Title and Fonts Poll

Hidden
Obscured
Hunted
Watched
Followed
Isolation

Filming Rough Cut

This is an edit of the best shots taken during our latest shoot. Unfortunately the lighting was brighter than I expected. Also, We only got 1.30 of footage so when re-filming we may have continuity issues. This is because it was a very sunny day and we have to film over the christmas period, where it is unlikely that there will be many sunny days. Therefore we may have to pospone filming to a later date.

Film: Mise En Scene

Mise en scene means "placing on stage". The mise en scene is basically everything within a particular shot and the arrangement of it. Before creating a film, you have to know what is going to be in each shot and the purpose of it. In my film, the key aspects of the mise en scene I will be focusing on in this post are costume, lighting and acting.

Costume:

Our leading protagonist is going to stand out against her surroundings. From our preliminary filming shots, the red jacket was very successful in making our protagonist stand out. Not only does it help to establish her as the prominent character, but the colour red also signifies a number of things. Red can be seen to represent love, romance and femininity. Woman are often portrayed this way in films as it follows the .."not sure".. code. We want the protagonist to project a feminine gentile facade as it will to highlight her insecurity. Other props we could use to highlight her femininity would be a handbag and lipstick. Another reason for using a red coat is that the red signifies death or blood. This helps to create an element of suspicion within the audience to whether she is in danger. Bright coats can often be linked to childhood. Many children in playschool wear brightly coloured raincoats. This could further connote her innocence and vulnerability. Other readings of the red could be an increased heartrate which would fit with the running scene.  

 This is a image from Schindler's list. Schindler's list is based around the time of the Holocaust. A colour filter was used in this section of the film to highlight her prominence to Schindler. It could have been done to highlight the child's innocence. The colour filter shows the contrast between him and the child and the red could represent the blood of war.

Here is a link to the extract in the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1VL-y9JHuI&feature=related

Lighting:

I got inspiration from the film Jane Eyre (2011). The film was shot rurally and much of the locations reflect where we are shooting. The dark, menacing atmosphere created in many of the shots on the more land, and in the wooded areas were filmed in overcast weather. Therefore both me and my filming partner will be organising film shoots when the weather forecast says that it will be overcast. We are using natural lighting to create a realistic ambiance, helping the audience to get drawn into the film. We will be filming in daylight, but in the afternoon when lighting is slightly dimmed.

Acting:

To reflect the femine clothing, we will be directing our actress to project femininty through her body language. Stepping gently, twidderling her hair and raising her hands slightly are all visually signify femininity. We also want her to look vulnerable when shooting close up shots.

Storyboard and Animatic

 This is potentially our opening scene, if we choose against a circular narrative. The opening shots will be tracking shots of her cycling into the woods. We will then use a variety of shots including close-ups and high and low angles as she gets off the bike and removes her helmet. The helmet is significant for a number of reasons. It firstly shows that she is cautious and likes to stay safe. The removal of the helmet could signify her safety diminishing. Sound in the opening shots are going to be quiet to slowly build up the tension. Feedback from the practise film indicated that a circular narrative would be more effective as it would instantly attract the attention of an audience, using Hitchcock's bomb theory. A match cut would be used to create a smooth transition from the ending to the start.

She is then depicted walking into the woods. This would be the section of the film in which we begin to build the tension. Using close-ups and tracking shots we will show her increasing vulnerability and anxiety. The storyboard shows the part where she takes out her photography assignment shoot.

A close-up shot of her looking a map be used to cement her in the location. We may also use an over the shoulder shot and POV shot. It will help the audience to connect with the protagonist and establish the narrative. We want to get diegetic sounds of the paper being unfolded.

Here are some more ideas of shots we could include in this section. We want good lighting in this section so that the writing on the sheet stands out. We could also do a close-up of her eyes looking at the sheet. This is the section in which she takes out her map to signify her vulnerability as she is not used to the location.

she will then take out her photography assignment to cement her in the location. We may also use an over the shoulder shot and POV shot. It will help the audience to connect with the protagonist and establish the narrative. We want to get diegetic sounds of the paper being unfolded.




The next sequence involves a number of tracking shots, filmed on a tri-pod. Another shot depicted in the storyboard is an overhead shot in which we film her from a height. This makes her look small and signifies her vulnerability

Our protagonist is then going to take our the camera from her handbag and her purse is going to fall onto the floor. Shots used in the section are POV shots, mid-shots of her taking photos and close-ups of the purse falling to the floor. Sound in this section could either be fairly quiet, to slowly build up the tension of we could use dissonant diegetic sounds as the purse falls to the floor to indicate that it is a poignant section in the film. Dissonance will also indicate danger, something we want the audience to predict.

