Research: Analysing Codes And Conventions In Existing Teen Horror Films

Our task was to come up with some different ploy ideas for a horror movie aimed at a teenage audience. We did this by creating a mind map of general conventions found in a teenage horror movie so that we had some we had some ideas of different things that we could put into our horror film. We then came up with different plots for our horror movie that we though would appeal to our target audience and were a diet different any horror movies that we had watched; however staying in keeping with the conventions generally used in teen horror movies.

After coming up with four potential ideas, we chose the idea that we thought we could replicate and that would be relatable to our target audience.  Below is the video footage of our 60 second pitch for 'The Lumberjack'.


  

Once we had came up with our idea, we chose our company name by mind mapping lots of different ideas ad then choosing the one we liked best. In the end we chose Black Widow Productions.  We then also came up with a working title for our film by ind mapping ideas too. We chose 'The Lumberjack' as we felt this is short, punchy and links straight to the main character of our film. 

Research : Codes and Conventions Of Horror Films

What are codes?

A system of signs which can be decoded to create meaning.

In media texts, we look at a range of different signs that can be loosely grouped into the following:

• technical codes is how the camera is positioned to impact on your viewing experiences - camera angles, framing, typography etc

• symbolic codes is what we believe because of what happens in the scene - if someone smiles you would think they are happy

What are conventions?

Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing something. There are general conventions in any medium, such as the use of interviewee quotes in a print article, but conventions are also genre specific.

How codes and conventions apply in media studies:

Codes and conventions are used together in any study of genre – it is not   enough to discuss a technical code used such as camera work, without saying how it is conventionally used in a genre.For example, the technical code of lighting is used in some way in all film genres. It is a convention of the horror genre that side and back lighting is used to create mystery and suspense – an integral part of any horror movie.

Research : History of Horror

Introduction To Main Task

Preliminary Task Evaluation

The set brief that we were given for the preliminary task was to film a scene of two people, one of which opens a door, crosses a room and sits down in a chair opposite the other character, she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task had to demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

As soon as we were told our brief for our preliminary task, we searched the meaning of the media key terms used. These included shot/reverse shot, the 180-degree rule and match on action. We searched in the OCR guides to explain these to us so that we understood what was needed in our preliminary task. We then learnt about the different types of shots that we could use in our task. We then made our own examples of these different types of shots and posted them on our blog to show that we had understood the differences and so they were stored somewhere if we need to refer to them again.
We then set about filming our scenes. We all meet up at the discussed times and began filming. We gave extra attention to the continuity to make sure everything ran smoothly and we could filming all in one day. An example of this is we made sure Liam held his notepad in the same hand thought-out filming and that when Jack slid the page across the table, he had to hold the paper in the same place and keep the pen in the same place when moving the paper.

We then decided on what would happen in our short bit of filming. We all decided that Liam walks up to the table and sits down on the opposite chair to Jack(16) who is already sat down doing computer work. Liam then asks about some homework.' 
We then went around out chosen location and found a suitable room for our filming. We then used the 12 shot challenge in oder to create an in-depth story boar so everyone knew the plan and times of our filming. This included the time and place it would be shot, any angles that we would use and movements. We also had a box where we drew a sketch of what the shot could contain. Our group then created a powerpoint that has all of the pictures on and we all embedded it into our blog. 

Our filming when smoothly. I feel this was because of the planning that we had done previously to the filming. Because we had story boarded, looked at the locations, picked the actors and wrote up the schedule of filming, Everyone know what we needed to do and how long we had to do it. I feel that planning and looking into who was going to play our roles meant that we had chosen the correct person to play each role and the filming was easier. Looking at where we would film meant that we already knew where we were filming was suitable and didn't have to go around searching for the correct place to film.

