Music in Garageband

Today in lesson we tried to use Garageband to make music for our opening. The kind of music that I think we should have in our opening should be quite classical. This is because the era that the opening is set in would go well together with classical instruments such as violins as these were the types of instruments in this time period.
Even though we are going to use string instruments I still want the music to have an eerie and have alot of tension in it to add dramatic tension into our film.
We will soon be going to the CLC centre where we will have a lesson on how to use Garageband properly, then we will be able to make our music sound exactly how we want.

How to use Garageband

This is a useful video that does into detail about how to use garageband.

Our Jack the Ripper Analysis

We decided to show a rough edit of our film to an audience to see what they thought about it. One part of our film seemed unclear to the audience that watched it. At the very start of our film the woman pauses for a short while before she starts to walk. To the audience it seemed as though she was waiting for no reason however there is a reason for her to wait.
The woman is adjusting her clothes as she has just been to one of her 'clients' houses and is sorting herself out before she sets off on her way.
Also, we have a shot of the knife with fake blood on it. However, because we used the nightmode on the camera the fake blood looked transparent and almost like water. Therefore, we might change the colour of the fake blood in iMovie into red or a darker colour in order to make the blood look more real.

Filming Jack the Ripper Re-Shoot

Last night our group decided to re-shoot the opening to our two minute film.

The filming went really well from the start of the shoot the whole group felt a lot more comfortable and confident about the film.

We decided to follow the storyboard exactly so that we knew exactly want shots we had done and what we needed to do. I felt that we were a lot more organised and we knew the shots and action that we wanted to film.

We decided to shoot the inside scene that is of Jack the Ripper looking onto a board of all newspaper clippings and articles about him and his murders. (first image) We turned off the lights and switched on the night mode. As it was still difficult to see we used a phone light to add more light onto the board. Once we use the extra phone light the shots came out really well.

After we had filmed this we then went to Gentelmen's Row and continued to shoot the rest of the shots outisde. We decided to film in the order that we planned to arrange to film in to ensure there was no confusion with the scenes.

We began the outsides shots of Michela exiting a house, then walking down the alley and being followed by James. We filmed these few scenes in lots of different angles and ways to ensure we make out film more interesting for the audience. The filmed pan shots of both Micheal and James walking past aswell as both still and close up shots of both characters.

We then contuined these shots and further down the alley until we got to arch way. Once we had reached it we filmed the capturing and 'rape' scene. Again we used diffrent shot types such as extreme close ups, mid shots and close ups as well as diffrent angles to create tension with the audince as they will want to see what is going to happen to the victim.

Overall, I think that our second filming day went very well. I felt a lot happier about what we had filmed and felt more confident that when we uploaded it that we would be able to see the action. Although in a few shot it was still hard to see, the night mode on the camera did help very much as we were now able to see exactly what we was filming.

Re-Filming

When we re-film our opening we are keeping everything the same, but going to ensure that there is enough light by bringing torches and using the night mode on the camera. Therefore, we will be able to see the actors properly. Even though the look of the night mode on the camera is not exactly what we wanted as it is a lot lighter. We will have to use it in order to see the characters.
We are going to film tonight Tuesday 10th November at around 5.30 - 6 o'clock. At Gentleman's Row. Even if it does rain tonight we will have to carry on with the filming. As long as we stick to our storyboard the shoot will be fine, and much better than our first opening.

Film Upload

Unfortunately due to the camera not being able to pick up the light and therefore not being able to see the actors in some shots, we have decided to re-film the whole of our opening.
When we uploaded the film onto the computer it was very hard to see the actors at all especially in the walking through the alley shots.
We could not just re-film certain shots as this would not follow the continuity of the film, because in some shots in would be raining and then in other shots it would not.
Although in certain shots the fact that the characters drifted in and out of light and visibility worked well. Especially for the character of Jack the Ripper it highlighted his movements as he was going in and out of the shadows.

Our group was disappointed that we are going to have to re-film our opening, however we now know what to do in order to make the shots more effective. Next time we film we are going to stick exactly to our storyboard and do it almost in the exact order it should be. Therefore, we will not miss out any shots or action that we want to include.
Furthermore, I feel that we rushed our first shoot due to the weather so this time as a group we need to take time in setting up the angles and shots so that we get the best possible results.
We also need to add more angles and extent the length of our shots. This way when it comes to us having to edit the film we will have more variety and film to add to our opening.

