Underground - Final Cut

Evaluation Question 1

In What Ways Does Your Product Use, Develop Or Challenge Forms And Conventions Of Real Media Products?

First of all to be able to analyse the use of conventions we have to define what the conventions of the genre are.

The Killer:

Jason Vorhees - unstoppable killer

The killer will often be a tall male who identity is often concealed. A narrative enigma is often maintained through point of view shots as well as selective camera angles. A theme often seen in slashers is the un-killable killer which often spurs many sequels for slasher films. Another theme which we will see often some sort of childhood trauma sometimes hinted at in the intro of these films. This anchors the viewers understanding of why the killers do what they do. An example of this would be in 'Terror Train'. 

How We Used This:
In our own video we took the idea of the killer and used some of the conventions associated with them. We introduced our killer through a series of selectively shot camera angles, being careful not to include his face. The killer in our own film uses a kitchen knife, a common convention within the 'slasher' genre. We decided not to include the childhood trauma element as we only had two minutes of film opening to work with. 

Moral Code:
A common theme we see throughout slasher films is the moral code we see. This is a warped justification for the antagonists killings. The victims of the killer will often be seen partaking in some sort of 'immoral' activity. This can include smoking, drinking or sexual activity. A prime example of this is in 'Halloween' where Micheal Myers sister is killed after having sex with her boyfriend. 

In our own film we had our victim holding a beer bottle in the opening shot. This was to signify the fact he had been out and drinking. The was further anchored in subsequent point of view shots where the camera blurs.

Final Girl/Scream Queen:

Classic Scene From Psycho 

The scream queen will most commonly be a blond, conventionally attractive female. These characters are often the first to die and will partake willingly in one of the immoral activities stated above. In our own film we chose to challenge this convention. 

In our own film opening we decided to challenge this convention. We chose a scream 'king' as apposed to scream queen. We thought this would bring in a wider target audience and appeal to both males and females.

The final girl will often have many of the opposite characteristics to the scream queen. She will often be studious and reluctant to partake in any immoral activity. Shes normally a peer of the scream queen and will always survive until the end of the film, hence the name 'Final girl'. We see this in Nancy Thomson from 'Nightmare on elm street'.

Normally this character is not introduced at the start of a slasher film so we didn't include them here. However in the treatment we mention a final girl appear later on. 

More common slasher conventions:

• Serif title idents
• Establishing shot of kill location
• Point of view/stalking shots
• False scare
• Continuity editing
• Sharp weapon
• Binary opposition 
• Long drawn out soundtrack

Underground uses a variety of slasher film conventions sometimes following them and other times challenging them.

Serif Font

As common with most films in general, ours starts with the company idents and then the title sequence. Our film titles are over the opening scenes in a white serif font which is common is modern slasher films and the sharp font represents a sharp object for example a knife. This is unlike older films which normally play all there credits at the start of the film and don't have as many as the end. Examples of these serif fonts 

The soundtrack to our film, fits with the common trends of slasher and other horror films. We will used long drawn out string notes with piano to build tension and help anchor out preferred reading whilst adding too the mood and atmosphere.

Conspiracy Ident

Another feature of slasher films is often a strong narrative enigma running throughout the film. At time the camera stalks the victim and also scenes which look like he is being watched. We also used selective camera shots to show only the feet and the back of the killer as to not give away too much. This will keep the audience engaged and provide polysemy throughout the film opening.



Stalking Shot

Another feature of our film is the moral code. Before the killing takes place the victim is seen as carrying a bottle of beer and the blurred point of view shots anchor this. This is a common theme in most slashers the victim being punished due to sinning before the killing takes place. 

Helpless Victim

Another way our film uses slasher convention is the location. Our character is walking down an empty pathway and is then taken to an isolated claustrophobic location where there is no escape. This is away of making the victim seem helpless and trapped.

We have developed the conventions of the scream queen and final girl by having a male 'scream king' introduced in the opening. This will help the audience relate to the character in the frame. Also our final girl character is introduced later in the film which is mentioned in the treatment.

Evaluation Question 2

How Does Your Media Product Represent Particular Social Groups?

Stereotypes:

Stereotypical Teen

To start off, like common slasher films, our film uses different stereotypes of character In our film opening. So we decided to change things up with our film and have a scream king instead of a scream queen as common in these films. Our scream king portrays many stereotypical traits of teenagers in horror films and most films in general. 

His clothing first of all is the common jenes and hoodie which signifies  him being antisocial and is stereotypical of teens as a whole. The general theme in most films is to make teens look bad. The fact he is holding a beer bottle in the first scene anchors this point made earlier. This also ties into the moral code as all these stereotypes make the character seem immoral. 

