Wednesday 26 February 2014

Logo Analysis

The logos below are our final product of what is going to be used during the introduction to our 2 minute film. We plan to use these as a form of alternate concept, which we created ourselves, in order to hopefully obtain higher marks, through a more professional look and also for effect during the beginning to make it seem similar to an actual film. We feel that adding these in will make the film better, because it also adds to the time frame during editing, allowing us to rearrange shots that weren't necessarily going to be used and change anything that we don't agree with. In theory, we want these at the start, before more text appears on screen showing who is involved within the film, and want it to be different from the popular titles like Universal, Lionsgate etc. that other productions may use.

Budget

During the making of our film we required a few props to set the atmosphere and also make it fit the Thriller genre. The list below shows the types of objects we bought, which were both easy to aquire and not too expensive:

Masks (5): £10
Syrup/Dye: £7-£10

The majority of the equipment we were planning to use, we already had, such as the weapons,clothing and location itself (mainly thanks to Joe) therfore not creating a dilmea in monetary problems. The fact that this was not an issue enabled us to start shooting when we wanted and made it much less stressful.
However...

If this was to be a Hollywood production, the budget would probably be centred around a sum of £10-£20 million, excluding any special effects and cameras involved, showing how simple it can be to create a small independent, without spending too much money compared to what a big American studio would use.

Thursday 20 February 2014

First Cut of Sequence

                               The first rough cut of our sequence is displayed above, which actually contains the majority of what we are going to use in the final piece. It went surprisingly well after putting the clips into final cut, because we wasn't expecting to have so much footage, which can be easily cut down and altered. Most of the shots were planned and looked how we wanted them to, after also adding in some we thought of at the time of shooting. The only aspect we need to change, is probably going to be where each piece of film is placed and how it can match the killer's movement, but apart from that, we are pleased with the progress. This is only the first cut of our film, so it doesn't look too effective, but we hope to change that by the end, as the clips aren't in order yet. This first piece has helped us see what a version of our production looks like and how we can change it to our preferd style. The sound in our rough cut isn't going to be the final product either (especially at the beginning with the high pitched voice) so ignoring that factor, the rest will probably be used.

Tuesday 18 February 2014

Production Photographs

Below are a few of the production photographs which we used in the making of our film, including props and mise-en-scene.










Monday 17 February 2014

Design Company Research

The work of design companies includes everything from minor details such as production of the film, up to its title and viewing to the audience. The 3 main factors concern Production, Distribution and Exhibition, which in turn determines the success/failure of the film, and without a design company, much of this would not be possible. The company I found the most intriguing was White Rabbit Design Company, who also focus on TV and advertising. Their founder (Steve Hardie) has been involved with Star Wars VI, as a production assistant and part of the art unit in some Hammer Horror films. His vast experience in film/TV has enabled the growth of the company to become well known and therefore more popular when collaborating with other companies/productions. The companies' work has also covered genres in photography, architecture and graphics which makes up the general base of a design company and its subdivisions included within it. All of these factors are what are included within a design company, which contributes towards different parts of the work they do.


Along with analysis of White Rabbit, below are some of a large amount of titles, from www.artofthetitle.com which I find interesting and create a certain feeling/emotion towards them, similar to something a company would include in their production:



Friday 14 February 2014

Music Choices

Our music for the Intro will be mainly diegetic (has an on screen source that the characters and audience can hear) to emphasise the situation and effect on the people watching. Since our preferred genre is a Thriller, tension could be built with climactic music. Our main ideas were centred around a piece similar to The Last of Us; simple through the use of an acoustic guitar, but effective. This gives the film a slight creepy edge, which will probably be used either at the start or whilst the titles are appearing; we haven't quite decided what is the best option, so we will discuss it on the day of shooting. However, the majority will base itself around footsteps, breathing, and natural sounds, which are key in creating suspense, and since it is only the first 2 minutes, it implies the film itself is of a similar nature, therefore hopefully maintaining to capture our target audience (18 and over/Adult)

The composition process regarding the creation of music mainly follows these steps:
  • Any form of inspiration
  • Recording
  • Uploading and Analysing
  • Laying sown the soundtrack
  • Editing through programme
Much of the process uses complex programming and units that we would not be able to use, therefore our form of music is planned to be much easier and accessible; quicker and with less time spent to create a piece, which could be used to edit the film instead.

Wednesday 12 February 2014

Casting

The list below shows who will be casting in our film, titled: The Art of Evil

        
Director - Joe                                                                                          Producer - Cam
                                       Executive Producers - Phil, Joe & Cam

Editor - Phil (mainly) and Cam                                                   Cinematographer - Joe

                                       Starring - Phil (The Body) & Cam (Killer)

Screenplay - Phil, Joe & Cam                                                                 Soundtrack - Phil


                                 In our Selfie = Joe (Left), Phil (Centre) and Cam (Right)

Monday 10 February 2014

Shooting Schedule

  • We plan to base our shooting around the weekend of 15th/16th of February, in Joe's Garage, as we feel this location is both easy to access and creates the tension and atmosphere
  • The cast will consist of Joe, myself (Cam) and Phil (this will be discussed further in a later post) as we are all involved someway, whether it is being in the film itself, or shooting
  • Since the whole film will take place inside a garage, there is no worry of weather conditions, thus making it easier to plan a specific date
  • We also have made plans to paint Joe's garage, so that we can use the props/mise-en-scene more effectively; another convention to the genre's colour theme
  • The arranged times consist of shooting between late morning (11:00 am) to around 4 or 5 O'Clock in order for more takes and less issues relating editing at a later date


