Inspiration - Paranormal Activity

Here is the link to a film that inspired ours...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_UxLEqd074

Inspiration - Disturbia Trailer

Here is the link to the trailer of "Disturbia", which was a film that inspired ours...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GHz3C5coSI

Director's Commentary

Director's Commentary

Feedback

Feedback from our film

The feedback that we received was mainly positive. We showed our film to our target audience and most of them really enjoyed it. The comments we received were that they really liked the flash forward effect, as this showed a different angle on the typical horror film. Also they found that the shots that we used were effective and that the greyscale colour created a good atmosphere.

We did however receive some constructive criticism which was the film could be a little bit slow moving, which we understood and took onboard. The reason why it was maybe a little slow moving was because we wanted it to be clear – as to what is happening and also to try and build tension.

These comments will be very useful for future reference.    

Welcome Home (the film)

Welcome Home

Casting Shots

Casting Shots

Ross Campbell (me) - Played the main character.

Eddie Hobbs - played the figure walking down the stairs.

The Process In Developments Of The Film

The Process In Developments Of The Film

We started out with the idea that we wanted to make our film about a teenage boy that is home alone - who goes about his daily routine (tv, eating food ect.), but strange things happen, such as noises from around the house and the lights turning off. We decided that it was going to be a ghostly horror film, as we were inspired by the film “Paranormal Activity”. We therefore wanted to incorporate the character (at some point) to find the kitchen chairs lying on the floor creating a symbol, which we then thought we could use the symbol as the logo of the film and have it come up in various other parts of the film, which is an idea that appeared in “Zodiac”. We also wanted to use an idea from “I am Legend”, where by the main character has a dog as his accomplish. That way we would be able to get the dogs reaction to what was going on around him.

We planned that the beginning of the film is a flash forward to what will happen later on. So after about two minutes we planned that the film would then jump back to earlier that day. 

After a few weeks of thought and more planning we decided that we wanted the threat to be human instead of a ghost. We thought that this would help give us a wider range of camera shots, including the point of view shot. With this we would be able to give the impression that the teenager is being watched, which is an idea found in many horror films. Because of this decision we therefore needed to take out the kitchen chairs. We also thought that using a human as the threat would make it more believable and that our target audience would find it easier to relate to and imagine. We still liked the idea of using the teenager as the main character and also using the flash forward, as this made the film a little different from the rest. We did make a few changes of what the character would be doing in the house and we also decided not to use the dog, as we wanted to make the character completely on his own.

Overall I feel that we made positive changes to the film. I think that the changes we made, gave the film a more realistic feel, which hopefully therefore made it more believable and helped attract our target audience.

Draft Of Storyboards and Plans

These are the storyboards that we used to plan our film. We chose to use storyboards as a way of planning our film becuase we found it a good way of setting out our ideas and also it is easier to then add camera shots and techniques to the scene.

1st Storyboard

2nd Storyboard



Music Discussion And Analysis

Music Discussion and Analysis

I was very happy with the music that I created for the film. I managed to convey the atmosphere that the film needed. The software I used to make my soundtrack was “Garage Band”, which I found very easy to use (with practice) and I also thought that there were a wide range of sounds and instruments that I could use.

 I found inspiration from “Seven”. The music at the beginning of the film I really liked because it didn’t sound like typical music. There wasn’t a tune as such, but a series of notes that created the atmosphere and immediately set the genre of the film. This music technique is known as minimalism and I tried to incorporate a similar style in my films soundtrack, which I used throughout most of the opening.

I also gained inspiration from the soundtrack of “Disturbia”, which used a more modern sound. This technique lulls the audience into a false sense of security and I also thought that the modern sound would help to attract the target audience, (which was a teenage audience). I decided to use a few simple guitar riffs which helped create the modern sound that I wanted. I used this extract at the end of the opening.

