Titles Draft

Final Edit Draft

This draft is not finished and also there are added seconds on the end where the screen goes black. This wont happen in my final edit as we will edit it out as well as adding in more footage.

Update

Filming

Today Millie and I started our filming for our final piece.  Our actors both came into college wearing the costumes we required, so filming stated from there.  The first shots we filmed were of George walking off the bridge and towards the field.  There was light rain so we used a waterproof cover to go over the camera to ensure nothing got damaged.  The rain didn't last long at all.  We then got different shots of George walking onto the field from different angles.  We did this as we believed it would give a better effect in the final edit and thought we could jump from angle to angle.  We then continued to film.  We took shots of George leading Amy onto the field and did quite a few of these from different angels to again enhance the overall look of the shot.  We re did these a few times as sometimes the actors laughed or it just didn't look right.  We then relocated and filmed some shots outside of our sixth form block which were very successful.

Here are images of George and Amy on the first day of filming.  They are both wearing the costumes we required. 

Both characters on the field on which we filmed.

Here you can see Millie and I previewing some of the shots we have just filmed.  

 In order to get the right angle for some of the shots, I assisted Millie by supporting the camera on my foot.  We did this because the tripod wouldn't get low enough for the shot we required and we didn't want the shot to shake.

Evidence of me using the tripod whilst filming George walking onto the field.

Image of me holding the equipment we used this day.  This included the tripod and camera.

Plot

The final idea Millie and I came up with was this.  A male character, in his late teens, grows an obsession with hair.  He is utterly obsessed and addicted to the smell, texture and look of it and does anything to get his hands on as much of it as he possibly can.  In our opening scene we want to capture the character's sheer obsession with hair and display him in different situations obsessing over it.  As we are only creating an opening scene we didn't want to put in too much detail and 'give too much away'.

Risk Assessment

Filming Schedule

Millie and I filmed the majority of our final piece in our free period on a Thursday, period 3.  We discovered this was the best time for us to film as not only Millie and I but also Amy, George and other actresses were available at this time.


10/12/15- First day of filming

On this day Millie and I plan on filming the majority of the outdoors filming.  This will include shots of all the characters involved in the final product.  We chose to film during period 3 not only for the ease but also because the lighting outside at this time of day is exactly what was needed.






14/01/16- Second day of filming

On this day Millie and I plan on filming the shots in the resistant materials workshop.  We have already checked with the head of technology to ensure the room is free, which it is.  The room in which we have planned to film these shots in have huge windows around the perimeter of the workshop meaning the lighting will be acceptable for filming.

Audience Research/Questionnaire

I created my questionnaire using Survey Monkey.  Survey Monkey is an online program where I was able to create my own survey and send it out to an amount of people who then completed my questionnaire and sent it back.  I got 20 replies from people which I sent the questionnaire to to fill out.  My results are represented in graph forms below:

Q1

 Q2

 Q3

 Q4

 Q5

 Q6

 Q7

 Q8

A blank copy of my survey can be seen here. 

Storyboard

This is a brief storyboard created by Millie and I, displaying our first ideas for our opening scene. 

Free Period Work

Today I had free periods all afternoon so I got some of my blog done.  I completed two Prezi presentations.  One was character profiles for the people participating in my video and another was of the narrative of my opening scene.  Prezi presentations are really interesting ways in which I can display basic information.  I also completed a blog post on the props I will be using throughout the construction of my opening scene, I added images to this.

Millie and I also had a discussion about our opening scene and its narrative.  As until this point our ideas had been rather brief, we verbally brainstormed and came up with a more detailed narrative.  This is what I blogged today.

I also completed a post on the costumes the characters will be wearing.  I displayed this by finding similar garments on the online store ASOS and inserted images and descriptions into a blog post.

Actors

Costume

Male Character-  Long black trench coat, jumper and jeans.

All black costume to appear shady and mysterious.

Female Charcters-  Typical girly clothing to appear as innocent.

All the female characters will have their hair down so that it will blow in the wind.  This will draw attention to the girls hair, which is what I want as the film is based on an obsession with hair.

