Concept art (gothic)

These works of art acted as a concept of inspiration for our film making process because art is a visual form of expressionism and uses no typography or oral mechanisms and therefore the observers of the piece are left to their own interpretations and understanding of the artwork. This is particularly relevant to our film making process because we are choosing to have a a silent opening to our film, trying to create almost a phantoscope feel to our project. We also want to make our movie look very raw, and realistic yet not quite natural which is why these paintings by Nicola Samori had a significant appeal due to the realistic imagery yet dead chilling color choice and rawness. Nicola Samori scratches off the surface of dark intense paintings to unveil previous purposeful layers of work, making the peice display a sense of destruction and ruin- however also beauty in the artistic tenchnique. this ties in with our movie opening where the youth of the young girl is meant to connote positivity and happiness yet is twisted like these paintings and given a more warped connotation of horror and danger. We wanted to give our movie a macabre feel, alike to these expressive paintings. Also, Samori is said to create art forms like the ones above to reveal 'a true and hidden identity' much like the identities that remain enigmas in the begging of our film.

Filming software- Adobe premier elements

Our primary movie editing software for our movie opening is Adobe Premier Elements. This is the most advanced school software that we can edit our movie on, and as well as this it includes many more features than other programmes like Windows Movie Maker. The software allows us to manipulate our movie clips as well as sound and transitions and effects to allow us to produce the most effective movie opening we can.

Premier Elements enables us to have a scene-line which we can use to place clips in certain orders...and as well as this we can easily cut clips from the scene-line or even just cut out irrelevant points such as the very first few seconds of a clip. The software provides transitions and effects like fade to black, dissolve,3D and curtains however with a professional approach, we are only going to be using the fades- especially for our film credits.

Premier elements is the closest we are able to be provided with to a professional movie industry editing programme. For this reason, this particular software will enable us to create the most successful opening. We have considered that alongside Premier Elements we could experiment with manipulating imagery in Photoshop and even making final adjustments to our movie in its final upload to you-tube with the you tube editing tools to change contrast and any subtle filters.

our previous experimentation and experience with Premier Elements came into play with our 'what are you doing here' preliminary task where we experimented with the sound levels, addition of sound effects, cut clip beginnings and endings that were invalid, changed order and timing of shots. We additionally experimented with Premier Elements when we created our preliminary task with match on action and shot reverse shots and had to accurately edit the timing of shots here to make our clips seem realistic and structured.

Camera research- Nikon & Go-pro hero 4

We are going to be filming our movie opening two minutes using cheifely the Nikon Cool-pix L840, however we will be using the Go-Pro HERO 4 alongside this. We are using the Nikon to film our still shots most importantly because of its high quality and ability to record at high resolution and playback. The Nikon camera we are using also has an extortionate storage memory, meaning we can repetitively shoot our different scenes and action that goes on to get the best possible cuts and camera angles. The sound clarity is high quality on this particular camera also- however we still wish to include some of the sound aspects of our movie by pre recording sound through Foley. 

The Go-Pro HERO 4 is going to be used by us to capture the more active scenes of the movie opening, as well as being used to capture action from different angles. We will also be taking full advantage of this particular camera because it is best when used for sporting/ high paced action and scenes so we are going to use a hired chest strap and head strap to strap onto our male actor when he is running from the crime scene to receive point of view shots and canted angle and handheld appearing shots creating an uneasy feeling. 

Alongside these cameras we are using a school provided tripod which will keep the Nikon camera sturdy and supported. We will only be using this tripod when using the Nikon camera because the HERO 4 is going to be used to film more uneasy shots taking on traits from self filmed movies like the Blair witch project. 

Camera trials & location analysis

Because we are filming our movie opening outdoors, natural lighting is the predominant source of light that we will be using. Because of this, it was important we analysed the lighting of our location, considering what time it starts to get dark and when there the is specific  period of dusk that we aim to film in. As well as this we wanted to analyse the artificial lighting with the lamp posts that scatter the paths and decipher exact location points to use. If we choose to include darker scenes or a progress of time with editing through ellipsis we will need to considering the artificial lighting of lampposts or even our own lighting. We liked filming with the faint glow of the lampposts however the yellowing lighting was almost to warm to work with and gave off a safe and warm feeling which is not the feeling we aim to get across in our horror movie opening. The lampposts also reinforced the idea that this was an inhabited, almost metropolitan area whereas we choose this particular area of forestry in attempt to get across feelings of a desolate, lonely uninhabited area. Additionally, The lampposts frequently had signs or notations attached to them which made the whole atmosphere seem civilized, safe, normal and formal however as a horror movie we wanted to empathize feelings of fear.

