Shooting Schedule

Shooting Schedule

This is the shooting schedule that we made so that we knew exactly when we were going to film. Furthermore it will help us get our filming done efficiently so we don't waste time doing nothing. It highlights what date we will shot the particular shots on as well as where we will film them and the actors/actresses we will use. Props and costume are also listed on there so that we can just look and know exactly what we need to bring and all the equipment we must make sure we have. This schedule is extremely important so that each person knows exactly where they need to be and when. Without this schedule we would get behind and won't know when to film as well as lose out on potential time for editing and making our sequence the best it can be. Therefore we will stay organized and get our opening sequence filmed accurately. 

Location Permission

Location Permission

 

These are the letters which our group has sent to get permission to use the specific grounds. We explained in this letter what the reason was for us to use the particular area. Therefore we explained how we were students from Glenthorne who are studying Media and hoping to use the area to film our opening sequence. It was important for us to get this permission and by highlighting to the Sutton Council and the School how they would be thoroughly helping us, we hope they will provide us with the permission. This will mean we can stick to our plans and film in all the places we need.

Props and Costume

Casting

Casting

In order for our sequence to work we need to get the right casting so they help to tell the story and link to our main story line. Our target audience is 16 to 20 year olds so we wanted our characters to be of a similar age so that the audience would be able to relate to them.

This is Zoe who will play one of the three girls that carry out the incident. Zoe is the appropriate age for the character and is a female which is what we wanted. Then below is Ellie and Sophie who will also be playing the girls. They are all of a similar height which is important because it means throughout the sequence the audience won't know exactly who the character is. When we actually film they will all be wearing the same so that it displays how they all go to school and together and are friends with each other. Additionally throughout the sequence their identity will be hidden so that the audience are unsure of who they are and are more interested in watching.

Finally this is Daniel who will be acting as Tom in the sequence. Tom is the main character so we needed someone that would be the appropriate age and build and gender and Daniel is. He will wear the same costume as this apart from he will be wearing a white shirt. This is very plain clothing so doesn't really reveal much about his personality but expresses that he is quite an insecure person that doesn't want to be centre of attention.

Animatic

Animatic

This is our Animatic which is put together to discover what you are producing is going to look like. In order to make this we had to take pictures of all the shots we had drawn in our storyboards and then use these to create our animatic. This allowed us to add in the specific timings we wanted for each shot as well as try to add in the music we wanted. We were not too sure on the music but we decided we actually quite like it and it went quite well we our genre of a thriller because it gradually builds up as the sequence continues. We also got to add in the titles so we could place them over the top of certain shots and adjust the timings of them. We have realised we may want to make some titles longer because they don't appear on screen for long enough.

The font we decided to use was CharparralPro-Regular. The reason we chose this was because it is quite a simple font but very bold and captures your attention. It links well with our thriller genre because it helps build the intensity and is very formal and serious display how this film is going to be serious and not something silly. The boldness of the name of the film at the end of the opening sequence also signifies how something is about to happen.

We also added in our chose of distribution and production company. For our distribution company we chose Lionsgate because they have a history of some thriller films so is therefore relating to our genre. We then began to create a logo for our production company which we named Final Cut Productions.  We realise we need to make it fade and blend in better so we will have to do some editing on it.

In class we watched everyone's Animatic and provided them with feedback. This was good because it allowed us to get an opinion from someone else and see whether they liked it and what they think should be improved. The feedback we received was that we had a good range of titles however they went off screen too quickly therefore we need to make sure we extend the amount of time the titles are seen. Furthermore they liked the section which displayed fast paced editing of the shots of all the peoples faces because it created intensity. Additionally they said we should crop the images so that they were full scale, we took on board this feedback and cropped the images and it now looks more professional.

Chosen Sounds

Chosen Sounds

Chosen sound 1. We decided this is a good sound to use in the background of our opening sequence. This is because it starts off quite slow but has that spooky feeling to it which will draw in the audience and make them want to keep watching. Then later on it starts to get louder and the pace increase which would be effective for when the clues starts to be revealed. We could then use others sounds on top that relate to the specific shots but this is the background the intensity is constantly being increased.
Chosen sound 2. This is another sound we have chosen which we will use in the shot of the person washing their hands. This is a sound of the water coming out of the tap and it is quite a loud sound which will capture the audiences attention and make them want to discover who is washing their hands and why. This is a realistic sound so the audience will feel intrigued by it.


Chosen sound 4 and 5. We chose these sound because it will help to build up the tense and create that spooky atmosphere. The footsteps sound highlights how they are walking away from what they have done and because the audience can't see the peoples face they begin to ask lots of questions such as who are the people, what have they done, where have they gone etc. This helps to increase the intensity and keep the audience wanting to know more.

