Thursday 12 May 2011

Evaluation of My Storyboard

I created my storyboard based on the idea of fairy tales, with use of the little girl visiting Grandma (Little Red Riding Hood), the stranger at the door (Snow white) and the box (Pandora's box).  The idea around this was to take something childlike and innocent and add the theme of fear and intrusion to turn it into something darker.  An admired director who has already done this, is Tim Burton and he does it very well and makes his work beyond fantasy and really exaggerates characters.  However, my take on it was more realistic and the reason I did this was because my purpose was to evoke fear for the viewer on behalf of this little girl.


Sticking to the codes and conventions of a genre is very important for the maker and viewer, as the conventions are the primary source of meaning.  The genre I used was thriller, which goes from having a light to dark atmosphere in order to build tension and fear throughout a film.


The first convention being the use of a child, similarly used in thrillers such as Polson's 'Hide and Seek' and also Amenabar's 'The Others.'  This adds an innocence and naivety to the film, as did the use of a female victim, which is another convention.  Secondly, the idea of using a darker lighting after the incident, is almost a foreshadowing of the events to follow. I wanted the end shots to have a darker feeling so that the viewer knows something bad is happening.


The reason behind the use of many close-ups and medium shots was to really a get a sense of intrusion and privacy invasion.  I wanted everything close up and personal so that the viewer could feel the limited space, throughout the shots.  


The use of props was important and for me worked quite well as the box was a strange object that would usually be used in a fantasy and definitely would have people thinking, 'What's in the box?' ' Why does the Grandma need this?' and the opening scene really leaves room for reasoning of the box. However, the use of the knife was to add a sense of violence and bring it back to reality, that the girl is in danger. 


I didn't want alot of non dietetic sound, just to keep it real and not heightened by dramatic sound in every scene, however at focal points such as shots 9,22,23,24, where sound would be used to heighten the dramatic atmosphere. Most of the sound is conversation and TV and the sounds of doors and shuffling, to keep the realism.  


Overall, I am pleased with the final product of the opening sequence. I think it portrays my ideas quite well, as well as allowing room for interpretation.  Although I stuck with codes and conventions of the genre, most films would start with a establishing shot or long shot. However,  I think my use of close ups and medium shots for meaning, breaks the barrier for films as well as making it personal to the little girl and tells a gripping story, shot by shot.

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Shot 1 - Knock Knock, Grandma

Shot 1. This is the first shot, where we are introduced to the protagonist, Rosalie.  We are introduced to her appearance as we hear the diegetic sound of two knocks on the door twice - which is relevant to the film title.  The shot is well lit to symbolise happiness and youth.

Shot 2 - Opening door to Rosalie

Shot 2.  This interior shot shows Rosalie's Grandma opening the door to her.  The opening of the door has significance throughout the film, which is why we are shown this from the inside.

Shot 3 - Locking the door

Shot 3. This shot shows Rosalie's Grandma locking the door. During this shot there is a conversation between them, whereby she is warning Rosalie to not open the doors and she will be home shortly.

Shot 4 - Chillin'

Shot 4. A shot showing Rosalie relaxed, while her Grandma has popped out - this adds realism to the film.

Shot 5 - Knock Knock

Shot 5. A medium shot showing somebody knocking at the door.

Shot 6 - Grandma's home already?

Shot 6. We are shown a close up of the expression on Rosalie's face after she hears a knock at the door. 

Shot 7 - through the window

Shot 7. We are shown the person at the door. Rosalie recognises her as the lady who lives across the road. There is a diegetic sound of the blinds moving.

Shot 8 - Through the letterbox

Shot 8.  This shot symbolises the door as a barrier, as Rosalie remembers her Grandma's instructions, as to not open the door to anybody.  The close up shows us just how thin the barrier is between Rosalie and the neighbour outside.

Shot 9 - The mistake of opening the door

Shot 9. The close up of Rosalie opening the door is an epic moment as non-diegetic sound helps build up tension.  As soon as the we hear the lock of the door click, the sound stops.

Shot 10 - 'Hello'

Shot 10. We are formally introduced to the neighbour from the back, using an over-the-shoulder-shot. This adds an element of mystery, however, as the non-diegetic sound from the previous shot stops, it allows the viewer to feel like this situation is normal. 

