Preliminary task (Miss Georgiou)

For this task my group consisting Ravinder Cheema, James Barry and myself were sent off to film and edit our first ever clip. The clip was to be small and be no longer than a minute long but was to set in place to give a better understanding of our main task to come and allow us a chance to get more familiar with the filming equipment and camera whether being in front of behind it. It also gave us a chance to use an editing programme to give us a greater knowledge on how it works and the steps that go into making the clip. By doing this it should benefit our final clip and main task as we were able to have a test run on the whole process we are about to begin.

For the filming Miss Georgiou put in place a few details our clip had to feature so we had at least a narrative to play around with. It involved filming and editing a character walking and opening a door, crossing the room to join another character, before having a few lines of dialect and exiting the room. This was the only guidelines put in place so the location, cinematography and dialogue content was down to us. However to make our clip as best and professionally we could we all agreed to include as many as we could, however only where appropriate to the shot.

After filming our short clip we then returned to our classroom and uploaded our video content onto the macs. After funnelling through the clips we had shot to ensure the best ones were used we inserted them into the editor and arranged them into order. Once that step had been carried out it was time for us to edit the shots to try and merge them as seamlessly together as possible. To do so we soon realised a lot of the shots needed to be cut accordingly to stop our whole clip becoming one big jump shot. Carrying out this step we realised how hard this step was as we were unfamiliar with the editing software however nearing the end of the task we could all spot where clips needed to be edited or cut further and had a greater understanding of how to make the final product as good as possible as editing, as we found when filming out clip, can make or break a scene.

Group Narrative (Miss Georgiou)

What is the purpose of a narrative?

A clear consistent narrative is put in place before the filming of any film as the director needs to be aware the purpose of the film. It is also important a narrative is put in place for the benefit of the audience as they need to have some understanding of the film before going to see it so they can decide whether it is something they are willing to see and to get a potential audience excited about the storyline of the film. A narrative creates a guideline to follow to ensure all elements are included and to merge everyone's ideas together to ensure the best clip possible is made.

How did you and your group discuss your individual ideas?

Here my fellow team members Ravinder Cheema and James Barry sat around a table and told each other our own personal narratives. We then brain stormed the best aspects and ideas from each film and took it in turns to state what we liked and why and the majority ruled as whether an idea was good enough and we wanted to please everyone in the group and make everyone fell comfortable and happy about what we are soon going to film. To understand what is effective in a thriller genre we first analysed each members narrative and gave them feed back on the positive and negatives of their idea. Anything positive that the group like went on out mind map however we also kept in mind the negatives to ensure we didn't reuse an idea. We then merged all the brain storm together as it gave the best representation of all out group's ideas. This way our final narrative would have influences from each of us to make all of us feel involved.

Ravinder Cheema's narative;

