Changes to our opening sequence.

When filming our opening sequence we decided to change the storyline because we thought that it was getting to complicated for the first two minuets. Now we are going to have her friend Molly being hung by a mystery character. Instead of her finding her friend buried in the ground. We are going to show this by having flash backs of the murderer walking though the woods.

Murderer description:
Costume: Blue shirt, black puffy trousers and walking boots. The trousers and shoes are muddy to connote that the murderer has been walking though the woods looking for some body. The blue shirt connotes that it is a man. We have choosen this costume because we think that is would make it clear to the audience who the killer is and what he is wearing so they can identify that it is the same person thoughout. The murderer will also be wearing black leather gloves this is to signify that he doesnt want to be found and has thought carfully about revealing his identity.

Location: The location where the murderer is walking is the same place that Sarah is running this will create enigma for the audience as to if she gets murdered or her friend.

Props: A rope. We will be using this rope because it will signify that there is someone being hung. The rope will be dragged across the floor by the muderer. A phone will also be used because Sarah is going to call Molly to signify to the audience that she is fine before she is murdered.

By Chelsie.

Time table: week two

This is a schedule that represents when we will be filming our opening sequence throughout the week.

By Chelsie.

Time table: week 1

Locations

Below are some pictures of the location we have chosen to film our opening sequence. The opening sequence is set in the woods therefore I have chosen several parts of the woods in which I think is most suitable for filming and we can test these when we begin our filming.

 

These photos illustrate a selection of areas in which we will potentially be shooting our opening sequence. Some photos (such as the second one down) shows the one of the shots we wish to include in our opening sequence, our main character Sarah will be jogging into the entrance. 

We chose to use this location because it's conventional to the horror genre; it's cold, isolated and eerie therefore it gives the audience this idea that something bad is going to happen in the woods or something bad has already happened in there. We'll be using Belmont Downs as our main location because the majority of events that create narrative enigma happen there, the only other location we'll be using is my front porch and my road and this is only for the first 30 seconds of the opening sequence. In terms of accessing this location there are no restrictions.

The entrance is just down my road and once you're in the woods, it's a very open space that is easy to find your way out- plus the fact that I know where I'm going due to walking my dog over there for many years. You don't need permission to film at the downs and there are no restrictions as to what can be filmed as far as I know. Lack of power points i.e. signal on our phones is likely to be seen as a problem (we might not get any) however whenever I've been there, I've always had signal and all 5 of us will have a phone with us so one of them is bound to have enough battery and signal in case we experience any problems or we need emergency help.

Furthermore, our location is not very busy at all; it's a vast place therefore we are unlikely to come across many members of the public other than the occasional dog walker or runner but taking into consideration the season and the time of day we will be filming as well as the areas we will be filming in the woods, there won't be much people around. On the other hand, we're likely to come across more members of the public whilst shooting on my road- people might be sitting at the bus stop, walking past or going into their house and there will be cars driving up and down the road which can either make the opening sequence more effective by reinforcing this idea that it's just another normal day until she reaches the woods or it could affect our opening sequence negatively by disrupting the filming and ruining the shots. 

Obviously we will be filming outside in a wooded area so it's going to be muddy and there is likely to be litter so we have to make sure we avoid areas that may cause harm to us e.g. contaminated areas or areas with broken glass. Additionally, we'll have to ensure we wrap up warm because filming could take half hour or 2 hours so we don't know how long we're going to be outside for. 

The other possible locations we were thinking about using were an abandoned hospital in Belmont, a barn in Burgh Heath, Epsom Downs (woods) Box Hill and alleyways (Stanley Park and Crossways) however we decided not to use these locations because they were inconvenient in terms of timing- it would be harder to travel to these places with our equipment and get the filming done at the right time, particularly because it's winter now so it gets darker quicker, therefore Belmont Downs made more sense in terms of convenience because it's local to the majority of my group and I live so close to it so if we need to discuss ideas or set up equipment we can do this at my house before going to film. Moreover, we were unsure on the restrictions of these locations, especially the abandoned hospital and the barn. The abandoned hospital is bordered up with a fence around it so the accessibility isn't appropriate and if we're not allowed in their, it would mean matters with the police, this applies to the barn too; we think it's owned by someone therefore it would be intruding on property that isn't ours. 

