Initial Ideas Mind Map

Everybody in our group designed a mind map and at the end we added all our ideas together and made a final group map. For our title of the film we took parts of our ideas and put them together to decide on the title 'LessonLearnt'. We thought that it worked with the film idea that we came up with as were basing it around a school year book and 'Lesson' is what happens at school and the word 'Learnt' can mean two things; learning at school or learning there own personal lesson that the antagonist is going to teach them. Character wise, we all decided on using classmates as they are going to be the victims of the killer's, a mechanic who is going to be the antagonist and use newsreporters that are going to be updating the audience every so often whats happening, maybe the protagonists. For our setting we thought of using an abandoned house at first for the killers hideout, but then we decided on using his own garage, for our opening 2 minutes we decided to include a woodland area for the location of one of the dead bodies and a pub where the antagonist is going to meet one of his victims. The exsiting filmns weve decided to look up to get ideas from is Saw, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Jeepers Creepers, this is because they are all based on a psychotic killer who abduct people.

Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task Evaluation

1.I feel that our piece of film works well as it swaps from different cameras at the right point when needed; wide shot to get both characters in the scene (a two shot), close up of who is talking and extreme close up of the object being slid across the table. Also, using the cameras at the right height for eye line match. In the future, doing what we did will be appropriate for this type of scene, but maybe add a couple more different shots like high angle or dutch.

2.The 180 degree rule is in place on our film as the camera shots never go behind the characters back; they always get part/whole of the face in it. Shot reverse shot is also used as the camera flicks back and forth from both characters. Eye line match is the key one used in making the film as the cameras are level with each other to show that two people are talking normally to each other.

3.Overall I feel our group worked well together especially when filming the film as we synchronised well together by deciding how we were going t film the scene. But during the editing of it, I felt that one person seemed to take control over everyone else as I in particular did not get to give much in put along with all the others. In the future, I feel that to make the group work really well we need to allow everybody’s input by allowing them to edit their own little bit of the film.

4.If filmed again I would improve the fact on how much zoomed the camera is on the close up of the faces as one camera is zoomed in more than the other.

5.We didn’t really plan our film; we just planned where the cameras were going to be placed and where the characters were going to sit/move around. During the editing I think that we could have decided who was editing what part of the scene instead of one person doing it all. In the future, we will create a detailed storyboard with what the cameras are doing/where they are going to be placed, what the characters are doing/where they can move around and the props that are going to be needed tin the scene.

6.To change to the next shot, we used transitions to help it run smoothly and efficiently.

7.I did not learn much from editing the video as I did not get a chance to do any of it, but I decided to create my own little piece so I could learn how to use the programme for next time so when we have to edit another piece of film I can do it easily.

8.Technology is not very reliable as we had to film multiple times as the memory card we used either did not work at all or deleted the footage we had. Then when using the editing software it either froze many times or decided not to load.

Halloween 1 Opening Scene

Halloween 1

The opening scene is set in the killer’s room when he was a boy staring into a mirror. In this shot it is a close up shot of his face at a low angle, he is wearing a clown mask which helps to set the genetic convention of the film of it being a horror because clowns are associated as scary. Throughout the scene where it is showing the boy there is extra diegetic sound playing in the background as if to say that he is performing a ritual for this rat and its not going to end well. During the scene 0.02-0.05, an extreme close-up is used to focus on the object located in the boys hand; this is known as the master shot as later on during this clip it cuts backs to the boy in his room showing what he is undertaking in his bedroom. Also, using an extreme close-up helps to show the innocence of the rat and to show the bottom half of the boys mask; smiling as if to say he is enjoying/going to enjoy what he is doing to the rat. The shot then swaps to a very extreme close-up of the rat for a couple of seconds to try and show the expression on the rats face to see how its feeling.