"A Family(which consists of a father, 6 year old son and a 15 year old son) are moving house to their grandfather's house which has been empty since 40 yrs. This is due to their mother's death 2 weeks ago. The 6 year old kid is being haunted by the antagonist from an anonymous background story - 80 years ago there lived a man called Mr Black - school teacher - he was bullied by students a lot as he had a mental disability, which resulted Mr Black becoming psycho - students were missing every month from the school. Once he was caught 7 years later he was hanged in 1970, and thereafter his house was haunted with evil spirits. The father and children don't believe in ghosts or spirits - they hear strange noises, however they always ignore it as they do not pay attention as they are always lost in their thoughts.Until the day comes after 2 weeks, where the unknown Mr.Black has had enough of haunting and spying on these three as he receives no reaction. (The myth is that whoever is scared, frightened and fearful - the bad spirits will always haunt them - The antagonist cannot approach the fearless. After 2 weeks living in the house strange things start to happen - the 6 yr old kid starts becoming afraid of being alone and hearing strange noises. Also, imagining things - he tries to tell his father,  however he neglects him and think it's just because he's lost his mother. However, the 15 year old boy believes his younger brother and tells him not to worry or be afraid as God is on their side( he always wears a cross around his neck - telling his brother to but the 6 year old does not believe in anything as he believes God took away his mother)- due to innocence of the 6 year old he was first target. The boy starts to become afraid being alone - the antagonist can easily frightened the young kid and torture him. Randomly he starts to get knife marks on his body and day by day they get worse - Mr Black is opening up his insides whilst he's asleep  - during the night and the young boy does not realise until he gets up with sharp pains running through his entire body. He does tell anyone as he thought that his father is busy with work, so every night he got this until the fourth day he went to tell his brother but he just  collapsed before his eyes - losing excessive amounts of blood. The father takes him to the hospital, and realises that his 6 year old son has gone into coma. This resulted the young boy lying on his bed everyday - connected to machines - awaiting for him to regain conscious. Mr Blacks students who were trapped in that house forever, tried to warn the 15 year old by telling him the process of what Mr Black does every night and why. So during that night the 15 year old goes into his younger brother's room (fearless as he is aware of Mr Black visiting his brother's room and awaits standing in the corner hidden by the curtain - With the Cross Necklace around his necklace. 0:00am his father walks into the room with a kit in his hand. The remains silent however, when he witnesses his father stabbing and torturing his younger brother, he stands before him and starts to quarrel with his father. However, the 15 year old is not visible. he soon realises that his is possessed as he looked at his eyes and they were huge. The 15 year old goes to meet a priest and brings him home. As soon as the priest enters he feels a sense of negativity and evil vibes. The priest stays a night and prays in the house making sure that Mr Black who possess their father is out of this house and making sure the tortured escape from Mr Black. Once the prayer is done in the house for full 3 nights - the father is free and the 6 year old comes out of his coma and starts to bleed excessively.  The story ends  that the father becomes back to normal but is still suffering from his wife's and now his 6 year old son's death(traumatised thinking he caused his son's death. The 15 year old is left alone looking after mentally disturbed further."

Advantages: Ravinder has shown a good detailed narrative, also there is a understanding of the location which is going to be seen as an unknown location. In typical thrillers, a location change is bound to happen where something evil will begin. The antagonist has also been acknowledged with a typical supernatural spirit.

Disadvantages: Throughout the narrative cinematography, mise-en-scene, soundtrack and editing need to be mentioned or mentioned in further detail, for the other group members to picture the narrative.

James Barry's narrative;

"For my clip i have used inspiration from the Scream films and also the film Prom Night. Three boys come around the corner in slow motion with plastic bags in either hand. There is dramatic music playing. A long shot is used to show them walking down the road. Their is then a cut scene to a house party and a handheld camera angle is used for the first few seconds of this. The three boys then enter the party and a high angle shot shows them coming through the door. There is then quick timing of shots to pick up the pace and show the party advancing. The lights in the party then cut out and their is a reaction shot to show the fear of the people in the party. Hidden identity is then used as we see a masked character. Diegetic screaming is then used as the lights turn on and off. When the lights are turned on permanently there are numerous dead bodies on the floor."

Advantages: The good things about James's individual idea is that there is a wide variety of camera shots. there is use of high angle shots, long shots, handheld shots and close-up shots. there is also a variety of timing of shots. there is also good use of low-key lighting, which is conventional to a thriller film.

Disadvantages: However as the idea is in a party, it would be difficult for the group to organise and film.

My narrative;
The scene starts as a long high angle shot focused on a house. It's night time and you cannot see the rest of the street. This is important as now my film will have a unknown location which makes the audience more naïve to the events that unfold as they are unaware of the surroundings. It shows lots of children arriving at the house and by zooming in through the door using a point of view shot the audience enter the house and see the setting for a little girls birthday party. This scene will put the audience on edge as through entering the house and seeing the fun, happy environment they understand that something is going to go terribly wrong as in a thriller film their is always a shock, surprise and suspense factor and so by opening the scene in a controversial setting it puts the audience on edge and makes the intrigued as it is not a familiar location. The party then begins to unfold before they children decide to play a game leading the mum to bring out a piñata. The little girl, who's birthday it is, goes first and gets a scarf tied around her eyes as a blindfold. As the blindfold goes on we see a last second look at the scene and focus on a bat in her hand which we assumed is going to be used as part of the game. As the blindfold is placed on her properly we return to a point of view shot as the whole screen goes dark just as how the little girl would have seen the room. Sound affects are then used to entice the audience as we hear the piñata get smashed and what is assumingly candy to fall out of the bottom. The little girl then cheers with delight and removes her blindfold. As the camera pans round the room we see all of her guests and family dead on the floor sprawled around the room. The little girl screams and goes to run out the house. Returning to the front of the house where the scene began we hear something drop. As the little girl slowly looks down a knife is shown on the floor and blood is all over the little girls hands. She scans them and realising she had involvement in the murders screams. The shot then zooms out on the house showing the little girl alone and screaming.

