Camera Tests

I suggested to Ethan that we could film some of the more intense dialogue like the scene from Shadowhunters above. I suggested booking out the stedicam to achieve this and also have a steady look to it. 

Ethan clearly didn't like the stedicam as it was hard and required patience to set up just right with the different weights (it was quite simple with a basic understanding of maths but was very time consuming). I suggested for Ethan to go on a wander with it to see how it looked. It was a bit of a failed test as it wasn't quite set up right and not steady so it acts like a pendulum most of the time going back and fourth. It also requires a good posture. Overall it is a hard piece of equipment to use, requires loads of patience and hard to get exactly right. We probably won't be using it again. But hey, it's all experience!

I then suggested to do a few handheld shots to try and achieve the Shadowhunters dialogue scene, so me and Jamie were Gartha and June and read through the love potion ingredient scene. It was a lot better handheld rather than the stedicam. It also looks quite good and dramatic! We got a few different types of shots- one CU spin of me, one of Jamie and one figure 8 shot of both. It would be nice to also film the dialogue normally (180 degree rule) just in case and if it works better. 

Auditions

We held two rounds of auditions, one in Hartlepool on Wednesday and one in Newcastle (after being suggested to do this by Adam) on Thursday. We expected the Newcastle one to be busiest, but we had no one show for a good few hours at first then 4 came in at once (and one Skype audition on the night). And we had 5 turn up for the Hartlepool ones (plus one Skype audition).

The Skype auditions were definitely learning curves and an interesting experience. Both had a few technical difficulties such as wifi cutting out and sound not working (I had to record the first one on my phone as the software didn't work to do it on the laptop). 

There was a good mixture of ages and different acting abilities in the auditions, some great, some not so great. But I think we did pretty well this time around organising them! We did have a few issues in Hartlepool as some auditionees were wondering around reception looking lost (a producer should have been there to sign them in) and one person sat outside on the seats for an unknown amount of time (again someone should have checked. Andrew said that someone was sat outside but I wasn't sure why he didn't ask him if he wanted to audition). 

One bad thing about the auditions was the lack of female actors that came. Altogether two came (one old and one young) and I need two young ones. The female that came read well for Lerysa but looks more like a Gartha (can something be done?? A wig??) And there was two possible June's (one I really liked in the first round of auditions who I will more than likely cast). Just need to talk to my producer to find a suitable Gartha. 

The Lit and Phil where we held the Newcastle auditions were stunning with an enormous library (and some very weird toilets that looked like a living room). We have contacts here and since we were so nice (hopefully!) they might let us film there in the future. 

Anti Terrorism

After a quick briefing and meeting for Production, in the afternoon, we had John Bickerstaff come in to talk about his job and Anti-Terrorism. Considering the latest bombings in Brussels, this is very important and always relevant and we need to remain on alert. This is relevant to especially us because of our 'filming awareness' that can be considered suspicious behaviour.

Filming chemical works and guns or any unusual behaviour are big signs of a 'terrorist recce'. Taking pictures of CCTV and buttons add to this. However, if they are clearly staged and angled, with full permission, we should be fine. If a security guard says they need to destroy it and won't listen to reason, they do not have the right to destroy it. It is the law! Did not know this until today.

We also learned what to do in a bomb scare and what to do which was also useful to know (I'm surprised we were never told this earlier like in secondary as even though we probably won't use it, it is still useful to know). 

Location Recce

Today, after a quick team meeting, me, Jamie, Ethan and Janice went on a location recce to Summerhill. Janice was familiar with Summerhill and knew a crater that would look good for the battle scene so we asked if she could come with and show us (thanks again Janice!) Even though I filmed here once for the Scunchi advert, I never looked around the park bit.

Janice also took us through Burn Valley and pointed out some pretty bridges that we could use. It would look like for some of the montage pieces. So we will have to contact the council if we decide to use it. We are having a meeting tomorrow about all the locations and finalise them.

Summerhill has so many hidey holes it's great! The staff were really friendly too and gave us maps and who to contact if we want to film there. Each bit of Summerhill is usable (we were even tempted to use the high wire to make the witches fly but the risk assessment would be a nightmare!). For the BMX track, we thought it would be funny to have the two witches run on broomsticks on it for the montage! There's lots of benches and logs to have a picnic on and parks to play on! 

