After finishing my film opening I am happy with the outcome and the final edited piece of work. I feel we met all are required targets building moments of suspense and scaring the audience at times with the Monk. I feel I was able to create the suspenseful tension needed to scare the audience. I was happy with the editing that went into the project. Fade ins were used effectively to show time from one scene to another and the cuts from different clips changed in pace to create excitement and a relaxed feeling in the audience when it changes from the driving scene and the chase scene. The sound used in is media I felt was used effectively to create the correct emotions needed during the film opening. Slow songs for the intro, haunting music for the dream and dramatic music was used to make the chase and suicide scene more shocking. I feel the Mise-en-scene in our opening was used well to help give different impression of the characters. With the Monk we made him look mysterious with his dark overhanging hood and we wanted the two male characters to look like ordinary men so we used are own clothes to make it seem more realistic. I was happy with the lighting used in the opening the only lighting we used in any of the scenes were in the bedroom scenes due to it being too dark. I feel we made it look light so you can see Sams face clearly shile still being able to be convinced it's night time. I feel we met the 15 certificate boundaries well and didn’t film anything that may step into 18 certificates. I was really happy with the final piece and feel it looked near a professional standard. To make the scene look of a high quality we changed the contrast and brightness to help make the clips look clearer and take away the pixilation which made the opening look like a bad quality production. Overall I think our project was a great success and I am happy with the outcome.
Audience feedback
After showing are project to an audience we have been told that are opening does create tension and makes people jump at certain parts. We have also been told that it keeps them on the edge of there seat during the build up to the suicide scene and the choice in music works well in creating emotions for the audience throughout. The audience were convinced by the Monk and felt his costume and make-up was done well. The only problem for the audience was making sense. Some people were confused by why the man was committing suicide but understood later on. The main Idea for a film opening is not giving to much away to fast so in a way it was a good thing in the end and we feel the rest of the opening flows well and the audience were impressed with the use of music and wide selection of camera shots.
Appendix
D: When it came to location we decided straight away on St. Anne's hill due to it large range of different scenery hills and drops and look out points along with dark woodland perfect for the Monk.
In the fist set of scenes the locations used were:
-Motorway bridge overlooking St. Anne's hill
-Roads leading to the hill
-The outside of my house.
The second part of the openings locations were:
-My bedroom
-Woods in St. Anne’s Hill
The Third part of the opening shots locations were:
-The entrance to St. Anne's hill
-The centre of St. Anne’s hill on flat woodland with little trees
-The look out point
-The ledge overlooking the drop
-A tree in my garden with the bird
E:
We tried not to use too much equipment so the filming was not over complicated and we found this to work well to are advantage. The Cameras we used needed to film well in the dark and the light so we used the following.
-Cannon with 500xoptical zoom
-Small Sony able to film shots in tight angles e.g. the car
The equipment used to contribute to the quality of the shots are as followed:
-Two basic camera tripods
-steady cam
-small pull out tripod for the car
We also used a microphone for the little dialogue we have at the end
A:
This is our storyboard and due to being unable to acquire a working scanner it has not yet been posted but it has been done correctly and checked by a teacher and I will try to post it as soon as I can.
C:
Individual evaluation
I was the main camera man and editer during this piece of work. During the process of making the film opening I was responcible for planning and filming vital shots then editing them to make them the best I could at a high quality. The ideas I am most happy with would have to be the dream scene with the shots of the monk and Sam inbetween, I feel this was very effective and created alot of fear and tension in the audience. I was also happy with my idea for the suicide scene and location choice because I feel this is the best moment in the film along with it's music and slow motion effect I feel it has the greatest effect on the audience. I was happy with my idea of the bird flying away after the suicide shot, I feel the bird imitated the man hitting the ground and flew off as if he was scared of the noise of him landing. I helped come up with Ideas such as the main charector of the Monk after researching into the hill when i was told about it's history. I studied similar horror films such as 1408, Dead silence and Halloween and concentrated on music and camera shots along with editing methods to help me when I was coming up with I deas for our production. I provided funds for the monks costume that we brought from fairy god mothers to use as mise-en-scene. I was happy with my contribution towards the media production. I think the main reason we did so well is because I was inspired to make a good film opening with the storyline we wrote up. I tried to direct alot of the production helping the actors to give us the best shots and move in the right position when i was filming the scenes. I had a contribution in most of the filming and a large part of the editing along with helping towards decision making, Music and the storyline. I was really inspired by the storyline after thinking it up and was really happy with are chosen place of filming which was near my house. I made my own house available for the filming of the bedroom scene and the driving scene.
I was also happy with my group member’s contribution and felt they helped a lot in decision making and making the storyline make good sense and in helping filming some shots and helping me in others to achieve the greatest outcome.
