SHERLOCK HOLMES
• Make a list of the website’s content available for each film, i.e. does it include Trailers/Clips, Still images, Biographies, Character details, Posters etc.
- Trailer
- Promotional critique
- Ways to buy movie (several options)
- Characters names
- Free things (iphone app, e.t.c)
- What is on the soundtrack
- Special features
- About the film
- Synopsis
- Actor, directors and film makers profiles
- Can follow on social networking (twitter)
- Screen/still shots
• Identify the elements of design - colour scheme, tone, shapes, space, etc.
The colour scheme is cool and dark. There is very little tonal contrast and all of the colours and shades are dark greens, greys and black. The writing and set-up of the website is clean cut and very straight, with focused squares and, with what can only be stated as, old fashioned style. At the bottom was the credits in small but noticeable font.
• Identify the principles of design - composition, balance, emphasis, repetition, etc.
Emphasis was put onto the characters in the background as they were the only colourful thing on the page the rest was in the subdued tones of black, grey and dark green. The pages are all balanced as on one side is the characters and on the other is what the page is about. .e.g. on the page with Sherlock Holmes is the downloads and with Holmes on the left the downloads are on the right.
• Comment on the overall ‘feel’ developed for the film’s promotional materials.
The overall feeling of the promotional material is sinister and unknown. A little like something ominous is going on behind the scenes and that is what they (Holmes and Watson) have been sent to find out. This fits the movie perfectly as that is the basis of the film.
• Identify who the target audience is.
Teens to adults.
• How is the website laid out? Look at the menu system, font selection and how information or promotional materials are accessed.
The menu is across the bottom and when the curser runs over it, it slides and unfolds also as you point your curser to left and right the menu rolls so that you can see all of the options. The font is quite straight edged with a glow around the edges, it is white. The promotional material is mostly produced in the form of square or rectangular boxes. When each page is opened a little animation is shown to ‘take you to’ the page.
THE DARK KNIGHT
• Make a list of the website’s content available for each film, i.e. does it include Trailers/Clips, Still images, Biographies, Character details, Posters etc.
- Trailer
- Promotional critique
- Ways to buy movie (several options)
- Characters names and profiles
- Free things (Google widget, e.t.c)
- What is on the soundtrack
- Special features
- About the film
- Synopsis
- Actor, directors and film makers profiles
- Can follow on social networking (twitter)
- Screen/still shots
- Games
- Special Events
• Identify the elements of design - colour scheme, tone, shapes, space, etc.
Dark colour scheme. Not much tonal contrast mainly dark colours and shades, black, grey, dark green a splash of orange/yellow for the fire. Each page has a different screen shot as the background. The website is set-up using geometrical shapes such as squares and rectangles. Even though the squares and rectangles are clean cut there are areas on the pages that are unfocused and confusing.
• Identify the principles of design - composition, balance, emphasis, repetition, etc.
The pages are balanced using the same technique as the Sherlock Holmes website. Having the character on the screen shot being on the right or left and the promotional materials on the opposite as the character. The emphasis is on the central character on each of the websites pages but in the poster the emphasis is on Batman and elements such as line and tone are used to accent the emphasis.
• Comment on the overall ‘feel’ developed for the film’s promotional materials.
The overall feel of The Dark Knight’s website is dark and ominous. Even though everything is clean cut it has a sinister feel, almost surgical. This very specifically suited to this movie as the movie is about the sinister and terrifying joker and scarecrow. Batman can also be seen as sinister as he does things that aren’t always ‘good’.
• Identify who the target audience is.
Thrill seeking teens and adults, the pages and movie looks sinister and ominous.
• How is the website laid out? Look at the menu system, font selection and how information or promotional materials are accessed.
The menu is once again across the bottom with it expanding, except with The Dark Knight menu everything is shown straight away and you don’t have to roll your curser over the edges to see the rest of the options. The writing is white and glowing.
BOTH
• Identify the common elements in both sets of material.
Dark colour schemes, clean cut squares and rectangles for the promotional materials. Similar glowing writing. Animation for; coming from and go to pages. Same kind of balance technique is used.
• In your opinion, are the websites effective in appealing to the intended target audience?
Yes they both are. They project what the target audiences want in a movie and that is what draws them to the websites and promotional material.
• What do you like/dislike about the promotional materials reviewed?
I like that the promotional materials are fitting to the movies and they are perfect within their style. I don’t like how in the, The Dark Knight website there is nothing about Batman’s mixed feelings about being ‘good’.
Finishing the research and planning, Part A
I have finally finished the research and planning for Part A of the assignment. I have filled out all the criteria, I think, and hopefully I will be able to hand it in tomorrow. It feels good to finally finish after working on it for a couple of weeks now. All that is left is Part B and C which are making the poster and website and putting in all of the information.
Film Promotion
As of this term we are promoting the short films we had to complete for the last two terms. As our film is a crime film I researched the posters and trailers of some serious/crime films. 
