Wednesday 9 November 2011

Studying Film titles.

Today we went on artofthetitles.com and watched several Horror films openings.
we noted how for the first clip, " Dawn of the Dead", the titles were red on a black background,
the names were in capital letters whilst the other text was in lower case.

We assume that the first actors to be credited are the most important, and that when more than one name is creditted on a single screen, characters are less important. Also to be noted is that the Directors name is not shown.

Some of the films displayed the Production and distribution companies at the beginning whereas in "Zombieland" titles weren't used until the end of the opening sequence.

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Editing our Preliminary task

Luke and I spent a couple sessions in the Computer suite editing our preliminary task using Final Cut Pro.
Neither of us had much experience with this program, but it did not take long to get used to. We payed close attention to individual frames in order to make sure we had fluent continuity throughout.

In the end we were happy with the outcome. I exported the project into a QuickTime movie and will upload it onto a video sharing website.


I will embed my preliminary task here once it has been uploaded.

Thursday 20 October 2011

Our 60 Second Pitch.

Luke and I discussed several ideas for our teen horror film. we were asked to present one of our ideas in a "60 second pitch" format.

The idea is to gain interest in your film within a short explanation without giving too much away whilst also including the important points.The delivery of a 60 second pitch is very important in creating said interest.

Our idea and Title are subject to change but this is our 60 second pitch as it stands.

Metamorphosis


gray moore 60 sec by kbamediastudies

Monday 10 October 2011

Filming for the Preliminary task

Me and Luke took out a camera from the LRC in order to film our preliminary task.
Due to lesson constraints luke was unable to film with me and matt on the first day. Undeterred, me and matt filmed all of the shots only containing himself and the establishing shot.

The following day all three of us were available and we completed our filming.
We filmed using the locations and actors that we had originally planned on.

The next step was to transfer the footage from the SD card onto the computers for editing.
Due to compatibility issues surrounding the version of Final cut pro that we have installed, we had to transfer the footage into I movie first and export it as a single .MOV file.

Horror Film Openings.

As my task will be to create the opening of a teen horror film, we looked at the opening sequence of the films "The Shining (1980)" and "Wrong Turn (2003)". I noted that music is incredibly important in creating an atmosphere and setting the mood for the film. as the opening to the shining was definitely not as eerie without the iconic soundtrack.

Another important thing i noticed was that as tension increased in the latter film, the number of shots per second also increased. This will be helpful to me when i begin to edit my horror film opening as i will know to make quick cuts when there is tension in order to reflect the action.

Analyzing a film opening

I have been given the film "Jeepers Creepers (2001)" to analyze. The film is directed by Victor Salva and stars Gina Philips and Justin long.

I will edit in my shot by shot analysis of the film.

Saturday 8 October 2011

Horror Film Questionnaire

In order to find out more about the audience of horror films, me and Luke conducted a questionnaire.
We asked if they enjoyed horror films, why they did or did not and what they thought about recycled conventions.


We decided to ask the following questions:

Do you enjoy Horror films?

What is your favourite Horror film?

Why is this your favourite Horror film?

What qualities do you look for in a horror film?

Which of the following Horror sub-genres do you enjoy watching?

  • Slasher
  • Teen Horror
  • Spoof Horror
  • Extreme
  • Science fiction   

Why do you watch Horror films?

Do you like when Horror films stick to the typical conventions of Horror films?

How often do you watch Horror films?

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/R55KLQL

Wednesday 5 October 2011

The Conventions of Horror films.

In order to convey to the audience that they are watching a Horror film, there are numerous codes, conventions and themes that are repeated within the genre.

The Setting

The setting within Horror films is quite often a secluded location far from civilization where there is no one available to help the protagonist. This makes the plot more dramatic as no one is at hand to help those in danger, the killer or threat is free to kill whomever they like.

Tripping over whilst running away

Whilst running from a killer it is quite common place for the victim to trip over, this is so that we become scared for the characters life, as  it's now going to be a lot harder for them to get away. This increases suspense and makes for a more exciting sequence.

The Fake Scare

Another sequence that is often used is the "Fake Scare". This is where the character is scared by something unrelated to the real threat, although suspense has been built up in order to make the viewer and the character believe it is the real threat. the fake scare can take the form of something as stupid as a friend tapping them on the shoulder or a friend jumping out at them.

Monday 3 October 2011

The Exorcist (1973)

The Exorcist (1973)

Director : William Friedkin
Release Date : December 26, 1973
Cast : Ellen Burstyn,Max von Sydow,Lee J. Cobb,Kitty Winn,Jack MacGowran,Jason Miller,Linda Blair
Synopsis : When a teenager is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter.

Tuesday 27 September 2011

An Introduction to the Main Task.

For my main task, I will have to produce the opening 2 minutes of a Teen Horror film, including the credits.
I will be working in a group with Luke Gray, as i have been for my Preliminary task. The task will involve a lot of research and planning including some audience research, some textual analysis and carrying out the 3 step plan of Pre-Production, Production and Post-Production. However I will begin with some research into Horror films in general.

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Location Planning, Casting and Storyboarding.

In our lesson today we were asked to begin casting for our preliminary task, find set locations and draw our storyboard.

We began with the idea of casting Ryan Swanell as the character of "Marvin" but he swiftly declined so we are now using Matthew Pawluk.


Luke gray, my partner decided that he was happy to undertake the role of "Mr.Lamp"


We had to decide on locations for our preliminary task. We chose to use the room in the second photo as we feel the tables are positioned in a betetr way and the lighting is alot better.






Luke and I set out to complete our storyboard and filled in locations, angles/movements and camera shots.
We then drew basic ideas of what the shots may look like and any dialogue was also included.


Ideas and the Script for my Preliminary Task.

Today we began writing the script for our preliminary task, we were asked to use a few simple lines of dialogue
as the content is not very important.

Together Luke and I discussed possible Ideas, including how to film for the task,which locations and Actors to use and possible dialogue.

Target grade

On a side note, I found out that my target grade for Media Studies is a B. My Teacher advised me to aim for an A on my Planning and Research Evidence in order to take some pressure off for the exam.

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Basic camera angles and movements.

Today we were introduced to basic camera angles and movements through the use of OCR's introductory videos.




It is very helpful for me to have an understanding of these basic elements of film-making, in order to aid me in both my Preliminary and Main tasks. Using these techniques within my own work will not only improve my understanding of the effect these shots have on the audience but they will also improve my end product.

Monday 19 September 2011

3 Step process of Film Production.

In Our 14/09/11 Lesson we learned about the 3 Step process.

Step 1 - Planning/ Pre production
Step 2 - Filming/Production
Step 3 - Editing/Post production

A successful video piece will follow this 3 step process, Following these steps helps in creating an effective piece of media..I spoke with my group and discussed possible ideas for our preliminary task's script.

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Getting started

In our first lesson with Mr.Henton we were shown how to set up our blogger account and our KBA email so we can communicate with our teachers. I changed the layout and theme of my blog and set my address as "JackMooreKBA.blogspot.com"

We also set up a slide share account so that we can publish slideshows onto our blog.
Slide share is a very simple website, where presentations can be uploaded with a few clicks.I will use presentations within my research and planning evidence in order to show use of a variety of media.

We were introduced to our Preliminary task which involves story-boarding, filming and editing. The scene we'll be filming includes a character opening a door, crossing the room and sharing a few lines of dialog with another character, the video should include match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.

I'm working in a group with Luke gray for the preliminary task and the course.

Sunday 11 September 2011