In what ways does your media product challenge, use and develop forms and conventions

I did a vocal analysis as to what I believe I challenged, used and developed conventionally when making a new horror film opening:

In the original version of the opening I challenged the convention of having music played onto the images due to the fact one of my stimuluses was 'The Birds' by Alfred Hitchcock. However, in the newer version I have stuck to conventions from the other two films I used by adding ambient sound and diachronic sounds. This is very effective and some of my audience felt even more un-nerved when watching the opening.

One of the most iconic shots from 'Psycho' by Alfred Hitchcock is the close up of the eye after she has been murdered and then the eye cross dissolves into the plug hole. I have almost copied this shot in the opening of my film to make it conventional to the horror genre. You can see the close up cross dissolve towards the end when the camera zooms in on the masks eye and then dissolves into the actresses eye. This is effective because it's the first time the audience see the protagonist. I have taken an iconic shot and developed it further to work into my own film.

I feel that this film is more conventional and looks professional enough to be the opening of a horror film.

The Edited, Final Version of Changing Faces

This is the final version of 'Changing Faces.' I

have worked hard trying to make the opening as conventional to a horror/thriller film as possible. There is still no dialogue as the opening is about the main character alone in the barn and the audience will still have to continue to watch the film to solve the disequilibrium beginning.I believe the opening is conventional to three different films th

at I had previously studied:

The first one is the village. (poster is to the left of the text) This film has an eerie location, which I believe my film has. The opening credits of this particular film are of the actors names and the images of trees and branches pass over the screen. My film also

contains images of trees which look eerie and adding the correct music to them sets the film up to look like a horror film.

The second film that I took typical conventions from is 'The

Blair Witch Project.' This film is shot completely on a hand held camera and is a low budget film and this is the catergory that my film will fall into. This film went from being an independent, low budget film. To becoming a worldwide phenomenon, so it proves that my film may start off as a low budget, art house film but over time people will begin to like it and then it would create a huge profit. Look at films such as 'Paranormal Activity.' It did exactly the same as 'The Blair Witch Project', so it can be done. The location of 'The Blair Witch Project' is very similar to mine which is another typical convention of a horror film. Also the use of the hand held camera makes it appear more

realistic than a high budgeted film, because these types of scenarios could happen to anyone. I believe that an unknown cast (which is what I have done) also makes the audience believe that the events are actually taking place.

The director which I chose to use conventions from is Alfred Hitchcock. Originally I didn't want to use music because I felt as though it didn't necessarily fit with the theme of the opening. However, looking back at that I know now that to create the ultimate impact on an audience is to create suspense using music. Alfred Hitchcock used music in his horror film 'Psycho' and the music is well known globally. It still haunts people to this very day and this is the kind of impact I wanted to create when people watched the opening of my film. The music I chose is chilling and un-nerving and fits into all horror conventions.

I also used a shot that Alfred Hitchcock used. When the lead woman is stabbed in the shower there is a close up on her eye and then the eye dissolves into the bath plug hole. You can see this shot in my film where the camera zooms in on the eye of the mask and then the shot dissolves into the eye of the lead females. In 'Psycho' this doesn't happen in the opening of the film however it shows the influence- as a director, that Hitchcock had on other directors (me). His ideas were inspiring to me and some worked well and others didn't, but I believe now, that I have created an original yet conventional opening to a horror film.

Editing the remake

Over the past few days I have tweaked and changed a few bits within the opening of my horror film. For example I have stabilized all of the clips in the film to make the camera shots look smoother and each shot now flows into one another. I have cut a lot of my film as I asked a few people which part of the opening drags on a little and they all said the snap shots at the end. As a result the opening is a little shorter but its just as effective.

