Evaluation Task 4

HD Camera-
In order to keep our audiences attention we had to use a range of shots, this also allowed for us to create effects such as tension and suspense. The framing was crucial to our film, in particular during the shots at the barn due to the awkward lighting meaning certain angles would clash with our genre. We also did not want irrelevant areas of setting and so focused on the restrictions the barn presented and the isolation of its location in order to create the effect of fear.

 

Blogger-

I have used Blogger in order to compile my research, planning, evaluations and trailer/ancillary tasks in one place. It shows the development of my ideas from early suggestions to the final piece. You can also edit and add ideas in at any point and this flexibility was particularly useful. Due to the fact that there is an app for Blogger, I was able to access it on the move and could continuously add to my blog. This was important in particular due to restrictions on school computers and finding extra time to add to my work. The use of the blog online also combines with my demographic due to the internet being most popular among young users. You also decide what your blog looks like therefore you can manage it in order for it to suit your demographic which has proved particularly effective for me.

Email-

Email helped us to transfer images and parts of our filming in order to create our ancillary tasks. If a quick reply wasn't needed then email was particularly useful due to its accessibility from many locations. Our presentation for our ideas was also transferred between us by email meaning we were able to prepare.

Mobile Phones-

Our phones were the most important method of communication as we needed to get immediate responses often. It helped in particular in order to organise filming sessions with our actors and actresses. We had a group chat with our group and two extra actresses, this chat allowed for us to be prepared for lessons as well as editing and filming. If a member of the group was struggling with a task they were able to contact the group chat and at least one of us would be at hand to help and in order to provide guidance.

 

Adobe Photoshop-

Photoshop was used in order to create our ancillary tasks, as well as a magazine recreation in our research. Due to it providing the opportunity of layering we were able to create realistic magazine covers similar to those you see on the shelves. There are many affects and tools available on Photoshop, such as cutting tools and outer glows. The outer glow was particularly important to me as it allowed for me to blend my characters into the background in order to prevent them from looking misplaced. The glow will also catch the attention of my audience as it draws your eyes to my magazine cover. It prevents the cover from being dull, without Photoshop this would not have been possible. The cutting tool allowed for me to remove unnessacary backgrounds from images therefore allowing for me to make them seamless with the rest of my magazine cover.

Adobe Premier Pro-

We used Final Cut Pro to edit our filmed product last year, however we were forced to move schools ad so had to learn to use a new editing software which had significant drawbacks. This programme was not as good or easy to use as Final Cut Pro however we learnt how to use it effectively. We were able to arrange our clips effectively and cut them to the correct lengths as well as adding titles, transitions and filters to match our genre. In general, we adapted to the programme effectively and created a strong trailer. 

 

Voice Recorder-

We used two voiceovers in our trailer, one of me and one of Adam. It made our trailer more substantial as it added more layers. They were placed in slower areas of our trailer to add interest and information for our audience. I have also used the voice recorder for evaluation 2 as it has allowed for me to speak over the trailer which adds an extra concept to my blog. It was simple to use and possessed more than adequate memory.
 

Memory Stick-

We used a memory stick to transfer our trailer between computers, as well as our ancillary tasks. This was particularly important as it meant all members of our group could access these, as well as allowing teachers access as well.

Websites-

I used the internet mostly for research purposes such as accessing trailers as well as my blog. Man film websites containing trailers, such as YouTube and IMDB are easy to access and navigate. We also used YouTube and other websites to compile music for our trailer.

 

Evaluation Task 3

During this course I have altered all three of my product in line with feedback from others as well as through my own decisions.

