Representing Social Groups
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Analyse Film Opening
Scream
The scene is set at night and in a house in what looks to be the middle of nowhere. This is a typical convention of a horror film. It creates the sense that the victim is isolated away from everyone else making her seem alot more vulnerable.
The main victim is a young blonde girl. This is commonly used in horror films as young girls are seen to be more vulnerable and helpless than boys. Also blondes are seen to be a bit dipsy making her appear even more vulnerable, because of this we expect trouble for her to unfold throughout the film.A tracking shot is used to show the girl moving around the house, somtimes being high angle. This creates the affect that we are following her, listening over her shoulder to her conversation. Making the audience feel more involved as they can relate more to the girl. The high angle shot gives the effect that the girl is smaller than she is and also makes it as if we are looking down on her, this continues to make the girl seem vulnerable.
Close ups are used showing the fire of the cooker and a knife, these are both typical mise en scene for horror films as they are both linked to death. Also when the knife is pulled out the sound is exagerated, making it seem alot more harsh and sharpe. This also suggests that it could be a significant prop, which further suggests death.
Analyse Film Opening
The Grudge
The film opens with the Columbia Pictures logo, this straight away establishes it with its distributors. This immediately gives you an insight of what the film could be like by relating it to any other, possibly horror, Columbia Picture films that you have seen.
Over this and throughout the first minute, non-diegetic eerie ghost like music is played quietly. This creates an uneasy feeling for the audience. The fact that it is quiet leaves you slightly on edge as you are expecting something to disturb it and possibly make you jump.
The opening shows a man committing suicide by jumping from a balcony; this makes it clear to the audience that this is a horror as within the first 3 minutes there is a death. There is then a mid-close up of the man led on the ground with blood around his head, suggesting that the film will become more graphic as it goes on.
A sped up point of view shot has been used as the man is falling, this creates the sense that you are the one that is falling to their death. This has been used to involve the audience putting them into the position of the character making them feel even more uneasy as it feels as if you are experiencing it yourself. Choosing our media institution distributor
Whilst deciding the storyline of our film we were looking at similar films to get inspiration. We were also looking at who the media distributors were, to get an idea of who we would aim our film at. We knew that our film was going to be a horror and that we wanted to have a ghost like child therefore we looked at films also including these aspects.
Columbia Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. It produces many high budget films, often being horror films such as, 30 Days of Night, The Messengers and The Grudge. The Grudge is the main reason why we would put it with Columbia Pictures because it has a similar story line of a supernatural little ghost girl murdering characters throughout the film. It is an uinrealistic escapist film which is similar to ours as it is about a supernatural spirit. I have chosen to put it under an American company because it is more like an american horror film rather than an english one. English films are commonly alternative and comical, whereas our film is aiming to scare and shock the audience.
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. It produces many high budget films, often being horror films such as, 30 Days of Night, The Messengers and The Grudge. The Grudge is the main reason why we would put it with Columbia Pictures because it has a similar story line of a supernatural little ghost girl murdering characters throughout the film. It is an uinrealistic escapist film which is similar to ours as it is about a supernatural spirit. I have chosen to put it under an American company because it is more like an american horror film rather than an english one. English films are commonly alternative and comical, whereas our film is aiming to scare and shock the audience.
Location Shots
CCTV corridor
CCTV office image
Security gards office
Corridor
Corridor
Teachers Office
CCTV corridor
Our film is set in different areas of the school. We wanted to set it at night as this is a typical element of horror films, however it was hard to get access to the school the later it got, so we could only stay behind certian days where we stayed behind as late as we could to make the most of the dim lighting. We wanted to create the effect of CCTV cameras, therefore we needed to find places where we could acheive high angle shots looking down, the corridors seemed good for this as they have the balcony above which we could use to help us create these shots. We chose to use a small room for the security guards office as it was clear and professional looking.
Story Board
We have thought about our film opening and the way in which we are going to film it. We have planned out what shots and techniques we are going to use and put it into a story board. When it comes to filming this will be our guide as to what shots we need to take and what angles we need to use. Story boards are used in the film industry to save time when it comes to filming, which also saves money.
Prop & Equipment List
To make sure that we are prepared and ready for filming i have made a list of all the costumes, props and equipment that we will be needing. Having it all written down in a list lets me see clearly everything that we need so we can get it ready beforehand allowing us to be ready for filming when we need to be. It will also save time if we have everything we need before starting filming.
Security Guard
Security Guard
- Black trousers
- White Shirt
- Black tie
- Smart shoes
- Newspaper
- Walkie talkie
- Security badge- round neck or pinned on
- Bunch of keys
Little Ghost Girl
- Hair in bunches
- Light colored dress
- Knee high socks
- Dolly shoes
- Teddy bear
- Pale make-up
Woman
- Smart casual
- Skirt? and Tights
- Cardigan
- Folder
- Handbag
- Papers
Equipment
- Video camera
- Tripod
- Computer
- Sound recording equipment
Preliminary Video
On the 12th January, Myself, Siobhan, Ella and Martin made our preliminary video. The video had to show a character walking through a door, then across a room, sitting down opposite another character, then a few lines of dialogue had to be exchanged between the characters. We also had to include a match on action shot. We included this when I walked through the door, showing me coming through the door the other side.
We had to have trail runs of how it would look due to the time limit, so we done a few takes of each scene. We practised each scene before filming it so that me and Siobhan knew what we had to do and say and so that we knew our timing. Once we had our footage we then uploaded it to the computer and edited it digitally so that our shots fit in together smoothly.
The only problem that we have is that the librarian appears and disappears in the background, this was hard to control as we were filming it in the school library where people are moving around. Also there is some background noise interfearance as it is a public place.
Taking these problems into account for our final project we will film after school, when there will be no unexpected children or teachers. Also we will have it planned to exact detail so minor problems shouldn't happen. Actors and costumes will be sorted before filming and the equipment will be the best quality as possible. We will again take more clips, in case of problems with them.
Initial Film Ideas
I made a mind map of all our initial ideas for genre, locations and characters. This helps us to compare our ideas and pick out the ones that we think will work best and start to put together a plan of what we are going to use for our final plan. This helps us to look at our ideas clearer and pick out the pros and cons for each one.
Questionnaire
We are producing a two minute opening for a horror film, our target audience is people aged 15+. To help us find out more about our target audience and to get an insight on what they look for, or don't look for in horror films. We can then use this information to help us make the best possible film opening as we can incorporate our results into our film. We plan to ask a group of 20 people, male and female.
- How often do you watch horror films?
Not Very Often (4)
Sometimes (9)
Very Often (7)
- What type of sound do you commonly hear in horror film openings?
Diegetic (3)
Non-Diegetic (12)
Both (5)
- Do you feel sound affects the tension in horror openings?
Yes (18)
No (2)
- Which do you feel would be a better affect for a horror opening?
Black and White (13)
Colour (7)
- What prop do you feel would be most affective for a little girl in a horror opening?
Doll (9)
Teddy Bear (8)
Instrument (3)
- Do you feel building suspense and mystery is important in a horror film opening?
Yes (19)
No (1)
- Do you feel there should be a killing in a horror film opening?
Yes (14)
No (6)
Where do you feel a horror setting would be most appropriate?
Inside (11)
Outside (9)
Evaluation:
Using our questionnaire has helped us in constructing our film opening; it has helped us in deciding a lot of aspect to do with the opening including our story line.
Time Plan
I have created a time plan to help me manage our time efficiently, it lets me see how long i have to complete each task and how far along in the project that we should be. It will help me to manage my work and keep me up to date and ready for the final hand in date.
Choosing The Genre
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