Update for promotional package.

In the beginning we were going to use a local band, however that fell through. So now, we have decided to make our own music on a music maker. We are thinking about making a track that combines two genres; rock and dubstep. Considering I have already done some research into the rock genre, it seems appropriate to incorporate this genre into our new idea. We have decided on looking into dubstep as well as rock, as we are interested in creating quite a surreal theme throughout our promotional package. Thinking more about surrealism, I came up with the idea of using the themes from Alice In Wonderland. Hopefully this will inspire our promotional package and we are gong to look at this idea in more depth. Our next step is to look into the dubstep genre and start experimenting with the music maker.

Hawthorne Heights CD Cover

This album cover for Hawthorne Heights 'Silence in Black and White' album is simple, yet effective. The use of colour contrast is really appealing and the fact that the edges of the picture have been blurred adds a real quality to the old-photo effect. I like the way that they have used a little child; such innocence, despite the band being quite depressive and hardcore. I believe this song relates to the song 'Ohio is for Lovers' as the backdrop seems to be of a typical lonely Ohio house. This photo, although simplistic, could suggest a lot of meaning, maybe only recognised by the band.

The Rasmus - 'In The Shadows' music video analysis

This video is very much like the Blink 182 video 'I Miss You'. It's been made with a lot of common horror movie conventions, which really works within the rock genre. Like Blink 182, it begins with a stark contrast of flashing lights, alternating between pitch black and bright white, revealing the band singing in front of an audience in various shots. There are low angle shots of the lead singer, making it clear he is to be respected and most of the attention is to be on him.

The video alternates between shots of the band performing and clips from whats supposed to be an old Victorian movie. The lyrics 'In the shadows, of my time' probably influence the Victorian era idea, which is like Blink 182 as they incorporate a time of the past, however this time the Rasmus are in the present day. The Gothic hall the band are playing in looks to be the same hall as one of the shots in the 'Victorian movie'. Also like Blink 182, there are specks of white flashes and white lines randomly dotting the screen, emphasising its an old movie.

From watching the video, I believe they have used the common plot of a horror movie; the main character seeing ghosts in a mirror and then everybody thinking they are crazy. However, with a slight twist. The Victorians woman is seeing 'ghosts' of the future; witnessing the Rasmus and their fans dancing in the mirror, trying to lear her into it. This is quite a clever angle on a common idea, and like Blink 182 and the men being dressed up as women, reveals a sort of twisted side to the rock genre, like they are testing common assumptions. I also like the way the Victorian shots remind me of an old silent movie, which in my opinion gives it more of a creepy edge.

My interpretation of the ending, when the, what look like maids, find the Victorian woman missing from the bed, is that the man with the maids is most likely a doctor or the man of the house, called in when her visions of 'ghosts' in the mirror are mistaken for mental illness. I believe this as this idea is also common in horror films; the main character has real psychic ability and everyone thinks they are crazy.

I miss you - Blink 182 music video analysis

Blink 182 are mostly known for their bright and comic appeal however this video is dismal, raw and intense, which I feel is appropriate for the song and generally the rock genre.

Lighting and special effects are key to creating the mood for this video. The lighting is extreme; contrasting between pitch black and bright white, creating a shadowy effect. This gives a secretive and edgy feel to the video. When the girl at the beginning is running around in the white dress there is a high angle shot, which along with the shadowed lighting gives the idea she is being watched, and that she is in a very vulnerable state. After this there is a low angle shot of the band, which gives he band a respectful status. They continue to be shown throughout the video, which like Paolo Nutini and 'New Shoes', familiarises the band with the audience. There are many close-ups which are both intimate yet keep the audience on edge.

Special effects also contribute to the overall mood of this video. Going by what the people in the video are wearing , the overall era of this video is supposedly 1940's - 1950's. The video has been edited so that it represents the quality of a 1940's - 1950's video; there are specks of white in the shots, the shots of the band are in a sepia tone and there is also a ghostly, glowing effect around the band members. Videos being set in a different era is quite common in rock videos, and i believe it enhances the Gothic elements and portrays the mood of the rock genre well.

Another interesting effect is the continuous fading between the shots of the band members, which i believe reflects the dismal tone to the song. The video is almost like a horror/thriller movie would be; edgy, dark and mysterious, also relating to the line "We can live like Jack and Sally if you want", which is a direct references to a well-known dismal movie about love and loneliness. There is a mirror near the end of the song, which relates to a common theme in thriller movies.