We received substantial feedback for our trailer after out group presentation to the class, as well as throughout the process from our teachers. The most telling of the feedback was the fact that our trailer was too slow and needed to be cut more effectively. In order to create the tension we were searching for the trailer had to run at an extremely high pace. We had originally focused on having such a wide range of shots that our trailer had become too long and slow. Therefore we cut many shots entirely as well as trimming up some of the longer shots. Eventually, we were able to significantly increase the pace of the trailer, which was helped through the use of a montage. The other key feedback we received was for us to change the title of our film. The title was originally '18/02', representing the date our film's USP is based on. However, this was not clear enough and we received many comments suggesting that we find an improved title. Eventually we settled on the title of 'D.O.B' as it offered more connotations to our audience as well as making our USP more clear. We had a conversation with a media technician at our school who gave us some effective advice on our intertitles and how we could add some slight movement to them, as well as on some close ups. This draws the audiences attention subconsciously to the intertitle itself. Overall, we did not need too much feedback in order to ensure our film fitted our genre of Horror Thriller as this had been completed in the majority, however it was just minor tweaks that allowed for us to narrow down on our demographic and to ensure we had completed a piece of work of a high quality.

I also received significant feedback on my two ancillary tasks, the magazine cover and the poster. From my original draft of my magazine cover I was told I had too much glow around the images and that they were too small. I had added the glow in order to draw attention to the images however by making the images larger I was able to remove the need for this, drawing attention to them through their size instead. I was also told that it was not clear that the magazine was a special edition of D.O.B, the film I created. In order to ensure this was clear I had to alter the position and size of the text. This in turn made it clear that this film would be a key part of the magazine. The key issue with my first draft however, was that it was too busy in the wrong areas. In order to counter this I removed some unnecessary text and made an image of some stars I had created significantly smaller. This allowed for attention to be focused on the important features of the magazine and would not confuse my demographic. I agreed with this feedback and I believe it significantly helped my improve my final piece, I had become focused on squeezing all the conventions on to my magazine cover through different techniques, however this feedback allowed for me to see that I could do that without congesting the magazine cover.

 I had significantly less feedback for my poster however it was of equal importance due to the minimalistic nature of my poster. I had originally included a third image of a barn on the poster however it was not clear once shown on the full screen. To counter this I made the other two images more central and removed the image of the barn. Adding a effective simple theme to my poster as it allowed for a key focus on Sean's character. However I had also had to dull the glow on Sean I had added previously to draw attention to him as it was to bright, removing all attention from other areas of the poster. By doing this I was able to still draw attention to him however it was more subtle and natural. My tagline itself was also unreadable once on the big screen. In order to fix this I changed my font and increased its size. This, in parallel with the lowering of the glow on Sean made its importance much clearer to my demographic. Finally, it was also pointed out that my billing block was too small and that I needed to make it smaller as it was not needed as a key part of the poster. In order to do this I made the basic text smaller however I kept the actors names in bold. This allowed for the important information to be clear however the unnecessary text was now of a correct size. Through this feedback I was able to create a much more professional looking poster, whereas previously some basic conventions were misplaced.

In conclusion, the audience feedback I received was invaluable. Due to the fact that previously only I had seen my work I had become engrossed in it and I was unable to see an outsiders view. Once other people saw it they were able to make it clear how I could improve my work which then become obvious to me. It was particularly helpful to speak to media experts as they could give direct advice on what worked effectively rather than general advice on what to improve.

Evaluation Task 2

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NF87Wd0zOF0

Evaluation Task 1

 

 

My first frame is the title of our film, D.O.B. This is shown at the end of our trailer. Our title links to our USP of the use of a date to link the characters. This is important as it will further develop the mystery of the trailer. The phrase D.O.B also offers familiarity for our audience due to the fact that everyone has a birthday therefore they will all be able to relate. This will further draw in our demographic as it combines the pleasure of familiarity alongside the mystery presented. Through this juxtaposition our demographic will be encouraged to watch our film. This is a convention of stereotypical psychological thriller such as The Purge, as they have short titles which reveal clues about the film however they do not reveal the whole plot. This further develops the use of the theory of mystery. As our title is revealed from behind a black screen, we have a voiceover of our tagline which is ‘Keep Telling Yourself It’s Only a Date’. This, combined with the fact that the title is revealed from behind a black screen creates fear for our audience as it once again uses the theory of mystery alongside the generic fear of the dark.