The guy playing the scream queen isn't common however his blond hair a moral code means the audience isn't alienated by this change and fans of the genre will still be able to see how things are going to play out. The only other character shown in the opening sequence is the killer who also has most of the common slasher stereotypes in terms of clothing and weapon used. The killer uses a kitchen knife which is commonly seen in these films.

The Killer In Our Film

Micheal Myers In Halloween

Audience:
The target audience we aimed this film at is ages 15-24. Our film contains some strong violence however it is not prolonged. Our film doesn't contain any features which would lead to the intro being rated an 18 on BBFC. We also chose the characters to specifically help our target audience relate to the characters involves in the intro. 

Our film doesn't do anything to try and appeal to different ethnicity. Our main character is a Caucasian male and the other character the killer, is disguised and enigma is maintained. 

Our film may target more female due to the male character being killed as a change to the standard convention is slasher films. There is isn't anything apart from the violence to appeal to the male audience, their is no scream queen who appeals to the male gaze in the intro. Regional identity is not obviously shown however there are signifies of a rural location which is often stereotypical of the north. There is little dialogue in our opening so there is no clear accent to hear. The fact that our film doesn't try to appeal to specific audiences might give it an advantage in appeal to a wider audience. 

Evaluation Question 3

What Type Of Media Institution Might Distribute Your Media Product And Why?

Lionsgate

An important part after producing any film is looking for a company who will distribute your film and make it successful at the box office. Our film is very low budget and we have no known actors in the film so we would be unlikley to land a deal with a big distribution company. 

The first two big companys we looked at was Lions gate and New line cinema. These two companies have distributed in recent years the Saw films and the Final destination film franchise. However from our research we relised that these company mainly dealt with films of a much higher budget than ours.

Another film company we looked into was Vertigo. A small Indie distribution company situated in the Uk. This sort of company would be a good choice as they have distributed other low budget horror films such as Shrooms and Monsters. However with further research into how much money these films made at box office they where less successful compared to other distribution companys.

 From there we found out that the distribution company for that film was Optimum Releasing, now known as Studio Canal UK since being renamed in 2006. They released the film Wolf creek which had a similar style to ours and did quite well at the cinema on a reasonably low budget. 

Studio Canal UK is a subsidiary of Studio Canal a French based distribution company so they are likely to benefit from good funding to get the film into lots of cinemas around the Uk and possibly the US. Optimum releasing have more specifically released the indie film 'Dead Man's Shoes' directed by Shane Meadows under Warp. For a film with a small budget in the horror category it made it into cinemas and gained a more than respectable 7.7 rating on IMDB. Many films distributed by optimum have been successful so I believe they would be the correct choice for us.

Evaluation Question 4

BBFC Rating 15

Who Would Be The Audience Of Your Media Product?

The target audience for most slasher films is often 15-24 whatever the age certificate is on the actual film, so we wanted to also try and appeal to this age range. Our film featured some threat and menace and the occasional scene of violence. Also drink was featured in the film so after looking on the BBFC website we saw that are film would be likely rated a 15. This is good as it fits in with the target audience we our trying to appeal to. Also as mention in the treatment there will be a possible final girl character which often will appeal to a female audience. Our film is good in this manner as I think it brings in both the male and female audience.

British Board Of Film Classification

Our film could also be marketed at a possible older audience as there are possible psychological elements to it. Are film can be comparable to the saw franchise in a way and the saw films are popular with some older audiences due to the higher certificate and the amount of violent and gore content in those films. However our film tones that down as to appeal to a larger audience, mainly white middle class of ages 15-24. We only feature male actors in our first 2 minute sequence however this is beneficial as the audience can often relate to the characters in our films as well as the clothing they are wearing allows the audience to relate. 

Only male characters were used in the film opening, which would suggest that the film should be aimed at a primarily male audience, which was originally what we wanted. I know think though that it would be best to make the film appeal to a female target audience as well. In our treatment, I said that all but one of the original victims friends are killed. I said this so that the film could lead to a sequel, however I also think that by making this character the original victim's girlfriend, she could become a final girl which would appeal to a female audience.

Our film may also target a female audience as well due to the male character being killed as a change to the standard convention is slasher films. There is isn't anything apart from the violence to appeal to the male audience, their is no scream queen who appeals to the male gaze in the intro. Regional identity is not obviously shown however there are signifies of a rural location which is often stereotypical of the north. There is little dialogue in our opening so there is no clear accent to hear. The fact that our film doesn't try to appeal to specific audiences might give it an advantage in appeal to a wider audience. 

