Location Shots For Main Task "Annette"

 

Audience Research For Main Task (''Annette'')

For our main task we chose to to have a horror themed film with a murder mystery twist. The main reason we chose it was because of the results from our audience research. I asked 10 people in my questionnaire.

8/10 said they liked horror movies while the other two said they prefer comedy.

6/10 said they liked the idea of a mass murderer and 4/10 said they liked murder mystery.

As the majority said they preferred horror, we decided to do that since it suits our target audience (aged 18- 40). Mass murderer type character is also interesting to do and develop so that is another reason why we chose that.

Also I asked 14 people aged between 18 and 41:

'Whats your favourite genre of film?'  3 said action, 2 said thriller, 5 said comedy and 4 said horror.

'Why do you watch a film?'  6 said because people have talked about it, 5 said because the trailer makes it look good, 2 said they had an interest in the topic of the film and 1 person said they did so because it's got their favourite or famous actors in it.

'Would a film based on current affairs or historical events would put you off from watching it?' 1 said that it would put them off whereas the other 13 said that it wouldn't put them off.

'Would a film with controversial events put you off from watching it?' 1 said that it would and 13 said that it wouldn't.

'What type of horror film character do you prefer?' 4 said that they prefer The Romanian sex traffickers from 'Taken', 3 said they would prefer a Joseph Fritzl type character, 2 said they would prefer a Christian cult type character from 'Red State', 5 said they would prefer a Jigsaw type character from the 'Saw' films.

What we plan on doing with the audience research: The reason I asked what horror movie character they preferred was because we plan on doing a horror movie for our coursework. The murderer will be a mix of The Romanians from 'Taken' and Joseph Fritzl in the sense of the rape scenes that happen later in the storyline and so I was interested in knowing if people even considered those sorts of characters in horror films. I asked if controversial events put them off from watching it since our storyline is quite edgy and unconventional, also some films have controversial events in films and so I was interested in knowing if these films were more watched than uncontroversial films. The current affairs issue question was asked just out of interest because our film is based on the real story of the Dale Farm eviction.

Storyboards For ''Annette''

Risk Assement for ''Annette''

Story Line For 'Annette' - (Main Task)

The opening scene is of a murder that takes place in an old house. After this: a detective is called to investigate the murder and find out who did it. At around the same time more murders happen in similar circumstances to the first muder. At all of the murders there is always the message "Try and stop it." The detective realises that they are clearly linked and that he is dealing with the same person.

The detective starts looks for clues as to who the next victim might be. The next day a murder takes place at the home of the CEO of Vodaphone. However, when the detective goes to investigate he finds that thus murder is different to the last couple. Even though there is still the sign "Try and stop it." it seems rushed, as though someone was trying to do the job quickly. The body isn't also placed near a drain to let the blood pour out and the victim has a stab wound in their chest and stomach. It also turns out that the families 17 year old daughter, Annette, has been kidnapped.

The detective calls in more help and a huge campaign is ordered to find the missing girl. CCTV footage shows a blue vauxhall leaving the estate at 2:07 am. Other CCTV footage shows the same car going down the motorway. A speed camera catches it doing 86mph and the detectives use this image on the news to appeal for witnesses.

Over the period of a month, witnesses report seeing that car enter Dale Farm. The big gate stops people from looking in so it is not known exactly what is happening to her.

Unknown to the detectives, Annette is being raped by the gypsies and used as a prostitute. She is kept in a caravan for 3 months. Coincidentally, the residents of Dale Farm are appealling to Basildon council to not let them be evicted. Months pass while the court keeps rejecting and postponing their appeal. During this time the girl is continually being raped. One of the gypsies who rapes her, talks to her and treats her like a normal human.
All of a sudden the gypsies become very agitated and the gypsy that befriends her starts to beat her up. From her prison in the caravan she can hear the sound of sawing and metal work.

On the 17th October, she is taken out of the caravan and placed by the main gate. Her feet are secured in concrete and she has a chain attached to her neck. Other people are also chained to the gate with one girl attached in such a way that if it opens she will be strangled.

