Evaluation Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

When we created the preliminary task, we were new to the cameras and equipment and also to the editing program. We therefore had to experiment with everything in order to realise the potential angles and effects we could achieve.

The planning involved in our preliminary task involved working from a script and we casted actors who were in our group. Our actors learned the script and one of the actors was also a member of our crew . We devised a shot list and set our cameras up in a 180 degree
rule.

Filming took an hour and this enabled us to re run the scene in order to make sure everything was perfect. Editing the preliminary task took 2 hours and we all took it in turns to edit each part of the film and adding effects



Looking at the effects we used compared to the simple transitions and fades that i used in my re sit piece, i can see that using simple transitions create a much nicer and better quality effect that doesn't distort the footage and make it confusing for viewers.

Compared to the preliminary task, the main task involved lots of planning prior to filming and even more time when editing the film. Before filming i had to research into the history of horror and into similar media works in order to develop a new and creative opening of my own horror film. I also had to consider our target audience and how i could adapt our film to appeal to them. I then created the initial ideas which enabled me to consider different ideas and then incorporate several ideas leaving me with one creative idea. I then created an exact film brief on how i would like the film opening to be and a script, after this I created character profiles for the two characters in the film and when auditioning actors for the parts I tried to consider actors that I believed to have similar attributes to the characters and who gave a believable performance. I then had to get consent from the parents of my actors due to them being under 18. After I had my idea and my actors I then had to scout a location where i visualised the film to be set. After buying all the costumes and props needed for the film i was then then ready to film. I had scheduled 4 days to film but due to the snow i was unable to travel to pick actors up. This meant i had to reschedule for the next week when the snow had cleared. I finished filming in these 4 days. Editing took 4 or 5 hours during free periods and after sixth form and this was extra time consuming due to the fact i had over filmed in order to capture as many different camera angles.

When creating the preliminary task, the work and research we had to do prior to filming was nothing compared to the grand scale of hard work and time I had to give to the main task especialy as i was re sitting the whole project on my own, in future i hope to work in a group of 4 as the workload and be distributed evenly without the amount seeming so daunting. Creating the preliminary task has helped me to learn how to use the cameras and equipment to my greater benefit in order to use different camera angles and effects to create a film. The use of tripods helped me to capture different camera angles which we hadn't used in the preliminary task. Particularly the high camera angles i used to victimise Sam and to highlight how the females were victims too. All the planning involved has helped me to develop my horror that is similar to existing products, i chose to specifically concentrate on Dawn Of The Dead (2004) and 28 Days Later (2002) and i chose to use similar conventions in order to attract a larger audience.
It has also helped use to improve the quality of filming, for example in the preliminary task, our shots were shaky and I especially made sure that my cameras were stabilised on tripods to make the steady shots in the main task. I now feel more confident with the equipment and editing software after spending so much time using them, i have learnt that Final Cut Express is far easier and faster to use than Adobe Premier Elements which i used before the re sit. This makes me feel more comfortable knowing my potential for my next project.

Evaluation Question 6

What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of constructing the product?

Since the beginning of our product, i feel that i have learnt various things about the technology that will be of great benefit to me. Previous to filming my footage, i had very little experience with the cameras and camera equipment. Therefore i feel i have learnt a lot about the cameras and how to use them to achieve my desired intention. After experimenting with a Dolly to track the male in my piece, i found that it produced shots that were too shaky so i held the camera myself when tracking. Learning how to use the cameras and equipment was very time consuming at the start but it has enabled me to use them to achieve the maximum effect that i set out to achieve. I have learnt to record and manage my work on Blogger which has helped me to understand the hard work and time that goes into the production of a film. As i was filming the re sit on my own i have learned how to make use of the cameras more effiecently by having two cameras rolling at all times to capture more footage, this has helped me to place my camera in the 180 degree rule so that my audience do not get confused, i have also been enabled to use different camera angles with the help of extended or shortening the tripods which my cameras were placed on and this has helped me to use angles specifically to bring the audience into the action.

During the production of my film and my previous AS film, i encountered many problems with the editing software Adobe Premiere Elements and found it very difficult and time consuming to finish our previous film. However, we did find the program to be very useful and i have enjoyed watching our film progress from each stage. Using Adobe Premiere Elements enabled me to be precise in working from our shot list and also how to frame each shot to achieve optimum mise-en-scene. I have also learnt to video merge still images with videos to create a distorted effect that we aimed to achieve in the first scene of our film. I learned how to record sound effects and insert them into our film, this has helped us to adapt the sound effects to fit with our previous film and the heartbeat along with the collaboration of the still images has enabled us to achieve a fast paced distorted effect to create suspense and fear in our audience. Looking back on my previous film compared to my new film, i can see the difference in editing with Final Cut Express which was very fast and less time consuming compared to Adobe. I was able to create my film quickly and efficiently by overlapping music i downloaded from a royalty free website and sound effects that i found on the same website. I was unable to do this on Adobe and therefore the sound quality on our previous film was poor compared to the sound quality on my re sit film. When filming my re-sit it was very windy and i would like to have turned the sound down on one of the audio tracks to eliminate the wind, unfortunately the wind was on both audio tracks so i had to delete this sound altogether and instead overlay it with my sound effects.

