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Jenifer's Body 

Film cover analysis

PEER ASSESSMENT!

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Focus: Blog Feedback Missing Posts: Iconic Directors, Title sequences (other than se7en), Typical synopsis, camera angles and location ideas.

Level and Mark: Level 2 - 11

WWW - Your analysis of font is excellent, you give detailed comments on the connotations of the font types and the effects of the typography on the reader. The ideas that you have explored in regards to the details and colour of costume is very confident and well explored and explained.

EBI - You need to organise your blog using labels to show where your posts are. When talking about the ‘man’s’ costume try to explore the connotations of the shadow and silhouette. What do these things make the reader think about? What is the effect of just showing the outline of him instead of the man himself? Consider using a wider range of techniques to show your ideas on your blog.

Resulting Actions  (student response): I have organised my blog using labels and I will explore the connotations of shadow and silhouette and the effect it gives the audience. I have also started using prezi for my recent posts.

Representation of Samara Morgan from 

'The Ring!' 

In the 2002 film the ring, the the antagonist, Samara Morgan, played by Daveigh Elizabeth Chase, is portrayed as an innocent looking young girl. This is shown by the white dress and pale skin. white connotes innocence and purity, which is reinforced by the fact that she is a young girl and no one would ever suspect a young girl to be dangerous. This also plays on the audiences fears a lot more because children are everywhere and no one really thinks about how dangerous children could potentially be. 

Samara has a white band around her wrist, much like what a hospital patient has to wear over the course of their stay, also the wall behind her is white so she could be a patient. This could also mean that she's maybe insane which links to how she could be dangerous and how she's confined within the walls of a hospital or asylum- This adds to a sense of safety as it seems that the danger is confined and under control. But this illusion is proved otherwise later on as the story progresses and it is made apparent that the girl may be trapped but her need to kill is not. It is free to wonder like a spirit or a completely different being. This then makes the audience couscous as to where the danger actually is.


The whole idea about the youth is 'innocence' and 'purity' however this character, despite her innocent looking face, has a 'dark' side, as shown by the long matted 'dark' hair. Her hair isn't very well looked after, this indicates that she's dangerous, as she's not distracted by things like her hair and even if her hair gets in the way of her face, like it is in the picture, it wouldn't phase her because nothing gets in her way. the fact that her hair is so long shows that she doesn't get out to go to a hairdresser, which may indicate that she is trapped or imprisoned, as if she's too dangerous exist outside those walls. Her hair also seems to be either black or a very dark brown, this connotes death and decay, meaning that she is either dead herself and angry about the way she died therefore she's taking other people's lives or she is simply just seeking to end peoples lives.

However, along with the white dress, the white band around her wrist and the innocent look on her face leads me to believe more in the first theory, but it is not certain and 'not knowing' this then adds to the fear factor.

The whiteness of her dress contrasts with the darkness of her hair and portrays a kind of 'black and white' effect, meaning that once she decides that you're her next target, you're going to die and there's no escape!

The History of Horror!!!!!

Horror is a genre that creates a sense of fear, panic or dread and some even make the audience feel complete disgust. This genre usually contains elements like; loud, sudden sounds and either loud music or quiet music depending on what the characters are doing in that scene- this creates suspense and makes the audience think that something is about to happen. horror films always start out slow, to build up suspense wich makes it more scary when things finally do start to happen.

After the advent of motion picture technology in the late 19th century, film makers began to experiment with the horror genre French director Georges Méliès created a short film 'The House of the Devil' in 1896, which was credited as the first horror film. 

However  during the 1880's America became home to the famous 1886 novel Jekyll and Hyde, which became the new craze of the time in the horror industry. Later on the novel was made into a horror movie, scaring everyone that viewed it.
          Horror movies have changed so much through out the years, getting better and better, though there have been cases where they have been terrible. Styles have been developed and different techniques have been explored, to begin with only black and white movies were made, then sound and colour soon followed. The change in the movies has made a significant difference through out the years to the point of it being the reason for Horrors today being the way they are. 
         Examples of how much horror movies have differentiated throughout the years are like stated before; colour, sound and the different techniques used to lure/ connect the audience...this is usually done by playing on everyday fears and scenes that seem at first like a normal everyday thing.



This is one of the very first Horror Films made in 1913, as you can see there is no sound, this is because back then they hadn't worked out how to add the sound into the film yet...also there is no colour...it is strange to think that in those days this was considered scary!

The Evolution of Horror...

Costume analysis of similar characters to the little girl in our opening sequence!

