Overall I think that our film opening was successful in meeting the generic conventions of a slasher horror and including a variety of camera angles, shots and editing skills.
What went well?
I think that our group had very good teamwork and communication skills as we all worked well together and shared the workload equally, remembering to bring our required props and equipment to the filming day and each taking turns to film shots. Our film opening included a wide variety of camera angles and shots which made it look more professional and successful. It also conformed to the genre we originally set out to make because of the isolated location, vulnerable female victim, and the use of a dagger and gore. We worked hard on achieving a more successful second film opening as the first was not good or long enough, this meant we worked on our improvements and made the second attempt much better. For example, we had a lot of footage to use and edit, a variety of camera angles and editing skills, and improved acting skills.
I also think that the production companies was a success and looks professional within our film opening. Furthermore, the title 'The Woods' was successful as it was made effectively on photoshop. It also appears at the end of our opening with a loud 'boom' sound to make it more effective.
What could be improved?
Obviously the first the attempt did not go well at all because there was not enough footage which meant it did not reach the time requirements, did not include enough shots or angles, and was not a high enough quality of filming. This therefore led to inconveniences as we had to go out and re-film the whole thing again,
Another area of our final film opening that could be improved is the editing of it. I think that we could have made the titles more effective by adding transitions and effects on them so that they bring more to the film. I also think that we should have added in a more dramatic soundtrack towards the end of the opening where the chase scene begins, in order to build suspension and create a more tense atmosphere.
Thursday, 25 February 2016
Feedback
These are some examples of the sheets which our peers gave us feedback on after watching our film opening.
Sound Editing - Improvements
The sound on our film opening was one aspect which needed a lot of improvement. It was too quiet in certain areas which really needed more dramatic music, and certain sounds such as the twig snapping and girl screaming needed to be louder. As well as this there was some background noise which our peers picked up on and needed editing out.
This is the editing of cutting the background noise in the dog scene:
To improve the non-diegetic soundtrack we added in more of the same soundtrack but only a certain section. This made the ending more dramatic and build up more suspension which improved the quality and ensured there were no more silent sections.
This is the added in sound effects and soundtrack:
We also added in another soundtrack to build tension as the killer catches up with the girl to make it more effective. The sound comes to a sudden stop, and then quickly builds up again as the girl nears her death and is killed.
This is the added sound creating a more dramatic and effective ending to the opening:
Opening Credits - Improvements
We received a lot of feedback on our opening credits stating that they needed to be longer and given more interesting effects. To begin with we only had our three names as opening credits which appeared at equal intervals in the first minute of our film opening. They flashed in at different positions around the screen, for example:
After inserting these titles we then added in more opening credits so that there were more appearing throughout the film opening. These included another actors name who was not in our group, the Director of Photography, Producer, Co-Executive Producer and the editor. These were inserted between shots on a black background equally spread throughout and the named titles were placed at different locations around the screen.
To finalise we ensured these were all equally spread out throughout the film opening, also making sure they did not interfere with any match-on-action shots.
To finalise we ensured these were all equally spread out throughout the film opening, also making sure they did not interfere with any match-on-action shots.
Feedback - FIlm opening first draft
Here is the feedback we received from 3 viewers of our initial draft for our film opening:
Film Opening Improvements
The main thing that we as a group decided to improve was the sound throughout our film opening as we needed to change the amount of screaming that we had In it and we needed to add in sounds to places where it was completely silent.
The things that we improved on where:
- making sure that the sound got more dramatic towards the end to create tension and build it up for the viewers of our film opening
- we also needed to add in dark suspense music towards the end where there was no sound and it was completely silent for a while which sounded odd in comparison to the rest of the film opening where sound was used.
- another thing that we improved on was changing the pitch, tone, and volume in places where it was appropriate, for example in places where there was a tense clip the music needed to be a low tone and of a loud volume for the viewer.
Film Opening - Evaluation
I feel that towards the end after improving our film opening the film opening became a lot better when we took into consideration the advice and feedback that we received from other people who had viewed our film opening.
The things that went well in our film opening was the cooperation between our group and ensuring that everyone carried out their required roles within the planning stage and also within the filming and editing stages. First of all within the planning it was required that everyone had deconstructed certain things and was aware of what ideas we needed to put forward in order to plan and decide what our film opening would be. The second thing that went well was the filming part when all 3 members of the group equally participated within the filming and all remembered to bring the required props and equipment that was required for the filming.
