Main task: creature design

For my creature I decided to take lots of time into this because I wanted to show only some small quick shots and not give so much of it away to make it a surprise for the viewers who watch the rest of the film.

I first decided to design my creature to appear more alien than so it linked in with the science fiction of the 80's that featured killer aliens from planets that seek out to kill anyone they set out to see. At first I decided to design my creature that had an arched back and spikes coming out it and had sharped claws as it crawled along the ground showing only a small section of the creature and raising the speculation on perhaps what it looks like. However the main downfall of this creature I first designed was the fact that it had a very complicated tail and in the end I decided not to use it as it would be too complex to use and I had so little time to complete it that I would not be able to film it.

My first creature design based on alien


The second design I tried to make do with was a more humanoid approach with a mixture of alien elements, slightly inspired by the Thing (1982). It would have the characters face but would be slightly deformed and fused to aliens spider-like body with a pair of arms sticking out vertically upwards so it can grab onto anyone it reached. again only small details of the creature would be shown I decided to select them carefully to make sure it wouldn't be to complicated to design them and not make them appear fake and not realistic enough that it would put fear in the audience watching it. I decided I would only show the 2 Arms, the small features of the head and maybe one of its legs in shot to strike fear and confusion into the audience when they see it. However again I saw another issue with this creature as well, this was because it would be hard trying to do this considering it is rather small in design and it would be hard to make it look like its slightly humanoid rather than alien, or how I could put it into my intro so again I decided against it and not use this creature in my task.

The creature I next decided to come up with based on the Thing.

Soon I began to struggle with what I could do and then I decided to a humanoid creature that I think could be a bit easier and scarier for the viewers for my intro. At first I struggled really what to take inspiration from as I did not know how I could make a humanoid creature scary enough without making it almost seem like a joke for the viewers and have them loose interest. Then I came up with an idea of taking on a creature inspired by a popular horror game I play. One of the creatures in the game is called the Mangle, it has a body completely made out of organs and looks incredibly deformed. I decided to base my creature around that and incredibly thought of a story line which I was struggling to come up with.


The Mangle- what I am basing my creature on

I knew before hand that if I did the creature straight away in its main form, similar to the photo of the Mangle, it would be too difficult to do. Instead I decided to base my creature on one of its earlier forms before it become a mess of human limbs. I decided instead of showing multiple parts of this monster, that I would only show one part of it, one of its arms that lunges out and grabs one of the scientists at the end of my intro before the name of the film appears on the screen. With this I happily decided that I would use one of my family members to be the evil creature that lunges out.

The final form of my creature in my film idea

















The form my creature will be in the intro along with the body part that will feature on screen.

Main task: Film Intro research

Finally we could start the planning for our film intro and I was very excited to get started on what I have to do to get a good mark for my filming project.

Firstly we had to commence some research on some film opening within the movie genre we are planning to base our film on. We were told to research 2 or 3 films and make notes about the basic conventions that appear in the opening. Firstly we watched the intro from the 2008 The Incredible Hulk and love actually from 2003 to get us an understanding of the basics. For my two selected films I decided to Alien (1979) and (Predator 1986).

 The Incredible Hulk notes on intro  



Love actually intro notes practice



In the Alien Opening it was very simple with a dark background of what is space with a faint spooky sounding howling noise of the wind. During this time the camera pans over to the right and a planet comes into view which is outlined and not shown in full detail. As this happens slow Diegetic music starts to play as the film name slowly appears on screen in small chunks and the casting and producers come on just below. Then it goes to the spaceship Nostromo were details appear on screen such as the name of the ship, number of crew members and what the ship is doing. All of this was to help engage the audience and feel as though they are part of the movie really enhancing its feel and making the viewer feel like they are part of the story.

