1 January 2012 ~ Prototype productions

The Group

We are an A2 Media group of students consisting of Jason, Berry, Becky and Hoalie.

Jason

Producer/Cameraman/Director/Main Editor.

Hoalie

Graphic Designer/Web Developer/Editor.

Berry

Costume/Props/Make-up.

Becky

Make-up/Costume/Setting.

Tuesday 31 January 2012

Organising Tasks/Meeting - BERRY

After looking at our blog i came to the conclusion that it was not rich enough and many things were missing. To help me decided and acknowledge everything that was missing i had a look at other blogs and brainstormed what i think our blog needed. I formulated a list of all the things that needed to be completed. The picture to the left displays this list. I informed my group members and we had a meeting about this. The list helped us organise ourselves and pointed us in the right direction.



We then had a next meeting and in this meeting, we split the list into three parts and decided who was going to complete what, according to our strengths, weaknesses and preferability. Doing this meant that each member of the group could get on with their own work. It prevented confusion and things started to work out quicker and easier. We decided that our aim was to complete our invidual tasks before half term. Doing this would ensure that after half term we can move our focus.




Thursday 19 January 2012

Textual Analysis Mag - REBECCA

BECKY-TEXTUAL ANALYSIS- MAGAZINE FRONT COVER


The magazine front cover I will be analysing will be from a British magazine called Empire. I was not able to find many horror magazine covers but I feel that the Joker who appears in the Batman film ‘The Dark Knight’ bring an element of horror to the film. ‘The Dark Knight was a 2008 blockbuster which starred Heath Ledger as the Joker. The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan was highly successful.
It is typical for film magazines like Empire to feature one of the main characters on the front page as the main purpose is to advertise the film. The Joker in This Batman is very different from the other Joker/enemies we are used to. This joker has a very dark humour and he is very insane. Even with the make-up he comes across very evil and dark.  On the front cover of this magazine we have a close up of the Jokers face.The picture consists of The Jokers full face and cuts off just above his forehead where some hair is revealed. His head is slightly tilting down towards the floor, possibly connoting that he thinks he is better than everyone and must look down on people. We see the smeared bright red lipstick, painted white face, black circles over his eyes and green matted hair. The make-up suggests he is hiding something from the world. His bright red lipstick seems to be smeared right up to his cheek bones however under the red his skin seems deformed suggesting he is covering a very big scar coming out from both corners of his mouth. The red could also connote anger and aggression. The black circles around his eyes emphasize how mysterious he is, as the colour black connotes a sense of mystery. In Western countries black is the colour of death. The pitch black rings on top of the pale white makes a evil contrast.
His white make up hides his whole face hiding his identity. The colour white could also connote death, especially if seen by Asian viewers especially in countries like Japan, where white Carnation flowers are given at funerals. Finally, his green hair is very matted and grungy it could connote the insanity side to him.
In the Poster we see a glimpse of his signature purple suit. This play along with the clown/ joker looks but also adds to his look of insanity.
The lighting used here is very effective. The background is very dark yet his face is brightly lightened and clear. The lighting on the in his face is high key This could suggest the dark and mysterious past of the joker. As the lighting is very strong on his face and it’s an extreme close up. We are able to see every detail and flaw in his face including the scar under his lipstick. His skin underneath looks rough and we see the scar also this could mean he has suffered a lot in his past.
Although the Jokers head is tilting towards the ground, he is making full eye contact with the camera and has a slight grin on his face.The slight smile looks evil and smug as if he has or is about to do something bad or that he knows a secret. His eyes also give this same impression, however his eyes are also very dark and serious.
The Empire Magazine has used the colours for their fonts to represent the Joker. The fonts are all the colours seen on the Joker and this gives it a sense of consistency and doesn’t look messy. This is typical of Empire, using the same colour scheme as whatever film character they are.

The selling line above the masthead reads, “Two covers to collect” which is used with intentions of increasing sales, as readers will want to buy the other Empire magazine featuring The Joker. The cover lines are also highlighted in neon green, again making a direct link to the film.
Overall the front cover does a good job of catching the reader’s eye and the colour contrast helps to make the magazine stand out.

