1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge

forms and conventions of real media products ?

Titling

Titling

Rather than being a traditional horror film, my film was a horror Sci-Fi film. This type of genre isn't particularly popular and because of this it became difficult in the research stage of development when no other similar films existed. We did not possess huge Hollywood budgets so we had to deal with a tiny budget, because of this we decided to follow a less popular idea by never showing our antagonist. Our film was extremely dark, leaving a lot to the viewers imagination; effectively tapping into the human fear of the unknown. Because of this, our title gives the appearance that only some of the text is illuminated. Our film leads the audience to believe that whatever is in the woods is almost certainly some kind of alien according to our title which gives the impression of light flooding through the trees, the light effectively gives the impression of being otherworldly. The use of a different color could have improved the affect as the film is based around an alien, colors such as blue or green could have instantly established the creature in the film. But the white color allows the film to remain neutral before starting, making the entire film more disturbing. Another potential problem with the title used is the font, which is slightly too plain for the film. Unfortunately due to the limitations of the software used, the font was unable to be changed. Ideally the font would have been changed, perhaps to a more suitable font linked with Science fiction; something more sleek and shiny would have been ideal.

‘Alien’- the most popular horror Sci-Fi

The cult film, ‘Halloween’- a traditional horror film.

Overall our use of title challenges conventional Horror films, while corresponding with the Sci-Fi genre more closely. Because of this, the title would suggest a much more sci-fi oriented film. Viewers will quickly realize that the film is in fact extremely horror based, successfully achieving the horror Sci-Fi concept that we were working towards.

Our final title style

Camera Movement Our sequence also switched to a standard camera type, using mid shots and close ups in particular. These shots give the audience slightly more information about the area around the character on screen, this builds up a more extensive feeling of tension because of things that the audience can see in the background. These shots also give the audience a better view of the settingDuring the production of our film, we primarily

used the handi cam technique. This technique is quite uncommon and is barely used in the industry, therefore it was difficult to find other successful attempts at this technique. After some experimentation we found a method which worked perfectly, successfully showing the human aspect of the method. This type of camera movement is ideal for drawing the audience into the action, and it further amplifies the horror element of the film by being extremely constrained to what the audience sees in the frame. Because of this sense of the unknown, the horror is expanded to much higher levels.

Overall our camera movement was done very well, we attempted to use multiple different shots and movement. Although it was quite adventurous and was frequently prone to failure, I believe that we achieved our goal. The movement of the camera was never shaky so a degree of professionalism was achieved and the use of the handi cam didn’t stray into being amateurish. The use of the handi cam remained relevant and professional, and whenever the method was used it successfully conveyed the message that we wanted to show.

Framing a shotWe used a variety of different shots in our sequence, but our film was also filmed with a handi cam a lot of the time. This meant that we needed to implement different shots into the use of that technique, the handi cam footage was generally confined to medium shot to maximize the amount of setting that was shown. Because we had the luxury of using the handi cam we could show close ups of the actors face, this was used to make the actors final speech more dramatic and personal. The screenshot to the left is a good example of the close up, showing an up close view of the actors face which is filled with fear. This feeling of fear could only have been fully achieved by using the handi cam technique. Because it draws the audience a lot further into the situation the actor is in.

Our sequence also utilized a generic style of filming, our shots quickly returned to being mid shots. This screenshot to the right is a good example of a mid shot within our film, it shows the clothing and the bedraggled look of the actor. Because of this it gives the audience an idea of how long the actor has been in the situation for, and possibly of previous encounters with what resides in the woods.

We were heavily influenced by ‘The Blair Witch Project’ which was filmed entirely in a handi cam format . We were also impressed by the sequence in which one of the characters apologizes for everything she has done wrong in her life. We have a very similar scene in which the actor shows all of her emotions in shot, because of the superb performance by the actor and the use of a close up the scene was extremely intense.

Blair Witch Project

Camera AngleOur film challenged the traditional conventions of horror in the use of our camera angles. Horror films generally use high angles to show weakness in a character but our film changed this by using a variety low angles to constrict the audience into only being able to see the characters face, showing that she is perhaps a lot smaller than she actually is. Because of the use of the handi cam technique were able to make realistic scenes involving close ups of the character, because the actor was rarely out of shot but it still remained realistic in regards to the movement of the camera.Looking back on the camera angles now,

it could be suggested that a variation in camera angles would have introduced a sense of panic and fear. Especially if these shots were cut quickly to give a sense of disorientation.

