Thriller // Time Laspe

India made a time lapse of our shoot from when we got into the studio at 9am to when we finished shooting at 3pm:

Thriller // Evaluation // Part 1

The day before the shoot we went to the studio to see the set that Paul and Matt had built us. The set was better and larger than what we had expected so that was a good start to our shoot.

We saw that there was a light that had an orange filter over it, this made under the floorboards look really creepy and we got the lines of light which looked really effective.

On the morning of the shoot I was quite nervous because I didn't know if the shoot was going to go smoothly and I felt nervous because we were the first group shooting however, I knew that we had everything organised and ready so that made me feel less nervous and more excited to start filming.

We were quite prepared for the shoot as we had our shot list and all the times were set. However, before we started shooting we and to do that makeup, this took longer than expected and we were sat around for about an hour while Sasha was doing everyones makeup. But it was worth the wait because the makeup looked really effective.
We also had to think about what shots we wanted to shoot first and what order we should do them in. In the end we ended up scraping the order of our shot list and did it in chronological order because this was the easiest way to shoot our sequence.

The studio was quite plain apart from our floorboards so this meant we had to be more creative about what we were going to do.

Sasha did the makeup because she had experienced in that area and knew what to do. However, when it came to filming we all did equal amounts and took it in turns to film and watch the monitor this was good because it made sure we all got a turn in helping out in some way and we all have equal input in what we did.

I think that I did particularly well with helping to manoeuvre the set, because I was constantly moving the floorboards to make sure it looked right on the monitor. I also helped with thinking about what angles to have the camera so it would look effective when we edit it.

Thriller // Evaluation // Part 2

The problems we had on the shoot day was the order of shooting and what we shot first because when we got there our schedule got messed up so we had to reorganise it with the help on Matt and Paul because they knew what was the best order to film in.

I think the part where we did a tracking shot on Rosie when she discovers the bodies because we used the skateboard to put the camera on so we had a smooth piece of action so this made the shot look really interesting and it gave our sequence a whole different feel to it. I also think the effect and idea we had was shown in the clips that we captured and hopefully when we edit it together it will look how we imagined it.

I wish our planning had gone better because at the beginning of the shoot we were all sat around for about an hour while Sasha did the makeup so I think that we could have done Rosie's makeup first and while Sasha was doing the others India and I could have started filming Rosie's close up shots.

I enjoyed all of the shoot once we got going and got comfortable with the cameras and working in the studio because at first it was quite intimidating but as the shoot went on I felt that I started to enjoy the process more and it became interesting with the more ideas we had.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the effect of the floorboards was captured and if we did it justice. I am also looking forward to seeing that tracking shot of Rosie because it looked really interesting on the monitor so it will be exciting seeing it when we start to edit.

I think that our production group worked well as a team because we all had our roles to play and we all took part in helping to film. We also all helped with giving creative ideas that we could use and we all had an input in the angles and shots we wanted to capture.

I think that we learnt that we had to be more prepared and know exactly what we wanted to shoot and in what order. We also know for next time to make sure the makeup and prep is done sooner so we don't waste lots of our shooting time on it, but overall I think that our shoot went how we wanted it to in the end and it was a great process to be involved in.

Production Planning // Dilemma Averted

Loz (the wardrobe mistress at Hurtwood) has given Sasha the makeup we need for the shoot so if it doesn't get delivered we have a backup.

She has given us:

• Fresh scratch (for scratches and grazes)
• Burn wheel (to create burns)
• Skin makeup (to make the cuts more realistic colour wise)
• Fake blood
• Pads to apply the makeup

Sasha already had some kit left over from a previous project, so she is going to use that aswell:

• White and black face paint
• Nose and scar wax
• Coagulated fake blood (more gloopy than ordinary fake blood)
• Fake blood capsules (for in and around the mouth)
• "Horror flesh" (for a different texture of skin)
  

Production Planning // Organisation

In the lesson we worked on organisation of our shoot.

We finalised the cast:
Rosie Lumbard
Molly Shapley
Simy Murphy
Alice Henderson-Begg
Phoebe Wright
Georgia McKinght

Organised what we needed for the makeup:
- Liquid Latex
- White Tissue Paper
- Nose and Scar Wax
- Bruise Wheel (face paint)

Sasha, India and I spoke to Jason and he said that on Thursday afternoon we need to meet in the studio and set up our floorboards ready for the shoot on Friday. The floorboards will consist of 2 walls and some floorboards that we be placed on top.

We also made a shot list so we know what we have to do on Friday:

Production Planning // Dilemma

In media we have been making our final plans for our thriller which we are scheduled to shoot on Friday the 16th. We organised who we wanted in our shoot, costumes, the shot list and planned what we need for the SFX makeup thing.

When Sasha ordered the makeup she thought that she would have the weekend to get everything ordered and plan what she was going to do. However, we were told on Wednesday that we were filming on that Friday so Sasha was scared that her makeup order wouldn't come so Sasha had to change the delivery from 5 days to 1-2 days, but the confirmation email said that everything will arrive to school between Thursday and Saturday.

Sasha then emailed the costume mistress in the school, Loz Tait, and asked if she would have anything that we could borrow for the shoot.

Later that day Sasha got a rely from Loz: 

Hopefully Sasha can talk to Loz and we can sort out our makeup situation.

What Makes it Work? // Research and Feedback

In the lesson we talked about our idea to Matt and Luke, we told him our final storyboard idea and how we would film it.

