Our Opening Sequence - X Marks the Spot

Here is our finished opening sequence:

Evaluation Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Within our opening sequence we felt it was necessary to include a variety of stereotypical traits of young adults. By doing this it would mean that the audience who we are targeting our film at (15 to 25 year olds) would be able to relate to the main character.

Our opening sequence represents young teenage girls since this is what the main victim of the scene is. The character is represented as vulnerable since she is attacked by the stalker, and also walking around the streets at night by herself. She is dressed in clothes typical to what a teenage girl in the 21st century would be seen wearing. This character is fully representative of what you would think a stereotypical teen girl to look like. The fact that she is on her phone while walking down the road also relates to the stereotype of teenagers always being on their phone.

The other social group that features in our film would be adult males.Our character of the stalker is untypical of the usual type of male character you might see in a film. Usually in a horror film an adult male character might be the dad who tries to protect his family from what is happening to them in the film. An example of this type of character in a film would be Roger Perron from The Conjuring. In the film when his family are being possessed, etc he is trying to help to save as much as he can.

Typical male character from horror films. In the image you can also see how the family are cowering in the corner behind the dad showing how he is the power they look to for help and support

At the end of our film the stalker is revealed to be the detective of the town where all the teenage girls are being killed. Throughout the film the detective would be acting in the same sort of way the dad in The Conjuring does, and try to help. However, in our opening sequence it is the stalker character he is portrayed as.This shows how the stalker is obviously crazy and has a split personality, very similar to the character of Norman in Pyscho from 1960. Norman is shown to be completely normal character in the film who has to deal with his mother who keeps killing people, however at the end of the film it is revealed that Norman and his mother are actually the same person.

Even though our character of the stalker is portrayed similarly in another film, it is still very uncommon to see this type of character in a horror film being an adult male.

In this way then it can be seen that the characters in our opening sequence both do and don't represent particular social groups and how these groups are presented in films.

BY EMILY CARMICHAEL

Evaluation Question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/ address your audience?

Evaluation Question 6

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Evaluation Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Green Screen

When we were filming our evaluation question using the green screen we came across some difficulties. Firstly, we had to record the video twice on separate days because the first video we filmed we were sat too close together and we blocked the images we wanted to show behind us.

Also the green screen itself kept falling down, as you can see in the video. This meant we got distracted from what we were saying and had to put the screen back up properly so that when we were editing we could have the pictures we were talking about behind us.

Another thing was that we filmed in the school corridors which meant that people kept walking past or making noise. This was something we had to work around it.

We then had to edit all of the footage together, adding in the pictures and videos that we talked about so the whole thing came together. This was probably the easiest and quickest part of making this video since we were very distracted while filming. When we were talking it through we kept getting words wrong, or losing focus and laughing at ourselves.

Film Bloopers

This video shows some of the outtakes from our film and difficulties we had whilst producing our final piece.

Some of the features we struggled with were for example:

- Getting the camera to pan on the tripod straightaway without jumps. This took practice but we eventually got a smooth pan to add into our film.

- One of our main characters found it difficult to keep a straight face whilst being filmed e.g Lucy kept laughing when she was walking past the camera. We decided to film Lucy walking past when she's on her phone, this was beneficial as we wanted to portray her as a typical teenager and it also helped her focus.

- When we were filming the shot down the stairs, Emily's feet were still in the shot, however once we had added an effect to the shot the feet weren't able to be seen.

Behind the scenes

This is a video of some footage that we filmed whilst we were setting up the location for our stalkers den. 

We chose this location in a basement because it reflects the character of the stalker effectively; it was a creepy spot to film in and we feel the final video looks good due to this choice.

