28/02/12 - Sixth set of shots

This gif shows the changed costumes for 'Shannon' and 'Chelsea'. Although their clothes have changed, we tried to ensure that their characters personalities were still clear. 'Chelsea' is still wearing light blue jeans with brown boots, but we changed her top to a darker colour and added a dark coat as well. 'Shannon' can still be seen wearing a lot of white so that a link with 'Lily', who is the character that gets kidnapped, is still visible.

We thought that a clip showing our characters from behind a bush could help build the tension and suspense, as it gives the impression that they are being watched by someone.

When filming we tried to find an effective way of recording a conversation between two people and so we filmed it on a slight diagonal, but we may try and use a variety of different shots to get the dialogue across.

Roughcut of trailer:

This is the first roughcut of our trailer, and after watching it we decided to evaluate it by showing it to our teacher and asking for comments. As a group, we felt that the trailer seemed more like a short film, and so we decided that many of the clips needed to be shortened and have faster cuts to ensure the tension and suspense was maintained. The scene that shows the abductor walking up the stairs towards 'Lily' is the only one that we feel confident with, as we feel it really creates tension, but we will still refilm the shot as the quality is not great. Additionally, the trailers length is too long, and so we will need to cut it down to make sure we stay within the guidelines of an actual film trailer. Furthermore, we also felt as though the music we used did not compliment the film as it didn't fit in with the clips, and so we will have to research into other music that we could use. When we refilm we will have to make sure that we use more reaction shots to ensure that the shocked and surprised looks on our characters link into other reactions shown in thriller films when important information is revealed. We will also change the cameras position to show a change in power and another goal is to use a variety of shots during the conversation between the two friends. Moreover, the final scene that shows 'Lily' struggling in the cupboads will need to be refilmed, and when we do, she will need to struggle more to ensure it seems realistic.

We will refilm our entire trailer using this timetable:

27/02/12 - Adding sound to trailer

When we first began using Serif MoviePlus3 we encountered many problems when adding clips and editing the video as we were unfamiliar with the programme, but now we can use it quite condifentally. We had to convert some files so that they would be compatible with the programme, and after doing so, we realised that we needed to add sound to our trailer. This would help us with knowing when to cut the music and clips, as well as helping us realise whether the music actually complimented the trailer or if it didn't fit at all.

We added the sound in a similar way to the video clips, by uploading via "Add Media", which moved the clips to the sidebar where we could access them. After transferring all of the sound clips we needed into the programme, we were able to drag and drop the audio clips that we wanted to use, and cut and edit it easily.

Here you can see how when we had managed to figure out how to add sound to the programme, we also began to add several different sounds, including the foley sounds we had recorded before (of leaves crunching/footsteps etc) as well as the music. Adding more sounds to the trailer meant that the music could help build suspense and tension along with the dialogue and the natural sounds that helped to emphasise the quiet and eery settings in which the trailer takes place.

We decided to use Krzysztof Penderecki- Concerto Grosso No. 1 in C Minor, and so in order to actually get the audio we used a website called ZAMZAR. This allowed us to paste the url of the Youtube video and convert it into an mp3 that we could email to ourselves. After downloading the mp3 that was sent through, we had a copy on our computers of the audio, which made editing easier.

27/02/12 - Closet scene research: Nosferatu

One scene in our trailer shows what we assume to be Lily's abductor walking up the stairs, but he is covered by clothing to hide his identity, while his shadow appears on the wall, making him seem more sinister and menacing as he is surrounded by an eery orange light created by the lamps. "Nosferatu" is a 1920s horror film about a vampire, and one scene shows him walking down the stairs, but you only see his silhouette against the wall. We took inspiration from this clip and decided to dress our abductor in dark clothing that hid his true identity, and recreated a similar scene to show the kidnapper getting closer to Lily.

Our version of the clip:

17/02/12 - 1st Roughcut/Fifth set of shots - Shannon and Chelsea parts

Having decided to film more shots today, we thought it would be helpful to look at the weather forecast to ensure that we would not be met by rain etc. After discovering that the weather would be fine, we went ahead with filming.