Friday, 20 March 2009
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Constructing the production-technical decisions and revisions
Throughout the opening sequence I used fade-ins in some clips to represent time from one scene to another for example from where Sam arrives it then fades in to Sam sleeping. This helps imitate the time since Sam’s arrival to him sleeping.
The opening shot is a establishing shot and this is used to introduce the audience to the hill by giving the audience a view of the whole hill and it's surrounding from a long view shot, this way the audience sees the whole area that the next scenes are filmed in. After that a slow right to left pan follows of a road sign that is named St. Anne’s hill this helps the audience to see what the place is called and helps introduce the audience to the hill that the rest of the film will later take place in and also lets the audience see a bit of the scenery and what type of area it is. Then pan shots and mid-shots are used to capture Sam’s arrival and journey to the hill and again help the audience to get a picture of what the area and scenery is like. This is important so that it sets the scene for the audience because a big part of our film opening to introduce the hill as well as the characters due to the woody dark hill playing a huge part in the thriller/horror along with the Monk. Then there is lose ups of Sam’s face as he sleeps this helps the audience to see reactions and expressions in his face to the haunting images in his dreams. The Images of the Monk are darker to create a more scary, gloomy and dark effect to help scare the audience and keep them interested. A low shot of the Monk is used to help make the monk look bigger, overpowering and dominant. This creates a impression of the Monk being important, overwhelming and controlling. A jump cut is used of the Monk in the mirror behind Sam this helps the audience to be drawn to the Monk and help to make the audience shocked and scared. The Monk is seen wearing a hooded outfit that drops over his head making his face hidden, this makes the Monk appear mysterious and the audience will now want to find out what’s behind the hood. Mid shots are used to show the Monk in his hooded outfit this is the first proper image we get of the monk and the audience are able to see the Monk and his outfit properly for the first time in the opening. All the shots of the Monk I edited to be darker to show the contrast between Sam and the Monk how it resembles good and bad and helps the audience to see that the Monk is the bad character. The cuts at the beginning are slow and fade out and in to help the audience feel relaxed so they are not expecting the sudden change in mood making it more shocking and jumpy for the audience watching. The cuts then become faster create more excitement with the audience while the chase scene is playing and imitating how determined Sam is to find out what’s wrong with the man. I opened the next scene with a left to right pan of Sam walking to the hill; this helps to set the scene for the audience for the next set of clips. A mid shot is then used to show the audience how Sam is drawn to the man in distress and why he ran after him that helps to make sense of the later suicide. I then used a steady cam to capture the man running from a side angle, this helped the audience see the wood and the area while also showing the man for the first time. This type of shot helps to create the feeling that you are following the character while he runs and it helps the film to seem more realistic and helps the audience feel involved in the chase therefore exciting them. After climbing a tree I was able to capture an Arial view of Sam and the man running. This helps give an Arial view of the chase in action so the audience is able to see Sam is chasing after the man. A mid shot is used of the man finding the ledge helping the audience to later make sense and realise its importance of the ledge. The a mid-shot is used of Sam out of breath trying to find the man this lets the audience know that Sam is looking for the man and has lost track of him in the chase. A slow pan follows which shows the view of Thorpe all the way o Heathrow and beyond from the ledge then slowly showing the mans feet and legs this tells the audience the man is now standing on the ledge and the audience are able to see the great view and large drop below the man. This is followed by a mid shot of Sam. He runs into view to find the man watched closely by the calm Monk who is sitting next to him. This gives the audience the impression he is influencing the man to jump. We now know as the audience that the man is now going to commit suicide, Sam shouts "don't do it" and the man replies "I have to" this again suggest the monk is influencing him. It then cuts to a close up of Sam’s face to show his reaction to the man jumping. Then back to the man as he jumps the monk has disappeared to resemble the end of this man being possessed as he falls to his death. The man falls in slow motion, this helps to make the scene more dramatic and the audience are able to slowly witness this making it more shocking and help the clip fit the slow music better. It then cuts to a shot I filmed of a bird flying away to suggest the man landing and the bird flying away scared. The last shot is a pan upwards to the crucifix and Sam picking it up making sense of the title and showing the audience that the suicide had a link to the Monk with the crucifix being his holy sign.
