Filming [:

On Wednesday the 19th of November, we completed the second and final shooting of our opening! As Matt was away, we only filmed shots of Nellie. Firstly we filmed shots of Nellie running, and we did these in 2 different styles. First we shot her feet and lower legs running, and we then switched to a shot of her head running and occasionally turning around. We also did a point of view shot, with Nellie running along with the camera and doing a 180 degree turn, to give a panoramic view of the surroundings which we think will work really well. We then shot Nellie tripping over, and falling on to the ground, which we are hoping to edit as they look quite staged. Finally, we shot frames of Nellie lying sprawled on the ground looking up at her attacker, and taking her last breath.

This time all went smoothly, and we remembered all equipment. Lighting was not a problem this time as we got there in plenty of time so it did not become too dark. However, as the shots do not exactly match up with the lighting of the last shoot, we are hoping to edit this. As we expected this problem, we feel confident in achieving continuity editing in this aspect. We are extremely happy with our shooting and are currently editing the footage now.

Filming

On Friday the 7th of November we decided that it would be a good day to begin filming, and so we collected the camera, tripod and tv lead and headed to our location in Pembury. However, when we arrived we realised we had forgotten our tape and so we were unable to film. Although this was a set back, we are now more careful when collecting equipment so that we don't forget anything!

After this problem, we decided to re-set the date of filming for Tuesday the 11th of November. This time we remembered all our equipment and were able to film. We started with the scenes of Nellie and Matt in the playground of Pembury Park acting like a happy couple, and these went really well we thought and we are hoping to use a lot of the footage in our piece. We didnt use the tripod for any of this footage, as we thought the use of the handican would be much more effective, and give a more home - footage style to the shots. We then went to the forest, close to the park and filmed various shots of Matt. Again we didnt use the tripod, we used a handi can effect which is more effective for a horror genre we thought. We filmed Matt walking down an opening in the forest, Matt standing in the opening and Matt from a low angled shot to give a menacing impression. We tried to get all of Matt's scenes done on this day, as he was going away on Thursday and so it would be more convenient this way. However, it began to get dark at about 4pm and it was simply too dark to film, as it was difficult to see on the camera screen. We then realised that to have effective continuity editing, we would have to make sure that shots of Nellie and Matt together in the woods will be in exactly the same settings and of the same light as the already shot scenes of Matt, which may prove difficult.

We hope to film some of Nellie's scenes on Wednesday the 19th of November.

CF feedback background research

Excellent work. You have met all deadlines and this blog demonstrates that your research is clearly informing your creative process and that you are using ICT to collaborate as a group. The pitch was very promising and clearly informed by research into product and audience. Your characters were well researched and I particularly liked the concept of flash backs. All group members are making excellent contributions to the research and you are clearly working well as a team. Your storyboarding (beautifully drawn Nellie!), scripting and location reccies show that you are carefully planning your work in advance of shooting.

Your planning mark currently stands at a level 4 - well done.
To achieve this overall, ensure that your time management and shoots are well organised.

I’m looking forward to seeing how Matt fared as an antagonist…!

Mrs Fernandez

Pitch

Evaluation of Technical Analysis

To give us a better idea of how many shots we need to take and how to edit them together we had to a technical analysis of a film. We had to list every shot that was taken in roughly 2 minutes of the opening sequence. We had to list the shot size/angle/movement, mise-en-scene and the use of transitions. I analysed 'Halloween II' by Rick Rosenthal. Here are a few of the technical shots:
- PED DOWN from tree, TRACK into house CUTS TO
- MS of mother and kids crouching down CUTS TO
- MCU of mother leaning against wall with a masked man sitting up in background CUTS TO
- ELS of kids running out of house screaming CUTS TO
- LS of a man walking along the street CUTS TO
- LS of kids running along pathway screaming CUTS TO
- MS of man walking towards the house CUTS TO
- ESTABLISHING SHOT showing house CUTS TO
- CU of woman standing up, man stands up in background CUTS TO
From these shots I can understand more about what makes a good horror. All of the shots cut from one to the other which is an effective way of creating suspense compared to fading or wiping. The shots only last for a few seconds which also adds to the suspense. I also noticed that there are a wide range of shot sizes used. This means the audience can see the reactions of the characters and still get a full view of where they are and what is happening in the background. This isn't necessarily the typical way in which horror films are done as they quite often try not to give much away. However, by showing more of the background, the audience can get a better idea of what's going on and, if there are any clues, the audience can try to work things out for themselves.

