Discussion of Representation, Narrative and Structure by Maria Beardall

Representation

Our main character is represented as an innocent protagonist as in the first scene which introduces Eliza who is dressed in white, which can be guessed, as the hall scene is in black and white, which heightens the contrasts of the dark and light aspects of the room. She has minimal make up on as there isn't any need for wounds; she is supposed to look unharmed and slightly odd as there are no signs of trauma to the protagonist. She also stands in front of gothic styled windows which makes her seem angelic in a sense, as she is in a delicate flowing dress and also her hair cascades around her face as it is loosely curled, making her again seem angelic and very omniscent.

We haven't shown the antagonist deliberately to create mystery and enigma. 

Narrative

The thriller begins with the mysterious hall setting to show the story in a different way, closely followed by cuts in and out of the woods scene. The elements that create this narrative to be shown in a different or unique showing manner are: the non diegetic sound, possible use of unnatural foleys, the grey toned filter in the hall scene to emphasis contrast, the cross cutting to represent a 'flashback' and the voice over throughout. These all create an edgy and creative way to present the beginning of the thriller film, heavily focused on sound and editing to create an unusual sense of tension and drama.

 Structure

The structure of the opening sequence cross cuts between two scenes, both seemingly interlinked, yet they are shown to contrast each other entirely. There is a sense of the two scenes being linked due to the voice over playing over both of the scenes, and they cross cut at key moments that are relevant to the script used for the voice over. This is to show that one happens before the other yet they are both recalled at the same time for the audience, especially as it's the opening scenes, to seem bold and to create an active viewing from the audience due to the effect of enigma.

Sound Planning - Sam McLeish

Our sequence is filmed with a voiceover instead of dialogue filmed on camera. This is useful because when it comes to filming in the woods, when it will most probably be windy, we won't have to worry about the volume of the audio and the interference from the wind. 

When it comes to placing the dialogue into the scene, this can happen in post-production after it has been recorded in a quiet room or recording studio. As we probably won't have access to a recording studio, we will most probably use a lapel microphone to record.

The beauty of this situation is that little changes to the script can be added without having to rerecord the visuals that go with it. As a result, these improvements will ultimately lead to a more successful performance because we are given extra time to make the opening sequence fit better with the overall synopsis of the film.

The backing-track that we suggested for this sequence was taken from the Free Music Archive (a royalty-free website) so there is no copyright infringement. The track is called 'Lost Cities'.

As you can hear in the clip, the crescendo in the song where it becomes more dramatic will probably not be useful to use because it has a rather dull beginning. This won't be an issue to us because we can either edit it in post production in order to only use the desired parts, or, incorporate it with another song for effect.

Finally, as we aren't necessarily bringing along microphones to the shoot for dialogue, we will probably use them instead to create foleys for sound effects. However, this won't be an issue if we don't because we can use Garageband (like we did a few posts back) in order for the sound effects to be clear and easily manipulated in post-production. 

Audience Feedback-Jess Smith

We filmed some people to get their opinions on our wole thriller opening. Our feedback was all very informative and we have taken everything on board.

Questions we asked:

1. Do you like the plot-Is there anything you would change about it?

2. Do you like the concept of the two locations?

3. Do you think we should film in the woods at a specific time (dull/bright lighting)

4. Would you add/make any changes to the costume, hair, make-up or props?

5. Have you got any questions for us?

Video Footage:

Garageband Sound Project - Sam and Maria

This is the sound project we created. Overall, we are both happy with it because it turned out to be better than we thought!

However, what we can take from this experience is that to avoid using footstep foleys because they are normally out of time and don't sound natural for the situation. If we were going to use them, we would record it on set.

Lighting, Colour and Composition - Sam McLeish

As shown here is the test shots for the hall scene in the first half of the sequence. 

We took these shots on the staircase because like the gothic window at the location, when the camera focuses on the actor (in this case Maria) the light from the window is brighter. There is not much we can do to combat this because lighting from behind the camera will only light the actor's face which doesn't look natural for a daylight setting indoors. This was done after the white balance was set.

However, what should be noted is that the grey-scale filter used for this effect was created by lowering the saturation level completely, lowering the black very slightly and increasing the whites.

