Editing

And so it begins!  

All the footage is uploaded and it is now timing to begin the editing process. It is going to be a long process, but one which I'm sure I will enjoy.  

As well the footage being imported into Final Cut Express, my titles have also been uploaded into the program.  I have begun putting the shots into order, adding transitions and making sure all my shots are of the quality I want them.  


I'm really happy with what I have achieved so far, especially after I had to re-shoot the entire thing!

Hallelujah!

I re-filmed at the weekend, which went really well, and then today I came in to upload my footage - and it actually worked!  All the shots were filmed, so I was very pleased.  I also discovered the wonders of a tripod (it has two extensions! I never knew that...), so that was also very pleasing.  I think filming was a big success, due to the fact that Jess was very relaxed and not at all nervous, and that the lighting was more effective - I didn't have to use as much artificial light.  

Happy happy happy!

More Titles and Filming Update

I'm making even more progress on my titles, which is great.  I've got the basics of them all nailed, it's now just a matter of finishing off the final details.

There's not a lot more I am planning to do with these titles, as I am trying to stick to the convention of a horror films by keeping it fairly plain and simple (like the titles for 'Frozen' and 'Scream').

*Filming Update*

My good friend Jess has agreed to be my actress tomorrow, as Holly is unavailable.  There is one problem, however - she doesn't have blonde hair.  Her hair is light brown, so it's not that dark, but I would have preferred someone with blonde hair.  Apart from that, I think it should be a good day.  I have longer to film tomorrow as well, so if I'm not happy with something, I have the rest of the day to shoot it again.  

Updated Animatic

Below is my updated animatic, with the most of the improvements I was advised to make:




Things I have changed from my original animatic are;

• added more shots, therefore making my opening sequence closer to the specified 2 minutes
• the music used in the beginning of the opening sequence is now an actual song, the permission to use in the final edit I am still waiting for
• making it clear that 'Lola' is listening to a song on her iPod, as is shown through the shots of her turning it off

By making these changes, I feel that my animatic has improved.  When it comes to doing the re-shoot at the weekend,  will definitely make sure that I take these changes into account. 

Speaking of re-shoots, I'm actually rather looking forward to doing mine...

Advancement in Titles

I have made a couple of advancements and alterations in terms of my titles.  I have decided to put all titles on a black background, making them look more professional.  I have also started to make the titles for the names of my actors/actresses. 

I have been playing around with the font size of these titles, as I am not 100% sure which size works best.  The larger font size looks the best from my point of view, but then again I don't know if it looks too big...

Although I am unsure on the final positioning of the these titles (below), I am 

really liking the idea of having them on alternate sides.  I think this makes them look slightly different, however I know from my research into the opening sequences of horror films, it is more of a convention for the titles to be in the centre of the screen.

I Want To Cry

"There's nothing we can do" - James Howell, 2010


The worst sentence I have heard in the entire week.  The IT guys ran a scan on the card, but there is no way of getting the footage.  Re-shoot here I come!


Holly is going to check if she is free on Sunday, so I will aim to film then.  If not, then I really don't know what to do...

Titles

Below are photos from the first phase of my title making. 

Light Feather Films:

For this title I wanted quite a delicate looking font to match the delicateness of a feather, and I think the font I have chosen does that well.  I still need to film a feather falling, but this is not needed urgently.  I have a number of ways that I can film the feather, so I'm not too worried about that.  I think after I have added the feather, and changed the font a little bit more, it will be completed.

Storm Font Pictures:

This title I am a little unsure about, as the font in quite plain compared to the other titles.  However, I do not want this font to look overly 'flashy' and complicated- sometimes less is more.  For this title I will also need a picture of some sort of storm or bad weather, but the photo needs to be of high quality and professional looking, so I may get a friend who has a better camera than I do to take the photo.  