The crater was probably the best bit of the recce, even if it was a bit busy with dog walkers at times. We filmed a bit of test footage so Jamie could experiment with effects and what angles we could go from. 

Shouting Nonsense Loudly

This post is about the little things in the script that aren't fully developed but would be nice to research to add to the character's backstory.

Gartha's Nonsensical Spell

We had a quick idea that we could flashback to Gartha getting the spell from an online forum and writing it down in her spell book.

It would also be nice if Gartha's nonsense spell could hint at a love spell in a different language. Latin would be good to use as it could hint at the witches age (Latin being a dead language) and also sounds really impressive and nonsensical.

http://tinyurl.com/zv8srvu

I found a few online. This one was a bit long winded and hard to remember. But I do like this one I found;

"I nunc amit me te amare simul Lerysa quoque sicerit in me ex caritate"

This means "One now can lose, at the same time you love me, Lerysa, too strong in me, out of goodness". Yup, shouting nonsence.

Lerysa's Tea

For the scene where Lerysa drinks her tea and burps, I thought it would be good that she could drink her luminous tea and then look at her own tea leaves.

https://spellboundscribes.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/cuppa-fate-the-dubious-art-of-reading-tea-leaves/

According to Tea Leaf Reading (Little Giant Encyclopedias), once you have your tea you should drink it until there’s about a teaspoon left. Hold the cup in your left hand, swirl the dregs three times in a clockwise direction, and then very carefully upend the cup on a saucer to let it drain. Pick it up with your right hand (without disturbing the pattern the leaves have made), open your mind, and see what you can see. 

Reading my tea leaves for research @foggy_thoughts #tealeaves #reading

A photo posted by Sarah Joy (@sarahtrix) on Mar 18, 2016 at 6:10am PDT

Now, I have just tried this and if you’re like me, you’ll make a huge mess the first time you try this. Don’t leave a teaspoon of liquid in the cup: drink until you have nothing but sludge, or you will find yourself hastily mopping up tea with kitchen roll and wind up with most of your tea leaves in the saucer.

This is my tea leaf reading;

Now I think I used tea leaves that are too big as it's turned out as a mucky mess. I can almost see a few hearts, a bird (maybe two... or a dragon) and the initial 'i'. The heart means romance and friendship (a softer romance). Initials, with the heart, could be the name of your lover. Dragon's don't seem to be on the list. Birds mean freedom and protection by your spirit guides.

Tea Leaf Dictionary: http://www.auntyflo.com/tea-leaf-dictionary/

Tarot Cards

It would also be nice to include some tarot card readings of both characters and foreshadow their fates using this, as an easter egg. I have already researched tarot cards for my Me, Myself and I, blog post can be found here. Again I will probably use the Past, Present and Future spread as it is the most widely known and the simplest.

http://giphy.com/gifs/showtime-penny-dreadful-dreadfuls-demdreds-l41m2siB2LPIltQgE

The Readings

The past card reflects the opposite person's personality, e.g the Queen of Cups that Gartha has picked up represents Lerysa as a person. The present cards reflect what happen in the script. There is one card in the middle as they could both reach towards it and both pick it up as this card is relevant to both of their futures.

Lerysa

Queen of Swords (Reversed)

Be very careful of this woman. She is tricky at best, malicious at worst. She has a spiteful tongue and may enjoy spreading unpleasant gossip. Any power that she holds has gone to her head, making her dictatorial, controlling and manipulative.

VI - The Lovers

The Lovers can indicate an extremely strong emotional bond, such as friendship, working partnership, love affair or marriage. If you have recently fallen out with someone, this card suggests reconciliation. 

XXI - The World

You are reaching the end of one satisfactory era and moving onto the next. If you have been wondering whether to make some far-reaching changes, this card gives them the green light. The World can also indicate travel, or possible emigration, even if this isn't planned at the time of the reading. It can also describe a holiday to somewhere you have never been before.

Gartha

Queen of Cups

The Queen of Cups is very kind, warm and gentle. She is very sensuous and may even be an earth mother. She is always most content when she is in her own home. There is something other-worldly about her because she's in touch with the more spiritual aspects of life. She may also be strongly intuitive and psychic. She will give you support and affection.

X - Ten of Swords (Reversed)

You are going through a mini-crisis. It is full of drama and intrigue, but once the dust has settled you will realise that it was a lot of fuss about nothing.

