Risk Assessment by Rachael, Stacey and James

Media Evaluation

By Rachael Booth

Media Evaluation

Our film incorporates generic conventions in the scene where Amelia and Alexis are sat doing work and the killer try’s to strangle Amelia and Alexis pushers the killer to the side in Amelia’s defense. Amelia then only cares about herself and her own safety and runs for the door leaving Alexis alone with the killer. Our film challengers these conventions because the female characters Amelia and Alexis have more personality rather than conforming to the usual stereotypical characteristics of female characters in horror/ thriller films. Our film is similar to the film Paranormal Activity as we decided our film would have multiple endings just like Paranormal Activity has multiple endings. I am going to compare and contrast our opening sequence to the opening sequence of the film Scream. The film Scream starts off with an image of a phone which becomes significant to the story line later on in the film, whereas our opening sequence starts with Stacey’s character Alexis walking down a dark path alone, both opening sequences start with girls being alone in either a house or on there way to college. The location of the film’s opening sequence is also different as in Scream they are indoors and on our film we are outdoors, however they are both dark so this is a similarity. They are also similar in the way that both films are aimed at teenagers and include teenage actors/actresses. Another similarity is the main location is their college.

In our film there is an equal amount of male and female characters who are all in their teenage years and come from similar middle class white British families. Gender is represented in a stereotypical way throughout most of our film, however the scene stated above shows that for a short period of time Stacey’s character Alexis breaks the stereotype.

Our product could be produced by a major Hollywood studio because a major Hollywood studio would be able to afford the equipment and resources needed to make our film look more realistic. Our film is similar to the film Scream, as both our film and Scream’s main story line involves teenagers being stalked in college.

I don’t think our film would be an art house film because I think our film would appeal to a large number of people. I think our film would be shown in the cinema first then released onto DVD, then later released onto blue ray and then finally shown on analogue TV. As our film has multiple endings it gives the audience the opportunity to see the film on more than one occasion, which would result in us making more money.

I think our film target audience is anyone who is over 18 years old, but mainly between the ages 18 to 25. I think this because some of the scenes are inappropriate for under 18 year olds and also the characters in the film are in this age range so it would be easier for an audience with an age range of 18 to 25 to relate to the characters situations. I think our film would appeal to equal numbers of males and females because I think females could relate to Stacey’s character breaking the stereotype and defending my character, Amelia. Whereas the male audience could relate better to a simpler character like Amelia, who lives up to the stereotype by being very stereotypical and running away screaming. I think the most appropriate classification for our film would be an 18 because the weapons we use are quite easy to get hold of, bad language is use throughout the film and there are various violent fight scenes. www.bbfc.co.uk

As I have previously stated the target audience for our film is people aged from 18 to 25. Many people in this age group will still be at college, the characters in our film are hunted and attacked in college so therefore the audience will be able to put themselves in the characters shoes and realize that this could happen to them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaraRs35PyY We asked a small group of people what they thought of our film, the hyper link is above. One negative comment we got was that our title sequence was all white text on a black background and they found this a little boring and not very interesting.This would be something we would look at if we were given this assignment to do again. On a positive note one of the people we interviewed said that they liked the music we put over our film as it fitted in well with what was happening on screen.

For internal shots we used a Sony HDV 1000 camera as we have not used this type of camera before we had a few problems with it to start with, one of these problems was we managed to successfully assemble the equipment, however when it came to taking the tripod down we had a bit of difficulty, we overcame this problem quickly and easily by asking for help. As we hadn’t used this type of camera before we have developed new skills that will help us in the future. For external shots we used a JVC DV camcorder we had used this type of camera before in our previous preliminary task, so therefore our entire group felt confident using this equipment. To edit our film we used finale cut express, as we had not used this software before we had to learn how to use it. I personally found it quite difficult to use to start with however with more practice I feel more confident using this software.

For our film we had to do research into the genre and understand the classification of films doing this research helped us develop a better understanding of what kind of things we needed to include in our film. Also doing this research made it a lot easier for us to produce our film, as we already knew what shots we needed, where they needed to be shot, who was going to be on the shot and who was going to be behind the camera etc. from our preliminary task we gained a better understanding of continuity this was because in our preliminary task we thought we had shot everything fine but then when we came to edit it, it wouldn’t edit together properly because in some of shots we had a door open then in other shots the door was closed. I have improved my understand of shot types and where they should be used because on our preliminary I was mainly on screen so therefore I didn’t really get much opportunity to film. Whereas on this film I am not on screen as much which gave me the opportunity develop my camera skills.

