NEW IDEA: MUSIC RESEARCH
This is the theme tune for the series Prison Break, I think this music is really effective to create a scary and tense atmosphere and that we could base the music for our opening on it, or at least use parts as ideas. One of the most unique parts of this music is the 'clanking' sound, which represents the cells, this creates a link between the music and the film, which is some thing our group should try to achieve when creating the music for our opening.
RESEARCH FOR NEW FILM
I decided to study other films and programmes to get ideas of shots and footage we could us in ours. As we are only showing the opening two minutes it is important that we capture the planning these two individuals went through. A main idea of ours is to have the male characters working/ planning in a study, the room has to be small, darkly lit and littered with papers and plans which are relevant to the moors murders. We then felt that it was important for the woman to be involved in the planning of the murder and so opted to have the wall of her bedroom covered in images, maps, photographs etc, to display above her bed. These ideas are well represent in the series of Prison Break and Flash Forward in both series there are scene involved detailed planning.
The above film is an extract from Flash Forward showing one of the main characters, Mark, planning in a study/ office it shows us and gives us ideas for both our 'study' and 'wall' plan shots. the use of a lot of documents connected with string and close-up shots of the plan, allows the audience to follow what the character is thinking/ planning. By using these basic techniques in out film it will make the plot easy for the audience to follow and will include an effective range of camera shots.
I decided to study other films and programmes to get ideas of shots and footage we could us in ours. As we are only showing the opening two minutes it is important that we capture the planning these two individuals went through. A main idea of ours is to have the male characters working/ planning in a study, the room has to be small, darkly lit and littered with papers and plans which are relevant to the moors murders. We then felt that it was important for the woman to be involved in the planning of the murder and so opted to have the wall of her bedroom covered in images, maps, photographs etc, to display above her bed. These ideas are well represent in the series of Prison Break and Flash Forward in both series there are scene involved detailed planning.
The above film is an extract from Flash Forward showing one of the main characters, Mark, planning in a study/ office it shows us and gives us ideas for both our 'study' and 'wall' plan shots. the use of a lot of documents connected with string and close-up shots of the plan, allows the audience to follow what the character is thinking/ planning. By using these basic techniques in out film it will make the plot easy for the audience to follow and will include an effective range of camera shots.
NEW FILM IDEAS
After we uploaded what we had flmed to start our editing we discovered that we did not have the right footage and that we needed to have filmed a lot more to make our idea easy for the audience to grasp. W
e got together as a group and decided upon a new idea based on the old one, the moors murders. rather than doing a film about these murders. We decided to modernise our idea and base our film on two individuals who copy the moors murderers connecting with each other via msn and facebook, similar to a 'paedophile ring', such as the recent case involving Vanessa George.
We decided to have two main characters a man and a woman, to represent Myra Hindley and Ian Brady. The woman will contact the man through facebook and msn and, similar to Hindley, she will become obsessed agreeing to commit these murders. We felt that this new idea gave our film a more modern edge and allowed us to use original ideas in a fictional context.
After we uploaded what we had flmed to start our editing we discovered that we did not have the right footage and that we needed to have filmed a lot more to make our idea easy for the audience to grasp. W
e got together as a group and decided upon a new idea based on the old one, the moors murders. rather than doing a film about these murders. We decided to modernise our idea and base our film on two individuals who copy the moors murderers connecting with each other via msn and facebook, similar to a 'paedophile ring', such as the recent case involving Vanessa George.
We decided to have two main characters a man and a woman, to represent Myra Hindley and Ian Brady. The woman will contact the man through facebook and msn and, similar to Hindley, she will become obsessed agreeing to commit these murders. We felt that this new idea gave our film a more modern edge and allowed us to use original ideas in a fictional context.
RESEARCH- FILM QUESTIONNAIRES
As part of our research for our film, we were asked to create a questionnaire for a number of people, around twenty, from our target audience to complete. The age range for my target audience was 15-20. I received 20 completed questionnaires, from these i then went on to work out the statistics, which we can use to influence our choices in our film making.
I asked people to choose heir favourite genre of film out of the following:
horror/ thriller comedy chick flick/ romance
I then asked for a reason why, those that chose the thriller/ horror genre said:
"I find them absorbing and exciting"
"They are easy to watch"
"Gripping plots and exciting"
(We can use this feedback to influence the opening 2 minutes of our own thriller film.)
One of the questions asked whether they judged a film on the opening credits.
