Evaluation Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

There are nine aspects in which my media product is conventionally similar to other media products. Firstly the name of my film was ‘Insanity.’ I wanted the name for my opening sequence to have a feel about it when it was said and I thought it was best to make sure that it was something powerful that would stick in someone’s head, similar to how most horror/thriller genre films that people see, aren’t usually easy to get rid of from their mind at first. I kept the name big and bold so that it was noticeable and so that the viewers of my opening would see it clearly. Similarly to some of the other existing typography and names of films I had researched, I wanted it to make a statement; being obvious and something that people would remember, similarly to how a lot of people are able to remember horror/thriller films. I felt that the name ‘Insanity’ which means the condition of going insane and a derangement of the mind, would be powerful and I felt that it resembled something that is horror and thriller and something which these genres of movies can include within them.

The setting and location was an important aspect of my opening sequence as I wanted to make sure that the horror/ thriller genre was obvious and I wanted the location to be someone that would give off true emotions that a real horror/ thriller film would. I had two different locations; a bedroom, where the lighting was dark and creepy, to give the opening the dark feel and I also had a wood setting with a long winding pathway, which again I felt was a convention of a horror as woods aren’t somewhere that most people would usually be seen in. I felt by having these two areas it would give off the dark and dominant feel that the character in my film was being followed. Both these locations were somewhere that I thought about thoroughly as I wanted to make sure that the genre was obvious and I feel that both these locations are typical conventions of horror/ thriller films.

The use of costumes and props within many films are often widely used, particularly within horrors and thrillers. Most horrors and thrillers use a lot of weapons of objects that are harmful. However within my own film sequence I chose not to use any weapons or ‘harmful’ props as I felt my idea and the acting would be strong enough to evoke emotions and the tense feeling of a horror and thriller genre. I did have simple props such as a bed and items around the bedroom. The costume for my film opening was important as I needed to make sure that my character was dressed down and not too over the top for her role. I chose to dress her in a way that would be casual and as if she had been dressed in this manor for a few days to link in with my plot.

In all films there are many editing features. I decided within my piece to not be too over the top with my editing, but instead to keep it relatively simple with mainly using fade transitions. I did edit the speeds and durations of the clips in order to get the fast and slow paces of my shots, to make a tense and dramatic effect on the viewer, similarly to most horror and thriller genres. For the camerawork, I chose to keep the shots fairly simple too, using main long shots, close ups, extreme close ups and panning. I felt that this worked well as when I edited my footage I was able to edit it in a way that would be typically conventional of a horror/ thriller film.

The title font and style was an important aspect for me which I researched thoroughly into existing fonts and styles to help create my own. I wanted to make sure that I kept the name big and bold, so that it would look dramatic and would emphasise the genre of the film. I decided to make the writing slightly more edgy to add to the meaning of the name. I wanted to make it one of more obvious parts of my film opening so that it would stand out. I did change the fonts for the director and character names as I wanted the main focus to be on the name of the film. Although I did have two separate fonts I felt that it still worked well and still looked okay.

The story of my film and how the opening sets it up was something that I wanted to try and make as clear as possible, but still leave the viewer guessing as to what could happen. The shot of the missing people posters is something which I think sets the opening up straight away and gets straight into the story. The fact that I used the missing posters so early on allows the viewer to have guessed and some clues as to what could happen although they don’t know exactly what is to come.

The genre of my film opening was horror and thriller. I feel that my opening suggests this straight away from the missing posters and from the girl wondering in a forest alone, looking scared and worried. I chose to think of an idea for a film overall to help me think of a beginning, which I felt helped me to think of an opening that would work and show that the genre was horror and thriller.

There was only one main character within my film, which I felt it may be harder to introduce as she was the only one. I did however have characters used within my posters, although the girl in the woods was the main interest for the viewer. I found that it was easier to only have the one character acting and allowed the viewer to wonder as to if there was going to be another character appears. I introduced the posters by panning shots, which really allowed the viewer to see how many missing posters there were and to clearly see how the posters had been written over and scrunched up. I introduced the character of the girl in the woods using several long shots which I felt allowed the viewer to see how dominant the location was in comparison to the character.