Textual Analysis Post - REBECCA

BECKY- TEXTUAL ANALYSIS-POSTER




The horror poster I will be analysing is Final Destination 4, which is part of a sequel of the Final Destination series. This was also the first film in the series to be shot and viewed on HD 3D. The film was directed by Hollywood director David R. Ellis, who also directed the 2nd Final destination, and was released in the UK on the 28th August 2009.
This film is not the end of the sequel even though originally the film was supposed to end with Final destination 4, but the film made such a big buzz, Warner Bros decided to continue the sequel. A fifth has already been released and there is talk to be a sixth and seventh one.
The Final Destination poster does not actually state the date of release and instead it only states the month of release, this would mean it is a teaser - the aim of this poster being to capture the viewers interest and to create excitement for the actual release . The word 'August' is the only piece of text in a red font this is done to ensure that this piece of text is noticed and taken in.

The Final destination poster includes a number of the typical conventions that is related with horror. Firstly is contains a catchy tag line, ‘Rest in pieces’. The font is simple and in a white font. The use of white allows the text to contrast against the dark background showing it’s something to catch the audience’s attention. The phrase ‘Rest in piece’ can be seen as a link to the image of the pieces of broken glass in the background but it is also a play on the phrase rest in piece. This connotes there will be death involved but the characters will have a brutal death rather than peaceful.
The colours used in the poster are mainly very dark; they have used various shades of blue, black and white. The black would represent darkness and creates a feel of evil and absence. The white connotes a lot of death is included in the film.
The shattered mirror and half of the woman’s face being a skull could be a sign of binary opposition between life and death. The shattered glass also looks like it was caused from a bullet and this could mean that a series of events could unravel from one specific incident.
The woman’s face is the main focus of the poster and grabs our attentions suggesting she could be the main character for the film. The skull being the bottom half of the woman appears to be screaming at you. This illustrates fear and can get the sense that   the person died screaming in fear.
In conclusion, this poster is very effective. As this is a sequence people will already have an idea on what the film will be about so the poster doesn’t need to reveal much. With the great use of Photo shop techniques, they were able to make the poster deliver fear and death.

Thursday 12 January 2012

Equipment - REBECCA


For shooting our horror teaser trailer there is many different types of equipment which we are to use and we are lucky enough to be able to us the equipment given to us by the college.



We will be using a Cannon 7D. we will be using this for both photos to document our pre-production and process before shooting and also to shoot the actual trailer as well. Our teaser trailer will  look very professional using this camera, and we will be able to achieve prefect images for our production.









This is the tripod that we may have to use to steady our camera  when shooting. this will help us get a good focus on images and will able us to steady our images.












This we may need to use occasionally when shooting if we were to track someone or something.  While the camera is in a fix position, it will give us clear and stable image, while adding tracking what we need to.




LIGHTING.
 when it comes to shooting our trailer lighting is key and will be very important. we have to make sure that lighting is accurate and that we do it right. if we are able to create the lighting to our advantage we should be able to use the lighting to add tension and fear to our trailer.
so therefore we have done some research on it:

Hard light is what a bit like what you find like on a sunny day, it creates very bright and very dark areas in the same scene. Another example of hard light is when the camera's flash is the only light source, resulting in bright subjects against a very dark background. 
< this is an example of hard lighting in photography as you can see some areas are extremely dark and some areas are bright.



Soft light is very camera-friendly. Cloudy days and large shaded areas offer soft light with no harsh shadows or intense bright spots. so this is usually quite flattering. 

The basic lighting scheme is a three-point system.
A key light- this is the primary light in the scene, it stimulates the natural light in the scene, e.g. the outdoors. 
The fill light is supposed to partially fill in, or soften, the shadows created by the key light. It is a lower intensity and more diffuse light than the key light. It is usually placed on the opposite side of the camera from the key light
The back light is placed above and to the rear of the subject, so that the light does not come directly into the camera lens. It helps to outline the subject, especially the upper portion, and to separate it from the background.

BECKY

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Age certificate - JASON

Age certificate
If anything is to be released for public viewing on T.V or in cinemas, in accordance with the video recording act 2010. It would have to be certified first. By law, local authorities have the power to decide under what circumstances films are shown in cinemas, but they nearly always choose to follow the advice of the BBFC. BBFC are the British Board of Film Classification, a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom.

