My two favourite ideas since the pitches

These are my top two favourite ideas from the 16 that were chosen a couple of weeks ago.

8. Rafia’s idea gained my attention as it’s realistic in the sense of locations and a comedy approach could possibly be added. Flat sharing is common but I think we could make it a true shock when the two girls find out the guy their flat sharing with is a vampire. Maybe we could put in a few laughs when they discover his secret, embarrassing maybe? I do have a concern about casting though and that’s why I didn’t choose my own idea, even though it has good potential. I think all girls cast would be best as it’s going to be hard to find people who are willing to give up their free time to act for us, and filming takes patience and time. Also location will be pretty straight forward as scenes are likely to be shot in a house, maybe a party? Uni, Fresher’s week?

Role/s I would like to take on: I would like to be the Director as I have an eye for new ideas and what will fit to suit this genre. Also I would like to be editing the footage alongside another person in the group as I have become familiar with iMovie and I have improved drastically and I would like to explore more within iMovie and I also have access to it at home.

12. Ellie’s idea is different and not typical as she doesn’t use the usual “bite on the neck” but uses chocolate, which is an ordinary thing that wouldn’t be suspected to have poison in it to create a vampire. The obsessive guy who sells her the chocolate before she turns could be obsessed with her? Stalker? Maybe his weirdness could be a potential way to make the awkward quite funny? You could keep on developing the idea, as Ellie wasn’t very certain what would happen next.

Role/s I would like to take on: At the beginning the main girl and her friends are shopping so I would like to act as one of the friends. Also I would like to take the role of managing costume and props as I have done in previous work like this.

Media Magazine Conference Feedback: 13/12/12

AS and A2 Media Class with Corin Hardy, who directs music videos and horror based feature films.

The conference we attended on Thursday 13th in Logan Hall was more than I expected it to be and I am glad I went.  I believe this experience will help us in the production of our Vampire horror trailers. I left this conference with so much knowledge and it opened my eyes to the type of work I could specialise in. 

Professor Martin Barker was our first lecturer who was mainly speaking about media violence and how it affects all ages of people. The four types of intense engagement were through, cinema, TV, comic books and video games. There was a successful campaign run by parents to ban a comic book that kids were reading which included the character "The Mighty Shaggur" as it featured extreme violence and sexual references which weren't fit for viewing by these young children. His talk was very engaging and really taught me about audiences in the media.

Jolyon Rubinstein and Heydon Prowse were the next two speakers who really gained my full attention. They are comedians and work in the media industry. We were shown clips from their programme which is aired on BBC3, "The Revolution Will Be Televised"  and I can say that I enjoyed it and generally because they get messages across is through being funny and this does attract our generation. I have now started watching their programme and clips on Youtube. I would recommend others to do so as well as the majority of what they talk about in their sketches is what we need to be fully aware of as most of it will determine our futures.

Clips you should check out:

Lynx ad 

Can I be your friend?

Google Homeview

Barclays Casino (HILARIOUS and TRUE)

Pete Fraser is a former head of the of Media Studies who is Senior Examiner for a major awarding body. He is a regular contributor, and inspiration for Media Magazine', and the authour of 'Pete's Media Blog'. He gave us useful A level tips, such as his 9 keywords for media are; Research, Planning, Evidence, Ideas, Feedback, Logistics, Equipment, Production and Reflection. I have defiantly taken notes on his tips and I will be demonstrating these consistently from this day forward. He has a useful blog which I have followed to get inspiration and tips throughout our production work.

Jump on these to help you out with production work, as his advise is specifically targeted at us A Level students!

BLOG: www.petesmediablog.blogspot.com

Twitter: @petesmediablog 

We were introduced to six previous media students who now currently work in the media industry. I found this part of the conference inspiring as these ex students were once in our position and actually gave me a boost to find out what I want to do and go out their and gain experience in that area. Also I understood that if you want do something you have to have a lot of dedication to stand out from the rest.

The 6 media students interviews

Dr Shakuntala Banaji has an fascinating interest in the social and civic contexts of children and young people. She lead us through a presentation about Global Media and poverty focusing on India where she found her research. This was a interesting talk as she spoke about her visits to India and what she found out while researching out thete. She told us about her experiences with children who had no encounters with the new technology which we are easily used to seeing. One child thought a camera was a hammer and starting smacking it against a rock. This illustrated the extreme conditions these people live in due to not having any way of sending information around. The villages that these people live in have no knowledge about citenzship. I believe that people have a right to know about what is happening in the world they live in, to not just  protect themselves but also educate themselves. She then ended the presentation with the question, Is media education a right or privilege?

I was throughly enganged by a journalist who works at The Guardian, Paul Lewis. During his talk he explained how social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube is a way for ordinary people to convert information before news reporters even hear about the story. He even admitted that this can help them as journalists but also become a problem due to the false information let out. For example, Twitter is seen as a quicker way to find out about global news and public affairs but on the other hand it can also spread rumours which can mislead the public and cause confusion. Paul Lewis was proud to say he was the second highest retweeted account on tweets related to the Riots last August.

