Photography Workshop

This workshop was organised by our Media Studies teacher (Miss.Macdonald) to allow my class and I to understand and familiarise ourselves with using a digital camera (specifically a Canon EOS 1100D) and applying techniques that help to achieve a professional look for our product; in this case, my product being a virus sub-genre teaser trailer.

Within this workshop, skills that were developed were -

 - Applying the use of composition, framing and depth of field which all help to hold the audience's attention and create suspense.

- Mastering handheld techniques so that I become prepared when having to shoot on the go, in low light and other challenging situations (especially outside).

Composition

The way people or objects are framed within a shot help within the process of storytelling. I had to make sure that within my stills photography, framing only gave a sense of movement whereas, within filming, room must be left for actual movement to happen. For example, applying the rule of thirds. Rule of thirds require you to split the frame into thirds, both vertically and horizontally making the main intersections (lines crossing over one another) give four points.

Audience Theory

The learning objective within this sector was to understand the concept of a media audiences and to apply this knowledge to media texts specifically our final product; virus sub-genre teaser trailer. Within the consideration of target audience my class and I reviewed -

 

- Institutions and Ideology

- Representations

- Narrative Structure

- Genre

 

Audience

 

An audience can be defined as a group of individuals that consume and interact with a media text. Essentially, without an audience, there would be no media. By identifying our target audience during pre-production, my group and I have a greater understanding into how we will construct our narrative as well as who our product will appeal to.

 

Audience Theories

 

Hypodermic Needle Theory - This theory was put into place to demonstrate the effects mass media has on audiences by injecting passive audiences with ideologies. One particular example of this is the Iraq war. During the Iraq war, the only reporting of the conflict on Iraqi television was from the Iraq State News Agency; surprisingly, their version of events somewhat conflicted with what news agencies outside of Iraq reported. Saddam Hussein's (previous Middle Eastern Dictator) objective was to inform the people of Iraq with the information he wanted them to acknowledge and believe. Ultimately, he injected his ideologies in order for majority of individuals (if not all) to agree with his points of view.

 

Therefore, the audience are seen as a passive audience who will immediately accept whatever version of events is provided through how the media is presented.

 

Two-Step Flow Theory - Within this theory, an active audience will discuss media texts with one another (for example, last nights episode of 'Eastenders'). If the media text is discussed with someone we respect (an opinion leader) then, we as individuals, may be passive enough to accept their views. Ultimately, our opinions could change as a result. Television critics and film critics are examples of influencing choses.

 

Uses and Gratifications Theory - During the 1960s, as the first generation to grow up with television became grown ups, it became increasingly apparent to media theorists that audiences made choices about what they did when consuming texts. Far from being a passive mass, audiences were made up of individuals who actively consumed texts for different reasons and in different ways. In 1948 Lasswell suggested that media texts had the following functions for individuals and society: surveillance, correlation, entertainment and cultural transmission.

Researchers Blulmer and Katz expanded this theory and published their own in 1974, stating that individuals might choose and use a text for the following purposes (i.e. uses and gratifications):

Diversion - escape from everyday problems and routine.

Personal Relationships - using the media for emotional and other interaction. For example, substituting soap operas for family life.

Personal Identity - finding yourself reflected in texts, learning behaviour and values from texts. For example, 'Educating Essex'. This documentary revolves the day-to-day life of pupils and teaching staff within a Essex secondary school. Those who attens school or work within the education system, may see themselves reflected in the text through opinions expressed and issues highlighted.

Surveillance - Information which could be useful for living such as weather reports, financial news and holiday bargains. Since then, the list of Uses and Gratifications has been extended, particularly as new media forms have come along (e.g. video games, the internet etc.)

Cultivation Theory - Repeated exposure of a particular text will make the audience desensitised as they know what to expect. In the past, theorists have exhibited previously banned films to audiences in the modern day to see if they would have an effect.

Reception Theory - Extending the idea of an active audience research in the 1980's and 1990's was carried out to acknowledge how individuals received and interpreted a text and how their own factors and circumstances (gender, class, ethnicity, age etc.) affected the reader/spectator.

