Costume Practical

The costume used is inspired by Jason from chainsaw massacre.

The clothes seem very rustic with a lot of rips and tears. The clothes are muddy and cover his whole body not giving any idea of who he could be. This ice hockey mask could simulate violence and a aggressive nature which he clearly does in his films. This is inspirational as this could be easily changed however simulated with different equipment. 

My practical was to create a costume that created the same effect of Jason from chainsaw massacre and did not look stupid or funny. I wanted it to cover the whole body and include a mask that works with the costume but covers his face. 

His face mask is used for angle grinders and high temperature things. Not only does it cover his face but it is very difficult to see his eyes until very close this would be perfect for close ups through shot reverse shot or when he is hiding.

His overalls both conform to a killer who is prepared for his work but also cover his whole body. With extra padding around the chest area with some blood splattered on with makes it look like an arterial wound.
Or blood splattering along his body.

The pictures could be done better with a camera instead of phone as well as in a low key lighting area. This would make the costume look scarier than in bright light. This would conform to most representations of horror films being presented in the dark or low light areas .

Improvements

• Take a picture of the costume individually and the whole together looking at its effect. 
• Use the costume in a low light area with maybe smoke around it making him look dangerous. This could give presentation of how he likes to kill his victims or just make it more atmospheric.
• And if I do take another picture with it on in front of a white background as it looks more professional.
• Also see what the costume is like with blood and if the colour is masked by the dark colour of the boiler suite or if it shows up so we could maybe use it for the future.

Ethnicity

Harold and Kumar

Ethnicity is very good at making things very funny. This is because most of the time the producer makes them very stereotypical and funny. And this is the perfect setting for ethnicity because it is when everyone is most tense.

The scene starts with a Chinese man and middle eastern man who are going on a plane to Amsterdam and they talk about how they are new people and taking time off work. This is whilst people are listening in and thinking they are terrorists which would conform to most people representation of middle eastern characters.  Whereas the Chinese man subverts representations of being work orientated and asexual by taking a week off work and imagining a women of his dreams.

Deconstruction.










The comparison between the middle eastern characters, one is normal in a jumper and T-shirt like any normal person and the second one which is through an were he has a long beard and moustache with a turban laughing and making jokes about the plane going down. Thus suggesting that most middle eastern charters are terrorists and it could be that is the producers trying to be funny or limiting there abilities as they cannot expand on that characters even though they are the protagonists of the film.

Shot-reverse-Shot

1st Shot

4th Shot



2nd Shot

3rd Shot

The editing uses displays not only what most people think of middle eastern people on a plane but what old people think of them. Through fast paced editing it displays how ridiculous it is and why people need to relax.

Tells people that there common representation is nowhere near what they are normally like and throughout the plane scene this is mocked and he is targeted as a dangerous man instead of a normal person that goes on holiday for relaxation.

 Sound used is to tell people what they think most middle eastern are like and through comedy it is made to seem ridiculous and idiotic. I find this effective as creating stereotypes that are exaggerated makes people laugh and it is physically impossible to be like them. 


So in a way this scene challenges what most people think of this ethnic group and draws reflection on what is acceptable and what isn't.

The other ethnic group is also subverted to look sexual rather than asexual and awkward about it. The diegetic sound is romantic and parallel to the scene as it goes on to him thinking about his love life and who he likes. Subverting common representation of what we think of this ethnic group as well as expanding his character beyond one to use for comedy.

The development of this scene proves my point of this character being a mockery by people. By the fact the prop used to simulate a bong lights up and looks like a bomb, to the fact people don't listen to him afterwards as he explains he is trying to smoke drugs and not blow the plane up. But, due to "the general publics" point of view of this ethnic group they think he is telling them it is a bomb. The close up of him lighting the bong simulates his focus on what he is doing however, through this focus it also looks like he trying to plant or light a fuse fuelling the stereotype.

Typography

The typography used to make look like a dog tag this is commonly represented in the army or on rosters. It is son serif conforming to a non horror film. The title is very effective when used with a background if on it's own it may seem boring or too mainstream.



Film opening sequence deconstruction

Straight outta Compton

 

Straight outta Compton conforms to generic conventions of urban dramas and displays them within the opening scene. In the opening scene there is a drug deal and a cops get involved in it. The opening sequence contains the universal production company ident, a short introduction to the film, some names off important people featured in the film and also the title of the movie.

