Wednesday 6 May 2009
Evaluation
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
In our thriller we use some of the conventions that we read about in our media products. The crime is the main theme of our thriller, as well as the murder of Karishma and Tobi. We have a villain in our film and innocent people, as real life media products have. Although in our thriller we don’t really have a "whodunit" theme as most films do, as we make it clear from the beginning exactly who the murderer is, our aim is to see what lengths the killer will go to, to get what he wants. This will therefore mean that we would not have clues as to who it was, and the audience would not have to try and work out the suspect. The ending of our film is left as a cliff-hanger. As this will creat more tension in the audience as they will be willing to find out what happens next. The audience may have already discovered what the killer is going to do, but we leave it as a "will he or won’t he" cliff-hanger. In the ending scene the killer is preparing to go out and commit another murder, however the audience does not see this; they only see him preparing himself.
2. How does your media product represent particular media groups?
In Our media film product we represent teenagers in our thriller. All of our characters that are used in our film are teenagers. Some viewers in the audience may suggest that the actors/actresses in our film are being stereotyped, as they may feel that a lot of teenagers nowadays are involved in gangs and knife/gun crime. We have three typical teenage girls, who are all friends, and two teenage boys where one wants to get rid of the other one, so he can get with his girlfriend. We focus a lot on teenage life, and how their life is portrayed in the media as well as the public eye.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Warner Brothers may want to distribute our film as it is a thriller, and they distributed Alfred Hitchcock’s films, which was well known for making thrillers. Another institution that may like to distribute our film is channel 4. As a lot of young adults (teenagers) watch their station and may find that they are able to relate to our film.
4. Who will be the audience for your media product?
We have decided that the target audience for our thriller are teenagers who are 15 and above. This is because the actors/actresses that are acting in the film are teenagers, so it may make it much easier for teenagers to relate to the story and the social realism that we have attempted to create in our thriller.
5. How did you attract / address your audience?
To attract our audience we used tense music (i.e. like a drum of a heart beat) that created a lot of tension and made the audience want to know what was going to happen. We also see the victims, with the murderer following them; this requires the audience to use their imagination as to what could happen. By them seeing this they may be in great tension as they may think that at any moment disaster is going to strike.
6. What have you leant about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
By doing this project I have learned how to use a camera properly and how to film using a camera. I also learned how to use enhance technology to edit footage that we filmed. As well as editing I have learned how to cut out scenes, add transitions, effects and music. Collectively I have learned a lot about the technology of filming and editing in media and how and what it takes in order to make a good film.
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the product?
I think that I and my group have improved so much since our first exercise (preliminary exercise) that we done. The footage we produced is more complex than our preliminary exercise was. Our camera techniques have also enhanced dramatically, as when we film now the camera is steadier than it was in the preliminary exercise. I have also learned a lot about editing, and including transitions and music to make our thriller look more professional and how by adding these elements can contribute to an outstanding piece of work . I know more about different camera techniques, such as jump-cuts and panning shots, and now understand how to use these in my thriller and why they are useful and, how they change a mood. Although in the beginning (when we first filmed our preliminary exercise) I had no idea that these are all the elements that go in to making a successful film.
In our thriller we use some of the conventions that we read about in our media products. The crime is the main theme of our thriller, as well as the murder of Karishma and Tobi. We have a villain in our film and innocent people, as real life media products have. Although in our thriller we don’t really have a "whodunit" theme as most films do, as we make it clear from the beginning exactly who the murderer is, our aim is to see what lengths the killer will go to, to get what he wants. This will therefore mean that we would not have clues as to who it was, and the audience would not have to try and work out the suspect. The ending of our film is left as a cliff-hanger. As this will creat more tension in the audience as they will be willing to find out what happens next. The audience may have already discovered what the killer is going to do, but we leave it as a "will he or won’t he" cliff-hanger. In the ending scene the killer is preparing to go out and commit another murder, however the audience does not see this; they only see him preparing himself.
2. How does your media product represent particular media groups?
In Our media film product we represent teenagers in our thriller. All of our characters that are used in our film are teenagers. Some viewers in the audience may suggest that the actors/actresses in our film are being stereotyped, as they may feel that a lot of teenagers nowadays are involved in gangs and knife/gun crime. We have three typical teenage girls, who are all friends, and two teenage boys where one wants to get rid of the other one, so he can get with his girlfriend. We focus a lot on teenage life, and how their life is portrayed in the media as well as the public eye.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Warner Brothers may want to distribute our film as it is a thriller, and they distributed Alfred Hitchcock’s films, which was well known for making thrillers. Another institution that may like to distribute our film is channel 4. As a lot of young adults (teenagers) watch their station and may find that they are able to relate to our film.
4. Who will be the audience for your media product?
We have decided that the target audience for our thriller are teenagers who are 15 and above. This is because the actors/actresses that are acting in the film are teenagers, so it may make it much easier for teenagers to relate to the story and the social realism that we have attempted to create in our thriller.
