Storyboards

Filming - Day 1

Group members present: Mandy, Sophie, Libby.

Following our shooting script, we knew which scenes we wanted to film on this day:

Establishing Shot.
The establishing shot was of the exterior of the toilet, which would be shown at the start of our film opening as a background for the opening credits. We faced some difficulties when filming this shot: as it was an outdoor shot we were concerned the natural light would not be bright enough and as a result the shot would appear dull on the computer. However, later during the editing process we found this was not the case. Another difficulty we faced was uneven ground when filming, unfortunately although the camera appeared to be level, when editing we found the shot was slanted and so we had to re-film.

Toilet Scene.

We also filmed the toilet scene, this included the first scenes of the opening with our main protagonist. The toilet was an ideal location because it was secluded and so there would be no unwanted background noise and it also looked quite run-down which followed the context of our film opening. We tried to follow our storyboard as much as possible as so wanted to use a variety of shots, such as: mid shots, high angled shots and long shots to show her from the front, back and side. We used the camera on the tripod for all of these shots to ensure the shot was steady and during the editing process we used jump cuts to maintain continuity. The artificial lighting already avaliable in the toilets and the natural light from outside kept the shots well-lit throughout the day and followed the storyboard well as it connoted that it was the early hours of the morning. There was a porblem, however, when we needed to shoot a scene meant to be at night but it wasn't dark enough despite our efforts to cover the windows and turn off the artifical lights, so we decided to re-film this night scene.
Lastly, we did a close up shot of Sophie's face and zoomed into her eye. We found this problematic as the shot was unsteady and became out of focus as we zoomed in. However, after many attempts, we achieved the shot we wanted and we were happy with the result.

The Vomit.
Our storyboard shows the protagonist walk over to the toilet sink and vomit, therefore in order to make this scene as realistic as possible we made some fake 'vomit' using juice, oats, hot chocolate and peaches. It was put in Sophie's mouth and from a mid shot to the side we filmed her being sick which added a good effect and looked very believable.

Party Scene Inspiration

25th Hour

Sound

• 'Bra' by Cymande (instrumental version)
• repetitive electronic, punk style beat
• the repetition makes the beat seem hypnotic which could reflect how the characters are feeling as they are under the influence of drugs or could suggest the hypnosis from the music is allowing the characters to relieve stress and relax

Screenshot 1

 Lighting

• the artifical strobe lighting in this screenshot has a blue tint which denotes a typical club atmosphere, however it connotes a 'dream-like' atmosphere
• it could also connote a sensual or relaxing atmosphere

Camera Angles

• the over the shoulder shot looking down on the dancers, makes it seem as if the viewer is spying on the crowds
• however, the long shot means that the viewer is distance and, therefore in a way, excluded from the party
• although this is a long shot, it could be considered as an establishing shot in some ways as it is setting the club scene

Screenshot 2

    

Lighting

• again, blue tinted lighting is used in a sensual and relaxing way

Camera Angles

• close up of a woman's face
• creates a sensual atmosphere as her lips are clearly outlined (women's lips are symbols of sexuality and sensuality)

Mise-en-Scene

• as it is a side profile, the curves of her faces are outlined - as her features are not sharp, the curves of her face along with the blue lighting constructs sexual yet soft persona for this character
• her straightforward gaze intensifies her sexuality - however as it is not directed at the camera, it is almost as if the viewers are prying into her personal life

Screenshot 3

Lighting

• in this shot a harsh white light is used instead of blue tinted light
• as it is the last clip of people dancing in a club the white light could symbolise awakening/realisation which contrasts to the previous 'dream-like' blue coloured lighting
• the harsh lighting could also reflect a burst of energy which echoes the energetic jumping of the people

Camera Angles 

• the viewer feels part of the lively atmosphere created by the dancers because the camera is placed amongst the crowd at eye level
• the extreme close ups of the dancers' hands allows the viewer to imagine that they are in an overcrowded and buzzing club

Mise-en-Scene

• young dancers - again emphasising that this is a popular club for young people
• casual clothing - one woman is wearing jeans and a vest top, which emulates a 'whatever' teenage attitude

