The Next Stage

We have now completed the pre-production stage. Next, we will be looking at beginning production. However, we need to ensure that the actors featured in our horror opening are available, as well as those involved behind the camera.

Preparation: Practice with the Cameras

Yesterday we finally got a memory card and we decided it was time to have a test run with the camera.

We used Oliver as our model and had a play with the manual brightness and focus. We've had a good look at the different features and we used this poster to guide us:

We tried to get a little bit of footage (which will be on the next post) to see if we were naturally skilled with the camera. We found our feet eventually and the following footage wasn't too bad.

 

 

There was a slight problem with light because the classrooms were rather bright but as we will be filming in the dark and looking for light, we aren't too worried about it.

 

Now we have become more accquanited with the camera we will be using, we are more confident that production will run smoothly as we now know how to use the camera and are aware of its basic properties.

Getting Ready for Production

All of the pre-production planning has been completed. Me and my group met and decided what we would do next in order to be fully prepared for the production process.

We are going to practise filming with the camera we will use for shooting. We will take pictures of us using the camera, and also create a short piece of film demonstrating our knowledge and competence with the camera.

In addition, we have decided to shoot some of the shots from the shot list in order to gain experience and practice for the real thing. However, we will also shoot shame shots from different angles and movements that have not been planned in case we decide against the shots in the shot list. It will also give us more options when it comes to the post production process, especially the editing.

Planning: Shot List

Shot Number	Shot Type	Actor	Description
1		N/A	Opening titles, “production by CLING FILM.” White colour, scratchy font.
2	XCU	N/A	An extreme close up of a chain, moving slightly back and forth.
3	LA - CU	N/A	Seat of a swing swaying slowly back and forth- gives clarification of the setting and tone.
4	LS/ES	A figure (John can be seen in the background of the shot)	Shows a pair of swings, swinging out of sync with each other. The swinging is slow and eerie.
5	LS	John – male walker	Tracking shot of a male walking across a bridge, looking glum.
6	MS	John	Mid shot of the same male, still walking across the bridge.
7	MS	John	Mid shot of the male walking across the bridge, the camera is however facing his front this time. He turns into a dip on the bridge.
8	LA – MS	John	The male steps into the dip on the bridge.
9	HA – XCU	John	He places his hands on either side of the dip of the bridge to rest.
10	CU	John	Male looks out over the river below him. When he breathes, his breath can be seen.
11	MS	John	The male places his elbows down onto the stone and slouches over.
12	CU	John	Another close up of him inhaling and exhaling slowly. He is relaxed. Once again his breath is visible. He digs in his pocket.
13	OTS	John	He produces his phone from the pocket and stares at it. He taps the screen.
14	XLS	John (seen in background)	An unknown person is standing behind the tree, watching the man on the bridge. They look out from behind the tree, and then retreat.
15	CU	John	He taps the phone, and he has no signal.
16	CU	John	The man looks angry and frustrated, his breathing becomes slightly heavier. He throws the phone off the bridge, eliminating his only mean of communication.
17	CU	N/A	The phone is in the river, sunk at the bottom.
18	CU	John Dialogue: "Who's there?"	The man is still annoyed but looks a little less frustrated. He hears a splash from the river down below. A look of terror spreads across his face.
19	XCU	John	He has begun heavy breathing. His breath can be seen in the air.
20	CU	John	He looks terrified, but still exits the dip in the bridge where he has been residing.
21	LS	John	He has walked down the slope to the river and is entering the water. He walks down to the arch and peers under it.
22	LS	John Agne (mysterious figure in background)	He is peering under the arch. A mysterious figure can be seen in the background.
23	MS	John	He wades backwards, more at ease, but still wary.
24	CU	John Agne (hands)	A pair of hands emerges with rope in their hands. The rope is thrown around the man’s neck.
25	XCU	John Agne	The hands tighten their grip on the rope.
26	XCU	John	The man’s eyes search around his surroundings, and then fix on the camera.
27			Screen fades to black and the film’s title ‘MAISIE’ appears. White colour and scratchy font.

Creating a shot list was beneficial as it gave me and my group a brief overview of the camera shots, angles and movements we intended to use in the opening two minutes of our horror film. We were able to break down each individual shot which will be used in the opening and look at them in more detail. 

I also included a brief description of the shots and what actors would feature in each part of the opening. As we only have one line of dialogue, I added that into the 'Actors' column. We decided to include only one line of speech as for most of the opening, it only involves one character. In addition, we do not have the equipment, e.g. a boom in order to record distinct dialogue.