Final Result: Feedback

After finishing the sequence we watched all the other groups projects in our class. We then got one good point and one constructive criticism back from each individual.

Good:

• Voiceover good
• Good effects used
• Sound effects well linked with the genre
• Handheld shots
• Good use of POV shots
• Was entertaining
• Good range of shots
• Music was weird but effective
• Good production logo

Bad:

• Sound messy
• Sound didn't flow between the scenes
• Speech is unclear
• Story-line was confusing at times - but this was the aim of the genre
• Wind is distracting
• Clever editing

Final Result

Above is the final video of the sequence. Now that we have completed the editing stage of our thriller project, we have exported the sequence using the settings in the screenshot below. 

Technical Equipment

We have a range of technical equipment which would be used to create the project. The first thing we used was the camera, it was better quality as we could film in HD. It was more efficient using a digital camera as  each clip is separated into clips, so adding and cutting during the editing stage is easier.

The tripod was the second piece of equipment which we used, it balances the camera and can be adjusted to different heights. We found that in a thriller film the tripod is used less as it is more conventional to use handheld shots. Therefore we did have some handheld shots.

As well as these handheld shots we thought it would be good to have some moving shots, and so originally tested a dolly out. Unfortunately it was too shaky and noisy for filming with, and we found that would could move the tripod like a dolly - this was more effective.  In professional filming tracks are used with dollys to move the camera smoothly. Below is a picture of a similar dolly to ours.

During the editing stage we used three pieces of software. The main one was Final Cut Express for cutting and ordering clips, importing music, adding transitions and then finally exporting the sequence. We used this program over iMovie, for example, because it is more powerful and has more professional effects. Superimposing clips was one really important part of our sequence, and could have only been done in a more advanced program like Final Cut.

For the music we used Garageband, the advantage of this was that it has a large library of loops that can be arranged together to create a unique sounding sequence. There are some limitations to this, but using more advanced software like Logic Express or Studio would have meant creating our own sounds.

The next piece of technical equipment/software was Photoshop. Using layers we were able to create the production logo which was edited into a ident. We also used Photoshop for creating the credits, the font was taken from DaFont, it represents the genre of a psychological thriller well. We wouldn't have been able to create something as advanced/unique without Photoshop.

The last, less technical, piece of equipment is the use of the blog through Safari. It was important to use this in order to record our research. Below is a screenshot of our blog posts.

Editing: Progress After Feedback

Since the feedback session we have succeeded in improving our sequence based upon suggestions made by other groups. We have been able to add in the ident production logo, along with some transitions which have added to overall atmosphere for the audience. It was also important to look through the entire sequence so that we could make the cuts more accurate, and so the audio was timed correctly. Below are some screenshots to show our editing progress.

Timeline in Final Cut Express

Ident with 'bad tv' effect.

Plan For The Next Two Days

We are going to working on the final editing of the who film. We will tighten up the soundtrack, making the video noise quieter so it does not interfere with the music and music. We will also make our transactions better. We will all contribute to the work on the two days to make sure we are all happy with the final result.

Response to Feedback

Our rough cut has been viewed by the other groups in our class and they have left useful constructive criticism on our blog. One of the main issues brought up is the audio problems i.e. diegetic sound getting in the way of dialogue, For this we can try and level out as much we can with the non-diegetic soundtrack.
Another issue raised is that we haven't included many transitions, for this we plan to add more in the coming days. Also they suggested that we included our production logo in our sequence which we shall add in the coming days of final editing.

Group 66: Feedback

- The dialogue was good.
- The idea for the plot was good.
- You could tell it was a psychological thriller.
- Well thought out script.

- The audio was not consistent.
- The effect of the man appearing and disappearing was a bit choppy.

Group 61: Feedback

Diagetic sound is too loud, voices are a bit muffled over wind
good use of thriller conventions, leaves viewer asking questions about the opening scene.
Flicking between the man in blacks location is a good use of effects
Music was very good, built up suspense and tension well
Voice over was a good use and leaves a confused effect on us as an audience

Group 63: Feedback

First of all we all thought the film was really good and well thought out. We thought the voice over worked really well and also the effects of the man moving round the field was effective. However we suggest that a transition effect is put in between where the voice over says 'that was just the beginning'. We thought the music needed adjusting so that outdoor sounds don't interfere with the soundtrack.

Group 62: Feedback

Non diegetic sounds interfered with the start of the film, could hear the wind over everything. Could of unlinked the sound from the video- or turned it down? More effects could of been used- for example when you see the character in the field, could of used an effect that sped up the movement of everyone in the clip. however good use of 180 degree rule. good use of dialogue and creating innocence for the protagonists, really sets the scene well. alright location. Good use of credits- could of said produced by, edited by etc. nice title could have included production logo.

Soundtrack: Static Section

We also need to produce some music for our scene when Charlie (the evil character) flicks around the screen. The music need to be fast and confusing. We made the decision that radio static was a good way of doing this. We wrote our own drum track on garage band.

Screenshot of a our static scene music 

Soundtrack: Main Theme

We have been working on the main theme to our thriller. We decided that seeing as our thriller is called "Life After Death" the music should link into the idea of death. This is the reason we have a heart beat monitor in the background. We also felt that it should be creepy and mysterious, we did this through the use of slow piano.

Screenshot of our music in Garage Band.