Final Cut Pro also allows us to transfer the exact same settings used for one shot to another. This allows for continuity between shots which is needed so that the audience don't question it's quality.

How the grey-scale filter was created

As you can see on the video, as Maria gets further into the shadows at the bottom of the stairs, the saturation makes it so that we can't see her face due to the shadows of the walls. If we were filming in this location, this would be an issue, but as we are filming with a location that will be brighter due to natural light, this won't be a problem. However, if we do encounter it, it wont be an issue because we can just change the filter to stop this from happening.

• The woodland half of this sequence will have no filters on apart from oversaturation on key moments in slow motion or when the Shallow Depth of Field is altered.  
• It will be filmed in it's natural colour. This makes it more relatable to an audience.  
• As it will be filmed in the daytime, no extra lighting equipment will be needed because we would want a dark atmosphere for a tense scene, like it is in the hall.

(Added as suggested by comment)

In order to light the actor without it being noticable, we will use this Photosen Light Refelctor with the light from the window. This will be effective because it means the audience will always be able to see the protaginist.

Body Language and Facial Expression-Jess Smith

Body Language

Woods Scene:

~Eliza will begin with a relaxed feeling as she walks through the woods at a normal pace.
~But when she realises someone is following her she will start to walk at a much faster and more scatty manor as she gets nervous, however she will try and stay calm. She will also be focussed at only looking infront of her and will clench her hands.

Hall Scene:
~ Her body language will be very nutural and still becasue she won't moving. 

~There is one shot when she will clench her hands, like she also does in the woods scene. 

~There is also another shot when the camera focusses on her chest to show her breathing which will be at a slow pace. 

Facial Expression

Woods Scene:

~Eliza will have a regular facial expression's when she is first shown in the woods. She is enjoying listening to her music and will be completly content. 

~When she is aware of the man following her, she will then frown her brows, bite her lips and have a very tense face.

~ Hey eyes will be moving up and down at a fast pace. 

Hall Scene:

~She will have a very still face in gerneral. 

~The ony time she will move her face will be when she looks around the room. 

~There will be a shot when she opens her lips to emphasise her slow breathing.

Director's Cut of Storyboard by Maria Beardall

Here is our director's cut, spoken by myself, of shortly what our opening thriller scene will entail.

Synopsis by Maria Beardall, Rating by Sam McLeish

Our storyline consists of two scenes cross cutting between each other to show a link between the two.

Hall Scene     Woods Scene      Both

The first scene, in a hall, will be in complete grey scale, and what will be seen is a hall with gothic style windows as the main character (also victim) is in the middle of the room in a plain, white dress. There can be speculation as to where she is, but it has been set in our minds that she is in some sort of 'heaven' ideal and it echoes her mind, conveyed by the voice over will start from this scene and carry on between the two with foleys too. There will be shots of her breathing, walking and looking around the room. She is unaware of where she is, and the scenes of the hall and woods are linked as the opening switches between the two as her description becomes reality in the second scene.

It will then intercut to her in the woods as she is being followed, starting with the same main character on her phone, unaware she is being followed. She is being followed by an unknown antagonist which is not seen. Through the scene she starts to realise she is being watched and becomes very aware of that fact, dropping her earphones as she feels uncomfortable and vulnerable. The whole opening ends when she is grabbed by the shoulder by the person following her, to which it fades to black and the titles appear.

(addded after comment)

After the suggestion of filming with the background blurred, we asked the technicians how we could create a blurred affect for the background. One of the technicians kindly introduced us to 'spot focus', by which you can manually choose which part of the frame you would like in focus. To find this option, you click 'Menu', to 'Other Options', and then 'Spot Focus'. The camera is touch screen so you gently tap the part of the screen, according to the frame, that you would like in focus.

Rating 

In terms of the content explored in our film, I would expect it to be classed as a 12/12A by the BBFC because "Action sequences and weapons may be present at 12A or 12, and there may be long fight scenes or similar. Weapons which might be easily accessible to 12 year olds (such as knives) should not be glamorised in 12A and 12 works." There is very little violence in our sequence and no weapons at all. However, it creates a disturbing effect that wouldn't be appropriate for a PG. Therefore it only seems right for it to be a 12.

