Problems with our Film

When our group uploaded our film on to Imovie we were all disappointed with the outcome of the film due to many reasons but there also good shots such as the assault scene as there was a hand held shot which looked very effective and makes the audience tense. Our group was also very impressed with the acting as Michaela Carberry who played the victims and James Mansfield who played Jack the Ripper were very professional, took both their parts very seriously and got in to character.
Although we did have problems such as the lighting as the shots were all dark and you could hardly see the actors. The torches were not effective as there were still hardly any light and it looked really unrealistic as the street lamp light was high angle whilst the torches were low angle and they were both different light colours, brightness and they did not look effective. Whilst we re-shoot we will overcome this problem by using night mode on the camera which we were not aware of before, or we will point the camera on to the direction of the light.
Also, what we have learnt is that we all need to work as a team more as we left Emily to direct and we did not have any discussions about the camera shots, angles or how the shots looked as we rushed to get the finished product and we did not stick to our story board as well as should of therefore we did not have a variety of camera shots or angles to choice from. We also had a huge issue with the battery life on our cameras as we charged it the night before but the battery dies so quickly, to resolve these problems we will charge the night before and the morning of the day we are re-shooting.
Our group decided to re-shoot our two minute film as we felt that we were unprepared.
Next time we will talk about each shoot and see if we are all happy with it, we have all decided we will take turns to film and we will leave record on for a longer time and we will try different camera angles and shots to make there be a broader selection for editing and our two minute film. We also decided that if we had the same problems that we did with the first filming we will re-shoot for a third time but hopefully we will have good footage that we need. We will also be filming other scenes on different days encase we forget anything.

This is the re-shooting schedule:

Tuesday- Re-shooting:

5.00pm - 6.30pm: Filming in the Conference Room (Newspaper Scene)
6.50pm - 8.30pm: Filming Gentleman’s Road, Enfield Offices and Archway (Walking and Assault Scene)

Wednesday- Uploading and editing

Props for our Film

Props are also important as the point of a film is to make it seem real espiecally in a horror, and if no props were used the film it would not seem real and it would not attract the audience.

We will be using a fake knife as that was the murder weapon Jack the Ripper used and to make the audience sit on the edge of there seat.

We may need to use the torch incase it gets too dark and there is not enough light.

We will be using newspaper articles, headlines and pictures which will be used in the Conference scene. We need to use the newspaper articles as it shows the time period by the year, the style of the newspaper, it shows who the murderer it aiming at next and it also represents that he is proud of all of the murders he has done and he is not ashamed.

Location of our Film

A set is very important as it creates the mood and atmosphere for a film.

In our opening of our two minute film a quarter of the film is filmed inside and three quarters of the film will be outside. We have many important locations especially as our film is suppose to be based in the 1880's so keeping that themed look is very significant in our film.

The Enfield Offices is going to be the establishing shot where the victim is going to walk out to give of the vibe she just finished her job as she is suppose to be a prostitute. We all agreed that this location will be a part of our two minute opening as it looks like large and seems very rich and it may have good lighting as there is a lamp by the offices. The only problem with this location is that where we would need to place the camera and tripod is a car park, so we must be careful and be sure that the cars are not in the frame.

This is the alley where we will be filming where all of the walking shots will be taken. We feel that this alley has an 1880's vibe. We feel that it will be effective as it seems claustrophobic and eerie when it will be dark. There are some problems with this alley as many people walk through the alley and in the background there are some cars and to resolve this issue we will need to film further back or point the camera at the angle.

We will be filming in Gentleman's Row. This is where many of our shots will be filmed, further down Gentleman's Row is where the alley and the archway is where the walking and abuse shots are. This only problem with filming in Gentleman's Row is that many people walk down there and there are some houses so we will have to be quiet and to be prepared of cutting shots as people may walk pass.

This a map of where we will be filming, this part of Enfield seems very old and Victorian. This location is very near our houses and our school so we could film immediately after school.

We will also be filming in the Conference Room in school, we will be shooting the newspaper article

scenes there, and this will help us filming in school as we can film during free periods or at lunch. The Conference Room is also very dark and the notice board is there where we will be pinning up the articles and it can represent isolation from the outside world and the darkness of the plot.

First Filming Friday 6th November 2009

Friday after school our group decided to meet at 6pm at school till 9.30pm. We filmed the majority of our film but there were many problems such as we did not anticipate the heavy rain the whole time we were on set.

