Question 1: In what way does you media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The title of my film is EYESPY, I decided on this title as it plays on the game children play, normally on car journeys. I have taken it and put a limerick at the start to give people an idea of what the film might be about.
Many horror movies play on the innocence of children twisting them into something scary to just listen to, they also play on 'Damian' (son of the devil). Like me that take nursery rhymes and twist them this is where I got my inspiration for the title.
An example of this is in A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)
I have used a simple font and the title is all in capitals this adds impact to it as it appears on the screen at the end you hear the scream which adds fear and tension. I had it in white and the background black I decided on this colour scheme as it goes with the simple font and having a black background seems to be in many thriller movies.
For example The Haunting In Connecticut and The Strangers.
However there are some films where they have the black background but have red writing as if it is blood where it have been splattered. I have chose to go with the simpler font to make it more clean as you don't know what happens to the girl.
There are many ways to make your title so it will impact the audience however I think I have made the right choice for the style of my film.
The Location
For this my film I used a patch of wooded area. I used this as the woods can be quite scary at night and there are many animals that can make noises and make you jump, I though this would be good as many people would not here her scream also it is a good place to hide (behind trees/ in bushes) so that the victim would not spot the killer. The rustling trees give off an eerie atmosphere. Woods and other 'wooded' areas are used often in thrillers for these reasons, in the day time woodland areas are known for dog walking, hiking, jogging and general days out, however when the night comes the woulds are cloaked with shadows and odd noises such as rustling and animal calls. Just like the children the woulds that seem so innocent twist into something eerie and unpleasant.
The Blair Witch Project and Cabin Fever
I think that if I did this again I would film it when it was darker and added more noises to emphasise the fear and the loneliness of the girl.
The Costumes
Costumes are essential in all films they show what the characters are like before they speak, they show what the have been doing and where they have been doing it. The Girl in my film is wearing business dress as if she has been to work and the boy playing her boyfriend is wearing casual dress as if he has picked her up but he has not been to work. In one of the shot there was a taxi we worked around this by forming the idea that they had got a taxi to where ever they were the taxi is the prop.
The Camerawork and Editing
My film hasn't been edited drastically however I have added transitions to the clips so they flow more and merge as one.
For my camerawork I used a range of different shot distances and when needed close up on the face to get the reactions of the girl. Most of the shots are from the stalkers point of view which makes the viewer feel like the stalk by giving different distances it gives the viewer a good look at the girls surroundings.
Many films have the close ups for the reactions and the long shots for the scene and setting, sometimes the action is put in a long shot however by putting it in a close up it make the viewer feel like they are in the middle of it, in an organised chaotic way.
The Last House on the Left (2009) uses these techniques.
The Story and How the Opening Sets It
My story is about a man who you don't know if he has killed before you just know that he is watching and waiting for this girl. The girl arrives with her boyfriend and says goodbye before she enters the woods. You see her walking through the woods via the stalkers eyes, she starts to hear noises, twigs breaking/rustling, and begins to get worried. She takes out her mobile an realises that she has not signal and is truly alone. You see the stalkers eyes and his eyes only which adds mystery - many real media products only show killers/stalkers features without giving off their identity or the killer/stalker would wear a mask.
Examples- The Strangers, Scream, Saw (1-7)
The Genre and How the Opening Suggests it
From the start the music hints that it is a horror, the limerick at the start carries that on. Most children play the EyeSpy game on long journey's By putting this in the title sequence it makes the film more sinister. You know it is a horror from the way the camera is positioned (behind trees) as the victim is being watched. You also hear the fear in the girls voice when she asks "Who's there?"
How Characters are Introduced
I have three characters in my opening, Chloe-girl/victim Bradley-boyfriend however I could not get a third person for the stalker so Bradley had to play them as well, this is one of the reasons I cropped the eyes.
The girl and her boyfriend appear in the first, second and third shots after this the girl is on her own until the stalker is introduced in shots seven and eight however the you can say that the stalker was introduced right at the beginning when he is looking at them through the trees.
Special FX
I did not use any special effects on my film however I did use a transition from one shot to the other so that could be called special effects. I didn't change the clips but I think I should have maybe manipulated them to become darker.
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