CLICK HERE FOR BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND MYSPACE LAYOUTS »

Caught in the Web

Synopsis

"Caught in the Web" is a psychological horror/thriller following the investigations of a series of teen suicides. What the detective soon learns, is that they are not suicides, but homicides. The killers use the internet as a weapon, trapping the girls in a "suicide support" website and gaining the trust under the alias "Julie". They rape and murder their victims, making it look like suicide using evidence on the website of depression, and forged suicide notes. The case becomes personal for the detective when his daughter becomes their next victim, but will he stop them in time? Or will he also get caught in the web?

Preliminary Task

Monday, September 29, 2008

BLK feedback

Excellent analysis and reflections on your horror shot - super work Laura!

Wonderful choice of film clips too, and such high quality analysis - well done.

Your blog is really coming on, evidencing an independent approach to your research, and a real passion for film. Keep up the good work!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Moodboard for film genres

Here are the different types of film genre.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

MRS B homework - the effects and reasons for using different shot types in films


(the film clips might disappear but if you roll over them they will appear again..)


This is a clip from the film "Notting Hill" directed by Roger Michell in 1999. It shows use of a two shot, and the effectiveness of using a tracking shot.

The two shot shows Hugh Grant and his friend talking at a table, it is an MS/MLS to show the surrounding (a dingy flat) and their facial expressions. Hugh Grant has his hands to his face, showing despair, which the audience can assume is caused partly by his friend, judging by the frien's expression. The director used a two shot here to show the two characters conversing, and chose the distance MS/MLS to show the location while maintaining the ability to see facial expressions and reactions.

Here, the directors have used a tracking shot to show Hugh Grant's journey through the market and what he encounters, but from an onlooker's point of view as opposed to his. Throughout this one continual sequence, the distances gradually change, from MLS, to MCU, to MS, to VLS. The continual changing allows the viewer to focus on different things at different points, such as the foreground of market stalls and people, to his face, to various other characters, such as his flatmate's scatty girlfriend, and a lady with a baby. This use of tracking is very effective and provides a good transition between scenes in the movie.


This is a clip from "The Notebook" directed by Nick Cassavetes in 2004. This scene uses a range of shot types. It starts with a VLS to show the lake full of swans that the boat is on. This shot is effective because it focuses on the beauty of the swans with the boat in their midst, giving the audience an idea of the characters' view from the boat. The next shot is a crane shot, showing the formation of the swans in the lake and the pretty patterns they make in the lake around the boat. This shot is great as it is a very unusual sight, so to see it from such a high angle gives a lot of impact.

There are several LS's where the characters are in the boat, showing them as well as their surroundings. When in conversation, the characters are shown in an MCU to show their facial expressions and a bit of the background. They are positioned to the side of the frame in an interviewee-like manner and they are looking slightly to the side, because they are talking to each other. This decision was made because it clearly shows they are in conversation.

Later on in the clip the director uses a CU within a two shot when the characters are kissing, to show their passionate expressions. When Allie walks down the jetty after getting off the boat, the director uses a steadicam/handheld shot as if the camera were on the boat. This gives it a very naturalistic and believable feel. When Noah is still on the boat, the camera shows him with a high angle from where Allie is (looking down), and she is shown with a slight low angle from where Noah is, to show how he would see her.

There are OTS shots on the jetty and earlier on the boat when they are in conversation, which is a conventional use of the shot and seems familiar. Towards the end of the clip, there is a slight arch shot when Noah and Allie are stumbling into the house to show them at lots of angles.


These are two of my favourite films and I think they use different shot types very effectively.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Mrs T homework

Video clips notes
(watched some clips on launchingfilms.tv and made notes)


Release of a film
Who are the audience? Devise a marketing budget. What could the movie take in the box office in the UK? Promotions - third party companies, radio, newspaper, talent on movie do interviews, premiere, outdoor posters, TV, online.


Positioning & audiences
Define who audience is. Does the film have a specific genre? Need to work out target audience in terms of age group. Directors, actors, target specific audiences who would know the director and actors.


