Test Footage

As a group we went to our location and took some test shots so we were prepared for our three filming days.

We decided that to save time and keep on project that we would test the shots that we were not sure would actually work when actually filming.
I has two shots that i wanted to test, these were the close up phone call shot with the antagonist and Charlie, and the tracking shot of Charlies feet running. 
I felt that i needed to test these out as I have never used a dolly before and felt that I needed to practice and see whether it is effective. I was also worried about the close up as i felt that it may be difficult for me to capture the scariness of the antagonist and capture the fright of Charlie.

Looking back at the process I believe that we came up with a very effective way to combat the problem with how bumpy and uneven the floor was. We decided to place one of the wooden boards on the ground and that created a smooth surface for us to use. I then experimented with the dolly:

After playing around with the dolly I felt that I was comfortable with my handling of it and that I was happy to keep it in my scene.

I also tested the close up shot. I found that it was surprisingly easy to capture facial expressions and that I was actually worrying over nothing. However I realised that although the angle in which I was filming here was effective as it made Winn seem more powerful, I felt that I would prefer to have it be a straight on shot because I feel it would come across as more menacing. 

I also decided that I wanted to see how a worms eye view would make the character look. After filming I came to the decision that it made the character look too powerful and dominant when I want them to look vulnerable and scared, to achieve this I decided that I would film it from a birds eyes view to make them look small and vulnerable. 

Kirsty also wanted to test one her her shots. This was the one where there is a help face shot of the character and a shadow falls over their face. We wanted to see how we would go about creating the shadow. We experimented with different types of shadows for this.


Personally I experimented with different density of of shadows to see what ones I felt were most effective. 

I felt that the denser the shadow the more of a creepy effect it gave and decided that I wanted to incorporate it at some point in our final piece. 



Over all I feel that the test footage day helped us realise what worked and what didn't making our overall opening more professional   and effective. 

Film Title Decision

https://www.goconqr.com/en-GB/p/8068905

Film Titles Ideas

https://www.goconqr.com/en-GB/p/8068905

Location Scouting - Engine Room

Location Scouting - Abandoned WW2 Control Room

Location Scouting - Castle Farm

Castle Farm is a farm that is owned one of my family friends, so we have permission to film in the main barn and all the other subsequent storage areas and sheds. 

The barn that we are planning on filming in is very large and old looking both on the outside and inside, with ivy and moss growing all over it giving it a run down and decrepit look to it. 

The inside is very similar, with lots of old furniture, doors, planks of wood, lawn mowers and ladders (these make it seem like the perfect place one would play hide and seek in adding to the realism of our piece).

Looking at the farm on a whole i believe that this location would be prefect for the setting of our opening not only because it we have permission for it, but also because I feel that on the whole the look of the barn and farm is exactly what the group was looking for and that the atmosphere of the area is very chilling and neglected which adds to the overall spine-chilling feeling that we want to capture. 

Location Scouting - Torrells Hall Farm

Torrells Hall Farm is a farm that is a two minute walk away from where I live - making it a very practical place for us to film. In addition it is in a very isolated location which is perfect for a thriller. 

However after looking around the location we felt that it was not what we ideally wanted as it did not look that abandoned and run down, more-over it did not give a creepy vibe at all. I also believe that we would not have got permission to film there as it is a functioning farm and is still active. 

As a group we decided that Torrells Hall Farm was not ideal for our location and decided to keep looking.