Props

Not  many props will be used in my piece as the narrative is purposefully simplistic and quite empty.

Hair extentions-  These will be used to act as the hair cut off by the main character.  This is due to ethical issues of not being able to actually cut off people's hair just for the purpose of the video.



Tools-  The tools are going to be used in my opening scene to insert harrowing clips which create drama.




Scissors-  These will be used to make the illusion that the hair is actually being cut off.

The Narrative

Analysis of Past Work- Low Grade

Ring Of Trees- E Grade Example

Weaknesses-

Costume- The costumes used in this final piece are poor.  The 'characters' are dressed in their normal attire and this weakens the overall look of the opening scene.  Having the 'characters' dressed in their every day wear makes the scene look unorganised and not well planned or thought out at all.

Camera-  The shaky camera work displayed when the camera attempts to pan down the corridor and round to the window is poor.  The camera work isn't smooth in the slightest and this makes the scene look unprofessional. 

The excessive amount of extended long takes of people walking aimlessly appear to just be time filling takes.  This leads the audience to believe that the creators didn't plan enough content to fill the spaces so random pointless shots were used instead.  This makes the scene appear longwinded and boring.

Sound-  The mumbled voices used when dialogue is being exchanged makes the scene unclear.  Nothing can be heard properly and when it is, unnecessary swearing and foul language is used.  This makes the scene come across as childish as if the actors and creators haven't taken anything seriously whilst planning and constructing this piece.

Lighting-  The lighting is too dim when the characters are outside walking down the roads and it is almost pitch black when they are in the wooded area.  The only lighting used is that of the flashlights on the individual's phones, which isn't professional at all.

This scene also created no suspense and had no build up or tension throughout.  There was no obvious storyline that left the audience questioning anything.  The only thing this opening scene left the audience feeling is confusion.

Strengths-

In my opinion the only strengths of this opening scene is the title and the makeup used to create a gaunt looking face on the girl at the end, but even this is poor.

Aim

--  THE AIM OF MY OPENING SCENE IS TO CREATE TENSION, SUSPENSE AND  --

--  DRAMA.  I AIM FOR IT TO CAUSE QUESTIONS TO BE RAISED AND TO MAKE THE  --

--  VIEWER FEEL INTRIUGED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING.  I WANT THE VIEWER TO  --

--  FEEL AS THOUGH THEY WANT TO CONTINUE WATCHING MY FILM TO FIND  --

--  OUT MORE ABOUT THE PLOT AND THE STORYLINE THAT WOULD LATER  --

--  UNFOLD IF THE ENTIRE FILM WAS FILMED, EDITED AND CREATED.  --

Analysis of Past Work- High Grade

Torn- A Grade Example

Strengths

Lighting-  The outside lighting is slightly dim, I assume it was filmed in the early evening.  This makes the scene appear creepy and dull which adds to the sinister feel of the thriller genre.  The high key lighting when the male character enters the shed is great as it urges the viewer the focus on what he is holding and what he is doing.  The low key lighting used on the close ups of the characters feet and hands when they are walking and opening the gate show that these simple procedures aren't all that simple.  It brings a creepy essence to the actions as the viewer is left wondering why this action was such a deep focus.  The bright lighting used to cause purposeful shadows brings a chilling sense to the scene as the male character cuts the dolls into pieces.  Shadows create mystery and questions for the audience and this is what is required in a opening scene.  The aim of an opening scene is to create suspense and mystery and using shadows executes this perfectly.

Camera and Editing-  Both camera and editing have been used brilliantly to grasp the eeriness of a horror.  The initial pan at the beginning of the scene makes the viewer's eyes follow the pan and land their focus on the door where the young man walks out.  This camera technique hooks the viewer into focusing on what is happening on the screen. 

Weaknesses

Although this piece is of a very high quality, there is always room for improvements.  Personally,  I believe some of the low angled shots of the male character's face appear slighting distorted and this doesn't look intentional.  From this I have learnt that when I do my filming, I will consider camera angles and make sure they look normal and not deformed.