Results:
40% said yes, they do.
32% said they do not make a difference to my judgment
28% said: no, they do not.
I also asked whether people preferred the Horror or Thriller genre
Results:
66% preferred the Horror genre
34% preferred the Thriller genre
Finally i asked whether people prefered, psychological thrillers, action thrillers or supernatural thrillers.
Results:
66% preferred Psychological
20% preferred Action
14% preferred Supernatural
As part of our research for our film, we were asked to create a questionnaire for a number of people, around twenty, from our target audience to complete. The age range for my target audience was 15-20. I received 20 completed questionnaires, from these i then went on to work out the statistics, which we can use to influence our choices in our film making.
I asked people to choose heir favourite genre of film out of the following:
horror/ thriller comedy chick flick/ romance
I then asked for a reason why, those that chose the thriller/ horror genre said:
"I find them absorbing and exciting"
"They are easy to watch"
"Gripping plots and exciting"
(We can use this feedback to influence the opening 2 minutes of our own thriller film.)
One of the questions asked whether they judged a film on the opening credits.
Results:
40% said yes, they do.
32% said they do not make a difference to my judgment
28% said: no, they do not.
I also asked whether people preferred the Horror or Thriller genre
Results:
66% preferred the Horror genre
34% preferred the Thriller genre
Finally i asked whether people prefered, psychological thrillers, action thrillers or supernatural thrillers.
Results:
66% preferred Psychological
20% preferred Action
14% preferred Supernatural
EDITING RESEARCH
When editing our film, I found there were a few shots that we had to edit, involving a 'cut on motion'. One of these shots included a close up of the hand picking up a glove, after a mid-shot of the girl leaning down to reach out. This video gave some easier methods and fully explain the uses and effectiveness of the 'cut on motion' and 'crunching time'.
When editing our film, I found there were a few shots that we had to edit, involving a 'cut on motion'. One of these shots included a close up of the hand picking up a glove, after a mid-shot of the girl leaning down to reach out. This video gave some easier methods and fully explain the uses and effectiveness of the 'cut on motion' and 'crunching time'.
FILM TITLES
Now that our group has finished filming, our focus is mainly on the editing of our footage, however this can be problematic as we are having trouble thinking of a title for the film. Not only are we missing a title, but we need to think of away to put it into our film, rather than just having it appear over footage.
I decided to research into some different titles in films, and to see how they have been edited effectively.
I looked on YouTube to find some different editing techniques for film titles and i found this:
Although this is a trailer, the editing of the title was really effective and seemed relatively uncomplicated to edit.
I decided to research into some different titles in films, and to see how they have been edited effectively.
I looked on YouTube to find some different editing techniques for film titles and i found this:
Although this is a trailer, the editing of the title was really effective and seemed relatively uncomplicated to edit.
FILMING
Sunday 8th November
On Sunday we filmed the opening scene of our film, We went to Hilly Fields just before the sun was due to set.
As the sun set we started filming, we wanted to have the grass in focus and the characters/ children ( Emily,Georgia, Joseph and I) out of focus.
Filming this scene was really enjoyable as it involved all of us acting, rather than just Georgia.
We then went on to film the scenes with Georgia on her own, running away and leaving the group. As a group we have not fully decided how we want the start of our film to be, we had two different ideas so decided to film all the footage needed for both ideas and decide when we edit it.
Finally before it got too dark we filmed some extra footage of the opening shot without the grass and just us out of focus.
On Sunday we filmed the opening scene of our film, We went to Hilly Fields just before the sun was due to set.
As the sun set we started filming, we wanted to have the grass in focus and the characters/ children ( Emily,Georgia, Joseph and I) out of focus.
Filming this scene was really enjoyable as it involved all of us acting, rather than just Georgia.
We then went on to film the scenes with Georgia on her own, running away and leaving the group. As a group we have not fully decided how we want the start of our film to be, we had two different ideas so decided to film all the footage needed for both ideas and decide when we edit it.
Finally before it got too dark we filmed some extra footage of the opening shot without the grass and just us out of focus.
1st DAY OF FILMING
30th October, we started our filming, prior to this we had met up as a group to make a shooting schedule and practice filming, we also tried filming at different times of the day to see when was the best time to film, for picture quality and fitting in with the genre of our film. We agreed the early afternoon was the best time to film as the lighting was good enough to film in and any later than this and it would be too dark to film.
following our storyboard we decided that all our scenes indoors, should be filmed in the same room on the same day as this would make our shooting schedule simpler for the whole group, we also agreed that all of our outdoor filming should be completed on the same location, Hilly fields.
