Forecast planning

As the forecast changes over the week, we will do daily updates on the weather, to see what the weather is most likely to be when we are filming. Are expected date to begin filming is Saturday 16th January 2016. Ideally, we would like it to be dry, and cold (so that you can see the character breathing as she walks down the road).

This screenshot of the forecast was taken on the Monday before filming (11th). 

This screenshot was taken on the Tuesday before filming (12th)

This screenshot was taken on the Wednesday before filming (13th)

This screenshot was taken on the Thursday before planning (14th)

This screenshot was taken on the Friday before planning (15th)

What was the weather like during filming?

During filming, it was sunny, windy and very cold outside. Thankfully, we got the filming outside done first. The east of the filming was completed inside. It wasn't to dark as we decided to film around 1 o'clock. The level of light we would like can be edited into our final opening piece.

Camera panning

 In this post, I will be talking about the 2 main ways of panning a camera, which will be more effective in our production and why.

First of all, What is Camera Panning?

Camera Panning is when you rotate the camera from left to right, or right to left (As shown in the image). This is a very popular camera movement in the media industry as it shows exactly what the producers want the audience to see, without having to take more than 1 shot.

There are 2 main ways to pan a camera. Hand held panning, and Tripod panning.

Handheld panning is when somebody is holding the camera, and rotates the camera by twisting with it.

Tripod panning is when the camera is placed on a stand, that can rotates with a handle.

Which is better?

Tripod panning is much smoother than a handheld pan, as the camera is on a fixed stand. A tripod can be set, so that is only rotates left and right, not up and down (and vice versa, however, if the camera is going up and down, it is not a pan, it is a tilt.). Handheld pans are not as smooth as peoples hands tend to shake while panning, which is picked up on the recording.   

9 Frame Analysis

This frame helps set the scene to the audience by giving them context about where the scene is happening and when. This allows the audience to connect to the film on a more personal level because it is from a time that they have already experienced. 

This frame helps the audience to understand the narrative of the film because this scene is actually from a previous Paranormal Activity film. 

This frame builds tension for the audience about the rest of the film. The black background in the frame as well as the text help to foreshadow darkness that is about to come. 

This frame is an important part within the film because it establishes a change of scene as well as time. The close up shot of the teenager helps to establish that she will be the main character within the film. 

The flickering of the light within the dark setting helps to create suspense as well as portraying the idea of supernatural horror within it. 

In this scene the audience are revealed to the child that plays a significant part within the film. The camera helps to foreshadow the supernatural horror to come because it peer down on the kids showing they are weak/vulnerable as if the supernatural being is watching them. 

In this frame we can see the camera is looking up at the young child helping to suggest the audience have under-estimated him. It also helps to foreshadow the tables turning in the favour of the young child due to him being portrayed as being dominant. 

In this scene the camera is taking a close up shot of the character looking straight at the camera. The idea of this shot is to create suspension by making the audience feel awkward and somewhat responsible for what is being foreshadowed. This is because the audience can see behind the child and what is coming but the child can't. 

This scene is all about building suspense, this is because the audience is left wandering who this figure is and what it's intentions are. Are they an antagonist or not?

Filming Practice

The task:

Create a video, roughly 30 seconds long, using a few different camera angles and movements. 

In this video, there should be an exchange of some sort between 2 characters/ people. You will be given roughly 1 hours to film, and editing time. Feel free to add music/sounds in the background.

This was what we came up with:

The music in the background helps to create tension in the audience, and implies the characters within the video are up to no good. The video is also left on a cliffhanger, leaving the audience wanting to know what was inside the envelope. We decided to have Anna dressed in dark clothing, with her face hidden, to imply she is the antagonist. Dark colours are usually related to the antagonist. 

Film synopsis and Title animation

Your time is up

On the 3rd April 1999, 4 women gave birth to 4 baby girls. These births took place in the same hospital, on the same ward, all within 2 hours of each other. However, only 3 of these babies survived, and 1 did not. The mother of the child that passed, Ms Peirce, could not bear the loss of her child, and committed suicide a week later.

