Idea!

So I had a really strange dream last night that has somehow morphed into an idea for an opening sequence.  It goes a little like this:
There is a family at a Fair, having fun, eating candy floss, enjoying the rides, usually family Fair stuff.  Then, the youngest child goes missing.  Nobodies really too worried at the moment, "how far could he have gone?".  So they begin to search, shouting out his name, asking people if they've seen him.  Cut to an hour later, it's starting to get a little dark and a few police officers on duty are beginning to call for back up when suddenly a blood-curling scream is heard.  It's the mother, she's in the house of mirrors.  The police rush in and find the mother on the floor, clutching her dead son.  On every mirror there is blood. 
shot is of a mask by the boy's body.

A Fair similar to this would be ideal

I was thinking this could be quite effective, as I could build on the idea of panic and suspense.  However, there would be a few problems with this.
One: Where would I get a fair? I would need to find where one is taking place and film there.  This could be tricky as it is winter, and not all Fair's would have a house of mirrors.

Two: The death of a small child would be quite difficult to film, not least because they would have to stay very still.  There is also the issue of showing dead children.  Although the idea would be good, I'm not sure I would feel 100% comfortable with it. 

Scream (1996)

Even though I watched the entire film on Friday night at a friends house, I am still a little scared of watching the opening sequence for this analysis.
Below is the opening sequence for Scream, directed by Wes Craven.

Back to Basics
The plot for Scream is really quite a simple one.  A couple of high school guys cause terror in a small town when they set about murdering several of it's inhabitants.  The town is shocked and horrified by the deaths, especially as they happen near the one year anniversary of another savage killing that shook the entire area.  The main character is constantly tormented by the threats made via the telephone, and when it turns out the killers are those who murdered her mother, things turn gory.  Perhaps the biggest twist in the story of Scream is when the killers turn out to be the main characters boyfriend and close friend, although this is only revealed at the end of the movie. 


Enigma Codes

Throughout the opening sequence, several enigma codes are raised by the audience.  In the first ten seconds of the film, a number of questions are already in need of answering.  Who is this character? Is she a key character in the film?  What is her role in terms of significance?  Why is she home alone? Where are her parents?  These are later answered, but the initial questioning creates a hook, which draws the audience in.  This is further supported by the lack of information we receive about the character.  The continuous ringing of the phone also creates questions from the audience: what is the significance of the telephone? Will it feature later on in the movie? Why does the person on the other end keep ringing? Again, these are answered later on in the film, however the element of the unknown keeps the audience 'on their toes'. 

Character Establishment

The character we first see in the opening sequence is a young female, with blond hair and pale skin.  This is a very typical portrayal of a victim, as the hair colour is seen to be angelic, showing innocence and virtue.  There is little in the way of character development in the first couple of minutes of the film, however more information in made known later in the film after Casey's death.  Casey is represented as quite naive, as she continues to answer the phone even though it is clear to her, as well as the audience, who is on the other end.  Due to the fact we know little about Casey, we do not feel like are attached to her, and her death is merely part of the film.  Although her death does not effect us, it does foreshadow further events to come, such as other murders.   Close-up shots are used so the audience can become familiar with the character, however shots do not show the finer details of Casey's face, such as her eyes.  This therefore leaves the audience a little clueless as to who she is. 

Location, Location, Location

Although the main setting for the opening sequence is the downstairs of Casey's house, the location is a established by using a number of different shots.  Firstly, the establishing shot is used in order for the audience to see where things are in proximity to each other.  For example, the exterior of Casey's house is shown, with a panning shot from the tree to the house.  Although the audience may not realise it, the tree is very important in terms of what happens later on to Casey, as she is hung from it.  Establishing shots showing large houses are very characteristic of horror movies, as the victims always appear to  wealthy. Later on in the opening part of the film, a long shot is used to show Casey's parents coming home.  This shot re-enforces the suggestion that Casey's house is not easily accessible, and that no-one can hear her scream. 

