Audience Screening Feedback

We took a random sample of 11 out of the 30 or so questionnaires (taking every 3).

Every sample was from 17-18 age group as they are in our year at school. About half were male and half were female, and traits did not seem to be based on gender as we expected. Common genre likes were action, thriller, comedy, horror and thriller. Someone even said slasher! These genres were shown in favourite films such as Saw, Scarface and Mean Girls.

Every single person recognised that it was an opening sequence and the title was 'Reservation', which was good from our point of view - our film was clear. Everyone also recognised from the sequence the genre, which was clearly horror with elements of thriller/slasher. About 9 out of the 11 people thought the film could be filmed at a normal cinema or multiplex with the other 2 opting for a student film festival. This tells us that our film could target a mainstream audience and be popular enough to show at a normal cinema. Most people opted for teenagers or 18-30's as the targeted audience with some adding horror enthusiasts or people that like to play violent games on the xbox/PS2. This was a pretty similar view we had for our target audience. Only 2 people mentioned that males would be interested so most people did not feel it dominated one particular gender.

The film seemed to make it obvious who the killer and victim was, and one pressed every single person was able to explain the victim was a captive and was being tortured by the killer. People described the killer as evil, insane, scarily polite, bad, mean, sadistic, murderer and psycho. Nobody described the victim so his personality can be identified as miscillaneous or "normal". Most themes identified were along the lines of fear, revenge, violence, evil and death, so that came across well.

All 11 people in the sample enjoyed the film and found it attractive to watch, with one person saying because they thought it had a clear narrative, and others saying it was tense and filmic. The favoured parts of the film were the hand at the end with the scream and Matt shouting, "I SAID BE QUIET!", which did not really suprise us - they were the most dramatic parts. People generally thought the lighting, music and location worked the best with some people suprisingly liking the flickering lights even though we were not sure about it. However, some people were not sure about the regular blackouts stemming from the flickering lights, and someone thought the acting was not up to scratch although we certainly do not agree with this. Alot of questions were asked about the random foot and then hand at the end - this made us pleased. These signified enigma codes and you were meant to be confused by them, as to continue watching the film to find out what they meant and who they belonged to (everyone commented on how they would continue to watch the film, even the people who said they did not like horror and would be terrified!) - so our film was successful in luring in its audience.

The following were the ratings given out of 10 by the 11 subjects: 10, 10, 9, 7, 8 and a half, 9, 8, 9, 10, 5, 9. On average this works out at about 8 and a half out of 10, which is not bad at all for an amateur film project. We realise some scores and comments maybe bias due to friends being present at the screening, but all in all we are very pleased with this feedback, and will take the criticisms on board in our evaluations.

Character Appearances

Victim 1
Plain white t, jeans, trainers, black eye using make up, messy hair, water on face for tears/sweat

Victim 2
White shirt, jeans, trainers, covered in fake blood

Victim 3
Doesn't matter just dark clothing

Killer
Dark trench coat, black boots, black jeans/trousers, gloves?

Jack

Final Idea (after test shooting)

Title: ?

Slogan: ?

Location: Latymer school basmement

Actors: Kris, Shaun

People on set (need helpers): Kris, Shaun, Jack, Barney?

Characters (need names): 1 - victim who wakes up chained in chair gagged up, moans and tries to free himself, is sent to sleep, 2 - killer who spies on victim, then sends him to sleep before walking out of the basement, 3 - one or two more victims, one covered in blood who grabs for the door before the killer walks out, one maybe banging a spade or trying to escape in some way

Equipment we have: camera, tripod, headphones, 3 lights, blue filter gel for each, white sheet

Props we have: weapons, chair, chains, rope, padlock, metal tray, any sinister objects in basement, pipes, electric lights, shelves etc

Props we need: fake blood, black tape

Other things we need: water source, something to clean up fake blood

Storyline: victim wakes up in chair, killer spies on him before walking in, killer looks like he will kill him with a weapon but instead rips off his gag, he talks to the victim reassuringly before forcing him to sleep with a drug, killer then walks out of the basement to desperate plees for freedom from other victims, he slams the door as a victim tries to escape - their hand imprinting on the door in blood

Techniques to use: starts with CU's of victim waking up, flash cutaways using motivated cuts to show he is chained up, then long shots and cutaways shots establishing where he is, POV shot showing killer spying on him, parallel editing between victim and killers footsteps as he enters, match on action as he enters, shot/reverse shot for conversation, POV tracking shot for killers exit, fade to black at end revealing title of film, cutaway shots of dripping pipes/flickering lights/random objects throughout sequence with titles/credits appearing alongside

Sounds to be added after: unsettling sounds such as banging/rustling/echoing etc, buzzing lights, dripping water, faint male screams and moans, maybe some unnerving music?

Shaun

Treatment

1. The action: identify the event your idea is based around; what actually happens (discovery of a body, an illicit meeting, a witness seeing a crime being committed, a criminal act taking place, a telephone call, a chase, a short journey etc)?
A man is bound and gagged, in a chair in a basement. The character wakes up and is very dazed. A new character walks down to the basement. He appears to be the killer but holds a reassuring conversation (if not ironic) with the victm. Instead of killing him he ungags him before sending him to sleep again. The killer then exits whilst other victims in the basement can be seen pleeing for mercy and trying to escape.

