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