Sarah Lolley
Centre Number 20704
Candidate Number 4112

Final Product: Because you were home

Evaluation

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

Our media product uses conventions of a real horror genre film, this ensures that the audience is familiar and aware of the genre of our 2 minute opening. The conventions we have incorporated within our 2 minute opening - through the use of mise-en-scene - are, a knife, mask and a isolated house. In addition the costume the antagonist is wearing mirrors the ones found in real horror films. The costume consists of dark clothing and a mask which portrays a real antagonist used in many horror genre films, making it easier for audience to identify the genre. The mask is a typical convention of a horror film, we have included it to both hide the antagonist's identity and convey horror characteristics. It adds a sense of mystery and eeriness which would make the audience feel hostile towards the character as they are unaware of who the killer is.  

The dialogue conveys a horror genre as the character we have used is a stereotypical main girl who is portrayed as a confident person but is shaken when the antagonist breaks into the house and we express this through the dialogue she uses. The dialogue the foster parents used is mysterious and leaves the audiences aware that something is not quite right - this would put the audience on edge.The storyline challenges conventions of a 'traditional' or 'predictable' horror film because the antagonist is revealed to be the foster parent which is a mysterious twist and makes the film more exciting to audiences, the dialogue and body language the characters use (foster parents) would make it easier for audiences to question who the antagonist is as they would be aware of the foster parent's suspicious behaviour.

The location is open and empty setting the right atmosphere for the opening scene. The main character (Becky) is left alone within the house which is unsettling to the audiences when a point of view shot is shown of someone from outside watching her. This situation promotes horror characteristics as it builds tension by isolating the character further in an empty house with little defences.

To develop our film further we considered the use Micro and Macro features in our product to develop the forms and conventions of real media products of the horror and comedy genre. The sound/music we incorporated into the product helped enhance the genre we are trying create. We used tension building music to build an atmosphere when Becky answered the telephone to a unknown caller. We also used dramatic tension music when Becky (protagonist) was being attacked by the antagonist to create the ideal dramatic scene successfully. It is important to use these features to generate the most successful scenes and accomplish the correct mood for the scene.

We drew inspiration from two real media products, the horror films, 'Scream' and 'The Strangers.'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFCStOMqpfk We used the opening of scream as a guideline of what we would like our opening to be like.

There are certain elements within our film that mirror those found in the film 'Scream'. These elements include the main character answering the telephone to an unknown caller; however the scene differs slightly because in 'Scream' the caller has a conversation with the character, in contrast to our film where Becky (main character) answers the phone to silence which builds up tension and leaves audiences unsettled. (add pictures)

Overall, we have challenged and developed conventions that are usually found in real media products through the use of micro and macro features. The non diegetic music is parallel to what we want to achieve from the scenes, i.e. to build tension within the scene we have used tension building music. We have also used a variety of camera angles, shots and movements to capture the ideal scenes, this has made certain that the story we are explaining is represented correctly.


How does your media product represent a particular social group?

The main character in the film is an ordinary teenager who is confident and independent. Becky's background is troubled and you discover that she is adopted by two other characters within the film. This breaks down stereotypical and ideal family types usually used in films and shows a contrasting element which makes the film have more depth and meaning. The social group that the film represents is of teenagers because Becky is a young adult who is independent and willingly to be. She is portrayed as having a slight attitude as she is reading the magazine and acting in a normal teenage way. Becky is seen making a pizza and she feels as if she will have a relaxing night however this was ironic because she is actually about to have the worst night of her life. Teenage audience would be able to relate to Becky as she is portrayed as an average teenager with the same interests and fears. The dialogue is the same as what other teenagers would say to make it easier and more identifiable for teenagers to see similarities with themselves and Becky. 

With reference to social class our media product would represent a middle class family as the characters have values and norms which are found in a middle class family, the foster parents use an elaborated language and dress smartly which portrays a high professional image. Which makes various audiences easy to relate to them or aspire to be like them (until they discover they are the antagonists).

In conclusion, our film represents a range of social groups from a middle class sector to a teenager group with the characters and storyline we have created. This would make it increasingly easier for audiences to relate to our film which would promote popularity.




What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Our film would be a low budget British film which not many media institutions would distribute. However Vertigo Films would cater for our media product as they specialise in distributing low budget films. This company would help the distribution of our media product in order for it to gain maximum success and create vast profits from our film.