Analysis of Scream

BY Rachael Booth

Analysis of Scream

The title sequence starts with an advertisement of Miramax Home Entertainment then another one for Dimension films. The word Scream then appears in white capital letters on a black background, firstly the letters fill the screen then they close into the centre of the screen in a moderately sized text as they do close together you hear a banging noise. Then the text goes red and you hear a screaming noise and another bang and the text then vanishes. The first shot that appears on screen is a close up shot of telephone. The first character to appear is a female character dressed in a feminine jumper and white tracksuit bottoms in a medium close up shot. The female character then answers the phone and has a very feminine sounding voice in contrast to the voice on the other end of the phone which is deeper and masculine sounding. The voice on the other end of the phone then asks who their speaking to then the female character presumes that it’s a wrong number and puts the phone down. She then turns and walks away from the phone, the phone then starts to ring the female character then turns back round looks at the phone, then we get a close up shot of the telephone, then the camera cuts back to the female character. This is an example of an eye line match which is used to help the audience see what the actors on screen are seeing. The lighting is artificial and mainly background lighting. The camera then moves to a low angle shot looking up at some trees outside the house. Outside the house it’s night time. The camera then shows a close up of a gas hob being lit. The phone then rings again and it’s the same deep, masculine voice as before. The female character then walks round the house and picks some books up from the kitchen table and walks to the front room while she’s still on the phone. Things then get a little bit creepy when the voice says “I want to know who I’m looking at” the females voice then gets quieter she then looks outside and hangs up the phone. She then walks away from the window, the phone rings again however the female character quickly puts down the phone. The female character then answers the phone again and shouts at the voice on the other end, but the voice on the other end sounds angry and threatens the female character, the music then comes in and gets gradually more intense. The female character then runs to the door and locks it, she then looks out of a glass pain on the door and we (the audience) see the path (eye line match). She then hangs up the phone and begins to cry and scream. There is then a knock at door. The phone rings again and the voice on the other end shows tells the female character to look on to the patio she then sees her boyfriend tied to a chair bleeding, with a head wound. We see her boyfriends face in close up shot which then zooms out into a medium shot. She then turns the patio lights off and crouches down. The voice on the phone then tells her to play a game is she answers the questions correctly her and her boyfriend will live however is she answers incorrectly they will die. Her voice quite and tear full. She pleads with the voice on the phone to stop. She answers the first question correctly however this was a warm up question, she then gets the next question wrong and begins to scream and shout down the phone. The camera then cuts to her boyfriend out on the patio there’s very little lighting except some background lighting. The female character then turns the patio lights on and we get a medium shot of her boyfriend bleeding to death. She then crouches down again and listens to the next question, then a chair gets thrown through the patio window and she runs to the kitchen and picks up a knife and hides outside the house. The camera cuts to inside the house and we see a human like figure in the house in black clothing wearing a mask. Then the camera cuts to a car in the distance in a long shot. The music is getting gradually more intense. The female character then turns round and sees the figure behind her they struggle for a while then the figure starts chasing her as she heads for the car. The figure catchers her and stabs her once then the knife comes up and we get a close up of it showing it to the audience covered in blood. She then gets stabbed again as we see too people entering the house. The camera then cuts to the people in the house and there shouting for “Casey” there searching gets more and more frantic, and the female character trys crawling to the house however the figure grabs her and drags her away. The camera then cuts to the people in to house holding on to a phone and they can hear a breathing noise like there’s someone on the other end the camera then cuts back to female character being dragged away with the phone in her hand.

Filmed Questionnaire by Stacey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaraRs35PyY

The Final Product

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjU18tews0k

Storyboard

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Ideas by Rachael, Stacey, James and Scott

Analysis - The Hills Have Eyes by Stacey

The title sequence of “The Hills Have Eyes” introduces the cause behind the horror. There is a small amount of text, telling us that there were many nuclear bombs set off in this particular place in America, and that the government will still not admit to this being the cause of the deformities in the surrounding areas. We are first shown some men in suits testing for radioactivity with Geiger Counters in the desert. They are then attacked by a man with a pick, whose face we do not totally see. There are then images of nuclear bombs, mushroom clouds and buildings being blown away by the shockwaves. In between these images, we are shown distorted pictures of people with deformities, most likely caused by the radiation. We are then introduced to a creepy-looking man shouting “Ruby”. He gives up and goes back to his petrol station where we are introduced to a family who are travelling to California and looking for directions.

The camerawork in the opening sequence is, at first very smooth and drawn out. This makes the viewer feel more relaxed and unprepared for the action that is about to occur. There are lots of shots from behind things so that we cannot totally see what is happening. For example, when the final man in the radiation suit gets killed, we are shown this from behind a rock which lets the audience create their own pictures of what is happening. We are shown point of view shots from the people in the suits so that we can feel more connected to the characters and we can experience more of what they can see. When we are shown the images of the bombs, the camerawork is very steady and we can clearly see what happens. This changes, however, when we start seeing the images of the people with deformities when the camera become shaky and the images become quite hard to see. Once we are introduced to the family, the camerawork is very smooth so that we can clearly see the people in the shots. However, when we see the red coat being stolen, the camera becomes unbalanced to show that there is something about to happen. When the boy is in the toilet, we have a point of view shot of the cabin, and he is looking around a lot because he is panicked about the things that are in the cabin. Once he sees the girl looking at him, the camera jumps as he does, exaggerating his point of view.

At first, the editing of the film is slow; we just have a slow shot of a stream in the desert and the men looking at their Geiger Counters. The editing becomes quicker as the men are attacked and keeps getting faster until the last man is killed. These are all straight cuts between shots. When we see the bombs going off, some of the images are in black and white, others in colour; these are also straight shots. When the images of the people with deformities are shown the pictures are distorted and the shots are very shaky and quick, so that the viewers cannot totally see what is being shown, which will scare them more. When the man is introduced, the shots are very smooth to contrast with his appearance. When he meets the family, the shots are all medium lengths, with mixtures of close-ups, medium shots and long shots.