By Chelsie, bethanie, Alix and rebecca

 

1st day of filming

Today we started our filming for our opening sequence. Everyone in our group was able to attended. Equipment used: tripod, camera

props: earphones, jumper

Setting: house, porch, road

We used a number of shots that we had planned to use. These being: long shot, low shot, over the shoulder, medium shot.

We also recorded a monologue but had some difficulties hearing it due to the cars and natural surroundings. We also had to re do some of the shots because they wasn't either the shots we wanted or didn't manage to get what we wanted in the shots. Another problem was the lighting because most of our scenes are outside lighting will be an issue because it starts to get dark very quickly (4:00) we will have to make sure that one the different days that we film the we do it at the same time of day. We also know just by watching the clips that will will have to join the clips together so that they move smoothly and flow. 

By Chelsie.

Theories.

Social- Economic Group/Scale:

This is a grouping that is based on what kind of job some one has and how much money they earn.

A- Manger of a company, Earning top salaries. 

B- A manger of a department within a company, earns good money. E.g. Teachers, retail, office jobs.

C1- Supervisory jobs, earns living wage. 

C2- Skilled/ manual jobs. E.g  Electrician, plumber, hairdressers.

D- Semi- skilled, earns minimum wage. E.g cleaners, Gardeners.

E- Pensioners, students, the unemployed. 

Our opening sequence would apply to E, D, C2, C1. These social classes are appropriate for our opening sequence because E: students will want to see this film so they can fit in with there peers to enhance there social status and well being. D: earn a minimum wage therefore they would be able to afford they would be able to pay to watch films in the cinema. C1 and C2: this film would appeal to this social group as a luxury or social event. 

Demographic Group:

This is information based on the facts of somebody. This will include there:

• Age 
• Gender
• Class
• Ethnicity
• Nationality
• Sexuality 
• Ability/disability
• Relationship status
• Number of children.

The age group for my opening sequence would be 15-25 this is suitable because the genre of horror would enlighten them and give them adrenalin from watching this opening sequence. This film is aimed at both genders although there are two girls in our opening sequence men like to feel like the protectors. For example testing there fears while watching this. Stereotypically this film would be aimed at white British as it features two British characters. 

Lifestyle:

This is based on someones aspects of life. E.g:

• Fashion/style
• Personality
• Behaviour
• Values

Some one watching this might have a dareing personality who like to test there nervous. They might value there social group e.g. they might go and see this film so they can socialise with there friends. 

Young and Rubicams audience type theory:

The explorer- likes a challenge, often the first to try out new things, they want to seen as different and the first to discover things.

The aspire- Worry about what others think about them, they tend to have superficial values, care about appearance. And strive for status.

The succeeder- Strong goal and know where they want to be in life. Responsibility in society. They seek out the best because they want to be the best and feel like they deserve it. they also like a sense of control.

The reformer- They pride themselves on tolerance and are often seen as being intellectual. They will not by something because its new but to enlighten them. 

The mainstream- They like being apart of a big group and feel as though they fit in. They resound to family brands and value money. The like a sense of security. 

The struggler- These people believe in the saying 'you only live once' and make few plans for tomorrow. They are associated with being losers, a waste of space. They seek escape from the real word by eating junk food and consuming a lot of alcohol. 

The reformer- There aim in life is to survive. These people tend to be of an older age. They will have values that have been built up over time. They will enjoy traditions. 

This film would appeal to mainstreamers because they would like too feel like they fit in and by watching a film everyone else is watching they will be able to talk about the film with their particular social group. 

