Filming Preproduction for 09/03/17

To ensure that when filming all the shots taken were how we had planned and when we looked back on the shots taken they all flowed together and related to the story line we were following as a group we made a check list. We included a wide range of shots that will allow the audience when watching the opening o feel very involved in the events taking place. A series of point of view shots and low and high angle shots will give the audience a unique look into the events taking place. This will also hopefully allow the audience to feel emerged in the opening and allow them to draw their own unique conclusions about what is going on and what may take place thoughout the rest of the film. The plan also allowed all of our individual ideas to make it into the opening as when writing the ideas down we were able to put them into an order that would flow and make sense when being filmed and also in the final stages of editing would still work well together.

Filming 21/02/17

Today we visited the setting for our modified thriller opening. We planned the establishing shots we would take so when we arrived at the graveyard we were able to take turns filming and ensure we all took compelling and effective shots. We also ensured that the camera lens was clean as we had found from filming previously that this was essential when all of the shots we took needed to be precise and clear. To add to this we also made sure that we were checking the shots we had taken before we finished and looked back on the shots after uploading them to deceiver some were not in focus. By doing this we ensured that all the shots taken were of the best quality. The overall outcome we were aiming for when filming at the grave yard was to establish the shots we were going to take in the future and also take the opening shots we had planned. We had decided as a group, after receiving feed back that our previous opening had given up too much of the story line and acted more as a trailer as posed to a two minute opening, that the new opening we are

working on would open with establishing shots to set the scene of the film. Learning from the mistakes we had made in our previous attempt at an opening we have decided to keep the storyline very vague and not give too much of the plot away, this will hopefully allow us to use further conventions of a thriller by keeping the opening suspenseful through the use of soundtrack and a varied use of camera angles and shots throughout the opening. All of this will then lead to the last ten to thirty seconds of the opening giving the audience a token of what the film may include (this will be the last shots showing Lucy looking at the crime board with Lucas who the film so far has followed closely).

Production schedule

21/02/17-Filming of establishing shots at the graveyard. No props needed. Ellie, Joby, Lucy and myself will need to be present for the filming to all take some shots.

09/03/17-Filming of Lucas at the graveyard. Props-Flowers for grave. Ellie, Joby, Lucy and myself will again all need to be present for the filming.

??/??/17-Filming of Lucy and crime board. Props-Crime board, documents and pictures for crime board. Ellie, Joby and myself will again all need to be present for the filming. Lucy will have to be present to act in the filming taking place.

Title and font research

The font used in thriller films in the title sequence normally relates to the film in some way. For example 'Seven' is a thriller film and the title for the film has been developed to 'Se7en' this is unique as although it does not spell the title of the film out clearly the audience is still able to read the title. The title is also overlapped which gives the effect of the text being shaken, this is accosted with fear. In relation to title sequences in thrillers, they often are just made clear as they are smaller on the screen that the title so have to be less confusing.

Taking into consideration the research that I have conducted, when looking into the font we are going to use for our film title I researched a range of fonts that convey different messages. The first is a basic font, being easy to read makes this font likely to be used in the credits. It is also very thin which is desirable as it will not take away from the shot it is playing over. The second, third and fourth fonts relate to the film's narrative (as I found many thriller fonts do) they are uneven and messy, the second appears to be splattered ink, the crazy layout relates to Lucas' illness and the third and forth appear to be scribbled down over and over again this again relates to his illness as he is irrational. The fifth in my opinion is my favourite as the idea we have as group is to have the title appear in the final shot of the opening, as the camera pans over to the crime board and zooms into a document with the title either typed or written, this also means that the sixth font would work. The fifth font is unique and stands out, whereas the sixth is very basic. In my opinion, the fifth font will stand out more on the document. 

Institutional research

Upon research into film distributors, I have found that both Universal Pictures and Lionsgate Entertainment have both co-operated with other film distributors and producers as well as each other to produce a variety of thriller films. The prezi linked bellow shows the full institutional research that I have carried out.

https://prezi.com/gncthvxl3n5v/institutional/

Location research

After planning our new opening we have decided on the setting being predominately at a graveyard and then in a room with a crime board wall for a small portion of the opening. The importance of the graveyard setting is that it provokes emotion in the audience as we associate a graveyard with death and dark thoughts, this may suggest to the audience when watching the opening that something dark and mysterious has happened, which the film (if continued) would then explain. The opening, however, is just to convey a small message to the audience that keeps them guessing throughout as to what is happening and why. The relevance of the crime board also relates to this as the audience has no idea why the crime board is being used and how important it is to Lucy the undercover detective, the investigation and the plot of the film itself. That is why it will be the last thing shown before the end of the opening. 

Changes to our opening and modified story board

As a group, we have sat down and reflected on how we feel filming and the opening, in general, is going. We have also received allot of feedback from teachers and media subject experts. We have now decided to keep some of the aspects of the original narrative as well as the addition of modified aspects. The new narrative follows Lucas and Lucy, Lucas' character remains the same, suffering from the mind crippling illness Schizophrenia, who's girlfriend has mysteriously died. Lucy is an undercover detective following Lucas as she believes that he is suspicious and perhaps even guilty.

The layout of the opening, order of shots and the camera angles and movements we are going to used are shown in the storyboard bellow (Lucy=Patricia in storyboard):