R+P Post 20: Reflections so far/ looking ahead

Looking ahead, I would say that we are ready to do our main shoot. We have had a successful test shoot and the feedback we have received has been beneficial and we are ready to implement it. No tensions have so far grown within our group, and each member is pulling their weight, making all tasks fairly easy and less stressful to complete. Hopefully during the main shoot we will work together as easily as we did on our test shoot, and we now have the advantage of a more accurate shooting order and hopefully an easier to understand outdoor sequence. I am confident it will go well.

R+P Post 19: Our rough cut

Our final cut of our test opening sequence was edited over a period of 3 days - our editing schedule is below. This schedule worked well and we are likely to use it again for the main edit.

We got some feedback on our rough cut:

One technician told us that firstly, our sound levels could be improved, with smoother transitions between loud and quiet audio and to make the radio announcement louder. Also in terms of audio, she suggested that we get rid of the ambient sound for the sequence of shots in the kitchen - which she thought could be improved by showing the lawyer character turning on the radio, emphasising it's importance. Finally, she suggested a change which we have agreed as a group to definitely implement, which involves changing the position of the jogger so that he is jogging towards the lawyer from behind her, so that we can more clearly show the distance between the two and also shoot from behind the lawyer, making the shot seem more creepy and better communicating the 'false-stalker' situation by putting the audience in the position of a stalker.

We also got feedback from our teacher, who suggested that the sequence as a whole should be faster-paced and it should be clearer that the main character is a lawyer. She suggested that we could do this by giving the character a more formal costume, such as a lanyard and a longer skirt, as well as a less revealing dress. This also applies to her props, as it was suggested that she is given a briefcase or a working handbag and keys for when she locks her door. It was additionally suggested that we make certain shots more clear, such as focusing for a longer time on the envelope containing the official documents, or at least make them more clearly significant by making the lawyer put them into her bag - also, she suggested that we include notes and pictures on the stalker as part of these documents in order to make it clearer that she knows the person who is being discussed in the radio broadcast. Similarly to the technician she also suggested that we include a shot of the lawyer turning on the radio as she enters the kitchen.

Having more character action within the longer shots during the start of the sequence was also suggested, as was making the initial stalker POV shot longer due to it's jarring nature meaning that the audience needs more time to adjust to what is going on. With regards to the content of the radio announcement it was suggested that a 'Breaking News' audio clip could be played before the news about the stalker is revealed, and that the lawyer could visibly react to this news. Also, it once again said that the jogger sequence was unclear and must be clearer, and that the final shot could be improved if the lawyer looked over her shoulder at the end (Which was initially part of our plan but was forgotten about on the test shoot day).

R+P Post 18: Our test shoot

We carried out our test shoot as planned, to help us recognise any practical problems and whether the shots we had planned were workable in a real shoot. It was overall very successful at doing both of these things.

Some pages of the shoot boards we used to organise what order we would shoot our shots in are shown here. These were used throughout the entire day, although we did divert somewhat from the order of shots.

Our test shoot ran smoothly, with everything going to plan. We swapped around the order with which the different sections of the opening were shot, filming the bedroom sequences first rather than second, as it was more convenient and it was where the camera and equipment were already being stored. We then filmed the outdoor shots, as it was the ideal atmosphere outside for the scene we wanted. After these shots we did the remaining kitchen and stalker shots. Therefore, we didn't follow the order of the shootboard in terms of the sections, but we did follow the order of shots we had previously written in each section.

Through the test shoot we have identified certain shots which are good, and shots which must be modified or replaced. An example of a shot that went well and we will try to closely replicate in the main shoot is the 'lipstick shot':



However, since this was our first real look at how the sequence may realistically look, there are also some shots which we acknowledge must be changed, most clearly the 'jogger sequence':



This sequence is confusing and there is no clear indication of the distance between characters, not to mention a continuity error where the lawyer loses all of her momentum in a single, sharp cut. This takes away from the threat and tension of the sequence.

R+P Post 17: Our editing arrangements

To edit our sequence as equally and efficiently as possible we had to produce editing arrangements, so that everybody knew when they were supposed to be editing.