Advantages: I have used a wide variety of camera angles to show lots of different view points on the screen. This allows the audience to see more of the events unfold and get a better understanding of the surroundings. I have also used cinematography in the form of a murder weapon. I have used the conventional method of a knife as it relates back to the thriller genre.  

Disadvantages: Again through filming at a party which features so many people it would not be achievable for the group to film. I could have also used more detail in my narrative especially about the characters as without introducing the characters properly the group don't share a connection with the central characters and therefore the effect of the film will be lost on the audience.

Group narrative; A young girl around the age of 16 returns home. She enters the living room and switches on the TV. A news report on the BBC comes on speaking about recent suspicious activity happening in Chigwell. After this she goes into the kitchen and warms ‘something’ up. She places a timer on the microwave for one minute. She glances out the kitchen window and notices the light on in the shed outside. She goes outside to turn it off and as she goes to return to the house it turns back on. A slow back ground music begins to start. Scared she shouts ‘who’s there?’ at the shed. She runs back to the house and locks the back door. Whilst stepping backwards away from the door the audience can then hear her breathing heavy and a heartbeat. The camera is filming from the outside (ghost POV). The timer then goes off on the microwave making her jump and gasp. She looks at the microwave and the timer starts again by itself. She then slams the buttons on the microwave to make it stop but it doesn’t. The radio in the kitchen then turns on and begins to play ‘we’ve only just begun’ by the carpenters. This is off screen sound. However she then looks at the radio and the camera zooms in on it. The time on it then flashes to 00:00. As this happens everything in the kitchen begins to turn on- the taps, ice comes out from fridge, the kettle. The microwave timer then goes off again and resets itself to 30 seconds.  She runs out the kitchen with a knife and all the doors slam. She then tries to open each one but they remain shut.  The door from the kitchen opens slowly. There is a creaky noise. No music just the door opening.  She holds the knife up, aimed towards the door and starts shouting ‘get out my house’ and ‘who are you’.  She runs to the stairs with the camera following her she then gets dragged down them by her leg. The camera then films from the top of the stairs.  She’s then filmed at the bottom of the stairs screaming. The camera looks down and see she’s stabbed herself in the fall.  She removes the knife and begins to drag herself to one of the now open doors.  Just as she reaches it the door slams and she falls back on the floor at the same time and whacks her head. It starts to zoom out showing her laying on the ground bleeding before jump cutting to an extreme close up of her eyes opening to end. Her eyes have changed colour to show she’s now possessed. 

Advantages: In our narrative my group have strayed from the conventional use of a masked villain and strayed more towards a paranormal, supernatural thriller by using a ghost. This, in theory, should create more suspense in the audience as the person or thing responsible for the acts occurring isn't there for the audience to view so we cannot see where the thing is and creates a more dramatic storyline for the central character as they don't know who to run from so a particularly vulnerable. This intense vulnerability should be foreshadowed by an intense fear from the audience felt towards the victim creating a stronger bond between the film and viewers. As well as this we have used a good variety of cinematography, iconography and sounds to ensure our film creates the highest levels of suspense, shock and surprise possible.

Disadvantages: Some of the ideas put across by our team were heavily influenced by the popular thrillers of our generation. Due to this some of the ideas put across could be hard for us to represent and film as we are only amateurs.

Opening scene analysis (Miss Georgiou)

What is the purpose of the opening scene?
An opening scene is key to a good and successful film as it introduces the story and will try and engage the audience. By stating the key characters and location from the outset it allows the audience time to get to know the characters so they can relate an emotional distance and get involved with the story line.

