Problems when filming

The main problem we have is that we need to find a house as Beth and I cannot use our own homes due to distance, the layout of the house and accessibility. It will be fine filming on the other locations as we do live quite near each other however we do live far away from the college so transporting equipment may be an issue. Also it is likely that the actors will live further away from us, making it difficult for them to travel down to Lyme Regis. We also have to make sure that the houses are access able because I am wheelchair bound the houses will have to be wheelchair access able and this will make finding a house to film in more difficult.


We have acknowledged some of these issues in the SWOT analysis we completed earlier.
So to overcome this we will have to see if one of our actor's houses are efficiant for us to to use. We can always film the shots that don't involve a house first so we can atleast start filming. So these will be taken place in Lyme Regis and we should be able to do this reasonably soon, all we need to do is sort out the actors and whether or not they will be free for the filming.

Location Ideas

These are the basic ideas for locations for each of the shots regarding to the storyboard.
For shots 2 - 7 we will need to use someones house for filming. A bedroom is needed for shots 2, 3 and 7 as Ella will be talking to her friend and shots 4, 5 and 6 we will need to film in a lounge for the 'flashback'

For shots 9 - 13 we will film in Langmoor Gardens in Lyme Regis as there is a good height to get good long shots for the scenes where the camera is pointing down to the three girls and the point of view shots (Ross)

For shots 14, 16, 12 - 28 (excluding 20) we will need to use a different house than before as it is meant to be Ella's home. We will be filming part of the outside but mostly the inside hall way and the lounge where the phone will be.

In shots 17 and 18 we will need a lounge and this has to be a different setting to the other houses. We can use a different house all together or just adapt a another room from one of the other houses we have used before. These scenes will be the house of Ella's friend.

Shot 20's location will be depend on the where 'Ella's house' will be. This shot is the one before Ella enters her own home so we will need to film by that house. It may be in Lyme Regis or Bridport and there are many places where we can film in both areas.

Storyboards and Script

Storyboard - Creating a is great for reference when we get to film our trailer. This will show what the type and size of the camera shots are and the sound going on during shots and to make sure when we start filming that the filmed content will look like the storyboard. We created this by improving on our draft storyboard.

Script - the script shows the dialogue of the character along side what is been shown visually. We have not included music to the script yet because we are unsure of what to use and where is can be placed into the trailer. So for now only the dialogue is shown.

Character Analysis

The two main characters are Ross and Ella, Ross being the antagonist and Ella being the protagonist. The differences between Ross and Ella make them seem to both have extreme characteristics.
Ella is a young girl at the age of 15-16, she is represented as weak and vulnerable which is a typical stereotype for a young girl in a thriller/horror film. With the physical and verbal abuse from Ross towards her this makes her seem even more defenceless against him. Ella shows typical female traits for example in a few scenes of the trailer she is shown talking to one of her friends and this is a common female trait, to talk to someone about their problems. The audience is more likely to identify with Ella especially if the viewer is female. In the start of the trailer Ella has a flashback to Ross towering over her with him shouting at her. This is a clear example of their different characters. Ella is cowering on the floor while Ross is standing tall above her being the most dominant. We will also use high and low view point angles to show this clearly.

Ross is older than Ella at around 19-20 years old, in the relationship he had with Ella he was protective and had anxiety issues so when she broke up with him this made him furious and extremely dangerous. He is shown as violent and powerful which shows that he is taking a typical masculine role and because of this he is represented in a way that he is dangerous and scary.

Audience Analysis

In our planning presentation we had breifly described our targetted audience for the trailer shown right.

In both the Audience Profile and Anaylsis I will be describing the targetted audience in a lot more depth.

