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