StoryBoards

Evaluation

My final media product used both similar and different conventions of typical horror genre films. The building of tension with the suspenseful forest scene is a conventional trait which is used in many horror films. I specifically looked at The Amityville Horror which had a chase scene in the forest.s helped me see the different types of lighting that our film conventionally used and how they affect the mise en scene. The lightening strikes in Amityville Horror add to the viewer being slightly disorientated and not fully knowing what is going on. decided not to use this effect because the chase scene in my own movie is the beginning and therefore i felt it was important for me to make clear to the viewer what was happening. The pure darkness of night is also another convention which is commonly used in horror movies to create suspense. However by using this convention it seems to make the film too rushed since it was only the first two minutes. Therefore I decided to use an evening light, like dusk or twilight, this added to the night effect but without it being so dark that the viewer is thrown into the film world too quickly. The lighting that was used in my film challenged the forms of real media products because it was a lot lighter and therefore some may find less scary We could not use real media conventions due to budget and equipment constraints and so therefore the quality in which our film stands out now is good considering the difficulties. The music is also another factor which may be seen as a challenge to more conventional products. The tempo of the music is a lot slower than what is normally used in a chase scene. I chose this because this was not a chase scene and the tempo did not have to be fast. Also the slow tempo demonstrates the desperation that the main character is feeling, and the wind-up toy noise helped to build that feeling of unease. The use of different camera shots were important when filming. This is because in order to portray feelings of scared, desperation, anger it can not only be done through characters but through camera angles. The low angle shots are typical in horror movies to show the vulnerability of a certain character and the high angle shots show the intimidating character. Realistically while filming it was difficult to get these types of shots, but we managed to use low angle shots more often which did create the feeling of unease. When developing our film sequence we wanted to portray teenage life properly. Our target audience is teenagers and therefore in order to attract them to see our film it is important that we portray them in the most realistic way so they can relate to them. We did not base our film on any particular race however it was mostly white actors that took part. The way that the film has achieved to portray teenagers is by creating the trouble relationships. The relationship between ex-partners Stephanie and Jason demonstrate the feeling of a broken, troubled relationships. Jason is seen as a dominant male that is obsessive and compulsive, this is shown through him having the picture of him and Stephanie and staring at it. During adolescence boys tend to reach to gain status amongst their peers this is done by gaining girlfriends. This representation of a typical working class teenager is demonstrated through the gathering in the park for Stephanie's birthday. Although our film does not involve any supernatural events it does continue to stick to a horror plot line. Summit Entertainment will be distributing my media product this was because they also distributed the film Twilight which was a teen angst move. This was also another theme which we wanted to put across in our film, the torn and broken relationships. By using romance as well as horror it widened the appeal for both females and males, The teenager group allowed both genders to relate to a certain point of the movie. Also the appearance of some characters were a way of attracting the audience because they looked realistic, with their clothes and facial appearances. Technologies which i have learnt about in the process of making this media product are the editing mostly. How to make a clip shorter or how to crop it so that you only use the bits you want. This was beneficial because I learned how important each second of a shot would be and how significant it is when you take some of the second long shots out. The use of effects on the film like slow motion or adding a voice over taught me a lot. This is because they add an extra way of gripping the viewer to a particular shot or movement within a scene, The voice over was a very clever tool we used because it allowed the viewers to be given insights into what the rest of the film would be about. It also created the foundation for Stephanie's character along with Jason. The titles within our movie was another tool which i learned, how to use certain effects and fonts to make the titles relate to the move. The use of sound was another factor of technology which i learned, how to use a song and out it behind the film so it plays over different shots.
I conducted a questionnaire that was given out to my peers, who watched my opening sequence, this was useful to me because it allowed me to see other viewers reactions to my film. Through the questionnaire results I was able to deduce that the transision between pure daylight, and evening light was not extremely noticeable. This was one of the things that I would have liked to improve for my film piece. I also found that the characters were believeable which helped to ad tension and unease to the film which was exactly the feeling I wished to create for the viewer. The genre of the film was unclear at the beginning of the opening, this had mixed views, some considered this as a bad thing because they were not sure what type of film they were watching and this could confuse or "put off" any other peotential viewers. Some seen this as a good thing because the shocking blood scene at the end made the viewers feel they wanted to carry on watching because they did not expect it.

