Work

I have filmed the rest of the footage I need for my film, and I now have all the footage I need. I have also been carrying on with editing my film, adding in different transitions. This week I will capture the rest of my footage and start editing it, and I will also start looking at adding sound to my film

This is the song that I would like to play at the end of my film, as the credits roll. The song itself is eerie and quite dark and I think it would fit in with the nature of my film. I got the inspiration for the song from another video I have uploaded of the character of Effy from Skins when she is running through the woods. I will perhaps use the song somewhere in my film, but if not I will leave it at the end credits.

Short Film

This is a short film called Craw Lake that I would like to take elements from to use in my own film.
   The quick jumpy cuts that start at around 0.16 - 0.33 seconds are effective in creating fear and tension. Not much is actually shown in these cuts because they are so fast but they connote panic. Also, the sound creates meaning too.There is no non-diegetic sound, something which I am using in my film, which I hope will create tension, adding a more realistic feel to it. The clip is linked with shots of the man cuddling a girl, presumably his daughter. These shots are tender and loving and contrast starkly to the shots of the man calling out through the woods of who we presume to be the little girl. Also through the film, the monsters are rarely shown, apart from at quick, unexpected shots. However, because these shots are so fast and are edited so quickly, we only see the threat for a second or two. This would fit with the conventions of the psychological horror that I am focusing on for my own film - the tension and suspense created in these films comes from the fear and emotional instability of the characters, rather than actually revealing the object of horror.
The colours are dark - it's filmed at night, with little lighting yet the colours of the characters are light. The father and daughter are wearing light colours, connoting their innocence. The colours in the cabin are very natural, warm showing that this place is of no danger. However, the darkness outside suggests the safety doesn't continue beyond the cabin. The creatures are red, connoting violence and danger, although they are only shown briefly. Then at 7.43 the man then wakes up in the morning. The colours are warm, soft - it makes it difficult to believe that the horror of a few hours ago actually happened. Because this place looks so serene, we cannoot believe that something awful could happen there. I hope to use this to an extent in my film. The woods are a calm place, with warm colours and it doesn't seem as if something so violent could happen there. In the film the shots are of nature - the trees, the sky, the lake - everything is calm and serene. This then contrasts sharply with the next shot. It is a close up of the man laid unconscious, his face bloodied.
The shot of the shoe is significant, although used on it's own it would be insignificant. The fact that the shot of it is a close-up and it juxtaposes with the shot of the man shows its importance - it is obviously his daughter's.
I think the film has helped me because it's also a short - the narrative of it works well and is easy to follow, even though the film is only 10 minutes long. The use of the elements of film - the mise-en-scene, sound, editing, performance, cinematography all help to create meaning and all works well, something which I hope to achieve in my short film.

Today's work - 19/11/10

Today I have been working on more editing for my film. I have been adding dissolves and cutting down my footage. It is now at around 5 minutes 10 seconds but I still need to re-shoot some more scenes and my titles in. I will soon be uploading a photo to show my editing.

Props

These are 2 of the props I have used in my film. The gloves belong to Lily, who goes missing first. Olivia and Ruby find them hung on a tree in the forest and go in search of her. I thought they would be a good prop as they are something that stand out, they could be Lily's but they're something subtle enough that they may not be - they make the girls scared and fearful for Lily who seems to have gone missing, coupled with the notice and the scream they hear in the woods.

The notice is what Olivia finds pinned to a tree when the girls are carrying out their research in the woods. She finds it and shouts of Ruby, which Ruby then dismisses as being a stupid message some kids have probably left. However, they hear a scream in the woods and the girls become scared. I wrote it in red, matching the colour of the gloves as they fit in with the mise-en-scene of red signifying danger or a foreshadowing of horror.

Sound effects

These are some of the sound effects I would like to use in my film;

http://www.sounddogs.com/sound-effects/44/mp3/609035_SOUNDDOGS__im.mp3 - this is for the sound of the antagonist walking past the camera in the woods

http://www.sounddogs.com/previews/50/mp3/567346_SOUNDDOGS__te.mp3 - this is for the "white noise" when the camera cuts out. I will also use it for the final shot when the camera cuts out and will leave it playing for the end of my film

http://www.sounddogs.com/previews/3192/mp3/527283_SOUNDDOGS__om.mp3 - I would probably use this for when Ruby first sees the killer, or when he is walking up behind her at the end scene

http://www.sounddogs.com/sound-effects/2106/mp3/280767_SOUNDDOGS__wi.mp3 - I would possibly use this as well for when Ruby sees the killer through the trees, keeping it fairly quiet

Filming

The work I have been doing in the last few weeks has been shooting my film and starting the editing. I have shot most of my film, but I need to add/re-shoot some scenes. I will be including more close-up's and more Dutch Angles to fit in with the conventions of the psychological horror genre I am basing my film on. In the footage, I have used an intertextual reference - the Blair Witch Project. In what I have filmed, I have used two perspectives - the hand held footage filmed by the main protagonist, Ruby and "real" footage. To show the difference I may edit the colour, if necessary.
I have started to edit my footage, mostly just cutting down and choosing the clips I want to use. I currently have around 6 minutes of footage which obviously needs to be cut down but I still need to add more. I have added a "white noise" effect in between my hand held footage as an edit between my different shots, but I do need to choose a variation of transitions, especially between my "real" footage. I also need to start looking at sound and how I can use that to create tension within my film.
I aim to get my filming finished over the next week so that I can concentrate on editing, and finishing my film.

Screenplay