2. The theme(s): what should it make the audience think about or feel, what ‘issues’ will it raise (revenge, sexuality, voyeurism, stalking, obsession, greed etc)
Revenge, murder, torture, claustrophobia, trapped, watched, cold, psycho, irony, possible obsession?

3. The narrative: how is it structured - classic narrative pattern or break with convention, real time or different time zones, flashbacks/forwards, dreams etc. Will there be dialogue? What about diegetic/ non-diegetic sound?
It will be real time in a continuous sequence. It will be structured in a way to not establish the location of the victim until about 30 seconds in, not reveal the killer until about 1 minute in, and not reveal the actual situation (more than one person being kept there) until the end of the sequence. It will have dialogue in the final minute but most sounds will be added on over the top despite being diegtic. The only possible non-diegetic sound will be any music we make to build tension.

4. The character(s): who are they, identify their roles, what are their characteristics, including gender, appearance etc?
The victim is male and normal looking with plain clothes such as a white polo top. His personality is unclear except for the fact he is terrified and wants to break free. He could be fairly well built and tall to scare the audience that such a male is powerless to the killer. He will look bruised and battered with black eye, cuts, dirt and messy hair. His clothes could be ripped and slightly dirty or blood-stained. The killer is male and suspicious until he begins to talk. He wears a dark trench coat but other than that is fairly normal looking despite him being tall. He seems normal as he talks but holds tones of twisted irony. As he walks away he murmers and sings to himself and it is clear despite acting normal and charming around his victims, he is a bit of a psycho. He is also strong, ruthless and powerful in occasional sudden movements such as forcing a victim to sleep. He could be pyschotic and seems to pretend he is running some sort of hotel, looking after his "guests".

5. The setting and choice of location: where is it set?
The location is the school basement. We have cleared out some space in a corner for the chair, with a white sheet covering alot of boxes that will add clutter. Here there are pipes and a flickering lights. We also will set up a light with blue filter gel here to give it a cold, metallic look. The rest of the basement is dark and it could be any basement - this is unclear to the audience. There is a stairway and then a door where we will set up another blue light behind to create the effect of this cold light coming from the doorway. This will also show another victim covered in blood in the blue light. Between this door and the corner of the room with the chair, there is an aisle between some shelves. This will be nearly pitch black to not show the clutter and to disorientate the audience by not showing so much perspective in the room from location to location. We may shine one more blue light behind one of the shelves to cast half the aisle in shadow, but being able to see little glimmers of the corridor.

6. The mise-en-scene: identify colours, lighting, dress codes, the overall visual look
We are using low key lighting using 3 standard studio lights with blue filter gel. The overall look will be blue, metallic and cold like many modern horror films. There will be lots of shadows and darkness to add to mystery and tension. This is not hard in a basement with no naturl lights on. It will create an eery atmosphere boosted by the sounds we will add. The dress code will be plain to keep focus on the situation and setting (plain such as white polo tops, jeans etc). The killer will where a dark trench coat to set him apart from the others.

7. The camera work: the style you are aiming for
The fist minute will show the character waking up, using CU's at first (a montage of different angles) to show his reaction. Next we will establish the scene using motivated cuts (the actor looking down followed by flash cutaways showing his chains etc) and then LS establishing shots. We will then parallel edit between shots of the victim and POV shots of the killer spying on him (shot framed by shelves) and his footsteps. Next a shot/reverse shot and continuity editing will show conversation between the 2 and reveal the character and situation. Finally, a long POV tracking shot will show the killer leave the basement and reveal that there are more victims trapped in the basement. The final shot will be of a hand coverd in blood smeering down the glass on the door as the killer closes it and says something ironic before his footsteps are heard leaving. This will fade to black revealing the film title. The whole sequence will be cut up by random cutaways establishing the basement feel of the scene and eeriness, accompanied by credits. The style will be disorientating and as if we are spying on the victim. LA's will make him look small and powerless, with CU's amplifying his terrified expressions.

8. The editing: edited as a continuous sequence, use of cross cutting, use of montage, or combination?
A combination of montage (flash montage), cutaways, some continuity edting (dialogue and conversation) and a long POV tracking shot.

9. Has your idea been ‘tested’ against the key criteria (the 8 questions)?
We tested the 8 questions on test shoot and now can say the idea is practical and uses the strengths of the group and the location (the darkness and lighting). The combiantion of camera techniques will show off what we have learnt this term and we can definately shoot in the time and available and using the resources we have in the media department, as the test shoot was successful and we are filming at school. We have gained permission to the basement for the next 2 shooting weeks and we have access to the 3 studio lights and blue gel filters we need. The sequence will include conversation and dialogue and we are most likely to act ourselves so are extremely reliable as it is for the benefit of our own projects. The only issue we have is space in the basement as we have to move lots of things, and we would like the blue lights to be flashing (flickering) so we need one person on each light. 2 to 3 helpers maybe recquired to help on lights, play extra victims and their sounds, and to help clear out the space before shoot and put everything back. We have reliable friends who are willing to help out and be part of the project by helping out in such a way.