XXI - The World

You are reaching the end of one satisfactory era and moving onto the next. If you have been wondering whether to make some far-reaching changes, this card gives them the green light. The World can also indicate travel, or possible emigration, even if this isn't planned at the time of the reading. It can also describe a holiday to somewhere you have never been before.

Camera Lenses

Not knowing each camera lens and what it does was my downfall when I was on work experience with Maxy Bianco so I have researched into them for future reference. A lens may be permanently fixed to a camera, or it may be interchangeable with lenses of different focal lengths, apertures, and other properties. 

The two fundamental parameters of an optical lens are the focal length and the maximum aperture. The lens' focal length determines the magnification of the image projected onto the image plane, and the aperture the light intensity of that image. For a given photographic system the focal length determines the angle of view, short focal lengths giving a wider field of view than longer focal length lenses. A wider aperture, identified by a smaller f-number, allows using a faster shutter speed for the same exposure.

The maximum usable aperture of a lens is specified as the focal ratio or f-number, defined as the lens's focal length divided by the effective aperture (or entrance pupil), a dimensionless number. The lower the f-number, the higher light intensity at the focal plane. Larger apertures (smaller f-numbers) provide a much shallower depth of field than smaller apertures, other conditions being equal.

Focal lengths are usually specified in millimetres (mm), but older lenses might be marked in centimetres (cm) or inches. 

For a given film or sensor size, specified by the length of the diagonal, a lens may be classified as a:

• Normal lens: angle of view of the diagonal about 50° and a focal length approximately equal to the image diagonal.
• Wide-angle lens: angle of view wider than 60° and focal length shorter than normal.
• Long-focus lens: any lens with a focal length longer than the diagonal measure of the film or sensor. Angle of view is narrower. The most common type of long-focus lens is the telephoto lens, a design that uses special optical configurations to make the lens shorter than its focal length.

A side effect of using lenses of different focal lengths is the different distances from which a subject can be framed, resulting in a different perspective. Photographs can be taken of a person stretching out a hand with a wide-angle, a normal lens, and a telephoto, which contain exactly the same image size by changing the distance from the subject. But the perspective will be different. With the wide-angle, the hands will be exaggeratedly large relative to the head. As the focal length increases, the emphasis on the outstretched hand decreases. However, if pictures are taken from the same distance, and enlarged and cropped to contain the same view, the pictures will have identical perspective. A moderate long-focus (telephoto) lens is often recommended for portraiture because the perspective corresponding to the longer shooting distance is considered to look more flattering.

https://media.giphy.com/media/l2JJu55Y2LSvkbBqo/giphy.gif

Make Up

I researched different make up looks for both the witches as I would also be interested in doing make up. I will do a few tests over the weekend, but so far I have a few tutorials to practice.

Me and Jamie thought it would look really good if Lerysa had cracked skin like a doll during the battle scene so I researched this and looks very easy to do but also very creepy. 



For Gartha during the battle scene, I was thinking that she could bleed black blood. Maybe make her eyes, lips and possibly nose bleed. I could also flick some black eyeliner or facepaint on the face- if I dilute it, it should look like blood splatter. 

For everyday looks, I was thinking purple eyeliner with wings for Lerysa, with some powdered blue eye shadow and a pale foundation (one skin tone lighter than normal possibly, but depends what the actress' skin colour is). 

For Gartha I wanted two different everyday looks. One, for the bedroom scenes, would just be black 'cat eye' eyeliner (I have this look everyday so it would come naturally to me) with some black glitter around the outside. Black eye shadow, maybe a hint of purple in the edges of the eye. For scenes when she is trying to impress Lerysa and casting spells in the forest, I wanted something a bit more extravagant. I really like the below tutorial, again looks fairly easy to recreate but is also dramatic and very effective. 



*UPDATE I am not a make up artist. :S I have tried these tutorials today (19th March) and they look very familiar so I will have to try and find some different ones. For Gartha's battle look, I tried the extravagant one I was originally going to use for the spell casting in the forest, I don't know why, it just happened that way.

The smudged lipstick is a nice effect and I'd like to use it. Could do with the black blood splats to make it look more battle worn.

This is Lerysa's cracked skin effect. It just looks like I've drawn it on with black eyeliner (which I have), doesn't look like cracked skin really. I think I have drawn the conclusion to hire a make up artist. 

The Bookkeeper: Extra's Filming

Today we had a small meeting about how our Production module was going, then we helped out the Level 6's to be extras in a noir scene. 

