Group Meetings - Miss Georgiou

The purpose of group meetings is so that all member of our group are planned and organised and know when we are planning or filming what. Additionally, the group meetings can also help us when looking back to ensure that we completed all stages of planning and production and to ensure that all members helped though out the making of out thriller. Therefore, it is essential to carry out group meetings so everyones knows what is going on as well as it making it easier to work out what he have or have not planned. Also, it will allow filming and editing to run smoothly as we would of organised and planned everything within our group meetings. As a result, it helped me and the rest of my group in constructing production as during these group meetings we could discuss out ideas. We would then combine these ideas together in order to create an efficient plan in making sure that our production runs smoothly and effectively. Some strengths of carrying our our group meetings are that we all got to have a say in out planning our productions and so all ideas was used instead of taking the ideas from just one person. Also, we could refer ack to previous group meetings to ensure that we have panned everything and that we have not missed any of the stages of planning our thriller sequence.

From carrying out our group meetings i have learned that it is vital to plan out the meetings so that everyones opinions are shared and heard amongst our group. This results in including everything people believe should be included in our opening thriller sequence and so it is successful. I believed that me and my group worked well together. This is because we shared our ideas and always took into consideration other peoples opinions on what should be included and how our final thriller opening sequence should look. Moreover, i think my group worked well as we shared all the jobs and roles between us so everyone done and even amount of work. Next time i would change the way we planned and discussed who would have what role and who would film and edit next. This is because as a group we ended up always having the same job to do, which became repetitive. 

Production Roles - Miss Miller

Allocating production roles is important this is because if people are allocated specific individual roles then they can get there roles done more quickly and efficiently. It also means that the roles are shared evenly throughout the group members. This is due to the reason that if one person is allocated 5 roles where as the other member of the group are only allocated 1, the person with more roles will not be able to completed their roles properly or work to the best of there ability. Furthermore, it will also leads to no one being left with nothing to do while on set filming. Within creating a film the main production roles necessary are:

• Producers
• Director
• Actors
• Director of photography (cameraman)
• Music producer
• Screenplay writer
• Mise-en-scene co-ordinator
• Editors

We decided on who will be given what roles based on what there strengths are. For example, if someone is good at editing then they would be allocated to editing the footage filmed. This is because if someone is good at the role they are given they will be able to complete the task more easily and will enjoy it, this would hopefully result in our thriller sequence to look better and more professional. 

Our producer is Samara and Leo is the co-producer. A producer is in charge of the financial and managerial aspects of making the film. Therefore when allocating the producers roles we looked at who is organised and can be responsible for time keeping so all of the sequence gets filmed within our time given to film. As well as this Samara and Leo have good leadership skills and so they can organise everyone to make sure that filming runs smoothly and that no one messes around while filming. Also, as Samara is the producer she was responsible for the locations of each scene, which she has organised when we was in the planning stages of our thriller sequenced. Furthermore, i was not given the role of producer or co-producer as i am already the director and so i would not be much use as a producer as i am already busing during the time when we film with being the director and being in charge of the mise-en-scene for each shot.

The director is me, the directors roles and responsibilities is to be in charge of the overall making of the film. We decided as a group to give this role to me as I know how each scene should be set out and what lighting needs to be used as well as props and who of the two actors needs to present. Also, i know what is going to happen in each scene as i know the narrative extremely well. Therefore, by making me the director we can ensure that each scene will be produced and filmed correctly. Moreover, as i am also the miss-en-scene co-ordinator i will already be planning and deciding on the lighting and how each shot should look and what the actors need to be doing or how they should be dressed. As a result because these two roles are similar to each other i wouldn't be doing much extra work on top of my responsibilities of being the mise-en-scene co-ordinator.

The actors are Leo as the antagonist and Rhiannon as the female victim. Although, Rhiannon is not in our media group we had asked if she would be in our sequence as the female victim because she fit the description well and has had acting experience in the past. Without actors in our opening thriller sequence we would not have anything to film, which is why their roles are important in the making of our sequence. We gave Leo the antagonists character as he was the only male in our group as we needed a male to play this role. Also, he was not the director of photography like Samara or given the role of mise-en-sence co-ordinator like me and so whenever we filmed he was free and available to film as he was not given a role that took place while filming. Moreover, we chose Rhiannon for the female victims role as she fitted the description of what our female victim needs to look like most, compared to me and Samara. This is due to the fact that me and Samara have dark brown hair and our victim needed to have either blonde or very light brown hair, which Rhiannon has. Additionally, because she is petite, young and pretty it would attract the male audience as well as fitting the rest of our females victims description. 