First Filming 06-11-2009

On Friday we filmed the majority of our opening. However, the weather created a few problems for our filming, as it rained heavily throughout the whole time we was on location.

Firstly, we decided to shoot the main section of our opening first where the victim and killer are walking through the alley. Although the alley was lit by street lamps and the actors were visible to the naked eye, the camera did not seem to pick up the light, which therefore made it hard to see the actors on camera. We opted to continue shooting the film as when we upload the film it may be clearer for us to see the actors.
After completely the walking shots we then decided to shoot the "rape" scene which was thankfully under and arch way which sheltered them from the rain. Again, this was lit by multiple street lamps and was clear for us to see the action but the camera seemed to make the whole shot darker and harder to see.
Then we filmed the opening establishing shot which was of a pub and a lamp post, when we edit the film we can put it in the correct order that we want.

Once, we had filmed all the shots that we needed I did feel unsure about whether or not the camera have picked up the light and allowed us to see the actors. As soon as we upload on Monday we will be able to tell whether or not we will have to re-film our opening.

Se7en

On Fridays lesson we watched the film 'Se7en' starring Kevin Spacey, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Se7en is a thriller based around a mysterious serial killer (Kevin Spacey) that gruesomely commits these murders according to the seven deadly sins. And it is the job of the retiring detective (Morgan Freeman) and (Brad Pitt) to try and find the killer.

The whole film concept of the seven deadly sins and the twisting psychological story lines really captured me. The opening in particular is incredible,although there shots are almost very simple they are very effective as they entice the audience with the extreme close ups and the synced music and action.

This film has given me and the group even more ideas and inspiration into what else we can include into our film opening.

Diegetic and Non-diegetic Sound

In lesson we looked at the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound in films, and the effect that sound has on the audience. The use of sound in a film is very powerful technique. Sound engages with a distinct key sense and helps us synchronize both our visual and aural sense and unifies them together.
We watched the film 'Jaws' to show how the sound is used to create a tense atmosphere, throughout the opening.

The scene starts with with the use of Diegetic sound:
- Children screaming, laughing, playing The sound of the children playing happily creates dramatic tension for the audience as they are now aware that there are innocent children on the beach and the scene will not stay in this happy vibe for much longer.
- Parts of dialogue from peoples conversations There are 3 sets of diffrent dialogue going on in the scene. This helps to show that the beach is crowded and busy.
- Dog barking The sound of the dog barking could be trying to imply or signal warning or danger for the people on the beach.
- Splashing Shows that their are people and children in the water, and could be building up the tension and suspense as it is creating more noise for the audience.
-Music from the radioThe music is very calming this could be like this to emphasise the mood at that time then the mood during the shark attack.

After the opening of the scene starts there is then structured and scripted dialogue from the main characters in the film however the diagetic sounds are still continuing in the background.
The young boy Alex then asks to go back into the sea and we see the child floating alone in the sea on his lilo.

The scene then starts to build up the use of non-diegetic sound:

- Tension music quietly and slow starts to play.
- Quiet when Alex is shown on the lilo buy himself there was no music or sound this is so show his isolation and distant from the people and safety of the beach.
- Splashing You can still hear the splashing and voices of the children this creates tension as we do not want the children to come to harm.
- Tension music the music is building up into a crescendo as the shark is getting closer and closer to Alex.
- Dramatic noise Once the child is being eaten there is a ping and zooming sound as the realisation of the attacked is noticed by the people on the beach.
- Silence and waves After all the action in the scene is over and the mother of Alex is trying to find him we just hear the voice of the mother calling out for her son then just the sound of the waves as we see Alex's torn up lilo float onto the shore of the beach.