The things that we could have improved on for our film opening was something that occurred early on within the editing procedure. Once we had all of our footage filmed and we put it onto the computer and cropped it and put it into order we realised that our footage was not long enough and didn't have a variety of camera angles and shots therefore this lead to us having to re film. This caused another issue because we needed to use the exact same actors as we were going to just add in an extra part to the beginning and we also needed to use the same location. This lead to multiple problems as we had to find time when everyone in our group was available to get to the location as it was quite difficult to get to and this wasn't able to happen so we had to change our location and the actor who played the dead girls friend as the other girl couldn't attend on the day. So this lead to use having to refilm our whole footage and put it all onto the computer again crop and put it into order.
Film Opening - Evaluation
Overall, I feel that our film opening was successful despite having small issues and improvements to make and overcome. We all worked well together by making our own suggestions on changes to make and what we think would work as well as all doing our own bit when editing and filming.
What went well?:
I feel that a lot went well when planning and filming our film opening as we all worked well and got on well as a group. I feel that this was a huge advantage when producing our film opening as it meant that we all communicated our own thoughts and ideas for the film opening effectively and also meant that there were no disputes when planning, filming and editing. We also worked well by all carrying out our chosen roles and bringing all the props and equipment we needed to film all of the footage.
I feel that one of the first things that went well was when we planned our first storyboard draft. We all agreed that the genre of our film opening would be a slasher horror and then began planning the plot of our film. We all made an input into the storyboard and worked together to decide the best camera angles and techniques that we could use to make it effective. We know that this was successful as it aided us when we were filming all the shots and enabled us to ensure that we filmed all the shots we needed. We also worked well as a group to create the longer and altered second storyboard when our first lot of footage wasn't long enough.
I also think that we worked well when we filmed the second lot of footage for our film opening as the first lot wasn't long enough. We were a lot more successful when we filmed our footage the second time round as we created a much more detailed and longer storyboard to follow when filming and we also worked a lot better and quicker as we had already filmed some of the footage and we knew what camera angles and shots to use and where the best places to set up and film the footage was. We came out of the second day of filming with a lot more footage which meant that when edited and cut down the footage we had was long enough.
Another thing that was successful was the editing of the footage. We all made suggestions and inputs into what we thought worked well and what we thought didn't and took each others ideas on board. We all took turns editing by using the blade tool, using slow motion, adding and removing sound, adding opening credits and creating and inserting the production companies. Everyone was able to make changes and improvements to the film opening as we went over what had been done and changed areas that we thought didn't work or took some sections out completely if they were too long or shaky. We also all made different improvements that were suggested in the feedback we received and were able to change areas that we hadn't noticed needed improving or altering.
What didn't go well?:
One of the main issues we had was that the our first set of footage wasn't long enough and that we had to refilm. This meant that we had to add in some extra scenes and redraw our storyboard. However, this turned out to be a positive as the footage was a lot better quality and we were able to improve any areas that we thought weren't to a high quality. It also meant that we had a lot more footage once we had finished which meant that we had a lot more to edit and work with for out film opening.
Another issue we had was when we were editing the sound in our film opening. We decided that our sound recordings of the girl screaming were to a high enough quality and so we decided to download one from Soundcloud. However, we found it extremely difficult to find a scream that sounded realistic that fitted with our film opening. It took us a while to find the scream we thought would work but we eventually found one that was high quality and realistic that we could use. As well as this we found it difficult to find a soundtrack to use that sounded tense and built suspension. For this we used Youtube as there was a bigger variety of tracks that we could look through and download. It also took us a while to find the soundtrack that we used as we wanted one that fitted well with the scenes in our film opening and gradually got more tense as the film opening neared the end.
What went well?:
I feel that a lot went well when planning and filming our film opening as we all worked well and got on well as a group. I feel that this was a huge advantage when producing our film opening as it meant that we all communicated our own thoughts and ideas for the film opening effectively and also meant that there were no disputes when planning, filming and editing. We also worked well by all carrying out our chosen roles and bringing all the props and equipment we needed to film all of the footage.