To build tension I gradually increased the volume of the music. This is used in most horror and thriller films, including the ones I have mentioned. I used this technique when the stranger walked down the stairs. I also used high pitched notes to make the scene dramatic and also to make it powerful, which I thought worked nicely.

Overall I found that the soundtrack that I created for the opening of my film worked really well. I think I used the right techniques to create the mood that I wanted. However I feel that I could have improved my soundtrack if I made the music slightly more dramatic. I could have done this by increasing or decreasing the tempo. This technique is often used in successful horror films such as “Psycho”.

Risk Assessment

RISK ASSESSMENT

Hazard	Persons That May Be Harmed	Risk Controls	Risk Low, Medium or High
Cars on the road, whilst actor is crossing.	Actor and Cameraman	Only start filming when no cars are in sight.	High
Cables on the ground in the house.	Actor and Cameraman	Make sure that all cables are either taped to the floor, or that they are moved to the side of the room.	Medium
Risk of being burnt on the oven (in kitchen).	Actor	Practice how to operate the oven safely.	Medium
Falling or slipping on the floor (inside).	Actor	Where shoes at all times to gain grip.	Low
Falling or tripping down stair case.	Actor	Run through the scene a few times in practice.	Medium

Location Shots

Location Shots

These photos show the three areas of the house that we chose to film.  We chose to film places where a typical teenager would spend time. For example in the kitchen (getting food) and in the lounge (watching television). The stair case was used to make the scene when the stranger introduced more scary, as you do not see his face, only his legs.



Two Contrasting Film Openings - ESSAY

Media – Two contrasting film openings

                In this short essay I shall be comparing two contrasting film openings (from different genres), I shall compare the film’s title sequence, the camera shots, the music used to create the films mood and how these techniques are used to draw in the target audience. The two films I shall be comparing are Jaws (the original) and The Dark Knight.

                Jaws was based on the original novel by Peter Benchley, but Stephen Spielberg took the successful book (in 1975) and turned it into a multi – million dollar film. Jaws is briefly about a Great white shark that terrorises a small town in America called Amity. The film shows how a single animal can have such a massive affect on the town and the people in it. Jaws is considered one of the best films to have hit the cinema, and even today (35 years later) it is being watched.

                The Dark Knight was made in 2008 and was directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan. It was written as a sequel to Batman Begins and was based on the original comics. The films is about Batman’s (Bruce Wayne) struggle to fight the crime and to capture The Joker, (played by Heath Leger). The film was a big hit worldwide and made around $1800,000,000.

                Jaws’ opening sequence is roughly about three minutes long, it starts with a point of view shot of the shark and the eerie theme tune which gets louder every time the shark makes a quick turn, the music almost acts as the viewers heartbeat – as the suspense is increasing. The credits start to appear in an eerie font, this sets the scene as to what genre the film will be. As the music gets to its loudest, we are suddenly hit by the calming folk music of the young teenagers who are sat on Amity beach; this is a huge contrast to the scene and music that was shown just before. It is evening, even with the friendly atmosphere of the youth, the sea looks dark and dangerous and it is almost predictable that one of the teens would decide to go for a swim. A medium shot is used at the start just to show the quantity of people that are on the beach, then there are a few close – ups showing what a few individuals are doing. When the girl runs to the sea, we see an establishing shot, of the beach and the girl running away from the safety of her friends into the ocean. The music slowly fades away which also emphasizes that the companies of her friends have gone.

                As we see the girl entering the water and swimming the camera changes to an over the head shot, this gives us an idea of how small she is – compared with the vast sea. We then hear the music. This indicates that the shark is near – bye and has spotted the girl. The camera than cuts to the sharks point-of-view shot and the music starts. We see the girl’s legs thrashing in the water, with the shark getting ever closer. The music then cuts and the camera goes back to the girl swimming, the pause adds to the suspense, as the audience knows that the shark will attack in any second. The camera then changes to a reaction shot, showing the girl’s face wince with shock and pain. We don’t ever see the shark in this scene, which makes it even scarier – as it lets the audience’s imagination run wild.

