Final Product

This is our final product. We have called it 'hidden' it is a mild thriller for a 15 rating. I feel our final draft fits this rating well, and fits all the conventions of a thriller genre.

Final Deadline Lesson

Today it is our final deadline lesson. In this lesson all we need to complete in the soundtrack to our opening. We have music on our ident, which we put in last lesson, but none on the actual film itself. We should make the deadline as this should not take too long and is the only thing left for us to do.
We feel our film is much better than the Childrens Film Opening as our editing is much quicker and smoother and we have used more effects As long as our music goes well i feel it will be a much better end product.

Feedback lesson

In lesson today everyone showed the class their films and we each gave each other feedback. This is the feed back our film received:

What they thought was good:

- Lots of shot types from different angles

- Good camera work

- Fits the thriller genre

- Smooth and consistent editing

- Good close ups

- Good make up

What they thought we could improved:

- The sound

- More editing

- Zoom shouldn't have been used with the point of view shot

From these feedbacks we are please that our camera angles are good, that the make up is good and that people think it is a thriller.

Being told that the editing needs working on helps as it makes us realise the editing needs to be more quick and snappy. We knew that we have to include sound we just didn't have time to do this in the last lesson of editing. I think the comment about how we shouldn't zoom in out point of view shot is a good comment, however i am not sure how we are going to go back and re-do this shot as we are no longer allowed on the stairs in which we filmed this shot.

This lesson has been very useful and we will use all the criticisms.

Charlotte Bocking, Ryan Laxton

First Editing Lesson

Today will be our first editing lesson before the rough cut deadline tomorrow. We will be uploading our footage to the computer and then cutting out any unwanted shots. Also we will try and add effects and get the soundtrack uploaded to it, in order to get a decent product for showing the class. We also have tomorrows lesson to do this. The end of tomorrows lesson is the deadline.
We have already completed most of the soundtrack and have made an ident. Our credits are in our filming so the main goal is to cut the filming and add effects.
Charlotte Bocking

Look at another groups blog...

- The best post you have done is your location post, talking about where you will film the hostage scene. You have described what you want to do with lighting and it contains a picture which makes the post more interesting.
- You need to do an evaluation post or at least a draft version.
- In all your posts, you inform us thoroughly and precisely with no spelling mistakes.

New Location

We asked to film in the photography studio, However it is fully booked until next Wednesday, and out filming time ends on the Tuesday. So we have decided we will be shooting our hostage scenes in a media classroom, making it as dark as possible. We will then add more darkness in the editing process by making the dark bits darker in the shots. We will be filming in Fridays lesson, and possibly if we need more time, during lunch and form time on Monday. This should be enough time for us to film.

The image above is an example of a room with minimal things in it. We will also be using a chair in our scene so this is quite similar to what we will be using. It is also quite dark and creepy which is the look we are aiming for to build suspense.
Charlotte Bocking

Music.

Today i, Kirsten looks at several different dramatic drones and pulses for our thriller. I used the media studies CD and listened to the tracks to see which one i thought suited our thriller the best. I came up with Track 4, Track 12 - Horror Drone, and Track 20 - Chemodrone. I thought track 4 was an effective track, as it has a very strong beat, and also a clock ticking, which i thought would be effective because the hostage is held in a school, and it makes it sound like the school clock is ticking, and time is passing but no-one has found her yet. I thought track 12 was an effective track as it gets louder and louder, and is quite echoey. It feels like there is someone there but the hostage does not know this which fits well with our thriller. I thought track 20 was good because it sounds as if someone is screaming but its an echo, but it sounds like a girl, which we have the hostage being a girl.

Kirsten Toye

Editing Issues

When editing our first scene we discovered that we had a problem. The first time we shot the scene of walking across the car park, Charlotte and Kirsten were eating crisps. We shot them eating crisps three times. We later went to shoot the continuation of this scene and neither Charlotte or Kirsten were eating crisps. When editing we discovered that as the 2 scenes flow continuously, in half the shot we are eating, in the other half the crisps have disappeared. Unless we can find a way with editing to make it not look like it changes, we will be having to re-shoot one of these clips.

The Scenes We Shot On The First Shooting Lesson

The filming we completed today was of Charlotte and Kirsten walking across the college car park talking and stopping to talk to their friend Sam. We tried to make it as if it was from the eye of the kidnapper so it seems as though he is watching Charlotte before he takes her hostage.
When the 3 girls leave, Sam and Kirsten leave together and Charlotte leaves by herself, making her more vulnerable. The camera then follows her walking off, and you can see a bush close to the camera, giving the impression the kidnapper is hidden in the bush watching. We filmed a few versions so that we have plenty of footage for editing to see which one looks the best. We have uploaded this to Final Cut Express, and are editing to make our first scene flow well. We are also checking the sound is in sync with our images and that our clips follow on from one to the other.

