DF - Production Log 31/03/11

Our Progress Today

• Completed and exported the rough cut.
• Found some possible parts for the soundtrack from Freesound.org.

What We Plan To Do

• Complete editing.

MP - Stills from shooting

Here are four shots from our footage that we particularly like.





These shots are very varied, using a range of different focus techniques, which is why we decided that these were our favourite shots.

JB - Production Log 30/03/11

Our Progress:

• In our free period today, Matt and I continued to edit the footage and have finalised the rough cut
  
• We have started to place the title credits in the timeline at the appropriate points.

What We Plan To Do:

• Fine-tune the individual shots
  
• Continuity editing, including sound bridges
  
• Soundtrack using resources from Freesound

DF - Filming Day 27/03/11

Where?

• Fordcombe Woods - Sunday afternoon/evening - Matt, Dom, James and actor Spike

Successful?

• We think that the majority of our shots were quite successful and were what we wanted and we made more efficient use of time than we did on previous filming days due to our desire to complete all needed shots.

Unsuccessful?

• As of now we are pleased with all our shots however during editing we may discover errors, etc. that may reveal unsuccessful shots.

Storyboard use

• We used our storyboard as a guideline for the general narrative, however we preferred to get a variety of shots for each shot so we can decide between them rather than just prescriptively getting the shots on the storyboard as things can change when you're actually out there filming.

JB - Production Log 29/03/11

Our Progress:

• On Sunday 27th March, together with our antagonist Spike, filmed the final parts of our footage.
• Reviewed the footage and have started to produce a rough cut of the film opening.
• The fonts we selected have now been added to the system so we should hopefully be free to finish the editing of the footage, with no real restrictions on us.
• I have imported the most recent footage onto the local hard drive

What We Plan To Do:

• Put the remaining footage onto SD card and import the remaining shots.
• Contiue editing - finish a rough cut by Thursday 31st March.
• Wrap up any outstanding blog posts.

Progress Update

Dom, Matt,James. Your blog is excellent, well done. Dom, you are working very hard keeping the posts up to date, a few outstanding, but as long as these get done, it is an'A' for planning so far - don't be afraid to delegate! James, your presence on the blog is not enough recently. I know you have taken on the job of editor but you must ensure you log your progress after each session on the blog. Also ensure that you swop roles and all have a go at editing as you should all be proficient at all skills by the end of the course.

JB - Questionnaire Results from Audience Research

Purpose

The purpose of the audience research was to get the opinions of a selection of our target audience and to then adjust our ideas accordingly. We designed our questions to obtain answers for specific aspects of the opening sequence, such as the font choice.

Task and Challenges

I designed the questionnaire and then as a group we got people from our perceived target audience to answer it and we then collated the results into the pictured format. Our main challenge was finding the time to carry out the survey, as it's not only our time we had to be concious of but also the time of the respondants.

How useful was the audience research?

The audience research came in very handy in certain aspects, such as font choice, as we then based our choice on the result. In other aspects we did not base our choice solely on that as we felt that the choice should really be made by those with a greater knowledge of our opening sequence - ourselves.

DF - Production Log 25/03/11

Our Progress Today:

• Made substantial progress on the animatic now that the issue has been resolved.
• Organized our filming day and what shots we have left to shoot.
• Organized when we all have free periods.
• E-mailed font selection to I.T. team to add to the computer.
• Handed in risk assessment and call sheet.

What We Plan To Do:

• Finish filming.
• Begin editing.
• Finish all loose ends regarding the blog.

DF - Shared Free Periods To Work On Editing/Blog

This is a timetable of all the free periods we share. We shall all come and work on editing the footage or adding to the blog during these, and if need be we shall come after school as well.

Periods We All Have Frees:

Week 1:
Monday: Period 4
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Period 1
Thursday:
Friday:

Week 2:
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Period 3
Thursday:
Friday:

DF - Production Log 24/03/11

Our Progress Today:

• Answered the questions regarding the animatic, however we have issues in getting the footage for it.
• Completed the evaluation of the storyboard.
• Began audience research questions.

What We Plan To Do:

• Film the remainder of the film.
• Attempt to resolve issues surrounding the animatic.
• Begin editing footage using the animatic as a basis.

JB - Animatic of Storyboard

This is our animatic which shows how we plan out our story with the intended cutting rate.

JB - Animatic

What is the purpose of an animatic?

