My Real Thing - Progressive feedback

Dear Readers,

I decided to show my working piece to a focus group of girls that suited my demographics to see their reaction and get their feedback on issues:



They helped me by giving me feedback:

- increase the jack in the box effect by a POV shot
- Add more of a dramatic effect on the introduction of the killer - quicker shots flicking between!
- cut one my shots (done already) because i lost her head in the shot.

until next time...

My Real Thing - Complications whilst filming

Dear Readers,

Now filming posed a few issues,

1. My house lighting causes multiple problems however I had to make do.

The problems were that the lighting in my sister bedroom disagreed with the camera, I'm not sure why but I could guess the LED didn't like the lens.

Again, a second problem I encountered with lighting was that the outside was too dark, as I couldn't see her. I did try post production to edit the brightness but it was still very dark. To sort this I could off used an artificial light but I don't thave that type of equipment

A third problem was the lighting in my hallway as it was very dark and yellow, however, this mainly could be edited in post-production. 

2. The quality of the camera was an issue due to some shots remaining blurry

I think this was because the camera did not like the change of focus.

My Movie planning - In house scenes

Dear Readers,

Companies thats choose to film in a house usually go for ones thats have ample off-street parking and offer large rooms with plenty of natural light.

Well my own film location will be my house and the main room does have plenty of natural light, however, because of the numerous number of windows - i have to be careful i don't accidentally shoot a scene where you can see my reflection!

Although i do have one problem, my movie will be set in the night/evening which will cause problems to my natural light. So i will have to use artificial lighting - however, i do have over 36 lights in my kitchen all of which dim and create different settings hopefully reducing reflections. 

"Don't be afraid to dress your set - make it look as good as it possibly can."  – Sara Gundlash

until next time reader...bye!

#TheMediaofaNewGeneration

My Movie planning - More Inspiration 'Pretty Little Liars' (tv series)

Dear Readers,

So recently i have watched a series called 'Pretty Little Liars' on Netflix and it was filled with typical Thriller aspects but yet was also filled with many ideas that i could incorporate into my movie...

This scene shows a killer in a house but also a women receiving a Jack in the box. However what you don't see are the too events are linked but this scene does not show this. But what it does show is some very good shots off the knife in his hand and of the Jack in the box in her hands.

These could influence my my shots when my killer has a knife, also when my girl receives a Jack in the box. Bit coincidental but i can assure you i did not copy or steal this idea from here or anywhere.

Until next time... bye!

#TheMediaofaNewGeneration

My Movie planning - New inspiration 'Scream' (tv series)

Dear Readers,

So recently i have watched a series called 'Scream' on Netflix and it was filled with typical Thriller aspects but yet was also filled with many ideas that i could incorporate into my movie...

However he is a type of inspiration that is defiantly for my movie, as the whole series starts with the opening of the nursery rhyme "Daisy... daisy..." This foreshadows the use of a character called Daisy and a crazy killer (i'm half crazy...) I like the use of this because its creepy and sets the series up in one song.

The series also so glimpse of other inspirations such as this clip below shows a door scene that i was going to incorporate in mine... However it's also made me think what if i put a jack in the box outside the door? Just like Emma discovers a box outside her door... plus the use of the doorbell ringing and and no one there indicates something scary!

This series is extremely good... it's got history, it;s got murder, creepy masks, creepy text messages etc... My main inspiration now believes to be this!

Until next time...bye!

#TheMediaofaNewGeneration

My Movie planning - Opening credits

Dear Reader,

In movies the opening credits can pretty much come at any point in the first 5 minutes of a film... Could be the first thing you see or could be after 2 minutes it comes. Either way where it's placed needs to be discussed. So I done some research by watching different genres and then watching mainly thrillers to find:

Such as in 'Skyfall' the opening credits don't come until 10 minutes into the film... I love these opening credits because they are very artistic plus to the music they are so dramatic.



However thrillers, such as my main influence SCREAM, the openings typical come at the beginning... Here are all four openings, but they all come before the movie starts... Now this is so the tension and suspense in the movie isn't broken by a title sequence. I love these opening as they all involve screaming and just make you really tense.



So i've decided i'm going to put my opening sequence at the beginning although i love the use of music and imagination of the skyfall opening so i would like to incorporate both aspects into my opening.

until next time...bye!

#TheMediaofaNewGeneration

Thriller Genre - Other student videos

Dear Readers,

So after finding out lots about my genre, i did some research into other a level students horror or thriller movies because seeing how other people did it can inspire me to do better or invent ideas...




Here is a horror opening that is annotated with notes, which i find extremely helpful, but i like this as you get a lots of Point of View shots and innocence. The jumpiness at the end also provides a good thriller convention, as it the unexpected reaction.

Heres another one i particularly like:



I like the use of a girl, and her emotions/ reflections because she is easier to sympathise with. However the weirdness and quirkiness of it does't appeal to me, because i feel a relatable storyline is better in terms of scaring people.