I didn’t use any major special effects within my film opening. Instead I wanted to keep it simpler as to having the main story and the acting. I did however edit the photographs for the missing people which I think created an effect on the viewer as to how dramatic it could be. I did choose to do the characters make up so she had darker circles around her eyes; however there weren’t many shots where this was clearly seen. I felt that by not using any big special effects my film opening still worked well and the viewer was still able to see that it was a horror/ thriller genre.

Evaluation Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

 

(Photograph from the IMBD- http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2414382592/tt1179904 )

I decided to use Ysabel as the girl who was being followed and that had been missing. I felt that a character that had some similarities to her and also some differences was Katie from Paranormal Activity. Both of them had a role where they were both becoming increasingly panicked and scared by things that could be haunting them. Although with Katie in Paranormal Activity is becoming more disturbed by a presence within her home, she still has the same emotion which Ysabel did within my own opening. Both show a lot of emotion and they both are worried as to what could happen. Although within my opening there is no actual script or voiceover, the sound adds to the tension, which differs from Paranormal Activity, which are mainly just people speaking. Both also dressed fairly similar, both being casual and in normal every day where, which is simple and not too over the top.

Evaluation Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

A production company is a company that is responsible for funding for a company. The production company often sell its products to a film studio. Production companies can be both big companies, such as 20^th Century Fox and DreamWorks and small companies such as Republic Pictures who are an independent company.

For a film to be distributed they need to have a distributor who will be able to sell their film preferably globally. There are again both big distribution companies and small independent ones. The big companies, such as Paramount Pictures have the ability to be able to distribute globally as they have bigger financing, whereas companies such as Warp do not have the money to be able to distribute widely. Because my opening sequence is only a small piece, it is more likely to be distributed Independently.

The money to be able to distribute a film such as mine would have come from funds such as the National Lottery who would be able to help with funding to allow my film to be made and distributed. Similarly, if I was a small independent company, there may be other companies who may have brought into my company which means that there would be some funds coming from them.

Similarly within many films, there are often peoples names and the name of the films. This is to do with advertising these companies, who can make a name for themselves and also earn more money. Usually big companies such as Paramount Pictures will have their name and then it will go on to say ‘In Association with.’ My film would be similar to small films that would have been distributed by Warp Films, who are a much smaller independent company as they don’t have the same amount of money to produce big films such as big conglomerate companies.

Evaluation Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZjqo4fl-yk

Evaluation Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

There were many elements within my film that I felt addressed my target audience. Firstly the genre I chose to use was the horror and thriller which I think immediately draws my target audience in. The use of using people that are around the same age as my target audience would also appeal as they are similar age and could relate more, compared to if they were older, I think that my audience would be more likely to switch off. I think the idea is also really different and would be something that my target audience would like to see and also see how it would have developed. The fact that I have used some of the typical conventions for my film would also appeal as most people will already have an idea as to what the film would encounter, so changing all the typical conventions would have probably not appealed to my target audience.

The use of the soundtrack that I have made and added to my film opening was also attract my audience because it is typically dark and ‘droned’ which is another typical convention of the horror and thriller genre. I wanted my audience to be attracted to my film straight away, so I wanted to make sure the title: including the fonts and style stood out. The idea of my film opening was another key thing that I felt would target my audience. I wanted my idea to my unique selling point for my film, which I still feel it is. The idea is only a simple and straight forward one, but I felt that it would appeal to my audience as it gave them chance to leave them guessing as to what could happen. The idea is also simple which means that there was more ways for my audience to come up with many ideas that could happen, which I think would again appeal greatly to them as there is a lot of suspense.

Evaluation Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

There are several pieces of technology that I have used within the process of making my film opening.