Target Audience
For smaller films, identifying audience is more important. Look at past films, and who has gone to what films, their age, genre, leisure activities, and (lots of research). You can never be 100% sure of which audience to target. Advertising is always a gamble. 45yrs+ make decisions from the TV, so need to reinforce as they take a while to make a decision. Teenager may make snappier decisions.


Competition
Film distribution is about competition; need to stand above the others to get noticed. Why would someone want to see your film? If it is half term or bad weather there will be many more people going to the cinema. Holidays and weather affect audience patterns. Weather affects advertising because in summer people watch less TV as they are outside more, so would see posters more.


P&A budget
Consists of costs of prints (actual film) and technical elements, as well as shipping. Most important is advertising costs. Designing posters, press ads, trailers, TV ads, where to advertise and how best to use the advertising money. What is the target market and where will they see the adverts? Radio is cheaper than TV, can get to a huge audience across the country.


Word of mouth
It is critical. Depends when you want word of mouth for a movie. If you get the movie early they can do screenings, but if later then word of mouth would be better. Work with media partners, radio, TV, newspapers, free screenings to get public opinion and promote the movie via word of mouth. Cheaper way of advertising. Most credible form of recommendation as opposed to an advert. If you get the movie late then you have to rely on the advertising money – opening it on the correct weekend, how long it runs for depends on the popularity. Word of mouth can create a strong momentum for the movie.


Marketing plan
Main methods of publicity is advertising and press. Adverts in magazines, newspapers, TV, online, radio, free from press. Put features (stories) about the film in magazines. Outdoor advertising is quite expensive but very good. Word of mouth – screening, best form of free advertising. Viral campaign – put a funny/interesting film clip that entices people to watch the film. Word of mouth can make or break a film. Specialised films there isn’t as much money, so word of mouth is crucial.


Film trailers
Trailer is the most important key to selling the film. Public’s first exposure to the film. Gives a taste of what the film is going to be like. Very important that it is appealing and portrays the concept of the film successfully.


Link between
Convince cinemas to take the film, independent films are harder to sell. Finding somewhere to put it can be quite hard.


Digital marketing
Viral marketing is an over-used word at the moment. It is very simple – creating something (game, quiz, video) so that when someone sends it to someone, they send it to someone else. Best communication is word of mouth.


Test screenings
Research is important, and testing poster ideas, trailers and concepts is important to do early. It makes sure it is communicating the things they want it to. Recruit target audience, with feedback questionnaires and sometimes a focus group where they talk about what they thought. Sometimes the film people might change their movie if it is getting the wrong sort of feedback.


Persuading cinemas
First step is to convince cinemas (already been said)


Opening weekend
Very frustratingly important. The way the industry works. A film is judged on its three day opening, (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) Monday morning is make or break. It has to have made more money than any other otherwise it might be taken off. Hold-over is when a film hasn’t made enough money.


Piracy
Escalated over the last 5 years. In 2006 piracy was 20% of all DVD sales in UK. Alarming amount of illegally sold films. Ripped off by inferior quality and they are giving their money to criminals.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

THR Feedback

A great start and a great effort - very promising for the future - well done Laura!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

MRS B's homework



  1. My shot is of me emerging from a dark doorway, which connotes a scary person/murderer who has been hiding. I am a white teenage girl with red hair and blue eyes, aged 16. My hands are prizing apart the door, and the ends of my fingers are white from gripping it, signifying that I am strong and on a mission of a scary nature. Half of my face is in shadow to represent mystery and fear of the unknown. This represents horror because it plays out the fear of being watched. It is also similar to “The Boogieman” in that a strange creature is emerging from a cupboard or small, dark room, to attack the victim.
  2. To achieve this effect, we found a dark prop cupboard with a door with locks on it so that we could give the impression that someone had broken the locks. We used one small light with no filters to give the most light, to create a contrast with the shadows on the rest of my face and the black background. We wanted to frame the shot, so took an MCU including the doorframe, to establish the scene.
  3. I think this shot is very successful because the character directly addresses the audience, involving them, and making them feel as though she is watching them. The part of my face not in shadow is well-lit and in focus, making a great impact. The expression coupled with the hand gestures makes for a very sinister mood, and the mise-en-scene makes it easy to understand what story we were trying to achieve.
  4. In hindsight I would have had long, red, talon-like nails, dark red lipstick, and possibly lots of eye-liner to make the character even scarier.­­­­