The opening shot is a establishing shot and this is used to introduce the audience to the hill by giving the audience a view of the whole hill and it's surrounding from a long view shot, this way the audience sees the whole area that the next scenes are filmed in. After that a slow right to left pan follows of a road sign that is named St. Anne’s hill this helps the audience to see what the place is called and helps introduce the audience to the hill that the rest of the film will later take place in and also lets the audience see a bit of the scenery and what type of area it is. Then pan shots and mid-shots are used to capture Sam’s arrival and journey to the hill and again help the audience to get a picture of what the area and scenery is like. This is important so that it sets the scene for the audience because a big part of our film opening to introduce the hill as well as the characters due to the woody dark hill playing a huge part in the thriller/horror along with the Monk. Then there is lose ups of Sam’s face as he sleeps this helps the audience to see reactions and expressions in his face to the haunting images in his dreams. The Images of the Monk are darker to create a more scary, gloomy and dark effect to help scare the audience and keep them interested. A low shot of the Monk is used to help make the monk look bigger, overpowering and dominant. This creates a impression of the Monk being important, overwhelming and controlling. A jump cut is used of the Monk in the mirror behind Sam this helps the audience to be drawn to the Monk and help to make the audience shocked and scared. The Monk is seen wearing a hooded outfit that drops over his head making his face hidden, this makes the Monk appear mysterious and the audience will now want to find out what’s behind the hood. Mid shots are used to show the Monk in his hooded outfit this is the first proper image we get of the monk and the audience are able to see the Monk and his outfit properly for the first time in the opening. All the shots of the Monk I edited to be darker to show the contrast between Sam and the Monk how it resembles good and bad and helps the audience to see that the Monk is the bad character. The cuts at the beginning are slow and fade out and in to help the audience feel relaxed so they are not expecting the sudden change in mood making it more shocking and jumpy for the audience watching. The cuts then become faster create more excitement with the audience while the chase scene is playing and imitating how determined Sam is to find out what’s wrong with the man. I opened the next scene with a left to right pan of Sam walking to the hill; this helps to set the scene for the audience for the next set of clips. A mid shot is then used to show the audience how Sam is drawn to the man in distress and why he ran after him that helps to make sense of the later suicide. I then used a steady cam to capture the man running from a side angle, this helped the audience see the wood and the area while also showing the man for the first time. This type of shot helps to create the feeling that you are following the character while he runs and it helps the film to seem more realistic and helps the audience feel involved in the chase therefore exciting them. After climbing a tree I was able to capture an Arial view of Sam and the man running. This helps give an Arial view of the chase in action so the audience is able to see Sam is chasing after the man. A mid shot is used of the man finding the ledge helping the audience to later make sense and realise its importance of the ledge. The a mid-shot is used of Sam out of breath trying to find the man this lets the audience know that Sam is looking for the man and has lost track of him in the chase. A slow pan follows which shows the view of Thorpe all the way o Heathrow and beyond from the ledge then slowly showing the mans feet and legs this tells the audience the man is now standing on the ledge and the audience are able to see the great view and large drop below the man. This is followed by a mid shot of Sam. He runs into view to find the man watched closely by the calm Monk who is sitting next to him. This gives the audience the impression he is influencing the man to jump. We now know as the audience that the man is now going to commit suicide, Sam shouts "don't do it" and the man replies "I have to" this again suggest the monk is influencing him. It then cuts to a close up of Sam’s face to show his reaction to the man jumping. Then back to the man as he jumps the monk has disappeared to resemble the end of this man being possessed as he falls to his death. The man falls in slow motion, this helps to make the scene more dramatic and the audience are able to slowly witness this making it more shocking and help the clip fit the slow music better. It then cuts to a shot I filmed of a bird flying away to suggest the man landing and the bird flying away scared. The last shot is a pan upwards to the crucifix and Sam picking it up making sense of the title and showing the audience that the suicide had a link to the Monk with the crucifix being his holy sign.
Sound/Dialogue
The only dialogue used in our opening is Sam when he shouts to the man on the ledge, "Don't do it" and the man then replies "I have to". This I feel is effective because it helps the audience to pick up on the fact that the man must have to kill himself because of the possession of the Monk. After studying film openings like stormy Mondays and Paris by night we could see that little dialogue was used in these this is what inspired us to do the same. I found it was effective in making more mysterious and helping the audience to be more focused on the scenery and the scenario. The beginning is the most important part of a film apart from the end because it helps set the scene for the audience and helps them understand the rest of the story. We used 3 songs in our film opening to help set the mood in the different scenes. I used a song by Muse to help the opening seem calm and relaxing to show Sam moving into a new place and make it seem ordinary. Then I used a piece of music from the soundtrack of silent hill, which is a horror movie, and I feel it creates suspense and helps the scene to feel more creepy for the audience. The final song is named how it ends and was brought forward by Matteo. We tried to time the music so it says "This is how it ends" as the man jumps to his death. I feel this last piece of music is a great song that helps make the suicide scene feel more dramatic and shocking for the audience.