5. How did you attract / address your audience?
To attract our audience we used tense music (i.e. like a drum of a heart beat) that created a lot of tension and made the audience want to know what was going to happen. We also see the victims, with the murderer following them; this requires the audience to use their imagination as to what could happen. By them seeing this they may be in great tension as they may think that at any moment disaster is going to strike.
6. What have you leant about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
By doing this project I have learned how to use a camera properly and how to film using a camera. I also learned how to use enhance technology to edit footage that we filmed. As well as editing I have learned how to cut out scenes, add transitions, effects and music. Collectively I have learned a lot about the technology of filming and editing in media and how and what it takes in order to make a good film.
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the product?
I think that I and my group have improved so much since our first exercise (preliminary exercise) that we done. The footage we produced is more complex than our preliminary exercise was. Our camera techniques have also enhanced dramatically, as when we film now the camera is steadier than it was in the preliminary exercise. I have also learned a lot about editing, and including transitions and music to make our thriller look more professional and how by adding these elements can contribute to an outstanding piece of work . I know more about different camera techniques, such as jump-cuts and panning shots, and now understand how to use these in my thriller and why they are useful and, how they change a mood. Although in the beginning (when we first filmed our preliminary exercise) I had no idea that these are all the elements that go in to making a successful film.
Questionaire and Results
In our group we decided to do a questionaire and distribute it out to students in our school, the following questions were asked;
How old are you?
Responses; ten people are aged 16-20
Are you male/female?
Responeses: five male and five females
How often do you go to the cinemas?
Responses; three people: once a month/two people: not that much/one person: 3/4 months/four people: occasionally
What genre do you prfere?
Responses; three people=comedy/ two people=action/ five people=other
How many times do you go to the cinema a month?
Responses; eight people siad 1-3 a month and two people said 4-6 a month
What was the last movie of thriller you watched?
Responses; three people watched white chicks/two people watched i am legend/ two people watched the heartbreak kid/ three people watched Quantum of solace
How old are you?
Responses; ten people are aged 16-20
Are you male/female?
Responeses: five male and five females
How often do you go to the cinemas?
Responses; three people: once a month/two people: not that much/one person: 3/4 months/four people: occasionally
What genre do you prfere?
Responses; three people=comedy/ two people=action/ five people=other
How many times do you go to the cinema a month?
Responses; eight people siad 1-3 a month and two people said 4-6 a month
What was the last movie of thriller you watched?
Responses; three people watched white chicks/two people watched i am legend/ two people watched the heartbreak kid/ three people watched Quantum of solace
Facial Expression/Body Language/Settings and Props/Positioning of the Characters
Facial expression/body language- the facial expression and the body language that was use in our film came mostly from Cameron Thomas (Edwin). As he showed and portrayed a lot of his hate, love, anger and jealousy through his body language.
In our thriller film we had many different settings and props that were used in the scenes. Each prop that was used in the scene matched what was going on as, if it didn’t it wouldn’t make sense.
The positioning of the characters changed from time to time. We used different technical devices to capture each character.
In our thriller film we had many different settings and props that were used in the scenes. Each prop that was used in the scene matched what was going on as, if it didn’t it wouldn’t make sense.
The positioning of the characters changed from time to time. We used different technical devices to capture each character.
Mise-en-scene
In our thriller film we used a lot of mise-en-scene in our scenes. Lighting – in one of our scenes in our thriller, (the funfair scene) there was a lot of lighting that we used. During this scene we used a lot of red and green (mainly red) lighting to symbolise the love, anger, anger and jealousy that goes on in this film. Sound – in our thriller film that we shot we erased all the sound that was in the film (at the time we were filming) all the sound that was in our film and placed a song (non-diagetic sound) “Love Lockdown” throughout the showing of each scene. The music that was playing on top of our film was off screen as the audience would be able to hear it but not see it. The music playing is also a parallel sound as it matched the scene that is going on in the film.
Make-up/hair/costume – in our film we all decided that for each character that is represented in our thriller should have a costume that best describes them through the costume (connotation).
Edwin- in our film the clothes that he wore was always really dark colours. This reflects his personality. With this colour it represents darkness, which is what message we were trying to give off.
Jordan – her costume was bright and dark at times. The brightness represented how lively she is and how sweet and kind she is. Whereas, the dark colour represents her pain and agony that she is going through.
Ian- his costume that who wore was really calm colours such as white which showed that he was a cool free person and was clean of sin/guilt.
Tobi- her costume was really dull as she wore a lot of grey and silver which represented that she’s moral ambiguity. However there was a band of gold which could represent that she may have been trying to bring out a different side.
Karishma- her colours that she wore were also really bright as she wore white and dark blue. This showed that she was a nice person however was a bit two-face as her personality was very twisted.
Make-up/hair/costume – in our film we all decided that for each character that is represented in our thriller should have a costume that best describes them through the costume (connotation).
Edwin- in our film the clothes that he wore was always really dark colours. This reflects his personality. With this colour it represents darkness, which is what message we were trying to give off.
Jordan – her costume was bright and dark at times. The brightness represented how lively she is and how sweet and kind she is. Whereas, the dark colour represents her pain and agony that she is going through.