The main difference between my previous opening and the re-made version is that I have added music. Even though I clearly stated I would not use music because I wanted my film to be new and un-conventional this choice played against me. As a result I have used basic sounds from www.freesounds.org.uk and then edited them using garage band to make them my own. The music choice doesn't make the opening epic like some horror film openings but it does intrigue an audience and it still plays on the enigma code of what is going to happen. The music choices fit with the dream like state and the use of the nursery rhyme makes this even more so because parents tend to sing nursery rhymes to their children. That particular part of the music is ironic because a child normally feels safe and loved when nursery rhymes are sung to them however, in this version it makes an adult feel nervous because the child takes control of the song and the innocence plays on the audiences' mind. I made a few of my friends watch the opening with the music added and they said it is a lot more intense and they would want to carry on watching it even though the film seems un-nerving. As well as the enigma code the opening of my film still remains as a disequilibrium beginning. This means that not everything makes sense and as a consequence the audience would have to continue watching the film to understand what the dream is about.

Original Score Demo "The Birds" Opening Titles and Melanie's Introduction

I am planning to challenge my original ideas by adding music to my opening sequence. The clip below shows how someone has challenged Hitchcock's opening by adding the eerie music. Looking at this clip shows that you can have the eerie images on the screen along with the ambient sounds and music on top of this. The music will create more of a physiological atmosphere that something isn't all as it seems.

The Birds - Opening Titles

Below is the opening of Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds' and here you can see that he, as a director, has chosen not to use music. However, to make the opening of my film more conventional I have decided to add music to it along with the ambient sound. I felt that the images on the screen created enough suspense and set an eerie atmosphere without there being music on top of that.

Written Evaluation

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

To create a realistic horror/thriller opening I had to do some previous research. I watched a few openings of different films. The one that stood out for me and copied some of the conventions was Alfred Hitchcocks, The Birds.

''After watching Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds' ,1963, I have decided that I am not going to use music. I believe, music would not fit with the filming that I have produced. Within 'The Birds', even though its a horror Hitchcock does not use any music throughout the film. From my perspective I feel that this makes the film more realistic and believable, as if you were stabbed, or abused in reality, music would not suddenly appear over the top of the action. Also it makes the audience feel nervous, as music indicates when something is about to happen and builds suspense. Whereas, no music makes the audience not know when the 'murder' or 'scary part' will occur.
The opening of my film is a dream which is why its shot in black and white and saturated to create the effect. Also the distorted shots of the trees, pigeons and the barn represent the randomness and lack of continuity within a dream. '' This was taken from a previous part of my blog.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

From the evaluations and questions I asked people after they watched the opening of my film, it came apparent that I had created the opening of a film for teens, yet they did not tell me a specific gender it would appear to be aimed at. This could be due to the genre of the film. The first evalution group explained that there would be no specific socio-economic group due to the genre of the film and target audience. The only character featured in my opening is a teenage girl, consequently this made it seem the film was aimed at a teen audience, which may not have been the case.

How did you attract/address your audience?

The opening of my film has a disequilibrium setting as it begins with a dream. Due to this there is no language or speech that features in the opening to address the audience with. However, I did use sound to present the randomness of the dream and all the sounds featured in the opening have been taken directly from when I shot the film. Using a disequilibrium opening gave across the enigma code. The symbolic use of the mask and montage editing would make the audience question what is going on and therefore it would make them want to watch on.

What kind of media institution might distrubute your media product?

''I have decided that as my film would be on a low budget I would target independent film companies to distribute my final product. For example companies like Film Four or Optimum Releasing, which have produced and distributed 'This Is England'.An independant film can also be referred to as an arts film which differ from mass marketed films. In addition to being produced by independent production companies, independent films are often produced or distributed by subsidaries of major film companies.One of the most popular film genres within America is the horror/thriller, therefore I would also have to employ a company like; IFC films to distribute my film abroad. The film would not be released into major cinemas, but maybe in Art Houses across America. However, as it is an independant film it would almost limit the audience. To create a profit I would need to distribute my film globally.''

