Friday, 17 December 2010
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Planning
Editing
Framing
For the self reflection scene the character is in the centre of the shot. In the murder scene the main character is seen approachnig from the left. In the first of the outside scenes the main character is in the centre of the shot, however when another character is introduced she takes up the left hand side whilst the tramp character takes up the right side.
Mise-en-scene:
The action in the opening scenes starts with a voiceover which flashes a few times to a killing scene, afterwards the killer leaves the room they are in, walks outside and passes a homeless person who asks her for change to which she walks towards them and then stands above them. The scene ends with the killer character opens their eyes in a sinister fashion. The main villain in this played by a girl, this fits with the theme where on the outside things appear normal, but they aren't, as usually horror villains are played by males. The acting style is quite solemn with little emotion shown, this is to fit with the idea that the charachter is a psychopath. The lighting used in the bathroom scene is quite bright to illuminate the character as they reflect themselves. Then in the killing scene a strobe light is used to give off a distorted view of what is happening. In the outside scenes the lighting is quite minmal as the darker side of the character has been introduced so the lack of lighting is there to show that the character blends in with the dark. The setting for the opening scenes is in a house on a quiet street. Inside the house the action takes place in a bathroom and a bedroom. The costume of the killer character consists of a top, leggings and a jacket. This is as the character is supposed to appear to be normal. The character of the homeless person costume will not be visible apart from a hat and fingerless gloves which are the usual attire of these types of people. The main prop used in the opening scenes is a knife, which is shown in the flashbacks. This type of weapon is commonly found in horror films.
Camera Work:
The shot sizes range from mid shots, long shots, extreme long shots and extreme close ups. The extreme close up and long shots are there to help the auidence understand the character whilst the longer shots are to show movement. In the opening scenes there will be high, low and slanted angle shots to give an eery feel to the sequence. There aren't any tracking or panning shots as i want the edititing to be quite quick to create tension.
Editing:
The self reflection shots are intended to be quite long as there is a voiceover over the top of whats happening. However the murder scenes are quite quick and have a flashing strobe light which makes it appear faster. The outside shots all dissolve into eachother to show how far the character is moving.
Sound:
The sound will mainly be made up of the voiceover. The digetic sound comes from the scream in the killing scene. The non-digetic sounds in the sequence comes mainly in the outside sections, such as the wind and passing traffic. There is music played during the titles which is quite loud and powerful, it involves heavy percussion to create a moody atmosphere.
Micro elements
The majority of the film is shot in dark lighting which is typical for horror films. I intent to include a slanted angle shot in my opening sequence to show a distorted view of the character. the props used in this all link to the genre of horror, such as a knife.
Macro elements
The genre of the film is Horror this is shown through having a psychopath character who kills people in the opening sequence.
Tone
The opening sequnce will have quite an eery tone as the voiceover is quite disturbing. Also the sequences are shot at night time which creates a more creepy tone.
Flash back
I aim to use a flashback in my opening sequence to show the killing scene. This links to voiceover.
Voice over’s
The voice over is spoken by the killer and gives an insight into their mental state, it also helps to link the scenes together.
Audience
The audience for this film would probably be teenagers. Nowadays it is more teenagers that watch horror films, also my cast are all of a similar age
Framing
For the self reflection scene the character is in the centre of the shot. In the murder scene the main character is seen approachnig from the left. In the first of the outside scenes the main character is in the centre of the shot, however when another character is introduced she takes up the left hand side whilst the tramp character takes up the right side.
Mise-en-scene:
The action in the opening scenes starts with a voiceover which flashes a few times to a killing scene, afterwards the killer leaves the room they are in, walks outside and passes a homeless person who asks her for change to which she walks towards them and then stands above them. The scene ends with the killer character opens their eyes in a sinister fashion. The main villain in this played by a girl, this fits with the theme where on the outside things appear normal, but they aren't, as usually horror villains are played by males. The acting style is quite solemn with little emotion shown, this is to fit with the idea that the charachter is a psychopath. The lighting used in the bathroom scene is quite bright to illuminate the character as they reflect themselves. Then in the killing scene a strobe light is used to give off a distorted view of what is happening. In the outside scenes the lighting is quite minmal as the darker side of the character has been introduced so the lack of lighting is there to show that the character blends in with the dark. The setting for the opening scenes is in a house on a quiet street. Inside the house the action takes place in a bathroom and a bedroom. The costume of the killer character consists of a top, leggings and a jacket. This is as the character is supposed to appear to be normal. The character of the homeless person costume will not be visible apart from a hat and fingerless gloves which are the usual attire of these types of people. The main prop used in the opening scenes is a knife, which is shown in the flashbacks. This type of weapon is commonly found in horror films.
