Costumes

 

Throughout my film sequence, the main character portrayed wears two outfits. One of which is supposed to represent her as a ghost and the other as a happy little girl.

 

This is the dress 'Sophia Dash' will be wearing when she
 is a ghost. I chose this dress because it is simple and plain,
therefore not complicating her character.

 

This dress will be worn by 'Sophia Dash' when she
is portraying herself as a happy, little girl playing.
I chose this dress because it is a variety of bright
colours, much like childrens clothes are, therefore
portraying happiness through these bright colours.

 

Props




Clock: This clock will feature in my film for approximately 10 seconds and the ticking of the clock will be emphasised. The use of this prop is to add tension to my sequence as it is shown on screen for a lengthy amount of time leaving the audience thinking what is going to happen next. It is also to represent how time is irrelevant in nightmares.

Doll/s: Both of these dolls, together, are featured within
 my short film sequence because dolls are related to young children,
 especially young girls, which is the main focus of my short
 film sequence. Also, dolls can be seen as 'creepy' to some audiences,
especially with the use of editing, and as my film sequence is of the
 horror genre, the use of dolls emphasises this.

Balloon: This balloon will used for approximately 7 seconds
throughout my short film sequence as it will be shown travelling down the stairs. The reason I have chosen this particular prop is because balloons are often associated with children and as the main focus of my short film sequene is a child in the form of a ghost, this prop emphasises this focus.

Doll's House: The use of a doll house will be featured a number of times throughout my film sequence because, like many other of my props, it is usually related to  young children, especially young girls. So again, this prop emphasises the focus of my short film sequence as well as emphasising the genre of my horror with the correct use of editing. 

Slide: This prop will feature once within my short film sequence for approximately 5 seconds. It will be used to emphasise the child within my sequence as it is a very child related prop. So, this prop emphasises the focus of my entire film.

Release Form

 As my film sequence is starring a young child, I have asked for a signed release form from the parents of the chosen actress as well as the actors considered. Here is an example of the release form I have sent and underneath are the signed release forms.

To Parent/Carer,

As part of my A2 Film Studies coursework I am required to produce a short film sequence. In doing so I would like your son/daughter to take part in this as the main character. Your son/daughter will be playing the part of a ghost and therefore, will have to act upset quite frequently throughout filming as well as angry. There are also some happier scenes which your son/daughter will be part of where he/she has to simply act him/herself by playing around with toys.

If you consent to your son/daughter being part of my coursework then that would be much appreciated. Please sign below if you agree to the above.

..........................................................

Thanks,

Stevie :)



 

Richard Dean: This is signed by the father of Curtis.
I have not decided to use Curtis as the main
 character within my film sequence.

John Clarkson: This consent form is signed by the

 father of Charlie, who I have not decided to

 use within my film but, like Curtis, his image is

 shown on my blog.

 

Gail Clarkson: This consent form is signed by the
mother of Laura Grey, who is the young girl I have
 decided to star in my short film sequence.

 

Final Characters

 

'Sophia Dash' played by Laura Grey 

 

 Sophia is a six year old ghost of her former self, who is currently haunting the house she used to live in with her abusive, alcoholic uncle. She was murdered by him and now wishes to seek revenge on anyone who enters her house. She is tall for her age and slim. She has dark brown hair and brown eyes. Throughout the film sequence Sophia wears two outfits, one which is a white dress and one which is a multicoloured dress.  
The reason I have decided to cast Laura Grey as the part of Sophia is because she is very good at playing the part I wish for her to play. Also, she lives in the house in which I am filming the whole of my sequence in, therefore it would be convenient for me to cast Laura as the part of Sophia.



'Bethani Mills' played by Gail Clarkson

Bethani is a 34 year old married woman who has recently moved into a new home with her husband. She begins to get haunted by the young ghost of Sophia Dash. After having a nightmare featuring the ghost, Bethani begins to investigate into who the young girl is and why she is haunting her and her husband's new home. Bethani is 5 ft 5 with short brown hair.
The reason I have decided to cast Gail as the part of Bethani is because she is nearer the age of the character Bethani than the other people I took into consideration. Also, like Laura, Gail lives in the house which I am filming the entire of my sequence in therefore to cast Gail would be convenient.



