Main Task - Location

Location/Setting

In the beginning of the production, we had several different locations to where we going to shoot our shots. However as our script changed, we had to change the locations spots aswell. During that period the number or location spots reduced aswell however we thought this was better as it would make the film seem consistent and believable. The setting that we chose had to fit the mood and atmosphere of the film and so we needed a dark, scary and mystery effect. We also had to bear in mind that if our actors/actresses would be able to reach the location we pick. In the scene, the main actress will be running for quite a bit of the time and so we had to use a large location where they would be able to do this.

Our opening shot will be outside the park where the audience will first see the actress running but her face will not be facing towards the camera. The location had to include a gate nearby where the actress will eventually turn and go through it in to the park which is the main location. This part has to look creepy and give a dark atmosphere as this is where my film will begin. This spot fits in well as it is covered in dirt and leaves which shows the darkness in the film.

Our main location is in the park where the actress will be running. We needed to pick a park where there was field in the background surrounded in trees but also where there would be a playground nearby as these locations will later be significant in the film. We found two locations which matched with what we wanted with both of them being perfect for what we needed. The first one was nearby our school which was easier for us to reach and it also had a little playground at the top in the corner however this playground seemed more deserted and dull rather cheerful and happy. Also this location had some trees which would work with what we wanted and as part of the location we wanted it to be dry and deserted, this fitted in well. The second location was far more better though as this also had a little alleyway which we could have used in our film and it more of a scary jungle type effect. However, we chose not use this location as it was far away and the actors/actresses mighty not be able to travel that far. We use several different spots in the field but we make sure that they are consistent with one another rather than picked at random.

The next location spot is the actual playground which is in the park. However looking at park it seemed more deserted and because of the weather, it also looked damp and dark. These shots are supposed to be happy scenes in contrast with the scary ones. We were first going to shoot this scene with children laughing and playing in the playground but due to not being able to find enough children, we had to change this idea and just film these shots with no one using them.

Another location spot is the trees which are quite important to the scene as this creates a scary effect. We chose to get the actress running in and out of the trees constantly looking backwards as if someone is running after her. We needed the trees as we want the audience to feel as if she’s is trapped in a forest type place which brings in suspense to find where she is.

Other locations we were going to use

We were going to use Brookes University as a location spot where the audience will see the main actress and her friends coming out of showing that she is a young university student. She would come out of the entrance walking towards the park laughing and happy which then she would her friends and walk towards the park. The next clip of her would be showing her running away so that the audience feel as if something has gone wrong. We wanted to show this leap from her leaving her friends happily to her running in haste with her emotion changed to being scared so that the audience will feel more interested and want to watch further on.

Main Task - Equipment

Equipment

To complete our film opening, we are going to have to use various different types of equipment so that our film can be completed to its best ability. We also used the same equipment in our preliminary tasks which helped us get used to them but also know how to use the equipment properly and in a safe manner so that we can handle them correctly and not cause any damage to it. All the equipment that we used was all borrowed from the school which were high quality pieces and enhanced our overall quality in the production.

To film my opening scene, I used a Sony HD camera. The camera was given to us by the school which helped us a lot as we didn’t have a camera of our own that we could use. The camera was flexible for us to use and exactly what we needed especially with the different functions that we could use on it such as changing the colour complexion. On the camera we were also able to zoom in and out which was very useful for when we wanted to do close up shots of the character which we wanted to do so that we can have a range of different angle shots which keeps the piece mixed and not boring. One of the problems that we had with the camera was that because we filmed the shots in the morning, it kept showing the sunlight which disrupted the filming process and so we had to keep moving the camera around a lot so that we didn’t get the sun in the shot. Another problem was that the battery life of the camera kept going low and turning off which was quite stressful and annoying at times which also leads to another problem that we had which was that the camera would sometimes freeze and not record what we wanted. Some of the shots that we wanted, we were not able to get because of this reason and so we decided to cut these out in the end.

We also used a Sony tripod. This is because when filming our shots, we wanted out shots to be steady so that the audience can see the film as if a professional has filmed it which also gives the high quality effect. The tripod was very helpful and useful because it kept the camera still whilst filming but also we were able to tilt the camera sideways and up or down without having to move the tripod which helped expand the different shots we used. The tripod also gave us an advantage of the different angles that we could use such as if we opened it, it would go longer at different heights and we could also shorten it as well.

We then needed a USB cable which connects the camera to the iMac laptop so that we could edit the pieces that we had recorded and put it together on the laptop. We couldn’t find one from school at first as they were all out and so we used one that a group member had at home but then we used one from school after they had one spare.

