Planning - Draft Work

Before we stared making the film, we had to first come up with ideas with what the film is based around. We wrote down possible names for the film, possible names for  the characters and the rough scenario. 

POSSIBLE NAMES

L-R*

Banshees Whiteness

blood of my loves

The monster within

Split Soul*

separate soul*

two girls one body

mirror*

MIRROR image

Heavy heart*

destined to kill

venom blood

STORY PLOT

Opening Scene

•   ▪ long shot, of a couple walking down a dark alleyway
• gets a medium shot of both the couples talking, boy trying to illicit sex, girl reluctant
• boy get angry, forcing the girl into the alleyway
• cut to long shot of a alleyway entrance, hearing the girl scream
• cut to a close up on the mans face covered in blood and heavily bruised 
• girl in panic scampers out half naked and covered in blood
• as she is running she bumps into a mysterious man, with low key lighting
• the man stares at her and exclaims " whats a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this, at this time of night"
• girl even more scared, barges past toward the distance ( fade to black)

• School Scene
• a group of boys and the girl from before come out of the school and talks about the kid who's body was found mutilated in a n alleyway. " i'm sorry what happened "
• a hence african black male runs net to the boys and says "  if it was me i would not have got my ass kicked like that guy, you need a real man like me!", 
• boys look in horror, girl shrugs and says " he  was a dick head anyways"
• boys confused quickly changing the subject say " we still having that fifa game round yours" , black man says " hell yeah "
• the man from before walks past the screen and stares at the girl, however the group is oblivious to the man.
• extreme close up on the mans face.
• fade to black

Character names

Girl - davina, L-R, Ella

Ben - Peter, Walter, Ben

Eric - Tyrone, Jamal

Rimoldeen - Achmed, 

Alfie -  Mysterious Geezer

  

Planning - Initial Ideas

In this podcast we discussed initial ideas for our two minute film and brought together all of the ideas together. This was the foundation of the plot of the story.

Planning - Mind Maps

We created a mind map of all the different aspects of our film and the things we would need and set up before we start making it.

firstly we done props and added on all the things we would need and the time of day

another mind map was the characters, we put in all the different characteristics of that particular character.

lastly we looked at the mise en scene of the film and the setting

Planning - Thriller Genres - Erotic

This is a sub Genre between erotica and a thriller. It has become popular since the 1980s.

For example the film Wild Thing is about a high school guidance counselor who is accused of rape, but is working together and sleeping together with them to get money. the film consists of sex scenes to fit the genre of erotic thriller.

Planning - Survey

Click here to View Survey

We created a survey to help us plan our movie and find out more about our target audience. Please click on the link above to see the questions that are in  our survey.

Here is all the data we collected from our survey.

Planning - Thriller Genres - Torture Porn

A torture porn film or gore film is a sub genre of thriller film that deliberately emphasises the presence of gore and graphical violence and the fragility of the human body. These films heavily rely on the use of special effects and are regarded as having basic plot lines with minimal character development to meet the targets audience's demands.

This video clip contains footage from the popular film SAW 7.  As you can see from this clip it uses a lot of special effects and there is a vast quantity of blood, gore and a strong emphasis on death.

saw can be considered the benchmark for all torture porn as it was the most successful  torture porn film and has popularised this genre.

Planning - Thriller Genres - Space/Techno

Techno thriller is a mixture between science fiction, thrillers, spies and war. the plot of the story relies highly on modern technology, it becomes the dominant aspect of the film.



Gravity is an example of a techno thriller as the plot is based on a technological event. we see this when the character goes into space through the means of modern technology.

Planning - Thriller Genres - Physiological

A psychological thriller would over emphasis the emotional state of its characters. In a physiological thriller, characters often battle to figure out what the purpose of life is, who they are and if what they are living in reality. whilst being threatened with the consequence of death. There can can also be seen a large amount of change in personality.

This clip is from a physiological thriller called the skeleton key. In this clip you can see the women being tortured in her dreams, she is portraying unstable emotions and fear.