Mis-en-SceneCostume The hat was used to give

the impression of a cold night, but it was also used to show that the film is modern and set in the present day. The hat could have been potentially left out, because the viewer rarely sees the protagonists head, but it certainly adds character.

Tights were used to more effectively show the injury the actor sustains during the sequence. This worked fantastically as the injury looked truly painful when covered in mud and was emphasized more by the hole in the tights themselves.

White converse shoes were used to make the mud of the forest more prominent, this worked extremely well and were covered by the end of filming.

Gloves were worn to increase the impression of freezing temperatures.

Mud smeared onto actors face to show previous struggles

Setting

Our location

Blair Witch Project location

Our film was quite traditional in terms of setting and location, we decided that a forest at night would offer an extremely scary basis for our film. As we discovered when we observed our location at night, the darkness was terrifying even to the crew so it quickly became the perfect location for our film. So in this way we certainly followed a typical convention of the horror genre like so many horrors before ourselves such as ‘The Blair Witch Project’. Of course the setting of our film would have changed drastically as the film progressed as the mystery in the forest was slowly revealed. The use of the forest also allowed us to scare our audience by using trees in the background to trick the eyes of anyone watching, causing a fear much like the protagonist on screen. Originally the team wanted light to flow through the trees, showing the audience of the alien nature of the antagonist. Unfortunately this wasn’t possible as the lights we used were not strong enough to effectively cut through the trees nor was the camera strong enough to pick up the attempts we made with the lights we had.

Editing The editing in our film followed some essential conventions in terms of horror. The cuts between each sequence were extremely quick, giving the audience little time to think and keeping them on their toes for the entire time. These fast cuts were used to give a sense of speed and chase to the sequence as the actor is stalked through the darkness of the forest, of course some of these cuts could have been made faster; getting rid of any lingering shots.

Because of the handi cam nature of our film, it was decided that the film would require some small effects to reinforce the use of the camera. To do this we added a static sound effect and pixelated video effect to give the impression that the footage on the camera was corrupted. The loud sound of this static frightened many people who we showed the sequence to so it clearly achieved what we intended.

Because of the excellent work with the lighting at the time of filming, we were fortunate enough to not have to brighten the footage as everything was shown on screen as originally planned. Unfortunately one particular scene could have been darkened to prevent the audience from seeing the forms of the crew who pulled the actor out of frame, but this was a minor problem which hasn’t been noticed by anyone who is shown the sequence.

The radio presenter who can be heard at the start of the film was added quite late into production after recording the sound on a separate program. It was then played over a completely black background, therefore forcing the audience to listen to what was being said instead of being distracted by anything on screen. The sound of the actor banging the camera is also heard at this time, these sounds were initially set to video but we soon detached this audio and played it over darkness again.

Overall the editing of the sequence was very well done, the quick cutting and use of minor effects allowed us to scare the audience in a subtle yet terrifying way.

Audio Version

SoundThe use of sound in our film challenged the conventions of horror to a certain degree, because the film was filmed from a handi cam perspective the use of music was removed completely. This was decided because it gave the entire sequence a sense of realism which cant be realized when music is being played over the top, because of this neither diagetic nor non diagetic music was used in production. In this way horror conventions were questioned because horror films generally use music to build suspense, but our film builds suspense by simply using clever camera angles and subtle noises of branches and leaves crunching under foot. Because of the silence in the background, it certainly added a sense of foreboding which could only be achieved without the use of booming music.Once again, some non diagetic was used in the form of the radio presenter speaking at the beginning of the sequence. This sound helped to draw in the audience as the sound was heard while no footage was being played on screen keeping the audience focused on what was being said.

Narrative TheoryOur film sequence begins entirely in disequilibrium with the radio presenter specifying something sinister which may be happening in the woods. The equilibrium is never balanced through out the entire sequence, and the equilibrium remains unbalanced eve after the end of the sequence. When our sequence is observed from a Propp perspective it becomes clear that the character in the sequence is a kind of hero, even though she essentially runs from danger.Although our sequence has multiple Enigma Codes which draw the audience in, primarily one which asks: what is she running from? The need for this answer will cause the audience to be drawn in from the opening sequence alone, which is essentially the entire point of an opening sequence. The fact that the opening is very fast paced it sets the pace for the rest of the film, as essentially as race against time from an unseen villain.