Responding to Feedback

Responding to Feedback

In the feedback we received from Miss Spencer, we were told that the soundtrack made the first cut sound like a trailer. Whilst we didn't want it to sound like a trailer, we also didn't want it to be just diegetic sound, as this does not create the tension needed for a horror film. We decided to get feedback from the music teacher in the school who said that it may be beneficial to use .....

When we removed the music, we realised that the natural sounds in the background were a lot louder in some shots than others. This is mainly due to moving the camera during filming. In premier pro, you can change the decibels of each shot. After altering the sound, we found that the shots flowed together much better and it made it seem like it was all a scene, rather than shots put together.

We completed filming on the flashback sequence. We decided to use close up shots throughout the whole sequence, as it helps to represent that these flashbacks are based off the memories of the killer. We also didn't want to show the actual kill, as we thought it would be beneficial to the story if we left it for later on in the film.

Feedback - Miss Spencer

First Cut Feedback

There are some fantastic elements to this film, the pace is excellent, giving a feeling of a slow start with a build up towards the end of the opening. There is a variety of camera shots, angles and movement and your narrative is starting to become clearer.

In order to help with progress think about the following:

• Sort out the sound glitches and differences in volume.
• Think about adding some more ambient sound to the opening
• the music makes it feel too much like a trailer - think about losing this entirely and replacing with interesting sound effects
• build up your flashback scene, using an aftereffects zoom into the eye. This will help the narrative flow better. Ensure that this part has a clear colour differentiation so it is clear this is a flashback.

First Cut Video

First Cut Review

Cut
We first had to narrow down our clips to ones that were usable and without mistakes. We reduced the need to re-film any shots due to having several shoots of each shot. Despite making it time consuming in post production, it was worth it as it would have been more time consuming to go out and film again. We made the decision to go from very infrequent cuts at the beginning to quite frequent cuts towards the end to show a build up of tension and also to tease the audience that something eventful was going to happen.

Effects
We added a light blue filter to our project. This is to adhere to the convention of horror because it is a quite cold colour and the one thing we didn't want to do is make the setting look vibrant. Therefore taking away some of the natural colour was crucial. We are currently trying to decide upon which filters to use in our flashback sequence, as we don't want it to look to similar to the others in that you cannot know if its a flashback or not, but equally we don't want it too different that it looks out of place in the film. We could consider maybe a tilt shift or a shorter depth of field, as this could show that the killers memories are not too clear.

Sound
We tried to make our film tense and eerie but it was difficult to do because of the lack of action in the opening of the film. Therefore, we needed to try and add this with the use of sound, as sound can be powerful in films. A film that incorporates a great soundtrack is Interstellar (2014). Christopher Nolan worked with composer Hans Zimmer to create a soundtrack that emphasized the scale and mystery of the film. However, as we are so early in the film, and the audience had no clear understanding of what was going on at this point, we felt that adding music would be unnecessary. As a substitute, we decided that we should have frequent ambient sounds to maintain the intensity of the scene.

As well as this, we needed sound effects. We decided that we wanted a crow sound in the background that alerts the killer during his meditation. This is because crows are usually heard at graveyards and often symbolise death. Also, it is a very aggressive sound and it keeps the audience on edge.

We decided to remove the sound completely in the scenes that he was meditating in, as we believed this would convey that he was untouched by his surroundings and in deep thought. It also clarifies that he is meditating. The silence also helped with emphasizing the crow sound effect, as it is heard from silence. The sound returns as normal after this to show an awakening.

Risk Assessment

Organisation name: Medium Carmine Productions

What are the hazards?	Who might be harmed and how?	What are you already doing?	Do you need to do anything else to manage this risk?	Action by whom?	Action by when?	Done
Slips and trips	Staff and visitors may be injured if they trip over objects or slip on spillages	We can look at the surrounding area we are going to use and remove any sticks or twigs that may be a trip hazard.	Have spatial awareness.	All of the film crew.	20/10/2014
Weather	The weather may be rain on the day of filming, which could cause an issue as the filming equipment could be damaged.	We have looked at the weather forecast to determine the best day of filming.	We can choose to film on a different day	All of the film crew.	20/10/2014
Objects falling from the sky	One of the crew members could be harmed and it may cause head injury.	We are looking at the surroundings and seeing what objects could fall.	We could wear hard hats to reduce the damage they can cause.	All of the film crew. (except actors when on air)	20/10/2014

Film titles & Logo

Titles

The titles in the film se7en have a very interesting animation. The titles change the font size in short bursts, as the title 'se7en' goes from going from a smaller font from the left to a large font that is centred for a split second. Also, the titles are very shaky. This could be used to build suspense and represent perhaps some instability with the characters. The font itself closely resembles handwriting. This could connote that there is a manipulative character in the story who is controlling. When the actors names are being displayed, on the opposing side to the name there are photographs that look like newspaper articles. This could be used to show that the story is based off of something that happened in the past, and this affects the story. The fact that the titles are white on a dark background shows the story will be dark, but have glimpses of hope and good.

The Walking Dead is a horror genre TV show. In its opening titles, it follows a similar pattern to seven in that it is a dark background with light text. However, they use colors like greens and browns. This is perhaps used to represent the forests and rural areas of Georgia, where it is set. This is something we could consider for our film, as ours is set in a woods. The font is capitalized and in bold to draw attention to it. This is similar to Se7en.

The actors names are displayed using extreme close up shots  and long shots. The names are usually displayed either to the left or to the right and at a part of the shot that is out of focus. This is so that it remains easy to read. The image also has a sepia filter to it, making it all flow together and making all the pictures look like they go together.l





With 'Evil Dead', the text is in red to represent blood. This is foreshadowing the violence that will be involved in the film. Also there are what appear to be branches silhouetted onto the text. This symbolizes both the setting, which may be in the woods or a forest, and also the mentality of the characters, as it may show that they are reliant upon each other and held up by something bigger than them, like the branches.

The names of those involved is also in red, with extreme close up shots of blood in the background. The names are in capitals to make the viewer subconsciously 'shout' it in their head, which helps build up tension. The colors of the background are black and red, with a bit of green. The green could again represent woods or forest or a rural area.

Production Schedule / Filming Schedule

Production Schedule – Widows Creek

Date	Task	Complete Y/N
W/C: 3/11/14	Complete filming.	Y
W/C: 10/11/14	Editing.	Y
W/C: 17/11/14	Creating graphics & titles.	Y
W/C: 24/11/14	Continue creating graphics & titles.	Y
W/C: 01/12/14	Sourcing sound/music.	N
W/C: 08/12/14	Blogging all stages of filming. Uploading all elements from Foundation Portfolio onto blog.	N
W/C: 15/12/14	Film to be handed in to be marked over the Christmas Break.	N