Characters
M.Night Shyamalan who has directed and produced such films as The Sixth Sense, Signs and the Village which have all done extremely well in the horror/thiller suspense genre. After seeing the village I realised that it fits under tthe same style as ours with the feild and woody area, the hooded haunting figures that haunt the town members.
Once we had our director we needed to get some well-known actors to act in our film. We made a shortlist for each character and we came up with the following:
Jack Nicholson who had starred in movies such as Batman,The Shining and Psych Out which all could be classified as Horrors or Horror/Thriller movies were he plays the role of the villain or badguy. In Batman he was able to change his appearance and act well as the joker who is a villain, this is why I believe he would be able to pull the outfit and act well as the character keeping in roll well. This is why we casted him for the part of the Monk.
Shia LeBeouf who had starred movies such as Transformers, I Robot and Holes, with the 1st 2 successful thrillers in which he takes roles as the main character. He’s also starred in disturbia which is similar to our film and it that he stars as a boy moving into a new area and is confronted by the task of spying on a man he thinks is a serial killer but gets to close to the investigation and gets himself and his
Mark Wahlberg has starred in such films as Max Payne, the Italian Job and fear (1996) the last of which is a thriller but the rest are action films at fast paces which is why we choose Mark as the actor of the possessed man because it involves fast paced running shots and the jumping scene which he’d be used to.
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Important questions answered
1. In what way does your media project use, develop or chanllenge forms and conventions of real media productions?
I watched similar films that were recently made and tried to used similar methods in editing and camera shots that they have used in such films as 1408 and dead silence. Fast to slow cuts to change intensity and shock and surprise the audience keeping the excited, establishing shots to help film shot sequences run smoothly together.
We used a soundtrack as all films do to change and match the mood In the shots. After watching Halloween I was drawn to the masked Mysterious serial killer who tracks down and haunts his victims until killing them. That’s what I tried to create are character the monk around, who also haunts his killer and is mysterious with his large overhanging hood covering his face.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
We have decided to give are media production the 15 certificate mainly
Because it could be scary for anyone below the age of 15 and it includes a suicide scene therefore it could be disturbing for children of a young age. The BBFC the British board of classification uses a red background for it's 15 certificates. It states that the use of strong language (e.g. 'fuck') must be infrequent. Racist abuse is also of particular concern. Our production involves neither therefore making it suitable for a 12/15 year old. Ours doesn’t contain any sex or nudity either. It also states Violence must not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated. In our suicide scene we see the man jump but we don't see him injured or dead. It says that Dangerous techniques (e.g. combat, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on imitable detail or appear pain or harm free. This is why we have classified it 15 because it shows suicide scenes which could give small children wrong ideas or even disturb although I did try to film shots that only show him jumping off, not landing or killing himself. Our film doesn't contain drug use and the horror scenes are only scary to an extent and only occasional gory scenes are used which the BBFC state is acceptable for the 12/15 certificate. However later into the film towards the end the film will contain much more haunting scenes making it inappropriate for 12 year olds.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Miramax and Dimension as I have researched and explained already.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
People who enjoy thrillers and horrors would be the audience. It has fast action filming and slow haunting filming. The audience will be the types who like a mystery film with something to solve and find out. As a huge fan of thrillers and horror films is was inspired to create something id like to see as part of the audience.
5. How did you attract/ address your audience?
We tried to attract the audience by changing the intensity of filming and cuts throughout. It opens with some slow establishing shots to introduce the following scenes and then some driving scenes, p.o.v shots, pans of the car, mid shots of the car and low angle shots of the car. When I was editing this I tried to make the cuts slow and made the shots fade in and out his helped it flow and gave the beginning a calm slow start for the audience with just a clue of a haunted hill when I put a p.o.v shot of Sam in the car seeing the monk in the woods on arrival, I feel this attracts the audience to become curious to find out who the monk is and what part he has to play in the story. I also added some slow music as I feel a lot of good thrillers do this to start a movie on a quiet note and it helps the faster scenes much more thrilling due to the audience not expecting a radical change in intensity. After the slow intro It then starts to become faster and more intense as Sam is the haunted in his sleep, we then see more of the Monk in his dream. I placed a bit of non dietetic sound into his dream to build suspense witch gets louder when the images of the Monk show up, I feel this is effective and could well scare the audience and keep them thrilled. I tried to increase the curiosity and tension for the audience by filming a shot of Sam in the mirror unaware of the monk in the background, I then added a jump cut to the monk to draw attention to him and keep the audience on the edge of there seat and wanting to see more. Sam then goes for a walk and is draw to the attention of a man in distress who runs past him and bumps into him. Even though the chase scene starts slowly when editing this I deliberately tried to make the cuts fast and the camera angles exciting. I also added some more exciting music to suit the scene well. The end keeps the audience on there seats with Sam finding the man on a high ledge. I used a over shoulder shot which helps the audience see what Sam is and feel involved and a part of the intense atmosphere. After the man has jumped the filming and cuts then become slower and quiet to provide the audience with a sad and shocking end to the film opening wanting to see more. When it came to mise-en-scene we wanted the monk to look realistic and old fashioned so when buying the costume I wanted to choose the most realistic and old looking one. This helps the shots look more believable therefore keeping the audience entertained. The two men in the production however I wanted to look ordinary so they just wore clothes the would everyday again making it more realistic. I chose the hill I live in for its scary look and emptiness, which I felt perfect for a thriller/horror, it’s also said to be haunted and monks have been present in the hill in the past being involved in the murder of a young girl which was enough to scare me.
