Merlin - The Death Song of Uther Pendragon

The Death Song of Uther Pendragon

Paranormal Actions

 Camera Angles 

• In the first three screen shots there is the use of wide angles in order to include more of the sets and characters in order to emphasise the scene as in the amount of reaction shots. 
• The last screen shot is a close up on Merlin and is a reaction shot after the chandelier has dropped on the table. The shot is on level with his eyes showing that we should relate someone how to him however without him looking at us the connection isn't supposed to be prominent. 
• The third screen shot is at a high angle in order to make the knights look smaller and therefore making whatever made the chandelier more bigger and powerful than them. 
• The second screen shot is also a reaction shot towards the doors opening and again like Merlins shot the camera is on level with the knights and they are turning in towards the camera. At the same time to camera is moving towards to them in order to make it go from a wide shot to a close up. 

Sound

• There is the diegetic sound as the doors swing open with the non diegetic sound of the wind which is being used as a reason that they opened. The wind supposedly blew the open.
• The diegetic sound of the knights talking around the table to each other.
• The diegetic sound of the chandelier hitting the table which has been done in order to be used as a jump factor in the episode. 

Editing

• There is a jump cut from the knight talking to the doors opening.
• Continuity editing shown through the different actions occurring.
• Juxtaposition between Merlin and the knights as he is made to look different to them as though they come from two different worlds.

Mise En Scene

• It is strange for two doors to open and not one because normally one door would only open in order to show a presence being there however by having two doors opening at the same time it not only shows that the presence is powerful but that it has more authority over the people in the room. It also catches the attention of the knights as its abrupt.
• Merlin is standing up and away from the knights showing that he does not belong at the table and that he is not of the same class or status. This is also shown from the clothing as well.
• The knights are wearing red which is used in order to  represent royalty and power and the silver chain mail connotes strength and also that they are there in order to protect the future generations of Camelot. 
• Merlin is wearing Blue, Red and Brown which show his masculinity and also that he is powerful perhaps more in his magic than strength and also that he is a protector of them because of the magic he has. 
• There is low key lighting through the doors when the are open and the chandelier is black and therefore this could connote that this presence is a threat towards them. 
• There is a statue in the middle of the two doors which could connote towards the idea that Uther is the presence. 
• By having it go from the doors opening to the chandelier falling it shows that the presence is trying to get the attention and therefore it gets more extreme and dangerous for the knights. 
• The knights are all wearing a uniform whereas Merlin is wearing more peasants clothing.
• In the second screen shot Arthur is placed in the middle of the two knights and this shows his importance as he is directly in between them showing that he is king. It has been shot in the way so that everything regal (the thrones) are placed around him. 
• High Contrast lighting in the knights room which shows the contrast to the corridor when the doors are opened. 
• In the bottom Screen shot there is a un focused line running through it showing that something isn't right within the scene and also there is anxiety which is backed up by Merlins face.

Presence 

Camera Angles

• They are again wide angles and the second screen shot is a close up on Merlin.
• They are all reaction shots to Merlin hearing the sound and the candles moving around him. 
• The camera angles are all from different angles as the backgrounds all change in order to give the audience different views of the room like a 360 degree turn. 

Sound

• There is the same non diegetic sound of the wind which is played in the scene before as if to signal that the ghost is in the same room as them.
• Before the end of the scene there is the diegetic sound of Arthur calling for Merlin. 
• Diegetic sound of the Merlins clothes flapping from the wind.
• Diegetic sound of the candles. 

