Initially we were asked to come up with an idea for a murder mystery, my idea was...
First idea -
- Mr Jackman is having a party to celebrate his recent engagement to his younger girlfriend. He invites a selection of his closest friends and family to his mansion on the top of a hill overlooking desolate countrysides. At some point in the evening, he is murdered - the group of people desperately try to establish who the killer is before the sun comes up and people notice hes missing.
- house party
- journey on a boat
- come dine with me type dinner party
- jungle
- Sixth form detention
Once we had thought of some initial ideas, we began to think about how realistic they could be and what was accessible to us. At first we were going to do it based on a house party, however the other group were doing the same type of thing so we had to restart the thinking process. We finally decided to set our murder mystery in a sixth form detention, we believed this was the best choice because it meant we would be able to film during lesson and that we would all be available at the same time,
First idea -
- Sixth form house party, geek is invited by an anonymous guest. poison in his drink.
However, the other group had a similar idea so we decided to start the thinking process yet again. We thought about a dinner party in a 'come dine with me style' murder mystery but not everyone understood the idea enough. Questions were asked like, the killer would be obvious, the method would also be obvious so we continued to brainstorm ideas.
Final idea -
- Set during a sixth form detention held by a teacher with a slightly unstable reputation. The students are trying to make the teacher let them go to the toilet, or the shop. Eventually he caves, probably so he could have a sneaky drink. he goes out of the room 'to get some books he needs to mark. When the students return, the class geek is laying cold and dead in his chair with wire around his neck, foaming at the mouth. The suspects are the jock,the goth, the quiet one and the basic teenager. The motive is that Eugene in the class geek, he often snitches on the others and would therefore make them all reasonable suspects as they have ball been in trouble because of him. The teacher quickly attempts to find out who the killer is before his reputation is tarnished any further.
Target audience -
We were tasked with creating a trailer, opening sequence and two key scenes for a murder mystery series for an independent film maker. We decided that our primary demographic would be teenagers ages 16+, as these stories can be used to engage young minds. Our series will be set in a school, one of our biggest inspirations is the 1985 film 'Breakfast club, the film has heavily influenced our series through the theme of detention and how people from different cliques interact with each other. We have chosen this theme to appeal to our Primary demographic of teenagers and young adults, because they will understand and identify with the characters seen. this will mean that almost any teenager will be able to identify with something - maybe they feel a character reflects themselves or someone they know. Our secondary demographic will be older teenagers and young adults, murder mysteries are usually watched or read by an older generation however i don't believe they would be able to identify with the themes as much as a younger person might.
We sat down, and talked about who would be best at doing what so we could make a start on pre-production paperwork. We started by..
We sat down, and talked about who would be best at doing what so we could make a start on pre-production paperwork. We started by..
- Joe - script
- Kira - scene breakdowns
- Jack - filmic inspirations
- Mia - location scouting
- Matt - Equipment
- Jay - character breakdowns
- Jake - Moodboard
As the holidays were coming up, we split the pre-production work up between us...
Scene ideas -
Once we had established a brief narrative, i started working on some scene breakdowns to help with the writing process, some of these included...
characters -
When we were brainstorming ideas for our characters, Joe suggested we try and steer away from the usual stereotypes - the jock, the emo, the cheerleader etc. However, most of us agreed that in order to make these charcters more appealing to our target audience, we needed to include people they might relate to or know someone similar.
Mr onions - A teacher with a slightly tarnished reputation, there is a rumor that he often drinks on the job...his coffee usually smells 'funny' and he scrunches his face up when he takes a sip. he is on his last warning and one more slip up could mean he will loose his job.
Alfie -
Claudia - Basic teenager, she is always getting n trouble for taking selfies and being on her phone in class. She seems clueless, like she would do anything if she were told to because she hasn't thought about what might happen as a result.
Quinn - The aggressive jock, he has been known to use his duffel bag to push the younger years out of his way. He could be a suspect because he is aggressive, he has a habit of snapping and acting in the moment without thinking of the consequences for his actions.
Maisie - She's suspiciously quiet, like everybody else she can't stand Eugene and would rather die than spend one more hour than she has to with him. she wears mostly black, this helps to convey a sense of mystery.
Eugene - The class geek, he is staying after school hours for revision. He often snitches on the other students, whether that be because they pushed him in the corridor or threw something at him whilst Mr onions hasnt been looking.
Costume -
Once we had established our characters personalities, i was able to work on their costumes. I decided that Alfie should wear black jeans, with a jock jacket. I f we were unable to obtain that, he could wear a hollister t-shirt, reflecting his cool personality. He should also have a duffel bag to emphasize the fact that he play sports. Comparatively, Claudia is a basic teenage girl and very self absorbed. I tried to dress her in a way that would reflect her, i decided that she would wear tight jeans and a crop top, suggesting that she can often use her body as a way to get what she wants. Finally, we wanted to convey the idea of Eugene being a nerd visually, he wears a flannel shirt tucked into black trousers and his top button done up. He also wears braces which are regularly pulled on, and adding fifty years to his appearance. When making these choices i looked at famous movie stereotypes, this helped me to have a better idea about how i might reflect the characters personalities. Some examples of these movie stereotypes could include 'High school musical' and 'breakfast club'.
