Changes to Filming

On location, we discovered that there were problems with some of the original decided features of our scene:

• When filming our test shots, it became apparent that the path we had originally chosen for the victim to follow around the Royal Naval College into the foot-tunnel would cause difficulties. We had to block out a separate route through the grounds ensuring that no restaurants, passing visitors, sign posts for the gift shop or shots in which the glass casing of the Cutty Sark were visible. This proved difficult due to the lack of lighting upon the foot-paths in the area and the obvious commercialisation of the location.
• On our original storyboard, no filming was included from the individual view of the victim as we decided to film the majority in CCTV format due to no intended empathy being felt towards the victim as an emotional bond between them and the audience as their character is insignificant as part of the plot.
• The skyline shots we are using within our scene originally were not planned and were added as a decision during filming. We had planned to include establishing shots to determine the importance of our location as an anonymous city (London) but originally of the college and Cutty Sark itself but on location, we found the brighter and more definitive example of London as a location would have been better represented using the skyline shot of the City buildings across the Thames as a universal symbol.
• Our first plan depicted the entirity of the scene filmed in the tunnel to be produced in black and white as CCTV footage but due to the supernaturality of our plot and our intention to emphasise this, we can now chosen to switch between colour during these shots to distort the image.

Deconstruction - Hoist

Camera angles;
          There were some really interesting camera angles within this short film.

• Most of the shots, though, were point of view shots.

• I think that using point of view shots is quite effective because it makes us feel like part of the film as we are seeing exactly what the protagonist is seeing. 
• There are some close ups of the 'demons' found in the tunnel too. I think that these are really good because the close up means that we, as the audience, get more of a surprise.

• Though, I feel that there could be a larger range of camera angles used because the film does start to get a little boring and this could make it much more interesting.

Mise en scene;

• The effect being used on the camera throughout this film, makes the inside of the tunnel look rather green and quite dirty. This is very effective because the green connotes that something may be wrong supernaturally, whilst the dirt helps to add to the overall eerie feel of the film.
• Though, the blood used in this film is not very authentic as it is a very bright red. Although this connotes the danger that the protagonist is in, it does not look very real. This ruins part of the mise en scene.
• Also, when the protagonist comes to the locked lift, some text appears on the screen and I think that it would have been much more effective if the note was printed on a piece of paper rather than edited in.

• I think that, overall, the mise en scene is quite lazy throughout this film as nothing seems to have much meaning. We only see the protagonist's shoes, but even then the colour or style does not seem to make much sense to us as the audience. 

Lighting;

• The lighting in the Greenwich tunnel is amazing as it is and I think that this person has used it to their advantage.
• The light almost goes in a full circle, which shows how trapped the protagonist is within this tunnel.
• The green tinge to the camera also changes the colour of the lighting to show that something is wrong.
• I think that the lighting in this short film is amazing. It is using the natural resources that are within the tunnel, which is exactly what we must do too.

Sound;

• I really like the sound used in this film. To start with, there is a jumpy tune that varies in pitch. This tune adds an eerie tone to the whole video. Especially with the single piano notes.
• The tune picks up in speed when the protagonist gets into trouble and I think that this is good because the music is reflecting what the character is feeling, drawing us even further into their world.
• There are also some overlaying non-diegetic sounds. These are difficult to explain, but have the same effect as someone running their nails down a blackboard. They make a chill run down your spine and I think that these make the film opening.
• Towards the end of the film, there are some zombie-like moans. I think that these seem a bit inappropriate seen as there are no zombies, as far as we know.

Editing;

• The editing of this short film is probably my favourite part. It is crisp and effective.
• It makes us feel uneasy as it jumps from place to place. This is good in a horror film as it puts us on the edge of our seat, waiting for something to happen.

3rd Location Visit

On our third location visit we decided to re film the London Skyline because we didn't have a good quality and therefore it needed to be re filmed otherwise it wouldn't be acceptable for the short film. We went a little bit earlier and this meant that we had more light in order to test out different times in order to determine the best time in order to film for us. We arrived near sunset an filmed then but then decided to stay until it was dark and all the lights where turned on.

During the time which we waited for the sun to set we went around the college and looked at other potential places in order to film and although it was a really nice place in terms of lighting and architecture, it was too far away from the tunnels entrance for us to consider it as a place for filming and therefore will keep it in mind for future reference about whether or not if needed it could be reconsidered as another place in order for the victim to come from.