Predator on the other hand takes a very different approach for the Sci-fi genre. Again similar to Alien it starts off with the dark background of space with non diegetic sound in the scene. Then when the title saying Predator appears loud dramatic Diegetic music plays to show that this creature can potentially be some sort of hunter and killer. Then the Diegetic music goes quiet as a spaceship appears and dispatches a part of the ship and enters earths orbit, during the course of this part of the intro quiet curious Non-Diegetic music plays as the camera shows the object flying down to earth. Next the scene cuts to a military base that at first is quiet and peaceful. Then the Non- Diegetic sound of a helicopter can be heard as it approaches the nearby base. When it comes into view the Iconic Predator theme tune starts to play as the actions on the base are shown. Clips from on boards of trucks and jeeps and side views of the helicopters landing and taking off give the viewers that sense of adrenaline and excitement about why they are here and what these men are all setting out to do. However the reason for this is because predator is Hybrid Genre combining action as well as Sci-fi giving it the rushing sense of excitement within the viewers unlike Alien that has a more sinister feel to its intro.

After this we were told to perform some in depth analysis of a film intro of our genre and make notes on the key features found within the opening as we watched it. I decided to go for the Alien intro since it was more suited around my style of film that I was going for and therefore would have been an easier option for me. Firstly after the film producer logos came up the title sequence began to start. As with most Sci-fi films the introduction begins behind the dark background of space and the main producers of the film appears on the screen, as this happens the camera starts to pan to the right of the screen where a planet comes into view that is shrouded by darkness. Next the title mentions that the film is by Ridley Scott after a few seconds later and I appears above the title casting. After this the name Tom Skerrit appears as does the first part of the latter A. After this name disappears the name Sigourney Weaver appears on screen below blow the titles before it too disappears. next the name Veronica Cartwright  appears as does the first part of the letter N in the films name. After a few seconds pause the first part of the letter L appears as does the name below it Harry Dean Stanton. After his name disappears the name John Hurt appears onto the screen for a few seconds before it too vanishes of screen. Next the first part of the letter E appears in the films name followed by the name Ian Holm appearing. Next the second part of the letter A appears on screen as does the Yaphat Kotto as Parker before it to disappears. After this the second part of the letter N appears as does the person who did the music Jerry Goldsmith. After this the outline of the planet comes into back into view as does the second part of the letter E and the name of the executive producer. After this the second part of the letter L comes into view completing the letter as the screen players and story writers are shown before they disappear too. Next the producers are shown on screen as the last part of the letter N comes on completing it. Lastly the name of the director comes onto the screen along with Ridley Scott after which the last part of the letter A appears and the title of the film "Alien" is completed. After this the words fade of the screen before the camera then focuses on a giant spaceship flying through space. Next the details about the spaceship appear in green lettering similar to that on a computer and gives it a backline to the story. Lastly in the intro the spaceship flies past the stationary camera before it cuts to the main film itself, in total the intro was 2 minutes 30 seconds. During the intro the sound of diegetic wind howling and slow eerie music plays as the titles and cast names appear on screen.

  A number of stills within the film opening.

 





First part of my film opening timeline with what happens within it










The second part of my film opening timeline


















For my Final part of my film opening research I had to think of a questionnaire to ask questions about my genre. For this I asked basic questions about what kind of things they would expect to fin within this chosen genre, such as "what would make a Sci-fi film scary" or "what kind of things would build up tense within a scene. I asked 2 friends and a family member about what they thought would be good for an intro of this genre.

All the candidates said they would like one that, is simple yet it dives itself straight into the story and gets the audience ready for what's coming. However they also said that they would like tense moments within the intro and potentially have a minor scare at the start to get the heart racing ready for the fast paced action and story of the main film. However there was diversity among them when I asked about what kind of music would be good with the scene. 2 said that slow, tense and almost quiet music would build up the best effect, whilst one said that potentially no music would be good, as the sounds of the scene will be eerie enough to replace that and get the audience even more nervous than with music that may not even fit in with this scene. Lastly there was division between what they thought would be the best way to use this film genre. Here they all had very different opinions. One thought that it should be slow calm and collective to give a firm introduction into the events of the films story, one said they would like it to be fast paced and filled with lots of action and suspense throughout whilst the last said, they would like it to be a mixture of both being fast in some areas and the slow the pace down at the very tense moments leading up to a dramatic point to improve the overall effect.

