from Donna

Can you all

Attend workshops this week to catch up! Baris you are really behind!
Add some talk to camera footage to your blog
Add your edited prelim and some examples of your editing
Start adding some of the films that have influenced you, that you might use as a basis for your thrillers


see you thursday

Donna

Room 333 - PRELIM

Group 28

Short film opening: Room 333

This was our preliminary excerise, during this we had to formulate a story board similar to the one we would use when making our thriller. It also gave us a chance to put the 180 degrees rule into action and to understand the amount of headspace is required for different shots. Also we became familiar with the different title sequences we could use. As the duration of the clip is quite short, when we were cutting we had to be very straight to the point this will also help us to use the shots we actually need rather then letting it drag along, as our thriller is really short, this was also great practise! 

Film genre and sub-genre’s

These days there are a wide variety of different thrillers that work with many different genres’s making a film with a sub-genre.

Firstly thriller itself is a genre of film which is too creates suspense, tension and excitement all to make the audience be on the edge of their seat, just waiting to see what happens next. Thrillers are good at working with the audiences moods and can shape the audiences emotions in order to make that sudden surprise even more of a surprise!

The thriller genre is unique because it doesn’t constrict a film to have a basic outline or principle which means it can very easily fit in with almost all of the other genres. This also means they can have a number of sub genres. Sub genres is another genre mixed into the main genre and almost every film has them.

Examples are:

comedy thriller: 

thrillers which also have a funny side to them

kindergarten cop

action thriller

one of the most popular types

‘intime’

romance:

 he loves me, he loves me not

Mystery:

another very popular sub genre

 the usual suspect

From this research i can say that there are a lot of sub genres which caught my attention and that i would watch, but for our film opening personally I think that horror would be a very good sub genre to base it around. 

My reasons are because I feel that they can create tension and suspense very well, another reason is because it has a variety of target audiences including teenagers and horror is very popular. A horror thriller could be very fun to film and we could use a wide Variety of shots and effect and also be very creative. The horror I think would be a good example is the SAW franchise because it’s very popular and I believe we can mimic the atmosphere in the films.

SAW

Filming the Prelim

These are a couple pictures from when we filmed our prelim excersize! We had an hour and a bit to get the whole thing filmed, we managed time perfectly with the help of our story board.

Arlington road inc Soundtrack Feedback

Our Arlington Road clip came out alright considering it was our first time proper edit. As we did manage to put all the clips together even though we found it quite tricky at the begininng and we think that our order of the clips were correct. When we went out recording the foley sounds for this clip of Arlington Road we realsied we needed the camera shutter open as we didnt know whether we were recording or not. We recorded the sounds of the traffic outsideas there was cars in the actual scene. Footsteps for the boy in the clip. Heavy breathing and few wind blowing shots. It was quite hard to put the foley sound into the clip and make it in sync with the shots however we did manage alright with it and it did turn out pretty good. Most of it was in synce and it did add a good effect. We only managed to get the beginning done because there wasnt enough time but so far considering this is one of out first lesson on it we think it worked well.

Title sequence we found pretty easy and quick to do, however making realistic names did take long which shouldnt have as we thought it was wasting time. The reason why we found it easy is because we were getitng famillair with the software Final Cut Pro and it all was starting to make sense to us. Next time we could add effect to the title sequence making it look good and effective.

For the future we learnt that we would need to work faster in order to get everything finished and looking good. We would need a plan of where everything may go and where it would look best so we are not wasting any time trying to look for sounds that we think would look good with our clips.

ROOM 333

Arlington Road inc Soundtrack

Tufael: whats going on baris!

Baris: nothing much caj tings

Tufael: yeah yeah i hear that
wasup Sabina, Nadia

Nadia: are any of you lot coming media workshop?

Sabina: yeah you?

Baris: yeah i am definitely

Tufael: see you all there

health and safety

Health and safety tutorial

We were given a lesson on how to safely use the filming equipment and how to get the best quality when filming. The camera we used during this lesson was the JVC GY-HM100; we used this camera to get a very professional finish to what we film. Before filming we were shown the many functions the camera had including how to get a sharp image, the menu section, settings and how to record, and what the various buttons and slots on the camera did. As well as learning this we were also told to take care whilst handling the camera as it cost a lot of money and to make sure it doesn’t get damaged, we were also told that if the camera and other equipment was lost or stolen we as a group were responsible.

