My target audience is the general horror movie goers, 16-20 year olds, and due to the Evil Dead inspiration any fans of the the Evil Dead trilogy. While the general stereotype for this age group states that they listen to rap, i have previously stated my dislike for rap, and the vast majority of people I know in this age group prefer more rock/metal oriented music, so i will try for a Metallica style theme to the film. Although some parts of the theme (the bell on the opening credits) is based on less socially accepted pro wrestling (namely the Undertakers signature BONG!) i don't think this will matter when it comes to my target audience.
Something that they will expect is plenty of gore, while mt budget restraints (no budget) means i will have to improvise (all gore off screen or behind something, fake blood and sausages).
Sunday, 11 December 2011
begning, middle and end of film
The film will begin with initiation of the zombie apocalypse, it will be explained that the zombies are more like the Deadites from the Evil Dead, intelligent and fast zombies, than your stereotypical Romero style shufflers, as well as the in joke that no zombie film calls the zombies zombies, they usually refer to them as infected or something smiler. The opening will track humanity attempting to handle the outbreak and hold secure locations against the horde (Army of Darkness, dam ugly SOB's etc.) and some of them getting overrun and others holding.
The middle will revolve around the retreat from overran positions and attempts to evacuate civilians to safety and find a way to combat the horde, mainly by reclaiming armoury's and airfields from the horde to get armour and air support and attempts to find some sort of cure for the infected.
The last third will be about humanity finally getting its shit together and counter attack against the horde, reclaiming several major cities and relieving besieged locations via air support and airlift (e.g. the Tower of London, while it doesn't look like much on the out side, inside it appears to be built to withstand a nuclear apocalypse.) and the final discovery of the Necronomicon, the ancient book of the dead written by the "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazer, and how its being used by a mad man to try and take over the Earth with his "Army of Darkness" and after being unceremoniously shot in the head, its said that hes "been watching too many films" before the speaker turns to the audience, breaking the fourth wall, and says "ain't that right".
The middle will revolve around the retreat from overran positions and attempts to evacuate civilians to safety and find a way to combat the horde, mainly by reclaiming armoury's and airfields from the horde to get armour and air support and attempts to find some sort of cure for the infected.
The last third will be about humanity finally getting its shit together and counter attack against the horde, reclaiming several major cities and relieving besieged locations via air support and airlift (e.g. the Tower of London, while it doesn't look like much on the out side, inside it appears to be built to withstand a nuclear apocalypse.) and the final discovery of the Necronomicon, the ancient book of the dead written by the "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazer, and how its being used by a mad man to try and take over the Earth with his "Army of Darkness" and after being unceremoniously shot in the head, its said that hes "been watching too many films" before the speaker turns to the audience, breaking the fourth wall, and says "ain't that right".
Questionnaire Analysis
I asked ten 16 to 18 year olds - my target audience for a fifteen rated horror film.
Question One: 80% said they went once a month - which shows me that my target audience gos to the cinema a lot - my film could make a lot of money!
Question Two: 90% said they owned more than 50 DVDs - this shows that if my target audience saw the film in the cinema then there is still a very high chance that they would buy it on DVD as well, making even more money.
Question Three: 90% said they did enjoy horror films, this shows my target audience will be interested in the film.
Question Four: The poll for preferred genre of horror, supernatural or psychological, was spilt 50/50, this will not affect the genre of my film however.
Question Five: A minority of people said that horror is there preferred genre of film to watch with friends, the majority going for action or comedy, however due to the film being heavily inspired by the Evil Dead series (mainly Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness) this will not be a problem.
Question One: 80% said they went once a month - which shows me that my target audience gos to the cinema a lot - my film could make a lot of money!
Question Two: 90% said they owned more than 50 DVDs - this shows that if my target audience saw the film in the cinema then there is still a very high chance that they would buy it on DVD as well, making even more money.
Question Three: 90% said they did enjoy horror films, this shows my target audience will be interested in the film.
Question Four: The poll for preferred genre of horror, supernatural or psychological, was spilt 50/50, this will not affect the genre of my film however.
Question Five: A minority of people said that horror is there preferred genre of film to watch with friends, the majority going for action or comedy, however due to the film being heavily inspired by the Evil Dead series (mainly Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness) this will not be a problem.
Saturday, 10 December 2011
Horror music
Perhaps the most iconic piece of music in horror history if not all of movie history, the Psycho violin screech, first heard when the Psycho attacks a woman in a shower, the sharp impact of this simple piece of music has in bedded it into our minds as THE soundtrack to all grisly murders.
Zombieland uses an edited version of Metallica's For Whom The The Bell Tolls in the opening scene, a much welcome break from what appears to be the norm of films that use licenced music for there soundtracks, while most will use some sort of inferior rap song (see Modern Warfare 2 and Battlefield 3 adverts), piece of modern pop music or grunge (see the vast majority of films), this goes for old school metal that fits the film extremal well, as society falls to the zombie horde we hear For Whom The Bells Tolls...
(Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, for it tolls for thee)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnTR-cG5W1I
Queen starts playing when the zombiefied pub landlord appears, creating a hilarious fight scene to the theme of Don't Stop Me Now as they try to fight him off using pool ques and a fire extinguisher.