Editing

As in most horror movies, the editing is fairly quick and tidy when the action begins to happen.  At the start of the opening sequence the shots are longer and the cuts are less frequent, imitating a relaxed atmosphere, with no suspense or element of danger.  When Casey starts to realise that she faces a very real threat, the cuts speed up to show how she is feeling.  This fast pace editing technique shows the audience that their is something going on.  Several continuity techniques have been used in this opening sequence, such as eye line match and match-on-action.  The use of these techniques, especially eye line match, allows the audience to feel like they are in Casey's shoes for some of the shots. 

Can you hear that?

The use of sound is incredibly important in this opening sequence,  especially as the majority of it is dialogue.  It is mostly diegetic sound, although there is a musical score in the background when the pace picks up, as is common in horror films.   At the very beginning of the opening sequence there is one piece of non-diegetic sound when a woman can be heard screaming, however this is the only evidence of non-diegtic sound besides the background music.  This combination of the different sound techniques aids the entire visual in creating a tense, frightening and chilling opening sequence.  Most of the dialogue is heard from Casey's perspective, which is why it is her voice we, as an audience, hear most clearly. 

Titles

Going against the normal characteristics of film, the title for Scream appears at the very beginning, with no footage shown prior to the title coming up on the screens.  It is also strange how there are no other introductions that appear, such as the director or the actors and actresses.  This goes against the conventions of film titles, where we expect to see and receive information about who's in it, who made it, and so on.  The title begins in white, but changes to red in correspondence with the non-diegetic scream we hear.  The use of red could symbolise many things, such as love, however it is more likely that it symbolised blood- it is a horror film after all.  The title is in the middle of a black screen, making it easy to see and the centre of the audiences attention.  The title then appears to fly out at us, making much more of an impact. 

Iconography

Like in all horror movies, blood is used in the opening sequence of Scream.  Although it is not used massively, when it is used it creates a powerful effect for the audience.  Fear of the unknown is also a key genre characteristic in the opening sequence, as the muderer taunts Casey on the phone before commiting any crime.  This idea of not being able to see your attacker is typical of a horror films, as it creates suspense and intrigue for the audience.  As mentioned before, a large house is also a common characteristic of horror films.  The victim has more places to run, therefore allowing the audience to gain more insight as to what their house and surroundings are like.  The house being in the middle of nowhere is also widely used, as it stops the victim gaining any aid. 

Mise-en-scene

The mise-en-scene has been designed to make the characters and the location seem 'normal' in order to get the audience to relate to the surroundings.  Making popcorn in a kitchen and getting ready to watch a movie is a normal teenage thing to do, and the settings support the idea that nothing is out of the ordinary.  As well as the props, the lighting also plays a key part in establishing the atmosphere of the scene.  All the lighting used is either light from a man-made source, such as a light switch from inside the house, or natural lighting, as is used in the exterior shot of the house.  Costume is also used to create  a particular atmosphere, as the killers face is hidden by a rather terrifying mask.  This causes the audience to me more alert about the characters introduced, as anybody could be the killer. 

Target Audience

It is quite clear, at least it should be, the the TA for Scream is over 15's.  It shows stabbing, blood and other images that would not be suitable for younger children to see.  It would also be targeted at anyone who enjoys watching horror movies, as it is fairly easy to follow in terms of narrative, and it creates tense and chilling atmosphere. 

Even after all this analysis, is still do not like this movie.  It's opening sequence is very effective, but I think the mask the killer wears is a bit to scary for me. 

Oh, The Horror

So after today's lesson, of watching opening sequences to horror movies, I am pretty sure that I want to choose that genre for my coursework.  I loved the suspense that they created for us as an audience, making me scream out loud at least once.  A couple of ideas have been whizzing round in my head about what I could do, but nothings set in stone yet- I will wait until after the audience research to come up with a final idea.