First we were shown how to correctly insert the battery into the camera, you insert the battery into the slot next to the scope of the camera, and once the battery was in properly a click sound will tell you the battery has locked into position.

Next we were shown how to insert the memory card, this was important because it will hold all of our work and with out it we will have issues filming. We were shown the slot in which the card goes located at the bottom left of the camera and had two slots (slot A and slot B) we were then shown how to record onto the camera and told that each scene was saved separately so there was no risk on filming on top of footage.

 Next we were shown the tripod which will help us get a stable image and will let us film in ease. After showing how to use the tripod safely we were told that if the tripod is not in the correct position it could make our footage come out bend and ruin it. After this we were shown how to mount the camera onto the tripod and to make sure it is on properly or the camera may fall off. To do this you have to slide the camera until it locks onto position.

After we were shown how to use the camera we were shown different camera shots and angles we can use and how the functions on the camera will help us to do this, one example was the zoom function, we were advised not to use it because it made the footage look tacky and rushed.

At the end of all this we were given a health and safety form to sign saying that we are aware on how to use the camera and the risks of not using it properly and that we are responsible for ALL the equipment. 

from Donna

Tufael and Baris you only have 11 blog entries can you see me urgently! Can you stay please go to workshop this week and catch up.

As a group can you produce a 'talk to camera' on your phones and upload this on your blog.

Your talk to camera should 'talk about' your experience and learning curve of applying titles and sound to the Arlington Road footage. You should also put a couple of lines of text under your actual title sequence and sound photos to anchor them.

Thanks

Donna

Arlington sound track photo's

This is our foley sound recordings for our Arlington road remake, we recorded the sounds in the streets and got baris to scream "help" a few times.

Practice Sequence Arlington Road

Genre and subgenre

Genre refers to the category in which the film belongs. Examples of genre maybe horror, thriller and comedy ETC. A subgenre is a break down of the category and gives a deeper insight to what the film is about for example romantic comedy/ action thriller. By looking at film posters recognising key signifiers helped us guess what genre the film belonged to without knowing before hand.

Unfaithful

Key signifiers in this poster are the women lying on the man in a very sexualised manner. So it may suggest romance. And the other man on top seems as if there is a love triangle between the characters which may suggest drama.

The actual genres this film falls into are romance/ thriller/ drama.












Dream House

Key signifiers in this are first of all the two girls. Children are normally seen in a playful light, but the way in which their faces are not visible suggest a thriller. Also the reason to why they are camouflaged with the wall leaves us in a state of mystery.

The actual genres this film falls into are drama/mystery/thriller. 

Intertexuality

Intertexaulity is a term used to describe when films "borrow" aspects of different films and interpret it into their own film. We watch a clip of Pyscho and then watched 4 other clips from different films and recognised aspects that were "borrowed" from Pyscho.

What Lies beneath

- Women that is paralysed and then drowned.

Aspects borrowed from Pyscho are
-The shower head
-A female victim in the bathtub
-The same simple white plain curtain
-The sound of the shower in the background is also the same.

Fatal Attraction

A women falls in love with a man whose married. This obsession becomes "fatal" as she then tries to kill his wife. The husband comes to the rescue and drowns the women, when the women awakes she is then shot by the wife.

Aspects borrowed from Pyscho are
- The knife used. The type of knife use is almost identical to the one used in Pyscho.
                                     - When the women is shot she slides down the bathroom tiles the same way the women in Pyscho died.
                                     - White bathtub
                                     -Same plain white shower curtain
                                     - Bathrobe worn by the wife is similar to the one worn by the women in Pyscho.

                                     The Stepfather
                                   
                                     Aspects borrowed from Pyscho
                                     -The way in which the shower curtains falls off its hooks is similar to Pyscho
                                    - The sliding on the bathroom riles when dying
                                    -The same knife is used again
                                    - White tiles, bathtub and shower curtain are the same.

