First Draft Feedback

We showed the first draft of our opening to several other students, in order to gain their feedback.
They stated what they found to be effective, and also what they felt didn't work so well.
The parts that people felt were effective were:

• The large range of shots
• The non diegetic sound
• Typography
• Flashback shots are effective

The parts that people felt were less effective:

• Horror genre unclear
• Ending too abrupt
• Title should appear at end

To improve, we moved the title ("Young Blood") to the end of the sequence.  We felt that this would also solve the problem of the ending being too abrupt and confusing.

Editing: Sound Alterations

• When editing our film opening 'Locust Toybox - So 2005' was used as our introductory music.
• When the music was applied to footage it became apparent that it didn't work.
• After the thought that it didn't work I asked peers for their opinion.
• They agreed as well as saying that the music sounded 'too medieval' for the sequence.

---

• As an alternative to the non-diegetic soundtrack I thought that diegtic sounds of the environment would provide a better opening to set the scene rather that the non-diegetic music.
• Seeing as the film opening starts on a bridge over a busy road, it made sense for traffic to be in place.
• The diegetic sounds of traffic are more effective as it builds and fades into the non-diegetic soundtrack. 
• This provides a build in tension with the start of a seemingly normal scene which progressively builds in tension and horror.
• Below is the diegetic traffic sound effects that we decided on as a group.

Editing: Reviewing and Refining

• After finishing the basic outline of our film opening I went through the editing to check for continuity and improvements in which could be made.
• When reviewing the editing I noticed a couple of clips which were out of place and lead to a lack of continuity.
• The main problems which had to be corrected was with the bridge scene.
• The first major continuity problem was that there was a shot of the killer walking towards the victim then after several shots including the victim walking and flashbacks the killer was back at the beginning of the bridge looking the victim.
• To correct this I had to switch the clips around as well as a couple shots of the victim as their position on the bridge was also not flowing continuously.

The 2 shots which were in the incorrect order.

• After continuity issue was that with the killer walking shot.
• The clip was shown after the victim has already gone done the stairs which was an issue because the victim was in shot. (This can be seen in the shots below)
• However this was corrected when I changed the continuity problem above.

• When going through the film opening I noticed there were too much of the same flashback shot used which I felt was too repetitive.
• Instead of filming for more flashback shots I used some old shots from my practical source of inspiration (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5w2quV8bzU)
•  I felt that this would be ideal as it is using the same location and would blend nicely in with the current footage.
• By using this footage I was able to break the repetitive flashback shots used with a couple shots of the location and bloody hands. (shown above)

• Another factor I looked for when reviewing the film opening was making sure that the most suitable clips have been selected.
• When reviewing the footage I came across several inconsistencies where there equipment or people in shot when they shouldn't have.
• In the example above, I saw that there was a tripod in frame which ruined the scene.
• To correct this I selected the blade tool (example 1) and selected the point in which I will cut the clip (example 2) which was where the inconsistency stopped.
• Finally (in example 3) after it had split into 2 clips I selected the first section and deleted it.

• In previous blog posts I have looked into the 'letterbox' style.
• This is where the video is cropped to a narrow aspect ratio.
• As finishing touches to the film opening I applied letterbox to all of the clips on the timeline.
• Before I used iMovie, in which I had to make it tailor made using a green screen effect.
• However in Final Cut Pro, it is one of the effect options.

• To apply the 'letterbox' effect to each clip I went into Video & Audio Effects and selected Letterbox which was under 'Stylise'.
• From here I went into the inspector and changed the border size from 0 to 5.
• I feel that by using letterbox framing it provides a more cinematic look and also brings out the colours within the footage more.

Before and After Letterbox Framing

Evaulation of Garage Shoot

• Here are 3 sections from a clip I filmed in which I used a macro lens.
• By using the macro lens I was able to have close up shots of the jars of high quality.
• In these shots I tried with experimenting with the use of light and using different motions.
• In the first shot, I shook the torch a little to give the handheld effect.
• In the second shot, I used a smooth and steady motion upwards.
• This was to give the illusion the killer was scanning the dark lair looking for something.
• In the final section I went in to grab the jar. I did this as I feel this shot would make the audience aware that the killer is present in the scene and just off-screen/his perspective.
• Overall this was one of the better shots from my macro shots of the jars as it highly effective in projecting a dark and bloody atmosphere.

