P46 - Film

P45 - Official Poster

P44 - Official Radio Trailer

Question 1

Question 1 - Atiya Boksh from Atiya Boksh on Vimeo.

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

P43 - Feedback From Adam

P42 - Problems During Filming

P41 - 2nd Draft Radio Trailer

P41 - Animatic

P40 - Film Connotation

P39 - Audience Poster Feedback

Poster Feedback - by atiyaboksh

P38 - Audience Logo Feedback

P37 - Update On Filming

P36 - New Storyboard

P35 - Script - Final Draft

P34 - Feedback On Script

P33 - Script (2nd Draft)

P32 - New Radio Trailer Script (1st Draft)

New Radio Trailer Script

P31 - Logo Designs

The logo that I designed is the one with the film reel and says the name of our production company (Infinity Productions) in black. Personally, I think that having a simple logo is much more effective than having logos with several colours, different backgrounds and specific pictures. This is because a logo that is simple and easy to read is much more easier to identify as well as it being effective. I also think that having a logo that is related to a specific production such as a film is not suitable to have as a logo. This is because it may not relate to other productions produced by the company. For example, producing a news cast and a horror film are two different ranges of media products. However, my group and I suggested that it would be useful to create a range of different logo's and ask our target audience which one they like best and why. This is important as our initial plan is to appeal our audience to watch our film.

Infinity Productions Logo Design

P30 - Changes To Script

Here is a screenshot of my group and I emailing each other regarding the new script. We have discussed what scenes each person is filming and we are now deciding what type of camera shots that we would like to film in our scenes.

P29 - Feedback on Narrative

We received feedback from a professional photographer in regards to our script. It was really helpful as it made our storyline more simple so it would be easier to film. Therefore, we have now put some changes on our script.

P28 - Camera Techniques

                                                      Rule of Thirds

What is the rule of thirds? This means breaking up an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that there are 9 parts. 

180 degree rule

What is the 180 degree rule? This refers to keeping the camera position within a field of 180 degrees. Crossing the line is a very important concept in video and film production. It refers to an imaginary line which cuts through the middle of the scene, from side to side with respect to the camera. Crossing the line changes the viewer's perspective in such as way that it causes disorientation and confusion. For this reason, crossing the line is something to be avoided.

P27 - Signed Location Letters

P26 - Signed Permission Letters - Cast

P25 - Oracular Script (2nd Draft)

Oracular Script - Final Draft

P23 - Script Feedback

P22 - Filming Schedule and Production Schedule

Filming Schedule

Production Schedule:

Scene 1: Atiya
Scene 2: Naieema
Scene 3: Fahmida
Title and Credits: Atiya. Naieema, Fahmida
Poster: Naieema
Radio trailer: Fahmida

P21 - Idea of Camera Shots

From this, I learnt that it is important to have effective camera shots to enhance the genre of the film as well as making the whole product seem cinematic. Therefore, we have chosen specific camera shots and angles for each scene such as having a middle shot which establishes the setting. Also, having a close up is effective during a significant scene.

P20 - Narrative (Draft)

Draft Narrative by naieemakmiah

P19 - Finalised Poster

P19 - Poster Ideas

P18 - Script For Film - Draft

Oracular Script

P17 - Script (Scene 1 Draft)

Oracular Script - Scene 1

P16 - Radio Trailer Script - Draft

Radio Trailer Script

*P15 - Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

P15 - Permission Letters for Locations

Location Letters

P14 - Permission Letters for Cast

Permission Letters for Cast

P13 - Reeces

P12 - Props and Cast List

View Props and Costumes.pptx and other presentations by naieemakmiah.

P11 - Storyboard

Create a Copy | View Larger
Create a Copy | View Larger

*P10 - Group Meeting Diary

Research and Planning Schedule

P10 - Pitch

Film pitch (final) from ABoksh

P9 - Treatment

Title: Oracular

Running time: 5 minutes maximum

Format: Film

Certification: 12

Target Audience: Must be over 12 years of age. Preferably an active audience (those that actively think and consume the product meaning.) This film is aimed at those who enjoy puzzle solving, increasing their curiosity as to why/how things are and those who are challenging and willing to find a solution. The psychographic values for our film are:

• 'Trendies' - Those who crave attention for their peers
• 'Egoists’ - Those who seek pleasure
•  'Rebels’ - Those who wish to remake the world in their image

Synopsis: A girl is chosen by a demon to capture female opponents to play a deadly game.

