Filming progress

We have started filming are trailer, after 1 week we have completed 8 scenes and only have a further 2 to go. i have deicded that we are going to use imovie to put our trailer together as it gives us more effects to use and more transitions. After our editing is copleted were are goping to use the music studio at school to enhance the sound so we can make the audio more recognisable to the audience.
during our filming we have come under many challenging task, we have mde to change the last scene location as the room we had started to film in was deemed unsafe.
At the start of the production we has to do practise shots and we used me as the test dummy, we pratise all our shots to see if they would work in the end results and we were happy with how the they looked so we decided to film.
Now all we have left to film is the middle scene where the girl is in her bedroom on the computer and the end scene where the girl in tied up and highy in terror when the boys or demon/murderer. This will take us till take us up to the christmas holidays

Production Started

I have now began making the opening and closing credits for my film. i begun using windows movie maker to product the two. we first had to make a certificate screen at the start to tell the audience that it is suitable for the ages 15+, i then went to make the company logo, i didnt this on the internet and added videoi transitions in windows movie maker, i feel that the effects i have used and the colours i have used really suit the horror genre and will break the stereotypes.

Opening Credits

As you can see we have producted our own certificate at the start of our film which is a signifier to the audience that it is a horror film. i thought that we would break away from the stereotype of the classic green and have our own red certificate.
This was made on microsoft publisher which madeit easy to recreate the image.

This is our company logo which was created online, i thought that the choice of image at the start of the writing was key, as it is a film strip which indicates to the audience that we are a film company even if they saw our logo in a newspaper or billboard. MJ Productions comes from our names Michael and Joshua. On our film we have effected this to make it look old and vintage. This image flashing in from white and then fades to white then the film starts.

Research for Company Logo

Twisted Pictures is a production company, mainly creating films of the horror genre. It gained wide attention through the production of the Saw series. The twisted pictures company logo comes on after the lionsgate. The logo for enter the screen with “twisted pictures” written in grey and rusty barbed  surrounds the lettering, as the wires meets in the middle it makes a heart shape at the end this is only seen for approx 2 seconds, after this a stake drops down and pierces the hearts and tightens the barbed wire around the letter. This is a good signifier for the horror genre as it makes the audience get the idea of being trapped and it stereotypes horror films as when a vampire is present a stake through the heart is the only way to kill them. The dark background makes the white writing really present and moves it into the eye line of the audience.

Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation (commonly referred to as Lionsgate) is a Canadian-American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, but is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. As of 2007, it is the most commercially successful independent film and television distribution company in North America. The Lionsgate Horror intro, uses a very dark but adventureous colour scheme, the uses of red and black work well together, and also the use of rusty cogs in the main clip is easy for the audience to relate to. The camera then comes through a key hole which is a signifier to the audience basically saying there is more movie that meets the eye.

Changing of ideas

During the last few lesson i have decided to change the storyline of my movie trailer. Our orginal idea was that there are three students who stumble across the histroy of there school and that bad things start to happen to them after that.
We have now changed this storyline, so that the main charecter is a girl and she is the one who stumbles across this history, We have chosen to have a girl because girls are seen as vulnerable so it breaks a convention of horror.
The girl then goes missing and the two other main charecters (two boys) have to go and search for her. but will they find her?!

Script For "Absence"

First two shots are cetificate given for the film trailer and the makers of the film. This then flashes to white, then the first scene of the trailer.

First Scene - Shot 3:
School Corridor - am
Ryan, Charlotte and Joe walking down corridor of school to lesson after break.
Ryan: Well I'm not looking forward to this!
Joe: Why not? I don't mind maths.
S.D: Ryan gives Joe a weird look.
Joe: What have you got now Charlotte?
Charlotte: I'm going to the library, look over my notes from last lesson.
Ryan: Why? What's the point?
Charlotte: Cos I value my education...unlike you two!

Second Scene - Shot 4:
School Library - am
Charlotte is in the library looking for a book on History of English Education. Finds a book called History of...
Thinks this is the book, takes it with her.

Third Scene - Shot 5:
Charlotte's Bedroom - pm
Charlotte is on her computer researching the book she got from the library. Finds the school has a hidden past, weird things going on within the school. Camera pans around to get her reaction of what she has just read about her school.

Fourth Scene - Shot 6
History Room - am
Shot of the teacher with a class full of students.Everyone quiet and studying.
Ryan: (whispers to Charlotte) What's up?
Charlotte ignores him.
Joe: (whispers to charlotte) Seriously, what's up?
Charlotte: (shouts) Just leave me alone!
Teacher: That's it you three, DETENTION! After school!

