Script - South War

Actor Connotations:

• Dennis Callaghan = Jared Rand
• Older Dennis Callaghan (Strictly Voice-over) = Mr Wood
• Michael Callaghan = Aree Rand 
• Brandon Callaghan = Elliot Sorsky
• Girl in boot = Ethan Rand

Mr Wood: I was 16 when it happened, bored, useless and craving excitement. Boy did i not know what i was getting myself into. My family are notorious for their name, always have been. The Callaghan family. The name alone could get you anything you wanted in this town. The boss Brandon Callaghan, the most respected man in South London, could get you anything you needed. Thats why when i was first introduced to the family business, [Start Conversation (Muted)] i was so proud to work with my dad for the first time. We were driving late at night, when we heard a bang, i thought it was nothing, but that bang changed my life for the worse believe you me.

Girl in Boot: [Bang on boot roof]

Jared & Aree: [Look at each other, a suspicious look as if this bang was unpredicted]

[Get out of the car simultaneously, start walking to the boot]

[Look at each other one more time]

Aree: [Open the boot without question as if you've been trained for this situation]

[Walk back into position (In line with Jared) and reach into your pocket]

[Pull out the gun, check the magazine, and cock it]

[Sigh loudly, and hand Jared the gun, should look as if you feel sorry for asking him]

Jared: [Take the gun and show obvious nervousness]

[Aim the gun at the body, arms fully extended, trembling]

[Look back at Aree one more time, as if you're asking to escape the situation]

[Look back at body and shoot]

[Drop the gun, arms still in place, shocked at what you just did]

Aree: [Reach into your pocket, pull out your phone and start to call someone]

{Cross-cut to Brandon Callaghan's office}

{Phone starts to ring}

Brandon: [Pick up the phone]

Michael (Over the phone): We had a hiccup, but it’s over now

Brandon: [Hang up the phone, turn around, cross out a face on the notice board, sit back down]

Prelim video

Analysis

To keep to the 180 degree rule i made sure to keep space in front of the conversation line and made sure to constantly check my recent shots in case i had forgotten and broken the rule accidentally however all the shots in the prelim stick to the 180 rule. The actors were extremely easy to work with, which made the shooting of the prelim smoother and easier than it could have been had they been difficult, however since the acting and dialogue was quite straight forward it was an easy task for them meaning it encouraged little need for direction. The storyboard given was easy to use as it gave a visual idea of what the video had to look like as an end product and in order to produce it the scene was acted in full in each shot type and were then merged together by editing the shots together. In order to shoot each scene the camera was attached to a tripod and then a dolly which made it very versatile, however for most of the shots it required the camera to remain static, therefore I put the brakes down in most shots which allowed filming to be a lot smoother and it kept the shot in focus. Some shots had to be removed from editing however, this is because some didn't stay in focus throughout it's entirety. Some were also removed due to too much light exposure, or they broke the 180 degree rule accidentally making them unfit for publishing. Premiere Pro proved a hard task to master at first due to the inexperience I had in the field of editing prior to this task however once I surpassed the learning curb included in this task it became much easier to compact each shot into one video. Problems I had with it included simple tasks such as importing clips and placing them in sound order. I think the video went well, including the fact that most shots were kept in focus which was quite important. However it could be improved by refining some faults such as overlaying dialogue in one or two shots and the symmetry of shots could be better such as the position of close-ups and over the shoulder shots on both sides.

Questionnaire analysis

Upon listening to the answers to our questions, we can take back that the main aspect that we need to show consistently is guns, violence and action since we now understand that it is the feature of a film that makes it more enjoyable and "It keeps you on the edge of your seat." Therefore we filmed more of our guns and used some close up shots of the gun to place focus on their use and to emphasise the action of the film.

Our participants have also made it it clear to us that to entice the audience it should be based on a true story, and a mystery should be involved since when it is a true story the element of films being fake vanishes and this can interest more people. A mystery once again keeps people on the edge of their seats and makes them concentrate and try and figure it out on their own making the film more enjoyable. Therefore the film synopsis is loosely based on the IRA, shown by the Irish character names. The mystery is also seen where there is no dialogue to the film rather that there is a random killing of someone who is unknown to the audience, therefore the intrigue is seen to be the question of 'Who is it?.

