Production Diary

Meeting 1 (9.11.15) :

Initial Ideas were written down and the genre was decided. The genre I decided on was Action/Comedy as I thought it would make for a powerful opening scene. My mood board was created with films such as 22 jump street as ideas and inspiration for my film opening.

Meeting 2 (10.11.15) :
A rough plot was created and the script writing process began with the initial stage directions for the actors.

Meeting 3 (10.11.15) :
I went with one of my actors to get some Recce Shots of 2 possible filming locations so that I could tailor the rest of my script in order to fit with the limitations that came with both locations. I found that using Galleywood Common would give us more freedom when filming and using guns then it would with outside the Essex records offices. Galleywood common would be a quieter place to film and would pose less issues then filming in a busy place in Chelmsford town.

Meeting 4 (11.11.15) :
The script was completed and the storyboard was started and 80 percent of the shots were planned and written down.

Meeting 5 (18.11.15) :
The storyboard was finalised and there was a big gear check in the evening preparing for the shoot the next day.

Meeting 6 (14.11.15) :
First Shoot Day was today and it rained throughout the entirety of the shoot. This made the progress very  slow and trying to keep the gear dry was near impossible. This meant that not all of the shots were completed before sunset and therefore had to be added to the following shoots schedule which would make it very tight.

Meeting 7 (19.11.15) :
The second shoot day went well and we got all of the footage that was planned on the shooting schedule. The rain stopped after the first few takes so the pace of shooting was able to speed up so we could complete the schedule on time.
The shots we got differed from the storyboard slightly due to the location and the weather but overall the storyboard was followed and the shots that were achieved look very promising.

Meeting 8 (20.11.15) :
There was a footage dump onto an external hard drive and another backup was made on my spare iMac. The project files were all created and separate events were made for different parts throughout the scene. All of the footage was named and the corresponding sound files recorded using an external recorder were named to match up with the footage.

Meeting 9 (21.11.15) :
Music and sound effects were sourced and saved onto a hard drive and I wrote notes on where I was intending to use each one during my opening.
The edit also began today and I started to drag the clips and the corresponding audio files into the timeline and began to see a rough outing for my opening.

Meeting 10 (25/11/15):
The editing was continued and the slow-motion passage was completed and dragged into the main timeline. The atmospheric music was added and the fast pace chase music was added so that I could edit the chase in time with my audio.

Meeting 11 (26/11/15):
I went back to my location alone with a shotgun mic and a recorder and recorded some running in the car park and the forest. I also recorded foot sweeps, impacts and a wild track.

Meeting 12 (29/11/15):
I continued the edit and recorded me eating some crisps as foley for Martin eating the breadstick in the opening shots of the film.

Meeting 13 (30/11/15):
The First draft was completed and ready to hand in and upload to my blog. I submitted notes with the first draft to show what was missing and what I thought had to be changed for the final draft.

Meeting 14 (2/11/15):
I received my feedback for my first draft and with that  created a shot list for what needed to be changed and the two shots that were missing from my draft.

Meeting 15 (5/12/15):
The Third and final shoot took place today and we got the close up timer shots and the establishing shot that were needed to complete the scene. I also shot some pickup shots to fill in gaps in the storyline that were unclear to the audience.

Meeting 16 (7/12/15):
The edit was continued and the extra shots were added to improve the scene and the Video Effects were started and completed by the next day.

Meeting 17 (8/12/15):
The sound design began, the sourced sound effects were added and the projects timecode was exported to start mixing the audio levels on a separate dedicated program. The final draft the nearly complete by the end of today only some final tweaks will be needed before submission.

Meeting 18 (10/12/15):
The colour grade on Final Cut Pro with the Photon Pro and Film Convert plugins took the entire evening of about 8 hours but was finished and I watched back my film on the main timeline and there were only a few tweaks which I corrected and then exported the final draft ready for submission.

Improvements Made as result of Feedback

 This screenshot shows that I changed the title at the end of the film from 'The Deal' to 'Written and Directed by' as in the feedback people said that with the film title at the end it felt like a short film or trailer so that had to be changed.

 This shows the extra sound mixing that I did in order to make the film sound fluent. All of the levels were adjusted and ADR was use for clearer speak in some passages.

 The timer shot was added as it was not included in the first draft along with all of the VFX. So I filmed and added in the timer shot with the countdown tracked on top of the device.

This shows that I found names for all the crew members instead of the place holder of 'Some Person'. I also tweaked the position and timing of the titles and changed the font for it to fit more fluidly with the genre.

First Draft Feedback

Teacher Feedback:

What went well?

