Dear Moderator,
Our brief was to create an opening sequence to a film that didn't exceed 2 minutes and was under our chosen genre (which was thriller/horror).
I was in a group with Max Austin and Eoghain Kilbane but we have done our evaluations individually.
Please use the labels to navigate through my blog.
Enjoy!
Ruby Davies
Candidate number: 9042
Center Number: 51111
Friday, 25 April 2014
Evaluation Q1: Final
In our film we included many ways in which our film portrays and challenges thriller/horror movie conventions. These ways are shown below in the 9 frame storyboard of shots from our final product with each picture representing a way in which we portrayed the codes and conventions of an opening title sequence.
Frame One; Opening title and credits - introduction to genre
In the picture above, you can see that the first shot is a key credit which is the name of our production company and logo. The shot after also illustrates the name of our film, 'Hidden'. The way that both of the text enters into the frame is a way that is common within most opening titles, with the text fading in and staying on the screen for approximately three seconds and then fading out, in sync with the non-diegetic sound. The fading also gives off an eerie atmosphere as the titles are creeping in behind fog, suggesting that the film is going to have an edge and a level of suspense. Also, the fact that the titles don't rush in and rush out gives a clue to the audience that the genre of the piece most likely won't be action.
Frame Two; story opens up and setting is introduced
This next frame is an establishing shot and shows the panning of the landscape. This is used to set the scene and inform the audience on where the film is taking place. The panning shot also shows the mise en scene that we had created, from the way that the main character is slouched and the costume he's wearing to the house we had chosen for filming. In this frame we see two things, the house as I have listed above and a potential antagonist or protagonist. This is an important code and convention as we have introduced a potential main character.
Frame Three; close up and actors names revealed
In this frame we have an extreme close up of a candle being blown out, potentially revealing more about the story line - is the smoke an important part of the story? (anaphoric reference to the fog presented in the opening titles). The frame also introduces the actors names, which is an important code and convention. As the frame is a close up, the audiences attention isn't distracted by either code and convention as their attention as they focus on the center of the screen and they have been incorporated into each other - the name appears as the smoke is blown out. This is done so the audience don' miss anything. It also identifies conventions as it encloses the characters lifestyle and the way the smoke has been blown out slowly and the shot seems to drag on builds up a sense of tension and suspense.
Frame Four; connotations and plot
This frame is an important part of mise en scene and set dressing. The red heart shaped pepper, knife and bloody red writing represent connotations of blood, danger and violence. This could be a potential key moment for the audience to remember and it could be the starting point of bad things to come. Before this, there was no real indication that the character being seen on screen was dangerous but this is the first trigger moment that warns the audience of the main characters potential dark side.
Frame Five; close up
This next shot is an over the shoulder shot of the main character. This has been the closest we've been to seeing the characters facial features. This means that the audience are limited into what the character is allowing to reveal about himself and this adds to the mysterious, eerie, thriller genre. However, the fact that there is a close up of the character getting a wine glass and pouring himself a drink reveals that he likes to drink and this may be a hobby of his as this was the first thing he did as soon as he got home. This shows that the character is revealing more about himself as the film goes on, even though its very limited access. This is an important code and convention as the audience are learning more about the character through the use of mise en scene and camera.
Frame Six; close ups and connotations
In this shot, we see the character pouring an almost empty bottle of wine into a glass he had picked out in the previous frames (continuity, elliptical cut). We chose to use red wine over white as it gives the connotation of blood and danger, just as the pepper did. The colour red has now become a key element in the film as it seems to be recurring throughout each shot. Also, as the bottle is empty it suggests that the main character likes to drink as I suggested in the previous frame. Also in this frame is a credit which tells the audience who directed the film - key titles emerge into each frame throughout the opening sequence and this is subsequently a key code and convention.
