for our Distributors.
Another distributor option very similar is Warp X. It is also a UK company, but it is known for helping promote and distribute indie films. A lot of Warp films are based up North, in a similar region to us. This may mean that they might be more eager to distribute our film and this also shows that we have the opportunity to make our production just as successful as some of the films they have distributed.
Overall, I think that we would be best choosing Optimum Releases as our distributor because they have examples of a lot of indie production which they have made very successful. But, with distribution becoming a lot more digital our indie production would benefit a lot from advertising and having clips on YouTube and social networking sites. This would be a good way to get our film know to our audience as well as having a good distributor. Also by putting things online it is available globally, meaning it would be easier to get more sales from the US and other countries.
Digitisation is changing a lot how films and movies are distributed. As more and more films are being shown in the cinema digitally and not projected from a roll of film it will gradually become a lot cheaper for a company to distribute a film. A lot more films are also being watched online, which will greatly start to influence DVD sales. This online cheap method of advertising and distributing will make it a lot easier and accessible for indie productions, just like us.
Our production is a micro-budget indie film, it is a slasher film, and doesn't include any established stars. An example of this is Donkey Punch (Oliver Blackburn, 2008). This is a very low budget indie film, but it did get a theatrical release and had very successful DVD sales. Using the internet distributors can very easily advertise to a certain audience and pay for the film to be noticed and seen. Posters are another form of cheaper advertising for an indie as it would be nearly impossible for an indie production like us to have teaser trailers in the cinema.
The budget for our film will be practically zero, as the concept is simple and doesn't involve any costs when it comes to location or props. Due to us being an indie film, it would be impossible for us to be distributed by a company like Universal. There are some UK distributors that have got indie films theatrical releases in the US and will be bias to the fact we are also a UK based production.
The Distributors Optimum Releasing is an example of one of these UK companies. They distributed films like Dead Man's Shoes (Shane Meadows, 2004) which is a UK film based up north and used unknown actors. They had a slightly larger budget than us, but is still very comparable. This makes Optimum releasing a very possible choice for our Distributors.
Another distributor option very similar is Warp X. It is also a UK company, but it is known for helping promote and distribute indie films. A lot of Warp films are based up North, in a similar region to us. This may mean that they might be more eager to distribute our film and this also shows that we have the opportunity to make our production just as successful as some of the films they have distributed.
Overall, I think that we would be best choosing Optimum Releases as our distributor because they have examples of a lot of indie production which they have made very successful. But, with distribution becoming a lot more digital our indie production would benefit a lot from advertising and having clips on YouTube and social networking sites. This would be a good way to get our film know to our audience as well as having a good distributor. Also by putting things online it is available globally, meaning it would be easier to get more sales from the US and other countries.
Evaluation Q4 - Target Audience
Who would be the audience of your media product?
The target audience for Camp Ivy would be 15-24 years old. Looking at the BBFC guidelines helped me decide this as it shows a scene of extreme violence and scenes of this nature would continue post film opening.
The target audience are also more likely to be British, as the characters are all from Yorkshire other countries might not understand their accent as they are used to recognising British accents as being more southern. Due to this I think the our production is likely to be popular with more Northern people as they can relate to the characters more and it may seem more realistic and like a similar thing could effect them, making the film scarier. As we are indie film makers, our film would not likely be a hit in the US.
However, Slasher films are known for being popular with a teenage audience and is a genre popular all over the world so this might attract other countries as it is still a situation that isn't just specific to British culture, as a lot of teenagers would go camping.
The secondary target audience would be 18-34 years old. I think the production may also be popular with this age group because this is the age of people that would have been in there teens when the famous slasher films like Friday the 13th films were very popular. This may mean that they are fans of the genre and even though the situation in the film might not relate to them, they are still likely to enjoy the film.
Because the scream queen wearing less clothes as the sequence progresses, part of the audience will be due to the male gaze. But this is still likely to be from teens as the characters are of a similar age. I would expect it to be popular with teenagers that enjoy watching a lot of slasher films as there are intertextual references to Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock).
Here is a post all about the BBFC rating in comparison to our film, and why are film should get the 15 rating.
Evaluation Q5 - Mode of Address
How did you attract/address your audience?
