PLANNING: STORYBOARD

Using powerpoint, i decided to create a storyboard to help develop our ideas. Storyboards are key element of pre-production as it clearly conveys how the story will flow as we can see how all the shots will work together. By creating this, it allowed our directors to think in advance about how they want the narrative to develop and consider the technical and audio codes they will use to convey it.

PlANNING: MIND MAP

I decided to create my own mind map to help my production team generate ideas. It helps highlight important facts and key events in our film opening. It also helped me to create links within the story to make sure it would all fit in well.

 

CONSTRUCTION; BBFC certificate

 Film Certificates are decided and awarded by the British Board of Film Classification. ... The BBFC watches films and videos all the way through and awards an age rating and insight to each one.The BBFC uses published Classification Guidelines for certain age ranges, ensuring that the content of the film is age appropriate and that children or young people do not see films that are unsuitable for them.

I researched how the BBFC classifies films by studying their website. I learned that a certificate may have strong language and may show violence. but is must not dwell on the infliction of pain and injury. Whilst a 15 certificate film may contain threat or horror, a sustained focus on sadistic threat is not acceptable. Therefore, as our film does not contain any of the other unacceptable categories (like dangerous behavior, drugs, discrimination, nudity or sex/sexual violence), I came to the considered opinion that our film EXTRACTION would be likely to receive a 15 certificate. 

To make my certificate I found a suitable template and edited it in Powerpoint.

PLANNING: RISK ASSESMENT

  

PLANNING: RISK ASSESSMENT

A risk assessment is necessary to avoid any injuries or dangers which we may come in contact with throughout our filming. This table below presents these possible dangers and how we avoided them. I categorised this table into the main themed risks: Location/Environment, Weather and General Public. 

HEALTH HAZARD: 

These are all the factors which could be dangerous and are highlighted as risks to us. For example, we identified the fact there were rabbit holes where we were filming, factors of which may be dangerous to us due to if we accident stood in one it may injure us.

RISK LEVEL:

This is judged with labels, H, M or L, standing for high, medium and low, judging the health hazard by how dangerous it is. None of our risks we discovered were labelled H, mostly medium and low. An example of this is when we labelled the rain risk as M due to the rain wasn't an extremely significant risk, however it could effect us when filming.

RISK EXPOSURE:

This is a list of how and why the health hazards are dangerous, for example, we evaluated the 'trespassing' problem by explaining that being found in a location which we weren't given permission to film in may result in us being banned from there or just get in trouble with the teachers. 

CONTROL MEASURE: 

This box explains how to avoid the dangers and reduce the risk of them, such as wear more layers of clothing to avoid the cold weather when filming.

CONSTRUCTION- CALL SHEET 3

 CALL SHEET 3 - CLAREMONT GARDENS/SCHOOL

Call sheet 3

Date of shots 16th of November 

Filmed at The Belvedere Tower at Claremont Gardens , in which you can see here on the map. 

Crew members include:

Name: Olivia D

Number: 077899764

Email: LivLovesPonies@gmail.com

Name: Millie L

Number: 0798657223

Email: MillieMillie2005@hotmail.com

Name: Ollie H

Number: 0766539821

Email: OllieWollie@outlook.com

Name: Grace C

Number: 0758834892

Email: GracieC1889@icloud.com

Used to Film:

IOS 14.2 iPhone 11 Pro Max Camera 

Used for Lighting:

IOS 14.2 iPhone 11 Pro Max torch light 

Props:

iPhone x2

Headphones x1 

Wardrobe: 

Millie L - Black hoodie, headphones, school uniform

Ollie H - Full suit in black

CONSTRUCTION: CALL SHEET 2

 

Monday, 15 November 2021

CONSTRUCTION: CALL SHEET 2

CALL SHEET 2 - BELVEDERE TOWER

Call sheet 2

Date of shots 15th of November 

Filmed at The Belvedere Tower at Claremont Gardens , in which you can see here on the map. 

Crew members include:

Name: Olivia D

Number: 077899764

Email: LivLovesPonies@gmail.com

Name: Millie L

Number: 0798657223

Email: MillieMillie2005@hotmail.com

Name: Ollie H

Number: 0766539821

Email: OllieWollie@outlook.com

Name: Grace C

Number: 0758834892

Email: GracieC1889@icloud.com

Used to Film:

IOS 14.2 iPhone 11 Pro Max Camera 

Used for Lighting:

IOS 14.2 iPhone 11 Pro Max torch light 

Props:

iPhone x1

Headphones x1 

Coffee Mug x1

Wardrobe: 

Millie L - Black hoodie, headphones, school uniform

Ollie H - Full suit in black

Grace C - Lab Coat and suit/smart attire 

CONSTRUCTION- CALL SHEET 1

 Call sheet 1

Date of shots 11th of November 

Filmed at Claremont Fan Court school (outside), in which you can see here on the map.

