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Wednesday 1 February 2017

R+P Post 20: Reflections so far/looking ahead

The test shoot and rough edit definitely did their job for my group because they perfectly highlighted what was working and what needed to be scrapped or adapted for the opening to fulfil its purpose and be entertaining. I agree with all of the feedback we have received from our teachers and friends, and I think that if we continue to work hard we will be able to implement the right changes and make a really good film opening.

R+P Post 19: Our rough cut




We edited our rough cut over three days both together as a group and individually.


Our edit schedule

The main issue with our rough edit that we and the technician picked out, was our sound levels and a few continuity errors that were down to poorly shot footage. These should be fairly easy to fix as we now know to be extra careful when filming certain sequences to avoid errors and with the extra time allocated for the main edit the sound levels shouldn't be an issue.
The rough cut also highlighted how we underestimated how long some actions would actually take to do and that when shooting we need to be a lot stricter with our timings to ensure that we don't go over the specified 2mins for the opening. 

R+P Post 18: Our test shoot

We completed a test shoot, carrying it out in the same way as we would the real one, to be able to fully see if our idea would work and any changes that would be need to be made.

Page 1 of our test shootboard
Overall, I think that the test shoot went well even though we did deviate slightly from the original plan. We changed the order in which we filmed some of the shots, for example we did all of the bedroom ones before those that were outside although we had planned to do this the other way around. We changed this because we realised that the actress would have to apply and remove her makeup too many times if we did it the original way. The order change really didn't make much of a difference though and we were still able to get everything done in time, most of which, when looked back on, we were very happy with. 


The test shoot very obviously highlighted for our group what went well and what we need to change for the final version and therefore has completely done its job.

Examples of shots I was happy with include:


I particularly liked this shot because visually, with the framing and colours, I think that it looks interesting and would capture the audience's attention in the 'getting ready' sequence. It also starts to give the audience an idea of the character's personality and traits as she confidently puts on her makeup.




I also liked this shot because the high angle and pan again makes the shot visually interesting whilst also adding another creepy element as the audience is following the completely unaware character's progress through the house.



The shots that have been highlighted as problems include the entire red herring sequence at the end as it is too confusing and contains a continuity error.


This sequence was supposed to build suspense and create tension but due to its confusing nature, it falls flat in achieving this.
For the actual shoot we have decided that we are going to change this part and keep both characters on the pavement and have the runner coming up behind her, perhaps even with some hand held camera work to emulate the stalker POV shots and build tension even more.


Clip showing the continuity error in our last two shots.


After we had finished the test shoot and put all the footage together, as a group we sat down and discussed areas for improvement before getting feedback from both of our teachers, the technician and other media students.

All of the pointers, from the staff, our friends and ourselves were then collected into a word document and can be seen below.

The feedback we got was very helpful and I think that if we can implement the changes our film opening could be really good.

R+P Post 17: Our editing arrangements

For the test edit, we decided to use our free periods to edit which gave all three of us roughly equal amounts of time working and meant that each of us got time to be solely in charge of the edit before discussing with the group, in our meetings, what we had done and what was still left to do.

Our Schedule

These arrangements worked very well for us and we met our deadline, so we will probably keep them the same for the first week of the main edit.

R+P Post 16: Casting, costumes, hair and make-up

We planned in detail exactly what each actor would need to be wearing and their makeup to ensure that they realistically could be the character that they were portraying.

Below is the table of our final decisions on costume and makeup.

Tyra also wore a sophisticated night dress for the first two shots in our opening which can be seen below.


The test shoot was actually very helpful for us in terms of finalising costumes because we realised during it that Tyra's costume for Shania wouldn't work as it wasn't professional enough and that the jogger needed to be wearing proper athletic gear.

Test Shoot Costume
Main Shoot Costume















These changes really helped to make our characters believable and, especially in the case of Shania, ensured that an audience could believe in her as a real person and therefore empathise with her and the problems she faces throughout the film.




R+P Post 15: Our filming location, set design and props

To ensure that our set looked believable as a hard working, organised lawyer's house, it was important that we dressed the rooms to reflect these aspects of her personality. My house was chosen as the location because the kitchen has wide French doors that are easy to see into and make the stalker POV shots possible.

Below are the top down plans of the rooms that we planned to film in along with a table detailing how they will be changed to fit our intended character representations. 

Kitchen Top Down Plan

Bedroom Top Down Plan


Please click the table below to enlarge.