Annette talks to the other people and finds out that two of them are in a similar predicament. They talk about what happened to each of them and what is likely to happen if they get unchained.
On the morning of the 19th October, Annette wakes up to the sound of people shouting at the back of the campsite. There are other people with cameras on the other side of the main gate. Half an hour later she sees what they are shouting about; police. Armed with riot shields they attack the gypsies. All of a sudden there is a surge of people at the main gate and the chains tighten around the girls necks. The police see what is happening and try and get it to stop. However, in all the chaos the girl with it round her neck on the special position is strangled. She hangs lifeless.

After all the commotion the action dies down and the police are getting rid of the last people attached to the gate. The detective fears that the hanged girl is Annette and goes to ring her parents. As he is doing this, the police alert him that a girl matching the descriptions of the news bulletin has been found.

Feedback From Preliminary Task

Feedback that we recieved back from our preliminary task included:
- ''Good use of match on action''
- ''Nice editing''
- "Good use of med-long shot"
- "Change of angles on shot reverse shot"
- "Uses a variety of camera shots"
- "Editing is consistent - no continuity errors"
- "Use of bloopers is unique and different"

Preliminary Task Storyboards

Preliminary Task - Video

The Illusionist (2006)

The Illusionist (2006) - First 5 Mins

Camera Work

The first shot used is a high angled, long shot – this is a point of view shot of the audience watching him, showing how small he is in comparison to his large audience. The following shot is an eye-level, (side-on) long shot this shows the character ‘Eisenheim’, the setting – on a stage with a wealthy audience watching (you can tell this as they are all dressed smartly in suits and dresses) and you can see how he’s positioned in the frame (sat on the stage). A dolly is then used for the next shot so that the camera can pan around the characters face, here a close up is used so that the audience can see the concentration on ‘Eisenheim’s’ face as he is performing his act. A crane shot is then used to go from the front to the back of the theatre so that the viewer can see the audience’s reaction and also to fully establish the setting. The camera then cuts to show the security that has been put in place at the back of the theatre (using a medium long shot so that the audience can fully see the uniform and straight away work out that they are police officers) showing that this is a high end event to which important people attend (otherwise there would be no need for all the security). The camera then pans left through the crowd and pauses upon one member, creating an enigma code as the audience then wants to know want importance he has in this scene. Next cutting to another high angled shot but this time is an extreme long shot showing how insignificant he is compared to the high class audience, it also shows how the crowd are becoming more curious as to what he is going to do. By using a crane the camera comes back down to eye-level to a medium shot, so the audience can see both the character ‘Eisenheim’ and the spirit appearing. The camera then does a medium shot of the woman in the audience so you can see both her reaction and the people around her at the same time. Shot-reverse-shot close ups are used between the characters ‘Eisenheim’ and ‘Chief Inspector Unl’ to show the expression on their faces and how the react to each other – establishing the relationship between them for the audience. A two shot is then used between the two – with the ‘Chief’ standing up and ‘Eisenheim’ sitting down, it shows how the ‘Chief’ is more important and dominant over ‘Eisenheim’. The camera pans right at a medium long shot across the audience so you can see a lot of the audience’s reaction at the same time, it is also the point of view of ‘Eisenheim’ so by seeing what the character sees you know how the character feels and it helps to make the scene seem more realistic. Bird’s eye shots are used so that the viewer can see how the crowd is reacting (by attacking the police). A point of view shot is used for the ‘Chief’ to show the audience his surroundings and how grand they are, as he is looking up at his surroundings it shows how he is over whelmed by what he is seeing and that the person he is off to see him is more important than him. Low angled, medium close ups are still used of the chief as he has just taken down ‘Eisenheim’ so he feels very powerful at the moment.

