Evaluation Activity 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Since our preliminary task our understanding of techniques and how they can be used.

An example of this is our match-on-action shots. In the preliminary task we used it to show a door opening, beginning in a close up shot of the handle to a mid shot of me having walked through.










However, in Animus match-on-action was used with a worm-eye view and a birds eye view to show a unique and imaginative shot. This shows how we have advanced in using the simple technique to make a complex looking piece.


















Another example of our progression is in using the 180 degree rule. In the preliminary task it was used conventionally, abiding by the rule to avoid confusing audiences and breaking continuity.

In Animus, we broke away from that while Kate is being beaten. By jumping from one side to another during the attack, the viewer is disorientated and hopefully further affected by the violence.

Evaluation Activity 6: What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Before beginning the Media Studies course, Blogger was a complete mystery to me. Since all of our coursework was to be done on the site I picked up how to use it surprisingly quickly. I have become incredibly confident in using Blogger and generally managed the setting up and organisation of our group blog.

iMovie was also very new to me. As Ami & Conor had used it the year before they taught me the basic skills of how to edit footage to a point where I am quite comfortable using it.

I have been using YouTube for a long time now and knew how to upload and annotate videos. 

  

Evaluation Activity 5: How did you address your audience?

Evaluation Task 4: Target Audience

Our target audience would be 15-25 year olds, the largest group of cinema-goers. Horror films have been very popular with the younger age groups since the 80's and this trend has been shown to continue to today, apparently due to the tension and adrenaline rush. To hold on to this audience we have kept many traditional horror conventions, for example the gory wounds and dark character. However due to the graphic nature of our film, it may receive an 18 rating from the BBFC which means technically some of our audience is cut off until it is released for home cinema which is much easier for someone under-age to access.
There are also some factors that only some of our audience or those from other audiences may understand. For example the title Animus is a reference to a part of the brain which only some of the 15-25 year olds may understand. This may also attract someone from an older audience, tempted by the idea of a clever psycholoical horror. The title therefore draws more people in without alienating people from our target audience who may not get the nod to th film's psychological element.

Evaluation Task 3: What kind of institution might distribute your media product and why?

Our film is a contemporary horror film, a genre which is very popular with today's audience. With the release of films like Paranormal Activity 4, Sinister and games such as Slender film distribution companies are taking a particular interest in horror films. I think the best distribution company for Animus would be Dimension Films. The brand is well known for its work on several  horror films that have gone on to be phenomenal successes as franchises. These include the Scream & Halloween franchises along with many other cult hits. It also distributes the Scary Movie franchise, a comic look at many of the company's biggest films. The parodying of elements from many of Dimension's movies actually increases publicity for the featured pieces, providing a subtle advertising ploy for the films long after they have been released.

Evaluation Task 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I chose to compare the first victim in Animus, Kate, to Casey Becker, the first victim in the iconic Scream. They both have similar roles in both movies as they are the ones whose deaths raise the alarm of a serial killer. Their characters are not entirely developed as they are dead in the first few minutes, however in Animus it is Kate's husband who seeks out the killer and provides the main driving force force behind his actions. They are also different in their age and occupation, which reflects in appearance. Casey is a high school student in America and is dressed in casual clothes. However, Kate is a professional woman who has come home late from work, still dressed in work attire.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

 

Title of the Film

'Animus', the title of our film, is also the name of a part of the brain that controls psychotic tendencies. By using this we have suggested that our film will be a psychological horror. Also as the title looks like a handwritten scrawl, it further underpins the idea that someone has gone mad. This has been done by other psychological horrors such as The Tennant (1976). As our film is also a psychological horror we felt it would be useful to relate to other films in the genre with the stylistic conventions in our title.

Setting/Location

The scene is set by a river on a cold, wet day and darkness is beginning to set in. Again we are conforming to horror conventions in the use of pathetic fallacy, the use of nature to represent the mood. The mood is gloomy and other indications, like the non-diegetic sound of people screaming, has suggested that something terrible has happened.

Costumes & Props

In the first shot the woman is dressed in smart clothing, sugesting she has come home from work and is passing through her everyday life. This is common of horror movies as the fear is felt more when something evil infects normality.
In the second shot we see the crowbar in the murderer's hand with the woman's mutilated body behind him. The crowbar further suggests the sadistic nature of the killer as it is used to beat the victim to a slow, painful and bloody death. This is shown on the woman's face. The bruises were made using dark eyeshadow and the blood on her face and leg was made with ketchup. Gore is a common feature in horror films like Battle Royale (2000). Like Battle Royale, we aimed to create a gory horror that could still carry a strong story line, blending a convention of horror with a convention of psychological thrillers.