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have developed great knowledge and understanding of cameras. I know how to use cannons and sony’s very well.I have learnt how to transfer all my shots to a computer for editing. I learnt how to use focus on the cameras how to effectively use the zoom. I have grown to be much better with tripods and steady cams providing us with clear steady shots at great quality. I have learnt how to use lighting effectively in the dream scene and how lighting can affect the audience in different ways. I have gained excellent experience with editing the media piece, adding music, cropping, changing speeds intensity’s and adding sound effects. I feel that I have become well experienced with Ipod moviemaker and in future productions will be able to think of how certain shots can be edited effectively before I film them.
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
In the first project little planning went into it where as in this project a lot of planning went into it and I feel it was therefore much more successful. My camera shots have been much better and my editing skills have improved since the first project. Unlike the first project we have had time to film parts I am not happy with again. I have learnt to make more sense with my shots and how to make a sequence of shots flow together. I have also learnt how to transfer knowledge from other areas in my media education. Like film analysis and film history looking at other productions for ideas in camera shots story lines and editing methods.
I watched similar films that were recently made and tried to used similar methods in editing and camera shots that they have used in such films as 1408 and dead silence. Fast to slow cuts to change intensity and shock and surprise the audience keeping the excited, establishing shots to help film shot sequences run smoothly together.
We used a soundtrack as all films do to change and match the mood In the shots. After watching Halloween I was drawn to the masked Mysterious serial killer who tracks down and haunts his victims until killing them. That’s what I tried to create are character the monk around, who also haunts his killer and is mysterious with his large overhanging hood covering his face.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
We have decided to give are media production the 15 certificate mainly
Because it could be scary for anyone below the age of 15 and it includes a suicide scene therefore it could be disturbing for children of a young age. The BBFC the British board of classification uses a red background for it's 15 certificates. It states that the use of strong language (e.g. 'fuck') must be infrequent. Racist abuse is also of particular concern. Our production involves neither therefore making it suitable for a 12/15 year old. Ours doesn’t contain any sex or nudity either. It also states Violence must not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated. In our suicide scene we see the man jump but we don't see him injured or dead. It says that Dangerous techniques (e.g. combat, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on imitable detail or appear pain or harm free. This is why we have classified it 15 because it shows suicide scenes which could give small children wrong ideas or even disturb although I did try to film shots that only show him jumping off, not landing or killing himself. Our film doesn't contain drug use and the horror scenes are only scary to an extent and only occasional gory scenes are used which the BBFC state is acceptable for the 12/15 certificate. However later into the film towards the end the film will contain much more haunting scenes making it inappropriate for 12 year olds.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Miramax and Dimension as I have researched and explained already.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
People who enjoy thrillers and horrors would be the audience. It has fast action filming and slow haunting filming. The audience will be the types who like a mystery film with something to solve and find out. As a huge fan of thrillers and horror films is was inspired to create something id like to see as part of the audience.
