During our film, there will be a scene which requires us to film in the dark. To do this we need to make sure that the room is correctly lit so the scene isn't too grainy and still be visible due to the dark.
We decided to look at this video tutorial to give us a better understanding.
http://revision3.com/filmriot/light-a-dark-room/
Other shots that have proven to be slightly tricky is our low angle shots of an envelope being posted under the door, This is because we cant use a tripod to assist in balancing the camera as the shot would be too high and give us a shot that we are not aiming for. This may mean that the shot may have to be taken a few times to ensure we get it right. It also gives us the option of choosing the best looking one when exported into final cut express.
Another shot we believe that may be difficult is when we are trying to capture the stabbing through seeing a shadow rather than peoples actual bodies as we want to create tension for the audience by not knowing who actually killed who. We have decided we are going to try this shot out a few times to see if we get the effect we are looking for, if not, we may end up changing how it is done.
We have also found it difficult to try and capture the characters running up the stairs as we want to try and achieve a low angle shot of them moving up the stairs. However, we found that this is tricky due to the pace so it may take a few try's to perfect it.
Monday, 20 October 2014
Link to share for questionnaire
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1aIIjQbxorKfer7Pi9iOxpRIWwNez4WSu66nxMYcF8Bk/viewform?usp=send_form
Saturday, 18 October 2014
Music research
Generic horror movie music tends to be created using really deep notes or extremely high notes to create suspense. The music usually starts off slow and builds up pace as the pace of the film is increased to show greater danger. Many of these pieces of music also have an echo to them to again create tension and make things scarier for the viewers. I personally like the music used in sinister as it really fits around the events of the film perfectly and uses unexpected elements to spook the audience.
By listening to what feedback we received from our video questionnaire, I decided to look into the use of classical music as a way of creating horror and suspense. As stated by many people we questioned, i agree with the fact that horror adds a different dimension to the film, I believe because of the intense use of different instruments, it adds extra layers to the music and coupled with a horror
film allows the desired effect to be achieved.
By listening to what feedback we received from our video questionnaire, I decided to look into the use of classical music as a way of creating horror and suspense. As stated by many people we questioned, i agree with the fact that horror adds a different dimension to the film, I believe because of the intense use of different instruments, it adds extra layers to the music and coupled with a horror
film allows the desired effect to be achieved.
Fake money research.
As seen in the beginning of our film, a drug deal is carried out with the exchange of drugs and money seen. However, as established at the end of our film, the money given to the dealer was in fact fake. For this, we need to create some sort of replica of real money in order to make the situation seem real. However, creating real fake money is in fact illegal, so we need to create something paper based which can be easily recognised without getting us into trouble. I believe we should try experimenting with ways of making this happen. For example, we could; colour photocopy actual notes, print images of real notes to the same size as a note.
Props2
As well as the blood aspect, we also need props to suit the description of the characters involved. As the film opens with a drug deal, we need to create something in which looks realistic to an actual drug deal, this includes the substance being exchanged and the packet its in. For this we discussed many options but we figured the best idea would be to use a small zip lock bag and fill it with flour to give the illusion of real substances. This is the best thing to use as it is easily accessible and cheap to buy but giving the film an overall realistic feel.As well as literal props, our characters will also need costumes which fit their descriptions. For the opening of the film, where the drug deal occurs, we decided we would like our characters to be wearing hooded jumpers in order to hide their gender, adding a suspicious element to the film. These are easily accessible as our actors each have hoodies which can be used.
Throughout the film, the suspicious man is going to be seen wearing his hoodie as it adds an extra level of suspicion to him and enables a build up of tension.
However, the female character will then be seen at home, getting herself ready for bed. Because of this, the character will be wearing some pyjamas to make the situation realistic. Again they are easily accessible as the actor will have a pair of these which can be used.
Props
As our film follows the genre of a horror/thriller, we decided to look into typical iconography that is seen throughout these films. As we have a stabbing scene involved with the end of our film, we believed it would be a good idea to look into the blood aspect of this and how we can make it as very similitude to real life as possible. For the blood aspect, we decided to look into making nour own before going out and buying it.
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/fake-blood-recipes
When looking into recipes to make fake blood, I found this website extremley useful as it gives many different recipes and a step by step guide of making them. It also suggests which is the best one for looking realistic. All of these recipes could be useful in different ways as they all seem to give a different overall effect depending on the ingredients used to create the blood. We also decided to look at videos on how to make the blood in order to get a better visual understanding of how to do it.
As well as looking into creating our own fake blood, we looked into buying it just in case the recipes weren't to work out or time became an issue. Many stores stock fake blood, especially around Halloween as many people use it as part of their outfit. We found that prices of fake blood were actually really cheap which makes it easily affordable and accessible for us.
When looking into recipes to make fake blood, I found this website extremley useful as it gives many different recipes and a step by step guide of making them. It also suggests which is the best one for looking realistic. All of these recipes could be useful in different ways as they all seem to give a different overall effect depending on the ingredients used to create the blood. We also decided to look at videos on how to make the blood in order to get a better visual understanding of how to do it.
