Editing post

For editing my job was to create a smoother film and to cut out small mistakes within the film. To do this I needed to snip the clips that aren't needed and delete them from the rest.
I do this by:
-Right clicking
-Choosing 'snip clip'
-Then right clicking again
-And deleting the clip

Here are some examples taken when we were editing our footage:

Prop: Newspaper

 Prop: Newspaper 

 After designing the newspaper virtually it was necessary to make a hard copy of it while still keeping in mind the period of the opening and the effect we wanted to give.
First of all I printed off the sheets of the newspaper which I designed and stuck them together. Then I found some newspapers and stuck my fake copy onto it.

 I had to make sure that there wasn't any of the real newspaper sticking out around the pieces of paper and cut out and parts that did. Then I separated the front pages and the middle section on the newspaper. I soaked the middle section in a big bowl of tea and coffee to get the desired old effect that I want. Then I laid out the front pages on some greaseproof paper,

 I dabbed the front pages with some of the tea and coffee from the bowl with the main section of the newspaper. I did not want to soak the whole of the front pages in a bowl in case the ink would run as this is the part of the newspaper we want the audience to see. It also became very delicate once it was wet and we did not want to rip the front pages as this would not look very good on camera.
After we soaked the newspaper for two hours, we took the main section out of the bowl and then left both parts out to dry.

Evaluation of Day: 20th January 2013

Evaluation of Day: 20th January 2013

Tasks to be done: 

• Film ending scenes including:

 - with use of over the shoulder shots

 - high and low angle shots from Anna and Eden's point of view

 - extreme close ups

 - close ups 

• Re-film Anna's running shots due to her stopping too early, previously.

However, weather conditions would have made filming extremely hard for us as the therefore we were unable to meet up for this filming session. During our next filming session we will carry out all the tasks above. 

Shooting Script: 20th January 2013

Attending:
Natasha ~ Filming
Rebecca ~ Filming
Danielle ~ Filming
Eden ~ Actor
Anna ~ Actor

Meeting Time: 10am
Location: Bexleyheath Clock tower

Filming begins: 11:30-12pm
Establishing shots of the area
End scene with Eden in shots
- over the shoulder shots
- high/low angle shots from Eden/Anna's POV
-Extreme close ups
-Close ups
Redo Anna's medium running shots (previously stopped running too early)

Leave Location: 4pm

Shots to be used:
Establishing shots
Medium shots
POV shots
Low Angle Shots

UPDATE: Due to extreme weather conditions and continuity we were unable to film today, we hope to continue filming as usual next week.

Newspaper- Prop

Newspaper- Prop

This is the completed newspaper which we will use as a prop to hint to the audience the backstory of the film opening and also provides the credits with our names in. We thought this would be an effective method of including the credits as it fits in Victorian theme and also as it will be at the start it will show the audience the kind of film it will be. The typography used was chosen to fit in with the era and the photograph was edited so that it would look old-fashioned. We also included Victorian advertisements in order to make it look more realistic. The little details throughout the newspaper such as the date and price make it look true to form.

Photograph of protagonist sister/antagonist

Before editing:                                           
This image is the picture we will be using as a prop for our protagonist, and the one that will help the audience to realise who the antagonist is. This image is the original before any editing takes place.

 

Step 1:

To being with the image needs to be cropped so that the bag next to her is out of the way and

both sides are equal.



 

Step 2:

I then need to change this image to black and white as it is set in the victorian era so having a coloured photograph would be inaccurate.

 



This is the final image, I removed the colour from the image and lowered the brightness so it was more similar to a victorian type image. Howerver it also required to be more 'grainy' and less defined so I lowered the sharpness and used a film grain effect over the top to create this final image.

I will then print it on card and soak the image in tea bags to create the overall effect of this image being printed out in the victorian era.

Evaluation of Day: 13th January 2013

Evaluation of Day: 13th January 2013

Tasks to be done:

• Film actors in full make up
• Film Anna's scenes
• Chase scene
• Film ending scenes

Full actors in full make up
We concentrated more on Anna's scenes during todays filming session as Eden was unable to attend. Anna plays the dead girl in our film opening so her make up and costume were basic in the sense that it was the conventional "dead" look that we were trying to achieve.
Prior to today we had filmed Anna before however we were unaware of how much make up a character needs to wear before the camera picks it up, perhaps during the next filming day we should bare this in mind.