Director of photography (cameraman) role is to control the camera and film everything. Samara has been allocated this role as she is well equipped in knowing how the camera and tripod work and how to set them up. As well as this Samara is not and actor as or the miss-en-scene- co-ordinator and so out of our group she is the only one who has not got a role allocated for while we are filming. Therefore, that is why she was given this role instead of me or Leo as he is already and actor who is in most shots and i am in charge of the miss-en-scene for each shot and so i wouldn't be able to film as well. Moreover, by being the director of photography you have to have patience and good leadership skills to tell the actors where and how they she be standing or sitting and you will have to re-film each shot a couple times from different angles. This is so that when it comes to editing to can merge the different angles together to create the best effect. Also, Samara will need to check before filming that the camera is set up properly and that the tripod is level and not tilted to stop the shots from looking unprofessional, which she had learnt to do from performing the preliminary task.

Our music producer is Leo, he will be in charge of what sounds will be used within certain shots. We gave him this role as music producer as he knew different websites we can use to download sounds from as well as this when planning our opening sequence he contributed to what sounds will be used and knows what sounds are most conventional to the thriller genre. Additionally, as he is also the editor he knew exactly what sounds will be needed and when in order to create the thriller atmosphere for the audience and to keep them on the edge of there seats. 

The screenplay writers are all members of our group; me, Leo and Samara. This is because we all contributed in coming up with our thriller sequence narrative. Moreover, we also all incorporated parts from our own individual storyboards and so without all of our contributions we would not have the same opening sequence narrative that we have created now. Also, by us all being the screenplay writers it will be easier when filming as we will all know what needs to be filmed and what shots need to be done and so we won't have to keep reminding each other. This should enable filming to run more smoothly instead of giving one person the pressure of remembering everything that will need to be filmed, we are able to split the role between the three of us.

Mise-en-scene co-ordinator's role was given to me. This role is to plan and prepare the lighting, hair and make-up as well as the iconography. This is an important role as it includes the main elements in which help in creating the thriller sequence. This is due to the reason that with the wrong lighting or iconography being used the thriller could become unrealistic and could loose some on the suspense or tension created through other elements. Therefore, we gave this role to me because I am not an actor and so I can see everything what needs to be done when preparing to shoot a scene. As well as this I know what type of lighting and costumes will be used in each scene and I planned most of it within the planning staged of our opening sequence. Moreover, as i have experience from putting make up on i can easily use fake blood and create bruises on the victims face to make the victim look more vulnerable to the audience. We decided as a group that Leo and Samara shouldn't be the miss-en-scene co-ordinators as Leo is and actor and so wouldn't be able to act and do make-up and consume's on himself and the other actor. Also, as Samara is the director of photography she needs to be setting up shots and planning different angles instead of worrying about how the actors should look and the types of lighting that need to be created in each shot.

The editors role is to edit the footage filmed and to finish the film also, they have to create an effect for the audience through the use of editing styles used. Leo Ly is the main editor this is because he is most knowledgeable with using Final Cut Pro compared to me and Samara. Additionally, he also knows what type of transitions should be used and when in order to create the best effect of suspense and make the sequence run smoothly and be more conventional to the thriller genre. Furthermore, me and Samara however, will also help with editing and will suggest ad help Leo with making decisions of what should be cut or inserted such as a transition or music. Overall though Leo will make all the finishing touches and ensure that the thriller sequence is the best it can be.

To conclude, each person done well in there allocated role, this is because the roles each person was given they enjoyed and new how to do it beforehand. However, if we was to change the production roles and the responsibilities each person in our group had I would change Samara to be the music producer. This is because she was able to find and insert the sounds more easily into Final Cut Pro compared to Leo. This is due to the reason that while Leo had been editing she practised with using the different sound websites and finding the different sounds so when it came to putting them into our sequence she knew exactly what to do, whereas Leo didn't. Furthermore, there is not any other roles I would change because everyone worked well within there roles given and got there given jobs done within there allocated time.