Camera Work:
The shot sizes range from mid shots, long shots, extreme long shots and extreme close ups. The extreme close up and long shots are there to help the auidence understand the character whilst the longer shots are to show movement. In the opening scenes there will be high, low and slanted angle shots to give an eery feel to the sequence. There aren't any tracking or panning shots as i want the edititing to be quite quick to create tension.
Editing:
The self reflection shots are intended to be quite long as there is a voiceover over the top of whats happening. However the murder scenes are quite quick and have a flashing strobe light which makes it appear faster. The outside shots all dissolve into eachother to show how far the character is moving.
Sound:
The sound will mainly be made up of the voiceover. The digetic sound comes from the scream in the killing scene. The non-digetic sounds in the sequence comes mainly in the outside sections, such as the wind and passing traffic. There is music played during the titles which is quite loud and powerful, it involves heavy percussion to create a moody atmosphere.
Micro elements
The majority of the film is shot in dark lighting which is typical for horror films. I intent to include a slanted angle shot in my opening sequence to show a distorted view of the character. the props used in this all link to the genre of horror, such as a knife.
Macro elements
The genre of the film is Horror this is shown through having a psychopath character who kills people in the opening sequence.
Tone
The opening sequnce will have quite an eery tone as the voiceover is quite disturbing. Also the sequences are shot at night time which creates a more creepy tone.
Flash back
I aim to use a flashback in my opening sequence to show the killing scene. This links to voiceover.
Voice over’s
The voice over is spoken by the killer and gives an insight into their mental state, it also helps to link the scenes together.
Audience
The audience for this film would probably be teenagers. Nowadays it is more teenagers that watch horror films, also my cast are all of a similar age
Characters
The main character is called The Silsoe Slasher and appears normal on the outside however the voiceover reveals a more disturbed side to her. This characters physical appearance is also supposed to appear normal yet the blood on her hands shows that she is actually quite sinister. The voiceover provides a lot of information about the character and acts as a form of conscience. In the voiceover she talks about killing in a nonchalant fashion, this helps to put across the idea of the character being a psychopath. The character is shown killing someone in one scene, this and the voiceover show the physical and mental side of being a psychopath.
The second character is a homeless person This is made clear as the character is sitting outside beneath a street lamp. The outfit the homeless person is wearing consists of a matted coat, a hat and fingerless gloves- the coat is mainly concealed by a sleeping bag. The homeless person is a minor character and only has one line, which clarifies his status.
The third character is another minor role. This character is the victim who The Silsoe Slasher kills whilst she is sleeping. The scream this character lets out reveals that she is female. Little is known about this character which is intended to mean that she is just anyone which then leads on to suggest more about the mental state of her killer.
The second character is a homeless person This is made clear as the character is sitting outside beneath a street lamp. The outfit the homeless person is wearing consists of a matted coat, a hat and fingerless gloves- the coat is mainly concealed by a sleeping bag. The homeless person is a minor character and only has one line, which clarifies his status.
The third character is another minor role. This character is the victim who The Silsoe Slasher kills whilst she is sleeping. The scream this character lets out reveals that she is female. Little is known about this character which is intended to mean that she is just anyone which then leads on to suggest more about the mental state of her killer.
Monday, 15 November 2010
Conventions of Horror
Horror films are films which involve an element of fear. They usually contain aspects of the supernatural or evil. Horror filmas are associated with death, blood, gore and evil.
Horror films have changed over the years and become much more graphic and controversial. Early horror films were usually based on literature such as Bram stokers Dracula, the villains in these films were some form of monster. In the 60s horror films developed by using people as villians rather than the supernatural. Many horror films use children as being villains such as The Omen and The Exorcist. Over the years human villains have become more and more depraved due to less strictness of censorship. Horror films are often subject to remakes of originals either as a modern day version or an english language version i.e The Ring was originally a Japanese film called Ringu. Horror films are also more likely to have seques, The Saw franchise has 7 films to date. In the past decade horror films have also started to use hand held cameras such as The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. Horror films often involve and element of thriller such as The sixth sense which involves a plot and a twist ending rather than just plenty of killing scenes. Horror can also merge with comedy in films such as Ghostbusters or Shaun of The Dead - a mock version of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead.
Highest grossing Horror Films:
This list shows that Horror Thrillers arehighest grossing, for my main task I have chosen the genre of Horror Thriller.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Script
Male opens door (shot 1), and walks across the room (shot 2), stands above the female character (shot 3) and sits down (shot 4).