Again looking back on my previous film, i really notice the jump cuts we used really make the editing jumpy and lacking in a continuous manner. This year for my re sit, i have aimed for perfect continuity and have therefore not used any jump cuts in my editing because this reduces the quality.

I found that presenting my work on Blogger has enabled me to display it in a chronological fashion to show my audience how my film has progressed from being just a small idea in my initial ideas to title sequence. I have also found that by exhibiting my film on Youtube and Facebook i was able to receive lots of feedback on my rough cut so that i could tweak it into being a much better final cut, i have used what the audience want when improving my final cut and this has helped me to develop a film opening that my target audience will definitely watch.

After analysing 4 title sequences, i have decided that if i was given more time i would like to learn to use the Adobe Flash program to create an animated title sequence as i found these to be quirky and unique, my particular favourite is the Juno (2007) cartoon title sequence.

On the whole, i have enjoyed the experience i have gained when producing both films. Despite the problems i encountered with last years film, i have learnt a lot about the technologies and equipment used in the film industry and this has been very beneficial to me because it has enabled me to experiment in my filming and editing and learn which programs are better for editing. Everything i have learnt will be practical for when i get the opportunity to film another product and it has prepared me for all the preparation work i have had to do on Blogger in order to create my film successfully. I particularly have enjoyed working with the cast who i found to be very talented actors.

Evaluation Queston 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

I mainly attracted my audience by using characters that they could relate to, i have tried to create Sam and Alex so that they represent an average middle class couple in the hope that audience members will seek to watch my media because they can relate to the characters. This is in keeping with Dennis McQuail's Uses and Gratifications theory. I have also tried to use verisimilitude to further attract audiences who want to relate to the film.

I have also used many generic conventions used in horror films such as a male protagonist/hero and female victims, both victims were blonde and this further connotes their innocence. By using these conventions, i am able to attract a large male audience who i found to be the main consumers of horror films. I aim to further attract a male audience by making use of Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory to sexualise female characters by using camera angles that sexualise them. I would also like to apply this theory to portray the narrative through a male perspective in order to attract more female audiences.

As i am only making a title sequence for a film, i have tried not to introduce too many storylines that will confuse the audience I have also tried not to delve straight into gory scenes that will put a female audience member off of the rest of the film if it contains too much gore from the beginning. Also by not introducing too many storylines, i am abiding by Ann Gray's Gender theory that would suggest that a male audience member prefers closed narratives that are easy to follow.

Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

After creating my target audience profile, i have decided that my target audience are audience members from Category D and E and from the ages of 16-25. This because after conducting a questionnaire i found that this is the most common age range of people who watch horror films. I have tried to attract these audience by using characters of this age and using conventions often found in already popular similar films such as Dawn Of The Dead (2004) and 28 Days Later (2002).

I classified my film as 18 due to the graphic scenes that young viewers may find disturbing and also because i planned to make a film similar to Dawn Of The Dead (2004) which was classified as an 18 by the BBFC due to its distressing nature. Even though it is classified as an 18 and audience members will not be able to watch this in the cinema or buy the DVD if they are under this age, i fully accept that minors as young as 15 will watch my film as many teenagers like to watch horror films, particularly when in a group. I have also considered that although my target audience is 16-25, many older viewers will also watch the film as they may have been fans of Dawn Of The Dead (2004) and 28 Days Later (2002) and were within the target audience age range at the time of release.

I also feel that middle class audience members will watch my film as although i have used young characters, i have also tried to portray them as middle class citizens with average jobs and a nice home. I have set my film in a modern housing estate to connote that it is in a modern society, possibly in the city and this was to show how the virus has spread nationwide but also so a modern middle class member, particularly from Category C1 and C2. I have tried to apply the Uses and Gratifications theory to my film opening so that audience members will seek to watch the film because it involves characters and settings that they can relate to.

I feel that a larger male audience will watch my film rather than a female audience due to its graphic nature which many men like about horror films. Female viewers may be more on edge with the suspense than a male would and this again is why my film will attract more males. To attract a larger male audience i have tried to make use of the Male Gaze theory so that my female characters are often sexualised, i have also tried to apply this theory by telling the narrative from a male perspective in order to attract more female viewers. The Gender theory would suggest that more females like to watch open ended narratives such as soap operas whereas a male prefers a closed narrative that is simple to follow which is what i have aimed to achieve.

Evaluation Question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?



I could approach conglomerates who specialise in horror films. Dawn Of The Dead (2004) was funded and produced by Universal Pictures and this particular institution has released many horror films such as : The Fourth Kind (2009) and Drag Me To Hell (2009). However, all of the films released by Universal Pictures have been big budget and this is because of the money Universal give the production companies and producers to produce the film. As i was filming on a small budget, if Universal were to distribute my film they would expect me to re film using their budget. This would comply with the quality of films that they produce and which attract colossal audiences from each demographic group. Similarly, i could approach Fox Searchlight because they specialise in finding individual labels producing a film. they have already distributed 28 Days later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007) which tells me that they have an interest in this genre of film.

http://www.universalpictures.com/
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0005073/
http://content.foxsearchlight.com/films
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0028932/




http://independentfilmcompany.com/production/
http://www.camerashai.co.uk/

I could also approach much small independent companies who produce smaller films. I have looked at CameraShai who specialise mainly in music videos, documentaries and promos for companies like Nike and Gap. I could approach this label who have been involved in some small films and they could help to distribute my film. Similarly, i have looked at Independent Film Company who also produce independent films from small companies, they mainly specialise in book adaptations and in 2011 will be releasing an adaptation of We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver.



http://www.londonindependent.org/festival.htm

I could also consider entering my film into a film festival and i have looked mainly at the London Independent Film Festival, it specialises in producing films with budgets under £100,000 which my film is and by receiving prizes and nominations in the festival for awards such as best screenplay or best horror, my film could gain recognition from other independent film companies who may watch my film and give it a chance.