The imagery and mis en scene, although doesn't directly relate to the song but really just enhances the tone and mood of the song, is very intense and romantic. The girl is wearing a white and flowing dress, suggesting innocence and pureness. This is contrasted by the random imagery of spiders and quite controversial shots of men dressed up as women in 1940's flapper clothing, kissing. The meaning of these images are not obvious, however they do create a mysterious and intense mood.

Paolo Nutini 'New Shoes' music video analysis

This music video uses many subtle techniques to convey the upbeat feeling the song brings. It begins with the cartoon, instantly showing the audience this video or song is not going to be intense, just lighthearted and fun. Paolo himself is featured throughout the entire video, which is quite a common convention of a music video, allowing him to put his personality across and allowing the audience to familiarise themselves with him. Paolo's look is quite retro, with the leather jackets, the patterned robe and the alarm clock, giving quite a staged feel. A range of bright colours are used as well as cheesy special effects to give it a slightly comical feel; the 'Sun' is created by a flash of bright lighting and there are 'stars' dancing around his feet. Paolo uses quite exaggerated movements; rolling his eyes when he wakes up and later in the video rubbing his eyes in an obvious manner. This shows the audience, like the cartoon, that the video and the music is not to be taken seriously; its purely for entertainment. The camera movements are also very swift, with almost a spinning quality that takes us through Paolo's day and just overall gives of an easy feeling for the audience.

Comparison of CD covers - Fightstar & Busted

By looking at the Busted CD covers one can assume the they are appealing to a young demographic. The colours are brash and primary and the logo tends to be printed in a simplistic style. The use of colour and graphics gives the band a less serious, animated feel. Fans will be able to instantly familiarise themselves with the band when they see the front covers, helped by the fact the band members are shown on the album, promoting their celebrity status. The overall impression i receive from these album covers is that the band doesn't want to be taken seriously; there isn't any depth or suggesting undertones to the covers, much unlike the Fightstar covers.

Fighstar use their album covers as a way to reveal their sophistication and seriousness about their music. The images are thought-provoking and surreal; many of them reminding of Banksy's art. The colours, unlike Busted, are contrasting, artistic and incorporates lots of shading, giving an edgy and engaging feel. The demographic for this music is most likely alternative, serious about music and mature, feeling their lifestyle relates a lot to the music they listen to, perhaps being able to relate to some of the hidden undertones and suggested meanings of the album covers, having listened to Fightstar. However, with the Busted album covers, one can immediately tell which genre they are and know their lyrics are most likely lighthearted and fun, but at the same time meaningless.

(Start of A2) Johnny Cash - 'Hurt'.

In class, we viewed the music video of 'Hurt' my Johnny Cash, originally by Nine Inch Nails. Whilst Nine Inch Nail's version is a typical rock theme, with the dark lighting and intense tone, Johnny Cash's cover reflects, in a lighthearted way (making it more sad), over his life and the mistakes he had made. It was shot in his house, which is a convient way to portray a realistic image of his life. His wife is also featured in the video, although she wasn't supposed to be; showing again a realistic and raw insight to Cash's emotions.

The theme relates to his innate feelings of people and mortality. Cash was a christian, despite leading a troubled life and claiming to be 'the biggest sinner of all'. The video gives us a genuine insight to his life, for example the Cumbria record being smashed; a convenient use of mis-en-scene to represent the way Cash felt invisible by them. He looks to be in quite ill health during the video, however people say that between shoots he was lively. Some claim this is a premonition, which furthermore relates to his deep beliefs and sad tone.

Evaluation of film.

