We drew 2 rough ideas on Photoshop to help us decide how we wanted to lay out our poster and what we wanted to include. We had 2 main ideas. From comparing these drawings we decided as a group that we wanted to layout the our poster like our second design.
In order to make a film poster for our thriller short film I decided to research into existing thriller film posters to see what was included and how to make it clear we are advertising a thriller film. 'The Purge' Film Poster'The Woman in Black' Film PosterSoundtrackThe most important element of sound we had to focus on for the making of our final production was the soundtrack. We discussed as a group what points of our short film needed music and what we wanted the music to sound like. We mind mapped various ideas that we all came up with in order to help us create suitable music. From this we then gathered a good idea as to what sounds we wanted to include to compile our soundtrack. We went on GarageBand and familiarised ourself with the programme in order to use it as efficiently as possible. By spending time on this we managed to create a list of potential sounds to include in our soundtrack. We explored all the different sounds focusing mainly on the 'dark;, 'distorted' and 'piano' sounds as they were most fitting to what we wanted. Sound Effects- laughterOnce we had the soundtrack sorted, our next main focus was the sound effects we would be using in our film, paying most attention to the sound of laughter coming from Mercy the doll. The sound of her laughter is going to be a key element of the film adding to the fear factor and mysteriousness of our film overall contributing to the horror genre. The sound of a child's laughter becomes scary simply based on the context. When something as innocent as a baby's laugh is played in an unnatural setting it instantly becomes scary. I researched conventional sound effects of children's laughter typically found in films as well as children's laughter found in famous horror films. This gave us an idea of how effective the sound would be and where we wanted to include the sound effect in our film to be as effective as possible. After my research we then went back to Garageband and discovered the ' small child giggle' sound effect which we then edited to make it slower and higher pitched to make it as scary as possible. Sound Effects- VoicemailAnother key aspect of sound within our short film is the voicemail played at the beuinning of the film, triggering the rest of the narrative. The voicemail is from the mother who is an old woman. This meant we had to find a voice which would fit accordingly to the character. We tried and tested several people to see which would fit best. To decide we got audience feedback and asked our peers and teachers which voice they felt appropriate.
![]() We began filming at 4pm when it began getting dark so we had the right lighting for shooting our scenes ![]() To film the blood scene, we placed layers of cling film on the floor to ensure the blood (food colouring) didn't stain the floor. ![]() Once placing the cling film we used a straw to blow the blood, which in turn looked as though it was coming out of the dolls face. By using a straw it enabled us to make the blood flow without our hands being in shot. ![]() While filming, the only problem we encountered was the china doll breaking during shooting the throwing scene. However we managed to work around this having already filmed the shots we needed with the china doll's face in, so the doll breaking didn't affect any of our shots. ![]() We also worked around the problem by supergluing the face back together. This worked in our favour as the doll looked more creepy with a cracked face when filming the blood scene. This is the first draft of our short film, it has a basic outline as to what the footage will look like and the storyline of the short. It's not the complete story, but we have an idea of how to improve after showing it to our peers. We received feedback, stating that the camera work was alright but some shots needed reshooting and to framed better. The lighting and colours in the shots were good and muse-en-scene was appropriate. We decided to make a list of the parts that needed tightening up and reshooting. A key part in our short is the moment that Rose realises that the china doll is the child. To do this we're having some family photos framed on the wall and where the baby's face would be will be replaced with the face of the china doll. To do this I collected old baby photos from some volunteers, then I had Molly replicate some of the poses that the babies are in with China Doll, Mercy. I used Photoshop to edit on Mercy's face over the babies. I had to warp the photos so that they were regular rectangles and fitted the canvas space. Then I adjusted the exposure, brightness and contrast so that they were visible and looked normal.
