"THE FOOTAGE" - FULL & OFFICIAL FINAL PRODUCT - OPENING SEQUENCE - BY "AHA PRODUCTIONS".

EVALUATION QUESTION 1.

EQ2.

EQ3.

EQ4.

EQ5.

EVALUATION QUESTION 6.

EVALUATION QUESTION 7.

LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMENARY TASK, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE LEARNT IN PROGRESSION FROM IT TO THE FULL PRODUCT?

THE PLANNING PROCESS.

AUDIENCE.

The students in our class were the only ones who got to view our preliminary task. They gave us feedback, including constructive criticism. This preliminary task was a vital and essential part for us to do, as our class members could tell us our strengths and weaknesses.

When given feedback for our preliminary task, our cuts for the continuity editing were not of a high standard. Our continuity editing was ruined by the jumpshot.A few of the shots were cut out 1 or 2 seconds before they actually should have. However, we did have a very smooth and neat editing process.

 My group were confident in what we were doing, but we also know that we could achieve much better. We decided to incorporate our advanced skills and techniques into our opening sequence. When we had showed our preliminary task to our peers, we had found out that it is absolutely key to get them engaged, so that they stay focused, interested and enjoy. In our opening sequence, we were not able to film a video questionnaire, but we had managed to create a visual questionnaire for three 15, 16, 17 and 18 year olds.

LOCATION.

We had filmed our preliminary task in the school only and we were not given permission to film outside of the school boundaries due to health and safety issues. We were limited in terms of options, but we had managed to find an empty classroom, followed by an empty hallway. There were no issues finding a place to film. Our decision making for the shots we were taking were not justified. An example would be where had included a shot of a tree and a wire, right at the beginning of the preliminary task. There was no link between these shots and the task that was set. We were trying to set the location by showing the surroundings but had not deeply researched into that. Our media teachers and class mates had told us that in order for us to show the surroundings, we must pan left to right, rather than showing one image on screen that has no relation to the task. 

The very first 5 seconds of the preliminary task were filmed outside, and the rest was filmed inside. The lighting outside was really bright, so we had to make sure that when filming inside, we increase the brightness in the room. We had done this by turning all the lights on, and pulling all the up in order to let in as much light as we can. This was very important because we needed the characters to be visible. When editing this task on the iMac, we had to colour correct some parts of the preliminary task as they were to dark in comparison to the rest of the shots which were filmed. We knew that the verisimilitude of our short film would not look very good as the natural lighting would cause changes. This is why colour correcting was vital. We should have used high-tech lights to increase lighting. In our opening sequence, we had used lights for the news reporting scene, and had colour corrected (decreasing lighting = more darkness) the shots in the "FAMOUS ESPERO APARTMENT".

RECCE.

A recce is where the cast pays a pre-filming visit to the set location, in order to determine if it is suitable for filming or not. In our case, we had not done this properly, as we did not know where we were planning to film beforehand. We were also limited to time. We only had a bit over 2 hours to film. However, we were fortunate enough to find an empty and nicely spaced classroom, where the tables were aligned perfectly. This had made the "sitting" scene of the film much more easier for us. Our school is quite big, so we were not overly worried about where we were going to film. We just had to find an empty classroom, and had managed to do that. For our opening sequence, we had visited the warehouse beforehand, to check it's suitability to our theme. We really liked what we saw, and the next visit was the day filming had started.

STORYBOARD.

We did not have a storyboard because we were already given a script by our media teacher. However, I believe that we should have done a storyboard beforehand, in order to make sure that our filming is completed at a faster rate. Due to us not having a storyboard, we wasted time on repeating shots, and worked quite slowly. The storyboard would have been extremely essential but at that time, that was not our mentality of thinking. We have learnt that the storyboard would have provided us with accurate shots to take and when we should be taking them. For our opening sequence, we had used a storyboard, (with plot) and the difference was surreal. We worked much faster and most things went according to plan. Also, we had saved time, as well as battery life. This had enabled us to stay ahead of schedule but that to a high standard as well.