Screenshot 4

Sound

• different to the previous heavy bass music, the soundtrack used for this scene includes a trumpet and a relatively slow drum beat
• typically thought to music for the 'older' generation it contrasts to the youthful drum and bass style music in the club
• the slower pace of the music reflects the character's calm and relaxed mood

Lighting

• spotlight is used to focus on this character, as the scene revolves around her and her mood
• the background is has little light to avoid distractions

Camera Angles

• close up shot makes sure the viewer's attention is on this character
• the close up shot also symbolises how the viewer is invading this character's personal space
• as this character is under the influence of drugs, the close up shot could show how she is viewing the world differently to before

Editing

• the scene is in slow motion to emulate the effects of  the drugs on this character

Mise-en-Scene

• although the close up shot makes it seem as if we are invading her privacy, her straight stare at the camera infers she knows the viewer is there and doesn't care

Lighting

For testing the lighting, i used different coloured plastic bags and held it over a torch and a ceiling spotlight. It worked effectively and would be good for our filming. Some of these colours would be especially useful for the party scene (using coloured strobe-type lighting).

Red can be associated with shame, fire, danger, blood, stop, war, aggression which would be ideal for our characters personality and how her life has changed. We could use this for our party scene as the girl is putting herself at danger through the amount of alcohol she is drinking and drugs she is taking or the rape scene as streetlights often have a red glow and it could portray the danger of what is happening to her. It could also be a good use of mise en scene as a party may have different coloured lights which adds to the excitement.






Scenes tinted in green are generally mysterious. Also meaning glass (maybe looking through a green vodka glass) and could show the smashing and falling apart of her life. It can have a negative connotation of envy/jealousy, inexperience and even mold. This would seem quite unrealistic in any other scene but the party scene as this light is quite unnatural and does not give the right effect for our film opening.

Blue is associated with cold and has a tendency to cause the feelings of sadness and depression. Again these could be used in the party scene but also this use of blue tint would be effective in the morning as the girl wakes up in the toilets as it would sadden the mood, helping to convey her feelings. It would also be a good use of mise en scene, making to morning appear more cold and adding to the dull, moody atmosphere.

The colour purple can be seen as a warm colour and a cold colour which can create both a posittive and negative atmosphere. It also has a spiritual feel. Again, this would only really be effective in the party scene for mise on scene as a coloured light. It would seem too unrealistic for any other scene as the lighting is quite unnatural.

Film Name

These pictures show different typography possiblities for the title of our film opening. The name of the film is VICTIM which fits the story as she isn't the type of girl who usually goes out and takes drugs and so she is a victim of the events that follow.

The top left we see a graffiti style of the title, it is good as it fits in with the style of our film which stereotypically is set in a run down place with graffiti sprayed places. However we decided not to use it as it rather hard to see clearly what it says.

Top right shows VICTIM written clearly and is not exaggerrated too much, the broken glass effect could signify her life breaking as well. However we decided not to use this either as it was too bulky and would be hard to incorporate into the film opening as we had wanted.

Bottom left is of the title being blown out like smoke, the idea was to have someone actually smoking and while they exhaled the letters would come out. However the shot in which we wanted the title shown would mean we would need someone to be in the scene and it wouldn't fit as the main protaginist is meant to be all alone.

Bottom right shows VICTIM outlined and has the effect of broken glass with shards around it, this is a good effect we could use. It also isn't too complicated and would be able to incorporate into the shot, this is why we have decided to use this typography for our title.

Shooting Script

Sound

Websites:

·         last.fm/music/+free-music-downloads/dubstep

·         jamendo.com

Conventions: (Some could be used as diegetic music played in parts of the party scene.)

·         Non diegetic rap music

·         Non diegetic dubstep

·         Non diegetic instruments - heavy guitars

·         Non diegetic drum line beat / bass drum beat

·         Non diegetic grime music soundtrack

·         Non diegetic voiceover

·         Diegetic dialogue

Party Music:

·    Dubstep: Example - Cracks (Flux Pavilion Remix):
When the bass drops this can have a disorientating effect and can be used as parallel sound to show the character is feeling the effects of the drugs and alcohol kick in. It is also a convention of this genre for out of control party scenes such as this one.