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knighthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jqq4j52Fb4
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Christian Bale reprises the lead role. The film follows Bruce Wayne/Batman (Bale), District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and Police Commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and their struggles and journey in combating the new rising threat of a criminal who goes by the name of the "Joker" (Heath Ledger).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_(film)
I dont know if this is the right poster for The God father as I have never seen the film.
The Godfather
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf16Vc3iZjE
The Godfather is a 1972 American gangster-drama film based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola, and Robert Towne. It stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton, and features John Cazale, Talia Shire, Al Martino, and Abe Vigoda. The story spans ten years from 1945 to 1955 and chronicles the fictional Italian American Corleone crime family. Two sequels followed: The Godfather Part II in 1974, and The Godfather Part III in 1990.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Godfather
As you can see both posters contain the main/central character in a serious pose with a serious expression. In my movie poster I would like to have something similar.
Reflection
Describe any problems or difficulties you encountered during post-production and editing. These may include; technical difficulties, corrupt or missing files, group related issues. etc;
As a group we had so many problems it’s hard to count them on one hand. Our group had arguments on whose idea we should use. Eventually they all chose mine. We shot our first film but we weren’t organised and so we missed a large array of shots. As a group we decided that instead of getting the extra shots we should just shoot again. Our lead cinematographer was away and so we had to substitute her with someone who was not up to her standard and so the second film had all the shots and flowed well but it had no cinematography to it. So once again we had to re-shoot. This time our lead cinematographer was able to film and took it on herself to shoot the whole film on the weekend. Once the film had been shot, our group decided that it was smart if only two member edited and for the other three to find music and start the soundtrack. While these two girls were editing they encountered technical problems. The started editing and had edited a considerable amount of the film but then the next lesson the USB corrupted putting them back to the beginning. The started again and were halfway through when they found out it didn’t save properly to the scratch disk. The third and final time they started (threes the charm) it properly saved and the completed the editing. After we picked all of the songs, one group member left so the two of us were fixing the soundtrack. After all of the songs and the film had been imported into garage band I set to work getting rid of all of the non important background noise and laughing. I found this very difficult until my teacher showed me a useful technique in deleting background noise with out making the soundtrack out of sync with the film.
Explain whether your pre-production and planning helped during post-production. In particular, discuss whether the use of devices such as storyboards, shot-lists, and rough edits assisted in the editing process;
As we refilmed three times and so for the first film we did have a shot list and storyboards but they weren’t used as we slightly altered the storyline. But for the 3rd and final effort we make a proper shot list and props list and this helped in the post production when we were editing as we knew what we wanted out of the shots we had.
Clarify any time-management issues you encountered during the editing process and describe the steps you implemented to improve in this area;
Our group was extremely unorganised and it is not a single persons fault. We split up the work between us all and although some of us completed what we were supposed too others didn’t which set us back. We also constantly argued about the genre of the film and whose film we ‘should’ have shot.
Discuss whether you made effective use of the provided templates (EDL and Sound Design) to assist in the editing and decision making process;
Our EDL was part of our shot list. Our shot list included what we wanted out of our shots. We didn’t use a SD template as shooting our three films had taken up a lot of time and we were extremely rushed in making the soundtrack.
Discuss whether you undertook adequate and detailed reflection to throughout your project. Have you provided enough evidence to support your work? (Look back at your blogs/journals and think about whether it looks like a whole terms worth of work).
My blog is slightly inadequate in that I don’t have all of the reflections but I did post all of the pre-production work.
List any skills, techniques or tricks you have discovered during the project.
During the project I learnt how to use Final Cut, and Garage Band. I learnt a good technique in garage band about how to edit the background noise without making the soundtrack out of sync with the film.
Discuss YOUR feelings about the production task:
Are you satisfied with the final result?
I am happy about how the film turned out. For rushed work it is good, it had sufficient cinematography and a matching soundtrack
Would like to change any aspects of your film?
I would have liked to make the film a little more serious but that is the way the actors interpreted it.
If you could start the project again what would you do differently?
I would definitely be more organised and would have liked to shoot a film like this on the first go.
Reflection
During this term my group has run into many problems. Bella took it on herself to film the whole film during the weekend. The rest of the group including me converted and named all 83 clips. we have now started editing. The editing process doesn't need a group of five and while Sharna and Bella are editing Chloe, Jess and I are looking at garage band and starting a EDL and TDL.
Script :)
Scene One:
Sue: good morning detective smith!
Detective smith: good morning sues
Sue: a new case has come up!
Detective smith: what is it?
Sue: an old friend of ours you know the wolf?
Detective smith: yes I do
Sue: yes well he is chasing our other case little red that has stolen the hutch diamond. Think they are both after the same thing
Detective smith: not again! I HAVE TO GO!
Sue: don’t forget this!
Scene two:
Little red: yes I have got it! I have the diamond. I have the hutch diamond
Wolf: (tackles little red to the ground) GIVE ME THE HUTCH DIAMOND! GIVE IT TO ME!
Detective smith: GET OFF OF HER! I'M GOING TO GET YOU!
Wolf: never!
