Changing groups!

The next stage was to start thinking of an idea for our final horror film opening. We sat down as a group and began to think of starting points and ideas. After many discussions, we finalised a strong storyline which we were all happy with.

We then unfortunately found out that our group of 5 was too big, and we had to split into a group of 2 and another group of 3. We came to a decision that the group of 2 would be the boys (Dom and Toby), as they are closer friends and see eachother outside of school regularly, so this would give them a disadvantage when it came to filming. Therefore, the group of 3 would be us girls (Me, Harri and Harri), this worked out well for exactly the same reason - we are also friends outside of school and spend a lot of time with eachother, so it would be easier for us to arrange to film together.

We then came to a problem of 'who would take the original storyline that our group (when we were 5) had thought of '. We decided to let the boys, who were a group of 2 take the original storyline as they were at less of an advantage as they only had 2 people in the group, whereas we had 3 of us. This meant us girls had to think of a completely new idea for a story for our final horror film opening.

Preliminary task Evaluation

What was your role?
My role for the preliminary task mainly involved me being infront of the camera for most of the time (acting), as I was one of the main characters in the film. When it wasn't a scene that involved me, I helped a bit with the lighting in some of the scenes as we filmed at quite a dark time of night. All of us had a big part in the planning of the task.

What worked well?
I think the setting of our film worked really well. We filmed in Ashwell Springs and we filmed at a time when there was noone else around, making it seem like a very spooky, unknown place, almost desserted. The costume that I wore for my character was a long, floor-length, white gown, it looked like an old fashioned hospital gown, which could imply that my character was some sort of mentally ill patient. I think this worked really well, and definitely added to the horror genre. The editing and sounds that we added to our film, really completed it. The sounds that we put in really added to the suspense and tension that the audience would feel, such as the creaking of the gate when it was opened and the slow, eerie music building up to the final scene of subject B destroying the tape.

What didn't work so well?
We had to change the day that we planned on filming it as the first time we tried, the lighting didnt work out as we wanted it - it was way too dark, even using torces you still couldnt see anything! So therefore we couldnt see what was in the shot. We arranged a different day to film, and made sure that we filmed it a little earlier in the day so that we had more light and didn't come across the same problem.

What will you do differently for your main task?
For our main task we will make sure that we film it at the right time of day so that there is enough light to see what is in the shot.

Preliminary Task

For our preliminary task my group consisted of myself, Harri Long, Dom Simmons, Toby Harvey and Harri Nicholls. We were given a basic guideline to follow, which we would have to include in our film. The guideline was:
Subject A entering a room from a corridor and opening the door. Inside the room Subject B is sitting down without saying anything, A gives a piece of paper to B. B reads it and reacts. A displays some kind of emotion and leaves. This task MUST demonstrate match on action,shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

We sat down as a group and all had input with different ideas that we had come up with. We came up with the idea of making our preliminary film a horror genre film. We decided on this as our final film would have to be a horror film, so we thought it would be good to get some better understandment and knowledge of the genre by practising different camera shots/angles, editing, sounds and mise-en-scene that would best suit this genre to enable us the best possible outcome. Finally, after many group discussions we came up with a storyline that we thought would work really well.

Our preliminary task idea: We decided that subject A would open the sequence by slowly walking towards a gate and then opening it. We would have a close up shot of subject A's hand as it opened the gate. A jump cut would then be forced as we would perform a shot from the opposite side of the gate as it would be opened still by subject A and then follow her from behind as she walks barefoot through a dark path that would later lead her to the desired destination. The shot then dissolves and fades into a shot of the subject A walking down a set of stairs which would include shots both from behind and also from the side zooming in on her feet as she steadily walked down the stairs. A panning shot would then take place which would see subject A in the left of the screen and then introducing subject B in the far right hand corner of the shot which would ultimately link the two together as the sequence neared the end. Subject B (whos face would have been covered up until this point) would raise her head and accept a mysterious tape off of subject A. A point of view shot would then see through the eyes of subject B as tension would build and she would become more and more anxious ending in her feeling panicked leading her to destroy the tape. The sequence then ending in a blackout once the tape has been destroyed.

