Potential Font Types

There are also a number of different font types used within opening sequences, below are a variety of font types within sequence I have researched.

Se7en:
The fonts used within this sequence are quite small and almost scribbles creating the feel that someone has written them quickly and in a panic. These are very suited to the film genre, as it also suggest they are writings on the wall, suggesting something isnt quite right here and supporting the rest of the opening sequence.




Panic Room:
The font used here is a lot bigger than the one I saw previously and they have made it big and bold enough to fit into the setting. There are many credits which have been placed on the side or on top of buildings shown which is quite a good feature as it almost makes them apart of the setting.




Saw (Compilation):
The fonts used here all are similar as the SAW sequels are all interlinked therefore the fonts had to also do this. They are all in white, bold writing to draw focus to them.

Final Piece of Music

We have finally decided on a piece of music that we think is suitable for our opening sequence. This is:



The reasons we have chosen this is mainly because it has a very eerie feel to it which is good as we want to hint to the audience bad events will occur yet we dont want to give too much away. Also, this music builds up tension very slowly which is something the other soundtracks didnt do. This therefore shows it is suited for our film as it allows us to slowly build up part of the plot.


Music = Check!

Potential Music

Now that we have finished placing all of the different clips into place, we need to search for a suitable soundtrack that we can place within our opening sequence. Below are some of the ones that I think may work well, after listening to many I have cut it down to three of my favourites which are all potentials:



Number One:
The music below is not from a specific film as such but more of a compliation of different music which is common in horrors. I do like the music here, however I do think it may be more suitable for the climax of the film instead of the opening as it is music I am used to hearing when the film is at its peak and the main activity is being committed. This is therefore unsuitable for our sequence, as we are only in the opening titles and revelation is not something this sequence will feature as that is not its purpose.



Number Two:
As I have mentioned previously, I am a big fan of the SAW films and I also like the soundtrack all of the sequels have included within them. I like the music shown below, as it is different to the previous one because it is building up towards a climax which is suitable for the opening as we are trying to set the scene for what will happen. I do however think it is a little unsuited as as it builds up very quickly, indicating to the audience something will happen at that particular moment. This is not the case for our film, as we want a slow build up, therefore the music is not very suited for what we want to create.




Number Three:
The music below is also a complied list of tracks which star in horror films, however it includes a lot of screaming. This makes this music unsuitable for our opening as there is no screaming in the sequence as the girl is covered in gaffa tape. This therefore shows that it wouldnt be suited to add in this music as it would defy the point of the gaffa tape and the characters vunerability where she is unable to talk/ scream.

Shoot Day!

Today we filmed all of the different sequences needed within our film, which was quite a lot of pressure as we did not have as much time as we anticipated. This is mainly due to the structre of the school day, as we had to film when everyone was in lessons because we did not want extras or background noise to disrupt our scenes. However once we had set up, we all worked together and filmed some good peices of footage and we all took it in turns to film, set up the mise-en-scene and even to put make-up on me. This had to be done several times as we were using red paint to represent blood therefore we had to keep re-applying it as it kept drying up! Something we didnt expect to be an issue, but we overcame it and tried to make it look as realisitc as possible.

Here are some images of us setting up, filming, applying make-up etc:

Sonya & Sarah Setting up

Me Setting Up

Test Run/ Raw Footage

Test Run

Toilet Scene- Zarah Filming

Toilet Scene- Sarah Filming

Run Through- Me Trying to Act!

Applying Make-Up to my arms

Sir helping to tie me up

In Action

Quick Pose

Finished Character- Ready to film

Setting up the dolly

Arc Shot

Me again in action



Sonya & Sarah filming mid shots



Zarah filming pan down

Quick Pose whilst putting down the set we created

Overall, it was a very productive day and we filmed all that we needed to in the short space of time we had. It was quite challening from my perspective as I hadnt done any acting before therefore I did the best I could from watching films doing similar sequences, however I think I managed ok.

Pre-Shoot Nerves!

Filming Schedule

Now that we have conducted all of the pre-production work we need and finalised the details of the sequence, we decided it is time for us to film. Today, we all sat together at lunchtime and wrote out a Filming Schedule Sheet finalising all details which we sent to all group members. Below is the origional email sent to each group member:

Filming Schedule



Origional Email



Props List

We will also need props for our sequence as these are important in setting the mise-en-scene and as we have seen previously they are an important convention of horror films. Below are the props we will need:


Props Required:



Rope

Wooden Chair



Gaffa Tape



Lamp




Large Wooden basket


We hope we remember to bring all these along on the day of shooting!

Make- Up Planning

I have also conducted research into the way that horror films use make-up to represent their characters even further. The images below are some which have given us inspiration for our own horror film:

Make-up Inspiration:



gothic make up



make up from SAW

smudged eyes

Own Make-up:

Gothic Style

Bruised Face and Blood

In the end we decided that we would use fake blood (red paint) and minimal eye make-up but make up to show bruises around the face. This is because, the gothic look would be unsuitable as the victim is suppsoed to look scared and heavy make-up may distract the audience away from this and represent her to be confident which we dont want as we want to explore her vulnerability. Furthermore, it would look discontinuous as she is a school girl therefore heavy make-up like the ones above are not prohibited.