I think the tension music in 'Jaws' was very good and the use of the crescendo really makes the audience engage with the film as they feel the tension and atmosphere build up inside as the music climaxes when the child is attacked. The effect of having really strong powerful music in 'Jaws' creates a more dramatic scene to the film, but the audience will then know the que to when the attack or action will happen. Whereas in 'Physco' the music was a lot more quiet and had more diegetic sounds such as the toilet flushing, the shower running and the door closing. By just having these diegteic sounds I feel that this creates a more eerie mood in 'Physco' as we do not know when the attack will happen, therefore this makes the audience jump and more glued to the screen.

When creating our film opening, I think I would like to use both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. As I like the effect that scary music has on the audience however, I believe that silence or just very small minimal sound can also be very effective and can create alot of tension with the audience.

Filming Action Script

-[The first shot we see is an establishing shot of a lamp post and a pub.]
- (Wide shot) Woman coming out of a rich looking building/house.
- (Pan shot) She then begins walking down into the alley.
- (Mid shot) Newspaper articles about Jack the Ripper and pictures of women.-
- (Close up/Extreme close up) Jack the Ripper hiding eye following woman.
- (Mid Shot) Woman still wallking through the alley unaware of being followed.
- (Close up) J the R feet coming out as going to follow.
- (Extreme close up) 1st victim being crossed out in blood.-
- (Pan shot follow) Woman turing around thinking someones following her.
- (Wide Shot) Empty street no-one there.
- (Extreme close up) Of the womans picture on the wall
- (Extreme close up) 2nd Victim crossed out in blood.-
- (Long shot) J the R standing by a lamp post with knife in hand.
-(Over the shoulder) J the R circles the woman in blood on the newspaper board
- (Mid Shot) Woman turns back around and carries on walking.
- (Wide shot) J the R walks past the camera following woman.
- (Two shot/Wide shot) Woman walking towards the camera with J the R seen over the shoulder.
- (Close up) J the R's hand over womans mouth.
- (Wide shot Of J the R dragging woman into the alley with the woman struggling.
- (Long Shot) J the R climbs on top of woman.
- (Close up) Of J the R hand up her womans skirt.
- (High angle shot) Womans hands being pushed to the ground.
- (Close up) Woman screaming
- (Mid Shot) J the R slaps the woman
- (Close up) J the R picks up the knife.
- (Point of view) Knife slashes womans neck.
- (Extreme clsoe up) The knife with blood on it.
- (Over the shoulder shot) Womans picture being crossed out in blood
- (Wide shot) J the R gets up and walks away into the light.
- (Over the shoulder shot) J the R circles the next victim.
- Credits

Storyboard

Filming Schedule

We are planning to film the start of our opening tomorrow night. It is an alley near the our school. However, I am thinking that we might have a few difficulties with filming on Friday because it is Bonfire night. The sound of the fireworks would not be a problem with our filming as we are going to add the sound on top of our film. It is the light and flash of the fireworks that may affect our filming.
We plan to get alot of our filming finished in one night, but we will need at least two days or a absolute maximum of three days to completely finish our opening.
Filming Day 1 - Try to complete majority of opening.
Filming Day 2 - To add and experiment with different shots and angles.
Filming Day 3 - To ensure that we have all the shots, action and film that we need.

Filming Location

For our opening we are planning to film near the school. There is a dark creepy looking alley that looks perfect for our film. It also has a street lamp that looks like an old gas light. By having the gas light it helps to create and give the illusion that it was back in the 1800s. Also, the final image of an arch way is where we plan to film the death of the woman as it looks old and creepy with adds to the effect of our film.

Newspapers

In the left photo I like how the paper looks old and dated.

In the right photo it is an actual article from the time of the Jack the Ripper murders.

In some part of the film I would also like to include some newspaper reports on all the muders that have been happening. Or I would like to to show a board that Jack the Ripper is standing in front of with all the reports and names/drawings/photos of the women he has murdered.

Jack the Ripper Costume Research

Male Costume




For our opening for our film I have been looking into the costumes that that I would like the actors to wear. For the character of Jack the Ripper I would like them to wear an all black outfit.
We decided to have the film back in the 1800s rather than a modern Jack the Ripper.
Therefore, to make the costume fit into that time period I would like the actor to wear a black top hat, a black cape of long coat, black suit trousers, and black shoes. By having the costume in black it helps the character to seem lurking in the shadows and mysterious.



