Me addressing the question: "How did you attract/address your audience?"
Notes:
Well we
started by opening with a logo that stands out. The large red fist is a symbol
of independence, which links in with the fact that we are an independent film
company. We took a survey and found that eight out of ten teenagers agreed that
our logo got their attention, which was long enough to get them to watch the
first two minutes of our film.
The opening
establishing shot of the tunnel would have appealed to our male target audience
of 16-25 because of the artistic graffiti on the walls that establishes the
urban setting. A quick survey showed us that the majority of our target
audience are interested in street art/graffiti.
We knew that
viewers would be surprised by our juxtaposition of the antagonist wearing a
suit. The clothing contrasts with the urban setting and raises the question as
to why he was there, and what he did to wind up there.
We also knew
that by establishing the main character as an antagonist, rather than a
protagonist, people would find it interesting. This is because in almost every
film or tv show the good guys always win. We changed that in Remembrance.
Here I am addressing the question "Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?"
In this video, I answer the question "What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?"
Notes:
We used editing software such as
Premiere, Photoshop, and audition, to optimise the three key elements that
makes our film successful.Visuals, Audio and screenplay.
We learnt a lot during the filming of our
production. One of the most important decisions we made was to use a DSLR over
the school’s SD camcorders. After doing a little research, we found that by
using an SLR, we had the option to use a variety of lenses with variable
apertures, shutter speeds, and manual focus. This was huge.
Rather than recording onto tape, we
recorded to a 16GB SD in 720P at 24 frames per second which is US film
standard.
The camcorders recorded at either 30 or
60 frames per second which is preferable for sports over actual film. This is
changeable in POST using premiere, but it proved more efficient to get as much
correct in camera as possible, to avoid loosing quality from over processing
the final clips.
We wrote more of the story than seen in
the two minute slot. This was so that we had more to talk about un terms of
where our film would go if we were to go on and produce the whole thing. We
knew this was important because it helped us to perfect the story for the two
minute slot and It allowed us to make the clip flow more like an actual
beginning to a film, rather than making the mistake of making it a trailer
which isn’t the task set.
We used a tripod to help us achieve
steady shots throughout our production. This proved extremely helpful an made
our film more successful than if we were trying to record with handheld shots.
Screenshot of saved optimal export settings for my camera at 1280x720 @ 24, or 29.97 FPS:
Screenshot of a quick title reel I made as a template for the new title design and font:
Photoshop's advanced layer effects settings used to enhance text:
And, I might add; a problem with this very video. When I exported it, I did not double check the export markers (the sliders that set exactly what part of the timeline is being exported) were correct and I seem to have unintentionally cut off the first fifteen seconds of footage. No 'major' information is missing though, so it's not worth re-exporting it for an hour for the sake of a title and me saying hello. This has taught me to double check and take extra care before exporting video files as they take a long time to render and tf it's wrong then time has been wasted.
Demonstrating my understanding of Premiere Pro. Here I am using the rolling edit tool to quickly sync the cut between two clips, making the cut perfect. I have full understanding of all of the timeline editing tools available. In the second window, I am previewing a segment after syncing each video chunk before placing it onto the main timeline that we will be exporting.
We had a little fun trying to create realistic looking blood. We tried all sorts of mixtures, and finally ended up with a mixture of water, red food die, raspberry and strawberry jam.
Billy is a lost and troubled soul. His past is a blur, but only one thing remains true; His desire for power. He will stop at nothing to gain revenge on the people that double crossed him, by any means necessary.
After murdering his own brother for ratting him out to another gang, Billy is on the run.
One man's journey to seek out those who crossed him, where all he has left is his wits.
Due to our main character - Conor not turning up to our first filming session, we decided to have billy act and allow me to direct and record. We felt this went extremely wella s the small group allowed minimum arguements and more focused work.
This is our Shot-list. It details the technical and visual elements of every single shot we intend to shoot. There is of course the possibility that we deviate slightly from this plan with a few extra shots in places.
In order to optimize our filming time, I have decided to film each clip three times, slightly differently, perhaps with alternative compositions. this allows for maximum flexibility later on in the editing stage and also reduces the chances of us needing to come out and shoot again. Additionally, by shooting extra clips that are not included in the list, we will be giving ourselves even more flexibility by having clips to 'fall back' on, should we decide not to use one of our planned shots for whatever reason.
With this plan, we intend to aim to complete most, if not all of our filming in one day. We have given ourselves time int he time plan to go back and film more, should the need arise. This also applies to editing time in order to meet the deadline.
We did a little research and found that our film would be just suitable for a 15, as it is very close to the rated 18 certificate. There would be a few violent scenes in the film and drug use.
My partner and I composed this brainstorm of ideas. Since we narrowed it down to Remembrance, I am going to use Photoshop to design a title and institution logo to be layered over the first few seconds of the video.
Ideas submissions by Jordan Barclay & Billy Christensen.
Presentation by Billy Christensen.
Here are a few interpretations of the logos and fonts that we like. All content was sourced from royalty free, public sources to avoid any possible copyright infringement. The use of the Blogger logos will be used to write our blog page URL's underneath the production title overlay.
This is our preliminary basic filming exercise. It's only purpose is to demonstrate that we know how to use a camera and correctly set up shots. It was made up on the spot, and not rehearsed in any way.
Filmed By Jordan Barclay
Edited by Billy Christensen.