To answer this question I used the annotation tool on Youtube on our final cut, to show how we achieved this. To turn off the annotation tool and watch the final cut without the interruption of writing click here:
Here is the annotated video:
To answer this question I used the annotation tool on Youtube on our final cut, to show how we achieved this. To turn off the annotation tool and watch the final cut without the interruption of writing click here:
Here is the annotated video:
Evaluation Q6 - Technologies
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Final Cut Pro:
Cameras:
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We use HD video cameras for all our footage, and we used them for our first few vodcasts. They are very easy to use and the footage can be uploaded straight from the memory card into final cut pro. This makes it very quick to get footage imported and edited.
Garage Band:
LiveType:
Youtube:
We use youtube to look at past coursework examples, get screen shots from short sections of film and to upload our own work so it can be easily added to blogger. Youtube is very useful and helped a lot with research, especially getting screenshots and examples from slasher films. It makes it a lot easier to embed videos and from youtube it becomes easy to share videos to lots of different social networking sites, which is what we plan to do with out finished production.
Blogger:
IMDB:
We use imdb to look up useful information about films we are researching and to help look at common conventions and find more information about distributers and production companies.It has a lot of information that is relevant to us making important decisions about our productions.
- final cut pro
- video cameras
- garage band
- LiveType
- Youtube
- Blogger
- IMDB
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| final cut pro |
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| final cut pro logo |
Final Cut Pro:
We used final cut pro to edit all of our footage including vodcasts and any rough work done. We also used it partly when making our idents and its a quick and successful way of editing footage. It is very easy to use and has lots of options, effects and useful transitions to improve any footage. It was very useful when creating vodcasts and adding writing and titles on screen.
Cameras:
.jpg)
We use HD video cameras for all our footage, and we used them for our first few vodcasts. They are very easy to use and the footage can be uploaded straight from the memory card into final cut pro. This makes it very quick to get footage imported and edited..jpg) |
| garage band logo |
Garage Band:
We used garage band to add music to our idents. It has lots of different sounds and you can create lots of layers. For our production it is very important to have appropriate music, as it could add or take away a lot of how effective it is.
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| livetype logo |
LiveType:
LiveType is the software we used to create the majority of our idents. I found it quite hard to understand at first, but it became easier as I carried on using it. However, I couldn't achieve all the effects I wanted on my ident so i had to export it and reimport it into final cut pro to improve it slightly.
Youtube:
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| blogger logo |
We use blogger to show all our planning and research into our production. It is useful as it easy to link sources and attach our own work so it is all in one place and easy to gather and evaluate. Blogger is also very useful when communicating and sharing ideas with other people in our production group, for example, if one of us uploads a video relevant to the group we can quickly see it and embed it to our blogs as well.
IMDB:
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| logo |
Evaluation Q7 - Learnt Since Prelim
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Here is our preliminary task:
Here is our final cut:
RESEARCH
When doing our preliminary task we had done absolutely no research into shot types, filming, editing, SFX, mise-en-scene or anything else. As the prelim was of no particular genre this was alright, but for our specific production we had to do a lot of research into every aspect of the slasher genre, to try and get the most accurate and realistic portrayal of a slasher film. The prelim certainly helped us have a starting point to improve from regarding working with the camera, shot types and the editing software. When doing the prelim we did struggle slightly with all these aspects, but when it came to filming and editing multiple rough cuts we were very used to the system and how everything worked, and what would look most effective for the slasher genre.
PLANNING + PITCHING
When planning our preliminary task all we had to do was quickly write down the shot types we were going to use and roughly what me might say. We didn't think much at all about the narrative, just something very basic so we could focus more on the cinematography. In contrast to this, for our production we had to make call sheets, story boards and lots of plans to make sure we were prepared for our shoots and managed our time properly. As we had actors involved we had to make sure none of their time was wasted and we knew exactly which shots needed to be done. As our rough cuts progressed, we improved on this and the very last shoot we did was the most productive and best planned and organised. Also unlike the prelim we did multiple shoots and had to constantly evaluate our footage to see if it needed to be re-shot or improved upon. When we originally did the prelim we didn't have to pitch and idea, for our production we spent time planning and idea and pitching it to the class to persuade people to work as a team on your production. This was quite a scary thought at first, but definitely the most effective way of fairly hearing everybody's ideas.