It was nice observing how the level 6's worked (mostly good apart from one tripping over a red head and smashing the bulb. They should have said there's a tripping hazard and gaffer taped it down! Tsk tsk) and I'm really interested in this production as it sounds really great and interesting.

We were asked to come smartly dressed (which was easy for me as I own many nice dresses) but those who didn't were runners and just generally helping out. We were sat at a table in this scene, making general conversation. Mike then had a good idea of playing cards (which was lucky as it helped us pass the time and avoid awkward conversation). Kyle (the director) even did a close up shot of me playing cards.

Overall a good day's shoot and I can't wait to see how the film turns out!

Allurement: Visual Style Inspirations

When Jamie pitched his idea, he mentioned a few inspirations of the script and I thought we could adopt some of their visual styles and name them as influences. Another blog post can be found here of character inspirations.

Being Human (2008-2013)

A werewolf, a vampire, and a ghost try to live together and get along.



Jamie included a picture of the American version on his pitch and I was immediately drawn to it. Being Human is my favourite TV series of all time (but the UK version, not the American one). After discussing with Jamie, he put it on as he wanted the witches to blend into modern day society despite them being thousands of years old and supernatural creatures. It would also be nice to include some gritty cinematography like this.

Charmed (1998-2006)

Three sisters discover their destiny - to battle against the forces of evil, using their witchcraft. They are the Charmed Ones.



As soon as I heard Jamie's idea, the main TV series that it reminded me of is Charmed. I haven't seen this one for a while but I have a basic understanding of it being a huge fangirl of it in my childhood. These are witches trying to blend into society, much like Jamie's. Again, some use of gritty cinematography (maybe a bit too gritty being produced in 1998?)

The Vampire Diaries (2009- )

A teenage girl is torn between two vampire brothers.



The Vampire Diaries have the magic style with herbs and candles like those scripted and like what I can imagine with grimoires and small chanting like this (but we obviously can't set fire on this scale in our film). 



I also really like this scene and want to do something similar in the montage or when Gartha is casting the spell and pages from the books fly around. I'm not quite sure how to achieve this (hair dryers? Leaf blowers?) This requires further research. 


Supernatural (2005- )

Two brothers follow their father's footsteps as "hunters" fighting evil supernatural beings of many kinds including monsters, demons, and gods that roam the earth.



Supernatural also have the magic style with herbs and candles like those scripted and like what I can imagine with grimoires but I was wanting chanting in a different language which the clip doesn't show (but is evident in the series).

Stardust (Vaughn, 2007)

In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.

 

Mike suggested that we look at Stardust since the witches are thousand of years old and we could show them as secretly old (maybe through mirrors?) but look youthful. I also like to use the lead witch as a character inspiration for Gartha which will be discussed in another blog post. 

American Horror Story: Coven (2013)

An anthology series that centers on different characters and locations, including a house with a murderous past, an insane asylum, a witch coven, a freak show, and an enigmatic hotel.




I love American Horror Story and this example only just came to me today! I have never actually seen this series before as I could not get into it but I will try it again as it is a key example that is similar to Allurement (based on female witches in a modern day setting. Light and dark and also blurred lines between the two). It also has some very good examples of characters similar to Gartha and Lerysa (and possibly June?)

Alice In Wonderland (Tim Burton, 2010)

Nineteen-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.



The above scene portrays the good vs. evil of Allurement really well and is how I can picture the final battle looking. I have also listed the White Queen as inspiration for Lerysa, but not the Red Queen for Gartha as she is too cruel. Gartha has some kindness in her despite being the 'dark witch'. 

Allurement: Character Inspirations

Gartha (The Dark Witch)

Rowena - Supernatural



Rowena is a natural born witch originally from Scotland, who has been around since the 17th century (or possibly longer). Rowena was expelled from the Grand Coven because her magic was considered too extreme. Rowena's "unpleasantness" with the Grand Coven would ultimately lead to her being banned from performing magic, taking on students, or forming her own coven, as well as sending her on the run for years for having engaged in sex with a non-witch and giving birth to his child. In 2014, 300 years later, Rowena resurfaces to reclaim her lost power base. Rowena reunites with Crowley and makes several attempts to manipulate him for her own ends.

