Horror research

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCbDUREBwUg

(Taken)

We used this to investigate aspects of horror which we can incorparate in are own movie. the main feature of taken which we plan to use in similar context. the scene where the girl gets pulled from under her bed by her ankles is one of the best most memorable scenes in Taken. when we are in the cabin location, we plan for someone to get taken by criminals in balaclavas. We think that the way this is done in Taken is extremely exciting and makes the scene fill with tension. the camera angle is also something we will take from this film, we feel like using low shots or POV angles will ake you emphathise with the character much more and get the full effects of the genre.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrEvK-tv5OI

(Jaws)

This opening sequence is very useful in our short film because the basis of the story starts with friends in a happy talkative environment. However the happy turns immediately unhappy once the shark captures the poor woman. The transference goes from jolly american music to silence with just dialogue, this is a very good way in changing the mood at the start of the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9XMd2eAy_4

(Independent music)

This music is very simple, but as our film will have a lot of dialogue, it can be used as background music is well as with opening and closing titles. if we wanted to add any other music that might be more dominant, we could mix them both up so that it can sound strained and create tension.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye1mE2bq7H8

(Independent music)

This clip has a lot more examples of a variety of music types. They are very different and they sound very suited to the genre, also making parts of it sound terrestrial, which could fit with our story of deserted woods and the 'unknown'.

Distribution

                        Distribution

1) Pre Production

2) Production

3) Post Production

4) Distribution

The distributors have to work out who the audience is, why they should watch it and how to persuade them to watch it. Distributors either have the task to distribute well known popular films and small ranged films.

Notes:

- An independent distributor for things such as Momentum Picture have to seek out films and enquire the right. 

- Find the films Unique Selling Point (USP) 

- Casting and Genre 

- Target audience for marketing campaign 

- 15-24 year old's are the CORE audience and families

- When to release a film

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Century_Fox

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation is one of the six major American film studios as of 2011. Located in the Century City area of Los Angeles, just west of Beverly Hills, the studio is a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. The company was founded on May 31, 1935, as the result of the merger of Fox Film Corporation, founded by William Fox in 1915, and Twentieth Century Pictures, founded in 1933 by Darry; F. Zanuck, Joseph Schenck, Raymond Griffith and William Goetz.

Twentieth Century Fox's most popular film franchises include Star Wars, X-Men, Ice Age, Die Hard, Predator, Alien, Planet of The Apes, Home Alone, plus TV shows such as Batman, M*A*S*H, The X-Files, Cops, The Simpsons, Family Guy and 24. Among the most famous actresses to come out of this studio were Shirley Temple, who was 20th Century Fox's first film star, Betty Grable, Gene Tierney, Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. The studio also contracted the first African-American cinema star, Dorothy Dandridge. 20th Century Fox is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America.

source: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momentum_Pictures

Momentum Pictures (also known as Alliance Films UK and formerly Alliance Communications UK and Alliance Atlantis UK) is one of the leading independent motion picture distributors in the UK and Ireland and releases approximately 20 theatrical films a year, with several dtv releases.

Momentum's most successful theatrical releases include the Oscar, BAFTA and BIFA-winning The King's Speech, Amélie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lost in Translation,Control, Downfall, The Young Victoria, Defiance, Milk, Let the Right One In, The Illusionist, Just Friends, District B13 Ultimatum, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Law Abiding Citizen, Glorious 39 and P.S. I Love You.

The studio has also released several family films, such as Hoodwinked, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Arthur and the Invisibles, Just Visting and Igor, as well as the home video rights for popular TV series Creature Comforts.

 
source: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramount_Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is a film and television production/distribution company, consistently ranked as one of the largest (top-grossing) movie studios. It is a division of American media conglomerate CBS Television.

Paramount is the fifth oldest existing film studio in the world behind Universal Studios, Nordisk Film, Pathé, and Gaumont Film Company. Also, it is the last major film studio still headquartered in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles.