 

The main pieces of equipment that I used for the filming area was the camera and tripod. Both of these were really simple pieces of technology that I had to use and I felt that they both allowed me to get really good footage for my film opening. Having the tripod to use with the camera was particularly helpful as it meant that my shots were completely in focus.

 

The Macbook was the second piece of equipment that I had to use. It had several programmes on it that I used to produce my film, the soundtrack and the typography. I found it really easy to use for something which I had never used before and it was extremely handy.

 

Youtube was a site that I have used which was useful to put my film opening on. Having the use of youtube meant that it was a quick and easy way to upload the video but also to watch it as well.

Final Cut Express was the main programme I used for my film opening. I found it extremely useful and easy to use which allowed me to be able to work easily with the programme. Through using Final Cut, it allowed me to learn several things: how to import my clips onto it, how to cut and edit the parts of the clips I did and didn’t want, how to add transitions and how to change the speeds and durations of clips.

Soundtrack Pro was another key programme that has helped me to produce a soundtrack for my film opening. There were many things that I learnt from using the programme such as how to make a soundtrack, how to add sound effects and also how I could add my movie to Soundtrack Pro which then allowed me to make sure the music fitted in with my footage.

 

Live Type was the third big programme that was helpful to produce my typography for my film. It allowed me to experiment with a wide variety of fonts, styles, sizes and transitions to get the typography exactly how I wanted it. I found it very useful to work with Live Type as there were several things that I could experiment with to make the exact font I wanted.

Sites such as Google and the IMBD allowed me to get photographs and research into existing films that influenced my own work.

Blogger was also a key part as it allowed me to post updates, to show my progress through my work.

Evaluation Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The preliminary task that I produced was a very simple short piece. For myself the preliminary task was the first thing I had produced where I had properly used a camera. With the task I didn’t use a tripod, which I realised within my final opening sequence, helped me out a great deal.

Since my preliminary I feel that I have understood the term ‘Continuity editing’ better which I think has helped me within my own work. I made sure within my final sequence that I kept to the continuity rule as without it, the viewer would have got more confused and may have noticed little parts that were wrong. Since my first task, I myself have found it more noticeable to find continuity errors; therefore I made it one of the key jobs to make sure that the continuity of my film opening was correct. The 180 degree rule was another thing that I wanted to make sure I kept an eye on, as within my preliminary, I didn’t consider it as much as I have within my final sequence.

Editing was also another key part of my learning progress. With my preliminary task I simply just put the clips together. However within my final opening sequence I made sure that I was more in depth with how I edited it, using transitions, changing the speed of clips, the duration of the clips and also the order that it went it. I feel that I have learnt how important it is to make sure that the editing aspect was as good as I could get it and also how much difference a simple transition or speed change can make.

The use of the actual camera was something that I felt I had progressed with too. In my preliminary task I simply panned around and had an over the shoulder shot, which I found easy to do. However within my final opening sequence I used a wider variety of shots, such as panning, long shot, medium shots, close ups and extreme close ups.

Overall I feel that I have learnt a lot from my preliminary and the way that I have used the camera and thought more carefully about the editing and rules has helped me progress well within my work. I feel that the preliminary has helped me to progress in this way and has been really helpful for when I have produced my final sequence.

AS Final Sequence

Photographs for the posters

For my new idea I need to get photographs that I can use to show missing photographs of people. I have taken 9 photographs, which I think will work effectively that I will edit to make them look more real. The edited photographs work really well and they all have the word missing on which I think will emphasise the idea. The posters are all slightly different and I have edited them, so that they look older and real.

Problems with Opening Sequence

My opening sequence is going well so far, other than the dream idea, which after trying to play around with further, trying to change the order and working on how the shots go into the dream, still arent working as well as they could. Therefore, after feedback from other people who agree that the dream isn't working as well as it could, I have chosen to make some slight changes to the idea. Instead of it being a dream, I have chosen to make the character someone who has been missing, but the idea of her still being followed will still come through.

