Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
New Storyboard
This is our new storyboard since the change after our first feedback.
Below is our Youtube visual storyboard.
Finished Editing - Complete
Now that filming is complete and our footage has all been uploaded, we worked closely together to create a new soundtrack and new sequence. We chose not to use the 'dream sequence' for the beginning part of our sequence so that we could emphasize on our close-up shots and attention to detail with our props.
Extra Film Inspiration
Se7en - Opening Titles (1995)
The opening titles to Seven uses camerawork such as many close ups and editing to overlay and emphasize important aspects of the protagonists lifestyle and actions. By using these techniques we familiarize ourselves with him and begin to wonder what he's doing. This builds up tension as enigma builds. Since our change in storyboard I would like to use this in our sequence to build tension as titles are slowly introduced.
New Risk Assesment
Risk Assessment - Opening Thriller (AS Media)
What are the hazards?
- Candle Fire
- Filming in slippery mud (When in forest)
- Burning Paper
- Filming in the dark
Who Might Be Harmed And How?
- Film crew or actors - by burning themselves or something or by spilling wax and burning themselves
- The person filming may slip over
- Person holding paper on the fire
- People could walk into each other and something eg table
What Are We Already Doing About It?
- Filming in an uncluttered space (Less likely to knock over) and being aware of the flame at all times
- Trying to avoid the really muddy area's as much as possible and wearing wellie boots
- To film it, we held the paper on fire over a fire place and held the paper with metal tongs and gloves to avoid the flames flaring on the persons hand
- Trying to stay in one place when filming and being aware of where everything/everyone is
Sound Research
Because of the change in title sequence, we need to make a brand new soundtrack to fit it. We've done some research into music and themes to see what we can use and develop.
Lux Aeterna - I think this piece is fantastically effective. Its slow pace helps to gradually ease you into the music, its low tones also help to create a mysterious atmosphere. I also think that the more powerful parts to this are good in signalling danger... amazement and a mysterious but imminent and gigantic danger as well as doom. I think we could use different aspects of this within our soundtrack to build up tension, enigma and thrill.
The Vocals - I find the vocals in this piece are very effective at giving a sense of greatness... but it doesn't necessarily sound like a 'good' greatness. I think it sounds like something unholy and fearful but of great power. Which would be something to fear. These vocals are low and very powerful, but the harmonizing vocals after the first give a very innocent feel, I believe this would be good in representing the protagonist. As for the background, I can hear organs a other wind instruments. I think this supports our theme of 'old' and 'ritualistic' as it gives a sense of religion and aged music.
Sound can be used to reflect different moods or characters, even their backgrounds. In the first episode of Ashes to Ashes, soundtrack is used for this very reason. At first sound is non-diegetic and sounds muffled, even mysterious. This helps to reflect how the woman we're now watching, passing through a crowd of partying men and women is confused. Later we see a noble policeman emerge from his car and as he comes to save the day triumphant music is played to resemble the type of character he is. (no youtube video)
Sometimes sound is used to create enigma and fear. Low tone music often fits depressing, angry or fearful moments, most notably in thriller or horror films.
Sound can be used to reflect different moods or characters, even their backgrounds. In the first episode of Ashes to Ashes, soundtrack is used for this very reason. At first sound is non-diegetic and sounds muffled, even mysterious. This helps to reflect how the woman we're now watching, passing through a crowd of partying men and women is confused. Later we see a noble policeman emerge from his car and as he comes to save the day triumphant music is played to resemble the type of character he is. (no youtube video)
Sometimes sound is used to create enigma and fear. Low tone music often fits depressing, angry or fearful moments, most notably in thriller or horror films.
Finished Filming + editing progress
Finally, our group finished filming for our new opening sequence on the 17th January. Whilst filming we chose not to emphasize the man's face (antagonist, but main person in the sequence), however we wanted to show that he was mature and sinister. Using make-up Meg accomplished this. Euan was playing this role.
We took many close up shots of the books we used, the lit candles, the flames and drawings of runes. We really wanted to emphasize the ritualistic approach to dark magic and the context of this character. By not giving away too much, we are hoping to create an enigma.
Here you can see our custom made titles by Stephen, we've made them in Motion and with it, make the titles themselves fit the atmosphere of our sequence. Various letters in our names will change into runes, keeping the dark ritualistic theme, as well as being red in appearance, to symbolise danger (relating to footage of red candle wax).
Here is our candle shot, twice we will see this and we've been playing around to see what we can do to emphasize this moment. One idea is to reverse the track, so that once our sequence is over, we can play it again and its as if our antagonist is going round in a vicious cycle, redoing his dark events.
We're now at the stage were all we need is a complete soundtrack, which Euan and Stephen have been working on, to put with our rough cut and we will hopefully be at final cut.
New Film Proposal
Film Proposal
Treatment
In some part of the country, a middle aged man is doing his daily routine of looking through and researching the paranormal and the ritualistic norms of demonology and paganism.
There will be two main half’s of the sequence: a dream like sequence that can be presumed is the man’s dreams where he’s in a wood/forest setting. The dream sequence will be a very dazed, almost hypnotic sequence and will include a glimpse of a figure just keeping out of the frame.
