Wednesday 24 February 2010

Test Footage


We have filmed this rusty chain dripping, turning up the contrast to make it seem more abstract and creepy, also bring down the brightness to achieve as similar effect. fo shizzle

Monday 22 February 2010

What is a Call Sheet?

A call sheet is chart issued to the cast and crew of a theatrical or film production, listing the production schedule. Typically, in addition to including a schedule, the call sheet also includes a list of contact information for other members of the cast and crew. Call sheets are often issued at the beginning of the week, because schedules change frequently, and trying to plan further ahead can become quite complicated. As a general rule, when a call sheet is assembled, the scheduler assumes that everyone is available at any time, unless specifically informed otherwise.

The information on a call sheet can be difficult to interpret at a glance, especially for people who are not familiar with the industry. Typically, the production schedule is listed by “call time,” as in the time at which people are expected. Call times vary, depending on whether someone is in the cast or the crew, and what is scheduled for the day. In addition to listing call times, the call sheet also includes the location of the call, and makes a note about what is being planned, so that people know what to expect.

Call Sheet



(Update)
We were unable to film on this set date due to un-fit weather conditions. We have been given one overnight camera loan to get all of our footage.

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Location Report

Location:

We intend to film in the ruins of a Norman Castle in Cheveley Park stud (just outside the village of Cheveley) the castle is in a wooded area; an ideal location for the project. Fortunately, the location of our opening is reasonably close to where we all live, so will not be too much trouble to get to. One of the main features of our film is what we thought was a well, through further research we learned it was in fact an Edwardian fridge.

Permisson:
  • No permission is needed for us to use the forest as the location for our thriller.
  • The still images we will be using will be taken at various locations around college and at the castle
Extra Information On the Castle and its' History:
The castle building stood on a rectangular platform surrounded by a formidable V-shaped moat. The moat was probably always dry. Parts of the coarse stone in which the castle is made with still remain visible
It is thought that it originally contained a variety of timber structures, including the lord's main hall and other buildings such as a chapel, kitchens, store rooms and accommodation for guests and retainers, some of which were probably set against the inner face of the curtain wall. The ward has not been excavated or significantly disturbed, and the buried remains of these buildings are considered to survive well. Access to the interior was provided by a drawbridge across the centre of the north western arm of the moat. The castle is thought to have been built by Sir John de Pulteney, financier and four times Mayor of London, who was granted a licence to crenellate the dwelling place of his manor in Cheveley in 1341. The resulting structure, which is the only Edwardian castle in Cambridgeshire, is more likely to have served as a mark of Pulteney's status than as a military stronghold, and to have provided a prestigious hunting lodge as the centre piece of a deer park established shortly thereafter.
We feel the unique History of the castle adds something extra special to our film.

Target Audience

Our target audience is males and females aged 15+, The younger adult audience are generally the people who are likely to enjoy enjoy watching thrillers. Examples of 15 rated thrillers are: crime (The Fugutive), psychological (Memento) and Action (The Bourne Series).

A 15 rated film literally means, no one under the age of 15 can watch the film, whether it is at the cinema or at home. If below the age of 15, it is not legal to buy or rent a film rated 15 or above. As a group, we decided to give our thriller a 15 rating, based on the fact it is unsuitable for a younger audience yet beholds many factors attractive to a teenage audience: the actors are teenagers therefore enabling the teenage audience to relate to the characters more effectively.

Analysis of "Kill Bill" Action Thriller



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo8ZM7PyRzU




kill Bill is a Quentin Tarentino film, released 2003 and starred uma thurman.
The films uses a lot of other influences such as such as martial arts films , Japanese chanbara films, exploitation films and Italian spaghetti westerns; an extensive use of popular music and pop culture references. it also uses a lot of directing techniques such as black and white used in the scene where uma is buried alive and animation is used in the sequence in which one of the characters background is explained.

Conventions Of A Thriller

It is difficult to state a clear definition of a thriller as they cross over many genres, however the single most characteristic of a thriller is the obvious one, it "thrills" the audience. The plots are scary, the characters are at great risk and the films are constructed in a manner that makes the watcher really want to know what happens next. There is no formula for a thriller, other that that most thrillers follow one of a few common narrative structures.Thrillers can be divided into countless categories, i.e., action thrillers, psychological thrillers,millitary thrillers, spy thrillers, and the list goes on. It's easier to recognise a thriller than to describe it.

Some other conventions could include:
  • Mystery to the spectator.
  • Suspense, which is key to a thriller.
  • Micro elements - musical score, use of distorted, hand-held camerawork. Adds to suspense/tension.
  • Low lighting, which adds to mystery and suspense.
  • Protagonist in the form of the main character
  • Antagonist in the form of a villain or enemy.
Examples that may "thrill" you are see below. "Scream" and "Paranormal Activity"


Examples Of Thrillers


As you can see each cover art uses a lot of dark colours, mixed with reds and whites to make it stand out. This gives you an idea as to the main storyline, that its going to be a dark film that may or may not be scary.

Film Roles

Director: A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making and/or the production of a film. A film director is a person who visualizes the screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision.

Tom



Actors: An actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre or radio in that capacity.

Luke and Alice




Cameraman: A camera operator is a person that operates a film or video camera for the purpose of recording a production to film, video or a computer storage medium. A camera operator serving in an official capacity in the process of filmmaking may also be known variously as a cameraman, television camera operator, video camera operator, or videographer, depending on the context and technology involved.

Ryan




Editor: Editing is the process of selecting and preparing language, images, sound, video or film through processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications in various media. A person who edits is called an editor.

Ryan and Luke




Composer of Music: A composer is a person who creates music, usually by musical notation for interpretation and performance.

