Do you remember me?

Task 10:Evaluation

1.       In what ways does your opening film sequence of a new fiction film use 'Horror/Tom-com/Thriller ‘forms/Genre/ conventions?

The opening of our film uses both Horrors I like to play with my food Thriller conventions. The sole purpose of these genres is to scare the audience, whilst captivating I like to play with my food entertaining them. They include; murder, blood and gore, darkness, the supernatural, vulnerable women and the psycho killer. We were unable to add elements of a Rom-com as it is not suitable for this genre. Our antagonist fits into the stereotype as he comes across mysterious I like to play with my food turns out to be a serial killer. However, it does not use conventions such as living in a hidden house in the woods etc. But lives in an pen suburbia road.

 

ii) In what ways does your opening film sequence of a new fiction film develop or challenge from/genre/conventions?

Our horror film challenges conventions by incorporating the end of the film at the start. We have converted it to black and white so that the audience has an idea that this is a flash back. We have also converted it into slow motion to add emphasise. Our horror develops the genre by combining it with the thriller genre, by having conventions from both genres.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The first social group the audience would run into from our opening sequence is class. The class difference is easily noticeable, as the protagonist’s role as a ‘direct sales promotional’ represents the lower end of the social class system. Whereas the antagonist’s household represents the upper end of the social class system. We have followed the ‘typical’ horror storyline as the Male has control over the female. Also, the female has the role of the protagonist, and the male has the role of the antagonist. This is known as conventional in many horror genres. In the opening scene, straight away you would be able to notice that the female role is played by a young girl, whereas the male role is played by an older boy. The age difference would attract audiences between 15-19.

 

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

I think the main media institute that could distribute my media product would be News Corporation. News Corporation owns hundreds of media companies, including 20^th Century Fox, Sky, the Sun, News of the world and many more. I think that 20^th Century Fox would be an ideal distributor of my media product, as it is already well-known which would instantly increase the popularity and coverage of the film, but also it is a very commercial film producer and distributor, and I think ‘Would you remember me’ is a very mainstream commercial film, as opposed to an independent niche film, which could not be distributed with this company.

An alternate film distributor that could distribute my production is Icon Film Distribution UK. Icon Film Distribution UK distributes DVD’s and movies in the UK and Ireland. An example of a film distributed by Icon Film Distribution UK is ’Paranormal Activity’.

I have chosen Paranormal activity to talk about, because it has some of the same characteristics as my production. It was a low budget horror move, yet the film still managed to do exceeding well in Box Office and DVD sales, showing that you do not have to be a large production company with a high budget on a film to do well.

Therefore, I think Icon Film Distribution Uk could also be a good distribution of my media production, as ‘Do you remember me’ is also a low budget horror movie, and will definitely have a similar target audience, and therefore will need similar distribution tactics as Paranormal Activity.

http://www.iconmovies.co.uk/

 

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

The target audience for our media product would be both male and female from the age of 15. This is because the film contains drug taking and dangerous behaviour, where our protagonist is shown to be covered in cuts and bruises tied up in a cellar. Our film is suitable for both the lower class and the middle class as both elements are shown. This film would attract all Horror and Thriller fans as the film contains both and explores in depth.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

We addressed our audience by using young characters, both male and female, therefore attracting the younger generation. But also it would attract the older generation as the horror/thriller genre is very popular with both young and old people. It may also attract people who enjoy to play/listen to piano music. This is because both of our incidental pieces are explored with a piano. Those pieces may inspire piano players to produce similar pieces and maybe even produce a piece for another film Production.

 If we had released a trailer for our film, it would have been reasonably long, such as the trailer for ‘the devil inside’. As it would give the audience a quite detailed explanation on what the film is about, but at the same time, it wouldn’t give away the storyline or plots. However, if we made our trailer short, not many people would go to watch it as the part they would have watched may not have been exciting or jaw thrilling.

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

I have learnt that the use of technology has simplified the matter of producing a film. The use of a digital camera, a Mac Computer loaded with some professional software, such as Adobe. With software such as this, it becomes very easy to edit film clips. All you have to do is click and drag your selected shots into the right order. This greatly cuts down editing time, as even someone with very little experience in editing film can manage to accomplish their task, and to a reasonably professional standard.

