Evaluation - Question 4

Evaluation - Question 3

Final Product

This is the final product for our thriller opening called The One, through the process of this I was able to gain skills in the techniques involved to film and edit a production. Also it was a fun experience to do something I had never done before while working with someone I hadn't have worked with before. There were improvements that could have been done but I think that will then be carried on for the future so I am aware of the mistakes we made this time so then they aren't repeated.

Sound and lighting test shots

As we changed our locations a lot during the lead up to the final product, many of what is listed are from the old locations. One of them being the lighting and sound test shots that weren't done for all the locations but were done for the car park. This links in from the location reece, the test shots are taken at a different time of day compared to when the shots were done at the car park which was in the evening. Therefore by completing them in the day, it shows clearly the layout of the car park although it isn't shown a lot due to the minimal amount of lighting later in the evening. 

Location Reece

Location to be used: Date of when location is needed: Time of when location is needed:	>Kiln Lane, Epsom and Odeon cinema Epsom >6th and 7th February > Afternoon and night Before and after 6:30PM (Not many people around and it’s dark)	>We can use another car park near by >Chose a different date
Do you need permission to record/photograph in this location? Who will you need to contact?	>No we don’t need permission	>Choose a different car park and cinema
Will the levels of noise cause a problem? If so, how will you overcome this?	The level of noise will only be a problem if there are lots of people out in the street next to the car park. This shouldn’t be too much of a problem as the shops shut in the evening so there won’t be many people about. As for the cinema scene, it shouldn’t be a problem as the sound will be taken out to be replaced with music.	>If there is too much noise then we can either edit the sound after which will be done regardless as we are adding on music or choose another day to film.
Is the level of lighting suitable?	>Yes	>If something changes and the lighting doesn’t become suitable we can edit the lighting later on.
If inside, are the Emergency exits clearly visible and available? Is Emergency equipment provided?	>No because it’s outside >There isn’t emergency equipment but if we don’t have the equipment it won’t be hard to carry on without it.	>We can use the light from our phones if the lighting isn’t suitable or edit later on. >We all have cameras on our phones we can film with if the camera we are planning to use isn’t accessible
Is there public transport easily available to you?	>Yes we can easily get a bus or train to the location >We are using a car so we get there in that	>If strikes occur or roads are cut off we can rearrange the day >If the car breaks down we can use public transport

One of the main locations we used taken as inspiration from P2 was the car park and we have changed the location of the car parks throughout the pre-production task. However finally when shooting the final product, we decided to change and chose an outdoor car park. Especially as it was filmed in the evening and was just enclosed on the car and the girl inside, we didn't have to focus on the surroundings too much. Although I did take pictures of the location at a different time of day to show the contrast between how the tone of the opening and how that is purposely created so effortlessly through the time it was filmed. 

Production Schedule

Date	Time	Location	Props & Equipment	Shots
6th February	Between 12 – 1 PM	Odeon Cinema, Epsom	N/A	Wide shot / canted angle – actors both leaving the cinema and going separate ways Medium shot – female character walking away from the cinema
6th February	Between 12 – 1 PM	Outside of Odeon Cinema, Alleyway Epsom	N/A	Medium shot – female character is walking into the alleyway Wide shot – POV shot from behind the character Wide shot – front shot of the character as she walks
7th February	After 6:30PM	Kiln Lane, Epsom	N/A	Medium / wide shot – female character trapped in car Close up – as the character removes the tape from her mouth

Evaluation - Question 1

Actor Release Form

This is the document we used for the actors so they were aware of their role and we knew how to contact them in case of an emergency. It also helped keep aware parents/guardians or anyone who would be concerned, this was created to keep the filming official and well tracked for both us and the actors.

Production Schedule (Pre-production draft)

This is the first production schedule we completed from our previous location of the past car park we used in the draft shots, however since then we did change the location of the opening. But this is our original schedule for the car park we thought we would continue to film the final product in although I am glad we did not as I prefer the new location and it's less evident to familiarise which adds the element of mystery. 