As we arrived on to set we all knew it was heavily raining and it was really cold but we decided to film knowing the conditions but we thought it may add to the thriller/horror effect of the film. However, with the rain we found it really hard and uncomfortable as Michaela’s hair was already wavy but throughout the film it got straighter as it got wet and it may have not looked correct due to the transition and we did not film in order of our storyboard.

We decided to film shoot the main section of our film first where Jack the Ripper is following his victim as they are walking through the alley. The alley had many street lamps that we wanted to include but we all thought that the lighting was well lit on the actors throughout the scene but through the camera you could hardly see anything, luckily we bought torches with us but then there were two different types of light as one as white and very bright which was the torches and the street lamp was yellow and bright. Therefore, we decided to use both the street lamps and the torches purely hoping it would look okay when we upload the filming.

We then decided to film the assault scene, I was very happy how well the actors dealt with the assault scene as there is implied 'rape' and they kept very professional. There was more lighting in this location in comparison to the alley as there was a lamp in front and back behind the archway. The only problem with the assault shot was we had to stay very close to the opening of the archway as there was only a bit of shelter. With the assault scene there were a few injuries such as Michaela bruising her wrist and James the male lead actor cutting his finger as we had to use a knife as a main prop in a part of the shot.

I feel that we defiantly picked a hard night to film due to the rain and everyone felt uncomfortable and we was prepared but not as much as we should of been.

I feel that the shot did go well but were all really nervous when it comes to uploading our film as we were not sure how it turned out. With editing and the clip adjustments our clips may off been okay. If it was not we would have to film the whole shot again to make sure that the transitions is good.

Se7en

In Friday's lesson our class watched the 1995 film Se7en directed by is a 1995 David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. The story follows a retiring detective Detective David Mills who was played by Morgan Freeman and his replacement Detective William Somerset who was played by Brad Pitt, jointly investigating a series of ritualistic murders inspired by the seven deadly sins.
I loved how dark and mysterious the fim was and how the viewer did not know what deadly sin was next, and how brutal the deaths were but the viewer understood how the murder matches the sin. I thought it was very clever how the director used different shots for example, the upcoming to the deaths the shots were quick but the scene was very long.
The camera shots used gave our group many ideas on what we think makes a good thriller/horror film, the camera shots and the techniques we may want to include. The speed of the cut aways was a camera technique my filming group has decided to do as it bulids up tension and the viewer finds themselves on the edge of their seat, the ending were Brad Pitt was deciding whether to kill Doe and there was a very bright shot of Somerset's wife Tracy but with a blink of the eye you can miss it but it adds mystery as the viewer wants to know what it was.
I really enjoyed this film, but I was disappointed with the ending but after thinking about it I cant see how they could of ended it another way. Watching Se7en has defiently been benefical as it has given our group many ideas of camera shots and techniques and how it make a brilliant Thriller film.

Ideas for Costumes

Costumes are very important whilst filming as the style of dress, accessories and hairstyle, represent the characteristic of a particular country, period, or people.

Jack the Rippers Costume

When I was researching Jack the Ripper all of the pictures of people interpretations and outfits of him all had top hats and black capes. Which is why our group has decided to incorporate them in to the costume. There are clothing items and objects from both pictures we will be using such as the top hats, the cape, black trouser, black shoes and gloves. We will be adding a black shirt instead of a white shirt as we want to black it clear he is the "villain" and to make the actor seem very mysterious. We will only have a knife as it is a prop we will be using. There will be no Cain or bag as we don't think we need them.

Victims Costume

This is a typical 1800's women outfit. This consists of a corset and a long skirt, we have decided that our actress Michaela who will be playing the victim will wear a corset top, long skirt, a shawl and shoes as we want to show her wealth as well, as our victim is not rich she is a poor prostitute. The left picture is a the missing poster of Mary Jane Kelly, Jack the Rippers victim and her death was the most gruesome. I thought this picture was interesting as it shows what she looked like and her social class.

Filming Schdele

Over the half term my group were not able to film prior previous engagements. So we have decided this week will be the week we will film. This is our schdele to filming.

Thursday: Re-check and finish storyboard after school.
Friday: After school we will film. May have to be cut short due to bad weather as I checked on BBC Weather and it is predicted that during the night it will rain.
Saturday: No Filming due to Fireworks Night and we do not want the noise or lights in our film