First Cut

First cut- Baron Samedi



This is the first cut of our Film Opening. So far, we have included basic edits, and very basic titles. Upon reviewing our first cut, we decided that our opening sequence looks a little bit like a trailer. In order to improve this, and make it obvious that it is an opening sequence, and not a trailer we will go on to add music, record a voice over with some narration to introduce the film and also continue developing our titles further.
 We plan on re-creating the titles in Adobe After Effects to allow us to add animation to the text, such as a fade. We then want to layer our titles on top of our footage rather than cutting in to black. This will help our opening look a more like an opening sequence rather than a trailer. 

Update- Editing progression.

Once we had filmed all our shots, we imported our footage into Premiere pro and we are now, currently in the process of editing.

We started editing by dragging our shots into our intended order, and then cutting them down to the length we wanted them. We then added basic titles in between our shots.

Title research

These are images of the titles from the opening sequence of the film Se7en. I personally like the way this title has been presented because I believe that the overlaid, handwritten style adds emphasis on the 'horror' aspect of the film and is perhaps even symbolic to the rough, gritty nature of the film. I believe that the way they have layered the titles over certain shots gives emphasis on the 'horror' aspect of this film because it portrays insanity, and gives the sequence quite a disturbing feeling to it. This gives the audience a sense of suspense and curiosity throughout the opening sequence, using the titles alone. It leaves their mind to wonder what disturbing experience they will be in for. The idea of portraying the nature of the film within the titles has influenced me. I will take on board the way they have portrayed a dark, and disturbed feeling with their font choices when I begin to create my own titles.

These are images of the titles in the opening sequence of the film The Conjuring. I like the way they titles have been merged with the shot that is being shown on the screen, for example, they use newspaper articles to include titles such as who the film was written by. I feel as though this gives the opening sequence a more realistic feel, The shots they have decided to layer the titles upon are all based upon photographs and newspaper articles. I think this is a clever way of introducing the film throughout the title sequence. Although I am fond of how they have used their opening sequence and title sequence together, I don't personally like the font they have used for their titles. I think that the font is very simple, and gives no emotion therefore draws away from the emphasis on the horror, and chaotic aspect of the film. I am inspired by their use of incorporating titles with shots, and I hope to experiment with this technique.

representation in horror inc characters in my film

What is representation?

Representation is the description/portrayal of someone/something in a particular way. Everything on the TV is represented by the media - it is also the meaning attached to the stereotyping represented for the audience. The media can change a stereotypes reputation over time - the media also exaggerate on certain stereotypes. 
Representation is forced through the media in three different ways:

• Audience Position

• Audience Interaction/Propaganda

• Cultural Ideology

The main use of representation is through stereotypes. A Stereotype is a portrayal of people or places through a few obvious characteristics. 

Representation of characters in Horror films:

Characters in horror film are usually represented based upon gender.

Women:

Traditionally- women are represented as the damsel in distress. They are attacked by the killer because they have been represented as 'weak' and 'delicate.' This however, has chanced somewhat over time. It first started out when women had less rights and men were seen as the dominant ones. With the rise of feminism, and changes in society, such as women receiving equal rights, these representations have been getting altered. An example of this would be in the film 'Scream' when one of the female characters outsmarts the killer. This shows that following the changes in society, people are moving away from the traditional representations, and moving with the times to create up to date representations. Women are now seen as being able to outsmart the killer and solve mysteries in present day films.

Men:

Traditionally- Men are represented as being strong, and heroic. They are usually the ones to save the 'damsel in distress' In contrast to this, they are also represented as the killer or the 'bad guy' This is usually a representation of their strength, and power. Although, once again following the movement of feminism- women are now beginning to be represented and being equal to men. Some films have done a gender reversal, having a woman as the killer, and having men seen as the weak targets for the killer. This is evident in the film 'Jennifer's Body' when the character of 'Jennifer' is possessed and turned into an evil monster that hunts down, then seduces men, and kills them. 

General stereotypes:

Stereotypes are used lots within horror films. They tend to differ from role to role, however most horror films tend to follow very similar stereotypes. Here are a few examples of common stereotypes used within horror films:

• A hero trying to conquer evil, and save the group at the same time.

This is a helpful stereotype because it gives people someone to look up to as a role model, a figure to relate to, or someone to lust after. 

•   A hysterical character (typically a woman) too scared to move

This is a helpful stereotype as it often provokes a response of empathy, as people relate it to their hysterical tendencies, however, this stereotype is becoming more of a problem following the feminist movement as it portrays woman as being weak, and dominated by men.