We found coming again to film the skyline extremely useful as we were able to film in different lights and therefore then pick out favourite version of the skyline in order to pick the best one for our film opening. We felt that overall when it is darker it is better as all the lights are on and te reflections of the water are really nice and therefore we are more likely to go with the darker shots rather than the lighter ones due to the effect and also that the other shots are filmed in the dark.

Firestarter

Source of Inspiration: Firestarter Music Video

• During our location selection process as we began to consider the use of a tunnel, we decided for sources of inspiration to look outside of only the horror genre and began looking at projects outside of film.

• The concept of a music video introduced the possibility of using sound overlay to mimic diegetic sound whilst removing all other extraneous background sound. 

• We have chosen to adapt this and use it within our scenes outside of the tunnel, with our victim listening to music, allowing us to dismiss any interrupting background sounds and to place the audience in a empathic position over the victim, understanding how oblivious they are to danger around them. 

• Another advantage the video made apparent to us was lighting within a tunnel, the prominent circles of light within the tunnel causing different parts of the tunnel to be far more brightly lit than others. 

• For our scene, the darker sections can be used to show the antagonist as they approach the victim in stop motion, as the victim disappears from light into dark, their lack of hope becoming apparent.

Evaluation of Practical Progress So Far

Our Visit to Location

• When we took our first visit as a group to visit our location and started test shooting to ensure when it came to post-production, we would not be faced with having to refilm sections due to lighting and other issues that may occur.
• We established in which order and when we would film certain shots, scheduling them in sections and in order of importance.
• Also, we blocked out where and how the camera/actors would move, altering our original decisions due to what was more easily achievable and effective within our choice of location.
• One of our changes made was to attach our camera onto the top of a bicycle to enable smooth, steady movement when the camera follows the actor's path.
• We were also able to establish where we would chose to film our opening shots to establish the region and background to our plot.
• In terms of costume, our visits also confirmed to us that the antagonist being dressed in white and red would be far more affective in terms of visibility due to the lighting available to us (allowing us to choose a final costume).
• By the finish of our first visit, we'd made effecient progress in determining exactly how we would film and also it enabled us to discover what we would need to negotiate and compromise in future, therefore allowing us to plan our next visit.

Opening shot of London - Testing

Stop Motion

We had difficulty with the camera focusing when its quite far away from the centre of London due to the zoom not being able to go that far and therefore we had to try another method of creating the opening shot of the sky line of London. Therefore we came up with the idea of having multiple shots being taken on a camera and then sped up in order to make it look like it was filmed rather than individual shots. They looked really interesting and had a great affect with the lights trailing as the camera panned across the skyline in front of us. However on photo setting the camera took images lighter than if it was being filmed and therefore looks more like sunset than dark. That is the only issue in which we found with it and most likely with a little bit of changing done to the video it could be edited in order to make it look darker or a setting changed manually on the camera. We all really liked this idea and will experiment it more by putting it into iMovie and speeding it up in order to see whether or not it is as good as we first thought it may have been.

Video

We also filmed it after we found what setting it was in order to change the lightness of the camera in order to reveal more of the lights coming from the skyline. We liked the idea of panning the shot across so that we got the Shard in it as well which has now become another iconic land mark from its height and building material. The panning did work and you get more detail from the filming however it is extremely dark in the picture which is something I will have to investigate on the camera in order to see whether or not I change that or not. Also another issue is the distance away from the skyline as the camera cannot zoom in far enough to gain relevant detail which would define the city more however for the zoom it has the quality is at its best. Therefore we may need to investigate more before deciding whether or not filming is entirely the best option overall.

