Weekly Update

Now that I have finished most of my planning I have booked out a camera to begin filming the opening sequence of my film. I have scheduled my actors to film at the weekend and told them what to wear.

Cast Availability

Louisa Robinson:
Free Periods..
-Tuesday 3rd
-Wednesday Lunch Time
-Thursday 2nd
Lucy Cullingworth:Free Periods..
-Monday 2nd, 3rd and 4th
-Thursday 2nd and 3rd

Joe Henning:
Weekends

Props list

- A Knife
The knife is to show the manner in which Anna was killed and how the weapon was discarded of by her father to stop her death being uncovered by authority's.





- Record Player
The record player shows the audience that something supernatural is happening in the house as the music starts to waver, however it also fuses a connection between Polly and Anna as the record player was originally Anna's and Polly found it in the attic when she moved in.




- Vinyl
This is a vital prop as it means that the music will be diagetic.



- A crochet blanket to set the story as being in the 70's but also to create a link between John and Anna


- Fake Blood
The red of the blood connotes danger, however just the blood itself shows that something sinister has happened.







- 1970's posters
The posters will set the era of the film and help to distinguish it from the present





- A black bin liner

Health & Safety

As most of my locations are indoors there are no huge potential danger hazards as there would be if I were shooting mainly outdoors. However one of my locations is Bridlington Beach, potentially this is very dangerous with regards to going to far into the water. Therefore to avoid this issue I will make sure I don't go too far close to the water.

Screenplay

SHOT 1:
LONG SHOT & PAN
Polly walks into her bedroom as the camera pans to follow her. She stands in front of her mirror watching her reflection and begins brushing her hair.

Shot 2:
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
She continues to brush her hair and wipes her eyes.

Shot 3:
LONG SHOT & POINT OF VIEW
A point of view shot from Polly. The camera pans in a erratic manner across her bedroom.

Shot 4:
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Polly turns back around to look in the mirror.

Shot 5:
LONG SHOT & PAN
The camera pans to follow Polly as she walks towards her record player kneels down and opens the lid.

Shot 6:
CLOSE UP
Polly's hand moving the needle onto the vinyl.

Shot 7:LONG SHOT & PAN
Polly stands up from her record player and walks over to her bed.

Shot 8:
LONG SHOT
Polly pulls back the quilt and climbs into bed. She moves her cushions to get comfortable and closes her eyes.

Shot 9:
MEDIUM LONG SHOT
Polly starts to drift further asleep

Shot 10:
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Polly is now almost asleep and the cup on her bedside table begins to move seemingly on its own accord.

Shot 11:
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
The noise on the record player begins to jolt and the record player slows down.

Shot 12:
LONG SHOT
Polly is in bed and the music continues to jump

Shot 13:
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Zooms in towards Polly's eye.

Shot 14:
LONG SHOT
We are now in Polly's nightmare. A tracking shot of a street is seen.

Shot 15:
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
A hand opening a door

Shot 16:
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Bloody hand laid on the kitchen floor.

Shot 17:
LONG SHOT
Walking down a desolate beach as the tide comes in.

Shot 18:
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Bloody knife dropping on a leafy floor

Shot 19:
LONG SHOT
Anna's bedroom door slamming

Shot 20:
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Bloody hands been washed in a 1970's green sink

Shot 21:
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Anna smiling at the camera


Shot 22:
LONG SHOT
Black bin liner in the sea

Shot 23:
LONG SHOT
Anna walking down the street and turning around to smile at the camera

Shot 24:
LONG SHOT
John Ward sat on the sofa looking angry.

Shot 25:LONG SHOT
Pan across the beach

Shot 26:MEDIUM LONG SHOT
Bloody bed sheets on Anna's bed

Shot 27:LONG SHOT
Anna in the hallway in the hallway wearing a bloody dress

Shot 28:MEDIUM CLOSE UP
White noise on the television

Shot 29:MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Water on the beach

Shot 30:
LOW ANGLE
Clouds rolling past the house

Shot 31:
LONG SHOT
Tracking in wooden secluded area

Shot 32:
CLOSE UP
Anna with blood on her face

Shot 33:
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
Polly suddenly waking up

Influential Film Clips

1) The Ring - Gore Verbinski (2002)



The cursed video tape featured in "The Ring" is one of my influential media texts due to it been a montage, just like I want in my chosen sequence. The disorientation in the film is what appeals to me to use it as an inspiration. From this clip I have gained some ideas of using a shot of the sea and a forest, these also fit perfectly into my narrative as the sea is where John Ward abandoned Anna's body and the forest is where he discarded of the weapons used.

2) An American Haunting - Courtney Solomon (2005)



This clip is perfect for inspiration for the scenes in my film sequence were objects seemingly move on their own. As the protagonist in this film is also a teenager it gives me a further indication towards the type of clothing that is used in a film of this genre.

