Final Project - Scene 1 Raw Footage

Here is the raw footage from the day of filming on the Tuesday. It has little editing done to it, mainly just put the clips in order of how they go narratively for the scene. Its incredibly rough in terms of timing but I'm not used to the software on my computer so I haven't trimmed it perfectly or cleaned up the dialogue but I will do a short teaser trailer trailer in which I will correct all these problems and give an idea of what type of trailer I want to create with this more horror orientated approach from the scenes of like him feeding on the victim, the close up intended for the black eye effect and the when he licks the blood off his fingers. All these are the scenes that will be placed in the final trailer to help give the audience the impression of that vampires are monsters and not the current romantic focused ones. In terms of the footage gained and how close it was to my original storyboard, it was quite close to my original idea with many of the shots matching my storyboard. The only problems were that some of the dialogue from the scenes couldn't be heard (which is okay considering that none of the dialogue will be used apart from the parts spoken by Greg which is incredibly clear and since they won't be used along with the scene, can easily be dubbed with an external mic). Also my directions were unclear like in the test footage, they were better but still not the best so I need improve in this area for next time to ensure that my actors and crew know what they are doing and that we get the best shots out of it.

Log Sheet for Scene 1 Filming

Final Project - Film Day for Scene 1

Today I shot the footage required for my first scene that I have planned to splice for my trailer. It went well today, got most of the shots I needed thanks to Greg and Craig who I greatly appreciate for helping me with the filming and acting. There were few problems, mainly to do with me and my instructions that I gave, showing that I need to improve my directorial skills as sometimes Craig didn't understand what I wanted to do. In terms of the acting though, it was quite well done even though there wasn't much it was done to a high standard. Make up also wasn't too bad as I'm no expert on doing vampire or injury make up but it looked good enough with my limited experience, especially the injuries which I thought looked the most convincing while the vampire make up needs drastic improvement but still looked decent on camera. After going through the footage after, most of it is of decent quality and can happily be used for the final project. I will post a rough cut of the footage when its finished to show the footage and allow people to comment on what works, what doesn't or what needs improved.

Final Project Planning - Scene 3 - Timely Rescue (Neat Copy)

Final Project Planning - Scene 2 1st Encounter (Neat Copy)

Final Project Planning - Film Poster Ideas

Here a few design ideas for posters that I did to experiment with the various effects on Photoshop so when it comes to the final poster, I know exactly what I want to do for them.


Final Project Planning - Scene 1 Complete Storyboard

Here are the complete storyboards for Scene 1 that will be filmed to be used in my trailer. This was changed from my original idea by making it much simpler in terms of shots used and the progression of the scene as by having some idea of narrative allows it to flow more easily and less likely to go wrong. In my previous project, it was the first two minutes so the storyboard had this sense of narrative but for a trailer it doesn't so I planned out the scenes I want so when putting them together in a trailer, it would look more in line with other vampire film trailers like in "30 Days of Night" it set the scene with a few shots, identified the characters and the vampires with quick, jumpy shots in close up to capture their teeth and black eyes whilst using some longer shots for brief scenes of dialogue to help explain elements of the story. So the point of this scene is to use the parts of when Dacrual feeds on the victim to connote the vampire as nothing but a monster with the blood stained mouth, black eyes and fangs, all common features seen in vampire trailers. The dialogue said will also help as it can be played over certain scenes like the "Blade" example which describe the world with a monologue or lines from a certain character. There is a few problems with though as from the above point, not a lot is used from this scene so I thought of a way to include another part at the end where Dacrual comples (hyponotises estienally) a woman who was frozen with fear as she watched it all happen to call the police and tell him there is body then to forget it all afterwards and go home and never speak of it again to give this manipulative side to the character and also make them much more terrfying since ethey have this ablitiy.

Final Project Planning - Chosen Photos for Design Tasks

These are the photos that were taken during the photo shoot on Wednesday. The ones below are the ones that were selected to be used in the design tasks due to them being of the highest quality so they can be edited for their purpose. Underneath each picture I'll put a brief description of what it will be used for to show how each one will progress into the finished product.