Editing

• There are jump cuts between the three different shots of Merlin in the room which are quite quick and therefore this could connote he is scared or panic.
• Continuity Editing

Mise En Scene

• In the first screen shot there is a short depth of field as the corridor which Merlin is looking down is completely out of the focus and also in Low Key lighting in order to make it look much scarier and sinister. 
• In the last screen shot Merlin is standing in front of a tapestry which has a Eagle on it and he has been placed in front of it so that the wings are coming from either side of him and therefore this could show him as a angel facing the devil/spirit. 
• There is high contrast lighting being created by the candles in the room this also shows that technology hasn't been invented yet.
• The last screen shot has a deep depth of field as the candles in the foreground isn't focused. 
• The dominant colour in the scene is red and the dominant in the scene is Merlin.
• The candles are a symbol of danger and the sound of the wind also is another signal. 
• By having Merlin in a short depth of field it shows that he cannot escape whatever is in his presence and also that it is all around him and therefore it again shows is power over the people within the castle.

The Attack

Camera Angles

• In the first and last screen shot the camera is on a wide angle and on level with Gwen in the scene .
• The two middle screen shots are high angles which are looking down on her making her look smaller, vulnerable and less powerful when she should be powerful as she is the queen of Camelot. 
• The third screen shot is a close up on her reaction to what is happening as she is being dragged across the floor. 
• The last screen shot is more focusing on the happenings in the corridor rather than Gwen herself however she is still present in the shot showing her importance. 
• Sound
• There is the diegetic sounds of Gwen's screams as she is being dragged down the hallway by the ghost.
• Diegetic sounds of the stuff being thrown across the room as she runs down.
• Non diegetic sound of the wind being played again and therefore now it has been established as a warning sign for whoever hears it in the episode. 

Editing

• There are jumps cuts between the different shots as she is being dragged across the floor in order to show that it is quite frantic and not normal.
• Continuity editing as the scene develops more and more.

Mise En Scene 

• Gwen is wearing a purple dress which shows her nobility as she is a Queen in Camelot. Therefore her wardrobe has been chosen in order to show her class and status, therefore this shows that wardrobe is extremely important in order to portray a character in the relevant way.
• In the second screen shot it has been filmed in order to show that no one is there which is clever and that she may have been being pushed from the back or that what ever was pulling her has been taken out in editing. 
• It is low key lighting in order to set the scene up as being supernatural as it is dark and mysterious, also the darkness will pose as a threat because whatever is going drag her around will be concealed by the darkness.
• By her dress also being of a darker purple blends in with the background making her become part of the castle as though the presence is trying to eradicate her.
• Apart from pulling her around they also make things fall off the shelves in the background in order to show that it is following her rather than just make the ghost disappear - this therefore shows the travelling which is a clever idea because then you know where it is and what it is doing.
• It shows the violence of the ghost as it throws something at her head and then tries to kill her by throwing a spear this therefore links back to the dress blending with the background as the ghost is trying to get rid of her completely.

Uther 

Camera Angles

• The camera angle in the first two screen shots is a  low angle for Arthur making him looking bigger and more powerful than Uther as he is king now and that it is supposed to show that times have changed between the two kings. Uther has a high angle shot in order to show that his power has been degraded and therefore he is made to look smaller and less important that Arthur.
• However the camera angles change in the last two screen shots which is shown through Arthur now lying on the floor with a slight high angle making him look vulnerable and completely powerless to Uther who is standing over him as if to show that he has won. Uther has a low angle shot which shows the power has now been restored to him as though he has restored his rightful place as king.

Sound

• There is the diegetic sound of the two men talking to each other 
• Diegetic sound of the plate hitting Arthurs head followed by the sound of him hitting the floor afterwards.
• There is further diegetic sound of Uthers footsteps walking towards Arthur who is lying on the floor which sound powerful and also slightly frightening/ghostly.

Editing

• Eye line match between the two of them as they are conversing between each other.
• Continuity editing

Mise En Scene 

• Uther has a bluish glow around him indicating a ghostly/dreamy effect and this sets him apart from the background and the other characters in the scene.
• Uther is dressed in black connoting him as a threat towards Arthur when he is alone in the room with him as Merlin is trapped. 
• Uther starts sitting in his throne and this shows that he wants to be returned back to being king and therefore the motive is now confirmed as that is where Arthur should be sitting.
• Arthur is wearing Red and this connotes that he is powerful over Uther and also that he may be in danger by being alone in the room with him.
• The room is in Low Key lighting indicating that it is night time and also adds to the ghostly effect of fear and making Arthur more afraid.
• They are standing at a social distance from each other showing that they are no longer close and that something is dividing them and therefore makes the scene more tense as they don't look like father and son; more acquaintances. 
• There are candles behind Arthur possibly indicating that he has the power to be brighter than Uther as candles are a form of light and lighting the path to a brighter future and this mean that there is more hope with Arthur than Uther.
• There is a short depth of field behind Uther and a deep depth of field for Arthur. 

