Initial ideas

Initial ideas

Our first main idea we thought of was a Zombie apocalypse theme, we thought the horror aspect would work well and this was the direction we wanted to take our film. However after much consideration we decided this wasn't the best idea as it would be hard to get the props and costumes for this particular opening. The Zombie theme would of been set in the initial outbreak where the world is in chaos, we thought this may work as we thought we could build suspense and tension with quick pace editing and little dialogue.

Our second idea was of the comedy genre, however we soon realised that this wouldn't work as we would have to use a broad type of humour that relates to a large audience. The comedy aspect wouldn't work as we would need to have a very funny interesting opening which would of been hard to produce with the little equipment that we have.

After deciding the zombie theme wasn't the best idea and the comedy genre wouldn't work, we started looking at other genres such as and action, however we decided to go back down the horror route again. This lead us to thinking of a 'fear of the unknown' theme as we believed this would engage the audience and entice them into the film. The plot for this would be a helpless girl walking in the woods and is being preyed on by a 'Malevolent Phantom'. We decided this was the best idea and have made this our final idea. We thought we could use the setting of a woods to emphasise the horror and add to the mystery, the woods will have poor lighting which will add to the tension. With this theme we let the audience use their imagination and from this it emphasises the horror for the audience.

Research Feedback

A fantastic effort so far with theoretical and detailed responses to media texts. Be sure to begin to document every stage of your planning towards your film now – use technical terminology and take us on a journey to completion of your film project. Well done!

Film Brief

Malevolent phantom

Overview of the film - People are being followed home late at night, targeted when they are alone and frightened. A serial killer is on the lose and destroying peoples lives across the country, having slipped out of America and is adamant on picking people out and providing them with a gruesome death. With a mysterious background and an ever growing list of the dead do you choose to run and hide from this malevolent phantom or instead get to the bottom of this horrific crime. Is there more to this story than what meets the eye and are these people actually innocent at all.


The genre of our film is going to be horror as we feel we can create more of an impact with this genre and create suspense making the audience engage with the film. We plan to film the scene in the woods as this follows the horror genre and also we can use the setting for effect. One of our main focuses is 'fear of the unknown' which entices the audience as they want to find out the identity of the mysterious figure. We believe that the audience would be more engaged and also hooked wanting to find out more.



The plot will follow the pattern of a alone girl in a remote setting being preyed on by a mysterious figure creating fear within the audience. Two girls are returning from a night out and part ways to go home, the girl who s the main focus of the scene will be venturing through the woods which is a quicker journey than the twisted roads which she doesn't know too well. A call comes through, its her mum telling her to hurry home so she decides to go through the woods. Its dark, she can barley see so she has her phone out, when all of a sudden she realises her battery is about to die. This makes her more on edge and makes her more scared. She tries to rush through however in the scuffle she drops her phone, bending down to pick it up the audience see a 'malevolent phantom' in the distance in which she is completely oblivious of. The girl gets back up and carry's on walking, she starts to hear rustling from the bushes which makes her more uncomfortable. the young girl is terrified which attracts the audience and engages them with the scene. As the girl walks the phantom gets closer and closer until he grabs her leaving the scene on a cliffhanger of a very disturbing sound of her screaming leaving the audience to imagine what has happened to her.



The scene will use a variety of camera shots from the high shot of her entering the woods establishing abit of a setting, to a medium shot of when she is walking. Close up shots will also be used to highlight the characters facial expressions and create suspense and also show the fear in which the girl has. We will use long shots of the girl walking to suggest a long journey in which anything could happen also the long shots would feature a malevolent phantom in the distance which she is not aware of. During the conversation at the beginning with the two girls we plan to use shot reverse shot which will show both characters emotions and create more of a realistic aspect to the scene. Also many high shots will be used to emphasise how vulnerable she is and show her to be a weaker character in the scene.



The music we use will nicely complement the tense atmosphere of the scene in order to build suspense and use the 'fear of the unknown' aspect to our advantage. We may start with a calmer type of non diegetic sound at the beginning but as she enter the woods have a more sinister type of sound  to show a change of mood within the scene. We will be using diegetic sound such as, dialogue from the characters and the sound of bushes rustling, the wind which will build on the tension already in the scene.



The clothing in which the girl wears will be more obvious to the audience as she will wear a piece of clothing that will stand out so the audience know this is the main character. Also the lighting is important to show the setting and the character so we will be using different type of lighting to reflect the mood of that part of the scene.

