Our shoot day was generally similar to our storyboard apart from a few changes. We added in a 'pull focus' at one point when the actor puts on his blazer and turns his head to look at the gun. How we did this was having it focused on him and then when he glanced towards the gun, changing the focus so it was focused on the gun instead. This looked so good and each of us in the group had a go at filming it so we could chose the best one later on. We also filmed a shot of him going into the wardrobe and looking through the clothes to find the suit and then laying it out on the bed. This was not originally in the storyboard and we were not certain if we are going to use it but we got the shot just incase. With this, we tried to do something different and so one of us got inside the wardrobe with the camera and tilted it upwards and then acted out the part where he is searching through the clothes so you can see the clothes moving from underneath them. We had originally wanted to do this differently, with the camera behind all the clothes but it was not possible due to the depth of the wardrobe. The shot we took was not as effective and therefore we are not sure if we will use it but it is good to have anyway.
We were very well prepared and due to this we managed to get everything done very quickly and felt very impressed with what we had done afterwards. There were a couple of times where we had to quickly move things from the room, like a bin, when it creeped into the shot! Apart from this, we managed to create the effect we were going for which was more of a thriller than a horror. The target audience was mainly general apart from young children of course, however we used a young, good looking actor so it may appeal more to teenage girls. It will also appeal to teenage boys too though as it has a james bond feel about it.
We chose many different shot choices for different things. Apart from the unplanned shots like the pull focus and shot from underneath the clothes in the wardrobe which I have previously talked about, we had certain shots like a close up of his shirt panning up as he did up the buttons. We did this because it makes him look like he has power and that he is in control of the situation. In contrast with this, after he has heard the door go and is suddenly not in control of the situation anymore, we did many high angle shots to show him as inferior. We also had an extreme close up of the door handle when he notices that the woman is about to enter the room, this was to create suspense. We also took a shot from under the bed of his trousers falling to the floor before he puts on the suit trousers. This is to give people the impression that there may be something underneath the bed.
Another key technique which we did not plan and decided to use on the day was shutter speed. We had slow shutter speed to start off with and when he realises someone is coming and starts rushing we used fast shutter speed. This was to create tension and show the rush and stress. This worked really well.
For the lighting, we used a redhead which we put in the corner of the room and pointed it up to the ceiling. This is so that the lighting did not look too artificial and forced but there was still enough light for everything to be clear. For the bathroom scene, we only used the bathroom light as we wanted that part to be dark as it is the beginning of the sequence so puts across the idea and prepares the audience that this is going to be a thriller.
We had many diegetic sounds like the wardrobe opening and closing, the sound of the zip on the trousers, the water running in the bathroom and everything else. However, we were scared that these would not be so effective so when we got back to school we went around with a camera and a microphone and found ways of making these sounds in different places all over the school. We used my jumper zip for the zip of the trousers, the taps in the school bathrooms to get a more clear sound of water running, and doors closing for the part where he hears the sound of the front door and the woman is home. We also recorded us walking up stairs so we could add that part in.
We realised when we got back from shooting that the body under the bed may be confused for the man that had previously been getting changed, hiding from the woman. This would mess up the story line and so we were thinking about what we could do to make the storyline clearer. We decided to have a black screen at the beginning where you would hear the sound of a body falling to the floor and then being dragged (under the bed). Once we had decided this we realised we had to find something around school that could make these sounds. Therefore, we ended up recording many things to see what would get the best sound. I even dragged another one of my group members across the floor to get the sound of a dragging body! We also recording things like a chair toppling over to get the bang of the body falling to the floor.
My role in the production on shooting day was partly director and partly cameraman. I checked whether the shots looked good and if suggested something else if they weren't quite right. This was important because sometimes, for example, there would be something in the corner of the shot like a light stand or wire, or even a bin which would have looked terrible. I also did some of the filming and there were a few shots which all 3 of us had a go at doing so we could chose the best one afterwards.
We all worked very well together and I liked the way we divided up the tasks as we all did a bit of everything and all 3 of us worked just as hard as each other. We had a bit of a disaster at first because we had planned to use a room but then a couple of nights before we went in there just to check everything was sorted out, and we realised that there was no space under the bed! We then became very stressed as we realised the only room in the whole house with space under the bed was very messy and had 3 single beds instead of one double. The bathroom was also not in the right place or big enough for what we had to do. However, it was too late and so we just had to work with it, including using a different bathroom all together. So the mise-en-scene was a last minute thing and so we didn't have a lot of time to talk about it. We just decided on the dressing table along with the posters and record player to signify that a man and woman both lived there.
I was very happy with the overall result. I wasn't sure it was all going to work out at first. I wasn't THAT keen on the idea, and the location was all last minute so I was not expecting it to go as well as it did. It went so much better than I expected and I think the mise-en-scene worked fine in the end. Thank you!!
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