Thursday, 12 March 2015

Ident pre production

The ident i will be making will be a horror themed ident for a self named company called Screaming House Productions. My ident will having a running time of 10 seconds and will be made on after effects. The target audience for my ident will be for 16-25 year olds, i think this is the main audience for horror films as 16 to 18 is the age you can legally go and see horror films in the cinema depending on the age certificate. My ident will appeal to them due to the nature and theme of the ident. My idea is to start out with the text coming in through shatter effect with tense music building up in the background. My idea for the shattering effect is to catch the eye of the audience while at the same time keeping the background and darker colour to fit in with the dark tone of horror movies. one the title are in the centre of the screen i will have creepy images fade in with a jump sound effect in the background, i will also have the font looking like dripping blood which will stand out against the dark background. At the end of my ident it will cut to black while still hearing the sound effect of a creepy laughter cutting out, i think this would be a good choice for the ending as it will leave the dark feeling with the audience before the film begins, Also i think my whole ident sells the idea that my production company is mainly horror films and is recognisable.

This is my mind map of ideas. This is a good way to get all my notes down and deice which idea is the best on to go for. I have two choices in mind. One is a horror ident with a dark feel to it to appeal to fans of the horror genre. My second idea was to create a ident for trenchers e.g. E4. 


This is my first mock up of what one of my ideas might look like. I've decided to put the text right in the centre of the screen so the name stands out to the audience. My idea for the name of the production was Scream house productions. The initially striked me as a horror sounding company and i checked that it wasn't currently in use by another production company. The titles will have blood dripping down from them to set the tone for the type of productions the company makes. Around the side of the titles i will have some images that are well known with the horror genre including a knife, a mask, and chainsaw etc.. I will also have a dark background to make the images and the text stands out. 
My second idea for a ident is to use live footage as well as effects to create a teen friendly ident which appeals to mainly 13-17 year olds. I will use a live clip of college and have the titles fly in from the side of the screen. I think the use of the green colouring makes the title stand out against the big picture of the college. 



This is my story board, explaining each step and what is happening

The final idea i choose was to do the horror ident. i will be creating all of it with motion graphics using no live footage. I will be using after effects to create the majority of the ident while using final cut towards the end to cut the best bits together. My idea is to start with a very dark background we then see my text fly in using the shattering effects. Tense music will start to build in the background the text will centre in the middle and a glitchy effect will make the text shake. Horror themed pictures will fade in round the edge of the text while creepy sound effects play over including a creepy laugh and the sound of a chainsaw. The screen will then cut to black while still hearing the laugh effect. 



The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Censorship


The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - love it or hate it no one can deny its success and the cult following it made. Released in 1974 and directed by Tobe Hooper, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one film that every horror fan knows just about everything there is to know about the film. Spawning countless sequels and remakes the legacy that the original has is huge and it is still rated as "one of the best horror films in cinema history". Shot in the 70s in Texas this low budget film was shot on a very rushed schedule, shooting several hours over time in order to get the film finished in time Hooper really believed this could be his big break, and sure it was. With countless positive reviews and a massive fan reception The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was not shy of controversy.

What Tobe Hooper did so great in this film was the power of suggestion. People believed they saw more blood and gore than they actual did. In fact they saw hardly any at all. Not once in the film do you physically see any violent behaviour towards a character. But this didn't stop the censors. The BBFC looked at the film in 1975 and felt that the terrorisation level in the film was to high to even give the film a X rating. With this in the mind, the editors made a few minor cuts to the final few scenes in the movie and submitted it again. Once again the BBFC declined the film a rating claiming that it would unluckily get through local councils, who can overthrow any BBFC rating. They also claimed that the film relied on its effect of madness and threat and that even though there is no physical gore in the film, there were not really any cuts that could be made that could cut down the threat to make it acceptable for a X approval. There wasn't really much that the film makers could do to get the film a rating in the UK. But this was back in the day where home video releases didn't legally need a certificate to be released. The successes of the home video release only lasted 4 years when in 1984 the Video Recording Act was introduced and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was took of the shelfs. The BBFC where once again asked to look at the film in 1999, they felt now that people would find the film dated and less likely to disturb adult viewers. They were actually impressed rather than disturbed and unlike most controversy movies around that time The Texas Chainsaw Massacre did not include any sexual violence. The BBFC finally gave the film a 18 rating for both the cinema release and the home video release both uncut.