The 6 certificates that are giving are as follows.

To be shown only in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults of not less than 18 years.


The bbfc prohibts and in turn receives a R18 certificate….

  • Works judged to be illegal under the Obscene Publications Act 1959.
  •  Material deemed likely to encourage an interest in "sexually abusive" activity, which can include adults role-playing as non adults.
  •  Depiction of non-consensual acts (including role-play).
  •  Use of bondage which prevents indicating a withdrawal of consent (e.g., gags).
  •  Infliction of pain which may cause lasting physical harm, whether real or simulated.
  •  Penetration by any option deemed likely to cause physical harm.
  •  Depiction of any sexual threats, humiliation or abuse, even if consensual, unless clearly depicted as a consensual role-playing game. hysical harm

§  any sexual threats, humiliation or abuse which does not form part of a clearly consenting role-playing game. Strong physical or verbal abuse, even if consensual, is unlikely to be acceptable.

Suitable only for adults

No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video.

·         The 18 certificate was created in 1982 as the successor of the previous X certificate, which in turn was the successor of the H certificate (with H standing for "horror"). See History of British Film Certificates for more details.
·         Typical reasons for restricting films to the 18 certificate category have included scenes of hard drug use, supernatural horror, explicit sex, sadistic violence and sexual violence — the last two of which have in the past led to a certificate not being issued at all, effectively banning the film in the UK.


Suitable only for 15 years and over

No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

·         The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

·         Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. Promotion of drugs which are easy to obtain are unlikely to be allowed.

·         Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

·         Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) can be allowed provided the detail of such is low so that it can not create too much of an impression of the viewer. Abuse of weapons which are easily obtained will not be tolerated.

·         Frequent use of strong language can be permitted, although very strong language needs to be restricted and would have to be seen as reasonable in the context. Frequent usage of very strong language would be seldom allowed.

·         Nudity in a sexual content must be restricted however nudity in a non-sexual content does not.

·         Sexual activity without strong detail would most likely to be allowed. Some strong sexual references may be allowed to, but very strong ones may not, unless used within reason. Sexual acts or references with the intention of causing arousal is not likely to be permitted.

·         As long as the film is appropriate for 15 year olds, no certain themes are prohibited.


·         Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. The same applies to references. Any sexual violence should be discreet and be strongly justified.

Suitable for 12 years and over
Exactly the same criteria are used to classify works at ‘12A’ and ‘12’. These categories are awarded where the material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. Works classified at these categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them. The ‘12A’ category exists only for cinema films. No one younger than 12 may see a ‘12A’ film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult, and films classified ‘12A’ are not recommended for a child below 12. An adult may take a younger child if, in their judgement, the film is suitable for that particular child. In such circumstances, responsibility for allowing a child under 12 to view lies with the accompanying adult.
The ‘12’ category exists only for video works. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a ‘12’ rated video work.
Parental Guidance - General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children

Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.


 
Universal – Suitable for all
It is impossible to predict what might upset any particular child. But a ‘U’ film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. ‘U’ films should be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Shooting script - JASON


Interior – woods, night
Characters – girl, killer

1.
Shot
Fade in:
Close up: Girl face
Camera crabs round the girl to her left shoulder.  Then watches her walk forward from behind.
Sound
Crunching leaves, breathing

2.
Shot
Fade out and in:
Medium close up: Girls right side
Follow on the dolly
Sound
crunching leaves

3.
Shot
Fade in and out
Long shot from side of girl.
Sound
Heavy breathing of girl.
Then loud bang.

4.
Shot
Quick cut to close up of girls face turning to sound.

5.
Shot
Long shot of girl running.
From left and right and behind.
Sound
Heavy breathing of girl.

6.
Shot
Low angle from floor.
Camera still. Girls drops in front of it. She is then dragged away from the camera into darkness.
Sound
body drop. Dragging and screaming. Thuds of the body. Bone crunching.

7.
Shot
Same shot, killers feet are seen walking past camera with weapon.

8.
Body drops in front of camera dead with the thud sound.