Frame Seven; Lighting
This shot really stresses the thriller/horror genre. The lighting in this shot fades the characters face out so his identity is still hidden, continuing the mysterious atmosphere. The low angle puts the character in the dominant position as it may put the audience on edge by the way that he's walking towards the camera as he did in the beginning, creating a sense of communication and relation between himself and the audience. The majority of the lighting throughout the opening sequence is dark and gloomy, we did this on purpose for the exact reason that the genre of our film is thriller/horror and the dim lighting fits this genre perfectly. In the beginning shots, we used a spotlight to light up the house in the establishing shot and for the spotlight facing the camera for the alleyway scene to show that the character is isolated and lives in his own world where the 'spotlight' is only on himself, making his character mysterious.
Frame Eight; Key event
In this frame, we are able to catch a glimpse of a girl in the corner of the basement, tied to a chair with a bag over her head. The code and convention here is that a key event has happened - the mysteriousness that has been luring around the main character has suddenly presented itself as we now know his secret. Up to this moment, he has been presented as quite an ordinary man, with mise en scene lighting and set dressing suggesting that there's something eerie about him. The fact that also in this frame he looks directly at the girl and doesn't seem to hesitate or seem surprised by the fact that she's down there suggests that he knows that she's down there, and has very well put her down there himself. This frame also exaggerates the thriller side of the film as a kidnapping appears to have happened and this is going to keep the audience interested as it suggests a further plot twist. The lighting stays dim on the girl so it doesn't pull too much attention towards her as we didn't want to reveal to much about her and her identity - hence the bag over her head. This is also a common factor throughout the opening sequence - the fact that we never see the mans face, the girls face and the mask that was placed on the table when the character has arrived home.
Frame Nine; fade to black
The last frame of the sequence is a fade to black. This represents the end of the opening sequence and leaves the overall film on an intensified feel and on a cliffhanger. (Hopefully) the audience will want to watch more as they're left with suspense and almost an anticlimax as we suddenly see this hostage in a 'normal' mans house and we're left on this cliffhanger without knowing who, what, where, when and why?
Frame One; Opening title and credits - introduction to genre
In the picture above, you can see that the first shot is a key credit which is the name of our production company and logo. The shot after also illustrates the name of our film, 'Hidden'. The way that both of the text enters into the frame is a way that is common within most opening titles, with the text fading in and staying on the screen for approximately three seconds and then fading out, in sync with the non-diegetic sound. The fading also gives off an eerie atmosphere as the titles are creeping in behind fog, suggesting that the film is going to have an edge and a level of suspense. Also, the fact that the titles don't rush in and rush out gives a clue to the audience that the genre of the piece most likely won't be action.
Frame Two; story opens up and setting is introduced
This next frame is an establishing shot and shows the panning of the landscape. This is used to set the scene and inform the audience on where the film is taking place. The panning shot also shows the mise en scene that we had created, from the way that the main character is slouched and the costume he's wearing to the house we had chosen for filming. In this frame we see two things, the house as I have listed above and a potential antagonist or protagonist. This is an important code and convention as we have introduced a potential main character.
In this frame we have an extreme close up of a candle being blown out, potentially revealing more about the story line - is the smoke an important part of the story? (anaphoric reference to the fog presented in the opening titles). The frame also introduces the actors names, which is an important code and convention. As the frame is a close up, the audiences attention isn't distracted by either code and convention as their attention as they focus on the center of the screen and they have been incorporated into each other - the name appears as the smoke is blown out. This is done so the audience don' miss anything. It also identifies conventions as it encloses the characters lifestyle and the way the smoke has been blown out slowly and the shot seems to drag on builds up a sense of tension and suspense.
Frame Four; connotations and plot
This frame is an important part of mise en scene and set dressing. The red heart shaped pepper, knife and bloody red writing represent connotations of blood, danger and violence. This could be a potential key moment for the audience to remember and it could be the starting point of bad things to come. Before this, there was no real indication that the character being seen on screen was dangerous but this is the first trigger moment that warns the audience of the main characters potential dark side.
