Script

SCENE 1. ext. Day time. wood. (past)

Young woman (Flo) walking through a wood, not paying attention, listening to Ipod.
Scene 2. int. day time. office (present)
Woman is sitting down at desk talking on the phone. she looks confused. she is clearly a detective, we can tell this by the sign on her desk.

CATHY

Hello Dan. right, tell me all the details so what do we need to know?
There is a pause as she listens to answer

CATHY

happened in the middle of the day...mmmhmmmm yeah, in a wood? ok, any witness?

SCENE 3. EXT. DAY TIME. WOOD. (PAST)

Woman is still walking, not paying attention, you now see mysterious shadow travel past her. she carries on walking. shadow doubles back and catches her eye in process. she turns, wary, and takes out one head phone as she listens. from the opposite direction she hears a twig snap.

SCENE 4. INT. DAY TIME. OFFICE (PRESENT)

cont. from scene 2. Still on phone. she looks confused and bored as she gets up from her chair,
looks around her office at her documents scanning through them. suddenly looks shocked.

CATHY

WHAT? Symbols?

Scene 5. ext. day time. wood (past)

Girl begins to look panicked, she starts to run in the opposite direction to previous sound. you see mysterious cloaked figures running after her. you see that there is more than one figure and that they care leading her into a trap. trap features the pentagram marked out on the floor, she is surrounded in the middle of it with 5 people in cloaks around her.

Scene 6. int. day time. office (present)

cont. from scene 4. she flops back down on her chair looking anxious.

CATHY

Please don't tell me he's back!

Mrs D

There are some good planning ideas here, which obviously reflect your research. You might want to add more in terms of product placement and Institutional data. You could explore cost of films and production companies and how the Industry is funded. Keep up the good work.

Planning ideas 3

planning ideas 3

character and setting ideas

· Could be about high powered business woman
· Woman could possibly be in a position of power
· Could show how she “worked her way up to power” (could include graphic demonic gore)
· Woman could in fact be a demon who is obsessed with power and uses her skills of sucking out power to work her way up to the top
· Could be set in an office, normal every day things?
· Could be about social hierarchy and the need to better oneself
· Could be from the point of view of the demon
· Could use lots of over the shoulder camera angles when she is around peopleShe could actually have like 2 personalities/ faces. One being that of a normal face whilst the other being that of small and squished, as if it is too small for her head

planning ideas 2

Planning (ideas 2) Genre: supernatural thriller

· Could open with tracking of a zombie?
· follows the opening two minutes tracking the zombies day to day movements, (like could be to see how the zombie hunts, looks for you)
· could be in point of view of zombie hunting
· how the attack began (i.e. could start with some normal person getting ill,
· you seeing them coping with the virus
· Then you seeing how they now react when they start to become living dead ect.
· Could use hand held camera to show this. After seeing people could go into a hotel, could end with possibility of breaking into the hotel, camera could then go dead?

Planning ideas 1

Planning (ideas’ 1) Genre: supernatural thriller

The villain could be:

· Could possibly be about mysterious cloaked figures
· Zombies
· Daemons

Main character ideas:

· Could have two clips happening simultaneously
· One about the actual incident
· One about someone hearing about the incident
· Could have a woman (who gets attacked) and a woman who hears about the attack

Setting ideas:

· Setting could be in a hospital
· Could be in a wood
· Could be at a train station
· Could have the other woman’s setting in an office

Editing and framing ideas

· Could start with seeing the girl in the setting walking around
· Framing could be girl alone in the shot not listening to surroundings (possibly listening to music)
· Could never actually see a front on shot of the “villain”- increase suspense
· Could have the woman’s describing the incident over the phone whilst you see it happen, could cut between the clips? Jump cuts possibly.

How research has informed planning

How research informs planning.

From my research I have seen that the most people that answered my questionnaire were aged between 16-19 thus I have decided to make this my target audience. From my questionnaires I saw that the majority of people preferred to watch a horror/thriller over other genres of film specifically that of being a supernatural thriller. They would like the film to have elements of action and to be intellectually stimulating, to have a female main character and to set the film somewhere that is close to home therefore making it seem more believable/ realistic. They would like the film to start with what has happened previously in the plot to create a sense of understanding and in the music would like a variety of different instruments used to compliment the scene. Costume would be that of modern day I have decided from my research due to the fact that 100% of people answering the questionnaire chose this (40 people) and because of similar reasons would be set in present day.