5. How did you attract/ address your audience?
We tried to attract the audience by changing the intensity of filming and cuts throughout. It opens with some slow establishing shots to introduce the following scenes and then some driving scenes, p.o.v shots, pans of the car, mid shots of the car and low angle shots of the car. When I was editing this I tried to make the cuts slow and made the shots fade in and out his helped it flow and gave the beginning a calm slow start for the audience with just a clue of a haunted hill when I put a p.o.v shot of Sam in the car seeing the monk in the woods on arrival, I feel this attracts the audience to become curious to find out who the monk is and what part he has to play in the story. I also added some slow music as I feel a lot of good thrillers do this to start a movie on a quiet note and it helps the faster scenes much more thrilling due to the audience not expecting a radical change in intensity. After the slow intro It then starts to become faster and more intense as Sam is the haunted in his sleep, we then see more of the Monk in his dream. I placed a bit of non dietetic sound into his dream to build suspense witch gets louder when the images of the Monk show up, I feel this is effective and could well scare the audience and keep them thrilled. I tried to increase the curiosity and tension for the audience by filming a shot of Sam in the mirror unaware of the monk in the background, I then added a jump cut to the monk to draw attention to him and keep the audience on the edge of there seat and wanting to see more. Sam then goes for a walk and is draw to the attention of a man in distress who runs past him and bumps into him. Even though the chase scene starts slowly when editing this I deliberately tried to make the cuts fast and the camera angles exciting. I also added some more exciting music to suit the scene well. The end keeps the audience on there seats with Sam finding the man on a high ledge. I used a over shoulder shot which helps the audience see what Sam is and feel involved and a part of the intense atmosphere. After the man has jumped the filming and cuts then become slower and quiet to provide the audience with a sad and shocking end to the film opening wanting to see more. When it came to mise-en-scene we wanted the monk to look realistic and old fashioned so when buying the costume I wanted to choose the most realistic and old looking one. This helps the shots look more believable therefore keeping the audience entertained. The two men in the production however I wanted to look ordinary so they just wore clothes the would everyday again making it more realistic. I chose the hill I live in for its scary look and emptiness, which I felt perfect for a thriller/horror, it’s also said to be haunted and monks have been present in the hill in the past being involved in the murder of a young girl which was enough to scare me.
We also let people watch are film opening and asked for feedback.
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have developed great knowledge and understanding of cameras. I know how to use cannons and sony’s very well.I have learnt how to transfer all my shots to a computer for editing. I learnt how to use focus on the cameras how to effectively use the zoom. I have grown to be much better with tripods and steady cams providing us with clear steady shots at great quality. I have learnt how to use lighting effectively in the dream scene and how lighting can affect the audience in different ways. I have gained excellent experience with editing the media piece, adding music, cropping, changing speeds intensity’s and adding sound effects. I feel that I have become well experienced with Ipod moviemaker and in future productions will be able to think of how certain shots can be edited effectively before I film them.
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
In the first project little planning went into it where as in this project a lot of planning went into it and I feel it was therefore much more successful. My camera shots have been much better and my editing skills have improved since the first project. Unlike the first project we have had time to film parts I am not happy with again. I have learnt to make more sense with my shots and how to make a sequence of shots flow together. I have also learnt how to transfer knowledge from other areas in my media education. Like film analysis and film history looking at other productions for ideas in camera shots story lines and editing methods.
Refilming
After are last two days of filming when are shots were edited we were only happy with the middle parts of the production and the very end. I tried to solve this by re-filming the shots again. The chase scene was in need of changing because it didn’t flow as we would have like and wasn’t as exciting and fast as we had wanted. We didn’t use as many shots as I wanted so this time I decided on low shots, steady cam shots over head shots after climbing a tree. I also feel my new shots will flow much more. The beginning shots of the car driving scene were average but I wanted to film it again because I wanted it to be flow together and I felt the production needed a few establishing shots so having lived in St. Anne’s hill for a while now I knew where to look for these. We took the camera over to a motor way bridge which over looked the hill and the motor way and I filmed a few shots panning right to left slowly and I now feel this helps the production to make much more sense and introduces the following scene really well. I also filmed an old road sing that says St. Anne’s hill road that I will place after the establishing shot.
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Distribution Company
Miramax was the leading independent film motion picture distribution and Production Company which was once headquartered in New York City before it was acquired by the Walt Disney Company. Miramax distributes many films from the production company Dimension Films which is are chosen Production Company. They distribute similar films with genre similar to are genre. Miramax distributed Halloween films along side Dimension. Miramax has distributed thrillers and horrors but its list of film genres it’s distributed for varies from family, adventure, sci-fi to animations. Dimension films used to be a part of Miramax with the Weinstein Brothers who left the Disney-owned Miramax in 2005 and took the dimension label with them. This is why so many of the films before 2005 were partnered with dimension and Miramax.
Production company research
Production company research
Dimension films are the distribution company we have decided to use for are media production. After researching I first looked at the type of genres it’s released to see if they were similar to our film opening. As ours is a thriller/horror we needed a production company that releases similar films. Dimension has released such films as, Halloween 1995-2002, scream 1996-2000, 1408 2007 and Darkness 2002. All these films fit into the genre we are looking to capture and create ourselves. Having watched all of these films apart from Darkness I can see that these films will fit perfectly along-side ours. I feel Halloween fits in with ours in particular. The film is about a masked serial killer haunting people hunting down and killing them. The character in Halloween doesn't say anything and his identity is unknown throughout therefore I feel he is similar to the Monk in ours.