Key Scenes: 

• Start: April Fools Day. This scene will be shot at a low camera angle to a wide camera shot. Main character is walking home carrying textbooks in her hand. She then feels (the villain) someone's presence as she felt someone has bumped into her which makes her drop her books even though no one is there. She looks around to see whom it was but there was no one there and there is a close up for her face which transits into an over the shoulder shot. Phone rings. She then picks it up and hears a lady in an American accent with an ebullient voice as she says: "Congratulations. You have been chosen as a participant to play the game of the century." This will be shown in a medium shot. The main character looks confused at first and then her facial expression turns rapidly into an annoyed look and effortlessly says "ugh, I’m not interested. Stop fooling me." About 5 seconds later, the phone rings again. However, this time, a deep, sinister voice says: "Do you want to play a game?" in a neutral yet daunting voice. The main character remains looking annoyed and is certain the phone calls are April Fools Day pranks. She then rolls her eyes and sighs lightly and says "Whatever, I’m not falling for your stupid April Fools Day pranks." There is a silent pause and then the guy says: ‘It’s not a prank. "It’s a game." in the same neutral and sinister voice. However this time, the girl gets a shock of realisation that it is not actually a prank and that someone is messing with her mind. As she realises this, her eyes widen and moves her head slightly back and then stays still whilst in shock and gasps and the camera zooms in to an extreme close up.

• Middle: This scene will be first shot in a long camera shot. It is the next morning at school. The main character returns to school looking pale, fatigued and unsettled. She is sitting down on the floor looking isolated and at unease which will be shown in a middle shot. Friend 1 approaches her and asks if she is okay in a friendly manner. This part will be filmed at a low angle and then a close up.  The main character gives any direct eye contact with her and simply says “I’m fine.” *School bell rings* this will be shown in an establishing shot. Main character asks if she has any plans after school. Friend 1 says no and asks her if she would like to go somewhere with her. Friend 1 replies "where?” The main character says ‘I’ll show you.’ This will be shown using a tracking shot. It is the next day: Friend 2 goes to the main character and asks ‘Where is friend 1?’ which will be shot from her POV looking very concerned and alert as to where she might be. Main character looks puzzled and shrugs. She then says "I don’t know." And the camera transits from her POV. After a while, main character says “Oh wait, I know where she is. Come with me” by using a medium shot. Friend 2 then goes with main characters to the auditorium and this will be shown by using a match on cut.

• End: After a while, main character takes Friend 2 to the auditorium and sits her down in a circle which will be shown using a match cut. She insists the girl that they should play a game. Friend 2 asks main character where friend 1 is and straight after, the main character looks up with red eyes with a horrific and deadly look. This will be shown in an establishing shot and then a close up. She starts spelling out deadly words. (E.g. death, gone, danger’) and her arm (etc.) starts to bleed. The villain who we see at the first scene appears behind the main character at a high angle over her shoulder, he is also seen looking at the girls play the game which be shown by an over the shoulder shot/birds eye view. This gives the audience an insight that he is behind all of this mayhem. Therefore, it is now obvious that the main character is in fact the villains slave and does whatever he commands her to do as she feels satisfies by doing so. Friend 2 gets frightened about what is going on exactly and where she is and says ‘What is this?’ unaware that the villain is right behind her. There is no response and then suddenly the main character looks up with red eyes with a horrific and deadly look and then Friend 2 starts screaming and looks terrified. After this, they start to witness uncanny experiences such as hearing eerie sounds, equipment moving around, the wind howling drastically out of nowhere and they start hearing a childish yet demonic laugh from the main character which will be shot in a serious of camera shots consisting of a few seconds each. The next scene will be filmed by a panning/tracking movement and with a match cut. Friend 2 runs to the door to try and escape. However, the door shuts loudly even though there is no one in sight. She then realizes that there is no way out and is stuck with this demonic girl and the manipulative villain that will eventually turn the 2 girls into their slaves in order to fulfil his wishes.  As she is struggling to open the door in excruciating pain to escape, she looks back and suddenly there is an extreme close up of the villain and then she starts screaming. After that, the screen goes blank.

