Different Fonts

This font looks quite sinister. The sharp edges and the inconsistent thickness could represent an un-settled mind, something that may be useful in our film opening as it relates to the psychological side of horror films. However, the 'T' at the start could be mistaken for a capital 'J' which will change the meaning of the title completely, also causing confusion for the audience. 





This font is a good specimen because it has been made to look like it has been scribbled down by somebody. This scribbled writing isn't as legible as normal handwriting, this makes you notice more about the words because you have to concentrate on reading what it's saying more than you normally would have to with normal writing. The backwards 'e's' could represent difference and isolation from the rest of the letters - this could be linked to a ghost in a paranormal horror film as it's separate from human beings and everyone else.





I like this font because it has a gothic theme to it with the flicks on the capital 'T' and the 'l' in angels. This font is very easy to read and the 'dripping blood' effect puts the audience in an un-nerving position as soon as they see the font because it could be proleptic to something that may happen in the film. There is a strong message that could come from this font as it is just a normal font and it is 'dripping with blood' which ruins a perfectly normal font. This could highlight the differences between a ghostly character and a normal character in the film opening.



This font is particularly good because it relates to one of out themes which is children. Children are innocent and sweet but in our film opening the ghost of the child is quite the opposite. This looks like it has been written by a small child which could relate to the fact that the child has been told/forced to write this by evil forces. It also has quite a spooky effect to it.

Possible Production Names & Logos

After brainstorming ideas for names we came across many problems as everything we suggested was already a production company. So we had to think of something original and unique.

Some of the research we did was of different synonyms of relative words to do with the horror genre.

However, after extensive research, we found that a lot of these synonyms were already used for other production companies, whether it be a large mainstream one, or a budget company.

We came up with the idea of 'Shallow Grave Studios'. At first we thought this was quite a good idea but one of the group members said it was too long as a name, we thought that something a bit shorter which was a bit more catchy would be better. We all agreed that we would change the name and we decided upon 'Tombstone Productions'.

Tombstone Productions suited our brief because it was shorter and it was more catchy so we decided, as a group, to keep it.



Possible Logos.

 

Questionnaire Results

As you can see we asked a wide range of ages on this questionnaire. We mostly asked people 16 and above as we thought that people in this age range were more likely to watch horror films. Also because our film will probably be targeted at ages 16 and above.

 


We tried to ask females and males equally but found that we had actually asked more females than males. We wanted to ask both females and males because our film is going to be targeted at both genders and not just one.










We asked whther people actually watched horror films and the majority of the people do and only a small number don't.







If the people answered 'yes' then they were asked a few more questions. We then asked how often they watch then. We found that most people watched horror films between 0 and 3 times a week.










Then we asked what horror genre they mostly watch to see what was most popular. As you can see, paranormal horror is most popular. We will think about this when producing our film.









We found out that most poeple will watch horror films at home.








Most poeple will watch horror films with other people such as their friends. So we need to think about all of the different types of poeple that will be watching the horror film and try to make it for everyone.






We asked people how they feel when watching a horror film. The most popular emotion we found was 'scared' and 'excited'. This did not come as a surprise to us. In our film we are going to try to create these emotions.

From these findings we found that most people watch films at night. We decided this was because this helps set a scary atmosphere.

We found that most females are scared of male characters. We have found that most characters that play the villan are male and the victims are usually female this is probably why we have found these results.








Lastly we asked what type of character scares them the most. We found that a Demon/Ghost would scare most people the most. We will think about this when we are creating our film.

Editing Worksheet

What does editing do? - Editing is a post-production process. A modern film is perfected digitally through the process of editing. The film editor gets given the captured, raw footage from the filming process and has to piece different shots together, combining them into sequences using sound bridges, cuts or transitions to create a final motion picture with flawless seems that runs smoothly between different shots.

Definitions of key terms;

Cut - Where one shot is suddenly replaced by another. Within a continuous scene or sequence, shots are usually strung together using cuts.

Dissolve - Dissolve is when one shot fades out as another fades in. The dissolve is usually used to signify a change in time or place.

Fade - Fades are often used to start or end a scene. Often used to fade into scenes from black or white and to fade out of scenes to black.

Jump Cut - A jump cut is a cut in editing. This is when two shots of the same subject are taken from slightly different camera angles. This give us the effect of jumping forward in time.

