Shot List: Planning

The following shots arenas that will be used at various points within the film.
Mid shot
Close up
Dolly zoom
Long shot (establishing shot)
High angle
Low angle
Extreme close up
Upside-down shot

Characters and Castings: Planning

All castings will be conducted on the same day to ensure that they are completed within the time scales given. We will have to organise the actors, provide lines and record their auditions within the 7 hours allocated time. In preparation for the casting/auditions, we will have to print scripts to hand out to the actors. These will be handed out before the the auditions to give the actors time to learn their lines and create an understanding of the directions. Each will be recorded for us to watch back and analyse.

Characterisation Changes: Planning

After the first day of filming, we realised that a lot of the footage that we had shot needed to be redone. We organised to re-film on a later date to add additional lighting and props to strengthen the narrative. Both actors were unavailable on the dates that we proposed and, in order to utalise our time effectively, we decided to re-cast the actors to suit the days that we needed to film on. As a result, we re-cast the female protagonist as Emily Sommerfeld, as well as the male antagonist to Harry Beck. 

Once we'd conducted a short audition with screen test using these two actors, we begun to reconfigure. The actors were slightly different from the specifications that we'd previouly set but we concluded that such details weren't important. The male actor had had previous experience working on a set and therefore, was expectant of what we asked of him. His co-oporation made it easy to film the appropriate shots of him in an efficient manner. 

Then, the female actor didn't have previous experience in acting but matched a lot of the criteria that we had previously proposed. She was very feminine which emphasised the features of the character we were trying to create in Martha. In particular, her appearance contributed to her overall aesthetic. She is quite petite; making her appear less powerful when compared to Harry. In addition, her hair made her appear both innocent and also younger as it isn't dyed. This helps to subvert the stereotype that teenage girls dye their hair different colours. Moreover, this also made her appear innocent and vunerable because the audience could make a comparison between this feature and a younger persons. 

Characterisation: Planning

The actor that we have cast for the role of Martha, is a female aged 16. Her appearance matches the specifications that we had previously set. Her nose ring characterises her separation from the other characters and helps to emphasise her rebellious nature. Martha (the actor) is an A level drama student, and therefore she is equip to play the role of a complex character. Her previous experience working in a filming environment means that she will be able to adhere easily to our direction. In addition, her on-screen presence is believable and adapts well to the other characters.

The character of Noah will be played by Ollie. After holding auditions and performing screen tests, we decided that his appearance and screen presence best fitted to the requirements that we had previously set for the character of Noah. In addition to this, we noted that himself and Martha have a chemistry between them that makes their acting seem believable. They presented a jokey, yet caring persona that we found desirable for their roles. Ollie also has the ability to change his expression to make him seem menacing.

His appearance further supported our decision to cast him as Noah. His lighter coloured hair promotes the idea that he is a positive character at the surface, given the association between lighter colours connoting positivity. This then creates contrast when the audience are shown a more sinister side to his character. Then, his height characterises his significance as he will stand out amongst a group of people. This could be used as a visual to foreshadow his later role in the film. When put next to Martha, it's difficult not to assume that he could have power over her given that he is taller and more muscular than she is.

Filming days: Production

For our main film, we filmed over a two day period. The first filming day consisted of us filming our initial plot with the original script, props and actors. We covered all the scenes and shots we wanted to include. However when watching the clips back, we thought it was difficult to make sense of the plot/narrative. In addition, the filming that we did was too lenthy to all be included in the film. We found that a lot of the lines and directioins that we had initially planned, were too and therefore we filmed again. We also found that in the first set of clips, the lighting was very dark and it was difficult to work with. Therefore when filming again, we changed the lighting. The three pictures on the left are shots from the first filming day and the two on the right are from the second day. As you can see the shots are very different. They are clearer and have a lot better lighting.

Originally, our actors in the film were Oliver Poole and Martha Holley-Moore.  However after our first filming day we didn't think they worked well together and therefore we swapped Martha Holley Moore for Emily Sommerfeld and Ollie Poole for Harry Beck.  We thought that this worked better on screen and also it was a lot easier to work with as if there was any additional shots we needed to do. It was simpler getting everyone in one place.  

Peer Feedback: Post Production

Video to be uploaded.

Filming Days: Production

Filming days - Megan Ferry from Megan Ferry