I feel that one of the first things that went well was when we planned our first storyboard draft. We all agreed that the genre of our film opening would be a slasher horror and then began planning the plot of our film. We all made an input into the storyboard and worked together to decide the best camera angles and techniques that we could use to make it effective. We know that this was successful as it aided us when we were filming all the shots and enabled us to ensure that we filmed all the shots we needed. We also worked well as a group to create the longer and altered second storyboard when our first lot of footage wasn't long enough.
I also think that we worked well when we filmed the second lot of footage for our film opening as the first lot wasn't long enough. We were a lot more successful when we filmed our footage the second time round as we created a much more detailed and longer storyboard to follow when filming and we also worked a lot better and quicker as we had already filmed some of the footage and we knew what camera angles and shots to use and where the best places to set up and film the footage was. We came out of the second day of filming with a lot more footage which meant that when edited and cut down the footage we had was long enough.
Another thing that was successful was the editing of the footage. We all made suggestions and inputs into what we thought worked well and what we thought didn't and took each others ideas on board. We all took turns editing by using the blade tool, using slow motion, adding and removing sound, adding opening credits and creating and inserting the production companies. Everyone was able to make changes and improvements to the film opening as we went over what had been done and changed areas that we thought didn't work or took some sections out completely if they were too long or shaky. We also all made different improvements that were suggested in the feedback we received and were able to change areas that we hadn't noticed needed improving or altering.
What didn't go well?:
One of the main issues we had was that the our first set of footage wasn't long enough and that we had to refilm. This meant that we had to add in some extra scenes and redraw our storyboard. However, this turned out to be a positive as the footage was a lot better quality and we were able to improve any areas that we thought weren't to a high quality. It also meant that we had a lot more footage once we had finished which meant that we had a lot more to edit and work with for out film opening.
Another issue we had was when we were editing the sound in our film opening. We decided that our sound recordings of the girl screaming were to a high enough quality and so we decided to download one from Soundcloud. However, we found it extremely difficult to find a scream that sounded realistic that fitted with our film opening. It took us a while to find the scream we thought would work but we eventually found one that was high quality and realistic that we could use. As well as this we found it difficult to find a soundtrack to use that sounded tense and built suspension. For this we used Youtube as there was a bigger variety of tracks that we could look through and download. It also took us a while to find the soundtrack that we used as we wanted one that fitted well with the scenes in our film opening and gradually got more tense as the film opening neared the end.
Film Opening - Opening Credits Improvements
We received feedback on our opening credits and a large amount of the groups said that we needed to add in more names and make the placement of them more interesting. Originally we had just our names in the film opening which appeared at equal intervals at the beginning of the film opening in the corners of the shots.
We then added some more names which appeared in between shots at the beginning when our names appeared. We added in names for the Director of Photography, the Producer, the Co-Executive Producer, and the Editor all of which appeared for a couple of seconds before the shots with the two girls and their dog appeared again.
When adding the shots in we made sure that the placement of the names varied in each one, but also ensured that the font and size of the text was the same each time it appeared. We made the top line of the credits a slightly different font to the name underneath as well as a different size as the name. As well as this we changed the placement of the names so that some appeared in the centre whilst others appeared on the right hand side or two names appeared in separate corners of the shot to make it more interesting. These are the names we added in between the shots of the girls walking the dogs.
After adding in the other names we decided that the titles were all very close together at the beginning of the film opening. So we spaced out the names so that they appeared throughout the film opening and then stopped towards the end of it as the tension started to build. We also added in a few more names so that they lasted for the majority of the film opening.
We then decided that in order to make the opening titles more interesting we could add in some animation so that the text flickered and moved around when it appeared. This would make the opening titles more eerie and tense than plain text would. We did this by changing the opacity so that it flickered a couple times as it was visible. As well as this we made the text move by adding in the same text again but placing it in a different place in between the two pieces of the original placement of the text. When played back the text moved slightly from where it was and flickered at the same time.
Film Opening - Sound Improvements
One of the main improvements we received most for our film opening was on sound. We received feedback on the sound that said we needed to add sound in our film opening where it was silent in places as well as create more tension and suspense towards the end using the non-diegetic soundtrack. As well as this some people said they could hear laughing and speaking in the shot where the dog barks as we had to use commands and gestures to make the dog bark when we wanted.
