Film Evaluation

The way in which our film represents particular social groups in its narrative is because out film is about a boy being bullied when he was younger; we thought that by making him lower class it would seem to make more sense. Also the victim was of an upper class family. We made our characters different ethnics as the girl was a British Asian and the boy was a white British. We also decided to use a female which sets killed as it conventional in horror films. 

The way in which our film uses horror forms of genres and conventions is in many ways. For example conventionally the titles in our opening sequence use themes of horror by using colours such as reds, blacks and whites. Theses colours are important in our opening sequences because it allows us to create the mood and atmosphere we want to achieve and makes the audience aware of what the film genre is. For example in films such as Red Dragon and Halloween 1978 themes of using colours such as reds, blacks and whites are continued through out the films. They also use high pitch, low pace title and music, which sounds like a child like piano piece as this is also the codes and conventions of horror films.

  

In our opening sequence we have also used this conventionally because we felt that it would make our sequence feel more realistic and like a real opening of a film. Also our music was atmospheric and scary which would build up and create tension to our audience. We also used a couple of images which would help the audience by giving clues to the rest of the narrative as was used in the film Se7en. Also other conventions we used in our opening sequence of the horror genre was by using props such as a saw, and also having visible a stable prop, a sledge hammer. We also used things such as blood in our films as this is a convention used in many horror films.

The kind of film studio that might distribute our film would be someone like Wonanas Title. This is because our film is in the horror genre and they have released a few horror films as well. Our film would be a low budget film as it would not be the best horror film to be made as there would be bigger companies using the latest technology to make much more gruesome and scary films.   

The target audience for our media product would be males and females between the ages of 18-25. Our media product would appeal to all ethic groups and social grade. The reason why it would not appeal to anyone under the age of 18 is because the genre of the film is widely watched by an older age group due to the age restriction which would also apply for our film. This would be due to some gruesome senses in our film and also because of what would be visible in our film such as props like saws and sledge hammers. Also because it contains violence which would be rates 18 and over according to the film council.

The way in which we attracted our audience to our film was by using characters within the same age range with our audience, this would attract our audience because it would make more sense to the film as the audience could relate it back to themselves much easily. The way in which we attracted our audience through our story line was, because our film is based on the stories (bullying) we knew that most of our audience would have experienced this and by using this narrative it would make them watch it as it would be realistic. The way in which we attracted our audience through our titles was by using conventional colours such as reds, blacks and whites. This made the titles fit the genre of the film. Also another way in which we attracted our audience was by using scary attomospheric music throughout the opening of our film which would engage our audience better to the film and make it more interesting. The way in which we would attract our audience is through advertising virally on the internet and using billboards and posters. I would not advertise on the television as it is a low budget film and we would not have the financial backing.

The thing that I have learnt is how to prepare a camera before filming which I did not know about before. I have learnt the codes and conventions of horror films though making this production. I have also learnt that importance of lighting when filming because if it is too bright nothing is visible and if in comparison if it is too dark nothing is visible either. I have also now learnt how to sue a mini DV camera and also the different functions on it. Also through the process of constructing this product I have learnt how to use the tripod and learnt how to make sure it is level, also through this I have learnt different camera angles and techniques, such as pan up and pan down, low angle and high angle shots. I also learnt how use software such as Final Cut Pro which I did not know how to use before, and also learnt different transitions that can be used on there. I also learnt how to make music on Garage Band which I had no idea how to use before and now I am a pro thanks to our Media teacher. I have also learnt how to use BlogSpot and use different things on there such as posting new blogs and changing the themes, designs and backgrounds.    

Role allocation:

Male Killer- Me

Female Victim- Sister

Camera Man- Sherjeel

Camera Man- Sherjeel felt confident in filming our film and did not want to do the acting as he felt camera shy.

Male Killer- I felt confident in playing the male killer and was really excited to play this interesting role.

Female Victim- we didn’t have a female actress, but then my sister volunteered who had previously made a film for her AS media studies course. 

Chosen Idea: Horror

The reason why we chose our horror movie idea was because we felt that making a horror would be a good experience as it would fest all of our knowledge and our ability to use different camera angles and techniques. Also we because we researched horror films and interpreted that the majority of people like watching this genre as they like to see all of the blood and gore. 