Ian- his costume that who wore was really calm colours such as white which showed that he was a cool free person and was clean of sin/guilt.
Tobi- her costume was really dull as she wore a lot of grey and silver which represented that she’s moral ambiguity. However there was a band of gold which could represent that she may have been trying to bring out a different side.
Karishma- her colours that she wore were also really bright as she wore white and dark blue. This showed that she was a nice person however was a bit two-face as her personality was very twisted.
Editing
In our thriller film we edited each scene after we finished it as we believed that it would make it easier for us when it comes to compiling the scenes together. When we finished editing our scenes and placed them together, we noticed that it had so many cuts in between. This therefore gave us the idea to place different types of transitions in place, which gives it more of an affect and makes the thriller flow more.
Appropriate Material For Our Thriller
In our thriller film we had to make sure that the scenes in which we filmed were of appropriate material towards our thriller. This therefore meant that our props that we used would need to connect with our thriller film. Some of the props that we used in our film were; a knife, umbrella, headbands, etc... . The costumes that were wore in the film also symbolised the way the characters are shown.
Appropriate Technical Competence
In our movie thriller we applied many different types of technical competence such as;
Holding a steady shot- we used this in our thriller film as it gives/ adds an affect.
Using a variety of shot distances- we used this in our thriller as it gave a meaningful view. We mainly used this shot when we would show the killer (Edwin) walking/ running from afar getting closer. I think that by using this shot it connects the characters together. i.e. In a jungle if we were to see a Lion from afar and then a Zebra, the audience may get the feeling that something bad is going to happen.
Holding a steady shot- we used this in our thriller film as it gives/ adds an affect.
Using a variety of shot distances- we used this in our thriller as it gave a meaningful view. We mainly used this shot when we would show the killer (Edwin) walking/ running from afar getting closer. I think that by using this shot it connects the characters together. i.e. In a jungle if we were to see a Lion from afar and then a Zebra, the audience may get the feeling that something bad is going to happen.
Tuesday 5 May 2009
Constructing The Production
On Friday 1st May, I and my group all met up in our media class and discussed what we had done since we began our filming. We talked about and discussed what we still needed to accomplish. However due to the little amount of time that we had left (the due date for our work) we ended up changing our storyboard plan to Love Lockdown.
(Below is the new plan for our storyline Love Lockdown)
Cast
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin)-(guy who is in love with Sarah Jane)
· Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan)-(main character)
· Cassandra Phillips (Tobi) -(friends with the Sarah Jane)
· Madison James ( Karishma) -(friends with the Sarah Jane)
· Quincy Johnson (Ian)- (Sarah Jane’s boyfriend)
Instrumental
· Love lock down –inspired by Kanye West↘ Piano-Garage Band
Scene 1
· Cassandra Phillips, Sarah Jane Osborne and Madison James all walk in together in the park to head to the funfair and meet Quincy Johnson (Ian)
· After they walk in Cameron Thomas (Edwin) walks in behind them
· Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James ( Karishma), Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) and Quincy Johnson (Ian) all walk inside the funfair
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) walks in behind them and starts to search for them
· Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James ( Karishma), Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) and Quincy Johnson (Ian) all go the same ride
· After the ride is finished Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) and Quincy Johnson (Ian) decide to go home
· Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James ( Karishma both say goodbye to Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) and Quincy Johnson (Ian)
Scene 2
· Industrial shot of the ride that Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James (Karishma) are both going to go on
· Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James (Karishma) go and pay for the ride
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) follows after them and pays for the ride to get on the same one
· When the ride ends only Cameron Thomas (Edwin) comes off
· Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James (Karishma) don’t come off the ride ( this shows the audience that they have died)
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) walks out of the funfair with Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James (Karishma) belongings
Scene 3
· Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) crying beside two graves
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) walks over to Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) to comfort and console her
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) takes his coat off and gives it to Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan)
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) umbrella flies away as the wind blew it
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) goes to pick up the umbrella
· Quincy Johnson (Ian) walks by and hugs Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) and then they walk of together
· While they’re walking Cameron Thomas (Edwin) coat that he gave to Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) fell on the floor
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) looks in anger as they walk away
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) kneels down and picks up the coat and smells the coat
Scene 4
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) walking into his house
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) goes to his room
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) Has a picture of Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) with Quincy Johnson (Ian)
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) Scribbles the picture out of Quincy Johnson (Ian)
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) pulls a knife out from under his pillow
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) puts his glove and coat on and walks out his room
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) pauses on top of the stairs
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) then holds the knife up in the air
THE END
The reason why we changed our story board again was because, we had so many ideas that we wanted to fit in our thriller however, due to the limitation of how long the thriller could be (2-3 minutes) we were unable to fit in our ideas and, decided to leave it at what we had done.