Sound

The music in this film is all orchestral, this is as the film is set in the 1900s. The music played during the opening credits in mysterious and magical (created by the violins) this gives the audience a sense of what the film is about, as it is about an illusionist named ‘Eisenheim’. Near the end of the opening credits the music becomes faster – increasing the audience anticipation and building suspense, after the increase of speed the music stops all of a sudden, the screen goes black and the first shot is shown. The sudden stop in music creates a bigger contrast between the music played in the credits and the silence in the theatre. The diegetic sounds increase during the scene – starting with the sound of the fire blowing in the wind (which becomes louder when it is in shot), then when the camera has a close up of the character ‘Eisenheim’ you can hearing him breathing heavily showing how hard he is concentrating on his act, rustling is then heard in the background enhancing how silent the character is.  The audience then makes noise by whispering, moving about (creaking of chairs creating an eerie atmosphere). Then the non-diegetic comes in, this consists of short notes being played on a xylophone creating an uneasy and mysterious atmosphere for the viewer whilst the spirit is forming. A lady then gasps, and because the sound so far has been quiet this loud gasp shocks the audience. Then more people start to talk, building the texture up more and more, by using all these diegetic sounds it makes the film seem more realistic. As the police start to get involved the non-diegetic sounds (orchestral music) becomes louder and faster which helps to build up the tension. As the ‘Chief’ beginning to talk the music becomes more powerful, showing that he is a powerful figure. When the camera cuts to outside the theatre is it quiet, contrasting with the noise on the inside. The crowd becomes louder, then when it cuts to the ‘Chief’ walking down the corridor to see the Prince the diegetic music cuts out, contrasting to the previous scene. The music played in this scene seems powerful and evil, this depicts the nature of this character, also the creaking of the floorboards as he walks creates an uneasy atmosphere. As the ‘Chief’ enters the office all non-diegetic sounds stop, to make the scene seem more realistic.

Editing

The first scene fades in making it seems mysterious and magical. The cuts at the being are slow, as there is no action going on so no need to build up tension for the viewer. As the spirit appears and everyone begins to react, the cuts become faster to show how angry and mad the audience is, also to increase the action and tension. In the next scene the cuts are slower as the ‘Chief’ is just walking towards the office so the atmosphere is a lot calmer than the previous scene.

Mise-En-Scene

During the opening credits moving images are put behind the writing to give the viewer hints on what the film is going to be about, for example a butterfly, a castle, a clip of people on a busy street – from this you can tell that that film is set in the 1900s as they are smartly dressed and wearing elegant hats. A shot of the theatre is also shown, hinting at the setting of the film. We also see horse and cart which was around in Vienna (setting of the film) during the 1900s. The character ‘Eisenheim’ isn't dressed smartly in a suit, unlike his audience showing that he is probably middle-class and the audience is more upper-class. The characters shown standing at the back are dressed smartly with hard hats on, connoting that they are policemen/guards.

The film uses only natural lighting to make the film seem more realistic as this is a period film. All characters seen wear light, natural make-up this makes them more appealing to the eye. The film is set in the 1900s in Vienna, Italy you can tell this from the clothing and the transport used (as spoken about previous).

Dorian Gray (2009)

Dorian Gray (2009) - First 5 Mins

Camera Work

The first shot we see is a low-angled, medium close up shot of the main character ‘Dorian Gray’, low angles help give a sense of confusion to a viewer. The background of the scene is just of the ceiling, the lack of detail about the setting adds to the disorientation of the viewer. The added height of the character creates a sense of fear and insecurity for the viewer, this is as it makes ‘Dorian’ seem more dominate and powerful. The medium close up helps the audience to see the blank and life-less expression on the characters face. This shot is then followed by a worm’s eye shot (also a point of view shot for the victim), giving the character more dominance and importance, the shot is still a medium close up but now the viewer feels uncomfortable in being that close to the character who is doing wrong. The shot cuts to another low angled shot as the blood spatter hits him, using a close up this time so the audience can see the blood and the amount, making the viewer feel unnerved by this character. As the character pulls the knife out we are looking at eye-level to the body, using a big close up so that the audience can see fully the body, blood and knife – as beforehand the audience didn’t know for sure if it was a person he was killing (creating an enigma code). The camera then cuts to and from low angled, medium close up shots to eye-level shots (still at a medium close up) – throughout this montage of clips as it is a medium close up you can see the expression on the characters face, so you see as the character goes from looking distraught about killing someone to looking pleased and happy about himself. The next scene is of the character ‘Dorian’ in a carriage drawn by horse. The shot starts at a medium close up (to show the emotion on his face, so the audience knows how he feels about the murder) and peds down the subject to reveal the trunk which is dripping with blood. The carriage pulls away from shot still at a low angle (long shot), this and the low-key lighting creates an evil and criminal atmosphere. In the next scene the character is over-looking the river with the trunk by his side, by using a long shot it shows how the character is alone and the low-key lighting gives the scene an uneasy atmosphere, all this insinuates that he is going to get rid of the body by dumping it in the river. More (extreme) long shots are continuously used as ‘Dorian’ is disposing of the body. When the trunk is floating in the river a big close up is used to show the trunk in full detail – this is because it is a flash-forward so the audience will see the trunk again.

