Final Thriller Film

Film Production Diary

The Journey

This page is a diary of the journey that we went through to make the final thriller film. We went through many stages and on this page is where it will be shown at every stage. It will explain what went on and how this benefited us and our film. 

We started off by planning our film by drawing what we imagined onto a storyboard. The storyboards consists of different camera angles, the sound and what will be happening in this scene. 

This is the final storyboard of what our film should end up looking like and the sequence of which it should end as. 


The next step of creating our thriller was to create an Ident which would fit into this as our production company, the name we came up with was, 'Ellipsis Productions'. We made the Ident in Final Cut express. We then searched for music that would fit our Ident and which would potentially fit a scene of our film. We done some research on this and we got in contact with the people who made the music. They agreed that we was able to use the music. We had to add the beginning titles, we added the Director in with the Ident to make it more effective. We then planned to add all of the other titles in to the beginning scene to the film. 

We then started to film our first scene. The setting of our film was very different to how we planned it. We planned it as the woman was walking down a dark road at night and then gets captured. We didn't really like the thought of filming at night because we would need a lot of lights in able for the cameras to capture the action. So instead of this we ended up filming our first scene in an alley which looked very isolated and suspicious.



Due to the result of our filming of this first scene, we came to a decision to make sure we done it again. The reason why we thought to do it again was because it did not look realistic and the weather was sunny as we wanted a more dull atmosphere. 


We then went and filmed again, making the sequences shorter and using much more camera angles to make it look realistic. It was raining on the day that re-done this scene which we was very happy about as rain shows a sign of sadness and suited the atmosphere very much. We was very happy with this outcome and we decided to use this in our film. 

For the main part of our film we was really struggling about where to set this and where we would get all of the props and actors from. In the end we achieved all of the things we didn't think we would have. Thirteen of our friends showed up in order to be in this film which we was very pleased about. We set this scene in the Robert Clack drama rooms instead of the All Saints one as the lights were much better. We then borrowed a table, cloth and a poker set from people we knew which really set the atmosphere of the casino. We was very happy about this, however the battery of the camera went when we was filming the last part. As the battery went we had to charge it for about 10 minutes whilst everyone prepared themselves. 

We looked back at the last part of the film where we was rushing due to the camera losing battery and we really wasn't happy with the camera angles. There was no time left to film this again, we were unhappy about the shots but we added it transitions to make it a little bit more effective.

As we was about to publish our film, we was told that it was too long. This caused loads of confusion as many scenes had to be deleted. The only way that we could have made it much shorter was by deleting the first scene where the girl was taken, and put it in towards the end as a flashback. In the end of all of this it made our film look so much better, it also made more sense too. We realised that this was probably for the best for our film as many scenes were longer than they had to be. Trimming down some scenes of our film really helped and the outcome was at the correct time. 

Audience Feedback

Rough Cut

Rough Cut

This is the Rough Cut of our film before we adapted it and uploaded the final video. This video is quite messy as we was in the process of making our video better. We was in the middle of taking off all of our first part and just making it into a little flashback. Looking back at this Rough Cut we now know what we have to make better, shorten and even delete. 

Preliminary Exercise Evaluation

Preliminary Exercise Evaluation

For this exercise we had to include many editing techniques into our sequence. This short film was about a pupil being late for class and responding to the teacher in an unacceptable manor. Whilst filming this, there were many techniques that we had to include, these were: Match on Action, Eye line Match Shot, Shot/Reverse Shot and not breaking the 180 degree rule.

We used all of these techniques through our film to complete the task. We did not break the 180 degree rule as the two characters in the same scene always had the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera did pass over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it would be called ‘crossing the line’.

Match on Action is when the character starts an action in one shot and then see them continue in the next. We was able to create the match on action very smoothly. We used the Match on Action three times within our film. We used it as the pupil was walking up the stairs, walking down the corridor and walking through a door.

We used a very simple Eye line Match Shot within our film. An Eye line Match Shot is when we see a character looking at something off screen and then we cut to a shot of what they are looking at. We used this twice with different characters but with the same object. We done this to show that they were both looking at the same object.

Finally we used the shot/reverse shot to show the conversation between the pupil and the teacher. We also added in a master shot to show who the conversation was between. The shot/reverse shot was shown by only showing the shoulder of character A as character B speaks. This then swaps to show the response.

In my opinion we used all of the techniques correctly. However the Eye line Match Shot was very unstable. If this wasn’t unstable the whole sequence would have been accurate. During the editing of our film, we watched back what we have filmed. We realised that whilst speaking, it wasn’t picking up any sound. This was due to the microphone not being turned on. However, we resolved this by doing a voiceover on top of what had been said. This solved our problem. Next time we have learned to check everything is fine and turned on before we start filming. Also it would be a good idea to play back what we have filmed just in case there were any errors.

