GROUP 14 - FOUNDATION PORTFOLIO

Thursday, 1 April 2010

Evaluation Rough Answers

1.) My film is a horror based opening sequence and it incorporates generic conventions. The generic conventions I have incorporated into my piece are blood, a weapon, enigma and concealing the killer’s identity. Blood and gore are present throughout my piece and so is the knife being used to slice the organs. Mystery was a key thing I was thinking about when planning my opening sequence and I wanted to conceal the killer to give a more mysterious depth to my piece. However I challenged this convention of concealing and I got the actress to wear a Pandora bracelet and a watch, recognizable for a woman so that the audience would straight away discover that this killer is not a stereotypical mans role, but a scheming woman, this subverts generic conventions. I also developed the other conventions by including many different shots of ‘dissection’ and ensuring that I could make it as gruesome as possible, that of a typical horror.
The use of conventions indicate what subgenre my sequence is. I think that they indicate well that my piece is a slasher horror involving a serial killer and satanic stories of religion. The religious involvement in my piece is recognizable in my sequence as religious items have been used such as the Christian cross, quotes shown in the bible and the actress is seen praying to the cross around mid-point in the film.
I also think that my use of conventions indicates what other film horrors have influenced my work. The films that did influence my work were ‘Se7en’ the opening sequence as it conceals the person’s identity and is mysterious and makes the audience wonder why the person is doing things such as making a scrapbook and stitching. Also, another film that influenced my work was the ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.’ Where the opening sequence feeds the audience small pieces of information bit by bit to build up an idea of the plot, and it does this cleverly by making the screen go black after each short clip. Another big influence for my piece was the original ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ where the man is shown massacring the flesh and meat all laid out on a workbench.

2.) My opening sequence does not represent particular social groups. Gender is not represented in a stereotypical way, my sequence challenges the stereotypical representation of females because the women is dominant as she is killing, not a likely role to be taken on by a woman in a typical horror. I have done this because I wanted to give a fresh twist on the genre of horror. All of the victims are out walking, as said in the radio broadcast, and the person that is first being stalked is a male, therefore men can be seen as a subordinate gender because of the woman catching them. By representing the social groups in this way I aim to appeal to my target audience of the younger generation of adults, 18-30. Typically, these films are American, so with the British voice, it may appeal more to British people, and particularly to northerners.

3.) I think that my piece would be something that could be produced by a Hollywood studio because it is a horror similar to existing products such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Scream. It is similar to many horror films and probably incorporates a high level of elements in the horror genre. It would be a lucrative film for the Hollywood studio because it offers opportunities for franchise and merchandise similar to the Saw movies where many products have been created from the basis of the movie such as Roller Coasters, clothing, pens, cups etc. It really would be a wide area that could be covered when it comes to merchandise. The Mise En Scene in my film is represented well and is a constant indicator throughout that this is a horror showing gore and holding the viewers in suspense.
If my piece where to be produced by a Hollywood studio, I think it would be worked on by someone like James Wan who directed and produced the horror series ‘Saw’, or Tobe Hooper who directed ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (1974), because they both have a creative imagination which is also demonstrated in their other works such as ‘The funhouse’ and ‘Death Sentence’. (find stats)
I think that my opening sequence turned into a Hollywood movie and would attract attention because of the nature of the sequence. According to loose research found with the use of google, horror movies at present time turn over more box office profits than any other genre of film.

4.) The audience my media product is targeted at is aged 18 and over but mainly to 18-30. I think that the younger generation of adults would prefer this to the mature viewers. Typically, a horror audience is male, however my sequence is more diverse with a female being the killer, so hopefully this would appeal to women as well.
The other films similar to mine (Se7en, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Beginning) appeal to the audience over 18 and I would say that they appeal not only to the younger generation of adults but also to the more mature viewers and the creators have really maximized the films potential by making the content suitable for adults of all ages to enjoy. I wanted my sequence to be an 18 because I wanted to use the extreme violence and gore which will appeal to my younger target audience. (give example of violence and gore) (point of view, canted angles)

5.) I think that my sequence would attract the audience because of the audience group it is aimed towards, the targeted age group is a contribution to the audience attraction, however gender depends on how people feel about horrors. Stereotypically, most men will prefer horrors than women, and it may attract a more masculine audience. However, having a woman being the killer would maximize audience potential as this may attract more women to watch it. This twist in my opening sequence is an attempt to keep the audience interested, leaving them wanting to watch more.
Particular points in my film that would appeal to my target audience are gore, suspense and enigma. So overall I think that my sequence would be appreciated by horror genre fans throughout because of its content and the Mise En Scene.
One point of view shot I used is around the middle of the film when the audience views what the killer sees from their perspective. The audience sees through the killer’s eyes and gets a feel for the murders. The audience are being allowed to witness what the majority won’t get to witness apart from in Hollywood and I believe that’s what gives the sequence a kick and the impact of point of view shots really invite the viewer into this brutal, dark underworld. I also used a point of view shot when ‘stalking the victims’ and this adds to the feel of the opening sequence.
From having friends and family members of my intended target age group watch my opening sequence rough cut, I gained if vital information and positive, constructive feedback on how to improve my piece in the final cut. I received comments such as;
• “Creepy.”
• “I think it needs to develop the plot more.”
• “A little less focus on meat and more focus on the religion.”
• “Too much of the meat scenes.”
• “Bit too much slicing and dicing.”
• "Soundtrack is annoying."