Setting -
We will be mostly filming in a classroom, we chose this location because it fits the narrative of being in a detention, the classroom we were filming had a divider, this means that we would be able to change the setting easily when we needed too. However, this also means that the room is fairly big and is likely to echo which will appear really unprofessional. In order to overcome this issue, we will be using a Rode video pro mic, which can be fitted to the camera allowing for better sound quality. We might also use a boom pole so we are able to pick sound up from a distance, enabling our production to have clear and crisp audio. The lighting conditions in this room are reasonable, the windows are on one side of the room which leaves how and where we shoot fairly open. This room is extremely accessible, Egham train station is a 5 minuet walk away, and stains bus station is roughly a half hour walk or a short bus journey. This room is in the main building of Strode's college, therefore there are male and female toilets nearby which could also be used for any outfit changes or alterations.Furthermore should any accidents or injuries occur, first aiders are on site. Further explanation can be found in our location recce.
We have ran through a risk assessment of the classroom, making sure any loose wires are put away to avoid trip hazards. We also ensure that no food or drink were near any computers, camera or equipment to avoid spillages and possible injury. The has tables laid out therefore there are small isles to walk down, it is for this reason that no running will be allowed on set to avoid injury. In the event that any injuries occur, the nearest hospital is St peters, where injuries can be treated. The college also has an on site first aider where minor injuries can be treated.
We will also need to film in Egham Tesco, before filming we sought written permission to do so during opening hours. We ran through a risk assessment of the areas we filmed in, making sure there were nothing on the floor to avoid trips. We also chose not to use a tripod as this could be considered obtrusive to the public, instead these scenes will be filmed freehand.
Equpiment -
we will be using a canon 700D, we have chosen this camera because it is a small budget price DLSR, it is small which will allow easy movement when shooting. We are going to use an 18-125 mm lens, this is a good choice because it will create a good picture and it means we could shoot from distance or create depth as required. We will also need a tripod so the camera is stable and in focus, we could also have a lighting rig so we can light our interior scenes to create mood and atmosphere, we could do this by casting harsh white light on the suspect in the interrogation scene to create mood and atmosphere.
- Joe - script + storyboard
- Mia - hair and make up (special effects)
- Kira - Props and costume
- Jay - budget breakdown + talent release forms
- Matt - filming schedule
- Jake - character development
We wanted to start filming the week we came back from half term, however due to almost half the group having maths exams, that didn't seem likely.
Scene ideas -
Once we had established a brief narrative, i started working on some scene breakdowns to help with the writing process, some of these included...
characters -
When we were brainstorming ideas for our characters, Joe suggested we try and steer away from the usual stereotypes - the jock, the emo, the cheerleader etc. However, most of us agreed that in order to make these charcters more appealing to our target audience, we needed to include people they might relate to or know someone similar.
Mr onions - A teacher with a slightly tarnished reputation, there is a rumor that he often drinks on the job...his coffee usually smells 'funny' and he scrunches his face up when he takes a sip. he is on his last warning and one more slip up could mean he will loose his job.
Alfie -
Claudia - Basic teenager, she is always getting n trouble for taking selfies and being on her phone in class. She seems clueless, like she would do anything if she were told to because she hasn't thought about what might happen as a result.
Quinn - The aggressive jock, he has been known to use his duffel bag to push the younger years out of his way. He could be a suspect because he is aggressive, he has a habit of snapping and acting in the moment without thinking of the consequences for his actions.
Maisie - She's suspiciously quiet, like everybody else she can't stand Eugene and would rather die than spend one more hour than she has to with him. she wears mostly black, this helps to convey a sense of mystery.
Eugene - The class geek, he is staying after school hours for revision. He often snitches on the other students, whether that be because they pushed him in the corridor or threw something at him whilst Mr onions hasnt been looking.
Costume -
Once we had established our characters personalities, i was able to work on their costumes. I decided that Alfie should wear black jeans, with a jock jacket. I f we were unable to obtain that, he could wear a hollister t-shirt, reflecting his cool personality. He should also have a duffel bag to emphasize the fact that he play sports. Comparatively, Claudia is a basic teenage girl and very self absorbed. I tried to dress her in a way that would reflect her, i decided that she would wear tight jeans and a crop top, suggesting that she can often use her body as a way to get what she wants. Finally, we wanted to convey the idea of Eugene being a nerd visually, he wears a flannel shirt tucked into black trousers and his top button done up. He also wears braces which are regularly pulled on, and adding fifty years to his appearance. When making these choices i looked at famous movie stereotypes, this helped me to have a better idea about how i might reflect the characters personalities. Some examples of these movie stereotypes could include 'High school musical' and 'breakfast club'.
Setting -
We will be mostly filming in a classroom, we chose this location because it fits the narrative of being in a detention, the classroom we were filming had a divider, this means that we would be able to change the setting easily when we needed too. However, this also means that the room is fairly big and is likely to echo which will appear really unprofessional. In order to overcome this issue, we will be using a Rode video pro mic, which can be fitted to the camera allowing for better sound quality. We might also use a boom pole so we are able to pick sound up from a distance, enabling our production to have clear and crisp audio. The lighting conditions in this room are reasonable, the windows are on one side of the room which leaves how and where we shoot fairly open. This room is extremely accessible, Egham train station is a 5 minuet walk away, and stains bus station is roughly a half hour walk or a short bus journey. This room is in the main building of Strode's college, therefore there are male and female toilets nearby which could also be used for any outfit changes or alterations.Furthermore should any accidents or injuries occur, first aiders are on site. Further explanation can be found in our location recce.