Scene three:
Detective smith: STOP (wolf falls over)
Little red comes running in and steals the diamond back off the wolf: ha-ha mine now!
Detective smith: NO!
Detective smith walks off smiling :)
Sue: good morning detective smith!
Detective smith: good morning sues
Sue: a new case has come up!
Detective smith: what is it?
Sue: an old friend of ours you know the wolf?
Detective smith: yes I do
Sue: yes well he is chasing our other case little red that has stolen the hutch diamond. Think they are both after the same thing
Detective smith: not again! I HAVE TO GO!
Sue: don’t forget this!
Scene two:
Little red: yes I have got it! I have the diamond. I have the hutch diamond
Wolf: (tackles little red to the ground) GIVE ME THE HUTCH DIAMOND! GIVE IT TO ME!
Detective smith: GET OFF OF HER! I'M GOING TO GET YOU!
Wolf: never!
Scene three:
Detective smith: STOP (wolf falls over)
Little red comes running in and steals the diamond back off the wolf: ha-ha mine now!
Detective smith: NO!
Detective smith walks off smiling :)
Props List
Characters:
Detective costume: jeans, leather jacket, checked shirt, glasses
Secretary costume: dress, heels, glasses
Red Riding Hood costume: red shirt, red track-pants
Wolf costume: black hooded jacket, jeans, sunglasses
Props:
Diamond ring
Car
Taser/mobile
Detective costume: jeans, leather jacket, checked shirt, glasses
Secretary costume: dress, heels, glasses
Red Riding Hood costume: red shirt, red track-pants
Wolf costume: black hooded jacket, jeans, sunglasses
Props:
Diamond ring
Car
Taser/mobile
Shot list
Scene 1: Office Scene
• Establishing shot of smith's office
• long shot – smith's walking down the path
• Front view of smith's walking
• medium eye level shotside view of smith's walking. Pan
• medium close up of smith's walking towards door
• over the shoulder walking door of house in background
• low angle of smith's walking closer to the door – medium long shot
• pan up from feet of smith's when at door.
• Close up of smith's going for the handle
• Extreme close up of smith's opening the door handle
• Medium tilt of smith's opening the door.
• Camera on opposite side of door medium close up of smith's walking in.
• High angle of smith's walking towards his desk
• Medium shot – smith's opening the door
• Close shot - handle being twisted
• Long shot – smith's going through the door
• High angled long shot – clothes thrown on chair
• High medium shot – smith's coming through door panning as he sits down
• Side eye level shot – smith's talking to sue
• Angled upward medium shot – sue talking
• Angled downwards medium – smith's talking
• Eye level medium shot - answering phone
• Long shot - standing up, grabbing clothes and running out the door
• Close up - smith diamond (in little jewelery box)
• Extreme long shot – smith's running down the hallway and putting on clothes
Scene two: Driving Scene
• Use shots already made
• Eye level shot of smith's in car – can see smith's in rear view mirror
Scene 3: Forest Scene
• Establishing shot – smith's getting out of car
• Panorama – smith's entering the forest and picking up a stick and pine cone
• Previous shot – pocketing pine-cone
• Medium shot – smith's walking through forest (smith's back)
• Medium shot – smith's walking through forest (smith's front)
• Long shot – wolf chasing red riding hood
• Extreme long shot – red riding hood running and falling over crawling away
• Close up – red riding hoods face
• Medium shot, down – wolf dragging red riding hood
• Extreme long shot – smith's behind tree, red riding hood and wolf fighting in clearing.
• Long shot – smith's throws pine cone at wolf pan as wolf storms off
• Long shot – smith's runs to red riding hood, whose unconscious, he has handcuffs
• Long shot – wolf stalks back in
• Medium shot – wolf shoving smith's onto floor
• Medium – wolf pulling out chains from pocket
• Close up, angled upwards – wolf strangling them
• Close up, sideways – of ground
• Establishing shot of smith's office
• long shot – smith's walking down the path
• Front view of smith's walking
• medium eye level shotside view of smith's walking. Pan
• medium close up of smith's walking towards door
• over the shoulder walking door of house in background
• low angle of smith's walking closer to the door – medium long shot
• pan up from feet of smith's when at door.
• Close up of smith's going for the handle
• Extreme close up of smith's opening the door handle
• Medium tilt of smith's opening the door.
• Camera on opposite side of door medium close up of smith's walking in.
• High angle of smith's walking towards his desk
• Medium shot – smith's opening the door
• Close shot - handle being twisted
• Long shot – smith's going through the door
• High angled long shot – clothes thrown on chair
• High medium shot – smith's coming through door panning as he sits down
• Side eye level shot – smith's talking to sue
• Angled upward medium shot – sue talking
• Angled downwards medium – smith's talking
• Eye level medium shot - answering phone
• Long shot - standing up, grabbing clothes and running out the door
• Close up - smith diamond (in little jewelery box)
• Extreme long shot – smith's running down the hallway and putting on clothes
Scene two: Driving Scene
• Use shots already made
• Eye level shot of smith's in car – can see smith's in rear view mirror
Scene 3: Forest Scene
• Establishing shot – smith's getting out of car
• Panorama – smith's entering the forest and picking up a stick and pine cone
• Previous shot – pocketing pine-cone
• Medium shot – smith's walking through forest (smith's back)
• Medium shot – smith's walking through forest (smith's front)
• Long shot – wolf chasing red riding hood
• Extreme long shot – red riding hood running and falling over crawling away
• Close up – red riding hoods face
• Medium shot, down – wolf dragging red riding hood
• Extreme long shot – smith's behind tree, red riding hood and wolf fighting in clearing.
