It's Christmas Time!!!!!!!!!! :)

So my blog is now closed for two weeks so I can have a nice relaxing break

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

...and I will see you in 2009 for lots and lots more blogging! xx

Shoot and Re Shoot

I was reallly happy with how our shooting went We worked really well as a team all sharing all the roles equally. I did some of the shooting, some of the sound monitoring, and some of the paper work. When we looked at the footage back at school most of it was good but our sequence didn't completely make sense and it wsa quite jumpy. We got some teacher feedback, and they came up witht the idea to have Adam delivering the tape to create establishing shots and make it flow better.
On the re-shoot we worked in the same way as always; sharing all the roles equally. This made the day fun as although this was our third shooting weekend in a row, my job was changing around constantly to keep variety. When looking at these shots back at scholl i was very pleased. The bit with Adam walking up to the house, cut in with shots of Bekah making tea looks really affective. However we've noticed some problems with lighting. Because we changed our lighting slightly for all three shoots, some of our cuts look weird because the lighting will go from being normal to being grainy with a yellow tint. For this reason, and the fact that some of the lines could benefit from being shot again, i definitely think we need another shoot. We've agreed as a group that our ligthing was best at the test shoot so we will try to re-create this as best we can again, and hopefully it will all turn out great!

Ideas - THE TREATMENT

We decided that we would all think of at least one idea for our opening sequence and then we decided on which would be the best to go ahead with. We actually all really liked all of our ideas but the one we have to chosen to go ahead with is my initial idea, that we all built on. We decided on this one because it was the most intersting and original, and hope fully will have the best outcome. Here is the treatment based on my original idea...

1. The action: identify the event your idea is based around; what actually happens (discovery of a body, an illicit meeting, a witness seeing a crime being committed, a criminal act taking place)? Our opening scene is based around a hostage situation. It begins with a hostage video of a girl crying and stating a ransom must be paid for her release. However we soon learn that she is framing her best friend, so that she can get away with the ransom money. And she has murdered her best friend in an attempt to stop people finding out.

2. The theme(s): what should it make the audience think about or feel, what ‘issues’ will it raise (revenge, sexuality, voyeurism, stalking, obsession, greed etc)

It brings up the issues primarily of revenge and betrayal. With key themes also being murder, ransom, madness and greed.

3. The narrative: how is it structured - classic narrative pattern or break with convention, real time or different time zones, flashbacks/forwards, dreams etc. Will there be dialogue? What about diegetic/ non-diegetic sound?

It will be shot mainly in the classic narrative pattern in real time, however there will be a montage towards the end. There will be some dialogue, mainly at the beginning, but not too much as we want the tension and atmosphere to build up from our interesting shot types and music, not just by dialogue. All the sound will be diagetic, except of course for the music.

4. The character(s): who are they, identify their roles, what are their characteristics, including gender, appearance etc?

There are only two characters featured in our opening. Both of which are girls. The first girl named Samantha Harris is played by Bekah Murrell is mixed race. She is in her early 20s and is pretty, quite tall, with dark afro style hair. At first she appears sweet and vulnerable, but soon we find out she is greedy, devious and very clever, betraying those close to her. The second girl called Karen Williams is also in her early 20s and is played by Sian Parkinson. She is also pretty and quite tall. However she is very different in appearance as she has wavy blonde hair and fair skin. She is friendly, kind and trustworthy making her an easy target for crime.

5. The setting and choice of location: where is it set?

The very fist shot is in a living room. However the rest of our opening is set going to be filmed in Danni's garage. We are going to set it up so that it looks like an abandoned house or a basement, somwehre derelict and quite, an ideal location for keeping a hostage.

6. The mise-en-scene: identify colours, lighting, dress codes, the overall visual look

Our opening is going to have a very dark feel to it, and this will come across primarily in the lighting. This is because it will be very low key lighting in both locations. To continue this theme the actors will be wearing very plain clothes. Bekah will be wearing jeans with a plain white/black t-shirt. Her make up will also be minimal; a bit of mascara, and eyeliner that has smudged under her eyes. Sian will be more smartly dressed, wearing a pencil skirt and smart top to show she is a professional woman.

7. The camera work: the style you are aiming for

We wanted to use intersting camera work to give our piece a modern, intersting style. We plan to use zooms, pans and a range of shot distances to achieve this.

8. The editing: edited as a continuous sequence, use of cross cutting, use of montage, or combination?

There won't be cross cutting, but there will be a montage near the end. We wanted to have a shot of a living room with a TV on, we're going to zoom into the TV and when we zoom out again, we will be in the room that was on the television - our vision was to have this as one seamless shot - lets hope it works!

9. Has your idea been ‘tested’ against the key criteria (the 8 questions)?

Yes it has, and we think it answers all of the questions positively.

10. Group responses?

We really love our idea and hope it will work well.

11. Teacher responses?

Our teacher liked our idea, but wants us to keep it simple, and add a bit more dialogue.

What Did I Learn From The Test Shoot?

The test shoot was really useful to do as it helped to give us an idea of how our sequence is goingto look, as well high-lighting any key issues we need to consider and enabling us to have the time to learn from any mistakes made, and i learnt a lot;
* Plan plan plan - if you know exactley what you are doing then it is SOO much more time efficient, and its gives you extra time at the end to experiment
* Things always take longer than you think they will
* Getting the lighting perfect is hard and can be very time consuming- but it's worth it!
* I learnt the art of fake blood making, and bruising people with eye shadow
* Juat because you're indoors, doesn't mean you don't have to worry about sound (ie-builders next door)
* ...and i learnt never to believe Danni when she says its only a "short walk" :P

TEST SHOOT

Yesturday we had the test shoot, and i was really happy with how it went. We went to Danni's house to shoot and did 8 hours in total, from 10am - 6pm. The first 4 hours it was just me, Danni and Tom. We set up our location (which took longer than expected, because in order to block out all the light coming into the shed we had to tape black towels to the outside of the windows), we played around with different fake blood recipes, we completed our storyboard and shooting script, filmed the first scene that we didn't need actors for and just about had time left for lunch.
Once the actors had arrived they got into costume, and we did their make up. Throughout the shoot we all had a go at doing everything; directing, sound technition, and production assistant, as we felt this was the fairest way to do it, and it was the most fun because it meant we weren't doing the same thing all day.
I was so impressed with the actors we used, and think that they were a really good choice. I am really looking forward to seeing the footage, and finding out what we need to change to make our sequence even more amazing!

GROUPS!

We have now been given our groups. I am going to be working with Tom Deason and Danni Andrean. I am really happy about this, as i get on well with both of them and i know we can work effectivly as a team. We have come up with lots of ideas already, and are really keen to get started and begin filming. It's going to be so fun! Have a look at our group blog to see how we're coming along :)

Preliminary Exercise - Sonny Jim

Preliminary Exercise - Evaluation Questions

Preliminary Exercise
1) Who did you work with and how did you manage the tasks between you?
In my group was Ben, Selina, Mel, Daniel and me. We all partook in the planning which worked well, however when it came to the filming we all stuck to our individual jobs. This is so that there was no confusion in changing around after every shot and it also made us quicker and more efficient as a team. I was the production assistant, Selina directed, Mel was the sound technician and Ben and Daniel acted. When it came to the editing Ben was physically doing it however we were all telling him what to do, and what to pout where - so we all had a fair input into how it turned out.

