Filming Schedule

We had discussed the area which we would shoot, and liked the idea of the area of shooting being somewhere with a  lot of things to hide behind, for instance a graveyard or the woods. 

Therefore we tried the woods, but the lack of light at night time was too significant making things too blurry to see. As well as making everything seem extremely blurry.  As a result of this the location was discussed again and we decided to shoot on a field next to a community centre because at night it meant that there would be light from the community centre, enough light for the character to be visible without so much light that the villain would not be hidden.

We wanted all shots to be filmed in one session, so we have planned to film on Wednesday 3rd March as it is a day in which all actors were available.

Shot list

Shot list

• An establishing shot which sets the scene but also includes the main character
• A mid shot from the point of view of the killer creeping behind a tree.
• A panning shot as the victim walks
• Low angled, mid-long shot of killer attacking victim.
• Close up of killer's mask.
• A mid shot of the killer hovering over the dead victim
• A panning shot of the killer leaving the body
• Short shot reverse shot between the killer's perspective and an over the shoulder shot of the killer.
• Over the shoulder shot of phone calling 999 
• Tracking shot of the killer leaving the scene

Titles

We wanted to include an already popular production company, (which we chose New Line Cinema) combined with our own (named KSR Films) to tie in it's relation with the UK film industry. In titles we wanted to include many crew members, as well as the main members of the cast. We wished to include Director, Producer, Casting Director, Writer, Editor and Cinematographer, as well as the title of the film, as these are all important roles in film making, and usually used in the opening credits. These roles would be filled with ether random names or names of friends, but not famous members of their particular field. 

   These would be written in a bold, basic font, and ether in white or red on a black background. Both colours are particularly conventional for the thriller and horror genre, as white is a cold, clinical colour, whilst red has violent connotations with blood, warning, anger and death.

Planning and outlines.

We started planning ideas, brainstorming possible titles, plot-lines and styles of film. We settled on a serial killer story, which has been highly popular for decades. Our original idea was called "Darkroom" which would involve the character taking pictures of his victims and leaving them in strategic places, but focusing on the police trying to catch him (similar to Seven). However, we had no way of filming our original ideas due to lack of photographical knowledge and not being able to fake a police scene. We changed to another idea, of a masked killer. We believed this was heavily stereotyped, so we wished to break conventions of him murdering in fairly public locations, and not being particularly cunning in his murders, with no thought left to hiding clues to who he is, just wanting to repeatedly kill. 

   From here we began to storyboard our ideas, roughly planning the shots we wished to take. We stuck mostly to this, but during filming, we decided to film extra shots we devised there and then. However, not all these made the cut. 

Storyboards

These are the storyboards we have developed as a basis around our filming. Some of these may not make the final cut, as we are unsure of the length of all these together at the pace we want.

Mood Board

These are films we have taken inspiration from, and are all well received by both critics and the box office. We have drawn heavy influence from films such as Seven and Taken amongst others, due to plot similarities, and the editing technique. All included are archetypal films of the thriller and horror genre.

Analysis of other film openings - Saw

For inspiration for our film, we studied a range of thriller films, from high octane action thrillers such as Taken to psychological/horror thrillers such as Seven, Saw, and Memento. We analysed the techniques they used to open their film, and found which was most effective for us. The opening of Seven was an original inspiration for its way of integrating its credits into it's action.We also studied some of the more popular film companies, and which style of films they produce.

Here are the notes made whilst studying the opening of Saw (until 2:00)

After the introduction from the film production companies, which themselves have animations suitable for the horror genre (diegetic thunder and barbed wire) the opening credits roll. A black background with blue font words over. These words flicker, and move,

as if on, or in water.

This, combined with the diegetic sound of muffled water, makes more sense when a blue light drifts in front of a camera, revealing a close up shot of an unnamed man underwater. As the light drifts out of shot, the title of the film appears, in the same blue font.

At this point, the non-diegetic strings (that have blended with the water trickling) have came to a high pitched, screeching climax as the letters get bigger and fade.

The next shot is of the a close up persons feet as the light moves lower, showing the character is fully clothed, in a bathtub, and the light is drifting towards the plug hole.

The camera returns to the previous shot, where the man wakes up. In the instant his eyes open, he breathes in panic, creating a clearer, loud bubbling sound to shock the viewer, when juxtaposed next to the serenity of the previous shots.

The next few, very brief shots switch between the two shots as you see the man panic to get out of the water, combined with the diegetic water sounds created.

In the panic, the man pulls the plug, in which the light is pulled into. This particular shot is extreme close up, and the sound becomes muffed again.

The entire bathtub is shown in a medium long shot, showing the man coughing and splashing. This shows more of the room. The lighting is dark, but with a strong blue tint, creating a very cold atmosphere. Despite the darkness, the details are just visible, showing a rusted, grimy bathroom, with dirt on the walls.

The shot switches back to the extreme close up of the plug hole, with the same muffled diegetic sound, and like before, these shots are switched between until the light is pulled down, and the man falls out of the bath. The camera pans slightly, and tilts downwards, following him. This continues as he stands, and follows the chain attached to his leg.

There is a diegetic rattle of chains, and drain of water at this point, as well as an ominous low non-diegetic sound. This is the first time the man talks, expressing his confusion. His voice is very high pitched in comparison to the low gruff voice that appears soon. Soon after this plead, he hears a sound, like an orchestral scratching. Whether this is diegetic or non-diegetic is unsure, but it is suggested it is, due to the reaction of the character in shot.

As the scene continues, a non-diegetic orchestral sound intensifies, building tension throughout the conversation.

When the conversation reaches the point where the lights are turned on, there is a sharp diegetic fizz of the lights, and the film switches between shots, always returning to one; a tracking shot of the ceiling, as each light turns on. In between these, there is a medium shot, medium long shot and a medium close-up of the character, reacting to the light intensifying. These lights also intensify the blue tint of the shot from before, keeping the cold atmosphere of the bathroom.