This is what our preliminary task storyboard looked like:

Location
We decided to film at Ashwell Springs, as it wasn't your typical everyday sort of setting. It looked like quite a decolate and icolated location, with not a lot of life or atmosphere, which we felt would really fit in with the horror genre of film we were creating. This location had a good set of steps that looked rather old and uneven, which we thought we could use for the scene where we film subject A walking slowly down some stairs. Also there was a narrow, dark pathway leading up to the steps which fitted in with our idea.

Props
We decided not to use many props as we thought we could make the film fit the horror genre well without using 'scary' props and focusing more on the editing and camera shots and angles. The one prop we did use however, was a small black cassette tape which we used instead of the piece of paper.

Costumes
We decided that subject A (who was the character giving the tape) would be dressed all in black, so she wore a knee length black floaty dress and we back combed her hair to make her look un-tidy and creepy looking. Subject B (who would be receiving the tape, and was also the character i played) wore a floor length, white gown which we borrowed from the schools drama department. We put all my hair in front of my face so the audience couldn't see my face, this added to the mystery and the 'unknown' effect. The two outfits being so different showed a big contrast between the two characters. Both of the characters had bare feet, to also add to the mystery.
We covered my face in white make-up, to make myself look extremely pale and ill looking. And towards the end of ther film when my head was riased and my face was revealed, the make-up really helped with the scary effect we were going for.

Here is the link to the final film of our preliminary task:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCKQQ-baVt0

Hammer Film Productions

In my portfolio I have included a page on my own research of 3 well known production companies. Below i have researched 'Hammer Film Productions' as it is involved more with horror genre movies.

Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid 1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies – and in later years, television series. During its most successful years, Hammer dominated the horror film market, enjoying worldwide distribution and considerable financial success. This success was due, in part, to distribution partnerships with major United States studios, such as Warner Bros. Hammer consolidated their success by turning their most successful horror films into series.
Six sequels to The Curse of Frankenstein were produced between 1959 and 1974: 'The Revenge of Frankenstein', 'The Evil of Frankenstein', 'Frankenstein created woman', 'Frankenstein must be destroyed', 'The horror of Frankenstein', 'Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell'.

Hammer also produced eight other Dracula films between 1960 and 1974: 'The brides of Dracula', 'Dracula: Prince of Darkness', 'Dracula has risen from the grave', 'Taste the blood of Dracula', 'Scars of Dracula', 'Dracula AD 1972', 'The satanic rites of Dracula', 'The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires'.

Other films include: 'The two faces of Dr.Jekyll', 'The Curse of the Werewolf', 'The Phantom of the Opera', 'The Witches', 'The Anniversary', 'The lost continent'.

Silence of the Lambs analysis

When watching George, Toby, Dom and Ben's presentation of the 'Silence of the Lambs' opening, we noticed there was a wide range of camera shots/angles, mise-en-scene, editing and sound. The beginning scene is of the starting credits appearing and then sudenly dissappearing in and out of the shots. This looks really effective and links to the scary horror genre as the sudden movements make us jump. It then moves on to a tracking shot movement following the main girl character, this builds up tension for the audience as we feel we shouldnt really be following her. This also feels like the camera is from the point of view of a predator stalking its prey.

We then see an establishing shot showing a view which we cant quite see in full detail as it is hidden my some tree's in front of the camera and lots of fog. This shot is really effective as it could be implying that some things throughout the story are part of the 'unknown', not everything will be revealed, and only some things will be seen. This shot also puts the audience in quite an awkward position as we want to see whats happening we dont want to be left with the 'unknown', therefore the audience feel mystified as to what will happen and what is ahead of the tree's and fog.

As she is running through the forest we hear the diegetic sound of her feet crunching the leaves as she runs over them, and the breaking of sticks and twigs. This could signify the crushing and breaking of bones which could symbolise death. But the fact that she is breaking and standing on it, could show how she is tough and is trying to fight of death and destroy and avoid it as much as possible.

