Rough cut

Our Rough Cut

We began to edit and this is just some of the scenes we have put together to get an overall idea of what we need to re film and also to see what our finally opening sequence is going to look like and whether we are happy.

Things we need to improve
From watching and creating this we realised areas in which we need to improve on and they include:

• Re-filming the introductory clips as I am smirking slightly and we want it to look professional.
• We need to correlate the 'Happy Birthday' to make sure it is in sync and maybe re-record the sound of the ensemble singing 'Happy Birthday' as it doesn't sound as monotone and creepy as we would like.
• We need to film the candles being blown out as we want the camera to be in a specific place so we can action match the shot with a blackout.
• The pace of the piece seems to move too fast so we need to add more dissolves or make the clips longer so it flows easier.

What we like

• We feel the montage is working and flows well with the music and heartbeat sound effect however we need to add an effect on some of the shots to create a more sombre and distorted atmosphere.
• The significance of the knife is clearly shown in various shots 
• The contrast with the lighting works well with the 2 completely different situations but sometimes we should make the party scenes slightly darker when focusing on Ophelia to show the darkness within her.                               

         

Shooting day 2- Party scene

The Party Scene

Today we filmed our beginning of our opening sequence and clips which can be used within the montage. We took some photos and videos of the setting and costumes so if we needed to film any scenes again we could do with no continuity errors. Video Created by Zack

          

Setting

  Because it was a party we wanted to make sure there were no continuity errors to do with the time. Also it set a sombre mood and atmosphere for our shot we filmed from outside.

This is the table set for the filming. I felt it looked very naturalistic and relevant to audiences everyday lives with there families so they can relate.

To add to the scene i put up some birthday cards in the background because the storyline is a birthday party so i thought it was necessary we had those.

Table Setting

Once we had positioned the family we filmed them so once again we also knew where they were all sitting (if we needed to re film) and also it would give a clear idea of the location we used and the surroundings.

Costumes

Ophelia- On the day I put on the outfit which we had decided (black jeans and a white shirt) however, we felt it didn't fit in well with the ensembles costumes so instead I went for a skirt and a smart top.

Ensemble- We gave them a brief on what to wear and we said 'Smart casual' and i feel all there outfits fit the brief perfectly as Ophelia did fit in as she doesn't want to demonstrate any psychotic elements towards her family.

Props

Once again we used the knife as that is a key part to our storyline as it symbolises danger. We also used the red velvet cake discussed in our previous blogs. One slight problem we realised is the cake was smaller than we anticipated as we ordered it online, however if it doesn't look how we want it to look than we can just re- film that bit so it was just a minor issue.

Shooting day 1- Murder Scene

The Murder Scene

Today my group and Lily Chapman (our actress) came to my house after school and filmed our crime scene when it got dark. I was  very pleased with the way filming went, the make-up, hair and costumes were well thought out and contributed one another perfectly. Secondly, the filming also went just as planned, we had a perfect amount of lighting and the location suited our storyline perfectly. We also shot loads of different angles and shots s we made sure we had enough when it came down to making our montage, and also if some had continuity errors or peoples shadows then we could use another shot. We have also decided to place a blurred focus over these shots as i feel it would fit in so well and contribute to our distorted characters mind. Overall, a very beneficial and efficient day of filming.

Overview
Video Created By Zack

 
       

Some of the shots from today:

Killers costume (Ophelia): black boots with black leggings and a black hoody

Prop: A kitchen knife and fake blood used also for the victims costume and make-up. We felt like it was appropriate to use a kitchen knife as this was more believable than a gun so therefore creates a more realistic storyline.

Victims costume (Coral): just a plain white t-shirt with cuts and slits in and dripping fake blood onto the floor.

Location/Setting:

 Make-up and hair:

We gave her a bruised eye from eye-shadow to create more impact for the audience as to the psychotic ideas Ophelia has performed. This pictures show a progress timeline of the make-up and hair being done...

 As you can see we decided to back-comb her hair to create a more vicious appearance whilst also to add narrative enigma.

We also gave her a slit by her lip. I feel adding all these minor details creates a more believable crime scene.