Date	Time	Location	Props & Equipment	Shots
30th December	6:30PM	Kingston Bentalls Car Park – Stairs Level 12-11	Shopping bags Camera	High angled shot – woman walking up the stairs Wide shot – she turns to go up the next set Close up – feet walking up the stairs Mid shot – opens the doors to the lift area of the car park
30th December	7:30PM	Kingston Bentalls Car Park – Lift area	Shopping Bags Camera	Match on action – walking through the other side of the doors Close up -the lift opens Close up – mans face Over the shoulder shot – man watching a woman through the doors
11th January	7PM	Kingston Bentalls Car Park – Level 12 outside	Shopping bags Camera Car	Long shot – woman getting into her car Over the shoulder shot – man watching the woman get into the car

Evaluation - Question 7

Evaluation - Question 5 (Director's feedback)

Evaluation - Question 5 from milierana

Evaluation - Question 2

Evaluation – Question 2 from milierana

Evaluation - Question 5 Feedback

This is the feedback I received after interviewing various members of our target audience questions about the opening to get more of an insight for me to see whether or not what we portrayed in the opening was presented onto the audience. This feedback helped me acknowledge that the idea we portrayed in the opening of the storyline and all the added elements to build suspense to the audience was shown. Therefore it was a success as the audience captured the overall idea we were going for but also did give us areas to improve. 

(EQ6) Diary post 4 - Achievements + creativity

Dear diary, 
Overall I am proud of our opening although it did take quite a while to get to this point which has allowed me to acknowledge the mistakes made this time round to know what not to do for next time. Despite this, I did really enjoy the experience of filming our own opening and creating something especially with the thriller genre that I couldn't of done myself. 

I have a few favourite shots from the opening and I picked my top 3:

The first is the establishing shot of London what we panned across over the bridge, this is one of my favourites because I think it sets the mood of the opening realistically with the weather. It also fits in really well with the scene straight afterwards but as the opening scene I think it is simple but effective. The second and third are wide shots of the main female character as she chooses an outfit to wear. I really like these shots as in between the two shots, there is a very quick cut between them that separates but brings it together as in moment the audience are behind the character and within the next they are in front. As well as the editing throughout which is all parallel editing which I think is successful in our opening as it shows the different events happening which I think is fitting with our genre and storyline. 

We also had some limitations to our creativity as when creating and filming this opening as it would require certain shots that we couldn't film e.g. aerial shot due to lack of technology and also I think with more technology we could of created better shots. Another example of an idea we had which we didn't continue through with was to create an illusion through editing through the view of the characters eyes by showing her blinking but through the lenses. We also lacked in our creativity due to time and knowledge that I didn't think thoroughly enough on to allow us to have extra time to follow through with these ideas. So for next time, I need to plan out the storyline more thoroughly as for this opening we had to change it multiple of times due to the plot not making any sense. For the future, I also want to be more organised with the filming and editing, I want to be more efficient so when it comes to improvements that they can easily be done without having to re-shooting everything. I hope to continue with these targets and keep them in mind for next year so I don't repeat the same mistakes.

Yours truly,

Millie

(EQ6) Diary Post 3 - Evaluation + Improvements

Dear diary, 
From going onto the pre-production I did not realise the amount of work that goes into editing and filming, nor did I think it was easy but I did not expect the outcome of it to extremely time consuming. As a result of this, I was able to be aware now that what is created when you take the time and effort, having not have realised at the beginning I wasn’t producing the amount of work I would have wanted. But after acknowledging that the amount of time spent into editing and ensuring your work has been completed as best as possible also indicates the success or unsuccess you will face as an outcome. The preliminary task was very simple and quick so I really didn't realise everything that goes through filming and editing until we came on the pre-production task. For the future, I am going to take on board being organised with filming and editing as they may seem quick to complete but it counts on the time you give to the project. Although another problem faced was the research which made it difficult to carry on with the opening as when we were undergoing research, none of the films we were analysing fitted well with the idea for our opening. This problem wasn't fixed until later when we had already began filming, I did more research into films related to our genre, age and plot to then find 'P2' which we related back to our opening. Although we did have to adjust our opening as we couldn't follow through all the features in their opening into our own. However if I had to do this again, I would pick a different genre therefore allowing me to completely change the locations and storyline. I did enjoy filming and researching relating all to the thriller aspects but it isn’t the typical genre I watch, so I think if I was able to do it again and create an opening for a genre I am more familiar with so I would have more information about the genre and films under it. For example, I think if it hadn't have been thriller I would have gone for the rom-com genre as it is more light hearted and I can relate more to it. I think it also would have made filming easier as it was difficult as throughout the opening until we changed it at the end, we were shooting at night for the car park scenes which was harder to do especially around the Christmas period. So if I was to do anything rom-com related, it would allow me to film during day time therefore making it more convenient especially when it comes to re-filming.
Yours truly,
Millie