It became evident to me that there were too many dissection shots and the plot needed to be explained more so I went back to the drawing board and came up with the idea to shorten the sequence to remove some of the unneccessary meat scenes whilst still keeping the Mise En Scene.

6.) I have learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product. The camera equipment was new to me and it was a new experience to be able to use it, however, along the way I did find the strengths and weaknesses of the camera equipment. The camera equipment that was needed was all available but only a small number of cameras where ‘HD’ so for the majority of my opening sequence an ordinary camera was used leading to the film being grainy at points. The tripods used where all really easy to understand and use and it was simple to make sure it wasn’t tilted or offside because there was a spirit level built in.
During the filming process there were a few problems encounted. One of these problems was that I couldn’t film a variety of shots and be the actor at the same time, so I had to ask my mum and dad to be the actors instead so that I could focus on gaining the shots necessary. Another problem encounted is that most of the time when I was filming, it seemed to be raining. So getting the outside shots (establishing shot at the beginning, and the two shots of ‘stalking’) I had to put my coat over the camera so that it wouldnt end up water damaged, this made it difficult to film and to move the camera about whilst ensuring my coat didnt drop over the lense and interupt the filming. I didn’t get to use any new equipment to enhance my film such as the TV studio, a track or jib etc. This is because they weren’t necessary for any shots in my sequence.
When using the editing software I found it difficult to grasp how at first but when I uploaded my shots I had a play around and used all the tools as a practise run to see all the techniques available and to get familiar with the ‘imovie’ software. I have learnt that the editing is a vital stage in the process of creating an opening sequence and I found that my piece just continued to develop to a higher standard with each step.
Garageband is the software which I use to create my soundtrack. I found that it was useful however it was complicated and didn’t have all the sounds, which I wanted to use, available. I found this software difficult to understand and had to resort to watching help clips on the garageband website and on youtube. Even after the help tips, I still struggled to piece together a track and I think that this difficulty shows with my final track.

7.) When I was first planning my opening sequence I had many ideas and wanted to find a way that I could combine them to create a film with the benefits of all. My ideas wandered around abduction, murder, killers, and religion. I took time to sit and draw mind maps with each word on a different spout and listed all the words that reminded me of each thing, then founds words within these that I could link to the other main words. This led to me stumbling across the idea to find some way of incorporating sin, Christianity, satanophobia and psychotic behaviour all into one flowing piece. I knew that I wanted to create a horror movie and after doing some research into the genre of horror and ‘what makes a horror movie’ I became interested in finding out information about the different sub-genres of horror (see blog, assessment 3). I decided to choose slasher for my sub-genre and then the next lesson I came up with a solid idea for my film. After drafting up a written plan about what was going to happen in my film, I began on the animatic and drew out each shot and I finally saw my piece idea coming together. Doing all of this detailed planning helped me to produce my film with ease and reassurance because I knew what needed to be done and how to do it. I knew which shots I needed to capture and how to place the shots in an order and this helped to make the filming and editing process to be easier and smoother.
Since my rough cut, I have made a lot of changes including removing shots, and filming new shots not originally intended. Also I edited the soundtrack and included a ‘radio broadcast’ to give the reader more knowledge of what’s happening and to develop the plot. I included a wider variety of shots including more point of view shots, and I feel that not only have the shots improved, but my piece has also benefited from the additional shots.
I do feel a lot more comfortable with using the camera equipment; with using different types of cameras I have become familiar with both of them and can now use them with ease and confidence.
I feel that my end product is successful at meeting the brief. I have done everything asked and I believe that I have successfully created a piece that contains all the elements of a horror film.

Monday, 22 March 2010

Applications Used to Create and Edit my Opening Sequence.

To edit my sequence and piece all of my films together I have used iMovie.

In editing the film there are many techniques including the example below which shows the basic selection of editing techniques. Here you can select one of the options and change a certain area. Whether that be the length of the clip, the speed of the clip, sound adjustments, stabilizing the clip, rotating the clip etc.

To create a soundtrack I used Garage Band which allowed me to piece many sound clips and instruments together to create a 'fit for purpose' piece.

To use a sound clip is simple and there are many to choose from which are split into the main categories which are shown in the screen grab below. I created three sound pieces using garageband, these where the beginning track, the news introduction, and the track after the broadcast.

When designing the company logo I used Adobe Photoshop.

The toolbar on Adobe Photoshop is shown below and contains tools such as paint, shapes, effects, magic wand, stamp, spot healing. Every tool is useful in helping to design a logo and achieve a high standard look.

