R+P Post 20: Reflections so far/looking ahead

Reflections so far:
So far, I think that our group work has been good at times but not so good at others. After reflecting on this stage, I feel like it could have gone a lot better. The final product, the rough cut, was not as we expected it to be; for example the sense of character and genre was not connoted as well as we wanted it to. Despite this, we have shown good team skills and a consistently positive mentality throughout.

Looking ahead:
As a next step it will be important to really pin point any areas of this stage that did not work well. Things such as the location of our test shoot, and the plot of our rough cut are things that will need acting on, and we will be sure to rectify this to the best of our ability. This is likely to include research into other potential locations for our main shoot and the redrafting of our sequence idea and plot.

R+P Post 19: Our rough cut

To produce the rough cut edit of our 2 minute opening sequence, we decided to use a computer software called Adobe Premier Pro. This software allows us to place all the shots that we had taken at our test shoot on a track in the desired order which eventually became our finished rough cut sequence. It also allowed us to insert the music we had selected into the sequence.

Some other additional things that Adobe Premier Pro allowed us to do was:

• Add titles and production and distribution company logos to the sequence
• Add transition effects such as a dissolve fade, dip to black or exponential fade/gain to the video or audio of shots
• Compose the shots in a way that allowed us to cut to the next shot on a beat in the song
• Adjust the scale and position of a shot on the screen
• Edit the volume of certain shots by adding effects such as a constant power/gain to a part of the soundtrack

The rough cut of our 2 minute opening sequence video:

R+P Post 18: Our test shoot

Our test shoot was held on Sunday 7th February between the hours of 9am and 5pm.
From the group point of view and teach comments, we realised that our test shoot was not as successful as we hoped. There were a few of problems that we faced:

1. Filming did not begin at the planned time - we planned to begin shooting at 9:30 which was decided based on a rough estimate on how long it would take for us to dress the set . However due to travel issues faced by the group, we were not able to start filming until about an hour after the scheduled start time. This had big consequences; as the day went on, we gradually ran out of natural daylight and so in order to continue filming we had to use artificial light for some of the later shots, which created a big continuity error.
2. A group member was not able to attend - One member of our group was not able to attend as they were on a German exchange trip. This was an unavoidable situation and as we knew of this absence prior to the shoot, we were able to work around, however it would have been beneficial to have the entire group there to aid the production of the test shoot
3. Location - Once filming we quickly realised that the room did not work as well as we thought it would. There were issues with space, which impacted our filming capabilities as we were not able to effectively perform some of the camera movements we planned.

Additionally, there were a few issues with props. We planned to use certain props such as a moodboard and gloves, however a small spout of a lack in organisation resulted in us not being able to include some props, as they were either forgotten (gloves) or not prepared (the mood board).

Following the test shoot, we decided that we needed to change some things for the upcoming main shoot. We decided to change locations and create a props list in the hope that this would remove any issues with space and keep us organised with props, to prevent a repeat of the flaws in the test shoot.

R+P Post 17: Our planned costumes and hair and make-up

To ensure the characteristics and styles of our characters were well presented, we decided to create a costume list. In this document, information such as guidelines on hair & make-up, costume descriptions and details on the references that we used for our costume were included. Initially, we did not have a costume list but after teacher comments on the lack of costume in the test shoot, we created a costume list to reflect our aims for thorough characterisation.

R+P Post 16: Casting

In the run up to our main shoot, there were a number of documents that we decided to create that we did not for our test shoot. One of these was a cast list. This document included key details of the characters and the actors that played them such as names, a short description of the characters and some information about the actors to play them.

Deciding on an actor to play our main character was more straightforward than we expected. Our first step on finding an actor was to ask within our friendship groups. We initially had doubts about doing this as we were not sure that they would be as serious and professional as we needed them to be, however we followed on and instead were sure to emphasise the importance of what they would be agreeing to. In the end after a few discussions in our group meetings, we decided to choose Celine to play the main character in our opening sequence. We were happy with this selection as we knew that Celine was an AS Drama student who is a capable actor that has been involved in a number of successful school plays/productions.