Unfortunately, in terms of filming the weather has been different every time. In this circumstance, although the weather was extremely cold today, the sun was present again washing out traces of any make up on film unless we filmed Anna using a close up every time.

In terms of our story line we needed to incorporate a wound of some sort possibly showing how Anna's character died. The picture on the left shows our early stages of creating the wound on Anna's neck, after applying the fake blood, we waited for it to dry and then smoothed out the edges to create a realistic effect before applying more make up within the gash itself. However, as Eden wasn't present during todays filming session the wound was not really needed yet it was good practise and we were made aware of a few issues such as the wax being too loose on the skin after a while once dried.

Filming of Anna's scenes/ chase scene
As Eden was unable to make it today we were able to film the majority of Anna's shots. Anna plays our antagonist although her dangerous side of her character is prevailed within the chase scene. We focused on keeping Anna's character as innocent as possible to begin with, hence why her costume is white, so that it's easy during the editing process to show that there is an evil spirit within the cemetery controlling her. Furthermore, we filmed the Anna's feet as she runs by and we also did this with Eden the week before, through the editing process we will be able to speed this up to highlight the distance between the protagonist (Eden) and antagonist (Anna).

This also links into the chase scene as the filming of her feet alone builds up tension within the audience as they are unaware of what to expect or how close the two character are to each other.

Filming of ending scenes

As both actors needed to be on set for the filming of the ending scenes we were able to focus on Anna's character as her character alone dominates a large amount of the ending scenes. We decided that instead of filming her character straight off, we thought that it would be a lot more effective to use stop motion to show the huge distinction towards the audience of how she used to be (i.e. what her sister (Eden) remembered her as before she died, and what she was now). To do this we took photos of Anna, leaving her to stand in the same position whilst we worked our way round her, once edited it will look as if we filmed her in a 360 degree manner. We thought that stop motion would be effective as it allows the audience to get a better understanding of the character. 


Overall this was one of our less productive filming days as a lot didn't go to plan due to the fact that one of our actors decided not to turn up therefore leaving us in doubt about her. Although now that we had a day alone with on actor we were able to out a lot of things into perspective. Therefore when we film next week we will be able to dive straight in without any issues about what we need to do.

Shooting Script: 13th January 2013

 Attending:
Natasha ~ Filming
Rebecca ~ Filming
Danielle ~ Filming
Cloe ~ Filming
Eden ~ Actor
Anna ~ Actor

Meeting Time: 10am
Location: Bexleyheath Clock tower

Filming begins: 11:30-12pm

• Film actors in full make-up
• Film Anna's scenes
• Film scene's where both Eden and Anna are in the same frame
• Chase scene
• Film ending

Leave Location: 3pm

Shots Used:

• Close Ups
• Extreme Close Ups
• POV shots
• Low Angle Shots
• Aeiral Shot
• Medium Shot
• Full Shot

Lighting Check

When visiting our location on the 29th December we decided to do a lighting check to ensure that once our actors arrived we would know the best places to film them. Also, the lighting plays a big part in the atmosphere of the scene, so we needed to look at any darker areas of our location to see if they could create a sense of corruption around certain characters.

This first photo shows a path we found with good lighting which could be used effectively for the chase scene in our opening, as it is quite long and well lit, giving the opportunity for many different camera angles and shots if we wanted to use them.









The second shot shows how the area surrounding the chapel is very well lit and spacious, this is good for adding another element to the chase scene and also shows that even if it is very overcast the lighting is sufficient.








This is one of the paths we want to use for the chase scene, it shows how it goes from quite a bright area to a darker one, showing how the character can move into a corrupted area.











This shows a fairly dark path, and the branches of many of the near by trees curve in and over the path, making it even more dark, this will give the effect of the area closing in on the character, therefore could be used in the latter part of the opening to show them getting trapped and drawn to their possessed relative.