Majority of the work carried out was based on Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding model of the relationship between text and audience. The text is encoded by the producer and decoded by the reader.  

Narrative Theory

Barthes' Enigma Codes

My group and I have come to the conclusion that we want to produce a teaser trailer. One way of a presenting a teaser trailer is through the narrative theory of Barthes' enigma codes; an enigma is a hook or a mystery that is to be resolved by the spectator/audience in order to have a full understanding of narrative. Ultimately, we want our target audience to be left wanting to know more information about the characters and narrative within our film after watching the teaser trailer. For example, what is making innocent individuals act in a certain way? who is responsible for the damage caused? why has it happened? when did it start? etc.

Todorov

Another narrative theory my group and I are considering is Todorov's five stage narrative. This is the idea that everyday life is established (equilibrium), a disruption or problem occurs (disequilibrium),  there is recognition from the character that disruption has taken place (realisation), efforts are then made to mend (repair), ultimately resulting to the protagonist gaining greater knowledge into the situation allowing them to grow from their experience (new equilibrium).

Todorov within Advertisements

Within advertisements, Todorov's narrative theory is used to establish that the product being advertised is the solution to the potential customers problem. For example, the 2014 'Relentless' energy drink commercial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYLKm5Svk-E). The audience see a young man between the ages of 18-25 in his bedroom attempting to create new music. He begins to lose concentration and struggles to complete the task. After deliberation, he drinks from a can of original 'Relentless' energy drink; this (conveniently) provides him with the much needed energy to finish the completion of his new song. As a result, he is given a record deal to produce songs for another artist and starts a journey of pursuing a career in the music industry.

From this advertisement, the target audience is established (18 - 25 year olds) and 'Relentless' energy drink is seen to be the solution to the dilemma faced. Because a product such as 'Relentless' is largely consumed by individuals within our target audience range , it would be an idea to challenge the conventions of this particular narrative theory and turn the idea of a popular product being the saviour of a problem on its head. The idea of an ingredient used in the making of an energy drink causing the problem could become a potential reason as to how individuals become infected.

Propp's Character Types
Propp studied folk tales and legends from many different countries and noticed similarities. He acknowledged that majority of the stories being told revolved around the same character types facing the same problems. He identified 32 basic categories of action which he called 'functions'. As well as this, Propp focussed on the way characters within folk tales tended to be types rather than individuals. Overall, there are eight different character types.

Hero - Protagonist/ Wants to succeed/ On a quest.

Villain - Antagonist/ Can be a situation or person.

Donor - Gives the protagonist something in order for them to succeed.

Dispatcher - Starts the Protagonist on their journey.

False Hero - Pretends to be good/ Tempts the hero away from quest/ Dramatic Irony = Protagonist is unaware that the false hero pretends to be good.

Helper - Hero's companion

Princess - The reward for the Hero's hard work/ Competition for the Hero and Villain.

Father - Rewards the Hero for his efforts.

Levi - Strauss' Binary Opposites

Levi - Strauss ( a structuralist philosopher) noticed that the world is made up of opposites especially within a structure texts such as stories,plays and films as well as news reports and advertisements.

Washing powder adverts rely on 'before and after' contrast to convince the potential customer to buy the product. News reports tend to show good versus the bad because then the story is presented very simply.

Virus Sub-Genre Trailer Codes and Conventions

Teaser Trailer - Teases the audience. They do not reveal any plot details and only give minor details.

Theatrical Trailer - Reveals equilibrium, disequilibrium and potential resolution. Also establishes characters and settings.

Codes and conventions are used in two ways. Firstly, they permit an audience to recognise a particular style of film. They create shortcuts through familiar plots, characters and mise-en-scene therefore the audience already have knowledge on what is going on leaving them to explore the finer details. Secondly, for film producers, codes and conventions don't necessarily guarantee success but they build towards developing a film production.

Ultimately, films within the horror genre have an audience that already have know the codes and conventions backwards that it has become self-referential (making reference to itself, its author or creator, or their works). and postmodern in their approach.