How does the opening the sequence of Halloween, inform the audience if the codes and conventions of a thriller film?

Narrative-
The opening of this film is set on Halloween in the 1960's. The shot opens with a view of a house. The shot doesn't include the street however which makes the location unknown adding a sense of eeriness to the scene as it adds to the element of unknown as the locations where abouts is never revealed to the audience. By not showing where the house is the audience therefore become unaware of the surrounding in case of a chase scene. By showing nothing around her as she's in the bedroom it adds to the idea of her death being inevitable as we know that there is no escape which sends a panic through the audience as they don't know a way for her to get away either. It then switches to two teenagers fooling around in the living room however we see this through the window of the house which adds to the idea that we are seeing the scene from the villains point of view which creates an interest between the audience and the central character and adds an element of powerless and suspense within the audience as they continue to play out the scene as they feel as though they are committing the crime yet have no power to stop it to have to let it play out.  The person who was then on the outside of the house enters suggesting the idea that a death is soon and also that the person is familiar within the house as they head straight to the kitchen without confusion. This intrigues the audience as we can see what's happening but the murderer remains a mystery and so by showing his point of view we seem more connected to the villain than the victim in this instance as we can understand what must be going through their head. Once the girl has been killed from a knife in the kitchen the scene returns outside where we see her little brother standing with the weapon in his hand framed in front of his mum and dad. 

Cinematography-
A weapon is used in the form of a knife. This makes the scene seem more realistic as through being set in the house the weapon is typically found in a kitchen. As a result the audience can relate more to the scene as it is a familiar and everyday object than say a gun, which is more conventional to a action genre. A knife is also more commonly used as it creates a more gory death as multiple wounds are usually achieved as a result. This allows there to be more suspense as the scene can be dragged out as a death by knife is slower and more theatrical then the other more action conventional methods of a gun.
A weapon and in particular a knife is very conventional to the thriller genre as they allow the villain and victim to have more contact during their fight scene. This means in order for an incident to happen they have to be very close together which makes chase scenes more tense as they appear to close the distance between the victim and villain.

Characters-
The victim in this film is female. This is a sterotypical convention of a thriller as a female is typically seen as the weaker sex and so by trapping a female it makes the audience members feel more empathy towards them creating a bond built of fear for the victim as female portray vulnerability more effectively. However more typically a blonde female is used as they manage to portray more innocence to the audience emphasising their position as the victim.

Another minor character in the film is the girls teenage boyfriend. Through them both being teenagers it adds to the conventional idea of a thriller as they are both seem to be naïve and more innocent than an adult however more prone to being alone and there fore vulnerable than children which makes them a perfect example as an age category for thriller actors and actresses. By the teenagers both being caught together it relates back to the audience as they can imagine being alone with their boyfriend or girlfriend and think about if they are completely safe at home as they can now understand, through seeing the situation through a different perspective how they can often also be forgetful and in a sense idiotic when in the company of others as we automatically feel more safe and this scene makes you question that sense of security.  

Editing-
There is very limited editing used within this film as through following the point of view of the villain the audience is forced to follow his journey and entrance into the house making the shot stay continuous. However, although a lack of editing is used a mixture of timing of shots were used. At the beginning all the movements and editing was at a slow pace as the villain was outside creeping about which allowed him to seem as though he was trying to not be seen. This shows the audience that the person committing the murder has almost planned to do what he does as their actions seem persist and cautious which gives the audience the impression that the murder is making sure everything in the lead up to the murder is executed perfectly so he can do what intended and get away without a hitch. However, in contrast to this as soon as the murder has taken place the timing of shots become more fast paced which gives the reader the impression that the murderer has panicked and is flustered whilst trying to get away. This fear and panic makes the villain have a inferior persona which makes them seem naïve and not as cunning as we first made out. The fast shots interlink with his rushed exit making us seem as though he's going to get caught as typically villains always walk towards their victims with a sense of arrogance and confidence but this panic makes us believe that maybe the murder wasn't as calculated as we first thought.