In the present day we see little detail of the man looking through books (demonology books, spell books ect) and doing general research in candle light looking at paranormal subjects.
There will start to be cross reference between dreams and reality and a theme of psychological horror are explored through images of black magic and tension is built through use of editing in the dream sequence.
The titles will be in some runic language to add to the pagan feel to the sequence
Audience Profile
15+ years because the opening sequence creates a strong impression of a threat or menace
Not gender specific
I think our target audience will appreciate the sequence less ordinary themes and put into a curious position over the character and reasons for his interests.
On the socio-economic scale, it will be more popular to grade C2 - E because of the audience that generally fit into those grades are younger and will appreciate the sequence more.
Explorers, strugglers and aspirers because they’re interests best suit our genre and themes of the sequence.
We’re using themes of horror and aspects of escapism (in the dream sequence) to create the thriller sequence.
Influence on:
Women in black
Sinister
Seven
Paranormal Activity
We can exhibit the sequence first through a private screening of family friends and later release it on Youtube and Facebook.
Progress
Although I had originally missed the 'decision day' of our final theme and storyboard ideas, I have been updated our ideas are flowing well! We have decided to keep our title of 'The Missing' as the central plot will evolve around people going missing. We have now all focused on the titles first over the filming and it achieved a unified mind plan of our opening sequence's theme and meaning.
Our title sequence is coming along very nicely, our designer, Stephen, is doing a great job and taking in all of our ideas. We've added rustic runes to the title so it appears older and more effected by dark magic. This helps to keep our ritualistic theme that we believe is a very powerful part of our atmosphere. This helps distinguish the character involved as sick and twisted.
During the weekend just passed, Meg went out with her camera and camcorder to take some establishing shots as well as some photos and footage for the beginning of our sequence.
Props, Actors and Costume
For our main prop in this sequence we'll be using this book on dark magic. After the inspiration from Seven we really want to focus on smaller details of the book and objects used by the antagonist. This means close up shots, slow camera movement and fading cuts. We want to enforce enigma around this character using props, so this book on dark magic automatically suggests something is not quite right. Second with have a candle light and liquid wax, I think these will be effective to set the mood of the atmosphere and will only give enough light to focus on the character and props. Not the surroundings. Aside from this we have a notepad for the character to write rune symbols on. The costume on our character does not matter because we won't be seeing anything apart from his hands and face. However, close-attention to make-up will be added for effect. We want to use make-up to age the antagonists face and hands and to give him a darker aproach.
We want to introduce vocals to our soundtrack to give a more ritualistic approach to the scene that involved pagan magic.
We're going to try out many different ideas to make this opening sequence as effective as possible, using lit candles, dark, warm lighting and perhaps 'bad film' effect to emphasize an aged atmosphere of religion, ritual and magic.
Initial Idea - Change of plans + Recce Report (new)
Recently our group has received feedback for our opening sequence... unfortunately it wasn't what we expected and now need to either change the existing footage drastically... or start again. We decided to start fresh now that we know exactly what we need to do. We met up during winter break and got some ideas together as well as developing the titles themselves. I think we need to keep this piece as simple as possible, I don't think we need a lot of material within the opening to make it effective, it just needs as many, subtle and striking techniques as possible. Which our first piece lacked greatly. Our further inspiration comes from the opening sequence to Seven as well as Jack Reacher. This put together with films such as Sinister and Paranormal Activity, I believe can make an interesting opening sequence.
Summary : We changed our initial idea and storyboard because the first lacked techniques and conventions and required to be re-filmed and altered to include them correctly.
RECCE REPORT: We have chosen to film in a new location to better suit our new storyboard. Our first location includes Pinmill woods and Meg's boat, our 2nd location includes the decorating/construction rooms in college. We will be filming in the woods during the day and at dusk to capture the best lighting under the canopy of the trees as well as getting an eerie darkened atmosphere. We also chose to film in college so that we could get silent, dark rooms to set up a scene with our props without being disturbed. The pros of these locations include natural lighting (at pinmill) and a creative set (at college). However at pinmill woods we could suffer weather conditions and health and safety risks as well as problems with equipment being able to adjust to outside, wooded conditions. Ultimately the college room is ideal for us so that we can create exactly the set we need without weather conditions or sound pollution.
Summary : We changed our initial idea and storyboard because the first lacked techniques and conventions and required to be re-filmed and altered to include them correctly.
RECCE REPORT: We have chosen to film in a new location to better suit our new storyboard. Our first location includes Pinmill woods and Meg's boat, our 2nd location includes the decorating/construction rooms in college. We will be filming in the woods during the day and at dusk to capture the best lighting under the canopy of the trees as well as getting an eerie darkened atmosphere. We also chose to film in college so that we could get silent, dark rooms to set up a scene with our props without being disturbed. The pros of these locations include natural lighting (at pinmill) and a creative set (at college). However at pinmill woods we could suffer weather conditions and health and safety risks as well as problems with equipment being able to adjust to outside, wooded conditions. Ultimately the college room is ideal for us so that we can create exactly the set we need without weather conditions or sound pollution.
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