For our trailer and film the genre is thriller. People watch thriller and horror films for the adrenalin rush and the excitement of being scared, or example like on a scary rollercoaster when you want to get off when you’re on it but when it’s over you want to go on it again. So this is what we need for our trailer to be successful, to build up suspense and create the environment that would excite and hype up the audience for something terrifying to happen. Also with the film and trailer having a more realistic feel as the storyline is possible, this will make the audience wonder whether it could happen to them and possibly more scared. This will also make the audience more likely to find out what happens by watching the film itself.
The trailer will have to clearly show that it is a thriller with specific codes and conventions that are used in thriller films, for example a dark setting, with music being suspenseful and eerie. Looking at the research I did for the trailer “Taken” flashing cuts are used and the cuts are very quick this creates a fast paced, scary representation that the audience will understand what is shown and feel excited and scared in the right places. The trailer “Creep” uses heavy breathing at the start as this is a specific use of sound that is usually used in horror and thriller films to create suspense. All these specific details are what the audience expect to see in thriller/horror films and we should follow these in our trailer so the audience will be able to easily identify the genre.
The trailer would primarily be shown on television to get an overall audience interested, most likely in the evening or at night as this is when it will be more acceptable to broadcast. It may also be beneficial to make the trailer a viral advertisement on the internet using web 2.0 technologies such as Facebook or Myspace to target a specific audience that would find the film interesting and would go to see it.

Audience Profile

Overall the audience we are aiming for are young adults preferably female and in higher education. This is based mainly on the main character of the film because the audience will need to be able to relate to the character in order to understand the film itself.

Age
For the trailer we are aiming the audience to be in adolescence or young adults particularly 15+ as the film would be certified as a 15. The trailer however will be set as PG so it will be able to be shown on television. This trailer will target this age group because of the characters that are involved would be 15-20 years, so the audience will be able to identify with them and their experiences. Also with the film and trailer’s more adult issues that are being portrayed (stalking and violence) in the film and trailer it is more realistic this will target older viewers that enjoy realistic thriller/horror.

Gender
Generally the film and trailer is aimed more at female viewers. As there is a common ideology shown (domestic abuse towards the female character) this is what women would fear more so than men and may also have some experiences that would apply to the narrative. However because of its thriller nature this may also attract male viewers towards the film. With the film showing the representation of the male character being powerful and more dominant over the female, may interest the male viewers.

Sexuality
The two main characters in the trailer are a heterosexual couple. So this is who the trailer would be aimed for, as homosexual viewers may find it difficult to relate to the content. With this being aimed at heterosexual individuals the trailer will be relatable to a larger audience, as being heterosexual is the social norm and would is the majority group. So the film will be more profitable as we are aiming for a larger audience.

Occupation
Some clips of the trailer will be filmed at college and the main character (Ella) is a student. So overall the audience we are aiming for would be students or possibly people who are in higher education or just left college/university/school. As the age group we are aiming for is young adults, the majority of people in that group would be students.

Location
The film would be set in England as it shows social norms for a British audience. The UK is more knowledgeable to this abuse and for the majority it is not a problem for it to be shown in media texts. However in other cultures the film may be unsuitable to show, as they may not be relatable to the narrative and find the violence too unsuitable to show to individuals from that specific culture.

Class
Generally the class shown in this trailer would be middle-class as there are no issues shown involving money or poverty. However higher class and lower class individuals may still be aimed for the film as there is no content in the trailer that determines that the middle-class is not specifically shown.

Education Level
With mainly students being shown in the trailer this shows that the characters are involved in high education, however Ross the main male character is not in education and this represents the ideology that high educated people = good and low educated people = bad. This may a common stereotype but the audience will be able to understand instantly as they are knowledgeable of the stereotype. The audience that we are aiming at would be in higher education as they are students, and as Ross is hard working but working for little money this represents a struggle to live so makes the student life seem more beneficial.

BBFC - Classifications

One main part is to know what age group the trailer is directed to. The classification is very important as the audience will know what to expect from different classifications that have been attached to the product. It is also used to protect younger viewers from watching products certified for an older audience, that may psychologically harm or scare them.


I believe that the classification for the film should be at a 15 however the trailer shouldn't be at a 15 otherwise it would not be able to be shown as an advert so the trailer itself should be at a PG or U classification.

