The Pitch

during the lesson, we were given the task to create a pitch in order to "sell" our storyline to our teacher as if we were actually in the industry trying to win over potential producers and funders. As a group we generate an initial idead and storyline which we thought was a cross between a traditional revenge thriller and teen horror. this therefor makes our idead quite unique as it crosses over 2 sub-genres of horror but also will relates to our younger audiences.

The Idea: A girl is not invited to a party as she is being bullied at her school. she then goes carzy and decides to seek her revenge on all those who ever bullied her by doing voodoo while the party is happening. One by one people start dying according to the way in which she is playing with the voodoo dolls.

The Location: for the party scene, we decided to use the drama room because it is quite a large space and can become quite dark. Whereas for the voodoo scene, we are using Deemarli's bedroom and livingroom and builiding a fake shrine to give emphasis to the idea of voodoo.

costumes and character allocations are yet to be decided.

Filming and Editing

I was handling the camera and used the zoom for a variety of shots such as the extreme close ups of Shekira’s eyes to create added tension to the short film. The close ups of her eyes and her slamming the newspaper on the table, shows the viewer that she has seen something that she didn’t want to see or something frightening. A Long shot was taken of Shekira walking towards the table where the initial film will take place. This shows her journey towards the table. Also, mid-shots were taken of her sitting down at the table, this simply shows what she’s doing and her body language which at this stage was positive. In terms of editing we took several takes of each shot so we could have a variety to choose from when it came to the initial cutting stage.

Match cut Exercise Overview

Me and Shekira were present in the lesson and were given a handout with a task stating that we had to film a person reading a newspaper in a thrilling way, in some way this seemed slightly difficult as we thought how this could be done but with our ideas combined we figured out a general outline for the silent match cut film exercise.

Shekira was the actor and I was handling the camera and was director. We planned what we were going to do by drawing up a storyboard and sketching each of the shots we were going take. These consisted of long shots, panning/tracking shots, close/extreme close ups, mid shots and over the shoulder shots.

We then went on to book the camera and tripod and went to the downstairs hall/lobby and set up next to the sofas and tables, we then got out props, which was a newspaper and started filming

Thriller practical-Pitch

Yesterdays lesson was beggining to create a pitch for the short title sequence I will be making in class. A pitch is a concise verbal and sometimes visual presentation of an idea for a film, generally made by a screenwriter or director to a producer or studio executive in the hope of attracting development finance to pay for the writing of a screenplay.
I will be pitching the idea for the title sequence to my class with my group these are the type of things we will have to discuss when presenting our ideas:
1.The title of the movie
2.The treatment(brief outline of the film)
3.What type(subgenre)of thriller is it
4.Planned locations and location shots
5.Props, costumes and other mise en scene
6.Full storyboard or animatic including titles
7.Preliminary ideas about sound
8.Production schedule(what are you doing and when)
9.Risk assessment
10.Skills audit to date
11.Institutional detail-which company would produce the film and how would that affect PDE
12.Audience deal-who is the target audience and what would appeal to them
The pitch will be 15minutes and has to include a lot of detail about the title sequence.

Match Cut (Short practice film) Task.

On the 08/02/10 we were given a practical task to create a short practice film worth 15% of our final coursework grade. This short practice film could be any genre revolving any situation as long as it contains two characters and includes one character entering the scene as part of the clip. Before preparing for the task we were given a sheet explaining what specific shots we had to include, we had to include a shot reverse shot, a 180 degree shot and a match cut shot. I personally found the shot reverse shot the most simple to apply as the position of the characters allowed the shot to flow effectively.

To prepare for the practical task efficiently and ensure everything would run smoothly we began by creating a story board showing exactly what happens, when and where. Myself and my group found this stage of the task quite simple as we all had a lot of ideas to include. After this step we had to decide where we was going to include the three various shots during our piece, we attempted to apply these shots in the most appropriate places creating an impact.

