Final Filming (4)

Today was the last day for us to film, unfortunatley our character was missing again, we all decided that since we are all free after lunch we would all met up to get our film finished. When we met up we finished the last scene of our film. Although it was stressing because we had to make sure everything was done, we are ready to start editing after the christmas holidays.

Final Filming (3)

Today was disapointing as we did not get anything filmed as we had a character missing, as we use characters from out of our group one of our main characters were in his lessons so we could not get anything done, but we have another week to film so hopefully we will get it done.

Final Filming (2)

Today our filming lesson did not go to plan, we did not do any good camera angles so we decided to start again. we went to our second location which is the graveyard and decided to film the scene were the characters are walking through the graveyard, we used some overshoulder shots and close ups.We decided to add another camera shot to our film where the camera is placed behind the bush so that it looks like someone is watching the characters. We thought this will have an big effect on our film as it is a horror.

Filming for real (1)

Today we started filming for real. We did scene 1, this was the scene outside our college, we filmed th characters coming out of college and havng conversation. we also filmed a bit of scene 2, we filmed the characters walking through the graveyard we also had still shots such as the gates and sign of the graveyard to show the audience where the characters are. Today one our group members was absent so that was a bad start for us. Today I helped in ensuring everything went well and also helping with the filming. I think that today went well but could have been better, due to the weather our actors were not too enthusiastic as it was cold, this will hopefully change by Wednesday which is our next lesson.

Practise filming (2)

Today we went to our second location which was the cemetery. Today we didn't do alot of filming we just practised camera shots and looked at different parts of our location to ensure that we are ready for filming on Monday.

Practise filming

Today we didn't have a media lesson, we just went to the media department to get a camera and tripod to start filming. As soon as we got in our groups we went over our story boards and script. we had a bit of diffuculties because one of our actors were in his lesson at the time so we had to find another actor, lucky for us we found one. Once we explained his part to him we went to our first location which was outside our college.We started with an establishing shot which shows the colleges logo, the camera then goes onto the three characters and they begin to act out the script. Today I helped with filming.We did not get to go to our second location which was the cemetary as we would not make it back in time. Once we finished filming we watched over the film to see what we could have done better. when watching the film we saw that after the establishing shot the characters started talking to fast, to improve this we are going to make the characters wait a few seconds before they start talking.

Editing Pleliminary film

Today in media our technician showed us how to edit our film on an application call final cut. After I understood how to edit the film we got into our groups and edited our task together. We found a few problems while editing. In the begining of the film you see oscar walking through a door and the cut there runs smoothly, but between the 2nd and 3rd cut, the cut was too short and needs to be extended. We he goes to sit down there is a black transition which doesn't make sense, that needs to be cut out and also we filmed an over the shoulder shot, and we realised that we should have more of the head in it because it doesn't look like the kind of shot we were going for. When making my real film I am going to try to ensure that we do not make any mistakes such as the onces we made in our pleliminary task.

Pre-Production written work

Writing a script wernt as hard as I thought it would be. To write my script I used sources such as the internet to help me.One of the websites I used was http://www.imsdb.com/. I learnt that I had to include every detail of what happens in the scene. when something is about to happen for example one of the characters should leave the room we learnt that we should set it out in brackets and in slaugnted writing so I could tell the difference between the characters talking and when the character has to do something.

We split the story boards up in our groups we had to do 2 each.When designing story ideas my group considered everyones ideas and put them together.To design ideas we used films we have watched and past experiences.

My groups genre is horror we chose this as everyone liked it the most and we thought that we would enjoy it more than the others also we thought that it would be less diffucult in others genres such as comedy you need a special skill for example in comedy it would be hard to make the audience laugh.

In a group we watched the blair witch project which really helped us when designing our film as we made it similar to this, as it was an horror documentry it helped us as that is what we also decided to do.One thing from the blair witch project that helped us was the opening sequence.

Blair witch project

Change of Plan

There has been another change of plans, I just went through my story line with the rest of my group it looks like it does not match the script, so we think it would be easier for me to also write the script as I wrote the storyline and I know what should be included.

