Saturday, 14 December 2013

Jelly Babies

Introduction;
In preparation of our horror film introduction we went of into different groups with people we have never really worked, just to try something new. We then had to create four different scenes that we thought were typically used in a horror film, only using sugar patch kids or jelly babies, we were also allowed to use what ever else we was able to find around the class room. When making these four different scenes we had to keep in mind the horror film conventions such as setting, sound, props, characters' and camera angles. My group and myself all agreed that we thought a forest was an good idea for a setting as that is where majority of horror films lead out to just before the killing.
 
Setting;
When horror films come to mind you instantly think dark places such as; alley ways, abandoned houses, woods, houses by a lake etc... majority of the time these are set at night because of the tension or suspense it would create for the audience. This is what my group and myself attempted to show, within this scene there are a group of friends (yellow, red and green jelly babies) that are walking through the woods, what they don't know is they are being followed by someone else, (the black jelly baby). In this scene my group and myself was trying to portray setting by using the things the make up the Horror film convention. To show a good use of setting we drew trees on the background and then made little bushes out of paper clips. With a green book for the greenery. 
 
Characters';
In a horror film there are many characters that help make up a film, so it is easy for the audience to identify who they are. Typically there is a blonde, the innocent one, the jokey the killer and the hoe. This is exactly what we was showing in this scene but we used it with the jelly babies by colour to so that we could portray Mis En Scene, demonstrating what we know about the conventions. In this scene we used the black jelly baby as the bad guy because black is signified as evil and demonic then you see him standing over the yellow jelly baby, that was signifying the blonde as blondes are known to be dumb and tad bit stupid causing them to die first with red blood oozing out. Then you see the red and the green continuing with their journey non the wiser to what had just taken place as they stayed on route and didn't wonder off. This is how my group and my self showed characters through the use of this scene.
 
Sound;
Sound is noise that is exaggerated sound it helps build tension within  a film. Fast loud sound can add a lot to making the audience jump or be scared. In this scene we had diegetic sound and non-diegetic sound. We used diegetic sound as the red one being killed so they are screaming out for help then drew music notes on the white board as non-diegetic as the extra background music that builds the tension to make the audience scared. 

Props;
In this shot type we used the green one as the innocent one, the last and only survivor. The green jelly baby is standing next to a white rock,  we specifically made it white to show the purity within, that because they was smart enough to find the safety cave they was able to survive. We used a bowl to create this effect. 

Friday, 13 December 2013

Observation

Introduction;
I have learnt a lot from watching a variety of examples from previous horror film introductions. I've been able to see how they use camera shot types, editing, different sound effect as well as also including Mis en scene. From all four of these transitions I have seen what can help me produce an high quality horror film introduction as well as knowing what is not needed because of the bad grade I will receive.

Camera shot types;
From watching the camera type shots that have been used within all the opening film introduction I have seen that you can't have an effective film towards the target audience unless you have a vary of shot types. For example one film introduction from past students was not able to have a vary of shot types they included the most common such as; mid shot, close up, tracking shot. However because they did not vary and try different things instead of what they know it was very limited, because there was more that needed to be done to create the effect they wanted they only through in random shot types this mad it even less effective that what it should of been. From this I understand that without shot types you can not have the effective film introduction that you want, so it would be good to vary so that you can build tension and have the audience jumping in their seats.

 Another example of good use of camera is being able to hold it properly, sometimes the camera can be unsteady at the wrong times and it make the filming not look very good. For example another past horror film introduction, they had an unsteady camera for tracking shot and point of view which was very effective because it created that feeling that you are apart of the film however there was unsteady camera where it wasn't needed at all for example when the two characters were have a conversation they were sitting down the camera was shaking this was ineffective because it sort of stood out from the film you could notice it a lot, so it didn't help build the tension they was attempting to achieve.