ACTORS
For our prelim, Kate and I were the actors in it as we were very limited and it wouldn't influence us experimenting with shot types. For our production we used different actors for different rough cuts before deciding our final cast. We wrote scripts for our cast and gave it to them in advance so they had a good understanding of what we wanted to achieve and what we needed them to do/say exactly. We tried to cast our actors as close to the stereotype of their character as possible, for example choosing a brunette for the final girl. None of the actors we chose were very experienced, but they all acted very professionally and were very willing to help with our production. However, our production could have been improved if we had very experienced actors.
MISE-EN-SCENE, COSTUMES + PROPS
In our prelim we had no mise-en-scene, costumes, props or set dressing.The focus of our preliminary task was just to identify and get the idea of continuity editing. For our production however it was quite the opposite. We used many aspects to improve our mise-en-scene such as changing the scream queen's phone background to anchor that her and the jock are a couple. For costumes we specifically asked the individual characters what to wear and we had to plan this in advance, as well as taking precaut
ions such as buying extra white tops for the scream queen so the killing scene could be reshot if necessary. For props we had to take the knife as well as the phone used and we had to purchase flowers for the group to put on 'Mikeys' grave. Every time we did reshoots it was helpful that we knew exactly what shots were needing to be done so we could take the appropriate props for them. For our killing scene to look realistic we had to use fake blood. We made our fake blood, as it was cheap, easy and looked very realistic. Here is our posts about all these mentioned in more detail:
LOCATION
The location for our final production was 2 different places. For our original rough cut we filmed the whole thing at Linton Camp. But, for our second shoot and third shoot we thought it would be more effective to edit in footage from a wooded area as it came across a scarier and more realistic. To film our wooded footage we went to some local woods. However, filming in the woods was slightly more challenging as we had to walk quite far to the location and we often had to stop filming due to it being in the area of a public footpath and people and dogs sometimes walked or were heard in sh
ot. This probably could have been helped if we hadn't gone after school, when it was likely to be at the busiest as people were not at school/work. Unlike our final production we filmed the prelim in the classroom with other people also making noise in the room.
ROUGH CUTS
We only did one prelim, we didn't think it was necessary to have any rough cuts or re-film, however it would have benefitted probably from being re edited. Here are the rough cuts for our final production:
AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
The only feedback we received on our prelim task was as to whether the continuity editing worked and the shot types. For our production we had all of our rough cuts on youtube for audience feedback, as well as screening them to people our age and videoing their reactions. From these reactions we improved our production, especially their critique on what kind of sound we could use to create suspense. As our first rough cut didn't have good feedback this is when we made the decision to reshoot the whole production. This was a very good decision as the final product was much better than it would have been if we had used that majority of that original footage.
SOUND
IDENTS
In our production we included 4 idents, mine, kate's, millie's and a company one for us all. By doing this it made our production look more professional and also helped introduce the slasher genre with the last few idents. In our prelim we didn't use and idents, or special effects. However, in our production we used a mixture of effects and transitions in our work to help improve it. We used layering over our killing scene to help make it look more realistic and to show the groups reactions at the same time as the scream queen being stabbed.
SHOT TYPES
In our preliminary task the main shot types we concentrated on using was, match on action, 180 degree rule, over the shoulder shot and shot reverse shot. In our production we tried to include as much shot variation as possible as the slasher genre is quick paced and this can only be maintained by many shots. We tried to use our location to our advantage when thinking of shot types, framing them around th
e trees in the woods. We also tried to use a dutch angle in our production during the chase scene. This is used to signify that something isn't quite right and that the scream queen was in danger. As we were new to filming with the prelim task the camera was not held steady. As this is part of the assessment criteria we made sure we tried to stop this in our production. We did this by using a tripod for the stationery shots and a fig rig for moving or tracking shots. By doing this it majorly improved the stability of our shots, and any mistakes we had made were easy to edit it out post filming.
ROLES
In our prelim the group of 3 we worked, nobody had specific roles. We took it in turns to each experiment with the filming and editing. When doing our production we thought we would better organise if we were all gave specific roles. I was director, Kate was producer and Millie was the cinematographer. Editing wise, we all contributed and made sure that major decisions were discussed as a team so we made sure we were all happy. This is also meant that this was three sets of eyes on the editing to make sure there were no continuity errors or mistakes that needed to be cut out or improved in our editing.