Source of Inspiration - Making Diegetic Sounds.

Making Diegetic Sounds. 

Within our film opening we wanted to explore the possibility of making our own diegetic sounds which  we could use, so that we could evaluate their success. Below i have included some simple sounds in which are featured in many horror movies, and will be evaluating their success in a film opening. 

Creaking Door - Man Made

As I had no creaking doors in my house, this sound was made via my dad, in which sounds completely unlike a creaking door, but i wanted to assess the use of man made sound effects. This could be used, but it would have to be used quietly, and would not fit in completely with the theme of supernatural at all. I think that although this sound has not worked and was completely unsuccessful it has been a learning curve, and i know not to use sound effects made by myself or any other members, as it does not completely fit in with the genre, and sounds completely amateur. 

Creaking Door - Door Sound effect

Within my house this is the only door that would create the correct creaking sound of which i was looking for. I really like this creaking sound, as it is one that you expect something to happen at the end of, and also you expect to jump. I think that it has been incredibly successful and could be used many times, as it fits in entirely with the genre and the themes in which we want to include within the film opening. I think that this sound is quite easy to recreate, with doors of which have the same effect, and it could also be edited to be amplified for a more fuller and scarier effect. I think that this sound effect could be used in our film opening, as it is slow, and creates a dramatic pause, in which we expect something to jump out or happen, of which is exactly what we want for our film opening scene. 

Floor board Creaking. 

This floor creaking was partially successful, but due to it not being loud enough, and the camera picking up background noises, it was not shown to be as loud in the video. This would also be the problem with the sound when recording this for our final film opening, as the sound would be very quiet, we would have to edit the volume and maximise it, to enable the right effect to be created within the film opening. I think that overall this was successful, but due to the noise showing up faint on the camera, it was partially successful, but would not be used again. 

Door Slamming. 

This was the most successful out of all of my sound effects created myself, as I feel it gave the correct effect which could be used within a horror movie, i think the sound creates a eerie and jumpy effect, in which our genre directly relates to. I think that the sound is just right, as it is loud, but not too loud, and can be used a sound off camera, in which can be as successful as seeing a door slam, and also fits in very well with the supernatural elements such as spirits and possession, in which we can have a door shut off screen, in which can be easily recreated, with this sound effect.

All in all i think that the sound effects that i have created are successful in conveying what they were supposed to, but i feel that some of them came out less effective than what i intended them too. Which is why i think that the noises that we should make within the clip should be digitally enhanced to make them fit in with the genre and themes in which we are sticking too. 

Media Survey Analysis

Media Survey Analysis

Within this post, I will be analysisng the 81 results in which we collected from our survey, which can be shown in a previous post titled 'AS Media Supernatural Survey'. I will be analysing the results from each question,  concluding the outcome, and having a look at what this says for our film opening. 

Question 1. What Supernatural Element would you like to see? 

With over half of the responses, Possession was the most popular choice by our target audience. Secondly followed by spirits, with theses results it is clear that a ghostly presence is clearly wanted within our film opening. For this in our film opening, it shows that we are going to need to include a ghostly presence, and also a ghostly background, which can be done on budget, and is most popular in the genre of supernatural films. With only a few votes for creatures and fantasy, i do not feel there is enough votes for them to be included within, and also i feel that our film opening would not be as strong and linked to the genre, because i feel that Creatures and fantasy is usually linked to action and fantasy styled films. With possession being the most popular chosen via the target audience, it is imperative that we include and cater to the needs of the target audience as they are the ones who are going to be watching the opening, and have taken the time to complete the survey. With including possession or spirits, it will mean that the actors that we will have within our opening will be talented within horror, and will have to have a talent acting in a scary environment, and conveying this to the audience. 