-Camera work

-Location

-Running Shots

Improvements:

-Production company title missing

-Titles need sorting

-Where does the diabetic sound go? (especially with the footsteps)

-Dialogue sound needs smoothing out

-Unclear what he is holding

-Sound needs to be included with what the leader says

-Don't put the film name at the end as it feels like a short film/ trailer 

Action on Feedback:

Action on the teacher feedback is evident in my final draft as all of the improvements have been address in order to create a well executed and comprehensive film opening.
I went back on the third shoot day and shot some new shots to give a clearer understanding of what was happening and what the device was that Martin was holding. I also moved the film title from the end and had the final title as Written/Directed by.

Class Feedback:
1)

2) 3)

First Draft 'The Deal'

Film Name and Font research

I have looked into lots of different films of similar genres at their title fonts in order to choose a font to suit my film.

This is the font that I have chosen:

I think that this is best choice as it represents the style of film I am creating and fits well with the opening scene. The text is easy to read and will be clear over the quite dark feel of the film.

For my research into the film name I found that films with one or two word titles had the most impact for marketing such a 'Jurassic World' and 'Skyfall'. Therefore I decided to have a short title for my film.

I chose the title of 'The Deal' as it creates enigma as it doesn't explain anything about the plot and it could be any kind of deal. The fact that by the end of the opening scene you still don't know what the deal was for, creates a hook for people to continue watching and be intrigued by the film.

UPDATE:

This is how the title of the film looked when the final draft was exported. The short title really works with the style of film and even in this still frame it creates enigma. Who are these characters? What are they dealing? 

Music Research

This shows my music archive as I have purchased the rights to use it in my creative productions. Some of the tracks include separate tracks of the songs broken down into their different stems so I can in effect rearrange the music to fit the pace of my film which give me more flexibility.

There were 3 styles of music that I needed for my opening scene for the three distinct sections.
The conversation at the beginning and when the deal takes place. The running action passage in the woods and the suspense filled timer countdown.

To make it sound as if there was a unique soundtrack composed for the opening scene, I decided to use stems form the same score broken down at different times so that the music would flow between all the sections seamlessly.

SFX research

One of the main sound effects that I needed was one for the device being fired. I went through my SFX archive and used some from Video Copilots Motion Pulse bundle and added them together to make my final sound.

This is the final sound effect that I created.

The second main sound effect that I needed was the one for Diego's impaling. For this I used different sounds from the Triune Films Fight sound effects pack.

For the other sound effects I recorded then all on location after the light had faded and we couldn't film anymore. I recorded a track of me running around in the car park and in the woods as well as some impacts.

Risk Assessment

These are the risk assessments for all three of the shoot days. They have been checked and crew/ actors will be briefed on them when they arrive on the location.

Shooting Schedule/ Shot List

 My three different shoot days were planned and the shots that I was going to get within the time limit of each day.

To complete my shot list I used the app 'ShotLister' for iPad so on the shoot day it would give ne a list of shots and tell me if I was behind schedule. It would also prompt we with the storyboard images and tell me what lens to use. Also it will show me whether to use sticks or handheld.

Planned Shots for the First Shoot:

Second Shoot:

Third Shoot:

Evaluation of Storyboard

The final storyboard was used on set as reference however it ended up being overshadowed by the very detail shot list that was available on the iPad during shooting. From the storyboard we were able to adapt it when planning out our shots whilst walking around the chosen location. Without the storyboard it wouldn't have been as easy to get the film style and look across. Scans from the storyboard drawings were used inside the app of shotlister for reference on the shot list, so that framing could easily be remembered and subsequently portrayed well.

Code and Conventions

The conventions associated with action comedy films are:
-Fights
-Killings: death of loved ones
-Strong motive (preventing massive destruction)
-Hi tech equipment
-Located in a big modern city
-Weapons
-Relationships
-One smart character and one slower (funnier) character
-Awkward comedy moments
-Connection with characters

I researched these typical codes and conventions of action comedies by watching a range of film in this genre.
These films included Limitless, Knight and Day, Kickass and Johnny English. These films all had themes and conventions in common so I compiled a list of different the conventions that were present in order to incorporate them into my film opening and storyline to create a familiar and recognisable genre.
This I created a spider diagram in order to collate my finding and then compared this to singular action and separate comedy films to film conventions specific to the combined genre. The spider diagram helped to display my thought process and single out specific conventions so that they could be condensed and written into a short list which can be worked into my film opening. This list will almost be a checklist for me when I have mapping out the timeline and writing the script so that it is a clear action/comedy genre.

