Thursday 7 April 2016
Wednesday 6 April 2016
Evaluation Question 1
In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Title
With real media products the title is typically used to convey the narrative of the story. Therefore by choosing the title 'Irretrievable' for our final film we were adding to the overall tone and story behind our production. 'Irretrievable' links with our main protagonist and conveys her as being lost within her own mental state; broken beyond repair. When something is referred to as being irretrievable, the item in question is typically tangible, therefore we thought that it would be an interesting twist to use this title to refer the girl's mentality; she is still alive and physically there, but her personality and individuality is in fact lost. Our title could also be interpreted as linking to our secondary character who is suspiciously killed during the opening of our film, and she is now 'irretrievable' in the sense that she is dead.
We presented our title as if it were being typed by an old fashioned style type writer. We took inspiration for this from 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'. Although this is not a psychological thriller, it does still focus on issues of mental health and therefore includes themes of mystery and distorted reality, similarly to that of our own film.
The type writer font conveys to me that this is Charlie's (the main protagonist) story. It is as if he is writing down his life in the form of a manuscript and then his story is visually portrayed to the audience. We also took inspiration from the colour choices in this title. The traditional black ink on white paper has been inverted to present the idea that this is not a conventional story, and perhaps has a much darker side to it.
We also found that this title could provide a range of connotations for the story and therefore add to the ambiguity and mystery of the plot. For example it could be viewed as the style of writing that would be seen on a police report, investigating the recent death of our secondary character. This conforms to the psychological element of our chosen genre as the audience must often question themselves and the story.
When looking at our opening title it is clear to see that we have in fact defied many of the common characteristics seen in the psychological thriller genre. Our title is not overly bold or eye catching, nor is it presented with the typical loud music or sound effects.
However, as seen above, titles within this genre are often placed on black background with a light or white font. Research has proven that people have more difficulty in reading this type of text over black text on white backgrounds. This may therefore distort the title further and thus conform more to the conventions of distortion and perception within the sub-genre. Therefore, in this sense, our film conforms to the conventions of real media products.
Credits
The credits for our film are presented in a very similar font to that of our title. This is due to the fact that we wished to have the extended idea of the narrative being told in the format of a written story, re-occurring throughout the opening of the film.
This theme of written text for the opening credits is often popular in the genre of film. Therefore in this aspect we conformed to the characteristic of the psychological thrillers. This can be seen in both Seven and Limitless:
Narrative
We followed a non-linear narrative for our film as we travel from present to past frequently. This complied to the common feature of distorted reality that is common within the genre. As we have not followed a chronological structure, it makes the plot line more confusing for the audience, making them question what is happening; a common feature in these types of films. However, from our research of real media products we found that it is not common for this style of narrative to occur within the opening two minutes of the film, therefore we wanted to try something unusual and go against the common structure of these types of films.
Camera
As psychological thrillers often follow character's mental health, the often in include lots of close up shots, in order to show the emotion of the character.
The Butterfly Effect:
Our film:
There is also a strong use of POV shot and over the shoulder shots in these types of films so that the audience is given the perspective of the character and therefore can empathise with them more. This is something that we wanted to include in our own film as we wanted to use these shots to establish the strong friendship that these girls share.
Inception:
Our film:
We also included a long tracking shot, going around the girls on a bench in a semi-circle. This was not something that we had seen in other media products, although tracking shot are frequently used, so therefore we felt that by using this shot we could differentiate our own product from films that already exist.
Mis en Scene
Lighting is used to reflect the mood of the scene (often negative) in this genre of film. For example in fight club the lighting is particularly dark and dreary in order to reflect the tone of the film. This was something that we wanted to do in our own film, however we wanted to create a very apparent difference between the happy and melancholy flashback through the use of lighting. In the happier memories we used lots of natural light whereas in the negative scenes we used more artificial harsh lighting.
Fight Club:
Our film:
On some of the scenes we used filters in order to strip any bright colours from the shot, thus conveying the depressing mood of the clip. We also had our actors wear dull clothing including blacks and greys. This again helped to connote a sense of dreariness. This is often done in real media products, such as Fight Club, in order to create the same effect. In the image above from the film Fight Club, both characters are wearing dark, dull clothing so that they conform to the tone of the scene.
In the more comforting flashbacks the characters wore bright colours, along with makeup that made them appear more youthful and innocent. We also used props such as cushions and blankets to make the atmosphere appear more cosy.
Sound
We went against using the typical non diegetic tension building music that is commonly used in real media products, and instead used distorted music box/ nursery rhyme music, that gradually builds in tension. By doing this we were able to achieve the same effect of building suspense as many other films, yet we brought a menacing and confusing undertone to the beginning of our production. Also, as the music sounds similar to something you may play to a child, it introduces the idea that one of the characters may have the same mentality as a child.
We have also defied the typical conventions of the genre by having an almost silent opening, with no additional dialogue.
Editing
In the flashback scenes we distorted the lighting of the clips, creating a dull tone on the melancholy clips and brightening the happier memories. This is something that is commonly done in this genre of film in order to reflect the emotional tone of the scene. We also added effects to soften the edges of the clips in order to reflect the fact that these are memories and not happening in real time.
We also used fast cuts, and jump cuts towards the end of our film to build suspense and create tension. Again we took inspiration for this from real media products, as it is something that is commonly used within this genre.
