On this planning page I will be presenting all the stages and pieces of work I have produced and achieved during the planning process for my AS thriller opening sequence. Some of the tasks included are: the proposal, location recce, risk assessment, screenplay and storyboards.
Idea Summary
In this planning task I will be outlining the details of my planned production.
These details will include:
-narrative
-setting
-costume/props
-effects
-characters
-target audience
-sound
-issues/themes
Overall summary of findings-
This planning exercise has been extremely helpful to me when considering the production of my own opening sequence as it has allowed me to think in depth about what I need to include. It has also enabled me to come up with a clear and conventional idea including the key elements of the thriller genre. Additionally assessing my own idea was very useful as it has allowed me to see what aspects of the production will be hard to conduct. Knowing the difficulties will help me resolve the problems quicker in order for the production to run smoothly and to the best of my ability.
Since developing our idea further we have decided to change the intended target audience to 18-35 as this will increase the number of people who are likely to enjoy our film. One of the main reasons for this is that the older end of target audience may be able to relate to the narrative. For example the emotions faced when a child goes missing. I think the change in target audience will increase the popularity of our production as some of the members of this target audience may have young children themselves. Therefore this will create a sense of realism.
Since developing our idea further we have decided to change the intended target audience to 18-35 as this will increase the number of people who are likely to enjoy our film. One of the main reasons for this is that the older end of target audience may be able to relate to the narrative. For example the emotions faced when a child goes missing. I think the change in target audience will increase the popularity of our production as some of the members of this target audience may have young children themselves. Therefore this will create a sense of realism.
My proposal
I have created this website proposal to outline the main features of my opening sequence production that I am due to create soon.
I have included items such as:
-summary
-characters
-effects
-costume
-locations
-soundtrack
I have included items such as:
-summary
-characters
-effects
-costume
-locations
-soundtrack
Summary of findings-
This task has allowed me to go into great detail when considering the narrative of my opening sequence production. For example I have planned what will happen beginning to end. This will be really helpful when filming my opening sequence as it will give me a guideline to follow. Allocating group roles has made me aware of what I must take responsibility of; this is useful as it will allow me to keep each role under control and carry it out to the best of my ability. Going into detail when thinking about the characters and locations needed has helped as it has made me aware that we may need to either purchase some of these items or ask for permission. This task has made the filming of our production easier as we should now not come across any unexpected difficulties in production.
Screenplay
The screenplay below is based upon the idea of a young girl being kidnapped from her loving family; however it is a race against time in order for the police to bring her back to her family ALIVE. Every second will count!
Summary of findings-
This screenplay has been really helpful to me when thinking about how we will put together our production. For instance it has allowed me to plan which locations will be best suited to each part of the narrative based upon the dialogue each character will use. The screenplay has helped differentiate between different locations and the different action is each scene.
Storyboard
In order for us to plan effectively we need to produce a storyboard. This storyboard will be useful as it will allow us to have guidance and something to follow when filming and producing the location recce, props and costumes.
Overall summary of findings-
Creating this storyboard has been extremely useful to me when trying to think of the best possible way to plan our production. For example it has helped with the planning of cinematography and has allowed me to think about which order the scenes and shots must go in. The production of this storyboard has allowed me to think in chronological order and has made me focus as I now have a plan to follow.
Shot list
Producing a shot list is essential when producing any type of media text. For example it allows you to be organised when it comes to filming the production and also allows you to pick up on shots that will interrupt the continuity of the text.
Summary of findings
Similarly to the storyboard I have found the shot list to be a great way of mapping what I intend to do when the time comes for me to film. For example it is now clear in my mind about how and where we will take each shot so they look continuous and effective This task has also allowed me to become more confident with the narrative of the story as I had to think in depth about how each shot could portray an emotion or an action to the audience without a large amount of dialogue. The creation of the shot list will also enable myself and Nina to complete the cinematography aspect of our production which we hope will make it look professional and similar to texts we have researched such as 'Taken' and 'Law Abiding Citizen'.
