screen shots of editing

these are a few screen shots of my editing

Storyboard for "Soul Harvester"

 

 

final opening

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

Title of the Film:

The title of the film I gave it a lot of thought and it can be found in the eighth key frame, it is called "Soul Harvester" and it is displayed on a black background and I used the same font as the rest of my titles throughout and it is in the colour of white. the genre of my film is horror/thriller and i thought this title was most appropriate. Many horror films keep their titles simple as it gives a more eerie effect.

Examples of the plain but eerie titles can be found by looking at these links:

- Haunting in connecticut

- Paranormal activity

- Prom Night

"Soul Harvester" is a metaphor for death which I thought was appropriate for my film because it is about a serial killer who kills lots of women. It also can be interpreted a different way if you read it as harvest souls it gave me a thought that farmers cut down many crops during the harvest season and this serial killer is killing so many women it is like what the farmers do.

Setting/Location:

The location I chose can be seen in frame 5 and 6. It was set in my house situated in the Brent. My road is a private road so there are rarely any disturbances so i thought this would be the most appropriate place. It worked out to my advantage aswell because the upstairs front bedroom window have blinds and I really wanted to do the shot where we see him looking at the girl through the blinds (frame 5) which I was very happy with. We rarely see much of the location or the setting because mainly I wanted to focus on the key character with the extreme close up shots (frame 2 and 4). However I think the setting of when we did see the girl walking home it could have been a little darker to make it a bit spooky. Other than that I am really happy with the shots i captured and how it has turned out.

Costumes and props:

Costumes and props are very important in a film because they also show the personality of a character. for example: if you are trying to show someone is a clown you would dress them up in bright colours and makeup and as a prop juggling balls.

For my actors their costumes and props are most important:

Serial Killer: we see him wearing smart clothes because throughout the film I want to portray him to constantly have to be dressed nice and that is just his personality smart dress smart person. at the end we see him with a shovel. this also is throughout the film would play a vital role as he would use this quite often such as burying bodies, killings, etc.

Victim: The victim dresses as a normal six form student just coming home from a day at school. Her props are her bag which shows she is a six form student.

We also see a prop of a dead girls bracelet this is in contrast with a killing before he come after his next victim and he kept it as a rememberance.

Camerawork and editing:

Throughout the filming of my opening sequence, the camera work was very simple but very effective. I think if i had used to many different camera angles and shots it would have been too confusing and over done. I used the schools camera to capture my footage because it was easier to do my extreme close up shots of the killers face, i also used the tripod to keep it as steady as possible. This was my main shot throughout. I tried to keep it simple by just using over the shoulder shots, extreme close ups and match on action because it created the same mood and effect throughout. I think the more shots used the more confusing and chaotic it would have been. sometimes that works but I did not think lots of different shots would have worked for this particular film i was producing.

When I came to editing I had too much footage which I did not need to use as some of it did not connect this was not a problem because I didn't have to put it in. It took many takes to do certain shots to make sure it was perfect so i had a few to choose out of which took up more time which i could have used to make everything as perfect as possible. I didn't use any sound effects as the music took control throughout the film as it linked in with each shot and title as it all synced. I also used editing on dipping to black and white which was very important especially for key frame 4 and 5. key frame 4 I used it to overlap with another shot like he was looking at the bracelet. The lighting also mainly came from the light outside of the room we filmed in however i tweaked it a little to make it a bit brighter to show it was a flashback. I think I could have improved on the ending by putting a sound like a crush when he hit down the shovel like it was the victim from earlier.

title font and style

the title font and style can be seen in key frame 8. I kept it white on a black background not too over the top just something simple because it works better and makes it more eerie. I thought this would work throughout and it would be more eyecatching then in all different colours because it looks more professional and it also attracts the audience to watch the film.

story and how the opening sets it up:

The story is about a Serial Killer but for some reason the pattern of his killings are only women which would not be revealed until the end of the film. However as we get more into the film we go back into his past killings and what brought him to do this. I think the opening suggests this very well because we see flashbacks of killings which can be seen in key frame 3 and with the blood I think emphasizes that he had killed the girl. Also we get a feeling of the insanity that goes through his mind in the close up shots knowing that he is a killer. I think the opening supports the story very well.