I have also learnt how to use BlogSpot to publish my posts which are available to the public and available for people to comment on. I now feel very confident with the use of this site and have found it very useful to publish my posts. It also means that you can plan and show certain aspects of the project in great detail.

I have used YouTube to show trailers of movies in three genres, thriller, horror and rom-com. This allows the public to understand the elements which produce a particular genre. Using sites like YouTube means you can refer to a whole data base of other clips, which helps users to collect more research on their video, like we did, and will give help and tips on how to shape your own project

We used a website called ‘Incompetech’ which we got our soundtracks from. This website offers free music from any genre which you are able to download free! The only flaw is that anyone can use this site, meaning one of your classmates could have the same track as you on their film sequence. As well as Incompetech, we used garage band to edit the soundtrack to make it fit into out movie. This site allows you to slow down or speed up the track.

I had the responsibility of filming out movie, which meant I learnt how to use the Digital Video Camera. This may become useful in future projects. I believe it is very easy to use, making it very helpful and quick to film our movie.

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

Doing a preliminary task before my production of my final product gave me greater awareness of how the consideration of the target audience determines the outcome of decisions made during the production process. For example the preliminary project was good for me as both the preliminary and my final product were aimed at roughly the same age group, my preliminary was aimed at college students and my main project was also aimed at college students and above, so i was able to use quite a lot of the things i found out for the preliminary in my main project. Without the preliminary project, i wouldn’t have been able to learn quite a few skills that i used a lot during my main project, for example BlogSpot.

During the preliminary task, i was just getting used to using BlogSpot, uploading and embedding things, but when it came to my final product i was quite confident using it which allowed me to use it quicker and it was obviously a lot easier. I was able to use it for my planning and preparation which was so important as i was able to create a well thought out plan of how i wanted to make my film which was a lot easier to do then when i made the plan for my preliminary project. I think the best preparation for my final project was the preliminary as, like i said, i learnt lots of key skills that i used a lot during my main project and so when the time came to start the main project i already knew the basics of how to create a magazine and just needed to learn the more advanced tips.

Also, since the preliminary task, I confidence has increased a lot about using the Sony camera. I believe I have gained more skills I like to play with my food knowledge about camera actions and movements, which I have incorporated into our film. The camera actions and movements play a very important role in a successful film, as without it, the film would be less entertaining and may lead to the audience disliking the movie.

As well as BlogSpot and the camera, I have also learnt to use adobe player to edit our film. This programme allows me to shorten the film, make some scenes in slow motion, change the colouring, add sound etc. As my preliminary task will show you, not a lot of those have been shown throughout the 0.53 seconds. However, in out opening sequence, I believe they have been shown clearly and very well.

Film Logo's and Film Design

A film logo is a picture or icon of something that would represent the particular film production. They are used so that the audience can recognise who produced the film. They are usually juxtapositioned in the centre with the writing being black and bold, with the picture on top.

Here are a few examples of film logos:

20th Centruy Fox

Universal

Disney Studios

Task 9-Filming

When will you film?

We will be filming on several days throughout the 10th to the 24th of February.

Where will you film?

My house/Basesment - Wigginton Road.

Who will you film?
(Actors required on set)

Louise and Joe.

We will be filming Louise and Joe on Saturday and Sunday.

We hope to finish ourfilm on the Saturday, however if we don't, we always have the Sunday to complete it.

What will you film?
(Which aspects/scenes of your framing do you require)

On the saturday we aim to complete the opening scene, and also the scene after where there is a flashback. On the sunday we aim to complete the scene in the basement.

How will you film?

(What camera actions)


Low angle,
extreme close up,
medium close up,
panning,
reverse tracking,

forward tracking,

long shot.

Equipment used.

(Equipment will we require, including costumes and props)


Tripod,
video camera,
smart casual,
clipboard,
tea/tea cup,
fake blood,
make-up,
information on Miller Pattison.

Fake pills.

Sweetener wrapper.

T.v

Task 7 & 8- Role allocation and casting

The Director: Ellie-May Hancock, Emmelie Petersen and Natalie Willis.