Role allocation

Sherjeel – Director/Writer

Me – Cast/Editor/Writer  

In the preliminary task we were given the cameras for the first time to enable us to get us familiar with the equipment. We were shown how to insert and eject the MM DV Tapes. How turn the camera on and off and how to record on the camera. We were also shown how to set the tripod up and how to put the camera on the tripod. We were then told to film a short sequence which involved an object being exchanged with another person.

We were told to do this so that we could practice using the cameras and become familiar with the equipment. Also to practise the concept of match on action and 180 degrees rule. This task was very useful because it enabled us to practise how to use a camera and different shots that would be filmed and how they could be filmed. 

Casting

The character of the female victim will be played by Eksa Uddin. She is also a teenager, which makes the film look more interesting and give it a more realistic touch.

The character of the male will be played by me. This is mostly down to the fact that it would make the film more realistic as I would be well suited to play the role of the bullied boy. 

Target Audience

Revelations is aimed at young adults aged between 18-25. This is because the film would consist of blood and gore scenes which would not be suitable for a young audience. It would also be targeted at 18-25’s because the characters in the film would be around the same age and it would mean the audience would be able to relate back to the characters emotions. The film would be targeted at international audience as it is of now particular felicity or social class.

Bridget Jones Diary

Task 2 research into existing products

Rom-Com: Bridget Jones diary 2001 (Sharon Maguire)

Synopsis

Bridget Jones is an average women who is struggling against many things in life like her age her job and her lack of a man in her life and her various imperfections. As new years is approaching she decides on a new year’s resolution in which she decides to take control of her life, she decides to keep a diary in which she will tell the truth.  The story follows Bridget's unsuccessful attempts to control her chaotic life, balancing her attempts to give up smoking, drinking and lose weight with those to find the perfect man. Her friends Jude, Shazza and Tom offer hopeless advice as Bridget finds herself torn between two very different men one the seductive boss she cannot resist the other a snooty acquaintance she finds herself falling for.

Mis en scene

Taxi establishes the location and setting which also suggests britishiness and also emphasises the location of London because that’s where you normally find cabs. The couples in the background emphasise her loneliness. The snow establishes the time of year which is Christmas which is the season of love and festivity which emphasises the reason for the snow. The village shows her up bringing and the house in which her parents live which emphasises her character qualities which she has. The titles of the film are white and hand written which suggest themes and connotations of love and romance. The titles show purity and suggest loneliness. The music is peaceful and romantic creating a calm and loving atmosphere. 

Camera angles

At the start of the sequence we see a medium close up of Bridget Jones as she walks into her house panning as she walks. This shot is introducing the character to the audience. This shot allows us to see the character and what she looks like. It will also allow us to see what she is wearing which will resemble her class and status. It also allows us to see where she lives which also sets the scene.

Another camera angle that is within the film is a close up of the reindeer on Mr. Darcys top. This shows that it’s a festive time of year which the reindeer suggests is Christmas. This allows us to see what the character of Mr. Darcy and what his class and status might be within the film.

Another shot that is within the film is a shot reverse shot of a conversation between Bridget and Mr. Darcy. This shot establishes that two characters are having a conversation. It allows us to see the expressions on each of the characters whilst they are talking which might reflect the emotions

The film also consists of a medium close up of Bridget in her flat. This shot allows us to see the feelings and emotions of Bridget it also allows us to see the surroundings and also a bit of what environment she is living in.

Sound and editing

The film consist of digetic and non-digetic sound. 

The non-digetic sound consists of the narration through out the film explaining her feelings thoughts and opinions.

 The digetic sound consists of the dialogue of the film and also the festive music at Bridget’s mom’s house.

  

The film also consists of incidental music but turns digetic as it fades to her house, the song that is being played is “all by my self” which reflects her as she is still single.

Codes and Conventions

Thriller film codes and conventions

These are some codes and conventions that a thriller film usually consists of;

Quick Cuts

Mystery

Suspense

Protagonist usually dies

Conspiracy

High paced music

Special Effects

Heart racing

Rom com codes and conventions

These are some codes and conventions that a Rom-Com film usually consists of;

Characters in love male and female

Soft, lovely romantic music

Good looking actors

Setting in big cities or towns

Adultery

Sex

Flirting

Soppy, love storyline

Horror codes and conventions

These are some codes and conventions that a horror film usually consists of;

Blood

Death

Killing

Villain

Victims

Gore

Violence

Screams

Ghosts

Questionnaire Evaluation

These were the results that we got from our questionnaires;

Questionnaire evaluation 

1) Do you think that background music is necessary for a movie?