(EQ6) Diary Post 2 - The Difficulties

Dear diary,
As expected I faced a few technical difficulties when completing the tasks, one of the main ones at the beginning was to understand how to work the MACS more particularly with the sound. We had issues with the sound not adjusting and when we decided to change the music we used, it took quite a while of fiddling around with iMovie and assistance to get us to be able to change the music completely. Another issue was that certain shots we would have wanted to be in our opening couldn't be done due to lack of technology e.g. aerial shots. I think this could of been a great introduction shot of the location although we instead have an establishing shot which I think looks really good. Linking to the filming aspect, we had a few minor problems with the camera such as getting it in focus and making sure we had full battery. This however could all be sorted out by ourselves and the problem was for us to be more organised and prepared for if the battery did run out, what would then be done. Therefore we didn't have a back up in case that did happen. So for next time, I think we need to ensure what could be the next alternative to use.  Even before the filming itself, there were problems with the production tasks e.g. planning. I was able to do the research beforehand although there was an issue which is why our opening took longer to create as our inspiration of films clashed due to the fact that none of the films we had researched hadn't had any relation to the opening we were trying to create. For the future with the research especially as that is the beginning of where the rest of the filming lies to be specific and know that it should have connections with what we are trying to produce. Then when it came time to shoot, we had problems with our actors and the days therefore we were limited with time and days that were available which is why in the end we had a change in characters. I think overall, the issue we faced is lack of planning with our opening which is what made it difficult as we progressed until we began to plan filming and editing arrangements but this is certainly something that I want to improve to avoid it happening next time around. 
Yours truly,
Millie 

(Evaluation Question 6) Diary Post 1 - Everything I've learnt

Dear diary,

I've learnt a lot since we began filming at the beginning of this year, I started off being completely unaware of the technologies we would be using more specifically the MACS. Starting off, I didn't know a lot about the MACS and how you use them. But over time especially working in groups helped although eventually now I am able to confidentially go on the MACS without needing anyone just in case and navigate my way around them. By using this as our hardware and iMovie for our software, it made me need to know how to use them both. When we were editing, there is constantly so many changes to be made and I still do get nervous fiddling around with the settings to do with the videos, sound, titles etc. but it has also given me the courage to know what to do and how could I fix the problem. The main difficulty with editing was the sound as at the beginning we only used one sound but when coming to the end of our opening we realised in order to build tension we needed more than one sound. So removing the sound that was placed throughout was hard as it then made it difficult to insert the new music on top as they hadn't been correctly inserted. We managed to overcome this problem by attempting to add the new sound multiple times and in different ways and with some assistance, it managed to work and we were able to have both sounds. What did become easier as I progressed with using the MACS and iMovie was editing the actual videos themselves as it easy to identify the parts we did and didn't need. Overall, I used a lot of different software's not just including iMovie.

We were introduced into Blogger for the first time this year, this is where we upload all our preliminary and pre-production tasks and all the documents that were needed to be completed before we even started filming so we were aware of what we were filming. Blogger allowed us to organise all the different things we do in the year especially with our archive that categorises each post with the month it was published in. The challenges I faced with Blogger was that at the beginning, I rarely used it because I didn't know how to change the design and layout of the site. I also wasn't experienced on adding text, images and videos so I didn't use it or attempt to however as we started to produce documents that needed to be posted I started to play around with the site. I fiddled around with the designs and fonts and how to include items into the site to the point now where I feel confident when uploading anything onto my blog. As well as YouTube, which was a big factor when completing my work as this is how we all uploaded our tasks and opening to then make it easier to link into our Bloggers so it can be accessed by anyone.

Moving onwards to the different hardware we used such as: MACS, camera, phone and laptop. The MACS were used for editing as mentioned before by using iMovie. The camera we used which was the Canon EOS 100D to film all of our videos and allowed us to experiment with the zoom and focus to shift from angles, especially from our draft to the final opening we changed around with the angles and shots a lot. Having never really used cameras to the best of my ability when we started filming, I wasn't very good at focusing shots but as we continued to re-shoot certain scenes and even we we re-filmed the whole of our opening I was able to acknowledge the different angles for the shots. I also began to understand for this specific camera how to focus and when instead I was taking pictures of the shot. I also figured out how to focus the camera and zoom in at the same time without it being shaky or fuzzy even if we didn't include these shots into our opening, it still allowed me to adjust the settings of the camera and perhaps find something we did like and experience me with another piece of technology. 