In 2007, Vertigo Films collaborated with Film 4 and Myspace to successfully create MyMovieMashup- it created the worlds first user generated film through Myspace users. The film received incredible feedback from the film industry, media and consumers. With this I believe that MyMovieMashup would be interested in the distribution our media product, as I believe that MyMovieMashup had a pre-targeted audience (Myspace users) similar to our media product. We predetermined that our target audience would be similar to our age group so we were sure of the conventions that would be suitable for this target audience.

I also believe that a multi-platform release would be well suited for our media product, similar to their previous film 'Faintheart' which was released on DVD, in cinemas and available to download at the same time. This gave audiences more choice in how to consume the film through different types of media (watching it on television, watching it on a computer or even watching it on a mobile phone) which consequently generated larger audiences because they would be more likely to watch the film if they had a variety of choice on how and when to watch it. Therefore, a multi-platform release would be the best option for our media product to gain ultimate success.



Who would be the audience to your media product?

Personally, I believe that our film would attract a more female based audience because the storyline we have is quite feminine and the main character is a strong female even though she is young she is still portrayed as independent because of her troubled past being in care and just recently being adopted by what she thought was a loving family who would finally love her for who she is. This sensitive and emotional storyline would attract a female audience because they are more open to watching sensitive films, stereotypically.

However, our media product would attract a teenage audience because they would identify with Becky as she is a teenager with normal teenage problems and fears. The body language and speech she uses mirrors one from average teenager. Aspects, such as, cooking pizza, having an attitude and reading magazines are all character traits normal teenagers use and have which makes it easier for younger audiences to relate to her and her way of thinking. However, many audiences who enjoy watching horror films will also enjoy our film as the conventions we have used will make it enjoyable for them too. Our media product has a dramatic, unlikely storyline which is an oppostion to what you would usually find in a real media product of a horror genre, this would be enjoyable for most audiences to watch because it is something that is different.

Due to the age certificate of the film- which would be more likely to be '15' or '12'- it reduces the audiences that can watch our film, making it certain that the target audiences be teenagers and adults. The age certificate would be given because of the iconography and conventions we have used within the opening, such as, a knife. Also the body language and positioning of the characters in the frame award the opening with a higher age certificate because they represent violence and deviant behaviour which is unsuitable for younger audiences.

Therefore there would be a number of possible audiences that could be the potential target audience, such as, a teenage audiences, female or adult audiences due to various elements and conventions that are included within our media product.



How did you attract/address your audience?

Audiences would be attracted to our film because of many reasons. Firstly the storyline is a unique and has a mysterious twist which avoids 'copycat' or 'predictable' story lines developed by real media products. This would make audiences more approachable towards our film as the storyline is different and they may be more willingly to watch our film because of this.

Male audiences would be interesting in watching our film because of the connotation that it is 'macho' to watch a scary horror film in order to be masculine. Alternatively they may watch our media product because of it's sex appeal. The use of an attractive main character would make it more likely that male audiences would be enticed to watch the film, increasing audiences. According to Sociologist, Wood (1993) teenagers may use horror films to gratify their needs for excitement. Which supports the view that both genders, male and female, may use our media product to revive their excitement needs. The conventions in our media product will gratify their needs. Our film has qualities that will build tension, such as, the protagonist recieving a call from and mysterious caller, also the protagonist is watched by the antagonists through a window. Excitement is recieved when the antagonist attacks the protagonist on the stairs with a knife.

With reference to the 'Uses and Gratification Model' there are basic needs in which we have which we watch films and television. Firstly it can be used as 'diversion', whereby using media helps us escape from our problems and stresses. Watching our horror film can be used as curing theropy to prevent violence in society by using horror films to release the anger. Another need is 'personal relationships' meaning that the audiences have more knowledge about the characters and less knowledge about people in their lives. The third is 'personal identity' this is when audiences use media products to help them cope with parts of their identity. For example, teenagers would relate to Becky and her problems because they are similar to their own. Lastly 'surveillance' they use media products to obtain information about the social world. This supports the view that audiences should find it of importance to relate to the characters within the film.

Overall the conventions and storyline our media product consists of has aimed to attract the audiences which we have aimed to target. The genre of film itself has a target audience in which we have tried to meet, this has made our film more successful as we have taken into consideration factors, such as, the age, class and gender of our audience. By knowing the the target audiences we have ensured that the media product is popular with them.



Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the proggression from it to the full product?

When completing our premliminary task we had little experience with acting, camera work and editing which meant that our final product was lacking in quality. Since this experience we have grown in confidence and experience with the elements filming and editing involve.

                                                                        Close-ups

                                                                      Match on action

                                                             Point of view shot

Firstly, I have expanded my knowledge in the number and vairety of different shots, e.g. medium shots, shot reverse shot, close-ups, panning etc. When filming our preliminary task we only used a limited amount of camera shots/angle/movements, such as, medium shot, over the shoulder, match on action. In contrast in a our full product we have used and increasing variety of camera shots/angles/movements, such as, point of view shot, match on action, close up, medium shot etc. This improvement means that we have now gained a wider range of knowledge on what angles/shots/movement suit the scene we are portraying allowing us to recieve a successful media product.

I have learnt the importance of a steady fixed camera shot, recieved with a tripod - this makes filming look more proffessional to audiences. If we were to have unsteady shots the film would look unproffessional and messy to audiences, risking the popularity of the media product.

I have now had a deeper experience of using an editing suite and editing programme. With constant use of editing and filming I have recieved a more in depth understanding of how to use the programmes, this has enabled me to use more features within the programme by adding elements, such as, quality titles, transitions and faster more effective cuts.

I have a more developed skill of analysing what camera work looks effective and which needs improving and how to do this. I would need to take into consideration what the shot is trying to portray and whether it is successful in doing so e.g. a shot reverse shot would convey a conversation between characters.

Although we have improved greatly in proggression from the preliminary task to the full product we have continued using various knowledge we recieved from the preliminary task, such as, the use of a match on action and its way of conveying continuity and flow within footage. Therefore without the preliminary task we would be unaware of important elements towards filming and editing and what improvements would have to make.

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

I have learnt a vast amount about technologies from the process of contructing our media product. I have learnt how to use a digital camera effectively in order to gain the best shots which would quilify for our media product. This in turn has shorten the time in which to film, because the knowledge we have gained from the technology we are using has made it easier to work the camera, which saved time wasting because we did not have to re-film due to not being able to work the camera correctly.

I have also grown in confidence with using our film editing programme, which has been time costly and has made it easier to achieve better effects and conventions in our media product. 

Using the camera we have been able to gain different camera angles which apply to scene they are used in. For example in many scenes we have tried to portray an emotion from the character which as the director I hope the audience picks up on. Becky is worried and cautious of someone outside, we have conveyed this by filming a close up of her emotional face peering behind her. Also, Jackie (foster parent) facial expressions are shown to build tension within the footage by crosscutting her Jackie's facial expression and the Becky (foster daughter) being killed by the antagonist. A close up Jackie is shown conveying a worried, desperate and anxious face as she is waiting for her husband to return after killing their foster daughter. (The images below and above portray this).

Through the use of our editing programme we have been able to cut, merge and rearrange clips in order to create the ideal media product. The technology available allowed us to add a variety of elements and improve upon our footage. We were able to add music to the clips to ensure that tension is being built whenever needed. Volume levels could be selected, so if  the music on one clip needed to be higher this could be achieved, this was important when the music needed to reduce slowly and not abrutly - as this would sound too harsh.

Therefore throughout the proggress of contructing and creating our media product there have been many elements I have learnt concerning techology which have conqeuently gave me more confidence in creating mine and my partner's ideal 2 minute opening of a horror film.



Planning: Cast List

Fiona Robertson as Becky: We have chosen Fiona as she has previous experience acting and is confident in front of the camera. She is comfortable with her role and what it consists of, we are happy that she is willing to complete this role as she is the ideal actor for Becky's character.


Ben Carlin as David: We have chosen Ben as we believe he is confident when it comes to acting and will take filming seriously. He can adapt to the role easily and is able to produce characteristics which are suitable for David's personality.

Planning: Call Sheets

These are the call sheets we created in order to be familiar and aware of the days in which we were going to film. It contains information about what are going to film on what days, what actors/actresses we would need and what props we would need.


It helps maintain organisation and avoids time wasting which initially should equal to better quality footage because of the preparation we endured.

