Evaluation Question 1.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of a real media product?

To make my media movie believeable and 'at the top' with the rest of the huge movies out there, i did lots of research that helped me make my movie fit its genre. I reseached the conventions of the genre i had choosen, which was Horror, i found out the conventions by watching popular, successful horror movies and including the conventions in my movie. I researched James Whale, who is a famous Horror movie Director. However his movies were released in the 1930's,  (Frankenstein, The Invisible Man) 


this is way to dated for todays challenging Directors. Then researched 'Wes Craven' who directed movies such as 'A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Last House On The Left'. I watched the first 2 minutes of the movies to see how he conveyed the genre of thier movie. This giving me idea's on how to start my opening sequence. The things i looked for to link to my movie were things such as, location and the set. I looked at the charactors costumes and the props that were used. I specially watched the camerawork, how the director motioned across the scenes.

My Setting and Location

My Three Locations were:

·         Towneley Forrest

·         Front Room 

·         Kitchen

I found that most of the stereotypical horror movies are set in a forrest, however they create such a tense atmosphere i really wanted to use the same type of idea. Altho they are set in the dark, i did not have good enough equipment that aloud me to film in the dark, and all the charactors to be visible, also, it is not save to be walking around at night in the forrest, so for this reason i had to film in the Day time, this however did not effect my movie, as the scene that included the forest was a nice romantic scene that included a couple on a lovley walk. This is conpletley opposite to a conventional horror and did not go the same, however the creepyness of the death did. To make this more realistic, and more 'real' to the convention of a horror, i added a 'darker contrast' to the movie scene. This allowing the scene to look more dull. On the First day of filming i filmed in 'Hurstwood', this was an excellent day, however there was a lot of sun. I was un able to use this footage anyways as my tape chewed up. So I had to refilm, in Towneley woods, this day was over cast and was much better weather for filming.  

      

 The Second location was in the Living Room (Front room) of a house. This was for the scene where Zac (Ben Garner), dremt about his murderd girlfriend. In this scene he also walks to the window and answers his phone. During this scene the murderer also approaches the house. Well in most horrors, at the beggining of the movie, the home is the ''comfort zone''. So i used this to make my movie more real. I used the house as the confort zone, therefore had my charactor in normal everyday clothing, normal lighting and nothing unusual on the set. To make it more real, i also set the room, to look comfortable and welcoming.

The usual safeness and comfort of a home/bedroom is usually turned on its head in horror films. Like in scream the infamous scene when the murderer terrorises a teenager in her own home whilst alone by phone call. We also used a home to feature in our opening but not from the prospective of the victim but from the murderer. We open with our murder plotting against her future victims in her bedroom. This is very unconventional as the murder is usually hidden by mask or costume like in the two films by Williamson however ours is revealed and unveiled to the audience. Whether this is as affective is for the audience to decide but we liked the idea of challenging the usual conventions.

Props

All of the probs which were in the Front Room and kitchen scene were natual and realistic, there was nothing unusual. There were no extra props that were added in the kitchen scene, only the knife which we used as a dramatic, scary murder wepon, in the forest and kitchen. But, like i say all the mis-en-scene was natural.

Camerawork and editing

Most horrors that are on top of the leaders board and high in popularity and ratings are not blind to having fast past scenes that make you get tied up in the story lines, just shots, and close-ups on the charactors. Watching this, i wanted to use them in my movie.  I tried to express this in my movie opening by doing close-ups to the murders face, and doing fast pacing scenes when it comes to the 'flash backs' of dramatic events that happened in zacs life. To add to the drama i added a fast beat of music too. I kept all my camera work concentrated on my victom zac, this making the audience feel edgy for him too. To start i used long shots to show my audience the setting of my movie, well, the main setting, this shows the majority of the setting and therefore giving them a clear understanding, and making it conventional.

Title font and style

My title is an eerie font which is coloured red. Usually the red font is unusual and not very stereotyped. Therefore making it unconventional. I did not really convey this very much from a real media product.  

Story and how the opening sequence sets up

      My plot was a very stereotypical revenge plot. A young woman is being cheated on by her partner with another, young and attractive woman. She is now planning revenge on her, by this, i mean kill her. I set this so she would be killed in the forest. I showed it through a dream of what has happened in the past and Zac, remembering it.

      I made it real by beggining with the muder and then unfolding the murderer and how she came back and got Zac. Or did she get him? I ended my opening sequence with the murderer standing at the window, removing the feeling of comfort from the house and leaving the rest of the stort a mistery.

Special Effects

      I did not use many special effects in my movie, just the basic editing on the computer using 'Adobe Premiere Pro' and some diagetic sound. I added a few lighting changes and video transitions. Alot of special effects that can be used in a movie, they were not very good for a horror and ruin the genre i was trying to display to my audience. Many movies use stunt doubles that can be classed as special effects however, nothing like this was used in my opening sequence.