The phones and laptops were used to watch any of my YouTube videos very easily and made it accessible for anyone who wanted to watch them, especially when collecting back feedback it was really quick to show them. This was one of the easiest technologies used as I am very aware and comfortable with using my own phone and laptops so there wasn't any issues concerning them. Overall, I have learnt a lot in the past few months about filming and the Thriller genre, this task has allowed me to be more creative in the opening we created and then portraying that onto the filming side of the task. I have learnt more than I knew when I started about working MACS and camera's which will benefit me and has inspired me to want to film more. 

Yours truly,

Millie 

Question 3 - Institution research

Question 3 - Institution research from milierana

Story Board

We changed the plot of our opening which then resulted in various new shots, music and the way we presented the character and the genre after completing our research especially from learning from our previous drafts of the task. Therefore this is our new and final story board for our opening:

Production Log 2

From the first draft and the last one we filmed, we have slightly changed the idea and plot of our opening. We have altered actors and the original idea from P2 has been adjusted slightly to make ours more different but can also relate back into the film. The changes we have made into the newly filmed one is throughout the opening, we have included parallel editing into the shots to show the before and after of what is happening to the character. Therefore this then changes the way that the character is introduced unlike the one shown in P2 but however does link back into the location of the car park and the use of titles we have purposely included. We were inspired to include the feature of paralleling editing, as the beginning of P2 shows the character while being trapped however the official opening then goes back to her life before the trauma had started. However for the new changes that are going to be made to this opening, we will be including after the titles the female character's life before the incident. I also for the new opening want to change the sound as I don't think it fits into the plot of the opening and doesn't build up or add the tension I would want it to.

Production Log

Since out first draft of the pre-production task, we have changed the concept of the opening and been able to relate it to a similar film P2. Therefore by finding this film and analysing the opening for it, we were able to recreate shots and the plot to our own opening. We changed the location as an disadvantage was that the lights in the last car park was too bright and didn't really fit into the genre convention. We resolved this by choosing another car park which fits the plot a bit more however now we are lacking in light for this new location but we are adjusting the times we will be recording. If the lighting is still not as we could want, there are other car parks around the location as well so we could change to another if and see if it fits with the lighting we would expect. This update of the pre-production task will not be continued to the final footage as none of the shots could be of use however it is very different from the first one we recorded as a lot has changed. I hope for the final footage, we have considered all the targets and managed to complete all of them to ensure that the task has been improved and fits all the expectations. 

Audience Research - Focus Groups 2

We had another focus group for the redraft of our pre-production task. However compared to the first focus group instead of asking our target audience, we asked a group of media studies students from a year 12 class. By doing this, it enabled us to get specific detail into what we could do to improve while also having the audience fit the certain ages for the film. From the first focus group, it gave us more of an idea of what the audience wanted to see where as in the second one we were able to identify what we had done well and what wasn't to then make improvements on. 
Here is the feedback we got back to now improve on:

• Add some found footage at the start of a city scene- moving in on a car park (aerial shot)
• Re-shoot the car park ceiling (needs more light)
• Have some parallel scenes of what the boy was doing - use the pulse transition with jump cuts x2
• POV shots
• Over the shoulder shots (try a whip pan)
• More close ups 

Self evaluation of initial opening scene

Firstly our opening scene did not meet my aims, when planning the scenes it was very stripped back and simple therefore I think when filming we presumed it would be the same. However filming was a struggle and getting every shot correctly was difficult especially as many of them consist of the female character walking. Moreover as an improvement, when completing our re-draft we are considering changing the plot of the opening as the first one was too boring and did not fit the genre conventions. I personally would not watch this film, the opening showed no excitement or thrill to fear the audience as we were trying to portray suspense. However this did not go as planned when all the female actor was doing was walking and the male actor was shown to not really fit into the context so it didn't make as much as sense as imagined. There are many changes that needs to be done, for example the plot of the opening, the titles currently do not match the genre, perhaps even get the actors to dress in a particular way to match the genre as well so the opening fits well together. Lastly, lighting needs to be changed as the aim was to have the last scenes of the opening in the outdoor car park however it was too dark therefore it was harder to see the actors. For the re-draft, we will have to change the location and not have the outdoor scenes and also find a form of lighting to use to brighten up the shots slightly.

