Coursework Diary

Lesson 1:
We chose our groups and decided we were going to base our coursework around the horror genre.
Lesson 2:
We brainstormed potential ideas for our coursework.

Lesson 3:
After evaluating these ideas we came with the storyline. However we realised our storyline fitted into the thriller genre more than the horror genre. We also asked friends and family of their opinions on our storyline. They were pleased!
Lesson 4:
We made a spider diagram on the different areas we would need to consider when planning. This was over a few lessons as this took longer than we expected.

Lesson 5:
We started storyboarding out our idea. This took longer than expected as working out the order was essential to help us with actually making the opening of our film.

 

Lesson 6: 
Whilst discussing our ideas we realised location was an important factor. One of our chosen locations was at a petrol station however after discussing this we found this was not be ideal.
Lesson 7:
The next lesson we carried on discussing location.We evaluated which would be they best one that suited our storyline. When deciding this we looked at key conventions of a horror film and deciding a house would be ideal as this would leave the audience feeling uneasy they can relate to it! By the end of the lesson we decided our chosen location would be Abbie's house as her house had the suited our requirements.
Lesson 8:
We decided to held auditions for our characters as we were determined to find the best actors!  We wanted a female protagonist who was a smart lady in her mid 30's working in a school shown through costume.This character would also show connations of a career driven individual. The other main character we wanted to be a sterotypical young teenage boy who dressed in tracksuits in juxstaposition to the lady as this would show to different backgrounds and leave the audience suspicious. By the end of the lesson we had come to conclude based on the auditions our characters would be Nick an Mrs Williams and they were proven to be the best in the auditions.
Lesson 9:
After deciding Abbie's house we visted and practiced shots just to ensure this was the right location. It worked very well. Here is a practice of what we did!

Lesson 10:
After uploading our practice shots at Abbie's we asked our teacher and friends to receive feedback. From this we concluded things we needed to add. Such as shots from different angles ect.
Lesson 11:
Our second location was the school. So practised shooting here as well.
Lesson 12:
We decided to carry out our risk assessment.

Lesson 13:
After discussing our storyline in further detail we decided to add a twist to make it slightly more thrilling.
Lesson 14:
We discussed the idea of flashbacks within our opening to add to the effect.
Lesson 15:
We researched what we needed for flashbacks. We searched for adoption papers and baby scans to prepare for tommorow when we were going to film the flashbacks. These are the ones we decided on. 

Lesson 16:
We filmed our flashbacks are they were short.  We used the sick room at school to represent a hospital and a dolls from the nursery for the baby. The complicated part was trying to film the doll and make it look real but thankfully we managed to pull this off!
Lesson 17:
We arranged a day to film. We planned everything we would need. For example:

-       Equipment (Cameras, tripods, )

-       Characters - Made sure characters knew what they were doing and when.

-       Mise en Scene - Ensured all character knew what they were wearing.

-      Availabilty of location (Abbies house and the school office)

Lesson 18:
We decided to film all in one go to avoid continuity issues. This went well, despite the bad weather! As the evening went on we became more familiar with what we wanted in the shot. For example no unneccessary headroom. 
Lesson 19:
 We uploaded our film opening onto the mac and started selecting what we wanted into a new project on IMOVIE. 
Lesson 20:
 In this lesson we decided to edit our film in Final Cut. This took up to a week.
Lesson 21:
 All the editing was complete! Now was the tricky bit ... adding sound! We used the website freeplaymusic for sound effects such as heaving breathing and footsteps. However we also used the natural sound from filming i.e. Car driving. We spent another week doing this!  
Lesson 22:
We mapped out our titles for the film.
Lesson 23:
We added our titles into our film. 
Lesson 24:
We reviewed our work and showed friends!



Planning Character and Costumes

We thought it would be important to plan out using a spider diagram, our characters personalities and costume to ensure we had a clear idea as to what they would be like and wear.

This is of Helen:

 

 

This is of Nick:

 

 

 

Planning Our Audience

As directors we decided to hold a meeting and discuss our who our audience would be, why and what rating our film would be. We believed this was essential as they would be the people who watch our film. We needed to have a clear image of our audience before we made our film to understand what to include that would attract and relate to the audience anand leave them feeling supspicous and uneasy watchin our film.

 

 

 

Storyline

After discussing various storylines this is what we have come to decide:

The opening of our film sets the scene of a successful head teacher, Helen who is driving home late on a Monday night after a long day. On her way home she flicks different radio stations to her surprise where a debate is being taken place about adoption. As she reminisces the moment of her hidden secret she begins to feel distressed little does she know what about to happen. Helen finally arrives at home as per usual makes a coffee. These calm clips contrasts with the shots of a boy running, Nick, Helens adopted son. This portrays uneasy feeling the audience receive whilst watching fast pasted editing to show the chaos. Helen begins to hear noises and reaches for her phone to call the police. The audience are left to see a boy snatching Helen’s phone out of her hand and a scream. The rest of the film shows Nick seeking his revenge and Helen’s worst nightmare is just about to begin......

Deciding the genre of our film

Horror or Thriller?

Initially as a group we were keen on the idea of a horror film opening. We researched this genre thoroughly by looking at previous directors and their work, key conventions, analysing the first nine frames and iconic sounds.

Looking back and observing our film opening, we have come to conclude it fits better into the thriller genre due to the atmosphere and suspense of our storyline. Also as our storyline developed we also established this.

Surprisingly the horror and thriller genre have similar conventions within their films such as the sounds, setting and stereotypical characters.

Film Poster Analysis

 

Here is our film poster analysis in which we have chosen to films from within the horror genre, 'Mirrors and Nightmare On Elm Street' where we have analysed the key convetions of the poster such as the fonts, the design and connations used.

 

 

Title Sequence Timeline

This is our title sequence timeline of 'Nighmare On Elm Street'. This shows the credits that are included during the first two minutes. This task is designed to help us to understand the importance of title credits and give us a rough indication as to where to put our titles.