Crew members include:

Name: Olivia D

Number: 077899764

Email: LivLovesPonies@gmail.com

Name: Millie L

Number: 0798657223

Email: MillieMillie2005@hotmail.com

Name: Ollie H

Number: 0766539821

Email: OllieWollie@outlook.com

Name: Grace C

Number: 0758834892

Email: GracieC1889@icloud.com

Used to Film:

IOS 14.2 iPhone 11 Pro Max Camera 

Used for Lighting:

IOS 14.2 iPhone 11 Pro Max torch light 

Props:

iPhone x2

Laptop x3

Headphones x1

Wardrobe: 

Millie L - Black hoodie, headphones, school uniform

Ollie H - Full suit in black

Olivia D - Smart work attire 

PLANNING: OUR COMP LIST

 KEZIA WILLIAMS: She believes that it is really important to understand who your audience is and what motivates them and what’s going to interest them and drive them to go to the cinema. So you start, often, by examining similar films that have been released in the past– comparable films is a way in which we refer to them in the industry– and create a set that we can then look back at data so we can look at lots of different data and do research, really, on those comparable films to identify who the audience was on those films. So it might be that we look at demographic data and think about, did it skew more male or more female? What’s the age group that it appeals to?Skip to 0 minutes and 46 seconds Does it have multiple different audiences that that can appeal to? And there’s lots and lots of cinema-going trends that you can dig into from that comparable set. We’ll also look at box office data to understand regionality, to look at the cinema-going skew– so did more people go to a certain cinema chain to see these comparable films? Right down to which cinemas performed. So it might be that there’s a cinema in London that had a fantastic box office share, and that’s an important aspect for us to consider. And then once you really understand who the audience on those comparable films were, you can start to talk about the differences and similarities between those films and the film that you’re working on.

Today we carried out similar research

 List of three comparable films, find three films that are going to be in competition with our film.

 

YOU GET ME: Written by Christopher Crowe, directed by James Foley

This movie fills the audience with both interest and tension due to the main character, Holly, played by Bella Thorne, who acts as a crazy obsessed teenager, she is in love and desperate for Tyler (the other main character) and his attention. Tyler is played by John Smith.

The plot of Holly's role as a psychotic girl is initially unknown by the audience, however her true identity is soon exposed as the film continues. This film is chosen as one of our competitions due to it's gripping and intriguing storyline which takes a turn and surprises it's viewers, as well as the involvement the film has on it's audience, engaging them with the tension and stress of the plot. The roles are played by well known actors and actresses, especially Bella Thorne who stars in at least 36 movies and multiple tv shows. This film links to our personal film idea due to the thrill and suspense involved, as well as the psychotic main character, who has inspired us. 

MISERY: After a major car incidence, novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is rescued by former nurse Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who claims to be his biggest fan. Annie brings him to her remote cabin to recover, where her obsession takes a dark turn when she discovers Sheldon is killing off her favorite character from his novels. As Sheldon devises plans for escape, Annie grows increasingly controlling, even violent, as she forces the author to shape his writing to suit her twisted fantasies.Rob Reiner's Misery is largely hailed as one of the all-time best Stephen King horror film adaptations. Also starring James Caan, Richard Farnsworth, Lauren Bacall, and Frances Sternhagen, Kathy Bates. Misery tells the story of famed romance novelist Paul Sheldon (Caan), who suffers a car accident in the snowy woods of Colorado.

FEAR: It revolves around a wealthy family whose seemingly perfect life is threatened when their teenage daughter begins dating an attractive and mysterious young man. The film was largely derided by critics upon its release, but became a major hit in the spring of 1996, engaging $20 million at the U.S. box office. This is our competition because it contains some very large names within the acting world; Reece Witherspoon and Mike Wahlberg. This is relevant to my film because both contain an obsessive male character. That goes to many lengths to get close and stalk the other leading female character. 

PLANNING: INITIAL FILM TREATMENT

 A Treatment will usually include a: 

TITLE: Usually a good title is used to present a solid central idea

LOGLINE: A one/two sentence stating an idea proposal 

SYNOPSIS: Outlines the key idea in more detail (300-500 words)

CHARACTERS: outline each main character with a short description and introduction 

TOPLINE: an 'elegant sentence which sums up the action' 

BIG QUESTION: What is the enigma which will unfold? 