Fifth Scene - Shot 7
Girls Toilets - pm
Charlotte alone in toilets, looking in the mirror. Notices the tap turns on, turns to look at the tap, as she does the lights go off. She goes to turn the lights on, once they are on all the taps are on and running.

Sixth Scene - Shot 8
Detention Room - pm
Charlote, Joe and Ryan in detention, all chattering.
Light goes off. Talking quietens to silence. Light goes on.
Joe: What was that?
Ryan: I...I dunno!

Seventh Scene - Shot 9
In a school corridor - pm
Lights are flickering on and off, Joe and Ryan looking for Charlotte.
Joe: (to Ryan) Where is she?

Eighth Scene - Shot 10
End of the corridor, door to storage room - pm
Ryan's hand opens the doorhandle, pushes door forwards.

Nineth Scene - Shot 11
In a dark room - pm
Charlotte is tied up, lying on the floor. Eyes closed, when camera zooms in for a close-ups, she blinks twice and then opens her eyes. This reveals red eyes into black background.

The final shot is the information about the film, credits, title and other information. Absence is revealed in centre of the screen with the red eyes still in the black. Then other information fades from the back, whislt water-dripping sound in the background.

Codes and Conventions of the Thriller genre

Thriller trailers have to have the use of sound and fast paced editing eg. quick shots and the use of different camera angles. The music needs to give tension and appropriate.
The lighting in thriller films is always dark and have the use of shadows. Mirrors and stairs are also a key convention of thriller movies
Some Thriller films dont stick to the conventions of their genre for example: Phonebooth and Devil.
This is where you are in the eyes of the killer and it ignores the standard use of mirrors, shadows, etc. in this way the audience is made to feel sorry for the male/female charecter that is been pursuit by suspect/killer. Throughout these two films there is fast passed editing and flashbacks. these two films many not be classed as thriller becuase the dont stick to the main conventions but these movies play with your mind like a psychological thriller.
Some simple cinventions used in a thriller film are :

Make Audience Think

Plays With Viewers Mind

Flash Backs

Pass Of Time Sequences

Quick Cuts & Change Of Camera Angles

Mirrors

Use Of Lighting To Create Shaddows

From Killers Point Of View

Stairs

Music To Add Tension

Suprises & Twists

Todays lesson (18/10/10)

In the lesson today, i have decided to change the genre for my trailer. The old genre of my film was Horror, we have decided to change to horror/thriller because we think it will give us a wider variety of shots and angles to use and it would gives us more ideas and will gives us more techniques to play around with. In our trailer we want to build up suspense right till the very end where there is a boy/girl tied up on the floor of a dark, wet room with red eyes, and we think the build up to this will match the conventions of a thriller then but will also use the horror trailer, we want to keep the audience of the edge of there sits throughout the trailer.
We have now thought of a name for our film. The name of the film will be "Absence" this will match our film as its links to school if a pupil is away for a day, but also because on our the main characters go missing during the trailer.

Questionairre Feedback

            I have recieved my feedback from my questionairre and have gained alot of positive criticism from it. form this questionairre i have now thought of a name for my film, i have gone with the name "absence", I feel this is a good name for my film as it relates to where my film is set and and relates to what happens in the film.
            I have found out that that every person i asked can relate to the plot of my film. I think this was a storyline that because everyone has to have been to school or is still present. i found the best way to end my trailer is on a cliff hanger, this will keep the audience guessing and make them look forward to see my film or even make them watch my trailer again and again.
             I have found that people like horror films/Trailers to be quite dark and dramatic to keep them aware and help build up suspense.
            Here are my results from my questionairre;

Storyboard Completed

Earlier today i completed my storyboard, i have draw nthe shots of the trailer and have show the use of dialogue, i have shown each individual shot with a brief description, i have also shown which transitions i am going to use. I have added colour to my storyboard so people have get to graps with the trailer through the storyboard and the actual video. In the storyboard i have said the music i am using and the sound fx

Story Boards

Locations:
-Basement of school
-School Field
-School Toilets
-Small Dark Room

Props:
-Own Clothes (sixth form students)
-General School Furnishings

Scripting:
For our script we are going to have three actors who stumble across the history of there school and notice that there had been something happening of 50 years ago at there school, the script with consist of stage directions and cues of the actors, this will make it easier for the actors to get into there roles. The script is in progress at the moment, and nearly half completed.

Lighting
The lighting for the trailer is quite dark, the locations were are filming in arent very well lit with natural light with makes it perfect for the genre. were are hoping to use a lamp light to shine on the set and charecters and this will be used in the last scene of the trailer.

