Overdue

The coursework was overdue by a week. We understand that marks will be taken off but we had tried the best that we could. From this, me and my group realise the importance of time management and that we could learn from this in the future.

Evaluation.

• We have used the conventions of a thriller by developing a mystery of a murderer whom nobody knows of as in most thrillers, there are mainly heroes or villains, or even both. It also has mystery in it to create suspense and drama, which is included as we don’t know who the murderer is. Thrillers have suspense in the beginning of the film so you can tell what genre the film is from the beginning, which is done so in our opening sequence aswell. The camera work of the sequence was used in the dark room as moving slow around the room, to create suspense.
• The music creates that mysterious effect to make the audience aware of what kind of film it is going to be.
• In terms of challenging conventions, I don’t think we have combined genre’s with any other genres.
• In the opening sequence, we have not really incorporated elements from the beginning or the end of the film.

• The social group presented in this production is teenagers. Teenagers are presented in this badly in a way as they are suspects of a murder which stereotypes them to be violent and in use of abuse. However on the other hand, they are seen in a positive way as they are relative to the audience age group.

• Films like ‘The fast and furious’ and ‘2 fast 2 furious’ thrillers produced by Universal Pictures. This is a universal based production company which would be ideal for our product. However, a thriller from the UK such as ‘Blue Murder’ was produced by ITV Productions which is based in the UK, which would also be ideal for our product as it is more local.

• After gathering information from the questionnaire we produced, we gathered that our primary target audience was from ages 15- 18. As a whole, our preferred target audience would be of that age group but instead of it being until 18 years of age, it would be ideal for it to be around 20 years. The lower age preferable is 14.
• Techniques and elements such as including characters of the teen age-group makes the teenage audience more interested in the film as they can relate to it better. Both boys and girls are used so it is available to both genders watching.
• By the whole process of making this opening sequence, I have learnt how to make a blog and how to update it. I have also learnt how to use a camera and a tripod and how to set it up and dismantle it. Editing the software was also new to me but as I started using it and got more used to it, I had learnt how to use the software and am aware of it now.
• Looking at the preliminary task, I feel that I have progressed in learning from the finished product. Working in a group made me aware of each individual having to participate and sharing the tasks out well. I also got on well with my group so it helped in our work also. I feel that my communication skills have increased as I have been communicating well with my fellow group members to discuss the tasks left to do regarding the coursework, out of lesson also. Time management was something I found a bit tricky along with the rest of the group. We had spent a lot of our time trying to find the actors to act in our sequence. If I was to do this again, or instead of this, I would have got the actors sorted within the first week where the coursework began so I could have spent more time on filming and editing. I feel that we have hardly left time for us to edit and we’d spent most of our time on the actors, and filming.
• During the first few times of setting up the camera and tripod, I found it difficult and tricky but once I had used it a few times and got used to it, I was aware of how to set it up exactly and how to use it.
• Before this production taking place, I wasn’t aware of any rules for filming however I am now familiar with the 180 degree rule and how it works. At the end of this project as a whole, I have learnt a lot to do with media. It is the first time I am learning about it and I have found it very interesting along with learning a major variety on it.
• Skills I need to improve on would be editing skills as I did sometimes hesitate in what to do. Also, the others were more in control of editing. Filming was alright as it was a simple procedure of just pressing the record button, on and off. Time management is a key value I need to improve on in not just media, but everything in general. I have noticed that I think I have enough time to complete tasks and then leave them for the last minute, which is wrong. To overcome this, I now know that I should complete my tasks on time so there won’t be a problem in my timing.
• On the whole, I feel working in a group has been beneficial and the teamwork was shared and done well.

Filming

We filmed in The dark room, The college toilets and LGM04.
For filming we used a camera and a tripod to balance the camera on in order to create good, stable scenes.

In the dark room, we filmed the pictures being developed. We learnt that the camera light couldn't be on due to the picture becoming black and foggy if we did this, so we put the light on after it went into the 'wash' and out of the developnent area.

In LGMO4, we filmed the interview scenes. We filmed it in this room as it had the necessary apparatus that we needed. It had a table, chair and also had a white background to make it look like a plain interview room.

