Question 1: n what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our film "Balham Butcher" both challenges and conforms to actual horror movie openings in a number a way. Two movies which are similar to our film are "Scream" and "Halloween". This is due to the fact that the all the killers wear masks and taunt and kill their victims in the comfort of their own homes.

These frames show the masked killers in homes of their victims, looking down on them. The second shot also shows that the killer is looking upon the victim and creeping around the house without them knowing.

Frame 1

Frame 1 shows that we have looked at the time of day we wanted the movie to start with. It shows the street light being on which tells the audience it is fairly late. This time of day conforms with the conventions of a horror movie as the villains usually strike when they are hidden by the darkness. the darkness would provoke a sense of uneasiness as the audience wouldn't see what's coming.We also have the silhouette of a creepy tree which hints to the audience that the film will be twisted like the branches. 

This shot also contains heavy raining and lightning sounds. these sounds are associated with unpleasant things because they bring about negative moods. 

Frame 2

frame two was a point of view shot of the girl collapsing after being hit.We used a special effect which made the shot blurry as she falls. This gives the audience the idea that she is disorientated after being hit by the bat. It also makes the audience feel some uneasiness, as they cannot see what the villain is doing, this makes them question where he is and what he is doing. This challenges the usual conventions of a horror movie as they usually show the villain attacking the victim. 

Frame 3

This shot depicts a close up shot of a clock ticking time down. We used this shot to further show the time of day and time of the year. The time is going onto 6 o'clock, which tell us that it is not too late but if it was shown to be dark outside on the first shot, it must be around winter time. This tells the audince that it is probably cold. It could hint that the victim will become cold when she is killed. the number 6 is also assocaited will evill as 666 is said to be the devils number and is often used in movie to suggest the presence of evil. The time going down could aslo suggest that her life is about to run out.

Frame 4

This is a point of view shot of the killer. We used the back of the mask to show that it is the killed inside the mask. This shot corresponds with the conventions of a horror movie as they usually show point of view shot of the villain looking upon the victim without their knowledge before killing them.

Frame 5

This shot shows the killer behind the girl. As he swings the camera doesn’t show the part that was hit. We did this to encourage the viewers to use their imagination of how badly she was hit. This goes against conventions of a horror movie as they are more likely to show the damage that is caused in order to be gruesome and disturb their audience.

The headphones were used as a symbol of a normal teenager. It gives our audience and victim some kind of connection that they can relate to. This makes the audience more anxious when they see her being hit, due to the feeling of being targeted as she was.

Frame 6

This shot corresponds with the conventions of a horror movie as the surroundings are black. The shot is at a low angle which makes the audience feel as though they are watching something horrific happening. It could also symbolise that the victim has fallen and there is no getting back up for her. The villain is also seen standing tall above her at the end which shows the audience who is in power.

Frame 7

Frame 7 shows the hallway with the girl standing by the light. Her surroundings are all dark which conforms with horror movies as the audince doesn't know what could come out of the darkness.

Frame 8

The villain is surrounded by darkness in this shot. The background shows a dark shed full of old things. This place was used because of it’s dustiness, and creepy feeling. The surrounding changes from when she is regains her consciousness it feels as though the audience is transported with her, like they are in her shoes. At this point the audience should feel the same kind of confusion and unease as she does.

Frame 9

This shot is in fast motion. For the villains costume we used a white apron and a white mask. We used the white mask to show that the villain has no facial expressions, therefore no feelings, which is why he kills. He gives a final blow with his butchers knife to kill her in this shot. Again, we chose not to show any gore and leave it to the audiences imagination to how she was killed.

5 facts on The King's Speech

• it's a historical drama
• directed by Tom Hooper
• written by David Seidler
• was filmed in the UK
• won 2010 Toronto international film festivals people's choice award

http://themediablog.typepad.com/the-media-blog/

What i like about this blog is that it explores and comments on the media in its different forms, such as in magazines, television, blogs alike etc

the blog is humorous in the sense that it has no boundaries. The writer is able to voice out his/her real opinion on the media. This takes a different turn from the media in general which follows rules of what their content must or cannot contain. The writer also questions and puts together information from different sources to make one new post which gives more information on the topic than other forms of media. The audience is able to relate to the blogger due to the fact that the writer writes as though he/she is writing to themselves. The blogger is part of the audience.

 

http://petesmediablog.blogspot.com/

The one aspect that stands out the most is that the blogger gives pupils and teachers information about the media course. When analysing pieces of media, he uses loads of pictures and videos. This allows the viewers to further grasp what he is writing about.

 

 

freedback of the Opening of Balham Butcher so far...

Positive:

• we used a variety of shots which all meant something
• we had good framing
• being able to edit the sound to make it fade out
• having good lighting to reflect the mood

Negaive (things we can improve on) :

• We were told that the titles would need to change due to the fact that they were too dark and could not be read.

St.Trinians reveiw

The plot: Pupils of the school find themselves at war with Pomfrey and his secret organisation of woman haters, A01. Throughout the movie they battle against each other in an epic race towards finding the long buried  Friton's treasure.