@PaulLewis < for all you tweeters jump on that!

Corin Hardy's Instragram account. A shot of us in the audience while he was on sitting down answering questions asked by people in the audience. 

Finally we get to my favourite guest, Corin Hardy, a music video producer who produced videos for the likes of Ed Sheeran & Devlin, The Prodigy, Biffy Clyro, Olly Murs, Paolo Nutini and The Feeling. Over the past five years Corin has been busy writing and developing four of his own horror based feature film projects. In 2011 Corin was selected as a 'Star of Tomorrow' by Screen International. To be honest I just found his style of work inspirational. He's very talented and I think for this years horror based project we can use his work as inspiration. I will be using him as inspiration and I will be watching his videos during the production of our trailers.

We were shown the video for The Prodigy's Warrior's dance music video which gave me a shock as I previosuly stumbled across the video before and I found the idea of cigarette boxes coming to live creative and pretty much awesome. We got to view the FULL short film for Ed Sheeran and Devlin's track Watchtower which was a pleasant surprise. The way it was shot was superb and I found the pace of the short film much like a action genre.

Again, I must say going to this conference was a BIG help as I feel as though I have been steered in the right direction and I'm ready to start with production work, LEGGO :-)

Vampire Analysis: Representation of Gender and Sexuality in Vampire Series

In the majority of vampire films and series I've watched they display sexuality openly. I believe over the years the vampire genre has changed slightly but the sexuality in both males and females still remains. I am going to give an analysis on representation of gender and sexuality in two vampire series, True Blood and touch on the subject of empowered women in The Vampire Diaries.

True Blood is a popular American vampire series, which displays sexual content throughout every episode. Firstly I want to point out that the opening theme tune by Jace Everett- Bad Things, the lyrics repeatingly say 'I wanna do bad things with you', which already tells us that this programme has a sexual element to it. Vampires are seen as sex icons because of the way they are represented on our TV screens. Things that create this representation that we visually see is the way they have been dressed such as tops that are low cut and show the bare chest. By dressing like this men seem to instantly fall at their presence. Use of colour wherever it’s used in make up or clothing is a big necessity when attempting to represent a specific type of character and their personality.

True Blood is a modern series so many modern characteristics have been taken and placed in the series to attract a young but mature audience. Mainly we see the vampires feeding on the humans and we can sense their pleasure they experience with blood. Blood is a convention within the vampire genre that has been labelled as what vampires lust over. Red is a very powerful colour, which symbolises danger; love and I would say sexuality too. Even though vampires are seen as a danger to the human species, the humans are still drawn to their superior characteristics.

Red is used commonly in this hit vampire series. The colour is very sexy and femine but also is a sign that that character has a dark side.

In True Blood Fangtasia is a strip club run by the owner, Eric who is a vampire. He sits on the stage on a seat that looks much like a throne and humans are aloud to offer themselves to him.This shows that Eric holds an almost Godly power over humans as they would offer to be bitten for his pleasure but they want to share the pleasure with him and feel like his possession. They have their own civilization and even have their own entertainment for their species to socialize with their own kind but also humans and this tells us that the humans are obsessed with vampires and these usual humans tend do fantasise about being bitten by a vampire. Sadomasochism, commonly know as S&M, which is the act of using chains and whips to give or receive pleasure from acts involving the infliction or reception of pain or humiliation. This has been shown more than a few times in the series and the act does describe the series because of the dark and seductive acts that are shown in almost every episode.

The usuals that hang around in Fangtasia. Colours are very dark and seductive

Eric chaining Sookie by the neck is a demonstration of S&M.

Women vampires specifically are represented as powerful and attractive. For example, Katherine in The Vampire Diaries American series holds power over the Salvatore brothers because of her knowledge and tends to find out secrets before them which allows her to take charge to get exactly what she seek. Adding to this, her physical appearance appears beautiful and pretty much perfect but combined with ugliness because of what vampires live for and the lengths they will go to get it.

Katherine Petrova and Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries. Notice her stance and the way she is  dresses: Tight clothing and high heeled boots. Mostly dark colours in the costume but Katherine has a splash of purple in her top. Possibly outlines the difference between her and Elena (her doppelgänger).
Petrova Doppelgänger is a term used to describe women of the Petrova family line, who are descended from Tatia, the progenitor of the Petrova doppelgänger bloodline. The members of the bloodline include Tatia, Katherine Pierce and Elena Gilbert. A Petrova Doppelgänger is estimated to be born once every 500 years. 
This information was obtained from http://vampirediaries.wikia.com/wiki/Petrova_Doppelgänger

Homosexuality in True Blood has been touched upon at the end of series 5 between both female vampires, Pam and Tara when they shared a passionate kiss. Their relationship isn’t at all romantic but physical. Eric (ex lover) and Pam’s bond could not be compared to hers and Tara’s because she had loyalty and respect for Eric. Tara has come from hard past and has faced hard times from the start of the series to do with her mother but she is a tough fighter and Pam is exactly the same. Tara has started to feel loyalty and respect towards her maker Pam, and this bond may be unbreakable because of the complicated dynamics behind it all.