"I hate you... Because if I didn't... I'd love you. But love -- love is weakness. And I'll never be weak again." - Rowena to Crowley

Fiona Goode - Americal Horror Story: Coven



Fiona Goode is the Supreme Witch of the Salem Coven (referred to colloquially as "the Supreme"). As Supreme Witch of the Salem Descendants, the glamorous Fiona Goode lives a life of luxury, traveling the world and hobnobbing with celebrities. Now, she returns home to Miss Robichaux's Academy in New Orleans with plans to rule her coven again and repair her relationship with her estranged daughter. 

Fiona is a beautiful, graceful, intelligent, witty and charismatic woman, though exceedingly vain, particularly when it comes to ageing. She has moments of extreme kindness, for instance, using her power to resurrect a baby that died in birth, but she is also ruthless, exhibiting no guilt over murder. As a powerful witch, she fears no one and wants to live forever. She also finds amusement in taunting and belittling others. Fiona favours wearing black, though she is derisive towards other common stereotypes of witches.

"Who's the baddest witch in town?" - Fiona Goode

Lamia - Stardust



Lamia is the main antagonist of Stardust. She is a member of the Lillim Coven, as well as the youngest but most powerful of the three evil sister witches. Her one goal is to capture Yvaine, cut her heart out and eat it to regain her youth and beauty. It was an undeniable fact that each sister was a powerful witch in her own right, and the strongest and most dangerous of the three was Lamia, who was feared by even other powerful Dark witches as "The Witch Queen". Lamia was also the vainest, most manipulative, and most ruthless Lillim witch, to the extent where (as it was revealed later on) she saw her own sisters as useful pawns at best, and irritating nuisances with whom she was forced to share whatever advantage she could possibly come into at worst. Her sole concern was her youth and beauty, and she would go to any lengths to regain them when they were lost and retain them. 

"Limbus grass! You dare to steal truth from my lips by feeding me Limbus grass! Do you have any idea what a big mistake you've made, Ditchwater Sal?" - Lamia

Granny Weatherwax - Discworld

http://humanitysdarkerside.com/2012/07/22/pratchett-terry-witches/granny-weatherwax-by-paul-kidby/

Esmarelda 'Esme' Weatherwax is a witch and member of the Lancre coven. She is the self-appointed guardian of her small country, and frequently defends it against supernatural powers. She is one of the Discworld series's main protagonists. Granny Weatherwax has a near-unshakeable belief in her own abilities, which has thus far proved accurate, and an extreme distrust of stories.

She was intended by nature to be a "wicked witch" but, at an early age, realised she had to be "the good one" to balance her sister, Lily (Lilith). Ironically Lily, who became a fairy godmother, was convinced she was the good one, because she gave people what she thought they should want. Granny Weatherwax, however, gives people what she knows they really need. Witches themselves seem hesitant to use "bad" or "good" as descriptors, especially when discussing very powerful witches; as Pratchett would put it: being Good (with a capital G) and Right (with a capital R) doesn't necessarily make one Nice (with a capital N), and Granny isn't (Nice, that is). Granny prefers to be respected, and if that is tinged with an element of fear, so be it.

"Don't do what you will, do what I tells you." - Granny Weatherwax

Morgana - Merlin



Morgana Pendragon was the biological daughter of Uther Pendragon and Vivienne, the half sister of Arthur and Morgause. Originally a kind-hearted individual, Morgana turned evil after being corrupted by Morgause and being betrayed by her friends. After that she betrayed her family and friends, even being involved in the death of her own father. She is determined to take over Camelot and will allow nothing to stand in her way. Morgana is portrayed as being vengeful, ruthless, embittered, cold and calculating. She is a highly isolated and darkened character who resembles her biological father far more than she cares to admit since she, like Uther Pendragon, has suffered greatly on an emotional level and is unwilling to let go of past suffering. Earlier in life, as the King’s ward, Morgana displays a spirited, quick-witted and compassionate nature. While in Camelot she is considered by many to be very beautiful and attracts the attention of numerous men. However, Morgana proves to be both beautiful and capable; she is also fiery and independent and will not hesitate to stand up to Uther, despite his being her guardian. Despite her vindictive and unforgiving personality, however, Morgana remains a powerful, arrogant, intelligent, overconfident, and ferociously determined individual. Her darker characteristics are largely the product of external influences while her truer nature was portrayed as one of immense compassion. 

“She is the darkness to your light, the hatred to your love” — Kilgharrah to Merlin.

