EllisBagleyg321: February 2012

Wednesday, 29 February 2012

preliminary task

For a first attempt at filming and editing I feel we have done okay. There are a few flaws which looking back on it look worse than we first thought for example the sound and movement of the camera being turned off which we missed in editing if I was to re-edit this would be the first thing to go. There is also the faint sounds of a class being taught it the background which if we used to correctly would of helped set the scene and create a more believable film.

Match-on- action I feel we achieved to a very high standard by taking multiple shots of the same action to make sure we have a wide range of shots to pick from when I come to the editing phase because of this we found it very easy to create match-on-action for both entering and leaving the room. This multiple filming process we used will defiantly be repeated when we come to film the real thing.

Possible Locations

The mist in this picture adds mystery and a scene of unknown e.g. what lies behind the mist. If we use this in our film it would be very important to make sure that the setting is the same (mist) or it will not have the same effect and render this location useless. I feel this location is amazing in the picture but practically un-useable because a, it will be hard to recreate and b, if we need to re-film a scene it would be next to impossible and take up time that could be used perfecting another shot.

This picture is of a woody rural lane, the picture was taken at dusk this is an amazing time to film as there is enough light for the camera to pick so would illuminate the need to bring artificial light which I feel does not give the right effect and would cheapen our movie. This picture is very similar to the pervious one as they both have a path to fallow and at a point the path cuts of into complete darkness to create the feeling of to unknown. the fact that it is an isolate country lane creates the effect of impending doom with no one coming to your recuse also people generally have a fear of woods in the dark and the unrecognisable shapes that appear from the trees as seen in "The Village".

This picture is of a derelict ferry that used to transport people to and from the mainland I found on a walk with my family I have mentioned it before in my blog but I feel it gives a good example of what we could look for in a location. The rust that has built up over the years gives the impression of sadness but also what event could of happened on board to cause this ferry to be left to decay in an unknown location and not in a museum as it is a key bit of history for the island. When you look closely you notice the dark blacked out windows making you want to know what it’s like inside and explore the hull of the ferry where so many people have been. The water surrounding the ferry makes it look more isolated than it is in reality adding to the desolate effect. as I have said in a previous post this would be an amazing place to set our film but due to heath and safety there is no way of us getting on to it to film.

These two pitchers carry the same theme as previous ones with the last picture being extremely similar to our second location with it carrying the common theme of isolation and unknowing what is to come. I really like the way the large stone wall gives the impression of false security making the character feel same, once lulled in to a fake sense of security this would be the perfect time for the killer to strike, creating maximum effect for the audience due to the fact they were not expecting this attack.

the first pitchers i really like as it is different from the others i have shown you but also the fact that the light at the end would be the perfect place for the kill to be first seen ether running across the light or coupled with the right music make the audience jump with the sunned appearance of the killer.

in both of these picture the effect and feeling of no escape/to run flows naturally form the pitcher. it would defiantly not be a place i would like to walk thought in the dark.

This is a possible location for the main part of our horror film where the main killing happens. The single light on in the street of houses creates two effects. the first one is that it guides people to it like a "mouth to a flame" and creating the feeling that this house is the only safe place to be on the other hand it can make you wonder why this is the only light on so late creating the feeling that something bad is or about to happen. The houses are nothing special and average this would create the feeling that this could happen to anyone.

the steps in this photo give you the same effect as anyone of the pictures featuring the common theme we really like of the unknown and the uncertainty of what is ahead/what is to come if you follow down this path. the lighting here is really nice, in the sense that it is different from anything i have seen before, i believe it is a street light which means we can always recreate the scene if we have to re-film any part of it. unlike the other locations we have seen this one also gives you the shadows from the railings adding to this horror effect we are trying to create, if we use the shadows to there full potenchal and manipulate some sort of shape it will be amazing at creating the suspence needed for a horror film to be a success.

the first location of the set of two i really like the way the window and the only source of light has been almost eaten up by the over growth, i also like the way it is creates this feeling of unease like something has laid undisturbed in this decaying building for many years holding this dark secret that is just waiting to be disturbed. although i think this is an amazing location is it very unpractical for the time,money and limited resources we have at our disposal for example there is no source of light meaning that we would have a very small window to film in or bring are own light but due to the fact this is a very large area bringing our own light would not be possible compared to if it was a big budget move that would be able to light an area like this with remarkable ease.

