Garage Band

In class we were given the chance to go on the mac computers and explore the different sounds that we could use in our films. There was a huge collection of different sounds providing us with a large variety to choose from. Alot of the tunes that we played was recognizable to me, as i have heard them on t.v shows and songs i regularly listen to.

Using garageband for the first time was very exciting ,and i am looking forward to learning more about it , gaining more skills to use it to the best of my ability for the production of my films music.

Progress on my two minute film

In class my teacher asked to watch what we had done so far whilst editing our film. After she watched it she provided us with constructive criticism influencing us to improve our film and correct the mistakes we made , she also suggested some great ideas that we will develop on and include in our short clip.

Over all she was very supportive and seemed to be very impressed with our work , boosting our confidence to make this film.

Blair witch project / Paranormal Activity

Blair witch project / Paranormal Activity

In class today we had a discussion about our favorite horror films, and the 'Blair witch project' was mentioned as an example of a popular horror film that genuinely frightened a lot of the people who had claimed to have seen it.

This film is slightly similar to a new horror film called " Paranormal Activity" has been released and it has been a hot topic for discussion amongst my class mates , family members , friend ship circle , friends on facebook and my twitter followers.

Proving how popular the film is , however there are many mixed reactions to the film with people describing the sense of fear they experienced as uncomfortably overwhelming whilst watching it. And some even admitting to having NIGHTMARES : ,

Quote from facebook :

Anonymous person : " screamed like a b*tch on saturday while watchin paranormal activity, Whoever said it aint scary..LIED! :/"

whereas some people have claimed that the movie is completely over rated and did not scare them at all !

Quote from facebook :

Anonymous person : "Paranormal activity is the SHITTTTEST filmmm ive ever seeen in my lifeeeeeeeeeeeee"

I for one have not watched the movie yet and i am interested and excited in doing so.

My teacher proposed a little outing for the whole class to go and see it on monday after school and i just cant wait to see what all the fuss is about !

Film Questionnaire

1. Are you: Male Female

2. How old are you?

3. Do you like Horror Films?

4. If NO, please state the reason why.

5. If YES, what is it that you like about horror films?

6. Is there any thing you find inappropriate to watch in a horror film?

7. What sort of things do you expect to see in a horror film?

8. What film certificate do you usually go to watch?

9. What is your favourite horror film?

Please explain why.

10. What is your least favourite horror film?

Please explain why.

11. What do you expect in the first 10 minutes of a horror film?

Horror Film Story Board

The Script i drew out for my two minute clip was planned and arranged by myself and my group partners.

Horror Film Script

Horror film script

Its Halloween Night and Vanessa and Camille are coming back from Blockbusters where they’ve purchased a scary film to watch at Vanessa’s home.

Scene One:
Both characters are walking through a park engaging in conversation.

Close up of moon - Panning down towards both characters.
Wide shot, to show both characters in park surroundings walking beside each other.

Vanessa: “I hate Halloween! Why would I want to dress up and go out looking like a freak in bad make-up, it makes no sense!”
Mid shot


Camille: (Chuckles) “well I love Halloween; it has to be my most favourite time of the year!”
Mid shot

(Vanessa and Camille both laugh whilst walking past a tree with a dark figure standing behind it)
Long shot

Point of view shot of a stranger observing them through the bushes.


Scene Two:
Both characters are walking towards the house.

(Close up of hand opening door with key)

(Both enter inside house)

Vanessa: “UGH! I am SO happy we’re finally here it’s so cold tonight!”

Camille: “Tell me about it!”

Dark human figure is standing outside, but the both characters are oblivious and shut the door.
(door is shut in front of his face)


Scene Three:
Both characters walk in to living room and take a seat.

Camille: “I need to go toilet sooooo bad!”

Vanessa: (rolls her eyes) “Upstairrrrs!”

Camille: “Thank you Thank you Thankyou!”
(Whilst holding her cruch and jumping up and down)


Scene Four:

Vanessa gets up, walks past window and face is seen through the window staring.

Vanessa bends down to insert dvd.

Sound is heard in kitchen

Gets up.

Shot back to window to realise that face is gone.

she goes to investigate only to discover that its some pots and pans falling over.


Vanessa walks into living room. Suddenly she hears a scream.

Camille: “AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH !”

Vanessa:” WHAT is going on up there Camille?”

Silence …

Vanessa: “Camille?”


Sound of someone tumbling down the Stairs.



Scene Five:

Vanessa: CAMILLE… are you okay?
(Whilst rushing towards door)

Point of view shot:

Hand on door handle

Camera looks up looks straight, looks right to notice door is half open)

(She looks down and sees blood on the floor)

She looks up at the landing of the stairs and sees a person standing there holding a knife.

