Test Production 2 - 3rd scene

Test Production1 - Starting scene

Thursday 26th January

Today, I have and will be uploading 3 videos that I have filmed outside of school time.

The first video is a vlog, explaining my progress through the production schedule and what I am doing to practice perfecting the opening sequence when it comes to filming them at the weekend.

The second and third video is the test productions. I wanted to try and see how I could film the start of my opening sequence and the different techniques that I will have to use in order to acheive what I want the scene to show.

Vlog Number 1 - Progress

The rest of this week...

So, tonight, I will be borrowing a camera and a tripod so I can start a test production in preparation for the final piece of filming. This will help me to determine any specific techniques that I'll be needing to use when I start filming my opening sequence. Any filming that I do as practice will be posted onto the blog as evidence of this test production.

The rest of the weeks plans are displayed in the Production Schedule.

Production Schedule

These are the plans I have on timings of when I will be filming and on which day.

Today: No FIlming

Wednesday 25th: Test filming (Practice run through the filming techniques I plan to use)

Thursday 26th: Contact my actors to begin to arrange times when they're free

Friday 27th: No Filming

Saturday 28th: Plan to get actors together and film the car park scenes in Romford's Brewery Car Park.

                        *Possibly try to film the POV scenes as well if not, they will be filmed Sunday 29th

*Confirmed* Soundtrack

I have listened to various different soundtracks that could be used within my opening sequence. This is the soundtrack that I have decided to use.



There are a few reasons as to why I have decided to choose this. Firstly, the soundtrack will not start from the beginning of the opening sequence so I need the soundtrack to have a slow start to it and then gradually get more intense and this soundtrack does this exactly how I want it to be. Also, it matches the atmosphere that I am planning to create later on within the treatment.

Storyboard

 This is my finished storyboard showing what I intend to do within my opening sequence. Over time, somethings may be changed but for now, this is the final plan.

Tuesday 24th January

Today, I am hopeful of completing my storyboard and once I have done this, I will post a picture of the completed storyboard onto my blog. once I have done that, the soundtrack that I have chosen will be posted onto the blog along with an explanation as to why I have decided to use this. And then finally, I need to create a production schedule showing what times I will be filming and where.

Plan for today:
 - Finish Storyboard
 - Post Soundtrack to blog
 - Production Schedule

Storyboard

I will begin my storyboard in class today but I will not be able to finish, so I will be taking this home to do so it will be ready for next lesson.

Filming Plans

As I am now working on my own opening sequence, I will still need to have help with my filming, so what I have been told to do by my teachers is to decide on the opening sequence idea, shot types and editing but when i film, to use the rest of the group I was in to help me film. I also plan on asking some of the BTEC students to be in my opening. The only thing I have left to do is to organise/finalise the rest of the opening sequence and then produce a production timetable in order to get things up and running

Shot Type List

There are a number of different shot types/angles that I plan to use within this opening sequence. The main shot type being used will be POV Shots (Point of View). This is because I want the audience watching to feel like they are experiencing these events along with the main character and it also gives a different take on how other films start with their openings.

One shot that I really want to include in my opening sequence is the view from the CCTV Camera. This is due to two things. Firstly, I want to show the view of the character's life from the real-life perspective and show that the fight scenes will be as a result of his delusional mind. And secondly, it wont immediately give away any of the setting to where the opening sequence will be set. The CCTV effect can be achieved really well in iMovie but I'm still not totally sure if I can do the same thing on FinalCut.

The not-so-important shots will be built up of establishing and long shots. There will, however, be some mid shots and close-up shots that will be quite important. To see what the character experiences, I plan to have mid shots and close-ups during fight scenes not through POV but just within the experiences of being there within the character's mind, as the audience will later find out.

Prop List

Within my opening, I will need a number of props. This will include:

 - HandWraps: This is to show that the main character has the 'fighting' side in his life.
 - Water Bottles: These will be used by the fighters and as background props.
 - Something to act as blood/make-up for bruising: When the main character looks in the mirror after waking up, he will notice the cuts and bruises from the night before.

