PRODUCTION- EVALUATING THE ROUGH CUT

Presentation with pictures-https://www.emaze.com/@AFIFOQZZ/presentation-name

THE SUCCESS OF THE TITLE SEQUENCE
Our title sequence was mostly and overall narrative, however the beginning part showcasing the character of the killer was discrete aiming for the killer to stay mysterious making the audience not know and want to know more about him. The order of shots make sense as it starts off with the main character which the film is about in his natural habitat (his bedroom) showcasing pictures on his wall and him searching things on Facebook and online. It then introduces the first victim on Facebook as he searches her name which then goes to her profile showing how she is going to a party. Then we see the victim in actual physical appearance at the party she was talking about on Facebook. The killer then starts to get ready to leave. This makes the order make sense as it appears that as soon as the killer saw the post he started getting ready straight away. It then ends up with the victim leaving then being stalked by the killer in the street going from interior to exterior making it seem more vulnerable in the lonely dark streets. 

The order of the shots were not the same as how we planned as we were planning to keep the shots in the order that we filmed it. So we ended up changing the part where the killer gets ready by placing it through the clips where the victim is at the party then leaving still in the interior location. Then when the victim is in the exterior location the killer is not shown in his bedroom any more suggesting he's left to go and get her after the last shot of him opening the door.

QUALITY OF THE CAMERA WORK
Our camera work was overall okay as most of the time we kept the camera steady and still using the tripod when we needed a shot to look clean e.g. when the killer was searching on the internet we used an over shoulder shot and wanted a still shot of him typing with the text appearing on the screen. In other parts with were moving with the camera using the tracking wheel so that it would reduce the shakiness of the camera. We also incorporated the backgrounds in most of the shots to show that there was changes of locations for the audience to also get the full effect of how the characters have travelled and how they ended up in the ending location. We also used the camera to give point of view aspects from the characters e.g. when the victim is looking at the phone and when the killer is looking at his computing and searching the victim.

VARIETY OF SHOT TYPES USED
We used a large range of CLOSE UPS in mostly the discrete scenes. We also used a range of TRACKING SHOTS when the victim is being followed to let the audience know and give an effect that this person is the victim that is going to be followed by the killer. Moreover we used CUT INS e.g. when the victim is checking the missed calls and messages on her phone the camera cuts in on a close up on the phone. 
Other shots used...
POINT OF VIEW SHOT
LONG SHOT
MEDIUM SHOT
OVER SHOULDER SHOT
EXTREME CLOSE UPS 
EXTREME LONG SHOT 

USE OF LIGHTING
The use of lighting was mostly dark in all of the locations to create a dark and mysterious for the audience as it is supposed to be a horror/thriller. In the killers bedroom we filmed in the dark but also used a flash light creating dark shadows so that the audience would still be able to see what was going on but with a dark background surrounding the object that is being filmed. When the victim is on the street we used the street lamps to supply us with light as the street was supposed to be seen as dark and creepy and isolated so that the victim seems more vulnerable to the audience.

PERFORMANCE OF THE CHARACTERS
The characters in our opening could not use dialogue so for them to be expressive of who they are and their purpose they used actions e.g. killer sharpening knife showing he's dangerous. Moreover the props and costumes used helped the audience identify who was who with the killer wearing all black and the victim wearing normal clothes dressed as a teenager.

USE OF MISE-EN-SCENE (LOCATIONS, SETTING, PROPS and COSTUMES)
We used all discrete locations where we thought none of the public would be as there was no need of any other people to be in the opening apart from the two characters. The locations also would help the audience know how the characters are being portrayed with mostly the killer e.g. the pictures on his bedroom wall. The props helped identify what the characters were like e.g. the knife for the killer and the phone for the victim. The costumes helped the audience identify the lifestyle of the characters e.g. killer in all black and victim in normal teenage clothes. 


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PRODUCTION- Analysing Strengths and Weaknesses/ Targets

STRENGTHS- I have used lots of research with lots of detailed analytical references and opinions/findings.

WEAKNESSES- Not much use of visual examples in every post. Some blogs may seem unclear for others to understand when reading.

THREATS- Lack of time management and organisation with completing some blogs. 

OPPORTUNITIES- Go back to old blogs and incorporate related images to give more a visual and interesting layout.


The 3 things that I can do to develop my blog is...
Firstly add more visuals e.g. pictures or gifs to make the layout look more colourful and become more involved with using different medians.
Secondly use more context relating to the audience so that people viewing the blog get a full understanding of the wanted effect needed to interest the audience.
Thirdly I could keep up to date with group blogs requiring video feedback of different opinions on ideas and target audiences for people to understand who we are targeting and why.