She swore that every other new mother on that ward, on the 3rd April 1999, would feel the pain she felt when she lost her child. Ms Peirce would wait until these children were in their teens, roughly 16 years old, and then slowly drive them insane. Their mothers would painfully watch them go through this, and then one day, find their body, after they had committed  suicide themselves.

Only these few children would be able to see her, no body else. She would appear to them in black, as if still in mourning of her lost child. They would know she's there, but no body else will. To avoid being suspected in any way, Ms Peirce would make it appear as if they'd made it all up, so that everyone around them, her friends, her family, would think that she is crazy, gradually destroying every relationship she has ever made, until she feels like she has nothing left to live for.

Our story satisfies audience’s gratification by adding in plenty of suspense throughout the story. An example of the suspense included, is a close up of the main character’s face with a blurred image of the attacker in the background. This suspense will help to keep the audience engaged and intrigued to see more. Our target audience is the late teens to early twenties. Different audiences might interpret our narrative in different ways. For example a young child would find this extremely scary yet the older generation might get confused due to mental health issues being mainly associated with the younger generation. Barthes suggest that what you intend might not be what the audience thinks. This is because Barthes believes that narrative is like a big ball of string, it can be unraveled in many different ways. There can be many strings to pull at a time or only one giving the audience a specific perspective on the events. These strings are broken down into different codes; each code helps to imply a different meaning. The audience receives our film as being a supernatural horror, this is because the audience is allowed to dive deep into the characters background. Also they are gifted with many jump scares to imply horror and panic upon them. There could be a possible conflict between what is intended and what the audience thinks. This is because our story is based upon a girl that has mental health issues so the audience may think she is just crazy instead of the idea a supernatural being is following her. Also everyone thinks in a unique way, just the same as everyone having a unique fingerprint, so for this reason, not everyone is going to get the same idea of what we’re trying to imply. Our work appeals to the younger generation because we included teenagers in the film. This is because if they are teenagers the younger generation is going to relate to them more than if it were a group of old people. Our work appeals mainly to the female gender, this is because both the main character and the haunting spirit are female. For this reason the female sex would relate more to the struggles of the main character than a male would. However the film is suitable to watch for both genders. We know that our work will appeal to its target market because we are essentially the target market; also we found that the current loop for horror films is supernatural with films like paranormal activity anticipated to keep on coming. 

Horror film title research

The font makes the text look almost digital. Added to the static monitor screen in the background, the audience can infer that this film will have something to do with monitors, and that the characters will be viewing a lot on a screen. They have chosen to use a dark background and bright, but slightly dimmed writing for the title. The black background gives the sense of fear, and fearful anticipation of the unknown, as darkness is usually associated with danger in this context. The dimmed writing looks like writing you would see towards the bottom corner of an old monitor screen while looking back at a recording. This further implies that the characters film/record things, and then later watch them back. The title tells us they may be looking back to see 'paranormal activity' / supernatural activity. The writing is in capitals, making it stand out, creating a sense of important.

The actual title 'Paranormal activity' tells the audience that this is a horror film. Using the word 'Paranormal' implies that it is a supernatural horror film. The writing is also disjointed, and out of line. This could be trying to represent disruption of what is normal, and potential chaos in these characters lives. 

Once again, the use of dark colours and dimmed light writing is being used to create the sense of fear. The font looks like a child has written it, implying a child, or children are going to be involved in the story, symbolizing innocents. The title words 'the ring' is within a ring itself. This is not a neat ring either, it is roughed edged, and hazy a round the edges. Some people may think that the circle/ring looks scratched into the surface, implying violence in the film. However, when I look at this ring, I think the ring has been created by a person, using salt - something used to keep spirits out (or in...). The ring itself is implying a supernatural presents within the movie. The idea of a spirit being unable to cross this 'barrier', creates a sense of isolation, and being trapped. On this image, I can see, what appears to be static, as if it too, is being seen through a screen/monitor. Like the Paranormal Activity title, the static is being used to tell the audience that supernatural activity is being viewed through a screen. And again, the writing is disjointed, also potentially representing chaos in one, or more, of the characters lives.

