Paranormal Activity 2

'Paranormal Activity 2' is a thriller film, which came out 22nd October 2010, following from 'Paranormal Activity' which was released 25th November 2009. Due to the film being a massive hit though out these two years, they have announced a release date for 'Paranormal Activity 3' in the USA; 21 October 2011. 

Synopsis: The Ray family experience what they think is a break in. This happens a number of times, so the family decide to install security cameras around their home, only to realise sinister activity is unfolding in their house.On the first night the film footage shows the pool cleaner creeping out the pool on to the side of the pool. As the nights go on more suspicious activity unfolds, including; pots dropping, doors slamming, cupboards opening and the lady become possessed.      

Paranormal activity 2 fits in to the thriller genre because it builds up suspense and tension. Also its very jumpy and mysterious, but its not gory, this makes it a thriller.  

                                                       

These are a few images from the film. As you can see the images are all very dark and mysterious.

Camera angles and shots

There are many possible camera angles that can be used in the film industry. Here are some of the camera angles which we can use while filming:

                                                      Establishing shot 

This shot is usually taken outside the place
where the action is taking place.
This is shot is very important as it clearly
shows the audience where everything
is taking place, to avoid confusion.




Close up

This is a close up shot. It usually
zooms up on the face or an item.
This camera shot is very important
as it will show the facial features
and facial expressions of a person.




Low angle shot

This camera shot is taken from
below an actor or set. The use of this
shot, causes the person or item to
look large and intimidating.






High angle shot
This shot is taken from above the
actor. The use of this angle makes
actor look innocent and vulnerable.






Tracking shot

The tracking shot is where the
camera operator moves along side
the action. This shot adds excitement
and helps the audience see what
happens as it travels next to the
actors.



Point of view shot

With point of view shot, the camera
is positioned so its as if you are seeing
through the eyes of the actor. This
camera shot is very effective as it
makes it more exciting for the audience,
as you can see what the actor is seeing.



                                                         Framing shot

In this shot its using a piece of set or
scenery to frame a shot. This makes
the audience focus on exactly
what they need to be.

Preliminary task ideas

For the preliminary task im working in a group of 3, so we will need other people to be the actors. In our group we were thinking of having the location at a farm. We thought we would locate our filming in a farm as its dark at night and can be eerie. We were planning on having a person/farmer walking in to a barn and having a conversation with another person. The conversation will be about a planning a kidnapping of a child. We thought this subject would be good for this conversation, as it will create quite a mysterious atmosphere. The farmers costume will consists of old clothes and large boots to create a dirty and creepy looking farmer.

The 180 degree Rule

The 180 degree rule is used when two people are having a conversation. The camera stays one side of the people, and

doesn't move across the 180 line. Using this rule makes the 

position of the characters clear to the audience.  If it wasn't

used then the audience would get confused

on where the characters are positioned.

Top 10 Thrillers

These are the top 10 thriller movies:

1. The Godfather -1972  

2. The Godfather part 2 -1974

3. Inception -2010

4. Pulp Fiction -1994

5. The Dark Night -2008

6. Fight Club -1999

7. Rear Window -1954

8. Psycho -1960
9. The Usual Suspects -1995
10. The Silence Of the Lambs -1991

Preliminary Task

During our class time we had the chance to watch a few preliminary tasks from last year. They were all very unique but effective in different ways.
The first one which was made by George and Jack was very mysterious. It was set in a dark house, where the light was very dim, this darkness caused an eerie effect, which built uo tension. There is an extreme close up on jack when he speaks, this close up enphasises what jack is saying. The music linked in well with the thriller genre as its a piano playing, which creates a creepy mood. However when the music is playing it stops very suddenly which stops the build up in tension.

The next task we watched was Callum's and Zoe's. The setting was a key part in this film as it was set at night, which created tension and mystery. It was also set in a cafe, however during the cafe shots the sounds are not very good, as the surrounding sounds are very loud which causes the characters voices to be very quiet. Due to this problem Callum and Zoe had to put sub titles on, so viewers could see what they were saying. Also the camera shots became very shaking at some points, to resolve this they should have used a tripod.

The next task that we watched was produced by Livi, Asia, Tilly and Claudia. Their task was set at school when it was empty. The lighting was very good as they chose a corridor which had a flickering light. The costumes which were used were also very good as they were very dark which is a stereotypical colour used in thrillers. In this task there was a close up shot of a girl on the floor covered in blood, this was very effective as it linked to a thriller with the blood and violence.

Another task we watched was by Matt and Lauren. In this film there was some very good music. However you could hear the camera rustling so the sounds and music wasn't very clear. Towards the end a girl is tied up in the cupboard, i really liked this bit as  its alot like a typical thriller shot.

Thrillers

The definition for thriller is: A suspenseful adventure story or movie.
There many subgenres which are used in thrillers, an example of a few are: mystery thrillers, crime thrillers, disaster thrillers and medical thrillers. But the primary subgenres are crime, mystery and psychological thrillers.
Thrillers are associated with crime, murder and violance. The difference between horror and thrillers, is that horror involves a lot more blood and gore, where as thrillers doesnt incorporate gory scenes very often.

Thriller Directors

Francis Ford Coppola
                          

Francis Ford Coppola is a director of many films, for example;
'The godfather' (1972), 'The conversation' (2009).

He was born on the 7th of April 1939, in Detroit, New York. He was bought up in an Italian - American family. He first directed 'The haunted and the hunted' (1963). He studed theatre at Hofstra University and graduated.

Christopher Nolan
                                 

Christopher Nolan is a director of many movies, for example;
'Inception'(2010), 'Dark knight'(2008), 'Following' (1998).

