It Follows

MEST2: Existing product research

This extract of It follows begins with a pan towards the left side of the screen that is slow. This could be used to emphasise the current atmosphere as calm as there is nothing happening at the moment. The sound bridge of the teacher speaking as it pans to the girl makes the audience listen to what the teacher is saying. Eventually, when the antagonist is first seen out the window in a long shot. The non-diegetic sound of the music becomes parallel to the situation which makes it clear to the audience that whatever is happening is bad and therefore builds up tension and enigma codes in their minds and also adds to the mysterious chilling effect that is being created. The music begins to get louder and speed up which almost sound like the beating of a heart which the audience can assume is how the protagonist's heart beat must sound like. We then get to see a medium close up of the protagonist face showing that she is breathing heavily and looking slightly worried. The shot used makes it easier for the audience to see how she is breathing but also her facial expressions and emotions. There is usually low key lighting used when its dark and there is a use of back lighting to make it seem like the character is a silhouette figure, in emphasises the genre of the film being horror/thriller. However, in this scene there is a use of high key lighting which isn't conventional for this type of genre. In fact the costume of the antagonist is white which usually is symbolic for peace or purity although in this case it does not. Another way the audience could interpret the costume of the antagonist is that because its white it emphasises the fact that they are dead and have a ghostly, haunting effect.

This film is rated 15. This is because it doesn't show gruesome violence and according to the BBFC guidelines it meets the required limit to showing sexual violence. This would appeal to a younger audience, people who are still in school- education. Mainly  60/40 male to female audience. This is because it features characters that are still in school and it is much easier for an audience to identify with someone who is the same age as they have similar thought processes and ideas. This film contains the conventional jump scares and blood that are seen in the typical horror/thriller film which would appeal to an audience that enjoy those genre's.



Production: Independent film studios

It was presented by a studio called Northern Lights Film and produces by Animal Kingdom in association with Two Flints. Other examples of low-budget films produced by this company are Paterson, Kicks, Louder Than Bombs, Partisan, Short Term 12. The film louder than bombs has had a few notable successes and has won a few awards such as the bronze horse for best film.

Distribution: Independent film distributors

This film was distributed by Icon Film Distributions, The film opened in 2437 screens within the first film. The budget of the film was 2 million USD and box officed at 20.3 million USD, which shows it made a profit showing that it did a lot better for the budget it was made at.

Appropriate Behavior

MEST2: Existing product research




This extract of Appropriate Behaviour it begins with a shot of the shop the characters are shopping at. In this extract the representation of gender is being subverted in the sense that she is the main character in the film and she is made to seem aware of herself and her confidence in herself which would help the female part of the audience identify with her more as they either feel or aspire to feel the same way. However, the fact that the shop owner gave the woman something pink to try out makes it almost seem like its reinforcing the fact that the colour associated with females is pink which is sen as a delicate and light colour which can be taken as a way of saying woman are weak and will always need the support of another. The conversation the woman and the shop owner has is filmed in close ups/ medium close ups. This may be because of the fact that the conversation they are having is quite emotional in the sense that it makes her think about certain things. Therefore, close ups of the characters emotion and facial expressions would be necessary in order to allow the audience to get a better idea of how they are feeling. From the conversation they are having and the mentioning of a previous relationship i can infer that this film may be based around the genre of romance with a bit of comedy as the audience may find it amusing that the friend was being ignored and disregarded of. The setting of the film is seemed to be based in the city with high key natural lighting to make it look very realistic.

This film is rated 15. This film would not be appropriate for audience under the age of 15 as it suggest sexual behaviours and drinking. It does not show any nudity which makes it appropriate for 15 rating. This may appeal to an older audience that are most likely to understand the adult humour. However, the film does explore themes that are common at the ages from 15 and above like sexuality and other peoples view or opinions on it and whether they are accepting or not, which is what people of that age group tend to struggle with the most.



Production: Independent film studios

The production company for this film is called Parkville pictures which is an award-winning and BAFTA-nominated independent UK film production company based in London. a couple of films they have produced are Borrowed time, Spaceships and Ailema. The film that has won any awards would be approriate behaviour with two. the rest were either nominated or not for an award.

Distribution: Independent film distributors

The film was distributed by the following companies PRO-FUN media Filmverleih(Switzerland), Gravitas Ventures (USA) and Transmission Films) (Australia) This film wasnt distriuted by any UK companies. The budget of the film is not mentioned. The film opened at 11 theatres.

