Research: Thinking About Fear

Pink- Evie
Green- Panashe
Red- Mariella
Blue- Liam 

In this lesson, we were put into groups of four and told to discuss what scares us most in life, and try and get to the root of why we have developed these fears. My group included me, Panashe, Mariella and Liam. We were given a piece of A3 paper which we divided into four sections. Each group member was allocated a section and wrote about our fears, gave examples and explained why we had these fears. We then explored how these fears developed over time and through other factors such as negative experiences.

The purpose of this research into what scares different individuals is in aid of our coursework, which is to create the opening two minutes of a teen horror film. It gives us a wider understanding of people's fears, many of which are manipulated in horror films. For example, snakes and spiders are common fears amongst people. These fears have been translated onto screen, through films such as Arachnophobia and Snakes on a Plane. Through this research, we can get a thorough insight into what scares people; we can then use this as inspiration for our coursework, as it has to be authentic and feel relatable to the audience. By explaining how our fears have developed, it makes them seem less irrational and more justifiable. This research has also enabled us to see which fears would translate well on screen, and others which would seem ridiculous and impossible to convey in a film. For example, ostriches being one of them.

Panashe stated that his fear was snakes. He said his fear was heightened by an experience he once had with one. This supports the theory that fears usually come from previous experiences that that person has gone through. Experience is a major contributor towards the severity of someone's fear. Another example of this is claustrophobia; my Mum does not like tight and constricted spaces, as she has had a previous experience with feeling enclosed. This makes her more wary of small spaces.

Horror movies can also have an effect and influence on the audience's fears. Liam's fear is being in the woods at night time. Many horror films use the location of woods at night time as they are secluded areas with an eerie and frightening feel about them. For example, the horror film The Cabin in the Woods is set in the woods; woods have connotations of seclusion and solitary. The film Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg, had a similar effect on audiences. Jaws depicts a vicious great white shark who targets the residents of Amity Island in several blood thirsty and savage attacks. Some people who watched the film became afraid of sharks and they received a negative reputation among the public.

Mariella's fear was perhaps the most common; death. She said that past experiences with family members had made her fear death. She explained that it frightened her because as you get older, it is inevitable that people you know and perhaps are close to are going to die. She then said that she also feared death herself, not just that other people were going to die.

My fear of ostriches and nuclear war stemmed from information and facts that I have learnt over the years. I learnt that ostriches can kill someone by performing one quick which I find quite scary and intimidating. I later watched a TV show in which ostriches were featured and my fear for them developed; their appearance is also quite scary for me as they are large and erratic in their behavious. My fear of nuclear war started from a discussion I had in a lesson. I learnt the effects of what would happen if a nuclear bomb was dropped into a country. The effects would be vast and devastating and irreversible. I realised that there would be no survivors if nuclear war occured and the world would most likely end.

Overall, I think people's fears stem from multiple sources; past experiences, facts, rumours and negative beliefs.

Main Task: Set Brief

Here is your set brief:

The titles and opening of a new teen horror film, to last a maximum of two minutes.

All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

What did you learn from the experience of filming the footage required for your preliminary task? What went well and what could have been done better?
From filming the preliminary task footage, there were several examples of satisfactory filing, and also several examples of unsatisfactory filming. 
One incident where the filming didn't go according to plan was when we were taking an establishing shot of the door in the room we were filming. When we got to the stage of editing, we realised that we had filmed the section in portrait instead of landscape. This was incorrect as all of the footage should be filmed in landscape so it fills the whole screen. 
From filming, we also learned the importance of those who aren't involved on-screen making sure they are well out of shot. We had one incident where Jake was walking into a shot, and I was in the background of the shot. When we realised our mistake, we re-shot the scene. 
In addition, when we were filming the shot/ reverse shot scene, the actors needed to slow down their dialogue as it proved in the editing process to cut the clip at the correct time so you could receive the actor's reply. Now we have discovered our mistake, next time we film a task which has lines of dialogue in we can ensure those starring in the film leave a slight pause after each sentence before carrying on with the next line. 
This also links to the audio; the dialogue is very hard to distinguish as the sound is muffled. In future when we film a task, we know to include little or no dialogue. 
However, there were also many positives about our filming experience. Despite the one incident, we filmed the rest of our preliminary task in landscape. When filming the shot/ reverse shot, we positioned the camera correctly over each actor's shoulder; in doing this, it didn't look like those starring in the task were on the same side of the room as each other.