My film could offer merchandise opportunities which could be another pro in distributing it to the world, for example i could produce t-shirts and posters with the Solitude logo on them as well as gimmick slogan t-shirts with slogans such as "I survived the zombie virus". I feel that i could advertise my film on Facebook and Youtube which often show film trailers for big films as well as small independent films, as i find it unlikely that big cinemas like Odeon and Cineworld would want to exhibit my film, it would be much cheaper for me to exhibit the film online where i found alot of my students in Category D and E watch films.

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

When developing my characters, i aimed to create a realistic character that my audience can relate to. Therefore, i have applied Dennis McQuail's Uses and Gratifications theory to my title sequence as my audience will be seeking to watch a character who they can relate to. My target audience consists mainly of students and working class citizens from Category D and E and i hoped that my characters were believable enough that audience members from these groups can emphasise with these characters. I decided to create a character who would be played by an actor or actress who are down to earth and can easily represent and average person. I chose Joseph Gordon-Levitt for Sam and Zooey Deschannel for Alex.

To expand my audience further than my target audience, i created characters who were both middle class "succeeders" from Category C1 and C2. I mainly showed this middle class status through the clothes Sam and Alex were both wearing. Sam is wearing a suit and tie and his formal attire denotes his middle class and from the very beginning of the film the audience are aware that he is of this class. I have used the red tie to connote the danger he will face throughout the entire film, this red tie could also be seen as connoting seduction and this would be going against Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory and would be sexualisng the male instead of the female. However, i have chosen to make use of the Male Gaze theory throughout my title sequence in order to attract more male audience members who i found watch horror films more than females. I have chosen to portray the piece from a male perception and this will help me to gain a wider female audience who will respect Sam's bravery and assertiveness as he enters the house with a baseball bat. I have used Sam's Nissan Micra to denote that he is middle class but still has youth in him as he is only 24, the colour green could connote jealousy to the higher class who can afford these luxuries. As explained in my location scouting, i have filmed in a modern housing estate which is commonly found in and outside big cities, i have chosen this location to show Sam and Alex's class and how the zombie virus has spread to cities.

In similar films, the character Sarah Polley in Dawn Of The Dead (2004) is a doctor and shows that she is of middle class and this is often highlighted when she returns to her husband and child and the nice neighbourhood they live in and throughout the film when he medical knowledge is a practical strength. By using her having such strengths would be defying the generic conventions and is making her the protagonist hero as opposed to using a male. In 28 Days Later, Jim is also of a middle class and is first introduced as a patient in a hospital and lots of high angles are used to make him look small and weak as he takes in his surroundings, however throughout the rest of the film as he faces more and more zombies and finds other people, he is represented as a more powerful and heroic protagonist which is how i would like to represent my character Sam by using low camera angles to highlight his power.

Similarly, i have portrayed Alex as being a fashionable middle class woman, although she is dead in my title sequence, my female audience can still relate to her because of her fashion and their nice home. Both of my characters are 24 and i have used young characters to attract my target audience of 16-25 Category C1 - Category D and E audience members.

I have mainly represented young people in my piece as all of my characters are between 16-25 and this is because my target audience can relate more to them, the dead bodies are shown to be young by their fashion and by using modern fashion my audience can further relate to them. My main characters are both aged 24 and are an ordinary couple who live together just outside of London, this will be shown more throughout the film by using flashbacks and Sam will be portrayed as an assertive male by using low camera angles to make him look more powerful which will be a contrast to when in my title sequence where i have used high angles to victimise Sam and make him look small. All camera angles on women will be in keeping with the Male Gaze theory and this is to attract more male audience members from both Category C1 and C2 as well as my target audience of Category D and E.

I have stuck to the generic conventions and stereotypes of horror films by having a male as my protagonist and Ive done this as it never fails in any type of conventional horror and will attract a larger male audience. Two of the three bodies used in my title sequence are female which again is another convention and stereotype of horror films where woman are seen to be the victims and by having them both blonde they could be seen as the typical blonde who always died. However, i specifically chose blonde actresses to connote their innocence by having light coloured hair.

Evaluation Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Previous to creating the film, i researched into the history of horror and looked specifically at how horror has progressed over the decades and the generic signifiers and conventions in each film. This helped me to ensure my film used conventions and signifiers of a typical horror film for example, i used white and light coloured clothes on my main characters to connote their innocence, this is used in films such as Scream (2001) to connote the characters innocence.

