PLANNING: Practice Shoot to Test camera angles and Panning

Attached to this post are four short videos that my group and I filmed to try and get an idea of how we were going to film a particular scene in our movie opening. In this scene we see Dennis Clifton (left) and his boss, Mr Grant (right) walking down a set of stairs in a flashback in which Dennis is handed a secret file. We did this practice shoot to ensure that we had chosen a good location and to save us a bit of time when it comes to actually filming this scene of our movie opening.

The first two clips are os us trying to experiment with a panning shot to begin this scene. We have since decided that we are not going to use these panning shots when it comes to filming the real thing as this is meant to be a very quick flashback sequence.

These two clips are a very rough run through of what we have decided to do when it comes to filming the real thing. If these two were edited together there would be a very quick cut from the top of the stairs of them walking away from the camera to the camera being at the bottom of the stairs and tracking slightly away from the stairs and the two actors.

Just so we didn't forget I took some pictures of the places in which we will put the camera to get the shots that we want.

DISTRIBUTION: MAKING SOCIAL MEDIA

To help distribute our movie opening project we have decided to create several social media accounts to give our soon to be audience a chance to learn more about the project and want we are trying to achieve. We have created a Twitter Page, Website, Instagram Account, Facebook page and movie poster. All these different social medias can be used in different ways. We can use Instagram to give the audience sneak peeks of the project and give them images of our progress. Twitter can be easily used to give regular updates to our audience and Facebook can be used to give long messages and news feeds that can offer the audience a more detailed account of the project and its progress.

Here is a screenshot of the first draft of the film website that I am creating on Photoshop.

Here is a screenshot of a Twitter Page that I have created. I have named it Media Studies as the name can be easily changed and as we don't have a name for our movie yet I thought that it would make it easier for us to keep track of. In the screenshot you can also see that I have posted our first tweet from this account. As you can only use a very small amount of characters I tried my best to summarise the purpose of the account.

Here is a screenshot of our Instagram Account and our first post. I chose for the first post to be the rough draft of our movie website before it is the only real thing that we have to post on social media to give our soon to be audience an idea of the time and effort we are putting into this project. Again, like the twitter account, it is called mediastudiescfc. This is because the username if very easy to change and we do not have a movie title at this moment in time.

PLANNING: Constructing Script & Story boards.

Today we spent an entire double period (nearly two whole hours) constructing our script. As there isn't much dialogue in our movie we thought that the parts where dialogue is needed we should put as much though and time into it as possible. After the two hours we finished and within that period we also named our characters and very nearly completed our full cast, we still need one more actor as one of the main parts within the movie opening.

Script for Office and Voiceovers:

Woman: Mr Bogart! I am terribly upset that it has been so long since you last contacted me!

Detective: Please Mrs Clifton calm down and take a seat. We have a lot to discuss

Mrs Clifton (Woman) takes seat

Detective: Look this is completely out of my league. I can’t be breaking into abandoned government facilities in the middle of nowhere with very little information! I usually deal with women who wonder where their husbands go at night!

Woman: I am paying you very good money to do this menial task so I expect some sort of evidence that my husband is still alive!

Detective: You have given me nothing but a location and a picture of your husband. That is not enough information to do a full investigation!!

Woman: If you need more information here you go.

Woman smacks the file down on the detective's desk

(flashback to husband and boss walking down mansion steps)

Dennis and a government agent walk down the stairs of the mansion.

Government agent: Here are the files. Make sure no one sees these, especially not anyone in your family.

Agent hands the files to Dennis

Dennis: I’ll try and hide them somewhere safe. (Dennis pauses for a second) Hey, what are actually in these files?

Government agent: Look, it’s not about what you know. It’s all about if the Commies know. Now look, it’s better you have them rather than let some sort of Russian spy get their hands on them. Make sure no one sees where you put them. Especially not anyone in your family!  Also, do not open them. Anyone who knows what’s in these files are in serious risk of being hurt or killed.

Dennis: Understood, sir

They salute and there’s a fade back into the “present day”.

Woman: I found this hidden in a secret compartment inside one of my husbands old briefcases.

Detective takes file and inspects it

Detective: (under his breath) Jesus Christ!

Detective puts file down and lights cigarette using match

Woman: This (tapping on the file) is proof that something very strange was going on with my husbands work and all I want is some answers.

Detective: I promise to find you some answers about your husband, but you have to understand that this very dangerous work. Tell you what up by 100 and you will get your answer.

Woman: (starts standing up to leave) Thank you Mr Bogart. If I have your word, you have my money.

Detective: You have my word.

Woman: Thank you. (leaves the office)

(takes puff of cigarette) Smoke fadeStoryboards

Storyboards:

We also spent a good portion of this lesson planning what storyboards to include and what shot we should draw out in the boxes. Here are our storyboards:

Here is a link to my Piktochart.