What is the difference between pre-production, production and post-production?
Pre- production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, television shot etc. An aspect of the planning includes making a storyboard which details a scene by scene plan of how we will shoot the film. A script will have been devised, the cast, location, props and costumes will have all been identified. Production is the process of actually filming and capturing the footage; this then leads onto post production. Post production is a term for all stages of production occurring after the actual end of shooting and/or recording the completed work. This includes editing, foley and possibly re-shoots.


How easy did you find editing in iMovie? Explain at least 4 different skills or techniques that 
you learnt during this process. 
I found editing in iMove easier than I anticipated. One skill I gained during this process is how to insert sound effects into the film, and how to place it in the correct place. I also learnt how to put music into the film and how to adjust the length, so it started or finished at the perfect time. Another skill I learnt during this process was how to edit and cut the selected shots to the appropriate place. This is a very valuable skill as without it, i would find it almost impossible to edit the footage together. In addition, I also learnt how to fade music in or out of the footage, mainly to create effect or make when the music stops less sharp and abrupt, as it does not look or sound very professional. Another skill and technique I learnt is how to add titles or end credits into the project. This gives the project a more professional feel and also informs the audience of the name of the piece and who created it.
What is continuity editing?
Continuity editing occurs in the post-production process of filmmaking. When all of the footage has been shot, you need to ensure that the scenes/ shots have a coherence. An example of bad continuity editing would be a long shot of a character walking to a door and turning the handle, and then the next shot shows an extreme close up of the character once again turning the door handle. This looks like the character has opened the door twice. The purpose of continuity editing is to smooth over the discontinuity of the editing process and to establish a logical coherence between shots.
What do the following terms mean; a) match on action, and b) shot / reverse shot
Match on action is a simple but necessary technique, where the perspective of the camera changes during a scene and the scene continues to flow. Shot/ reverse shot is a film technique where once charcter is shown looking at another character and then the other character is show looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.
Analyse your preliminary task as a piece of continuity editing. What are its strengths and what are its weaknesses. You may find it useful to include targetted screen shots (cmd+shift+4)to illustrate the points that you make.
As this task was our first attempt at any kind of filming, editing, creating a storyboard etc, the overall finish was not perfect. However, as a first attempt, I am very happy with the outcome of our preliminary task. One of the film's main strengths was the continuity; each shot flowed smoothly from one to the other, and there was no movement being repeated twice in two consecutive shots. Also, the over the shoulder shots were positioned suitably, as demonstrated in this screen shot: 

One of the preliminary task's weaknesses was the tracking shot of Jake's feet. The camera was shaky, so was therefore quite distracting to watch and it looked unprofessional. In future if we want to use a tracking shot, we should check the standard of the shot before taking it to editing or learn a more effective way to shoot it.

Completed Preliminary Task

My First Edit

During the test edit, I acquired many skills which will be useful to me in the preliminary task. I learnt how to include music and sound effects into the short video. This will aid me in the preliminary task as I have learnt how to use them for effect on the audience, as well as add emotion or mood to the video. I did not use it, but I noticed there are sound effects that can be used as foley; this is the reproduction of everyday sound effects which are used in post-production to enhance the quality of audio for films, television and more. For example, when Harrison is walking down the corridor, I could have used the footsteps sound effects to enhance the audio quality. I can incorporate this skills into my preliminary task.

From the test edit, I also know how to capture better quality footage, so the raw material I have to work with will be of a better standard. It has given me an insight into what shots translate well on screen, as well as lighting and the staging of props and locations. Also, if the camerawork is shaky or unsatisfactory, that will effect how the final version looks; I have to be cautious of this during the preliminary task.

I also know now how to cut footage; this means I can remove any unwanted footage and make each scene move swiftly to another without making continuity mistakes or the transition from one camera angle to another not looking smooth. I also need to be aware of my surroundings, such as making sure the camera is not visible in any reflections in glass or mirrors. This will help me in my preliminary task as well as other tasks as I can think through shots before I shoot them and be aware of my surroundings.

Transitions may also be helpful to me in my media task as they can communicate key ideas, messages and feelings to the audience. For example, a fade to black transition can be used for dramatic effect and can help signify a change in narrative. From the test edit, I also know that I should take multiple shots of each scene, so I have a wider range of choices to edit together, and I can choose the one appropriate for the task.