Evaluation Question 5

How Do You Attract/Address Your Audience? 

We used an array of ways for attracting our target audience. First of all we used  actors who where a similar age of the audience we where trying to attract as we where hoping then they would be able to relate to the characters in the film opening. Our film was primarily targeted at people aged between 16 and 24. We used teenage actors as this is often the trend in most slasher films as they a cheap to hire and are often killed of near the start of the film. We also used clothing styles to help the audience associate with the characters in our film opening and also realize that the audience could of been in the same situation.

Mis-en-scene

We also had a slight psychological feel to the film which could also attract an older secondary audience who often don't watch straight up slasher films and prefer genres like psychological thrillers which are basically slasher films marketed to an older audience.

Another way in which we attempted to attract the audience, was by keeping the killer's identity a secret until the very end of the opening. This way, we were using narrative enigma, yet we were adding hints at various bits of the opening

Conspiracy Twitter

We have also attracted our target audience through sites such as twitter so we could communicate and get feedback from our rough cuts. This allows us to also follow other people in the horror business to see what they are up too or what projects they are working on. We also talked to people in the class to get feedback and keep them interested in the films development.

In order to attract our audience, we needed to produce what the audience wanted to see. So feedback was very important for us.

Feedback from twitter

Overall we got some good feed back on our coursework. This included more footage and more shot varity to keep the audience engaged. The pov shots in the opening scene worked well with the blurring and overlays. However I feel the intro scene needs to be a little longer with more exposision on how the guy gets there. Also we need to show the scene of him getting kidnapped and taken to the basement. 

Another thing we need to improve when doing our final piece is improving the mis-en-scene which we will certainly work on when it comes to the next shoot. Another comment which was brought up was the lack of a struggle to get away. It was brought up there needed to be some sort trap or moral desision in which he should have to fid away to escape instead of having the keys right above him. We also need better acting and more of a panic. We worked on improving these things in our later cuts to appeal to our audience more.

Evaluation Question 6

What Have You Learnt About Technologies From The Process Of Constructing This Product?

Cameras:

Video Camera

To create our media product we've used lots of technology in the process. The main thing we used to film is handheld mini dv cameras similar to the one that was used in Colin. We mounted these on tripods in order to keep a steady shot and prevent camera shaking. We also used different computer programs in the editing side of the film. We used windows movies maker to import the clips onto the computer and then used final cut to do the bulk of the editing. We added certain overlay effects, blur and colour correction to improve the atmosphere of the film.

Blogger:
We also have used the website blogger which i'm using now to display our coursework findings and research into the genre. Blogger comes with a variety of tools which make it good for the coursework. You can ad links lists as well as pictures with a variety of formatting options to make your posts interesting. 

Editing
We also used final cut to edit our video. We used a variety of effects as well as transitions. We also used layering it some scenes to provide Anchorage. We also used iMovie in the preliminary tasks to get get to grips with mac software. We also used live type to make the company idents at the start of our film. We also used garage band to create the sound track which turned out well even with our limited musical knowledge. 

Embedding:
We also used Scribd to upload our treatment which we embedded into the blog. We then used divshare to upload our podcasts which we could add to the blog and enter into links lists down the side of the blog. 

Garage Band:
We used Garage Band to write and record our soundtrack. We where impressed that you could use the computer's keyboard as an instrument along with the different instrument sounds that were on Garage Band. We think the software was very helpful in creating the sound track as you could layer and copy different sounds as you please.

Social Networks:
We also used facebook and twitter to obtain audience feedback as well as keeping people up to date with the progress on our blog.

Youtube:
With youtube we could upload videos such as vodcasts and rough cuts. Youtube is good as it has a comments section where people can leave feedback as well as a rating on the video. We can also annotate the video notifying people of certain points they might otherwise miss. We can also embed the video into our blog post as evidenced below.

Evaluation Question 7

Looking Back At Your Preliminary Task, What Do You Feel You Have Learnt From The Progression From It To The Full Product?


I think the whole group learnt a lot about filming and cinematography techniques from the preliminary task. Looking back on the task is when we first started using the cameras. Back then we only new the basic shot types and some of our camera work was shaky. Also we only edited in iMovie where we only used basic editing. However we learnt a lot about a realistic style of edit to make the footage believable. Another important point to make is the lack of planning and research that went into the prelim in comparison to our final cut.

Storyboard

We spent a lot of time researching and planning for the final cut of the film opening. This included lots of rough cuts and practice footage tests. We took a lot of time researching videos to make sure we has a good idea of the genre conventions which we could then apply into our own film.


