Preparing for a film shoot

• Preparation is key
• No guessing or luck involved.  Be organised

5 Main Process'

1. Script Writing
2. Storyboarding
3. Test Shooting
4. Shooting
5. Editing

Script

• Write down your ideas, don't rely on memory.
• Write your script down in a simple way - actions and emotions
• INT - Internal (indoors)
• EXT - External (outdoors)
• INT - Bedroom - Day  (INT/EXT - Location - Time of day)
• Walk through your script like a play.
• Learn about your scripts flaws early, so you can improve on them.

Location Recce

• Scout your location - take pictures and make notes about possible problems when filming.
• Digital storyboard.

Shot list

• Create a shot list
• Annotate your script

Test Shots

• Get used to the location, equipment, props, costume etc.
• Do before the real shoot.

Shooting Schedule

• Organise whether you're going to record at day/night.
• Note shooting restrictions (weather, transport etc.)

Questions Raised in Presentation

What type of music are we going to use?
Our music will have two main parts, the first will be the music that is playing through the headphones of the victim near the beginning of the sequence.  This shall be made in GarageBand, and will have a generally happy feel to it to create a contrast between the pictures and the sound.  The second piece of music we shall be using will be an original song composed by Odin Long to go with the montage title sequence near the end of the sequence.


What time are we going to film at?
We will be filming when it gets dark, to create a moody atmosphere to the sequence.  We were thinking of 4:00-5:00pm, as that is the time that it starts to get dark around this time of the year.

What are we going to do if one of our group members doesn't turn up?
This is what we shall do if each member doesn't turn up:
Odin: Matt will replace Odin as the victim, and the camera will be operated by Matt still, however he will record and then get into position and then we will cut it out when we edit the sequence.
Matt: Odin and Ali's roles will stay the same, however one of them will have to press record, get into position, then cut the excess filming from the sequence when we edit it.
Ali: Odin shall play the role of the murderer, and Matt will play the role of the victim.  Matt will still record the sequence, however we will have to cut out the part where Matt and Odin are getting into position.

10 Second Breakdown

0:00/0:09 - Complete darkness, the audience can hear a monologue of a person talking.
0:10/0:19 - The darkness slowly fades to reveal a person in a poorly lit room still talking.
0:20/0:29 - The shot flashes to white to show a flashback, and the victim walking along listening to his music through earphones, which the audience can hear clearly.
0:30/0:39 - The shot changes to show the victim still walking, however you can see the murderer slowly walking out of his house, hidden in the shadows.
0:40/0:49 - The murderer follows the victim hiding in the shadows.
0:50/0:59 - The murderer hides behind a hedge
1:00/1:09 - The hedge rustles and the victim takes out one earphone and turns around.
1:10/1:19 - A shot of the murderer hitting the victim.
1:20/1:29 - Slow-motion shot of the victim falling to the ground. The victims earphones fall out, and the audience can still hear the tinny up-beat music playing through the earphones.
1:30/2:00 - Title montage sequence.

Mise - En - Scene Research

Props - The props involved with our filming will include the murderer's weapon, which shall be a cane. This is supposed to be a strange weapon for a murderer to carry, and will raise suspicions in the audience.  Also, we are going to be using earphones for the victim, this will make the victim seem more vulnerable as he will not know what is going on around him; the audience will clearly hear the music that the victim is listening to, to put more emphasis on this.

Lighting - We will film the opening around sun down, to create a dark and gloomy effect and also to hide the murderers identity.  We aim to create some silhouette effects by taking advantage of the lighting of the location.

Costume - The murder shall be wearing all black clothing to hide his/her's identity and also help to create some of the silhouette effects. The victim will be wearing everyday clothing but a lighter colour to portray him as more vulnerable to the murderer.

Setting - The opening will be set at Odin's house which is located in a isolated rural area which will add to the dark and gloomy effect which will be created by the low key lighting created by the time of day.

Colours - Trying to keep to the dark and gloomy effect we are looking for, we will try to avoid using bright colours which would ruin the mood of the opening, apart from the victim, who will have delibarately bright clothing on.

