Coursework

Film Synopsis

When Sophie was younger she took her toy doll, dotty dolly, everywhere with her. As Sophie gets older she begins to neglect dotty dolly more and more. On her 16^th birthday Sophie clears out her bedroom, she puts her old toys in a bin bag, including dotty dolly and puts them in the bin. Dotty dolly seeks revenge. During the night when Sophie is sleeping dotty dolly brutally kills Sophie’s mum. Sophie finds her mum the next morning cut to shreds, laid in her own blood. Sophie looks up to see written on the wall in blood ‘you threw me away now its time for you to pay’. Dotty dolly begins to kill all of Sophie’s family and the people she loves one by one, leaving riddles for Sophie. Sophie tries to confide in her best friend, Eve about what’s been happening. Eve thinks Sophie’s gone mad and tells Sophie she never wants to see her again. When Sophie has no one left dotty dolly comes for her. She tortures her before violently killing Sophie. Eve finds Sophie dead with dotty dolly stood next to her holding a knife dripping in blood. Eve screams and starts running as dotty dolly chases her. They end up in an old stable, dotty dolly backs Eve into a corner. Just as dotty dolly is about to kill her, Eve finds some matches. She quickly lights one and the whole stable goes up in flames. Eve tries to escape but the building starts to collapse and she doesn’t make it out. The fire bagrade arrives along with an ambulance, they find Eve’s dead body but there is no evidence that dotty dolly was ever there.

Aims and context

The genre of my film is Horror. I would use low key lighting in my film to create a dark, spooky atmosphere. I would also use back lit subjects to create silhouettes, again to create an atmosphere of the unknown. Lots of non-diegetic sounds would be used to build up the atmosphere and to make the audience feel emotion. The target audience for my film would be ages from 15 to about 28. My film is similar to Chucky as it is about a doll that comes to life. Additionally my film is slightly similar to Saw as like Saw my film uses traps and clues to who the killer is.

Character profiles

Sophie Green

Sophie plays the main character in the film. She’s 16 and plays a very stereo typical role of a popular school girl; she’s tall with long blonde hair and green eyes. Sophie is used to being the centre of attention and she is very self obsessed. Sophie plays the victim in the film; her role is to make the audience feel sympathy for her.

Julie Green (Sophie’s Mum)

Sophie’s mum does not play a huge part in the film as she gets killed off at the beginning, however, what we do see of her shows her caring nature and loving personality – the opposite to her daughter Sophie.  

Eve Smith

Eve’s 16 and is Sophie’s best friend. Like Sophie Eve is very much the popular girl at school; she’s tall, dark skinned and has long dark hair with big brown eyes. Eve enjoys being one of the popular girls at school and is very flirtatious with the boys. Her role in the film is supporting actress. Although we do not see much of her at the start of the film, Eve plays a vital role towards the end of the film.

Dotty Dolly

Dotty dolly is a toy doll, even though she is not a real person her age would be 16 as Sophie has had her all her life. Dotty dolly plays the villain in the film. Her role is to make the audience feel scared.

 

Film

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Cinematography

Cinematography is the act of making a film. Including choices with lighting, camera movement, framing, film speed.

Shot Size is how much of the person/object you can see in a particular shot.

Close up - Can see main part of face: Eyes, nose and mouth

Medium shot - Can see head and shoulders, also some of background is in shot

Long shot - Can see full length of body and whats going on in the background










Camera Angle
For a low angle shot the camera would be placed below or furtherdown than the person/object and id would be looking up at the person/object

Low angle shot










For a high angle shot the camera would be place above or higher than the person/object and would be looking down at the person/object.

High angle shot














Movement

• With the pedding movement the camera moves up and down the object whereas with panning the camera moves around the object
• With the tracking movement the camera moves closer or further away from the object whereas crabbing moves from right to left.

Composition

Here the window is used as a frame. We are looking at what we can see outside the window. This might suggest the idea of being trapped inside - not being able to get out.

The bath is used as the frame. We are concentrating on what is happening in the bath. He is going to kill himself - the bath is a similar shape to a coffin.

