When I was orignally coming up with my idea for a horror film, I was certain I wanted to do a zombie movie. My biggest influences were the 2003 remake of George A Romeros Dawn of the Dead, and 28 Days Later.
The camerawork in Dawn of the Dead is brilliant, and I wish to take this over into my idea. The use of handcam and shots not fully revealing each of the zombies are very good at building tension, and pumping more action into seuences. Another good thing about Dawn of the Dead is the zombies themselves. They are intelligent and fast moving, a quality I find particularly scary about zombies and wish to use in my film.
28 Days Later is a film with many similarities to mine. It is also set in the UK, and the zombies are much like I want mine to be; fast, intelligent and vicious. It also has some good exmaples of typical zombie film camerawork, such as some interesting POV shots.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Production Company Adminstration
Today we worked on some of the admin for our company. We came up with a logo, and a letterhead format for any emails or letters we send to people, to show how professional we are. I have included them below:
Pre - Production: The Beginning
We have now begun to start pre-production on our film. We have chosen my idea, and will begin to rework it. The film is entering production with a working title of "Dead Reckoning".
Our production company, 2+1 Productions comprises of the following members:
Alex Kohnert: Director
Kate Sullivan: Producer, Assistant Director
Lillie Ziegler-Pounds: Creative Artist
Our production company, 2+1 Productions comprises of the following members:
Alex Kohnert: Director
Kate Sullivan: Producer, Assistant Director
Lillie Ziegler-Pounds: Creative Artist
Pitching My Idea - The Presentation
Today I had to present my idea to the other members of my group, so we can choose which idea to develop for our Foundation Project. Here are the slides I used for my presentation, which I accompanied with an oral presentation as well.
Script
Here is the script for Foundation Project, which may be subject to changes by the time the final cut is finished. Unfortunately, as with any media technology, this blog has its limitations and so I cannot show the script to you in its original formatting.
Dead Reckoning - Script
EXT. Night – Football Pitch
THE MOON SHINES on a misty football pitch. It is covered in dark mud and bright green grass poking through. The pitch is well used, with fresh stud marks. Two goals, without nets are at either end, the posts have faded and cracking paint. It is surrounded by a mixture of Northern European tree types covered in Lichen on all sides.
AMY CHAPMAN is young and beautiful, with a look of innocence about her. Her clothes are covered in stains and mud, with rips all over. She crawls out from under the tree line, obviously injured. She is exhausted and breathing heavily, after running a long way. She drags her body using her arms, which are bare and covered in scratches and one of her legs, making her way slowly towards the centre circle of the pitch.
We have our first glance of THE INFECTED. They have skin peeling from their faces, and unnatural eyes. They are dressed in football kits and normal clothes, the attack obviously happened while a football match was being played.
Amy looks around frantically at the trees, searching for The Infected.
AMY
(Sobbing) We had more time... [Pause] Why?
The Infected begin to emerge from under the trees. Amy sees them and a look of blank terror crosses her face.
AMY
(Screams)
They are totally silent, the only sounds are of Amy’s sobs and The Infected’s running feet. They are running like humans, but not as confidently.
Amy collapses to the floor, completely defeated and begins to sob uncontrollably. As the infected close in from all around her she releases one final animal howl and
they engulf her.
FADE TO BLACK
TITLES – The title “Dead Reckoning” fades up onto a black background. Building orchestral music builds in the background.
CUT TO
INT. Day – Office Space
THE OFFICE is small and cramped. There are 4 desks, all very close together, each with a computer and piled high with paper. The office is slowly revealed to us. There are maps of England taped to the walls, certain areas such as London, are circled with red pen.
There are several MILITARY MEN within the office. They are wearing the remnants of military uniforms, but all dress such as tunics and hats are gone, they are just wearing shirts. The top buttons are undone, as are ties, the men are obviously
stressed.
As more of the room is revealed, we see pictures of the infected on the wall, some living, some dead. The phone rings and DANIEL BURGON picks it up. We see his face.
He is rugged, dark and handsome. His hair is short, military style but with his own flair. He is wearing jeans and a jacket, all non-military issue.
DANIEL
Hello?