PERMISSIONS.

We had gotten permission from our media teacher to leave the classroom and film in our groups, with the time provided. There was not any permission issues when planning the entire process. For our opening sequence, we had to get permission from the owners of the warehouse, and had negotiated a pricing of £50 GBP for 2 hours.

SHOT PRODUCTION.

ROLES.

The roles were easy to issue because there were only three of us in our group. There were no arguments between us on who is going to play which character. It was quite straightforward as we had each expressed what character we would like to play. I chose to be the cameraman because that was something I really enjoy doing. Not all my techniques were great, but there was definitely areas for improvement. In the opening sequence, I was also the cameraman. I had learnt and acted upon the mistakes that I had made in the preliminary task. Being the cameraman again, had helped me develop my skills even further. I was the "Director Of Photography".

WORKING TO SHOOT A SCRIPT.

As mentioned earlier on, we had already been given a script. The script was very easy to learn as the lines to memorise were quite short and simple. We did not improvise the script in any way. However, for our opening task, we had improvised the script many times. This includes adding and taking lines out.

SHOT ORDER.

Firstly, we were unsure of how many shots we were going to take. However, we decided to film each shot more than once, so we could have a backup option if the first take did not look very well, or had  a flaw in it. We should have made some sort of checklist, but did not do this! I believe that a checklist for shots should have been made, so that we do not keep filming the same shots over and over again. The checklist would have helped us in terms of organisation, but we felt that we did not need one as the script was quite short. On the other hand, we did not make a shot checklist for the opening sequence either, as a LOT of it was handheld. The preliminary task had included a number of shots, and we had discussed then filmed after every shot. This kept us all on track on what we should be doing. For the news reporting scene in the opening sequence, only a constant mid-shot was used, so we did not have to worry about the order of the shots. I still think that a checklist would have helped us, therefore saving time.

CALL SHEET.

We had made a rough call sheet, which had included the dates, times and cast. This was just a general reminder for Alex, Anam and I. This ensured that everything was up to date and organised. We included an additional notes section so that we could all add in notes if we feel the need to. We had used a call sheet for our opening sequence and have uploaded that on our blogs.

HOW MUCH TO SHOOT.

We had no idea, on how many shots we should be taking. We took numerous shots for each individual shot just to make sure that we have a backup, should anything go wrong with our first shot.  We had to include shots fro different angles and a lot of establishing shots. We also had to leave some space for the credits, at the very end of the short film. We got the grasp of it once we were in the process of filming different scenes. However, for our opening sequence, we knew exactly what shot we should be taking, when we should be taking it, and what type of shot it should be. This was one of our own idea's, so it was much easier for us to remember about the types of shots we should be using, in accordance to our individual roles.

RUNNING ON THE ACTION.

This was quite a challenge because we had to get Anam's body, from the bottom of the stairs whilst she was running up the stairs. We showed the shots from different angles. We filmed her from the side of the stairs, then just beneath the side of the stairs when she was running on the final flight of stairs. I (the cameraman) had to stay behind her, following her whilst she was running in the hallway. It was quite difficult when doing this because I had to make sure that the camera does not fall or wobble whilst keeping up with the pace. The outcome was really good, but could have been more accurate. There were no running scenes in our opening sequence.

ACHIEVING A SEAMLESS NARRATIVE.

After editing some key scenes, and colour correcting some off balance scenes, we had managed to make our short film quite smooth, but not as smooth as we would have liked it. We were missing a few shots, and the camera was a little bit shaky, which meant that the natural aspect of the accurate framing had disappeared. On the other hand, in our opening sequence, a Panasonic video camera and a tripod for the news reporting scene was used. Anam & Alex also used a Panasonic camera but without a tripod as it was handheld recording for the vlogging.  This was the aspect of natural and raw footage.

MASTER SHOTS.

