Post production: the ident

For our film we needed an ident that would appear at the beginning of the film before it starts. Having researched a variety of possible names we came up with the concept of 'Abstract Productions'; before deciding on this we originally thought of using our initials A and M in the name, but we felt that it didn't deliver much of an impact and didn't stand out from other industry names. With the name decided, we knew that in the film we wanted the ident to be on a black background as black connotes danger and darkness which is something we want to convey throughout our film. The colour of the text is white as it contrasts with the darkness of the background so will have a bigger impact on the audience.
We plan to have the ident at the start of the film with some type of sound to introduce it to the screen so that it draws to audiences attention to the screen.

Post production: new sound ideas

With our first draft completed, we felt that there were some sound changes that could be made in order to improve the film opening. When inserting our ident, we though that we should attach a non diegetic sound effect to announce the ident appearing on the screen. One of the most suitable effects that we thought of was a 'whoosh' sound as this would represent the movement of the dient onto the screen. We found this effect on the iMovie list of sound and edited it so that it fit in with the visual elements of the film. We also added an echoed laughter effect on top of the two girls laughing to give it a sinister feeling, and this was done through the iMovie effects.

Towards the end of the film, we wanted to build up the tension and suspense for the climax of the film, so we layered a number of tracks that we found on a royalty free website to create the tense atmosphere. The combined tracks and instruments helped to do this.

The entrance of the titles at the end of the film opening didn't have much of an impact on the audience, so through using the Garage Band app on the iMacs, we created a drone noise to accompany the introduction of the title. It is quite a low, loud noise so helps to build the tension within the audience.

Post production: audience thoughts

When we completed the rough cut of the film opening, we felt that we needed audience feedback on what we had already done. So we used the same group of people as those that we used for the audience research questionnaire. We asked them to watch the rough cut and fill out a questionnaire allowing them to vocalise their thoughts on the film, and if they had any improvements that we could make before finalising the film. The participants of our audience were two males and two females aged 16 -18 years, which includes them in our target audience.

In our questionnaire we asked a variety of open and closed questions:

1.) What did you think about the editing of the flashbacks?

• I think that the editing of the flashbacks are good however it can be confusing as to when the flashbacks start as there is not a big distinction between the two time frames
• There was not enough discolouration on the flashbacks so they just looked like normal present day scenes
• I really liked the flashbacks , I thought they clearly added towards the context of the narrative
• There should be more flashbacks to develop the narrative as it would hook the audience in more

2.) Do you think the camera work could be improved?

• I don't think that the camera work could be improved, there is a wide variety of camera angles in it
• Some of the shots come across as being slightly shaky but I think that it is relevant to the context of the opening
• There we a couple of shots that went on for too long so it would be good to cut the shots down to make it more snappy
• The camera work is of good quality however there should be a few more high angled shots as I think there isn't enough

3.) Do you think the opening has a clear narrative?

• Yes because there is a linear narrative
• I think it does overall but the flashbacks aren't too clear which can make the narrative confusing
• There needs to be more flashbacks because the narrative should be developed 
• The narrative is clear and hooks the audience in

4.) What improvements do you think are needed for the opening?

• I think that the use of titles and credits will help it look more professional
• The flashbacks need to be more clear by adding a filter to them 
• There should be an extra build up in pitch and speed with the non diegetic soundtrack as it gets towards the tense section of the opening
• The final title of 'The Hunted' needs to be slightly larger to make it more prominent

Post production: first half rough edit

After finishing filming our film opening, we began to edit the clips. We started by putting them in chronological order so that they would fit into how we planned them on the story boards originally created. Some of the clips that we filmed needed cutting down and changing in length so we did this to ensure fluidity between the different clips.
In our first edit we managed to string the clips together and we found some music to go over the film. In our opinion it was important to get the non diegetic sound right and to choose the correct style because the majority of the sound in the film was the noise of the soundtrack. This is because the quality of the sound from the recordings we took were.t very good so we took it out and had most of the non diegetic sound instead.

As this was only an edit of the film, we hadn't done much editing of clips that needed specific editing because we spend a lot of our time trying to find the music. Due to this, during our audience feedback comments we received said that our flashback scenes needed to be defined more so that were noticeable as being flashbacks. This can be done by changing the colour of the shot, and is something that we will do when we continue editing our film.

A further thing that we need to add are the titles that introduce the producers, editors, actors and directors of our film. These can be done at the end of our editing process as we feel that the content of the film is a priority over the extras afterwards. Equally we need to put in our ident and decide on a production name.

Having received the feed back we got, we intend to use it and adapt our edited film to suit what had been said.

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.