Characters:

The main character will be a teenage girl; preferably aged 14. In the film, we will present her as lonely, mysterious and has trouble regarding her normal day to day life which will have a big impact on the way she behaves towards other characters. 
She generally reacts without considering the consequences of her actions as she is extremely dependent towards someone who she is much superior than her. This is because she believes she must be a slave to them as she views them as their 'master' and therefore must obey all their demands.
She eventually turns into a cunning and manipulative person but hides it very well and knows the difference between right and wrong but chooses to ignore it as she is incapable of relating to normal emotions such as love. 

There will be approximately 2 friends (preferably female as they will be able to relate to her and socialize with her in an approachable way and be friendly towards her).
Friend 1 (and/or) Friend 2 take genuine interest in others. 
They are friendly, caring and will be there for each other and times of distress.
They are pessimists, however, when life takes its toll, they are completely over thinking and are always worried and frightened as to what might happen to them.

The villain will be covered in a vendetta mask which will enhance the suspense during the film and the audience will be curious while they are watching it. 
The villain has an extreme egocentric and narcissistic behaviour and has the ability to manipulate others very easily. This is because he is incapable of feeling guilt, remorse or empathy for his actions. 
He demands absolute loyalty as he only likes you if you do exactly what he wants, therefore attempting to reinforce manipulation. 
He thinks that normal rules of society don't apply to him - he is somehow exempt. He is not concerned with right or wrong for his own actions - only with whether he can get away with doing something without being caught.

P8 - Suggestions For Movie Title

Mind Map created by Naieema Miah with ExamTime

P7 - Sounds That We May Use In Our Film

P6 - Draft Storyline

P5 - Radio Trailer Moodboard

P4 - Poster Moodboard

P3 - Film Moodboard

P2 - Group Discussion

P1 - Mindmap Of Group Ideas For Film

R20 - Radio Trailer Analysis - Ouija

R19 - Textual Analysis Of Sequence - The Conjuring

CAMERA SHOTS, ANGLES, MOVEMENT AND COMPOSITION

As the film titles begin, we immediately see a picture of the Perron Family (with Ron Livingstone playing the father in the film). However, here we see a real image of the Perron Family, who the story is based around as the film is supposedly based on the true events that occurred in their house.Throughout the film, the camera remains frozen to a fixed point. This creates dramatic tension and connotes the eerie nature of the film itself. We see an establishing shot of the house at the beginning of the movie which enables the audience to have an insight of what the house looks likes. Also, the darkness seems to have taken over the whole building, with just a single white porch light glowing outside. This gives the setting an effect as it creates a sinister and mysterious atmosphere. Not only the house makes the location look haunted but also the trees as they seem to frame the house with their branches. For instance, the slow zoom into the house ensures the audience that this is the centre of all events within the movie.

During the movie, the camera flicks inside of the house and the woman is standing at the side of her bed folding clothes and after she checks on her daughters, the camera reveals to us that the picture frames have been torn down, by what seems to be an invisible force. Clearly, this shows us that something is working against the family, and the peeling of the wallpaper we can see shows us how old this building really is.

A mid close up of the woman is shown as she holds the candle, and after 3 seconds, a pair of hands clap very loudly over her left shoulder. 

As she goes into the cellar, we see a very harsh cantered, low angled shot, showing the woman turn on the light at the top of the stairs. Cantered angles are used to let the audience know that something is not normal about the events to follow, and this is shown in the movie when the woman is locked in and the light bulb blows, plunging her into darkness. When she strikes the match, we see a mid shot of her kneeling on the floor – a low angle, as if we as viewers are looking up the stairs at her. After, an over the shoulder shot follows, as we see her view of the dark stair case, the light from the match casts a glow around her, which could have connotations that she is the only thing that is good and innocent in this cellar.

LIGHTENING 

In the middle of the movie, the woman goes downstairs to try and find the intruder, and when the door is opened, she peers inside into the darkness. Darkness is a common feature in almost all horror films, and here is gives us a very uneasy feeling as viewers feel that there is something there in the dark. She then turns on the light and peers down and the white light of the cellar gives the room a monochrome look. This has connotations of the past, a different decade or even a different century, which may give the audience a clue that whatever is causing the strange happenings could be supernatural, from the past to haunt the family.