               

In comparison The Dark Knight’s opening scene is 4 minutes and around 35 second long and starts with an establishing shot. It shows the tall buildings of New York City. One of the windows smashes –showing a close up of two men in masks. The camera then cuts to lots of different pairs of men in masks at different buildings and immediately, we know that this is a big, well planned robbery. In the opening seen we hear a lot more dialogue, this is very different from Jaws and in most films. There is a two – shot of two men on a roof of the bank, dis –arming the alarm.  We then see an over-the-shoulder shot as one of the masked men shoots the other.

The music tempo is very much like Jaws because as the scene progresses the tempo gets a lot quicker, thus building the tension and suspense.  A group of the masked men break into the main hall of the bank and we see a reaction shot of the bank manager, who tries to put up a fight by reaching for a gun, however he gets shot.  There is many references to “The Joker” in this scene and it is clear that one of the masked men is the Joker however it is unclear who is.

There are many close ups of the men, but you cannot see any expression on their faces, as they are wearing masks. It becomes clear that the writer has done this to make the point that the criminals are unidentified.  At the end of the opening scene, we see the last reaction shot as the last criminal is hit by the getaway car as a school bus comes crashing through the banks walls. This is done using special effects; however it is very cleverly done as the reaction shot acts as a decoy, so the audience look at the criminal’s reaction – instead of looking at the bus.

In conclusion both of these films have very different opening but use very similar techniques to get the effects needed, such as music. Both films use the tempo to create tension and suspense, another similarity is that both films have at least one death. I think that this is done to show that it will be common in the film – which makes the viewer want the watch on. Also both films do not show there protagonists (Jaws – the shark and The Dark Knight – Batman).  However both films have there dissimilarities, for example the credits, Jaws uses the credits to create an atmosphere, however the Dark Knight doesn’t have credits at all. This could be that the director tried to make it a run – on from the first film, Batman Begins, but the film company does try and sell them as individual films. Both these films were very successful and you can see why when they have openings as gripping as they are.

               

Narrative/Character Development

Narrative/Character Development

Main Character:

(Target: To give the target audience someone that they can relate to.)

·       Teenager – to set the target audience’s age. The age of a character really helps the audience to relate to him.

·       Casual clothes - jeans, trainers and a jumper. This helps show that the teenager is just an average boy of his age.

·       Modern House – This shows the time period of the film and also the modern house would show that the boy is “cool”, which immediately gives him a better screen presence.

The Creepy Stanger

(Target: To make him as scary as possible, without being too cheesy.)

·       Showing the legs – this automatically stops the audience setting opinions on whether the man’s face is scary or whether he is too tall or big ect.

·       Clothes – Dark jeans, leather jacket, gloves. This outfit avoids the classic stereotypes of a black cloak, and it also gives the stranger a human quality – as he is dressed normally.

·       His walking style – the stranger is walking slowly but confidently, this gives shows that he feel comfortable with what he is doing and the walking pace also makes it more scary for the audience.

Logline Of The Films Concept And Ideas

The films Concept and Ideas

·       Our original ideas were that we wanted our film to be a thriller/horror genre.

·       We then looked at inspiration such as Paranormal Activity and “Disturbia”, to discover that we wanted to use a creepy stranger.

·       We then looked at what made “Disturbia” scary and appeal to us. We found that it was the idea of the teenager being insecure in his own home.

·       We then looked at a few things that would scare us most if we were home alone, and top of the list was a power cut.

·       We thought about having a dog as the teenagers only companion (like in “I am Legend”), but discovered that this would have brought a distraction to what was happening in the storyline.

·       We also thought about including a creepy neighbour to knock on the door to tell him about the power issues, however we decided against this, as we wanted to show the character as totally alone.

·       We liked the idea of just showing the teenagers average day, making dinner, watching television and spending time on his phone. We thought that this would get the target audience relating to the character.