One scene in our trailer is when domestic violence is implied during the flashback scene with Ross towering about Ella. However no violence is shown so the trailer will be certified PG rather than at a 15.

Advertising Industry Codes of Practice

For the trailer to be produced it must apply to the advertising standards, so I looked at the BCAP code and picked out what applied to the trailer.

One main factor is who would view the trailer and it is possible that young children may view it The BCAP says that
"the protection of young viewers and listeners are always priority. Section 5: Children should be considered for all advertisements that:

i. are targeted at children or likely to interest them
ii. features children as professionals or amateurs
iii. could harmfully influence children even if not direct interest to them"

This would apply to our trailer as there is some scenes of implied violence, which may influence young children. However because it isn't shown and it only implied, it becomes less of a risk for children to imitate.

Looking at the Harm & Offence rules, there are a few that may apply to the trailer:

"4.1 - Advertisements must contain nothing that could cause physical, mental, moral and social harm to persons under the age of 18"
Again because the trailer is a thriller, we would like it to be moderately scary, however because of this rule it cannot be too scary, so for the trailer we will make it more suspenseful rather than horror.

"4.9 - Advertisements must not condone or encourage violence, crime, disorder or anti-social behaviour"
Our trailer does not encourage the violence that is implied as it suggests that the behaviour has to be overcome and shows the emotional consequences on others when that violent behaviour occurs. The trailer suggests that the anti-social behaviour (stalking) must be stopped.

Plot Synopsis Of The Film

This is the synopsis of the overall film that the trailer will be for;

At the start of the film the main character Ella who is 16 years old is in a relationship with Ross who is 20, however Ross starts to be abusive to Ella physically and verbally, he becomes more psychotic, extremely dangerous and very protective over her and Ella becomes terrified of him and is worried what he would do next. She confides in one of her friends for help and they comfort her and say that she has to end the relationship so she takes her friend's advice and ends it.
After the relationship ended she thought all her problems were over and she would not see Ross again however she then starts to feel that she is been watched over and becomes more nervous. This is when Ross starts to stalk Ella and has the motive of "If I can't have her, no-one can."
Over a period of time Ella receives threats and abuse over the phone from him including some threatening to kill her. As he keeps stalking her she begins to feel more in danger so she seeks help in one of her friends and they advise her to go to the police but she feels that this would make him more determined to try and kill her.
During the end of the film; Ella is at home and Ross calls her, she answers and now Ross knows she is at home alone so he tries to break in. Ella is terrified and tries to hide when Ross manages to break in. He then makes several attempts to kill her by being physically violent (punching, kicking etc) but she escapes and manages to defend herself for a while. When he attempts to kill her again she then accidentally kills him when defending herself. She then runs out of house and escapes leaving him dead in her house, she is injured and looks for help on the street.

Responce to feedback from the Planing Presentation

The feedback we received from our planning presentation looked at our media class’ views giving strengths, limitations, how representative will the product be to the genre and whether or not the product will meet the expectations of the audience.

The general strengths we received were; that we considered how we would create our product and having acknowledged the right limitations that would affect our product, “gender representations have been thought well,” and that we had a good plot. I think that our trailer will be more achievable because of these factors; it will be simple to film however we will still challenge our skills when doing so as we will be going into more depth that we did in AS level.

The feedback we received about how effective will the product be in meet expectations of the identified audience were; that “the audience would be able to relate to the main character as the audience would be around the same age,” “the narrative is modern which will connect to the audience better” and “the content will be hard hitting and talking social realist issues.” I agree that the plot will be good for our audience as they are at a younger age and they will be able to expect what happens due to their own experiences and understanding.

The feedback we got from our class on how representative the media product is to the genre was; “it is representative as the characters are relatable and it is a believable storyline,” “has violence and terror for the genre” and “enigma is created well by the storyline”. This shows that we our plot and characters are going to be well represented in the trailer.