NEXT:

•  After writing the treatment, you create a STORYBOARD (hand drawn on sheets we are given) which presents a brief visual idea of a storyline 
• and a SHOTLIST

BRAINSTORMING IDEAS: 

We initially brainstormed multiple different ideas and genres to start off with. We have access to a boat house, and therefore thought planning something which involves that location would be successful. 

Locations for Shots:

• Boat
• The Mansion corridors 
• Isolated places 
• Woods
• Empty car park
• Walking down an empty dark road

FILM IDEAS:

Props: 

• Pin Board
• Documents
• Pictures
• Files
• Doctors notes 

Plot:

• Genius girl with access to the whole/majority of her brain, is being stalked 

Effects:

• Clips from YouTube
• Titles
• Background music/sounds
• Filters

Location:

• London (south bank)
• Liv's boat

Girl has more access to her brain than normal and therefore the stalker wants her cause she's different.

Crime board-black shot-hand over mouth-blackout

Flash backs in black and white 

IQ-166

TITLE: Abnormal, the exception 

CHARACTERS: The doctor, the stalker, the girl (main)

ART OF THE TITLE- SPECTRE JAMES BOND

The opening scene of spectre starts with a plain black screen with simplistic white phrasing 'The dead are alive' this short phrase emphasises the suspense and grasps the audience by making them wonder what will happen next. The action films conventions are shown by certain images such as the dominical vibrant streets of Mexico City.  

 The scene begins with a continuous birds eye-view shot where Daniel Craig ( James Bond) carries out an untheorized mission in Mexico city on 'The day of dead'. In the opening sequence, Bond is being portrayed as indomitable because of the way the camera is following his every move. and The first shot was lensed with a technocrane, which created the establishing shot, the camera was then lowered and zoomed into to follow the actors. A transition occurs when bond enters the hotel with the woman which is actually occuring on a different street. 

PLANNING: MY TARGET AUDIENCE & HOW I ENGAGED THEM

From the FutureLearn course that I am following Distribution: Connecting Films With Audiences, I know that all products are targeted at specific audiences.

I needed to plan how to reach my target audience. Therefore, I needed to know who they are (factors that may be relevant include age, gender, ethnicity, social class), what their media needs are (so that I could produce a product that they will want) and how to reach them (to market my film). I will show how my research has shaped / influenced my planning. 

I started by researching how brands define audiences in preparation for creating my own audience profile. For example; i investigated how Bauer media, NME and sky defined audiences. 

PLANNING: MY AUDIENCE QUESTIONARE

PLANNING MY AUDIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE

 I am going to use google forms in order to create a questionnaire for my target audience and send it to people who are likely to watch our film. I will be asking questions referring to age, gender, what types of films they prefer to watch and what influences them to watch those certain movies. My production team would like to make a film which would appeal and grasp to young people ages 15-35. Our questionnaire will be effective and useful to ensure that our type of genre will appeal to this audience. By using google forms I will be able to collect this data. 

These are the questions I intend to ask:
(Opening message) I would be grateful if you complete this short survey on films and what you prefer

1.  What is your gender?
2.  What age category do you fit into?
3.  Which of these your film genres would you watch? Pick as many as you wish.
4.  What was the last film you watched?
5.  What platform would you most likely use to watch a film?
6.  Which of these trailers have you seen?
7.  Which of these platforms would you use to find out about films?
8.  What is the most likely reason you would watch a new film?

ART OF THE TITLE- GONE GIRL

ART OF THE TITLE- GONE GIRL

The opening sequence of Gone Girl starts with a plain black screen and simplistic white writing. We then get shown the production company logos for ‘Twentieth Century Fox and Regency Enterprises’ which provides the pedigree for the film. The names of the director, the cast and other creatives also appear, which may support the audience’s choice of seeing the film.
Font choices are an important elements of the visual appeal and contribute to the graphical cohesion. In this film opening the font is simple but clear; the text is white and is against the dark background of the videos, this is constructional as it makes the text clear and comprehensible. 