Storyboards

Storyboards

Below are all the storyboards that we have created. In order for us to plan our opening sequence we needed to create a storyboard so that we could decide on what shot types we wanted to use as well as how long these would last on screen. Even though we had lots of ideas we needed to get them on paper, firstly so we didn't forget them but also so we can see if it is long enough and whether it would actually work. To be able to produce these quickly but effectively we assigned specific tasks within creating it to each member of the group. So we had one person making a list of titles we needed to use, one person drawing, one person colouring and one person working out the timing. This meant every one in the group was pro active and the task was completely correctly.

This is a spider diagram we created to decide on the titles we needed for our opening sequence. Our storyboards needed to include the titles so one person wrote a list of the titles that needed to be included and then with our help we decide on who would be what. Even though we are only producing the first two minutes, we needed to remember that other people would feature later on in the film therefore we would need to include them in our titles so we made up some names for actors/actresses. We continued to check back in our notes to check we were using all the correct titles that followed a conventional opening sequence of a thriller.

This is one sheet from our storyboards. It conveys a mixture of shots we are going to use. We decided that we would draw out the shots and then decide on the order of which they appear. This meant more than one person could draw and then the shots would be done quicker and then we could cut them up and rearrange them. We had to make sure our timings were sensible and not too quick or too long. Even though this may not be exactly how it will happen when filming and editing it gives us a outline to follow so we know what we are doing.

This is one of our main storyboards which reveal parts of the character. These were probably the easiest shots to draw because we knew exactly how we wanted them to be. We wanted shots of the body and then a shot of the whole body because it would help us withhold the information and begin to reveal clues of who the person is. 

This was also a very important storyboard because it included shots of the setting so the audience can have an understanding of where they are. We wanted to cut between lots of shots to create intensity and worry the audience as to what's to follow. Some of these shots involved lots of sound so we made sure we made notes of what sounds would be heard.

 These shots display what happens near the end of the scene. It highlights the last shot of the phone where the time rewinds and goes back to the beginning. When drawing all of these we tried to make sure we had the same colours etc throughout to demonstrate how it is the same person and the consistency throughout.

Character Description

Main Character

This is a drawing of the main character who were have named Tom. Tom is male who is 15 years old and still at school. He is a very caring and kind boy but unfortunately very quiet so people do not get to see his full personality. He has brown hair and wears a school uniform which is a white skirt and black trousers. Even though it is a school uniform which is compulsory he comes across as a very smart boy in the way that he likes to keep his uniform tidy and doesn't want to look messy. Perhaps his impression to others worry him and he wants to try and fit in with everybody else.

The white shirt could suggest innocence and how he is a vulnerable boy who is afraid of the world because of what people say to him. The black trousers and long sleeved shirt are both covering up his body suggesting that he is trying to hide behind the clothing and trying to make himself not noticeable to others. This is because he is scared of what they will say to him and doesn't want to be centre of attention. He is quite insecure in his body and in the world around him.

Examples of Sound

Examples of Sound that could be used in The Opening Sequence

This is an example of a piece of music that could be used in our opening sequence. This is a very intense, spooky piece of music which can help build up the tension in the scene. I think this music sounds quite good in the way that it has the high and low notes making some parts more intense than others. This could be used when the shot of the people walking away is on, this is because it highlights how they are breathing deeply and getting worried but because the audience are unable to see their faces a suspicious feeling is created by the music.

Here is another example of music. This could be used in the background of the shots when they are washing the blood off the hands because the music has a continuous beat in it that sounds similar to a hospital machine bleeping. Therefore this highlights how they are thinking about the person they have hurt and are starting to worry about what they have done. This will create a feeling of worry for the audience because it will be when clues are starting to be revealed meaning the music feels as though it is building up and up to the answer.

This is the third example. This I feel is the most intense piece and is possibly another option for when the bullies are walking away. This is because it will increase the pace of the scene and make it more intense and worrying for the audience. The way the beat increases could indicate how scared the bullies are getting at the realisation of what they have done. It will build up the emotions in the scene and make the audience ask themselves what is going to happen next.


The clip below is one of our chosen sounds that we have decided to use in our opening sequence. The reason for this is because it is a very dramatic sound that draws in the audience and expresses how something bad is about to happen. The intensity of the water dripping gives that suspicious feeling. It is a very loud sound that will grasp the attention of the audience

Key Frames

 Key Frames Shots

This is one of the key shots we will use and it displays a close up of the hands with the blood dripping off of it. This shot is very interesting because it makes the audience worried about what has happened and withholds the information so that they begin to ask questions about who it is?, why has this happened? etc. Therefore it will keep the audience engaged by just displaying a clue that someone has been hurt. This shot will be linked in with a range of shots of the body so that the different sections that have been hurt will be revealed to the audience. The reason we choose this shot was to build the tension and created a mysterious atmosphere where nobody knows what's happening.