WWW & EBI

Creating our opening sequence we went through a variety of stages to reach our final piece. Such as researching, creating, filming and editing. We had to familiarise ourselves with all these elements in order to create an opening sequence we were proud of. Most of the programmes and equipment we had to use to carry out our task were new to us both so it took lots of practice to perfect our skills.
One of the most challenging parts of creating our opening sequence was initially thinking of a story line. In order to do this we had to create a synopsis. We found this challenging because we tried to link events that would happen earlier on in the film with ones towards the end to develop an effective plot. We also then had to design a storyboard of the first 2 minutes of our film. In order to have a clear plan of how we would film our opening sequence we decided to include things such as the shots we would use for each frame:

What went well in our opening sequence:

Looking back on the development of our opening sequence we feel there were many parts we enjoyed, particularly the editing which is the part that went well. Despite neither of us having any experience with using the programme 'Final cut pro' we were able to use it quickly and efficiently. We scanned through a variety of clips we had filmed to pick from to include in our opening sequence and fit them together. One problem we came across whilst editing was that the end of one of our frames was filmed incorrectly, therefore we had to cut the frame and put the end of one next to the beginning of the other. However because it was 2 separate clips there was a jump through the transition. To solve this problem we decided to add some jump cuts shortly after. This was effective as the jump cut paired with a loud bang we edited in helped add tension and build the opening sequence.
Another part of our opening sequence we feel is effective was the music we used. We decided to incorporate a track called 'Best horror music'. For a while we were content with this music however after watching our finished piece several times we decided it was missing something. So we added another track to play alongside the other. Overall we feel the music paired with our sequence adds to the fear factor and helps build tension.

Our opening sequence could be even better if:

Now that our opening sequence is complete we feel to improve its quality further we could of included a narrative voice over the top. The reason we both feel this is because a voice giving a brief description of what is going on or some history to the characters can make the film clearer to the viewers. Additionally depending on the tone and speed of the voice it could add to the level of scariness.


Overall we feel our opening sequence works well and we are proud of the work we carried out.

Age Rating

Whilst creating our opening sequence we decided after research that we would rate our film a 15. This is because after looking up the guidelines of what a 15 certificate entails we feel that ours fits this criteria:

Some features our film include are: scenes of strong violence- when the stalker viciously murders his victims. 

Strong language- when the father of the most recent victim is accused of murdering his own daughter and lashes out at the detective.

We also feel that the storyline of the film is quite complex and disturbed with the stalker also being the detective trying to solve the murder he's committed. The reason we feel this is because the fact that the stalker is acting as such contrasting characters portraying a split personality it therefore represents mental issues which can be a sensitive topic within a film. 

Finally the gruesome scenes of girls lying dead with an X engraved on their chest will be shown throughout the film and could trouble/upset the viewers.

Equipment

The equipment we used when filming our opening sequence was a tripod and a torch. Other than the camera we used to film everything with we didn't really need much else.


We used the tripod to hold the camera still so we could get a good shot without the shaky movements you would get if we used handheld all the time to film. We used the tripod when doing the panning shot of the victim walking past the camera, when we filmed the zooming out of the pictures on the wall and when we filming the stalker walking towards the camera. All the other shots were taken from a handheld position to give a shaky effect, and make it look as if the shot is from the point of view of the stalker - a point of view shot.

This is what the tripod we used looked like.

The only other piece of equipment we used when filming was a torch. We used this to light up the pictures on the wall as the camera moved over them, to give general lighting on to the stalkers masked face when we filmed outside in the dark, and to give us light when we filmed in the basement.

This is what the torch we used looked like.

Costume and Props

These are the actual costumes and props that we used in our final opening sequence:

The Stalker:

This is the scream mask that we used as the mask for the stalker in our film to wear.

We decided this would be a good mask to use since we already owned it, and it is also a mask typical of horror films and we wanted to capture this sense of horror within our opening sequence; by using this mask which many people will associate with the horror genre it allowed us to do this. 

This is the black hoodie we used. We decided that the stalker in our films should be wearing this as it makes the character look creepy. By wearing this with the hood up it gave a sense of mystery to the character and also made him able to be feared since he is unable to be identified as a person.