In terms of camera angles I have seen from my research that the audience would like a wide range of cameras to make the scenes interesting, and from looking at other conventional thriller films I can see that the main types of camera shots and angles are 180 degrees pans, mid shots, close ups, long shots, low camera angles, tracking, and lots of match on action as well as over the shoulder shots. Because of this I think that when I come to making my own piece of media I will aim to include a variety of these shots in order to widely engage my audience.

My research has informed me that the types of sound used are generally that of a variety of instruments playing mainly minor and broken chords in order to build tension. Because of this I have decided to use this when it comes to my planning and start finding music that has a similar style.

Product Placement

Product placement

I would advertise my film trailer in the cinema, particularly though in a film with a similar genre. So for example a thriller trailer would be played in a viewing of a thriller style film as this is where the majority of my audience would be likely to want to watch it.


I would also advertise my film trailer on such movie channels as Sky horror and sky premier as this again will advertise the film to the people who would be the most likely to consume it and be interested in this genre.


My product would be shown in a cinema, and thus because of this I would have various types of advertising in the cinema such as posters and cut outs of the various characters. This would be to create a hype surrounding the film and thus will make more people want to view the film.


I would use TV to advertise and create publicity for my film. I would do this by showing trailers on various channels such as channel 4, MTV and comedy central as these channels are more likely to be watched by my target audience. My target audience is that of young people as they are more likely to be interested in thriller/horror films.


The final place I would advertise my film would be that of on trains, on the side of a bus and also on billboards. This is because these are public places and viewed by hundreds of people a day. This is a good form of advertising as my target audience are less likely to be driving (due to their age) and thus because of this are more likely to be using public transport.

If i was to create a full feature length Hollywood film it would be funded through investors and fundraising through by the producer. The total cost of the film would be approximately about £200 million (approximation made biased on how much it cost to make the Hollywood thriller "Signs".

Distribution

Post production

Post production

Film/video is developed by the video editor. There are two different processes in film development:

Film work

· Original camera film is developed and copied to a one-light work print (positive) for editing with a mechanical editing machine
· An edge code is recorded onto film to locate the position of picture frames
· Film workflow is used by very few productions due to the development of new technology that will enable you to sync sound and video

Video work

· original camera negative is developed and telecined to video for editing with computer editing software
· timecode is recorded onto video tape to locate the position of picture frames
· Production sound is also synced up to the video picture frames

Production

Production info

1) Typical days shooting calls people to arrive on set/location at a given call time
2) Different roles may have different call times (for example set, construction and lighting may have more to do and so need longer on set then say actors)
3) Grip, electric and production often set up before camera and sound for efficiency and as one scene is being filmed they will move on to the next one to save time
4) While the crew prepares their equipment, the actors put on their costumes and sort out their hair and make-up.
5) The actors rehearse the script and blocking with the director and camera and sound rehearse with them.


Production procedure

1) Assistant director calls "picture is up" to inform people there about to start recording
2) Once everyone is ready to shoot, he calls "roll sound" (if the take involves sound)
3) The production sound mixer will start their equipment, record a verbal slate of the take's information, and announce "sound speed" when they are ready.
4) The assistant director will then announce "roll camera" which is responded to with "speed" by camera operator when the filming has started
5) The clapper (already in front of the camera with the clapperboard) calls "marker!" and slaps it shut.
6) If take involves extras/background action, the assistant director will cue them
7) Director shouts "action!

Pre-production

Film development

Mrs D

Well done Milly. You are racing through the research at a fast pace, but it is detailed and very well done. I like your analysis of the two films here and you consider mes well. You need to focus a little more on camera and keep in mind that it is the opening of a film - rather than a random clip from anywhere. Keep up the good work.

Real media artifacts

Donnie Darko opening two minutes:

The scene starts with the soft rumble of what appears to be thunder, and then morning sounds of life in the suburbs slowly fade in to replace them. The morning sounds features diegetic sounds of the birds cheeping and the roar of the traffic as it drives through the area, there is another thunder clap and it then goes on to spark the opening chords of the non diegetic music.

