7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

I believe that the Preliminary task helped me out a lot with the making of our movie. i feel that if we had never got the chance to do it, our opening sequence would be very different, and not as good. The preliminary task gave me great knowledge of the equipment we used including the Camera, Tripod and IMovie HD. I enjoyed both task and the progression i have made between the two, i believe is brilliant.

For the Preliminary task we created a short sequence which included Shot reverse shot, 180 degree rule and match on action. The sequence consisted of two people having a short discussion lasting only a few seconds; this could be set anywhere however, it must contain the three types of shots.This was a great opportunity to use the equipment.  

For the main task, we had to make the opening of a film opening. It had to include titles, music and had to introduce characters. The main task was longer than our preliminary task and it took us much longer to create because we had to story board, film and we had to edit a lot more content than what we had to in the preliminary task.

As a group we all had a lot of different ideas and we took all of them on board, planning to include all of them, however we found that we were over complicating things so we tried to make it more simple, so that it would be easier to achieve, and focus on the shot types and angles and editing more than the storyline.

After filming on the Mac's and editing our whole film, i feel i learnt more when doing the opening sequence because we used more programmes like Garage Band and iTunes because it need more assistance and work used on it.It also needed more editing than the preliminary task. This means Our movie took us a lot to create.

Overall, i believe that our horror movie was made more scary and fearful because of the help we had with the Mac computers to edit and the other helping programmes we used. Although it took us a fair bit of time to work out how to use everything, when we finally knew, we managed to get on with our work and perfect it. The toughest programme we used was Garage Band. This is because we had to use this programme as a group, This is because it was very complicated to use and required a lot of assistance. After using it for a little while we understood it more and it became easier to use.

6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

 We used Garage Band to create all the music and sounds in our film. This programme is easy to use and has a wide range of different sounds on it, this shows that we have some versatility throughout our film. 

We used Itunes to save all of the music we made in Garage Band to import on to our film. We also saved and imported a police siren to IMovie HD. This is a non-diegetic sound.

We used IMovie HD throughout the whole process of making the movie. This helped us to put each clip together, use special effects, non-diegetic sounds and tension building sounds.

 We have all been using Blogger to keep updated with our work and to keep other people updated with our work. It has been seen as a record of what we have been doing from the beginning and how everything has developed.

I have previously used Itunes, however the other programmes were new to me. It took time to understand how to use them but after a bit of practice, it became easier and very helpful.

5) How did you attract/address your audience?

This first still frame from our film opening is an establishing shot and pans around the area slowly. The purpose of this shot is to set the scene and give the audience an idea of the film. The CCTV high security sign suggests that the film is set in a secure place leaving the audience to wonder why this could be and where it might be.This is because only highly dangerous places would need such equipment. We, as a group, decided to not use any types of music or sounds in this clip because we believed it would be better to make it seem calm and relatively normal and to create a greater impact when the music starts on the other clips. Many horror movies start of with an establishing shot that begins very with quiet music, an example would be 'The Uninvited', where in the beginning of this it is also quite calm and normal, which makes the viewer wonder why, but then as the film get further into the opening the tension begins to build up as the story unravels. This is often done in horror movies to create a chilling atmosphere and keep the audience intrigued.

This next still is of Cathrine's edited face. She has escaped from a mental hospital. She  is shown in this still to be possessed, we achieved this by using special effects, we edited the contrast and colours of this clip but most importantly we changed her eye colour to red, which is a typical convention of a possessed character in a horror movie. Her eye being red helps to convey that she is evil and the  stare she is doing along with it  helps to re enforce that because it is very incensing and slightly menacing. The effects we used here are useful to attract our target audience because they are different and not how a person would see another person under normal circumstances so the effect helps to distinguish the difference between  normal people and possessed people like Catherine.



This last still is of Catherine as she begins her killing spree , she is shown here killing her first victim, the nurse. In this still there are many visible conventions of a horror movie. The woods  is a typical location because it is an isolated and slightly darker area. We used non-diegetic sound in this clip , cold wind and some music we composed oursleves on garage band, we did this to build up tension and fear as the killing takes place. We used strings music as research showed that it was the most common instrument used for horror films.

