All - Acts of Repulsion Final Cut

The following is the opening sequence of a new horror film, Acts of Repulsion. Produced and Directed by Oliver Preston and myself.

Evaluation - Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Evaluation - Question 2

 How does your media product represent particular social groups?

.

Evaluation - Question 3

Evaluation: Question 3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Evaluation - Question 4

 Who would be the audience for your media product?

We consider that the BBCF Certificate would be an 18 because although the opening contains no violence and the killing is off screen there will be violence later on in the film. We have targeted ‘Acts of Repulsion’ for 18 to 24 year-olds although there will be a secondary audience from the slasher genre fans. We also think that ethnicity is not relevant to our plot and the film would appeal to a mixed audience. This is because we have tried avoiding a specific socio economic group by using teenagers as our cast. We believe late teens would empathise with the cast. As well as this we assume a higher percentage of males would form the audience. We have taken inspiration from Hostel (Eli Roth, 2005), Friday the 13^th (Marcus Nisthul, 2008) and Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978) and feel that the film would appeal to their audiences. Using stereotypes people associate with Britain, we have tried to attract more British fans towards the Slasher genre. These include: teenagers being rebellious and always causing trouble. Another way we are trying to attract a British audience is by using a British cast. Our target audience is also well represented in the feedback we have received.

Evaluation - Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

 

We have used blogs to attract an audience to the film. We both our personal blogs and also made a blog for specifically for ‘Acts of Repulsion’. As well as these we have both uploaded our pitches, rough cuts and final cut to YouTube and Facebook. This allows people from all over the world to post feedback on our videos as well as friends and family. Discussing the feedback together enabled us to respond to it and if we both think it is appropriate include it into our work. An example of this was the decision to change the internal location to produce wider variations in shots.

We have also tried to engage the audience by including a narrative enigma of the identity of the killer, - this is not revealed in our opening and would not be revealed until the end of the film therefore keeping the audiences attention. Another technique we have used is to include a false scare at the beginning of the film to frighten the audience. We built up tension and suspense by adding music that suits the sequence. As an indie film company with limited recourses we have used a local cast but to reduce the effect of West Yorkshire we have tried to avoid using slang or colloquialisms.

We have tried to attract audiences from the Halloween, Hostel and Friday the 13th franchises by using these to influence our ideas. We have added in an intertexual reference with the only victim in the opening scene by calling him Jason – a direct reference to Friday the 13th. We aimed to access a secondary audience by placing the film in the horror/slasher genre therefore attracting fans of those genres.

Evaluation - Question 6

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

The technologies that I have learnt from this process are how to create, set up and use a blog for coursework and general use. It has allowed me to inform people on what we have produced as well as seeing what our classmates have produced. The comment space on the blog has also been useful because I have been able to retrieve feedback on my work. This is the first time I have ever used a website like this and I have found it useful for publishing coursework on.



The Internet Movie Database logo

Another helpful technology was the internet. This helped because I could find out about new feature films released or in development on the website internet movie database (imdb). The Guardian website has been useful for research as well because every Friday it has a section on media.

As well as this, I have also uploaded videos onto YouTube, again a thing I have never done. I have found this useful to receive feedback from people across the world as well as to link it onto Facebook to gain feedback from friends. By receiving feedback we have been able to and incorporate it into the product to produce a better quality product. As well as using YouTube and Facebook to publish work on the internet I have also use sites such as Scridb and Divshare. I have found these two websites incredibly useful. Scridb has been useful because it allows Microsoft Word documents to be uploaded to blogs. Divshare has enabled me to upload the podcasts.

LiveType Logo

iMovie Logo

By doing this coursework mainly on Macintosh Computers I have been able to use programs I have never been able to use on a PC. By using the Macs I have been able to use programs including iMovie and LiveType. We used iMovie for uploading and editing our media project and improve it after receiving feedback. We used LiveType for creating the idents.

Another program I have used for the first time is Sony Vegas Movie Studio. I have been using this at home when I have not had access to the Macs. I used the program for editing the first two evaluation questions as well as editing a few clips that I personally recorded for the project including a lighting test and the walking cemetery scene (below).

