Evaluation

The genre of our film is a horror; we have chosen this genre because it’s one of
the most popular genres of short film, as some of the most iconic films of all time
are horrors such as The Shinning which has grossed hundreds of millions of
pounds, this again helped in our decision to choose the genre as its evidently
well received by the public, so if we can create a good product that clearly relates
to the genre it should be successful. Also I am a fan of the genre and would very
much enjoy creating a short horror film.

Our idea is the short film called the reporter; this is loosely based on the film the
night crawler which follows a young reporter who reports on a crime scene
recording in detail the blood and the extent of the horror of the murder, we
chose this movie because it doubled its budget in sales and I am a fan of the film.
We filmed in the woods when originally we wanted to film in an abandoned
house which was our idea but we had to change this as the house was too
dangerous to film at. So we changed our idea to fit the new location being the
woods and that the killer was watching me through the trees.

We have met the conventions of the genre because as a thriller we used music to
make it scary to the audience, fake blood on the tree and a person that was the
killer who we didn’t see the identity of. We decided to film in the woods which
fits with horror as it is a quiet place which makes the film scarier and is often
filmed in horror films. This is because it is isolated and the character is alone so
the killer can hide behind the trees and bushes.

Cinematography- in terms of cinematography, there was be a wide range of shot

types used in the production of the film to create the effect me and Mackenzie
are looking to achieve. A few examples of this are a close up on the tree of the
blood and POV shots to show the character being chased. This puts the audience
in the killer’s shoes and making mystery to it. This should hopefully shock the
audience and really push forward the fact it’s a horror film. Another example is
the wide shot of the main character running through the woods, we will do this
to create tension as to why he is running and also to give the audience a better
idea of the location.

Editing to create effect – we have also edited after filming to help create these
effects in terms of audio. We edited the sound of the voiceover of me to make it
sound like a radio to make it more believable. Then we downloaded music from
YouTube of a creepy background to make it more scary. We used slow music to
build tension and loud music when we see the POV shots of the killer. We added
a red filter on point of view shots to show that this is the villain.

Mise en scene- in some ways our film is unconventional as it is a male lead

character that is the victim when it is usually a woman. Also being a reporter as
opposed to a visitor. Although it is conventional as he is on his own this makes
him vulnerable.

We did a number of things for pre-production to ensure that when going into
production there would be no issues or setbacks, also to ensure that we knew
what we were filming, what equipment we would use, when we would do it,
ensuring all the workers are a safe and finally creating a storyboard so we could
visualise the production and try achieve shots that are similar to this.

We used idea development to create 3 main ideas which was a big mind map
where we had different ideas to choose from. We chose our idea about the
abandoned house which changed but the reporter idea stayed the same. We then
completed detailed mind map discussing how we would develop our chosen film,
shoot each idea and what the final production would look like. This then gave us
the opportunity to decide which film to create for our final exam, we both chose
the reporter as we feel it’s a bit different to every horror film , which is a huge
positive but it also does include conventions such as gore and jump scare so it
should appeal to a wide audience.

Location recce- the location recce is very important because it allows us to look
at the location, such as the woods we intend on filming we have visited prior to
the date of filming, so we could see if we could film the desired shots such as the
one in the house and woods. We chose to film in the house later in our
production as our feedback said that we needed to establish the character more
as we originally began in the car. Also later we filmed in the green screen room
for the BBC news report at the end to show that the reporter was missing. This
was done as without it, it isn’t clear that the person was hurt. The location reece
is essential as it helps the crew and also provides essential safety information
such as the nearest hospitals which ensures filming and safety of each is good.

Production schedule- The production schedule is very important it allowed me

to have a good idea of when each task needs completing showing how fast and
how much detail we need to add to each part of the production; it also gives a
rough release date of the final production, which gives everyone in the
production a good idea of the rate they should be working at to ensure it meets
the release date.
Risk assessment- the risk assessment ensured the safety of everyone involved in
the production we have done this by analysing and looking at all the potential
risks, and have come up with ways to ensure that this doesn’t happen such as the
forest, we will ensure the ground is safe no objects they could fall over or any
over risks here, another large risk s driving between locations, to counteract this
we will drive taking all precautions such as seatbelts ,as safety of everyone is
essential any injuries could damage the reputation of the company or effect
filming. One of the risks we mentioned was that we needed to check the weather
before we go this is needed as the camera would have got wet and possibly
broke. This is why we checked the weather before we left.

Script- the script gives the actors the indication of what they need to say and
when they need to say this , making the production look smooth for a good
overall production. All the actors will be familiar with the script meaning a good
flow during filming and no mistakes this will mean less time when editing and a
better final production. We did have to make a script when we filmed the
reporter as this wasn’t something we planned and the voiceover at the beginning
at the house. This was something we decided to add in during the edit as we
realised it wasn’t clear enough without the added script.

