Props

Props was a tricky part to consider when planning my film. Since I changed my film idea in the planning stage it was tricky for me to decide what props to use. I then brain stormed some of the stereotypical items you would expect in a horror film. Some of the ideas I came u with were, Knife, doll, eye, gun and mask. I found however that using a mask wasn't going to be a good idea as I didn't feel that any of the masks were relevant for a devil based film so I decided not to include it. When planning, I had to re-film the eye shot multiple times as it was tricky to get my eye close to the screen without the camera getting very blurry. I found this an issue as the camera found it hard to focus close up but after multiple attempts I got it to focus.

The use of these props are important because they are meant to make the audience confused and wonder what relevance they have to the story. This would be cleared up if this opening was to be turned into a film. Here some of the prop footage that I used within my opening. I filmed more than I used but it is always better to have too many than too little. I also re-filmed some of the shots as I was not happy with them. All of these shots were mine and filmed myself, I did not take them from any copyright free website because I wanted to make my opening as original as possible. When I was looking for props, I was looking for props that were stereo-typically seen as sinister. This is because I wanted to create tension in the opening so people will want to carry on watching my film. My questionnaire results showed that scary horror films are most enjoyable for a 15+ film.

A big factor I had to consider was target market. When filming, I had to take the 15+ audience into account because I have to make sure it is suitable to that specific demographic. 15+ films do not focus on gore or blood. I took this in mind when filming so I didn't focus on blood and gore. This is because if I did, there is a chance my age rating would be increased to an 18. This means my product couldn't be marketed towards my specific target audience. This is why I stuck to sinister clips because I wanted my opening to be tense but without blood and gore.

Editing Diary- Sinister Clips

When it came to editing it involved some trial and error. Some clips required more time than others because some need more concentration. I tried out different lengths for the clips to see which ones needed more viewing time and which didn't.

This picture includes a few of the sinister clips. The clip on the left (The Light) is longer than the clip on the right (The Eye). This is because the light requires more attention as it is turning on where as the right it is just a quick glimpse of an eye.

This is an example of how the sinister clips need to be of different length. I also made all the shots black and white. This is because I feel that colour will make the opening seem less tense. Not having colour also helps with light levels. Some of the shots are filmed on separate days. Bright colours grab the audiences attraction and draws their focus towards it. Taking away the colour helps the audience to focus on the scenery and the camera work.

It took seconds to make the shots all grey-scale but it took time to find the right length for the clips as I didn't want to exceed the 2 minute time limit as the openings have to be under 2 mins.

Editing Diary- Background

This day of editing was reasonably short. This was because I was adjusting the volume of the backing sound effect. When I was speaking I had to lower the volume of the backing.

This took a while because I wanted to make sure that the backing track wasn't too loud but at the same time not too quiet.

I had to adjust the backing volume for the footage because I wanted to make sure the backing track didn't over power the audio.




I also had to fade in the talking because it was very loud when the audio came in so I faded it in so the audio doesn't just start abruptly. This was all the editing that I did this day.

Editing Diary- About the Grove Devil

In my opening, I didn't want to give too much away in terms of the background behind the Grove Devil because I wanted that would have been outlined if I made this opening into a film. For editing, I inserted all four clips of the talking scenes. I then separated the sound from the clip. This is because as I was talking about the Grove Devil, I wanted the audience to see my journey getting to the woods and also to see me talk to the camera. This is because I wanted the opening to feel more personal. This direct address makes the audience feel involved. The cut to the street while I am

talking also allow the characters to feel like they are with me on the journey.

These two shots are screenshots from my talking about the Grove Devil scene. The sound volume had to be edited because it was quite quiet. I had to increase the audio volume and decrease the backing sound effect to make my lines clear when I am talking about the Grove Devil. This is because those lines are very important to the story as they explain who the Grove Devil is and where he is going. Without this information, people would be unsure on why I am going to the woods.

I also had to cut the footage about halfway because I needed the camera to switch from the street to my face because I wanted my face to be included while I deliver the dialogue because I wanted it to feel more personal while addressing the audience. This was because I wanted to add more verisimilitude so that the audience can feel empathy for the character as he goes into the woods alone.

Editing Diary- Logos

My first day of editing was the April 1st. In this session, I worked on putting both production logos in with the backing track. I started by inserting both production logos at the start. I then added in a black picture in between because I wanted it to fade to back between the production logos. I then added in the text over the top of the clip. 

