Closing Post.

This blog is now closed!

We hope you have as much fun looking through our blog as we have had making it and completing this project :D

Gun shot

We wanted a realistic gun shot in our movie to represent action. we asked our technician for advice and he told us to look at Freddiew you tube channel which we found very useful. here we have one of his short clips with special effects, and then a tutorial on making a realistic Muzzle flare.





                  

We ended not using the Muzzle flare but we have taken elements from the tutorial to make a realist gun shot. this was all new to us and very useful into how special effects are used, and for the future.

Lotus the title

while researching fonts we came across this font:

We liked it as it looked pretty like the flower lotus but quite sharp with the pointed extensions.

while looking through Live type there wasn't a particular animation i liked with the font however i came with the idea of having the extensions (the end) growing . Our technician showed me how I could do it and I ended up making a successful title.

firstly i removed the extensions at the start of the time frame

I removed the tools to reveal the extensions at a different time frame so that the extensions are revealed slowly looking as if they are growing

Poster

We have designed a poster for our film! We have built on the theme of shadows in our film which creates enigma, however it is clear the figure is a female assassin our major selling point.

This poster's appeal will be put to the test when we host our opening sequence premiere in school.

Lighting tutorial

None of us have used lightning so we ask for a tutorial from our technician as from our test shoot we noticed how badly we needed them to stop the images from looking grainy.

Our technician demonstrating using Francis as focus of lightening

Nico adjusting the light positioning

Francis adjusting lightening density

Natasha adjusting volume of light projected 

Shoot Permission Form

This is our shoot organisation form which everyone had to sign, including our teachers, to make sure our arrangements were clear and that we would all stick to them.

Real shoot organisation sheets

As one of the main problems in our test shoot was the lack of props. Here we have written up a comprehensive props list with who is getting what. Secondly we have written up a list of things we ned to do better this time around to make sure the shoot goes smoothly as well as the changes we intend to make.

Shoot Logistics

Our scheduled test shoot was to be on 5/2/2012; however it snowed heavily the night before and Nico and Natasha wasn't able to get to potteres bar where the film location was to be (francis house) as natasha  was taking public transport and it is quite a distance from her house and the trains were not working, also Nico's mum could not drive him on the icy roads specially since Potters bar is on the out skirts of london; there for still having icy roads.

Our shoot that was meant to be in Hollywood, while we was on our media trip, also failed as we were not allowed to shoot in the location. However it was fine we had a back-up of either shooting back in London next to the enfield civic centre or cut out the scene. As having two locations would be difficult and the first scene doesn't necessarily need that scene.

We rescheduled another test shoot at the film location (Potters Bar, Francis house) to be on 19/2/2012. This meant we would have to catch up really quick with the editing of that week hopefully finishing by 22/02/2012; so that we can do our real shoot on 26/02/2012

Behind the scenes

Here is a behind the scenes view of our test shoot. We are setting up for shot 6, the focus pull of the man washing his hands behind the drugs.

Group 2 LotusTest Shoot

This is our test shoot footage edited into a rough edit which matches our animatic.
The test shoot itself went pretty smoothly. We started quite slowly however and found ourselves a bit rushed towards the end. This meant we didn't use the clapperboard towards the end, something we need to do for our real shoot. We alos didn't have access to the proper lighting kit for this shoot and also had some stand in props but all these issues will be sorted out for our real shoot next week.
There were many great shots and positives from the test shoot, in particular the general style of the opening CU's and the idea of the shadow in the shooting scene. However there are also many things we need to work on and improve on our next shoot. This is all detailed in the Teacher Feedback post above.

Costume, Props, Make-up

Here are all the props that are needed:

Costume

Man:

Dark suite with a tie and white shirt

Lotus:

Grey jeans, military boots, black vest top and a leather jacket if possible

Props:

Whisky bottle

Whisky glass

Briefcase

Big knives

Stack of money and fake money (a lot)

Cigars

Ash tray

Drugs (flour in clear bags, pills

Gun

Table

Drinking storage e.g. Silver tray or shelves

Make-up:

Blood

Concealer for both shades

Face paint/ eye shadow

Latex/lash glue

Cotton

Eye liner  

Costumes

Here are the final costumes we will be using:

For Lotus we went for simple, practical clothing. We wanted it to be dark to contribute to the "shadow" idea. Not photographed is the leather jacket she wears which makes her look sleek and classy as well as hard and professional.