Instead of having the dream at the beginning I have decided to have a group of missing photographs of girls, that will be shown through panning and close ups, as if someone is following or watching them. I will still have the idea of the girl being followed in the woods, but as it goes further into the sequence I will keep showing flashbacks to the posters, emphasising that the girl is missing. I will also mess up the missing photographs as it gets further into the sequence so that they look like they are getting more damaged, with the photographs being screwed up and also having writing on them, which I hope will add to the suspense and tension of my sequence.

I feel that these simple changes will still work well with my opening sequence. The dream idea wasn't being shown strong enough but I feel the missing posters will add more of a dramatic, tense and mysterious feel to the sequence.

Opening Sequence so far

So far I have found using all the programmes to produce my opening sequence really easy and have found that I am able to put the work together easily. So far I have produced the majority of my sequence and the soundtrack, which I think so far fit together well and the genre is coming through well, as the sounds are quite dark and dramatic. The sequence so far is working relatively well, but I feel that I need to work further on the dream section as it doesnt feel as though the dream area is coming through as well. However, I feel the rest of the sequence is working really well so far. The Live Type work is also working really well and I have found fonts and a style that will work with my sequence.

Editing on Soundtrack Pro- Screenshots

Below I have put in some screenshots on the work that I have been producing so far using Soundtrack Pro. The programme has been really useful for my soundtrack and I have enjoyed using it to be able to come up with a soundtrack that I feel works really well with my opening sequence so far.

This is some of the work that I have produced so far on Soundtrack Pro. So far I have added a few beats into the soundtrack, which so far I think works really well with my opening sequence. I feel that it does sound as if it works with the horror/ thriller genre and has the dark and dramatic effect.

Here is another image of Soundtrack Pro, however within this one, it shows that I have been able to put in my opening sequence so far, in order to see how the music fits in with my opening sequence. By doing this I have felt that it really helps to see whether the sounds are in the correct places and if it work with my sequence.

Soundtrack Pro

To produce the soundtrack for my opening sequence I have been using a programme called Soundtrack Pro. I have found this programme extremely easy to use and it is very simplistic. Using the programme, I am able to get rythms, beats, sound effects and backing sounds that I could use to put into my soundtrack. I felt for my own opening piece, the music needed to be fairly quick to match the movemnt of my character, but also be fairly dark and deep, with occassional sounds that would be even quicker in pace and also get higher in some areas. Soundtrack pro has allowed me to do this so far and there are endless amound of beats, sound effect and rythms that can be used. From all of the sounds that I have gone through, there are many that could potentially be used, however I didnt want to make my soundtrack too over the top or too busy, but instead wanted something that would be dark and still fit in with my opening sequence.

Editing on Final Cut Express- Screenshots

Here are some screenshots of the work that I have produced so far using Final Cut Express. The programme is really simple to use and so far I have been easily able to import the clips to the programme, edit the lengths and speeds and adjust them into the correct order.

Here is some of the work I have produced so far using Final Cut Express. I have been able to upload all of the clips into the far left hand box, which I am then able to edit and cut out the section I dont want to then put into the lines below. Within the right hand box I am able to watch the work that I have produced so far and how it will look when i eventually finish putting together my final opening sequence. I am finding it really simple to use, which helps as it means I am able to get the work put together much quicker and also make it look good.

Final Cut Express

To produce my opening sequence, I have been using Final Cut Express. I have this programme extremely easy to use and there are several things that I am able to do with my work to produce my final sequence. There are several effects that I am able to add onto my piece, such as fades. I have also been able to change the speed on some of my clips to be able to speed clips up for a fast pace, but also to slow some of the clips down to be able to keep the suspense and to keep the edge on the opening, similarly to a real horror/thriller movie. I have also been able to choose the exact parts of each of the clips that I want, which has meant that any of the unecessary sections that I didnt want or need, I could keep out, which has worked really effectively from where I have put the clips together so far. I have also been able to place the clips in the particular order that I needed, which means that my sequence is able to run in the correct way that I needed it too, which so far has worked really well.

