Filming reviews

31/01/16

Today me and my dad (acting as the builder) went to his workshop in Thetford to get the footage of the builder at the builders site where he is going about his daily business and then uncovers an arm with the digger. 

• What worked well? 

Me and my dad got in really well which was great as we usually argue quite a lot and surprisingly he stayed serious throughout, this was helpful as it meant we could get things done effectively and quickly. Also, the location was just how I  wanted it so I didn't have to spend long setting up the area. Additionally, because I live with my dad we can communicate regularly and talk about my media video so he knew what to do when we got the the location therefore we were organised and both knew exactly what to do, such as what he had to act out etc. And having a clear idea in my head of what I wanted my film to look like meant I didn't have to send ages thinking of what shots and acting to get my dad to do, also by doing many different versions of footage from different angles meant that when I put the footage together I can use whatever worked best to get my film to look as good as possible and not have to go back and fourth to  the location to re film because Thetford is quite far away. 

• What didn't work so well?

My dad isn't an actor and has never had to act or been interested in acting, therefore it doesn't look as realistic as it could of if I  had someone who had a passion for acting. 

• Anything that might/does need to be re filmed?

As I took numerous different recordings of each thing my dad acted from different angles I should be okay with the footage I have because I can pick ones that works best and if one looks bad I have extra footage I can use instead. Also, I shouldn't need to re film anything because I watched all the footage back before leaving  to make sure it was perfect and just what I wanted. 

• Did everything run smoothly? 

Everything ran pretty smoothly other than the weather. We tried to get out to film as early and possible before it started to pour down with rain. However, we did get caught in the rain which made it hard to film as we had to wait for the rain to settle before we started filming again; as the camera kept getting wet! Although, the light rain and dampness of the ground and dark cloudy sky added to the atmosphere by creating a pathetic fallacy of the builders mood. I think it made it look more mysterious and suited the situation because if it was really sunny the atmosphere would feel too happy for the situation - a body being uncovered in the rubble. On the other hand, I was lucky there was little wind! I was worried it was going to be too windy to hear the actors speech but there was hardly any windy which was great and it wasn't obvious on the recordings. 

• Any ideas you are changing? 

Originally I planned on filming most of the footage from the characters point of view so that the audience fees like they're actually in the situation but when I got the location it wasn't so possible. Because I wanted to film from inside the digger as if the film is from the actors eyes as they control and move the digger and then the audience see what the actors sees as he discovers the arm, however there wasn't enough room in the digger to do so and when I tried to get my dad to film and drive at the same time the footage was all shaky, so I had to re think of how to film such as what other types of shots I could use. 

• Any ideas you got as you went along?

I followed my story board to an extent. I knew what I wanted to do and how I wanted it to look so I used my story board until the actor got into the digger because like I said above I was unable to film from inside the digger at the actors point of view so I had to change it. I also discovered my story board was a little brief so I added extra things in as I went along and my actor added in speech which I originally didn't want to include and therefore didn't include in the story board. 

03/02/16

Yesterday me and Kate filmed the scientist part of the film opening in one of the science labs at school. Mr Bavage was away and therefore unable to film that day but luckily Lee stepped in to play the role! Lee is one of the science technician's at our school. 

• What worked well?

I was really happy with how the filming went. It worked well how organised me and Kate where before filming. Before filming me and Kate sat down and came up with a prop list which included everything we needed in the film, this included stuff for an experiment such as sulphuric acid, test tubes and measuring cylinders and so on. We then handed this to one of the science technicians who was able to get everything set up for us on the day: this was helpful because we only had an hour to film, this meant we weren't rushed as we didn't have to spend ages rushing around to get props. Likewise, we thought a head and booked a science lab for the date and time we wanted which meant there was definitely a free class because last time we went to film there was not one free and we had to postpone the filming. In addition, we hadn't been in the lab we were filming in until the day and time we were filming this meant there was a risk the room wasn't suitable and I was worried there was not going to be a cupboard bigger enough of me (acting as the dead body) to lay in and fall out of as the scientist opened the cupboard doors, but when we got to the lab there was one that was just the right size which was great! 