The Writer: Emmelie Peterson

'Within the script i feel we need to add in thoughts of where she is or what's happened or why i am here, i can't remember anything.'

The Camera Person: Natalie Willis

'Try new angles within the scene, and see whether we can create a more intense feel.'

The Editor: Ellie-May Hanncock

'After the fade out in the storyboard, around the *faint*, we need to add in a shot reverse shot of Susan's eyes and her eye point of view. (Make it blurry)'

Props:

• Rope
• Fake Blood
• Make-up
• Tea/tea cup
• Clip Board
• Information about Miller Pattison
• Sweeteners
• Fake Pills

Costume:

Louise: Business wear, e.g. white blouse, trousers, suit jacket and heels.

Joe: Smart casual, e.g. Shit, jeans and trainers.

Location:

Real Life, House/Basement.

Lighting:

Natural, day/night time.

Susan Lesley will be played by a girl named Louise. She is 18 years old and an exchange student from Sweden.

Lucas Jones will be played by Joe. He is 18 years old and comes from England, Tamworth.

Task6:StoryBoard

Do you remember me?

Shot 1: Ambient sound.

Heavy breathing and traffic?

Reverse tracking - Louise will be running towards the camera.

Shot 2: Close up of Louise's hand - With rope around her hand.

Shot 3: Close up of Louise's face - cuts and bruises.

Shot 4: Theme tune - White noise.

Scart background.

Titles.

Shot 5: Low angel.

Louise walks up to the house.

Shot 6: Medium close up.

Hand knocking on the door.

Shot 7:  Medium close up

Joe opens door.

Shot 8: Shot reverse shot between Louise and Joe.

Dialogue.

Shot 9: Pan.

Louise walks into the lounge.

Shot 10: Medium long shot.

Louise sits down.

Dialogue.

Shot 11: Medium close up.

Joe- Dialogue.

Shot 12: Cuts to Joe in the kitchen.

Close up of pills.

Shot 13: Cuts to Louise in the lounge.

Medium close up of Louise taking the tea.

Shot 14: High angle shot.

Louise faints.

Shot 15: Fades out.

Shot 16: Extreme close up.

Louise's eyes opening.

Sweet dripping down her face.

Shot 17: Fast cuts.

Cuts, bruises, hands and feet tied up.

Shot 19: Ambient sound.

Forward tracking behind Joe.

Shot 19: Medium close up

Joe- Dialogue.

'Do you remember me?'

Shot 20: Scart.

White Noise.

How to Storyboard a film sequence.

• The purpose of a storyboard it to photograph each and every shot of a film with a lost of key information written underneath.
• Storyboards allow a director to visualise the whole film before filming and also allows the camera person to understand how the film is going to be shot.
• Storyboards also allow you to change elements if they do not work visually before the expensive filmaking process.

Each frame of the storyboard should contain the following information:

• Shot number- each shot of the storyboard must be numbered so that the intended sequense of shots can be followed.
• Framing- is the shot a close up? medium shot?
• Drawing- a drawing visualisation of what is happening.
• Action- a brief description of what is happening.
• Dialogue- single lines may be writtnen.
• Sound effects- diegetic and non-diegetic?

Each frame on the storyboard must have a short descruption such as frames, MLS, LS etc.

Also information on movement and position such as following abbrieviations could be added.

H/A = high angle     POV = point of view     OTS = over the shoulder shot
L/A = low angle     2-shot = two people in a shot


   

Task 5:Script

Louise walks up to the house. Knocks door.

Louise:

Good morning sir, my name is Susan Lesley, I'm from Miller Pattison insulation company. I'm here because you wanted guidance about what's most suitable for your wall insulation?

Joe:

Oh hey, yes. Please come in.

Louise:

Thank you (smiles).

Louise walks into the house and into the lounge.

Lucas:

Please, sit down. (points to the sofa)

Can i get you a cup of tea?

Susan:

That would be wonderful, thank you.

Joe walks into the kitchen to make the tea.

Swaps the sweeteners for pills.

Joe walks back into the lounge.