Here is a gif that shows the outfits that Jeni and Kate wore to help reflect their characters personality. Jeni can be seen wearing a dark green top, blue jeans and brown boots with her hair tied up as her character is supposed to lose interest in searching for their kidnapped friend. We thought that using incredibly casual clothes would reflect her relaxed attitude to the situation. Kate can be seen wearing dark jeans and a red cardigan that highlight her white top, which creates a link between her and Lily who can be seen wearing a red dress and a white cardigan. This would hopefully help to show that Kate and our character 'Lily' have more of a connection. 

This is the script we created for the bedroom scene where the characters 'Shannon' (played by Kate), who is the friend that becomes obsessed with finding 'Lily' (played by Georgi), and 'Chelsea' (played by Jeni) discuss their missing friend, and what could have happened to her. During this scene is when we finally discover who is more concerned for their friend, and this dialogue helps to establish the characters bonds with each other.

A few clips from filming:

09/02/12 - Fourth set of shots

When doing our fourth set of shots, we had to ensure that the makeup "Lily" wore was significantly different to how it was when we filmed the field scene. As she is supposed to be in a stressful situation in a cupboard as she's been kidnapped, we needed this to be incredibly clear in her appearance.

We smudged her makeup for the shots involving her being tied up in the cupboard, also adding black smudges along her cheeks to suggest that there is dust and dirt within the cupboard as she obviously wouldn't look freshly made up if she had been trapped for a certain amount of time.

Setting:

  

The area we filmed in was a dark cupboard, that we filled with boots that looked manly, and surrounded "Lily" in them. It is important to ensure that the setting/cupboard looks like it belongs to a man, as we will make it clear in our trailer that her abductor is male. Filming her in the cupboard proved to be quite difficult as it was hard to make light reach the corners where she was sitting. Using torches, we managed to create a certain amount of light that didn't look harsh, while one of us moved closer to film her. We made sure that you could clearly see that she was tied up, and that she was in the same outfit that you see her wearing on her walk home from the party. Her hair is also ruffled so that it is clear she has had an unpleasant experience and has struggled.

Stair scene:

We wanted to film "Lily's" abductor walking up the stairs covered in an eery orange glow, so we had Kate walk up the stairs first so we could practice how to film him effectively. We removed all family photos from the wall, and lay down to get a low angle shot of just his head bobbing up the stairs, until you finally see the entire body reach the top. The face is never fully revealed as we wanted to keep the abductor's identity anonymous, to add to the suspense and tension.

After filming Kate walking up the stairs, we eventually filmed the abductor (her dad) walking up the stairs, using the same technique that we used for her shots. We felt that the shot was successful, and that because we only really see the abductor's silhouette, the suspense is increased as he isn't revealed. Taking a photograph of him standing in the doorway near "Lily's" cupboard, we had him stand in the doorway so that you never actually see him interact with her, also adding to the tension.

Video Clips

This is a video clip of 'Lily' struggling in the closet, as she clearly has her hands tied up, and her mouth covered so that she can't make much noice. We thought that this would be an effective shot as the dark lighting gives it an eery feel, but when we reshoot some of the clips, we will use more lighting equipment so that she can be seen more clearly. We will also ask our actress to struggle more, to make it seem more realistic.

This video shows us directing Kate as she walks up the stairs, as we felt it would be helpful to practice the shot of the abductor walking up the stairs before actually trying it. This would help us see any issues before shooting the clip. We asked her to try and make her footsteps loud and heavy as she walked up the stairs, and using the sound equipment, the volume would be louder and more effective.



This video clip will show the audience who they assume to be the kidnapper, and so we felt it was important to ensure that the clip was eery, and that his progress up the stairs was slow, so that the tension and suspense could continue to build. By concealing his face, and only showing the outline of his body, his real identity is never revealed.

We thought that we could show the legs and feet of the abductor at the end of the trailer, as this would give the audience another quick glimpse at who he might be, without revealing too much. Additionally, this clip will be shown while 'Lily'can be heard screaming in the closet as she hears him approaching, also adding to the tense atmosphere, as it is clear she's now even more distressed.