The music at the beginning is a very ominous orchestral piece which creates an eerie feel to the opening of the movie. The music becomes more dramatic as the men are attacked and we can hear the sounds of them screaming and the pick going through them. During the images of the bombs, there is a western-type song playing that sounds creepy in this context. The petrol station is introduced with the sound of clinking glasses and the pig. When the man is looking for Ruby, there is very little diegetic sound which shows the silence that is facing the man. The family are very noisy when they arrive. The teenagers argue, the parents argue and the young couple’s baby is crying. This covers the noise when the small child steals the red coat and we hear her sadistic childlike giggling and heavy breathing.

The mise-en-scene of this film particularly scares the viewers. In the beginning, there is a lot of smoke on screen in the desert, which creates an ominous feel. The men who are attacked are holding a lot of technical equipment which gives the film a futuristic effect. The first killing we see is of the scientists and this is with a pick axe which is a brutal weapon to be used. The bombs that go off show what caused all of the radiation, and therefore the thing that causes what happens in the film. The setting of the petrol station is secluded, and gives the whole scene an uncomfortable atmosphere. The barbed wire that is around the desert is twisted and broken which could suggest that something has escaped. The fact that the man is holding a gun as he is in the desert shows that he knows that there could be danger. When he is at the petrol pump, there is a sign on the wall that says not to smoke near the pumps, but he has a cigar in his mouth which shows that he doesn’t care much for rules. The pig that the teenagers find is very random and could mean that the man may have some mental issues. The cabin that Bobby goes in is dark, dingy and has things in it that we cannot properly see and that could be anything. When the woman goes into the station building to bring back the dog, she uncovers things that we have already seen; stolen goods, a wallet and a human ear in a takeaway box.

The characters in the opening of this film are obviously scientific people as they know how to use the equipment they have. They are dressed in radiation-proof clothing that covers their face, so that we cannot identify who they are. They also seem to be naïve about what could happen to them while they are out in the desert as they do not know what to do when the man with the pick starts to come after them. The person who is covered in blood is not a character that is on screen for long, but he gives the viewers a sense of what is going to happen to the scientists. The man who kills the people in the suits is a scary character who is not totally shown, which also makes him more mysterious, although we can see enough of him to know that there is something not right about his appearance. The man who owns the petrol station is at first shown in a dim light to make him also look like a mysterious person. He is dressed in scruffy looking clothes, has a dirty beard and doesn’t look to be healthy. The family seem to be an average American family. The mother is dressed in nondescript clothes and is shown to be having a subtle argument with her husband; someone who misses his job because he is wearing a police cap and we find out that he used to be a detective. The teenagers are dressed in casual clothes and seem to have a typical brother - sister relationship – always fighting. The eldest child, is trying to make her husband relax, because he is getting wound up about the fact his wife’s parents hate him. We partly see the character of a little girl stealing a red coat. This character could be Ruby and the red coat could help to identify her later on in the film.

http://www.megavideo.com/?v=YT9TP95K

Evaluation by Scott

1. Our film is a teen/slasher horror, which normally involves a group of teenagers attacked by a serial killer. This is the case in our film as a group of teens in college after hours are hunted by a mysterious killer. The film begins with a girl walking down a path at night, and unbeknownst to her she is being stalked by the killer. You get a point of view shot of the killer as he watches her from behind some trees. This is done to make you feel as if you're in his shoes and make you wonder who it is watching her. This is done in a lot of teen horrors. In most teen horrors the males are dominant and the females very passive, this is not the case in ours as the females have more personality and have a larger part in the story, so incomparison to other teen horrors ours is not stereotypical. What makes our horror a 'teen slasher' horror is the fact that it has a lot of the things that define a teen slasher. Such as, groups of teenagers, a killer, knives, blood etc. Our film has a lot in common with the film Scream, such as the mysterious killer and a goup of teens. But it also has multiple endings like the film Paranormal Activity.

2. The main social group represented in our film is gender, in which two females take the lead roles. Unlike most stereotypical horrors, where the females tend to scream and run awaythe females in ours have a more powerful role andchallenge the killer. All of our characters are teenagers (another social group). Unlike gender, teenagers are represented the same sa they do in all teen horrors. This helps attract an audience for women because it shows that they are strong and none passive by challenging the killer, who is male.

3. I wouldn't say our film would be distributed by a Hollywood studio, nor do I think it would be a small budget film. It would fall into the middle of the two. It shares a similarity with most teen horrors such as Scream; I know what you did last summer, urban legend etc. The film would start as a cinema release. After it had made enough money there it would be released on DVD and Blu-Ray. It would not be an art house film. Although there isn't much merchandise from this film such as toys etc it has the possibility for a sequel or spoof.

4. I would give this film a 15 certificate because it gives more people the chance to watch it at the cinema or buy the DVD, although it may be given an 18 as it has strong language, references to suicide and a lot of 'easy to get' weapons. The target audience is people from the ages of 15-25, although people of other ages will still enjoy it. Our film is similar to Paranormal Activity as they both have multiple choice endings. This also helps the income because hopefully more people will go to see the film again just to watch an alternate ending. The target audience would be for both male and females as mostly males would want to watch it for the blood, violence etc. but it also appeals to women because it has two women in the lead roles and shows them as been strong by confronting the killer.

