Shooting Schedule

This final part before we can begin filming is one of the most important parts as it give the crew members.......

And no not that kind of 'Crew', but the crew as in behind the camera......

So with this shooting schedule then it will help us to be organised as to when we are filming, and where and what location, and even what time. It also gives the actors an idea of what will be going on on whilst filming.

Below is the shooting schedule that was created. This shooting schedule is vital as it is keeps the whole crew informed and organised and keeps everyone up to date with shooting. 

Like most films many scenes are not filmed in the order on which you see it either in the cinemas or on DVD, this is due to being time consuming and rather expensive if you had to travel back and forth to various locations. So in the shooting schedule below the scenes will not be in order.

Shooting Schedule

Shooting Schedule

This is the final part of the Pre-Production of the film, so now all that is needed to be done is to film the thriller opening:

"Never Look Back"

Actor Release Forms

Following up from the Risk Assessment based around the health and safety of everyone on set. This is about our actors release forms which need to be signed in order to appear in the film. There are also the terms and conditions that need to be followed by the chosen actors and actresses.

Terms and Conditions

Actor Release Form

Actress Release Form

The next I will post is all about the shooting schedule for our film. 

Risk Assessment

Within the post I will be embedding a document of our formal risk assessment. This document will assess all of the risks involved in creating our thriller opening never look back.

I have graded everything to see whether they are LOW risk MEDIUM risk or HIGH risk depending on how severe the risk is and the likelihood of how much people will get hurt.

Risk Assessment

My next post will be the Actor release forms.

Animatic

For the Animatic we we're given positive and negative criticism and feedback given to us on what was thought to have some improvements.

The questions we we're being assessed on was the following:

• Is the narrative clear?

• Have the group framed the images appropriately?

• Have the group chosen the most effective shot types?

• Is the film opening around 2 minutes in length?

• Have the group included appropriate ident(s) & titles?

• Does the soundtrack effectively support the images?

• Does this Animatic suggest that the group is ready for the shooting phase of the production process?

Our feedback was delivered to us by Tina who is also studying Media and has been now for some time, so she knows what she is on about. 

1) I understood the narrative until it got to the ending. I was quite confused about what was actually happening and the lack of background music really made me unsure of how to feel. The dialogue really helped me to understand it though. Flashbacks are hard to show in animatic so I can understand why I maybe misunderstood what was going on but do some research so you can achieve a good effect in your film rough cut.

2) I think you have framed them well and the images are quite clear too.

3) I think you have given the shot types a lot of thought and you have definitely used a variety of shots from close ups to mid shots and you have used them appropriately too. Maybe you should give more thought to the camera movements specifically too.

4) 2:30 – You need to really cut this down which means cutting out some scenes or time that isn’t much important. There is also no ident to this which needs 6 seconds for 2 so you need to think about cutting is down to meet the 2 minute criteria.

5) There is no ident and you really need to include this. I also think that you should maybe move the title to the beginning or the end instead of bang on in the middle. Its up to you really I just think it would be more effective at the end or beginning. You should use some titles as well because this is a key part really so give this some good thought.

6) There is hardly any music in the background, which really made a huge impact. A soundtrack is a very important thing in a film and you really need to find music to make your film the best possible film opening it can be. Soundtrack really helps to set the scene and I would really suggest spending a lot of time on this.7) I think you still need to plan things more thoroughly and you need to give the film a little more attention to detail. You are pretty much nearly ready just little more work and I think you would be ready to shoot.

Here is Optical Productions Animatic:

 

My next post will be the Risk Assessment 

Animatics Research

What is An Animatic?

Right, OK. So an 'Animatic', is where you have still images which are edited together and shown through in sequences with either dialogue, soundtrack or both, usually this isn't the finished product but a rough copy. Those still images are usually taken from the story board.

How have these Animatics developed?

It was only just a few years ago where these animatics were produced by literally filming the storyboards. Over the last ten years though, animatic production has become much more advanced and has developed a more serious manner. They are now developed with the aid of computers and animation in mind.