(Below is the new plan for our storyline Love Lockdown)
Cast
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin)-(guy who is in love with Sarah Jane)
· Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan)-(main character)
· Cassandra Phillips (Tobi) -(friends with the Sarah Jane)
· Madison James ( Karishma) -(friends with the Sarah Jane)
· Quincy Johnson (Ian)- (Sarah Jane’s boyfriend)
Instrumental
· Love lock down –inspired by Kanye West↘ Piano-Garage Band
Scene 1
· Cassandra Phillips, Sarah Jane Osborne and Madison James all walk in together in the park to head to the funfair and meet Quincy Johnson (Ian)
· After they walk in Cameron Thomas (Edwin) walks in behind them
· Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James ( Karishma), Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) and Quincy Johnson (Ian) all walk inside the funfair
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) walks in behind them and starts to search for them
· Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James ( Karishma), Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) and Quincy Johnson (Ian) all go the same ride
· After the ride is finished Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) and Quincy Johnson (Ian) decide to go home
· Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James ( Karishma both say goodbye to Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) and Quincy Johnson (Ian)
Scene 2
· Industrial shot of the ride that Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James (Karishma) are both going to go on
· Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James (Karishma) go and pay for the ride
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) follows after them and pays for the ride to get on the same one
· When the ride ends only Cameron Thomas (Edwin) comes off
· Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James (Karishma) don’t come off the ride ( this shows the audience that they have died)
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) walks out of the funfair with Cassandra Phillips (Tobi), Madison James (Karishma) belongings
Scene 3
· Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) crying beside two graves
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) walks over to Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) to comfort and console her
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) takes his coat off and gives it to Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan)
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) umbrella flies away as the wind blew it
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) goes to pick up the umbrella
· Quincy Johnson (Ian) walks by and hugs Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) and then they walk of together
· While they’re walking Cameron Thomas (Edwin) coat that he gave to Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) fell on the floor
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) looks in anger as they walk away
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) kneels down and picks up the coat and smells the coat
Scene 4
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) walking into his house
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) goes to his room
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) Has a picture of Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan) with Quincy Johnson (Ian)
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) Scribbles the picture out of Quincy Johnson (Ian)
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) pulls a knife out from under his pillow
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) puts his glove and coat on and walks out his room
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) pauses on top of the stairs
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin) then holds the knife up in the air
THE END
The reason why we changed our story board again was because, we had so many ideas that we wanted to fit in our thriller however, due to the limitation of how long the thriller could be (2-3 minutes) we were unable to fit in our ideas and, decided to leave it at what we had done.
Tuesday 28 April 2009
The Funeral Scene and Filming The Shrye Scene
Yesterday (Monday 27th) we all meet up in order for us to film our funeral scene. this is when
Cassandra Phillips (Tobi)
Madison James ( Karishma) were buried at their funeral, as Cameron Thomas (Edwin)-(guy who is in love with Sarah Jane) had killed them on a ride at the funfair. there were no difficulties when it came to filming this as, everything that was suppose to happen did. in our group we were even going to edit the scene to make it seem as if it was raining. Luckly for us it did rain that day which, went perfectly with our scene.
Today after school at 5:30 we all went out to Edwin's house ( Cameron Thomas (Edwin)-(guy who is in love with Sarah Jane). we went round there so that we would be able to film the following scene;
Mid-shot-him sitting down (in a room)
· Red candles, roses, red cloth, lights around the table (a shrine)
· Holds picture of Sarah Jane Osborne
· Holds picture and her scarf (to remember her smell), hair (softness)
· Close up on shrine- Sarah Jane Osborne picture, scarf, hair
On Wednesday 28th we will then be editing what we have filmed.
Cassandra Phillips (Tobi)
Madison James ( Karishma) were buried at their funeral, as Cameron Thomas (Edwin)-(guy who is in love with Sarah Jane) had killed them on a ride at the funfair. there were no difficulties when it came to filming this as, everything that was suppose to happen did. in our group we were even going to edit the scene to make it seem as if it was raining. Luckly for us it did rain that day which, went perfectly with our scene.
Today after school at 5:30 we all went out to Edwin's house ( Cameron Thomas (Edwin)-(guy who is in love with Sarah Jane). we went round there so that we would be able to film the following scene;
Mid-shot-him sitting down (in a room)
· Red candles, roses, red cloth, lights around the table (a shrine)
· Holds picture of Sarah Jane Osborne
· Holds picture and her scarf (to remember her smell), hair (softness)
· Close up on shrine- Sarah Jane Osborne picture, scarf, hair
On Wednesday 28th we will then be editing what we have filmed.
Monday 20 April 2009
First Filming
ON THE 21ST OF MARCH WE STARTED TO FILM OUR THRILLER VIDEO . WE WENT TO PARSOLE PARK TO DO OUR FILMING. THE PEOPLE THAT STARRED IN OUR FILM WAS TOBI, KARISHMA, JORDAN,IAN, AND EDWIN. WE ALSO HAD SOME EXTRA HELP WHEN FILMIMG BY THE HELP OF ALMA. WE STARTED FILMIMNG AOURND 12:00 IN THE AFTERNOON. WE ALL MET UP AT THE PARK AND SETTED UP ALL THE EQUIPMENT. HOWEVER OUR SCRIPT THAT WE WERE GOING TO USE (OUR STORY PLAN) HAD CHANGED.
