25. Day 2 of Shooting

We filmed the last scene of the sequence outside our friends which was mostly shot on the stabiliser, done by myself. The pictures just show us trying out different angles to see which will work best.

24. Clothing

We've decided that the three main characters of the sequence will be dressed in black to send connotations of evil, mystery and wrongdoing to our audience. Also the reason for Suri wearing black is that although he may be trying to do good, there may also be a darker side to him that could become apparent later into the film.

23. Casting and Roles

Starring actor: Suri (the best out of us and suits the role based on his social grouping)

Chasers: Myself and Mark (we both have similar heights which could be a way to represent us having similar attributes)

Extras: Sam will appear alongside another friend Will in the background to develop on the idea of an urban London with a lot of young teenagers and  to also conform to the convention of a busy setting.

We feel these roles around based areas where we will each perform best and complete our filming on time to a high standard.

22. Day 1 of Shooting

Myself, Suri Sam and Mark planned to meet up at Clapham Station where we would discuss how the rest of the day would go. We would then get on the train going towards Waterloo, finding a near empty carriage and record our first scene.

We then moved to just outside the tunnels where we shot Suri walking down the steps, which took a few takes as sometimes we would lose him in the crowd.

From there I took out the stabiliser and filmed Suri walking into the tunnel before I changed roles becoming one of the chasers.
Because the camera equipment didn't belong to me we had only three hours to film and fortunately we were able to capture what we needed from that location in the time.

We do however need to record a separate scene in a more rural area and were thinking of asking one of our friends to help us out with that

21. Ratings Research

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom.

It has a statutory requirement to classify videos, DVDs and some video games under the Video Recordings Act 2010.

The BBFC rates theatrically released films, and rated videos and video games that forfeited exemption from the Video Recordings Act 1984, which was discovered in August 2009 to be unenforceable until the act was re-enacted as the Video Recordings Act 2010. Legally, local authorities have the power to decide under what circumstances films are shown in cinemas, but they nearly always choose to follow the advice of the BBFC.

Video games with specific themes or content (such as the Grand Theft Auto series) must also be submitted to the BBFC to receive a legally binding rating (contrast with the advisory PEGI ratings) in the same way as videos, however, under the Digital Economy Act 2010, responsibility for rating games that include violence or encourage criminal activity will pass from the BBFC to the Video Standards Council. Other video games may be submitted at the publishers discretion

The government currently designate the BBFC as the authority for certifying video releases. As the law requires the certificate to be displayed on the packaging and media labels of the video recording, in practice only UK releases can be legally sold or hired in the UK, even if a foreign release had identical content.


For us we do not plan to use any strong language or attain sexual activity so this should keep us around the 15 rating.

20. Music

19. Final Agreements

Yesterday evening we had a Skype call where we discussed what our final idea would be, where soon after I typed up the SYNOPSIS and made a ROUGH DRAFT of what we planned. It took us just over an hour discussing various ideas and methods of how principal photography would go.

Today we have now decided on a filming location, after doing some LOCATION ANALYSIS over the weekday, and we felt Waterloo Station was our best bet as there are many secluded areas that would have few pedestrians walking by to not cause a disturbance to us or to them.

18. Risk Assesment

The main risk we could've faced was getting stopped by police due to the use of weapon props, fortunately this was not the case. and to make sure of this we ensured we had one of our friends at either end of the tunnel just letting passers by know what was going on and what to expect if someone was running around the corner towards them. There were a few instances where they wouldn't want to be on camera and so we waited and allowed them to pass.

17. Location Planning

From Friday the 17th to Sunday the 26th we took our free time to go out and check out where we planned to film. Initially we had an idea to film a shot within Waterloo Station however this required permits that would have to be requested two weeks in advance which was cutting time very short for us so we decided to alter our plans and look elsewhere. Just outside one of the station entrances we scouted a great location which was full of people to emphasise this busy environment of the city. From the steps the initial idea was for the protagonist to be confronted by the chasers but the area was too busy for that scene so we relocated to an underpass which was perfect as it would also amplify any sounds made.