Male: (shouting) Tell me what you know! (shot 5)
Female: I don't know anything. Why am I here? What have I done? (shot 6)
Male: I'm giving you one chance Miss Dagger; (accent changes) tell me what you know. (shot 7)
Female: I've already told you, I know nothing. Please just let me go (shot 8)
Male: Well I think it's (accent changes again) time to say goodbye to Mr Tiddles (shot 9)
Female: You wouldn't dare
Male: (In an English accent) You just watch me, (clears throat and in a badly attempted Eastern European accent) You just watch me!
Storms off out room (shot 10) and shuts door (shot 11 & 12)
Male: (shouting) Tell me what you know! (shot 5)
Female: I don't know anything. Why am I here? What have I done? (shot 6)
Male: I'm giving you one chance Miss Dagger; (accent changes) tell me what you know. (shot 7)
Female: I've already told you, I know nothing. Please just let me go (shot 8)
Male: Well I think it's (accent changes again) time to say goodbye to Mr Tiddles (shot 9)
Female: You wouldn't dare
Male: (In an English accent) You just watch me, (clears throat and in a badly attempted Eastern European accent) You just watch me!
Storms off out room (shot 10) and shuts door (shot 11 & 12)
Storyboard
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Location
These photos are of the location where the preliminary task will take place. They show the setting as being dingy and hostile, as the colours are quite dark and give off a negative connotation. However there are props in there such as bikes, washing powder and drinks cartons which show that the scene wont be serious.Costumes
Female costume
Male costume
Thursday, 28 October 2010
Planning stage
Context
The context for the preliminary task is a mock interrogation scene. It will be shot in a dingy location which will help to fit with the context, whilst the acting will be very exagerrated. The tone will be supposedly intimidating however the mood will contrast with this as it'll be lighter, so it will not make the scene too sombre.
Characters
The first character in the preliminary task is a male called . Physically speaking he is young and tall. He is supposed to have an intimidating presence, however due to his bad varying European accent he is more laughable than frightening.
The second character in the preliminary task is a female. She is tall with medium length hair. She is your "traditional" victim, who is completely hysterical and frightened of the first character, she cries at everything.
Location
The location for the preliminary task will be in a hostile, dark and dingy room. This helps to fits with the conventions of an interrogation scene. However the location is a normal garage so the props are items such as deck chairs, freezers and bicycles. The location chosen for the scene is my garage as it fits with the previous description (and is also more convenient).
Editing
The editing will not be particulary fast as the scene isn't fast paced and the action is more verbal than physical. Some of the transitions will be fade so that each clip blends together to form the scene.
Mise-en-scene
The action in the scene mainly revolves around the dialogue of an interrogation. The actors in the scene are my brother and sister. My sister uses a solemn acting style which contrasts with my brother who uses a more aggressive acting style. The lighting needs to be bright enough to show faces and facial expressions without changing the feel. The lighting used will be natural light as this won't illuminate everything too much. The setting for the scene is in a dingy hostile room. The props used are what show the more humourous side to the scene. The interrogator will be holding a knife, however it is a bread knife. Also the victim will be tied to a deck chair rather than a more sturdier piece of furniture. In the background of the scene there will be items such as washing tablets and juice boxes which show that the setting is less than intimidating.
Camera Work
The scene will include mid,long, and extra long shots of both high and low angles. There will also be panning movements included.
Sound: The sound will be from the dialouge with no music. This is to keep the focus on the dialogue.
Micro & MacroThe theme of the scene is interrogation. This will be made obvious through the script, costume, setting and props used.
The context for the preliminary task is a mock interrogation scene. It will be shot in a dingy location which will help to fit with the context, whilst the acting will be very exagerrated. The tone will be supposedly intimidating however the mood will contrast with this as it'll be lighter, so it will not make the scene too sombre.
Characters
The first character in the preliminary task is a male called . Physically speaking he is young and tall. He is supposed to have an intimidating presence, however due to his bad varying European accent he is more laughable than frightening.
The second character in the preliminary task is a female. She is tall with medium length hair. She is your "traditional" victim, who is completely hysterical and frightened of the first character, she cries at everything.
Location
The location for the preliminary task will be in a hostile, dark and dingy room. This helps to fits with the conventions of an interrogation scene. However the location is a normal garage so the props are items such as deck chairs, freezers and bicycles. The location chosen for the scene is my garage as it fits with the previous description (and is also more convenient).
Editing
The editing will not be particulary fast as the scene isn't fast paced and the action is more verbal than physical. Some of the transitions will be fade so that each clip blends together to form the scene.