The music starts with a wind like instrument as the camera slowly starts to move from the scenery of the valley with mountains in the back ground at sunrise to that of the boy lying in the middle of the road. As the camera slowly gets closer to the boy the music changes as it starts to feature sharp long chords of the piano. This is typical of a thriller genre as the point of this genre is to build tension throughout the film and to create a climax. Opening the scene with this creates a fearful excitement for the audience as the mysterious nature doesn’t give away the plot, and thus because of this they don’t know what to expect from this. An example of the mysteriousness of this opening is the fact that you see a boy lying in the middle of the road. You don’t know who he is and you don’t know how he got there, and thus the film is mysterious.

As the boy starts to get up, you notice that the camera angle has changed slightly, as it does a 180 pan of the boy and then stops. During the 180 pan the camera also seems to go from a mid shot, to a medium close up and then to a further close-up of the boy as he looks out to the horizon. The editing then goes to a match on action shot of the sunrise and the camera again begins its 180 pan of the boy.

The music and the moving image then complement each other nicely as the audience feels a slight sense of relief although there are elements of sharp chords in the piece to indicate that there could be sinister events impending. As the camera pans closer to Donnie’s face, you see that he is indeed laughing and this could possibly conotates to the audience rather feeling a sense of relaxation they feel tension. This altogether builds tension and entices the audience as well as gives it a mysterious feeling as they delve further into the film

The silence of the lambs opening two minutes:

The sound as the scene opens is that of some eerie music. The instruments that would make this type of music sounds as if it is a mixture of string instruments and wind instruments to create an uneasy atmosphere that excites the audience and draws them into the scene. As you see the woman running through the woods the music then builds in volume and pace and the only other sound that you here are the woman’s footsteps. This builds tension as you expect something to happen and because of this engages the audience by making them feel uneasy and the first pangs of fear begin to set in.

The opening picture is that of a leaf stricken tree as it stands on its own with the sky behind it looking stormy. This could be to suggest solidity and isolation to the audience, and thus because of this creating a mysterious atmosphere as to how the film will progress. The camera angle then pans away from the tree and down a hill/valley. You then see a woman using a rope to climb up from the bottom of the hill/valley as fast as possible whilst looking around at her surroundings. The camera angle then changes to being that of as she reaches the top to a medium close up, and shows that whilst she is still looking around, she does not look afraid. This therefore makes the audience feel suspension and confusion as they expect something to happen. The camera angle then changes as you see the woman running. The camera angle is that of tracking and this is to give the audience the impression that this woman is being followed and therefore because of this further gives the atmosphere that of being uncomfortable and wary of the forthcoming events that may feature in the film.

The clothing that the woman wears suggests that she is used to sport, and sporty activities. This is because she is wearing a tracksuit that looks as if it has a lot of use. This therefore gives the audience the impression that this is the reason she is in the wood and so because of this eases there fear slightly despite the eerie music being in place.
The setting of the opening scene of a wood creates again the image of isolation, and this coupled with the fact that there is no one around connotates danger as well as mystery as it gives the impression there is no one around for miles and thus you are left to fend for yourself if you will.
As the music pace begins to pick up again the pitch of the instruments used increases and the woman begins to move faster towards the end of the scene. Although nothing in the way she moves has changed her expression looks to be that of more frantic as the camera angle moves from being that of her feet and the pace increasing to being that of a front on close up. Her expression shows discomfort as she distorts her mouth. This connotates to the audience that something is now wrong and thus the tension begins to create a climax of the events that further entices the audience.

The editing of these transitions goes from being that of rather slow at the start and relaxed to that of more frantic as the scene progresses indicating that something is about to happen.