16. Fonts

For the titles our font of choice was called "Tall Dark and Handsome", "Icebox Art" for the studio intro and "Blacklisted" for the production intro. We chose "Icebox Art" based on its icy looking assets which relates to the name of the production and studio name.

"Tall Dark and Handsome" has a very slender typeface and this provides some elegance to the text and despite not being very bold this is enough to draw the audiences attention without completely distracting them.

"Icebox Art"

"Tall Dark and Handsome"

"Blacklisted"

15. Sound

For the scenes where we would be filming out in the public we noticed there would be too much background noise and so to counter this I brought along a portable mic that would be placed near the sites of action. For example the shot where Suri runs into the passer by due to the echo of the tunnel noise from the street above was picked up by the DSLR's internal mic but having the portable mic hidden around the corner allowed us to pic up the sounds of the bag dropping and the sound of the impact.

To tackle the problem of unnecessary background noise we managed to capture some room tone. The reason for room tone is to put over the audio timeline and use as a substitute for any editing points in dialogue to keep the soundtrack flowing smoothly and also to create a feel for the size of the area we filmed in.

14. Equipment

During our preliminary task we found out that the use of a stabiliser would be very useful as a lot of our running tracking shots were shaky and using post stabilisation. To combat this problem I funded the purchase of a stabiliser (£30) which uses counter weights to reduce shake. We used this in scenes where we shot Suri walking down the steps into the tunnel and the ending sequence where he's running to find where the address is.

These are examples of a shot we were able to achieve using the stabiliser and without it going down the steps and the fast paced walking shots would've been very shaky.

13. Script

(After Suri has exited the train, he reaches the station entrance outside and looks at the London sky-line. He receives a phone call and answers with a hesitant voice.)

Suri: Hello?

(A man with a rough voice answers)

Man: What have you got in that bag ?
(Suri looks around and sees two thugs and runs from the station to the streets of London as the chase the scene begins.)

Thug 1: Go!

(He escapes them but has dropped his bag which the thugs discover)

Thug 1: (to Thug 2 with a smile) Get the bag, we can give it to him when we get there.

(He then gets a phone out of his pocket and calls someone who answers immediately)
Yes we've got the bag.

(Meanwhile Suri is hiding in a corner and picks up his phone to call his "friend" that he was talking to on the train before.)

Suri: I'm making my way there but I've lost the bag.

Friend:(Muffled voice via Suri's phone) Don't worry about it, get here as soon as possible.

12. Shooting Schedule 1

We plan to begin our fliming on the 4th March due to forecasted rainfall on the previous weekend of the 25th Feb. We've booked out a tripod and will be collecting it at the end of the week (Friday 3rd)

11. Title Sequence Planning

Opening Title Sequence

Name of studios:

Polar films

Production company: 

Polar Productions

Director or writer of book: 

Sam Mabb

Starring: 

Sooriyan Kailasanathan, Mark Wrobel, Lemuel Asiedu

Featuring:

Flynn Hallman

Casting by: 

Sam Mabb

Music and composed by: 

Lemuel Asiedu and Sooriyan Kailasanathan

Costume Design: 

Tian Isidore

Editor: 

Lemuel Asiedu

Production design: 

Flynn Hallman

Director of photography: 

Lemuel Asiedu, Sam Mabb

Producer:

Lemuel Asiedu

Story written by: 

Lemuel Asiedu, Sooryian Kailasanathan, Sam Mabb

Director or directed by:

Sam Mabb

Film Title:

The Outsider

We have decided that we would leave the title until the end of the sequence with the reason being that it's more likely for audiences to remember the last things they see. Additionally, in most thriller films the film title is often found at the end of a sequence, placed on a dark background with an example being 'The Dark Knight'

10. Storyboards

DRAFT 1

DRAFT 2 

9. Common Codes and Conventions of Thrillers

Most thrillers follow a set script in order to be classed as one. Here are the most common conventions:

Setting: Busy environments in urban or suburban areas

The Plot: Is often very complex and is pieced together as the story goes along, it's the job of the protagonist to figure it out along their journey. The final explanation would be very rational regardless of however long it took to come to that point.

