My idea for my opening title

I am going to use a collage of shots and images as titles for my film, i have seen this idea used in a few zombie/thriller films. I think this idea adds effect as it creates tension and suspense especially if it shows the transition between normality and the apocalypse.

Open with a POV shot out of a moving car window

chosen location(s) and why

I have chosen to film at a farm as there is a lot of space and is not very busy in some places which allows me to get uninterrupted film and i am able to relocate actors if needed, it also allows me to use special effects and film without getting into any trouble as the area is open and far away from any towns or villages. With shooting in open spaced areas it means I can move around better to find more suited camera shots, angles and lengths. By shooting in open areas it does also mean that I will be exposed to the elements which may prove difficult when filming as the weather may change causing a 'goof' if I decide to film parts in a non-chronological order as in one shot it may be sunny and the next shot it could be raining.
Some of my film will be shot at older parts of the farm, as this will work alongside the genre giving it a spooky edge which will grab the audience and make the genre even more clearer when viewing.

Also at the location behind one of the barns there is an abandoned rescue ambulance which looks really effective as one of the tires is flat and it has moss growing on it which gives a very spooky and eery feel about it.

Checklist for my production

Below is a list of props and equipment i will be using for my production.

Props:
4x Military vests
3x pistol holsters
2x Airsoft Assault rifles
1x Airsoft Shotgun
4x Airsoft Pistols
clothes

Special effects:
Fake blood
Liquid latex
Face/body paint
1x Pyrotechnic

Location(s):
Farm- fields
Old farm buildings

Inspirations for my film title

Here are some inspirations for the opening of my zombie/horror thriller i have found.

Dawn of the dead (2004)

The walking Dead (2010- present)

World War Z (2013)

Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

Synopses of my film

its been months since the outbreak, an ordinary supply run takes a turn for the worse, what will happen?

It has been months since the beginning of the outbreak of a deadly virus that bring its host back from the dead as decomposing, flesh-eating corpses. A group of survivors set out on what seems to be an ordinary supply run to collect food and other supplies that are essential for their survival, as they reach the supposed scavenging location something is not quite right. As they will soon find out.

Research into genre/film opening

I am researching horror/zombie thriller and what shots, sound, editing and Mise en scene they use.

Camera- zombie thriller films often use close ups to show reactions and also use  longs shots with long shot lengths which add to the suspense within a scene. By using close up reaction shots it allows the audience to develop an understanding of the characters and what they are like and their personality. The cuts used are mostly fast cuts to carry on the narrative and possibly disorientate the audience, in some scenes slow cuts are used to add effect

For example if one of the group get bitten/infected then it could be a slow cut to add effect in the scene. There may be use of different angles to add tension to a scene for example canted angles are often used in a chase sequence or to imply that something is not right within the scene.

Sound- sound is an important part in any film but in zombie thrillers it is used in a variety of ways and can alter the feelings and emotions of the audience by using a variety of non diegetic soundtrack by changing the style of soundtrack. Diegetic sound is very important as it is what completes a film as it is what is important to fully understand the narrative.

Editing- editing is what makes the film flow and in zombie thrillers there is a lot of editing to make sure that the audience fully understand the narrative and the story behind it, usually the editing is cuts which are usually fast cuts but can also take a longer time, this adds effect and curiosity to the narrative story

Sound

Different sorts of sounds that is used in films

Sound Bridge:

Sound bridges can lead in or out of a scene. They can occur at the start of one scene when the sound from the previous scene carries over briefly before the sound from the new scene begins. Alternatively, they can occur at the end of a scene, when the sound from the next scene is heard before the image appears on the screen. Sound bridges are one of the most common transitions in the continuity editing style, one that stresses the connection between both scenes since their mood (suggested by the music) is still the same. These can also be used for flashbacks of sound without changing the image.

Sound Perspective:
Sound perspective is where sound is used to widen the effect. the sense of a sound's position in space yielded

Non-diegetic sound:
This sound is not heard by the characters within the scene for example; soundtracks and voiceovers.

Ambient sound:
Is background noise that is present within the scene (background radio, dogs barking etc.), matching ambient sound, almost like atmosphere sound to make. you should always have ambient sound in films as it adds affect.

Sonic flashback:
Use a sound relates to a earlier part in the story, used as a reminder to the audience (e.g. A fistful of dollars)

Voiceover:
This is non-diegetic dialogue spoken as the scene is rolling on, this could be commentary or just a character talking as they are on screen.

Representation of Ethnicity and some examples

Historically there have been many ideologies attached to all ethnicities within society, each one having different social values.

The ideologies attached to African Americans is they are less well educated and are more inclined to be a criminal compared to white people. a film that contradicts this is Dawn of The Dead as the main African American character within this film is a Police Officer which does not conform to the ideologies which we have about African American people. A film that supports this is Ride Along as one of the main characters (Kevin Hart) is shown to be less educated, this supports the ideology linked to African Americans.

Examples:
The green mile (but has a twist)
Django unchained
End of Watch

The ideologies attached to Caucasian people is that they are more dominant and are well educated compared to any other race and have a domesticated family, a film that does not support this is The Book of Eli as the main character (Denzel Washington) is more intelligent and is far more superior at combat than the other characters within the film, this opposes the thought of caucasian people are superior, better than African American individuals.

Examples:
Book of Eli
Dawn of The Dead
Lethal Weapon

what I need to include in my film

Continuity editing: Continuity editing is editing that smooths over inherent discontinuity giving clear and logical continuous editing

180 rule: The 180-degree rule in film making is where regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. An imaginary line called the axis connects the characters, and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene, the first character is always frame right of the second character, who is then always frame left of the first. The camera passing over the axis is called jumping the line or crossing the line; breaking the 180-degree rule by shooting on all sides is known as shooting in the round.