Body Make-Up:

We made two slits in her top and two gashes of blood to show where she had been stabbed. After the first photo photo was take a more defined gash was made and blood dripping from the top onto the floor shown here.

Risk Assessment

Filming risk assessment

We realised how dangerous our filming was so we decided to create a risk assessment so we were aware of the dangers and could focus on our top priority of everyone being safe at all times during our filming.

We did a separate risk assessment for each day as different props were used.

Editing- Day 1

Editing

Today we began to place our videos onto Final Cut Express and tried out certain effects (blur transitions) to see which ones we can use in our montage. We also placed our music on with the heart beat and overall we are very please with how it sounds. 

Character Profile- Ensemble

Character Profile

Gender- Males and females

Age- Various ages

Unit- Family unit (aunties,granddads,grandmas,cousins etc.)

Personalities Overall- As the setting is a party they will all be very bubbly, upbeat and chatty to also disguise the girl so she stands out.

The ensemble will not be shown clearly as they are going to be part of the distorted and out of focus montage so we don't need to write them all out in detail as we are hardly going to see them, just close ups of their laughing gestures and glasses of wine things you would normally see at a family dinner party.

Character Profile- Ophelia

Character Profile

Name- Ophelia
Age- 16
Gender- Female
Ethnicity- White British
Personality- she is very timid and to herself which creates a contrast to her true self which is very powerful and authoritative.


Ideal Appearance
Eye colour- Blue
Hair colour- Blonde
Skin colour- pale
Clothing- Average everyday clothes with elements of white in the party scene and all black in the murder scene

Casting the actress

The Main Character

We decided it was easier to choose someone who was in our group as we didn't have to worry whether they would be able to make the shooting dates and stuff. Firstly, Devyani was willing to do it however we realised the different ethnic backgrounds would be a problem and would count as a continuity error as they would not look like a family (which is what our scene is). So I decided I wouldn't mind doing it and it would also come more naturally as we are filming with my family. Similarly, I do drama outside of school and have done for 10 years so it wouldn't bother me if I had to be in our opening sequence.

Music

Music Choice For Our Opening Sequence

Diegetic Sound - at the party scene we are using ambient sounds to contrast with the murder scene. However, both non-diegetic pieces will be playing as well the ambient sounds and therefore  it will create a distorted montage which i feel will add to the psycho genre.

• Characters laughter at the birthday party
• Clinking of glasses 
• Blowing out candles

Non-Diegetic Sound

• http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400004  (our song)
• http://www.soundjay.com/heartbeat-sound-effect.html (heartbeat sound effect)

Group Communication

Communication

In order to make sure everyone knows what is going on when, we decided to make a group chat so we could message each other with any problems we had, or deciding what dates we could all do to film. This group chat has really enabled us to work well as a team and really helped with knowing what was going on.

Camera Editing Practice

Camera Editing

The other day we were given the cameras and my group took the time into practising certain shots that we wanted to use in our piece, and then we edited them together using specific effects such as slow motion, cross fading, dissolving and an oval iris to make it look more polished and professional. Lastly, we imported some light-hearted music into the background and worked out how to fade it out and in which was useful. Just to mention, when i published this to YouTube, we realised the song we chose had some speaking over the top of it  our video but it is not intended to be there so please ignore it.

             

Narrative Theories

Applying Narrative Theories To Various Films

Todorov

Equilibrium- The first part of the story will display a happy beginning where the majority of characters are content with each other.

Disruption- The second part will feature a problem or something that will disrupt the happiness

Realisation- This part is when everyone realises the problem and the chaos its causing

Repair- When the characters attempt to repair the damage caused and restore the problem

Restoration- The final part where the problem is resolved and everything returns to a state of equilibrium.

The Simpsons Movie

Equilibrum- In the beginning everything is normal and homer is just doing chores.

Disruption- It begins when Homer saves a pig

Realisation- The Simpsons are forced to move to Alaska due to the pigs behaviour.

Repair- They go back to save their home town Springfield.

Restoration- In the movie it is the ed of the film and the dome gets blown up and Springfield is finally free.