Lucas:
Here you go.
(Gives her the cup of tea.)

Susan:

(handed the cup of tea.

Thank you.So right.....

Louise drinks the cup of tea, moments later faints.

Louise wakes up in the basement.

Lucas:

(Walking towards Louise)

Do you remember me?

Task 4: The Pitch

The British Board of Film Classification, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films within the United Kingdom

Our group would give our film a certificate rating of 15. This is where a film should not be purchased or seen by anyone under the age of 15.

We have decided to give our film this certificate due to the drug taking and dangerous behaviour, where our protagonist is shown to be covered in cuts and bruises tied up in a cellar.

There is a clear difference between each certificate as there are restrictions in each one.

When a film is given a U certificate, all ages are admitted to view the film.

    PG stands for Parental Guidance, certain scenes may be unsuitable for children under 8 and there also may be some drug/sexual references.

   Those Those aged under 12 years are only admitted if accompanied by an adult, aged at least 18 years, at all times during the motion picture. Films under this category can contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, moderate swear words, infrequent strong language and moderate violence/sex references.

   Nobody under the age of 12 are admitted to view certificate 12 films. Films in this category may include infrequent drugs, infrequent use of strong language, brief nudity, discreet sexual activity, and moderate violence.

   Nobody younger than 15 are permitted to watch films with this certificate. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, strong language etc.

    Those under the age of 18 are permitted to watch films with this certificate. Films under this category do not have limitation on the bad language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and strong violence/sex references along with strong sexual activity is also allowed.

Below are a number of ideas we came up with for a possible Horror film. With thorough discuss, we decided to use idea number four.

Characters

Name: Lucas Jones
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Occupation: Accountant
Appearance/Costume: Smart casual
Characterisitics: Quiet, mysterious and confident.

Name: Susan Lesley
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Occupation: Sales Lady
Appearance/Costume: Business wear
Characteristics: Confident, friendly and hard working.

Title of Film: 'Do you remember me?'

Scene one:

• Reverse tracking
• Close up of cuts and bruises.
• Torn rope around her wrist.

*Flash Back*

Scene two:

• Low angle shot of female walking up the path towards the door. 
• Cut to a medium close up - male answers the door.
• Female introduces herself.
• Shot reverse shot - Showing the conversation.
• Pan - female walks in.

Scene three:

• Sub POV of walking into the lounge.
• Male asks female is she would like a cup of tea.
• Cut to the kitchen - males swaps sweeteners for pills.
• Cut to a medium shot - female drinks tea.
• Female faints.
• Fade out.

Scene four:

•  Extreme close up - females eyes open.
• Fast cuts - showing injuries and females hands and feet tied together.
• Forward tracking - Male walks towards female.
• Close up of males face - 'Do you remember me?'
• Cut - white noise - scart.

Statistical year book 2011- 4.1 genre

By using the statistical year book, i am able to analyse film genres in 2011. Throughout the year, 31 Horror films were released, whereas only 20 Thriller films were released and 19 Romance films were released.

The table shows that Romance films made the most money at the box office with £58.4 Million, with horror making £54.1 Million, and Thriller falling behind with £19.3 Million. This may be because the Thriller movies met the audiences high expectations by revealing the top special affects available.

Our genre falls in second in the popularity area, however their Gross at the Box Office is still a high amount. We have chosen this genre as we believe we are cable of producing good scenes for filling the audiences needs. However we do not have the capital to create good impressive scenes and to purchase high standard props.

Task 3: Target Audience

Me, and two other of my class mates (Ellie-May and Emmelie) are currently finding out information on what makes a perfect Horror, Thriller and Ron-com, from their point of view. This information would help us build together our two minute Horror film. To help us gather this information, together we created a questionnaire for our class mates to fill in.

Here are our following questions:

1. What genre do you prefer?

       Horror,    Thriller,     Ron-com.