Planning: Storyboard

This is the story board Melissa and I produced as a imaged guideline of what each scene will consist of. It shows the stages in which the story develops and explains what shots and angle we will use in order to get the best quality scene. This will support us throughout filming because if we are unsure of a scene we can refer back to this as advice.
Some scenes have hidden meanings which we use to explain further what they are. For example in one scene we have tried to explain the separation and isolation between Becky and her foster parents by filming them in separate shots.

Planning: Shooting Script

These are the Shooting Scripts. This allows us to negotiate what scenes we will film and how to go about it. It gives us further ideas and preferences so that when we do shoot we can use this a guideline and refer to it when needed. This will avoid confusion and hopefully time wasting, to ensure a successful film.

Planning: Group & Job Roles

We have decided that the roles I will pursue will be both the director and actor. I was given the role of director as I have previous experience of being a director and I work well on the job. 

I have chosen these roles as I have clear thoughts and a good imagination on what I want from the scenes, where the best settings would be for each scene, what I want from the actors/actresses, what looks creative and what I want my character to be like. I am also confident in acting to I wont find acting challenging. I am confident that I will commit to both of these roles and strive to successful footage.

We have decided that Melissa will take on the role of the camera operator. We both decided that it would be the right decision in continuing her role as she is well suited to it. Melissa has previous experience of working a camera and is sure, as I am, what angles are suitable for the scene. Melissa has also said that she will act on set as 'Steph', this is a new experience for Melissa but I believe she has the ability and confidence to successfully portray the character.

Both Melissa and I have decided to take equal reponsibility in editing the footage and completing various roles, such as, script writing.

Planning: Props List

This is the Props List. It contains costume, make-up and props lists so that we are sure of which to use. This list verifies what we need to organise for the film, which products we need to buy. For example, the mask we need to purchase from a shop we have already looked in and discovered. The costumes we have already decided and have told are actors to wear to fit into the role easily and portray the ideal character.
The make-up is natural looking for the mother and father because we want them to portray a older sophisticated image, whilst we prefer 'Becky' to look like a typical teenagers so she would have to wear a bit more make-up.

Planning: Shot List

This is the shot list. This was created in order for us to understand what camera shots/angles/movements we are going to use when filming our 2 minute opening horror film. It can be used as a reminder of how we want our film to be edited, to recieve a sure defined outcome that we are happy with.

Planning: Script

This is the script. This will help us identify what the characters in our film have to do and say. This organisation will save time and effect from both my partner and I and the actors.
The dialogue we have used throughout the film is well suited to the characters. For example 'Becky' has the role of the main character or is potentially the protagonist, she has been given typical traits of a teenager which make the character more believable. We hope with this we will attract a target audience of young teenagers to young adults.

Planning: Initial Ideas Mindmap

To the left is our initial planning mindmap which my partner and I created so that we could express and compliment our ideas towards our main task. Using the mindmap we conducted ideas about the storyline which branched to other areas, such as, costume and mise en scene. By completing this mindmap we were able to decide on what the sub-genre of the film was and how best to represent it. The mindmap helped to conclude our ideas and discover which were correct and eliminate those that were not suitable.

Location

This is the chosen location for our horror film. We have chosen this location because it is a modern family home that facilitates for our needs in the film (kitchen, living room, stairs and a garden). This modern home reflects the modernised storyline about adoption. The house has the right amount of space to both film and have various rooms to change to if the current room is not right. Also we have the time available to film there and do not have a limited amount of time in which to finish, this enables us to gain a good number of shots that we can choose between.

To conduct further research I handed out 20 questionnaires to collect information on people's opinions about the horror genre.

I asked questions such as: 'What is your favourite horror film?' And 'What is your favourite sub-genre?'
These answers gave us information concerning the most popular genres there are between the age groups and genders.

I have strongly been advised by the research I have found and I believe that the horror genre is very popular within the ages. The subgenres that seem to be most popular are splatter or supernatural. The subgenre my partner and I have chosen is slasher as this genre is surprising, grusome and frightening.

Research: Target Audience - Secondary Research

I conducted some research in order to further my knowledge about the horror genre. I came across this bar chart when searching.

The bar chart explains that most females in horror films usually last until the end, this reinforced the idea of the Final Girl Theory and that the girl is portrayed as brave. Men who are normally portrayed as intellegent however quite cowdily are used as stock characters.

Therefore there are various characters that are stereotypical used as stock characters in horror films and are generally killed off early in the film.

Research: Target Audience for Horror Films

The target audience is the audience that the film is aimed at, the audience that is most likely to watch the film.

