What is a film?
A film is a series of moving images put together to tell a story. A motion picture is a series of still images all put together and when played quickly it creates the illusion it is moving.
History of a film:
The first motion picture ever made was called The Horse in Motion which was made in 1978 by photographer Eadweard Muybridge. Born in Kingston upon Thames, Muybridge moved to America where he developed ideas to photograph the animal in fast motion after being hired by the Governor of California, Leland Stanford, to prove scientifically that when a horse gallops it become airborne. Parallel to the racing track, he aligned a series of fifty cameras, each with a specially designed rapid shutter, and by connecting them to trip wires across the track he ensured each one automatically took its own picture as the horse sped by and broke the string.
The invention of the first movie camera was in America by William Lincoln in 1876 and was called 'Wheel of Life' or 'zoopraxiscope', however this was by no means like today's videocameras. However, Frenchman Louis Lumiere is often said to have created the first motion picture camera in 1895. Though several similar inventions happened around this time. Lumiere had created a portable motion-picture camera with a film processing unit and a projector called the 'Cinematographe', this was three functions included in one. The invention of the 'Cinematographe' made motion pictures very popular. It began the motion picture era. In 1895, Lumiere and his brother were the first to present projected, moving, photographic, picture to a paying audience of more than one person. However, the Lumiere brothers were not the first to project film.In 1891, the Edison company successfully demonstrated the 'Kinetoscope', which enabled one person to view the moving pictures at one time. Later, in 1896, Edison showed his improved 'Vitascope' projector and it was the first, commercially, successful projector in the United States.
In 1909 colour filters were used, in 1917 the colour process was used and in 1934 Technicolour was used. Early colour feature length films started between 1903-1935, when the technicolor three-strip process ("Process 4") was introduced. Cupid Angling in 1918 was the first feature length colour movie, then Becky Sharp in 1935 was shot in technicolor. It was based on the novel Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. The Wizard of Oz (was re-released) and Gone With the Wind were released in 1939 in colour.
What is a short film?
A short film is a film that can't be called a feature film as it's not long enough. A short film is about forty minutes or less, including the credits. A short film was called a short subject but it's usually known as a short film. Short films can be either professional or an amateur production. Short films are usually only shown at film festivals, either locally or internationally, where as feature films are shown in cinemas.
Short film budgets and box-office
Short films are usually created by independent people and have low or no budget and make no profit, but in rare cases there might be a big budget, short films are often given finance through sponsors, non-profit organisations or simply from the pocket of the producer. Short films are often used for those wanting to prove themselves and get themselves known so they can get funding for future films from investors.
Locations often used for shorts
To work out the common locations for short films I analysed a short film, for this I went on to YouTube and looked at a short film. The short film 'Inside' filmed the beginning in a woods, which is an easy, obvious and cheap location. They also filmed a house, this was a wood look on the outside and the inside looked like a house. The house in the woods may have been expensive as this would have to have been built. However, for the majority of the film it would have been a cheap short film.
Shots, edits and dialogue in short films
I analysed Inside from YouTube which was by Blackmagic Cinema Camera and the shots were... a common edit was cut with a few fades. There wasn't much dialogue, she says: "is anyone there?" as she opens the door to the mysterious house. (Full analysis after 'History of a Short Film'.)
History of a short film:
In the 1930s the Great Depression changed everything within distribution system in many countries and instead of the cinema owner assembling a programme of their own choice, the studios sold a package centred on a main and supporting feature, a cartoon and little else.
In the mid-1950s there was a rise in television and short films were virtually dead, the last short film was The Three Stooges which ended in 1959. Now short films are mainly for students, independent film makers and specialty work. TV shorts was the first TV channel to be dedicated to short films. 
Today, only a few short films continue. Pixar has filmed some short films to go alongside its feature films since 1995, but only permanently since 2001. Since Disney bought Pixar in 2005, Disney has also produced short films since 2007 with Goofy and How To Hook Up Your Home Theater and a few series of The Muppets for viewing on YouTube. Dreamworks Animation often creates short films for sequels to include in special editions video releases of major films. 
However most short films rely on film festivals and the internet for acknowledgment. Websites such as YouTube and Vimeo encourage the submission of short films to attract more people onto their site. Sites like FILMSshort and and the BBC Film Network Focus only show a selective few short films.
My short film analysis: (this was done after I did my pilot copy)
I looked at camera shots, transitions and non-diegetic and diegetic sounds, locations and characters. There was non-diegetic music throughout and not much dialogue present. There was only two characters, the female photographer and the man inside the house. The location was in a wooded area and the end of the film was inside a house (within the woods).
My full analysis:
Next a screenwriter writes a screenplay, this usually takes a couple of months.