Using the mask and the hoodie together on our stalker character meant that a sense of fear was able to be implanted into the film just through the costume. Not knowing who the person is in the mask is a good way to get the audience interested but also scared straight away as the film starts.

The Victim:

For the victim character we didn't have a  set piece of clothing that we wanted the character to wear. We just said to Lucy that she should wear whatever she normally would as this would make the character more relatable to our target audience (15-25 year olds). We also got her to use her phone as she walked past the camera as this made it more realistic of a regular teenager and one who is vulnerable to the stalker because she is not fully interacting with her surroundings.  

Music and Sound Effects

In our opening sequence the music and sound effects we used really help to create the horror effect we wanted in our film.

Music

The main piece of music that is playing in the background of our film is called red room. It was a piece that as already downloaded onto our computer and we thought it was appropriate to use in our film. We edited and played around with this sound until we found a place in the opening sequence where it fitted best. This was just as the scene moves outside and the establishing shot of the street appears on the screen.

Throughout the whole film as an underlying tone, we found a piece called 'best horror soundtracks' and we used this to play in the background of every scene. This music was quite slow-paced and haunting and is used from start to finish in our opening.

Sound Effects

Some of the sound effects we used we added in and others we part of the scene when we filmed. The very first scene in X Marks the Spot is a shot down the crooked ladders to the basement, while we filmed this part there was a squeaking noise that can be heard in the clip, and this was caused by an electricity meter. We were originally going to cut it out as we didn't realise you could hear it in the final shot, but after some thought we decided that it actually worked well in creating a creepy tone to start the film.

Another sound effect which we had was the turning on of the light switch. When the lights come on in the basement, before the camera zooms out on the wall, the light being turned on at the switch can be heard. We also decided to leave this in the film because it was a real sound that you would hear as you turn on a light so it made sense to leave it in and give our opening a realistic feel.

All the other sound effects we added in, such as the whistling. When the stalker is walking up behind the victim we thought it would be a good idea to have him whistle as it makes him seem very relaxed and casual, but also quite creepy. It is a good way of showing how he is mentally unstable because he is so relaxed moments before he is about to kill someone.

The final sound effect we used was the 'banging' noise as the jump cuts happen. These were added to give more tension to the jumps when they happened.

Location Difficulties

Here is where we had originally planned on filming:

This is the entrance to the woods were we were going to film our opening sequence, however as you can see in the picture it was too dark for anything in the image to be made out. This meant we couldn't use it to film in. We filmed in a location where there were street lights so we could actually see what the characters were doing, this was in a road next to the woods.

This is an aerial shot of the area we filmed in. The red circle shows the woods where we were going to film, and the yellow diamond shows the area were we ended up filming.

The reason as to why we weren't able to film in our first choice film location was due to the fact that our filming schedule got messed up because one of our actors was ill on the day we originally planned to film. This pushed us back in terms of time so when we finally were able to film, the early winter sunset of February put our original filming location in the dark; it would have been impossible to see what we were actually videoing. If we had had more time we might have been able to film the shot again when it was a bit lighter, but there was no other time when all of us were able to get together to film and by this point we needed to start putting together all our footage and start the editing process. 

Even though the stalker's attack wasn't filmed in our first choice location, we feel that the fact that the stalker attacked his victim in the middle of a busy road emphasises his mental state. He is obviously out of his mind since he is killing teen girls, but as he went to the extremity of doing it when other people were about it becomes more apparent to the audience of just how disturbed he is. 

Where we actually filmed our opening sequence: 

Casting Difficulties

The stalker in our film is supposed to be a middle aged man as this age group is more likely to be seen as creepy, as in a 'creepy old man'. However the stalker in our film is played by Charlie who is much younger than the character he is playing. We don't feel this made any significant change to our film though because the stalker is masked so you cant actually see how old or young looking his face is.