Frame Five; close up
This next shot is an over the shoulder shot of the main character. This has been the closest we've been to seeing the characters facial features. This means that the audience are limited into what the character is allowing to reveal about himself and this adds to the mysterious, eerie, thriller genre. However, the fact that there is a close up of the character getting a wine glass and pouring himself a drink reveals that he likes to drink and this may be a hobby of his as this was the first thing he did as soon as he got home. This shows that the character is revealing more about himself as the film goes on, even though its very limited access. This is an important code and convention as the audience are learning more about the character through the use of mise en scene and camera.
Frame Six; close ups and connotations
In this shot, we see the character pouring an almost empty bottle of wine into a glass he had picked out in the previous frames (continuity, elliptical cut). We chose to use red wine over white as it gives the connotation of blood and danger, just as the pepper did. The colour red has now become a key element in the film as it seems to be recurring throughout each shot. Also, as the bottle is empty it suggests that the main character likes to drink as I suggested in the previous frame. Also in this frame is a credit which tells the audience who directed the film - key titles emerge into each frame throughout the opening sequence and this is subsequently a key code and convention.
Frame Seven; Lighting
This shot really stresses the thriller/horror genre. The lighting in this shot fades the characters face out so his identity is still hidden, continuing the mysterious atmosphere. The low angle puts the character in the dominant position as it may put the audience on edge by the way that he's walking towards the camera as he did in the beginning, creating a sense of communication and relation between himself and the audience. The majority of the lighting throughout the opening sequence is dark and gloomy, we did this on purpose for the exact reason that the genre of our film is thriller/horror and the dim lighting fits this genre perfectly. In the beginning shots, we used a spotlight to light up the house in the establishing shot and for the spotlight facing the camera for the alleyway scene to show that the character is isolated and lives in his own world where the 'spotlight' is only on himself, making his character mysterious.
Frame Eight; Key event
In this frame, we are able to catch a glimpse of a girl in the corner of the basement, tied to a chair with a bag over her head. The code and convention here is that a key event has happened - the mysteriousness that has been luring around the main character has suddenly presented itself as we now know his secret. Up to this moment, he has been presented as quite an ordinary man, with mise en scene lighting and set dressing suggesting that there's something eerie about him. The fact that also in this frame he looks directly at the girl and doesn't seem to hesitate or seem surprised by the fact that she's down there suggests that he knows that she's down there, and has very well put her down there himself. This frame also exaggerates the thriller side of the film as a kidnapping appears to have happened and this is going to keep the audience interested as it suggests a further plot twist. The lighting stays dim on the girl so it doesn't pull too much attention towards her as we didn't want to reveal to much about her and her identity - hence the bag over her head. This is also a common factor throughout the opening sequence - the fact that we never see the mans face, the girls face and the mask that was placed on the table when the character has arrived home.
Frame Nine; fade to black
The last frame of the sequence is a fade to black. This represents the end of the opening sequence and leaves the overall film on an intensified feel and on a cliffhanger. (Hopefully) the audience will want to watch more as they're left with suspense and almost an anticlimax as we suddenly see this hostage in a 'normal' mans house and we're left on this cliffhanger without knowing who, what, where, when and why?
Thursday, 24 April 2014
Evaluation Q3: Final
First of all, what is an institution?
An institution is a company that disperses a media product for audience consumption.
The reality is that our film is a British Independent competing in a market full of Hollywood blockbusters and ultimately, it's going to be no where near as successful as the big budgeted films. It takes the audience to be able to connect with the film and honestly - a whole lot of luck for any British Independent film to become as big as a blockbuster, and even if they do then they're only labeled as "hits" or "sleepers" and don't have as much of a recognition as a blockbuster would.I've researched a lot into what institution would be the best to disperse our media product and benefit us in the best way possible (referring to profit, viewing ratings etc) and I came to the conclusion that if given the chance to produce our film there would only be a few film companies that would help us produce and distribute it. An institution that we could use would be an independent British film company such as Film4 or Momentum.