• Long shot – smith's throws pine cone at wolf pan as wolf storms off
• Long shot – smith's runs to red riding hood, whose unconscious, he has handcuffs
• Long shot – wolf stalks back in
• Medium shot – wolf shoving smith's onto floor
• Medium – wolf pulling out chains from pocket
• Close up, angled upwards – wolf strangling them
• Close up, sideways – of ground
Reflection
This term we are editing and adding sound to the short films we made last term. We have run into some problems with the editing and many scenes need to be re-shot. The group and I have decided that it is best if we just re-shoot the whole film again. By making a detailed shot list we were able to plan everything out. We are re-shooting this Sunday and I believe, if all goes to plan, that this film will be a lot better than the last one we made.
Group Production Task - Reflection/evaluation:
Describe any problems or difficulties you encountered during the filming of your project
During the film process my group encounted a couple of problems. Our first problem was that we couldn’t match up our schedules and so only 3 of us could film on a Saturday. Our second problem was that we had to go back and film other parts that weren’t as good when we watched them.
Describe any skills, techniques or tricks you have discovered during the project
During the filming process I discovered that using the camera you could focus on something in the foreground and have everything in the background unfocused. I also discovered some interesting angles to shoot from.
Are you satisfied with your film process so far? How could you improve this?
I am satisfied with how the filming process went but we probably could have managed my time better.
Have you managed your time effectively?
I managed my time well but I could have managed it a lot better and possibly not wasted as much time.
Are there things that you would like to change?
Yes, I would like to change my story
If you could start again what would you do differently?
I would have liked to changed my story line and also have shot the film differently
HAVE YOU UPLOADED YOUR FOOTAGE TO AN APPROPRIATE COMPUTER FOR EDITING?
No, we had an issue with the macbook computer so the editing was done on a different program.
Does your group have a backup copy of the original footage?
Yes, we all do.
During the film process my group encounted a couple of problems. Our first problem was that we couldn’t match up our schedules and so only 3 of us could film on a Saturday. Our second problem was that we had to go back and film other parts that weren’t as good when we watched them.
Describe any skills, techniques or tricks you have discovered during the project
During the filming process I discovered that using the camera you could focus on something in the foreground and have everything in the background unfocused. I also discovered some interesting angles to shoot from.
Are you satisfied with your film process so far? How could you improve this?
I am satisfied with how the filming process went but we probably could have managed my time better.
Have you managed your time effectively?
I managed my time well but I could have managed it a lot better and possibly not wasted as much time.
Are there things that you would like to change?
Yes, I would like to change my story
If you could start again what would you do differently?
I would have liked to changed my story line and also have shot the film differently
HAVE YOU UPLOADED YOUR FOOTAGE TO AN APPROPRIATE COMPUTER FOR EDITING?
No, we had an issue with the macbook computer so the editing was done on a different program.
Does your group have a backup copy of the original footage?
Yes, we all do.
Reflection
During this unit I encountered a few problems. One of the major problems I encountered was that I couldn’t think of a story. I did some research and in the end I decided to do a subverted fairy-tale. I decided to do Little Red Riding Hood because I knew that story quite well. I made the story from the wolf’s point of view but I didn’t subvert it enough. Using the activities and templates put on black board helped me to create my story and the storyboarding templates told me how and what to research. During the storyboarding unit I struggled to draw the storyboards. Later found out that it didn’t matter how bad my drawings were as long as I had everything written down on the right side. During this project I learnt how to draw perspective even though my drawings are very basic. With my final result I was glad I had finished it but I don’t think I put as much effort in as I could have. I believed I managed my time effectively as I worked on the treatment first and left a few weeks for the storyboarding, as I knew it would take me along time to draw them. If I could start again I would change my treatment and storyboards to a more subverted Little Red Riding Hood.
Film Treatment - Little Red Hiding Hood
Little Red Hiding Hood
A spoof of Little Red Riding Hood, where Little Red Riding Hood has a surprise in store for Mr. Wolf.
Key Characters
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood is a prankster. She enjoys pulling tricks and is very clever. She, Grams and her mum are in on a big prank she is about to pull off. She lives with her mum.
Mr. Wolf
He is a known food stealer and the villagers dislike him. He is quiet but not a very good hunter.
Grams
Grams is quite an energetic senior citizen and has been training for this prank for quite awhile, running laps around her house. She is the brain of the operation.
The Great Axeman
Unknown to him he is part of the plan. He is also Little Red Riding Hood’s father
Little Red Riding Hood’s Mother
She plays a minor part in the trick but she did have to bake all of the food. She is a great cook.
