Understanding Basic Rules (Short Opening Sequence - 16 Novermber)

Understanding Basic Rules

Introduction:

In my group there are three members including me. The other two members were Tom and Jake. She reason why I had chose this group was because the other members in the group lived local and we knew that there would be a point where we would have to do work outside college, therefore it would be easy to meet up.

We were given a task to make a short clip about one to two minutes long. In this clip it had to show that we understood some basic rules of filming. These rules and tasks were the following:

- Be able to use a camera and tripod

- Different type of Camera angles

- Match on action (Rule)

- Reverse shot (Rule)

- 180° (Rule)

Brief Discriptions of the Rules:

Match on action - Is where a action is taking place, but except for taking the one camera shot. Two or more can take place for the one action. For example the first shot would be a character lighting up a match, then the second shot would be the character putting the match towards his cigarette. This gives is a better and continuous effect.

Reverse shot - This rule can be used when two characters are having a conversation. For example when one person speaks, the camera would be looking towards him but behind the person he is speaking to. This allows the veiwers to see who he is speaking to. Then when the other person speaks, the camera would go to the other side. This is a useful and prevents the viewers getting bored.

180° - Could occur when there are two characters having a conversation. The way this works is preety simple. If you were to image a line going through the characters. This helps as a guidline to avoid breaking this rule. Then when recording the characters, you can only stay on one side of the line throughout the whole scene. If you were to break this rule, it would seem if the character was jumping in different places which would result so confusing the audience.

What Went Well in Our Task:

In the group the other two members never had hand to hand experience with using the camera, were as I had a year experience when i did my level 1 Btec in Media. Therefore they decided to let me do the camera work and the other two did the acting. Three members was just right to get this task done. We had showed our understanding of the the rules well in the film used many different camera shots such as long shot, mid shot, mid close-up and close-up. We even panned and tilted the camera in some shots. Now we have completed this task and did have many ups and downs but we still got result at the end.

What Went Bad in Our Task:

There were many things that went wrong in our task. The main reasons for this is because of our group getting the tapes to record on late. This was my mistake and hopefully this won't happen again. The other problems we came across was that we had done some practice shots and recorded them so we knew how it would come out like. But when we play it back on the camera, it messes up the shots which had old bits coming onto the final piece. Therefore we had to erase the whole thing and start from the beggining. We could not edit this because there was no time to take it to the editting rooms and also the quality of the camera the college had given us were not the best around and the editing facility on it was preety poor.

How Can We Improve This:

If I was to do this task again, I would make the group more organised therefore no time would be wasted. We could also use my own camera which would have better quality and easier edditing facility. And next time we would need to rehearse more to get it spot on. But overall the main bits that went down was the software and facilities, but as a group we fully understood the basic rules and had demonstrated it well in our filming. And as they say, you can only learn from your mistakes to get better at anything.

Infected (Analysis 3 Thriller)

Infected

The film cover for this film creates a good impression towars the audience. And is gives good detail of what the film would be about by only usings one main image and a sentence below the tittle. The image is a person who looks deformed like and dead like. The title of the film is also deformed and not bold. This goes along with the theme of the cover. Below the sentence it says, How can you kill what is part of you. This sentence is short but has a strong effect towards the audience. It makes them curious and begin to question what the film would be about which then results to them wanting to watch the film.

The film Infected starts of with a clip which looks like the news. Along with this is the credits on top with a normal bold font. They have done the opening credits on top of a clip so they can straight away introduce the film to the audience, rather than showing the opening credits with a blank background. Since this is done fast, the audience can see that this clip must be on about something stressful and bad. The way you can see that is is a news clip is because of what it says on the top left corner which is 'TV 14 LV'. This has been done for a reason to let the audience know what the clip is. And in this shot is some people with some surgeon masks on there mouth. Along with this is someone speaking who is talking about diseases and infections which hints to the audience what the film is going to be about.

The next shot is some different forms of water which is in a glass, water being sprayed on the fields, poured onto fruits, little girls drinking from the fountain and so on. This also is telling the audience what the film is about. And as you can see it is about the water getting infected causing diseases for people.

After this the next scene contains a long shot of a organic farm industry. This has been done in a long shot with text on the bottom left to establish the scene and were it would be taking place. Following on from this is a close-up on a person looking through a telescope into this place. This is showing the audience that there is something odd happening at this place and the character is curious in this place.

They then begin to show a part where there is a guard walking around the building. And with this is a voice describing the plan to get into this place. When the guard is being recorded, the camera shot chosen is a mid close-up with a low angle to display his high authority.