Chat Noir Studios:

I wanted quite a retro looking font for this title, and I think the one I chose works well.  It's fairly easy to read, and it's rather different from my other fonts.  I haven't quite worked out how I am going to get a cat walking across the bottom of the screen yet, but I have a number of possibilities when it comes to that.  I could either get my black cat to walk across a background, and then layer the font on top, or I could somehow create a cartoon cat (not really sure how I could do that?).  

So far, so good.  I'm really getting the hang of LiveType and I think my final products will look both professional and effective. 

Name Change

After some helpful and constructive comments,  I have come to the conclusion that the name of my film needs to change.  The name 'What's the Time Mr Wolf?' is just not effective enough for a horror film, so I have come up with a few alternatives:

• Times Up
• Tick Tock
• Late Night
• Long Time Coming

I'm not really certain on any of these ideas, so I am going to send out a questionnaire to find out what my target audience prefer.  After I have completed the questionnaire, I will blog about the results, and (hopefully) have a new name for my film.

And just a quick note about the uploading situation; 

It looks like it's going to be a re-shoot.  I'm actually not that concerned about this, as I think it will give me a chance to film with 'fresh eyes' and make a better job of it.  

Production Companies

I have three production company names that I am going to use in my opening sequence.  These are: Light Feather Films, Storm Front Pictures and Chat Noir Studios.  My idea for Light Feather Films was to have a floating feather against a black background, with the font in white to match the feather. 
I haven't really got an idea for what I could do for Storm Front Pictures, but whilst doing a bit of googling, I came across this image, which I really liked the look of.

I think it could work well as an image for a production company, as it's quite dramatic.
For the production company Chat Noir Studios I was thinking of having a black cartoon cat walking across the bottom of the screen, as chat noir is french for black cat. 

When it comes to actually making the titles, these ideas may change depending on whether it is actually possible to make them look effective and professional.

Uploading Fail

So I tried to upload my footage onto iMovie on Tuesday, but every way I tried wouldn't work.  I tried changing computers, cameras and cards.  Nothing seemed to work!  The IT technician is going to have a look at the card, but if he can't to anything for me it's going to be a complete re-shoot.  Great. 

Filming The Opening Sequence

Yesterday evening, I filmed all of my opening sequence.  Looking at the shots, I am very happy with the footage I got.  I think it went well and all the shots were fairly easy to film, however, the shots from the point of view of the wardrobe were near to impossible to film, so I had to improvise and add some different angles. 

Animatic and Audience Feedback

After finishing the animatic, everyone in the class got to peer assess and mark each others work.  The computers around the room each had a different animatic on, so we went round and watched everyone's in turn.


Below in my first version of my animatic:






We where marked on the following sections, each out of 10

• Range of shot types & editing transitions
• Appropriate pace & content for genre
• Position & order of titles
• Introduction of story line
• Clearly an opening sequence
• Use of sound

Overall, I had very good feedback to my opening sequence, however one thing really stood out for my targets was the choice of music.  

• "the music sounds like a country western"
• "the music at the start confuses things a little"
• "music choice is really bad"

Other constructive targets I got were;

• "experiment with more shot types"
• "use some different angles"
• "quicker shots to build the tension"
• "faster pace"

Taking all of these helpful comments on board, I am going to change my animatic slightly.  The things I will aim to do are:

• add more shots
• add more transitions
• speed up the tempo of the shots
• change the music
• have the opening sequence and differently (I think it might look too much like a trailer)

Props

Luckily I was able to book the camera for next weekend instead of this, so right now I need to start thinking about the props I need.  My opening sequence isn't overly complicated, so only a few props will be needed.


A Party Invitation
This will be pretty easy to make, as I have photoshop at home and am pretty good at designing things.  This invatation will be part of the mise-en-scene, allowing the audience to understand what date and time the film is set. 

Photos

As well as the party invitation, there will also be a number of photos that will be on the mirror and around the dressing table.  These pictures will be of 'Lola' (Holly) and her friends.  This will hopefully get across the audience that Lola is a popular girl, who enjoys spending time with her friends and having a laugh. 