Props Research

I decided that the Leaders bodyguard needed to have a gun too show there perceived advantage over the younger boys in power. I decided to choose a small sub machine gun for Diego to use as it matched his role and charater.

I used this prop which I already had as after its original paint job it looked like a real weapon.

For the 'device' that martin uses I needed to find or make a prop with a opening to shoot from swell as a screen to display the countdown which I would add in post production. I found one of my old Camcorders in the house so I decided to modify it to look like a home made weapon that could have been made by Martin. To make this prop I used some blue tape and some spare wire I had in my workshop. I was very simple to make but I had a screen for the countdown to be edited onto and it had an opening (lens) for the shock wave to be fired from.

In many blockbuster action films weapons are transported in silver cases. So I decided for the boys to have the device in a silver case. Money in films is also transported in briefcases so I chose a black briefcase I owned for the Leader to hand over.

Final List of Props needed:
Silver Case
Black Case
Device
Gun
Pick Up Truck
Sunglasses
Cigarettes
Fake Blood
Breadsticks

Storyboard talk through

Script

Here is the Script for the opening scene.


When I got to the shoot day I made a few changes to the script but overall the structure stayed the same.

Timeline of Opening Scene

Location

I Decided after a lot of research that Galleywood common would be the safest place to film the opening scene of The Deal. This was because it would be secluded at the time of filming and we wouldn't have as many issues as filming in the city with the gun props and the cameras.

The wide tree and the stump shown in pictures 3-4 were the perfect set up for the impaling scene on the storyboard. Whereas the script and storyboard woulds have to be adapted for use in town or a different park.

The only problem we would face when filming in the car park is that if it was busy it would ruin the secluded deserted look the film was going for. Therefore to overcome this we would film in the middle of the day during standard working hours were the common would be at its quietest.

The gravel car park offered the exact look that I was hoping for, for the film as it looked discrete and mysterious.

Title Research

-In order to start my titles research I watched the opening scenes of many blockbuster action films as this was the genre of my film.
-By watching a lot of these different films I noticed that all the titles appeared in the same order apart from the film title.
-In Limitless the film title is the first that appears but in others I watched the film name could appear at the end of the titles or after the actors names.
-For my film I chose to have the film title appear after the actors names as it best suited my dramatic opening idea.
-In my research I also found that the titles would appear for approximately 3 seconds each time regardless of how many names were displayed at one.
-Therefore for my film opening I am going to have each title lasting for the same duration (roughly 3 seconds) as best I can when cut with the music and the moving shots.

-The order of titles that I determined were:

Steele Productions and Paramount Pictures Present

Nathan Henton

Adam Francis

Oliver Steele

Eddie Hamblin

The Deal

Music 
Ben Worley

Casting
Jack Sorphitude

Costume Designer
Graham Wallace

Editor
Andy Bloom

Production Designer
James Watson

Director of Photography
Oliver Steele

Producer
Becky Brown

Screenplay
William Freeman

Written and Directed by
Alexander Steele

Feedback of Film Pitch

This is a small sample of the feedback I was given for my initial film pitch. The positives to take from  the feedback is the fact that my idea wasn't confusing and everyones feedback showed that they had a clear idea on genre, audience and the general storyline which means that the film will appeal to a wide audience.

Pointers that I can take for future presentations are to include films which gave me inspiration and also to present ideas from where I would find inspiration for the title of the film.

Pitch of Initial Ideas

Mood Board

This mood board was to show the initial ideas for my film and where all my inspiration came from. Doing a mood board helped me collate all of my ideas and inspirations in one place so that I could remember then in order to incorporate them into my film opening

Initial Ideas/ Planning

His this shows me creating the powerpoint and developing the initial idea of my film after the genre had been decided.