The scene then changes to the woman in the kitchen making breakfast, in the shot at first there is a close-up shot used to present what they are eating; pancake mixture which is a standard American breakfast. Diegetic sound is present in this scene from where the pancake mixture lands onto the frying pan and sizzles. Also either extra diegetic or diegetic sound is used throughout the scene from the radio or music player in the background but we do not know if the characters can hear the music or not.
When the woman first enters the scene she is wearing a pink and blue gown shirt which can be either to suggest that she is the weaker one of the whole family or between the father and herself as blue isn’t powerful or that she is the subtle one of the lot as pink represents similar to red which is power, dominance, death but weaker. A close-up is used to represent this shot and the lighting surrounding the environment is light which is either coming from outside or one of the lights located in the kitchen, this can symbolize the purity of the woman that she isn’t the bad guy in this clip. Dialogue is used as the woman is undergoing conversation with her husband.

The first appearance of the man is a wide shot to help show the environment around him; set in the kitchen and to show what he is wearing as he does not stand up during this scene. The attire being worn is a dark grey and black chequered cardigan with a white t-shirt underneath; using a mixture of colours shows he is at a fine line between whether he is good or bad as you will find out during the film, having the darker coloured clothing over the top of the lighter coloured clothing could say that his anger gets the worse of him or that he is more horrible than good, having a white shirt showing he has some purity in him and has a breaking point when he can only be so nasty towards another individual as the cardigan is not buttoned up. Also, only showing a small part of the white shirt suggests that only a tiny bit of purity is inside him and has been overcome with his anger. The lighting around him is dimmer than the mothers as if to say that he is the worse one out of the two. Extra diegetic sound or diegetic sound still is presented as music is playing in the background to offer peace between the two and calm them down. The mans dialogue present in this scene is very loud as he is replying by shouting at the mother.
To the reply of there conversation, an over shoulder shot is used to show that it is happening between the mum which then also uses a mid shot to show the mothers attire.

During the conversation, shot reverse shot is used between the baby and the dad. When the baby is first introduced, there is a mid shot of the baby. The light in this shot is split up into two shades, on the left side it is dark and on the right side it is bright; the left side is the bad side which is where the dad is positioned and on the right side is the good side where the mum is positioned, his protector. The baby is wearing a white shirt and a blue woolly hat. The hat symbolises extra protection from his dad and the white shirt shows his purity and innocence.
When first shown the baby looks at the dad, then when shown again he looks at his mum but this time he looks up at his mum as if she is the dominant of the two adults. The shot then goes back into the over shoulder shot.

Shortly after a long and wide shot is used which shows the mum and dad in the kitchen. The lighting in the room is dark on the right side and bright on the left side, the light is coming from the window to show that it is day time but the right side of the screen could still be black because of the to-be killer is up in his room.
The dialogues tone is raised up a level as the dad starts to shout again, when this happens, the shot changes back to a close up of the baby and presents his reactions with as he cries because he gets scared. This then leads back to an over shoulder shot of the mum and a tracking shot as she goes to pick up the baby. Once picked up, a high angle shot is used when the mum is looking at the dad as if to show she is the one in control and is the protector of her child and won’t let anything happen to him.

The entrance of the daughter is a mid shot of her body downwards and a slight tracking shot is used as the camera follows her slightly into the kitchen. Once entered a wide/establishing shot and a two person shot is used between the dad and herself to help show relationship between the two as the dad teases the daughter with the cereal box and glares at her. She is wearing a black mini skirt with a red and yellow stripy top and black cardigan. The black from the cardigan and skirt illustrate the badness of her that she is a very outgoing rebel and the red and yellow top stands for the joy and love that she has in her self but also could mean that death is coming towards her with the red representing blood and the black representing darkness. At 1.03 an over shoulder high angle shot is used to show that the daughter is looking at him straight in the eye but also towering over him as if she has more control over her dad than he has over her. Then a shot reverse shot is used to show the expressions on both characters faces and who has the overpowering look to make the other person back down. When flicked to the dad, an over shoulder shot is also used to show that he is looking back at her but also a slight low angle shot to continue the towering over of the daughter that she is more dominant than him. Although once the dialogue between the daughter and mother begins, an over shoulder shot is used to show that she is also looking into her mums eyes but also a low angle shot is used to show that the mum has more power than her daughter and that she towers over her. Throughout the conversation of the daughter and mother a high angle shot is used when the mum is speaking to the daughter and a low angle shot is used when the daughter is speaking back to the mother. A close up shot is used on the daughter after she is asked to get her brother to show she has no control of the situation and has to do as she is told. When leaving the room the shot switches to a wide shot to show the position of each character and the daughter walking into the darkness of where the to-be killer is.