Lerysa (The Light Witch)

Cordelia Foxx - American Horror Story: Coven

 

Cordelia Foxx was the idealistic headmistress of Miss Robichaux's Academy, and fiercely protective of the girls entrusted to her care. In the face of her larger-than-life mother, Fiona, Cordelia struggled to maintain order amidst the dark forces of chaos gathering within the school. Cordelia was gentle and caring toward others, particularly her students, much to the chagrin of her mother, Fiona. However, despite attempting even to murder her, Cordelia was intelligent enough to conclude that the coven would not survive without her mother's power. She showed a dark side by proclaiming Queenie as "dead" to her for the witch's betrayal and alliance towards voodoo.

"Feel the fear and the pain, let it all in, and then let it all go." - Cordelia Foxx 

Bonnie Bennett - The Vampire Diaries



Bonnie Bennett is a very powerful witch and one of the main female characters of The Vampire Diaries. She was, until recently, the Anchor to The Other Side. While she filled the role of counselor and confidante to all of her friends, Bonnie is also a feisty, yet empathetic witch, who discovered her powers just in time to help out her family and friends. Bonnie is noted for having many heroine tendencies. She is seen to be very compassionate, empathetic, helpful, very selfless (to the point of martyrdom) and self-sacrificing. Bonnie is repeatedly ready to sacrifice herself for her family and friends without any hesitation or without a second thought. 

"If my friends' lives are in danger, I'm not gonna stand by and do nothing. ” - Bonnie to Nora

The White Queen - Alice in Wonderland



The White Queen is stated to be the rightful ruler of Underland, but her eldest sister Iracebeth, The Red Queen, ursurped and claimed the crown as her own. She is calm, a pacifist, suave, kind, fair, absentminded, extremely sophisticated, powerful, elegant and beautiful. It is interesting to note that she is able to complete the potion that allows Alice to shrink by spewing in her own "Wishful Thinking" for the final instilment of the needed ingredient, suggesting that she is powerful. When she moves, she does so gracefully, giving the illusion that she is perpetually dancing. Mallymkun (in the Wii game) states that "the Hatter rather likes the White Queen, but she can be as terrifying as her sister when she wants to be."

"It goes against my vows to harm any living creature" - The White Queen

Luna Lovegood - Harry Potter


Luna Lovegood was a witch and daughter of Xenophilius and Pandora Lovegood. Her mother accidentally died while experimenting with spells when Luna was nine, and Luna was raised by her father, editor of the magazine The Quibbler. In 1997, sixteen-year-old Luna had waist-length, straggly, dirty blonde hair, protuberant grey eyes, which often seemed to be dreamily distracted, and faint eyebrows. She had an aura of "distinct dottiness" about her and was known to put her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping.

Luna had a unique fashion sense that other people usually found bizarre. She often wore odd pieces of jewellery such as a Butterbeer cork necklace and Dirigible plum earrings, and in 1996, a pair of Spectrespecs. Luna also didn't wear shoes because students in her house would take her shoes and hide them. Luna was an extremely quirky girl with a serene disposition and many eccentric beliefs and qualities. She was a complete nonconformist; she lacked self-consciousness and was not afraid to show who she truly was. Luna was also intelligent and unusually perceptive, having been sorted into Ravenclaw.

Her demeanour and voice were often distant and dreamy, and she would drift away from a conversation she did not find interesting; however, whenever someone made fun of her father or The Quibbler, of which he was editor, the airy, dreamy quality in her voice would vanish and be replaced by one of steel, and she would immediately become very angry. She had an uncanny way of making others uncomfortable by being bluntly honest — a "knack for embarrassing honesty" according to Harry. She was completely unflappable and rarely seemed anxious or under stress, even under difficult circumstances.

"The girl gave off an aura of distinct dottiness. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of Butterbeer caps, or that she was reading a magazine upside down." —Harry Potter's description of Luna.

Assistant June

Kyle Spencer - American Horror Story: Coven



Kyle looks exactly how I pictured Asisstant June (I wish I could cast Evan Peters), however his personality and backstory is very romantic, which is not what I want in June. I am just including him here for his aesthetic.

Kyle Spencer is the charismatic leader of his school's Kappa Lambda Gamma chapter. A native of New Orleans' Ninth Ward, Kyle has spent the years since Katrina supporting his single mother. It is a story of human resilience... and putting the pieces back together. Prior to his death Kyle had a very caring and outgoing personality. He seemed like the usual, good looking frat boy but was actually active in charity and had a scholarship.

