Directors evaluation

In our evaluation, we include screen grabs of relevant events during our film opening. We also have raw footage and bloopers in which our audience can see how much we developed during the making of our evaluation. We also have logos from relevant institutions and have included some of the adverts from movies that we have taken our inspiration from showing the audience how our opening differs from other films as well as the similarities.

Evaluation of our film opening- The Site (including finished film)

Our finally completed project

We have changed and hopefully enhanced some aspects of our film opening. We started by syncing the music to the video showing that some core points in the clip will be enhanced and made more creepy. For example when the audience see's the stalker for the first time, from behind the girl, there will be a loud bang which begins a unbroken flow of music until the end of the shot.
Another aspect that we have changed is when the message comes up on the social networking site, at first it was too far to the right and it wasn't readable so we zoomed in a centered it more and now it is perfectly eligible.

Me and my group also did some more research into titles and we found that the internet is usually linked to the colour blue. In light of this, we changed the colour of all of the titles from white to a deep blue/purple. We couldn't have pure blue because it looked quite immature and not as clear as a darker colour against the black background.

To evaluate our piece and list the reasons why we did certain things, we will make a green screen production or a voice over showing who are target audience is and what would we do if we had the chance to do it all again,

We have changed and hopefully improved some aspects of our film opening. We started by syncing the music to the video meaning that some key points in the clip will be enhanced and made more jumpy. For example when the audience see's the stalker for the first time, from behind the girl, there will be a loud bang which begins a continuous flow of music until the end of the shot.
Another aspect that we have changed is when the message comes up on the social networking site, at first it was too far to the right and it wasn't readable so we zoomed in a centered it more and now it is perfectly eligible.

Me and my group also did some more research into titles and we found that the internet is usually linked to the colour blue. In light of this, we changed the colour of all of the titles from white to a deep blue/purple. We couldn't have pure blue because it looked quite immature and not as clear as a darker colour against the black background.

To evaluate our piece and list the reasons why we did certain things, we will make a green screen production or a voice over showing who are target audience is and what would we do if we had the chance to do it all again, etc. 

The Site progress

The first edited clip.

So far, we have just got to grips with the software meaning that the production process will hopefully speed up from here. The footage began with the company logo being still normal text that matched all of the other titles. Now it has improved massively. The logo is animated with it's own font using 'Jack Story' from DaFont.com. The titles are also animated using inspiration from the popular TV show Supernatural. This has made them more interesting to watch and paired with the music, it sets the scene for the audience and they get a brief idea of whats to come.

At first the raw footage was glitchy and there were some beginners mistakes for example, the actors coming out of role and the camera operators uncontrollably shaking when recording. However when we began editing using Premiere Pro, we steadied each shot so they were perfectly still and we arranged them in an order confirming that the story line made sense and that each shot flowed into the next without the use of adding a dip to black meaning that the editing is simple but effective. 

Our group mainly created the film opening on Adobe Premiere Pro but the animation of the titles and logo, was completed on Adobe After Effects. To place them all together, we just imported each aspect that we wanted to include in our opening then perfected them all so they fitted into the sequence nicely.

However, we have come across many difficulties. Most of them have been over come but few of them still pose a problem. For example, one that we have succeeded is the fact of getting used to the software and editing technology. The first time we came across tech, we were totally oblivious of what to press and what each of the icons did to our project. Now though, with constant practise, we have all learnt enough to get us along at a steady pace but we are still learning. On the other hand, one of the biggest problems we have come across and are still working on is the fact that one of our shots are too short meaning that the story moves on a bit too quickly than it should. I have tried to slow down the duration but it has caused the speech to change as well. I then tried to cut and copy relevant bits and put them together but this lead to multiple shots one after another corrupting the continuity and made the audience feel uncomfortable. We are still addressing this problem but it has developed our knowledge by widening our imagination to other options when addressing a similar problem maybe even improving our work long-term.

Storyboard

Here is a storyboard that we have created in order to help guide us along during the period of filming. It consists of both pictures and text confirming that we are extremely organised  and well informed with what we're doing. We have also included camera angles and editing techniques so there is a low chance of any of my group getting confused or having nothing to do. The text is detailed meaning that what we have to do is simple and easy to carry through for example: the timing of the shots, any music needed, when the dialogue comes in and when certain characters are needed.

Research into titles

Title sequence

Motif films presents,

Starring Kelly Balson,

Joe Phillips,

The Site,

Written by Joe Phillips,

Camera operators United,

Music by (getting name from the website we use),

Produced and Directed by Jodie Heath.

We created the titles by using DAFONT.com which uses unique fonts and innovative decorations to then result in the perfect logo and name for our production companies.