Editing;
Editing is what ties the whole film together, without editing you wouldn't be able to edit certain images with sound as well as using other types to make the meaning of the horror film introduction clear. This was used very well in past horror film, the pace was smooth and steady not to fast and not to slow, at the beginning of the scene it was blurry to create that demonic effect to allow the audience to know that the character a past pupil was playing was possessed or not all together, as well as having a child's nursery rhyme playing in the background, this straight away made me scared because when you hear those type of things such as nursery rhymes, Chucky and The Conjuring come to mind. This is feeling effecting being it is bringing an disorientated effect and it building tension allowing you to think that something or someone is coming. This is what the group used with their use of including music. The pace of the introduction was steady and calm, it wasn't rushed and fast like what most people think a horror film should be. By the pace being normal and not to fast it helped add that scary effect.
  1. Chucky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kOf7pI7Ue4
  2. The Conjuring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGCTYiQtupM

Mis en scene;
Mis en scene is used to create an effect to fit the convention of the Horror film introduction. It is what the film is based around because it includes so many things such as costume, lighting and setting. Basically everything within the scene. I saw this used in a very good way. In the past group they was able to show their use of Mis en scene, costume was very good for example; the girl was playing the character of a ghost being nice to children so they portrayed this allowing her to wear white this showed that she was trying to make the child think that was she was kind and only wanted to be her friend then when she took the little girls soul she was wearing black, this is showing that is no longer innocent and she only done it to let the little girl think she is. I find this really good they thought deeply into it using costume because a lot of people don't do that. This is something I have learnt which I would of been oblivious to if I did not see it in a previous film introduction. it was very effective and I think I would definitely use this when creating my own.
 
Sound;
Sound helps add the extra effect that has the audience jumping in their seats. Music or any sound type has that scary effect without any dialogue. Sound by itself has the same effect or even more than dialogue by itself. The same group included sound as well to build tension when she walked away with the child out of the park there was low music which started to get louder and louder and then the bid crash landing when the girl died the music got to its highest by this taking place it created that big scare cliff hanger that would make the audience want more than they receive. This is something I will also use when I start making my own film. Mis en scene plays a big part and without it, there wouldn't be a successful horror film.
 
 
 




Thursday, 5 December 2013

Breakdown sheet for shooting

BREAKDOWN SHEET FOR SHOOTING
 

Storyboard scene number: 1
Date:                                                                                                               Time: 4:30 - 6:00 pm
Setting: A Bedroom                                                                                     Location: A House

Crew members and roles: 
1. Katrina - Camera
2. Shariece - Make up
3. Everyone is in charge of their own costume 
4. Sephora - Lighting
5. Katrina, Sephora and myself are in charge of editing

Cast members: 
1. Shariece
2. Sephora 
3. Katrina
4. Echarel
5. Joanne
6. Kyle
7. Devell
8. Tyrone
9. Taj

Extras: 
1. Katrina
2. Sephora
3. Echarel
4. Joanne
5. Devell
6. Tyrone
7. Taj

Wardrobe: Party clothes (Everyone does their own)
 
Make-up:
1. Eye-liner
2. Mascara
3. Foundation
4. Lip stick
 
Props: None
 
Special effects: Flashing lights

Potential problems and how you’re going to overcome them: One problem that would occur is where the setting and location will be because of our parents' we are conflicted as to who's house to do it in.

Another problem is the time schedule that everyone will have because we all go to different college's and we all have different time tables it will be hard to work around it.

 
 


Storyboard scene number: 3
Date:                                                                                                               Time: 4:30 - 6:00 pm
Setting: The Woods                                                                                     Location: Clapham

Crew members and roles: 
1. Katrina - Camera
2. Shariece - Make up
3. Everyone is in charge of their own costume 
4. Sephora - Lighting
5. Katrina, Sephora and myself are in charge of editing

Cast members: 
1. Shariece
2. Sephora 
3. Katrina
4. Echarel
5. Joanne
6. Kyle
7. Devell
8. Tyrone
9. Taj

Extras: 
1. Katrina
2. Sephora
3. Echarel
4. Joanne
5. Devell
6. Tyrone
7. Taj

Wardrobe: Party clothes
 
Make-up:
1. Eye-liner
2. Mascara
3. Foundation
4. Lip stick
 
Props: None

Special effects: None

Potential problems and how you’re going to overcome them: As we are filming this clip in the woods it will be hard to find the correct type of lighting to show the effect we want or so that the characters can be seen properly.