This is a wide shot of the whole body. This shot will come after the montage of shots of the parts of the body because they will be the clues leading up to this shot which finally reveals the identity of the person. We felt this shot would be good because it conveys how the person has been injured and reveals the approximate age and gender of the character as well as portraying a bit of the location.

This is a close up of when the boy switches off the alarm clock. This is an important shot because it is the last shot the audience will see as it is the shot that ends the opening sequence. Furthermore it rewinds everything that has been seen and highlights how it is going back to the day before everything has happened. It will ring and then be turned off to indicate that it is the start of the day and what's going to come isn't going to be good.

This displays an extreme close up of the blood dripping down the boys face. This shot follows the shots of the parts of the body because it highlights how badly he has been hurt but that there is still a part of him that is working which is his eye. Perhaps the twitching of his eye is suggesting how he is trying to stay strong and get out of the situation. The shot makes the scene more intense because it gives the feeling that he is looking at the audience trying to ask them for help and is communicating with them to get their attention. Additionally the blood makes them panic and want to find out exactly what's happened. It also is providing the audience with a clue to what has happened.

This is an over the shoulder shot of the person washing the blood off their hands. It highlights how they are panicking over what they have done and coming to the realisation that they have done a terrible thing. Additionally it conveys how they are trying to hide the evidence that they have done something. It confuses the audience but makes them ask question about who the person is and why they have blood on their hands. Furthermore it is still withholding information because the persons identity is being hidden as we cant see their face.

This is a close up of a shoe to create suspicion and worry the audience as to whose shoe it is. It could be two meaning; it could be the boy who has been hurt or someone may have lost it when running away therefore it is confusing the audience but making them try to work out the answer. Even though this is close up, we could do a long shot of this to indicate how it is in the middle of no where, where no body will find it.

by 08grimshaws

Plot Synopsis

Plot Synopsis

Vox Pops

VoxPops





In order for our opening sequence to be successful we had to collect a range of feedback from the audience so that we knew exactly what they would want to see and what they would expect to see in a thriller opening sequence. Even though we have previously completed questionnaires by doing Vox pops we could get more in depth answers from the people who would be viewing the film. We decided to ask five questions that would give us appropriate and useful information that would be helpful to know when creating our sequence. To make sure we got a varied sample we asked five people; three of which were males and two who were females so that we could get a perspective from both genders.
  From the feedback we received we discovered that the audience want to view something exciting and want to feel engaged with the film. They want to witness something that will make them jump a little but most importantly something that won't bore them. Therefore from our knowledge and skills we could try to withhold information in our sequence and make the audience ask questions as to what is happening. Additionally we could add clues so that the audience feel that connection with the film and like an investigator.
  We also discovered that they want a thriller to do what is says and 'thrill' them. They want to be entertained but also want something interesting to excite them into what's about to come. One way in which could help do this is by using the characters. The feedback told us that normal everyday characters should be used but should also have the mysterious feel to them. This would be effective in our sequence because we could use normal people and then the audience would be confused as to whether he/she was the protagonist or antagonist and would make them even more likely to want to keep watching.
 Finally the location is important to add tension to the scene and make the audience worried about what's to come. There was quite a range of answers to what they would expect the location to be with some saying somewhere futuristic whereas others saying everyday locations. Therefore this could suggest that any setting would be appropriate as long as you use it in the right way. We have decided to use a park and alleyway because it is quite a normal location but also quite scary because it can create different meanings. This means that we can take a location and make it attract the audience and want to continue watching.

   Now that we have received all the feedback from the people we can put it together and work out what we should do to produce an effective opening sequence to a thriller.

Ideas for opening sequence

 

Ideas for our Opening Sequence

 This is a mind map to highlight some of the ideas I had. I created this so I could discuss with my group what ideas I had for setting, location, type of character, props etc.

 

I then created this mind map with my group to highlight what our initial ideas were and what we had to think about before creating our opening sequence.

Analysis of the results from the questionnaires

Results from my questionnaire

Results from the questionnaires

For this part of our research we had to prepare a questionnaire and then hand it out to ten people. This would then allow us to get a range of results and discover what people think of particular genres of film and what they would expect to see in the opening sequence. We began the questionnaire with quite general questions about films and then began to specialize the questions to do with Thriller films because that is our chosen genre.