The next scene shown is a year earlier, it starts with a big close up of the trunk we saw in the previous scene. The camera then pans up to show the same character ‘Dorian Gray’, looking a lot more innocent than before. Throughout the scene on the station platform we see ‘Dorian’ through eye-level and high angled shots (long shot) – this is a major contrast to the scene before as he is now shown as inferior and insignificant, he is also shown as getting pickpocketed whereas before you would of expected it to of been the other way round. When he gets into the carriage a low-angled shot is used, but here it is to show his wealth and power as we soon find out he is very rich. The camera then cuts to an establishing shot of the roof tops of large and expensive homes – this sets the setting for the film. The camera pans right to shows the audience the surrounding area, before pedding down (using a crane) to the protagonist who’s getting out of the carriage. The camera continues to go down, until looking at the character at a low angle, making him and the home seem bigger, adding more importance, power and wealth to the protagonist. Then as one of the characters says ‘welcome home’ the camera tilts up making the home seem bigger and grander. When ‘Dorian’ is inside the home (using a long shot) a statue is shown in the foreground and is higher up than him, this also makes ‘Dorian’ seem less significant and smaller. As the character moves throughout the home we see everything through his point of view, to show how daunting it is for the character and so the audience can experience what the character is experiencing. A point of view shot is used for the painting of his father, showing how the father is more important, the medium long shot of ‘Dorian’ shows the audience the characters expression and how he stands – here ‘Dorian’ looks intimidated and uncomfortable (we later find out that he was abused by his father when he was a child).

Sound

During the credits low pitched piano chords are played building up tension and creating a haunting atmosphere. Orchestral music (as the film is set in the Victorian era) is played in the first scene – when ‘Dorian’ is just aimlessly looking around the room the music (mainly high-pitched strings) is unnerving, putting the audience on edge as they know something bad is going to happen. The sound of drums then build up, wind is then heard and flocks of birds are heard flying off creating an uneasy atmosphere. When the victim gets stabbed haunting piano chords are heard along with the sound of blood spattering creating shock and horror for the viewer. The texture then builds (strings and other instruments join in). In the next scene (disposing of the body) eerie music is played – low stringed music with high notes putting the audience on edge.  As ‘Dorian’ dumps the body the music stops (building up the suspension) enhancing the sound of the splash (diegetic) the trunk makes when it hits the water, when the trunk does hit the water the eerie music starts to play again.

As the next scene it starting you can hear a train (creating an enigma code, as the audience questions where the sound is coming from). As the character is walking along the station platform the orchestral music plays again, although this time it is not creepy but more relaxing. You can hear people yelling in the background, this is so the audience can experience what the character is hearing and to make the scene more realistic. As ‘Dorian’ is travelling to his home the orchestra play shorter, quicker notes to build up tension and curiosity as to where the character is going. As the character pulls up the orchestra hold on the notes, so the audience knows that the journey has come to an end, also so that the viewer can take in the setting.

When ‘Dorian’ is walking through the home only diegetic sounds are heard (opening of doors, footsteps) to make the scene seem more realistic. While ‘Dorian’ it walking towards the painting of his father there is a drumroll playing in the background, to build up the suspense to the unveiling of the painting.

Editing

There are fast cuts at the beginning of the film as the character ‘Dorian Gray’ is stabbing the victim, the fast cutting adds tension and action to the scene. The cuts get faster towards the end of this scene as he brings up the scarf of the victim up towards his face – with each cut you see the characters expression change from looking distraught about killing someone to looking pleased and happy about himself. The cuts then slow down afterwards to decrease the tension as there is no action happening as he is disposing of the body.