In conclusion, we have learnt a great deal from when we started our preliminary task, but it was a major part in starting us to discover all the necessary things to be thought about when creating our own film opening. I think we have learnt most about cinematography and editing, but also a lot about the organisation and how to be productive when organising shoots. There is a huge difference between the quality of the preliminary and the final cut.
Here is a timeline of all the videos we shot and edited so you can see the huge and gradual improvements we have made:
Here is our preliminary task:
Here is our final cut:
RESEARCH
When doing our preliminary task we had done absolutely no research into shot types, filming, editing, SFX, mise-en-scene or anything else. As the prelim was of no particular genre this was alright, but for our specific production we had to do a lot of research into every aspect of the slasher genre, to try and get the most accurate and realistic portrayal of a slasher film. The prelim certainly helped us have a starting point to improve from regarding working with the camera, shot types and the editing software. When doing the prelim we did struggle slightly with all these aspects, but when it came to filming and editing multiple rough cuts we were very used to the system and how everything worked, and what would look most effective for the slasher genre.
PLANNING + PITCHING
When planning our preliminary task all we had to do was quickly write down the shot types we were going to use and roughly what me might say. We didn't think much at all about the narrative, just something very basic so we could focus more on the cinematography. In contrast to this, for our production we had to make call sheets, story boards and lots of plans to make sure we were prepared for our shoots and managed our time properly. As we had actors involved we had to make sure none of their time was wasted and we knew exactly which shots needed to be done. As our rough cuts progressed, we improved on this and the very last shoot we did was the most productive and best planned and organised. Also unlike the prelim we did multiple shoots and had to constantly evaluate our footage to see if it needed to be re-shot or improved upon. When we originally did the prelim we didn't have to pitch and idea, for our production we spent time planning and idea and pitching it to the class to persuade people to work as a team on your production. This was quite a scary thought at first, but definitely the most effective way of fairly hearing everybody's ideas.
ACTORS
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| actors |
MISE-EN-SCENE, COSTUMES + PROPS
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| fake blood |
ions such as buying extra white tops for the scream queen so the killing scene could be reshot if necessary. For props we had to take the knife as well as the phone used and we had to purchase flowers for the group to put on 'Mikeys' grave. Every time we did reshoots it was helpful that we knew exactly what shots were needing to be done so we could take the appropriate props for them. For our killing scene to look realistic we had to use fake blood. We made our fake blood, as it was cheap, easy and looked very realistic. Here is our posts about all these mentioned in more detail:
LOCATION
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| Linton Camp |
ot. This probably could have been helped if we hadn't gone after school, when it was likely to be at the busiest as people were not at school/work. Unlike our final production we filmed the prelim in the classroom with other people also making noise in the room.
ROUGH CUTS
We only did one prelim, we didn't think it was necessary to have any rough cuts or re-film, however it would have benefitted probably from being re edited. Here are the rough cuts for our final production:
AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
The only feedback we received on our prelim task was as to whether the continuity editing worked and the shot types. For our production we had all of our rough cuts on youtube for audience feedback, as well as screening them to people our age and videoing their reactions. From these reactions we improved our production, especially their critique on what kind of sound we could use to create suspense. As our first rough cut didn't have good feedback this is when we made the decision to reshoot the whole production. This was a very good decision as the final product was much better than it would have been if we had used that majority of that original footage.
SOUND
For our prelim the only sound involved was the diegetic sound of what we were saying in the narrative. For our production as well as enhancing diegetic sound for affect and turning down diegetic sound when necessary we also spent time on non diegetic soundtrack to improve it. Throughout the production we used quiet music to make it more intense and eerie, we also used a specific sound whenever the killer is shown. In the killing scene we used string instruments which helped replicate the sounds of screams that were heard and may have been continuing to happen.
IDENTS
In our production we included 4 idents, mine, kate's, millie's and a company one for us all. By doing this it made our production look more professional and also helped introduce the slasher genre with the last few idents. In our prelim we didn't use and idents, or special effects. However, in our production we used a mixture of effects and transitions in our work to help improve it. We used layering over our killing scene to help make it look more realistic and to show the groups reactions at the same time as the scream queen being stabbed.