Answers: Yes = 8 | No = 3

2) Which sort of music goes well with horror movies?

Answers: Atmospheric music = 5 | Classical music = 3 | Rock music = 3

3) Do you think that blood and gore are required in a horror movie?

Answers: Yes = 6 | No = 5

4) Do you feel that blood and gore are too commonly used in horror movies?

and thus have become boring?

Answers: Yes = 5 | No = 6

5) Would you be more afraid of a human antagonist or an antagonist that

resembled an animal?

Answers: Human antagonist = 7 | Animal antagonist = 4

6) Which colour would be most suitable for a horror movie theme?

Answers: Red = 4 | Black = 4 | Green = 1 | Blue = 2

7) Is a horror movie with more psychologically challenging aspect to it?

more interesting than a horror movie with gore and blood?

Answers: Psychological horror = 7 | Blood and gore horror = 4

8) Which ages do you think watch horror movies?

Answers: Teenagers = 7 | Middle-aged = 2 | Adults = 3

9) Are boys more interested in horror movies than girls?

Answers: Yes = 7 | No = 4

10) Is it vital for a horror movie to have an antagonist?

Answers: Yes = 10 | No = 1

11) Would a masked villain be more intimidating than one with 'scary' make-up?

Answers: Yes = 8 | No = 3

12) Do you think horror movies with a small amount of humour can still be

classed as a horror?

Answers: Yes = 4 | No = 7

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

1) Do you think that background music is necessary for a movie?

………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

2) Which sort of music goes well with horror movies?

………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

3) Do you think that blood and gore are required in a horror movie?

………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

4) Do you feel that blood and gore are too commonly used in horror movies?

and thus have become boring?

………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

5) Would you be more afraid of a human antagonist or an antagonist that

resembled an animal?

………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

6) Which colour would be most suitable for a horror movie theme?

………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

7) Is a horror movie with more psychologically challenging aspect to it?

more interesting than a horror movie with gore and blood?

………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

8) Which ages do you think watch horror movies?

………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

9) Are boys more interested in horror movies than girls?

………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

10) Is it vital for a horror movie to have an antagonist?

………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

11) Would a masked villain be more intimidating than one with 'scary' make-up?

………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

12) Do you think horror movies with a small amount of humour can still be?

classed as a horror?

………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

This is the questionnaire which we handed out. 

 

MOOD BOARD

Thriller is a genre of literature, film, video gaming and television that uses suspense, tension, and excitement as the main elements. The primary subgenre is psychological thrillers. The cover-up of important information from the viewer and fight/chase scenes are common methods in all of the thriller subgenres, although each subgenre has its own characteristics and methods. A genuine standalone thriller is a film that provides thrills and keeps the audience cliff-hanging as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension in the film usually rises when the character(s) is placed in a threatening situation, a mystery, or a trap from which escaping seems impossible. Life is threatened typically because the main character is unsuspectingly or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation.

MOOD BOARD

Most Rom-Coms consist of two protagonists, usually a man and a woman which meet part ways due to an argument or other obstacle, then ultimately reunite. Sometimes the two protagonists meet and become involved in the beginning. Then must confront challenges to their union. Sometimes the two protagonists are cautious to become romantically involved because they believe that they do not like each other because one of them usually has a partner or because of social pressures. However the screenwriters leave clues that suggest that the characters are in fact attracted to each other and that they would be a good love match

MOOD BOARD

Horror films are normally unsettling and strive to draw out many emotions such as fear, disgust and horror from the audience. Horror films often feature scenes that shock the viewer through the means of gruesome and the supernatural and frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres and also thriller genre. Horror films consistently deal with the viewer's nightmares which are hidden in worst fears and terror of the unknown. Although a good deal of it is about the supernatural, if some films contain a plot serial killers or a disease/virus outbreak and surrealism, they may be termed as horror.

