Character Profile

5 characters will be used, a monster-esk character, an elf like character, a scatty character- inspired by golem, pixie ice character, a warrior like character.

Costume design will be lead by me -However Amy will have a large influence and role as she designs and makes her costume. I am currently studied art A level, and like working in practical art applications. To achieve character focus unique designs, all costumes will be hand made to suit the individual personality and personas of the characters. 
Protagonist
Type of creature:- Anidone 
Name:-
Description:- Elf like creature, tall-ish, has pixie like ears, long blonde hair , silver make up-grand. Main inspiration comes from Galadriel- the elf queen from lord of the rings.
Outfit:- Main inspiration for outfit is ivy, silver and green colour theme, green for nature and earth, silver to represent the grandness of the character, long dress, flowing with 'sterdier' accesories, meatal/silver arm bands etc.
Update 8/12/16 - We bought the fabric for this costume. 
Update 20/12/16 - Construction of this costume has begun. 

Adding detail to the skirt

Beginning of the process- hemming

Original design of outfit

The costume has differed from the original idea as the colours of the fabric have changed. The cape is now a darker forest green to give her a more regal look and tie in with the forest more. The skirt fabric is also darker, and the second layer of the skirt will be a lighter green with more silvery aspects to match the belt.

Type of creature:- Zosil (pronounced Zo-sul) 

Name:- 
Description:- scatty character, inspired by Gollum, slightly 'creeps' around
Outfit:- Taking inspiration from nature, moss, and mud themes throughout, male charecter, just scratty trousers/shorts, bare feet, straggely hair etc.

Type of creature:- Trehsarck - warrior type
Name:- 
Description:-
This is a warrior character, and the tallest of the characters. It will be played by an adult male, and takes inspiration from the character "Thorin" from The Hobbit.

Below are two characters from "The Last Kingdom", a BBC TV show set in the middle ages. Because of the time scale these costumes are very similar to the costume of our warrior character.



Type of creature:- (Droak ?) - monster like character
Name:- Arbor (Latin for tree)
Description:-
I will play this character, partly because I think I will enjoy the role, and partly because we will find it difficult to find a volunteer willing to don all special effects/ costume parts of this character.

This is a beast like character, covered in fur, with horns, and armour. The armour will be Viking/medievally inspired. 

See face below from Beauty And The Beast (will be released 2017).

Update 23/12/16 - Construction of this costume has begun, having freely sourced the necessary materials. 



Type of creature:- Phex - pixie like character
Name:- Silva (latin for forest)
Description:-
Like a typical pixie, they have a mischievous character and look to them, Influence for this character is a mixture between winter and ice and also the forest. colour scheme- icy blu and light green. There will be face paint to match.

Genre Film Openings

The Fellowship Of The Ring

Directed by Peter Jackson, 2001

The greatest fantasy film of all time. A like our film opening, Lord of the Rings opens with a character narration playing over non-diegetic music. A shot of the rings getting created with lava is shown, and is given to the Main races of middle earth, the elves, the dwarves and the humans. The mix of fantasy characters shown in the first scene signifies genre.

The Two Towers 

Directed by Peter Jackson, 2002

Starts off with an areal view of the mountains, the non-diegetic music is orchestral in a minor key reflecting the dramatic landscape. Sound effects are Non-simultaneous to the scene, gives insight to the following settings. The peaceful -yet dramatic- sight of the mountains gives slight contrast to the following scene of the fight between Gandalf and Balrog. The scene keeps you on edge as the action changes and the movie starts with a plot twist of the 'good guy' falling into the abyss, a tracking shot can be seen to follow them. There are lots of special effects, including the fire and parts of the character. 

The Return Of The King 

Directed by Peter Jackson,2003

Although short the opening scene sets the scenery for the world the film is set is. The title fades on to the screen in a medieval style font, which adds to the feel of the film. The music playing from the beginning gives triumphant connotations of a world unlike one set in modern day. The camera pans from a shot of the country side to reveal a vista of land and mountains, genre signifiers are seen here as well as when the viewer notices broken down walls and a large fantasy-esk tower. There is a narrative being spoken over the shot with language and an accent typically from this genre.