I wanted the a candle for a production because the candle burns because it represents time passing by that cant be taken back. I came up with the Candle Light productions as I was filming a candle. Candles obviously produced light so I thought Candle Light Productions would be a suitable name for this production company. I also wanted to make the logo simple so it is easy for audiences to remember my productions.

The second production logo I had trouble with. I wanted to film a clock time lapse. This is similar to the candle in the sense that it represents time passing by quickly. I tried to film my own time lapse of the clock. After trying multiple times however I was unable to get the time-lapse to be fluent.

I filmed it multiple times but I couldn't get it to spin fast enough so I started looking on a copyright free website of a clock time-lapse. I ended up finding a Clock time-lapse on YouTube that was Copyright free. I then used the footage as a production logo and edited the sound and text over the clock. I made sure it was copyright free as no copyright footage is not permitted in my opening. As you can see the clock is similar to my clock. This is why I chose to use this clock footage because it was similar to my own.

Schedule

When I was planning my Opening. It was very hard to plan the time for shooting because I planned to film my opening in the evening. This soon became a problem as lots of footage had to be re-filmed as on certain days it was darker on others. I filmed on multiple different days to record the footage due to light levels.

The schedule is as follows:

March 10th- I filmed the two scenes that involved me talking about the Grove Devil.

March 15th- I then filmed myself walking towards the doll

April 1st- I then started on my candle production logos

April 2nd- I started editing my footage of me talking about the Grove Devil.

April 8th- I edited the production logs and added the backing

April 9th- I filmed myself running down the path

April 15th- I then filmed myself with the hand of the Grove Devil.

April 16th- I had finished editing the short sinister clips in with the heartbeat sound effect as well as the cannon sound.

April 17th- I re-filmed the run in the woods because the brightness was a lot darker than the other shots. Once I added that shot in, I just had to shorten a few shots.

April 18th- I finished all the editing and exported my opening.

As you can see in the schedule, I had problems with light levels. Unfortunately, predicting light levels in the evening is unpredictable. I knew this may be an issue when planning but I wanted to film in the evening.

Textual Analysis

This is a textual analysis that I wrote about Donnie Darko.

The first shot is a shot at 45 degrees. This represents that Donnie is a bit confused and different to everyone else and shows us that he feels a bit mixed up and confused with certain things. It is also in a low angle position which also suggests he is quite powerful and seems fearless of school and has a sense of security.

This is a long shot ad displays the background clearly. This is effective because it displays the school and you can see the flowers to the left and we get the idea that this is a safe and a nice learning environment and by having the camera at a low angle, it shows that the certain people seen in this shot look ore powerful and bold which shows us that these characters seem more important as the camera is mostly focused on them.

The camera is a close up and we can see Donnie and his friends in this scene. This is a good shot type because we can see Donnie positioned in the middle with his friends around him so we feel like he is the main person and a sort of ‘leader’ who shows us he is more important. We can also see their facial expressions in this shot and their friends are smiling and look smug which gives us the impression that they are the cool group of friends and we feel like they are very important.

This shot is a medium shot because we can see the character and we can also see the background and the people surrounding him. By the look on his face, he looks like he is pulling a stupid face which makes us think he is a bully or a ‘class clown’ The camera shot is about eye level and it makes the audience feel that they are the ones that are looking at him and feel like we are there and the ones that receive the silly look. The camera is closest to Seth and focuses on him which makes us feel like he is an important character and is going to have an involvement with Donnie at some point during the film.

From this scene, we can see a medium shot looking at Ms Farmer. The camera is eye level with her and we feel like we are the ones that she is looking at and walking past her. We see her holding some kind of book which is called: ‘Attitudinal Beliefs’. She has got it to her chest which makes us feel like she really likes/loves the certain document she is holding. When we see her face we see widened eyes and feel like she is staring at us which makes us feel like she is a mean or stroppy character and makes us feel like she is some sort of hated character.

In this scene. It is a close up because we can see her and part of the background. This is an effective shot because It shows her face so when we see her later in the story we recognise her. We can also tell she is very attached to her family because she has a picture of what looks like her brothers In the locker. This tells us there may be family problems and that she may not be very close to her family. This is a zoom shot and this zooms in so we can see the contents of her locker to show us what sort of character she is.

