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.