Rough Cut

Above is our complete rough cut, which will be analyzed by other groups for improvement. As it is a rough cut there are still some things that we are aware need to be adjusted, or fine tuned. For example, we need to work on the soundtrack so that there is more variation, and so it reflects what the audience is seeing on-screen. Another adjustment would be to add in transitions/effects which we haven't been able to add in yet. 

Next week we will get a post from each group showing their feedback, and what they believe needs to be improved.

Editing: Day 4

Today we began adding our opening credits. We decided that our opening credits should follow the conventions set by the film se7en (read here) for this we used black and white versions of our credits
to make it appear as if it was flashing. We then cut parts of the credits our of the timeline to give it a flickering effect. We also move the credits slightly every couple of seconds because this follows the conventions in se7en. overall we think the credits look impressive when compared to the state of our credits in our Children's film project and we feel it is something that we have improved upon.

We then re-examined our sequence to see that can be made better about the sequence. We saw that part of our sequence would seem to stagger. To rectify this re-cut different shots to improve continuity and flow of the sequence. We feel our sequence is coming together very well and vast progress has been made, we look forward to the comments and criticisms of the other members of our class next lesson as we share our rough cut with the rest of the class.

Children's Film: Improvements

Since the previous project, we have made a number of improvements.

Firstly, we are noticeably better and quicker editors, with it only taking a few sessions to complete video editing. This is because we have learnt how to use the equipment better, and are more aware of what we have to do for the project.

Another improvement is the credits, these were the weakness of our previous project, but we have spent a consider amount of type creating then in Photoshop and then cutting them into Final Cut.

The third improvement is superimposing two pieces of footage together, which we did do in our other project but not to the extend of this one. The improvement is that it is far more accurate that before, and shows that we are able to spot and follow continuity.

The fourth is that we have spent a lot more time deliberating over aspects of sequence that we had not done previously in our Children's film project. For instance we had thought about the lighting aspect of our Children's film sequence. However in our Thriller sequence the lighting is vital for setting the tone that we want to create in our film that will follow the conventions of a Thriller film.

The fifth is our ability to create effective and original soundtracks that will suit the feel of our sequence. we were all inexperienced in most aspects of the creation of the children's sequence since then, our experience has made us comfortable in using software such as garageband to create soundtracks.

Opening Credits: Adding to Sequence

After creating the credits in Photoshop last week, we needed to do some more editing, but have been able to add the credits this week. During in our last project, the opening credits were our weakness as they were simple white text. This time, our group was aware that we needed to create better credits and so have spent an increased amount of time on them. As well as creating them in Photoshop to suit the conventions of a psychological thriller, we have used some simple colour changes and cuts to create an effect with them.

Our credits are very reminiscent of Se7en's, as they move around, change colour and size. This may seem quite distracting, but it was important as we watched it back that the credits where not taking the audience away from the clips. Meaning the changes are as minimal as possible, but also keeping the conventions of a psychological thriller.

The credits will be seen in our rough cut that will be published later in the week.

Soundtrack: After 1 Week

We have been working on the soundtrack for about a week now, in this time we have been able to create the pieces for both scenes, and have also considered sound effects. We had to record a voiceover for the sequence as well, this will be added to the sequence sometime this week after manipulation in Garageband.

Garageband was used to create the entire soundtrack, there is a big library of  loops that were used but the built-in keyboard was also used on specific clips to create a unique sound. Obviously, Garageband is not the most advanced music software, but it is the quickest option available as other products would require us to record the loops/tracks.

One sound effects which is particularly crucial is static which will be used both, during the credits, and also when the illusion of the kidnapper occurs.

Evaluation of Refilming

The re-filming that we scheduled for last week was a success and has greatly enhanced our sequence. The filming was of scene one, where we see the main student character, being watched by the kidnapper. It was important that we re-filmed this scene as it was originally very dark and so the audience we have been unable to see anything. We quickly decided that this was inadequate and so set another day to film the scene.

We decided to re-film on Thursday 3rd March as this was the best possible opportunity, unfortunately Sam Payne was unable to be present on this day. However the remaining three were able to re-film the scene effectively without Sam's presence. We waited until dusk to film which was approximately 17:30
because we wanted the lighting to be dark enough to make the scene look mysterious but light enough that we would be able to use the footage. We did no come across as much problems as we had done on our previous day of filming such as Pedestrians and Cyclists which meant that we were able to film more easily without members of the public causally wandering into the shot and removing the effect of entrapment by the kidnapper.

As a result of re-filming the shots produced by overall, more accurate, and better taken. This is partly because we had recent experience in the location, but also because it was lighter and therefore we were able to see what we were filming. Filming on a different day has also benefitted the mise-en scene of the project, with there being a clear distinction between the first scene and second scene. The new re-filmed first scene now has colder, misty weather, and there are less people around. This creates a more isolated atmosphere and greatly enhanced the experience for the audience.

We have already imported and edited this footage, and are now in the credits stage. This will be explain in another post.

Call Sheet (Refilming)

After filming our original footage we found that scene one, which is supposed to be darker, was in-fact too dark. Therefore we have taken the opportunity to re-film this scene in lighter conditions.

Date & Time:

We will be filming on Thursday 3rd March after 4:10 (according to our schedule). Our group will go to our usual media office at the end of Thursday and pick up the necessarily equipment (tripod and camera), before we leave to get to our location. Once filming is completed, George will take the equipment home that evening and return it to the media department the next morning at 9:00am.

All other aspects of the shoot will remain the same (Location, Actors, Props etc). This can all be found on our previous call sheet, here.