The animatic will be placed onto the timeline in the editing software (Adobe Premiere) in order to show us where the actual footage will be placed. Instead of using a blank timeline we simply import the clips and place them over the top of the animatic which makes the whole process of editing much easier. It can also be used to refer to when filming the footage.

What did you do as part of a group and what were the challenges of completing this task?

I composed the individual frames of the animatic into the editing software. We faced difficulties importing the files from the SD card but managed to solve the issues.

In view of your first shoot, how useful was the animatic exercise?

The animatic was useful for structuring our footage and helped us to judge how long each of the individual shots should be.

MP - Storyboard

Storyboard

Purpose

The purpose of a storyboard is to organise the ideas that have been generated by the group. It acts as a detailed timeline for what will happen in the narrative, making it much easier to work efficiently. A storyboard is the reference that is used during filming so that eveyone knows what shots need to be filmed and where.

Task and Challenges

Personally, I organised the order of the shots that had been thought of. The juxtaposition of each shot in relation to others is very important and took quite a long time. The biggest challenge in completing the storyboard was thinking up enough ideas to fill the 2 minutes that our opening sequence must be, but with lots of thought, we managed to sequence enough shots, ending with a total of 35.

How useful was the Storyboard?

During our first shoot, the storyboard was actually very helpul, as it gave us all the initial ideas that we had as a starting point for our filming. We did deviate from it somewhat as being on location presented new ideas, but having a storyboard I feel would always be a great advantage over not having one.

JB - Preliminary Task (with soundtrack)

After reviewing the preliminary task, and after feedback, we have decided to add a non-diegetic soundtrack to our preliminary task.

The preliminary task, featuring continuity editing and a soundtrack.

DF - Production Log 23/03/11

Our Progress Today:

• Uploaded updated preliminary task to Youtube and Blog.
• Corrected errors in previous blog posts and highlighted key terms.
• Commented on each other's blog posts.
• Made a post on our storyboarding process.

What We Plan To Do:

• Upload audience research to blog and answer questions on it.

DF - Production Log 22/03/11

Our progress today:

• Evaluative post of costume and props.
• Solved problems with exporting preliminary task.
• Scanned in a page of storyboard.

What we plan to do:

• Plan next filming day.
• Tie up any loose ends

DF - Costumes & Props Evalutation

For our opening sequence we have to use a number of props and different costumes. For example:

• A hangman's noose. This was required for the hanging shots and was made by Matt Passmore who learned how to create the knot. We decided to use this because a hangman's noose is commonly associated with death and murder and is conventional of horror.
• A plain white cloth. This was used also in the hanging shot to gag our victim to further the effect of the hangman's noose as explained above.
• Dark/dull-coloured clothing. We used this to create a more sinister look to the antagonist as well as making the overall colour of the film more dull which is conventional of horror.

DF - Preliminary Task Questions

1.

Outline Brief

 Our preliminary task involved several requirements to fulfill:

• Continuity editing: vary distances and angles, pans, steadicam, handicam, cutaways (motivated cut to close-up).
• 180’ rule: ensures correct perspective, shot reverse shot, over the shoulder shot.
• Two lines of dialogue: consider diegetic sound. Conventional of genre? Enigmatic? Part of narrative?
Opening door: framing, close-up-shots?

How did you produce a creative interpretation to the brief? (pro-filmic and post production – be specific about effects/techniques used etc)

We tried to use some interesting camera angles whilst keeping continuity. We also tried setting it in a non-conventional horror setting in order to see how much the location effected the impact of the film.

2.
Evaluate your production.  What was successful?  What was less successful? What tips would you therefore give yourself for the opening sequence production?
1.
I would say that the general construction of our preliminary task was successful and the continuity and the opening of doors went well. However, I think that the narrative could have done with being more fleshed out and have more depth. Advice I would give myself for the opening sequence would be to make sure we think very carefully about building the narrative.
3.
4.

MP - Filming Day 20/03/11

Where?

• Fordcombe Woods - Sunday Evening - Matt, Dom, James and actor Spike

Successful?

• We think that the hanging scene was quite successful, with a good head shot, that was done with the actor's feet on the ground to stay safe. We felt that our most creative shot was a close-up of our murderer's foot stepping off a bridge.

Unsuccessful?

• One of our hanging shots wasn't successful however, as the rope was at an angle, making it obvious that our actor was standing on the ground.