Filming Schedule - Miss Georgiou

A filming schedule is important to have as it means that everyone in the group is away of when and where we are filming each section of our sequence. Additionally, it will help us in organising what props or equipment will need to be taken to the filming locations and what actors are needed for when we film as on some days we might not need both actors there. As well as this it will help us so that when we are filming we don't go of tracy and we film what is needed to be filmed that day. 

While filming we mainly followed our filming schedule, however we changed and added in a few shots while filming in the dark room. We added in using a panning shot when the antagonist enters the dark room as otherwise we felt as a group that by using only one camera angle for this it dragged the shot out to much and made it boring for the audience. Whereas by using multiple angles to show the antagonist entering the dark room it keeps the audience intrigued and interested in the sequence. Before we decided on using a panning along with out point of view of the antagonist entering the room we experimented with many other camera angles and movements until we used the panning, which we decided worked best. When filming we also had to film additional shots of the victim in school this is because when looking back over our footage we realised that because we had filmed on different days our female victim actress was wearing a different type of skirt and had her hair in a different style, which we would effect the overall outcome of our work. Also, in our footage for when she is by her locker there is a teacher in the background who is looking directly into the camera and so we had to re film this scene because him looking directly into the character effected the suspense of the antagonist leaving the note in the victims bag. Furthermore, we added in a classroom scene of where she found the note at the start of one her lessons. We added this in because it was a better shot to show of her finding it instead of her just fining it in her bag, which wouldn't of been as conventional to the other scenes around it. From the role of a filming schedule i have learnt that it is important for production to have one so that you can check of each shot as you film it and work out whether there are any shots you need to add in to make the sequence run more smoothly.

Opening Scene Narration - Miss Miller

Me and my group came up with our final sequence idea by first coming up with our individual storyboards, we then shared these with each other and spoke about the weaknesses and strengths pot each of our storyboards. We then used our strengths from each of our storyboards to put them together to make out group storyboard of our thriller sequence. 

