Wednesday 26 January 2011
what we did today
Today we began filming our first scenes: primarily the bedroom scene and the scene in which Hannah is drawing. We started off filming quick footage of me sleeping in bed and then waking up staring at the ceiling which provides a sense of ambiguity as the audience doesn't know what is going on. We took the same shot several times as we wanted to have the best shot possible therefore having more than one would mean that we have more to choose from. The lighting was a key concept in this particular shot as well as we wanted to reflect that it was night time but that was problematic in itself as if the lighting was too dark then we wouldn't be able to see our filmed footage. In the end we used a dimming switch to provide a natural lighting which interestingly gave the camera a fuzzy blurry quality- almost static. This actually worked quite well as it looked quite naturalistic which is the effect we were going for as it contrasts against the surrealistic narrative which we have composed.We also experimented with a tripod camera to see what effect this would have on the shots but unfortunately we werent entirely sure as to how to use it in the best manner. This shows us that we need to practice how to use this camera as we don't want all of our shots to be filmed hand held. Our next shot was of a teddy bear which was to reflect the childhood innocence of my character and again we played around with lighting: this time as well as a dimming switch we also used a bedside lamp. This was very effective as it bathed the bear in an orange glow and was again quite blurry. This followed into a transition of an eye line match between me and the bear where the conceptualisation of Mise-en-scene took place as i used facial expressions. The shot showed me looking frightened as though i know something bad is going to happen which makes the audience sympathize with my role and also leaves them feeling tense.We then went into Charley's living room where we did Hannah's scenes. Our first shot was of Hannah drawing a picture which comes to life later on in the film. This consisted of a hooded figure[ Zoe] immersed in mist and clouds with ' It's coming' in scratch messy writing . This is to represent how Hannah is the controller of both me and Zoe and how I become possessed due to the control she is inflicting upon me. This also links in with the title of our film 'Puppet Strings'. To give an eerie effect to the film Hannah ensured that she wrote very heavily so as to create a scratchy, rasping noise. Charley then used zoom reverse zoom to enhance the picture which transcended into a similar shot of her drawing again but minus the writing and an additional of me in the background looking at her. To represent the artistic feel of the scene Hannah wore a checkered black and white shirt and waistcoat which almost gave her a sense of normality despite the evilness of her character. Her face was also in side profile to giver her a sense of mystery. We finished off our filming session by taking a prop shot list. I also thought it would be a good idea if we uploaded our footage we have done today to show our work in progress although there is 10 minutes of footage. Zoe also acted as director and told me and Hannah the best positions to be in for the shots.
Monday 24 January 2011
credits
Here are 4 experimenations within title credits that we have decided to include here which Zoe played with in terms of discourse, graphological features such as font stylism, formatting and colour :
<div style="width:425px" id="__ss_6680895"> <strong style="display:block;margin:12px 0 4px"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/charley2010/credits-6680895" title="Credits">Credits</a></strong> <iframe src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/6680895" width="425" height="355" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="padding:5px 0 12px"> View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/%22%3Epresentations%3C/a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/charley2010%22%3Echarley2010%3C/a> </div> </div>
The 1st one has used an inversion of colour formatting with white bold font against a black background, ellispes following the word 'puppet strings' an indication of suprises in store. However this will most likely not be used as the stylistic conventions do not conform to horror discourse.
The second one is my favourite as it follows typical horror titles in the form of layout, colour and presentation. The phrase'It's coming' ( centered) uses narrow red italic script writing again against a black background to really make the colours stand out and the added detail of messy blood on the left hand corner looks especially effective. This can be compared to nightmare on elm street as you can see here below which uses blood detail but in a differential manner as well as the writing being the focal point whereas our focal point is the blood:
<div style="width:425px" id="__ss_6680895"> <strong style="display:block;margin:12px 0 4px"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/charley2010/credits-6680895" title="Credits">Credits</a></strong> <iframe src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/6680895" width="425" height="355" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="padding:5px 0 12px"> View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/%22%3Epresentations%3C/a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/charley2010%22%3Echarley2010%3C/a> </div> </div>
The 1st one has used an inversion of colour formatting with white bold font against a black background, ellispes following the word 'puppet strings' an indication of suprises in store. However this will most likely not be used as the stylistic conventions do not conform to horror discourse.