• In this shot I looked more into the contents of the jar.
• By using a macro lens I have 

Shooting Script: Garage

Date:

Sunday 2nd March

Place:

• Garage at Charlotte's house

People :

• Charlotte

Equipment needed for shoot:

• Torches (white light/warm white light)
• Tripod
• Macro Lens
• Camera

Props Required:

• Killer's Jars

Aim of Shoot:

• Film the Killer's Jars in which there are 'body parts' and blood.
• Wide range of shots (angles and movement)

Finalising Credits

• Previously I looked into the typography to use in our film opening title and credits. 
• I have refined it down to using the font 'Biko' which is very clean cut and modern and can be moulded to fit most film genres.
• The original idea for the credits were:

• However I didn't test it out on more than one name which lead to issues of the layout and the overall appearance.
• After taking the factors that went wrong into consideration I redesigned the layout and positioning of the credits.
• Here is the basic structure in which I created using multiple names. 

• I am overall really pleased with the outcome of the new design for the typography credits, they have come out more professional and I particularly like the use of spacing and contrasting font weights.
• However I felt that it would be nice if the credit typography was manipulated to have a slight disfigurement to make a subtle reference to the killer's underlying psychological problems.
• After experimenting with different effects I used this one:

• Here I used an effect called 'Scrape' which distorts and elongates words. I have used it to create this slight disfigurement in the template for the credits.
• I quite like the simple and subtle quirk to the credit and provides that slight disfigurement I had hoped for.

settings I used to create the slight manipulation

• After this I wanted to add a slight bit of movement to the credits as they were looking rather dull.
• After a series of trials I thought the most effective effect was 'Projector' with an overlay of 'Shadows'
• The 'Projector' effect alters the credits to make them shake a little as well as add slight noise to the black background as well as add a slight glow to the text.

• Then the use of the 'Shadow' effect to slightly dull the white text which was needed after the 'Projector' effect increased the white in the text which was just to much/

• Overall the outcome of the credits, I feel, have been well executed and are finished enough to the point of them being ready to use straight away for the opening credits of our film opening.
• The slight shakiness, I feel adds to the effectiveness of our film genre, Psychological Horror.
• I think that these credits will work really well in the film opening and enhance the quality, making our film opening appear more professional
• In the clip above shows the order in which the credits appear as well as the length the credits will stay on screen for which is 3 seconds (at the moment).
• In between these credits will be the edited footage of our film.

Editing Ideas

Letterbox Frame

• To create this effect I made a template in the style of 'letterbox'
• In order for it to work I had to make the video section green because when I select the green-screen option it will make the centre section transparent
• This will reveal the footage underneath creating the letterbox look
• This will create a cinematic effect

How I did it:

•  Firstly I created a letterbox template and saved it to my desktop.
• I then dragged it from my desktop onto my footage.

• Once I had dragged it onto my footage, a selection box appeared.
• I then selected green screen.
• Once this has been selected my footage is now in the style of a letterbox frame.

With Letterbox                                                                         Without Letterbox

• Overall I am quite pleased with this effect on the footage.
• I feel that by using the letterbox framing it adds more drama to the scene. Which will look good in the long run when we create the final opening sequence.
• As well as this it makes the scene feel more professional and gives off a cinematic look.

Brief Trial

• In this short sequence I wanted to try and incorporate many of the ideas I have already looked at and bring them together.
• Using previous footage and some flashback footage that Ellen had shot, I combined the two to create a short sequence to provide as a mock up for the final film opening. 
• I used the hands and the flicking back to the blood drenched shots to provide the audience a visual of the 'Killer' recalling his past memories of past victim(s).
• As well as creating this scene I tried to work a credit into the sequence to form an idea of how the final sequence will look.
• I used one of the fonts I had looked at in my previous post where I came up with many possibilities of fonts and layouts I could use.

- - -

• Overall I'm not impressed with the outcome of this sequence.
• One reason for this is the credits. I feel that the credits don't tie in very well and are out of place. Maybe to improve I could overlay it over the footage, however I feel that this won't work either as the footage is likely to overpower the font.
• As well as this the font has been designed to only be used on a black background.
• Though I do like the juxtaposition between the neat and clean journal to the messy and blood drenched body parts.
• I feel that to improve, I could work on the timings of the footage and the order in which they come on.