Turners Hill Planning (Risk Assessment) - Sam McLeish

Due to poor timings, we were not able to film at the school a risk assessment video. Therefore, these images below will act as such.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

In image 1, the hall clearly shows the ropes tied up, shown as '1'. This means it'll be out of the way and will not be a threat to our group. However, we wouldn't be that side of the hall anyway so if they are down, we wouldn't go near them to avoid injury.


Also, as shown is the fire exit, as shown a '2'. This means that we can evacuate easily in case of an emergency. This is also the case for '1' in image 2, which is another fire exit. I am aware of the layout of the building so if we were in another part of the school, we could still get out easily.

Image 3 shows the fire alarm and fire extinguisher by the chair. This is useful because if there is a fire, which is unlikely for a room with a floor that's covered with anti-flammable varnish, we can alert the authorities and evacuate the building.

Also in image 3, it is clear that there is a mounted wall bracket which supports the ladder for the gym frame. This could be dangerous if the actor knocks herself into it. In order to avoid this from happening, we will point this out to the actor so that the chance of this happening is reduced dramatically.

Finally, the gym frame could be a potential danger if we decide to film in a Very High Angle shot of the actor by standing on it. This could lead to broken bones if we fell from a great hight. In order to prevent this from happening, we simply won't do it because we haven't incorporated it in our storyboard and it would be too much of a risk.

Overall, I feel that this would be a safe place to film because as the venue is a school, it would have to be health and safety approved beforehand, and if it failed, it would have to close until it's safe again. Also, as highlighted above, there's not many risks to the venue so I feel confident that we will have a productive shoot.

Animatic - Sam McLeish

Here is the animatic of the storyboard, meaning that its filmed exactly to the timing of each shot. 

Props, Hair, Make-Up, Costume-Jess Smith

HAIR

Hall scene:

~For this scene Eliza will have her hair down and very curly. We will use our own curling iron and will leave her hair to naturally fall in a simple, elegant way. 

 Woods scene: 

~However for this scene Eliza will have her hair down but it won't be curly, it will be straight. This will emphasize the complete difference between the times in her life and the settings.

MAKEUP

Hall scene:

~Eliza will have minimal, natural makeup and will only have a light layer of foundation, concealar, a light brush of powder, mascara and a light, sparkled eyeshadow. The eye shadow will be applied to enhance her eyes in the close up shot of them and add an extra sparkle to the frame.

Woods scene:

~Eliza will also have natural makeup in this scene becasue we want to portry her as a regular teenage girl. Similarly the the hall scene, she will have foundation, concealar, mascara. However the glitter eye shadow won't be worn and blusher will be added to her cheeks, to portray the natural, cold temperature. 

~All the makeup used will be owned between the actress, Maria and I, nothing needs to be purchesed. 

~The antagonist won't be wearing any make-up.

COSTUME

Hall scene:

Eliza will wear this dress in the hall scene

~Eliza will be wearing a simple, pretty, loose, white dress (without tights). We chose this look becasue we want everything in the hall scene to be white and brightly lit, therefore she will fit in with a white dress.She will won't be wearing any shoes either becausue she will be inside and we want her to look angel like. 

~This dress is owned by the actress and she is happy to use it for the opening. 

Woods scene:

~She will be wearing a tartan top under her un-zipped dark coat with jeans and a pair of dark boots. We decided on a very typical look for a student and the boots are necessary becasue of the amount of mud that will be on the ground. 

~The antagonist will be wearing all black. From a zipped-up black coat, jeans and shoes.

PROPS

Hall scene:

~Eliza will have no props or jewelery in this scene because it's all about the simplicity of this room. 

~We will be covering any visable eqipment in the hall that is in the shot with a white bed sheet that I own, because we don't want any extra, un-necessary things in the frame. We also want everything in the frame to be white.

Woods scene:

~She will be carrying a backpack on her back (which I own) and will be wearing earphones (owned by the actress), connected to her iphone in her pocket (which will be shown in a close up when she pauses her music).

~The antagonist won't have any props, he'll be empty handed. 