5. This film attracts both male and female viewers as it appeals to both. It appeals to males as they want to see lots of voilence and gore and appeals to females because it's shows women as strong and passive. Also, because it is filmed in a college it would attract a lot of teenagers because it's a real life situation in their everyday life so it makes them feel as if it could happen to them. One particular good shot is one of the girls doing their work at a table, as they are doing this a cupboard begins opening behind them and the killer slowly walks out.. So the audience can see him coming out holding his weapon whereas the girls can't because they are focusing on their work. This works well because it makes the audience want to 'jump in' and tell the girls that someone is behind them. It also makes he audience very nervous as they don't know what he is going to do to them. There are also point of view shots from the killer's point of view; this has the effect of putting the audience in the killer's shoes, almost reversing the roles, andgiving the audience the power that the killer has. It also makes them want to know what he is planning to do next and builds up the suspense. The longer it goes on the more suspense builds up for the audience.

6. The two cameras we used were the Sony HDV 1000 which we used for internal shots and the JVC -DV camcorder which we used for internal shots. The strengths of the Sony HDV 1000 were that it was a lot easier to focus and the manual settings made it a lot easier to get thing in and out of focus. The weakness was that it was big and heavy so it wasn’t easy to carry around. The strengths of the JVC-DV camcorder were that it was only small and very light so it was easy to do different shots from different angles and easier to carry around. The weaknesses were the microphone was poor so we had little control over sound; it was harder to pull focus and was awkward to rest white balance. Overall the filming went smoothly apart from when we didn’t know how to work the camera properly and it was showing in black and white. Also, the group (including myself) weren’t always available to film on the same day as each other. We resolved this by filming what we could together and then filming the other parts separately. To do the editing we used Final Cut Express which is very good and easy to use. For the music we used copyright CDs and chose music that fitted the film from there.

7. We began by storyboarding the 2 minute part of the film, we then wrote the script for the whole film as well as the 2 minute part. By doing this it helped us because then instead of wondering what shot to do when it came to filming we already had an idea and could get it done quicker. The experience has helped me to determine specific shots such as match on action, point of view and the 180 degree line. It has also made me feel a lot more confident using the equipment and software and understanding it. Overall I think the final product is good and worked out really well and we accomplished the task.

Locations by Stacey

This was the location we chose to film the external scenes, because then it is dark, it looks very eerie.

This was the location we chose to film our internal scenes because when we set it up for filming, it had a definite college feel to it which is what we wanted from our project.

Film Title Sequence Analysis- James Lawson

The first 10 minutes of the 2004 film ‘Dawn of the Dead’ contains many features that suggest that the film will be a film from the horror genre.

One of the most obvious is the actual titles, which are written in bold red writing on a black background. Red symbolises blood, which is a prevalent feature in horror films and red is also a colour that represents danger and the black background on which it is written makes it stand out and suggests that danger is imminent.

The sound that runs over the first part of the tiles also adds to the effect. The music is creepy and haunting and makes the audience tense whilst also giving the feeling that any moment, the film will burst into life when the audience is least expecting. Again, this helps create suspense and tension.

Intermittently placed during the fist titles are quickly cut images of terrifying things such as a tortured man which gives the audience a sense of what to come and the quick cuts mean that the audience cannot relax for one second as they are likely to be caught unawares. It is this suspense that creates horror films.

A particular emphasis is put on the word ‘Dead’ in the titles. This reinforces the fact that the film will be about death and death is a subject that almost all horror films focus on and this gives the audience a clue about what will happen eventually in the film and that they should not take their eyes off it throughout the film.

Also featuring at the beginning is several minutes of a man talking at regular intervals throughout the titles. The expression on the man’s face is one of a terrified man and this again helps re-emphasise the fact that the film will be scary and that the audience should come to expect sporting the same expression throughout the film.

In addition to this, during one of those scenes, the man is asked a question of whether the villains in the film are dead or alive. His unsure response also adds mystery to the film. Mystery is one of the features that create suspense and the audience just does not know what is coming. This will put the audience on edge throughout the film.

This also allows the audience t relate to the characters as it is clear that neither the audience nor the characters know what will occur in the film and this gives the impression to the audience that they will live through the story along with the characters and this makes them feel part of the story and more in touch with the characters and the characters feelings and emotions.

Stereotypical scenes of horror, such as war and riots are also used and these give an idea to the audience that graphic scenes will be used throughout the film and that the films producers have taken no prisoners in the creation of the film and the film will be genuinely scary.

Explosions also present during the title sequences show that the film could ‘erupt’ at any moment, transforming the film from being merely haunting to genuinely terrifying. Again, this will create suspense amongst the audience and the explosions of the red titles result in the titles dripping from sight. This is to represent blood and to show that during the film, there will be bloodshed and scary moments that contain a certain amount of gore.

Overall, the combination of colours, characters and cutting techniques set the audience on the road through an extremely scary film and the first few minutes set the scene and makes the audience tense and gripped on the film already.

Film Evaluation- James Lawson

Our film incorporates the generic conventions of horror films as we have included classic horror features such as dark rooms and eerie surroundings. The first scene involves a girl walking down a dark pathway at night. The dim lighting produces a blurred effect on the girl which increases the mystery of the film and also creates suspense. We have chosen not to be influenced by specific films but have rather borrowed from the genre of horror as a whole and used some of the classic conventions associated with that genre. The genre of our film is horror-thriller. The horror in the film comes from the murderous part of the film, with one of the main characters being a murderer who aims to kill two of the other characters. The thrilling element to it comes from the suspense that is created in the moments leading up to the climax of the film, such as when the murderer is creeping out of the cupboard. This will make the audience tense and nervous as well as shocked and scared during the film and justify its tag as a horror thriller. Our film develops the typical horror conventions by combining the tell tale signs of horror such as dimly lit places, a dark dressed villain and girls being portrayed as the weaker characters. However, as there is no actual ‘hero’ present in our film, we are challenging the conventions by putting an interesting and sinister twist in the film that is unlike many other horror-thrillers.

