Evaluation

Who would be the audience for your media production?

I would say children ranging from ages 12-15, as my media film may contain scenes that some people may find scary, although it is certified as a 12. As the protagonist is stalked by the antagonist and has constant flashbacks of horror images it might be a bit scary as the film is meant to play on its audiences mind. I would also say that this film appeals to people who are interested in psychologically influenced films and find the atmosphere of the film very tense and exciting.

How did you attract your/address your audience?

I believe that I targeted my audience through studying what people found more appealing between the ages of 12 and 15. I found that the majority prefered either horror or comedy and I liked the idea of re-creating a film similar to the film 'Orphan'. I think my film attracted its audience because some scenes of my film can be interpreted in a commical way.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Firstly I have learnt how to use iMovie. We had a day before we started our coursework were a professional software manager called James from Apple came in to Marlwood and taught us how to split a clip, trim, crop, garage band, transitions, music, credits. It was a fantastic experience and it helped massively towards editing my film throughout the course. James taught us in a simple and effective way in which everyone was able to gain an idea of how to start using iMovie. I have also learnt how to use Garage band to create tracks for my media, as we were told not to use copyrighted tracks. Also I had a go at using a Dictophone to add a voice over for my film. I really enjoyed using all these different pieces of technology and I feel that it has been shown passionatley throughout my work.

Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full production?

When I look back at my Preliminary task, I find it interesting and amazing how much my work has actually changed and developed. When I did my Preliminary Task I didn't really understand how to use all of the transitions and camera shots, also I am now able to create Foley sounds which have been added to the film by creating them in perhaps a studio, but then using the ducking tool to change the level of the sound. I think that when my Preliminary task was created it was just a matter of testing and trying out different effects and transitions to discover what worked well and what didn't. Since my Preliminary task I have learnt an increasingly large amount of Media vocabulary, which will hopefully help me to push my grades up especially when it comes to taking the exam.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

It's hard to establish the main distribution company that may distribute my film, although I have looked at Paramount pictures who distributed Paranormal Activity 1, 2, and 3 along with Friday the 13th and many more; they say that they "look to create full-length films that would appeal to the middle class". I have looked at Paramount Pictures because they have distributed films that I have taken inspiration from, as well as my film also being targeted and middle class, middle aged sort of people who enjoy this type of film.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I suppose you could take a gender approach on my film, by saying that the victim in horror films is usually a female character and the antagonist, serial killer or other is normally a male character. You could also look at how this change of stereotypes effects the film, perhaps the antagonist is very stereotypical as most children who star in films as the antagonist are female and range from a younger age to around 12/13.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?


My media product holds coventions much similar to opposing films such as 'Orphan' and perhaps 'Paranormal Activity' I feel I can relate to these films as I have taken inspiration from both within the footage and camera shots that I have chosen for my film. In 'Paranormal Activity' I liked the idea of a colour filter within a shot, as you view my opening sequence you will be able to depict where and when I have used this idea, it is mainly towards the end to further emphasise that the antagonist possesses a sense of danger. I used the colour green as my filter for these type of shots as according to the colour wheel the colour 'Green' it is a safe colour yet it also fools the viewer into believing that everything will be normal, although the colour green matched with the actors actions, it becomes threatening and draws the viewer in.


My media product also challenges similar shots, perhaps sublimminal shots that reinforce flash backs in the characters past, I chose to do this as it provided my film with a sense of curiousity and I felt that it fit well with the stereotype of horror films, as in 'Paranormal Activity' a series of events occured yet each time they got worse which was what I was trying to achieve.

Gender And Media Representation

Gender is perhaps the basic category we use for sorting human beings, and it is a key issue when discussing representation. Essential elements of our own identity, and the identities we assume other people to have, come from concepts of gender - what does it mean to be a boy or a girl? Many objects, not just humans, are represented by the media as being particularly masculine or feminine - particularly in advertising - and we grow up with an awareness of what constitutes 'appropriate' characteristics
 We encounter many different male and female role models in the course of a day's media consumption. The issue is, that although these different role models may at first glance appear to be very varied, do they actually represent enough of a range of men/women? Are we simply given variations on a stereotype that become sub-stereotypes in themselves? By adopting role models and parading them through the media as people it is desirable to 'be', are we stunting individual growth?