I found it quite difficult trying to apply the three shots in a symbolic way because I wasn’t as familiar with the shots as I thought, I only realised this whilst trying to plot the shots appropriately. As part of the completion process for our piece we had to edit our short film, I initially found this stage difficult but as I got the hang of it I learnt how to edit smoothly and understand the editing process thoroughly. There were only some simple problems whilst editing such as selecting where the input and output should be placed on a clip and getting the clips to flow altogether but watching the clip in detail and shorting and lengthening the durations of clips made it less complex.

This task overall was very useful and allowed me to gain a good understanding of different shots, editing, story boards, and camera techniques. This practical task also showed me what to expect when working on our thriller title sequences.

Analysis of a title sequence

In preparation for making my short thriller title sequence i was looking at and analysing different title sequences and font types. 'The Pink Panther' title sequence caught my attention because of the bright pink colours on a black background, the animation and large Ariel writing.

The curve of the little 'H',animation and the font itself suggests a humorous genre, but the solidarity and clarity of the title suggests a more adult/mature humor.If you look closely the word 'The' is a bit small compared to the rest of the font, i thgought it was a clever way to catch the audiences attention with the words 'Pink Panther'.
The title sequence suggests that this film is informal and the colours work well togther making it appear as there is a range of colour when infact there are only three.

Match cut task

In today’s lesson we had a task which was to create a clip which had the following shots within it; one shot reverse shot, one 180 degree shot and one match cut shot. I thought this task was going to be easy but I underestimated it at the beginning, and found out in the end, that it is hard to get all of the shots perfect and for them to all link within one scene. Before we could start shooting me and my partner Shekira had to come up with an idea of what the scene was going to be about. First of all we brain stormed a few ideas that we both had. Then we both put our ideas together and formed a storyline. The concept of the storyline was an angry young male going to meet his girlfriend who had something to tell him. After we decide on the storyline we immediately started to plan the mise en scene for the scene and started planning the type of shots we were going to have and how we were going to incorporate all the shots we had to include into the scene. We did all our planning by story boarding what was going to happen in the scene step by step.

Once we finished all our planning we started to film our shots. In the scene I was the boy actor therefore I didn’t get to do a lot of filming. However I had a lot of input in how the shot should be taken. For example I and my partner would record a one shot from one angel a few times, then we would watch back one the clips, then discuss how it looks. After that I would give my opinion of the shot and we would film exactly the same shot from a different angel or with different lighting. I think that the match shot we did, when the angry boy walked through the door was very smooth and vey professional and was the easiest shot to film out of the film. Then I believe that the shot reverse shot between the two characters arguing worked well. However I believe to make this work better we could have made the shots a lot shorter and quicker therefore it would have made the conversation a lot more realistic. Finally I think the hardest shot to film was the 180 degree shot, this was simply because we did not understand what a 180 degree shot was, we thought that it was more like a panning shot from one character to another. Then when finished editing our shots and putting them together using “Live Type” a video editing programme. We found out that our shot that we thought was a 180 degree shot was incorrect. Then we were told what a real 180 degree shot was, which is a basic guideline in film making that states two characters/other elements in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. This was useful to me so that I knew the true defection of 180 degree shot and to make sure that I don’t make the same mistake in future filming sessions.

I found that our editing process was very easy because we had a variety of shots to choose from that connected the storyline together. One thing that I think we could have improved on was the connections between different cuts to make sure the clip run smoothly. However on a whole I believe that we did quite well for a task we were given only a few hours before having to plan film and edit it all in one day. I was really proud of the clip and it made me aware of my weak and strong points within filming and editing. I also liked the use of our creativity at the end when there is shot of a blank screen and you can only hear the boy’s voice in the background. That shot was such a simple shot but very effective.

Match cut task

In today’s lesson we had to do a short practice film which is worth 15% of coursework so continuity and relatively good camera work was essential. My partners and I put together a short film using a story board to plan our camera movements, angels and acting. When planning we had to include at least one shot reverse shot, one 180 degree shot and one match cut shot.