With this new guideline I am now able to plan how my intro will look and what techniques I can use to make it correctly.

 



Main task Film production logo Reserach and development

Now we could fully get into the task of preparing our film introduction of a genre we in particularly like. I decided to stick with my selected genre of doing a Si-Fi film. I knew it was going to be fairly tricky doing this genre by myself but I was up for a nice challenge and hope I can pull it all off.


Firstly we had to design a production logo for the intro of our film before it starts. We looked at current film producers logo's and made notes about how they fit into specific types of genres. Some key film producers logo's I have looked at some of the key producers logo's such as DreamWorks, Disney and 20th Centaury fox. When I looked at them I found a key link which showed that all of them have dark back grounds with bright lettering to make it stand out more for the audience. However this would not be ideal because my film is quite dark in terms of its genre and by having a light background and lettering it wouldn't be able to enhance its effect in striking fear in the audience


















However one logo stood out which was the Warner brothers logo.


This logo is very interesting because it has two different appearances depending on the film's genre and mood setting. It has bright cheerful colours to show that the film is a happy feeling one and is often a children's film. But when a darker film is shown its appearance becomes much darker and more decayed and less attractive. This contrast shows that this film is more evil and darker if the film producers logo is darker and more sinister appearing. I decided to take this inspiration for my own logo which would be darker and more sinister looking compared to that of the other ones. So with my ideas and research ready I could start on designing my own production logo.

The standard light and brightly coloured logo




The darker for a more sinister feel to the film

Now I could finally start on my own production company logo at the start of my film intro. I decided to take my inspiration from the warner brothers more darker looking logo to enhance the feel of the genre of my film.

As this uses darker colours I decided to go for dark black background but I thought of having just a plain black background wouldn’t be eye catching enough as they have some sort of background detail present as well. Soon I found a black fur coloured background which I selected because it enhanced the effect of the genre and also mentions about what the film is about through the added effect of the black fur of being a Sci-Fi Film.

After this I decided to think of a suitable name for my company, which as first was really difficult as I had no idea on how I could potentially make it look spookier for the viewer’s when the title came up. Soon I came up with a good idea of using my initials JDC as my production company calling it JDCooperation. I decided also to add in the fear factor of the Sci-fi Horror genre by adding 2 eyes into the logo were the O’s would be to increase the feel of the genre as the warner brothers logo did with their darker version

Now I could finally start on my own production company logo at the start of my film intro. I decided to take my inspiration from the warner brothers more darker looking logo to enhance the feel of the genre of my film.

As this uses darker colours I decided to go for dark black background but I thought of having just a plain black background wouldn’t be eye catching enough as they have some sort of background detail present as well. Soon I found a black fur coloured background which I selected because it enhanced the effect of the genre and also mentions about what the film is about through the added effect of the black fur of being a Sci-Fi Film.

After this I decided to think of a suitable name for my company, which as first was really difficult as I had no idea on how I could potentially make it look spookier for the viewer’s when the title came up. Soon I came up with a good idea of using my initials JDC as my production company calling it JDCooperation. I decided also to add in the fear factor of the Sci-fi Horror genre by adding 2 eyes into the logo were the O’s would be to increase the feel of the genre as the warner brothers logo did with their darker version.

The eyes that I used in my production logo

My standard film production logo














My spooked up version for my film intro


Finally after my production logo’s we’re completed I can start forming the basis of how my film opening would be shown, and allow me to start filming it.

 

Film Genre presentation

After we completed our preliminary task we now started to prepare for what our main task was going to be. Firstly we had to perform a presentation about a film genre of our choice and the key elements that define it. For mine presentation I decided to focus on Science fiction films with the Alien subgenre linked back into it. It is also one of my favourite genres too so by knowing some key examples of films around this genre I could get some decent information.

