17/12/2015

Editing and creating titles
Today we continued to edit our opening sequence and to make the most of our time we decided to split into two groups. I continued to edit, managing to cut out two minutes from our video. These parts included the dialogue at the end of the sequences we believe having minimal dialogue would add tension and give little about the character away. I also edited the flashbacks to a better standard and made them flash into colour rather than black and white, adding the 'dip to white' effect on to create the stereotypical image of a flashback.
 Whilst i was doing this Tammy and Emma started to look for copy right music and sound effects. This included a backing music sound, a door bell, a shower sound and a low toned boom sound at the end. They magaed to find suitable sounds for all of these and we were particularlly pleased with the none diegetic music which we would play over the top of the footage as it adds a lot of tension and is appropriate to the thriller genre which our opening sequence fits into. Once we had all of these sounds we put them onto a memory stick, transferred them over to our main computer and I started to add the sound into the right places.

Next we started to look at our titles and decide how we could make them look effective and fit into how we wanted the representation of the company who made the fim to look. We did this by going into 'Adobe After Effects' as this was reccomended to us to create proffessional looking titles. When brainstorming we decided that the image or gif of an eye blinking would look good with the pupil of the eye moving into a graphic match with the 'O' in TIE productions. However we soon learned that by using a gif or picture off the internet we would be marked down as it wouldn't be original and created by us. We therefore decided to take and use a picture of our friend chloes eye and confirmed that we would continue with the titles next lesson.

Audience Response To First Edit

Audience response to first edit 
To see whether normal people liked how our thriller opening was starting to look I conducted some interviews. Firstly, asking them to watch our video and then gatehred feedback.

Do you think there was enough tension?
Person 1: 'Yeah'
Person 2: 'Yes, there was it was good.'

What improvements could be made?
 Person 1: 'It could be more fast paced and the sound needs sorting out'
Person 2: 'Edit out the background sound as it takes away from the tension.'

Which parts cut out to make it shorter?
Person 1: 'The bit at the end where they exchange dialogue'
Person 2: 'Not as many pictures need to be crossed out as it goes on for quite a long time and you don't really need a shower scene.'

Would you want to watch this film?
Person 1: 'Yeah I would, I think'
Person 2: 'Yeah, any day.'

15/12/15

Editing
Today my group and I continued with editing our project. The first thing we did was unlinked all of the sound from the video clips  and deleted it where the sound wasn't relevant, for example where there is dialogue. This eliminated the sound of background noise such as people laughing and ambient sound which sounded fuzzy.
We also started to cut down our footage as its twice as long as it should be so only the clips that are relevant and add to the story line will stay in our final opening sequence.

Another thing we did was start to move the clips where oliver draws over the girls faces on top of the normal footage. We cropped these clips and spaced them out so they will appear on screen as distorted and weird. This will make the audience question  whats going on and add tension. By keeping the small clips relatively close together you can still tell what is happening in this sequence of events as well as the main story footage.

Construction- Editing

Construction- Editing 
Yesterday me and my group began to edit our first version of our Thriller opening sequence. Our main aim was to upload all the clips and make them fit together so we had the main structure of the opening secquence to work with later on. We managed to do this succesfully and include two titles which included the production name and title of the feature. We were pleased with how the overall look of the video turned out, however we need to focus a lot of time to sorting out the sound as only half contains adequate backing music and the rest hasn't yet been unlinked and deleted. This means that in the second half of the video you can hear people talking in the background and although we used a seperate microphone, the quality of sound of the characters talking isn't to a high standard.
We also need to cut down the clips by almost half as the video is nearly double the length it needs to be. To make it shorter we will cut the length of the clips where he is walking around, speed up the clips where he crosses over the girls faces, delete and cut some of the dialogue at the end, and remove clips which don't help add tension or to the plot.

Construction- First edit

Construction- First edit

Here is the first version of our Thriller opening  sequence. It is no where near finished but is a basic edit to start with and gives an indicator of what the finished project will look like.

