Casting Call Script.

This was the piece of script that we decided to use to complete our casting calls for the different characters. The script is from 'Final Destination' this is quite a famous horror film and this will help us determine who will play which part. By everyone having the same script it makes it fair because everyone is reading the same thing and it will also make it easier for us to analyse. 

Film Name Ideas

Film plot

Makeup&Beauty Ideas

This is an ideas board that I have created for makeup and hair. As shown its quite natural and simple as the all the characters are very simple and everyday. Maggie is also going to have her hair very natural hense the messy bun.

Equipment, Prop, Setting, Crew, List

By creating these lists they make the filming much more organised due to people will have their own set jobs and a list of props and equipment that is need. It will also prevent us from forgetting anything. 

Key Shots For Our Film

Film Locations

Initial mood board for my film.

This is a initial mood board that I have created for our film. It adds all of our initial ideas for the film together and what we will need. These images will help us remember what our ideas are and will keep us on track with what we need to have. It will also give us inspiration with how we will set our filming up.

Props Board

Shooting Schedule

Here is my completed shooting schedule which we are going to use to have a plan when we shoot our opening scene.

This will help us be organised and on track and make sure we don't forget anything for the scene.

DATE	LOCATION	SHOT DESCRIPTION	PEOPLE NEEDED	PROPS
1st December	Road near bus stop	Very Wide Shot (VWS) and wide shot (WS) of DAD walking home from work	Jamie, Hannah	Briefcase Smart clothes
	Alleyway	Extreme Close Up (ECP) of DAD walking home from work	Jamie Hannah	Briefcase Smart clothes
	Front of House	Match on Action and very Wide Shot of DAD opening the door.	Jamie Hannah	Briefcase Smart clothes
	Front hallway	Match on action shot of entering to the front room.	Jamie Hannah Alice	Picture Frames ‘typical living room
		Cutaway Shot, to show picture frame, Credits	Jamie Hannah Alice	Picture Frames ‘typical living room
	Dining Room	VWS, to show DAD walking into room.	Jamie Maisie Hannah	Baby Cooking utensils
		180degree, for conversations whilst eating dinner	Jamie Maisie Alice Hannah	Baby Plates and food
	Front Room	Over Shoulder Shot (OSS), showing family talking.	Jamie Maisie Alice Hannah	Picture Frames ‘typical living room
		Cutaway Shot, of the family pictures.	Jamie Maisie Alice Hannah	Picture frames
		Noddy shot of character	Alice Hannah
		WS mother leaving the dining room	Hannah Maisie
		Ws mother walking up stairs low angle	Maisie Hannah
		Eagle eye EWE Bedroom	Hannah Maisie Fay	Bed
		Birdseye View, of dead child in bed	Hannah Fay	Bed
		180 degree of mum looking at dead child	Hannah Fay Maisie

Film Classification

Casting Results

As a group we had made a decision of who is going to be in the film and the main characters for the film. These are;

• Maggie - Maisie (me)
• Steve - Jamie 
• Grace - Alice 
• Capman - Fay 

These are the final decison for the main film the reasons are; 

Fay had good confidence reading her lines. This is a key element needed in the film. 

Jamie had the suitable physical characteristics and was also confident reading his lines 

Alice had the suitable innocent look and height for the character. 

Maisie (me) the good discussed I had good confidence and physical characteristics. 

Casting for Grace

For the casting of Grace Hannah was the first person that we trailed. She was very confident but she looks a lot older and we are looking someone who looks younger therefore she would not be suitable.




This is Alice she tried out the part she needs to be a bit more confident with reading her lines on camera however she has the physical characteristic that we are looking for so therefore she would be very suitable for the character Grace

Casting For Capman

Fay was going for the of Capman. She was confident in her reading. However she didn't have very confident body image which is needed.




This is Callum, he read the lines with a lot of confidence however he didn't have the physical characteristics that we required for the part Capman.

Casting for Maggie

Maggie was next for our casting call. She was very confident but didn't have the characteristics that we needed for the character of Maggie



Me (Maisie) was next in the casting call. The group felt like I fitted the characteristics of Maggie. However I need to be less bubbly and more serious.

Casting for Steve

Jamie was who we chose as the part of Steve as he was very confident with the script and loud. He was a bit tense and need to relax more.




Bill didn't fit the characteristics of Steve, he is a bit on the small side. Also he was very clear when reading the script. However he was very relaxed which is a good quality that we need a character to have.