Camera Shot
Throughout the trailer there will be alot of reaction shots, establishing shots and point of view shots, all these shots will help set the scene for the audience and the reactions shots will help them to engage with the film and feel involved

Music
The music in the background of my trailer i will be at the end when the title screen comes on flashing, with the date of release and tagline. There will be all talking in the trailer with sound fx in the background.

Credits
At the start of my trailer i will have opening credits and at the end i i will have the closing credits, The opening credits will be an audience introduction, and then a shot of the company who has made the trailer. the ending credits will, come from a fade out of the last shot of the trailer then the title screen flashes up with the title, then the tagline, then the day of release.

Media Questionnaire

I have produced a questionnaire for my group (Joshua Guest and Michael Daly) to find out what people want in a trailer and what they think of horror films for my market research section of my media A level, i have added a synopsis of my film to find out what people think and so they can give it a rating out of 10

i have decided to do a questionnaire because it gives me the opportunity to find out what people want in a horror trailer and so i can make my film better for the intended audience. i will hand out 15 to 20 copies of this to people to gather information and hopefully influence my trailer.The target audience for my film/trailer will people aged between 16 and above, this means i can hand out my questionnaires around my sixth form and to a few teachers.

Todorov

in my first media lesson we have learnt about Todorovs Theory. In Todorovs Theory there is always an Equilibrium, Distruption, recognition of disruption and Attempt to repair distruption. This is the theory that this is the normal, conventional way for a story to be. Examples of this is fairytale's who always seem to follow this theory more or less.
We then looked at Propp's Character theory, which was the 8 characters that you should always expect to see within a story. These are:

1. The Villain
2. The Donor
3. The Helper
4. The Princess or Prize
5. Her Father
6. The Dispatcher
7. The Hero/Victim/Seeker hero
8. False Hero

How has Study of Narrative Informed my Understanding of how Film is put Together
Now knowing that there is a certain way to stucture a film, it will sometimes better to break away from this theory. for example, Short films like Dipper and Gravity these films should be that adding a twist can add suspense to the storyline and keep the audience gripped throughout. In the film dipper, the audience is made to believe that the main charecter is a bad guy, and this is maintained throughout whole short film until the end where the twist happens and the audience find out the real.

What i have Learnt from this?
I have learnt that a good successful movie needs to have a storyline that keeps the auidience hooked form the start and that here is a certain way to structure a film, doing this will stick to the conventions of movie making, but i have learnt if you break this convention it can make the film better and keep the audience happy.

In have found a diagram that simplifies this:

Codes And Conventions of Horror

I have decided to do the horror genre for my trailer, so i have put together a PowerPoint to show how the genre works and what is used in a horror trailer to make it exciting for the audience.

As you can see i have shown the clear codes and conventions of a horror film, showing how the audience is affected by them and why there effected eg. that the audience don't expect to see and how they automatically start to feel sorry for the "Good" character

Resident Evil Powerpoint

As i am creating a promotion package in film and print, i have decided to look at a successful film and how it has been promoted on different media platforms. I decided to research the horror/thriller and gore genres, The movie i decided to research is Resident Evil Afterlife. i decided to do this because there are many codes and coventions that are broken, eg: A woman being the main charecter and the audeince see here fighting and have the use of guns.

I have explored all the production and adevertising side of the film and analysised and annotated the movie poster.

Planning Ideas

During the previous 2 lessons i have been planning the production of my trailer. I have decised to make a horror trailer as i find them interesting and i think that i would produce and good trailer.
Me and my Partner Michael Daly have decided that we are going to set are trailer in a school that has a hidden past.
The Trailer will have three main charecters, and they will be students at the school, when strange things start to happen at the school one of the charecters decide to research the history and he/she stumbles across and old legend that happened at the school over 30 years ago, they ask the librarian about what they have found out but the librariam tells them to stay away...but they dont, they continue to find more stuff out and after a few days they start to notice things changing around the school.
In one of our scenes the charecters are in the toliets at break and the taps start to come on, on there own and the toilets start to flush. This scares the charecters and they talk about it there next lesson, during the class they get detention for talking and are sent to the detention room in the basement, whilst the three are in there the lights go off and when the they come back on the door is wide open and one of the students are missing, the lights outside the room are flashing and the two students look left, then right, then look left again and there is a hand print of blood on the wall. The ending of our trailer is that a girl/boy is tied up in a dark and dreary room, the charecter blinks with there eyes closed twice and then there eyes open and they have red eyes!!!
We both have knowledge of the horror genre and think we could produce a brilliant trialer and gain a good grade from it.

Media Course

Today in media, i set up my blog. it was pretty easy and took no time at all, we have been told to keep the blog uup to date, and to update it every lesson with the key ideas and projects that we are undertaking that week