Tom

Monday 8 February 2010

Inspiration

Props And Equipment List


Props:
  • The Dog
  • 2 Dog leads
  • Dog collar
  • 2 torches
  • Bag
  • Speakers
  • Ipod
  • Phone
Equipment:
  • Camera
  • Tripod
  • Map ( Just In Case )

Costume List

Character 1 (female)
Stereotypical teenager ; skinny jeans, hoodie, coat, boots

Character 2 (male)
yet again similar clothes ; Jeans, hoodie, coat, Trainers and a beanie hat.

Character 3 (stalker)
All clothes must be dark. Long black coat, dark colored jeans, trainers.

Thursday 4 February 2010

Job titles


SAUL BASS (1920-1996)
was not only one of the great graphic designers of the mid-20th century but the undisputed master of film title design thanks to his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger and Martin Scorsese. When the reels of film for Otto Preminger’s controversial new drugs movie, The Man with the Golden Arm, arrived at US movie theatres in 1955, a note was stuck on the cans - "Projectionists – pull curtain before titles".

Until then, the lists of cast and crew members which passed for movie titles were so dull that projectionists only pulled back the curtains to reveal the screen once they’d finished. But Preminger wanted his audience to see The Man with the Golden Arm’s titles as an integral part of the film.

He was regarded as a industry expert in title sequences.

in regards to are own opening credits, we will be using inspriation from the film "Six Feet Under"





Storyboard

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Wednesday 3 February 2010

analysis of 'lord of war' political thriller

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d0d6qgsvTw&feature=related

the movie follows Yuri Orlov, an arms dealer supplying weapons to Liberia. Pursued by an Interpol agent he begins to question he morality of his work.

The movie uses a LOT of narration to tell the story at hand. this makes the viewer feel more involved as it seems that the main character is talking to the viewer and makes you feel almost in place with this man. there is very also very little music in the movie which further adds to the sence of realism. there are also a lot of long shots (for instance the opening sequence camera) which means that the viewer isn't alienated by to many camera angles.

analysis of 'colateral' crime thriller




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5M_Ttstbgs
taken from IMDB:
"A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in LA. He must find a way to save both himself and one last victim"


the cinematography of collateral is its strongest element. it uses a lot of point of interest shots (for instance the coyote scene) which imply more than they seem and makes good use of the night to create a dark and dreamy atmosphere. the music also plays and integral part of telling the story and always its in with the action on screen. there is also very little orchestrated music, most of the music being mainstream music such as audioslave and groove armada.

Analysis of 'memento' psyclogical thriller


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vS0E9bBSL0


Memento chronicles the story of Leonard, an ex-insurance investigator who can no longer build new memories, as he attempts to find the murderer of his wife, which is the last thing he remembers. the narrative of the movie is crucially important as the story is told backwards with the beginning of one scene being the end of the next. this means the viewer must remember the previous scene for the next scene to make sense and there are also scenes in Leonard's bedroom which reveal the story up to the beginning (if you are talking about the movie chronologically). its a clever psychological trick which draws the viewer in and makes the viewer sympathize with the main character.

Details of Filming



Here are some pictures I took from the location of our film, the top left is where the shot at the beginning of it, as we walk towards the castle. I have also taken a picture of the well from close-up and far away.


We intend to film in the Cheveley park stud which is just outside the village of Cheveley. We intend to be filming at around 4 on both evenings. We have arranged to meet at Cheveley primary school, which is fairly near where we intend to film. Luke is responsible for bring the dog, and all necessary items, such as the lead for the dog, treats etc. Alice will be in charge of the camera equipment and for bringing it to the filming location and also the speakers in which the characters which will be playing music out of: "Don't Worry" by Bob Marley. This music will actas a contrapuntal device.
We have all exchanged telephone numbers to arrange a meeting location. From there we will walk to the location.

Tuesday 2 February 2010

Analysis of Action Thriller "Casino Royale"




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nfc9GLxlhEw&feature=related

the opening sequence of casino royale conforms to the tradition of previous bond movies and uses a specially composed piece of music "you know my name" by Chris Cornell. the opening sequence is abstact and uses casino cards and roulette tables to hint at the narritive. it also coveys what genre the movie is.

Monday 1 February 2010

Shot by Shot Plan

0.00-0.05: 180 degree pan to establish the location at eye level.
0.05-0.07: A still long shot of the well
0.07-0.09: A still mid-shot of the well
0.09-0.11: A still close-up of the well
0.11-0.26: A long shot of the dog walkers coming closer
0.26- 0.29: A mid-shot of the two walkers in mid conversation.
0.29 - 0.34: The dog starts to play up
0.34-0.36: Over the shoulder shot of owners Reaction as he wonders why the dog is playing up.
0.36-0.39:
Dog still remains to play up
0.39-0.43: Close-up of owner dropping lead (this will later be made into slow motion)
0.43-0.45: close-up of owners face
0.45-0.52: High angled long shot of the two characters as owner of dog run off to find dog
0.52- 1.00: Slow zoom on vulnerable female. Whilst we zoom in the diegetic music will fade out.
1.00- 1.06: Close-up of half her face and half the background of forest with strange figure in background.
1.06- 1.16: Changes to hand held camera as character walks to find her friend and looks through the forest as leaves rustle etc.
1.16- 1.24: Put camera on floor as she runs past after hearing dog barking from a distance.
1.24- 1.39: point of view shot from the stalker through the leaves of the trees, as the vulnerable girl stumbles across the well.
1.39- 1.47: Hand held view of the female character, as she looks around the well.
1.47- 1.51: Character looks down the well
1.51- 2.01: Flashing images of close-ups
2.01- 2.06: Long shot of stranger on hill, dark silhouette