In the College toilets, we filmed Sineads legs and put blood marks on the floor (ketchup). This was ideal as we had to use a floor that we could clean up after we had used it although we had to put binbags on the floor so it wouldn't mess the tiles up in the bathroom (as it was all newly refurbished and we wouldn't want to get in trouble either) . We couldn't do this anywhere else in the college as the rest of the rooms had carpet in.

Overall, filming taught me a lot of things and helped me in knowing how it works as before, I did not know anything about it. It is not as easy as it seems as it is very important putting the camera in the right place as different angles are portrayed in different ways.

Script Overbrief.

Officer Joel: So... How would you describe your relationship with Miss... Lauren Ralph? I understand that the two of you didn't really ever see eye to eye.

Samantha: Ye, your right - we didn't - she was a bitch!... But... I couldn't have done this.

Karl: (looks down, he looks weak with pain, dazed in disbelief)

Duncan: It's true, not many people liked her, she didn't have many true friends, but she really didn't deserve this.

Kimberly: Look at her, look how beautiful she is...i mean... was... She had everything - everything.

Karl: Who could have done this?

Officer Joel: I've deduced that whoever did do this was pure evil. In this college, Miss Ralph wasn't exactly one of the most favoured students amongst her peers. Whoever killed young Lauren must have genuinely despised her... A lot of planning went into this, so it seems... For some unknown reason, they really wanted her dead.

Kimberly: I can't believe she's gone.

Karl: I was in love with her...

Editing

To edit, we used a software called Final Cut Pro. At first when using this software, I found it very new and different. However it was an apple computer so I was used to the computer itself as I have one of those at home. It was different in the sense that we had two computer screens for one computer. It was also the first time on using Final Cut Pro but I had enjoyed learning something new. I found it quite hard to use when I tried to do things on my own. With Paula's help and guidance, I started getting used to it and became more aware of what to use.

We started off by putting the Star Wars trailer together and then editing it. I did this on my own as the other two were working together, and we could only work in pairs. I was quite clueless about what to do at first but just tried a few things and asked Paula for help when needed. After this, I found it easier to deal with. Overall, I think my group and I had used this really well after we got the jist of how to use it and it resulted in good editing.

When we were editing, we had to put the tape into a machine linked to the computer, in order for us to watch it and edit it. This was also something new I had learnt how to do.


We learnt how to render our work each time we added something new to it in order for it not to take too long in rendering it all at the end. If it wasn't rendered, a sign would come up on the screen showing 'Unrendered'.


We also used effects between the scenes such as 'Luminance Map' and 'Cross fade' not to make the scenes look disorganised or cut. We also made several scenes black and white to make it look more cold and left the Dark Room scenes as normal.


We added music in this to add an effect of non-diagetic sounds and make it seem more interesting. After we had done this, we had all realised that music was very important source to add into it and we were glad we did. We added the song 'G4L' from 'Rihanna' as it was talking about revenge and we felt that it had fit perfectly with the sequence. We had also added heartbeats which made it very intense.

Costumes

Lauren
Wearing leggings that are ripped with slits, in a variety of places.
A patterened bra showing through her ripped top which will be in a similar state to her leggings.
These slits are to her bruises and cuts when she was murdered.

Karl
To habe an image of a geek.
Wearing a shirt with his button to the top, and smart trousers.

Kimberly
Dressed standardly in a top and jeans.

Samantha
Dressed standardly in a top and jeans.

Characters

Lauren Ralph: (Main) Lauren is a popular teenage girl that attends Sutton coldfield College. Lauren is pretty but not the average popular dopey student, there was much more to her than that as she was also very sophisticated and brainy. If there was something that she wanted then she knew what to do to get it. She was loved by few hated by many!

Karl: (Laurens Obssessive Stalker) Karl has had a crush on lauren ever since they were 4 years old and in the same class at primary school. He is very emotional towards lauren whether she is just meantioned in a conversation, he is also very protective over her. Karl thinks that laurens friends and especially her boyfriend dont deserve her. Therefore if Karl cant have her and love her as his own, then no one can.