Editing Job List

• Take into consideration 'Low angle shots'
• Re-consider my animation
• Tidy and cut any loose bits of film
• Focus on titles

Add Post List

• Link my piece of Media to either Facebook/Tumblr/Personal Blog
• Audience discussion on feedback for my film
• Real media references - Finish questions - make a slide show
• Evaluate 2 screen shots from my film
• make sure I have a clear showing of development through my audience research

What are the representational issues of your piece? Gender? Age? Ethnicity? Locale?

In my film there is a representation of gender as normally in must horror films the murderer or psycho is male as to in my film that character is female.

Titles and Graphics; Reasons for choice of font/style/size and placement?

For my titles I have used animation as most film openings have some sort of logo and animation. I wanted to look deeper into my name of the piece "Child Games" by using sections of child toys to spell out the title and contrasted it with leaves/wood to represent the location of my piece.

What opens and closes the piece?

The piece is opened using simple titles but emerging different short clips to create tension, The piece closes with the animation of the title but this time the leaves are covering up the animation, but I also thought that this may look like the film has come to a closure so I think that I need to re-consider this aspect.

Have you cut into the footage or is the piece still lacking pace?

In some areas I have cut into the film but perhaps the long shots of each character walking needs to be cut into and it could be cut into using different shots or angles for example Myra suggested low angled shots.

Is the sound clear with no unwanted interruptions?

I think that in some areas of my film it is a little unclear with the sound there is not much dialogue therefore I have made a lot of soundtracks. I think the soundtracks are clear as I have looked at volume control and Ducking.

What aspects did you always wish to avoid? reasons?

I always tried to avoid fake acting, I tried to ensure that all the staging directions and speech lines were performed in a believable way. This is because I want the viewers to believe in my film and try to understand my ideas fully. I found it difficult to avoid long shots of my characters walking as they may make the viewers feel bored and not want to keep watching.

What are the real media influences and inspirations for your piece?

For my piece I found a piece of real media rom the Phones4U christmas "scary girl" advertisement were a tagline is used "don't miss out on our deals or they will haunt you". I can relate this to my piece of media as the character in the advert is similar to my character in my film. I think that I was inspired by this piece of media because it uses a similar selection of camera shots and angles and I think the mise en scene for example her costume is similar to what I wanted to portray.

Does your piece invite curiosity or introduce an enigma?

Personally I think that when viewing my film it creates moments of curiosity when the antagonist appears then disappears. I think that by the quick shots of the Antagonist in a bathroom allow the viewer to develop snippets of her background and through the use of sound effects of a spirit the viewer is able to determine that the antagonist is in fact a ghost.

Marlwood Meets Media Masters

Today we were extremely lucky to have a workshop with UWE lecturers and freelance journalists, Myra Lee and Phil Chamberlain. Myra and myself had a one to one session and she detected all the areas of my work that I could improve. Firstly Myra advised me to re-shoot some shots in my location as conifers and railings were in the way and made the location look to suburban. She also advised me to do an audio check to make sure my sound was clear. As well as looking at low down shots and tracking shots, perhaps following the protagonist. Finally she told me that the animation was very clever although she had difficult reading some areas of it, so I need to make it stand out better. Overall I feel that it was a positive experience and I can go away and think about these last editorial decisions. Im really happy with the outcome and especially how my film has been praised.

I also put myself forward to be in charge with writing the newspaper article along with my colleague Kathryn. We had to produce an article that would be published with the image of us at work in the workshop. The article told different aspects and feelings towards the workshop along with a few quotes from students and the expertise themselves.

Relevance to 'Real Media'

I was given 3 double page spreads of an advertisement for the 'Phones 4 U' Scary girl campaign. For me this meant that I could study how different shots were used within the advertisement and I could compare these to my own work. The pages indicated how long it took to make the advert and how much time was spent on developing the final outcome. According to the director it took 14 attempts to produce the final cut. I found this interesting as a lot of similar ideas were conveyed in my own work as well as the advertisement, this meant that it was easier to take onboard the directors advise and conclusions.


http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/phones-4u-looks-to-reach-older-audience-with-scary-ads/3030491.article

Evaluation Questions

• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
• How does your media product represent  particular social groups?
• what kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
• Who would be the audience of your media product?
• How did you attract/address your audience?
• What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
• Looking back at your preliminary task, What do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Semiotics within my film

What are Semiotics?