Ella Thompson and I, decided to include ourselves in the cast list and take up the roles of playing the remaining 2 characters, Ella and Anthony. We decided to this as we were not only confident that we would be able to act these accordingly, but we knew it would avoid the risk of any problems associated with having actors that were not part of the group, such as deciding on our shooting day; with more people, there are more schedules to satisfy, so by not bringing in another 2 people we could avoid this problem.

R+P Post 15: Our planned filming location, set design and props

Ella's Bedroom

For the filming of our opening sequence rough cut we decided to use the bedroom of a member of our group, Ella. We decided to use Ella's room as no any major changes to the set were required, and the room suited our opening sequence idea as it already had a number of things that we needed; we needed a mirror, a bed with some kind of bed side table and a wardrobe.

Please see the picture to the right for the filming location of our rough cut.

Following on from this, as a group we decided that the creation of a set & prop list would be of great benefit to the shooting process. This document was created for our main shoot and it entailed a list of the setups that would be used and a list of all the props we deemed necessity to have, to ensure the genre, personality and motives of the main character, and themes were further connoted. In hindsight, I feel that the use of a props list for our test shoot, would have maybe allowed for a better end product as the props would have aided the audience in understanding what was going on in our opening sequence.

Please see the picture to the right for the set & props list

R+P Post 14: Our Call Sheet

For our test shoot, we created a call sheet. This document will entail the specific details regarding our shoot; this includes the address of the shoot, the contact details of all the people that will be present at the shoot (all members of the cast and production teams), a health and safety list, and the call times for the crew times.

Please click the below for the call sheet used.

R+P Post 13: Our shootboard

We decided to construct a shoot board that would entail all the relevant information to do with the upcoming test shoot. This included the shot number, the location of the shots, a picture of the drawing of the shot and a short description of the shot. By including this detail on the shoot board, the shooting process could be made significantly easier as we would easily be able to refer to the shoot board to see what was required for each shot. One thing that we decided to do in an attempt to make us more efficient when shooting, was to group the shots on the shoot board by location. We decided to do this as we felt it would be of great benefit when shooting. From my perspective this would be the most meaningful decision to do with the organisation for our shoot as it means that we have a pre-organised list of shots for each location, allowing us to shoot without having to significantly adjusting of the position/location of the camera between shots.

R+P Post 12: Our Animatic

To create our Animatic, we captured still photos of the content would be shown in each shot. To do this, we constantly referred back to the sequence of shots that we had previously planned on our storyboard. As each shot was drawn onto a post-it note and stuck down onto the storyboard in the desired ordered already, we were able to use the storyboard and work shot by shot to ensure the still shots that were taken, accurately reflected the desired ideas presented on the post-it note drawings. Looking back, the use of the varying colours was very beneficial to us as it allowed us to quickly differentiate between the shot types and/or framework that each shot required, therefore allowing the production of the Animatic to be quicker.

The Animatic turned out to be a very useful tool in the overall production of our 2 minute opening sequence. It allowed us to:

• Test our shots to see if they worked well with the other shots in the sequence
• Make a final decision on the soundtrack that we would use as we were able to test the 2 potential soundtracks that we had chosen and therefore decide which one anchored the story line of our sequence more effectively
• Easily identify and correct any continuity errors in the sequence, which we later rectified by adding and replacing shots where necessary

Please see the video below for our finished Animatic:

R+P Post 11: Our timeline and storyboard

The next stage in the production of our 2 minute opening sequence required us to produce a timeline and storyboard which would entail the story line and plot of our opening sequence. These were both produced in the group meetings that we held, and in our lesson time.

Timeline:
The timeline was made by sticking 4 A4 pieces of paper together horizontally and drawing 2 straight lines across all of them with a space of 9 cm to create 3 columns. We completed this first as we felt it would be best to have the timeline done as soon as possible so the construction of our storyboard would not be delayed by the lack of a reference when creating the shots.

Storyboard:
For our storyboard, we used a large A2 piece of sugar paper to convey our desired plan for the shots. Each shot was drawn onto a post-it note and stuck down onto the storyboard in the desired order. The post-it's were different colours, either green, pink or orange, and this was used to denote the different shot types and framing to be used.