Voice Over script

Birthdays: A time for celebrating or a time for grieving?
Who knows?....
Love....Obsession...The fine line which some can never identify it would be pointless to ateemtp tp explain...No one will ever know the feeling of pure desperation, when everything is ploughing ahead agasinst you and you are powerless to stop it. i know that feeling, I experienced it first hand. To feel everything slip through your fingers like smoke, to be unab le to protect them, to wacth them die one by one, dying in his victory, his game to make me his. It was a dangerous game where by choice was unheard of and it was up to chance if you were able to live. My 17th birhtday was where it all started really.....Let the games begin....

Different film openings (relating to my own film)

In order to decide whether to use certain effects and how to portray them in my own film I analysed to movies which used these effects. The movies which I chose to analyse were 'The Amityville Horror' this is because the chase seen used in the woods, with the music created the same affect which I wanted to create for the viewers of my film. Although my own film did not include a chase scene the setting for the opening of the movie was in the woods. By looking at this example of a horror genre film I was able to identify how to create the suspense without making it predictable.
This severely helped me when I was looking to see what sound affects, what lighting and what type of mise en scene aspects are needed to successfully create the feeling of unease in a scene. For my own film the main feeling that needed to be created was the building of tension and fear, gripping the viewer to make them want to watch the rest of the film. The AmityVille Horror was a perfect example of this because the night lighting and flashes of lighting used made the viewer unsure of what exactly was going on and this contributed to the feeling of unease.
Another movie which I looked at was Hide and Seek, this was because this film again included a scene in the woods, but also it had the same type of music as ours. The music in the latter part of the opening starts with a high pitched, wind-up toy sound. This sort of sound was used in Hide and Seek. While analysing this type of music I noticed that in order to create ultimate suspense, the gripping suspense that keeps viewers eyes on the screen, this type of music creates that. The idea of a slow build of before a big beat drops, gives the impression to the viewer that something is going to happen.
While analysing both films, it was evident what conventions we used such as the music and the slow build up before leading onto a bigger action scene. Finally, our film portrays the relationships of adolescents, their way of life and the values. In order to successfully put this across to the viewer it was important to see how other productions had portrayed adolescents in the same way. Our example of this was the first episode of Skins. This was a helpful example because the show is purely based on teenagers and therefore it was easy for us to pick out which traits teenagers have that we will need to use in order correcly portray them in our own film. The adolescent youth was presented in various ways throughout the first episode.
The difference between boys and girls was evident and this was key factor we decided to use for our own film. The dominant male compared to the weaker new love interest, this was not taken from Skins exactly but as an adaptation of 'Tony' being the main character and the dominant friend in the group. Adolescents were also portrayed as sexually deviant, and most being in relationships, the idea of relationshi building amongst teens was another factor which we wanted to put across in our film. The obsession with one another, the lust and consuming feelings that each other feels is the most important theme in our film because teens and adolescents are our target audience.