The dialogue between the mum and dad continues and over shoulder shots are used for both the mum and dad. When the mum talks to the dad, a high angle shot is used again to show that she has more power over him and when the dad talks to the mum, a low angle shot is used to show he has no power at all as the daughter has power over him but the mum has power over both the daughter and the dad. During the argument, diegetic sound is used as the mum whacks the cup of tea out of the dad’s hand. The sound effect of the glass smashing to the floor has been edited to be heard louder than the real event to help show the supremacy she has over him. This then carries on the wide shot of the dad as he sweeps the objects of the table causing them to smash onto the floor. Diegetic sound is also used her with it being edited to make the sound of the crashing more explosive and louder showing that his bad tempered side is coming out and is trying to take control. During this the lighting of the set becomes brighter as the windows are shown with the sunlight beaming through as if to symbolise the dads fiery rage.

The set is then changed to upstairs where the daughter is going to get her brother. It is presented with a wide shot to show her surrounding environment. The lighting used in this shot is dark/dimmer than the kitchen as if to suggest she is walking to her death, but when she reaches her brothers door, light is partially visible in sections as if to say he has a chance of being good but his chances are thinning. Extra diegetic sound is used in this scene as a soft but deep sinister sound is playing in the background throughout the walk to the door and once the camera focuses on the boy and what he is doing in the sink, it becomes louder and profound. At 2.00 the dialogue between the two begins and a close up low angle shot is used when the girl reaches the door to show that she is in control. Once the boy is shown, it is also a close up low angle shot, but an even lower angle than used on the girl to illustrate that he has more control over her as he is the to-be killer. The shot then changes to a long shot of the boy showing what he is doing in the room, the main action is in the sink but his hands are covering it up to show that it is a secret and no one will know apart from him. It then changes to an extreme close up of a scalpel he has in his hands covered in blood along with his hands. This shows the characters dominance over the rest as he is the one who has killed and is not scared of anything else, using a scalpel as his killing weapon shows that he’s too young to be killing other humans at the moment that he has to stick to the smaller beings, but once older the scalpel will turn into a knife and it will be humans blood over his hands not rats. The close up shot of the boys face (mask) in the mirror reflects on whole he is feeling inside; the masks face smiling.

Back to the kitchen, a mid shot low angle is used on the mum at 2.18 to show that the rage the dad caused earlier had changed the dominance the mum had over him that he is either in control or has equalled the power that the mum once had over him.
When the son first enters the kitchen and talks to his mum; eye to eye shot is used instead of high angle and low angle shots; high angle shot when the mum is talking and low angle shot when another character is talking because he has the most power out of them all and his mum doesn’t tower over him. His attire is also presented for the first time in the film with him wearing a dark grey shirt with three pale white people on his shirt to represent the death of his mum, dad and sister. The close up shot at 2.55 with the son kissing the babies forehead shows that he does still have a soft spot that his baby brother is the only one he likes out of his family.
The son goes to sit down at the table and is confronted by his dad. A over shoulder close up shot is used on the dad to exemplify the expression that he has towards his son being displeased and angry. The shot then switches to the son, with him having no reply to what his dad said explains itself as he is not scared by what his dad says. During the disarming of the mask an extreme close up is used revealing the expression on the son’s face which is also displeased and matches his dads, the shot quickly flicks to the baby as he starts to cry, the screaming and crying carries on in the background. Shot reverse shot is used as it flickers back and fourth showing the expressions on both of there faces; the dad starring into the eyes of his son seriously while the son is scowling back. Furthermore eye to eye shot is used as both characters are facing straight at each other.