Does the shot reverse shot help the narrative or generate meaning? - Shot reverse shots and used usually in conversational scenes between characters. This helps the viewers focus on the person who is talking and the characters reactions. 

Why is the 180 degree rule important? - The 180 degree rule is important becuase it enables the audience to follow conversation as if it were happening before you. If the camera man ignores the 180 degree rule then the audience will become disorientated and the conversation will seem like the characters aren't facing eachother and will seem far less natural.

How and why is the point of view shot used? - The point of view shot is normally used in a sequence of shots. The first shot would be of the character looking at something, then the point of view shot to show us what they're looking at. This shot is used to show what the character sees making thw audience feel as if they are the characters 'eyes.'

How else can Point Of View (POV) be created? - The Point Of View (POV) shot can also be executed by using a camera. The camera man can shake he camera slightly to create senses of nervousness/fear from the characters point of view. Filters can be placed over the lens of the camera to create different types of atmospheres as well, for instance if the viewer is focusing on a particular character and the (POV) character feels anger then a red may be placed over the camera lens.

What is parallel or cross cut editing? - Cross cut or parallel editing is when two scenes are taking place at the same time. The same two shots can be seen in the scene but both of them are slightly faded to enable close colours to be distinguished.

What editing techniques are used to create suspense? - Suspense is created through the use of music and sound effects. Also cross-cutting sequences between a victim and an evil character. The POV shot can be used as well to create suspense. The POV being that of the evil character as they get closer to the victim.

Explain in your own words how the mouse sequence creates tension - There's a lot of POV shots in this scene and the music sustains a long, quiet note that builds tension. The use of a common conventions in horror films such as silence. Also when the boy looks under the bed, his vision is impared by the darkness under his bed, this creates a sense of 'the fear of the unknown' which is also quite a common convention used in horror films, the shot/reverse shots and POV shots build tension. They use various different camera techniques like extreme close up to show the characters' facial expressions - this creates a sense of emotion in the character and gives you a feel of empathy. The jump cut to the mouse running out from under the bed is a very sudden change in the plot. It happens very quickly and the zooming towards the young boy on the camera represents the mouse's movement towards the character and gives the audience a sense of the mouse 'attacking' the character. But, then, when the mouse runs out from under the bed, this releases all the tension.

Why is timing important in editing? - Timing is important in editing because you need sound effects or special effect to be used at the right time to fit in with the pictures in the viewer. Timing is also important for the build up to any climaxes, the non diagetic sounds like the music, crescendo's, hit points etc need to be relevant to what is in the viewer to create the most amount of tension possible.

Explain in your own words what the continuity system is - The continuity system is a form of editing that makes the transitions are 'invisible'. They're intended to make the film run as smoothly as possible, the cut from one shot to the next is discrete, hence, this doesn't draw your attention to the editing that has been done.

Why does editing strive to be invisible? - Overall it makes the audience seem like it's less of a set up production and it seems more real to them, as if it were actually happening in front of them.

Editing For Preliminary Task

Firsty we trimmed the sections of the film so that they fit and took out any bits of recording we didn't need and also to cut down the time of the piece.

Next we brightened the scene so that it was easier to see everything within the shot. We then added an effect that made the camera follow the direction in which the character was walking.





Finally we added a 'fade in from black' animation so that this establishes that this is the begining of the film.

We used a fade in and fade out tool on most of the shots. This makes the sound change from one shot to another smoother and not as noticable to the viewer. 




Here we have used an animation to follow the characters actions making it look more natural. We wanted to capture a match on action shot so we purposely focused on the hand of the actor to establish this shot.






We have cropped and added an effect to this scene which zooms out of the shot, again following the characters action.





Finally we used a 'fade out' effect in the last shot. This shows the viewers that this is the end of the film/scene.  

Script For Preliminary Task

Script

Scene opens fade in from black with the camera placed low to the floor facing up the corridor. [Back ground noise of people].

Alex: (Interviewee)

[Walks along the corridor past the camera] [Footstep sound effects]

Cut shot to the next scene of a mid shot.

Alex: (Interviewee)

[Turns to face the door. Stops and gives a big sigh.]

Cut shot to a close up of Alex’s hand turning the door handle. (Match on action shot)

Cuts to the next scene from inside the room. [Wide angle shot]

Alex: (Interviewee)

[Walks into the room, shuts the door behind him. Takes his coat off and sits down in the chair]

Becky & Daniel:(First and Second Interveiwers)

[Sit up looking at Alex as he walks in]

Cut in an over the shoulder shot to face Becky and Daniel.

