Risk Assessment and Hazard Evaluation

For every location I want to shoot in, I have filled in risk assessments and hazard evaluations to try and identify and minimise the risks/hazards in each. Below are the sheets for

The sheets below assess the dangers in the South Park.

These are the sheets assessing the risks in the house I want to shoot in.

The sheets below correspond to Feethams disused football ground.

The sheets below are for the Cornmill Shopping Centre car-park.

The sheets below are for the back lane I want to shoot in.

Skills Development

This is the second cut of the promo video. I have inserted the institutional logos that I made into the start of the video, and inserted small pieces of text during the video when people are talking. I also used the transitions options to create fade-ins and fade-outs. I was suprised at how easy this seemed and I learnt a lot of techniques during the production; such as how to move many things along a timeline at once, and how to alter texts and where they sit in a frame.

This is a short video that I made using Final Cut Express and footage that I had not captured, but which we were given to make into a promo film for the media department at college. I found the editing of the footage quite a fun process, and I took it as an opporunity to play around with different effects like reversing shots, slowing shots down, changing the opacity of a shot and fade outs. We also had to make our own soundtrack using Garageband, which I wasn't really very good at using, but I think it adds a bit of depth to the video anyway. I didn't manage to make to make the sountrack come in and out smoothly, which I think is something I will need to pay attention to when making my own trailer. However, thankfully, I will be using songs which already exist, so I my lack of Garageband skills won't effect the quality of my trailer, and I will also have a much longer time scale to create my own product, which will hopefully mean that I can pay more attention to details such as music timing and smooth sound editing. Despite the fact that I wasn't massively pleased with the outcome, I really enjoyed the task and I think I learnt a lot during the process of completing it.

Visit to Teesside University - Monday 6th September

During the visit, we had a chance to use professional cameras (above), and were shown all the different features that these had. It was really useful and informative, giving many helpful tips, such as how to use the tripods, the different of microphones. The latter is something that I hadn't really considered, but is something that I am now aware of, as I want to use diegetic sound effects and monologues in my production. I also learned how to achieve focus the picture, change the lighting levels and achieve a smooth shot. It was a good opportunity to practice filming shots that I want to use in my trailer, such as different distance shots and framing.

We spent the other half of the visit working with Final Cut Pro (above) and were shown how to use the editing facilities that the program holds. I had never used this software before, apart from to create the animatic, so this gave me the opportunity to practice and use the different tools in the program. I learnt how to change the volume levels in the soundtrack and how to slice up footage and move different sequences/shots around. I also found out how to change the speed of shots and was told that footage can be transferred into greyscale (which is what I want my trailer to be in).

I began to start taking photos in the style I want my stills to be for the magazine front cover and film poster:
I needed to practice getting the angles and distances right, something which I didn't really achieve in terms of angles in the photo above.
With this shot, I achieved the right angle and distance for the photo for my film magazine cover. I also liked the shadows it created, both on and off the face, and this got me thinking about shadow in the cover I have planned to make - what I have planned is a bit 2 -D in terms of cutting and pasting things on to a photograph. However, if the photo contains shadows, it could give it some depth and improve it.
I initially found it hard to get high enough to take a decent shot and still be able to see what I was actually taking a photo of. It was also hard to do this without obstructing the light source.
After I found out how to do this, I experimented with closer shots, and shots that were further away. I liked this shot, but I thought it was too much of a close up when compared with the plans I made earlier.

I really liked this shot, but I was a bit annoyed that it wasn't in the centre, which I think is something I need to practice before the actual shooting days. However, if it was the real shot, I would probably cut it down a bit once I had found the right angle and height to take the image from.

The Breakfast Club Trailer Analysis on Prezi

As part of my skills development, I analysed a film trailer and tried to recreate it in stills. This helped me improve/discover what I need to improve; such as photography and logo creation. It also helped me to realise the scale of such a project as a film trailer.

Scripts

Here is a screenshot of the script. I found it very difficult to write without sounding pretentious or cringey. I tried to minimise these factors and keep each section in keeping with when it will be in the trailer, so that the footage can be used to unravel subjects like that of fashion and music that I didn't know how to incorporate into the script. I may have to lengthen these monologues however, depending on how long they go on for in the trailer itself.