We have ran through a risk assessment of the classroom, making sure any loose wires are put away to avoid trip hazards. We also ensure that no food or drink were near any computers, camera or equipment to avoid spillages and possible injury. The has tables laid out therefore there are small isles to walk down, it is for this reason that no running will be allowed on set to avoid injury. In the event that any injuries occur, the nearest hospital is St peters, where injuries can be treated. The college also has an on site first aider where minor injuries can be treated.
We will also need to film in Egham Tesco, before filming we sought written permission to do so during opening hours. We ran through a risk assessment of the areas we filmed in, making sure there were nothing on the floor to avoid trips. We also chose not to use a tripod as this could be considered obtrusive to the public, instead these scenes will be filmed freehand.
Equpiment -
we will be using a canon 700D, we have chosen this camera because it is a small budget price DLSR, it is small which will allow easy movement when shooting. We are going to use an 18-125 mm lens, this is a good choice because it will create a good picture and it means we could shoot from distance or create depth as required. We will also need a tripod so the camera is stable and in focus, we could also have a lighting rig so we can light our interior scenes to create mood and atmosphere, we could do this by casting harsh white light on the suspect in the interrogation scene to create mood and atmosphere.
plan B -
- As we will be filming in a classroom and areas around the college, it is important that we have a backup plan incase there is a lesson being held in the location that we want to film. The classroom we will be filming in is TRB15 , we have checked that there is no scheduled class being held at the time of our production, however there is a possibility that someone may book the classroom on the day of production. Our second option would be TRB13 and we have chosen this room because it has a similar layout to our first choice. It is near enough the exact same room, however the windows are in different positions so we would have to improvise with our lighting decisions ensuring that no shots are overexposed.
- Joe is going to bring spare batteries for the cameras that we will be using, matt has a further three, the cameras will be running for a long time so there is a high risk that we could drain all the batteries uickly. To overcome this, we have borrowed spare batteries from the college so we will not run out of power.
- We will not need a plan B for the cafeteria because we are allowed to film in there at all times. The only thing we will need to be cautious of is the time we are filming, we need to make sure we are filming in lesson time because then there will be the least amount of college students in the cafeteria. With a little amount of students, it also decreases the risk of people not wanting to be included in the back of the film. This will also cancel out any need for reshoots as we will not have filmed without consent of extras in the background.
Storyboards -
Filming - 07-06-19
we started by filming the establishing shot of scene two, Mr onions allows the students leave the classroom for fifteen minutes. Joe stood outside the classroom so he got a shot as the character walks out the classroom and down the corridor. We chose to do it in this way because it shows direction, showing the audience where the character is going.Then we shot the students getting up and leaving the classroom from the outside, and then inside the classroom. This means in editing we can cut between the shots, which will help to build the narrative further as it shows the audience time has passed. We had to be careful about how we shot and which way we were facing. If we were shooting infront of a window the shot would be way to overexposed, which would mean unnecessary work in editing or reshoots, instead we chose to shoot away from the window to avoid this issue.
Then we moved onto the murder, Eugene is staying the classroom to revise whilst the other students have left. Natalie comes back into the classroom whilst she has her chance, to begin with Joe was shooting a close up of Matt's reaction as the door opens ensuring the killer is hidden. We shot other close ups, like when eugene is being strangled, as his head hits the table and the poision. we did this by shooting from behind, Then we shot as the character walks down the corridor and into the classroom. We chose to do this because we can cut between the shots in editing to build pace and tension. Whilst we were shooting this, the other members of the team exited the classroom to avoid anyone being in shot where they shouldn't be and breaking continuity. Shooting thi from different angles is effective because this should be the height of the action, cutting betwween shots rapidly will help to create pace and tension.
We filmed the murder, Joe stood at the front of the class as walked into the classroom and Matt turns round. when he focuses on his work again, i walk closer to him and strangling him this a wire. We also shot a close up of this, so the audience can see the charter struggling tow breath. Additionally we also shot this from the side so the audience can see the killers hands tensing. Cutting between these in editing will help to develop the narrative and build pace. When we were shooting these scenes we had to be careful with compositions, so the audience canst see who the killer is. when the murder is happening, Matt used his arms to cover my costume. I also had to take my rings off and roll my sleeves up to avoid identification. We also filmed a flashback for the same sequence, this time showing my body and facial features. this was a good choice because it will allow us to decide how we reveal the narrative to the audience in editing.
11th June 2019
The next lesson most of the group had maths exams,this meant that almost half the group were not around at the right time, the remainder of the group filmed Jake and jays scene outside.
13th June
Jake had a hair cut so we had to re shoot some of his scenes. We also re shot the break scene because he had ores instead of a sandwich. we also re shot the reactions to the death, due to continuity errors
14th June
The morning began with MIA being late because of the trains, and Jake was late. I was under the understanding we were going to film the flashback to when Eugene follows Maisie home because nobody else was around, however we traveled to Jake's house. litterly a 5 min walk away from college. He wasn't up...at almost 1 o'clock in the afternoon. He also had a shower whilst we waited outside. i went to meet MIA and bring her to where everyone else was.