Having decided to shoot our outside shots first we went to Hilly fields, needed to create the location of the moors, we chose the flattest part of the park and filmed on the banks of the river.
We started by filming the scene where a girl finds the planted glove. We filmed this from three different angles, a mid-shot, and over-the-shoulder shot and an extreme close up. We filmed the whole scene in each type of shot and decided to use the mid-shot to show the girl, Georgia, walking towards the glove, then follow with an over-the-shoulder shot of her bending to pick it up and an extreme close up of her hand picking up the glove. We made Georgia repeat the sequence at least three times to ensure we got enough footage.
After completing one of our main outside shots, we went on to film her running away, this time only using two different shot types, a mid-shot of the back of Georgia and a close-up of her feet running pat the camera. The whole thing was difficult to shoot as we could not how Georgia's face at any time, as she was playing a child much younger than her, so many of the shots a filmed from behind her or below her waist.
To finish our filming we wanted to get footage of Georgia running and falling over, however this proved to hard for Georgia to act so we decided that it was not necessary to our film anyway. Finally we filmed some of the location and a few extra scenes that we might need should our original footage prove unsuitable for our film.
30th October, we started our filming, prior to this we had met up as a group to make a shooting schedule and practice filming, we also tried filming at different times of the day to see when was the best time to film, for picture quality and fitting in with the genre of our film. We agreed the early afternoon was the best time to film as the lighting was good enough to film in and any later than this and it would be too dark to film.
following our storyboard we decided that all our scenes indoors, should be filmed in the same room on the same day as this would make our shooting schedule simpler for the whole group, we also agreed that all of our outdoor filming should be completed on the same location, Hilly fields.
Having decided to shoot our outside shots first we went to Hilly fields, needed to create the location of the moors, we chose the flattest part of the park and filmed on the banks of the river.
We started by filming the scene where a girl finds the planted glove. We filmed this from three different angles, a mid-shot, and over-the-shoulder shot and an extreme close up. We filmed the whole scene in each type of shot and decided to use the mid-shot to show the girl, Georgia, walking towards the glove, then follow with an over-the-shoulder shot of her bending to pick it up and an extreme close up of her hand picking up the glove. We made Georgia repeat the sequence at least three times to ensure we got enough footage.
After completing one of our main outside shots, we went on to film her running away, this time only using two different shot types, a mid-shot of the back of Georgia and a close-up of her feet running pat the camera. The whole thing was difficult to shoot as we could not how Georgia's face at any time, as she was playing a child much younger than her, so many of the shots a filmed from behind her or below her waist.
To finish our filming we wanted to get footage of Georgia running and falling over, however this proved to hard for Georgia to act so we decided that it was not necessary to our film anyway. Finally we filmed some of the location and a few extra scenes that we might need should our original footage prove unsuitable for our film.
OPENING SEQUENCE
This opening sequence is very similar to what we want our own opening sequence to look like. There are lots of short shots that show methods of murder and reference to the plot, similar to what we are trying to create in our film. The beginning of this film involves little narrative, again similar to what we are looking to do.
This opening sequence is very similar to what we want our own opening sequence to look like. There are lots of short shots that show methods of murder and reference to the plot, similar to what we are trying to create in our film. The beginning of this film involves little narrative, again similar to what we are looking to do.
SHOT BY SHOT ANALYSIS
This films shows gives a shot by shot analysis of the opening of Jaws, this will be really helpful when we start filming and we can compare it to our own two minute film.
Jaws Shot By Shot - Part 1
View more documents from The Cottesloe School.
This films shows gives a shot by shot analysis of the opening of Jaws, this will be really helpful when we start filming and we can compare it to our own two minute film.
SOUND EFFECTS
As it's only a week until we start filming, i did some research into different filming techniques. This is a video on the importance of sound effects and how to record them. I think this will be useful, although my group does not intend to include any dialogue in our film we still need to include a few sound effects to make it realistic.
As it's only a week until we start filming, i did some research into different filming techniques. This is a video on the importance of sound effects and how to record them. I think this will be useful, although my group does not intend to include any dialogue in our film we still need to include a few sound effects to make it realistic.