We started by zooming into the scene where the dog barks and listened carefully to hear the laughing and speaking, we then cut the shot where the unwanted sounds could be heard and removed the sound so that when played back you couldn't hear them. This meant that the only sound that could be heard was the dog barking and there were no distracting noises in the background.
We then altered the use of the non-diegetic soundtrack so that it didn't fade out like before but instead built up and got more tense and the film was played. We used the same section of the soundtrack from the beginning so that there were no silent sections without any sound. We made sure that the soundtracks had a smooth transition and that you couldn't tell that we had added in another section of soundtrack.
As the film opening began to end we decided that there wasn't enough build up in the soundtrack to create suspense and tension as the killer caught up with the girl. Therefore we added another part of the soundtrack where the sound built up and created a lot of suspense and added it in over the top of the original soundtrack so that the sound gradually built up, getting louder and more tense as it neared the end. We also increased the volume of the suspense soundtrack so that it got a lot louder as the girl is caught by the killer. This is then further enhanced by the loud 'boom' sound at the end of the film opening when the film title appears as it is loud and effective at the end.
When we watched it back we thought it would be effective to add in some more sound as the girl begins running in order to build up more tension throughout the chase scenes. In order to do this we found a short soundtrack where the sound slowly builds and creates tension and then remains steady for a while and inserted it as the chase scene begins. This meant that there was more suspense as the killer caught up with the girl which made the ending tense. The sound then suddenly drops and builds again very quickly at the end when the girl falls and is killed, making a very tense and dramatic ending.
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Editing - Opening Credits
After our first initial draft of our film opening we decided that we needed to add in more titles as the feedback said there wasn't enough and we noticed this when reviewing it and the feedback said that they also stopped suddenly and didn't last long enough because there wasn't enough of them.
Early on in the editing when we added in the titles we decided and came to the conclusion after research that they needed to be 5 seconds away from each other. We also decided how long we wanted them to last for and we agreed on 4 seconds because it gives the viewer enough time to read them. In our first initial film opening draft we only included the names of the actual actors so to improve so there was real names we added in producers and editors as well as the names of the actors that were in there.
Here is some screenshots on how we improved our opening titles:
Early on in the editing when we added in the titles we decided and came to the conclusion after research that they needed to be 5 seconds away from each other. We also decided how long we wanted them to last for and we agreed on 4 seconds because it gives the viewer enough time to read them. In our first initial film opening draft we only included the names of the actual actors so to improve so there was real names we added in producers and editors as well as the names of the actors that were in there.
Here is some screenshots on how we improved our opening titles:
Film Opening - Feedback
Film Opening Feedback:
Once we had submitted our first initial draft we received feedback from other people who viewed our film opening. This showed us and highlighted areas that we need to improve before submitting our final piece.
Generally from the feedback that we received everyone who viewed our film opening they were able to work out the genre of our film opening which is a slasher horror and this was seen through the use of blood, weapons and chase scenes.
The feedback that we received about our sound choices shows that we need to improve our sound the whole way throughout the film opening. With the feedback we received it states sound effects sounded like they were fake. Also in some of the feedback we received we got told to change the sound to a different sound during the chase scene which is more fast paced. The feedback from our sound also showed us that it should get louder and louder towards the end for effect.
Another comment that we received across all of our feedback was that some of the clips could be made shorter as they last to long and become in effective. There was two main clips that were highlighted to us to be made shorter which was the footsteps clip with the girl running and the clip of the dog running as they last too long.
A lot of our feedback that we received shows that the end title 'The Woods' that appears at the end of our film opening and a lot of our feedback shows that they liked the title because it linked well with the genre of our film opening and showed many conventions through the use of a title and typography.
Once we had submitted our first initial draft we received feedback from other people who viewed our film opening. This showed us and highlighted areas that we need to improve before submitting our final piece.
Generally from the feedback that we received everyone who viewed our film opening they were able to work out the genre of our film opening which is a slasher horror and this was seen through the use of blood, weapons and chase scenes.
The feedback that we received about our sound choices shows that we need to improve our sound the whole way throughout the film opening. With the feedback we received it states sound effects sounded like they were fake. Also in some of the feedback we received we got told to change the sound to a different sound during the chase scene which is more fast paced. The feedback from our sound also showed us that it should get louder and louder towards the end for effect.