Group Planning

Today in our media lessons we got into our groups and recaped what everyone in my group was supposed to be doing. There was a change of plan, me and Oscar worked on he synposis together we did two sections each and Jevetta helped Ahmed with the scripts so that she can move to doing the story boards.

Below is a copy of my groups story line and script.

STORYLINE:

This film is based on a group of media students who are given a task by their subject teacher to film important places in the community. The film starts off with 3 students leaving college having a discussion about where they want to base their film for their project, all of the students try to contribute but they can’t come to a final idea, in the end they all decide to leave it until the next day so it gives them time to plan in depth. As the students walk home they pass through a graveyard, as they get to the middle of the graveyard one of the students turns on the camera and starts to film for fun. A few seconds after he starts filming one of the students notice something strange pass the camera he tells his two friends but they do not believe him so they all decide to investigate further, as they begin to investigate they see a dead school girl laying in front of them covered in blood, they start to panic and call for help. As one of the students is filming the dead body in shock, he turns around and two of his friends are nowhere to be found, he then carries on walking scared and in shock, still filming. The scene then ends with him being attacked, but we don’t get to see it at the end we jus see blood dripping down the camera, so we know that it’s obvious that something happens to him to, it is then ended with a cliff-hanger.

SCRIPT:

Scene 1

Three students are standing outside college with filming equipment. They walk slowly to the college gate, the stop and start to conversate.

Anton: So have any of you got any ideas on where we should film?

Oscar: Nope, I can’t think right now lets leave it until tomorrow so that we can all pitch ideas while we are at home.

Anton: Yeah I think we might as well do that.

Oscar: Let’s walk home through the graveyard I heard the 149 is on diversion.

Jevetta looks at Oscar as if he had said something wrong.

Jevetta: I don’t think that’s a good idea, it’s getting dark.

Oscar puts on a sarcastic voice

Oscar: Is someone scared?

Jevetta: No I’m just saying.

Oscar laughs. Oscar and Anton pick up the filming equipment, and leave the College gates.

Scene 2

Anton, Oscar and Jevetta are standing at the gates of the Graveyard .Its darker than they was when they left college, they begin to enter. Oscar turns the camera on.

Anton: So what time do you start college tomorrow? And why are you recording your wasting the film.

Oscar: At 12, its fun, you never know we might see something.

Jevetta jumps in shock

Jevetta: Did you see that

She jumps behind Oscar using him as a shield

Oscar: See what, what are you talking about, you’re just trying to get us scared, and it isn’t going to work.

Anton: Try Harder

Jevetta: I’m being serious I’m not joking I just saw something go past me, I’m telling you believe me.

Anton: Stop acting up man, nothings there you is just seeing things.

Jevetta: I know what I saw

Jevetta then starts to look around, they all start to walk forward, In front of them lays a Dead body. The all jump back in shock, Jevetta screams.

Oscar: Oh my god what is that?

Jevetta: Oh my god (Jevetta drops all papers in her hand)

Anton: What the hell is that (starts to panic)

Oscar walks closer to the body. Oscar begins to shout

Oscar: It’s a dead body, it’s a girl, call the police.

Jevetta stands shivering with her head in her hands.

Jevetta: Anton I’m scared, get help.

Jevetta looks around; Anton is nowhere to be seen.

Jevetta: Anton, Anton?

Jevetta begins to panic, Oscar looks back at her.

Jevetta: Oscar where Anton gone? I’m really scared.

Oscar begins to shout

Oscar: Ahmed stop playing games this is serious.

No reply, Oscar and Jevetta start to panic.

Oscar: Let’s go find help we can’t just stand here

Jevetta: why are you still filming at a time like this?

They carry on walking.

Oscar: Just incase we see something we can show it to the police.

Silence occurs between the two, they begin to walk, Oscar In front and Jevetta behind.

Oscar: Have you got credit?

No reply Oscar looks back to see why Jevetta has not answered him, he notices that she is not in site, he then looks around and starts to talk to himself.

Oscar: Jevetta, Anton (Pause) stop playing games it’s not funny anymore. (Pause) Jevetta (Pause) Anton.