SHOT TYPES
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| shoot 1 |
e trees in the woods. We also tried to use a dutch angle in our production during the chase scene. This is used to signify that something isn't quite right and that the scream queen was in danger. As we were new to filming with the prelim task the camera was not held steady. As this is part of the assessment criteria we made sure we tried to stop this in our production. We did this by using a tripod for the stationery shots and a fig rig for moving or tracking shots. By doing this it majorly improved the stability of our shots, and any mistakes we had made were easy to edit it out post filming.
ROLES
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| millie - cinematographer |
In conclusion, we have learnt a great deal from when we started our preliminary task, but it was a major part in starting us to discover all the necessary things to be thought about when creating our own film opening. I think we have learnt most about cinematography and editing, but also a lot about the organisation and how to be productive when organising shoots. There is a huge difference between the quality of the preliminary and the final cut.
Here is a timeline of all the videos we shot and edited so you can see the huge and gradual improvements we have made:
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Response to Audience feedback
1. As some of the scenes came across quite comical we have tried to add as many cut away shots to the killer or chase to try and break up the scenes and keep it as realistic and true to the slasher genre as possible.
2. Feedback said that the stalk scene was effective but we thought the chase scene needed more work. A lot closer editing is being done to make it as frantic and panicked as possible.
3. As we start to experiment with sound we are concentrating on the chase scene as this is one we think will benefit the most from effective music. To try and create suspense we plan
4. To try and make the killing scene be more fast paced and frantic we have been experimenting with layering so we are also then constantly showing the groups reaction to the scream. By doing this it is creating more of that quick slasher style killing. It also helps show not too much fake blood, to keep the scene looking as realistic as possible.
5. We have been looking at films such as Psycho to get inspiration for the sound over our killing scene and we have made a decision that the most effect way to approach this would be strings and similar dramatic techniques. This is a clear signifier of what is happening and adds a lot to the suspense and sudden shock of the killing.
2. Feedback said that the stalk scene was effective but we thought the chase scene needed more work. A lot closer editing is being done to make it as frantic and panicked as possible.
3. As we start to experiment with sound we are concentrating on the chase scene as this is one we think will benefit the most from effective music. To try and create suspense we plan
4. To try and make the killing scene be more fast paced and frantic we have been experimenting with layering so we are also then constantly showing the groups reaction to the scream. By doing this it is creating more of that quick slasher style killing. It also helps show not too much fake blood, to keep the scene looking as realistic as possible.
5. We have been looking at films such as Psycho to get inspiration for the sound over our killing scene and we have made a decision that the most effect way to approach this would be strings and similar dramatic techniques. This is a clear signifier of what is happening and adds a lot to the suspense and sudden shock of the killing.
Audience Feedback
- As Alys was in the opening. she found some of the group scenes quite funny.
- Daisy though that the group shots looked fairly realistic, and was able to tell the roles that each character was meant to be playing.
- both Daisy and Alys though that the stalking scene was effective
- but the chase could be improved slightly
- the whole stalking would be more effective and scarier with sound/music.
- When they were watching the killing scene, they thought that the blood looked realistic and the fast paced editing made the killing more frightening.
- the killing would be improved a lot when we add sound.
Monday, 8 April 2013
MJ - Costumes
In our slasher opening there are a total of 5 characters. We chose costumes which we thought would suit the characters and their roles best.
Ashley: Scream Queen
Black jeans - the scream queen wore black jeans to show a contrast between her and the final girl character, who is wearing more traditional blue jeans
White vest top - we thought that the scream queen should wear a white, revealing vest top to signify her character's personality.
Black boots: the scream queens boots are unsuitable for walking in the woods, again showing her personality and role as the scream queen.
Charley: Final Girl
Plaid shirt, buttoned up to the collar - the final girl is wearing a plaid shirt which is buttoned up to the top to show that she is not trying to be provocative. The shirt is more practical than it is fashionable.
It also shows a contrast to the scream queen who is wearing a low cut vest top.
Blue jeans - we though that the final girl should be wearing blue jeans to show a contrast between her and the scream queen who is wearing black, more fashionable jeans.
Hair in pigtails - we thought it would be a good idea to have the final girl wear pigtails to show that she is innocent.
Glasses - the final girl is wearing glasses to make her look more intellectual.
Brown boots - look like sturdy well made boots that would be classed as appropriate for walking in the woods.