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

As I did not take media for GCSE I did feel, at first, that this coursework was a burden and that I would not do as well as I could do on it. Saying this I have learnt a lot over the passed few months that I didnt know before. I have learnt how to use a camcorder and create different shots and movements on it. This is evident in my film, from the use of zooms and turning the camera into the mask. Also, I was worried about using the iMovie to edit my film as I am not computer literate. However, I managed to learn and adapt my knowledge into editing my film. I managed to convert all of my clips onto my blog which I didnt know how to before hand. Overall I am proud of my final product and the knowledge I have obtained will help me with next years coursework.

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

From the previous question you can see that I have learnt a lot about the technologies used in both the prelim task and the opening of my film. I edited my prelim task but it did take me a while to do so, yet when I was editing the opening of my film I felt I could actually do it by myself not asking for help. I feel this is evident from the prelim task to the final opening of my film. The one thing that did let me down was where I chose to film. As it was not in the school I could not film during lesson time and had to do it after school and at weekends. I originally had planned to use Ellie but because of the location it made it hard to do this. I would have also started filming sooner than when I had, as I feel that process was rushed. However, I do like the originality of my location and therefore I am happy with my overall product. I have learnt that I would have to be more organised if I were an industry proffesional and did choose to shoot all of this film. Even though I did meet all the deadlines, I would have to plan well in advance if I were to develop this project.

Another review....

Evaluation

I asked a few people to review my film and this is what they came up with.....

Final Version of Changing Faces

This is the final version of 'Changing Faces', I have added the ambient sound to the opening credits. I tried to add in whispers, but I felt that it did not necessarily fit with the image on the screen. Also, others have used 'whisper' sounds so I didn't want my film to give of the same atmosphere and impression as others have.

The mask fading into the eye makes reference to a film I watched before I began filming, 'Psycho'. When the lady is stabbed the camera focuses on her open eye and then fades slowly into the blood and water draining down the plug hole.

Also, the change from black and white/sepia, which features in the girls dream, compared to the colour when she wakes up, shows the audience the contrast from dream to real life. Yet the reason the dream is in black and white is due to the fact black and white dreams tend to be psychic dreams. In this instance, the girls dream foreshadows the end of the film, resulting in her death.

The speeding up of the dream shows the confusion towards the end of the dream and her escaping and re-thinking what she has seen.

Opening of film...so far

This is not the final version of my film as I still need to add in ambient sound and voices to the opening credits.

Final filming...explained

The opening of my film does not display an equilibrium beginning. It begins in a disequilibrium way which leaves the audience confused and disorientated. Therefore after the 'dream' my film will continue with an equilibrium story line, explaining the disequilibrium opening.

From watching different horror/thriller films i have duplicated different parts of each of these films. For example, the lack of continuity can be related to 'The Ring tape', with its montage editing. Also the hand held camera shots link back to 'The Blair Witch Project.' I believe my film would be seen as a 'serialist' film, due to its' disequilibrium beginning. Another film that links to my opening is 'The Orphan', this has a disequilibrium opening, through the use of a dream, just like my film does. This definatly left me confused when I watched 'The Orphan' and rather spooked. I am hoping to create the same effect with the opening of my film.

I have chosen to shoot the opening in black and white, due to the fact that I did some research on dreams and found out this little story:

'Everyone dreams in black and white occasionally and they are in fact psychic dreams. Many people may not remember these dreams and most of them become reality and more like deja-vu.'

This is why I chose to film in black and white as the dream which features in the opening of my film does become reality towards the end of my film.

Whilst experimenting and editing my film, I did not realise that my film suddenly became a series of montage editing, random shots quickly edited together. Eisenstein and Hitchcock, two horror/thriller directors tended to use a series of unjustified cuts. Using montage editing creates a lack of continuity which tends to happen when a person dreams.