Dawn of the dead first two minutes analysis:

The scene opens with a wall of fire, and as the camera pans out you can see it turns into a skull. This then fades into the image of a doctor holding up an x-ray of a damaged skull, as he talks on the phone. This could be to show to the audience that there is danger and violence that could be encountered later on in the film as often the connotations you get with fire and skulls is that of danger. The camera angles here are that of an over the shoulder shot as you see the man holding up the x-ray of the damaged skull, which then jumps to that of a mid shot of the man bringing down the x-ray in his hand. As the man puts down the phone the camera shot changes to that of a long shot, and the angle used is that of a low one. This could be used to show to the audience how important this character is as the shot they use makes the audience have to physically look up to him, which is often associated with power/importance.

This then jumps to a close up of the male doctor and the female intern as they are having a discussion. The shot then shows the young female intern as she reacts to how the male doctor talks to her. The camera then uses a tracking technique as it follows the nurse around the hospital. It then changes to a front on shot of the intern as she talks to a nurse as to why the patients have been submitted. This is to show her expression as the confusion sets in as to why the patient has been submitted. The audience then begin to realise the increasing tension as people start to take the bites seriously and this is done to draw them in.

As the intern walks out of the hospital and into the car park you can see the camera angle of a match on action shot. The framing when you see the match on action shot is that of a man lying down with his feet poking out of the ambulance. This image instantly gives the audience the impression that the man is dead or has died due to the imminent attack of the zombies, although this is later contrasted when you see him sit up and talk to the woman, indicating that he was only sleeping and winding her up. This is done to make the audience uneasy and start to feel the first elements of fear as they start to build the tension for the rest of the film.

The framing that is used as you see the blonde intern talking to the doctor is that of him standing foremost in the shot, and with his right side facing the camera, but the nurse is facing the camera slightly away from him as she turns up to look at the man. This could be to represent power as the man is physically taller than the woman, and also because of the fact that he is a doctor and she is a intern it almost suggests he outranks her in terms of profession and is therefore more powerful in that respect too. This is done to show the audience that the intern is not that powerful and thus as the film progresses may show how she then rises to power and her character develops and changes.

The music was that of percussion instruments used to try and create a rumbling/tinkling eerie sound which fades as you here the man talking over the phone. The sound effects that are used as the x-ray of the skull is moved are that of a sword or knife as it slices the air. This is used as it is a similar sound to that created by the music and helps to represent the tension as it builds up. The dialogue that then follows this takes the formation of the type of dialogue that appears in day to day life. This only then changes when the doctor questions as to why a patient who has been bitten has had to have a brain scan. This shows a mysterious element that then draws in the audience. It makes the audience question as to why the patient is suffering so seriously from a bite, and also shows a bit of dramatic irony as the audience may also see that many horror/thriller films featuring zombies start off with a bite.

Media questionnaire 2 analysis

Q1

In this you can see that there was a fairly even number of men and woman asked, but that there were slightly more females then males. This may affect the outcome of the results slightly which is something i am awear of.

Q2

From this you can see that the most popular type of horror film that the audience like is that of the supernatural type, followed closely by that of a psychological nature. This could be because of the influence that films such as paranormal activity and the silence of the lambs may have had on what the audience want and thus have changed there opinions.

Q3

From this you can see that people would mainly like a horror film to show a lot of action and to be interlectually stimulating. This could be because of the element of suprise that may come to mind along with the guesswork that would come hand in hand with being interlectually stimulating. The action element of things would be popular due to the fact that it may engage the audience.

Q4

The things that people say are essentual in creating a good horror are factors such as good actors, good story line, relastic elements, music in high tension moments and a easy to understand plot. This is because these features help to create a good horror that can easily shock and scare the audience.

Q5

This shows that a majority of people surveyed would prefer a female as a main charecter. One possible reason for this could be that women are often seen as more vunerable and thus because of this the audience may think that seeing a female lead charecter as a main part may heighten the fear due to the percieved vunerability of the charecter

Q6

There has been a variety of different answers as to where to set the film but a lot of people would choose to set it in places such as abandoned hospitals, isolated woods, or a derelict house so that whilst it is unlikely you will be in a place like this on your own, it is not incomprehendable and thus makes the setting closer to home. This therefore makes the audience feel a greater sence of fear.

Q7

From this you can see that the majority of people would like the film to start with what has happened previously in the plot and then carry on from then. This could be so that the audience gets a sence of understanding as to what events have happened and why.