2) How did you plan your sequence? What process did you use?
We tried to keep our idea straightforward right from the start as we knew we had little time. We soon decided it would be a simple conversation between a teacher and a pupil. We then talked about location and realised we needed somewhere quiet where we wouldn’t be bothered by the other classes in the school, consequently we decided on the media block because it would be only our class in there and the other groups would be away filming therefore we wouldn’t be disturbed. When drawing up a story board and we decided that in it there should be a range on shot distances and types so its not just boring MS shot-reverse-shot over and over. Therefore we included BCUs, POV shots and different angles. After this Ben worked on the script, while we worked on the shooting script making sure that we filmed the shots in the most sensible order i.e. shooting all the corridor shots first, all of Ben’s CUs together etc.

3) What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?
To film our sequence we used a cannon HV30 camcorder, a tripod, and a microphone. We also used a white board in the place as a clapper board, to keep use organised and aware of how many takes we'd done and what shot we were up to. To edit it we used Adobe premier pro. The shots were all captured before hand for us. We mostly used the razor tool which allowed us to cut and move the clips we wanted easily.

4) What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
We had 1 hour to plan, 1 hour to shoot and 1 hour to edit - the a big factor that we need to consider and monitor was time. When planning, we made sure we took into account the brief, as we needed to make sure we fulfilled it as best we could. We knew we had to keep it simple, because of the time limit, but we still wanted it to be interesting and enjoyable to watch. Therefore we used a wide range of shot distance and types - but still tried to keep the flow and smoothness of it all the way through. Additionally we needed to consider the location, because we didn't want people disturbing us, or work in the same room as another group. Therefore we did a location recce, and did a walk through when we were there. When shooting there was also a lot to consider in addition to the time. This is because shots don't always turn out how you imagine them and so we changed the some of the shots, including the master shot, so the camera was in a slightly different position to where we originally planned in the storyboard -to make our piece look better. Also more than one group wanted to use the corridor. Luckily we got to use it first - but when we were filming in the room, the other groups were filming in the corridor, and they were making a lot of noise so we kept having to stop and ask them to be quiet. When editing we decided the best way to do it would be to separate all our different shots first to make it all more organised and clearer, this took longer than we thought, but once it was done it felt more ordered and less of a daunting task. It was very hard to get the match on action right, though I think we managed to in the end. The other thing that was challenging was getting the dialogue to flow still. We didn't just want all of our shots to be over-the-shoulder shots, because we thought it would be boring so we had POV and reaction shot, but this did make our job a bit harder when editing.

5) How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?
I do think that our sequence was pretty successful and I personally was very happy with how it turned out. We demonstrated that we could successfully complete some of the expected criteria such as match on action, and we did the whole sequence without breaking the 180 degree rule. It is an interesting and original sequence where one character enters a room, walks over to another character and exchanges a few lines of dialogue. Nevertheless our sequence was not perfect. We did not manage to achieve shot-reverse-shot very successfully. We had a lot of footage from different angles, but when editing it together it didn't work. If we were going to do this again we would have Ben's character sitting down when he came into the room. This would mean that both characters would be at the same level, making it far easier to shoot and achieve shot-reverse-shot.

6) What have you learnt from completing the task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?
I definitely learnt a lot from doing this preliminary task. I learnt about sound and how eliminating background noise is so important. Additionally I learnt about directing, and I am glad we faced a few problems in this shoot and it didn't turn out perfectly because I can keep them in mind when shooting our actual sequence, so as not to make these mistakes when it really matters. Additionally as I hadn't used the editing equipment for over a year, I was pleased to be reminded to how it all works. This now means that I can work quicker and more efficiently on editing for our real piece. I will remember the extra knowledge I have gained from this task when making the real thing, as I'm sure it will come in useful, so I am really glad we got the chance to do this.

Film Posters

Film Posters
I decided to do some research into film posters and what makes a successful one, as we will eventually create a DVD cover for our opening and cover use the same techniques as posters.
Halloween

When looking at this film poster, I can see that it is very striking, and very effective for many reasons. The image is of a pumpkin face, with an orange hand holding a dagger, on a black background. The eyes and nose of the pumpkin are filled with flames, giving the face a menacing evil look. The colour and texture of the image are the same as a pumpkin (directly linking to the film title), but the shape looks like it could be a mask of some sort, leading us to believe that in the film, the killer’s identity could be hidden. The black background definitely gives it a deathly, horror feel and it draws our eye even more to the bright, haunting pumpkin face and knife.

The font used in this poster, is simple and easy to read yet still very striking. It is white which completely contrasts with the black background, and the title has an orange outline to tie in with the image. From the title itself ‘Halloween’ we can immediately assume that it is a horror as Halloween is probably the scariest night of the year. Additionally the tagline ‘the night HE came home’ is very harrowing and spooky. The capitalisation of the word ‘he’ emphasises it, implying that we know who ‘he’ is already. This also adds to his significance, making it seem like ‘he’ is known, powerful and that we should be frightened of him therefore making it more alarming.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind Trailer

Here is the trialer for 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' one of the films we watched on our movie day. It gives you the basic set up for the story and shows you clips of some of the many random scenes that happen in seemingly bizarre locations, during the huge montage the lasts nearly the whole film.

Movie Days

During half term myslef and my close firends Amelia Conway and Laura Allen (who both also do media) decided we needed to broaded our knowledge of films, and we decided the best way to do so was to watch lots! We took some of our favourites, some from familt collections and some borrowed from and recogmended by the school. All together we watch 8, in 24 hours!
Walk the Line, Mulholland Drive, Eternsal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Magdalene Sisters, The Shining, The Object of my Affection, Kill Bill vol 1, Kill Bill vol 2.
It was a really funcouple of days and i actually enjoyed all of the films - but some i liked more than others.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind I found particularly interesting. At first I found it very confusing, but in the end everything is revealed and in order and I thought it was really clever. The entire middle part of the film is a montage - this really kept me gripped to it as I didn't want to miss anything. Additionally it kept the pace going really well, and their was never a dull moment.
The Shining I had never seen before, and i was quite anxious to watch as I had been told by many people that it is one of the scariest movies ever. I did find it a very scary film, however I really enjoyed it. The suspence and tension that was built up was amazing, and again it made the film very gripping as you became completely engrossed in the story.
The Magdalene Sister was a very powerful film in my opinion. This was probably my favourite out of the ones that we watched. It was very realisitally done - it wasn't all bright and shiny like it was all filmed on a Hollywood film set, and i think this made it all the more believable, shocking and engaging. You really felt for every main character and resented the nuns for how badly they treated them. I found it very moving and touching film.