John Watson - Sherlock




Dr. John Hamish Watson is the best friend and assistant of Sherlock Holmes and a former British Army doctor. Before marrying Mary Morstan, he lived at 221B Baker Street with Sherlock, a flat they rented from Mrs Hudson. John is extremely brave, resourceful and practical. He is extremely loyal to Sherlock, and will usually, but not always, do what Sherlock asks him to, and cares a great deal about his well-being. Sherlock likewise cares about John. He is also very selfless and modest, as he puts himself at colossal personal risks to help Sherlock Holmes and is rather sceptical about his companion's ideals. He is very sarcastic and has an erratic sense of humour. 

John deals with lack of stimulation little better than Sherlock does, the difference being that when Sherlock is bored he is very vocal in his frustration; when John feels that "nothing ever happens", he withdraws into a shell and shows strong tendencies towards depression (possibly exacerbated by his post-traumatic issues). He is adept at reading people through facial expressions, whilst Sherlock relies on his surroundings, on clothing and personality displays to read people.

"We solve crimes, I blog about it, and he forgets his pants." - John Watson

Objects of Gender/Gendered Objects

http://www.mtv.com/news/2098135/disney-gender-roles-laci-green-braless/

Today in Malcolm's lecture, we looked at how objects express gender. Sometimes it is subconscious and other times, it's a cultural act. Gender is defined by what we do and what we show. The exhibition of gender is reliant on messages or 'props'. 

http://nonbinary-lifestyle.tumblr.com/post/125209600096/pronoun-facts

Objects can have gender 'built into' them, can define gender, or their function is gendered. Male objects are more gender 'strong' than female with harsh and defined colours and shapes that are more aggressive. Pink is also a problematic colour.

http://usvsth3m.com/post/21-struggles-faced-by-a-dad-raising-a-daughter-in-a-sexist-world

We had a look at some examples of gendered objects, such as razors and the difference in design. Male ones are more big and heavy with not much decoration, whereas female ones are sleek and pretty. The ambiguity of heels are also problematic; women see them as fashion and men see them as a sex object.

https://hailtothegynocracy.wordpress.com/category/gender-equality/page/3/

For photography, a male photographer usually places their female subject looking straight at camera, sensually and confident, and carefully placed. It's more of a formal pose with a male photographer, and a informal pose with a female photographer. 

We then brought in our own objects that had genders attatched to them. We had two; Beth brought in her Rosie "We Can Do It!" poster. The poster is promoting female power. We were then asked how we could make it specific to the opposite gender, which is turn it into a soldier.

http://www.techstars.com/content/tag/startup-women/

I also brought in some of the new Kinder Eggs. I wanted to bring in the bigger ones but the price was ridiculous so I just took a picture and bought the smaller ones (£1 each the small ones now! :O ) One has a blue top and one has a pink top. The blue one has a TMNT toy and the pink one has a My Little Pony toy. To make it gender neutral, we would just leave them be as they were gender neutral before this new pink and blue top business! 

Films can also be gendered with genres such as action and chick flick. I also studied some of the theories behind this for A Level Film, looking at Laura Mulvey (the male gaze) and Carol Clover.

I found this video of actors in horror movies being switched into the opposite genders. It's a bit weird to watch but I found it interesting.

Read Through and Storyboarding

Today we had a class read through of each of our scripts and it went really well. Mike liked some of the dialogue and the class laughed! Jamie needs to fine tune a few typo's and Mike suggested more drama between the two witches and more awkward montages of Gartha trying to win Lerysa's love (similar to the scene where Gartha impresses Lerysa with flowers in her own garden).

http://perezhilton.com/galleries/the-13-best-celebrity-witches/?id=398288#.VulBLCgyrIU

We spoke about making the flashbacks to the field containing more drama, to emphasise their power, this could also mean we can experiment with after efects to make them fly (I thought it would look good that they fly in the air like the below gif when they run at each other in the field. I have looked at a few YouTube tutorials and looks fairly easy to do. It would also make them loo like superior and supernatural beings when they are in the air) and shoot magic spells from their hands or wands. 

http://fansided.com/2016/03/13/im-worried-spider-man-captain-america-civil-war/

For the montage ideas, we could play with the modern witch idea and make a montage of witchy activities. It would be worth brainstorming this with Jamie to see what would look good and also build on their characters. 