Early horror films were mostly male dominated ones; women tended to be the victims or objects of desire. This supports Laura Mulvey's theory of 'Male Gaze'; the idea that women are presented as an image for the dominant male to be bearer of the look. Therefore, the predominantly male audience within late 1920's/ early 1930's sat and watched as women were threatened and killed but at the same time may have had a woman accompanying them.

The masculinisation of female characters in the horror genre has eventually happened over time. This is evident within films such as Danny Boyle's '28 Days Later'. Naomie Harris's character 'Selena' is a great example of this. Selena's main priority within the film is to remain alive in a time of desolation and anarchy. Moreover, she insists on being unsentimental at all times in order to show no form of weakness as this could convey vulnerability which could lead to death. As well as this, little femininity is shown through costume; majority of clothing consists of long overcoats, khaki trousers and work boots (typically worn by men).

Naomie Harris as 'Selena' within Danny Boyle's '28 Days Later'.

In order to gain greater knowledge and a clearer understanding of the codes and conventions of the Horror Genre, I have decided to independently analyse the following categories within theatrical trailers -

Narrative Structure - Narrative structure is about two things: the content of a story and the form used to tell the story. Two common ways to describe these two parts of narrative structure are story and plot. Story refers to the actions that are told in chronological order.

Audience - A group of individuals the film production is aimed at.

Characters - Individuals that help to tell the factual or fictional story.

Setting - The place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place.

Narrative Elements - Characters are the people or animals a story is about. Setting is the time and place in which a story takes place. The plot tells the events that happen in a story. Often a plot includes a problem and a solution.

Mise-en-Scene - Mise-en-Scene encompasses the most recognisable attributes of a film (the setting and the actors; it includes costumes and make-up, props, and all the other natural and artificial details that characterise the spaces filmed. French theatrical expression, meaning roughly 'put into the scene'. Mise-en-scene broken into four general areas: setting, lighting, costume and staging.

Camerawork - The way in how angles, composition and framing is achieved to show something or someone in a particular way.

Sound - Diegetic and non-diegetic sound, sound motifs, soundtrack and scores as well as sound effects.

Editing - The work of selecting and joining together shots to create a finished film either in chronological order, storytime, discourse time. The way a film is edited can alter the way an audience is made to feel emotionally. This supports the Kuleshov effect (see image below).In his experiment, Kuleshov cut an actor with shots of three different subjects: a bowl of hot soup, a young girl in a coffin, and an attractive woman lying in a couch. The footage of the actor was the same expressionless gaze. Yet the audience raved his performance, saying first he looked hungry, then sad, then lustful.

First Trailer Analysis - 'The Ring' (2002)

Linear narrative containing flashbacks. Singles stranded narrative but from different character perspectives. No use of graphics or titles until stating where the spectator can find out more information regarding the film online (i.e. website) at the end. Creates enigmas - 'whose voice can be heard?', 'who is responsible for the creation of the tape?', 'Does the protagonist die?'. Follow Propp's  character types i.e. the hero, the enemy, the helper, the princess etc. Supports Levi-Strauss's binary opposites idea - young versus old and good versus bad. An ideology that children should be kept away from harm is presented within the trailer as we see the protagonist's son becoming influenced by the danger that surrounds them. Camerawork consists of many long shots to show the narrative setting as well as the individuals within the scene. Moreover, the use of medium close-ups and close-ups give the audience understanding into emotions felt by the characters at specific times as we can read their facial expressions clearly. For example, Naomie Watt's character lives in constant fear within the film as we see her either screaming, crying, looking worried or confused by either her environment or individuals around her.

Second Trailer Analysis - 'Haunt' (2013)

Single stranded narrative that follows Hollywood three-act theory; equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium. Creates enigmas - 'whose voice can we hear?', 'who is the mysterious girl that keeps reappearing?'. Strobe and flickering of shots makes the spectator struggle to see the enemy much like the protagonist is unable to find the enemy. No graphic or titles are used which connote that what the audience see isn't fictional which supports the idea of realism. Narrative setting is within protagonists home; this juxtaposes the idea that home is a place of comfort and security as the victim is seen being threatened in an familiar environment.