Tracking shots will then be used as she walks into the denser, darker areas of the wood. A number of close-ups will be used to show the protagonists increased fear and anxiety. When directing our actor we will try and make sure that her facial expressions become more fearful as the film progresses. We will direct her to look around to show the protagonists increasing distress and paranoia.

High angles will reinforce the vulnerability of the subject. We will also include cutaways and close-ups of her feet as she walks into the woods. The sound, increasing in pitch and tempo, will also be used to build up tension.

We will then do handheld tracking shots to be used as a POV from the antagonists perspective. Handheld shots will signify the shot as being a POV and will create suspense. Close-ups of the protagonists face and extreme close-ups of her eye will help to show her increasing fear and apprehension. It also connotes that something bad is about to happen.

Whether she actually hears, See's or just imagines the antagonist, she runs away in fear. One prominent shot in this section is when the protagonist tilts her head around sharply. A loud dissonant sound whether it be diegetic or non-diegetic is used as the non-diegetic sound reaches it's climax. The non-diegetic music then stops and a new track fades in with increased tempo to represent her panic.

As she trips over a POV shot may be used as she falls to the ground. We could use a slow fade to transition from the POV shot to connote her being dazed by the impact. The non-diegetic sound could reach its peak as she falls over then stop as she hits the ground to signify a change in atmosphere.

We could blur the focus when doing a POV shot from her perspective as she is still dazed. As she tilts upwards the antagonist will be filmed without showing his face to hide to his identity. It will focus around his legs and hands. We may direct the actor to clench his hands to signify aggression. A close up shot will then be used to signify the protagonists fear. Focusing on the psychological aspect through close-ups will conform to existing psychological thrillers.

An extreme close-up will be used as he reaches into his pocket. This is typically associated with western films in which someone pulls out a weapon and should hopefully make the audience think that he is going to pull out a gun or knife. If we used a circular narrative then this could be the opening shot so that the audience are instantly gripped. We are still undecided on whether the ending is going to reveal that he has picked up her wallet or leave enigma so that the audience can decide the ending.









Animatic:

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=306796636017764&id=564257234&ref=notif&notif_t=video_wall_create

Film Title Ideas

It is important to create a good title when producing a film. The title is vital in attracting a target audience. If you're film was called "fluffy kittens" and was a horror film then it would probably fail to attract its target audience. However, a title like "killer rampage" would signify the horror genre making it easier for the target audience to associate the title with a film based around themes of brutality and death.

The film title is an audience’s first encounter with a film. Using the enigma code I want a title that leaves the audience intrigued. Therefore the film titles that I have thought of in my thought shower above are all short, concise titles that give an insight into the film but leave the audience with little information. This should help to attract a larger audience, making them interested in finding out more about the film. An example of a film title that I don’t like is “rise of the planet of the apes”. I didn’t think that it was a very well constructed title and it was too long winded. An example of a film title that I think is good is “black swan”. It’s concise, connotes the narrative and grabs your attention.

           

One of the favourite titles I came up with was “paranoia”. However, using this title would give away the fact that the subject is paranoid removing the enigma of the film. Both my filming partner and I both liked the title “blackout”. This is because it refers to the stage in the film where she becomes unconscious. This should help to interest the audience from the start of the film as it connotes that something bad is going to happen. It also reflects the horror/thriller genre, as its literal meaning is “dark”. “The obscured” and “followed” are other title’s I quite like. It automatically suggests to the audience that she’s being watched or that she’s not alone. “The hunted” is another title I quite like that isn’t on this thought shower. This would connote to the audience that she is being followed and that she is vulnerable.

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4399991/Film_Titles

Using wordle I have made a visual display of the film titles I like the most. It includes some film titles not shown in the thought shower above. I have used both colours and fonts that I feel reflect the genre and would work well in the film.

Short Film Practice

Weather Forecast:

We wanted an overcast day to film. It is important that we don't film when it is raining as it could damage equipment, effect sound as the rain may get picked up too strongly, and would make conditions more dangerous. Therefore we used BBC weather forecasts to predict times in which we could film. The practice shoot was filmed during school time as lighting is poor shortly after school finishes. We managed to organise when all of our filming crew were available.