Our editing arrangements for the rough cut were based mainly around our free periods. This was due to convenience, as it meant everybody had a roughly equal time editing and also that we could all edit within school hours. This made it easier to communicate what changes we had made to the sequence with each other and also meant that we were able to do other activities during after school hours and lunchtimes (We didn't use the back-up session). Overall, we will likely use this editing schedule when making the final cut of our sequence, as it worked well and was simple to follow.

R+P Post 16: Casting, costumes, hair and make-up

Casting and costumes are both vital to our sequence because it needs to be clear that Shania Molcott looks like a lawyer so that the audience associates her with the radio broadcast playing, and the jogger costume is important because it has to be clear it is not the stalker. We have cast Tyra as the lawyer and I (Ray Baker) am playing the jogger.

The Lawyer

The lawyer's main costume consists of a pencil skirt, a formal black dress, tights, a ring, a belt, a lawyer's collarette and high heels. During the 'waking-up' sequence she wears a typical night-gown, and during outdoor sequences she also wears a coat. These clothes have been picked in order to make our character seem formal, middle class and prestigious enough to fit her lawyer profession (Hopefully made obvious through the use of the collarette). Her hair is also neat and formal, in order to fit the formal role of a lawyer. Her make-up is quite professional, and the sequence does contain a shot of her applying lipstick of a dark brown colour to herself.

The Jogger

The jogger being a minor character has no make-up and his hair isn't particularly styled. His costume consists of a blue running top, white shorts, white socks and white trainers to give the appearance of a typical jogger. We have done this so it is very obvious to the audience that the jogger is indeed a jogger, as in our rough cut this is unclear.

R+P Post 15: Our filming location, set design and props

Three of the most important aspects of many films are the filming location, set design and the props shown, and this is equally important in our opening sequence, so we had to make sure we knew exactly what we were going to do for these 3 aspects.

These are the top-down plans for our indoor filming locations.

Our opening sequence requires three filming locations, all close together. These are a bedroom, a kitchen with a garden which can easily be seen from inside, and a stretch of street. We have decided to use Sian's house because her kitchen fulfills the criteria with large windowed doors that the garden can be seen through. She also lives near a large stretch of street that has no cars on either side which is ideal for our outdoor scenes. Her bedroom is also the kind of room we were visualising for the 'waking-up' scenes.

These two images show an example of set dressing, as the picture on the left shows the cabinet of drawers before we dressed it appropriately for Shots 6 and 7-9 and the picture on the right showing what we had achieved once it had been dressed.

We also dressed the kitchen similarly, removing stacks of papers and generally making the place look more clean and neat, to fit in with our lawyer character's character. 

The props we used were:

- a traditional alarm clock

- a Belt

- a ring

- a mobile phone

- some lipstick

- a hairbrush

- the radio

- a glass of water

- numerous files on the kitchen table

- a post-it note

- a pen

- glasses

- (Self-made) release forms

- a neck band as typically worn by lawyers

- a work handbag

- high heels

R+P Post 14: Our filming arrangements

Before we could film we had to make sure we had finalised our filming arrangements, to make sure everybody turned up on time and that everyone agreed on a shooting schedule.

Our group's home shoot organisation plan that shows our original plans for shooting.

Our filming arrangements were to film on Sunday the 3rd of February from 9:15 am to 3:15 pm. We decided on these times because we expected it would give everybody enough time to arrive, and because we were all available on the necessary Sunday. We made sure that all 3 of our group and our chosen actor knew exactly where the location we were going to film in was located and that we all had travel plans.

The travel plans were successful, and everyone had arrived by 9:00 am. We stuck more or less to the shoot board plan - eventually beginning filming at 9:15 as expected and finishing at about 3:30 pm. These timings worked, and we managed to get every shot we required, even when an extended lunch break of around an hour took place.

R+P Post 13: Our Animatic

Shown below is our animatic, which was a way to help us visualise how our final opening sequence would look. It contains the exact timings and shots we are planning to use, but uses still photos instead of footage and doesn't use the correct actors, costumes, props or settings.

An animatic is a far better way to visualise the sequence than a storyboard or timeline, as it not only combines these two aspects together but also made us think about the realistic framing choices we have for each shot.

To make the animatic we used our storyboard to create our drawings of shots in real life using ourselves as the actors, taking still photographs rather than film footage. Once we had every shot we had drawn up originally we used the timing written on the timeline to edit together the photos in the correct sequence and for the correct length of time we plan to use in our real sequence.

