Narrative
As we thought that our narrative was already both simple to film and conventional to the Thriller genre, we decided to stay with our first idea.
Location
For our second try at the preliminary task, we decided to film in a less specific location as it didn't need to be by a river to fit the conventions of a Thriller.On deciding this, we set about finding Cafes and restaurants in the high street near our college. Calum and I searched on the internet and found the number for Coffee Republic. I made a phone call to the manager and asked for permission to film at his Cafe, unfortunately he declined but Calum and I kept looking. We decided to again write a letter that we could print off and show to managers and owners in person by walking through the high street and seeing appropriate locations. Calum and I walked into the high street and saw Prezzo an Italian restaurant, unfortunately the owner again apologised but declined our request. Our next try was Cafe One, a small family owned cafe. A member of staff spoke to us and took a copy of the letter, he told us that he would let his manager know of our request and asked for a contact number. I gave him my mobile number as I always have it on and with me. When the manager called me back, he agreed to let us film and told me that we could come in anytime. This was great as it meant we were more flexible however I did ask whether there were any times when the Cafe was less busy, I was told that the quietest time was around 5 o'clock. I relayed this information to the rest of the group and we all agreed on a time to film which was convenient for all members of the group.
Actors
Once we had agreed on a time and location, we asked our actors Alex and Lucy if they would film for us again. Unfortunately Lucy could not make it however Alex could. I asked other people who fitted our criteria, if they would be able to help us. In the end our friend Michael Scorer agreed. He looks very mature for his age and has clear diction that was perfect for our sequence. I briefed Michael on what he would be doing and the time and place we would be filming. Fortunately, Michael was able to make these dates and times.
Script
Once we had our actors, we were able to make a script. This would be the same idea as before however Lucy's character would of course be changed into a man. This meant only slight changes to what Michael would say and how he would act. Amir and I sat down together and wrote this script which can be seen in the 'Evidence' section. We discussed which lines would best enhance the intensity of the scene and the mystery behind the package and the actors, this made our end result conventional to the Thriller genre. Our last line; 'You don't' enhanced not only Alex's importance but also the mystery surrounding his next actions, increasing the suspense of our Thriller sequence. Once we had written the scripts I wrote them up and printed them making them look more professional, I then gave them to the actors and even went through the script with Alex to make sure he knew how we expected the lines to be delivered.
Camera Angles and Shots
This time, Calum and I wrote down all of the shots that we wanted to use. This meant that on the day of the shoot, we didn't spend too long talking about which shots we wanted, instead we spent more time achieving these shots effectively. As we had more time to discuss the shots, we also made them more conventional to the Thriller genre.
Roles
Again, we all decided to take part in every aspect of filming. Each of us directed, giving our ideas and all of us tried doing different camera shots and angles. This also meant that we could pick which shots were best as they were done by different people. We found that this was the best way to film as we all got experience in all of the areas of filming and no ones ideas were forced upon anyone else. This time we did not film us shooting our sequence however Lauren did take pictures on a Calum's camera throughout. These can be seen in the 'Evidence' section.
Costume, Make up and Props
Again, Alex wore his suit and white shirt as we had already agreed that this was the most conventional to the Thriller genre and our criteria. I instructed Michael to also wear a suit and Calum bought a white shirt for him to wear underneath it. Again, I bought the package and we put a purse in it to bulk it out. I did not bring grape juice this time as the location was now a Cafe and I felt that wine would not suit Michael (being a boy) quite as much as Lucy's character.
Equipment
This time Calum came with me to get the equipment and the teacher made sure that it was working properly and that the tripod was not missing any pieces. We charged the camera throughout the day at college to make sure that we would have plenty of time to film during our shoot. This time everything worked perfectly enabling us to do smooth shots and ECUs that were conventional to the Thriller genre.
Changes on the Day
On the day of the filming we decided to have a stalker in the narrative to enhance the script when Alex mentions that he thinks he has been followed. Luckily our friend agreed to help us at the last minute. His name is Sam Crump and can be seen in the sequence stepping out from behind a wall as Alex walks past. He then steps back behind the wall before Alex turns to look over his shoulder. We decided to add Sam to our sequence as we felt that this added intensity and suspense to the film making it conventional to the Thriller genre. We gave Sam a leather jacket which Michael had been wearing previous to the shoot, and asked him to put his hood up adding to the suspense and mystery surrounding him.
Editing
After the filming, I took the footage home to upload and edit as I was the only person in the group with equipment to edit on, everything flowed smoothly however, as we were filming outside in the winter, the light changed drastically within an hour of filming. This meant that shots taken at the beginning of the sequence could not be used with shots taken at the end as this would ruin the continuity and make the film less effective. I didn't change any of the footage as I knew that my group members wanted to help with it so instead I took it into college the next day to edit it with my group members. We found the editing ok as both Calum and myself had already had experience with imovie. We decided to change the type of video effect to 'hard lighting' as this made our Thriller look more professional and therefore more effective. We also decided on simple edits without effects, these were done quite quickly as it increased the sense of urgency in the conversation as Alex says 'Let's do this quickly, I think I was followed'. We faded to white at the end of the scene as it flowed smoothly with the head lights of the car which was turning a corner outside. This was lucky and not planned however it was our initiative that turned this into an effective part of the sequence, helping it to flow smoothly and therefore look more professional.
The biggest problem that we came across whilst editing our sequence was the sound. We had not checked sound levels and made sure that we could hear what Alex and Michael were saying on the day of filming, this meant that when we came to edit some lines were almost inaudible. As we didn't have time to film the sequence for a third time, or teacher suggested that we add subtitles to the film. I did this and improved upon them when it was clear that the sizing of the subtitles were not all the same. The second problem with our sound was the lack of music or tones. We tried to find music that fitted the sequence in garageband however we could not find any low tones that we could add onto the shots of Alex walking into the Cafe. This meant that we had to keep this silent which we did not feel was as effective. Furthermore, with the right music, our sequence could have been made to be more intense and important had we found dramatic, upbeat music.
Apart from the sound, we felt that our Thriller sequence had come out well and were happy with the narrative, location and camera shots used as we felt they were effective in completing the task and displaying the conventions of a Thriller Genre.
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