Opening Credits: Ideas

Today we tried to create some of our titles/credits in Photoshop today. After looking at other opening credits from the films Memento, Fargo, and Se7en, we thought about the type of fonts that we would use. We visited a font website (dafont.com) which as a wide variety of free fonts, the particular fonts which we found were Pulse Sans Virgin and Crackin'. Below you can see screenshots of these fonts.

We have decided that we will experiment with the font use/positioning when we add them into our Final Cut project. The ident that was earlier designed will also be added before all the footage and credits.

Opening Credits: Inspiration

So that we are able to create effective credits it was important that we looked at other successful thriller films.

Memento:

This is particularly effective because the credits are very simple, and the audience focus on the photo behind this text. They don't distract from the film, but don't seem to follow the thriller theme as well as they could.

Fargo:

These credits are better than the Memento credits, they follow a theme and don't take as much of the focus from the action happening on-screen.

Se7en:

These credits are the most successful of the three films in my opinion. They are not just text on screen they have a clear relationship to the crime genre, the font suits the film and it's not static - an effect has been used to give the illusion of the text shaking. The credits have also been edited around the other footage, giving it equal importance.

Editing: Day 3

On editing day 3 we have worked on superimposing, so that we can remove the jumping around of cars over the bridge. We have done this the section of clips you can see in the screenshot, the cars have been removed as best as possible, but in some clips we have been unable to because we might cut out some of our character. After working on this complex editing skill, we worked on creating an intense climax to the scene put making the kidnapper move increasingly fast around the field. Combined with some screeching and static sound effects/soundtrack will give a disturbing/confusing atmosphere for the audience.

Soundtrack: Beginning

Today we began to think about the soundtrack, and spent some time using Garageband's internal instruments to create some sounds for the opening. The first shot of our main character opening his eyes is an intense moment and we need to have really shocking, deep sounds for this part. Using reverb and echo we created a drum-like sound that will be used at the point. We created it through experimentation with instruments and compressors, and then using the internal keyboard. Below is a screenshot showing a section of today's composition.

Editing: Day 2

Today we continued with the rough cuts. This is an important process that will assist us in getting the correct combination of music and footage, that will in turn create a successful opening sequence. Fortunately we were able to find a way of brightening up the dark clips from our filming process, this will mean that the rough cut will be more realistic and there is less pressure on a re-shoot. Most of today's session was spent on superimposing two different clips, this will enable continuity in the illusion section of the sequence. to do this the viewed the traffic clips in the viewer, We then super-imposed the Clip over the existing clip of Charlie our Kidnapper. We then cropped the image to appear only were the traffic is supposed to appear, thus creating the illusion that Charlie is disappearing and reappearing, without the problem of breaking continuity. Below are some screen-shots to illustrate the tasks I mentioned above.

General editing

Using the 'Brightness & Contrast' video filter.

Adjusting brightness and contrast

Post-Production

The following is a list of items that need to be completed in the editing stage.

• Ident Sequence  (Using the current logo, Photoshop and Final cut express)
• Creation of Titles in Photoshop
• Soundtrack (Rough) created in Garageband
• Rough Cut of sequence - Basic cut together of the sequence using Final Cut Express.

(Creating Rough cuts of soundtrack and sequence edit will help us examine what could be improved in both soundtrack and sequence.)

• Soundtrack (Finished).
• Sequence (Finished with soundtrack added).
• Voiceover recorded

COMPLETE

Thriller Music

The music within a thriller film is usually dark and ominous with a fast drumbeat. This helps to build up tension with the fast drumbeat and makes the audience think something bad will happen because of the ominous tones.

The music generally fits in with what is happening on screen, this will help build the tension and can sometimes hint to the audience that something is bad is about to happen. However there are occasions where the music seems like nothing about to happen and then there is a crescendo of the music that is very loud and will often make the audience jump, along with the actual screenplay.

Donnie Darko (Psychological Thriller)

Donnie Darko is a psychological thriller. The story line is deliberately woven together to confuse the audience and make them think about each element of the film. It is a psychological thriller because it tries to make the audience think the main character (Donnie Darko) is going insane, when in fact he has a bigger concept on reality than the rest of the characters.

Scene from Donnie Darko

There is little violence in the film, however, the violence which is portrayed in the film is directly linked to the story.

The costumes and sets to the film are all generally dark and mysterious to reflect the story line and the personality of the main character. For example, the costume of the character that you originally think is Donnie's imaginary friend has a very disturbing rabbit costume. this creates fear and suspense in the audience.

Target Audience

Our thriller project will be aimed at teenagers and young adults, this is because of it's psychological and kidnap themes, it would be a threat to young audiences and uninteresting. The planned certification of 12/12A indicates that the themes and content will be more suitable for this audience, and is another reason for our target audience. The dark uncertainty of the opening sequence would put the audience on the edge of there seat and would is the kind of non-horrific thrill that audience want.

The target audience will have some interest in kidnap and psychological issues, particularly with death and the cotard syndrome mentioned by one of our characters. The film is increasingly appealing in today's media as we see more and more stories of kidnapping, this would further the size of our audience.

Editing: Day 1 (Beginning Rough Cuts)

Today we began our footage into the order predetermined by our storyboard so that we can get a rough view of our sequence. we have only made simple cuts in this edit without adding any transitions, effects or music. We found that scene one (the darker scene) needs to be re-filmed as it is too dark to watch. therefore our rough cut will initially include scene two. Below is a screen shot of our editing from today in Final Cut Express.