The opening sequence to Scream was probably the scariest thing I've seen in a long time, but I thought it demonstrated well how to make a good opening sequence.  It really did rather freak me out though.  I mean just look at it.

Editing

Well thank goodness for that- it's finished! After the re-shoot, I went to the lesson much more confident that we could create a good piece of film; And I think I was right.  Below is the final product of mine and Susannah's Preliminary Task.

I'm really happy with how the final edit of the Preliminary Task turned out, and I think the editing process was a great success.  Susannah had never used a Mac before, so whilst I was mostly in control of the mouse, I wanted to give her a go at getting familiar with the idea of using one.  She did really well, as using a Mac isn't the easiest thing in the world.  I think that we fulfilled the brief well, and demonstrated all of the required continuity techniques.

The 180° Rule is seen most clearly when the two characters are talking to each other, in the form of an over-the-shoulder shot.  From 0:23-0:26, it is easy for the audience to recognise what what 'side' each character is on.  In the same time frame, the technique of Shot/Reverse Shot has also been used.  I am really pleased with how this shot was demonstrated, as I think it shows clearly to the audience that the characters are speaking to each other. 

The technique of Match-on-Action has been used from 0:11-0:14 when the character opens the door.  I think this was used very effectively, as only having one shot to do this action could have made it a little boring.  This technique was also used when the same character picked up and put down a chair, from 0:17-0:20 to add variety.  Although the shots are fairly similar, I think the use of Match-on-Action was very effective as it gives a slightly different view point.

Eye Line Match was used in several places in our footage, such as when the first character is looking through the door at the second character, from 0:11-0:12, and when the two characters are smiling at each other, from 0:26-0:29.  I think that the use of this technique was very effective, as it allowed the audience to see what the character was seeing.

Changes From The Animatic

There have been a number of changes from the animatic to the final product of the Preliminary Task.  One of the biggest changes was adding a couple of more shots.  In the animatic character did not sit on a chair as the brief required, so we therefore decided to add these whilst filming.  We felt that it was important to stick to the brief, even if it meant straying slightly away from what we originally said we'd do.  Another change that we made was the music.  After watching the animatic again, we decided that the music did not suit the theme and atmosphere we where going for.  It was also a bit boring, as it was a generic tune taken from GarageBand.  When we changed the song, I think it suited the whole story-line much better. 

Improvements
To improve the Preliminary Task, I think I should have maybe focused on the smaller details, such as the positioning of the props.  Paying more attention to detail is something I would look at, as in one shot the blind is open, and in another it is cosed.  I would also use some different angles for a couple of  shots, as I think the would have been more effective from a different point of view.  In general, I would film more footage, and have the characters saying more lines, as what they said was limited.  I think if these improvements where to have been made, it would have been a much better piece of work.

Overall, I am really pleased with the final result :)

Do's and Dont's of Filming

Do:

• Check footage before uploading onto the computer
• Film extra shots from varied angles
• Leave enough time before deadline
• Make sure the best quality of footage is shot

Don't:

• Leave re filming until the day before
• Have objects in the background that are not needed
• Assume your actors are always available
• Have background noise (unless intentional)

Filming and Lessons Learnt

So after stressing out because of re filming some shots, we ended up re filming the whole thing! Our original actors where unavailable, so we found two others and used them instead.  It had to be filmed in about twenty minutes, which it was, because my partner and the actors had to get a bus.  I've uploaded the footage onto the Mac, and I'm really happy with what we got.  There area couple of shots where the blind goes from being open in some to being closed in the other, but there is nothing we can do about that now.  Apart from that, I think we've fulfilled the brief and I think that when it is all edited, it will come together really well.
I have defiantly learnt valuable lessons in this process, and will try not to make the same mistakes in my coursework  .

One: To always check the footage before I go back to the class room.  I'm so lucky that I had enough time to re shoot the entire thing.  If I hadn't I don't know what I would have done.

