Filming Journal - Main Task

In this blog post I will be explaning the process we underwent and the problems we encountered and how we solved them during filming.

The Day -

Our chosen day of filming was Saturday Janurary 14th. We met at 3pm at the chosen location, we chose this time as we wanted it to be starting to get dark to add a more realistic effect to the shots.

Our first shots were taken in the car park. We managed to get the perfect angle first time round however, we had to take the shot 3 times. The first shot was too blurry as we hadnt focussed the camera properly so we adjusted the camera lens and tried again. The second two shots were good but we took extra just to be safe.

The next stage of our filming was in the wooded area. The first shot in this section was 'Patrick' walking his dog and 'Evangeline' following him. This only took one take as the lighting was good, the actors were well prepared and followed instructions clearly. The shot in this section which took the longest to film was the shot where 'Buddy' followed 'Evangeline' into the woods. This took 4 attempts to film and required myself to be on set to get him to move into the correct spacing. This meant Maryam had to be camera person and director. This also meant that i was slightly in shot at the end however, we knew we would be able to trim this out during the editing stages.

Finally, for the last section of our filming we had to film up a huge hill. This was a problem as our actor for 'Patrick' was unable to climb up the hill. To overcome this problem myself and the actress of 'Evangeline' went up and got the POV shots. We then found another area to film the section where 'Patrick' was tied to a tree. However, by this time it had got alot darker. This meant that our shots were difficult to see.

Overall, our day was successful as we managed to get all the shots we needed, plus extras incase our edited footage was not long enough. We also managed to shoot it all in one day which allowed meant we had longer time to editing, render and export our final production. If we were to re-shoot our footage, we would improve by starting earlier in order to get all of our footage in good and clear lighting.

Talent Release - Main Task

During the pre-production stages of our film we asked our actors to fill out a talent release form. This is a document that allows us to use the talent of each of the actors and publish it. A talent release form is used to protect the producers.

Risk Assessment - Main Task

When planning for our filming we prepared a risk assessment. A risk assessment is a process which identifies possible hazards and ways to avoid them. It was important for us to carry out a risk assessment as we had to ensure our actors and crew were safe at all times. 

We first did a draft copy of our risk assessment. We took this to our teacher and got some feedback on how to improve and make it clearer to understand the risks and precautions. We then adapted our risk assessment after this feedback. 

We then got our teacher to approve and sign our final risk assessment so that we were able to film our footage safely. 

Cast Research - Main Task

In the opening sequence of our film only two characters are used.

Patrick -

Name: Keith Todd

Age: 71

Height: 5 ft 10

Hair Colour: Grey

Previous Experience: Extra in films and TV advert roles.

Reasoning for choice: We chose this person to be our actor for Patrick as he has previous experience with acting for camera. He also fits the description of the character and the age of the actor helps to create sympathy for him.

Evangeline -

Name: Evangeline Hayward

Age: 10

Height: 4 ft 6

Hair Colour: Red

Previous Experience: Attends a drama school where she has learnt about acting on camera. Has also been in theatre productions and undergone LAMDA examinations.

Reasoning for choice: We chose this person to be our actress for Evangeline as she has previous camera and acting experience. She also fits the description for the character of Evangeline as she has curly red hair. Finally, the age of the actress helps to show the theme of childhood innocence.

Props Research - Main Task

For our main task we will be using props to help create a realistic feel and atmosphere. We will need to research our choice of props in order to have a clear understanding of what we will need.

Car-

 

We will be using a car in the first two shots of the opening scene. In order to use this prop, we will need a licensed driver to film this scene, as this is a legal requirement.

Rope-  

We will be using rope as one of our props towards the end of the opening sequence. We will need to use it to tie one of our actors to a tree, which creates a tense atmosphere at the end of the opening scene.

Dog Lead-

We will be using a dog lead briefly at the beginning of the scene where the man takes the dog out of the car. The lead will be held by the actor throughout the shots 3-7.

Costume Research - Main Task

For our opening sequence of the film  there is only two characters shown; Patrick and Evangeline. Both characters have modern clothes on which confirm to their stereotypes.

Patrick -

  

Patrick wears stereotypical clothes for a man of his age. As we can see from these photos the colours worn are all earthy and plain. When planning a costume for this character we will take this into consideration in order to portray an accurate representation of the elder generation and make the film more realistic. Flat caps are often worn by older men. "In British popular culture, the flat cap is typically associated with older working class men, especially those in Northern England, and the West Country". Therefore it could be classed as a symbol to suggest the age of the character.