Filming Contunuity

Filming Continuity



Continuity editing is a system of cutting which is used to maintain continuous and clear narrative action by following certain rules. If they didn't follow the rules the scene would look unnatural and static. If the director breaks continuity the audience would get confused as the scene wouldn't  make sense. The rules of continuity must be followed to maintain continuous and clear narrative.

180 Rule - The 180 rule is where he all coverage should generally be shot from one side or the other of this imaginary line. The audience subconsciously forms a mental map of where the actors are located in the scene. Crossing the line while filming over the shoulder shifts the persons eye line meaning the characters would be looking different directions. The only way to cross the line without disorienting the audience is to show the camera movement.

The 30º Rule: The camera should move at least 30° between each shot of the same subject. For example a shot reverse shot scene would fulfill this. With the 30º rule the angle between any two consecutive shots should not be less than 30º, in order to maintain spatial relationships between people and objects in any given sequence of shots.

Rule Of Thirds: The rule of thirds is a concept in video and film production in which the frame is divided into into nine imaginary sections, as illustrated on the right. This creates reference points which act as guides for framing the image.

Shot reverse shot: Shot reverse shot is a continuity editing technique used in conversations, this usually features an over the shoulder shot in which two people are speaking, this means there are multiple cuts and have to be put together in the editing process. Shot reverse shot often ties in with the 180° rule to retain continuity by not distorting the audience’s sense of location of the characters in the shots. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.

Match on Action: An editing technique for continuity editing, in which one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action or subject in the first shot.  This creates the impression of a sense of continuity – the action carrying through creates a “visual bridge” which draws the viewer’s attention away from slight cutting or continuity issues. This is not a graphic match or match cut, it portrays a continuous sense of the same action rather than matching two separate things. Match on action means that the scene must be filmed multiple times and then put together during editing for the scene to work.

The Expendables Opening Scene Analysis

The Expendables

Use of Camera: The scene is introduced by using a long shot of a village showing the setting and giving the audience an idea of where about it is set. The team then set off, leading to a medium shot of the truck they are in, this shows the guns and armor, suggesting that a battle is about to commence. The trucks then push through the village. The camera then changes into a medium shot as they open fire, showing the body's being hit by the bullets and the blood exploding everywhere, typical of the action genre. This excites the audience of mainly men and satisfies their needs to see big explosions and lots of deaths. This then moves on to a medium shot of Jason Statham behind one of the heavy machine guns, this shows him to be quite ruthless and not phased by killing lots of people, also it emphasises the genre and has a big impact on the mood of the scene. as the men burst through the gate, the camera is a low shot showing the gate fly towards the camera and crush two men, this shows the the team to be powerful and strong and better trained than the foreign henchman. the scene then continues in a medium shot, occasionally cutting to a close up of one of the elite teams face. The scene then cuts to an inside building showing a few baddies guarding a hostage who hear the gun shots and explosions but are oblivious to what the threat is. It also shows them to be less armed than the protagonists outside, which suggests that they are weaker and not as intelligent as the good guys. The guys then shut the door thinking it would protect them from the carnage outside.

Sound: Non diegetic music opens the scene which is quite patriotic suggesting a battle or war is about to happen. The trucks engine roaring fuels the audience's drive and gets them ready for what follows. The men enter the village with diegetic sounds of villagers screaming as they know what is about to happen. Diegetic tires screeching as the van skids around and the men let of a round of gun fire, this introduces the audience into a fast paced massacre in which they suspire. The scene then continues with more gun fire which builds on the audiences excitement and makes them thirsty for more. Explosions which thrill the audience are used throughout the scene. 

Narrative: The scene starts with the men racing though the village armed for a war, this excites the audience as they know what is about to follow. The men then open fire on the unprepared army situated in the village causing absolute chaos. The reason as to why they are there has not been revealed to the audience yet, however the audience are less interested in the plot and more focused on the the guns, explosions and brutal deaths. The scene swiftly moves on to a group of the foreign army in a building holding hostages, suggesting that's why the team are here, to retrieve the hostages from them. This is a classic plot line for an action film to have a group of well armed guys fight an entire army and risk there lives to retrieve something of theirs in which the enemy has taken. The opening scene doesn't hint what the rest of the plot is going to be about, however from the amount of gunfire and outrageous stunts the audience can expect more from the remainder of the film. 

Genre: Group of well armed men making there way to a remote village can only mean one thing, a big budget blockbuster action movie. There are many indicators that this is an action movie such as the non diegetic music which makes the scene more dramatic and hints that something is going to happen. Another major indicator that this is an action film is the amount of guns and an explosions there are. Guns connote danger and war in which death occurs, which could foreshadow what might happen. The foreign army are all main conventions of the action genre and are usually will be from the middle east. The editing of the scene also indicate the genre as it is very quick and snappy which gives the audience the non stop action they crave.