The evident images i have included picture me doing some of our first camera trials, as a preliminary filming task. Because we are using multiple cameras, we wanted to experiment with the tripod and appropriate angles and views to use. We took the tripod and Go-Pro kit to our location and did trials of some of the shots we wanted to capture as well as panoramic views of our location. We also captured images of the location at different points during the evening to see when the best light was for filming because we have decided on filming over different days to get the optimum light intensity and appropriateness for our filming rather than having the problem of filming as night draws in with the fast pace at which it gets dark. For this reason we decided the best plan for our filming progress was to film from 2;30-4 on one day and then repeat these exact same hours the following day. If we completed evening filming over one evening it would be likely the light in our shots wouldn't co-ordinate or match making our film less effective.

We wanted to annihilate any possible difficulties we would have with filming before we actually went into the official filming process so already we took into account issues like camera memory, sound clarity and Go-Pro set up that could occur.

We also did a comparison trial with a Nikon L840 and a Olympus VG-180 to analyse which camera had the most clarity, memory, best playback and was most appropriate for our movie- which was the Nikon.

On our location and camera trials we also investigated the public interaction we would have in our location and tried to gain an understanding on the amount of passers by or interruptions to filming we would have. The later it got, the less passers by there were- however this proved a problem because we cannot film in the way we aim to with no lighting. On average, every ten-fifteen minute interval there was a by passer which we will take into account for future filming.






In these photographs we have captured the Tunnel that we wish to film using, because it is one of the most prominent scenes in our film.                                 We have edited the imagery to make it have more contrast and used a black and white filter to define the dark emotions we will be representing in our film opening. These images also view the tunnel from different angles and ends so are going to effectively help us to achieve the perfect camera angles to film the final scene from. The photographs also include the two key aspects of the movie- the road (where the main action happens and the girl is hit by a car) and the tunnel (where the film opening concludes).

Font research and Film titling

future target consideration

in order to complete and evidence all of our research and planning me and Sophie need to collect more evidence of the planning we have put into the mise en scene technical elements for our movie..for example documentation of the sound processes and ways of eliminating distracting noise need to be documented as well as how we are going to use lighting and the exact action that is going to take place so we not only have a storyboard, but a script, summary and camera angle list to work from.

what i personally need to do to improve our coursework is keep on track with my blogging as well as illustrating more of the production process with accurate sketches and preliminary drawings. i need to be able to be certain on the camera angles we are using to capture specific action in the scenes, and i need to create a original and distinctive soundtrack possibly using my own instrumental abilities.

history of the horror genre

Horror films are one of the oldest movie crazes and genres going back over a 100 years ago. warped thoughts and vivid imaginations have always tended to trigger the minds warped thoughts to see ghosts in shadowy shapes and fear of the dark and its connotations....creating an emotional connection to the unknown and the improbable..Watching a horror film  is particularly effective as it gives an opening into that scary world, into an outlet for the sense of fear and horror.. without actually being in danger. There is a heightened thrill factor associated with watching horror movies, and they allow through imagery horror ideas to come alive like a book or novel would never depict. The first horror movie, only about two minutes long, was made by imaginative French filmmaker Georges Melies, titled Le Manoir Du Diable (1896, Fr.) (aka The Devil's Castle/The Haunted Castle) - 

Oscar Wilde's 1890 Faustian tale (*Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend. He is a scholar who is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures*) The Picture of Dorian Gray and H.G. Wells' 1896 story of The Island of Dr. Moreau were adapted into early film versions. In many ways, the expressionistic German silent cinema led the world in films of horror and the supernatural, and established its cinematic vocabulary and style. 

Many religions, myths, folk-tales and cults expressed the idea of blood connoting life. Vampires began to emerge in popular fiction of the 18th and 19th centuries, during which time Dracula was written. 

codes and conventions

Codes in a film are a significant factor that create a strong representation and meaning to the audience. there are different sub categories of these codes which encourage the audience to realize connotations and denotations which conform and subvert to stereotypes.

Audio Codes -sounds which the audience hear in the film: 
dialogue
 music 
special/sound effects.

Written Codes - any written words/phrases/passages which are present in the film:
 headings
subheadings
logos
labels
font 
 size
 placement of the writing and signs.