The UK wasn't the only country in which the film had trouble getting released. The film was banned in nearly every country it went for release for including Australia, the film was outright banned in the country for 'excessive violence'. Unlike the UK who recognised the film never actually showed any real gore but the films terrorisation level was to much, Australia did not notice this and outright banned it for its violence. This lasted for several years when until in 1984 they rated the film R fit for release.

So why do we have censorship? Maybe one reason for it is because of the Effects Model. Shorten down meaning people will copy what they see. There are plenty of arguments for and against this theory. Albert Bandura conducted a experiment, he created and film showing a bobo doll getting attacked. He then went and showed this to a group of little children, who where then left in a room with the bobo doll. Nearly all of the children copied what they saw in the video and attacked the doll. But does this prove anything? first of all a bobo doll is like a punching bag, don't we all hit a punching bag if we go past one? Other arguments for the effects model are copy cat crimes, most notable the clock work orange crimes. Once the film had been released criminal gangs in London started dressing as the characters from the film and acting out various crimes which were shown in the film, but still does the back up the theory. For me the line in Scream answers this perfectly, 'movies don't create psychos. Movies make psychos more creative. Just because they may of emulate a certain style of crime copied from something they have seen who's to say they weren't going to do it anyway. Nearly everyone has seen a violent film or played a violent video game, but the majority of people do not go and copy these acts, because most of them have a brain and know its fiction.

The question we come to is should we have censorship? Well yes we should but no to the extent we have it now. Obviously I think we should have age certificates purely for the fact to protect children from harmful material. Not because I think they are going to copy it but because as a suitable adult you shouldn't let your kids be exposed to material that could disturb or harm them. But should we outright ban things if they are seen as too extreme ? Of course we shouldn't, adults who are over the age of 18 should have the right to make their own decisions on what they watch and unless a film is outright breaking the law by being made or being released then it shouldn't be banned regardless of the content.

So remember - Movies don't make psychos, movies just make psychos more creative, come on censors get a grip, its only entertainment at the end of the day.

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

Risk Assessment - Tennis

RISK ASSESSMENT FORM


Production Name & Number - Billericay Lawn Tennis Club - Corporate Video
Production Manager - Samuel Goodfellow, Matthew Flower, Karenza Wheatley

Guidance:

  1. Assess whether a hazard will be present, write YES or NO.  Then for each hazard that you have said YES to do the following:
  2. Rate each risk on a Severity scale from Negligable (N), Low risk (L), Moderate risk (M), Severe (S), Very severe (V)
  3. Rate each risks Likelihood on scale from Very unlikely (VU), Unlikely (U), Possible (P), Likely (L), Very likely (VL)
  4. Determine the Risk Factor from the table overleaf.

P = Present / S = Severity / L = Likelihood / R = Risk Factor


Hazard
P
S
L
R
1
Alcohol/drugs
No
S
VU
2
2
Animals/insects
No


3
Audiences
No


4
Camera cable/grip equipment
No


5
Confined spaces
No


6
Derelict buildings/dangerous structures
No


7
Electricity/gas (other than normal supplies)
No


8
Fatigue/long hours
No


9
Fire/flammable materials
No


10
Hazardous substances
No


11
Heat/Cold/extreme weather
No


12
Laser/strobe effects
No


13
Machinery/industrial/ crane/hoist
No


14
Materials - glass, non-fire retardant set materials
No


15
Night operation
No


16
Noise – high sound levels
No


17
Non standard manual handling
No


18
Public/crowds
No


19
Radiation
No


20
Scaffold/Rostra
No


21
Smoking on set
No


22
Special effects/explosives
No


23
Special needs (elderly, disabled, inexperienced)
No


24
Specialised rescue/first aid
No


25
Stunts, dangerous activities
No


26
Tall scenery/suspended ceilings
No


27
Vehicles/speed
No


28
Water/proximity to water
No


29
Weapons
No


30
Working at heights
No


31
Working overseas
No


32
Other risks
YesMP3



5. Calculate the Risk Factor:


Very Unlikely

Unlikely
Possible
Likely
Very Likely
Very severe
3
4
4
5
5
Severe
2
3
3
3
5
Moderate
2
2
3
3
3
Low Risk
1
2
2
3
3
Negligible
1
1
2
2
3