Audio clips and permission for use
When producing a film/opening sequence you need to ensure that you have permission from the copyright owner of the sound/piece of music. For example if you use a track without permission from the copyright owner the blog that you have uploaded your production to may have to be deleted. In order for my production/blog not to be at risk I will use royalty free websites or I shall contact the copyright owner by email.
As part of the planning task we had to research into music clips and sound effects that we could use in our opening sequence production. When choosing the audio clips I used royalty free websites so that all the audio clips appropriate will be free of charge and I will not be breaking the copyright law. However when searching for a music/background track I had to ask permission from the copyright owner, the above screenshots are evidence that I have contacted the copyright holder, thankfully he has agreed to let us use his music tracks and has requested that we show him the final product. When I have produced my opening sequence I intend to send the link of my blog to the copyright holder as he has requested.
Costume, props, hair and make up mood boards
Presently some of the following character profiles are completed with images from the internet, however I will take my own pictures as soon as possible.
Summary of findings:
From conducting this planning task- costumes and props, I now feel confident with what needs to be gathered in order to follow the generic conventions of the thriller genre. Additionally thinking in great depth has allowed me to make sure that I will make all areas of mise en scene clear so the thriller genre is portrayed to the best of my ability.
I have additionally made a table including information relevant to where the props and costumes will be sourced in order to prevent us forgetting on the day of filming.
Risk Assessment
Before producing a text you must always complete a risk assessment so you are fully aware of what you need to be cautious of before the beginning of filming. Film producers are responsible for the safety of their crew and the public so they need to be certain that what they are about to do is safe.
Summary of findings
Producing a risk assessment has been very useful to me when thinking about filming in public locations. For example it has made me aware of how our actions or the general public's action may affect others. Where I have located a risk I have then tried to resolve the problem suggesting ways in which we could make it safer.
Producing a risk assessment has been very useful to me when thinking about filming in public locations. For example it has made me aware of how our actions or the general public's action may affect others. Where I have located a risk I have then tried to resolve the problem suggesting ways in which we could make it safer.
Location recce
As I intend to film in 3 different locations I have devised 3 location recces where I have personally visited the locations taking a photograph. I have additionally focused on how suitable the location is through the lighting, noise level and potential hazards.
Summary of findings
Similarly to the risk assessment the location recce has allowed me to focus solemnly on the factors that may be a problem when filming. As we are filming in November I believe that we may be lucky with our weather as an overcast day would be very ideal. Additionally as we are filming lunchtime/early afternoon I hope that the lighting will be appropriate as we need enough light so that the camera can pick up the emotions and facial expressions of the characters; however we need dim lighting as a factor of mise en scene to portray the thriller genre.
Similarly to the risk assessment the location recce has allowed me to focus solemnly on the factors that may be a problem when filming. As we are filming in November I believe that we may be lucky with our weather as an overcast day would be very ideal. Additionally as we are filming lunchtime/early afternoon I hope that the lighting will be appropriate as we need enough light so that the camera can pick up the emotions and facial expressions of the characters; however we need dim lighting as a factor of mise en scene to portray the thriller genre.
Permissions- actors and locations
It is always essential that you request the written permission of the actors and the consent of either the local authorities or police when filming in a specific location as the video will be on a public blog. If the producer does not obey the law in this way they may be asked to take down the post or will receive a fine.
The above screenshot shows that I have made contact with the police asking them whether they would be interested in helping us with our opening sequence production. I have included what roles I will need the policemen to play and why I am filming.
Since I have sent this email I have spoken to the police on the phone asking for permission to film at the police station where they have said they believe this will be appropriate and they will help me to arrange a time shortly.
I have additionally emailed Bedfordshire country sides asking for permission to film at Bennetts Rec Park and Dunstable Town Centre.
I was emailed back about the above request however I had not sent it to the appropriate person, fortunately they told me to contact Dunstable Town Council directly, so I have since rung them and they have agreed that I can film at Bennetts Rec Park and Dunstable Town Centre only if I ensure that the police were informed and anyone in the location that I am filming knows that this is a fictional production and it is not something for the public to be concerned about.