Vanessa: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH !

LIGHTS OUT!

End of Script

Camera Shots

Here are some camera shots i would like to use in my two minute film.

EWS (Extreme Wide Shot)

The view is so far from the subject that he isn't even visible . Often used an establishing shot.

WS (Wide Shot)

The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as comfortably possible. AKA long shot.

MS (Mid Shot)

Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject.

Point-of-View Shot (POV)

Shows a view from the subject's perspective

Two-Shot

A shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot.

ECU (Extreme Close Up)

The ECU gets right in and shows extreme detail.

CU (Close Up)

A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.

Amateur video found on youtube

This youtube video is an amiture remake of Hitchcocks film 'Pyscho' with a modernised twist.

The film was probably produced through boredom or a filming project, Proving that Hitchcock continues to inspire and influence film makers today.

However I think that this remake is nothing compared to the original.

Shower scene from psycho

Watching Psycho

In class we were given the opportunity to watch a video clip of Alfred Hitchcock's powerful, complex psychological thriller, Psycho (1960).

An early horror movie considered to be the 'mother' of all horror suspense films.

Hitchcock was an influential innovator that paved a way for horror film making and for many centuries to come.

The movie is also famous for its very popular familiarized shower murder scene accompanied by screeching violins ,an effect that increases the audiences surprise and also increases the frightening side of the scene.

Many directors have imitated this scene countless times within their own productions.

Personally , i wasn't very impressed with the editing of the scenes and the reality of the shower murder scene was not convincing enough, It came across as a pathetic amateur production to me compared to the modern horror films nowadays.

However , the fact that psycho was on of the first horror films to have ever of been made , it should be taken in to consideration that it was the first of its kind and Hitchcock had no one else to consolidate from unlike the horror film directors today.

Establishing a new genre of film of very brave for him to do making Hitchcock one of the most well respected and infamous directors of all time.

Psycho Trailer - Hitchcock

Film Techniques used by Alfred Hitchcock.

POINT OF VIEW

Putting an idea into the mind of the character without explaining it in dialogue is done by using a point-of-view shot sequence. This is subjective cinema. You take the eyes of the characters and add something for them to look at.

Start with a close-up of the actor
- Cut to a shot of what they're seeing
- Cut back to the actor to see his reaction
- Repeat as desired

CAMERA IS NOT A CAMERA

The camera should take on human qualities and roam around playfully looking for something suspicious in a room. This allows the audience to feel like they are involved in uncovering the story. Scenes can often begin by panning a room showing close-ups of objects that explain plot elements.

FRAME FOR EMOTION

The first consideration of where to place the camera should involve knowing what emotion you want the audience to experience at that particular time. Emotion comes directly from the actor's eyes. You can control the intensity of that emotion by placing the camera close or far away from those eyes. A close-up will fill the screen with emotion, and pulling away to a wide angle shot will dissipate that emotion. A sudden cut from wide to close-up will give the audience a sudden surprise. Sometimes a strange angle above an actor will heighten the dramatic meaning.

SUSPENSE IS INFORMATION

"Information" is essential to Hitchcock suspense; showing the audience what the characters don’t see. If something is about to harm the characters, show it at beginning of the scene and let the scene play out as normal. Constant reminders of this looming danger will build suspense. But remember - the suspense is not in the mind of the character. They must be completely unaware of it.

IT'S IN THE MIND OF THE AUDIENCE

Change everything in your screenplay so that it is done for the audience. Nothing is more important than how each scene is going to affect the viewer. Make sure the content engages them and reels them in. Use the characters to tease the viewer and pull them along desperately wanting more.

DIALOGUE MEANS NOTHING

One of your characters must be pre-occupied with something during a dialogue scene. Their eyes can then be distracted while the other person doesn't notice. This is a good way to pull the audience into a character's secretive world.

KEEP THE STORY SIMPLE

f your story is confusing or requires a lot of memorization, you're never going to get suspense out of it. The key to creating that raw Hitchcock energy is by using simplistic, linear stories that the audience can easily follow.

USE HUMOUR TO ADD TENSION

Humor is essential to Hitchcock storytelling. Pretend you are playing a practical joke on the main character of your movie. Give him the most ironic situations to deal with. It's the unexpected gag, the coincidence, the worst possible thing that can go wrong - all can be used to build tension.

SURPRISE AND TWIST

Once you've built your audience into gripping suspense it must never end the way they expect. The bomb must never go off! Lead them in one direction and then pull the rug out from under them in a surprise twist.