·       An idea that we really liked was using a flash forward. This meant that we could show that something bad was going to happen, but then why it happened would be revealed in the film.

·       We came up with the idea of introducing the creepy stranger by having him walking down the stairs; this meant that his identity wouldn’t have been known at the beginning of the film.

Photographs From The Shoot

Photos From The Shoot

(This picture was taken from the start of the film’s opening, showing me walking towards the house.)

(This photo was taken from the scene where I am in the kitchen)

(This photo was taken from the end of the film, where I am walking to school)

Tasks That I have Undertaken to Develop My Skills

Tasks that I have undertaken to develop my skills

To develop my skills of media (planning and camera work) I have done a few things:

·        Practice session – in class we planned and filmed our own version of the start of the “Breakfast Club”. This helped gain an understanding of how to think out/plan properly. Also it gave me a chance to learn and get some help and experience with using a camera. Also it gave me a good chance to practice using the “Imovie” software to edit the film – after it was filmed. 

·        Planning and filming the preliminary – In pairs we filmed a sequence that had to include a character walking through a door and also a two way dialogue.  I found that doing this task helped with getting a better understanding of how to use the camera and it also helped developing a few ideas for the coursework. Also it gave me confidence with a camera, as I felt that I now knew a lot more.

·        Making story boards – I found that this helped me develop an idea of planning a film and getting a feel as to the elements that a good film opening needs. It also helped develop my ideas and skills of camera angles and shots.

·        Filming the animatic – I thought that filming the film sequence (through storyboards), really helped me to gather a picture of what the film was going to look like. It also helped me finalise what kind of shots I was going to use in my film.

Shooting Schedule

Shooting Schedule

DATE	TIME	LOCATION	CAST	Synopsis
20/11/2010	10am	Marlborough – Eddie’s House	Ross Campbell	Walking to the house and opening the door scene
22/11/2010	5pm	Marlborough – Eddie’s House	Ross Campbell	Inside the house – microwave, sofa and book scenes.
23/11/2010	5pm	Marlborough -  Eddie’s House	Ross Campbell and Eddie Hobbs	Inside the house – TV scene and stair scene.
24/22/2010	10am	Marlborough - School	Ross Campbell	Walking up to school scene.

Research

Research

Paranormal Activity

·       We used a concept that was inspired by Paranormal Activity, as well as other horror films, which was that you do not show the “thing” that is feared until the end. This is used to put the audience in suspense and to test their imagination.

·       We also tried to use a few shots that were similar in this movie. We used a hand held style camera, and therefore were able to give some of the shots and creepy feel, like someone is watching.

Disturbia

·       We tried to use a similar editing technique that was inspired from “Disturbia”. This technique/effect was that in between each clip, a fade out is used. We found that this created tension and also made the film flow a little better.

·       We also used the settings of the main character. For example we have set our film in the characters house. And have filmed him on his own to emphasise how alone his is.

Seven

·       Other films such as “Seven” inspired our film. The quick editing and some of the mise – en – scene was something we wanted to incorporate in our film. Also the dim lighting effect was something else that we tried to feauture that came across well in “Seven”.

Other Inspiration

·       Blair Witch Project

·       The Omen

Target Audience

AGE

The target audience for “Welcome Home” is anyone that enjoys horror thrillers. The age group for this category ranges quite a bit. However a typical age would probably be from around 15 – 20.

Typical films in our category

Here are a few films that we feel are target audience would be suited to.

·       Paranormal Activity

·       Disturbia

·       Blair Witch Project

·       The Omen

·       The Calling

·       Seven

·       Psycho

A typical target audience person

To depict a typical target audience member, they would probably be in education and around the age of 16.This would mean that they could relate to the main character. They would enjoy a few of the films shown on the left and really enjoy the thriller/horror genre.

Alternate audience

It isn’t just teenagers who would enjoy this film, all ages that enjoy this sort of genre, or who are just easy watchers would enjoy watching this film.