• Young attractive character (usually young, blonde female)  

This can be a helpful stereotype as it makes the film more appealing to a wider male audience, however it is becoming an ever increasing problem both following the feminist movement that say that films are displaying women as 'objects' and to the public eye, as it portrays that women past a certain age, weight, or as simple as having a different hair colour are not 'attractive' to men. 

• A cocky non-believer/doubter (typically male)

This is a helpful stereotype because it gives the audience someone that will reassure them and give them a voice of reason. Although, when this character dies/gets killed it gives them the feeling that all security has gone. This stereotype is very good for keeping the audience on their feet.





Our film will use all the aspects of representation we need to tell the audience what type of characters are in the film. We will try to stick to the conventions of the Horror Genre as close as we can so that the audience can tell it is the right genre of film, for example our main character, Baron Samedi follows the common stereotype of a male killer. 

Risk Assessment

What is a risk assessment?

A risk assessment is a procedure that is enforced by the law, it is an operation where a company for a film will have to go to the area that they shooting the film beforehand and look around the area for any hazards or dangers that could possibly occur whilst shooting the film. If this is not done and someone is injured then this can be taken to court and it can cost the company and considerable amount of money to pay of the charges accused against them.

When is a risk assessment used?

A risk assessment is used by governing bodies at by the company who will tell the film producers before they film to go and check the scene for any risks however if this is not implemented by the producer and the risk assessment is no complete then he or she themselves will be sued and charged for the hazards that have happened.

Who is a risk assessment used by?

The producer is the main person to use a risk assessment in terms of film making. This is because they are the ones who actually  They use it to analyse the risks that may occur within the filming of the film.

Why do we use risk assessments?

It is very important to carry out a risk assessment before filming your shots. Filming is a job and the set of a scene can be called a workplace.This means that The Health and Safety At Work Act (1974) is applicable to all crew and cast involved in the film. The act states that all employers or responsible persons on the workplace must carry out a detailed risk assessment to assess the hazards and risk of the hazard harming any person on that workplace in open hours. This makes it a criminal offence and against the law to not carry out a risk assessment. If a risk assessment is not carried out before going onto to set, if an accident happened to any one on set then you would be liable. This means it would not be the company’s fault and all the responsibility would be put on the management of the set.

Our Risk assessment for our film: 

Hazard / Risk	Action
Broken or uneven pavement could lead to a risk of tripping up. This area will be in use frequently and all crew and cast are at risk.	Highlight the Hazard – Use a cone to highlight the broken/uneven areas. If area becomes more defected barrier off the area, and make land owners aware of the need for maintenance.
Wet, fallen Leaves on the ground cause lead to a risk of slipping over. The area will be in frequent use and all crew and cast are at risk.	Ensure leaves are swept back, out of the way prior to filming and maintained frequently. Cutting back, or removal of trees is not an option
Bad weather such as strong winds, and rain could lead to a risk of injury. All crew and cast are at risk.	Check weather forecast regularly prior to filming. Ensure disposable rain ponchos are at hand in case of rain. If weather is too bad i.e. strong wind, hail, thunder and lightning postpone filming.

These risks and hazards could happen during any point during filming as all locations we will be filming in are outdoors, and have a brick pathway that could have broken/uneven areas.

production schedule

We created a production schedule to stay organised and enable us to stay on track with the progress of the production of our opening sequence. We started our production with planning, and tried to ensure we began our filming early, so we had time to adjust if anything went wrong. 

	Date	Task
	14/10/2014	Create storyboard
	16/10/2014	Create Script
	21/10/2014	Produce recce and risk assessment
	23/10/2014	Ensure all tasks are up to date
	31/10/2014	Film all of our shots
	04/11/2014	Produce company Logo and titles for our opening
	11/11/2014	Begin editing our shots and add logo and titles
	13/11/2014	Layer music onto title sequence
	18/11/2014	Review our opening sequence so far and improve as needed

filming schedule

Filming Schedule – Baron Samedi

Filming date: 

 31^st October 2013

Meeting time: 

8.30am

Address for cast and crew to meet at: 

Tamworth Library, Corporation St, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 7DN

List of crew and cast contacts: 

• Brandon C 
• Chelsea M
• Isabel A
• Katie A
• Camera - Zoe Craddock
• Director - Georgia Stacey

Props:

MUA, tea light candles x5, Taper Candles x3,  Fake blood, Voodoo Dolls x2, Paper Book, knife, red food colouring

Equipment: 

NIKON D3100 camera, NIKKOR 18-55mm lens, Tripod. 