Q8
You can see here that the people surveyed would like a variety of different instruments used in the making of the music to compliment a film, but that the most popular types is that of percussion and string. This could be because of the tension they can help build through the scratchy sound of the strings and the heavy beat of the percussion (e.g like a heartbeat)

Q9

The majority of people prefer the music to compliment the scene (70%). This could be as this would be an important feature in creating the tension that is so often needed with horror/thriller. Although 30% of people said that they would like to contrast the scene, an example of this could be a music box played at the moment of a really tense scene.

Q10

Everyone chose to have the costume being that of modern day and thus becuase of this I did not feel the need to graph this information as it would look silly in my opinion.

Q11

People often chose this because they say that it creates a more realistic and closer to home feeling that could happen to anyone. They also state that they feel that there is no need for there to be any other different types of costume unless they fit in with the plot.

Q12

From this you can clearly see that the people surveyed preffered there horror films to be set in
present day, with the only other people choosing to set them 20 years in the past or into the future. This could be to make the film have a more realistic feel as theycan relate to the future.

Q13

The main reasons as to why the people filling in my questionnaire chose to set it in present day is so that it has a more relatable and realistic feel. They also say that that they think films like this are more effective as its more relevant and therefofre more believable.

Q14
From this you can see that there is a wide variety in the shots that the audience want, with many of them choosing more then one. This therefore suggests to me that they would like to see a majority of these shots when watching a film.

Q15
There reasoning for these shots is to make the scenes interesting and different and therefore avoid being boring, they say that using a variety of shots helps to link them (the audience) to the charecters in the film as well as to enhance the experiance of the film. This is done for example through the use of a over the shoulder shot and point of view shots to involve audiences. this could possibly be because these shots are more engaging and thus help to build tension.

Q16
Most people expect to see lots of fast paced jump cuts in terms of editing and think that the editing should be invisible so that there is a good transition and flow throughout the scenes with eerie music playing in key parts and there reasoning for this is to ensure that the tension is build sucessfully.

Media questionnaire 2

Questionnaire two

Gender

Male
Female

What would be your favourite type of horror/thriller?

Psychological thriller (eg. Silence of the lambs)
Supernatural thriller (e.g 28 days later/paranormal activity)
Slasher movie (prom night)
Graphic gore films (e.g. saw)
What could be a realistic situation (when a stranger calls)
Other

What would your ideal horror/thriller film feature?

Action
Romance
Comic elements
Serious elements
Intellectually stimulating

What elements do you think would be essential in creating a good horror/thriller?

What would you prefer the main character to be?

Male
Female

What would be your ideal setting for a horror/ thriller?

Which of these things would you like to appear in the opening two minutes of a horror/thriller film?

Flash forwards (seeing the end of the film at the start)
Flash backs (seeing what has happened previously to the film)
An establisher shot to set the scene progressing into character development
Two separate scenes happening simultaneously and cutting each in
Tracking shots of perceived villain

What type of instruments would you use in the music to build tension?

Wind instruments (e.g. flutes)
Percussion instruments (e.g. drums/symbols)
String instruments (e.g. violin)
Harpsichord (e.g. piano)

Would you like the music to?

Contrast the mood of the scene
Compliment the mood of the scene

How would you like the costume to be?

Normal day to day wear
Formal
Professional
Sport ware
Period
Fancy dress
Futuristic
Other

What is your reasoning for this?

What time period would you like horror to be set in?

Victorian
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000/present day
Further on in the future

What is your reasoning for this?

What sort of camera angles would you expect to see?

Tracking (following a person)
Close ups
Extreme close ups
Long shots
Mid shots
180 degrees pan
Match on action shot
Action reaction shot
Over the shoulder shot
Panoramic shot
Handheld camera shots

What is your reasoning for this?

What do you expect in terms of editing for the filming and why?

Media questionnaire analysis

Q1

As you can see I tried to ask as even as amount of males and females when getting my questionnaires filled although there was a slight amount of male dominance which may have affected the outcome.

