Editing

I have changed footage of a digital clock counting down so that it counts from 15 minutes for us to use in our film. In our story board we showed how we want to have a count down on our trailer to show that the characters are in a game. I have also used an effect found on Final Cut Pro and exported it to imovie where we are actually editing our footage so that we can have a camera cutting out - this fits really well with the idea of the characters being watched and this being footage that is being privately filmed.

We also got a lot of footage of our characters running. We thought this would help create the sense of action and I have tried editing them one after the other so that the sense of action is built up throughout the trailer. This action mixed with the timer helps to give the whole trailer a sense of urgency and give a good idea of the general feel of the film.

Lighting

We had a lot of fun and difficulty with lighting, and used two main types of light whilst shooting:

•  Natural Lighting: 

Lighting was an important part of our film planning, we required a various array of equipment. As most of our shots were outside we had to depend a lot on getting the timing right for natural lighting.

Using natural lighting, could be tricky as the weather constantly changed, yet it gave some of the best effects, as filming on a cloudy day gave the footage a nice dreary, post apocalyptic feel/effect which can be emphasized in editing.

• Lamps and other lights: 

 However when filming inside, we also used equipment such as LED lights, which give a strong, hard rimmed light which can fill an entire scene, and which allows us to light from different angles.

For our shoot we have two powerful LED light disks, which are portable and can be used in most locations. They have the option of changing intensity, as they have a switch with three settings which will adjust how many lights on the disc are switched on.

 (Our actor Drake holding the LED discs)

 

•  Light intensity:  

Another way to change lighting intensity we found by experimenting with positioning the lights behind different objects, to create a dimmer effect or dappled effect. We also found that the stronger the light intensity the darker shadows and shading can be produced.

Filming: Day 2

Day: 2
Date: 24-11-12

Time: 11:00am - 4:00pm

Group Members Present: Danielle, Summer, Farah, Beth

No. of Actors Present: 1/6 actors

On the second day of filming, we had created a shot list for the day and planned everything we needed. We planned to work on the scenes with complicated effects and mise-en-scene as well as working with the 1 actor.

Filming

• We filmed a small number of shots on this day as they were very complicated to set up due to setting up lighting etc to create the desired effects. 
• We took at least 3 takes per shot to make sure we had a selection to choose from in post production.  As well as shots from different angles in some cases

 

Location/Mise en scene

• We chose to film the window shot up against a cages frosted glass window to help aid the desired silhoetted effect we were aiming for.
• We worked a lot with fake blood on this shoot, creating a bloody hand effect and a bloody puddle as well as using it as makeup on the actor.

 

Character head-shots

• We followed the theme of the previous week in taking head-shots and body shots for the website/poster.

 

Makeup

• Makeup was used again on the actor to create the bruised and beaten up effect.
• The outcome again was successful and created a realistic effect perfect for adding impact to our shots. 

 

 

 

Sound

• We used the zoom recorder to capture the detail of the audio of the shots and used the clapper board in order to sync these in post production.

What to do next

• Next week, we will have more actors on the day of filming, therefore, we will be able to get more shots done.
• We will focus on the character head-shots for our website and poster, so that all characters have a profile photo.
• We will film many short shots of the characters running, chasing and interacting (fighting) with each other for the trailer. 
• We will film the spoken scenes with the actors

Shooting schedule: December

Because of the difficulties with getting actors and crew together on the same day, and also the issues with getting days with similar weather for continuity within shots, we had to do several shoots, below is the schedule for December.

Shooting Schedule no 4:

Crew needed: Summer
Date: 12th December
Actors needed: Drake (Dani)
Actor arrival time: 11am am meet at Summers house
Arrive at Destination: 11 am
Time allocated for makeup: An hour/

Begin shooting: 12 pm
Estimated shooting time needed: Two/three hours

Props needed: Makeup (fake blood and body paint for bruising, wounds etc.) costume and weapons fake rifle.

Lighting: LED lights
Sound equipment: (all)

Camera equipment: two tripods, Cannon 550D, Nikon DSLR (for photos)

Our final actors

We have made a final decision on our main actors in our film.

The following shows the profiles of our actors and their descriptions: 

1. Debby Voshart

Age: 25

From: London

Experience: Actor, Dancer, Musician 

About: Debby has had a wide range of experience from appearing in professional music videos to being a 'living statue'. 

Character: Nyla

2. Shen-Chien Tsai

Age: 28

From: London

Experience: Model, Actor

About: Shen-Chien has had a wide range of experience including participating in the London Olympics, the stage show 'Othello' and 'Romeo and Juliet', and starring in the film 'Hummingbird'. 