Rom-Com idea

Film ideas

Rom-Com

Rom-com was our last as a genre of film to make because as it was a group of two boys we did not feel comfortable making one. If we were to make a Rom-com this would have been our idea;

Aimee

Female – white American

                 Blonde

                5ft 7”

               Blue eyes

               Upper middle class

Dave

Male- white British

           Grey/brownish hair

           5ft 10”

          Blue eyes

          Middle class

Location/setting – London

The female is a famous movie star, who is flying in to take a tour of London as she will be shooting her new movie there, but what she needs is a personal tour guide, so on is arranged for her. When Dave a personal tour guide finds out that he will be giving a tour to America top movie star he is overwhelmed. When she arrives at the airport from L.A she is surprised to meet her tour guide which she finds rather stunning at first glance. The tour guide is all dressed in a nice executive suite when he goes to pick her up from the airport. As the days go by Aimee gets to see all the amazing sites London has to offer and her love for London grows as so does her love for Dave, the tours get more personal and they start going to fancy candle lit dinners, the cinemas and much more. 

Thriller idea

Film idea

Thriller

Thriller was our second option of genre to do as it seemed interesting and would be fun to film and would have been a good movie too. 

Kathryn

Female – white American

                 Blonde

                5ft 7”

               Blue eyes

               Upper middle class

Sam

Male- white American

           Grey/brownish hair

           5ft 10”

          Blue eyes

          Middle class

The idea for our thriller movie would have been Sam who is proud of the new home he bought with the proceeds of a new invention that he sold to a Hong Kong company for $26 million. They move in with his wife and five children. It's a good spacious house with 8 rooms and a huge loft. One Sunday evening his wife goes up into the loft which they have not used since they bought the house to go and clean up.  She goes up and finds a chest with a inch thick of dust on it. She forces open the metal lock with a hammer only to finds loads of old pictures and books there, she is intrigued by the contents of the chest and pulls out a book and starts reading it, as she continues to read, her vision goes all blurry and her head starts spinning and as she starts panicking she calls for her husband Sam who when he gets to her finds her dead on the floor. He pulls out the book in his wife’s hand and realises that this is the book of the revelations,  and reads on to find that the spirit within his wife has been removed and realises gradually he has lost his wife.  

Horror idea

Film idea

Horror

Horror was our first genre choice as this seemed like a more interesting genre to film and more appropriate

Henna

Female – British Asian

                5ft 6”

                Black hair

                Green eyes 

                  Middle class

Matt

Male- white British

5ft 11”

Black hairPublish Post

Lower class

Idea for a horror movie would be that when Matt was at secondary school he used to get bullied by a posh snob who attended the same School as Matt. Matt was sent to a private school as he was the only child and his parents wanted him to get a good education. His parents were not very rich and could just about afford to pay for it. Matt you used to get picked on because he was the only lower class student and due to this he couldn’t afford the latest gadgets and clothes that other people in his year had so they used to pick on him. Two years later the girl who used to bully Matt is mysteriously kidnapped. She is later taken to the garage of Matt’s house where she is tied to a chair with her face covered. Matt then approaches her with a saw and swings the saw at Henna’s neck she is then put in the back of the 4X4 and taken to the woods were her body is disposed of. Our film would show the part where she gets killed the ending in order to show the ending first to create a more tense opening and intrigue our audience.   

Camera Angles

 Camera angles

Extreme Close Up:

This is used to emphasise something.

 

Close Up:

This is where the subject fills the frame

It shows emotion. 

 

Dutch Tilt:

Where the subject is tilted.  Often used in

Horror to create disorientation

 

Extreme Long shot:

This is where the setting fills the frame.  It is

An establishing shot which sets the scene.

Long shot: 

This is where we see the subject in relation to their surrounding

The setting dominates.

 

Medium long shot:

This is where the setting and the subject are

In equal proportion.

 

Medium Shot: 

This is when the subject is cut off at the waist.  You can still see their costume

but also some of their

emotions. 

 

Medium Close Up:

When you can still see

some of the subject’s

body but their emotions

are clearly evident.

        

 

Mise en scene

All that you can see within the frame of a cinema or television screen is called a mise en scene. You should assume that nothing is there by chance and that everything you see is intended to create meaning, atmosphere or mood. When analysing a mise en scene, you will need to identify important content and qualities and consider the effect of these on the audience as well as the aims of the producer or director who decided to include them. This includes their costume, makeup and relative positioning within the mise en scene and also things such as props, sound and lighting

Sound and editing

There are two ways in which sound can be used to create meaning. Sound that exists within the scene itself is called diegetic sound for example dialogue or door bell ringing. Background sound often music can be added later to create mood and atmospheric this is called non-diegetic sound.