Evaluation

For my evaluation there is 7 questions or tasks to complete, they are:


1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?


2. How does your Media Product represent particular social groups?


3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?


5. How did you attract/address your audience?


6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?


7. Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Filming Session 3 - Forest

So, during this session I planned on filming in the forest on the hope that we will be having a grey day. However unfortunatly for me the sun was brightly shining and it was really warm. After thinking, i thought it would be best just to carry on and do my filming and edit my movie to change the weather, and just to avoid the sun.


During  the process of filming Ben - 'Zac Corly' and Jamine - 'Allysia Preston' the camcorder started to make a strange sound that made me alittle worried. However time was getting late so i just carried on with getting the filming finnished, so i just carried on following my storyboard.


Camera Angles


Zac and Allysia walking through the forrest...


Long Angle Shot - I filmed them from a long shot, this getting a lot of the surrounding in and the both of them messing around and having fun. (trying to avoid filming infront of the sun peering through the trees).


Mid Angle Shot - I filmed them from behind to give it a more creepy 'not alone' feeling. I added these shots to give it a more 'stalkerish' feel.


Eye Angle Shot - I did this shot without using the tripod. I held the camera behind the tree and half peered it out to follow the two characters. This giving the view from another characters eyes.


Zac and Allysia sitting on a log...


Close Over the Shoulder Shot - I used this shot to show the view of Jamine from Bens direction. I wanted to use this for the dream Zac has about the dat Allysia gets murderd.


Long Shot - I did a long shot of the two characters sitting on the log, this was to show Jasmine getting up and going for a wee. It also showed that there was no one closley surrounding them at the time.


Pan Angle Shot - I used this shot to follow Jamines character away from Bens charater Zac.


Close Up Angle Shot - This close up angle shot was used on Ben. This was to show the confusion of why Allysia was taking to long to return back to him. It was focused of him body language and facial expressions. Also as he became more worried.


Pan from Bottom to Top - This was used when Ben stood up off the long and began to search for Allysia.


Follow Shot - I used this shot when Zac was searching for Alyssia and running past the camera. It also showed alot of the surrounding.

Importing Footage num 2.

Incase I loose footage again, I thought it would be best to save everything I have done on to the computer with my other footage so everything is safe and i have a back up plan.

Recording Session 2 Of Filming - AGAIN!

As the original location for filming in the forest was to far away, and we could all could not get transport there, we had to film closer to home, therefore changing the location. Lucky for me, there way no footage from last time, so there is no worry of changing locations and worrying about mis-en-scene.


I used all the same camera shot as the first session and managed to include all the same scenes as last time. Only this time i filmed extra of Zac actually becoming face to face with Carla.


Camera Angles...


Zac on the search for Allysia and confronting Carla...


Zoom In Angle Shot- As Zac turned around and saw Carla, i wanted to make the scene really dramatic and interesting, so as he had finnished looking over the lake, as he turned, i zoomed into his face to show how terrified he was.


Long Angle Shot - I then used a long shot of him, and then Carla walked infront of the camera and stood to the right of it, with ben on her left, and a knife on her left aswell (same as the first footage filmed).


Follow Angle Shot - Zac then ran to the right, running away from Carla.

The WORST thing that could ever happen

After the long day of filming i got home and went to watch all the footage that i had filmed. Unfortunatly the strange noise that the camcorder was making was my tape being screwed up, therefore all the filming that i did for that session had been long and ruined.


This meaning that I had to call everybody out again re-do ALL the same shots from my storyboard.

Filming Session 2

After looking at the footage I filmed in and outside the home. I brainstormed more ideas that i could possibly add to my Storyboards to make it better. I was really interested in my idea of making the scary scenes more dramatic and action packed. For example, I was watching back on the tape of the kitchen scenes that i filmed, I am intending of using this in a flashback, so I thought it would be great to get more footage of the two characters in the home.


As the characters both went back to Zacs home, I thought that it would be a good idea for the fight to start at the top of the stairs and make its way into the kitchen. So we went back to the home location wearing the same clothing and shot more footage of the fight. I filmed Ben falling down the stairs all the way to the bottom, then Rhiannon standing at the top holding a knife. This making out as if she pushed him.

Mid Angle Shot - I used a mid angle shot on Rhiannon so you could see the rest of the surrounding too. On the footage of Ben falling down the stairs you can see the 'white' background. So by doing a Mid angle shot, you can see that it is the top of the stairs where she is standing, therefore symbolising that she pushed him.

Close Follow Angle Shot - This was used when Bens character Zac was falling down the stairs, I filmed him falling down the stairs from this angle as it makes it feel more realistic and makes the audience feel more involved within the action that is being shown on the screen. It also gives the scene more natralism.