Planning - Thriller Genres - Crime Thriller

This particular genre is focused on crime and to create a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. these types of films tend to be from the point of view of the criminals rather than the law enforcement to make the audience sympathise for the criminals and despise people who get it the way of there plans or oppose their ambitions.

this scene was taken from the hit film scare face. It features the protagonist, Tony Montana, back stabbing his boss Frank. Tony is a drug criminal but the audience wants him to succeed despite his methods. Tony and his friend shoot two different men, one of them a police officer which shows that the police are the antagonists of the film.

Planning - Thriller Genres - Action Thriller

An action thriller is usually fast pase, a race against the time. in an action triller you can see of explosions and a large amounts of guns. the antagonist is easy to spot with a largely elaborated set and events. there can also be some elements of mystery.

In this clip helps reflect the genre of action thriller as it meets all the requirement that are needed for this. there is a lot of unrealistic gunfight and high speed car chase.

Planning - Thriller Genres - Horror Thriller

Horror Thriller

This is a popular genre of thriller, popularised by Alfred Hitchcock in the 1970s. This is there no good plot or story, people watch these to be scared and terrified by what they see, and there is always use of stereotypes and the nerdy girl is usually the final survivor and the one who defeats the villain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=O0bb2X4dGPA

In this scene from The nightmare on Elm street there is a lot of tension and suspense and a very high sense of danger.

Freddy Krueger (red and green shirt with the hat) is waiting patiently. There is a lot of low key lighting and close ups used in this scene. Freddy is shown laughing in an evil manner, showing his dominance in the scene. The tension is risen as the girl has found out she is Freddy's daughter and he is a psycho serial killer.

Planning - Case Study into Opening Scene

This opening scene for the popular torture porn Saw 1. The scene starts with an extreme close up on a light floating through pitch black water. Then it switches to a close up of one of the main characters face. The main characters is in chained to a pipe in a dilapidated bathroom and there is a low key lighting. When the character switches on the light the camera switches to a high angle shot which make the character look vunerable. There is an ominous piano chord playing in the background which is non diagetic which creates an unsettling experience also there is a non diagetic string orchestra playing for sound effects when the character sees a dead body lying in the middle. then there is a close up on the extremely mutilated body holding a tape recorder as well as a gun.

Planning - Binary Structure

Binary structure is used to show authority and power by using stereotypes. the film is targeted to meet the needs of the majority and make the majority of the population look powerful.

binary structure can be broken into two sub

  - Being made to look correct, made to look good

  - Being made to look incorrect, made to look bad

Age

Youths are seen as trouble makers, violent, dealing drugs, who does sexual activities.

Old aged people are seen as old fashioned and out of touch

However the image to the left shows that society may have different views on old people. peoples views have slowly changed and this and is holding a high tech camera and you could say looks similar to a teenager.

Race

White is seen as the most domination race in films as they are the majority of the population and it fits the stereotype that white people are more powerful.

Class

Upper class association stick to their own society and don't mix in with the lower/middle class. any involvement would be a job situation where they have authority over middle/lower class as employers.

Gender

Women are objectified as sexual objects for men. women are often seen as "servants" for men and take orders and just there for their pleasure

This shows the difference between men and womens brains. what they spend their time thinking about. men for example think mainly on sex unlike women who think about shopping globe and chocolate.

Sexual

Homosexual people are going to be seen as over exaggerated feminine characters. They would be looked down upon and weak.

Region

The region often plays a big part in films as it follows the ideas of mainstrean culture. If you lived in the city you would be seen as a business man or if you lived out in poorer area you would be seen as uneducated.

Planning - Mise En Scene - Lighting

What is lighting?

Lighting is used in the media industry to create certain effects and assumptions. For example a low light  shot gives the impression that this person is frightening and fearful, this works well on ghosts or other horror characters. Lighting has two different forms, high key lighting and low key lighting.

High Key Lighting

High key lighting is used in filming to create minimal shadow on a character or a subject for this reason it is the most common form of lighting used in the media industry since all facial details are visible which would mean that the the emotions are more effectively/accurately conveyed.

High Key Lighting Setup

To achieve high key lighting it requires multiple 'keys'(light sources). The arrangement of keys are key (pun not intended) they need to cover all angles to cancel out shadows created from opposing light sources.