• A language, by definition, is a semiotic process through which thought may be conveyed, that a language system enables a response to that by using the degrees and kinds of signs and signifiers is produced by the language. Film uses not only words, but also different kinds of shots, angles and speeds; therefore, while the audience can react to a film's semantic intent, that audience cannot address its concerns regarding the film in the same language the film used to convey its argument.

In my film the language used is emotive, to show fear and to emphasise why the protagonist fears the antagonist. There are a lot of varied shots but most common are subliminal and canted shots which give the audience a sense of illusion. Composition was key for this film as I had to ensure that my actors were positioned correctly and I had to be sure of accurate continuity.

Representation of Gender

In my film opening there is a representation of a male being the victim and a female being the antagonist. According to film research it is normally the male that is the antagonist and the female the victim. I did not do this intentionally, but after being inspired by the film "Orphan" there is normally a young female who plays the role of a psychotic child rather than a young male. Although I am pleased with the outcome of this opening as there are plenty of subliminal and canted shots to emphasise fear at different parts of the film. Although I have published this film to YouTube I feel that some last minute editing would be beneficial as some parts to not link as well as they should. I am currently taking this matter into consideration and looking to develop further ideas.

Presenting - Child Games

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYDdfPx094U&context=C3bda872ADOEgsToPDskKjTVj3hHlIuYIpXfVx_Dsg

Evaluation

I have spoken to both my AS Media teachers and they have given very positive feedback,  an idea was given to change some of my film to a different effect to distinguish different situations. I like this idea a lot and I think it has worked successfully. I spent my weekend filming short clips for the beginning of my film to make it more realistic and fluent. I have also added images on to my blog recently, to show how I have developed further ideas. The film is almost complete, a further few touches need to be made and then I will post the final outcome on this blog. It has been really interesting and insightful doing course work in blog form, as it has allowed me to demonstrate creativity and personal ideas and responses.

Images from final clips

I considered using these images to emphasise and try to explain the antagonists background, although I decided not to use them they still proved to be useful for additional ideas such as I used the makeup in these images to produce 5 second film clips that I could feature within my film to break up parts of the long shots but as well to add in more interesting ideas and draw the viewers in to wanting to watch more of my film.

Side shot of actors face;
Image used to show that this character is dead and is perhaps being examined.

Closure of film

This is the last part of my film that I am going to be shooting.
The plan is to have 3-5 images of the death of the psycho girl and I have recorded a 5 second clip of the Protagonist's eye moving in fear. This looks effective when the titles appear. it will be used with the song I made on Garage band and will need to be darkened and edited.

Images from filming 'Child Games'

Further Ideas

I had a really interesting idea of using the flashback shots to explain the background of this psycho child, I could show her death certificate, and then shots of her dead, and as the film progresses it is obvious that she has become possessed. Instead of killing off my protagonist, maybe I will pass on the possessive behaviour and he becomes part of her therefore they join forces.

FILM CONFIRMATION

I have decided to change the name of my film from 'Mixed Signals' to 'Child games' as I believe that this title is more beneficial and relevant towards my opening sequence. I have altered a lot of my shots and used various different transitions and soundtracks to add further tension to my work. I have gathered constructive criticism from viewers and I have taken on board that the scenes where the protagonist is walking through the woods are slightly too long so I need to look into breaking and cutting up those shots. 


A solution to this problem could be blue prints or a series of photographs that show tragic deaths of this girl, flashing up when the protagonist looks behind him. The majority of my flashback shots are edited in a Sci-fi mode which adds a green tone to the background to make the footage look more believable. A lot of paralanguage is used to emphasise fear as personally I think that actions speak louder than words and if you are able to get the right shot then the action tells the story for you, therefore dialogue is not needed.