( the bit in red is what we changed- the new scenery)
Love Lock Down
Cast
· Edwin-guy who is in love with the girl(name not decided)
· Jordan-(the girl)
· Tobi-(friends with the girl)
· Karishma-(friends with the girl)
Instrumental
· Love lock down –inspired by Kanye West↘
Piano-Garage Band
Reality
· Working at Burger King
· Sees “the Girl” and her boyfriend walking in the mall
· Mid-shot-squirting ketchup on burger
· Ketchup bottle breaks
· Goes to wash the ketchup off his hands
· Steam of water comes up
· FLASHBACK
Flashback
· Flashback in black and white
· Tobi and Karishma picking/mocking Edwin on the train
· Tobi and Karishma meet (the girl) and her boyfriend
· Scene night-Tobi and Karishma and the girl and her boyfriend go to the funfair
· Silhouette figure of Edwin (low key lighting will be used to produce a sharp contrast of light and dark areas on the silhouette.)
· Tobi and Karishma paying to go on a ride
· Close up on Edwin going to pay for the same ride as well
· Only Edwin comes off the ride (as he has killed both the girls on the ride)
· Close up on (Edwin) coming off the ride with Tobi and Karishma’s items
Reality
· Still washing his hands
· Low angle mid-shot- looks at his hands (Edwin)
· Begins to wash vigorously
· Steam forms
· FLASHBACK
Flashback
· Black and white
· Graphic match-steam
· Panning shot- grave yard shown
· Edwin standing on the other side opposite “the girl”
· Approaches “the girl”
· Wants to comfort her but scarf blows away
· Turns to pick up the scarf
· Sees “the girl” with the other guy ( her boyfriend) walking and cuddling
Reality
· Puts his hands in his pocket
· Takes picture out of the boyfriend
· Takes picture and throws it in the fryer/burn/stabs knife on the picture
· Mid-shot-him sitting down (in a room)
· Red candles, roses, red cloth, lights around the table (a shrine)
· Holds picture of “the girl”
· Holds picture and her scarf (to remember her smell), hair (softness)
· Close up on shrine-girls picture, scarf, hair
· Close up- on girl applying make up on in the mirror
· Silhouette goes past
· Girl turns around shocked/scared
· Breathes really heavily
Close with closing credits
( the bit in red is what we changed- the new scenery)
Love Lock Down
Cast
· Edwin-guy who is in love with the girl(name not decided)
· Jordan-(the girl)
· Tobi-(friends with the girl)
· Karishma-(friends with the girl)
Instrumental
· Love lock down –inspired by Kanye West↘
Piano-Garage Band
Reality
· Working at Burger King
· Sees “the Girl” and her boyfriend walking in the mall
· Mid-shot-squirting ketchup on burger
· Ketchup bottle breaks
· Goes to wash the ketchup off his hands
· Steam of water comes up
· FLASHBACK
Flashback
· Flashback in black and white
· Tobi and Karishma picking/mocking Edwin on the train
· Tobi and Karishma meet (the girl) and her boyfriend
· Scene night-Tobi and Karishma and the girl and her boyfriend go to the funfair
· Silhouette figure of Edwin (low key lighting will be used to produce a sharp contrast of light and dark areas on the silhouette.)
· Tobi and Karishma paying to go on a ride
· Close up on Edwin going to pay for the same ride as well
· Only Edwin comes off the ride (as he has killed both the girls on the ride)
· Close up on (Edwin) coming off the ride with Tobi and Karishma’s items
Reality
· Still washing his hands
· Low angle mid-shot- looks at his hands (Edwin)
· Begins to wash vigorously
· Steam forms
· FLASHBACK
Flashback
· Black and white
· Graphic match-steam
· Panning shot- grave yard shown
· Edwin standing on the other side opposite “the girl”
· Approaches “the girl”
· Wants to comfort her but scarf blows away
· Turns to pick up the scarf
· Sees “the girl” with the other guy ( her boyfriend) walking and cuddling
Reality
· Puts his hands in his pocket
· Takes picture out of the boyfriend
· Takes picture and throws it in the fryer/burn/stabs knife on the picture
· Mid-shot-him sitting down (in a room)
· Red candles, roses, red cloth, lights around the table (a shrine)
· Holds picture of “the girl”
· Holds picture and her scarf (to remember her smell), hair (softness)
· Close up on shrine-girls picture, scarf, hair
· Close up- on girl applying make up on in the mirror
· Silhouette goes past
· Girl turns around shocked/scared
· Breathes really heavily
Close with closing credits
Saturday 14 March 2009
The Naming Of The "Thriller Action" Film
After we had finished our preliminary exercise, we then started to plan and look at what we were going to do for our “Thriller Action movie” that we’ll be directing. We came to the conclusion that our “Action Thriller” will be called “Love Lock Down”.