Evaluation of Audience Research

We created a questionnaire to help us understand what the audience expects from a horror film. We used a variety of open and closed questions to give us a range of qualitative and quantitative answers. We asked questions about what the audience expects the typical conventions to be.

Out of our list of films, Jeepers Creepers was the most enjoyed followed by 28 Days Later. This may be because Jeepers Creepers has many conventions of a horror film such as supernatural monsters, murders and gruesome events. We then found out that the most important aspects of a horror film are camera shot and music shortly followed by location and characters. This could be because camera shots and music, when used effectively, help create suspense and tension. The two most important sound conventions were eerie music and loud jumpy sounds. In response to this we have found similar sounds on Youtube which have these qualities and have helped us in our choice of music. We then asked what two words are best associated with a psychological horror and they were 'troubled people' and 'twisted'. We then asked people to list 4 words that they associate with horror. The most common answer was death and scream. We have incorporated both of these elements into our piece as we have an iminant death present. The two main characteristics of a male villain were mysterious and clever. The two main characteristics of a female victim were fragile and confused. We have tried to involve these elements in our opening sequence to satisfy the audience's expectations. We asked how scary the opening sequence should be and the response was very undecided. We then gave a list of possible titles for our opening sequence and the most popular one was 'The Last Breath' and we will therefore use that as our title as it was also our personal favourite.

From the audience research we gathered, we got a better idea of exactly what the audience wants and expects and we have used this to influence our piece.

By Tally & Mandy

Technical Analysis Evaluation

As part of our coursework, we had to do a technical analysis of an opening of a film. This involves looking at all the technical aspects used in film production, such as camera techniques and lighting. I chose to do my technical analysis on the film 'The Orphanage', Juan Antonio, 2007.

For the first minute and a half, most of the camera shots are medium shots, so as to be used as establishing shots. These are used os that the audience starts to get familiar with the surroundings and the characters involved. For the next 30 seconds, the shots are mainly focused around the children of the orphanage playing in the garden. A variety of close ups are used on the children, to depict their innocence and purity, often a convention of horror films. There is also a zoomed in shot of a scarecrow in the garden, also a convention of horror films. There is also non-diagetic music featured in the opening, a soft piano piece, which may be present to lull the audience into a false sense of security. There is then a sound bridge of a telephone ringing, and there is a jump-cut to a woman in the house talking on te telephone. The shot is a CU of the back of the woman's head, which is also a well used convention of horror films. A CU shot is then used throughout this scene, so that a sense of mystery is present, as the audience do not know fully what is happening and are left wondering. There is then a tracking shot of the woman walking out towards the front door to watch the children playing, and the camera zooms out to give another medium shot, which gives the adueicne a chance to again review the surroundings and form any ideas of what could be happening.

Music Ideas

Our group tryed to think of what type of music we would want in the background of our film, we discussed the topic and came to the decision that we wanted eerie, spooky and creepy to anchor our footage. However the music must make the audience feel tense and scared as if they know something bad is going to happen. The music is extremely important when producing a film, it tells the story through use of non-diegetic sound. We have searched for music that we think is suitable for our film.
The following themes are the most suited to our film we are going to shoot:
- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8hTt27wYtxo
-http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6uSo2NrIUoE&feature=related
We are now going to shoot the film and then see which music theme fits the best with our film.