Crew roles- The crew roles gave everyone working on the production a clear
idea of what they’re exact role is such as the director and camera operator. This
will avoid any confusion on the day of filming and let them bring the necessary
equipment, such as the actor should be wearing all the necessary clothes for the
scene, producer should bring all the props. Director should bring all the
necessary filming equipment such as the camera to ensure no confusion on the
day.

Paper edit sheet- the paper edit sheet will give us advice when editing the final
production, editing the final production is one of the most important things as it
can affect the sound, aesthetic and overall flow of the production meaning we
can get the desired effects. We used this when we edited to see what needed to
go where. We found that this needed to be changed slightly with our added bits
at the beginning and end.

Shot sequence- the shot sequence gives a shot by shot idea of what each scene
should look like in terms of lighting props etc. making it a lot easier when we
actually began filming, because all the crew knew what to do in each shot where
they should stand, how they act and many other key components of the shot
meaning that the directors idea will be achieve.

Client note taking- the client note taking allows me to gain essential feedback on
the production and how we can change it to become an overall better
production, meaning we can create a production that appeals to our target
audience and is well received.

Call sheet- the call sheet gives very fine details of the production to ensure that it
runs smoothly such these details include things such as when lunch will be,
where to park etc. the call sheet is essential for the production as it ensures
everything runs smoothly throughout the day if everyone follows the sheet.

Budget- we were given an overall budget for the whole production of the film,
this had to be followed very strictly as overspending could be very bad for the
production , so to counteract this we borrowed as much equipment as possible
to reduce costs although ensuring there of a high enough quality for the
production.

Each process was very important to the production as it allowed us to create a

visual plan of the final production we were going to film and when it gets to
filming we will be able to create the final production the way we wanted to. The
idea developments allowed us to narrow down are three ideas into the one
which we thought was best and would achieve the highest grade. The location
recce was important as it ensured all the location we use will be safe for all the
workers, also find the location in which would create the desired horror effect.
The production schedule ensured that all of the production ran smoothly and on
time with the schedule .The risk assessment ensures the safety of everyone
involved in the production eliminating and identifying any risks. The script
ensures all the dialogue is followed and all lines are accurate. The crew roles
ensure that we can use the best people possible for each job and also that
everyone knows what they’re doing during the production. Paper edit sheet
provides more detail in how the production works. The shot sequence allows us
to achieve dynamic shot types when filming and get the desired shot type. Client
note taking was very important as it gave us vital feedback on how to improve
the production. The call sheet was also very important as it gave fine details such
as what times we would film, when would there be brakes. The budget gave us
an idea of where to invest our money wisely on what was most efficient in
making a high quality product.

Our group managed to complete filming to the way in which we wanted to with
all the desired shots, audio an effects we set out to achieve at the beginning of the
production, we filmed in the desired location which was a local woods as this
location is very regularly used in horror films. There were no technical issues
when filming all the equipment worked extremely well and provided a high
quality image. We managed to get and use all the props effectively to create
effect such as the fake blood worked extremely well; it looked very realistic and
added to the gore aspect of the production. There was no health and safety issues
during the production. Transport all worked out fine and we all arrived at the
location on time meaning there was no delay on production. Although there were
a small number of issues that arose during the filming of the production, we did
unfortunately a few of the shots during the film such as in one of the car scenes I
forgot to close the door , also in a shot that was meant to be a POV of me leaving
the car shot by our group ,I can be seen in the background this is a huge issue as
it completely eradicates the entire desired effects of the entire shot as a result of
this meant we had to re-film to the scene when we checked all the footage after
filming , meaning a slight delay. Also another issue was that the location was a
public wood and with members of the public frequently walked through the
background of some shots putting a delay on some of the filming as we would
have to wait for them to pass.

I learnt many valuable new skills during the production of the short film these
skills have very much helped me develop my media skills and give me new skills
that I can use in the media industry. The most significant new skill I learnt during
the production is how to edit more specifically I learnt how to transport audio
onto the film which is very useful and we used many sound effects such as a car
engine and news report music, I learnt how to edit the volume and pitch of this
music as well, meaning I could have it louder at certain points in the clip which I
did do in an attempt to create tension at certain points of the film. I also learnt
how to trim the audio to the desired length. I learnt how to change the colour of a
clip such as in the blood scene I added a red filter to the entire clip making the
scene seem more intense and give the audience the idea that something bad is
going to happen. I learnt how to trim down each clip , how to edit unwanted
parts out such as the clip where I’m in the background and I’m not supposed to
be , also created our own newspaper cover and transported this into the
production along with other photos of our crime scene. In terms of
cinematography I feel like I gained a much greater understanding of this as I first
hand got to take these camera shots and thought more deeply about getting high
angles etc. I also had to do some acting in the production which helped me in that
skill. Finally I learnt a number of cameras and recording skills in the production I
learnt how to use other media equipment such as a gimble which helps steady
the focus of the shot.