Another place where there is room for improvement is possibly with the music.  I feel like the upbeat strings don't fit the scene as well as a slower piece would've done.  The music sounds slightly out of place when it comes in after the high pitched screechy strings.  These strings noises fit perfectly, whereas the faster ones, not so much.

Test Shots- Videos

Millie and I also tested some video shots of hair blowing in the wind as we will be using shots similar to this in our video.  I tried standing Millie facing towards the wind, away from the wind and side on.

 

 

Shot Plans

Here is a brief brainstorm of the kind of ideas I have come up with for different shots for my thriller.

Long shots-

1. Amy and George on the far side of the field
2. George in the workshop
3. George walking onto the field

Mid shots-

1. George pulling Amy around the field
2. George pulling the hair out of his bag
3. George sitting next to girls on a bench

Closeups-

1. George's hand cutting the hair
2. George smelling Amy's hair
3. George holding a girl's hair

There will also be a pan shot of either the work benches, tools, hair clippings or machines.

Location Recce Shots/Test Shots

What we did-

Today Millie and I took practice shots of the locations we would be filming in for our video. We visited the locations at which we will be filimg and planned where we would need to stand and to film the shots we require.

Location-  This is the field on which some of our filming will take place.

Location-  This workshop is going to play as the place where the majority of the filming will happen.

Prop-  These tools will be used by our main character.

Prop-  Shots similar to these will be used to create drama.

Prop-  This clamp will be used to hold objects whilst the main character manipulates them.

Test shot-  This is a quick test shot of a female's hair.  Here we were testing out how the hair would look when a photo was taken of it with the flash on in dim lighting.

Test shot-  We took this shot to test if the reflection looked spooky through the window.  This photo is also proof of Millie and I taking the photos we are using as test shots.

Random shots-  These random shots were taken to test the lighting in different locations.  They are also photo evidence of Millie and I taking the pictures.

Brainstorm

Today Millie and I roughly brainstormed some starting ideas for our opening scene.

Free Period Extra Work

Today I spent the afternoon adding in pictures and extra information into my preliminary task blog posts.  I added in pictures of the studio into the brief filming post I had already completed, and also added individual pictures of the tripod I used and lighting used.

I was also able to insert the image of my completed storyboard for my preliminary task which displays how I planned the short video in a frame by frame fashion.  The storyboard gives a visual plan of what I was aiming for in my finished video.

I also embedded my final video instead of just posting a URL.

Preliminary Task- Evaluation

Strengths

The lighting in my preliminary was consistent throughout.  I was able to visually judge is at any point the shot looked too light or too dark and was then able to change this and re-film.  This was a strength because by watching back each clip after I filmed it I was able to instantly re-film instead of only realising once I started to edit.  The dimmed lighting throughout my video made the atmosphere of the scene seem sinister and spooky which is what I was aiming for.

Another strength of my preliminary was the planning that took place before hand.  By constructing detailed brainstormed ideas with many different options, it helped with the ease of the actual construction of the video because every detail had already been previously planned.  This meant that no 'on the stop' thinking had to take place and the filming process was much easier than if I hadn't planned anything prior.

The music I chose to play during the duration of the video added to the suspense of the whole video.  This enabled the anticipation to continue throughout the entirety of my clip which builds tension for the audience watching.

I was able to keep up to date with all of the planning, filming, editing and blogging despite difficult circumstances which is another strength of my completed preliminary.  I managed to keep on top of each part of the task and complete it to the best of my ability considering. 

Weaknesses

The main weakness of my preliminary is that a tripod was not used throughout filming.  This meant that at times the frame was slightly shaky.  Although this could potentially add to the uneasiness of the video, I believe it made the video look slightly less professional.  Furthermore, because of this error, I have learnt that using a tripod is always necessary. 

The costumes that the characters were both wearing could've been edited slightly to help them fit the scene a bit more as they were supposed to be playing threatening sneaky characters, but were just dressed as themselves.  From this I have learnt that planning costumes and outfits before the day of filming is essential in order to keep the look of the characters in keeping with the plot.