I have used two camcorders to film the project which use different technologies. A Canon mini dv camcorder using tapes was used for the internal shots. A Sony Handycam DCR-SR32 Hard Disc Drive Camcorder was used for the external footage. Using the Sony and filming handheld on autofocus produced the blurring/focusing effect which was more atmospheric than filming with a tripod and using zoom for the cemetery scenes.

Evaluation - Question 7

Looking back at your Preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the Progression from it to the full product?

Prelim:

Coursework Product:

Looking back to the preliminary task I now know that researching the genre for the film being produced is a vital element. In the preliminary exercise we were not able to do this as we were dropped straight into the exercise. However I was able to do this in my coursework. Studying classic horror franchises including Halloween, Hostel and Friday the 13th allowed me to take inspiration from them.

For the location in the prelim we were given a selection of rooms from which to choose from. However with the coursework I was able to contract a local estate agent and obtain permission to use a house was appropriate for the story of our film (pictured left). Although after feedback we changed the location of the inside shots we kept the outside location as our first choice. By doing this we not only maintained the atmosphere of the location but were also able to gain a wider range of variations in shot variety.

With Acts of Repulsion we have been able to gain and use feedback more effectively than compared to Overdue (the preliminary exercise). There are many reasons for this. Uploading videos to Youtube and Facebook has been useful because it enabled wider feedback. The longer deadline has enabled us to create a wider range of rough cuts which each one has received feedback for and we have developed the project as a result of this.Time management has been a key aspect for the full product. With the preliminary exercise we were given one lesson to write the script as well as film the entire product. However with the coursework I have learnt from the problems we have experienced with casting – availability, illness, poor communication – the importance of planning and the need to build into the plans some spare time for catching up.

With props, costume, set-dressing and Mise-en-scene for the prelim task we had to use the clothes we were wearing and had to use make shift props out of items we had with use or that were in the room. With Mise-en-scene it was hard as well because we were only given a selection of rooms which we could choose from. However with Acts of Repulsion we were able to use a wider selection of props which were part of the footage and experiment with different ideas. For example our initial idea was to show the killer masked holding an axe at the end of the film (pictured right). But feedback was negative and we rejected the idea. With the costumes we were able to tell the cast what clothes we would like them to wear. For the location we were able to decide where it was and what the set looked like.

Having a wide range of shot variation is crucial to keep the audience engaged in the film. With the prelim task it was difficult to do and there were not enough variation. Also the shots went on for too long. However with the finished Acts of Repulsion there is a greater variation in shots as well as angles. With the first Acts of Repulsion rough cut most of the shots were taken from similar angles and tended to be too long. Over the two months spent filming my shot technique has developed.

All - Acts of Repulsion Rough Cut 5

All - Vodcast: What We Are Going To Do

All - Vodcast : Feedback Received

All - Fourth Rough Cut Feedback

• Second ident – audio and image need to fade out,
• First shot turn down audio,
• Re-record sound/re-shoot in places where there is added noise,
• Trim shots that repeat,
• Need to include high angled, Dutch angled, close up and medium close up shots,
• Needs a transition when Lucy wakes up and finds Jason has gone,
• Fade in when cast members are entering the house,
• Cut to entering of the house after a close-up of someone turning the handle,
• Prevent shots that include scenery or houses in the background,
• Include close-ups of light switches being turned on,
• Low angles so person blocks out what is behind,
• See feet walking along instead of people,
• Add a shot of someone closing the door (entrance to the house)
• At start try not to show people,
• Over the shoulder of Liam or point of view from Liam whilst entering the living room,
• Small cut when Lucy closes the door,
• Play around with colourings,
• Scraping or shadow by the window,
• Can’t go from false scare to people asleep – needs a transition,
• Add point of view shots from Peter whilst entering the house and rooms whilst being scared,
• Low angle of Patrick walking – needs big boots on not socks,
• When reaching down towards Liam have a shot of hands reaching for the camera,
• More of a struggle between Liam and Patrick, before being dragged off. Continued whilst being dragged away. As well as a shot of the sleeping bag being kicked around etc,
• Decrease volume at appropriate stages of the film,
• Cut between Lucy sleeping and Liam being dragged off,
• Pete needs to leave a bedroom door open,
• Shoot the scene where Lucy and Pete find the body outside – will be able to use fake blood.

