Fairytale Research

The Old Witch

The Old Witch is an English fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs in More English Fairy Tales.
This tale is fairly short , but has a strong moral of Karma. However, i found an extended version.http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/meft/meft22.htm

Plot

A couple had two daughters, and their father had no work. They wanted to seek their fortune, and one said she would go into service. Her mother said she could, if she could find a place. She searched, unable to find anything, and came to an oven, where the bread begged her to take it out. She did so. She came to a cow that begged her to milk it, and an apple tree that begged her to shake down its apples, and she did those as well. She came to a witch's house, and the witch set her to clean the house, but forbade her to ever look up the chimney. One day, she did, and bags of money fell down. She took them and fled. The witch chased her, but each time she came close, the apple tree and the cow hid her, and when she came to the oven, the baker hid her behind it, and tricked the witch into the oven, trapping her for a long time. With her money, she married a rich man.

Her sister decided to try the same thing, but refused the oven, the cow, and the apple tree. When she stole the gold, the apple tree refused to hide her, and the witch caught her, beat her, and took back the money.

Fairytale Research

The Brothers Grimm- Brother and Sister

Brother and Sister is a well-known European fairytale, which was amongst others, written by the great Brothers Grimm, and featured in their collection of Children's and Household Tales (Grimm's Fairy Tales).

Plot

Sister mourning her brother

Tired of the cruel mistreatment they endured from their stepmother, a brother and sister ran away from home one day. The two children wandered off into the countryside and spent the night in the woods. When the next morning came, the brother was thirsty and the pair went on the lookout for a spring of clear water. The evil stepmother had already discovered their escape, however, and bewitched all the springs in the forest. The brother was about to drink from one, when his sister heard how its rushing sound said, "Whoever drinks from me will become a tiger."

Desperately, the sister begged her brother not to drink from the well, lest he transform into a wild animal and tear her to pieces. So they went back on their way, but when they came to the second spring the sister heard it say, "Whoever drinks from me will become a wolf." Again, the sister desperately tried to prevent her brother from drinking. Reluctantly, he eventually agreed to his sister's pleas but insisted he would drink at the next spring they encountered. And so they arrived at the third spring, and his sister overheard the rushing water cry, "Whoever drinks from me will become a deer." But it was too late, because the brother had already drunk from the water, and changed into a deer.

As the initial feeling of despair cleared up, the pair decided to stay and live in the woods forever. The sister would take care of her brother, and tied her gold chain around his neck. They went to live in a little house deep within the woods and lived there happily for some years, until they were disturbed one day by a hunting party, and the king himself followed the strange deer home. Upon seeing the beautiful sister, he immediately asked her to marry him, a proposal she accepted. Thus the sister became queen and they all went to live happily in the king's castle.

Her stepmother however soon discovered that the pair were still alive and plotted against them. One night she killed the queen and replaced her with her own ugly daughter, whom she had transformed to resemble her. When the queen's ghost secretly visited the bedside of her infant son for three consecutive nights however, the king caught on and the stepmother's evil plan was exposed.

The queen came back to life and the witch and her daughter were tried for their crimes. The daughter was banished into the woods and torn to pieces by animals, and the stepmother was burned at the stake. At the exact moment of the witch's death, the brother became human again and at long last, the family was reunited. They all lived happily ever after.

Analysis/Background

In the era and region in which it was collected, many men were drafted by kings for soldiers, to be sent as mercenaries. As a consequence, many men made their daughter their heirs; however, they also exerted more control over them and their marriages as a consequence. The stories have been interpreted as a wish by women for the return of their brothers, freeing them from this control. This story, is sometimes seen as a metephor for the animalistic and spiritual duality in humans. The brother represents the instinctive and the sister the rational side. As Brother and Sister opens, the two children are still in their youth and clearly in conflict over each others choices. The brother cannot control his impulse to drink from the wellspring and is subsequently "punished" by being turned into a deer. :)

Fairytale Research

Bluebeard

Bluebeard is a French literary fairy tale written by Charles Perrault. The tale tells the story of a violent nobleman who makes the habit of murdering his wives and the attempts of one wife to avoid the fate of her husbands previous wives.