If we didn't have these pieces of equipment, we would not have been able to complete our production with high standards. If our film was real we would be using various other pieces of equipment which professional film makers have. I am satisfied with the equipment we used and think with them we have been able to make our film to our best ability.

Main Task - Mise en Scene

Mise en Scene

　

Mise en Scene is all about the props, lighting, costumes etc in the background which the audience will be able to see. This is important as it sets the atmosphere which the audience will able to see and from this be able to feel the mood and get a sense of what is happening as if it is actually happening in real life. This also helps the audience know what the scene is about and at many times work out what the genre of the film or television series is about. Everything in the background has to fit the mood that you want which includes all of the little things aswell such as the chairs, food or even clothes.

　

Examples of Mise en Scene

Crime/Mystery

CSI is about some sort of criminal act happening making it a crime scene and then the forensic and the police have to solve what has happened at this crime scene and how it happened aswell as often showing the reason behind it. For the audience to feel that this is a crime show, firstly a criminal offence has to happen so it then becomes a crime scene. We often see murders, robberies, kidnapping etc. You will expect to see a lot of police cars, policemen in uniform, blood, police sirens and various other things. As it is also part of the mystery genre as its about crime solving the audience will also have to be shown forensic labs, forensic equipment, high tech computers, autopsy lab etc.

Horror
In a horror film such as Saw which is about a man who traps people and tortures them by putting them through difficult situations such as sawing off their feet if they want to survive so that they become better people in life if they survive. In order to make it a horror genre the producers had to make sure that there is a lot of bloodshed in the film. We see various weapons such as knives, chainsaws, guns etc. The audience feels that this is a scary film because of these and they will also see most likely many dead bodies in blood stained settings. They often use dark locations surrounded by forest or deserted. The audience will then be able to feel the atmosphere.

My film
As my film is a horror based film, I will have to set the background so that it matches the genre and the scene in the film. I will have to make sure that the background is creepy and scary looking so that audience will know that something bad is going to happen. Before I actually get to the spot where the female character is killed, I will be building suspense so the audience get a feel of what’s going to happen next.

Main Task - Production Schedule

Day	Date	Time	Filming /Editing	Location
Day 1	11th  February	01:00 PM -  02:30PM	1)      Test shots of the park for the flash back scenes.	South Park
Day 2	14th February	11:20 AM - 01:20PM	1)      Running Scene - the shot of the girl’s feet and back of her body. 2)      Running Scene - the shot of her front while running toward the gate in to the park area. 3)      Running Scene – the match on action shot of her holding the gate.	South Park
Day 3	16th February	01:20PM - 03:00PM	1)      Running Scene – the 180 degree shot to be taken of the girl running through the trees. 2)      Running Scene – long shot of her running and stopping to rest on a cut down tree for a while. 3)      Resting Scene – Zoom in shot of her taking deep breathes. 4)      Attack Scene - Shot of the boy behind her grabbing her shoulder. Over shoulder shot and reverse of the girl and boy.	South Park
Day 4	18th February	09:00AM – 11:00AM	1)   Attack Scene - Long shot of the boy jumping over the tree to get a small log to use as a weapon. 2)   Attack Scene - long shot of the girl in a panic moves backwards. 3)   Attack Scene - Low Angle shot of the boy hitting the girl.	South Park
Day 5	21st February	11:00AM – 03:00AM	1)   Editing the shots we took	School
Day 6	22nd February	02:00PM – 04:00PM	1)   Editing the shots and choosing the correct effects.	School
Day 7	28th February	02:00PM – 04:00PM	1)   Working on Garage Band to make the music for the opening.	School
Day 8	30th February	1:20PM – 04:00PM	1)    Making music on the Garage Band	School
Day 9	3rd March	02:00PM – 03:30PM	1)   Put in the opening credits	School

Main Task - Synopsis

Synopsis

The film revolves around a young girl called Katie. We find that she leads a normal life, goes to college and lives with her boyfriend. However, behind this lies the sinister truth of her life as we find out that she sees a shadow following her around all the time when she walks through the park. Katie goes off on her path to find out the truth about this, alongside with her (who is another main performer in this film) is her shrink/friend Dr Macbeth. Whilst doing this, Katie finds many things out which shock her to her core and sets off to find peace in her life. You don’t see much bloodshed in this film; however the threatening scenes and plot is what keeps the audience motivated to see more.