During filming I found that the shot reverse shot was straightforward because the way the actors and camera where in position their movements flowed well (I found that using a door to do a shot reverse shot worked well). I also found that using the camera was easier than I expected it would be.

When it came to editing my group and I edited quite fast because the footage we recorded all followed on from one another and we did about three takes of the same scene so we could have a range of clips to choose from. There were only a few complications when editing, such as selecting where the input and output should be placed on a clip and getting the clips to flow altogether but watching the clip in detail and shorting and lengthening the durations of clips made it less complex.
I learnt that a 180 degree shot is a basic guideline in film making that states two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. I was under the impression that 180 degree shot was filming half the scene panning from both characters (and other elements) in a scene, so I learnt something new for future filming.

I believe that the best scene in the film is in the beginning when the angry boy walks through the door, and there’s a shot reverse shot of him entering the door from inside, this works well because it has a good flow and looks like really good camera work.
The only criticisms of the short film I would make is that in the beginning scene as the angry boy is walking to open the door his head is cut out of the shot, it would have been more dramatic and effective if we could see his facial expressions when reaching the door, also the film cuts are slightly jumpy so the film flows well but it could have been much better.
Overall I had fun doing this task because I learnt more camera and editing skills which will be useful when making my short thriller title sequence.

News and current affairs

A woman has been convicted of murdering her lover of 16 years by lacing his curry with a "deadly" poison"-

The current news affair that i have been reading about this week is the "Deadly Posion", i chose to write a blog about it because even though it is very sad and deals with someones death, i find it bizzare and interesting at the same time.

Lakhvir Singh, 45, killed Lakhvinder Cheema, 39, who died hours after eating the meal with his new fiancee at his home in Feltham, west London, in 2009.
Singh was cleared of attempting to murder Gurjeet Choongh but found guity of causing her grievous bodily harm. The Old Bailey heard Singh could not bear the thought of her lover's marriage to another woman. Mr Cheema and Miss Choongh, 22, who had been due to marry on Valentine's Day 2009, fell ill in January after eating leftover curry which had been in the fridge of their home. Mr Cheema and Miss Choongh, 22, who had been due to marry on Valentine's Day 2009, fell ill in January after eating leftover curry which had been in the fridge of their home. Within hours, Mr Cheema was dead and Miss Choongh was fighting for her life after being poisoned with Indian aconite - known as the Queen of Poisons.
After her arrest Singh, a mother of three, tried to blame her brother-in-law Varinder for the death, but a lodger at the house saw her take a container with the curry out of the fridge earlier in the day, the court heard.

Technical audit of Bait tutorial

Although we done this last term Before starting 'thriller title sequences' i remember the lesson specifically because i enjoyed the task.
During this lesson we spent in the editing suite we were given a series of clips to put together, cut, edit and run in a specific time scale. This task took longer then anticipated because you dont relalise how hard it is to cut shots not knowing weather its a relevant shot or weather it fits in were you placed it.
Also, i learnt how to edit someone else's work as well as my own. This sequence was a simple clip but had a long build up, it was of a young boy in a cafe and an old male tramp walks in and steels his lunch. This was a hard clip to edit because it had many match cuts.

News amd Current affairs: Haiti earthquake: Day by day

Wismond Exantus was pulled from the ruins of a hotel after 11 days
Estimates of the numbers killed in the Haitian earthquake range from 100,000 to 200,000. This is how events unfolded after the quake - with a magnitude of 7.0 - struck at 1653 local time (2153 GMT) on Tuesday, 12 January.
SATURDAY 23 JANUARY
International search teams continued their work to find survivors, despite the Haitian government calling an official end to the rescue phase, and were rewarded by pulling Wismond Exantus from the remains of the Napoli Inn Hotel 11 days after the quake.
Greek, French and US rescue teams were involved in the two-and-a-half-hour operation to bring him out.
Meanwhile, organisers of the Hope for Haiti telethon in the US said it had raised more than $57m (£35m) for victims.
They said Friday night's event had set a new record for disaster relief telethons.