Evaluation of Reshoot

Too Dark

• When re-shooting the scenes I found that when I was filming them at the time they weren't too dark however when reviewing my footage I found that they were way more darker than I had anticipated.
• There were also some shots when filming where I had noticed that it was too dark on the camera screen so I tried to fix it either by changing the settings or manually enhancing them.

Reflector 

No Reflector                                                                 Reflector

• When filming after I had noticed that the shots were way too dark to be seen I have an idea to use a make-shift reflector. 
• I remember Ellen's mask she made was tin foil on the opposite side to the face she had created. 
• When filming we placed the tin foil mask just below the frame which reflected the street lights onto the subject's face.
• This illuminated our subject's face and allowed more light in the frame.
• I feel that we might have to reshoot a couple more shots again due to quite a few being too dark.

Two Lightings

Shade                                                                                    Tungsten

• When shooting I realised that I hadn't changed my camera settings once again. 
• The lighting settings had been on shade which gave the shots an red tinge to them where as I wanted to film in Tungsten which can be seen above.
• This means there are two different different colourings to our footage which when edited won't have that continuative, steady flow which I had hoped for.

Improved Bridge Shots

• When reviewing and comparing the Bridge shots had been heavily improved since that last shoot.
• This is mainly due to the different lighting. This time we shot at sunset which gave the frame a rich colour whereas last time was very cold and dull.
• As well as adding a rich colour it created shadows adding more depth to the shot and more detail.
• Last time I used a straight on view of the bridge which didn't look right as the camera was slighting skewed which didn't make the shot look right.
• When reshooting I opted for a more angle view by filming from the left side of the bridge. I felt this angle worked better for this scene.

Better Shots of Killer

First Shoot                                                                                         Reshoot

.

• Last time when we filmed the Killer the shots were of a very poor quality. They tended to all be blurry and not very well positioned.
• This time with the camera settings changed and after playing around with some different angles, the shots have vastly improved.
• As well as this last time I felt when reviewing the first shoot our Killer was far too close to our Victim for it to be believable so this time when filming I tried to keep the distance between them greater.

Macro Lens

First Shoot                                                                                       Reshoot

• Last time when I shot this dropping of the Victim's item I had pointed out that it was too blurry and out of focus to be used due to the use of macro lens not being focused properly.
• However when reshooting again I managed to get the item more in focus however couldn't keep steady to make the shot decent enough to use.
• As well as keeping steady which ruined it, it was also the lighting ruined the shot. In this shot my camera was still on 'Shade' where as it should have been on 'Tungsten' to get rid of the orange tinge to the shot. 

Grain

• Like before in the first shoot, I had the same issue with grain due to the lighting being awful once again.
• Ideally when filming I want to be using an ISO of 800 or less to avoid grain in the footage. 
• However due to our storyline being set at night where are Victim is being followed home I need to use an high ISO in order to capture some picture.
• If I was to use anything lesser than ISO 3200, you would not be able to see anything in the footage.
• If I was to reshoot again, which I feel is needed, I might need to find some way to get more light into the frame.
• This might be using reflectors or finding a way to set up a light source.

Clearer Image Quality

• Whereas a lot of the shots had not improved due to the poor lighting. The shots that were filmed at sunset had significantly improved since last time due to changing the settings 
• By changing the settings of 1280x720 50 fps to 1920x1080 24fps it has significantly improved the quality of the picture.

Conclusion

• Overall when reviewing and comparing the reshoot to the first shoot there was a dramatic improvement.
• The main improvement was being able to get the clearer picture that I had hoped for in the first shoot and didn't achieve.
• However there were still a lot of problems with the reshoot. The scenes where it is darker will need to be reshot either with a light source. Yet I feel that this will still not work so I will have to consider using a different time of day to reshoot and see which will work the best.
• After two shoots of filming this scene from the film opening I feel that when editing this I will need to reconsider the time length of this scene and condense it down to fewer scenes as I feel this part of the sequence is not the strongest visually.

Shooting Script: Stalking Scenes

Date:

Saturday 11th January

Meeting Point:

• Bridge in Bexley @ 4.30 pm
• 30 mins for prep
• Start shooting at sunset.

