Cinematography Research - Lighting

I have really had to consider the lighting that I need to use in my film opening because in the actual bungalow setting (shown on the Location Shots post), there is almost no light for the camera to pick up in order to see the details of the mise en scene. During the outside scene before the male goes into the bungalow, I can use natural lighting because I plan to film during the daytime.
    Some of my peers have commented that I may need to reconsider this idea of filming during the day because the horror aspect is lost due to the lack of suspense generally created by darkness. However, the justification of me using the daytime as the time period for the outside should be effective because the outside of the bungalow needs to look misleading to the two main characters. This use of weather/daytime is called pathetic fallacy because it should set the mood to be positive; which will be contrasted when the characters move into the bungalow.

<< This image is an example of how the light can affect the mood of the shot. The bottom image would be the ideal lighting that I will need in order to get the effect of suspense throughout the scene inside the bungalow.

I have also thought of the idea of using shadows/silhouettes of the witch in the background because filmmakers use the technique of using shadows and silhouettes in order to portray the villain and create the mood of suspense and tension. I also think that this technique would go well with the Music choice of having breathing noises during the scene – because someone is behind them.

Locational Shots

The location that I plan to base my film narrative around is a pre-fabricated set that is an old bungalow owned by my Nana. My justification for this location is because the exterior of the location is aesthetically pleasing to the eye (because of the white/neutral coloured exterior walls). In the story of Hansel and Gretel, the two siblings arrive at a gingerbread house (which is also aesthetically pleasing to a child). The mood that I want to create outside of the bungalow is a low sense of threat and the feeling that the children will not be hurt by what is inside the bungalow. Although, the audience will probably be aware of the folktale and so will know that just because something looks OK, it doesn’t mean that it really is.

(Outside of the Bungalow)

(Inside of the Bungalow)

The interior of the bungalow does not create any tension at the moment because I had to open the door to let light in so that I could take a photo of the set. However, when I am actually shooting the film opening, I am going to use artificial lighting to create a tense mood – because the inside of the bungalow is really dark with the door shut.

Casting

After the feedback of using a younger cast for the main personas, I have decided to use the two following cast members:

The male persona (Hansel) will be played by my brother Nathan Dalby. He is eleven years old and so fits the profile of Hansel well because he is the ‘protective brother’ to his younger sister in the narrative. I know that he is reliable and will behave on set in order to get the filming done as smoothly as possible.

The female persona and sister to Hansel (Gretel) will be played by Eve Newman. She is nine years old and is exactly the person that I wanted to have as the younger sister character that is innocent in the film opening. I think that Eve would work well with Nathan during the shooting process and because they have known each other for a long time, they will know how to behave around each other in order to make the ‘relationship’ between the two characters more realistic.

Typography Research

One of the vital aspects of my film opening that needs to be clear to the audience are the titles/credits of the film. After looking at Sweeney Todd and constructing a ‘Timeline’ that breaks down each title and their timings,  I have looked at some different fonts that I can use for my own titles in order to make them stand out:

Audience Profiling - By Genre

After deciding to base my film opening scene on The Brothers’ Grimm tales and use the fantasy and horror genres, I have made an audience profile in order to guide me when storyboarding and planning – as I will need to know who my film opening will appeal to:

Institution Logo Research

I thought that it would be a good idea to research into the different logos that the major institutions use; in order to gain some inspiration for my own film institution logo design:

Pitch Feedback/Development of Ideas

Originally, my idea was to have two teenagers being the ‘Hansel and Gretel’ personas. However, the feedback that I received has made me think about changing this aspect and aiming the plotline onto two younger siblings. This idea will hopefully make my film opening more successful because the horror genre is more effective when children are involved; because of the psychological aspect of the thought of children being hurt. My film introduction will not have any violence directly to children, but will include several shots ‘hinting’ to the audience that the male persona has been killed. I think that this might be more effective than actually being shown the male’s killing because the audience will have to use their imaginations to gain an image of this event.
   From the feedback, I need to consider the aspect above and also how I will achieve this ‘hinting’ technique to the audience. The comments overall were positive and I will take their opinions into consideration when planning/storyboarding the opening scene.