shir☾

Sunday, 27 March 2016

Sunday, 13 March 2016

Monday, 7 March 2016

Evaluation: Skills Development

Throughout the process of planning and creating our film, I have learnt many new skills and/or have improved on the ones I wasn't comfortable with. Here is a rating out of 10 of how much understanding I had with the different tools and ideas before and after carrying out the project:

Codes and Conventions: The research I have done on films relating to my project helped me to pick up on different thriller conventions that reach out easily to an audience. Due to our inspiration from films such as The Silence of the Lambs, we quickly drew in what was considered a convention e.g. dark lighting to indicate ominous presence, closed spaces to evoke hopelessness, tension-building music to create anxiety etc. This was really useful when we started filming as the shots can be thought out with more fluidity as we are already familiar with existing ideas.

Planning & Organisation: This part of the project was improved on massively by the filming day. We had to create group chats and meet-ups to select a time that would be suitable for both the actors and us. In the end we managed to secure all of our first choice actors by constant persuasion and some compromise. The location was my attic which took quite a long time to prepare but I feel that this has given me a chance to play with the mise-en-scene of the project. I had to look up different rooms in thriller films to be able to fully capture the eerie and tense ambiance that is needed for our storyline. Our props were collected just in time for filming and I think they all looked professional which steered the film towards a strong amount of verisimilitude.

Camera Work: We didn't have a lot of time to sit and think about all the different types of shots during filming, and so most of it was based on initial planning and instinct. We understood what kind of image each position would create, and had to analyse some of the shots as we went along. I think this was my most productive and efficient use of the camera as we agreed with most of the angles from where we would take the shots.

Visual effects: We didn't use many effects due to the chosen filter which cloaked the whole film. I think this helped to create authenticity and a sense of still consistency amidst the chaos of the plot. However, we had to mess around with the tools in the editing software to integrate some shots that were filmed later outside of the scene. A dark tone was added to the music box shot to blend it in with the rest of the video.

Editing: Our edits revolved around minimalism and long, still shots. This is because of our preference for touches of realism and slow absorption of each imagery in the frame. We tried to time each shot perfectly e.g. an immediate cut to another shot from when the doll suddenly blinks.

Creative Confidence: This was where I felt a vast improvement on in comparison to all the other skills. I think filming this opening really revealed to me the essence of thrillers and how they are distinguished from other genres of film such as horror. The hesitation and on-the-edge feeling of our opening really reflects what I feel is at the heart of thrillers- a churning discomfort and unease.

Thursday, 25 February 2016

Evaluation: Distribution

How would it be distributed as a real media text?

Our film revolves around a dark theme and I think this plays on the verge of film noir. It may not be appealing to the majority of people looking to have a good time and escape into the world of idealistic storytelling, but I think it would attract many passionate critics and lovers of thrillers.

I don’t think this is a mainstream blockbuster because of its controversial topic and storyline. It would not play well into screenings for families or younger children as it may question people’s moralities and beliefs. However, it would be suitable for smaller and more specific audiences who enjoy films that push boundaries and display disturbing ideals.

I wouldn’t release it directly on Netflix or any streaming websites as it would lose that mysterious, elusive backdrop of the storyline. As this film is more inclined towards presenting artistic ideas rather than attracting a mass audience, I don’t think it would be wise to push it towards a handful of distributors at the same time.

We may however, showcase it at more artistic places such as the Sundance Film Festival. This is because they are known for entering work from international independent filmmakers which is very fitting for our project. It is also packed with passionate film critics who are looking for something deep within the messages of the narrative, and so the controversial, ambiguous codes will not be lost on them.

The release date may be sometime in late November or early December as it is still in winter which gives the connotation of a bleak period of the year. This, in my opinion, is more suitable than days with big celebrations such as Halloween or New Years as the opening suggests a quieter and more absorbing film than if it were to be a past-time where you can look away from the screen to have a chat and not miss anything central to the plot. We rely a lot on the details in the cinematography to help push along the story.

Sunday, 21 February 2016

Evaluation: Audience

I used YouGov profile to get an idea of the target audience for our film opening. I have done this by searching up the demographics of people with the same common interest in a film. For this purpose, I have chosen three films which I think correlates with our project: Silence of the Lambs, Misery, and Sleuth. In all of these data, the general idea of our audience would be a male aged forty to fifty four with rather serious, objective professions such as law, police, government, and the military.

It is also presented that they all listed crossword puzzles as an interest. This is particularly fascinating to me as the life-threatening situation portrayed in films such as Sleuth and Misery ensures that the protagonist comes up with a plan to outwit his/her opponent. The enjoyment from outside-the-box thinking can also be applied to our opening as the audience may be drawn into figuring out a way for the victim to reach safety and the storyline to equilibrium which therefore unconsciously creates a deep sense of empathy crucial to an emotional cinematic experience.

The personality section of the profiles reveals adjectives such as grumpy, insecure and withdrawn. These seem to fall under the same category of negative qualities and unsatisfactory lives. This may explain why the killer’s unusual demeanour may be appealing to the target audience, especially through relation with an unhealthy state of mind.