Evaluation of Prelim Material

Before the preliminary task, the only experience I held within filming and editing was from the practice piece that me and my group had done. So I knew very little other than the basics of how to record footage. In terms of editing I had learnt the practice piece how to organize the shots into the order we desired and how to cut the footage that we did not want out.

In terms of planning, we did not actually do any. Therefore we had not done any storyboards or scriptwriting. We very quickly discovered that planning is absolutely key because it makes the whole process a lot quicker and easier. We has to think of everything on a spot, the way we wanted to shot things, the angles we wanted to get, the dialogue between the two characters. It was very difficult to quickly come up with all these ideas. The biggest problem was having no script. It was really hard for Sam and Ollie to think of the dialogue on the spot and to actually remember the lines that they had said. On the first take, they completed the first conversation perfectly fine. However, once it came to the stage of repeating the conversation with exactly the same dialogue it proved a problem. We very quickly realised that we needed a script in order to get the conversation spot on both times. So we wrote down the lines of Ollie and Sam's characters, they both had a script each. They quickly learnt their lines and we began take 2 of the conversation. We overcame this simple but significant problem quickly and definitely learnt that we needed to plan ahead rather than leaving everything till the day we actually shot the scene.

Whilst actually filming the preliminary material, I came to grips with all the different camera shots that can actually be used. During the preliminary material we had to ensure that in the sequence the 180 degree rule was correctly used. I realised the best way to get around this was to film one of the characters whilst they were partaking in dialogue with another character. Then replicate the conversation, however, have the other character in the shot. In order to successfully follow the rule of sticking to one side of the imaginary 180 degree line.

Next came the editing, which was much trickier than the filming. We had to include a couple of editing techniques, such as:
Shot/Reverse shot editing - which is cutting between shots of the two different characters in dialogue.
Action Match editing - this is when an action takes place throughout two different shots. It is important to cut the shots smoothly to hide the cut from the audience.
We successfully included both. We included the shot/reverse shot in a conversation between Sam and Ollie's characters. Also the action match editing was included throughout. It was featured frequently in a scene of Ollie walking through a door into a room. It was quite time consuming at first, as we had to get the hang of cutting the shots in exactly the right place to make the sequence flow smoothly.

We didn't play around with sound at all in the preliminary. We felt it wasn't particularly necessary in the context of the material. The most we did to it was cutting the dialogue between Sam and Ollie up into the separate lines of the individual characters and moved them to fit with the correct shots. We had to make sure what was on screen was in sync with the diegetic sound, so that it would look smooth and realistic. We didn't include any non-diegetic sound because we wanted the main focus of the audience to be the actions of Ollie's character and the dialogue that him and Sam's character shared.

The finishing look of the preliminary material is up to a polished standard. The main strength to it was the way in which all of the shots were edited smoothly into each other. We also successfully included all the elements that were required. However, it is clear that good actors must be used in films. Whilst Ollie was very serious during the film and he sounds relatively annoyed, his facial expressions didn't match his tone of voice. He just had a straight face and there was no display of anger or annoyance.

When we get round to our actual production, we will guarantee that we do as much planning as possible. It will make it a lot easier and quicker in the long run, rather than just jumping or rushing straight into filming and editing. We will go into it having a rough idea of how we want the sequence to look and what we want to take place in the opening sequence. We will also make sure we carefully select actors that are convincing, so that it doesn't look cheesy and to make sure it is believable and griping for the audience. In terms of what we will do the same, we will remember how to edit all the shots appropriately and included a various selection of shots to showcase our skills.

Costumes and Props By Ollie Clark

Scene 1:

In the Attic

Characters- Anastasia and Damien

COSTUMES:

*Anastasia

White top, Jeans, trainers

-We have elected to use the white top because white symbolises purity and innocence and that is the way we want to present Anastasia in order for the audience to sympathise with her and her situation.

-We chose to dress her in jeans because it is important that we convey to the audience how normal she is and how well she kept up with teenage fashion. Our audience would assume from this that she is someone they can relate too and she seems like a realistic character.

-In addition we have put her in trainers in the interest of comfort to our actor but also because it will keep her in tune with current teenage attire.

*Damien

Black t-shirt, black hoodie, black gilet, black tracksuit bottoms and black trainers

-The theme of black in the whole of his costume suggests he has a dark personality and also a desire to keep his identity hidden from the girl for as long as possible. Also black is associated with gothic people and so this gives him a certain gothic side to his personality as well as adding an intimidating feel.

-Hoodies are associated with teenagers and especially troublesome teenagers so therefore we have elected to follow the dominant ideology and dress him in a hoodie as the antagonist.

-Tracksuit bottoms are seen as casual attire so this will enforce the fact that he feels relaxed when in control and in an environment he knows.

PROPS:

*Damien will have a knife to make himself seem more intimidating and has to be seen with a weapon to show he is a truly dangerous and mentally challenged antagonist.

*Rugged old chair for Anastasia to be tied to make the scene seem more realistic.

*Some form of rope or tape to tie her to the chair because the audience has to see that it would be difficult to escape.