We decided upon Tuesday as weather was clear from rain. Although we wanted to film on an overcast day when the weather would reflect a more eerie atmosphere, as it was only a film mock up we decided it was an appropriate day to film.






Link to my film on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubPQ-ZrL2u8

Here is the short film mock up. This has been edited using Vegas 10 and iMovie. Although I liked using both pieces of software, it is likely that I will be using iMovie for the editing of the actual film shoot. The film shown below is lower quality to the one on youtube.

Online Feedback:

Class Feedback:

Mrs Elliott:

 Our teacher said that it was a good first attempt. She liked the colour filter and the way in which the red coat stands out against the backdrop. She also liked some of the shots used. However she thought that the editing used too many slow fades. She also thought there were not enough close-up shots. These are vital in the psychological genre to establish how the protagonist is feeling to an audience. Close-ups are also used to create a connection between the audience and protagonist. If an audience don't connect with the character then they wont care when something bad happens to them.

Other Constructive Criticism:

Tash Harmer:

"I think there needs to be a back story". As we only shot a section of the film people didn't see the back story. This emphasises the importance of one.

"The breathing sounds are too quiet". During the preliminary editing, I used a sound effect to create the breathing. During the shoot we will use an actor to do the breathing effect, so will make sure that it is picked up on the microphone.

James Osment:

"The tracking shots from behind the tree are too close to the subject". Both me and my filming partner are going to film some tracking shots from the stalkers perspective from further away in future to make it look more realistic.

Alice Saunders:

"The lead up to the action was a bit too slow". Therefore we will use editing techniques to create a more flowing buildup such as cutaways to keep the audience intrigued and jump shots to increase the pace of the film. However. I feel that it is important to have a slow pace at the start to create an effective contrast between equilibrium and disequilibrium. Another way in which we could grab the audiences attention immediately would be to use a circular narrative. We could use the ending at the start and use a match cut to create a smooth edit from the ending of the film to the beginning. This could be as simple as a close up of the protagonists eyes.

Personal Analysis:

• The location wasn't quite right. We want a more densely wooded area to create a darker more isolating atmosphere.
• The music doesn't fit the genre very well. I will look for different music that could reflect the genre and create a more intense ambiance.
• There wasn't enough diagetic sound as I had to find a lot of sound effects in the preliminary film.

Here is a few shots taken during our first day's filming. It also shows some of the equipment used. We first needed transport provided by someone in sixth form. We also brought a map in case we got lost. Camera equipment used includes the Nikon D5000, a 18-55mm lens and a tripod.

Improvements for the actual shoot

We were happy with our preliminary filming but have come up with a few quick ideas to improve the film:

• tracking shots behind her using tripod
• tracking shots behind 
• when shooting the protagonist needs to be walking before we shoot to make sure their is continuity
• bike scene

Practising with Equipment, Filming and Editing

Equipment Testing

Before producing our film we wanted to practice using equipment.

We shot this with some of the camera equipment, and shows us getting to grips with our tripod. We also practised with the video camera. Here is some practice footage using the camcorders:

This is me and my partner practising the scene is which the protagonist is running away from the antagonist. We took one tracking shot of the protagonist being followed and another using a POV perspective. This would be done when filming so that we could do a multiple of fast cuts to intensify the fast paced section of the film.

Filming Risk Assessment

Before going out to film, I have created a risk assessment to analyse the risks involved when filming.

Equipment List

Nikon D5000

This will be used when recording our short film. Advantages of this video recorder is the 360 degree viewing screen which will help when videoing high and low angle shots. The biggest downside will be that it can only film with manual focus that could lead to blurry, unfocused video.

Nikon D40

This will be used as a prop for the main character. The protagonist is going into the woods for a photography assignment so the camera is used to signify this. It could also be used to create interesting imagery such as close ups of the character nervously fiddling the camera and reflections from the camera screen. 

Bicycle and Helmet

The main protagonist will ride to the woods on their bicycle. This is considered one of the most dangerous forms of transport. The fact that a bike offers no protection reinforces the protagonists' vulnerability. A helmet will be worn to comply with the risk assessment and to imply that the protagonist is a fearful, cautious main character. 



Tripod

A tripod will be used for a number of shots. It will be needed for tracking shots, long shots, birds eye view shots, establishing shots and extreme close ups when the protagonist is laying on the ground. It will create a good contrast between POV shots that will be filmed without the use of a tripod. It will also be effective when connoting periods of action where a handheld effect will be used to intensify the realism to an audience . 