Match on action: Match on action is an editing technique for continuity editing in which one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action of the subject in the first shot. This creates the impression of a sense of continuity – the action carrying through creates a “visual bridge” which draws the viewer’s attention away from slight cutting or continuity issues.

Titles: Titles are an important factor in media as it displays what the film is called which is important for the audience to be able to recognise the film, it can also give recognition to the actors and people who either starred in the film or helped to make it.

Sound: Sound is a very important part in films as without sound of any sorts it is difficult for the audience to understand the film and its meanings, a huge part of sound within a film is diegetic, but also non-diegetic sounds can allow the audience to understand the film more for example if it is a voice over explaining the story further. Soundtrack adds to the effect of the film by adding suspense and it can also change the audiences feeling depending on the style of soundtrack.

Narrative for my film opening

Equilibrium: Two survivors are at a 'safe' location looking for supplies and things to aid their survival.

Disruption: The two survivors enter a barn and find something useful but there is a zombie lurking in the shadows that thy are unaware of at first.

Equilibrium: They leave the barn and find a way to get away from the zombie.

Target audience and BBFC classification of 15 rated film

My target audience is teenagers, as teenagers are the typical audience to visit Zombie/thriller films as these people would bring in the most profit if this was a large release film.
The age rating for my film would be 15 as i would not make it so gory and inappropriate for that age rating, also by reducing the age rating it means that i also increase the range of people who can come and see my product.

BBFC classification of 15 rated film:
If a film is rated 15 this means that it may include any if all of these things:
-strong violence
-frequent strong language
-portrayals of sexual activity
-strong verbal references to sex
-sexual nudity
-brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
-discriminatory language or behaviour
-drug taking

 

My film would include strong violence and possibly strong language, but also because it is a thriller/horror it would have to be a 15 as the BBFC states that 'at 15 there can be strong threat and horror as long as there is no sustained focus on  sadistic or sexualised threat.' As my product does not contain any focus on sadistic or sexualised threat this means it is suitable to be labelled at 15

final idea

my finalised idea for my film opening is to have a survivor walking towards a location to find supplies, but when they reach the location  they realise that it is not as safe as they first thought and that it had previously been a camp for another survivor who had been bitten and is now a zombie. so the survivor comes into contact with the zombie, thus ending in a form of equilibrium.

initial ideas

My initial idea for a film opening will be to have it as a horror/thriller by having zombies and also having some sort of conflict between them.
my idea is to open with a shot of a group of survivors getting ready to go on a mission to find supplies and follow them on the beginning of their journey to find supplies but they come into contact with a zombie and then that is where my opening will stop as I need to restore a form of equilibrium before the end.

Attack the Block and representation

 

 

Attack the Block is a low budget film by the director Joe Cornish and is about a gang of teenagers who mug a nurse on bonfire night and their South London estate is invaded by unwelcome aliens who fall from the sky, the gang launch themselves into a gritty yet humorous mission to save their estate. 

Attack the Block has quite dark lighting throughout, this adds to the effect and suspense within the film, also as it is shot at night time it makes it seem more suspicion as night time is supposedly when bad things happen, there is also a range of camera shots, editing and angles but not any over complicated ones for the narrative of the film to continue without disorientating the viewer which allows the viewer to engage with the film more.

In Attack the Block ethnicity plays a large role in this film as the main character(s) are mainly black teenagers which are shown as 'hoodies' which is a stereotype of black teenagers, the main protagonist in the film is called Moses (John Boyega) the name Moses is from the bible as Moses helps people to cross the sea whereas in Attack the  Block Moses is shown to mug people which juxtaposes what happens in the bible. Each of the characters are very different in personality and this is shown as the film progresses, this then challenges the ethnicity stereotypes and shows the gang to be more light-hearted than what was originally thought which allows the viewers to change their judgements about the characters. With the films starting by showing the gang as violent and the stereotypical muggers which then changes by the end of the film to show the gang as saving the Earth, well at least the South End of London, this completely changes the way the gang is portrayed, but throughout the film there are still a hint of the fact that the gang is still the stereotypical sort of gang by their use of violence and the way that they talk. The film shows he tension between different classes and races as the gang and the black characters are shown to be more aggressive and in charge, the white female in this film is shown to be reliant and dependent on the gang, this conforms to the stereotype of women as the stereotype is that they are not violent and are dependent on the stronger male figure. Director Joe Cornish used actors who hadn't been stage schooled, this could be because he wanted the film to appear as realistic and natural as it could be so that the audience engages more and feels as if it is more realistic or because he didn't have the budget to hire more highly trained actors.

Barthe's codes

The hermeneutic code is any element in a story that is not explained and exists as a 'cliff-hanger' for the audience, raising questions that demand answers. Most films hold back details in order to increase the effect of the final revelation of all truths within the film. We tend not to be satisfied by a narrative unless all "loose ends" are tied; however, narratives often frustrate the early revealing of truths, offering the reader what Barthes terms "snares" which are deliberate evasions of the truth.

Cultural code is anything within a text from an external body to reference films, almost as if it is written in stone for example snow white and the huntsman uses a reference to the thorn pricking her finger and being a princess.

Proairetic code is an action code where you do something which is followed by another action which leads to something else.

Symbolic code is visuals which make sense to the viewer which is relevant and is similar to semantic code and organises semantic meaning.

Semantic code refers to the connotation within the story