Monday, 8 March 2010

Rough Cut Thoughts And Final Cut Ideas

I think that whilst my rough cut represents the Mise En Scene of horror well, it is still lacking in a variety of shots and plot development. I think it could be improved by filming more shots and giving away a little more of the plot. Also I think I could improve on the soundtrack by perhaps adding in strings. I think diegetic sounds in the final cut could be effective and including these is a possibility, these diegetic sounds could include grunts and breathing to show the killers emotions whether their emotions are angry, frustrated or even enjoying the act. I think more props would also help develop the plot and allow the viewer to understand WHY the person is doing this act. These props could include newspapers, a radio broadcast etc to offer more information about the story line while keeping the enigma.

Audience Feedback:
The audience who have watched my rough cut include family and friends. The main responses I received where things such as:
"Creepy."
"I think it needs to develop the plot more."
"A little less focus on meat and more focus on the religion."
"Too much of the meat scenes."
"Bit too much slicing and dicing."

Taking these comments into account I have already began editing the rough cut and I am beginning to remove quite a large chunk of the meat scenes and have went back to recording new clips to use. These clips include quotes from the bible and the beginning of a 'scrapbook'.

Thursday, 4 March 2010

Rough Cut

Monday, 1 March 2010

Simliar Products To My Piece.

The opening of 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning' is a similar product to my piece. Its opens showing just flashes and short clips of particular images and occurences. I like that it doesn't give much away and that it's almost like a mind map piecing things together, but only giving small pieces of information away.

Also the opening of Se7en is similar to my piece and is my inspiration which i will use to add more filming to my piece for my final cut. I think that this opening is brilliant in demonstrating mystery and curiosity as to what is happening, why is this person stitching and sticking things into a scrap book etc. I wish to recreate certain elements from Se7en for my piece such as the opening of a book, but rather than a scrap book it will be a bible and i will use shallow focus to pick out only a significant phrase. I have also been inspired to show flashes of newspaper headlines.

Creating A Company Logo.

For my company logo I have used an image from the internet found on google images, however I have changed the image and modified it using photoshop. I changed the colour of the Iris to a red using the burn effect and I also darked particular parts surrounding the eye making the eye more orange rather than yellow. I added my own title 'Magic Motion Pictures' and 'Present' as another layer on the image and I enlarged the Pupil of the eye also.

Monday, 22 February 2010

Risk Assessment.

For my piece i will be in an old greenhouse which is damaged however still stands strong and is seemingly safe minus a few wobbly shelves inside.
I will be using a knife to cut the organs but the knife I will be using is blunt but still has some elements of danger so I will cut slowly and carefully taking time and being cautious.
Food poisoning is even a possibility as i'm using raw organs, i need to ensure i wear gloves and that my hands are scrubbed well after.

Influences for my piece.

I think to include an old bible by candlelight would suggest the reasoning behind the persons acting in the opening sequence if it's possible to get an old testiment.

I like the idea of a cross shadowing onto the wall by candlelight, i think it makes religion more significant by showing a darker side to the cross; Satan.

This is an image of wooden rosary beads linking to religion, a main theme I hope to include in my piece.

This screen grab is taken from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre showing him massacring the flesh and meat.

Sunday, 7 February 2010

ASSESSMENT 8: Shooting Schedule

Shot No.	Type	Duration	Location	Mise en scene
1 2	Establishing Shot Pan	2 sec 3 sec	Garden Greenhouse	Very Dark, Only lighting will be from candles inside greenhouse. Pan from left to right to show organs spread on workbench.
3	Zoom In	2 sec	Greenhouse	Zoom in on 4 images of x-rays and rosary beads.
4	Close up	2 sec	Greenhouse	Focus on cross which is shadowing onto the wall.
5	Close up	3 sec	Greenhouse	Close up of heart being held and sliced.
6	Extreme Close Up	3 sec	Greenhouse	Dissection of the heart is continued.
7	Medium Shot	3 sec	Greenhouse	Picking up lungs.
8	Close up	2 sec	Greenhouse	Dissecting lungs.
9	Over the shoulder shot	3 sec	Greenhouse	Dark. Dissection continues.
10	Point of view	2 sec	Greenhouse	Lungs being sliced.
11	Medium shot	3 sec	Greenhouse	Organs being offered to the cross.
12	Medium shot	2 sec	Greenhouse	Organs near cross. Actress praying.
13	Medium shot	2 sec	Greenhouse	Another organ is being offered.
14	Close up	3 sec	Greenhouse	Candle flickering.
15	Close up	2 sec	Greenhouse	Heart held in hands with knife.
16	Close up	2 sec	Greenhouse	Other candle flickering.
17	Medium shot	3 sec	Greenhouse	Lungs being held up.
18	Medium shot	3 sec	Greenhouse	Organs around cross and candles.
19	Close up	3 sec	Greenhouse	Both candles together.
20	Zoom in	3 sec	Greenhouse	Zoom in on candle flame.
21	Extreme Close up	3 sec	Greenhouse	Candle flame.
22	Close up	2 sec	Greenhouse	Candles have been blown out and the rising smoke is visible.

Saturday, 17 April 2010

Satanophobia - Final Cut.