Key Locations
Dark Woods
The Dark Woods contain lots of trees mainly red gums with droopy, scary looking branches. Very menacing. Very little light will filter through the treetops, but close to the quaint pebble path lots of beautiful yellow and purple flowers grow. They have huge faces and seek out the sun.
Gram’s Cottage
She owns a charming, picturesque little cottage with white stoned walls and a wooden planked roof. She has a small garden with vines going up the sides of her house. A picture of paradise in the dark
Synopsis
Mr. Wolf is stealthily hunting deep in the wild woods, where the trees are the thickest. He was hoping to find another random chunk of meat sitting by the path. He peeks his head out of the trees at the sound of a noise. He sees a little girl wearing a red hood holding a basket standing on the path. He decided to call this girl Little Red Riding Hood. He hears a voice yelling “goodbye love, see you in a couple of hours don’t forget flowers and don’t forget to drop the basket at Gram’s”. Little Red Riding Hood suddenly stops at a flower patch and starts picking wild purple and yellow flowers. Mr. Wolf emerges at the sight and smell of the food. His stomach rumbles. Little Red Riding Hood hears the rumbling and turns around startled. She pulls a strange face as she offers him a chicken drumstick from the basket. He goes to take it from her and she rips it out of his hands yelling “Gotcha!” She runs away quickly. Wolf knows where she’s going and follows her. He takes a shortcut through the bush and makes his way to Gram’s cottage. When he gets there Little Red Riding Hood is nowhere in sight. He waits for her inside the cottage and meets Gram’s there. The basket is also sitting on the table. He goes to grab it but Gram’s gets there first and steals it away. Mr. Wolf is still chasing Grams around the cottage. It switches to shots of Little Red Riding Hood running through the forest towards...? It flashes back to the chase between Grams and Mr. Wolf. The tension is building. Grams is sick of running and jumps into the cupboard with the basket and holds it shut while Mr. Wolf is battering against it (the view is from the inside of the cupboard). Mr. Wolf is locking Grams in the cupboard and at the same time saying “two can play this game!” The door of the cottage is suddenly thrown open and a muscled man with a huge axe enters. Little Red Riding Hood also enters. “What is all this nonsense about?” the man yells. “I am the great axeman of the dark forest and I will not stand around while you terrorise my DAUGHTER!” The great axeman swings his axe and decapitates Mr. Wolf when he says the word daughter. Mr. Wolf was a known food stealer and Grams, Little Red Riding Hood and Little Red Riding Hood’s mother had set up this plan. They had been laying meat around the edges of the path so that they knew Mr. Wolf would hear the convocation between Little Red Riding Hood and her mother and so they could lure him in. The moral of the story is don’t be greedy and don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
A spoof of Little Red Riding Hood, where Little Red Riding Hood has a surprise in store for Mr. Wolf.
Key Characters
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood is a prankster. She enjoys pulling tricks and is very clever. She, Grams and her mum are in on a big prank she is about to pull off. She lives with her mum.
Mr. Wolf
He is a known food stealer and the villagers dislike him. He is quiet but not a very good hunter.
Grams
Grams is quite an energetic senior citizen and has been training for this prank for quite awhile, running laps around her house. She is the brain of the operation.
The Great Axeman
Unknown to him he is part of the plan. He is also Little Red Riding Hood’s father
Little Red Riding Hood’s Mother
She plays a minor part in the trick but she did have to bake all of the food. She is a great cook.
Key Locations
Dark Woods
The Dark Woods contain lots of trees mainly red gums with droopy, scary looking branches. Very menacing. Very little light will filter through the treetops, but close to the quaint pebble path lots of beautiful yellow and purple flowers grow. They have huge faces and seek out the sun.