All these things help the audience see that this movie is a horror. Mixed with the idea of a supernatural barrier, we can infer that this is a supernatural horror film.

Iconography

What is Iconography?

Iconography is an important aspect of genre. We expect to see certain objects/props on screen when we see a particular genre, for example, in a Western, dusty lonely roads, saloon bars, cowboy hats and horses, jails, sheriffs badges, guns, etc.

In a modern horror film, we expect young, vulnerable girls, ‘normal’ objects, use of darkness and the light, etc. These ‘genre indicators’ are called the iconography of the mise-en-scene or genre.

For a Supernatural Horror film, we would expect to see at least 1 Supernatural entity, as well as a fairly large, dark, abandoned house. These things have become normal, and expected us as it has always been this/that way. The first successful supernatural horror films must have used these things, inspired other supernatural horror films afterwards to do the same. Overtime, these things just become expected.

Here are some supernatural movie film titles. Each one had a supernatural entity, and a fairly large building in the background. The use of darkness is also in line with what is to be expected of a supernatural horror film.

                                                          

Horror Audiences

In this post, I will be talking about the different types of audiences and groups. I will also use and example of a horror movie I have watched, who it is targeted at, and which groups the film would theoretically appeal too. 

What are the different types of audiences?

There are 2 main types of audience. A Niche audience, and a Mass audience. 

Niche Audience: Is small, and specific.    An Example :

This kind of magazine would usually be aimed at the elderly, in Group E. This is because elderly people tend to be more interested in gardening.

Mass Audience: Is aimed at everybody.       An Example :

Big brother is aimed at a large audience, aging from teenagers, to even the older generations, as putting a bunch of different people into a house and making them live together is interesting to watch

How any groups are there, and what do they represent? 

There are 6 different group in the media industry. Group A, B, C1, C2, D and E. Each group targets different types of people. These groups are used to help aim specific TV shows, Movies, Books, Adverts etc. at specific groups people, as shown below.

Group A targets:

        Lawyers 

        Doctors

        Scientists

And Very well paid professionals 

Group B targets:

        Teachers

        Middle management 

And Fairly well paid professionals

Group C1 targets: 

        Junior management 

        Bank clerks 

       Nurses

And  'white collar' professionals 

Group C2 targets: 

        Electricians 

        Plumbers

        Carpenters 

And 'Blue collar' professionals

Group D targets:

        Manual workers

        Labourers

And  Drivers

Group E targets: 

        Students

        The unemployed

And Pensioners 

I have decided to include a horror movie examples within this post.  I have watched this film, so I will be able to introduce the main ideas of the film, and then talk about the target audience, and what group the film could be classified under.

Paranormal Activity, 2007


"After experiencing what they think are a series of "break-ins", a family sets up security cameras around their home, only to realize that the events unfolding before them are more sinister than they seem."

So basically, the film is about this couple, Katie and Micah, who have moved into this new home in hopes of living a happy life together. However, there is a spiritual presents that follows Katie where ever she goes. As these supernatural events grow worse, Katie and Micah decide to start filming everything around them, in the house, in hopes of catching some of this supernatural activity on camera. They do this by, simply, walking around the house with a camera, and having the camera filming them whenever they are sitting down, working, and sleeping etc.
This footage basically makes up the entire film.

I believe that Paranormal Activity is aimed at teenagers, in Group E, as it is about a young couple who have been experiencing supernatural activity. Teenagers are more likely to find this interesting but professionally trained professionals in groups such as A, B and C, probably wouldn't be interested in a movie like this. They may see it as 'crummy' or 'boring' as it is a movie made up from the couples video recordings. It was obviously a low budget film. I also believe it has been aimed at teenagers as the BBFC rated it a 15.
Paranormal Activity has been aimed at a Niche Audience, as not everyone would be interesting in this type of film. Children under the recommended age would find this too scary, and people outside of groups E, D and maybe C may find this type of film boring.