Additional Filming

Saturday 11th February 

• I plan to film my final shots for my film, I hope to finish the end of my opening sequence. Continuity is not an issue as I am only filming facial features or perhaps a tree.

1. I have been re-thinking the name of my film as I do not think that 'Mixed Signals' fits as well into my film. These are some suggestions...
2. 'Dont look back' 'I'm watching you' 'Be Aware' 'Night scare'

Specialist Terms

1. C.G.I - computer generated images
2. Cinematography - moving imagery used in films as photographs
3. Dissolve - when two shorts merge then disappear into each other
4. Stereotype - making a judgement of a particular subject
5. Archetype - strongest example if a stereotype - pattern of behaviour
6. Crane shot - a shot from above
7. Trombone shot - combining zoom and track shots
8. Asynchronous sound - the discrepancy between shots
9. Ambient lighting - Basic light available
10. Mise en scene - props/objects on set
11. Non-Diegetic sound - musical sound effects that do not fit 
12. Semiotics - the study of signs and symbols
13. Pull out - everything is pulled out of the frame
14. Pulling focus - blurring a subject then putting it into focus
15. Residual meaning - left after other parts are taken away
16. SFX - special effects
17. Symbolism - something that is used to create a particular meaning
18. Convention - an informal rule 
19. Open frame - frame is cleared for action
20. POV - point of view
21. Connotation - for example, RED = DANGER
22. Foley - sound effects made in a studio
23. Action code - to signify action
24. Fast editing - quick cutting technique
25. Kinetic camerawork - hand held camera using a lot of energy
26. Convergence - industry works on 2/3 different medias and they start to feed of off each other through advertisement.

Progress

I believe that I am almost finished editing my film, the improvements that I have made are...

1. I have added a blue filter using iMovie
2. I have used various different transitions 
3. I have cut each clip to it's right amount
4. I have edited sound, and carefully selected what I may use
5. I have played around on Garage band making different tracks
6. I have also started to think about extra footage
7. I have edited the lighting in my film because it was too light in some places so I have darkened it

I have until after half term to fully produce my piece of film, so I will need to shoot my extra footage promptly. If it is possible I will ask about loaning a MacBook over the half term.

Film certification

I plan to look at Film Certification from the BBFC website, so that I am able to make a decision on what to certify my film. I think it would be between a 12 and a 12A because it is not specifically graphic or violent in any way, it is more psychological.

Development

1. Just before the title sequences, I want a clip of the protagonists eye ball followed by a heavy breathing soundtrack which I can produce on Garage Band. If this doesn't work successfully then I may consider foot steps.
2. Followed by title sequence "Mixed Signals" and a freeze frame of the psycho child ( Antagonist )
3. Just before the end, soundtrack produced on Garage band is played. This is produced by Natasha Hodges ( myself ) using a female vocalist and changing the tone, pitch and frequency of my voice.
4. To ensure continuity a taster clip of the next victim to show how the film progresses will be added. Another idea being a short clip showing a torture rope used for hanging tied to a tree and perhaps a broken phone on the ground. A Pan shot or Tracking shot of the woods and the Antagonist appears in different places each time.

Film tash

Film tash

Evaluating

OPENING SCENE

The opening scene in any film is particularly important. It establishes the genre, sets the tone, introduces the narrative and major characters, and most importantly, catches the audience’s attention and engages their interest so that they want to see more. In this way it functions exactly like the opening scene of a play or paragraph of a book. If The Crucible has proved that it already has an engaging opening sequence in play form, what was the need to change it for the film?. It may help to think of the differences between theatre and film. In film the dominant imagery is visual, whereas in the theatre, much of the dominant imagery is verbal.

• When shooting my film I looked at who I could use to be my actors and actresses, because this plays an important role when filming. The actors have to match the right criteria for the role and type of the film. Luckily I needed a male character at the age of 14/15 to play the role of a protagonist, whereas I also needed a young female character around the age of 10/11 to play the role of a psychologically damaged school girl.

• Location was essential, and I needed to find a deserted forest which I managed to locate in Overlane, Almondsbury. This location was perfect as there were enough ditches and different levels of terrain to make the film appear believable. After shooting all of this footage I have decided that I may need a little extra footage to tie everything together, for example a short video clip before the title sequences of someones eye looking frightened, this will be followed by heavy breathing. Or perhaps at the end of the film I will add another clip to introduce the next victim.

