Research and Planning: Software List

 Like AS year I have been and will continue using blogger to document all of my work throughout and after the production of my A2 coursework.

 Garageband will be used to create the soundtrack to the trailer. I will also do some experiments before the production so I know how to use the programme

 I will use iShowu to make podcasts that will include a commentary of myself talking about my work.

 As I am the editor for the trailer I will be using the programme a lot. iMovie will be where all the editing takes place to make the trailer make sense. I can pick out the best bits of film also.

Since I have used Photoshop to create my AS work I will have no problem being able to use this programme. I will produce my film poster and magazine using photoshop.

iPhoto is where all of the photos will be imported from. This programme is important as it will save all of pictures in the event that all of them get deleted from my folder.

Research and Planning: Digital Equipment

 I have been using and will continue using the Apple iMac during the production of my coursework. Programmes like Photoshop, iMovie and Garageband will be used to create work.

 I will use and SLR camera to take pictures for my film poster and magazine. Using this type of camera will ensure that my photographs are of a hight quality.

 A tripod will be used during filming to keep the camera still when needed. It will also create panning shots more smoothly.

We will be using a video camera similar to the one above to film the footage for the trailer.

Research and Planning: Half Term

After having a meeting with the rest of my group we have decided what our roles will be during the half term holidays: we well all continue adding research posts- i will focus more on editing as this is what my main job is while making the trailer, I will also look for ideas for the production and distribution company logo. I will also look more into our chosen genre, i will watch horror/thriller films and see what codes and conventions come through them all. As we are all involved in the production of sound we all need to include posts researching this.

As Paige is the mise-en-scene manager she will research into this part of the film. Alice is in charge of the cinematography so she will look into this.

Research and Planning: Film Poster Analysis 1 (Horror)

The dark colours and shadowing suggest that this is a horror film, also the rain clouds reflect the mood which is scary and uneasy, the fact that it is not raining but the clouds anticipate it suggests that something bad is expected to happen. The young boy looks possessed suggesting that he is the thing that we should fear in the film however he looks like a typical groomed boy, maybe the son of a family which could lead us to believe that he is normal- the medium shot is used to portray this. He is stood in front of a house, he is the central part of the poster and we cannot see the full house which may mean that he has the most power and holds the most power in the film. It is as though the character is looking straight at us which can make the audience feel uneasy and that we are victims as well as the people in the film, we become involved and engaged straight away without even watching the film. The body language of the boy shows no emotion so we do not get a hint of how he is feeling, we don't know much about him and that is the intention as they want us to watch the film. The house looks as though it is part of a neighbourhood suggesting that there is nothing to hide as in other horror films the house is usually hidden like in 'The Strangers' and 'House At The End Of The Street'. Audiences of 'Paranormal Activity' and 'The Saw' franchises are the main target audience for this film as the makers of these films were involved in this one suggesting that it is going to be as terrifying and successful.

Research and Planning: Internal and external characterisation

In my AS year of Film Studies we looked at Internal and External characters- especially in Dracula (1933) and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). In 1933 the villain is external as he is not in the 'normal' society where as in 1992 he is both internal and external as he an outsider living in a house away from everyone but he also enters the society as a normal man.
I thought that we could apply this theory to our film trailer: the villain will be seen as an external character but also internal as he has been in the victim's life at one point. The external element will come from shots we see of them over looking the victim in her day to day life.

Research and Planning: Treatment

 Proposal One (with elements from Proposal Two.)
 - Montage of main character/victim with friends and doing other various things that she enjoys doing- this is before the stalking begings so this is a happier time. However, there will be a few very short shots that will include quite odd things happening to the main character.
- POV shots from the villain's point of view in the shed scene as they are not going to be revealed.
- Ambiguity over the stalker- there is three possible villains: A past tutor who is obsessed with the character, a member of the friendship group who begins to act stranger, a creepy ex-boyfriend who hasn't quite got over the break-up.
- Close-up of the masked stalker
- High key lighting at the beginning and then switches to low key to show the shift in mood and events.
- Ending: Struggle between the victim and villain in an underground car park
- A wooden shed includes pictures of the victim that the stalker has collected- he has a shrine for her.
- Medium shots and long shots so that we do not give away the identity of the stalker.
- Jump cuts towards the end of the trailer that show the villain being in one place and then another in a short amount of time- it shows that they are everywhere and there is no escape for the victim.

Research and Planning: Word It Out

Film trailer - Word cloud - WordItOut

I used this website to document some of the themes associated with our film.