The master shots were ongoing close ups of Alex & Anam, whilst Alex was waiting and also whilst the two were having a face to face conversation. One of the main shots were the zooming in of Alex's hand, when sliding a sheet of paper across the table to Anam. The use of master shots portray an image of seriousness and prime objective. They were a key aspect of our short film. We did have a POV shot from Anam, where she is looking at Alex's face whilst she is talking to her. However, as part of our opening sequence, the FAMOUS ESPERO APARTMENT" was the main focus point, including the dark room and the objects within the room. 

THE EDITING PROCESS.

CAPTURING. 

When editing the short film, all of our scenes had come together as one. It was a hard process but we had used Adobe Premiere Pro to accomplish this. Adobe Premiere Pro was also the same software that we had used to edit our opening sequence for horror. This was the second time we had used this software, which meant that we had already learnt a few skills and techniques from the first time round. We knew a few skills, but had developed them further by exploring the key features in the software. 

TIME-LINE.

After all the shots had been put together in a time line, we had to edit and cut the shots that had continued to drag onwards. The shots going onwards were the extra shots that were only filmed as backup or for "behind the scenes". After this step, we had to re-order the shots, just to make sure that they are in the correct order. 

RE-ORDERING.

Re-ordering the shots were simple, as it was a drag and drop / swap technique. Copy and paste could also have been used. The last step involved in us adding all the non-diegetic background music towards the end of the short film, to enable some realism and make the scenes look and feel better. This was done via Google, YouTube and Adobe Premiere Pro itself. Overall the editing process was a challenge for all of us, but we had gotten the hang of it after viewing some "HOW TO..." video tutorials on YouTube. It was a great experience. This was a similar journey for our opening sequence as well, in terms of the editing process.

THE EVALUATION PROCESS.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF FEEDBACK.

We were given feedback from our 2 media teachers and all the students in our media class.

They said...

1. The video itself is generally good.
2. The performance of Alex was quite entertaining.
3. The editing was smooth.
4. The parallel editing was soft.
5. The POV shot was good.
6. We had followed the 180 degree rule.

These were all the positives.

These are the negative / constructive feedback...(where improvements are needed)

1. The shot of the trees was quite odd.
2. The framing could have been a lot better.
3. The reverse shot was unusual.
4. There was an unnecessary jump shot.
5. The incomplete filming of the third scene of Anam opening the door, had ruined the continuity editing. After hearing all of this, we had acted upon it, allowing us to fix the mistakes and find a solution to those problems. We had a group debrief later on, where we had assessed the areas for improvements and had made sure that we do not make these mistakes again in the upcoming media projects. For our opening sequence, we had double checked that our shots and edits were precise and accurate, making sure that none of the mistakes that had happened in the preliminary task were repeated again. This was a large lesson for us, which we have truly learnt upon, therefore enhancing and advancing our skills and concentration.

FOCUS GROUP.

We did not have a focus group for our preliminary task because we already had all the media students and teacher's in our class to provide us with feedback. We did have however, have a focus group for our opening sequence, whereby they told us general and key points that we could take on board to improve our opening sequence. They were all of a different age group whereby their interpretations and ideas would differ from one another, therefore enabling us to choose the best points which would be suitable for us. Their feedback is the MOST important factor in relation to our opening sequence, because we need to be able to meet the requirements of the audience in order to attract and engage them. We want them to watch our film and enjoy it. This is why they play an important role in our ENTIRE PROCEDURE.

WORKING AS A TEAM.

We learnt a lot about ourselves and one another when working with each other. We realised that one must be able to LISTEN, COMMUNICATE, CONTRIBUTE & REMAIN POSITIVE. I will explain what all of these mean, in order to define the words, 'WORKING AS A TEAM".

• LISTENING: Our group members may have a better idea than us and we must listen to what they have to say, and then evaluate it. They may have an amazing suggestion which may help the opening sequence's outcome to be much better. If no-one listens to one another, then ideas will be missed, and individuals may feel like they are being ignored.

