Diary Entry

27 February 2013



 

 Today, we decided to meet up all together which included the actors involved, myself and Jess (my Media partner).  We met together to see if what we had planned to film would work on the actual location.  Therefore, we all met at the house where the party would be held.  Today was also a chance to get a feel of what the set up of filming would be like.  This involved making sure that all the actors had appropriate clothing and that it matched and fitted in with the opening sequence.  

 Another important aspect of today was to get a feel of the filming by doing "practice shoots" which involved filming different scenes to give us a rough idea of how the finished opening sequence will look like when it comes to the actual shoot.  I wanted to make sure that when filming, the lighting was good enough for the scene to be clear but dark enough for the scene to look eerie and fit the story of having a house party in the evening.  If the lighting was not good enough, I would have made a change to what time we would film.  However, as the lighting was good, we will film at a similar time when it comes to the shoot.



Practice scene for the props

 

  When we were having "practice shoots," we also checked that the props were good enough and realistic enough to fit in the opening sequence.  It was vital that the props used were effective.  We needed to make sure that we had sufficient drinks bottles and shot glasses for the alcohol as well as the knife used by the killer.  If the props didn't look realistic enough or didn't fit the scene, it could cause the audience to lose interest in the rest of the film and it could also result in the tension being lost.  For example, if we used a fake knife, it might look stupid and even comical which could completely ruin the sequence.

  Today was a really good success as it gave me confidence that the opening will look good and it also gave me confidence that the props, costume and location is really good and effective in portraying a message about the genre and storyline.  

Alteration to shooting schedule

  Unfortunately, due to unforseen circumstances, there will have to be a change of plan to the shooting schedule as we were told by some actors that they could only turn up to the shoots on certain days.  For example, one of the drivers who would act in the outside car sequence could only make it to the location on the 5th March.  The main group of actors who would be playing the roles of characters at a party could only film on the 6th March.  This was a big problem for us as we had to rethink our shooting schedule. 

  Therefore, we came up with a plan to have a practice run on the 27th February to make sure that all the costume and props were looking good and would be appropriate for the real filming days.  This would relieve extra pressure as we would then know that when we were recording footage, the Mise-en-scene would be fine.

  From then, we devised a schedule that fitted around when the actors and actresses could now turn up to the location.  The plan is as follows:

• Monday 4th March - We will film all the kitchen scenes involving the character of Ellie
• Tuesday 5th March - We will film all the outside scenes* including the car scenes and the killer scenes where the killer is outside the party. (*due to the fact that one of the drivers can only film on this day)
• Wednesday 6th March - We will film all the party sequences^ where there is a group of girls and boys partying in the house (^due to the fact that the main bulk of actors and actresses can only film on this day)
• Thursday 7th March - We will film all the match on action sequences of the killer
• Friday 8th March - Spare day in which we can refilm either the match on action scenes involving the killer or the kitchen scenes with 'Ellie'

Shooting Schedule

  Although I have a good, detailed and clear idea of my Mise-en-Scene including the props, costumes and shot list, I need to have a plan of my shooting schedule.  The different shots will need to take place over a period of time as I want to be able to have lots of shots for each scene so that when it comes to editing, I will have a lot of choice.  As a result, I will have an opening sequence that should flow well, show continuity and look like a real party sequence.  Below is my shooting schedule:

  My shooting schedule shows what scene will be filmed, when they will be filmed, whether the scene is Interior or Exterior, what happens in the scene, what camera shots will be used and what characters are in the scene.

Mise en Scene

  Mise en Scene is a very important process for the planning now that I have a script and location.  The Mise en Scene will make a real difference in looking professional and realistic.  Below are some of the key elements making up the Mise en Scene in detail.  When it came to deciding the overall look of the Mise en Scene, I had to make sure that the props and costumes were effective in portraying a certain idea and for the audience to understand something about the characters from what clothes they are wearing and what props are used.

Prop List

• Alcoholic drinks bottle
• Alcoholic shot glasses
• Car one for the killer
• Car two for the girl at the party
• Knife
• Phone
• Glasses
• Lighters
• Smoking equipment
• Music Player

The overall effect I will be trying to create when it comes to filming is a typical, late teenage house party.  Therefore, the house will need to be cluttered with drinks bottles and shot glasses to make the overall scene realistic and believable.  The two cars are essential for the scene where the girl is driving to the party being followed by the second car driven by the killer.  The use of a second car will denote that someone is following the girl which will create some tension.  The use of smoking equipment will make the party scene look more realistic.  The music player is also important for the background noise of the party as it sets the mood for the party as well.