As well as looking into creating our own fake blood, we looked into buying it just in case the recipes weren't to work out or time became an issue. Many stores stock fake blood, especially around Halloween as many people use it as part of their outfit. We found that prices of fake blood were actually really cheap which makes it easily affordable and accessible for us.
Friday, 17 October 2014
Tuesday, 14 October 2014
Genre research for film idea 2
My second film also fell into the genre 'Thriller' and so I will not once again explain the things that are usually found within a film of this genre. My film idea is very similar to the film Taken in the fact that a person is deceived by someone whilst away in another country and then something bad happens to them. The trailer to taken is below.
Taken has been a hugely popular film since its release and I am hoping that my idea could be just as successful.
Taken has been a hugely popular film since its release and I am hoping that my idea could be just as successful.
Props for our film
In order to make our film look both professional and realistic, we need to have some props to film with. In our film we will need;
- Fake Money
- Knife
- Fake Blood
- A substance that can be used to represent drugs.
- A small bag for the fake drugs.
- A mobile Phone for when the girl makes a phonecall.
- An alarm clock
- Fake Money
- Knife
- Fake Blood
- A substance that can be used to represent drugs.
- A small bag for the fake drugs.
- A mobile Phone for when the girl makes a phonecall.
- An alarm clock
Genre Research - Iconography
Horror/thriller films tend to have the same iconography. Some of the things that fall into this are as follows;
- Weapon (Knife)
- Blood
- Protagonist (Usually a vulnerable women)
- Antagonist (Usually a male villain)
- Dark Setting
- Deserted House
- Lots of scary diagetic and non diagetic sounds.
It is extremely important that we use all of these things within our film in order to make sure our film fits the criteria for our chosen genre. All of the above are ways in which we can create fear upon the audience and they all must be considered in deep detail.
- Weapon (Knife)
- Blood
- Protagonist (Usually a vulnerable women)
- Antagonist (Usually a male villain)
- Dark Setting
- Deserted House
- Lots of scary diagetic and non diagetic sounds.
It is extremely important that we use all of these things within our film in order to make sure our film fits the criteria for our chosen genre. All of the above are ways in which we can create fear upon the audience and they all must be considered in deep detail.
Logos
Part of our task this year was to create our own production logo to go with our film. In order to get some ideas of ones we could use for ours, we did some research. We found that a lot of the logos names were puns or just simple acronyms so we thought we could apply this to our own. We came up with the idea of putting all of initials together and forming them into a name. As Abigail has a clear talent for graphics, we decided to let her design it for us and she came up with some good designs.
Some of the designs were as follows;
- An Open Mouth
- A Film Strip
- Mouth Open Screaming
- Side Of Face Shown Screaming
Colours involved in the design;
- Black
- White
- Red
Below is the final logo that Abigail designed and we are extremely happy with the design she produced.
Some of the designs were as follows;
- An Open Mouth
- A Film Strip
- Mouth Open Screaming
- Side Of Face Shown Screaming
Colours involved in the design;
- Black
- White
- Red
Below is the final logo that Abigail designed and we are extremely happy with the design she produced.
Monday, 13 October 2014
Monday, 6 October 2014
Research into sound and music
Music - Non-diagetic
Our film is going to contain very tense scenes in which our protagonists life is in danger. The music we want should be classical music bringing a sense of horror to our film. It should start of slow and build up to a fast paced rhythm to build up the tension, suspense and horror. Examples were found on YouTube:
These songs are found in all horror/thriller films as they add extra thrill and make the whole scene seem more frightening. We would use a song like one of these on the opening title sequence to set the mood and tone of the film, and in more frightening scenes to enhance the scariness for example when our main character finds out there is someone in the house.
These examples of sounds are exactly what we need in our film to make it more thrilling. A good way to use a sound effect in our film is when our girl character hears a noise. This will make the whole scene seem scarier as after the sound effect, there will be a sudden silence which will reinforce the fact shes in the house alone. These effects also create a lot of suspense and may make our audience jump.
Diagetic sounds
We will use various diagetic sounds throughout our film for example; phone ringing, screaming, knocking, footsteps, typing on laptop and doors shutting. The phone and laptop sounds show our characters youth due to the amount of modern technology in our film. Knocking on the door will create a intense atmosphere as its late at night and these sounds are happening.
Ambient sounds
To give our film verisimilitude to the real world, we will try and get some ambient sounds in our film. A good place where we could use them is when our character sits up in bed in the middle of the night after hearing a knock on the door. Night time ambient sounds could be played to reinforce the time and how late at night it is. For example:
Before our character goes to bed, she checks all the doors are locked and lights are switched off. While she is doing this, or while she is closing the curtains, a random car could drive past reflecting light into the window and the noise of the car could be heard going past or neighbors on the street could be pulling into their driveways. This will make the film look more realistic and create a sense of realism. An example was found on YouTube:
Our film is going to contain very tense scenes in which our protagonists life is in danger. The music we want should be classical music bringing a sense of horror to our film. It should start of slow and build up to a fast paced rhythm to build up the tension, suspense and horror. Examples were found on YouTube:
These songs are found in all horror/thriller films as they add extra thrill and make the whole scene seem more frightening. We would use a song like one of these on the opening title sequence to set the mood and tone of the film, and in more frightening scenes to enhance the scariness for example when our main character finds out there is someone in the house.
