Health and Safety

we have had to consider our heath and safety for our project, this because we are using realistic weapons in a public place. we have considered members of the public being scared or worried about the goings on in our horror (e.g. the kill scene). to combat this problem we will have a member of crew,l wearing a high visibility jacket with a dedicated phone line on the back (a mobile number, where they can call for a brief description of what we are doing); along with that the in tire crew will be wearing a high visibility jackets that say crew on the back. we will also ask Scott if he will over see our shooting as a responsible adult. we may also consider having a trained first aider on set.

we have also got in contact with the local police dept. and are awaiting for a response to our phone call to set up a recorded meeting to explain our project and our intentions. we have also written a letter to inform them of our goings on. this is shown below

9^th December 2010

To Whom It May Concern

I am writing to inform you that we will be shooting a horror film sequence for our AS Media Studies Project.  This will include the use of realistic looking weapons (e.g. knife). This will be shot around dusk/ night near Olympus house. We will inform you of the dates nearer the time of shooting this. We will also inform Olympus House of these events.

This is part of our Media Studies course and it involves filming an opening scene for our chosen genre. We have selected the Horror genre. We have planned out our script and costumes for this over the last few weeks. All members of our group will be wearing high visibility jackets during filming.  Group members include: Connor Page, Francesca Williams, Ryan Newson and Liam Oliver. Also Sophie Stokes will be involved as an actress on this day.

We will have a dedicated help line displayed around the set where any member of the public can call to be informed of the current events in place.  A risk assessment will be carried out prior filming.  We kindly request your Consent to these events; if you have any queries please contact Connor Page on  07807 070458 or contact Roberto DeVita at Ken Stimpson Community School.

Yours sincerely

StandHardProductions                      R De Vita

                                            Media Studies Teacher (KSCS)

Analysis

MISE EN SCÉNEMise en Scéne is a French term meaning what is put into the scene or frame. What is put in or left out can make a big difference to the signals we, the audience, receive about what sort of film it is and how we are supposed to feel at this point.

A simple shot of a tree can be made to look threatening by stripping it of leaves, adding a vulture and some lightening and shooting it in darkness. The same tree can be given a very different look by having children playing beneath its sunlit branches. As an experienced film audience we are able to read these hidden signals of lighting, colour, props and characters and add these to our understanding of what will happen in the film.

In this way, the elements of mise en scéne are an indicator as to the genre (type) of film we are watching. We have certain expectations of the mise en scéne in different genres of films; e.g. Horror; Dark, creepy, evil.
Comedy; Bright, colourful, lively.

The elements to consider in the mise en scéne are:
a) settings & props
b) costume, hair & make-up
c) facial expressions & body language
d) lighting & colour
e) position ing of characters & objects within a frame

Heres a brief look at each of these in turn;SETTINGS & PROPS

SETTINGS:
The settings used in a film are very rarely just backgrounds to the characters' dialogue and indeed we will often see shots of places without any action taking place. In this way the setting of a film is far more significant than the setting of a theatre and is almost always infinitely more detailed. Filmmakers can choose to build a setting from scratch using the bare walls and floor of a studio set; alternatively, a great deal of time and effort is put in by a location manager in the initial stages of making a fil;m to find a setting which already exists. Invariably this location will then be altered further to reflect exactly what the filmmaker wants to convery.

Settings can be used to manipulate an audience by building certain expectations and then the action takes a different turn, for instance, a tale of horror set against the familiar background of modern everyday urban life is showhow more disturbing than one set a century ago in a house in the wooods. This can be particularaly effective if the setting goes against what we would expect from this genre of film.PROPS:
Props is the term we give to objects in the setting which play a part in the action, rather than just being part of the background, for example, the glass containing the poisioned wine.
COSTUME, HAIR & MAKEUP

COSTUME:
Costume plays a large part in the mise en scéne because it can be an instant indicator to us of a character's personality, social status and job. It tells us immediately whether the film is set in the present and what society and/or culture it will centre around. It may also provide a clue as to the part of the caracter will play in the action. Certain types of costume are identified closely with indicidual genres, for instance, the black cloak of the vampire with a horror film.MAKE UP:
In the early days of cinema, make-up was used to highlight facial features as black and white film stock could not register detail very well. Certain genres traditionally use make-up more than others.LIGHTING & COLOURLIGHTING:Lighting can aim to give a particular scene a very realistic look or to bring out the dramatic nature of it and we associate these different lighting styles with different genres. It can be used to achieve a variety of a effects, for example;

• To highlight important characters or objects within the frame by drawing our attention towards them with a bright light source.
• To make a  character look mysterious by shading sections of the face/body.
• To reflect a character's confused state of mind may be suggested by alternating bright and dark light quickly as in a strobe effect.