Analysis of title sequences - The Gift / Art of the title

Originally at the very beginning of production with titles, when completing research I found a title from the 'Art of the title' website that was suggested to me. After a look around the website, I found a specific title font called 'Semi-Permanent Sydney 2015' this really stood out to me despite how plain it is. The Semi-Permanent Sydney 2015 font to me looks sophisticated. For the genre thriller, it’s very easy to mistake the title and include a horror element into it however thriller’s are more about the suspense throughout which adds the fear element. Therefore thriller’s aren't all meant to show terror through their titles, I picked this one because the opening should tell the story itself. The title is there to add a little bit of suspense and by the simplicity of this title which can be a statement on its own, personally I think it looks more professional and doesn't seem like a cliché.  In many thriller films, the own focus isn't always the titles however they still conduct the titles to suit the theme of the genre so it is still an important factor regardless if it is considered to look basic. Then from acknowledging this specific font, I was able to familiarise it with the 'Gone girl' font and later when researching films found it similar in 'The Gift'. 

'Gone girl' is a more realistic version of it as the titles in 'The Gift' are more action related especially as in the opening the word 'Gift' is shown bigger than 'the' which relates to something that would be shown in action films. I think this because they are signifying the second word more prominently. As mentioned before, the genre itself isn't add any effects into the font and 'The Gift' in the titles on the movie posters is shown to have an cut along the words perhaps even like a knife going through. This adds more tension into the titles and excitement for the film as the rest of the presentation is in-complex. 

The movement of the titles are once again very simple and are shown after the opening scene in the center of the screen, it automatically goes onto a black background and then the titles both fade in and out. They didn't overdo the movement therefore it can subtly continue onto the rest of the film, from the cinematography and mise en scene the genre of the film could be mistaken for romance. Therefore all throughout the opening and even to the fade in and out, it is all very mysterious and the audience have yet to be fear. 

Analysis of title sequences - P2

I purposely chose the film P2 as it is the one we are mainly focussing on when it comes to our pre-production task. Therefore by researching more into this film with the analysis', it allows me to identify shots, titles, credits etc. for us to take into consideration for our opening. For example, the titles used for the film is generic for the genre so for when redrafting ours I am able to know to choose a different yet effective title. However I do like the purpose behind the titles and would want to include that into ours, so the audience know the titles weren't just picked by the look of it.  The titles for the film diverts away from the genre conventions of a thriller as it looks like they have used a type writer effect to show the seriousness. But also type writers are normally used in forms of service e.g. being associated with the military as it provides a non biased look towards the film. However this links more so into the narrative than the genre as the main male character himself is a security guard therefore his work role is an act of service which relates back onto the titles. The audience may not be able to pick up on the simplicity that the designers could of incorporated although it may make sense to them as the film progresses on. An alternative suggestion that I originally assumed when watching the titles was that it appears to be more action based. I thought would be done to intensify the scene that is about to happen, the element of action is key in the genre as it builds tension and when done correctly which I think this film has done allows the audience to feel fear. Although the titles are more associated with the narrative more so the genre, I still think they fit into the genre conventions as it is straightforward. Most thriller films do not bother too much with titles yet still create it to make an effect onto the audience. Therefore even if they are simple, it is still effective as they need to attract the audience even with titles to intensify the film a little bit more. The movements of the titles are slow paced and are shown as the opening scene is happening, they have made the font white so it can be acknowledged by the audience especially with the darker background of the scene. The titles are presented as the lead up towards the car begins, as the camera zooms closer and closer to the single car parked they are shown up until the shot from in front of the boot. Due to the rapid speed of the approaching camera to the scene, I think that is why they have purposely slowed down the titles to emphasise them but also allow the audience to establish what is going on in the scene. 

Evaluation of the preliminary task

The successes in the preliminary task was that we included a range of different shots, we knew beforehand the type of shots we wanted to include to make sure we had put them in. As well as the varied camera angles and positions, for example the match on action shot we did which was one of my favourite shots as it was particularly good and fit well into the rest of the shots. However the failures for the task, I thought were the location was too obvious as it was filmed inside of school. Despite the varied shots, some of the other shots didn't make sense nor did the plot of the task fit in with the other shots when put together. The editing of the task was also too fast and again with the shots didn't really flow together as they should. Lastly as a failure, the lighting of the shot dramatically changes from a bright environment to a darker one and the contrast between the two makes it difficult for the audience to view. When completing the preliminary task, the production was slightly more different than expected. It took a while to prepare filming and even the lead up to it as we had to finish all the production work before we could begin filming. Along with the complications of the location that happened, overall the production could of been better also. However, I think the shots were easy to complete and film as we knew exactly what we were doing which I think is an area we need to continue with for the pre-production as we have been struggling with shots and the plot of the opening.