• COMMUNICATING: It is vital to keep talking to our team members, in order to remind them on what has to be done and what they could improve on the work they have already done. Everyone needs to have some sort of work to do, so that progression is ongoing and quick. If there is no communication within a group, then there will be no organisation in the group for the opening sequence.

• POSITIVITY: Staying positive will allow the group to be motivated, therefore working longer and harder, in order to reach to the final outcome. Being positive spreads encouragement around to everyone. If there are no positive vibes going around the group, then the atmosphere would be quite dull and everyone would not have the feeling to work towards an incentive of getting the work done up to a high standard.

• CONTRIBUTING: Everyone must contribute something onto the group blog, so that individuals has something to do. If only one person uploads posts, then it would not be fair on the rest of the group members, as they would have nothing to post.

However, I felt that Anam and Alex were not showing the urgency to complete the set tasks, and also had issues with communicating with me. Whenever I would put out a suggestion, they would sometimes contradict and try to override my decision. I enjoyed working with them but would not like to work with them again as I do not like their approach to finishing and understanding different tasks. On the bright side, they did complete the work and had also allowed me to suggest a couple of thing. I think that this was a huge team effort, and my two peers did show a few sparks of positivity but the atmosphere was quite dull. 

They are great to talk to, but I feel that the entire "teamwork" phrase could have been a lot better if they had showed some more enthusiasm when in the process of completing small tasks. On the other hand, towards the end of the preliminary task, I managed to take charge and direct what we have to do, and what is the number one priority. We all use social media, and we felt that we could put our SMS, Snapchat, Instagram and WhatsApp to even more use, by texting each other and planning ahead. This allowed major interaction and were very good communication skills which had brought us together at times. Overall, it was a wonderful team work experience, and I could not have done it without the rest of my team.

CONCLUSION:

I have learnt a lot when doing the preliminary task. I learnt how to...

1. Use a camera professionally.
2. Use a camera when running.
3. Edit on Adobe Premiere Pro.
4. Take different shots from different angles.
5. Identify key aspects to particular scenes.
6. Work as a team and take lead.
7. Guide my team into memorising the script.
8. Know how much to shoot.
9. Achieve a smooth and neat final product.
10. Take the different types of feedback on board - (take constructive criticism and work on them to develop my skills.)
11. Take risks and compromise when needed.

The benefits of doing this preliminary task was that I / we were able to have some foundation knowledge of EVERYTHING, so that we can develop our skills when doing further projects, such as the horror opening sequence. This preliminary task had provided us with a guideline and had spotted out our strengths and weaknesses. Without this preliminary task, our opening sequence would not have been to such a high standard. This is because we already knew quite a bit of background knowledge and skills from THIS task, allowing us to get better and enhance and broaden our learning capacity for the overall planning, editing, evaluating and running a shoot process.

THE PICTURES FOR THE PROJECT.

These are the images for the editing features that we had completed on the iMac, using Adobe Premiere Pro.

These are the images for the MAIN location that Alex and Anam had filmed at.

(BRICK-LANE, LONDON, ESPERO STUDIOS)

They were take by Alex and Anam, as they went there to shoot their vlogging scenes.

These are the images for the backup location.

 This was a plan B for the location.

These are the images for my news reporting scene.

This was filmed and edited in the shool's media department.

SOUND AND MUSIC IN DEAD SILENCE.

In horror films, there is a lot of non-diegetic sound. This ranges from high pitch to low pitch. The tone of the music will change, depending on what is going on at the scene in that moment of time. The eerie sounds make the audience feel uncomfortable and uneasy. They would find that the sounds are taking control over them. An increase in tempo is shown when a piano, harp, guitar, trumpet or violin is used.
For the theme song of "DEAD SILENCE", a piano is used at the beginning, building up tension and suspense beforehand. An awkward deep sound is heard after this, which is telling the audience that there is a build up to something huge . After this part, the piano is heard once again, but this time, it is 3X faster than the first pitch of the piano we heard at the very beginning. The music then changes back to the clash of instruments, all mixed in with low and high pitch sounds. This creates a feeling of danger, which is a signifier to the audience that something really big is about to occur. The theme song ends with a screeching sound and then finishes off with the high pitch slow piano that was played at the very beginning. This is a huge signifier to the audience, making them aware of the build up to the damage, the damage itself, then running back to normality as if nothing had ever happened.