Garage Band

I am producing a sound track for my horror film on Garage Band, I recorded myself whispering "If you go down into the woods today, you'd better not go alone" this was inspired by the Alton Towers Thirteen ride advertisement. I did a female vocalist but changed it to a lower voice which sounds eery and frightening, I also did this with another song "1,2 im coming for you, 3,4 better lock your door, 5,6 grab your crucifix, 7,8 this is your fate, 9,10 never sleep again" but on this sound recording I used a more high pitched tone to make it sound like a child that was singing it.

NJH Film Editing

Hello I am Tash, over a period of time I have looked at different genres of film and have come to the conclusion of making the opening to a horror film, in which I have called 'Mixed Signals'. The footage for this film has already been shot, and at this present moment I am editing and cutting it, to make room for extra footage that may be needed. I am considering special effects and will look further into these, already I have changed and enhanced the lighting conditions for my film and looked at cutting and adding sound tracks. My main objective at the moment is to produce a soundtrack for the title sequence that allows the reader to feel tension.

The Guardian Podcast

We listened to a podcast about women's involvement in the media in one of our lessons recently and the representation of them. I found out 78% of articles are mostly written by men and on Radio 1 in the morning 84% talk about men and what's happening in the media that concerns them. Women are still represented like they were back in the 1920's and onwards being a 'house wife' or dealing with pregnancy. You could also see this as men are supposedly dominant and this is why women are in some ways shy but perhaps in the long run more effective. Unfortunately they're aren't many female role models in the media many people haven't got someone to aspire to. 5000 women have dropped out of employment in the past two years. More jobs need to be offered to women such as sport journalists as it's less than 10% and 5% coverage of recording them.

Film Editing

http://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/film-editing-tips-–-round-ii/

STORY BOARD FOR MIXED SIGNALS

Plans for Shooting

Sunday 8th January 2012

• At approximately 2pm I will begin shooting at Spring wood Nurseries Woods.
• I will use Actor 1 - Psycho girl in the opening scene, followed by mysterious music.
• Plot Summary - Scene 1 - extreme close up on the antagonist, to show that she is the bad character, this is then followed by the protagonist walking through the woods at a mid shot, the protagonist is then tapped on the shoulder by the antagonist and when the protagonist turns round, the antagonist is not there anymore. This follows a series of mind games inspired by the film 'Orphan'. This could then be followed by another extreme close up of the protagonist's face to portray confusion and fear. As the film is called 'Mixed Signals' I think that there needs to be a scene where the protagonist is contacted via mobile, to receive a creepy phone call. I want to use creepy music at the start and the end to create a lot of tension, this can be done using iMovie.

Mixed Signals - A film by NJH Media

I am now locating my film at Springwood Nurseries in Almondsbury, at the back of this business there is a big wood, which would be perfect for my film. I am going to do a series of test shorts to determine the best angles and shots that would be suitable and more beneficial towards my film. I may also look at coloured lenses to give a more spooky and haunted effect.


CAST
Protagonist - Jack Hodges - aged 14
Antagonist - Ellie-mae Fuidge - aged 11
Makeup - Tash Hodges/ Carol Hodges
Director/Producer - Tash Hodges
Music will be created on iGarage at school.

I want to produce a track that is similar to this track - http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=KFG78vknbS8&feature=endscreen as it adds tension. also this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBxwOKNvx9o

Horror film analysis

Paranormal Activity 1 and 2 with Harriet Baber, Ollie Biggin and Angela Nicholson

WHAT THE FILM GOT RIGHT

Types of poltergeist activity. For the most part, the film accurately depicted the kinds of phenomena that occur with a poltergeist or haunting:

• Lights and appliances going off and on by themselves.
• Unexplained noises, such as bangs and raps on the walls, that cannot be accounted for by natural means. Very often, the location of these noises is hard to pinpoint.
• Mysterious voices and whispering.
• Covers and sheets being pulled off a sleeping person.