He listens on the phone, intently, his face shows fear and doubt. He puts the phone down and looks to his men.
DANIEL
(Ominously)
It’s happened. Time to go.
END
Dead Reckoning - Script
EXT. Night – Football Pitch
THE MOON SHINES on a misty football pitch. It is covered in dark mud and bright green grass poking through. The pitch is well used, with fresh stud marks. Two goals, without nets are at either end, the posts have faded and cracking paint. It is surrounded by a mixture of Northern European tree types covered in Lichen on all sides.
AMY CHAPMAN is young and beautiful, with a look of innocence about her. Her clothes are covered in stains and mud, with rips all over. She crawls out from under the tree line, obviously injured. She is exhausted and breathing heavily, after running a long way. She drags her body using her arms, which are bare and covered in scratches and one of her legs, making her way slowly towards the centre circle of the pitch.
We have our first glance of THE INFECTED. They have skin peeling from their faces, and unnatural eyes. They are dressed in football kits and normal clothes, the attack obviously happened while a football match was being played.
Amy looks around frantically at the trees, searching for The Infected.
AMY
(Sobbing) We had more time... [Pause] Why?
The Infected begin to emerge from under the trees. Amy sees them and a look of blank terror crosses her face.
AMY
(Screams)
They are totally silent, the only sounds are of Amy’s sobs and The Infected’s running feet. They are running like humans, but not as confidently.
Amy collapses to the floor, completely defeated and begins to sob uncontrollably. As the infected close in from all around her she releases one final animal howl and
they engulf her.
FADE TO BLACK
TITLES – The title “Dead Reckoning” fades up onto a black background. Building orchestral music builds in the background.
CUT TO
INT. Day – Office Space
THE OFFICE is small and cramped. There are 4 desks, all very close together, each with a computer and piled high with paper. The office is slowly revealed to us. There are maps of England taped to the walls, certain areas such as London, are circled with red pen.
There are several MILITARY MEN within the office. They are wearing the remnants of military uniforms, but all dress such as tunics and hats are gone, they are just wearing shirts. The top buttons are undone, as are ties, the men are obviously
stressed.
As more of the room is revealed, we see pictures of the infected on the wall, some living, some dead. The phone rings and DANIEL BURGON picks it up. We see his face.
He is rugged, dark and handsome. His hair is short, military style but with his own flair. He is wearing jeans and a jacket, all non-military issue.
DANIEL
Hello?
He listens on the phone, intently, his face shows fear and doubt. He puts the phone down and looks to his men.
DANIEL
(Ominously)
It’s happened. Time to go.
END
Treatment - Act 3
Below is Act 3:
Scene 1: The protagonist arrives in Liverpool, and drives the streets, covered in rubble and abandoned cars; no-one is in sight. He sees a sign draped from an office which reads “Survivors head to the Royal Liver Building”. He heads towards the port, but we see several of the infected following him from the shadows.
Scene 1: The protagonist arrives in Liverpool, and drives the streets, covered in rubble and abandoned cars; no-one is in sight. He sees a sign draped from an office which reads “Survivors head to the Royal Liver Building”. He heads towards the port, but we see several of the infected following him from the shadows.
Scene 2: The protagonist arrives at the Royal Liver Building, and meets up with a group of other survivors. They describe to him all that has happened since the attack by the Russians. They reveal that there are small pockets of survivors all over the country. They have been in contact over radio to military forces, who have asked for their position to enable their rescue.
Scene 3: The infected have forced their way into the building. As the survivors fight floor to floor to keep their stronghold safe, the military say they are inbound. The survivors are asked to identify themselves by firing a flare into the sky, which they do. As the survivors hear the sounds of jet engines they think salvation has arrived. The plane banks over and heads out to back o a nearby aircraft carrier below, we see several infected, swimming out after it.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Treatment - Act 2
Below is Act 2:
Act 2:
Scene 1: The protagonist is driving down a deserted motorway. A military helicopter appears and he is escorted to a military base. His weapons and vehicle are taken from him, he is held prisoner.