Mise-en-scene
The action in the scene mainly revolves around the dialogue of an interrogation. The actors in the scene are my brother and sister. My sister uses a solemn acting style which contrasts with my brother who uses a more aggressive acting style. The lighting needs to be bright enough to show faces and facial expressions without changing the feel. The lighting used will be natural light as this won't illuminate everything too much. The setting for the scene is in a dingy hostile room. The props used are what show the more humourous side to the scene. The interrogator will be holding a knife, however it is a bread knife. Also the victim will be tied to a deck chair rather than a more sturdier piece of furniture. In the background of the scene there will be items such as washing tablets and juice boxes which show that the setting is less than intimidating.
Camera Work
The scene will include mid,long, and extra long shots of both high and low angles. There will also be panning movements included.
Sound: The sound will be from the dialouge with no music. This is to keep the focus on the dialogue.
Micro & MacroThe theme of the scene is interrogation. This will be made obvious through the script, costume, setting and props used.
Saturday, 23 October 2010
Opening doors
In this post I will include footage from youtube of different doors being opened. Due to not being able to embed videos, I have posted the links instead.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dijpw392JU0
This video is a factual look at how to open a plane door. This video inlcudes long shots, mid shots, close ups and low angle shots. The content of this video is not completely relvant to what I aim to do in the prelimary task as the door that would be opening would be a usual door, not a plane door.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_I4Qy4Pzs8
This video is a tutorial of how to open a door, shot in a mocking style. It includes; long shot, panning movement, mid shots and close ups. Both of these videos are both tutorials, however the previous video is serious whilst the second isn't. The door that is opened in this clip is just a usual door so I would use that aspect from it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDGZQIdN9qk&feature=related
This video is a clip of somebody failing to open a door. It includes long shots and mid shots. This video differes from both as it is a clip from a news item rather than a factual/tutorial video. I could use this clip to show peoples reactions when something goes wrong, which I could incorporate into my scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dijpw392JU0
This video is a factual look at how to open a plane door. This video inlcudes long shots, mid shots, close ups and low angle shots. The content of this video is not completely relvant to what I aim to do in the prelimary task as the door that would be opening would be a usual door, not a plane door.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_I4Qy4Pzs8
This video is a tutorial of how to open a door, shot in a mocking style. It includes; long shot, panning movement, mid shots and close ups. Both of these videos are both tutorials, however the previous video is serious whilst the second isn't. The door that is opened in this clip is just a usual door so I would use that aspect from it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDGZQIdN9qk&feature=related
This video is a clip of somebody failing to open a door. It includes long shots and mid shots. This video differes from both as it is a clip from a news item rather than a factual/tutorial video. I could use this clip to show peoples reactions when something goes wrong, which I could incorporate into my scene.
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Characters-Theories
Media Character theories:
Goffmans theory
Goffman suggested that there were 4 types of characters:
- The protagonist - the leading character
- The deuteragonist - the secondary character
- The bit player - A smaller character whos the audience do not know too much about
- The fool -a character whose purpose is to humour the audience
Propps theory differs from Goffmans in that he has developed 7 types of character from his study of 100 fairytales:
- The hero- A character who usually is instigated by the donor to partake in the task and eventually ends up with the princess.
- The donor - A character who prepares the hero for the main task in the narrative.
- The helper - A character who assists the hero in the task.
- The princess- A character who is usually sought for during the story and usually ends up with the hero.
- Her father- A character who is the father of the princess.
- The dispatcher- A character who sends the hero off to participate in the task.
- The villain- A character who fights against the hero .
Propps theory can be related to other media genres than fairytales, for example in a Rom Com the Princess would translate into the female lead.
Overall both theories can be seen throughout different types of Media. However depending on genre character types can change, for example it isn't typical to have a princess' father type character in a horror piece.
For my preliminary task I'll be usisng a mixture of the two theories.The fist character will be a protagonist and a villain, whilst the secondary character will be a deuteragonist and heroine.
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Research: Shots, Angles & Movements
Shots
Extreme long shot
Long shot
Mid shot
Close up
Extreme Close Up
Angles
High angle
Low Angle
Eye Level
Canted angle
Birds Eye View
Movements
Tracking- The camera is on a moving object and moves alongside the action
Tilt- the camera is on a tripod and moves vertically
Hand held- used with a hand held camera e.g. Blair witch
Zoom- allows the camera to zoom in or out without having to move
Crane- Allows the camera to move much further in a different direction
Aerial- allows you to take shots from up high usually by helicopter
Pans- The camera is on a tripod and moves horizontally
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