I’d say the most challenging part of the film for me was being the main actor in
the production, as acting in a production is something I’d never done before and
I was quite nervous about doing so, when it came to it took many attempts to
create the desired emotions of the character I was trying to portray, but after I
became confident doing this it didn’t stay a huge issue. There were also other
challenging aspects of the production such as finding s time my group were
available to start filming, how we could get there, who would bring the props and
then working out the timings on the days that we were both available to film on,
but this was resolved when we both took time of work on the same day we then
made a schedule for this day demonstrating things such as what time meet and
when we would record each scene.

I believe our film does constantly demonstrate clearly the conventions of the
genre. In terms of audio we added this music that is classic horror build up music
and is very much recognisable to the horror genre, we added this to promote the
idea that this is a horror and also it added tension to the scene creating build up
as we added it to the background of a scene where someone is getting chased. In
terms of colour and effects in the scene where the person is getting chased, we
made the colour on screen completely red, the colour red has many connotations
such as fire, blood this links very heavily to the horror genre and more
specifically the gore aspect which we were trying to achieve and hope that this
helped contribute to this aspect. Another way in which we used a convention of
the genre was through the use of props we used multiple props that are
conventions of the genre, first we used fake blood to further add to the gore
aspect we covered this all over the tree to make the fake crime, blood is very
commonly seen in horror films and its sub genres such as slasher and gore films,
an example of where its used is ‘IT’ where pennywise attacks the boy. We also
added a weapon to the short film this was a smashed bottle covered in blood
demonstrating that it had been used on the victim of the murder, we used a
weapon because we believed that this would help show the plot of the story and
also they are very commonly seen in horror films such as the chainsaw used in
Texas chainsaw massacre, which is iconic to film showing that props are very
significant in horror films.

After evaluating on the production there are some elements in all areas of the
production that we could change to better the product and the process of making
it. In terms of timing we should have begun filming earlier, this would have given
us more time to look through the video record extra scenes, re-record scenes and
give us more time to edit and better the production. This would also have given
us more time to edit the production to fully ensure that it’s of the highest quality
possible. Also I think we would have added another character to add more depth
to the production with a much deeper story line.

The production process went well on most occasions. In terms of filming, when
my group found a date that worked for both of us which became tricky as we
both work , we managed to get all the filming done first time with no issues and
the footage looked the way we both imagined and were very happy with it. We
ensured we had all the necessary equipment on the day of filming, a part of the
pre-production, the equipment list came in very useful here as we checked this
before we left and made sure we had everything we would need. We also had the
call sheet on the day of filming this was also very useful as it gave us lots of vital
information that we needed on the day of filming such as set times, where to
park etc. we also followed the risk assessment very closely as we wanted to
ensure that everyone involved in the production is safe at all times.

The production process went well, and this should be credited to the pre-
production which came in very useful, in terms of equipment using the pre-
production ensured that all equipment was available to use when we needed
ensuring there were no delays or problems on the day of filming ensuring that
we could get all the right shots to the highest quality on the day of filming. Using
other assets we created also came in useful such as the storyboard which gave us
a good idea in our mind of what the each shot needed to look like so we could
ensure it was very similar to our original idea and included all our key aspects.
Obviously there were some part of the production you couldn’t plan such as
editing which we had never done before but we quickly learnt and adapted to
this. Another element of the pre-production that came in useful was the
equipment and props list, which we both checked before the day of filming to
ensure there would be no setbacks in the production and that on the day of
filming we would have all the necessary props and equipment.
The next steps after filming was to download the footage of the camera onto
multiple devices just as a safety net if any of the footage was lost on a device we
would have backup meaning we can’t lose the footage. This footage was then put
onto the editing software adobe premiere pro, we arranged all the clips in order,
then trimmed them all to the right length making sure they were the right length
and cutting out any unwanted parts of the clip, we would then render the footage
make sure it was smooth and to the highest quality possible in terms of quality of
the image. We would then add our companies’ production logo at the start to
make it clear who made the production, we the added in a clip we took of the
intro this was news report this added realism to the production, we would then
focus on audio editing out any unwanted background sound and ensuring we
kept the diegetic sound we wanted such as the crunching of the leaves in one of
the shots. We then added some other edited music such as the sound of the
police siren to add dramatic effect to a scene. After all the editing was finished
we got the video checked and made sure it was to the right standard. We also
returned all the equipment without any damage ensuring that there were no
extra equipment costs.

The software we used was Adobe Premiere Pro. We used this because it’s high
quality and allowed the production to come out very well in terms of audio
picture and edited effects we wanted to use. You have to pay to use this app but
we feel its very much essential to create a high quality production.

We used a wide range of techniques during the editing stage across all fields of
the production, such as editing the colour of the short film we added a red filter
which dominated over all the other colours in the short clip we done this as an
attempt to give the audience something bad and gory was going to happen. In
terms of audio we added 3 different fake sounds, such as the edited police radio,
police siren, the horror music, and the news report to add some realism.