Location
From researching psychological thrillers I have found that the majority of them are set in city, or urban type areas. We went against this by filming in a small village and in an old Georgian house. Therefore it makes the characters appear more ordinary and relatable and makes the murder reveal at the end even more shocking.
Title
With real media products the title is typically used to convey the narrative of the story. Therefore by choosing the title 'Irretrievable' for our final film we were adding to the overall tone and story behind our production. 'Irretrievable' links with our main protagonist and conveys her as being lost within her own mental state; broken beyond repair. When something is referred to as being irretrievable, the item in question is typically tangible, therefore we thought that it would be an interesting twist to use this title to refer the girl's mentality; she is still alive and physically there, but her personality and individuality is in fact lost. Our title could also be interpreted as linking to our secondary character who is suspiciously killed during the opening of our film, and she is now 'irretrievable' in the sense that she is dead.
We presented our title as if it were being typed by an old fashioned style type writer. We took inspiration for this from 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'. Although this is not a psychological thriller, it does still focus on issues of mental health and therefore includes themes of mystery and distorted reality, similarly to that of our own film.
When looking at our opening title it is clear to see that we have in fact defied many of the common characteristics seen in the psychological thriller genre. Our title is not overly bold or eye catching, nor is it presented with the typical loud music or sound effects.
However, as seen above, titles within this genre are often placed on black background with a light or white font. Research has proven that people have more difficulty in reading this type of text over black text on white backgrounds. This may therefore distort the title further and thus conform more to the conventions of distortion and perception within the sub-genre. Therefore, in this sense, our film conforms to the conventions of real media products.
Credits
The credits for our film are presented in a very similar font to that of our title. This is due to the fact that we wished to have the extended idea of the narrative being told in the format of a written story, re-occurring throughout the opening of the film.
Narrative
We followed a non-linear narrative for our film as we travel from present to past frequently. This complied to the common feature of distorted reality that is common within the genre. As we have not followed a chronological structure, it makes the plot line more confusing for the audience, making them question what is happening; a common feature in these types of films. However, from our research of real media products we found that it is not common for this style of narrative to occur within the opening two minutes of the film, therefore we wanted to try something unusual and go against the common structure of these types of films.
Camera
As psychological thrillers often follow character's mental health, the often in include lots of close up shots, in order to show the emotion of the character.
The Butterfly Effect:
Our film:
There is also a strong use of POV shot and over the shoulder shots in these types of films so that the audience is given the perspective of the character and therefore can empathise with them more. This is something that we wanted to include in our own film as we wanted to use these shots to establish the strong friendship that these girls share.
Inception:
Our film:
We also included a long tracking shot, going around the girls on a bench in a semi-circle. This was not something that we had seen in other media products, although tracking shot are frequently used, so therefore we felt that by using this shot we could differentiate our own product from films that already exist.
Mis en Scene
Lighting is used to reflect the mood of the scene (often negative) in this genre of film. For example in fight club the lighting is particularly dark and dreary in order to reflect the tone of the film. This was something that we wanted to do in our own film, however we wanted to create a very apparent difference between the happy and melancholy flashback through the use of lighting. In the happier memories we used lots of natural light whereas in the negative scenes we used more artificial harsh lighting.
Fight Club:
Our film:
On some of the scenes we used filters in order to strip any bright colours from the shot, thus conveying the depressing mood of the clip. We also had our actors wear dull clothing including blacks and greys. This again helped to connote a sense of dreariness. This is often done in real media products, such as Fight Club, in order to create the same effect. In the image above from the film Fight Club, both characters are wearing dark, dull clothing so that they conform to the tone of the scene.
In the more comforting flashbacks the characters wore bright colours, along with makeup that made them appear more youthful and innocent. We also used props such as cushions and blankets to make the atmosphere appear more cosy.
Sound
We went against using the typical non diegetic tension building music that is commonly used in real media products, and instead used distorted music box/ nursery rhyme music, that gradually builds in tension. By doing this we were able to achieve the same effect of building suspense as many other films, yet we brought a menacing and confusing undertone to the beginning of our production. Also, as the music sounds similar to something you may play to a child, it introduces the idea that one of the characters may have the same mentality as a child.
We have also defied the typical conventions of the genre by having an almost silent opening, with no additional dialogue.
Editing
In the flashback scenes we distorted the lighting of the clips, creating a dull tone on the melancholy clips and brightening the happier memories. This is something that is commonly done in this genre of film in order to reflect the emotional tone of the scene. We also added effects to soften the edges of the clips in order to reflect the fact that these are memories and not happening in real time.
We also used fast cuts, and jump cuts towards the end of our film to build suspense and create tension. Again we took inspiration for this from real media products, as it is something that is commonly used within this genre.
Location
From researching psychological thrillers I have found that the majority of them are set in city, or urban type areas. We went against this by filming in a small village and in an old Georgian house. Therefore it makes the characters appear more ordinary and relatable and makes the murder reveal at the end even more shocking.
Monday 29 February 2016
Pre-production: Location Permission
Fortunately, this was not a necessary step in the pre-production stage of our film as we will be filming the majority of the scenes on my property and will be filming other scenes in public areas that we will not need permission to use.
Equipment and Software
For the filing of our opening we will be using the Canon EOS 700D, which we were luckily able to borrow from our friend. This gave us an advantage with the filming as with this camera we are able to control and distort the focus of the clip. This camera also shoots in HD which was extremely helpful to us as it meant that we were able to produce high quality shots.