Maslows Hierachy Of Needs:

1. Physical needs- Food, water, air and sleep.
2. Safety and security needs- Being safe, healthy, employment, somewhere to live.
3. Love and belonging- A sense of belonging, community, friendship.
4. Esteem- Self esteem, confidence, respect.
5. Self actualisation- Creativity, independence, fulfilment.

This opening sequence might make people have a self actualisation within thr characters. Love and belonging would also apply because they would be able to build friendship with people who enjoyed this film. This would then enhance their self asteem because they feel apart of something. 

Analysis on woman in black.

Woman In Black



Camera movement, shot and angles.

Mid shot from a high angle - of cups and tea pot we then realise the little girl is feeding her doll. This would signify to the audience that she is playing a game and would not expect anything to happen yet.  long shot from a low angle- the audience are now able to see three girls having a tea party with there dolls. mid shot- of the little girls faces. The audience will be able to tell from there facial expressions that something may happen and create enigma.  Long shot- all look towards camera as if something else is there. This would make the audience feel uneasy because they might feel like something is in the room with them. Then the girls all turn to look at window even though nothing is there this would create enigma for the audience. Zoom in to window from long shot- This would signify that something was about to happen. mid shot of cup smashing on floor to signify that she has dropped her possession and intend something has made her do that. Close up of girls hand opening window. To signify that something is about to happen the pace in which she opens it builds tension for the audience.

Props, costume and location.

The props used in this opening  sequence were: Cups, teapots, china dolls, chairs and a gram. All these props apart from the chair are antiques. They wold have used antique props so signify that the film is old and from a later time. The Location in which they used was in a bedroom, This was successful for them because they used the fact that it was a story high for the characters to jump out the window. This also worked for the produces because the three characters where playing with there dolls. The costumes that the three characters were wearing are also of an older fashion which would also connote that this film was set a while ago. There being white nighties this would signify purity and angelic of being a young age this would be expected. 

Music, dialogue, sound affects.

There is no dialogue in this opening sequence this is affective because it creates suspense and enigma for the audience.  The music was high pitch which supports my idea that this create enigma for the audience. Being high pitch makes it jarring for the audience and makes them feel uncomfortable. They emphasis the sound affects of the cup dropping on the floor to signify that they dropping them out of there control rather then placing them. 

Representation of how the characters are represented though the above.

The audience will be able to signify that the characters are girls and of a younger age (5-9). I can tell this because of the dolls that they are playing with and the costumes they are wearing. When they look past the camera they are looking up at something this would signify there innocents. The room is also dark this would signify that there is something over powering them and that the characters are fearful. 

Genre of the film and how this is signified in the opening sequence.

The genre of the film is repented but the low lighting, the older looking props. At the end of this opening sequence the audience are able to recognise who they was looking at past the audience. It is a women in a black vale by having a clack costume could signify death and fear. The audience would fear this because she watched the three children jump out the window and the audience will be able to signify that she was the one who overpowered them. 

By Chelsie.

P

PP

Preliminary Task Evaluation.

How Filming went:

I thought filming went considerably well. At the beginning of our preliminary task we used a mid shot to signify someone walking in and out of a door. We also decided to zoom into a piece of paper which stated the name of the criminal. We done this so that the audience would recognise who the characters where. We then used the shot reverse shot to signify two people were talking. This was successful for our task because often this type of shot is used to represent conflict or a difference in charters. We also decided to use a lamp and shut the curtains because this would create a more dark location this went well because we wanted to just focus on the characters. Overall filming went particularly well and we managed to get all the shots we wanted in order to put our preliminary task together.

How editing went:

After filming all the different shot we learnt how to export them from the camera. We managed to put them in order and have a smooth dialogue. We decided not to edit any of our preliminary material because we agreed that it didn't suit the genre. For example when we put a fade in to two shots it was either to slow or the shots just didn't fit together. Nor did we change the lighting of any of the shots because we was able to create the lighting with the lamp.

