Final Project

Evaluation - Question 7

Evaluation - Question 6

Evaluation - Question 5

Evaluation - Question 4

Evaluation - Question 3

Evaluation - Question 2

Evaluation - Question 1

Filming for First Draft - Solutions

Although I did encounter problems during filming, I managed to find solutions which solved these problems.

• The first solution was the problem of my sister not being able to film for long as she was needed at work. However, I solved this by working quickly to produce good quality shots without compromising the continuity of the filming. 
• The second problem was the fact that the sound of my parents watching television could disrupt the narratiev of the opening sequence. This problem was quickly solved by asking my parents to not watch the television or make any unnecessary sounds during the filming. This was achieved and I had no background noise in the shots.

Filming for First Draft - Problems

I encountered some problems during the filming. These were:

• The first problem I encountered was the actual amount of time my sister could spend on filming. She was due at work so we were limited with the amount of time we could film for before she had to go to work.

• The second problem I ecountered was the fact that my parents were sat in the living room watching the television. This was a problem because if they had the television on too loud then it would disrupt the sound of the shots that I was filming. It would also ruin the narrative as the girl is meant to be home alone.
  

Planning - Props #2

These are the props that the burglar (me) will use during the opening sequence. I will only use one main prop. This one main prop will be a cardboard knife that I will use to confront the main character. Below is a picture of the prop:

Plastic knife:
The plastic knife will appear in the very last shot (shot 20). It will only appear in the last shot as the burglar confronts the victim and draws out the knife to attack her.
 

Planning - Props #1

Along with the costumes, props will be used to create a sense of mystery throughout the opening sequence. 

The main character (Rebecca) will have one main prop that she uses. This is a frying pan which she uses to combat the burglar. Other props that she will have access to are:

• the remote control which she uses to switch television channels 
• the television itself. 

Below are pictures of the props that the main character will use:

Frying pan

The frying pan will be used to combat the burglar and will feature in shots 13 - 16. The frying pan will not appear after that as the burglar will knock the pan out of the main character's hand.

Remote control 

The remote control will feature in shots 8 - 11. The main character will use the remote control to turn up the volume of the television and turn off the television completely.


Television                                   
The television will appear in shots 6, 8 and 10. The television  appear in these shots as the audience see the main character watching it. These shots with be intercut with shots of the burglar upstairs. The main character will then turn the television off.      
    

Planning - Costumes

There will be two characters in the opening sequence so, there will be two costumes.

- My sister Rebecca's costume consists of a white polka dot top which is paired with jeans. Rebecca is wearing casual clothes as in the narrative, she is lounging at home when a burglar breaks into her house.

- My costume will consist of black trousers and a hooded jumper. The hooded jumper will ensure I look mysterious. I need to look mysterious as I am playing the burglar who breaks into the house.

Draft Evaluation

Audience Feedback for Final Piece

This is the full audience feedback for my final piece. This gives a better insight into the strengths of the opening sequence and the improvements that could be made. 

Research for Low Budget Film Distribution Companies

This section of the evaluation is where I research some low budget film distribution companies that could potentially distribute my film.

There are four major short film distributors in the UK:

• Dazzle
• Futureshorts
• Network Ireland TV
• Shorts International 

(Information from http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/guide/distribution/distribution)

There is a whole list of low budget film distributors of British films that could possibly be interested in distributing my film.

Final Edit

This is the final edit of my opening sequence for a thriller film.

(All the sound that is included in the final edit is from freesfx.co.uk)

Filming for Second Draft - Solutions

The three main problems that I encountered were hard to overcome but each had a solution:

• As I did not use the same camera as the last time I filmed, I was worried about figuring out how to use it. Thankfully, the camera was not very different to the one I used last time and I managed to solve the problem before my sister arrived so the filming time would not be compromised.
• I was also worried about the continuity of the filming as the last time I filmed with my sister was before Christmas and I was unsure if she would have remebered what her costume was like. To solve this problem, I sent my sister a picture of her costume from last time so she could be sure that she was wearing the same outfit.
• The availability issue is that my sister went away over Christmas so I needed to film at a time when she was available. Luckily, my sister arrived back just after Christmas and she was free from work so I could easily film the extra shots.

 

Filming for Second Draft - Problems

After the first draft and feedback from peers and teachers, I decided that I needed to refilm and add in some completely new shots so I can achieve the greatest grade possible. Filming for the second draft took place on 15th January 2016. I was slightly apprehensive about fliming again because the last time I had used a camera was before Christmas. I did encounter some problems when filming. These included:

• Not having the same camera as the last time I filmed. I was worried about this because I had gotten used to using the other camera.
• I was worried about the continuity. The last time I filmed was before Christmas and needed to make sure that my sister wore exactly the same thing as last time so the continuity would not be ruined.
• There was also a slight problem with availability because my sister was away over Christmas so it was crucial to pick a time to film that suited her and came before the deadline so I had time to edit the opening sequence again.

First Draft - Feedback

I recieved feedback for the first draft of my opening sequence from three people. They were my friend, brother and sister. They all enjoy thriller films so I believe they were the perfect people to tell me what they thought of the first draft. Below are the pieces of feedback that each of them gave the first draft:

From this feedback, I can deduce that I need to slow down (or refilm) the pans at the beginning of the opening sequence. Also, I need to change the background music as it does not fit in with the thriller impression that I am trying to create with the opening sequence.