My Final Opening Sequence (Confirmed)

So, this post is a description of what my final opening sequence will be:

The Power Within

The starting shot will be a POV shot showing the main character's arm stretched out whilst laying on a bed. This will then, still in a POV shot, move to the main character getting up, looking at his hands in front of him, which are covered with blood and with hand wraps around them. he will then slowly get up. The footage will have a blurry effect over the top, still implying a dream-like state. As you get in many films of the thriller genre, the main character usually is filmed in his daily routine. I want the feel to this, but it will not be a daily routine. The main character is still dressed from the night before in a tatty t-shirt and jeans. The face of the character is revealed when he looks into the mirror and his face has cuts and bruises all over. The main character would have a confused/sceptical look on his face.

Cut within this footage, the flashbacks of the main character with an unknown figure in a car park, the shot being in the action from the side, showing only the darkened figures of the two men fighting one another, surrounded by a group of people. More of the POV footage will be played before a shot cut to a shot from a CCTV camera, showing only one figure (the main character) throwing punches and lunging about all over the place as if he was being hit by someone. These events will all be of his imagination.

The next couple of posts will include:

  -A list of shot types that I plan to use

  -Any props that I need to use

  -Plans for filming

Thursday 19th January 2012 - Developments

Today, I have decided to work on my own opening sequence idea separate from my group. This was decided on the basis that the idea that I had previously come up with on my own whilst the rest of my group was absent was practically ready to go and I could start filming straight away. Also, I felt really strongly about my idea and as a group we couldn't decide on which opening sequence to use.

So, today I will be finalising the original idea that I come up with before, clearing up any adjustments that will be needed to be done, and also draw out a storyboard to use so I can get a clear idea as to what shots I will be needing to film.

Addition to Newest Opening Sequence Idea

As addition to the most recent idea, to change the whole concept of the film, the main character's age could be changed to a much younger one. This would mean putting the main character into a much more adult situation.

Tuesday 17th January

Today, we are starting to finalise our research. As a group, we will be discussing and deciding which opening sequence we will definitely be using. We then plan to storyboard our opening sequence so we can get a realistic idea as to what and how we will be filming various parts and scenes. After this, we should be able to begin our filming phase.

*New Opening Sequence Idea*

Over the last week, and through watching various films outside of study, I have planned a new opening sequence. This time, I have added more camera angles and shots that puts the audience right into the situations that the main character will be in. This will be achieved through a number of POV (Point of view) shots. I do realise that POV shots are usually a theme that is more commonly seen within Action films, however, if I plan on using some action within the plot before hand, then I would have to make the film an Action/Thriller instead.

The New Opening Sequence - The Power Within

Many of the elements are the same e.g. the car park scenes. These shots will now become flashbacks of the previous night for the main character. The starting shot will be a POV shot showing the main character's arm stretched out whilst laying on a bed. This will then, still in a POV shot, move to the main character getting up, looking at his hands in front of him, which are covered with blood and with hand wraps around them. he will then slowly get up. The footage will have a blurry effect over the top, still implying a dream-like state. As you get in many films of the thriller genre, the main character usually is filmed in his daily routine. I want the feel to this, but it will not be a daily routine. The main character is still dressed from the night before in a tatty t-shirt and jeans. The face of the character is revealed when he looks into the mirror and his face has cuts and bruises all over. The main character would have a confused/sceptical look on his face.

Cut within this footage, the flashbacks of the main character with an unknown figure in a car park, the shot being in the action from the side, showing only the darkened figures of the two men fighting one another, surrounded by a group of people. More of the POV footage will be played before a shot cut to a shot from a CCTV camera, showing only one figure (the main character) throwing punches and lunging about all over the place as if he was being hit by someone. These events will all be of his imagination.

Thursday 12th January

Today, I will be doing 3 things. Firstly, I will be thinking about a movie title for our opening sequence idea. I will be doing this by looking through various film titles of the thriller genre on the website IMDb as inspiration. Secondly, I will have another blog post explaining a new opening sequence idea that I have come up with. Lastly, if I have time, I will start to plan the opening title sequence that will be running during the opening sequence itself.

LiveType

I have had a brief look at the LiveType software to see if there is any effects that I can add to the font displaying the titles. There are a number of effects on the software that we could use that would blend in really well with the footage that I'm planning to play it over. For example, there will be a scene within our opening sequence that is set in a car park and I could use a flickering font that is in LiveType to add to the atmosphere that we would want to be created. This is only preliminary though.

