Evaluation Part 8

Evaluation Part 8: 

What do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the full product?

Overall I think the Title sequence Taylor and I made was successful because we created a sequence that had an interesting style and soundtrack whilst still following the codes and conventions of typical horror / thriller movies.

Some of the cinematography follows the codes and conventions and so does the editing. The cinematography contains a lot of high and low angle shots and the editing has made the video dark and distorted. We also have used some more creative and unique ideas in the narrative with the ghost that can only be seen on camera and the video effects containing heavy static. We have used some interesting cinematography too with some pans, inspired by Insidious, and shots like the camera falling over. We also used the research we did into other films to give us the idea of putting the timecode on the video footage to make it seem more realistic, like in the title sequence for The Purge.

Our use of typography was very successful because we surveyed people on what they thought and then decided as a group which would fit the best, before the final sequence we changed the font because we found a new font that we both thought would fit better than our previous one even though the audience liked both fonts.

The only thing I think was unsuccessful is the darkness of the video. Some people commented that they couldn't see some of the footage and that it was too dark. We tried to improve this every time we created a new draft of the sequence and for our final sequence we felt it was corrected well enough. A few people mentioned they couldn't see some of it but that my just be the brightness of the screen. Almost everyone thought it had improved and we thought that the darkness suited the video and that the view is supposed to be obscured, If the video was easy to see, there wouldn't be much of an enigma, which is important for our film genre.

Evaluation Part 7

Evaluation Part 6

Evaluation Part 6: Attracting Audience

I think I have reached my target audience because the title sequence fits in with most common horror/thriller codes and conventions. The sequence contains suspense, mystery, a scare and it begins to set up the plot. The audience of 15-30 year old males, who are the main audience for horror films, will enjoy the title sequence if they like other films from the genre.

When planning we thought we would include a heavy soundtrack to appeal to the audience. The soundtrack is slightly different from most usual horror soundtracks where the music may be more eerie. The soundtrack is aggressive and electronic so fits with the static style and is more exciting than most soundtracks so would appeal to the younger part of the audience who may enjoy more exciting films/music rather than things that build up with lots of suspense. The soundtrack also can be used to build suspense because it builds up even more with a distorted "revving" sound. This makes this appeal to a wider audience than if it was just a slow suspenseful horror vs a fast paced action horror/thriller type film.

Some of the major things we changed from the audience feedback was that we needed to reshoot the scenes with the main character because it didn't put enough focus on him and to some people the shots from the found footage were unclear. When we reshot we received much better feedback.

Another thing was that the sequence got boring because the music was repetitive especially for the 2+ mins of video. We responded to this by cutting down the video and editing the soundtrack to have more of a build up so it wouldn't be as repetitive.

The idea of the sequence and the music itself was well received.

Evaluation Part 5

Evaluation part 5 from charliemead

Evaluation Part 4

Evaluation Part 4: Conventions

My film is a Horror/Thriller. We tried to make our title sequence conform to the codes and conventions of this genre to some extent to make it appeal to our target audience.

The narrative involves a teacher investigating the disappearances of children that are caused by a paranormal force. This contains a common convention of thrillers being the detective part. Thriller films are often about detectives or spies etc. because they contain an element of mystery. Our narrative also contains conventions of horror films because of the mystery/enigma element, it makes people anticipate what will happen and build suspense, which is used a lot in horror films.

The soundtrack for our film is a somewhat conventional for our horror title sequence. The actual sound is really gritty and abrasive as reflects the style of static effects we used in the sequence as well as contributing to make our film reflect the genre because horror and thriller films are often made to seem gritty and real to make audience think whatever happens in the film could happen in real life. The soundtrack also contains a build up which is used a lot in these genres to build up tension and then to frighten the viewer. This allowed us to make the videos clips match to the parallel soundtrack and use faster cuts to build up to make our sequence more exciting and frightening.

The setting challenges the convention of horror to some extent because it is in a school.  School settings would usually be seen in a teen movie, comedy or drama film, the films might also be aimed at a younger audience. Some examples of films with scenes in a school are ‘St. Trinians’, ‘Superbad’ and ‘High School Musical’ which are all teen movies and/or comedy films aimed at a young audience. However the setting can be used as a horror setting because we filmed with the lights off and added effects to make the school seem creepy and dark.