Earphones



• Ipod
• Purse/wallet
• Make-up: for blood
• School book
• Lighting
• Ladder- for birds eye view shot
• Elastic band- to create smooth tripod pans/tilts
• Map

A map is required so that we don't get lost during filming. As it is an unfamiliar destination, a map would be useful so that we could get to location efficiently and make sure that we know how to get back home. 

Audience Research & Target Audience

When storyboarding with my partner we knew that audience feedback would be an important part of creating a successful short film. One way in which we have carried out audience research is by using yahoo answers. Two important areas of the film in which we wanted feedback from were the films editing and main character.

The first question I asked was whether our short film should be shot in colour or in monochrome (black and white). The feedback implies that filming in colour would appeal more to a current audience. One response was that " today's audience is largely self important kids (of all ages) who think B& W is yucky." Another stated that using a "Black and white" filter wouldn't "create any effect". Feedback given said that using a monochrome filter would distract from the narrative as it breaks conventions of modern films. Here is a list of the feedback given:

Should a psychological thriller be filmed in black and white?

• No it doesn't "need" to be. Have you seen many psychological thrillers lately? Most of them are in colour. Black and white doesn't create any effect -- the actual storyline and characters do that.
• Why would it have to be in black and white? It depends on the style the director is trying to create.
• It "should" but you have several problems. First, today's audience is largely "self important" kids (of all ages) who think B&W is "yucky. Second, most of your directors today don't think in B&W so they don't use it properly. Third, for today's directors, "thriller" means slasher film. The "psychological" part is a word too big for them to understand. So yes, the best "thrillers" were shot in black and white (with a few notable modern exceptions), but you probably can't do that today.

The second question asked was: Should the main character be male or female? I gave them the basic outline of the plot and asked for feedback to whether a male or female would make a better film. The responses overwhelmingly thought that a male character would make for a more original, intriguing short film.

Should this character be male or female?

·         I think you should make it a guy. Defying convention shows originality and will make your film stand out more.

·         I think male, because it's not stereotypical, so people will be more intrigued.

·         I think a guy would fit perfectly. No one would expect it.There's also a game from Choice of Games Inc. You play the role of a character that is very paranoid. It's kind of a cute little game. I just always pictured my character to be a male, even though I'm a girl!

·         I’ve watched anime like chaos; head and the movie when they try to get a suicidal flat mate so they get strait A's this is a problem in both of these there is a paranoid man, and studying schizophrenics for my degree seeing it in Youtube such as this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGnl8dqEo…
its always pretty interesting, I haven’t seen many female paranoid people, I prefer the male schizophrenics but, its about the character you want and the background information to be honest...

·         I think you should use a male; it'll be more unexpected. I mean, be honest, if you are watching a psychological thriller you most likely expect the guy to be tough and the woman to be weak, even if that is not how you really feel it would happen. It's just the way that those movies normally work out, so you expect it.

·         ummmm.......everybody is answering male and I think its right ...MALE

Although the feedback has shown that a lead male in a psychological thriller would be interesting to some audience members, both my partner and I are unsure how effective it would be.

Although it would subvert the conventions of many media texts it could also cause

many audience members to take oppositional or aberrant readings.

Target Audience

The most obvious market we are targeting are audiences interested in psychological thrillers. Thrillers are often aimed at an older audience as they often contain distressing material. An example of a psychological film aimed at an older audience would be ‘The Shining’. This contains a lot of violence reflecting on the age certificate of the film (18). Many psychological thrillers contain a lot of suggested violence. The age certificates on psychological thrillers are also often fairly high. However, I feel the film my partner and I are planning to create will focus on the psychological element rather than violence. An example of a psychological based film that was rated PG would be ‘A Beautiful Mind’. The psychological issues raised in our text are not going to be explicitly distressing to younger viewers. Therefore I believe the film we are planning to create can be marketed at ages 16-24. Although our film will contain aspects of paranoia and death, these aspects are only going to be implied.

Psychological Thriller Mood board

Magnum Photographers

'Magnum photos' are a photographic agency made up of influential international photographers. The co-founder defined magnum photography as "Magnum is a community of thought, a shared human quality, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a respect for what is going on and a desire to transcribe it visually." The agency is run by its members and includes some of the most successful and influential photographers.