| A film title which is also not conforming to horror stylism |
The second one is my favourite as it follows typical horror titles in the form of layout, colour and presentation. The phrase'It's coming' ( centered) uses narrow red italic script writing again against a black background to really make the colours stand out and the added detail of messy blood on the left hand corner looks especially effective. This can be compared to nightmare on elm street as you can see here below which uses blood detail but in a differential manner as well as the writing being the focal point whereas our focal point is the blood:
The 3rd and the 4th experimentaions are very similuar, the layout being ' puppet strings' followed by it's coming below which gives a sense of fear as well as engaging the audiences attention as they will want to know what is going to occur. The simplicity of the text formatting allows the attention to be on the actual written lexis which is similuar to what 'silence of the lambs' did. |
Thursday 20 January 2011
Draft script( subject to change)
[ Enter camera over the shoulder shot of Hannah's character zooming into easel content, as she finishes her piece] [ Fully in black, her face half shrouded in shadow, enhancement of her eye. Perhaps over exaggerationn of mascara and eye liner]
[ Use of dimming switch is applied to scene]
[ the lamp turns off mysteriously, room is left in darkness creating tension and suspense]
End of scene
Scene 2
[ Zoe is camouflaged in the grass , wearing a dark green cape. Her make up is very stark and in contrast with her pale face- enhanced by rice powder. Her lips should be bright scarlet red as though she is bleeding to add to the effect and pervading atmosphere]A centered canted angle shot is used to show the uneasiness of the situation]
[ The camera tracks Zoe while she is at a fixed point. At this period of time Zoe's face is still hidden. Long shot of Zoe follows tracking which develops into a panning shot]
Scene 3
[ mid shot panning around Zoe. As the camera reaches full circle to the front of Zoe her face is finally uncovered: she shows her true identity.]
Scene 4
[ long shot of me asleep in bed, surrounded by china dolls to reflect innocence and childhood. There is also an eye line match of me and the china dolls above on the shelf]
[ Use of dimming switch is applied to scene]
Scene 5
[ Juxtaposition shot of both mine and Zoe's eyes . Zoe's eye is unnatural and creepy whereas mine is innocent , reflecting the differences between the characters. It then fades into my eye like she's looking into my soul]
Scene 6
[ audience is made to feel as though they are seeing an apparition of what is going to happen to me. This makes them sympathize with my character.]
[ Continuity editing is used with an over the shoulder shot of Hannah again to represent repetition but this time it depicts future events e.g. Zoe chasing me]
Scene 7[ I'm sitting in the grass cross legged looking worried and tense: To scared to turn round as I'm unsure whether its a dream or reality][ wearing a white nightie to reflect the immaturity of my character]
[ I have my hands over ears]
[Voice over of Zoe's voice in my head] "Im coming "... [ breathy whisper]
[ I mumble to myself ] Stop![ every time its repeated it gets higher in tempo, until its a high pitched loud squeal ]
[ still sitting in the grass, cross legged and im aware of something behind me. A 2shot of me and Zoe in the frame but im still unaware of her presence- my breathing gets erractic and up tempo]
[ I stand up and see Zoe ( long 2 shot), Zoe rises up from the grass and lifts her hood off on a steady beat ]
[ Both me and Zoe do a clicking motion in synchronization to show unity and the fact that im under her power]
[ Use of dimming switch is applied to scene]
[ the lamp turns off mysteriously, room is left in darkness creating tension and suspense]
End of scene
Scene 2
[ Zoe is camouflaged in the grass , wearing a dark green cape. Her make up is very stark and in contrast with her pale face- enhanced by rice powder. Her lips should be bright scarlet red as though she is bleeding to add to the effect and pervading atmosphere]A centered canted angle shot is used to show the uneasiness of the situation]
[ The camera tracks Zoe while she is at a fixed point. At this period of time Zoe's face is still hidden. Long shot of Zoe follows tracking which develops into a panning shot]
Scene 3
[ mid shot panning around Zoe. As the camera reaches full circle to the front of Zoe her face is finally uncovered: she shows her true identity.]
Scene 4
[ long shot of me asleep in bed, surrounded by china dolls to reflect innocence and childhood. There is also an eye line match of me and the china dolls above on the shelf]
[ Use of dimming switch is applied to scene]
Scene 5
[ Juxtaposition shot of both mine and Zoe's eyes . Zoe's eye is unnatural and creepy whereas mine is innocent , reflecting the differences between the characters. It then fades into my eye like she's looking into my soul]
Scene 6
[ audience is made to feel as though they are seeing an apparition of what is going to happen to me. This makes them sympathize with my character.]
[ Continuity editing is used with an over the shoulder shot of Hannah again to represent repetition but this time it depicts future events e.g. Zoe chasing me]
Scene 7[ I'm sitting in the grass cross legged looking worried and tense: To scared to turn round as I'm unsure whether its a dream or reality][ wearing a white nightie to reflect the immaturity of my character]
[ I have my hands over ears]
[Voice over of Zoe's voice in my head] "Im coming "... [ breathy whisper]
[ I mumble to myself ] Stop![ every time its repeated it gets higher in tempo, until its a high pitched loud squeal ]
[ still sitting in the grass, cross legged and im aware of something behind me. A 2shot of me and Zoe in the frame but im still unaware of her presence- my breathing gets erractic and up tempo]
[ I stand up and see Zoe ( long 2 shot), Zoe rises up from the grass and lifts her hood off on a steady beat ]
[ Both me and Zoe do a clicking motion in synchronization to show unity and the fact that im under her power]
Tuesday 18 January 2011
mood board of my character
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This mood board is a representative of my characters personality traits and are all a reflection upon different parts of my personality- before and after my possessive state.
The Ocean- the ocean is a symbolisation of my calm collective manner in which i behave
The green environment signifies my affinity for earth, showing the happiness and joy that i find within it. The child holding a big red heart- this is a symbol of my child like tendencies and the innocence in which i view the world. It is also the overwhelming love which i hold within me before i am possessed.