Horror Timeline

Films have changed dramatically over the years, not just because of technology but because of audience expectations and feeling at the time. The best genre to look at for this is Horror. From Hitchcocks suspence movies in the 60s, to the modern psycological horrors - every decade produced classic horror films but all were very different.
Horror Timeline
1960s
The Birds
Psycho
Peeping Tom

1970s
The Exorcist
The Omen
Halloween
Texas Chain Saw Massacre

1980s
Friday 13th
Nightmare on Elm Street
Polterguist

1990s
I know what you did last Summer
Scream
Silence of the Lambs

2000s
Dawn of the Dead
The Grudge
Saw 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

SCRIPTS

I have done some research into scripts as I felt it might help me when writing the script for our final coursework piece. I found many useful websites on this such as;
screenwriting.info
expertvillage.com/video-series/2794_movie-script.htm

There are many elements to remember to include when script writing:

Scene Heading - A short description of the location and time of day of a scene, also known as a "slugline." E.g.: EXT. SUBURBAN HOUSE - DAY would denote that the action takes place outside suburban house during the day time.
Action - When any character speaks, his or her name appears on the line preceding the dialogue
Dialogue
Parenthetical - an inflection to a speech noted by a writer
Extensions - A technical note placed directly to the right of the Character name that denotes how the character's voice is heard. For example, O.S. is an extension that stands for Off-Screen
Transition – It denoting an editing transition. E.g. DISSOLVE TO: means the action seems to blur and refocus into another scene, and is generally used to denote a passage of time, memory or dream.
Shot - What the camera sees. E.g. WIDE SHOT would mean that we see every character that appears in the scene, all at once

Here is a script from the opening of ‘Mean Girls’ (2004);


Cady’s Dad

This is your lunch, ok? Now, I put a dollar in their so you can buy some milk. You can ask one of the big kids where to do that.

Cady’s Mum

Do you remember your phone number? I wrote it down for you, just in case. Put it in your pocket, I don’t want you to loose it. Ok? You ready?

Cady

I think so

Cady’s Dad

It’s Cady’s big day.

Cady (a narrator)

I guess it’s natural for parents to cry on their kids first day of school. But, you know, this usually happens when the kid is five. I’m 16, and until today, I was home-schooled. I know what you’re thinking, “home-schooled kids are freaks”…

X-Y-L-O-C-A-R-P.Xylocarp.

Or that we're weirdly religious

or something.

And on the third day, God created the Remington bolt-action rifle so that Man could fight the dinosaurs. And the homosexuals.

- Amen.

- Amen.

But my family's totally normal. Except for the fact that both myparents are research zoologists and we've spent the last years in Africa. I had a great life. But then my mom got offered tenureat Northwestern University. So it was goodbye Africa

and hello high school.

I find this script really useful, as it does everything and opening script should do. It introduces 3 of the main characters – with all the focus being on Cady we can immediately assume she is the central character. The genre is signified clearly because there are funny lines and she is on her way to high school. Therefore we know it’s a high school/teen comedy. The comedy comes from her parents babying her even though she is 16. As she is not in shot at first, the audience could think they are talking to a 5 year old, they way they say she should ‘buy some milk’ and ‘ask the big kids’ so it is very funny when it is revealed that she is 16, and very clever script writing. It’s definitely an engaging opening sequence because it is funny right from the start which always catches people’s attention and draws the audience in. As well as this we want to find out a bout her going to high school, whether she’ll fit in or not, so we’re eager to know more. Furthermore it completely sets up a storyline for the film, but a storyline where the out come could not be easily predicted at all. So from the opening, the audience will know where the film is going however it is not all boring or predictable, hence holding the audiences attention.

TOP TIPS FOR A GOOD OPENING SEQUENCE

* Show Credits, titles, sponsors and associated brands
* Launch recognisable music or a sound track that can be associated with the film, and the genre and tone of the film.
* Engage the audience, make them interested and eager to watch to rest of the film, draw them into the story.
* Indicate the genre by using audience expectations of it and in themes, characters, iconography, setting, music and sounds.
* Introduce main characters, give information as to their job, relationships, lifestyle
* Introduce the setting
* Establish the time period by hair, make up, mise-en-scene
* Hint at the story give small pieces of information or evidence about what is to come.
* Give a sense of the speed of the film and the storyline.
*Create narrative structure

The Sixth Sense Opening

Opening Sequences – The Sixth Sense

As opening sequences is what we are doing, I decided to look closely at some opening sequences from famous films. The ‘The Sixth Sense’ is a psychological horror film, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan in 1999. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

It begins with a black screen. The credits are in a white simple font. They fade in and fade out, and the music subtly gets louder and quieter as this happens. As the writing fades in and out, the white colour gets a cloudy, ghostly look to it. The music matches this; it is very slow paced, eerie music that really creates a creepy atmosphere with an unnatural, spiritual feel to it. These credits continue for the first 3 minutes, building up the tension and the atmosphere so that when the film does start we are already on edge and completely engrossed in what’s to come. The first shot is of a light bulb, surrounded by darkness. This also adds to the tension as we are not quite sure where this is, or what its significance is.

The next shot is down in a basement or wine cellar. The camera is placed behind the rack of wine, giving it a stalker feel, like there is something lurking in the shadows watching. We then hear a creaking as someone comes down the stairs which further add to the tension as we don’t know who it is. This creaking is diegetic sound as those present in the ‘film world’ can hear it. As the scene goes on we realise it’s a woman in her late 30’s early 40’s presumably the owner of the house. She comes towards the wine rack the camera is placed behind, bends down and peers at the wines, the rack framing her face perfectly. At 3:46 we hear another diegetic sound, similar to a pin dropping, which you may think is very quiet but compared to the previous silence is very significant and frightening. The woman jumpily turns around and looks around the room. At 3:52 we see a long shot of her from behind the stairs banisters, further enhancing the impression she is being watched but also emphasising how alone and isolated she is in the darkness of the cellar, with no one to turn to for help.

We then see her run back up the stairs. At 4:00 we see a shot of a mantle piece, on it are candles and lots of cards that look like they’ve been made by children, with simple drawings and glitter. We can also hear the woman footsteps coming closer, another example of diegetic sound. Once the woman is back on the ground level of the house another character is introduced which is Bruce Willis’ character, we can assume they are in a relationship.

At 4:56 we see a very interesting shot. From the dialogue we have found out that Willis’ character has been given a frame “in recognition of his outstanding achievement in the field of child psychology”. The shot is looking into the frame he was awarded, in it we can see the reflection of their faces as she reads it too him. Now we can see things beginning to be explained; she says ‘I’ve never told you but you sound a little like doctor Zeuss when your drunk’ Implying they’ve known each other a long time, we can now assume they are married. We’ve also found out his job, he’s a child psychologist which could indicate why there are so many cards made by children in his home.

Although this is far long than the 2 minute opening I will be creating in a group, I think that it is still very useful. The build up of suspense is very well done and even though in the first 2 minutes we are still in the credits and even up to 5 minutes not a huge amount has happened in my opinion it is a very tense scene. A bit more about the characters is constantly being revealed as the scene goes on, their relationship, their job both of which we can assume will be significant to the plot of the film. Additionally tiny hints as to what might happen and the nature of the film are being exposed; e.g. the woman’s jump when she hears the pin drop sound. All of these factors are crucial for a successful opening sequence.

Budgets

This is a sample page from a motion picture budget;

Budgeting is a hugely important part of producing a film. When the script is still being developed, a rough budget will be made to convince producers and studios to give them the ‘go ahead’. During the pre-production stages a more detailed budget will be drawn up to ensure financing – this can sometimes be more 150 pages long! A budget is divided into 4 sections;
1) Above-the-line (creative talent),
2) Below-the-line (production costs),
3) Post-production (editing, visual effects)
4) Other (insurance etc)

There are many different elements that need to be accounted for and people that need to be paid;
Story rights: The right to produce a film based on a play or novel.
Screenplay: An A-list screenwriter can be paid a lot to write the first drafts of a script.
Dialog writer
Director: Usually a director's salary is about 7% of the final budget.
Cast: An A-list actor can ask for millions of £/$. However the rest of the cast are often being paid only the Screen Actors Guild minimum.
Production costs: The cost of shooting the film including sets, wardrobe, location filming, hotels and transportation.
Visual effects: (if required)
Music: The top film composers can also ask for millions.