After there is a bit where a small remote control truck goes towards a open unit. For this scene there is a tracking shot taken to show the trucks view and where it is going. The truck heads into the unit and a explosion takes place within one and a half minutes into the film. These sort of gadgets and explosions is what you would expect from a thriler film.

When the explosion goes off, the camera then shows people running away. The camera shot chosen for this part is panning with which shakes to the left and right to show the emotion of the characters in the film which is shock and terrified. It then goes back to the woman with the telescope. This shows the audience that the explosion has something to do with her. The camera shot used on the women was a close up on her face. This has been done to show her emotions and how she had reacted to the explosions. But she looks calm as if she was expecting the bomb to go off.

All this has happened in the first couple minutes of the film and it has clearly defined what type of film and genre is by using very good techniques. These main techniques was to show a clip while the credits were going. So it gives a small introduction on what the film is about right at the start. This is similar to the first horror analysis i did. The other techniques was using sound and camera shots to show the audience what will happen and also using the camera shots to show who the people are. This would be very effective if i was to use it in a film with any genre. Because the techniques used could have a little twist in them so that the other genres could fit into it.

B.T.K (Analysis 2 Horror)

B.T.K

As you can see, the film poster made for B.T.K is very terrifying. The way they have created this effect is by making the title bike and bold with red colour. Also in the background is a person who plays in the opening of the film. He looks stress and worrid along with the his face all dirty and sweaty. This helps show the audience what the film would be about. And you can also recognise it is a horror film just by the cover.

The film B.T.K starts of with very plain opening credits which is normal Basic fonts with the text colour white and the background black. There is also a music being played which is sort of calm and slow. This isn't what you expect from a horror film, but they properly had done this to get the audience curious in why they have done it like this, to help build suspense. It also could represent the supernatural because of the white font. The opening credits only go on for about forty seconds which is normal.

The first scene in the film, there is a building shown which has been recorded at a low camera angle which makes the building look taller and a bit creepy. Then a corridor is shown but in a unbalanced angle were the camera is tilted anti-clockwise. Along with this is a man standing in the middle on his own. This has been done to the give the scene a bit weird and scary effect.

After this the man walks towards the camera and enters the door to the left. The camera shot took when showing him is constantly at a low angle. This has been done to represent his high authority and you can also see this by the shirt and security badge he is wearing. But he is also carrying a big black bad which gets the audience curious to why he is carrying this black bag and what is in it. Along this the music is playing as well but has gone much louder and faster now. This is building up suspense and also shows the audience that the character is tensed at the time. In the film this person then walks into the room and lies down on his bed. He then gets undress and calls a prostitute to come to his apartment or hotel room.

He then goes to sleep on the bed as he waits. But then a sharp noise comes up along with a extreme close-up on his eye. He then looks around the room to see if anything there. But then the music gets even louder which makes this moment even more tense. He then gets up and looks out the window. This scene is really bright because of the sun establish what time of day it is, but then the room is really dark which makes it look a bit odd.

The start of the film does not contain many rules and conventions a horror film would have at the start. But it does sort of have a creepy and depressing effect towards the audience which would make them anxious and curious. But it won't work well in showing the audience that it is a horror film and not a thriller, therefore i would not be using many of these technique in my film.

Return To House On Haunted Hill (Analysis 1 Horror)

Return To House On Haunted Hill

Below is how the film cover looks like for this film. This cover has been created well and can be recognised as a horror film. The way they have done this is by applying images in a way to repersent fear. As you can see there is a hand in the center which has been made out off different people and scenes in the film. But she hand is in a dark gloomy colour and has some liquid dripping off the tips of the fingers. Straight away you know this is blood because of the background being in a red colour. Also the title is placed in the center which has been done in a bold blocked letters. But the size of the fone is different for each word. This has been done to make some words such as house, haunted, hill to stand ouch which gives the viewers a small intro of what the film is about.

In the start of the film, there are some opening credits displayed. These credits are shown in a small writing but in a strong red colour with the black background. When the frame goes to the next credits screen, the text dissolves away, allowing the next credits to be seen. After the credits some pictures come up which are disturbing and horrific. Which then follows off with more credits and other images. All this happens within two and a half minutes which is long for the opening credits. And in this time they have already defined what sort of genre the film is. The way they have done this is by choosing the colour as red an black for the credits which would represent darkness and danger, then when the images are displayed, it gives a shock to the audience which shows them a little intro of what the films about. And since the images were disturbing and looks like the woman is terrified and the other image with the scissors and blood shows that someone has been attacked. Then the film must be a horror.