Corded Phone

This will prehaps be the hardest prop to get, as I don't actually have a corded phone.  If I can't get my hands on one, I will instead have the phone laying on the floor, away from the reciever.  The prinicple will be the same, however I would really like to use the 'old-fashioned' style phone. 

Storyboarding and Scripting

Hurray! My storyboard is almost complete, I just need to add the finer details like edits and timings and it will be finished!
My script is also finished, a copy of which is pasted below.  Please click the image to enlarge.

Problem!

I've booked the camera for this weekend, but Holly isn't available then, so I'm going to have to see if I can get one for next weekend.  Also, I am still unsure on where I am actually going to film it, so I need to get that organised asap.  Ah, so much to do!

Questionnaire Analysis

From the results of my questionnaire, I have been able to create several pie charts.  I have only included the results of the questions specific to the horror genre; the other more general questions I used to make my audience profile.

 As seen above, 14 out of the 20 people asked (70%) said they would expect to get an establishment of the characters within the first two minutes of a horror film.  This will be fairly easy for me to do, as the main character will be the only person seen in the opening sequence.   The people who answered 'other' said they would expect to see two out of the three established within the first two minutes, however I think this would harder to do, as there is a very limited time.  I also think it would be better to focus on one aspect and do that really well, rather than try and do more but to a lesser quality.

90% of people who were asked this question answered with tension and suspense, something that I was expecting.  You don't want to give too much away in the first two minutes, but making the audience anticipate something is defiantly a great way to start.  Only 10% of people said they would expect to see blood and death or shock and surprise in a opening sequence, a statistic which I think reflects the general conventions of horror films. 

In this question, 75% said they would expect to see the main character in a horror film to be of middle class, again, a statistic that is shown in nearly all horror films.  The next highest scoring answer was upper class, with 15%.  It is easy to see how people can think the characters in horror films are upper class, as in Hollywood films especially, large houses are often used as the characters homes.  I will be trying to portray a middle class setting and character in my opening sequence, so it should hopefully please the audience and make them see what they expect to see. 

This question provided me with the answers I were looking for, as 42.5% said they would expect to see fast-paced music in a horror film, and 45% said they would expect to see orchestral music. The second part of the question asked them an open question of 'why?', to which some of the answers were the following;

'orchestral can be more emotive'

'fits with the theme'

'orchestral builds tension'

This question was crucial, as I had already gotten Holly to be my lead.  Luckily, the answers to this question were exactly what I was looking for and 75% said they would expect the main character to have blonde hair and blue eyes.  As was the same in the previous question, I asked the people I asked to explain their answers;
'blondes look vunerable'
'innocent looking victim'
'she looks like she might be a bit niave'



For this question, 85% said they would expect to titles to be shown during in between footage, which was shown in the three opening sequences for the horror genre.  This follows the conventions of the horror genre, as it is usually only in social realist films the titles appear whilst footage is being shown.

I am really happy with the results of the questionnaire, as they have provided me with answers that I expected.

Audience Profiles

From the questionnaire answers I've received, as well as some own knowledge, I have been able to come up with the following audience profiles.

Lucy is a typical 18-year old, who works hard at school but also like going out to parties.  She is popular and has lots of friends, but she is concentrating on getting into a good university, after taking a gap year.  Lucy enjoys listening to pop records, such as those by Lady Gaga, and likes to watch Rom-Coms, as well as horror films.  She shops most regally at Topshop, H&M, River Island and at ASOS.  She is middle class, therefore money is not much of an issue due to her parents having well paid jobs.  I felt that Lucy was my main target audience for a female, as she is young enough to have the time to go out to the cinema and see friends, but she is not so young that she is immature. 

Females are the main gender that I want my film to appeal to, as although it is a horror film, there will be a strong female lead.  





