Monday 13 December 2010

Weekly Report (13/12/2010)

This week we are aiming to complete our project and finish the production, this includes editing and also all filming aspects of the production. All the filming is complete the only task which needs completing is the editing. The sound to the opening is not yet produced however it is in the process, we also need to add effects and some more credits tot he production other then these factors, all the key elements of the production are complete.

Thursday 9 December 2010

Movie Poster - Insomnia

Weekly Report (09/12/2010)

This week we have continued editing our production which we filmed last week. We encountered some problems when we was editing however we were able to overcome these problems by using the professional editing software, final cut. One of our problems were that a unwanted character was in the shot which they were not meant to be in, we cut them out however which adjusted this problem.

Thursday 25 November 2010

Weekly Report - 24/11/2010

This week me and my team have started filming. We have shot various shots and we are now on track of our production. Whilst filming we encountered various problems , one of the major problems were that we were not organized hence we did not do as much as we could have done. We decided that we needed to be structured when we were shooting in the future hence i have been given the role of director. We confirmed our location as the graveyard and it is where we will continue to film. Our actors are Joe Gorman and Curtis Meredith, filming will be done by Josh Clarke and finally the i will be director.

Monday 15 November 2010

Treatment

Our film is called 'feast of flesh' which is about a psychopathic killer who has resulted to cannabilism due to his past.

The opening scene will be set in the graveyard, a man will be walking down a path casually in dark. He hears noises behind him as if somebody is following him hence he gets suspicious to what is going on, the shot will be from the killers point of view as if the man is being watched. He suddenly starts walking at a fast pace due to his suspicions of danger and reveals a camcorder from his jacket to record whatever happens. The footsteps seem to get closer to him so he decides to run and as he is running he looks over his shoulder and soon runs into a object and tumbles on the floor. as he ragains consiousness he looks into the distance and spots a figure staring at him, a white mask is on the figures face. The figure and mask dissapears and the man is on the floor helpless and very nervous because he does not no where the pychopathic is. The man is panting and saying 'who's there' and 'what do you want' he stands up and finds a safe place to hide. All is quiet when he is in his hiding spot until the pychos mask is shown behind the killer gradually. The camera then drops and goes blank and only screams can be heard. After the screams stop, the camcorder is picked up by the pycho and he stares into the camera at which point the camera is switched off.

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Preliminary Research Task

Editing :
  • Changing
  • Adding special effects
  • slow down + speed up
  • films made up of 100's of cuts
Shouldn't be able to notice when clips change. - contunuity editing

All shots follow each other in the following order :
  • Establish
  • Set scene
  • Over shoulder
  • Close up
Shot transitions that omit parts of and event causing an ellipses in plot and story duration
Jump out/dissolve - 2 images/clips overlap
Overlapping editing is a common charecteristics of the frenzied king kong addition films in the 80's + 90's
Temporal editing - Plays with time
Spatial editing - 180 degree rule.

Our Film Cover Concept

Monday 11 October 2010

Final Decisions

Soundtrack
We were thinking of having a mix of both fast-paced music and standard atmospheric music. For instance, fast-paced Drum and Bass would make a chase scene seem faster, and it would make the scene seem tense and it get your heart beating fast.
Sound effects
For sound effects we would need things like , blood splatters, screams, sliceing sounds, footsteps and heavey footsteps. As we are doing a horror, this would seem rather appropriate. these are all sound you expect from a horror film.
Costumes
For costumes, the character being chased would need normal clothing, as he is just a normal person. The killer would possibly need a mask and a hood. This makes the killer seem like he is isolated, like you know nothing about him, and not seeing his face makes it more of a mystery. You feel like you don't know the killer, so you can't feel sorry for him because of his background. This forces you to empathis with the victim. Below is a image of a mask we may use:


Props
We would need a mask and an object to be used as a weapon. This is fairly simple as we only need two minutes of footage, so props aren't a major issue. But we were looking at using a weapon that hasn't been seem in a horror movie. This could give a feeling of authenticity.
Lighting
For lighting, we will proably use night vision and spotlights, this is because we are going to be filming in the dark.

Thursday 7 October 2010

Narrative Theories Research Task

What Is Narrative?

Narrative is simply the story in a format including various types of media such as images, videos and texts etc. It can describe fictional or non-fictional events.

Why Narrative Is Important?

Narrative is said to be important as it creates a structure to a story and makes it more easier for us as a audience to understand a plot/story.