 
 
 
Storyboard scene number: 10
Date:                                                                                                               Time: 4:30 - 6:00 pm
Setting: The Woods                                                                                     Location: Clapham

Crew members and roles: 
1. Katrina - Camera
2. Shariece - Make up
3. Everyone is in charge of their own costume 
4. Sephora - Lighting
5. Katrina, Sephora and myself are in charge of editing

Cast members: 
1. Shariece
2. Kyle
Extras: No extras in this clip
Wardrobe: Party clothes
 Make-up:
1. Eye-liner
2. Mascara
3. Foundation
4. Lip stick
 
Props: Fake Blood
Special effects: None
Potential problems and how you’re going to overcome them: It would be difficult when adding the fake blood and attempting the death look real, to make the introduction have the affect we want on the target audience.
 

Wednesday, 4 December 2013

Animatic Feedback

As a part of my preparation for my Horror film, we set a task where we had to create an Animatic. An animatic is a short presentation or video completed used via drawn pictures and sound effects. We drew out every seen from our horror, all the important details and added information to the back such as where , when, how and why etc... When this was done we uploaded to each of out individual YouTube accounts and then showed are final piece to the rest of the class so that we could get feedback on what we done well as what could be done even better. One pupil named Joana had said that the sound we used to support each image was excellent because it matched so well it emphasised it even though it was a still im age, this feedback had a really positive impact as it helped me know that I used the technology in the right way. Another student called Chantelle said that we had included a variety of shots, like we said when sharing out ideas, and that this showed we knew the terminology showing good understanding towards the course. Fernada and another student called Luke said exactly the same thing they both agreed that the  Animatic was both good and straight forward. They also included at the end that  you can clearly see it is an opening for a Horror film. I took on board all these comments to know how to show all the feedback in the actual making of the horror film introduction. 
Click here to view my Animatic.

Thursday, 24 October 2013

Prezi Feedback

When promoting my Prezi presentation I got some very crucial feedback for instance one of the students named Gabriella had told me and the rest of my team that, we had created an excellent story line because majority of horror films create storylines with drunk couples and then someone getting killed especially how the killer is someone who you least expects.

I believe that Kristal gave good information that I believe I did not focus on very much we was deciding that we would pretend to be drunk because we are coming from a party however although she said it was a good presentation how would we be able to show the drunkenness within the scene even though we might be able to act drunk will the rest of the cast that we want to include be able to act drunk and play the part we need them to. She said this because it would could come off as a comedy instead of a horror and tension and suspense we want to build will not be there. I thought this was good feedback because if we never heard that I don't believe that we would have noticed and we would of got low marks.

Another student had said that the presentation was okay however it seemed to her and a few others that to much of the film was in the introduction and because it's the introduction will we actually be having anything else to make it seem that way and so we decided that the boy who is one of the main characters would go around killing everyone who gets on his nerves but each death would be more gruesome than the next one. Everyone agreed this would be a great idea.

Chantelle had said the same thing as Ashley however she changed a part of it but because it can be filmed within in 30 seconds what are we going to include to make it more interesting. So she suggested that we show a short clip of us in a bedroom having the party and showing the girlfriend pissing off her boyfriend giving him a reason to go around killing her and everyone else then wipe to everyone going home through Clapham Common park at night then the rest of the scene we had created on our own.

We found that all these comments were very useful and productive because it would help influence our introduction to making it a better piece so we could earn a higher grade.