We also used a Velbon CX 888 tripod to film with. This was a tripod that Lucy already owned and helped us in the filming process as it allowed us to get steady shots as well as achieving different angles and shot sizes.
On days that we were shooting we also used an SD card and, for the bench scene, a push bike in order to do the tracking shot.
For the post-production stages we used a Macbook pro laptop to edit on. This device has a retina display and therefore means that we can watch shots back in high quality.
We also used a Velbon CX 888 tripod to film with. This was a tripod that Lucy already owned and helped us in the filming process as it allowed us to get steady shots as well as achieving different angles and shot sizes.
On days that we were shooting we also used an SD card and, for the bench scene, a push bike in order to do the tracking shot.
For the post-production stages we used a Macbook pro laptop to edit on. This device has a retina display and therefore means that we can watch shots back in high quality.
We will using the imovie software to edit our piece as this is a software that me and Lucy both feel confident in using.
First Cut & Feedback
This is the first cut of our entire film opening. We edited and put together all of these clips in order to create a simpler version of what our final product will be. We have added a title to the end of the film and an ident at the start, but we have not yet added music or credits. By having this first cut of our film it allows us to see what our film is missing and what we could do to enhance the mood and convey the story more effectively.
Reaction:
We asked two of our classmates to review our film and give us feedback on what we could change to make our overall production more effective. Molly and Jess are also within our target audience as they are both between 16-17 years old.
Things we did well:
I believe that the story of our main protagonist has been conveyed well. Through this film we see her deteriorate and I believe that our use of makeup and editing of the tone and lighting of the clips helped to convey this. We also added sound effects into this first cut which I think helped to shape the mood of the scene as well. For example we used bird song in some of the scenes in order to give out a feeling of calmness and then in later scenes we added harsh static sounds to introduce an idea of a distorted reality which further enforced the fact that our main character has experienced extreme emotional trauma.
I am also happy with the ident and title sequence and do not think that we will do much more to improve it. However we did receive feedback from Molly and Jess in which both seemed to think that we should darken it so that it fits in better with the genre. We will be making these small changes in order to make our film more appropriate for our target audience.
Things to improve:
Molly and Jess also believed that our production could be improved with additional dialogue. This is something that we will have to discuss adding into our film as we originally were not including dialogue as we firstly took inspiration for the narrative from up (which features no dialogue between the characters). We will watch our film and find appropriate moments for dialogue to be added and then discuss whether we think it will improve our film or in actuality, take away from our original narrative choices. We were also told that our film would be improved with the addition of tense/ creepy instrumental music. This is our next step in the editing process and we will be adding similar music as that described by Molly and Jess.
Also, personally, I feel that although I am happy with the narrative structure of our film, we should make what happens to Character 2 more obvious. Therefore, after a discussion on what we could do to improve our production, we have decided to include images of a bloody hand and a knife, thus making it clear that this character has in fact died.
Sunday 21 February 2016
Pre-production: Initial Sound Ideas
Our film opening features a significant shift in tone half way through. We have decided that the beginning of our film will have calm and slightly up beat instrumental, non-diegetic music. This will fit in will the happy recollections/ memories at the start of the opening. However this will be slightly distorted as to sound more like a lullaby in order to make the atmosphere slightly more uncomfortable as the music is ever so slightly wrong for the scenes that are being shown. Then, as the tone of the memories begins to change, so will the tone of the music. The music will first begin to slow down and then will become more sinister; increasing in tension.
We took inspiration for this from:
UP (2009):
Women in Black (2012)
We will also be using diegetic sounds in our opening. We will use bird song and natural laughter of the characters at the very beginning in order to introduce an element of calmness. Then in the later scenes we will use harsh static sounds in order to create a sense of distorted reality and to suggest that things things not quite being as they appear.
We took inspiration for this from:
UP (2009):
Women in Black (2012)
We will also be using diegetic sounds in our opening. We will use bird song and natural laughter of the characters at the very beginning in order to introduce an element of calmness. Then in the later scenes we will use harsh static sounds in order to create a sense of distorted reality and to suggest that things things not quite being as they appear.
Wednesday 17 February 2016
Ident Research
From my previous research on film openings within the thriller genre, I found that there is a significant difference between the Idents in this genre and other film genres. Below are some examples of idents from thriller films.
It appears that in order to fit in with this particular genre, filmmakers have abandoned the famous logos of these big production companies in exchange for darker, more depressing tones and colours. Black seems to be particularly popular as it connotes danger, death and sadness. By doing this the filmmaker is also able to express the seriousness and danger of the film as they have not used the typical cheery logos that are often used in other genres. This is something that I will be strongly considering doing in my own piece as I would like the tone of my film opening to be consistent, including my ident.
Thursday 11 February 2016
Editing: Sound 2
We decided to add sound effects to some of the scenes in order to create a sense of realism. We did this by MP3 clips from youtube of birds singing and footsteps. This was added along side the non-diegetic music. We decided that we would also add these sounds to the flashbacks scenes in order to reflect that fact that these memories are vivid and clear in the mind of our main character. For example, in the scene in which the girls are looking into fish the pond, we added sound effects of swirling water and singing birds. We also included the diegetic sound of the girls laughing that we took whilst filming. However for this particular scene, I recorded an audio clip of my hand swirling in a sink filled with water to go along side with the movements of our actor's hand, as I believed that this would enforce the sense of realism.
