Progress Report

Progress Report: 31sr January 2013

So far in the plannign of our 2 minute film sequenceihave started to do my piece of work on the horror genre it is neaarly completeall ineed to do is add a few more sentences.


Group 14we  have come up with ouyr story line and have decided what we would like to happen inour 2minute openingthough we have yet to write a script.

ihave also created a questionnairewith the help jade whichwe have sen to people through facebook,twitter, google+ and even by text

Blair Witch Project

Blair Witch Project

The Blair witch project, a film allegedly made from the documentary from when some college students went missing. All the film is constructed from the camera work of hand-held (POV) The first 15 minutes of this film is the introduction of the characters in the film. Heather, Josh and Mike are college students producing a documentary on ‘The Blair Witch’.

  In the opening minutes of the film introduce the idea of the project the characters will be doing and what kind of people the characters are, the personalities and their idiosyncrasies, this truly sets the realism in the film for the audience to become attached to the individual characters.

  A few further minutes into the film it starts to pick up pace and concentrate on the true content of the film. By this time the characters are interviewing people on the topic of the Blair Witch and their understanding and possible experiences of this phenomenon where children went missing throughout the 1940’s.

  Further into the film the main setting (location) of the film is attained - the Blair Woods. From here until the end of the film, all filming takes place in these woods, apart from the last couple of minutes, which are filmed inside an old house. The house of the alleged “Blair Witch’. Main sequence and plot of the film is set in the ‘Blair woods’, this is where un-explained things start happening to the teenagers, bags start being emptied and part of their trio is split up and lost. The rest of the group go looking for him.

 The next part of the film is mainly shot by Heather, and is primarily her explaining how afraid she is, and that she loves her mom. The rest of the shots used in the film are completely hand-held shots, very shaky, very un-even and un-balanced. Many of the shots used are slow and very suggestive, of a possible ‘fright’ to the audience. This is accomplished by much of the screen being used as background, where in the foreground is the detail, usually crammed into one quarter of the screen.

  This is the last shot in the film; Mike is standing against the wall, which is a previous reference to things discussed in the film. Earlier in the film, it was said by an interviewee that the ‘Blair witch’ made one child face the wall while he murdered one child and then in succession, the other. The end title sequence then rolls.

Film Questionnaire Form

Analysis of Title Sequence (Se7en)

In the title sequence for Se7en, the director helps to establish the genre of the film so that the audience knows what to expect before watching the film.

The title sequence isn’t important from a narrative point of view, but it is essential in developing the character. Although the audience is unaware of who the subject is, it is clear in showing him to be extremely disturbed.

The introduction isn’t shot in a continuity editing style – highlighting the disturbing nature of the film.

The title credit’s text is written in a ‘grungy / distorted’ style. It also flickers and moves in and out of focus. Because the text is always moving – it suggests that the film isn’t necessarily calm.

Throughout the sequence, there is a lack of colours shown, with most of it being in black and white. However, there are occasional shots of red – creating connotations of blood.

The subject of the title sequences isn’t known, although we see him blanking out certain words in a book. Although the audience can’t see what words were being blanked out because of the fast paced editing, it creates a sense of intriugment in the viewer making them want to know what the person was hiding.

The music is essential in creating the eerie atmosphere, with weird music being played throughout the intro. You hear screeching noises – something which is conventional in making the viewer feel uncomfortable.

In addition to the creepy, disturbing music, we hear the lyrics ‘You got me closer to God’ at the end of the intro – linking the sequence to religion.

The theme of religion is also repeated in the sequence when the character cuts out the word ‘God’ from a piece of paper – although it is upside down which helps to illustrate the point that something isn’t right with the character.

Extreme close ups are used all the way through the sequence which hides the character’s identity. It also creates a mysterious atmosphere where the viewer feels intrigued - wanting to know who the character is and what he is doing. 

In addition to extreme close ups, double shots of the character writing in a book helps to illustrate the deranged personality of the character – making him appear insane. The incorrect vision could also symbolize how he sees things in a different way.

Throughout the sequence, a variety of tools are shown, such as razors, scissors and needles. This could show how he is dangerous because the camera shows the way in which he handles the tools to be quite aggressive.  As well as this, because he is doing everything himself, it could symbolize his lonesome, independent personality.

Shots of pictures are shown, although it is frequently unclear what they are. A few times, however, they are recognisable as being corpses or bodies. This links the film to death. Also, corpses are paradigms of the Neo-Noire’ film genre.

Also, there are many diagonal lines shown in the title sequences. Diagonal lines create connotations of abnormality. 