Jack is a 'normal' 21-year old who likes to party but can sometimes take it too far, getting drunk and acting stupidly.  Apart from the hangovers, Jack's life is going well.  He has just finished studying a two year course at university, and is about to start his first full-time as an accountant.  Jack enjoys playing on his game console, snowboarding and listening to indie bands, such as the Arctic Monkeys.  He shops most often at Topman, Burton and Animal. Apart from watching horror films, he also enjoys watching action and adventure movies.  Jack is middle class, and got a new car from his parents for his 21st birthday. 

Although my movie is primarily targeted at females, males will still be interested in it because of the horror aspect. 

Pro's and Con's of Social Realism

The Pro's:
- Incredibly easy to make on little or no budget; no special effects needed~
- Can get a deep and meaningful message across about the abuse of drugs, alcohol, gang crime etc
- Depicts real life rather than fantasy; shows people that life isn't a big Hollywood film

The Con's:
- Bury St. Edmunds is a very middle class area: there are no run down areas or high rise flats
- Depressing subject matters that people try to forget about are always the main focus
- Acting can be hard to pull of- more emphasis on the characters rather than the atmosphere

This Is England (2006)

Below is the opening sequence of This Is England, a social realist film directed by Shane Meadows.



Plot
The story of This Is England is set in the 80's centres around the main character, Shaun, who is becoming involved in the National Front Movement of that time.  The opening sequence includes clips and iconic features of that era, such as the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles, and Margaret Thatcher.  The opening sequence also shows clips of ethnic minorities being discriminated against,a theme that is crucial in the film.

Enigma Codes

During the opening sequence, a number of enigma codes are raised by the audience, thus creating a hook.  The audience wants to know a number of things- why are these clips being shown? Are they of great significance in relation to the film? A photo of a man in uniform is also shown. Who is he? What is his significance? All of these questions are answered during the film, however the initial questioning by the audience draws them in and makes them want to continue watching. 

Character Establishment

It is clear that Shaun is one, if not the main character in This is England.  This is clear to the audience, as he is the only character introduced to us in the opening sequence.  Shaun is represented at young, possibly innocent in this opening sequence, which is often a typical convention of social realist films.  By making the characters seem relatable, the audience can easily empathise with their situations.  Although Shaun is young, it is clear that he has had a tragedy in his life- the loss of his father is clear to the audience, especially with the clips shown before hand and the way Shaun looks at the photograph in his bedroom. 

Location, Location, Location

Through the locations shown in the opening sequence, it is clear that the characters are working class, again a typical convention in films of the social realist genre.  Locations such as Shaun's bedroom, with the chipping wallpaper, show how is family is not wealthy, and therefore can not afford to have more expensive tastes.  The decor of Shaun's room also shows what life was like in that era, and how is differs from today's tastes and opinions.  Through location, Meadows has given the audience a chance to see the past, see how people lived and see how they acted.  Location plays a key part in This Is England, as without the establishment of the era or the surroundings, the events that take place would seem much less 'real' to the audience. 

Editing

Unlike in horror films, where the shots tend to be much quicker to match the speed of events, the pace of cuts in This Is England is a lot slower.  The camera focuses on the photo of the soldier for a an extended period of time, showing it's significance to the audience.  The use of the close-up shot also makes the photo seem more important, rather than if it was a long shot.  The slow pace and simplicity of the editing can be seen through the simple transitions and cuts that have taken place.  There is nothing amazing  or exceptional about the way the shots go from one to the next, but sometimes less is more. 

Iconography

The opening sequence to This Is England contains a lot of iconography.  The vast majority of the opening sequence shows images and clips from the 80's era, all iconic in their own right.  Margaret Thatcher was very popular in the era, and Meadows has used her and other individuals, as well as the culture and fashion of the time, to give the audience a taste of what life was like.  Perhaps most importantly, there is the iconography of the skin heads and the National Front Movement.  This is key in This Is England, as Shaun becomes friends with a group of their supporters. 