Loren McConnel (The Reaping- 2007) 

played by Anna Sophia Robb

     She is wearing a pink summer dress, this is similar to what normal girls wear in real life, this creates a sense of normality for the audience as she is dressed like a normal girl, however the dress is dirty and so is her matted hair, this shows that she has perhaps been out in the wilderness for so long and maybe acts with the instincts of a wild beast, or that she has no time to stop and worry about how she looks 

because she's so obsessed with reaching her victims. Both showing how relentless she is. On the other hand, considering that her past was possible a rough one, maybe she was out-casted or forced to run away because of something that happened, or that she did or was believed to have done. Maybe someone tried to kill her. The colour pink doesn't strike as very dangerous, that shade of pink especially as it could relate to love and playfulness. The cut of the dress is also very interesting as her arms and chest area are not covered. This means shows that she is a very open character so she is not deliberately hiding anything. Although her matted hair and the fact that she is dirty, juxtaposes with this because despite her being an open character, the audience doesn't know what happened to her or why she's in this state.

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April Perron (The Conjuring- 2013) 

played by Kyla Deaver

     She is wearing a green cardigan and a floral shirt. The colour green shows that she is calm and possibly has a love for the natural world, which is reinforced by the floral shirt. Green in also the colour of harmony and growth, this relates to how she's the youngest daughter of the Perron family and she still has a lot of growing up to do, therefore showing she is vulnerable and helpless when in danger. Her hair is also quite well looked after, this shows that she is not dangerous and the fact that it is let loose and not tied back relates to how children are free and have no real worries in life.

COSTUME PLANNING! 

Little girl 

In the opening of our horror movie, there is a little girl walking to her mother's grave. We came to a decision that the little girl would be wearing a plain white dress. The white symbolizes her innocence and youth.

 Later on in the opening, she will be running through the woods. when this happens, her face, hair and dress will get dirty. This will show that she is out of her comfort zone and emphasizes the fact that she is not safe. We also had the idea that she could be wearing shoes to begin with but then looses them as she is running, this would show that she cares more about running away than loosing her shoes

which would indicate that the person or thing she is running from is something or someone that frightens her. This also symbolizes how helpless she is and her vulnerability to the danger that is chasing her.

man

There is also a man in the opening to our movie title sequence. But we only see him as a silhouette and then a shadow as he backs the little girl into a corner and then she screams and it all goes black as the film title comes up.

MY PRELIMINARY TASK!

~Evaluation: 

          We were asked to complete a preliminary task video of a person walking into a room, sitting down and then exchanging a few lines and of dialogue. It had to have contained at least one example of 'match on match action', we showed this when the interrogator moved through the door and 'over-shoulder shot' which was used as the characters spoke. for example when the interrogator spoke, the camera was shot over the kids shoulder and when the kid spoke, the camera was shot over the interrogator's shoulder. Also the location we chose was small and made it very difficult to break 180 degree rule.

HOW COULD WE IMPROVE?-

          We could improve by shooting over each shoulder on the same side. Also the editing could be better and we would need to bring the sound up because in some parts of the video, it is difficult to hear the actors talking. Next time we should include more props and zoom in on the characters faces as the speak, also paying attention to small details such as the nervous twiddling of the kids thumbs, indicating that he may be guilty.

FILMING SCHEDULE!

Date	Location	Description of shot	Actors
Friday 26th September 2014	The Meeting room (Used as the interview room)	First actor (Police officer) walks in to the room with actor 1 and 2 in the room (Lawyer and Suspect)	Actor 1 (Police Officer) Actor 2 (Suspect) Actor 3 (Lawyer)
		Questions are asked between actors 1 and 2, with Lawyer present (Actor 3)	Actor 1 (Police Officer) Actor 2 (Suspect) Actor 3 (Lawyer)
		Over the shoulder angle with actors 1 and 2	Actor 1 (Police Officer) Actor 2 (Suspect)
		Then Questions are asked leading up to the end of the interview between actors 1 and 2 with the lawyer present (Actor 3)	Actor 1 (Police Officer) Actor 2 (Suspect) Actor 3 (Lawyer)
		Screen goes Black and cuts out

LOCATION!
LOCATION!
Location for our preliminary task

These are the photos we took of our location from different angles. We chose this location because it's a meeting room. It's small, has one door, no windows a table and chairs already in there just like an interrogation room which is where we set our task.

The walls are white, which indicates that the young boy whose being interrogated is in fact innocent and the police have it all wrong. The room was also quite small which made it hard to break the 180 degree rule.

Story Board 

FILM CLASSIFICATION!