Link to sequence:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4thzyFFdvVc

Storyline

Overall storyline:

Everyone knows the story of the madness that is Moorecliffe Orphanage. On the 31st October1943, the orphans that still lived there were massacred by an escaped mad man, along with all the staff with them, the orphanage abandoned ever since. There are people in the local asylum who only reside there due to their visit in 1987, at the ages of 16 and 17. Kimberly, Todd, Richard and Lizzie set off at the beginning of the night of Hallows Eve, set out to roam the ruins of Moorecliffe Orphanage to prove that ghosts do not exist, and came out barely alive. Olivia, Luke, Jade and Hayley, teenagers of the present day: follow in their footsteps, but prepare themselves for the possible horrors to come, visiting at first on the 27th February 2013, oblivious to the events to come. Escaping from the horrors with seconds to spare, the teens realised that they have underestimated just how powerful the spirits of the orphanage are, and they are going to up their game to get to the bottom of the investigation. Reading books on the Moorecliffe Massacre, on the fate of the teens that visited there in 1982, and even visiting the asylum that they are now bound in, the teenagers delved into the depths of the history of Moorecliffe, determined to uncover what actually happened that night.

First 2 minutes:

Kim, Lizzie, Todd and Richard set off from their night out trick or treating, deciding they were too old for such a practice and needed something more daring in their lives. Deciding to visit Moorecliffe Orphange, a place that has reportedly been haunted since the 1943 Moorecliffe Massacre, they set out to prove that ghosts do not exist. As atheists, they are completely confident that there is no life beyond death, and there will be nothing but an abandoned institute. Richard and Todd are determined to freak the girls out as much as they can, jumping up behind them as much as possible, until something moves behind the wall and Todd is accused, but the laughter of children can be heard... Following the sounds, we do not see where the teens go, but a few seconds later their screams can be heard and the screen blacks out.

Questionnaire Results

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

 Name:

 Age:

 Gender:

Region (were are you from):

( 2 minute story line here)

1) What genre do you think our film is? (what type of film do you think it will be)

2) What age group do you think it is amied at and what cirtificute would you give it?

3) Were do you expect to watch it? cinema, online,dvd..

4) What do you think of the story line?

5) Would you go see it?

6) Does it make sence?

7) Does it sound interesting

8) Is there anything you dont loke about it if so what?

Research Into Certificate of Film

The BBFC regulates who can watch  certain types of films by classifying them into one of seven age ratings.

U - This means the film is suitable for audiences over the age of 4.

PG - The parental guidance certificate means that the film would be suitable for general viewing, although parents are advised to consider if the film could upset their child.

12 - This certificate is for DVDs and Blu-Rays which indicates that the film is suitable for anybody over the age of 12. Nobody below the age of 12 may purchase a film that has a 12 rating.

12A - For cinema releases only. Allows for people below the age of 12 to watch a 12A film as long as they are accompanied by an adult.

15 - Only suitable for people that are 15 and over. People below the age of 15 are not permitted to watch or purchase 15 certificate films.

18 - Only suitable for people that are 18 and over. People below the age of 18 are not permitted to watch of purchase 18 certificate films.



The age rating of a film can have a large impact on who sees a film, and what the audience expects to see when they view it.

For example, a film that could have a large potential young audience (such as The Dark Knight or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2) will try and keep their films certified for a younger audience so that more people can watch them.

Also, age certificates can act as a guideline on what you can expect to see from a film. If you were going to watch an 18-rated horror film, you would expect extremely graphic scenes whereas a 15 rated horror film would most likely contain psychological or paranormal themes. Eg. 'A Serbian film' is an 18 rated film whereas 'Cabin in the Woods' is a 15 rated film.

Shutter Island: First 15 Minutes Analysis

Shutter Island: First 15 Minutes Analysis

In the first 15 minutes of the film, the audience is introduced to Teddy as they witness him suffering from seasickness. This is important because it establishes that Teddy is stressed how he could be nervous. This is shown by a close up of him looking out a window towards the ocean that surrounds him. I think this symbolizes Teddy as being out of his depth and trapped by his surroundings. 

This long shot of his partner is from Teddy’s point of view because it is an eyeline match from the previous shot. I think this shot represents Teddy as being imprisoned because of the chain fence that resembles a cage.

  

When the boat approaches the island, an establishing shot of the island is shown. It helps to set the scene where the film is shown. Also, the dark storm clouds could foreshadow  unfortunate events that could occur in the film.

This close up of the marshal badge in this shot helps to establish the role of the characters.

It also places the characters in a position of power.

  

This medium long shot is important because it shows how the investigators are unwelcome. This is shown by the weapons the police are holding. It also makes them look intimidating. It also helps the audience identify this because they are looking at the camera,  as if they were looking directly at the audience.

This extreme long shot is a very important shot because the use of barbed wire shows that they are trapped. It also symbolizes how they are entering dangerous territory.

 

This medium shot of a patient creates a sense of eeriness. The irregular facial features are shown to the viewer and her behaviour helps to make the viewer feel uncomfortable. It is also important because it .

230.1 to have an impact on Teddy’s first impressions of his new surroundings.

This close up of a photo is important because it establishes that this character has a significant role in the film.

This shot is significant because it shows a change in power between the characters. Formerly the investigators were the most dominant characters, but now it shows that Dr. Cawley is the most dominant character. This is shown by the investigators sat down whereas the Dr. Cawley is stood up.

Despite the previous shot showing the doctor in a position of power, the lighting in this shot shows how the doctor could be seen as sinister. The lighting makes his face look darker and in shadows – the darkness creates connotations of evil. This helps the audience identify that this character is the villain by only watching the first 15 minutes.