Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Torment -film outline

Torment- A group of teens go to a halloween event which is being held in a old furniture warehouse in the middle of town, when everyone begins to leave at the end a group of them get left behind. With the warehouse locked and no signal strange things happen throughout the night however they all think it is one big game, unaware that there is a psychotic killer lerking around watching their every move on the CCTV. Most of them get killed off in different ways with a couple remaining who have to defeat it for once and for all. At the end two characters survive and when the doors are unlocked and the warehouse opens in the early morning they stagger out into the town within the crowds of people left to realise the reality of the following night.



scream personal response

I think scream is a good representative of a typical teen horror, however it is predictable and cheesy but i think that is what makes it more enjoyable to watch. The fact that the teens are so stupid it gets the audience more iteractive with the film by shouting out a response like 'its him..'or run!' which is a good aspect within a horror film. The deaths are abit gruesome and they tend to repeat themselves a lot especially towrds the end which makes the film boring as all seems to be is the victims dying then coming back to life then finally dieing again. The phonecall ringing is quite original for when scream was first made as it gives a more realistic and eary approach, and the scream mask is a horror aspect you can realte to as everyone has at least seen the mask. i didnt really like the endng though i thought it could of been less deaths and more of a story however thats what makes the whole scream movie a typical cheesy horror.

house of wax

Select a horror film of your own choice. Then detail how it reflects the horror film genre in terms of codes and conventions. Your notes should be in bullet point form and cover: Media Language (content and technical codes), narrative, genre, representation and audience. You should also put a link for either the trailer or a chosen scene on your Blog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYaa7EUWoOQ


house of wax reflects the horror genre because it has the typical horror convections starting with the set, it is set in a deserted town in america which cant even be found on a map that intself shows there is someting uhnlikely about the location. The village has houses but no movement or people. the house of wax is made out of wax which is a weird unusual feature itself, it is a museum of wax figures which look strangely realistic, which adds the mystery. The museum is open however there is no one aroun but the teenager like fools trespass, which is typically going to cause drama or a horror situation.

The characters are a group of teens who are looking for a good time camping out, typical dumb blonde played by Paris Hilton is the first and olny girl to die which links into the sterotypical convention within nearly every horror film with a helpless blonde dieing off. there is the use of  The lighting is dark and most deaths happen at night, the sound is very classical contempary in the background.

there are props such as the wax figures to relate to the theme and title and there are use of knives and cell-phones which are popular in most horror films. there is the use of aclcohol and use of drugs and nude which is popukar in horror films relating to teens.

Monday, 17 October 2011

scream convections

The opening of scream begins with the opening text which is white lighting which looks of a ghosty representative, and then stretches into red text and red lighting which highlights the horror feature, and the audenice can relate to what is upcoming. as this is happening there is a phone ringing in the background together edited with a girl screaming, finishing with the title flashing red to white which is a good contrast. This whole introduction to the film presents the terror and the sense of warning towards the audience. The establishing shot is straight away focusing on a phone with a girl answering it, the story kicks in quickly with a mysterious voice on the other end of it. there is a simple close up which is generally used alot within the phone ringing scenes which shows the emotion on the ace extremely well. after the first couple of calls, the camera edits to a vertical slow pan showing the set, which is a big americian house, typical of most horror films in the middle of the suberbs. deserted and set at night is a clear indication it is disaster awainting, also showing a swing gently swinging which is a ery effect. shown later on is the white picket fence and clear cut gardens which represents a standard wealthy community.

after the first death of the blonde girls boyfriend the music kicks in which is loud string instruments which give the deathly cutting sound, with strong beats while the character is running away. there are dramatic sounds when someone dies which is the use of typical classical music, there is a lot of dramatic changes in music while the character is running the music speeds up while the character is waiting for the killer, it is very slow and daunting. the end of the opening finishes with a cliffhanger, the death of the young blonde teenager with the camera zomming quickly in an almost jaggerd running effect on the dead body hanging with the on going screaming and thunderous music in the background. then with the black screen edit to show the start of a new scene this is very effect as it jumps to a new set a new charcter at a diffrent time.

characters within scream are clearly indicated a group of reckless teens and the unidentified psychotic killer there is a stereotypical, dumb blonde who gets killed first who is entirely helpless, usually the main victim, have some sort of relation or past connection with the killer so in this case sydney is harrassed by the killings to do with the passing of her mother however to her suprise it is her best friend and boyfriend who is going on the killing spree. the authority within scream are like most horrors, very unreliable. however with great authoritativeness these scary situations and deaths would not happen or be nearly as horrific as they are. however without any authority at all, makes it less believable, and intern leaves the audience questioning.



