Homework Assignment - Samantha Whawell

For our preliminary assessment we were asked to recreate and film 30/40 seconds of a horror film that previous students had already made. We chose to Psychological 1 ‘Reflection’.  Within the short sequence we made we had to include what we had learnt in previous lessons about how to use a camera correctly and the different rules you have to consider when filming. We also had to find the location and costume to wear for when we shot the assessment  and plan out all of the shots we wanted so we would have a feel of what we would have to do when it comes to shooting our own and final opening to a horror film.

In our finished work it is evident that we could hold a shot steady due to the help of using a tripod correctly. This is evident right at the beginning where the character first finds herself  in the woods and the camera it steady and focused on her. Also at the point where the camera pans upwards to show an establishing shot of the trees is a steady shot. This shot was made steady by using a function on the tripod which kept the camera steady and secure and enabled us to move the camera upwards.  We were able to frame our shots appropriately with the exception of a couple of the close ups and mid close ups where too much room above the head has been given too much room in the background. However by making these mistakes it will give us something to focus on when creating our final coursework film to ensure we don’t make the same mistake when it comes to framing the shots correctly. In our preliminary assessment we used a variety of shot types including: MS (mid shot) ,MCU ( mid close up) ,LS (long shot) ,CU (close up), we used these because we noticed that psychological 1 had a lot of variety in shot types so it let us try out as many as possible and know how to frame them correctly but also would also still make it similar to what we was trying to recreate. We used the rule of thirds when filming the sequence to show the elements of the shot that we wanted out audience’s eyes to be drawn to. However because there was only one character in the short sequence and no props used it the focus was solely on the character and the location. This is why we had to ensure both the location and costume where appropriate for the genre. The rule of thirds rule went well because it showed the character being alone which is the main point we wanted to get across in the 30 seconds that we created.

The continuity of our first assessment piece flows well as the film progresses however near the first transition to the establishing shot of the trees there seems to be a slight jump which we would have corrected if we had more time to edit the final piece.  We have stuck to the 30 degree rule for the filming so we knew that when it came to fitting all of our shots together it would not be as jumpy as it would have if we didn’t use this rule. In the transition of each shot we have changed the shot type, this also helps the sequence fit together better with minimum jumps.

For the location of our shoot me, Sorraya and Frankie all had to fill in a recee sheet with a location where we thought was appropriate to film our horror film and take photos of this place. We all agreed on using Sorraya’s location because it was the closest to the college and the easiest place for all of us to get to. Because  it was close to the college it meant we were able to go out and film it in college hours so the natural lighting was the same as what we were trying to copy as this also was filmed in the day time. The setting was part of a woods so but had steady grounds and pathways so we were safe and near the park. Because very few people came past it meant we were able to film our sequence with very little disruption.  We didn’t use any makeup or props in the remake because they didn’t have any in the original piece so we wanted to keep it as closely the same as possible. However, we did want to use the appropriate costume, and as I was the actor for our assignment I brought in my pyjamas, dressing gown and slippers so it would be similar. I brought in the full costume to if anything got shot on camera that we hadn’t planned it would still fit in with the genre, e.g. wearing shoes instead of slippers may have come across as being a mistake as you wouldn’t wake up and put your shoes on. I think it was appropriate for me to be the actor for our shot piece because it made the organisation easier and the filming possible with the short space we had. It also meant that there would be less chance of any changes to our plan. However, because I was acting in it, it meant I was unable to do the filming and could only film the panning of the trees where I wasn’t in it and also do the white balance before filming.

Because I didn’t contribute to the filming side of the project too much I edited and split what we had recorded into sections so we were able to put them into place and see what it looked like, then as a group we cut smaller sections of to help with the continuity and timing of the sequence. If we were to film this sequence again we would probably get somebody else to be the actor so everybody had to film parts of the film. Also choose a couple of days that we could be able to film as the day when filmed on there was a lot of wind so when it came to editing the piece together we had to include no sound in, however if we had longer to edit the film we could have put some sound effects over the top to try and make it seem more scary.  I feel as though we worked well as a group and feel like everyone participated equally even though Frankie was away on the days of filming and editing she did a lot of the planning. When it comes to filming our final coursework film I think we should plan in more detail of each shot so we know exactly what we want to include and set the frame of the shot correctly. Overall I am very pleased with our final piece and enjoyed the planning, filming and editing of it.

Pre Planning

Here are the preplanning sheets we filled in before filming.