Plot

Bluebeard is a very wealthy aristocrat, feared because of his "frightfully ugly" blue beard. He had been married several times, but no one knew what had become of his wives. He was therefore avoided by the local girls. When Bluebeard visited one of his neighbours and asked to marry one of her two daughters, the girls were terrified, and each tried to pass him on to the other. Eventually he persuaded the younger daughter to marry him, and after the ceremony she went to live with him in his château.

Very shortly after, however, Bluebeard announced that he had to leave the country for a while; he gave over all the keys of the chateau to his new wife, including the key to one small room that she was forbidden to enter. He then went away and left the house in her hands. Almost immediately she was overcome with the desire to see what the forbidden room held, and finally her visiting sister convinced her to satisfy her curiosity and open the room.

The wife immediately discovered the room's horrible secret: Its floor was awash with blood, and the dead bodies of her husband's former wives hung from hooks on the walls. Horrified, she locked the door, but blood had come onto the key which would not wash off. Bluebeard returned unexpectedly and immediately knew what his wife had done. In a blind rage he threatened to behead her on the spot, and so she locked herself in the highest tower with her sister. While Bluebeard, sword in hand, tried to break down the door, the sisters waited for their two brothers to arrive. At the last moment, as Bluebeard was about to deliver the fatal blow, the brothers broke into the castle, and as he attempted to flee, they killed him. He left no heirs but his wife, who inherited all his great fortune. She used part of it for a dowry to marry her sister tothe one that loved her, another part for her brothers' captains commissions, and the rest to marry a worthy gentleman who made her forget her ill treatment by Bluebeard.

At the time of publishing, the story was thought to be a mild adaptation of a profilic 15th-century artistocrat serial killer Gilles de Rais who it is believed, sodomised and killed over 100 children in 15th Century Brittany.

Fairytale Research

Our next task, will be to create the titles and opening sequence to a new fiction modern adaptation of a fairytale. So in order to adapt my task to a fairytale i had to research many from around the world go get a theme and to loosely base the film on.

The first Fairytale that i immediately became interested in was Rumpelstiltskin.

In order to make himself appear more important, a miller/commoner lied to the king that his daughter could spin straw into gold. The king called for the girl, shut her in a tower room with straw and a spinning wheel, and demanded that she spin the straw into gold by morning, for three nights, or be executed. She had given up all hope, when a dwarfish creature appeared in the room and spun straw into gold for her in return for her necklace; then again the following night for her ring. On the third night, when she had nothing with which to reward him, the strange creature spun straw into gold for a promise that the girl's first-born child would become his.

The king was so impressed that he married the miller's daughter, but when their first child was born, the dwarf returned to claim his payment: "Now give me what you promised". The queen was frightened and offered him all the wealth she had if she could keep the child. The dwarf refused but finally agreed to give up his claim to the child if the queen could guess his name in three days. At first she failed, but before the final night, her messenger discovered the dwarf's remote mountain cottage and, unseen, overhears the dwarf hopping about his fire and singing. While there are many variations in this song, the 1886 translation by Lucy Crane reads:

"To-day do I bake, to-morrow I brew,
The day after that the Queen's child comes in;
And oh! I am glad that nobody knew
That the name I am called is Rumpelstiltskin!"




When the dwarf came to the queen on the third day and she revealed his name, Rumpelstiltskin lost his bargain. In the 1812 edition of the Brothers Grimm tales, Rumpelstiltskin then "ran away angrily, and never came back". The ending was revised in a final 1857 edition to a more gruesome version where Rumpelstiltskin "in his rage drove his right foot so far into the ground that it sank in up to his waist; then in a passion he seized the left foot with both hands and tore himself in two." Other versions have Rumpelstiltskin driving his right foot so far into the ground that he creates a chasm and falls into it, never to be seen again. In the oral version originally collected by the brothers Grimm, Rumpelstiltskin flies out of the window on a cooking ladle.


After reading over Rumpelstiltskin, i came a cross the story which is more of a folk legend of Changelings.

A Changeling is a creature found in Western European folklore and folk religion. It is typically described as being the offspring of a fairy, troll, elf or other legendary creature that has been secretly left in the place of a human child. The apparent changeling could also be a stock, an enchanted piece of wood that would soon appear to grow sick and die. The theme of the swapped child is common among medieval literature and reflects concern over infants afflicted by as-then unknown diseases, disorders, or mental retardation.