Props, Settings and lighting:
During scenes that are shot during the past or when the pupils are venturing into ruins, the lighting is noticeably darker due to the use of candles at that time period, which gives out a gloomy feeling. the sets are decorated with props that seem old, fragile and expensive. when the pupils are exploring, the audience can see the the props are covered in dust and cobwebs. This suggest that the place has been abandoned for a large amount of time. This adds mystery to their findings.
the large bedroom/dorm set is decorated with props that show which type of group they belong to in each section.

the surveillance room is full of high tec equipment and TVs.
during the fight the school is in dark. This means that the audience wouldn't know what is hiding behind the corner when and attack is launched. there are also less shadows to be made. there are loads of flashing lights from the torches which would confuse the enemy and make the shots seem faster as they are constantly moving fast. there are also loads of lights behind the villains so you can only see a silhouette of the people. this gives out a menacing feeling as the pupils do not know who is approaching them.
before the battle the lighting was blue like. after the battle, the next day, the lighting is more orange , bright and positive. This indicates that the battle is over and they will turn a new leaf.

camera shots:
A number of different shots are used throughout the movie. High shots and low shots show which characters hold the most power and which ones are more defenceless. over the shoulder shots are used frequently at an angle which shows most of the people further away, as the people in the film are almost always grouped with others during dialogue. there is some point of view shots when someone is sneaking up behind another person, which gives the audience a feeling of anticipation. a series of wide shots are used when showing large groups or when they want to show the surrounding area to.

During the beginning of the film, when the groups are each stereotyped, a shot of each one is taken and it goes on to become edited with foreign images. The category people think they belong in are shown in text.
 an interesting shot was when the newly acquitted head girl needs the attention of the other pupils. As she asks for them to be quit no one listens. She then retorts into  shouting it aloud. This is when the camera shot goes onto her mouth and quickly zooms out as she shouts the words. these is then quick shots that show that everyone has stopped what they are doing and go into silence.
when the villain first begins to communicate with the girls on the phone they only show close up shots and his voice. this means that he is kept anonymous until later when he reveals himself.
There are also cut screen shots when the two people are on the phone.

Costumes and actors: each group that is labelled all dress similar to one another, separating themselves from the other groups. emos wear black and metal, chavs wear cheap jewelry and have slicked back hair, eco freaks have messy hair and worn out clothes, posh tots have neat hair and clothes that are perfectly and the nerds following the school dress code and wearing glasses.
each group act as how everyone thinks each group act like such as the chavs being rude, the posh tots being stupid, nerds being smart,etc..

What makes a film British

A film is British if:

• the movie is financed in Britain
• they have shots which show that the film is set in Britain
• most of the main cast are from Britain
• director and crew are British
• British story and plot
• realistic plot and characters

Review on Media Related Sites

Britfilms

Britfilms is targeted at people new to the filming industry. It site gives valuable information to film makers interested in making a film in the UK, including where they can get funding. They also give out careers advice and outline training courses.

The site features an online data-base of British films (features and shorts) from 1998 onwards. They also have a data-base on British feature film directors, which also include filmographies, biographies and links.

They also give information on over 300 British films currently under production.

The company has a scheme which allows short film makers to show their work in festivals. these films must be under 45 minutes long and be less than a year old.

Two interesting things:

• it supplies a rich source of information I can refer to if i should go into film making

• The site highlights the possibility of getting recognised at an amateur film maker

 [BFI]

BFI (the British Film Institute) promotes the understanding and appreciation of British Film. They run a range of activities and services. They also hold a large collection of film and television, over 1 million titles.  BFI screens over 1,000 films per year and holds the largest screen in England. They hold the annual film festival as well as the lesbian and gay film festival.

The BFI also publish a monthly magazine called sight and sound which reviews a variety of new release, books on film and television and release films and television on DVD/ Blue ray.

They run a series of programs which educate people of a range of ages on film education. They also hold resources online and in print to support film education. Another film information facility they have is the BFI national library, which holds 46,000 books, 5,000 periodical titles and over 2 million newspaper cuttings on film and television. They have an online encyclopedia of British film and television. 

 Two interesting things:

• the educational events offered
• the events to hold which allow people to show their work

[Netribution]

Retribution is similar to a blogging site that allows users to critique British movies and television.  They host various competitions where users can enter in order to meet people who have successful careers in the filming industry.

Two interesting things:

• The site allows normal people to publish their opinion online for others to view

• The interviews they provide on people in the filming industry

[ukfilmcouncil]

The UK film council is a government backed company which ensures that economic, cultural and education aspects of film are represented at home and abroad. They fund a number of third parties across the UK. Their support develops new filmmakers, funds new British films and gets s a wider choice of films to audiences thought the UK. They also invest in the training of people who wish to work in the industry in order to promote Britain as an international filming location.

Two interesting things:

•  The extent at which their funding helps the filming industry
• the opportunities they give to non-mainstream films