There is alot of variation in the editing that can be used when editing our work. In our opening of our horror film we are using many techniques to allow the film to be over the space of about an hour but into the space of 2 minutes. In our editing the techniques that we have decided would be good are:
- Matched Cut - This is when a shot is filmed from several angles to show good continuity.
- Jump Cut - This is to create a dramatic atmosphere by using an abrupt switch from one scene to another.
- The cutting rate - We have decided that the cutting rate is going to be quick cuts to suggest shock and surprise.
- The cutting rhythm - It has been shortened to increase the tension.
- Reaction Shot - This shot shows the reaction of a character which we will be using in our presentation to create suspense to the audience by showing the mains characters opinion to certain events happening.
- Invisible Editing - This is continuity editing, and showing that the editing techniques aren't notices by the audience.
- Slow motion - This is an effect that we have decided to use to emphasise a dramtic point in our opening of the film.
WE feel that these different editing techniques will help to make our opening sequence effective and dramatic to create a tense and scary atmosphere.
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Analysis of First shoot, 11th of November 2008
Overall our first shoot went reletively well, however we didn't realise how long it would take and therefore didn't allow ourselves enough time to film, as we all had to get buses home and such like. We also realised that we should have got our actor to get ready (straighten her hair and put on makeup) before the shoot, as this wasted up to an hour of our time. The battery ran out before we had done a sufficient amount of filming, and at this stage we did not realise that we were able to plug the camera in to the mains and carry on. So we ended our first shoot after the battery ran out. The first shoot was a good insight to us, as it showed us how long it it actually takes to set up, and film each shot. Next time we will bring a spare battery, and organise for the actress to arrive an hour earlier to prepare herself for the shoot.
Monday, 10 November 2008
Audience research
The questions we chose for our questionnaire were to help us find out what our target audience would like to see in a horror film. One of the questions we used were , for example " would you expect to see blood in the opening scenes of a horror film?".
The results from the questionnaire showed us that most people would like to see blood somewhere in a horror film, so our idea is to use fake blood on the knife to show that the girl in our film has been stabbed or injured of some kind. We learnt also that a bathroom is a a fairly scary room in the house due to the steam for the shower and the element of water. This is one of the rooms we are going to use in out final film, and so we are happy that we had already planned to use this room before we did our questionnaire.
Our target audience is 15 to 25 and so we asked people within this age , and we were happy with the results we received as they backed up our original ideas.
Sunday, 9 November 2008
Analysis of opening of No Vacancy (Mark L. Smith 2007)
The film belongs to the horror film genre. The audience’s generic expectations of the film are meet instantly in the begging of the film, as we see a dark road with two people alone driving, and are very lost in the middle of the night. The text does conform to the characteristics of the genre, as there is two people lost out in an unfamiliar place, its dark and the tension is building as the story unfolds.
Mise-en-scene conveys meaning in the opening sequence by using the typical characters, locations, props and themes to give the audience an understanding for the story which is unfolding in the opening sequence. There is a shot in the opening sequence when they are driving along and the shot makes it look like someone is watching them from the forest. There are many other shots throughout the opening sequence where camera shot, size angle and movement are important as they all create tension and suspense. We learn through non-verbal language and dialogue that the characters used for the opening are feeling stressed and tired as they are lost so they aren’t looking out for dangers or anything suspicious, which makes them an easy target. The director also uses blurring of the background so you focus on the character in the shot, this is used when the main character is driving, we see his face in the mirror so the road ahead is blurred making the audience think too look out for dangers in the road.
Tension is created and maintained by jumpy things happening in a short space of time. There is a part when they breakdown and a man comes out of a motel and makes the audience and the characters jump as it seems he came out of nowhere. This added with the initial feeling to look out for danger as its dark and the use of shadows makes the audience feel on edge.
The social groups represented in the opening sequence are young adults, as they are the only two characters we see in the opening of the film, and they are alone and lost making them look venerable to the man in the run down motel. Semiotics as a framework shows how representation is constructed as we look at the situation the two characters are in, and the signs and symbols used in the opening sequence which gives us and idea of what the characters are like, and also a incite into the plot of the film.
The target audience for the film is mostly aimed at a younger audience who want to get scared, and have a thrill from watching. The possible audience readings for the film are that, even though its made up, this could be real and because its set on a small road out in the country with normal props and characters, it makes it all the more realistic for the audience. Because it seems realistic, as there are no fictional monsters or settings involved. The ideology present in the film is that even though the film doesn’t use the typical unnatural, monster like creatures or characters, and uses more of the crazy murderer type character the views are of a more realistic and unconventional one.
The stars used in the film are Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, using stars in the film help bring the audience in to view the film, as they may have seen films they’ve been in before. The film is and industrial film, and has been produced by Sony pictures. There were many ways in which the film was marketed, TV advertising, before film adverts in the cinema, billboards and magazine advertising, are all used to boost ratings and bring the audience in. In the opening I would say that it is hard to see a particular institutional context as you only see two young adults but you could say that young adults were the target group for the film.