A human child might be taken due to many factors: to act as a servant, the love of a human child, or malice. Simple charms, such as an inverted coat or open iron scissors left where the child sleeps, were thought to ward them off; other measures included a constant watch over the child. Most often it was thought that fairies exchanged the children. Some Norwegian tales tell that the change was made to prevent inbreeding: to give trolls and humans new blood, humans were given children with enormous strength as a reward. In some rare cases, the very elderly of the Fairy people would be exchanged in the place of a human babe, and then the old fairy could live in comfort, being coddled by its human parents.

I found this folktale particularly interesting as it was extremely sinister and frightening. Whilst reading i came across many tales of Changelings, real life stories of Changelings and guides/ways of getting rid of Changelings, which i found particularly humorous which included cooking a stew in an eggshell.However, many were more dark and evil.There were many methods utilised to try and cause the Fay abductors (changelings original parents) to return their own. However some of these methods were as extreme as leaving the child exposed on a dung-heap or putting it on a shovel and holding it over hot coals. It is possible that many children born with medical conditions that alter appearance or behaviour to differ from the accepted norm (which are recognised today, but weren’t then) may have suffered or perished as a result

Fairytales, that include Changelings are in Swedish and Scandinavian cultures. In one Swedish changeling tale, the human mother is advised to brutalize the changeling so that the trolls will return her son, but she refuses, unable to mistreat an innocent child despite knowing its nature. When her husband demands she abandon the changeling, she refuses, and he leaves her – whereupon he meets their son in the forest, wandering free. The son explains that since his mother had never been cruel to the changeling, so the troll mother had never been cruel to him, and when she sacrificed what was dearest to her, her husband, they had realized they had no power over her and released him.

In another Swedish fairy tale (which is shown by the image), a princess is kidnapped by trolls and replaced with their own offspring against the wishes of the troll mother. The changelings grow up with their new parents, but both find it hard to adapt: the human girl is disgusted by her future bridegroom, a troll prince, whereas the troll girl is bored by her life and by her dull human future groom. Upset with the conditions of their lives, they both go astray in the forest, passing each other without noticing it. The princess comes to the castle whereupon the queen immediately recognizes her, and the troll girl finds a troll woman who is cursing loudly as she works. The troll girl bursts out that the troll woman is much more fun than any other person she has ever seen, and her mother happily sees that her true daughter has returned. Both the human girl and the troll girl marry happily the very same day.

To get a better and modern idea of Changelings, here are the links to an episode to the Disney Original Series So Weird, to which in this episode Changelings are featured. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3dK9zMisnA- Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqNaWNzP4xA - Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0draoaJDPU - Part 3

What makes good Opening Sequence?

What Makes a Good Opening Sequence?

In my opinion, there are many things that can make a GREAT opening sequence. Films or television programs have to present their title, key production and cast members in the opening title while using a wide ranges of sound, images, clips and typography to engage the viewer and to give them a clear insight into what the film is about. A great example that uses a vast amount of techniques is James Bond Casino Royale opening sequence...

After much more research, i found the opening sequence to the film Se7en to which i realised that although a good title sequence has many techniques such as sound and images. A GREAT opening sequence has to be able to make the audience feel a certain emotion whilst watching, instead of just reading text. When i first saw this i felt, fear, confusion, tense and disgust throughout , yet i still wanted to see more, so i eventually watched the film.

10 Shot -Camera Work Evaluation

In today's lesson we were given a brief to show the story of someone being watched, using various camera techniques and only 10 frames.We were also told to get into groups with people you have never worked with before, therefore,I chose Esther and Sharon. We shared the tasks that we given between us, so i set up the camera equipment, whilst Esther and Sharon thought of the storyline and drew up the storyboards. After, the storyboard was complete, we all sat down for two minutes to discuss, and rethink some of the shots that were originally drawn up.

Once organised we went out to our first location outside the Media block, however, we noticed that it was very windy, which might have interfered with the microphone and ruined our shots. So we went inside the music block , but there wasn't a place that was bid enough for us to record, and since we was running out of time, we had to think fast. In the end, we had to go outside again, as the wind died down. During film, i too on the task of operating the camera whilst Esther filled in the continuity sheets and acted alongside Sharon.

What Worked Well

The technical part of the task went very well, as i, who was operating the camera, was able to set it up and film successfully, and Esther completed her continuity charts and worked the clapperboard for me whilst i was recording as it was efficient and saved time.