RESEARCH INTO MOORS MURDERS
I found these sites, which gave information on the moors murders. In our two minute film we are trying to base the plot on the story of the moors murders, including the methods Brady and Hindley used and how the children were murdered, all in a thriller-genre style.
Our film will show short shots that give off the impression of what some of Brady and Hindley's methods were, for example we researched the murders and discovered that a lot of the children were lured into a car and taken away to be raped/ killed and then buried at the moors. We will use this information and show it in our film, by showing a shot of car and grave digging.
This site has information on the murders and the burials of the children.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/659266.stm
This other site give more information on what the murders involved.
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/moors/evidence_6.html
I found these sites, which gave information on the moors murders. In our two minute film we are trying to base the plot on the story of the moors murders, including the methods Brady and Hindley used and how the children were murdered, all in a thriller-genre style.
Our film will show short shots that give off the impression of what some of Brady and Hindley's methods were, for example we researched the murders and discovered that a lot of the children were lured into a car and taken away to be raped/ killed and then buried at the moors. We will use this information and show it in our film, by showing a shot of car and grave digging.
This site has information on the murders and the burials of the children.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/659266.stm
This other site give more information on what the murders involved.
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/moors/evidence_6.html
MOORS: TWO MINUTE FILM
The above picture shows the saddle-worth moors where the children were buried by the moors murderers, it is the scene that we need to attempt to remake and try to find and film on a similar location. We have some ideas and these include, Trent park, Hilly Fields and Cuffley woods.
The above picture shows the saddle-worth moors where the children were buried by the moors murderers, it is the scene that we need to attempt to remake and try to find and film on a similar location. We have some ideas and these include, Trent park, Hilly Fields and Cuffley woods.
TRUE BLOOD OPENING CREDITS
The opening credits for true blood are similar to the opening of our 2 minute film, that we are trying to achieve, as they involve little narrative and lots of snappy shots of different parts of the series.
There are also a lot of outdoor shots, which we will be in our opening.
The opening credits for true blood are similar to the opening of our 2 minute film, that we are trying to achieve, as they involve little narrative and lots of snappy shots of different parts of the series.
There are also a lot of outdoor shots, which we will be in our opening.
SOUNDTRACK
To research for music we can have in our opening, i looked up child-like, scary music.
This music is scary so would fit in with the genre and it also links with the theme of children as it is quite child-like, almost like a jewellery box.
However, i am not sure whether it would be wise to mix two different types of music for our film, as it could be confusing for the audience, as a group we will have to decide whether to go for the 'ring a ring a roses' style (see below) or a style similar to this.
To research for music we can have in our opening, i looked up child-like, scary music.
This music is scary so would fit in with the genre and it also links with the theme of children as it is quite child-like, almost like a jewellery box.
However, i am not sure whether it would be wise to mix two different types of music for our film, as it could be confusing for the audience, as a group we will have to decide whether to go for the 'ring a ring a roses' style (see below) or a style similar to this.
FILM CREDITS
A series of unfortunate events: Credits.
By watching the credits at the end of this film i was able to think of ideas of credits for our 2 minute opening, even though these credits are at the end, we could still do our credits in a similar style just at the beginning.
The opening credits for the film are also very effective, although this is not the genre we will be basing our film on, the use of a small torch light to show the scene is really effective and could be used in our film.
A series of unfortunate events: Credits.
By watching the credits at the end of this film i was able to think of ideas of credits for our 2 minute opening, even though these credits are at the end, we could still do our credits in a similar style just at the beginning.
The opening credits for the film are also very effective, although this is not the genre we will be basing our film on, the use of a small torch light to show the scene is really effective and could be used in our film.
INTRODUCING AS MEDIA
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Introducing AS Media
View more documents from The Cottesloe School.
MUSIC FOR OUR FILM
This clip is here to show the music we want to have in our film, the 'ring a ring a roses' song is what we hope to achieve. This will interlink the children's innocence and the horror of the film. I think that this music is effective and gives off a sense of supernatural, this type of music in normally associated with dead children and this is one of the main themes in our film.
TREATMENT QUESTIONS
1. Is your idea practically possible to film?
Yes, although some shots are more complex than others and may take longer to film.
2. Will it shows off the strengths of every member of your group?
Yes, as it involves both acting and filming in a number of different locations and styles. it also involves different types of directing and editing.
3. Can it be storyboarded?
Yes (see below)
4. Is it something you can reasonable shoot and edit in the time available? (two weeks shooting, six months editing)
Yes, however the quick/ rapid shots will take a long time to edit, and continuity will be affected by the weather, as it is mostly shot outside.