         

Holiday homework. Thriller: Insidious

Insideious


Insideious is about a family consisting of a mother, father and their 3 children moving to a new house. Dalton one of the three children investigates a noise coming from the attic, he  falls of a ladder due to shock and hurts his head. The next day when the family try to wake Dalton he is not responsive, when taken to the doctors they label it as an unexplained coma. After a couple months in hospital, Dalton is moved home still in his coma, the family then realise paranormal activities in the house and decide to move to another house. But violent supernatural events take place again in the newest house. Renai Dalton's mother contacts a family friend Elise who deals with paranormal acitivties. Elise explains that Dalton has the ability to astral project while sleeping. And his unexplained coma state isn't a coma, but Dalton has travelled into a different spirtual world due to a lack of fear, he gets lost in a land called "the further" which later on his father has to rescue him from. This place is for tormented souls of the dead. The reason why his father can only save him is because he too was terrorised by tormented souls when he was younger. Josh travels to "The Further" locates his lost son and helps bring his soul back. The family are then reunited.

In Time - Thriller choice

In Time is an action/sci fi/ thriller movie that was realsed on November 1st in the UK starring Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy. In Time is literally about living time, time is everything without it you die. People stop aging by the age of 25 but it is essential to earn more time after that or they can die within a year. Living time is shown on the lower arm and thats all they need, money doesnt exist. They can give time to other people however they can also take it away. Once the clock reaches zero, they die instantly. Society is divided by the social class living in places called 'Time Zones'. The poorer people live in Dayton (ghetto) where they have to earn time to live by working, the rich people live in Greenwich (city/town) where it is luxurious and can live for centuries.

Will Salas also known as Justin Timberlake is a 28 year old factory worker living with his mum in the ghettos. One day he saves a 105 year old  millionaire from being robbed by a gang called minutemen. The millionaire suprisingly gives all his time to Will and keeps only 5 minutes to himself which he uses to fall from a bridge. After Wills mother timed out ( died) he decides to take revenge. With over a century in his clock he goes to New Greenwich where he meet Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried)  the daughter of time loaning buisness man in a casino. After Wills time is confiscated he decides to take Sylvia as a hostage and escape into the ghettos. They both dont have much time and do anything order to get as much. Eventually they both stick togther and like Bonnie and Clyde they go robbing banks for time capsules and give it to the ones in need.

This is the shot of when the Henry (Matt Bomer) the 150 year old millionaire is transferring his time to Will discreetly. I found this an intresting shot as it is an over the shoulder shot also an close up. It focuses more on the clock that is displayed on the left arm and we watch as he gives all his time to Will.

This is the shot of the  Henry Hamilton the 105 year old millionaire that fell from the bridge and Will (Justin Timberlake) looking down on him as he didnt have enough time to stop him. This is also an intresting shot as it is anover the shoulder shot aswell as an birds eye view shot, it shows exactly what Will is seeing. It also shows who is superior and who is weak at the time.

Here there are two similliar wide angle shots from different time zones (places). On the top you see New Greenwich (city/town) and on the bottom you see Drayton(ghetto). You can instantly spot the difference between the two by the setting and how they are dressed also the lighting. At the top in New Greenwhich you can see Will (Justin Timberlake) wearing a tuxedo and the people around him dressed in expensive clothes looking glamorous. The setting looks luxurious and rich as you can tell by the chandeliers and the white walls also the guests seem to be drinking champagne. However when you look at the shot at the bottom in Drayton you can also see Will wearing his unifrom and running. The setting is an industrialised place, looks like a factory and everyone is dressed in uniforms. This place is obviously not as rich as the one in New Greenwhich and this is shown through mise en scene.

OPENING

At 00.21 it mentions the distrubution company- 20th Century Fox

 

At 00.30 it ahs the logo of the company - Regency

The title is mention as 00.47. This is done in an effective way - the number 4 in 'TIME' counts down to to the number 1, like the countdown that is displayed on the left arm. 

Straight after the title it zooms out from inside cell of the skin to the clock that is displayed and then it shows the main character in the movie which is Will( Justin Timberlake). 

IN TIME TRAILER

Genre, Subgenre

Film genres were created to allocate a film into a descriptive catergory such as sci-fi, action, romance, thriller etc. A subgenre is sub category that breakes it down specifically such as romance comedy, action thriller etc. We analysed some film posters and identified the genre and sub genre by looking at the key signifiers.

