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.