2. Do you think CCTV footage would be effective as a technical device?

This question was used, as we wanted to gather a opinion from the new target audience to see if using CCTV would be effective within our clip. As we was really into this idea, we really wanted evidence to support this as we thought it would be a different twist on a supernatural film, as there would be a lot of things that we could play around with. Over three quarters of our target audience voted yes, so I feel that not taking this forward would be completely wrong as so many people think that it should be included. Although there was still a negative response to the question, the positive response overshadows the negative and i feel that we should take this idea forward within the film opening, because it will make ours incredibly different to others within this genre, and will give it a different spin to everyone else's. 

3. What supernatural film do you find the scariest?

This question was included within the survey as we wanted to see which supernatural film people found the scariest, so that we could then look at what techniques, what was included and also the style of the film in question. This was a incredibly closely answered question, and the response counts has just a few votes between 3 of the choices. The only one with the least amounts of responses was Final Destination/One Missed Call, which is a gore filled film, which we included as we wanted to see if a supernatural film could still be scary with gore included, but according to our results, less people found it as scary as we expected them to. With paranormal Activity, The Ring and The Exorcist being the most popular, it shows us that spirits and possession are the scariest elements within a supernatural film. By taking this on board, and also taking the findings from the first question it has been concluded that we should continue forward with the elements of possession and spirits. 

4. Which location do you think would be the best setting for our scene?

This question was incredibly close with the responses, but the most popularly answered was a Isolated house location, even though this is the most popular, it is also the most impractical, due to having to find a isolated house, having the permission to film in it, and also making sure that it was safe. But, the second opinion that was popular was a woodland setting, in which could easily be done, as there are many woodland areas close to us, and could be used, such as Bexley Woods and Joydens Woods, which are free to use to the general public, the only problem being the background noise, as it may not be as loud as we want it to be, and would have to be dramatically edited. With both the school and the Cellar receiving the least amount of votes, i feel that they may not be suitable, but it all depends on what we can use to fit in with our ideas and themes. 

5.Would you prefer: A Main Character Or A Group of Main Characters?

We decided to include this question, as we wanted to see if the target audience would prefer one main character to lead the film opening, or a group of people together. Overall the target audience have suggested a group of main characters, which I think could work well with our plot, as less attention would have to be drawn to 1 person, and the attention could be shared, along with the emotion and also the acting. This would benefit everyone, and would also be more practical, although finding people who would fit the genre of acting that we wanted to approach would be the hardest. 

6. Would you prefer Immediate death or mystery?

We included this question as we wanted to find out if the audience wanted a cliff hanger, and mystery to be created by the film opening, or if immediate death was going to be included within the opening. As I expected, mystery was the one in which was the most popular, showing that the target audience would prefer the plot to be filled with mystery instead of immediate death, which is usually featured within a gore filled horror movie. Although two people skipped this question, their vote would not have made a difference to the immediate death, as three quarters of people have voted for mystery. Mystery will also give us a lot more variety of different routes in which we could go down, whereas Immediate death, would close down our options by quite a lot. 

7. Would you prefer a flashback or a narrator?

With this question we wanted to find out how the audience wanted to receive the background information for our film opening. Over three quarters of the responses said flashbacks, which i personally think is a good way of introducing the background, without having to have a voiceover of someone explaining the story, although I think this could be different, as usually a flashback is included in horror movies, and there is rarely a narrative voice used, so i think we could include this, and subvert the expectations of the audience. 