Genre & Subgenre                  
Drama/ Romance/ Thriller
The key signifiers that was showing that this is a romance is the shot of the women lying on top of the topless  man. This is showing intimacy between the two. The facial expression on the mans face kind of hints out that it is drama as it is a serious look.                                                                    

    Genre & Subgenre

      Drama/ Mystery/ Thriller

The key signifiers that was showing that this is a mystery is the shot of the two girls with their backs facing towards us, as we cant see their faces it gives a sense of mystery also they are camouflaged to the wall. The colours of the posters are slighty dull and the fact that it involves children makes it seem like a thriller.

Intertexuality

Intertexuality is a term to describe the visual refrencing between films. It simply is films 'borrowing' things from each other and we as an audience notice these things such as certain camera angles, aspects of mise en scene and snippets of sound or methods of editing in some films.

As a class we watched a clip from the film 'Pyscho' and after we watched one clip from each of these films: What Lies Beneath, Fatal Attraction, The Stepfather and Succubus ( Student thriller). Whilst watching these clips we analysed what aspects have been 'borrowed' from the clip 'Pyscho'.

                           

 In the clip of 'What Lies Beneath' the husband tries to drown his paralysed wife. There has been aspects that has been borrowed from PYSCHO such as the shower head, it is the same round one, the victim in the scene is a female just like in PSYCHO. The shower curtain, white bath tub and tiles also is the same aswell as the sound of the shower is the same. Here are screen grabs showing the same shower heads from both of the clips.


                                                     

Pyscho

What Lies Beneath
 

In the clip of ' Fatal Attraction' the pyscho blonde women is trying to kill her lovers wife. There are also aspects that has been borrowed from PYSCHO like the knife that was used to kill the victim, the white bath and white tiles. They has identical curtains and bathrobe. When the psycho women is shot we see her sliding down tiles, this has also been borrowed from the clip in PSYCHO. Here are some screen grabs showing the shot of them sliding down the tiles.                                                 

                                    

Pyscho

Fatal Attraction

                                    

In this clip of ' The Stepfather' the pyscho boyfriend tries to kill his girlfriend however he does not succeed, instead the girlfriend picks up an piece from the broke mirror and puts it through his throat. The aspects thats has been borrowed in this clip from the clip PSYCHO are the curtains being pulled down, they also had the same knife and just like the others they also had white bath, tiles and curtains. We have noticed aswell that the staircase scene has been borrowed from the clip in 'What Lies Beneath'. Here are some screen grabs of the shot of the curtains being pulled down.

                                                         

Pyshco

The Stepfather

Film analysing during the holiday

                                                                When a stranger calls

When a stranger calls is a American psychological thriller film made in 2006. Based on the urban legend ''The babysitter and the man upstairs''. in the film, a teenage babysitter receives extremely threatening calls from a savage serial killer whom she assumes is a prankster.


Plot
Jill Johnson is a normal teenager. She has a boyfriend, she's a freshman in high school, a runner...But when she goes over her cell phone bill by 800 minutes her parents make her pay it off by baby sitting. She's driven to the Mandrakis' house, a rich family with 2 kids who are already asleep. but when the parents leave Jill starts getting weird calls. Sometimes the caller doesn't say anything, but when the ominous voice asks "have you checked the children?" Jill checks on them and returns only to have the caller phone again knowing she had gone upstairs. Jill freaks out and phones the police. They say they will trace the call if she can keep him on the line for more then a minute. But what the police tell her is that the killer is in the house she freaks out as the stranger is chasing her in the house. they then brawl and at the end the killer gets caught. Jill then ends up in hospital... 

This is the opening, The logo of the company

on the other end of the house phone is a lot of heavy breathing. Jill hangs up, but it keeps ringing and so she keeps answering. Who is this creep on the other end of the phone? At this point the tension starts to build up. 

This is one of the last scenes, Whilst the victim(babysitter) is getting strangled by the murderer she reached out for the remote which activates the fireside... which created a small explosion.

Film audience

Thriller audience:
Majority of thriller audiences consist of slight male screw. However cross genres open audiences up and appeal to more people. Romance thrillers have more of a female screw as it has a romantic aspect. Super natural thrillers also have a female screw.