Monday, 13 December 2010
Train station
We changed the location of the train station about a week before filming to a more suitabe location to film at for our locations. We changed it to Belvedere train station.
Checking the scenes
This is us checking the scenes between takes to make sure they were what we wanted before we carried on filming.
Make up, camera, action!
This is Reece applying the 'blood' to Peter's hands. It was actually watered down Ketchup!
The group editing
This is me on the computer editing and updating my blog.
This is Shane editing the video footage on Adobe Premiere elements.
This is Reece updating his blog.
Our actors on set!
When on the set we took some still shots of the actors here are some of them:
This is Jon who played the victim on the set in the beasment.
This is Peter who played the killer.
This is stacey who played the second victim on set at the basement with Peter, the kille, who is in the background.
Wild Wild West editing inspiration
This is an image from the film Wild Wild West opening sequence. The editing in this sequence is similar to how the editing in our sequence will be with the moving image in one corner and text coming in from another.
Monday, 22 November 2010
Shot list and production schedule
Shot list and production schedule
Location 1
The first location we are going to film at is outside Stacey’s house. It is a short sequence of her coming out of the house and then walking down the street and calling her friend.
-Close up
-Zoom in
-Over the shoulder
-180 degrees around her as she is on the phone
Location 2
The second location is the killer’s house in the basement and him coming out of his house.
-Extreme close up
-Over the shoulder
-180 degrees when in the basement
Location 3
The third location at the train station will be filmed last as it needs to be dark. Some of the shots we are going to use are:
-Over the shoulder
-Angle reverse angle
-Close up
-Low angle domineering shots
In some of the locations we are going to use the same film running but in different angles so many of the shots will be filmed at least three times but from different perspectives as well as angles.
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Locations
The script
There is not a lot of dialogue in the title opening sequence. There is more action and music used. Here is the dialogue that will be used in the sequence:
The phone rings as Stacey is walking down the street after leaving the house. It is a quiet but an embarrassing ring tone. She answers the phone;
Stacey: “Hello, It’s me, I am on my way to the train station I won’t be long.”
She hangs up and then continues to walk down the street.
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
The perfect older viewer
This is Damien with his wife and son. He is the perfect example of an older viewer that would enjoy this film with his family. They enjoy catching up for dinner and a movie and admit this film would be great.
A perfect viewer
This is Stacey, she is eighteen years old and this is her idea of a great film to watch at the cinema with her friends or on a night in with her boyfriend. She is looking forward to watching the film. 
Monday, 8 November 2010
The plot
The plot to our opening title sequence is about a psychotic man who stalks his victims at an underground train station and then takes them back to a basement to torture them. However his next victim is different as there are many people looking for him and they will not rest until they find him.
A group meeting 2
In another group meeting we decided that the rating of our film will be 18 and over and targeted at both men and women.
The production company for our film will be Stillking as they are big producers of thriller and action films.
Some of the smaller details that will be included in our opening sequence are:
Music by Freeplay
Costume director Anna Beynon
Edited by Shane Harris
Production design Reece Dalley
Director of Photography James Con
Starring: Peter Soar
Stacey Fahy
Jon Law
Presented by Torpedo pirates
An Olivia entertainment production
In association with Tire Harmony
Created by Bob Jones
The production company for our film will be Stillking as they are big producers of thriller and action films.
Some of the smaller details that will be included in our opening sequence are:
Music by Freeplay
Costume director Anna Beynon
Edited by Shane Harris
Production design Reece Dalley
Director of Photography James Con
Starring: Peter Soar
Stacey Fahy
Jon Law
Presented by Torpedo pirates
An Olivia entertainment production
In association with Tire Harmony
Created by Bob Jones
A group meeting
In one of our group meetings we decided the storyline for our film of our opening title sequence. The film is about a psychotic man who stalks his victims at an underground subway station and takes them to a basement at the school where he works as a caretaker. When he is stalking this particular victim he is with his friend who makes it his mission to find his friend as memoires of the kidnapping haunt him. The question is will this friend find him in time before the killer can finish his work?
We also decided the title of our film which is Fifth Avenue as it fits well with the storyline and leaves open many possibilities.
The location of the underground station scenes will be filmed late at night at Fifth Avenue underground. The exterior shots of where the basement is will be filmed at Greenwich college round where there is a dark exterior hallway with a door that looks like it goes down to a basement. The basement scenes will actually be filmed at a house that has a basement.
Costume that they will be wearing will be smart/casual clothing as the characters are out in the evening returning home after a party. The killer will be wearing work clothes e.g. overalls and the make-up will be very pale make up to make him look creepy and ill.