This pathway is fairly bright and could be used at a variety of points in our opening, it has fairly dark areas surrounding it but this could again show possible corruption and entrapment to the characters in the scene.

Shooting Script: 29th December 2012

Attending:
Natasha ~ Helping with time lapse and location
Rebecca ~ Lighting Check
Danielle ~ Evaluation of the day

Meeting Time: 10am
Location: Bexleyheath Clock tower

Filming begins: 11:30-12pm

• Time Lapse
• Lighting Check
• Checking the area for routes to use when actors attend

Leave Location: 1:30pm

Shots to be used:

• Establishing shots

This day was very important as it would lead the way for all our future filming sessions. By carrying out a time lapse we were able to get footage which can be used in part of our opening, probably at the very beginning to help set the scene. This day let us see how weather conditions effected us too, for example it was extremely windy and rained slightly, so this had a slight effect on the light of the area. This day was also necessary as it allowed us to map out ideas of where we wanted our actors to be running, and which paths would look best and create the sense of atmosphere we wanted.

Chase Music - Danielle Blasse

RebNatDanClo: Chase Music

After watching and deconstructing many psychological horrors whilst concentrating on the non diegetic sound, you realise how important it is. The sound has a huge impact on the audience especially during a scene where tension is being built.
For our film opening we are incorporating a chase scene between the protagonist and the antagonist therefore the use of non diegetic sound is key.

I started with a thin texture and soon built up to a thicker texture of sound therefore increasing the tension for the audience within the sound. Additionally, in terms of a chase scene the protagonist usually steps on a twig or hears a bird fly off a branch and gets a fright from that alone, as so does the audience. In terms of filming this may not always go to plan and the sound of something so small can always get drowned out by the surrounding sounds of our location such as the main road near by or building work. During the making if this, i made sure that there were points in the sound where the audience could have "peace of mind" but still feel on the edge of their seats due to the "whirring" sound that underneath it all as the texture thickened. For shock factor i let the texture and tension die down gradually and wait for a little while before the peak; playing a rather discordant chord on the piano and use of the percussion. Overall, to improve this the panting of the protagonist and antagonist whilst running would create a bigger impact for the audience. Additionally,  during the editing process the chase music below will not be as overpowering as it is here. In terms of shock factor, emphasis could be made on the discordant chords. 

Evaluation of Day: 4th January 2013

Evaluation of Day: 4th January 2013

Filming of the Protagonist

We started the day by working with our protagonist as she is the character that is most exposed to the audience. The first two shots above were two photos taken by myself of our protagonist (Eden) on location in full costume. This was our first day of filming with both our characters on set. We focused most of our attention towards the protagonist as the plot follows her mostly. The picture on the top right shows Rebecca filming Eden (protagonist) staring at a tomb stone just. As you can see from the picture we chose a narrow and desolate path to shoot from highlighting the loneliness and misery of Eden's character. We also decided to get 5 shots of every scene at different angles therefore having a choice when it comes to the editing process.

The picture opposite shows the camera filming our protagonist (Eden). We positioned the camera at a high angle as the scene started with Eden running from afar, therefore as she come further towards the camera the audience are able to see her emotions.

The tension of our opening is hopefully going to come across in our chase scene. To get a better impression we had Eden hold the camera whilst jogging down a path therefore giving a point of view shot for the audience.

Filming with the antagonist

Whilst Eden's filming was coming to an end, Rebecca and myself concentrated on testing Anna (antagonist) on film. We also go her to hold the camera and jog down a path to see if there were any drastic filming issues between herself and Edens turn previously. Anna was not in costume, as our focus was primarily on Eden. Instead we had Anna mark her positions and get an all round feel of how the story line would pan out once filmed therefore giving her a rough idea of what to do during filming.

In terms of sound we too focused ont he horror element of our opening and incorporated the sound of the traditional scream heard in most horror movies with our location.

Overall, the second day of filming was a lot more promising than the first, the weather was a lot better and we had a better idea of the location as a whole therefore we were able to do exactly what we wanted without fail.