Problems we encountered:

At first we was unable to get a lamp to use from one of our props but eventually found a lamp that we could borrow.  The first shot is located out side of the Drama studio if this was our real opening sequence we would of had to chose a different location because this wouldn't look very professional. At the beginning on the prelim the curtains are open (you can see this through the door) whereas when we film another shot the curtains are shut.

Strengths of our preliminary:

One of our strengths was being able to shut the curtains and use the lamp rather then having natural light and a lamp it wouldn't of had as an effect because the lamp was a source that we used to focus on the different characters.  We was also able to use the same people even though we filmed some shots on different days.

What we will do the same next time:

Think about what props we can use to create the lighting and set the scene. Use the same clothes regardless if its a different day of filming. (unless a clothes change is in the story line).

What we will do differently next time:

Think about editing more specifically and not just were we can place an effect in. Make sure small details are the same (e.g. the curtains) Pick the location more wisely.

By Chelsie.

Preliminary.

Preliminary Filming Task.

For our preliminary task we had to have some body walking through a door, walking across a room, shot reverse shot, 180 degree rule and no continuity.

Feed Back From Peers In Class.

After presenting our powerpoint to the class they was able to give us feed back and ask us some questions about our location or query something that they might think would be difficult to carry out.

Feed back:

• Miss Fisher: Who's next?(our final title idea) Does this sound to light hearted? comic?

We used this title so that it would create enigma for the audience. For example when she goes in to the woods and finds her friend buried in the ground, the audience might think Sarahs next?

• Sarah: Have you tested Naya on camera to see if she can act? if she isn't convincing, it could end up being funny.

We have not yet tested Naya but we are auditioning her in this current week. If she is unable to be convincing we will have to audition someone else. But we are very confident that Naya will be able to play Sarah as she has done GCSE and currently doing A level Drama. 

• Credits? they need more thought, not just something stuck on the end.

We have briefly thought about where our credits will be placed. But our teacher thought that maybe e could have credits with a background of leaves or earth, when we are filming it will be Autumn the autumnal leaves will give a natural effect to our opening sequence because the leaves will be dead and death is the main theme of our opening sequence. 

• They have thought about the name of there film carefully,  the presentation is very detailed how ever the plot got very confusing.

The plot may sound confusing but we would like it to be affective to our audience. We are hoping when we do film our opening sequence that it will run smoothly and make sense. 

• Good use of titles, well structured, good choice of location.

• Testing sound and seeing if it fits with our story board? how is the dead body going to be shown, if shown?

We have not yet tested our sound but i think that hearing the music from Sarah's earphones is a good idea but i don't think we should uses another piece of music. i think that we should use a natural surrounding because i think it will make the audience feel more insecure. 

• Will credits be appearing throughout opening sequence? Will music begin straight after she takes her earphone out? 

I think that we should have the credits appearing through out the opening sequence when appropriate and then continue to have the title at the end. But we have not yet discussed this as a group. 

• Like the idea that the audience will be able to here Sarahs music while she is running, what colour do you want text and credits to be? The title creates enigma.

We are most likely to have the credits black and use one of the font that was on our powerpoint. We will use black because black signifies death and darkness. 
 

By Chelsie, bethanie, Alix and Rebecca 

Research into horror

As part of our development and planning of creating our opening sequence i have decided to do some more research into the genre of horror. As the genre we have chosen is also horror.  I am going to write about when horror films first started getting made. The first horror that was realeased in the uk was called 'the devils castle' this film was released in 1896 by Georges melies. He decided that the film was going to be silent all the way though. The story line of this film is two men entering a castle and are confronted with a bat which turns into the devil that can move furniture without touching it. A skeleton also appears to be attacking one of them men but the male if fighting back with a sword. Later towrwads the end of the film the man holds our a crucifix which suddenly makes the devil vanish. This film is still relevant today because the film 'Incidious' has a very religious storyline. For example when we see the devil. The devil signifys hell, death, sins. The devil is red and red connotes danger, blood. In both of these film there is a use of religion and using the crusifx to cure and purify someone who is posed or cursed. So even though these films are many years apart they still have similar aspects this is because horror films will need to follow a pattern this being a beginning then a climax then a concluded ending. The devil is also some one who most people resent and fear.