Films often go over budget but technically they are ‘not allowed’ to do so. The Titanic is a very famous example of this, where the director James Cameron went way over on the budget but offered his fee to the studio. This is an example I found of the above for the film Spider man 2;
Story rights: $20 million
Screenplay: $10 million
Producers: $15 million
Director: Sam Raimi $10 million
Cast: $30 million
Tobey Maguire: $18 million
Kirsten Dunst: $7 million
Alfred Molina: $3 million
Rest of cast: $3 million
Production costs: $45 million
Visual effects: $65 million
Music: $5 million
Composer (Danny Elfman): $2 million.
Total: $200 million!

We are shooting our 2 minute opening to a film on a very low budget, so there are a lot of things we need to take into account. First of all we need to think about actors. Obviously we will not be paying anyone to act in it so we need to ask family and friends, drama students would be good. However it is important we choose people we can trust and who will be reliable, because if an actor doesn’t show up, it would completely bring film to a holt.

Secondly we need to consider the setting and location we will film in, and this has the greatest affect on the mise-en-scene and overall look. Again we will need to do things for free so filming in parks, woods, gardens, friend’s houses or school would be best.

The look of the actor is a huge factor and really adds to the overall look of the opening, and therefore it adds greatly to the effectiveness of our piece. Consequently costume, hair and makeup should all be kept relatively simple. This is not just because a simple, plain look is best and easiest when it comes to continuity, but also because all the clothes and make up will have to come from our group members, friends and family, as will the makeup artist and hair stylist, as we have no money to hire anything or anyone.

Horrors, particularly slashers are known for having great special affects. However we need to stay away from trying to re create gory, bloody scenes as it will just make our piece look very amateur. This is because we have very limited special affects therefore fake blood and fake wounds will have to be used, which will be very obvious and maybe funny to the audience. If we do decided to do a horror, this will definitely not be our desired affect.

Sound

ADR
ADR stands for Automated/ Automatic Dialog Replacement. Dialog that cannot be taken from production tracks must be re-recorded the process is called looping or ADR. This initially meant recording an actor who spoke lines in sync to "loops" of the image which were repeated alongwith matching parts of the recording tape. Although ADR is faster it is still a long meticulous job. An actor watches the image over and over while listening to the original production track on headphones as a guide. The actor then re-performs each line to match the lip movements. Actors vary in their ability to record it in sync and to recapture the emotional tone of their original performance

Diegetic sound
This is sound that is present in the “film's world”, anything that the characters are meant to hear for example a scream, creaking floor boards or a car engine.

Non Diegetic Sound
This is all the sounds that we as the audience can hear, but the characters in the film cant such as a narrator’s voice over or music.

On Screen
This is the sound that we can hear and we can see where it’s coming from because it’s happening in the shot.

Off Screen
Off Screens sounds are sounds we can hear but we cant see the source of them, we cant see what’s making the sounds as it’s happening out of shot, for example a scream or a knock at the door.

Foley Track
A sound effects technique for synchronous effects or live effects. The Foley technique is named after Jack Foley, a sound editor at Universal Studios. Foley artists enhance and create sounds to be added after filming. For example if the actors knock on the door wasn’t loud enough in the shot they would ask the Foley artists to enhance it.

Sound Bridges
When sound (music or dialogue) overlaps from when changing scenes. For example the dialogue in the previous scene is still being played at the beginning of the next scene, or the music from the next scene begins to play at the end on the previous scene. This creates a better fluency for the film and makes it less choppy.

Synchronous Sound
This is also known as Parallel sound. It is Music that matches with the action. For example frightening music during a frightening scene, funny, silly music in a comedic scene.

Asynchronous Sound
Also known as Contrapuntal Sound. Music that contrast with the action, for example happy, funny music playing in torturous, scary scenes.

Characters (costume and make up)

Vivian Ward

Vivian Ward is the confident, funny, gorgeous, quirky prostitute played by Julia Roberts in the film ‘Pretty Woman’ (1990). She is hired by businessman Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) to escort him to some high class social events; a world away from her everyday life, here we see her vulnerability exposed as she feels completely out of place, as she doesn’t fit in and fears people are looking down on her. Vivian is one of cinemas most well loved and easily identifiable characters, and hair, make up and costume played a huge role in this. For the first scene the costume of a blue mini skirt, over the knee boots and that iconic blonde bob wig we instant recognise and associate as Vivian from Pretty woman, and this look is replicated by many as a distinguished film character costume.

James Bond

James Bond is one of the most recognisable and well known film characters of all time! He is intelligent, suave, handsome, smooth, sophisticated and dangerous. Whether he has brown or blonde hair as long as he is wearing a tuxedo and holding a slick black gun and a martini glass, we’ll know it’s him. This simple, yet eye catching costume is very effective as it makes the character immediately recognisable to the audience, which is a key factor in keeping support and continuity as so far there have been 6 different actors playing Bond in 22 different movies spanning over 5 decades.

The Shining - Opening Credits

The Shining - Opening Credits

For our coursework we are making and opening sequence to a film, and credits are included in this. Therefore I have looked at ‘The Shining’s opening credits as example and inspiration as it is thought of by many as the scariest ever horror film. The film was made in 1980 directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the novel by Stephen King
It starts off with a forward tracking establishing shot looking out over a large lake with mountains either side of it. It then cuts to a birds eye view shot of a dense forest, with a road running through it with one car on it. The music begins straight away even though there are no credits yet. It is very low pitched with a slow tempo, and has an eerie, creepy feel to it. The camera follows the car, always slightly behind as it drives along the long winding road with masses of uninhabited landscape either side of it. This gives the impression they are being followed, and the wide stretch of land surrounding them emphasises their isolation and shows how alone they are, a long way from anywhere or anyone.
The credits are simple just like the opening sequence itself. They are not in a spiky font or dripping with blood, they are just pale blue, plain and easy to read. In my opinion I think this mirrors the significance of the film - How at the beginning they are just a normal family and Jack Terrence (played by Jack Nicholson) is just a normal guy – it plays on how anyone, even the people you love and who love you can turn against you, and go insane. However despite the simplicity of the credits, I think this opening sequence is still very scary and the music plays a big role in this. The creepy low pitch tune gets slightly louder and then a high pitched, whiny score is put in its place this has a strong ghostly feel to it as it sounds like distant screams and howls giving the audience an idea as to the nature of the film. At 2:34 we then see an image of the hotel, it is at the bottom of a mountain further stressing the sense of seclusion about the setting of the film.
Obviously we cannot do birds eye views shots of vast forests and remote mountain hotels like The Shining, however I do think there is a lot we can take from this as an effective horror opening. Firstly the point that stands out for me is that it doesn’t have to be fast paced and gory right away, the opening can be more subtle and still be just as scary. Also I think the change in pitch of music works really well in keeping a long sequence interesting and this clip also shows that both very high and very low pitch music can be very effective in horrors. Additionally I think the sense of isolation is very disturbing with no one around to help you, and I think this can be just as well achieves on ground level

Casting

Films Plots

When thinking about casting for films our class was given 11 films plots to choose from and we had to pick 2 and say how we would cast them and why...