The Hobbit

Directed by Peter Jackson, 2012

Mirroring the opening of Lord of the rings, the Hobbit starts with an voice over. The Hobbit also opens in darkness, forcing the audience to focus on the voice. A close-up shot shows a match lit in the darkness revealing a hand and a candle. A soundtrack is audible from the start, and to suit the cheery nature of the over voice the music is in a major key. 

Alike many other fantasy film opening, fences here follow an orange and blue colour scheme. The overriding tones of yellow and orange in this opening creates a sense of warmth and reassurance, compliment with the script and soundtrack. 

After the figure has lit the candle, a tracking-shot follows him at a medium to long shot length as he walks through a decorated tunnel to open a chest. In this scene are many genre signifiers, the Hobbit character himself is a fantasy creature, the house through which he walks is decorated a built to accommodate a feature his size, and the chest he opens contains objects associated with the fantasy genre, e.g. the sword. 

Hobbit - Desolation Of Smaug

Directed by Peter Jackson, 2013

The first genre signifier is the music which is the first thing the audience is introduced to, it follows a similar grand feel to the other films in the trilogy. The next signifier is the panning shot of the surroundings -much like the other openings. It shows a village stating the name/context in text at the bottom. The shots carry on showing people walking around in cloaks and other unique clothing, the shots are dark and lit by candle/lantern light giving a mysterious connotations and gives narrative enigma. The following shots may be seen as tracking shots because it slowly follows the characters down the path, the slowness further ads mystery. 

The next shot flows into a pub full of people, the pub is vibrant and full of lively people. After the mise-en-scene of the pub has been set, the audience is introduced to another character, the lighting is dark and the characters body language is closed, which conveys mysterious and dark connotations, contrasting the feel of the pub. The characters exchange a few glances an the tension rises and a few characters stand up. The main genre signifiers are the music, costume and lighting.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Directed by Peter Jackson, 2014

The establishing shot is a view of the town in which the film is first set, thsis village is the first genre signifier. This ads to the rest of the mise-en-scene, which heavily indicates the genre. Many props and costumes can be seen, ones of medival decent and claerly from a fantasy world, for examples the buildings, golden goose, and glass bottles filled with liquid (which can be seen in the second setting. The music is intence and creates tention, it also connotes danger. This is solidified by the constant voice/s crying out, the sound of bells also suggests urgency. The lighting is dark in the village and connotes mystery and danger.

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, 2004

The film starts off with the Warner Bros Pictures Ident. The first genre signifier is the music. The first shot is shown through the gap in the ident, the audience is introduced to a house at night as the camera zooms into a window with the light on in the room, as the scene continues the settings seem ordinary, up until Harry is seen with a magic want casting like to a fantasyesk map.The first words also heard are made up words acting as spells, this also gives indication to the genre. When the spell finally works a large flash of light, from this beam of light the camera zooms out as if its being pushed by it, the shot continues past the Harry Potter ident, stops and displays it in the shot fully. The way the camera moves signifies genre because it 'floats' through the air as if it is a fantasy character its self. The camera once again zooms back into the room faster this time showing harry under the covers and the rest of the scene of Harry pretending to be asleep. 

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

Directed by Mike Newell, 2005

The first genre signifier of the opeing is the music, that can be heard before the scene starts creating a sound bridge, the ident can also be seen here, as the shot moves through and past it -just like in the previous Harry Potter film. The next signifier is the mise-en-scene of the opeing, the viewer is first intoduced to settings as a snake moves from behind a wall made from skulls, this connotes darkness. The fantasy aspect is seen from the mise-ene-scene because of the overgrown graveyard and the mysterious skelaton figure. The camera pans up the figure making it look more intimidating. As the shot continues up it shows the Harry potter ident, the shot then moves down to show the audience the location. The fantasy genre can be seen with the old large building in the background as well as the small cottage in the foreground. A light is turned on in the cottage wich could be interpreted as home in a dark scene.