The pink flower- represents my path into womanhood and how I'm maturing as a person.
The bunny- represents comfort and how i still cling to childhood despite my age. The stained glass window- this represents purity and innocence
The child angel- As well as reflecting my childish state it also demonstrates the good character that I have like the child praying here
The scarred face represents the infliction of pain and possession inclining that life will never be the same The puppet- this shows the ultimate posession and superiority that she holds over me
Pain block- the blocks represents the stages of possession
The movie eye- this symbolises the destruction of my memories as i belong to the creator
Monday 17 January 2011
audience profiling for our film
 |
| 12 a certificate |
Our film Puppet Strings will be aimed at a target audience of 18- 35 as from our extensive research we can establish that this is the main catchment audience but we will be using an age rating of 12a as our content is not particularly explicit but the nature of some of the frames may scare children under that age. However to ensure that the film can relate to adults we have included elements of a hybrid genre to make it seem more exciting as well as appealing to a niche target audience. This is essentially a mixture of horror, phycological and thriller type movie.Because of this I have decided to do some research into thriller statistics to see whether we need to take anything important into consideration.
Thriller Movie Age Profile
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As you can see by these statistics 26% of thriller movies are watched by 50+ year olds which is exceedingly intriguing as normally you would associate these type of films with youth.Top Grossing Movies 1977 - 2011, Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation(horror)
I included this figure as I wanted to see what were the top grossing horror films so we could include elements of their film in ours. For me I feel that the most significant films in that list is The Blair Witch Project, Scream and The ring due to being similuar to the style of film we are making. |
audience profiling from the pearl and dean site
Mulholland Drive The Ring
age gender
4-6 0% male 41%
7-11 0% female 59%
12-14 0% class
15-24 9% AB 55%
25-34 41% C1 40%
35-44 15% C2 2%
age gender
4-6 0% male 41%
7-11 0% female 59%
12-14 0% class
15-24 9% AB 55%
25-34 41% C1 40%
35-44 15% C2 2%
TKSDKMKWSoTGHEmeone into intrigue and mystery witThrillers are generally particularly popular with the
under 25's and have a slight female skew. With
moviegoers in an attentive and
under 25's and have a slight female skew. With
moviegoers in an attentive and
puppet strings story board
Shot 1 - an over the shoulder shot of Hannah looking at her easel premonition with the words ' it's coming' which signifies death and destruction. In this frame hannah is dressed entirely in black so she camoflauges within the background, showing that she watches from the shadows. The lighting is perhaps the focal point of the shot construction as it highlights the significance of the easel and it's lexis on it as well as displaying the ambiguity of Hannah's character.
Shot 2- An establishing shot of zoe hunched in the grass facing fowards obscured by her cloak to portray that she does not want to seen and thus protect her identity.
Shot 3-a pan around Zoe slowly standing up to show her dominance in comparison to my weak character.
Shot4- an angled shot of me in bed where the camera has clearly captured the discomfort and anxiety in my facial expressions as i look towards my teddy for comfort and security.
Shot 5-A juxtaposition eyeline match of both zoe's and my eye, in which zoe's eye will be enhanced to stand out creepily. Perhaps we can give her contact lenses coupled with large fake lashes to give a freaky effect.
Shot 6- Another over the shoulder shot of hannah drawing but the lighting contrast may be darkened here to show lapse of time.
Shot 7-Shot of me sitting cross legged in the grass as i wait for my fate, the fear on my face clearly visible.
Shot 8-Another over the shoulder shot behind zoe hunched down surveying me from a distance as i lay hunched in the grass thinking that i am safe.
Shot 9- Shot of me and zoe looking glazed as though someone has put us under a spell.
Shot 10- Centered full shot of me and zoe in synchronization , rising up from the floor then clicking our head to the side to show that the creator has got possesion over us.
Shot 2- An establishing shot of zoe hunched in the grass facing fowards obscured by her cloak to portray that she does not want to seen and thus protect her identity.
Shot 3-a pan around Zoe slowly standing up to show her dominance in comparison to my weak character.
Shot4- an angled shot of me in bed where the camera has clearly captured the discomfort and anxiety in my facial expressions as i look towards my teddy for comfort and security.
Shot 5-A juxtaposition eyeline match of both zoe's and my eye, in which zoe's eye will be enhanced to stand out creepily. Perhaps we can give her contact lenses coupled with large fake lashes to give a freaky effect.
Shot 6- Another over the shoulder shot of hannah drawing but the lighting contrast may be darkened here to show lapse of time.
Shot 7-Shot of me sitting cross legged in the grass as i wait for my fate, the fear on my face clearly visible.
Shot 8-Another over the shoulder shot behind zoe hunched down surveying me from a distance as i lay hunched in the grass thinking that i am safe.
Shot 9- Shot of me and zoe looking glazed as though someone has put us under a spell.
Shot 10- Centered full shot of me and zoe in synchronization , rising up from the floor then clicking our head to the side to show that the creator has got possesion over us.
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