Children's Film: Reflection & Improvement

We were all generally happy with our children's film. However, there are defiantly some improvements we would like to make:

• Opening Credits: we want to improve our opening credits. we didn't spend much time on our ones in the children's film and they did not look as professional as we would like. 
• Dialog: our dialog was also unprofessional in our children's film. We will look to improve this in our thriller.
• Transitions: our transitions in our children's film were not very clean and seemed amateur. We are going to spend more time on these to make them look better. 
• Range of long/mid/close up shots: we will make sure we get a lot more shot types in our film to make it more professional. 

We were relatively happy with the music in our children's film. We will try really hard to try and make our music as good as it was in the children's film. However, we do think it will be harder to write thriller music because it much more subtle.  

Test Footage

Before we filmed our final footage for this project it was important to do some test shots/footage. This allowed us to see some of the issues that we might face during the real filming process. Below is a short video showing the different shots that we tested out.

The main issue we found was the dolly is quite noisy and can be difficult to control, this is because of the small wheels. We are however going to try and use the dolly, and see the effect during and after filming. We will make a decision, on the day, if it is necessary to use the dolly. On close up shots we can see that lighting is really important and that it's hard to get the lighting right and so that the audience can see the footage. We will need to consider this on the day as well. Also, just from watching the footage back we can see that other people (the public) can get in the way of the shot and distract from the atmosphere. It's important to consider this on the day.

Filming Evaluation

We filmed our project on February 8th at Jesus Green, after college. The filming process was a mostly a success, we followed the schedule to start at 15:30, and we finished at an earlier time of roughly 17:30. We decided to film scene two first as this is the lighter day-light scene, which went really well and we have all the shots needed. The only problem we had was that it was a busy time, there were many pedestrians and cyclists which caused the filming to be disturbed, overall this has corrupted the overall atmosphere of the the piece. Another problem which we had is that the Dolly wheels were not suited to the terrain of Jesus Green, to overcome this problem we decided not to use the Dolly as it would have effected the quality of our sequence but instead we held the camera whilst moving backwards. Although we finished earlier we didn't spend enough time on filming specific scenes, we will need to book the camera for another filming day.

Scene one takes place during a dusk period and we did film at this time, although we found that it quickly got dark we the lighting is insufficient as we watch the footage back. This is obviously a major problem and so we are planning to re-film this short scene at some later date and with more time. Until then, however, we will be continuing to work on the editing of the other scene, the ident, the soundtrack and sound effects amongst other tasks.

The footpath that we filmed down

Call Sheet

Date & Time:
We will be filming on Tuesday February 8th between 15:30 and 18:10 (according to our schedule). Our group will go to our usual media lesson on that Tuesday afternoon and pick up the necessarily equipment (dolly, tripod and camera), before we leave at 14:50 to get to our location. Once filming is completed, George will take the equipment home that evening and return it to the media department the next morning at 9:00, as he has lessons that morning and the other members of the group do not.

Location:
We have decided to film our project at Jesus Green, which is near the other park Midsummer Common. This is the best location to suit our genre and will give an intense and authentic feel to our thriller. The appearance of this location is ideal as it open, isolated and with large 'haunting-like' trees that will add to the atmosphere we are aiming to create. It is also important that we use this location as it does have a bench available, this is an important part of the narrative, as the kidnapper will need these to sit on before he disappears. The time period that we have schedule to film at will offer slightly duller lighting to suit the two scenes. We expect the sunset period to begin at roughly 17:00 (according to the source here), this will give us an intense period of dust lighting that could across very affective in our final result. As well as this, the location is easily accessible with the Drummer Street bus station a few minutes walk away and buses running frequently through this area of Cambridge. However, we must remember to keep health and safety concern in mind when we are filming, we must stay out the way of cyclists and will need to be aware of the general public around us.

Below is a video of the location, taken this week so that we are aware of the location.

Lighting:
The lighting as originally an issue for us, although we have no considered the time and location which has resolved this issue. As I earlier said we will be filming at around 15:30 until 18:10, we will therefore have two periods of different light that will individually suit the two different scenes. The first scene we will shoot, scene 2, is the lighter scene and shows the students as a group walking through the park. The second part that we will shoot is the more intense scene, which is infact seen first by the audience. The lighting at this time will be more suited to mood we are attempting to convey.

Actors:
The roles are as follows: Charlie Peacock will play the kidnapper, his voiceover will be recorded and added in the editing stage. Jack Lewis will play student 1, the main character who is seen at the start of the sequence. George Adamson will play student 2 who is seen alongside student 1 in the second scene as there friend has disappeared. Sam Payne will play student 3, a small part, we see him in the beginning of scene two before he mysteriously disappears. Jack Lewis and George Adamson will be having a conversation in scene two, we have already planned the script for all the characters.

Film Crew:
The filming process will be co-ordinated through the group. During scene 1, we only have one character on-screen therefore all other members will assist in the creative process of filming. Although, scene 2 will begin to be filmed by Charlie Peacock as he isn't on-screen at first. Then as student 3, Sam Payne, disappears he will take over the main role of filming. However, filming will be shared and co-ordinated through the group to get the best results.

Props:
Costume is incredibly important for the day, the student must remain in casual clothing, maybe some hints at their personalities through glasses etc. The kidnapper, Charlie Peacock, as the most extensive costume. He will require dark clothing, a big jacket that covers most of him and maybe a hat to hide his face. The shotlist, and storyboards will be brought in by Sam Payne, and the equipment will be picked up by the group from college.