He was born on the 30th July 1970, London, UK. He began making films at the age of 7. Hes been nominated for the oscars and had 42 wins and 36 nominations. Hes also the writer of the 'Dark knight' and 'Inception'. And hes the producer of 'Following'.

Alfred Hitchcock

                                            Alfred Hitchcock is a director of many films for example; 'Family plot'(1976),
'Topaz'(1969), 'Physco'(1960), 'Marnie'(1964),'The birds'(1963),'Vertigo' (1958)

He was born on the 13th August 1899, in London, UK.

He died on the 29 April 1980,Los Angeles, California, USA.

His nickname was the master of suspence. He was nominated for 5 Oscars, another 29 wins and 17 nominations. In 1915 he first became interested in movies. Then in 1923 he got his first chance of directing a movie when the normal director became ill.   

Movie extracts

Perfume: The story of a murderer

Perfume is a thriller, directed by Tom Tykwer. It was released in 2006. The movie is about Jean Baptiste Grenouille who was born in the dirty 18th century in Paris. He develops a superior sense and begins to create world famous perfumes, however it takes a turn for the worst.

This film is very gruesome and old fashioned, as it was set in the 18th century. The surroundings are very dirty as its set in a fish market. The setting is dark and murky which creates a mysterious atmosphere.

There is various camera angles used, so the audience can see the dirty fish market at different angles. To create tension the doors creek very loudly. 

This film is a thriller as it is very shocking and dark. However it incorporates horror aspects as as it is very gruesome at the start.  

Psycho

Psycho is an action thriller, which was released in 1960, it is a very old film. The director is Alfred Hitchcock.

As Psycho is a very old film, its all in black and white, this makes it very dark and shadowy, adding to the tension. Psycho is set in an ordinary village and house, which makes it very realistic situations. The house its set in is very dark and looks haunted, haunted houses are very common in horror and thriller movies. In the house all the objects have dark shadows, which creates a creepy surrounding. Also in the house on the wall there is a bird  which is a significant feature as it looks over the characters as they talk.

During the film, there is a participant view when the characters are having a conversation. This is effective as the audience can see in the eyes of the charcter and it puts the audience on edge as it seems like it is happening to them.

There is a lot of ambient sound, with the bad weather and very loud and heavy rain. This builds up the tension in the background. The music in the background is very sudden and creepy, the music at the start ia very fast, which causes suspence.                                                                    
                                                                                              

The props in the background involve a skulls, which shows the creepy and horror aspects. Due to the gruesome murder of the lady, this film links in to horror. Psycho is a thriller because its shadowy and not as gory as the other thrillers.

This video clip from Collateral shows a shooting sceen. It has a very dark atmosphere, which makes it feel mysterious.

Collateral

Collateral is an action thriller, it was released in 2004, the director is Michael Mann.

Colllateral is based around a taxi driver in LA, the film shows many realistic situations. The fillm starts in black and white which creates an old, dark atmosphere. As the film goes on the music begins to speed up and get louder, which builds up tension and mystery, as the audience don't no what will come next. However the audience can tell something is going to happen as the music is changing pace rapidly. As soon as the music has built up to dramatic sounds, it suddenly drops to silence.

Collateral is usually set at night in a dark town. These surroundings cause a creepy affect, keeping the audience on edge. At some points in the film the light is tinted green, creating a spooky background light.

This is the opening scene of Kill Bill, where the lady is dying. This beginning is in black and white, and the camera is zoomed up on the ladys gory face, using this zoom up shows clearly who it is, and you can see she's covered in blood. Because it's black and white, it seems very dark and old fashioned adding to the suspense.
During this clip a hankie is used to wipe the ladies face. Its unknown who it is, which makes it very mysterious. However if you look closely you can see that the name 'Bill' is on the hankie, which lets the audience know who the mysterious person is.

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight is an action thriller which was released in 2008. Its directed by Christopher Nolan.

The dark knight is a batman film, batman being played by Christian Bale. The film is based around the joker and batman, when the joker begins to cause chaos around the city, batman is forced to deal with his mess.

The dark knight is located in a mysterious town. The film is always set at night which makes the surroundings dark and sinister, which causes a creepier atmosphere, and keeps the audience on edge. The batmans costume is also all black, which makes him look very dark and mystifying. At a point in the film the action/fighting sceens are located in a car park, which has low ceilings and dim lights. These surroundings cause a dark and eerie atmospere, which build up suspense and a mysterious tone.  

The music speeds up and gets louder when the fights get more intense, this fast music builds up the tension.        

The joker played by Heath Ledger, has masses of face paint on, which creates a mask to cover his face, which means the audience can not see who the real character is. The face paint also makes the joker look like a clown, and clowns are usually incorporated in scary/thriller films.

This film is a thriller because there isnt many, if any gory sceens, but its fast moving, and theres a lot of action involved.

Kill Bill:

Kill Bill is an action thriller, it was released in 2003.  The director is Quentin Tarantino.

At the start of kill bill there is the sound of fast and heavy breathing, the audience is unaware of who is making this frightened cry. The camera gradually zooms in on the bloody face of a lady lying on the floor. The surroundings are dark which causes a mysterious and chilling atmosphere. It begins black and white, however you can clearly see the brutal and bloody face of the dying lady, this beginning makes the audience aware of how the film is going to be – violent and gory.  The music which is played is very mysterious as it refers to guns and shooting, which could relate to future advents or what has just occurred, with the dying lady at the start. 

As the film progresses the camera zooms up on key body parts which are significant. As the lady rings the door bell the camera zooms up on her finger, showing that this is important. As the women begin to fight the sounds are defined, the sound of smashing glass is very loud and clear, this creates a sense of suspense. During the film there are a few different camera angles. While there in the kitchen the camera becomes bird’s eye view which shows exactly what is in the room.