(Insidous)

(The devils castle)

There are many types of horror films these being:

• Action horror - A storyline which involves evil forces, events, or supernatural elements. This will include some one trying to fight back the enemy using a weapon. 

• Body horror – Will include unnatural movements, or placement of the limbs move out of place to create 'monsters' out of human body parts. For example 'the devil inside' a girl is possessed in the basement and her bones unclick and move irregularly.

• Comedy horror – Mixes the elements of comedy and horror fiction. The comedy horror genre  crosses over with the black comedy genre most of the time. For example 'scary movie'. They will try and make it funny for the character and like scary movie use films just ajust them to be more funny. They might do this by making a character really typical. For example they might make a possessed woman look like a which so it's almost childlike. By using films that have already been made the audience will feel like they have absence of knowledge. 

• Gothic horror – Gothic horror is a type of story that may have a romance that unfolds in the storyline of a horror tale, usually suspenseful. Some of the earliest horror movies were of this genre.

• Natural horror – Willl feature harmless animals or plants turned into cold-blooded killers. This genre may sometimes overlap with the science fiction and action/adventure genre.

• Physiologically horror – Based on characters' fears, guilt, beliefs. Will include eerie sound effects, relevant music and the supernatural, to build tension and set the plot.

• Science fiction horror – Often involves aliens, mad scientists, and/or experiments gone wrong.

• Slasher horror – Often revolves around a killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a violent manner, mainly with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe.

• Splatter horror – These films deliberately focus on graphics and will have many scenes that will have lot of gore and violence. Through the use of special affects and blood and guts.

• Zombie horror – Zombie films will feature creatures who are usually corpses or mindless human beings such as the "zombie comedy" or the "zombie apocolysips".

I used http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film as a information source for my research. 

By Chelsie.

Presentation on ideas for opening sequence.

As a group we made a power point which has our final opening sequence ideas. We thought of these ideas together and agreed on a few that we thought would support our storyline for our opening sequence. This presentation contains: Titles of the film, genre, age rating, characters,  font, title, credits, location, setting, storyline and music ideas. 

By Chelsie bethanie Alix and Rebecca 

Music ideas for our opening sequence.

As part of our coursework, we have to create a 2 minute opening sequence for a genre of our choice. The genre that we have chosen is Horror, so therefore we have been researching different types of convents to do with different horror films to get as many ideas as possible for our final opening sequence. In this post you will see the different soundtracks that we have found during our research that we think will go well with our opening sequence and suit the genre that we have chosen.

 Timespillters Hotel Theme:

  
 We chose this soundtrack to include in our opening sequence as we felt as if it creates a mysterious atmosphere to the audience and it also creates a bigger impact on the narrative enigma. We would insert this soundtrack, just before she finds the dead body and soon releases that it is her friend beneath the ground and its becomes a massive shock to her. We feel like the amplified sound at the beginning of the track represents the state of her being shocked. The first amplified sound that happens is going to be when Sarah firsts sees the dead body on the floor. The second amplified sound is going to happen when she rings her friend and sees that her phone is on the floor ringing next to the dead body and then she is soon to relies that is her friend. 

Dupstep- Neopolitan Dreams.

  

As the character is jogging, she has headphones in and the audience will be able to hear the song that she is playing. This is the soundtrack that we have chosen to use, we chose this because as a group we felt as if this soundtrack created a happy atmosphere. We decided to have a piece of happy music for when she is running and mysterious music for when she sees the body to show the contrast within the opening sequence. 

By Chelsie. 

Opening sequence- Description of target audience.

As a group we have written a description on what our target audience will be for our own opening sequence. This involves the age, gender, social demographic, hobbies/interests/style/personality and audience theory.

