Filming

We anticipate to be filming our new scenes quite soon. We have planned exactly where we will have the car driving, what shots we will be using, what dialogue there will be and what each character will be doing. We still have not yet decided upon the song that we are going to use in the car scene. We have decided to use a normal family in the car (My (steph's) family) all doing what is typical of their age. We're hoping the general "normal" vibe you get from these scenes will create a huge contrast between the car scenes and the running scenes therefore creating a sense of foreboding, and making the audience curious as to what is going on. We hope to be able to put this altogether soon! :)

Media Changes

We have had to review over our Media Coursework and remove some filming and replace it with other scenes for the genre. Although we thought that the story was convincing and sound and editing were used well, we realised that our opening lacked the suspense that a film opening needs and acted more along the lines of a trailer. To stop this from happening we have decided to include a car scene to juxtapose normal lives against that of the girl that plays the victim. Then we can see a definite contrast between the characters and have for pity for the victim.

We also think that by using this in our opening we can have the suspense of whether the victim gets in the car? and does she recognise the passengers? leaving the audience with questions unanswered and a story that could progress if it were made into an entire film.

By adding in this extra footage and changing the storyline slightly we feel it will improve our narrative and give the audience a better understanding of the storyline and a bigger feeling of suspense.

Fonts for titles and credits

Analysing psychological thriller title fonts:

The most common title fonts in thrillers or horrors we have noticed are red and black. Therefore we are planning to stick to the codes and conventions by using a mix of the colours or of just one of them.

We want to use a dark horror like font. Some examples of the fonts we are considering are:

Filming

This weekend we managed to do our filming for our media coursework. We began filming at around 3:30 and it got dark very quickly therefore making us under a difficult time limit to film. We began with the pan shots of the surroundings which we are planning to use right at the beginning of the opening and towards the end. We struggled filming the pan over the top of the fence but we managed to use another area in which we could film without the fence in the way, and we can still use the other pan shot as long as we crop out the top of the fence. After this we began to film the running shots. For this we had Jess hold the camera and run behind Natalie as she ran in a white dress barefoot on lots of ice and cold ground! We maybe did not managed to use as many different shots for the running as we wanted but we managed to still use quite a variety of different shots of the victim running. To film the victim coming into the barn we went inside the barn, as she ran in. We were going to try and film her coming in standing by the edge of the barn, with a shot of the paedophile in the field, a close up of the victims face and another long shot with the paedophile gone in one shot but we realised we obviously could not manage this in one take. To get past this we filmed the victim running into the barn and then decided we would have another flashback inbetween here and the victim standing by the edge of the barn. When she was standing by the edge of the barn we managed to film a long shot with the "man" in the field then a close up of the Victim's face, and another long shot with the "man" gone. After this we managed to have a hugh angle shot of the victim running round hay in the barn. We then filmed her standing in front of the huge hole in the barn wall, when the "man" ran past the hole with the girl looking petrified. We then filmed the hole with the wind just blowing through it - showing that she has disappeared. After this we did another pan shot for towards the end of the opening (we wanted to use a lot of natural imagery juxtaposing the beauty of nature against the nature of mankind). The shooting in the barn was quite difficult as there was a real lack of natural light, but hopefully this will add to the terror of the opening.

The next day we filmed the flashbacks in the stables. We found that we added extra shots but the location and acting was extremely convincing. We made sure all of the shots were high angle so we were looking down on the victim making her look vulnerable. We also had the idea of shutting the bars in the stables showing how trapped she was in the box. We also made sure to record the footsteps and breathing of the victim for digetic sound. We also recorded the ticking of a timer for the flashbacks to emphasise of the change in time.

The make-up and props (fake sick and blood) we used were convincing. The lack of props also made opening simplistic but also realistic. We are extremely looking forward to putting all the shots together and creating the final coursework.

We found that we added quite a few extra shots into our filming as we realised if we stuck to the original storyboard the coursework may be too short and some technicalities made us have to add in extra flashbacks etc.

Location

Our location was set at Natalie's house. A long track was used for the running scenes. The barn was used for where out victim was to hide. The stables were used for our flashbacks.

We found that our location fitted really well with out storyline as the area was quiet, and away from too much civilisation making the area seem deserted. This made the victim look isolated and lonely making her more vulnerable. We found that the stables worked really well as a "chamber" or "prison" for the victim to be kept in. The dark walls made the victim look pale and small fitting the codes and conventions very well. The track worked really well for our running scenes, but as it was very cold and our victim had to run on bits of ice barefoot it was slightly dangerous! (Natalie ended up cutting her toe!). Despite this we managed to carry on filming.

Flashbacks

Flashbacks are a trademark of SAW movies - in these movies to show that these are flashbacks they are in a slight blue tint, which also makes it look quite cold.