These examples of sounds are exactly what we need in our film to make it more thrilling. A good way to use a sound effect in our film is when our girl character hears a noise. This will make the whole scene seem scarier as after the sound effect, there will be a sudden silence which will reinforce the fact shes in the house alone. These effects also create a lot of suspense and may make our audience jump.
Free music/sounds websites:
https://www.freesound.org/browse/tags/sound-effects/
http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/pir/PIRsfx.shtml
http://www.audiomicro.com/free-sound-effects/free-musical-instrument-and-sound-effects
Diagetic sounds
We will use various diagetic sounds throughout our film for example; phone ringing, screaming, knocking, footsteps, typing on laptop and doors shutting. The phone and laptop sounds show our characters youth due to the amount of modern technology in our film. Knocking on the door will create a intense atmosphere as its late at night and these sounds are happening.
Ambient sounds
To give our film verisimilitude to the real world, we will try and get some ambient sounds in our film. A good place where we could use them is when our character sits up in bed in the middle of the night after hearing a knock on the door. Night time ambient sounds could be played to reinforce the time and how late at night it is. For example:
Before our character goes to bed, she checks all the doors are locked and lights are switched off. While she is doing this, or while she is closing the curtains, a random car could drive past reflecting light into the window and the noise of the car could be heard going past or neighbors on the street could be pulling into their driveways. This will make the film look more realistic and create a sense of realism. An example was found on YouTube:
Mise-en-scene
Props-
Knife-
Knifes are ubiquitous in
horror films and will be used ironically as a girl is seen holding it. We will
use a large kitchen knife to make it more realistic and scary.
Mobile phone-
A phone will be needed when our protagonist is
on the phone to her friend, and it will also make the film more realistic. We
will use a current iPhone to make our film have verisimilitude as it’s the most
contemporary phone available at the moment.
Laptop-
We will also show a laptop to show the girls Facebook page which
also shows her youth. Laptops are also contemporary which will again make it
look realistic.
Fake blood-
This will increase the horror/thriller aspect to our film as
blood in associated with danger and pain.
Costumes-
Our girl will be getting ready for bed so she will be
wearing pyjamas or casual clothes such as jogging bottoms and a t-shirt. This
will reinforce her youth and will set the scene of being night time. Our male
will be wearing dark clothes to show his character as mysterious and dangerous.
Makeup-
For our male, we will give him dark circles under his eyes
as he is a drug user and is known to be involved in gangs and fights, whereas
our girl will be clear faced to show her youth and innocence which will make
our audience have sympathy for her.
Saturday, 4 October 2014
Research into another similar film
Another film that is similar to ours is 'Strangers' which has the same genre, horror/thriller.
Synopsis: When
After returning from a wedding reception, a couple staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night. What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. The couple find themselves in a violent struggle, in which they go beyond what either of them thought capable in order to survive.
When the woman in The Strangers answer the door a girl appears asking for someone, however in our film we decide that no one is there after the door is knocked on which will create a sense of horror and terror. This will make the girl look more vulnerable due to the scary and dangerous situation she is in.
Another part in this film which i would like to use in ours is the part where the stranger is stood behind the woman without her knowing. This will make our audience have a sense of worry for the girl as the target audience will be the same age as her to they will feel sympathy for her. We will also use the long shot as it shows them both in the frame to show they're alone with no escape.
In the last scene of The Strangers the woman is seen to be dead on the floor, however, a close up shot is used and her eyes suddenly open to show she didn't get killed by the strangers. We do this in our film as the girl subverts the stereotype and ends up killing the killer. However, we do this in a more dramatic way as the girl is seen walking away with the blood knife in her hands.
Synopsis: When
After returning from a wedding reception, a couple staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night. What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. The couple find themselves in a violent struggle, in which they go beyond what either of them thought capable in order to survive.
When the woman in The Strangers answer the door a girl appears asking for someone, however in our film we decide that no one is there after the door is knocked on which will create a sense of horror and terror. This will make the girl look more vulnerable due to the scary and dangerous situation she is in.
Another part in this film which i would like to use in ours is the part where the stranger is stood behind the woman without her knowing. This will make our audience have a sense of worry for the girl as the target audience will be the same age as her to they will feel sympathy for her. We will also use the long shot as it shows them both in the frame to show they're alone with no escape.
In the last scene of The Strangers the woman is seen to be dead on the floor, however, a close up shot is used and her eyes suddenly open to show she didn't get killed by the strangers. We do this in our film as the girl subverts the stereotype and ends up killing the killer. However, we do this in a more dramatic way as the girl is seen walking away with the blood knife in her hands.
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