Pictures taken during filming

Changes during filming

-Changes to the official script.

While we were filming, we noticed that changes to the script had to be made. We will put a new script up, and leave the old one in to show all the changes we had to make. The Arc movement around the main character had to be changed as we could not get a smooth shot. The medicine bottle we talked about in the script was not obtainable during filming, so we ended up cutting that out as well. 

-No black figure standing behind the main character in the last scene of the introduction.

During the editing, we saw that having the black figure in the background, then fading out, made the introduction look like a trailer. We decided to leave this part out, we think it looks better without it. We have included a black figure in Draft 5 and 6, but it is in a different cut, straight after the arc to the main character.

- no medicine bottle.

During the day of filming, we were unable to find the medicine bottle we were planning on having, meaning we had to cut the idea out. we have been able to work around this.

- no outside arc around the character at the start.

Though we have practiced Arc Shots, we were unable to get a smooth turn ... Since the arc wasn't smooth, the shot looked unprofessional, so we decided to cut that out as well. We have also been able to work around this, as it has given us the opportunities to cut to different short-cuts that make the introduction more interesting for the audience.

- location of orchard scene

We were unable to film in the orchard on the day we had planned to film due to the soil conditions. The night before, it had been raining heavily. This is why we left the orchard scene filming till about a week later, where we could then film it in the school field. We decided to use the school field as it is surrounded with trees, and offers shady areas we could use for the silhouette.   

We also took a range of different shots, which later on, could be used to make the silhouette appear to be moving, almost like teleporting ... In a spirit like fashion. We can edit the shot to make it jumpy as well, creating a sense of fear.

-The opening title.

During production, our draft title began to annoy us. It wasn't meeting the standards we were expecting, so we looked into new animated titles. The 4th Draft contains the new title animation that we intend to keep for the final piece. We believe this new title works well with the opening, and related well to the "time" used within the title ("your time is up"), as the letters appear to be counting down. The colours also relate to the opening of the film - White=Innocents /  Black=Deceit  / Red=Blood & Death

Change in title ideas

In our opinion, the previous title did not look as professional as we were hoping, especially once we had seen it in a few of our drafts, so we decided to change it. We believe the new title (that is in the 4th Draft) works much better, and looks much more professional than our previous one.

   

We have chosen to use Black, White and Red in the creation of this title because all of these colours can be easily links to the genre of the film (horror). The White is used to represent innocents, whereas the Black is to represent deceit. The red in the title is to represent blood and the death that is in the opening of the film. 

6th Draft

We have used the same music as before, in the previous draft, but after getting some feedback from our target audience, we saw that, after the titles, the background music came in too loud. This is why in this draft, we have lowered the volume of the background music, and attempted to fade it in. We believe that this has allowed the audience to feel the atmosphere of horror for what it is instead of having to focus on either the music or the voice-over as they competed in previous drafts.

5th Draft

In this draft, we have changed the background music. We believe this music works better with what is going on. The music we were using before made the introduction seem like a trailer, so we decided to look into different musics. This is the one we have chosen for this, and the next draft. We will get some feedback from our target audience (teenagers in Group E) and decide wither or not to change it.

We have added another production company to this draft. We have made this production company title and animation as well. We've done this because most films of our genre have more than 1 production company. 

4th Draft

The new animated title has been added to this draft. We believe this title works much better with the opening, as it looks more professional than the previous title.

We still need to work on the background music to this draft before completing the final task. At the moment, in this draft, the background music is making this sound like a trailer. We are still looking into other background music that we believe would work well in creating the affects we wish to achieve in the audience. We have been looking at other background music used in movie openings similar to our own. Hopefully we will have a more successful soundtrack to the next draft.

3rd Draft

We are still looking into the title. We have been looking at different animated titles, used in other movies that have the same genre and sub-genre, and have come up with some more ideas. The new title will be included in the next draft. The credit terminology has also been corrected. We are still looking into background music alternatives, but a background track has been added. We believe this has added affect to our opening. 

2nd Draft

We are still looking on alternate animated titles, and hopefully they will appear in the next few drafts. We still plan to use the same 2 colours - Black, Red and White, to keep the affect they have on the overall appearance of the title. Another post will be made, looking at the title and why we have chosen it. 

We are also, still looking into background music. We have been experimenting with different background music, but we have not yet found the right one yet. 

Credits have been added, however, we have been told that the wrong terminology has been used. We will fix this within the next few drafts. 

First Draft

This is the first draft of our final piece. This needs a lot of improvements to achieve the effects we desire for the audience. We will make these improvements over the coming weeks. 

One of the changes we plan to make is to the title. The title used in this draft, was a drafted, animated title. We are still looking at alternatives for the title used in this draft. Our new title will hopefully appear in one of the few drafts to come. 

Another change we will defiantly be making will be the audio. We are missing backing music in this draft. The music will add to the sense of curiosity, and fear at the same time. It will also be copyright free. 