Day of filming- Filming

 Day of filming
On the day of filming we came across a few issues which we had to process and deal with. Our main actor, Evan couldn't find his dark coloured shirt and so made so with a lighter coloured, striped one. Although this isn't what we planned for it didn't take away from the overall effect and we still managed to portray him as a creepy character without. He also couldn't find his watch but our friends dad kindly lent us his and so we could continue to use that as it was originally meant to be used.
Another problem we encountered was, in our first scene one of our lights blew and the other wouldn't turn on to start with.  This meant that we had to film with natural light and any other lighting we could use from within the hosue. We had to do this apposed to going away to fix them and filming on another day as Sunday was the only day that we all had available to film before the deadline.
When we set up the equpitment in our first location we made sure all of the wires were taped down to the floor so nobody would trip over and also took a test shot to set the white balance so our footage would be of the best quality.

Day of filming - setting up props

Day of filming - setting up props

Once we arrived at our filming location at 10:30am we promptly started to set up the scene so we could get on and film. Me and Tammy did this whilst Emma took the lead in setting up the camera and tripod. In the bathroom we positioned the pills inside the cabinet and layed the watch on the sink. We stuck all of the pictures on to the wall, organised the desk and put the record player on a stand.

The only problems we faced when it came to props was that our actor Evan who was lending us his watch to use couldn't find it but we solved this issue by borrowing our friend Frankie, dads watch. If we were to do this again we would also print off more photographs for the wall and of different people rather than using the same picture twice.

In terms of costume, he was also unable to bring a dark shirt but it didn't matter as the shirt he did use, a light blue one still looked effective and din't take away from the overall look we were trying to achieve. 

 

4th December - Pre-filming preparation

4th December - Pre-filming preparation 
Yesterday my group and I visited the location we will be filming at to take recce shots, view the location and space and create a risk assessment. In addition to this it also allowed us to see the sort of natural lighting we would be working with and what additional lighting would be needed. This was a useful visit and gave me confidence that things will run smoothly on Sunday.
My friend Emma later went back to college to collect the equipment we will be using which included

• Studio lights with stands 
• A camera and camera case 
• A sound microphone 
• Tripods
• Light reflectors

In a previous lesson we were shown how to use all of these by a man who kindly helps out in college and specializes in media so we will be able to use the equipment safely and effectively. 

Risk assessment

Risk assessment 

In order to make sure that we are as safe as possible when filming this Sunday, we visited the
 location and found any potential hazards and addressed how we can prevent them being an issue.

Recce shots and possible shot plans

Recce shots and possible shot plans
After considering Emmas, Tammys and my own house for filming locations  but concluding that none were quite right or available to use our friend Frankie kindly said that we could use her house to film in. In preparation, we visited the house to start to visualize what the footage would look like, where the camera could be positioned in order to get the appropriate shots and conduct a risk assessment.
Here is the front of the house which will be the establishing shot to our film, letting the audience know where the action will take place and setting up the scene and location. The fact that this is a detached house shows the viewers that the character living inside is all by himself as even his house is separate from others. It helps to create the representation that he is a bit strange and independent so even before we meet the character, the audience start to question what they are like.

This is the bathroom which is where the beginning of the scene takes place. This shot angle may be used to show the antagonist looking in the mirrored cabinet as we get to see not only the setting but also him placed within it. The clear shower door will be steamed up and then our actor, evan will wipe away the condensation, leaving a gap where the title of the film will be positioned in during editing.

This hallway can be used to film a tracking shot to show the character moving from the bathroom, into his room. The colour scheme of the hallway and the rest of the house is neutral which seems normal to the audience and therefore the weirdness of the character is shown through objects and his actions. The masks at the end of the wall also seem strange and keep the audience wondering who this man is and what his temperament is like.