Scene 2: An officer interrogates the protagonist about what he knows, which is very little. He says that the rest of the world does not yet know the full extent of what has happened. He says there is a pocket of survivors in Liverpool who are going to be rounded up, to prevent them from contacting a nearby American carrier battle group.
Scene 3: Tests on the gas used in the attack to try and find the cure are happening in the base. A canister of the gas breaks and infects the scientists. They begin to run amok within the base, infecting everyone. During the confusion, the protagonist manages to escape using a commandeered vehicle.
Treatment - Act 1
Below is the first act of the treatment for my film idea, with a working title of "Dead Reckoning"
Act 1:
Scene 1: A football pitch. Night. A girl is screaming, crawling towards a clubhouse. She is beautiful. She is dragging herself using
only her arms and her clothes are bloodied and ripped. She crawls away from the tree line, towards the centre circle. Infected people emerge from the woods; they are the opposing teams, at all sides and silently run towards her. She collapses in the centre circle, and begins to sob, rocking. As we see them reach her from every direction, she screams.
Scene 1: A football pitch. Night. A girl is screaming, crawling towards a clubhouse. She is beautiful. She is dragging herself using
only her arms and her clothes are bloodied and ripped. She crawls away from the tree line, towards the centre circle. Infected people emerge from the woods; they are the opposing teams, at all sides and silently run towards her. She collapses in the centre circle, and begins to sob, rocking. As we see them reach her from every direction, she screams. Scene 2: Titles. Present day, a room. Room is an office full of hastily pinned up pictures and maps, with red rings around certain areas, including London. There are several men sitting in the room, they are military and obviously stressed. As the others type away on computers, a man picks up a phone. He is our protagonist; he is handsome yet appears relatively normal with a look of quick-wittedness about him. As he puts the phone down, he tells the other men that they have to leave.
Scene 3: A rural area. Night. A convoy of minibuses and vans drives along a road, no lights are on. The occupants are a ragged bunch of unwashed people, they are carrying a variety of small arms. An infected smashes through the windscreen of the first minibus and wreaks havoc inside. The convoy grinds to a halt and infected smash into most of the other vehicles, pulling occupants from inside. The protagonist manages to fight his way out of the carnage. He drives away alone in a van, loaded with supplies, leaving the rest of his comrades to their fates.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Horror Posters
Horror Posters
These are all examples of posters from well known Horror films, and this section is taken from my pre-production pack. Alfred Hitchcocks "Psycho" is one of the most watched and discussed Horror films of all time, and is ranked number 1 on countless surveys and internet sites. Nightmare On Elm street was one of the films that sparked the 70's revival of the genre. The Exorcist was one of the most shocking and controversial films when it came out at the time, and the poster is now a recognisable image. The Ring is a modern Horror film, a remake of a Japanese film. It is one of the most famous modern Horror films, and the "Ring" now has mythological status. The Strangers is a Horror film that came out this year, and is based on of of mankinds deepest and most common fears. The poster is very scary and shows in the Mise-En-Scene what the film is about.
Ooops! Foundation Production 1
That last post, and all posts following unless stated otherwise are Pre-Production for our Foundation Project 1. Enjoy!
Horror Research - Introduction
In this post I'm going to show my findings on the research on the Horror film genre. This is the genre which we are going to do for our AS Practical work, and is therefore relevant. Horror films are made to scare and shock viewers, primarily giving an adrenaline rush and feeling of pleasure. This genre has had a chequered past, experiencing a revival in recent years, triggered by the film "Scream". I myself am not a huge fan of Horror, but some films in the genre I have enjoyed tremedously for insatance the SAW franchise.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Practical Skills Update
So here we go,
In this post I'll discuss: Photoshop, My first experiences with video cameras, Editing and other things, in "Week posts".
Weeks 2 & 3:
These were the first weeks that we used photoshop. I hadn’t had any experience with Photoshop before, so this was a whole new set of skills for me to learn. I learnt how to cut and paste, use layers, change the fill opacity and blend colours and shapes. I will update this post when I’m on a computer where I can upload my Photoshop pictures from another computer. You’ve already seen my poster of Elephant, and I’ll upload my poster for a fictional Horror film “The Trees”. I found Photoshop quiet easy to use, but I hope I’ll be able to learn more complicated and useful techniques the more I use it.