The babies faces are in different positions, so Molly had to take a variety of shots that I could use. There was still lots of transforming needing to be done so that the dolls head fitted properly and didn't look weird. Then I had to adjust the colours and vibrancy of the dolls head so it matched the rest o f the photo. Having discussed our thoughts for our film and coming up with a final idea, we need to get an understanding of what sort of locations we want to include in our short film, so we can choose our locations appropriately. By researching it also helps us identify the limitations we may have when finding locations as we may not be able to find exactly what we want. ![]() The narrative is set in an old fashioned victorian house, preferably in an isolated location, to make the house seem more mysterious and creepy. We want the old fashioned house to fit with the narrative, as the parents are of an older age, and are quite dated considering the short film is set in present time, which provides a reasoning behind their strange manner. A limitation we may have with finding a location fitting to this image is being able to find a house which is appears as old fashioned, likewise it would be hard to find one in an isolated location which would be available to use. ![]() An alterative to an isolated location, would be down a dark street, again to add to the mystery and contribute to the fear of the unknown, with dark alleys. We want the house to be filmed in the dark as it fits with narrative as the girl is babysitting in the evening. Likewise dark settings contribute to the typical codes and conventions found within the horror genre. ![]() One of the main locations within the house is going to be the baby's room. Ideally we would want the room to be old fashioned like the house with an old baby's crib for the doll to be sleeping in. However we need to consider the limitations of finding a location to fit our ideas as it would be hard to find the appropriate miss-en-scene. When creating a short film, the narrative has to be shortened in order for the film to be of a short length. To help us with our narrative when it comes to the production of our short film, I have decided to compare a narrative of a short film as well as from a television episode. I am looking at a television episode as they are almost like snippets of one big film, containing narratives which as a result create one big narrative; in which case the narrative structure of a television episode also has to be relatively short. By comparing the two it enables me to see what elements are featured within each narrative to ultimately give us an understanding hot how we should structure our narrative for our short film. Basic Narrative StructureShort Film NarrativeAs short films are of a limited length, the narrative needs to be restricted and more simpler in order to execute the story line successfully to audiences. I have decided to look at a narrative of a short film from the horror genre to help us construct our narrative, knowing what to include and how much to include. 'Bedtime'Exposition = Beguins with mother reading a bed time story to her younger daughter, establishing the setting of the film being in a family home, and the main protagonists being the family made up of the mum and daughter. Rising Action= The daughter is reluctant to go to bed, appearing to be scared of something and asks to keep the light on as she goes to bed. This now creates a new centre of tension where the rest of the narrative stems off. Climax = The mother returns to the room after the daughter cries for her help, in doing so, the build up of tension suspense builds due to the fear of the unknown, adding to the thrill of the narrative. When checking under the bed she finds a duplicate of her daughter, appearing frightened at the girl on top of the bed. Falling Action= As a result of the 'monster' under the bed the mother is then attacked, addressing the arising suspense and adhering to the thriller element of the film. Dénouement = The new normal is now created. Instead of a peaceful family evening, the harmonious relationship between mother and daughter has been disrupted due a monster under the bed, changing the events of the night. As the short film is of a limited time, being only over 2 minutes long, it can be recognised as a challenging task to form a basic narrative structure and fit it all in. However by looking at the short film 'Bed Time' it exemplifies the need to adhere to a basic narrative structure in order to execute the storyline securely and effectively. Television Episode NarrativeTelevision episodes have narrative structures known as a 'story arc' being an extended or continuing story line prolonged through episodes creating the narrative arc. In this case narratives within a tv episode are unlikely to follow the basic narrative structure as the whole narrative itself is spread across several episodes. In which case the stages of narrative may be slower and less obvious than in a short film, for example the rising action may occur in the second episode of a series. I've decided to look at a narrative from a tv episode also from the horror genre to compare to the short film and see the differences between the structure of the two narratives. American Horror Story: Episode 21) The episode starts in 1968, introducing two nurses who are studying for their test. This is the exposition, however only to this particular scene as the two nurses are not recurring characters in the series. The nurses greeted by a mystery man; the rising action. This man then threatens the two creating the climax of this particular scene. The two girls are brutally murdered and are left in the house to haunt other residents in later years. In this scene alone, the basic narrative structure is created. However as it is only one scene, it can be seen a television episodes narrative consists of lots of other narratives creating one whole story line.
2) The narrative then moves on to present time, focusing on the main characters of the series. The Dr is talking to his new patient about her illness, creating the exposition for the rest of the episode. 3) The next scene, shows the Dr meeting a girl who he previously had an affair with discussing the future for her pregnancy, creating the exposition again which will later unravel towards the rising action and climax which will take place later on in the series. 4) The Doctor's patient has broken into his home in an attempt to recreate the break in previously seen at the start of the episode, creating the climax 5) The episode finishes, with the three people who broke into the house murdered, creating the denouement, as the setting and tone of the episode has changed. However many parts of the narrative are still unfinished and unanswered, for example the pregnancy, therefore the narrative must continue in later episodes.
Learning about Barthe's theory on enigma and action codes gives us an idea of how to incorporate these codes into our short film. As we are considering doing a short film of the horror or phycological genre, incorporating the enigma code into it provides a sense of mystery which is a stereotypical convention of both the horror and phycological genre.