More importantly the feedback we got on possible limitations were; “Needs more research into audience demographics and archetypes” I understand that we may need some more information on our targeted audience for the trailer, so we can get a better understanding on how we can represent the trailer.
Another limitation that we received was that it lacks on the background narrative. In the presentation we gave we didn’t show our draft storyboard to the class that shows a flashback scene when the girl is shown being abused (not physically, but it is implied) so this overcomes that limitation.
One imitation suggests that we give away too much of the narrative in the trailer. I do agree with this in some way, as the trailer does give information in what happens. It would probably more effective if we made the cuts in the trailer more choppy as some of the scenes we have are in depth (like the scene when the girl is being watched from a high view point) it may be better if we make this scene shorter. We do have a cliff-hanger at the end with the phone ringing, so I we do have that cliff hanger at the end, it is just building the suspense better through the trailer.
The other limitations we received were ones we have acknowledged ourselves in the S.W.O.T analysis for example weather, time and distance from the college which will be difficult to overcome. However one we acknowledged was the quality of the actors, I believe that if we find actors that are more enthusiastic about being in the trailer they will give a better quality of acting, than if we got someone that wasn’t interested in being involved.

Planning documents

These are a few documents when we started our initial planning and ideas for the trailer we need to produce

SWOT analysis - this is to help us understand the difficulties we will face in both the planning and filming process. Once we have acknowleged these it can be easier for us to overcome and plan ahead when these problems occur.
Powerpoint - Planning - this is an overview plan for the trailer, we then presented this to our media class where we had some feedback in order to improve and see the strengths of our initial idea.
Draft Storyboard - this is our initail storyboard we put together just to make sure how the trailer will be shown and presented. We will complete a final storyboard while basing it on this so t will be easier to produce.
Planning Notes - these are our initial ideas and the first stage of the planning process, deciding on the story and what the trailer will be about.

Research - Gothika

Gothika is more of a horror than a thriller, however it does show a good use of the codes and conventions to create the horror genre.

In the beginning it starts of calm, with talking. However the characters are shown through a cage, in an enclosure, this sets the scene for the audience making them feel insecure due to the two characters being in this change atmosphere. The camera is showing the characters through the meshed cage making the audience feel as outsiders and observers. However extreme close ups are used to show each of their emotions, being pulled into the drama straight away. One woman is dressed smartly and to emphasise her professional look the title 'expert' is shown and the other looks messy in a hospital gown. She makes the audience feel at unease due to her unstable character and this is emphasised through the cage.

Throughout the trailer there is low key lighting giving an uneasy and scary atmosphere, the darkness creates a fearful setting of the unknown and is representing the dark storyline of the trailer. You instantly know something bad is going to happen because of this. The heavy rain shown also emphasises this and gives a pathetic fallacy by represents the mood of the film, it is used to heighten the drama and there is a screeching sound just before as the girl appears which will make the audience jump. The shaky camera gives an unstable and fast pace feeling making the audience almost feel part of the action with the close ups and reaction shots used. The loud bang and the flash of light also makes the audience jump with the music heightening and all of these codes used you can get the audience terrified. After the crash it becomes quiet and fades to black for a few seconds, which calms the viewer after the heightened moment earlier, until the girl screams where a loud bang occurs and the screeching scream will make the viewer jump and be more scared than before because of the calm representation shown.

As the trailer goes on the main character changes from a professional psychologist to a messy mental patient. This dramatic change is what the audience what to find out; why? and how? this is the message for the trailer and the audience will find out by then watching the film. After the crash she wakes up in a mental hospital unaware of what happened and this is the key moment in the trailer as it focuses on the question before. The music becomes louder and the scenes cut more quickly making it fast paced. There are lots of close ups of the main character and other characters, this trailer relays on the close ups to show the emotion of the characters and this is a key factor for the trailer as bad things are happening to her. With these close ups the audience are given a more subjective view and makes them feel more involved to what is happening.

This trailer will be useful to use as research because of the way the camera, editing, sound and mise en scene are combined and used together to create a spooky and uneasy trailer. We will use some of these techniques in our trailer to achieve the same mood and feel.

Research - Taken

I chose to research taken because in the first scenes of the trailer it shows a young girl about to get kidnapped. I thought this would be useful for our production because it shows the type of emotion and feel we want for our trailer.

