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.