Ideas of how to make the flashback obvious to the audience:

Blurring the scene

Showing the scene in Monochrome

Adding a misty border around the edge

Applying echoes to any digetic sounds

Showing the scene with a grainy effect

Showing the scene in Black and white

Showing the scene with a slight tint of some sort of colour

Films that use flashbacks and how they display the flashbacks:

Wayne's World - uses idiosyncratic wipes (when a film uses strange sequences to move between scenes)

Saws - Different coloured tints with a heavy use of light and dark. (flashbacks were usually darker and harder to see than the present time)

Big Fish - All of the flashbacks include brightly coloured objects and have a slightly glowing effect on characters faces.

Boggy Creek two the legend continues - every flashback slightly blurred.

G.O.R.A - grainy and black and white film.

Trick R Treat - Flashback filmed with a brighter colour pallet than the rest of the film and bathed in golden light.

Psychological Thrillers

Top ten psychological thrillers:
1. The Ring
2. Sixth Sense
3. The Blair Witch Project
4. Paranormal Activity
5. The Haunting in Conneticut
6. Gothika
7. Rosemary’s baby
8. The Shining
9. Whatever happened to Baby Jane
10. The Grudge

Research Into Paedophilia

As our coursework is about a paedophile ring here is some research we have done into paedophilia.

Paedophilia (different definitions)

sexual feelings directed toward children.

Paedophilia is a psychological disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a sexual preference for prepubescent children

Psycho-sexual disorder in which an adult's arousal and sexual gratification occur primarily through sexual contact with prepubescent children. The typical pedophile is unable to find satisfaction in an adult sexual relationship and may have low self-esteem, seeing sexual activity with a child as less threatening than that with an adult. Most pedophiles are men; the condition is extremely rare in women.

We've tried to adapt to these definitions, by obviously making the paedophiles all men. We're going to try and make it obvious that he has used our victim for sex and abused her in many ways.

Common traits in Paedophiles:

Impaired self concept

Elevated passive-aggressiveness

Elevated sociopathy

Most have Cognitive Distortion (qualities that stop them from achieving goals) most often jumping to decisions that are false.

We will make sure that our character has all of these traits making him seem as real as possible.

Storyboard

As we've started creating our storyboard we have set the final storyline for our opening. We've tried to use as many different shots as possible to show our knowledge of how effective different camera angles can be. We've planned out most of our editing from shot to shot so we know how long each different shot will take therefore having an idea of how long our coursework will be. We have a strong idea of what digetic sound we will use and we are not entirely sure on what non-digetic music we will use but we know where we want it and have an idea of what type of mood the music should create.

Victim Costuming

After deciding on what make-up and what style we are dressing our victim in. We have also decided on this white dress as our main costume. As it is white it will connotate innocence and youth, making her look more vulnerable and helpless.

Film Age Ratings

Age Ratings

There are five different age ratings for all films, U, PG, 12, 15 and 18.

U (Universal)

This means the film should be suitable for all audiences ages 4 and over. The category of U only allows very mild language such as damn and hell. Occasionally language such as "bloody" or "bugger" maybe used if justified by the content.There may be brief fight scenes between characters. Moments of emotional stress or threat must be quickly resolved and the outcome reassuring. There may be some brief scary scenes and moments where characters are in danger. Violence will be balanced by reassuring elements, such as comic interludes or music.‘Baddie’ characters may carry or use weapons, but there will be no emphasis on these. Child or ‘hero’ characters are unlikely to use any kind of weapon. Potentially dangerous or imitable behaviour will not be present. A ‘U’ film can explore most themes, as long as it is appropriate to a young audience.A children’s work at ‘U’ will generally contain positive messages about loyalty, honesty and friendship, particularly amongst children. It will have a happy ending for the child.‘U’ films are unlikely to contain discriminatory language or behaviour unless it is clearly disapproved of.

PG (Parental Guidance) This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. Some films, are given a ‘PG’ certificate but have not been made with a young audience in mind. However, the certificate means that any issues in the work are appropriate for the majority of this age group and nothing should upset a child of eight or over.No particular theme is prohibited at ‘PG’, as long as it is treated in a manner appropriate to the category. ‘PG’ works may explore challenging issues such as domestic violence, bereavement or racism. In a ‘PG’ work, illegal or antisocial behaviour, such as bullying, will not be condoned or seen to go unchallenged. There may be mild bad language such as ‘shit’ in a ‘PG’ film, but the context and delivery is always important. If the language is used aggressively or if there is too much bad language, a work may be passed at the next category.There should be no detail of violence in a ‘PG’ work, so while there might be some blood, we would not see how the injury was inflicted. Violence is generally more acceptable in a historical or fantasy setting, because of the distancing that this provides. For Horror, we allow some 'jump' moments and scary scenes, but sequences showing realistic violence, horror or threat must not be prolonged.Potentially dangerous behaviour which children might copy is unlikely to be acceptable at ‘PG’, especially if it comes across as safe or fun. Realistic or easily accessible weapons, such as knives, will not be glamorised or focused upon in a ‘PG’ work.