The communication of the group as a whole was good, as we each understood the concept and idea of the story as, Esther and Sharon clearly explained it to me in post production. Whilst filming, we were never stumped at any point as we knew that time was of the essence so we worked out the problems quickly as a group.

Problems?

The first problem that our group faced was the location recce, as i said before the original outside location was too windy so we went inside, but it was too small with a lack of background. Therefore, we decided ,as time was running out, that we would go outside and film in front of the media block as it was blocking the wind.

The second problem that we faced was the clashes of setting, for some reason every group decided to not travel far away form the media classroom, which meant that we ended up eventually filming in different parts outside the media block. Moreover, whilst filming we could see and hear other groups filming, which meant that they could have been heard on our film. But towards the end of our filming, each group just stood politely whilst others were filming.Eventually we all finished within the allocated time successfully.

The final problem that our group faced was the lack of shots that we had. This occurred as while filming i realise that two of the shots could be filmed as one, and that one shot couldn't have worked. Therefore, we were left with two extra shots. So the last three shots were changed to we could make three new ones that would match the story and the brief of having 10 shots.

Overall, i feel that we worked well as a group,as we finished the task within the allocated time, whilst using several cutaways and camera angles/shots/movements. I learnt how vital pre-production is as we were only given a short while to plan our task, but since our group was now familiar with the camera equipment and the protocol of filming, it was a success.I would definitely like to work with Esther and Sharon again as although i got chased by a 'daddy-long- legs' we the whole task was fun and i gained experience. x