Week4:
This was the week when we had out first lesson with the video cameras we’ll be using for the next 2 years. We were shows how to turn them on and adjust the settings like white balance, shutter speed and other things. We then went out and shot a sequence of a person walking, shooting it from a few angles, with some pans and tracks throw in for good measure. We had to make sure to obey the 180 degree rule.
Week 5:
This was our Preliminary Task week, which I wrote about in an earlier post.
Week 6:
This was when we edited our Preliminary Tasks. We used Final Cut Pro on Apple Macs. All our film was uploaded on Firewire Drives, and then uploaded all the raw film onto the computer. I already outlined the sorting out of film, so check back down the page for that. Then we cut all the film together, using the timeline to make small changes to the amount of film on each end, ensuring smooth cuts. Then we added a fad in and out at the beginning and end of the sequence, and made sure the sound worked. Then it was done, and you’ve already seen the results.
Hope you enjoyed that little update, and now I can get back to writing more interesting stuff.
Check back soon,
Alex
In this post I'll discuss: Photoshop, My first experiences with video cameras, Editing and other things, in "Week posts".
Weeks 2 & 3:
These were the first weeks that we used photoshop. I hadn’t had any experience with Photoshop before, so this was a whole new set of skills for me to learn. I learnt how to cut and paste, use layers, change the fill opacity and blend colours and shapes. I will update this post when I’m on a computer where I can upload my Photoshop pictures from another computer. You’ve already seen my poster of Elephant, and I’ll upload my poster for a fictional Horror film “The Trees”. I found Photoshop quiet easy to use, but I hope I’ll be able to learn more complicated and useful techniques the more I use it.
Week4:
This was the week when we had out first lesson with the video cameras we’ll be using for the next 2 years. We were shows how to turn them on and adjust the settings like white balance, shutter speed and other things. We then went out and shot a sequence of a person walking, shooting it from a few angles, with some pans and tracks throw in for good measure. We had to make sure to obey the 180 degree rule.
Week 5:
This was our Preliminary Task week, which I wrote about in an earlier post.
Week 6:
This was when we edited our Preliminary Tasks. We used Final Cut Pro on Apple Macs. All our film was uploaded on Firewire Drives, and then uploaded all the raw film onto the computer. I already outlined the sorting out of film, so check back down the page for that. Then we cut all the film together, using the timeline to make small changes to the amount of film on each end, ensuring smooth cuts. Then we added a fad in and out at the beginning and end of the sequence, and made sure the sound worked. Then it was done, and you’ve already seen the results.
Hope you enjoyed that little update, and now I can get back to writing more interesting stuff.
Check back soon,
Alex
November Update
Hey again,
Just a quick update to tell you how I'm getting on. 2 Days ago I had my first formal media assessment: A Semiological deconstruction of the first episode of “The Chase”. Yesterday I participated in a media shoot for an A2 practical assessment. In out school, A2 practicals are music videos, so that was a good taste of the year to come after this one.
Following this is going to be a HUGE update of all the practical work I've done so far, and the skills I've learned.
Fun.
Til next time!
Alex
Just a quick update to tell you how I'm getting on. 2 Days ago I had my first formal media assessment: A Semiological deconstruction of the first episode of “The Chase”. Yesterday I participated in a media shoot for an A2 practical assessment. In out school, A2 practicals are music videos, so that was a good taste of the year to come after this one.
Following this is going to be a HUGE update of all the practical work I've done so far, and the skills I've learned.
Fun.
Til next time!
Alex
Friday, October 17, 2008
Movie Review - I Am Legend
Hey there guys,
I've posted a link below for the Rotten Tomatoes page of an absolutely brilliant film, I Am Legend, starring Will Smith.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_am_legend/
Here's the trailer on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JybnL4YFf2w&feature=related
I Am Legend stars Will Smith as Robert Neville, the last human being left alive in New York City, after a post-apocalyptic event turns the population of the world into day-hating zombies. The film chronicles his search to find a cure, to try and save what is left of "His City". The film is compelling, and Smith's portrayal of Neville shows raw humanity and his descent into the grip of madness, a possible Oscar-worthy performance maybe?
