Shoot Day

Today, we shot our thriller and at the start of the day discussed how we could make it more interesting and include something that made it bite; we came up with the idea of her going crazy and stabbing the boyfriend to death. Other than the addition of the murder sequence, our thriller was very similar to our initial idea and story board, making it much easier to film as we knew exactly what we wanted.

My role in the thriller was camera-person and had to yell out "standby, rolling and action" to give the actors an understanding of when to start talking. Additionally, during the shots that were taken outside I had to make sure that the filter level was at its highest, so that the audience were able to see the person even with the sun. Additionally, before each shot, I had to close up on the person or wall that I was filming and adjust the focus to make sure the image looked perfect, as well as white balancing before filming by having someone stand in front with a white piece of paper and zoom in on it and focus and pressing the white balance button. Sabrina held the role of STAC1E as well as coming up with the concept of the thriller which was based around STEPFORD WIVES meets IROBOT and working with me to determine which props would be used. Dani had the role of the sound person as well as casting director and so had to hold the microphone in an appropriate position so that the sound could be heard well and travelled directly to the camera.

Originally we were going to use an A2 girl to play the role of STAC1E but because of exams and various other commitments, we changed it to Sabrina because she had the look that we were going for. We chose James H as the presentor because we knew that he could portray the cheesy, outlandish act that we were going for, likewise with Jason who was playing the lazy boyfriend, we chose him because we knew that he not only had the image but knew that he would be very interested in being apart of our thriller; he wore a pink T-shirt with tracksuit bottoms, trainers and a grey hoodie, giving off the impression of a lazy man that looks very "schlobby."

We began by taking various shots that we will be able to easily edit and create into a fluid sequence. Firstly, we went round the school gathering mid shots of male teachers saying "SHE'S AMAZING" and the different men, with the different accents emphasised the idea that SCAC1E is an international product that is sold all across the world. The ad was shot in front of the green screen because it meant that we can later on use AFTER EFFECTS to produce a realistic advertisement. We used James Hartman as the presenter, in order to indicate his cheesy characteristic, he wore a musturd-yellow suit and spoke with a stereotypical cheesy American accent. The shots that we took of the ad were hilarious and the way he played the presentor was brilliant and exactly what we wanted; he called himself Tommy Tighttush, giving an extra emphasis on the cheesiness of his character and what he is selling and to who. His final words were: she will give you exactly what you need and when we begin editing it, we will have it as a voiceover on the TV while STAC1E is stabbing the boyfriend to death to signify that he deserved it.

Here is footage from the shots of the advertisement in front of the green screen:



The shots that we shot in the Hurtwood House common room included the shot of Jason, who was playing the boyfriend of STACIE getting stabbed to death. The lighting was not very good in the common room and it lacked the futuristic look that we were hoping for and so we covered the lights with a blue plastic cover so that it gave the room a creepy edge about it. Additionally, we also made sure that there was light reflecting against the kitchen knife so that the audience can see it shine in the light-making it look sharper and bringing it the main focus of the shot. For the shots of her stabbing him, we shot his stomach covered in fake blood and then shot Sabrina pulling the knife up quickly and took 4 or 5 continuous shots like this. Then we had Sabrina stand in front of Jason and we just shot it from what would appear to be his point of view shot, her stabbing him intensely and deathly.

Here is the murder Point-Of-view shot:



Here is a wide shot of the murdering sequence:



We made sure that the blood on the knife looked realistic and once we had finished the stabbing we took a shot of her walking towards the kitchen (there was a spotlight in there) with blood splattered on her face, holding the bloody knife by her side; this shot looked very cool as it symbolised how she has returned to normality and we will then have the title come up afterwards. We had a shot of her cutting carrots and whilst taking this shot, used a light string to intensify the lighting and to emphasise the streaks against the silver of the knife. Having her cut a carrot gave under-current sexual connotations as well as showing her plan to hurt him in a certain way. Moreover, she was in the kitchen in order to show the stereotype of women and how they are "SUPPOSED" to be in the kitchen; we felt that it was a way of subtly getting the message across to those who mistreat women and treat them like robots that one day they will fight back. During this shot, we had Sabrina cut regularly but then cut very slowly and pull the knife and her hand away equally as slow; this will then be connected with the shot of her walking towards him with his drink and dropping it and resulting in the stabbing. For costume, we had STAC1E dressed in a light pink 50s style dress with blue bows on it and pearl necklaces and bracelets, giving her the perfect-housewife image that was inspired by Stepford Wives. Whilst shooting her various roles (cleaner, cook or aider to "men's needs") we had her in different aprons to signify how once she puts on that particular type of apron she transforms into that specific role; the kitchen apron was bright yellow with flowers on it giving a sense of happiness and how 'wherever she is, the light is brighter,' the cleaning apron was a small, white pinafore-looking apron that tied at the back and was perfect with the overall effect of the 50s housewife and finally we had STAC1E wear a nurse's hat and bib to indicate that her role is to take care of the owner and thus, whilst wearing this particular outfit she massaged the shoulders of Jason (audience will not be able to see his face) giving yet another sexual connotation. Overall, I feel that it was a very successful day of shooting and was much easier than was expecting. 

Thriller Mise-En-Scene

Props that are going to be needed:

• Sofa
• TV
• Outfit for STAC1 (maybe a maid's outfit or evening gown)
• knife
• iron and ironing board
• possibly a marilyn monroe wig
• microphone

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marilyn-Monroe-Deluxe-Fancy-Dress-Blonde-BOMBSHELL-Wig-/230565616351?pt=Adult_Fancy_Dress_UK&hash=item35aec81adf

Nearly all of the props can be supplied from the school which is good but if we were to have the marilyn monroe wig in order to keep with the original theme that we wanted, with her as our style icon.
We also used the idea of STEPFORD WIVES:

Audiences & Institutions

KEY TERMS:

• Institution
• Audience
• Film distribution
• Marketing/ Promotion
• Exhibition
• Sequel/ Franchise
• Mainstream
• Independent

Institution-->Production Company-->Distrbutor-->Source of Product

MAJOR STUDIOS HAVE BOTH VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION!!!

VERTICAL:

1. Production-making
2. Distribution-delivery
3. Exhibition-showing

HORIZONTAL:

1. Script
2. Stars
3. Shoot
4. Exhibit

it is a factory process...

TV Drama Representation & Ideology

• Ideology refers to belief systems
• TV drama (as with any other media product) carries ideological messages (beliefs/opinions/values)
• These will promote some messages and/or values which can influence beliefs of the audience
• Ideological messages and values can either: 1)UPHOLD DOMINANT VALUES or 2)CHALLENGE/SUBVERT DOMINANT VALUES
• Each channel has an identity or image which sells it as a brand
• Channel Four has moved away from radical politics to be more of a teen oriented channel (Hollyoaks/Skins)

Representation and Ethnicity

Camera Work: (shots & movement)

• Who is being shown/what angle
• How are we meant to 'view' or 'look' at them
• What are we seeing
• Whay shots

Mise-en-scene: (props/ performance/ lighting/ composition/ set etc.)

• What is being displayed
• What clothing/ environment
• perfomance? How is it different?
• Props depict ethnicity in what way
• Body language etc.

Editing: (shot choice/ pace/ juxtaposition/ order)

• Who is getting screen time?
• At whose expense
• How is ethnicity being represented

REMEMBER: Editing is about shot choice what is juxtaposed with what?

Sound: (what are we hearing?)

• What can be identified as representation of ethnicity?
• Music- either stereotypical or subverted
• Dialogue: speech patterns/ use of language (slang)
• Diagetic & Non-Diegetic: dialogue, music & sound effects
• How are they used
• What are we meant to think?
• What sort of sound is used at which moment?