Generally the beginning of the trailer is slow paced with the camera at eye-level of the young girl and the camera moves smoothly. The colours are all warm which could be represented as a safe place, the sound is also harmonising in the background and with the use of editing and camera some scenes are set in slow motion. This is all to set the scene for the viewer, so they get to know the characters at a personal level and the father's and daughter's relationship. Then when the camera flashes the mood of the trailer changes. Using editing the cuts are quick and flash white to black and even sometimes using the negative image to cut from the scene. This gives an unsteady feel to the audience. When the girl is in the hotel room the sound really emphasises the unease as the only sounds are deep drumming which synchronises with the flashing cuts in the editing.

When the girl is on the phone with her father they split the screen so the audience can see each of their reactions at the same time, however using editing they move the frames around emphasising the uneasy and unsteady feel for the viewer. Also this sets a distance between them as they are on the phone.Looking at the mis en scene when the daughter and father are on the phone he is in a warm looking setting but the girl's setting is in cold tones making them feel far apart visually also could give an unsafe mood where the girl is for the viewer.

When the girl sees the men take her friend, it's through a window so it makes it very difficult for the viewer to see what is happening which creates mystery, but with the girl saying what is happening they know some detail to what is going on. Also because the screen is split showing her reaction and with a close up her emotion is clearly shown and makes the audience feel more personal to her. All the time the trailer cuts back to the father on the phone instructing what to do, to his daughter. Also during the split screens when this is happening, the camera pans quickly making it blur slightly, this makes the trailer feel more rushed and fast paced.

When the girl is taken from under the bed, there are flashes of white and black quickly while she is being dragged away. Also her scream echoes which gives more of an impact to the viewer as the sound carries on for a while even when the scene is over.

After the girl has been taken it becomes quiet and you can hear breathing on the other end of the phone and when the man says "I don't know who your are" it quickly cuts and flashes clips of a man, however you can't see his face. The viewer assumes this is who is on the phone, then cuts back to the father. during this part of the trailer there is classical music playing over and as the trailer goes on the music heightens and gets louder, it almost sounds heroic. The scenes then cut from action and back to the man on the phone with his voice over all the scenes. The action scenes are fast paced and cut quickly making it difficult to see what is happening, however when it cuts back to him it there is a long cut so the viewer can keep focus to what he is saying. The action shown is related to what he is saying on the phone which gives the audience an understanding of what the film is about and what is expected to happen. Although the main question for this film is 'Will he find her?' and this is what the audience want to find out so they will go and see it.

I think for our trailer we will need this type of main question that the audience want to know the answer to. For example 'Will they survive?’ The audience will also want to know how. All from this trailer, the audience will want to see the film to know what happens next.

Research - Creep

I am working with Beth on the coursework and together we have chosen to do a thriller/horror themed trailor because the codes and conventions (camera, editing, sound and mis en scene) are clear to undertand how they are shown together to an audience. We have a general idea of a girl being chased by something or someone for our own production, so we used this idea to find some trailers that will involve this and then analyse the use of camera, editing, sound and mis en scene to help produce our own trailer.



The first trailor we chose to research was from the film Creep.
I really like the beginning as it is very slow, which will draw the suspence up from the audience. The camera is hand held making the viewer feel unstable when watching, also because it is slow moving, hand held and with the heavy breathing the viewer assumes they are watching through another person's point of view (most likely the person who is chasing the girl in the trailer). What makes it scary is the fact that the audience doesn't know who's view it is. The sound is also a key componant to the beginning, by having the heavy breathing and the droning sound of the underground makes the viewer feel on-edge. The trailer starts with a well lit environment then gets darker as you carry on watching this makes it scarier because less is seen when its dark making the viewer want to see more than what is shown from the trailer.