I decided to compare a short film to a feature film with similar narratives, to gain an understanding as to how easy it is to include the same elements in short films found in regular films, and if so, gain an understanding as to whether including these elements have the same effect in a short film as they do in a regular film. This comparison ultimately will give us an understanding of what we will need to include in our short film, to make it as effective as a normal length film. I also decided to focus on films in the horror thriller genre as this is the genre we are considering to choose for our short film. This will help us identify codes and conventions to include in our short film, taking inspiration from codes and conventions found in films, which will hopefully have the same effect when in a short film. Short Film- 'Skypemare''Skypemare' is a horror thriller short film based around a Skype call between two friends on halloween. The narrative involves one friend being pranked by the other, being convinced by the other friend through a series of annoymonous videos portraying her being attacked by an unknown figure. This prank as a result causes the stabbing of the protagonist. ![]() The short film begins with a news report, stating there is a murderer about on the night of halloween. This is a stereotypical convention of horrors; the film usually starts with an element of drama to trigger the rest of the narrative and the events that follow because of the drama. Likewise characters such as murderers are common in horror films. The element of drama and suspense is emphasised by the narrative being set on halloween night, where all conventions of horror are featured. ![]() The narrative involves two friends talking over Skype, supposedly both home alone. The fact they are both home alone on halloween night contributes to the notion of suspense throughout the short film as it makes them more vulnerable. ![]() A mid shot from the laptop camera's point of view reveals a shadow of an unknown figure to be behind the woman, who is supposed to be home alone. The dark mise-en-scene is typical in horror thrillers, and the shadow contributes to the thrill and suspense, creating the element of the unknown. By viewing this scene from the computer screen it appears as if the viewer is directly watching the scene, contributing to the viewers feeling of thrill, as if they are their witnessing what is happening, like the other friend on the other end of the Skype call. ![]() The friend receives an anonymous file, again contributing to the fear of the unknown, a stereotypical convention of horror thrillers. Sending the file also adds to the key role that technology is playing in the short film. As the narrative is primarily involved with technology, it shows modern aspects, offering modern codes and conventions which we may be able to take inspiration from in our short film. ![]() the anonymous clip reveals to be a gory video of the friend who has supposedly been brutally murdered. the use of blood is stereotypical in horror films. The bloody murder is a cliche ending of many horror films. Feature Film- 'Unfriended''Unfriended' is a horror thriller feature film based on a girl who kills herself due to a cyber attack after a video is posted anonymously of the girl embarrassing herself on a drunken night out. The narrative involves a group of friends a year on from her death, reuniting on a group Skype call, in which an anonymous caller enters the call and threatens the group in several ways online. This narrative is very similar to 'Skypemare' showing modern conventions of horrors, involving technology as a key role in the narrative. ![]() The film starts showing a news report on the suicide of Laura Barns who killed herself after a series of cyber attacks from her peers due to an unknown source posting an embarrassing video of her on a drunken night out. The introduction of this element of drama is a stereotypical convention of horror films as it allows the rest of the events to ensue from this. This was seen in 'Skypemare' when the news revealed a murderer was on the loose. ![]() During the friend's group Skype call, an unknown caller joins, which is unable to be removed from the call. This adds to the feeling of suspense and fear of the unknown, as neither the audience or the protagonists are aware who this person is and what is going to happen. Much like the unknown person in 'Skypemare'. ![]() From here on, the unknown source begins threatening the friends. Forcing them to partake in games such as '21 dares'. The use of death threats and force is common with horror films used to manipulate victims and add to the notion of fear and violence. ![]() The unknown antagonist continues their threats however starts to physically control things. For instance the friend's lights are suddenly turned off in their rooms. This contributes a sense of super natural activity, a stereotypical convention found within horror films, e.g 'Paranormal Acitvity' ![]() In one scene, one of the friends is forced to place their hand in a blender. This adds gore and violence into the mix of elements within the film, which further contributes to the genre of horror. ![]() Through the use of the fear of the unknown, gory violence, threats and supernatural/telekinetic power combined, the film creates the feeling of suspense, terror, alarm, mystery etc… for both the protagonists of the film as well as the audience who relate to the friend's by seeing everything form their point of view. Ultimately combining all stereotypical codes and conventions of horrors to ensure the film 'Unfriended' meets the expectations of its genre. Ultimately, both the short film 'Skypemare ' and 'Unfriended' the feature film, follow similar narratives involving stereotypical codes and conventions of horror films. However 'Skypemare' can be seen to follow more of a cliche narrative, using simpler codes and conventions having a more basic effect on audiences. Compared to 'Unfriended' containing a whole ranges of codes and conventions found within horrors, in a more detailed way to have a greater effect on audiences. So from this it has helped us recognise what codes and conventions we need to include in our short film as well as how to apply them in order for out short film to be successful.