Ansel Adams- I like the composition of his work. Although it doesn't strongly relate to the psychological thriller genre I am filming in a natural location. Some of the images he's taken reflect the photography I want in my short film. The one above stands out. I love the eerie atmosphere of this piece. The image, dominated by darkness, evokes a feeling of unease and creates enigma. To replicate this effect lighting will be needed or a high ISO when filming. Using lighting will create a more dynamic effect as the contrast will be more prominent and can be used more effectively. However, if we haven’t got the equipment available we could shoot it in the early evening as the light is dimming to replicate the conventions of a horror genre.

Shots that have inspired me

 This is a match cut from ‘a space odyssey’ I really liked the way it created a smooth transition from one shot to another. I want to replicate this by matching the main character walking in one shot to another person walking in the opposite direction.

Short Film Concepts Presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/johnmacgregormedia/short-film-presentation-9166181

Location Shots

This shot is taken on the ground and could be used as a low angle tracking shot. The actor would be depicted in the centre of the shot and would be used in the early stages of the film to set the scene. I have darkened the edges of the image to make it more eerie which would follow the conventions of a phsycological thriller. I have also darkened the edges to focus the viewer to the centre of the frame where the actor would be situated. As i want the dominant aspect of the image to be the contrast in lighting, I used a monochrome effect which also has strong connotations with the genre of a phsycological thriller.

This would be a POV (point of view) shot of the paranoid subject. I used a long shutter speed to mimic the effect of movement. In the film I would use a handheld camera to connote that this is from the subjects perspective. Tracking shots would be filmed on a tripod to highlight this. The shaky, blurred effect in the film would also highlight his paranoia and anxiety.

This shot would be filmed as the paranoid subject runs into the woods. A tracking shot from behind a tree could connote that it is a POV shot of the antagonist watching him. The subject could run through the centre of the frame and look back into the camera. The purpose of this is to suggest that it could be both in his mind or reality. I am hoping that the film will create intrigue as the audience wont know whether he is paranoid or in actual danger until the ending.

Inspirational Short Films

Before creating anything, inspiration is a vital part. I have looked at a variety of short films to get my inspiration.

The first short film that really stood out was 'Validation', a film about a man who made everyone happy by complimenting everyone. He then meets a lady who's forgotten how to smile and tries everything to make her happy. He fails to make her smile and gets disheartened...However it ends with him finding her again after making her mum smile. They then get together. Although I like the message of the short film I don't think it would be an easy film to replicate. It would also be difficult to implement genre theory. It is filmed in black and white with natural lighting used throughout. I'm unsure the reason for using black and white as it is often used in horror to intensify an eerie atmosphere. It also helps to highlight the high contrast lighting often used in the horror genre. Perhaps it is used in validation to highlight the mellow, complimentary lighting used. This highlights tranquillity and calm. It also prevents audiences being distracted by the surroundings as the black and white effect helps to focus the attention on the characters. There are no dramatic events that occur during this film as it focuses around people’s emotions. Therefore, a lot of close-up shots are used to convey the characters emotions to the audience. This is one aspect of the film that I hope to implement into my own. Using close-ups in my film will be important in establishing how the characters are feeling so that audience connect with characters and understand the atmosphere of the film. The film is a professional production including a number of creditable actors. It was entered into a number of short film competitions. It is probably directed at a mature audience although it is suitable for audiences of all ages. It could be aired on the majority of television channels although it would likely be shown to a mainstream audience due to its large appeal.

Here is a link to the short film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

The next short film that inspired me was 'New Boy' about an African child and his first day at a new school in Ireland. I appreciated the film for the camera work such as a match cut at 6:46 and several cutaways used at poignant times during the film, showing school back in his native culture. They help show the contrast in the boy’s emotions and the difficulty of joining a new school. Although I will try to implement some of the films techniques I was more interested at looking into the thriller/horror genres.

Here is a link to the short film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdeioVndUhs

The most influential short film I’ve seen is ‘Lovefield’. I loved the idea of using typical conventions of one genre to make the audience think one thing and it to be quite different. In this case the short film uses sound, editing and props that would be associated with the horror genre. Lovefield makes you think that a woman is being attacked when she is actually giving birth. When creating my short film I would also like to play with audiences associations with genre conventions to create a suprising ending. The film begins with a long take tilting slowly downwards. The peaceful, silent landscape signifies equilibrium, yet evokes an uneasy atmosphere. Although natural lighting is used, the film has been de-saturated to create an eerie atmosphere. Repetitive high-pitched notes played in a consistent rhythm have strong connotations with the horror genre. Non-diegetic sounds of a high-pitched violin are used in Lovefield to intensify the eerie atmosphere. The film tilts from the cornfield to a rusty creaking sign, blowing in the wind. It also connotes how rural the area is. This evokes feelings of unease from the audience. A crow situated on the sign breaks the equilibrium. As it squawks, the camera slowly tilts down through the corn and pans across the field floor. The film uses strong visual signifiers such as blood and a knife cutting into the soil to signify brutality. The apparent victim is pictured through close ups of their foot. The close up shows the foot twitching slowly then becoming motionless. This signifies that the apparent victim has been killed. The non-diegetic sounds enhance the visuals, intensifying up to the point of the foot becoming motionless where the slow draining noises suddenly cease. The dissonant shot of the knife plunging into the soil cuts the silence. The hand is covered in blood which further enhances the audiences assumptions. They presume the male character shown looking shifty to be the murderer. Tracking shots show the antagonist to run away from the scene. The short film uses sound to heighten the drama and connote the panic of the murderer. The relentless squawking highlights the disequilibrium. Material is taken from his car as he steps back towards the victim. Sound is once again used to play along with genre conventions as it intensifies. The audience presume that he is covering up the body as material is placed over the lens. However, the twist at the end of the film is that the POV shot is of the baby. Mellow music, in stark contrast to the rest of the film now enters the scene as the film becomes saturated. I love the way in which the film transformed from the horror to romance genre. The continued enigmas throughout the film keep the audiences intrigued and enthralled. Mathieu Ratthe, an amateur filmmaker, produced Lovefield. It was likely aimed at a mature audience interested in horror. It appears to have been created specifically for a short film competition. It is rare for short film to be shown on television but I could see it being shown on a segment of the culture show as they often discuss avante garde artists and post modernism which this film fits into.

Here is a link to the short film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4meeZifCVro



Another influential film I've seen is Jane Eyre. I liked the cinematography and the way it managed to build up tension without dialogue for large periods of the film. I also liked the opening scene as the cinematography creates a cold dark atmosphere of the woods using dim, foggy lighting. It's shown me how important lighting and colour effects the atmosphere of a film. Psycho links to this as I liked the use of black and white cinematography during the film. It links strongly to horror films and could be used in my short film to connote the horror genre. One part of psycho that i appreciated was the match cut of the drain to her eye. It was a great piece of editing. I love the way in which it Hitchcock used the transition to connote the life draining from her, like the blood slowly swirling down the drain. Here is a link to the infamous Psycho shower scene http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4 match cut at 2:52

'The Insane' like Lovefield, has a twist at the end. This is something I would like to do in my short film. It begins with a POV shot fading in and out, slowly walking towards a creepy character. The POV shot is filmed with a handheld camera to signify this. Low key lighting enhances the eeriness of the situation. Fast cuts are used zooming into the antagonist as he flings the butcher knife threateningly towards the POV character. In self defence, the main character is depicted to attack the antagonist using a shot of his shadow effectively. As the plot continues we realise that the whole city is full of mutants. This mutant, zombie like theme that the film covers is fairly unrealistic so didn't engage me in the same way as Lovefield. Much of the film focuses on these fight scenes, which I feel doesn't often work in horrors. I usually prefer signified brutality. However the implicit visual brutality used in this film is justified due to the themes it is covering; horror, psychological thriller and psychopathic, hallucinogenic individuals. Later in the film a news report depicting the protagonist as a murderer is shown. We then see all the brutal murders from the mutants’ point of view. I would like to use this element when filming. We then realise that the main character is delusional. I am thinking of making a film that has elements of both horror and psychological thriller, using twists. It appears to be an amateur production entered for a filming competition. If it was to be shown on television I would think it would enter into a niche market and be shown after the watershed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbB73KTksW0

One piece of inspiration gained from short films such as ‘Lovefield’ and ‘The Insane’ is that dialogue isn’t the focus of the film. A convention of short films is the minimal dialogue used. I found that sound, mise en scene and camera shots can be used to provide the narrative. In my psychological thriller, I will focus on these three areas as my film won’t be including any professional actors. Focusing on the other areas will keep the professionalism of the film, where I would feel that large amounts of dialogue could ruin the films narrative. When filming a physiological thriller, camera shots such as POV shots and close up can be used to show how the characters feeling. Sound and lighting are vital in establishing the films atmosphere at the start. Using low key lighting and repetitive high percussive sounds can be used to create an unsettling atmosphere.

Brief

A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or animated or a combination of both, together with two of the following three options:

• a poster for the film
• a radio advert for the film
• a film magazine review page featuring the film