Tone: Often a crime has/will occur and they usually have a high level of tension, suspense and excitement.

Protagonist: Seen as an outsider and quite often alone but very brave and willing to give up what they have. Hero-like

The Antagonist: Works to put the Protag. in jeopardy, however they often share very similar characteristics. (Background and past) hidden identity and is slowly revealed as the film progresses. Their motive is usually a revenge plot.

Key Elements: Low Key Lighting, Tense Music, Montage of shots, B&W shots, props (guns, weapons)

8. Institutional Research

Films Festivals

Nowadays it has become much easier to get your film shown at well known film festivals such as Sundance, Rain-dance and BFI with sites such as "withoutabox.com" which send your submissions to over 5000 different festivals and "filmfreeway.com" with over 800 listings. However, for us a more suitable festival to exhibit our sequence at would be Cambridge Film Festival who focus more on Action, Thriller and Crime films. They've been around since the 70s and operate nationwide and they aspire to "reveal new talents" who they feel will "shape the future of cinema". An example of this is the exhibition of a short film directed by Christopher Nolan who is now well known for his role in films such as Interstellar, The Dark Knight Trilogies and Inception which have grossed a total of over $1.6billion.

Institutional research

Lionsgate mainly look for independent British films as well as American blockbusters. For example "Brotherhood" is an independent film produced by "Unstoppable Entertainment" and distributed by Lionsgate themselves. Director Noel Clarke aimed to represent London as a place of crime. We plan to have our film have similar properties to the likes of "Brotherhood", using cool tones and low contrasts to create that gritty feel.

Vertigo Films is another example of a company that would be of great help in the production of our opening sequence and would also assist us in successful distribution as they have also made a similar film to us called "The Sweeney". Similar to Brotherhood the film also aims to capture that ugly look to London being filled with foot and car chase scenes and packed full of action, explosions and violence. We want our opening sequence to be a clear representation that and be very clear our film will also be full of chase scenes and also thrills.

Working Title are one of the worlds leading production companies producing a wide array of British blockbuster films in co-operation with the likes of Universal Studios, Studio Canal and Film4. An example of one of their films is "Legend" and it is set in a less economically developed region of London with the plot being based on two of the biggest gangsters England's ever had. Working title would be a good company to produce our film as they focus a lot more on the British audience whilst still attracting a wide US audience base

Online Distribution

Distributor/Site	Filmmaker Cut	Description
Amazon Video Direct	Filmmaker Cut: Varies	For each title, customers can choose to earn royalties based on hours streamed by Prime members, a revenue share for rentals, purchases, monthly subscriptions, or ad impressions—or any combination of these options.
CreateSpace (Amazon)	Filmmaker Cut: 50%	Make your film available as a high-quality download on Amazon Instant Video. The customers can choose from Download to Own or Download to Rent purchasing options while they earn royalties from each sale.
Vimeo On Demand	Filmmaker Cut: 83%-96%	Vimeo On Demand, a totally open platform that enables filmmakers sell their work directly to their audience. Becoming a Vimeo PRO member means they can distribute their work the way they want, with all the power of Vimeo’s HD player, easy-to-use tools, and wildly passionate audience. 90% of revenue after transaction fees is kept, and we cover all delivery costs. The work of filmmakers is available online, as well as on mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs, all in HD quality.
Youtube	Filmmaker Cut: Varies based on Google ads	Becoming a YouTube partner allows content producers to monetise videos on their channel and make money from the ad-revenue earned.

7. Opening Sequence Analysis

Casino Royale

Being one of the best films released in 2006 ... I feel that Casino Royale best represents our motives for what we want from our opening sequence, as we also intend to go with an opening chase scene. What really separates this sequence from others is how the director has uses camera movements, mise-en-scene and the soundtrack in unison to build suspense and tension within the audience and the scene. From the beginning the audience are introduced to the surrounding shot through a wide establishing shot. The use of overwhelming movement through the flailing arms of the crowd and ambient noise helps develop a sense of disorientation. However despite all this movement there is one man that stands out drawing all the attention to him, we're then introduced to another character, the agent who's brought into the side of the frame. In conjunction with dialogue and a focus pull the audience are able to identify that the initial character is being watched.