Script For Our Voice Over by Maria Beardall

For our scene that is in predominantly in the hall there will be a voice over that will intermix between the two scenes in the opening. The main criteria we had for this was to describe what the character is feeling yet talking about these feelings after the 'kidnapping' has taken place. Her main feeling was fear of who is following her, and this speech describes what she is physically feeling and thinking.

'Fear isn't your enemy, it's what makes you feel afraid that is.
Fear is what can make your heart beat hard against your ribcage, pounding to escape your fragile shell of a body, until it feels like it will shatter from the sheer force of it.
It gets harder and harder to breathe and I've just been left like this. This feeling is dying to get inside my brain, running past my closed eyes whilst I dream.
Fear is derived from the unspoken event of death. Something that should never taint your lips like lip stain, never evolve from your lungs into anything more than an idea.
You'll clench your hands until your nails dig into your skin, leaving trails of red running down your shaking palms.
The feeling of terror will spread over your whole body until you are infected with something you can't defeat, poisoning your veins until your agony is drawn to a horrific end.
Now all I hear is the quiet.'

Sound Editing Practise-Jess Smith

Overall I found garageband quite hard to use. This was because I found finding the right sound hard and trying to make one sound higher in volume, compared to another one. However I like what I have made and will be more familiar with the settings when we add sounds to our thriller opening.

Risk Assessment of the Woods-Jess Smith

~We have chosen to film half of our thriller opening in a wooded area. This is mainly because it worked well with the element of fear if Eliza is surrounded by tree's and there is the feeling that she can't escape this area and that she is completely alone. 

~This area may be used in the opening, however it isn't decision that is set in stone because this is quite an open space and a narrower area may be better, however it is an option.

~This area will be used for the stalking process because the empty, small tree's create a spooky atmosphere.  

~This is one of the pathways we will be filming Eliza walking down. We chose this area because of the narrow pathway emphasizes the close proximity between Eliza and the person following her.

~Furthermore, filming in an outdoor, natural setting it creates risks which could potentially cause harm to the filming crew or the actors, therefore the risks need to be established so that they can be prevented. All the images below will be the area's used in the filming process. 

This bridge will be used to walk across to get the narrow pathway, which is on the other side. However risk's come with this, such as:

1.Losing balance and dropping equipment in the stream when walking across  ~Prevented by ensuring all pieces of equipment are in a case and each person walking across the bridge only carries as much as they can handle. 

2.Falling into the water ~Prevented by not running/walking fast over the bridge but at a steady, slow pace. 

1.This causes a falling/dropping equipment hazard in the thick mud~Prevented by all members going into the woods wear suitable shoes with a grip and not walking straight into it if it can be avoided. 

1. This slanted tree stump could harm a tall person's head if they walk into it~Prevented by always looking forward and in font of you

1.These thick tree roots that are coming through the ground could trip someone up and they could be holding equipment~Prevented by looking where you're about to walk at all time and to always have a tight grip on the equipment. 

Turners Hill Planning (Permission and Location) - Sam McLeish

Evidence of Permission A

Evidence of Permission B

 
When I was younger, I went to Turners Hill CofE Primary school. I thought that the main hall would be the perfect location because it has lots of room to film and there is the large gothic-style window. After emailing the headteacher who I know quite well, we got permission to film there!

Picture A

Picture B

As shown in picture A, the window is surrounded by furniture;

• The gym frame cannot be moved so we will film it so that it isn't in the frame.
• The piano can't be moved so we will cover it with a white sheet which looks ominous to the audience.
• The audio system is mounted permanently so it will also be covered by a white sheet like the piano.
• The benches on the floor can be moved away from the shot, or if needed, the actor can stand on them if we shoot a VLA (very low angle shot). 
• The ladder for the gym frame can be removed from it's mount so it's out the way and the mount won't be noticeable in the frame.

Also, in the left hand corner of both pictures is a fire exit. 



The reason why we will cover up these peices of set above is that the audience gets the impression that the place that they are at is supposedly sterile whilst giving no indication that they are at a school. As a result of this, the audience has no idea where the scene takes places which further creates enigma, which is useful for a tense, thriller opening.

(Added as suggested by comment)

We want to cover up these objects so that we can create an atmospehere of mystery as less props mean that the audience are unaware as to where she is. This is successful because it leaves more to the imagination which creates enigma that is needed in a thriller scene.