 

 

The scene starts off with a black man taking out a bag full of drugs out of his car and going to a house. This conforms to urban drama as it is set in a urbanised place "the ghetto". Also in the opening sequence a hip hop and R&B track is played. These also conforms to the generic convention as music is from the charts at the time. The man then goes into a dope house and tries to deal his drugs. The people in the dope house don't have any money so they try and threaten him with guns. This again conforms to stereotypes and the generic conventions as they are using weapons. This film opening only casts black people as the main characters. This goes against racial profiling in films as there are many different roles casting black people in both good and bad places. Although they have cast black people as non token blacks they the cast members still follow stereo types of drug dealing killers that are dangerous. But this may be because of where they are and how they are connected to the story line.

 

Mis-en-scene: The lighting used in the sequence is low-key. This means it is very dark in all the camera shots. This is used because it makes the location seem eerie and dark. This adds to the sequences atmosphere as the audience knows that this is a bad and foreboding place to be. We should think about lighting when filming our piece as it controls the audiences emotions a lot.

 

 Camera: There is a lot off variation in camera angels and shots. This is very good as it keeps the audience excited as there is a lot of variation. One off the shots I looked at was a high angle shot. This shot looked down on all the cops. The reason for using this was to show all of the cops below and to show the audience how many there are.

 

 

 

 

Editing: A shot reverse shot is used very effectively in the opening sequence. a close up shot focuses on one man, then it cuts to the other person he is talking to, then finally cuts back. This is used to show they are talking to each other and also shows the expression on there face whilst they are talking. This is something we are going to have to incorporate in our ideas.

 

 

Sound: The non diegetic sound track is especially picked for this sequence. It is a hip hop R&B song and is quite popular amongst people who listen to hip hop and people surrounding this culture. This is good because the film is centred around this lifestyle so it appeals to the audience watching it.

 

 

Typography: The title to this film is very iconic. It is in block capitals with block endings to the letters. There is no flourish on the letter. It looks almost industrial because of the faded parts and paint splatters on the right. It is also black and white which are contradictory colours and make the words pop out. This may also have a deeper meaning and be talking about he contracts and opposition between two sides, "in the film these two sides would be black people verses the cops".

 

 

Film opening sequence deconstruction

Film opening sequence: Saw 7

Saw 7 conforms to the slasher generic convention. It contains gory and graphic visuals and scenes full of violence and gore. Also the bad people are the first to die and the good people are the ones who survive. This sequence can give me and my group a lot of things to think about for when we make our slasher if that's what we choose as a genre.

Saw 7 starts off with a big group of people surrounding a glass box with three people in it. In this box there are three people. They are instructed to kill one person in the box by the time the stop watch goes down to 0. At the end off the timer the saw cuts through to girl and kills her. This conforms to the slasher genre as the whore always dies first.

Mis-en-scene: During the opening sequence a childish clown toy is used by the villain to voice his instructions. This little toy is quite childish and creepy. This is used to show the killers broken mind as he thinks everything is a game. This can be connected to the slasher genre as the killer has no reason for his killing apart from that he thinks it is fun.

Sound: The non diegetic sound track used in the opening sequence creates suspense. It is polyphonic and is orchestral based. It is quite fast paced which builds up the tension in the scene as people are abut to be killed. This creates a good suspense for the audience and is something that we need to incorporate if we are going to do a slasher.

Editing: The editing used in this is quite simple. It uses fast paced cuts. This is because the sequence is exciting and jumpy. These fast cuts build and keep the suspense until the moment were somebody dies. This is something that we need to incorporate if we where to do a slasher.

Camera: There are a lot of close ups on peoples faces and on important items. They are seen all through the opening. This is because people need to see the expressions on there faces and what they are feeling at that time. Also the item close ups show what they are looking at and tell the viewer that they are an important part off the storyline.

Inspiration of Seven

• This film can be simplified down with the titles but still retain the same effect meaning our group could do it in our opening sequence. It also tells us the order in which the people should be presented that way we don't put prop specialist first or music by someone last. Also the props used meant that anyone could technically do it because the props could be found or made easily. This is great as special effects is difficult to do and it inspires me to think more basic. The film also made me realise that a horror film openings could not have a dramatic scene in the first 2 minuets so this gave me ideas on what sound would make suspense. 