Treatment for Our Film

It’s autumn in the year 2008, and a young couple, Matt and Jessica, are enjoying their lives together. Everything seems fine, and everyone thinks they really will last forever. However, things start to get disrupted and trouble begins to emerge from the apparent happiness. As arguments grow and tension rises, Jessica strays towards another man, James. James offers her love and protection, and saves Jessica from what is happening with Matt. However, Matt begins to get obsessive, paranoid, and starts to follow Jessica. Jessica is unaware of her now strangely possessed husband and goes to meet her secret lover. Matt slowly trails her in his car, and after observing his wife and James together, thoughts and ideas forming in his head. If he can’t have her, why should anyone else be able to? Soon his ideas start forming into psychotic, dangerous ones. One dark evening, Matt decides to confront Jessica about what is going on, however, Jessica denies it constantly, although Matt knows she is lying. Soon the confrontation turns deadly, and the words turn into actions. Matt begins to hit Jessica repeatedly demanding her to tell the truth, unaware of his problems. Jessica struggles to escape, but finally does through the front door and begins to run frantically away to try and save her life. She runs into a nearby forest so that Matt will perhaps not be able to see her due to the long shadows of the early evening, and the vast amount of bushes. However, Matt doesn’t back down and persists in his hunt to find her, will Jessica escape unscathed? Matt hears Jessica panting, and lunges towards her behind a bush, however Jessica escapes and runs away, however she trips over and stumbles in her rush, which gives Matt an advantage. As Jessica stumbles over once again, she sees how deadly her once loving husband has become and fear paralyses her to the spot, she is unable to run away. Then Matt takes Jessica’s breath away …

Institutional Research

First of all, there has to be an idea for a film. This can come from anywhere such as other films, real life events, adaptations of already published books or even a conversation had with a friend. The producer of the future film who will decide whether to make the initial idea into a reality. The producer will develop the idea further, and is then responsible for getting it made and released. The producer will then approach the director, who will be responsible for the creative development, such as the script, and bring them on board. A writer will then be needed so as to clarify the plot and main characters and define what will happen in the film. The writer of the film will then write a treatment for the film, which is a detailed description of the main story and characters within the film. There will then be a pitch to financiers which includes all the information about the film and possible future ideas. The financiers will decide whether to give the money to the producer to create the idea into a reality.

The producer then approaches film production companies for the development money, so that a script can be written. In return for the development money, the production company has the right to be involved in the making of the film. The producer will then offer future sales to distribution companies, broadcasters and sales companies in return for money for the script. The producer can also gain more money for the production of the film by applying to a public funding body such as the UK Film Council, which is designed to foster talent and improve quality of scripts and films around the country. The producer then perhaps pitches the idea to private investors, to gain more money for development of the script. The producer can then use the development money to tie the writer down to develop the script for the film, in return the producer will give financial benefits.

In the script development, the writer firstly writes a synopsis of the film, which will describe what the audience will see on the screen. The writer and producer will then agree on the key scenes and events that should be featured in the film. The writer will then create a a step outline of the script, which are short written descriptions of scenes that will eventually make up the whole script. This is used to plan the overall structure and pacing of the film. Part of the writer's fee is dependant on the first draft of the script given to the producer. This will include not just dialogue but also actions and events that will appear on screen. Once the writer and producer are happy on the draft script, it is then sent to the financiers, who will have their own ideas. Once everyone involved is happy with the draft script, the final version will be written and the writer will finally get paid. The final stage of the script development is the creation of the sales treatment, which is a synopsis using emotive language, designed to sell the film to potential financiers.

Once the script is complete, the director and producer must decide on how they want to film it and who they will employ to help them. Firstly, the producer and directer must package the script into a full commercial pitch, ready for financing. The producer will come up with a rough budget needed for the film to be created and will explain how they will be spending the money. The producers will then employ well known actress and actresses, a commercial asset to any film, to the crew so as to make the project more commercial. Heads of various departments, such as top editors, production designers and directors of photography are then approached with offers to join the crew. For the film to be packaged for financing, the producer must create a more accurate budget for the film and a production schedule, detailing how long it will take to shoot and finish. Potential investors will want to know how the producer plans to make the money to shoot the film, and how the producer will pay them back, otherwise they may be reluctant to contribute to the financing. Once all these tasks are completed, the producer has packaged the film into an understandable business proposition, with all the information needed for the financiers to make a decision.