Bag - She is the one in the group having the sensible responsibility of carrying the bag, and is happy to do so.
Patrick: Outsider
baggy jeans - Doesn't care about his image very much, comes across as not wanting to be fashionable and might be purposefully doing this so he isn't associated with the group.
unfashionable jacket - This anchors the point about his jeans.
Ryan: Scream Queens boyfriend/Jock
sports hoodie - He cares a lot about his image and tries to match what he thinks is socially acceptable and what his 'jock' friends would wear.
jeans - the jeans that the jock are wearing are trendier in contrast to the Outsider of the group.
trainers - his trainers show how he thinks that wearing branded trainers will change what other people think of him and how popular what he wears will make him. This suggests he is very self obsessed.
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| scream queens outfit |
Black jeans - the scream queen wore black jeans to show a contrast between her and the final girl character, who is wearing more traditional blue jeans
White vest top - we thought that the scream queen should wear a white, revealing vest top to signify her character's personality.
Black boots: the scream queens boots are unsuitable for walking in the woods, again showing her personality and role as the scream queen.
Charley: Final Girl
Plaid shirt, buttoned up to the collar - the final girl is wearing a plaid shirt which is buttoned up to the top to show that she is not trying to be provocative. The shirt is more practical than it is fashionable.
It also shows a contrast to the scream queen who is wearing a low cut vest top.
 |
| outsider and final girls outfits |
Hair in pigtails - we thought it would be a good idea to have the final girl wear pigtails to show that she is innocent.
Glasses - the final girl is wearing glasses to make her look more intellectual.
Brown boots - look like sturdy well made boots that would be classed as appropriate for walking in the woods.
Bag - She is the one in the group having the sensible responsibility of carrying the bag, and is happy to do so.
Patrick: Outsider
baggy jeans - Doesn't care about his image very much, comes across as not wanting to be fashionable and might be purposefully doing this so he isn't associated with the group.
unfashionable jacket - This anchors the point about his jeans.
 |
| Jocks outfit |
Ryan: Scream Queens boyfriend/Jock
sports hoodie - He cares a lot about his image and tries to match what he thinks is socially acceptable and what his 'jock' friends would wear.
jeans - the jeans that the jock are wearing are trendier in contrast to the Outsider of the group.
trainers - his trainers show how he thinks that wearing branded trainers will change what other people think of him and how popular what he wears will make him. This suggests he is very self obsessed.
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Actors and Casting
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| Sydney Prescott - Scream |
Alys
We cast Alys as the final girl as she has dark brown hair which is comparable to final girls from a lot of slasher films. She also has done a lot of drama which meant we could trust her to act well and work well when given direction.
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| Alys |
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| Ben (middle) |
Ben
We cast Ben as the outsider of the group as he was willing to play this part and when asked to found it easy to portray this character.
Danny
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| jock (Dylan) from All the Boys love Mandy Lane |
We cast Danny as the Jock of the group as he also has had some experience with acting and found it easy to switch into the role of a Jock. Being good friends with people in the group meant he was very willing to participate and like Ben and Alys listened to our direction well and understood what we wanted to achieve.
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| Danny |
Me
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| scream queens |
I played the part of the scream queen as I am blonde (fitting the scream queen stereotype) and the opening to our film was based around the scream queen being the victim it made it a lot quicker and more productive to shoot when i knew exactly what we wanted to achieve and what shot variety was needed. It also made it easier if anything needed to be reshot as we would just need me and not have to ask everybody else to give up free time and volunteer again.
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| Me |
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Sound EG2: Psycho
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| Poster |
(Alfred Hitchcock., 1960)
Budget: $807k
Box Office: $32m (US) $50m (worldwide)
The sound from the opening sequence and famous shower killing scene in Psycho. Here is a clip of the shower scene:
At the start of the opening sequence there is a mixture of strings and mysterious music over the titles and idents. This is continuous, but the intensity of it is varying. There is an audio-bridge from the titles to the opening shots, but the style and sound changes, clearly distinguishing this change.
In these opening shots the music doesn't give the impression that the film is a slasher, as it sounds quite orchestral. As the camera zooms the music changes to be more jolty and has quite a lot of rests in it. By doing this it creates tension and the audience are curious of what is being zoomed in at.