Titles

The titles in This Is England follow the conventions of social realist films.  The titles are seen over the footage -overlay- as opposed to in between footage -interlay.  The font is basic, and does not draw the audiences attention away from the footage, and the title of the film itself is the same as the other introductions, such as actors and producers. 


Target Audience
For This Is England, I would say the target audience is 25 to 40 year olds, mainly white males and mainly working class.  This is because this group is more likely to relate and empathise with the characters and their situations. 

Bullet Boy (2004)

Below is the opening sequence for Bullet Boy, a British social realist film directed by Saul Dibb.

Plot
After being realised from prison, Ricky wants to stay out of trouble and out of the slammer. 

Enigma Codes

Straight away in Bullet Boy, there are a number of enigma codes raised by the audience.  The first one is asked within the a minute, where we see a young boy in a confined space.  Where is he? How did he get there? Why is he there? As the opening sequence progresses these are answered, however the initial questioning by the audience creates a hook.  A number of other questions are also raised during the opening sequence, such as why was the other man in jail? What crime did he commit? When another driver of the car is seen from profile, a scar is visible on his neck; how did he get that? Was it a knife?  This opening sequence is very good at drawing in the audience and making them want to watch the rest of the film.

Character Establishment

Within the duration of the opening sequence, three main characters are introduced and established: Ricky, Wisdom and Curtis.  Straight away a family link is establishment, showing that Ricky and Curtis both care for each other.  Although Wisdom is not family, is is clearly seen that there is a close friendship between him and Wisdom; why else would he have driven all that way to meet him from jail?  There is little in the way of character development in the opening sequence,  however when another gang confronts Wisdom and Ricky, we see that the two have obvious experience with gangs themselves, indicating to the audience that they belong to, or have belonged to one.

Location, Location, Location

Like in all social realist films, the location for Bullet Boy is what appears to be a council estate of high rise flats, situated in a large, industrial city.  The location of Birmingham is established verbally, however a number of shots also help to audience to understand where the film in located.  An establishing shot in used to show the flats, as well as the surrounding shops and area.  It is very clear from the locations shown in the opening sequence that this is a film of the social realism genre, as a horror film would not feature a location where there were so many people in such a little space.  The location of the jail is also established, showing the audience that the main characters come from a troubled background. 

Titles

Like in all most films, the titles in Bullet Boy include the production companies that have contributed to the making of the film.  These titles appear in the centre of the screen, where they are most visible to the audience.  The names of the actors and actresses appear over the titles, as is a  common convention of social realist films.  Although the text is not in the centre of the screen, it is white, making it stand out against the darker background.  Only the names of the 'main' actors have been included- this does not overwhelm the audience with information whilst at the same time giving them some knowledge as to who is in the film.  There is nothing elaborate about the titles and they are simple and in a plain font.  This could perhaps represent the the life the characters lead in the sense that they too are not flashy are rather plain. 

Iconography

The council estate type mise-en-scene is a key convention of the social realist genre, as it indicates to the audience that the characters are not wealthy, immediately making them more relatable to the audience.  Smoking is also a key feature of social realist films.  Other films of the genre, such as This Is England, see the characters smoke cigarettes and other substances.  Smoking is linked with social realist films, as stereotypically people who are poorer and have less tend to smoke.  Although there has been little of it yet, there is the suggestion that gang related violence could feature later on in the film.  Violence would not be a surprising feature to include in a social realist film, and in Bullet Boy in could possible come from when Wisdom damages another guys car.

Target Audience

Overall, I would say that the target audience for this film would be 18 to 26 year-olds, mainly ethnic males, and mainly working class. 