8. When would you like the credits to appear? At the beginning of the film opening, or at the end of the film opening?

We were quite undecided about the credits, as we did not know whether to include them at the start, which is usually included in movies, or at the end, which some A Level pieces have done. Overall the targeted audience have concluded that we should have the credits at the end of the film opening. I think that overall, this is the best decision, and we could change expectations and subvert them, as people expect them to be at the start, so by having them at the end it will change the dynamics of the film opening. 

9. For a film opening, what kind of sound would be most effective?

We chose to include this question because sound is incredibly important within our film opening, and due to it being a horror film, there is a lot of sound included within horror movies, of which we wanted to convey to the audience. We chose to include a lot of different suggestions because we wanted to see what people would pick out of a wide variety. The leading sound was Childlike music, which we thought would be the lead, because to us it was the scariest and the most effective. It was leading by a fair amount, so it would be a shame to not include it within the film opening, and although pause and silence did not have a large amount of votes, it was second, and i think that it would work very well with the genre, and would compliment the childlike lullaby incredibly well. 

10. Would you like Gore as a secondary element?

We included this question, as we wanted to know if there was a chance for us to include a second element would the target audience like it to be gore, as we have researched thoroughly into wounds, and how to create them, and we thought it would be a good chance to put our skills to the test. Overall the target audience have responded with the majority of people wanting gore to be included, in which we feel that we should respond to as we have the appropriate skills, and we feel that this could fit very well in with all of the other responses that we have gathered from the audience. 

Overall, the targeted audience have given us a lot of feedback, and have changed our opinion on a variety of things, this has now set up a large amount of ideas, and also has complimented our ideas, in which we can now further and develop thanks to this research. 

Clowns

                    Coulrophobia -  

an abnormal or exaggerated fear of clowns

Coulrophobia is a very common fear and many film makers play on this film to make the film more scary. I think that using a clown would be very effective because it is a very different idea that moves away from the typical 'man in a mask' situation. 
Generally the makeup could be quite easy to re-create because it would just be face paint that would be previously practised. 
One example of a clown used in a horror film is this scene from Zombieland 

The clown in this scene is quite scary and I think that this is due to the makeup.

• Starting with the hair; the clown's hair is green and this shows corruption. It is easy to see how this clown is corrupted, but by making the hair green it shows how the corruption is in the head.
• The way that the stars on the clown's overalls clash with the spots on his, rather large, bow tie show that how much is wrong with this clown. It draws our attention to many different things at once and we do not know what to concentrate on.
• Adding to this, the stripes on the braces add another dimension to this shot which makes it seem as is something is seriously wrong.
• Focusing on the bow tie, the way that it is wonky also adds to the idea that we are being told that something is off about this clown. That there is something more than just the obvious. 
• The makeup on this clown is quite basic. There is just a base coat of white all over the face, some dark shadowing around the eyes and then some triangles on the cheek.
• I think that this would be a good shot to use as a base makeup idea because it is very simple, yet the clown is still incredibly scary and it has the same effect. 
• Also, I think that, sometimes, simple is better as it would make it easier for us to recreate the look ourselves.

The next clip that I found was from the film 'It'. I chose this clip because I think that the way the clown is presented is done amazingly well. The clown does not have any particularly scary makeup and is not wearing anything that a normal clown wouldn't. I think that this is what makes it much scarier - that it could be any clown.

• I really like this shot because I think that it is really effective. Although the clown is quite small in this shot, it still manages to stand out from the background.
• The hand gestures that the clown is doing in this shot make him seem much more intimidating because it looks like he is inviting us in to try and fight.
• The way that this character has been given balloons adds, for me, to the scariness of this clown because it makes it much more relatable. We all see people standing selling balloons and clowns are known to shape balloons at the circus. This immediately makes the relationship between us and the clown much more personal.

• This shot of the clown is particularly good because it is, quite simply, terrifying.
• The close up of the face means that we can see every little detail, even the shape of his teeth.
• I think that the two scary things about this clown are the teeth ad the eyes. The teeth are pointy and look quite sharp. This would inflict fear because it makes us wonder if he uses his teeth to kill.
• With the eyes of this clown, we can see that they are slightly red - connoting danger. The red also makes the clown seem more of the fantasy type because red eyes are not something that we see on a daily basis.