BBFC

The BBFC stands for the British board of film classification. It is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organisation which have classified films since 1912 when it was set up and DVDs in 1984 when the video recording act was passed. The BBFC also have the power to ban films if they believe is necessary.

The BBFC give age ratings for each classification...

'U' stands for universal. Meaning that it is suitable for all ages from the age of 4. No signs of discrimination, drugs, imitable behavior, language, nudity, sex, threat or violence. violence is always very mild in a film of this rating if there is any and these film will generally contain positive messages about things like loyalty and kindness, etc.

'PG' stands for parental guidance. Meaning that is is suitable for general viewing, however some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. In these films, nothing should upset a child 8 years or over. can explore challenging issues such as bullying or racism. There may be mild bad language such as 'shit' or 'bitch' and mild violence if there is any. Sex is unlikely unless it is infrequent and not in detail. Smoking, drink and drugs would not be promoted or focused on and neither would certain objects or easily accessible weapons such as kitchen knives

'12' and '12A' rated films may contain material that is not generally suitable for children under the age of 12, But '12A' is a cinema release rating that allows children under the age of 12 to watch a film of this rating if they are accompanied by an adult. If not accompanied by and adult, a child under 12 years of age cannot be permitted to watch this film. The '12' certificate stands for the DVD/Blue ray. Sex may be briefly and discreetly portrayed at 12A or 12 but no detailed scenes. Moderate violence is displayed in films of this age rating but with no real detail and strong language such as the 'f' word can be passed depending on the way it is used.

'15' rated films are not suitable for children under the age of 15. In films of this rating you can expect to find the following;

• Strong violence
• Frequent strong language (Not all words)
• Portrayals of sexual activity
• Strong verbal references to sex
• Sexual nudity
• Brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
• Discriminatory behavior or language
• Drug taking

'18' rated films are suitable for ages 18 and over. In films of this rating you can expect to find the following; 

•   Very strong violence
•   Frequent strong language (Any/all words)
•   Strong portrayals of sexual activity
•   Scenes of sexual violence
•   Strong horror
•   Strong blood and gore
•   Real sex (in some circumstances)
•   Discriminatory behavior and language

'R18' rated films are also suitable for ages 18 and over but these films are legally-restricted due to their explicit and/or offensive content. Films of this rating generally contain frequent scenes involving sex or strong fetish material involving adults. These films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas and are only sold or rented from specially licensed shops. These films are also not supplied by mail order.

CONVENTIONS OF HORROR SUB-GENRES!

Conventions are how things are usually done.

The horror genre has a variety of different aspects, even within sub-genres, that help to cover everything in this genre, these are called conventions. 

for example, in out group, we chose the sub-genre, 'paranormal' for our task of creating an opening sequence for a horror film.

As shown in this diagram, the paranormal sub-genre of horror has many conventions such as, 'Ghosts and spirits', 'Haunted house', 'Possession', 'Devil and demon and hell', 'Witches and occult' and finally 'Supernatural'.

In our group we chose to focus on the convention of 'Ghosts and spirits' because we wanted to play with the idea of the innocent little girl in the white dress, and 'is she alive, is she not?' also we had the idea that she could be running away from something, so maybe she's re-living her death or she's running away from something that's perhaps inhuman, for example; an imaginary friend who turns out not to be imaginary and not a friend, or maybe something more personal and fearful for the audience like a diseased family member. The father, just to get a little closer to the heart, emphasizing the fear factor. 

Some conventions have been known to sneak into other sub-genres, for example; 'Devil and demon and hell' and 'Witches and occult' overlap into the monsters sub-genre and anything in the monster or paranormal or even killer sub-genre could overlap into psychological.

Examples of this; 

The Babadook is a crossover between the monster and psychological sub-genres because the characters feel isolated as the monster is taking over their home, the only place they truly feel safe. the story line is based on the childhood fear that there's a monster in your wardrobe or under your bed but instead, it's not just a fear.

This is effective because the child is the first one to know about the monster and the parent never believes the child until it's too late. Also that thought that the child could be in danger- this targets adults from around the age of twenty and above as many of them have children or are looking to be parents.

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Scary Movie mixes comedy with the killer sub-genre because it mocks everything that makes up a horror movie. The purpose of this was to make the audience laugh one moment and scream the next. this has two purposes;

- To scare the audience more because it's unexpected. if the mood starts off all funny and then changes all of a sudden, the audience would get confused and not know exactly what's going on. and not knowing is what scares people the most.

- To play with the audiences emotions- this stops the audience from getting bored.

Mise en scene of THE SHINING!

 Analysis of the opening of SEVEN!