Friday, 1 April 2016

Editing our film

What Editing techniques did we use

During our shoot day we film over 300 individual clips, some useful and some not but the most challenging thing was going through each clip and working out which ones to keep and discard which took and awful amount of time, this however made sure we had the best footage available  to put into one film and make it the best we could, we did however keep some clips that were similar and at the highest quality possible to compare how they fitted in with the rest of the clips either side of it. finally we did take extra shots for our film but those parts never the cut as we realised the film would become long winded and slightly boring for the viewer.

When filming we managed to gather a lot of shots at different angles. This meant we were able to create a much better viewing perspective by putting many different shots throughout the film. We invested in a lot of time to make sure all our shots were in perfect order with correct timings to make sure the film flows and is easy for the audience watching to understand the film without having to raise an eyebrow by being confused. By creating a good order of shots, we were able to  the thriller/horror film intended in the first place, for example the flashback in the opening scene and shot reverse shot conversation inside the car.

Although we film around 300 clips, we did have to perfect the ones we used using many different editing tools and features to to give a better viewing perspective as well as adding special effects for a much greater dimension and enhance the 'thriller' theme. For our over the head drone shot we have learnt how to add the effect of CCTV  cameras as well as black and white visual effects.Furthermore we have used a number of black screen to create suspense, shock and horror to keep the audience at the edge of there seat. In the morning of shooting our film the light was very bright so we have used tools to darken the effect as well as cutting the shot as there were object scene to the side and behind which ruins the shot completely. Finally the use of slow motion also enhances the scene and defines important occurrences throughout the movie

The film however would not be complete without the huge range of sound. throughout the film we have quiet but creepy noise as well as sections music that creates suspense as well as sound effects. For example, birds tweeting, camera snaps to enhance the crime scene effect scene at the end of the film. Subtle changes may be made to the sound in order to make the film sound better from an audiences perspective but overall I think our sound camera and editing of our film is very well executed creating a very good short thriller film.

Wednesday, 2 March 2016

First Day Of Editing

First Day Of Editing: 

We began looking over all our shots we filmed and started to discard the ones which were poorly filmed for example a shot in the car was moving around due to the bumpy roads. The ones we needed to keep for our final piece we put them in a labelled folder which made it easier for us to look at again and made it more organised.
After we gathered all the shots needed we started putting them onto the timeline to begin creating a narrative for our film. Looking at the footage we had, we have slightly changed the narrative by starting with a flashback which we hadn't thought of during our planning.
The main thing we have learnt about editing from our first day is that we can zoom in on premier pro. This meant we were able to zoom in and crop out additional things in the picture that was not needed.

Account of shoot day

Account of Shoot day


Instantly, with our film we started differently to the story board as the first part of filming was filmed in a different destination because we realised it was almost impossible to film where we had planned, so we had to improvise to make this scene happen. Another thing that was different, which we didn't have in our planning but made it more effective for our final piece was that we used a drone to master the bird's eye view shots. This wasn't in our plan or story board as we were unaware of being able to use it, however this was a major benefit as it created many shots which creates a sense of tension and drama. After filming with the drone, we followed the shooting schedule where we began to film outside the pub J.J. Moons. It was late afternoon, cold and damp which was a perfect climate to film our movie as it created a sense of mystery and darkness. Furthermore, we decided the day before filming we wanted to use a flashback at the beginning of the film, with a zoomed in shot of her eye to highlight the horrific murder she encountered the night before. Due to using this, we had to get rid of the 'moments later' section is our film as we would've gone over the time limit - we felt that using the  flashback was more dramatic and tense which the audience would enjoy. Finally, we decided to use a gun rather than a shovel. This was because when we were getting external feedback people were not keen on the idea of a shovel, as it wasn't scary enough - they wanted to see a more brutal weapon like a gun which we used instead. Apart from these substitutions, I felt we were very well planned and knew what exactly we wanted to do during the filming. This made it a lot easier to connect with the audience through some of our shots which demonstrated and enlarged the genre of it being a thriller.


We used a variety of shots for different effects on the film as well as how the audience thinks. The first shot we are using is a long shot, which then goes into a close up of the victims eyes. We used a close up so we can see the emotion and how the actress was effected. This is effective in the sense we are using it for suspense as well as a flashback to the night before which will keep the audience thinking what has happened.  Another scene in our movie was filmed using the drone which was a bird's eye view shot. This was effective as it created a mystery as we where unable to see the drivers face, what he is actually doing or planning on doing as it from a distance. Another important shot we filmed is an over the shoulder shot of the murderer/the driver where we see his eyes in the rear view mirror, looking around. We decided to use this shot as it demonstrates he looks a bit apprehensive for what he is about to do. This once again gets the audience worried as they still have know idea what is going to happen next or this drivers plan, but due to the sound and shot they will know something bad is about to happen. We use a close up, when the driver is pouring the drugs in the water to knock the girl out. As well as the close up, we are adding a slow motion effect which will create a anxious feeling for the audience and it will be scary as we know what he is doing to this young, innocent girl. Moreover, we use another close up of the girls face when she begins to wake up and panic. We use this so we can get a clear view of her reaction when she realises something isn't right. This is an important shot as it will make the audience have sympathy for the girl as a she is in trouble and needs help.