The woman is locked in there, and the screen goes dark again. This indicates that the audience doesn't know what is happening to the woman in the dark, which again, makes them feel slightly frightened for the character as the darkness is hiding something which is not friendly. She then strikes a match, and unusually it does not cast a warm glow as matches usually do. This light is whiter and harsher, highlighting the woman’s expression of fear to the audience. From the darkness behind her, we see a familiar pair of pale hands reach out and clap next to the woman’s face. This is done quite quickly, which again might make the audience jump with fright, due to it being so unexpected.

EDITING

The use of mid shots and soft lighting in the movie allows the audience to follow the characters through their normal business, whether it was first entering their new home or playing games. 

A tracking shot is also used to follow the woman as she goes on the hunt to fins her daughters in the game, but by the beginning of the second act, we see everything change slightly. After the doors of the wardrobe open, the screen fades to black before a hand held, tracking mid close up shot of the woman is filmed from in front of her. This suggests that the audience cannot see what she is walking towards and this shown with shaky camera movements which gives an unnerving feeling to the audience.

MISE EN SCENE

The mise-en-scene in the movie helps create a feel of the seventies which the director wanted to have this film set during this time. The use of costume enhances this idea because the costume matches the era. For example, the men and women wearing suits and gowns.

Throughout the movie, there are many disturbing images such as Annabelle the Doll, the tree from the theatrical poster/DVD cover and other images that connote that eerie feel that the film producers were aiming to create and gives it a creepy edge.

From the beginning, we see the large family spill in through the front door, all dressed in what look like clothes from the 70s; the colour of these clothes, which seems to be a variety of yellows, browns and oranges are all warm (and typical popular colours of the decade), which have connotations of warmth, and happiness. This would suggest that this family are happy.

The house looks slightly worn and there are several dust covers around and the warm brown colours of the wood keep the house looking like a nice place to live. We see the woman wander into the bedroom with the blindfold on in which the blindfold is a bright red colour. Red has connotations of danger, and even blood, which could signify that something is very dangerous about that pair of hands that she is walking towards. This gives the movie a thrill towards the audience.

The room has several posters on the wall, with pinks and blues, and the rug is in similar shades, indicating that this is a child’s room. It looks like a nice spacious room, but behind the woman, we see an object which contrasts with all other objects there – a huge, dark wardrobe. The wood it is made of is almost black, and its large size creates a menacing feeling. This is made clear as soon as the doors slowly open. Inside, there are just clothes, again, in nice, bright colours, yet as soon as the woman says “Clap”, we see long, pale arms reach out from behind them. They look terribly pale and this is a clear indication that they are not normal and that there is something wrong with the scene. 

SOUND

The sound in this movie is effective in creating the right mood and atmosphere for an advertisement within the horror genre. At the start, we first hear the door opening and the shouting of the whole family as they come through the door, as the children shout things over each other such as “I get my own room!” and “I call dibs on the room!”. This creates a family feel to this part, as the sound is just simply the typical noises of a family moving into a new home. Straight after this, a song kicks in with the visual ident – the song ‘Time of the Season’ by The Zombies. This song is from the album ‘Odessey and Oracle’ which was released in 1968. Due to the fact that this film is set in 1971, this sets the scene well for the turning of the decade, and we get the feel of the era just by hearing this song. Also the fact that it is by a band called ‘The Zombies’ would be appropriate for a horror film, but would only be relevant for those in the audience who actually know this.

The use of sound effect helps to emphasise the dramatic tension. For example, the sound effect of crows squawking aids the emphasis. In the middle of the movie, we hear jagged interference sounds and then are presented with the face of Annabelle the Doll. This can connote the doll itself will be significant to the story and to me puts me on the edge of my seat, feeling uncomfortable.

In The Conjuring, there is a scene where we hear a child counting, which links to the visual on screen where they are playing a game, and when the woman finishes counting to ten, we hear her shout, “First clap!” which is returned by the sound of a clap. This lets us know how the game is played and shows us the innocence of this family. The woman plays the game and enters a room, but as she turns her back, a wardrobe at the back of the room opens. It opens with a loud creak, and the music suddenly stops – a sinister silence follows. This silence creates a very uneasy feel to the trailer, and would indicate to the audience that something is not quite right. The woman hears this creak, and says “Clap!” again, which is returned by an unusually slow clap, creating an uneasy edge. As she walks forward to try and find the source of the clap (the aim of the game) she says playfully “I’m gonna get you now... I can hear you breathing”. We can hear this breathing, however, it is not coming from the child as she thinks it is. As an audience, the tension is built as we anticipate the woman finding a supernatural creature instead of her daughter.