Since then we have greatly improved our editing skills. After the preliminary task the decision was made that we would move to final cut to do our rough cut edits and the final cut. Since then we've learnt many effects and transitions to use in our media product. We used effects like TV simulator to get a CCTV effect, Gaussian blur and also overlay effects to get across our preferred reading in many cases. We also used different transitions to get the message across that time has passed.

Outside Framing

Also our camera work has improved greatly in the time we have spent doing rough cuts and developing our skills. Andy is the main camera man and him and Sean often direct the scene as it plays out. We have tried to include a variety of shots in our final piece and also get interesting framing where possible for example in the outside scenes and also in some of the basement scenes. 

CCTV Effect

We learnt about shot vs shot and the 180 degree rule in our prelim task which have been useful concepts to consider whilst we filmed.  We have also tried to keep good mis-en-scene and also make sure the camera stay focused and steady throughout filming. Overall our skills have developed greatly since the prelim task as it definetely helped us get to grips with filming and editing.

Film Poster

This is a draft poster for our film Underground

Recent Footage Photos.

These are few photos we took from our recent filming, It details some mis-en-scene we did and other aspects of filming.

Audience For Slasher Films

The typical audience for most slasher films we have researched has been an audience of 15-24 years old. This is normally the case due to the content of the slasher genre and also to do with the actors that are often teens/young adults cast in these films. However often slasher films will be part of a hybrid genre to bring more people into the film for example 'Jason X' The sci-fi slasher film the 10th in the Friday the 13th series. Female audiences may be also drawn in due to romantic content and the final girl character who is of herioc and ends up defeting the killer at the end of the film. However this is combated my the scream queen character who is often killed of near the start and to some can be seen as misoganistic. Another tactic at drawing in an older audience to slasher films is labelling it as a 'psychological thriller' Which will bring in aa older audience even if the film is really following many of the slasher conventions. In conclusion the slasher genre can spread over a large audience mainly depending on marketing and the characters involved.

Evaluation Question 7 - Draft

So at the start with our prelimanary task we where only getting used to filimg and editing process. However from the preliminary task we learnt alot of things like match on action and shot vs shot. We used a continuity style of editing and how to make the editing seem like its not really there. From this we've developed lots of skills with camera shot varity and different shot types. Also we have developed editing techniques to emphasise the atmosphere which I believe has improved the effectiveness of our media product.

Evaluation Question 6 - Draft

To create our media product we've used lots of technology in the process. The main thing we used to film is handheld mini dv cameras similar to the one that was used in Colin. We mounted these on tripods in order to keep a steady shot and prevent camera shaking. We also used different computor programs in the editing side of the film. We used windows movies maker to import the clips onto the computor and then used final cut to do the bulk of the editing. We added certain overlay effects, blur and colour correction to improve the atmosphere of the film.

Evaluation Question 5 - Draft

The way we attracted our target audience is through our cast in the film and also things like setting and location. The genre is also the sort of thing which will attract Teenagers due to the content in the film things like fast paced editing and lots of action will apeal to a younger audience.

Evaluation Question 4 - Draft

Our main target audience for our film is the teenage to young adult market. This is mainly due to the age of the cast involved and the type of film. this market often like thrills and violence so slashers fit quite well into that. The 15-24 market is possible the best market to aim for, however the film may appeal to older or younger audiences due to the more gorey scenes and violence.

Evaluation Question 3 - Draft

So for a low budget film of the slasher genre I though a good place too start would be indie film companys rarther than bigger companies that are less likley to invest in our film. Bigger distributors like Lions gate have distributed all of the Saw films however they only tend to go for bigger budget titles. We found a few Indie distribution companys like the Uk based Vertigo films however many of there films didnt do well at the cinemas. We chose distribution company optimum releasing for our film in the UK. They have distributed such films as Attack the block and Donkey punch and I think our film would be succesful in the cinema with the companys distribution.

Evaluation Question 2 - Draft

Our media product follows many of the common socail group stereotypes found in slasher films. First of all you have the main theme of the moral code which runs through most slasher films. Our film features the main character at the start drinking and possibly smoking which foreshadows to him getting killed later on. We also have the teens clothing which is a hoodie and jenes. This is typical of potraying teens as antisocial and further adds to the moral code.

Evaluation Question 1 - Draft

So the main point to which our media product challenges conventions of a film of this genre is using 'scream king' Rather than a 'scream queen'. We chose this as we thought it would be good to switch up the roles in this slasher as our origional idea was to have a female killer. Our film opening also builds on alot of current slasher concepts such as the isolated setting and the killing style and weapon. We have also used things like blue colour correction the emulate John Carpenters blue tinted lighting in the famous Halloween. We use plenty of tracking shots and point of view shots to keep tension up and we have also tryed to keep a narrative enigma when it comes to the killer and motive. That is overall how our film uses slasher conventions.