PRODUCTION- Evidence Audit

PITCH FEEDBACK- Savannah

Obsession Rough Cut- GROUP 29

RESEARCH- Sound for our Opening

Sound ideas
In our opening we know that the sound is going to be vital to creating a tense, creepy atmosphere that is typical of the thriller genre. We considered the amount of diegetic and non-diegetic sound we are going to use for our opening and how there were going to be recorded and placed into the opening.

We decided we are going to use more diegetic sound to build up the tension of the opening and there will be gaps of silence to create and eerie atmosphere and the music in the piece will be minimalistic but high pitched to give a chilling effect to the audience.

Non-diegetic	Diegetic
The sound of a heart beating.	The sound of the keyboard typing and the clicks of the mouse and the computer running whilst in the man’s room.
Tense slow,high pitched music to build up tension.	The sound of the clock ticking whilst in the man’s room.
Impact noises/sound effects when titles enter.	The closing of the door when the man is leaving his room to the party.
Enhanced version of Car door opening.	The sound of the man breathing when the man is following the girl.
Opening non copy righted soundtrack	Muffled sound of music and talking from the party when we cut from the man’s room to the outside of the house where the party is being made.
	The footsteps of the man and girl when the girl is being followed.
	Background sound of the street when the girl and man is on the street.
	The party music being played.

However there will be a bit of music played in the background that will be a high-pitched that just add a chilling undertone. We will also dub a lot of the diegetic sounds for them to have more of an impact and create more of a building soundscape as the narrative progresses. There will be short hard impact sounds when a credit appears and a sound of typing as the animation of the words are being type. The music in the background will then increase in volume and intensity as the opening’s narrative comes to a climax when the serial killer is following his victim.

PRODUCTION- Third day of Filming- Sabina

What went well?







What could have been better?

PRODUCTION- Second day of Filming- Savannah

Filming exterior Walking/Car Scene

What went well- Everyone turned up on time for meeting and collecting the equipment. By the time we arrived at the location it was the right type of lighting for the night scene that we planned. We successfully got to use a car in our opening for when the girl is being followed which we thought would be a problem with accessing. We got to film all the shots we needed for the film involving the car and when the killer interacts with the victim. We used a different amount of shot types from long distance to extreme close ups and cut offs for when the car is following. The recording equipment was handled properly and carefully taken care of from when we kept it overnight until the next day of also filming.




It could have been better if- We brought the correct lighting equipment as it was very dark to see and the quality became more unclear. This could have also been solved by using a street with more street lamps so the audience would clearly see where the character is and determine the surroundings. It would've also been better if we correctly planned how and the character would be placed in the camera frame so directing should've been better as we wasted time organizing last minute. There was multiple frequent interruptions with the public with people occasionally walking down the street and background noise of people talking. To improve this we could have found a even better remote location where there would be less interruptions. We didn't do much takes of the shots that we needed just in case in editing we thought we could use a better version.

PRODUCTION-The first day of filming-Elijah

The first day of filming

Our first filming session was at my house and we got many shots for the beginning of our opening. We made sure that we got a number of shots so we can have a large collection of shots so we can make a series of match cuts to create that jumpy atmosphere we want to create.  When we started filming the lighting was too bright as we wanted to create dark imagery for the beginning of the opening so we closed the curtain which was letting in the sunlight but then it was too dark so a flashlight on our phones was needed and this gave the right to give the creepy mood. The biggest problem we faced was keeping he continuity of the shots knowing exactly where the items was on the table to make sure that they don’t seem to have magically moved from a different angle. We wasted some time at the beginning of our filming session as we didn't have the pictures of the victims ready to put on the wall. This meant that we needed to print them out before the shoot and waste time having to cut them out and stick them onto the wall.

We could have improved our filming process by having had the pictures that needed to be stuck on the wall prepared before the day of the shoot. We could have also had a clear shot list in order to be able to quickly and efficiently film all the shots  
checking them off as we go along, whilst also knowing that no shot was missed give us more time to film any spare shots or new ideas that come up whilst filming.

Overall I feel that this was a good day of filming as we got a lot of good quality shots displaying the mood we wanted to capture and we got a lot of different shots from different angles to create a good sequence of match cuts for the first part of our opening.

PLANNING-Final Idea

Final Idea

Our final idea for our film opening is that it is going to be a thriller/horror. Our film opening will be a narrative film opening that will show an ambiguous serial killer ,who's face won't be revealed throughout the entire film opening, that pursues another teenage girl victim firstly online and then down the street from a party that she was at. The film opening ends when the serial killer is moments from catching the girl. 

At the beginning of the opening the serial killer is going to be established though a large amount of dark imagery to show his dark intentions and create a theme of murder, crime and also mystery as his identity will be withheld. The shots will be of him typing at his laptop, wrapping a knife in a cloth, putting on his jacket and gloves, pictures of his previous victims (defaced) on his wall above his computer. We are planing on a little light in our shots to create shadows to add to the tension we are trying to orchestrate from the opening, that is why we have planned to shoot these shots during the daytime within my bedroom as there will be daylight to use and that can be adjusted by my curtains. 