The ease of use is also very helpful as it means that when I am ready I will be able to add the music and my Live Type work into Final Cut Express much easier, which is really helpful. So far I have found Final Cut Express really simple to use and I feel that it has been a great help to produce my opening sequence so far.

Screenshots from Live Type work

Here are some screenshots from where I have been working using Live Type to produce the typography that will be put into my opening sequence. So far I have found it really easy to use and I feel that there are several styles that could potentially work within my sequence.

Livetype

To produce the typography for my opening sequence, which will include the director, cast and the name of my film, I am using a programme called Live Type, which I have found extremely useful. On the website I am able to not only get a variety of fonts, but I can also produce backgrounds, change the timings, edit the colours, the spacing between the lettering, the sizes and much more. From this I have produced many different typographies which I think would all work well. This has also allowed me to experiment with the typography using the influences of existing typography from films. I have so far experimented with the fades and how the lettering can come up one my sequence, the sizes, different style fonts and timings which I think all of my work so far has alot of benifits and could potentially work really well when put into my opening sequence.

Typography Experiments

So far i have looked into existing typoghraphy from other film covers, which i felt was really helpful as there are several things that i have seen that i could experiment with when i produce my typography for my opening sequence. I have also found a website that has been helpful: http://www.dafont.com/

On this website there is a variety of different fonts that could potentially be used. There are a lot of big and dramtic fonts on the site, but also some much smaller simpler ones, similar to the fonts that you can find on any usual PC. So far i have looked into a few of the fonts from the website and you are able to see previews of what your font could potentially look like. However after experimenting with these and also the ones off of the computer, i have decided to use the ones on the computer as i feel there are some effective ones that have come off of it. Even some of the simple fonts such as 'Arial Black' and 'Bookman Old Style' look good and could work well within my own work.

Existing Typography- Saw

This is another film where I think the typography works well again and stand out clearly. I found this image again on the IMBD (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432348/) and I particularly like how the typography plays with the image. The film is Saw 2, which the two is emphasised from the two fingers. And then there is only the typography left on the image. I like this idea as I feel that the font stands out well. The font itself is interesting as the lettering isn’t all completely level or the same size, which I think makes the lettering more mysterious and of a horror genre. The colour of the typography is something else that I think stands out, as it is more of a brown, old fashioned colour, which again I think relates to the genre. This is something that I will experiment with as I like how the letting isn’t all exact which I think looks interesting.

Existing Typography- Paranormal Activity

This is another image taken from the IMBD (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179904/) which I think works particularly well. The actual font is block capitals and  quite straight forward, which I seems to make the actual name stand out further than the rest of the images behind, which I think is important for attracting the viewer. I also like how this wording is in red, which is a symbolism of danger, which I think is another good idea that works well with this cover. I think the use of a block colour similar to this one could also work well within my own typography, as I think within this image in particular, it stands out solidly and is obvious which I like.

Existing Typography- The Holiday

I found this image again on the IMBD (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457939/) and I think that the typography within this image works very well. The idea of having the typography completely in the centre really stands out and is completely clear, which I think is important. The font itself is again rather simple but it works within the overall look. The size of the typography is large in size which makes it stand out further and is definitely noticeable, which I like and is something that I would like to achieve within my own opening sequence. Having the typography completely centred is something that I would like to test out with my work as I think it stands out and it looks visually good. I will also do experiments with the sizing as I think that it is important and will look good within my own work.

Exising Typography- The Dark Knight

Similarly to the Harry Potter cover, The Dark Knight's typography is smaller in comparison but it is centralised. Again I found this image on the IMBD website (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/). The whole image overall appears to be fairly distant, which therefore the typography fits in well. The actual fonts of the words are simple and the letters are separated out a fair bit, which I think makes the title stand out further. I also like how there seems to be an icon throughout, which has been used over some of the lettering of the title. I like this idea as it seems to be representing a symbolism to the film, which i think is a good idea. I like the look of the font and it is definitely something that I will consider when I produce my own typography as I feel it could work well with my sequence.