Understanding that our budget was extremely small, we filmed in local locations, used school equipment with an unknown cast, unknown directors and the use of our own props and costumes we wouldn't expect a distributor such as 20th Century Fox or Universal to take on our film, which meant that these two film companies would be the best for producing and distributing our film. These institutions are also well known throughout the UK so this would be a good selling point when trying to expand viewer ratings by using their inherited audience. We also wanted to put our trust into the hands of a company who have been very successful and often receive great reviews on the films they distribute and help produce. Therefore, since Film4 and Momentum have been monumentally effective in the media business we know that we would be able to trust them with our film if we ever had to.
FILM 4
MOMENTUM
An institution is a company that disperses a media product for audience consumption.
The reality is that our film is a British Independent competing in a market full of Hollywood blockbusters and ultimately, it's going to be no where near as successful as the big budgeted films. It takes the audience to be able to connect with the film and honestly - a whole lot of luck for any British Independent film to become as big as a blockbuster, and even if they do then they're only labeled as "hits" or "sleepers" and don't have as much of a recognition as a blockbuster would.I've researched a lot into what institution would be the best to disperse our media product and benefit us in the best way possible (referring to profit, viewing ratings etc) and I came to the conclusion that if given the chance to produce our film there would only be a few film companies that would help us produce and distribute it. An institution that we could use would be an independent British film company such as Film4 or Momentum.
Understanding that our budget was extremely small, we filmed in local locations, used school equipment with an unknown cast, unknown directors and the use of our own props and costumes we wouldn't expect a distributor such as 20th Century Fox or Universal to take on our film, which meant that these two film companies would be the best for producing and distributing our film. These institutions are also well known throughout the UK so this would be a good selling point when trying to expand viewer ratings by using their inherited audience. We also wanted to put our trust into the hands of a company who have been very successful and often receive great reviews on the films they distribute and help produce. Therefore, since Film4 and Momentum have been monumentally effective in the media business we know that we would be able to trust them with our film if we ever had to.
FILM 4
- Film4 started in 1982 as Film4 Productions
- Film4 is partnered with Warp X Films where they challenge British films by creating new ones with a lower budget, with the intention of expanding the niche audience.
- It is owned and operated by Channel Four Television Cooperation that screens films.
- It's 'sister' channels include: 4seven, Channel4, E4, More4, 4Music, Heat, Kerrang!, Kiss, Magic, Smash Hits and The Box
Film4 also has an app on the App store which allows viewers to watch TV programmes or films on 4oD which they may have missed via your laptop, iPad, iPhone and many other electrical devices. This would be a massive impact and achievement for us as it would increase our revenue and public awareness as the film would be advertised on the site and on the TV channel, including its sister channels.
They also have a Twitter and Facebook account, which they often use to advertise the latest media products that they're distributing. This would be great for us as social networking sites are generally dominated by people of our age, 16-25, of whom are our intended audience. This works to our advantage as they will see the advertisements and will be persuaded to view our film.
Film4 also takes its place at a film festival at the Summer Screen at Somerset House. So if our movie was a success, hopefully one day we would be privileged enough to be involved in the 14 nights of back-to-back films.
Film4 also takes its place at a film festival at the Summer Screen at Somerset House. So if our movie was a success, hopefully one day we would be privileged enough to be involved in the 14 nights of back-to-back films.
MOMENTUM
- One of the leading independent motion picture distributors in the UK and Ireland
- Releases approximately 20 theatrical films a year, with several dtv releases.
Momentum would most likely be our second choice to Film4 as they don't have as much of a wide revenue and the most popular distributor is ultimately our goal when releasing our film. Momentum is also more known as releasing family films such as Hoodwinked, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Free Birds instead of horror/thriller films. However, Momentum won 8 BAFTA awards, more than any other UK distributor. 7 awards went to The King's Speech, including Best Film and Best Actor and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo won Best Film Not in the English Language. This therefore makes Momentum our second choice as they've proven that they've successfully built a name for themselves and are clearly doing something right when it comes to film.