Back-up plan:
It is crucial that we have a back-up plan because we are filming outside and the weather is unpredictable. If it is too bad on that day we will simply postpone the shoot, and schedule it for another day. There is no other suitable location which would give a similar affective, and so we would have no other option but to do this.

The voiceover and any other specific sounds will be added during the editing process.

What is a call sheet?

A call sheet is a summary of the production of a scene in theatre or film. Usually there are call sheets for each day of filming, issued at the start of the week. It lists the date and time, location, cast and crew, along with detailed descriptions of how to get to locations and facilities that will be available nearby. This helps to organize the entire filming process, for us it will summarize everything that we have done so far and cause us to see any errors that we may have made.

Genre

Our thriller is suited to the psychological sub-genre of thrillers. This is because it shows the common conventions of reflections, illusions and the mental threat shown by the kidnapper as he taunts the students (voiceover). The kidnapper also has the mental disorder of Cotard Syndrome where he believes that he is dead and therefore immortal. The intense opening scene (which infact the ending of the narrative) shows the emotional stress that this kidnapper has caused for the students, leaving only one left. In the second scene (which is from the beginning of the narrative) we see the confusing narrative and illusions for the characters, as we hear the voiceover and the kidnapper in several opposing locations. The audience then feels uncertainty as it who and what the voice is.

Health & Safety concerns

During our filming, we will have to consider the health and safety of ourselves and of the members of the public which will be in the area.

Jesus Green

•  One of the things we need to consider is that there will be cyclist traveling through Jesus Green. We will take care in making it easy for them to pass by quickly by not blocking the path so that they will not cycle into us.
• We need to consider is that we need to be careful when near the river and make sure nobody falls into it. 
• We will have to be vigilant to members of the public passing through to make sure that they do not have to change their route by an unreasonable amount across grass and mud. 

Health and Safety signs

Location Assessment

Jesus Green

On Wednesday 2nd February at approximately 17:00 , I travelled to Jesus Green, Cambridge to assess the location i.e. To see what it's problems are, Which areas could be included in each shot. I also took a Camera which took video and still images and was able to record the location on video and also take pictures, this will enable me and my group to see what the location looks like on video but also to evaluate how much background noise can be heard.

One of the problems I saw whilst at Jesus Green is that it is a public right of access, which means members of the public will be walking/cycling through the park. We will have to try and record within the lull of people travelling through the location.

Upon playback of the video, there was a lot of wind and traffic noise in the background which might cause problems when it comes to recording the dialogue however this parts that dialogue is not needed, the background audio can be lowered and the soundtrack can be placed over it.

Another issue is that we stated in our schedule post. that we will film our darker -lit scene at 17:20. I filmed and took pictures at 17:10 approximately. Therefore we will have to wait longer for the sun to start setting before filming much of our sequence as we want the lighting to fit within the tone that we want to create. To compensate for this we will have to find out when the sun sets in order to be able to use our filming time effectively.

Jesus Green path

Jesus green bench

The video I filmed can be viewed below. 

Mise-en scene

Costume
The kidnapper (Charlie) will be dressed in very dull, restricted clothing that isolates him from the surroundings. This will cause him to seem unusual to the audience, and hints at the possible psychological themes of our narrative. It will be very important for him to wear a hood or hat that will cover his face, giving him a disguise and reserved feel. The inspiration for this character comes from some of the elements of the Joker in "The Dark Knight". There is a simple image of the Joker below, and shows the correlation in kidnapper themes, psychological disorders and disguise. I have also decided upon distanced camera shots or very obscure angles as this will cause uncertainty. Below is also an image of the expected 'hooded' look for our kidnapper.

The students will be dressed in casual clothes, which could easily be provided by ourselves, The students will be dressed fairly smart because they are attending university. One character could possibly were a smarter jumper, and other could have some glasses - just little touches to add to the over affect of our mise-en scene. These costumes help to fit in with the character roles.

Props
There will be several props needed:

• Bags
• Books
• Mobile phones

The kidnapper will not need another props and the costume is the main concern of the character, they have no weapons so this is another reason why not. The students however must appear as normal and student-like as possible, therefore they will need bags and other common items.

Schedule

This is our Schedule for the day of filming. We will be filming on the Tuesday 8th February. It is important to have a filiming schedule so that we are able to effectively film everything thing we need and not to waste time. It also helps us know where we are all supposed to be and what we are supposed to be doing.

14:40 - 14:50 = Arrive at media lesson to collect equipment (camera, tripod, dolly)
14:50 - 15:05 = Bus 7 to Jesus Green
15:05 - 15:30 = Get off bus/arrive at set location
15:30 - 15:45 = Set up equipment and costumes etc. Prepare for filming.
15:45 - 16:15 = Finalize ideas and adjust for changes.
16:15 - 17:20 = Film scene 2 (More daylight needed)
17:20 - 17:55 = Film scene 1 (The darker scene which will require dusk lighting)
17:55 - 18:10 = Pack away equipment (George Adamson will be taking the equipment and will be returning it to College the next moring.)


Changes may be made to the schedule closer to the day of filming.

Actors & Roles

Altogether in our sequence we have 4 character roles.

• Kidnapper - Played by Charlie Peacock
• Student 1 - Played by Jack Lewis
• Student 2 - Played by George Adamson
• Student 3 - Played by Sam Payne

Since we ourselves are playing the character roles we will co-ordinate ourselves to switch between behind the camera roles (i.e. cinematographer and director)

For the purpose of the credits, and to give our film a more authentic feel we will also have filming roles.