Character board; Steve

This is a character board for Steve. This is the dad and he again is one of the main characters. In the start he is coming home from work, therefore he has to be in smart attire. This is to make his character more realistic.

Character Board; Grace

Grace is the dead girl in our opening sequence, in the scene where she is shown as dead she will be wearing all black, this is to create suspense and make the audience on edge because the view is limited. 

Character Board 1; Maggie

This is a character board for one of the main characters Maggie, this gives us some outfit inspiration of what she will be wearing in the filming. I have chosen very relaxed and laid back clothes as she is playing the character of the mum. Also the start is set in the evening therefore it will be much more relaxed clothing due the tartan trousers and slippers in the character board.

Risk Assessment

This is the risk assessment me and my group have produced. This has shown us the risks that could be caused in the filming of our opening. By creating this risk assessment it lets us see what risks are more likely to happen and prevent them from happening.

Opening Sequence Analysis

Claude Levi-Strauss

Roland Barthes

How To Write A Script

Film Font Ideas

Production Company ideas

Film Opening Conventions

Different types of film typography.

Production Diary 8

This week I have been focusing on different horror films and doing some analysis in them. I have done a textual analysis and a 9 key screen shots which were both on Saw 1. These have helped me look at the important things in these scenes which attract people and make the films so successful. It will help us form ideas of our own.
They can be found here&here

Textual Analysis; Saw1

Textual Analysis

Camera shots and angles

The opening scene of Saw 1 starts with a point of view shot. It shows a view of the room that the films starts in. The camera is moving like the character is moving their head around which is showing the audience the setting and where the start of the film is based, also it makes the character feel much more involved in the film. The camera shot then changes to a wide shot of the back of the character. It shows he is very isolated and alone in the room. He also tilts his head backwards like he is in pain and discomfort. The shots then change to a series of quick close of shots of the characters face. You can clearly see that the character has hurt the surrounding area of his eye. Also from the close up shots you can see he is sweating a lot showing he is in discomfort and worried. We then see a shot reverse shot between the character and Jigsaw. We now have been shown the 2 main characters in this opening sequence. The opening sequence then ends with a extreme close up of the characters face in much pain and panic. He has a lot of sweat on his face and is in pain due to the injury on his eye. It then fades into the title screen.


Lighting

At the start of the opening sequence the lighting is very low key adding a sense of suspense and enigma. The lack of high key lighting makes it difficult to view the setting the audience are very limited on what they can view and see. The low key lighting can make the audience feel much more vulnerable due to the feeling of the unknown in the scene.


Editing

Fast paced editing is used when there is multiple close up shots of the character sitting in the chair. This creates suspense and adrenaline in the scene due to the speed of the shots being shown. This makes the audience more focused and involved in the film. There is also fast motion editing after Jigsaw has spoken to the character and he is very panicked. There are multiple shots of the character at different angles. This makes the audience feel on edge and builds up suspense because the shot doesn't show clearly what is happening to the character.


Mise-En-Scene 

In the film the room that the character is very basic and simple. It looks like a very isolated and run down. The character is a normal looking person at a first glance that the audience can relate to. However from the makeup you can tell he has a gash to his eye which makes the audience feel on edge because he is injured  and there is no explanation as to why he injured. Also the characters body language  is very panicked and sweaty showing he is not comfortable which will make the audience feel uncomfortable. 

Key Shots; Saw 1

           

This is the first sign of anything shown in the clip. This is why it is a key scene in the opening of Saw. It's the first sign of any character in the clip. It builds up enigma due to the low key lighting in the clip. The small light that floats around the scene is the only light in the clip we have this builds up suspense and enigma.  The extreme close up shows the first main character. The character looks isolated and struggle in pain. 

           

This is another key shot as it is the first close up of the main character that we are able to see. The low key lighting makes it very difficult to see the character so it again creates enigma in the opening scene due to the lighting. This will make the audience very tense as it looks like the character is being tortured due to him being underwater. Also it looks like he is struggling for breath which will make the audience feel tense.

This is one of the first mid shot of where the character is located and what they look like. It adds suspense to the scene due to the low key lighting and the audience can only see a outline to the scene. Its a mid shot of the character and a idea to the audience where the setting is a what it looks like.

           

This is the first clear photo we see of one of the main characters in the opening scene this is the first scene with high key lighting compared to the previous first scenes. Due to the more lighting involved we are able to see one of the main characters much more clearer. Also we are able to see the location that the character is placed in. By the old dirty tiling the place that he is in doesn't look very nice. This mid shot used creates suspense due to we can see who the main character is but we cant see him fully.