'The Birds'

After watching Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds' ,1963, I have decided that I am not going to use music. I believe, music would not fit with the filming that I have produced. Within 'The Birds', even though its a horror Hitchcock does not use any music throughout the film. From my perspective I feel that this makes the film more realistic and believable, as if you were stabbed, or abused in reality, music would not suddenly appear over the top of the action. Also it makes the audience feel nervous, as music indicates when something is about to happen and builds suspense. Whereas, no music makes the audience not know when the 'murder' or 'scary part' will occur.

The opening of my film is a dream which is why its shot in black and white and saturated to create the effect. Also the distorted shots of the trees, pigeons and the barn represent the randomness and lack of continuity within a dream.

I know its a bit late...

...but I have filmed the majority of the opening of my film. However, I am going to have to re-shoot the tree shots due to the weather today. When I attempted to do my outside shots it began to rain...typical!
Now I can begin editing my final opening and then compose the rest of the music.

Explanation of Screen Test

From the screen test you can see that I was experimenting with garage band and editing techniques. As a result it has given me my FINAL idea about my film. As no one can make the dates I want to film I am going to do the filming alone, and taking shots of particular images that will feature in my film. You can see this from the trees I filmed in my screen test. I will take shots of the barn and particular trees I have seen when I have been down to the barn to take some photos. I am also using the technique of the 'Terrible Place' If I film the barn then this would be known as the 'Terrible Place' where all the bad things happen within the film. This would foreshadow the rest of the film.

The music that features in my screen test is just the basic three notes I will use, but I will adapt this and make it longer adding in different effects for the final thing. For example I will reverb and echo the music and also add in voices. I have also noticed that the music I have composed sounds rather similar to the opening music of 'Nightmare on Elm Street' which there is conventional to a horror film; even though I have never seen the film and didn't mean to make my music similar.

I also like the fact that even though I shot the trees in natural lighting, it has almost gone to black and white. I may shoot my film in colour and then experiment with colour, black and white or sepia.

As I have had my final...yes final idea, I am planning to film on Saturday, on my own, and can come in during the holidays and edit my film.

Screen Test

Cast change

Due to other commitments, Ellie, the girl who I had asked to star in the opening of my film, could not make all of the shooting days. As a result this has delayed my filming as I have had to find someone to replace her.
The location is near to my house so therefore I have asked my sister to star in the film.
I am going to film the first few scenes tomorrow evening, Thursday 18th March, and then I can upload it to my blog on the Friday It does seem that I have been prolonging the filming but I have been making dates with Ellie to start filming.
I now plan to have all of my film finished by the end of the easter holidays and then edit the film in my free periods, so that it is ready for the set deadline.
Fingers crossed...

Dates...

I have decided that I shall do a screen test tomorrow, Tuesday 9th March, at the location I have chosen.
This will include the basic shots and movements I will use in my final piece. At the same time I will be taking action shots of Ellies' movements to include in a story board. I will upload this to my blog so that people can comment on my final ideas. After I have done all of this I will begin filming as soon as possible, so that I can begin editing, as I feel this will be the longest process in the entire project.

Distributing my film...

I have decided that as my film would be on a low budget I would target independent film companies to distribute my final product. For example companies like Film Four or Optimum Releasing, which have produced and distributed 'This Is England'.

An independant film can also be referred to as an arts film which differ from mass marketed films. In addition to being produced by independent production companies, independent films are often produced or distributed by subsidaries of major film companies.

One of the most popular film genres within America is the horror/thriller, therefore I would also have to employ a company like; IFC films to distribute my film abroad. The film would not be released into major cinemas, but maybe in Art Houses across America.

To get a big profit I would need to distribute my film globally.

Prelim Task

Preliminary exercise: Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom he/she then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.

As you can see from the clip above we chose to stick to the preliminary exercise plan. Our group did not break the 180 degree rule and we used a reverse shot when the suspect and the chief officer (me) were talking.

Pictures of the location

The pictures above show the location of where I am planning to shoot a couple of scenes for the opening of my thriller/horror movie. I took one of the pictures in sepia to see if I can use that throughout the opening. I feel as though sepia gives a more un-nerving atmosphere and it looks as though the picture has been take in the past.

