PREPARATION FOR TOMORROW - FILMING DAY

    BEFORE

    AFTER

For the bedroom scene we decided that we will be using my maid's bedroom. To begin with, I had to move all the boxes and unwanted furniture from her room into another room. Then I thought that her bed sheets gave an "old thai country" vibe which I thought would not suit the main character as she is a young girl who is still studying and lives in the city. Therefore I took pillows and blankets from my bedroom to decorate hers. I then found a few tables in my house and moved it into her room (eg. The 3 tables at back).  Then the tables looked quite empty so I decorated these using dolls, a tv, pictures, and a book. I used a note book to emphasise the fact that she is still a student. I used the dolls to show that she is young and innocent. I used the picture frames to show the strong relationship she and her best friend had. Lastly, I thought the wall at the back looked quite empty and boring so I added a painting to give the room a splash of colour. 

FOR SCENE 1 AND 14

Today we took pictures that will be used as props in the film opening. 

FRAMED

ON SET

ANALYSING SUPERNATURAL/HORROR THRILLER

Today in class I analysed how the micro-elements in "Insidious" are used to create a tense mood/atmosphere. I did this in order to understand the conventions of this type of thriller further in order to make any small adjustments to each shot before filming this Sunday. For this film I analysed the first 5 minutes.




SOUND

The movie begins with the the name of the production company and the credits. When the credits appear we hear this creepy sound effect. The creepy sound effect used here sets an eerie atmosphere and straight away tells the audience that this is a horror film.




In this scene we hear the slow ticking sound of the metronome. This slow repetitive ticking sound is used to start the build up of tension before other sound effects are used. By using the sound effects from a metronome instead of a scary soundtrack allows the audience to feel safe before the climax is reached and the ghost is revealed. This is what helps create the jump scare because audiences are unaware of the danger that is to come.

CAMERA

The film begins with an establishing shot of the setting. From this shot we can see that the house is isolated as its surroundings are dark. Because of this isolation the audience will feel a sense of hopelessness for the characters as they believe that the character's will be alone without help. In addition this low angle shot makes the house look scary and intimidating because of its large scale and height.

A close up shot is used to focus on the character's facial expression to show his fears and worries. This is used to build up tension and raise questions by the viewers about what is making the character feel this much amount of fear. It also shows the details of the character's features and we are able to learn a few things about the character's personality. For example in this shot we learn that the character doesn't take care of himself much as he doesn't shave. This may indicate that he's spending his time taking care of other matters, like for example the fact that his son is about to be possessed.


MIS-EN-SCENE

A photograph is used in this scene to reveal the ghost. In this photograph we see and innocent kid who is wearing a white shirt, while the ghost is wearing black. The white shirt symbolises youth and innocence while the black symbolises danger and death. From this the audiences are able to identify who's the protagonist and who's the antagonist. In addition, the fact that the antagonist is behind the protagonist and the character is not aware of the danger makes the audience feel scared and worried for the character.

In this shot we see the interior design of the house. The green wallpaper used along with the brown wood makes the house look old fashioned. This could mean that the house is old and that there has been other families that have lived here before this family moved in. Therefore the fact that there is history in this house makes the house seem scary and mysterious as audiences along with the characters are unaware of what may have happened in this house. In addition, the dim lighting used symbolises the small amount of hope the characters have.

EDITING

Editing is used here to create the smoke effect when the character walks past the credits. The smoke effect creates a spooky atmosphere and is used to represent "ghost". Straight away the audience is informed that there is paranormal activity in the house. The smoke/ fade effect may also be used to symbolise death and how life fades when there is a disturbance.


In this shot we see the boy from the perspective of the camera. The fact that the boy is in the middle of the box reminds the audience that he's the main focus of the plot of the movie and that everything that happens evolves around him. Also, the black and white effect makes the boy appear lifeless. This makes the character seem vulnerable and makes the audience feel worried for him.

CREDIT STRUCTURE

Today I used adobe after effects to create the credit structure for the opening of our film. I used after effects instead of premiere to do this because after effects has the burn film effect which premiere doesn't. I created each title using the optimus princeps font and then using the burn film effect I had to adjust the intensity of the burn for each clip. Below is  a video of what I have done so far.

I will try creating this this clip again and changing the timing of the opacity decrease at the end so that it does not fade to black as fast. Also, I will have to adjust the title "Friend" so that it aligns with the other titles, as well as adjust each title a little lower so that it is in the centre. 

EDITING USING PREMIERE 

Today in class I started editing in premiere. I added the Studio title which I've downloaded off of youtube along with a cinematic title that I created yesterday. For the studio title I started by researching different studios and then picked which would most suit my film. After discussing with Jasper we've decided that we'll be using Lionsgate. We thought that lionsgate would most suit our film because it is well know for creating movies like "saw, cabin in the woods and sinister". Also the intro doesn't give off a "friendly" vibe like "universal pictures" or "dreamworks". 

After I found a suitable title clip on youtube I had to colour correct it in premiere because the clip was too colourful and I did not want this to affect the creepy atmosphere created from the sound effects. After trimming and editing the clip I added different sound effects in order to create tension and create the mood/atmosphere of the film. 

FILM COMPANY CINEMATIC

Today In class I created a cinematic opening using after effects.   

I started by creating a text layer using the font we selected earlier "optimus princeps".  After this I created a rectangle shaped box to surround the text. From this I deleted the corners and the sides of the box. 

I then found a studio reflection image and added it behind the title. Then I used the CC blobbylize and CC glass effect to give the title a 3D effect.  I also colour corrected the title and the effects and made it black and white. 

From this I added the particle effect and adjusted it so that it wouldn't cover the name of film company. I then had to adjust the contrast and sharpen the particle effect in order to make it look better. 

Here is a screen recording showing how I created the cinematic opening. 

SELECTING THE CREDIT FONT

Today we've shortlisted a few fonts from a free font website - http://www.dafont.com
From this we discussed which would be most suitable and as a result we came to a conslusion that we'll be using the Optimus Princeps font by Manfred Klein. This Font allows there to be a punctuation at the end unlike the Assassin font. Also since this is a horror thriller based on a story about friendship we didn't want a font that would be too dramatic. That is why we decided not to use Constantine as it is too bold and seems intimidating. We also didn't want it to look too calm and settling to the eyes as this is still a horror film so we decided not to use the Cinzel font which gives off a smooth and relaxing vibe. The Optimus Princeps font is not too dramatic or settling to the eyes, that is why this is the most suitable font out of the ones we have shortlisted.