Costume List

Ellie:

• Tight Denim blue shorts
• Sequin coloured top tucked in
• High heeled shoes

Girl 1

• tight coloured jeans
• coloured top
• high heeled shoes

Killer

• Dark blue jeans
• Black top
• Grey knee length coat
• Boots

Billy

• sandy Chinos
• Blue superdry top
• Daps

Carla

• Simple blue dress
• High heeled shoes

Other Characters at the Party

PARTY CLOTHING:

• For Girls: Dress and Shorts with high heeled shoes
• For Boys: Jeans, Chinos and Shirts

When it came to deciding what costume each character should wear, I wanted try and portray a certain character profile.  Therefore, the killer as a character in the opening sequence will be instantly recognised as he will be wearing clothing that is very different to what the others will be wearing.  For example, the killer is wearing a long grey coat and boots which, when viewed by the audience, will help them to identify that this character is distinctly different and therefore might anticipate something bad will happen.  For the characters at the party such as Ellie, Billy, Carla and the other girls and boys, I wanted them to have a similar look so that they blend in together. Ellie, Billy and Carla will be recognised as the main characters as the camera will be mostly focusing on them rather than the others at the party who will just be in the background.  The costume of chinos and a shirt for the boys I thought would be most age appropriate.  For the girls, I thought the idea of shorts, dresses and heels will also be the most age appropriate but will also reveal something about their personalities of being focused on be glamorous and having a good time.

Location Scout

  The location is a very important aspect when it comes to filming the opening sequence.  With the script complete along with each shot listed, I now have an even clearer idea of what I want the opening to look like.  Location is essential to get right in order to make the film believable and fit in with the story line.  It can also be helpful in portraying iconography as the audience would be able to identify scenes and immediately make connotations about what is happening and what will happen.  Therefore, in my opening, it could be effective in creating tension as my film has themes of crime thriller and horror. 

  One location that could be a possibility is the big, rich house set in the countryside with a pool in the garden.  This would be a very good location for filming as the pool in the back would be an ideal setting for the house party.  This is because the scenes of lights, music and young people drinking at a pool would clearly convey the idea of a house party.  In addition, there is a lane at the back of the house with a big metal gate which would be ideal for the filming of the point of view shots from the killer's perspective as there are bushes and trees nearby that would portray the idea of someone following the main characters.  Also, the lane at the back could be good when filming the car scene where the killer is following the girl driving the car to the party. 

  Although this location has many ideal aspects, the logistics for it could be difficult.  Firstly, the location of this house is considerably far away for the actors of the house party to travel to.  Also, having the party set at the pool would also be complicated, especially if it is filmed at night.  This is because a lot of outdoor lighting would be needed in order for the cameras to pick up anything.  The sound could also be a problem as filming outside for the most part of the sequence means the microphone might pick up noise.  Another potential problem that could be very risky is if there needs to be more than one day of filming, either due to not enough footage taken in the necessary light conditions or whether the filming is affected by the weather such as being rained off.  If this were to happen, it would be even more problematic to organise the actors to travel a long distance again.  Therefore, although this location does have a good setting, there are many things that could go wrong which would result in a lot of filming difficulties and could end up with ruining the filming.

  Another location that could be effective is an ordinary, semi detached house in a slightly wealthier part of a town.  This could be a good location because it is more likely to fit the character profile of young girls as they are more likely to be living in this sort of house in comparison with living in a big, rich detached house in the middle of the countryside.  Also, the more urban aspect of the house being set in a town could create more tension as urban areas are sometimes associated with a higher crime rate which fits in nicely with the storyline of the killer.  The location of a house in the middle of the street could also be good as it fits in with the script better with the idea of the house party as most of the filming could be done inside the house.  Filming inside a house is also effective as it would help create a better party atmosphere.  If the filming was to be done mostly inside the house, this would mean that most of the filming could be done at knight to create a more eerie and tense atmosphere. 

Shot List

Now that I have a script and story board for my film opening, I can now go on to writing down the screen shot list. The shot list is an important choice when it comes to making a tense opening scene because it needs to be effective in showing the setting, introducing the characters and building tension in the plot. This is the shot list for each scene.