Narrative Theories

1. Equilibrium Theory - Consists of three structures, the equilibrium, the disequilibrium and the new state of    equilibrium. For Example the film spiderman has the equilibrium that spiderman is a normal student studying at college before he is bit by a radioactive spider which then becomes the disequilibrium. The new state of equilibrium is obviously the result of the spiders bite which turns 'Peter Parker' into 'Spiderman'.

2. Characters Type Theory -  Founded by Vladimir Propp came up with the theory that there are only a certain number of characters who crop up in most narratives. It is easy to spot the hero and the villain in most cases, but here are some others:

Hero - Leads the narrative, usually looking for something e.g. a quest or trying to solve something.

Villain - Conflicts with hero

Heroine - Its usually some sort of prize or reward for thew hero.

Father - An authority figure, could offer a reward for the hero for completing something.

Helper - Helps the hero

Donor - Gives the hero something

Mentor - Teaches and guides the hero

3. Binary Opposition Theory - Created by a french anthropologist called Claude Levi-Strauss, it looks at a  pair of concepts which are complete opposites. The theory is seen fundamental when looking at philosophy, culture and language in humans. Examples of the theory include: Good vs Bad, Old vs Young, Male vs Female and White vs Black etc.

Most Effective In My Production

Due to the fact the genre me and my group have chosen is horror, i think that personally, the characters type theory will be the most effective to use as it will differentiate the good and the bad meaning the characters will not be hard to label as a audience. The bad, which will be some sort of psychotic killer will be easier to label as the villain due to the fact he will be dressed differently and will have props like a knife or a blade of some sought, any ordinary person will not carry such items. The hero and his helper will also differentiate from the villain as they will look ordinary and also have the type of character which tells audiences they are innocently being attacked by a crazed lunatic.

This will be effective in our opening as it will let the audiences easily decide personalities for each character and hook them into wanting to discover more about them and what happens to them, meaning they will more likely want to watch the whole film.

Friday 1 October 2010

Genre Reasearch Task

What is Genre?

genres are formed by conventions which change over time, this happens when new genres are created and old ones are dropped. Genres can be created by certain conventions which are used in a film, e.g. the setting, props, stars and atmosphere etc.

Advantages And Disadvantages

Genres are useful as they categorize certain films making them easier to find in some cases and also help when describing/recommending films to others.

The fact films are becoming hybrids in terms of genre makes genre a disadvantage as people become uncertain about what genre a film is to be if it is a hybrid, for example a sci fi/horror cannot be categorized as a definite horror or a definite sci fi. Some argue that a major disadvantage about having a genre means  a movie has to be categorized meaning its never a unique individual as there have been made like it before.

Personal Genre/Conventions 


The genre which has been chosen by me and my production group is horror which seemed most interesting and challenging to us. The conventions of my genre would consist of many various factors, for example the settings and props will be specific to horror, the setting will either be in a graveyard or a forest/woods depending on the feedback we receive from our questionnaire. We will use many conventions which are relevant to horror for maximum atmosphere.

History Of Horror

Horror films where first starting to appear in the late 1800's with notable films such as 'The House Of The Devil' which is said to be the first horror film made and 'The Cave Of The Unholy One' both films are silent without audio and were created by George Melies. Japan also started producing horror films, most notably in 1898 with films like 'Bake Jizo' and 'Shinin No Sosei'.

The Germans were also responsible for the evolution of horror films, during the era of German expressionist films, making titles such as 'The Golem'. Many of these films would contribute to the film making of horror films in the future.

Horror films started becoming more and more of a popular genre, in the early 1930's film producers, most notably Universal Pictures Co, produced films such as 'Frankenstein' and 'Dracula'. From here the horror genre started to expand massively.

Horror Examples (Actors/Films)

Examples of of actors who have acted in a horror movie include the very famous Boris Karloff who played frankensteins monster in the movie, 'Frankenstein'. Another notable actor of the horror genre would be Lon Chaney a actor who starred in 'The Phantom Of The Opera' and also 'The Hunchback Of Notre Dame'. Examples of horror films are 'The Shining', 'The Strangers', 'The House Of Wax' and 'Halloween'.

