The Pre-Production Process

This is my essay for the pre-production process.   

The pre production process from Rachel Bull

Initial Idea

For our 'DepicT' entry, we have taken inspiration from the thriller genre because we have been inspired by recently watching 'The Blair Witch Project' in class. Our narrative consists of 4 girls who all receive an invitation to meet at their local church- what they don't know is that they will all meet each other there alongside a rather unfamiliar face...      

Location Release Form

For the scenes we filmed in the college green room, we were required to have a location release form.  

Location release recation from Rachel Bull

Storyboards for 'The Invitation'

Here are our storyboards for our film 'The Invitation'

Storyboards finished from Rachel Bull

Evaluation for Depict Production

'The Invitation'- final production.

Evaluation.

Evaluation for Depict Production from Rachel Bull

Talent Release (Minor)

These are the talent release documents for our group.

Talent release combined from Rachel Bull

Risk Assessment

This is the risk assessment for the production of 'The Invitation'.

Risk assessement from Rachel Bull

Props and Costume List

This is all the props and costumes we needed to create our film.

Props and costume from Rachel Bull

Production Schedule

This is the production schedule for the filming of 'The Invitation'.

Production schedule from Rachel Bull

Shot List

This is the shot list for 'The Invitation'. 

Shot list from Rachel Bull

Shot list from Rachel Bull

Shot list from Rachel Bull

Shot list from Rachel Bull

Location Recce Photos

The location we have chosen to film in is the Gorleston cemetery, which is located on Magdalen Road. The pictures we collected from our visit as location recces can be seen below.

View from path.

Stone building located in the centre of cemetery. 

We also shot some of the footage within East Norfolk Sixth Form College's green room. The photos can be seen below.

DepicT Research Task- Hand Maid by Karim Souissi, Robin Wijnhold and Reda Zniber

'Hand Maid' by Karim Souissi, Robin Wijnhold and Reda Zniber narrates the story of the day to day life of a Moroccan maid, told through her hands. On the one hand, I find the concept of this film quite thought provoking because during our daily lives, we don't tend to think about what our hands go through and this films documents that. On the other hand, I feel that this film is trying to say more than just this simple point but instead try to highlight the divide between the rich and poor within Morocco. I also think that this film is shot beautifully due to the creative angles and shot distance of the camera, for example the extreme close-up shots and the high angles. I also really like the use of dialogue because it can connote a variety of thoughts and feelings amongst the audience- which makes the film interesting. I feel that this film is aimed at a non European audience because it vaguely illustrates their culture and language.  

DepicT Research task- Night Lights by Tatiana and Marina Moshkova

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'Night Lights' by Tatiana and Marina Moshkova narrates the story of two people on a night out but uses animation (in the form of lights) to show the people. The reason I have chosen this film is because I love the use of time lapse through out and the strong contrast of colours, for example the dark background suggesting night time against the bright neon 'light' outlines.
I also think the use of asynchronous sound ties the animation and real life images together well. Additionally, I feel that the range of shot distances used: for example the use of worm's eyes view and long distance in consecutive scenes creates a sense of pace and movement- which could be related to a night out. I feel that this film is aimed at teenagers because it captures the high energy of a date and/ or night out.

DepicT Research task-Tape by Freya Walker Smith

'Tape' by Freya Walker Smith documents the work which goes on the projection room of the Rosehill Theater in West Cumbria. The reason I have chosen this film is because I found the rhythm and pace exciting and engaging. The use of synchronous sound gives the piece 'life' because it utilises the natural movement of the equipment to create a rhythm. I also really like the extreme close up shots which contrasted the point of view shots because it gives the audience a sense of motion.
Additionally, I find the concept of the film fascinating because prior to watching this film, I had no idea about the purpose of the projection room in theatres! I feel that this film is aimed at older people because they would be able to reminisce and remember their youth.    

The Blair Witch Project: observation as to why it is a low budget film

The Blair Witch Project is a low budget physiological horror film released in 1999. It grossed $248 million at the box office- making it the fifth highest-earning film ever made. Although it was very successful, it is obvious that the film was produced on a low budget.

There is a lack of equipment and props used throughout the film, for example tripods and wheeled support (dolly). This becomes apparent during many of the physical movement scenes in which the audience sees Heather Donahue’s point of view because she is holding the camera, which is called a hand-held shot. Although this type of shot was used to place the audience in her position, it was more likely filmed like this because they did not have sufficient equipment to create a tracking or pan shot for example. There is also only natural light used which could suggest that they did not have artificial lighting equipment.

This brings me onto the location of the film itself: Seneca Creek State Park, Montgomery which is where the majority of the film is shot. Due to the fact that this is a woodland area and outdoors, it is a free to use location and only requires natural light.

Throughout the film, there is a great deal of long take shots which gives the impression of little editing- this creates a more realistic feel to the film.  

The RCA Hi-8 Camcorder which was the only camera used to film the Blair Witch Project was technically advanced in 1997 (when the film was shot) but as a viewer of the film in 2016, it is of a poor quality which once again proves that this film was produced on a low budget. On the other hand, these factors give a nostalgic feel and many will be able to relate to their own home footage during this decade.

The actors and actress (Heather Donahue, Michael C Williams and Joshua Leonard) of the film, at the time, were unknown because the producer could not afford A grade actors/actresses to feature in the film. The three actors and actress seen on screen were also the directors thought out the eight days of filming.  

   

Film Indution Task- Change of Hands.

The Mystery- Change of Hands evaluation

As part of our induction task, we were asked to shoot a short film in groups. The plot was our own decision, although it had to consist of one thing: ‘a change of hands’. ‘The Mystery’ is about a hired hit woman (played by myself) who stabs a student (played by Leah). The film also features two other characters; a teacher, who discovers the hit woman furiously knocking on a toilet door, and the girl who hired the hit woman. Both characters are played by Alannah.

Although the plot seems promising, there were many coeternity errors which should have been addressed during filming. One example of this is the change of costume I had due to the fact that my group filmed various scenes over two different lessons, which makes our film look unprofessional and a bit silly in places!

Following on from this, during the scene in which the teacher discovers the hit woman, we see the teacher trip over and come to her death because she is shot by the hit woman... But in the next scene we see the same actor as a different character- looking the exact same as she did 5 seconds ago. This creates a sense of confusion amongst the audience because there is no dialogue to aid the storyline. Additionally, we see the hit woman holding a knife as she knocks on the door but in the next scene she is holding a gun and then goes back to holding a knife.

During the ‘shot reverse shot’ sequence the camera was positioned in the wrong place which gives the impression of the characters not maintaining the same position throughout the scene. The ‘eye line match’ shot was jerky and out of focus which spoils an otherwise good shot.

Apart from these errors I have highlighted, there are selected shots which create a good atmosphere. An example of this is the over the shoulder shot which follows the hit woman walking into a room. This, along with the incidental music, suggests a sense of uncertainty and danger which was intended.  

           

Photo Connotation Task.

Btec media induction task from Rachel Bull