Our Storyboard

• Pink = Titles
• Green = Close up
• Orange = Mid shot
• Yellow = Long shot

R+P Post 10: Reflections so far/ looking ahead

So far I feel that my group has worked very well together, using our time effectively to stay organised and ensure that we are consistently on top of what we need to do. The weekly meetings that we organised were very helpful in ensuring this as they allowed to come together and reflect upon and discuss any issues or things that needed resolving. For example, we had a few disagreements during the planning stage of our project. Consequently, we allocated half of one of our weekly meetings to resolve it. In the end, we were able to move on and successfully complete the planning stages that were required for the up and coming test shoot.
Looking ahead, I am very excited to start the production of our 2 minute opening sequence and I believe the test shoot will help us to judge whether our idea for the opening sequence will be successful or not.

R+P Post 9: Our script

For our opening sequence, we constructed a script in which the dialogue that would be included in our sequence was contained. Our script is as followed:

We decided to use as little interaction between characters as possible because of the fact that the main focus of our opening sequence is to illustrate the abnormal routine that Grace carries out in her mornings. By having little dialogue, we were able to effectively present this to the audience and thus convey a real sense of Graces unusual lifestyle.

R+P Post 8: Our opening sequence idea, to include sound and titles

Opening sequence:
The opening sequence follows the main character, Grace, and her routine in the morning right from the moment her alarm sounds when she wakes up. Once awake she immediately reaches for her phone and throughout the sequence she is repeatedly seen using her phone. In the later part of the sequence, she is seen doing very weird things such as checking her mood-board of her target, packing her bag with unsual things such a latex gloves and applying cosmetic products to look like the girl she is stalking. Whilst packing, we hear a small exchange of dialogue between Grace and her brother about how grace is taking too long to get ready for school.

Sound:

At the start of the sequence, there will be no music playing. The first sound will be the sound of an alarm ringing for a few seconds until Grace reaches over to turn it off. After this, a heavy breathing sound is heard and this is plays until the music then begins to play as she gets up out of bed.

Titles:
For the creation of our titles, we were sure to do some research into the titles already used in some other films. To do this we referred to the website Art of the Title (www.artofthetitle.com) where we were able to look through a numerous amount of title sequences.

One title sequence that especially stood out to me was that for the film Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. This film is an adventure, fantasy film that has many themes connoting that of a supernatural and slightly horrific nature. With such an abstract genre being portrayed, I was taken at how successful the titles used were in connoting this, and as a result I knew that whatever the genre, it is a necessity for the themes and ideas present to be thoroughly connoted in all aspects of the film including the opening titles.

As well taking the above into account for the creation of our titles, there was still a need to conform to the codes and conventions of film opening titles and this means the inclusion of titles that are there to inform the audience of elements of the film such as the institutions behind the film, the star cast/actors and the film crew to name a few.

Below is a list of the titles used in our film opening:

• Film 4 presents
• A Bugle Films Production
• Starring Celine George
• Ella Thompson
• and Joshua Oranu-Noah
• Directed by Prudence Carter-Phillips
• Produced by Gabriel Meytanis
• Follow

R+P Post 7: Our film's title and plot outline

As a group, we came together and during our meetings we decided on a title for our film and the main plot that the film would follow.

Title: Follow

Plot Outline: The film follows the life of the main character Grace who is a 'mixed-raced' 18 year old British girl whose lust and obsession with anther girls' life sees her push the boundaries of a harmless desire. Grace becomes very envious of this other girl who in Grace's mind has the perfect life, perfect looks and a boyfriend that she wish she could have. In order to try and be like her, Grace goes to extreme lengths such as following the girl's every movement via numerous social media platforms, and the saving/printing of images of the girl that would then be put up on her mood-board. With an ever-growing obsession, Grace attempts to kill the girl to her life over and pretend to be her, however the Graces attempt is unsuccessful and with ever growing gossip about her attempt she runs away from home to another town.

A film that greatly inspired out ideas for the plot outline was Single White Female. This film has a similar plot of two female characters, one of whom becomes obsessed with being exactly like the other. The main protagonist had a huge obsession with the other girl and this saw her resort to violence and an attack on her life.