• Sound would be the hardest thing to find as it is difficult to get all the blood sound effects or realistic screaming. But also it is difficult to get sound without copyrighting something else so the film tells me we have to be resourceful and think outside the box. The sound is contrapuntal to the images. Sound that maybe I could copy and use is between 0.17 and 0.19 to sound is from a record player which my dad has and the sound is easy to achieve via scratching and could be used for flash backs or mix in sound to scramble it up.

• Props, this film is good inspiration for props as it tells us we have to think like a killer so we are not allowed to make silly mistakes in filming and reveal our characteristics. The plasters on his finger tips conforms to not anting to be known or traced via finger prints this obsession with finger tips is also shown as he gets a razor and takes away his skin which appears to be dead.

A book is easy to find and with editing can be made to look old and worn. or I could old tea bags which degrade the paper making it look older than it actually is. This is inspiration because simple things can be used to make a dramatic effect.

Bandages over fingers with dark edges displaying a used need again this is inspiration because all these small props add up. It also gives me an idea of what a killer might have and use different props to foresee that.

Pictures that are black and white with face drawn out displays killing list, something in which people would have in that area or in their own room.

• Camera angles most are extreme close up of close up this makes the audience see his obsessions or maybe motives . We can see him cutting the word god out displaying a religion medium which physiological horrors are renowned for. Also him crossed eyes out of names giving people the impression of a kill list and also that he nows the victims well. This is great inspiration as close ups and extreme close ups can be easily performed and can be edited down to make a dramatic effect as well as easy to do as no frame needs to be filled with other things.

Extreme close up so you can see everything he is doing in specific detail also means you can't see his face. This is a good tip if I am trying to reveal the character without giving the game away so early loosing the suspense.

Dropping hints to tell the audience what this it is about via religion. The fact he picked that word out means something and tells the audience a little hint on what the topic could be about. Just not everything which would therefore ruin the film. 

• The editing is quite slow paced with lots of different cuts to section this makes scenes you are seeing more dramatic and sinister to what they could be if the editing was fast paced which would loose the effect of suspense.   

Deconstruction of opening credits - Final Destination 5

Deconstruction of film opening credits - Final Destination 5

Before we look into ideas about our own movie sequence we have to look at real material that has been made professional to get ideas for about our own. We are thinking about going into slasher films and have ideas built around gore and violence, for this reason I am going to deconstruct the opening sequence of Final Destination 5.

The opening sequence to final destination isn't actually the film. It doesn't include any speaking or even any characters. It starts off with the credits and the warner brothers ident. The ident is important because it lets the viewer know what studio produced the film and any other collaborations. The credits also show the viewer who made the film and who is featured in it. This is a good idea because it means people will defiantly have to view it rather then leaving the film or turning it off at the end. When we do our opening sequence we will have to make one off these. I have some experience in doing this as we did this for our GCSE piece.

Warner brothers ident in opening 5 seconds 

Final destination falls under the genre of a slasher film. This is because it has a lot of gore and violence and has a psychotic killer that kills people with no mercy. It follows most of the generic conventions and conforms to a slasher well. Here are some conventions it conforms to:

• Chronological order
• Insane killer
• Gory and graphic

                                           This is the 3 minute 36 second opening sequence

Camera: There is no specific thing the camera is focused on in this opening sequence. It is not visible for which angle the camera is looking or for how far. They all have a black background and focus on smashing glass with something protruding form the glass such as a skull or a hook or explosions.

Editing: In the opening sequence there are a few editing techniques used. There is a fade to black in the first 23 seconds in-between different idents. There are also dissolves between shots which adds a interesting twist to the sequence. It also cuts between writing and camera shots.

Mis-en-scene: All the things that are filmed in this sequence are to do with destruction and tie into other thing such as death and pain. There are explosions, breaking glass, skull, hooks and many other things that can inflict trauma and bodily harm. This is used to set the tone of the film.

Sound: This opening sequence has a specialised non diegetic sound track. The music is tailored to fit the footage perfectly. This is shown when the glass breaks and the music then makes a thudding sound. They are all in time to each other and this works very effectively