Love Lock Down
Cast
· Cameron Thomas (Edwin)-(guy who is in love with Sarah Jane)
· Sarah Jane Osborne (Jordan)-(main character)
· Cassandra Phillips (Tobi) -(friends with the Sarah Jane)
· Madison James ( Karishma) -(friends with the Sarah Jane)
· Quincy Johnson (Erron)- (Sarah Jane’s boyfriend)
Instrumental
· Love lock down –inspired by KanyeWest↘ Piano-Garage Band
· Cameron Thomas is working at Burger King
· Sees Sarah Jane Osborne and Quincy Johnson walking in the mall
· Mid-shot-squirting ketchup on burger
· Ketchup bottle breaks
· Goes to wash the ketchup off his hands
· Steam of water comes up
· FLASHBACK
· Flashback in black and white
· Cassandra Phillips and Madison James picking/mocking Cameron Thomas on the train
· Cassandra Phillips and Madison James say bye to their friends (Sarah Jane Osborne) and Quincy Johnson
· Scene night- Cassandra Phillips and Madison James walking down the street looking back while linking arms
· Silhouette figure of Cameron Thomas (low key lighting will be used to produce a sharp contrast of light and dark areas on the silhouette.)
· Close up on hand raised in the air (Cameron Thomas)
· Close up- Cassandra Phillips and Madison James screaming
· Cassandra Phillips and Madison James on the floor dead
· Ribbon
· Still washing his hands
· Low angle mid-shot- looks at his hands (Cameron Thomas)
· Begins to wash vigorously
· Steam forms
· FLASHBACK
Flashback
· Black and white
· Graphic match-steam
· Panning shot- grave yard shown
· Cameron Thomas standing on the other side opposite of Sarah Jane Osborne
· Approaches Sarah Jane Osborne
· Wants to comfort her but scarf blows away
· Turns to pick up the scarf
· Sees Sarah Jane Osborne with the other guy (Quincy Johnson) walking and cuddling
· Puts his hands in his pocket
· Takes picture out of the boyfriend (Quincy Johnson)
· Takes picture and throws it in the fryer/burn/stabs knife on the picture
· Mid-shot-him sitting down (in a room)
· Red candles, roses, red cloth, lights around the table (a shrine)
· Holds picture of Sarah Jane Osborne
· Holds picture and her scarf (to remember her smell), hair (softness)
· Close up on shrine- Sarah Jane Osborne picture, scarf, hair
· Close up- on Sarah Jane Osborne applying makeup on in the mirror
· Silhouette goes past
· Sarah Jane Osborne turns around shocked/scared
· Breathes really heavily
(VIDEO COMING SOON)
Preliminary Exercise
For our preliminary exercise, we got given a sheet with dialogue on it in order for us to shoot a practise video to practise shooting in different camera angles. This will mean that we will be able to apply the techniques that we used in to our “Thriller Action Video”. The director for our preliminary video was Tobi Adewusi and, the actresses were played by Karishma Bhandari and Jordan Ward. Our story line was about (Jordan) a girl who was being abused by her partner and, her friend (Karishma) was telling her to run away before the abusive partner gets back. We decided to shoot our video extract in school in the common room. We chose to film in this place because it was quite, small and the lightening was good. The first time that we filmed the video some problems occurred as the camera wasn’t functioning properly. As we realised this after we had finished filming our video. This therefore meant that we had to re-do our video a second time. The second time that we recorded our video we came across some complications as, when we finished watching the video that we recorded, we realised that the image was showing but there was no sound to it. Due to the error that occurred again we decided to shoot our video a third time. The third time that we shot our video it came out perfectly which meant, that it was ready to be edited. As we were satisfied with what we recorded, we then went on to edit our video. First we connected it to the computer and went on to edit film. Since we filmed more than we had to it made it easier for us to edit it and put it together. During the time of us filming we, also decided that it will be best to film over anything that we mistakenly done as it makes it easier to edit. We also decided to film in chronology order for the film as we also thought that it would be less complicated for us. As we were editing our film it was a bit difficult however, we got the hang of how to edit really quickly. After we finished editing our video, a problem arose within the opening title and our fist two scenes as; they would speak but not show an image. This therefore meant that we had re-connect the camera again to the computer and import the first two scenes again and our opening scene. Another problem also occurred in our film in one of the scenes. This scene was when Karishma went to shut the door the scene quickly jumped on to the next scene. Also when we filmed her walking, the camera angle that we placed it at, we wasn’t satisfied with it, so we imported those two scenes in again and re-done it. In our preliminary exercise we used various different angles and camera shots to make our video look more realistic. We are all happy with the end result (Tobi, Karishma, Jordan).
Below is the finishing video that we done in our media class. Hope you enjoy it.