Opening Titles

30 days of night

the opening titles of this works well with the films name "30 days of night" and so the dark background is representing the setting of the film and also fitting in with the title that appears in the last shot with lightening just above the title of the film adds dramatic affect and really attracts the attention of any viewers who were not previously paying attaching, the sudden change in atmosphere would immediately demand their attention.

The font is very simple and quite small compared to other genres of films for ample action where they aim to take up as much of the screen as possible. The smallness of this font also makes the viewer focuses on what is happening as they need to look harder to read the writing on the screen

Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (1973)

There are some similarities to "don’t be afraid of the dark" and "30 days of night" in that it both consists of a predominantly black screen with white writing and a cat/lightning separating the production company to the name of the film. the blue cloud in the back of the title that shows the name of the production company "Lorimar productions" could suggest dusk when the light is turning into dark and from the name of the film you can’t derive that this represents the film starting or the event to be scared of is starting.

The back cat appearing in the second shot to break up the production name and the title of the film is a black cat that connotes bad luck and shouldn’t be trusted. The black cat has for centuries been linked with witchcraft this could also be a form of foreshadowing that the events shown in this film is supernatural. The cat is also angry and hissing at the screen suggesting that the people involved in the film has angered the supernatural in some way.

The third shot shows the name of the film "Don`t Be Afraid Of The Dark" appearing in large font covering the cat causing it to fade into the background with just its teeth and luminous yellow eyes staring out at you from the screen giving you a feeling of unease. the font is large, typical of the time period, with some letters merging together (F H and K) this is also typical to the time period in an aim to try and make it stand out from other films and make the title of the film more memorable compared to more modern films where they opt for a more minimalistic look.

Tuesday, 28 February 2012

our Film Institution : Ghost House Pictures

We have chosen “Ghost House Pictures” as our film institution as it has been associated with low cost horror films that have been with little exception high box office growth. The institution was founded by Sam Raimi who also founded Renaissance Pictures this shows that is knows how to run a production company and can be trusted with our film. “Ghost House Pictures” has made many successful horror films including the Grudge 2, Rise and 30 Days of Night and has built up a good reputation among horror film views this also helps our film achieve box office success as the audience will trust this intuition and be more willing to see our film over a competitor because of this.

Monday, 27 February 2012

film for tv

This is a short version of a horror film we made to get a feel for the camera and to also put on to the TV for are real film to avoid copy right infringement. It was very quickly edited together to avoid diverting time away from the actual editing of the film but as it is only going to be playing in the background I don’t see this being a problem.

diary day 1

Sunday, 19 February 2012

film poster

two members of our group Lauren and Beth who also take photography as an AS level which involves editing and manipulating pictures to gain the desired effect something that i have had limited experience with but am learning to work Adobe Photoshop and Adobe premiere elements (software we are used for the poster) i am not very good at it and would of not been much help if i was involved in the task.

in order to obtain the professional image that the movie poster that it necessarily for a film poster Lauren and Beth used a combination of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe premiere elements which gave them an image they could not have achieved by using Microsoft Paint. This poster was made for the target audience but also to capture peoples interest in the film with the use of a red hand print and a silhouette in the window gives nothing about about the film but levels the audience with questions about the film and hopefully be interested enough to want to see the film.

the poster has a deep red as a running theme thought out the poster which we hope will convey the detonation of blood and danger. the red that was chosen is enhanced by the plain black background creating a bigger contrast and amplifying the scene of danger.