Female Costume















For the woman's costume in our film, I wanted to have a traditional woman's dress. However it would not have to look very rich or expensive because the women that Jack the Ripper targeted were not wealthy. They were poor prostitutes.
Therefore, the actresses costume would be a for a simple dress maybe with a petticoat type dress underneath, also a pair of small black shoes. This then shows that she is from that time period and does not have alot of money.

Importance of Opening Credits

This is a good website that describe to you in detail the importance of having strong opening credits.
Its called - The Art of the Title Sequence.

Jack The Ripper Tour

On Monday Me and Emily went on a Jack The Ripper tour around London, White Chapel.
The tour took us around different places where the murders took place, and described actually how each of them died. All but one of Jack the Rippers victims had there throats cut twice deeply apart from one only had one cut.
The places and stories that the tour guide told us about have given us ideas about our 2 minute film. The events that happened have helped us think of ways to shoot our opening.


The Tour Company




Church where many of the prostitutes would walk around day and night.



Street at White Chapel.



The first police telephone box in the area.


Ten Bells Pub.


White Chapel.

Practice Filming

Today in Friday's lesson we were handed out our filming equipment. Once we was given the equipment we went around school and tried out different shots. We decided to focus on certain shots that we might use in our 2 minute film.

After we had filmed a couple of minutes of shots we then imported the clips on iMovie so that we could then practice editing.

Today went really well and we have already decided on shots that we definitely want to use in our 2 minute film. I cant wait until we start filming!

Film Credits

I have been researching into film openings and credits.
In the Dexter opening there is not lots of credits, but I like the way the have written DEXTER then with the drops of blood around it. Also, I think it is a really effective opening as it is mainly close up shots and has implied horror.

Film Research

We found an extra resource for our Jack the Ripper film, it is a Batman comic that has been set in the time era when Jack the Ripper was around.

I think that this comic strip looks really good. I like the street scene at the bottom and the picture of Jack the Rippers hand across the woman's face. Also, I like the costumes that you can see in the comic. The It has given us lots of ideas about how to shoot our 2 minute opening.

Exam work

Introducing AS Media

View more documents from The Cottesloe School.

In Depth Analysis (Example)

Jaws Shot By Shot - Part 1

View more documents from The Cottesloe School.

Next time I need to do an analysis, I can then refer to this to help me.

Preliminary Video

When our groups Preliminary Exercise was showeed in my Media lesson the audience thought that there were certain aspects that would of improved our scene and filming.

In the pan shot of Emily entering the room, we cut off the top of Emilys head. Therefore, next time we film the directors behind the camera need to ensure that the camera is positoned in the right place.

The audience also saw that we needed to check our audio and editing was corret. This was because, some of Michaelas hand movements were in the wrong place and some words in the dialouge were repeated as a result of the editing.

After having the audience comment on our Preliminary Exercise it has helps us to focus on all the aspects that we need to consider when we start filming our 2 minute opening.

Preliminary Task

This is our groups story board:




Preliminary Scrpit:

Plot- Argument between two friends. Cause for the argument being late
Actors- Michaela and Emily
Directors- Jessica and Dominique
Emily- (walking through the door)
Emily- (sits down)
Michaela- Where have you been Em? I've been waiting for half an hour.
Emily- I'm really sorry. I thought we were meeting at half one.
Michaela- You do this all the time. Next time I'll tell you to come an hour early.
Emily- God! I said I'm sorry
Michaela- Whatever!
(End of scene)

Our preliminary excercise went really well. Michaela and Emily did not mess up or corpse when they had to say their lines therefore, as a director I found it quite easy, as we did not have to keep re-taking shots. As you can see from our storyboard we filmed different shots and camera angles.
However, when it came filming the scene we decided to add a few extra shots. We added a close up shot of Michaela's face to show her emotion, and then a pan for when Emily enters the room and sits down.

Research for Jack the Ripper.

Our group has had another idea for our 2 minute film. We had the idea to base the film around Jack the Ripper.

Information: from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper
Jack the Ripper is a pseudonym given to an unidentified serial killer active in the largely impoverished Whitechapel area and adjacent districts of London in late 1888. The name originated in a letter sent to the London Central News Agency by someone claiming to be the murderer.