My Second frame is a shot of my hand scraping down a glass pane at the abandoned barn. This is shown during our montage in order increase tension. This shot is particularly effective as it adds to the sense of mystery created through the trailer. The audience do not know what is happening the other side of that wall however it offers the connotations of death and danger. It is a dark shot with low key lighting which is conventional of horror thrillers as its taps into the generic fear of the dark, however the light coming through the window offers a beacon of hope as it suggests that escape is possible. This subconsciously keeps the audience engrossed as without hope there is not plot, therefore counter acts the darkness.

The third frame is a mid-shot showing all four main characters. It is close enough for the audience to be able to see the fear on their faces as they realise they are all born on the same day. This fear transfers directly to our audience which is important as a convention for our genre. If the characters were portrayed as happy and excited then they would not create the correct atmosphere for our film and so it is important that the actors had the correct facial expressions. This is linked directly to frame 5 where the characters are seen stood around when Hayley spots the ghost in the background. This is important due to their reactions to spotting the spirit. Only Hayley spots it however her level of fear confuses the other characters further, dragging the demographic into the mystery. Both of these shots are also dull and are based on low key lighting. This, alongside the ghost being a black figure presents the general convention of darkness being used to create fear in horror thriller trailers. Ghostly figures are often shown as dark figures, such as in ‘The Witch’ shadows are often used to represent witches, and the black goat is used to represent Lucifer, the devil.

My fourth frame is a shot of one of my intertitles saying ‘Stranded in the middle of nowhere’. The text itself offers the connotations of danger due to the fact they are stranded in an unknown location. This is stereotypically dangerous as you are unaware of your surroundings and the person attacking you may have more extensive knowledge.  The word ‘stranded’ also suggests danger as if you are stranded you are stuck and unable to get help. This theory is often used in horror thrillers such as Saw, where characters are stranded and trapped within a building set up for them. This scared the audience as they will imagine themselves in this situation, and no one wants to be stranded in unfamiliar territory.

My sixth frame is the institutional information from the end of my trailer. I have included this as, despite it not being directly part of the trailer, it is presented in a stereotypical manner. I have used a dark background, similar to my title screen, to allow myself to further develop my use of the fear of the dark. This links directly to frame 2 through the use of a dark background and light text to offer a beacon of hope. If the entire screen was dark then the audience would feel all four characters were doomed and would most likely die. However, through the use of bright text you receive the connotations that there is still hope. Also, the text is bold and clear to read as it is only shown for a short amount of time. If it was difficult to read the audience would not be able to understand the important information shown to them in this shot. It will also help increase awareness for our film as there are links to our social media sites and website at the bottom of the screen. This will increase hype for our film before it is released.

Frame’s 7 and 8 are from my magazine and film cover and link through my colour scheme. I used the colour red in both titles due to its direct connotations of danger and blood as it fits my genre of horror thriller. This allows for me to create a sense of danger across all three of my media productions linking them all together. The use of red stands out on my black background and draws immediate attention to it. I used a black background in order to have synergy across all thee texts, due to the fact that the title screen in the film and both ancillary tasks all tap into the fear of the dark. By using this fear our demographic will be constantly on edge and will be drawn deeper into the mystery around the characters. If I had varied the colour of the background then my media campaign would become disjointed and would not have the desired effect. Frame 8 also has my tagline on it, which links it to the title screen in the trailer due to the voiceover reading our tagline in this scene. This further develops the synergy and brings the media texts closer together in synchronisation.

My final frame is an establishing shot of the barn in which many of the events take place. This is an important shot as it allows for our audience to get their bearings and become aware of the situation presented to our characters. If we did not introduce them to the location then they would become less involved in the film and would struggle to relate to the characters. The location is shown on a dull day, with it clouded over, as we did not want it to be shown as a positive place to be in. The weather conditions mirror the situation our characters are in, bleak. The barn itself is surrounded by trees which further develop the convention of the characters being stranded and trapped. If the barn was in a large open area then there would be ways of escape however they are in fact trapped. This shot is part of a series of shots of the barn cutting closer and closer. This gives the audience the sensation that they are being dragged into the same situation as the characters, and this is followed by our montage which increases the intensity and engrosses our demographic.