Sunday 9 February 2014

Importance/Function of Trailers

Trailers are important in displaying to the audience a short montage of clips from the film, which persuade them to watch it and anticipate its arrival in cinemas. I feel these are similar to the function of adverts, which attempt to bribe the viewer into buying their product. They project a small amount of what the film is about and illustrate or emphasize a point. With each genre, trailers aim to achieve various things. For example, an Action film would typically show guns, violence, explosions etc. to engage the audience, however a Horror/Thriller would build up the atmosphere and tension, before cutting to leave the viewer with a cliff-hanger/open story. Before the preview is shown, a green screen showing the licensing and age rating appears; standard in the trailer conventions. They usually last for around 2 minutes, which companies focus on, to bring in everything they can regarding storyline and effect. Without trailers people wouldn't know about the film's plot (less aware when they are coming out), as they seem to give a small taster around the movie. In this manner, people would know what to expect when actually watching the whole film, and not bother wasting their time with something they don't like; almost giving the audience full control over what they view. This is a very effective way for the Director/Company in exhibiting the film, before its actual release, making a small snippet of money/recognition beforehand.

 

Friday 7 February 2014

Alternative Genre - Focus on Thriller

As mentioned in the majority of the blog, my aimed genre was ranged from being either a Horror film, which used a variety of conventions from gore, to isolation and sharp weapons or a Thriller, which concentrated more on the realism and focus of sustaining tension and an atmosphere. We have since decided that the Thriller genre is best suited to what we want to concentrate on doing, as it will hopefully/is planned to use props and items, as well as various camera angles/shots to emphasize the dramatic scene, bit also add a feel of anxiety as each shot is shown. By referring to the storyboard, the use of a tilt, gradually up the body, whilst cuts are used between the victim and killer, almost show the e progression of the film, as if it were to reach a pinnacle or key point which develops meaning. However, we are still focusing slightly on the Horror side, because blood effects and weapons will be used, just not as much as planned beforehand. We feel this will benefit us more because there is a much easier process of  creating a Thriller film, through both location and narrative, rather than focusing more on the supernatural side which is Horror. Because it is only the beginning (2 minutes) we want to convey the message relatively quick so the audience can establish immediately what the film is about. We aim to achieve this via setting and therefore have a planned location which is both rather unsettling, but also easy to access. Timing and environment, I feel are key aspects when making a film, especially when it is only 2 minutes long, so we didn't want to spend too long on these components. There is also the editing side, which is probably going to take a while to make it look effective, thus the reason for keeping to a planned schedule and managing to keep with what we planned to complete within the given timings. These components will be featured in a later post, regarding the shooting script. Out idea for the film is called: The Art of Evil and is mostly based around the concept of the title itself, which is planned to be revealed during the opening.



Wednesday 5 February 2014

Video-Game Title Inspiration



The video above shows how games generally have evolved into a much more diverse genre, becoming more like films. I feel that realism is a key aspect towards making a film, which is the main reason we have chosen a Thriller for our film introduction. Games like Tomb Raider, The Last of Us and Battlefield 4 all incorporate a similar realistic tone, which in turn make the player feel as if they were in the situation. These types of games link to the Thriller genre through this aspect alone, and therefore I feel needs a form of research so that our titles in the intro can be both effective but meaningful, creating the atmosphere of tension as the text is displayed and the film comes to an end; our planned intention is to create a climax. This video helps create the idea that the titles should link in with the film itself so that the audience don't get confused and mislead. Through rather bold, informative text, the titles establish a mood of the general film, which is why we need to use the correct style to link the juxtaposition of visuals and text, to fix our target audience. In my opinion, the game that fixes the most towards what we want to construct is Resident Evil's due to its bold, red letters and sinister look.

Tuesday 4 February 2014

Storyboard - Plan

The animated storyboard below shows a basic routine of our planned plot for the 2 minute introduction.

Monday 3 February 2014

Film Introduction Part 3: The Others




I feel that the introduction to this film, is similar to that of Drag Me to Hell due to the story like narration, which for me, immediately creates that eerie almost unsettling atmosphere, foreshadowing that the film itself maybe creepy and disorientated. Here the use of white bold text upon a moving background can help both give audience the significance of the names, but also the backstory of the film. This is mostly common in the Horror/Thriller genre and therefore is something to be considered towards the making of my 2 minute sequence. The use of a non-diegetic voiceover in the background is also effective in portraying the narrative like scenario; both un-nerving and of mystery. The title itself suggest that the "Other" are not of social norm and could be expected/illustrated as unsettling and scary or weird; implying a sense of danger. It also feels like a child's story, with strings and flute related music and an increasing tempo which is almost suspicious as it progresses. There is also clever editing after the drawing of the picture turns into real life; an added component used to engage the audience further to make it seem the story is indeed not a fairy-tale, but real life, emphasizing the Thriller aspect. The Mise-en-Scene focused around the story in the background also reinforces the narrative structure and influences the audience's outlook on the film's topic. All of the micro aspects within this 2 minute intro are relative towards creating effect and first impressions on a viewer, therefore I feel are considered the most important when creating meaning. I would like to recreate something of  a similar nature regarding key components which both create meaning and are effective concerning the story-side of the film.