Storyboard

Todorov narrative theory

1. Equilibrium 
Polly moves from the countryside into the suburbs into a new house. She quickly settles in.

2. Disruption of the Equilibrium
She begins to have violent and aggressive nightmares that seem to depict an attack in her very bedroom and house.

3. Recognition of the disruption
She soon discovers the objects from her nightmares in her house and makes a connection between the nightmares and something that must have previously happened in the house. She goes to her local library and conducts some research which leads her to discovering that a girl named Anna who used to inhabit her house went missing in the 1970's and the case was never resolved.

4. An attempt to repair the damage
Polly goes to the police believing that John Ward, Anna's father killed Anna. She tells the police that she believes Anna was buried on a beach.

5. New equilibrium 
The police reopen the investigation and discover that Polly was right and Anna's father who is currently in a mental home did in fact murder Anna and consequently the nightmares come to an abrupt end.

Character List

Protagonist -
Name: Polly Dixon  (Played by Louisa Robinson)
Age: 17
Where they live: An English Countryside
Role in the film: Polly moves in to a new house with her parents and nightmares begin to happen, therefore she is sent on a quest to find out the scary truth behind these realistic nightmares.
Costume: Polly dresses in modern day clothing as she is living in 2012.

Here is a photograph of Louisa Robinson who is playing Polly...

Antagonist -
Name: Anna Ward (Played by Lucy Cullingworth)
Age: 16 (She died at the age of 16 in 1974)
Where they live: Anna previously lived in the house that Polly now inhabits in the Countryside.
Role in the film: Anna went missing when she was murdered by her father in 1974 and her case has never been resolved. When a family move into her house for the first time since her death she makes a connection with their teenage daughter and starts to haunt her dreams in hope of justice being served.
Costume: A 70's dress to show her era

Here is a photograph of Lucy Cullingworth who is playing Anna...

Antagonist -
Name: John Ward
Age: 46 (In the 70's when he killed his daughter)
Where they live: He now lives in a mental hospital in Southern England but he previously lived in Polly's current house.
Role in the film: He is the antagonist as he killed his daughter and claimed she went missing therefore justice wasn't served and Polly began having horrible nightmares.
Costume: A suit and tie as he's stern.

Costume list w/ Photos

Costume:

Anna Ward -1970's bell bottom sleeve dress
1970's Brogues
This will depict and establish the era in which Anna lived in as the bell bottom sleeves are a symbolic of the 60s/70s era


Polly Dixon -
Jeans
Plain T-shirt
This helps the audience to identify that Polly is living in today's era (2012)

John Ward - 
Shirt
Trousers
Tie
The suit and tie gives strong connotations of being a strong and perhaps stern character.

Locations

Location 1:Polly's bedroom. This is where Polly sleeps and therefore the setting for her nightmares to begin. Polly lives in 2012 and therefore her bedroom is modern, featuring a television and modern surroundings, this is in stark contrast to her nightmares which depict the same room but in the 70's. When Polly moved in there was a record player in her bedroom which she has kept and becomes a motif for her nightmares to commence.

Here is a photograph of the location I am using for the bedroom scene...

Location 2:
In Polly's nightmare there is a tracking shot/point of view shot going down the street she lives down, this establishes the connection between her house and her nightmares. It is a suburban setting with lots of houses.

Here is a photograph of the location I am using for this shot...

Location 3:
Outside of Polly's front door that's opening, this indicates that something happened in Polly's house.

Here is a photograph of the door I am using for this shot...

Location 4:A kitchen with a wooden floor showing a sprawled out bloody arm, from earlier on in the film when Polly is moving in we know that this kitchen is hers.

Here is a photograph of the kitchen I am using for this shot...

Location 5:
A desolate beach, we find out later in the film that this is where Anna's body was disposed of.

Here is a photograph of the beach I am using for this shot...

Location 6:
A wooded forest with a leafy floor where the weapons used to kill Anna were disposed of.

Here is a photograph of the forest I am using for this shot...

Location 7:
The same bedroom door that Polly walked through in the first shot, however it now has 1970's posters on the door.

Here is a photograph of the door I am using for this shot...








Location 8:
A green 1970's bathroom sink, this strengthens the link further that something sinister happened in Polly's house previous to her living there.

Here is a photograph of the bathroom I am using for this shot...

Location 9:
A garden with Anna sat in it.

Here is a photograph of the garden I am using for this shot...

Location 10:
Polly and Anna's house

Here is a photograph showing the house and angle I am using for this shot...

Location 11:

Anna's living room

Here is a photograph of the living room I am using...