The cuts speed up in the next scene, as in this scene the character has less confidence and appears to be a bit bewildered. The cuts here speed up when he walks into things and gets pickpocketed – this shows how this person we are seeing is completely different to the character we saw in the previous scene as he seems intimidated by his surroundings. The faster cuts show how uncomfortable he is in this obviously new environment.

Slow cuts are used when the character is at home, showing how he feels a lot more comfortable in this environment compared to the previous

Mise-En-Scene

During the credits parts of paints are put in, suggesting to the audience what the film maybe about. In the first scene the character is smartly dressed, showing that he is a wealthy person. After ‘Dorian’ has committed the murder all the characters shown are all dressed in black connoting evil. As ‘Dorian’ looks over the river he is wearing a long dark cloak making him seem evil and mysterious. In the next scene ‘Dorian’ is well presented and tidier looking (hair groomed, wearing a tie), also seeming to be a wealthier person. The children that are pickpocketing him are clearly poorer as they wear scruffy and cheap looking clothing.

In the opening scene it uses natural lighting for when ‘Dorian’ is murdering a character to make the scene seem more realistic. When disposing of the body low-key lighting is used to make ‘Dorian’ seem creepy and evil, also to build up tension and suspense (audience are wondering what he is going to do with the body). When ‘Dorian’ is on the station platform and at home natural lighting is then used again to make it all seem more realistic. All characters wear natural make-up, this is to make the characters more appealing to the audience.

The film is set in Victorian London, the audience can work this out by the transport (carriage pulled by horse), the way the characters are dressed (women in elegant dresses and men in suits) also by the choice of colours used (mainly browns).

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Sherlock Holmes (2009) - First 5 Mins

Camera Work

From the credits the camera tilts up to give an establishing shot. The carriages pull into the shot and the camera then follows the carriage on a dolly (speeding up as it gets closer), the camera zooms into the carriage until inside to a two-shot, mid close up which shows the characters body positions as well as their facial expressions. This then cuts to an extreme close up of someone loading a gun which immediately tells the audience that where the carriage is going a gun is important, as by having the weapon in so much of the frame means that it must be imperative in this scene. From the gun the camera tilts up to a medium close-up of the ‘Inspector’, by being this close you can see the ‘Inspector’s’ reaction towards the gun (uneasy). Shot-reverse-shot is used between the ‘Inspector’ and ‘Dr          Watson’, this way the audience can see how the characters react with each other and establish their relationship. From this the camera then cross-cuts to ‘Sherlock’ who is running, so the camera is again on a dolly so the audience can get a sense of what speed the character is at, and to build an adrenalin for the audience. Also the camera shows a close up of his feet whilst he is running, which also adds to the speed of the scene. A close up of the character ‘Sherlock’ shows the emotion on his face and even though there is fire in the foreground he still looks strong, showing that he is a brave character. The camera then takes a shot from on top of the carriage, show the audience can where the characters are at that moment, and also the jolty movement tells the audience that they are in a rush to get to their objective. As ‘Sherlock’ enters the building he is show through a low angled shot, showing that he is important and dominant. A high angled, long shot of the antagonist is also a point-of-view shot from the protagonist ‘Sherlock’, which shows that ‘Sherlock’ thinks of himself higher up and better than the antagonist. A close up of ‘Sherlock’ shows the concentration on his face whilst he is thinking of plan, showing the audience that he is a smart and clever character. The over-the-shoulder, medium long shot used during the fight is good as the audience can see the action whilst also seeing the expression on the characters face. The bird’s eye view of ‘Sherlock’ as he goes down the stairs makes him seem smaller and the flights of stairs seem endless. A crane is used to get a bird’s eye view on the possessed woman at a long shot, this way you can see how the character reacts to beginning possessed. The crane then pulls away to a high-angled, extreme long shot of the whole setting so the audience then knows where the next scene is set (establishing shot). A big close up of ‘Lord Blackwood’ highlights how covered/dark his face, connoting that he is evil. This shot is followed by an extreme close up of his mouth, this way the audience can concentrate more on what he is saying, and can also notice the oddly shaped tooth he has. In this scene the camera looks up to ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Dr Watson’, and down on ‘Lord Blackwood’ and his men – showing that ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Dr Watson’ are dominant, more superior and here to save the day, whereas ‘Lord Blackwood’ is shown to be insignificant and a threat (as dressed in black). A point of view shot from the character ‘Sherlock’ shows how he looks round the room and investigates, by doing this the audience can understand the character and his thought processes easily. A three-shot, medium close up shows all three characters expressions and you can watch the two talk whilst the other one is being strangled, making it easier for the audience to follow. After killing an antagonist we see a shot of the two main protagonists ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Dr Watson’ from worms eye, making the two seem very powerful and dominant. The over-the-shoulder long shot of ‘Watson’ (from ‘Lord Blackwood’) is at a high angle, making ‘Dr Watson’ seem helpless and ‘Lord Blackwood’ powerful. The two-shot of ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Dr Watson’ shows both their expressions and the glass rod, so by the shot being a close up you can also see how the characters react to the rod.

