Turn

 This week we were put into groups and were presented with a theme. The word Turn was mind mapped in our sketchbooks, looking for visual and metaphorical ways to describe our given word. Key phrases such as Rotate, Transform and Cycle were brought up, after seeing past videos done by previous students we had to tweak our idea. Initially the group planned to create short animations surrounding the key word Turn, however to extend the film length to 2 minutes there needed a more complex plot line. The idea of taking your turn resulted in a short story about 3 figures being trapped in a dark room forced to play a visual game of pictionary to survive. This was a much more developed idea from our original one as we were able to incorporate the stop animation alongside the film work.

My role was the camera man, I had to use various angles to relay different kinds of information to the audience. On the left is a still from the opening scene of the film, showing the killer entering a dark room. What is visually powerful is the ominous hooded silhouette ,which is brought closer by the simple form of light coming from behind them.

Before filming the group needed to scout for a location ideal enough to create a dark atmosphere in. Eventually we stumbled upon an empty room with a curtain able to leave the room in complete darkness.

What worked well with this idea of masking the antagonist was the mind tricks it could potentially play on the viewer. The scary thing about it is the audience are able to picture their own idea of a scary figure, most picture people they know in real life. In this way the masked figure with no identity becomes more life like to an audience.

 Another still from the film shows the 3 victims from a high angle. From this view point as viewers we are able to see all figures with the addition of the game at hand, linking back to the project title of 'Turn'. Due to the fact that the ceiling lights were too bright to create the right mood for our scenes, through trial and error we discovered that multiple flash lights from our Iphones made a spot light effect.

Alongside the video work and the inbetween stop motion animations, photographs were also taken. This was to make sure the group received a variety of material for the final product. In this camera angle, the audience see close ups of the contestants faces which creates an emotive link with the actors and viewer.

 This still shows a time lapse from the film, to create an effect that the figures have been trapped for a while. This was a great way of showing the effect of time but also providing further information about the key features in the film such as the dice and board game. The idea of Turn is therefore continuously being repeated throughout the film, the sound effect of a ticking clock was added in the final cut to emphasize the passing of time further.

Tension was built through the characters stiff and worried body gestures. Also the board game, central to the figures, was chosen for its colourful appearance. This was meant to be ironic as the setting is quite dark and serious while the game is childish and vibrant, I found that the two elements juxtaposed each other nicely. To add the hooded killer overseeing the game was seen in red which compliments the board game but also contrasts against the figures playing, reinforcing the figures are doomed to end up in the shadows. 

This was the final outcome to my movie poster, taking a still from the film and manipulating it to create a digital like effect. I wanted to take the audiences' first sight of the hooded killer as the movie poster because the moment when the antagonist emerged from the light was a strong first impression. Trying to keep the same vibrancy seen on the game board with the bright red of the killers hoodie, a pixelated ray of colour blends into the darkness. In addition the typography I chose is thin and skinny as it has a more digital and impersonal look to it, highlighting that it could be anyone's turn next.

Link to the final video: https://youtu.be/Nhapd0qeJ78