Props for our Film

Props are also important as the point of a film is to make it seem real espiecally in a horror, and if no props were used the film it would not seem real and it would not attract the audience.

We will be using a fake knife as that was the murder weapon Jack the Ripper used and to make the audience sit on the edge of there seat.

We may need to use the torch incase it gets too dark and there is not enough light.

We will be using newspaper articles, headlines and pictures which will be used in the Conference scene. We need to use the newspaper articles as it shows the time period by the year, the style of the newspaper, it shows who the murderer it aiming at next and it also represents that he is proud of all of the murders he has done and he is not ashamed.

Location of our Film

A set is very important as it creates the mood and atmosphere for a film.

In our opening of our two minute film a quarter of the film is filmed inside and three quarters of the film will be outside. We have many important locations especially as our film is suppose to be based in the 1880's so keeping that themed look is very significant in our film.

The Enfield Offices is going to be the establishing shot where the victim is going to walk out to give of the vibe she just finished her job as she is suppose to be a prostitute. We all agreed that this location will be a part of our two minute opening as it looks like large and seems very rich and it may have good lighting as there is a lamp by the offices. The only problem with this location is that where we would need to place the camera and tripod is a car park, so we must be careful and be sure that the cars are not in the frame.

This is the alley where we will be filming where all of the walking shots will be taken. We feel that this alley has an 1880's vibe. We feel that it will be effective as it seems claustrophobic and eerie when it will be dark. There are some problems with this alley as many people walk through the alley and in the background there are some cars and to resolve this issue we will need to film further back or point the camera at the angle.

We will be filming in Gentleman's Row. This is where many of our shots will be filmed, further down Gentleman's Row is where the alley and the archway is where the walking and abuse shots are. This only problem with filming in Gentleman's Row is that many people walk down there and there are some houses so we will have to be quiet and to be prepared of cutting shots as people may walk pass.

This a map of where we will be filming, this part of Enfield seems very old and Victorian. This location is very near our houses and our school so we could film immediately after school.

We will also be filming in the Conference Room in school, we will be shooting the newspaper article

scenes there, and this will help us filming in school as we can film during free periods or at lunch. The Conference Room is also very dark and the notice board is there where we will be pinning up the articles and it can represent isolation from the outside world and the darkness of the plot.

Ideas for Costumes

Costumes are very important whilst filming as the style of dress, accessories and hairstyle, represent the characteristic of a particular country, period, or people.

Jack the Rippers Costume

When I was researching Jack the Ripper all of the pictures of people interpretations and outfits of him all had top hats and black capes. Which is why our group has decided to incorporate them in to the costume. There are clothing items and objects from both pictures we will be using such as the top hats, the cape, black trouser, black shoes and gloves. We will be adding a black shirt instead of a white shirt as we want to black it clear he is the "villain" and to make the actor seem very mysterious. We will only have a knife as it is a prop we will be using. There will be no Cain or bag as we don't think we need them.

Victims Costume

This is a typical 1800's women outfit. This consists of a corset and a long skirt, we have decided that our actress Michaela who will be playing the victim will wear a corset top, long skirt, a shawl and shoes as we want to show her wealth as well, as our victim is not rich she is a poor prostitute. The left picture is a the missing poster of Mary Jane Kelly, Jack the Rippers victim and her death was the most gruesome. I thought this picture was interesting as it shows what she looked like and her social class.

Jack the Ripper Pictures

I have researched Jack the Ripper photos on http://www.google.co.uk/. I was very interested in to peoples own interpretations of how they think Jack the Ripper would look like and ideas and theories about him.

This picture is an adaptation of Batman as Jack the Ripper in the comic Gotham by Gaslight.

This is a comic strip of what happened in the comic. I love this storyboard as it has given my group a lot of ideas.

This is a link of the information and pictures of the five victims: http://www.casebook.org/victims/

I love this picture and I would love to try and include this shot in to our two minute film:

I like the smoke in the background of this picture as it makes it seem frightening and atmospheric:

This is a letter from Jack the Ripper. I found this photo interesting and ironic as he uses red to represent the blood:

Jack the Ripper Ideas

Our group has decided to base our two minute film on Jack the Ripper. All of our group has decided it will be interesting to film as it is a true story, based in London and we can see it being a good thriller film. Michaela has even researched our group into going on the Jack the Ripper walk to get an idea of the set and background information of it. Here is a website of the walk http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/ripper_jack_the.shtml. This is some of the research information and the websites:

Jack the Ripper is a pseudonym given to an unidentified serial killer[1] active in the largely impoverished Whitechapel area and adjacent districts of London in late 1888. The name originated in a letter sent to the London Central News Agency by someone claiming to be the murderer.
The victims were women earning income as prostitutes. Most victims' throats were slit, after which the bodies were mutilated. The removal of internal organs from three of the victims led some officials at the time of the murders to propose that the killer possessed anatomical or surgical knowledge.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper

Jack the Ripper was an alias for a killer who preyed on prostitutes.
The nature of the murders included throat slitting and abdominal mutilation. Surgeons who examined the bodies saw evidence of a degree of anatomical knowledge on the killer’s part, which included clean cuts and exact excision.
The “Jack the Ripper” handle was derived from a mysterious letter that was sent to Central News Agency, and then forwarded on to the Metropolitan Police. The letter related that the author was “down on whores” and that he wouldn’t cease “ripping them.”
- http://purpleslinky.com/trivia/history/jack-the-ripper-15-facts-about-a-notorious-killer-and-events-that-followed/

The first murder, of Mary Ann Nicholls, took place on 31 August. Annie Chapman was killed on 8 September. Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddoweson were murdered 30 September and Mary Jane Kelly on 9 November. Violence to prostitutes was not uncommon and there were many instances of women being brutalised but the nature of these murders does seem to suggest a link between the perpetrators. Jack the Ripper was never caught and he is not thought to have killed again after November 1888.
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/ripper_jack_the.shtml

Thriller Research- Ideas

My group have been researching the thriller genre. I have become very intrigued in to the idea of basing the two minute film around a real experience.
There are many interesting stories that we could research more in to. However, many will be too hard to do, as we may not have sufficient resources and it will hard to try and get other people to act in the film as they may not be reliable or they may not be able to film.
I personally thought Jack the Ripper may be interesting as he is very historic and we could use or make interesting props, play on the idea of a villain and to keep him mysterious throughout the film and to create suspense and intense moments and we could also use Low Key lighting.
I really like using this idea but it seems more like a horror genre rather than a thriller.
I am going to research more real life experiences to try and to see if it is possible to have a Thriller film based on a historic experience.

Genres

In class we was discussing what genre we are interested in for our two minute film we will be creating.
The genres were thriller, romantic comedy, comedy, chick flick, horror and action all of the genres are different and have different aspects to the story lines and filming for example in a horror the camera may be shaky and zoomed into peoples faces to add tension and fear but in a comedy the camera is usually not zoomed in as many things may be going on in the background and to add a focus to the characters but also to become aware of the set.
I am very interested in thriller as i have been watching many thriller films and there are so camera shots and story lines you can add to create more drama and tension.
However, I am also interested in comedy films as not many people film them but I think it will be hard to try to be funny that it will end up being cheesy and idiotic.