The Half Blood Prince 

Directed by David Yates, 2009

Titles and indents; The Warner Bros logo appears in dark clouds with lightning, connoting danger. The soundtrack begins to create tension. Sound; The soundtrack begins to create tension. 
Mise-en-scene: A shot of an office building is shown, this poses the fantasy genre as it opens to an unusual fantasy setting. However this is typical of Harry Potter, as the plot is spread across two worlds - ours and a fantasy world.

Harry Potter and the deathly Hallows

Directed by David Yates, 2010

Like many other fantasy film openings this films opens to darkness, with rising tension created in the soundtrack. Blues are used to create a sombre mood, and a few scenes are shown before the Warner Bros logo to provoke narrative enigma. In these scenes a inhuman character (Voldemort) is identified with a close-up shot of his face and upper body, although recognisable, most of his character is mask by shadow. A cut in shot shows his hand holding a wand, this then forms a looking-up shot at the character  suggesting power. He  strikes a wand in the air to create a flash of light, and the camera looks down on Voldemort. Magical props such as the wand in this scene are a signifies of genre. 



The Warner Bros logo is displayed in a clouded night sky, after which an establishing shot sets the scene of a Fantasy castle (Hogwarts schools is a black chill-out against the blue toned sky). This castle is shown surrounded by fantasy-esk dark floating characters, at a first close-up, the medium and long shot length from the camera. 


Suspension is created here through the soundtrack, which is in a minor key, and the black and blue tones. 

A: LR1/, H1/, 3, HP 5,7/
S:LR2/, 3/, H,2/, HP 3/, 4,/

Harry Potter Swede

Harry Potter swede, made by myself and 6 other media students.

Making and Filming 

We began organising and making the swede in the media studies lesson, we started by making a note of all the scenes we could include from the trailer and drawing them out in order on a large sheet of paper. To make it clearer and add more information we transferred it to a shared document and created a table, It included the scenes, people, props, date, time, location, and shots. This can be viewed here

We started filming in the next lesson and split the group into people who would do the filming and actors, we worked together as a team to bring the shots together. We came across a few difficulties such as how to make the boat scene and the mermaid scene. The continuity of the props was also a difficulty. When making the mermaid scene we did not have access to the swimming pool so we filmed it in a sink in a classroom instead, you can see the surrounding area of the sink and the persons arm who was holding the mermaid however we decided this made it look more like a swede. When filming this we took into consideration shot types, white balance, and ISO, by shooting with the main source of light facing the actor/s.

Editing 

We split our group into smaller groups to each edit 3 different swedes, I worked along with Alex and Amy. To make the idents and titles we decided to draw them to make it more like a swede, we took a short film of the drawing, then flipped it to make it the right way round and placed the clips in the right order. For the scene with the dragon chasing Harry we filmed someone in my group's lizard infront of a green screen to use as the dragon. We used the Ken Burn tool to move the background image for Harry and the 'dragon' to make it look as in Harry is travelling fast. After securing everything in place we watched it over a few times and picked out faults to edit. Some re editing included making some shots shorter or dragging others out and ensuring the green screen shots ran smoothly.

Assessment current attainment and predicted grade

Overall I feel that you have made a very strong start to the course and clearly have a love of film that is great to see and will be of real benefit to you going forward. You are currently working at a high Proficient level (B); in order to improve your work to comfortably fall within your targeted B grade, you should do the following going forward:

Get your work up to date; Your 5th Film Opening should by now be on your blog; please complete this by the end of this week.

Highlight all terminology in pink. If you get into the habit of doing this for each post, you won’t need to go back and do lots of highlighting.

Start to refer more to genre and genre signifiers in your analysis.

