ok here are some things you must try and do ....
1. Get in close: use Medium shots and close ups, extreme closeups more than other types. When you character is walking around school dont feel you have to see all of them in teh shot just show them from teh waist up or even jsut tehir faces.. it is very unlikely that where they are walking is very important.. GET IN CLOSE ESPECIALLY WHEN SOMEONE IS SCARED OR SOMETHING IS IMPORTANT... if the killer pulls out a knife or is about to kill then GET A ECU of that object !!
It is much better for sound and dialogue as well if we have a close up fo teh actors talking
2. Get at least 2 or 3 different takes of teh same scene from a different angle.. you can edit it all together later. Scenes all done from one shot (i.e no editing) are boring and dry and will get you a low mark... as a rule act out the scene 3 times exactly the same but just film it from a different camera angle each time (e.g once form the heros point of view, once from the kilelers POV and then an overall medium shot ??? feel free to experiment.
3. Experiment with your shots... a worms eye view shot of teh killers feet a close up of someones eye through a window.. whatever be creative !!!!! You have over 60 minutes of space on the tape dont worry about your tape space...
4. Leave lots of room at the start and ened of a shot.... if you are directing a scene press record first then shout shout 3,2 ........and then tail off that way yyour actors will know when to begin and you will catch all of the sequence then when they finish acting wait 3 seconds before stopping the record. Sont shout 3,2,1, and then press record beacouse you will miss bits out !!!
Filming : Top Tips
Rules for Filming Safely in School:
ok this i s a project to be enjoyed but beware.. should you break any of these rules then the ghost of Mr Sloan will haunt you forever.. whoo hahahahaha.. or you just wont be able to do the filming!
You are in a school, everyone else is not making a film so you have to follow normal school rules and in-fact you must be even better behaved than normal...
You are NEVER NEVER allowed to bring any weapons or knives into school as part of this project :
(this sounds obvious but if you want to bring anything into school you must have consulted and gained permision from your teacher first)
You are not allowed to film any acts of violence without a teacher present:
(normal schools apply !! do not film each other being slapped you will be taken off this project immediately...if you want to film a scene like this an adult must be there to supervise it.)
No one from other lessons is allowed to be in your film during school time, After school is fine with permission. You are not allowed to film in other classrooms or lessons without a teachers permission BEFORE you film.
You must move around the school quietly and respect that other lessons are going on as normal: (although it may be exciting and fun to be working on this project in a group be aware of the noise that you are making.. any complaints form other members of staff will result in you not being allowed to do this project)
You are not allowed to film people who are not listed in your pre production booklet.
(you cannot just walk around school filming anyone you feel like)
Do not damage any school property or deface it in anyway. Everything should be in the same condition after you have used it as when you found it.
(even if you think you need a shot with blood up the walls or something consult with your teacher BEFORE you do it so we can come up with an acceptable solution)
Do not damage the Media Department Equipment your group has been given. At the end of every lesson or shoot your equipment should be as it was at the start of that session. Failure to keep equipment in the proper condition will mean you will have to be taken off the project.
You are not to film outside of the school grounds without prior permission and / or supervision from your teacher
Ok if you can do all that then... er.. ENJOY !!!
Welcome back to year 11 !!
hhheeeyyyyy welcome back to media studies and hopefully you have seen the light and completed all your Section A coursework !!
Its very important you do !!! anyway ..... moving on this year you are going to make a horror film !!!! yes thats right so you need to watch as many as you can and try to ocme up with some good ideas for your own one....
should be fun.. check back here for help and any extra information you might need and feel free to comment if you have any questions!
Dead Set
Did any one watch this ??? I actually missed it, but it looks perfect for you lot in that you should be stealing and borrowing the ideas use dthroughout this kind of programme in your horror films. So was it scary was it enjoyable ?? i have heard good things.. i have included the trailer below and a link to the channel 4 website for the 5 part series where you can watch all of the episodes... worth a watch i reckon...
One criticism though (by Simon Pegg who was in Sean of the Dead amongst other things) was that Zombies dont run !! he got really annoyed that they messed around with the usual genre conventions of a Zombie movie!! you can read his report HERE
channel 4 DEAD SET website
The greatest Bad Guy / Evil thing in horror films
When i was young that Michael Myers in Halloween scared me to death every time i watched that film. As a rule i think it helps if your bad guy has a mask. It makes you think there is something truly terrifying under there and you dont have to lash out on special effects !! What makes a good bad guy though ? Costume, props, catchphrase...
What about that thing / bloke from Saw whats all that about..i cant even watch those movies because they are so sick. Not sick in a good way like you lot say... just sick in the ..wrong and twisted way. Or maybe you think not showing the bad guy at all like in those ol B movies like Cat people or more recently in The Blair Witch Project, maybe thats the way to go... ??
Ok top 5 bad guys in horror films:
1. Freddy
2. Mike Myers
3. Jaws (is jaws a horror film?)
4. Leatherhead (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
5. Jack Torrance (The Shining)
Anymore ?? answers on a postcard..
Some horror film trailers to get you thinking
Ok so you are going to have to design a short bit of a Horror film set around school this year, obviously we are going to have to watch a lot so here are a few classics to get you thinking....