Casting Considerations

Before I plan to start filming I need to consider some actors/actresses for the roles of 'Sophia/Robbie' and 'Bethani'.

'Sophia/ Robbie' Considerations 




Curtis: Curtis is three years old and the reason I am considering
using him for the part of Robbie is because he has very distinguishing
facial features therefore I believe he would play the part of a ghost child
very well.



Laura Louise Grey: Laura is seven years old and
I am considering her for the part as, like Curtis, she is very good
at looking scary. Also, Laura live's close to me therefore she is
easy to access whenever I need to film. I also believe she will be very
obedient and a good actress.

Charlie Clarkson: Charlie is three years old
and is very good at acting in the sort of
manner I need for my film sequence.



'Bethani' Considerations

Sophie Jessop: I am considering using

Sophie for the part of 'Bethani' as she has helped
me before when I have needed her to do some acting
therefore I know she is reliable and good at been obedient
and acting well.



Stevie-Lee Ingham: I am considering using
myself for the part of 'Bethani' as I will be able to play
the part how I wish for it to be played. Also, if I use
myself I won't have any reliability problems.

Gail Clarkson: I am considering using Gail for the part
of 'Bethani' as I know she is reliable and lives fairly close to me.
Also, Gail is more of the age of  'Bethani' than
my other considerations therefore using Gail will make
my charcters identity more believable.



Aims and Context

The aim of my film 'Trespass' is to frighten and shock the audience by producing a film sequence from an imagined feature based upon the horror genre codes and conventions. The sequence from my film that I am going to produce is a nightmare that the protagonist is having where she witnesses a young ghostlike child running about her and her husband’s new house. The end of my sequence will show the protagonist waking up in an uncomfortable state to which she discovers the ghostlike child from her nightmare sat upon her bed. The audience are unaware that it is a nightmare until the end of the sequence but are able to guess through the use of the stylistics portrayed throughout the sequence.

I aim to create tension through the use of cinematography by using conventional camera techniques such as expressive camerawork which is not particularly naturally. The sound I will use will be high stringed to make the audience feel uncomfortable and tense. As well as this I will also use non-diegetic sounds such as heartbeats and laughter. I will also use quick shot transitions as part of the editing to build tension and attempt to frighten and shock the audience.

I aim to use conventional codes of the horror genre such as isolated settings and the use of ghosts as this will allow the audience to identify with what genre of film they are viewing.

To help decide what aims I should try and achieve from my chosen genre, I have being watching many horror films such as, 'The Ring', 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' and 'The Blair Witch Project'.

To summarise, the context of my production is a nightmare and the aim of the context, through the use of stylistics, is to shock and scare/frighten the audience through producing a horror genre based sequence. I believe through the use of stylistics I will achieve my aim of shocking and frightening the target audience which is mainstream; mainly those aged between 15 and 25. My chosen sequence develops the disruption within the narrative.

Stylistics: How they will be used within my film sequence to create meaning

Cinematography

Throughout the production of my film sequence the cinematography I aim to create is that of which is  conventional of the horror genre. I plan to use many high and low angle shots as this will create a power effect which is conventional of the horror genre. I am also planning to use many close ups of the antagonist to add tension to the sequence as well as using many point of view shots from the antagonist as this is also a convention of the horror genre.

Sound

The sound I am planning on using throughout my film sequence is high stringed as this will build tension throughout the sequence and making the audience feel tense is part of my aim. I also aim to use ‘scary’ music, as this, obviously, adds to the haunting effect I am trying to create throughout my film sequence. I am planning on using ambient sounds such as footsteps as this adds realism to the sequence and is conventional of the horror genre. Within my sequence there is not much dialogue but there is laughter from a young child as well as footsteps from a young child. The use of children within horror is conventional as they are seen as scarier than adults within the genre.