1) Brief Plot (Plot 1): The first film plot I have chosen is set in America and sees a young girl called Stephanie with a dream of being a Moulin Rouge dancer when she grows up. When she is 14 her mum dies of cancer. She has a bad relationship with her dad as he is an abusive alcoholic therefore her and her sister are put into care, and during this process they get split up. Stephanie ends up living in Washington where her foster family encourage her to be the first female president, and so to please them she follows this future, pushing her previous dream behind. However many years later she is reunited with her sister, who helps her rediscover he old self and they move to Paris together and she follows her dream of being a Moulin rouge dancer.

I would cast Dakota Fanning as young Stephanie and Kirsten Dunst as grown up Stephanie.

Why these Actresses? The character of Stephanie is very driven, ambitious and strong. I think it is a very hard part to play as the actress would have to convey convincingly to the audience her change from dreaming of dancing to politics and her change of heart back to dancing, as well as the heart ache of her mother dying and having an abusive father. Both of these actresses are very established and have proven that they can perform in a wide range of genres. Dakota Fanning has performed in light hearted comedy children’s films such as ‘The cat in the Hat’ 2003, but has also proved herself as a serious actress in box office hits such as ‘War of the Worlds’ and ‘Hide and Seek’ both released in 2005. Similarly Kirsten Dunst has acted in comedies; ‘How to Loose Friends and Alienate People’ 2008 and well as more serious roles such as ‘Spider man’ 2002 and ‘Marie Antoinette’ 2006. Furthermore we know she can dance due to her role as head cheerleader in ‘Bring it on’ 2000.
Additionally I chose these two for the role as they look alike making it more plausible and realistic for the audience, to see them as the same person.


2) Brief Plot (Plot 4): The second plot which I thought was really good is about a very wealthy woman in her mid 20’s living in London. The woman’s name is Elle, she enjoys having money but wants to feel normal so she has a normal job and takes the tube to work everyday, and her train driver observes this. He is a disturbed man in his 40’s named Ross who becomes obsessed with Elle. He finds out everything about her, including where she lives and steals small items from her house including a single stud earring. One day when she is alone in her carriage he goes insane and ties her to the train tracks, she is crushed. In the train driver’s cabin we then see rows of single stud earrings each representing one of his victims.

I would cast Angelina Jolie as Elle and I would cast
Sean Bean as Ross

Why these actors? The character of Elle has to be strong, stylish and caring. Additionally she should be pretty. Angelina Jolie is described by many as the most beautiful woman in the world therefore is would be very plausible for the audience to see why a man like Ross would fall in love and get obsessed with her so easily. Like Dunst and Fanning, Jolie has proved herself to be a fantastic actress in a wide range of genres; romantic comedy’s such as ‘Life or Something Like It’ 2002, action adventure movies such as ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ 2000 and even spy films such as ‘The Good Shepard’ 2006. In most of her films Jolie plays very strong characters, heroines, so I think she would be great at this part because despite her death at the end, Elle is the heroin of this film.

I have chosen Sean Bean to play Ross in the film because he has a slightly sinister look about him, perfect for playing the villain and he has done in many of his films; ‘The Lord of the Rings’ 2001, and ‘The Hitcher’ 2007. He is a very talented actor and I think he would be able to play a depressed, troubled man very convincingly making the movie far scarier for the audience.

Psycho

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay: Joseph Stefano
Music: Bernard Herrmann

Norman Bates: Anthony Perkins
Marion Crane: Janet Leigh


In media we watched the classic suspense/horror ‘Psycho’ as the
first of four film screenings. ‘Psycho’ was directed by
Hitchcock in 1960, and is probably the most famous and best of his films. I had already seen the
film before, and even the second time watching it considered it one of my favourites.

Two scenes really stuck out for me as being the scariest. The fist of which was obviously the iconic shower scene. The jumpy cuts and quick, disorientating pace was in my opinion quite shocking. The scene runs for 3 minutes and features 50 cuts and more than 70 different angles. Most of the shots are Cu’s. These close shots draw the audience into the scene making the scene feel longer and more intense. Additionally it makes it feel more uncontrolled, and more violent than if the shots were just presented alone or at wider angles.

The second scene that stuck out for me was the very final scene (video clip below), in my opinion this is the scariest. Just after the conclusive scene where the detective is explaining what happened, we think all the scary parts to the film are over, but then the camera forward tracks down a corridor, and into a plain white room. Norman Bates is in it wrapped in a blanket. Here we hear his mother’s voice in his head. The scariest line of the film in my opinion is; ‘I’m not even going to swat that fly, I hope they are watching, they’ll see, and they’ll know, they’ll say why she wouldn’t even harm a fly’ this sentence shows how truly insane Norman Bates is, as he says this he bows his head slightly and gives a haunting devilish smile to the camera, that really lingers in your mind.

One aspect of the film that I think is outstanding and that has a huge impact in the overall effect is the acting. Anthony Perkins who played Norman Bates is fantastic as he really portrays the Psycho well and really believably. I sometimes find acting in old films to be slightly over the top and over dramatic however this was not the case. At first Norman Bates comes across as endearing, kind and thoughtful, yet at the end we see him for what he really is, and Anthony plays both sides brilliantly.

Another aspect of the film which I think is very affective that really adds to the tension, is the music by Herrmann. Even before Marion arrives at the Motel when she is driving to it scary, eerie music is played, building the suspense. It made me frightened and on edge before anything had happened. Then of course that famous high pitched music for the shower scene makes it far more dramatic, I think if you were to watch the film with the sound turned off, it wouldn’t be half as scary.

All in all I think Psycho is a great film, when we were watching it as a class, many people laughed at certain points that were meant to be frightening , i.e. the death of the detective falling down the stairs, as it did look amateur compared to the special effects we see in films nowadays. However what I love about this film is the way Hitchcock builds the suspense so affectively, and despite the lack of special effects it still greatly frightened me and had a big impact.

Psycho - End Scene

Influential Directors

Martin Scorsese
Born: 17th November 1942 (age 65), in the United States of America
Martin is one of the world’s most influential directors. He is also known for being a producer, writer, actor, and even film historian.
He attended New York University's film school where he began to make short films such as ‘What's a Nice Girl like You Doing in a Place like This?’ (1963).
In 1967, Scorsese made his first feature-length film with a fellow student called ‘Who's That Knocking at My Door’. Even in these incredibly early stages of his career the "Scorsese style" was already apparent; this was a strong feel for street life as a New York Italian American, very quick, rapid editing, a troubled male protagonist and an eclectic rock soundtrack.
He is a close friend of other famous, significant directors such as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. In the 1970’s he was introduced to Robert De Niro to whom he quickly also became a close friend of, working with him for 8 films such as;
‘Taxi Driver’, ‘New York New York’ and ‘Goodfellas’. Their partnership created for both of them some of their biggest successes. More recently Scorsese has found a muse in actor Leonardo DiCaprio working with him on 3 films such as the Oscar winning ‘Aviator’.
Scorsese’s style has developed and his films have many trademarks such as starting his films with clips from the beginning or middle eg; ‘Casino’ (1995), frequent use of slow motion eg; ‘Raging Bull’ (1980) and frequent use of long tracking shots.
Achievements; Scorsese received AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to the cinema, as well as winning awards from Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Directors Guild of America.
Associations; Scorsese is president of the Film Foundation, (a non-profit organization dedicated to film preservation). He is also the founder of the World Cinema Foundation.