Opening Sequence- Description of Target Audience

Our opening sequence must have a target audience so that it attracts specific people that will gain something from the sequence. This post will be discussing our decided target audience in detail.

Age:

•   15-30


•   If the film was to be completed and shown in cinemas we would give it a certificate rating of 15 because it would be a horror film containing some graphic images but not as bad as the likes of Hostel for example, therefore we've started the age range at 15 as this is the age where groups of friends can go to the cinema by themselves and watch films of a 15 rating- boys an girls tend to go out as a large group to watch horror films thus by starting our age at 15, we are more likely to reach out to a younger target audience who can relate to the characters In our opening sequence. 


•   We finished the age range at 30 because we felt that at this age people might start to grow out of 'going to the cinema to be scared'- at this age people tend to start getting married, settling down and having children therefore their more likely to go to the cinema to see a family friendly film or might prefer to buy a DVD and sit in and watch it rather than go out.    


Gender:

•   We decided to target the film at both boys and girls. We don't feel that it's necessary to target one gender group because horror films can be open to anyone who likes to watch them


•   Some people might say horror films are mainly aimed at boys due to the violent, dark nature that occurs within horror films however we're using a female actor in our opening sequence which could appeal more to a female audience than male.


Social Demographic:

•   The audience demographic for our opening sequence is mainly working class male and females of a White British ethnicity aged 15-30. This demographic is open to interpretation as the character possibly starring in our opening sequence is of an Afro-Caribbean origin therefore people of this ethnicity are likely to watch the film too due to familiarity. 


•   The socio-economic status of the target audience for our opening sequence is E, D, C1, C2. 


•   The type of occupation our audience could have is likely to be low-skilled jobs such as admin or supervisory jobs because these people are more likely to have the time to go out to the cinema or sit indoors and watch a film.


•   We chose to aim the film at a White British audience because the film will be produced by us and we are British and will also contain British actors therefore could appeal more to this group of people. On the other hand, British people often watch films made by American institutions and featuring American actors therefore this film can be targeted at a western audience. 


Hobbies/Interests/Style/Personality:

•   The people who will come to watch our opening sequence are likely to be thrill-seekers and people who get a buzz when watching a horror film- they enjoy being scared or find it entertaining when other people get scared.


•   They either become intrigued in the horror film or use the horror film as a source of entertainment because what they are witnessing doesn't scare them. 


•   They would have an interest in horror films/horror and paranormal documentaries/ TV dramas with sinister plots. 


•   The younger audience would engage in typical teenage activities such as partying, going out with friends, sleeping, shopping and watching TV. 


•   The people that would watch our opening sequence are likely to be of a mainstream style or potentially the other end of the scale: punk/rock/gothic style. 


Audience Theory:

•   Young and Rubicam created a table to help them categorise audiences based on their personalities. For our target audience we have chose 'The Mainstream' because lots of people enjoy horror films (it's a popular genre choice if you're sitting in with your mates and no ones home or snuggled up on the sofa with a boyfriend/girlfriend) and these people will go regardless of how they feel so that they feel like they fit in and  are able keep up with what everyone else is doing. The Mainstreamers respond to big established brands therefore if a new horror film comes out made by a well known film company/director with famous actors in it, they're likely to go and see this film.


•   We also suggested that our audience are part of 'The Struggler' category. It's typical of people to lounge about watching films, particularly horror films because they allow people to escape from ordinary life.


Following on from this, looking at the Uses and Gratifications theory, horror films suggest that our audience enjoy products which offer them opportunities to escape; our opening sequence will do this by allowing the audience to watch something that doesn't come normal to them, it is unordinary and fictional therefore they forget about their everyday lives.
Additionally people might watch horror films as a form of entertainment. If people don't get emotionally affected by a horror film they might find it amusing and funny instead, therefore people who are seeking entertainment would go to see our film. 

By Chelsie, bethanie, Alix and rebecca