The victims were women earning income as prostitutes. Most victims' throats were slit, after which the bodies were mutilated. The removal of internal organs from three of the victims led some officials at the time of the murders to propose that the killer possessed anatomical or surgical knowledge.

Newspapers, whose circulation had been growing during this era,bestowed widespread and enduring notoriety on the killer because of the savagery of the attacks and the failure of the police to capture the murderer.

Because the killer's identity has never been confirmed, the legends surrounding the murders have become a combination of genuine historical research, folklore, and pseudohistory. Many authors, historians, and amateur detectives have proposed theories about the identity of the killer and his victims. This has given rise to the term Ripperologist to describe professionals and amateurs who study and analyze the case.

Also Michaela found that there are many tours where you can walk around London to try and understand more about Jack the Ripper and his vitcims.

Jack the Ripper Tour - http://www.jack-the-ripper-walk.co.uk/

Preliminary Exercise

On Wednesdays lesson one group completed their preliminary exercise. I obsereved their group to help understand the diffrent angles and shots, and to help me when our group does ours. From watching the first group I learnt that to make the editing easier, we should say a number before each shot so that we know which take is better. Also, it is better to have more film rather than not enough, then we can edit and cut off the scenes.

Continuing my Thriller Research

I am thinking that a possible idea for our opening of our film could involve a mental patient so I found the trailer from 'The Silence Of the Lambs' I think that it is really effective. I like how it shows newspaper articles and is flashing in and out of scenes to create suspense. It has given my more ideas for our film.

Full Shot Analysis of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

The first shot is an establishing shot, its also a wide shot this is setting a scene for the opening of the film and showing us that the location is in a jungle. The shot then stays in the same place but slightly and smoothly zooms out as Harrison Ford crosses in front of the camera and stands in front of the view so that all we can see is his back and his silhouette.
Again, the camera stays in the same place as more characters cross in front of the camera, then the camera slowly pans upwards to show us a midshot of more characters that cross the screen.

The camera then moves away to the next shot which is of characters moving through the jungle, it is a long shot as we can see the head and the feet of all the characters. The camera moves with the characters as they walk through the jungle, this is called a pan shot follow and probably used a track and a dolly to achieve a smooth shot. The camera then just zooms in and out into various people just so that we get a sense of the types of characters in the scene and the location surrounding them.

We then quickly see a cut in of Harrison Ford’s feet walking towards the camera while the camera is placed on the floor. The shot then goes to a mid shot behind the characters heads as they are still moving through the jungle. Throughout the whole opening we still have not directly seen the front of Harrison Ford’s face the camera has always either been behind him or on cut ins of certain parts of him.

There is then a point of view shot from one of the characters as he is pulling back leaves and branches as he walks through the jungle he all of a sudden is confronted by a big stone ancient statue. The shot then zooms out to a mid shot, as the character to run off screaming.
Then there is a cut away shot is shows Harrison Ford walking towards the statue, then of the reactions of the other guides as they see the statue then back to the shot of Harrison ford standing in front of the statue, and finally back to the faces and reactions of the guides which is also a two shot.

Thriller Research

I have been tryng to think of clips and openings of good Thriller films from YouTube:

Batman- The Dark Night

Genre

In class we have been trying to decided on a genre. We thought of many differnt genres such as Thrillers, Rom Coms, Chick Flicks, Comedys, Horrors. But the most popular choices seemed to be Thrillers/Horrors and Comedys.
I am personally leaning more towards Thrillers because i think they will make a better and stronger opening to our 2minute film. Also, in the opening of many thrillers the audience doesnt need to actually show something in order to make it scary. They just see flashes, blurred images or scary sounds to make it scary. Whereas if we attempt to make a comedy then we will need to have a very good idea for the opening, otherwise the audience will not be able to tell it is a comedy or will not find it funny.

Opening Scene Of My Choice

I chose the opening scene from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. I decided to use this film because it is an adverture film it has a strong and attention grabbing opening scene. The best part of the opening scene is when he is trying to escape from the cave and is having to avoid all sorts of boobytraps and try to out run a huge rolling boulder. It absorbes the audience and keeps them on the edge of their seat hoping that he manages to escape alive.

First Post

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