In my first slide I talked about the basic techniques we can find in this type of genre. Normally this genre contains out of this world creatures that often try to kill us. Normally it has very tense moments and a few jump scares during the course of the film to heighten the audiences fear factor. Lastly I mentioned that usually the characters are at conflict between each other as their instinct to survive takes over.

Next I talked about who the target audience was and why it was based on this figure. I explained that I think they should be at least 15 or over because they contain gore, graphic violence and strong horror in some of them. Its also good for this age group because it is full of tense moments, dramatic twists in the story and plenty of action.

After this I talked about how the characters have a key role within this genre. I explained that usually the main character is the one who is followed in the film and usually the one who survives the ordeal at the end of the film. Other key characters found in this genre are ones that are venerable to show the weakness' of individuals in these situations and also feature the opposite of a person or a group of people wanting to kill the creature and show they're the top predator. Normally these characters fall first or are primary targets for the creature, increasing their risk of being killed.

Next I explained about some of the key features within the genre. I mentioned that mostly with this kind of genre not all of the creature is shown on the screen, but rather small detailed sections of it are instead. In some cases the creature may not show its true form at all for example if it was a parasitic creature or shape shifter. However the only time we may see the creature whole is at the end of the film when the main character confronts it.

Next I started to talk about some of the key aspects of the films such as sound, camera work and special effects. For camera work I mentioned that only small close up shots of the creature are shown. Extreme close ups are used just before someone or something is about to be killed by it and low shots or mid-shots are used to what the creature is doing in terms of movement. For special effects I talked about in modern films that mostly SGI is used, but in older films the creature was either animatronic robots or people dressed up. For the gore, fake blood and fake organs were used to further increase the fear factor. With the sound used I explain tense music is used to build up suspense but silence is also used strongly as well. The sounds of the creature are often recordings of people that are then edited to give them a more alien feel. Some of the modern films still o this but its becoming quite rare now.

After this I gave a few good examples of films within this genre both old and new to show a complex evolution of this genre over the years. I then explained my personal views on why this genre was enjoyable for me and why these films are clear examples of what I enjoy in a film. Finally to finish off I showed 2 clips from Si-Fi Alien films, one from The Thing(1982) and Prometheus(2012). However I had to put up a warning on the PowerPoint because the first clip featured a gory and slightly disturbing and distressing scene for some faint hearted viewers, saying that if anyone did not want to watch the clip they could do so.

The Thing clip (1982)

 

 

 

 



Prometheus clip (2012)

 

 

Over all I think this presentation went very well and people now know a lot about the Si-Fi alien genre of films. Below is my link to the PowerPoint and I hope you enjoy it!

 



Prelimanry task filming

Now we could get onto doing our filming task. We had our script and cast ready and all we needed to do now was make the task.

We originally decided to film our task off site in a park so it could add suspense into the scene and make our clip look more interesting for the viewers. However due to lack of timing and not being able to meet up too film the task we decided instead to film it somewhere near the school. We dawned to film it in the small garages near the school to add a feeling to the lives of the people in the area and that its common to find drug dealing in rough areas like these. However although the location was good we soon discovered we had a problem, there was no doors for a character to walk through so we decided instead to film our task outside the school grounds near the sports hall.

We soon found the ideal location to film our task where we could get some good shots of our characters as they came towards each other and exchanged their dialog within the scene. I took pictures of the locations we were going to shoot at before the we started our main filming itself. Here are some of the pictures of where we were going to film.

This was the area where Dan and Tom sit on the bench and exchange their dialogs

 

 

This was the bench which Tom walks up the stairs on the way to the bench

 

 

 

This is the door in the sports hall where Tom walked through at the start of the scene.

