Media Studies 3 - Chloe

 

Today in class we managed to get our script done, the letters for the opening sequence all cut out and got our storyboard almost completed. 

Tristan did the storyboard, all that we need to do now is write down all the camera shots and sounds which are going to be used in the actual production. 

I wrote the script to our opening sequence, as there is no dialogue then it was just basically an overview of the storyboard, we still have to decide if we actually want to have dialogue in one certain scene as we are thinking that the two characters will have a conversation but what is being said is unknown to the audience.

We thought of a new scene which would come at the end and it was of the bad guy sitting down in his chair and the camera would go into a side on view of the character and the phone would ring, it rings for a couple of seconds and then the character slowly picks the phone up and says hello - in a slow and deep voice.  This is our idea for the end part of the opening sequence as it would create an enigma which the audience would then have to watch the film and find out who and why this person is calling.

Today we also created a background for the photos which are going to be placed on the board in the office, we used the projector in class to create the canvas for the background, but I made the background on paint, with the black lines across the screen, this looks as if they have been caught by the police and also creates another enigma about why the character is after these people.

Today we got a lot of things done in our group, and we are almost finished and are almost ready to go into the production stage!

Today in class we first off began to think about what each of our roles were going to be.  I was going to be the camera woman, Tristan would be the director, Connor would be the editor and Shona Isla was going to be one of the actors, these roles aren’t completely accurate because some may have to change during the filming process but this is what we are doing at the moment.

We also created our storyboard in today’s lesson.  The storyboard is needed so that the camera man knows exactly what type of shot and where the camera has to go and what he or she has to focus the camera on.

We started to make a schedule,  we only had got up to just after the time that we would be round about finishing pre-production but we know now what our targets are for these few weeks.

We had to discuss something to with the way that we were going to shoot a certain scene, with two characters talking to each other, we had to look back on “The Usual Suspects” to help us a bit because we had got the idea from that film and the camera angles and shots that we were planning on using had been very similar, this helped us as we had to think about the 180 degree rule and how it would actually look whilst being filmed.

Tooday our task was to come up with a 2 minute film, which had to use continuity.  We started off by thinking what our short film should look like, we came up with the idea that we would do a sequel to a film that me and one other person in my group had made.  In this film we had to use continuity so we made our film about a person running after another, this allowed us to use continuity because there were different scenes in the corridors so we had to get the cuts correct to make it flow smoothly, also when filming we had to think about the 180 degree rule so that it all flowed nicely together, and the audience knew were the characters were at all times.

By doing this task it allowed us as a group to see what roles each of us suited best.  It also made us think about what we are actually going to be able to do whilst filming our actual production.  All that we have to do the film is add some music, which we have chosen, which is quite fast paced as the scenes are of the two characters running, so the music will make the movie feel like the characters are running as fast as possible to get away from one other.  To finish all we have to do is edited all the scenes together.

Tooday in class we started to plan our storyboards, they were laid out as shot, time, camera movement and sound.  The story board in the future when doing the production will help a lot as we wont miss anything out but also for the camera man so he/she knows exactly what and how he/she is filming.   

When planning the story board it allows us to think about everything and it lets us see what the film will be like once we begin to film it.  We thought of starting off by panning around the office which would show the audience the whole room, but it will also allow the audience to see all of the props, which in their own way will create a different enigma, which the story will eventually tell the story of.

We also began to think about the opening credits, we got some newspapers and started to pick some big, bold letters from them to make up our names for the titles.  We decided to put each persons name seperatly and the names would be sitting on a black piece of paper to make the letters bold and stand out in the opening.  We are planning to get these two things finished as then it will be much easier when we go into actually filming the film.Â

Whilst dicussing the opening sequence we thought about something that may need to be changed, and this was that instead of using a puzzle to create the enigma, we would use a board on the wall with the pictures on it, representing who the main character is looking for.  The camera would then pan into one of the photos/snapshots and this would start the enigma of who the main character was after.  We then thought about characters, and thought to change the story around quite dramatically we would use female instead of male, this could change the view of what the audience would feel as the clues up untill now are mostly quite masquline and this could change which gender the film could attract. As one of the props is a coffee cup we thought we could put a lipstick smudge on the cup.  We also thought that one of the pictures from the board could transform into a person dying which will creat an enigma.

Today we dicussed Audience, Mise - en - scene, and Constraints.  In a group we thought that the certification would be around a 12a, or a 15, this would link to the age, which would be around 15 and or upwards.  We dont know yet which gender that the film will attract as we havent yet decided on any characters being in it, so this leaves it quite open, but when we do decide, if we are using a male main character then this will probably make males more likely to like the film.  If we use a female then women are more likely to like the film.  We then discussed Mise - en - Scene, we started off with the lighting we agreed that we wanted it to be shot in quite dim light and this would be done inside as it was set in an office.  The props that we are going to use in the opening scene are a black trilby hat along with a long black coat (trench coat) which will be hung over the chair, we are going to have a cigarette that looks as if its just been lit and is burning, a puzzle which hasnt been finished and has markings on it which can be suggested targets.  A cup of coffee with the steam still coming out the top of it which give the impression that the person has had to run off somewhere in a hurry.  We are also going to have pictures of some targets in black and white so it looks as if the main character is targetting these people and they are like little snapshots of different people.  The setting is in an office, we are thinking of making the scene start to lead outside but we aren’t sure yet.  The shots that we are going to use are going to be using the whole room, the camera starts outside and passes through the wall of the building that leads into the office, the camera is then over the table with a high angle shot, it then moves downwards, it pans around the table and around the room this lets you see the whole room and the things inside it.  To begin another scene the camera would look as if it dives into one of the pictures and this begins to tell a story.  As we don’t know about if we are having characters in it or not we cannot decide on make-up, expression, although if we do have characters then the clothing would be dark and black, to give the feeling of the unknown.  The Constraints are the BBFC which is an external constraint as it is their decision to rate films at whatever classification they think.�

To begin with, as a group we came to the decision that we would have an action thriller.  We then decided that it was going to be set inside an office, the props we decided to use are a table with an unfinished puzzle lying on it, with pen drawings on it to highlight different enigmas in the film.  There will also be a cigarette still burning, as if its just been lit and a cup of coffee lying with the steam still rising from it, this would then lead into a shot of a gun that has just been fired and the smoke is coming out of it.  the office is going to be quite a dark room, with venetian blinds, the camera will sit in between them to look as if someone will be peering into the office.  We then decided as a group that we wouldnt use colour but sepia or greyscale, to give a nostalgic feel to the scene.  We havent yet decided on a piece of music to go with the scene.