With this advancement in mind everything to do with these are now done a computer, and from this the animatics have become much more digitalis-ed and complex. Some animatics of today look almost as close to what would be the finished product.

Types of Animatics

In today's standard the best type and most favorite has to be 2D and 3D. There are also different types of Animatics a director can use, this including they can also have hand drawn animatics.

Below is an Animatic from Iron Man 3:

If your now a bit unsure on what an animatic actually is I will show you another video explaining to you Animatics:

Which Elements of The Final Film Should Be Included In The Animatic?

Within the animatics there are things that should be included in this being that it should also be in the final cut. Things included being the Ident's, those are the names and titles you see at the beginning of a film.

Below Is The Intro From The Film Cry Baby Which Shows Clear Idents.

So anyway as I was say about animatics is that the Production company must be on there, the ones who actually produced the film and the title must be on there somewhere but where you placed the title on the animatic you must have it in the same place in the film. With the dialogue, soundtrack, and special effects they must be in the same place in both the animatic and the film.

Advantages of Producing an animatic Before Shooting.

Right, so a huge advantage of producing an animatic before filming is the fact that everyone knows what is going to happen when on set and it is very straight forward on what everyone must do. The camera operator knows what camera shots and angles must be needed. The actors and actresses know there dialogue. Editors will know transitions and what sound effects must be needed. If all this was never there then production would probably take a lot longer than expected and very time consuming, and for some things they might be missed out which could possibly be a huge plot hole in the film and leave the whole audience confused, but because they have something to follow they won't miss anything out and at least they have an idea on what the finished product will look like.

Real Life Examples of Animatics: 

Although this is not technically a film but a music video it still holds the same concept:

Now the actual finished product:

My next post will be about the animatics for our opening of the thriller.

Storyboard For Never Look Back

The creation of our storyboard although we're not professionals this is pretty good:

See what I mean, it is really good!!

Now my next post will be about Animatics Research.

Storyboard Research

Within this post I will be showing you about storyboards

A storyboard is usually associated with a miniature version of the final film and acts like a blue print for a film. It's a plan that shows your script through visuals. This is the most important process stage of pre-production and this helps directors see their detailed ideas of their film before the production stage.

Basic parts of a storyboard conventions is that they are often used in live action films, and in animated films:

1. Camera Movement
2. Shot Selection

Shot Selection

Long Shot:

This is often used to introduce the begging of ones scene, it could also be known as an establishing shot. So, it's a called a long shot because the camera is generally seen to kept far from the subject on which it is being filmed or captured. This is also to capture a larger area, and establishes the audiences perception of the time of day, either night or day or even the whether it is sunny or raining.

Medium Shot:

The medium shot is the most usually common shot used in film. The majority of action happens in a medium shot. This is due to the fact that it is the most closest to how we see things in everyday life. These medium shots are usually framed for a single actor from waist height.

 Close Up Shot:

This close up shot is a fairly important part of films due to the fact that it can help show emotion. Unfortunately though if it is overused then it can really sloppy and not very affective at all. When a close up shot has been used effectively it can also be then turned into a medium shot by the camera panning out and revealing the whole characters emotions and feelings.

Camera Movements

Tilt:
This is when the camera simply moves up and down but still within on it's horizontal axis.

Pan

Again the camera has only a simple movement and that is to move from either left to right or right to left depending on the where the subject is and what they are about to do.

Zoom:

So this is when it actually involves the camera lens to 'zoom' in on the subject without moving the camera. It is used frequently throughout films and has become very popular with the camera operator. It's aim usually is to get the audiences attention and focus in on something that is very important to do with the story line or current scene.

Dolly:
This is for when the camera wants to move toward the subject or even away from it. The name itself originated from where old 'Dolly tracks' used to be used to lay down and heavy cameras used to be moved along them for much more easier use.

Track:
This is pretty similar to a 'Dolly' shot but rather than coming into and from the subject, it in fact travels beside it on tracks.