What i believe deserves an honourable mention are the horror style sounds associated with WWE wrestler the Undertaker:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQDeM8xoXjs&feature=related
While not part of any horror movie the Undertakers theme, gong and sound effects still send chills down peoples spines (mine included), the character of the Undertaker likens himself to the Devil, claiming to be even more powerful than the Beast (he built the house the devil lives in, brick by fiery brick, and when he comes calling, the Devil still answers to him with "sir"), and its surprising a movie based around the Undertaker hasn't been made, the gong is iconic and, due it being just a single bell toll, a sound not a piece of music, is not copyright and so i am planning to use it in my film, the static is pure horror as it interrupts anything electronic, almost all the sound effects on display here I consider pure horror, hos theme has and will always freak people out, and due to that being a copyrighted piece of music, i cant use it as part of the film, but the static sound and gong can be used.
Zombieland uses an edited version of Metallica's For Whom The The Bell Tolls in the opening scene, a much welcome break from what appears to be the norm of films that use licenced music for there soundtracks, while most will use some sort of inferior rap song (see Modern Warfare 2 and Battlefield 3 adverts), piece of modern pop music or grunge (see the vast majority of films), this goes for old school metal that fits the film extremal well, as society falls to the zombie horde we hear For Whom The Bells Tolls...
(Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, for it tolls for thee)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnTR-cG5W1I
Queen starts playing when the zombiefied pub landlord appears, creating a hilarious fight scene to the theme of Don't Stop Me Now as they try to fight him off using pool ques and a fire extinguisher.
What i believe deserves an honourable mention are the horror style sounds associated with WWE wrestler the Undertaker:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQDeM8xoXjs&feature=related
While not part of any horror movie the Undertakers theme, gong and sound effects still send chills down peoples spines (mine included), the character of the Undertaker likens himself to the Devil, claiming to be even more powerful than the Beast (he built the house the devil lives in, brick by fiery brick, and when he comes calling, the Devil still answers to him with "sir"), and its surprising a movie based around the Undertaker hasn't been made, the gong is iconic and, due it being just a single bell toll, a sound not a piece of music, is not copyright and so i am planning to use it in my film, the static is pure horror as it interrupts anything electronic, almost all the sound effects on display here I consider pure horror, hos theme has and will always freak people out, and due to that being a copyrighted piece of music, i cant use it as part of the film, but the static sound and gong can be used.
Thursday, 8 December 2011
Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CjVKGphTW8
The film opens with Ash as a slave being dragged through the dessert in 1300AD, as he narrates the opening he talks about his past life, how he had a job in S-Mart (shop smart, shop S-Mart) and a girlfriend, he then goes on to narrate a alternate version of the events in the last film, he talks about the Necronomican Ex Mortis, the book of the dead, and how it awoke "something dark" and it took his girlfriend and possessed his hand, explaining that he had to cut it off and replace it with the iconic chainsaw hand. The scene shifts to an alternate version of the Evil Dead 2's ending, while Ash dose get sucked into the portal same as the last film its a very different sequence. With the scene set firmly on the portal the opening credits "Bruce Campbell vs Army of Darkness" come up in smoke with dramatic music being played.
The altered back story could be interpreted as Ash is a bit of an idiot, as he is the one narrating the opening, and gets in wrong. The opening scene shows that this is a horror/comedy a lot more clearly than in the last, for example Ash's manic, and hilarious, laughter as he cuts his possessed hand off. While not much of the plot is given away as we know from the first two films it will feature Ash battling the deadites, demon zombie monsters, and him trying to find a way out of 1300AD and back to his own time.
The film opens with Ash as a slave being dragged through the dessert in 1300AD, as he narrates the opening he talks about his past life, how he had a job in S-Mart (shop smart, shop S-Mart) and a girlfriend, he then goes on to narrate a alternate version of the events in the last film, he talks about the Necronomican Ex Mortis, the book of the dead, and how it awoke "something dark" and it took his girlfriend and possessed his hand, explaining that he had to cut it off and replace it with the iconic chainsaw hand. The scene shifts to an alternate version of the Evil Dead 2's ending, while Ash dose get sucked into the portal same as the last film its a very different sequence. With the scene set firmly on the portal the opening credits "Bruce Campbell vs Army of Darkness" come up in smoke with dramatic music being played.
The altered back story could be interpreted as Ash is a bit of an idiot, as he is the one narrating the opening, and gets in wrong. The opening scene shows that this is a horror/comedy a lot more clearly than in the last, for example Ash's manic, and hilarious, laughter as he cuts his possessed hand off. While not much of the plot is given away as we know from the first two films it will feature Ash battling the deadites, demon zombie monsters, and him trying to find a way out of 1300AD and back to his own time.
Questionnaire
Questionnaire
1) How often do you go to the cinema?
One a week
Once a month
Every six months
2) How many DVDs do you own?
Less than ten.
Between ten and fifty
More than Fifty
3) Do you enjoy horror films?
Yes.
No.
4) Which style of Horror do you think is the best?
Psychological.
Supernatural.
5) What is your favourite film genre to watch with friends?
Horror
Romance
Action
Comedy
Thriller
The poster style is extremal cartooney, a massive break from the last two films, with a large amount going on in the picture, Ash with his Boomstick and chainsaw hand is standing on the top of the wreckage of car with a beautiful woman hanging on to his leg, with 3 mini-Ash's attacking his leg and a skeleton army climbing up from under his car. The text is in bold orange letters to catch the casual observers eye while in smaller white text in the top left is the corny tag line "Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas"
In the centre of the poster is the facehugger egg, the cause of all the problems in the Alien series, the background is the empty abyss of space (black with speckled white bits) that highlights the eerie greens of the main facehugger egg and clutch with the tagline "in space no one can here you scream" cleraly visable.