Overall I thought our film was very good in the way everything was set out and how it all worked out. I thought that the way we edited our film was very smooth and had no mistakes. To make improvements on this film we would use a tripod whilst filming the Eye line Match Shot. This is because it would be stable and look much better. Also to improve for next time we would make sure that the microphone is on and working and play back what we have filmed.

Preliminary Exercise

Sound Evaluation

Sound Evaluation

The story based around this sound exercise was to create a short argument. The argument was shown on the reality TV show Jeremy Kyle. This argument was between a mother of a sick daughter and her best friend. They were arguing because the best friend is taking the mental patient for advantage. 

During this sound exercise it was beneficial to use the microphone. Also using the 'Master Shot' and the 'Over the shoulder shot'. These are the main things to use whilst filming a conversation. We also explored many camera shots such as 'Pan' and 'Point of view'. As we was editing, we made sure to include all of these techniques. 

We was able to create all of the following techniques. We created the 'Master Shot' simply by placing the camera on the tripod and being able to fit both of the people in the frame. The 'over the shoulder shot' was created when having a conversation. As the person in the conversation was speaking, we would film the shoulder/head of the person that is being spoken to. This was because it shows who the conversation is between. It then is used in the same way as the other person replies. We added in some camera shots which included 'Pan' and 'Point of view'. We used the 'Pan shot as Jeremy started to walk from one side of the frame to the other. This was to show his movement. The 'point of view' shot was used to show the camera man chasing after someone. This shows the point of view of what they see as if you was them. 

I think looking back at our footage that we did use each technique accurately. However, I think that we did not really use the microphone as well as we could have done. I think that every scene where someone was speaking, the microphone should have been closer in able to get a more clear sound. For next time we would definitely make sure that the microphone is closer to the person speaking to get a better sound. 

Overall, the most positive elements of our film was the way we used the 'Master shot' and the 'over the shoulder shot'. I thought that the way we was able to use both of them and make it look accurate was done very well. Also whilst editing these together was done very good as there were no faults. I think to make improvements we would make sure that the microphone was closer to the sound which would produce a more clearer sound. 

Sound Exercise

Camera Angle Practice Evaluation

Evaluation

The story that we were trying to tell was all about a drug deal gone wrong. The story is based upon a group of people getting themselves involved in a drug deal. However it all goes wrong and the worst happens to them. Whilst making this video we tried to include as many camera shots and movements as possible. I know that we included tilt, pan, close up, high angle, low angle, medium shot, point of view, and over the shoulder shot. We did not include all of them due to the time given to create this video. I think if we had more time, we would have more ideas on when to use them all.

Whilst filming we thought very hard about which shots and movements would suit the particular scene. The first scene shown is the drug deal. We used 'tilt' to show the bottom of the dealer’s feet and slowly worked its way up to show the face. We then used 'pan' to lead the walk of the other person. 

The second scene we used a 'high angle' to show the conversation between two people in a police interview. The high angle can also show status as people usually look down on people who are in prison. It was also very close to show the audience exactly who the people are and if they recognize anyone from the scene before.

The scene after was a prison break. We chose to use a 'medium shot’, which included the gate opening and the person breaking out. If it was closer I thought that people wouldn't really understand what the person was doing. Also if it was shown further back it would have shown too much around the gate and wouldn't really be focused on the person breaking out.

As the prison break was successful we chose to show a 'low angle shot' of the person who broke out. This was because it shows dominance and that they are bigger than other people. It also gives the view that she may be a villain.

We showed a 'point of view shot' to give the audience a clue of that the person is meeting someone. Until the person is shown, the audience does not know who the character is.

Finally we used an 'over the shoulder shot' to show the conversation between two people. It was very useful, as the camera didn't have to keep going back and forward to show each person speaking.

The choices were successful but we also could have added in more. I think the more we added in the more ideas we would have had about extra scenes. However if there were too many shown it may have made the video look overdone. 

The shots were not very good in my opinion. I thought that having a steady-cam for a few of the scenes would have been easier than moving the camera around. Some of the shots were not very continuous, for example the movement from the tilt to the pan. There was a stop between the two that made the camera dodge a little. Most frames were filmed appropriately but some could have been changed. Such as the police interview scene, I thought that it should have been a 'crane shot' instead of a 'high angle shot'. 

Overall the most positive elements of our film were that we thought very hard when to use the camera angles and when it was appropriate to. I thought that choosing reasonable locations for the film was very good as it made the film look more realistic. In our film using effects that would have made our film look better quality could have made the improvements. We would need to make improvements with being able to use the right camera angles when it looks appropriate. Also I think that we would need to make improvements by making the camera more steady and clear. 

Camera Angle Practise Exercise