 The clip below is an example of children singing in A Nightmare on Elm Street, portraying the scariness of children in horror films ->

Theme Tune (A Nightmare on Elm Street)

Performance

The characters used within my film sequence consist of a young boy/girl and a 40 year old woman. The young child’s performance will consist of partly running around, playing like a young child normally behaves. The most part of his/her performance will consist of playing the part of a ghost therefore looking upset most of the time, showing a vacant expression and moving particularly slowly. The use of a ghost like performance enhances the genre as ghosts are conventional of the horror genre. The performance of the older woman will consist of her looking shocked and scared but her performance will only last approximately five/seven seconds.

Mis-en-scene

The mis-en-scene I am going to use within my film sequence is conventional of the horror genre. As my sequence consists of a young child, children’s toys will be placed within the sequence therefore enforcing the continuity between the performer and mis-en-scene. As the sequence is set in a house then, obviously, household furniture will be placed in the sequence to reinforce the setting of my film sequence.

Editing

The editing I will use within my film sequence will be conventional of the horror genre as I will use multiple jump cuts to build tension I will use many fade to black edits as this will add tension when a shot appears after the black as the audience will be unaware as to what will appear, which is conventional of the horror genre. The speed of some of the shots will be in fast forward and some of them will be in slow motion as this will add to the surrealism of my film sequence.

The editing used within the film clip below is the style of editing I aim to replicate within my film sequence ->

Killer Video Tape (The Ring)

Influences

 'The Ring'

 

My main influence for my film sequence is the 'killer video tape' from 'The Ring', 2002 directed by Gore Verbinski. The use of cinematography, editing and sound within this film clip is the style which I aim to use within my film sequence. My sequence will also be in black and white as this one is, however mine will include some minor colour. The use of shot transitions within this short film sequence is what I aim to replicate within my 3-5 minute film sequence. I am going to use similar background sound as I believe it gives a real haunting affect as part of this sequence and that is the affect I wish to achieve also. My short film sequence will also replicate the continuity this film sequence portrays.

'A Nightmare on Elm Street'

 

The sound used within 'A Nightmare on Elm Street', 1984, directed by Wes Craven, is what I have found influential when deciding how to produce my film sequence in relation to sound. Throughout the film young children can be heard singing a haunting song, '1 2 Freddy's coming for you, 3 4 better lock your door...' as this song is sang by young children I have realised this affect is more haunting than an adult singing. Therefore, within my film sequence I am going to use laughter from a young girl rather than an older character as I believe this will have a scarier affect.

As my film is of the horror genre, the  influences mentioned above are very helpful as they are all of the horror genre also, therefore allowing me to have a better understanding of what will be effective when producing my own film sequence.

The Codes and Conventions of the Horror Genre

The horror genre exists to frighten those who choose to view it. In succeeding to achieve this, a horror film must include conventional codes which allow the audience to be able to acknowledge that what they are viewing is a horror film. These codes are based around all the different stylistics that are involved within film: cinematography, sound, editing, mis-en-scene and performance.

When looking at mis-en-scene, a film needs to include horror conventions with regards to the setting, so the setting needs to be scary for example, graveyards, hospitals, isolated communities. These are all settings that are related to 'horror' and conventionally scare spectators. In the film 'Saw', (2004) the setting is primarily in an abandoned bathroom of a warehouse.

This immediately defines the narrative through the use of mis-en-scene. The audience, from this setting, is made aware of the genre because it is a conventional setting of the horror genre; an abandoned, isolated location. The bad condition of the setting also emphasises the genre and the conventions of horror as well as the use of blood which is also conventional of the horror genre therefore, again allowing the audience to know what the genre is of this particular film. So by using conventional codes of the horror genre, those who choose to view 'Saw' will immediately distinguish that they are viewing a horror film and through the use of mis-en-scene will, most likely, feel frightened which is, ususally, the aim of a horror film.