All - Acts of Repulsion Rough Cut 4

All - Meeting The Crew & Cast

Crew:

Name: Richard McLachlan

Role: Cameraman, Editor, Director, Producer
Favourite Film: Italian Job

Favourite TV show: Outnumbered

Currently Studying: Business, Maths, Media, Physics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name: Oli Preston 

Role: Cameraman, Editor, Director, Producer

Favourite Film: Shaun of the Dead

Favourite TV show: South Park

Currently Studying: Media, P.E and Product Design

Cast:

Name: Liam Chuah

Role: Jason (also known as Boy 1 - Victim)

Favourite Film: Scott Pilgrim VS the World

Favourite TV show: Family Guy

Currently Studying: BTEC Media Level 3 and A-Level Film Studies

Name: Peter Linnegan

Role: Boy 2

Favourite Film: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Favourite TV show: Big Bang Theory
Currently Studying: Pyhsics, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths

Name: Lucy Simpson

Role: Lucy (also known as Girl 2 - Scream Queen)
Favourite Film: Shaun of the deadFavourite TV show: MisfitsCurrently Studying: Physics, Biology, English Lit/Lang, ICT and Science In Society

Name: Patrick Godden

Role: The Killer
Favourite Film: The Butterfly Effect

Favourite TV show: Sarah Connor ChroniclesCurrently Studying: Economics, Government and Politics and Business

RM - Recent/Upcoming Horror Films

Heartless Gross:

   UK: £1,309

   US: £2, 033

Piranha 3D Gross:

   UK: £4.5 million

   US: 25 million

Paranormal Activity Gross:

   UK: £9.6 million

   US: $107.9 million

Paranormal Activity 2 Gross:

   UK: £10.9 million

   US: $84.7 million

RM - Vodcast: Feedback

RM - Vodcast: Deconstruction

All - Acts of Repulsion Rough Cut 3 Feedback

RM - Acts of Repulsion Blog

Here is the Acts of Repulsion blog.

This will be updated in the near future.

RM - How Filming Went -13th February

Filming Date: 13th February.

How did the shoot for this go?
This time we decided to film inside Richard’s house. This meant that we had a larger time frame to shoot in. We also had greater control over timing and could shoot at a time which would be reflected in the film. This was a disadvantage of the first filming of our production, filmed on the 22nd January where availability of the location was limited.

What lessons did you learn from this?
One lesson I’ve learnt is that you have to expect the unexpected. In the future instead of getting the minimum number of cast it would be better to try and seek out more, probably with at least 1 more person who would be able to fill in at short notice in case one of the actors/actresses have to pull out. If this can’t be done, for whatever reason, make the script and storyboard capable for these changes.

Make any changes to idea/storyboard/cast/roles/production schedule etc?
From the previous idea we moved production from an empty house into a house that is currently occupied. This allowed us to have a larger timeframe for shooting which in turn meant we could shoot at which would reflect the time in the film. We also changed the script because with the original idea we thought it was too “cheesy” - we found people thought it was more of a comedy rather than a slasher film.

We also changed the entire cast with exception to the killer. There were several reasons for this -one of the original cast was busy, others realised they didn’t like acting or feedback received. Although we had the full cast two hours before the start of the shooting one of the cast had to pull out because she sprained her ankle. Therefore we had to remove the role from production because; due to short notice we couldn’t find anyone available.

What do you intend to add/change/re-do now?
We intend to use the feedback we have received to improve it and explain what we have received and done to the film in either a podcast or vodcast.

What works and what doesn't?
By moving the film location, again, we were able to gain a greater variation of shots compared to. However due to the changes in dialogue the original establishing shot was no longer suitable. In the latest version the cast were more professional. We feel that the false scare is well executed and the new sound effects add to the atmosphere

What audience feedback have you received, and what influence has this had?
The audience feedback we have obtained so far is that:
• some of the shots are too long,
• apply a soundtrack,
• false scare too short,
• add fake blood,
• a few continuity errors,
• extra dialogue and laughing.

With this in mind we have edited our project by cutting the shots suggested in the feedback as well as shots we feel are too long. We have also edited out the continuity errors and the extra dialogue and laughing. For the soundtrack we have added sound effects to the idents as well as the film production in certain places. However we chose not to use a fake blood effect because the house is occupied and we didn’t want to damage the furnishings.