4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

This is Sinead. She is a typical teenager who we would aim our film at. She is a hard working student in full education. She likes to watch films in the cinema and go shopping with friends. Her favourite shops are Topshop, H&M and Superdry. she is very fashionable and like to keep updated with the latest trends and styles.
Her favourite music artists are Nicki Minaj and Matt Cardle. Her favourite T.V programmes are The X Factor, I'm a Celebrity get me out of here and Misfits. Sinead enjoys reality TV and is highly intrigued by Misfits, which is about super powers and the dark sides to it.


Sinead enjoys Horror movies as she enjoys the fright they produce and the way they make her want to keep watching. She would definitely watch our movie 'The Escaped' because it would give her a thrill and keep her watching to find out what happens next.

In the opening scenes of ‘The Escaped’ there is violence and a murder and as the film would go on this violence would progress and therefore would be classified as Certificate 15.

3) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The genre of horror is extremely popular in the television and film world. After some research this is what i found out.

Film 4:

This channel airs a huge range of different genres of film, from rom-com to horror. Recently they were showing a thriller called 'The Devils Backbone'. Previously film 4  have shown various horror movies including 'Night On Elm Street' ,'Saw', 'The Exorcist' , 'The Ring', 'The Omen', 'House of Wax' and many more. These films  all show typical conventions of horror movies. This includes locations, props and costumes. Because of the genre these types of films have to be shown later in the evening and aimed at 18 year old and over only due to the content, meaning younger viewers are not expected to watch.

                            

                                 

Film Festivals:

There are film festivals everywhere in the world. In Los Angeles, Cannes, London, New York and many others are just a few examples of the most common fim festival destinations. In Los Angeles there is a film festival called 'Screamfest'. the events airs the film and produces awards for the best and winning films in each horror category. Everyone who attends the event, including actors, dresses up as horror characters. It is the only requirement.

                                               The Odeon Cinema:

 

My local Odeon in Guildford shows every new release of every genre. The current horror films being shown at the Odeon are 'Saw 3D' and 'Paranormal Activity 2'. Horror is one of the most popular genres to watch, so these types of films are some of the best sellers in the cinema. This is because it gives people a sense of fear and adrenaline.

 

 

I personally believe that our film 'The Escaped' would be viewed in the cinema. i also believe that because of it's genre there is a very likely chance that it could be placed in a film festival such as the 'Screamfest' in Los Angeles.

 

2) How does you media product represent particular social groups?

On the left hand side of the screen is Catherine. She is the possessed girl in our play, she is seen as the perpetrator in our film. On the right hand side is Samara. She is also a possessed girl from the well know film, 'The Ring'. There are many similarities between the two including the way thy look, the way they dress and the fact their parts in the film are very similar.

The similarities between both of the girls are that they look nearly identical. Their hair is covering their face, this gives the impression that they are hiding behind it because of a secret they hold. This is also showed through their possessed eyes and devilish facial expressions which creates a a scary feel and adds to the genre of horror. Another similarity is the costumes used. Both Catherine and Samara is that they both wear simplistic nightgowns. which adds to the physciatric tendencies. However both girls wear these outside of the mental hospital which gives the suggestion that they are both outsiders. Both characters have similar roles of being violent killers.  

There are also many difference in the two characters. Samara is younger than Catherine and have different coloured hair and style. Catherine's stills are less realistic compared to Samara's as he special effects aren't quite as well done considering we didn't have the same or similar budget opposed to 'The Ring' because we are no where near as big a production company as the creators of The Ring. Because Catherine is younger she has a more mature attitude compared to Samara, this also makes her slightly more educated as she used to live a normal life.

