Evaluation Questions.

1. My media final product uses and challeges obvious themes of this genre, such as a murderer character and victim. The camerawork in relation to some of my opening analysis is quite diffrent because of equipment involved but the atmoshpere was created to try and emulate the effect of a real horror film. The key features of my film opening are the sounds and actions. In a real horror film the focus would be on these and the frames below capture some of the action sequences and lighting I used.





2. The way my film represents or appeals to a certain social group is through the answers we gained via the questionnaire. These answers helped us make desicions in the filiming proccess and helpedus realise how to make a horror film opening.

These first 6 questions really high lighted some aspects of what we needed to do and exposed areas we needed to improve, e.g. storyboards and action included.



3.The type of institution that this film maybe distributed by would be less then blockbuster, possibly even a small independant film company. This is because of the low budget and setings. Compared to high quality, high budget blockbuster horror films, mine barely scrathes the surface.



this would be an example of the distribution if there were high profile actors and high budgets involved.

4.The audience for my media product would be mid to late teens with a taste for classical horror films, the previous research showed that people who have seen the opening have wanted to know the rest of the story and wanted to see more. To compare to a current horror movie and to try and estimate the popularity of a film of this genre, Paranormal activity would be a good example.

Budget
$11,000 (estimated)


Opening Weekend
$77,873 (USA) (27 September 2009) (12 Screens)
£3,593,762 (UK) (29 November 2009) (394 Screens)


Gross
$107,917,283 (USA) (17 January 2010)
ImDb (Internet movie database).

Based on these figures, this shows that a horror film would be able to sell, even with a budget of $11,000, this would be my target audience, people who are fans of new release horror films.


5.The audience for my film was attracted by the genre. The fact that I aimed at horror fans and told them the plot gave me some attention and I asked them to comment on the overall finished product:












marek says: The opening for the film looks proffesional enough to be a whole film and I like the use of sound effects to exaggerate the actions.



Amie says: I really enjoyed the suspense potrayed in the extract, by sing shots and angles, I think it has potential to become a successful horror film.





Mat says: The overall finished product reflects the genre very well and the use of sound creates a great cliffhanger.



Through the plot and the audience research I gathered a general interest on my product.









6.The technologies avaliable for making short films such as my final product are of a proffesional standard, the creative process is only enhanced by the software in use. Apple imacs are the perfect platform for any media editing oppourtunity. We did all the editing and the dvd burning on the apple mac using imovie and idvd.

During the editing we came up against a number of problems such as the addition of foley effects and soundtrack. We had to edit the volume levels on certain and had to be very accurate on when the sound cut, using imovie we adjusted the sound successfully. All the scene cuts were done on imovie also, by simply click and drag into a storyboard and then ordered them into a plot.

The beginning of the project our editing skills were primitive and scruffy, but as we produced the preliminary continuity task and had time to gain suffcient skills to produce a respectable final piece. The technology avaliable was very useful. I have learnt alot from the technologies and I have learnt how to use the software to a good level.

7. In the progression from preliminary task to final piece, I have learnt that using the latest technology and understanding the format of editing software that anyone who is trying to produce a short film can with little experience in the field. Such techniques were learnt and put into use: 180 degree rule

Match on action

and shot reverse shot sequence

these techniques in use have helped me create a good standard of short film.

In the proccess of filming I found it good to practice holding a shot steady by to focus on a scene by not looking down the camera lense but to focus with your eyes and to breathe slowly. Also to create the dark lighting involved was create by having a small amount of house table lamps on instead of ceiling or wall lights.. Overall the techniques learnt from start to finish were of paramount importance and helped me produce a successful film opening.

Shooting Schedule

This table is the schedule we filmed our shots and scenes. it also demonstrates who filmed what so we can gain equal credit for filming and technical shots.

Target audience research & Generic features

Generic features.



Here is a list based on my opening analysis of horror films. The generica features in the opening 2/3 minutes.







Target audience research results.




Here are the results I compiled from the answers to the questionnaire we created to ask a selection of our target audience.

The overall results compiled from the questionnaire were helpful in letting us know what makes a good film opening, especially a good horror opening. The answers were helpful in many catorgories such as: action, shots, soundtrack etc. These filming dilemmas are sorted out in the answers gained from the questionnaire.

Story boards proposals

1. Dusk Of The Dead

2. The slayer

The storyboards for "the slayer" are what we will be basing our final piece on. The storyboards contain many of the generic features of a stereotypical horror film.

Preliminary film task.

This task is to illustrate the "continuity" feature of shots, not breaking the 180 rule for shooting

this rule is so a conversation/action can run smoothly on playback.

Genre Specifc Film Opening Analysis.

Dawn of The Dead (2004)
Company: Universal Picutres
Director: A.J Romero
Time: 2:40
TITLES

Universal sequence of globe and logo, high pitched violins and loud heartbeat.
Strike Pictures logo

Skull appears on screen, flames. close up.
Cuts to x-ray close up of skull. Doctors dialogue of phone call.

Costumes of doctors and nurses
Nurse requests an opinion on chart (Mise) , foley effects of footsteps. Two shot of doctors.

"suspicious bite wound" on patient. Close up on nurses Facial expression of annoyance after no help from the doctor.

Nurse desk. Close up over the shoulder shot of receptionist.
Mise: computer screen checking for patients status.

Nurse leaves shift as new "bite wound" patient is wheeled in. Stretcher and ambulance staff.
Close up of legs hanging out the back of parked ambulance. Sudden low atmoshpere bass tone.

"hey" dialogue from nurse. Character rises with a " uuuugh" zombie like noise, realisation that he is not a zombie cuts all tension.

Long shot of hospital, no sound.
Framing Aerial shot of flag poles, Stars and Stripes flag and state flag frame nurse.

Leaving the hospital, E.C.U on radio, new flash of " virus spreading" tunes into ironic soundtrack "Have A Nice Day" by Stereophincs. Aerial shot of peaceful suburbian america.

1. Film Opening analysis

School Of Rock
company:Paramount pictures
Director: Richard Linklater.
Actors: Jack Black, Joan Cusack.
Time: 2mins 25 seconds.
TITLES.
paramount logo and rock music of band palying in the bar.

The bar scene.
A tracking shot of man with t-shirt(closeup behind) . Credits are mise on scene.
Foley effect of footsteps in bar and phone conversations.

Mid shot of fans and School Of Rock flouresecnt sign on wall. close up on sign.
Music: diagetic rock band. Bar scene with a scarce crowd.

Credits now on screen over picture.
Close up of band on stage and main character, Jack Black. Tracking stage movements (mid)

Two shot of singer and Jack showing strange relationship.
Awkward guitar solo, over the top acting and out of key notes show awkwardness.

Mise on stage, Amps guitars and drum kit.

Close up of band during solo, facial expressions show anger.
Shot of fans phone, close up on message on screen "these guys suck"

mid shot of characters.
Crowd laugh and scream at a topless jack black.

Stage dive failure and high angle over the top of jack on the floor.
Dialogue " that was lame" foley effects: laughing from crowd. Close up of face on the floor. Scene end.