Another comment that we received across all of our feedback was that some of the clips could be made shorter as they last to long and become in effective. There was two main clips that were highlighted to us to be made shorter which was the footsteps clip with the girl running and the clip of the dog running as they last too long.
A lot of our feedback that we received shows that the end title 'The Woods' that appears at the end of our film opening and a lot of our feedback shows that they liked the title because it linked well with the genre of our film opening and showed many conventions through the use of a title and typography.
Opening Credits - Titles
After completing all the footage editing, we had to add in opening credits throughout the film opening. These titles included our own names and other actors and producers.
We came to the conclusion that the first name would appear five seconds in, so that they began early and were equally spread throughout. We then decided that there should be another five second gap the next, so that they had an equal time length between each title. Each name was also edited to appear on the screen for an average of 4 seconds, so that they did not drag but the audience had enough time to read them. This also meant that they were all able to fit in to the time frame of our film opening suitably.
We came to the conclusion that the first name would appear five seconds in, so that they began early and were equally spread throughout. We then decided that there should be another five second gap the next, so that they had an equal time length between each title. Each name was also edited to appear on the screen for an average of 4 seconds, so that they did not drag but the audience had enough time to read them. This also meant that they were all able to fit in to the time frame of our film opening suitably.
Feedback
After submitting the first draft of our film opening we received peer feedback to find out what could be improved. The areas that they wrote about were the genre, sound, editing, titles, what the liked, and what they thought could be improved.
Most of our feedback mainly focused on the editing, titles and sound which needed to be altered or improved. The majority of our peers recognised that our film opening was a slasher horror and identified some of the conventions, such as the blood, dagger, female victim and an isolated location which was positive.
A major aspect which we received a lot of feedback on was the sound. The positive feedback was based mainly on the girl's scream and the footsteps which were said to be very effective. The non-diegetic soundtrack used was also liked by many as they said it worked well in building suspension and fit the film opening well. However, the majority of feedback suggested that it should get louder and more tense towards the end as the next killing approaches. From this we knew that we needed to add in the most dramatic part of the soundtrack and increase the volume of it.
Most groups gave positive feedback on our editing and said that it all worked really well, ran smoothly and contained a wide range of camera angles and shots used which made it successful. The match-on-action and POV shots were favoured as they were said to be very effective and worked successfully. Two criticisms we did receive were the length of some shots; such as the girl removing her jumper and the dog running. This let us know we had to crop these shots further.
We received lots of compliments on our main title 'The Woods' which was said to be simple but very effective. However, most groups told us that we needed a lot more opening credits throughout the film opening to make it look more successful and professional. One group also suggested that we could be more creative with the positioning of some of the names.
One aspect which most groups really liked was the use of the dog as an actor, making it more realistic and unique. However, the main improvements we have realised we need to make are adding in and improving the sound - diegetic and non-diegetic.
Most of our feedback mainly focused on the editing, titles and sound which needed to be altered or improved. The majority of our peers recognised that our film opening was a slasher horror and identified some of the conventions, such as the blood, dagger, female victim and an isolated location which was positive.
A major aspect which we received a lot of feedback on was the sound. The positive feedback was based mainly on the girl's scream and the footsteps which were said to be very effective. The non-diegetic soundtrack used was also liked by many as they said it worked well in building suspension and fit the film opening well. However, the majority of feedback suggested that it should get louder and more tense towards the end as the next killing approaches. From this we knew that we needed to add in the most dramatic part of the soundtrack and increase the volume of it.
Most groups gave positive feedback on our editing and said that it all worked really well, ran smoothly and contained a wide range of camera angles and shots used which made it successful. The match-on-action and POV shots were favoured as they were said to be very effective and worked successfully. Two criticisms we did receive were the length of some shots; such as the girl removing her jumper and the dog running. This let us know we had to crop these shots further.
We received lots of compliments on our main title 'The Woods' which was said to be simple but very effective. However, most groups told us that we needed a lot more opening credits throughout the film opening to make it look more successful and professional. One group also suggested that we could be more creative with the positioning of some of the names.
One aspect which most groups really liked was the use of the dog as an actor, making it more realistic and unique. However, the main improvements we have realised we need to make are adding in and improving the sound - diegetic and non-diegetic.