Within the horror genre, when it comes to cinematography, camerawork is very expressive and not particularly natural; this is to exaggerate the horror within the film. Point of view shots are conventional of the horror genre so the audience gets a feel of the world from the antagonists' eyes, for example, in 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (1984) a point of view shot from 'Freddy Krueger's' eyes may be shown to show the audience what Freddy is seeing and how it may differ to what the other characters are seeing. Also, extreme close up's are another type of shot that are conventionally used within the horror genre, especially of the victims face so the audience can identify with their fear, letting the spectator feel more frightened whilst watching the film through the use of cinematography.

For example, to the left is an extreme close-up of one of the main characters from 'The Blair Witch Project', (1999). She is obviously very upset, and terrified, because of the type of shot used here the audience can identify with this character and, as a result, feel empathy for her. Therefore, the use of cinematography within the horror genre either allows the audience to see the world from the antagonists' eyes or feel for the victims within the film.

Disturbing sounds are very important and conventional within the horror genre. Ambient diegetic sounds like footsteps and non-diegetic sounds like a heartbeat are commonly used; these types of sounds enhance how frightened the audience are when watching the film and also allows the audience to know what genre of film they are viewing because of the conventional 'creepy' noises that can be heard. For example, in the film 'Psycho' (1960) as part of the famous shower scene when Janet Leigh's character gets murdered, very dramatic, high stringed music is played over this scene.

This type of sound makes the audience aware that this scene is part of a horror film. The effect this sound has on the audience is one in which they may feel uncomfortable, therefore the use of the stylistic sound helps define narrative and genre within a film.


In a 'slasher movie' (one type of horror film) the antagonists are always similar in appearance and performance. They always have a weapon of choice for example, 'Freddy Krueger' has his bladed glove, 'Jason Vorhees' has his machete and 'Leatherface' has his chainsaw. Therefore, within a slasher movie it conventional for the antagonist to behold some sort of weapon which usually stays with them throughout the narrative. There are always certain characters we expect to see in a horror film, the antagonist which is either a ghost, a monster or somebody who is mentally disturbed. The dumb character who always gets murdered first to usually provide entertainment for the audience. The clever character that usually figures out the clues in order to capture the killer, and finally the girl who gets to the end and defeats the killer. These are all conventional performances in which, as an audience, we expect to see within a horror film and it is what allows the spectator to recognise the genre they are viewing. 

Through the use of all the stylistics and the conventional codes that are used as part of a particular genre, the audience is able to define the genre of a film they are viewing. The use of conventional codes is what allows us, as viewers, to establish narrative and genre.   

Synopsis

A newly married couple, Rhys (aged 37) and Bethani (aged 35), move into a new home to begin their new lives together. Throughout the first three months of living in their new home the couple experience weird unusual activity within their house, for example the sound of footsteps running about and a laugh which sounds like it belongs to a young child. The couple ignore it and think it is just the young children who live next door. Three months after moving in Bethani begins to have a nightmare, in the nightmare Bethani sees a young child, aged around 6, running about, laughing then becoming really sad/upset suddenly. Bethani’s nightmare seems to be in fast forward. She awakes scared, heavily breathing and feeling very uncertain, to which she turns around and see’s the young child that was in her nightmare stood next to her bed. From that moment Bethani makes it her mission to discover who the young child is and why they are haunting her and her new husband’s home. Rhys does not believe Bethani and thinks she is going mad, to the point where they nearly break up other Bethani’s obsession, until Rhys (three months after Bethani) experiences the same nightmare as she did, Rhys also awakes to see the young child stood next to his bed. He realises Bethani is not in bed so he goes downstairs to try and find her, there are messages written all over the house explaining the young child's existence. She/He lived in this house thirty years previous with their alcoholic uncle after his/her biological dad had disappeared when he/her was 4 and the mother had committed suicide not long after. The young child had suffered abuse from their uncle for two years before he got more than angry with her/him one night and killed her/him. Pictures and messages are all over the wallpaper explaining this.  Rhys is frightened and scared for Bethani as he cannot find her. He hears whispering in the kitchen so he goes to find out what it is, and stood over Bethani’s dead body is the young child. The young child points to the wall behind Rhys, he turns around and sees a message on the wall, ‘I don’t want to leave, those who interfere will suffer what I suffered’ is written next to a picture of the young child laid in the same place and position as Bethani is now, with the uncle stood over her.