·    Heartbeat (Chase and Status):

Heavy guitar builds up to make the scene more dramatic. The sudden change from slow to loud energetic music could be used as parallel sound to show how everything has changed from controlled to chaos.

Sound Effects:

·         Heartbeat

·         Heavy breathing

·         Ears ringing – muffled subliminal sounds of distorted voices and music. Shows disorientation        and effect of drugs/alcohol.

·         Deep bass sounds

·         Drum beat

·         Metal ‘clang’ sound effect

·         Heartbeat sound effect

·         Glass smashing sound effect

Establishing shots/Opening Scene:
For the opening we required a drum beat:
           http://www.peaceloveproductions.com/loops/PLP_technologybreak.mp3: This beat is quiet fast which will coincide with our fast changing shots. However we also have a slower track that could be used:
         http://www.trapkit.com/mp3/PURDIECYMBALSTART.mp3: This is slower and more mysterious so could give off the sense of enigma right from the start. A slower beat also shows it will not be an uplifting film.

Party Scene :
               http://soundcloud.com/groups/unsigned-dubstep-producers/tracks?page=2

               Malaka- what should i name this track? Mini clip (dirty dubstep/electro):
 This track is halfway down the page and after the initial inro, these is a good dubstep beat which is fast moving for when the party scene is going on. The beat that goes on until 30 seconds in is a good dance track for our party scene. This would be a good song to have as its dubstep which we wanted and is good to dance to.

http://soundcloud.com/groups/unsigned-dubstep-producers
        A second song which is good is:
            Ekoe-Flashing Lights Ft. Casp (128 kbps): Halfway down the page at 0.38 mintues the song slows up which could be incorperated for when she is taking drugs as it could be her orientation slowing.

http://www.last.fm/music/Halo+Nova/_/Psilocyborg: This is a good dubstep beat which, when the music muffles and the music moves down in pitches (like steps), it could signiture when the protagonist is slowly moving down these 'steps' to a different level (the effects of the alcohol etc.). It has a clockwork feel to it which can state that time is running slower when the effect of the protagonist is occuring.

Party Scene Deconstructions

                                           

Party Scene 1

Screen Shot 1:

Screen Shot 2:

This short scene in ‘Misfits’ is good inspiration for our scene. As it is set in a club, the mise en scene, sound, editing techniques and camera angles would be very useful.

Camera Angles

• In both screen shots, we can see that it is a close up of the protagonists face.We can clearly see her facial expressions which suggest that she is enjoying where she is and what she is doing.
• The camera is facing directly in front of the protagonists face at eye level as if we are with her at the party too.
• The camera angle also suggests that we are with her suggesting that we are invited to the party too.

Mise en scene

• Also, the protagonist is wearing a bright pink, leopard print, low cut top. Pink is a very sexual, sensual, femininity, passion and even innocence. A scene of innocence is quite ironic in this scene but would be a good connotation to show the audience in our film opening as it would also be ironic.
• The connotations of leopard print suggest that it to be sexy, bold, and make the protagonist look like a ‘confident diva’. It could also suggest that the protagonist is normally referred to as an ‘animal’ and ‘looking for her prey’.
• The lighting is very vivid as half of the characters face is sharply shaded but overall the whole profile of this character is shown with light which contrasts to the background and extras in the scene. This makes the main character stand out more and make her the centre of attention as if the other surrounding people don’t matter except for her.

Sound

• A non-diegetic soundtrack is used as the protagonist walks in slow motion through the crowd.
• The soundtrack consists of an electric guitar, a drum beat and a distinctive bass.
• It has a pop/rock edgy feel to it so is something everyone would dance to so it fits in perfectly with the scene.

Editing

• The editing in this scene is the use of flashbacks and flash-forwards to show what will happen after this scene (flash-forwards) and what caused it to happen (flashbacks). This would be useful for our opening scene as it is very similar to our idea of using flashbacks to go back to the night before.