Assessment Film: Samantha Whawell, Sorraya Begdeli, Francesca Shilton

For our assessment piece, we chose 30 seconds of the Psychological 1 Horror Film made by previous students. Originally, we had planned to include two characters but due to the absence of one of our group members on the day of filming, we were not able to fulfill the shots we wanted. This meant our planning sheet included a few different shots to the ones we ended up filming due to last minute changes. This is shown in our footage as it isn't always accurate to the actual film. However, it is mostly similar with only a few differences (for example, Samantha is shown running through the forrest, this was not meant to be included as it is featured towards the end of the Psychological movie, yet we decided to add it to replace the missing shots we were unable to film). We believe that there are a few continuity errors at the beginning where it doesn't seem to flow as much as we would've liked it too, an example of this is when the establishing shot shows the trees, there is a slight jump during the transition to this shot. Despite this, we believe that overall the continuity is quite good as other than the few errors, the rest of the footage flows quite well as it cuts from scene to scene. A negative to our film is that the day of filming was incredibly windy, this meant it affected the sound quite a lot, because of this we had to fully mute the footage which meant extra sounds such as Samantha walking weren't included. However we featured Samantha saying 'Hello' in the footage as this is a vital part to the sequence as it shows that she is alone. In matters of composition, the opening shot features both Samantha and the surrounding trees when considering the rule of thirds, we believe this is useful as it shows the main character and her surroundings to the audience and this is what introduces us to the sequence. Throughout the movie, Samantha is mostly featured in the middle of the frame meaning all attention is on her and her reactions, this highlights her being alone. However, there are a few shots where a lot of head space has been given and this a fault to the filming as parts of Samantha's body have been cut off (e.g. her feet and legs) yet large amounts of open space is in the frame. This is something that could be improved next time we film. As there aren't any main props or elements other than Samantha that need to be focused on, there was little else for the camera to highlight for the rule of thirds law. This meant that when looking at composition, there isn't much that we can comment on as Samantha is the main visual aspect throughout due to it being made up of only one character. 

Sorraya Begdeli, Samantha Whawell. 

Stalker Exercise.

For this task we had to film a 'college stalker' scene using only six shots, before filming we had to draw out the shots of how it would be filmed on a storyboard. Overall we found that we mostly stuck to what we had planned, however some shots were difficult to film when it came to shooting so some shots were changed. For example we had to change the location of where we filmed due to the location we wanted being too crowded. In general we enjoyed this filming task as this links to horror which is the genre we are filming. We feel we were able to come up with a few creative ideas which made our piece original. We tried to show as little of the stalker's face as possible to provide a more tense feel to the film. A few mistakes were found in our project, for example in the final shot when the stalker stands there as the door opens, an arm is visible. This is something we should pay attention to when filming so that we avoid any mistakes. However, we feel that we've got a grasp on continuity as the film flows smoothly and the cuts don't jump as much as they have done in our previous projects, this is why we believe this is a good piece of filming and possibly the best we've done so far.

Test Shot/ Character Design

Here are the images of Samantha, the character in costume and make-up for the horror film.I didnt wear any make-up for the costume shot because i was in my pyjamas and dressing gown, as if i'd just woke up. So to make it more realistic you wouldnt be wearing any make-up if you'd just woken up.

Images of my first recee.

These are images of my first recee. I took these images because i felt they showed off the field and the forest well. I took these images at different times of the day to show how the location looked as the day goes on and could give my group more of an idea what time of day would be best to shoot our horror sequence. I think that this location would be good for my group to use because it is only around 30 seconds from my house, so we would be able to charge the camera up and go back to check what we had recorded so far, also it is a public area so is very safe.

 Samantha Whawell.

Here are the pictures of Bramcote Park woods, the location I think would be ideal for our filming. Two of the images show the clear paths within the woods which make it easy to move around safely without trip hazards, to the left and right of these paths are large amounts of woodland. The other two images show two different locations which are in front of the woods.

Sorraya.

Our Continuity and Coverage Preliminary Exercise

This is our final take for this exercise, in today's lesson we have spent the time uploading and editing our shots from the previous lesson. We found not all of it fit together perfectly and a lot of shots had to be deleted in order for it to flow, however we've included the main shots needed and believe that now, after the time spent editing, it does flow as a video. We believe there are a few continuity errors in which we would be able to be correct if we were to re-film, however we don't believe these errors are big enough to make a strong, negative impact on the footage. As a group we feel we need to focus a bit more on getting used to the camera and all it's functions so we can use this to our advantage when filming. This is our target for future lessons so that we are prepared when it comes to our final piece.

Last Weeks Lesson

Due to lack of timing, we were unable to post a blog for last week's lesson. During the lesson we were given a sequence which we had to film, before filming we created the sequence using play dough to prepare ourselves for all the different shots required. After this we then went out as a group and filmed the shots. Before we started filming we had to white balance the camera (as per usual) and find the location where we wanted to shoot. Choosing the location wasted a lot of time that couldve been spent on filming as other groups were all around the college making it hard to find a free space which wouldnt be disturbed. This was a negative to our filming exercise.