Girlhood

MEST2: Existing product research

In this extract the editing style is slow paced and doesn't show many different cuts being used just straight cuts. Most of the time it pans back and forth between the characters.This may be used to suggest that the genre is not a fast paced action film but instead something drama related. There is a lot of medium shot used which could have been used to show the facial expressions of the characters but due to this we are unable to see the rest of what they are doing - their dancing. The mise-en-scene is well put together. The setting of this clip is on a train, nothing extravagant to suggest that they are very important people to the world around them. What they do wont affect much, like the characters in an action film. The costume is very casual and everyday looking which highlights the fact that this may be a drama based film. The lighting is high key lighting as it looks very realistic and gets rid of the harsh shadows. The most noticeable prop seen in this clip is the Iphone. This emphasises the casual feel of the film and also helps the audience to identify with the character as they are probably around the same age as them and most likely have an Iphone as well. 

This film is rated 15. Which means that it is aiming to appeal to audiences of that age and above. However, i believe that it is mainly focusing on people ages 15 to around 25 as the main characters look like they are within that age range which is more useful in the audience to identify with them in the sense that their life may reflect things going on in their life. Also people older than that may not understand certain thought processes and themes being expressed throughout the film. The older generation tend to have a negative opinion about the younger generation.


Production: Independent film studios

The film was co-produced by many companies such as Hold Up Films, Lilies Films, Arte France Cinéma. Production companies like Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), Fonds Images de la Diversité, Canal+, Arte France participated etc. Hold up films produced another film called parade, Tomboy and beyond hatred. The production company produced films that won many awards like tomboy for example.

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Distribution: Independent film distributors

There are no UK distribution companies mentioned. The film made more than £1m at the French box office, was nominated for four prestigious Cesar awards and secured an international film release.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

MEST2: Existing product research

There is high key lighting used in this extract to make it seem like the lighting is very natural since they are in the library and there would not be any harsh shadows in that kind of setting. The two main actors are male and female which suggest the genre of the film being a romantic film. The costume of the female character is all red including her hair which could suggest that something is wrong, this is further emphasised by the male character's costume which is all black which may suggest things like darkness and loss. The dark colour could imply that he is lonely which is further implied when the female character disappears at the end. The editing is very simplistic and only uses straight cuts and jump cuts and the pace of the edits are quite slow. The camera work show a range between medium log shots and close ups. This allows the audience to see what the characters are feeling and doing. Over the shoulder shot is used towards the end as they are speaking. The entire time the 180 degree rule isn't broken however there are some points where it almost looks like it is almost as if they want the audience to feel confused which is almost what they are left feeling by the end of the clip. Due to this enigma codes as to why the female character disappeared start to make the audience think about the story line of the film.

The film is a 15. This may be because of the language used the the possibility of adult themes that may not be suitable for young audiences. I believe this film is mainly targeted at the older generation that are about 25 and over. This is because the younger audience may not be able to understand certain things being shown in the film and may not be able to identify with a character that is significantly older than them, also it may contain adult humour or topics. The targeted audience could also be BC1 mainly middle class workers also aimed at reformers and explorers as a psychographic audience.


Production: Independent film studios

This film is produced by Anonymous content in association with This Is That Productions. Anonymous content have produced films like triple 9 which is also a 15 rated film, The good Neighbour and Spotlight which won 2 Oscars.

Distribution: Independent film distributors

Momentum Pictures distributed the film in the UK. The budget for the film was 20 million USD and box officed at 72.3 million USD. Which means that the profited a lot from it.-

Preliminary Task Evaluation

Exercise and Idea

The exercise was to create a video of a character opening a door, crossing a room siting down on an chair and then exchanging dialogue. We had to demonstrate our knowledge of match on action, 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot by incorporating it into the video as we filmed. 

Our idea was based on the genre's comedy and thriller. The story line was 2 friends one (Morgue) was obsessed with the other (April). Morgue sees April with another close friend - Stephanie and gets jealous. Then later on it shows April and Morgue studying together and when April goes up to use the toilet she enters the wrong room and finds Morgue replicated her room and it leads to her finding her friend Stephanie dead in the closet and Morgue eventually killing her too with many different objects.


Evaluation

Strengths

The idea of our video was to make it a comedy thriller. Which i think was presented quite successfully due to the well written script and planning which helped guide what we were going to film and give us a basic outline of what we had to film. I feel as though we have successfully used the skills we were meant to whilst recording and also used a rage of camera shots like the extreme close up on the door handle and the establishing/long shot to introduce the video of them walking down the road which becomes the basis of the story line. 