Moving on to the main chase sequence just it proceeds there is an example of the director singling out the agent and other character in which there is are quickly cut reverse camera shots in which to build tension and as the runner begins to move his sudden turn is emphasised with the initial heavy drums of the soundtrack. This is something were likely to incorporate into our sequence as this is a really effective way of drawing your audience in.Additionally the director has ... this is represented through the fact that the runner does parkour. As we don't have those skills, the use of jump cuts and fast paced camera movements will illustrate a more active and lively feel to each scene and motivate the feeling that our runner is more than capable of escaping his chasers.

Vertigo

6. Target Audience Research

Typically the target audience for action thrillers are the 15+ age group or young adults as they find the plots interesting and enjoy the blood pumping action violence which for some children below this age can make it very disturbing. However this can be seen as a main attention grabber for more mature teenagers and a jackpot for young adults and those under 30. Currently the likes of "Brotherhood", "Inception" and "The Dark Knight Trilogies" try to grab similar target audiences. Gender wise, they appeal to both males and females with the women enjoying the trivial moments of the film that make them wonder whats going to happen next.

We conducted a survey to find out the preferred film genre of a 15-18 age group and the results were as shown:

From this data I've been able to create a profile for our perfect viewer based on demo- and psychographic research:

5. Audience Demographics & Psychographics

Demographic information is used in media marketing to classify an audience into age, gender, race and other categories and is separated into bands depending on peoples jobs or status seen here ------>

However due to its wide audience, thriller films could fall under any one of the codes. But falling deeper into thriller sub categories psychological thrillers would not be able to appeal to the E code as they could be less educated and have less interest in a psychological thriller.

Psychographic segmentation divides the market into groups based on social class, lifestyle and personality characteristics. It is based on the assumption that the types of products and brands an individual purchases will reflect that persons characteristics and patterns of living.

4. Synopsis

A boy is on the run and he's in grave danger.

The train arrives at Waterloo Station, he receives a message from a friend of his, instructing him to go to an address nearby, they'll be waiting.

Uses his ticket to get through the gate only to be confronted by 2 boys, the chase begins. he's chased through the station and out onto the overpass one takes out a gun and takes a shot (misses) but the boy manages to lose them into the commercial district. The shooter redials an 'unknown number' reporting to the voice of the recent even with the an angry voice replying, instructing them to find the boy and the bag. They split up in search of him.

The boy finds himself exhausted and takes a break. He checks his phone and sees multiple missed calls and messages. He calls back and says he's nearby but before he finishes the line cuts out with no reply.

He's later spotted again by the initial shooter and grabs his bag as he gets up to run but the strap breaks and he ends up leaving the bag, realising the gun barrel pointed in his directoin. The chaser doesn’t follow him as he has retrieved what he came for.

The boy continues to run, looking around for the street but eventually he finds the street, the corresponding door and knocks. The door opens and a man is standing there, the boy tries to run but he's grabbed and dragged in.