2. Would you prefer a pre-title scene?

     Yes,   No

3. What setting would you find most interesting?

      Past   Present   Future

4. Would you prefer a fictional or non-fiction film?

   Fictional   Non-fiction

5. Within the genre you chosen, would you prefer you antagonist to be young or old?

Young   Old

6. Is your ideal antagonist male of female within your chosen genre?

  Male   Female

7. What certificate film do you prefer to watch?

    U   PG   12A   12   15   18

8. What social class would your find most interesting to watch?

     Lower class   Middle class   Upper class

9. Do you like background music within your film?

 Yes   No

10. What style of music do you prefer within your film?

    Incidental   Ambient

Within our class, we handed out ten copies of this questionnaire.
Below, are the answers we gathered from the questionnaire:

1. 3 said Horror, 3 sad Thriller and 4 said Ron-com.

• 'I don't like scary films.'
• 'Thrillers are entertaining.'
• 'Ron-Com's are light hearted.'
• 'I prefer horror films because they are gripping and more fun to watch.'
• 'I prefer Ron-Com's because they are girly.'
• 'Thrillers have more action ad excitement than other genres.'
• 'I feel the thriller genre is more exciting and it gets you out of your chair more.'

2. 5 said Yes and 5 said No.

3. 2 said Past, 8 said Present and 0 said Future.

• 'The present is more realistic.'
• 'The past is more interesting to watch to see how it was in the past.'
• 'The present is more relateable.'
• 'I can relate to the present.'

4. 7 said Fictional and 3 said Non-fiction.

5. 5 said Young and 5 said Old.

• 'Young as it is unusual.'
• 'Old because they tend to have more wisdom and are sinister.'
• 'Young as i can relate to it.'
• 'Young as they are more athletical than the older generation.

6. 7 said Male and 3 said Female.

• 'Female as it breaks the stereotype of the male dominance.'

7. 7 said age certificate 15 and 3 said age certificate 18.

•  'I prefer certificate 15 as they are less childish.'
• '18's are more entertaining.'
• '18's can show more interesting scenes.'
• 'Older rated films have more freedom in what explicit content they show.'
• 'I prefer the age certificate 15, as i feel the 12 certificate is less flexible in what they say, so therefore they're less realistic.'

8. 3 said The Lower class, 3 said the Middle class, 2 said the Upper class and 2 said All.

• 'I would prefer to watch the upper class because you can see the expenses they can afford.'
• 'Upper class because it's more interesting to see their lives.'
• 'I prefer all as its a wider audience.'
• 'I prefer to watch the middle class as i am able to relate to it.'
• 'The lower social class as there are many negative stereotypes about their lives, I'd like to challenge this.'

9. 10 said music and 0 said no music.

• 'Music gives the scene atmosphere.'
• 'Yes, so you can tell what is going to happen.'
• 'I'd like music in the background as it would be boring without it.'
• 'Music can help set the scene.'
• 'Music would add to the excitement.'
• 'At times yes, as it adds to the scene and it helps us determine what mood it is.'

10. 10 said Incidental and 0 said Ambient.

• 'I prefer upbeat music to show action, but orchestral music is appealing as it builds up to a crescendo.'

As you can see, there are a variety of answer's and opinions. This information will help our group come up with the perfect 2 minute Horror film.

There are currently 18 students, who range between 16 and 17, in my media class, however we only gave out ten questionnaires. If we were to hand out a questionnaire to each student, there would have been a lager variety of answer's and opinions. Therefore it would have contributed more to our information which is currently accommodating our film making process. 

How does your film fit into Metz's theory?

I believe that our film fits into one of Metz's phases; Deconstruction. As well as the horror genre, i think that in parts of out film sequence, the thriller genre creeps up a bit. The scene which i think has a hint of thriller, is the scene shot in the basement. This is because the audience would be on the edge of their seat as the shots are very mysterious. The shots include fast shots and close ups of the actresses wounds. Thus creeping into the genre of Thriller.

Christian Metz modle of genre development

Christian Metz, in his book Language And Cinema (1974) explored the development of genre film and suggested that each genre passes through four phases of existence. The four phases being;

By experimental we mean the phase of early films which explored and experimented with horror themes in it's narratives.

Films such as: The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Nosferatu fall into this title.

By classic we mean the phase of films which established the narrative conventions of the horror genre in it's most successful and defining period.

Films such as: Frankenstein and Dracula fall into this title.