Gram’s Cottage
She owns a charming, picturesque little cottage with white stoned walls and a wooden planked roof. She has a small garden with vines going up the sides of her house. A picture of paradise in the dark
Synopsis
Mr. Wolf is stealthily hunting deep in the wild woods, where the trees are the thickest. He was hoping to find another random chunk of meat sitting by the path. He peeks his head out of the trees at the sound of a noise. He sees a little girl wearing a red hood holding a basket standing on the path. He decided to call this girl Little Red Riding Hood. He hears a voice yelling “goodbye love, see you in a couple of hours don’t forget flowers and don’t forget to drop the basket at Gram’s”. Little Red Riding Hood suddenly stops at a flower patch and starts picking wild purple and yellow flowers. Mr. Wolf emerges at the sight and smell of the food. His stomach rumbles. Little Red Riding Hood hears the rumbling and turns around startled. She pulls a strange face as she offers him a chicken drumstick from the basket. He goes to take it from her and she rips it out of his hands yelling “Gotcha!” She runs away quickly. Wolf knows where she’s going and follows her. He takes a shortcut through the bush and makes his way to Gram’s cottage. When he gets there Little Red Riding Hood is nowhere in sight. He waits for her inside the cottage and meets Gram’s there. The basket is also sitting on the table. He goes to grab it but Gram’s gets there first and steals it away. Mr. Wolf is still chasing Grams around the cottage. It switches to shots of Little Red Riding Hood running through the forest towards...? It flashes back to the chase between Grams and Mr. Wolf. The tension is building. Grams is sick of running and jumps into the cupboard with the basket and holds it shut while Mr. Wolf is battering against it (the view is from the inside of the cupboard). Mr. Wolf is locking Grams in the cupboard and at the same time saying “two can play this game!” The door of the cottage is suddenly thrown open and a muscled man with a huge axe enters. Little Red Riding Hood also enters. “What is all this nonsense about?” the man yells. “I am the great axeman of the dark forest and I will not stand around while you terrorise my DAUGHTER!” The great axeman swings his axe and decapitates Mr. Wolf when he says the word daughter. Mr. Wolf was a known food stealer and Grams, Little Red Riding Hood and Little Red Riding Hood’s mother had set up this plan. They had been laying meat around the edges of the path so that they knew Mr. Wolf would hear the convocation between Little Red Riding Hood and her mother and so they could lure him in. The moral of the story is don’t be greedy and don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
Key Characters and Key Locations
Key Characters
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood is a prankster. She enjoys pulling tricks and is very clever. She, Grams and her mum are in on a big prank she is about to pull off. She lives with her mum.
Mr. Wolf
He is a known food stealer and the villagers dislike him. He is quiet but not a very good hunter.
Grams
Grams is quite an energetic senior citizen and has been training for this prank for quite awhile, running laps around her house. She is the brain of the operation.
The Great Axeman
Unknown to him he is part of the plan. He is also Little Red Riding Hood’s father
Little Red Riding Hood’s Mother
She plays a minor part in the trick but she did have to bake all of the food. She is a great cook.
Key Locations
Dark Woods
The Dark Woods contain lots of trees mainly red gums with droopy, scary looking branches. Very menacing. Very little light will filter through the treetops, but close to the quaint pebble path lots of beautiful yellow and purple flowers grow. They have huge faces and seek out the sun.
Gram’s Cottage
She owns a charming, picturesque little cottage with white stoned walls and a wooden planked roof. She has a small garden with vines going up the sides of her house. A picture of paradise in the dark
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood is a prankster. She enjoys pulling tricks and is very clever. She, Grams and her mum are in on a big prank she is about to pull off. She lives with her mum.
Mr. Wolf
He is a known food stealer and the villagers dislike him. He is quiet but not a very good hunter.
Grams
Grams is quite an energetic senior citizen and has been training for this prank for quite awhile, running laps around her house. She is the brain of the operation.
The Great Axeman
Unknown to him he is part of the plan. He is also Little Red Riding Hood’s father
Little Red Riding Hood’s Mother
She plays a minor part in the trick but she did have to bake all of the food. She is a great cook.
Key Locations
Dark Woods
The Dark Woods contain lots of trees mainly red gums with droopy, scary looking branches. Very menacing. Very little light will filter through the treetops, but close to the quaint pebble path lots of beautiful yellow and purple flowers grow. They have huge faces and seek out the sun.
Gram’s Cottage
She owns a charming, picturesque little cottage with white stoned walls and a wooden planked roof. She has a small garden with vines going up the sides of her house. A picture of paradise in the dark
Planning - Dot Point Plan
Exposition
• We are introduced to Little Red Riding Hood and her mother
• We know that Mr. Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood are in the depths of the forest
• We are introduced to the problem; Mr. Wolf is hungry
Rising Action
• Little Red Riding Hood and Mr. Wolf are fighting about the food in the basket
• A chase happens
Climax
• This is where they end up at Gram’s cottage and Mr. Wolf is abused by Gram’s as well
• He locks Gram’s in the cupboard
• The Great Axeman enters
Falling Action
• The Great Axeman beheads Mr. Wolf
• Small explanation
Resolution
• Moral
• We are introduced to Little Red Riding Hood and her mother
• We know that Mr. Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood are in the depths of the forest
• We are introduced to the problem; Mr. Wolf is hungry
Rising Action
• Little Red Riding Hood and Mr. Wolf are fighting about the food in the basket
• A chase happens
Climax
• This is where they end up at Gram’s cottage and Mr. Wolf is abused by Gram’s as well
• He locks Gram’s in the cupboard
• The Great Axeman enters
Falling Action
• The Great Axeman beheads Mr. Wolf
• Small explanation
Resolution
• Moral
Reflection/evaluation:
I came into Creative Media a few weeks into the term. I had never done film making and I didn’t know any of the film elements or what a dolly was or what a DP is. I quickly learned that I needed to know this for the assignment. I found the sheets on blackboard very helpful as they cut the essay into little parts that you could work on at a time. I also had to do some extra research to understand the elements of film making better. There was 2 parts to the assignment and I couldn’t complete some parts of part A as I wasn’t there at the time, this was a problem. By completing analytical essay and learning the film-terminology I am now finding out that while watching films I sub-consciously analyze them. During the essay I discovered that a topic sentence is very important to catch the reader’s attention. I had known what I topic sentence was before the essay but I hadn’t known it’s important. By doing extra research on the film terminology I got a better understanding of it and I think I was able to complete an ‘ok’ analytical essay. I was quite happy with my essay, I tried hard and I think I filled out all of the criteria and I wouldn’t change it as it was my first assignment from being in Creative Media. If I was to start again I might have possibly chosen a different genre and scene to do for the essay.