At the same there there is some music playing which is loud and high pitched with some screaming in it. And as it goes on, the music goes louder. This makes the audience extremely tensed and terrified.

When the first scene of the films comes up, there is a shot where a empty bedroom is shown but has been edited as in a black and white theme to add the creepy effect. Then the colour goes back to normal and a alarm is displayed to show what time it is. It says five which must be in the morning because the woman walks in after having her shower and dresses up.

As you can see within the first three minutes, the film has shown that it is a horror really strong. And the techniques used are good and effective. But the only problem was that the credits were long which would distract the audience. But still in the credits they showed some images that gave a intro on what the film is about. Therefore over all these techniques would be useful if i was to use if i was to use it on my film with a horror genre.

Task 2: Research into Existing Products (Romantic Comedies)

Romantic Comedies

Introduction:

Romantic Comedies are known for there sense of humorous plot lines, but with a nice romantic story to go along with it. A typical film would have a man and women who would love each other at first sight. But they would have to face different obstacles and challenges to gain each others love.

The basic conventions in a Romantic Comedy:

The main conventions would be things such as cheerful music with beautiful relaxing settings such as the countryside, beach, holidays, churches and so on. This helps set the audience in a happy calm mood and makes them want to watch on.

When looking at the characters, they would also be happy all the time. But the man who is the main character could be a bit odd out from the rest which sort of puts him out the group. So when he tries to win the girls love, he has to battle his way through the other people.

This main character would also face many other obstacles such as the girls parents, class difference such as the girl could be a lower class than him or the girl could already be with someone else. But in some films there would be a woman playing this roles but its most common a man playing this role.

The main attraction towards romantic comedy films is that how the man is going to win his love with the girl. This is the main reason why the audience would prefer to watch this film and in some cases they might even want to picture their life like this.

Below is screenshots of a film called, Women in trouble. This is a very propular romantic comedy film and contains all the conventions you would expect from this genre. There are many women who star in this film, but they all have something in common. This it woman who stars in it is very preety and stunning. But they look as if they are reaching their middle age.

These women would try a find their love of there life but they would always get a problem which they try to avoid. For example the women below loves this man, but she has a major obstacle were this man already has someone else. And she is worried she might get caught. There would also be some scence which is very upsetting and sad.

But at the end they would always find their perfect match after going through so much pain and problems. When this moment comes in the film, it would show that life starts to get better and more relaxed. This is the reason why the viewers would want to watch romantic comdies due to them hoping that their own life would turn out like this. This is the main effect the film producers would want to give.

Examples of Romantic Comedies:

As you can see the film covers are colourful and eye catching. There title and captions are big and bold. They all also give a little intro of the film such in, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, you can already see who the main character is who is trying to win someone love which it the person on the right. And the person who he loves is the girl in the red clothes which follows on as his first obstacle which is to get rid of the man on the left. Also the text is in two different colours which is blue and pink. These colours repersent the male and female gender because these colours are most prefered by that gender and would suit them. This would make both genders comfortable in watching this film. It is important on how you locate the images and text to get the right message across. The other thing is that the bankground in all of them is white. This makes the film look plain, simple and wouldn't counfuse the viwers in thinking that it is a horror or thriller film. It also it makes the pictures and text stand out.

Task 2: Research into Existing Products (Horror)

Horror Conventions

Introduction:

The history of the film genre 'horror' has been spread out for over a century. it had first started in the late 1890s where the film industry had literally just began. As you know the technology in those days were really low, therefore there wasn't as much special effects or fancy editing that we have in our days. But even then, the films still gave the audience a thrill due to the fact that no one had seen this sort of film before and was totally new to them.

Later horror film were introduced into the film theatre were it was mostly preferred to be watched because of the big screens and speakers which had a great effect on how the audience were getting more terrified.

Towards the early 1930s, the company 'Universal' started to make horror films such as the Gothic types like Dracula, Frankenstein and The Invisible Man. Even now these films are still successful and have had made different versions made by other film industries.

But when the horror film really got effective was during the 1950s and onwards where there was a big advance in technology. The films started to move away from Gothic and started with a new style which was three different sort. This was horror-of-personality, horror-of-armageddon and the horror-of-the-demonic films. During this time there was also many low budget films made which included aliens invading earth. These sort of films were very 'cheesy' but still was being enjoyed by the audience.

Later on from this, there has been many films made and have been extremely successful for example the 'Omen' which has been watched by millions over the world therefore there they had made in total 5 films which had followed each other in the story line and the exact same thing for many films such as Scream, Chucky, Halloween and so on. But there was one film made which took horror to the next level. This film is called The Exorcist. this film included the demonic nature and had some special effects which gave a audience a shocking fear. The director had made this film extremely carefully with all the conventions and rules of a horror film.