However, I think that when it actually comes to the filming that I will discuss what I've written so far with my main actor and see what he thinks of it, as he is in my target audience. This way, I will be able to bounce my ideas off someone to get a useful response and hopefully improve it along the way. Also, he might be able to advise me and improve/ add bits to what I have written.

Call Sheets and Model Release Forms

The people that I created call sheets for are John Newton, Carol Sommer, David Stobart, Hannah Robinson and Chris Munden. Here are screen shots of 3 out of 5 call sheets I have constructed for the characters I will need to be played in my film trailer and other productions.
As well as call sheets, I also made model release forms, to ensure that I had the models' permission to use their image and broadcast it on youtube and blogger/ the internet. Below are examples of one of the model release forms:

Photoshoot Plans

I made photoshoot plans for the shots I needed for my film magazine cover and film poster. Below is the plan for the film poster:

This is the photoshoot plan for the film magazine cover:

Both of these shots will be out in the open, so the light source will be the sun (natural light) and this will probably be low key for the majority of the film trailer. For the second shot this should be fine because it is so open, as it's in a field, but for the first shot there may not be enough light and it might be too dark. If this is the case, I may be able to shoot it on the top floor (the roof) of the car park, which will be out in the open and give me enough light. This could also make it look higher up and make the shot look altogether more imposing. As both shots are close-ups, I will have to make sure that I am not blocking the light so that I don't cause a direct shadow on my subject's face.

Recce

Streets.

This is the road perpendicular to the one that the sixth form college is situated on. I want to use streets in the shot where my main subject will be shouted at by other teenagers. I think this street gives a good perspective and will allow me to include the main character walking past and the other people in the background. Also, because it is so close to college it will create a physical barrier between people of the same ages and my character, showing that even in a place where other people are the same age, he still feels isolated.

These images (above and below) are of some streets in the surrounding area. They are quite "safe" and the people who live there are most likely middle class - which will connect with my target audience. Again, these streets could create a seperation, as the character is in a safe area, but still feels lonely and is verbally attacked by other teenagers. I am allowed to film on these streets, as they are out in the public and I don't think there will be much traffic here as it's quite a residential area.

House interior.

This is the front room of the house I am going to film in. You can see from this photo, and the following ones, that it already has most of the props I will need, in terms of books, CDs and records, so there will hopefully be no major expense there. It has quite a modern design, but most of the indoor shots are close up, so this shouldn't matter too much.

This could be where the main chracter sits to read.

This room also contains a record player, which will be useful for the shots I need to take of the main character putting on records.

This is the bedroom that I am going to use for filming in, I think it will look quite good in grey scale, and this will be used as the setting for when the main chracter dresses and dances. On the wall next to the bed is a collage of posters, pictures and odd things that I found to do with music and with a special reference to music of past decades. This could help to portray the obsession with nostalgia, as well as the costume and look that my character will have.

However, the wall paper at the end of the bed doesn't really fit in, and I would have preferred something plain, so maybe I could tack up a roll of plain paper to make it look more dull and harsh. If I did this, it would also give me a good background to film the dancing against.

This will be the view from the top of the stairs that I need where the main character's mother shouts up the stairs. There seems to be enough light, but I like the way the light decreases towards the top of the stairs, which I think will look quite good in grey scale. There are some photos hanging on the wall on the way up the stairs, but I can take these down when it comes to filming.This is the hall of the house, where there will be a shot of the door closing behind the mother after she has left. Again, I think there is good light, and I do have permission to film here.

Car Park.

This is the car park which I have requested permission to film in, which I need to use for the opening of my trailer. I am currently waiting for a reply to this request and so will wait to see if I can take photos of the interior. Although, it hasn't got the wide and vast windows I was hoping to get, I think there is a third floor on the roof which I could film on instead and it would give me the high angle view that I am hoping for, to get a view of some other buildings.
It is situated just on the outside of the town centre, so there should be some good views from there, however, it is still not as high as I would have hoped. I will wait to see if I get a reply though before looking elsewhere. Because it is situated on the outskirts of town, it is the furthest away location that I have chosen so far, but even then, it is about a 5 minute walk away from the rest of the locations I want to use, meaning I will hopefully have more time to film in each place.