Each member of the audience has a different perception to how they would be "petrified". Some individulas would be scared if the sound was very quiet, but then has areas where an unexpected lod sound appears ourt of nowhere.
Traditionally, in horror movies, the more the non-diegetic music increases in sound, the most certain it is that it is a build up to a consequence. Viewers mainly feel threatened, under control, or would want to (unintentionally) jumo out of their seats. The audience feel a sense of discomfort when experiencing uneasy scenes, and / or terrifying sounds.

For the sound effects, they are mainly extremely loud, noisy hyperbolic, non-diegetic sounds. They are mainly used to scare the audience. Depending on the mood of the scene / character, the sounds will flow in accordingly. These could be loud chatter, screaming and crying. Some sounds are exaggerated, just to strike fear into the audience, therefore making them feel very uncomfortable.
The mixing of no-diegetic sounds and digetic sounds increase the fear factor within the audience.

Diegetic sounds are heard in some parts of horror movies, such as footsteps, ringing of the telephone, talking and dropping of objects.

The non-diegetic sounds have a greater effect on the audience, but the mix of non-diegetic sounds and digetic sounds, scares the audience immensely.

DEAD SILENCE OPENING CREDIT ORDERING.

MAIN THINGS WHICH HAVE BEEN LEARNT FROM THE PRELIMINARY ACTIVITY.

1. How to use a video camera.
2. How to take different kinds of shots.
3. When to take the shots.
4. Taking lighting into consideration before taking the shots.
5. Using different angles.
6. How to set up the camera and the tripod.
7. How to track and run with a video camera.
8. How to understand and view the composition from filming the shots.
9. Learning when to play and pause the filming.
10. How to hold and manoeuvre with the video camera in the hand.
11. How to zoom in and out of objects.
12. How to make the camera focus on the object.
13. Focusing on the distance of the object, for a more in depth visual image. (aperture)
14. Learning how to hold and position the camera in the hand.
15. Learning how to keep steady when filming different shots at tight angles and also at narrow spaces.

MY PITCH ON OUR FOUND FOOTAGE HORROR OPENING SEQUENCE.

My pitch is that there are 2 British vloggers / paranormal enthusiasts, who are in Los Angeles to visit a haunted place, called "THE FAMOUS ESPERO APARTMENT". There is a news reporter who is working with BBC WORLD, who will be sharing the news out to the audience about the situation of the 2 girls. All of this information is shared out to the world before the actual footage has taken place. This will depict an image of the past and the present, therefore creating an atmosphere of amazement and irony. Also, high and low angle shots will be made when doing the hand held vlogging shots for the horror opening sequence.

OUR GROUP BLOG / AHA PRODUCTIONS / THE CAST.

This is our group blog. 
We named it "AHA PRODUCTIONS"... Our names being "ALEX, HASSAN, ANAM
Here is the link to our group blog: http://ahaasmediagroup.blogspot.co.uk

THE CAST.

This is me.

My name is Hassan Raza Khan and I play the role of the newsreporter, who goes by the name of Jamie wang.

This is Alexandra Hoang.

She plays the role of one of the paranormal enthusiasts / British vloggers.

She goes by the name of Sandra Park.

This is Anam Alam.

She plays the role of the other paranormal enthusiast / British vlogger.

She goes by the name of Julia Rose.

MY OWN INITIAL IDEA SUBMITTED TO THE GROUP BLOG FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE STORYBOARD.