Filming
We begun filming after we got all are needed equipment from the list. As cameraman in my group it was my responsibility to direct and film the perfect shots to fit in with the genre in are film. I filmed most the shots of the Monk and the trees when it was darker so we could use these as the images seen by Sam in his nightmare, I then filmed a shot of the monk from a low angle which again appears in his dreams, this helps make the Monk look powerful and overpowering. I also filmed the monk with a mid-shot kept the camera in the same place and made the monk change his position so when put together it looks as if the monk is moving quickly towards the camera which I found looks excellent and suits are film well, I was inspired by this after seeing it in a horror film before. The rest of the shots were filmed mid-day when it was sunny. When Sam was sleeping we tried to close off all the light in the room but then the images were too dark on film so we used a light to brighten the scene without making it look too bright like day time but bright enough to see the scene, through the sleep scene I filmed close ups of James this helps the audience to see his facial expressions and reactions to his nightmare. After filming all the shots we are happy with about 80% of them the rest we will have to re-do because they don't flow together. The running scenes I will have to re-film but other than that I am happy with the majority of my shots and after editing the ones we like I feel they work as I planned and look very effective.
Thursday, 12 February 2009
List of required equipment
- Monk costume
- crucifix
- a car with a licenced driver
- Cardboard boxes
- Lights
- candle
- radio
- camera
- actors
- makeup
- fake blood
- charcol
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
The Crucifix
The reason we called the film the Crucifix is because it is relevant with the monk and the holy side of the film. We thought if the Monk had a Crucifix it would add to his mise-en-scene and be a good prop to leave behind as a sign of his influence on the suicides. The memorable scene in the film opening is when Sam picks up the crucifix after the man jumps off the ledge.strong>
Sam has recently moved to St. Anne’s Hill after his dad had taken up a new job in Surrey. When Sam arrives the hill starts to seem mysterious and Sam has a funny feeling about this new place. Already when Sam arrives in his car he could swear he could see a figure dressed as a monk in the deep woodland, from here he knows something’s weird about this place. H e is then haunted by the Monks image as he sleeps and has vivid dreams of this haunting image. Sam decides to go for a walk up the hill the next day after his dad suggests he goes to explore. He is then drawn to the attention of a man in distress in the woods so runs to see if he can help but the monk is there again louring him into the forest deeper and deeper Sam then Sam is brought to the attention of the distressed man on a high rocky ledge he say “I have to do this or he won’t leave me alone I cant do this anymore he coming” and jumps to his death. A crucifix is left at the scene. A new report follows and this is when Sam realises that this wasn’t the first suicide in St. Anne’s hill where a crucifix was left behind. Sam is force to look further into the history of the hill and finds that a monk in the 1800’s killed a girl then burned down the house with him and her inside it killing himself. Sam starts to realise who this Monk is and how he possesses people. Sam is then confronted by the monk who can also control objects that he uses to scare and almost kill Sam. On the way Sam’s mum is endangered but when Sam and his parents report the Monk to the police they are laughed at, the only people who believe them are the creepy old locals who all attach large crucifixes to their doors and are seen covering their doorsteps with holy water. Then Sam must act to save his dad when he is possessed. when his Dad is reported missing Sam knows exactly where he will be, where the last suicide victim was. He only has a certain amount of time to save his Dads life. He can only save his dad if he knows how to break the spirit of the monk and Mrs Roberts the 70-year-old widow is the only one who offers him advice. The Monk killed her husband. Mrs Roberts house is creepy and full of spell books and history about the Monk, It's clear she has been waiting to seek vengeance. It’s now a footrace for Sam to save the day but the Monk is to powerful for Sam. Sam tries to stop his Dad jumping to his death but he fails to stop him, we think this is the end for Sam and his Dad, but then round the corner comes Sam’s mum and Mrs Roberts with some witchcraft, They save the day and escape the hill as quick as they can. The Monks spirit and possession is avoided Sam’s dad is saved. Sam and his family decide to move away but on the journey home the same image of the Monk is seen waving at Sam goodbye as he leaves just as he did to greet him, is this the end of the Monks curse……………………
Sam has recently moved to St. Anne’s Hill after his dad had taken up a new job in Surrey. When Sam arrives the hill starts to seem mysterious and Sam has a funny feeling about this new place. Already when Sam arrives in his car he could swear he could see a figure dressed as a monk in the deep woodland, from here he knows something’s weird about this place. H e is then haunted by the Monks image as he sleeps and has vivid dreams of this haunting image. Sam decides to go for a walk up the hill the next day after his dad suggests he goes to explore. He is then drawn to the attention of a man in distress in the woods so runs to see if he can help but the monk is there again louring him into the forest deeper and deeper Sam then Sam is brought to the attention of the distressed man on a high rocky ledge he say “I have to do this or he won’t leave me alone I cant do this anymore he coming” and jumps to his death. A crucifix is left at the scene. A new report follows and this is when Sam realises that this wasn’t the first suicide in St. Anne’s hill