12 (suitable for 12 and over) The overall tone of a film and the way it makes the audience feel may affect the classification. For example, a work which has a very dark or unsettling tone which could disturb the audience would be less likely to be passed as a 12 even if the individual issues in the film were considered acceptable under the BBFC guidelines. Similarly, if a work is particularly positive or reassuring this may stop it being pushed up a category.There may be strong language at a ‘12’ but it must be infrequent. The context of the strong language is important and aggressive uses of strong language may result in a film or DVD being placed at the ‘15’ category. There is some allowance for puns on strong language at this category. There also may be moderate language at a ‘12’. Discriminatory language may be present. Aggressive use of discriminatory language (for example homophobic or racist terms) is unlikely to be acceptable at ‘12’ unless it is clearly condemned.At a 12 moderate violence is permitted but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if they can be justified by their context. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly indicated. It must also have a strong contextual justification. Some horror films are passed at this category. Moderate physical and psychological threat is permitted at a ‘12’ as long as disturbing sequences are not too frequent or sustained.

15 (suitable for 15 and over)
A "15" movie can contain strong violence, frequent strong language, brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence, discriminatory language or behaviour and drug taking. Occasionally there may be uses of the strongest terms although continued aggressive use will not normally be passed at ‘15’. At a ’15’ there can be strong threat and menace as long as it is not sadistic or sexualised, although the strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable.

18 (suitable for 18 and over) At ‘18’ works are for adults and can contain strong issues such as, very strong violence, frequent (very) strong language, scenes of sexual violence, strong horror, strong blood and gore and discriminatory language and behaviour.

Taking all these ratings into account we have decided to make our film a 15. There will be moments of prolonged horror and may contain some strong violence and threat. There will not be enough gore or violence to make the film an 18 though.

Film Production Groups

Paramount Pictures

Paramount is an American film production company. Founded in 1912 it is America's oldest existing film studio. It is ranked as one of the top grossing movie studios. It's produced horrors/thrillers such as, Dead Again, Disturbia, Next, Friday the 13th, and Paranormal Activity.

Universal Studios

Universal is one of the main 6 major American movie studios, it was also founded in 1912.

It's produced horrors/thrillers such as dead silence, the watcher, white noise, the unborn and drag me to hell.

Warner Bros

Warner Bros is an American Producer of film and television entertainment. It was found in 1918 by Jewish immigrants from Poland, Warner Brothers. It is the 3rd oldest American Movie Studio. It's produced horrors/thrillers such as The shining, The exorcist, Psycho, Blood Work, Gothika and the Jacket.

After watching trailers and reading up on all of the films under these production companies, we've decided to use Warner Bros as it is the most appropriate to our genre and has experience of producing similar films.

Our Victim

We wanted to make our victim as close to a stereotype as we possibly could therefore abiding the codes and conventions of our genre. We plan to have cuts and bruises across our victims face to show that she is the victim and is in some sort of danger. It also makes her physical weakness obvious and she is obviously under the authority of somebody else.

We've experimented with different types of make up to see which is the most realistic.

Victim Analysis

Typical victims

White clothing

Expression of fear

Long dark hair

Simplistic

They all sit/stand in a particular manor

They all have hair concealing their faces

They are always facing down but looking up

They all have a lot of eye contact with the camera

(we are aware that although victims in the beginning some of these victims turn to villains)

Characters and Setting

Characters

There are only 2 characters in our film opening, who are the young girl and brief appearance of the man. We are going to make these stereotypical characters by making the girl appear extremely innocent and the man extremely dominant through the use of camerawork and costume.

To make the girl appear innocent we will:

Dress her in white

Use high angle shots so we are looking down on her

Make her look weak through bruises and cuts

Show her obvious tiredness through the bags under her eyes

To make the man appear dominant we will:

Dress him in dark colours

Use Low angle shots so we are looking up at him

Setting

Our location is a barn with surrounding fields and a long track. All of which shall be filmed at dusk. We shall also use stables to film the flashbacks.

The long track will be used for the girl to run down whilst she is having flashbacks.

The barn shall be where the girl goes for shelter and dissappears from.

The field is used for where the man will stand in the long shot.

The stables will be used to film the flashbacks where the girl was tied up and obtained by the kidnapper.

Problems Encountered

Unfortunately the actress we were going to use to play the girl in our film opening was unable to be used. To conquer this problem we have decided to use one of the members in our group, we are sure we'll still be able to empathize and sympathize with this character even if she is different to our original plans.