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Research and Planning To Do List
I am going to have posted these ten posts by Wednesday 14th December:
1. Photos of my location and comments about why I am filming there.
2. Pictures of costumes my characters will wear and reasons I have picked them.
3. A post showing three titles in my genre. I will upload three horror posters and will explain what the titles are like and will explain what mine will be like.
4. I wioll explain who my target audience is and will explain what kind of things they are interested in.
5. I will ask five people five questions about film and cinema and will explain what my results are.
6. I will explain my beginning, middle and end of my film - if I was making the whole thing.
7. I will analyse another opening two minutes to a horror film.
8 I will comment on the music in three horror films (uploading youtube links would be even better) and will explain what type of music I will use. I might even find some non-copyright music to use and will comment on it.
9. I will finish my neat storyboard and won't lose it.
10. I will have a picture and an interview with at least one of my actors.
1. Photos of my location and comments about why I am filming there.
2. Pictures of costumes my characters will wear and reasons I have picked them.
3. A post showing three titles in my genre. I will upload three horror posters and will explain what the titles are like and will explain what mine will be like.
4. I wioll explain who my target audience is and will explain what kind of things they are interested in.
5. I will ask five people five questions about film and cinema and will explain what my results are.
6. I will explain my beginning, middle and end of my film - if I was making the whole thing.
7. I will analyse another opening two minutes to a horror film.
8 I will comment on the music in three horror films (uploading youtube links would be even better) and will explain what type of music I will use. I might even find some non-copyright music to use and will comment on it.
9. I will finish my neat storyboard and won't lose it.
10. I will have a picture and an interview with at least one of my actors.
Monday, 5 December 2011
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn operning 2 minutes
The film opens with a lot of smoke as a narrator describes Necronomicon Ex Mortis, the book of the dead, as the smoke clears and the book flies towards and slaps on the screen getting stuck and then peeling off, the camera then enters the mouth a portal in the mouth on the book as the narrator states that it served as a passageway to the evil worlds beyond and that it was written when the seas ran red with blood, cutting to a blood red sea, and how that blood was used to ink the book, as the book gets filled in with blood red lettering. The narrator sates that the book then disappeared, and it fades to the opening credits and title, that then turns into the tunnel that Ash and his girlfriend emerge from. They are talking about the cabin they are going to stay in, Ash stating that it is "deserted". After the shot cuts to them crossing a bridge it moves to the cabin they are in and Ash playing the piano as his girlfriend dances behind him.
The opening about the Necronomicon Ex Mortis shows that this is going to be a horror film but it dose not show that it is comedy at the same time very well, with only the deliberately cheesy sound effects and the book getting stuck on the screen giving that away, as the iconic scenes (such as the chainsaw hand and Boomstick) don't come till later as it dose not show Ash to be the badass that he will become not that later in the film but shows that he has a close bond with his girfriend, makeing the next scene even more horrible.
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Horror Cliches
When it comes to cliches the horror genre is just as rich as that of romance, if not more so, due to all the sub-genres with there own cliches and monsters to attempt to make us evacuate our bowls, and then there is Twilight... only getting a mention to due the presence of "monsters" ("vampires").
Every horror film relies on battle hardened cliches, the zombies will always be where you least expect them (how did they get up onto the roof?) if there were no creepy little girls in Japanese horror out to make you wet your pants, the sub genre would implode (and the Undertaker would be at a loss for creepy promos) and if in someway vampires almost seem like misunderstood in there own vamparic blood draining way (DON'T LOOK AT TWILIGHT!!!!!!) before they rip your throat out then they would cease to exist in modern cinema.
Small children are ALWAYS evil, be it in the possession of demons (the Exorcist) or are just plain creepy and we don't quite know what they are and what they have to do with the scary stuff, especial is they talk in rhyme (see Undertaker promos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX4XcTix6vQ&feature=related ). If there are teens in the film then more often than not they will be spoilt rich kids, they sort that make your fists itch each time they come on screen and you desperately hope that they will be the first to be disemboweled by the mask lunatic/demon/scary ghost thing or by zombies, vampires or werewolves.
Horror films work best in one of two settings, either out in the countryside around the middle of nowhere (this can include a castle) or in the midst or just after some sort of apocalypse (more often than not zombie, although nuclear has been touched upon) but the unifying factor is that in both there is no way of getting outside help, to coin a famous tag line, "in (insert location here) no one can hear you scream". And when one of the main characters inevitable descends into the lair of the antagonist (basement, cave, vampire castle etc.), and is more often than not the pretty girl you hope will survive, and depending on the situation she will either be taken prisoner or (with vampires) find the head vamp and get bitten, and its then up to her relative/boyfriend to rescue her/find a cure/stake her.
A staple of horror movies is the "is it really there" or an anti-climax, when the character sees something in the mirror, or rush by the window but when they turn round or leave to investigate they will find nothing, and put it down to nerves due to there current social problems. Or encounter said nasty in a shower, so you make the assumption that they have never seen Psycho (cue universally known Psycho stabbing music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfthzU3V4zo) as well as when the check into desolate motels, so once again, you have to make the assumption that Hitchcock never existed in whatever alternate universe the movie is set in.
Never go to sleep as there will be something nasty will be gnawing on your face when you wake up, strangers will always be some sort of cannibal or Satan worshipper (or worse Cthulhu)and if they try to get help from a priest more often than not they will be well meaning but incompetent buffoon and dont trust the nuns.
Every horror film relies on battle hardened cliches, the zombies will always be where you least expect them (how did they get up onto the roof?) if there were no creepy little girls in Japanese horror out to make you wet your pants, the sub genre would implode (and the Undertaker would be at a loss for creepy promos) and if in someway vampires almost seem like misunderstood in there own vamparic blood draining way (DON'T LOOK AT TWILIGHT!!!!!!) before they rip your throat out then they would cease to exist in modern cinema.