The lighting in the sequence will be quite dark as it is in the evening and filming in dark places with shadows. This follows conventions of a thriller film, having “shadowy” rooms.
We also decided the title of our film which is Fifth Avenue as it fits well with the storyline and leaves open many possibilities.
The location of the underground station scenes will be filmed late at night at Fifth Avenue underground. The exterior shots of where the basement is will be filmed at Greenwich college round where there is a dark exterior hallway with a door that looks like it goes down to a basement. The basement scenes will actually be filmed at a house that has a basement.
Costume that they will be wearing will be smart/casual clothing as the characters are out in the evening returning home after a party. The killer will be wearing work clothes e.g. overalls and the make-up will be very pale make up to make him look creepy and ill.
The lighting in the sequence will be quite dark as it is in the evening and filming in dark places with shadows. This follows conventions of a thriller film, having “shadowy” rooms.
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Grease opening sequence
Grease’s opening sequence is animated however it still follows many codes and conventions of its genre.
The first camera movement that is used is a slow tilt up to follow the character’s movement. The camera often uses a track pan to follow the character as if scrolling across. Also some medium fast zoom inn’s are used as transitions in the introduction of the next character. The overall pace of the editing is very quick. It has a quick pace to match the quick upbeat happy music.
There are a lot of props used in this sequence such as in some of the scenes the characters are getting ready to go to school in their bedrooms and have a stereotypical untidy bedroom. Props are used such as clothes on the floor, posters on the wall and a mirror on the desk.
The music is upbeat with a quick pace and the character’s action matches the music. Instruments that are used in the soundtrack are a trumpet and drums etc.
The type in the opening sequence for grease is inconsistent. The title “Grease” is squirted on to the screen in grease gel which is brown. Most of the other text is in different colours but are all in the same sort of type which is block capitals.
The first camera movement that is used is a slow tilt up to follow the character’s movement. The camera often uses a track pan to follow the character as if scrolling across. Also some medium fast zoom inn’s are used as transitions in the introduction of the next character. The overall pace of the editing is very quick. It has a quick pace to match the quick upbeat happy music.
There are a lot of props used in this sequence such as in some of the scenes the characters are getting ready to go to school in their bedrooms and have a stereotypical untidy bedroom. Props are used such as clothes on the floor, posters on the wall and a mirror on the desk.
The music is upbeat with a quick pace and the character’s action matches the music. Instruments that are used in the soundtrack are a trumpet and drums etc.
The type in the opening sequence for grease is inconsistent. The title “Grease” is squirted on to the screen in grease gel which is brown. Most of the other text is in different colours but are all in the same sort of type which is block capitals.
Monday, 1 November 2010
Texas chainsaw massacre opening sequence
The opening title sequence for the film Texas chainsaw massacre follows many codes and convention for a thriller film. Such as it is similar to the film se7en as it has pictures in that hint clues to the storyline to create suspense.
The editing in this film is slow to build up suspense along with the music. Although it has a slow pace there is quite a lot of fast editing between shots and black screens to also create suspense. There are many close ups in the sequence to show action of the characters but the audience do not see the character’s face as it builds suspense and mystery.
A Steadicam is used however the camera does not actually stay still, it is constantly moving but only slightly as if it is scrolling across. The slowness of this movement creates tension for the audience about what will happen next.
The music is instrumental. It is slow and builds up a pace. This creates suspense for the audience and keeps them gripped to what is happening.
The type looks handwritten in a scrawl on a chalk board to make it look archaic. This makes it stand out as different.
All of this builds tension and suspense for the audience so much so it is like they do not want to go on watching the film but know they can not walk away.
The editing in this film is slow to build up suspense along with the music. Although it has a slow pace there is quite a lot of fast editing between shots and black screens to also create suspense. There are many close ups in the sequence to show action of the characters but the audience do not see the character’s face as it builds suspense and mystery.
A Steadicam is used however the camera does not actually stay still, it is constantly moving but only slightly as if it is scrolling across. The slowness of this movement creates tension for the audience about what will happen next.
The music is instrumental. It is slow and builds up a pace. This creates suspense for the audience and keeps them gripped to what is happening.
The type looks handwritten in a scrawl on a chalk board to make it look archaic. This makes it stand out as different.
All of this builds tension and suspense for the audience so much so it is like they do not want to go on watching the film but know they can not walk away.
Creep opening title sequence
The opening title sequence uses many codes and conventions of a thriller genre film such as intense music, a quick pace and flashes of bright light.
The music in the opening title sequence is a high pitched instrumental sound which creates tension for the audience. This is non-diagetic sound. There is also some diagetic sound in the sequence of a character screaming and her heavy bleeding and the sound of the blood dropping. This sound hints the genre to the audience. It gets their adrenaline pumping and starts to make them feel nervous. This grips them to watching the rest of the film.