Flat Cap. In Wikipedia. Retrieved 1/11/17. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_cap#British_popular_culture

Evangeline - 

Evangeline is an average 11 year old. She is more of a 'tomboy'. These photos show different styles of outfit for young girls. The first outfit has very 'girly' connotations owing to the fact there is a lot of pink and the girl is wearing a skirt. However, the boots show a more 'tomboy' aspect to the outfit. The second photo is a mixture of both styles of outfit. It has a 'tomboy' feel to it but uses the colour pink to make it appeal more to the female gender. Lastly, the final photo shows a very 'tomboy' outfit choice. The colours used are stereotypically associated with the male gender. The checked shirt is often associated with cowboys suggesting a male influence. When considering our costume choices we need to take into account that Evangeline has been living outside for up to 5 months. This means she will have dirty, ripped clothes and messy hair. She would also have very dirty skin and cuts and bruises on her face and body. This will make the clothes appear more dull in colour and she will blend into the surroundings more.

Font and Title Research - Main Task

In this blog post I will be researching the typical conventions of horror fonts and how they are effective in conveying the horror genre.  

What is a font? - 

A font is a set of displayable text characters in a specific style or size. The design type of a set of fonts is called a typeface. There can be different variations of a typeface which forms a typeface family. For example, Arial is a typeface family, Arial Hebrew is the typeface and Arial Hebrew Scholar is the font. 

Why are fonts important? - 

A font is important because it can portray the genre of the film. A font is also important to create continuity between different types of advertising. For example, if you had a movie poster with the film title written in Arial and a flyer with the film title written in Times New Roman then people would get confused and think that the film is unprofessional and not want to see it. 

Conventions of a Horror font - 

• Fonts can either be Serif or Sans Serif. Both Serif and Sans Serif are commonly used for Horror fonts.

• Fonts for films usually have a subtle reference to the film in their design. For example the 'w' in 'Saw' is large and exaggerated with pointed ends. This could be in reference to the teeth of a saw. 

• Many horror titles use the colour red. This is because the colour red has connotations such as anger, danger, death and evil. These are all common themes in horror films so the colour red is an accurate representation of the film. 

• Film titles are often displayed on top of a dark background, for example, black. The colour black is often associated with horror films due to its connotations. Its often used to portray dark, scary or depressing feelings. This also means that many titles are white in colour due to the contrast, which means the title stands out. 

Font Designs - 

We created some of our own font designs after researching others. We tried out different styles and conventions to see which we preferred. We also got focus group feedback to see which design they preferred and thought would be most effective. 

Focus Group Feedback - 

• Katy - "I like font number 4 because it has a horror theme to it because it has blood dripping from the bottom. Also the colours red and black suggest that it is  the horror genre."
• Ellie - "I like font number 6 and it looks like it has been like scratched or engraved into a piece of wood or a tree. It reminds me of when people in prison or a mental hospital scratch tally's into the wall."
• Adam - "I like font number 5 because it is simple and looks like a child could have drawn it and because the main character is a child this could be effective."
• Helena - "I like font number 4 because it shows that it is the horror genre because of the use of blood. It is also quite bold so would stand out on posters."

Storyboard - Main Task

Props and Costume List - Main Task

Props List - 

When filming we will require very few props.

• Rope - To tie the man to the tree.

• Dog Lead - For the man to use when walking his dog.

• Car - For the man to drive at the beginning.

Costume List - 

• Patrick (Old Man) - Flat cap, Coat, Trousers.

• Evangeline - Dirty and ripped clothes (Jumper, Leggings, Gloves.) 

Location Research - Main Task

For our Main Task we have chosen to film at Cookham River, specifically Cock Marsh for the majority of the scenes. In order to have a good understanding of our filming location we have done some initial research in order to get a feel for the environment to help us with the planning of our film. 

Map Of Area - 

Terrain - 

• "Most of the walk is on level grassy footpaths with no stiles. There is one short, steep climb up Winter Hill which can be avoided if required" 

• "Walking boots are strongly recommended and some parts of the route are prone to flooding in the winter."

Cookham and Cock Marsh Walk. Retrieved 4th January 2017. From https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/maidenhead-and-cookham-commons/trails/cookham-and-cock-marsh-walk#Terrain

Images - 

The area shown above is at the top of the hill. We will use this area when filming shots 10, 11 and 12. We chose this location for these scenes as it is enclosed when dark will give an authentic creepy feel to the scene. 

This a long shot of the hill where we will be filming the majority of our opening sequence. The chosen location for filming is at the top of the hill in the heavily wooded area.

At the very beginning of our opening there is a scene where a car drives along the road and into a carpark. This section will be filmed at Cookham Moor Car Park. We chose this location at it is often quiet giving the scene a more eerie atmosphere.

Focus Group Feedback -

• Ellie - I think this location is appropriate because it has wooded area that is easily accessible and will make the footage convincing. 
• Katy - This location is good as it has a road near by to film the first scenes and a wood to film the rest of the scenes which means you only have to film in one location.
• Helena - This choice of location is good as it is easy to get to and find so that actors won't be delayed on getting there.
• Adam - This location is appropriate because it has got a long tree covered path that would be good to film along and is quiet which means the filming won't get disrupted. 

Shot List - Main Task

In this blog post I will be inserting our final copy of our shot list. This will help us to have a clear understanding of the order on the day so that we can make the most of the available time.