           

This is the first close up shot of the character and his full facial features. This also establishes that he is one of the main characters as this is the only character that the camera has been focusing on. The close up can show us his facial features and what he is wearing. He looks like he is worried or in pain.

          

This is a key scene as it is the first shot of the second main character. We knew he was there to we could hear him speaking in the background but this is the first image we see of him. The mid shot also shows us what the scene looks like. Again it looks old and run down which shows they are no in a good place. This character also looks in pain and worried. It also looks like he has been sweating a lot, this shows across that he has been worrying and stressing. 

This is a point of view shot. This shows the audience the view of the character and his vision. It creates suspense and enigma because his vision is blurred and that he cant clearly see what is in the shot. It makes the audience feel more involved due to them looking into the eyes of the character. 

          

This is another key scene, the camera shows the 2 characters we have just established look shocked then pans to this shot. This makes the audience shocked and builds up suspense for the audience. It creates a lot of question like who is the character and what are they doing there? Also the presence of a lot of blood creates suspense and enigma. We have a mid shot of this so we can't see the full picture and what is happening. 

          

This again is another key scene because it shows the full character who is "dead" laying on the floor. This builds up more suspense and enigma. The long shot of the characters body shows fully what is going on in the scene and gives the audience a better perspective and understanding what is going on.

       

Audience Profile 2

• Name; Jacob Smith
• Age;18 
• Interests; He is studying 4 A-levels which are English Literature, Business, Biology and Psychology. He is either looking to go straight into work or to go to university.
• Job; Working in a garden centre
• Hobbies; He enjoys going out with his friends, going to gym and working
• What he thinks about our film; He thinks that is it a very interesting plot line and he will definitely go and see it in the cinema with his friends. 

Audience Profile 1

• Name; Becky East
• Age; 18
• Interests; She is currently studying 4 A-Levels which are English, Law, History and business. She then wishes to go to university to study English. 
• Hobbies; Hanging out with friends, going out and going to concerts. She is also a fan of watching horror films.
• Job; NA
• What she thinks about our film; She believes that it a really good idea and she would deifnetly be interested in watching it.

Questionnaire Results

From these results it gives us as a group a much more clearer idea what our target audience is appealed to from subscriptions to their preferred film. This gives us a much clearer idea in what they are interested to and how to appeal to our audience. For example from the subscriptions questions most of our target audience either watch there films from Netflix or Sky Movies. This will make us think to get the most exposure to my correct target audience we will use Netflix and Sky Movies. 

Production Diary 7

This week I have focused on horror films themselves so I have done some blog posts which have given me a insight into what horror films have in them to make them successful.
The 3 blog posts that I have done are identifying common traits & key elements & traits, codes and conventions of horror genre. These will all influence what is done in our opening and has given us guidance.

Key Elements Research

There are many key elements in horror films that will make it a much more successful film. I done some research into what ones were key and needed in a horror film;

One of the first key elements that are in many horror films is loud sound effects. This can be created by the use of diegetic sounds in the film such as doors slamming and glass smashing. This catches the audiences attention and makes them jump adding adrenaline and a sense of suspense because its not expected. Also traditional horror film sounds add to suspense of the film for example creaking doors and footsteps. It makes the audience think who is there, this adds to the suspense of the unknown because the audience don't know what or who is there.

Another key element that is in horror films is low key lighting. These are mainly used at the start of horror films to create enigma due to the unknown at the start. It adds a sense of mystery, this makes it scarier due to the character doesn't know what's coming and they cant protect themselves in the dark which puts the audience on edge as they know this and keeps their attention on the film. Low key lighting will be used in our opening scene when Maggie goes upstairs and finds her daughter dead in the bedroom it will be hard for the audience to see what is going on therefore they will have to pay full attention to the scene so they dont miss anything.

Close-up shots are also key to the horror films as they are key at showing a characters facial expression so therefore the audience can see how the character is feeling, and their emotions.

Identifying common traits.

Horror Traits

I have conducted some research into the different horror traits that are commonly used in order to conform to the Horror Genre and make the film interesting, realistic and effective

Here are some of the traits that i have found:

Settings and locations:
Horror films are mainly set in either urban communities or very small isolated areas. Also in dark streets and alleyways. These all portray isolation and loneliness. Some of the places have a dark history a past, for example abandoned asylums, factories and houses.