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock was born on August 13th in 1899 in Leytonstone. He was a British filmmaker and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genre. In 1920 was when Alfred Hitchcock got into the world of the filming business. In 1926-27 Alfred Hitchcock was a loading film director in Britain which was known as thriller films. In 1929 he created the first sound film called the blackmail. During the 1930’[s Alfred Hitchcock became extremely popular. He signed a contract in 1939 and went to Hollywood where he directed a film called “Rebecca”, which won an Oscar in 1940. In 1940 to 1976 he worked mainly in the United States of America and became the best film maker in America. Many people recognised him by the silhouette. Alfred Hitchcock was a very experimental man and wasn’t afraid of trying new things. His career and his hard earned success went on for 50years. Alfred Hitchcock has made over 50 films in his life ( 52 films to be precise), some of which are; ; Blackmail, Murder!, Elstree Calling, Juno and the Paycock, The Skin Game, Mary*,Number Seventeen, Rich and Strange, Waltzes from Vienna*,The 39 Steps, Secret Agent, Sabotage, Young and Innocent, The Lady Vanishes, Jamaica Inn*, etc… (Below is a video of pictures of Alfred Hitchcock and some of his films that he has done.)
Tuesday 10 March 2009
Se7en
We watched the opening sequence to the film Se7en and the writing and scenes kept jumping. This showed that the man making this sin book is mad in the head, plus there's shots of him peeling his fingerprints with a blade in order to hide his identity. Straight away the opening sequence shows that this man is the villain of the film and this sin book will have a lot to do within the story of the film.
Monday 2 March 2009
Shadow of a doubt -1940
Uncle Charlie
We then see a man lying down on the bed (Uncle Charlie) which seems to appear that his dead. However we can tell that he is not dead as he moves the cigar that he has. The cigar that he has may suggest that he has power and is intelligent as cigars (back then) were expensive; he is also very smartly dressed. The lighting inside the room is a low key lighting as the camera moves in and, moves around the room showing the audience the detail and contents that he has. In his room you can see money that is scattered on the floor beside the bed; this may suggest that he doesn’t really care about the money. A lady then comes up in the room and says that someone was looking for him, as she is saying this His facial expression is calm as if his not in shock. The lady then pulls down the blind and he comes to life, the music that is played at this time is a sinister sound as he stands up. The tension starts to build up visually as; he picks up a glass cup and smashes it, which suggests that he has great violence inside of him. The music starts to get even more dramatic when he leaves the house and, starts walking towards the two men who came looking for him. The way that Uncle Charlie is walking (his body language) shows that his not bothered or scarred. Piano music is then played at this point which creates more tension in the scene. The camera angle is then shot from above a building run down. The two men then start to chase him and look for him (Uncle Charlie) as they can’t find him. Uncle Charlie is then standing on another building roof as; the camera is shot at a high angle making the two men look small as he looks down on them.
Santa Rossa
In this film there is a clear difference between the two places where Uncle Charlie lives and Santa Rossa. In Santa Rossa it is very beautiful, posh, busy and clean. While the camera moves to the window, there is music that is playing which is very cheerful and soft which, represents a perfect Suburban. Charlie (charlotte) is lying on her bed, the same way her uncle Charlie was. The light shines on her which shows that she has more life to her.
We then see a man lying down on the bed (Uncle Charlie) which seems to appear that his dead. However we can tell that he is not dead as he moves the cigar that he has. The cigar that he has may suggest that he has power and is intelligent as cigars (back then) were expensive; he is also very smartly dressed. The lighting inside the room is a low key lighting as the camera moves in and, moves around the room showing the audience the detail and contents that he has. In his room you can see money that is scattered on the floor beside the bed; this may suggest that he doesn’t really care about the money. A lady then comes up in the room and says that someone was looking for him, as she is saying this His facial expression is calm as if his not in shock. The lady then pulls down the blind and he comes to life, the music that is played at this time is a sinister sound as he stands up. The tension starts to build up visually as; he picks up a glass cup and smashes it, which suggests that he has great violence inside of him. The music starts to get even more dramatic when he leaves the house and, starts walking towards the two men who came looking for him. The way that Uncle Charlie is walking (his body language) shows that his not bothered or scarred. Piano music is then played at this point which creates more tension in the scene. The camera angle is then shot from above a building run down. The two men then start to chase him and look for him (Uncle Charlie) as they can’t find him. Uncle Charlie is then standing on another building roof as; the camera is shot at a high angle making the two men look small as he looks down on them.
Santa Rossa
In this film there is a clear difference between the two places where Uncle Charlie lives and Santa Rossa. In Santa Rossa it is very beautiful, posh, busy and clean. While the camera moves to the window, there is music that is playing which is very cheerful and soft which, represents a perfect Suburban. Charlie (charlotte) is lying on her bed, the same way her uncle Charlie was. The light shines on her which shows that she has more life to her.
Northwest
The man talks really fast.
He has got a lot of women
His a Busy person
Has loads of money
He and his mum are the most important people in his life.
He has got a lot of women
His a Busy person
Has loads of money
He and his mum are the most important people in his life.
Vertigo (1936) Height Fear
Vertigo (1936) Height Fear
Opening- there’s a on the screen who later in turns red, which represents danger, blood, passion. The music- very fast, dramatic, increase tension, sounds of gunshot being made.
Beginning of the Action
Hand comes first, and then police man then Scotty. A point of view shot is then done. Then the camera does a reversed zoom shot which, is used when the man is hanging on the edge.