Camerawork & Editing

These shots were made using match-on-action.

The first part of the shot that shows the characters foot coming down into a puddle. To do this we used a worm-view shot that shows the dark sky, bare tree then suddenly taken over by the foot. It is almost overly dramatic and mysterious, which matches a convention of contemporary horror films.

The second part is again overly dramatic as we used slow motion to make the foot look like it came down to the puddle harder than it may have done. Melodrama is common in horror films and can polarize opinions on the film's critical success. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) was slated for its ridiculous plot  that made it somewhat comical while Scream (1996) was praised for the exact same thing. We felt that it was an important part of the horror genre and a worthy risk to take.

Title Font & Style

 

The title font is plain and so is the colour. The black and white connotes simplicity and normaility. When contrasted with the main title font, it shows the evil invading the normal. Again this emphasises the fear as people are more scared when something infiltrates the normal lives we thought were safe.

How characters are introduced

This shot can also be used to show how the killer is introduced. As the hood is casting a shadow over the face, the character is dehumaised and made more mysterious to the viewer.

Story & how the opening sets it up

 

This shot shows the beginning of the attack. The hand from under the bed refers to the childlike fear of monsters under the bed, the bed being a symbol of safety that has been desecrated by the killer.

Genre & how the opening suggests it

The light on the face of the killer is a very typical feature of horror films. While it sort of shows the killer's face it also disguises him. This resembles the complexity of the plot and the character.#

Special Effects

This shot demonstrates the use of a black rim around the shot. This was superimposed using iMovie and adds to the dark, gloomy mood.

Coursework people

So for the AS Level coursework piece I'm working with Ami Lawrence and Conor Taylor. Both of them did this year's stuff before so in theory, I picked a really good group. Let's see how that works out... Such fun!

Preliminary Task Evaluation Screenshots

This is our match on action example sequence. This is a seamless movement from one side of the door to the other side, into the corridor where the main part of the piece takes place. The close up shows the beginning of the action and, combined with the second shot, makes it clear that they are the same actino but from different angles.

This is our shot reverse shot example while observing the 180 degree rule. The close-up shots of the talking person's face allows a clearer view of their immediate reactions and their face gestures as they talk. The camera switched positions with the dialogue according to who is talking.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

Before we begin our coursework piece, we were asked to create a short video demonstrating our understanding of basic filming concepts. These were match on action and shot reverse shot while observing the 180 degree rule. To prepare for the task we made a storyboard of our piece, showing the rules as they would usually be seen.

We filmed the match on action sequence of me walking through a door first. We began with a long shot of me approaching the door before cutting to a close-up of my hand on the handle. We finished filming it with a medium shot of me coming through the other side of the door.
The shot reverse shot and 180 degree rule was shot using over the shoulder shots of the person talking.
This would clearly show the person's immediate reaction and expressions as they talk. As the camera stayed on one side of both people, out stopped any confusion as to who was where.

Overall, I was happy with the final result. We used editing to cover up when the door wasn't closed behind us in one shot and was in the next by adding the sound effect of a closing door when it wasn't in the shot. This gave the impression that the door closed while the camera looked away, helping the continuity of the piece. However, there was a continuity error that we would have liked to cover up more in editing. This was my hand placement when opening the door. From one side, my hand opened the door from the side of the handle but on the other side my hand was on the top. This couldn't be fully covered up in editing without cutting out the other half of the match on action sequence or having a cut mid shot.
On the whole the piece worked well with fluid and steady camera movement and appropriate switching of position in the shot reverse shot sequence in time with dialogue.

I feel confident in the basics of using the camera to film and iMovie to edit.

Christopher Nolan

christopher nolan by rmurphymedia on GoAnimate

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My interview with Christopher Nolan, the genius behind the Batman franchise, Inception, Memento and Insomnia. For some reason he sounds like Mr Bullock off of American Dad and I'm American. Hmmm...

Psycho Stills homework

The mid shot of a shadow behind the shower curtain adds tension to the scene. It also keeps the identity of the 'psycho' hidden, giving the audience a mystery. While the film is in black and white, there is sill an idea of light and dark and the darkness of the shadow pushes the negative idea of the shadow.

This extreme close-up of the victim's hand clinging on to the curtain is symbolic of her clinging on to life. The light is high in this shot, possibly to underpin the idea of the victim or innocence. The rest of the shot is blurred out, drawing focus to the hand and away from the possibly gruesome scene behind it.