Chosen Sequence

The sequence from my imagined feature which I have chosen to produce and develop into an extended sequence is about a quarter of the way into my imagined film and it establishes the basis to the narrative. The sequence I will be producing will be the nightmare that Bethani has where she sees a young child running about being happy then sad, and then Bethani awakes to see the young child stood beside her bed. This scene introduces the character that Rhys and Bethani have being hearing within their new home but unable to work out who and where the noises are coming from. This sequence then makes Bethani more aware of the young child and sets her on a quest to discover who the young child is which is what the narrative is based upon.

Todorov

Bethani (The Protagonist)

Rhys (The Protagonists Husband)

Sophia/Robbie (The Antagonist)

V

Bethani and Rhys’ new home as a newly married couple. (Diegesis)

V

Bethani has a nightmare where she witnesses a young child running about laughing and playing, then she wakes up to find the young child stood next to her bed. (Disruption)

 V

Bethani begins on a quest to discover who the young child is and why they are haunting her and her new husband’s home. (Quest)

  V

The quest takes over Bethani’s mental state. Rhys finds messages over the walls explaining who the young child is. Rhys finds Sophia/Robbie stood over Bethani’s dead body in the kitchen. (Resolution)

Extend Sequence from an Imagined Feature

• Genre: Horror - (Conventions: ‘Scary’ settings for example: graveyards, hospital, isolated communities etc.)
• Technical Codes: high/low camera angles (Effect-power) jump cuts (Effect-quickening of time) ambient sounds; diegetic (realism) monster sounds, evil spirits sounds etc. (Effect-to scare)
• Iconography: low-key lighting (high-key to emphasise shadows) weapons (guns, knives etc) blood, religious symbols, dark coloured clothing, dark colours in general (black and red)
• Narrative Structure: standard (equilibrium-disruption-resolution)
• Character Types: hero (often a victim) villain (or evil force) children, monsters/ghosts etc.
• Themes: good vs. evil, death, hate, suicide, depression, religion

• Story Type: The Quest/The Wanderer - these two story types combined will provide the basis for my film as the protagonist has moved into a new home where an evil spirit lurks in which, once discovered, the protagonist goes on a quest to discover who the spirit is and why they are still around

• Audience: mainstream, particularly ages 15-25, both men and women, (and those who have a particular interest in horror films) - the modern horror film serves many of the same functions for the adolescent that the fairy tale serves for the child for instance, to warn of evil in familiar places.

• The Viewer and the Film: Researchers have identified various motives for viewing horror films, including the need for excitement, the desire to feel intense emotions, and distraction from everyday concerns. Although dramatic films can fulfill some of these needs, movies depicting violence and horror have features that other forms of drama do not, including the violation of social norms and the portrayal of events seldom seen in real life. People rarely view horror films alone. Violent entertainment appeals primarily to males, and it appeals to them mostly in groups. For many young people and adults, horror films are a topic of conversation, a source of shared experience, and a means of self-presentation. Not everyone will like the blood and gore, but many may continue to watch because of other goals, such as demonstrating their ability to tolerate it, or the desire to master the threatening images.

'Maltese Falcon' Re-Make: Evaluation

As part of the preparation for the FM3 Creative Project coursework where I will be creating my own short film sequence, I was assigned to a group with four other people to re-produce the first six minutes of 'The Maltese Falcon' 1941, directed by John Huston. Throughout this process we encountered many difficulties as well as some successes. Some of the difficulties included are that I felt the time we had to complete the task was limited. Furthermore,  there were many occasions where members of our group where unavailable which relsulted in the group being held back from completeing the task to a high standard due to unplanned absences. I felt some members of the group were not very organised and could have prepared more so that when it came to filming, the process ran more smoothly. The unorganisation lead to other problems such as taking longer to film than originally planned which lead to members of the group getting slightly irritated resulting in them becoming less co-operative. Therefore, leading to having to re-shoot scenes more times than necessary due to members of the group not putting 100% effort in the first time due to boredom and fatique.