The editing and camera movement has a quick pace which is in time with the music. There is a zoom in used to get a close up of the blood dripping off the knife on to the floor. The music matches this action. The prop of the knife is another big clue to the audience of the genre of the film which is a thriller film.
The type in the sequence is yellow and looked etched on with a sharp implement also to hint genre and create horror just by words on the screen. The type had yellow nail marks through it to show that this is not a science fiction film it is a horror with humans in. Through some of the type was bright flashing lights to hint the setting of the film. It would be dark and light would be needed. It also creates tension.
All of these things create tension and fear for the audience which is what keeps them gripped throughout the film.
The music in the opening title sequence is a high pitched instrumental sound which creates tension for the audience. This is non-diagetic sound. There is also some diagetic sound in the sequence of a character screaming and her heavy bleeding and the sound of the blood dropping. This sound hints the genre to the audience. It gets their adrenaline pumping and starts to make them feel nervous. This grips them to watching the rest of the film.
The editing and camera movement has a quick pace which is in time with the music. There is a zoom in used to get a close up of the blood dripping off the knife on to the floor. The music matches this action. The prop of the knife is another big clue to the audience of the genre of the film which is a thriller film.
The type in the sequence is yellow and looked etched on with a sharp implement also to hint genre and create horror just by words on the screen. The type had yellow nail marks through it to show that this is not a science fiction film it is a horror with humans in. Through some of the type was bright flashing lights to hint the setting of the film. It would be dark and light would be needed. It also creates tension.
All of these things create tension and fear for the audience which is what keeps them gripped throughout the film.
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Monday, 18 October 2010
Film techniques
Summarising film techniques from Alfred Hitchcock:
Step 1: The audience is the most important thing. They know when they watch a film they are safe and when they walk out in to real life they can continue with real life. Therefore they can completly engross themselves in to a film.
Step 2: Emotion is the ultimate goal for each scene so it is important where you place the camera. The closer the camera the more intense the film is.
Step 3: The camera should take on human qualities so that the audience feel like they are uncovering the true story. This idea came from silent films as they had to find ways to tell the story.
Step 4:Don't always use dialogue use body language and action to pull the audience in. Resort to dialogue last.
Step 5: If dialogue is not going to be used then a point of view shot is required to show what the character is doing. For example they may have the same expression but that expression may have two different meanings.
Step 6: Montage gives you control. Don't be afraid to use simple shots.
Step 7: Keep the story simple.
Step 8: Make all the characters the opposite of what the audience expect.
Step 9: Use humour to add tension.
Step 10: Build tension into a scene by using contrasting situations. Use two unrelated things happening at once. The audience should be focused on the momentum of one, and be interrupted by the other. Usually the second item should be a humorous distraction that means nothing (this can often be dialogue). It was put there by you only to get in the way.
Step 11: Showing the audience what the characters don't see creates suspense. The character must be completely unaware of what is going on.
Step 12: Once your audience has been built to suspense never let them guess what is going to happen. It should be a complete surprise.
Step 13: The MacGuffin is the side effect of creating pure suspense. When scenes are built around dramatic tension, it doesn’t really matter what the story is about. If you've done your job and followed all the previous steps, the audience is still glued no matter what. You can use random plot devices known as the MacGuffin.
Step 1: The audience is the most important thing. They know when they watch a film they are safe and when they walk out in to real life they can continue with real life. Therefore they can completly engross themselves in to a film.
Step 2: Emotion is the ultimate goal for each scene so it is important where you place the camera. The closer the camera the more intense the film is.
Step 3: The camera should take on human qualities so that the audience feel like they are uncovering the true story. This idea came from silent films as they had to find ways to tell the story.
Step 4:Don't always use dialogue use body language and action to pull the audience in. Resort to dialogue last.
Step 5: If dialogue is not going to be used then a point of view shot is required to show what the character is doing. For example they may have the same expression but that expression may have two different meanings.
Step 6: Montage gives you control. Don't be afraid to use simple shots.
Step 7: Keep the story simple.
Step 8: Make all the characters the opposite of what the audience expect.
Step 9: Use humour to add tension.
Step 10: Build tension into a scene by using contrasting situations. Use two unrelated things happening at once. The audience should be focused on the momentum of one, and be interrupted by the other. Usually the second item should be a humorous distraction that means nothing (this can often be dialogue). It was put there by you only to get in the way.
Step 11: Showing the audience what the characters don't see creates suspense. The character must be completely unaware of what is going on.
Step 12: Once your audience has been built to suspense never let them guess what is going to happen. It should be a complete surprise.