I used fake blood which is the most common convention in horror films. I also used a baseball bat which is a weapon found in horror films, it is not a popular as perhaps a knife but it is still a weapon used. For example, the female in the film The Shining ?(1980) used a baseball bat to defend herself. I have also based my film on Dawn Of The Dead (2004) and have started my film opening with my main character waking up from his steering wheel, this is how Sarah wakes up in Dawn Of The Dead (2004) Similarly, in 28 Days Later (2002) the character Alex also wakes up after being unconscious in hospital and is unaware what has happened as is my character Sam.

I have chosen to start my film off without delving straight into the action like some films do, for example the Saw films often open on a torture scene and this can put viewers off as well as confuse them. Instead i have opted for a simplistic opening that will not confuse viewers. I have used music which is a very generic convention of horrors and are used to set the scene and build up the suspense, i overlapped this music with non-diegetic sound effects which added an eerie feel to my piece.

Final Cut Of Title Sequence

After reviewing my feedback, i made sure to take on board the improvements that were suggested. I changed the font colour of the titles so that it was easier to read and also made them small and moved them so tat they didn't take up too much room. I also changed the CVHS Media font as it was slightly blurry.

I also deleted the sound and cut the ending where Sam walks into the front room out as i feel the title sequence worked well enough without it. I also added my name as the director as well as having the title "a Jade Saunders film" i feel this established to the audience who the director is and the Catch Me If You Can opening gave me inspiration for this.

Rough Cut Of Title Sequence And Feedback

After showing my rough cut to my teachers, classmates, friends and family, this was the feedback i received:

• The titles are quite hard to read, consider changing the colour and also consider where titles are placed. Have main actors names bigger than minor actor names and consider the size of the rest of the titles. - Teacher
• Continuity is good and the music fits perfectly. - Classmate
• The speaking part where the male says, Alex can you hear me? is quite loud and poor quality. - Parent
• You should have the titles appear separately because it is too much to read and takes up too much of the screen. - Friend aged 17
• I think its quite scary - Brother aged 10

Script

(Sam wakes up and looks around confused, he then sees Alex unconscious)

Sam: *Scared* Alex! Alex! Can you hear me?

(He turns Alex's head towards him and as he takes his hand away from her head we can see blood on his hand)

Sam: Oh please no

(He holds her)

Time Passes

(Sam gets out of the car and walks slowly towards the house where he can see a bloodstained handprint on the window. He then sees a body on the doorstep and he takes the bloodstained baseball bat from the body's hand.)

Sam: *calling through the house* Hello *He picks up the house phone* Hello (dead phone line tone is heard)

(He walks into the front room and finds a body on the rug holding a mobile phone and he picks it up to reveal a shocking text message.)

Filming Diary

Day 1:

Today i arrived on set at 12:30 pm with Ollie and Emmaline, the actors had time to change while i set up the cameras and tripods. Filming started at 12:35 pm, as i am filming on my own i found it more efficient to have two cameras rolling at all times so that i can capture as much footage as possible in the short time period i had. We started by filming a long shot of the whole scene and from inside the car. I then set the cameras up to film from the front of the car to capture a mid shot of Ollie and Emmaline when Ollie tries to wake her up. I set the other camera up to the passenger side of the car from a high angle to victimise Emmaline and show how she is dead. We tried to finish as quickly as possible due to the cold weather and excessive wind and have scheduled extra time on top of our filming session in 2 days time in case we need to re film this scene. I had chosen to film at this time because i thought there would be less people around driving in their cars or walking their dogs, however we had to re shoot this take several times because there were drivers driving past and people walking their dogs. After playing back some of the footage i have decided i will have to cut the audio when editing because of the wind and the dual carriageway in the distance which created a lot of noise.

Day 2:

I arrived on set with Ollie and James at 10:00 am and again the actors changed into their costumes as i set up the cameras. We started by filming Ollie walk through the front room door which i filmed from a distance and set the other camera up at a high angle to victimise him and this creates a sense of suspense and fear that he is being watched. I then set the camera up over the door frame to which is a popular angle that Alfred Hitchcock likes to create and this again was to victimise Ollie's character. I then filmed from a high angle as Ollie reaches down and takes the phone from James' hand and i also captured this from just above the floor with the camera set at a high angle over James' hand. Whilst filming, my dog was barking in the garden the whole way through for attention and i planned to channel this audio out when it came to editing but then i considered the fact that it could create an eerie and tense feel to my film opening because a dog barking is a generic convention found it horror films and dogs bark when danger is near.

Day 3:

I arrived on set at 10:00 am with Lucy and she changed into her costume while i set the cameras up. Due to the frosty ground, we laid a blanket on the floor for Lucy to lay on and filmed the take as quickly as possible. We captured the take from a high angle focusing mainly on the baseball bat in her hand, i also had a camera on the ground to bring the audience into the action. We finished filming within 30 minutes and i hope to film Ollie taking the baseball bat from the ground and merging the clips together when editing to make the clip look like it was filmed in one take. Due to conflicting timetables, i was unable to film Lucy and Ollie at the same time.