These mood boards help us to identify what shots are commonly used in horror films. Depth of field is used heavily to obscure the backgrounds of shots to make the audience curious and suspicious of hidden elements. The use of suits in horror films provides a strong level of juxtaposition and we will experiment with the use of suits in our production.
The use of long shots also work well because it leaves out just enough detail to leave the audience curious, whereas the close ups are designed to shock the audience.
Psychological Horror films differ from your typical slasher
horror like saw. Psychological horrors rely on taking a character that the
audience can (but not all the time) relate to and focus on creating fear
through sound effects, mise en scene, guilt, sound, and fate. Slashers focus
almost entirely on making the audience jump with sudden loud sounds or feel
scared by the gore and dismemberment on-screen.
Psychological horror is a lot more subtle when compared to
traditional horror films and usually does not rely on physically harming people
as much as typical horror does. The genre tends to play on sexual themes and
relationships to build a more emotional link with the audience, and, in turn,
makes it more dramatic to watch. You can usually expect psychological horrors
to play on a character’s mental and emotional weaknesses and/or disease and
suffering to exploit them.
Psychological
horrors are technically achievable and executed by using strong, crisp sounds
to add atmosphere to the scene. Typical settings include dark rooms, basements,
forests etc. Boom microphones next to someone’s feet as they walk could achieve
the ‘footstep sound’ that feature in a lot of horrors. To get the eerie
howling/fading in sounds you could record a moan or a scream and over-produce
it and change pitch, tempo, or key. Camera effects, if used and chosen
appropriately can also increase the effect of the scene, for example film grain
or black and white / high contrast. High angle shots could be used to make
characters seem weak and vulnerable in the dark.
We will use this research to help us to structure a successful horror opening that matches the genre well. A lot can be learned from simply watching other psychological horror films and thinking carefully about elements used in each film.
Key elements include:
Sound
Lighting
Supernatural Presence
Camera-work
Transitions
Visual effects
Narrative
If we can get all of these key areas covered we will be able to produce a successful end product that fits well amongst other psychological horror films.
A survey we conducted to see what our target audience is looking for in each genre. This has helped us to decide on suitable themes for our film. Survey
·Very little to talk about in the first two and
a half minutes of the film – occupied by credits.
·There is no male presence in the first four
minutes and the supposed antagonist (ghost/zombie) is female, indicating a
strong, heavily female dominated film.
Represents the little girl as helpless and
vulnerable. She doesn’t run away from the ghost, but bravely and intriguingly
stares at it, slowly backing off, which is a positive representation of brave
children.
Editing/Camerawork
·The first scene is a two minute credit
sequence. Shot type does not seem to apply but there are some clouds very
slightly visible in the background, possibly a panning shot.
·The titles and credits fade in and out eerily
as if they themselves were ghosts. This subtly helps to establish the horror
genre. This flows well with the slow instrumental orchestral music and immerses
the audience.
·The editing is subtle and hard to spot. The
film was produced on a budget of 10k so there isn’t much CGI apart from the
seemingly animated tears behind the titles and beams of light. These link with
the film title and help to establish and convey the horror genre.
·The jump cut when the ghost goes to grab the
girl’s neck is sudden and scares the audience with it’s sudden, spontaneous and
unexpected appearance. It also jump cuts towards the camera at the end of the
clip.
Sound
·The sound is parallel and non-diegetic although
there is no ‘actor’s world’. The orchestral nature of the music gives it an
eerie feeling that should make the audience feel tense. This also helps to
convey the genre and also builds up to the opening scene.
·In the first scene of the girl swinging on the
swing, synchronous sound of wildlife ad nature is used. The reason is unclear
as it bears no strong links to horror, but it does set the scene and makes the
little girl seem separated and alone. This sound becomes quieter and an eerie
ghostly noise fades in when the ghost appears on the camera. This interrupts
the tranquil mood with its presence.
Mise En Scene
·The scene is set in an empty, secluded light
forest area. The costume of the girl is white connoting happiness and freedom
whereas the ghost is completely black and shadow in a dirty white shirt. The
colour connotations help the audience to tell who is who in this genre of film.
·The blood on the ghost and dirt on the shoes
of the child add dirty details to enhance the gritty presence in the film. It
is a rarity to see perfectly clean characters/clothing in a horror.
How is the genre established?
The clip opens with a two and a half minute
credit sequence accompanied by synchronous non-diegetic sound that builds and
adds atmosphere. During this time it is possible for the audience to make the
connection that it is a horror film, due to the presence of the sound and
presentation of the ghostly text effects and tears running down the screen.
When the sequence ends, it fades to black and then fades back into the first
scene of a girl on a swing set, alone in a forest. The camera peeks through
some trees, giving the audience the idea of a 1st person
perspective, and also cuts to a close up of the swinging rope. This relates to
being hanged. This is reinforced by the shot of her feet barely scraping the
ground.
The camera cuts to a long shot from the side
of the girl swinging as a dead body swings in to view, hanged from the neck.
The sound reaches a crescendo and the body falls to the floor and reaches out
to the girl, with the sound now extremely eerie and terrifying. The camera cuts
to an extreme long shot/establishing shot of the ghost walking towards the
camera, then jump-cutting into the camera fading to black. This connotes the
horror genre with the use of blood and gore, symbolism of hanging, and dark
music.
This chart will aid me in planning the amount of time each section needs spent on it. It will help me and Billy to keep on track and to work at a constant, organised rate.