Prelim Task Evaluation

Preliminary Task Evaluation

1)
In the Preliminary Task, Edward Obeng was my partner, and Halle Smith and Rebecca Noble were the actors for our film. The different tasks were managed by both of us. I myself came up with the original story of the film and therefore created the storyboard, the script and the shooting schedule. Before filming I had also completed our Location Reece to find a place for us to shoot. In the end I was able to find an Art class room that was free, by asking Miss Gill for the keys to the classroom while it was vacant. Edward’s tasks consisted of writing the continuity sheets and marking the shots during production. However, we would often share the responsibilities of setting up the camera and tripod. I had organised the times of our shooting according to the setting of each shot, I did this as I felt that it was efficient due to the camera and tripod that we would have had to lift around from in and out of the classroom. Shooting the scenes according to each setting I felt was the best option as it was less time consuming as each group was only allowed 1hour to shoot each Although, the scenes were not shot in chronological order, it was okay as we will were able to edit the scenes together in Post production. The time management of Edward and I was pretty good, however, due to a problem with our actors lateness on shooting day, we were unable to complete our filming on that day. Therefore, we had to organise a new day and time to shoot the rest of our film. Since we were able to shoot all of Rebecca’s scenes on shooting day, we only needed Halle to shoot the rest of the film, therefore I asked her to bring the same clothes in the next day to keep continuity so were could shoot her scenes. However, Halle forgot her clothes, which held us back another day. So I arranged with Halle to shoot during our free period which she agreed on, however I later found out that she didn’t actually have a free lesson on that Monday, causing more problems. In the end, after consulting Miss Nair, I finally arranged for us to shoot the rest of our film, during our media lesson. This was very frustrating and embarrassing as it was extremely time consuming, we were the only group not to have finished filming yet and, I had missed a media lesson. My strengths in this area were that I was able to come up with a quick, yet entertaining idea and was able to explain it to Edward so he understood my concept. However, my weaknesses during this task, was my quick frustration and being too lenient as I did most of the work, and didn’t push Edward to do anything else as I felt that I was able to do it myself. Next time if I could so anything different to improve my task, I would definitely get more organised or make sure that my actors and assistant director was prepared. As, are lack of time management became very time consuming and caused us to finish late.
2).
When we were given the Preliminary task, to which Miss Nair stated that it had to be a simple sequence of someone walking from one place to another within 30-50 secs. However, we had to make it interesting, using varied camera techniques such as Shot Reverse Shot, Match-on action, Cut-aways and by keeping within the 180 degree rule. But, I didn’t like the idea of just having someone walking from one room to the other, so I thought of an interesting and funny story. Firstly, in pre-production, I just imagined the sequence simply in my head of Halle just walking straight into the classroom and then scaring Rebecca, and as I replayed it in my head, I added cut-aways and shot reverse shots. Next I explained my idea for the task to Edward, who liked my concept so we got to work. Secondly, I drew up the storyboard, using quick and simple stick men, adding the labels such as camera shots/movements, directions of movement by actor and any speech that would be said in each shot. Once the story boarding was finished, complete with back-up shots in case they didn’t work on set, we started on the script. Edward and I, negotiated the dialogue together, and then I went home and typed it up. Finally, the shooting schedule had to be organised, once again I arranged the shots according to the setting whether it be inside or outside of the classroom, to make it more efficient.
3).
Recently, in class we have been having numerous discussions based on the idea of how digital technology has changed and improved. Therefore, using a digital camera to see how easy, accessible it is seemed like the obvious choice.During production, our group used the Canon XH A1 camcorder, to which we had to record our work on MiniDV cassette tapes. From, which we later, uploaded on to our computers ready for post production editing. We also used a Libec LS70 System Tripod, to hold our camera in place, but before we actually got down to filming each group had to go through a mini training course of all of the equipment. In training we learnt how to firstly setting up the Libec Tripod safely as it was the base foundation that kept our camera steadily in place and prevented it from crashing to the floor. After tightening the leg joints, and adjusting the spirit level on the tripod, we moved on to the cameras. We learned how to correctly secure the camera shoehorn on the correct tripod, how to put the battery in and how to turn it on and start recording once the cassette is in the camera. When, we actually start the task, I realised and learnt just how complicated they are, and they have developed so that the user can change the look or sound of the shot according to the surroundings. I also leant how expensive the camera equipment was, which made me appreciate them and the task a lot more.
4)
Before, planning, shooting and editing, I had to take a few factors into account, based on the task, my crew members and the actors that Edward and I had. Firstly, my assistant director Edward, was my first factor as he was someone that I didn’t know and he seemed very reserved , in comparison to me who is very extrovert and not afraid to put my point across. As we began to plan, I realise that Edward was might be the type of person to just agrees with anything and everything, this was great as my idea was used. However, I would have preferred it if he had put some input in and made more of an effort to communicate with me, as I was always doing the talking. As we moved on to production, I took into account that Edward was slightly shy so I asked him what he wanted to do, to make him feel comfortable and he chose to write out the continuity sheets. Secondly, during planning I had to take into account our actors, Rebecca and Halle, therefore making our task a two girl scene. I also had to decide who would play which character, so since I knew Rebecca before hand, I knew she would be comfortable with shouting and raising her voice. Thirdly, during our second session of filming, due to bad time management, I had to take into account the continuity of our scenes. Although I made sure that Halle wore the same clothes, I noticed that she was wearing different earring and a different hairclip. Therefore, whilst shooting, I tried to shoot Halle from the left hand side and her hair covered her earrings and the different hairclip was on the right hand side. Finally, whilst shooting as Edward got lost in the shooting schedule, I had read it whilst operating the camera; therefore I also got lost and read out the wrong shot on the clapperboard. So, I changed the next scene to ‘shot 6A’ so, during editing I was able to follow which shots were which.


5) How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?



6)
Now that I have completed the task, in hindsight I have learnt that’s you need a certain amount of management, group work, organisation and technical skills to even be able to set up the camera equipment let alone, create a short film. Management is definitely needed as I soon worked out as giving a small amount of discipline could have made Edward contribute more, and made sure that Halle and Rebecca were always on time. Managing our time more, would have also benefited our film as the continuity would be fulfilled perfectly if we didn’t have to have two shooting sessions. Also whilst filming I could have had a bit for urgency and I the 1hour time limit had carelessly slipped my mind. Group work, skills could have worked better on my part as even though Edward was rather shy and quiet, I could have put more effort in to talk to him and to push him to contribute more. However, I felt that working as a group with Rebecca and Halle was a pleasure as when I was having trouble with certain shots and movements, I felt comfortable asking them on their thoughts and they her happy to help. Organisations skills once again, were slightly lagging in our group as even though, the scripts, storyboards and shooting schedules were made on time, the reorganisation of our second shooting schedule was left slightly late, due to a mix up of free period during school time. However, next time we will use up our free time after school to film. Finally, I have learnt that having a vast amount of technical skills helps with your filming a lot and you get a sense of lighting, sound and angles, which can either make your film, look amateur or professional.

How And Why Has It Become Possible For

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How And Why Has It Become Possible For

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