We see great determination of the woman when a close up of her face is shown. It shows her looking at a rope infront of her studying it thoroughly, and because we are so close up to her face we see the detail of her emotions. As she begins to climb the rope we (as an audience) see that she is very strong and tough, as there are diegetic sounds of her breathing heavily showing the task is hard but she is gradually completing it. Also the fact she is using the rope shows she is very skillfull and resourceful. This scene could signify the hard tasks and challenges that she may come across in the rest of the film. As she climbs the rope the lighting is very dull and dark, but as she completes climbing the rope the lighting gets a lot brighter which could be saying that for every challenge she has to complete she will always do it successfully and come out better on the other side. Also the lighting could signify her mood, the dark colours as she is climbing could show she she is feel exhausted, but then afterwards the lighter colours could show how she is proud of herself and happy she's succeeded.

When she comes to the prison and walks down the steps to enter the prison, they pass some red bars. The red colour of the bars could represent how she is descending into into hell, as the colour symbolises evil and danger. Again, the camera is following her in this scene - watching her through the bars, which links to how the film is a psychological thriller. The over shoulder shot of both characters could be showing how they are on par with eachother and share the power and how there is not one dominant character over the other. As the two characters come to the bars which they walk through, a non-diegetic beeping sound occurs from behind them which could signify a countdown, showing how they might not have much time left making the audience feel nervous for them to get there so they are safe. When she gets to one of the prisoners, the only noise you can hear is the diagetic sound of her footsteps when she walks, this shows that she is now alone as there aren't any other noises around, making the audience feel scared for her and whats about to happen.

The Ring analysis

When watching Luke's presentation of 'The Ring' opening, we noticed there was a wide range of camera shots/angles, mise-en-scene, editing and sound. At the beginning they show an establishing shot, we see clouds moving really quickly in the sky, this could imply that they are running out of time in the film and the time is passing by quickly. This could make the audience feel nervous and anxious for the characters in the film as we get a feeling they only have little time left before something bad happens. As the camera gets deeper and deeper into the forest more and more trees appear which makes us feel chlaustrophobic, and implies that the characters are becomming trapped and that there is no way out. The tracking shot follows her through the forest to the house, when she arrives at the house she looks through the window. The lighting on her face as she looks through the window is red which could imply she is about to come across danger and the colour red signifies danger. Also the red lighting could symbolise death, the colour relates to blood which relates to death. Therefore, this could be telling the audience she will be in a lot of danger throughout the film and possibly die.

The phone is very significant throughout the film as it is what tells the characters they are going to die. In many scenes throughout the film we see the phone in the background a lot, which could imply that it is always on their minds and they are always awaiting the dreaded phonecall, showing that they are constantly on edge and very anxious about the phone ringing. The phone symbolises death - therefore death is always on their mind. As the camera gets closer and closer to the womans face (from a close up to an extreme close up), more and more of her emotions are revealed. We see and almost feel ourselves, the fear that she is feeling because we are so close up in her face. The woman is basically always shown in a faint red light, whereas the man isnt. This could be saying how she is the one that is in danger and who will be affected, and he wont be. As the man begins to destroy the house and smash the plates, we as an audience feel for him as it shows how he has been affected by the ring. It has made him lose control and lose his mind. He no longer knows what to do or how to handle himself.

In the background there is very soft and subtle non-diegetic music played, which is very ironic seeing as the scene is building up to something bad thats going to happen - you would expect there to be quite dramatic music that is building up. The soft music does sound quite haunting and even the though the audience can hear this innocent music they know in the back of thei minds that the scene is building up to something terrifying. The music could be trying to make the audience feel relaxed about the situation so that when the bad thing happens, it makes them jump and has more of a scary effect on them. The music builds up great suspence and tension for the audience, and puts us on edge for whats about to happen.

The camera shows a shot of the womans face in full focus and the man standing in the background is out of focus. This could be implying that she is more of a main part as we can see more detail on her and can see her emotions whereas the man is blurred which could show he isn't of such an important character and we dont need to know as much about him. Also the fact we cant see the detailing of his emotions could be implying that we shouldnt necessarily care for his feelings, we should care more about the woman as she is more of a main character. Also this shot could also be symbolising the fact that the ring is only after the woman, it isn't after the man, it isn't interested in him.