Story type

The Quest:
The character is set a task to find someone or something. He accepts the challenge, searches for and finds the someone or something. He is then rewarded, or not, for his success in the question (e.g. Star Wars, George Lucas, US 1977)

My film fits this story type because Polly goes on a quest to discover why she is having these bizarre nightmares and why the objects in the nightmares are in her loft. Her quest is to gain answers, she does this by conducting research at her local library and as a result finds out about Anna the girl who used to live in her house who went missing in the 70's. Consequently Anna's missing persons case is closed as her father is discovered to be the killer and justice is served. Therefore Polly is rewarded with the discontinuation of the nightmares.

Film brief specification

The creative project is worth 60 marks, the small scale research unit is worth 40 marks.

Aims and context - required for assessment
Creative product - 45 marks
Evaluation - 15 marks

The film/video production option of FM3 gives you the opportunity to:

Develop an extended sequence from an imagined feature

OR

Develop a complete short film of between 3 and 5 minutes

Film Animatic

Here is my Film Animatic, I created it by drawing a story board and taking photos of them, I then uploaded them onto Windows Movie Maker and made them into a sequence..

Maltese Falcon Remake

Yasmin Burhan (Cast & Editor)
Lucy Cullingworth (Cast & Camera)
Stevie-Lee Ingham (Cast & Camera)
Chantelle Norman-Golding (Cast & Camera)


Filming Schedule:
Monday 8th October - 5th Period (Everyone)
Tuesday 9th October - Lunch time (Everyone)
Wednesday 10th October - 3rd Period (Everyone)
Thursday 11th October - 1st Period (Everyone)
Friday 12th October - 3rd Period (Everyone)

 Editing Schedule:
Monday 15th October - Periods 2,3, Lunch and 4th (Lucy and Yasmin)


Final Product:




Bloopers:




Evaluation:We were set the task of remaking the opening scene from 'Maltese Falcon' in groups of four, this was so that we could gain a vital insight into what goes into the making of a film. It was very useful in learning about the importance of lighting, cinematography and performance.
Unfortunately due to an English Literature trip and a illness from a key member of the group we started off the task two lessons later than originally planned and this had a great impact on our work meaning we were very behind with our planning. Once we started our planning we cast the characters, fortunately there are four characters and four members. therefore we each had a role to play. None of our group are actresses and I feel this made our final product look a lot less professional than we initially planned. Our group had difficulty learning scripts, this shows in the final piece. My hand can be seen holding a script as Lucy reads from it. Both the errors of time keeping and bad acting has encouraged me to be a lot better prepared in my own film. I know that time management is key and making sure that all cast are available at the same time. Lucy and I had the main acting parts, as a result Stevie and Chantelle took it in turns to film. This was decided in the planning as both of them said they wanted to get use to using the cameras in preparation for their own films.
In the planning process we planned to use one location in our college's media department, however due unforeseen circumstances including lessons and revision classes we were unable to always use this room. We changed locations 3 times and this is clearly seen in the final product. Another disadvantage of changing locations was the lighting, the windows were placed in different places in each room, meaning that lighting was terrible. We really struggled to keep the lighting consistent with opening and closing blinds, however we weren't successful. From this I have learnt that good and consistent lighting is really key to the making of a film.
Stevie made a storyboard in the planning stages which was a huge help in the making of the video, we referred to it for angles, duration and props/costume. This has urged me to make a good and understandable storyboard for my own film.
We tried to be true to the costumes in the original Maltese Falcon, therefore Lucy wore a large coat with a faux fur collar and Stevie and I wore suit jackets so we would be easily identifiable as men.
In conclusion I think the remake was somewhat of a success however I found that planning was essential and we should of spent more time with regards to locations and learning of scripts. I think we put in a lot of effort as we dedicated a few lunch times to trying to finish off the reconstruction.

Aims and Context

For my FM3 Creative Project I am going to produce a sequence from my imagined film "Possession". The Genre is Horror, however it also had surrealist elements such as the dream sequences which I plan to film when Polly goes to sleep. I hope to use the codes and conventions of horror to convey the genre and to appeal to my target audience of 15-24yr old's. My aim will be to introduce and explore narrative, mise-en-scene, sound and editing. The narrative is key to the film as it helps to establish a connection with the audience. Mise-en-scene and sound will identify my sequence within the horror genre and fast paced editing will create a scary atmosphere and an enigma as the audience won't fully be aware of what has previously happened in the house until the end of the film and giving the sequence surrealist elements.

In order to assist with this project I have been studying "An American Haunting" and "The Ring", this is as I believe they are similar to what I am hoping to achieve in my film and chosen sequence. 

I intend to direct, edit, write, film and produce the piece from my imagined film "Possession". 