Kimberly: (Lauren's Best friend) Kimberly and Lauren have been best friends since they were in nursery and maintained that friendship right until college. However Kimberly was not as recognisable as Lauren was. People in college would vow to say that kim was jealous of Lauren. However a photo of Lauren and Kimberlys crush was posted throught kim's door. Could that have been the final straw for kim.

Samantha: (laurens arch-nemisis) Lauren and Samantha have hated each other ever since they could remember. It was even obvious to people completely oblivious to the little 'circle'. They Day before Laurens death Samantha and Lauren encountered in yee old fistycuffs and sam was heard shouting after their fight 'Im going to kill her if its the last thing i do' But would samantha really fulfil this statement of hers?

Our first intentions of the actors were to be :

Lauren will be played by Alisha
Karl will be played by Karl
Kimberly will be played by Armanee
Officer Joels voice will be the voice of Matthew
Duncan will be played by Jatinder
Samantha will be played by Naadhirah

However this didn't go as plan as it was filming in the week of exams so there were a nuimber of issues as to what times to film etc. This was also one of the reasons why we got delayed.
Armanee and I had shot our scenes but we felt that we didn't want to play the parts and would rather help out in directing and filming so we decided to get others to act instead.

So Lauren was played by Sinead (but the pictures were taken of Alisha.)
Samantha was played by Taytum

Kimberly was played by Charlotte.

Main story

The main story;
The main character is a girl called Lauren. She is an up to date girl which all the girls envy and boys want. She gets killed by someone but nobody knows who the mystery person could be.

The opening sequence of the movie shows a teenage girl (Lauren's rival) in an interview regarding Lauren's murder. She claims 'Lauren was a bitch, anyone could have done this to her'.

After this, Laurens dead body in a pool of blood is flashed onto the screen for approx. two seconds. We see her legs with her tights ripped.

These flashes continue to happen with her face too. A flash after that is of Laurens killer in a dark room developing several photographs of Lauren. These were took when she was unaware of them being taken of her.

Then within the few flashes of the killer, we see others getting questioned about her. After this, Karl, her childhood admirer is asked, and he clearly looks shocked and hurt as he says 'How could someone even do this?'

Then we see another shot of someone holding a camera.

The next person to be interviewed is Lauren's ex boyfriend and says she didn't deserve this. Then a shot of Lauren is shown again, with her top ripped.

The fourth to be interviewed was her best friend. She claimed that she only trusted and she's let her down. What could this mean?

Lauren's dead face is then flashed on the screen.

The boy who was crying at the start is shown again - but only his tearful eyes.

Then we see Officer Joel standing up saying 'Whoever has done this was obviously seeking revenge, boy or girl, we don't know yet, but we know that they wanted her dead.'

There's then a shot of the dark room with developing photo's of Lauren. These photo's are of her eating in the cantene, seeing friends, working, and several shots that are taken which she is unaware of.

Then her ex-boyfriend is seen and said 'How could they do this? That is sick. It's crazy'. Then a shot of her full body is shown in the Dark room floor.

Karls mouth is seen open wide. He says 'I was in love with her. How could someone do this?'

After all of these shots, there is a shot of the killer coming out of the dark room which is merged with a shot of the door with a Crime scene Investigation tape stuck onto it. Non-diagetic sound of police sirens will also be heard.

Visible editing is used when the screen fades to black and then it re-appears with a close up of a TV and a live broadcast about the murder. Officer Joel is being interviewed. Shots show that the TV is being watched from the common room in College. Pupils all seemed shocked and start to whisper.

Then there's an announcement that all students must go to the theatre room straight away.

Dates for filming

My group and I hope to start the filming from Wednesday 20th of January onwards.
We will be using 3 different locations. One of which will be the dark room at Sutton coldfield design centre. The other in the media room, as an interview room and a college corridor to shoot the close up shots and long shot of the dead tortured body.
We will aim to shoot the dark room scene on Wednesday 20th January at around 1.45 pm and aim to finish it that day.
We hope to shoot the interviewing scenes Monday 25th of January and finish by the week of February 1st.

However....
We ended up finishing our final scene on Monday 8th February. This was the dark room scene that we ended up deciding to shoot it last.

Locations

The interview room will be in the classroom - LGM04.
The dark room will be in the Art Centre.