We filmed the flashback on the road outside Jake's house, we chose to do this because the road was empty and the road fit the narrative of the scene.
We did a wide shot showing Eugene following Maisie, a close up shot of Maisie doing the deal so we are able to emphasize her actions and a pov shot from Eugene. We will be able to cut between these shots in editing to build pace and tension, using different shots will create a sense of perspective and might be used to influence the viewers thoughts,
We went on to film the bathroom scene, where Maisie asks Claudia to borrow her makeup bag. The boys were funny about this scene. we discussed this for a while, we said using the disabled toilet wouldn't look right but also considered how bad it might look. Finally, Mia and i checked if the toilets were clear and we shot the scene quickly. Joe followed me walking to the toilet and arced round to show Mia walking in and talking to me. When filming this scene, we had to ensure that surfaces were clean and dry to avoid any issues with hygiene or slips and trips which ensured the actors health and safety.
We filmed the interrogation,looking straight down the table, the person being questioned on one side of the table whilst everyone else is on the other which creates a clear barrier for the audience. We also filmed some over the shoulder shots, we chose to do this so we can reveal the characters facial or reaction whilst another character speaks which will further influence how the audience perceive that characters. Whilst we were shooting this, Jake took a sip from his water, this meant we had to re shoot the scenes we had just shot but also make sure he never drinks past a certain point when re shooting if something happened that disrupted the scene, this could be someone messing up a line or laughing because something awkward happens.
Post production - 18/06/19
rough cut - scene 2
I came in early so i could load all the files for pre-production on to my student homework drive. When i had downloaded the available footage i started working through what could be used and made notes of scenes i think should be reshot. Once i had done that i made an EDL which allowed me to visualize what the final scene will look like. I systematically loaded the clips into premier pro, trimming and splitting them as i put them in. I believe this was the logical way of approaching it as i often get myself confused. I have tried to build pace and tension by cutting between what the characters are doing in their break, but this also helps to give the impression that time is passing at a regular pace. The establishing shot is taken from the door way looking into the classroom as the teacher walks out and down the corridor, I have chosen to do this because it gives a sense of direction by showing where the character is going. Cut to wide shot of classroom as everyone except Eugene leaves, making sure i get Alfie taking his book as he is seen in the canteen later copying his work. The camera tracks Claudia as she walks towards the stairs at the end of the corridor, just as she is about to walk through the door match cut to a two shot of Alfie and Quinn as they walk outside through the down stairs door , one goes to the canteen and one goes to tesco. I have chosen too use a match cut here to smoothly transistion between the two locations. Then i cut back to Claudia who is sat on some seats talking on the phone, i feel that this scene might drag a bit, but i have chosen to use it as a narrative device, it helps to establish why the students are in detention and for how long for. I used the slice tool to split the clip about halfway, cut to Alfie walking into the canteen to copy Eugene work. I increased the speed so the audience can understand he is rushing. cutting to Quinn as he walks to Tesco, i cut to a jump cut of him picking up a pack of oreos, then a shot of him walking down the isle. Jump cut to him paying, wide shot as he walks out of tesco. This is an effective choice because it shows the characters journey to the audience. Cut back to claudia talking on the phone, again this is good for narrative development because she explains that she is going to go to the toilets to do her makeup, Maisie walks past. Cut to quinn walking down the road, I used a range of shots and angles to slow the pace down, reflecting the character carelessness and lack of respect for the teacher. Cut to tracking shot of claudia as she walks into the toilets, whip pan to Maisie, this is effective because it will make the audience feel they are looking from the characters position. Maisie asks to borrow her make up bag and slips it in her bag, this is effective because the audience might question why she didnt use it infront of claudia, this gives the impression she might be hiding something. Cut to wide shot of mr onions standing over the body as the students return, close up of maise asking is she should call the police. whip pan to teacher as he begins to freak out, showing the sense of panic on his face. The use of a whip pan will create a sense of urgency. cut to black. when i had finished, i rendered the final sequence so everything flows as it should. This makes my sequences flow better so they are less jarring when they are being played back.
Second cut - scene 2
i began to think about how i could use build pace, so i made the scene where the audience is following quins break, as it began to drag in the first cut which helped to build pace. i also used an extreme close up of Allie copying Eugene homework, i chose to use this shot to help keep the camera dynamic and fluid. i also began to consider transitions and how i could use them to reflect time. i used a fade transition by selecting clip and apply fade transition, to transition between different characters and emphasizing the fat that these events are happening at different times. i also faded to black in the end of the scene, a straight cut is to jumpy, this will allow me to create a smooth transition into the next scene but also creating feelings of suspense as they question, who did it? furthermore, i color corrected almost all of the scenes to make them more realistic. For example, the scene where Claudia meets up with Maisie in the bathroom was too yellow. To correct this i opened the basic corrections tab and corrected the scene with blue to neutralize the scene. I also increased the whites to make the white purer, often seen in public toilets. Finally, i considered how i could use sound to enhance the scene, i downloaded ambient sounds to insert into the clips, helping to make them more realistic and enhancing the environment around the characters. For example, noises from classrooms can be heard when the characters are walking in the corridor and voices and checkout sounds appear in the supermarket scene. In order to fade the sound together, which will help the scene move fluidly, i selected clip and apply audio transition.