Problems With First Shooting Lesson

Today we attempted to film some scenes of our opening. A lot of our opening was going to be filmed behind the back of the stage, as this is where we were going to have the hostage kept. However, we did not realise that going behind the stage is not allowed due to health and safety so we got stopped before any filming could take place here. Because of this we now have to re-plan where our thriller is going to be set and change the story line to fit the new location.

We have a possible new idea for filming, in the photography studio, but we will have to wait to ask for permission to see if that can be done.

In this we did manage to film 2 outside scenes of our kidnapper watching the girl before he takes her hostage. We may re-shoot these later depending on how they fit with the new location.

Shot List

This is a blog of what shots we will be using tomorrow.
We will be using an establishing shot to give the viewer an understanding of where our film is set.
We will use close up shots to show the emotions of the characters clearly.
We will be using a long shot of the hostage to create isolation.

Costumes and Setting

The Attacker will be wearing black to make him seem mysterious and dark/hidden.

Charlotte will be wearing her day to day clothes , as will Kirsten as they would be going about their day normally if this hadn't have happened.

planning

Tomorrow we are going to shoot our first scene within college , charlotte is playing the hostage , Ryan is the attacker and Kirsten Charlottes friend.

We are bringing in the appropriate props for tomorrow, such as fake blood, a rope and masking tape. We re all wearing our clothing we need for filming to college.

We are going to try and shoot as much as possible in tomorrows lesson so we have plenty of time for editing and have as much footage as possible .

In the Thriller we are going to have no speaking for half.

Our Thriller Titles

We have thought about some possible titles for our thriller. These are:

- Trapped
- Deadlock
- Hidden
- Backstage
- wrapped up
- struck

we chose mainly one word titles for a powerful effect.

Story Board

We have created a rough story board plan of which we are going to following. However we may not follow it exactly as once we've started filming we may decide another idea, or different camera angles work better than what we have planned.

We have taken images of the location we will be filming our thriller

We have taken some images of where we will be filming our thriller.

Filming Tips

We discussed as a class and came up with these 15 tips for filming.

1. Buses are hard to film on - Choose a busy route, Double Decker buses, Go early.

2. Keep pets out of the way.

3. Make sure you all turn up on time - organization.

4. Keep it simple - make simple things look effective.

5. Do a lighting test.

6. Make sure battery is charged.

7. Rewind tape.

8. Be organised when filming.

9. Press record, say shot number/type, then shout action.

10. Tick off shot list.

11. Keep close for speaking parts.

12. Put in a performance.

13. Take more footage then you need.

14. Plan plenty or editing time.

15. Beware of the public - film quickly and efficiently.

Aim of Certification

We have put a description up of the three certificates that would be suitable, and we have decided as a group that we are going to aim for the 15 certificate for our thriller. We have chosen this because we can show more graphic images though they will not be too horrific to be an 18. We can use images or gore or horror or self harm as long as we do not leave the image up too long and as long as we don't promote it too much. We feel that our thriller fits this certificate the best.

Also, as the certificate is in between the 12 and 18 mark we will have a wider audience as we are not limited to an older age gap. This means we could have more potential viewers of our thriller as more people would be able to go and see it.

• where the material is in breach of the criminal law,
or has been created through the commission of a
criminal offence
• where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to
risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour,
to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of
violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use,
which may cause harm to public health or morals.
This may include portrayals of sexual or sexualised
violence which might, for example, eroticise or
endorse sexual assault
• where there are more explicit images of sexual
activity which cannot be justified by context. Such
images may be appropriate in ‘R18’ works, and in
‘sex works’ (see below) would normally be confined
to that category.
In the case of video works (including video games),
which may be more accessible to younger viewers,
intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.
Sex education at ‘18’
Where sex material genuinely seeks to inform and
educate in matters such as human sexuality, safer
sex and health, explicit images of sexual activity may
be permitted.
Sex works at ‘18’
Sex works are works whose primary purpose is sexual
arousal or stimulation. Sex works containing only material
which may be simulated are generally passed ‘18’. Sex
works containing clear images of real sex, strong fetish
material, sexually explicit animated images, or other
very strong sexual images will be confined to the ‘R18’
category. Material which is unacceptable in a sex work
at ‘R18’ is also unacceptable in a sex work at ‘18’.