The camerawork was inspired by ‘Insidious’ and we used worms eye view and close angle shots to obscure the full view of the main character and to make it seem like he is being watched. We also used a pan for a similar effect that we tried to make seem like it was shot from a surveillance camera. We were also inspired by the dark shots that are almost just silhouettes of the light/dark so we purposely filmed very dark shots.

Insidious

In editing we made some of the shots that appear as found footage darker and more obscured by using a high contrast and heavy static effects. This is makes the audience wonder what is not in view and creates an enigma. We also wanted the cuts to be generally medium length but used match on action to make the scene appear to merge and seem slow paced, later on during the build up we used slightly faster cuts and no match on action to make the video seem to get more erratic and build up just like the soundtrack. We wanted the editing slow at first to build suspense and them get faster to build up to a scare which are commonly used in horrors and thrillers.

Evaluation Part 3

Evaluation Part 3: Media Distribution

Evaluation Part 3 from charliemead

Evaluation Part 2

Evaluation Part 2: Target Audience

The target audience for our film primarily is:

o Male (Which are more likely to watch horror films than females)
o 15 - 30 year olds (Which is the age range most likely to watch horror films)
o The demographic for horror thrillers is a wide range that covers all demographics but films containing elements of psychological thriller like our film may not appeal to the E or D class of unemployed/unskilled because they generally required you to think about it instead of just being all action.

The age certificate for our film will be 15, horror and thriller films are generally 15 or 18 because of adult content like swearing, violence, sex, distressing scenes etc. We would rate our film 15 instead of 18 because there is no sexual scenes and the violence is minimal and not gory or over the top. Other films we have looked at also have similar age ratings, for example The Purge is rated 15 and so is Insidious.

To research our audience we looked at ratings for other films, like the ones we were inspired by, and also by researching age ratings in general, most horror films are either 15 or 18 and we saw that the elements that our film/title sequence contains would only make it a 15. We also looked at graphs and charts that show ages of people that watch horror and thriller films and applied this to our own.



Evaluation Part 1

Evaluation Part 1: Brief

Our brief for this project was to create a title sequence for a film. We had to create a new idea for a film and think of all the details for it including narrative, actors, director, target audience etc. as well as creating the opening sequence to the film. We were tasked to work in group of up to four to create this, I worked with Taylor Lyttleton.

The title for our film is "Disturbance" and our film is a horror/thriller. In the opening sequence a teacher walks in to a classroom where he has set up a camera to record footage overnight. He watches the footage and is shocked to find that there is signs of paranormal activity. Near the end of the sequence a security guard is shown on the footage and he disappears. The footage is heavily distorted and the main style of the whole sequence is being distorted so the typography, title and soundtrack reflects this by also being somewhat distorted. The sequence ends on the main character being shocked by a door slamming shut, the screen then cuts to black and the title pops up. The title "Disturbance" suggests that there is something disrupting normal life. This fits with our title sequence because school is a normal thing that everyone has been or goes to and is disrupted by some sort of ghost or paranormal activity.

The genre of our film is Horror/Thriller, these films are usually dark and sometimes gritty and also generally full of suspense. In our title sequence we wanted to use music to build up to an event that could cause a jump because horror films are meant to be scary. The soundtrack has a low rumble and builds up and builds up and then cuts, we used this to our advantage on our sequence. The style of the film which is all distorted and very dark also fits in with the horror genre.

Title Sequence: FINAL Draft

Title Sequence: FINAL Draft CHANGES

Added in new clips, close up shots.

Slightly shortened wide angle shot. To fit in the new clips we had to shorten the wide angle pan, although we like this shot, it makes the sequence more open and counteracts the new clips we added to make it seem more closed in.

Moved some of the credits to make them fit with the new clips.

Emphasised sound. We turned up the volume of the foley sound clip to create more of a scare.

Influences

When filming we used similar shots from one of the films we were inspired by, Insidious.

 1.)

Both of these shots use a wide pan or track to show the scene, the character is small within the shot and isn't focused on the camera, it looks like they are being watched.

2.)

In these shots a light source is the only thing visible, it emphasises the darkness in the scene.