Character: Malory 

3. Farah Speer

Age: 18

From: London

About: Student

Character: Della

4. Curtis Stewart

Age: 17

From: London

About: Student

Character: Jesse

Filming: Day 1

Day: 1
Date: 18-11-12

Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm

Group Members Present: Danielle, Summer, Farah

No. of Actors Present: 1/6 actors

On the first day of filming, following our shooting script, we knew which scenes we wanted to film this day. Although, we were limited to one actor that day, which also limited our choice of scenes.

Filming

• We filmed many shots of the actor including one where he is being chased and is running away, being trapped in a cellar through railings, and aiming and shooting a bow and arrow. 
• We made sure we had more than a few shots on each section so that we can choose the perfect shots for our trailer. 

 

Location/Mise en scene

• We chose to film the shots near a pub, as there were more mise en scene in the area that would be good for our storyline.
• We included large bolders from a nearby park, which were good to portray being enclosed away from the outside world, and also for the actor to run and jump up on. This adds to the action of the trailer.
• We noticed that there were many barbed wire around the tops of walls, which was a great find for us. We took this at our advantage and filmed this as it would represent the impossibility of escaping.

 

Character head-shots

• We made sure we captured enough head-shots of the actor which would be useful when producing our poster and website. 

 

Props

• We had a range of set-props we could use in the area that were naturally there, such as rocks and sticks which were used as weapons for the character.
• As it is autumn, we noticed a vast amount of leaves and foliage around the park area and pavements. We used this to our advantage by ruffling the leaves to make wispy sound. We also filmed a shot of the actors feet, while running and being chased, which would make a good shot to use for our trailer montage.

 

Makeup

• This was the first day we tried the makeup/facepaint on the actor.
• We were very pleased of the outcome, as the makeup was subtle but noticeable and has a great impact on the scenes.
• We used black and brown facepaints for dirt and scratch marks, and fake blood for cuts and wounds.
• It looked very realistic and would be a great addition to our film trailer, website and poster.

 

Sound

• We found and recorded a vast range of sound for our trailer that day. This included the rustling of leaves, screaming of the actor being chased, and clanging sounds from metal bars.
• We used a voice recorder to record individual sounds so that we can add them onto each shot while editing in the process.

 

Complications

• The majority of our set actors could not make this day of filming hence we only had one actor. Although, we worked around this issue by focusing on this character and making sure we successfully complete the filming and capture head shots for this character.
• Throughout filming, delay was caused by cars passing whilst filming scenes on the road. This interfered with the camera work and also produced unwanted excess sound. 

What to do next

• Next week, we will have more actors on the day of filming, therefore, we will be able to get more shots done.
• We will focus on the character head-shots for our website and poster, so that all characters have a profile photo.
• We will film many short shots of the characters running, chasing and interacting (fighting) with each other for the trailer.

Photoshop practice

I have never really used Photoshop and so I thought it would be a good idea to practice layering images and looking at what I could do before we make the typography for the film and before we start making the poster. Below is a test of how to layer two basic images. 

I layered the image of the zombie below over the image of a university lobby. This is the sort of thing we will be doing in the poster I think so its a good thing to practice. 

I layered the image over and then used the eraser tool to remove the background of the field and blend the image in. It was really simple so I think it will be good to use on the poster.

Costume - Men

I think it is important that the characters personality is shown through their clothes but also I think it's important, especially for the men, to have a uniform look to show the idea behind the story. Below is the costume I thought would be suitable for the men to wear as both the top and trousers are practical and plain. I think it would be a good idea if the shirt for Drake was more fitted to show he is more muscular than the character of Mallory who is meant to be physically much weaker.

Costume - women

I thought it would be a good idea to have all the characters in a type of uniform but with each character having some of their personality shown through the costume. Below are the women's costumes.

Strong woman:
I thought this character, as a seductive strong woman, should have a more fitted look to her costume as that would suit her personality more. I have opted for quite fitted combat trousers and a tight vest top.

Clever woman:
This is the costume I thought would be good for the clever woman role. The outfit is still attractive with a reasonably low cut top but it is a lot more practical than the other two outfits as it is slightly loser and more uniform based.

Peaceful woman:
This is the peaceful woman's costume. She has the same looser trousers as the smart woman but she has a vest top with some lace around the top to show she is more girly and doesn't want to fight.

Website layout research

Conventions of typical film websites

• Videos - we can inbed our finalised teaser trailer onto the website which would give the audience easier access to it while finding out what the film is all about in one video.
• Photo gallery - we will take multiple-angled photos whilst filming to input into the photo gallery section on our website.
• Info about the film -example, how much it is, what it’s about etc. - the 'about' section would be shown in a tab on the home page also, for easy access for the users.
• Promotion of the DVD etc. - we must state when the film would be released in selected cinemas etc.
• Distributional Links - to facebook, twitter pages. This would show that our film info would be very distributional to grab a greater potential popularity.
• Menu - to provide easy access and navigation throughout the website.