Brainstorming for Short Film
Possible Genres:
comedy
action
horror
faerie-tale
Possible ideas
reverted faerie-tale - step-sister point of view of Cinderella
comedy - a normal picnic gone wrong involves magpies
action - assassin that is hired to kill and then gets chased
horror - holiday that turns horribly wrong when their cabin turns out to have...
6 Elements always in a Fairytale
- Handsome Hero
- Damsel in distress
- twinkling sound effects
- a childish villain
- romance
- evil forest
- castle/nobility
Film Analysis of Aviator scene (sound and editing)
The sound and editing used in the Aviator scene made it more dramatic. The scene that was watched was where the new speed record was set. The editing of the scene was good, the use of different shots made the suspense even stronger. There was a large amount of panning involved and there were several different shots being repeated, such as the shot where you see the plane compared to the huge mountain. In this clip there wasn't much dialogue as he was mainly concentrating on trying to fly the plane. But there were great sound- effects that were the noises the plane made.
Editing Analysis
The first trailer for star wars didn’t do anything for me, it was boring and the narration was distracting. I enjoyed the second trailer for episode 3 a lot more as it held your attention and the use of music made it full of suspense. The pace for both trailers was fast as to hold you attention but the second trailer had good use of music in it to compliment the editing. In episode 3 the music was well placed and so were the voice over’s but in star wars the music didn’t fit the scenes and the narration was distracting. There wasn’t much difference in style but episode 3’s style was more modern and the special effects were better. I’m sure the star wars trailer would have been amazing back when it was first showed but in the 21st century it just doesn’t cut it.
Horror Films
Horror films are movies that strive to elicit the emotions of fear, horror and terror from viewers. Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness. Many horror movies also include a central villain. Early horror movies are largely based on classic literature of the gothic/horror genre, such as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Phantom of the Opera and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. More recent horror films, in contrast, often draw inspiration from the insecurities of life after World War II, giving rise to the three distinct, but related, sub-genres: the horror-of-personality Psycho film, the horror-of-Armageddon Invasion of the Body Snatchers film, and the horror-of-the-demonic The Exorcist film. The last sub-genre may be seen as a modernized transition from the earliest horror films, expanding on their emphasis on supernatural agents that bring horror to the world. Horror films have been dismissed as violent, low budget B movies and exploitation films. Nonetheless, all the major studios and many respected directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, Roman Polanski, Stanley Kubrick, John Carpenter, David Lynch, William Friedkin, Sam Raimi, Richard Donner, and Francis Ford Coppola have made forays into the genre. Serious critics have analyzed horror films through the prisms of genre theory and the auteur theory. Some horror films incorporate elements of other genres such as science fiction, fantasy, mockumentary, black comedy, and thrillers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film
Horror Genre
Devices:
• Supernatural powers
• Chain saw
• Mirrors and smashed glass
• Knife/ hammer
• Farming tools
• Pen/ phone call
• Lawn mower
• Axe
• Lake/well/fountain
• Inventions
• Teeth/claws
• Needle
• Hot wax
• Chemicals
• Rope
• Gun
• A disease
• Weather
• Scarecrow
Characters:
• Killer
• Mad man
• Dead child
• Group of friends
• Doll
• Couple
• Henchmen
• Crazy scientist
Elements:
• Isolation
• Desperation
• Redemption
• Lost cause
Supernatural:
• Werewolves
• Mummies
• Ghosts
• Ghouls
• Zombies
• Vampires
• Pugs
• Cats
• Spiders
• Sharks
• Alligators
• Crocs
• Snakes
Setting:
• Graveyard
• Forest
• Creepy hospital
• Lonely Park
• Creepy house
• City
• Alleyway
• Castle dungeon
• Rundown plac
Carpark
• Supernatural powers
• Chain saw
• Mirrors and smashed glass
• Knife/ hammer
• Farming tools
• Pen/ phone call
• Lawn mower
• Axe
• Lake/well/fountain
• Inventions
• Teeth/claws
• Needle
• Hot wax
• Chemicals
• Rope
• Gun
• A disease
• Weather
• Scarecrow
Characters:
• Killer
• Mad man
• Dead child
• Group of friends
• Doll
• Couple
• Henchmen
• Crazy scientist
Elements:
• Isolation
• Desperation
• Redemption
• Lost cause
Supernatural:
• Werewolves
• Mummies
• Ghosts
• Ghouls
• Zombies
• Vampires
• Pugs
• Cats
• Spiders
• Sharks
• Alligators
• Crocs
• Snakes
Setting:
• Graveyard
• Forest
• Creepy hospital
• Lonely Park
• Creepy house
• City
• Alleyway
• Castle dungeon
• Rundown plac
Carpark
Film Language
Mise-en-scène
• Mise-en-scène is an expression used in theatre and film to describe the design aspects of a production
Editing
• Putting something ( as a literary work or a legislative bill) into acceptable form
• Editing is the process of preparing language , images, sound, video, or film through correction condensation, organisation, and other modifications in various media
Sound
• Sound is a travelling wave which is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level of sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations
Cinematography