A link to see The disaster further: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/?ITO=1482

Thriller Sub-Genres

There are many different types of thrillers, not just one. Thrillers can be horrors, historical and even comical. Here are a list of the most common sub-genre's for thriller films.
Action Thriller
Conspiracy Thriller
Erotic Thriller
Crime Thriller
Disaster Thriller
Legal Thriller
Medical Thriller
Political Thriller
Psychological Thriller
Spy Thriller
Techno Thriller
Religious Thriller (da vinci code)
My favourite type of thrillers are crime thrillers and psychological thrillers because i find them interesting and suspensful. One crime thriller i like in particular is 'Crash'. One horror thriller i like in particular is 'Saw' i find saw interesting because saw creates suspense through lighting, and vocal techniques used by the characters.

I found it functional getting to know the various thriller sub-genres,because when i usually watch films i class them just as thrillers, i never realised all the various types. This makes things easier and gives me the advantage of understanding what thrillers i like to watch best.

What is Suspense ? (First Lesson)

In this lesson we went through various different thriller titles and what they each have in common. I noticed that with out sound effects and music, thrillers wouldn't be the same. Then we asked our self's 'What makes a thriller a thriller? ' and ' What things do we associate with thrillers' and we came up with things such as; tension, music, mystery, sinister surroundings, phone calls and suspense. Suspense is a state or condition of mental uncertainty or excitement, as in awaiting a decision or outcome, usually accompanied by a degree of apprehension or anxiety.
Suspense occurs in most thriller films, and make thrillers what they are. In a Gritty, dramatic, thriller film 'Crash' Suspense is built throughout from the use of sound and music. When ever something tense is about to happen, sad, dreary, music such as simple piano melodies are played.
Another example of suspense being created through the use of sound/music is in the film 'Jaws' You realise when the shark is going to appear because you hear 'duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh' this deep heart beat sound effect creates suspense throughout. The film is now famous for its suspenseful sound effects.

I think suspense is an important feature which should be created in every thriller film, it makes things exciting, scary and interesting.

Practice Lesson on title sequence editing

We had our first lesson on title sequence editing on the 3rd/02/10. I found this lesson very useful because editing is one of my weak points. Firstly, we had an individual task to complete, to get to know the programme we will be using frequently. This programme allowed us to play with different titles, using different; Colours, fonts, styles, backgrounds and images. The programme is called 'Live type'. This task allowed me to practice using the features i will be using and understand them better.

We also Used another application which allowed us to compose and create different sound effects/music which might be applied later on to the final piece. I found this part of the lesson interesting as well because i enjoy music and found it exciting thinking about how i would match sounds to the imagery.

In the second half of the lesson we used another editing suite were we practiced editing our own mini clips of footage we filmed in a previous lesson. We had to cut and edit the footage so it made sense and played smoothly. I found this task quite simple and useful becuase it allowed me to realise how important it is to get more than one shot, so you have more options.

What is suspense? (Lesson 1)

In the first lesson of we were looking at film thriller title sequences. In this lesson were looking at the different genres that a thriller can have and what they all have in common. One of the main features that we realised that they had in common was the use of suspense. The definition of suspense is a build up to a climax. Normally suspense happens slowly throughout a film or even a TV drama. Suspense is an emotional build up when a person doesn’t know what is going to happen next. An example of suspense is the sound in the feature film Jaws “Duh Nuh Duh Nuh”. Suspense here is used to create an airy atmosphere and to tell the audience the shark is about to appear. Below is a link to an example of the suspense in Jaws:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucMLFO6TsFM

Practice lesson for title sequence editing

Yesterday's lesson was practice work for editing the title sequence i'll be making with my group. I learnt how to use Live Type to add different types of fonts, effects and backgrounds to the title sequence, it was interesting because i had a chance to experiment with the several different ways of introducing writting that will appear on screen for the title sequence. I learnt how to do simple things with the fonts, such as adjusting size colour and timing how long it takes for the writing to appear on school and also how long the writing stays on screen for.

