This is the first production vlog for our A-level Media film opening 'On Pointe'

In this Vlog it shows the process of the make-up for the darker side of Rosabella's character. 

Brand new title and narrative - 'On Pointe'

After a long discussion with the rest of the group, it has been decided that we are changing our film title and narrative completely. We did not think that we had enough good quality footage for our previous film 'Dark Hallow'. We also did not feel like we connected to the previous narrative enough to bring out the best in it.

On Pointe

The opening shot shows the female lead Rosabella dancing with a direct spotlight on her, she is then joined by the male lead Lewis who is her dance partner. They are shown to be rehearsing to the main theme from Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake'.

After they have danced for a while Lewis runs over to the mirror to rest his hand pressed against the mirror. A cut shot will then occur and it will show Rosabella dancing up to the camera, as she looks up we are able to see that her make-up has dramatically changed to more darker, dismal colours and her eyes are completely white. 

As Lewis pulls away from the mirror the audience will see a hand print of blood smudged against the mirror. The lights then flicker off and Lewis and Rosabella are face to face in the center of the room with a bright light illuminating just Lewis' face alone. As he looks down at his hands it appears that they are covered in blood, Rosabella then looks down and as she pulls her hand away from her stomach blood can also be seen on her hands.

The lights then flicker back on and Lewis is still against the mirror whilst Rosabella is practising, as if the events had never occurred. 

Rosabella's character will be using professional Ballet moves and will be on pointe throughout.

This inspired us to choose the name 'On Pointe' for our film opening.

Feedback MGS.

- Embedded clips, visuals etc.
- Must upload photographs, 
- Upload footage,
- Create a moodboard, iPiccy.
- Analysis on Black Swan, especially the poster; what mood is being conveyed through the image? Find another poster to analyse that inspires you.
- Look into the type of company who would produce our film.
- Storyboard, 12 shots.

Taken analysis.

Taken

The image we see is of a birthday hat and what appears to be party decorations scattered over the floor. This is shown to the audience in low quality in an unprofessional way immediately showing the audience that this is home footage. From this the shot (still unprofessionally filmed) jumps to the scene of a small girl blowing out her birthday candles, the candle allowing us to know she is five. By telling the audience her age it highlights the fact that she is vulnerable. The camera is also focused completely with her in the middle of the shot even with what we can see as her mother supervising her she is centred, creating attention to this particular character.

As well as focusing on her throughout the video the camera rocking as well as the use of jump shots, gives the audience a distorted feeling about this character as if the tilting of the camera reflects how that character might later on be disturbed just as the camera is. The non-diegetic music of a piano playing builds a suspenseful atmosphere as it puts the audience on edge due to it contrasting with the image of this happy child. The diegetic sound of the mother speaking and the child laughing then comes in, however that too has been distorted. The use of echoing the dialogue and sound that we hear further builds onto the intense vibe being given off by this short clip of footage.

From this footage the camera flashes and cuts to Liam Neeson's character Bryan Mills, waking up sharply as if the footage we have just seen was a dream.

The fact this character is dreaming of his daughter shows that he clearly cares for her a lot. Bryan is seen in a dark room that would seem to be his home with dim décor and furniture. The darkness possibly reflecting the sadness in his life or the death and horror he has witnessed. The non-diegetic piano music then comes to a sudden stop as he turns on his lamp revealing old Chinese take-away boxes on the table; this gives the audience an insight into how he lives, for example – living off takeaways and not getting the sleep he need. This is when we realise that he may live alone as the people seen in the home footage are nowhere to be seen.

Bryan sighs and gets up off of his seat, showing us that it is a chore to him to even stand, a picture of what would appear to be his daughter but older on a horse is revealed in a picture frame next to the chair Bryan was previously sat in. From this picture we can see that his daughter is happy with her life, the fact that he does care for her a lot is reflected again as he keeps this picture of one of his daughter’s achievements close to him.

Next to the picture the title of the film 'Taken' is revealed in white blocked letters. This then gives the audience the impression that his daughter may be taken from him as the fact of him caring for her so much is contrasted against this one word.