First Day Editing

Editing this film was difficult as we were changing platforms. Previously we have worked on final cut pro therefore the change meant we had to familiarise ourselves with new software. We adapted quickly after a short lesson from a teacher familiar with this software, however there have been several times when we have been slowed down by our lack of experience on this software. With Georgia being the main editor in the group she found this most testing as it was her that took the lead role in the area. Problems we encountered seem relatively simple such as adding zooms, making text move and finding certain transitions. However, now that the film is finished I feel we have all benefited from using this software as we are all now fluent in the use of two types of editing software.

Planning - Sound Effects

We originally planned to have 2 sound effects in order to compliment our trailer as we did not feel the soundtrack alone would be enough. We wanted one when the ghost disappears and one at the end of the trailer to end emphatically. We chose 'crashing metal' as we believed it would have the desired emphatic effect. However, when placed during the trailer on the scene where the spirit disappears it clashed too boldly with the music therefore we were not able to include this. The use of this sound effect at the end of the trailer was effective though. It allows us to cut the music off ending it cleanly with one noise.

Applying Representation Theories to D.O.B

Stereotypes

Our four main characters are all teenager therefore are still seen as young and vulnerable. This is an important part of our trailer as this allows us to create the sense of danger needed around these main characters. The antagonist is a dark, tall figure which is stereotypically intimidating allowing for us to give the inference that the four teenagers are in danger.

Present

Our target audience is aged 15-25 therefore all the characters present fit into this age group. Throughout our trailer the only character shown outside of this age group is the woman who offers help to Hayley. The fact that she is an adult offers reassurance and comfort to the younger generation, however due to the fact that she is female it is not as reassuring as if a male came into play.

Absent

Adult males are absent in our film as this adds to the sense of danger for the younger generation and the audience. Due to the lack of adult males the characters have no one of real reassurance to turn to and therefore their situation and the danger of it is further emphasised.

World Created

Thrillers stereotypically create a world of danger and violence and that is what we aimed for with D.O.B. We aimed to do this through the use of a spirit which would allow for us to tap into our demographics fear of the unknown. This is effective as almost everyone is afraid of the unknown, particularly the younger generation as they are stereotypically not and knowledgeable as the older generations.

What is Valued

Relationships are the key value in our film. This is shown early on through the use of relationships between the characters and their partners are what put them all in the same location. However, the importance of building effective friendships quickly is shown as crucial when they are stranded in the barn and need to work together in order to deal with the situation.

Applying Audience Theories To D.O.B.

Stuart Hall's Readings

The preferred reading of our text is for the viewer to feel the fear that anyone could be targeted for something as simple, and out of their control, as the day they are born. Due to the specific ages of our characters I believe that teenagers aged 16-19 will most likely get the preferred reading due to them being similar ages to the characters.
 The negotiated/oppositional reading would suggest that the spirit just wants to rest and can not do this until it feels it has got even. This will allow for the audience to relate to the antagonist due to his personal loss. Through the negotiated reading the audience would take the antagonist's side and support the fact that he just feels he is doing what is necessary. Adults are most likely to get this negotiated/oppositional reading due to a potentially similar sense of loss.

Uses and Gratifications Theory

Personal relationships can be seen in D.O.B however they vary in how they are shown. Early on they are shown through the fact that each character is invited out for their birthday, offering the inference that they have large friendship circles and live relatively comfortable lives. This then changes drastically when they are throw into the unknown with four strangers. However, these characters quickly form bonds and this is shown most effectively when my character, George, rescues Sean in his car. From this the audience will be able to detect a friendship growing. Personal identity can also be seen in our film as the audience may put themselves in he shoes of one of our main characters. This is also shown in our film as we use some familiar settings such as my house, and the school.