People:

• Ellen - actor/props
• Ellie - actor
• Charlotte - filming/directing 

Equipment needed for shoot:

• Tripod
• Macro Lens
• Camera
• Steadicam

Props Required:

• Bus Pass/Wallet
• Killer's Mask

Aim of Shoot:

• Film the stalking scene on bridge, down streets and down the dark alley way.

Mise En Scene: Journal

Maps

• Like before when I experimented with editing the journal I used tracing paper in which I traced a map of the Victim's area.
• I used coloured felt-tip pens to show the routes in which the Victim use either to go to school, to a friend's house, to a bus stop etc.
• This time I created two maps which will enabled more different shots.
• When taking these pictures I used a macro lens to enable a clearer and more defined shot.
• When filming the maps there will be shots of the camera following routes and writing on the map.

• The maps aren't very neat however this doesn't quite matter as they will be shown very briefly not allowing the viewer to look at it for long
• The shots used in the opening scene will be extreme close ups and close ups throughout.
• Like last time I will use very soft tungsten light in order to create the atmosphere the Killer is at their desk looking through and adding to their Journal
• Overall I think the maps here will be fine to work with for the film opening
• My only problem is that the coloured routes might be too colourful yet this can be adjusted in the editing process.

Conventions of the Psychological Horror Genre.

Common Conventions in the Psychological Horror Genre:

• Plot twists
• Reflective/response to reality 
• Emotive - you care about characters 
• Heavily focuses on main character's psychological state
• Sad unresolved ending
• 'Facing Demons'
• The danger is human
• Main Character is often detective, battling their own issues
• Incorporates elements of mystery 
• Seemingly supernatural threat - actually human
• Struggle between what is real and what is not
• Deceptive games
• Death
• Requires viewer to think

Film Opening Titles Deconstruction: Funny Games

I have looked at the psychological thriller 'Funny Games' opening titles for inspiration for our film opening. Within this opening they use a bold and modern font which is clean cut. As for the colour they have opted for a vibrant red; possibly to symbolise the violent nature of the film. This film opening can provide inspiration to our film opening with the use of it's simplistic font and layout over the film.

0.24
Title
'Funny Games'
Text over scene
Straight cut
Duration: 0.05





0.30
Lead Actor
'Naomi Watts'
Text over scene
Straight Cut
Duration: 0.04

0.34

Lead Actor

'Tim Roth'

Text over scene

Straight Cut

Duration: 0.03

0.37 

Lead Actor
'Michael Pitt'
Text over scene
Straight Cut

Duration: 0.03

0.40

Lead Actor

'Brady Corbet'

Text over scene

Straight Cut

Duration: 0.03

0.42  

Lead Actor
'Devon Gearhart'
Text over scene
Straight Cut

Duration: 0.04

0.45

Supporting Actors

'Boyd Gaines'

'Siobhan Fallon Hogan'

Text over scene

Straight Cut

Duration: 0.03

0.48

Supporting Actors

'Robert LuPone'

'Susanne Haneke'

'Linda Moran'

Text over scene

Straight Cut

Duration: 0.04

0.52

Director of Photography
'Darius Khondji AFC ASC'
Text over scene
Straight Cut
Duration: 0.02

0.54 

Editor

'Monika Willi AEA'

Text over scene

Straight Cut

Duration: 0.02

0.56

Sound
'Tom Varga'
Text over scene
Straight Cut
Duration: 0.02

0.58

Production Designer
'Kevin Thompson'
Text over scene
Straight Cut
Duration: 0.02

1.00

Costume Designer

'Kevin Thompson'

Text over scene

Straight Cut

Duration: 0.02

1.02

Music
'Georg Friedrich Händel'
'Pietro Mascagni'
'W.A. Mozart'
'John Zorn'
Text over scene
Straight Cut
Duration: 0.02

1.07

Casting

(Casting, New York Casting, UK Casting)

Text over scene
Straight Cut
Duration: 0.07

1.14

Make Up, Hair, Prop Master

Production Sound Recordist,

Sound Editor, Sound Mixer

Text over scene
Straight Cut
Duration: 0.07

1.21

Assistant Director, Script Writer, 

Assistant Camera, Gaffer, Key Grip, Dolly Grip

Text over scene

Straight Cut

Duration: 0.07

1.30

Writer and Director

'Michael Haneke'

Text over scene
Straight Cut
Duration: 0.03

Future Victim Photo Shoot

In our film opening, our killer focuses on murdering young females for their youth to bathe/drink their victims youth in the hope of remaining youthful. Our killer keeps a journal that contains images and documentation on their victims which shows the obsessive behaviour of the killer.