For example, fantasy films are aimed at families and children mainly, whereas comedies are aimed at a wider audience which depends on the age certificate of the film. The target audience needs to be established when producing a opening of a two minute film, the director must know what type of audience they are aiming it at. Horror films tend to attract a teenage audience because they relate with the teenage characters within the film, the characters are often dealing with teenage based situations which the target audience can relate to. The target audience also watch horror genre films because of the rush and excitement it gives them. Many feel proud at a young age to have watched a horror film because of the elements of terror and fear a horror film produces. A horror film would be typically aimed at male teenagers because of the masculine stereotype they are trying to portray- fearless to anything.

Film makers should be aware of the target audience their film is aimed at, with this verified they can narrate the film to complete the demands of that target audience. The target audience for my film would be a teenage audience. To ensure I relate to this target audience I will use a teenager for the main character and protagonist in my film. The storyline can relate to a teenage audience because of the speech and body language the protagonist will use and the issues she is dealing with.



Research: Horror Film Opening Case Study 2- Saw 2

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The opening scene displays a point of view shot of a bright bulb and the character's vision is distorted as he tries to identify where he is. A diegetic sound which is chilling and parallel to the mood can be heard which makes audiences tense and suspicious. The limited lighting in the isolated room conveys that the character is builds suspense as both the audience and the character is unsure of the location. The point of view shot its cast upon a mirror which shows a man in a dangerous metal contraption in which he needs to escape. The character is frightened as he is aware that he may be in serious danger if he is not rescued or he does not escape, this dilemma makes the audiences feel nervous as the prop used looks highly dangerous and unidentifiable to any sane human. The fast editing shows fear and delusion from the protagonist and he becomes increasing the fearful of his life. Diegetic screams and cries from the man can be heard, this iconography of both the contraption and narrative identify the genre of horror further. Jump cuts of the man's face reflect the confusion and desperation the character is feeling. A close up the mask which is also attached to the man, has sharp spikes on it, this reveals the further iconography the film uses to make the audience aware of what genre of film they are watching. An image of a man disguised in a clown mask appears on a television screen which identifies who the antagonist is and that he wants to 'play a game'. A close up of the antagonist is shown and the sharp features of the mask is frightening to viewers and may make them feel uncomfortable. The contraption is identifies as a 'Death Mask' by the antagonist. The cuts flash quickly as the protagonist understands what his task involves, the description is disturbing and what he has to do will cause him major pain. This is made aware by the facial expressions and body language of anxiety and fear the protagonist produces. A close up a timer is shown which builds up tension to the audience because he has a limited time in which to escape death. The use of mise en scene verifies the tension and fear the character is going through, the audiences sympathises with the character and are anxious to discover whether he will escape.

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The iconography used in the film helps audiences identify the genre of the film. The mask that the antagonist uses to cover his identify is a iconic feature that the audience associates with the horror genre. Also the 'Death Mask' is a weapon that will create violence and blood in the film which is another iconic feature of a horror film. The opening of 'Saw 2' is effective because it effectively reintroduces the antagonists in a quick way and begins with violence, blood and gore in the few opening minutes. Through the point of view shot and the quick edits the location is identified as a claustrophobic, isolated room, this iconic feature makes audiences feel isolated too as they connect with the tramours the character is going through. It builds up suspense by the use of the task which has to be completed within a time limit. This creates more anxiety towards audiences because the character is in a life or death situation. The way in which the antagonist captures his victims may interest or provoke audiences to continue watching to discover what other traps the antagonist may create.