Greenwich Tunnel On Location

Greenwich Foot Tunnel Visit

INSIDE

OUTSIDE

Sunday 16th December - 8:00am
I visited the Greenwich foot tunnel in order to see whether or not it would be suitable in order to film in and also to see how many people passed through the tunnel early in the morning. When I first entered the top of the tunnel it looked quite old with obvious work which has been stopped on the stairs resulting in unfrequent lighting down the stairs which matches inside of the tunnel and therefore it may be a good idea to start the CCTV on the stairs in order to carry on that lighting theme throughout. The lighting in the tunnel is shown in High Contrast lighting creating circular shadows and part of the light which would be good in order to show antagonist and protagonist by placing the characters in different lighting. I also attached my camera to a broom in order to show it being filmed from a CCTV height so that you can see from a high point of view of the camera and also various other places we could put it in order to show where the camera could be placed. Apart from a couple of people who pass through there is no one there at that time plus earlier in the morning and therefore you might have to get there around 6:30-7:00am to having a good amount of filming time before it starts to get busy around 10am but that is something to decide as a group as to what time we would all be happy to get there. There is a lot of dirt up the walls of the tunnel with scratch like marks of the stairs making it extremely con notable to horror/supernatural.
Outside it is too bright in the morning to create the dark effect however there are quite a few lights out which will create the street like effect. Around the back of the tunnel entrance there is the skyline of London which will create a nice backdrop in order to start the opening or it could be shown when  the camera is panning with the actor to the tunnel entrance. Also there is a college and pub nearby which could supply reasons for that person being there which is also handy in order to tell the audience what type of person the protagonist is and what their background may be. There is also the Cutty Sark in the middle of the area which is also another landmark which people will recognise and therefore interesting shots could be taken through the glass that surrounds the bottom of it without getting the camera in the shot as well. To film at night would be a good idea and therefore by having a few people around it indicates that although it is late it isn't busy therefore indicating it being set around 11pm etc.
Overall it was a successful visit to the location.

Location Research

Greenwich Foot Tunnel 

The tunnel was built in 1902 and is 370 metres long and 15 metres deep meaning that there is plenty of space in order to place multiple security cameras and also a lot of space in which to film in which means that the scene can either progress as the protagonist walks down the tunnel or the paranormal actions could get more intense. Due to it being so enclosed it means that echoes can be created and therefore this adds to the scariness of it because if you where alone then sounds from down at the end of the tunnel can be heard at the other end depending on how load the noise is made to be. I think it would be a good filming location because it is quite enclosed and also there is a lot of space in order to film in and help to the opening progress to the final part. The sounds can be carried and therefore this means that you can create ghostly effects by just using what the tunnel is providing. The presentation of the tunnel also conforms to horror with the green algae growing up the wall (connotes consumption) and the overhead lights that are similar to a warehouse which if flickering could make a really nice strobe like effect. However the only problem with this location is that people may be walking down it and therefore finding the right time when it is quiet would be necessary in order to make sure that none of the shots where ruined and that sound travelled without someone shouting in the background and therefore early in the morning or late at night would be the best time before people start to use the tunnel more frequently. Overall I think it would be an amazing place to shoot but the practicality of it may be a problem.

Payne's Wharf, Deptford 

Payne's Wharf is a derelict site where the old industry buildings have been left in order to rot over time in derelict workshops and wharves. The left over arches of one of the workshops looks over onto London's skyline which provides a good back drop for our opening and also establishes where it is being filmed for the viewer. At night also the skyline would be line up and therefore along with out own artificial lighting we would also have background lighting provided by the city which would be interesting to work with in the filming of the scene. It is an open area and therefore this means that we could bring props etc and again like the tunnel we would have a lot of space in order to film in. By it being derelict this means that there would be no body there making it easier to film adn with grass and left over buildings it provides the perfect places in order to hide an antagonist or create jump moments for the audience within the scene. However the only problem that can be seen with this location is how it would link into the story of paranormal as because it is quite an open place it would mean that the protagonist could run away rather than being enclosed. Also there is the problem of why are they there? Overall it is a good location in terms of that it has an amazing backdrop for the opening with the skyline of London and with it being derelict this means that filming could take place at any part of the day deepening on when we wanted to film. However it may not be very practical for the plot line of our opening and therefore that is the only downfall in it.

The Schools Studio 

The schools basement/studio is the third option we have towards a place in order to film to scene. The positives about using the basement is that it is accessible to us very easily compared to the two other locations with lights, props, stairs and good places for CCTV already available as well which makes it easy to set up and film in because it has a sort of horror effect due to the white washed walls and the various different doors around the room. The lights are photography lights and could be used in order to create strobe lighting effect within the room and the corners of the room could be used for the CCTV cameras to sit and film. By having the cupboards in the centre of the room creating a neat divide this means that something could be happening on one side whilst the protagonist is on the other therefore giving the viewer more information before something happens to the protagonist (setting the scene). However one of the main problems is  the accessibility to it in the half term when we need to start filming the scenes as the school will be closed and therefore we wouldn't be able to use it, also another problem is the amount of space we will have to work and the risk that with CCTV that other people could be caught in the shot due to the limited space we would have. Overall it is a practical place in order to film and has a very good horror effect for the type of horror we are going to film (Supernatural)  but due to it being the school our filming time would be limited and possibly rushed.