I love the use of sound in this one:



The opening sound is suddenly cut off then the silence is broken by something so simple as a shirt. I love this use of sound because its jumpy, and gets the heart thumping is confusion of the different levels of sound so quick. Although what i like the most is the foly breathing, that has been amplified and made to over exggerate the pain of the situation, just like when its used again for the tapping. The sound of beating music after the stab, builds up the tension of the boys running away. The shots also on this one are almost invisible, there are a few jumpy ones but the majority is flowing. I especially like the where the foreground is focused and the background is blurred....
Plus i love the use of the villain,  another character usually a man, helps add fear to the opening.

So until next time friends... bye!

#TheMediaofaNewGeneration

Thriller Genre - Nine Frame Analysis

Dear Readers,

To every film there is a nine shot analysis of the opening scene becuase  the most important shots happen here.

 SO here is a close high angle shot of the phone... because this where to story starts, the main factor of this scene is the phone. This statement opening shot really emphasises the phone.

Next its the slightly low angle mid shot which shows her as superior, to which to begin with she is. She rules the man on the phone. This shot of her face so soon introduces us to the character quickly.

The next shot is of her putting the phone down, The shot shows the phone as inferior due to the high angle because right now the phone isn't as important.

Then the phone rings again, and the shot gets less low angle on her, showing her loosing her superiorness as the person on the phone starts to win the conversation.

This establishing shot is shown surprisingly late in the scene (usually first shot) indicating its more of a POV shot of the person outside the house.

Then it flicks back to her, doing her own thing... the natural act of making popcorn indicates her unknownness to the situation. This shot is a close up/mid shot...

This is actually a pan shot, showing her walking to the phone as it rings AGAIN. This shot follows her, mirroring the person following/stalking her currently.

This mid shot is a good on because she's foreshadowing the fact a knife will be used later in the film, by sampling playing with one earlier. This highlight the knife as important. This also symbols her ignorance to what is about to happen.

This Shot is more about sound, because as the conversation on the phone gets more and more intense, the popcorn corresponds to the phone. It gets louder and louder, increasing the impact of this scene. 

until next time readers.... bye!

#TheMediaofaNewGeneration.

Thriller Genre - Top Ten Shots

Dear Readers,

The Top Ten shots for my Genre are usually one that make objects inferior or point of view of the protagonist/antagonist, This Slideshare sums it up really: (BillieWilson) Although there are 11 shots here, they are the most important in a thriller.

Camera shots and angles for a horror and thriller film from billiewilson_

-       

Brainstorm for my Genre

Dear Readers,

For the inspiration to my 2 minute movie opening  I went onto 'youtube' and looked at previous ones done before me. I took some notes on the most effective ones and how they accomplished this effectiveness. For example here is one I looked at:


The notes I took from this one is the build up of suspense made by sounds (doors/floor boards) and music made me personally shiver, so i thought sounds and music is so important!

Then, after watching a couple of different genres, I decided to ask a focus group on their opinion of the most effect genre to portray in just 2 minutes and unanimously they agreed a thriller/horror got them most interested in wanting to watch on... therefore I decided to go with a thriller.

However now I had my genre I needed inspiration from real published movies! So after watching some extremely disturbing 2 minutes of each movie I focused in on two movie trailers, 'Scream' and 'Unfriended' to which I found they gave me an idea for my own movie:


I choses these 2 in particular because they both involved school kids from our age, so I know people can relate them to that situation which is what I want for my own thriller. I want people to be scared that they could be in the situation I create for my movie.

So until next time chums...bye!

#TheMediaofaNewGeneration

Typically good film openings

Dear Readers,

i am looking at film openings made by other directors as it is crucial to my research, so i can see how directors create their award winning movies...

For my Genre in particular, i like the 1996 movie 'scream's ' film opening...


“What’s your favorite scary movie?”

"Wes Craven’s self-aware sense of pitch-black humor is complimented only by his ability to engineer a freaky horror set piece, in this case one of the best of all time"  – Daniel Walber

I really like this because it's a situation i can relate myself too and in the first 4 minutes the viewer is already on edge, due to the music intensifying and the repetitive phone calls building up suspense.
The director Wes Craven also directed the nightmare on elm street and scream4. This director uses a specific dramatic technique because the music ran through out and the sounds are cleverly put together. This film opening is one i favour because i particularly like the girl home alone idea as it's the perfect setting to empathise with her, because you could imagine yourself in her shoes!

However in general i like these film openings...

Manhattan - Directed by Woody Allen

 "Chapter one…”
The music captures the many tempos of New York City and few movies capture its blend of anxiety and romance like Woody Allen’s black & white films. The opening lays down its inexpressible love for the city with rushed class, matching the fits and starts of Allen’s tortured monologue to the unstoppable drive of the music. In the end it is New York itself that wins, pushing past the script into a wordless celebration of its skyline and rhythm that can only explode into fireworks.
I like the voice over because it adds a depth of field to the opening, like a narrative that is speaking to the audience directly. I feel this is something i could encorperate within my 2 minute opening as it bring the effect of more than just a movie to watch but get involved with!

Clueless - Amy Heckering


"looking out a dirty old window..."
I LOVE this film opening because the music is really upbeat and starts the movie off to a good start, it also over laps in the opening titles so it allows the movie to flow from titles to the opening scene. I love the narrative over the top once again, especially how it's americanised over the top. I once again like the use of the girl character as the main character, it adds a unintended feeling of empathy.

Until next time readers... bye!

#TheMediaofaNewGeneration