the narrative within scream is based on the typical horror convections, the use of the phonecall gives the sinister realistic force but at the same time a mysteriuos effect because both audience and character dont know who is on the other end of the phone, aswelll as the phone can be a portable device so it gives the the impresion the killer can be anywhere. As well as the phone seperating the horror as the approach is not be direct face to face with the killer. there is some use of authority and voice over narrative, as there are a lot of media coverage and news reporters used throughout the film to explain the deaths, the use of these non diegetic sounds give a realistic effect along with the ambient sound of people chatting and discussing which is common in a public place. phonecalls and door bell ringing are used throughout the film as diegetic sound.

the props used within scream are nationally well known, the famous scream mask is unique, by having the killer(s) wearing a mask hides thier identity and therfore keeps the audience and characters intrigued onto who it is which causes a emotive big enigma of who is the murderer? The mask is also a scary image and can be used as a frightening device, as well as in this film it is available to buy as a fancy dress costume so suggests anyone can buy it. the scream mask itself is so well known it  promotes the film by getting it distictively out in the media. the use of  knives  in the film is frequuent as the knife  is a common weapon, it is more brutal than a gun and can be fought off which creates suspense in a scenne. Also the cell-phone is also a main prop used as it is referred to throughout the film.

There is a strong reference to horror films within scream they mention, frankenstein, silence of the lambs, Halloween  Freddy krueger and friday the 13th which adds to the whole 'game' aspect which is used in a lot of horror films. within scream the  killers are playing a game getting the victums to guess along and answer questions for them. the references also gets the audience to understand the fetaures of a horror film aswell, as the characters explain about the main convection's themselves.

One convection which is used in probably every horror film is the ongoing deaths, when someone supposedly  dies and the audience think they are dead and then to thier surprise they wake up and then get hurt then wake up again this creates the thriller and adrenaline and gets the audience on edge 'are they really dead?' However this is used several times in scream especially towards the new state of equilibrium when many come back for a second chance of killing the scream killers, this can get a bit repeatitve and boring.

storyboard for our film

A group of teens go away for a halloween break in the middle of nowhere to stay in a deserted house. Strange things happen throughout the house however they all think it is one big game for halloween. most of them get killed off with a couple reamaining who have to defeat it for once and for all.

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

spooks

1 establishing shot
2 mid shot
3 looks at his watch, looks as if he is expecting the time o waiting for something
4 ecu emotionally unsettled
5 confusion and tension in his face
6 someones seems to be watching him from the car, triggers mystery
7 to make the phone look inportant, she doesnt want to be traced its very secretive
8 re enforces the mystery
9 set establishing shot
10
11 re enforces the set the offices spy technical
12
13 concentration focused
14 warehouse setting
15 preparing for something
16 trying to hide identity by taking of thier personal belongings
17 laptop, about to delete a file
18 close up of the mans concentration
19 file deleted
20
21 person of somesort of rank or authority watching others get ready, prepare for some sort of task stern conecentration
22 others go to join the man deleting the file, so it must be of some interest
23 deleted the camera focuses on the file dissolving, disapearing
24 man unplugs laptop
25 closes laptop
26 zipped up vest
27 puts laptop in the case which is metal and solid so looks like it would carry something of improtance so it cant get damaged
28 zips up again in a fast motion
29 closes case and seals it with a scanning of a fingerprint
30 shows people puting masks over thier head again to hide the face identity, shows that they are up to no good, about to do something they dont want to be traced back to, burgler hat soo symbolises they might steal something.
31 fingerprint again
32 camera shows the person picking it up swifly and walking out the room
33 jumps to the same person outside in the public eye still with the mysterious file.
34 close up of the concentration seriousness on the character holding the item.
35 long shot panning diagaonally as the camera shows the character walking down the steps
36 pan horizonatlly to see who is round the corner..gives the audience the view and what to expect, however the character is un aware of it.
37mid shot
38 long shot of him geting attacked
39 cu
40 mid shot
41 cu
42 mid shot
43 on the floor
44 the ones who just robbed him run off with the file
45 long shot
46 mid shot him crawling then coming to a stand where he just stands there and realise what has happened heplessly.

Thursday, 22 September 2011

camera angles/shots and movements

Medium shot- mean girls shot of regina george in the cafeteria, shows the expression of her face but it is not too focused unlike a close up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_dCc-9pEPM


Birds eye view- Titanic uses a camera angle looking down directly at the boat where jack and rose are stood it shows the full detail of the boat and the togetherness of the couple from a high point of view. this shot is used well in disaster films to show the full disaster from a high view, it is especially useful if there is a large natural disaster and a look down would give a more precise view.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttlSvlDxBIc

Long shot- Twilight uses this long shot to show the characters body language and thier costume it gives of a horror persona and also shows the emotion of being superior towards the audience. long shots shows the set well and the relationship between character and setting.