The Hills Have Eyes



In my opinion, 'The Hills Have Eyes' is a perfect example of today's movies within the horror genre due its intense atmosphere and freaky music. The film was made in 2006 and is seen as a modern title of the horror genre, the story involves a family who are basically lured into a trap without them knowing, eventually they end up lost and deserted. It turns out to be a holiday which turned wrong as they later discover they are being watched by mutants. The film contains many graphic scenes and also scenes which make the viewer jump, and the music also contributes to these scenes as it adds to the excitement and fear of the viewer, putting them in a vulnerable position. The props and costume of certain characters really create the personality's of the individuals, for example, the mutants look very ugly and are usually shown dressed in filthy, ripped clothing were as the family is shown as a everyday family, clean and cheerful.

Mostly high key lighting is used int he film, making it quite unusual for a horror film as they are most often set in a dark and gloomy setting, however the natural lighting does seem to make the film feel more realistic and make the viewer think that the story is real due to the natural lighting used.

Due to the popularity of the film a sequel was made in 2007 called 'The Hills Have Eyes 2'. Films only generally have a sequel made if the first part is successful.

Wednesday 29 September 2010

Audience Research

The audience is a crucial part of the media, without them there would be no sales, therefore no money. This is why audience research is compulsory before targeting a certain audience group. Once researched and targeted audiences should respond to a new movie positively. Audiences will be categorized using demographics which include the age, ethnicity, gender, religion and income. Audiences are also categorized into social classes, which categorize people depending on there social status, the categories range from A-E were by 'A' represents the upper middle class and 'E' represents lower class citizens.

Theoretically speaking, the relationship between audiences and the media can be best represented with various different theories. The hypodermic needle effect is one which suggests the media is capable of 'mass manipulation', this is based on the assumption that the believe what they see, meaning they could spread the word to others. Another theory which i personally favour is the two step flow model, this allows a mass media to be channelled to the 'masses' through opinion leadership, the people with most access to the media, and having a more literate understanding of the media context, explain and diffuse the context to others. The theory which i believe shows more dominance towards the media over the audience would be the effects debate which allows the media to 'morally panic' and therefore panic is created through the use of press and other forms of media. An example of this theory would be the Jamie Bulger incident in 1993.

I believe 'surveillance' to be the main use of the media as a whole however there are other reasons people choose to use it, such as:
  • Personal identity - Audiences like to compare themselves, or even dress like certain celebrities from newspapers or on the television for example
  • Diversion - Media acts as a diversion, diverting audiences from a life of stress to some entertainment.
  • Personal Relationship - The media is without a doubt an advantage when communicating with the public, as it allows advertising new movies or music for example.

Wednesday 22 September 2010

Film Opening Analysis

Pulp Fiction


Genre And Conventions

The genre for the film opening for pulp fiction lies a mystery as we do not no who the couple are and what they have planned. Up until the seventh second of the opening the genre would appeal to be romantic until the man reveals a gun. The purpose of the gun communicates with audiences alerting them that this is no romantic movie and something bad is going to happen. Deeper into the opening the man reveals that it is a robbery, the women seems to be more aggressive than the man and comes across as the mans sidekick.

Technical and Symbolic codes

Technical codes include close up camera shots and medium range shots. The close shots only reveal the couple/partners but doesn't really show any other characters clearly, this gives the impression of a romantic scene until the man reveals a gun. A medium range shot with a low angle is used at 0:25 seconds of the opening when the couples use aggression to imply a robber, the low angle makes it look like they are in power. At the very end of the opening, credits appear and audio is played, The music sounds very techno and makes the couple look cool and the font of the credits are very 70's which sets the theme of the movie.
The symbolic codes such as the costumes of the individuals represent them as ordinary people. The scene is set in a cafe, the reason for this is because the man believes they are less likely to get caught as its a unexpected robbery. The expressions on the characters tell us a lot about them, for example the women seems to show a lot of aggression. High key lighting is used, and at the beginning of the opening the faces of each of the characters are half shaded which may suggest they have two sides to them.#

Key Signifiers

A key signifier in  the opening of pulp fiction is the gun, this changes the whole theme of the scene from being romantic to quite violent and aggressive.

Audience Expectations

The opening reveals the genre of the movie to its audience. The scene starts of very differently in comparison to what it results in, the male and female characters seem quite relaxed and romantic with each other, up until the male character reveals a gun, from there a robbery takes place involving the two. This reveals that the film is no romance, but rather a thriller/crime.

Target Audience

The type of audience being targeted judging from the opening would be adults as the violence and language would not be suitable for anybody under the age of 18.

The Psycho (1998)























Genre And Conventions

The genre of this particular film is horror. The conventions of this movie are displayed in the opening of the movie due to the type of audio, images and text used.