"why must we fight?"

https://madwomaninanattic.wordpress.com/tag/white-witches/

We also discussed a few possible locations (which I will discuss in more detail in another blog post).

The full read through and discussion can be found here:



Me and Jamie then started the storyboard and we worked well together as we both have similar visions as writer and director. We suggested that we could also send one major scene (the field scene) and a few character profiles to be commissioned by an Illustration student (maybe not the whole storyboard as it would be tedious and time consuming). 

Allurement: Mood Boards

Mood boards for the film in general and also each character. These are constantly being added to. Each member of the group has been invited to add their own pictures. This is a group effort.

  Follow Jamie's board Allurement - Mood Board on Pinterest.

Follow Jamie's board Allurement - Dark Witch Gartha on Pinterest.

Follow Jamie's board Allurement - Light Witch Lerysa on Pinterest.

Follow Jamie's board Allurement - Assistant June on Pinterest.

Production: Team Allurement!

After a successful pitch (to see it, click here) I liked to think I did well with my outside of the box approach with the Facebook profile (Brownie points please). We then had a lunch break while Mike and Di sorted out groups and job roles. I got the main job role I wanted which was great! I am also looking forward to working closely with Jamie since we haven't before.

Allurement

• Writer and Editor: Jamie Jones
• Director: Sarah Maher
• Producer: Shaun Hunt
• Camera Op: Ethan Turley
• Sound Op: Connor Welsh

One thing we realised is that Connor was in two productions as sound op which could be problematic if we find out our shoots clash. Hopefully we can plan it enough to avoid this.

After a quick team briefing/meeting, we were all set to go! Very exciting stuff!

Project: Allurement is now GO!!!! @ccad_cfmip @foggy_thoughts #production #lastmodule #level4

A photo posted by Sarah Joy (@sarahtrix) on Mar 14, 2016 at 9:26am PDT

Production: The Pitch

I decided to do my presentation slightly different and make it look like a Facebook profile and an advert. I am pretty much selling myself.

Even though people would probably direct their scripts, Jamie has approached me to direct his screenplay if he get's picked as he didn't like the stress of it. Janice has also approached me to see how doable her script is in terms of digital technology and how to make someone trapped in a laptop. 

Case Study: King Kong

King Kong is one of the most remade films of all time and also one of the most expensive remakes ever[1]. King Kong[2] was an epic film when it was first made in 1933. The Chicago Tribune called it "one of the most original, thrilling and mammoth novelties to emerge from a movie studio”[3]. 

https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/king-kong-gif

The 1976 version[4] with Jessica Lange was the fifth highest grossing movie of the year and ultimately kick-started her career. The film received mostly mixed reviews; according to Entertainment Tonight's Leonard Maltin, the film "...has great potential; yet it dispels all the mythic, larger-than-life qualities of the original with idiotic characters and campy approach”[5]. 

http://citystompers.com/post/126435537411/king-kong-1976

The 2005 remake[6] with Naomi Watts was made for a cool $207 million and reaped a few million with a worldwide gross of $331,136,767. Reviews were mostly positive, Entertainment Weekly called the depiction of Kong the most convincing computer-generated character in film in 2005[7]. 

http://gif2fly.com/King%20Kong.html

However, a few people in the questionnaire made comments about King Kong and they were very mixed. One person said that “the new King Kong was the worst parts of Hollywood mixed together” but two respondents thought it was better than the original. 

Kong: Skull Island[8] is also in the works and to be released in 2017 with various star vehicles such as Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson, it is sure to make serious box office.

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[1] Sandra Faleris. (2014). The 10 Most Expensive Film Remakes. Available: http://www.therichest.com/luxury/most-expensive/the-10-most-expensive-film-remakes/?view=all. Last accessed 12th March 2016.

[2] King Kong (Cooper and Schoedsack, 1933)

[3] “Monster Ape Packs Thrills in New Talkie”. Chicago Tribune (Chicago: Tribune Publishing): Part 7, p. 8. April 23, 1933.

[4] King Kong (Guillermin, 1976)

[5] "King Kong (1976)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 13-03-2016.

[6] King Kong (Jackson, 2005)

[7] "Our 10 Favorite CG Characters". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 13-03-2016.

[8] Kong: Skull Island (Vogt-Roberts, 2017)