The photo shoot that I have taken is to feature in the killer's journal where they document their findings and followings of future and past victims. The look I tried to achieve within these photos that they are being followed. 

• For this shoot I tried to capture our future victim and their friends going out to London. I took pictures the victim at the train station purchasing tickets and in London hanging by the Thames.

• Whilst taking the photographs I tried to imitate someone taking photo inconspicuously. I also made sure to take them when the victim and her friends were looking away. 
• Another factor to this shoot was that I used my phone to take the photos. Using a normal camera would draw more attention than a phone would.

• Like Ellen I edited the images to make them black and white as the colours did not feel as effective due to them being to washed out.
•  In some of the photos I had the sun in the image which made the victims look like a silhouette leading the audience to not consider them as a person. 

• Overall I'm fairly happy with the outcome of the photographs. They don't quite meet how I perceived them to turn out but do come across as though the victim and their friend was being followed, which was the main goal.

Film Production: Fonts and Layout

My goal for our production company titles was to look modern, sleek and stylish. But doing so I experimented with several different fonts and layout which would project my desires. Here are several outcomes below:

Font: Futura

Left line

Gradual descent of words

Spaced out letters 

• What I like about this idea is it is very sleek and projects quite a professional feel with the use of the 'Futura' font
• I personally really like the spaced out letters along with the gradual descent of words. It is very pleasing to the viewer's eyes and easy to read. This is one of the better ideas.

Font: Blackout Sunrise

Left line

Gradual descent of words

Spaced out letters 

• I'm not too sure about the font 'Blackout Sunrise'. The font works really well but it doesn't project the professional look I was hoping for.
• The layout is the same as before, gradual descent which I still really enjoy.

Font: Futura

Centred 

Spaced out lines

Varying spaced out letters 

• Again I have used the font 'Futura' which does seem to fit the profile of 'professional'
• With this idea I experimented with a different layout which is more central. I achieved this look though the use of spacing out words and letters. The overall result is really pleasing and one of the better ideas.

Font: Code

Centred 

Gradual descent of words - triangle form

Spaced out letters 

• Here I have used the font 'Code' which is very modern and sleek but maybe too on the thin side and needs to be bolder. But still projects a very professional look.
• The layout has been centred which created this triangle effect which is quite interesting and unique.

Creating a background:

For the background I had the idea to create something that looked quite professional and interesting

What I used to create the production company background:

• Macro Lens
• Water
• Old CD

By using a macro I will be able to get an extreme close up of the light reflections on the CD compared to using the standard 18-55mm lens on my camera. Below is an example of the keyboard on my computer without and with the macro lens to show the difference between the two.

without macro lens                                                                                      with macro lens

• To create the effect for the background I put the CD in a sink and turned the tap on to run on the CD which when met with light created this interesting rainbow effect.
•  I thought would be perfect for a production company background as it provides some movement but enough to distract the viewer's attention away from the production company's name.
• When editing an idea for the production company titles I adjusted the levels and altered other aspects of the video's properties such as contrast, saturation and white point to create the final product. 
• By doing this I brought out the colours within the videos more making it more vibrant. 

Below are the before and after images of the video under going visual editing.

Before                                                                                                      After

Final Idea Outcomes

• Black and white - simple yet classic colour scheme
• The font and layout add to the classy theme 

• Vintage feel yet very modern with the use of text
• Deep red and hint of purple and green - fits with this idea of 'horror' in which we are using for our film opening

• Purple colour scheme with subtle tones of pink and blue throughout
• Very simple yet stylish and modern background and font

Overall I am very pleased with the outcomes of these ideas. My personal preference if I were to use these ideas would be either the first idea (#1) or the last idea (#3). I find that the use of the 'Futura' font is the most practical as it very modern and geometric providing a very professional aspect to the production company titles.