Tuesday 10 February 2009
Definitions- Thriller Conventions
Enigmas- problems in the movie i.e. who is the killer?, why are they doing this?
Protagonist- main character-describes the main character.
Antagonist- person who apposes the protagaonist.
Protagonist- may get inpowered/maybe captured
Protagonist- main character-describes the main character.
Antagonist- person who apposes the protagaonist.
Protagonist- may get inpowered/maybe captured
Different Elements of a Thriller
There are many different genres and elements of a thriller that a director may use in order to make a thriller film. Some of these elements that are used in thriller films are;
Action thriller - often features a race against the clock, it contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. An example of this will be films like James Bond films, The Transporter.
Conspiracy thriller – is when the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes.
Crime thriller - This is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Examples of these are; The Killing, Seven, The Godfather, Reservoir Dogs, and Inside Man.
Disaster thriller – this is when the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster. Examples include Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen, Tremor by Winston Graham, and the 1974 film Earthquake.
Drama thriller - when the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involve a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Examples include The Illusionist, The Interpreter and The Prestige.
Eco-thriller - are of the Science Fiction genre that proposes ideas that will or may occur and include such works as Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy and Ian Irvine's Human Rights Trilogy and Dasavathaaram.
Erotic thriller - In which it consists of erotica (desire) and thriller. Which became popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration. The genre includes such films as Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction, Looking for Mr. Good bar, and In the Cut.
Horror thriller - In which conflict between the main characters are mental, emotional, and physical. Two examples of this include the Saw series of films and the Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. What sets the horror thriller apart is the main element of fear throughout the story. The main characters are not only up against a superior force, but they are or will soon become the victims themselves and directly feel the fear that comes by attracting the monster's attention. Other well-known examples are Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs.
Some of these elements that I have mentioned (above) can be used and placed into I and my groups’ thriller video when we come to making ours. I think that these elements are really good and useful as we can add some of these elements in our video. I think that it also clearly states and shows what some of the features that they put in a thriller film in order to create the type of audience that they will like to attract.
Action thriller - often features a race against the clock, it contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. An example of this will be films like James Bond films, The Transporter.
Conspiracy thriller – is when the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes.
Crime thriller - This is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Examples of these are; The Killing, Seven, The Godfather, Reservoir Dogs, and Inside Man.
Disaster thriller – this is when the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster. Examples include Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen, Tremor by Winston Graham, and the 1974 film Earthquake.
Drama thriller - when the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involve a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Examples include The Illusionist, The Interpreter and The Prestige.
Eco-thriller - are of the Science Fiction genre that proposes ideas that will or may occur and include such works as Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy and Ian Irvine's Human Rights Trilogy and Dasavathaaram.
Erotic thriller - In which it consists of erotica (desire) and thriller. Which became popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration. The genre includes such films as Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction, Looking for Mr. Good bar, and In the Cut.
Horror thriller - In which conflict between the main characters are mental, emotional, and physical. Two examples of this include the Saw series of films and the Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. What sets the horror thriller apart is the main element of fear throughout the story. The main characters are not only up against a superior force, but they are or will soon become the victims themselves and directly feel the fear that comes by attracting the monster's attention. Other well-known examples are Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs.
Some of these elements that I have mentioned (above) can be used and placed into I and my groups’ thriller video when we come to making ours. I think that these elements are really good and useful as we can add some of these elements in our video. I think that it also clearly states and shows what some of the features that they put in a thriller film in order to create the type of audience that they will like to attract.
Thriller Films
Thriller films are a broad genre of literature, film, television, and gaming that includes numerous and often overlapping sub-genres. Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must prevent the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Literary devices such as suspense and cliff-hangers are used extensively to add/create tension and add more of an atmosphere to the film. Thrillers are placed in different settings such as foreign cities, deserts, or high seas. The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men" who are familiar to danger: law enforcement officers, spies, soldiers, seamen or aviators. However, there may also be some innocent civilians that are also caught up in the chaos and, endangered by accident. In many films men usually play the role of the hero however women are also gradually starting to as well.
Horror films
Horror films are movies that strive to extract responses of fear, horror and terror from the viewers/audience. Their plots often involve themes of the supernatural. Horror movies usually include a vital villain in the story line. In the earlier days horror movies were largely based on classic literature of the gothic/ horror genre, such as Dracula (1992), and Frankenstein (1931). Many Horror films have been criticized for their graphic violence that they use and dismissed as low budget B-movies and utilization films.
Monday 9 February 2009
THRILLER CONVENTION
A crime at the core of the narrative (often murder, but not necessiarly). A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolution. A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved. A protagonist who is systematically disempowered and drawn into a complex web of intrique by the antagonist. Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations; Themes of identity. themes of mirroring, themes of voyeurism, protagonist with a 'flaw' which is exploited by the antagonist. Titles often reflect an aspect of the pro/antagonist's psychological state. There is often a scene near the end of the film in which the protagonist is in peril. Mise En Scene which echoes/mirrors the protagonist's plight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)