Close up- I am legend, it shows Will Smiths complete horror and confusion in his face, this close up highlights emotion significantly, and has the effect of the audience being more focused and intrigued by the close up, detailed emotion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewpYq9rgg3w

Point of view/ low angle - Honey i shrunk the kids uses a various of low angles looking up as the whole point of the film is the characters being small and vulnerability to the outside world. These angles give the effect s if the characters are there themselves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVF9Wz3LBgs


High angle- Bride wars, this angle looks down on the wedding it shows the full detail of the venue which looks very grand and the suffication of the couple as they stride down the aisle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjsA0_arKtk


Hand held- blair witch project this hand held camera movement is used to create the self documentry realistc effect, it is used throughtout this film and is the key concept to making the film more visually scary.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Hw4bAUj8A

Tracking shot...and whip pan- the dark knight has a couple of tracking shots as the camera directly follows the motorbike that batman rides on, in line or within the same speed it creates a motion to the footage and also a whip pan effect.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ5U8suTUw0

Over the shoulder- This camera shot shows the deep conversation between characters its gives the effect a secluded narrative between actors and the viewers see the conversation as if they are there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucMLFO6TsFM

Tilted angle- Alice in wonderland is a fantasy film the use of tilted angles causes confusion and disorentation especially as alice is falling down the hole to wonderland it creates the illusion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9POCgSRVvf0

Low angle - Rise of the planet of the apes, this low angle shows the significent authority and power the group of apes have over the human the low angles hows the full background and the focus of the situation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8D2NIGEJW8

Extreme long shot- King Kong this shot shows the full set and the whole length of the character it gives the viewers a chance to see the footage in a more precise view it is usually used when characters are moving usually walking towards the camera.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUfti0Ka_bY

Aerial shot- catwomen uses this shot to look down on the city skylines creates the sophisticated look and shows the full set/location usualy just used to look directly down upon buildings or mountain/woods ect to show the full impact or scale.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH318B5Bl1g

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

Media Audi A2 key concepts

detail what you think the overall meaning behind the advert using language to construct the intended meaning.




content codes(mise en scene)

Setting was not one specific place the camera was following the car through the town/city which suggests it is a conveinent car for a lifestyle of a average person who has a busy or works from place to place.
Lighting was qute bleak which makes the car stand out however in some clips the footage was brighter and made the whole advert more intersting and appealing.
there was a brezze throughout the advert which makes the car look brezzy in the sense of a smooth ride gliding past the people in the town which gives a  refreshing effect.

written codes
Where do you want to go?
How much fun is good for us?
What do we find attractive?
These quotations are all direct to the audience, the whole footage is filmed as if the viewer is there as well as the informal language speaking out to the viewer it makes the whole advert more familiar. Apart from the written language there is no non diegetic sound or diologue.


tech codes

The music was quite powering made the car seem imperior, important the music was quite victorious.
The video itself was very animated throughout, the camera angles glided together and fitted with the car's sleeknest. There are a few rerflections of the car in mirrors, windows and water, this adds to the shimmery effect of the car being shiny and sophisticated and also adds to the whole sense of the viewer being there and the car reflection shinying back at them.
The lighting, colour had been edited it was quite greyscaled and dull in some parts of the advert and then bright and gleaming when showing the car the colour gave a modern feel to the advert colors like whites and greys were used throughout and simple patterns and textures. There was also a sense of 3D as there were close up of objects and the focus of the camera made it seem more realistic and defined, for example the paper at the start floating within the air made it look as if it was right infront of you.


the overall meaning behind the advert was to make the car look independatly attractive and performance wise to the higest standards. Using the virtual technique of the car driving around as if the viewer was there in the front seat makes the advert realistic, its appealing to most generations as there was amixture of diffrent people of diffrent ages throughout the footage.

direct to the audience slow fast pace music virtual as if your in the car itself. silver car- luxury camera angle looks above and inside the car- edit.

Monday, 12 September 2011

media websites

Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/
Worldwide media resource for watching videos and film trailers interviews ect.

IMBD:http://www.imdb.com/
internet movie database, were you can access trailers, cast lists information about actors and the movie outline and release date.

BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Offers worldwide news and information aimed at the UK one of the biggest media resources for england.

Wikepedia: http://www.wikipedia.org/
General information could be useful for finding out about past media news but its not a factual resource.

MTV: http://www.mtv.co.uk/videos?s_cid=161&gclid=CPXC6YuEqasCFQcNtAodtRLx0A
Americian news and current affairs right at the heart of the media, focusing on celebrities and celebrity events.

Tabloid websites: Such as the Guardian, Mirror, Sun, Echo..
These websites offer diffrent versions to current affiars and world news, tabloid websites also get updated regulary so it good to rely on.

Photoshop, Picnik: Useful for coursework, editing pictures for posters powerpoints ect.

Other blog and social networking websites, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr : Blog websites give a range of opinions and information mostly surrounding whats happening in the media and its aimed at the public as it is the public's view.

Media uk http://www.mediauk.com/ mediastudies.co.uk http://mediaknowall.com/blog/
A general information directory website which makes it easyier to access diffrent types of media coverage for example there is a media radio,newspapers,television and other types of media.

channel websites: ITV, BBC Channel 4, ect ..Could give information on TV, entertainment and news.