All - Treatment Finalised

OliRic Treatment Acts of Repulsion Final

All - Acts of Repulsion Rough Cut 2 (After Feedback)

Here is the second rough cut of Oli and mine AS Coursework task titled 'Acts of Repulsion', we have both uploaded the footage onto facebook to get feedback on how we could improve it. We have now added a soundtrack.

The reflects feedback received on Wednesday 16th February.



We will upload this onto facebook again to receive more feedback on how we could improve it.

Click here to view feedback for this rough cut.

All - Acts of Repulsion Second Rough Cut Feedback

All - Acts of Repulsion Second Rough Cut

Here is the second rough cut of Oli and mine AS Coursework task titled 'Acts of Repulsion', we have both uploaded the footage onto facebook to get feedback on how we could improve it. We have yet to add a soundtrack. We are hoping to get this done within the next week.





Click here to view feedback for this rough cut.

All - Script Updated

Due to unforeseeable events one of our cast members had to pull out because she sprained her ankle. As this happened two hours before filming and we have till the end of this week to finish our coursework, we had to change the script taking out any parts of her character.

These changes included:

• When Boy 1 and Girl 2 leave the room, Boy 2 and Girl 2 start talking. This is where Boy 2 tries to show to Girl 2 that he isn't scared but she (Girl 2) doesn't care.
• Another part of the required changes of the script is where Girl 2 trying to comfort Girl 1, by saying "It'll be alright you don't know its him", however we changed this to Girl 1 screaming Jason.

Here is the updated script:

Script - Updated

All - Acts of Repulsion Script

Acts of Repulsion Script

All - Acts of Repulsion Filming Date

After receiving feedback after our first rough cut we decided to re-film on Thursday 10th February. However due to most of the cast pulling out at the last minute, we have moved the date of filming to Sunday 13th February.

All - Podcast 3: Feedback Received

The podcast is about the feedback we received for our: distribution ident ($lash Films), the production ident (OliRic) and the opening to our feature film (Acts of Repulsion).

RM - How Filming Went - 22nd January

How did the shoot for this go?

Considering it was January and we had to film in the day (although the film was set at night otherwise the production of the film and filming wouldn’t of worked). We fell that the shoot went well.

What lessons did you learn from this?

One of the main lessons I’ve learnt from this is that whilst it is important to plan in great detail it is also to be flexible to overcome unforeseen problems or challenges. Casting is also extremely important and attention needs to be paid to the strengths and weaknesses of the cast.

Make any changes to idea/storyboard/cast/roles/production schedule etc?

We had to develop the original idea. One reason was due to the month being January. For example our original idea was to set the film in a camp site in the local woods but because of the time of year, January, we moved the location to a deserted house, that a local estate agent gave us permission to use. We changed our storyboard to reflect this as well as creating a new idea by incorporating what we thought were the best parts of the original idea, if we didn’t manage to obtain the house.

What do you intend to add/change/re-do now?

We intend to gain as much feedback as possible and present it in either a podcast or vodcast. The feedback will enable us to improve the opening scene of the film. After receiving the feedback we decided we needed to do a re-shoot. However due short time scales and problems with the layout of the original house, it was decided to change the location. We will film in Richard’s house but this does mean that we will have to reshoot the whole sequence again.

What works and what doesn't?

In the original idea we intended to have a shot from inside of a tent looking at one of the sides with someone walking past in silhouette. However this did not work in the daylight which made it impossible to shoot. Moving the production of the film inside caused some problems. As time progressed the cast and crew started to get cold as well as some impatient on how long the filming was taking. For some of the shots we were unable to view the entire cast in the shot so we had to decide on the most important character. However we do feel that the false scare and the close-up of the victims face having a cloth put to his face and losing consciousness are well executed.

What audience feedback have you received, and what influence has this had?

The audience feedback we have managed to get so far is that

• some of the shots are too long,
• some are too obvious,
• there is some dialogue that needs to be taken out,
• there is sunlight in some shots and its meant to be the middle of the night,
• there isn’t any blood. 