I also used a sound programme this allows me to add sounds and music to the title sequence, there was a range of sound effects and different genres of music to add to the title sequence. I focused more on scary sound effects of people talking to add to the thriller sequence i'll be making the only thing that dissapointed me is that i found out that i couldn't upload my own music to the sound programme.

The second part of the lesson was spent in the editting suite where my group and i edited a practice film made in the previous lesson. I was practing how too edit cut shots to make the short film flow altogther then import a title sequence i found it difficult at first but then i got the hang of it.

Teacher comment

Pleased to see that everyone in the group has now blogged. I'd still encourage all of you to get into the habit of doing this on a regular basis. Try to make blogs personal and above all reflective so the reader gets a strong sense of your enthusiasm, interest and developing understanding. Good work.

My favourite Thriller film opening?

One of my favourtie thriller film title sequences is for 'Panic Room'. Panic Room begins with an establishing shot of the city in which it is set. This is effective because it allows the audience to understand what the setting is like and therefore gather an understanding to the genre of the film.

The title sequence for panic room is a narrative opening with the titles running throughout complimented by weary music. This music is quite dark, and adds a mysterious feel to the opening. Without the use of music, i dont think tension would have been built as appropriatley as it did.

There is a strong use of mise-en-scene right from the start. The high story buildings suggest a working class atmosphere, which then suggest working class families. The busy roads suggest chaos and define drama. This is a dramatic thriller.

The title sequence for panic room interests me becuase it sets the scene, it builds tension creating an impact on the film even before any dialogue begins.

Planet of the Apes (Art of the title sequence Task)

I thought the opening title sequence to planet of the apes was very interesting. It starts with a still image close up shot of a man lying down, this grabs viewers attention because you expect the film to begin. This snap shot is a tease to whats about to occur after the title sequence.

The style of the title sequence is very simple yet effective, its a common structure as the titles are on a plain black background with blue rays of light. This simple effect allows the audience to concentrate more 0n the titles of people present in the film yet still understand the genre of the film through sound and cold flashes of blue light.

The titles themsleves include; the title, actors names, directors, music, costume, make-up artist, producer, extras and the production company. The title sequence it self is very big, bold and sharp this may reflect the film as action packed. The title sequence appeals to me because its simple yet effective, just through sound and colour tension is being built up preparing the audience for the film.

Transformers

Transformers

I like the title sequence for Transformers because it involves a wide range of sounds and special effects. This particular trailer includes dialogue narrating the title sequence, which creates added tension for the viewer. Also before that when showing the production company logo, there were techno and electronic sounds giving off the impression that the film is going to be very hi-tech.

In terms of camera shots there is a great use of establishing shots showing the extent of the mise en scene, which is a desert with cavemen and robots. There are close ups of the cavemen, slow motion of the running and over the shoulder shots of the robot picking up someone.

The special effects were very gripping in a sense that the detail and the mise en scene looked very real.

suspense in 'the shining'

Suspense was created in the opening through an exciting and thrilling storyline. I picked up 3 examples of scenes which I personally think had the most suspense.

The first example would be in one of the earlier scenes where ‘Danny’ the son is in his tricycle riding around. In this case the storyline or context is not particularly ‘scary’ but the way in which the camera shots were taken created suspense, tension and fear within the mind of the viewer, which in this case is me.

Another example would be when the husband, in this scene travels across the room towards the bathroom in an unfamiliar hotel room; he then slowly opens the door revealing a person sitting in a bathtub hidden behind a shower curtain. The way in which orchestral music is playing and the ‘creek’ in the door is loud as he open it gives away a sense of suspense.

Last example of suspense in ‘the shining’ is when the black guy comes to look for the family and he finds the hallways are quite and deserted, as he peers around the corners and looks over his shoulder, this creates tension and fear and then from the character it is transmitted to the viewer.

D - you need to get into the habit of regular blogging. Jovan and Shekira have three, much better but still a couple missing. 4th member (is it Charmaine) has yet to post!! Get cracking please. Refer to the checklist to see what is missing.