GoodFella's opening sequence

As the film opens out with the first shot it is of a black screen with the first set of titles in white, the titles then move quickly across the screen right to left and they are centred. The sound of speeding cars are in the background. The tempo in which the titles move across the screen were sued to symbolize the speeding cars. This then cuts onto tracking shot of the camera following a large car while it is driving on a dark, small unlit road. This film was distributed by Warner Bros. and directed by Martin Scorcese which shows that this movie was a big budget film. The tracking shot of the car causes the audience to to wonder why they are following the car.
This shot may also suggest the car is being followed. The camera tracks up along side the car and then cuts to the inside of the car where the audience can view the characters for the first time. This is a medium shot and is where the action and dialogue starts. The camera then cuts from inside the car to the the car pulling up in a deserted, dimly lit, wonodland space. This is a medium shot and gives and gives an eery, sinister atmosphere. The dark unlit road in which the car was driving on could signal the dark side of crime. The dim lights within the car and the darkness outside of the car would suggest that the characters ay be criminal deviants.
The camera shows the characters then cuts to the boot, then back to the characters with the clanking noise in the background. The camera shows the driver approaching nervously cuts to his hands unlocking the boot and opening and revealing a body wrapped up in cloth. The camera cuts tot the three characters standing alongside one another in an american shot, only showing them from knee level upwards. The second set of titles then begins with crooning music (love songs made in the 40's and 50's) this sets the era for the 'flashback' to when the character was a child. The crooning music chnages the era from the 70's back to the 50's. This also sets the scene for how he first got into crime.
The title of the movie being shown in red signalling the 'gangster' movie idea. The red font colour could also refer to violence, blood and anger. This film opening sequence has influence the way I have been thinking of choosing to build suspense in my own opening sequence. The violence in the first few minutes of the opening gripped the viewer and therefore persuaded me to use this sort of scene in my opening scene. The violence sets the genre clearly to the viewer and also makes them want to watch the rest of film. The red lighting which was used in this opening also effectively created the feeling of suspense and the foreshadowing of violence. However when I tried changing the lighting of my own film it did not have the same affect as the red was more of a gangster movie colour rather then a horror.Looking at this opening sequence allowed me to see how other movies effectively use violence in the opening in order to engage the viewer and to keep the viewer wanting to watch more.

Lock, Stock and Two smoking barrels analysis

The film opens with a monologue of the character speaking persuasively in order to sell stolen goods. The characters voice suggest the film is set in London through the 'cockney' accent, non-digetic sound overlaps the character speaking. A grim atmosphere is shown through the characters joke of the undertaker: 'only person who sells empty boxes is the undertaker'. Dark humor coincides with the character's use of cockney rhyming slang. The character is manipulating the customers with the control he has over the way he speaks.
The humorous ways of the character's joke make his speech have an informal tone, the confidence in his tone could suggest that he had done this before . There is a theme of poverty throughout the opening, 'if you don't see value here today', expressing quite a bleak life of the people that live there. The music is introduced when they are running from the police, it has an fast tempo which matches the characters running. This is known as parallel sound, the music matches what is going on within the scene. The music is upbeat and filled with the sense of adrenaline matching the speed in which the characters are running in.
The font of the opening titles look quite old like a type-writer. This could suggest the lack of money within the area. The font is slightly uneven and there are no capital letters where there should be. This reflects an informal tone the font also looks quite rugged. The white font against a black background highlights the theme of good against evil, which also matches the first scene of the criminals running from the police. The white font also adds to the bleak lifestyle so it could be seen to fit in with the genre of the film.
The next shot opens with a medium, over -the shoulder shot, it dennotes a man doing something which has attracted a crowd. The body language of the various people within the shot show that they may be cold/ tired or their way of life is difficult because of the way they are hunched over. The background of the shot looks like a shop's shutters, this connotes a poor economic climate because the shop appears to be shut down . The clothes in which people are wearing within the shot also look average and not very expensive. This may reflect the working class standard of living in that area. The camera gradually zooms into the man who is persuading the crowd, while it is positioned within the crowd making the viewer feel like they are one of the people in the crowd.
The shot with the close-up of the characters face emphasises that the lighting looks like dull, natural light. This connotes that it is real-life and set in daytime. Following on from this the fifth shot is similar to the third, there is a jump cut away from the characters face. This gives the viewer the feeling of being in the crowd as well. The camera stays onto the character's face while being within the crowd. Another jump cut is used when he character holds up the jewellery and showing the crowd by using a medium shot. The character claps his hands and announces the price as if to encourage the crowd to buy it.
After the character has finished persuading the crowd there is a shot-reverse shot between a man in the crowd and the dealer. The camera changes perspective form the dealer to the man in the crowd, the way that the camera switches then being within the crowd could make the viewer feel swamped by the way the crowd is cut off within the shot.The people in the crowd look distressed this could be because they are aware of the illegal activity, this could be disorientating for the viewer because some of the other people in the crowds faces are cut off.
While the character is selling the stolen items non-digetic sound builds up in the background from a quiet sound to a louder sound.
It is full of suspense sound and carries on playing in the same tone until the police chase them and then the song starts. Things being hurled into the suitcase is filmed through a perspective shot of the dealer, the police run from the right suggesting an off-centre shot leading onto the chase. The scene where they are running turns to slow mode while another character speaks a monologue over it explaining who each characters are and what they are known for. The monologue gives a brief background of both characters and then the opening ends with the title of movie against a black background.