Example of High Key Lighting Set Up

In this image it shows an example of a high key lighting setup in this particular example it uses three keys but depending on scenario you can use more or less

Example of High Key Lighting

This an example of the effect created by high key lighting as you can see all facial features are fully lit and there is minimal shadows. The emotion and and expression of of the subject can be analysed and interpreted more easily.

Low Key Lighting

As the name suggests it is the opposite of the high key lighting  instead of bringing things to light (pun intended) it shrouds it in mystery by using minimal number of keys to create maximum shadows

Example of Low Key Lighting

This is an example of low key lighting and as you can see there are shadows covering facial features and this creates mystery and a sense of danger. Although this technique is mainly used to build up tension but it can also be used to emphasise certain body parts such as eyes and mouth.    

Why is lighting important?

Lighting is arguably the most overlooked aspect of mise en scene since if the lighting is bad it can make subjects appear unclear or just plain un seeable.

Example of Poor Lighting

This is an example of poor lighting and as you can see (or what you cant see) the subject can not be seen at all since the camera has under exposed the subject.

Planning: Camera Shots and Angles

camera shot is the amount of  space that is seen in the camera frame. camera shots are used to convey aspects of the film and characters.

Extreme Long Shot

This shot contains a large amount of area in camera frame. it is mostly used at the beginning of a film to establish the location of the film and to set the scene.

This is an example of an extreme long shot, you can see a large amount of area in the camera frame. it allows the audience get into the setting and assume that it is going to be set near the lake.

The camera normally zooms out of a extreme long shot into a long shot.

Long Shot

The long shot gives the views a more specific location of where the event is going to happen. a kong shot can show views the building, area, ( a park ) that the first scene is going to take place.

Medium shot

This is a shot that is taken of the characters from the waste up, this allows the audience to see hand and body language. it also allows you to see facial expressions.

Medium close up

 This shot is taken from the chest upwards to the head of the character. it may contain little or no background. this shot is mainly used when two character are engaged in a conversation. it allows you to see facial expressions more clearly.

Close-up

This shot is taken from the characters chin, top of the shoulders up to the head. this help emphasis the characters facial emotions to the audience. again like the medium close up there may be little or no background. the focus will be on the character. In this shot the focus is on the persons face, there is barely any background that you may look at. the facial expression is clear enough to judge what the character is thinking, see his emotions.

This shot can also be used to heighten tension between the characters.

Extreme Close Up

 An extreme close up shot show a lot of details of a character or an object. these are details that you cant naturally bee seen in real life. the camera emphasis on a specific part of a person to convey a message.

In this image there is great detail in the persons eyes. this is something you would not naturally see unless you focus closely.

Different Angles



High Angle
A high angle shots are used in flims to make a character/object look small. it gives the effect of the character/object looking vulnerable, defenseless.

















Low Angle Shot
A low angle shot helps make a character or an object look taller. this gives the effect of the character looking much more powerful. it is used in situations to emphasis who is in authority.

Planning - Mise En Scene - Set

This is the place that the film/scene is going to take place. this is has to e revenant to the time and date that the film is set at.

It can be set in an artificial scene or In a natural area. The image above shows how a set for a film would be layed out when creating the avengers film.

Planning - Mise En Scene - Props

a prop is an object used to represent a characters relevance, power and how important they are. For example, a King would be represented by a crown, a throne, perhaps a scepter and royal robes, without these the King would look like a vulnerable and weak person, but the props give him power and influence.

This is King Joffrey Baratheon from Game of Thrones, he is clearly a powerful and influential figure. He looks like a man who has many men, perhaps even an army at his command, and is wealthy as he is the head of the country.

This is Tony Montana from Scarface. The gun shows his wealth and position as a drug boss. He is clearly a dangerous individual, the gun also has attachments, including double magazine and a grenade launcher. He is a man of violence as the gun has only one purpose, to kill.

This image is from The Shawshank Redemption. The prop (the mop) and clothes are used to convey that they are prisoners. They clearly do not want to be here and all of them are criminals who are serving the community as repayment for the crimes they committed.