1) In What ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

1. This is our first of the film. it is a pan shot of a security sign. This fits in will with our genre as it suggests that the premise is under watch because it is extremely dangerous. This also fits in with our film title of 'The Escaped' as it also suggests that CCTV is needed to make the enviroment more secure and safe. This brings a lot of suspense and makes the viewer continue to watch to find out why the destination is under such high security

2. This shot helps that audience to have an initial understanding of what the movie is about and how the 'sicotic' girl escaped the mental institution. the destination we filmed in isn't a typical setting for a horror film, we believe this can have an impact and somehow make the film slightly more scary.  

3.This is one of the only shots we have used dialogue in. The nurse uses the phone to make an important call, warning staff that Catherine has escaped. she makes this call from her office, this is made relevant due to the props we have used, a computer and paperwork/files. the phone can be seen as safe prop as it it commonly used to call for help

 4. This shot gives some background to Catherine. This scene shows the file of Catherine explaining why she was admitted and her state mind being labelled 'Highly Dangerous'. In this shot we have used a lot of different shot types mainly extreme close ups. we have filmed the file in a way that makes the audience feel like they are reading the file. We also zoom into words highly dangerous, this creates a tense feeling making the viewer feel scared and worried about what will happen next.

5. This shot is where we introduce the film title. This scene has a lot happening in it including the chase where the nurse is searching for Catherine, as the nurse walks away, only the audience can see Catherine appear just as the title begin to fade away. we overlayed the shots to make he long scene seem more interesting and worth watching. we chose a simplistic and sans-serif font to make the film a more modern style of horror.

6. In this shot we edited a still of Catherine that shows her possessed by some kind of demon. This shows a great understanding towards the audience about who Catherine is and why people should fear of her. It creates a more scary vibe to the film. this shot relates back to scene four. 

7. This shot shows the typical location of a horror film, being a woods. We placed the camera in different positions to create a more life like feeling. This also creates a sense of fear. the still we have chosen is an over the shoulder shot just before something bad is about to happen. in editing we used garage band to make suspense track to put over the film. This makes the nurse seem vulnerable meaning anything can happen.

8. This is one of the most crucial part of the film as it is when the nurse is strangled to death by Catherine. This has shown an outcome of the great suspense that has been built up. it also introduces Catherine as a murdering and explains why she is 'Highly Dangerous'.

9. In this last shot of the movie we see Catherine leaving the crime scene just as she hears the police sirens become louder. This creates tension and make the viewer want to know if she will get caught and what will happen next. This is what we were aiming for as a cliffhanger is one of the best ways to end a horror film.

My Amazing Group.....

Lizzie Hill…

She is a pretty awesome person. She is a great team worker and contributes loads to the group. She is very knowledgeable when it comes to media, as she is with everything she does. I enjoy working with her as she helps everyone the best she can. She has a great personality and entertains us all time. Along with me she always volunteers to act in each film we make as well as helping out with the actual filming. I am glad to be working with Lizzie, as I have a lot in common with her but we still work well together and get everything sorted.

Alex Hobbs…

She is a fun loving person and a great friend. She has great abilities when it comes to filming and she tends to also have some great ideas which she is not afraid to contribute to the group. Again she is very knowledgeable and shows this when it comes as to filming and planning. Although she doesn’t like to act much in our films, despite being the only person in our group to do A-Level Drama, she still has a great impact on the group. I enjoy working with Alex as I think she has a great personality and can help us all with certain things she may know more about.

Overall I do love my group and I am very honoured to be working with them, I look forward to our future tasks together. I have also seen this as a bit of a privilege to get to know my friends a lot better and understand what different skills we have.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

This is what we did… We created a short sequence which included Shot reverse shot, 180 degree rule and match on action. The sequence consisted of two people having a short discussion lasting only a few seconds; this could be set anywhere however, it must contain the three types of shots. For some ideas we watched an example of the preliminary task, this gave us great background of what we should do. To prepare for this task Alex Hobbs, Lizzie Hill and I created a storyboard in which we planned the scenes, shot types and the transitions.