Our thriller sequence starts in the antagonists bedroom when the antagonist is getting ready with a close up of the antagonists dressing table the iconography used is a radio and makeup. During this shot high key lighting will be used as well as non-degetic sound, which is the radio voice over talking about girls going missing in the area. This then changes to an over the shoulder shot using a straight cut, the shot is still taking place in the antagonists bedroom and we see the antagonist in the mirror getting ready. The radio will still be playing and there will be high key lighting still be used. Additionally, the iconography used in this shot is the clown mask the antagonist will be wearing and the pictures of the girl, which are his next victims around the mirror. The antagonist, still in his bedroom, then picks up a picture of one of the girls and an extreme close up of the picture is used. While there is silence and low key lighting we will then zoom into the picture and it will fade to black this is showing the start of the flashback of when the antagonist leaves the note in the girls bag. We will then change location in the flashback to the school, both the antagonist and the victim are in this scene as we will use a long shot to show the antagonist putting the note from him into the victims bag without her realising. When this takes place we will use natural lighting and will has suspenseful music playing in the background as it shows that something bad will happen from her now having this note. In our fifth shot we will zoom back out into the extreme close up of the picture of the victim and so we are back in the antagonists bedroom and the is the radio still playing, which is off screen sound. High key lighting will also be used in this shot and it shows the finishing of the flashback and we will zoom out into and over the shoulder shot at the end. In this over the shoulder shot we will then use high key lighting and show the antagonist in his bedroom putting the picture of the victim back around his mirror where he had taken it from. Here the radio voice over will also still be taking place but, will be coming to an end. After this we will use a wipe cut to change to the antagonist being near the front of his house, still using and over the shoulder as well as a long shot we will watch him take his knifer which is the murder weapon and walk out of his house. There will be use of high key lighting sound as well as suspenseful music. Linking of shots will then be used to show the victim back at the school, where we will also use silence and high key lighting to show a close up of the victims bag and her finding the note inside. Carrying on with the close up we will then show the female victim reading the note. We will still be using high key lighting and silent as well as this shot still being taken place at the school. Next we will show the female victim walking on her way to meet whoever left her the note. We will use a long shot and this shot will take place along the street, also we will use natural lighting as well as parallel sound such as hearing cars or the wind while she is walking. Linking of shots we then be used to show her entering the alley way, through a long shot. We will also use low key lighting as well as this se will play eerie music, that creates tension. Slow paced timing of shots will also be used. Then we will change to a high angle of the female victim in the alley, slow timing of shots will then be used to change to this high angle. The actor used is the fe,ale victim as it shows her finding the pictures of herself in the alley and so iconography used will be the photos of the victim herself. We will also use natural lighting and suspenseful music. Slow timing of shots will carry on being used into the next shot is still in the alley and we will see a close up of one of the photos of that the female victim has found in the alley. We will be using low key lighting   here and tension music will be playing in the background. The only actor being used is the female victim however, we will not see her completely and will only see her hand in the close up. Next a mid shot will be used when the female victim is in the alley and the antagonist sneaks up behind her. The iconography being used is still the photographs in the alley and low key lighting will still be being used as well as dramatic music and sound effects. After this a close up/reaction shot will be used when the antagonist is in the alley with the victim and grabs her. There all be low key lighting as well as screaming and crying from the victim. The screen will then fade to black to show the victim being knocked out and that she is now unconscious. A wipe cut will then be used to show the change in the location from the alley to the dark room. A high angle will be used to show the female victim unconscious in the dark room, there will be low key lighting and we will be able to hear the victim breathing. The iconography used in this shot will be the rope. then we will show a close up on the victims face and there will be a fade in from black to show the victim waking up. This host will take place in the dark room an low key lighting will be used and there will be silence. Slow timing of shots will then be used in the next shot, which is a point of view shot. This shot uses low key lighting and has the iconography of the clown mask as the wee from the victims view point, the antagonist slowly walking towards the victim scraping the knife against the wall. As well as the non-diegetic sound from the scraping of the knife we will also use contrapuntal sound, which will be clown music. We will then use linking of shots to show a close up of the victims reaction of her screaming. This will still  be taking place in the dark room and low key lighting will also still be being used with suspenseful music playing. This shot is also the starting shot used in the kuleshov effect, the use of linking of shots is then used again as the editing into the next shot that is a shallow focus. This shallow focus is of the antagonist holding up a knife covered in blood. The iconography is the knife and the clown mask and low key lighting will still be used also the contrapuntal sound of clown music will be playing again. The second from last shot is still in the dark room and is a mid shot of female victim layer on the floor dead. The iconography in this shot is the blood and we will slowly zoom into the female victims body while in the background we can hear the clown laughing. The lighting that will be used will be low key which will then fade to high key to show that she is now dead and that she had got to heaven. Our final shot also takes place in the dark room and is a long shot. It consists of the antagonist leaving the room, the type of editing we will be using is slow editing and the iconography will be the blood and the knife.  Moreover, in this shot there will be no sound and so silence will be being used and the lighting will be low key. 

By writing out the opening scene narration it has helped finalise my groups idea as it has helped us in visualising what we want each shot to look like before we film them. Additionally, it has helped with what props we need to gather or make in preparation for filming. Also, we was able to go over the sounds and editing techniques we are using to make sure they are correct and fit in with each shot they are being used in as well as the ones before and after. Furthermore, this has been helpful as it will save time while filming as we was able to change anything we do not like in our storyboard now instead of having to look over it once we had started filming, which could cause interruption with other shots around it that we might be filming. 

Group Storyboard - Miss Miller

The purpose of a group storyboard is to create our final storyboard, which as a group we will use and follow while filming and editing our thriller sequence. To make out group storyboard we sat and discussed within our group about what we have included in our individual storyboards. We then looked at all of our strengths from our individual ideas to combine them together to create the best final group storyboard we can in chronological order.

Each shot described and drawn in our group storyboard below was taken from either mine, Leo's or Samara's storyboard. We mostly have similar ideas however, the order of which we thought the events were going to occur in where different in our storyboards and so we have rearranged them so that everyone agrees on the new order of which everything will take place in our sequence.