Costume Planning

Before we can start to film any of the sequence, we also need to consider the asthetics of the character mainly involving their costume choice. Therefore in order for us to ensure we got this right, today we conducted a costume rehearsal. The images below show the different costumes I (Lucy) will be wearing throughout different parts of the film:

Toilet Scene:



Costume: Black trousers, white shirt and putting on tie



Walking to School Scene:



full uniform apart from the skirt I am wearing (forgot to bring in black trousers for costume rehearsal)





Full Uniform: Black Trousers, blazer, shirt, tie, black shoes



Basement Scenes:

Part-Uniform: scruffy shirt, no tie and ripped trousers

Final Target Market

By conducting primary research and further secondary research, I have identified that our final target market are:

• Girls and boys
• Age Range: 16- 24yrs
• Music Type: RNB, Dance
• Films Watched: Saw, The Amytiville Horror
• Like: Scary, Horror themed films

Primary Research
This information was mainly gathered through my primary research as my questionnaire showed that it was a fair split of nearly 50% for each gender. Furthermore, out of the 20 people asked 47% preferred horror films to any other therefore informing my genre aspect.

Secondary Research
My secondary researched further informed the development of my target market as national statistics showed that:

"young people are the most likley to go the cinema to watch movies"

"people of ages 16 - 24yrs preferred horrors and rom coms more than any other genre of film"

This therefore supported what my primary research showed and ensured that I had picked the right target market for our proposed film.

Primary Research Results

the results from the primary research have shown that:

StoryBoarding Film

Locations

We are planning on filming the sequence inside and outside of our school as due to timing issues this is the most practical as we have ease of access to equipment for quick filming and also we dont have to plan full days to travel further locations. These are some images of where we want to film each part:

Me trying out the location



Outside School



Timeline of Opening

Now that we have discussed all of the plot of the opening sequence, I have decided to make a time line of the opening through the two minutes it will run to ensure that we are all clear with how the sequence will be conducted and what time each clip will be shown.

Start of Sequence

0- 0.09 secs
The company title and production label will appear both on a black screen.
The sound to accompany these will be instant clicks to add emphasis when they come up on the screen.

0.10 - 0.18secs
Close up of Lucy's face with beam light shining on her, she will be unconciouss in this part.
There will also be fast paced cuts to name titles of two of the actors within the film whilst this is going on.
The music is again the clicks of when each comes up to accompany sudden change of shots.

0.19 - 0.21secs
first flashback is shown of Lucy infront of the mirror putting on her tie for school.
the music here wil change and a suspenseful soundtrack will play whilst the flashback is shown

0.22 - 0.25secs
Starts with a mid shot of Lucy awakening in the chair looking lost
The camera then pans down on her body showing she is fully tied and struggling to move

0.26 - 0.29secs
second flashback is shown here of Lucy in the bathroom again looking into the mirror fixing her hair

0.30 - 0.39secs
Lucy back in the chair starting to get very panicky as she has realised she is tied and unable to move.
Camera will pan down and up her body to show her struggle and her panic building up

0.40 - 0.45secs
third flashback will be shown here of her walking to school on her phone chatting whilst laughing.
the camera will be across the road from her, this will be shown through the moving cars as the camera pans left.

0.46 - 0.54secs
over the head shot/ birds eye view of Lucy in the chair looking around very dazed.
Allows the room to be seen more and the emphasis of it being clostrophobic is shown here.

0.55 - 1.00min
one name title shown.
fourth flashback of her reaching towards her school entrance shown with other people in the frame to set the time and location,

1.01 - 1.09min
arc shot panning right shown here of Lucy in the chair allowing establishing shots to be developed showing more of location
two of the name titles will also appear, breaking down the arc shot and carrying it on

1.10 - 1.25min
title rolls will be conducted here at quite a fast pace due to the build up of music getting faster and faster.
the camera shots are mainly mid shots showing her from a front angle and exposing her vulnerability.

1.26 - 1.30min
mans feet shown moving towards the victim.
all shown from a high angles shot facing towards the feet and slowly developing into a upwards tilt to show Lucys facial expression yet villain isnt revealed.

1.31 - 1.35min
screen will go to black.
gasp noise will be heard, then two clicks
film name comes up, in sync with the gun shot

End of Sequence

Film Idea

I came across this trailer when conducting research into horrors and it has given me an idea for the opening sequence. As can be seen in this short trailer of the film "Neighbors" the victims are all tied up and being tortured. They have used props such as gaffa tape, and rope to tie the victims up.

This idea looks very interesting and I think we should use something based around tying the main character up using similar props and shots as seen within this film.

Synopsis Planning

We have gathered some ideas together and we have come to a synopsis which we all think might work as we all contributed to the idea. This is it:

The film will feature a schoolgirl who is shown to lead a normal happy life, however the focus of the opening is not on this but the way in which her life takes a turn for the worst. She is kidnapped and tortured by one of her school teachers who locks her in the school basement where no one will ever go to look. However, the identitity of the villain is never shown within the opening as this will give it all away and we do not want the audience to see his face until the end to ensure suspense is created.

She will be shown mostly in the basement, which is dark and looks like a make-shift torture camp with various props such as ropes, knives and the only lighting will come from a small lamp they have put on facing the victim. She will be tied up in a chair and at the beggining she is clearly intoxicated or unconciouss (not sure yet) as she is in a deep sleep whilst sitting on the chair. She will be in ragged school uniform, gaffa tape around her mouth and her make-up partially rubbed off to create effect.

Horror/ Thriller Moodboard

I have also created a moodboard of ideas into Horror/Thriler movies as a way of expressing what they personally mean to me and what connotations I have of them.

Horror Moodboard

Initial Planning Ideas

Ancillary Task

The clip below shows the edited, final version of our continuity shot which we need as part of our final portfolio. We shot the sequence together, all being allocated a different aspect of the filming however it is important to note all of the editing was done individually.

AS Prelim Task Group 1 from Sidney Stringer on Vimeo.

Final Genre : Horror/ Thriller

We have finally come to a decision about what genre we will make our film and this is Horror / Thriller. YAY, now we can start to research and build up our ideas.