Locations can vary with horror films, for example roads lakes motorways barns farms, countrysides dark woods, subways at night, abandoned buildings, graveyard, basement, attic and many more places. These are all linked to isolated and dark locations. The audience don't know what is there and it is the unknown making it more scary.


Iconography:
The main colours that are linked to horror films are mainly dark colours like red&black. These have connotations of danger, evil, blood ect.

Mainly low key lighting is used in horror films mainly to create suspense and enigma. It can used be used to create shadows and unfamiliar shapes in the darkness to make the audience on edge.

Props are also key in horror films, these help identify further the horror genre. Specific props can be used in the horror film. For example weapons such as chainsaws, knives, firearms ect.


Narrative structure:
Main structure of a horror film is there is:
Antagonist
Protagonist
Final man\girl
These fit with the genre of the film due to it being the protagonist going on a mission to save people but also encountering the antagonist.

The antagonist normally has a strange twisted past sometimes linked to the setting that him\her are in. For example a medical\psychotic issues or a childhood past. Sometimes the antagonist will come back to his past to take revenge on one of his\hers friends from the past.


Character types:
There are 3 main character types in horror films

1. The main protagonist in horror films are mainly men "muscluar" saving the women
2. Antagonist; this is normally a sick and twisted human or a mutated freak, not with the norm.
3. Teenagers; mainly all horror films do have teenagers, these tend to be very naieve and stupid.

Characters can also include;
creepy children
police officers
ghosts
zombies
demons ect.

Traits, Codes and Conventions of Horror Genre

I have done some research into the key conventions of horror films, this will help me have a understanding in what I will need to add into my opening to make it fit with the horror genre and make it successful.

Traditional traits of horror films; 

• Characters are fearless. They don't think about the danger they may face. 
• Power&phone lines are cut, they don't have these basic necessities.
• Strange noises are heard.
•  Either set in the night or in a dark place. 
•  Bad weather conditions e.g stormy or cold night. 

I research 3 main codes these are; Symbolic, Technical and Written 

Production Diary 6

This week I decided to focus on some narrative theories. These can be found here & here the 2 that I focused on this week were Tordorov and Propp.
These gave me a great insight into their way of thinking and there theories. It made them make a lot of sense and they were very interesting to research. I will be able to apply some of this theory in our opening sequence.

Narrative Theories; Vladimir Propp

This is one of the theories that I researched.

Questionnaire on Audience research.

This is my questionnaire that I have given out to people to complete. This will give us some primary research to work with. 

1. Full Name ______________________________

2. Age [ ][ ]

3. Gender ________

4. What is your preferred movie genre/s?

tick max. 2

o Sci-fi

o Horror

o Drama

o Comedy

o Rom-Com

o Thriller

o Action Adventure

o Crime Gangster

o Epics Historical

o Musical Dance

o War

o Western

o Family

5. Do you often to to the cinema?

o Yes No

6. Out of these films which one are you most likely to pay money for and watch in the cinema? tick max.3

o John Carpenter – Halloween

o Danny Boyle – 28 days Later

o James Wan – Saw

o Bill Condon - The Twilight Saga: Breaking dawn part 1

o Sam Mendes – American Beauty

o Amy Heckerling – Clueless

o Sergio Leone – The Good The Bad and The Ugly

7. Have you seen any of these films in the past year? tick as many

o Insidious Chapter 3

o Unfriended

o Sinister 2

o Annabelle

o The Purge: Anarchy The Visit

8. Are you subscribing to any of these media streaming company’s? tick as many

o Netflix

o Amazon Prime

o Playstation Store

o Sky Movies

o HitBox TV

9. When you decide what movie to watch what do you look at first? tick 1

o The Actors

o The Director

o The age restriction

o The description

o The Star rating

o Over peoples views

10. When you think of the words ‘Horror Film’ what is the first word that comes into your head? one word/phrase

_________________________________________________________________________________

Mood Board

 The purpose of me doing my mood board is to get idea and inspiration from different horror films. Also I have got inspiration from the different settings and characters outfits. It helps us get inspiration for our opening scene.
I have learnt different settings and character outfits which has helped me widen my knowledge with the horror genre. Its also helped me to look what is expected in a horror genre.
A lot of the settings and the costumes have inspired me to put into our opening sequence and helped us come up with our own ideas for our opening sequence. Also some of the characters in the opening scene has helped us and inspired us into what to add into our opening sequence.

Narrative Theories; Tordorov

This is another theory that I researched into to give me more information.

Researching Institutions