Production Blog (10/03/14)

Production Blog (10/03/14)

After finally completing the editing process of our opening sequence we moved on to the evaluations. During break time we went to the media studies classroom where we ensured that any minor tweaking had been finalised so the opening sequence could be screened to small audience in order to gain feedback.  We picked a number of students between the ages of 14-17 (which is the targeted audience of our opening sequence) to watch the clip then asked if we could record their response.  The questions we asked varied, some based around the genre and typical conventions they picked out to questions asking what they liked or disliked most about the sequence.  The recorded responses taken today will be used in our evaluation into how we addressed and attracted our audience.

- Written By Lucy Parsons

Production Blog (07/03/14)

Production Blog (07/03/14)

After months of confusion, breakdowns and problems with the mac computers, we had finally been given time to start and finish editing for our final opening sequence. With many time constraints, such as a very short deadline, our group had to quickly refer to our prep work and begin to string together what would be our opening sequence. We were given one day (28/02/14) to sort out our product and begin to edit. The first few hours were spent going through and downloading the clips from the cameras which had been stored for over a few months, and allowing us as a group to view the footage we had shot back in december. We spend the rest of the day building, cutting and placing the clips within the right order and using editing techniques, such as Livetype, and adding transitions to make the visual part of the product. Being of a thriller/horror genre, we generally added cross dissolving, superimposition and fading as the main techniques, creating a slow start to lead on to the rest of the film. The clips had also been cut to allow the audience to ask questions, creating narrative enigma, such as the use of props and why one of the characters is being followed. Though it had been a stressful experience for many of us as students, the day had been productive and we had a good basic frame to our opening sequence.

(Use of LiveType Within Opening Sequence)

We came back to the product the following week and created the audio frame to be played throughout the sequence. I had done some previous research on sound that could potentially be used, due to it being 'copyright free', and this was later threaded into the opening sequence to link within the visual aspects shown on screen. The tones are dark and mysterious, creating an unsettling tone to fit within the genre of the film. Other sounds to add tension such as hearbeats and heavy breathing were also added to ensure tension is being built throughout the opening sequence, and so leading onto the rest of the film. We also spent some time creating a production company to be placed at the beginning of the clip, giving a somewhat professional image. Lucy, a group member, had designed the opening whilst as a group we looked for a suitable sound to be played along with what had been shown. Upon agreeing on designs and audio, the clip was added to the opening sequence and our group had most of the sequence finished, however due to time constraints the product is not completely polished as we had wished it to be, however some editing skills and camera techniques had been displayed presenting a somewhat effective representation of the 'thriller/horror' genre of our opening sequence.

(Production Company Created on LiveType) 

- Written by Manisha Dhokia

Production Blog (11/12/13)

Production Blog: (11/12/13)

Today after school, our group decided to film the last scene of our opening sequence, which consisted of the 'shed' scene. This is perhaps the most important scene within the opening sequence as it finally shows the audience how Vincent (the stalker) had become completely obsessed with Sarah (innocent girl) and the collection of data he had collected on her. We began the scene by getting to the location and creating a few more props to place on the set. We had initially created a few images for this location, however, upon creating some test shots, we decided to create more images to put up. Once this had been completed, we filmed the first scene where Vincent is seen as a dark shadow walking across his garden towards the shed. We used a variety of shots to build tension and create an eerie atmosphere such as extreme close ups. The next scene consisted of various shots within the shed, finally allowing the audience to witness the extreme lengths the stalker had gone to find all the images and documents of the Sarah. We filmed a variety of shots to give the full impact of the scale of this investigation, and hint to what it may lead to. The use of hanging a large axe within the shed created a somewhat disturbing mood, creating narrative enigma and whether the stalker may use this weapon later on within the film. We also tried some shots zooming into an image that would cross dissolve, when editing, to the clips we had filmed within earlier sequences, creating a continuous flow of footage of Vincent stalking his victim. The final step was to film potential title credits with the name of the opening sequence 'Obsessed'. We found that the glass on the shed had misted over due to the cold, and had the idea of writing the title of our film upon this glass so that it could be seen through the light. We carried out some test shots, and if the results have come out well, it could be that we use this footage rather than titles created on Live Type. 

(Example of images placed of Sarah with the shed)

( Props used within shed, including old papers and candles)

(Image of axe and images within the shed)

- Written by Manisha Dhokia

Production Blog (06/12/13)

Production Blog (06/12/13)

In today's media lesson, our group decided to complete the filming for scene 1. We needed to find an appropriate location to film, and so we chose to film down a quiet road so we were able to hear our characters and there dialogue. We filmed a variety of shots all of which had different camera angles and view points so we could have a range of shots incorporated in our opening sequence. Our stalker Vincent (Matthew Clark) needed to 'accidentally' bump into our main character Sarah (Lucy Parsons). This scene is the beginning of our stalkers obsession, where the audience first see how Vincent behaves around his victim. We used a point of view, hand held shot for Vincent. This is able to make the audience feel as though they are the stalker, and challenges the conventions of a thriller, as the audience are usually the view point of the victim and are supposed to like them. In this case, we have placed the audience in the mind set of a stalker. We used a worms eye view of our stalker walking past the camera slowly, we felt this created anticipation and possibly narrative enigma as the audience are unaware of who's footsteps they are witnessing.