In the future I must also ensure that any planning that I do is neat and appropriate enough to be able to be blogged.  This will save the time and effort of having to type up all of my rough work because I will just be able to photograph my rough work and insert it into my blog directly. 

I did not take any printscreens throughout the construction of my final piece.  Whilst I was editing I forgot to do this.  Next time I will do this throughout the editing period so that when it comes to evaluating and presenting everything on my blog, there will be evidence of me doing the work myself. 

Preliminary Task- Final Upload

FINAL PRELIMINARY VIDEO

Preliminary Task- Editing

What I did

Firstly I retrieved all of my clips off of the SD card I was using to film with and saved them onto my computer.  I then went through each of them individually and selected which ones I wanted to use in my final preliminary clip(I then renamed the ones I wanted to use to make it easier to select them).

Using Adobe Premiere Pro I then began to edit my clip.  I firstly got them all in order, and then cut down parts of the clips where there were long silent pauses before anything was said to ensure that the continuity of the final piece was accurate.  Using an website online I downloaded two different types of copyright free audio and added them onto my piece, these include the scream and the music throughout. 

Then, I created a title for my preliminary task and edited this over the beginning of my video.  I also was able to dim the background music when the characters were talking so that they could be heard more clearly. 

After this I uploaded the final video onto my YouTube channel.

Preliminary Task- Filming

What I did

I filmed all of my shots in the studio.  I used a Canon camera to do this as it has the best quality and is easy to use.  It took me around 2 hours to get all of the shots perfectly as I continuously redid some takes if they weren't up to the standard I desired. 

When I was filming I checked to make sure the lighting, positioning and characters faces were all how I wanted them to be before moving onto the next shot.

Preliminary Task- Storyboard

Preliminary Task- Group Planning

Brainstorm

Location

• Dark environment +
• Filmed in the studio so that lighting can be edited to how I want it to be +
• Dark background so that all the focus is on the characters +
• Steps/stairs
• Wooded area
• Fields

Scenario

• Two women speaking in a café about their day
• A man and a woman speaking in the cinema/restaurant about work
• Two people sitting opposite a each other on a table in a business meeting
• A scene of conflict between two individuals
• A fight between two friends
• A discussion of a crime resulting in another murder +

Script

• Have you got it?
• Of course I've got it.
• And how much did it cost you?
• The finer details don't matter.
• And, what about...him?
• He's been disposed of.
• Good.
• And you're next!

Writing in bold is spoken by character 1 and writing in italics is spoken by character 2.

Props

In my preliminary I didn't feel as though the use of props would enhance the scene I was creating as I wanted the whole feel of the scene to be simple.  I aimed for the main focus of the scene to be the conversation between the two characters and found that not using any props helped with this.

Costume

• Basic everyday clothes +
• All black outfits
• Suits
• Smart dresses/skirts and blazers

Camera angles and editing

• Match on action- keying in the code for the door/opening of the door
• Shot reverse shot- during the conversation between both of the characters

Delivery

• Sinister sounding voices +
• Serious straight faces +
• No emotion in the eyes of the characters +
• Eyes stay focused on each other at all times to keep the intensity +

Plus sign (+) used throughout to indicate which ideas were carried forward and used in the actual construction of the preliminary.

This brainstorm was originally done on paper but as the writing was unclear and involved a few spelling mistakes I decided to write it up in an alternative format instead.

Analysis of titles

SE7EN

(in order of appearance on screen)