Research: Horror Film Opening Case Study 1 - Scream

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The opening consists of a non-diegetic sound of a phone ringing while the title of the film is displayed, along with this the audience can hear screams which give inclination that the genre of the film is horror. There is a close up of the phone which creates mystery to who is calling on the telephone. A tracking shot of a girl answering the phone appears and the audience is introduced to the first character, who appears to be confident, polite and sweet as the audience hears her speak her opening lines. The character is both female and blonde which indicates a typical victim that horror films represent as they are portrayed as easy targets for the antagonist. She begins to walk away only to be interrupted by a off-screen sound of the telephone ringing again, a close up of the main character's face shows suspicion and tension which builds on to audiences.  The edits are slow paced and range between mid shots to close ups. An establishing shot of the house shows isolation and loneliness, it verifies that the character is alone and will be at higher risk of danger. Within the opening all diegetic sounds are overpowering, and louder than they should be, this effect builds anxiety to audiences and makes views jump. A knife is used as a prop playfully as the character talks in a friendly tone to the mystery caller. This shows an opposition within the film because the character is using a weapon - that is usually used by the antagonist to kill - to play with. A tracking shot behind the main character creates the image that somebody is walking behind her or watching her while she is on the phone. In the garden when looking outside the character sees mist in which creates tension and mystery because the caller has just frightened her. Her body language becomes hostile and she begins to lock all the doors because she is suspicious of the caller. The popcorn increasingly getting bigger in size resembles the climax in the film, she is coming to terms that the caller may put her in danger. The setting is in a modern, spacious home which reveals that the antagonist could be in any part of the house without the protagonist knowing. The low key lighting is particulalry effective in establishing the sinister mood of the scene it also allows shadows to be cast over the protagonist.

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The genre of 'Scream' is easily indentifiable by just the first opening seconds of the film because the title of the film is shown in bloody lettering and the non-diegetic sounds of screams and slashing of weapons can be heard. These iconic features shout out to audiences that the genre is horror. The symbolic scence in which the protagonist plays innocently with a knife while talking the antagonists reflects the film sub genre: Slasher.
The narrative mainly consists of an innocent phone call from a mystery caller; however the mood changes as the caller reveals, 'I want to know who I am looking at.' This alerts the protagonist that she may not be alone and makes the audience anxious as to who the mystery caller is. The opening to 'Scream' is effective because it builds up suspense slowing by using camera angles, diologue and music. The scary voice on the phone builds tension and as the scene progresses the antagonist is slowly revealed which shocks the audiences and gurrentees them to continue watching to discover what will happen next.

 

Research: Sub-Genres & Hybrids

Sub-genres are simply genres within genres, such as, romantic comedy. In the horror genre there are sub genres, such as, Splatter films which contain exssesive amounts of blood and gore (such as Saw). The antagonist almost always uses a knife to kill his victims with (such as Scream). Therefore these films must use conventions of both genres. The sub-genre I have chosen to shoot is a slasher as they are exciting to watch, which will gurreentee action in the opening scene.

A hybrid is refered to as two films merged together. This can be explained by the British film, Shaun of the Dead (2004), the writer, Simon Pegg claimed it to be a rom-zom-com he explains that the film has elements of each category (romance, comedy and zombie). This particular hybrid is about a man that wants to win his ex-girlfriend back, while trying to combat the dead which are coming back to eat the living.

Research: Characteristics of a horror film

To research into the horror genre, I have conducted some primary research observations into the types of characteristics that seem to be present in a number of horror genre films:

1) CHARACTERS -  these characters are those you would expect to find in the genre:

The Antagonist: this is the villain or bad character in the film, who terrorises the protagonist/friends/community, they usually use iconic weapons, such as, knifes and usually use brutal violence within horror films. An example of a Antagonist is presented in the image on the left, this is from the film 'Halloween'. This particular antagonist uses various weapons and violence to eliminate victims.

The Protagonist: the victim/good character this often a female character, also known as the ‘final girl’. This character is expected to last untill the end of the film and sometimes defeat the antagonist, so the protagonist must be brave and independent. An example of this is the film 'Creep', the final girl is portrayed as brave, idenpendant and ambitious. She attacks the antagonist and manages to escape from him.

The Helper: often the character that advices the protagonist but eventually does get killed by the antagonist to create tension within the film.

Monster Fodder/Stock Characters: these the victims of the victim/killer (antagonist) they are killed off to build tension the film and build a sense of terror. These are often called the stock characters who do not have much character development because they are killed off quickly.

2) ICONOGRAPHY- these are features that horror films used to make it easy for the audience to indentify what the genre is. These are often portrayed through icononic features, such as, knife and blood which the antagonist is responsible of.

3) SETTINGS- there are many types of settings that the horror genre uses, it is normally place in which is fearful and creates terror to people. For example a type of setting is an isolated one, this setting is a place which is hard for the protagonist to escape (such as The Strangers). Another example is a dystopian urban city where there has been some sort of disaster (such as 28 Days Later), it appears that often it is a city that has been deserted because of fears of a unseen menance (antagonist/s). This create uncertainty between protagonist and they often hide away to make plots to try and survive escape the city. These types of settings create tension towards the audience as these settings create the fear of the unknown.

