Filming/Editing Diary 1

01/12/15

Today, I went along to the location and did some test shots of our opening sequence. This way any problems that may occur during the actual shoot can be sorted out beforehand. It also gave us a chance to see what worked on camera and what didn’t. I believe that this will really benefit us when we come to filming next time.

I arrived early, which allowed me time to get ready and make sure everything was okay with the location. This meant that any problems or issues could be sorted out before the actors arrived. This was good as it meant that the rest of the shoot could run smoother than it would have if there had been any major issues with the location.

I started off by taking some still shots of the location and seeing how the lighting affected each shot. I chose to use a tripod for these shots, as they would be still in the frame, keeping to the storyboard. This was important to make sure that we got the correct framing and lighting for the shots. These shots were also very important, as they are the first images that will be seen in the opening sequence, setting the mood and style for the rest of the opening sequence.

Then the actors arrived. I with the actors, who had been given their scripts in advance. This meant that they were familiar their character and with what was going on in the opening sequence. We then had a run through of what was going to be filmed, the actors saying their lines and trying out some directions. This let me know if they worked on camera or if there were alternative shots that we could use to capture this. It once again helped to show the lighting and framing of each shot. It also gave the actors a chance to ask any question that they needed to know about their characters or any issues they had.

After we had tried out a few different shots, we started to record them. This way we could look back at the footage and see what worked. It gave us a chance to adjust the lighting and camera angle. I made sure that we shot each scene from a variety of angles, so that we could see a bigger picture and how each angle portrayed characters in a different way.

I started off by filming all the scenes with Kyle and Luna’s mum in first. This way we would have actors wasting time not doing anything. This also meant that we could be more productive as a team. This included the shots outside. I found that using a tripod to shoot them was also difficult, as it didn’t allow me to reach the places that I wanted to. This meant that I tried some of the shots without the tripod just so that I could have better positioning. However this did compromise the quality of the shots. Whilst filming outside I decided to try out an extra shot just to see what it would look like. This actually worked rather well as it fitted nicely with the narrative and other shots. However when we have a second shoot we will try it again.

Next I filmed all the shots with Luna in them. As I did with all the other shots that had previously been filmed, I used a range of different angles for each shot. I also tried out different techniques such as panning and tracking shots. This would make it more interesting for the audience.

Throughout filming I made sure that I remembered to look at the storyboard. This way I would be able to keep track of the shots which I had filmed and what I had not. It also gave me a chance to look over them and see if they needed adjusting or changing.

Overall today was fairly successful. I think that I gathered a wide range of shots to look over, allowing us to have a better view on what worked and what did not. The actors we also very professional and had a good understanding of their characters, making it easier for us to film. It was also good because I had not used this particular camera before, other than a few test shots when I was first given it. It gave me a chance to experiment and get used to the camera. This way when we come to other shoots I will have a better understanding of the equipment we are using, giving us a better quality overall. Even though not everything went perfectly, we still managed to get what was needed.

After the shoot I put together a ruff cut of the trial shoot and showed it to a focus group along with the storyboards. I didn't do very much to edit it, as I wanted to keep some raw footage and just to have an idea about what a few different shots if the same thing would look like.

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Here were their thoughts:

Focus Group Questions and Responses - First Edit and Story Board from leannepratt

Sound

Sound:

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Acoustic

Acoustic Breeze

http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/acoustic-breeze

We liked this piece of music as it was calm and stripped-back, meaning that it could be related to the protagonist’s gentle nature and naivety. Furthermore, we felt that this piece of music would be popular with our target audience, as acoustic-style music is incredibly popular with the majority of teens aged 13-17. This means that the opening sequence would be better suited to the audiences tastes and interests, thus making it more favorable.

Small Guitar

http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/small-guitar

Similar to 'Acoustic Breeze', we felt that this piece of music would suit our sequence well as it is gentle and light-hearted. However, this piece has a faster tempo, which creates a fun and cheerful atmosphere. As the genre of our film is 'comedy', we feel that adding it to our opening sequence would indicate this to our audience and would further the impression that it has a comic nature.

Happy Go Lucky

http://www.mediamusicnow.co.uk/royalty-free-music/acoustic/happy-go-lucky.aspx

This track is also good for our opening sequence as it is up beat and happy. This suits the protagonists characteristics and how we want her to come across. However we don't feel like it would work for the entire opening as is it is too bouncy and positive, where as she is meant to be relaxed, to be used all the way through and it also costs money.

City Of Happy Ones

http://www.mediamusicnow.co.uk/royalty-free-music/acoustic/city-of-happy-ones/city-of-happy-ones-underscore.aspx

This track is suitable for our opening sequence as its, once again relaxed and chilled out. It is easy going and has a calming effect for the audience. Although this tract would work it costs money and seems slightly on the sad and repetitive side.