I feel that our film meets the expectations of the set brief that we were given. This is because we had two characters, one walked into a room and they exchanged two lines of dialogue each.
The positives of our film were:

•  We had everything planned which meant our filming was done to the time scale we had set it out to be.
• The filming was not too shaky so it did not look too unprofessional.
• Our filmed clips were to the point and done easily and quickly as the actors were briefed before the filming.
• We worked well together as a team so got everything we need to do done in the allotted time.

The negatives of our film were:

• Some of our filming was done in portrait and one other in landscape so we could not use that clip as the fluidity of the film would not have been there.
• There was a lot of background noise at some points of our filming and some points were really quiet which made the film quite inconsistent. 
• The speaking of the actors was not very loud which may be because of the filing equipment that we used. 

One area of development for our main task is to make sure all our filming is done either portrait or landscape but not a mixture of both.  Another area of development would be to make a better choice in filming equipment and make the actors speak louder so that we can hear what they are saying better. Finally, I would also use a different location or use that location at a different time as there was a lot of background noise that we did not want in our filming. 

Preliminary Task

Planning : Our Filming Schedule

Date: 9th October 2015	Cast	Location	Props	Equipment	Health and Safety
11:50	Aaron James	Hallway between C2 and N2	Paper/Homework	iPad	Don’t trap fingers in the locker
11:55	Aaron James	Hallway between C2 and N2	Paper/Homework	iPad	Don’t Run
12:10	Aaron James	Doorway into N207	Door	iPad	Don’t trap fingers
12:15	Alex	Classroom	Laptop and Paper	iPad	N/A
12:20	Alex Aaron	Classroom	Laptop and Paper	iPad	N/A

Planning : Mise-En-Scene : Location Planning

Shot 1 in our storyboard is an establishing shot. This shot will show the exterior of a school building that the other scenes will be set in. When looking for a location for this shot we felt that the outside of our own school building would be suitable. This location is easily accessible and will clearly show where the scene is set to the audience.

Shot 4 in our storyboard is a midshot of the school lockers. This shot will show the character getting an item from his locker. When looking for a location we decided that using the lockers in school would be suitable as they are easily accessible and also within the school grounds where the scene is set.

Shot 5 in our storyboard is a mid tracking shot showing a school hall way which leads to the classroom the other character is in.When looking for a location we decided that using the corridor in school would be suitable as it is easily accessible and also within the school grounds where the scene is set.

Shot 7 - 12 is a shot reverse shot inside a classroom where the 2 characters are exchanging a few lines of dialogue. When looking for a location we decided that using a classroom in school would be suitable as it is easily accessible and also within the school grounds where the scene is set.

Planning: Mise-En-Scene: Casting

Jack, aged 16, is a student who is taking his A Levels and enjoys gaming and using social media to talk to friends. 

Alex will play Jack in our preliminary task as he can play different characters easily and doesn't mind being infront of the camera.

Liam, aged 16, is a student who is taking his A Levels and like to listen to music in his spare time. 

Aaron will play Liam in our preliminary task as he took GCSE drama and is able to perform different roles well. 

Planning : Creating A Storyboard From Initial Ideas

In the lesson today we made a storyboard template by folding an A3 piece in to 12 squares.

We then planned out our preliminary task onto some A3 planning templates that we found online.

We then applied the 12 shot challenge in order to challenge ourselves.

                           

The Basics Of Using A Camera

OCR Guide To Basic Camera Movements

OCR Guide To Basic Camera Angles

OCR Guide To Basic Camera Shots

OCR Guide To The 180 Degree Rule

Preliminary Task : First Ideas

Liam (16) walks up and opens a classroom door. He then walks up to the table and sits down on the opposite chair to Jack(16) who is already sat down doing computer work. Liam then asks about some homework.

Understanding and Applying Basic Terminology

This is an Extreme Longshot

This is a Longshot

This is a Mid-Shot

This is a Close-Up

This is an Extreme Close-Up

This is a Point of View Shot

This is an Over the Shoulder Shot

This is a High Angled Shot

This is a Low Angled Shot

This is a Two Shot