Our actors had to be happy with what we were going to ask them to do. Charlie was happy enough to wear the mask so it was an easy choice to pick him as our stalker for the film. Lucy was our second choice to play the victim character, but she was willing to be in the film for us and did exactly what we needed her to do and it worked out well in the end.

Location Shots

Location Shots

Our final film was set in a creepy basement and in the streets at night and we feel this adds a certain fear factor to the opening sequence. Within our area there are a variety of locations we considered that would all work well to film in.

Here is where our final filming took place:

The Basement a.k.a The Stalker's 'Den' 

We filmed the place of the stalker's 'den' in Sofia's basement. This was the perfect location for us to film these scenes in since it had a very creepy, eerie feel to it which we wanted because it would reflect the character of our stalker, and how we wanted them to be viewed by our audience. 

The pictures of our location above are screen grabs from our final film and behind the scenes video.

When we were actually in the basement filming we forgot to take any pictures. This is probably due to the fact that the basement was incredibly tiny and the ceiling was decorated with cobwebs so after we had set up the pictures on the wall and the camera on the tripod, we were ready to film and get out of there as fast as possible. It wasn't particularly easy to get down there either since it was down a set of ladders under the stairs.

The Street a.k.a Where the victim is killed

Although we originally planned on filming the stalker attacking his victim in the middle of a woods, we had to change this and film along the side of the road. 

Casting Shots

Casting Shots 

Within our opening sequence only 2 characters are shown; a young female and a male stalker. For these characters we felt it was necessary to choose people with the correct build and of course pick people who were willing to be featured in it.
Also in our opening the male needed to be bigger than the young female to portray intimidation.


Charlie Tossell as the stalker:


























Lucy Cranfield as the teenage girl/ victim:

Target Audience

Camera Shots & Angles used in Horror films

To create an authentic horror opening sequence we have chosen to research suitable camera shots and angles to give the best effects.




This shot is called Birdseye/high angle shot. These are often used in horror films to make the character that is low down look completely powerless and vulnerable. We like this shot because it portrays the weakness in the character just through a camera shot.






A close up in this genre of movie is used to show the reaction on the characters face. This is the shot that shows the most emotion from the characters. It can also be used to show detail in an important scene.









Tilt shots add a lot of dramatic tension to shots, and could simplify a supernatural being, for example, pushing or moving the camera. Its also a great way of getting a different shot of an incident across to the audience. Another effective way of using a tilt shot is to act as though the character on the floor is the victim looking up at whats happening.










A long shot are a great way to establish the scene in horror movies. They show the surrounding area of where a scene is set, and can put into perspective how deserted or creepy a location is.








Low angles can be very powerful in the way they emphasise how scary or intimidating a villain is. this shows to the audience how powerful they are, and how weak everyone else is in comparison.






Handheld camera shots are very often used in horror movies to create a sense of reality. It makes the audience feel involved and adds to the horror of the film as they feel like they are actually there. - An example of a film where this type of camera shot is used is in Paranormal Activity.





Point of view shots are taken from the point of view of the character. This is good to use in horror films because it makes the audience feel more connected to the story as they feel like everything is actually happening to them.






Over the shoulder shots are one of the best ways to build tension in a scene. They are often used in horror films to build suspense and show the character looking in the mirror, for example. It is also used a lot to show a figure stood behind a victim.

Production Logo Research

Researched Logos

In order to find inspiration for our production logo we searched for a variety of production logos. Here are a few we found:

This was the first logo we found. We felt this logo was effective as it is clear straight away that the company produce horror films. We wanted to show through our production logo that we were producing a horror film- in this example you can tell through the dark colours and font used for the writing.

We liked this logo as the words are in a different layout to most which sparks interest. This logo again uses dark colours and incorporates the image of an opening door- a generic horror feature in films. This shows an effective link between the production logo and horror films. 

The reason this logo stood out to us is because although it is simple, the font choice, 3D effect and colours all associate with a horror genre.