The Basic Conventions in a Horror:

The conventions you would see in the start of the film is extremely important on how it is done. The reason for this is that the start would set out the mood for the rest of the film. So in a horror film the start would normally have a music being played. this music could either be a fast beat and loud music which would get the audience anxious and tensed. Or either a slow music but with a weird sound which would also create the same effect for the audience. The opening credits theme would be different from other films as well. The credits font would be bold and in dark colours such as red or grey with a white background to make it stand out. Below shows what some typical horror films opening credits would look like. And as you can see, the most common credits would be in the colours red and black. This is done to make the text look as if it has been written in blood and looks a bit gruesome. This and the music piece put together is enough for the audience to recognise it's a horror film.

The first scene in a horror film would vary on what the film is about. But there are some conventions that you would see in some horror film. For example some films may start with the ending of the story. And in this scene there might be some freakish nature where there is blood everywhere or either someone who looks like they have been injured or even dead. So this instantly show the audience what the film is going to be about. But then this will causes the audience to get curious and want to watch on. So to reveal what happened in this scene, they would go back to the past and then tell the story from the start.

Horror films are always set in dark mysterious places where you would not see much people around. For example the woods, forest, bigs houses isolated in the countryside and so on. And the time of day would most commonly be at night where the weather is gloomy, fog and raining. This also helps set the mood for the film which would be extemely strong and depressing effect towards the audience. This is extemly important on how the first scene is set out in location, settings and atmosphere. Because if it was to be set on a sunny morning in a busy city, then this would give no hint towards the audience that it is a horror film. Below shows how some typical horror settings would look like.

You would also find that in a horror film, their is always a lot of suspense built up during the film and as it goes towards the end, it gradualy gets bigger. This is done to make the viewers tense and scared, so when there is a scary horrific part, the viewers would react more to it. The way they would create this suspense is done by many different things such as, camera shots, sound, editing and setting.

For example the film 'Scream' there was a scene where the young girl gets a phone call from another person. The person on the phone is the actual killer in the film, but the audience dosn't know this at the particular moment. But what they do know is that there is something bad going to happen. Staight away this has got the audience curious about who is on the phone to this girl which has got them already glued to the screen trying to find out who is it. As the phone call goes on, the girl in the film is cooking popcorn. And as the phone call is goes on, the pop corn at the same time is getting bigger. And also when the girl hangs up, the person rings up again. This also is hinting out that something will happen eventually. The way sound has been used in this clip is when the pop corn is getting bigger you can also hear poping a crackling which is getting louder and louder. The camera shots also help out such as when she walks around trying to find out if anyones out side, the camera is tooking at a long shot so the audience can see behind her aswell and look for if there is anything there. But at this stage the edditing is vital because when the suspense and tension gets higher the camera shots are changing faster. The audience at this stage would be extemly tensed and anxoius. So now in the film the killer would jump out of no where which would extemly terrify the audience, even though they knew it was coming. As you can see this has a extemly good effect towards the viewers therefore this is vital when making a horror film.

The characters you would find in a horror film would most likely be very simular to other films. These charectors you would always find would be:

The big bully: this character is very big and strong. He is agressive towards the other people. But when it comes down to it, the killer would bruitually kill him which shows the audience that the killer in the film is stronger than anyone out there.

The crazy girl: she would be the odd one out the group. And her style would also be odd out to the rest, for example a goth. She would do weird things and would freak out the rest of the people in the film. As you can see below, she is lighting her tounge with a lighter. She would also try to act brave, but she really is a weak character and is terrified of the killer.

The inocent girl: This character would be very quiet, carm and wouldn't even hurt a fly. She is the one that the whole group would push around. But when it comes down to it, she is the smartest there and proberly would be the last one standing.

Young attractive girl: This character would be very preety and stunning. But she wouldn't be the smartest one around at the start of the film. Then towards the end she becomes more smart and tries to defeat the killer. But then she would also be bruitually killed by the killer.

The actual killer: This is the main character of the film which everything evolves around him. The way this character would look extremly weird and something you have never seen before, but also would give you the chills when you look at him. For example, below this character is wearing a worn out mask to hide his identity, his hair is ruff and his clothes are ragged up. As you can see this person dosn't look normal at all and does have a creepy effect towards the audience.

Over all the characters chosen for the film are very steriotype and common. And they seem to be the same age and trend that the audience would be. This would make the audience enjoy the film more and feel more interactive with the film.