We also added a heart beat sound effect, gradually building in pace, over the top of the fast editing sequence towards the end of the film. This was done to create a sense of building intensity, and to refer back to the fact that these events are taking place in the mind of our main character.
We also added a heart beat sound effect, gradually building in pace, over the top of the fast editing sequence towards the end of the film. This was done to create a sense of building intensity, and to refer back to the fact that these events are taking place in the mind of our main character.
Wednesday 10 February 2016
Editing: Sound
We had initially intended on asking my brother to create the music for our production however this created some issues and we therefore decided that it would be more appropriate to find copy-right free music online and then edit it on imovie. We liked the idea of the music being similar to lullaby to convey the mental instability of our main character. Therefore we have chosen a soft sounding lullaby to run through the first half of our opening and then, as the tone becomes darker, we have distorted the music by adding a harsh bass and slowing the lullaby music down.
From feedback from Molly and Jess when watching our first draft, they wanted music that built in intensity, therefore we tried to accomplish this by adding a deep bass sound towards the end of the opening, and making the lullaby more sinister.
Also from our focus group we received this feedback regarding music:
From feedback from Molly and Jess when watching our first draft, they wanted music that built in intensity, therefore we tried to accomplish this by adding a deep bass sound towards the end of the opening, and making the lullaby more sinister.
Also from our focus group we received this feedback regarding music:
What sort of the music do you think we should add?
- Something innocent but eery
- Something that subtly builds suspense, but you don't want it to be too dramatic.
- slow music that slowly builds up to create tension.
This helped us to decide on the lullaby element of our film, as it reflects the innocence that the group mentioned.
Post-Production: Deciding the Credits
We decided to use a focus group, made up of our target demographic. We presented them with a 3 options that we thought would work with the typewriter theme.
The options were:
Didot:
Chalkduster:
From the feedback we received, with four out of the five people asked preferring it, it is clear that we will be using Courier New as the font for our credits. We also received positive feedback that the typewriter theme fits in well with the narrative of our film, and they felt the Courier New would be best to portray this.
The options were:
Didot:
Courier New:
Chalkduster:
From the feedback we received, with four out of the five people asked preferring it, it is clear that we will be using Courier New as the font for our credits. We also received positive feedback that the typewriter theme fits in well with the narrative of our film, and they felt the Courier New would be best to portray this.
Making the titles and credits
Titles:
We took inspiration for our titles from the film Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). They use a typewriter style font to suggest that the film is an account of Charlie's (the main protagonist) life; similar to a diary entry. We also wanted to use this font to convey a sense on enigma; it could convey a similar idea of this being a diary entry from the main character, but it could also be seen as something similar to a police report for the supposed murder/ disappearance of her best friend. As we divided some of the editing work, Lucy was given the role of making the titles. She did this by using Microsoft Powerpoint, creating an individual slide for each letter (in the font Courier New). She then transferred screen shots of each slide into imovie to create the effect of the letter being typed. We then used an MP3 sound clip from youtube and added it to the clip to make it appear as though the words are being typed onto the screen by a traditional typewriter. She then exported this individual imovie file and we added it to the end of our final film.
Credits:
We wanted the credits to convey a similar effect. Therefor we used the credit option in imovie. We considered animating the letters, however we could not a suitable method that did not make our film look cheap. We chose to use the font 'Courier New' due to feedback from a focus group that we conducted. We also wanted to make literature a theme of our film with the titles and the inclusion of book in one of the flashbacks; enforcing the fact that our film is a story, told through memories and recollections.
We took inspiration for our titles from the film Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). They use a typewriter style font to suggest that the film is an account of Charlie's (the main protagonist) life; similar to a diary entry. We also wanted to use this font to convey a sense on enigma; it could convey a similar idea of this being a diary entry from the main character, but it could also be seen as something similar to a police report for the supposed murder/ disappearance of her best friend. As we divided some of the editing work, Lucy was given the role of making the titles. She did this by using Microsoft Powerpoint, creating an individual slide for each letter (in the font Courier New). She then transferred screen shots of each slide into imovie to create the effect of the letter being typed. We then used an MP3 sound clip from youtube and added it to the clip to make it appear as though the words are being typed onto the screen by a traditional typewriter. She then exported this individual imovie file and we added it to the end of our final film.
We wanted the credits to convey a similar effect. Therefor we used the credit option in imovie. We considered animating the letters, however we could not a suitable method that did not make our film look cheap. We chose to use the font 'Courier New' due to feedback from a focus group that we conducted. We also wanted to make literature a theme of our film with the titles and the inclusion of book in one of the flashbacks; enforcing the fact that our film is a story, told through memories and recollections.
Filming: Props
Perhaps the most significant of all the props that we are using in our piece is the bench. This is what our entire narrative revolves around and therefore plays a key part in the story. We will be using the bench that is already in my front garden (where the scene will be filmed), but we will be re-positioning it so that it is in front of the house. For this scene we will also get our actors to wear black hoodies in order for them to appear more mysterious and to introduce an ominous element into the beginning of the film.
Later in the film there will be scene in which Character 1 is looking into a mirror in a distressed manor. We will be filing this scene in my bathroom and therefore will be using my bathroom mirror as the key prop in this scene.
In the one of the happier memories we will be filming a scene of the girls taking a selfie and therefore will use either mine or Lucy's iphone as a prop in this scene.
We will also need blankets and pillows in some of the happy memories in order to create the sense of a comfortable and happy atmosphere.