6. Decide the action to take:

5
Very severe
Take immediate action
4
Severe
High priority
3
Moderate Risk
Programme for action
2
Low Risk
Action may be required
1
Negligible
Probably acceptable

7. Then list each risk identified

Hazard Number:

Description of Hazard:
Tennis Balls may hit the equipment 
Person(s) exposed (detail if cast/crew (C), outside company (O) or public (P) )
Crew
Action to take:

We will film from a distance where the tennis balls aren't a danger and we will have someone by the equipment at all times to make sure nothing hits the equipment 
Person/company responsible for action

Hazard Number:


To be completed at agreed later date -





Exposed person(s) informed? (y/)

Agreed action taken? (y/)

Risk removed? (y/)


Completed by: Matthew Flower


Proposal - Tennis corporate video

Matthew Flower, Samuel Goodfellow, Karenza Wheatley 
Company Name - KMS Productions 
Working title for project - Billericay Lawn Tennis Club corporate video 
Intended Audience - Potential new members  
Contact - Colin Clay 

We wish to make a corporate video for Billericay lawn tennis club. We will speak with the heads of the tennis club and find out exactly what they want from us and what they want for the video which will feature on their website. We want to make the club look like a very nice place to play tennis and also show the sociable side where children can make friends and have fun in a safe environment. We hope to film parts of tennis coaching lesson that take part at the club and show a wide range of different abilities and ages in the video to show the club is for everyone, any age and any ability. We also want to shoot the Air dome that has recently been put up over 3 of the tennis courts, this allows for lessons and play to continue all year round with out worry from the cold winter weather. We hope to make a video to the best of our standard and my the club shine against other local tennis clubs in the area. 

Tuesday, 10 February 2015

Corporate Video - Recce Checklist

Recce Checklist

Name of location .Billericay Lawn Tennis Club      .......................................................................................................................................




Things to take:
Complete
Notes
Camera
Yes
We are using Cannon 600D to shoot the video 
Mobile phone
Yes 

Notebook, pen, PDA
Yes
We have a notebook with notes on what the club wants included in the video. 
Programme risk assessment form
Yes
We have filmed out the risk assessment and we will have it on location 
Maps/directions
No
All the crew know how to get to the location
Student ID card
No

Brief
Yes
We will have the brief present during filming so we know exactly what the club want, and also what lessons will be ongoing that day. 
Checklist
Yes




Talking to people:
Complete
Notes
Confirm ownership
Yes
All the crew attended a meeting before production started to discuss exactly what they wanted on the video, the purpose of the video and the timings that are available to shoot.
Exchange details
Yes

Explain intentions
Yes

Discuss fees/contract
Yes

Editorial policy
Yes 

Are passes required?
      No

Availability and timings
Yes

Local events
Yes

Dress code
     No

Copyright issues
     No

Children’s details
     Yes 




Transport/access:
Complete
Notes
Landmarks for directions
Yes

Neighbour disturbance
    No

Risk of trespass
    No

Internal access
Yes

Vehicle access
Yes

Toilets
Yes

Traffic control needed?
    No

Shelter
Yes

Safety for hazardous environments
Yes

Tidal waters
     No

Boats/safety
    No




Camera/lighting:
Complete
Notes
Position of the sun
Yes

Window direction
Yes

Power supply
Yes
We will bring extra batteries for the Cannon cameras to make sure we have enough power to shoot everything we need
Size of location
Yes

Strobing
    No

TV/computer screens
Yes     

Is floor level?
Yes     

Secure place for kit
Yes    

Cables
Yes
There will be no cables during production so no risk for health and saftey 
Smoke alarms/sprinklers
Yes     




Sound:
Complete
Notes
Listen
Yes

Traffic/roadworks
  No

Aircraft
   No

Electrical hazards
Yes     

Schools
  No

Weather
    No

Background music/PA system
    No

Air conditional/fridges
    No

Wooden floors
     No




Things for director:
Complete
Notes
Take photos
Yes

GVs/top shots
Yes

Cutaways
Yes

Backgrounds
Yes

Events
Yes

Additional contributors
Yes     
Karenza Wheatley, Samuel Goodfellow, Matthew Flower



Food/accommodation:
Complete
Notes
Eating
Yes

Hotels
No