Field.
This is a disused football pitch, which has become overgrown and rough looking. I think it has the perfect gritty image for my film, and again, there are no permission or access problems. I think it will look good for the shots of the main character spinning amongst high grass, and there is a platform to the side of it, so I could take some long distance, high-angle shots, which I think would look great. It's also very close to the South Park, as is the house I am using. This will save time and costs for travelling and will hopefully mean I have more time to shoot at each place.
Back Alleys.

Round the back of and near to the house that I am going to film in, there are a lot of back alleys which will be perfect to film in as they stretch on for a long way and look worn down. There are also blocked up/bricked up windows and doors around the edge of the actual alley, which could represent the past being covered up or not noticed by most people, which would work well for my film trailer. The whole look is gritty and run down, which I really like.

Next to the field I want to use is a back lane called Polam Lane (below), which used to be a cobbled alley and I really wanted to use. However, when I went to take these photos for my recce, I discovered that it had been tarmacked over and made into a proper road. At first I really didn't like this and I thought that the look I wanted had been ruined, but it still has the same kind of metaphor of the blocked up doorways in the back alleys, where the past and memories are covered up, which made me quite like it. I also thought that the newly painted yellow lines on the tarmack would really stand out when I was filming in greyscale, making it seem like the character is walking down a pre-determined track that he cannot escape.
It also contains the gradual slope that I wanted to film the character going up and then down, so's to make his situation look a bit futile, pointless and mundane. So, I think I will film here after all.

Park.This is a view from the inside of the South Park. It's open to the public and there should be no problems with access and filming. To the left of the picture you can more or less see a string of benches with their back to the river, but facing the field. (One bench pictured below). I think that these benches, in quite a picturesque surrounding will look good for the shots I need in the trailer, in which my character is sat on a bench writing.
Also, because of all the trees and nature around, it will be the perfect place to get the shots of trees and leaves rustling (as pictured below).

Costume and Props

Costume.
The first half of this video sums up how and why I want my character to dress. I think the 1960's was a time of change and rebellion compared to the previous decades that were home to generations still brought down by the aftermath of the war. 1960's clothes is about difference, thinking for yourself and being a somebody. I think this both matches and contradicts my character because he is an individual and is a somebody, but in doing this, he possibly becomes a nobody to everyone else his age. I really like this link to the past, but I don't think it is clear enough in my products so far, so I think when it comes to writing the scripts that I will have to explain this is in the monologue's he says.

On Thursday 12th September, I took my main actor shopping in Durham, to visit the vintage shops to buy clothing for the retro/60s look I wanted him to have. We went to Durham because I know of some shops that are reasonably priced and it isn't too expensive to get there. This is the place I planned to go : http://www.scarlet-ribbons.co.uk/contact_us.php

This is a photo of the interior, although sadly it isn't very clear.

This top is really mod/60s looking, which I was really pleased with and I think it looks nice. When we actually got into "Scarlet Ribbons", there wasn't as good a selection as I had remembered, and the only things that looked good were things based around a polo shirt design. We got the top above and the one below, which my actor will wear with black straight leg jeans and plimsoles.

Notebook.

This is the notebook that the main character will be seen writing in throughout the film trailer. It originally had a vibrant cover, which I backed in brown paper because I thought it reflected the mood of the film better/ more. Inside the notebook I wanted it to look like a scrap book and quite arty, with a mixture of pictures, newspaper clippings and writing. I began doing this roughly (as can be seen below). I will eventually ask my actor to write down the monologues in it for one shot in the film trailer and I think it looks quite good.

Permissions For Locations

Before doing my "recce of location", I thought I should first request permission to be able to film where I want to. Most of the locations are in public places, which should be fine, however, the opening sequence of my trailer is in a car park and I will need permission to shoot here. So, I decided it would be best to ask for permission sooner, rather than later when it may be too late. Here is a screenshot of a letter that I sent to the manager of the Cornmill Centre in Darlington, which has a carpark which should give me a good view of the rooftops and roads in town.
I will wait for a reply, and contact more directly if there doesn't seem to be one. If I am not allowed to film here, I will obviously have to request permission to film somewhere else suitable.

(26th August)

This is a letter of reply that I recieved. After phoning up the manager, as requested in the letter, she confirmed that I would be able to film in this location at a specific time, and sent me this email to clarify this.