Panic Room analysis

The opening of Panic Room starts with a medium, long shot showing an outwards view of the city skyline and river. This sets the scene for the viewer that the film is taking place in a city. The Mise En Scene of this first shot allows the viewer to believe that the action of the movie will take place outdoors which is juxstaposition of what the title of the movie reflects "room". The way the credits have been designed also reflect and coincide with the urban and industrial landscape. The weather in each shot is sunny so this is also juxstapostion to the title "panic"which would reflect a more rainy weather landscape. This shows that there is no pathetic fallacy between the weather and scene.
The second shot is a medium, slight low angle shot focusing more on the industrial buildings and blue sky. The way each building is set casting shadows over each other show the intimidation or undertone feelings the viewer may experience. The contrast between the tallest buildings and the fact they are in the foreground would lead the viewer to assume that there is importance to them. It may also suggest that the Mise En Scene is being used to direct the viewers attention to them, in this sense we can recognise that the background objects have less importance because they do not stand out at much.
As the buildings are all set on the right side of the shot it gives an unbalanced feel to the shot because that side is heavier. This could be seen to make the viewer seem a little unsettled because the other side of the shot looks slightly isolated. Also a large shadow is cast over the right side of the shot giving an intimidating, powerful feel to the shot, as if the buildings are cowering from something. The harsh lines of the tall buildings compared to the low background lines can also make the fewer feel uncomfortable or unsettled.
The next shot is a medium, close up shot of a building the shot focuses on the amount of windows which could indicate numerous amounts of rooms or space. This can make the viewer seem unsettled because it can suggest there is no escape or a feeling of isolation. This shot could also concentrate on the shadow which is covering most of the building, which could be seen to give a sinsiter feeling of something following since the shadow flollows each shot with the camera.
The next shot is a medium, close up of a smaller building this could emphasise the weakness in it because of it's size. This shot does not seem signifcant compared to the others in the opening.
The shot of the side of the building which is slightly high angle shows the first trace of humanity. This could be significant because all of the previous shots have only been of buildings. The low angle shot makes the human aspects seem inferior or weak because they are so small. The next shot has the title of the movie spread across the enitre shot with the urban background, this is also a medium, long shot so it continues to set the scene. The next shot confirms to the viewer that the setting is new york city as familiar buildings (times square) and such are placed withing the scene. This is significant because the viewer can identify or relate to the setting in different ways.
The last two shots could be seen to focus on the inferior feeling of humanity because the cars and pedestrians and portrayed as small. In the last shot particularly even though it is slightly a high angle shot it portrays the people which are sitting on the grass as vulnerable because they are so much smaller than the buildings which are in the background. The contrast in sizes draw the viewers eyes to both the urban background and the humans making the viewer feel unsettled. The pace of the beginning of the film, in terms of shots, could be considered slow because some of the shots hold similar things such as buildings. This can be off-putting for the viewer if it takes a long time to get into the action.