Here are three examples of parts of the questionnaires I carried out. Two are females and one is a male. It is interesting to discover what people think and their ideas about the film.

Here are the results from all of my questionnaires put into graphs to make it easier to see the different proportions.

For the question above we also asked the participants to state a reason for their answers and we received the following replies;

• Because I wouldn't watch the film if I had been told it was bad anyway.
• Keeps you interested.
• It reveals later events in the film.
• To draw my attention to the movie.
• Lets me know how good the film will be.
• Always miss it.
• Because this establishes the mood of the film and can make or break films and help me decide if I want to watch on or not.
• Sets the scene.
• Audience is introduced to the characters and setting.
• It tells you what the film is going to be like.

Another question asked was "How do you watch thrillers? E.g. DVD, online, cinema etc." and this received the following replies;

• DVD, online, cinema
• DVD
• On normal channels
• TV (sky movies)
• Cinema, online
• Online
• Online
• Online and Cinema
• Cinema and Online
• Online

The next question asked "What do you expect the main character to look like E.g. Scary?" and the participants gave these answers;

• Not normal (scary)
• Strong and Handsome
• Powerful and demanding
• Hard
• Scary
• Scary
• Mysterious, Dark
• Scary
• Creepy, Mysterious
• Inspector

The final question asked them "What location would you expect in a thriller? E.g. Abandoned Island, haunted house" and the answers given were;

• Natural Environment, Abandoned Island
• Mountains
• Eerie Location
• City
• Futuristic City
• Haunted House
• Abandoned Place
• Haunted House
• Haunted House, Abandoned Building
• Abandoned Areas and Isolated places

Conventions of a Thriller Opening Sequence

Analysis of The Conjuring

Analysis of Inception

Locations

Locations

The aim of this task was to find a mixture of locations that could be used for a particular genre of film. The three genres were Thriller, Romantic Comedy and Action Adventure. Below are some images of the locations I found.

Thriller

I believed these images could be for a thriller film because the settings are very old and look slightly ‘broken’. This could therefore suggest it is quite a scary place and people are worried about what I going to happen there. The first image is in a park and it displays quite a dark pathway through the trees which indicates that there could be something scary beyond. Then the brick work has lots of plants growing on it which highlights how it is not very well kept and nobody really goes there this could therefore create a thrill to know what’s beyond. The second image is also in the park but highlights the steps. The way the tree is in the image suggests that the setting is hiding something. All the brick work is different colours meaning it is very old and worn. Then the final image is probably my favourite location for thriller. I took this photo in Nonsuch park and I feel it is a good setting because it has the benches making it appear quite normal but then to the side there is an old gate door. This gives a sense of worry and anxiety because nobody knows what is behind there.

 

 

Romantic Comedy

Romantic Comedy was an interesting one to find because it needed to display a nice setting but have a meaning behind it. The first image I took at Hampton court. I believe this is a good location because it has the walkway leading up to the fountain and then the trees surrounding.  This looks like a nice location to go for a walk together as a couple which therefore highlights the romantic part. However it could also display comedy if perhaps they had an argument and the woman pushed the man in. This would entertain the audience and make them laugh.

The second image I took at Southampton Harbour. This is a very peaceful setting which is nice for couples to relax and enjoy each others company with the amazing view. Perhaps one of them could drop something into the harbour by accident or maybe a man is taking a girl out on a date and provides her with a lovely location but ends up dropping things and messing it up. This could add humour because he keeps doing things wrong but could also portray sympathy for him. The audience will enjoy watching he mess up but also feel sorry for him at the same time.

 

The final image I took at Nonsuch park. This captures a lovely walkway leading up to the Manson. This is a setting which expresses romance where a couple could walk through the archway and enjoy their time together. Or it could be used to highlight  a couple that haven’t seen each other in ages and have one person running from on end of the walkway and the other person at the other end. Then one of them could fall over portraying that humour.

 Action Adventure

Action Adventure could be a mixture of things from sports activities to the daily challenges in life. One location was this beach. This displays the rough waves which people could surf on. This highlights adventure because are being brave and trying something new. Also it could be a difficult sport and people are challenging themselves.

 

The second image is in London of the London Eye. This portrays a new adventure that people go on to discover London and see all the different parts to it. This could be a scary adventure for some because they may be scared of heights and it is a chance for them to overcome their fear. However others may like the feeling they get when they are right at the top feeling on top of the world.

 

This image was also taken in London and portrays the adventure of travelling around. London is always very busy and it conveys how much traffic there is but also the amount of taxis and the famous red buses. It portrays the hustle and bustle of London and all the action that’s goes on. This setting could be used to highlight a persons journey through London.