Time	Location	Scene	Shots needed	Cast/props etc
9.00am	Grave yard	Shot 1: Baron Samedi’s face, still but blinking	Medium close up of Baron Samedi’s face.	Baron Samedi  with make-up  complete
09.30am	Grave Yard	Shot 4- Blinking eye	Extreme close up of Baron Samedi’s eye blinking.	Baron Samedi.
10.00am	Grave yard	Shot 7 – Baron Samedi’s face	Close up of Baron Samedi’s face, continue to zoom into  extreme close up of eye	Baron Samedi  with complete  make-up
10.30am	Grave yard	Shot 8- Ritual	Long shot of Baron Samedi performing a ritual	Baron Samedi, Tea light and taper candles, Voodoo dolls, paper book
11.00am	Grave yard	Shot 9- Ritual	Medium shot of baron samedi performing a ritual	Baron Samedi,  Tea light and  taper candles,  Voodoo dolls,  paper book
11.30am	Graveyard	Shot 10- Ritual	Medium Close up of ritual, focusing on candles and book	Baron Samedi,  Tea light and  taper candles,  Voodoo dolls,  paper book
12.00pm	Tamworth College	Shot 3- Establishing shot	Establishing shot of the college	N/A
12.15pm	Tamworth College	Shot 2- college friends walking out of	Long shot of college friends walking out of college	Brandon C   Chelsea M  Isabel A  Katie A
1.00pm	Alley Way (Bolebridge mews)	Shot 11-  Walking through alley way	Long shot of college friends, and cut aways when each person speaks.	Brandon C   Chelsea M  Isabel A  Katie A
2.00pm	House- Bathroom	Shot 5 - Knife	Close up on blood dripping down a knife	Knife, Fake blood
2.30pm	House- Bathroom	Shot 6- Blood bath	Long shot of person in a bath full of blood, splatting hand prints up wall	Anonymous girl,  Fake blood, red  food colouring

recce

We searched our local town centre for an area to film our Samedi ritual. We found a small area behind the local library which had old, unused cemetery. It also had a small tucked away area which we could film in, without being a disruption to the public. We felt that this are would be perfect for our opening scene because it gives an insight on the fact he is the Loa of the dead. 

We then took a walk down to an alley way, where a little 'new age' and Pagan store called 'Enchantica' is situated and took a photograph. This photo will help us to get an idea of filming in, and around the alley leading to the store which the college students will visit

casting

We originally was going to have four actors/actresses. Our plan was to have them walking down to the college, and one also is a cross cutting sequence playing the role of the Baron.  Due personal issues we were unable to do this, and had to adjust our opening sequence to allow for only one actor/actress. 

Our original cast:
Playing the role of college students -

• Katie A
• Isabel A
• Chelsea M
• Brandon C

Playing the role of Baron Samedi -

• Isabel

As mentioned above, due to personal issues, we had to re-plan our sequence and then changed how we were going to film in order to allow for the fact we were unable to use our original cast, leaving us with only one actor/actress. We researched the opening sequences to a number of horror films, so that we could find an influence, and then decided to film it in the style of the film Se7en. We worked together to overcome our castings issues and decided that my partner, Georgia would play the role of Baron Samedi because we had such a short time limit to get the filming complete. It also allowed us to discuss the shots we wanted to include further throughout the filming process and ensure we got the outcome we wanted.   

Updated cast:

• Georgia Stacey - as Baron Samedi

role allocation

In order to decide what roles to take on we researched into different roles

We have researched their job roles and what they involve.

•       A Film director is the person who directs of the making of the film. They give direction to both the cast, and crew.

• A Film producer is the person who prepares and supervises the whole project from different conceptions to the conclusion of the film. They have the final say on any changes made to sounds and music, and when scenes have to be cut.
  
  
• The film editor is the person who will edit, chop and change the different shots that have been filmed so that they achieve the best outcome they can. They will be approached by the film director to ensure that it looks good and the way that they had envisioned.

•         The camera person/guy is the person that controls the camera and films the different scenes throughout the filming process. 

•        The sound person will be the person that puts the different sound effects, and music together.

•        The actor/actress is the person portraying the character in the film. They are directed by the director and is told what they have got to do in the film.

•       The researcher searches for all the background information needed and then presents it to other people.

After this research we decided these would be our role allocations.

• Producer - Georgia Stacey & Zoe Craddock  
• Director - Georgia Stacey & Zoe Craddock
• Researcher - Zoe Craddock. I took this role as I was the one that found the legend.
• Camera - Zoe Craddock
• Sound - Georgia Stacey & Zoe Craddock
• Editor - Georgia Stacey 
• Writer - Georgia Stacey & Zoe Craddock
• Music - Machine Head 

storyboard

This was our original storyboard, however it is not what we ended up filming. We planned on filming and set a date but my partner had personal problems and had to push the date back. I decided to try to film some of our original footage however, by the time I had managed to arrange the things I needed it was evening and the sun had gone it. I managed to get some footage but it was too dark to use. Me and my partner then set up another storyboard based upon the film SE7EN - we based a storyboard upon the opening scene which includes a lot of close up scenes.