• Director - Sam Payne
• Producer - George Adamson
• Cinematography - Sam, George, Jack & Charlie
• Editor - Sam, George, Jack & Charlie
• Story written by Sam Payne

Script

Here is a script that we have created, it will help us during the filming process, and also the editing process.

Scene 1:

This scene will be entirely based on the actions of the main character, and the voiceover of the kidnapper. A student is running away frantically from something, the audience doesn't know who or what it is.(ext. switch between mid-shot and close up of him running. Shaky camera work.) The audience then sees through the eyes of the kidnapper, and we begin to hear a voiceover. The scene cuts as the climax, just before we expect the student to be grabbed.

Shot 6 -7, near the end of the scene

Voiceover: He's got no chance. Let me take you back to the beginning.

Scene 2:

This scene follows the students as they are walking and talking through the same area of the park (ext. long-mid shot). There is an equilibrium here, which conflicts with the mood of scene one. They walk past the kidnapper, or 'shady' man who they make a comment on (ext. mid shot/over the shoulder shot of  man on bench). One of the students in the group has disappeared so they begin to look around for him. (ext. shaky camera work to show panic) They become worried and so start walking away from the scene, quickly (ext. long-mid shot zooming out as they get further away). The kidnapper appears as an illusion in different places in the park, and we can hear the voiceover of the kidnapper has he talks to the two remaining students (ext. mid shots, 180 degree rule, moving left and right quickly)

(Students walking through Jesus Green - Shot 8)
(Ext. Establishing/long shot)

Student 1: Did you go to the Dr Jeremy's lecture the other day?

Student 2: Yeah I did. He was talking about neuropsychiatric disorders, and was focusing on one called Cotard Syndrome.

Student 3: What's that? (Ext. Mid-shot - characters continue to talk.)

Student 2: Well, it's when someone believes that they are either dead or just immortal. It's really rare though.
Student 1: Oh, sounds confusing to me. Got some notes for it?
Student 2: Yeah, I'll email them to you tonight.

(Look down at 'shady' man  - Shot 10)
(Ext. Over the shoulder shot - looking at man on bench)
(Ext. Close up - two characters looking at each other shocked)
Student 1: He looked a bit weird.  (Ext. 180 degree rule)
Student 2: Yeah...yeah he did. Don't you think 'Student 3'?...'Student 3'?! (Ext. Mid-shot - one character has disappeared.)
Student 1: Where is he?! (Ext. 180 Degree rule/ Reaction shots)
Student 2: I don't know, he's gone.

(Look back at bench. 'Shady' man gone. Students begin to frantically search for him.)
(Ext. POV shot)
(Ext. Low angle/mid shot - characters looking around panicking)
(Ext. Long shot)
(Ext. Static establishing shots)
(Ext. Handheld)
Student 1: We better get out of here. Phone someone. Tell them what's happened.
Voiceover: You wouldn't want to do that. (Ext. Long Shot)
Student 2: Who...what are you? (Ext. Mid-shot)
Voiceover: (patronising tone) Over here...
Student 1: Look it's that man! (Ext. High angle)
Voiceover: (laughing) I am neither here nor there. I am everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I'm meant for this world, and theres nothing you can do about it.

(Students running away. Black screen - shot 24)
(Ext. Tracking Mid-shot)
Voiceover: That was just the beginning though. 

Why "Thrillers" Thrive

We have just read an article called "Why 'Thrillers' Thrive" which was featured in the magazine, 'Picturegoer'. From this we were able to learn how and why thrillers will live on well past horror films.

We are well aware that you watch a film to experience a live "the kind we don't experience ourselves", thriller in particular involve "disturbances which, for convenience, we call 'thrills'". It is in our nature to "have these shake ups". We are able to view another life in the safety and securing of "an armchair", whilst we watch the "struggle and turmoil of life through a window". Although we do not simply watch or spectate but "participate" in the thriller, the audience becomes very attached to the film and the characters, just by our human nature.

All the disturbing scenes in thriller and horror films are a result of skilled actors, trained animals along with skillful editing. In "The Crusades" there was no harm to any of the horses in the production, they were simply "trained to fall".

However, horrors are very different,  there meaning is "extreme aversion" which provide emotional jolts. In the film industry these genre of films are referred to as no more than "unnatural excitement". So, the authentic thriller will live on and be successful, just as the horror film will die.

Specific Filming Dates

After finding out what days we are free we managed to set a day (tuesday 8th February) after college where we will. We are all free on this day and can travel to our locations together from college so we can be sure that no one will be late or wont turn up. We will pick the camera up at 2:40pm along with the dolly and return it 9am 9th February

This is also suitable because it will be at a time of day close to the sun going down. This means we will not be waiting for hours for the sun to go down. As it is also during the week, we are more likely to get on with the work and use the time we have appropriately to ensure we get the filming done swiftly.

If we use the time we have appropriately we might be able to complete the filming in one session, this may change as we may have other things that effect our filming i.e weather conditions.

Our Storyboard

Here is our storyboard for our Sequence, The storyboard is important because if one of the members of our group is not able to film, another member of the group can see what needs to be filmed and gives an image of what the final sequence should look like.

Our Shot-list

 Here is our shot-list for our Sequence, The shot-list  is important because if one of the members of our group is not able to film, another member of the group can check the shot-list to see what is needed to be filmed, what is needed for the shot and what also what shot type it is.