COLOUR:
The connotations that colour carries with it are an important influence as to the mood of a scene. We tend to associate certain colours with certain genres particularly with reference to film posters and publicity materials which rely on the public quickly being able to identify with a film even from a distance.
POSITIONING OF CHARACTERS & OBJECTS WITHIN A FRAME
There are various ways in which the filmmaker can use positioning within the frame. For instance;

• If the filmmaker chooses to position a character or an object in the foreground of the shot we know that we, as an audience, should attach importance to this character or object; the mise en scéne is being used to direct our attention towards them. Likewise, we recognise that background events have less significance at this particular point in the narrative.
• A moving body or object placed against a stationary background will immediately draw our attention as it would in real life.
• If characters or objects are positioned evenly within the frame this will give a balanced feel ot the shot. If all the figures are at one end of the frame for example, this will create an imbalance for the eye by making the shot feel heavy on one side. These different types of spacing within the shot can be used to make the audience feel settled or unsettled, thus involving them in the action.
• If the positioning of figures and objects draws our atttention to the diagonal lines of the frame, this will help to inbalance the eye, especially if the lines of the background follow horizontal and vertical planes. This can be used to make the audience feel uncomfortable about the action that is taking place.
• The filmmaker can use positioning to indicate relationships between people, for example, if lovers are having an argument they will often be placed at the outside edges of the grame so there is a lot of physical distance between them to reflect the emotional distance they are experiencing at this point.

Clothing research

We have started research into clothing for our Opening Scene. We have also looked into buying hi vis jacket to alert members of the public that we are part of the filming. The below print screen shows that 4 high vis jackets would cost £5.20 and 4 Jackets with print on the back would cose £16.20.

The i-pod we will have to borrow of someone and the Machette we will eaither had to  borrow or buy.

The below screen shot shows the estimated price of buying a Machette:

Becasue of the weather being cold we have done some research into buying a read coat for the actress, below is a print screen of the estimated price for this, the price would be £3.69 including postage;

 We have experimented with various fonts for out titles, these are shown below:

We have decided on the last font. We will do this in red and white so it flashes on the black background like a heart beat. The sketchy text indicates the disturbed mind of the killer, and the red colour indicates danger.

For our final production, we wanted to use a song called Possibility, by Lykke Li. This song uses an acoustic piano and vocals, this gives it a slightly eerie affect; this will add a great atmosphere to our thriller/horror. Problems:we encountered some inconveniences such as:

• Copy right issues
• How to alter a single level (e.g. piano)
• How to alter the intire song

the way we overcame these problems was to, ask a musician to preform a cover of the song and give us permission to use it; This will also allow us to control the audio editing. after asking Sophie if she would preform the cover, Liam and myself set up the recording studio (with the guidance of Scott). We used ...... mics to record the audio, allowing us to alter the recording circle. We also decided to record the in tire recording session on a camera, documenting the event; i then took this fotage, and mixed it with the audio that we recorded. This was using premire pro, this gave us a profetional looking, behind the scenes video.
For our final production, we wanted to use a song called Possibility, by Lykke Li. This song uses an acoustic piano and vocals, this gives it a slightly eerie affect; this will add a great atmosphere to our thriller/horror. Problems:we encountered some inconveniences such as:

• Copy right issues
• How to alter a single level (e.g. piano)
• How to alter the intire song

the way we overcame these problems was to, ask a musician to preform a cover of the song and give us permission to use it; This will also allow us to control the audio editing. after asking Sophie if she would preform the cover, Liam and myself set up the recording studio (with the guidance of Scott). We used ...... mics to record the audio, allowing us to alter the recording circle. We also decided to record the in tire recording session on a camera, documenting the event; i then took this fotage, and mixed it with the audio that we recorded. This was using premire pro, this gave us a profetional looking, behind the scenes video.

 Possibility Cover - Behind the Scenes (low res)




This video shows the audio in the raw format, it hasn't been enhanced. Before we add this into the back of our video we will add an echo, this will depend on wether it works/sounds good.

DEADLINES

Today we recieved our deadline for our post production work.

It needs to be completed by the 10th of December - 20 days from now.

This includes, Storyboards, Shooting list, Scripts and Research.

Storyboard ruff draft is complete, and Research is continous.

Juno.

Last Friday (5/11/10)  our group planned a storyboard to help us film a practice video. are task was to reconstruct an opening silimar to the one seen in the film "Juno" this was to help us practice filming and video editing .. here is our quick version of the storyboard to give us a brief idea about the shots we where going to use...