This is the storyboard we later developed: 

script

Script:

Narrator: Baron Samedi, Lord of the cemetery
Narrator: His colour is black
Narrator: Who is Baron and how do i find him?

Storyline

The story line we have decided create is based around ancient legends - we chose a legend called Baron Samedi. It is a legend based around Haitian vodou. The legend states that he is a selfish spirit, he chases after mortal women and it is said that he often is depicted to have a 'fondness' for tobacco and carries a bottle of rum on him. He likes to disrupt events or other souls, and obscenity, he is known to make filthy jokes to the other spirits and use offensive language - but his main job is to carry the recently deceased to the other side.
We thought that we should reverse this role and decided that rather than assisting the deceased, he would take spirits from the bodies of four college students in a ritual connected to an ancient Haitian vodou book.

 The opening starts off with Baron Samedi in the middle of a ritual and then we are shown the college students walking down from the college, laughing and joking. They have a Halloween party later in the evening to attend and decide to buy an Ouija board. They know of a small shop called Enchantica, which is tucked down a small Alley in the town they live in. The shop is known for selling 'new age' religion stock, and having connections with the spirit world. They then walk to Enchantica on the search for the Ouija board, and find that the store does not stock any. The have a look around and spot a spooky looking book on a shelf. They decide that it would be great to take to the party and they leave with a book of ancient rituals instead. They take it to the party, thinking it would be a good laugh to spook their friends. They all get really drunk and decide to start a ritual from the book as joke. However, In the spirit realm Samedi is carrying out the same ritual. The energy created between the rituals combine, making Samedi aware of the student's presence - Baron Samedi then decides torment the students, disrupting the party before luring them away one by one and killing them. Unfortunately for Samedi,the other spirits from the spirit realm decide that they are fed up of his evil ways and intervene. They use the students untouched spirits to trap Samedi into the ritual book, until the day he is complete again. 

mind maps

Inspiration:

• Land of the Dolls- Legend
• The Happening
• Night of the Living Dead
• World War Z
• The Crazies
• Baron Samedi- Haiti Legend
• Puffer-fish poison- Legend
• 2 Hours
• Pulse
• Se7en
• Singularity
• Zone 261
• Dead Space

Story line Ideas:

• Land of the dolls- A child drowns on a remote island. Person finds body, few days later doll floats down the stream. Same person picks up doll, and hangs it on a tree. Child's spirit possesses the doll. 
• Zombie slave- After a zombie apocalypse, scientists find a way of enslaving, and training zombies. Collar controlling them glitches one day, causing a break out of evil zombies. 
• Zombie child- Anti-Christ like figure, looks like innocent child. Sits and cries as if lost, when people come to help, bites them causing mass zombie break out.
• Science experiment- In a bid to find a cure for sickness, scientists accidentally create a zombie. Zombie escapes leading to zombie break out. 
• Mobile Radiation- Radiation/signal from mobile phones causes everybody talking on mobile phones to turn into zombies leading to a fight for survival.
• Pet Zombie- Owner keeps zombie locked away in a basement as a pet. Owner kills people, and animals to feed zombie and keep it at bay. Owner dies, when new couple move into house, Zombie escapes causing mass zombie apocalypse.
• Virus- Virus spreads throughout town, everyone infected turns into a zombie leading to zombie apocalypse.
• Radiation- Chemical leak gets into towns water supply, everybody that drinks contaminated water turns into a zombie, causing mass zombie outbreak and a fight for survival.
• Cult- Group try to bring somebody back from the dead, but the ritual goes wrong and turns them into zombies.
• Vodou- Teenagers find out about an ancient legend, but think it's a joke. They mess around with ancient rituals and summon the LOA of death. LOA of death becomes angry, and turns teenagers into zombies.

Locations:

• Attic
• Industrial Estate
• Service Station
• Birmingham Zombie Walk
• Church
• Graveyard
• Moat House
• Whittington Barracks 
• Science Laboratory
• Tamworth Castle
• Tamworth Zombie Apocalypse Event
• Fields
• Canal 
• House/average home
• Alley ways

SFX and Props:

• Candles
• Alter
• Black Cape
• Old, yellowed book.
• Wrapped herbs
• Incense sticks
• China dolls
• Baby dolls
• White mesh contact lenses
• Make-up Artist: Lauren Blakely MUA 
• Bible
• Rosemary Beads
• Vodou doll
• Ouija board