The first page of our group storyboard was taken all from my individual storyboard. Even though i had the same ideas as Leo and Samara for the first page we used mine as we agreed that mine had better and clearer pictures and that my descriptions of what elements are used were correct and easy to understand. Additionally, my frames were the most conventional to the thriller genre. This is because they include elements such as using a clown mask and using silence as well as non-diegetic sound to create tension and suspense for the audience as well as an eerie atmosphere. Also, the shots i have used, which are a close up and a over the shoulder shot are more complex and are not basic repetitive shots, compared to the shots that Samara and Leo had decided on using in these frames and so that is why we chose my frames. 

The second and third page of our group storyboard includes some of Leo's ideas and some of Samara's as well as one of mine. Frames 8 and 9 are samara's. We decided on using these as neither me or Leo had included these shots in our individual storyboards. When discussing whether we should include them or not we agrees that we should as they are vital frames in letting the audience know what the note has written on it and how the victim finds the note in the first place. Furthermore, we also thought that the use of the P.O.V angle of the female victim looking into her bag in frame 8 was good as this will let the audience se her finding the note as if they are finding the note themselves. This helps them in building a relationship with the female victim. Moreover, in frame 9 Samara said that she would use silence when the victim reads the note. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it builds up suspense for the audience as well as tension, which keeps the audience engaged wanting to find out more and whether she meets whoever left her the note. 

Pages four, five and six all include frames and elements from each of our individual storyboards. However, frames 11 and 12 were taken from Leo's we used these two frames in particular as they were clear in portraying how the victim will walk down the alley in frame 11 and then in frame 12 she will pick a picture of herself of the wall. Frame 11 was different to mine and Samara's as Leo chose to use tension music as well as slow placed editing. These are both conventional to the thriller genre making his frames elements more conventional than mine and Samara's, which is why we chose it. Furthermore, in frame 12 he incorporated the use of a high angle, which neither me or Samara had included in our individual storyboards. Therefore, we decide on using it in our group storyboard as it is a more complex angle and also makes the sequence more interesting for the audience as they are able to see a variety of angles being used instead of the same simple ones being repeated. As well as this he also stated on using slow pace editing again, this is conventional to the thriller genre and keeps the audience engaged wanting to find out more. This is because it creates suspense and shock when we see the pictures in the alley are of the victim. 

To conclude, i think that my group and i have made our group storyboard conventional to the thriller genre. This is due to the reason that it include many conventional elements such as silence and low key lighting that create tension and suspense for the audience. Within our group storyboard we was able to incorporate all of out individual ideas, this is because we all had similar ideas to start with and so only a few things were either added or changed within out frames. If we had to change anything within our sequence then i think it would be to look over the editing styles and maybe change some and try and use more complex ones instead of using the same simple ones over and over again. Additionally, we could also include better decryption os the types of lighting we could use instead of just saying whether it would be high key or low key. For example, we could of added in if we was going to use filler lights.

Risk Assessment - Miss Georgiou

The purpose of a risk assessment is to identify any potential risks or hazards, which you could face during filming. We can then go through each risk and highlight precautions that can be taken to prevent them. This means that we can also warn crew and cast members of risks before filming to ensure there safety. Moreover, a risk assessment is important to consider before filming to ensure that filming will run smoothly and so that no one gets hurt. As well as to prevent any equipment from becoming damaged during filming our opening thriller sequence. As well as my group and me have considered back up pas for if something was to go wrong.

My group and me followed our risk assessment well and so we took all the precautions necessary to ensure that we did not encounter any risks or hazards during the filming of our sequence. Additionally, we had looked through our group storyboard to analyse any risks. This allowed us to see the process of our filming and easily highlight any risks that could take place. As a result this meant that our risk assessment was detailed enough to enable us to ensure that there was no further risks that we had to watch out for. 

I have learnt that the role of a risk assessment is essential to have before filming and so you can follow it to enable that no risks occur and so that filming runs smoothly. Also, it helps by keeping everyone safe from any harm and brings down costs of filming the production as a result of using the risk assessment no equipment can become broken or damaged. Therefore, before filming each shot we took into consideration and made all members of our group aware of all the risks to prevent any of them from occurring. By creating the risk assessment it also meant that we could see how this risk was created, which allowed us as a group to then identify similar risks that could of occurred.