Monday, 22 February 2016
Film Opening - Initial Feedback
We submitted the first draft of our film opening for feedback by our peers in order to find out what they felt could be added, removed or improved in our film opening. We received a range of comments on our film opening and specifically asked for feedback on the genre and its conventions, sound, editing, titles, what they liked and what they thought could be improved.
Genre: The majority of groups that gave feedback successfully identified that the genre of our film opening was a Slasher Horror, with one group identifying it as a Supernatural Horror. They also successfully identified some of the main conventions linked to the genre such as female victims, a knife, blood and a secluded location (woods), suggesting that we met the typical conventions for the genre of our film opening.
Sound: We received a range of different ideas and feedback for the sound in our film opening. Many of the groups said that they liked the girls screams when she was being chased as they didn't sound added in. Others also said that they thought the non-diegetic soundtrack was eerie and monotone in the background and worked with the film as it went along, however, some suggested that it could've built up more to create more tension as it neared the end. Another suggestion we received was that the phone ringing sound was not continuous through the shot-reverse-shot despite us trying to edit it so it sounded in the distance. This suggests that we need to increase the volume as it was too quiet and couldn't be heard easily. The final suggestion was that more sound needed to be added when the twig was stepped on and the girl began running as it was too quiet and awkward.
Editing: Many of the groups who gave feedback said that the editing was smooth and successful and that they enjoyed the range of different camera angles and shots used throughout the film. One group said that the match on action in the film was smooth and flowed well, and others said that the shots of the feet running were effective as well as the use of slow motion in some scenes. However, one group felt that some shots were too long and needed to be shortened such as the dog running and the girl removing her jumper.
Titles: Many of the groups said that they thought the title for our film 'The Woods' was effective and conformed to the conventions of the genre. They said that they thought the choice of font was successful as it looked like it had been written with twigs and so fitted well with the name of the film opening. We also received feedback on the opening credits with some people suggesting that we could've been more creative with the positioning of the text when they appeared to make it more interesting, as well as this we needed to add more names as there were currently only three.
Liked: Many people said that they enjoyed the use of the dog in the film opening as we were able to get her to do what was needed to film our opening scenes. Others said that they enjoyed the chase scenes and the range of different camera angles and shots that were used throughout. Many also said that the editing was successful in creating good match on action and adding effects such as slow motion. The main title was also liked as it fitted with the name of the film opening as well as genre it was based on.
Improve: We received a variety of different improvements that we could make to our film opening. The main improvement was to shorted some scenes as they were too long, this included the one of the dog running and the girl removing her jumper. Some also said that some shots were too repetitive such as at the beginning when the two girls were walking the dog together. There was also a large amount of suggestions on how to improve the sound by adding in more to fill out the silent parts as well as adding in more diegetic dialogue to make it more interesting. We also received feedback on the mise-en-scene in the beginning scenes as the blood didn't look very realistic and we could've added more wounds to the actors body and face to make it look better.
With all of this feedback we plan to go through and act on the suggestions given in order to improve our film opening and make sure that it is to a high standard before submission.
Genre: The majority of groups that gave feedback successfully identified that the genre of our film opening was a Slasher Horror, with one group identifying it as a Supernatural Horror. They also successfully identified some of the main conventions linked to the genre such as female victims, a knife, blood and a secluded location (woods), suggesting that we met the typical conventions for the genre of our film opening.
Sound: We received a range of different ideas and feedback for the sound in our film opening. Many of the groups said that they liked the girls screams when she was being chased as they didn't sound added in. Others also said that they thought the non-diegetic soundtrack was eerie and monotone in the background and worked with the film as it went along, however, some suggested that it could've built up more to create more tension as it neared the end. Another suggestion we received was that the phone ringing sound was not continuous through the shot-reverse-shot despite us trying to edit it so it sounded in the distance. This suggests that we need to increase the volume as it was too quiet and couldn't be heard easily. The final suggestion was that more sound needed to be added when the twig was stepped on and the girl began running as it was too quiet and awkward.
Editing: Many of the groups who gave feedback said that the editing was smooth and successful and that they enjoyed the range of different camera angles and shots used throughout the film. One group said that the match on action in the film was smooth and flowed well, and others said that the shots of the feet running were effective as well as the use of slow motion in some scenes. However, one group felt that some shots were too long and needed to be shortened such as the dog running and the girl removing her jumper.