Shot 1 - (int) Close up of an alcoholic drink in the kitchen with a sticker which reads the Producer of the film
Shot 2 - (int) Medium shot of Ellie pouring drinks out in the kitchen
Shot 3 - (int) Close up of a second drink bottle with the 'film by' written on it
Shot 4 - (int) Medium shot staying on the drink bottle showing Ellie leaving the room and then returning to get her phone back
Shot 5 - (int) Close up of the phone with a message showing the casting director
Shot 6 - (ext) Medium shot of a car driving past the house with a girl going to the party as the driver
Shot 7 - (ext) The camera pans around to a close up of the wheels of a second car following the first
Shot 8 - (int) Long shot point of view shot from the killer (in the second car) watching the girl get out of the car and entering the party
Shot 9 - (ext) Close up at floor level showing the bottom of the car with a sticker showing who the music is by.  The killer steps out of the car.
Shot 10 - (ext) Tracking close up shot of the killer's feet walking towards the party
Shot 11 - (int) Medium Shot of the party, focusing on Ellie, Billy, Carla and Girl 1 all drinking and dancing.
Shot 12 - (int) Medium shot of Carla taking a suicide shot
Shot 13 - (int) Point of view shot from Carla is shaking, imitating blurred vision and seeing a faint figure of a man in the window
Shot 14 - (ext) Over the shoulder shot of the killer looking into the window and recognising Carla
Shot 15 - (int) Close up shot of Carla's face looking confused at the killer as if she slightly recognises him
Shot 16 - (ext) Close up of the killer's hand, flicking out a knife, the blade glistening in the light with a title sequence for the title of the film
Shot 17 - (ext) Point of view shot of the killer looking into the window and seeing Carla leaving the room
Shot 18 - (int) Tracking shot of Carla running up the stairs
Shot 19 - (int) Close up of the door slamming shot in the face of the camera
Shot 20 - (ext) Match on action shot of killer walking up the path
Shot 21 - (ext) Match on action shot of killer pushing open the front door
Shot 22 - (int) Match on action shot of killer entering the party from the point of view of being in the party
Shot 23 - (int) Match on action medium shot of the killer running up the stairs
Shot 24 - (int) Match on action medium shot of the killer upstairs, looking around
Shot 25 - (int) Close up of the killer's masked face looking around to make sure no one is looking
Shot 26 - (int) Point of view tracking shot of the killer looking around making sure no one is looking
Shot 27 - (int) Match on action shot of the killer pushing open the door of the room Carla is in
Shot 28 - (int) Match on action shot of the killer with the door opening from the point of view of the room.  The killer is only a shadow due to strong lighting outside the room and darkness inside the room
Shot 29 - (int) Medium shot of the door slamming shut from the perspective of outside the room
Shot 30 - (int) Medium shot in the room of complete darkness

Action Plan

  Now that I have a clear idea of my film from my animatic storyboard, I now need to have an action plan in order to meet the criteria of having a better opening sequence.

  Firstly, one part of the opening sequence I will try to improve is that of the opening kitchen scene.  When the character of Ellie is making the drinks at the party, although this is an establishing shot to show the titles and introduce the main character, the scene could drag which would not meet the criteria of drawing the audience in and engaging them.  Therefore, in order to combat this problem, I will try to edit some of the scene in post production to make the scene sharp, edgy and slightly tense which will build up thoughout the sequence.

  Another way in which I can make the opening sequence more captivating and intriguing is by adding music.  This is because music can contribute to 50% of the overall effect of a film. Therefore, I will use party music that the target audience would know and be able to relate to in order to make the scene appropriate and focused on attracting the audience.  In juxtaposition with the party music, I will also add some tense mood music when the killer is on the scene as this will really build up the tension in some of the scenes and will have a foreboding effect.  If the audience question or think that something bad will happen, they will be intrigued to watch in and see if anything dramatic does happen.  In this way, the material will be appropriate in grabbing the interest of the audience which is the main function of any opening sequence.

  Finally, in the final editing stage of making the film opening, I will try to edit the camera shots in a way that portrays continuity to make the scenes flow well but also to make the scenes snappy, sharp and engaging.  This is a common convetion of crime/thrillers as it builds tension by making the scenes unpredictable.  Therefore, I will try to make sure that the opening sequence doesn't drag but will use other effects such as colour, saturation and contrast effects on some scenes to make them more eerie.  Also, if I make scenes darker, this will suggests evil, danger and death through colour connotation.

Storyboard Animation

    Now that I have a good idea of my script and and how the opening scene will look, I now need to move onto making an animation about the storyboard for my film which can be seen in the video below.

  We feel that the storyboard for our films shows that we have put a lot of thought and effort into making sure that we utilise all the conventions of a crime/thriller and use the typical features of opening sequences to make it interesting and in order to captivate the marketability.  One way we have tried to do this is by firstly introducing the main characters of Ellie, Billy, Carla and the Killer through establishing shots such as close ups.  The use of close ups on the characters faces will make the scene look claustrophobic.  This will hopefully draw the audience in to watching the sequence as it will engage them into knowing more about the characters.

  To try and achieve a variety of shots, the storyboard shows that we have given this careful consideration.  We have included tracking shots where the killer walks out of the car, point of view shots from charaters such as Carla and we have also listed that we will use match on action at the end of the sequence.  This should engage the audience as the variety of shots and angles will make the audience more captivated as opposed to the sequence dragging on slightly.

  To try and interest people who are interested in the crime/thriller genre, we will need to ensure that we use conventions of this particular genre so that the story is clear.  Some conventions of the genre include tense, sinister and scary music in the background to heighten the tension of the scenes.  Also, we will use props such as knives and dark costumes for the killer to make the scenes more tense, atmospheric and scary. 

  Titles are another important feature of opening sequences but sometimes, if not used correctly, they can be boring and detract from the action in the scene.  Therfore, we gave this some thought and, as can be seen in the animatic, we chose to use titles in an original way.  For example, we made sure that the titles at the begining would be stickers on the alcohol bottles to draw attention to the props and therefore the storyline as well as making the titles interesting in themselves.  We also chose to edit half the title sequence over the top of the filming so that we could get a mix and a balance to make the titles interesting and not predictable or boring.