*The film is going to be including various serious, real-life issues such as murder, rape and anti-social behaviour which sometimes occur in many teenagers lives from the age of 15 and above but also sometimes starting back from childhood.*

Main Task - Plot

Plot

The story is evolved around an orphaned girl named Katie who has recently developed paranoia about a shadow that she sees every time she goes through the park. However when she is accompanied by another person, the shadow seems to disappear. One night, we see that she is woken up by a sound and gets out of bed to see what happened and finds the shadow standing in the kitchen. She gets terrified in seeing this and falls on the ground and starts to scream. Her boyfriend (Ryan) is woken up by the screaming and runs to help and console her. At this point, she explains to her boyfriend what she has been seeing and shares to him about her nightmares that she has. The boyfriend being worried about her, tells her to see a shrink so that she can talk about her problems and be able to solve them. She becomes good friends with the shrink (Dr Macbeth) and the shrink does end up helping her and she starts to feel a lot calmer than she was before. The shrink advises her to face her fears by going into the park but she will stay behind her just in case she starts to panic.

One evening, they go to the park and Katie still terrified starts to walk down the park with Dr Macbeth walking behind, pretending to be on the phone. All the way down, she doesn’t see anything and doesn’t panic and is felt relieved by not seeing the shadow. When she gets to the playground area, she turns around to see the Dr and sees that she is very far away but gives her a smile to let her know that she is okay. As soon as she turns around, the shadow is standing right in front of her glaring at her and with a shovel lying beside it. She starts to scream and shouts out for help whilst trying to crawl away. The shadow is slowly walking backwards. Dr Macbeth runs towards her and grabs her so that she feels safe. She looks around to see that there is nothing there but just a shovel with blood on it by the swings. The Dr in seeing this starts to get scared and helps Katie to get up and tells her to run. We see them running into Katie’s apartment. Katie’s tells the Dr that she does always seem to see the shadow when she is near the playground. The Dr in hearing this decides to investigate the playground.

The next day, the Dr and Katie go to a library and search through old newspapers and look up on the internet and ask people. The librarian tells them that years ago a young woman disappeared and the last place she was seen going was in the park. Whilst looking through the woman’s history, Katie finds that the woman who went missing was in fact related to her and is shocked to find that she is her mother. Katie is shocked to find this out. The Dr suggests that maybe they dig by the swings where the shovel was lying. That night they go back to the playground again with shovels and start to dig around the swings area. We see them digging and digging when finally they find bones lying there with a wallet next to it. Inside the wallet they find a man’s picture and address in it. They look up the address and finds that the man (Jay) is still living there with his family. They go to his house and confront him about this and under the pressure, he finally cracks and tells them that years ago, him and his friends were in the park when her mother was walking down through the park going home. He tells them that his friends teased her and harassed her. In return she slapped one of them. This angered the boy and he pulled her down to the floor and started to hit her aggressively. One by one they raped and abused her. After, they got a knife and slashed her throat so that she couldn’t tell anyone. They dug a grave by the swings and buried her body.

After hearing this, Katie breaks down and starts to get angry and starts to smash his house. Here he tells her that he didn’t rape her but he also didn’t stop what his friends were doing and was a part of burying her body because he was going to start a business and this would ruin his career, if gone to court, so decided to keep quiet. He later tells them that he walked off in another direction and his friends sped off in car. Later that night, his friend’s bodies were found in a jungle area and the car flipped over assuming that they were in a car accident. Katie tells Jay to come back to the playground with her so that she he can face up to the reality of what he has done. They go back there and see that the bones have disappeared and start to panic. They turn around to find that the shadow is now seen as an actual person but with blood all over her and clothes ripped with dirt all over. She has scars all over face. Seeing this they all start to run when you see that she grabs Jay and puts her hand through his body and tortures him by playing with his heart. She tells him that he knew that when burying her, that she was alive. He starts to scream and tells her that he thought his career and life would be in jeopardy if he stopped burying her. She squeezes his heart and he dies. Katie stops panicking and falls to the ground where she breaks down with the Dr besides her trying to comfort her. She then slowly looks up to see that her mother is walking towards her but doesn’t feel at all scared. Her mother now seen clearer and her wounds starting to heal tells Katie that she is sorry for everything and loves her. Putting her hand over face showing that she is trying to wipe her tears away also tells her that she needs to be strong as she needs to go to her father. Katie looks shocked. Her mother tells her to go to the mental institution where her father has been there for so many years as he thought that both his wife and daughter had died. Then her mother glowing in white goes off the ground and going in circles. The wind blows the Dr and Katie back and when they turn back around, they see that she is gone and its pitch black and silent.

Walking towards the institution Katie is quiet and doesn’t have any emotion on her face. The Dr accompanies her inside and you see her talking to a nurse where Katie is standing there. She sees a bright lit room and walks towards it. Just then the corridor light breaks and goes dark. She gets to the door and looks through the window. She doesn’t see anything and turns back but then stops and in curiosity looks again and is shocked to see a shadow standing behind the door glaring at her through the window. She screams and falls on to the floor.

Main Task - Storyboard