Small children are ALWAYS evil, be it in the possession of demons (the Exorcist) or are just plain creepy and we don't quite know what they are and what they have to do with the scary stuff, especial is they talk in rhyme (see Undertaker promos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX4XcTix6vQ&feature=related ). If there are teens in the film then more often than not they will be spoilt rich kids, they sort that make your fists itch each time they come on screen and you desperately hope that they will be the first to be disemboweled by the mask lunatic/demon/scary ghost thing or by zombies, vampires or werewolves.
Horror films work best in one of two settings, either out in the countryside around the middle of nowhere (this can include a castle) or in the midst or just after some sort of apocalypse (more often than not zombie, although nuclear has been touched upon) but the unifying factor is that in both there is no way of getting outside help, to coin a famous tag line, "in (insert location here) no one can hear you scream". And when one of the main characters inevitable descends into the lair of the antagonist (basement, cave, vampire castle etc.), and is more often than not the pretty girl you hope will survive, and depending on the situation she will either be taken prisoner or (with vampires) find the head vamp and get bitten, and its then up to her relative/boyfriend to rescue her/find a cure/stake her.
A staple of horror movies is the "is it really there" or an anti-climax, when the character sees something in the mirror, or rush by the window but when they turn round or leave to investigate they will find nothing, and put it down to nerves due to there current social problems. Or encounter said nasty in a shower, so you make the assumption that they have never seen Psycho (cue universally known Psycho stabbing music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfthzU3V4zo) as well as when the check into desolate motels, so once again, you have to make the assumption that Hitchcock never existed in whatever alternate universe the movie is set in.
Never go to sleep as there will be something nasty will be gnawing on your face when you wake up, strangers will always be some sort of cannibal or Satan worshipper (or worse Cthulhu)and if they try to get help from a priest more often than not they will be well meaning but incompetent buffoon and dont trust the nuns.
Hot Fuzz opening 2 minutes
http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=XpeYvuV5J_I
(due to problems with the insert video option, copy and paste the link into the address bar)
The film opens with a man entering a building and aggressively walking up to the desk, just before he reaches it he takes his hat off and, with a sneer on his face, brings out his ID witch, the picture also sneering, tells us he is P.C Nicholas Angel as the narrator (himself) tells us that as well. He then starts to narrate he life up to that point, telling us of his education, how he joined the police force, his training and how he excelled at the aggressive side of the police force (urban "pacification" and riot control) as well as at theoretical coursework and exams. He then states that he graduated top off his class and received an award (the Baton of Honour) and then entered the Metropolitan Police Service. The shot cuts to him running up some satires in full police uniform and then cuts again to him talking to elderly members of the community and elderly ethnic minorities whilst P.C Angel says that he established an "effectiveness and popularity within the community" and immediately cuts to a shot of him in front of a presentation with a picture of what we assume is a drug dealer in the centre and the elderly couples around the edge with the words "BE A CREDIT TO YOUR COMMUNITY" in block capitals (as shown). It is then shown he was lecturing offenders. He goes on to list how he improved his skill base, e.g advanced driving and cycling, during both he had the same snarl on his face, and then cuts to him practising Fencing, Judo and Chess in the same hall and he states he holds the record for the 100m dash. The shot cuts to Angel in full body Armour carry an assault rifle as he narrates his time with the SO19 armed response unit. Then the shot cuts to him walking down a corridor as he states he has received 9 special commendations, cutting to a fast moving shot of aforementioned commendations, and how he has the highest arrest record for any officer in the Met, cuts to shots of handcuffs being placed on wrists, and then he states his injuries, and how the last one was caused by a man, dressed a Father Christmas, and the scene cuts to Peter Jackson dressed a Father Christmas stabbing Angle just after he knocks on a door.
While this tells us nothing of the films plot it dose set up one of the main characters, Angel, as a "super cop" with a perfect service record. This sets the film up as a parody of the American cop film subgenre, as shown by Angel haveing the same epression when he was driving the car and riding the bike, as well as the extream aggression shown when playing chess and last of all his injury from a man dresses as Father Christmas.
(due to problems with the insert video option, copy and paste the link into the address bar)
The film opens with a man entering a building and aggressively walking up to the desk, just before he reaches it he takes his hat off and, with a sneer on his face, brings out his ID witch, the picture also sneering, tells us he is P.C Nicholas Angel as the narrator (himself) tells us that as well. He then starts to narrate he life up to that point, telling us of his education, how he joined the police force, his training and how he excelled at the aggressive side of the police force (urban "pacification" and riot control) as well as at theoretical coursework and exams. He then states that he graduated top off his class and received an award (the Baton of Honour) and then entered the Metropolitan Police Service. The shot cuts to him running up some satires in full police uniform and then cuts again to him talking to elderly members of the community and elderly ethnic minorities whilst P.C Angel says that he established an "effectiveness and popularity within the community" and immediately cuts to a shot of him in front of a presentation with a picture of what we assume is a drug dealer in the centre and the elderly couples around the edge with the words "BE A CREDIT TO YOUR COMMUNITY" in block capitals (as shown). It is then shown he was lecturing offenders. He goes on to list how he improved his skill base, e.g advanced driving and cycling, during both he had the same snarl on his face, and then cuts to him practising Fencing, Judo and Chess in the same hall and he states he holds the record for the 100m dash. The shot cuts to Angel in full body Armour carry an assault rifle as he narrates his time with the SO19 armed response unit. Then the shot cuts to him walking down a corridor as he states he has received 9 special commendations, cutting to a fast moving shot of aforementioned commendations, and how he has the highest arrest record for any officer in the Met, cuts to shots of handcuffs being placed on wrists, and then he states his injuries, and how the last one was caused by a man, dressed a Father Christmas, and the scene cuts to Peter Jackson dressed a Father Christmas stabbing Angle just after he knocks on a door.