 

 

Location

We decided on the best locations to frame the shots which looked quite similar to the location in Juno. in the video we changed locations often. we stayed in Werrington to do all the filming . we altered a few scenes to help fit our surroundings. Propsin our film we needed to use a verity of props, we needed to find a object similiar to the sunny d juno drinks in the film. we used a bottle of milk to do this . we needed to find a way to dress actoress fran in clothes juno would wear . we where able to get a hold of a red hoody and suitable shoes to create a Mise-en-scène used in "juno"

Extras

in our film we tried to include extras to add to the realism of the film
we got help from Connor's dad who played the part of a runner
also we was lucky enough to get in contact with a local neighbour who owned a van
who drove past us at the right time to match one of the scenes in "Juno"

Problems

we encountered many problems, one of the hardest challenges we had to overcome was the shot where you see Juno's feet and the camera pans up to her from a distance we had to shoot multiple shots to get it perfect.
another one of the problems was a member of the public took offence to us using branches for our filming , this meant we had to be more cautious about where we where filming.
another problem was the general weather conditions change from overcast(with occasional sun) to raining .. this was where we decided to call it a day

The use of colour in films.

Colour working on the subconscious mind to create certain mood. Hospitals and dentists use pale colours in their waiting rooms, such as pale blues and greens, this is said to have a calming effect on the mind. Each colour has its own connotations, which may have been influenced by the culture of our beliefs, For example Christan's see the colour White as a symbol of purity where as in Indian religions white is seen as the colour of mourning.
In the early days if a film maker wanted to use colour it would be painted on the shots afterwards. Technicolour introduced their new system in the early nineteen thirties that colour film began to see a commercial possibility.
Colour film was nearly thirty per cent higher than black and white, the effects where so dramatic that major film makers where eager to use it. Today we expect films to be in colour, and anything in black and white is added for effect. In the early days it was the opposite and colour was only really used for fantasy films.

Red- Excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence.

Pink- Love, romance and excitement.

Beige- Unification, Quiet, Pleasantness, Clam and simplicity.

Yellow- Joy, Happiness, Betrayal, Optimism, Idealism, Imagination, Hope, Sunshine, Summer, Gold, Philosophy, Dishonesty, Cowardice, Jealousy, Conventousness, Deceit, Illness and hazard.

Blue- Peace, Tranquillity, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conversation, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, technology, depression, appetite suppressant.

Turquoise- Sophistication, Feminine appeal.

Purple- Royalty, Nobility, spiritually, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning.

Lavender- Femininity, grace and elegance.

Green- Nature, enjoyment, Healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune, vigour.

Brown- Earth, stability, hearth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, simplicity and comfort.

Grey- Security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring, silver symbolizes calm.

White- Reverence, purity, birth, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, snow, good, sterility, marriage (western cultures), Death (eastern cultures), Cold, clinical.

Black- Power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, anonymity, underground, good technical colour, mourning, death (western cultures).



In the film Shindler's List the girl shown below, was shown wearing a red coat while the rest of the film was in black and white. This is done to show  you that the girl is of some importance, it also makes her stand out to the audience while in the film not much attention is payed towards her.

Sound

Sound	Explanation	example
Diegetic	Diegetic sound which is part of the film world. This can be dialogue, music or sound effects which come from a source within the film world. Diegetic sound can occur either on screen or off screen.	In east enders in the queen Vic there is background noise of people talking and the radio.
Non-diegetic	Is sound which we do not recognise as part of the film world .	Background music and voice over’s.

Colour	Explanations	Why? (Used to create a feel of....)
Red	Helps create a mood, especially when used for peoples clothing..	Excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence.
Pink	Helps create a mood, especially when used for peoples clothing..	Love, romance and excitement.
Beige	Helps create a mood, especially when used for peoples clothing..	Unification, Quiet, Pleasantness, Clam and simplicity.
Yellow	Helps create a mood, especially when used for peoples clothing..	Joy, Happiness, Betrayal, Optimism, Idealism, Imagination, Hope, Sunshine, Summer, Gold, Philosophy, Dishonesty, Cowardice, Jealousy, Conventousness, Deceit, Illness and hazard.
Blue	Helps create a mood, especially when used for peoples clothing..	Peace, Tranquillity, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conversation, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, technology, depression, appetite suppressant.
Turquoise	Helps create a mood, especially when used for peoples clothing..	Sophistication, Feminine appeal.
Purple	Helps create a mood, especially when used for peoples clothing..	Royalty, Nobility, spiritually, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning
Lavender	Helps create a mood, especially when used for peoples clothing..	Femininity, grace and elegance.
Green	Helps create a mood, especially when used for peoples clothing..	Nature, enjoyment, Healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune, vigour.
Brown	Helps create a mood, especially when used for peoples clothing..	Earth, stability, hearth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, simplicity and comfort.
Grey-	Helps create a mood, especially when used for peoples clothing..	Security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring, silver symbolizes calm.
Black Power,	Helps create a mood, especially when used for peoples clothing..	Power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, anonymity, underground, good technical colour, mourning, death (western cultures).