Mise-en-scene conveys meaning in the opening sequence by using the typical characters, locations, props and themes to give the audience an understanding for the story which is unfolding in the opening sequence. There is a shot in the opening sequence when they are driving along and the shot makes it look like someone is watching them from the forest. There are many other shots throughout the opening sequence where camera shot, size angle and movement are important as they all create tension and suspense. We learn through non-verbal language and dialogue that the characters used for the opening are feeling stressed and tired as they are lost so they aren’t looking out for dangers or anything suspicious, which makes them an easy target. The director also uses blurring of the background so you focus on the character in the shot, this is used when the main character is driving, we see his face in the mirror so the road ahead is blurred making the audience think too look out for dangers in the road.
Tension is created and maintained by jumpy things happening in a short space of time. There is a part when they breakdown and a man comes out of a motel and makes the audience and the characters jump as it seems he came out of nowhere. This added with the initial feeling to look out for danger as its dark and the use of shadows makes the audience feel on edge.
The social groups represented in the opening sequence are young adults, as they are the only two characters we see in the opening of the film, and they are alone and lost making them look venerable to the man in the run down motel. Semiotics as a framework shows how representation is constructed as we look at the situation the two characters are in, and the signs and symbols used in the opening sequence which gives us and idea of what the characters are like, and also a incite into the plot of the film.
The target audience for the film is mostly aimed at a younger audience who want to get scared, and have a thrill from watching. The possible audience readings for the film are that, even though its made up, this could be real and because its set on a small road out in the country with normal props and characters, it makes it all the more realistic for the audience. Because it seems realistic, as there are no fictional monsters or settings involved. The ideology present in the film is that even though the film doesn’t use the typical unnatural, monster like creatures or characters, and uses more of the crazy murderer type character the views are of a more realistic and unconventional one.
The stars used in the film are Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, using stars in the film help bring the audience in to view the film, as they may have seen films they’ve been in before. The film is and industrial film, and has been produced by Sony pictures. There were many ways in which the film was marketed, TV advertising, before film adverts in the cinema, billboards and magazine advertising, are all used to boost ratings and bring the audience in. In the opening I would say that it is hard to see a particular institutional context as you only see two young adults but you could say that young adults were the target group for the film.
Friday, 7 November 2008
Analysis of Storyboard Anamatic.
Our storyboard showed us that we needed more footage for the 2minutes, as the current film is about 15seconds short. This can easily be done as we are going to include a few extra shots of the house and elongate certain shots.
It showed us the different angles we could use when drawing out the storyboard and what different things could work when we come to actually making the film. For example when filming the victim walking up the stairs, we got the idea to use a canted worms eye angle on the camera, aswell as using handycam to help give the effect that she is being watched.
The storyboard showed us the final order of each shot and it just clarified that we are pleased with the overall order of the scenes.
It showed us the different angles we could use when drawing out the storyboard and what different things could work when we come to actually making the film. For example when filming the victim walking up the stairs, we got the idea to use a canted worms eye angle on the camera, aswell as using handycam to help give the effect that she is being watched.
The storyboard showed us the final order of each shot and it just clarified that we are pleased with the overall order of the scenes.
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
Costume, Props and Lighting.
PROPS
- (Towel.) Our lead victim will be dressed in a towel and bikini, to express her vulnerability.
- (Glove.) We will be using a black leather glove, which will be one of the only shots you see of the killer. We are using a black leather glove to show we are hiding his identity and it is also a convention for a killer in a horror movie.
- (Phone.) Using this to create suspention and tension as when she picks up the phone no one is there - also adding mystery.
- (Fake blood + knife.) The knife is obviously used to show that the lead victim is going to be/has been stabbed. And the fake blood is to follow on from this and show the reality of it.
LIGHTING
We are going to use desk lamps and torches to create exaggerated shadows and dark images/shots in our different scenes.
Location reccie.
Our location we have chosen is a house in Tunbridge Wells that belongs to a friend of ours. We decided to use it as we think it has conventional properties of a house that would be in a horror film (isolated, tall, vast, dark, high ceilings/windows, made of old dark materials). One main issue is that as this house is lived in and has many homely, and comforting items around the house, so we will have to make sure that none of them are caught on film. Also as we are filming at night, we need to make sure that our reflections are not seen in the windows when filming.
When filming the first scene in the swimming pool, we have to make sure that it is not raining, too dark to film or too cold, as our actor is going to have to swim in the water.
Apart from these main issues, we can't currently see any other problems, however im sure that there will be unexpected difficulties arising.
When filming the first scene in the swimming pool, we have to make sure that it is not raining, too dark to film or too cold, as our actor is going to have to swim in the water.
Apart from these main issues, we can't currently see any other problems, however im sure that there will be unexpected difficulties arising.
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