This benefitted our group, as it made us think about hat we had planned previously was realistic - for example whether the shot of the main character exiting her bedroom was too short. It also helped us decide on what our credits would say, since we had to type them up and add them to the animatic.

R+P Post 12: Our Storyboard

Another of the first pieces of pre-production that we created was the storyboard shown below. We created this storyboard by putting down the key images we had each come up with for each section of the sequence and then filling in the gaps, attempting to maintain a variety of shot types and angles. This was helpful, as it gave us the first visual indication of what our finished sequence might look like, and we eventually followed it very closely for our test shoot.

This image shows what the different colours of post-it-notes we used for the different types of shot.

This shows the full storyboard, with all 3 sections

This shows the storyboard for the beginning and middle of sequence.

A focus on the storyboard of the end section of our sequence

R+P Post 11: Our Timeline

As one of the initial stages of pre-production we created a timeline in order to time each shot, therefore letting us know whether we could fit all of our wanted shots into a 2 minute time frame. Through this we also realised which shots would need to be modified or cut in order to make this strict time frame. The process we used to make the timeline was that we started off by putting down all of the shot timings. We acted out each shot in reality to see how much time each one would realistically take. Once we had all of our shots laid out we added in the titles during the longer, more static shots and added in appropriate sound effects and music.

This is our timeline, which was used to monitor how much time each shot would take and at which points we needed specific titles, sound effects or a soundtrack.

The 'Beginning' section of our timeline shows the order of the company logos and the 'morning routine' section of the sequence.

The ''Middle' (Which begins at the extended line to the top left of the sheet and ends at the next elongated line) takes place mainly in the lawyer's kitchen other than several shots at the end of the sequence.

The 'end' of the sequence is the shortest and features all of the outdoor shots of the lawyer and the jogger. 

R+P Post 10: Reflections so far/ looking ahead

So far, I am very happy with the ideas me and my group have decided to pursue and the ways in which we are progressing towards creating our sequence. I think that the stalker idea is good and allows for a wide variety of creative shots without being unrealistically difficult to film. I'm also a fan of the music we have chosen to accompany the sequence and believe that it will help to add to the clearly decided atmosphere, which every decision we have agreed upon has been helping to build towards creating. In addition, our group is working very well together with no tension or major disagreements between us, which has helped us create a cohesive vision of our sequence. With some good actors and a solid plan for filming, it will hopefully be easy to shoot our final piece.

R+P Post 9: Our opening sequence's soundtrack

The music that me and my group have chosen for use in our opening sequence is a track from 'Freeplaymusic.com' called 'Codename'. There is a link to the track here:

Codename track

We sourced the track by browsing through several  music websites containing copyright-free music such as Soundcloud and, mainly, Freeplay Music.

All of the music on this website is copyright-free, so we searched until we found an appropriate music track for an unsettling crime/thriller film opening. The tense start to the track will be used to soundtrack the beginning of the sequence, while the prominent build-and-releases of tension will be used during the ending when the lawyer hears footsteps in the forest coming towards her. The track will reach it's climax at the same time as the footsteps are revealed to be coming from the jogger, in order to aid the subversion of the action code that is presented in this scene.

Many sound effects will be required in order to make the sequence seem realistic. None of the sound effects we plan to use are particularly strange or unusual, and also note that we may record several of these effects ourselves for convenience. All of the effects can be found on copyright-free websites such as freesound.org.

 The effects we need are:

• Alarm clock ringing
• Perfume spray
• Heavy breathing (For stalker's Point-of-view shots, will be recorded live during filming):
• Door shutting:
• High heel footsteps (Will once again be recorded live, in order to make sure the footsteps sync properly with their sounds.): 
• Running in forest:

These are the main sound effects we will need to either use or produce ourselves for our opening sequence. There are likely several others that will be needed that we will only discover we require while filming.

R+P Post 8: The credits in our opening sequence

The credits in our opening sequence will be placed in the bottom corners of the appropriate shots, and will be in a font which fits with the naturalistic feel of the sequence. So far we are thinking off a bold, clean font such as the one seen below.

In addition to this, we want to make the titles fit with the tense, unsettling atmosphere by giving each title a shuddering, flickering effect such as the effect used in the opening titles to 'Shutter Island'.