where a crucifix was left behind. Sam is force to look further into the history of the hill and finds that a monk in the 1800’s killed a girl then burned down the house with him and her inside it killing himself. Sam starts to realise who this Monk is and how he possesses people. Sam is then confronted by the monk who can also control objects that he uses to scare and almost kill Sam. On the way Sam’s mum is endangered but when Sam and his parents report the Monk to the police they are laughed at, the only people who believe them are the creepy old locals who all attach large crucifixes to their doors and are seen covering their doorsteps with holy water. Then Sam must act to save his dad when he is possessed. when his Dad is reported missing Sam knows exactly where he will be, where the last suicide victim was. He only has a certain amount of time to save his Dads life. He can only save his dad if he knows how to break the spirit of the monk and Mrs Roberts the 70-year-old widow is the only one who offers him advice. The Monk killed her husband. Mrs Roberts house is creepy and full of spell books and history about the Monk, It's clear she has been waiting to seek vengeance. It’s now a footrace for Sam to save the day but the Monk is to powerful for Sam. Sam tries to stop his Dad jumping to his death but he fails to stop him, we think this is the end for Sam and his Dad, but then round the corner comes Sam’s mum and Mrs Roberts with some witchcraft, They save the day and escape the hill as quick as they can. The Monks spirit and possession is avoided Sam’s dad is saved. Sam and his family decide to move away but on the journey home the same image of the Monk is seen waving at Sam goodbye as he leaves just as he did to greet him, is this the end of the Monks curse……………………
My stairs project
I was happy with the use of shots I used when filming this project. we tried from a range of left to right pans, right to left pans fast and slow, we did a lot of tracking with the cameras when the chase scene gave way, close-ups, point-of-view shots, long-shots, mid-shots, high angle long shots and more. We tried to use a large variety of shots to make this project look high quality and tried to use certain shots to make the situations thrilling and effective depending on the scenario.
Things I wasn't happy with was the preparation stage. I feel we rushed into to making up a quick idea and then making a story board to match it afterwards. Other things although not that important were the acting, I don't feel it was convincing at times, but as camera man in this project I was happy with the shots I used to try and disguise the mistakes.
I was pleased with most the editing we used and feel the music matched the shots excellently although I feel in my new project we will have to be edited with a much higher quality. I will try and improve the mistakes I made in this first project in my second. I have already started research and have a rough layout for our story board and I am very excited to start filming because I feel this idea is a great on.
Things I wasn't happy with was the preparation stage. I feel we rushed into to making up a quick idea and then making a story board to match it afterwards. Other things although not that important were the acting, I don't feel it was convincing at times, but as camera man in this project I was happy with the shots I used to try and disguise the mistakes.
I was pleased with most the editing we used and feel the music matched the shots excellently although I feel in my new project we will have to be edited with a much higher quality. I will try and improve the mistakes I made in this first project in my second. I have already started research and have a rough layout for our story board and I am very excited to start filming because I feel this idea is a great on.
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Change in story line
Being unable to acquire a young girl actor we have decided the Monk will now be the main haunting character. Sam will still be a young boy who has recently moved in but he will start to be haunted by a Monk, possible names coming off this for a film title could be Crucifixion or the crucifix. The Monk will also be able to influence others to act as he wishes and he will be behind the hills strange suicides where a crucifixion is left behind afterwards. I like this idea as much as the previous and think that the idea of a dark hood on the face makes the character mysterious and scary looking.
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Holland cottage
This story was based on true events that occurred in the 1800's, I live in St.Anne's hill Chertsey and have been told numerous times about how it is haunted. Ghost sightings have been reported on several occasions and after looking up the history of the hill I found out that a young girl was murdered by a monk in the 1800's. He killed her then burnt down the house with him and her inside. It has been said since this day that the little girl's ghost is seen late at night and has been reported. Living in Holland cottage myself I have a mausoleum in my garden which is the grave of Lady Holland. I was inspired by this and used this as a guideline for my project. I thought that it would be effective if the young girl’s spirit effected the hill and peoples action. So when a young boy named Sam moves in to the hill he is slowly haunted by her spirit aswell as others she influences . He is lured in by her distressful screaming and thinks that a young girl is in danger when out for a walk, but starts to get freaked out when she keeps disappearing. He meets a man who is also looking for the girl but it’s as if he knows her and refers to her as his little girl. Sam is later reintroduced to this man who has somehow has forgotten about a little girl and doesn't have a clue what Sam is talking about. This is his first clue that the girl possesses others to act as she wishes. Events start to get worse and Sam has to investigate further whether he wants to or not.
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