I also like the picture of the mallet on top of the table. I may use this picture/shot within the opening and maybe cover it in blood, which will obviously be fake.

As I went down to take these pictures I felt increasingly scared when I realised what was in the image of one of the pictures. I noticed an old ladies head in the background of the 5th picture in. Its right at the back, left of the ladder and looks like a portrait painting. The next picture I took contained the white mist, that was when I got out of the barn instantly and came home. There are a few open spaces and this is where I wish to film Ellie tied up with rope and attempting to escape.

I think imagery and an abstract feel will come across at the beginning of my film, a bit like The Ring tape, symbolism and key features are the main ideas that I plan to use.

The ideas keep changing...

After seeing the locations the other day I am having to re draft my story board which will be uploaded on here through the pictures I take of the places I wish to use.
So far I have chosen to use the typical convention of 'enigma' within the opening of my film. I plan to do this through shots of different images within my locations e.g: the barn, Ellie tied up, Ellie escaping, then she runs away, image of a tractor so that the audience know where abouts the film is set. Then I would like to get a shot of her running through a tunnel under an old railway line and then her entering the woods with the 'baddy' hiding amongst the trees. Finally I would like to get a close up of the masked murderer and then a close up of Ellie lying on the floor with the mask on and fake blood running from the corner of her mouth. I think that will give the perfect 'enigma' feeling that a typical horror film conveys. After that I plan to have the title of the film come up with a low angle shot of the trees and then '6 months earlier'...
Also with each horror film I am watching I have noticed that music is played only when something bad is not going to happen to create suspense and a nail biting atmosphere. It tends to go silent when the actual scary moment occurs. I plan to do the same within my opening.

Target audience and socio economic grouping
As the genre of my film is horror, I believe there isn't a specific target audience or socio economic group. I believe that a person who wants to watch a horror film has to enjoy the thrill of the storyline whether they are male or female. Unlike me, who cannot sleep now as I have watched a few horrors and keep re-living the parts of the film that scare me the most before I go to sleep. Therefore my film would be for all types of people above the age of fifteen that enjoy the genre of horror.

I have enlisted the help of Ellie Tate, who studies drama, to take on the role of the protagonist. I believe she is reliable and trust worthy enough to help me make this film. However, I am still unsure as to who is going to play the masked murderer. All I know is that I would like it to be a woman.

Things are going well...

Yesterday I met with the farmer who owns the land that I wish to film on. I thought that he would briefly discuss where abouts I can go and what I can and can't do. However, I was hugely mistaken.
I turned up at 9.30am thinking that the 'meeting' would be over in about 10 minutes but oh no I left the farm at 10:45. He showed me the barn that I can film in and told me I can use whatever I want as long as I dont injure myself and others. Then. he took me out into the surrounding areas, to suitable places that I wish to film in.
He took me to a tunnel that was under an old railway track and ivy hung from the roof of this tunnel. Later on he took me to the old woods...30 acres of it. Its perfect. Its an open wood so all the trees are evenly spaced and it would be perfect to film the credits, using the tress like the director did at the beginning of 'The Village.' I got rather scared when he told me that at the end of the woods there was an old burial ground and if you stand on top of it you can see a well in the distance. The thought of 'Samara' came into my head!!
The farmer showed me all over the fields and that he is quite happy for me to use it as long as I call him before I head down to shoot. I cant wait to film now, especially in the woods!
I may head back down there in a few days to snap up some pictures of the different locations and post them on here.