The film opening of Gone Girl signals the film genre which seems to be a drama thriller. It does this in many different ways, such as through the establishing shot which shows the protagonist, a close up shot of the back of a woman’s head which leaves the audience in suspense until we see her face a few moments later. The genre is also signalled through the soundtrack, such as music, which is calm but yet gloomy and mysterious.. The use of the voice-over at the begging sets up the scene and genre of the film, the man’s voice is tranquil and smoothing to the audience, however the words he is saying, such as “cracking her lovely skull” are dark, ghastly and gruesome in comparison to his voice and the music which is being displayed. 
The different types of costumes, lighting, text are some other factors in appealing the audience. For example the lighting and colour is dark and tedious. This shows what the movie will be about. The setting shows a town that is isolated which portrays the abandoned and the genre of the film. In the film a low angled camera angle is used to emphasise the run down building and sign, following this a variety of establishing shots are used to focus on multiple old and worn out signs and shop fronts around the town.
Most film openings introduce the main narrative elements to launch the film but do not give away too much in order to retain the enigma. The start of Gone Girl does not go straight into the narrative, it starts by showing different places within the town to build up suspense and excitement. During the end of the opening sequence we see the main character. The character first appears in the centre of a wide shot which establishes that he is a significant and superior character. 

I found this film opening extremely unique and eye-catching. This is because of some certain elements such as the opening scenes and soundtrack which therefore grasped the audience by portraying the genre and the theme. 

PLANNING: TOPLINE & BIG QUESTION

 

Write a treatment for your film opening. This would usually contain.

• A title that is engaging and dynamic 
• The top line- an 'elegant sentence' that sums up an action
• The big question- what is the enigma that will unfold? Is there a cliffhanger? if so what.
• The synopsis- A few paragraphs explaining the plot
• Characters- with an introduction about them 

FILMING: TOPLINE & BIG QUESTION

 I watched a presentation by Frank Ash who is a creative consultant for the BBC. He has taught storytelling and creative techniques to teams. From this presentation, I have learnt how important it is to  intrest and grasp the audience in order for them to enjoy it. It is vital that the audience is left intrigued.

For Frank Ash, film makers need to think of what the top line and the big question are. He calls the top line 'one elegant sentence' which sums up the story for the viewers. He then says 'we need to leave the audience wanting to find out more' which is what he calls 'the big question'. 

Having learnt from Frank Ashs post on future learn, I decided to sign up for future learns film. The course promises to cover how our favourite films make it to our local cinema or television screen, through the film distribution process. The start date is October the 18th 2021. 

FILMING AN OPENING SEQUENCE

 This week we made practise film openings. We have used the idea of 'table top' filming. We decided to do this in groups of 2 and 3. Our brief was to film in one continuous take and to also introduce a part of life action. 

Research

Before filming our 'table top' sequence we decided to research 3 other films using Art of the title. We viewed Delicatessen (1991, Jean-Pierre Jeunet). We noticed how the inventive camerawork tells a story and sets the theme. Another title that was very interesting was 'To kill a Mocking bird'. Last years students also had some unique sequences. We then used these as inspiration to create our own titles using our own props. 

Planning

Before filming started, we had to come up with our own story line. Megan and I decided to base our 'table top' exercise on a girl gone missing. We then laid out all of our props that were elements of our film narratives. We also researched and discussed music tracks for the sound track. Our aim was to find something that would grip the viewers. One of our options was Nostalgia by Emily Barker which was the Wandler theme tune. 

Filming

We filmed in one continuous sequence in order for the film opening to flow and grip and intrest the viewers. After, we filmed the 'live action' element, uploaded the footage into the editing software and planned our titles, editing, special effects and sound tracks. 

RESEARCH ART OF THE TITLE

 Mamma Mia

Mamma Mia is set on a fictional greek island named Kalahari. The opening scene of Mamma Mia begins with a tranquil and beautiful atmosphere. This is when the lead, Sophie, is drifting down the sea on a boat at a slow pace. The camera is at a birds-eye view shot also moving at a moderate pace. This is effective that they both move simular as it conveys how soothing and undisturbed the atmosphere really is. She begins to sing a song to express her feelings that represent the atmosphere that she is in. She says 'I have a dream to sing, to help me cope with anything' This represents the dark and depressing atmosphere as she wants to escape to her own world and sing her way out of life, as it seems with the boat slowly coming in towards a deck. She then begins to walk up to her letterbox in the dark and send a letter to her dad about a wedding. 

It quickly cuts to an undershot of a man on a motorcycle panning up towards him, with Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! In the background. This represents the fast and rough pace of the motorcycle, as it is a very fast and energetic song. Then, it pans up to a massive building, and stops at the very top and cuts to Sam, a businessman, at the top. This represents his powerful status as he is at the very top of a very big building, that slowly pans up to him, showing he is on top of everyone else, and has a lot of power.