Cast & Crew

Matt - Camera
Odin - Sound/Victim
Ali - Editing/Murderer

Everyone will make their own way down to Odin's house, where we shall shoot our opening sequence.  The props will be simple household objects that will be in the house anyway, and the costumes will be provided by whoever is playing that particular character.

Initial Ideas For Classification

 15 - We chose this film classification because it will give us more freedom to explore the areas we want to, and it will not restrict our audience as much as an '18' rating would.

Initial Ideas For Filming

Location
Arrington (near Royston)
Record when it is dark.

 The house that we will record in.

The woods that we shall record in.

Initial Ideas

Thriller opening based on a phobia.

Atelophobia - Fear of imperfection 
A murderer that wants to rid the world of imperfect people


Isolophobia - Fear of being alone
Someone in a coma, but still acknowledges that they are alone.  They can only see black but can still think and hear things around them.  The story could slowly progress backwards to reveal how the person was put into a coma.

Warner Bros Production Logo - Sherlock Holmes

(Logo shown at 0:37)

The Warner Bros logo varies through the different films its involved in. In Sherlock Holmes the logo of Warner Bros is made to fit the mood of the film. Set in the 1800's the Warner Bro's logo is coloured in dull colours such as grey suggesting a dark and dull time. The logo also has a metallic look to it to represent the up coming industrial revolution which started in the UK in the period of the 18th and 19th Century. Overall the Warner Bro's logo for this film matches the mood captured in the film and the history at the current time.

U1-32 Thriller Opening Evaluation

Level 3
- A few hand-held shots were used, and steady shots were used when appropriate.
- A variety of shot types are used.
- Shots were framed well, but could be improved
- The shooting material was appropriate to the task mostly, but towards the end it seemed more like a trailer of a thriller movie.
- Mise en Scene was used subtlety and to the groups advantage.
- The editing was clear, and there were no continuety errors.

Past Group Evaluation

http://64thriller10.blogspot.com/

From first viewing, this groups thriller opening seems to contain the typical conventions of the thriller genre. The opening starts with a murder and raises questions in the viewers mind as to whhy the girl was murdered. Flashbacks are used in the view of who seems to be the murderer as he's washing blood away from his hands. The music used in the opening matches the type of feel i think they were trying to achieve due to the woodland setting. The music however does stop very quickly and start again which loses the tension that was building. The point of view shot was very well used to stop the viewer from seeing the murderer. I think the film would of benefited if it were filme when the sun was going down jut to help create the mood and atsmosphere that the music suggests.

Marking Criteria

-    Level 1 up to 23
-    Level 2 24-35
-    Level 3 36-47
-    Level 4 48-60
Holding a steady shot where appropriate.
Framing a shot – including or excluding elements.
Using a variety of shot distances.
Shooting material appropriate to the task.
Selecting mise en scene.
Editing so that the meaning is clear to the viewer.
Using varied shot transitions and effects.
Using sound with images.
Using titles appropriately.

Thriller Opening Credits - 'The Number 23'

In the opening credits to film 'The Number 23' the camera focuses on paper with the credits written in a typewriters font. The camera scrolls up and down the page very slowly making it seem very mysterious. The camera also cut very jaggeredly to close up of names making it uncomfortable for the audience. The number 23 is also shown next to each name suggesting along with the title of the film that the number will have a lot to play in the course of the film. On a very blank page the scene slowly introduces the viewer to blotches of blood slowly flowing onto the page, which suggests murder and the possiblity of the blood being related to the number. The sound of the opening credits builds tension with the bassline of the soundtrack getting slowly faster to the point where the blood is introduced and again slows down. This is then repeated again but with the music temp this time getting faster and louder, bringing the audience up in tension until it slows down suddenly to start the begining of the film.

Preliminary task story board and shot list

Preliminary task

Description/Evaluation of Task
  This is our preliminary task for the thriller opening that we shall be creating.  We used simple yet effective shots and transitions.