Results from audience feedback
Using survey monkey I have produced a questionnaire/survey asking my target audience which title is most appropriate for our thriller opening sequence.
Summary of findings
From the above information I can tell that the most popular name was '72 hours' receiving 65% of all responses. This has had a large impact on our production as we have now decided to call our thriller '72 hours'. I can also infer that 'betrayal' and 'missing' were the 2 least favourite titles as they both only received 5% of votes (1 vote each out of 20 people). This task has taught me that it is wise to listen to what your target audience want as this can influence how many people take an interest in it; therefore resulting in how successful it will be.
From the above information I can tell that the most popular name was '72 hours' receiving 65% of all responses. This has had a large impact on our production as we have now decided to call our thriller '72 hours'. I can also infer that 'betrayal' and 'missing' were the 2 least favourite titles as they both only received 5% of votes (1 vote each out of 20 people). This task has taught me that it is wise to listen to what your target audience want as this can influence how many people take an interest in it; therefore resulting in how successful it will be.
Shooting schedule
I have produced a shooting schedule to guide me through my filming and to help me be very organised on the day. This shooting schedule will additionally help me to not waste time as we have two specific times in which we can film between.
This shooting schedule has allowed me to plan in detail so we make the most of our time when we do film the opening sequence, the inclusion of which shots are being filmed has been very helpful as it will make sure that we don't waste any time by doing additional shots that are not necessary.
Call sheets
To ensure that our actors know what time to arrive at the designated locations and what to bring/wear I have produced a call sheet for each person.
Our call sheets contain: the location, the role of the actor/actress, the meeting time, the departure time, travel arrangements, our schedule and what they need to wear/bring to each specific location.
Summary of findings-
Designing these call sheets has helped me to be organised as it has made me think about what equipment each actor needs. It will also help me to know that the actors are clear about what they need to do which will hopefully speed up production. For example I hope when they arrive they will already be dressed and will have briefly looked over their lines so all we have to do is instruct them on where they need to be in that specific location and how we need them to act.
Test shots and setting the scene
Before filming the real opening sequence production we wanted to run through as much of the production as we could. We visited 2/3 locations we intend to use (we couldn't use the police station as they were unavailable) however we did visit Bennetts Rec Park and Dunstable Town Centre.
I then edited the video clips that we had recorded using Premiere and have exported it so you can see a rough idea of what our real production will look like.
Summary of findings
This practise run through our ideas and shot list has allowed us to amend imperfections within our work. This will have a great impact on our cinematography as it will make us more aware of what we need to do and will make the filming on the allocated dates run much smoother. I think it additionally will allow us to film in the time we have specified to our actors which is good as it will make me feel as though the filming is successful.
The creation of these video clips has given me a clear idea of how realistic and conventional our production will be of the thriller genre.
Digital storyboard
We have additionally produced a digital storyboard using our original storyboard where we have animated the drawn pictures using Premiere.
Summary of findings-
Producing the animated storyboard has been really beneficial as it has allowed us to see how well we have used the continuity techniques we have learnt for example 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot. Following the shots we have provided in the storyboard will ensure that we have a variety of shots which will create interest and anticipation for the audience.
Preview of music track
Nina and I have put together a video containing both of the audio tracks that we are intending to use in our thriller production.
We have credited the copyright owners for both pieces of music.
Summary of findings-
This task has been useful as it has allowed us to think creatively about how we will use each piece of music; it has also allowed us to become familiar with these sounds which will hopefully benefit us when we come to editing the music and footage together. For example we need to find a way to fade the first piece of music into the second piece which will make the production look continuous and professional.
We chose this genre of music as a lot of the professional media texts that we had researched featured similar music which builds tension and was very affective. Technical drawings-
Nina and I have drawn 3 diagrams outlining where the camera will be positioned for each shot and each scene.
Summary of findings-
This task has been really useful to myself and Nina as it has allowed us to preprare for how we need to position the camera and tripod in filming. This will make it a lot easier when it comes to filming as we will not have to think about where to locate this equipment. This will save time and will ensure we have the best shots and a variety of different camera angles.
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