WHAT IS MEANT BY THE TERM ETHNICITY?
Ethnicity is what one defines themselves. It is usually determined by race, colour or religious background

For most people, the identificiation of oneself as female of male is the foundation of self-identity:

• Men may naturally be seen as more aggressive, domineering, competitive and hierarchially orientated
• Females may naturally be seen as more passive, acquiesent, nurturing, egalitarian and domestically orientated
• These arguments are 'essentialist' that is, they assume a kind of biological determination or universal pattern of culture

BUT

Biology may determine our sex as male or female but culture shapes the content and conduct of what it takes to be a woman or a man

• Gender identity is socialised: it is a cultural construct that the media actively work to promote
• Sex/gender distinction is a matter of social power

KEY QUESTIONS ABOUT SPECIFIC REPRESENTATIONS

• What is being represented?
• How is it represented? Using what codes? Within what genre?
• How is the representation made to seem 'true', 'commonsense' or 'natural'?
• What is foregrounded and what is backgrounded?

BINARY OPPOSITES (Claude Levi-Strauss)

Good--------------------------------Evil


Man------------------------------------Woman


Boy-----------------------------------Girl



Hero----------------------------Coward



KULESHOV EFFECT-use of juxtaposition of images!!!

Editing plays a vital role in deciding what is seen and what is not seen

• if the female role is shown continually in charge and juxtaposed against male roles shown in more weak or vulnerable positions then the audience reads this as a challenge to accepted behavioural or gender codes
• If the reverse is shown - male role juxtaposed with female role in vulnerable and weak position it is the normal

 HEGOMONY (a belief that is so strong becomes a fact e.g don't kill people) or IDEOLOGY

ARCHETYPE:
-character framwork-

• Black sidekick
• Hero
• Villain
• Helpful old man
• Femme fatale

Genre & Genre Conventions

Genre is a type or category (Latin: Genus)

• Genre is one of the main ways in which film products is categorised and packaged for an audience
• Genre must therefore have recognisable structure/ and/ or rules-these are called CONVENTIONS
• These conventions are the framework on which the narrative/plot + themes of the film are built
• It is these that the audience decode to understand + enjoy the film + it is these which, when met, fulfil the audience's expectations
• They can be varied + hybridised-genres are not rigid-but some form of conventions or formulae should be met or the film may miss its target audience/or fail to deliver its themes successfully

THRILLER CONVENTIONS:

• Twist/ mystery element
• Closed/ Restricted narratives
• Tension/ Suspense
• Eeriness/ Creepiness
• Darkness
• Some form of violence
• Flawed heroes
• Complex characters
• Moral ambiguity
• Paranoia

NEW IDEA

After discussing RENEGADE with one another and with the teachers it was clear that if we were to shoot the scene that everyone would look far too young and that the lighting would need to be different because it would be American. Then we considered having an assasination of the Queen instead but didn't feel as confident with the idea as we would have hoped. While brainstorming various possibilities, Sabrina mentioned that she previously saw on the news an extract about men who are buying doll wives online for 'personal enjoyment,' we then expanded on the idea and thought of their being an army of these dolls who take over similar to IRobot--this brought us to the concept of a robot wife.

The STACI is the idealistic wife; someone who cleans, cooks and takes care of all their man's needs. In order to emphasise that this is a real product we want to open the sequence with an advertisement for her. It is then cut to a shot of an everyday-looking man sitting in front of the TV while STACI brings him his bottle of beer. However, as she returns to the cooking, her eyes turn red and she then picks up the knife slowly and BLACKOUT with the title: STACI.

We want the comercial to be especially cheesy and over the top to emphasise the fact that these men are desperate and have constantly been turned down by women. The film would be aimed at teenagers because it would have a Stepford Wife/IRobot feel about it.



We feel she should have a barbie/marilyn monroe-esque look about her