Genre and how the opening suggests it:

The genre of my film is horror/thriller this is because it is eerie with violence however a very unanswered film until the end which will summarise it up. i think the opening suggest this by the beginning with the writing of what has happened. this works for many other films such as the strangers and instantly tells the audience it is a horror.

This is the beginning of The Strangers it instantly tells us the genre of the film because of words such as 'crimes' and 'brutal events' telling us a bit already.

also i think it suggests it by how silent it is giving the eerie effect and leaving the audience questioning what is going to happen after the opening of the film. Also the piano music is very slow and dark instantly making it feel like a horror. Also i think the effect of having many close up shots of half of his face instantly makes an uncomfortable mood. The lighting also of the memory flashbacks contrasting with the blood also makes it very dark and mysterious which i think has worked very well to make it the genre I wanted it to be. i think my genre contrasts mostly with the film The Strangers by the way it is set up and tells the audience instantly with the beginning part of the writing shot.

click on "the strangers" which is highlighted in orange to watch the opening sequence of the 2008 film the strangers

how characters are introduced:

The first character is introduced within the first set of footage i had caught (key frame 2 + 3) I decided to open with the serial killer first because I wanted to get across to the audience how his mind works and how uncomfortable he makes the audience feel. Also he will be the main character throughout the film so I thought it was most appropriate. The second character is the victim where we see her come in closer to the end of the opening sequence because she is just another victim not a main character (key frame 5). I thought it was very effective to bring the character in because it adds more tenson to the fact that the audience have learned that the main character is a serial killer and he is insane and she is next to be killed making an uncomfortable atmosphere.

special effects:



I used very little special effects because I only had the music and relied mainly on the lighting that come through the room I used to film my footage. However I brightened the lighting a little by changing the contrast level on Premiere Pro. I also used dip to white and dip to black effect to change shots and to fade the titles.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Bradley playing James P.Eldwin the serial killer        -        killer Richard Fenton character from "Prom Night"

The character I am comparing my character to is the serial killer in the 2008 film "Prom Night". The killer becomes obsessed with a student and kills her family and gets put into prison for it. A few years later he escapes and goes back after her because he wants her and begins killing anyone that gets in his way.

Similarities:
- I think my character in my opening sequence has a lot of similarities to this character because they both kill people that get in their way. Some killings however have some connection to certain killings.

- Not intentionally but if you look at their lips they are both pursed in the same way like they are both in thought. This was really effective as it seems my actor took his role seriously and captured what to be and act like as a serial killer. 
- They are also both mentally disturbed which worsened as they murdered more people.
- They are also are set in the same genres of horror/thriller/mystery however Prom Night is more horror.

Differences:
- They are both in different plots for instance they are both serial killers however the Prom Night killer is lusting after something however my serial killer we don't know his reasons for it. 
-Prom Night killer kills not just women and he kills mainly younger people (the girls friend at the prom) and my killer from what we know only kills women.



I would also like to compare Vicky who plays the victim in my film to the victim in Prom Night the 2008 film, Donna Keppel (Brittany Snow) :

Vicky playing the victim in "Soul Harvester"      Brittany Snow playing in the film Prom Night

Similarities:

- They both play victims in a film.
- For the opening sequence they are both introduced on their way home via car or walking and entering a house calling out using sort of the same lines "mum/dad i'm home"
- they are both around the same age of 16/17 both students as you can tell.
-They are also both wearing similar wear of coats as they have just come home.
- They both play in the same genre of film horror/thriller/mystery.

Differences:

- Vickys character is British and Brittany Snows character is American.
- Brittany Snows character (Donna Keppel) is the main character of the movie however Vickys character is not the main character.

3. what kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

                           RedRoom Productions

Description of my Production Company name and logo:

My production company is called "RedRoom" Production. I called the production this because I thought it sound very professional like a high budget production company. the logo i thought was suitable because it is eerie and my production company will focus mainly on horror/thriller film productions. To create the logo I found the picture on google and used photoshop to create the red effect i think it collaborates well with the film i have decided to create.  

what does a production company do?