Day 4 :

I arrived on set at 12:30 with Ollie and he changed into his costume while i set up the cameras, we began filming him walking from the car to the house from a long shot and also from a high angle which i filmed over the shoulder as he looks at the hand print on the window. I captured this scene from various different angles including from the roof of my car as he walks towards the house and just above the house phone as he enters the house and picks up the phone. This enabled me to capture his facial expressions and his character is confused about the situation he is in. I hope these shots will create a sense of fear in my audience and suspense as the mystery builds up as to what has happened.

Finally i have gathered all of my footage and i will now edit my footage using Final Cut Express.

Film Schedule

As i am re-sitting my coursework on my own, i have had to film on my own and this has taken longer. To save myself and my actor's/actress's time, i have had two cameras rolling at all times to capture as much footage as possible from as many different angles as possible.

Day 1:
-Arrive on set at 12:30 with Ollie and Emmaline
- Set cameras up at 12:35
- Start filming inside the car at 12:40
- Capture this scene from the left side inside the car, capture this scene from infront of the car
and then from the right hand side of the car.
- Finish at 13:30

Day 2:
- Arrive on set at 10:00 with Ollie and James
- Set up cameras at 10:05
- Start filming inside frontroom at 10:10
- Capture this scene from above the door, far righthand side of the room, on the floor and from
over Ollie's shoulder.
- Finish at 11:30

Day 3:
- Arrive on set at 10:00 with Lucy
- Set cameras up at 10:05
- Start filming inside front door at 10:10
- Capture Lucy's body on doorstep from above, on the floor and pan over the body.
- Finish filming at 10:30

Day 4:
- Arrive on set at 12:30 with Ollie
- Set cameras up at 12:35
- Start filming Ollie walking from the car to the house and Ollie inside the house.
- Capture lots of high angles to victimise Ollie's character.
- Finish filming at 14:00

Finish Fiming at the end of Day 4

Shot List

Day 1: 06/12/10 12:30 pm - Arrive with Ollie and Emmaline

• Establishing Shot of car: 4 seconds
• Close up of characters through windscreen: 3 seconds
• Over the shoulder shot of Sam waking Alex: 3 seconds
• High shot from outside of car at the passengers side as he realises she is dead: 2 seconds
• Close up of windscreen as he sees the blood on his hand: 3 seconds

Day 2: 08/12/10 10:00 am - Arrive with Ollie and James

• Panning shot as he walks into the front room: 2 seconds
• High shot of Sam walking through front room door: 2 seconds
• High shot as he reaches down and takes phone: 2 seconds
• Mid shot as he reads the message: 2 seconds
• Over the shoulder shot of message: 2 seconds

Day 3: 09/10/12 10:00 am - Arrive with Lucy

• High shot of body on the floor : 2 seconds

Day 4: 14/12/10 10:00 am Arrive with Ollie

• Long shot of car as he gets out: 3 seconds
• High shot of Sam walking towards house and noticing window: 2 seconds
• High shot of body on the doorstep: 2 seconds
• Low shot of Sam picking up baseball bat: 3 seconds
• Mid shot of Sam walking into house: 2 seconds
• Mid shot from outside of house as Sam picks up the phone: 2 seconds
• Mid shot as he puts the phone down: 2 seconds

Location: In the village, the car will be in the middle of the road slightly away from the house. The front door will be wide open to connote danger and the front room light will be on to denote that somebody has been in the house.

Costume: All characters will be in the costumes i have chosen.

Lighting: Natural sunlight outside will be scarce due to the poor weather but any sunlight on the field next to the car will be sinister.

Sound: I aim to capture Ollie's voice as he says his lines.

Props: Nissan Micra, fake blood for Sam's hand, fake blood for the window, baseball bat, house phone and mobile phone for the dead body inside.

Equipment

To be uploaded *

Consent Letter

I have devised a letter of consent which i have sent to all actors starring in my film opening as each of them are under the age of 18. These letters enable the actors and the actors' parents to give consent to their child perform in my piece and then be comfortable with an exam board seeing it aswell as it being posted onto youtube. Doing this has given me an insight into the strict rules and regulations that come with filming a film.

Letter of Consent[1]

Costume

Sam Parker:

For my film opening I am aiming to create a sense of verisimilitue and therefore I would like Sam to represent a middle class young man who works in a bank and is required to wear a suit. I would like him to wear a white shirt to connote his innocence as before the spread of the zombie virus, he was just an innocent man enjoying his life. Also, the protagonist in horror films is often found to be wearing white or light coloured clothes in order to connote innocence. I would like him to be wearing a red tie to connote and foreshadow the danger that is yet to come. I would like Sam to be middle class to attract Category C1 and C2 audience members awell as my target audience which mainly consists of Category D and E members.

All items of clothing are from www.topman.com

Alex Summers:

Like Sam, Alex is a representation of the modern middle class woman. She is young, fashionable and has a reasonable job as a journalist. I would like her to be dressed in a smart casual work attire that highlights her young age and her fashion sense. Similarly, she will be dressed in a white shirt which will connote her innocence. Also like Sam, i would like Alex to be of middle class so that more audience members can relate to her, particualy members from Category C1 and C2 aswell as my target audience of Catergory D and Category E members.