Third Trailer Analysis - 'The Purge - Anarchy' (2014)Enigmas are created - 'Do the couple survive?' 'If so, how do they escape?'. Levi-Strauss' binary opposites mainly consists of good individuals fighting against those that are bad (the enemy). Juxtaposition between the visuals and the soundtrack is shown throughout; America's national anthem plays which connotes unity and patriotism yet the spectator can see anarchy and chaotic behaviour from American individuals fighting against one another. Mise-en-scene entails gas masks, guns, make-shift weapons and fire/vandalism. Gas masks and guns are stereotypicaly associated with conflict and war that has changed the course of history. Therefore, it could be perceived that 'The Purge' is something that could change the lives we live now. Rhetorical questioned is asked near the end of the trailer 'How would you purge?'. This makes the audience consider the ideology they stand by as they begin to think about how they would react to the situation if they were to find themselves in it. Narrative is told following the Hollywood three-act theory with flashforward.

Western Shoot-out Workshop

As part of introduction into film production, my group and I had to gain understanding into the principles of film making and practice applying them to create effect within our filming. The composition rules that were put in place were - 

Head Room - position of the subject within the frame of the image. Headroom refers o the distance between the top of the subject's head and the top of the frame to include the sense of space on both sides of the image. 

Rule of Thirds - a concept in video and film production in which the alignment of a subject with the guide lines is divided into nine imaginary sections. Miss. Macdonald wanted my group and I to apply this rule and break it when necessary to see what is achieved. One example of this being broken was through the use of a cowboy shot. This is a shot framed from mid thigh up to ultimately focus on the weapon; the antagonists/protagonists gun.

Looking Room - the space in front, and in the direction, of a moving or stationary subject.

Eye Level - a shot that has very little to no psychological effect on the viewer. This shot is when the camera is level or looking straight on with the subject.

30 Degree Rule - a guideline that states the camera should move at least 30 degrees between shots of the same subject occurring within a sequence. If this rule isn't followed a jump cut occurs and there is a risk that the audience become disorientated.

Here is the link to our final edit - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp4bB79OBTA&list=UUf603_XBXxsENFXOHF5VEoA

Our final production was edited through Final Cut Pro. I have never used this editing software before but watching online Youtube tutorials helped give step-by-step advice on how to upload,save,add SFX and VFX and alter the length of video clips during the process.

For example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTGR3FjWU4A (Final Cut Pro X - The Basics for Beginners) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UET7QptHtc (Final Cut Pro X Tutorial Beginners) was great for anyone (like myself) who was unsure how to approach film production in the correct way. Overall the length of our shoot-out was 1 minute, 19 seconds. Unfortunately, my group and I didn't have enough time to film the final shooting between each antagonist. Therefore, this has encouraged my group and I to be more organised when it comes to arranging and applying a shooting schedule as well as being efficient with the amount of filming time given.

One way of doing this is within pre-production. By holding a group meeting, my group and I will be able to select times, dates and locations that all three of us are available.

Teaser Trailer Comparisons

Teaser Trailer - Teases the audience. They do not reveal any plot details and only give minor details.

Theatrical Trailer - Reveals equilibrium, disequilibrium and potential resolution. Also establishes characters and settings.

'The Crazies' Film Analysis

Location

The location within Eisner’s horror is ‘Ogden Marsh’, a small, idyllic farming community located in Iowa, America. At the opening of the film, the audience are able to acknowledge the everyday lifestyle Ogden Marsh residents live by and what their daily routine consists i.e. harvesting crops, maintaining vast amounts of farm land, buying local goods etc. This is presented through wide shots as they emphasize the vast scale of the surrounding land detaching Ogden Marsh residents from the outside world; from this, equilibrium is established by the spectator as they have seen what is ‘normal’ within the setting and how much dependence residents have towards one another in order to live.