Existing Typography- Harry Potter

The Harry Potter typography is powerful and symbolic and is usually the first thing a viewer will notice about the cover and also in the film when the title comes up. I found this photograph on the IMBD website (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0926084/) and i feel that the typography is clear and stand out, even though it is much smaller in comparison to the rest of the picture and is also placed fairly low down. The fact that the typography is actually centred also makes it more noticeable. I like where the typography has been placed within this image, although it is smaller in size in comparison, I think I will still consider this idea and experiment with this idea within my own work as I think it could have some potential within my own opening sequence.

Conventions of a horror/ thriller film

For my opening sequence I feet it is ideal for myself to make sure it has many of the stereotypical conventions of a horror/thriller opening and openings in general. Within my opening sequence I will include a soundtrack which will be fairly dark and dominating, which is one convention of a horror and thriller film. I will also use fast paced clips, cutting quickly between the clips to make sure that they are fast paced and dramatic.

There are several conventions of a horror and thriller film. These include:
-Quick editing, cutting rapidly between shots in fast paced parts of the film
-Slow, dramatic moevements and shots to emphasise suspense
-Deep and dark music to bring more drama to the film
-A dramatic, serious plot; lots of suspense and scaryness
-Credits

Although I am only producing the first two minutes of my opening sequence, I hope to achieve many of the stereotypical conventions in order to make sure that the genre comes through within my work.

Existing Typography

Whilst I have been working on putting my opening sequence together, I have felt it was necessary to look into existing typography that has been used, as I feel that it would allow me to look further into fonts that I could potentially use. I have looked at several films that are already released, both from my genre and others to see how they use them and I feel that from looking into the typography I will be able to get a wider idea of how I could work on my own for my sequence.

Typography

For my opening sequence I will be using titles/credits at the start and during the first few seconds of my opening to illustrate who the director is, the cast and name of my sequence. The typography of these names, and in particular the name of my opening sequence is very important as I want it to stand out and give off the idea that it is a horror/thriller genre. Ideally I would like fonts that will be big. bold and fairly dominating, that will also have a feel of darkness about it, which i think will be easy to portray if I am able to find the correct font style. I will experiment with several types of font to make sure that I am able to find one that will fit with my sequence and will also emphasise the horror and thriller genre. 

Types of shots within my Opening Seqence

For my opening sequence I have chosen the genre of horror/thriller. From this I produced a mood board which I detailed with types of shots, rough timings and drawings of what I wanted to happen in each shot. The type of shots I chose were important to me as I wanted to make sure that my genre was evident, which I felt the shots, the timings and editing with different style of fades would help to empahsise.

Within my opening sequence I am aiming to use several shots, remembering to make sure the continuity is good. I have chosen to use several longs shots, medium shots, panning, close ups, establishing shots and extreme close ups, which I will work on the timings and speeds of the clips to make sure that some are rapid and fast paced, but some are slow to emphasise suspense; which are the stereotypical conventions of a horror/thriller movie.

Soundtrack for my Opening Sequence

For my opening sequence I am not using any script or voiceover but instead I am using a soundtrack and sound effect for my piece. I decided to use a soundtrack as I wanted my piece to get more dramatic as the I got further into the piece. I want to make sure that the soundtrack would fit in with the idea of my opening sequence. I will choose sounds that will be quite dark and deep and fairly dominating, which I hope will work effectively with my footage and will emphasise the character being followed and her emotions. I think the soundtrack is a really important factor of my sequence, that I want to get correct so that it will work when put together with my footage.

Scripts and voiceovers

In many film openings there can be scripts and voiceovers used. However in my own sequence, there will be no script or voiceover as the opening sequence needs to be quite dramatic and keep the viewer in suspense, which means I will be using mainly music to make the opening more dramatic. I feel that my sequence will work much better with the music that i will work on to put into my piece.