When we got round to filming we had our storyboard and put the first scene into great detail. I played the character who walks into the room asking a question of some sort ours being ‘have you seen Alex anywhere?’ our first shot was a long shot of myself walking along the path to the reception. The second shot was where I open the door and walk through it, the camera was filming from behind, then as I pushed the door it filmed from the front this is called match on action. To show the 180 degree rule we blending both this and shot reverse shot together making the conversation seem more intense.  We used long shots and close ups to make the shots look more concentrated and thought about.

When framing we made sure that no one unnecessary was in the shot making silly faces or waving to the camera because that ruins the sequence so we made sure that when we filmed it we picked a place that was fairly quite with not that many people that would be in the background.

After filming the sequence we had to edit it, we were very pleased with the final result as it appeared to flow well together and we also decided to add titles with both the people involved and small quotations to do with the title of the film all in different fonts and appearances.

Overall I think our group worked well together as the final piece looked very good, well performed and well edited. I believe that my group and I worked well together and I look forward to working with them again. We worked well as a team and made each transition of each shot blend well together. I am happy with my preliminary task.

Warner Bros.

http://www.warnerbros.com/main/homepage.html

The homepage of ‘Warner Bros’ is full of new and old film listings, once you have got through the consistent films you finally reach ‘The Dark Night’. The site gives you a brief outline of what the film is about, who stars in it and it also has downloadable items. The site also contains a trailer above in which the outline of the film is shown.  A picture is also shown to give more effect as to what the film is about. There are a few pictures of the cast including the late Heath Ledger who played the all famous ‘Joker’.

http://www2.warnerbros.com/wbsf/#/home/

Above is a link to the Warner Bros Studios, this gives more information about the facilities it has.
1. Sound Stages

2.Exterior Sets

3.Post production

4.Costume

5.Construction

This is only a couple on the website as there are many more. Warner Bros is a huge company who also own many other companies including their own.

Comparing Conventions of a Thriller

I am comparing two films by Christopher Nolan, ‘Insomnia’ and ‘Memento. There are many conventions in the opening titles of ‘Insomnia’ which are similar in many ways, using the conventions of a thriller, as the opening titles of ‘Memento’. The setting of Insomnia is reflects on the title of the film itself. As the titles appear on screen in a blurred fashion, producing the feel of tiredness and an obscured vision, the black and white background fades and brings a distant focus on another shot. The setting appears in a polar region, a classic thriller setting, this creates a strong undergo of discomfort. The film Memento is set is a completely different prospect as it is a simple and tedious room. Again this is a characteristic setting of a thriller. The titles of Memento appear different to Insomnia as instead of a blurred, tired feel, they are fast paced and stills. When the title ‘Memento’ is shown the titles slow down to speed and the music creating great tension. The non diagetic sound of the opening in Insomnia is made by using classical music from string instruments. The music becomes quite loud, this creates an image of uncertainty and panic of what is about to happen. The non diagetic sound in Memento is similar using the string instruments again but in a quieter approach, this still gives an uneasy vibe, however it also makes the viewer feel restless and dreamy, which greatly contrasts with the title Insomnia.

The cinematography of both films is extremely similar. In Insomnia, a close up of a cloth with red blood seeping onto the fabric gives a thrilling feeling, leaving you wondering where the blood is from. As the blood seeps further into the fabric, it darkens creating a serious vibe. In Memento the close up of a man holding a Polaroid picture and shaking also gives the feel of a serious but thrilling matter. Similar to Insomnia the Polaroid makes the audience want to continue with the film to find out the consequence of it. The two films all in all are very similar in the conventions of a thriller, this could be because of the director, however it proves that thrillers can  have similar conventions, but still have a completely story to each and contain the same quality of thrill.

The opening to Insomnia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m70eyk6xr3s

The Opening to Memento.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z87iY8rPJF8

Christopher Nolan Talks about making Insomnia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGw1VYpDFI4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be7Gw_lhud8&p=BB475637E7A5CB9B&playnext=1&index=13

Christopher Nolan Talks about making Memento.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIFxNq_oMGY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYbNFxtG8H4&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYO-zUdUoTE&feature=related