Our sub genre for our thriller film is psychological and the props we will be using are, a fake taxi, poisoned water, leather gloves, gun and a fake id card.We will be using a fake taxi car as it gives the viewers the impression that the vulnerable girl is going into a legitimate Uber taxi, however she is not. This is a serial killer who knows what he is doing as he has done it before and uses the same technique. Our actor is also wearing all black with a black hat to represent darkness and violence. The film taken and James Bond inspired us because in those films all the villains wear all black. In addition we will be using a bottled water - however, we are putting blue sherbet in to highlight the drugs to spike the drink. This is to make the young lady feel a bit dosed off during the cab journey as the driver spikes the drink at the beginning so we know someone bad will happen to her if she drinks it. We will also be using leather gloves for the taxi driver so that he leaves no finger prints behind and no traces of his identity can be found as well as a gun as it is a violent and dangerous weapon murders use during their process, as well as any blood spillage. Lastly we will be using the girls Id card which the driver ends up keeping as that is what he does with all his other victims.Movies such as taken,hostage and pain and gain all have similar locations in which the victim has been kidnapped which is outside in the open during the evening.


We didn't need to use any lighting due to us filming everything outside and we filmed straight after school so it wasn't dark till the very end of are filming. Due to it not being very dark while we were filming, especially by JJ moons, we will edit a filter so it looks like it is being filmed at night. This adds to the mise en scene because as it creates suspense and drama. The lighting in the film will only work if we can edit well enough so it looks like it has been filmed at at night otherwise the entire film wont be tense or scary ad that is what we need in our thriller film. We will be adding lots of sound into are film to create more suspense especially at the beginning when the girl is lying on the floor dead and we will have birds singing in the background as it will be a scary contrast between the dead girl and the happy birds singing. Also sound being used is when the driver puts on his strong angry eastern European accent as well as the girl screaming in fear trying to get out of the Uber. It makes the film more tense due to out the screaming and shouting.

During our preparation to our filming we had to chance our actress. Unfortunately, due to having such a popular actress - Holly Gibbs, she is now unavailable to be be our actress in our film.This meant we needed to find a new actress which we have done. She is a perfect actress for our film as she is a attractive women which would engage males to watch the film. As well as this, she has an innocent face, which illustrates a sense of vulnerability. Overall from the two days both actor and actress performed extremely well to the tasks we gave them and delivered perfectly by not complaining and just getting on with what they had to do. Simon wood our actor had a brilliant consistent eastern European accent and outstanding facial emotions where as  Demi Crook Our actress could not of performed better with her full commitment by giving her full potential towards our film to make it a great spectacle to watch. I could not be happier with the people we chose to perform in our 2-3 minute horror film.


My role in the group was mostly directing although we all equally had our share of filming. As the main director I was in charge of making sure that our character was always in the correct position at the right time and the shot matched the one on our timeline or what he had in mind so that the day ran more smoothly, rather than having no idea what shots to film. Sam and Jordan’s role in the group was mainly the filming of our movie, as that is what they were best at. Robert was the main editor, as he was the most confident with the software, however we all contributed to all areas. As a group from the beginning we have worked extremely well as a team, helping each other and discussing ideas. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Jordan, Sam and Robert as well as filming the thriller. My favourite part in the film is, at the end with our actress lying dead on the floor with the criminal taking pictures and laughing. The reason for this is because; I enjoyed filming this shot, as it was realistic. Murders in real scenarios have just dumped the bodies of the victims in abandoned forests. The photos and laughing was from editing which was very interesting to include. 

Analysis of the script

Analysis of the script: 

From Looking at our script, it perfectly fits the genre of our film. A positive is that we have included emotions and stage directions swell as some camera shots to make it even clearer for someone who is reading it to see what going on. while filming however, some minor changes may be made which will be noted down after as we may come up with some alternative lines/words which we think may fit better and give a better effect to the scene, but I think overall our script is very well put together with enough detail not to bore our audience.

Tuesday, 1 March 2016

Actress Update

Actress Update:

Due to her high acting profile, our actress for our young Kidnapped girl, Holly Gibbs couldn't make it as she was very busy on the days we were planned to film our movie.

Fortunately however, we managed to Gain another very good actress called Demi crook, who has played her part in many West end musicals and known for her great theatrical voice and emotions so we hope she can live up to her reputation.#




We still thankfully have Simon Wood as our actor who plays the role as the taxi driver