The social groups that are represented in our film could be construed as being stereotypical. As all the characters are students, the film portrays them to be slightly more vulnerable than if the characters were fully grown adults. Although, students and teenagers usually have no physical or mental disadvantage compared to adults but it is widely perceived that teenagers and students lack power and are therefore weaker and more vulnerable. Females are also stereotyped as being weak and vulnerable in our film. This is another common view that females are just not as strong as males and whilst having an element of truth to it, the notion is still stereotypical and in our film we do nothing to try to rebel against the stereotype. The use of camera shots such as high angle shots show these vulnerable stereotypes by making the characters who are perceived as vulnerable, small and weak.
However, the use of students is necessary due to the fact that students are the target audience of our film. Students will not be rushing to buy tickets to see a horror film containing 4 middle age people whilst they will be much more interested in a film that they can relate to the characters in.


Our film would be produced by a Hollywood studio as they would be able to use their significant resources to both enhance and promote the film. Our film would benefit from more expensive and better quality lighting as the lighting on the film is slightly blurry at times although it does fulfill the requirement of being dark and dim. Better quality lighting could mean that we could focus the lighting from one specific direction rather than having to sacrifice other vital light to make the rooms dark. As discussed earlier, our film is an idea that has the potential to become a big earner due to the unusual step of not having a conventional hero in the film. This makes it like no other film and has the potential, with the backing of a Hollywood studio, to become a big hit. This unique selling point in our film is also likely to attract Hollywood studios that would be prepared to pay big money for the idea as the return would also be quite large. A time after the release in the cinemas, the film could be released on TV on a mainstream TV channel due to the fact that after the initial opening in the cinema, the film would have developed a reputation as being different and therefore a must see film and would be a popular film already by the time it came on TV. Being on TV would also broaden its audience to those who for one reason or another cannot get to the cinema to watch the film.
In my opinion, the film does offer opportunities for merchandising as the film is aimed at students who are the people most likely to buy products having been influenced by something such as a film. Fake weapons such as the ones used in our film could be sold as could the more conventional merchandise such as t-shirts and hats. If one of the actors in the film also becomes popular, the studio could tap into that market and get that actor to endorse the products which would make people much more likely to buy the products.

As discussed briefly above, our target audience would be students and teenagers. This is due to the fact that the actors who star in the film are also of that age and the audience would be able to relate themselves to the characters. As the film contains actors and actresses, both sexes will be attracted to the film and we have tried to make it as universal as possible and having both males and females in the film will give our target audience a much wider spectrum. Other films that are similar to ours are films such as ‘Silence of the Lambs’ and ‘Dawn of the Dead’. These films also attract a teenage, student audience and although we have not copied or imitated the films, we have drawn upon the horror conventions featured in films such as these. Our audience research, which included a questionnaire, suggested that horror films are popular with teenagers and this supports our decision to make teenagers our prioritised target audience. The results also show that a twist in the plot, as our film contains, would make the audience more likely to watch the film as it differs from other horror films and is unique.

I believe that a certificate of 15 would be suitable for our film as there are no graphic scenes in the film that would require the film to have an 18 certificate. A certificate of 15 would also allow the majority of our target audience to view the film. A certificate of 18 on the other hand would prevent the majority of our target audience from viewing the film, which in turn would affect the viewing figures for the film.
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/

To attract our audience, we promoted the fact that teenagers were staring in the film and that our film was made using research from teenagers. This gives the film a tailor made for teenagers appeal to it and can make the audience feel self important and more likely to watch the film.
We have used point of view shots in the film to give the audience a feel that they are in the film themselves and this allows the audience to relate themselves to the characters even more. They are allowed a very up close view of the action and this can increase the tension and suspense in the film.
An example of this if towards the end of our clip is when one of the characters is knocked to the floor. A point of view shot of that character follows and gives the impression that that character is vulnerable and this can make the audience also feel vulnerable and scared.
During the filming process, we have learnt about many types of equipment and how they are suited to different tasks. To film, we used both a SONY HDV1000 and a JVC DV Camcorder and we found both strengths and weaknesses in both pieces of equipment. The larger SONY camera is the better quality of the two in terms of picture quality and this is the camera we used to film the majority of our shots. Its average sound quality and bulkiness lets it down in that respect. The polar opposite of the SONY is The JVC camera which is extremely small and portable but is let down by average picture quality and as a result we deemed it only suitable for the outside shot in the dark. The cameras for the most part, apart from the point of view shots, were placed on tripods. Both tripods that we used were capable of doing the job efficiently, both remaining stable on numerous footings. The ability to adjust the height was also of use to us as it made it easier to change the angle of the camera quickly in anticipation of the high and low angle shots.
During filming, the biggest problem we faced was altering the setting on the SONY camera for it to adapt to different levels of lighting. We resolved this problem by enlisting the help of our teacher and now we are fully competent at adapting the settings to the lighting. To edit the film, we used Final Cut Express on the Apple Macs. This software enhanced our film as it made it easy to cut the film shots to the exact millisecond, something that is very difficult to do without this software. Using Final Cut Express also allowed us to create the titles for the film,

