Filming - 4th March

Today we went to Gerrards cross after school to re-film our thriller opening. We needed to re-film due to shaky camerawork throughout and a distinct lack of narrative. Most of the group attended filming, however one member of the group was in GX throughout but didn't attend for social reasons. The overall session went well considering we had a tight time schedule as one of our actors needed to leave at 17:10. 

The most difficult shots have definitely been the opening establishing shot along with  all other panning shots throughout. I think that it is going to take a lot of retakes and a lot of practice to get these right however i think that it is vital that we put in the time to do so. This is because, where the establishing shot is concerned, it is the first shot seen and thus will provide the viewer with there important first impression of quality and narrative. Therefore i think it is vital that this shot in particular is perfectly shot. 

Other than the panning shot i think we achieved some great POV and OTS shots throughout the session. I also feel that the communication was vastly improved with members of the group taking time to listen to each other and give feedback where necessary.

Charlotte. 

Filming - Wednesday

Me, Ryan and Sophie have decided that we will spend around 1 1/2 to 2 hour of filming from 4.00 tomorrow afternoon in Gerrards Cross. We are going to re-film our entire set of footage as the camera work is very shakey and unprofessional. Also we have a very undefined and confusing narrative, therefore we are going to simplify the shots and have some more descriptive sequences. This will make the narrative easier to follow, whilst hopefully giving the footage a more professional finish. 

Charlotte.

Filming

Due to the recent loss of our footage we have now scheduled a filming date for the Sunday 8th of February to re-film all of our lost footage. We have also now cast our final actors, these are Sehb Hundle as a tracker, and Andrew Johnson as the Protagonist. We have chosen these people to act as they have the right look and attitude for the roles, they are available when we need them to be and they are reliable. Therefore, there should be no need to cancel this filming session due to let downs and we also intend to go ahead regardless of the weather. 

Charlotte.

Filming difficulties and cancellations

Throughout this part of the project we have had many difficulties with our filming schedule. Many aspects contributed to this but the main culprits were clashes of schedules, the weather and a distinct lack of communication between group members. 

Firstly, due to unforeseen weather conditions we were forced to cancel filming on several occasions. This was frustrating as it was totally out of our control. It also meant that we were being put further and further behind schedule each time. Secondly, there were many occasions where all members of the group, along with actors had a clash in their schedules. This was largely because none of us took all the same subjects and only two shared more than one in common. This meant that there were several occasions where only one group member was available for filming. This was unfeasible as one member of the group could not be expected to manage all 4 roles of production, whilst managing a group of actors simultaneously. Finally, the lack of communication between group members was appalling. On more than one occasion there were not only mix ups, but last minute cancellations that were not passed on. This resulted in a lot of irritation, especially for me, when on several occasions i was only informed of the changes after i had already left, and only once i myself enquired when other group members intended to arrive. However towards the end of our deadline communications started to improve slightly, with fair warning of cancellations given on Facebook and reschedules given at the same time. Unfortunately on the few occasions where filming commenced, we had the devastating experience of all our work being wiped by an extremely inconsiderate student to make room for her project. This has left us with no footage and a need to start from scratch. However hopefully this time round the communication, weather and schedules will work with us rather than against us.

Charlotte.

Filming Schedule

What the shot list needs to include:

Date
Time
How long each shot lasts (duration)
Location
Who will be there (roles, actors)
Props/Equipment
Shots by number
Additional notes e.g. weather, changes...

Friday 30th January- initial footage deadline
27th February- no more filming
27th March- Finished film, evaluation, shown presentation of opening.

FILM NAME: as a group we have decided to name our thriller 'Tracker'. The reason simply being that it mirrors the narrative perfectly and also has further connotations with the train tracks. I personally think that this is a great choice of name and suits the thriller genre perfectly. This is because it is very ambiguous and the word tracker can hold many connotations. I also like that is is short and snappy and very memorable.

SONG CHOICE: The song we have decided upon to accompany the opening is 'sinnerman' by Nina Simone. The key link to the plot are the lyrics "oh sinnerman where you guna run to" as the key dialogue in our opening is "Run", said to a man who has committed a sin. The irony of this appeals to me greatly and is definitely complies with the thriller genre. Ryan Carroll, the director for our group intends to get in touch with the record label and ask for permission to use the song as it fits perfectly with our opening.

Thriller Opening - Animatic

Today we presented our final animatic for our thriller opening - Tracker. We were late at submitting our piece due to frequent conflicts of interest between group members. We were eventually able to work together as a group to produce a piece that combined aspects of all our ideas, enabling us to satisfy everyones requirements. This malfunction allowed me to reasses how our group work together, making it clear that all future areas of the assignment would need to be discussed more thoroughly and for meetings between group members to be more scheduled and time efficient.

To maximize the effect of our thriller opening we have decided to make a few amendments following feedback from our subject teacher. To create a more vivid sense of environment we are now going to open with an establishing shot of the area, making sure that it is focused on the street corner which the protagonist passes round. We are then going to edit the speech said by the shopkeeper from "He's onto us" to "He's left the building". This will help to un-complicate the plot without removing the sense of realism and suspense. We are also going to include more titles and actors names throughout the production ensuring that the final title is the director. Also we have decided that we are going to close with an Establishing shot of the train leaving with the protagonist highlighted in shot. This will create a more definite and dramatic ending. Finally we need to make sure that we include more diegetic sound to reinforce the verisimilitude of the piece.

Costume/ Prop list - Actors

The theme of our opening is Tracking. Therefore the image we are going for is slick, sophisticated business men. Therefore their attire and props will have to reflect that image upon the audience. To do this we are going to use the following actors in the following attire.

Protagonist:

Jacob Grimshaw - Black trousers, White Shirt, Black tie, Long Black coat and a bowlers hat.

- Jacob has the perfect image for the lead role. He has sleek black hair and is of a tall skinny build. He also happens to suit the business image perfectly and looks convincingly professional in his given attire.

Trackers:

------------- - Black trousers, Black tie, White shirt.

We have chosen this costume to help portray the sleek business man look we are aiming for with all three trackers.

Shop Keeper:

Sara Cracknall - Black skirt, White shirt, Name badge, high heels.

We have chosen this look to make sure that Sara blends in as a genuine shopkeeper whilst maintaing a business like look. We chose to use Sara for this role as she is an actual shop keeper for WH smiths on the weekends so was able to gain us access and  play the role convincingly.