As for the "businessman" we wanted him to be in a shirt, tie and suit, formal trousers and formal shoes to connote the ideas of money, greed and dodgy business (which the iconography helps with.) This is shown in the photo above.

Shot log

We made sure we were organised and kept to our schedule by noting down everything on the table.  It also will help us when editing when using time codes. Here are our shot logs:

Animatic for opening sequence

Here is the finished animatic for our sequence.  It has really helped us visualise how our final product will turn out, and has enabled us to consider shot duration and timings without yet filming, definitely worth the time doing! One thing we need to change is the script, as it isn't sounding quite right yet. After talking with our teachers we've also decided for the purpose of this opening sequence, it's best not to use bad language.

Locations Addition

In addition to shooting in the kitchen like we posted earlier, we are also going to have the character cross into the front room, as the glass doors work well, and here is a more suitable place for him to sit and relax.

More script Drafts and final script

We went through a long process of scripting. We initially had quite a long speech from the guy, however this was too long-winded and dragged the sequence on so we cut it down again.

Draft 1:

MAN:

(He releases a deep breath, as though a weight is lifted off his shoulders)

So he decided to send someone with a little class.  You’re fresh out of the farm, aren’t you?  Only time a mark gets to talk is if the asset is a little green.  Should have shot me before I said anything.  Now that bastard gets to know that I had time to think about the fact I was dead.  What kind of twisted asshole does that?

Silence.

            MAN:

Pour me the rest of that scotch. 

She pours.

Someone once told me it “takes the edge off”.  Doubt that applies to a 9mm to the skull though. 

He drinks.

Fuck, that’s gonna hurt.  You should do it when I’m not expecting

She shoots.

Draft 2 and 3:

We eventually went with Draft 3 but cut the third line and Lotus's dialogue to make her character more mysterious.

Genre research

Here some research into our two main genres from Wikipedia:

Thriller
Thriller (also Suspense) is a broad genre of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's moods giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and/or terror. Thriller films tend to be adrenaline-rushing, gritty, rousing and fast-paced. Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is villain-driven plot, whereby he or she presents obstacles that the hero must overcome.

The primary elements of the thriller genre:

• The central protagonist(s) faces death, either their own or somebody else's.
• The force(s) of antagonism must initially be clever and/or stronger than the protagonist's.
• The main storyline for the protagonist is either a quest or a character who cannot be put down.
• The main plotline focuses on a mystery that must be solved.
• The film's narrative construction is dominated by the protagonist's point of view.
• All action and characters must be credibly realistic/natural in their representation on screen.
• The two major themes that underpin the thriller genre are the desire for justice and the morality of individuals.
• One small, but significant, aspect of a thriller is the presence of innocence in what is seen as an essentially corrupt world.
• The protagonist/s and antagonist/s may battle not just on a physical level, but on a mental one as well.
• Either by accident or their own curiousness, characters are dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation that they are not prepared to resolve.

Action
Action genre is where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases. They occasionally have a resourceful character struggling against incredible odds such as, life-threatening situations, an evil villain, and/or being chased in several ways of transportation (car, bus, truck, etc.), with victory achieved at the end after difficult physical efforts and violence. Story and character development are generally secondary to explosions, fist fights, gunplay and car chases.

Film pitch feedback sheet

 Year 12 film pitch feedback group 2

We pitched to the class and our teachers today, however we didn't quite get the green light as several changes are needed, and lots of points need to be more clear. The feedback is listed above.
Individual reflections of this are on our individual blogs.

Revised Film Treatment

We have created a treatment for our film so that when we pitch it to the teachers they they can use it to support what we are saying and visualise the film better.

Dexter Inspiration

Just like this openign we want the audience to straight away feel unease by the mans pleasures. Instead we will have close up shots of thing such as drugs, money, knives, gory food and cigarettes and alcohol. Also since this is a drama series we will make it more movie like we will have cut-away titles.