While this tells us nothing of the films plot it dose set up one of the main characters, Angel, as a "super cop" with a perfect service record. This sets the film up as a parody of the American cop film subgenre, as shown by Angel haveing the same epression when he was driving the car and riding the bike, as well as the extream aggression shown when playing chess and last of all his injury from a man dresses as Father Christmas.
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Blog Feedback
Some good posts Alex, now include your script, storyboard, interview with actors and photos of location. I would also like to see at least six action film openings analysed. Use the check list to add more posts - and you need to be doing this every day Alex.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Star Wars Episode 4: a New Hope first 2 minutes
The film opens up with perhaps the most iconic music in movie history, THE Star Wars theme plays as credits detailing the back story (Rebels vs Empire, stolen Imperial Death Star plans) roll. When they finish the scene cuts to what appears to be empty space, but as the camera pans down at first see a small moon in the distance and what at the time is an unknown Desert planet (later reviled to be Tatooine) and a ship firing lasers flies past, we then see it pursuer and target, a much larger triangular destroyer (Star Destroyer), the first two minutes end as we see the small Rebel ship take a direct hit from the Star Destroyer.
What the clip dose is set up the back story and general plot of the film (Rebels trying to destroy the Death Star) and the genre, sci-fi (although some would argue that it is a western set in space, with a Death Star).
What the clip dose is set up the back story and general plot of the film (Rebels trying to destroy the Death Star) and the genre, sci-fi (although some would argue that it is a western set in space, with a Death Star).
Monday, 21 November 2011
Preliminary Task
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE2LidWXsD8&feature=channel_video_title
(due to problems with the insert video option, copy and past above into address bar)
We did a preliminary task that required us to use match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. For it we had to film someone (me) open a door cross a room and then sit down and and share a few lines of dialog with another character. The footage had continuity with a few blunders (hands on different parts of the door) that were covered up in the editing and the risk of me "telaporting" from one shot to another was avoided. Although there were continuity errors that only became apparent when we finished editing due to the presence of sound, as the door squeak was slightly off and there was a click after each shot during the conversation.
(due to problems with the insert video option, copy and past above into address bar)
We did a preliminary task that required us to use match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. For it we had to film someone (me) open a door cross a room and then sit down and and share a few lines of dialog with another character. The footage had continuity with a few blunders (hands on different parts of the door) that were covered up in the editing and the risk of me "telaporting" from one shot to another was avoided. Although there were continuity errors that only became apparent when we finished editing due to the presence of sound, as the door squeak was slightly off and there was a click after each shot during the conversation.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Genre of film project
Choseing the genre of my 2 minute short film could be a difficult process, so to do it i will have to carefully disect each genre, statrting now.
Now lets start with the good old Romance or RomCom (personaly i call WrongComs), the whole boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl in the end thing makes me want to punk, i absolutly hate Romance films, so thats off the table.
Lets move onto crime, a slight embaresment is that i have NEVER watch a crime film in its entirity, ive been meaning to watch a few Hitchcock's but i never got around to it so that ones out as well.
Ahh the horror genre, responcible for the rapid evacuation of many bowls and bladders (or at least it wants to think so). While i am a fan of the genre, with Aliens being one of my all time favorite films (its horror okay, dont try to tell me its more of an action film) it has been done irrepareable harm in the last few years by the Twilight (gags) franchise, that has forever ruined the badassery of vampires and werewolves and so has killed any chance of me making a horror short! Thanks Twilight.
Oh goodie now we hit comedy, a gener populated with some of my favorite actors (Simon Pegg, Bill Baley etc.) has always remained a strong possibility, until that is it comes to the fact i have ripped off an un-godly ammount of one-liners from them. But its the best choice so far.
Now we come to the last one, the forever reliable action genre, source of income for retired wreastlers (im looking at you Dwane Jhonson) and ever loved by the box office, it forever has a place in my heart and for that reason allone, its on the table with comedy.
Now lets start with the good old Romance or RomCom (personaly i call WrongComs), the whole boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl in the end thing makes me want to punk, i absolutly hate Romance films, so thats off the table.
Lets move onto crime, a slight embaresment is that i have NEVER watch a crime film in its entirity, ive been meaning to watch a few Hitchcock's but i never got around to it so that ones out as well.
Ahh the horror genre, responcible for the rapid evacuation of many bowls and bladders (or at least it wants to think so). While i am a fan of the genre, with Aliens being one of my all time favorite films (its horror okay, dont try to tell me its more of an action film) it has been done irrepareable harm in the last few years by the Twilight (gags) franchise, that has forever ruined the badassery of vampires and werewolves and so has killed any chance of me making a horror short! Thanks Twilight.
Oh goodie now we hit comedy, a gener populated with some of my favorite actors (Simon Pegg, Bill Baley etc.) has always remained a strong possibility, until that is it comes to the fact i have ripped off an un-godly ammount of one-liners from them. But its the best choice so far.
Now we come to the last one, the forever reliable action genre, source of income for retired wreastlers (im looking at you Dwane Jhonson) and ever loved by the box office, it forever has a place in my heart and for that reason allone, its on the table with comedy.