• Anything that might/does need to be re filmed?

Once we got back to the classroom and watched the footage back on the computer we realised that there wasn't quiet enough footage to be a minute long, also as we filmed lots of short clips we realised they didn't all fit together and flow, for example one minute the scientist was lighting a Bunsen burner and the next he was opening the cupboard with the dead body in without even showing him walking across to the cupboard, this looked a bit strange! Due to this, we got back in touch with Lee and we are going to film some more footage. We will film the scientist walking from the side where he is doing his experiment across to the cupboard and then a close up of his face to film his reaction as he uncovers the dead body because at the moment it just end with the dead body lying there and he doesn't look shocked or scared, which looks really fake and unrealistic. 

• Did everything run smoothly? 

Filming the scientist didn't run as smoothly as the builders footage. Because Dr Bavage was unable to be the actor and that stressed me out because I had to quickly find another adult to take his role. Also, in the classroom there was little space to move about unlike the builders location as there were desks and chairs everywhere, this meant that there wasn't many spaces to put the tripod to get a good angle. Due to this we had to film by hand and it meant the footage wasn't so still. Also when we tried to film the scientist doing his experiment on the work surface the tripod was to high and therefore we had to stack trays that were in the classroom to get the right height which wasn't so practical or professional!

• Any ideas you are changing? 

There no ideas we are changing. I'm really happy with the footage but like said above we are going to film so extra footage.

• Any ideas you got as you went along?

Kate and I mainly followed the story board that we previously created, we didn't really change or come up with any new ideas whilst filming. Other than we added in a short recording over the scientists shoulder of him measuring acid into a measuring cylinder. 

Script final draft

I haven't made any changes from my original script. 

 

Final script for scientist:

scientist: puts on lab coat and buttons it up 
scientist:walks over to a desktop and lights a Bunsen burner 
scientist: places goggles on his head and puts the band around 
scientist: pours copper sulphate into a measuring cylinder then puts it down and put it is a test tube
scientist: walks over to the cupboard to get some more equipment out
scientist: opens the cupboard to find a dead body.

Final script for Builder:

Builder: Leans into the workshop to tell his friends he is going to do some work outside 

Builder: Walks over to the digger 

Builder: Gets into the digger and drives towards the pile of rubble

Builder: Begins to scoop up the rubble and uncovers something 

Builder: Jumps out of the digger to look at the object hidden in the rubble

Builder: Gets his shovel to uncover a hand 

Builder: Calls 999

In the actually film opening once its put together each scripts wont run so smoothly like that because it will keep cross cutting between the two different locations to look as if these two unfortunate events are happening at the same time. 

Shooting schedule

Shooting the builder:

Today is the 31st of January and I shall be going with my dad to Thetford to film outside his workshop, around midday when its the lightest outside and before the weather gets any worse: as it's due to rain. I would have filmed at an early date although I've had to wait for my dad to get the digger back to his workshop, which was a pain because it meant there is less time to edit my filming. Although, as my dad is acting it's been relatively easy to organise as I communicate with him on a daily basis. 

Shooting the scientist: 

Trying to find a place and time to film the scientist has been a rather difficult and  stressful situation as numerous things have cropped up. Originally, we were going to film at Kate's dads lab with her dad as the actor, however we were unable to get permission to do so. After this we chased up one of the school science teachers who agreed to act period 4 Friday the 29th, although on the day there were no science labs free due to miss communications so we were unable to film, and have re booked for Tuesday the 2nd during one of our media lessons. To make sure there is a lab free we have spoken to the science technicians  who have booked us a room for the time we need it. As our school is quite big it is rare that we actually see Dr Bavage (who is going to act) which makes it hard to communicate face to face with each other.

After watching the footage back of the scientist we have decided we need more footage and have agreed a date to film Tuesday the 3rd in the same lab.