The scene then cuts to Bryan pulling up outside of and entering an electronics store, whilst being greeted in the store he then smiles as he replies allowing the audience to see the first sign of emotion from this plain dark character. He then jokes with the assistant and shows even more emotion whilst coming out of his motionless shell he has been depicted like in the previous few scenes. He is wearing fairly bleak coloured clothes with no real style to them pushing forth the idea of him having little funds, however he snaps at the chance of purchasing a karaoke machine. This determination gets the audience thinking about the importance of this item as there is still mystery of this characters life.

Whilst wrapping the karaoke machine with accurate precision we then gather that it is handled with extreme care and therefore being given to the one person we can now see he cares a great deal for, his daughter.

The fact that it is clearly a present then links with the opening footage of her birthday and how much has changed since the footage was taken. The audience are now intrigued to know what has happened between the two birthdays that has forced him to not be with her.

Suspense and Enigma

Suspense: You feed some information to the audience, but some is held back so they want to know more, creating the fear of the unknown.
Enigma: A mystery or a question that the audience want to solve.

Creates the thrill of expectation of something about to happen.

Feedback MGS.

Select key props from the opening and photograph discussing the importance of each prop and how I have composed the photograph. The outcome will be a digital storyboard. 
In addition, I will be taking some photographs of Carlton as part of the development process.
I will be going onto Flickr to gain inspiration for titles etc.

Location Photos.

Location photos for previous film 'Dark Hallow'

Revamped Narrative - Dark Hallow.

The opening shot reveals a house at night surrounded by decorations and lit pumpkins this allows the audience to know that it is around the time of Halloween, setting a spooky and tense atmosphere.

In the following shots we see Carlton sit down to watch a horror movie with some popcorn, however a short while in he becomes slightly shaken when he hears strange, eerie noises coming from the exterior of his house, he begins to feel very isolated and lonely. When he stands up to begin investigating, his two dogs begin to bark as a glass in the kitchen hits the ground, shattering.

With hesitation, Carlton takes a slow, nervous walk to the kitchen. Peering around the corner, Carlton notices the smashed glass on the floor and the doors open with the black curtains swaying. Carlton begins to panic and breathe heavily, a black hooded figure is then seen standing in the doorway.
These shots will then be followed by a loud banging noise/thud. 

The screen will then fade to black and titles will begin to be shown (each text piece will be followed with a bang or a thud creating further tension within the audience.) 

Just when the audience thinks the opening is over, it cross cuts back to a stained glass window and suddenly a bloody hand is thrust forward onto it and dragged downwards, causing the audience to become on edge and allowing their minds to run freely about what is going to happen next.

Film Ideas

Film names:

1. 31 Cornwallis Avenue,

2. Cold Blood,

3. Shadow,

4. Killer,

5. Bloody Halloween,

6. Dark Hallow,

7. Dark Halloween,

8. Him,

9. The Killings in Cornwallis,

10. Cornwallis Massacre.

Plot and narrative:

Dark Hallow is about a boy - 'Carlton', who is stuck at home during Halloween as his mother and father had left home for the holiday

Carlton sits down to watch a horror movie with some popcorn, a little while in he becomes slightly shaken when he hears a glass smash from within the house, he gets up to begin investigating.
As he approaches the kitchen he becomes aware of some shattered glass sprawled across the floor, he looks up to see the curtains swaying and his door wide open. Carlton turns around and pulls his phone out but as he does this the camera cuts to the door, allowing the audience to see it open slightly and a foot stepping out of it.
As the unknown figure reveals himself from behind the door, he sneaks up behind Carlton and places rope around his throat, dragging him back into the kitchen, strangling him.
In a struggle Carlton forces his elbow into the attackers side, causing him to release Carlton, he barges past the killer, this attempt being unsuccessful - Carlton is then thrown into the kitchen side leaving him extremely disorientated and confused.
The killer strides up to Carlton (POV from Carlton) and his hands are placed around Carlton's neck.
The scene then ends and the name of the film is revealed - 'Dark Hallow'
Just when the audience think the opening is over, it cross cuts back to a stained glass window and suddenly a hand is thrust forward onto it and dragged downwards, causing the audience to become tense and allowing their minds to run freely about what is going to happen next.