Having decided upon our genre for our short film, being horror genre, I have looked at stereotypical codes and conventions within horror genre films, to give us an understanding as to what codes and conventions we need to include in order to execute a horror short film successfully. To help us decide what genre our short film is going to be, we decided to conduct a survey, showing 3 different short films from 3 different potential genres we are interested in doing, the genres being horror, comedy and romance. We showed the films to group of teenage girls, a target audience we are interested on focusing on and asked them a series of questions on their opinions of the three films. Romance Genre: Horror Genre: Comedy Genre: Our Voxpop Survey:Conclusion:From this survey, we found the horror film was profoundly the most popular of all three genres, having the most effect on the viewers. The comedy short film was seen as the least popular out of the three. These results have helped contribute to our decision as to what genre we are going to make our short film. As a result we have decided to rule out the option of using a comedy genre as these answers from this group of our potential target audience has highlighted the difficulty a comedy genre brings to actually make it funny, compared to the horror genre, which seems to have the most effect on audiences.
![]() 'Carrie' (2013) is a supernatural horror thriller based on a girl called Carrie who discovers she has telekinesis, a supernatural power allowing a person to influence a physical system without physical interaction. The film entails Carrie manipulating this power resulting in the death of her fellow high school students at their senior prom. By analysing this film by focusing on the codes and conventions, it will give us a good idea as to what codes and conventions we may want to include in our short film, especially as we are considering our short film to be of the horror thriller genre. Typical thriller horror codes and conventions: - unsettling/unnerving -scary/frightening -death -dark -fear of the unknown -darkness -supernatural Establishing the typical codes and conventions within a typical horror film, makes it easier to spot these codes and conventions in 'Carrie' as well as pick up on ones specific to the film. The opening sequence of the film instantly shows elements of a horror film, showcasing feelings of mystery and suspense, through the use of sound; a screeching cry comes from an unknown location, joined by a close up shot of a bloody bible, making the audience question what is about to happen. The opening sequence finishes with the title of 'Carrie' in red with a background fitting the dark convention of horror films and red connoting blood, a common feature in horror films. ![]() Further on in the film the audience discovers Carrie's supernatural power, telekinesis, another convention of horror films. Some of the most popular horror films involve story lines based around supernatural events/ powers for example 'paranormal activity'. ![]() Throughout the film, there is a central religious theme, regarding he mother, who is an extreme Christian and is incredibly strict towards Carrie. Religious imagery is common within horror films, however is usually used as a form of hope within a dark storyline. Carrie however includes an extremist approach to religion; Carrie's mother for example locks Carrie in a cupboard 'to forgive her sins'. This contributes to the twisted storyline. Blood, a main convention of horror films, commonly features within the film, which can also be seen to relate to the devil. The final scene, Carrie resembles the devil again fitting with the religious theme. In order for our short film to be successful we need to analyse and view various other short films, , made at different standards for example at a university level. By analysing a short film produced by a university student, it allows us to aqquire inspirations from the film and their techniques, which are likely to be of a higher standard compared to students like us at a lower level. Priceless 'Priceless' is a drama short film produced by Staffordshire University students. As the film is a produced by university students, the overall quality of the film would be expected to be of better standard , as the students themselves are more experienced. 'priceless' excemplifies aspects of a better quality film right from the start, through the effective use of camera shots and smooth cuts. Even small things such as the opening title look smart with effects, like a professional short film, comparing to school students productions which are simpler and more basic, having less effect on the overall film.
The narrative involves two protagonists; a homeless man and a young boy; the boy helping the man in need for the man to then help the boy in need, resulting in the homeless man losing his life in order to protect the boy. The gripping storyline suits the drama genre, making the film itself clear to the audience. Due to the dramatic scenes and features of social standards regarding the treatment of the homeless man, the short film would be likely to attract an adult audience, however as the narrative is rather simple, its likely to attract a younger adult audience from 15-25. 'Priceless' plays on the stereotype of homeless people, through mise-en-scene, the man being scruffy and bearded. Furthermore he is represented as being disregarded by the people surrounding him and looked down upon in society. The students have emphasised this point clearly to the audience through use of low shots to make him seem physically inferior to the people around him. This stereotype is highlighted further through the stereotypical representation of the middle class mum looking down upon the homeless man, as if she is better than him, shown through the digetic sound of telling her son off communicating with him, the shot reverse shot from a higher angle, contributes to her superiority. Much like their clear use of mis-en-scene and camera shots to emphasise what they are trying to represent in the film, the students use of non digetic sound fits appropriately with the mood and setting of the film, for example as the boy hands the money to the homeless man, soft slow piano music plays to connote sadness and melancholy. Overall it is evident this film was produced at a university standard through the clear narrative, with a beginning middle and end, supported by smooth shots and appropriate mise-en-scene to support the representation of characters. As a result, by watching this short film, it helps us understand what criteria we need to make our short film as successful as possible. |
AuthorsMolly Broad Archives
February 2016
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