Tim Burton
Born 25th August 1958 (aged 50) in Burbank, California USA
Tim is an American director best known for his dark, gothic, quirky films. He is also known for being a screenwriter and set designer.
During his teen years Burton found home life and school difficult, so watched horror and low budget films as a form of escape, this is where his passion stems from. Burton was highly influenced in his childhood by many film figures such as Vincent Price and Ray Harryhausen (who was known for stop-motion films). After school, Tim won a Disney scholarship to attend the California Institute of the Arts. He studied the Character Animation program for 3 years and not long after was hired by Walt Disney Studios as an animator’s apprentice, but he was dissatisfied with the artistic direction of his job.
In 1982, Tim made his first short film called ‘Vincent’, a six-minute black and white stop-motion film based on a poem he wrote himself. He soon moved on to live action productions such as ‘Hansel and Gretel’ and ‘Frankenweenie’, which although won praise at film festivals, Disney was concerned the film was too scary for children. Although Burton's work had not yet been released, he began to attract the attention of the film industry.
Like Scorsese, Burton made close friendships with actors and used them frequently in his movies. The most famous example of this is his friendship with Johnny Depp. Depp has been in 7 of Burtons films including ‘Edward Scissorhands’, ‘Sleepy Hollow’ and ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Additionally Burton’s wife Helena Bonham-Carter has featured in 6 of his films such as ‘Corpse Bride’ and ‘Sweeny Todd’.
Burton’s gothic, individual films have a huge cult following as well as mainstream support, and many view him as a very influential and inspirational director. Although he hasn’t won any awards himself, his films in total have won 6 Oscars with more than 15 nominations.

Horror Genre Convention List

•Sounds; creaking door/floorboards, whistling winds, screams, howling wolves, thunder & lightning, rain, banging on doors, hacking, echoes, crackling tv/radio signals, crying, (evil) laughter, rustling leaves, silence, breathing

• Characters; psychopaths, beautiful girl, hero, idiotic girl/boy, smart independent heroin, monsters, ghosts, detective, spirits, possessed people/children, cute children (often kidnapped), recluses, cowardly witness, bully, police, privat investigators, the best friend

Iconography; blood, gore, knives, axes, guns, night, dark, full moon, Lighting; backlighting creating silhouettes, low key, dark, shadowy, Camera Movement; handheld e.g. ‘Blair witch project’, zooms, Bad Weather; night, moon, stormy,
Camera; Close ups in extreme scenes, long shots to establish scary setting and show remoteness and isolation, photographs, candles, masks, long dark corridors

• Music; eerie, build up of tension- change in tempo, very high pitch e.g. Shower scene ‘Psycho’, Very low pitch e.g. ‘The Shining’, sudden changes in tempo and dynamics, often orchestral instruments, violins, organs etc.

• Setting; forest, remote/derelict buildings, old houses, hotels, basements, attics, alleys, dark dingy places, country side, long empty roads, night time

Themes;< High body count, Chase scenes, jealousy, lust, revenge, anger, death, secrets, lies, love, passion, obsession, mental illness, torture, betrayal, mystery

Mood Board - Genres

This is a mood board of the different genres of film.

Mood Board - Favourite Films

This is a mood board of some of my favourite films and ones that have inspired me. It includes a wide variety of films from different time periods and genres.

Atonement - Clip - Broken Vase scene

Atonement - ANALYSING CONTINUITY

This is a scene from the film Atonement, I chose this clip because Atonement is one of my favourite films and also because I think this clip has really good continuity. The continuity of a film is very important as it is what makes the audience believe the story, as with good continuity editing the scene appears more plausible and professional.
The first thing I noticed about this clip was that at the beginning up to 0:14 the shots are much longer, taking the audience steadily through the surrounds and opening, setting up the narrative. However as the scene develops and the tension between the two characters grows the shots have far quicker pace and choppier cuts making this part more intense, and bringing the audience into it more.
The first shot is an ELS of the large estate and gardens owned by the family of Cecilia Tallis played by Keira Knightly where Robbie Turner played by James McAvoy works. This ELS works as an establishing shot for the scene, as the audience can clearly see all of the two characters surroundings. This shot shows them both in the garden, and Cecilia walking towards the camera to the fountain in the foreground. It then cuts to a MS of Robbie runs towards the camera, this is good continuity as we can clearly see that he is following Cecelia. The camera then cuts to a LS of the two of them by the fountain showing he has caught up with her.
Then at 0:16 we see a CU of their hands struggling over the vase and break a piece off and we hear a splash. In the next shot the camera is under water, we see a MCU of the broken bit of vase floating down into the pond. This is a motivated cut as although the audience might have been able to guess, the reason for the noise, it is fully revealed in this shot. At 0:21 we see Cecelia shout at Robbie – the camera then cuts quickly to Robbie’s reaction (laughter) then back to Cecelia. This is a cutaway reaction shot as it briefly cuts away from the central focus so the audience can see another person’s reaction, as an indicator to how they should react. As well as this, the speed of the cuttings tells the audience that he was laughing at the same time she was speaking, it shows that the time hasn’t changed or moved on.
At 0:25 Cecilia leans over to her right, and as she is sitting at that side of the fountain we know she is peering into the fountain. Then she looks over her left shoulder and shouts at Robbie, reinforcing his position. To reinforce what we’ve just seen there is an over the shoulder shot at 0:30 allowing us to see Cecilia sitting by the fountain with a broke vase next to her.
At 0:31 there is another example of a motivated cut, or match on action as Robbie shouts “careful” at Cecilia. This holds the audience attentions and adds some suspense as we want to know why she needs to be careful. Then it is revealed with a CU on her feet that she was about to step in broken vase.
At 0:35 seconds we see Cecilia begin to take her top off, then the camera cuts to being behind her so we can see Robbie’s reaction and she is at the same stage of taking her top off. Similarly she begins to undo her skirt when the camera is behind her, but before she pulls it down the camera cuts so we see the front of her. All this is a match on action sequence, as although there is a lot of camera movement Cecelia appears to take her clothes off smoothly and seamlessly making excellent continuity. Additionally the camera movement is to keep the audience interested and it allows us to see both Cecilia’s and Robbie’s reactions to her action.
At 1:02 and 1:11 we see eye line matching shots of Robbie where his eye line clearly suggests he is looking at Cecilia, first down into the pond, then up and she’s standing on the fountain. The meeting eye lines make the story far clearer and more plausible as we as the audience know where Cecilia is and therefore know where we would expect Robbie to be looking. This happens again in one of the final shots at 1:53 as Robbie looks regretfully on at Cecilia as she storms off. Once again the CU brings the audience into the scene, putting them right in the action.
At 1:17 there is an example of the 180˚ rule as Robbie turns left to look away from Cecilia, then the camera position cuts to being behind him and he is looking right, however this is way he should be facing, as he is still looking to his left, this shows great consideration for direction and great continuity.

BLK feedback

great analysis Hannah!