Weaknesses

The quality of sound was quite poor once we were shooting outside. The sound of the wind could be heard in the background which made it difficult to hear the voice of the main characters. Also, the lighting wasn't bright enough to see the characters faces when we were shooting during the night. What would've been better if we had used music as we had some shots where there was no dialogue however overall it would have added to the atmosphere we were trying to create. Some of the camera shots where blurred and didn't focus well on the subject. Which is something we will take into consideration next time we film.

preliminary video

Infatuation

Preliminary Task

Shot List - Infatuation

Shot no	Shot list	check
1	Close up on morgue’s face “Stephanie”
2	Medium close up on morgue face
3	Long shot/establishing shot of April and Stephanie
4	Medium long shot of April and Stephanie with morgue in the back
5	Medium shot of April and Stephanie with morgue in the back
6	Over the shoulder shot of morgue calling April. (180)
7	Over the shoulder Medium shot of morgue sitting at table (180)
8	over the shoulder medium shot of April sitting at table (180)
9	Medium close up on Aprils face
10	Medium close up on morgues face
11	Long shot of April getting up and leaving for the toilet
12	Medium long shot of April looking at out of order door sign
13	Medium shot of April looking at out of order door sign
14	Close up on door sign “out of order”
15	Medium shot of April going up stairs
16	Long shot of April going up stairs.
17	Medium close up on April at the top of stairs
18	Close up on April opening door handle
19	Extreme close up on door handle jiggle from inside.
20	Medium close up on the door opening.
21	Long shot of April entering wrong room
22	Medium shot of April entering wrong room
23	Long shot of April looking around room
24	Medium long shot of April looking around room
25	Long shot of morgue sitting at table working
26	Long shot of morgue realising what’s upstairs and stumbling out of chair.
27	Long shot of morgue stumbling on stairs
28	Medium shot of morgue stumbling on stairs
29	Medium close up on April distressed
30	Medium shot of April distressed
31	Long shot of Morgue stumbling in room out of breathe
32	Medium shot of April standing up in horror
33	Long shot of April standing up in horror
34	Close up of April shocked
35	Long shot of April backing away
36	Long shot of Morgue trying to explain herself
37	Medium shot of Morgue getting closer
38	Medium shot of April going over bed to protect herself
39	Medium shot of April arguing with Morgue (180)
40	Medium shot of morgue arguing with April (180)
41	Medium shot of April opening the wardrobe
42	Close up on dead body – Stephanie
43	Medium shot of dead body – Stephanie
44	Medium close up on dead body - Stephanie
45	Medium close up on April being dragged back
46	Medium shot of April being dragged back by Morgue
47	Medium shot of April being stabbed with giant pencil
48	Medium shot of April being hit with other objects by Morgue
49	Close up on April’s legs
50	Medium shot pan on the mannequin and desk
51	Close up shot pan on the mannequin and desk
52	Medium shot of Morgue touching mannequin
53	Long shot of Morgue touching mannequin
54	Medium close up pan down of Morgue dropping cloth on April’s face
55	Long shot pan down of Morgue dropping cloth on April’s face

Storyboard

Script

1.EXTERIOR SHOT
Very dark setting in the middle of the road. 

MORGUE
‘APRIL!’
APRIL
[walking with Stephanie laughing and unintentionally ignoring Morgue]
MORGUE
[gives the impression of jealousy]
‘Stephanie’

[MORGUE: VOICE OVER]
It was an obsession I hated anyone who got in my way. We had always been best friends.] (SOUND BRIDGE OVER TO ACT 2)


2.INTERIOR SHOT 
sitting in the living room at the dining table. April and Morgue engaging in discussing due dates for homework.

APRIL
I’m just going to use the toilet [gets up from the table]
MORGUE
shit. [comedically collapses and runs after April]



7.INTERIOR SHOT 
[April
sees the out of order sign on the toilet door and heads upstairs to find the toilet there]

APRIL
[jiggles the doorknob and enters the wrong room. She looks concerned and fearful]
MORGUE
[Barges into the room ungracefully] ‘you weren't supposed to see this’
APRIL
Why is this room identical to mine…?
MORGUE
YOU WERENT SUPPOSED TO KNOW

MORGUE
[awkward, comedic facial expression]
‘IT’s always been you April, always.’
APRIL
‘I have to go..’
MORGUE
‘I want you, nobody else can have you’
KILLS APRIL WITH SEASHELL, DEATH BY SEASHELL.

A JUMPCUT: APRIL ON THE FLOOR

MORGUE
smiles and takes sip from her tea ‘ah finally a real mannequin to fit the room’ [picks up the mannequin and throws it in the bin, close up of mannequin in the bin]