Theres a big contrast between the light and dark areas which could symbolise the good and bad areas, which could also be showing the contrast between life and death. Down below the surface of the floor it is very dark conpared to above the floorboards. This could be implying that down below is the place of death (as the darkness could symbolise hell, compared to heaven above the floorboards where it is much lighter). The low angled show from below the floorboards shows the man and the woman looking down into the hole, this could be be implying that death is staring right at them in the face, it is basically right in front of them and there is no escape from it now. This shot shows the vulnerability on their faces and their nervous expression, this puts the audience on edge making us fear for what will happen. The shot angles always show a low angle looking up at the man and the woman, and a high angled shot looking down into the hole (looking up at the good, down at the bad), this is ironic as in real life people always look down on bad people and things, and always look up and aspire to be like the good people. As she falls down the hole and eventually reaches the bottom at which she is now dead, the television screen is no longer blurry it has completely blanked out. Which could show how the tele represented her life, and now that she is dead so is the tele.

Silent Hill analysis

When watching Akshay, Emma, Catherine and Georgia's presentation of 'Silent Hill' opening, we noticed there was a wide range of camera shots/angles, mise-en-scene, editing and sound. Firstly, as the logo appears there is a non-diegetic haunting sound which represents the 'horror' genre. So immediately as the film opens we recognise the genre. The colours in the film start off as blue/white, then gradually as the opening progresses the colours change to have more of a red tint. The blue/white colours to begin with could show how she is feeling calm running through the forest, then as the colours turn to red could show how the daughter is in danger but could also show the love between the mother and daughter. The first character we see in the film is the mother, this signifies that she is the main dominant character as she is who we are firstly introduced to. As the husband appears for the first time he is in a dark light which could show that he isnt as significant as the mothers character as she was mostly shown in the light. There is a lot of non-diegetic sound of screams which signifies the 'horror' genre and adds to the 'scary' effect that it has on the audience.

The mother is shown wearing a necklace chain with a ring attached to it. This could imply that she is a very family orientated person. This shows a sign of love and affection towards her family as she is keeping something that is obviously precious to her close to her heart and kept safe on a chain so it never gets lost. Most people would ususally wear a ring on their finger, but this shows scene shows her wearing it round her neck which could signify she is different from other people and doesnt do things in a traditional way. Also it could show that she is quite an independant person and doesnt rely on anyone else, as she has reinvented the ring in her own way.

The dark colours of the forest scene are forboding the future events that could happen. The dark shadowy colours look quite threatening to the audience and seem quite mysterious as you cant see everything thats in the shot.

We can see that the mother and daughter link as they are both wearing a blue item of clothing. This could also imply that they have a stronger bond than the father and child as the father isn't wearing any colour clothing that links to the child. This could show that the father is quite distant from the family.

The setting of the house on its own looks and makes the audience feel very isolated. It is very seperate from any other houses/shops etc. This could relate to how the family are feeling, perhaps very lonely and isolated. The non-diegetic background music sounds a bit like a choir singing quite faintly. This has a religious connotation linked to it implying that the choir are praying to keep the daughter safe. Although, the religious connotation to the choir could also imply death, as they could be singing at a funeral. Also the deep notes of the choir voices sounds quite haunting which links to the genre of the film.

The cars that pass are very fast and the film and shot movements become fast paced which could imply that time is shooting by (like the cars), and running out. This links to the whole video game idea behind the film, as if it's a countdown in a game and soon they will no longer have any lives left. Also the fast paced shot movements and timing creates tension and puts the audience on edge when watching it making them feel nervous about what will happen next. There are a few canted angles shown in this scene, which makes the audience feel disorientated and awkward which could relate to how the characters in the film are feeling.

Finally, as the daughter is standing on top of the waterfall threatening to jump, the high camera angle from above her makes her look vulnerable. As the mother runs to save her the camera zooms right up to her, which could show how she is now safe, and no longer looks vulnerable. Also now that the camera is closer to the mother and daughter, more of the emotion in the scene is shown and we feel the connection between the characters as we are much closer to them. Whereas before when they were seperate when the daughter was about to jump off the waterfall the camera is further away showing how at that moment they feel distant from eachother.