The order of the titles we are going to use are as follows: Idents for institutions, Summit entertainment presents, a BBC films production, Film title, Main two actors individually, Grouped supporting cast, Casting by... , Music by..., Costume designer... , Make up by... , Director of photography, Written by... , Edited by... , Producer, Executive producer, Directed by...

R+P Post 7: Our opening sequences planned mis-en-scene

The overall look I would like for our opening sequence is one of desaturated, plain colours, mainly blacks, blues and whites, as this is common in the thriller genre, being used by many current films such as recently in the Harry Potter franchise and in many serious and critically acclaimed films such as 'Ex Machina' in 2015.

Camera: I want to use a variety of shot types that all allow the story of the opening sequence to move along swiftly. There will be several stylised shots and sequences, such as the quick close-ups of the lawyer putting on different parts of her outfit, but they will hopefully add to the uncomfortable, tense atmosphere of the opening.

Lighting: Lighting will ideally be naturalistic, in order to stop the opening looking unrealistic or surreal. This will emphasise the unsettling atmosphere, as it hopefully will make the audience feel as if the stalker situation could happen in a normal, everyday street, therefore making it feel more personal. An inspiration for this would be the lighting present in BBC crime/thriller series 'Sherlock'.

Settings: Similarly to lighting, we want the settings to look like a real bedroom, kitchen and street in order to give the impression that the events in the opening could happen in real-life suburbia. These settings will be empty other than the lawyer, rapist and jogger in order to give the feeling of isolation, heightening the atmosphere of danger as there is nobody to save the lawyer from her stalker.

Props: None of the props I plan to use are particularly unusual and are normal household objects. Important props are a kitchen radio, the business outfit for the lawyer, an alarm clock and some official documents for the lawyer to read at her kitchen table. None of these props will be particularly brightly coloured in order to fit with the desaturated colour scheme. The exception to this is the kitchen radio, which might be a brighter colour in order to signify the importance of what is being broadcast through it.

Costumes: The two costumes shown in the opening sequence - belonging to the jogger and the lawyer - will ideally both look typical and 'normal', with the lawyer wearing a blouse, a pencil skirt and high heels...

...and the jogger wearing a t-shirt, shorts and trainers.

 These are everyday clothes that will hopefully add to the realistic atmosphere of the sequence.

R+P Post 6: Our opening sequence's characters and how we plan to represent social groups

The two characters who are properly seen in the opening sequence are a female lawyer (The main focus of the sequence) and a male jogger (who only appears in full for a single shot.). There is also the character of the lawyer's stalker, although we only ever hear his heavy breathing.

The Lawyer: The lawyer functions as the main focus of the opening sequence, with the audience following her morning routine. She is in some ways the archetype of a victim in a thriller film - especially in the 'stalker' sub-genre of these films - because she is female, fairly young (late twenties), middle-class and lives alone. Through the character of the black female lawyer we are trying to target several different social groups, namely women and ethnic minorities. We plan to represent both groups as challenging to their social stereotypes, by showing her in a positive light as a strong, independent and successful woman. However, she will still fall into some female stereotypes in order to make her more relatable and realistic, for example through her costume where she will wear a skirt and high heels.

She was inspired by the character of Jessica Pearson from US TV series 'Suits', who is one of the few  black female lawyers on screen. She is a strong, independent character similarly to what we want Molcott to be.

The Jogger: Being a very minor character, there is little chance to develop the jogger as he serves mainly to worry the lawyer when she hears his footsteps in the forest. The character is a white male in his early twenties, and follows the stereotype of men being physically fit and interested in fitness, but this isn't a particularly negative stereotype. This will be connoted through his typical jogger attire and through his actions of taking a jog.

R+P Post 5: Our opening sequence idea

The idea we have for our opening sequence is typical of the crime/thriller genre. It largely consists of the main character's morning routine, which is an idea that is present in many other thrillers, such as in various episodes of TV series 'Black Mirror'.

Beginning:  The sequence starts off with our main character of a female lawyer waking up, putting on her business clothes and going downstairs, all as part of an implied morning routine.

Middle: We enter the next location through a shot of a kitchen radio, broadcasting a story about the release of a previously-convicted rapist. The name given in this broadcast as the name of the lawyer who helped to prosecute and put away this criminal is the name of the lawyer we have been following. While this broadcast is taking place we see several Point-Of-View shots of the rapist watching and filming the lawyer from his hiding place in her back garden. The lawyer doesn't notice and carries on as usual, checking her legal documents on her kitchen table.