Underground - Storyboard

Slasher Film Budgets, Box Office and Distribution.

Slasher films often have very low budgets from what films i've analysed so far. For example the famous Halloween had a budget of $350,000 and Firday the 13th Had an estimated budget of $550,000 which is very little compared too most hollywood blockbusters. These films in comparison too there bidgets made massive ammouts of money at the box office, Friday the 13th made almost $40,000,000 at the box office and Halloween made $47,000,000 in the USA alone with a further $13,000,000in Europe. These film went to show the money making potential of the slasher film and so sparked a trend of new low budget horror film which went on to make big money such as: Nightmare on Elm street, My bloody Valentine and more recently films such and Scream and Final Destination. The sort of distributors that go for slasher films are smaller and independent Film distributors. However big company such as Lions gate and New line cinema have supported films like Saw and Texas chainsaw massacre. larger film companies such as Universal Pictures and Columbia Pictures tend to shy away and dont invest in slasher films possibly due to there un glamorous look and contraversy that can come with a slasher film.

Latest Rough Cut

New Rough Cut

Here is our latest rough cut. We have taken advice previously given to us to improve what we previously had however I still think that this cut needs improving. For example, the framing in some of the shots isn't quite right in my opinion and also the mise-en-scene needs changing in a few places.
There were a couple of scenes that we were unable to get due to weather conditions and not having anything to make blood, however we have indicated what these scenes will be and where they will go in our rough cut.

 

Test Footage 2.

So yesterday we went out at lunch and filmed the outside shots for our second rough cut. We managed to get plenty more shot types and angles so we have plenty footage to work with whilst editing. We experimented with making fake blood effects and also found a possible mask we could use which would be effective. We filmed more in depth in the kidnapping scene and filmed the victim being dragged through the snow with the blood which in my opinion was very effective with the contrast of the white snow and the red blood. We still need to work a bit on getting the camera to stay still and working on getting effective panning shots. Also we need to work on getting realistic looking fake blood and the action. Overall I think the filming went well, we just have to film the inside parts with the improved mis-en-scene.

Podcast 3 - Rough Cut/Production Schedule

Feedback on practice footage.

So today our practice footage was shown to the class and a few A2 students. Overall we got some good feed back on our coursework. The first thing is we needed more footage and more shot varity to keep the audience engaged. The pov shots in the opening scene worked well with the blurring and overlays. However I feel the intro scene needs to be a little longer with more exposision on how the guy gets there. Also we need to show the scene of him getting kidnapped and taken to the basement. Another thing we need to improve when doing our final piece is improving the mis-en-scene which we will certainly work on when it comes to the next shoot. Another comment which was brought up was the lack of a struggle to get away. It was brought up there needed to be some sort trap or moral desision in which he should have to fid away to escape instead of having the keys right above him. We also need better acting and more of a panic. With improved lighting, soundtrack and acting I think we could make a very effective film opening.

Test footage edit.

This is going to be a quick blogpost on some of the edting techniques I used when editing the test footage. So first I had to cut the clips up and order them keeping in mind shot vs shot whilst doing it so the scene flows. The first problem I encounterd was the lack of shot angles I had to work with. This meant takes where quite long so there wasent much shot varity. I used a few effects on the first scene to try and signify intoxican. I used the guassian blur effect and the shot overlays to show blurred vision. Also I used the fade in fade out transision to signify time passing and blacking out. Overall when it comes to the final edit, I will make shots shorter and use more interesting shot variation.

Podcast 2 - Film idea and test footage.

Here we talk about the finalised idea and things we did during test footage.

Vodcast - Creep

Link to my vodcast on the film creep. It goes over some of the features of the slasher genre and how the movie follows these and develops them.

My Company Ident

This is my company ident, I made it using mainly livetype for the text and the background and added the sound in sony vegas and some overlays.

Podcast No. 1

Final Cut

So Final Cut is obviously a big step up from iMovie and im certainly glad to be using it for the coursework. Its alot easier for cutting and editng sounds as there is a seperate layed for audio. Im still trying to get used to it and it can still be a bit fiddly for cutting and putting clips together. The use of mulitiple layering, bluring effects and more advanced transitions will be useful and will be featuring in our coursework. Overall its a big step up from iMovie and I should get used to it and looking foward to using it in my coursework.