Ideas For Poster

The poster has proved much more difficult to do as I am looking for inspiration from the images I am using and it relies much more on creativity rather than logic. My original plan is to have a background of the hand on the window and I will look to combine this with a shot of the barn as well as perhaps one of the main characters. The most likely to feature at the moment is Sean as I have a shot of him that would fit the poster effectively. My other option is to incorporate a shot of India hanging in the barn but this is currently proving difficult due to the awkward lighting of the image. I want to have a dark focus on my poster however there is a bright window behind India hanging therefore in order to incorporate that image I will have to alter this.

Ideas For Magazine Cover

I have key images I am going to use for my film magazine cover. I am going to use images of three of the four characters, George, Sean and Hayley, in front of the image of the hand against the window. This allows for me to introduce three of the main characters to the public alongside an intimidating image which will make the public fear for the safety of the characters. This will work effectively as it will allow for the public to form a connection with the characters prior to the film coming our. This will counter the fact that the audience may struggle to create emotional attachments to the characters due to them being strangers. Through the use of these images the emotional attachment needed for my film to be successful will be formed.

Planning - Outfits

The four main characters wore stereotypical outfits for the younger generation. They wore brands such as Lacoste and Nike as these are popular with our demographic. For the scenes in the barn we kept the outfits natural, dull colours in order to link with the setting. If the characters had been wearing bright, bold colours then it would have been more difficult to create the eerie, spooky atmosphere we were looking for. Even in the scenes away from the barn we tried to keep the outfits as bland as possible in order to maintain the atmosphere we had created.

The spirit is represented as a black, ghostly figure in the background of two shots. To create the ghostly figure we used a nun fancy dress outfit with the headpiece on backwards. This worked effectively as it was fluid enough to blow in the gentle wind to create a scary, intimidating character. We chose the colour black as it links to our use of the fade to black due to fear of darkness and fear of the unknown.

Planning - Voiceover

After putting together our trailer we decided that we needed a voiceover in order to further draw our demographic into our trailer. Without the voiceover we did not feel as if the soundtrack alone would be enough. We chose our friend Max Smith to do the voiceover as we needed a deep, dramatic voice to set the tone. Having a high pitched voice do the voiceover would not have been effective as it would not have influenced our demographic in the same way. The wording for the voiceover was based on research we did watching the film 'Lucy'. This has shown previous success as Lucy was a box office hit as the trailer attracted many people to go and watch.

Planning - Changes to the Script

Previously I explained that we did not have a script prior to filming however in the end we put together a small script in order to give us a basis to work from. This was crucial in two scenes, firstly in the barn and secondly during our voiceover in which the plot was further explained whilst also being shrouded in mystery at the same time.

Planning - USP

Our USP is that our film is focused on a particular date and that it is bringing together four strangers rather than using four friends which is the stereotypical method. we have focused our film on the date 18/02 as it links the four strangers together, with the ghost. The date links them all together as they were all born on the same day, which happens to be the day that the spirit and his family were killed by a drunk driver who was just 18. This is why the spirit is targeting them now as they are the same age as the individual that killed him and his family. This makes our film unique as many horror films will use a group of friends which offers familiarity. However, we add more emphasis to the dangers faced to our characters by offering them no sense of comfort and familiarity, forcing them to create new bonds in a short time period.

Planning - Change of Title

After making our film and having previously decided to title our film after the date 18/02 that our film is based on, we decided to change the title last minute during editing due to feedback from outside of the group. Selecting the date as our title was too vague and we did not believe it would transfer the correct message to our demographic. Instead are long deliberation we chose to name our film D.O.B as this stands for 'Date Of Birth'. This still emphasises the importance of the date however it now also transfers a stronger, more direct message to our demographic.

First Draft and Response

We showed our class and teachers our first draft and they told us what they liked about our trailer and what we could improve. Our first draft had not yet been completed as the intertitles were not entirely in place and we did not yet have a title scene.