Tara and Pam (her creator). Their clothes come across as revealing and seductive.

The character Lafayette Reynolds, a gay cook, prostitute and blood dealer does not shy away from being extravagant but this is combined with a signature strength and masculinity that illustrates that he isn’t ashamed of who he is but is boldly defensive of the life he lives and the people he picks to love.

Bellow is a clip which demonstrates Pam's empowerment as a woman vampire. To turn Tara into a vampire which is what Sookie and Lafayette ask for, she makes a deal that is worth her while. Also we are taken by surprise when we see Eric and his sister Nora passionately kissing, which shows they find certain things normal which we would't consider to be. But Bill does appear surprised when Eric introduces her as his sister. Bill is also a vampire and is taken aback, so I don't believe it's normal to be intimate with a sibling. It is something new that I haven't witnessed in the vampire genre.

My Pitch

Samantha Wollington has been put into a Mental Institution in Louisiana as she has been accused of killing her mother. The doctors and staff appear deranged and Samantha unravels their secret that they're vampires who use patients as a blood sorce. One doctor, unlike the rest plans to break her out of the mental institution but the other doctors already know of their plan.

Brainstorming- The foundations of my ideas

So I have decided to brainstorm my ideas as this technique helps me to plan and decide what my next steps are. I have already typed up my synopsis so I know my current storyline. I have knocked off all ideas about a Romance vampire film as it's so familiar and I find it predictable and dull. I want my idea to leave the audience guessing what will happen next and to achieve this I will need to create a storyline that can make people feel out of their comfort zone.

Down below I have annotated my brainstorm. I will explain the decisions I have made and why.

Characters- I will have only one Protagonist that will be a Doctor and also a vampire. I want to break the representations of all vampires being selfless "blood sucking" monsters. I also want to create a conflict between this good vampire and the other vampires which are antagonists. This will most defiantly create suspense.

I have chosen to represent all the patients at the 'Mental Institution of Louisana' as victims. This way they are seen as weak and unable to protect themselves. People who have been sent to a Asylum tend to be a harm to society or themselves. But in this case, within the the walls of this institution they are the victims.

Setting-  I have chosen to set my film in the Winter as vampires are commonly known as being cold blooded and in the Winter it gets dark very early and this would suit a vampire's needs as attacking outside wouldn't be so risky whereas in the Summer it would, as people are likely to be out later enjoying the weather. I have chosen to have the story filmed in the past and present as I will have many flashbacks of some of the patients personal stories based on how they ended up in a mental institution. I like the thought of flashbacks as it feels like an intrusion of someone's private thoughts and memories. This way we can understand the characters and their emotions. It's going to be set in America, Louisiana. Louisiana is known to have a multicultural and multilingual heritage which is strongly influenced by the French, Spanish, Native American and African cultures.  I did want to set it in Pennsylvania which is the state beneath New York but I was looking at the Southern states. Also I didn't want to set it in Europe either as I find the films set in Europe are quite dull and slowly paced. 

Filming: How sound can enhance a scenes meaning

Synopsis of My Vampire Horror Movie 'Asylum Of Louisiana'

Set in Louisana, America in the late 80s is an untold story of the going on's in the Mental Institution of Louisiana. We follow the stories of the patients and their encounters with the strange doctors and staff that control the institution. 

Samantha Wollington who arrives in the opening sequence as a patient has been stitched up for murder she believes she did not commit but this is not proven until she proves her innocence. All we see is a flashback of Samantha and her mother having a argument where they are both screaming at each other while she is driven to the Mental Institution of Louisiana. Once she arrives the staff seem to take a keen interest in her, which begins to make Samantha more uncomfortable than being in a mental institution with a handful of insane patients. The days go by slowly and she starts to think she is turning insane the longer she's kept hostage so she embarks on a mission to get herself out and prove her innocence. One Doctor in particular, Doctor Sanchez is assigned to work with her and he realises she did not commit the murder and plans to get her out. But this begins to be a bigger challenge than he thought as his fellow colleagues start to notice they are spending a lot of time in that office of his. Every evening at 8pm patients are sent into their locked rooms but Samantha never sleeps because of the patients screaming and talking repeatedly to themselves. She hears the guard’s keys before he opens the gate, and another member of staff is accompanying him. She believes they will stop outside her door but is clearly wrong when they stop suddenly outside the Spanish patients door. They hesitate and the guard laughs quietly and mumbles something under his breathe which she struggles to hear. The door opens slowly and they both say nothing until the door shuts which wakes the Spanish patient and she says "vampiro" and the two men growl in an unnatural way.

The day of the escape comes, but Doctor Sanchez is no where to be found. Has he been found out about their plan. Will she go it alone or stay and await her planned death in this hell house?