Character make- up and costume

The costume and make up of the character within my sequence is an important element that I feel would benifit my opening sequence. The idea of my piece, is that the girl will be being followed, which she is having a dream about. Therefore I feel that it is necessary to make the costume and make up not too over the top; if someone was being followed in a real situation, they are more likely to have been dressed down rather than dressed up too much. Ideally I would like the character to be in simple clothing such as a hoody or jumper and then some jogging bottoms or jeans. Another possible idea is to have the character in pyjamas so that my idea of the dream is seen more clearly. However I think that the simple clothing will work just as well. The make up of the character again I feel needs to be fairly simple, although I will test with making the eyes more darker, as if the person is tired, scared and been awoken for days. I think my ideas for the characters costume and make up will work well within my sequence and will emphasise the weakness of my character.

People involved in my opening sequence

For my opening sequence I chose to work by myself as I felt it would be easier to. My idea for my sequence is fairly simple and there arent many people that are phsically involved within the filming element. The only people involved are:
-Myself- Editor, director
-Ysabel- character/ actress

Although there are only two people involved and I am the main person editing and directing, I feel that my opening sequence will still be able to work well.

Health and Safety

Health and safety is another key element to take into consideration when filming and also preparing the equipment for filming. I need to make sure that I keep any loose cable out of the way so that no one can trip over them. I also need to make sure that the locations are safe for myself and the actor to use, so that no injuries could be potentially caused.

One of the locations I am planning to use is outside, so there are only certain measures Ican do to make sure that it is completely safe to use. The place Ihave chosen is quite open, with a pathway which means that the area should mostly be clear. However there are alot of trees about which could potentially have broken branches all over, which could mean that people could trip. I will make sure that on the days I plan to film, I will check the areas to make sure that it is as safe that it can be.

For the other location, it is inside in a bedroom, where the space is fairly limited. This is where I will need to take extra care with cables and the tripod and camera, so that they are placed safetly and carefully, being as out of the way as possible. There are also other hazards such as objects around the room, such as desks, which I will need to also make sure they are out the way and aren't a hazard.

Props

For my opening sequence there are a few props that I will need to make sure that I have everything for my opening.

For the outside sequence I will mainly need the camera and tripod as there arent any props that I have included.

For the scene within the bedroom there are a few props that will be need.
-Bed
-Everyday items around the bedroom: jewellery, mirrors, phones etc
I will also be taking light objects, such as torches and bigger lighter to test out the lighting before I film my sequence properly.

I will also be making sure that my actor wears clothing that will be suitable for the filming. I ideally want my actor to be 'dressed down' in a jumper or hoody and jeans, which will make sure that she doesnt look too dressed up as she is supposed to be in a dream, with the feeling that someone is following her.

Weather schedule

The weather is something that I need to make sure I consider and keep an eye out on, as some of the filming is outside and it will be best to film if the weather is dry. In order to make sure that the days I am planning on filming are okay, I checked several website, which allowed me to see that the weather would be fine for my filming and that it could go ahead.

Filming Schedule

In order for myself and others that are involved in the filming, I feel that it's necessary to come up with a scheduled time as to when to film so that it was easiest for myself and the actors to know when exactly to be at the location. I decided to film over two days; one for the bedroom scene, with the lighting conditions correct for the footage to be seen clearly on the computer and a seperate day for the outside for the following scenes, so that again the lighting conditions were good and so that we had two days to get everything done and correctly. I have chosen to film on the 12th and 13th of february, but I have also made sure that everyone was available again on a seperate date just in case there were any changes or extra footage needed.

Filming Locations

For my film opening, the location that I will film in will be one of the main priorites as I need to make sure that the location helps give the idea that it is of a horror genre. Ideally the location for my opening will be in a wood style setting, where it seems empty and alone so that the focus is on the actor who is being followed and all of their emotions will be shown within the location, which will also help the emotion to be seen. The location of the woods will also be an airy setting where the audience will hopefully be able to get the sense that there is a lot of tension and suspense as there could be anything within the woods. The use of a wood location area will also set the tone as it is somewhere that is mysterious, thrilling and spooky which I hope will be portrayed through my opening.