Party Scene 2

This scene is also from another 'Misfits' episode. I thought this was a good scene to deconstruct as it includes a party scene where the female protagonist has drunk a drink that has been spiked. She ends up feeling dizzy and everything changes from a matter of minutes. It would be a good inspiration for our opening scene.

Camera Angles

• In the picture on the left, the man is drinking vodka. The camera angle is shot at eye level as if we are there with him and watching him. It is shot so that the vodka bottle he is drinking from is in the centre of the screen, making the vodka the centre of attention to both the audience and the characters.
• It could also suggest that the vodka is the main source for problems occurring during and after the party and that it will cause the most affect on the characters drinking it.

  

The camera angles used are mostly close ups of the protagonists face to show all her different facial expressions and emotions the main character is going through during the party, it also emphasises when she is drinking.

Even extreme close ups (beyond what they eye can see at once) are used for example it is used to focus on the protagonists eyes as the audience can ‘see it in her eyes’ that something is wrong and that the character is suddenly changing and switching moods.

Mise en Scene

• The protagonist is wearing a gold, sparkly dress. The connotations of gold include wealth, good health, success and enjoyment. These connotations are ironic because even though she was enjoying herself at the party, it doesn’t end very well so it is in complete opposite.
• Although, Gold suggests that her personality within is bright and that she is optimistic, courageous and she has willpower.
• The lighting changes according to how she feels. When she is light-headed, we see people in her eyes that, at first, they are bright and we can see their facial features, then it dulls down and then eventually blacks out so we can only see their silhouettes. This puts emphasis on how much she had drunk and how strong it was. It can also relate to some people who are watching it as they may have been in this situation before.

Editing

• Slow motion is used when protagonist is weak, drunk, and light-headed. Everyone else around her are also dancing in slow motion which makes the audience see what the protagonist to see and have a sense of how she feels at this point.
• Match-on-action is also used for when the protagonist is getting weaker and that flashes of lights, blurred out faces (oblique), and the protagonists face itself are included in the sequence to add to the effect of everything is messed around and not right.

Eventually, everything becomes blurry in the eyes of the protagonist which makes the audience see when the character sees and how she is weakening. Everything is blurry but the protagonists face itself which adds emphasis on that the other characters, and the audience can see perfectly fine, it is only in the protagonists perspective that everything changes to dull and blurry (oblique).

Oblique (blurring) of the background but not the protagonist adds emphasis on when she is drinking before she feels light-headed. She is drinking on her own at the time, giving the sense of isolation to the audience.

Match-on-action is used again when, in the protagonists perspective, can see the first stage where we can see people dancing and we can easily see their facial features, to the next stage that we can still see the people dancing but it is dulling down and the lighting decreases, to the third and final stage of everyone being blacked out so we can only see their silhouettes. These screen shots are shown below:

Match On Action Shots from light to dark:

Stage 1: Stage 2: 

Stage 3.

Sound

• Upbeat, non-diegetic music. The music is funky, techno and includes bass which is a good piece to use for a party scene as it fits in with the mood.

• The music soon slows down and also produced echoes when the protagonist drinks a lot and feels light-headed.

• She looks down for a while but when she sharply looks upwards, a sort of lightening bolt sound erupts as her eyes are sharply the centre of attention to the camera and audience. This noise indicates that something is changing and that something bad is about to happen (as lightening bolts are associated with bad and evil.

• When the other female character touches her skin around the face, ‘sizzling’ sounds can be heard, as if it was an electric current or shock wave running through her body telling her that something is wrong. It could also mean that she is heating up, which could also by why the protagonist eventually says ‘I need some air’.

• ‘Booms’ are heard when light beams from spot lights sharply appear on screen when they become brighter and more intense, as if, in the characters eyes, the lights are more powerful and bright in her weakened eyes and that maybe she could have a sense that the lights are actually ‘hitting her’. The noise emphasises this even more.

• The other female character says ‘Are you alright?’ This is one of the main dialogue heard in the part of the scene. Her voice becomes out of sync and echoes as if we are in the same position/situation as the protagonist. For our scene, we are likely to involve another male character who also asks the protagonist 'Are you alright?' which is similar to this scene which we can take inspirational notes from.