Becky:(First Interveiwer)

‘Right, can we have your name please?’

Cut to an over the shoulder shot facing Alex

Alex: (Interviewee)

‘Um.. my name is Alexander Underwood.’

Cut shot back to the same over the shoulder shot facing Becky and Daniel.

Daniel:(Second Interviewer)

‘So why are you interested in this particular job’

Cut shot back to an over the shoulder shot to face Alex

Alex: (Interviewee)

‘Um.. well, I haven’t really got another job if I’m honest with you, and I haven’t been offered another one so, I thought I’d come here.’

Cut in an over the shoulder shot to face Becky and Daniel.

Becky:(First Interviwer)

‘And.. what can you bring to the business?’

Cut shot back to a close up of Alex’s face.

Alex: (Interviewee)

‘Um.. Well.. Um.. Err.. I could bring.. I don’t know really..’

Camera Fades to black as we end the scene.

Characters

Taken Re-creation Task

Storyboard For Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task

Characters

Interviewer 1 - Becky Hayes
                                   

The role of this character was to be very strict with the interviewee and make them feel very uncomfortbale. She was sat next to another interviewer which made the interviewee feel inferior to them.


Interviewer 2 - Daniel Papworth

This character has the same intentions and objectives as Interview 1. (Becky Hayes)


Interviewee - Alex Underwood

This character has a bad work ethic, coupled with a bad attitude and a lack of excitement about the job. He doesn't seem to have very many ambitions in life which I one of the reasons why the interview goes badly.

Constantine Analysis

Constantine Analysis

The film opens showing the Warner Brothers Pictures logo.













The viewer can hear the wind slowly crescendo up into the scene annd the sound of the logo breaking up and decaying. The colours are very dull and it seems that this dust sweeping across the screen is what is breaking up the logo. This dull colour scheme alongside the the dust destroying everything is quite a strong link to hell.








 

Three Shot Types - Match on Action, 180 Degree Rule and Shot, Reverse Shot

180 Degree Rule - The 180 Degree Rule shot is a guideline for on screen shooting. This makes sure that the camera is always shooting on one side of the scene and not the other. These shots are usually used to show the relationship between two characters and is used frequently when filming conversations between characters.

Shot Reverse Shot - Used to demonstrate conversation. One character speaks and the camera is focused on them, then the other character speaks and the camera switches and films this character, then back to the other one once more. The camera switches to the speaking character.

Match On Action -  a shot can be taken and stopped. The next sequence of events continues the film without the viewer being aware that the shots were taken at separate times. For example a person opening a door and filming can be stopped. The following day filming could be continued as the same person enters a room. The viewer will not be aware that any break has taken place. But you have to make sure the character you are filming is:

· Wearing the same clothes

· Appears identical to the previous filming time

· Lighting (time of day/weather)

· Clocks in the view must be same time.

· Also if person entering on the left they have to leave on the right

 

 

 

 

 

Presentation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Location Shots

I took a picture of this double archway into a church with the intention of a very short shot, with the flash of the main scary character in the doorway. I took this shot quite low down as the arch is not only large itself but also makes you feel inferior as it looms over you, drawing you into the church. There is a possibility to film this in the dark using an external light source such as a halogen lamp or a simple torch to create shadows and illuminate key characters' expressions or body language.

This is a shot of the cross gravestones in the foreground with the church in the background. I thought this was a good shot as the gravestones in the foreground are wonky and have been displaced by the land -  over the course of time they have fallen together. The storyline of our film opening is that the original birth child of the family dies, after the traumatic experience the parents went through, they decide to adopt a child. However the birth child comes back to haunt the family as the newly adopted child is getting all the attention from the parents that the birth child wants. I thought this picture ties in very nicely with our storyline as the two crosses that are slanting together represent love and a relationship (like the family with the adopted child), whereas the cross In the very foreground represents isolation (the birth child that died) and looking into a situation. 

This shot of the stairs going down to the door can be quite useful as a point of view shot (pov) in the credits. The fact that the stairs go down into the dark could be linked to hell or dungeons which are both conventions of horror films. A filter could be added to the camera lense when filming to create further shadows and create more of an atmosphere in the shot. It could also be useful for a shot reverse shot which would make the character standing above the stairs look superior to the one at the bottom of the stairs.