All items are from www.riverisland.com and www.topshop.com

Dead body 1:

The first dead body seen in my film opening will be laying on the doorstep with a baseball bat in hand. I would like this character to be a woman because it sticks to the generic horror convention where women are often victims to the antagonist. I would like this victim to be a young adult who is of a similar age to my target audience of 16-25 which will mainly consist of Category D and E members.

All items are from www.topshop.com

Body number 2:

The second dead body in my horror film opening will be found laying on a rug in Sam's front room with a mobile phone which has a received text in his hand. I would like this character to be a young male who is reasonably dressed who conforms to the modern world that my audience members can relate to. I am using this character to attract many young audience members, particuarly from Category D and i aim to attract a large amount of students and under 25'swho are found to be the highest film consumers of horror films.

(reference:http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/movie-marketers-meet-your-ideal-audience/)

All items are from www.topman.com

Experimentation With Makeup

I have considered using fake blood to create zombies for a film poster, i have chosen not to include zombies in my film opening so as to not introduce too many storylines to the audience straight away but instead i have chosen to use blood on Sam's hand and the window to stick to the generic conventions of horror films and to connote to my audience that something mysterious has happened instead of a carcrash.

When creating the blood we used the following ingredients:
* Red paint
* Blue paint
* Yellow paint
* Black paint
* Yellow food colouring
* Foundation
* Water
* Flour
* Syrup

I experimented with fake blood on a friend to create a zombie look and i feel this looked well as from one side it may look like there is nothing wrong with the person and then when they turn it is revealed that they are a zombie.

To add texture to the face we used a number of ingredients to succsesfully achieve the realistic look. To do this we added to the blood:

* Porridge oats
* Sugar
* Gritty lip balm
* Cling film
All of these ingredients were added to give the effect of bobbled, scabbed and falling off skin.

To Give the black eye (brusied) effect we simply applied the following everyday eye shadow colours:
* Black
* Dark blue
* Light blue
* Dark purple
* light purple
* Dark green
* Light green
* Dark brown
* Light brown
* Yellow eyeshadow

When creating the black eye effect the trick is to layer the eyeshadow to create a puffy effect, i wanted the brusie to look fresh therefore i had to use darker colours like the browns and blues rather than lighter like the light green and yellow.

Instruments we used to apply and mix the ingredients included:

* Bowl
* Large paint brush
* Small paint brush
* Make up brushes

Location Scouting

I have decided to film on my road using my house (image 1) during the day my road is empty while neighbours are at work and it will be easy to film without being distracted.
It is a new housing estate and this will connote to the audience that it is modern and possibly near a city. These are the connotations i am hoping to achieve as i would like it to look as if the whole country is being infected by the zombie virus. Similarly, Dawn Of The Dead (2004) is set in a modern city and this shows the grand scale of the zombie virus and this is also the same in 28 Days Later (2002) which is set in London, the setting tells the audience that big cities are being affected. I have also chosen this location for convenience as i will only be filming outside my own house and have got the permission from my neighbours should their houses be onscreen at any time. If i were to film in a big city, it would be hard to find it quiet at any time to film unless i filmed during the night.

Casting

I have decided to cast Oliver Moss as Sam because i feel he portrayed an average man well in the audition and i feel when he was auditioning he portrayed the confusion Sam would be feeling well. Oliver is a 17 yeard old A-Level student who looks old enough to play our 24 year old character.


I have decided to cast Emmaline Gordon as Alex because i feel she has similar personality attributes to Alex's character. Although this cannot be seen from the auditions video because she is only playing a dead body, my thoughts were not only for the film opening but also for the rest of the film.

Auditions

I asked various friends who were drama students to audition for my horror film opening and when people were auditioning i was looking for similar personnality traits to the characters in my film opening.

For the role of Sam i was looking for a confident and assertive male who can represent a middle class man.

For the role of Alex i was looking was a bubbly female who could represent a middle class woman.

For the role of the dead bodies, i was looking for quite a fashionable and modern person who could portray the average young person or student in the modern society.

Auditionies:

Sally Cumberworth - Alex

Emmaline Gordon - Alex

Oliver Moss - Sam

Matt Bigg - Sam

James Garrod - Sam

Jo Peplow-Revell - Dead Body

Sophie Tindall - Dead Body

Character Profiles

I have created my characters so that my audience can relate to them, this is in keeping with the Uses and Gratifications theory and adds a sense of verisimilitude to my film opening.

Name: Sam Parker
Age: 24
Lives: London
Occupation: Banking Clerk

Sam is your average joe man who has an average job, average car and an average house. He lives with his girlfriend Alex who he met in secondary school and they both work in London. By using an average character, my audience members can relate to him and emphasise with him.

Name: Alex Summers
Age: 24
Lives: London
Occupation: Journalist

Alex is also an average women, who has had a normal education and went to university. She lives with her longterm boyfriend which is quite similar in young coulpes throughout the UK and they both live in a nice home.

I would like to cast character like Tom and Summer in 500 Days Of Summer because i feel they look down to earth compared to glamorous actors and actresses like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. This is so my audience can relate to my characters and emphasise with them. (Left, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Right, Zooey Deschanel)

Animatic Storyboard

1: My first shot will be an establishing shot of a car in the middle of the road which has the drivers door open. From the distance, you can just about see the two passengers who are in the car passed out.