R+P Post 14: Our filming arrangements

So that we all knew what we were going to be doing and that there was no confusion and unnecessary stress, it was important that we made concrete plans to stick to for the shoot day.

We ensured this by each having a copy of the necessary details such location, timing, props needed and equipment release forms all of which can be seen below.

The test shoot filming arrangements
The arrangements we made were:
  • Shoot time - 9:00 - 4:00
  • Location - my house
  • One actor - who we messaged all the details to the week before and reminded the day before

We also created a shootboard using pictures from our storyboard to ensure that we got everything we needed on the day ad to keep us organised. Before making the final document we sat down as a group and decided which shots had similar set ups and so should be shot together, any extra master shots we wanted to put in and roughly how long each shot would take to complete.

Out shootboard included:
  • the timings for each shot
  • the shot number
  • a picture of the actual shot
  • framing and camera movement
  • actors
  • props
  • crew roles
Below is a prezi showing the pages of our shootboard

R+P Post 13: Our Animatic

For the next stage of pre-production, my group and I created an animatic storyboard comprised of still photos we took around school. We tried to match the pictures as closely as possible to what we had actually planned for the shots using locations around school that would work, any props we could find and ourselves as stand ins for the real actors.

After taking the pictures, we edited them on Premiere, making them the right length of time and added in the soundtrack, voiceover and  sound effects. 

Below is the editing schedule we created at the start of the week to ensure that we would finish in time. 


We created an animatic not only because it is a popular technique among film makers, but also because it brings a storyboard to life and makes it a lot easier to picture the idea and decide if in practice it will actually work. 

Below is our Animatic Storyboard


The animatic process really highlighted for our group the difficulties of shooting through a window and ensuring that what goes on inside is clear to the audience. The pictures we took for the animatic were hard to see because we didn't light inside very well - it needed to be a lot brighter inside than outside for the photos to work. However, after this we spoke to the technician and it was agreed that for the test and actual shoot we could take a proper three point lighting system to help make these shots work.
This process also highlighted how tricky the radio announcement would be to fit in and made us aware that some tweaks to timings and the script, to make it seem like the speech continues even when the audience are 'taken' outside to the stalker POV, would be needed for the final thing. 


R+P Post 12: Our Storyboard

After completing our timeline we produced a hand drawn storyboard using coloured post it notes as the camera frames and A3 sugar paper to give a clear visual representation of our opening.


Our Storyoard


We designated each framing type, Long Shots, Mid Shots and Close Ups, their own colour post it note, to make our camera decisions very clear at a quick glance. This in turn made  it very easy to see if we had enough variation of shots to ensure that our opening is visually interesting and not full of the same type of shots. We also included any camera and character movement in our shots on the storyboard as well as the planned credits and their exact position.


End section of our Storyboard



The storyboard we created was large so that it would be easy to work on together as a whole group, ensuring the process was collaborative. The post it notes meant that we could easily move shots around or take them out if we changed our minds and didn't think that they would work.


The storyboarding process made the actual shoot a lot easier as all of our shots were planned out and we knew exactly how we wanted them to look. This meant that we went into the shoot with a clear idea of what we needed to get, which made the day a lot less stressful and ensured that we didn't have to waste time trying to figure out any set ups or whether we had everything we wanted. The storyboard will also be helpful during the editing stage as it can be our guide and give us something to work off of.

R+P Post 11: Our Timeline

Our next step in pre-production was to create a detailed timeline of our opening, which included all the shots, what would actually happen in them, their framing, duration and all of the accompanying sounds - soundtrack, sound effects and voiceover - as well as the credits.

Our Timeline

The technician produced a template for us to use for the timeline and from there it was a collaborative process within the group as we discussed exactly what we wanted the audience to see in our opening. All throughout this, we referred back to our inspirational openings to ensure that we were following conventions and that our opening would look professional. We watched the beginning of Se7en, for example, to check whether the timings we had for our credits were appropriate. 


3 Second Title credit which we based our own timing on



Examples of how we split our timeline and the level of detail we went into can be seen below.

This is the beginning section of our timeline which details the shots in the bedroom and the 'getting ready' sequence as well as the institutional information and film title.







This is the middle section of our opening, which includes the kitchen sequence, introducing the lawyer element, and the stalker's POV shots. As this section includes the radio announcement on the stalker's release, we had to time it very carefully to ensure that we could actually fit in all of the necessary information.