Titles: Many of the groups said that they thought the title for our film 'The Woods' was effective and conformed to the conventions of the genre. They said that they thought the choice of font was successful as it looked like it had been written with twigs and so fitted well with the name of the film opening. We also received feedback on the opening credits with some people suggesting that we could've been more creative with the positioning of the text when they appeared to make it more interesting, as well as this we needed to add more names as there were currently only three.
Liked: Many people said that they enjoyed the use of the dog in the film opening as we were able to get her to do what was needed to film our opening scenes. Others said that they enjoyed the chase scenes and the range of different camera angles and shots that were used throughout. Many also said that the editing was successful in creating good match on action and adding effects such as slow motion. The main title was also liked as it fitted with the name of the film opening as well as genre it was based on.
Improve: We received a variety of different improvements that we could make to our film opening. The main improvement was to shorted some scenes as they were too long, this included the one of the dog running and the girl removing her jumper. Some also said that some shots were too repetitive such as at the beginning when the two girls were walking the dog together. There was also a large amount of suggestions on how to improve the sound by adding in more to fill out the silent parts as well as adding in more diegetic dialogue to make it more interesting. We also received feedback on the mise-en-scene in the beginning scenes as the blood didn't look very realistic and we could've added more wounds to the actors body and face to make it look better.
With all of this feedback we plan to go through and act on the suggestions given in order to improve our film opening and make sure that it is to a high standard before submission.
Saturday, 20 February 2016
Editing - Titles
Once we had finished editing our footage we needed to ensure that we had titles in with the names of actors and producers. Firstly we had to decide how far away we wanted each title to be fom the one before and how long we wanted the titles to last throughout our footage.
We decided that we would have the first name appear within the first 5 seconds of the film opening but this was after the production companies had been shown so it didnt appear immediately but we had enough time to fit all the names at the begining of our film opening. We then decided once we had added the first name we began adding everyone elses names that were involved. From watching and deconstructing other film titles during film openings we thought as a group it was better to have them spaced out equally so that they appeared on average every 5 seconds. We also agreed that the names should be visible for an average amount of seconds of 3-4 seconds so that we could fit all the names in at the begining and they didnt last too long that way.
We decided that we would have the first name appear within the first 5 seconds of the film opening but this was after the production companies had been shown so it didnt appear immediately but we had enough time to fit all the names at the begining of our film opening. We then decided once we had added the first name we began adding everyone elses names that were involved. From watching and deconstructing other film titles during film openings we thought as a group it was better to have them spaced out equally so that they appeared on average every 5 seconds. We also agreed that the names should be visible for an average amount of seconds of 3-4 seconds so that we could fit all the names in at the begining and they didnt last too long that way.
Friday, 12 February 2016
Editing - Production Companies
When editing we imported two production companies at the beginning. The first one was a professional production company and the second was one our own.
We decided to use the Blumhouse Production Company logo as this was one of the production companies that we had researched previously. After watching the three production companies we had researched we felt that the Blumhouse Productions logo fitted with our genre as it was eerie and tense and wasn't too long.
We decided to use the Blumhouse Production Company logo as this was one of the production companies that we had researched previously. After watching the three production companies we had researched we felt that the Blumhouse Productions logo fitted with our genre as it was eerie and tense and wasn't too long.
We then added in one of our own production companies. Again, we watched through all three of our own production companies that we had created ourselves and chose one that was high quality and fitted with the name of our production company 'Mirror Productions'. We then added it in after our chosen professional production company so that it was played before our film opening began.
Editing - Opening Titles
As we got to the end of the editing process we began to add the opening titles at the beginning of the film opening. We began by adding our names as we were all involved in the planning, production and editing of the film opening.
We added the first name within the first 5 seconds of the film opening just after the production company logos so that it didn't appear immediately but also so we had enough time to fit in all of the opening titles at the beginning.
We added the first name within the first 5 seconds of the film opening just after the production company logos so that it didn't appear immediately but also so we had enough time to fit in all of the opening titles at the beginning.
Once we had added in the first name we began adding everyone else's names. From watching and analysing other opening titles we decided that it was best to space the names out equally so that they appeared roughly every 5 seconds. We also agreed that the names should be visible for around 3-4 seconds so that we could fit in everyone's names and space them out equally.