Nobody within our group had any acting experience therefore we found it difficult to get into character. In addition to this many members of the group were uninterested in acting to their full potential which was detrimental to the outcome of our film production. This lead to the final product been executed badly as it looked as though no effort was put into the production.

Our location changed a few times due to the previous room that we were using being unavailable on later dates of shooting. This, obviously, affected the outcome of our project as there was a lack of continuity throughout the final sequence. Therefore the editing was effected due to the lack of continuity.

Despite these failures that we encountered throughout the project I believe we did try to make the final production goood through the use of editing, but during this process we discovered that some of the scenes had not recorded and, unfortunately, we did not have time to re-shoot them, therefore we had to put together the footage we had which was, obviously, not the full sequence. Therefore, the full task had not being completed portraying lack of effort as well as a lack of organisation.

This preparation task has made me realise that I do not want to work in a group when producing my own film. I believe I will execute the film sequence better if I were to work on my own as I prefer not to have to rely on other people. I believe if I did include other people in my production then I would become stressed if they were not working to the potential which I believe they should be. Also, working on my own will allow me to go about the whole process in my own way rather than, possibly, having to compromise.

Personally, I believe I was the most organised and co-operative throughout this task. I was the only member to provide props and costumes. Also, I produced the storyboard and the 'Spade and Archer' sign for the window. During the filming process I tried very hard to get everyone to maintain focused throughout the project which proved unsuccessful and was very tiring on my behalf. So, honestly I don't believe I am much to blame for the unsuccessfulness of the final product.

Overall, the final product of 'The Maltese Falcon' is nowhere near to what my group and I could have produced given more time, effort and organisation.

'Maltese Falcon' Re-Make: Outtakes

 

After we had finished putting together the final production of our own version of 'Maltese Falcon' we decided to edit together some of the outtakes to produce an outtakes/gag reel. We did this in order to show that we did not just film each scene once but filmed each scene a few times to ensure we had a variety of shots  to choose from when editing our final version of the film sequence together.

'Maltese Falcon' Re-Make: Final Product 

Here is the final production of our re-make of the first six minutes of 'Maltese Falcon' by myself, Yasmin Burhan, Lucy Cullingworth and Chantelle Norman-Golding.

'Maltese Falcon' Re-Make: Shooting Schedule

• Monday 8th October, 2:50pm - 4:00pm - During this time period, as a group, we filmed the part of the scene which starred Yasmin Burhan as 'Spade' and Chantelle Norman-Golding as 'Effie'. 'Spade' is rolling a cigerette in his office chair whilst 'Effie' arrives in his office to explain to him about the arrival of a woman who wishes to converse with him, 'Miss Wonderly'. We also filmed the words 'Spade and Archer' imprinted upon the window behind 'Spade'.

• Tuesday 9th October, 12:40 - 1:40 - Within this particular hour, our group filmed the conversation between 'Spade' and 'Miss Wonderly' played by Yasmin Burhan and Lucy Cullingworth before 'Archer' enters the room and the conversation.
• Wednesday 10th October, 11:30 - 4:00 - This time period was used to film the rest of the scene as we had an extended amount of time on this day. Therefore, the group filmed the part in which 'Archer' enters 'Spade's' office and joins in the conversation between 'Spade' and 'Miss Wonderly'. Also, a conversation between 'Spade' and 'Archer' by themselves was filmed as well as 'Miss Wonderly' leaving the office. The character of 'Archer' was played by myself, Stevie-Lee Ingham.

Unfortunately, we did not manage to film the entire footage we were supposed to due to limited time and other circumstances. So, as a result of this, the ending of the sequence where 'Archer' gets shot was not filmed and therefore will not be in our final product.

'Maltese Falcon': Editing Schedule

• Monday 15th October, 10:20 - 2:50 - On this date, Yasmin Burhan and Lucy Cullingworth spent the time shown editing the footage we had. This was the only day spent editing as it was completed within the time Yasmin and Lucy had. Me and Chantelle where unable to attend the editing session due to having to attend lessons during this time.