Once he's entered the room he can do things which show the audience that he is OCD, solidifying their knowledge that he has mental problems. These tendencies will be shown through straightening things on the bed such as pillows and the duvet andthings on the desk such as a calculator, pens, and note books which may indicate to the audience that he is a teacher. The empty wall shown in the picture picture below will be the wall which all of the pictures and newspaper clippings will be stuck. This is the ideal wall as it is clear and so can be filled with the pictures.

The shots filmed on the stairs will show him approaching the door to meet the unknown (to the audience at this point) person. The low angle shot from the bottom of the stairs is used to show that the antagonist at the top of the stairs holds power in the situation, making the audience feel vulnerable and intimidated. The high angle shot from the top of the stairs allows the audience to see that he's approaching the front door.

                                                                             

When Oliver (the antagonist and main character) goes to open the front door either of these shots can be used to show him, and the person on the other side of the door. The fact that the door is translucent works to our advantage because it will be clear that the character is a girl but we won't be able to see her face and this adds to the suspense of the unknown. 

Filming Schedule for Sunday the 6th of December

Filming schedule 

Here is a copy of our filming schedule. It was important to make this so that our filming was organised and we were efficient with our time and got the footage before we lost the light.

Time schedule	What is required	People required	Equipment required
10.30	Setting up- Putting all props in place, such as medication in cupboards and putting up the photos on the walls.	Izzy Tammy Emma All required to set up	All props listed on prop sheet.
11.00	Put makeup on our actors. Get them into costumes.	Emma Evan Tammy- doing makeup	Make-up Costume.
11.15	Put up lighting and set up camera. Sort out white balance. Set up sound mic. Connect to camera and set tripod up in the first room.	Emma Tammy Izzy	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod
11.30	Check all props and in place. Do a camera test shot to ensure all equipment is working.	Izzy Tammy Emma	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod
12.00	Film shots 1-8. This includes the establishing shot and the shower scenes.	Izzy, Tammy, Emma required for filming, sound and lighting. Evan acting.	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod
12.30	Film shots 9-16. This requires filming the cupboard, and getting dressed.	Izzy, Tammy, Emma required for filming, sound and lighting. Evan acting.	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod Pills and needles.
13.00	LUNCH BREAK	LUNCH BREAK	LUNCH BREAK
13.30	Continue filming shots 17-24. This involves the filming of the wall, the flashbacks and close up shots of the antagonist.	All members including Evan.	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod Pills.
14.00	Film shots 25-32. This involves the filming of the wall, the flashbacks and close up shots of the antagonist.	All members including Evan.	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod Record Player. Pen. Photos of girls on the wall.
14.30	33-35	All members but Emma is required to act with Evan.	Lights Camera Sound Mic Tripod
15.00	Check all footage is how we want it. Re-film shots if necessary.	Izzy Tammy Emma	Camera and then all equipment if re-filming is necessary.
15.30	Tidy and pack equipment and props away.	Izzy Tammy Emma	N/A

Detailed Storyboard

Detailed Storyboard 
Here is a detailed storyboard which my group and I made to show ideas of specific shots and transitions. This will be useful to refer to on our day of filming as rather than having to invent each shot 'on the spot' we will have a resource to refer to and help us. The music that is used in the background of this, is eary sounding music of a classical genre and is similar to the sort which may be used in the project and so helps to set the mood.
Something we were unable to do which would have made it better was keep the pictures shown on screen for the amount of time the shot will be shown for when filmed for real but this was too hard to judge as its the sort of thing that will only become apparent when filming. However, we estimate that our final project will last between 2 and 3 minutes.