Joanna had said that we should think of a better ending so that the killer wouldn't get suspected she said that we should make the boyfriend go to the group of friends and say he is walking his girlfriend home because she is too drunk but then he kills her and tells everyone he doesn't know what happened because he dropped her to the bottom of the road but had to leave because his mum said he needed to come home, we have decided to include this as well because we thought it would be very interesting to see what the audience would think and the effect it would have on them.

When we had got feedback from the pupils in the class our teacher pointed something out that we had completely forgot. When the boyfriend kills the girl he uses a knife and because we are of a certain age how would we do that without getting caught or arrested so we said we would go to the party shop in Clapham Junction and buy a fake one then only take it out and use it when needed.

In my own personal opinion I think I will be taking into consideration to what every body said because I think it can help our group. Although when in class I did have a few ideas I wanted to include for example instead of having dialect I thought we could have music so like we jump straight into the party with loud party music and then it slowly starts to fade into horror music that build suspense then gets louder and louder closer to the death, only because we don't know how professional the cast might be also they might not be able to get the right tone compared to others however it was only and idea and I would personally like to run it past my cast first.

I do want to say thank you to all members in my class for giving me good feedback which will definitely be helping my group with the assignment.

Click here to view my Prezi

Saturday, 12 October 2013

Preliminary Task

When I was introduced into the Preliminary task my teacher had assigned for me. I was set off into a small set of 3, so that one person would be behind the camera and the other two in-front. My group was given a word that we chose out of a hat we then had to base our short clip around our word, the word I was given was 'fear', so we as a team decided that one girl would have schizophrenia and the inner person inside her would make her kill herself due to bulling and sad thoughts etc..

1. Storyboarding:
I have learnt a lot from storyboarding, I have been able to progress in doing rough sketches, when knowing what to do for our scene. When storyboarding it helps me to plan out exactly what type of shots I wanted, what props I would need and where they would be positioned in the shot. I think storyboarding actually help me plan all my ideas into the scenes it needed to be in to create the short film. When doing the storyboard it is helping you a lot, to figure out where things are going what is going to be done, the camera angle and in which order things would be happen. It makes it so much easier for when your getting ready to record because you know exactly what is going to happen and what needs to be done. On top of that I have learnt that storyboarding helps save a lot of time. Giving you more time to edit.

2. Filming:
From filming I have been able to learn how to have the camera positioned at a certain angle to have the effect we wanted to create for the audience, I have also been able to see where things should be such as props, positing of a character etc... this I believe can help me see what I done well and where exactly I would need to improve for the next time I create a short film/clip such as this. The tripod we used to stabilise the camera really help my group and I to do certain shot type such as a high angle shot. Also when it came to editing we was able to do all the shot types that were required of us. when recording we was very limited as we didn't have a lot of places and space to move around so we was very restricted, however we tried to use this to our advantage. We struggled at first but we have to learn and progress from it to help us the second time. When recording you do have to make sure you have a lot of space however depending on the situation you can use this to your advantage. I have learnt that using a tripod is for the best went recording as you don't want it to be shaky if you hand record especially if it not the affect you trying to create. Without the tripod a steady shot is hard to make.

3. Editing (in the process of doing the task):
When all of the above was completed we had to use a program called 'Final Cut Pro' by using this I was able to edit my entire film deleting unnecessary clips that were not needed and then shortening clips that I thought would have a great affect that I wanted to create towards my final cut. All these things I was able to learn. When I had finished deleting and keeping certain clips I put them in an order I thought made sense then that was my short film. Furthermore was the most consuming out of all of above, we made a lot of mistakes when first recording we didn't include a lot of camera angles and so editing the first attempt took up a lot of time to make it look successful, so what we had to do was re-record and include the right amount of camera angles in the right places so it followed nicely. This made editing the second attempt so much easier than the first. From this I gathered and learnt that you have to be able to time yourself properly or you will struggle and that editing is the one you spend most of your time on to make sure everything is successful and where it needs to be .