The producer must then travel so that she can find suitable financiers who will offer money and aid to the creation and shooting of the film. This process is very competitive, as other producers of film will be wanting financing as well, so this is a very tough procedure of film-making. Private investors, production companies and public bodies will also invest in the film. To secure this, the producer's lawyer draws up contracts to ensure that the deals of investments are sealed. To gain more money, the producer can sell rights to the film before it as been made. Contracts must also be made between producers and pre-sales financiers. There are also departments in banks which specialise in film production, and will offer loans and will invest in commercial projects. Most financiers insist that there be a completion bond, which is insurance for the production, before they agree to invest. Once all the financing and funding has been met and insurance secured, the film can finally be made.

Once all heads of departments are hired, the final script (the shooting script) is circulated so everyone can see the final idea and pre-production begins. The casting director will need to shortlist actors for the roles needed, the editor will need to choose people required once the film is at post-production and the head of sound must hire the team of sound recordists and boom operators. The casting director, along with the producer and director begins identifying and casting actors they think suitable for various roles. An average film will have over 30 cast members. A storyboard will then be created, usually by a storyboard artist with help from the director and director of photography. The storyboard is a blueprint for the film where every shot and transaction is planned in advance to shooting. The production designer will then plan every aspect of how the film will look and hires people such as a location manager, construction manager and art director to ensure this is done to the best standards. Set models will be made so that everyone knows the the finished product will look like and so the camera team can visualise shots more clearly. Special effects are vital in a film, to add to mise-en-scene, and so effect shots are planned in much more detail than normal shots and can take months to create. The 1st assistant director, the line producer and the production manager make up the key parts in the production of the film. The production manager deals with day to day money issues and are responsible for all details. The line producer must deal with the producer and the finance. The 1st assistant director deals with the crew and makes sure they stick to the schedule and assists in hiring the rest of the staff needed.

On the 1st day of principal photography the shooting begins. This is the key moment in film production. There are normally hundreds of people involved and it is a constant struggle to stay on schedule and budget. The camera department is responsible for getting all the footage that the director and editor need to tell the story. The shot can only begin once the lighting and sound are set up correctly and once the hair and make-up have been checked. The actors also have a huge amount of responsibility to make the film a success as they have to act in front of a huge production team. The special effects have to be carefully constructed and must be filmed with minimum risk of injury to cast and crew. This is checked by the health and safety team. The film production must be run with military precision because if they fall behind with anything, the financiers and insurers may step in.

Post production usually starts during the shoot as soon as the first reels of footage and sound are available. As soon as the footage comes in the editor sorts it out into scenes and creates a narrative sequence for the film. Once the picture is locked the sound department start on the audio track laying by creating and editing every sound. The digital effects are added by specialist effects compositors and the titles and credits are added in a compositing suite. The final stage of the picture edit is adjusting the colour and establishing the fine asthetic of the film. After the picture is locked, the rough sound mix goes to a dubbing theatre where the sound mixer sets the final levels. After the final cut the film reaches 'full lock'. This means it is complete and is ready for duplication.

Whilst the film is in post production the producer is out selling it but to do this they need a distributor. To be able to sell the film to distributors the producer secures the services of a sales agent (a specialist in film sales). A trailer is shown to show the most marketable aspects of the film to the busy film buyers to help sell the film. The producer and the sales agent then collect everything they will need to successfully sell the film to distributors. The market is saturated with films which means the producer must go to great lengths to attract attention for the product. A great way to generate 'heat' around a film is to have a high-profile screening at one of the top film festivals. The producer now as a hot product and is able to negotiate deals with distributors around the world.

As the finishing touches are being made to the film, the distributors plan their strategy and begin to market it. To help the producer sell the film to distributors the producer secures the services of a sales agent. The marketing team then runs test screenings to see how the film is recieved by the target audience. The potential audience is then targeted with various marketing materials like posters, cinema trailers and TV spots. There is also media coverage on the TV, radio and in newspapers and magazines. This can all help to create a positive word-of-mouth about a film. With the Internet being so widely used, new marketing opportunities have been created and has made niche marketing possible. The distributors must negotiate a deal with the cinemas to screen their film so that they can get it to their audiences.