And finally we will need to use two books as props for the scene in which the two characters are lying on the floor reading together. The books that we have decided to use are ' The Shock of the Fall' by Nathan Filer, which explores grief and madness, and 'A Hundred Pieces of Me' by Lucy Dillon, which explore memory and letting go of the past. Therefore, if these books are recognised by the audience, it will give them a sense of what are narrative is.
Later in the film there will be scene in which Character 1 is looking into a mirror in a distressed manor. We will be filing this scene in my bathroom and therefore will be using my bathroom mirror as the key prop in this scene.
In the one of the happier memories we will be filming a scene of the girls taking a selfie and therefore will use either mine or Lucy's iphone as a prop in this scene.
We will also need blankets and pillows in some of the happy memories in order to create the sense of a comfortable and happy atmosphere.
And finally we will need to use two books as props for the scene in which the two characters are lying on the floor reading together. The books that we have decided to use are ' The Shock of the Fall' by Nathan Filer, which explores grief and madness, and 'A Hundred Pieces of Me' by Lucy Dillon, which explore memory and letting go of the past. Therefore, if these books are recognised by the audience, it will give them a sense of what are narrative is.
Friday 5 February 2016
Editing: Dividing Work
As both myself and Lucy own the software that we intend to edit our film on, we have decided that we will be dividing the flashback scenes equally between us. Each scene will be created as a separate imovie project and then we will combine them into one final project which we be our final film. By doing this it enables us to contribute equally to the project and allow us both to include our own creative ideas. It also means that we will be able to produce our first draft sooner and therefore get feedback, and have longer amount of time to improve our film.
Editing: Final Changes & Filming Day Three
When showing our film to our classmate we continually received questions regarding what happened to the second character. It was clear that we were achieving the correct sense of enigma, as our plot appeared to confuse the audience more than intrigue them. Therefore we set up one extra day of filming. We did not include our actresses in this filming process as it would only take us a short amount of time to achieve. On this day we filmed a few varying shots in which a knife is dropped from a bloody hand.
We used false blood and a kitchen knife as props in this scene. By doing this we were able to make it clear what happened to the second character, whilst still maintaining a sense of enigma as to whether the main character did this and if so why. We shot close up shots of the knife being dropped and the hand trembling, along with a close up of the knife on the floor and a POV shot of the bloody hand.
We filmed the scene in the evening so that there was a sense of this event taking place secretly at night. It also will contrast the bright colours of the other memories. We also used brighter back lighting on the hand to suggest that the girls holding the knife is leaving a house.
These shots are to be combined in a fast paced montage of memories of our main character. These images will flash quickly and randomly throughout the montage in order to startle the audience.
We filmed the scene in the evening so that there was a sense of this event taking place secretly at night. It also will contrast the bright colours of the other memories. We also used brighter back lighting on the hand to suggest that the girls holding the knife is leaving a house.
These shots are to be combined in a fast paced montage of memories of our main character. These images will flash quickly and randomly throughout the montage in order to startle the audience.
Focus Group
We created a focus in which we asked people within our target audience a series of questions regarding what they thought of our first draft. The group consisted of 4 females:
- Emily Marsh 16
- Molly Braggins 16
- Jessica Underwood 17
- Anna McAllister-Little 17
Are there any parts of the footage you think we could improve on?
- Some of the shots of the bench scene are very bumpy. Make them smoother to improve the look of the shot.
- Scene at the bus stop, a lot of it is out of focus, your opening may be better if you cut the shot or cut down the timing of it.
- The shot of them walking down the street is too long.
What sort of the music do you think we should add?
- Something innocent but eery
- Something that subtly builds suspense, but you don't want it to be too dramatic.
- slow music that slowly builds up to create tension.
Does the opening set a good tone for the rest of the film? Can you get a feel for the narrative of the film just from the opening?
- Yes, it sets an eery tone and leaves you wondering what the full story is.
- I thought it was a good first draft, I think the music would really bring the opening together for the rest of the narrative.
- I liked the constant contrast between past and present in this opening. It makes me very intrigued for the rest of the film.
Do you have any extra feedback?
- I think it needs to be made more clear what happens at the end to the girls friend because its quite confusing. We aren't sure if she was real or not.
- I think there needs to be a bigger impact with the ending.
This feedback will help us to improve our draft and make sure our final film is appropriate for our target demographic.
Monday 1 February 2016
Filming: Makeup
Day 1:
On this day of filming we were only shooting the bench sequence. For this scene we needed Lauren's makeup to look relatively extreme. We used blue and green eyeshadows to create bags under her eyes and a bruise on her chin. We used greys and taupes to create shadows around her face that would make her skin appear dead and face appear hollow. We also used red under her eyes to make them seem irritated, and then smudged mascara beneath her eyes and on her eyelids to give the appearance that she had been crying. And finally we added white and purple to her lips to drain any colour from her face.
Day 2:Before filming, we allowed ourselves half an hour in order to complete the makeup for the first few scenes of our production. This would be for the happy memories, in which the girls must look healthy and full of life. For this we used soft eyeshadows, light blusher, highlighter and a sheer red lipstick in order to make the characters look as radiant as possible. Our aim was to give the impression that the girls were not wearing a significant amount of makeup, but instead looked naturally healthy and glowing.