Here is a Video below that may help you more with understanding how these work:

Benefits Of Creating A Storyboard:

1. It forces you to think through all and every logistics of the film
2. It can determine the plot and the flow of the plot
3. You can determine whether camera angles and movements are successful
4. Determine the graphics and sound effects
5. Allows group discussions both positive and negative criticism about the film
6. Allows organisation of when to shoot and edit

Storyboards

Now I will show you real life examples of Storyboards: 

If you haven't already guessed what film this is from, then it is from the original Jurassic Park.

So now here is the actual footage from the film and to be honest it's pretty spot on:

Another example now. This is from Forrest Gump, the scene includes where Forrest played by Tom Hanks shows the president of America at the time his wound, and well you can see for yourself where he got shot:

Here now is the clip from the actual film:

For my next post I will be showing you our own storyboard for our opening.

Costume Research

As part of our research we have to look at the different costumes that our characters are wearing. This is a very important aspect when creating a film as the character's costumes represent their character's personality in the film. It represents the type of person they are and it says a lot about them as a person.

Our First Character

Alex- Played by Kyle Scale. A big shame it wasn't Johnny Depp :'( 

Scene 1 - School Drama Studio - Drama Rehearsal

The first time we see Alex he will be in the theater practicing for a drama rehearsal with his friend Stacey. He then spots Stacey's bruises and threatens to tell somebody her secret. This is the outfit he will be wearing.

This is the kind of t-shirt he will be wearing. This t-shirt is very casual and the typical geeky kind of rocker look. This represents Alex character really well as he is a geeky and nerdy character that loves the typical rock bands like my chemical romance. He is a very casual and laid back character that doesn't really care about what he is wearing and what he looks like.

These are the kind of trousers that Alex will be wearing. Again these are quite casual jeans that a typical nerdy and geeky teenage boy would wear especially one who loves rock. He loves the colour black as we can see from the two pictures above. He loves to wear black skinny jeans with almost everything. Black however, is a very dark color which represents the dark and dangerous side to Alex's character.

Alex will be wearing Black Vans. The black symbolizes Alex's character at the beginning of the thriller he is mysterious.  even though technically there not a fashion shoes there in fact a skate shoe and have been for almost 40 years, but as time has gone on they have incorporated there artwork and shoes with today's artists and musicians and from there Vans have gone into the mainstream.

Film Example - Airheads (1994)

In this film example we see theses typical rockers in black clothing with band t-shirts on. This is the exact representation of our character Alex in our very own thriller. He will be wearing typical clothes like the character's in the film airheads.

Scene 3 - Outside - Following Stacey Home

The next time we see Alex he will be following Stacey home. This is to make sure that she is safe and he is protecting her from her dad. The scene where he is following Stacey home he is wearing the same t-shirt, jeans and shoes however, the difference in this scene is that he will be wearing a hoodie because he is outside.

This is a Marilyn Manson's Hoodie. Again it is very casual which represents Alex in this film very well. Again the color of the hoodie is black however, it doesn't have to be black it can be any color I just think it represents Alex's character really well.

Alex will be wearing a watch as he will be looking at the time from when he sees Stacey walk into her house. He will be sitting for a while before Stacey makes another appearance.

Film Example - The Expelled (2010)

In this film the character is always wearing a hoodie. In the film it creates suspense and tension as no one knows the person underneath that hood. This is the kind of tension and suspense we hope to create with our character Alex in our thriller. We know it is Alex following Stacey home however we want the audience to think "what's going to happen next?"

Scene 4 - School Drama Studio - Kidnapping

Alex will be wearing the same clothes throughout the film as the series of events that happens all happen on the same day. The only thing that changes is the fact that he puts his hoodie on from scene 1 to scene 2. If we did change his clothes from scene 2 to scene 3 it would look strange as there could have been no way that he could have changed clothes so it would be a massive continuity error.

Our Second Character

Stacey - Played by Annie Sutton. Again, It's a shame we couldn't get Helena Bonham Carter.