Location Recce

Before we start filming our film we will need to check out the locations. We will need to do this for many reasons:

• To see where we could put the camera and where the actors could stand
• To see what time it will get dark and to see if the visibility would be right for the shots we need to make. 
• To see if there will be any issues with traffic/bus times etc. This could add unwanted noise to our film.
• To make sure that the location provides what is required for the shots.
• To make sure the location is what we expected it to be.

By checking to see if the location is suitable it will save us a lot of time. It will also lead to making a better film as our shot will seem more professional and effective.

 

Whilst on location, we could do a digital storyboard, doing this will enable us to get an idea of what a good idea is when we begin to film. The digital storyboard will allow us to experiment with different angles and views of the location helping us to decide what will and will not work.

Issues with the location

•  The location is near to two busy roads, to avoid the issue of too much background sound we will film further away from the roads near to the centre of Jesus Green.
•  Members of the public will be walking through Jesus Green, these need to be kept out of shot

Agenda for Project

• Script
• Shot-list
• Story-board
• Costume
• Test shoot/Location Recce
• Actors
• Schedule
• Ident Sequence?

Pitch - Evaluation

We delivered our pitched about the concept of our film and how we are going to film/edit the film to the rest of our class. Here are the questions we were asked by other members of our class.


Q) What classification is your film going to be and why?

A)  We chose our film to be a 12 certificate because of the low level of violence. The only real threat shown will be the threat of kidnapping.

Q) Who are you going to use for your actors?

A) At the present moment, We shall be playing the roles in the narrative. We need to decide on a filming date before we can ask our friends if they can help us.

Q) What time of day will you film this and why?

A) We will be filming in the evening so that it would be quite dark and quiet.

Q) What do you want to improve on from the last project?

A) The Titles in our children's film project were at a basic level, in this project we want to make sure our titles are quite advance

Q) Will you use any animation in the project

A) Other than the animation of the scanner in the Ident, No.

Q) why did you choose your location?

A) We chose the Midsummer Common/Jesus Green area because, it is quite isolated and it would be realistic place for a kidnapping to occur. there are also not many street lamps so it will give a low lighting effect that we are looking for.

Breakdown of Narrative

Here is our basic narrative of the opening sequence for the first two minutes, broken down into 10 second descriptions. This will later help us to create a shot list and will better manage our timing, editing and filming.


0 - 10 seconds:
On screen: Production logo/ident as film begins. Starts intense.

10 - 20 seconds:
On screen: We will see the protagonist (a student) walking through a park, heavily breathing and alone, conscious for his safety as he is looking around to see if there is anyone following him. Focuses on him, and the sound, so that the audience can empathize with him.

Off screen: As only one actor is on screen the other group members will be controlling the cinematography. The director will be using a variety of shots, but mainly close-ups shots from different angles which will pan the character - this will intensify the uncertain feel.

20 - 30 seconds
On screen: Voiceover begins (scripted later). Character still frantic and nervous as the music intensifies. Scene ends with black as the flashback finishes. Title.

30 - 40 seconds
On screen: Story from beginning. Students are walking from University through park at night. They are talking casually. Some midshots will be used, and also some handheld of the path ahead.

40 - 50 seconds
On screen: Walking may continue into this 10 second period. Walk past 'shady' character on the bench - talking stops immediately. POV shot at the man.

50 - 60 seconds
On screen: Two of the remaining students look at each other with a frown (midshot of faces). They comment on the man, and then say one of there friends names.

60 - 70 seconds
On screen: Their friend has gone, we see this through a POV shot. They a long shot could be faced back at them as they are shock.

70 - 80 seconds
On screen: Shot frequency increases as they panic. Look back at bench - the man is gone. Frantically begins to look around.

80 - 90 seconds
On screen: Frantically looking around, speed up walking. Begin to hear voiceover/or some noise. Illusion of 'shady man' in different places.

90 - 100 seconds
On screen: Illusion of 'shady man' in different places.

100 - 110 seconds
On screen: Voiceover indicates that he will be back, and that he believes that he's dead. Constantly focused on many shots of remaining students.

110 - 120 seconds
On screen: Remaining student are terrified. Get out there phones are start calling people, and walk fast away from the scene. Instant black with voiceover saying "that was just the beginning".

Analysis of Inspiration: Taken

The 2008 thriller "Taken" is a perfect example of a young person who gets kidnapped. Seventeen year old Kim goes on a trip to Paris where she is kidnapped by an Albanian gang. Her father, Bryan Mills, who is a retired CIA officer takes on this gang in order to save his daughter who has been forced into the slave trade.

The young kidnapping gives the insight of how a victim may feel, and will give some sort of inspiration to our actors in the way they present young people. The intense scene where the girl is actually kidnapped offers a good base for how we should film and edit our first scene, which is infact the last scene of the story. The kidnapping in "Taken" shows the girls nervousness and weakness against the gang.

Below is the trailer for "Taken" which features the kidnap scene, and the psycho kidnapper on the phone. Unfortunately I was unable to find a more specific clip of the kidnap scene.

Analysis of Inspiration: Cellular

The 2004 film "Cellular" has offered inspiration for our film/sequence. During the film we see an unsuspecting women get kidnapped, she has to put her trust in a stranger to find and protect her son, along with helping her to escape from the antagonists. This gave us the inspiration for using everyday people as the unsuspecting victims of a kidnap. The film also has psychological themes as she is trusting someone that she has never met before, just as our characters will be psychologically threatened by the illusion of the kidnapper. Above is the trailer which gives an overview of the film, however note that our thriller will not include a comical element as "Cellular" does, as this would defeat the objective of the thriller idea.