Title Sequence

We will need to have titles rolling through the opening sequence. I have two different proposals for this. Firstly, much like the screenshot below from 'The Usual Suspects', we could have separate footage that the titles will be played over. In the screenshot below, the titles are played over a looped piece of footage which show a moonlight reflection in the sea.

Another way which would be good to do would be to get the titles involved in the footage that will be onscreen. At this moment I'm not entirely sure how we can incorporate this into our opening sequence, but at this moment, this is just an idea. An example of this is clearly seen in the title sequence for 'Zombieland'.

Soundtrack Examples

Below are a series of soundtracks that I have found that could work well within my opening sequence. They all include a brief description as to why I have selected these.



This soundtrack was found on YouTube and the artist is at the moment unknown to me. I feel that this soundtrack creates that feeling of stress within a person's character and the struggle that they have to deal with. Also, because there is a number of shots that deal with the character fighting someone that only exists within his mind, not in real life.



This soundtrack is Voodoo People (Pendulum Remix) by The Prodigy. This soundtrack is another possiblity. This is because my opening sequence is planning on having a rough atmosphere and the soundtrack needs to reflect and help create this atmosphere, which this soundtrack does effectively.



This soundtrack is ''Warriors Dance'' by The Prodigy. This is one that I am fairly keen on at the moment. This is because it fits nicely within the ideas that I have currently in my mind as to what I want to do. Also, the start of the soundtrack is slow starting, which is exactly how I plan to film my opening.




The final soundtrack example that I have found is Narayan by The Prodigy. This soundtrack could present a mysterious element to my opening sequence at the start and then when the atmosphere gets more intense, so does the music, so to create the mood that I want, this would be a very good choice to use.

I will decide at a later date which soundtrack I will be using and do another blog post showing which one I have chosen and why.

Thursday 5th January 2012

Today, I will be trying to find suitable soundtracks for the editing phase of our opening sequence. This will help to plan out our scenes involving the character in focus, showing him mentally unstable on the CCTV Camera that we will try to create and we want to show the calm nature that he has during his normal life.

Next Lesson...

Next lesson, I will be producing a storyboard which will fully show all of our opening sequence along with the camera shots and length of the shots. This will give a much more accurate view of what my opening sequence idea will plan to look like.

Finalising our Screenplay

As there is only 2 of our group in today, we have both written up different versions of a screenplay to our opening sequence. From this we will then decide which path we will take and ultimately which one we will use to eventually start filming.

Shot Types ( With angles, movements, props and dialogue)

Within our opening sequence, we plan on using a number of different shot types that will be obtained through different movements and props.

The first shot type we are hoping to achieve is the CCTV Camera. In this section of our opening sequence, our camera will be acting as the CCTV Camera, so we will be setting our camera at various points from a high angle looking down on what will be the main character appearing to be 'fighting' his own shadow. We may have to use a tripod to achieve this. To give the shot the impression of a CCTV Camera filming, we will edit the shot in the editing software used after we have finished the filming phase.

As there is a contrast within two different moods within this opening, we will have to use a number of shots, however all of these shots will have an upwards pan adjusted into them. In one part of the scene, the main character is casually walking down the street, however we have decided to film the reveal of this character in a different way. We have split the main character's body into specific areas so we know how many shots it will take before reaching his head. Below is an image of this:

　

Once the camera reaches the end of a specific area (where the lines are), there will be a switch to the other footage that we are intending to include within the opening sequence. The atmosphere during the shots of the man walking will be calm, backed up with a calm and soothing soundtrack to incorporate that mood.

The only other shot that we will need to consider is the establishing shot that we are planning to open with. This will show a typical street in which the main character will be walking down. This will probably be the hardest shot to actually film as we would need a crane to film coming down onto the street. So another possibility would be to maybe use a map of some sort ( Maybe Google Earth) to zoom into the street from above and then switching to the filming from the camera. The only problem with this is that it may look slightly weird but it may work. At the moment though, this is only a suggestion.

Tuesday 3rd January 2012

The plan for today is to:

1- Finalise our screenplay that was initially written up before the holidays.
2- Make a list of all the shot types that we plan to use within our opening sequence, including angles,        
    movements, props and dialogue.
3- Make a production schedule that explains the following:
                - Who will do what?
                - How we will use the time given?
                - Where and when will we film?

I am hopeful of completing this within the time given today, however I do plan to finalise other pieces of research as well.