Storyboard use

• We didn't use our storyboard a huge amount, preferring to think up ideas as we went along that would fit into our opening sequence.

DF - Example of Callsheet & Risk Assessment

In keeping with standards and procedures of the film industry, we have filled out callsheets and risk assessments for the purpose of health and safety and so we are more organized in planning our day. Below is an example of our callsheet and risk assessment for Sunday the 20th of March, 2011.



Click to enlarge.
Phone numbers blurred for privacy.








 



Click to enlarge.



DF - Production Log 17/03/11

Our progress today:

• Finished soundtrack for preliminary task, however there were issues exporting and thus we will seek assistance.
• Finished filming animatic of the storyboard and began editing.
• Commented on blog posts.
• Looked at blog to see areas to improve upon.
• Posted example of callsheet and risk assessment.
• Planned next filming day and handed in call sheet and risk assessment.

DF- Filming Day 1: 12/03/11

We decided to get together to film some shots on Saturday the 12th of March.


Good Points

• Made good use of what time we had and got a good amount of shots using the storyboard, but also getting some shots that we thought up on the day in addition.
• We are all pleased with how our shots turned out and how we are progressing.

Bad Points

• One of our actors could not attend, so we instead only filmed shots which did not include him.
• There's a chance that later footage may not match in terms of weather, lighting, etc. We will try to get round this by trying to film shots both times if time allows, and using the editing software to make them match if need be.

JB - Technical Analysis

"The Mist" (Darabont, 2007)

0:14 - 0:51 Extremely long cut, panning/crabbing through the room to establish the scene. The camera looks over the man's shoulder at the painting. There is dull lighting due to the fact that it is in the evening. There is quiet diegetic music in the background (on a radio) which is used to set the mood, accompanied by the sound of thunderbolts and rain - also diegetic. Lightning flashes on the left side of the man's body, shortly followed by the power going out, which prompts him to look outside the window at the weather. Lightning flashes on his face again.

0:51 - 1:05 Slightly shorter, motivated cut. This is to show the weather (which is conventional to psychological horrors). Pathetic fallacy is used because the weather is representative of the mood of the scene. The title fades in, with a very simple font; the camera slowly zooms out to reveal the protagonists standing at the window looking at the weather.

1:05 - 1:12 A low angle shot, showing the protagonists walking down the stairs into a pitch black basement, carrying a candle and some pillows.

1:13 - 1:25 A shot of the window smashing, followed by a motivated cut to see the glass coming straight towards the camera (which is positioned next to the painting). We are expected to feel sympathy towards the male protagonist because he clearly spent a lot of time working on this painting, for it to be destroyed in seconds.

JB - Location Reccie: Speldhurst & Fordcombe

We decided to go on two more location reccies, this time in Speldhurst and Fordcombe. These two villages contain forests and graveyards, both of which we plan to feature in our film opening at points. We felt it would be useful to take practice shots of the locations - not only for reference, but also to observe the quality of the footage, which was filmed in low lighting due to the time of day. This helped us to gain valuable experience for night/low light filming. Poor/dull lighting conditions are conventional to psychological horrors.



Clips from the second and third location reccies, at Speldhurst & Fordcombe.
See details on bottom corner of video.

JB - Location Reccie: Wilderness Woods

For our film opening we are planning to use a forest location, which features mystery and fear of the unknown - key characteristics of the psychological horror genre. We visited Wilderness Woods and were asked to film some specific shots, as well as some experimental shots of our own.

Clips from the first location reccie, at Wilderness Woods.
See details on bottom corner of video.

MP - Pitch Feedback

Draft 1

In class, we pitched our opening sequence idea, which included: audience research, locations, characters, costume, sound track, and influences.
Good points:

• Good idea
• Nice idea for title and font
• Good influences

Bad points:

• Audience research sample was too small
• Questionnaire should have been added
• Photos of our reccie trips needed to be added
• Opening sequence needed more detail, specifically shot-by-shot information

Our presentation will be updated, and then presented again to the class on 8th March to get our green light.

Draft 2

We again made a pitch to the class, with all of the above improvements made. The one point that came up however, was the fact that our main location being a nice house didn't really fit with the whole idea of what we are trying to create. After some thought, setting the opening sequence entirely in dark and 'scary' locations was decided, with very little linking to a 'safe' location.

Group - Preliminary Task

The Preliminary Task, featuring continuity editing.