Evaluation of Day: 29th December 2012

Evaluation of Day: 29th December 2012

Time Lapse

There were many things that we had to do prior to our actors coming onto the location. Our first filming day was the 29th December where Rebecca, Natasha and myself began to establish the first few shots that are needed for our opening. 

To get things done quickly we split up what we needed to do on location between ourselves beforehand. I was to do the time lapse, Rebecca was to do a lighting check and Natasha to do some establishing shots so our audience have an idea of where we have set of opening.  We planned to leave the camera running for at least 30 minutes for the time lapse however, it started to rain a considerable amount therefore putting our equipment at risk, therefore only filming for 20 minutes instead. Although the rain drop on the lens of the camera were very effective through out the time lapse, this is seen in the edited video below.                
                                                                          

Establishing Shots

Amongst  Rebecca, Natasha and myself we had three camera each, however once the time lapse had been filmed there was a good 20 minutes left on my camera so instead of using the time on the flip camera we used the time up on mine. Natasha filmed establishing shots of our location focusing primarily on the church that can be seen on the left hand side of the picture above. The establishing shots can be placed at the beginning of the opening during the editing process as it allows the audience to establish an understanding of where and why we have chosen that certain location and how it will coincide with the storyline. 

Mise-En-Scene/ Lighting

Rebecca focused on the mise-en-scene and lighting for our filming location. The picture above is a shot of what she was looking at in terms of natural lighting as it's a large area to light up artificially especially during our first filming day. In terms of mise-en-scene she focused on the greenery and how it can be incorporated into our opening.

Towards the end of our filming day battery power on the cameras were beginning to run low therefore we were not going to take the risk of recording too much in the result of losing it if our camera died half way through. We tried to test out a brief chase scene where the protagonist is running whilst glancing at a picture. From this we decided to have our protagonist hold the camera so the audience have a point of view shot and eye line match of the protagonists.

Character Costumes

Character Costumes
When we arrived at the location on our first filming day we could finally see how the protagonist looked in costume with the background of the cemetery.

Protagonist:
The protagonist is wearing a lacy black corset, long flowy black skirt, black tights and black boots. We thought that the costume of the protagonist effectively fitted in with the setting because it looked old-fashioned and very Gothic, creating a good atmosphere for our opening to take place in.

Gory Make-up

Gory Make-up

In the final part of our opening we want to show the face of the dead sister but this time with her looking gory and terrifying as this will alert the audience that she is the antagonist and to be feared which would set them up for the rest of the film. It would also create a sense of fear and also hopefully make the audience jump.
This is used in many films for effect such as:

Frankenstein:

Make-up artist: Jack Pierce

 The Frankenstein make-up was comprised of many different materials namely; cotton, collodion and gum, and green greasepaint (which was designed to look pale due to the black and white of the film). which was built up to give the allusion of a big forehead and overbearing eyebrows which looks intimidating. The make-up also had to fit in with the storyline of the film and so scars were created on the forehead and neck and he was given bolts through his neck. The make-up was not designed to look too bloody or gory as this would not have fitted in with the theme and logic of the storyline. It was more intended to look scary, big and intimidating- especially amongst the more old-fashioned period.

Make-up artist: Dick Smith

The Exorcist:
 In The Exorcist make-up had to be used to turn the 12-year old actress into a demon-possessed girl. A method of using foam latex, which was moulded and baked and then layered onto the skin was used to create the scarring and swelling of Blair's face which was a much more effective method than a whole latex mask and is now the method more commonly used in film today. Although the make-up was elaborate the artist also felt it necessary to make it still look believable so that they could still watch the movie and take in the storyline.
Our opening:
In our opening, we need to give them impression that the antagonist is dead as she has come back to life. We will hopefully achieve this by using pale face paint and dark make-up around the eyes and on the contours of the face to make her look gaunt and life-less. However, to increase the shock factor we would like to create a scar on the character's face or neck to perhaps give an insight into how she was killed and make it seem more scary and gory. We will achieve this using make-up effects wax which is usually moulded and then stuck onto the face to look like scabbing and swelling and also fake-blood which will hopefully make it seem like it has been cut, like featured in the picture above from the exorcist.

Our made-up cut in the process of being completed