Prop list

Builders site location:

• Digger
• Prosthetic arm
• Pile of rubble/shingle/mud

Science lab location: 

• Cupboard 
• Bunsen burner
• Bunsen burner mat
• Acids for show such as hydrochloric acid
• Test tubes
• Test tube rack
• Goggles
• Lab coat 

Characters

In the opening two minutes of the film the audience will meet two men - a builder and a scientist who are working at their place of work.

Character profile of the builder: 

Name: Bill Henson
Age: 48
Profession: Builder
Likes: His family, hanging out with friends, going for walks, social networking, his dog
Dislikes: Having to use knowledge such as maths questions, change, having nothing to do
History: Didn't go to school much or try hard, married with three children, no bad records
Personality traits: friendly, funny, family orientated
Friendship groups: many different friends from different places

Character profile of the scientist: 

Name: Adrian Smith
Age: 50
Profession: Scientist
Likes: learning, reading the newspaper, days at home
Dislikes: annoying, loud and outgoing people, loud music, celebrities
History: Bright and clever student who went to Cambridge university, divorced twice.
Personality: Blunt and straight to the point, socially awkward, boring
Friendship groups: Stay in touch with a few mates from when he was younger but keeps himself to himself.

Casting

For the Scientist role: 

Dr Adrian Bavage
Age: 55
Profession: teacher
Likes: plants and science 
Personality traits: smart
Three words to describe them: Intelligent, tolerant, approachable

Jim Kerry 
age: 17
Profession: Unemployed 
Likes: hanging out with friends 
Personality traits: friendly and caring 
Friendship groups: One large group of friends 
three words to describe him: Friendly, funny, kind

Tom Balderstone
 Age: 16
Profession: unemployed
Likes: Going out with friends, parties, music
Friendship groups: One small group of friends 
influences: friends 
3 words to describe them: Funny, generous, friendly 

Mark Lankester 
Age: 50
Profession: scientist 
Likes: walking, football
Dislikes: parties, loud music 
Friendship groups: small group of friends
3 words to describe: grumpy, unsociable, blunt

For the builders role:

Chris Harris: 
Age:48
Profession: builder / carpenter 

Likes: faceook/social media and the internet
Dislikes: cheese and reading

3 words to describe him: sociable, funny, outgoing

Oscar Bullcock 
Age: 16
unemployed
likes: pranks, making people laugh, parties
dislikes: tomatoes 
personality traits: annoying, loud
friendship groups: school friends 
3 words to describe them: friendly, funny, interesting

For the small dead boy role:

For this role we want someone who is small who will fit inside the cupboard in the lab so when the scientist goes to get equipment for his experiment out the cupboard the body falls out. By using a boy it goes against stereotypical horror movie conventions where a girl gets killed. 

Finn Harris

Age: 8 

Likes: football, boxing, xbox

Dislikes: learning, cleaning

I was thinking of using my brother Finn as he is the only small boy me and Kate know of and who was willing to take part. We asked a few year sevens around school but they weren't interested. 

Final cast:

All of the above are people we have considered for the role of the scientist and the builder. All the teenagers are mine and Kate's friends at sixth form, I feel the teenagers would be less appropriate for the roles as they're younger and having them acting as if they're at their place of work looks unrealistic as they don't look old enough, likewise it would be hard to find a location for them to film at because they don't have a place of work. Due to this reason, we have chosen my Dad, Chris Harris for the builder role as he is actually a builder. I feel by using my dad to act he will be unlikely to feel embarrassed and mess around like the teenage boys would because they don't realize the seriousness of the film and may feel embarrassed because when we did short auditions by getting them to read a few lines of a script the boys laughed and didn't take it seriously. On the other hand, for the scientist we originally were going to use Kate's dad Mark for the role, however, Mark was unable to let us use his lab which he works in and he also had no time free to come use a lab at school either. Due to this me and Kate asked one of the science teachers at school to act as the scientist who kindly agreed and allowed us to use of the school science labs. By using men who are in there everyday place of work the will be better at acting because they do this profession everyday. I planned on using my brother to play the role of the small dead body, he was really excited to take part, however we were unable to get Finn in during a time that suited Dr Bavage (the scientist) and Finn because it would result in Finn coming out during school time, as a result I had to quickly step in a play the role.  