Mise en scene

This picture shows an untidy bedroom with typical bedroom appliances. This is the sort of thing we are hoping to achieve with our bedroom. The room could have pictures of friends and family, a desk with a laptop and books; indicating she is in school and she does her work. There could also be a full length mirror with make up around and straighteners so she cares how she looks. Clothes could be strewn around to show untidiness and laziness.





This picture depicts a house party which is what we are hoping to do as well. There will be a small space with lots of people to enhance how packed it is. When shot from a high angle, there can be props of bottles of alcohol and cans. But also rubbish to show that no one is paying attention to where they are chucking their rubbish, too drunk maybe. The room will have posters maybe and a bed to show its a bedroom. an ordinary bedroom where a party can happen.




In terms of props it will be minimilistic as there won't be a time where props are needed, however in the party scene there might need to be some extra artificial lighting to show all the extra's faces. In the bathroom scene there will be a mirror for the girl to look into as well.

These three pictures shown are the room in which we will be using to film the 'getting ready' scene. It shows a normal bedroom. The large mirror will be good as we will be shooting through the mirrorinstead of face on, for an added effect. All of the colours connote innocence and love. However the guitars could suggest rebellion, which we see. We might add a few posters to enhance what kind of music or TV shows the character enjoys. The room will be slightly untidy to show that this particular girl is busy getting ready and doesnt have time to tidy up after herself.

Typography

This font appears quite modern and the toggle case style makes it very colloquial which perfectly emulates the style and characters of the film as it suggests the focus is on the lives of modern-day teenagers. The lower case letter 'd' could indicate a theme of outcast and isolation, or independance and uniqueness. It suggests a character does not or a group of characters do not conform and 'fit in' with the rest of society.

 This font is clear and easy to read as a simple font has been used and all the letters are in lower case. This lower case style gives the title of the film a casual, modern and youthful feel which could relate to their possible target audience of young teenagers. The pink-red colour has connotations of love, passion, desire, friendship and romance - all key themes in this film.

The use of capital letters means the font appears very 'in your face' which could reflect the personality of the characters and the film. Capital letters have connotations of importance and boldness, therefore may suggest that the film is about bold characters. The genre of the film is British drama and this is shown through the red, white and blue, patriotic colour scheme. The font is clear and easy to read but also has a rough texture which reflects the genre of gritty British drama. It could also imply that the characters are rough.

 Trainspotting uses a plain, clear and easy to read font, this simplicity is emphasised by the plain colour scheme of white font against and orange background. Contrasting with the simplicity of the font, orange has connotations of energy and joy - however this dull orange (along with the plain font) can suggest the joy and energy has been drained from a certain character which identifies the girtty British drama genre.

Survey Results

1. These results show that Teenage drama is the sub genre that will most likely have the biggest impact on the audience whereas crime is clearly the least favoured sub-genre to have an impact on the audience. These results have influenced our decision in what sub-genre we will be using and what sub-genres would get a better response.
                                                                   

2. As shown in the results, females received a much higher response as a character the audience could relate to more.
                                                                                          

3. As shown in the results, a teenager running away is the most popular whereas a teenager smoking was the least popular.

4. These results show that focusing on one character is clearly more popular in what the audience would prefer in the opening scene whereas focusing on many characters is what the audience would least like to see.

5. Our results show that over half of the people thought a street would be a good location for a Drama film, we will use this in our film opening but also use the public toilets even though it wasn't as favoured.

6. The sense of enigma was exactly the style we were hoping for and the answers turned out to agree with us.

7. There is a mixture of responses within the type of music, however in different parts of the opening there will be different genres of music depending on the scene, so the music will run parrallel to whats being shown.

8. There is an almost even percentage at the different opening music, however the soundtrack is ahead which we will take into consideration and use.

9. After looking at these results below we have taken on board the people votes and agreed with them as it will make more sense.

10. These results show a camera following the action is more preferred, however we are also going to use hand held cameras for a fly on the wall effect and it is easier to do.