Preliminary Exercise Differences To Main Task

As our main task differed a lot from our preliminary exercise i have decided to blog up to lists in reference to question 7 about the the differences between the two tasks. 

 Preliminary Task

• Only had 1 hour to shoot and plan
• Only had 1 hour to edit
• Far less creative
• Basic shot types
• More rigid brief
• Not designed for a specific target audience
• No non-diegetic sound used to create an atmosphere
• No titles
• No special FX
• Main focus was getting technical elements correct
• Didn’t mind if there were mistakes
• Put into set groups
• Location had to be in school
• The sequence had to be 30 seconds long
• Did not do any research
• No test shoots
• Did not use whiteboard as effectively

Main Task

• Had weeks to shoot and plan
• Had weeks to edit
• More creative
• More freedom with the brief
• Non-diegetic music added in the form of a soundtrack
• Titles added saying the title of the film, name of actors, etc.
• Special FX were added
• Main focus was on audience appeal
• Wanted it to be perfect
• We researched into things
• Chose our groups
• Had a wide range of choice for locations
• The sequence had to be 2 minutes
• Wider range of shot types
• Had chances to replan
• Test shoots
• More efficient with the white board
• More shot takes
• Had to edit to create suspense

List of Processes Used Throughout our Project

As we used a lot of different processes during the making of our opening sequence, here is a list of all the processes we used:

• Capturing
• Viewing
• Rendering
• Razoring
• Contrasting
• Brightness alteration
• Treble changing
• Unlinking and Linking clips
• Transitions
• Adding in titles
• Adding in sound
• Changing volumes
• Speed alterations
• Cutting
• Organising clips into bins
• Ordering shots
• Editing between two tracks
• Adding new tracks
• Adding new sequences
• Adding in Special FX
• Expanding and shrinking shots
• Zooming in and out of frames

List of Editing Equipment

Here is a list of editing equipment in relevance to question 6 of my evaluation: 

• Adobe After Effects (PC)
• Adobe Premiere Pro (PC)
• Adobe Photoshop (PC)
• Final Cut (Apple MAC)
• Soundtrack Pro (Apple MAC)
• Live Type (Apple MAC)
• iMovie (Apple MAC)
• Handbreak (Apple MAC)
• Font (Internet)
• Special FX
• Sound FX (Internet)
• Soundtrack- 'Into the Mist' (Internet)

List of Shooting Equipment

Here is a list of shooting equipment in relevance to question 6 of my evaluation:

• Mini DV Canon Camera
• Camera Batteries
• Tripod
• Microphone
• Headphones
• White Board
• White Board Pen
• Mains Power Supply Lead

The Conventions of an Opening Sequence

Here is a list of all the conventions of an opening sequence in reference to question 1:

• Grab the audiences attention
• Introduce the audience to the storyline
• Introduce the audience to the genre
• Contain credits/titles 
• Title of the film
• Create an enigma
• Set the scene
• Contain music that is relevant the the action that is occuring
• Introduce the audience to the characters
• Make the audience want to watch on
• Establish the key iconography
• Set up the pace of the film
• Introduce the audience to the key themes of the film
• Set up the target audience

Horror Movie Conventions

Here is a list of all the horror movie conventions as mentioned in question 1 of my evaluation:

• Create suspense
• Darkness
• Contrast (characters and mise-en-scene)
• Ambiguous shots
• Silence
• Creaking
• Screams
• Wind
• Shadows
• Hidden features
• Gory and gruesome
• Death
• Victims
• Murderer
• Scary
• Make you jump
• Get your heart beating faster
• Shock the audience
• Fear
• Stalking
• Old buildings
• Deserted locations
• Sense of claustrophobia (no escape)
• Running away

Information About My Final Opening Sequence

When we were first introduced to the brief, we were told we could make an opening sequence of any particular genre. As a group we decided to go for the horror genre as we thought it would be the easiest to portray on such a low budget. 

Our opening sequence is about a girl coming home late at night drunk and then falling asleep. When she wakes up, strange things start to occur so therefore she begins to investigate. Eventually she ends up upstairs looking out the window and we see the door open behind her, telling the audience that there was somebody else in the house with her when she thought she was alone. The rest of the film expands upon the concept of the murderer praying on girls in a vulnerable state. It is about a taxi driver who picks up girls from parties and clubs and drops them off home. He then returns to their house later in the evening to torment them and eventually kill them. 

When shooting our opening sequence we shot it in a large Victorian House in Whetstone with creaky wooden floor and dim lighting. 

Our cast consisted of Charlotte Cooper playing the teenage girl victim and myself, Loren Dodi, playing the shadow/killer that opens the door at the end. 

As Charlotte was being filmed, this left most of the camera and crew work down to me, Loren Dodi and Nisha Shah.