TWO THINGS HAPPENING AT ONCE

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.

SE7EN

In class today we had the privilege to watch the thriller movie "SE7EN" directed by David Fincher in 1995 starring Morgan Freeman , Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow.

"SE7EN" is a horrifying , moody , spine-tingling atmospheric thriller that tells the story of two detectives - one ready to retire, the other at the start of his career, and their attempts to catch a perverted serial killer , who kills his victims in a way that reflects the christian seven deadly sins.

Detective mills and and somerset try and sort through the killers clues and cryptic methods in order to catch him before any more murders take place.

The murders themselves are artistic in their creativity and worries me greatly at how such a person could think of such ways of torture in order to teach a life threatening lesson.

In the film an obese man was forced to eat himself to death, punishing himself for his attitude of gluttony and another man had to slice a pound of flesh away from his own body ,inflicting pain on him self for his attitude of greed.

The horrific scenes appeared to look so real ,and this impressed me a lot. The reality of the scenes were so powerful sending shivers up my spine.

It is debatable that perhaps these people who suffered probably deserved being killed, as the killer himself also argued , however everyone has the right to be forgiven and given a second chance to change their ways.

The Camera Shots & Angles , Lighting and props all had a professional influence , creating a fantastic 'mise-en-scene'! The soundtrack of the movie was mostly effective.

The movie was set in a troubled city where horrific crimes to this extent was nothing new to the police department.

With dark grey clouds hovering the city, it continuously rained creating a sombre mood and sad atmosphere reflecting the emotions of the murders taking pace, as if the the whole city was mourning for the victims , this effect had an impact on me shifting my emotions to a depressive and sorrowful state.

Instead of being simply the quarry in a chase, the killer handed him self in and was revealed as a twisted but articulate antagonist,who had devised a horrible plan for concluding his sermon, that involved taking both detectives to a secluded area where he would reveal the last finishing pieces to his cunning plan.

This thriller is certainly not for the young or the sensitive. Even though i found watching the film very enjoyable , it lacked by not finding the right way to end. Personally, i thought the way the story ended was incredibly distressing, however it ended way too easy and certainly can not get away with that!

Watching this film was a great experience and has certainly become an inspiration and positive influence on the idea of my two minute film.

Hopefully i could make a clip half as good as this movie !

Audiences Response to Preliminary Exercise

After we filmed our Preliminary , me and my group edited it using the movie making software 'i movie' on the i mac computers . It was surprisingly easy to use enabling us to try our best to edit the film successfully.

The whole editing experience was very new to me and also humorous to my self and my group members. Until we were finally pleased with the editing of our clip , we decided to put it on the youtube , something that i would consider to be a "medium" , as it is able to broadcast and videos to millions of people world wide.

In class , we then watched each others preliminaries and it was suggested that we had to give our opinions on each others and provide constructive criticism. As in reality films are always reviewed by critics , which at times determines the level of success the film will gain.

When our clip was presented to the class , they suggested that the continuity of the clip could of been better as in one of the scenes a word was repeated briefly. Personally i was very happy with the end result and i am greatfull that i had the experience to shoot and edit preparing me me for my two minute film.

Preliminary Exercise Video

Screen Shot Analysis- Closer Video

Jaws 'shot by shot' Analysis

Jaws Shot By Shot - Part 1

View more documents from The Cottesloe School.

Introducing AS Media

View more documents from The Cottesloe School.

Preliminary Exercise

In class we put ourselves into groups and we were given a task to produce a short clip that included the use of the '180 Degree Rule'.

Firstly we produced a script that both characters would have to recite in front of the camera that would pose as a conversation between two people seated at a table.

We then created a story board planning what type of screen shots we would like to see within the clip.

My two partners were both playing the characters whilst i was the 'cameraman'. ;)

'180 Degree Rule'

In class we were introduced to a popular filming technique named the

'180 DEGREE RULE"

It is important for the viewer to maintain an interest in a conversation between two characters. This is done having a variety of shots that show different perspectives or angles, allowing either character to get their point across equally in order for the viewer to gain an understanding towards both characters.

It is also important to maintain “consistency of screen direction.”

This means that there is a specific area that should not crossed. This is called “Axis of Action” or the imaginary line that follows the main subject’s action or direction of focus. Avoiding confusion from the viewers making them feel uncomfortable.

By using the 180 Degree Rule, you can place the camera anywhere along the 180 Degrees of one side of the axis of action and maintain consistency of screen direction.

This Filming technique will be used in our preliminary exercise, to project our filming and editing skills.