Halloween 1 Plan

0.01: close up of reflection of boy-low angle, wearing a-clown mask, object in his hands. Clown mask sets genre of film, scary, extra diegetic sound in background
0.02-0.05: extreme close up of object in hand-rat, master shot, bottom half of mask in shot-the smiley face, petting the rat-innocence, kindness
0.06-0.08: very extreme close up of rat
0.09-0.10: close up of cooking, pancake mixture, standard American breakfast
0.11-0.13: close up/mid shot of woman cooking, mum, dialogue, light, pink+blue gown shirt, located in kitchen
0.14-0.17: mid shot of man-dad, dialogue, light, dark cardigan-white t-shirt, located in kitchen
0.18-0.20: over shoulder shot-mid shot, dialogue, dim lighting
0.21: mid shot of baby, light on right side, part darkness on left side, white shirt, blue woolly hat
0.22-0.25: dad, dialogue
*shot reverse shot between dad and baby
0.26: mid shot back to the baby
0.27-0.29: mid shot of mum-over shoulder shot, darker lighting, brown vest top, dialogue
0.29-0.32: mid shot of dad, dialogue, drinks at end-blue cup
0.33-0.35: wide + long shot of mum and dad, shows all of the kitchen, dark lighting on the right side, light on the left sid e-coming from the window-day time, dialogue
0.35-0.40: mid shot of dad, dialogue-shouting
0.40-0.41: close up of baby, dialogue-crying
0.42-0.46: close up of mum, over shoulder shot, tracking shot-follows mum to pick up the baby, dialogue,
0.47-0.49: mid shot of dad, shaky camera, dialogue-shouting
0.50: extreme close up of baby, dialogue-crying
0.51- 0.57: eye to eye shot, mid shot of both characters, dialogue-arguing, 0.57-1.00: entrance of daughter-mid shot of girls behind, tracking shot,
1.00-1.09: establishing shot-relationship between daughter and dad, wide shot, light, daughter-black mini skirt-stripy red and yellow top- black cardigan, 1.03: over shoulder shot, 1.05: over shoulder shot, shot reverse shot, low angle when behind dad, high angle when behind daughter, dad-not as important as daughter
1.10-1.20: shot reverse shot-daughter and mum, mid shot of mum, low angle on mum, high angle on daughter-daughter not as important as mum, dialogue, 1.15: close up on mum, 1.17: close up on daughter, 1.19: mid shot on mum,
1.21: daughter pours cereal into her bowl
1.32-1.34: wide shot-everybody in the picture,
1.35-1.57: dialogue between mum and dad-shouting, over shoulder shot used throughout, high and low angle shots, diegetic sound-mum hitting cup out of dads hand, smashing to the floor, sound loudened through editing programme, wide shot-dad sweeping cups and plates onto the floor-diegetic sound loudened through editing programme, baby screaming in background
1.57-2.11: wide shot of girl, dark lighting, half light on the right side of the room, part on door, extra diegetic sound in background-music, 2.02: dialogue starts, close up of daughter, close up on son, 2.06: long shot of son-showing what he is doing and his surrounding environment, 2.07: extreme close up of hands/scalpel showing blood-over both hands and scalpel,
2.13-2.28: dialogue between mum and dad, high and low angle shot used
2.32-2.42: dialogue between mum and son, eye to eye shot
2.43: boys attire shown for first time-dark grey shirt-3 people on shirt-pale white-represent family?
2.55-2.57: boy kisses baby brother on forehead, only one liked in the family, still has some heart in him
3.02-3.20: boy sits down at table, over shoulder + close up shot used, shows expression, dialogue