(menu from 'Fermats Room' website)

• Text - The font must be suitable and easily readable for all ages but directly aimed at our target audience of males and females 18-30.
• Title - This is essential to allow the viewers to know exactly what film's website they are looking at. It relates back to our typography in that it must be memorable and stand out for the viewer to remember and focus on it in the future.
• Theme - Includes colour schemes and the genres conventions. It must relate to our film and include dark colours such as greys, browns and blacks and also bright but dangerous colours such as red, yellow and orange (to signal fire and destruction).
• Sound - We can include sound in the background to build up tension amongst the website. This would make our film seem more professional and eye-catching. It would draw the viewer in by using the sensory system of sound aswell as the use of eyes to view the website.
• Easy to navigate - This is essential so that the viewer does not get easily confused throughout the website and knows exactly where to find what they are looking for.
• Don’t have to scroll down the page - This would be great because all the information that the viewer needs would be on the homepage in one sight, so that the viewer can monouver their eyes around the webpage without the effort of scrolling and looking for more info. This would be the first piece of info and data the viewer would see, therefore, would be best to have the most important information directly in eyes level as it would make a better impression for the viewer to find out more about the film.

Shooting Schedule: November

To make sure filming is efficient and everyone has a general idea of what's happening I  have created a series of  shooting schedules, listing what is needed and timings for each day. This is the shooting schedule, for the day(s) of filming.

Shooting schedule no 1:

Crew needed: Farah, Dani, Summer
Date: 17/18th November

Characters (Actors) needed: Jesse (Curtis Stuart), Della (Farah Speer)
Actor Arrival time: 10:30/11 am
Crew Arrival time: 10/10:30 am
Time allocated for makeup: 30 minutes
Begin shooting: 12 pm
Shooting time (estimation): 2/3 hours
Props needed: Blade, Bow and Arrow
Lighting: Natural light
Camera equipment: Tripod, Cannon 550D, Nikon DSLR
Sound equipment: Mic, Headphones


Shooting Schedule no 2:

Crew needed: Farah, Dani, Beth, Summer
Date: 1st November
Actors needed: Della (Farah Speer)
Actor arrival time: 11am am meet at Summers house
Arrive at Destination: 11 am
Time allocated for makeup: An hour/2 hours (Beth in charge of makeup)

Begin shooting: 12 pm
Estimated shooting time needed: Two/three hours

Props needed: Makeup (fake blood and body paint for bruising, wounds etc.) costume and weapons (all).

Lighting: LED lights
Sound equipment: (all)

Camera equipment: two tripods, Cannon 550D, Nikon DSLR (for photos)

Shooting Schedule no 3:

Crew needed: Farah, Dani, Beth, Summer
Date: 1st December
Actors needed: Eris (Cleopatra Wood), Nyla (Debbie Voshart), Jesse (Curtis Stewart), Della (Shahira Clea), Malory (Sheng chui)

Actor arrival time: 10:30 am meet at Woolwhich station

Arrive at Destination: 10:45
Time allocated for makeup: An hour/2 hours (Beth)

Begin shooting: Dependent on arrival time

Estimated shooting time needed: Three/Four hours

Props needed: Makeup, body paint, eyeliner for wounds and scratches (fake blood etc.) costume and weapons (all).

Lighting: n/a

Sound equipment: (all)

Camera equipment: two tripods, Cannon 550D, Nikon DSLR (for photos)

Location Research- finding the right location

One of the most important issues we are facing is finding a location we want for the film trailer, and one that we are allowed to film at, we have all been researching a lot into this as it is a key element and we can't film until we find a location.

Location scouting-

When location scouting we were looking for sites which we would be able to get too fairly easily, ideally looking for places within or around London. This location is positioned in West London, making it ideal for filming as it still within the Capital. This was a vital aspect when considering filming the trailer as we may need to re-shoot several times, to get footage we wanted to use so this location was appealing.

•  The grade II listed building is large and the outside has been not that well maintained, meaning some of the paint has peeled away, giving the idea that the house has not been cared for or has been deserted.

•  Because of its large size it has a grand feel to it, and our group were considering using it in an opening scene to show an idea of wealth and power.

•  The building is painted white, allowing us to play on connotations of innocence, purity- which are idea typically played on in the thriller/horror genre.

•  The building is surrounded by large grounds which give it an air of isolation, and there are old dead trees surrounding the house- which give it an eerie, creepy atmosphere.

Inside

• The idea of wealth and power is juxtaposed when you look inside of the building, as the inside is unfurnished and predominately empty, we could use this to demonstrate that there has been some sort of financial crisis which has led to people leaving.

