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