A screenplay may be written more than once to improve story, characters and dialogue. When the screenplay has been written investors and studios look over the script in a process called script coverage. This is where they assess and grade the script. During script coverage they will look at the title of the film, the author and the genre, they will look at the logline of the film and grade the script: excellent, good, fair and poor on the characters, storyline and dialogue, they will write a synopsis depending on the script quality.
At the end of the day the director approves the next day's shooting schedule and a daily progress report and it will then be sent to the production office. The daily progress report includes the sheets from the continuity, sound and camera teams. Call sheets will then be distributed to the cast and crew to tell them when and where to turn up for the next shooting day. Later on the director, producer, head of departments and sometimes the cast may watch footage, called dailies, to review their work.
What is a genre?
Horror films seek to play on audiences' emotions by their fears. Horror films usually want to scare the viewer by jumpscares that will startle the audience. Supernatural is a frequent theme in horror films. Horror films often deal with nightmares, hidden fears and terror of the unknown. Plots within a horror film often involve: evil forces, ghosts, aliens, vampires, werewolves, demons, vicious animals, monsters, zombies, cannibals and serial killers.
History of the Horror genre:
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In the 1930s and the 1940s was the start of the use of sound within films. During this period Movie studio Universal Pictures began creating successful Gothic films, such as James Whale's Frankenstein. During this time, Jack Pierce was a make-up artist who created iconic images of monsters.
In the 1950s horror films went from Gothic films to demonic films and apocalyptic films, the two contemporary concerns. This change was partly due to the advances in technology. Productions (usually low budget) featured threats from 'the outside' or from mutilation such as Godzilla from the effects of nuclear radiation. During the late 50s the UK produced horror films, where the Hammer company focused on this genre for the first time, Terrence Fisher was known for creating the best horror films. Other companies contributed to the boom in horror films during the 1960s and the 1970s.
In the 1960s the first 'slasher' was created by Michael Powell with his film Peeping Tom. Then Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho was made.
During the 1970s and 1980s gore was being shown because of the success of Rosemary's Baby. The Exorcist was a success in which the Devil was represented as the supernatural evil, by impregnating women or possessing children, such as The Omen (1976). During the 1970s the youth got more involved in horror films and started exploring the medium, such as in Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977). Also in the 1970s the literature works of Stephen King (such as Carrie) was made into films.
During the 1990s many sequels of slashers were made, such as: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Friday the 13th and Child's Play.
During the 1990s special effects and computer generated imagery (CGI) were advanced. Examples of films were special effects and CGI are used include: Anaconda (1997), Sleepy Hollow (1999) and The Haunting (1999).
Mainly in slashers, but any horror films which included weaponry, use weapons that are like an extension to the body, the killer uses things like axes, knives and other close to their body weapons. This is so they are closer to the victim and show their power over them, it also adds to the unsettled feeling the audience will be having as it makes the killer seem closer to them whereas if it was a distant shot they would feel slightly relieved as they're further away. Carol J Clover said that with weapons like knives and axes it means the killings are more silent (as opposed to a shot from a gun) so when, later on, other characters find the dead bodies of their friends it unsettles them to know the killer was close and has been here and could still be close by biding their time before they kill another person. However, although some weapons like chainsaws aren't quiet, Clover has justified them by saying it still shows closeness as they're physically within about a meter of the victim, also by using a chainsaw it means they can be creative and butcher the victim rather than just a hole where the bullet would have go in.
What is a movie magazine?
Genre is a French word meaning "type" and is a category or form of a piece of literature, a film, art or other forms of entertainment. Genres are formed by codes and conventions, codes and conventions can change over time as new codes and conventions are introduced and old ones are disused. There are genres like horror, comedy, drama etc but there are also sub-genres, such as RomCom which is a combination of romance and comedy.
Horror as a genre:
Horror films seek to play on audiences' emotions by their fears. Horror films usually want to scare the viewer by jumpscares that will startle the audience. Supernatural is a frequent theme in horror films. Horror films often deal with nightmares, hidden fears and terror of the unknown. Plots within a horror film often involve: evil forces, ghosts, aliens, vampires, werewolves, demons, vicious animals, monsters, zombies, cannibals and serial killers.History of the Horror genre:
Georges Méliès created the first silent, short horror film in the late 80s: Le Manoir du diable, this was the first depiction of supernatural events. The first vampire film was made in 1922 and it was an unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
The first American horror movie star was Lon Chaney who was in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Monster (1925). Other famous films during the 1920s include: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) (which was remembered for it's use of coloured filters to transform Dr. Jekyll), Waxworks (1924) and Phantom of the Opera (1925).
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In the 1930s and the 1940s was the start of the use of sound within films. During this period Movie studio Universal Pictures began creating successful Gothic films, such as James Whale's Frankenstein. During this time, Jack Pierce was a make-up artist who created iconic images of monsters.In the 1960s the first 'slasher' was created by Michael Powell with his film Peeping Tom. Then Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho was made.