Friday, September 19, 2008

MRS T homework - shot sequences

SHOT SEQUENCE ANALYSIS



From “Sin City” (1)

Low angle crane, low-key lighting, black and white, MCU, wood effect background suggests he is lying on the floor, and he is pointing a gun upwards, suggesting someone is above him. The gun could mean he is either an attacker or is defending himself. His hand is holding his ear, possibly because he is trying to block out the sound of the gunshot, or he has been shot in the ear. Low angle and position on floor shows he is vulnerable.



From “Sin City” (2)

High angle, low-key lighting, black & white, it is an ELS. Man standing over other man pointing gun. The high angle shows the standing man has more power makes the lying man seem more vulnerable. Can now see that the man is lying on a jetty, suggesting that the standing man intends to shoot him and then throw him in the lake. The lying man has changed position slightly in that he is no longer holding his ear, meaning that either he has been startled or he is no longer planning to shoot.



From “Sin City” (3)

ELS, black & white, and there is low-key lighting. We can now see two men, making the lying man even more vulnerable as he is outnumbered and on the floor. One man is standing over him menacingly, as if he is shouting at him, and the lying man has his knees bent towards himself, showing he is scared and trying to defend himself. The second man looks like the boss of the standing man because he is wearing black, whereas the other guy is wearing a lighter colour. Also, he is standing back and not getting his hands dirty. It looks like he is talking into his phone or some kind of gadget, suggesting this is part of a grand scheme. You can now see it is in a shipyard because of the corrugated iron building behind, and the ships in the background. The sky is dark showing it is night, making it scarier. The lying man is isolated, and the fact you can see under the jetty, makes it seem like it is more flimsy. There is a girl also on the jetty, suggesting she has also been kidnapped and that maybe the floor man has tried to rescue her.


From “Sin City” (4)

LS, black & white, low-key lighting, same angle as the previous shot but zoomed in, increasing the tension. You can now only see one standing man, directly pointing a gun at the floor man. There is the girl again, in the shadows. She looks like she has been there for a while as she doesn’t appear to have any motivation to free herself. The gun is pointing at his head, implying that he is about to shoot at the floor man. The girl’s head is bowed, as if she could be crying. The man could be her father, as it would make sense for him wanting to rescue her. The standing man’s coat is flowing the wind, making him seem powerful and dominant.


From “Sin City” (5)

CU, black & white, and there is low-key lighting. She looks young, about 7 years old, and she is crying. This is possibly because her father (or just a random man) is about to be shot, or because she is scared and lonely. Her line of sight suggests she is looking at the floor man, implying they have some sort of connection.



From “Sin City” (6)

ELS, black & white, and there is low-key lighting. The floor man no longer has his knees up, implying he could have just been shot. The main standing man appears to be leaning against one of the poles, making it more relaxed as he is no longer being threatened / threatening the man. The girl can still be seen in the same position, so nothing has happened to her yet. You can see the man in black again, with his hands in his pockets. This nonchalant manner suggests he witnesses murder on a daily basis, and is not phased by it. There are clouds / smoke in the background, making the photo more atmospheric.



The director varies the shot types, to give more information to the audience and builds tension, by only including certain things later on, such as the man in black. Each shot develops the story, but the director makes the audience work to understand the meaning in this short sentence, instead of making it obvious. This is to make it a more exciting cinematic experience. When we first see the images, we read them by making assumptions about where the story is going, but the more shots we are shown, and from the different angles, we are able to fit together the different components.