Breakfast at Tiffany's - Final Scene

Breakfast at Tiffany's Analysis

I have chosen this clip from Breakfast at Tiffany’s because it is one of my favourite films and I think it’s a really great scene, with many different types of shots.
It begins with Holly Golightly played by Audrey Hepburn, getting out of a yellow taxi, so immediately we are reminded that the scene takes place in New York City. She begins running down the street in the rain, the camera movement is a backwards track and it’s a MLS, giving us a glimpse of the surroundings whilst keeping the focus on her. We can tell that it is the late 1950’s/early 60’s because of the style of clothing worn and the old fashioned cars parked along the street. At 0:14 it cuts to a high angle ELS this works as an establishing shot as it shows us more of her surroundings including many of the buildings.
At 0:20 there is an Over the Shoulder Shot, the man has his back to us, this enables us to see the scene from his perspective, but without it being a POV shot, and it keeps the attention on her as we can see her face. At 0:23 we see a CU of the man (Fred) for the first time, and then a CU of Holly, these close ups draw us into the scene and make the audience feel more involved in it. Then at 0:35 as Holly walks away there is a slight tilt upwards keeping the focus still on her, and also giving a view of her surrounding (a dingy ally filled with boxes and trash). From 0:45 the camera pans right, following Holly as she shakes the boxes looking for her cat. Then from 1:01 the camera zooms into a CU on Holly, as we can see he pained expression more clearly helping us to empathise with her. The camera following her gives the audience more of a sense they are there, they can relate to her more and although it isn’t a POV shot we are made to feel the same way she does by the camera movement and I think this is very effective in the scene.
At 1:34 the camera tracks diagonally downwards as Holly crouches down to pick up cat, once again I think this is effective as it brings the audience down into the action with them, engaging them more. Additionally when Holly and Fred kiss from 2.16 the camera zooms in making it more intense, and drawing the audience into the moment.
The tracks, pans, zooms and tilts that are used in this scene slow the pace of it down. This keeps the audience focussed, as it implies that it is an important scene, it is not fast paced and choppy like something in the middle or at the climax, the slower pace shows that it is significant to the film.

BLK feedback

Excellent analysis and reflections on your horror shot - super work Hannah!

I love your choice of film clip - inspired! (I might steal it for some class analysis work!). Looking forward to reading your analysis notes. A good idea to choose 2 very different clips as well.

And your blog is rocking too, so impressive.

Casino Royale Trailer

This video is the trailer for ‘Casino Royale’ the latest of the James Bond films. I chose this trailer as it is very fasted paced and exciting, and gives a wide range of shot distances and angles. There are a number of black out shots through out it making it more dramatic and adding to the suspense and tension that builds up.
It begins with a MS to introduce the main character James Bond, played by Daniel Craig. This is also a Low Angle to make him appear powerful and more dominant in the shot. Behind him we can see a modern aeroplane which tells that it is set in the present day, but also has connotations that suggests an adventure, and the black and white effect connotes a flashback, or the past. At 0:20 there is a MS of James. It’s an interviewer shot at a slightly tilted angle giving it an uneasy feel, implying that the man he’s talking to is an enemy. Soon after this the trailer turns to full colour, suggesting that we are now in the present. At 0:32 there is a High Angle LS of an African army camp, establishing the scene, there is a very quick, forward track right, to give the impression we are going into the camp. This is followed by a MCU of what we can assume is the ‘bad guy’ as he is wearing an all black suit and an intimidating look. The MCU allows us close enough to see that his eyes are very red, making him look more evil, yet we can also see by the background that he is in the army camp – arousing questions from the audience about why his is there, and keeping them intrigued.
At 0:43 there is a CU over the shoulder shot at the card game. The director has used this shot so that we can see the reaction of ‘baddie’ Le Chiffre. The use of a close up means that the audience can now see that one of his eyes is brown, while the other is blue, with cuts around it giving him a scarier, more threatening look. At 0:49 the is a LS crab movement in the camera around the casino to once again establish the scene, and as Bond comes into shot it cuts to a MLS of him and pans left to follow his movement. This allows the audience to feel they are there in the casino with him. At 0:51 there is MS over the shoulder shot looking over Le Chiffre’s shoulder at Bond, that then moves into a super fast crane around to the other side of the table so we are looking over Bond’s shoulder at Le Chiffre. This shot is fast pace and exciting with an almost dangerous feel to it, whilst making the audience feel they have seen both sides of the action so therefore know something the characters may not.
At 1:22 there is a CU of Le Chiffre looking out of the window, the curtains either side of him frame his face, drawing us into his menacing expression.
At 1:42 Low angle shot of James swimming through the water towards Vesper is an underwater backwards track. The camera then cuts to a POV shot from Bond’s point of view as it is now a forward track as if going towards Vesper, putting the audience right in the action again. At 2:10 there is an ECU of Le Chiffre’s eyes, this brings the action in very close so we can feel his piercing glare and his red scared eye is quite disturbing.

Video Clips

I have made notes on a series of video clips about what to consider when film making. These clips were from the website 'launching films.tv', if you would like to view these clips, the website is linked to my blog.

Release of a film
* Who is the audience?
* How much money are we going to spend – set appropriate budget for how much we think its going to take in UK box office
* To promote it; speak to media partners, radio, Are talent going to travel? Should we have a premier? Shall we spend the money on outdoor posters, Tv, newspapers, online.

Positioning & Audiences
* Define audience – does the film speak to a certain age group?
* What’s its Specific genre?
* Who directed the film? In Specialised films the audience know a lot about certain director s and actors, you must target your film to that audience.

Target Audience
* For smaller films identifying and focusing in on target audience is even more important
* Huge amount of research. Comparisons with past films – Who has gone? (age? gender?) How frequently they went. Where they go to view films.
* You can never be certain of target audience but try to pinpoint it as best as possible.
* Film decision making process is very different for different ages. 45+ need advertising reinforced in TV and newspapers, it takes them more time to make the decision to go. Whereas teenagers will make spur of the moment decisions.

Competition
* Huge amount of films, you need to stand above competition to get noticed
* Why do they want to see yours? Why is your poster more exciting?
* Lots of factors such as Holidays and weather affect audience viewing patterns. If there’s school holidays or bad weather people go to the cinema more. When its sunny people are outside more so it’s good to use more outdoor poster advertising.

P&A Budget
* All costs of film prints, all technical elements, shipping etc.
* Advertising costs; designing posters, press ads, Tv ads, trailers
* Deciding where we want to advertise and how best to use money
* What is target market? Where are they going to see the advertising? Tv ads, if these are too expensive then radio ads – reach wide audience.

Word of Mouth
* Critical! It depends when you want word of mouth for your movie. If they get the movie early and they are sure it will receive strong positive word of mouth then preview screenings can be arranged up and down the country.
* Work with media partners, newpapers, radio, Tv programmes, cinema chain to run the advanced screenings.
* Positive word of mouth from a friend is far more likely to inspire a trip to the cinema than, for example, reading about a film.
* How long a film runs for depends on whether it received positive or negative word of mouth.

Marketing Plan
* Two main methods Advertising and Press more expensive
* Adverts are more expensive - in magazines newspapers, Tv, radio, internet
* Press (free forms of advertising) support from director and cast. Features in magazines and newspapers. Interviews with directors etc.
* Out door adverts, billboards, buses, bus shelters etc.
* Word of mouth – screening programmes
* Internet; email, viral campaigns – eg. funny film clip, provokes interest

Film Trailers
* Trailers most important key for selling film – audiences first exposure to
what your buying into.
* Must have right image - down to the way the graphics, sound, concept of
concept of film is portrayed.