During the 1970s and 1980s gore was being shown because of the success of Rosemary's Baby. The Exorcist was a success in which the Devil was represented as the supernatural evil, by impregnating women or possessing children, such as The Omen (1976). During the 1970s the youth got more involved in horror films and started exploring the medium, such as in Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977). Also in the 1970s the literature works of Stephen King (such as Carrie) was made into films.
During the 1990s many sequels of slashers were made, such as: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Friday the 13th and Child's Play.
During the 1990s special effects and computer generated imagery (CGI) were advanced. Examples of films were special effects and CGI are used include: Anaconda (1997), Sleepy Hollow (1999) and The Haunting (1999).
Codes and conventions of horror films:
Codes and conventions are like "rules" in which directors and script writers follow when they create a film. Codes and conventions are the typical things in which you would see when watching a horror. Some codes and conventions include things like low key lighting, this is used to create darkness - in which something could be hiding. If you were to watch a horror film with high key lightening it would take the terror away as you could see that no body was hiding. Another typical thing the
audience would see is that the main setting in the film whether it be a house or a hospital it is nearly always isolated, this is so the help is far away and hard to get. Typical ideas that are in horror films are danger, death, curses and strange noises. Also, whenever a phone is clearly visible or is used within the film the lines nearly always get cut, this is so the person or people being stalked can't phone the police or others for help, sometimes the houses with phone lines being used are also the high tech ones with the house alarm that is linked with the police or other security measures and so these are also cut, like in Fear or When a Stranger Calls. An act that most women (and some men) do in horror films is run upstairs. They always run upstairs and lock themselves in a bedroom because they think it's safe, instead of running out the front door to get help.
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| isolated house |
Mainly in slashers, but any horror films which included weaponry, use weapons that are like an extension to the body, the killer uses things like axes, knives and other close to their body weapons. This is so they are closer to the victim and show their power over them, it also adds to the unsettled feeling the audience will be having as it makes the killer seem closer to them whereas if it was a distant shot they would feel slightly relieved as they're further away. Carol J Clover said that with weapons like knives and axes it means the killings are more silent (as opposed to a shot from a gun) so when, later on, other characters find the dead bodies of their friends it unsettles them to know the killer was close and has been here and could still be close by biding their time before they kill another person. However, although some weapons like chainsaws aren't quiet, Clover has justified them by saying it still shows closeness as they're physically within about a meter of the victim, also by using a chainsaw it means they can be creative and butcher the victim rather than just a hole where the bullet would have go in.
Typically women are usually killed first, this is because they are usually seen as weak. Carol J Clover (1992) said that: "that masculinising a woman is a far more acceptable project than feminising a man”, this means that woman are either masculinsed so that they can survive or they are killed where a man has always got to be seen as strong. However, in order for a woman to be strong they have got to hold a "phallic" weapon to show that she has the power, this is shown in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 when the last surviving female holds up the chainsaw after cutting open the stomach of the threat.
Mick Martin and Marsha Porter said: “the woman that we see through the ‘I camera’ is scheduled for death. A subjective camera is used which makes it look like the viewer is the killer”. The killer's point of view shot are often used when looking at the woman character to show that she is his next victim and it always makes the audience feel sympathy for her (unless she's one of those annoying females the audience hopes to die first) as she is portrayed as being vulnerable.
Normally the first female to die will be the unintelligent but attractive blonde, like in Scream when Drew Barrymore's character dies in the opening scenes. The surviving female will be the one who is strong, clever and will pay attention to everything going on around her, like Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween, she is the opposite of her friends (who smoke, have sex, unintelligent etc) and she is the one who survives.
What is a movie magazine?
A movie magazine is a magazine dedicated to movies. A movie magazine will include: interviews with the director or actors/actresses of the film, film reviews where someone from the magazine will write about the film and give it a star rating, it can also include posters of films and the cast. A popular movie magazines is Empire which is published by Bauer and is the biggest selling movie magazine in the UK, but is also popular in other countries, such as the USA and Australia. Sight and Sound is another popular movie magazine, however it has a more serious approach than Empire.
I analysed 3 movie magazine review pages, as this is what I have to create for my coursework and this would give me an understanding of the layout.
Audience Research:
To collect my results I put the URL on my Facebook account and asked my friends to complete the survey, I also asked my mum to put the survey on her Facebook page. I knew I wanted to create a horror film so all my questions are based on horror films to help me with my coursework.
When I gathered all my results I put all the information in tables so I could easily see what everyone liked which will be easier for me to look at when I come to create my film. This meant I changed most of my qualitative data into quantitative data.
My questionnaire responses:
I love your blog, i'd give you an A*!
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