This shot is taken from the garden which sits directly next to the church and the graveyard. There is a fence behind a drainage ditch which seperates the edge of the graveyard and the garden which is a visible barrier between the graveyard (the dead) and the gardens of the family home (the living). This could be a good shot as it has this trait but also gives you a sense of time as you can see the church clock. If this is filmed at night a torch can be used to illuminate the clock which can be useful to create setting, time and sequence.

Institution Research

Institution Research

 

 

StudioCanal - It is a French based production and owns the third largest film library in the world. The company is owned by Canal+ Group which is mostly owned by Vivendi and Universal Studios as part of NBCUnviersal.
The company was founded in 1988 by a Franch man called Pierre Lescure with the main intention of focusing on French and European Productions, but, at a later date made deals with American production companies. StudioCanal's most notable productions from the early years included the likes of; Terminator 2, Judgement Day and Free Willy. It was originally known (at this time) as 'Le Studio Canal+' 
It has strong links with Universal Studios as they were owned by the same company from 2000-2004 in which time they co-produced a fair amount of Universal's films.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warner Brothers - Warner bros is a fully integrated, widespread  entertainment company and a pioneer in the creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing of all forms of entertainment with their related businesses. The company’s vast library, one of the most prestigious and valued in the world, consists of more than 61,000 hours of programming, including nearly 6,500 feature films and 3,000 television programs made up of tens of thousands of individual episodes.

Warner brothers have distributed 100's of films since they started in 1918 by the Warner family, Sam, Albert, Harry and Jack. They have also produced a variety of horror films such as; Ghost Ship. Ghost ship is a 2002 American-Australian horror film directed by Steve Beck. The Exorcist. Exorcist: The Beginning is a 2004 prequel to the 1973 film The Exorcist. The House of Wax. House of Wax is a 2005 Australian-American horror film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. The Reaping. The Reaping is an 2007 American horror film, starring Hilary Swank. The film was directed by Stephen Hopkins for Warner Bros. Orphan. Orphan is a 2009 American psychological horror film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and starring Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, and Isabelle Fuhrman. A nightmare of elm street. A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 2010 American slasher film, directed by Samuel Bayer and written by Wesley Strick. The conjuring. The Conjuring is a 2013 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Frankenstein Analysis

Brainstorm For Preliminary Task

Group Presentation on 'The Ring'

Conventions Of Film Openings

Film	Genre	Conventions / Sound Info / Action	Style Of Opening	Info In Credits	Narrative / Storyline Of The Film
Pulp Fiction	Comedy	Opens with an upbeat action song. You then hear in the opening of this film is background noise of laughing in a café. A very natural environment.	A short café scene between two characters.	Information of main characters and director.	The two characters introduce us to a planned robbery, showing us that this story line will be of crime.
Reservoir Dogs	Comedy/Action	Opens with very upbeat action song	Opens with a short scene of a group of men walking in a line and a Narration over the top.	Director. Main Characters. Title. Casting. Music supervisor. Costume. Producer. Editor. Photographer. Co-producer. Production Designer	Group of men walking in a determined manor. Dressed in a start way, possibly to look as if they are in a gang. Main characters.
Dark Knight	Thriller	Normal background city sounds. Upbeat action music. Sound of guns.	Starts facing up in the clouds. Goes to a pan across the city to show the viewer where the film is set, and then a short scene.	There are no credits in the opening.	Introduces us to a robbery scene. Showing us what the film will be mainly about. Introduces us to the main character.
Final Destination	Thriller/Horror	Heavy creepy music. This then layers up as we get deeper into the film.	These fair images have been made to look confusing with references to death. This then cuts to a short scene.	Title, Main Characters, Director	A group of friends at a fair. References to death, showing us something bad is going to happen to the group of friends. Introduces us to the main characters.
Iron Man 3	Action	Includes a very upbeat, strong, ‘hero like’ sound track	Cut scenes from the film, slowing down/freeze framing on certain characters.	Director. Screen Play. Producer. Executive producer. Director of photography. Production design. Editors. Costume design. Visual effects supervisor. Music supervisor. Music. Associate producer. Casting. Main characters. Title	Shows main character. Shows he is important and also his love life. Shows excitement with explosions.
Hot Fuzz	Action/Crime	Old Police whistles, Old siren sound. Non Diagetic Narrator describing the main characters’ life.	General overview of the main characters’ life, with narration.	Production Companies.	About a police man who has excelled in the police force and is advancing through the different stages in the forces.