Now that we are approaching production, I would recommend that you start blogging more regularly on everything that you are doing on the course. This could start with your swede; write a blog (or do a vlog) on your contribution to the production and what your challenges/difficulties were in achieving your swede.

Keep it up! You are on target and I’m looking forward to seeing you work on your film opening.

Thanks

Mr VZ

Film ideas

Title

Genre

Synopsis (a brief overview of how the opening would play out; remember that the opening must only be 2-3  mins long)

Possible locations for shooting

Strengths

Difficulties

You could also include images of locations or anything else that is relevant.

Title: ?

genre: drama 

Synopsis: rain, birds eye view medium close up of face, person laid on bed, second shot: long shot of the bedroom showing bed window and person, legs off the side with feet on the floor. close up shot of the rain drops falling down the window. Shouting voice can be heard shouting the protagonists name, protagonist walks into the room a group of teenagers can be seen planning and conspiring over something, messy papers and low lit lighting is shown. The audience should wonder why protagonist was distracted, they are also shown to be awkward and uncomfortable.
Possible locations for shooting: Volunteered house
Strengths: Can be filmed easily, accessible location, props aren't extravagant,
Difficulties: The cast, the right lighting

Title: ?

Genre: thriller(?)

Synopsis: man running from something  through the moors, dramatic music is played, dramatic shots of him and the landscape, follows him stumbling through trees and uneven ground, either looking back on something or looking forward purposefully. Shots of the landscape can be seen with a superimposed double exposure of the side of the protagonists' nose. This creates a personal feel connecting the audience to the protagonist, as it looks like the audience is viewing the the landscape through their own eyes catching a glimpse of the nose that you wouldn't normally notice. A heavy sound of a heart beat and muffled voices could also achieve this. The muffled voices and sounds adds mise-en-scene/genre.
Possible locations for shooting: Ilkley moor, other possible country sides, abandoned rural/urban areas
Strengths: easy location , only needs a tiny cast, can use natural lighting
Difficulties: editing and sound to get acquired effects

Title: The Shirbit Culture 
genre: fantasy 
Synopsis: Children running and playing in an old house(?) one child hides from the other under a window box seat, shouts of a strict adults voice can be heard, shouting the child's name and telling them to come, child pushes further down into box, falls through bottom, child screams, they appear in an underground tunnel. Tunnel is covered in warning signs pointing up (to the window box), child is scared and confused, they follow a path of tiny lights and open the door into a festive room with two elf like creatures arguing.
Possible locations for shooting: old house, 3 walls of a large cardboard house, underground tunnel, old style room in old house.
Strengths: smaller cast, mystical 
Difficulties: costume for elf like creatures, location for underground, children as cast 

Pitch Presentation

Title: ?

genre: drama 

Synopsis: rain, birds eye view medium close up of face, person laid on bed, second shot: long shot of the bedroom showing bed window and person, legs off the side with feet on the floor. close up shot of the rain drops falling down the window. Shouting voice can be heard shouting the protagonists name, protagonist walks into the room a group of teenagers can be seen planning and conspiring over something, messy papers and low lit lighting is shown. The audience should wonder why protagonist was distracted, they are also shown to be awkward and uncomfortable.

• Title
• Genre
• Synopsis (a brief overview of how the opening would play out; remember that the opening must only be 2-3 mins long)
• Possible locations for shooting
• Strengths
• Difficulties
• You could also include images of locations or anything else that is relevant.

Title: ?

Genre: thriller(?)

Synopsis: man running from something  through the moors, dramatic music is played, dramatic shots of him and the landscape, follows him stumbling through trees and uneven ground, either looking back on something or looking forward purposefully. Shots of the landscape can be seen with a superimposed double exposure of the side of the protagonists' nose. This creates a personal feel connecting the audience to the protagonist, as it looks like the audience is viewing the the landscape through their own eyes catching a glimpse of the nose that you wouldn't normally notice. A heavy sound of a heart beat and muffled voices could also achieve this. The muffled voices and sounds adds mise-en-scene/genre.