Escalation of poltergeist activity - As happens in the film, poltergeist activity most often starts slowly, even with subtlety. It might start with a few mild unexplained noises every once in a while. Then they become more frequent and louder. Then the peculiarities with the lights, TVs and other appliances might kick in. This can then be followed by shadows and even voices. In some rare cases, things can get much worse (worse than even happens in the film).


Paranormal focus -  Paranormal Activity was also correct in indicating that such activity very often centers around an individual - the woman, in the case of the film - rather than a place. So she was correct in telling her boyfriend that it probably would not have mattered if they fled their apartment; the activity would have stayed with her.

In both films there were a lot of canted shots to show that the film is home made and it also conveys action and that something is about to happen or is happening. Although personally I felt that the film is quite slow in how it develops, as it is not until around about day 15 that things start to happen, which for some viewers they may find it boring rather than intensifying.

Researching Horror Films

The Horror films that I am interested in are the types of films that are more physcological and not obviously scary. I think the key to a successful horror film is suspense, I need to come up with an idea of a frightening event that could happen right in the middle of what may seem a mild horror movie. The murderer or physco will feature in the woods, located at Blaise Castle Estate and will be dressed as a normal person. The characters face will never be shown in the shots to maintain tension and to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. I want the main character to be female as according to research females are more vulnerable at night. I plan to shoot this film at around 4pm/5pm on an evening, so that it is not too dark but not in broad daylight. I have looked at the film 'Orphan', the tag line being 'A husband and wife who recently lost their baby adopt a 9-year-old girl who is not nearly as innocent as she claims to be' this film is a good film to look at as it adops a physcological approach to horror.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgxVIB2WuHU


Another film I looked at is 'Hide and Seek' which is very similar to 'Orphan'


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9uEkTPchIo&feature=related

Well known horror films

  Freddy Krueger returns in A Nightmare on Elm Street, a contemporary re-imagining of the 1984 horror classic directed by Wes Craven. A group of suburban teenagers share one common bond: they are all being stalked by Freddy Krueger, a horribly disfigured killer who hunts them in their dreams. As long as they stay awake, they can protect one another ... but when they sleep, there is no escape. Donning Freddy’s trademark fedora, red-and-green striped sweater, and four-bladed glove is Academy Award nominee Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen). The teens whose dreams are terrorized by Freddy Krueger are played by an ensemble of young actors, including Kyle Gallner, Katie Cassidy, Rooney Mara, Thomas Dekker, and Kellan Lutz. The supporting cast also includes veteran character actor Clancy Brown and Connie Britton. Samuel Bayer is directing from a screenplay by Wesley Strick and Eric Heisserer.

'A former spy relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been forced into the slave trade.'

Content Analysis

Within my class we were instructed to look at this blog, to help us evaluate our own posts and be able to criticise what we have and have not done.


Link shown here -
http://latymermediafilm.blogspot.com/


I am now starting to consider actors and props, also I am looking at film titles.
For my film I am looking for a eye catching horror title, perhaps something that can link with a specific event in my short piece of film. 


Some of my ideas include:

• Watch your back
• One door opens, another door closes
• Knife
• Mixed signals
• Blood actually

I especially like the title name 'Mixed signals' as I think it sounds mysterious and unwelcoming, the sort of effect that I am trying to engage the reader with. Mixed signals could be about a young female who is being followed or watched by a unwanted guest. I think my film could be similar to the Paranormal activity films as both would be homemade and not professionally filmed.

Preliminary Task Locations

MY PRELIMINARY TASK FILM CLIP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XRxjk2SB-4&context=C207faADOEgsToPDskKjTVj3hHlIuYIpXfVx_Dsg

Evaluation of film clip

1. I edited this film clip when we had Apple training at school, I looked at special effects that could help to make each clip appear more fluent. I think as it was my first time doing this type of training on a application called iMovie, I found that it was more of a practise film than a highly polished one.
2. I like the use of sound in this clip as I believe that it fits well with the theme of an interview, and I like how by using sound effects it can put emphasis on a particular area.
3. Finally I am pleased with how successful the clip was, but I have taken into consideration that the camera quality is not good enough and perhaps the location should be changed.