Positive Feedback:

• Fast pace of the montage, adds adrenaline.
• Good storyline to work with, will attract demographic.
• Good variation of camera shots and angles.
• Quick cuts to the barn.

What To Improve:

• Make title evident/change title to be more effective.
• Work on sound with conversation at end of trailer.
• Improve intertitles to help make story more clear.
• Cut down certain scenes to make trailer flow at an even faster pace.

Planning - Production Company

We haven chosen to use the production company that Adam and Georgia used previously for their AS film. This is called 'Pinnacle Productions' which offers the inference that our film is the peak of quality putting us above our rivals. The image for the production company shows two mountains which have the connotations of power and dominance. From this we want our demographic to see that we produce high quality and are head and shoulders above our competitors.

Planning - Props

We used a minimal amount of props in our trailer, however there were a few key props that should be mentioned.

• Car - We used a car scene in our to transfer the connotations of a chase and to also allowed for us to show the viewer that the characters were in danger and had to escape. The car scene worked effectively in the montage as it was fast paced and fit the horror thriller genre.
• Candles - Originally at the end of the trailer we had candles in the shape off the date the movie is focused on, 18/02, being blown out in order to create fear and to create a representation of the four characters hope being 'blown out'. We eventually cut this due to changing the title of our film.
• Rope - The rope we used to tie a pretend noose for India's character was provided by Adam. This rope was important as this shot on India's character is key for our film due to the genuine connotations of danger and death that it provides. Without these shot we would have struggled to show our demographic the true danger our main characters were in.

Planning - Sountrack

Finding soundtracks to fit our trailer difficult as we needed sound to match the fact that our trailer builds up slowly to a dramatic crescendo and then fades again. It had to begin slow and eerie and then become more emphatic. Our first track is slow and has a low tone. This allows for us to build the eerie atmosphere needed for the first half of our trailer, this draws our demographic in and allows for us to then switch to our second soundtrack. Our second track also has a slow tone however it is at the fact pace that we needed. This firmly emphasises the danger the four characters are in and gives us the general conventions of a horror trailer particularly for our montage. We had to fade it our manually at the end as we needed to fade into our final conversation whereas this soundtrack continued to build.

Planning - Editing

In order to complete our media piece to the highest quality we need to decide how we are going to use many editing techniques to transfer the general conventions of a horror thriller onto our film.

-Fade to black: This is a key feature of our thriller trailer, as well as being key in many popular film trailers such as 'Leave To Remain'. Due to the fact it cuts to darkness in allows for a stereotypical fears of the unknown and darkness to take hold of the view. We use this several times such as in our montage and most effectively in our quick cuts to a close up of the barn.

-Sequencing: We are using a basic sequence of a beginning, a middle and an end. We believe this will be the most effective way for us to get a preferred reading from our demographic. We have made this evident as our trailer begins at a slow place introducing the characters, which is then switched to a fast paced montage, which then cuts off back to a slow placed dialogue at the end. Our music choices link in with the sequencing  as they build up throughout to increase the tension, with the music fading at the end to emphasise the importance of the last discussion.

-Zoom: During our close up on Hayley with have placed key frames in order to create a slight zoom on her face. It is extremely subtle but it is a popular technique as it draws the viewers attention directly to this character with being to drastic. Subconsciously the viewer will become focused on what the character is saying.

-Synchronous Sound: During the short scene based around the car we have had raise the volume of the car as the increased volume will allow for increased adrenaline which is crucial in an action scene such as this. During our research we saw a similar technique in 1408 when they increased the volume of gushing water.

-Fast Paced Editing: 1408 has played a key part in our research and planning as we are looking to edit our trailer in a similar way. We are looking to increase the pace of our trailer therefore we will cut each clip as thin as we can and particularly in our montage, we have aimed to get in as many shots as we can in a short amount of time. This will engage our audience and works effectively with our soundtrack as we have matched the cuts with the cutting of the music.