This upcoming week we will discuss how we will be able to use this feedback to improve our project. There are some aspects of the film we will not be able to change. For example, although it is meant to be night, we will have to film in daylight as we do not have access to lighting equipment. Our experiences with the micro-drama filming taught us the difficulties of night time filming. Blood effects are difficult because both the original location and the new location are private property and we do not want to damage the furnishings. However as a result of feedback, we intend to use location of the original house in the cemetery and have recorded some footage. Our original rough cut was too long, 2mins 30secs but an advantage of refilming the whole sequence is that we will be able to incorporate the cemetery footage.

All - Acts of Repulsion Rough Cut 1 After Feedback

Here is the rough cut of Oli and mine AS Coursework task titled 'Acts of Repulsion', we have both uploaded the footage onto facebook to get feedback on how we could improve it. We have yet to a soundtrack. We are hoping to get this done within the next week. Our idents are included in this rough cut.

This reflects feedback we received on the Monday 31st January.

All - $lash Films Ident (After feedback)

Here is Oli Preston and Richard McLachlan's first company ident draft for our distribution company ($lash Films). This will be used in the opening 2 mins to our feature length film 'Acts of Repulsion'. We needed to create 2 idents, 1 for a distributor company and 1 for a production company. We had to come up with the two names ourselves and design the idents on LiveType for Mac. These will be played at the start of our film.

This video reflects feedback received on the 2nd February 2011.

RM - $lash Films Ident Feedback

RM - OliRic Ident Feedback

All - Acts of Repulsion Treatment

OliRic Treatment Acts of Repulsion

All - OliRic Ident

Here is Oli Preston and Richard McLachlan's first company ident draft for our production company (OliRic). This will be used in the opening 2 mins to our feature length film 'Acts of Repulsion'. We needed to create 2 idents, 1 for a distributor company and 1 for a production company. We had to come up with the two names ourselves and design the idents on LiveType for Mac. These will be played at the start of our film.




Click here to view feedback for this ident.

All - $lash Films Ident

Here is Oli Preston and Richard McLachlan's first company ident draft for our distribution company ($lash Films). This will be used in the opening 2 mins to our feature length film 'Acts of Repulsion'. We needed to create 2 idents, 1 for a distributor company and 1 for a production company. We had to come up with the two names ourselves and design the idents on LiveType for Mac. These will be played at the start of our film.



Click here to view feedback for this ident.

All - Acts of Repulsion Discussed Changes

• More extreme establishing shot
• Low angle through gate *sound of footsteps* - hand reaching for door. Dialogue: Shhhhh keep it down
• Adds narrative enigma
• Use a match on Action
• Use close-ups for when characters are talking (180 degree rule)
• Vary shot angles
• For Sound – use a boom-microphone, voice recorder or re-record dialogue in future
• Don’t pan or zoom with the camera
• Build on the haunted house image
• Use fade ins and outs to show time has passed – use a bottle full before fade out and in. After effect bottle empty
• Same with sleeping bags. Before effect sleeping bags are rolled up. After bags are rolled out
• Shot of outside – night – owl cooing?
• No violence on screen – isn’t as effective
• 4 people (2 male, 2 female)
  A couple consisting of a scream queen and her boy friend who is very masculine
  A final girl
  Another male

 

All - Acts of Repulsion Rough Cut Feedback

All - Acts of Repulsion Rough Cut

Here is the rough cut of Oli and mine AS Coursework task titled 'Acts of Repulsion', we have both uploaded the footage onto facebook to get feedback on how we could improve it. We have yet to add idents and a soundtrack. We are hoping to get this done within the next week.



Click here to view feedback for this rough cut.