 

Moreover, the American flag can be seen hoisted up in front of many Ogden Marsh homes and buildings. This implies that the town residents are patriotic about the country they reside in and are united due to their beliefs. Moreover, the setting of this narrative is within a civilised and economically wealthy country. Therefore, the spectator can assume that if there were to be any form of disruption within the town, Ogden Marsh residents would unite and make all efforts to restore and repair the damage in a organised and controlled manner.

Iconography and Props

Within ‘The  Crazies’, all weapons used by the protagonists are everyday farming and cooking tools such as pitchforks, hunting guns, kitchen knives etc. Farmers are dependent towards their pitchforks to maintain their crops which are their source of income to exist whereas, to the sheriff and his wife, it is their source of protection to survive. 

This connotes that the characters within this situation are finding any way possible to fight against those who once were loving neighbours and friends. Reoccurring images within ‘The Crazies’ are of the deterioration of a tight knit community through deserted streets, abandoned cars, buildings on fire and mass amounts of dead bodies lying on the ground. For example, through the use of a bird’s eye shot, the spectator can acknowledge the extent the government have gone to try and sustain any form of order amongst Ogden Marsh residents. Props that are specific to this particular sub-genre (virus) are yellow/amber warning lights, military uniform and firearm, protective hazardous clothing and gas masks.

Camerawork

Within Eisner’s horror, a variety of camera angles are used. Handheld shots create a sense of realism and add to our understanding of the chaotic environment the protagonists have found themselves in. Canted angle shots help to suggest the protagonist’s sense of disorientation within their situation. For example, the sheriff’s wife becomes unsure whether or not one of the infected have left the room she is hiding in; in order to convey across her uncertainty, Eisner decided to tilt the angle of the shot to give the audience a better understanding into the protagonist’s state of mind. 

Also, Eisner uses a deep focus shot when showing the antagonist (one of the infected) becoming aware of the protagonists (sheriff’s wife) presence in the truck stop café. This foreshadows what will later happen to the protagonists; the audience acknowledge that the protagonists have ironically directed themselves closer to the enemy rather than further away. As a result, the audience are aware on the potential possibilities of the protagonists’ fate and continue to watch to find out what will happen. Furthermore, this supports Barthes’ enigma theory in the sense that, there is a question left to be answer; Does the Sheriff and his pregnant wife have any hope of survival now?

Point of view shots allow the audience to see from the protagonist’s perspective.
For example, when one of the Ogden Marsh’s residents has to escape from one of the infected, she hides in a closet; in order to see where the infected individual has gone, she peers through the keyhole. Through a point of view shot, the audience can see how little view she has on locating the enemy making her vulnerable.

  Sound 

When all four protagonists are located in the car wash, synchronous sound plays. When the infected are attacking, a ticking noise (similar to the ticking of a clock) quickens and increases in volume. But, when the protagonists think they have killed all of the infected, the ticking suddenly stops leaving the spectator suspecting what will happen next. One of the infected is located on the car roof. When the infected individual tries to climb into the car, a sudden non-diegetic sound of almost two metal objects hitting together is made. 

Within the horror genre, synchronous and asynchronous sound must be considered just as much as the visuals are. This is due to the fact that, ultimately, audiences that go to watch a film from the horror genre want to become frightened by the unexpected and caught off-guard.    

Editing

Eisner decided to present the beginning of the film with a flash-forward of two days from Ogden Marsh. This once again, links in with Barthes’ enigma theory as it makes the audience question why the town is on fire. Graphics are only used when the film’s title appears in the bottom right corner. The titles themselves are white. White connotes hope and innocence. This suggests that the victims of the virus (the crazies) are innocent within the situation and the few remaining survivors rely on hope to survive.

Themes

Trust. The true monster within ’The Crazies’ is the government as they were responsible for the contamination of the water supply. The government took no responsibility for the accident; instead, it essentially "shut down" the town, closing off all access points and rounding up both the infected and the uninfected, eventually killing everyone as a blanket solution to the problem.

Fear of the unknown.The government do not know how to approach the elimination of something that cannot be seen yet has great impact. As a result, they eliminate any and all potential threat through extermination.