R+P Post 6: Our chosen genre and how we plan to connote this

The genres we have chosen : Psychological thriller, horror

To effectively connote our genre in our films opening sequence, we ensured we researched into films that also had a genre psychological thriller and/or horror. This allowed us to identify a key convention which is for the film's story line to be centered around the life of one character who is either the stalker or is being stalked. In our case, the main character is the stalker and from our research into films of a similar genre and theme such as One Hour Photo, we were also able to identify the conventional characteristics and behaviors such as weirdness and an obsession to things or people. In One Hour Photo, the main character is a seemingly ordinary old man who turns out to have an obsession with a family and he stalks and follows their movements via a mood-board. We were inspired by this and so our main protagonist follows these conventions. She is named Grace and at first appears to be your 'average teenage girl' however it later becomes evident that she is not. Through her addiction to her phone and social media to stalk, and her use of a mood-board to store images and information about the people she stalked, her unusual nature becomes clear.

R+P Post 5: How we plan to attract/address our target audience

To setup a successful appeal to our target audiences, we will ensure the genre is well connoted throughout the sequence. We will:

• use many shots of a closed frame to really immerse the audience in what is taking place
• use several close-ups and extreme close-ups to bring a real sense of intensity and unease to the audience.
• ensure a gripping story line with a strong sense of genre to keep our audience 'on the edge of their seats'
• include things familiar to the audience; social media is well known and used by young people

R+P Post 4: Representation of social groups in our opening sequence

The social groups that we are representing are British middle class teenage girls. This is represented through the main character who is an 18 year old girl who is British and mixed-race.

To effectively appeal to the teenage audience we are going to include lots of social media elements in our opening sequence. Social media such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook is heavily used by young people. This is likely to be because these platforms are easily accessed from their smartphones. Our main character grace will follow this, and be seen constantly checking her phone throughout the opening sequence.
In addition to this, Grace will have a british accent and scenes will be set in locations that are relatable to the audience such as a teenagers bedroom. This familiarity will allow our audience to be able to relate to our sequence and therefore further immerse them in what is taking place in the sequence.

R+P Post 3: Our production and distribution institutions

Bugle Films production company logo

Production Company:
Our production company is called Bugle Films and it is a British independent film company based in London. Bugle Films is a production company that specialises in films of a thriller and horror genre.

Distribution Company:
Our chosen distribution company is Film 4. We decided to make Film 4 our distribution company because not only are they a company also based in London, but they are notorious as a company for the distribution of British independent films like our own such as The Inbetweeners, Shaun of the Dead  and The Woman In Black. 

R+P Post 2: Our target audience

Core target audience:
The audience that we decided to primarily target was:

• Fans of psychological thriller films 
• Boys and girls aged 15-24 years old

We were inspired by a number of films when deciding our core audience for the film but the film that we referred to the most was Stalked at 17. We used this film as our main reference point because of how similar the themes and ideas around film were in comparison to our own. This included a similar thriller genre that was focused around the concept of stalking, the same target audience of psychological thriller fans/'thrill-seekers' aged between 15-24 and the certification of 15 which we wanted our film have.


Secondary target audience:
The secondary audience that we decided to target was:

• Fans of horror films

We decided to also target fans of horror films as after looking into other thriller films, we found that they included elements of horror. Films such as One Hour Photo were able to widen their appeal and successfully increase their reach by doing this and we were inspired by this hence why we planned to include scenes reflecting a creepy and somewhat anxious nature to connote a horror sub-genre.

R+P Post 1: How we intend to work as a group

At our first group meeting, we agreed on the times for our weekly meetings. We wanted to have at least 2 hours worth of meeting time a week, and so we decided on the following times:

Week 1

• Monday 1:50-2:20pm and 4:00-4:30pm
• Thursday 2:00-3:00pm

Week 2

• Monday 9:00-9:20am and 4:00-4:30pm
• Thursday 11:30-12:30pm

Our meetings were to be held in the Media Department and we agreed to arrive to the planned meetings on time and with the relevant materials needed for that meeting. In addition to this, we also set up a Whatsapp and Facebook group chats which we would use to communicate effectively and share any ideas or information with the whole group.