Costumes: 

The builder will be wearing his everyday building work gear, This consists of old and tatty clothes such as a thick water proof jacket as its the winder and likely to be raining, a jumper with paint and mud down it, think trouser with knee pads on, work boots and a hat. 

The scientist will look as if they're getting ready for an experiment, this will involve the scientist putting on a white lab coat and goggles. 

The dead body will fall out the cupboard facing downwards so the face shouldn't be seen and the audience will just see the hair draping across the head, as none of us are great actors it would be hard to fake being dead so by not showing the face it seems more realistic. However the actors will be wearing make-up just in case, this will consist of a white face paint to make the body look washed out and dead and bit of fake blood splattered everywhere to look as if the body has been attacked. The body will be wearing a plain white tee-shirt to show they're an everyday normal innocent child like everyone else.

It shouldn't be difficult to source these costumes because the the actors are acting in there everyday work attire and therefore they have everything at home and nothing needs to be brought, likewise at home I have face paint and fake blood.

Final locations

Location one: 

For my final location where the builder will be with his digger I was unable to find a builders site that I was able to use like I originally hoped for, however, as my dad is a builder I was able to use the land outside his work shop as a location to film. The location was still just as good as the original idea because it had skips and  machinery in the background to make the set look realistic and there was lots of rubble that could be used to hide the prospective arm in to be uncovered by the digger. Also, because it was my dads (the actors) real place of work it made the film more realistic because in the film the man is just going about his usually day at work until he uncovers the body in the rubble.


Here's a picture I took of the location before filming on Sunday...

Location two: 

The final location for the scientist is the school lab. Originally we wanted to use Kate's dad's lab as it would look more professional but we were unable to get permission to film there. Even though this is a school lab it is still the scientists we are using real place of work and therefore it makes the film seem more believable because many adults are school teachers.  By filming location one outside and location one two outside it gives a contrast between the two settings and the audience wont get confused which location they're at. 

Storyboard

Before filming Kate and I created a story board, thinking about the different shots and angles so that on the day of filming we have an idea of what were doing rather than getting stressed out and confused. By creating a story board it meant that me and Kate could decide what was going to happen and agree on what the film would look like and include and so on because Kate wouldn't be there on the day of filming.

Plot synopsis

We originally wanted to have two men working and getting on with their daily lives but then they find a dead body at the work place. But then after we watched the footage back we thought it would look better if the scientist was behind all the murders. As he is setting up for the experiment it looks like he is about to cut up the body in the cupboard. So the rest of the film would be the builder trying to find who the killer is. The police give up looking for him but the builder doesn't stop and there are more murders throughout the film with a few twists. The scientist finds out that the builder is looking for him and threatens to kill his family too if he doesn't stop. In the end the builder finds the scientist but he gets away before the police can get there.

Location research

There will be two locations in my film...

Location one:

This is what the location of the builders site will look like where the film will begin with.

Location two:

This is what the location of the science lab will look like at Kate's dad lab.

I have agreed numerous days with my dad who will be acting as the builder because its outside and if its really rainy or windy I will be unable to film, so by on agreeing on numerous days if the weather is too bad for one we always have back up options. However, for the science lab the filming will be inside so the weather wont affect the filming quality.

I think these locations are good because they're everyday locations that the audience wouldn't expect a dead body to be found in so its rather shocking for the audience and because their everyday locations it will scare the audience that it could happen to them at any time.

We are using one interior and one exterior location, by using one of each it gives and contrast between the two so as both the location's are completely different the audience wont get confused with what it happening when it swaps between the two locations.