The idea I had put forward for the storyboard was the glitch interruptions of the news reporter, whilst the 2 vloggers were vlogging their journey. In the storyboard, I had asked the group if I could have 6 key appearances in the opening sequence. 
They said yes. 
However, this was changed later on, as we began editing our opening sequence on the iMac. My 6 appearances had changed to 5 appearances, and all of these shots were shown before the 2 vloggers had opened the door to the haunted room. 
This was advice from our media teachers that we should not show abrupt shots of the news reporter, when the 2 vloggers are in the middle of exploring the haunted apartment.
We had taken this information on board, and had adhered by it.

My contributions were the where, when and how my news reporting scenes / shots should show up in our "FOUND FOOTAGE" / "THE FOOTAGE" horror opening sequence.

MY INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE TO PLANNING MEETINGS / EDITING PROCESS.

I believe that I was the active force of the group, in order to get things done. I had tried my utmost best to arrange meetings with the group, and had also sometimes failed and succeeded in doing this. 

When I had been able to plan meetings, we went through what steps we needed to go over next. I had been talking about who should complete and start the editing and filming process, and also the entire 
structure in general. I had been planning a formal meeting during lunch times once a week and also an informal meeting during 2 break times per week. This had enabled us to deliberate and catch up with things that needed to be done. This was a vital step for our opening sequence to be successful.

For the editing process, we had taken turns and had rotated the roles. Anam and Alex had mainly been doing the editing of the opening sequence. However, I also had 10 minutes of editing the scenes, after Alex, Anam and YouTube tutorials had taught me how to edit on Adobe Premiere Pro. I helped edit the vlogging scenes, but mainly the news reporting scenes. Editing was an ongoing process, as we kept making adjustments to our opening sequence everyday.

MY PERSONAL RESPONSE TO THE BRIEF.

My personal response is that the overall procedure of the making of the opening sequence was quite good. Although we had had a few setbacks, I would say that the ongoing development and completion of the task went well, and that being said, it was finished to a very high standard. We had learnt and used many techniques which we never even imagined of doing so.

To conclude, my main response would be that the complete package of myself and the rest of the group finishing the task was really beneficial, as we had learnt as we went on further into researching on what we had to do.

I had a great experience when doing this task, and I really ejoyed many aspects of it.

MY INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE TO THE IDEA / THOUGHTS ABOUT THE GROUP CHOICE.

Personally, I feel that the thought of filming an opening sequence of the "FOUND FOOTAGE" sub-genre of horror was a great idea. I saw this as an opportunity to boost the image of this type of sub-genre, as it is not a popular sub-genre. 

This was a very smart and vital choice that the group had made, because it was our chance to be unique from the rest of the class, who were doing typical sub-genres of horror, using villains and blood etc. Though these might be the face of horror in general, the Found Footage sub-genre is more interesting. In EVERY horror film, a tripod is used. However, the majority of Found Footage films are filmed using a video camera, and that being controlled by hand as well, giving the person holding the camera freedom. Using a tripod is limited, and using a handheld camera is limitless in terms of rules.

Also, I had contributed an idea to my group that there should be more shots of "THE FAMOUS ESPERO APARTMENT", rather than myself as the news reporter. This is the exact feedback our media teachers had given to us. I had also recommended when my shots should be suitable in our opening sequence, and when they should appear.

Overall, I would say that I felt confident with what the group chose to film upon, as we all had the same approach and feelings towards it. The Found Footage film we had done allows us to think outside the box and be creative. This is my most favourite sub-genre of horror and I feel that the group had made an excellent decision on what topic we should be filming on. I believe that this was the correct step that the group had taken.

ABOUT FOUND FOOTAGE.

"FOUND FOOTAGE" is one of the sub-genres for horror. It usually revolves around a a missing tape from a very long time ago. The footage that is found, is usually the last records and evidence of the catastrophic events that had taken place beforehand. The people who had filmed that footage, are usually missing or dead.

Found Footage films have a huge advantage over many other horror films. One of the main reasons is freedom. 

In Found Footage films, you have the ability to control the camera, and can take the audience with you on a mind blowing journey. Films that are not found footage, are limited to where the tripod takes them, and can not move in any desired direction.

CLOVERFIELD.