*Typical cellar stuff such as old pictures, old books and other things that aren't used.

Scene 2:

In her bedroom

Characters- Anastasia

COSTUMES:

*Anastasia

Grey top, jeans and trainers

-The idea behind this whole costume is to enforce the fact that she is keeping up with the fashion, feels comfortable and portrays a slightly innocent character.

PROPS:

*Damien will have a newspaper to make it look like he is occupied when in fact it is just a disguise and he is actually peering round the side and trying to look at Anastasia.

Script

Concealed Script 

Scene 1 

Voicemails

DYLAN     Where are you? I've just got back.

DYLAN      Haven't heard from you all night! What have I done?!    

DYLAN      I've spoke to your mum... your not at home? Where are you?! 

DYLAN      Please just let me know your safe!

Prelim Material

This is our preliminary material.

Location Recce

The attic is the main location of our film. We love the whole look of the attic. There are so many different elements that make it the perfect set for our opening sequence. Referring to Barthes Code Theory, the attic will leave the audience with plenty of semantic codes. These our vital considering the first thing the audience will see is Anastasia in the attic.

They will need some clues as to what is going on, even if they cannot make complete sense of it all. The dirty and broken floor boards will tell the audience that Anastasia is in a bad place and she is in danger because the connotations of dirtiness and broken objects are that things are not right.

 There are also cobwebs all over the windows and in the broken floorboards, which will give the audience a sense of fear, due to the association of cobwebs to spiders. An animal in which many people fear. It also gives the impression that the attic has been untouched for a very long time and that it is not usually used or visited by people, giving the hint that Anastasia is being kept away from others.













We will also have a scene of Anastasia in her bedroom. This will be to show the audience that the scene in the attic was a flash forward to the 'disruption' and that the film will now return to the 'equilibrium' and will now follow Todorov's narrative theory, whereby the plot is set out in the following order:

• Equilibrium
• Disruption
• Resolution 
• New equilibrium

The location that we have chosen for Anastasia's bedroom is my actual bedroom. We felt this was the perfect place to do it as my bedroom is predominantly covered in light colours. The walls and carpet are a very light grey. All the furniture is white. Having a lot of light colours, especially white, signifies Anastasia's purity and innocence. It shows the audience that she is a good character, which needs to be established following the first scene because she is very dirty and heart. She is also in a dark and dirty location so some of the audience may misinterpret her as what Propp would refer to as the 'Antagonist' because these are usually the connotions associated to a bad character. The second location will reassure the audience as to the fact that she is a good character and present her as another character role from Propp's character theory: the 'Prince/Prize' because they will see how she was in trouble in the first scene and in the second scene they will see that she is actually a innocent and desired character. We provided the text from Dylan our protagonist as an action code, to hint to the character that he is her rescuer and that she is desired by the male characters. There are also big mirrors to give the audience the impression that she takes care in her appearence and cares about how she looks to others. There are also cosmetics lying around her room such as: makeup, perfumes etc. These again show the audience how she take care of her appearence. Suggesting to the audience that she could be quite a popular girl in school, as often teenagers who are classed as popular are often stereotypically labelled as being vain and egotistic. 

There will then be a very short moment when you see Anastasia and Damien walking down the street outside. This was the road that I live down. There are lots of trees down my road and as it is winter they are all bare of leaves which really helped give that eerie affect. It is also a fairly quiet road so there was no by passers, which really helped hint to the audience that Damien was going to keep Anastasia away from the rest of the world and that very soon she would only have his company. 

All these locations were either near my house or in my house so they were extremely easy to access and there was no trouble in finding the ideal place. 

There was so members of the public that interfered whilst filming the scene outside, therefore we did not have to ask anyone for permission to film there or ask people to avoid the shot. However when filming in my house, my family were often very loud and it was heard to film and not get the sound of them talking etc. in the shot, especially my 4 year-old niece who kept crying and interrupting our filming. However luckily we didn't want to include any usual dialogue or sounds and we edited in all non-diegetic and diegetic sounds afterwards. 

The only way to get in to my attic is by a very shaky and unstable ladder, which was quite dangerous especially when taking things like lamps and the camera equipment up and down. To overcome this the boys went up first and then me and Sophie handed up anything we needed to take up and followed up after them. We also had to be very careful where we stood because there were nails on the floor and some of the floorboards we broken. We used the nails to our advantage and included it in our opening sequence as a prop. However there was not really anything particular that we could do with the broken floorboards, we just ensured that we avoided standing near them or in them. We also included shots of these in the opening sequence to really emphasise how much danger Anastasia is in.

Story Board

Overton Grange Cribs (Practice Filming and Editing)

'Concealed' Opening Sequence

This our finished opening sequence for 'Concealed'.