We also plan to use multiple jump cuts within this part of the opening to give a pacy start to the opening and to create a jumpy, tense atmosphere which is typical to the thriller genre. We also are planning on using Camtasia 2 to show the activities that he is doing on his laptop in spying on his victim on Facebook and seeing that she is at this party.

The second part of our opening will show the serial killer travelling to the party scene where the victim is located whilst also showing the victim leaving the party and making her way back home down a street. These two shots will ultimate come together into the same shot as the serial killer quickly approaches the victim when they will both turn into an alleyway where the tension will rise as the serial killer draws close to the girl and will end at a climax when the killer reaches for his victim. The crescendo of tension will really start building up at this point of the opening when the narrative starts to unfold and the inevitable is slowly revealing itself. It is important to really show this build up of tension strongly as it is essential in thrillers and especially our film opening to give the audience a dreaded feeling of anticipation of the horror events as that is what distinguishes the genre of thriller from horror.

We are planning on using little non-diegetic sound in the beginning of our film opening as we want to create an eerie atmosphere by having gaps of silence and also by creating a soundscape of diegetic sounds through the sounds of the typing of the keyboard, the clicking of the mouse, the clock ticking him grabbing the knife, him breathing, the rustling sounds of him getting ready to leave, him opening his door etc... We are planning to use foley sounds for these digetic sounds just so that they are enhanced  

PLANNING- Reaction and action on pitch feedback-Elijah

Reaction and action on pitch feedback

The main things that came from the feedback to our pitch is that the story and idea of our opening was good and strongly developed. However the logistics of the mise-en-scene and how we are going to get the props we need and the production schedule needed work and to be addressed in more detail to insure a smooth running shoot in order to get all the footage we need. We also need to plan out the logistics of the mise-en-scene and the production schedule because we need the really use the time we have efficiently rather than wasting time planning the props and costume and general mise-en-scene.

We are also having to adjust our idea in terms of the representation of the knife of the serial killer. We were planning to have a real knife and the serial killer wrap it in a piece of cloth that and show him put it in his pocket or just on his person and leave for his pursuit of the victim. In our feedback we were informed of the dangers of using a real knife and was advised to use a fake knife rather than a real one to avoid casualties.

We also were told in our feedback that the shot list for our opening should be completed to give a clear plan for the shots that are required and to also save time in the filming process allowing us to just film the shots with ease rather than wasting time trying to compose them on the day. 

PLANNING-The Pitch(7,8,9)-Elijah

7. Sound design

We are going to use more diegetic sound to build up the tension of the opening and there will be gaps of silence to create and eerie atmosphere and the music in the piece will be minimalistic but high pitched to give a chilling effect to the audience. However there will be a bit of music played in the background that will be a high-pitched that just add a chilling undertone. We will also dub a lot of the diegetic sounds for them to have more of an impact and create more of a building soundscape as the narrative progresses. there will be short hard impact sounds when a credit appears and a sound of typing as the animation of the words are being type. The music in the background will then increase in volume and intensity as the opening’s narrative comes to a climax when the serial killer is following his victim.

8. Mise-en-scene- Setting and locations

We are going to have a lot of jump cuts from locations to create a sense of tension in the audience and this is a convention in thriller films in creating a jumpy, tense atmosphere. These jump cuts will also keep a fast pace to the opening so it doesn’t drag and the audience is engaged and is immersed in the jumpy nature of the film. The jump cuts from the girl leaving the party and the psychopath killer preparing will consciously link the two together and give the audience a sense of dreaded expectation adding to the tense nature of the opening.

9. Mise-en-scene- Props, costume, make up etc.

The props are important in telling the narrative of the opening and shows the intend of the killer. The costume in our opening will also set the mood of the opening. The laptop is probably one of the most important of the props of the opening as it give the sense of stalking online and it is one of the main themes of the opening with the titles giving the sense of being typed. The costume of the serial killer is important as it has to be dark and showing he is getting ready to commit murder or a crime also it needs to show him as an ambiguous character that doesn’t reveal his identity and create a sense of mystery to the audience.

Storyboards- Savannah

The order of Title sequences- Savannah

The Shining Credits order

The Conjuring Credits order

Obsession- Order of Titles:

Production company Benjamin productions 
Distribution Company New Line Cinema 
Actors Elijah Hammond-Dallas as Dave
Savannah Benjamin as Mariah 
Title of Film Obsession
Casting By Raheem Bolenga
Costumes Designed By Sophine James
Music By Nigel Howard 
Editors Savannah Benjamin, Sabina Pushpa and Elijah Hammond-Dallas
Production Designer Ross Noble 
Director of Photography Savannah Benjamin 
Executive producers Tyrese Blackman David Jones Susan Redgrave
Written By Bob Redbridge 
Produced By Catherine James 
Directed By Sabina Pushpa Savannah Benjamin and Elijah Hammond-Dallas

PLANNING- My individual ideas on the film opening.