RESEARCH: FILM OPENING ANAYLSIS AE FOND KISS

  During the opening sequence of "Ae fond kiss" nine different titles are displayed, these are all written in a simplistic font to make it transpicuous which ensures that it is not disconcerting from the scene. Directors have included these nine tittles because it plays an important role in marketing, reception and in fact understanding the film. It is the first piece of information the viewer is given which is why it is important and should aim to attract the viewers. 

In the opening scene the images are prioritised by showing us a lively and harmonious nightclub with people from a variety of  ethnic backgrounds and cultures which is shown in a 'pano' shot. After this, a sound bridge of Bangla music washes over the view of Glasgow in a birds eye view shot which grasps the viewers. This shot perimates what Glasgow is like during modern society rather than 30 years ago. The images carry m
any connotations regarding their society, we get the impression that they have no barries and that its very multi-cultural.  'I am a dazzling mixture and i am proud of it' this is a comment made the lead female actress whilst making a speech to her peers at school. It indicates the current version of Glasgow and emphasises the fact that it is now seen as being a multi-cultural city. The background music at the party is a traditional romance Bollywood clip which informative to their 'no touch' tradition. In the opening scene the bulldog connotes 'british values' and symbolises Britain due to the specific breed of dog. 

Genre is reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset through the "Ae fond kiss" song which is played at the beginning of the sequence. This implies that it is a romance as they are in love however, cannot be together.  Genre is predominant in a movie because it sets expectations and minimises the risk of failure. 

The producers have used multiple strategies to attract its target audience and to ensure it is appealing and gripping the viewers. During the opening sequence we are introduced to both acting and speech without it being dragged on to long so it lost its effectiveness. As well as this, we are introduced to instant loud music and the party. This may grasp younger viewers as they may have attentiveness to this type of atmosphere. 

The producers have also included a variety of different camera angles, transitions and editing techniques in order to captivate the viewers. This makes scenes more realistic and compelling. For example, over the shoulder shots and long exhibit this as they present the whole scene clearly. Furthermore, in the scene with one of the girls singing in the music room, the location quickly changes smoothly to the house of the religious family. This edit is effective as two scenes are put together and also implies how multi-cultural Glasgow really is. 

PRELIMINARY EXCERCISES

 I have taken these photos of Matt to express my media knowledge of camera angles, tat make him appear different in size. For example, the middle left photo makes Matt appear very tall (even though he already is). These canted angles make him appear different in size and shape, to create the illusion he is what he is not.

On the set

Throughout this passage I will state what i learnt, stating the terminology and methods. This is when we ran through how to use the Canon cameras and Manfrotto tripods. 

Cameras and tripods

We started off by understanding how to handle the camera and to ensure that we would not damage it. For example; we would make sure the strap was either wrapped around our neck or our wrist. We also got used to taking and slotting in the battery, making sure it was inserted the right way. It is also important to take it out at the end of the filming session. The SD card had the same treatment, making sure we it was inserted the right way. 

White balance (WB)

White balance is the process in which unrealistic colour casts are removed. It is used in film, photography and image processing. It results in objects that appear white to the human eye also appear white on camera. The warmth or coolness of the white light or 'colour temperature', is often taken into consideration by proper cameras. Many digital cameras will come with an option to change the white balance by selecting the 'WB' on the device. It will then display an array of pictures that give a representation of the differences in colour tones, can be used to create more realistic and naturalistic film. 

180-degree rule: This rule helps to make the film more flowing. This rule means that you must stay on the same chosen side of an imaginary line, during a scene. The camera can be 180 degrees along the line, but cannot cross as it will result in a 'unatural' and 'messy' feeling. 

On set termanology:

'Standby' and 'Standing by': The director shouts 'standby' before filming to alert the crew that filming is about to begin. Whilst the crew would shout 'standing by' to informt the director that they are ready. 

'Rolling': The director then follows on by shouting 'rolling', which means the crew must be quiet and that the camera is on and filming, but the action is not unfolding yet. 

'Action': This is shouted by the director after 'rolling', and means that the scene should start to unfold.

'Cut': This word ends the action on screen, meaning the scene has ended and the camera will stop recording. 

'Strike the kit': This signals the crew to pack away and make sure the footage is uploaded. 

Editing: We are using to editing softwares, Final Cut Pro and IMovie, in which are both featured on the IMacs in the media studio. The footage in which we upload should be cept in a folder dedicated to your work. These folders are named bins whilst the unedited footage from the cameras are stated as being called rushes.