These two locations add to mise en scene because the science lab and the builders site are so contrasting to one another. The science lab is a room inside that it is clean, tidy and professional, where as the builders site outside is dirty and gritty. having two contrasting locations shows having a murder take place and your place of work could happen to anyone and as the two locations are so different more of the audience can relate because one of the locations is likely to be similar to their place of work which would make them feel scared. Likewise, there is contrast between the two main characters my dad (the builder) and Lee (the scientist) are very different from each other. My dad is small, older and bald, where as Lee is young, tall with dark brown hair. Likewise this adds the fact it could happen to anyone not a particular type of person.

Based on your first draft - learning from my preliminary task

What did you learn during your preliminary task that you  want to avoid/implement/develop upon in your actual coursework?

Firstly, from my preliminary task I want to avoid being unorganised because it became rather stressful on the day I came to film because we hadn't created a storyboard or thought of exactly what we were going to film such as the different shots and angles. This lead to disagreement when we got to our locations because all of us filming had different ideas on how we wanted to film. So this time before me and Kate film we have discussed our ideas and made a compromise and we have agreed on exactly what we want to do by creating a script that includes all character direction/setting changes/dialogue etc, this should stop any arguments and disagreements.  Also, I need to develop my skills on using editing software such as adobe premier because I don't know how to edit my film footage into the film as I have had no experience before in editing as Will did all the editing in the preliminary task. I also want to avoid my film from looking unrealistic because in my preliminary task the actors kept laughing and not acting very well. To avoid this for my final film I will have to pick my actors wisely and tell them about the seriousness of the film and if they aren't willing to act seriously then I will have to find someone else. Also, my preliminary task recording was really shaky which made the video look really unprofessional. To avoid this I will use take my time by giving myself loads of time to film and use a tripod. Lastly, I want to develop on using camera shots and angles in my final film. I can do this by looking at my preliminary task and see what ones worked well and what ones didn't work so well.

Based on my idea so far - target audience

What ways would your target audience ideally be able to consume your film?

 

I think my target audience is going to be around the ages 15-50. I have chosen this because many people like to relate to the characters in a film and in the opening minutes of the film there is a teenage girls body discovered and the two main characters are adults- the oldest being 48. Therefore, I think people around15-50 are likely to relate to a character in the film and therefore they could put themselves in the characters shoes.

For my film I think the target audience would be mainly teens and young adults - around 15-50. Most people around this age tend to use the internet to watch films rather than go out and pay to watch and film at the cinema and the internet is becoming increasingly more popular every year. Therefore, if I was to release the film it would start as a Netflix exclusive film as I feel it would be more popular and have more viewers this way as its easy to access. If the film was to become increasingly popular and older generations were interested in the film then I would bring out the film in different forms such as a DVD, because older generations tend to use the internet less or not at all. Likewise, I think it could be a film released in the cinema because the older people in the target audience are more likely to still go to the cinema than use Netflix's.

My idea so far, script draft

The idea so far for my opening two minutes of my film is, it will begin with the cross cutting between two men going about their daily business in their place of work like any normal day. One man will be at a builders site where he does normal things such as getting into his digger and then it will cross cut to the man in the science lab who will be doing everyday things such as getting ready for an experiment such as lighting a Bunsen burner and measuring things. And then it will cut back to the man at the builders site who will uncover and an arm with his digger in the mud. And it will cross cut back the man in the science lab who will go to the cupboard and as he opens it a dead body of a boy falls out and then the opening credits will come up and spooky music will start playing.

Plot synthesis:

From the above if I was to carry on the opening of the film into a full film I would have it as lots of death start happening in the area and there this scary mysterious girl who people keep seeing and  slowly it begins to unravel how the bodies got to being there and what happened to the girl as to why she is going round killing people.

I am looking to work in a two - me and Kate

We have chosen to create a murder mystery. We have chosen this because me and Kate love to watch horror films and films that get you thinking its our favourite type of genre which we have lots of knowledge on existing horror films.