After looking at these two clips, I thought that it would be a good idea to find some videos on how to do the clown makeup so that we could get some inspiration from them.

The first video that I found was the one above.

I chose this because the makeup is different and looks quite realistic.

Good things about this video;

• It uses makeup that we would all have or could get hold of easily
• Looks professional 
• Fairly easy to do with practise 
• It's very scary when finished
• Different kind of clown - not the usual that we would see
• This could be done on either a boy or a girl and still look good

Good things about this video;

• Incredibly scary makeup
• Could be done with things that are easy to get hold of
• Professional looking

Although the makeup here looks amazing, I think that it would be quite difficult to do compared  to the previous one.

AS Media Supernatural Survey.

AS Supernatural Survey. 

We have devised a questionnaire, in which we are aiming for 70 responses from a target audience to establish what features of a supernatural horror would be most effective in a film opening from their perspective. The results of this survey will give us a idea of what the target audience want to be included, and what will make our film opening effective. Here is a copy of the blank survey,  that will be filled out by the target audience. 

Voices (Sources of Inspiration)

Sources Of Inspiration: Voices

Dubbing an actor's voice with an alternative, often used for characters during possession and usually with a more sinister tone to increase fear.

(This could be beneficial for us to use if we chose possession as a focus to easily create a differentiation between the two speakers inside the body and also to allow the evil itself to address the characters without any confusion of who is speaking. This also acts as a device to increase fear as the voices chosen are usually deep and unsettling, highly in contrast to the previous.)

Often within horror, the evil is able to communicate with the victims through an item or a location and their voice is heard as whispering.

(A whispering voice can connote sinister intentions and by using many different whispering voices at once and overlapping them, it can isolate the victim from everyone else around. This technique can also effectively be used to signify no hope of escaping as once the evil gets to your mind, it can consume you. In terms of production of our own opening scene, this technique would be easily to duplicate as it could be added in as diegetic sound during the editing stage of production.)

Transmitted communications causing speech to cut out and be received in chunks often used to signify severe danger from the other end.

(This technique when used with a long cut out of silence causes the audience to be on-edge anticipating what will happen next, focusing entirely on sound. This would be useful for us as it would allow us to increase the audience's involvement within the scene and acts as a reminder that they are only communicating through technology and now, they cannot be helped.)

Wounds and Gory Deaths

Wounds and Gore

If we chose to include an accident involving glass (or it could be adapted to a knife wound and other cuts), a similar effect to the one shown above in Suspiria can easily be achieved through the use of theatrical wax and make-up. Although we have little skill in costume make-up and a low budget, a smaller scale version of the above wound could easily and effectively be made.
Also, we can use similar techniques to create burns and other bloody gashes on the body if we chose to include a gory death or chose zombies as our evil. Burns and glass cuts could be very effective if we decide to chose a home location and involve a fire or the victim falling through glass/out of a building. We can use this and cut to a shot of the victim after a fall to avoid having to find an effective actor to participate in a drawn-out death scene and to increase the pace of the scene, increasing fear.

As we are planning to possibly include a flashback within our opening scene, we could possibly show our victim after their attack with them having survived. By using make-up to create the appearance of scars healing over time, we could allow the audience to more easily establish a connection between the victim in the future. It is, again, easily achievable with little experience and can be produced effectively with pharmacy-bought products.

If we include a possesion/zombie/supernatural being within our plot, or even just to represent death, coloured contacts would allow us to easily alter a character's personality. If we want to take away a character's innocent/want the audience to feel no empathy for them, changing the eyes is an effective technique due to being the core feature of the face that conveys emotion. Changing the natural colour of someone's eyes to a demonic small pupil with an unnatural colour like in The Exorcist can allow the character to be consumed by evil and to break any bonds the viewer may have formed with them (it also helps when used for possessio to show the audience when the evil is present if it is not entirely clear within the plot).