10. Group responses?
We have gone through many ideas and after test shooting we have cut our ideas down to this last idea. We have realised it will be hard to get quality actors to play a completely psychotic killer, so have changed this to make the killer almost normal-like. The discovery of the long POV tracking shot has boosted our idea and the lighting is perfect for this idea. We have come up with this final idea through the props and resources available to use in the basement.

11. Teacher responses?
Miss blackborow wanted us to not make our idea so complicated so we have avoided a time change, more than 2 main characters and too much going on. She also suggested we build up tension for the first minute and not introduce too much action. She liked the idea of the killer being normal and suggested he be charming whilst being ironic, as if seeing to guests. She decided the long POV track would be better with the killer leaving as to not establish there is more than one victim until the end. With these changes we have come up with this final idea with which both we and the teacher are happy will work.

More Influences

This is a scene of Gollum in 'Lord of the Rings 2'. He is having an argument with his other side, Smeagle, because he is a schizophrenic. The scene uses shot/reverse shot on the same character to make it look like two characters talking to each other, when really it is the same character. We hope to achieve the same technique for our character who could be a schizophrenic arguing between his good and bad side.

Jack

Influences

Saw 1 - Opening Sequence


Saw 2 - Opening Sequence


We thought our opening sequence could share alot of similar features to the openings of 'Saw 1' and 'Saw 2', obviously taking into account our budget.

The aspects of 'Saw 1' we thought we could use were the location type, the sounds/atmosphere and certain shots. The location is in a bathroom rather than a basement, but holds the same kind of disused and dirty feel as our location. We particularly liked the watery effect shown in the bath scene, and the fuzzy electric effect shown by shots of the lights when they flicker on. These are boosted by eery sounds of dripping water and electricity generators, a background fuzz we feel we could emulate fairly easily with fans or the light sounds themselves, and using water from a bucket to drip on the pipes. The overall sound is fairly silent with sudden drum sounds matching random flash shots to scare you. We could record drum sounds and use the same kind of shots to help build tension and keep the audience on guard for action. That leaves the very faint high pitched violin twing that occasionally rises and falls as tension runs its course. I don't know how we could emulate this, possibly making our own violin sound on the computer as a kind of audio track. A shot I really liked from the 'Saw 1' opening was the point of view shot from the character as the lights turn on, as this is blurry as if he is in a dazed and blinded state. We could use this for our character as he wakes up, altering the focus on the camera at this point for blurred effect. Also, I feel we can reverse the effect of darkness to light shown in this scene, by the lights flickering and going out at the end of our sequence. This would be effective in mystery, suspence and the meaning of loss of hope, while leaving a black slide to put the title of the film without having to use a cheesy fade to black effect.

We felt the camera movements and lighting in the 'Saw 2' clip were extremely effective, and we could use a similar kind of style. The lighting was fairly bright, with the combination of grey/green slimey walls and yellow/white lights giving the whole clip a neon green/yellow kind of bright tint to contrast the shadows and darkness. The lights in our location are very similar, whilst the walls (mainly concrete and brickwork) are more dusty yellow. The overall effect could be a slight neon yellow tint to create bright contrast to the shadows, especially if we shoot at low key lighting with lights only focused on the character and the rest relying on the room lights as they flicker. The shadows created will give a great opputunity to mask the killer and add mystery to his identity, as well as possibly shocking the audience when he arrives. The camera movements in the 'Saw 2' clip are almost an array of different angles of the victim in the chair pieced together in a lightning quick montage. Here this is so fast as to depict the idea of racing against time, but we could use such quick camera movements as flash cutaways to clues of the victims whereabouts, fast-forwarded pans, arcs and tilts of the victim at different angles, and cuts of his face at different distances quickly pieced together to zoom in on him in a mechanical style. This would create the effect of panic, confusion and disorientation as well as giving the film a modern rejuvinated and alternative effect. The sequence could be fast and pacy at some points, but we will also slow it right down at points to build up tension and introduce the characters, setting and situation, as well as creating space for continuity techniques over montage. The camera movements for 'Saw 2' will only be used at certain points in our sequence and not for the whole duration, as this would not work for our project, and we have to take into account that we are shooting an ameteur film with average equipment.

We will try to combine similar aspects, and will go as far as we can to emulate some of the techniques shown in the clips on a low budget. We felt both clips had an interesting style, especially in the titles, with 'Saw 1' showing a slow and gloomy effect with cold, blue and rippling watery titles, and 'Saw 2' showing an inconsistent and unpredictable effect with neon yellow/green flickering electric titles. We could use either of these styles in our titles and credits appearing alongside such features as dripping water and flickering lights, to either create a solumn or threatening atmosphere. Both are rather chilling and signify danger clearly. We hope to amplify both with effective titles between clips that use many of the techniques shown in the early scenes of the 'Saw' movies.

Kris

Hello!

Hello and welcome to our blog.

We already have some great ideas for our project - an opening 2 minutes of a film.

We have ideas for mainly the horror genre, although a gangster thriller remains an option.

Hope you enjoy it. Now its time to work boys!