Character Profile: Lola Robinson

Lola Robinson played by Holly Farrell

Holly has kindly agreed to feature in my opening sequence, in which she will take on the lead role.  Her acting does not have to be amazing (even though I'm sure it is!) because the most important part of a horror movie is creating the right atmosphere and tension.  And Holly, if you're reading this: I owe you one!

Lola is 17 years old, has blonde hair, blue eyes and is upper-middle class.  This is following the conventions of a horror film, as she looks sweet and innocent.  Lola enjoys going out to parties with her friends, but she also tries hard at school.  She lives with both of her parents, who are in their early 40's, and her younger brother Daniel, who is 15.  Lola likes listening to lots of upcoming bands and enjoys going to the cinema with her boyfriend, Theo.  Although this is a lot of information to feature about a character, very little will be revealed in the opening sequence.  Lola is the main character of the movie and she will be the only one seen in the opening sequence.  Daniel will be mentioned when Lola calls for him, however he will never actually be seen in the first part of the film. 

Questionnaire

I have written a questionnaire in order to gain knowledge from my target audience; 18-35 year olds, middle class, mainly white and mainly females. I have used a variation of both open and closed questions, meaning I can get the best answers from my audience. This questionnaire will also allow me to build a detailed audience profile, which will help me tailor my opening sequence to what my target audience expect. Alternatively, I could choose to go against what I find out from the questionnaire, and shock the audience. Although this would be different an unexpected, I feel it would be easier to go along with the conventions of a horror film.

The Coventions of Horror

From watching the opening sequences to three horror films, I have come up with the typical conventions, with examples and analysis.

1. Lots of enigma codes are always raised early on to hook the audience, so it is vital that I do the same for my opening sequence.  This hook captivates the audience, making them want to watch on.  Although I will only be showing the first two minutes of a horror film, it is key that the audience would want to continue watching.  Using Scream as an example, it is easy to see how the audience become curious about the characters introduced, especially when limited information is given out about them.

2. Female victims and lead role's are the most common in horror movies, such as Casey (right) in Scream.  The typical victims in horror films tend to have blonde hair, blue eyes and be fairly young.  To the audience they look innocent and even angelic, showing that they are perhaps naive and a little clueless.  This creates a sense of superiority for the audience, as can feel like they know more about what's going on, and be 'one step ahead'. 

3. In most horror films, the location is very important as it can determine whether a character survives or not.  Large, open areas are most common, as is seen in Eden Lake.  If there are lots of people around, it is most likely the number of deaths will be limited, whereas if a house is situated in the 'middle of nowhere' there is more opportunity for the killer(s) to strike and not be seen.  Big houses are also a common convention of horror films, allowing for more places to hide and more potential ways to make people jump.  For example, the killer could be waiting in a room upstairs whilst the victim is in another part of the house. 

4.  The editing in horror films is usually fast paced and quick, especially when the action begins.  To do this in an opening sequence will be difficult, particularly when I don't want to show too much in the first two minutes.  The editing also has the ability to portray emotions, such as fear and panic, that are key to creating the right atmosphere.  Fast paced editing tends to be a convention later on in the films, and not always in the opening when things often appear calm and normal, like in Frozen.

5. An orchestral style of music is common in horror films, as it can sound eiry and be used to create a atmosphere of suspense.  As well as this style of music, limited dialogue also tends to be a convention of horror films in order to focus on the scary bit, however this was not shown in Scream, Frozen or Lake Eden, all of which contained rather a lot of talking. 

6. Having inter lay titles is another typical convention of horror films, as was shown in Scream and Frozen. By having titles on a plain, usually black, background they stand out more to the audience and have more of an impact.  The font is typically a bright colour, such as white or red, and in bold capitals to be seen clearly and look more threatening. 

So to summarise:

1. Enigma codes raised straight away

2. Blonde haired, naive, female victims

3. Large, open spaces and big houses

4. Quick cuts to shots, imitating fear and panic

5. Orchestral music, limited dialogue

6. Inter lay titles, bold fonts, usually white or red