Final Costume

During the filming process, our original costume plan was altered due to issues with filming and availability.

• Originally we had planned to include a dark suit for the antagonist of red and black to connote both danger and the spilling of blood but due to filming difficulties we chose to opt for a white and black outfit with red elements. This worked better for us due to it's visibility, enabling the clown to be seen more easily in the dark due to the lack of lighting available on location.
• We also planned to spray the clown's hair green but due to the dark lighting of our location and the use of black and white CCTV filter in the tunnel, the colouring would have been barely visible and so therefore we chose not to include this colouring. 
• The original face paint chosen was also altered for filming purposes, blood was added dripping from the eyes and the black around them was made larger, drawing attention towards the darkness and the unnatural features of the clowns face as to make it appear more sinister.
• Also, we originally intended to use red contact lenses to convey supernatural inhuman elements but found again, like the hair colouring, it would have very little impact on overall shots. We also made this decision as the large quantity of red already intended in each of our shots would have caused the majority of the mise en scene to suggest bloodshed, which isn't used within this particular scene. The contrast of the pale blue eyes against the dark black and red features of the face paint also created a more startling affect, as they seem far more prominent and chilling as they stare into the camera in close up shots.

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.

Name Choices

 The Naming Process

 To begin progress within deciding on a name for our film, I began with making a list of the main components of our scene, a technique that would allow names to be thought up due to what is included within our piece. 
However, it is difficult to decide upon a definitive name due to certain features of our opening (such as location) due to the following plot not to have been decided in depth. For example, as we are only producing the opening scene in which a murder takes part in a tunnel we could in theory title it around this feature but if the film were to continue and be produced following on from this scene, it is not initially intended for the majority of the setting to be placed in that tunnel.

Whilst brainstorming choices, I included all possible titles I came up with despite a number of them being useless due to sounding terrible and having other issues so that when shown to the rest of the group presenting the ideas, it can allow us to critique different choices and possibly come up with more ideas related to them.

At the current stage of process, the three most effective choice (in my opinion) would be; 'Grin.', 'Whiteface' and 'Smile, Please.' as having as few syllables as possible allows the name to be short and memorable .

• Grin refers to the clown's face itself and also towards the lipstick mark they leave upon their victim acting as a calling card.
• Whiteface is the name of the type of clown we are using within our scene as the antagonist, a comedy grotesque whiteface. (Allows us to enforce to the audience that the clown itself is the focus, not the victim or location.)
• 'Smile, please' also refers to the calling card mark left upon the victim's body after the murder has taken place. (Conveys a sinister tone, typically a possible title choice for a comedy film.) 

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.

The Pros and Cons of Using Gore

Gore is used in many different horror films and many different sub-genres in horror too. However, gore can be very hard to perfect but incredibly effective

Pros

• Can be very effective if done right
• Surprise element is better with gore
• Gore can be created with low budget items - for example; jam and water, wax etc 
• If done correctly, it can make the film opening look much more professional 
• Could make the film look as if it had a much higher production value

Cons

• Gore can be very hard to perfect and, if done badly, can look terrible
• Can take up a lot of effort and time, of which we may not necessarily have
• Hard to make the blood look real
• Could take a lot of practise to perfect 
• Potentially distressing
• Viewers could be put off

Supernatural Horror (Pros and Cons)

Advantages to making a supernatural horror film opening:

• Within a supernatural horror (for example, paranormal activity) the cause of evil and anxiety and death is not always seen and can be shown using a movement of object or other simple low-budget effects. This would make it beneficial for us creating a film opening as it allows us to create an eerie atmosphere and show what is to be feared without a large amount of funding needed or the possibility of our lack of resources being obvious (e.g. it would be more difficult to make slasher killings look realistic in opposition to a demonic force or possession).
• Loud, sudden noises are used as a device within supernatural horrors to cause fear and are easily re-creatable without high-tech equipment and can be as simple as dropping a book onto a concrete floor, which would be useful for us as we would be able to achieve our desired effects without large complication.
• In terms of lighting, a supernatural horror would conventionally be filmed within dark location and late at night, allowing us to use natural light setting throughout the majority of the scene, allowing the amount of artificial light needed to be limited if we chose.
• Although the supernatural/demonic aspects of the genre are far from ordinary, the basis of a film of this category is that it is set in modern reality to appear more frightening to the audience and appeal more to their own fears and perceptions of the dangers they could face. This would enable us to effectively achieve the location and time set of the film with ease, without having to use elaborate costume or setting of another time period or a fantasy world if we chose to.

Disadvantages to making a supernatural horror film opening:

• As opposed to some other sub-genres of horror, supernatural is based largely upon the importance of a well-thought out, quality storyline which would be difficult for us to come up with and also show within the first few minutes of the piece.
• If possession is chosen or supernatural human power, it can be difficult to imitate without a high standard of actor and therefore the scene may not achieve the intended effect and may appear to be overtly amateur.
• Supernatural horror is very popular currently and it would be difficult to make the piece original with so many current films of the sub-genre being produced within the last decade.

Psychological Horror - Pros and Cons

Pros;

• It would be easy to find a location as there is no specific convention in terms of location for psychological horror.
• A film like this would be quite cheap to produce

                                            - No particular costumes

                                            - No CGI needed

• The sounds we hear in psychological horrors are basic, every-day sounds that would be easy to re-create.
• Hardly any gore so there would be no need to use a huge amount of fake blood etc.
• Shadows are used a lot and this would be easy to make as the only thing needed would be lights.
• Flashbacks are used a lot and look very effective. These would not be hard to edit into the film.

Cons;

• For psychological horror, it is very hard to think up an original idea that will make sense and grab the attention of the audience.
• It could be hard to find the right actors.
• Finding the right equipment could be difficult.
• Even though there are a vast number of different locations that could be used, it would probably be hard to find one that is completely original.