After, the woman goes downstairs to investigate further and straight after she shouts “Who is that?” we hear the unmistakable noise of a door slowly opening, and a clapping noise. This is a non diagetic sound as we cannot see who is making the clapping noise. Suspense is created here as she goes through the cellar door, and turns on the light switch where she attempts to threaten whatever is down there by saying “Whoever’s down there I’m gonna lock you in now!” however, as she turns to exit, the door slams shut in her face, and the light bulb blows with a fizzing noise. This gives a fright to the audience, who may not have been expecting this loud noise.

Later on, we hear the woman scramble about, banging on the door and crying for help. This may create sympathy for this character among the audience, as we realise how helpless she is here. We hear a match being struck and there is silence again apart from the heavy breathing of the woman, which is a clear indication of her fear. We hear a clap once more and the woman screams, which is a typical sound effect for a horror convention.

R18 - Regulation, Marketing And Distributing

R17 - Case Study of Orphan

*R17 - UK and US Film Ratings

R16 - History Of Horror Genre

R15 - Controversial Films - The Exorcist and Childsplay

R14 - Short Film Reviews

R13 - Research into technical practice - Camera Usage

R12 - Analysis Of Film Posters - Orphan & Sinister

Poster Analysis Of Sinister

R11 - Analysis of film trailers - Annabelle & The Purge Anarchy

Summary of the film:
Annabelle is the doll featured in the opening scene of The Conjuring who makes her way into the hands of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. In the movie, a couple begin to experience terrifying supernatural occurrences involving the vintage doll shortly after their home is invaded by satanic cultists. 

Trailer analysis:
The trailer starts with a number of different shots of the location, as if they are snapshots of the event in the film, which are all shown in different angles to show the main focus of where the activity is taking place. This is a good tension building technique as it builds tension fairly quickly. In the beginning, you see a lady running up to her husband in the night showing that her sleep was disturbed by an unusual event. Shen then says “John wake up, I heard her scream" and "she's covered in blood" in a panicky and agitated voice. This builds up the atmosphere as more intense. Therefore, this will build up the curiosity to the audience as to what is happening. 

As soon as the man runs out the door of the house, intense and vigorous music starts playing in synch giving the movement an affect indicating that something is wrong judging by his facial expression as he looks worried and out of breath. He then urges his wife to go back inside the house repeatedly. This states that an unusual even has occurred and that something must be done in order to protect themselves, raising the tension and suspense.

In the middle of the trailer, you start seeing various quick camera shots of Annabelle the doll every now and then. This suggests that this specific object may have a responsibility in the unusual occurrences taking place. You then hear a child like voice whispering "I like your dolls" in the background and straight after there is a sudden scream which gets the viewer on the edge of their seat. This scream is used to build tension in this situation related to the doll. There are a number of flashes that are like strobe lighting, this shown over a man struggling to fight off the woman, the scream continues and then stops when just the dolls face is shown. After that, there is sudden attacking going on and this gives the trailer a fearsome effect. There are a number of flashes that are like strobe lighting. Flashing light is a good technique because it gets the viewer on edge and the bright lights almost get them excited to see what is going to happen next. This is shown over the man struggling to fight off the woman and the scream continues and then stops when just the dolls face is shown.

You then see a close up camera shot of Annabelle where a tear sheds blood out of her eye. The fact that red connotates evilness and death gives the impression that the doll is not so innocent after all and that the doll is full of secrets and is capable of unrealistic occurrences performed by an object as it doesn't happen in real life. This may be disturbing to the audience as dolls are usually seen as happiness, joy and innocence.

Also, the part where you can see the doll placed on the shelve in a kid's room is shown as a middle camera shot to establish the setting. As you can see, the curtains are blue and pink and the furniture is white. These colours symbolise innocence and purity which contrasts the image of the vintage doll even though she is wearing a pure white gown. This makes the doll stand out and it shows that this doll may be the cause of the problems taking place in the movie.

