Production - filming day

Filming: day one

Due to accurate timings, we were able to complete our filming in one day, with the exception of some non diegetic sounds. 

On the day of filming, we were fortunate to have fine weather so we had no issues with being unable to film, however the travelling to the location proved as being a slight issue as two trips were needed to get to the location of filming, which took more time than we expected; though with our accurate time planning this didn't prevent us from doing anything.

We began our day by setting up our equipment and ensuring that the camera was recording on the correct setting and exposure levels. We made sure that the tripod was secure before mounting the camera on to it as if it was broken it could cause damage to the camera. Before leaving school, we checked that all the equipment was working, because if we hadn't done this it we may have got to the location and be left with faulty equipment. Fortunately all of our equipment was working so we had no issues. The only slight problem that we had with the equipment was the battery in the camera didn't last very long, so we were very consious that we were getting the shots correct as soon as possible so that we did.t run out of battery before we finished all of our shots. To solve this we could have taken a spare battery so if there were any issues they wouldn't have been long lasting.
We brought a copy of the detailed story boards with us so that we could follow what we had written and carry out the specific shots that we wanted. Having the story boards helped us to figure out the diegetic sound that we need to keep in some of the clips, as if we didn't have this it would have meant that we would have to have a second day filming, which was something that we would have struggled
 to fit in with our actors schedule.

As the location we were filming at wasn't very big, it allowed us to film the shots chronologically, so we were able to methodically go through and decide if we needed any extra shots or if a specific angle looked better than what we had originally planned. This was done at the end of the day because we wanted to make sure that we had all of our planned shots before we added extras as we were only filming over the duration of one day. The way that we worked chronologically worked well for us because it allowed us to think of any ideas that would fit in between out pre planned shots, as we could see the film opening develop. As well as our own ideas, the actors also gave us some ideas that we could use which would improve our original story board and plan.

This is an image of the three actors on the day of filming the opening

Initial planning - initial sound ideas

In order to appeal to the target audience and to fit in with the typical conventions of our genre, any soundtrack that we use will have to have a tense and sinister feeling to it. The non diegetic sound is something that we hope to run throughout the film opening, though it may be required to lower the sound so that any planned diegetic sound can be heard. The soundtrack won't be a film score as we don't know anyone that can compose the music, so we will have to find a copyright free sound track that has a tense theme to it in order to fit the chosen genre.

The diegetic sound that we plan on using will only be in specific sections of the film opening. There will be ambient sound in some parts where the continuous soundtrack is lowered, to create a more eerie atmosphere; as well as emphasising sounds such as a twig breaking - this sound is quite a stereotypical sound in horror/thriller film. Other diegetic sounds will include one of the characters talking and laughing, and a scream will be included in the end to create more drama and tension.
As part of our film opening are flashbacks, we will try to put and effect on some of the laughing that we record to give it a distant sound, something that makes it sound as if it is in the past. By doing this it will create more tension within the film opening and appeal to the target audience.

The non diegetic soundtrack will be lowered in some parts of the film so that either diegetic sound or ambient sound can be heard in order to have the desired effect. An example of this is that we plan to lower the music so that the sound of a twig snapping is heard, which will create tension and drama that will appeal to the target audience. There will also be a scene where we plan on having the protagonist holding the camera and running, to give a point of view shot, and within this we will exaggerate the sound of her breathing, as this is often a stereotypical feature of horror/thriller movies.

Initial planning - health and safety risk

Risk or hazard	Risk level: Low/medium/high	How to avoid risk/hazard
Damage to the equipment	High	Take very high precautions when handling the equipment especially outside as this could cause more damage. Keeping the equipment in the appropriate cases when not in use as this will help protect them even more.
Cold/icy conditions	Medium	Make sure that when actors turn up to shoot, they are dressed appropriately for the weather conditions. Also ensuring that they take care when walking and running by making sure that they wear well gripped shoes to stop a slip hazard.
Tripping hazard- tripod	Low	This hazard will be minimized by ensuring that the tripod is only out when in use. All cast and crew members will be made aware when it is out to avoid people walking into it.
Rain/snow conditions on scheduled filming day	Low	If conditions on the day are not suitable to be filmed in then we will postpone the day of filming until a day with better conditions to ensure the safety of the actors.
Loss of communications	Medium	Make sure that every decision that’s made is updated in the group chat also making sure phones are charger the night before filming to make sure that we have other back up communication methods e.g home phone numbers
Trip hazard- trees	High	Make sure all group members are careful with every step they take on site also bring a small medical kit in case of emergencies. Also one of our actors is trained in first aid.

Initial planning - Location recce

We chose to locate our film in a woodland area as we felt that this would appeal more to the target audience, as well as conforming to the stereotypical conventions of thriller and horror. The decided location that we will film in is Farthinghoe nature reserve, just outside of the village Middleton Cheney. This woodland is relatively easy to access and is quite secluded, so we won't be disturbing anyone by the filming. Having walked around the area we found some suitable spots that we could include in our filming.

We will focus on particular areas within the location to do specific shots, for example the memorial site will host certain types of shots in order for it to have an effect on the audience and conform to the genre conventions.
Upon visiting the nature reserve, we found that it was very muddy which could pose a slight problem when filming the running scenes as there would be a risk of falling. Weather dependent, appropriate shoes can be worn to avoid this from happening.

Initial planning - Communication

 In order for us to communicate with the actors for our film about the schedule and details about the shoot we will be doing (e.g. time, date, clothing etc), we have created a Facebook messenger group chat to enable us to do this. We will be able to relay our ideas to the actors and what we have panned for the day of the shoot.

It is the most efficient way to communicate as we don't all attend the same school, and by having everyone in one group chat we know that we are conveying the same message to everyone, avoiding any confusion between people on any important information. We made sure that the groups setting were set on to private to make sure that no one else had access to any of the information that we were posting in the group chat, as this could be dangerous if a lot of people knew where we are and at what times. The Facebook group chat allows the messaging to be instant so if there are any changes or alterations made the members can be easily and quickly reached.

Initial planning - target audience research

When deciding on the basic information for our film opening, we chose a target audience of 15-25 year olds, both male and female. The dual gender target audience was chosen because of the combination of male and female actors in the film, which will appeal to both genders so we don't really have a secondary target audience. In order to find out what the target audience want in our film opening and the type of components that are good in a thriller/horror we are going to ask people within the target audience age range some question about this.

We designed a questionnaire and asked 4 people to fill them out so that we could use their answers to improve our film opening. 2 males and 2 females were asked, all within the target audience we set; doing this we felt that we would have an equal opinion from both genders about the characters in our film. From the results, we found that 3 out of 4 of the participants would prefer having a female protagonist and a male antagonist. This matches what we were planning so will be included in the film opening. We briefly explained our narrative to the people taking part in the questionnaire, and they all agreed that running the dual narratives side by side was a good idea and that it would create more tension; which conforms to our genre.

Initial planning - location permission

We are filming in a public area and it may be possible that there are people present when we are filming the film opening, therefore we have emailed the keepers of Farthinghoe nature reserve to ensure that we have permission to film and to make them aware of what we are doing. By informing the managers of the nature reserve, they will be aware that if we have to film a scream scene that nothing bad is happening; they may alert any residents surrounding the woodland of our plans to film there so that they too won't be alarmed if there is a scream or shouting,

We received an email back from the communications officer saying that we have the permission to film in Farthinghoe nature reserve. They have requested that we let them know the date and times of filming so that the Reserve Officer is aware if they happen to be in the area around the time of filming.