Horror Photography Shoot

I took this shoot to help myself generate inspiration for my film, as I also take Photography I thought that I would combine my Photographic skills with my Media Blog. This shoot allowed me to see which characters and style of clothing and makeup looked more realistic, this also helped me to choose this location for my opening sequence. In the last two images I feel that the composition proves to be interesting and could link well with my final film.

Horror Film Tips

• You can do the paranormal activity approach and create a shockumentary...(acknowledge the cameras presence with no music in the background. Viewers will be at suspense)
• If you want to make it extremely disturbing, try to make your intended creepy characters as far down into the 'uncanny valley' as possible. For example, if you want to put some creepy dolls in, make sure they're disturbingly lifelike with staring glass eyes and possibly some scratches or imperfections, rather than a cute plastic baby doll.
• In a sequel, never change the originals ending for reaction. It will confuse the audience and will cause non-originality.
• Research by watching some scary movies and find what made them scary. Don't steal ideas though it is plagiarizing and the audience can notice it. Be as original as you can!
• Make sure you plan your movie well before you start filming; don't get over excited and write the script as soon as possible, but try writing a two-page, three act (beginning, middle and end) plot overview. It helps flourish your ideas for what will happen in key moments.
• Practice a little with different ideas.
• Be bold with ideas! Use any ideas that can shock the audience and get a reaction from them. Don't worry about being too extreme, that's what editing is for.
• Watch the TV show UNSOLVED MYSTERIES, you get plenty of ideas. Disturbing is very scary. The Exorcist, Do You Wanna Know A Secret, and When A Stranger Calls, were all really disturbing and all very scary.
• Right before the scariest part, have a normal or calm scene. Then out of nowhere have something scary happen. It will be much more unexpected and scare people more. Don't try and make it too obvious though, for example "Alicia is walking in the woods then the masked killer jumps out from behind a tree and kills her". Let the moment grab your audience suddenly by the throat, like, have a tree suddenly come alive and eat her OR have the masked killer waiting back at home, disguised as someone she knows, then get her.
• Read online criminal archives, you're able to understand better about massacres and such (provides a believability for your movies).
• Make sure not to make it unrealistic. The more realistic, the scarier the movie will be.
• Start out by making small, short movies to practice with. They're fun, easy, and are excellent for creating new ideas.
• Use great quality video editing software, not that cheap downloadable junk. Here are some good software programs: Adobe Premiere, Avid Media Composer, Apple Final Cut Express, and Sony Vegas.
• Define your characters and give them good characterization, the audience will get attached to whatever characters they like best. This captivates the audience more.
• In the movies, make it seem that safety is available (at the moment), but have a *believable* event that makes it not come. (like the cops have to respond to another call instead of going to the house).
• If you have a sequel, don't change it to the extreme. (Ex. Jimmy died in the first movie from a blow to the head. Jimmy died in the second movie from being gutted then buried alive.)
• There is a big difference between scary and gory! Wes Craven has this down great. But just because gory isn't very scary doesn’t mean you can't have gory just don't make the movie depend upon gore. Alfred Hitchcock was one of the most successful horror film directors and he never used gore that was near excessive in his movies. Some of his movies are scary and not gory.
• If you find more originality or better acting out of improvising(acting without a script), go for it!! Many famous films lacked permanent lines and staging. Just keep the point clear and don't get too carried away.
• Get your script proof read by HONEST people, not just your folks as they can be too nice, have some friends who will say which parts they liked and which parts need revising. Remember, the things that you write that you won't like, others possibly will like.
• If you can't feel you can work alone, get a friend(s) to brainstorm with you.
• This goes along with #6 make something totally safe totally creepy. (A nursery, a computer.) Anything people depend upon... too bad TV has already been done!
• Basing things off true stories or saying they were true make thing twice as scary. Texas Chainsaw Massacre was based on a true story about a killer named Ed Gein. You can take events and exaggerate the story line, it makes a good movie)... it was scary. Blair Witch project was said to be true Update: It wasn't either, but the way it was made makes it very possible)... it was also scary.
• If you are going to have fake blood, don't use tomato sauce; tomato juice works really well.
• Stalkers are scary (if you do it right).
• Mythical creatures (vampires, werewolves, witches) can, sometimes, be scary but don’t count on it. Many mythical monsters now are constantly "updated" but are still the work of fantasy.
• Sometimes, a quick ending, something possible can have an effect.
• If you are doing a scary movie make sure that you have good actors....(not your little sister)
• Best recommended if using high quality cameras (HD), which is the best!
• For creating an excellent soundtrack, buy the MAGIX Music Maker Software. You can buy some CD's that contain scary sound effects and noises. Then import the CD to your computer using Windows Media Player, all you have to do is drag and drop the audio to the MAGIX timeline.
• Avoid using music that was already in a movie like John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN.
• Make sure the people can act its not good if the characters are not believable!
• Don't make sequels that make the series seem to be never ending. Friday the 13th had many many sequels. Everyone expected to know what to happen in the sequels. Saw movies seem to come out every year. After seeing Saw I and II, you know what's going to happen. If you do that, the movie will not be scary. If you do plan to make a sequel, make sure to is a continuation of the story. For example don't make movies like in the first movie Jimmy dies after being stabbed by a knife. In the second movie, Jimmy dies after drowning. In the third movie, Jimmy dies in explosion. Jimmy dies after he is decapitated in the fourth movie.
• Make sure to use realistic props. If you use guns make sure they don't have the stupid orange tip on it.
• If your little sister or brother is around make sure they are at least 100 meters from the camera so that they are not heard. (Unless, of course, they're in the movie)
• Make sure your friends (actors) are devoted to the movie so they don't mess it up.
• Have the title make sense. If your movie is called "Sunshine" and the movie has nothing to do with the title at all, then you need something different.
• Add a strange twist to it. Kill off the person that seems least likely to die. Turn the sweet, innocent child into an accomplice of the murderer, luring people to their doom. Do something that no one will ever see coming.
• When using a soundtrack, don't use the same sound track over and over again. As well, don't use music too much, or the audience will know when the scary/gory parts are about to happen.
• Also, when using music, it is a good idea to have the music on while "Jimmy is looking for the possessed lady in the bath", and then when he looks, nothing is there. It makes your viewers even more scared.
• Usually,cameras often catch better performances when Outdoors.
• Make sure to not let the viewers get too comfortable when the movie is supposed to be scary. Insidious was scary up until the middle when they showed the demon which resulted in me becoming too comfortable with it.