Technical And Symbolic Codes

The technical codes used in the film opening include the fast paced instrumental which is used as the audio and also the effect created in the background with the use of images. The effect created shows lines transitioning over one another, resulting in a slashing effect.
The Symbolic code of the opening is the text, which seems to be very plain and bold until the slashing effect occurs and effectively slashes the text into bits, suggesting violence.

Key Signifiers

The key signifier's in this opening has got to be the audio and the transition effect on the text. The audio signifies danger whilst the transition effect signifies violence, together they are very effective as the put the audience in a vulnerable position.

Audience Expectations

From the opening credits i feel the movie is to be one that reflects a lot of violence and gore. I also believe it will have atmospheric scenes which are very tense due to the music which used in the opening. The transition effect depicts violence as it seems a blade of some sort is slashing through the text and screen.

Target Audience

The type of audience which will be targeted will be ones who have a keen interest in horror and will be over the age of 18 due to the context of the film, it is not suitable for ages below 18.

Grindhouse























Genre And Conventions

The genre of this film seems confusing in the opening and it is hard to verify what it is, however i no the genre is horror, the conventions of this genre are composed in the opening of the movie with the use of text, images and audio.

Technical And Symbolic Codes

The technical codes in this opening include the audio which is quite different, it sounds like some sort of music which one would dance to, it sounds quite foreign but has elements of jazz in it. The strange music creates a strange effect as one is not sure what to think. However when a women who is seen dancing appears later on in the opening it makes sense that the music is used to represent her dance. The dance seems quite arousing as the women seems to be nearly naked, creating a sexual feeling to the scene. Towards the end of the opening it becomes interesting as the women is shown on the floor, and it seems a blast of fire is created in front of her, the audience can only hear it and not see it.
The symbolic codes are used at the beginning which are the the motion picture and the title of the movie. The title of the movie does seem as one which would be used in a horror film as it is bright red and the font looks as if it is a splatter of blood creating a gory effect.

 Key Signifiers

The key signifier's in this film opening have got to be the sexual content, there is lot of gloomy colours such as a dull red and yellow, these colours may symbolise various things such as blood. The way the women is dancing is also very sexual and revealing.

Audience Expectations

After viewing the opening i believe audiences will be expected to look forward to a lot of violence and blood but along with that a lot of sexual content to.

Target Audience

Audience's above the ages of 18 are targeted in this film, this is made obvious through the use of sexual content used in the opening. The reference of blood and gore also indicates the the type of audiences who should view this film, audiences over the age of 18.

Thursday 16 September 2010

The Shining - Film Poster Analysis


Genre

The genre of this film is a thriller/horror

Codes and Conventions

Conventions:

1. The only bright colour in the image is the actual title, it is of the colour red which may depict blood.

2. There is a image within the poster of a axe which is depicting violence.

3.The facial expressions of the two people in the image show there position as characters. The man on the left seems to be a psychopathic killer and the axe may also strike this thought, and the women seems to be in danger due to the axe, her facial expressions show fear.

Codes:

1.Technical Code - Images are taken at different angles and shots, the man on the left displays a close up shot  for example.

2.Symbolic Code -Images are used, these include characters with there own look

3.Written Code - Text is used in the image, this includes the names of the film makers and the title.

Key Signifiers

The key signifier's in this image has without a doubt got to be the images, the axe depicts the film is violent and graphic. The expressions of the characters depict there personalities and there positions in the film, and the aesthetics of the individuals tell us a lot about the characters also.
The title of the film stands out due to the fact it is red and is the only bright colour used in the image, every other colour is quite dull. It is larger than other text due to the significance of it.

Denotative Levels

Images and text has been used in the poster. The images have been used because they imply a purpose and send a certain message to audiences, and text has been used for the title of the film, it has also been used where the names of the film makers are shown, however the title text stands out more for a purpose.

Connotative Levels

The imagery and text used in the poster has been done for a purpose, usually to send a message to the audience. For example the specific images used in the poster are of two characters (female and male) and an axe. The axe maybe used to resemble violence and the women who looks as if she is in danger of the axe, could be used to show her vulnerability, however the man seems to give the impression of a psychopath who is in domination of the women.
The text is big, bold and bright, to catch the audiences eye. It is of the colour red because it may resemble blood which links to the axe which again links to violence. The reason the film makers names are smaller in text than the title of the film is because they are not as important and less appealing to audiences.

Audience Response

The reason such connotative and denotative levels have been used in the image is because they imply a specific message for the audience. Due to previous analysis violence and fear has got to be something which has been themed in this poster.