2: The camera will then close in onto the two characters, the driver is passed out on the steering wheel and the passenger is passed out with face away from the camera's view and is leaning on the window. The driver will begin to wake up and take in his surroundings as he thinks he has been in a car accident.

3: The third shot will be from inside the car as the male driver notices his girlfriend is passed out. After getting no response from her, he turns her head towards him to discover she is dead and as he takes his hand away from the back of her head it is revealed that it is covered in blood which denotes that something has happened to his girlfriend and connotes danger.

4: The fourth shot will be a long shot as the male gets out of the car and walks towards his house.

5: As he walks past his window, he notices a bloody hand print on the window which further connotes danger and intrigues the audience into knowing what has happened.

6: As he walks further towards his house, there is a body laying on the welcome mat with a baseball bat in hand. Sam takes this baseball bat which connotes that danger is to come and he will need protection.

7: As he walks into his house he picks up the house phone in hope to call somebody for help. However, there is no line. He puts the phone down and proceeds to walk through the house.

8: As he enters his front room, i hope to use an eyeline match as he see's another dead body on his. He then notices the mobile phone and takes it from the body's hand.

9: As he picks up the phone, he reads the text message that has been received that says "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!" the use of the capital letters emphasises the panic the victims have been in and intrigues the audience into knowing what has happened. I aim to use an over the shoulder shot of the male reading this message as it brings the audience closer to the action and helps them to emphasise with the characters.

Photographic Storyboard

Photographic Storyboard

Storyboard

I would like to begin my film opening in a similar way to the film i have studied, Dawn Of The Dead (2004) where the main character wakes up on her steering wheel after being in a car crash shortly after the opening credits have finished. I aim to use lots of high shots which will victimise my protagonist and make him look small as if the predator is watching him.

1: My first shot will be an establishing shot of a car in the middle of the road which has the drivers door open. From the distance, you can just about see the two passengers who are in the car passed out.

2: The camera will then close in onto the two characters, the driver is passed out on the steering wheel and the passenger is passed out with face away from the camera's view and is leaning on the window. The driver will begin to wake up and take in his surroundings as he thinks he has been in a car accident.

3: The third shot will be from inside the car as the male driver notices his girlfriend is passed out. After getting no response from her, he turns her head towards him to discover she is dead and as he takes his hand away from the back of her head it is revealed that it is covered in blood which denotes that something has happened to his girlfriend and connotes danger.

4: The fourth shot will be a long shot as the male gets out of the car and walks towards his house.

5: As he walks past his window, he notices a bloody hand print on the window which further connotes danger and intrigues the audience into knowing what has happened.

6: As he walks further towards his house, there is a body laying on the welcome mat with a baseball bat in hand. Sam takes this baseball bat which connotes that danger is to come and he will need protection.

7: As he walks into his house he picks up the house phone in hope to call somebody for help. However, there is no line. He puts the phone down and proceeds to walk through the house.

8: As he enters his front room, i hope to use an eyeline match as he see's another dead body on his. He then notices the mobile phone and takes it from the body's hand.

9: As he picks up the phone, he reads the text message that has been received that says "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!" the use of the capital letters emphasises the panic the victims have been in and intrigues the audience into knowing what has happened. I aim to use an over the shoulder shot of the male reading this message as it brings the audience closer to the action and helps them to emphasise with the characters.

Film Brief

Our brief was to produce the first two minutes of a horror film. We created a logo and a very short ident for our production company, as every film that we looked at had the institution before the opening or credits, giving the production its first sense of identity.

After analysing four film openings, i have acknowledged that all of them start by introducing the institution and productions company. For example Universal and Working title and for my film opening my institution will be CVHS Media and my production company will be One Bad Apple Productions. The opening will start with a black screen that will display the production logo for our institution. There will then be an establishing shot of a car which has two unconcious passengers in the front. Whilst the film is playing, i plan to fade the director and producer names in to show the audience who made the film. The drivers door in the car will be wide open which connotes a sense of mystery to the audience. During the film opening i plan to fade in the actors names and the crew who helped make the film, set and costumes. The camera will then zoom in on the male driver who begins to wake up and it looks like he has been involved in a carcrash, however he is unharmed. There is then a midshot as the driver turns to his female passenger and asks if she can hear him, as she doesnt move he lifts her head and discovers that she is dead and as he removes his hand he sees that it is covered in blood. The film title will then appear on a black screen. The driver then panics and gets out of the car and as he slowly takes in his surroundings he discovers a body laying face down on the doorstep of his house. It is now apparent that something more serious than a car accident has occured, he notices a bloody handprint on the window which denotes danger and the body is holding a baseball bat. The male picks up the baseball bat and discovers it is covered in blood which again denotes that something serious has occured and connotes that there is danger to come.

He then enters the house and immediatly picks up the phone to find that the line is completely dead, this connotes to the audience that he is the only person alive. As he shouts "hello" whilst walking through the house he finds another body who is holding a mobile phone and he takes the phone. There is an unsent text on the phone which reads, "we need to get out of here!!" and this frightens the male and he drops the phone. Throughout the opening, i plan to use lots of high shots which are from above the character to victimise him, this could connote danger to the audience. I have also considered applying the Male Gaze theory to my piece to portray the action from a male perspective to attract a female aswell as a male audience. I am also going to create realistic characters that my audience can relate to and this will involve me applying the Uses and Gratifications theory to my film opening so that viewers may seek out my film inorder to momentarily escape from reality.