Die Hard, first 2 minutes
The film opens with a plane landing and a nervious John McClain, shown by how he is gripping the arm rest extreamly tightly, and getting advice from the man siting next to him onthe plane, saying he knows what hes talking about, as hes been flying for 9 years. When McClain reaches up to get his bag the man notices that he has a gun and has a look of panic on his face, to whitch John replies that hes a cop, and hes been doing it for 11 years, in what is a "mines bigger than yours" moment. He is seen taking a large stuffes teddy bear out of the locker, for an unkonw recipient at the time. the scene cuts to a mid-shot of John entering an airport lobby lighting up a cigaret, implying that he is a "hard man".
this operning scene is not a generica action film operning as there is no real action of any sort, it dose however set the scene quite well establishing John McClain as a faimly man and a hard man at the same time (the teddy bear under his arm while smokeing a cigaret).
this operning scene is not a generica action film operning as there is no real action of any sort, it dose however set the scene quite well establishing John McClain as a faimly man and a hard man at the same time (the teddy bear under his arm while smokeing a cigaret).
Action Cliches
The standard action film comes in one of two packages, the first and prehaps most common is that of a gorup of ex-special forces going on one last sucide mission, the heros will almost always be American, Navy SEALS, Green Berets, or just a group of rag tag mercenaries, almost never includeing any sort of European special forces, no SAS, GSG 9 let alone the ninjas of the battlefield the Gurkhas. If there are any foreigners in the team of heros then they will portrayed as shifty and likely to dobble cross the unit. The villiain will either be European (surprise surprise) or from the Middle East or a communist state. When it comes to the basic and predictable plot when they get ready for the one last sucide mission that wil eiter make them all rich (vis the hijack or Nazi gold, priceless paintings or a shipload of money from one of the aformentioned villians home nation) at least one of the unit will decide they dont want a part of it, and then at the end will appear armed to the teeth and save the unit from certan death while sacrificeing himself.
The other common action movie is the indestructable cop who is in the wrong place at the wrong time, most notably Die Hard, where poor John Mcclane gets stuck in the middle of a hostile takover of a skyscaper by European terrorists, the hostile takeover of an airport by ex-US special forces terrorists (who he is able to out gun and beat at hand to hand, the exact places you dont want to be), the stealing of more gold than in Fort Knox by a another group of European terrorists who just so happen to be led by the brother of the terrorist leader from the first film, and finaly the hijacking of the entire USA in a "Fireslae" by ex-CIA terrorists (higly critsied for the lack of yippie ki yay motherf***er).
The lead caracter is almost always a six foot something tall man who can layeth the smackdown on an ungodly ammount of candy arse (see the Rock (the wreastler not the film)) or Mr. T (also had a stint as a wrestler) (so why isnt the Undertaker an action hero yet?) who is possible the only member of the A-Team you need to worry about should you encounter them in a fight. There is very rarely a role for women in action films other than eye candy, look at Megan Fox in Transformers, all she did was stand around a look hot, this is almost always the case except for a few exceptions such as Angelena Jolie.
If its the superhero sub genre of the action film, the villian will alwys have an overly elborate plan to take over the world/setal all the worlds money/kill Batman/Superman/(insert superhero name here) there will sometimes be a betrayal from (insert superheors name here)'s freinds or allies, although this somethimes comes due to insanity from an event in the film and not a secret agenda (Harvy "Two Face" Dent is a pefect example of this).
There is of cousre the immortal hero clitche, prehaps the oldest in the book, where the hero can run through deadly machine gun fire, jump away from explosions, and his ninja accuracy from an impossible with a simple handgun when the villians cant seem to hit anything.
But no matter what, no matter how clitched and perdictable the film, if done right, this can still be one of the most enjoyable genres to watch (even with a lack of yippi ki yay motherf***er) , and if you dont agree with me, in the immortal words of D-Generation X: If your not down with that, i've got two words for ya, SUCK IT!!!!
The other common action movie is the indestructable cop who is in the wrong place at the wrong time, most notably Die Hard, where poor John Mcclane gets stuck in the middle of a hostile takover of a skyscaper by European terrorists, the hostile takeover of an airport by ex-US special forces terrorists (who he is able to out gun and beat at hand to hand, the exact places you dont want to be), the stealing of more gold than in Fort Knox by a another group of European terrorists who just so happen to be led by the brother of the terrorist leader from the first film, and finaly the hijacking of the entire USA in a "Fireslae" by ex-CIA terrorists (higly critsied for the lack of yippie ki yay motherf***er).
The lead caracter is almost always a six foot something tall man who can layeth the smackdown on an ungodly ammount of candy arse (see the Rock (the wreastler not the film)) or Mr. T (also had a stint as a wrestler) (so why isnt the Undertaker an action hero yet?) who is possible the only member of the A-Team you need to worry about should you encounter them in a fight. There is very rarely a role for women in action films other than eye candy, look at Megan Fox in Transformers, all she did was stand around a look hot, this is almost always the case except for a few exceptions such as Angelena Jolie.
If its the superhero sub genre of the action film, the villian will alwys have an overly elborate plan to take over the world/setal all the worlds money/kill Batman/Superman/(insert superhero name here) there will sometimes be a betrayal from (insert superheors name here)'s freinds or allies, although this somethimes comes due to insanity from an event in the film and not a secret agenda (Harvy "Two Face" Dent is a pefect example of this).
There is of cousre the immortal hero clitche, prehaps the oldest in the book, where the hero can run through deadly machine gun fire, jump away from explosions, and his ninja accuracy from an impossible with a simple handgun when the villians cant seem to hit anything.