Oscar then carries on walking, still filming he is attacked anonymously we hear Oscar scream the camera drops and we see someone dragging Oscar.


THE END

Group Discussions

Today in our media lesson we had to get into our groups and discuss our plans in depth. Our teacher provided us with worksheets which helped us plan out our idea, the worksheets included spaces where we could plot our storyline,the locations we are thinking of using an why we chose it, the characters which we will be using and what their roles are and props.We also recieved a sheet to do our storyboards. We decided as a group that Jevetta should do the storyboard, I should do the script and Oscar and Ahmed should do the synopsis, we set down dates of when each of these should completed.

Ideas

The blair witch project is the film that our film is similar to, we used this film in guiding us when filming.The film has a similar story line to ours, were students go missing in the woods but in our case the graveyard.

Pleliminary Exercise

This is the camera which we use while filming. It is the SonyHDV180i.

This entry is based on a pleliminary exercise, we were asked to do by our teachers. We were put into our groups which consists of four people Jevetta, Oscar, Ahmed and myself. We were then given a task sheet which included a scenerio of which we had to act out. The scenerio was a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down opposite another character, with whom he/she then exchanges a couple lines of dialogue.
Me and Ahmed were filming while Jevetta and Oscar were acting we tried to use at least one closeup and one extreme close up while filming.

Group Discussions

Today we sat in our groups and discussed what type of film we would like to produce, we did a brainstorm which helped us decide on what type of genre we would like to do, we all gave our ideas I personally wanted to do an horror so I put that forward but in the end we decided to go with Horror. Not just a plain horror film we had a wonderful idea from a member in our group which was Oscar he came up with an idea that we should make our film in to an horror documentry, by this he means that in our film we should actually be media students who are given a project similar to ours but instead in the film we dont know what genre to do, so we were just playing about with the camera and it was recording then we see something strange.Thats as far as we have planned apart from locations, we was thinking a graveyard, next time we meet we will be discussing our idea in more in depth.

Detailed Learning

From the beginnning of the course I have gained a good understanding on camera shots, editing, sound , lighting etc. In all my lessons I have learnt something new. In my media lessons , I have watched many different clips from different films such as The Matrix and Hard Candy. When watching clips from these films it helped me to have a better understanding about camera shots.

Watching clips of this film (Hard Candy) helped me remember different camera shots and understand the meaning behind each shot.

When learning about sound. Our teacher showed us clips on youtube of examples of digetic and non digetic sound. I understand that Non-digetic sound is sound that is not actually there and digetic sound is sound that is in the scene. Non-digetic sound can be for example sounds that is made and then added on to a film. Digetic sound could be a character talking in the film

Non digetic sounds

Introduction

Hello, My name is Sacklay. I am studying Media as one of my A-levels at Haringey sixth form Centre.So far I have found my media lessons interesting.Having studying this course for 6 weeks I have a brief understanding on the main key concepts of making a film, The main concepts I have learnt about are Mise-en-scene,Camera Shots, Editing and Sound.

Mise-en-scene means everything that is in the scene for example props,makeup, costumes, lighting, decor etc.

Camera shots and movements is the choice you choose to shoot your film for example Close up shots and point of view shots. It also shows the audience what type of message you are trying to send, for example if I wanted to shoot a scene of a person writing a letter but I wanted the person typing the letter to be a mystery, the camera would just focus on the persons hands and the keyboard and it will leave a mystery of who's typing.

When making a film, they may be errors, when these are corrected this is called editing. Editing can include adding and taking away things in the scene such as sound. An editor may decide that they want to add music to a particular scene this is done by editing. Editing is basically making changes.

There are two different types of sound tese are digetic sound and non-diegetic sound.Diegetic sound is sound in the scene which is real for example voices of characters and sounds made by objects in the scene.It is the actual sound in the scene. Non-diegetic sound is commentary sound, for example a comedy film with laughing effects is non-diegetic.

During my media course I hope to produce an interesting horror film because I really enjoy watching horrors and I wonder what it would be like actually making one of my own.