Research into title sequences

Me and my group looked at relevant horror film opening credits to get general ideas for our own film opening and when to incorporate our own credits. The options are to either have the credits rolling during the footage or on a blank screen in between bits of film.
Some examples of the films that we have looked at are:
Insidious

From the inspiration of original horror movie openings, we have created our own logos and company names to incorporate into our title sequences. We have also decided to have our titles fading in and out to make the audience feel more suspense. We have got this idea from certain films like Insidious, Carrie and more horror films that use the fading technique.

Our own titles:

Risk assessment

What is a risk assessment?

A risk assessment is a process of evaluating the potential risks that may be involved in a projected activity or undertaking. It’s a big step in protecting workers and business as well as following the law. For most, this means simple, cheap and effective measures to ensure your workforce is protected. Risk assessment in the film industry complies with their legal duties to eliminate or reduce risk from their work. These include:

·      Defining responsibilities and duties,

·      Have a system for managing health and safety,

·      Assess and manage risks,

·      Regularly review the process and procedures for managing risk.

What a risk assessment looks like:

Why have a risk assessment?

If an incident should occur on set of making your film that leaves someone that you have working for you injured mentally or physically it can mean that you could personally be fined or even potentially go to prison because of it! Where as if you have a risk assessment in means that you have taken into consideration everything that could go wrong and write up how you would plan to resolve them so that no one got injured.

What risks we may come across

Hazards:

·     Slips and Trips

·     Fall down the stairs

Who might be harmed and how?

·     Actors and crew  may be injured if they trip over objects or slip on spillages

·     Actors and crew might fall down stairs as filmng is in low key lighting – may not see where they  are going

What to do to manage the risk?

·     Be careful with spillages and keep wires and objects out of the way to reduce the risk of tripping over.

·     Have a handrail on the stairs, or use a extra light so you can see where your going.

Producing and planning our film opening

Roles

·     Director - controls a film’s artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the script while guiding the camera crew and actors.

·     Camera Person – responsible for operating the camera and maintaining composition and camera angles through each scene and shot

·     Editor – connect shots to form a sequence and prepares the sound mixing a film

We are all going to share the jobs for example filming but me and Joe are the actors. I am Becky Jones and Joe is the psychopath killer.

Production Schedule

The definition of a production schedule is the timetable for the use of resources and processes required by a business to produce or provide services. A typical business will change it’s production schedule in response to what customers want, to accommodate resource charges, to reduce costs and to increase the overall efficiency.

            It is mainly big businesses, companies or factories that use production schedules. They include:

·      Process change-over reduction,

·      Inventory reduction, levelling,

·      Reduced scheduling effort,

·      Increased production efficiency

·      Labour load levelling,

·      Accurate delivery date quotes,

·      Real time information.

It is not just big businesses that use production scheduling, in the film industry, production scheduling is extremely important. This doesn’t just include creating schedules but also reading, interpreting and following various scheduling devices, boards and memo’s. The directors and their assistants normally create these but the production manager and coordinator are in charge if making sure the scheduling is feasible so they must be knowledgeable and updated within the practices of the film industry.

            An example of a production schedule:

Our own production schedule  

Sound	Costume and Props	Actors Needed	Group Personality
The camera will pick up natural sound, ambient sounds and diegetic sounds.	Casual clothing – darkest clothing for evil character – non branded. Computer and phone.	Kelly – girl/victim. Joe - Man/Stalker.	Joe – actor, cameraperson Kelly – actress, camera person Jodie – camera person All – directors and editors

Date	Act & Shot	Location	Holding the Camera	Lighting
19th December 2013	Opening 2-3 mins.	76 Queens Way, Tamoworth.	Handheld: Jodie and joe	Low key lighting -interior: Lamps, TV, Laptop. Exterior -  dark, night time: Lampposts, Cars, Other houses.

Why plan for a film?

Avoiding problems:

By planning you will not run into any unexpected errors within the process of making your film so everything will flow a lot smoother and quicker as you will not have to focus on resolving any problems.

Knowing your shots:

It means that you will know what positions you will have to get into to film certain shots so that you are not thinking what would be the best shot at the time and potentially disagreeing resulting in wasting time.

Budget:

As well as planning your time you could also be planning your money as you may find that you could run over your budget but planning ahead could mean that you avoid the situation.

Casting:

Give each person their role ahead of the day of filming so that they are prepared for what role they are playing, getting all their lines learnt and being able to act on the day.

Common needs:

Is there a toilet available? Will you be able to get lunch? Make sure you have everyone’s needs looked to.