27 Dresses

Equilibrium- One of the protagonist characters is a lonely wedding planner looking for 'Mr. Right'.

Disruption- She manages to fall in love with a journalist who wants to write a bad article about her, therefore putting her in a difficult situation.

Resolution- The guy screws the article and they fall in love, a a result unexpectedly getting married

Vladimir Propp

The Hero- Restores to narrative equilibrium and is the central character 

Hunger Games- For example Katniss acts as both the seeker hero and the victim hero. She aids the victims to safety in order for the villain to go after her instead.

The Villain- Is the character that creates the disruption in the narrative equilibrium causing the hero to restore things. 

Hunger Games- President Snow acts as the villain/antagonist however there are a whole          'Government' of people who act as villains at certain points in the trilogy.

The Donor- gives the hero something to aid them on their quest to restore disruption this can be physical or not.

Hunger Games- The donor (Haymitch) provides Katniss with physical items to help her. This is emphasized in the film which is interesting and helps show the importance of this character.

The helper- Aids the hero on their journey to restore equilibrium. They are normally known as the side- kick.

Hunger Games- Peter acts as the helper joining Katniss in her challenges and eventualy leading her to victory.

The Princess- Normally female, is normally the prime victim of the villain and has to be saved as the climax of the film.

Hunger Games- The Hunger Games slightly subverts this character role. The princess could be seen as Katniss' sister Prim whom she saves taking her place in the hunger games. 

The Dispatcher- The dispatcher is the person that sends the hero on the journey to restore their equilibrium.

Hunger Games- You could say that president snow is the dispatcher as he controls the hunger games.

Star Wars

The Hero- Luke Skywalker

The Villain/ False Hero- Darthvader

The Donor- Obi Wan

The Helper- Obi Wan

The Dispathcer- Obi wan

The Princess- Leia

Audience Theory- The Hunger Games (2012)

The Hunger Games

Different theories of describing audiences-

Groups

Demographic Groups

• Age
• Gender
• Class
• Ethnicity
• Nationality
• Sexuality
• Ability/Disability
• Relationship

Young and Rubicam's Theory

The theory that all audiences come under one of these categories when watching films and why they watch them.

Uses and Gratifications Theory

Blumer and Katz theory suggests that we watch a certain film because it satisfies our needs

The Hunger Games

From watching this trailer, i will relate these theories and say which audiences would watch this film.

Socio-economic groups- I believe the group status would be groups C1, C2, D and E due to the fictional element and it being an action genre. Also, the audiences demographic would be mainly single, working class men and women aged 12 -25.  There interests would be along the lines of action with elements of romance involved. They also must admire qualities such as independence, dominance and power.

Young and Rubicams-  In my opinion the film reflects qualities of the audience category 'The struggler'. The main characters seek escape and they seen as being at the hierarchical society, which the audience may relate to. Also, the audience would display characteristics such as an interest to try out new ideas and experiences like 'The Explorer'. Due to the action based scenes and images, 'The succeeder' could relate to the film as well.

Uses and Gratifications Theory- i feel that the trailer fits into the category of 'Escape'. This is signified by the interpretation of the future world where an individual must fight for their beliefs in a hegemonic society.

Final Setting

Setting Recee #2

Today we sat down as a group and had a thorough chat on what we needed to amend in regards to our opening sequence. As a result we have decided to change the beginning setting and scene so it therefore has more relevance to our piece as a whole. It also doesn't give away too much narrative any more and i feel much more confident when it comes down to the minor changes we have added to our piece.

This is our setting for the birthday party scene. I feel this fits in well with our new storyline and adds a sense of normality to confuse the audience about the characters true personality.Similarly, the kitchen being a normal place can also show the average family life of every household. Also, the size allows us to film from various different angles as well. On the other hand, another useful aspect is both sets of lights can be dimmed and brightened depending on what shot we are filming so no matter about the outside weather,we can still change the time of day just by using the lights.

I took pictures from various different views and heights to give you an insight into what types of shots are going to be used in the opening sequence.

This is the door we are going to use as within our montage we are going to have shots of people leaving the party.

This is the house from the outside in case we want to shoot a clip of people leaving from the outside.