In this scene it is a medium shot because we can see the background as well as the characters. It has to be a medium shot because the Head Master walks past so we need to be able to see Seth and The head Master. In this shot the camera is tracking Seth and makes us feel as if we are the watching him and following him throughout the scene. This is effective because the audience feels as if they are here with him and gives us the impression as to what type of school it is and whether it is a well behaved school or not.

At this specific shot, the camera is panning because as he walks round the corner ad the camera doesn't move, it only turns just like the principle turned round the corner. By the look on the principles face suggests that he is looking out for trouble. We see him walk straight past Seth taking what looks like drugs. This shows us he don’t really care and shows us that he is not a good headmaster as he does not follow the rules and does not care about what the pupils are doing.

In this scene, we see a follow shot because it is as if the audience is walking behind the headmaster and makes us feel like we are following him. We see the head teacher walking towards the door so we feel like he is going outside. 

This shot is a close up because we can see ‘The Mongrel’ and some of the background. It is a huge statue in the school which makes us feel like it is symbolic to the school and we feel like this is the mascot and makes us feel as if this is a very important and treasured object by the school. This shot is a tilt because the camera looks down the monument from top to bottom which is used to show us the whole statue and the people who are sitting below. Then the camera pans because the camera goes side to side to show the people who are sitting on the benches below the school statue.

In this scene, we see people sitting below the statue doing work and reading things. From this we feel like these people are essentially seen as ‘the school nerds’. We see a zoom shot on Chunita which gives us the impression that we will be seeing her at some point in the film. Then the camera tracks because it is as if the audience is walking over towards Ms Farmer. Using tracking shots In a school is one of the best ways to get the impression of the school because by tracking, it makes the audience feel like they are there at the school and see everything that goes on and because we feel like we are there, it gives us a good idea on what the school is generally like and what sort of people attend this school.

This scene is a medium shot because we can see all of the characters in the school. We see Ms Farmer looking at him and smiling which makes us feel like she really likes him and is some sort of big fan. We see the headmaster shaking his hand and because this is a school, we feel like he has something to do with education. This makes us feel like he is going to have some sort of involvement later on in the story and that he is a big part of the story. Earlier on in the scene. We see Ms Farmer holding some sort of book or document of him. This shows us that she is a big fan of him and that he is some sort of fan of him.

In this shot, it is also a medium shot because we can see multiple people within this shot. We can tell that this is some sort of important person because they are all  shaking him and talking to him. By Ms Farmer smiling it gives us the impression she likes him and is some sort of fan about whatever he does.

This scene is a close up and we can only see their shoulders. We can see them staring a each other as they are walking along. Ms Pomeroy is smiling and looking into his eyes. This shows us that there is some sort of romance between the characters and there is some sort of attraction between them. It is effective that they used a medium shot because it allows us to see their facial expressions which show the audience that there is some romance between them by the way they are staring at each other.

This shot is a medium shot as we can only see part of her body. We see her glancing down the playground. This shows us that she is intrigued by something. We she lines on her forehead which suggests that she might be annoyed or shocked by something. We normally connotate them as anger or a sense of annoyance which implies that she might be concerned about something. By the camera movement tracking her, we can really understand what's going on as we can see it as if we were there and in second person as we are seeing her through someone else's eyes.

This is a long shot as we can see their whole body and we see them standing in a line. They are all wearing the same costumes which implies that they are some sort of group/act that dances together. We see Samantha in the middle dancing which makes us feel like she is the most important person and is some sort of leader of her group. This is proven when the camera zooms in on Samantha which implies to us she is more important. This is effective because it shows us who is the most important character in the group.

In this shot we see them high fiving each other which shows us that they are all friends and they all have a good relationship with each other. This shot is also a zoom and centres Samantha which shows her importance and role within the shot. The use of the medium shot is effective because we can see their expressions on their faces so we can tell they are happy and pleased with what they have done.

This shot is also a medium shot because we can see her facial expressions as well as the school 

children within the background.  Her facial expressions show us that she looks a bit upset and annoyed which shows that she is annoyed or upset with something that she is feeling. The camera shot is a tracking shot because we can see her from someone else's point of view and it helps us to understand how she is feeling. 

In this scene it is a long shot because we can see the whole class within a classroom. The teacher is in the centre which emphasises her importance within the scene and shows us that she is a main character. We can see her with glasses on which shows us she is concentrating.

This scene is still a long shot because we can see her whole body. We can see her with glasses looking down at a book which shows us that she is concentrating which shows us that she is focused and switched on ready to teach.