Coursework Task Analysis

Roses are Red:
They used an innovative may of displaying the title credits however I feel that it distracted from the story somewhat. Also the editing was quite slow paced but contrast to that some titles were not displayed on screen for long enough, to be able to read them, which could sometimes be an issue.
I could only see one use of foley in the sequence which was the click on the computer therefore I think they would loose marks on the sound as it was only one audio track applied for the duration of the song.
Overall I would grade this at a mid level 3 as it showed little in the way of story and shot selection wasn't diverse.
Gemini: The use of foley sound was evident which helped improve the production value of the film, however the sound design was poor and did not flow well with the piece. I felt that the camera angles were basic and that the titles didn't stay on screen for long enough for us to read them. I also thought that when it went back to the action after the titles, it felt like the second scene of the film therefore not making this just the opening scene. Overall I would grade this at a high level 3 as the sound in this film opening was poor and brought the grade down. My Mother and I: The editing in this scene was slow paced and didn't feel natural as he was walking through the house.  I also found that it didn't leave much enigma and that the music and the production company didn't fit with the genre of the film, which in itself was unclear. There was some evidence of sound design as the same television news article was continued throughout the different camera shots which added to the editing skills. Overall I would grade this at a high level 3 again with the sound and camera work letting it down. A Schools Nightmare: Their production company logo was well constructed and the theme of it went with the style of the film. The titles were nicer and simple and mostly all in the correct order, however 'starring was used' However I felt when the name of the film came up right in the middle of the action it felt like more of a trailer for a film rather than an opening for a brief moment. Also the fact that we saw the ghost at the end made it feel like a short film as it left little enigma for the audience to think about. However the camera and production was well thought out and overall made for a powerful piece of work. Overall i would grade this with a level 4, however it wouldn't get full marks on its short film like feel. The Edge: The titles in this were cleverly constructed and the camera work was well crafted and the piece flowed well. The editing could have been a little tighter and the piece should have been a bit shorter in my opinion. Enigma is left to the audience at the end as we don't know what happened to the boy or why he was being chased which easily opens up the possibility for this to continue into maybe a short feature film. This sequence would gain very high marks however the word 'Starring' was once again use when introducing the actors. The overall grade I would give is a high level four of about 58 marks. The reason why it didn't get 60 marks is that I was a bit too long for a good film opening and staring was used meaning it didn't follow the conventions of an action film. Blitz: The Mise en Scene in this opening was good as time was taken on making the set and getting the correct icons to appear in the scene. The camera work was good and the lighting was carefully thought about. However, the reason I wouldn't give this top marks is because the opening was resolved at the end when the person appeared in a gas mask, which made the whole production finite resulting in it being a short film rather than an opening scene from a feature or short. The sound was carefully done as well with lots of evidence of foley. The overall grade I would give is a level 4 at around 50 marks simple because it didn't have the total feeling of a film opening.



Mark Scheme I used to grade these openings:

Level 1 0–23 marks  The work for the main task is possibly incomplete. There is minimal evidence in the work of the creative use of any relevant technical skills such as:• Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task; • using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions; • using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene; • using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects. 
Level 2 24–35 marks  There is evidence of a basic level of ability in the creative use of some of the following technical skills:• Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task; • using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions; • using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;• shooting material appropriate to the task set;, including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene; • using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects. 
Level 3 36–47 marks  There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills:• Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task; • using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions; • using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene; • using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.
Level 4 48–60 marks There is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:• material appropriate for the target audience and task;• using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;• shooting material appropriate to the task set;including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;• using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.

Sound

Diegetic Sound- What the characters of the film can hear.
Non-Diegetic Sound- What the characters can't hear that has been added. (eg. a voice over)
Asynchronous Sound- Diegetic sound that you can't see in the scene.
Sound Bridge- Linking two scenes together with sound.

In the lesson today we were informed once again about the importance of sound in film productions, as well as the different types of sounds included in films. Sound always adds more to the moving image on the screen, often in films you don't need to see something to know it is happening. Even the absence of sound can really adds to the scene or shot and then can become the main talking point of the sequence. An example of this is the lack of music in the new bond film Spectre in one of the main fight scenes on the train. People felt that this really added to the realism of the scene and made it more intense.

Skyfall Opening Title Analysis

The people who fund the film are listed as the first title.

The Main character of the film is then showed.

All the further titles then last for roughly 3 seconds so they are in time with the music.

The title of the film is then displayed.

The rest of the main cast members then appear in order of significance.

The coproducers are next.

 The script supervisor, Sound recordist, Electrical Supervisor and the Second Unit assistant Director.

Then a list of the main makeup crew is noted.

The Art directors and the Visual Effects producer are next.

Visual Effects and Associate Producer.

 First assistant director

 First assistant director

 Casting and Main Titles Producers

 Social Effects supervisor and the Stunt Coordinator

 Costume Designer

 Editors

 DP

 Production Designer

 Music

Performer of the Main Theme 

Executive Producer 

 Writers

Producers 

Finally the Director 

Summary:
The first titles to be displayed in the film were the lead actors and actresses with the film title appearing after the main character. The script supervisor and the sound crew were next to appear with the writer and producers coming at the end of the credits just before the director.

The style of the titles is fitting with the type of film that Skyfall is. All of the titles are timed and animated to fit with the storyline that is being told throughout the opening credits.
Each title was on screen for an average of about 3-4seconds which. given that only a short amount are displayed at once, give the audience enough time to read each title clearly.