Monday, 29 November 2010

Lessons

This lesson Charlotte and I began to make a start on our storyboard. We found it difficult to suss out which camera angles we would use in each shot, however we decided to discuss what might look best and felt that we could always change our minds when it came down to filming. At first we were going to print out images, similar to the ones we would film, to stick on our storyboard, however we couldn't find images that related exactly to what we wanted for each shot, so we found that it would be best to draw them out ourselves. We also found it difficult to decide what each shot was going to look like, as we are constantly coming up with new ideas for filming. So, we drew out a simple plan of our ideas so far, with what camera shots we had decided on and then added colour to our storyboard. We decided to post any changes we might make when filming or we may draw up another storyboard when we are finished.

Amy Reeve

Thursday, 11 November 2010

Ideas for our film

Amy and I have been dicussing basic ideas for our film. We both have similar ideas which we intend to merge together somehow to ensure that the finished film includes both our ideas. My idea is basically an evil female character plotting revenge on people and perhaps murdering them in a variety of ways. She could have hidden agendas as to why she wants the people dead, or maybe even just have mental problems and enjoy heartless killing. The female needs to have a certain strength that she portrays, showing that she's aware of what she's doing and that she knows how to handle the situation. Despite her dark thoughts, she needs to be attractive to achieve the role of Femme Fatale so that she can seduce and ensnare her lovers and lead them to their death. A typical role to fill which we could possibly include could perhaps be the Hitchcock blonde; a strong and intelligent yet innocent woman, who could potentially be placed in compromising positions. I think a more female centered film would provide an individual quality, as many films have a male lead and show the hegemonic men fighting and showing their strength. By using a Femme Fatale as the lead, we can show women's strength and power succeeding over men, proving that women are just as sly, provocative and intelligent. Setting our film in a rural atmosphere would benefit the mood, as it would provide an innocent charm and yet an eerie feel. Compare a busy city with a rural village in the dead of night; in the city there are many people around, whereas in a small village or town it's silent, you may hear the rustle of leaves which leads your mind to believe someone's there... there will be no streetlights to guide your way... you may see things out the corner of your eye and misinterpret them... you may get completely lost in an unfamiliar place. Because of these factors, I believe that setting the beginning of our film in a field at night time, or a forest would be beneficial and create the eerie atmosphere that we crave. Charlotte Bone

Preliminary Task




Amy Reeve

Wednesday, 10 November 2010

Inspiration-Films with a woodland setting

Most of these are Horror/Thriller films, however all of them include a wooded area at some point in the film. As Charlotte and I hoped to end our opening scene in the woods, we felt we should find some inspiration from other films. All seven of these, enabled Charlotte and I to discover what we would like to incorporate into our own two minute opening. We looked at the time of day which was the most effective for filming in a wooded area. As some were set in the day and others were set at night, we were able to see the contrast of emotions that were evoked at different periods of time. Eden Lake shows the woods both in the day and at night. We found that our scene in the woods would look more effective if we filmed it at dusk, as we could create a chilling atmosphere but also be able to obtain different effects with the help of the setting sun. We found that in the light of the day, the setting was far less effective as without violence; as seen in Eden Lake, we would be unable to create a truly Thriller inspired quality to our film. This was also the case if we were to set our film in the pitch black, as without the correct lighting and special effects, we wouldn't be able to create the type of atmosphere that we aim for.


Amy Reeve

Tuesday, 9 November 2010

Camera Angles

  • A bird's eye angle is an angle that looks directly down upon a scene. This angle is often used as an establishing angle, along with an extreme long shot, to establish setting.
  • A high angle  is a camera angle that looks down upon a subject. A character shot with a high angle will look vulnerable or small. These angles are often used to demonstrate to the audience a perspective of a particular character. 
  • An eye-level angle puts the audience on an equal footing with the character. This is the most commonly used angle in most films as it allows the viewers to feel comfortable with the characters.
  • A low angle is a camera angle that looks up at a character. This is the opposite of a high angle and makes a character look more powerful. This can make the audience feel vulnerable and small by looking up at the character. This can help the responder feel empathy if they are viewing the frame from another character's point of view.

Amy Reeve

Camera shots

  • An extreme long shot  contains a large amount of landscape. It is often used at the beginning of a scene or a film to establish general location (setting). This is also known as an establishing shot.
  • A long shot  contains landscape but gives the viewer a more specific idea of setting. A long shot may show the viewers the building where the action will take place.
  • A full shot contains a complete view of the characters. From this shot, viewers can take in the costumes of characters and may also help to demonstrate the relationships between characters. 
  • A mid shot contains the characters or a character from the waist up. From this shot, viewers can see the characters' faces more clearly as well as their interaction with other characters. This is also known as a social shot
  • A close-up contains just one character's face. This enables viewers to understand the actor's emotions and also allows them to feel empathy for the character. This is also known as a personal shot.
  • An extreme close-up contains one part of a character's face or other object. This technique is quite common in horror films and creates an intense mood.


Amy Reeve

Different varieties of thrillers



Amy Reeve

Definition of the "thriller" genre

"There appears to be no narrow definition, however a thriller is characterized by the sudden rush of emotions, the excitement, sense of suspense, apprehension, and exhilaration that drive the narrative, sometimes subtly with peaks and lulls, sometimes at a constant, breakneck pace. Thriller is a genre of fiction in which tough, resourceful, but essentially ordinary heroes are pitted against villains determined to destroy them, their country, or the stability of the free world. Part of the allure of thrillers comes from not only what their stories are about, but also how they are told. High stakes, non-stop action, plot twists that both surprise and excite, settings that are both vibrant and exotic, and an intense pace that never lets up until the adrenalin packed climax."


Amy Reeve

Friday, 5 November 2010

Looking at "Seven"

We found that in the lesson we would continue to look at the opening of Thriller films. The film "Seven" was a huge inspiration in terms of the opening credits as Charlotte and I plan to include some sort of Burn book in our opening scene, which was influenced by the film "Mean Girls". The whole point of the burn book is to write down thoughts that wouldn't necessarily be said in real life, due to the repercussions of bullying and abuse. We planned to include this in our opening scene so that the audience would be able to look into the characters mind without anything actually having to be said. The film "Seven" included flicking through the pages of a book, which we plan to incorporate into our own opening scene. We also thought about using the scratchy writing and special effects that is shown in the first two minutes of "Seven", alongside the footage of our character scribbling in the "Burn book".

Amy Reeve

Thursday, 4 November 2010

Looking at Children of Men

In this lesson, Charlotte and I discussed different aspects of the thriller genre in order to maintain a suitable plot for the opening of our media film. Firstly we accessed YouTube and watched the opening scene of an archetypal Thriller film; the first two minutes and twenty eight seconds of "Children of men. The film enabled us to make a decision on the time period we were going to set our film in.
As Children of Men was set in the future we decided that we would find it difficult to create the atmosphere of a futuristic setting. We did however find the way the film contrasted with the stereotypical view of what the future could be like, i.e clean, technology orientated, far more advanced and machine operated, particularly interesting as at first it is not clear when and where the film is set as none of these aspects are included.
The television in the coffee shop, and also the motion picture advertisements out in the streets, allowed us to see the differences between our world now and the world that is portrayed in the film. Charlotte and I found that the atmosphere looked polluted and grey, giving the perfect setting for a thriller film.

Amy Reeve