Film Genre Ideas

• I have considered doing a horror film, as I believe that it would appeal to a younger audience, perhaps 15+ and people who enjoy the adrenaline that a horror film can bring. Although this will be a hard genre to choose as if the film is not shot properly or does not have a strong background story then it could be seen as boring or in fact cheesy.

• I have also considered doing a documentary film, in which I wanted to study job issues, as in the society that we live in now a days, there are a lot more major steps that you need to go through to become employed. I would portray this using the 180 degree rule, this will show a conversation between two people, one clip will be what some may call a "good interview" whereas the second clip will be a "bad interview" this will show how easy it is for the employee or employer to make a mistake.

• Another idea that I have considered is to do a documentary on homeless people, as I find this subject interesting. It would be interesting to find out how a persons life has changed for the better or worse. A actor will obviously be used for this film, but I plan to make it as realistic as possible, Broadmead/Town would be a good location to shoot this film, as it can be a stereotypical place for a homeless person.

I also looked at this link to give me more ideas!

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Horror-Film

Locations

This is research for the locations in which I may use for my film, I have discovered a number of different locations, such as...

This is a image of Blaise Castle Estate, in which I feel would   be good to use for landscape shots or if i decide to do a horror film this is a perfect location as it gives a haunting and eery atmosphere at night. If I was to shoot this film here at night I would need to consider what lighting I need to use, In order to be successful in the effect I want from this shoot.

This is a image of Ashton Court Mansion, another haunting and thrilling place for a horror film. I like this location as there is lots of space for different shots and angles, also there are a lot of trees that would make good props.

This is a image of Munday Playing fields situated in Thornbury. I like this location as I think the layout of this location is suitable for what i'd like to do, I may need to request consent for filming in this part as the whole community use it, aswell as the other two locations.