Step 13: The MacGuffin is the side effect of creating pure suspense. When scenes are built around dramatic tension, it doesn’t really matter what the story is about. If you've done your job and followed all the previous steps, the audience is still glued no matter what. You can use random plot devices known as the MacGuffin.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
AS preliminary video 3
An establishing shot is the first shot in this video to show where the video is being filmed. There is then a close up of the college sign to set the scene. A low angle shot is then used to show someone walking down the corridor. A track and pan shot combined with a mid close up shot is used to show the character's face. A mid close up is then is then used to show another character at a desk. He looks at his watch to show that he is waiting for someone. A close up of the other character putting his hand on the door is another shot used to show his action and hesitation. An over the shoulder shot of the other charcter is then used to show him coming in to the room from a distance. It switches to an over the shoulder shot of him as he sits down. Angle reverse angle is then used to show the conversation between the two characters. There is a close up of the bag which shows its significance.
Monday, 20 September 2010
The script
Characters: Boss - David
Employee - stacey
Stacey is walking towards her desk, she sits down and looks around, she finds a letter and opens it up.
Stacey: No, no, no! (Facial expression, panicked look)
In a daydream ...Walking through the corridor.
Stacey: Where am I?
Stacey begins to look around and finds a door at the end of the corridor.
Stacey walks towards the door, and opens it.
David: I’ve been expecting you.
Stacey has been expecting this moment; she is looking worried, and starts to beg.
Stacey: I’m sorry it’s late, it wont happen again, please, please.
David is sat at his desk, and looks at Stacey and shakes his head in disappointment. He reaches into his draw, Stacey turns around, in hope to escape… But she is too late… *GUNSHOT* Stacey wakes up at her desk, gasping.
END OF SCENE
Employee - stacey
Stacey is walking towards her desk, she sits down and looks around, she finds a letter and opens it up.
Stacey: No, no, no! (Facial expression, panicked look)
In a daydream ...Walking through the corridor.
Stacey: Where am I?
Stacey begins to look around and finds a door at the end of the corridor.
Stacey walks towards the door, and opens it.
David: I’ve been expecting you.
Stacey has been expecting this moment; she is looking worried, and starts to beg.
Stacey: I’m sorry it’s late, it wont happen again, please, please.
David is sat at his desk, and looks at Stacey and shakes his head in disappointment. He reaches into his draw, Stacey turns around, in hope to escape… But she is too late… *GUNSHOT* Stacey wakes up at her desk, gasping.
END OF SCENE
Preliminary project locations
This is the final lcoation that we have decided to use for our preliminary video. It has the right features/equipment in, for example the interactive white board,
a long desk and is not crowded with lots of chairs.
Possible locations for the preliminary video
These are some possible locations for our preliminary video.
This is a meeting room that was a possible location. However we decided not to use it because it looked more like a lounge area than a meeting room. Another reason we decided not to use this is because it did not have many office features, for example an interactive whiteboard.
This is another possible office space we were considering using but decided not to because of the divider you wouldn't be able to see a lot of the actions.
Preliminary video plot
The plot to our preliminary video is about a female character that finds out she has done something wrong when at work. She goes to her boss’s office to explain and ask for his forgiveness when it all goes horribly wrong. Only to wake up back at her desk to find out that most of it was a dream and still needs to come up with a solution.
AS media studies preliminary exercise
Some of the camera shots and movements used in this video are high angle mid shots of the character at her desk, to show her surroundings then an extreme long shot of her at her desk is then used again to show more of her surroundings. Both of these shots are taken from the side. There is then a smooth transition in to next shot of a mid close up staright on. As the character rises from her desk the camera tilts up to follow her movement. A track and pan shot is then use to follow her out of the room. Another shot is an over the sholder and angle reverse angle shot to show the conversations going on between the two characters and also to show the emotions on their faces.
AS media studies example video
The shots in this video appeared to be filmed with a handheld camera. The first shot the audience see in this video is a long shot of the corridor when the character appears from around the corner and goes straight ahead in to the classroom.
The camera then flips in to the room as he is walking in and there is a mid close up of the two characters.
Many shots are used in one sequence in this video once in side the room, including a mid close up of the two characters, an over the shoulder shot, an angle reverse angle shot and a close up of one of the characters.
Storyboard synopsis
The synopsis for our storyboard is someone has done something wrong. They receive the bad news via a letter. They are sitting at their desk when they receive the news. This person begins to daydream about what will happen because of what he has done. In the dream he is walking down a corridor to his boss' office to tell his boss the news. Towards the end of the dream the boss reacts by killing him. The last shot in the sequence is him waking up at his desk staring down the corridor towards the boss' office.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
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