End: The lawyer walks out of her front door and starts to walk next to a forest that is on her route to work. She hears footsteps coming quickly towards her and quickens her pace. A jogger runs out of the forest, revealing the source of the footsteps, and casually runs past her. The final shot is once again from the rapist's point of view, watching the lawyer as she walks out of shot around a corner.

This opening sequence uses several common narrative conventions such as the lawyer being followed by an unseen criminal and not noticing him. An example of the subversion of the action code is also present in the form of the building of tension and main character's reaction to the jogger's running in the forest.

R+P Post 4: Our film's genre, title and plot outline

Our film is a crime thriller and a stalker film inspired stylistically by films such as 'Seven' (1995) and 'P2' (2007). The title of this film is 'Shadow of Your Past'. The plot line of the film contains many elements that are common in thriller genre films.

The initial equilibrium is that the main character is a successful female lawyer, who has a lot of money and is generally living a good life.

The disruption is that she finds a dead rat on her doorstep, coupled with the note 'I'm Back!' she becomes paranoid and wherever she goes she starts seeing glimpses of one of the criminals she once helped put into prison. Eventually her stalker catches up with her and kidnaps her.

The attempts to resolve this disturbance take the form of the lawyer attempting to escape from the room she is kept in. She fails and is stopped by her kidnapper.

The resolution comes when the police arrive and save the lawyer, although the stalker manages to escape.

The new equilibrium at the end of the film is that the lawyer moves house and changes her job and lifestyle in order to try and stop the stalker finding her - although it is left ambiguous what has happened to the stalker.

R+P Post 3: Our production and distribution institutions

We have decided as a group to use Summit Entertainment as a distribution group to distribute our film and BBC films as a production company.


We chose BBC films as our film has a strong British feel, with it's London-based location and British cast. BBC films have produced crime films that have a similar audience and appeal including 'Blood' (2012) and 'Brighton Rock' (2010). The BBC is also has a good reputation with thriller and crime  fans due to the large amount of TV dramas that they produce in these genres, such as the popular 'Sherlock' series, meaning that it will likely have a good reputation with our target audience.



We chose Summit Entertainment because they are experienced with distributing small-budgeted thriller films, for example 'P2', a stalker-thriller from 2007 that has a similar plot and audience as our film. In addition to this, some of the most successful films to be distributed by Summit Entertainment in the past few years have been in the crime/thriller genre, specifically the 'Now You See Me' franchise.

R+P Post 2: Our target audience and how we plan to attract/address them

Our primary target audience are crime/thriller fans with a secondary audience of young adults and a tertiary audience of fans of British films. We hope to interest crime/thriller audiences who are familiar with the stalker sub-genre of film with an original creation, as it has been several years since a significantly critically acclaimed or heavily promoted stalker film has been given a release in the UK. We will try and target young audiences by having a cast that consists mainly of characters in their twenties and by having a high volume of action and tension. Finally, we will attempt to gain the interest of fans of British films, with our film's British cast, crew and locations.

In order to see what young people enjoyed (and disliked) in modern thriller movies we asked several people who were aged 16-25 why they watched or why they didn't watch thriller/crime films. For clarification, question 1 was "Do you watch crime/thriller films?" and question 2 was "Why/ why not?"

The certification we want for our film is 15+ as specified by the bbfc. The boundaries of what a '15' film looks like are listed below on a screen-cap of the bbfc website:

This criteria is met by many of the shots and themes present in our film idea, as it will contain strong threat, strong violence and likely strong language, and especially when considering that the whole film will appear realistic and plausible.

R+P Post 1: How we intend to work as a group

My group consists of me, Meera Nakrani and Sian Richefond.

We intend to work as a cohesive group with our specialities in different areas, but with no clear leader. My area of speciality for example, is likely going to be in thinking of the practicality and cinematography of each shot rather than the actual ideas and plot behind. In order to communicate and maximise our skillset as a group we have set up a Whatsapp group chat so we can communicate ideas and organise meetings. We will meet mainly during lunchtimes at school, since none of us are busy and can all easily be punctual a majority of the time. We will also likely have several meetings after school if we need to discuss an issue further or if a lunchtime session is delayed.