Planning - Group Roles

In order to allow us to be most efficient we decided to allocate group roles. We were aware that we would all have to contribute in each area if we were unavailable or if we felt we had something crucial to add however in order for time management purposes we allocated roles. The roles we allocated are listed below.

Joe (me) - Mise-en-scene co ordinator/actor
Adam - Cameraman/Director
Georgia - Editor/storyboard management
Sean - Actor/make-up artist

Planning - Intertitles

We used several intertitles to fill out our trailer and to make our story evident. Our first intertitle is 'stranded in the middle of nowhere'. This builds suspense from the beginning and is often used in successful film trailers. The wording itself gives the characters a sense of vulnerability and offers the inference that they are in immediate danger. Due to ours being under a minute and being a teaser trailer it was crucial we set these factors in place from the outset.

Our second intertitle is more basic and is a generic intertitle stating that our film is 'from the producers of Karma and Rose'. Members of our group played a part in creating these two films and it has shown to be successful in previous film trailers, such as Annabelle.

Our third and fourth intertitles are linked but are placed before and after our montage. The first one is 'in the fight for survival' and it is followed by 'they must fight back'. The first intertitle begins to build adrenaline for the montage and the second one acts as a conclusion to the montage allowing for us to bring the speed back down to end our trailer on an eerie conversation about the haunting. We ensured these intertitles were short, as see in 1408, as we did not want to risk our demographic losing interest.

First Day Filming

ay we started our filming the first shots in our shot list as these were shots that were within the school grounds which meant that we could film these within our free periods opposed to many of our other shots which require us to travel to locations we have found. Creating the shot list really helped as it gave us a guide of what to do step by step so that no time was wasted, therefore i believe that it was a productive day.

We started by heading to the position to take our first shot of me. The shot was a bird eyes view of me walking along a path, this was to establish the scene but also make him look small and vulnerable as  is a victim in our film. However we planned on taking the shot from on top of the roof of our sixth form building yet once we got up there we found that the door had been bolted shut. Because of this we had to comprimise whilst still getting the same connotations from the shot. To avoid losing this we tried filming from a window from the top floor and we were able to capture the same shot from this different position. The rest of the filming involved ground level shots and it went well with little errors. Therefore overall we were pleased with are first days filming, we managed to get alot done.

Planning - Risk Assessment

There are two key scenes in which a risk assessment was crucial due to the risks involved, and these were the scenes in which India was shown to be hung and where James jumps in front of George's car.
For the hanging scene we ensured that the rope was not tied in a proper noose around India's neck and that it was in fact loose despite being made to look tight. This is important as if the noose had been tied correctly then India would have been placed in extreme danger in this scene. To further ensure her safety the rope was only dangled over a metal bar above her in order to create the hanging illusion with the other part of the rope edited out. This meant that in worst case scenario the rope would fall off of the pole, not tightening and would fall off of India's neck loosely therefore removing any danger.
For the car scene we only travelled at a low speed in order to prevent Sean (James) from being in any danger when he steps in front of George's (Joe's) moving car. We edited this effectively in a fast paced collage to make the scene look more intense and high speed however in order to maintain high safety levels the speed was kept to a minimum. If we had filmed it at a higher speed we may have misjudged the stopping distance and Sean may have become seriously injured. Removing the speed from the situation removed any threat to Sean's wellbeing.

Planning - Demographic

Our demographic is young adults and teenagers between the ages of 15 and 25. We have chosen these as our target audience as other similar movies have shown to be received well by this age group, such as 1408. We believe that they will get our preferred reading of the film, which is for them to be drawn into the mystery and to be able to relate to the characters. The four main characters are all aged within this age range and are split between males and females. This means that through the ages alone our demographic will feel directly linked to these characters.
People that are only marginally older than our selected demographic may get a negotiated reading as they may relate to some of the concepts in the film and may still feel young enough to directly relate to the 18 year olds however they have become separated and have 'grown up' therefore they will not be able to get the preferred reading of this media text.
Adults who are substantially older than our demographic will get an oppositional reading as they will not be able to relate to any of the issues presents as they are from an entirely different generation. They will not entirely understand the use of technology and will therefore be cut off from the key concepts of the film. Children under the age of our demographic will not be able to watch our film due to the 15 rating however if they were able to find a way, as past cases have proven is possible due to evolving technology, they would get a negotiated reading as they would relate to the technology side as children are now growing up surrounded by this from a young age therefore learn at a high speed. However, many of the concepts would prove too mature for them and therefore they would be unable to receive our preferred reading.

