Preliminary Task

This is the link to my preliminary task:

http://xoxrach19xox.blogspot.com/2010/10/preliminary-task-video.html

Below is my Preliminary Task Evaluation:

Preliminary Task

The preliminary task I have just completed was a very useful way of learning how to operate the camera, edit on the computer and to work as a team. The preliminary task was to film someone enter a room, sit down and have a conversation using filming techniques.
The filming techniques we learnt were how to use the 180 degree rule, the over the shoulder shot used for conversations, a camera following someone, and using continuity where one action moves into another, for example filming someone walking through a door showing both sides of the door. We also learnt to zoom, how to use tri-pods and make use of the room we were in. The 180-degree shot is best understood by imaginably drawing a line down the centre of the frame and keeping the camera on one side of the line but able to move it up, down, left and right but cannot cross the line as that changes the audience’s perspective of the shot. The match-on-action is where an action is continued into the next for example in this task an exterior shot of the character opening the door which moves to an interior shot of them entering the room. The shot/reverse shot is normally where one character is sitting down and looking at the other character that is off screen. The shot then switches to them, looking back at the original character. This is how most conversations are filmed.
We learnt to use the editing tool on the Mac computer called Final Cut Express. Whilst using Final Cut express, I came across a sound adjustment tool; this was very useful in making an unwanted sound of a plane in my film much more quiet than before.
During the preliminary task we started to learn from our mistakes, such as practical issues. The whole preliminary task including the filming and the editing was very time consuming. Sometimes rooms were not available, therefore in the future we need to make sure we had a room booked so we did lose any valuable time. Other issues were unwanted sounds. We need to make sure that the surrounding areas are quiet before filming, as sometimes there were children’s voices in the background.
For the storyboard we wrote a basic script and planned it out on an A3 piece of paper showing each shot; this was extremely helpful for when we started to film. There were some issues with filming the shots as when we came to edit we found that I was standing in Holly’s shot, we must make sure that there is nobody in the shot that isn’t needed. Also occasionally there was a reflection of the person filming in a glass window or door, we would need to make sure the person filming stood at an angle where they would not be seen in a reflection. Another issue was the heights of people; I originally used Kayleigh to knock at the door and Shereen to answer but because Kayleigh is considerably taller than Shereen, Kayleigh blocked her out. We decided to switch them around so Shereen was to knock at the door and Kayleigh to answer, this worked much better.
For our films most of us used props, such as an X Factor ticket and a clock. The clock was filmed hand held so it came out a bit shaky; I should have used the tri-pod, as sometimes the handheld camera movement was too obvious.
Overall the preliminary task was a great way to learn how to use filming techniques, learn from our mistakes and understand how to use Final Cut Express on the Mac computer. We had a camera operator come visit us one lesson and he gave us tips on how to improve our film techniques. First of all we showed him our preliminary videos and he told us what we did wrong for example having too much room above peoples heads, this was very helpful. It would be great if he could come and visit again to give us advice with our actual first 2 minutes of a film.

Final Film

filming is finished

Finally we have finished our filming and have started to upload it. Soon we will continue editing including adding in voices overs etc.

Filming

The last filming dates will be 15th Febuary at 1:05-2:10pm with Tara and Sorcha and at 5-6:30pm with Beth and Radz.
Here is the guideline to the weather;

Task 9: True Blood Title Sequence

Task 7: Sub-genres in horror

Extreme:
It's, well, extreme. It goes straight to the blood-and-guts and aims for the gross-out without hesitation. In guidelines you might find terms like "splat," "splatter," or "splatterpunk" and "gore," "grue," and "gross." (Most GLs tell you to AVOID these things.) Splatterpunk, by the way, was just a label made up to describe the "young Turks" bringing a more visceral, gritty edge to horror 10-15 years ago.

Noir:
Usually set in an urban underworld of crime and moral ambiguity. Dark, cynical, paranoid themes of corruption, alienation, lust, obsession, violence, revenge and the difficulty of finding redemption in a far from perfect world. An oppressive atmosphere of menace, pessimism, anxiety, suspicion, and dingy realism. You'll also find the term in combinations like neo-noir, future noir or noir sf, tech-noir.

Psychological Horror:
Based on the disturbed human psyche. Obviously psychos on rampages fall into this category, but it is just as often more subtle. Since the reader's perception is sometimes altered by exposure to an insane viewpoint, psychological horror can also deal with ambiguous reality and seem to be supernatural.

Supernatural:
The rules of the normal world don't apply; ghosts, demons, vampires, werewolves, the occult etc. Within this sub genre is an ever-growing list of sub-sub-genres -- most of which deal with vampires.

Surreal:
Not really sub-generic, it can be used just to mean unreal; strange or bizarre. Or it can be used to tie a style to the surrealist movement in art and literature that attempted to express the subconscious and move beyond accepted conventions of reality by representing the irrational imagery of dreams and bizarre juxtapositions.

Suspense (or Dark Suspense) and Thriller:
No supernatural elements, but a constant sense of threat coming from an outside menace. Add a strong investigative angle and becomes mystery more than horror. Add action and adventure to suspense and you come up with "thriller" -- except you can have "supernatural thrillers."


www.fictionfactor.com/articles/hsubgenres.html

Task 6 AUDIENCE EXPECTATIONS

What do you expect?
Holly- jumpy scenes and scary music
Beth – to get an adrenalin rush
Lizzie- jumpiness
Shereen- scary thrills
Helen- to be hiding behind the sofa

Do you find them scary?
Holly- yeah my heart races
Beth – I prefer to find them tense
Lizzie- yeah
Shereen- yes I find them jumpy
Helen- yes but still love watching them

What sort of characters would you expect in a horror?
Holly- Innocent victim and a murderer
Beth – Normal characters with something that goes wrong, e.g.: Murderer targets them.
Lizzie- creepy men
Shereen- fast zoomed shots of characters
Helen- young female victim and creepy male villains

What age group is a horror normally targeted at?
Holly- teenagers
Beth – teenagers and young adults.
Lizzie- young adults and teenagers.
Shereen- 15+
Helen- teenagers 13+

What sort of story line do you expect?
Holly- everything is fine until something happens and everyone’s scared.
Beth – I love twists, especially when you really don’t expect them.
Lizzie- Realistic and then something going wrong and not very realistic
Shereen- mysterious but sympathy for the main character
Helen- lots of unexpected twists and mystery

What atmosphere?
Holly- tension
Beth – Tense, nervous, exciting etc.
Lizzie- tense
Shereen- dark, gloomy and intense
Helen- very tense, scary and uncanny