In "CLOVERFIELD", the first 2 minutes of the opening sequence, the production logo is shown, therefore telling the audience who had produced the film. We are not immediately introduced to the main character, but are looking at the POV of the "could be" main character. His face is not shown, but a part of a narrative is shown. The man may be hiding his identity, in order to reveal it later on in the beginning of the film. The man shows the audience an even further insight to what he can see. We see something very iconic that indicates where he is. The New York skyline is where he is looking at, probably indicating that he wants to do some damage. The lighting is quite dark and the use of the location, sets the scene as we now know where he is. We do not know why, but from the dark lighting and his camera angle, we can infer that his intentions do not look very bright.




PARANORMAL ACTIVITY.

Another example would be 'PARANORMAL ACTIVITY". In this film, the camera is quite shaky and wobbly at the beginning. Despite the fact that it does NOT look professional on screen, it may add to the realism and the feeling of being scared and nervous. I felt that the person holding the camera, needs to learn how to caress and guide the camera, rather than being inconsistent and tired. The beginning of these opening sequence are quite slow paced, as the character may still be getting used to the camera and trying to adjust it as well.

REC.
In the first 2 minutes of "REC", the production company's logo is presented. This appears in a glitchy effect, again, reminding the audience how this has aspects of "FOUND FOOTAGE". The glicth effect has a different meaning. A glitch is mainly viewed as a negative feauture, and is often seen as a distruption, which portrays an image of violence and an unsettling situation in the upcoming scenes of the film. Later on in the opening scene, we are introduced to a female presenter, who is in charge of an eveing show. She is holding a microphone, and is talking in a very professional manner. 

After the setting of the scene, we are introduced to the main character of the film, who will lead the story of the film onwards and guide us through what is going on. The main character was the last person in the 2 minute opening scene, which is an indication to the audience that this character is BIG, and will want us to follow and embark on a journey with that character. There is Juxtaposition between the presenter's jolly attitude, in comparison to the dull and low key lighting. This signifies how expectation versus reality can be seen between 2 aspects in a scene. The low level lighting also connotes how the evening is damaged and broken down. 

In horror films, low level lighting is a must, just to create effect, build up of tension and also to make the audience feel uncomfortable and out oftheir comfort zone.

HORROR CODES AND CONVENTIONS.

CHARACTERS:

1. Hero
2. Villain
3. Princess
4. Female
5. Children
6. Clowns
7. Mum and Dad
8. Killer
9. Friend
10. Soul

SETTINGS:

1. Haunted house
2. Forest
3. Woods
4. City
5. Hotel
6. Run down areas.
7. Streets

PROPS:

1. Bloodied Knife
2. Crayons
3. Mask
4. Gun
5. Doll
6. Crucifix
7. Microwave
8. Random objects
9. Doll house
10. Mirrors

MISE EN SCENE:

1. The camera shows how close ups, POV shots and low and high angle shots can be used. The POV shot shows the audience what YOU are looking at with your own eyes. Also, the close up emphasise facial expressions whilst the low and high angle shots concentrate on the level of power or timidness.
2. The sound is a mix of diegetic and non - diegetic. Whispering, creaking floor boards, screams, phone ringing, spine chilling high and low pitch music, rustling, wind, shouting, demons communicating with each other in their own language, 
3. The lighting is mainly low - key. In horror films, black is the most dominant colour because of it's pure nature. irregular shadows forming and pitch, dull atmosphere signifies death and/or danger. The absence of light puts the audience into shock and in constant awareness of their surroundings.
4. For editing, shot reverse shots are used between the hero and the villain. Fast pace cuts are used to build action and tension.

NARRATIVE:

1. The story and tempo of horror films are quite slow, so that suspense can gradually build up over time, causing a more eager and curious approach from the audience.
2. Sometimes there are fast paced scenes to establish the relationship between the hero and the villain. They both fight directly and indirectly, eventually making one of them die ardor the other dying straight after.