Later in the day we altered Lauren's makeup in order to make her look vacant and distressed for the more melancholy scenes. For this we used greys and taupes to hollow out her cheekbones. We then used red eyeshadow under her eyes in order to make them look irritated and sleep deprived. We also added white and purple powers to her lips to make them look dry and to make her overall image appear more dead. We added greens and greys to her chin in order to give the impression of a bruise being there. And finally we smudged her mascara from the previous scenes to give off the sense that she had previously been crying.
Filming: Day 1
For this day we had limited amount of time to film due to our actors having other commitments. Therefore we decided that we would spend this time filming the tracking shot of the girls sat on the bench. We started the day by doing Lauren's makeup for the scene as she had to look distressed and somewhat unsightly. We allowed ourselves half an hour in order to complete this. We then began filming the scene.
In order to move around the girls accurately whilst still being able to get a steady camera movement, we used a push bike. This was effective as I could steer the bike, therefore being able to move around the girls in the correct shape, then Lucy would hold the camera in place on the seat of the bike. By using this method I could accurately control the direction of the bike whilst Lucy steadied the camera and made sure that we had a good quality clip.
We then had to get close up shots of Lauren looking directly into the camera. We first tried using a tripod but we were not able to get close enough to her face and we felt that the standard of the shot was not at the level of quality that we had expected. Therefore we took initiative and had our other actress bend over whilst I balanced the camera on her back. This allowed us to get the extreme close up that we wanted and also achieve the best quality that we could.
Overall filming was successful. We were able to get a variety of shots at a high quality
In order to move around the girls accurately whilst still being able to get a steady camera movement, we used a push bike. This was effective as I could steer the bike, therefore being able to move around the girls in the correct shape, then Lucy would hold the camera in place on the seat of the bike. By using this method I could accurately control the direction of the bike whilst Lucy steadied the camera and made sure that we had a good quality clip.
We then had to get close up shots of Lauren looking directly into the camera. We first tried using a tripod but we were not able to get close enough to her face and we felt that the standard of the shot was not at the level of quality that we had expected. Therefore we took initiative and had our other actress bend over whilst I balanced the camera on her back. This allowed us to get the extreme close up that we wanted and also achieve the best quality that we could.
Overall filming was successful. We were able to get a variety of shots at a high quality
Saturday 30 January 2016
Sunday 24 January 2016
Planning: Location Scouting
Bench Scene:
This will be a tracking shot moving around the girls in a semi-circular shape as they sit on a bench, facing away from the camera. We will film this in a garden in front of an old looking house. This will represent the girls looking back at their memories as some of the flashbacks will be filmed inside. We have chosen the location below as the garden in front of the house is large enough for us to maneuver around the bench in a large enough circle. It is also very accessible to us as we will be filming in my own garden.
Flashbacks
We will be filming these scenes in rural, remote areas. The location we will use is along the main road of Middleton Cheney village. As not many people will be walking along this street, we will be able to reenforce the idea that these events may just be taking place in the mind of Character 1. This is also very convenient for filming as it is not far away from the house where we will be filming other scenes and therefore it will be easier to transport equipment and actors to and from different sets.
Some of the flashback will also be filmed inside. For these we will make the scenes appear cosy by including props such as cushions and blankets. Many of these scenes will be filmed in the living room shown below, however others will be filmed elsewhere. For example in one scene Character 1 will be staring at herself in the bathroom mirror examining her reflection.
This will be a tracking shot moving around the girls in a semi-circular shape as they sit on a bench, facing away from the camera. We will film this in a garden in front of an old looking house. This will represent the girls looking back at their memories as some of the flashbacks will be filmed inside. We have chosen the location below as the garden in front of the house is large enough for us to maneuver around the bench in a large enough circle. It is also very accessible to us as we will be filming in my own garden.
Flashbacks
We will be filming these scenes in rural, remote areas. The location we will use is along the main road of Middleton Cheney village. As not many people will be walking along this street, we will be able to reenforce the idea that these events may just be taking place in the mind of Character 1. This is also very convenient for filming as it is not far away from the house where we will be filming other scenes and therefore it will be easier to transport equipment and actors to and from different sets.
Some of the flashback will also be filmed inside. For these we will make the scenes appear cosy by including props such as cushions and blankets. Many of these scenes will be filmed in the living room shown below, however others will be filmed elsewhere. For example in one scene Character 1 will be staring at herself in the bathroom mirror examining her reflection.
Saturday 23 January 2016
Planning: The Treatment
Our film will be following the story of two best friends as there relationship falls apart and one of them slowly becomes more vacant and empty. We will follow their story through flashbacks, beginning with fond memories and then slowly turning into confusing scenes and arguments as one of the girl's mental health deteriorates. These flashbacks will appear during a continuous shot of the two character sat on a bench facing away from the camera. The camera will start from directly behind the girls and will then begin to move anti-clockwise around them in a semi circle. As the camera gets closer to the faces of the characters the flashback will become more unpleasant and sad. Finally the camera will move slowly around the front of the girls to reveal the main protagonist sat alone. A close up will reveal her vacant look and hollow, dead face as looks directly into the camera, breaking the fourth wall, and the screen transitions to black. The themes of friendship, death, mental trauma and loneliness will all be present in this opening.