Once we had sorted the times and spacing for the opening titles we altered the positioning, font and size of the text. We chose a bold and easy to read font and made it an appropriate size so that it could be easily read. We also chose to make it white as this was a colour that could be read easily on the background of each scene it was placed on. We then placed the text in the left and right hand bottom corners of the scenes so that as the film opening was played the text was not always in the same position and moved around each time a new name appeared.
Monday, 8 February 2016
Shooting Script
A shooting script was needed in order to prepare our filming beforehand so that we did not forget anything and were able to manage our time to get all our footage filmed in one day.
Meeting day: Saturday, 16th January 2016
Meeting time: 11.00 AM
Meeting place: Gemma's house - Close to our chosen location for filming
Travel Arrangements: Hollie, Louise and Ashleigh all traveled to Gemma's house by car separately. This is where we all met, gathered everything we needed, and made our way to the woods with the dog which took about 5-10 minutes to walk.
Responsibilities:
Hollie: Dagger, phone
Ashleigh: Camera & tripod, black boots, black jacket, black hooded coat
Louise: Fake blood, ripped top in blood
Actors:
Ashleigh: The killer
Louise: Girl who gets killed
Gemma: Dead girl's friend - She is not part of our group but is a friend who was able to help us by acting in our film opening, bringing her dog, and getting to our location.
Meeting day: Saturday, 16th January 2016
Meeting time: 11.00 AM
Meeting place: Gemma's house - Close to our chosen location for filming
Travel Arrangements: Hollie, Louise and Ashleigh all traveled to Gemma's house by car separately. This is where we all met, gathered everything we needed, and made our way to the woods with the dog which took about 5-10 minutes to walk.
Responsibilities:
Hollie: Dagger, phone
Ashleigh: Camera & tripod, black boots, black jacket, black hooded coat
Louise: Fake blood, ripped top in blood
Actors:
Ashleigh: The killer
Louise: Girl who gets killed
Gemma: Dead girl's friend - She is not part of our group but is a friend who was able to help us by acting in our film opening, bringing her dog, and getting to our location.
Sunday, 7 February 2016
Editing - Sound
Once we had cropped and edited our footage, we realised not all of the sound was to a high enough quality due to problems such as background noises when filming. We began searching for sound clips and sound effects to use. To do this, we used 'SoundCloud' to search and download appropriate sound effects which were;
A girl's scream
A twig snapping
We downloaded them using clip converter and then were able to save and insert them into our film opening. We placed them at specific scenes and trimmed them to fit effectively.
A girl's scream
A twig snapping
We downloaded them using clip converter and then were able to save and insert them into our film opening. We placed them at specific scenes and trimmed them to fit effectively.
Editing - Production Companies
We had to include two production companies at the beginning of our film opening; these included one professional and one of our own.
The first one we added into our footage was the professional production company 'BlumHouse Productions'. We chose this because it fits well with our horror film, was one previously researched and was also a suitable time length. We downloaded and saved it from YouTube, so we were then able to insert into FinalClip Pro along with the rest of our footage.
We then inserted Ashleigh's own production company Because we came to an agreement that it was the best design and most effective. Our own production company is named 'Mirror Productions':
The first one we added into our footage was the professional production company 'BlumHouse Productions'. We chose this because it fits well with our horror film, was one previously researched and was also a suitable time length. We downloaded and saved it from YouTube, so we were then able to insert into FinalClip Pro along with the rest of our footage.
We then inserted Ashleigh's own production company Because we came to an agreement that it was the best design and most effective. Our own production company is named 'Mirror Productions':
Editing - Footage
To begin editing we first gathered all of the correct footage required and uploading it all to FinalCutPro. Then we placed all the clips in chronological order as shown below:
Once everything was in the correct order the next stage was to crop the footage. We did this by using the blade tool in the programme. This included cutting down certain shots to reach the desired time limit and to also cut out any mistakes or unnecessary footage.
Once everything was in the correct order the next stage was to crop the footage. We did this by using the blade tool in the programme. This included cutting down certain shots to reach the desired time limit and to also cut out any mistakes or unnecessary footage.
Then all the footage could be put together and in the correct order and run smoothly.
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