 

 



For our filming we would start off in the sports door where our drug dealer, Tom. would walk through the door outside. The camera would be at shoulder height and allow Tom to walk into the shot and then cut once he disappeared outside. This is used to give off a sense of curiosity for the audience as they watch the start of the scene.  Next we decided to film Tom walking up the two sets of stairs to the bench where Dan, the guy who is the innocent person in the film, is waiting for him. We recorded these shots down low so that only his lower legs and feet where visible as he was doing so. This was used to create suspicion about what this guy is doing and why he hasn't had his face shown yet.

In between the two scenes where his feet are shown we see the guy on the bench, Dan, looking in front and behind him and craning his neck as though he is looking for someone. For this shot we used a mid-shot so we could see in full detail what the boy is doing and who he is looking for. We also express his feelings in the shot with body language because by showing his body positioning as well as his facial expressions, it helps capture the characters feelings in a more direct way for the audience as they watch, wondering what is going to happen next.

After the second shot of Tom's feet we decided to use a set of very interesting and composed shots in the scene. The first shot we used was a mixed shot showing a close up of Dan's nervous face in the foreground as the primary focus whilst in the back ground Tom, slightly blurred out, can be seen coming up the last of the steps towards Dan on the bench. We used this shot to capture the nervousness of the Character on the bench in more depth by showing his face in more detail with a closer shot of his face, and with Tom walking in the background it blurred out it gives the audience the understanding of why he's nervous and agitated. After that the next shot was a two shot showing Dan sitting on the bench looking at his feet, then Tom walks on and sits down next to him, fitting the two characters perfectly within the same frame. This shot is used to show the emotions between the two characters, Dan who's low and looking down on the floor and not making eye contact whilst Tom is sat upright and expecting that something is going to happen now he has arrived.

Finally at the end of the clip we show a close up of the two characters as they exchange their lines, Dan, still looking nervous and uneasy looks up quickly and says "have you got the stuff?". Then the camera switches its focus onto Tom using the same shot and replies with "Of course I have" with a slight smirk on his face after he says so before the screen cuts to black ending the scene. These shots are used in a way to signal a cliff-hanger about what is going to happen next and adds interest and curiosity after the scene ends.

Once these clips where complete we edited all the scenes in place and instead of adding music, we added only a Non-Diegetic heart beat sound effect to enhance the suspense further as he the characters meet and exchange their Dialog. However we discovered a key problem as Tom's line at the end of the film was quite that the audience could not hear it very well and we tried to make it louder but this did not work. Eventually we had to end the clip earlier buy cutting out his line so the screen cut to black just before he was about to speak. We also used a wide range of transitions in the clip to build up tension and curiosity even when the shots where changing from one to another.

After weeks of preparing and planning and lots of timing filming our task was completed and here is our finished product in the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxwQhun0Gis

Prilimanry task: Script

After our Ideas were completed we then had to write up our script for the scene that we would be filming.

With our scripts we had to include the sub actions that would be happening such as where the character is moving, what camera shots would be used and the use of the sound in the scene as well as what each character was saying. My scripts idea would be set in a local park where the two characters would be able to act out the scene and build tension as the viewers are watching.

The start of my script explains that when it shows the first shot of the park, the location of where we wanted to film our scene, a car pulls up and stops, when this part is shown a mid-shot would be used to show the car in full detail and whilst its doing so the camera would panning across following the cars movement until it stops. The camera will then show a low close up of the lower part of the car door and shows the persons to feet get out of the car and then close it before walking out of the shot. During the course of this scene diegetic sound will be used to show that the situation is normal and the person in the scene is just an everyday person who is minding his own business, showing his innocence.

The camera will then follow person who is walking towards a nearby bench, using a mid-shot to film them with the diegetic sound of the park and car from earlier are still present. He then sits on the bench using a long shot of the bench from behind to show that he my be looking for someone despite the park looking almost empty. Another Mid-shot from an angle then shows the person on the bench looking around for someone with a nervous expression on his face, a sign that maybe he's nervous about meeting this person who he is waiting for.