(POV Shot from Sarah)

- Written by Alexandra James

Production Blog (04/12/13)

Production Blog (04/12/13)

After school today, our group decided to film parts of scene 3 for our opening sequence. We first collected our camera equipment and took a bus to Banstead, our chosen location, to begin to film within the local park. We hid the camera through various bushes and trees in order to obstruct the view, giving the impression that Vincent (the stalker) is following the girl. The shot zoomed into the face of the girl to give the audience a sense of her innocence and vulnerability. 

The second part of the scene within the sequence included a shot of Sarah (innocent girl) walking out of a shop and into the street. The first section of this scene included a shot of Vincent writing on old papers, which will be linked into the scenes later within the opening sequence. The last section of the scene included an over the shoulder shot of Vincent looking at the girl walking out of the shop. The shot zooms in on the victim, showing how Vincent is staring at her from a distance, illustrating the growing nature of his obsession. 

The final part of scene 3 is the section where Sarah is seen walking into her home. We recorded whilst it was night-time to present ambiguity as the surroundings are not clear and allows Vincent to be hidden throughout the scene. We recorded a POV shot from the perspective of Vincent, showing how he is following the girl, as well as a normal panning shot to show the eerie street location. These three scenes will be edited together as a montage to create the impression of passing time and how Vincent had been stalking the girl for a vast amount of time. 

(Screen Capture of the Park Scene Filmed for Scene 3)

- Written by Manisha Dhokia and Lucy Parsons

Production Blog (03/12/13)

Production Blog (03/12/13)

Within our media lesson today, our group decided to hold character auditions to see who would play the part most successfully within our opening sequence. We had 6 people in total who took part in the auditions for the part of Vincent (stalker) and of Sarah (innocent girl). We took a side, wide shot in order to catch the first event in the script where the characters bump into each other. The role of the girl was determined by the overall acting style portrayed and the effectiveness of the actions within the scene. The role of the stalker was picked by playing back the footage and looking at the most eerie portrayal of the character through the use of costume and body language. We decided that Lucy Parsons was best fit for the role as the girl as her costume was suitable for the production and acted appropriately within the scenes. We also decided that Matthew Clark best fit the role of the stalker as he was able to deliver a somewhat frightening performance and that his costume style was also suitable for the production. 

Once we had chosen our actors, we carried out some test shots in order to be aware of the filming process when begin our opening sequence. We are conscious of the time constraints due to the natural lighting issues; the sun sets fairly early. This allows us to plan ahead and understand the exact scenes which need to be filmed on each day, and whether we need bright natural lighting or darkness within our scenes. The test shots we had tried out included the first scene where Vincent and Sarah first meet by bumping into each other. We decided to try out perspectives from each of the main characters and see what it may look like when it comes to editing. With Vincent's perspective, the scene included a view of him looking onto the ground where his feet were walking, but suddenly he accidentally bumps into a girl. Instead of apologising and walking onwards, he stops and watches the girl leave. The perspective of Sarah is of her looking at her phone and texting, unaware that she is about to bump into someone. She quickly apologises and walks into the distance. However, she turns back and sees Vincent staring at her from a distance. Her pace then quickens and the scene ends. 

We had also tried testing out shots from scene 3, where a montage of clips are put together to create the effect of time passing and that the growing obsession that 'Vincent' is experiencing is getting out of hand. We filmed a POV shot from the view of the stalker as well as an over the shoulder shot to create a difference viewing perspective for the audience. After collecting all these experimental test shots, we will review them in a future lesson before we are going to film the main parts of the opening sequence so that we are aware of the effects we want to achieve.

(Auditions for Sarah) 

(Audition for Vincent)

- Written by Manisha Dhokia

Production Blog (02/12/13)

Production Blog (02/12/13)

Today, during our double media lesson three of our group members (Alex, Lucy and Manisha) recorded and put together some test shots for the beginning of scene 4, which consisted of the main character, Vincent, making a cup of tea.  After recording last week we felt that this scene in particular was not strong enough, and so we decided to re-take some shots in order to make the scene look more professional. For ideas on how to improve, we looked at the "Shaun of the Dead" trailer, where they too had taken quick shots of an action and linked them together in a montage for effect. 