Link Between
* Convince cinema to take film – you need to sell it
* Independent films are more difficult to sell

Digital Marketing
* Viral marketing is creating something (video, quiz, game) that because of its nature you send it on if it’s sent to you.
* Most effective marketing is word of mouth.

Test Screening
* Research is important but comes into play in different times.
* You can research Poster ideas, ideas of visuals, trailers, if it’s meeting people’s expectations, communicating in correct way.
* Test screening of movies in advance with target audience – questionnaires at the end. Focus groups asked in depth on their views. Movie endings or parts may be changed because of these results.

Persuading Cinemas
* Convince cinemas to take film – you need to sell it.
* Independent films are more difficult to sell. You need to find somewhere to put it.

Opening Weekend
* Very important. Exhibitors work on 3 day figure, all films opening day is Friday. 3 day figure is across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
* If your film has made the least amount of money then it is taken off. Holdovers are based on how much money you make on opening weekend so it determines whether the film continues playing.

Piracy
* UK piracy had escalated in the last 5 years – in 2006 it counted for 20% of DVD sales.
* You think your getting a bargain, but you’re getting ripped of for inferior quality and money is going to criminal elements.

Horror Shot Analysis

1.) Describe your shot and identify in what ways it could be seen as representing ‘horror’
Our shot is of a young white male. He is in a dark room and is therefore in a lot of shadow, except for one hand held spotlight which illuminates the left side of him, but creating shadows under his eyes and chin which distort him. I believe that this shot could definitely be seen as representing horror. This is because due to the big contrast in light it is very dramatic. The actor has a menacing look upon his face, and the light has distorted him making him seem threatening and disturbing, therefore we can assume he is the villain, creeping around in the shadows, a typical horror plot line. We can faintly see an arch above him signifying that he is in some kind of basement or dark underground lair, and the fact that he is in these surrounding connote a recluse, a murderer or even a monster, as stereotypically the basement is where the “monster” lives in a house, so this greatly enhances the horror feel of the shot.

2.) What did you actually do to achieve this affect?
To achieve this affect we went down into the school basement where it was pitch black therefore the only form of light was the hand held one. We didn’t put any filter on the light making the contrast of the light greater, therefore the affect more intense. The actor is standing under the arch of the basement to create a frame within a frame. Additionally we asked the actor to stand in a threatening pose with an intimidating expression on his face, to make him appear more frightening making the horror theme more obvious. We did not put the flash on as it would have made the shot far too bright and harsh and it would have ruined the dark mysterious style of the shot. We took a MLS so that you can see that he is in a completely dark room, completely alone.

3.) What do you think is successful about your shot?
I think our shot is very successful because the Mise-en-scene reflects many of the key themes of horror. I think the location is perfect for a horror scene. The underground basement feel and the never ending darkness around him make it seem like there’s no escape, no way out. Additionally the actor is directly addressing the audience, which draws you in a makes you feel like he’s watching you, like you are his next victim. To add to this I think the underlighting is very effective as it leaves one side of him in shadows creating mystery, and it distorts the other side of him brilliantly making him appear very frightening and disturbing.

4.) What would you do differently in hindsight?
In hindsight I would change a few things if I was to do this shoot again. The shot that turned out to be the best was the one that we didn’t plan – it was just spur of the moment as we realised our surrounding would create a very strong shot. Therefore I would’ve liked to have really planned it and taken more than one in that area to see if they all turned out as good. Additionally I would have not had the actor holding his own light I would have someone sitting on the floor (in the shadows so they can’t be seen) shining the light up on the actor. Or I would have the actor holding a torch or lantern to make it part of the scene not just a spotlight. As well as this I would’ve liked to put the actor in scarier clothes because in this shot you can clearly see that he wearing an everyday t shirt and shirt, however if he was wearing all black or a long coat or cloak I think he would’ve looked even scarier and therefore the shot would’ve been even more disturbing.

THR Feedback

Well Done Hannah - a great start - lots of detail and discussion of effects. Loving the pink as well!

Shot Sequence from Sin City

Shot 1

Low-key lighting, black and white, MCU. High angle shot and wooden panels for background show he is lying on the floor, this makes the man appear very weak and vulnerable and also suggests he has been injured.
He is pointing a gun upwards, as if about to aim, suggesting someone is above him. The gun means he is either attacking someone or defending himself. His hand is holding his ear, possibly because he is trying to block out the sound of the gunshot, or because of an injury.

Shot 2

High angle, low-key lighting, black & white, LS. We now see a man standing over the lying man. The standing man also has a gun and is pointing it directly at the lying man, the high angle shows the standing man has more power and makes the lying man seem even more defenceless. We now see that the man is lying on a pier, this makes him more vulnerable as if the standing man was to kill him, he could dispose of the body easily and quickly by throwing it in the sea. The lying man has changed position slightly - no longer holding his ear, this could be because he is no longer planning to shoot as the other man has threatened him.

Shot 3

ELS, black & white, and low-key lighting. Now there are 2 men standing, making the lying man even more vulnerable as he is outnumbered and on the floor. One man is leaning over him menacingly, as if he is shouting at him, and the lying man has his knees bent upwards, as a form of defence. The man further left looks like the boss, he is wearing long black coat, which makes him seem more threatening. Also, he’s standing back, as if getting the other guy to do his dirty work. The “Boss’s” left hand is raised – it is unclear, but he could be talking into a mobile phone, or walkie-talkie further implying that he is the boss. The sky is dark and cloudy showing it is night, making the scene scarier and more eerie. You can see dim lights in the background from buildings and boats but they seem very far away, so the lying man is very isolated. We can now also see a girl on the edge of the pier, suggesting she has been kidnapped and that maybe the lying man came as an attempt to rescue her.

Shot 4

LS, black & white, low-key lighting, same angle as the previous shot but zoomed in, a tighter frame, this increases the tension of the sequence. Now only one standing man, directly pointing a gun at the lying man’s head, as if about to shoot. The standing man’s long coat is flared out, so it must be windy. This adds to the eerie dark weather which directly reflects an eerie scene. Additionally the flowing coat makes the man seem all the more powerful, dominant and frightening
We can see the girl in the shadows still her head is bowed, as if she could be crying, or looking away as she doesn’t want to see the man be killed.

Shot 5

CU, black & white, and there is low-key lighting. The girl is very young only about 7 years old, and she is crying. This is most likely because the lying man (who she may know) is about to be shot or has been shot, and also because she is scared and lonely and probably the victim of a kidnapping. She is looking longingly slightly downwards and her line of sight indicates she could be looking at the lying man, implying they have a connection.

Shot 6

ELS, black & white, and there is low-key lighting. The lying man no longer has his knees up, implying he could have just been shot. One standing man is sitting on one of the poles, making it a less intense situation as he is no longer being threatened and threatening the man. Both men have their hands in their pockets. This relaxed pose suggests it hasn’t fazed them at all, implying they witnesses murder regularly and have done it all before. The smoky background enhances the sinister atmosphere making the photo more atmospheric and eerie.


At first we read the images by making assumptions as to what the story is and how it will turn out. The director has greatly varied the shot types, distances and angles. He has done this to give more information to the audience but not all at once, nothing is made completely obvious, things become clearer slowly – this way the audience stays interested and the suspense and tension are built up to make the experience more thrilling and exciting.