The preliminary task we undertook before the main project has helped us create our film clip. It enabled us to plan out the shots efficiently, without the need to film anything we knew we wouldn’t need which cut down on the time we needed to produce the film and helped up become more efficient. It also taught us to film our shots in order which makes it easier to edit as the shots can be imported in order which again saves time.
How to use different shots was also something we picked up from the preliminary exercise. Basic rules such as the 180 degree rule were adhered to by us and this helped us create a better film. As discussed earlier, having been taught how to use the cameras we are much more familiar and comfortable with the equipment. Being comfortable with the equipment allowed us to spend more time filming rather than setting up the equipment;
Overall, I feel our product fulfills the task. Our film challenges the conventions and this creates a unique product that would be successful if it was ever produced by a Hollywood studio. Our aim was to create something different from you average horror film, and I believe that through our product, we have achieved our goal.

Below is a video that contains a sample of our target audience evaluating and giving feedback on our film.

A few comments that they made are as follows;

• The music used was good
• Some of the acting was good
• The titles were all in black and white and not interesting to watch
• The dramatic climax worked really well
• The team worked well together
• The film was well edited


The full video of our target audience evaluation is below;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaraRs35PyY

Evaluation by Stacey

1
Our film includes several generic conventions. For example, in the opening scene, it is night-time, which opens a lot of films. The female characters are also conventional, because they are typical, feminine teenagers who are naïve about their situation. We also have a villain who hides his identity with a scarf, which happens in a lot of horror/thriller films.

In our film, we challenge conventions by allowing the killer to have some sort of connection with the girls. In some parts of the film, the actor playing the killer will be shown as a friend to the girls and also trying to defend them. We also make the person who is seen as friend from the beginning as actually being a dangerous enemy in one of the endings. Another convention that we challenge is that the girls will have personalities. In a large proportion of horror films, the main girls are bland and brainless which makes their demise less exciting. In our film, the girls will be portrayed as strong women.
The weapons used in our film will indicate that it is in the slasher genre because there will be knives and other such objects used to attack the characters. These weapons will cause stereotypical horror injuries and deaths. The motives for these injuries are typical teenage issues; being shown up at school or in the wrong place at the wrong time which shows that it will mostly be aimed at age 18. The characters are everyday teenagers in circumstances that aren't ordinary. The killer will be a stereotypical horror monster.
Our film was partly influenced by "Paranormal Activity", and the idea of multiple endings. We used this idea so that people would talk about the film, and so that people would also, hopefully, see the film again to watch another ending.
In the opening of our film, we are introduced straight away to the main characters in the story. We also have the location shown and the time of day. In the opening to "The Hills Have Eyes", we are shown seemingly random images of nuclear bombs, mushroom clouds and deformed people. Even though these things are connected, they don't seem relevant to the film. In the beginning of our film, we are introduced to the villain. In "The Hills Have Eyes", we don't see any people who could be the villain, just some people being massacred by an unseen character.

2

The social groups represented are middle-class, white-British teenagers, both male and female. The male characters are shown to be dominant over the female characters, and are shown as violent and aggressive through attacking the girls and each other. However, Alexis is shown to be willing to stand up to these characters as she pushes the person strangling her friend out of the way to give her a chance to escape. This makes the female characters seem to have temporary power over the male characters and show them to be defensive and protective, breaking the stereotype. Amelia is shown to be a more stereotypical female character as she lets Alexis fight, while she escapes. She is shown as a more passive character. This links to the target audience by the male viewers seeing the male characters fight, but also letting the female viewers see the female characters stand up for each other.

3
This film could be produced by a Hollywood Studio. The company could add special effects to the film to help make the film seem more realistic. They could also produce sets with proper lighting equipment to make the atmosphere of the film more exaggerated. The props and costumes would also be more realistic and up-to-date to fit in with the time that the film is set in. This would help to sell the film as it would make the film similar to a film like "Scream" which was immensely popular. I think that at first, the film would be released in the cinema, then DVD and Blu-Ray, then digital TV and finally regular analogue TV. I don't think that it would be an Art House film, because it is not a specialist-type film with a niche audience. My film would be released because I think that films like this tend to do well in the box office. It also gives opportunities for merchandising with things like stills from the film or photos of the characters for posters and calendars. There could also be badges and key rings with quotes from the film on them, t-shirts with the cast on and possibly things like mouse mats that could sell well.

4
The narrative of the film and the style that it is, I would say that this film is for anyone over the age of 18, because of the frightening narrative and the fact that there is graphic violence and gore, making the film unsuitable for viewing by people aged under 18. This film would also appeal to viewers of films like "Scream" because of the similarities between the stories. For example, the characters in both films are young people trying to save their own lives. I think that the classification that would be the most appropriate to my film would be 18, because most of the weapons that are used are easy to get hold of, there will be graphic violence, bad language and possibly references to suicide.