There will be two characters in our film. Character 1 is the main protagonist, who will experience mental trauma and Character 2 is her friend. The first character begins the film as a ordinary, happy teenage girl (around 16 years of age). We see through her memories that her friend holds strong significance in her life and that they are very close. It will be Character 1's memories that the audience witnesses and therefore her emotional responses in the scenes will be important and accordingly focused on. Character 2 will be of the same age and will also appear perfectly normal and pleasant. However in later flashbacks she will jitter in and out of existence, confusing the audience and leading them to question her authenticity.
In later scenes Character 1's deterioration will be shown through her skin becoming paler and dark circles forming under her eyes. Her clothing will also change as she stops wearing bright colours and begins to favour black and grey clothes instead.
We decided to make both characters female as they are typically seen in film as the innocent ones who must be protected. Therefore there will be more impact on the deterioration of our protagonist as the audience will sympathise with her fragility as a female. Her age will also identify with our target audience and therefore provoke even more sympathy from the viewer.
For the extended scene of the girls sat on a bench, we will be filming in a large garden in front of an old looking house. This will represent her looking back at past memories as we will also be filming some of the memories inside in a home environment. For the flashbacks that are set outside we will be filming in a remote, rural area. The scenes will take place on quiet streets and around small village estates. This will make the memories more personal as it will only be the two characters in the scenes, with no interruption from anyone else. This will also reinforce the possibility that these events could just be taking place in the imagination of Character 1 as no one else is present. We will use natural lighting and will be filming during the day so that the scenes appear realistic.
Other flashbacks will be filmed inside as we will be recreating happy events such as the girls watching a film together. For these scenes the location will be a living room. We will use props of cushions and blankets to make the scenes appear more cosy which will reinstate the fact that the girls were both comfortable and happy in these times.
The darker, melancholy flashbacks will be set inside as well so that we can alter lighting more effectively. For these the tone and lighting will be dull and moody in order to fit the mental state of the character. We will also be filming some of these scenes in the bathroom where Character 1 will be staring at herself in the mirror, looking disorientated. The lighting for this scene will be stark and harsh, similar to that of a hospital, as she is examining her reflection.
We will be using a large variety of shots in our production. For the bench scene we will use medium tacking shot to move around the girls in semi-circular shape. For the memories we will use close up shots to show the emotions of the characters, especially in the more melancholy scenes as this is where Character 1's mental deterioration begins. A close up shot will also be used as the last shot, showing Character 1 looking vacant and dead and then looking directly into the camera, breaking the fourth wall. We will also use over the shoulder shots for some scenes to show the perspective of Character 1 so that the audience has an insight into what she is seeing and therefore what may be happening in her mind. We will be using still shots but also fast pans and quick movements during the argument scene between the two characters in order to bring a disorientating feeling to the scene.
During the post-production process we will edit the tone of scenes depending on the mood they are designed to give off. For example we will put dull, grey tones on top of the more depressing memories and warmer, brighter tones on top of the happier ones. We will also add in white and black flashes as transitions between clips to represent gaps in the character's memory. They will also be used to transition in between the bench scene and memories.
There will be two characters in our film. Character 1 is the main protagonist, who will experience mental trauma and Character 2 is her friend. The first character begins the film as a ordinary, happy teenage girl (around 16 years of age). We see through her memories that her friend holds strong significance in her life and that they are very close. It will be Character 1's memories that the audience witnesses and therefore her emotional responses in the scenes will be important and accordingly focused on. Character 2 will be of the same age and will also appear perfectly normal and pleasant. However in later flashbacks she will jitter in and out of existence, confusing the audience and leading them to question her authenticity.
In later scenes Character 1's deterioration will be shown through her skin becoming paler and dark circles forming under her eyes. Her clothing will also change as she stops wearing bright colours and begins to favour black and grey clothes instead.
We decided to make both characters female as they are typically seen in film as the innocent ones who must be protected. Therefore there will be more impact on the deterioration of our protagonist as the audience will sympathise with her fragility as a female. Her age will also identify with our target audience and therefore provoke even more sympathy from the viewer.
For the extended scene of the girls sat on a bench, we will be filming in a large garden in front of an old looking house. This will represent her looking back at past memories as we will also be filming some of the memories inside in a home environment. For the flashbacks that are set outside we will be filming in a remote, rural area. The scenes will take place on quiet streets and around small village estates. This will make the memories more personal as it will only be the two characters in the scenes, with no interruption from anyone else. This will also reinforce the possibility that these events could just be taking place in the imagination of Character 1 as no one else is present. We will use natural lighting and will be filming during the day so that the scenes appear realistic.
Other flashbacks will be filmed inside as we will be recreating happy events such as the girls watching a film together. For these scenes the location will be a living room. We will use props of cushions and blankets to make the scenes appear more cosy which will reinstate the fact that the girls were both comfortable and happy in these times.
The darker, melancholy flashbacks will be set inside as well so that we can alter lighting more effectively. For these the tone and lighting will be dull and moody in order to fit the mental state of the character. We will also be filming some of these scenes in the bathroom where Character 1 will be staring at herself in the mirror, looking disorientated. The lighting for this scene will be stark and harsh, similar to that of a hospital, as she is examining her reflection.
We will be using a large variety of shots in our production. For the bench scene we will use medium tacking shot to move around the girls in semi-circular shape. For the memories we will use close up shots to show the emotions of the characters, especially in the more melancholy scenes as this is where Character 1's mental deterioration begins. A close up shot will also be used as the last shot, showing Character 1 looking vacant and dead and then looking directly into the camera, breaking the fourth wall. We will also use over the shoulder shots for some scenes to show the perspective of Character 1 so that the audience has an insight into what she is seeing and therefore what may be happening in her mind. We will be using still shots but also fast pans and quick movements during the argument scene between the two characters in order to bring a disorientating feeling to the scene.