Research: My Chosen Genre

After much deliberation, my partner and I have chosen the horror genre for the 2 minute opening of a film. I believe that this genre can be easy portray with conventions, such as, iconography (knifes and weapons). The horror genre therefore can be easily identified by audience because of the conventions that horror films use, making it assessable to make a success film.

The image on the left can be identified as a horror genre because of the micro features used in it's image. For example, the antagonists are all wearing masks which is portrayed as a horror iconography. The positioning of the characters is also significance because the antagonists have a dominating presence over the victims which are lower (sitting down) in the image, this authority shows that they have power of the victims. Also the wording they use is important in explaining why an audience can identify the horror genre because the title is written in a Gothic font, and the title itself: 'the strangers' shows mystery towards the events that would happen within the film.
The target audience for the horror genre is mainly teenagers and adult audiences because of the characters they use are normally young and this makes teenage audiences easy to relate to them. To further reason my choice in genre is that I am a teenager and tend to watch and enjoy many horror films so I have a diverse range of ideas from previous films I have watched. Also, I have a connection with peers the same age as I and slightly older of which I can access further information and views of different types of horror films. This makes it easier to access research and conduct theories about the types of conventions that work best in horror films.

We have discovered and created ideas that have generated from the horror films, 'The Strangers' and 'Scream' - particularly 'Scream' as we are fond of the idea of a phone call from the antagonist previous to the attack to create anxiety and mystery. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFCStOMqpfk We have analyse the way in which the character is portrayed within the film and desire to create a character similar to this one.

The planning I will conduct previous to filming my horror film is to research into different views age groups carry about horror films through a questionnaire. I will also analyse different effective horror film openings to further the ideas I originally carry concerning my horror film opening.

Research: Case Study 2- Effective Film Openings- Borat

MICRO FEATURES

The filming is documentary styled as the camera tracks and shows point of view shots. The mise en scene is of a poor, deprived country. The audience can identify this by the setting and props used in the opening scene. The setting displays poor housing and an untidy environment, the props are basic and no recent technology is presented that could represent wealth. the costumes they wear are poor dirty clothes, the main character is wearing a suit but it look old and cheap which indentifies that he is poor.  Non Diegetic, parallel music is played, the music is parallel because it is traditional Kagistan music, which is the fictional country the film is set in. The music enables the audience to identify further with characters and come to terms with the culture of the country the film is representing. There is natural lighting which identifies the time of day in which the scene is set.

MACRO FEATURES 

The story line is indentifable within the few opening minutes of the film; it is clear that the story line is documentry styled detailed of the events and culture of both the main character and the place he lives, Kagistan.

Borat is a bit weird and evidently living in a poor country because the town is mainly shack dominated and untidy. We know who his family is and what they are like from the opening of the film, they are all portrayed in an odd way that facisinates the audience because it is such a contrasting culture to many of the audiences that watch this film. The target audience would vary for this film but is mainly promoted to older adult audiences because of the age certificate and sexual and violent references in the film.  We know it is a comedy because of the main character, he expresses himself in commical way in which the audience would find amusing. The language they use and the behaviour they display is odd and can is commical which further proves this as a clear comedy.
The opening is effective and would easily determine who the film would appeal to and who would not be sure. The story line and behaviour used some viewers would find affensive, making the film quite conserversial.

Research: Effective Film Openings- Case Study 1- The Emperor's New Groove

MICRO FEATURES

The opening shot displays lighting that is dark and dull; the lighting used, reflects the mood of the film. At this point the audiences are able to make out a back lit silhouette of a llama, audiences are now aware of at least one of the characters in the film. From this first scene the audience can establish that the target audience for this film would be generally children and families.The non-diegetic music is interrupted by a non-diegetic voice over of the narrator who explains that he used to be the emperor until he was turned into a llama, this insight explains to audiences what the plot of the film is and will determine whether audiences will continue to view the film. The font used in the opening of the credits is gold, this reflects the wealth and fortune that the main character has (or used to have). The mood changes as a flashback appears in bright colours and lettering, while upbeat music is being sung by Tom Jones. This adds a comical aspect because the Emperor has his own singer who appears during the opening credits and shows a contrasting happier mood to the previous duller mood.