The Dark Knight Opening Scene

The Dark Night

Use of Camera: The scene starts with a medium shot of a 'goon' pointing a gun out the window, this shows the audience that there is going to be some sort of action sequence which follows. The camera then cuts to a medium shot of a man in the middle of the town, it then zooms in onto the mask he is carrying. This creates an image of the clown masks face which will last and linger in the audience's mind which will generate fear from the disturbed image. The scene continues and the camera changes to a Birdseye view shot of two of the men zip lining across buildings, this increases the thrill as the audience are uncertain of what is going to happen next. Also this shot shows the setting giving the audience an understanding of what sort of heist is taking place. As the men are making their way into the bank, the camera is a low medium shot showing that these thugs are powerful and quite dangerous. The camera is focused on one of the men which is the same guy from earlier, we can tell this by his mask which shows that he is an important character or has a crucial roll in this job. The men then start taking hostages, the camera is of a medium shot showing the a man putting grenades in the hostage's hands this enhances the tenseness and creates uneasiness within the audience. The next scene the camera is a medium shot of the last thug walking towards the helpless hostage on the floor this then changes to a close up of the hostages face showing terror and creating a foreboding sense. The camera then cuts back to the thug where he takes of his mask and reveals himself to the audience. The audience then realise that this is the joker who was not supposed to be there. The way the camera is zoomed in on his face shows the unpleasant and the disturbing make up which makes him the more fearful and empathises the danger of the character.

Sound: The scene opens with the use of non diegetic music to set a dramatic tone to the scene, this gives the audience an understanding of what it might be about. Gun shots and smashed windows emphasis the use of violence and which implies that the men are criminals and the 'baddies' of the film. Swiftly moving on to a shot with the most important character of the scene who has most prevalence in the whole scene, we hear dietetic sounds of  local commuting cut off by screeching tires, this increases the thrill and just adds to the layer of apprehension of the scene. The guys then climb out the window and zip lines across, this is where the non diegetic music becomes louder and is more obvious. This changes the mood and increases the intensity as it is building up to what is going to happen. More gunshots are used however this time it is used to scare the people and alert them of the baddies presence, this keeps the audience on the edge of their seat as the suspense builds. Diegetic dialogue is used to create horror, the men's voices are very comic like and cliche relating to the idea that it is based on the comics. Moving onto to the vault, more diegetic sound is used to show the high tech machinery they have, suggesting they are intelligent as it is all planned out. Also the locking mechanisms on the vault itself show the high level of security of the bank and it takes professionals who know what they are doing to unlock it. The last two guys are left and a comedic aspect is introduced as the guy says "what bus driver" and ironically the bus crashes through the building crushing him. The last part of the scene uses non diegetic sound to create a dramatic reveal to the audience, which makes the audience shocked as they didn't expect it.

Narrative: The scene starts with masked men setting up equipment for what looks like a big heist, this gives the audience an idea of what is going to happen. The camera mainly focuses on one man, making the audience realise that this is an important character, he is later revealed to be the joker, the master mind behind the bank job. Usually a film of the action genre would start with the protagonist in a chase or gun fight however this features the 'baddies' with the hero no where to be seen. The men then start to steal money from the bank and once each of their particular job is done, their buddy shoots them until we are left with one man, the joker. This shows that these are dangerous men and are not phased by killing, this is quite selfish and brutal and portrays the joker as a ruthless, violent character that he is. The scene finishes with the joker leaving the bank alone, giving the audience an idea of who the joker is and the danger that comes with his name. As this is a the second in the dark night trilogy it would already have an established audience who know the Batman story therefore the director didn't feel that there was need for the protagonist being in the opening scene.

Genre: The film opens and throws the audience into a fast paced heist which excites them and creates tension, this is a typical type of opening for an action film to do. There are many of aspects of the opening that hint that this is an action film such as the non diegetic fast pace music which is used to create suspense, this music makes it feel like it is building up to something. Much of the mise on scene also indicates that it is an action film such as the guns which connote death and pain which could foreshadow future events. The masks that the men are wearing create a disturbing image for the audience and increases the thrill factor. From this scene the audience get an understanding of the main villain who will be the main focus for Batman. However still leaves the audience asking lots of questions such as why is the joker so ruthless? and where is batman?, all which will be answered in the remainder of the film,
hooking the audience and making them watch more.