A cinema exhibition is still the primary channel for films to reach their audiences and box office success equals financial success. A high-profile star-studded premiere is used to launch the film to the public with an explosion of media coverage. Many people are attracted to see the film and with more than 3,500 cinema screens in the UK this is possible. The distributors supply the exhibitors with the prints of the film and the more screens that the film is shown on the more prints are needed. Depending on how popular the film is, the cinema's have the right to stop showing a film when they want. The exhibitors then take their share of the box office reciepts and then the distributors recoup their marketing costs. Once the distributors have been paid the financiers can recover their investments as laid out in the recoupment schedule.

If the film is successful in cinemas it becomes a sought-after product which enables it to be sold through more lucrative channels. Hospitality sales for hotel channels and in-flight entertainment can bring in millions of additional revenue. If the film fails in the box office, it can compensate its losses with the sale of DVDs. The final source of revenue rights are sold separately for paying TV shows and terrestrial broadcast. Another source of additional revenue is in computer games and other product licenses which can be extremely lucrative. Once the film has made a profit, the producer and key creative people can claim their rewards. The final income from a film is never known as distribution will always continue and it may even be released in the future.

By Mandy and Tally

Technical Shot Analysis

I carried out my analysis on the opening sequence of Hostage. There were a large number of different shots used in this film to convey different meanings, or tell the narrative to the audience. It was interesting to learn what type of camera sizes, movement and angles were used and then see if my group thought of using any of the same techniques. It was noticeable to see that Medium shot was used frequently this may be because this type of shot tells the audience more about the expressions on the characters face, whilst maintaining enough of the background to still be familiar with the surroundings.
Hostage, Florent Emilio Siri, 2005
The following shows just a few of the technical shots I recorded:
-MS of antagonist on phone with gun in hand ZOOM OUT TO
-ESTABLISHING SHOT showing surroundings, high angle CUTS TO
-BIRDS EYE SHOT of protagonist’s body still on the phone CUTS TO
-MCS of protagonist compromising on phone, canted angle CUTS TO
-180۫ PAN around protagonists face going to CU, CUTS TO
-CU of gun hidden in shoe, pans up his leg, PANS TO
-MCS still on the phone CUTS TO
-LS of 3 policeman listening in on the phone call, eye level, CUTS TO
-CU of protagonists face, as if he is thinking hard CUTS TO
-LS of policeman getting the guns ready CUTS TO
-PANNING following on armed officer aiming gun at antagonist CUTS TO
-POV through the sniper scope CUTS TO
-MS showing policeman has a clear shot to shoot CUTS TO
This is just a view of the shots that were shown in the opening sequence; it is obvious to see from the transitions used, that there were rather a lot of shots which cut to other shots, rather than dissolve and fade this is because of the type of genre the film hostage falls under. It is important for them to keep it quick and jumpy as this keeps the audience on the edge, because it is a Horror/ thriller they will use more cutting shots, this will create a better atmosphere for the overall appearance of the film.
The shots used in the opening sequence, allowed the audience to take in the key features and recognise the most important pieces of information in the film. It also helped the viewer spot the lead characters and what the narrative it trying to tell us. In the opening of Hostage the audience was allowed to see of the pieces of information, there wasn’t much for them to work out themselves.

Mood board for Pitch

The following mood board was made to present at my group's pitch we wanted to let people see the type of style we were going for and how we wanted our lead characters to be precieved by the audience. It was important for us to think about what costume our lead characters would be wearing. We thought about different elements of mise-en-scene. After our pitch we recieved posistive feedback from our mood board, so it made My group and I more confident in what we are doing.

We thought the red and black colours were extremely important for the genre of horror.

Location

The following pictures are the of the chosen location in which we are going to film are opening sequence. After the feedback from our pitch, it was obvious that this was the prefered location. This location will be perfect for our film and just what our group was looking for, we will film the footage around early evening this will give our film a natural blue wash. We are able to make this location come across as spooky and eerie, it also has a path running through it making it perfect for where our 2 main characters will act.

My group and I are extremely happy with our location and look forward to start filming.