MACRO FEATURES

From the begining of the film, the genre and target audience can be easily identified. The film falls in a animation category which generally attracts a family based audience. As with the genre of the film it is clear that it is a comedy, because of the comical speech the characters use and the fact that storyline consists of a talking llama. The genre of this film can help generate a wider audience, with this film being a comedy it can attract an older audience because of it's commical and amusing features.

Introduced to characters who of which are depressed in the begining but as the mood changes to a fun one so do the characters. This develops the story because you identify both the narrative and character at this stage, making the audience be drawn in and want to continue to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CmEqtPOFFw&feature=related 

Research: What makes an effective opening to a film?

There are two ways in which to produce an effective horror opening; this is by using Micro and Macro features which are mainly focused around narrative and genre. Macro Features consist of genre features like iconography (knifes, masks, blood etc), characters (protagonists/antagonists), setting, themes and narrative features; whereas Micro Features are the technical aspects of the film, such as, sound, lighting,editing etc. These aspects must be eye catching and effective to make it memorable to the audience. The camera angles, sounds and lighting can be used to set the mood of the genre and give a sense of danger from the antagonist's character.
At the begining of a film it is important for the audience to establish what the storyline is and who the characters are. Filmmakers can achieve this by making it clear what is happening in the film and involving the main characters in the storyline first so they are easily estabilished.  The characters you would expect to find in a horror film are:

• The Antagonist- this is the villain or bad character in the film.
• The Protagonist- the victim/good character this often a female character, also known as the ‘final girl’.
• The Helper- often the character that advices the protagonist.
• Monster Fodder- these are the victims of the antagonist, they are killed off to build tension in the film and build a sense of terror. These are often called the stock characters who do not have much character development.

In order to attract an audience, a hook can be used, this will create a mysterious yet excitable attention from audiences and audiences will want to carry on viewing the film. The opening must also use icongraphy and features that will make it clear to audiences what the genre of the film is, this will establish who the target audience would be. For example horror films attract teenage and adult audiences, to compliment the audiences the film makers would use teenage based storylines and teenage characters to appeal to their target audience. Good effects or dramatic scenes would also appeal to audiences as they would be more likely to continue watching as they would be interested in what is happening. For example in a horror film if a person is killed brutally and bloody effects were shown, audiences would be intrigued to watch more to discover why the character is being killed.
My chosen genre is horror; I have chosen this genre as I believe it is easy to incorparate micro and macro features, such as mise en scene, into this genre of film. To the audiences the features I will use will be easily identifiable which will consquently make it easy for audiences to recognise my genre. This genre uses a vass amount of imagination and creative aspects which I can develop to make my film successful.

Main Task Brief

For the main task we were given a brief to produce a two minute opening of a film. My partner and I have chosen to produce a horror film as we think this genre is an imaginate one to produce and will generate various ideas. I work easily with my partner, Melissa, as we both have vivid imaginations, and can co-operate with one another which ideas are best suited to genre as there a specific features of which we need to consider. Both my partner and I will aquire different roles, such as, camera controller, director and actors. To prepare for the task I have researched into the conventions of a horror film and have observed effective horror openings in order to create the best opening possible.

Preliminary Task Video

Preliminary Task

For our Preliminary Task we had a small set of brief objectives to achieve. The main aim of the task was to film an actor entering a room (match on action, shows continuity), converse with a second actor in that room then finally the actor leaves. However we must film a match on action shot, use the 180 rule (keeping the camera on side of the imagery line) and film shot reverse shot (in order to gain clear imagery of the conversation. theactors are having). After viewing the footage I believe we successfully did this. Previously we had to create a storyboard for each step in the film, I drew the images needed to explain and Melissa helped annotate. After completing the story board we began looking for a location to shoot. After a long diliberation we decided to shoot the task in school as it was effient location that had good lighting, so we began to film.
We decided on the roles we would pursue when filming; Jade and Melissa took upon the task of Director and Camera Lady, while Charlotte and myself were actors. Each member of the group was very strong within their roles, Melissa partically learnt some valiable knowledge from her camera work that would consqeuently help her with the rest of the course, her camera work was slightly shakey if the task was to be completed a second time I would advice to use a Tripod.
If we was to complete the task a second time I would look to improve on the following aspects:
- Use a tripod to gain less shakey camera work.
- Shoot a better selection of clips so that we have a choice in what to use and what to dismiss.
- Spend less time on deciding on what location to shoot in.