Click here to see my Preliminary Task.

Monday, 30 September 2013

Horror film convention


Setting: Horror film conventions are usually set in dark streets, alley ways, haunted houses or somewhere remote, they usually have a haunted past. Mostly set at night time by doing this they are creating a sense of tension or suspense however horror genre can be varied and set in any location at any time of day. This is done so it can set a sense of isolation allowing the victim to feel like they have no where to go and then letting the bad victim feel more powerful. This makes the audience think the victim is going to die and then a change of plans happen and they don't this is also building some type of suspense in a way. The dark gloomy places always without fail have a dark and mystery bad story to them as to why the house looks so depressing.


Character: in a horror films there are different types of characters that make up a movie, because of this the audience can identify them. usually in a horror film the typical characters are killers, the blonde, the hoe, the jokey and the innocent person who always survives till the end. they are known by their typical names because:

- The blonde: They are always without fail represented as a stupid person who is slutty and will always die first because of their stupidity.

- The innocent one: They survive through anything because they come off as they cannot do no wrong also they are known by this stereotypical name because they are a virgin and full of purity.

- The jokey: They are so big headed as if they cannot die or get hurt, also known as the macho man that everyone goes to for guidance.

- The killer: Without fail they have  tragic past and so because of all the hurt they was feeling they let it out on everyone so they too can feel all their pain, majority of the time it ends up they are misunderstood.


Camera: the effects of the camera are important in horror films because the camera angle effects the audiences reactions to the situations.

- High Angles: This is to show that when the killer is coming he has more power over you because you are about to die also because it is able to connote nightmares/surrealness. Belittling a character using this angle makes the viewers feel some sympathy for them because the angle is making the victim look vulnerable and weak with no power.
 
- Low Angles: This is used when the audience is feeling scared as it helps exaggerate the position of a character and there where abouts, this is the main objective in a film .

- POV (point of view): This is excellent because it allows you to feel that you are a part of the film, that you are the character you and you are about to have a tragic death builds wonderful tension.

- Handheld shots: This is able to make the audience feel disorientated and confused as the camera is moving one direction whereas everything else is moving a completely different direction.

Sound: Exaggerated sound will allow tension to build up in a film also that fast and loud sound can add a lot to making the audience jump and be frighten towards the film. There are different types of sound one of them is diegetic sound it is very essential as it is everything within the scene, it plays a big part as without that sound it wouldn't help build the right amount of suspense and tension for example 'Freddie Krueger Theme song' this is an example of diegetic sound. The sounds helps add a more realistic feel to the audience as well adding that bit of creepy affect.

Freddie Krueger Theme Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDHd3TmZ6wM

However non-diegetic sound does add that scary affect towards a horror film. For example thuds and loud bangs or even high pitched sounds, usually often heard during the film to give a creepy feeling and so it can hold the audience's attention to visual side of the film instead of just listening to the diegetic sound. In some cases when these sounds take place it usually allows the audience that something unnatural/demonic is coming. For example the trailer from 'Insidious'.
 

Target Audience Profile

This is a brief preview of a typical target audience person I am aiming to reach out to, this is aged from 11-16 years of age. 


 

My target audience doesn't really appeal towardsa specific   genre or type of film they tend to vary, so instead of sticking to just one, they come out of their typical comfort zone so that they can get a feeling of what other films are like for example; they enjoy watching Sci-Fi films such as the Riddick series, Muscial comedy such as Pitch perfect, action films such as Abduction and the Host. As you can see they have a wide variety of interest with films this is good because it allows them to observe the films and the way they were made from different perspectives. 

Pitch Perfect Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9sMoJhJuIU&safe=active

 

The age group I am reaching out to is in either secondary school or college, meaning majority of the time they do coursework or homework, caring for their siblings and elderly member of their family to take pressure of their parents, when they get free time from their busy schedule they go out with friends to the cinema or shopping to releave stress.