Narrative Theory

The binary oppositions within Eisner’s film are good versus bad; in this case, the good being the healthy residents of Ogden Marsh and the bad being the infected Ogden Marsh residents and (strangely) the government. The fact that those who possess authority within the western country, turn out to be the enemy, makes the audience consider who they hold their trust in; this potentially negotiates a new meaning from the text to the audience (readers own experiences + text itself = new meaning).

Hollywood three act narrative (set-up, confrontation and resolution). Set-up consists of introducing the sheriff and his pregnant wife (the protagonists) and the hook (why is Ogden Marsh on fire?) Confrontation is when the sheriff and his wife realise the source of the virus and that they must escape what once was a loving community in order to survive. Lastly, the resolution is when the sheriff and his wife finally escape the final confrontation of the movie (the bombing of Ogden Marsh) and survive the truck crash.

Composition and Framing

As part of introduction into film production, my group and I had to gain understanding into the principles of film making and practice applying them to create effect within our filming. The composition rules that were put in place were - 

Head Room - position of the subject within the frame of the image. Headroom refers o the distance between the top of the subject's head and the top of the frame to include the sense of space on both sides of the image. 

Rule of Thirds - a concept in video and film production in which the alignment of a subject with the guide lines is divided into nine imaginary sections. Miss. Macdonald wanted my group and I to apply this rule and break it when necessary to see what is achieved. One example of this being broken was through the use of a cowboy shot. This is a shot framed from mid thigh up to ultimately focus on the weapon; the antagonists/protagonists gun.

Looking Room - the space in front, and in the direction, of a moving or stationary subject.

Eye Level - a shot that has very little to no psychological effect on the viewer. This shot is when the camera is level or looking straight on with the subject.

30 Degree Rule - a guideline that states the camera should move at least 30 degrees between shots of the same subject occurring within a sequence. If this rule isn't followed a jump cut occurs and there is a risk that the audience become disorientated.

Our final production was edited through Final Cut Pro. I have never used this editing software before but watching online Youtube tutorials helped give step-by-step advice on how to upload,save,add SFX and VFX and alter the length of video clips during the process.

For example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTGR3FjWU4A (Final Cut Pro X - The Basics for Beginners) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UET7QptHtc (Final Cut Pro X Tutorial Beginners) was great for anyone (like myself) who was unsure how to approach film production in the correct way. Overall the length of our shoot-out was 1 minute, 19 seconds. Unfortunately, my group and I didn't have enough time to film the final shooting. Therefore, this has encouraged my group and I to be more organised when it comes to the film scheduling and efficient with the amount of filming time given.

Responsibilities within our production

Here is a collated list of group members and their individual roles and responsibilities within our A2 horror genre film trailer.

Jasmine Rosser - Editor

Jasmine's responsibility as Editor will consist of shaping our filming into an effective horror teaser trailer. Jasmine will require the director's help in order to have a greater understanding of their vision visually and auditorily. Jasmine needs abilities both technical and artistic. Because the majority of filming will be shot in non-chronological order, Jasmine will have to be able to have awareness in visualising the end product. The necessary editing software chosen to construct our teaser trailer will be IMovie and Final Cut Pro. Jasmine will gain a greater understanding into how to use these editing programmes via Youtube tutorials.

Dean Fisher - Director

Dean's responsibility as Director will consist of getting our vision onto screen. Dean requires organisational skills and people-management skills. For example, Dean must insist that all members of the production group listen to his approach to the filming of the horror genre teaser trailer as well as his aspirations for the end product.

Rosie Lines - Camerawoman

My responsibility as Camerawoman will consist of focussing on the look of the film through the necessary camera shots as well as composition and lighting within each scene. I require awareness on how to use a digital camera (specifically a Canon EOS 1100D) therefore, I will have to independently within my own time research its many functions via the Canon website. Moreover, I will benefit by researching practical tutorials online through websites such as YouTube.

Canon EOS 1100D Webpage - http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_SLR/EOS_1100D/