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/

5

To attract the audience, I considered what my audience was. Because the film is mostly aimed at people aged 18, I thought about which things appeal to people of that age. In the film there is a teenage cast, which would scare the viewers because of the similar age that the viewers are to the characters. The location could also scare viewers because a lot of 18 year olds will be at college, which is where most of the action takes place, giving the audience the feeling that this could happen to them. In the opening two minutes of the film, we have point-of-view shots which help the audience to connect with the characters by seeing what they can see, and putting themselves in their position. We have a point of view shot of the villain as he looms over Alexis. This has the effect that when the audience sees this, they will see themselves as the victim and feel what the victim is feeling.

6 The camera equipment that we used was suitable for the tasks that we had to do. For the internal shots, we used a Sony HDV1000 camera. These cameras are easier to focus and the manual settings give you more control over the image that you end up with. For the external shots, we used a JVC-DV camcorder. These had a good quality image, however with the built in microphone, we had little control over the sound. These cameras were harder to focus and every time we switched it off, we had to reset the white balance which became time consuming.

During the filming process, we didn’t encounter many problems. However, during editing we had trouble finding some important shots but after checking our tape, we managed to find them and capture them onto the software again.

The editing software that we used was Final Cut Express. I thought that this was a good program to use because the controls are simple and effective, and it creates a good quality product. We made a rough cut, refined this cut, manipulated the images and finally added music, effects and titles.

For the music, I had a catalogue of copyright-free CDs that had different styles of music, so this made it easier to choose what music we needed, then choosing which song from the category best fitted our project.

7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaraRs35PyY

In the video is our audience feedback. We took a sample of our target audience and asked them to give us some feedback. The comments we received were mostly positive and I am sure that the negative comments we received, we can use to improve our films in the future. Some of the comments the people we asked gave us are as follows:

- Good editing

-Lots of suspense

-Good choice of music

During the planning stage of our project researched the horror genre and found out the various conventions and the certification system. By storyboarding our film, we were able to use our filming time more effectively and plan out all of the shots that we were going to do and how we were going to edit them. In our project, we used eye-line matches to show the points of view of our characters. We also used the various aspects of continuity, learned in the making of our Preliminary Task, in our film to make sure that everything flowed smoothly and that the story remained consistent. After completing this project, I feel more confident with the equipment and technology I used. I think that this is shown in the work that we have done and in the film itself.

I think that this project was good because I learned a lot about using the equipment and the technology. I think that our time management could have improved because all of our group members were rushing to get things finished. I think that overall, our project was successful because we did what was asked of us in the task, and we completed this to a good standard.

Questionnaire Results by Stacey

Males

Of the males that completed our questionnaire, all of them said that they watch horror films.

The most common type of horror films that they watch is a Thriller with half saying that that watch Thrillers and 1/4 saying that they watch all of the types of horror films that we put as options.

Around 1/4 said that they watch horror films more than once a week.

Roughly 1/4 said that they watch them about once a week.

About 1/4 said that they watch them once a month

the final 1/4 said that they watch horror films once a year.

The most common ways of watching horror films according to the males that completed the questionnaire is going to the cinema and watching them when they come on television.

The second most common way is on DVD/Blu-Ray.

1/2 of the people who did the questionnnaires said that horror films are aimed at all ages.

1/4 said that horror films are aimed at 15-18

the remainder said that they are aimed at 19-21 year olds

Of the stereotypical characters, beautiful but weak women were the most common things that came up. We also got monsters/killers and small creepy children

Half of the males interviewed said that charaters shouldn't go against the stereotype, with the other half saying they should.

Females

Of the females, one person said that they do not watch horror film, with the rest saying they do.

The most common type of horrror film watched by the people surveyed was thriller.

Second place was slasher, followed by fantasy and supernatural.

Most of the people surveyed said that they watch horror films once a month.

We had the most votes for watching horror films on the television, then the cinema, then on DVD.

Most people said that horror films are aimed at people aged 15-18.

Some people said that they were aimed at 19-21 year olds, and some people said that they were aimed at anybody.

We had varying results for what people percieve as the stereotypical characters. We had people suggesting:

A young pretty girl who dies at the beginning and one that survives.

A strong female character

Young teens/couples

Large groups of teens

Monsters/killers

Strong men

A shady character

Most females interviewed said that the stereotype should be broken in some films because "it would be nice to see something different"

Some said that they would like to see the stereotype broken, but not all of the time because it wouldn't always work.

Questionnaire by Rachael, Stacey and James

Which age group do you fit into?

15-18
19-21
22-25
26-30
31-35
36-40

What is your gender?
Male
Female

What is your occupation?



Do you watch horror films?
Yes
No

If no thank you for taking the time to fill in this questionnaire.

If yes what type of horror films do mainly watch?
Thriller
Teen
Slasher
Fantasy
Supernatural
Other (please state)

_______________________________

How often do you watch horror films?
More than once a week
Once a week
Once a fortnight
Once a month
Other (please state)
________________________________


How do you watch horror films?
Cinema
TV
Internet
DVD/Blue Ray
Other (please state)
______________________________________________

What age group do you think most horror films are aimed at?

15-18
19-21
22-25
26-30
31-35
36-40
Other (please state)
__________________________________

What do you think are the stereotypical characters in horror films? (Please state)

_______________________________________________________________
Do you think stereotypical characters should go against the stereotype?
______________________________________________________________

Matthew's Costumes by Stacey

In the beginning, Matthew's clothes are all dark and overing him up. This could not only mean that he is trying to keep his identity hidden, but that he is also hiding some sort of secret.