A production company is responsible for the production of the film and must present it at a high standard quality by making sure the film is professional and aimed at the right target market. This could be for any media they are responsible for such as advertising, Films, tv programmes and radio. They also are responsible for the financial side of the film for example the budget of the film. if it is a low budget film they have a limit of how much would be spent on special effects, castings and crew members. this is why many low budget movies casts are not well known and special effects are not at a high standard. They are also responsible for how filming goes and if it is running well.

The idea of a distributor and who that might be about and why?

A film distributor can be within a company or a indvidual. they are responsible for the releasing of a film to the public such as through cinemas and DVDs. This can be done directly which many well known distrubtors do such as Disney which distributes their own films on their own channel. 

Where the money might have come from for a film such as yours

My film is going to be produced at a low budget because I am a first time film maker which not much input would be put into from outside investors because they would be taking a risk on a film that is not at a high standard. Compared to many films such as I Am Legend, Narnia and Harry potter. For this film to be produced I would be putting in most of my own money.

Why the various people are named in the titles

In my film I had set out the titles in which i thought was most suitable. I put first the production company because they are the main contributors. I then put the actors names as it went within the film at the right shots. Many Production companies set it out this way if they are using well known actors as they are the main reason for this story being made. I then put the writers and editors last because it is getting closer to the film which they had edited or inspired to write about.

my film would be promoted via adverts and promotional characters i will construct a trailer to get it well known. many other films would do this for example Despicables they had promotional characters and a well known trailer.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience I am targeting my film "Soul Harvester" at are young adults preferably between the age of 15-25. anyone older can watch it however i do not think it will be suitable for anyone younger as it is a horror film. This is who i am preferably aiming my film at:

This is Casey Ruston she is 16 years old and lives in Welling. She enjoys photography and has a passion for music. In her spare time she likes to play the electric guitar and likes going to the cinema with her friends. She attends North West Kent College during the week doing a course on photography and works weekends and most evenings in HMV.

 She loves fashion and dresses nicely and shops in mainly high street shops such as New Look, Topshop, H&M and Punky Fish.

She has a passion for music and attends to many of the best concerts. she mainly enjoys rock music and listens to many bands such as: Paramore, Enter Shikari, You me at six and Fall Out Boy. she likes to collaborate her fashion sense within the music she listens to.

Caseys preferable choice genre of films are Horror/Thriller however enjoys the odd comedy film and chick flick. The horror films she likes to watch are Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project, Prom Night, When a Stranger calls and many more. The Comedy and chick flick films she likes to watch are Step Brothers, Wedding crashers, Mean girls and He's just not that into you.

Casey enjoys watching tv programmes aswell such as 90210, One Tree Hill, Friends and Supernatural.
I think my film would be very suitable for her because she enjoys watching horror films with friends and I think she would enjoy this if it came out in the cinemas as my film is very mysterious and eerie and it is mainly focused around young women around her age which might entice her to see it.


Feedback from my Media group:

To get feedback on my film I asked people to comment on the movie and this is the feedback I recieved and what i think of what they said:

This was the first comment made by Aimee which is a very positive comment, she says how the opening sequence makes her feel scared and that she would continue watching the movie. This is fantastic feedback to hear of my opening sequence and it puts the movie on a positive start.

Kirsten another young adult around the age of 16/17 also commented on my opening sequence. she liked the close up shots i used however she had one criticism about my music which she thought got too slow coming towards the end of the sequence. At first i thought this collaborated quite well to sort of come to the end because it seemed like if i carried on with my music sharp and loud and it ended it could have seemed like it wasn't meant to cut off at that time so i thought quieting the music would have worked better. I also wanted it to feel like you were in that persons position lieing their on floor everything blurry and drowsy so when the music quietened meant the end of their life. However it seemed not to come across like this so i do think getting this feedback has helped to look at it from the audiences point of view and how the music does affect how they feel and what they think is happening next time i will take this into consideration.