Before the shower scene the music is quite quiet, with delicate strings playing in the background. This builds tension as it is a considerable change from the previous sounds. When she steps into the shower there is no non-diegetic sound. However, the diegetic sound that can be heard sounds quite exaggerated, this will bring more attention to the silence of no music.
When the scream queen is being stabbed the non-diegetic sound starts again. Dramatic strings are used to create suspense and add intensity to the killing scene. There is also a constant layering of screams over the music and the strings are very sharp and disjointed. When the killer leaves the room the strings then become very low and less dramatic to reflect what has happened.and the lack of life now left in the room.
KH - BBFC film Ratings
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| BBFC classifications |
Examiners for the BBFC classify films for theatrical release using guidelines. The examiners look at the following issues:
- discrimination
- drugs
- horror
- sex
- nudity
- language
- imitable behaviour
- sexual violence
- violence
- theme
- context
- tone
- impact on audiences feelings
- format e.g. DVDs create a higher risk of underage viewing.
of stalking and violence. The BBFC guidelines for a 15 classification allows the following to appear in films:
A 15 classification allows for strong violence, which is what appears in our opening when the scream queen is killed. We felt this rating was appropriate.
- strong violence
- frequent strong language
- portrayals of sexual activity
- strong verbal references to sex
- sexual nudity
- brief scenees of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
- discriminatory language or behaviour
- drug taking
A 15 classification allows for strong violence, which is what appears in our opening when the scream queen is killed. We felt this rating was appropriate.
Monday, 25 March 2013
Sound EG: Bride of Chucky
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| DVD cover |
(Ronny Yu, 1998)
Budget: $25m
Box Office: $32m (US) £527k (UK)
The sound from the opening sequence in Bride of Chucky:
It starts with an audio bridge connecting the idents with the opening shots of the film. This sound is non-diegetic. This opening sound is typical of slasher films as has a lot of long drawn out notes and irregular faster beats. This is a common approach as the longer notes encourage the audience to hold their breath and the faster beats make the heart beat slightly irregular. These effects create more tension for the audience and make it more scary for them.
There is exaggerated diegetic sound of thunder, this is very precisely edited in and also adds to the anchorage of it being from the slasher genre. Bad weather and storms are often used in the slasher genre to reflect the bad that is to come later in the film.
As it gets into the main narrative of the film the music continues, but the 'tune' is different, showing this change. In this opening sequence intertextuality to Psycho and Jaws is used as they use some of the background sounds that were commonly used in those films. Sound is also shaped to fit zooms and are often exaggerated to ensure the audience pay attention to it. An example of this is the creaking locker door and the turning of the key. Throughout this sequence the sound is mostly continuous but the intensity varies.
When trying to build tension before the first victim the sound dies down a lot so that the tension of the scene can build naturally. This technique made the false scare here more effective and then the sound starts again when he is killed to intensify the situation.
Here is the music composition from the main titles:
Script - Second Shoot
Charley: Guys, We are nearly there.
Ashley: I can't be arsed.
Ryan: Whatever
Patrick: (rambling quietly about the surroundings)
Charley: Lets have a break here.
Ashley: Argh I can't be arsed going any further, I'm going to ring my Dad and get him to pick me up.
Ryan: Oh Shut up will ya.
Charley: It's only 5 oclock I think we should hang on until we get a bit further.
Everyone but Ashley stands up and walks on.
Ashley: (on phone) Hi Dad, I am really sick of being here, can you come pick me up? call me back when you get this.
- cuts back to friends -
Charley: Look, I can't believe it was a year ago today (looking at grave)
- cuts back to Ashley -
Charley: ASHLEY?
Ryan: Was that Ashley?!
Ashley: I can't be arsed.
Ryan: Whatever
Patrick: (rambling quietly about the surroundings)
Charley: Lets have a break here.
Ashley: Argh I can't be arsed going any further, I'm going to ring my Dad and get him to pick me up.
Ryan: Oh Shut up will ya.
Charley: It's only 5 oclock I think we should hang on until we get a bit further.
Everyone but Ashley stands up and walks on.
Ashley: (on phone) Hi Dad, I am really sick of being here, can you come pick me up? call me back when you get this.
- cuts back to friends -
Charley: Look, I can't believe it was a year ago today (looking at grave)
- cuts back to Ashley -
Charley: ASHLEY?
Ryan: Was that Ashley?!
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