All - Podcast 2: What we have done this week

RM - Audience

Due to the film being in the slasher genre and taking inspiration from the Hostel (Eli Roth, 2005) and Friday the 13^th (Marcus Nisthul, 2008). The audience that would enjoy this film most would be the 18 to late 20s age range and is targeted for both males and females. However we feel that the male gender would prefer to see and enjoy this film. Although the opening scene contains no blood and the killing is off camera the audiences does sees the victim being dragged down some stairs and an axe being swung at the camera it BBCF Certificate would be an 18.
    It can be argued that the ethnicity of the cast impacts on a productions success at the box office and that non-Caucasian actors should be included to widen a productions appeal. However there are examples of productions that do not apply to this rule for example The Lost Boys (Joel Schumacher, 1987). We consider that ethnicity is not relevant to our plot and would appeal to a mixed audience.
   With have tried to avoid targeting a specific socio economic group by having a cast centred on teenagers with little to identify their class background. Our aim is that teenagers in general empathise with the characters.
   With 'Acts of Repulsion' we are trying to target a British audience too the slasher genre, by using stereotypes that are associated with Britain. For example teenagers being rebellious and always causing trouble. We are also trying to attract a British audience to the genre by using a British cast.
   We feel that fans of the Friday the 13^th, Hostel and Halloween franchises would enjoy this film as we took inspiration from those franchises to produce the film. We also feel fans of the slasher genre would enjoy this film as it is part of that genre.

All - Script Draft

Script

RM - Deconstruction of Saw

Saw (James Wan, 2004)

Budget:$1,200,000
US Takings: $55,153,403
UK Takings: £6,645,485
Seven films in the franchise

No establishing shot just a shot of the main character underwater

Eerie music is played though out most of the opening scene
Saw appears – like it is underwater (fits in with the opening seconds of the film)
Shots used: Mainly close-ups for the main character (Adam) and medium shots for the other character (Lawrence). Shots are also limited due to the location, which is a large bathroom. Long shots are mainly used as point of views for the two characters.
Light: Darkened room – characters vulnerable, when lights are turned on characters are dazed for a few seconds.
Props used are: a pistol, a bullet, a cassette player, two cassettes, dead body, blood, toilet, two envelops with the characters names on, clock, key, bath, bath plug, black bin liner, two saws and two sets of chains and feet cuffs.
Narrative enigma of the voice on the two cassettes speaks in riddles to Adam on how to win the game but tells Lawrence exactly how to win the game – to kill Adam by 6 on the clock Alison and Diana will be killed – mental torture.
Always a sense of panic in the opening – doesn’t help with the two cassettes telling each other what their objective is with the other one listening to it at the same time.
At the end of the opening scene the screen turns green signify a flashback?
No deaths in the opening scene
15 mins 48 seconds

All - Call Sheet Draft

Call Sheet

All - Production Schedule

Film Date: 22nd January

All of the film will be shot on the day with most, if not all, of it will be filmed mid-morning (No specific time yet – we will be able to confirm it if the next few days)

Location: An empty property on Ashlands Road, Ilkley, West Yorkshire.
We have obtained permission from the owner and the estate agent to use the house for the production of our film.

Cast:
Friend 1 - Ben Braithwaite
Friend 2 - Kyle Meeson
Friend 3 – Josh Spence
Attacker – Patrick Godden

Crew:
Richard McLachlan and Oli Preston

Update: Filming started at 11am and went on till 1pm on Saturday 22nd January

All - Treatment

Treatment

All - Podcast 1: Oli and myself introducing ourselves

All - Company Idents

Production Company: Oli & Richard Films

Distributers: One Slasher Films
   After some discussion we thought that 'One Slasher Films' was quite catchy and would tie in with the genre.u

Update:
Production Company: 'OliRic'
   For the 'logo' a oil barrel would tip over, spilling out a liquid and spelling out 'OliRic'
Distributors: $lash Films
   For the 'logo' for $lash Films we thought that a weapon would go across the screen. The weapon we thought of using is a scythe with blood on spelling out $lash Films.

Update (2nd Feb):
Production Company: 'OliRic'

   We made the front look like Oli as much as possible, as it is a play on the words Oil Rig.

To see the ident draft click here.

Distributors: '$lash Films'

   We made slashes appear on screen over a red background with '$lash Films' appearing over the slashes in red (signifying blood).

To see ident draft click here.

RM - 'Acts of Repulsion' Location

The location for our film is an abandoned house which is currently for sale. We have got permission from the owners and estate agent to use the property for the production of the film.


The house is located between the cemetery and a local funeral director. The house was also built in the Victorian period as a lodge to the cemetery and is current empty. All these add to the effect. It is pictured below.

Update: Email from the estate agents confirming the use of the house.

Ian Briggs Dacres Email