Analysis of Inspiration: Fargo

Earlier in our research process we analyzed the film, Fargo, which is a comical thriller that involves a women being kidnapped in return for a ransom. This event in Fargo has inspired us to include a kidnap in our sequence. Again the character kidnapped is an unsuspecting women, and this fits with the unsuspecting students. Our narrative idea also fits the unconventional plot of Fargo, this is because every time the protagonist tries to sort out his problems it makes him financially worse. Our students have a similar idea, as they try to protect themselves or make there situation better each day, but it doesn't help and another is kidnapped every time until there is only one left.

Here is the kidnap scene from Fargo.

MoodBoard

The mood board is all images related to Thriller Theme and images that inspired our story line.

Editing Roles

Video Editor
This editor will be cutting the footage into the correct positions determined by the storyboard and shot list. They will also add in transitions/other effects which helps to generate meaning within the sequence, and keep the narrative linear. They will also import the sound files, title screen and ident when they have been completed.

Sound
A soundtrack that represents the storyboard will need to be made. This needs to emphasize specific parts of the sequence, and will be more intense during the climax. Sound effects and the voiceover will also need to be organized by the sound editors. Garageband has the function of manipulating the sound of people's voices, which could help us to create a more realistic voiceover for our kidnap character. A simple sound will be created for the ident to help the audience recognize the company brand.

Poster/Title
A poster will help to create the product identity. The poster will include clues to the narrative and conventions of the thriller film which tell the the audience what kind of film it is and will encourage them to watch the film.

Ident
We have already created the ident logo for our production company here, and can be seen below. However we want to animate this ident to make is more interesting than just fading in and out. Therefore we are planning to add the animation of red barcode scanner that fits the convention of mystery, identity and searching for the resolution to the crime/thriller event.

Filming Roles

We will all have different roles, varying from actors, director, camera man, costume manager.

The Director:
The Director will have control over the exact location of filming and how certain angles should be shot. Although this maybe decided before the filming process, things may need to be changed for certain reasons.

Professional director of a film

Camera Man:
The Camera Man will make sure the camera is steady, at an appropriate angle and that the camera is safe and that no equipment is left on set and captured on film or broken. The Camera Man will also have a say on how the shots are taken i.e. what angles etc.

Prop and Costume Manager:
The Prop and Costume Manager will be in control and be in charge of the costumes and props and making sure they are appropriate to the story line and theme. They will also make sure no props or costumes are left behind, broken or left in the shot during filming.

The Actors:
Will obviously be following the directions of the Director, Camera Man and Prop Manager in order to make the film look and feel how it is intended to. They will also need to try hard to make their acting seem realistic and as professional as possible.

Titles

In most thrillers the title clearly indicates the genre, the topic, possibly the medical condition of the main character. In our case we are going to be creating a psychological thriller so the focus will be on mental threat. To create a realistic title I have collected a list of different psychological thrillers below.

• Se7en - seven days/seven murders, psychological threat using numbers or counting down.
• Vertigo - antagonist suffers from vertigo where you feel dizzy.
• Psycho - indicates the antagonist is a psycho.
• The Prestige - indicates the magic/illusion themes of the film.
• The Sixth Sense - an unnatural human sense which is the ability to talk to the dead.

To keep our film inline with psychological thriller it is important to have mental condition for a kidnapper antagonist, and also for then the have a death obsession. Therefore we are initially considering that our main character has the medical condition Cotard Syndrome, where they believe that they are dead.

Following this thought the working title will be "Life After Death".

Relation to Themes & Conventions

Our initial idea indicates that the main themes will be psychological, here we will explain why and how they relate to specific thriller conventions found here and here.

Firstly, it might not seem so but the narrative/character backstory is actually quite complex. The kidnapper will probably have quite a complex mental condition which has caused him to start kidnapping these people, and also the reason for the revenge he possibly seeks. The title of the film will indicate the genre and topic, this could be through the name of a mental condition. This was earlier used in the film Vertigo.

Next we have the common use of mirroring through the illusion of the kidnapper appearing and then disappearing, which causes uncertainty for the audience - another convention.

Voyeurism is another very obvious convention which we will use in our sequence, the audience will watch the students as they are kidnapped. We will see both through there eyes, through the narrator/kidnappers eyes, and also as an onlooker giving a three dimension feel to the sequence.

Typical of a psychological thriller we will use the idea of flashbacks, the complication of whether the events are reality of a dream, and the main character having a fascination with death - as the kidnapper may have the medical condition of Cotard Syndrome where he believes that he's dead.

Classification

Initially we believe that the film idea will be suitable for a 12/12A classification. Below is the full guidelines for the classification, and then also our reason why we below this is the right classification.

Guidelines:

• Discriminatory language/behavior must not be endorsed by the work as a whole.
• Any misuse of drugs must be minimal and should not be condoned.
• Moderate physical/psychologic threat may be present but should be infrequent and unsustained.
• Dangerous behavior that could be imitated should be absent from film.
• Moderate Language is allowed.
• Brief sexual content is allowed.
• Mature themes are allowed but must be appropriate for younger teenagers.
• Violence in the film should not be focused on gore/injuries unless it is justified by the context

Our film suits this classification because we will have themes of psychological threat and illusions. The act of kidnapping is a mature theme which could appear as a threat to younger audiences, however, it will not too focused on this act and so no higher classification would be needed.