Sound

The fast paced non-diegetic music played at the start helps to build up tension and adrenalin. The texture of the sound builds up as more sounds are introduced (guns being loaded, sound of feet when running, horses, chains and fire crackling in the wind – which shows how fast the character is running). The crow heard and seen is typical iconography for a horror film, which builds up the suspense. The music becomes quieter when the character ‘Sherlock’ enters the building, which enhances how quiet and agile he is. The ringing noise helps the audience to know how the character feels by hearing what he hears (getting hit in the ear leaves your ears ringing). The sound of crunching bones enhances the pain that the character is feeling. When the camera cuts to the shot of the possessed girl a high pitched noise is heard shocking the audience (making them “jump”) – music heard hear is creepy and unnerving, making the audience feel uncomfortable.  The sound effect of being shellshock heard by the audience lets them know what the characters are feeling, so it makes it more realistic to the viewer.

Editing

The cuts start off slow at the beginning of the film (a long continuous shot). The cuts then become quicker as the character ‘Sherlock’ becomes introduced to the film - when he is seen running, the shots also get faster as the audience sees the horses and the carriage which the main characters are travelling in, the change in speed of cuts increases tension and builds suspension for the viewer. The cuts then slow down when ‘Sherlock’ is inside the building. When ‘Sherlock’  is fighting one of the antagonist the shots are slowed down (when ‘Sherlock’ is planning how he is going to attack) so that the audience can see everything that the characters do, this makes the character ‘Sherlock’ seem smart and clever as he is able to perform tasks (fighting) at a fast rate. When ‘Sherlock’ is fighting the antagonist (at normal rate) the cuts speed up to increase the action in the scene, make the scene more interesting and involving. After this scene the cuts slow down to decrease the tension in the audience. The cuts speed up again when ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Dr Watson’ are fighting ‘Lord Blackwood’s’ men and go to bring down ‘Lord Blackwood’, by speeding up the time of cuts it increases the tension in the audience, and helps to put the audience “on-the-edge-of-their seats”.

Mise-En-Scene

The character ‘Dr Watson’ dresses neatly as previously fought in the Afgan war, is middle-upper class as he dresses smartly (in suit) and wears a hat and has a cane. ‘Sherlock’ wears a long dark cloak, which is typical iconography used to represent a detective. The girl on the table which is possessed is dresses all in white connoting that she is innocent. ‘Lord Blackwood’ is covered in dark colours connoting that he is an antagonist.

The clip uses low-key lighting at the beginning to create an eerie and uneasy atmosphere. Then when ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Dr Watson’ are fighting ‘Lord Blackwood’s’ men it uses natural lighting to make the scene seem more realistic. The characters wear natural make-up to make them more appealing to the audience, although the possessed girl is wearing dark make-up to enhance the fact that she is possessed. The film is set in London in 1891, you can tell this by the way that the characters dress (hat and cane), their use of transport (horse and carriage) also by the weapons they use (revolvers).