I think our film starts as a linear narrative where the men uncover the dead bodies, however if we were to do the whole film I would include flash backs that tell the audience how the bodies got there so the plot if slowly revealed throughout the film like a murder mystery.

We are looking to use three characters in our film. Two men and a small boy. My dad is going to be a man going about his daily job on a building site and the gets into his digger and as he scoops up the ground he uncovers an arm. We also are going to use one of the science teachers to act in our film. We plan on using to also be going about his daily routine in the lab until he opens the cupboard and a dead body of a boy falls out. We have chosen to use a male as the victim because it goes against a stereotypical horror film where the females is always the victim.

The locations we plan on using are a builders site and a school science lab.

I definitely do not want to give too much away in the opening two minutes, I want something that will leave the audience wanting to find out more.

There will be very little dialogue in my film. As the two men will be on their own and the film will keep cutting between the two they will have no one to speak to the only noise coming from them may be a gasp when they uncover the body, I think no dialogue will make the tension rise and the audience will focus all their attention on the plot and what it happening.

I think to begin with whilst the men are going about their daily busiest it will be quite such as no sounds track but it would be effect to have a noise in the background building up such as a blood rushing noise that's inside the man's head and maybe someone boils the kettle and you can hear it boil. After the bodies are uncovered spooky mysterious music could start playing after and then the opening credits come up leaving it on a cliff hanger, leaving the audience to think what happened next?

I don't think the characters should break the fourth wall because its not as if they know the camera is there the are just going about their daily business. I will also not be using narration in the opening two minutes because the plot is pretty straight forward without an explanation.

POV shots will be good to use in my film so the camera looks as if its what the two men are seeing, this builds up suspense because the audience are seeing exactly what the actor is seeing.

Builder script draft: 

Builder: texts on phone
Builder: looks at the pile of mud he was to scoop up
Builder: get into digger
Builder: drives up to pile of mud
Builder: dig up hand

Scientist script draft:

Scientist: put on lab coat
Scientist: walks over to goggles and puts them on
Scientist: Picks up matches and lights Bunsen burner
Scientist: goes over to cupboard to opens it
Scientist: dead body rolls out and he steps back in shock

At the moment we don't want dialogue in our film to build tension.

Audience research feedback

Summery: For my target audience we asked a range of people to answer our questions. We asked 5 people who were our target audience which are teenagers and 3 people who weren't our target audience, a slightly older crowd. I asked my parents and my friends to answer the questions. We asked some of them all of the questions but other only one or two because we had too much footage. We filmed most of it in the school and parts at Kate's home to film her parents and her 20 year old sister. I thought it went really well but I would film it landscape instead of portrait because it would have looked better. 

I have learnt that it would have been better to film in a quiet place for all of our people not just some. This is because there was a lot of background noise and it was hard to hear the people talking. I have learnt that almost all of the people we interviewed watched feature films the most also that TV drama was a popular as well as websites. These were the top three answers for what people watch the most. They all thought the same target audiences for the genre's for example, they all said that TV dramas are for older people. Two of our people we interviewed said that other ways to advertise are trailers at the cinema were the best way to advertise, where as my mum said she thought that a poster at the bus stop is the best way to advertise. Surprisingly they all said different things to how they watch films. Rhiannon said she goes to the cinema most, jasper said he watches sky box office and Richard said online streaming the most. I was quite surprised that Rhiannon said cinema the most because it is quite expensive and I would agree with Richard, I would watch online streaming the most. 

The things I would change or do differently are that I would film it landscape instead of portrait and I would use a camera on a  tripod. This is because I found it hard to keep my hands steady and not move them whilst filming. It also would have made the quality of the film better. Overall I felt that the consensus was that many teenagers these days watch films on Netflix and hardly listen to the radio or buy magazines anymore. I agreed with our target audience but our older participants thought differently to the teenagers we used. The overall agreement of our 2 minute opening of a film was that it was a good idea and if we get it right it will look really good and will be a successful murder mystery film.

Audience research