My individual ideas on the film opening.

I feel that our film opening will be a creepy, eerie feeling opening that shows a serial killer played by me ,but never truly viewing my face, track down and pursue another of his victims and just before he commits the crime the opening is over and the film begins.

I think that the opening should be in very dark light so probably filmed at night as it will add to the mysterious atmosphere that is typical in the thriller genre.

 I had an idea that I, the serial killer, should be in a car driving, following the girl as she started to walk down the road from the party, however I was made aware that this wasn't necessary for the narrative of the opening nor did it add to any tension that we were trying to build and wasn't feasible to get a car and film me driving it. This was also not really targeting at our audience as the majority of them wouldn't drive and we want them to relate to the characters and themes of the film.

I had another idea that the jump cuts would be of the girl within the house of the party rather than he just leaving the party however we found that this would take a number of other people in the background and a lot of sound which could also detract from the essential narrative of her being stalked which we wanted to be quite quiet and still at the progressively rise in sound and tension before the climax which signals the end of the opening.

PLANNING- The mise-en-scene- Props and Costume

The mise-en-scene- Props and Costume

The props are important in telling the narrative of the opening and shows the intend of the killer. The costume in our opening will also set the mood of the opening. The laptop is probably one of the most important of the props of the opening as it give the sense of stalking online and it is one of the main themes of the opening with the titles giving the sense of being typed. The costume of the serial killer is important as it has to be dark and showing he is getting ready to commit murder or a crime also it needs to show him as an ambiguous character that doesn’t reveal his identity and create a sense of mystery to the audience. 

Props
Computer/ laptop	The computer that the killer is going to use in his room to spy on the girl and to see that she is at the party on Facebook.
Victims images	These photos will be defaced and stuck up all around the wall and will have a red cross going through them.
Knife	Would be shown when the killer is in the car sharpening his knife as if he's ready to kill the girl when he sees her. Would get it from the kitchen.
Knife Sharpener	Would be used when the killer is sharpening his knife to show how he's getting ready giving the audience an idea of how he kills his victims. Would get it from the kitchen.
Empty bottle	Would get it from recycling. Would be used for the audience to see how the friend is drunk. Shown when the main character first leaves the house.
Car	Used for the killer to be following the main character without being seen in person.Would get it from a friend's older sibling or family member who drives and would allow it. Also used to show killer sharpening his knife inside.
Scarf	Shown at the very end of title sequence when the main character disappears and all that's left is the scarf on the ground. Would get this prop from home as it's at item of clothing. Also to show the audience how cold it is.
Phone	Used when main character is trying to call someone to pick her up but no one is picking up. Can get it from someone personal belongings. This would be seen when the main character is locked out the house and no one is picking up showing there's no other way of getting back in the house.

Costumes
Girl	Heels to echo when walking down the lonesome street echoing. Dress to show she's just came from a party. Also shows how innocent she is to the dark late night surroundings to seem vulnerable.
Killer	Wears dark clothes to give a mysterious and dark evil effect. Mask is to not give away identity. Gloves would be shown when character is sharpening weapons, also shows how he doesn't give away anything with finger prints.
Friend	In a party dress supposed to be seen as a reckless person who doesn't pay much attention

PLANNING- The mise-en-scene- Locations and Setting

The mise-en-scene-Locations and Setting

We are going to have a lot of jump cuts from locations to create a sense of tension in the audience and this is a convention in thriller films in creating a jumpy, tense atmosphere. These jump cuts will also keep a fast pace to the opening so it doesn’t drag and the audience is engaged and is immersed in the jumpy nature of the film. The jump cuts from the girl leaving the party and the psychopath killer preparing will consciously link the two together and give the audience a sense of dreaded expectation adding to the tense nature of the opening.

Locations and Setting
Killer’s bedroom	Elijah’s bedroom-To give a hint of the killers obsessions and lifestyle. Would be shown in close ups, not giving away too much of the surroundings and will have pictures of defaced ex-victims on the wall.
House	Omar’s house- This would be used for when the main character is seen leaving the party and gets locked out. Close ups in the door area where the main character would be seen coming out. long shot giving full view of house.
Street	Omar’s street- Isolated lonely street where character would be seen walking looking vulnerable. Would be shown in long shots and close ups when it comes to showing the characters expressions and movements/ medium shots.
Alleyway	An alleyway near Omar’s house- Often seen unsafe so will be used to give a threatening effect to thee audience knowing something dangerous is going to happen. This would be seen in long shots to show how completely empty it is.