Throughout the rest of the film, his character will continue wearing dark clothes; mostly black and very dark blues.

Andrew's Costumes by Stacey

Andrew, during the opening two minutes, is again in normal clothes to try to help him blend in with people.

Throughout the film, he will wear dark clothes.

Alexis' Costumes by Stacey

In the opening two minutes of the film, Alexis' costumes are very plain which show that she is an everyday person; not particulary special.

She keeps this ordinary look throughout the film, until closer to the end of the film, when she snaps. She becomes extremely outgoing with her costumes, which matches her new personality.

Amelia's Costumes by Stacey

Amelia's clothes in the opening two minutes of the film are very feminine. These show the girly innocence that comes across when we first meet her character.

As the film progresses and we find out about her secrets, her costumes will get darker, and she will start to wear more red colours.

Cast and Crew list by Stacey

Cast.

Rachael Booth (Amelia Jackson)

Stacey Halpin (Alexis Cooper)

Vash Jezek (Matthew Johnson)

James Lawson (Andrew Varney)

Crew.

Scott Mason (Cameraman)

Rachael, Stacey, James and Scott (Directors)

Stacey and James (Editors)

Props List by Stacey

The main prop that we have in our 2 minute film will be a wire, which will be used as a weapon.

Call Sheet by Stacey

Tuesday 23rd March - 9.00 - 10.30 - Run throughs and practice shots. Honeywell Building, Barnsley College.
Cast: Rachael, James, Vash, Stacey.
Crew: Scott
Props: Wire


Thursday 25th March - 10.50 - 12.20 - Filming the scenes inside. Honeywell Building, Barnsley College. Cast: Rachael, James, Vash, Stacey.
Crew: Scott

Props: Wire

Friday 26th March - 1.30 - 4.15 - Filming the rest of the shots that we didn't manage to do on the 25th. Honeywell Building, Barnsley College.

Cast: Rachael, James, Vash, Stacey.

Crew: Scott

Props: Wire

6.00 - 7.15 - Filming the opening dark scene. Honeywell Building, Barnsley College.

Cast: Stacey

Crew: Rachael, James, Scott (absent)

Shooting Script by Rachael and Stacey

Treatment 2 by Stacey, James, Rachael and Scott

Treatment 2
Duration - 103 minutes
Synopsis:
In the beginning of the film, the girls are found and almost killed by Vash. Stacey gets a bruise on her face from being thrown into banisters which Vash then uses as a mark to find the girls. We find out that Vash is trying to kill the girls because he caused an accident that killed someone. He wants to kill the girls because they witnessed the accident and he wants to stop them from reporting him to the police. We also find out that one of the girls was forced to kill and bury someone which made her a little insane. She was forced to stab him a certain number of times and whenever she sees the number 47, she has vivid flashbacks of when she killed him. She also sees the person she stabbed around her and sees an image of her face covered in tears and blood. This is the back story to Rachael's insanity. The main plot will be the girls trying to escape from Vash, who will be killing every peson that the girls love, and James helping the girls to try and keep away.
Ending 1 - James is the person Rachael killed and is a figment of her imagination. Vash was also the person who made Rachael kill James.
Ending 2 - Vash corners the girls and there is a huge violent murder scene where one of the girls gets killed by being impaled on a smashed window. The other girl & James get out alive. they hide out and escape, however...James almost kills the other girl, who kills him first, as he is secretly in league with Vash and has been leading the girls to him.
Ending 3 - Vash isn't actually the killer. It is Stacey trying to kill Vash for what he did to her friend - he showed her up in front of the school and made her depressed - Stacey violently kills him but goes a bit crazy and almost kills Rachael and James.

Character Profile by Scott

Name: Matthew Johnson

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Played By: Vash Jezek

Occupation: Student

Info: He has a dark and evil personality and no remorse for anything he does. He has serious psycological problems due to a large number of traumatic experiences in the past. He is a mysterious character and very little is known about him, even through the film. He is a lonely person and has no friends, he has always found it hard to be around people. The other students at school don't see him at all - as if he is just invisible.

Character Profile by Rachael

Name: Amelia Jackson

Gender: Female

Age: 16

Played By: Rachael Booth

Occupation: Student

Info: Amelia is a bright, bubbly, outgoing kind of girl. She enjoys doing stuff with her friends and lives by the motto "Live every day to the full, you never know what's round the corner". However, she has a hidden secret which makes it hard for her to let people get close to her. The only person she has let in is Alexis, which makes Amelia feel like they have to be inseparable. She finds it hard being by herself, as the times when she's alone, she fears about her past, and her future.

Character Profile by James

Name: Andrew Varney

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Played By: James Lawson

Occupation: Student

Info: Andrew is quiet and hard-working and is perceived to be a good friend. However, beneath the surface he is calculated, thoughtful and capable of devious acts. He has a history of underachieving in school and always being in the shadow of more talented pupils. This fires a jealousy of others. He also posses a mischievous side, mostly as a plea for attention. and this results in the immature jokes he plays on others.

Film Certificates by James

Certificates-

U- Universal

PG- Parental Guidance

12A- Those under 12 can view if accompanied by an adult

12- No-one under 12 can view

15- No-one under 15 can view

18- No-one under 18 can view

R18 (Restricted 18)- Must have a license to show

These certificates are given by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)