The Ward - Opening Credits

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Shot 1:

- What colours are used and why?

An old coffee/teabag colour and black has been used to give a hand drawn effect on the picture providing the audience with the information needed to understand that it is an dated image from what seems like the medieval period. This suggests that research may have gone into finding this, meaning it is needed and wanted by someone for some reason and, assuming from the information given, this reason is torture.

- What type of shot has been used and why?

An extreme close up on this image lets one specific point become the only thing necessary to the viewers. This allows all attention to be on the man who seems to be struggling from the situation he is in. Facial expression can also be seen clearly here which supplies the information needed to determine what this person is thinking and feeling. One reason why this may be required is to show the pain and suffering that may be present and therefore creating an atmosphere of anxious pleading.

- How has space been used?

Space is being wisely used here, filling the whole shot with just one object and no actors offers an insight into this persons world. It is allowing the emphasis towards the event that is taking place, making it seem as if it is you who is stood in that same room, watching carefully and analysing what is happening.

- What type of lighting has been used and why?

In this frame, the spotlight is on the only important piece of the picture, supporting it and confirming all focus is where it should be. Dimming and blurring the two opposite corners gives a sliced effect the picture, something which may signify and represent the cutting and ripping of the body shown. Giving a gruesom meaning to this particular snapshot ensures that the horror theme is being retained and that audiences interest will not be lost.

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Shot 2:

- What colours are used and why?
 The colours in this shot are similar to that in the first. They have been used to create an old, medieval picture that looks as though it has been carefully chosen by someone for their own personal use. The grey and white allows the audience to interpret this as being glass.

- What type of shot has been used and why?
This is an extreme close up on a picture, pointing out the womans tied up hands. By doing this it is stereotyping the venerability of females and the fact that, in the medieval period, they were said to be witches, giving the audience a reason for why she may be in this situation.

- How has the space been used?
Only the centre of the screen has been used, cutting off most of the body and creating an illusion of amputation.

- What type of lighting has been used and why?
lighting has been used to highlight certain points of the glass, generating shadow around the image, something that might hint to how the film may come across.

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Shot 3:

- What colours are used and why?
The main, an near enough only colour used in this shot is white. It symbolises and gives off a ghostly aura, inferring death. Her hair has been chosen to be black, used to clash with the mass of white and so making it the main point that automatically stands out, revealing again that this may be stereotypical. Black and white may have also been used to highlight the individual roles in the film - White portraying her as peaceful and honest, whereas the black show him to be the destroyer.

- What type of shot has been used and why?
A mid shot of a person has been photographed but an extreme close up has been used to present it in this shot. Again, this provides the audience with the main information needed to be able to work out what is happening in this shot and then using this, along with the others, to set a theme to the film.

- How has the space been used?
The image has been located on the right side of the frame, cutting out a persons body and only showing their arm/hand. Because of this is, it is producing mystery and allows the audience to question his presence.

- What type of lighting has been used and why?
The lighting in this shot has been barley been used, creating lots of shadows and bordering the section the audience is supposed to be focusing on. It may also give us a clue as to what type of scene this may have been - dark and eerie.

Se7en - Opening Credits

 

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Shot 1: 

- What colours are used and why?
The colour that has been used in this shot is scarce. Only black is being delivered in the background which is blocking out any other information that the audience could use to determine what may be happening. By doing this it is causing the viewers to have to ask questions and think for themselves, grabbing their interest into the storyline. Using black also helps to emphasise the foreground image, highlighting what is happening in the shot so that the audiences' focus is only on one specific thing. Also, black symbolises and is usually associated with death and darkness, which may give away information into the films story.

- What type of shot has been used and why? 
The type of shot that has been used here is an extreme close up. This has been chosen so that certain detail such as the peeling of the skin is defined and that it is the main aspect of the shot. Doing this conveys a clear, visible view on what is wanted to be seen rather than looking at 'unnecesary' places. Another detail the extreme close up offers is the blade. By using an object that doesn't normally seem significant to people crafts the shot to seem mysterious in why it has been selected and what it is being used for. As we can see, it is being used to peel off a fingers skin, making the audience question why this may be and what importance it may have.