Questionnaire

Here are some bar charts that I have produced from a questionnaire, which I surveyed around 30 people to find out their thoughts about films in general and also about the genre Horror that i am using within my own work. I felt that it was necessary as I wanted to make sure that for my own work it would appeal to my audience and so that I had a better understanding from my target audience and an audience in general as to their opinions, which could help with my final outcome. I felt the responses from the people I questioned were very helpful as it allowed me to see that my intended name for my opening sounded good and I also learnt that many people thought that most horror films are very similar, which meant that I knew I was on the correct path with my own opening as I felt it had the conventions of a horror film within it.



Film Certification

Film Certification is a very important factor within the Media sector and is also important for my film piece. Film certification is used to restrict who can see different types of films. There are six main types of film certification, which are each used for different films to restrict certain age groups to watching certain movies. The British Board of Film Classification is responsible for the Certifications of films, which has its own website, which helped me to see how they classified each of the film certifications: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/
Below I have listed the different film certifications and what each of them means.




'U' stands for universal. The certification for this film is open to all ages, mainly aged from 4 years and older. The reason that it is classified as ‘U’ and for all audiences to see is because it is impossible to predict what may upset any particular child. Within a ‘U’ film certificated film there will be no sign of violence or nothing that will upset or offend any child, no discrimination, and no bad language.




PG stands for parental guidance. Any unaccompanied child may see the film, but the film should not disturb the child. Parents are advised to take consideration into whether or not the film may upset younger children. Language may be used, but it must be mild language only. Similarly, violence may be used within the film but not with a lot of detail.




12 and 12A have exactly the same criteria. A 12 rated film may not be seen or brought by any person under the age of 12, however with a 12A if the child is accompanied by an adult who deems the film to be okay. It is then the parent’s responsibility for any circumstances that may occur. Moderate language is allowed within the film and strong language must be kept infrequent. Similarly, violence is allowed, but there must not be a large amount of emphasis on the violence.




Anyone under the age of 15, may not be allowed to see a film in cinema, buy or rent a 15 rated film.




Similarly to a 15 rated film, an 18 rated film may not be seen in cinema, rented or brought on DVD by anyone under the age of 18.




Most R rated films are films containing sex and may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas. R18 films may only be seen by people over the age of 18 and can not be supplied by mail order.

Storyboard

Here is my storyboard that I have produced on paper, showing what will happen in my film opening. Within my storyboard i have included the type of shots that I will be using within my opening, a description of what will be happening in that shot, any sounds that will be used, the mise en scene and also camera movements that I will be using. Within my storyboard, I haven't included the exact timings of when everything will happen, but have included rough timings.

My idea for my film opening is to have a person, in bed turning and twitching, trying to emphasise that they are having a dream. There will be a pan of the room showing some of the persons belongings and then either panning or following up the bed to see the person up close. There will then be a close up of the persons face where the persons eyes will open as if they are awake, where i will then zoom closer to the persons eye, where i will then edit my scenes to fade in and out to the same eye but in a different place, to try to emphasise that we are going into the persons dream. Next I will zoom out to reveal the person in a wood setting where they will be alone. The person will be seen walking around confused and scared as to what is happening. I will also use sounds of rustling and possibly twigs snapping, where the person will think and feel as if there is someone following them. To portray this feeling to the viewer, I will use a range of long shots, where the person will seem small and alone in comparison; close ups and mid shots to show the persons feeling of being scared. Next I will zoom into the person rapidly where I will then edit the footage so there is a fade in and out, to reveal the person back in there bed again, where they  will again been twitching and turning and will suddenly wake and sit up right, where they realise that it was only a dream.

The idea of my film opening is only a simple idea, but I think that it will work really effectively. Before filming my piece properly, I will use a simple video recorder to test out some of my scenes to have a practise and also so I can see when the light will work most effectively. By doing this I think it will help me when I go to produce my final footage, as I will have the knowledge of what will work best from where I have had practise.