Planning - Mise En Scene - Costume

This is a very important visual element if a film. directors try to represent the time, region through the use of clothing. for example someone in the 60 would be dressed completely different from modern day person. it is important to have historical accuracy when making a film.

costumes help enhance the story line or plot, as it would suggest social position, power, authority for a character. it can also hint character development.

The picture below is an example of how costume is used in film to help emphasis the idea of power. The girl in the picture looks rich and a women with power.

Planning - Mise En Scene - Space

In a film character representation can be expressed through mise en scene. Mise en scene is a french term for "putting on stage"  which assists in the interpretation of characters.

there are five main aspects of mise en scene, the main one being how the actor behaves in a shot and how he/he interacts with characters around them.

However today we will talk about space which is another important aspect of mise en scene.

What is space?

Space can be defined as the location of your actors in s shot and it is commonly used to convey relationships and highlight the relative position in highracy. space can be divided into three parts: depth, height and body position.

Depth is how far/close the subject is away from the camera, the closer the subject is to the camera would simulate the appearance of it being larger which can be useful to convey power and authority.

Height is the relative height of a person compared to other characters in the same scene, the higher the character is in the scene would positively correlate to the power and authority of that character.

Body position is similar to body language and it's subtle positioning of body parts i.e. hands behind your backs, torso facing the camera, head looking down, etc...

Examples:

Using our knowledge of space we can apply it to help us analyse scenes, such as this one. 

• Depth: as you can see in this frame the male character is clearly in the position of power sice he is closer to the camera and appears larger then his female counterpart, thus fulfilling the popular sereotype that men are more powerful since the woman is further away from the camera and appears smaller.
• Height: in this scene the man appears higher in the frame witch as we explained before the man is in position of authority since the female is lower.
• Body Positioning: in the frame the man has to stoop down to that of the women. this shows again the level of power.

•  Depth: the character in the background of the frame is taking up more space of the frame so it would be safe to assume that he has more power.
• Height: The character int he background appears higher then the character in the foreground which means he is in position of more authority/power.
• Body positioning: the man at the back is looking down at the man in front.

• Depth: the character is close to the camera are more important to the scene. the characters at the back are less important compared to the man in front.
• Height: the man in front is taller compared to the other two. it gives him more authority.
• Body Language: the characters at the back are showed to be following the man  in front. 

Planning - Psychology of Media

Freud's Psycho Analytic Theory :

ID - this is the concerned only with pleasure. It doesn't care about the consequence about the action.

Ego - the ego is the one that is concerned about the consequence. it is highly aware of how others perceive it. it will make us act in a way that other respect us and approve of our actions.

The Super Ego - the super ego negotiates between the two part of the brain. it makes the decisions whether they should do what ever the are doing.

Lacan's Ideal-I Theory: 

The Mirror Stage And ideal I Mirror Stage

this is the stage when an infant recognises that they are human. they establish their interpretation of themselves.

Ideal I

We are not capable of thinking negatively about our selves because we think that our way of thinking is correct. we think of our thoughts as being perfect. this is known as the ideal I.

Why do we watch media?

we watch media because we want to associate ourselves with the characters in the film. we try to see ourselves through the characters.

we don't don't associate ourselves with everything that the character does, however only the bits that suits us.

the protagonist and antagonist are overly hyper exaggerated. it is in its extreme and it not something you would see in normal life.

Mulvey's Scopophilia and Voyeurism Theory:Scopophilla and Voyeurism

Scopophila is the pleasure of looking at someone, this is often done sexually.

voyeurism is the sexual pleasure that you gain through looking at a human form when thy don't know that you are looking at them.

The Gaze

• the idea of looking, this is what for fills or sexual desires. this helps create the binary structure of gender.

Sexual Objectification

• through our gaze, females are portrayed as sexual objects.
• they are portrayed as being week, vulnerable and easily manipulatable

Male Representation

• men are portrayed as being powerful, strong and someone with a great deal of authority 

This helps media companies attract the majority of the audience and represent them in a way which will make a connect to the viewers.

The Colossal Productions Intro Podcast

Planning - Description Brief

We have been asked to create a short opening sequence to a thriller a film. As you may know there are several sub genres within a thriller and we were tasked into picking one; in which we based our entire upon. in our film we were expected to incorporate various industry standard techniques and provide adequate character and plot development.