Its Been A While

http://www.mediamusicnow.co.uk/royalty-free-music/acoustic/its-been-a-while/its-been-a-while-underscore.aspx

We really like this tracks we feel that it would really fit the genre.  It is relaxed, mellow and care free, which appeals to us. We also feel that it suits the narrative as she is doing homework in her room, not doing very much. It is also quite stripped back and suits the personality of the main protagonist. The only problem with this track is that it would cost money.

Rock

Beyond The Line

http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/beyond-the-line

We felt that this piece of music would suit our opening sequence well as it had a stripped-back acoustic sound at the beginning, which could reveal our protagonist's personality, and had a fast tempo, which would indicate the comedic genre. However, we felt that this piece of music would be less favorable with our target audience, and could even cause them to dislike our sequence.

Rock

http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/happy-rock

Although this piece of music has a fast tempo and would show the fun and comedic side of the narrative, we felt that it created a large contrast between the style of music and the protagonist's calm personality. Additionally, this song reminded us of the opening sequence from 'The Inbetweeners'. As the TV series has a strong sense of boyish humor, we felt that using a piece of music similar to that would give our audience the wrong idea about our film's narrative.

Funky/Groove

Moose

http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/moose

We thought that this piece would be different for the opening sequence, as it has a more up beat and slightly alternative. This would help to set the idea that the protagonist is maybe not as good as she seems. However we thought that this song was too manly and boyish for the opening sequence. 

Audience Profile

AUDIENCE PROFILE: LEARNING COMMENT:

Character Profiles

Luna Character Profile

Kyle - Character Profile

Kyle - Character Profile

Julie - Character Profile

LUNA:

 

KYLE:



JULIE:
 

Draft Script

Luna - First Draft

Final Script

Luna - Final Draft

Storyboarding and Shot Lists

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Idea

FINAL IDEA:

Thinking of a Concept

At first Jaimie and I decided to start off by making a brainstorm of our ideas. This way we were able to see which angle we were both coming frame and how we could incorporate our ideas together.

We first looked at the genre of the film. Jaimie wanted to make the film really dramatic and "artsy", however I was thinking that as most coming of age films have comedic elements in them that we should try and incorporate that into the opening sequence. This is because it allows the young audience to understand serious issues in a funny and entertaining way.

We then looked at the age certification of the film. As we wanted to attract a wider range of audience member we decided to certify the film as a 12. This way it will attract more people into watching the film s there is a wider age gap. It also meant that we would be able to try and incorporate comedy in more innocent way.

Next we started to look into characters, as then we could start to develop the rest of the ideas. We didn't want to have too many characters all at once. This is because we wanted to let the audience have a bigger insight into the life of the main character. We decided to introduce the main protagonist, who is a 17/18-year-old girl, who has just been accepted in to university. We decided that she should have a dual personality to set part of the narrative for the opening. We then thought we could introduce the mother of the main protagonist. This way it would show how the character acts at home. The last character we decided to introduce is the boyfriend. We thought that this would be a good idea as we could show the other side to the protagonist’s life. We don’t want to introduce him in a big way because then he could remain mysterious and keep the audience interested in what is to come. We also thought about introducing a couple of other characters, such as the best friend. However we wouldn’t have enough time to do this successfully or in the way we would like.

The narrative will be based on the personality and life of the main protagonist. As we said, we think that the main protagonist, who is a 17/18-year-old girl, who has just been accepted in to university, should have a dual personality. The other side to her should not be dark or alternative, but adventurous and curious so that it can lead her to make a decision. This could be about her life after school, and possibly how her boyfriend could be destructive and lead her to drop out of university even though she wants to go.

We thought about filming inside the main protagonist’s house for the opening sequence, specifically her bedroom. This is because a person’s room can reveal a lot about their personality. We want the room to replicate the character in a way so that she is organised but in a slightly chaotic way. They will live in a suburban house in a small town with a normal neighbourhood, which reflects the characters lifestyle. The room should be spacious, as a practical issue because then we will have lots of room to film from different camera angles. However as we are thinking of filming indoors we will try and use natural lighting, so to avoid the yellow glow that often comes with unnatural lighting.

As we have decided that the main protagonist will live in normal neighbourhood, in a normal family, we are going to say that the fashion will be pretty casual. This is because she is at home and not out partying. However we think that it should still be smart to show her class. We thought about how the boyfriend could wear typical brand for his peer group and for the time, such as Nike and other sports brands. The Mum should wear comfy clothing that is typically worn by Mums at the time, for example a fleece and jeans.

The audience for the opening sequence will be predominantly teenage girls, due to the age certificate, genre and narrative. They will be between the ages of 13 and 17.

We also started to think about the typography for the opening sequence. This is because it links in with the narrative and genre. The colour should be white to highlight the innocence and naivety of the main character.

Representation in the film will be mainly on teens and possibly teachers and family members, however we can’t show all this in the opening sequence. In this case it will focus on teen who are in a confusing stressful time and help them focus on issues that may arise.

 We think that an independent film distributor will be the most likely to work for this film. We were thinking of Film4 or Mr Mudd.