Technical Codes - this regards the usage and techniques of equipment that is used to tell the story, this heavily links to the technical elements of the film: 

camera angles

camera movement

lighting

camera shots

framing onscreen

perspective 

layout

Symbolic Codes - anything which has a symbolic meaning and shows what is 'beneath the surface' of what is obious and pictured on the screen:
juxtaposition of characters/objects,
 lighting,
use of color,
 feelings/emotion,
equality and stereotypes.

Conventions of a film are the general typical and expected methods and ways of producing a film (differentiating with each genre of film).

This was our first initial brainstorming for our film, as it was only a brief plan- we only considered the key horror movie conventions and areas fitting with our theme. A brainstorming activity was an effective starting point for the basis of our horror movie which enabled us to draw up our storyboards and gather ideas about the films production stages.

Costume research and planning

For our protagonist, we wanted to use a young girl who will be played by my sister. Youth is associated and connoted with innocence and hence this would be an appropriately aged and dressed character to give a disguise or mask of innocence, especially if our main character is actually the antagonist-seeking vengeance and not so innocent after all. This usage of a young appealingly innocent girl will create an even more warped and chilling theme to our film because young children are often used in films like the woman in black, orphan and even children of the corn which are all similarly themed films to our own which we have taken inspiration from. We thought a long nightie or dress would reinforce the setting of night-time..suggesting the alter perspective of this whole situation being a nightmare. Also, the idea of a long nightie is almost ghostly and creates a feeling of absence and delicacy. The white color of the nightie would suggest purity and innocence- as well as being an easy color to stain with blood which would contrast and be highlighted with both the colors. White in the bible has connotations with doves and peace- doves suggesting freedom and presence and peace being completely juxtaposed with our protagonists spirit being uneasily not at rest. The long pure and delicate nightie would be pristine alongside the perfectly tidy hairstyle and mannerisms of the young girl- this would then create a huge and noticeable contrast when the girl is covered in blood and in complete uneasiness and disorientation.   A teddy as a prop would be useful to show the fine line between the realism and fantasy in our film- the realism being the local and familiar setting and the fantasy being the idea of 'defeating death' and paranormal haunting, The Mise en scene prop of the ribbon in the characters hair is symbolic of childishness and youth with typically young school girls having ribbon tied hair. Ribbons also connote precious possessions and almost the anticipation in opening something (like a gift) and the idea of the unknown- which in this case the idea of the unknown is haunting and chilling.



For character two, we didn't focus so predominantly on the male because we wanted our male antagonist to be mainly filmed in the darkness and shadows, unlike the young girl because we wanted her to be in the headlights and featured under natural lamp post lighting, and artificial professional lighting to illuminate her facial features and injuries in some of the scenes. The dark hoodie we propose the male wears is a typical form of mise on scene where hoodies are associated with crime and hiding away- which our character is doing as he hides from his crime of drunk driving. The beanie that we wanted our second character to wear possibly hints him hiding his identity, which could be one of the enigmas of our opening scene because his true identity is often kept in the dark- until the end. The inclusion of alcohol bottles is an important plot because there is very limited dialogue in our movie opening, so we have relied on plots, camera shots and body language to get our story line across. The alcohol bottles will be filled with a proxy substance, like water or a tinted liquid- however this will confirm to the audience the drinking habits of our driver and the causation of the car collision. Having the car in a poor condition and messy state is effective because it will hint the social status and general personality of our main male character- especially with brown paper bags and cheap alcohol hinting he may be very poor or even homeless. This would entitle why he is in the drunken state he is, and make him appear even more careless and deserving of the fate at the end of the film from the girl who comes back to life.

We wanted to make our movie safely in a safe and secure environment- however key inclusions in a car collision scene like glass would be too dangerous to use- however as an alternative we have experimented with creating sugar glass- a cheaper and safer alternative made with syrup and sugar. Although this method of creating a glass substitute takes time and can have a yellowy tint- it is effective in the low light of the evening we are going to be filming in, as it appears to simply glint and reflect light in low natural lighting. We also wanted to create special effects and makeup for the movie- especially with the car collision victim because her injuries have caused her death- so need to be prominent and visible to the audience. For this, we are going to use liquid latex and create blood using food dye and cornflour. Additionally, with the use of dark makeup and talcon powder in a paste- we will be able to create deep and severe looking injuries. The car that is going to be used in our piece, driven by a fully licensed middle aged male, is going to be silver, possibly with a ladder on top or roof rack showing the man possibly lives out of his car, and in a relatively poor condition. We considered using contact lenses for our young girl in the movie because especially for the extreme,e close up when she opens her eyes- these lenses will create a more dramatic suspense and prominent event of the opening of our movie, however we have highlighted some of the dangers of contact lenses with eye irritation and color of the natural eye causing an additional problem to how the contact lens color is shown so we are still uncertain about this inclusion.

