My powerpoint evaluation

1. Film screenshots Josh Jackman

2. Shot 1 This is the establishing shot of the film. Voiceover of main character trying to call his wife to tell her he has a problem. Sets the trailer up. We recorded the voiceover straight onto the imovie 08 software. Setting: Back roads on the way to Wimblington – Isolated setting, snow covered fields with sun in background. Subject: Main characters car driving towards the camera. Long shot. Props: No real props needed, just the natural settings. Resources: Camera (fully charged), tripod, microphone.

3. Shot 2 Setting: Back roads to Wimblington, inside main characters car. Subject: Over the shoulder shot from the main characters perspective. Using handheld techniques. Resources: Camera (fully charged due to prolonged time without charging availability), microphone.

4. Shot 3 Setting: A meeting room at our school. Subject: Flashback scene in the dream setting of imovie 08. Shot reverse shots, using mid shots between a conversation of the lawyer and main character. Lawyer looking forceful and main character sad. Props: Paperwork around the room to add to the meeting room effect. Costume: Lawyer wearing suit for authority. Main character wearing same clothes as throughout for continuity. Resources: Camera (off main power), handheld, microphone.

5. Shot 4 Insert shot conventional to the genre. Accompanied by the sound effect of the door slamming, shows that danger is going to ensue. The last two are inserts from later in the film, showing the continuity between fonts, colours and backgrounds.

6. Shot 5 Setting: Old house now used as classrooms at our school Subject: Voyeuristic view of the main characters feet from a mid shot using handheld camera. Props: Dustsheets to make the house look like it’s being renovated. Costume: Main character wearing smart shoes, trousers, shirt, tie and coat showing his professional job. Resources: Camera (charged), microphone, off screen lighting from phone lights as they gave a wide scope to highlight the whole shot and create shadows for tense effect.

7. Shot 6 Setting: Same staircase as previous shot. Subject: Main character walking up stairs, with a high angle mid shot. Handheld camera. Props: Dustsheets as before with characters torch light. Costume: Same as before Resources: Same as last shot

8. Shot 7 Setting: A bathroom in the upstairs of the old house. Subject: Over the shoulder shot of the main character at the sink (conventional to genre), turning the taps off. Props: Torch Costume: As before Resources: Camera (charged), tripod, microphone, no off screen light needed for this shot.

9. Shot 8 Setting: Inside the main ‘Red Room’ of the house at school. Subject: An aerial shot of the book on the floor of the room which is out of place. The lighting highlights it and darkens the area around the room. Props: The book which has the pictures inside, acting as a Macguffin. Resources: Camera (charged and handheld), microphone .

10. Shot 9 Setting: Inside the ‘Red Room’. Subject: A wide angle mid shot using framing to capture the two main focuses of the shot, the main character and the static TV. Sound effects are also used to add tension. Props: Book, Newspaper on windows (for renovating effect and also to keep light out from outside), disconnected phone, static TV. Resources: Camera, Power source for TV, microphone, tripod.

11. Shot 10 All three shots are from a scene where the character discovers the pictures of him and his mother with his face scratched out, the reason for the prolonged scene is that this is conventional to build tension in our genre. Setting: ‘Red Room’ Subject: Mid shots of the main character from behind him to show his isolation. Props: Pictures, frame, torch, dustsheets, bookcase. Resources: Camera, tripod, microphone.

12. Shot 11 Setting: Outside the house on the school grounds, entrance to car park. Subject: Slow motion mid shot over the bonnet of the car using handheld camera. The main character is the focus, illuminated by the car lights. Props: Car Resources: Camera (charged), microphone.

13. Shot 12 Setting: Outside house on school grounds. Subject: A high angle shot of the carer, from the perspective of the main character, allowing audience empathy. Props: Car Costume: Carer wearing long black coat, trousers, shoes and hair tied back all done to make her look professional. Resources: Camera, microphone.

14. Shot 13 Setting: Inside the bathroom, (same as tap shot) of the house. Subject: A low angle mid shot of the main character using tripod, shot in the mirror, using this as a gateway to the supernatural world with the use of the hands. Props: Mirror Resources: Camera, tripod, microphone, the use of my own hands as the supernatural character.

15. Shot 14 This is the second part of a match on action shot used, which is conventional to action scenes in films. Setting: Stairs of the house. Subject: Low angle long shot of the main character jumping down the stairs, franticly trying to escape. Props: Dustsheets Resources: Camera, tripod, microphone.

16. Shot 15 Setting: Outside house, near car park. Subject: A tracking shot of the main character using handheld camera to build the dramatic effect. Resources: Camera, despite trying my best to keep a steady hand whilst running with the camera, we understand it is conventional to use a ‘dolly’ for tracking shots, however due to our limited budget, this wasn’t possible.

17. Shot 16 Setting: In trees near car park at school. Subject: Main character, making his way through bushes, mid shot using handheld, conventional to ‘Blair Witch Project’. Resources: Camera

18. Shot 17 Setting: Outside the front of the house building. Subject: Two shot Mid shot of the Carer, using framing to capture the main character talking to her. Due to the music played, the dialogue is muted which adds to the effect of isolation of the main character from the audience. Costume: This is a clearer shot of the carer’s clothing. Resources: Camera, microphone.

19. Shot 18 Setting: Outside house near car park. Subject: Mid shot of main character, illuminated by car headlights, connoting supernatural behaviour. Props: Car Resources: Camera, microphone.

20. The next few slides show a comparison between some shots in our film and other films of the same genre...

21. Screenshot comparison From the film ‘The Ring’, there is a mid shot showing the supernatural character coming out from the TV. In our film, to make it unique, we mixed conventions with new ideas. As we had the TV turn on by a supernatural power, but the fact that it goes onto a static screen is conventional. Also because of the framing of the shot, by having the main character on the edge of the screen, the audience are able to experience the action at the same time as the character, increasing audience pleasure.

22. Continued... In this comparison we have again developed conventions. In ‘Room 1408’, there is a supernatural person being shown by the camera. However by only showing a small amount of the being in our film, this together with fast paced editing and clever lighting techniques allowed us to create a more tense atmosphere. And by having the supernatural thing shown less, it creates more mystery to the audience. This is the only time in our trailer that the being behind the mystery is shown and because of the lighting, faced paced editing and acting, it seems to the audience as if it was a hallucination, again adding to the films mystery.

23. Continued... This can be seen as a direct comparison between our shot and that of ‘Lakeview terrace’. We have followed conventions as both shots are seen from the perspective of the protagonist and are close ups of the person talking. The fact that the carer is in the car and can leave whenever backs up the theme running throughout the trailer that the main character is trapped and cannot escape.

24. Continued... Again in comparison from ‘Room 1408’ it is clear that we have followed conventions by using props such as a sink. In our trailer we used this to show the supernatural being in the house as work. We have developed conventions by using low key lighting, which is conventionally more tense for the audience and so this gives the scene a more dramatic effect and also shows the condition the house is in.

25. Continued... Again we follow prop conventions by using images of characters that have been damaged. In our case, the face of the main character scribbled out. This shows the inhumanity of the supernatural being in the house and also creates the link between the mother and the strange happenings. By having the camera positioned at a mid shot, a distance from the main character, it shows how the audience are not in touch with him anymore and this shows his isolation. It also shows how vulnerable he is and this is portrayed to the audience which in turn creates a more dramatic effect.

26. Next are some examples of other film posters that are from the same genre as our trailer...

27. Examples of real media products from similar genres

28. I used VLC software on the schools computers to take snapshots (screenshots) of our film and used the website IMDB to take pictures of other films of the same genre for comparison, as well as google for the images of the film posters.