The end section of our opening can be seen to the left and describes the 'red herring' sequence, which we included to build tension and fear. This atmosphere is an integral part of the genre and is something that the TA has come to expect and want in these types of films.








The timeline was very helpful because it ensured not only that we stuck to the timing the brief specified for the film opening, but it also helped us to organise which shots we wanted when and whether there was not enough, or too much, content to fit into the opening. It also highlighted for us how strict we needed to be whilst shooting and editing to ensure that didn't go over the specified 2 minutes for the opening. In addition, the timeline was especially helpful for when we scripted the radio announcement because we scripted around the timings we knew we had and therefore everything should fit.

The timeline was also very useful for the next step where we created a storyboard, because it meant that we had already planned out all of our shots and just had to draw them out whilst finalising the tiny details such as exactly where the camera would be paced in the set.

R+P Post 10: Reflections so far/looking ahead

So far my group has worked very well together, with all of us contributing to the project and meeting the deadlines. I think that the idea we have come up with is a good one and so long as we continue to work hard will hopefully result in a film opening that we can be proud of.

R+P Post 9: Our opening sequence's soundtrack

The soundtrack we have chosen is called 'Codename' from freeplaymusic.com
Screenshot from freeplaymusic.com

It was important that whatever music we chose not only worked well with the action in the opening, helping to create tension and suspense, but also was from a copyright free source that meant we could legally use it for our work.

The use of strings and builds to climax in our chosen piece fit the mood that we want to create within our opening whilst still being soft enough to not be overpowering and take away from the action on the screen. The subtle yet powerful mood creating soundtrack was in part inspired by the opening of Gone Girl which has a similar atmosphere to what we want to create.

Link to opening 
The sound effects that we plan to include sourced from freesound.org include:
  • A clock ticking
  • An alarm going off
  • Perfume spray
  • Heavy, angry breathing
  • High heel steps
  • Twigs breaking/running through forest



R+P Post 8: The credits in our opening sequence

When deciding on our credits, we looked at other crime/thrillers to see which ones they included and how they stylised them. Some examples that we looked at are: Se7en, Shutter Island and P2, of which samples can be seen below.




For the order of our credits and their specific wording we found Se7en particularly helpful.




We were inspired by the flickering effect on the crew credits in the opening of Shutter Island. The effect fits very well with the genre and would help to create the unsettling atmosphere desired in our opening.

After our research, we decided on a white font and simple block capitals for the credits and the ones we plan to include are:

  • Summit presents...
  • A BBC Films production
  • (Payback)
  • Tyra
  • Scott
  • Grouped actors x4
  • Casting by
  • Music by
  • Costume designer
  • Make Up by
  • Director of Photography
  • Written by
  • Edited by
  • Producer Ray Baker
  • Executive Producers
  • Directer 
We have decided to position our credits in the two bottom corners of the screen so as to still be noticeable but not detract from the action going on.

R+P Post 7: Our opening sequence's planned mis-en-scene

The overall look that we want to create for our opening is naturalistic, with a bleak, unsaturated colour scheme to effectively connote the genre.

Camera
Mirror shot from Se7en
We have a variety of shot types with a lot of camera movement to ensure that our opening is as engaging as possible. We have also included hand held shaky shots for those from the stalker's point of view to create a parallel with the smooth camera work inside the house. One of the shots we decided really early on to include was a mirror shot, similar to what is seen in Se7en.

Lighting 
For the shots inside we have decided to have them more brightly lit than those outside to help create a binary opposite. For the shots outside we will have naturalistic lighting that is ideally bleak due to clouds, making the colour scheme grey and dull. This is similar to the lighting and colour scheme seen in Gone Girl.
Mood board for lighting and colour scheme

Settings
The main setting of our opening is Shania's house, in particular the bedroom, kitchen and hallway which we will dress to look extremely organised and sparse to fit with Shania's personality. We also have shots outside in the garden looking in at the house. The end section of the opening has Shania walking along her road which has the start of the forest along one side on her way to work.




Props
Our opening will include many different props such as kitchenware, legal documents with the Crown Court logo on, a mirror and a radio.

The props included in the opening are all there to help highlight aspects on Shania's character as well as for logical realism. The Crown Court logo on the files she will be looking over, for example, will help create the image of a successful lawyer, which is a crucial part of our plot.