Evaluation Q4: Final
The people in the question and answer video above are James Merry, Antonia Moss and Lyle Dalgleish. They all fit our intended target audience as they are all between the age of 13 and 30 and of mixed genders, of whom are the target audiences for thriller and horror films as our research shows. After asking them these questions, I went back and looked at our final product to see what things we had incorporated into our film that they had talked about in their answers, for example "what type of openings do you like?" The answers included things like: normal opening then something strange happens and that suspense is built and we hope that we achieved this in our opening. Also, by doing this Question & Answer video I was able to see what the people of my age group enjoyed watching and it helped with audience research and evaluating on who would be our audience.
James lives in Crowthorne and enjoys watching television and acting. He watches shows such as Criminal Minds and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. His favorite films include 'Inception', 'Skyfall' and 'The House at the End of the Street.' He's very passionate about the film industry and attends the cinema 2-3 times a month. Although his favorite genre of film is action, he also enjoys comedies and thrillers. As James is an aspiring actor, he wishes to be starring in the films one day rather than watching them so he is a harsh film critic.
Antonia lives in Crowthorne and enjoys social networking, watching television and going to the cinema. Her favorite films include 'Mean Girls', 'The Twilight Saga' and 'Prisoners'. Her favorite genre of film is rom-com yet also finds pleasure in thriller/horror movies. She is an often cinema-goer and admits that if one of her favorite actors stars in a film then she is almost guaranteed to watch it. Her favorite actors include: Zac Efron, Taylor Lautner and Ed Westwick. She mostly attends the cinema with her mum but also rents films out of Blockbuster and enjoys watching the latest films and TV programs on Netflix.
Lyle also lives in Crowthorne and enjoys playing cricket and socializing with friends. His favorite films include 'Signs', 'Paranormal Activity' and 'I am Legend'. Lyle admits that his other favorite hobby is staying at home watching Netflix! He enjoys going to the IMAX cinemas and admits that if a film is available in 3D then it's guaranteed that he will go see it - no matter what genre it is. Lyle's favorite genre of film is action but also enjoys watching thriller/horror films and says that this is his second best.
All three participants are 17 years of age.
After watching our opening sequence James said:
"The suspense was great, couldn't keep my eyes off the screen and found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next."
Antonia said:
"I want to know what happens next! I wanted to know who the guy was throughout the whole thing."
Finally, Lyle said:
"Great start to an opening sequence. It gives good potential for the rest of the film and it was great to see the plot unfold dramatically towards the end."
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Evaluation Q1: Draft
In our film we included many ways in which our film portrays and challenges thriller/horror movie conventions. These ways are shown below in the 9 frame storyboard of shots from our final product with each picture representing a way in which we portrayed the codes and conventions of an opening title sequence.
The first shot we see is a key credit which is the name of our production company and logo. The shot after also illustrates the name of our film, 'Hidden'. The way that both of the text enters into the frame is a way that is common within most opening titles, with the text fading in and staying on the screen for approximately three seconds and then fading out, in sync with the non-diegetic sound.This next frame is an establishing shot and shows the panning of the landscape. This is used to set the scene and inform the audience on where the film is taking place. Tuesday, 8 April 2014
Mrs D
Questions 1-4 see Eoghain and Max's blog. Your questions here are much better. Should you consider working on your own on the evaluation as your questions 5,6 and 7 are much stronger?
Question 5 - some c and cs here that would benefit from going in question one. Some sense of appeal but you need to look at more.
Question 6 - serif section - avoid the honestly bit. State that egs used in garage band helped to create verisimilitude. What about technologies used in evaluation? This is generally a good answer. Well done.