3rd December Pre-filming preparation

3rd December Pre-filming preparation
In todays lesson we did some preparation, mainly regarding props for Sunday the 6th, which is the day we will film. We printed off and cut out pictures of girls faces, newspaper reports and missing girl posters which will all be stuck on a wall on the day of filming.We considered making the edges of the pictures wonky and putting a cold tea bag on top of them to make them seem old and worn out but we felt this wouldn't be appropriate as his OCD tendencies wouldn't allow things to look so ragged and disorganized therefore we left them how they were.
 We also went to a supermarket later in the evening and brought empty,clear bottles to look like medication holders. We also got mentos and tictacs to go inside of them to replicate pills/drugs and these bottles will go inside of the cabinet in the bathroom. We also sorted out and planned  that tomorrow we will go and take reccy shots of our location, do a risk assessment and take stills as shot plans. All of this allows us to be more organised and prepared for the day of filming.

Titles Vs Opening sequence research

Trailer Vs Opening sequence research 
An opening sequence sets the tone for the whole film and gives you a first impression of the main character or characters that will appear throughout the film. It always or nearly always involves a set of titles and the main title. It doesn't always have to be in a chronological order and can be distorted clips of various events which leaves the audience wondering what is going on. It has to be gripping so that people continue watching although it doesn't usually involve a lot of action but is tense.

Trailers feed the audience information about the film, who the main stars are, the narrative and what type of genre it is. They consist of clips of a various collation of clips from the most exciting part of the film in order to grab the audiences attention in a short amount of time.They create a certain mood which triggers interest and anticipation. The extracts are usually short and so a lot of footage is used and edited together in a way which is fast paced, building tension for it to suddenly disappear once the trailer has ended and this makes the audience want to watch the film.

 Link used that helped me:
http://www.slideshare.net/daydayna/differences-between-a-title-sequence-and-a-trailer

Location Planning

Location Planning
We have considered several locations for our filming.
First of all we considered my house but my bedroom is downstairs with only a skylight in it and so it wouldn't provide the natural light that we need. I also have no empty wall in which we could have stuck up all of the pictures. My double bed takes up the majority of space also and so it would have been difficult to fit 4 people plus filming equipment in it so we ruled it out as an option.












Next we considered Tammys house. She has a mirrored cabinet but her shower didn't have a glass door but instead a shower curtain so this would have made filiming the bathroom scene tricky. The room which we would have filmed in had a mirrorred wardrobe and so in the shot we would have seen the camera and people filming, the wall paper on the wall was purple and floral and so not appropriate for a male antagonists room.

We next moved on to emmas house which was the ideal location. Her bathroom contained a glass shower, a mirrored cabinet and was right next to her room which was big and contained lots of natural light. She had a clear wall which we could have stuck up the pictures on. However, we didn't have permission to film there as her house has just been redecorated and couldn't risk getting scrates on the walls or anything.

                                                                               

Character Profile - Victim

Character Profile - Victim
Our victims name is Rosie and shes a normal 17 year old girl. She is a random, ordinary person much like the rest of Olivers students/victims. The whole point of her not being significant is to show that he victimies girls and sees them just as objects rather than human girls with inidividual personalities and this makes it easier for him to kill and hurt them as he doesn't have a personal attachment with them.

Character Profile - Antagonist

Character Profile - Antagonist 

Our antagonist is a maths tutor called Oliver, aged 22.
At the age of 6 and a half, Oliver buried his 5 year old next door neighbour alive when was playing a 'game' with her which resulted in her death. She was missing for 6 days before Oliver mentioned to his parents what had happened. Oliver was then found guilty of murder-  burying her alive. His parents couldn't deal with the mental state and feared that he would harm his little sister. As a result of this paranoia, he was then put up for adoption at the age of 7. His adopted father, sexually and mentally abused his adopted mother, so Oliver therefore began to think that treating women in this way was normal. As a result of this rough upbringing, especially the influence his adopted father gave by abusing his mother, Oliver thought this kind of behaviour was normal and worsened his mental problems. When he was older, he began to victimise girls, luring them in by presenting himself to be an attractive tutor then raping and murdering them. He takes pills in order to try and control the pain in his head from all his problems.