Specfic Genre Questionnaire and Results Drawn

We created a Questionnaire based around our specific genres and asked for specific opinions and ideas. We posted the questionnaire to facebook and tried to get as many people as possible to fill it in for us. Our Questions consisted of:

MEDIA QUESTIONNAIRE
For our media coursework, we are doing a 2 minute opening to a film, in which a young girl is abducted from her farm. She is tortured and kept by her abductor before escaping.

Any title ideas?


Which genre would appeal more to you in this movie?
-psychological horror
-psychological thriller
-Gory horror

how long should the victim be kept and tortured?
-1 month
-1 year
-3 years
-5 years
-10 years
-other (please state)

What is a more interesting reason to kidnap a young girl?
-paedophilia
-blackmail
-bribery
-damaged adult (abductor mentally disturbed?)
-other (please state)

Which would be more effective? The victim wearing:
-a white dress
-a red dress

-should the audience empathise with:
-the victim
-the victim’s parents
-the abductor
-other (please state)

What time of day would you expect the victim to escape?
-dawn
-midday
-dusk
-night
-other (please state)

What appearance would you expect the abductor to have? Please comment on gender, age, costume and general appearance.

Which of these movies have you seen?
-Disturbia
-Madhouse
-the number 23
-saw 1-6
-se7en

What did you like most about these movies? (sound, atmosphere, mise en scene, editing, camera angles, storyline)

should this story be set in present day? or another time period?

Following this questionnaire we made some decisions by using the results. Psychological horror was the most popular genre we suggested, therefore implying that people would prefer the film to work on their fears and use tension to create a climax for which the audience would be scared of. We've decided that the girl should be kept for a year as it is not a time period that is too long but long enough for her to be worried about and have a big impact on her family and friends, this also means that she would not be too cut off from society and still have an idea of the world around her.

We decided the victim should be abducted only for the reason that the abductor is in some way mentally disabled, this would create a bigger storyline behind the villain so we could get to know him better, however we would still make sure that the victim is whom we empathize with. The victim will be young, dressed in white and look quite vulnerable, the villain will be quite old, dressed in black and dirty looking, this therefore sticking to the main stereotypes and codes and conventions as this is what is most popular in pscychological horror films. The victim is the obvious person to sympathize with and the most popular, therefore we are going to make her relatable and and vulnerable to make the audience fearful of her future and what happens to her. We've decided to make the victim escape at dawn as its light enough for her to be able to find her way out of where she is imprisoned but the abductor will still be asleep, it is also a time of morning at which nature is at its best therefore showing her vulnerability as she is so exposed to it. This time of day also symbolizes a new beginning therefore showing that this is a turning point in her life. We want to get people to relate to characters and question what they would do in this situation and make them contemplate on their own lives therefore it should be set in present day.

Initial Coursework Ideas

First Initial Ideas

From the moment we were set our coursework we knew that we wanted to make our film opening within the genre of psychological horror or psychological thriller. Our location was set, and we had actors/actresses in mind and therefore began to try and create a story around these factors. One of our first initial ideas was to have a death in the barn at our location which could then be discovered and the mystery behind the whole of the movie would be to try and find out who the killer was. We decided to scrap this idea as it was not really within the genre of psychological horror or thriller, and was not quite imaginative enough for us. We then had the idea of an abduction, in which a stereotypical innocent young girl is taken from a barn and the mystery of where she is and who has been holding her is remained a secret until the end of the film. This idea contributed to our final idea which is about an abduction.

Our Final Idea

For our final coursework decision we decided to base it around an abduction using our location and actors/actresses. Our final idea is:

We begin the film with a pan shot of a quiet field at dawn. The screen turns black and we hear the digetic sound of running footsteps and heavy breathing. The screen focuses on a young girl running down a long path in a white dress with mud and blood on it. She has bruises and cuts on her face and barefeet. The first shot of the girl is at a high angle pan shot of her running, which is followed by a snapshot of a flashback which is in black and white (to show it is the past). We then go back to a handheld shot behind her watching her run which then snaps into a slightly longer flashback in which we see the young girl tied up. We then go back to a long shot of the girl running and yet again we go to another long flashback of the girl tied up and struggling. Following this shot we see the young girl from a high angle shot of her run into a barn. When inside the barn we see the girl lean on the a wall of the barn with a hole in and see someone walk past the hole. We follow the girl walking towards the entrance of the barn again and have a long shot of her and a man standing in the field. We close up to her face to see her reaction and then go back to the long shot but the man has dissappeared. The girl walks back to the wall with a hole and sits in front of it. We again see a man walk past the hole and the screen turns to black, and then returns to the shot of where she is sitting and she has gone. All we can see and hear is the wind passing through the hole, and then TITLES.