Our Logos

To create our production logo we used the programme Motion. The different Logos we researched gave us a range of different ideas which lead us to experiment with making a few versions before deciding on our favourite one:

This was our first logo name and style that we created, but we later decided to change the name to better fit our film. With this logo we liked the font of the writing but decided that maybe a different font would be better for our horror film.

After we decided that our first logo wasn't best fitting to our film genre we changed the name of our company as the meaning fits with our film- sinister and ghostly. We chose to add a fog effect below the writing as we felt it added an eerie element to the logo.

 After deciding this was the name we wanted to use we played around with different effects for the font and found a 3D look that worked well. We thought that the fog overpowered the writing so chose to decrease the size, so that the company name is the prominent component of our logo.

Evaluation of our Logos

The original logo we came up with was named 'Blue Moon Productions' because we thought it sounded professional and authentic,  we also felt it would be fairly simple to match an image with the name- a blue coloured moon. However we later decided to change the name as it didn't effectively portray the genre of the film, horror, which we feel is important. 

By our second logo we had decided on the name 'Eldritch Studios'. Eldritch means sinister or ghostly which immediately demonstrates the genre of the films that the studios will produce. We paired the writing with an image of fog as it mirrors a ghostly figure; we also decided to change the font of the writing. By our third attempt we added a 3D effect to the writing as we felt it was missing something and decreased the size of the fog. For our final logo we chose to keep the name 'Eldritch Studios' but changed all the other elements.  

OUR FINAL DESIGN

This is our final design. After creating our previous logos we still felt something was missing so played around with different background effects. We chose this background because it included the fog which we previously liked but in an adapted way. Also we changed the font of our title to a more suited choice. We then carried on to add audio to our Production Logo called 'Creepy music box' as it matches with the theme of our production logo. Overall although creating our production logo has been a long process we feel it has been helpful to experiment with different ideas in order to reach our final goal. It also helped us familiarise ourselves with the program Motion.  

Storyboard

To create our storyboard, firstly we drew pictures relating to the theme of our opening sequence. In order to produce our final product we came up with a variety of different ideas and decided this was the story that we favoured. Our storyboard uses 7 different pictures which we edited using final cut pro to add effects,text and transitions.
Each frame shows what is happening and describes the camera shots, angles and audio tracks we want to include.

Evaluation

We feel our storyboard went well as it successfully shows our ideas and plan for filming our opening sequence. We also think the effects added suit the theme of our film.
If we were to make another storyboard we would consider adding colour and bolder lines to each frame in order to make the pictures stand out more.

ScreenPlay

25 word pitch

The slaughtering of young girls plagues this quaint town in surrey,  a bloody 'X' engraved onto the bare chest of his victims marks their death. Who's behind the mask?

Synopsis

X Marks The Spot

A current year film set in a quiet town in Surrey opens with images of mind maps showing various girls faces pictured on a wall during the title sequence. The film then jumps to follow a hooded figure wearing a mask stalking a young female through a wooded area late at night. As screams are heard we see the killer crossing the latest target off his list. The picture that is crossed out reveals it was the girl being stalked.

The main family are then introduced into the film; Lisa, Martin and Henry. Shortly after they receive a phone call from the towns local detective saying parts of their daughters body have been found scattered in the woods, showing an x on her chest.  The camera shows a picture, of the girl who was just seen being killed, on the fire place of the family's house. The detective is introduced into the film whilst on the phone to the now distraught family, the mothers cries are heard through the phone and the detective hangs up abruptly.

The film continues to follow the detective at work as he tries to solve the murder. As his boss enters, a conversation takes place between the two men, they discuss the massacre of young females that has recently taken place in the town. Following this the detective calls Martin (the father) into the police station and informs him that he is considered a suspect of the series of murders. When the character arrives at the police station he is told this is because on the night of his daughters murder the last person she rang was him. Martin reacts outrageously to this and the detective unfairly sentences him to a night in jail.