Costumes

Shania                                                                                                 


  • Casual yet sophisticated pyjamas
  • Smart business attire - pencil skirt, blouse and heels

                                         











Runner

  • Plain T-Shirt
  • Shorts
  • Trainers








R+P Post 6: Our opening sequence's characters and how we plan to represent social groups

There are three characters in our film opening but the audience only actually sees two of them.

Shania Morcott - Main Character

  • Successful lawyer
  • Organised
  • Hardworking
  • Independent
  • 'Career woman'
  • Middle class
  • Mid-late twenties

As a female and the person being stalked, Shania does conform to a certain extent to the female victim archetype but we have expanded on this by having her being proactive throughout the film and trying to save herself - a conventional characteristic of a hero.

Shania was inspired by the character of Professor Annalise Keating from How to Get Away with Murder.



Keating is an undeniably flawed character who whilst at first seems to have it all - a successful career, a family and the secure knowledge that she knows what she wants and exactly how to get it - in truth she is putting on a mask to hide childhood trauma and an ambiguous moral code.
We wanted Shania to have these same inspirational qualities of confidence, intelligence and power, but from looking at Keating we also realised that Shania had to be human - she had to make mistakes, have insecurities and provoke strong emotions in the audience, which as a 'perfect' person she wouldn't be able to do.

That's why whilst Shania is an extremely strong character, to guarantee that she is likeable and easy to relate to, we have ensured that she is still somewhat 'flawed' and we have done this by making her seem isolated and lonely despite her success, showing her to be human. In addition, the breakdown the audience see her undergo as a result of the stalking and her increasingly irrational and fearful behaviour, will help with her character realism.

How we will create these representations

  • Set 
    • the inside of the house will be very organised and uncluttered with an almost minimalistic feel.
    • the house itself is large for a single person to be living there by themself - Shania is obviously making a lot of money
    • the street is large with similar houses - Shania can afford to live in a nice area


  • Costume
    • Shania will be well-dressed in smart business attire 


  • Camera
    • The use of low angle shots on Shania will help to connote her power and status

Runner
  • Male
  • Minor character - only purpose is to act as a red herring
  • Twenties
The runner will be a white male, conforming to the stereotype of men being physically fit and able, whilst also creating a binary opposite with Shania.


Jeff Richardson - Antagonist
  • Obsessive
  • Possessive
  • Convicted rapist
  • Intelligent
  • Patience
  • Aggressive
The audience don't see Jeff in the opening but there are shots from his point of view throughout, which are accompanied by heavy, angry breathing.These characteristics coupled with the fact that Jeff is a male, means that he fits the archetype of a thriller villain.



The two main social groups that we are representing are women and ethnic minorities as we believe that they represent ongoing societal issues that need more acknowledgement in the media. We decided on a female main character that is strong and capable as well as black to challenge the stereotype of women being dependent and weak in addition to breaking the conventional portrayal of black women as simply the 'sassy one' or angry woman there for comedic value.

R+P Post 5: Our opening sequence idea


Our opening sequence begins with the sound of a clock ticking over the beginning credits before the alarm goes off, waking the main character up. This is followed by a 'morning routine' sequence which includes a mini montage of CU on a few aspects of the main character getting ready.

The middle section of the opening takes the audience downstairs and into the kitchen where they continue to follow the main character getting ready. This is broken up by cross cuts to POV shots outside the house of someone looking in at the main character, who remains unaware that she is being watched.

The end section has the main character leaving the house to go to work. As she walks there are cross cuts to someone running in the forest getting closer to her and the audience see her start to get worried. The person getting closer turns out to just be a runner who continues past the main character and down the road. The opening ends on a POV shot again of someone watching the main character from further down the road as she continues on her walk to work.

Dialogue
There is no dialogue in our opening. We do have a radio announcement for the middles section of the opening - a copy of which can be seen below.







To ensure that our opening works and is recognisable as one, we have included numerous narrative conventions.

Enigma Codes

  • The cross cuts to the POV shots, coupled with the heavy breathing, raises the questions of who is watching the main character and why?
  • The second set of footsteps coming towards Shania, makes the audience question who this is, whether it is the same person who was watching her and what is going to happen when they reach Shania.
  • The last shot also reinforces the question of who is watching Shania and makes the audience question how long before Shania realises that she is being stalked.