5. can you get access/ permission to shoot in your chosen location?
Yes, Hilly fields is open all hours with public access and Cuffley woods is the same. Whitewebbs is only open during the day but that is the time we need to shoot anyway.
6. Would lighting/ sound be an issue on location?
No, we are having muted scenes throughout/ voice over. Lighting will be ok, however we do need a reasonable amount of sunshine on one of the clips but this should not pose too much of an issue.
7. Are you going to include dialogue?
No
8. Who will be your characters on the screen? are the reliable? will continuity be an issue?
Katie, Mike, Georgia, Hannah and Joseph. They are all reliable as they will mostly be out of focus.
9. Have you thought of style of credits/ soundtrack?
Yes, the credits will be written on small wooden crosses situated at different points in the 'moors'. For the soundtrack see below.
1. Is your idea practically possible to film?
Yes, although some shots are more complex than others and may take longer to film.
2. Will it shows off the strengths of every member of your group?
Yes, as it involves both acting and filming in a number of different locations and styles. it also involves different types of directing and editing.
3. Can it be storyboarded?
Yes (see below)
4. Is it something you can reasonable shoot and edit in the time available? (two weeks shooting, six months editing)
Yes, however the quick/ rapid shots will take a long time to edit, and continuity will be affected by the weather, as it is mostly shot outside.
5. can you get access/ permission to shoot in your chosen location?
Yes, Hilly fields is open all hours with public access and Cuffley woods is the same. Whitewebbs is only open during the day but that is the time we need to shoot anyway.
6. Would lighting/ sound be an issue on location?
No, we are having muted scenes throughout/ voice over. Lighting will be ok, however we do need a reasonable amount of sunshine on one of the clips but this should not pose too much of an issue.
7. Are you going to include dialogue?
No
8. Who will be your characters on the screen? are the reliable? will continuity be an issue?
Katie, Mike, Georgia, Hannah and Joseph. They are all reliable as they will mostly be out of focus.
9. Have you thought of style of credits/ soundtrack?
Yes, the credits will be written on small wooden crosses situated at different points in the 'moors'. For the soundtrack see below.
Storyboard
Here is our first draft of the story board:
(we decided to use post it notes so we could swap and change the order of scenes easily)
(we decided to use post it notes so we could swap and change the order of scenes easily)
research into 2 minute film.
As a group we have been brainstorming some ideas, we were thinking on showing scenes of a moor with children, which fits into the story of the moors murderers,
we researched some sounds that we could base our own music on.
we have been looking at some locations we could film in to represent the yorkshire moors.
This is a painting of a part of cuffley woods, it does look like this in reality and we could use this location for our film:
We also thought we could film in hilly fields for the scenes on the moors:
Research into 2 minute film
After a group discussion we decided to base the opening 2 minutes of our film on the moors murderers, as it fits into the thriller/ horror genre we wanted to use.
We did some research on the moors murders so we could make our film as close to the story as possible.
Here is a video based on the moors murderers:
Using this video will help us with the opening so we can try to capture the minds of the the killers in our film.
Below is another short film, this time bases on the victims of the crimes, accompanied by 'Suffering little children' by The Smiths, the song was written about the moors murders.
We did some research on the moors murders so we could make our film as close to the story as possible.
Here is a video based on the moors murderers:
Using this video will help us with the opening so we can try to capture the minds of the the killers in our film.
Below is another short film, this time bases on the victims of the crimes, accompanied by 'Suffering little children' by The Smiths, the song was written about the moors murders.
Preliminary exercise
Our Prelim exercise!
i think that our prelim exercise went well, we chose a simple script that Georgia and Elizabeth could remember. editing our prelim was not as easy as the filming, we discovered that we were missing alt of essential footage, such as Georgia walking in and sitting down, without her sitting down the film did not flow. we wanted to keep the clip flowing by adding in a close up of Elizabeth's reaction to Georgia entering the room, however we discovered that we were again missing a vital piece of footage. To create the close up of Elizabeth's reaction:
i think that our prelim exercise went well, we chose a simple script that Georgia and Elizabeth could remember. editing our prelim was not as easy as the filming, we discovered that we were missing alt of essential footage, such as Georgia walking in and sitting down, without her sitting down the film did not flow. we wanted to keep the clip flowing by adding in a close up of Elizabeth's reaction to Georgia entering the room, however we discovered that we were again missing a vital piece of footage. To create the close up of Elizabeth's reaction:
we had to crop her out of one of our over the shoulder shots:
We then had to remove the sound of Georgia talking ad add it at the appropriate time. This bit of editing was useful as we were able to learn about making the most of the footage you have, even if it was intended to be used for a different part. We also learned the importance of getting as much footage as you can before editing, so you do not find yourself without the bit you want, which is what happened to us.