Shot List

We chose to use the following shots in our opening sequence:

• An extreme close-up of Anastasias eye, this was to really make the audience connect with how she is feeling and instantly create empathy. It is important to make this connection happen instantly so that the audience will like Anastasia as a character. It is also to make the audience feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable, therefore showing that she is in a bad situation and also  establishing the genre of the film.
• We used a high angle shot of the first time the audience get to see the antagonist and Anastasia in the same shot together. We wanted to communicate to the audience that the antagonist has a hold over Anastasia, so this shot makes her look really tiny in comparison to him. Showing that he is more superior.
• Another shot we have used is a mixture between a head-on-shot and a hand-held shot, to enhance the realism and involvement of the audience. It will make it very engaging for them because it will almost feel like they are there, in Anastasia's place. It will then make it a lot easier for them to empathise with her.
• A reverse zoom shot was used at the end to focus the audiences attention on the antagonist and highlight the fact that he is an important factor to the story because they have not yet seen his face. They can only identity that it is him by the costume.

15/01/16

Today we are filming for the final time. We've prepared for the filming, we have bought some fake blood and are making sure we have plenty of lights around to avoid being in the same situation as before!

We did our first lot of filming at school, we couldn't film where we originally wanted to because the sports hall was being used so we changed location to outside. We did some extreme long shots of Anastasia and a friend. We also did a shot of her walking to school and Damien following closely behind her. After these were completed we carried on filming in our original location: my attic.

This time we made 100% sure that all our shots we light enough and that the lighting was consistent. We were successful! Every shot was perfectly lit and make shadows really bold. It took as a lot quicker to get all the filming done because we already knew what we wanted to get on film. It took us about 2 and a half hours all together.

It was a successful day of filming.

18/01/16

We have one day till our deadline. There is still a large amount to do, however if we really work hard we will get it done! We will have to spend nearly all day tomorrow completing the last bits of work.

Today we uploaded our last lot of footage and began editing the opening to 'Concealed'. We didn't to a massive amount of editing, due to the fact that we needed to decide the order that we wanted to put all the footage we got into.

We got it into the order that we wanted and we had ran out of time to do any more editing so we will continue tomorrow and hopefully complete it in time?

Production Company Logo Initial Idea

We have chosen to name our production company: 'Psychotic Productions'. This is our initial idea for the logo.

The background is black, we wanted to show the audience that the production company's films are usually in the Thriller genre. Therefore the black helps to give the dark and scary ambience that we wanted to create. Dark colours are also conventionally used in thrillers, so it helps to establish the genre.

The font that we are hoping to use is quite sharp and looks almost like its been scratched onto the background rather than written. Again providing an eerie auora. It looks like the words were written with aggression, we wanted to make it almost look like an Antagonist had written it. Again creating a sense of fear for the audience before the film has even begun.

We included a bloodshot eye and a large grin amongst the words to pose as the letters 'O' and 'U'. The teeth in the grin are dirty, to signify that these body parts are from an antagonist and that this antagonist is 'psychotic'. The dirtiness and the red bloodshot in the eye presents an evil sort of feel to these body parts. Grins are often associated with evil/psychotic people because its like the grin is menacing rather than happy, giving a creepy and uncomfortable feel to the audience.

Beginning of Editing 14/01/16

Today we finally uploaded our footage to final cut express. Straight away we could see that hardly any of our footage could be used because of the lighting. It was extremely dark almost to the point where we cannot see a thing. This is the first major problem we have experienced! We have had to come up with a quick solution in order for us to meet the approaching deadline.

There is luckily some footage that we can use for our final opening. We have salvaged a few shots that we took by increasing the brightness and decreasing the contrast on the filter over the shot. Our solution to the problem is to just completely start over. It is risky and we will have to get a large amount done in a shot space of time, however it is the best solution we could think of.

First things first we have booked out the camera for tomorrow (Friday). We are going to do some filming during school and after school. Unfortunately, we will not be able to start editing until Monday due to having no access to the Apple Macs. In the mean time we are beginning to make our title screen and production company logo on the Live Type software.

2nd Day Of Filming 05/01/16

Today was our second and final day of filming. Me, Sam and Ollie left school at 2:05 pm and set off to go to our location: my loft. We picked up the camera and the tripod and walked to my house.

Once we arrived the first thing we did was get my make-up ready, which involved using eye shadow and contour powder to create bruises on my body. There was some on my neck, on my chin, and my forehead. We also put some fake blood on my head, and created stab wounds on my leg and my waist using the fake blood. We just tied my hair back into a ponytail. My costume was a light pair of denim high waist jeans and a white top with blue stripes. We wanted the costume to be light to signify her innocence and purity as Anastasia is the good character. It also emphasises the effect of the blood and the injuries on her, which shows the audience she is in great danger.

 Following the costume and make-up, we went up into the loft and began filming straight away. It generally went quite well. We managed to shoot everything we planned to. The main problem we faced was the lighting because when we started filming we were using the natural light coming in from the windows. The problem was that from about half 3 it got dark very quickly and we had to begin to use a torch to light up the room. However we used this to our advantage because using the torch enabled us to create vivid shadows. I also had problems with trying to get myself to cry, so we used vaporub to bring me to tears. I put a small amount around my eyes and on my eyelashes and it worked! Stupidly Ollie and Sam wanted to see if it would work on them and decided to put it on their actual eye, for a good five minutes they were moaning about how much pain they were in and how it wasn't stopping.

Overall, we had a very successful day of filming and got everything done that we planned to do.