Action Codes
  • The ticking of the clock and the alarm going off signifies that the character will wake up and start her day
  • The runner's footsteps getting louder and closer to Shania - audience expects something to happen to her, like an attack. We deliberately played with this code and had a different ending to help build anticipation and try to make the opening less predictable. 

Binary Opposites
  • Law vs Crime
  • Inside vs Outside
  • The calm inside the house with Shania vs the unrest and unsettling atmosphere outside with the stalker

R+P Post 4: Our film's genre, title and plot outline

Title: Shadow of Your Past
Genre: Crime/thriller
Themes: Stalking, paranoia, revenge

Our film plot follows Todorov's narrative theory, as outlined below.

With our idea we aim to create a crime/thriller that focuses on stalking with the intent of revenge, building in the same anticipatory horror as seen in Se7en and the interesting legal aspect from The
Escape Artist.


R+P Post 3: Our production and distribution institutions

Production Company


For our film we chose an existing production company - BBC Films.





We decided on BBC Films because they produce such a wide range of British films covering all different genres from dramas and comedies, such as Florence Foster Jenkins and The Lady in the Van, to crime and thriller films, such as Ill Manors and Shadow Dancer. We also thought that BBC Films would genuinely produce something like our idea that deals with serious subject matter and darker themes, the like of which can be seen in their 2014 film The Falling which deals with child death, grief and rape. In addition, as we chose ethnicity as one of our representation focuses, BBC Films was a good fit as their films typically have a wide range of ethically diverse characters.


Distributor


We chose Summit Entertainment as our distributor. 



We chose Summit Entertainment as our distributor because they distribute a wide range of films from many genres for example Criminal, a crime drama, Fair Game, a drama thriller and Driving Anger, an action thriller. Due to this we thought that they'd be a good fit for our film and likely to distribute it in real life. Furthermore, as they distribute globally they can ensure wide reach for our film.

R+P Post 2: Our target audience and how we plan to attract/address them

Our Target Audience


Our TA is fans of crime and thriller films and to appeal to them we have included features conventional of the genre in the opening. An example of this is the emphasis on the building of suspense and anticipation which we have planned to create throughout the opening by the use of a tension filled soundtrack, the quick introduction of the stalker theme, enigma codes and the positioning of the audience so that they know more than the main character. Other films and TV shows our TA would enjoy include Shutter Island, Se7en and The Escape Artist.




TA Age

Crime and thriller films typically have a 15 or 18 certificate due to their mature story lines and themes so for our film we decided that our TA would focus on young adults and adults from the age of 15+. To appeal to this group we have age appropriate characters that have aspirational qualities, lives and jobs as well as mature themes that are challenging and thought-provoking. Examples include the main character being a successful lawyer and the theme of stalking and the film's focus on its effects on those involved. 



TA Gender 

To ensure that our film has as wide an appeal as possible we wanted to equally target both males and females. To specifically target women we decided that our main character would be a woman, who although the object of the stalker's obsession, is shown to be successful, independent and very capable. This means that we have strong female representation throughout the film and therefore appeal. To ensure our film appeals to men we have included plenty of action and realistic violence throughout. Our opening also immediately introduces the stalker element of the film and the anticipation and questions this raises with the audience will appeal to both genders.



To find out how to make our crime/thriller film as successful as possible, we spoke to family and friends within the TA to get their opinion and their likes and dislikes of the genre.
Answers on the genre from out TA

From our research we found that the more puzzling and thought-provoking we can make the film, and opening, the better as most said that for them to become involved in a crime/thriller they need to have something to work out along the way. The issue of feasibility was also brought up as a few of those questioned said that if the plot seemed too far fetched they would be less likely to watch the film. To try and meet these needs of the audience, we have included a red herring in the opening and cliffhanger ending to help build anticipation and keep the plot interesting.
In addition, our research showed that characterisation was very important in ensuring that the audience became invested in the character's struggle and experienced the horror of their life falling apart around them. To ensure our main character fulfilled this, we spent a lot of time going over the specifics of her personality and how we could quickly represent some of these aspects in the opening to engage the audience.

R+P Post 1: How we intend to work as a group


My Group


For this project I will be working with Meera and Ray.

Group meeting

We all work well together, allowing each other to express our opinions, and collaborate to come up with ideas and decisions that we are all happy with. We have weekly meetings lasting an hour and we decide when these will be at the start of the week and write them down in our planners so that we don't forget. We have also set up a Whatsapp group chat to send useful links and ideas for the project.