Wednesdays Lesson
Wednesday 7th October
During this lesson we filmed our preliminary exercise. I composed the story board and filmed with Emily, while Georgia and Elizabeth wrote the script and did the acting and dialogue.
I found the filming and directing, although directing was mainly Emily's role, quite difficult as I have very little filming experience however it was a great opportunity to learn for our 2 minute film.
I learnt the importance of recording more footage than you necessarily might want, and then to cut down and edit the good parts. As well always mentioning what take you are on before each scene to make editing easier.
During this lesson we filmed our preliminary exercise. I composed the story board and filmed with Emily, while Georgia and Elizabeth wrote the script and did the acting and dialogue.
I found the filming and directing, although directing was mainly Emily's role, quite difficult as I have very little filming experience however it was a great opportunity to learn for our 2 minute film.
I learnt the importance of recording more footage than you necessarily might want, and then to cut down and edit the good parts. As well always mentioning what take you are on before each scene to make editing easier.
Friday 2nd October
Friday's Lesson 2nd October
Friday's lesson consisted of the class completing their preliminary exercise. To begin with we went over the 180 degree rule and watched this clip:
For the homework we each had to make a storyboard to plan out our preliminary exercise, including shots of somebody walking in through a door, sitting at a table and an over the shoulder shot. the script for our exercise was not marked so it could be anything, as long as it was dialogue, some groups decided to recite lyrics from a song others had a short and simple script involving only a few sentences.
The first group to film their preliminary exercise was, Amy, Molly, Charlotte and Sarah. Their script involved Charlotte and Sarah reciting the lyrics to a song while Amy and Molly filmed.
They decided to film the conversation at the table first and then, after getting all the footage they wanted go on to film Charlotte walking in through the door and sitting at the table.
The second group who filmed their prelim were unable to finish filming in the time we had in the lesson. This lead to a short discussion on the importance of ensuring a whole scene is filmed in one day and that characters should keep the same costume, make-up and hairstyle each time they filmed if filming lasted more then a single day.
Friday's lesson consisted of the class completing their preliminary exercise. To begin with we went over the 180 degree rule and watched this clip:
For the homework we each had to make a storyboard to plan out our preliminary exercise, including shots of somebody walking in through a door, sitting at a table and an over the shoulder shot. the script for our exercise was not marked so it could be anything, as long as it was dialogue, some groups decided to recite lyrics from a song others had a short and simple script involving only a few sentences.
The first group to film their preliminary exercise was, Amy, Molly, Charlotte and Sarah. Their script involved Charlotte and Sarah reciting the lyrics to a song while Amy and Molly filmed.
They decided to film the conversation at the table first and then, after getting all the footage they wanted go on to film Charlotte walking in through the door and sitting at the table.
The second group who filmed their prelim were unable to finish filming in the time we had in the lesson. This lead to a short discussion on the importance of ensuring a whole scene is filmed in one day and that characters should keep the same costume, make-up and hairstyle each time they filmed if filming lasted more then a single day.
An analysis of a film opening
To further my research into the horror/thriller genre i have chosen to analyse the opening 2 minutes of 'Jeepers Creepers 2'.
I think that the opening 2 minutes of this film is effective and gives a good introduction to the film. It starts off with a boy 'Billie' in the middle of a corn field, I think the chosen setting of a corn field is good as it is quite an isolated place to be as you cannot see anything around you, also it is a good setting for a horror scene as a character can disappear without the notice of others in the scene.
The use of scarecrows in the beginning represents the unknown. Many films use scarecrows that turn into monsters or come to life as they are generally associated with Halloween and pagan rituals, this ties in with the opening of the film where the predator disguises itself as a scarecrow before taking the boy.
There are quite a lot of close-up shots especially of the corn field and the boy 'Billie', however when the predator first appears we only see it from a distance, in the background of the scene which contrasts with the previous subjects always in the foreground.