3. Preliminary Task Evaluation

Quality of summary	My honest evaluation – what was done well and what was not of good standard? Try to cite specific examples and moments from your video	Examples of strategies, good practices and skills that my group and I will put into place to ensure a main production of high quality.
Quality of holding a shot steady	To begin we had our actor run up a set of stairs, unlocking it and going through a doorway. In terms of camera work, the actor was walking into frame. However going up the stairs the footage became very shaky and even post photography in editing, the eagle was even too much to be fixed using software stabilisation. Even despite using the tripod to minimise this it wasn't enough. The other shots (apart from one) didn't require tracking and shot steadiness was not a problem.	We will be investing in an inexpensive camera stabiliser which will drastically help improve the stability of our footage. We could go as far as using Steadicam rigs, gimbals or drones but a high production budget is something we do not have. Good practices would consist of constantly analysing our footage and capturing multiple takes of possible.
Quality of the framing of shots	In general our character positioning in frame was at a standard level with the exception of one or two moments where our initial character during the dialogue was too far out of the frame. Using the rule of thirds concept also helped out shot framing quality where we would ensure for example a character's face would cross over one of the points.	In the long run a more visually descriptive storyboard would help us as a team get the right idea of what we want into our heads. I drew the storyboard and as a group it would be useful to analyse storyboards from high production value films to see what we need to change.
Quality of shooting material appropriate to the task set, i.e. the content of your film pre and post editing was consistent with the exam directives	We were more or less on task with the required scripting elements, however there was a bit of confusion with the 'shot, reverse shot’ section where we ended up having four lines of back and forth dialogue within one continuous shot. We thought this would help create a flow to the scene and slow the pace down from the fast tracking and previous cuts.	Good organisation and time management will allow us to set timeout to really understand what we have been told to do and what is required of us.
Quality of selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting	We managed to get a blazer for the 'boss’ to wear to help establish his character to the audience as very formally dressed and serious. He also had his folders and phone out to show he has a very busy character. The other character was more of a worker for the boss who would go and run his errands for him. Here we had him wear more casual clothing (hoodie, bag). As time was very tight (and we'll work on that through planning) and we weren't so flexible with our location, being it a school with restrictions) lighting and other objects were hard to obtain or change.	We will spend plenty of time planning what outfit our characters will be wearing and what else will be in the frame.
Quality of editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer	Out of the three in our group I was chosen to edit the footage which was done at home. The only limitation this left us with was the ability for the others to see first hand what I was doing. However we we able to discuss what we were trying to achieve with what we had and in the end it didn't turn out bad but neither was it up to our standards. For example there is an edit that does not appear continuous where the sign on the door saying “The Fish” was out of focus. To tackle this I had to take another shot that was in focus but that had different lighting and positions so it didn’t fit well regardless of that we thought it best to be able to read it than not especially as it was part of the criteria we had to meet. Overall the meaning would've been conveyed to the viewer. I was able to also show continuity in the scene during the over the shoulder and reverse shot of the character coming through the door. And this was down to the camera man recording extra seconds before and after the event has taken place and the actor being able to match on action.	Organise time for us to be able to edit together. The media rooms are available but final cut can be tedious to use.
Quality of using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set	We chose to use the instrumental track to the song Wet 'Dreamz' by J Cole as we needed a backing track that was upbeat and mellow at the same time and brought up by Sam we decided on that. And this song was perfect and fits well as our character runs up the stairs we know he’s in a rush, the music helps emphasise this. It also continues to when he then walks through the door and fades out into diagetic sound as the dialogue begins. I could say that because we didn't use an external mic (smartphone) the audio quality was a bit poor in terms of hearing the dialogue well and so we had to increase that in editing which would result in a faint hiss.	Dubbing over the video would help keep the volume levels constant however this could lead to problems if syncing is done incorrectly. Methods such as getting room tone and clapping with help with audio control in editing
Quality of positioning and movements of actors	I think we could have had better positioning but I wouldn’t know how to do this.  I just feel like some of the frames aren’t in quite the right place.	Improve through the use of a well planned story board.
Quality of group planning, meeting targets and organisation	I think our planning was way to vague and quick but I feel our group consists of people who understand each other very clearly and can easily tell each other their honest opinions as to whether they like the idea or not. And this helps, but that’s no reason to not plan as much.	We plan to keep in contact and meet out of school hours ( Skype, face to face)
Group dynamics i.e. how did your group work together?	We worked well together, we all understood each other's ideas and all agreed. We also had difficulties, when we first tried to film it we had a different actor and we only had an hour with him and we were silly to spend 30 minutes finding an appropriate set(room) and after 39 minutes we weren’t finished. So we then found another actor and found a better room very quickly and so we had more time to do it and it ended up better than the first attempt as we knew what not to do. Other than unfortunate timing with actors and room availability we worked pretty well and quite quickly considering the problems we faced.
Other points of evaluation (e.g. equipment related, etc)