During the post-production process we will edit the tone of scenes depending on the mood they are designed to give off. For example we will put dull, grey tones on top of the more depressing memories and warmer, brighter tones on top of the happier ones. We will also add in white and black flashes as transitions between clips to represent gaps in the character's memory. They will also be used to transition in between the bench scene and memories.
Pre-production: Communication.
In order to discuss film ideas, such as visual representation, sound effects and score, myself and Lucy use a Facebook chat platform to exchange ideas when we are not together in person. Here we transfer ideas such as possible shots and camera angles, sound effects and score, makeup, props and locations. This is effective as we can exchange pictures and screen shots so that we can clearly, visually, represent our ideas for our film. This therefore ensures that we work as a team and the final production is a is a product of our equally combined efforts.
To communicate with our actors we have a separate Facebook group chat in which we discuss possible filming times and locations and what they should bring to the set. This is efficient and effective as it allows us to discuss as a group and therefore avoid confusion as to what we are doing and when we are doing it. Likewise it is an instant form of communication and is therefore fast and means that anyone can be reached quickly if changes need to be made. It also allows for the actors to contribute their personal thoughts towards our film as we can then alter and improve our ideas as our cast also fall into our target audience.
To communicate with our actors we have a separate Facebook group chat in which we discuss possible filming times and locations and what they should bring to the set. This is efficient and effective as it allows us to discuss as a group and therefore avoid confusion as to what we are doing and when we are doing it. Likewise it is an instant form of communication and is therefore fast and means that anyone can be reached quickly if changes need to be made. It also allows for the actors to contribute their personal thoughts towards our film as we can then alter and improve our ideas as our cast also fall into our target audience.
Pre-production: Casting
Characters
Character 1
This is the main protagonist of the story. The plot surrounds this character as we watch her mental and physical deterioration progress throughout our film opening. This character enters the story as a happy, healthy and relatable teenager and then slowly transforms into a vacant shadow of her former self. This character experiences deep mental trauma and by the end of our production she will look both desperate and intimidating, thus stirring emotions of both fear and pity within the audience.
Character 2
This is the 'friend' of our main protagonist. This character will be used as a tool to provoke questions from the audience as to what the reality of these character's situation really is. This character also delivers the main psychological element to our thriller film. This character is introduced as the best friend of our protagonist and through fond and happy memories we see that these two girls are perfectly ordinary and full of life. Then in later recollections we see the girl flash in and out of memories and begin to have violent arguments with Character 1. This will juxtapose her previous representation and therefore create doubt and hesitation within the audience. However, whilst we see our main protagonist's psychical state worsen, this character will remain normal, thus leading the viewer to question her legitimacy and whether she is actually there or a figment of the protagonist's imagination.
Character 1 - Lauren Barlow
We have chosen Lauren for this role as she is currently studying musical theatre at Stratford college so therefore has both experience and a strong understanding of representing different characters. She has played many different roles and therefore we felt that she would be able to recognise the darker and more complex sides of this character and thus be able to represent her in a way that is effective with our plot line. She also has the visual characteristics that we were looking for as she is a healthy, relatable, young girl.
Character 2 - Lauren Bricknell
We chose Lauren as our second protagonist as she also is studying Musical theatre at college as has a very broad understanding of character representation as she has taken on a variety of different roles. We also feel that she will understand the character traits that we are trying to get across with our plot and will therefore represent them well. Again she is also visually appropriate for the character as she is also a healthy, familiar, young girl.
Character 1
This is the main protagonist of the story. The plot surrounds this character as we watch her mental and physical deterioration progress throughout our film opening. This character enters the story as a happy, healthy and relatable teenager and then slowly transforms into a vacant shadow of her former self. This character experiences deep mental trauma and by the end of our production she will look both desperate and intimidating, thus stirring emotions of both fear and pity within the audience.
Character 2
This is the 'friend' of our main protagonist. This character will be used as a tool to provoke questions from the audience as to what the reality of these character's situation really is. This character also delivers the main psychological element to our thriller film. This character is introduced as the best friend of our protagonist and through fond and happy memories we see that these two girls are perfectly ordinary and full of life. Then in later recollections we see the girl flash in and out of memories and begin to have violent arguments with Character 1. This will juxtapose her previous representation and therefore create doubt and hesitation within the audience. However, whilst we see our main protagonist's psychical state worsen, this character will remain normal, thus leading the viewer to question her legitimacy and whether she is actually there or a figment of the protagonist's imagination.
Character 1 - Lauren Barlow
We have chosen Lauren for this role as she is currently studying musical theatre at Stratford college so therefore has both experience and a strong understanding of representing different characters. She has played many different roles and therefore we felt that she would be able to recognise the darker and more complex sides of this character and thus be able to represent her in a way that is effective with our plot line. She also has the visual characteristics that we were looking for as she is a healthy, relatable, young girl.
Character 2 - Lauren Bricknell
We chose Lauren as our second protagonist as she also is studying Musical theatre at college as has a very broad understanding of character representation as she has taken on a variety of different roles. We also feel that she will understand the character traits that we are trying to get across with our plot and will therefore represent them well. Again she is also visually appropriate for the character as she is also a healthy, familiar, young girl.
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