Synopsis
When Polly moves into a new house with her parents in the suburbs she begins to have strange and distorted nightmares. However these nightmares become even stranger when she begins to find objects from the nightmares hidden in her attic. Her dreams are blurred and distorted but seem to depict a violent attack in her very bedroom, this is the disruption in the narrative. Disturbed by these dreams Polly conducts some research at her local library and quickly discovers that a girl named ‘Anne’ who previously lived in the house had gone missing and her case had never been resolved. The nightmares become more violent and frequent and eventually Polly goes to the police and the investigation is reopened. It is discovered that the father of Anne was her killer and he is arrested, the film ends with the resolution of Anne’s case been resolved and the nightmares stopping as justice was served.

My chosen sequence is when Polly settles down for the night to watch television, after a tiring day she falls asleep and the television begins to flicker. The camera then zooms in towards her eyes therefore we can see what she is dreaming. A montage of her nightmare is then shown depicting a violent attack and an isolated beach as this is where ‘Anne’ was buried. The scene ends as Polly awakes suddenly still shivering and shaking from the nightmare.

Yasmin Burhan

Genre Essay
The film I have decided to make is of the ‘horror’ genre; therefore through research of existing horror films I have identified some codes and conventions within that genre. Use of props within horror films seem to be at the fore front of the genre, knifes, axes and chainsaws are used by the antagonist in his quest to kill or harm the protagonist, these weapons are seen in classic horror films such as ‘Psycho’, ‘The Shining’ and ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. These weapons are iconography of the genre.

However in recent films the dynamic of the genre has changed and directors are taking a more paranormal edge within the films they make by having ghosts and spirits as the antagonist, therefore the use of props are still important but the prop has changed. This is seen in ‘Paranormal activity’ were props are used solely for the purpose of seeing the poltergeists movement in the house and not to kill the protagonist. In ‘Paranormal Activity’ the props used are beds, plates and chairs which aren’t scary objects such as knives are but they’re used in a different context to what they usually are. Also within the mise-en-scene of the horror genre is use of lighting. Horror usually uses low key lighting to add a sense of mystery to the scene as it casts shadows of the unknown. This is primarily seen in horrors with a subgenre of a ‘thriller’. Colour is a hugely vital in the horror genre as it helps to give the audience a sense of what is to come such as use of colour red can foreshadow blood and danger. In ‘The Sixth Sense’ red is prominently used to show things that ‘have been tainted by the other world’ such as the red carpet, Cole’s red jumper and the doorknob on the basement door.

The colours Black and Red are prominently used; they’ve become part of the iconography of the horror genre. 

One convention of the horror genre is use of sound. In films such as ‘Psycho’ the director uses screeching violins to add intensity and give the audience a sense of what’s to come. The sound varies though depending on the style of horror, in Jaws the antagonist is a shark and therefore crashing chords are used to coincide with the sharks crashing teeth heading towards to protagonist. These films often also include ambient diagetic sounds so as to add realism making the film more of a success among audiences.

A classic narrative structure is primarily used in scary films, there is a disruption however it is often resolved by the protagonist who represents the ‘moral’ side of the community, he or she is the only one left standing after all the other ‘immoral’ characters are killed, these are often blonde teenagers living in the suburbs, such as in ‘Final Destination’, however the ending is also often left on a cliff hanger leading to sequels being made such as Halloween 2. Themes within the horror narrative often include bad vs. evil, revenge, supernatural, nightmares, insanity and childhood issues. Character types often differ hugely within films as there is a massive variety of horror films. However conventionally a horror would include the protagonist, they are the hero or victim of the movie such as ‘Scotty’ in Jeepers Creepers. Their opposition is the antagonist, this character often changes as the dynamic of the genre changes, earlier horrors featured monsters, aliens, and insane people. Recent films have opted for a more supernatural and ‘creepy’ child edge, such as ‘The Orphan’. Other characters include the ‘immoral’ society’ and often police officers that can be good or bad such as in ‘Maniac Cop’.

The cinematography used is generally very similar throughout the full of genre. Canted angles add a sense of mysterious disorientation to the film and also signify that perhaps the protagonist’s world has been ‘turned upside down’. Hand held cameras are often used to add a realistic edge to the film resulting in the audience been drawn further into the narrative, they also make it harder to decipher what’s going on in the shot making things more unusual and distorted. Point of View shots also have the similar and desired effect of engaging with the audience. Jump cuts are often seen within the genre as they quicken the pace of the film, this is seen in Jaws as the shark faster approaches the protagonist. Non-diagetic sounds from supposed poltergeists or monsters are seen in films such as paranormal activity, they’re non-diagetic and therefore scare the audience as they don’t know where the sounds are coming from.

Horrors are mainly set in isolated and remote places such as woods, deserted roads and abandoned houses such as in ‘The Shining’.