Third Cut Scene 2
I started to experiment with different transitions, this time i used different wipes however i felt the end result appeared very amerture and boring.
Final cut -
i have used a variety of transitions so my scenes flow smoothly, i have used dissolves where the action is supposed to be happening at the same time whereas i have used wipes to illustrate that the events are happening at different times.
rough cut - scene 8
This scene is part of a a larger piece and therefore i have used editing techniques to control how the audience are viewing the piece. The class has been moved to a new room because of the cleaners, the teacher and students have worked together to hide the body using tables. The scene opens with a shot panning up from the dead body and everyone else. Quinn is being interrogated, when Mr onions is finished he calls Maisie up. cut to wide shot showing the characters swap places, this is effective because it helps to keep the scene dynamic by showing continuous movement. cut to close ups of the characters to show facial expressions, helping to emphasize each persons reaction to the events. This is an effective choice as it can be used for narrative and character development. cut to over the shoulder shot behind Maisie, emphasizing the fact that she has been caught. she goes quiet, cut to close up of the burn on her hand. the teacher threatens to call the police, cut to close up of Maisie yelling wait, i have chosen to use a close up because it will show the panic that the character is feeling. i separated the sound and image of the clip where she explains why she did it using the razor tool, so i could insert the video image of the flashback with it, allowing the audience to visualize the situation whilst she is explaining, this will help to make the narrative clearer. cut to close up of teacher asking one of the students to call the police. cut to black for suspense. Each time i finished editing, i made sure i rendered the sequence to make sure it flows smoothly.I also regularly saved my work, as premier pro often crashes, therefore none of my work can be lost. Moving forward i will be colour correcting most of my scenes as some appear to yellow or blue which might take the viewers attention away from the action. I will also be developing my flashbacks further, experimenting with a range of effects, these might include - changes in opacity, Black and white or zooming in and out. These effects will help to make my scene more visually interesting, using a combination of these will create variation in my work.
final cut- scene 8
i started by considering colour correction, some of my scenes might appear to yellow or blue. Some examples of this in my work could include the interrogation scene or the scene where Claudia and Maisie are in the bathroom. To correct this, i searched for colour correction in the image control folder and selected the blue colour correction and dragged it onto the interrogation scenes, i chose to use blue for this scene to neutralize the yellow and make the scene seem more realistic. Similarly, i selected the yellow colour correction and dragged it onto the bathroom the scene to make the scene whiter. When i watched the sequence through, the scenes still seemed to dull, i wanted to have distinct differences between the light and ark areas of the composition. To try and correct this, i selected the individual clips and increased the highlights and shadows to create variation. I also adjusted the contrast to make the colours much bolder and darker, i believe this fits with the theme as the different areas of light and dark could reflect the different personalities of the characters, but it could also be used to create suspense and mystery. When i was editing, i noticed that action could be heard at the start of a few of my clips, keeping this in will appear really unprofessional and it will distract the viewer from the action which will be unsatisfactory. i corrected this by zooming in on my timeline until i was able to see the sound in wave forms, this helped me to understand which part of the clip contained the word action, so i could cleanly edit the clip without cutting of any action or the first line. I selected the razor tool and cut the first 0.21 seconds of the clip, using the razor tool enabled me to separate it from the rest of the clip. I selected the clip i had just cut ad pressed backspace to delete it. Then i dragged the cursor over the rest of the action, and moved it all left two create a smooth sequence again. After i had made these amendments, i rendered so the sequence runs smoothly and i had a realistic idea of how the clip looked. When i was happy, i began to consider how i should edit my flashback scenes to effectively emphasize the change in time to the audience, i had initially applied a black and white effect on both scenes by searching for 'Black and white' in the image control tab, i dragged it onto the scenes which are part of a flashback. When i had watched this through,. the scenes seemed dull and flat. I wanted the black and white to stand out and to create a sense of mystery and suspense. In order to correct this, i opened the image control tab and selected the scenes individually. I increased the brightness to make the white areas bright and pure, whilst i decreased the contrast so the dark areas of the composition were really dark in the death scene, this was an effective choice because by manipulating the scenes in this way i was able to create more shadows and a tense atmosphere. I experimeted with using a lighter black and white finish on the flashabck from the day eugene followed maisie home. When i had rendered and watched the sequence through, using a black and white finish on both scenes appeared unimaginative and boring for the viewer. I began to think about other ways i could convey the idea of a flashback to the viewer, i had considered different effects such as transitions, zooms or fading to black/white. I decided to zoom in on Maisie's hand before going into the flashback. I achieved this by searching zoom on the effects panel, i dragged and dropped this feature onto the close up of maises hand, so the flashback smoothly faded into the sequence, zooming in was an effective choice because it reflects the idea of going into Maisie's head and the reason for her actions, making it more personal for the viewer.
Trailer -
Then we moved onto the murder, Eugene is staying the classroom to revise whilst the other students have left. Natalie comes back into the classroom whilst she has her chance, to begin with Joe was shooting a close up of Matt's reaction as the door opens ensuring the killer is hidden. We shot other close ups, like when eugene is being strangled, as his head hits the table and the poision. we did this by shooting from behind, Then we shot as the character walks down the corridor and into the classroom. We chose to do this because we can cut between the shots in editing to build pace and tension. Whilst we were shooting this, the other members of the team exited the classroom to avoid anyone being in shot where they shouldn't be and breaking continuity. Shooting thi from different angles is effective because this should be the height of the action, cutting betwween shots rapidly will help to create pace and tension.