• There is however still a sense of grandre as the place is impressively large inside, however the inside is darkly lit, and relies only on natural sunlight, making the place slightly creepy, ideal for a thriller film location.
• There is a huge chandelier still hanging in a old dining hall, which suggests an earlier time of wealth and also again reiterates the idea of abandonment.

• Another characteristic feature of the house, is the staircase which would enable us to play around with levels, and angles i.e. it is a good landing space for a high angle or birds eye shot, as (shown in the below picture)

• Underneath the house: is a large cellar.
• This would provide a good shooting location, for a scene showing people hiding. 
• Or if we want to explore the idea of people living in captivity or being held against their will, we could exploit the connotations of entrapment that are commonly associated with basements or underground spaces.
• The lighting in the cellars is entirely artificial- allowing for the possibility to completely control and filter the type of light we think would be most effective for our film and allowing us to experiment with using different lighting intensity levels.

• The location offers a number of out houses
• The benefit of having the outhouses is; they look quite rural and rustic so connote simple living, this means they contrast to the Grander of the rest of the outdoor space. So we could use them too possibly to demonstrate class, or social boundaries.

•  It also has a lake- traditionally used in films either to represent danger (conventionally within thrillers lake’s are where unstable protagonists are found drown and thus create an enigma or they are used to show luxury and indulgence.

Character Representation: Hunger Games

 

Katniss Everdeen - Clever, Parental figure

• For Katniss’ (the main protagonist in the film) representation, I have chosen ‘clever’ and a ‘parental figure’.
• In the film, Katniss is clever and cunning as she knows the way to survive throughout the games using water, shelter (hiding places) and warmth.
• She is portrayed as quiet, independent and fierce. This adds to the sense of cunningness and slyness that is needed to be able to claim victory in the games.
• Katniss also acts as a sister figure towards Rue (the youngest, timid character) as she says ‘reminds her of her sister’.
• She looks after Rue throughout the games, partnering up to make a team. This shows that she still has feelings and does not like the whole idea of the games and being forced to kill others.

Peeta Mellark – Wimp, peaceful and clever

• For Peeta’s representation in the film, I have chosen ‘wimp’ and ‘peaceful’ as the sub-categories.
• In the film, Peeta is a charismatic character, which helps him during the games. He is also seen as caring, which means that he doesn’t want to kill, and would just run away and hide, and also have feelings for the main protagonist, Katniss, thus, being a ‘wimp’ and a ‘coward’ and ‘peaceful’ for not contributing to the games and the cameras filming him for entertainment. 
• Although, Peeta is a smart character who uses his limited skills in art to help camouflage him to hide and survive throughout the games. 

    Rue – Wimp, peaceful and clever

• Rue’s representation in the film is similar to Peeta’s. Although, she is much younger than Peeta, she is very timid, shy and wary of others and her surroundings.
• She uses her limited skills of tree-jumping carefully and easily throughout the games and to hide from her opponents.  
• I have used the word ‘wimp’ to describe her as she hides away in the trees and just waits whilst her competitors fight to the death, which in a way, is clever itself. 
• She is also peaceful in the fact that she is not worried or scared, but just shuts herself away from her surroundings and what’s happening around her. 

     Clove - Sadistic

• For Cloves representation in the film, I have chosen ‘sadistic’. This is because, in the film, she has her eyes set on killing, and loves the idea of the Hunger Games. She loves to be centre of attention and even says ‘Let’s put on a good show for the cameras’, whilst torturing and trying to kill one of the other opponents in the games.
• Clove is described as arrogant and strong. She is skilled with weaponry, mainly knives. This gives her a sense of dangerous and non-trustworthy personality. She is known not to miss her target. 

Production Companies

I have researched different production companies which are relevant and suitable to our film genre of a thriller.

 Hammer Films productions

• Hammer films is a British film production company which produces horror, thriller, and science fiction genres.
• Produced thriller films such as ‘Straight on Till Morning’.
• Even though this production company produces some thriller films, its main genre market is horror, which may influence us in our final decision as we are looking for production companies which are relative to most thriller genre films.

        Columbia Productions

• This major film production company (one of the Big-Six) is very well known and would therefore make a good impression for our film trailer.
• This company co-produced with EON Productions which is best known for producing James Bond films which are action/thriller films. This would be relative to our film and its genre and would therefore, be ideal to use.
• This company produced ‘Salt’, ‘Skyfall’ and ‘Men In Black’, which are well-known thriller films so this would be good to use for our film, as it is relatable to the thriller genre.

        Revolver

• Produced many different genres of films, including the thriller/horror films ‘The Silent Scream’ and ‘The Limits of Control’.
• It is a well-known label that we could use effectively in the start of our film trailer.
• The company operates partly in London which means that it would be great to use as it is set in Britain.