• Cinematography (from Greek: kinesis (movement) and grapho (to record)), is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for the cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography
• The art and technique of making and reproducing motion pictures
• Mise-en-scène is an expression used in theatre and film to describe the design aspects of a production
Editing
• Putting something ( as a literary work or a legislative bill) into acceptable form
• Editing is the process of preparing language , images, sound, video, or film through correction condensation, organisation, and other modifications in various media
Sound
• Sound is a travelling wave which is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level of sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations
Cinematography
• Cinematography (from Greek: kinesis (movement) and grapho (to record)), is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for the cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography
• The art and technique of making and reproducing motion pictures
Recipe for a Horror Film
Ingredients:
Rundown castle
Creepy paintings whose eyes follow you
A newly wed couple
One yellow piece of chalk
Several horrible Ghosts
Several deserted rooms
Tour bus full of people
Snow
Bunch of flickering lights
2 mobiles
2 suitcases
Old fashioned kitchen
Full fridge
Bathroom
Strange symbols
Policeman
Police car
Cell block
Orange uniform
Interviewer
Police station
Method:
Take one newly wed couple on a tour bus and drop them at the rundown castle with suitcases. Have the door open with a loud creak. Have snow fall down and block the door once they go inside. Have the lights flicker above them as they walk around the castle. After 20 minutes of being in the castle and exploring it, have a yellow piece of chalk mysteriously appear in the husband’s trench coat pocket while he’s looking for his phone. Have both their phones have no service. Have the sun set and they walk into the kitchen. Strangely enough the fridge is stocked with food. They will not feel hungry so they will decide to go to one of the rooms they found before. At 12:00am exactly have the wife get up and go to the bathroom, strangely that works too. Give her an urge to find the yellow chalk. Have her find it in his trench coat lying on the floor. Also give her an urge to explore the castle again. Start her writing on the paintings in weird symbols. Then have her go to bed with no memory. In the morning have them check the door for snow but it is still blocking them in. The next night have ghosts start to come out of the paintings, they will want revenge as they were trapped in those paintings. Have them attack the couple at 12:00am exactly. After some bloodshed have the wife escape but the husband die. Have her run screaming to the door but it will still be locked. Have her phone have one bar of reception and have her call 911. It will be 1:00am exactly when the police get there and remove the snow to get the door open. Have the police man not believe her and have the husband’s body gone. Nothing will be out place and the blood will also have disappeared. Have the police escort her to the police car and take her down to the station. She gets interviewed and is put in lock up for the night. Just before 12:00am a piece of yellow chalk appears beside her. There is a piercing scream and at 12:01am she disappears.
Rundown castle
Creepy paintings whose eyes follow you
A newly wed couple
One yellow piece of chalk
Several horrible Ghosts
Several deserted rooms
Tour bus full of people
Snow
Bunch of flickering lights
2 mobiles
2 suitcases
Old fashioned kitchen
Full fridge
Bathroom
Strange symbols
Policeman
Police car
Cell block
Orange uniform
Interviewer
Police station
Method:
Take one newly wed couple on a tour bus and drop them at the rundown castle with suitcases. Have the door open with a loud creak. Have snow fall down and block the door once they go inside. Have the lights flicker above them as they walk around the castle. After 20 minutes of being in the castle and exploring it, have a yellow piece of chalk mysteriously appear in the husband’s trench coat pocket while he’s looking for his phone. Have both their phones have no service. Have the sun set and they walk into the kitchen. Strangely enough the fridge is stocked with food. They will not feel hungry so they will decide to go to one of the rooms they found before. At 12:00am exactly have the wife get up and go to the bathroom, strangely that works too. Give her an urge to find the yellow chalk. Have her find it in his trench coat lying on the floor. Also give her an urge to explore the castle again. Start her writing on the paintings in weird symbols. Then have her go to bed with no memory. In the morning have them check the door for snow but it is still blocking them in. The next night have ghosts start to come out of the paintings, they will want revenge as they were trapped in those paintings. Have them attack the couple at 12:00am exactly. After some bloodshed have the wife escape but the husband die. Have her run screaming to the door but it will still be locked. Have her phone have one bar of reception and have her call 911. It will be 1:00am exactly when the police get there and remove the snow to get the door open. Have the police man not believe her and have the husband’s body gone. Nothing will be out place and the blood will also have disappeared. Have the police escort her to the police car and take her down to the station. She gets interviewed and is put in lock up for the night. Just before 12:00am a piece of yellow chalk appears beside her. There is a piercing scream and at 12:01am she disappears.