We filmed the murder, Joe stood at the front of the class as walked into the classroom and Matt turns round. when he focuses on his work again, i walk closer to him and strangling him this a wire. We also shot a close up of this, so the audience can see the charter struggling tow breath. Additionally we also shot this from the side so the audience can see the killers hands tensing. Cutting between these in editing will help to develop the narrative and build pace. When we were shooting these scenes we had to be careful with compositions, so the audience canst see who the killer is. when the murder is happening, Matt used his arms to cover my costume. I also had to take my rings off and roll my sleeves up to avoid identification. We also filmed a flashback for the same sequence, this time showing my body and facial features. this was a good choice because it will allow us to decide how we reveal the narrative to the audience in editing.
11th June 2019
The next lesson most of the group had maths exams,this meant that almost half the group were not around at the right time, the remainder of the group filmed Jake and jays scene outside.
13th June
Jake had a hair cut so we had to re shoot some of his scenes. We also re shot the break scene because he had ores instead of a sandwich. we also re shot the reactions to the death, due to continuity errors
14th June
The morning began with MIA being late because of the trains, and Jake was late. I was under the understanding we were going to film the flashback to when Eugene follows Maisie home because nobody else was around, however we traveled to Jake's house. litterly a 5 min walk away from college. He wasn't up...at almost 1 o'clock in the afternoon. He also had a shower whilst we waited outside. i went to meet MIA and bring her to where everyone else was.
We filmed the flashback on the road outside Jake's house, we chose to do this because the road was empty and the road fit the narrative of the scene.
We did a wide shot showing Eugene following Maisie, a close up shot of Maisie doing the deal so we are able to emphasize her actions and a pov shot from Eugene. We will be able to cut between these shots in editing to build pace and tension, using different shots will create a sense of perspective and might be used to influence the viewers thoughts,
We went on to film the bathroom scene, where Maisie asks Claudia to borrow her makeup bag. The boys were funny about this scene. we discussed this for a while, we said using the disabled toilet wouldn't look right but also considered how bad it might look. Finally, Mia and i checked if the toilets were clear and we shot the scene quickly. Joe followed me walking to the toilet and arced round to show Mia walking in and talking to me. When filming this scene, we had to ensure that surfaces were clean and dry to avoid any issues with hygiene or slips and trips which ensured the actors health and safety.
We filmed the interrogation,looking straight down the table, the person being questioned on one side of the table whilst everyone else is on the other which creates a clear barrier for the audience. We also filmed some over the shoulder shots, we chose to do this so we can reveal the characters facial or reaction whilst another character speaks which will further influence how the audience perceive that characters. Whilst we were shooting this, Jake took a sip from his water, this meant we had to re shoot the scenes we had just shot but also make sure he never drinks past a certain point when re shooting if something happened that disrupted the scene, this could be someone messing up a line or laughing because something awkward happens.
Post production - 18/06/19
rough cut - scene 2
I came in early so i could load all the files for pre-production on to my student homework drive. When i had downloaded the available footage i started working through what could be used and made notes of scenes i think should be reshot. Once i had done that i made an EDL which allowed me to visualize what the final scene will look like. I systematically loaded the clips into premier pro, trimming and splitting them as i put them in. I believe this was the logical way of approaching it as i often get myself confused. I have tried to build pace and tension by cutting between what the characters are doing in their break, but this also helps to give the impression that time is passing at a regular pace. The establishing shot is taken from the door way looking into the classroom as the teacher walks out and down the corridor, I have chosen to do this because it gives a sense of direction by showing where the character is going. Cut to wide shot of classroom as everyone except Eugene leaves, making sure i get Alfie taking his book as he is seen in the canteen later copying his work. The camera tracks Claudia as she walks towards the stairs at the end of the corridor, just as she is about to walk through the door match cut to a two shot of Alfie and Quinn as they walk outside through the down stairs door , one goes to the canteen and one goes to tesco. I have chosen too use a match cut here to smoothly transistion between the two locations. Then i cut back to Claudia who is sat on some seats talking on the phone, i feel that this scene might drag a bit, but i have chosen to use it as a narrative device, it helps to establish why the students are in detention and for how long for. I used the slice tool to split the clip about halfway, cut to Alfie walking into the canteen to copy Eugene work. I increased the speed so the audience can understand he is rushing. cutting to Quinn as he walks to Tesco, i cut to a jump cut of him picking up a pack of oreos, then a shot of him walking down the isle. Jump cut to him paying, wide shot as he walks out of tesco. This is an effective choice because it shows the characters journey to the audience. Cut back to claudia talking on the phone, again this is good for narrative development because she explains that she is going to go to the toilets to do her makeup, Maisie walks past. Cut to quinn walking down the road, I used a range of shots and angles to slow the pace down, reflecting the character carelessness and lack of respect for the teacher. Cut to tracking shot of claudia as she walks into the toilets, whip pan to Maisie, this is effective because it will make the audience feel they are looking from the characters position. Maisie asks to borrow her make up bag and slips it in her bag, this is effective because the audience might question why she didnt use it infront of claudia, this gives the impression she might be hiding something. Cut to wide shot of mr onions standing over the body as the students return, close up of maise asking is she should call the police. whip pan to teacher as he begins to freak out, showing the sense of panic on his face. The use of a whip pan will create a sense of urgency. cut to black. when i had finished, i rendered the final sequence so everything flows as it should. This makes my sequences flow better so they are less jarring when they are being played back.