Planning - Communication

We chose that the males in our group would act however we needed to draft in two females to play the fame characters. We originally approached in person for Shauna and India and the response was good. We decided that the most effective method of talking as a group was an iMessage group chat. This was possible as we all have iPhones and it kept all of our information in one place. However, once in the group chat Shauna became less keen so we replaced her with Hayley who was more keen and proved to be a good decision. We then proceeded to use a different group chat which was particularly effective on the day which we were filming at the barn as it allowed for us all to get to the desired location at the correct time. It was also effective when someone was not able to be there for certain shots at they could still have an input despite not being present.

Planning - Production Schedule

1st - 14th December - Planning and storyboarding
14th - 18th December - School scenes filmed
28th December - Scenes at barn filmed
4th - 8th January - Low quality take re filmed, extra shots filmed.
11th - 29th January - Editing

Planning - Scripts

We did not draft scripts as we have kept dialogue to a minimum in our trailer in order to increase the mystery. We have two key scenes which involve talking, one fast paced conversation at the barn and one between James and George at the car. We chose to improvise on the day of filming as we only needed short lines and believed these would be more effective if they were genuine responses to the questions. Due to the nature of our film it was important that we were able to transfer the characters emotions of worry and fear across to the audience and this was able to be done more effectively with improvised lines.

Planning - Characters

We have 5 main characters in our films, these are the four strangers who are thrown together and the spirit who brings them together. I will introduce each of them below.

George - Male character who is 18 years old, invited on camping trip with his girlfriend for his birthday at this barn location. He is introduced in his living room at home as he receives this message from his girlfriend. This scene stands out from the other introductions as you see the ghost in the background which offers the inference that he may be targeted first. I was cast as George.



Sean - Another male character who is 18 years old. His friend messaged him and also told him to meet there for a camping trip for his birthday. He is introduced walking through the school car park alone, which shows that he may become isolated at some point. Sean was cast as Sean.



Hayley - Female character who s 18 years old. She received a text from her boyfriend, which is shown in the trailer, asking her to meet at this location for a birthday surprise. She is introduced in the school library where she is looking at books. This is important as it offers the inference that she is intelligent and may be the character whom is able to resolve the later dilemma. Hayley was cast as herself.



India - She is also a female character who is 18 years old. She is invited to this location by her friends for her birthday, similarly to James. She is introduced sat alone in school indicating that she to may be at high risk, as shown further into the trailer as she is killed off at the barn. India was cast as herself.



The Spirit - The spirit is haunting these four teenager as they were born on the day that he and his family were killed, the 18th February. The spirit is shown rarely and when shown is just a black figure in the background. This is effective as it further shrouds this character in mystery for the audience. Adam was cast as the spirit.

Planning - Settings

We have two prime settings for our trailers, with two other settings which are shown briefly. Our main setting is an abandoned barn in which the four strangers are brought together by a mysterious text from people they thought they could trust. The majority of our trailer is based here as it creates confusion and increases tension due to being a location that the audience can not relate to. This is effective for our trailer as it allows for us to confuse our demographic in order for us to create the effect of mystery.

We have countered this by using a familiar location in the school. This offers the audience comfort as they will be able to relate with the characters as they have been in similar situations themselves. This will give them more of an audience pleasure as if we based the entire film at the barn they would feel separate from the film and it would not have the desired effect.

Our two other locations are my house, and an empty street in which a car scene is filmed. The house is used for the same reason as the school in order to create a relationship between the audience and the characters, and the street is used for the same reason as the barn in order to create mystery.