3.) 

We used similar shots to create tension. They both use darkness and black/white to make the image seem unclear, we can only see some of the shot, this is the enigma that is typical in horror.

Production Log 6:

We decided to make one final edit before our final draft.

Taylor went to film more shots whilst I looked for clips we recorded, but may not have used, that we could use this time.

here is one of the shots we added.

After, we started to edit on Final Cut Pro to add in the clips and emphasise the sound. Taylor added in the 3-4 new clips and duplicated the foley sound clip of the door slamming to make it louder.

Feedback: Draft 2

Title Sequence: Second Draft - Feedback

Before we showed our final draft, we showed our teacher the 2nd draft. She said that she thought that the sequence put too much emphasis on the video clips even though they hard to see. She suggested we make the sequence more about the actual main character by adding in more shots of him and also adding more close ups because they are common in horror films and are good for making a scene claustrophobic especially compared to if we used lots of wide shots.

We were also suggested to enhance the sound. The soundtrack is loud so we can't hear the slamming of the door at the climax of the sequence. Luckily we recorded the sound separately as foley sound so we can make this louder without ruining the other audio.

Title Sequence: Second Draft CHANGES

Shots of actor, including more close ups to make the scene appear more claustrophobic.

Less video effects to make things easier to see properly.

Different shots i.e walking into the class, different camera angles of the actor create effects more
suited to the horror genre like a worms eye shot instead of a straight eye level shot.

Added footage of picking up the torch.

Filmed in a darker room to make less of a contrast between the bright room/dark footage, also makes it more suited for the horror/thriller genre

Shorter ending, means that the sequence is less repetitive as well as having it build up more.

Title Sequence: Second Draft

Production Log 5: 09/03/15

Monday 9th March 2015

Today we re filmed the scenes with Tommy in a different, and more dark, room. We tried to include more close up shots and make the lighting better in general to make the scene more atmospheric. We were suggested to add something to build up to in our title sequence so we filmed two different shots, one of the class door opening with reactions and one of the door slamming shut. We thought the slamming door would be more scary. We also added a scene where the teacher picks up the torch that the guard dropped earlier, we thought this would add some cohesion to the sequence. Taylor filmed the shot with a slow pan to make it more suspenseful.

With the title sequence complete I could just replace some of this footage and rearrange the credits and thing I had from before. I finished editing draft 2.

Foley Sound

Foley Recording >>

We wanted to emphasise the sound of the door slamming so we recorded it separately to add in afterwards

"Footage" re-edit

This is the footage used in our title sequence. We were suggested to tone down some of the effects such as the tv_simulator distortion. I turned down some of these effects and tried to reduce the static because some suggested this was too strong.

Main Title Font Change

We decided that the font for our main title was too sci-fi/digital looking but we wanted a more bold, distorted font. It's also important for the font to be easily read and the previous font was a bit too small and scattered.


The new font is called HACKED
http://www.dafont.com/hacked.font
The title is bold and easily read, it is less distorted but this makes it look better against the distorted background. The font being bold means it makes more of an impact on the audience whereas the previous font blends in with the footage.

Feedback: Draft 1

From the feedback we recieved we decided that the title sequence was too long. Most people commented on the sequence being too long and the music being too repetitive, some people say there was no build up. Lots of people also mentioned the video being too dark in some parts and too light in some parts (like the scenes of the classroom). We decided to reshoot all of the scenes in the classroom and re edit the video to be shorter. We also thought of an idea for a build up, a door slamming and the character reacting to it and then cutting off. When reshooting we decided to not use a studio light, because it makes the room too light, and use a smaller light instead. We decided to emphasise the sound during the build up in post production and using foley sound of a door slamming shut.

Feedback: Draft 1

This is the feedback we received from the first showing of the the title sequence.

Title Sequence: First Draft

This is the first draft of our title sequence, we will show this video in class for feedback which will advise us on things to change.

Production and Distribution Companies

I have added in opening titles of the distribution company for our film, Paramount and the production company, Blumhouse Productions to our title sequence.

We chose Paramount to be our production company based on it distributing horror films such as "Friday the 13th" and one of the films that inspired our title sequence: "Paranormal Activity".