Scene 1 - School Drama Studio - Drama Rehearsal

The first time we see Stacey is in the school drama studio when she is rehearsing for a drama performance with her friend Alex. Alex then spots her bruises and threatens to tell somebody. These are the outfits she will be wearing.

These are the kind of jeans Stacey will be wearing in our thriller. Stacey is playing a more popular character in the film. We have portrayed this through her outfits. These jeans are casual but also stylish. This is the reason why we have chosen these for Stacey's character in our thriller.

This is the kind of shirt that Stacey would be wearing in our thriller. Again this is portraying the type of person that Stacey's character is. She is a popular girl who wears all the latest fashion so we feel that this outfit portrays her character really well.

Stacey will wear a jacket. As she is popular and likes to keep up with the trends and the latest fashion she will wear a blazer rather than a jacket. She might not always be wearing a blazer as she might take it off at some points in the film but this is generally what she will be wearing.

Stacey will be wearing converse as they are her favorite shoes. Converse are quite trendy as well so as well as wearing her favorite shoes she is still keeping up with fashion and trends. Converse can be worn with anything.

Film Example - Mean Girls (2004)

The character from mean girls Cady Heron played by Lindsay Lohan is the type of outfit we are going for. As you can see in the picture above Cady is the one standing right at the front of the group which signifies that she is the leader which essentially is what Stacey is in our thriller she is the popular one. The look of Cady is what we are essentially going for.

Scene 2 - Flashback - Stacey cowering from dad

The next time we see Stacey she will be in her house. Her dad will be towering over her as her dad will be going to hit her.

When Stacey is in her house she will change into more casual clothes and therefore will be wearing grey sweat pants. This shows another side to Stacey's character in our thriller and shows she can be quite normal and not really care what she looks like.

She will also be wearing a grey hoodie. This will also be another casual thing she will be wearing along with her sweat pants. This again shows that Stacey has a different and casual side to her personality. She isn't always popular and stuck up.

Film Example - Juno (2007)

In this film the character Juno is quite a laid back and care free character. This is portrayed through the clothes she wears. In this scene she is sitting quite laid back wearing a hoodie and some quite loose fitting jeans. She is being quite casual. This is what we want Stacey to look like when wearing her hoodie and sweat pants.

Scene 3 - Following Stacey Home - Outside

When we see Alex following Stacey home she will be wearing the exact same clothes as she wore in scene 1. This is because when she is walking home she is coming straight from drama rehearsals as Alex scared her off. This is why she will be wearing the same clothes as she does in scene 1.

Scene 4 - School Drama Theater - Kidnapping

In this scene we see that Stacey has kidnapped Alex and has him tied up in the school drama studio. Here is what she will be wearing.

We have decided to go with a black hoodie. This is because black symbolizes danger. This is a great portrayal of what is going to happen in this scene. Stacey kidnaps Alex and a black outfit is a stereotypical outfit to use when we don't want you to know who the person is doing the kidnapping.

Again we have decided to go with jeans in the black color. Again this is because black symbolizes danger and this is a great portrayal of what is going to happen in this scene. Stacey kidnaps Alex and a black outfit is a stereotypical outfit to use when we don't want you to know who the person is behind the kidnapping.

We will also be using a white mask. Stacey will be wearing this is the scene as she doesn't want Alex or anyone else to know who she is. She wants it to be an element of surprise when she takes off the mask. In the 2 minutes opening we wont see her take off the mask but we do see her about to take it off and then the scene cuts. It creates a sense of tension and mystery.

We want Stacey's character to be all in black in this scene so we have gone with all black converse.

Film Example - Street Dance (2010)

Film Example - Step Up 2 the Streets (2008)

These 2 films I have used as an example because of the white masks. Even though this film and our film aren't the same genres the masks still have the same meaning. They use these masks to create tension and to create mystery as no one can see their faces. This gets the audience thinking "who are they". This is why I have used these 2 films for examples.

Costume Plot

Below is a table that I made for costumes. It basically says which character will need which costume for each scene. It will also inform the characters as to what they will be wearing throughout the filming of each scene.

The next post will be about Prop Research.