Task 19 Sound Planning

This soundtrack will be perfect for scenes of the sequence which involve someone being followed. It has a very ambient feel to it which will compliment the scene; it would also let the audience know that something isn't quite right. This soundtrack is copyright free therefore it shouldn't cause any problems using it in our sequence. This music was provided by Bensound.

When browsing the sound website we came across this soundtrack, which we think suits the scene well after the protagonist picks up the fallen note on the floor, then suddenly realises what happens next. This is when his 'instinct' kicks in as he gets prepared for what he must do. The loud drums and short periods of silence in-between them provide a satisfying sound which compliments the ongoings on screen.

Other sounds - We are thinking of including general background sounds which may add to the ambience that we are eager to portray in our sequence. An example of this is crickets chirping at the beginning where there is equilibrium - this, along with the darkness, gives the audience the impression that it is set quite late at night. 

**UPDATE**
We decided to change the soundtrack instinct for another one called Stalker.

Learning Comments

Sound in our sequence is very important as it adds so much to the atmosphere and the overall feel of the movie, for example it immerses the audience into feeling as if they are actually there in the film itself. Sounds are key to letting the audience know that something is about to happen, for example in our sequence the protagonist is being followed, and as the person approaches him faster the music picks up both pace and volume. Lastly it was important for us to use copyright-free music in our film, as if we did we'd be potentially be putting ourselves into trouble (e.g. a copyright strike).

Task 16 Character Profiles

Learning Comments

When building my character profiles I realised how vitally important it is to provide lots of information about the character(s) in the narrative. It is much easier to create a narrative if you know the characters you are using inside and out, as it provides an opportunity for many more unique and original events. By adding lots of detail it makes the character much more interesting and provides a new level of personalisation, rather than a generic teenager for example. A character with a specified and unique background is much more appealing to the audience as they will want something new from each and every movie, rather than an unoriginal & generic person.The more the audience knows about the character, the more engaged in the film they will most likely be.

Task 15 Final Storyboard and Shot List

This is the storyboard that we created for our movie opening sequence. On the piece of paper there are 18 boxes each side that equate to 36 overall. However after filling in several boxes, we realised that we didn't include spaces for the producers, distributors and film certification codes at the beginning. 

When creating the storyboard we tried as hard as we could to make each and every shot unique, however we found out that this wasn't essential because after watching several film openings amidst the process of creating it was apparent that film makers often re-use the same camera angle/shot, so we replicated this instead.

After adding the finishing touches on the storyboard we then produced a shot list for each individual frame. This time we remembered to include the producers and distributors as shots on the list. Within the shot list we added multiple categories such as:

• Shot number
• Shot type/Camera angle
• Location of shot
• Minor description of shot

We also added an extra spare column at the end of these in case we thought of something to add whilst we were writing, which would save us having to create another template. Initially we were going to add a 'shot duration' column, however we didn't add it in the end because we though that we would probably adapt or change this during filming if we werent too pleased.

Learning Comment

From doing this task I have learned that draft storyboards shouldn't be too neat as they are not final (however in this case it was our final in the end). This was a mistake I made as I spent too much time doing some of the drawings on the sheet rather than thinking of any ideas for the upcoming shots. As a result of this our time to think about possible shots was shortened, which could harm the authenticity and quality of our film. On shot lists too  there must be room for improvement, so everything initially must be written in pencil before pen.

Task 12 Thinking of a Concept

This is our final mind-map that we produced for our opening film sequence. Although we had several different ideas prior to this, we decided to not write them down unless we came up with a solid idea we both agreed on. Within our mindmap we included several categories that would construct our sequence, these included:

• Narrative
• Location(s)
• Props
• Characters
• Shot Ideas/Possibilities

Another small category we included was the title. We both wanted the title to reflect heavily on the film's narrative, so we came up with several ideas each in our pair. One title I really liked was called 'Yesterday's Tomorrow' because the film revolves around a teenage boy's premonitions, whilst sounding quite vague at the same time. Together however we ultimately decided on 'Stalker' because it sounds simple, yet is very effective as it is easily linked with the narrative.

Learning Comments

When creating our mind-map we realised how important verbal communication is with your partner(s) as you must share ideas with each other, before finally deciding together what you will choose. If one member has a great idea in their head but decide not to share it then the idea is wasted, which could potentially lead to a better film sequence. I also learned that initial ideas should be written down somewhere on a different, possibly scrap, piece of paper so that they can be revisited if they are wanted/needed.

Draft Script Task 14

Audience Profile Task 13

The target age for our audience will be 16+, this is because it is a thriller which may include slightly violent scenes which would not be suitable for younger viewers. This sequence will feature a teen as the star which would also make this age group feel more relatable to the character in the film.

Audience Theories 

The Uses and Gratifications Model:

This is a theory where the audience are active when viewing a text, film, or T.V program.
The audience usually use the media for their own entertainment

Because the audience is in control of what they view, for e.g the genre of the movie, they are able to use it as a range of different emotional stimuli like relaxation, emotional satisfaction or help with issues of social identity

Reception Theory:

This theory considers how texts include with deeper moral meanings, and how they are understood by the audience. Audiences will either understand the deeper meaning/message, or on the other hand they will misunderstand or reject the idea. The audiences view is described as either:
Dominant - this is where an audience understands the meaning and generally agrees with it
Negotiated - this is where an audience neither agrees, nor disagrees with meaning, or holds no interest
Oppositional - this is where an audience understands the meaning, but rejects it, maybe because of cultural, political or ideological views they hold.

Location

The two main locations we will be shooting are the street(near a local shop) and inside a house. This is where the first half of our sequence is set. This sets the dark tone of our movie as the time of day is set  in the evening. The second part of our sequence is set in the character's house. This sets the coming of age genre as it shows the teenager doing things you associate with ordinary people.

Risk Assesment

Weather

We have decided to shoot our practice filming on Saturday the 19th of November as during this day the weather would be at its best. This day is perfect as we will be free all day to film so if there are any mistakes made there will be time to reshoot. Another thing we took into account was the visibility. Our filming will include longshots, and that day visibility looks like it will be good. Is visibility was poor.

Sound

Another thing which can effect the filming is the sound. The wind is a major factor and can make it hard to film because it can't be controlled. We can fix this by recording our sound separately from the filming in order to minimise any problems. This will ensure our sound is good quality. The problem with this is it increases the risk of a flaw in continuity.

Filming

A problem that can effect our filming is the lighting. Because this is a little to no budget project the lighting may become a problem as we will film some scenes at night. We have tried to fix this by filming in an area that has street lights. this will make it much easier to see; although in area where the light isn't shining it may be too dark to see, luckily this will add to the horror theme of our movie.

Creative Task 5: Create a continuity sequence of at least 20 different shots