- What costume/hair and make-up has been used and why?
There is not enough information given in this shot to determine what costume and hair has been used, although 'make-up' has been carefully thought out and used to show dirty nails and cracked fingers. Using these small details can have a big effect on the audiences' view of the person, making them assume that they may have been working hard for their fingers to appear like this.

- How has the space been used?
The shot of the persons fingers has near enough filled the whole space, pinpointing the most important aspect of the image.

- What type of lighting has been used and why?  
With the dark surroundings, the light that is hitting the fingers provides detail and definition that allows them to stand out. The angel in which the light is hitting gives a dark shadow to the underneath of the fingers bringing all attention to the upside where the 'action' is. Because the light is so intense on the fingers it gives a ghostly look and feel towards the character, signifying death.

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 Shot 2:

  
- What colours are used and why?
Mainly black has been used in this shot which frames the main point and draws attention to the paper, contrasting the two 'opposite' colours. Black is also a connotation of death which may have been used to make the audience aware of what is to come or what the film is based around. A very faint tint of green is also visible in the image -green being an association to Halloween, gore, zombies- also presenting an awareness of death.

- What type of shot has been used and why?
A close up has been used in this image so that it can provide detail of certain objects but also so that there can be more of a variety of space for more information to be present. Because of this, the audience is able to piece together everything featured in the shot, and with the focus on the paper, raises questions about what has, what is and why this is being written. This then results in the audience wanting to find out the answers, grabbing attention and causing them to have to watch until the end.

- How has space been used?
Space in this shot has been used to fill the whole screen, allowing no room for any other information to be given away.

- What type of lighting has been used and why?
Lighting is barley visible here, it is very dull and gloomy which is usually represented with horrors. It has been used to cause a wariness and to emphasise that this characteristic will be present throughout the film.

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Shot 3:

- What colours have been used and why?

A lot of black has been used in this shot, offering limited light to the viewer which frames the image in the shot to make it seem relevant. The marker pen and the picture itself are also black, camouflaging and making them seem as though they are connected to the surrounding background. The picture also consists of minimal white which contrasts with the black, projecting the main point of the shot and telling the audience that that is what their attention should be on.

- What type of shot has been used and why?

The shot that has been used is an extreme close up. The reason for this is because only one point is required to be shown so close detail has been given to emphasise and demonstrate clearly what is happening at this particular time. The crossing out of someones eyes makes the audience feel uncomfortable whilst having to consider and work out why this may be happening and for what reason.

- How has the space been used?

The space in this shot is barley used for a picture, instead it is taken up with mostly text. Although the text is across the whole space, it is small and, to the viewer, not the prominent feature so the small image is still effective.

- What type of lighting has been used and why?

The lighting is used to act like a spotlight to underline the only part of the shot that is visible. This draws attention to the image rather than the text, making sure people do not miss a potentially important factor.

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Shot 4:

- What colours have been used and why?
The colour scheme used in this shot is very bland. A scale of black and grey symbolises destruction and, as shown here, could resemble the 'destruction' of lives. This, and the surrounding darkness, may have been used to include the audience into feeling a sense of something closing in on them of which they cannot escape from. Black and white images are usually classed as a memorial item, questioning whether this photo may also be for a memory.

- What type of shot has been used and why?
An extreme close up is being used to show what seems like a wire being cut off after entering a persons head. The effect of this is to start the very familiar gore that we usually associate with horrors and to let the audience begin to assume that they know what to expect. The gore will entice the viewer and leave them wanting to see more scenarios like this, requiring them to keep watching.

- How has the space been used?
One specific object has filled the entire shot, building up its importance and drawing attention to the whole screen. The picture that has been taped to a piece of paper is Small compared to the space provided which may come across as unusual to to audience. The reason for this may be to show its surroundings and to give more information away so that the shot as a whole can be determined as something psychological.

- What type of lighting has been used and why?
There is dim, dull edging that molds to the light that is located on the image, bordering the photo like a frame. The harsh black shadow at the bottom of the frame cuts off some of the picture, hiding identity and creating mystery.

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Shot 5:

- What colours have been used and why?

Black is the main colour here, bordering and protruding the fingers and needle. Again, this is pointing out and making obvious what is wanted to be seen by the audience. This colour can sometimes seem never-ending and in some cases suffocating, something that can become a frequent occurrence in a horror film when relating to death.