Second cut - scene 2
i began to think about how i could use build pace, so i made the scene where the audience is following quins break, as it began to drag in the first cut which helped to build pace. i also used an extreme close up of Allie copying Eugene homework, i chose to use this shot to help keep the camera dynamic and fluid. i also began to consider transitions and how i could use them to reflect time. i used a fade transition by selecting clip and apply fade transition, to transition between different characters and emphasizing the fat that these events are happening at different times. i also faded to black in the end of the scene, a straight cut is to jumpy, this will allow me to create a smooth transition into the next scene but also creating feelings of suspense as they question, who did it? furthermore, i color corrected almost all of the scenes to make them more realistic. For example, the scene where Claudia meets up with Maisie in the bathroom was too yellow. To correct this i opened the basic corrections tab and corrected the scene with blue to neutralize the scene. I also increased the whites to make the white purer, often seen in public toilets. Finally, i considered how i could use sound to enhance the scene, i downloaded ambient sounds to insert into the clips, helping to make them more realistic and enhancing the environment around the characters. For example, noises from classrooms can be heard when the characters are walking in the corridor and voices and checkout sounds appear in the supermarket scene. In order to fade the sound together, which will help the scene move fluidly, i selected clip and apply audio transition.
Third Cut Scene 2
I started to experiment with different transitions, this time i used different wipes however i felt the end result appeared very amerture and boring.
Final cut -
i have used a variety of transitions so my scenes flow smoothly, i have used dissolves where the action is supposed to be happening at the same time whereas i have used wipes to illustrate that the events are happening at different times.
rough cut - scene 8
This scene is part of a a larger piece and therefore i have used editing techniques to control how the audience are viewing the piece. The class has been moved to a new room because of the cleaners, the teacher and students have worked together to hide the body using tables. The scene opens with a shot panning up from the dead body and everyone else. Quinn is being interrogated, when Mr onions is finished he calls Maisie up. cut to wide shot showing the characters swap places, this is effective because it helps to keep the scene dynamic by showing continuous movement. cut to close ups of the characters to show facial expressions, helping to emphasize each persons reaction to the events. This is an effective choice as it can be used for narrative and character development. cut to over the shoulder shot behind Maisie, emphasizing the fact that she has been caught. she goes quiet, cut to close up of the burn on her hand. the teacher threatens to call the police, cut to close up of Maisie yelling wait, i have chosen to use a close up because it will show the panic that the character is feeling. i separated the sound and image of the clip where she explains why she did it using the razor tool, so i could insert the video image of the flashback with it, allowing the audience to visualize the situation whilst she is explaining, this will help to make the narrative clearer. cut to close up of teacher asking one of the students to call the police. cut to black for suspense. Each time i finished editing, i made sure i rendered the sequence to make sure it flows smoothly.I also regularly saved my work, as premier pro often crashes, therefore none of my work can be lost. Moving forward i will be colour correcting most of my scenes as some appear to yellow or blue which might take the viewers attention away from the action. I will also be developing my flashbacks further, experimenting with a range of effects, these might include - changes in opacity, Black and white or zooming in and out. These effects will help to make my scene more visually interesting, using a combination of these will create variation in my work.
final cut- scene 8
i started by considering colour correction, some of my scenes might appear to yellow or blue. Some examples of this in my work could include the interrogation scene or the scene where Claudia and Maisie are in the bathroom. To correct this, i searched for colour correction in the image control folder and selected the blue colour correction and dragged it onto the interrogation scenes, i chose to use blue for this scene to neutralize the yellow and make the scene seem more realistic. Similarly, i selected the yellow colour correction and dragged it onto the bathroom the scene to make the scene whiter. When i watched the sequence through, the scenes still seemed to dull, i wanted to have distinct differences between the light and ark areas of the composition. To try and correct this, i selected the individual clips and increased the highlights and shadows to create variation. I also adjusted the contrast to make the colours much bolder and darker, i believe this fits with the theme as the different areas of light and dark could reflect the different personalities of the characters, but it could also be used to create suspense and mystery. When i was editing, i noticed that action could be heard at the start of a few of my clips, keeping this in will appear really unprofessional and it will distract the viewer from the action which will be unsatisfactory. i corrected this by zooming in on my timeline until i was able to see the sound in wave forms, this helped me to understand which part of the clip contained the word action, so i could cleanly edit the clip without cutting of any action or the first line. I selected the razor tool and cut the first 0.21 seconds of the clip, using the razor tool enabled me to separate it from the rest of the clip. I selected the clip i had just cut ad pressed backspace to delete it. Then i dragged the cursor over the rest of the action, and moved it all left two create a smooth sequence again. After i had made these amendments, i rendered so the sequence runs smoothly and i had a realistic idea of how the clip looked. When i was happy, i began to consider how i should edit my flashback scenes to effectively emphasize the change in time to the audience, i had initially applied a black and white effect on both scenes by searching for 'Black and white' in the image control tab, i dragged it onto the scenes which are part of a flashback. When i had watched this through,. the scenes seemed dull and flat. I wanted the black and white to stand out and to create a sense of mystery and suspense. In order to correct this, i opened the image control tab and selected the scenes individually. I increased the brightness to make the white areas bright and pure, whilst i decreased the contrast so the dark areas of the composition were really dark in the death scene, this was an effective choice because by manipulating the scenes in this way i was able to create more shadows and a tense atmosphere. I experimeted with using a lighter black and white finish on the flashabck from the day eugene followed maisie home. When i had rendered and watched the sequence through, using a black and white finish on both scenes appeared unimaginative and boring for the viewer. I began to think about other ways i could convey the idea of a flashback to the viewer, i had considered different effects such as transitions, zooms or fading to black/white. I decided to zoom in on Maisie's hand before going into the flashback. I achieved this by searching zoom on the effects panel, i dragged and dropped this feature onto the close up of maises hand, so the flashback smoothly faded into the sequence, zooming in was an effective choice because it reflects the idea of going into Maisie's head and the reason for her actions, making it more personal for the viewer.