Another feature we have added into the film, inspired by the answers, is the idea of a tragic death, which is mainly to do with the rest of the film being the death of the father when Dennis Callaghan grows older. However the theme of death is seen in our opening sequence when the man in the boot  is shot, which we are told is appealing to the audience.

Questionnaire Interviews

Why do young people like to watch horror films?

Its simple, the feeling young adults get when watching horror films is the rush of the knowledge that it is wrong and we shouldn't do it. It is the urge which all teenagers know and love, the feeling of doing something bad and things which we are told not to do. Thats why when watching horror films young people enjoy, and in fact cannot wait for that first jump scare, for it is that which young adults receive the same thrill of doing something wrong. It is a feeling which stays with young adults until way into adulthood. Horror films are able to produce these feelings as they tap into the taboo side of life, the side which is not all explored by ordinary real life. It is also well know the feeling of teenager curiosity, and the feeling of a need to investigate things which are slightly indecent. This is seen in horror films by the murder and sci-fi scenes which we can't really see in real life. The thrill is also biological, for when we perceive fear or dread in real life, our threat response system is contacted, which some people call fight or flight. We are quite literally put in survival mode by an excretion of hormones which increase our efficiency at either running or fighting. This is better know as adrenaline, which is known to heighten the experience of a scary moment in real life, or increase our chances of survival. Therefore when watching a scary film, we also receive adrenaline, and it is this which allows us to enjoy watching scary films as adrenaline can sometimes be extremely thrilling. Not only is it thrilling, it is a feeling which ordinary life cannot offer on a regular basis.

First and Final Girl in Horror Films

The first girl in horror films is stereotypically naive, innocent and blonde therefore making the victim of the film and an easy target. She is used as the first victim of a serial killer which ignites a hysteria within the film. The blonde hair connotes the stereotype of stupidity and naivety where a blonde girl will answer the phone or open the door to an unknown stranger without thought and therefore putting themselves in danger. For example, in the opening sequence of 'Scream' the blonde girl is portrayed as naive and stupid as she repeatedly answers the phone to the stranger even after they have become eery and then they later reveal themselves as in close proximity to her. Additionally, within the opening sequence the blonde girl also burns the popcorn, leading to a small fire, further showing the stupidity of the blonde girl also known as the first girl in a horror film.

The final girl in a horror film is stereotypically intelligent and often has the job of solving the crime that the first girl in a horror film is the victim of. The final girl is stereotypically dark haired and appears in smart uniform to portray their intelligence and working class manner. For example, in scream the final girl is the person who is seen as the protagonist and she solves the crime, also seen with brown hair.

Moodboard

Images from top left to right, down, then bottom right to left.

1. Lawyer in court - Represents the family mafias struggle with law and their actions to surpass it in the face of danger.
2. Gunfight - Foreshadows action and violence, such are the conventions of a thriller film.
3. Gun - Represents the gun trades of the mafia, and puts focus on the idea of violence
4. Mafia - Represents the whole idea of the film, being mafia based
5. Police - The picture of the police shows their constant involvement with the mafia, the picture is slightly overlapping the picture of the mafia above, to show how the mafia regard themselves above the law, while the police always are close to catching them
6. Family - Shows the importance of family in the film, this picture also overlaps all pictures, to present the idea that family is the most important thing in the world, surpassing money and power
7. Dead Body - Foreshadows the death of a character in the film, keeps tension while watching.

Location and it's Similarities to Other Films

Edgwarebury Lane

We chose this location to film our thriller opening sequence "South War" because it is secluded and it provokes tension as it gets dark at night. 

This image shows how the location is isolated from conventional roads as it is next to large fields and and a cemetery. This part of the location is similar to goodfellas since is has a lot of shrubbery as seen in the opening scene of the film. It is also similar to reservoir dogs since the warehouse seen seems to be in an isolated and quite location much like this area.

The road is long and one thin meaning there should be little interference from other cars and no sound interference as there is no livestock around, or civilians. It is quite almost identical to the road used in goodfellas in the opening sequence as at night it cannot be distinguished and no turns are taken, indicating it is a long, straight road as well, much like our location.

The area on the left where the white car is parked is where we will pull over in the car scene, it is perfect as it is away from traffic and there is space behind to set up the camera equipment.