The frame is the window they are sat in. In this scene Juno is complaining about how everyone is staring at her because shes pregnant. This is ironic as she is sat in a window - she is on show.







Rule of thirds is divideing the image into 9 squares - 3 across and 3 down. The rule of thirds is a much preferred method of composing shots. This is because it makes the shot stand out and makes the reader think about where they have to look rather than the image being in the middle as it usually is.


Positioning

• Subjective positioning is where we see the shot happening from someone elses point of view. We are looking through someone elses eyes
• Objective positioning is where the viewer can see everything that is happening in the scene, even prehaps things the characters might not beable to see

This is an example of subjective positioning from the film 'Let the right one in'. We are looking at Eli from Oskars point of view. We are seeing her as he sees her.

Mise-en-scene. Location hunting.

Location suitable for a film about 2 children who get lost in a wood.

The location is a woodland area. Idealy if this was to be used for a film it would be set at night, creating the sense of the fear of the unknown. The woodland are is large with no one to be seen creating the idea the children are lost.








Location for a thriller film, somebody spying on someone without them knowing

This image would give the idea of us seeing the location from the view of the person who is the spy. They are hiding behind a gravestood so not to be seen. The graveyard setting gives the feeling of fear.

This image shows the location from the point of view of the person being spyed on. It clearly shows where the person who is spying would hide. Idealy this setting would be used at night when its dark to create more of a thrilling, scary atmosphere.








Location for documenting a lonely journey for a person. Suggesting their life is empty.

The image shows a man on his own surrounded by nothingness, just grass and woodland to give the idea he has nothing in his life. The fact their is no buildings or other people suggest the idea he is lost or prehaps on a journey to a new beginning. The dull weather is associated with saddness again giving the idea of lonelyness.






Location for the opening of a ghost film. Needs to hint at the fact the film is about a haunting.

The old church is assciated with graveyards and funerals so straight away this gives the idea that it may be haunted. Idealy the image would be better taken when its dark at night to give more of a feel of spookiness and it would create more fear.

Performance analysis

I have chosen to analysis a 5 minute sequence about Will Smith in the film Seven Pounds, directed by Gabriele Muccino, released in 2008. I have chosen to look at Will Smith as I believe he is an incredibly powerful actor; he is able to create any role and make it believable. I particuarly like the character he plays in Seven Pounds as he takes on a much more serious role compared to other films I've seen him in where he has taken on more of a comic role.

In Seven Pounds Will Smith plays the character of Ben Thomas, a man trying to find a way to redeem his consience. Ben causes a road accident which ends in seven people dieing, including his wife. He discovers he has the power to save seven strangers lives. He tests the strangers to ensure he is helping the right people. In the sequence I have chosen to look at involves Ben talking to an elderly woman about a man he is going to help called Stuart. He discovers from the woman that Stuart is not the good man he thought he was.

When Ben first enters the room he peeks round the door and says hello in a friendly tone. He then closes the door behind him and remains stood by the door as he introduces himself to the elderly lady. He speaks in a soft tone and smiles at the lady to show she dosnt need to scared of him. Will uses costume to create his role of Ben. He wears a suit and carries a brief case suggesting he is a buisness man. This image also gives a formal and important look.

Ben uses a chair to get closer to the lady, he slowly turns the chair around and pulls it towards the bed before sitting down. He never touches her but leans forward and always looks her in the eye, he does this to show she can trust him. He speaks at a steady pace and in a soft tone to let the lady know she dosnt need to be
frightened of him. When he asks her about Stuart his vioce turns to a much sterner tone, suggesting it is important she tells him what he is like.

When the lady begins to tell him what Stuart has been doing to her Ben pulls his eyebrows together and has a shocked and almost discusted expression on his face. Although we do not hearing what the lady tells Ben as she writes it down we know by his reaction that Stuart has been treating her badly. As the lady begins to cry Ben leans on the bed and puts his hands over his mouth to stop himslef crying. His eyesbrows are raised together again suggesting he his trying to hold back tears.

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