Cast- 

Brad Pitt, 

Morgan Freeman, 

Gwyneth Paltrow, 

Richard Roundtree, 

R. Lee Ermey, 

John C. McGinley, 

Julie Araskog, 

Mark Boone Junior, 

John Cassini, 

Reginald E. Cathey,

Peter Crombie, 

Hawthorne Jones, 

Michael Moussee, 

Leland Orser, 

Richard Partnoow, 

Richard Schiff, 

Pamala Tyson

Casting by- Billy Hopkins, 

Suzanne Smith, 

Kerry Borden

Music by- Howard Shore

Costume designer- Michael Kaplan

Editor- Richard Francis-Bruce

Production designer- Arthur Max

Director of photography- Darius Khondji

Co-producers- Stephen Brown, 

Nana Greenwald, 

Sanford Panitch

Co-executive producers- Lynn Harris, 

Richard Saperstein
Executive producers- Gianni Nunnari, 

Dan Kolsurd, 

Anne Kapelsun

Written by- Andrew Kevin Walker

Producers- Arnold Kopelson, 

Phyllis Carlyle

Director- David Fincher


The titles themselves are very distorted and faulty looking. Some of the names appear multiple times on the screen as if the screen is glitching which adds a good effect.  This makes the titles look like they were accidentally replicated which adds to the unknown feeling when beginning to watch this film.  The reverse block gives a good effect as the titles can clearly be seen on a black background in white writing.  

Opening Scene Analysis 3

Heat Opening Scene Analysis

The non diegetic sound throughout this opening scene builds tension as the scene begins.  The use of strings builds tension as the notes reach a higher and higher pitch.  The increasing pitch forces the viewer to feel uneasy as they watch.  The long shot used to show the emptiness of the train platform displays a barren area where nothing seems to be occurring.  This is done to display how deserted the location is.  Mise en scene is used when the smoke comes from the trains.  This makes the scene appear eerie and dangerous as the clouds of smoke suffocate the scene.  The continuous close up of the male character who is first introduced suggests to the viewer that he is one to watch.  The unsteady lingering of the camera as the character walks through the crowd gives the impression that he could turn at any second.

The titles appear to begin with on a black screen to draw attention to the most important ones such as the directors name.  Using reverse block helps the audience to focus on the wording and having them in the center helps the eye be drawn to it too.

Opening Scene Analysis 2

Inception Opening Scene Analysis

 Sound is used as the male washes up on the shore.  The sound of waves crashing makes the viewer feel uneasy as sound is distorted and nothing can be heard clearly.  The eyeline shot from the male to the children on the beach show how the male is not in the right mind set as he is seeing illusions.  This makes the viewer feel uneasy as the characters are not mentally stable.  Mise en scene is also used to create tension and negativity.  The use of guns as props at the beginning of a film instantly inform the reader with the fact that it is a dangerous film.  Guns bring a negative feeling to the viewer as it is commonly known harm can be done with them.  Furthermore the camera angle of the over the shoulder shot when the man and older male are speaking at the table show how they are watching each other in a formal way which shows that they mean business.

The opening titles have visuals accompanying them which suggests that the film has different layers to it.  Moving visuals keeps the audience entertained and engaged from the offset which is what is needed with this film as the story line is otherwise difficult to follow.  The muted tones used compliment the style of film.

Opening Scene Analysis 1

Dark Knight Rises Opening Scene Analysis

 The ambient music at the beginning of the scene creates instant suspense for the viewer.  The music's increasing pace suggests to the viewer that something is going to happen suddenly.  Camera is also used to create suspense.  The zoom in on the clown mask as the male is stood on the roadside suggests that this certain clown is one to look out for.  The way this mask is focused on longer than any other shows that this clown is the most significant one.  The zoom makes the viewer pay attention to this individual.  The match on action as the clowns make their way over the busy road across sky scrapers show how they are fearless.  This illustrates that they are villains because they have no fear.   Mise en scene is also used to display how the villains are evil. The clown mask props enhance how scary they are and make the audience feel uneasy.

The opening credits are all dark and mysterious which mimics the film.  They blend from one to the other well which makes them easy to watch and follow.  The background colour is mainly black which has representations of danger and mystery.  Furthermore, the black background helps the white writing stand out.

Thriller Conventions

Emotions and feelings caused by Thrillers

Suspense
Tension
Uneasiness
Anxiety
Excitement
Thrill

Themes

Crime
Mind games
Criminal acts
Stalking
Investigating
Spies
Criminals themselves

Characters

Villains- 

• Prisoners
• Stalkers
• Typically have some type of deformity
• Shady
• Male

Heroes-

• Ordinary citizens
• Have a job accustomed to danger e.g policeman, spies
• Friendly
• Audience are argued to like them throughout the film