But no matter what, no matter how clitched and perdictable the film, if done right, this can still be one of the most enjoyable genres to watch (even with a lack of yippi ki yay motherf***er) , and if you dont agree with me, in the immortal words of D-Generation X: If your not down with that, i've got two words for ya, SUCK IT!!!!
The Dark Knight, first 2 minutes
The film opens with a long shot of a buildings roof and skyscrapers with a window suddenly breaking, a close up reviels the cause to be caused by a man in a Joker mask, making the audience assume that he is the Joker, the main antagonist of the film and Batman's arch enemy. This assumtion is proven wrong when the shot cuts to another man standing on a street corner holding another Joker mask, he then puts it on as he gets into a car that stopped to pick him up. The shot then cuts back to the first man who, now with another mask wearer, are rppeling from the tower block to the roof we saw at the begining of the film. Again the shot cuts to the car, revielign its occupents to all be wearing Joker masks and discussing the robbery they are about to undertake, saying that the Joker isnt going to get a share because he is sitting it out, with one of them saying that he "Knows why they call him the Joker". The shot them cuts back to the men on the roof disscussing why they call him the Joker, saying he wares warpaint like makeup to scare people, as they break into a communtcations box. The shot cuts back to the men from the car as they climb up the steps to a bank and start firing into the air and knock down a security guard, firmly establishing this to be part of the action genre, and one of the masked men starts pulling bank tellers over there desks saying "move it pall im making a withdrawerall here". The shot is then back on the men on the roof as they deal with the silent alarm the audience satrts to become suspicious of his second man as he reaches into his pocket as the first deals with the alram, a sence of mystery is created here as the first one says that "its trying to reach a privite number" before he is shot in the back by his partner. The mystery is added to when the bank manager comes out of his office firing a shotgun, killing one of the robbers, while the man from the roof tries to break into the vault he gets a strong electric shock that sends him flying backwards, one again adding to the feeling that all is not as it seems, as the scene cuts back to the lobby the manager says that they have no idead who they are steeling from, and they are all dead, he is then taken out with a burst of fire from a Glock when he runs out of ammo. Back in the vault one of the men from the lobby takes out the man at the vault just as he cracks it after a brief conversation about how he took out the alarm guy for "one less share" while revieling that the problems are being coused because its a "mob bank", and how the man from the lobby was "told something similer". Back in the lobby the reamining two men are piling bags of money when the one who took out he vault guy holds a gun to the other saying that he thinks he was told to take him out, but he confuses the man with the gun by saying he was told to take out the bus driver as a bus crashes through the wall to take out the final guy.
This is an excelent example of the action genre, after the main robbery your left wondering who the Joker is, as he didnt turn up during the operning scene, the mandatory gunfight is kept short and is used to crack off a joke "where did you learn to count". It also has the hallmarks of a crime film with the crimernals turning on each other to get a larger share, but the Jokers organisation in planning the robbery means that only he and his favoured goon get the money, or the Joker alone as we never find out who was on the team as they all wore masks and as far as we know the Joker could have been the last man standing.
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Comedy Cliches
An idiot/loser, an jerk/idiot/loser or even a group of losers, a hot (somethimes bi, so even hotter) girl the first idiot/loser is trying to impress, and there is usually some sort of mission or quest to win the girl, this is the standrad for just about every comedy EVER produced from both sides of the pond, Dodgeball, Shaun of the Dead you name it, it fits the patten. And then we leave the cliches of the caracters behind, we enter the jokes...
While these are ineviable and, more than often, crude, they can never the less be extreamly funny, one of the classics is one jerk/idiot/loser will eat something they are not supposed to, and then vomit hevily, they will have a sreies of incresingly improbable evens that shall reslut with them getting locked out of the house. Oh, and there naked. And before i finish on the "gross out" moments in comedys, we must not forget there will be a strange incident in a tree, where no one but the poor schumuck who was up there knows what really happend, but he aint telling, and with a bit of imagination you can tell why. There are also certan laws that state that if (and when) a man has to dress up like a woman, normaly sane men will become imediately attracted to him, however sometimes said laws will have fight against a force like Corprall Nobby Nobbs from the Discworld series, and in cases like that the laws will just give up.
One of the most loved (or hights grossing, cos they appeal to little kids) is whats known as the "cuddaly man-child", whitch includes almost everything that Robbin Williams has starred in, is about a man with the heart, and social skills, of a little child who had an unhappy childhood as daddy never loved him, never understood him and he has to reconnect with him in a way that will please children and make the rest of us cringe with the ebaressment the cracter (okay, its almost always Robbin Williams) isnt felling, see Elf and anything else staring Robbin Williams. Or as the Who once said, "i hope i die before i get old", and (in my very skeptical opinion) yes, i just wish he would.
There will always be a gimmick, be in the old tried and tested "road trip", be it something completly rediculois like becomeing God in Bruce Almighty, or even something that feels like a breath of fesh air, a completly origonal comedy setting and premise like the ultimate "buddy cop" film, the might Hot Fuz with Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, openly mocking the America cop films that get churned out ever year and are always mediocre at best (even if they do star the Rock), or Shuan of the Dead, Paul, just about everything with Frost and Pegg in feels so mutch better with the exagreated clitches of both genres the current film is on (cop and comedy, zombies and comedy, sci-fi and comedy, you get the idea). But nomatter what the basic story is the same, simler jokes, etc. In the revised words of Winston Churchill "I have nothing to offer you but blood, crap, and puke."