We named our film 'Transmission'. I'm am pleased with the outcome.It begins with the ipod, which is quite a mundane shot, as well as the ones of me getting ready and the shot glasses; they all suggest a party, which is quite a relaxed and normal situation. The close-up's of me getting ready have all had an impact on the way the shots are perceived and is needed to make the shots more intimate and to draw the audiences attention. The mascara shot, near the start, in particular is very close, as well as long and almost boring. However, this will relax the audience, as they are unaware of the change that will come bluntly next. That change being, the shot of the tree's and the voice over 'he keeps following me home', which is also a break in the 'boogie wonderland' song. The use of flickering the shot of the white rose, splattered with 'blood'is quite a strong image, and works best in small, quick appearances, also making the audience question why it is there. The shot where we wrote on the mirror, word by word 'my dream is your worst nightmare' was effective as it leaves unanswered questions; who wrote that? Who is it aimed at? Which is relevant in the opening of a film. Also, as we lost the shot of me 'waking up' which was supposed to bring it all together and tell the audience it was all a dream, the words 'dream' and 'nightmare' suggest this and also suggest the idea of contrasts, which is quite a key feature in our film. We started the shots fairly slow, showing the contrast between the upbeat music played over me getting ready, and the weird sort of signal noise played over the scary shots. Like a lot of real media productions, the tension is increased, so the quicker the shots became and the more scary and random. The contrast is highlighted by the use of sound, changing from 'boogie wonderland', which is an upbeat song, to eerie sounds, similar to sounds used in films like 'White noise'. As it meets the middle, the whole use of shots reverse (reminded in editing) to add a dramatic and jumpy effect. Our teacher made reference to the film 'don't look now' saying the film reminded her of the effect that film had on her. If we had had more time, it would of been good to add some opening credits.

We used quite a variety of different shot types, which all have an impact on the effect they create. We used close-ups's, mainly on the shots of me getting ready, which as well as keeping the audience's attention, adds a sense of mystery to my character, which we learnt was effective when filming our preliminary task, with the use of bex's hands. We used a few high angles, for example on the candles and the 'time is up' shot. Although high angles are supposed to decrease the scariness of a shot, it was relevant in that we needed to be able to see the cross on the cameras and to see what the book actually had written on it. However, we have used a low angle shot when filming the tree's which makes nature seem quite dominant, and the fact we put the words 'he keeps following me home' over that shot, relates to the idea of dominance and being frightened. We wanted to add a tracking shot, as we thought this would of really built tension, however due to lack of time we left, we didn't get round to it. Also we did have a couple of canted angels, which would of added to the uneasiness of the situation but like a lot of our other shots, they got lost during editing.

As for effects, our film relied a lot on the use of editing effects to bring all the shots together. We experimented with a few; one being the use of speeding up the shots. Shots such as the Russian dolls, the writing on the mirror, and the 'time is up'shot relied upon this effect to work, as they were actually minutes long. We also used a 'rewind' effect in the second half of the film. In this reminded part, we added a couple of extra shots (a tablet being dropped into some water and some metal spikes) as some shots didn't work well in the rewind effect.

As well as the contrasts of the sounds, the use of 'he keeps following me home' was used to suggest background and that there is more to the story. The panting, more obvious at the end shot suggests running from someone/something and the words 'time is up' relates to this idea of not making it in time or something.

In relation to our original ideas, we kept with the idea of using a warped dream, as when it is not supposed to be reality, a large variety of shots can be used, as they don't necessarily need to make sense. We kept with the quick shot idea, and incorporated candles, a clock (although it was drawn on paper), putting on make-up mirrors. We did have a pendulum swinging, but it also got lost during editing. We didn't stick our original idea of the pills and the Ouija board (supposed to be at the beginning) due to impracticability and ideas not being satisfyingly conveyed on the camera. We also used the random sound idea, with the signal noise, the panting and the bells. We realised when filming our ideas were slightly ambitious for the time we had. It didn't really end up feeling like it was a dream unfortunately, as there was no shot of me actually waking up from this dream.

Audience feedback:
- Good use of noise, makes it eerie.
- Good tension build up.
- Interesting ideas.
- The blunt combination of the two different types of shots really add to the scariness of it.
- Left with a sense of mystery.

Hearing the audience's feedback has helped me to realise that, by using different techniques, tension can be built up and look effective. I am pleased they notice the contrasting shots and appreciate the ideas we had for the film. I have learnt its good to use original ideas and to experiment with all different camera shots, angles and effects. Leaving them with a 'sense of mystery' has confirmed what i said about the close-up's adding mystery and the use of symbols and words can create unanswered questions, leaving quite a cliffhanger. I'm glad they grasp the concept of the film, and i can say for the future, to stick to original ideas and develop them, and most importantly, allow plenty of time for editing.