Our Anamatic

The video above is the anamatic for our horror movie. Although only brief and just over 1/4 of our actual film time, the anamatic outlines our proposed plot for the beginning of the movie and features an array of different angled drawings and sketches flaunting the different camera angles we will be using. For the anamatic we attempted to have a predominant focus on the victim of the collision- the young girl. However, we are aware that possible future alterations will ensure that there is also a key focus on our leading antagonistic male character, and shot reverse shots and two shots will occupy much more screen time. The strengths of this anamatic production include the accuracy in the sketches considering color, proportions angle as well as the chronological order we have devised for the piece. Another strength of this production is the research we did into non copyright music and sound effects and the finding and creating of the accurate sound effect with the car engine and girls scream. We also attempted to consider special effects and transitions by using the 'strobe' overlay to make the headlight appear as if it was flashing, and the red overlay used to make the final cut of the opening scene with the girl with her hand on the window even more daunting. The weaknesses of our Anamatic were that we could have considered even more camera shot types as well as possibly creating an alternative route for our film opening with a differentiation in the course of events and compare two alternating anamatics. Additionally, a weakness of this anamatic is that we could have considered the time more wisely and made it lengthier to include more of the proposed shots and work with the two minute time limit we are to be given. Working with the time limit more effectively would portray to us which parts of the movie opening could be omitted or where we would need to use editing techniques like ellipsis to show the passage of time rather than going 'over the top' with cramped amounts of action. We also as a weakness possibly focused too much on color and mis-en-scene when this could be considered through other research tasks so this particular task simply focused on the routine and order of our shots and the type of shots.

The sound effect of the car collision we used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TXTfLKIFrk
The creepy sythetic sound effect we used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrBEF3QLwCo

These two tracks we used to accompany our anamatic were both non copyright sound clips that we could propose to use in the production of our actual movie, however creating a piano rendition of our own created piece would make the movie itself feel more like our own and more original and ensure we have been involved in every part of the film creation- from shot types and camera angling, to mise en scene, lighting, sound and editing. We listened to many different horror movie soundtracks as well as different compositions created in a computerized manner on sites such as you tube and we recognized similarly in all of the soundtracks- the instruments most prominently used were woodwind and piano or organ style instruments with a lengthy 'grace notes' and completely contrasting high and low pitched notes. Also- there was almost the synthetic xylophone noise played in many horror soundtracks- as well as warped and distorted natural noises- like the wind or doors creaking for example which were used alongside actual instrumentals. Noises like this could be made independelty by Foley processes by both me and Sophie- especially with props like wine glasses, running water, creaking doors and wind/ whistling.

Institution research

                                     

We chose to analyse the Twisted pictures institution for our horror movie research because Twisted pictures are the prevalent company behind the production of some of the most famous and famously chilling horrors. This was exactly the type of ethos we wanted to obtain behind our film production because we want it to seem as if a credible,appreciated and experienced company have produced our film. Also, Twisted pictures is focused primarily on horror and horror/thrillers so it has a direct market much like the institution logo and idea that we want to create so we can feel like we are familiarized even more with the target audience. 

Twisted pictures is an independent american production company that was founded in 2004, and after its successful introduction to the film market, the company famously created the SAW film series. This box office success then led to a 'distribution deal' with Lionsgate...creating an even more credible status for the film institution. Although Twisted pictures created 6 sequels to SAW and have gained notable recognition, in a contrasting perspective, this could limit the audience that actually have seen this logo and film institution before if it is only based on one film series. This may make it a less likely institution to research for our own film..however as SAW is probably one of the most successful forms of horror, it creates a huge link to the anticipated success of our own film. Also, i personally was drawn into this film institution because of the SAW movies, which have hence reached a wide audience. The SAW movies contain gore, scenes of horror, scenes of threat and violence which are all ideas we would incorporate in our own film...however most importantly, every one of the SAW movies contains a moral or a 'twist' to keep the audience watching and almost shocked by outcomes and points of climax throughout the movie. For our own film we wanted to empathize this idea of a twist or change in the course of events or even a moral for the audience to follow hence this particular company is famous for movies like SAW where this is evident throughout. Twisted pictures produced films additionally like 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' remake in 2009 once again a prominent fact as this was a remake of a heavily chilling and recognized movie.