While these are ineviable and, more than often, crude, they can never the less be extreamly funny, one of the classics is one jerk/idiot/loser will eat something they are not supposed to, and then vomit hevily, they will have a sreies of incresingly improbable evens that shall reslut with them getting locked out of the house. Oh, and there naked. And before i finish on the "gross out" moments in comedys, we must not forget there will be a strange incident in a tree, where no one but the poor schumuck who was up there knows what really happend, but he aint telling, and with a bit of imagination you can tell why. There are also certan laws that state that if (and when) a man has to dress up like a woman, normaly sane men will become imediately attracted to him, however sometimes said laws will have fight against a force like Corprall Nobby Nobbs from the Discworld series, and in cases like that the laws will just give up.
One of the most loved (or hights grossing, cos they appeal to little kids) is whats known as the "cuddaly man-child", whitch includes almost everything that Robbin Williams has starred in, is about a man with the heart, and social skills, of a little child who had an unhappy childhood as daddy never loved him, never understood him and he has to reconnect with him in a way that will please children and make the rest of us cringe with the ebaressment the cracter (okay, its almost always Robbin Williams) isnt felling, see Elf and anything else staring Robbin Williams. Or as the Who once said, "i hope i die before i get old", and (in my very skeptical opinion) yes, i just wish he would.
There will always be a gimmick, be in the old tried and tested "road trip", be it something completly rediculois like becomeing God in Bruce Almighty, or even something that feels like a breath of fesh air, a completly origonal comedy setting and premise like the ultimate "buddy cop" film, the might Hot Fuz with Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, openly mocking the America cop films that get churned out ever year and are always mediocre at best (even if they do star the Rock), or Shuan of the Dead, Paul, just about everything with Frost and Pegg in feels so mutch better with the exagreated clitches of both genres the current film is on (cop and comedy, zombies and comedy, sci-fi and comedy, you get the idea). But nomatter what the basic story is the same, simler jokes, etc. In the revised words of Winston Churchill "I have nothing to offer you but blood, crap, and puke."
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Blog Feedback
Well done Alex - a good initial post to your blog. Write posts about the other genres we have studied in class and also explain whether or not these would be genres you would like to make your film in and explain some of the pros and cons in each of them. You need to also begin to analyse the opening two minutes of some films - at least three - and explain how they hook the audience in. What do we find out about the genre, characters and the plot? A pleasing start - keep pushing yourself Alex.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Romance Cliches
The Romance genre is one of the most chiched in movie history and is usaly based on the simple boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl again, formula, but this almost never happens, and for the most part the boy has nothing to do with it. The cliche that actually serves as the infrastructure of the classic romance is that the female lead almost never ends up with the man she was originally supposed to spend the rest of her life with, and of course, there will be the manditory "mystic L shaped blancet" moment when the two caracters are in bed and the woman has rhe sheets bulled up to her armpits and the man has his chest bare for the world to see. Other manditory cliches invlove the classic "will they/wont they" moments when the two leads but into each other in ohhh, lets say the street, and they look into each others eyes and then one or both of them will be pulled away by more pressing engagements, and of course there is the faithful side kick, or the well meaning idiot buddy, who convinces him/her to try and find the man/woman of his/her dreams again or gives stupid, but well meaning, advice and will either be the the womans freinds (uslay one fat, one of mixed race, and one gay man) while the bloke will have either one extreamly good friend or a group of them, with at least one of them being the oh so common being in romance known as a Player who will somethimes try to get into bed with his girl and by the end will eiter belive in true love, or still be a Player. However the male lead NEVER has a lesbian best freiend.
And then we get to the parents, one of whitch (uslay the mother) will be pushy to the EXTREAM, desperate to get the daughter married off to a "suitable" man in her eyes and will always disaprove of the man she will end up with at the end of the film at first and will uslay be a bit old fasioned, such as the mother in bridget Jones. Wile the father on the other hand will usaly be a lot more laid back and tell her to "follow her heart", while the mans parents very rarely come into the film, if at all.
Most films will open with one of the leads reading a monolog about love, usaly along the lines of why love is so hard to find but sometimes, if you look where you werent expecting, you can find it, whenever there is something l;ike this i always exepect to hear "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones in the background (no you can't always get what you want, but if you try somethime, you might just find, what you need).
One of the great cliches is the fact that one or both of the leads will find the other annoying or come from completly differnt backgrounds, unofficaly known as the "Leathal Weapon 3 rule" the two will have such and intense arguement over some major differnce in there caracter they will fall instantly into a hellples plie of passoin and lust and said differnence will not bother them again.
And then we get to the parents, one of whitch (uslay the mother) will be pushy to the EXTREAM, desperate to get the daughter married off to a "suitable" man in her eyes and will always disaprove of the man she will end up with at the end of the film at first and will uslay be a bit old fasioned, such as the mother in bridget Jones. Wile the father on the other hand will usaly be a lot more laid back and tell her to "follow her heart", while the mans parents very rarely come into the film, if at all.
Most films will open with one of the leads reading a monolog about love, usaly along the lines of why love is so hard to find but sometimes, if you look where you werent expecting, you can find it, whenever there is something l;ike this i always exepect to hear "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones in the background (no you can't always get what you want, but if you try somethime, you might just find, what you need).
One of the great cliches is the fact that one or both of the leads will find the other annoying or come from completly differnt backgrounds, unofficaly known as the "Leathal Weapon 3 rule" the two will have such and intense arguement over some major differnce in there caracter they will fall instantly into a hellples plie of passoin and lust and said differnence will not bother them again.
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