Filming Update

Just to let you know how we are getting on!

Off we go to Strood to take our second shoot! We got on pretty well due to being much more organised and we actually knew what we wanted for the scene whereas, during our first shoot, we didn't know what we wanted because Matt wasn't there to assist Ellis.

Title Sequence

To start off I researched popular T.V shows and popular Video games opening sequences.

The Last of Us developed by Naughty Dog Productions. (Video game).

It starts off with a black screen showing names of people involved in bold white text it also show molecular cells of blood, since this game genre is thriller, the way the sequence tells us the roles is telling us the voice actors names first then the behind the scenes crew (i.e. programming) the tells us the managers of the game at the very end. 

Grimm by the NBC. (T.V show)

Title appears before the behind the scenes crews names are shown similar to The Last of Us but the show the actors names in the first scene of each episode in order of appearance. The opening scene also shows previous action scenes from previous scenes.

 

Now I’m moving on to AS media products.

‘Never Again’ by Team 7 Productions

The opening sequence is the first scene. It introduced everyone that was a part of the film in first 30 seconds. The crew use establishing shots with a slightly tinted dark filter to create trepidation. Then we have the footage cutting to and from black screen to a boy running in time with the music. Has quite fast passed action music.

The following by Flora day

Has establishing shots and again introduces everyone that was involved with the film in the first 30 seconds. Has quite slow techno music. Uses red text to relate the film to blood and also suggests that the film is a thriller.

Friend Request by Skyline Productions

Has establishing shots of first scene and introduces people that were involved in the film in the first 30 seconds. The music has a slow piano solo playing to make it feel eerie. Has boom sounds when introducing parts of the antagonist. Uses a dark filter so we can barely see the antagonist to create the scare factor.

Suggestions for our film.

Use a dark filter to create our scare factor. As regards to the text I would suggest if we a dark background use white and for a light background use black text, we could also use red text for any type of background and it also represents blood. As regards to soundtrack we need something with a high tempo because the main character is almost always running. We should use establishing shots as well.

Filming Timetable

Thursday, 14th January 2016 (Period 6) - Filming in Strood for first shoot of Running Scene - Ellis, Harvey and George.

Thursday, 21st January 2016 (Period 6) - Filming in Strood for second shoot of Running Scene - Ellis, Matt, George and Harvey.

Thursday, 28th January 2016 (Period 6) - Filming in Strood for any improvement on Running Scene - Ellis, Matt, George and Harvey.

Thursday, 4th February 2016 (Period 6) - Filming in Strood IF NEED BE!!!

Barriers Faced

During our process of filming we knew there were going to be issues and problems that we were going to have to overcome as best we could. We prepared ourselves as much as possible and we were rewarded for our anticipation.

The first issue we were aware of was lighting. This time of year (January) the sun tends to set early in the evening or late afternoon and so we had to ensure we had enough hours of natural light to film any scenes. To overcome this issue we decided to leave school early to get the bus to our location at around three o’clock. This gave us around an hour and a half to two hours of natural lighting to utilize. While still having to work quickly, we were able to film the required scenes within this time slot.

The next problem we encountered was the weather. On the day we were filming, there were strong winds present at our location, in which we had no real shield from the air. This presented a hazard to us as the wind could potentially knock the camera over and damage it. It also meant that that the sounds in our scenes were virtually inaudible. We created two solutions to this problem. The first was to bring an umbrella with us which we used to shield the camera from the wind, making it less likely to fall and cause damage and lose any footage we had recorded. This also helped with the audio and sound quality of our footage slightly. The second solution was to make the decision to mute all audio for these scenes and instead decided to play a soundtrack over them. Our group decided this would be the best solution and also add a suspenseful effect to our thriller.

Next, we realized that members of the public may be present in our location. This was proved to be a wise assumption when we noticed a person sitting in an area we planned on using for a scene. To solve this problem we re-evaluated the scene and worked out a way in which the person could easily be kept clear from the shot. This worked well and we did not have to change the scene we were filming and managed to keep any other member of the public out of shot.

Next, the location we originally chose to film at had to be changed due to the aforementioned lighting issues. The original location was further away and meant that by the time we arrived there would be even less time for naturally lit filming. We instead changed the location to a slightly closer area which meant we had more time to film the required scenes with appropriate light. This solved the problem effectively and with only a small compromise as the new location, we believe, is actually better than the original.

Due to a communication error, we found ourselves unable to film in another location: Medway Youth Trust. We had been told to speak to a member of staff, however a breakdown in communication meant this meeting did not materialize. Instead, for purpose of time above all else, we decided to abandon the idea and instead use the school for the indoor and office scenes.

Memento, Ellis' Homework

• At the start of the opening credits it is silent then music slowly fades in creating suspense.
• Slow, low pitched, long notes played by an organ. Then violin slowly comes in to create more tension.
• Extreme close up of a hand and a picture of  a murder scene.
• Writing is blue to make the words stand out.
• Must be going back in time because the picture is fading away.
• The crime scene is going in reverse.
• Silence and then a scream is heard.
• The audience wants to learn more and to find out who killed this man and why.
• The music is the highlight of creating suspense.

Blog Review 08/01/2016

Back To Work

Christmas is over and now we are back to work.

As always we use meeting to review. We have completed the; storyboard, script, locations, props list and costume list.

However the locations need our permissions confirmed for our locations, transport needs to be sorted as well as a filming timetable.

Blog Review 08/12/2015

Look At The Time

How the time fly's it's almost Christmas and theirs still so much to do.

We need the story board to be completed and checked, a shot list needs to be written and our locations need to be researched more. These are our Priority.

As for the script, it needs to specify the end of the scene. As well as an up to date blog post of the script, it needs to be scanned and uploaded as well as perhaps a small paragraph on the changes done.

We need several other posts. We need an explanation post of our ideas and where we got the influence. A post on the problems we might and have encountered, as well as a post on the filming timetable.