FILMS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE KEY POINTS:

1. The Purge
2. The Blair Witch Project
3. Saw
4. A Nightmare On Elm's Street
5. Final Destination

THE INITIAL OUTCOME OF OUR OPENING SEQUENCE - "THE FOOTAGE".

PRODUCTION NAME: "AHA PRODUCTIONS".

[News presenter]: Good morning and welcome to BBC World, my name is Jamie Wang and this is breaking news. Two British vloggers, Julia Rose and Sandra Park who are well known to be paranormal enthusiasts, 

[Enthusiasts]: Hey guys, it’s Julia and Sandra here with yet another paranormal adventure for you guys.
[News presenter]: Have been presumed dead after months of searching when a 911 call had been placed from Rose's phone in the well known Espero Apartment.
[Enthusiasts]: We are visiting...THE ESPERO APARTMENT!!!
[News presenter]: This was the same place where 50 years ago, a young girl by the name of Theresa Thaw

[Enthusiasts]: Yes, the abandoned place on Brick Lane in downtown LA where the famous Theresa Thaw had been found dead.

[News presenter]: had also been found there with slashed wrists, rumoured to have been pregnant.

[Enthusists]: Apparently, her lover had left her or she got pregnant or something.

[News presenter]: No one has heard from the vloggers since then. 

[Enthusiasts]: WE'RE HERE! 
[Sandra]: Rose, Rose, I don't think that this is a good idea.
[Julia]: Why we have done this before. 
[Sandra]: This doesn't feel like the other times, I'm having a bad feeling about this.
[Julia]: Don't be so scared, nothing will happen, I'm here.
[Sandra]: Yeah, I guess you're right, but if anything happens, I'll sue you.
[Julia]: Fine *weakling*

[News presenter]: A video camera had been discovered at the scene along with some footage.
[Enthusiasts]: Oh my God, guys look at this place [flips camera], it’s so weird.
[News presenter]: an eerie figure can be seen
[Julia]: What was that San? San? Sandra? This isn’t funny, come out!
[News presenter]: revenant of Theresa Thaw?
[Julia]: OH MY GOD *mobile phone, try to call 911* WHAT IS HAPPENING?! Sandra please stop with the jokes PLEASE!!! WHY DID WE COME HERE?
[News presenter]: What happened to the girls and will they ever return?
[Julia]: SANDRA *screams* camera drops

FILM NAME: "THE FOOTAGE".

This is our script, which was made by Anam mainly, then Alex, then myself when I had joined the group.

As a group, we had decided to come together and choose to do an opening sequence on "FOUND FOOTAGE" of  horror. This was simply because w were inspired by "THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT", and also because it is a topic which is not heavily looked upon. It is an unpopular genre of horror, so as a group we all had the same aim to revive it. Also, we wanted to be unique and different from the rest of the class. We wanted to be the outcast, so that our class look at and appreciate us on our approach to this sub - genre of horror that no other group in the class has chosen to do.

The two girls vlog their journey to the "FAMOUS ESPERO APARTMENT", and then have a short disagreement with one another, about going inside. They were on a mission to find out about the Theresa Thaw's case and jus to explore in general, as they are paranormal enthusiasts. Just a while after they going, Sandra Park goes missing, and then Julia Rose begins to panic. Jump cuts will be made during the editing process, but also in the final outcome, as a view of past and present needs to be shown. The 2 bloggers will introduce themselves, once the news reporter has said his part about them. Julia Rose tries to make a phone call to the police, (911)but can not, due to her not being able to find her own phone. Both of the girls disappear, and the camera drops as a result of this. "THE FOOTAGE" appears.

This script was altered we continued to film.

The areas of concern were, the film looking like a trailer due to the jump cuts. Also, the cutting technique. This is mainly because the cuts need to be precise and accurate. 

The 2 minute mark is absolutely comfortable. Going over would mean that the opening sequence is revealing too much information.

Overall, we felt that the script was very good, and the LESS use of the news reporter, means that the entire opening sequence can be full of suspense and fearfulness.