- What type of shot has been used and why?
Here, an extreme close up has been used to enlarge the fingers in which they hold a needle and thread. It is obvious that the eyes are supposed to be automatically attracted and focused on this aspect insted of the fingers since they are in the foreground and out of focus. It is vital that this characteristic is pointed out due to the conserntration needed to be able to thread a needle, letting the audience know exactly how complex and therefore how much work this person is putting into their work. This is needed so that the viewers get a feel of the persons dedication to this 'project' and its importance it may have on not just the storyline but to the person themself.

- What costume/hair and make-up has been used and why?
This persons bruised and bandaged fingers tells us that they have been working hard and for a long while to accoumplish their task. This gives more detail into what may happen, resauting in the audience considering more questioning, meaning the viewer will become engaged into the plot and with wanting to find out the answers, continuing to watch further.

 - How has the space been used?
The space is being used to its full extent by providing a clear, magnified image of the fingers, and the object that is beign held, to the extent that they are begining to get cut out of the frame.

- What type of lighting has been used and why?
Light is hitting the fingers, making them the first visible portion of the shot that eyes will be attracted to. This is because the needle and thread blends in with the darkness of the backgound making them almost hidden to the eye. The backgrounds obscurity moulded with the needle could infer that it is being used for something dark/evil. Where the angel of light is beating down from gives the thread a ghoasly outline, making it seem as if souls are being sewn into this persons work at hand.

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-What type of lettering has been chosen for the titles and why?

The lettering throughout the whole clip has a scratched, handwritten effect. Because of this, it causes the audience to assume that there is a clumsiness and lack of effort coming from the film, embodying how the characters may act. Scraching is usually a destructive feature, done with a sharp object which can represent weapons, something that is closely related to the horror genre.

- What sound has been used and why?

Non-diagetic music is present in this whole clip rather than diagetic. This is because the sound is supposed to be heard by the audience rather than the characters, making them feel a sense of value. The reason for this is to engage and tempt the viewers to watching until the end.

Main Task Ideas

To come up with these ideas for our main task, we decided on mostly easy locations where our target audience could refer to.

Preliminary Evaluation

- In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The conventions of media we use in our preliminary task include match-on-match action, shot reverse shot, close ups, tilting and 180 degree rule. An example of the use of match-on-match action is when we film our main character walking through the door. We did this by using a shot of her walking toward the door from behind, then the psychiatrist's point of view from inside the office. Shot reverse shot is being used in the conversation between the two characters; we also used several close up of nervous hands and a tapping foot, followed by panning of our main characters whole body. We used close ups to provide the audience with the same anxiety as the characters and panning to show body language.
We also took the advantage of lighting across the eyes and used it to provide interrogation of the main character.

- Who would be a target audience for your media product? 
The target audience in which we aimed our media product at are teenagers and young adults. We chose these particular age groups because the main character in our product is a teenager/young adult herself. Also, this range of audience is mostly associated with the type of genre we chose, giving us the chance to be more accurate with the outcome of our product.

- What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? 
If this task was to become a full movie, i think that a British or an American institution that specialise in horror/thriller, or more specifically Psychological horror/thriller, would distribute our product. The reason for this is because i feel they could promote the product to a large target audience, attracting many viewers. Hammer Film Productions is an example of this, specialising in Gothic horrors but also thrillers.

- How did you attract/address your audience?
To attract our target audience we made sure that our main character would look appealing to them. This meant that we chose a suitable character to be our actress: Dyed hair, teenage/young adult look, and dressed her up in decent, casual clothes. We also included specific camera shots, one which includes tilting of the camera from feet to head of our main characters body, revealing flesh and giving the audience the sense of intimacy and exposure. By doing this we are able to provide the audience with something they may be able to relate to that an older audience may find inappropriate. 


- What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Throughout the process of making, developing and editing our preliminary task I have learnt many new things about the use of technology. An example of this when in editing of our film we had to use iMovie, a programme which is exclusive to Mac PCs, for the first time. In this programme I was able to pick up on how to trim clips, adjust image lighting, change characters' tone of voice and emphasis certain sounds such as feet tapping, ect.