However, we decided that the first part of our story was not going to work as it was a bit stereotypical and could be quite boring.
So they came up with the idea that our whole opening sequence could just be the floorboards and we film the whole opening sequence under the floorboards and really focus on the detail of the bodies.

Matt also thought that the final shot of the eye coming through the floorboards was very cliche so we should think of another ending that would be as effective.

This gave us a good direction of where to go here and how we should go about filming our opening sequence. It also narrowed down our idea so we have a better sense of what we are doing.
We are also going to investigate interesting ways to film under floorboards and how we can light the set to make it effective.

This lighting style is very effective because you can see half of the face but the other half in in darkness, this gives the whole image a eerie effect and can be very effective if used correctly. I think that this would be a very interesting way to light the girls under the floorboards because it will make the whole scene feel more tense.

Our opening sequence is like the first scene of Kill Bill 2 where she is stuck in the coffin underground.  The only thing we see in the sequence is her trying to escape so it is very simplistic with lots of sound scapes. We could use this idea when we film our floorboard scene and take inspiration from it.

If you go on to Sasha's blog she has done a blog post about the stage make up (SFX makeup) we are going to use in our shoot.

Who is our target audience?

Age of our target audience: 13-20 years old

How/what would they be attracted to  by your film: They would be attracted to the horror aspect of our film. Although it is a thriller ours has a sub-genre of a horror this may will attract people who like horrors.

Other interests our audience would have: Going to theme parks, listening to music (pop/rock), watching TV programmes (American Horror Story, Skins), sports (football, rugby), hanging out with friends.

Secondary Audience: Our secondary audience is people aged 21-35 they may like it because our thriller is based on a real story and the way we have filmed it to make it look realistic. Our film is aimed at a mixture of a male and female audience because we feel that lots of people will be able to watch it. 

Plot: Our plot would attract our audiences because they're is lots of uncertainty to it so they never know what might happen

Genre: Our genre would mostly attract males as it is a horror however, because it has a thriller aspect to it it wouldn't be that scary so people who get scared easily will be able to watch it with no problem. 

Mise en Scene // Presentation

In the lesson Sasha and I created an Emaze on what our Mise en Scene will be and what we plan to do.

Floorboards // Production // Post 1

1. Why would your chosen company wish to make your film?  We have chosen the film company Cruise/Wagner productions. We have chosen this company because we think that the style of films they make are appropriate for our thriller opening sequence. 

2. What other films have they made in a  similar vein to yours?  A film they have made that is similar to our film is The Others. This is similar because it involves ghosts and it is a supernatural thriller like ours. The feel of the film is also silimar to ours because it is quite eerie with dark lighting and a ghostly feel to it which is what we are trying to achieve. This extract is similar to what we are trying to achieve with our film because the main women (Nicole Kidman) is dressed all in black, the house looks eerie and it keeps you on edge.

Floorboards // Production // Post 2

3. How does your film fit in the ethos of the institution? They make high budget films and they get A-list actors to star in their movies such as Nicole Kidman, Simon Pegg and Tom Cruise. The most famous director they hired was Brian De Palma for "Mission: Impossible" 
   

4. How would you make money out of your film – would it be shown in an art house cinema a chain cinema.  Does it have a DVD release, merchandising tie-in or use on Pay per view (PPV) TV?  Where would you place your product? I think that our film would be screened in cinemas such as Odeon. Our film would be released around Halloween as it complements our film. I don't think that our film will have a lot of merchandise because it is a one off film and people tend to by franchise merchandise and it is not the typical type of film where you would have merchandise. 

Floorboards // Production // Post 3

5. Does the chosen film company specialise in a particular genre of film? Cruise/Wagner Productions tend to specialise in thrillers/actions films so this would help in the production of our film and give people a sense of what to expect. 

6. Do they target a particular audience? What other films have similar target audiences to yours? I think that Cruise/Wagner Productions tend to aim their films at a wide audience from teens to middle age people. This is good because it means that lots of people would want to come watch our film because they will know that it will be suitable for a whole range of ages. I think that Mission: Impossible and The Others have a same target audience as our film because a wide age range of people watch them.
   
    

Opening Sequence // Influences

Blair Witch Project
With the Blair Witch Project we like the wooden shapes because they are a sign of the supernatural. Jason had some wooden symbols left over from a video shoot which we might use to place them around the corridor to make the supernatural feel more intense.

Weeping Angels

We got influences form the Weeping Angels because we liked the idea of when the shot cuts to another shot the ghost girl has jumped forward but the audience don't see her move.

Monsters // Vertigo Films

Information: 

  Plot: After  a NASA deep-space probe crash lands in Mexico, extraterrestrial life forms spread throughout the Mexico-United States border region, leading to the quarantine of the northern half of Mexico. US and Mexican troops battle to contain the creatures, while a wall stretching along the American border ostensibly keeps the US protected.

 Filming: This film was shot using prosumer cameras instead of the more expensive 35mm film cameras. Many settings featured in the film were real locations (ofter used without permission) and most of the extras were people who were already at the filming location. As most of the extras were non-actors who were persuaded to be in the film their action was improvised.

Editing and effects: Every night after shooting, the editor and his assistant would download the footage so the memory sticks could be cleared and ready for the next day. While new footage was being captured, the previously filmed footage was edited at the production team's hotel.

Edwards created the special effects himself using off-the-shelf Adobe software, ZBrush and Autodesk  He had five months to create all 250 visual effects shots, he did all of this in his bedroom.