The screen changes again and this time the screen is dark and the tone of music drops and once again, there is a sudden crash as the screen changes to represent something has gone wrong again. Some strange things begin to happen around the house but in the back ground of the shot, for example the camera is on a close up of the doll ' Annabelle' but you can see the door slam shut in the background although no one is in the room. This is also a good tension building technique because it is almost done slyly. Then, a record player is shown starting to play music by itself. The music is a very relaxed kind of jazz music, a shot is then shown of the woman asleep on a low angle shot but also quite a long shot too, you can see the woman asleep towards one side of the shot and the music begins to play but the spirit or woman is shown walking around the house around her without her knowing. This music is used to lighten the mood, before quickly switching to something bad happening for a better effect on the viewer. 

The trailer quickly picks up the pace, the shots change from the woman sewing, to the cooker in the room, this gradually gets faster and faster, then a close up shot of the doll  Annabelle is shown for a brief second in between the other shots. You can hear a clock ticking faster and faster and lullaby music playing in the background which contrasts what is going on. The kitchen sets on fire and the woman is dragged into it by what appears to be a spirit. There are then a number of different shots that flash up very quickly and with very little time between them (enough for the viewer to establish what is going on). This is used to create a sense of panic. The door suddenly locks and the woman crouches down to look underneath, there is a POV shot of the baby in another room, this is interrupted by the doll falling to the floor in front of the shot. The screen quickly changes to the blank themed screen which reads 'discover the secret'.

Overall, I really liked this trailer, particularly because of the variety of techniques that were used to build tension and panic for the viewer. It gives you a good insight into the film but still leaves the viewer wanting more with the 'discover the secret', 'and of what she wants'.

The purge Anarchy Trailer Analysis from ABoksh

R10 - Independant Research (BBFC and Regulations)

R9 - Conversations with your sample audience (film or podcast or written evidence)

Audience Research about Horror movies

Target Audience Research

R8 - Meetings with Groups

Group meeting by naieemakmiah

DATE	Completed
13/10/14- Film ideas	/
20/10/14- Discussing the camera shots/angles	/
22/10/14- Discussing film locations and briefly about costumes	/
31/10/14- Film props/makeup/costume	/

Infinity productions

R7 - Audience Survey and Analysis/Focus groups/Interviews

GROUP RESPONSE by naieemakmiah

R6 - What Makes A Good Horror Movie & How To Make Horror Movie Props

Guillermo del Toro is a writer, producer and director for various successful movies such as Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, Hellboy, The Hobbit, The Devil's Backbone and many more. He developed an interest in film making in his early teens and learnt about make up and effects by working with the legendary Dick Smith who was the make up artist for The Exorcist and then worked on making his own short films. In this video, he gives out a few tips on what makes a good horror movie and which certain props and characters makes a good or bad story plot:

During my research, I also came across this Youtube video on how to make props for horror movies and I found it very interesting as it is an intelligent way of making weapons real life like!

R5 - Case Study of a Film Company that produces film in chosen Genre

R4 - Codes and Conventions of Chosen Horror Genre (Supernatural)

Characters 

Main characters in supernatural horror movies tend to appear as 'normal' people. For example their appearance. Characters are also likely to be troubled by something that has happened in the past which leads other characters to view them as 'mentally unstable' once supernatural interaction occurs. An example of this is 'Insidious' and 'Insidious 2'. 


Male characters are usually seen as the dominant, seeking help to save his family from paranormal spirits. However, they can be also be used as a villain to unveil an unexpected plot twist which attracts the audiences attention as it causes suspense. 

Female characters are usually seen as harmless and natural, wearing simple clothing with neutral/pastel colours such as white, beige, cream pale pink and blue which doesn't project them as sexualised.

A typical ending of supernatural films is the characters resulting death as it is what the audience expects. This is often because the spirit has possessed the family's house or the characters itself prevented them for being able to escape. An example of this is 'Paranormal activity' as it uses the reoccurring expectation where the main characters end up being killed or possessed.  

Location 

It is conventional for supernatural horror movies to be set at homes which can be also known as a 'haunted house'. Other common locations are the main characters workplace, car, school etc. One of the reasons why supernatural movies usually take place at a characters house is because it makes the genre more exciting and it promotes the fear of something that is unfriendly and unwanted, entering their personal space. This as a huge effect on the audience as they may feel frightened in a similar setting, for example an empty house or a forest. 