Another Production company we researched was Blumhouse productions,yet another American film institution. We found it interesting how the same repetitive American basis for horrors and American companies continued to arise because often horrors can link heavily to roots of american history or american locations or ideas. There are horror movies like 'The American Werewolf of London' 'The hills have eyes' set in America, 'Jeepers Creepers' and further more....showing a relationship between American themed plots, setting, mise-en-scene and ideas as well as American companies. We were lead from here to attempt to create a brand new company that aims at a more British audience using a more relatable, closer location and setting so that the plot and scary aspects of the movie seem more chilling and 'closer to home' for a British viewing audience especially. This links heavily to our ideal location being a close town nearby-creating a link to the production team (me and Sophie) and the intended audience. Back to Blumhouse productions- Blumhouse is responsible for producing micro and low budget movies like the paranormal activity series, Insidious and the sinister franchises. This made Blumhouse an effective production institution to study because our film is low budget and we would target a smaller company like this for the distribution of it. Blumhouse is yet another production institution that specializes in horror unlike Lionsgate for example which does produce horrors but specializes in other fields of genre. As well as the actual nature of companies like Blumhouse and Twisted pictures producing horror movies mainly...there is also the Logo of both of these that completely gives this away as both are chilling and using deep blacks and reds to connote pain and darkness.

Lastly, i looked into the production company Lionsgate. Although Lionsgate produce a wide array of films, they alter the shades, contrast and coloring's of their logo to adapt to the particular relevant genre, in this case horror. Lionsgate is the most successful film and television company in north america (Wikipedia) and the 7th most profitable movie studio. Many of the films Lionsgate distribute are psychological / slasher horrors which i could relate to my own film. This company acted as aspiration to acheive the most effective individual and best film i can produce-however the smaller companies like Blumhouse shared more similarities with the projected film distribution company we aim to create.

Location research

We thought that Reigate would have been an effective location to film our horror movie because there was a range of different locations and surroundings within a close radius of each-other where different shots would maintain relational editing; for example there is a archaic arched tunnel which is dimly lit during the night and is surrounded by un-trimmed trees and ivy with rock slanted sides with writings and marks etched into them. In addition, a five minute walk would take you to the Reigate pet cemetery among the priory park- and near to the Reigate woods.

The next possible location i analysed for my film was the Leatherhead and Fetcham interlink where there is the 'Mill Lane'. Here too, there is a tunnel- which we especially wanted to include because tunnels can  often connote a way of escape- or ongoing struggle or tension. Tunnels are typically a differentiating or alternative route- which we could juxtapose with our idea that there is no other route or escape in our horror film. Also, being a relatively close location, Leatherhead would be an effective location to use because i know it well and it is close, allowing filming to be initiated over an array of days so our filming is not rushed and we can return to the location at different days within the same time period to get the most effective clips as possible. There is also picturesque features of the location like the actual millpond- a large pond stretched across the landscape which could be a sincere juxtaposing feature with the horror genre of our film. often in films, features that are seemingly beautiful can be those with the deepest horror or fear...and water in the millpond can be associated with all kinds of fear- even the inclusion of the theme of drowning and hydrophobia. Also, there in addition to human characters in the film there can be the inclusion of animals with the wildlife that thrives in the habitats near the millpond. Often, there are many swans, which can be seen as a contrast to use with the delicacy and beauty of these creatures and the dark themes of our film. Also the use of pathetic fallacy with the weather often causing a mist or fog to form over the marshy areas of the mill lane and pond itself would too create a scary atmosphere and would reject the need for additional props like a smoke machine for the mise-en-scene to make the atmosphere feel more chilling. This particular location is sparsely populated and unlike more urban locations like London or even close towns and cities, the quiet serenity of this Leatherhead location would be effective to film at without distractions including passers by, external noise and visual pollution and destruction of natural surrounding aesthetics.

we also analysed locations where there were pavement markings making pathways look like quiet roads, so that we could include roadside scenes and aspects of roadside danger in a safe and careful manner. There were many quiet roads that we analysed within our local town,Leatherhead, especially down Barnett wood lane, Mill lane and Highlands road..however these roads are only almost un-used towards the night so our filming to be particularly safe would have to commence during the night to assure every aspect of safety is considered, and so that no passing cars cause a distraction to our filming or make it seem less realistic in the quiet almost uninhabited setting we want to be perceived.

storyboardig #2

Storyboarding

Storyboard production

Storyboarding our initial ideas