Trailer -
I went through the footage and selected which scenes could be used to create the most tension and suspense, my trailer should be roughly 30 seconds long so i would need to find the best moments to sell the story to my target audience. I chose when the scene where the teacher is leaving the classroom, i chose this because it helps to establish and develop a narrative, it could also be used to develop the teachers character as he seems rather fed up with the students. fade to black to create mood and atmosphere. Caption appears asking the audience where they went, this is effective because it will help to involve the audience in the narrative. Cut to wide shot of Eugene alone in the classroom, cut to close up of Eugene as he turns around to see who has walked in. I chose to use this technique this demonstrates the thirty degree rule, by positioning the camera in these positions around the subject, which allows the audience to see the action from more than one perspective, keeping the camera movement dynamic. fade to black with title 'an opportunity was seized, a life was taken', this helps to communicate the narrative to the audience, making them want to watch the full film. Cut to black and white close up as the victim is being strangles, the low angled shot shows a sense of power and authority. cut to shot showing the wire against the victims neck.. I have chosen to do these shots in a black and white
filter to give the scene a moodier tone, helping to present this as an act of
evil. Fade to black, cut to scene as teacher walks in the classroom to find the
dead body. I chose to use this clip because it shows that the teacher could not
be responsible, helping the audience to eliminate he victims. Fade to black,
cut to scenes showing what the audience are doing on their break with ‘titles’
to describe their character, helping to encourage the viewers opinion on the characters. When i was inserting the text, i tried to ensure they were all the same font, helping to make my work smoother. I used different sizes for different captions, this was to help emphasize certain point like the question 'who done it'. cut to scene of the teacher in panic, explaining why they need to find out who the killer is. I also applied a transition so the writing fades with the image. fade to black with caption explaining that they worked together to find out who among them is the killer. Finally, i inserted a backing track to create pace, i chose something that uses low tones and a slow frequency, the pace of the sound fits the trailer because the speed increases when the action reaches climax. In order for this to work effectively, i had to import the sound with the image of the video, unlink them and delete the image. When i had done that, i applied a fade transition so the sound flows seamlessly together. I also had to compress the sound down to fit the length of the trailer, i used the same piece of music in my opening scene so this should be used as a theme song for the series.
Final evaluation -
I have made two scenes a trailer and an opening sequence for a murder mystery series being produced by an independent film maker. I believe i have achieved this, my series will be targeted at teenagers and young adults. However i believe the primary demographic for the series will be teenagers as they might be able to identify with the characters or settings. During this project, i have demonstrated bot continuity and no-continuity editing techniques to create pace and tension. When i was editing the flashbacks, i used transitions and filter to emphasize them as they are kept parts of the narrative. I also used a range of camera movements to create sequences with steady movement. i have also experimented with a range of editing techniques, including audio and image transitions, linking/unlinking sound an image and i have also learnt how to export my film properly, previously i had exported them in to the wrong file type, which give my work more meaning and significance. Additionally, i have imported sound effects which have been used to make my work appear more realistic, which will engage the viewer in the action.
As a group we worked quite well, everyone turned up to filming and did some of the work, however some people were late to film occasionally except Jake who was late every time apart from once.
This became frustrating as it meant we couldn't start as quickly as we would have liked however it caused no major issues. Although getting a narrative we were all happy with seemed to be quite difficult at first, when we had established the narrative we considered everybody ideas reasonably and tried to fit some together.Final evaluation -
I have made two scenes a trailer and an opening sequence for a murder mystery series being produced by an independent film maker. I believe i have achieved this, my series will be targeted at teenagers and young adults. However i believe the primary demographic for the series will be teenagers as they might be able to identify with the characters or settings. During this project, i have demonstrated bot continuity and no-continuity editing techniques to create pace and tension. When i was editing the flashbacks, i used transitions and filter to emphasize them as they are kept parts of the narrative. I also used a range of camera movements to create sequences with steady movement. i have also experimented with a range of editing techniques, including audio and image transitions, linking/unlinking sound an image and i have also learnt how to export my film properly, previously i had exported them in to the wrong file type, which give my work more meaning and significance. Additionally, i have imported sound effects which have been used to make my work appear more realistic, which will engage the viewer in the action.
As a group we worked quite well, everyone turned up to filming and did some of the work, however some people were late to film occasionally except Jake who was late every time apart from once.
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