I would like to introduce my titles in this order:

- Institution: CVHS Media Productions

- Production Comapy: One Bad Apple Productions

- A "" Film: A Jade Saunders Film

- Main Actor: Oliver Moss

-Main Actress: Emmaline Gordon

- Film Title: Solitude

- Actor/Actress 1: Sophie Tindall

- Actor/Actress 2: Natalie Gillam

- Actor/Actress 3: Samuel Hickey

- Actor/Actress 4: James Garrod

- Actor/Actress 5: Sally Cumberworth

- Actor/ Actress 6: Matthew Bigg

- Crew Member 1: Producer Georgie Gwalter

- Crew Member 2: Co-Producer Olivia Hannigan

- Crew Member 3: Casting By Jo Peplow-Revell

- Crew Member 4: Costume Designer Aaron Roberts

- Crew Member 5 : Director Of Photography Hollie Bulmer

- Crew Member 6: Music By Robert Mitson

- Crew Member 7: Titles By Abi Crafter

- Crew Member 8: Screenplay By Jo Roberts

- Crew Member 9: Film Editor Sally Cumberworth

- Crew Member 10: Production Designer Matt Bigg

- Crew Member 11: Executive Producer Tamer Saleh

- Director - Directed By Jade Saunders

Target Audience Profile

Target Audience

Similar Media Works

Similar Media Works

Title Sequence Research

After analysing two film openings and looking at two more film openings i have found that the all begin with the institution name/logo and then the production company name/logo. This is to establish to the audience who has funded and produced the film and this is the same order i would like my film opening to follow.

Catch Me If You Can (2009):

Institution Name: Dream WorksPictures

ProductionCompanies:Kemp Company, Splendid Pictures and Parkes/Macdonald.

This particular film opening uses a cartoon animation to tell the story and display the names of the cast and crew. It tells the story of the film in 2 minutes without revealing too many specifics about the feel so that the audience are kept in suspense.

Titles: The titles revealed are in this order: Institution, production companies, director, 2 main actors, title, 10 actors, 19 crew members including the author of the novel that the film is adapted from and finally the directors name. The directors name is left till last to add anticipation in the audience as the wait to find out the director.

Duration: This film opening lasts 2:30 minutes and follows an animated film, this has showed be that a title sequence can be introduced in a variety of ways rather than the conventional titles and introduction to storyline.

When the film title is shown: 43 seconds in.

Dawn Of The Dead (2004):

Institution Name: Universal Pictures

Production Companies: Strike Entertainment and New Amsterdam Entertainment.

This film opening uses many jumpy cuts and shot clips to create a sense of panic in the audience and to build suspense. There are black screens for the titles and i would prefer for the titles to fade in and out in my title sequence.

Titles: In order: Institution, production companies, title, 10 actor/actress names in order of appearance, 17 crew members and finally the directors name.

Duration: The title sequence is 2:39 and tells the audience how the virus has spread and cause ed zombie mutilation. It shows how this has caused a panic in the world but doesn't reveal any specific storylines and keeps the audience intrigued.

When the film title is shown: 11 seconds

Ocean's Eleven (2001):

Institution: Warner Brothers Pictures

Production Companies: Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment and JW/Section Eight

This title sequence follows a consistent Vegas style gambling theme and has neon playing cards, fruit machines and poker chips which stand out against the black background. The sequence is animated and the names are faded in an out.

Titles: In order: Institution, production companies, 9 main actors, title, 15 crew members and finally the director.

Duration: 1:49, the title sequence is animated and follows a Vegas theme. The Vegas theme denotes to the audience that gambling or Las Vegas is involved in the storyline and there is also a vault being broken into which denotes a robbery.

When the film title is shown: 48 seconds in.

Quantum Of Solace (2008):

Institution: Metro Goldwyn Mayer

Production Company: Columbia, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Eon Productions Limited

This film sequence is animated and focuses mainly on James Bond and how he is an agent, carries a gun and gets the girl. It has many titles which are grouped together to save time.

Titles: In order: Institution, production companies, 1 main actor and the name of his character, the name of the Bond creator, title, 12 actors/actresses, 38 crew members and finally the director.

Duration: 3:38 seconds and is an animated title sequence that does not reveal any specific storylines.

When the film title is shown: 48 seconds in

After analysing these 4 title sequences i have gained an insight into how a conventional title sequence should appear. Therefore i am going to begin with my institution and production company and then reveal 2 main actors. I will then have the film title appear and will start to introduce storylines to the audience. While the storylines are being introduced i would like to have 5 more actors/actresses names appear in red on screen, i will use red to connote blood, death and danger to create a sense of fear in my audience. I will then reveal 10 crew memebers throughout the film opening and will fade to black at the very end to reveal the director. I aim to create a 2 minute title sequence as i feel this is the right length for a sequence as it isn't too short and it doesn't drag on and bore the viewer.