We then went on to taking quick practice shots of Alex getting, opening and dropping the lid of a water bottle. Unlike last week when filming the shots we decided to use to one perspective and zoom in as the action was taking place. Once we had put the shots together it became evident that this new technique looked much more professional than perviously. The scene was quicker than perviously as we decided to speed it up to match the effect used within 'Shaun of the Dead'. The shots consisted of the camera zooming in on exaggerated action in order to effectively grab the audience's attention.

Now that we had decided on the perspectives to film from, the speed of the shots and the effect of the 'zooming in', we went on to test these new findings with the scene of making tea. We used the food rooms in the DT corridor as they were equipped with a kettle. We tried out a number of shots so when it came to uploading the footage we had a lot to play around with to see what would work best.

After the tests, we made a group decision to show main character Vincent getting a glass of orange juice as oppose to tea. We decided to make this change as when putting our test shots together we felt that there was too many stages involved in making tea therefore it seemed to drag on and didn't leave much of an effect on the audience. Orange juice however would be much quicker and dramatic which would also emphasis that this is a normal task and trick the audience into believing that Vincent is actually innocent and means no harm. In addition, orange juice is commonly known to be a kids favourite making the audience feel sympathetic towards Vincent as they may just think he has failed to grow up and is looking for friends, although they are left waiting to see the truth.

- Written by Lucy Parsons 

Production Post (27/11/2013)

Production Post (27/11/2013)

Today, straight after the end of last lesson me and my group went to the Media Studies room where we collected a video camera and tripod so we could begin the filming of scenes 2 and the beginning of scene 4.  As school finishes at around 3:05 we had to make sure we arrived at our location as quickly as possible as it begins to get dark around 4:00pm. On arrival to Banstead we had a short walk to group member (Alex’s) house which is the home of “Vincent” the stalker within our sequence.  In order to get the necessary shots we used a front bedroom window, on the second floor, in Alex’s house. For the shot, Vincent, played by Matthew Clark, had to reach up and place his hand gently on the window when he saw second main character Sarah, played by Lucy Parsons, walk past on the pavement below. This ended up taking longer than first anticipated as we tested a range of camera shots to ensure that the scene was of the best quality and clear for the audience to understand.  We recorded the scene from two perspectives, one being a point of view shot from the stalker, Vincent, which involved close ups of his hand as he rested it on the glass window. The other however was an over the shoulder shot of Vincent as his hand stroked the glass as Sarah walked below.  In the end we decided on using the point of view shot.  We believed that this made the scene more effective and suspenseful for the audience as the perspective will be looking through the eyes of the stalker as if it was themselves. In addition to this, the previous scene within our sequence is also a POV shot, therefore we wanted to keep continuity within some of the different scenes.

After the filming of scene 2 we went straight on to recording main character Vincent making a cup of tea for the start of scene 4.  In order to increase the pace of the film we used simple close ups of each item used with the tea making process so when it comes to editing it will almost act as a fast paced montage, rather like the shots used in 'Shaun of the Dead' or 'Hot Fuzz'. The purpose of these shots was to show Vincent carrying out an activity that is seen as a normal day to day task, this tricks the audience into believing Vincent has a fairly ordinary lifestyle, however they are soon to learn the truth behind this mysterious identity. 


Finally, we headed down to the bottom of Alex’s garden towards the shed, a key location essential for the end of our opening sequence.  As a group we discussed how we were going to set up the props regarding positioning of props and camera work, and if any items needed to be removed from the shed to create a more effective setting. We also spoke about various ways we could possibly adjust the lighting so it doesn’t appear as too dark and unclear on the camera so test shots could shortly take place.  

(Scene 2)

This first image is an over the shoulder shot used within scene 2 of our opening sequence. At first it was rather challenging to get the correct positioning of the stalker's hand on the glass when the girl walks passed. However, after various test shots and experimentation, we decided to use a point of view shot in the eyes of the stalker, giving the audience the impression that they are looking out the window themselves. 

(Tea Scene)

This next shot is from scene 3 where a montage of clips are used to create a stylistic editing technique rather like from 'Hot Fuzz'. This involved various fast cut shots placed within a sequence. Upon doing further research, we discovered that within the film, the shot involved zooming in as well as creating fast shots. After this first experiment was done, we tried doing this new technique for different objects such as a water bottle. We then tried experimenting with the tea scene again using this newer technique, following the style used within 'Shaun of the Dead'. 

(Tea Scene)

This is nearer the end of scene 3, the last section of the tea scene, where the stalker then goes to stir the tea. We found this rather challanging to time correctly as we needed Foley of the spoon crashing against the mug as well as using the correct camera placement and movement. We re-created this scene one again using a slightly different technique which had overall given a more effective outcome. 

- Written by Manisha Dhokia, Lucy Parsons, Alexandra James and Matthew Clark