To get around to their many destinations they travel by bus because they are not of age to drive. However if the destination is very far their parents tend to drop them via car. 
Because there is so much financial issues taking place in the 21st centery, it is hard for people to actually be put in houses or to be housed meaning that the people I am reaching out to live in council flats or council houses. 


A few people that I associate myself with enjoy drinking Coke (original) because of the flavour and the joy it brings, it bring them happiness which they most definitely share with all their friends to enjoy the great flavour.

When it comes to watching the Television, they tend to vary but only with selected genres such; X Factor, My Wife and Kids, Big Bang Theory, Fresh Prince and Eastender, as you can see they like many programs. Although one type of genre tended to show up a bit more and that is comedy. It is good that they try different things even though it can be hard sometimes. 

My Wife and kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuhBMPlSKmE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tber_SJgOaM

My target audience only watches football and this is when it is World Cup season is on so that they are able to support their country other than that you would not catch them watching sports. 


Majority of UK residents enjoy goin on holiday because of the predicted weather of rain and snow and wind  make it that all my target audience absolutely without a doubt love joy countries such as Jamaica, Portugal, Spain etc...

When it comes to eating they are very multicultural as they eat foods from all over the world such as; Mc Donald, KFC, Chinese, Indian and Portuguese this is food from all over the world and taste wonderful.

Introduction


My name is Shariece Johnson and I find that I am a very vibrant person. I am an only child who attends La Retraite sixth form for Girls, I am able to make friends easily because I have been taught how to use good communication skills. I am with my boyfriend who I love so much with supporting parents by my side. I am an out-going, understanding, confident person with a positive attitude and friendly manner. I am a determined hard worker, once I have a set task I am devoted to getting it done to a high standard, even when forced to work under pressure.


I have so many interest it is unbelievable, I find that I enjoy a lot of things such as swimming because I find that it makes me feel like if I am floating on air and it's just me in my own little world. My star sign is cancer (a water baby) which I believe is another reason as to why I enjoy swimming. I love going out with my friends because I find I can be myself, be as crazy and weird as I want to, with no judgement because they join in with me, we always have a laugh and live life like there is no tomorrow.

I have so many favourite films, because they are all so good I wouldn't be able to even chose one which makes me laugh more however I do have a variety; the Twilight Saga, Mental, Abduction, The Host, Conjuring, Mama, Madea films, White Chicks and Hair Spray these and many many more are just a few of my favourite films. I do find that I enjoy horror films that sort of have the same structure but with a little twist each time.

Madea goes to jail:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CxvXwd9G7E

Madea's big happy family reunion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVXy9xkSSsU 

R'n'B, Hip Hop, Pop, Classical, Rock Indie and others. I love a wide range of music because it all depends on how I feel, I direct each song to a specific emotion and find it brings out the better in me. I find that the songs I listen to reflect my life like they a relating to me personally.

Macklemore ft Mary: Same Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LwGfwgFgnU

Imagine Dragons: Radioactive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U8C_XuE7wc

Cheryl Lynn: Got to be real
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDYC_Czr67A

Bridget Mendler:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDuqHIpYvns

I enjoy all books true stories, fiction, non-fiction, science-fiction, romance, thriller although I like so many if had to choose one it would have to be true stories to actually know that my life is nothing my luxury, that it is nothing compared to theirs and how ungrateful I act for the littlest things I have had and had an opportunity to take. It touches me and makes me want to read other books around the same genre.

I enjoy so many TV shows they are all entertaining and make me laugh bring smiles on my face. However I don't have a favourite I have a wide range such as; Fresh Prince, My Wife and Kids, modern Family, Whitney, Disney Channel, Once Upon a Time and Don't trust the bitch in apartment 23.

My Wife and Kids:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgHWv7eMa2o

Modern family:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYuSvPWxaZw

Fresh prince:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQNiN-9vaCM       

Whitney:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TF8PDs7wTU