Next a long shot is used to show the person from a distance before another person in a hoodie comes into shot and becomes a mixture of an over the shoulder shot, by looking over the hoodies shoulder and the person still sat on the bench, which uses a long shot. When the hoodie appears the sound in the scene changes, Tense Non-Diegetic music starts to  play from this point on. After a short pause the hooded figure walks away from the camera towards the bench where the other person is sitting on. The rear Mid-shot of the bench used earlier is used again to show the hoodie sitting down on the bench next to the person  who is waiting for and looks up at him. All the while the non-diegetic music is still playing. The  shot that follows is another over the shoulder shot again from the hoodie as it looks at the other person who still looks nervous and says to the hooded person "Have you got the Money?". Before this line is spoken the Non-Diegetic sound stops completely to return to Diegetic sound to build up tension of what is going to happen between them. A close up shot is used to show the hooded figure handing over a rucksack to the other person. When the hooded person lets go of the ruck sack, a non-diegetic sound of heart beat begins to play.

Finally, using a long shot, the hooded figure gets up and walks away from him and the camera slowly zooms out as he does so before finally the screen cuts to black ending the scene. The heart beat continues to be heard before one final loud beat is heard before it goes silent after the screen goes black.

My Script for my Preliminary task

 



After this was completed Dan and I compared our scripts to see if we could mix them together. We decided to feature my idea of someone arriving in a car at the park, but instead of being the guy who is expecting the hoodie, its the hoodie who arrives in the car and walks over to him. Another key thing we decided to link in was that after when the guy asks the hoodie if he got the stuff, the hooded figure exposes half of his face and says "of course I have" and has a slight smirk on his face and then the screen cuts to black ending it. After we arranged how we could add them in, we where able to start our filming.

Prelimanry task: Ideas

This was the very first task we had to perform before anything else can be done.


Dan and I simply had to brainstorm our ideas about what our film was going to be about. We agreed to run our film along the routes of a thriller film. Our scene would be tense because it involves a young teenager involved in illegal drugs selling within his local school and community.

My basic ideas about filming this scene was for a person who looks like he's an ordinary teenager walks into a park and sits down on a bench where he starts looking around for someone with a worried expression on his face. Eventually someone arrives in a car and a hooded figure gets out and walks towards the bench. The first person asks the hooded person if he has got the money, to which the camera shows him handing a case before walking off away from him and then the screen cuts to black, ending the scene.

My Ideas page

 

 

Dan and I agreed that we would use a mixture of both our ideas by making the screen cut to black at the end of the scene. And someone arriving in a car in the park to show them opening a door. Dan's suggestions included showing half the hoodies face in his close ups and the student listening to light hearted music until he arrives.

 

After we agreed we started to write out our potential ideas for scripts.

Prelimanary task: story board

Our first task was to create a story board about what our mini film would be about. We had to discuss our work with our partner and agree about what task we were going to shoot. Dan and I agreed to do something relating to a drug dealership style of film.

My storyboard involved someone arriving in a car at a park where he sits on a bench, looking anxious looking from left to right  as though he is expecting someone to meet him. After some time a stranger appears and starts walking towards our person on the bench. He sits down next to him with his faced covered the hoodie. The guy says "have you got the stuff?", then the hooded guy gives him a case before walking off away from him without another word before the screen fades to black.

After Dan and I compared each of our storyboards Dan and I agreed to follow his which ran to a similar scenario to mine, only apart from opening a door in a building we decided to make the dealer arrive in a car and sit down with him. We agreed to mix in my dialog with the guy on the bench asking the hoodie about of he has got the stuff he needs and the other person replying that he has. We agreed to mix in camera shots from both of our sequences into our filming and soon we had the bases for a successful short film for our project.

 

 

My Storyboard

After this stage was completed could start our filming stage which we are starting to look forward too doing.

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