Q2

From the first pie chart we can see that there was a fairly equal amount of men and woman that answered this questionnaire. You can then see that the majority of people that answered my questionnaire were aged between 15-19. Although I did intend to ask a wide range of peoples opinion when i made this questionnaire, i decided to post the questionnaire on a social networking site (facebook) and thus because of this the majority of people of people that asked happened to be this age. This could be seen as a flaw as it will have affected my results, it then helped me with deciding my target audience for my filming.

Q3

My results showed that the average person watches only 1-2 hours of television a day. This could be because of modern days busy society, and thus because of this i will have to ensure that my media piece is therefore engaging from the start.

Q4

The two genres that came out as being top in my results were that of comedy and of horrors/thrillers, with the majority vote being that of the horrors/thrillers. This could be because of the fact that for the most part of the questionnaire filling was done by people aged 15-19. This would affect the genre that came out as being most popular as younger generations often like psychological thrillers and horrors as it releases an adrenaline rush more so then older generations. This could also be said of the fact that comedy came out as being quite popular as well, as younger generations are more likely to find crude humour, with that of a highly sexual elements as more acceptable to say an older generation due to the day and age they are brought up in. Young adults are less likely to find gore, swearing, violence and sexual nature disturbing as then say that of a older generation and because of this are more likely to watch films and programmes containing these elements.

Q5

The majority of people surveyed stated that they would like there film to last 1-2 hours (60%) with some people saying they like there film to last between 2-3 hours in length (40%). If i was to therefore create a full film I would ensure that I kept it within this limit.

Q6

The types of films that were listed as peoples faverourite mainly consisted of being that of horror/thriller films like The silence of the lambs, Donnie Darko, Mirrors and 300 listed more then once. Other popular films that were listed were comedy films such as the hangover and superbad suggesting that whilst people like the serious elements they get with horror/thrillers, comedys are also a firm favourite.

Q7

The reasons that people stated for there favourite films being sucessfull were reasons such as good characterisation, entertaining, good quality writing of the script and good use of camera angles. This could be because they enjoy watching a well structured film and without this they would not be as entertained.

Q8

As nearly every person surveyed agreed that music and sound were the most important elements in creating an atmosphere, followed closely by set and editing i think that exploring these areas in a further questionnaire will help in my understanding of how this is important in creating atmosphere and elements of films they have seen where they think the atmosphere was created during these methods.

Q9

From looking at the data we can see that most of the people said that the most recent film they brought were popular new releases such as Avatar and KickAss, although there was a lot of variety in this choice. An example of this were films such as Sweeny Todd, Donnie Darko, and Taken suggesting that people prefer a darker story line.

Q10

Everyone surveyed suggested that music was vital in creating an atmosphere and tension. This is seen in the fact that whilst 34% of people said it was fairly important, a dramatic 66% said it was extrememly important. By seeing this, in my second questionnaire I will try and determin what type of instruments etc are most important in creating tension and why, to use as research for my coursework

Q11
From asking questions such as “what is your favourite film” a lot of different data was obtained. Analysing this data proved difficult but the films seemed to follow certain patterns. One such film was that of the hangover in which was mentioned by 4 out of the 40 people i surveyed. This therefore suggests that comedy is a popular choice when it comes to films. Other genres of films that were mentioned a lot were thrillers/horrors, with people stating films such as the silence of the lambs, mirrors, saw, the ring pulp fiction, train spotting, fight club and the imaginarium of doctor Parnassus. This suggests that some of the most popular consumed films today are that of horrors/thrillers.

Media Questionnaire

Gender:

Male
Female

How often do you watch TV/Film a day?

None 1-2 2-4 4-8 8-16 16+

How many films do you watch a week?

None 1-2 2-4 4-6 6+

What is your preferred genre of film?

Factual/documentary
Comedy
Action/story
Romance
Horror/thriller
Sci-fi
Musical

How long would you like your ideal film to last?

30mins/hour
1-2 hours
2-3 hours
3 hours +

What is your favourite film?

What makes this film successful and why have you chosen this film?

What do you think is the most accurate way of creating atmosphere within films?

Music/Sound
Set
Camera angles
Editing
Costume

What was the last film you purchased and your reasoning for this?

How important do you think music is in creating an atmosphere?

Not important
Slightly important
Fairly important
Very important

Who is your favourite actor/actress and why?

Media Checklist