A snippet of the hooded figure killing another victim in a brutal manner is then shown briefly, with the x prominently shown on the chest- similar images to this repeat throughout the film.

Towards the end of the film we see the hooded figure stalking another victim, the hooded character turns back to check for witnesses revealing the killer to be the detective! The killer/detective places his mask over his face and murders the young female brutally with a knife, engraving an x into the chest of the female. To end the film the detective/killer crosses off the most recent victim, showing a page full of crossed out faces.

Influences

Before we begin filming our opening sequence it is important that we find a variety of influences and inspirations. We have found influences through different medias such as film, music and pictures. This has been helpful as it has directed us to what we could include in our opening sequence.

Film & TV Programmes

These are a few films and TV programmes that have influenced our decisions:

THE LOVELY BONES

Our first image is a gif which we made of a scene from The Lovely Bones. It shows the stalker staring out the window at his target. We are interested in incorporating a similar scenario in our opening sequence, therefore the shot is an effective influence. We also liked the use of the point of view shot from the camera as it adds some mystery to the film because the stalker stays unknown.

We are interested in using a shot of the criminals location as in the second screen grab, as it will inform the viewers of the creepy tendencies of the stalker.   

SHERLOCK

This screen grab shows a wall of mind maps which we could take inspiration from and use in our opening. The generic portrayal of a stalker is for them to have planned out the production of the murder or kidnapping. We also found the use of the wide shot interesting as it enables the viewer to see the intentions of the stalker. The shot also adds an overwhelming effect as it shows how much effort and detail has been put into creating the mind map. We would like to use shots in our opening sequence that  generates a response from the viewers. 

SINISTER

This is a screen grab from the trailer Sinister. This inspired us as it follows a theme of targeting a specific person. It also struck as an act a stalker would carry out- circling the face of their target. We would like to in some way incorporate a shot showing a similar idea as shown in this image. This shot shows a zoomed in image, by showing the whole family it highlights that a specific person is being targeted. This shot has influenced us because it shows that we can use different shots to send a message to the audience.

Setting

In order to choose a setting of our opening sequence we watched trailers and found pictures that we could recreate. 

THE STRANGERS

These are images from the movie 'The Strangers' of locations that they used in the film. We have taken inspiration from these as we would like to use similar locations in our opening sequence; a dark forest and a creepy looking house. These locations are not too ambitious and therefore also something we can easily recreate by using a local park with woods and filming houses, but will still have the same effect on the audience to make it successfully scary. 

After watching trailers to find inspiring settings we then researched using the internet to find more specific pictures. These two we particularly thought were chilling but additionally easy to reinvent. 

Costume 

These 2 screen grabs have been taken from 'Pretty Little Liars' and 'Now You See Me' showing 2 hooded characters. We feel the use of the dark hoodies adds mystery and a spook factor to the character. This influences us as we would like to have an element of mystery in our opening sequence. 

We were influenced by this mask as it follows a theme of a hidden mystery and is sinister at the same time. A film that we found inspiring was 'The Strangers' which used similar masks leading us to want to use that inspiration. 

Title Sequence

In our opening sequence we have to include a title sequence incorporating a company logo created by ourselves. In order to find influence to  create our own we chose to watch a variety of opening sequences including: The strangers, The Lovely Bones, Now you see me and Jeepers Creepers. Out of these choices we especially liked 'Now you see me' and 'Jeepers Creepers' - 

NOW YOU SEE ME

These are two images taken from the opening sequence of 'Now You See Me'. We were influenced by this particular opening as we liked the use of dark lighting which meant we can only see hands on the screen, from the company name and the first scene of the film. 

JEEPERS CREEPERS

This opening sequence is slightly different to the one from Now You See Me as there are no images behind the titles. We liked the use of the white writing on the dark background, and the use of the colours also sets what genre the film is straight away.