An edit joins together two or more individual shots. Different types of editing can create effects that add to meaning or develop mood. A continuity edit is the most common type of edit. It links two scenes in a way that creates the effect of a seamless and natural flow of action through time and space.

Halloween

Task 2 research into existing products

Horror: Halloween 1978 (John Carpenter)

Synopsis

Halloween was directed by John Carpenter in 1978. On a cold, dark Halloween night. It starts from outside in the street where someone puts on a mask and starts walking towards the house. The person outside follows his sister (Judith Myers) around the house where they are kissing passionately on the sofa and watches through the window. Judith and her boyfriend go upstairs to have sex, whilst doing so the boy sees the light in the upstairs window go out and begins swiftly walking back to the side of the house through the kitchen door. when he is in the house he opens the kitchen draw and gets out a knife, the figure starts moving towards the stairs when the boyfriend comes down the stairs, puts his shirt on and leaves, the figure starts moving towards the stairs and goes up, he goes towards his sisters bedroom where he sees his sister sitting naked in front of the mirror brushing her hair. He starts moving towards his sister when she suddenly sees him and starts screaming he then quickly gets the knife and starts stabbing her repeatedly.

She falls to the ground covered in blood. The brother walks out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and out the front door as a car pulls into the street. Judith's parents. Seeing Michael, they pull off his clown mask, revealing the face of a young 6-year-old boy still clutching the knife in one hand. His parents stare at him in horror seeing that he has killed his older sister.

Mise en scene

Loud piano and low key strung music with a dark background creates intensity and anxiety, with the names of cast and crew appearing one by one in orange writing with a pumpkin next to the names representing the name of the film and hinting at the theme, dark backgrounds and colours are usual for this genre. The pitch of the music gets louder making the mood and atmosphere more intense. We are then given the name of the state and town in white with a black screen and white with children’s voices singing in the background creating a spooked atmosphere.

the title 'Halloween' is big and bold and in kind of jucster position next to the pumpkin, the title has the biggest font out of all the texts so far, we see a variety of colour’s including reds, blacks which are colour’s of Halloween, specially horror colours.

Camera angles

at the start of the sequence we see a extreme long shot of a pumpkin in a black background, with a an orange pumpkin, this makes the pumpkin stand out whilst not using any lighting, this creates a dark and scary atmosphere for the audience and lets the audience know it's a horror story. Slowly zooming into the left side of the pumpkin. The pumpkin symbolises the connotation of Halloween and the theme. The candle which is lit in the pumpkin creates a distracting atmosphere.

 

There is then an extreme long shot frame of the house, its starts from a low angle and then finishes in the same place. In the background we also see an owl. The opening sequence also uses a hand held camera.

There is also a subjective point of view whilst the figure is building up to commit murder, whilst this is happening we are led up to believe till the point the mask is taken of that it as an adult, the reason why this is might be because it was filmed from an high angle shots.

Establishing shot of a house which stands out from the black background. There is absolutely no sound except from digetic sounds from crickets which add to the suspense even more because it’s as if someone is sneaking up on the house

Point of view shot showing the movements of a figure and hiding discretely too. It makes the audience aware that there is something or someone else there when the main character does not know as this adds suspense to the viewers and questions them as to what is going to happen next

Sound and editing

The sound is non-diegetic and is a background piece of music whilst the movie is starting. The background music is like a child like piano piece, it's scary, original; the notes build up and then slow down again and have this continuous frequency through the opening sequence. We can also in the background little kids singing Halloween songs.

Non- diegetic sound consists of the piano

Diegetic sound consist of the draw opening and also the footsteps of the figure.

whist the tension is building up to death of a girl we can hear church bells ringing in the background symbolising that time is running out and is like a religious countdown, whilst the sister sits brushing her hair she is naked, meaning that she feels she’s the only one in the house and is venerable to the death.

Titles

When the titles appear they appear on the right side of the screen, the colour scale of the titles change and goes from yellow, to a strange and confused red colour. The connotation of this could be that it's symbolising fire. Also when the titles are fading in and out, whilst the camera zooms in on the pumpkin and also they fade in faster, than they fade out and then finish with a blood red.