Events

Curtain blowing in the wind and creaking of a door - Tend to take places at the beginning of the film and so on. This symbolises the entry of the unknown as it indicates the presence of a spirit or ghosts. 

Main character looking at their reflection in a mirror, sleeping or in the bath - This is where ghosts or spirits reveal their presence as the character may experience an unusual vision or nightmare at unexpected times. 


Researching about the spirit/ghost - This often happens after the characters suspects a spirit/ghosts to further investigate and how to solve the problems. For example, in 'The Conjuring' the father finds numerous video tapes and discovers the serial killing that takes place around the house.   

Sounds

It is common for orchestral music to be used as background music because it reflects the mood of the characters (fear, anxiety, suspense) and it also creates an atmosphere in which the audience feels feared and expecting something to suddenly happen. This is also called 'Contrapuntal music' as orchestral music does not match with the scene. Also, a child's laughter or a girls laugh, nursery rhymes are used because it makes the atmosphere sinister as they are meant to be innocent sounds. 


Lightening

It is conventional for lightening in supernatural horror movies to be dark. This is because it hugely contributes to the scare factor towards the audience. Also, the weather is mostly gloomy, rainy and cold. This makes the character appear as vulnerable.

     

*R4 - Typical Horror Conventions

*R3 - Media Theorists

Laura Mulvey - Male Gaze Theory

Laura Mulvey is a British Feminist that argued that films are used to sexualise women. The women's body is positioned for the mans viewing pleasure (to look and enjoy). Therefore, Laura Mulvey argued that women are objectified as they no longer view them as an actual person but an object. This can be done through camera shots; for example, the camera focuses on specific body parts. Often, their bodies are exposed and this is used to objectify women.

Hypodermic Needle Theory 

This theory suggests that the media has a direct effect on the way people behave. This is because the media injects ideas directly into the minds of the audience and this shows that messages have subtle influences. For instance, children playing video games or watching a film have become more violent. This is because over the years, new technology has been producing products that involve violence. 

Uses and Gratification Theory

This theory suggests that there is a highly active audience making use of the media purposes as opposed to the Hypodermic Needle Theory such as:

• Entertainment
• Information
• Education
• Escapism
• Identification
• Social Interaction

R3 - Audience Research

R2 - Research Plan

Research

Research can be conducted to collect different forms of date such as primary and secondary data in order to collect specific information. The difference between primary and secondary data is that primary data is collected for the researchers own purposes. Examples can be questionnaires, structured interviews, participant observation and laboratory experiments. Whereas, secondary data is collected by someone else for their own purposes. Examples of this can be content analysis, official statistics and personal documents.

Two different types of date collected through research

Research methods that produced qualitative data (numbers or statistics) can be collected through official statistics, questionnaires and more.

Quantitative data (in depth and detailed words) can be collected through unstructured interviews, participant observations and more.

What I will be researching:

R1 - What Is Short News?

A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits. (www. en.org/wiki/Short_film.com)

Short Film Festival - London Short Film Festival

LSFF is an annual event that presents the best in UK short film-making talent. In January, they took over London’s best independent cinemas and venues to showcase various short films. (www.shortfilms.org.uk)

BAFTA (The British Academy of Films and Television Arts)

BAFTA supports promotes and develops the art forms of the moving image - film, television and video games - by identifying and giving awards to the best films inspiring film producers and directors which also benefits the public. As the leading charity in the UK supporting the art forms of the moving image, BAFTA ensures that the  best creative work can be accessed and appreciated by the public. http://awards.bafta.org/award/2014/film/british-short-film

Here are some rules producers must take into account when creating short films:

1. The shorter the better. A short film can be anything from 15 seconds to 45 minutes in length. Make the script as short as possible because the shorter the short, the less costly it will be to produce. Also, if they want their film to be shown at festivals, then it should be no more that 10 minutes which is usually 7-8 pages maximum and is effective to viewers.
2. Make the film visual. “Film is a visual medium”. Film is about telling stories in pictures, which is the most economical way of telling a story – and when you make a short film, economy is everything. Create visual backstories for your characters through visual images their temperament, their profession, their status, etc.
3. Tell a story.  Short films are a great opportunity to push the boundaries of what storytelling in cinema's can do, yet they must still engage your audience emotionally.
4. Find single moments. The best short films have a particular scene that engages the audience. For example, a conflict that has to be solved which creates tension