Paramount Pictures is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America


group distribution:
Lions gate

Lions Gate Entertainent Corporation is the most commercially successful independent film and television distribution company in North America. It's first major box office success was 'American Psycho' in 2000, which began a trend of films that were too controversial and different for the other major American distributors. Some of the other notable films include: 'Affliction', 'Gods and Monsters', 'Saw' and the 'Hunger Games' in 2012.

We thought this distribution company was the best for our group film, as it is independent and popular with lots of past success, especially in the horror genre.
 

Titles Analysis BBC

Art Of The Title

An Education (2009) The opening sequences using animation as well as real life images, types of animation used are related to 'Education' such as maths angles, shapes, science equipment, skipping ropes, textiles, paper shapes, music notes, bar charts etc. These are used by themselves at the start of the sequence, using white outlines on a black background. However they start to use fade and overlapping techniques with real life images. The fact that the animation looks drawn makes it seem a lot more creative and suitable for a younger audience. The real life images used are girls of around the age 15, doing formal ballroom dancing with partners, placing books on there head as an elocution lesson, playing lacrosse, cooking and many more. The pupils are showing typical pupil characteristics, having fun in the playground and looking bored and hopeless in lessons. The music is very upbeat high pitched and used drums and trumpets in a very repetitive, positive and almost comedic light. The titles are placed in different areas of the screen making it less predictable and more dynamic. The sequence looks like it is set in a Grammar School in the 60's due to the uniform and activities shown on screen, the music and the realistic attitudes make the genre comical.

Signs 2002: Sound

The music is very important in this sequence, at the start it is silent, introducing the main actors of the film. However it quickly starts being powerful, with sound of the violin, this transition is made through a fade to black. It is very fast paced, as though they are on a mission or there is a mystery. Especially in the middle of the sequence, the more deviant notes are represented with a change of title, keeping up the tension and making it flow. The font is black, in a simple but bold and sharp format. The simplicity of it matches the genre of horror or an old fashioned action film. 

storyboard of initial idea

This is my initial storyboard for our opening sequence, we roughly discussed a possible storyline but I created my own set of camera angles, dialogue and sound. Our initial idea was a teenage romance, a choice to run away ending with heartbreak.

Continuity editing

The continuity system uses a smooth and seamless style of narration through a variety of techniques, In the film Viva vendetta there are several scenes that show these techniques very thoroughly. The most important concept is the 180 degree rule. This rule states that the camera must stay on one side of the action and objects in a scene, this is an invisible line that runs through a scene and the camera never crosses this line. This is used so the audience don't get confused about where the characters are. A good example of this is in the film V for vendetta; an indoor scene with two characters.


with the 180 degree rule the viewer never really experiences any sense of spatial disorientation or inconsistent.

Oceans twelve storyboard analysis

We watched a short clip of Oceans twelve and had to storyboard the different angles the camera had shown through the editing. This was good practice for when it came to editing are own short film and also in exam prep when analysing what we see.

Title Analysis

A title sequence is the method by which cinematic films or television programs present their title, key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound. It usually follows but should not be confused with the opening credits, which are generally nothing more than a series of superimposed text.

I looked into horror opening sequences for our group film:

James Bond -Skyfall

This is a modern example of amazing opening credits. Firstly credits are located at the most convenient location of the screen, they are not still, but are slightly moving with the current of the ocean as James Bond is sinking further into the deep sea, this is a good way of integrating the titles and the moving image, as it seems less of a disturbance and more part of the film. The font is simple, so it does not take away from the rich ingredients of moving image. The font is also white, which is a neutral colours to the variety of images used in the opening sequence, the size is acceptable, noticeable but not overwhelming.


Se7en - Starring Brad Pitt.

This is an excellent example of horror which can relate to our own opening titles. Unlike many others, it is a lot less simple. The fonts are all dynamic, not all in straight lines, some neater then others, Some spaced out further then others etc. Comparing other sequences this one is the most eye-catching and exciting, sometimes less is better, but horror in particular can be a lot more creative; it prepares the audience for tension and addiction of horror characteristics, as you get drawn into what is about to happen. The black/brown/red backgrounds and white font is a successful comparison as it really brings out the variety of titles due to its dark to light effect. It also uses a lightening effect when the music changes key, keeping it intact and attractive.