Transmission

Update

The film is finished, its rendering at the moment, and will be on here tommorow. To be honest i am pleased with the outcome, seeing as we were in quite a rush. We made use of most of the shots and i think they work well. We have used the 'boogie wonderland' song to contrast the other random shots and make them seem out of place. Unfortunately, the shot of me waking up, which told the audience it was actually a dream, got lost! So now the film doesnt have much in it to suggest it's a dream. However, it is still supposed to be a dream.Its completely random, which is what we wanted, so im happy with that.

Update on filming

Basically, we have done a lot of editing but had to comprimise on a lot of it due to the lack of time, mainly because one of our group members (Bex) has been off school a lot recently, due to a number of reasons. She out of me and natalie is the one better using the editing suite, so we have had to rush quite a bit. Im quite dissapointed the film hasnt reached my expectations, and am annoyed that it was left so late. It just seemed to be problem after problem; we took 2 days trying to figure out how to actually upload the footage onto the software. Eventually we did, but apart from an ICT specialist at our school, we had no help with it. So that is probably why it took so long. Unlike Bex at her previous 6th form college, i have never been told how to use the editing suite. However, we have done our best in the time we have and the skills we have picked up, and i hope it will convey some of our original ideas. We have yet to covert it into an AV file, which we will do tommorow. A lot of the shots i am quite proud of, one being the shot of the three candles, all lit, where the camera goes in and out of focus, until they are blown out, revealing a gothic cross. We experimented a great deal with these shots, and the video does rely soley on editing for any of them to come together and make sense. Hopefully the video should be on here soon!

Update

A quick update on some of the shots:
At the end of the film, we wanted me to sit up in bed really quickly like i had just woken up from a dream. However, this didnt work as we couldnt get the camera at the right angle for it to look effective. So, me and natalie changed it, and filmed fistly a close-up of my eye, opening, looking around the room. Then, we plan to rewind all of the footage, and end it with a shot of my eye opening abruptly. Our shots are a mix of religious, scary and quite random images, hopefully conveying what a dream really is like, obviously on a more warped scale, where sometimes things make no sense at all; they live in our subconscious mind.

Bex isnt keen on the shots of me waking up or the 'my dream is your worst nightmare', and we have had a lot of debates on what will look good, but me and natalie took ages to do it, and at the moment we need to think about bulking up our film as we have realised we have little footage, time wise.

Update on filming

I havent posted any updates for a while but due to loss of time we have changed a few things. We tried the pill scene, however, we all agreed that it just didnt look right on the camera so we took it out. To fill some gaps and create a contrast between some of the scary images, we have a girl (me) getting ready to go out for a party; quite a mundane situation, compared to the abstract images.

Scary, abstract images so far include:
- A beautiful white rose, splattered with 'blood'. We have filmed the blood actually dropping onto the rose, but it looks more effective as a still shot.
- Some footage of tree's.
- A pendulum swinging against a white wall.
- A tablet dropped into water and dissolving.
- A spike choker, surrounded by tarot cards and beads, in a dim light.
- A mirror that letter by letter spells out 'my dream is your worst nightmare'.
- Candles, being lit and blown out, revealing a black gothic cross, which could suggest the rest of the film involves religious ideas.
- Ballet shoes being tied up by candlelight. This one looks a bit out of place at the moment, but we will see how it works during editing.

Shots of me getting ready include:
- Me putting on mascara.
- Me brushing my hair.
- Me putting a necklace on.
- A zoom shot of me putting on a pair of heels.


We are slowly but surely moving forward and having to change some scenes due to practicality. We have all the sounds complete and are hoping to edit soon.

Final ideas for opening to thriller

We are going to film lots of random, sometimes chilling images and flashes, and create a dream-like mix of them. At the end, a girl is going to wake up in bed, like she has woken from a dream. Dreams can make real life seem very warped and random, so we plan to give this idea in our piece of film.

It begins with a sort of normal scene of girl and her friend getting ready to go out. Girl is putting on make-up in the mirror, and we think this is actually in real life, however, a close-up of the girls eye is shown, and then it is followed by dream-like flashes, so we realise this was a part of her dream. We have a few longer scenes of about 5 seconds long; hands on a Ouija board, tracking shot of a graveyard, pills being put continuously into girls mouth (very fast) and the smashing of a glass with red wine in it.