We also need to add the credits. Acting by Heather Paterson, Editing by Matt Bartram and Filmed by Rachel Nesbitt. These credits should appear within the first 2 mins of a horror opening, we plan to have ours appear within the first minute. 

Forecast planning

As the forecast changes over the week, we will do daily updates on the weather, to see what the weather is most likely to be when we are filming. Are expected date to begin filming is Saturday 16th January 2016. Ideally, we would like it to be dry, and cold (so that you can see the character breathing as she walks down the road).

This screenshot of the forecast was taken on the Monday before filming (11th). 

This screenshot was taken on the Tuesday before filming (12th)

This screenshot was taken on the Wednesday before filming (13th)

This screenshot was taken on the Thursday before planning (14th)

This screenshot was taken on the Friday before planning (15th)

What was the weather like during filming?

During filming, it was sunny, windy and very cold outside. Thankfully, we got the filming outside done first. The east of the filming was completed inside. It wasn't to dark as we decided to film around 1 o'clock. The level of light we would like can be edited into our final opening piece.

Camera diagrams

We will use the same numbering we used for our story board for this post:

  

1&2:  The titles do not require any camera placement, so we will skip these 2 frames.

   

3:

4: As this is a close up of the characters face, i wont create a diagram for this shot. 

5:

6:

7:

8:

9:

10:

Physical Timeline for our introduction

Storyboard Animatic

Editing Schedule

First: Once all the shots have been filmed then I need to go through the footage and delete the clips we don't need and put those we do need in order. This will make the editing easier to preform.

Second: One of the first things to do is insert the groups production company and the title for the production. 

Third: I need to insert all of the clips that I am going to use in the right order. When inserting each one I need to make sure they are all the right length. 

Fourth: I need to insert the music that is going to be used in the production. 

Fifth: Go through each clip adjusting the picture and sound. 

Sixth: Review the clip as a whole and rectify any mistakes. 

Cast list

Performer/Actress- Heather P

Heather is 16 years old, and attends the Wildcats Academy for Dance and Drama students. She really enjoys acting and would love to be the 2 main characters in our production. 

We asked Heather to be our actress as she is a close friend and enjoys performing. She also lives near by, making meet ups to discuss the parts easier. 

Our proposed date of filming is Saturday 16th January 2016. Filming should only take one day but i have checked that Heather is free on the Sunday as well, just in-case we need to come back. 

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Mise-en-scene planning

In our horror opening there are two characters, a black silhouette and a teenage girl. Although both are being played by the same character they are going to be portrayed in different ways. To do this our group will have to make sure the Mise-en-scene is correct.

In the first scene the black silhouette is gaining on the teenage girl who lays on the floor defenseless, to make sure the silhouette appears to the audience as evil and distressed certain things will need to happen. One of these is that the outfit which the silhouette is in will need to appear worn so the outfit would need to be torn and maybe discoloured. To make the teenager appear defenseless her hair will need to be messy to make it look as if she was in a rush to get away. Also her clothing will need to be dirty to reflect a struggle she may have encountered from running away from the silhouette. The teenage girls face in this scene will need to show a sense of desperation as well as shock to really allow the audience to feel the sense of horror.

In the second scene the teenage girl is walking up to her house when, once inside, she will discover why the silhouette has been haunting her. In this scene the characters clothing will need to be pristine to try and show to the audience that this is an ordinary day in which nothing has happened. Once the scene reaches the part of when the silhouette is stood behind the teenage girl then the teenagers face needs to reflect pure fear. This is because we want the audience to feel as if although the teenage girl cant see the silhouette that the silhouette has an overpowering sense of fear which the girl can feel.

Equipment required

Camera:

To record our opening. 

Tripod:

To help with the recording and shots.

SD Card:

To store the footage.

Camera bag & accessories:

To protect the camera and carry things such as the camera charger with us.

Laptop:

To review the footage, edit and publish the final piece on our blogs, with the analysis.

Font planning

In our horror opening we have decided to use this font called 'The End.' We decided to use this font because we feel it relates to the synopsis's idea of time running out with the effect of each letter fading away. The fading is also done in a splatter pattern which has connotations of blood linking back to the idea of horror.

Filming /Shooting Schedule

Sound Planning

We have decided to use this piece of music in my horror opening at the part when the teenage girl is staring at the photos. This is because we believe that it builds suspense nicely for when the camera turns around to reveal the silhouette standing behind her. It also foreshadows to the audience that something bad is about to happen to the girl.

We believe that we will have to adjust the sound in Adobe Premier Pro to help the impact it has upon the audience as well as making sure it is the right length.

We have decided to use this piece of music at the end of the opening when the credits are playing because we believe it has a calm but reflecting effect of horror. As you can see the piece of music is way too long so will have to be shortened down in Adobe Premier Pro to a suitable size. 

There is a slight difference in using this piece of music to the first which is that we will have to give credit to the artist in the video description.