Check back soon,
Alex
I've posted a link below for the Rotten Tomatoes page of an absolutely brilliant film, I Am Legend, starring Will Smith.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_am_legend/
Here's the trailer on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JybnL4YFf2w&feature=related
I Am Legend stars Will Smith as Robert Neville, the last human being left alive in New York City, after a post-apocalyptic event turns the population of the world into day-hating zombies. The film chronicles his search to find a cure, to try and save what is left of "His City". The film is compelling, and Smith's portrayal of Neville shows raw humanity and his descent into the grip of madness, a possible Oscar-worthy performance maybe?
Check back soon,
Alex
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Preliminary Task Done!
Hey!
On Wednesday this week, we finally finished editing our Prelim task, and here it is.
Enjoy!
On Wednesday this week, we finally finished editing our Prelim task, and here it is.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Preliminary Task - Evaluation
So, out Preliminary Task is finally done and dusted. So now it's time to evaluate it.
Our task was to shoot a sequence from a simple script and adapt it with our own flair. We did this by adding in extra shots, for example the shot from the floor looking up to the boy who entered the room. This added to the overall feel of the sequence and made it more like a thriller.
Practically I learnt a lot, as I had never used a camera before. As it it early in the year, it also helped me to bond with my fellow classmates and our technical helper, Vicki. I also got a chance to get acquainted with Final Cut Pro, a program I will be using heavily for my Foundation Project.
All in all, this Preliminary task was a good experience as it has laid the foundations for many skills I will have to use for my upcoming Foundation Project.
Our task was to shoot a sequence from a simple script and adapt it with our own flair. We did this by adding in extra shots, for example the shot from the floor looking up to the boy who entered the room. This added to the overall feel of the sequence and made it more like a thriller.
Practically I learnt a lot, as I had never used a camera before. As it it early in the year, it also helped me to bond with my fellow classmates and our technical helper, Vicki. I also got a chance to get acquainted with Final Cut Pro, a program I will be using heavily for my Foundation Project.
All in all, this Preliminary task was a good experience as it has laid the foundations for many skills I will have to use for my upcoming Foundation Project.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sorting Our Preliminary Task
Editing from our shoot on Friday began this Tuesday the 7th of October. All our rushes have been cut and we've selected the pieces we're going to use in the final film. Now all we have to do is piece it together!
First Shoot
Hello Once Again,
We had our first shoot, 2 days ago on Friday the 3rd of October. All went well, and we got all the filming done with in the time limit. I'm writing up the evaluation for it now. The Elephant poster, which I posted a demo design for is now completed, what do you think?
Come back soon!
Alex
Elephant Poster - The First Foray
Hi, Today (Tuesday the 30th September 2008) we started the Photoshop work on a theatrical poster for the independent movie "Elephant". I drew 6 flat plans and a mock up and then I went out and took some pictures. In Photoshop, I used a picture of feet and grass, and put a picture of a clouded, grey sky as the first layer. I set the blend mode to lighten and the fill opacity to 76%, this created a cool effect whereby it looked as if the clouds and ground has merged.
Until next time,
Alex
First Post!
Hey There,
My name's Alex and I'm taking AS Level Media Studies at Hurtwood House. I'm writing this blog to track the progress of my production work, showcase my working process and the new skills I hope to develop. Media is something that has always interested me, as I love filming and directing and have made a number of small amateur movies in the past. In the future, I hope to become involved in the media industry, hopefully becoming a cameraman with a news channel. I've posted on another blog to do with our media lessons, so I'll post those next,
Enjoy!
Alex
My name's Alex and I'm taking AS Level Media Studies at Hurtwood House. I'm writing this blog to track the progress of my production work, showcase my working process and the new skills I hope to develop. Media is something that has always interested me, as I love filming and directing and have made a number of small amateur movies in the past. In the future, I hope to become involved in the media industry, hopefully becoming a cameraman with a news channel. I've posted on another blog to do with our media lessons, so I'll post those next,
Enjoy!
Alex
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