Question 7 - check spelling of for and scene. Good range of egs. You have compared prelim to final construction really well. Read the question again. You also need to include what you learnt from prelim rather than just how prelim was worse than final product.
Look across all 7 questions. Have you used a strong range of ICT?
Question 5 - some c and cs here that would benefit from going in question one. Some sense of appeal but you need to look at more.
Question 6 - serif section - avoid the honestly bit. State that egs used in garage band helped to create verisimilitude. What about technologies used in evaluation? This is generally a good answer. Well done.
Question 7 - check spelling of for and scene. Good range of egs. You have compared prelim to final construction really well. Read the question again. You also need to include what you learnt from prelim rather than just how prelim was worse than final product.
Look across all 7 questions. Have you used a strong range of ICT?
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Evaluation Q3: Draft
First of all, what is an institution?
An institution is a company that disperses a media product for audience consumption.
If given the chance to produce our film there would only be a few film companies that would help us produce and distribute it. An institution that we could use would be an independent British film company such as Film4 or Momentum.
FILM 4
MOMENTUM
Our budget was extremely small, we filmed in local locations, used school equipment with an unknown cast, unknown directors and the use of our own props and costumes which meant that these two film companies would be the best for producing and distributing our film. These institutions are also well known throughout the UK so this would be a good selling point when trying to expand viewer ratings by using their inherited audience.
An institution is a company that disperses a media product for audience consumption.
If given the chance to produce our film there would only be a few film companies that would help us produce and distribute it. An institution that we could use would be an independent British film company such as Film4 or Momentum.
FILM 4
- Film4 started in 1982 as Film4 Productions
- Film4 is partnered with Warp X Films where they challenge British films by creating new ones with a lower budget, with the intention of expanding the niche audience.
- It is owned and operated by Channel Four Television Cooperation that screens films.
- It's 'sister' channels include: 4seven, Channel4, E4, More4, 4Music, Heat, Kerrang!, Kiss, Magic, Smash Hits and The Box
MOMENTUM
- One of the leading independent motion picture distributors in the UK and Ireland
- Releases approximately 20 theatrical films a year, with several dtv releases.
Our budget was extremely small, we filmed in local locations, used school equipment with an unknown cast, unknown directors and the use of our own props and costumes which meant that these two film companies would be the best for producing and distributing our film. These institutions are also well known throughout the UK so this would be a good selling point when trying to expand viewer ratings by using their inherited audience.
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
Evaluation Q4: Draft
The people in the question and answer video above are James Merry, Antonia Moss and Lyle Dalgleish. They all fit our intended target audience as they are all between the age of 13 and 30 and of mixed genders, of whom are the target audiences for thriller and horror films as our research shows. After asking them these questions, I went back and looked at our final product to see what things we had incorporated into our film that they had talked about in their answers, for example "what type of openings do you like?" The answers included things like: normal opening then something strange happens and that suspense is built and we hope that we achieved this in our opening. Also, by doing this Question & Answer video I was able to see what the people of my age group enjoyed watching and it helped with audience research and evaluating on who would be our audience.
James lives in Crowthorne and enjoys watching television and acting. He watches shows such as Criminal Minds and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. His favorite films include 'Inception', 'Skyfall' and 'The House at the End of the Street.' Antonia lives in Crowthorne and enjoys social networking, watching television and going to the cinema. Her favorite films include 'Mean Girls', 'The Twilight Saga' and 'Prisoners'. Lyle also lives in Crowthorne and enjoys playing cricket and socializing with friends. His favorite films include 'Signs', 'Paranormal Activity' and 'I am Legend'. All three participants are 17 years of age.
After watching our opening sequence James said:
"The suspense was great, couldn't keep my eyes off the screen and found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next."
Antonia said:
"I want to know what happens next! I wanted to know who the guy was throughout the whole thing."
Finally, Lyle said:
"Great start to an opening sequence. It gives good potential for the rest of the film and it was great to see the plot unfold dramatically towards the end."
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