Two: To make sure that I understand and read the brief very carefully before going out to film.  I thought that I had read it all, but missed a crucial part about the character sitting down.  In the re shot version, I made sure that we got that footage from a couple of different angles, just to be on the safe side.

Three: That in my coursework, I should shoot everything at least three times to be completely certain I have the best quality of footage from that shot.  I found that because today's re shoot was rather rushed, things could have been done better and to a better standard.  However, considering we only had less than half an hour, what we got was good.

All in all, I think that when it comes to filming for the coursework, I will much more careful in careful in deciding what I film and wear.  This process has been useful in making me realise that I need to always film more footage, and that I need to leave enough time to get all my filming finished.  It has also taught me that I need to be a little more organised.  

Filming The Preliminary Task

Originally, we filmed last Wednesday (October 6th) and it went really well, however having looked over our footage, I feel that several shots need to be re filmed.  I think that the originals do not show the 180˚ correctly, nor do they meet the full extent of the brief.  I know we don't get marked on this, but I want to be happy in the knowledge that I did everything to the best of my ability.  I will hopefully re film the footage needed tomorrow, and will do a full update of the process tomorrow, along with the Do's and Don'ts of filming. 

The Storyboard Process

Like in all filmed coursework, before we start filming it's really important that we have a storyboard to film our shots from.  This not only makes us more organised and know what shot's we are filming, but also allows us to go through the process that professionals in the media 'world' go through. 
The storyboard is made by drawing our shots onto paper, and writing down the timings, shots types and a brief description of what goes on in each shot.  The storyboard is then created into an animatic, with timings of each shot added, as well as any music, voice overs and transitions we need. 
Below is the animatic my partner and I created.




180˚ Rule: Used in all shots.
Shot/Reverse Shot: Used in shots sixteen and seventeen.
Match-on-Action: Used in shots eight, nine, ten and eleven.
Eye Line Match: Used in shots three, six, seven, eighteen and nineteen.

There are a few more close-up shots I would like to add to the storyboard and animatic, as I feel these would help convey the emotions in a more effective way.  These can be easily added once we start filming, as they are not complex shots and would not take much extra time to complete. 

My Interpretation of the Brief

We were given the brief of a task we where asked to carry out, while trying to show different continuity techniques of filming.  These techniques are; 180° rule, shot/reverse shot, match-on-action and eye line match.  Each of these techniques are cleverly used to make the piece of footage look like it one continuous 'flow', hence the name continuity editing. 

180°:
The aim of this rule is to only use the camera on one 'half' of the scene.  The line seen in the video below acts as an invisible divider.  If the camera were to cross that line, the audience would become confused as eye-lines would not meet.
 


Shot/Reverse Shot:
This technique is used when two characters are talking with one another.  It usually shows one character looking at the other character, sometimes off screen, then the other character looks back.  Because the characters are looking in opposite directions, we assume that they are looking at each other.
 


Match-on-action:
This is used to show one action happening from more than one angle.  It is often used with people walking through doors and picking up an object.




Eye line Match:
The use of this technique allows the audience to see what the character sees.  The technique begins with the character looking at something off-screen, and it then cuts to the object the character is looking at.


We choose to do a simple story line, in order to focus on the techniques.

Previous Filming Experience

As I did Media Studies as a GCSE, I have had some previous filming experience.  Below is a music video my partner and I made.



I found the process of making an animatic, filming and editing very useful and interesting, as it allowed me to discover more about what it takes to create a successful music video.  I think that this process was valuable experience in filming, as I gained a lot more confidence in knowing what shot types I was using, as well as knowing what makes them successful.  The therory of this process was also valuable, as I learnt a lot about the terminology and media langauge used.  I feel that if I am able to use what I have learnt at GCSE effectivly at AS, I will stand a greater chance of getting a high mark.  Apart from the music video and a television advert, I have had no other filming experience.  I am really looking forward to getting back in the media mind set and  beginning AS Media Studies.