Research and Planning: Software and Equipment

Research and Planning: Screen Stockport Film Festival

On 19/10/12 myself and a few other members of our media class attended a local film festival where student films were being shown and judged by a panel of professions in the industry. First of all we had a talk from the co founder of IMDB which I found very interesting. Then the films were screened and i used this as an opportunity to get inspiration for my group's trailer as we are in the same circumstances as them. Most were filmed on location which is what we plan to do as we do not have access to a studio. Some of the storylines were very interesting for example there was a human-like take on 'Winnie The Pooh' which in the end won the competition. There was also a short film where two characters were inside a video game- I though the idea was simple yet effective.

Research and Planning: Masked Characters

After having a discussion with my group we decided that we did not want the villain to be revealed so thought that using a mask to hide their identity would be appropriate. By using mask we cannot see the characters facial features clearly so there will be ambiguity surrounding them. Personally, I think that the character's above are frightening so involving something similiar to this in our film trailer will be effective. I think that the masks from 'The Strangers' or similiar would be easier to use as we do not have the tools or money to create mask like from 'Saw' and the mask from 'Scream' is used to scare more than it is to hide an identity although it does this very well also. I think the masks from The Strangers are easier ago use as it seems as though the women characters bought them from a local shop and the male is wearing a bag but they are frightening which is effective. The stalker in our film mainly wants to hide their identity so that the victim and the audience do not know who they are.

Research and Planning: Title design ideas

This is my favourite of the possible names we have come up with so far so i decided to see what it would look like as an actual design for the trailer and film poster. I used a deep red as this is the main colour that was mentioned during our audience feedback. The font is from dafont.com and it is from the typewriting section of the website, the capital letters make the text stand out more and it makes the plot line seem serious and scary.

Research and Planning: Company logo research

The first four pictures are examples of big conglomerate production companies- our film would not be produced by a company similar to this as we are making a low budget film trailer that will not involve any special effects. Our film would be made by an independent production company like the three pictures at the bottom as it will be low budget, have no special effects and will be filmed on location and not on set.

Research and Planning: Name Ideas

Name ideas for our film:

- Stalk-her

-Just Around The Corner

-Alone

-Creeper

Research and Planning: Proposals/Meeting 2

First Idea: A mysterious stalker begins to follow a teenage girl.

Mise-en-scene:

A wooden shed with a collection of photos of the teenage girl
Underground car park
A busy place- a shopping centre or college
The teenage girls house (looking through the window)
The stalker's house (he can be her personal tutor)

Editing:

Slow editing at the beginning of the trailer and fast editing towards the end as there will be more action
Straight cuts
Jump cuts
Fade at the end can add suspense

Cinematography:

Close up of victim and villains faces
Long shots of the victim as if to say that he is always there
Pan of the scene
High angle shots of the victim to show that she is being looked down on (vulnerable)
Low angle shots to show the stalker's dominance and power he has over the victim

Sound: 

Heavy breathing
Footsteps from the stalker
Screams from the girl

Second Idea: Within a group of friends there is a girl who is hiding a secret. She is obsessed with another girl in the group so begins to isolate her from the others. She then kills her as she wants to become her.

Mise-en-scene:

College
A house party- this will be at the beginning showing that they are having a good time
Modern day
A wooden shed

Editing:

Montage
Straight cuts
Dissolve
Jump cuts
Shot reverse shot

Cinematography:

Close ups of reactions and emotions to show groups dynamics
Point of view shots
Medium shots
Over the shoulder shots

Sound:

Recordings of the girl who is being stalked
Screaming
Girly light hearted music is the beginning
Banging of doors

Third Idea: A Halloween party gone wrong, most people are pretending but somebody is not, who is the killer?

Mise-en-scene:

A factory for the party scene
The street
A police car
Somebody's bedroom where the characters are getting ready for the night ahead.
Halloween outfits

Editing:

Fast paced editing
Straight cuts
Jump cuts

Cinematography:

Tight framing
Close ups
Wide shot of the group

Sound:

Loud party music
Knife slashing
Screaming and shouting for help
Phone ringing, trying to get hold of the police

Research and Planning: London Trip- BBFC

During our London trip we visited the BBFC. We had a talk about how they regulate films and also a bit about why they do it. I learnt that examiners watch films that are sent to them and then write a report on it declaring what rating the film should be and the issues surrounding it. Sometimes the examiners will advise the filmmakers on how to alter their film if they do not get the certificate they are pining for. For example, the examiner showed us two clips from the blockbuster 'The Hunger Games'. They were the same scene however one involved a lot of blood on weapons and coming off characters- this was the original that got sent to the BBFC but to get a 12a the examiner advised the filmmakers to get rid of the blood to lower the rating as they would have had to give the film a 15 certificate.
Me and group all decided that we would regulate our film as an 18 but after this talk we decided to lower it to a 15 as to get an 18 the film would need to be very violent and disturbing and we are unable to do this in this amount of time and with the props we have.

Research and Planning: Sound Test

Research and Planning: London trip- Film Museum

Research and Planning: Podcast