They also have ties to Blumhouse which helped produce Paranormal Activity. 

Blumhouse was chosen because we chose James Wan who directs a lot of his horror films with Blumhouse Productions. Blumhouse has produced almost all of the films that inspired us such as "The Purge" and "Insidious"

Production Log 4: 28/02/15

28th February +

This week I edited the sequence together and added in the music in Sony Vegas. We both had previously agreed on the arrangements of the clips and credits.

Production Log 3: 27/02/15

Friday 27th February 2015


Today after school, we filmed the edited video footage from the point of view of the main character and we also filmed shots of Tommy (actor who plays the main character) entering the room and watching the clips. We filmed these shots from many different angles to use in the title sequence.
We filmed in the same room as the footage that we have already edited was filmed in.

We now have everything to use for our first draft of the title sequence.

Finished "Footage"

These are the finished edited clips that we will use in our title sequence. This is the footage the teacher has 'found' on his camera.

Production Log 2: 19/02/15

Thursday 19th February 2015

After school we met in the Media department and got a camera, tripod, studio light and dolly. We went to the Art department corridor and set up the shot.

We had trouble trying to make the corridor dark enough but we solved this by coving windows with black paper. We then had trouble trying to get a door to open on its own and we solved this by using string tied around the door frame.

We took turns trying to get a good shot and we tried using the dolly to track in and out and also having the door be opening or closing. We decided the best shot was a still shot.

We went back to media and Taylor filmed Tommy (our actor) as the security guard walking into the classroom and also a shot of him dropping a torch.

We now have all of the clips for our video footage.

Later I edited the the clips with some static and TV simulator effects on Sony Vegas Pro

Production Log 1: 18/02/15

Wednesday 18th February 2015

Today during lesson we filmed the "found footage" for our title sequence, this is the footage of the ghost that the main character will see.

We filmed in an empty media classroom and used a studio light to create shadows. We filmed many different shots from our storyboard and improvised some.

To create the effect of a paranormal being moving objects we pushed objects into the view of the camera and got some string which we used to move chairs and tables from a distance.

We managed to get almost all of the clips we need.

Costume

For the main character, the teacher, we wanted him to be wearing smart clothes, e.g. a button up shirt to appear more formal and look like a teacher.

The other character in the sequence is barely seen but is wearing smart, dark clothing and a hat. The character is a security guard so the guard cap shows that.

Props

The props we will use for this title sequence are:

. Torch

. Camera

. PC for the character to interact with

The torch is used during the short scene were we see a security guard, the guard drops the torch we startled by the ghost. The torch shows that the person is a security guard because they often carry around torches especially at night, it could also show that he is patrolling or searching for something.

Setting

The setting for our title sequence will be our school. This fits because the actual title sequence is set in a school. We filmed in our media class rooms because they look very obviously like a class room because there are documents everywhere and posters on the walls. It is also more convenient to film in because we don’t have to move around a lot to get equipment like cameras, tripods etc. Also, if we needed to film during class, our group wouldn’t be in the classroom, so would be free to film in.

 We also filmed in the corridor of the art department for a clip of our footage. We used this area because this was the only corridor we could turn down the lights and it had a door in the middle that we could open to show signs of “paranormal behaviour”. We needed this shot to be dark to fit with the rest of the shots we filmed as well as the horror aspect of the title sequence. We wanted it to be the same corridor as the video taken in the media area but because of the darkness and video effects, you couldn’t really tell.
 

Animatic

This is the animatic for our title sequence made from images from out storyboard.

Title Sequence Inspiration

Some films that influenced us are:

Insidious

Some of the things we liked in this title sequence was the dark shots used later on in the video, we like how we only see certain things and our vision is obscured by the darkness, we want to do the same but with darkness AND video static like the camera has been possessed or corrupted.

The Purge




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In the title sequence for The Purge we liked the security footage and decided we could use video effects to make our clips look similar to this. We also used overlaid text or dates and time to make it look like the video was shot from a security camera.

Guillotine



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We also took inspiration from the music video of the song we are using for our title sequence. We like the way the static makes it look disrupted and how it obscures the view outside of the window. The static makes what looks like a ordinary car ride to something that looks horrific.