Mostly through the trailer the camera is hand held through each different scene especially near the end of the trailor with the fast pace cuts to different scenes and the music is loud building up the action, with the audience only getting glimpes of each scene because they are so quick. Looking at the sound through the clip, they are more natural by using heart beats, heavy breathing and the sound of the trains in the underground makes it feel more real to the viewer. However the camera is generally steady when they show reaction shots of the characters. There are lots of reaction shots and most are close up. In one scene with the man in the empty train the camera zooms close up to his face to emphasise his reaction making the audience feel how he is feeling.

Personal Skills Review

How has your creativity developed through using digital technology to complete your coursework?

Before I started AS I had little experience in using cameras to produce video and make a production, so AS really helped to develop my knowledge about how to create a product and when I knew how, I could then get creative with ideas and practical work when filming. When completing the preliminary exercise I was in control of filming and using the digital camera, so this helped develop my skills further through direct experience. Knowing the codes and conventions of similar products help me apply them to my own coursework and production. Also I have developed my skills in editing using Adobe Premier Pro software, once I knew the basics I could edit creatively to make the product flow well with continuity and add titles (as it was an opening sequence). These skills I have learnt through doing the AS coursework I can now apply to my A2 coursework when editing the film trailer I will produce and this will develop my skills even further.

Give detailed examples of a paper-based/research skill acquired/developed for your AS coursework that will directly be used in your A2 coursework.

In my AS coursework we had to look at other clips of opening sequences that would be similar to the genre of our own coursework. I would study the codes and conventions of each clip looking at sound, mis en scene, camera work (including movements, angles and framing) and editing. After looking through the clips you can then use the information have gathered to apply to your own production. This would be a vital part of my A2 coursework when looking at film trailers so I can apply all the research I find and use it to create my own film trailer.

Another key planning paper-based skill would be using a S.W.O.T analysis. Figuring out my own strengths and weaknesses as well as the outside factors that could effect the production. I do this because when you acknowledge all the possible problems you can then think of ways to avoid the weaknesses or solve them. This will help when planning for the film trailer filming. So we can avoid the problems and make sure that we can get a better result by doing so.

Storyboards are a key part in the coursework, when you have all the research you can then apply it to the story board to make sure the codes and conventions are suited for your coursework genre or style. They make it clearer to understand what you want shown in the frame and is very useful to show the mis en scene easily. When producing a film trailer for my A2 coursework, I will be using storyboards to plan out what I want shown to the audience. When doing the AS coursework we had missed a few scenes from the storyboard by accident which made it very difficult to edit and have good continuity. So during the A2 coursework I will keep referring to it and make sure there are no mistakes when filming.

Give detailed examples of a practical skill acquired/developed in your AS coursework that will directly be used in your A2 coursework.

General planning with other members of my group for example time management and compromising ideas and suggestions. In AS, the group I was working with had poor time management making the process of the filming and production feel rushed and messy. However this was due to outside factors (the weather) as filming became difficult. So when doing my A2 coursework I will keep organised and not leave things too late. Also look to the S.W.O.T analysis to avoid these problem happening again.

In my AS preliminary exercise I was in control of the camera and with the tripod. It was difficult to keep the camera movement smooth and at a constant speed even when using the tripod. However this gave me great experience and after filming I felt very confident that I had developed my filming skills by that experience alone. When I start filming for my A2 coursework I will use these skills I had developed in AS to create a better quality of film and maybe become more creative when filming.

In my AS coursework for the main task I had the role of editor. This meant I would have to use Adobe Premier Pro to add opening sequence titles and cut different sections of the different scenes we filmed. I had not used this program before so it was all new to me. However I managed to develop my editing skills once I knew how to use it. For my A2 coursework I will be using this program again when editing the film trailer and as I know the basics of using Premier pro I will still be able to develop my editing skills further when completing my A2 coursework.

Another editing skill I have developed is using Adobe Photoshop. However I did not use this program in the AS coursework, I have used it in other courses I am in (photography) and I know how to do basic editing of images for example adjusting contrast, brightness and using layers. Using Photoshop will directly help for my A2 coursework when producing the magazine cover and the poster for the film trailer and will help me develop my editing skills using Photoshop more.