'Changing Faces'

Over the last few days I have had a lot of ideas come to me after watching the beginnings of particular horror movies. As a result of this I have drafted up a story board, yet I am not sure as to how I make the story board clear on my blog. Therefore, I am going to tell you, on here, some exclusive ideas that I have had.
Firstly I have taken the idea of 'The Strangers' and have started to look up facts to do with murders within the UK and may use key facts on a black screen to heighten the suspense of my piece. Then cut back to the action after a fact has been displayed. That may not make any sense now, but it will do dont worry! After every piece of action there will be a cut and then another fact, so that it makes the audience wonder what is going on?!!
The last fact will be just before Ellie exits the woods, then the music will fade and all will be silent... oooohh! After that I plan to use a 360 degree pan of the area and nothing is around, just trees and a road. It will be easy to use a road as I live in an area where a lot of the roads are country back roads so barely any traffic comes along them...if they do...we move quick! After the 360 degree pan I plan to cut to a face in a car with a plain white mask on reving the engine and their head tilted to one side. My mum has offered to do this so it shall be amusing (hmmm)! I plan to do this shot in a close up, so that the back ground, type of car and number plate can not be seen and then I plan to enhance the sound post production. As I cannot film Ellie be hit by a car, as that would just be fatal and slightly ridiculous, the screen will go black and the title of the film: 'CHANGING FACES' will creep up slowly onto the screen in a white font. I have chosen to use white font because it is symbolic to the colour. After the title has been revealed I plan to cut back to the action and now Ellie is wearing the white mask, lying dead in the road, with blood dripping out of the corner of the mask...hense the title 'Changing Faces'
Lets see if I can put my ideas into reality....

'There is no terror in the bang...only anticipation in the bang...'

...sadly not my words but the words of Alfred Hitchcock.

This week I have been watching the openings of particular thriller movies to interpret conventions into my own two minute beginning.

Firstly I watched the beginning of '28 days later'. I liked the way that the montage of clips, shown to the ape, were filmed using a hand held camera. As I don't have a high budget I will be using a digital camcorder to record my film. Also this makes the audience feel like its more real and naturalistic, therefore more scary.

I had watched 'The Village' previously and liked the way that the titles came up slowly on a background of tree branches moving upwards. Music also enhanced the suspenseful atmosphere so I may interpret these conventions into my own work. As the music will have to be non copy wright I may use an eerie piece of classical music to juxtapose the mood of my film.

Also, 'The Strangers' was another film I had previously seen. Through the use of montage clips from the end of the film at the beginning of the film, it put across enigma...basically what has happened/ happening? I also like the voice over at the beginning before the images, it put the story into perspective.


From these three films I am deciding on a final story, which will hopefully be storyboarded by the end of the week.

...ooh! I almost forgot, I spoke the owner of the land opposite to me, yesterday. He said that I was more than welcome to use it and he is going to show me round his barn and woodland area which I will use in the film :)!

My Proposal

For my coursework task I have decided to study moving image. I will be working on my own as I will be able to get on with the task without having to consult ideas to others that would be in my group.

Before I begin the main coursework task I will have to study the openings of a few horror/thriller films to understand and interpret the main conventions of this genre of film. After this I can make notes and then adapt the typical conventions into my own film.

I have begun to get some ideas for the opening of my thriller film. I have selected a location opposite to where I live as this will make it easier to go out and film quickly, instead of traveling to different locations when the weather could change at any moment. I have also chosen one of my most reliable friends, who studies drama and therefore can give a convincing performance within the opening of the film.

I have begun to start work on filming and have selected a few days to film with Ellie, who is playing the victim. Also I will have to talk to the farmer who owns the land I wish to film on so that we are not on the land illegally. I aim to have everything filmed by the end of February and then I can begin editing so that the opening of the film is finished by the end of March.

As previously stated I have chosen a location which is near to my house so that if the weather turns then I can wait for the weather to return back to normal so filming can continue as normal. Also all the props will be stored at my house so that nothing can be forgotten when going to film. In all filming there is some sort of delay so this will be expected so therefore I will film other sections if Ellie can't make the filming session.

I have chosen to use a digital camcorder to film my opening to my film and when all filming has been done I am going to use the i-macs at school to edit my film during media lessons and frees.