Shot 11 - The box

Shot 11. We are first introduced to the box in this  close up shot. The reason for the close up is so you can see the hand reaction of the main character. The box is such a strange thing to be returning, Rosalie questions it, but the neighbour says its urgent that her Grandma receives it.

Shot 12 - One foot in the door

Shot 12.  We are shown a close up of the neighbour trying to get inside.  There is no sound during this shot.  The reason for this is to shock the viewer.

Shot 13 - Forcefully taking

Shot 13. This shot shows Rosalie grabbing the box and insisting she doesn't need her to come inside. The tension builds from this point.

Shot 14 - Please let me in

Shot 14. We are still not shown the appearance of the neighbour properly.  We hear her speaking to Rosalie, in a calm tone, asking her politely that she just wants to come in. 

Shot 15 - LET ME IN

Shot 15.  This shot is of the neighbour trying to forcefully open the door. There is shouting and arguing and Rosalie tries to shut the door on her.  The over the shoulder shot allows us to see the force that the neighbour is putting on the door.

Shot 16 - Door shut.

Shot 16.  A shot showing the abrupt banging of the door. The bang is the only diegetic sound we hear.

Shot 17 - terrified

Shot 17. We start of with a close up shot of Rosalie in a state of shock on the floor, after forcefully banging the door shut.  The enclosed space is representative of a privacy/space intrusion. 

Shot 18 - Nail Biter

Shot 18 . This shot is a medium shot to show the position of Rosalie and the worry on her face.  There will be a diegetic sound of the television to add a sense of normality to the situation. 

Shot 19 - Whats that noise?

Shot 19.  A close up on the door and Rosalie to show her frightened expression. The door has a symbolic meaning and they are representative of a barrier and once opened, is no longer of use.

Shot 20 - Who's there?

Shot 20. A shot from an onlookers point of view of Rosalie checking outside to see if there's anybody out there. after this shot there will be a pan to the gate door, which we see in the next shot.

Shot 21 - The back garden

Shot 21. A medium shot showing Rosalie checking the back entry.  We see the back of Rosalie, to imply that the intruder may be behind her. The sound used here will be a build up to the dramatic sound used in the next shot.

Shot 22 - The box and the knife

Shot 22. A close up on the box and knife.  There will be a dramatic non-diegetic sound to raise fear around this.  

Shot 23 - The box

Shot 23. Rosalie knows that she definitely recognises the box from the neighbour who tried to get in 20 minutes ago. This shot shows her examining the box and shaking it and attempting to open it.  The secret of the concealed box becomes something that Rosalie wants to know more about.  The lighting around the box will add to the mystery. The medium shot allows us to see her facial expression clearly, as well as her holding the box.

Shot 24 - The knife

Shot 24. Rosalie goes to pick up the knife, after putting the box down. The knife is the very last thing we see.  The reason for this is to add suspense and to allow the viewer to feel threatened as the main character does.  The very last thing we hear is the shuffling and movement coming from another room, to indicate that the intruder is still in the house.

Film proposal

I will be doing the opening sequence to a thriller, in which I have incorporated the theme of fairy tales. I will incorporate ideas from Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood. The title of my film will be 'Knock Knock' The story line with revolve around a little girl, named Rosalie, who goes to visit her grandma. The Grandma has to go somewhere quickly and leaves Rosalie in charge, warning her to not open the door to anyone.
While the Grandma is gone the little girl is left alone, thinking that nothing will go wrong, so she makes her self comfortable, until she hears a knock on the door. Thinking it's her Grandma , Rosalie looks through the window to see who it is, and recognises the woman as the neighbour, but remembering her Grandma's instructions, she does not open the door and tells her through the letterbox that her grandma isn't home, but the neighbour says that she has something to return to her.  So, Rosalie opens the door, thinking the neighbour simply wants to give her the item, but when she opens the door she finds that its a strange looking box. Rosalie, politely says thank you, but the neighbour steps in and Rosalie gets uncomfortable with this, so she shuts the door on the neighbour.  Rosalie sits back down, all shook up and attempts to relax herself but then she hears a thud coming from the kitchen.  She walks in to find the back door, in which her grandmother locked before leaving, open.  She plucks up the courage to look outside and see if anyone is there, but everything seems fine, and then turns around to find the strange looking box and a knife on kitchen counter, suggesting that there's an intruder.