Then, it goes into faster shots, some examples being:
An antique clock
Hopscotching
Barbie head being broken
Ballet shoes
Bloody hand on doorknob
Mask in the mirror
Pendulum (lasts a little longer)
Lighter burning paper
Candle - in a dark room, blown out. Then everything is black, and we hear the sound of a match striking. Then the candle is lit again and all of the flashes and images are played backwards in double time, then is stopped at the sound of the glass smashing.

The girl wakes up in a bed. Shes very out of breath and disorientated.

We plan to use lots of random sounds over the images and flashes, however not the first scene. We plan to use giggles, cries, gasps, talking (various voices), humming, twigs breaking, chanting, wind, Phone and answerphone, Radio sounds, door creaks and slams, ripping paper, chairs being dragged on tiles, fast-paced heels, running water, knocking, doorbell.

We want effects such as rewinding, black and white, overexposure, negative, sepia, solarised, canted angles, fast tracking shots, blurs etc.

Its a very random collaboration of sounds, effects and images/flashes - hopefully creating the idea of a extremely warped dream, a nightmare, like night terror. We want the piece to feel very eerie and anxious, and realistic in the terms of dreams.

We have decided the girl in the film is going to played by me. We have chosen to film most of the footage in natalies mums bedroom, due to good lighting and plenty of space. We are planning to just do as many shots as possible each time we meet up to do filming. Then we will sit down, watch the footage, and get rid of anything irrelevant.

Ideas for opening to thriller

Images:
Bloody door handle
Old clock
Creepy eye
Glass smashing, filled with red wine
Pot of pills spilled out
Animal skulls
Graveyard
Pet burial with smear of blood on box
Swings
Blood dripping off a stair

Locations/ideas:
Woods -Vassells Park
Brandon Hill
Church and graveyard in Fishponds
Running, a chase
Twist on normality - typical situation, but twisted and wrong - abstract
Flashbacks(very quick)
Idea of a dream
Scene of young girl running through grass, picking flowers, humming. Seeing her from only her waist down. Over-exposure. Scene keeps cutting to chilling images in black and white to contrast.
Girl leaning over edge of a building
Little girl paddling, nice gentle humming sound. Hand comes down to glide in the water and is covered in blood.
Girl sitting on bus stop - looks over the road, does a double take at someone wearing sinister mask

Preliminary Task

We had a limited amount of time to actually film this piece, so it was made in a rush. We took a long time thinking of an idea to use in the task, even though it was to show how well we use the camera. Anyway, we filmed all of the task within the 6th form block. We took the idea of a sort of psychic medium which had a visit from someone carrying a piece of paper with a mysterious symbol drawn on it. We did quite a few over-the-shoulder shots aswell as a close-up of the handle on the door. We used Bex's hands, who played the 'psychic', instead of showing her face to help add some mystery to her character. As it was only Bex who had previously been able to use the editing software, Me, Adam and Natalie learnt a lot by experimenting in the editing suite, aswell as observing Bex use it. We have learnt from our mistakes, to manage the timing well and to be experimental with the use of camera shots and editing to create a better piece of film.

Final Destination.

For a presenation, we had to watch the beginning to a thriller movie, then write up and talk about it afterwards. The use of the camera in the first three minutes of this clip from final destination suggest a lot about the overall theme of the film. There are a lot of close-up shots of stuff like the window, and the sort of 'voodoo' doll, which, relating to the main theme of death being out of control and decided by fate, does actually represent the idea of being controlled, as does the high angle shot of the fan which slowly moves downward, as if losing control and plunging into danger. Also, the extreme close-ups of the fan represent the idea of getting closer and closer to death, and by it going in and out of focus suggests the uncertainty and how in the film, the charachters are sometimes certain they have figured out the path of death, when they havent fully realised it at all. There are lots of sharp sounds, with screams, wind, paper turning and mysterious, almost tragic music. The sound of the fan is pretty loud too. I guess it all adds to the suspense and the clue that this film is going to be a thriller/horror. There's a blue sort of tinge to the clip, making the viewer feel cold and unwelcome. Toys have been placed around the room; perhaps taking the idea of how death plays with the lives of the characters in this film? The grim words "this is the end" suggest the doom of the characters, and is ironic, seeing as this is the start of the movie...

Check it out if you like x)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si8RLhCkNMw