By parody we mean films that have mimicked the horror genre in some comical way.

Films such as: Carry on screaming, Scary Movie and Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein fall into this title.

By deconstruction we mean films which have taken the generic elements of the horror genre and amalgamated them into varying sub genres.

Films such as: The sixth sense, Scream and the Blair Witch Project.

The Horror Genre

This definition is taken from wikipedia:

Horror films are a movie genre seeking to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus they may overlap with the fantasy and supernatural genre. Horrors frequently overlap with the thriller genre.

Mood Board-Horror

 

Mood Board-Romantic Comedy

Mood board-Thriller

The Ugly Truth

   

The Unborn

Red Dragon

Red Dragon is a 2002 American Thriller film based on Thomas Harris' novel of the same name and featuring psychiatrist and serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lector. The film was directed by Brett Ratner and written for the screen by Ted Tally who also wrote the screenplay for the Oscar-winning The Silence of the Lambs.

The opening title credits were a red and white. The red being associated with blood and horror and the white being associated with good and purity, which can symbolise the good and the evil within the film. The fact that the red comes before the white could show that evil is more dominant that good. The theme tune is played by violins and a piano, which symbolises the class status which will be shown throughout the film.

The start of the scene is shown through an establishing shot, overlooking an Opera House. This also links in with the class status, as only those with a higher class would attend an Opera.

The shot is the cut to close up of members of the orchestra, showing the different types of instruments they are able to play. This again links in with the class system as it known that those who are a part of the orchestra must be upper class. Also, as the tempo and frequency vary, this may relate to later events in the film.

A long shot is then used to show the audience and then a tilt and zoom to show the juxtaposition between the protagonists to make him stand out from the crowd.

As the frequency is increased, Hannibal winks at the flute player as he makes a few wrong notes. He then tilts his head just as a lion would do to signal he has his eye on his pray.

The next scene is a long shot of Hannibal's house. The exterior is cover in white paint, which may show Hannibal's pure side, whereas the windows are blacked out which would mean he has evil hidden within him.

The shot is then cut to a panning of the dinner guests sat around the dining room table. The men are dresses in suits, and the women are dressed in gowns. This representing those in the upper class.

The dining room table is laid out with sets of litten candles, thus representing the formal atmosphere Hannibal's dining room holds. The guests plates are filled with food which could show he is fattening up his pray, ready to eat.

Hannibal circles the table shown through a low angle which symbolises the dominance he has over his pray. One of the guests say, 'Speaking for the rest of the heard', this could show that he may be aware of Hannibal's actions.

To complement the atmosphere in the dining room, Incidental music of a piano is being played which could show they all have class.

Via an over the shoulder shot, the audience are introduced to Inspector Graham. Both Hannibal and Inspector Graham are wearing white shirts which would symbolise the equalness between them. 

Inspector Graham is lead into Hannibal's study, where he mentions that the murderer of the three victims took away their livers, tongue and kidney. Hannibal shows no expression on his face, as he is already aware of this.

As Hannibal leaves his study, he pats Inspector Graham on the shoulder. This may show that he trusts him and that they have a close relationship. This is shown through a medium shot.

Inspector Graham shows an interest of Hannibal's study as he takes a look through his bookcase. Horizontal tracking is used to show that he comes across a book called 'Larousse Gastronomique'. He opens the page which Hannibal had marked, to find the words 'sweetbread' written underneath the text. This is where it is shown how to eat things you would normally throw away, such as the human organs.

The frequency of the incidental music gets louder, creating tension, as a high angle shot shows Hannibal catching Inspector Graham in the act, and then stabbing him through in the stomach. The high angle shot shows the power Hannibal has over Inspector Graham. However, through a two shot, we see that they are both at equal heights, showing they both may be weak and powerless. This is proven as Inspector Graham fights back by stabbing Hannibal in the chest with three arrows. As Hannibal wants to keep is dominant status, he tries to fight back but Inspector Graham shoots him in the chest before he could make any more damage.

However, the scene is left with Hannibal falling on his death bed onto his desk. Thus showing the higher status he still holds, as Inspector is shown on the floor. Hannibal dies in vein!