The opening of the film impacts on the audience. As the scene goes on it builds in tension, from the opening 'Every 23rd month, For 23 days, It gets to eat.' This gives the audience some thing to expect and automatically adds tension to the scene. The scene also includes the scarecrows in many shots keeping the audience guessing, however I feel that the element of surprise is lost when the predator turns to look at the boy as due to the build up of the scene it is expected.
Analysis of the shots in the first 2 minutes
The establishing shot is a wide shot of the setting for the opening of the film. The camera then zooms in to show a close up of the first character in the scene, 'Billie' as he ties up a scarecrow the scene also shows a row of other scarecrows, which the audience might expect to move or change due to the opening of the film. There are then several point of view shots between 'Billie' and his father. This is the followed by another point of view shot from 'Billie' to the scarecrows, the camera then goes on to show an extreme close-up of the machinery 'Billie' dad is working on and several close-ups of 'Billie’s father before finally returning to another point of view shot between 'Billie' and his dad.
To further my research into the horror/thriller genre i have chosen to analyse the opening 2 minutes of 'Jeepers Creepers 2'.
I think that the opening 2 minutes of this film is effective and gives a good introduction to the film. It starts off with a boy 'Billie' in the middle of a corn field, I think the chosen setting of a corn field is good as it is quite an isolated place to be as you cannot see anything around you, also it is a good setting for a horror scene as a character can disappear without the notice of others in the scene.
The use of scarecrows in the beginning represents the unknown. Many films use scarecrows that turn into monsters or come to life as they are generally associated with Halloween and pagan rituals, this ties in with the opening of the film where the predator disguises itself as a scarecrow before taking the boy.
There are quite a lot of close-up shots especially of the corn field and the boy 'Billie', however when the predator first appears we only see it from a distance, in the background of the scene which contrasts with the previous subjects always in the foreground.
The opening of the film impacts on the audience. As the scene goes on it builds in tension, from the opening 'Every 23rd month, For 23 days, It gets to eat.' This gives the audience some thing to expect and automatically adds tension to the scene. The scene also includes the scarecrows in many shots keeping the audience guessing, however I feel that the element of surprise is lost when the predator turns to look at the boy as due to the build up of the scene it is expected.
Analysis of the shots in the first 2 minutes
The establishing shot is a wide shot of the setting for the opening of the film. The camera then zooms in to show a close up of the first character in the scene, 'Billie' as he ties up a scarecrow the scene also shows a row of other scarecrows, which the audience might expect to move or change due to the opening of the film. There are then several point of view shots between 'Billie' and his father. This is the followed by another point of view shot from 'Billie' to the scarecrows, the camera then goes on to show an extreme close-up of the machinery 'Billie' dad is working on and several close-ups of 'Billie’s father before finally returning to another point of view shot between 'Billie' and his dad.
Research into different genres
I decided to research into the Thriller and Horror genres as most of my favourite films and those I am interested in fall into these categories. Personally I prefer thriller to horror as I find psychological thrillers that make the audience think and generally have believable themes more interesting than horrors, which are obviously fictional and I think have less interesting plots.
Here are some openings to films I have researched:
I think "What Lies Beneath" is a good psychological thriller, personally I think the opening 2 minutes would not be described as particularly scary, however I think that the fact the audience knows the film is a thriller makes the opening seem much more scary then it is. This is a good example of a psychological thriller.
"Creep" has a good opening, as it starts off showing a sequence of quite disturbing shots of a woman who has clearly been attacked, however it then goes on to show two men in the sewers which gives the setting for the film. Including a short preview of what is to come in the film keeps the audience in suspense for what happens next during the introduction.
I decided to research into the Thriller and Horror genres as most of my favourite films and those I am interested in fall into these categories. Personally I prefer thriller to horror as I find psychological thrillers that make the audience think and generally have believable themes more interesting than horrors, which are obviously fictional and I think have less interesting plots.
Here are some openings to films I have researched:
I think "What Lies Beneath" is a good psychological thriller, personally I think the opening 2 minutes would not be described as particularly scary, however I think that the fact the audience knows the film is a thriller makes the opening seem much more scary then it is. This is a good example of a psychological thriller.
"Creep" has a good opening, as it starts off showing a sequence of quite disturbing shots of a woman who has clearly been attacked, however it then goes on to show two men in the sewers which gives the setting for the film. Including a short preview of what is to come in the film keeps the audience in suspense for what happens next during the introduction.
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