The 3 pictures above are all considered for the front magazine cover due it needing to show all 3 characters since each is essential to the story so one can't detract attention from another. The idea steamed from a conversation between me and Rachel when discussing what pictures we wanted to take and I said "I want something like the good, the determined and the crazy". It was because this pose captures all 3 of the characters in equal coverage and has this feeling of that all of them are connected with the two vampires being drawn to Rose for different reasons. Matt being his sense of duty to protect and Dacrual just wanting her for his personal gain. The two further to the top have more potential for possibly another poster in which all 3 are displayed so there would be one for each then a final group one similar to the Harry Potter posters to show that all 3 characters drive the plot.

These single figure photos are most likely going to be used for the single posters as to avoid the potential of detracting from character which was a problem uncovered in my pitch. These are simple poses that will allow for some simple but effective posters since it allows for greater editing to display each poster as how I envisioned it. I do have some more posed ones like Stephanie being bit in one of the photos which I intended to use for Dacrual poster like in my earlier post on poster designs but it displays two characters and not the other. Yet it does open the door to do double character posters like Dacrual biting Rose, Matt meeting Rose and Matt strangling Dacrual to give the audience more visually stimulating posters to look at.

These are the posed ones mentioned earlier and the idea of the double character posters is a more tempting idea to use as it opens the door to more varied creations and different editing potentials. It would help show the difference in relationships between the characters like Matt and Rose being on more civil terms but he hates Dacrual obvious from the choke hold he has on him. Then we see Dacrual attempting to feed on Rose to show how he just wants to use her for his own selfish needs, disregarding any interest in her life like Matt. I will have to do some designs over the half term and see which one looks better by posting them on my blog and letting people vote on which style of posters are better and if they agree with colour, posing, style etc.

Final Project - Project Reflection

In this project, there are many things different from my AS project. Firstly being that, I'm working on my own instead of working in a group. It is incredibly different as obviously the workload is much more intense since there are no group members to split the tasks with like one can do the storyboards while the other storyboards. So while its a lot harder to keep up with the many different aspects of the project, it does however have its benefits as it offers the greatest control over the project too. There is no disagreements between group members so my original vision can be done without compromise but with this creative freedom comes the price of having a much larger workload that I can not share between group members so working alone can be seen as a double sword with greater freedom at the cost of greater workload. Yet I don't mind this as it allows me to challenge myself and see if I can improve from my AS piece which was also a trailer so it makes it easier to see if my skills have developed further in terms of planning, pre-production and the production stages like better initial planning like storyboards, scripts etc. which while done at AS must be more detailed to show development and also achieve the higher grade levels.

I have shown improvement in areas already in terms of the planning stage as in the previous project, we did a storyboard and story outline but we didn't follow it entirely and it was very basic in the way it was done. We quickly and easily deviated from it as we discovered much better ideas when filming so we shot it blind essentially which while really paid off in our production, you can't do that for every project as it can lead to incoherent narratives or just generally unusable footage if it doesn't suit the original idea. For this project, I have done an excessive amount of script writing for scenes that I need to help explain this narrative I want to show and also act as a contengicey plan since the amount that would be filmed would give me a lot of leeway in terms of footage so if one shot doesn't work then there are many others that can be used. One doesn't fit or help with the narrative, can be taken out and replaced with another. This wasn't much of a problem with the AS piece as we got most of the shots we wanted but we didn't have many extra shots in case of this problem so to prepare for this, I have done such planning.

Another feature of my project so far is the way its fitting in with my research into codes and conventions and past vampire film trailers. At the start of the project and mainly after the test footage, it didn't feel like it fitted in with the current genre by lacking that supernatural feel to the characters or the created world within the trailer. So I went back, did extra research on vampire films, took another look at the film trailers and rewrote most of my scripts and storyboards to incorporate these elements into the trailer. A prime example is the part in scene 2 when Dacrual kills the agents with ease and does the vanishing act which vampires are known for in films like "Blade" when he does "The Batman Trick" of suddenly disappearing and/or reappearing. Another is the way every vampire's eyes turn black to signify them as belonging to this group of supernatural beings and instantly portraying them as not be entirely trusted regardless of if they are friendly or not since they could easily turn if they are consumed by blood-lust. There is also the small attempted feeding scene between Dacrual and Rose in scene 3 and not forgetting Dacrual's savaging of the Victim's throat in scene 1, all giving that much needed sense of fear to the trailer and showing the typical codes and conventions of a horror based vampire film.

Final Project - Production Schedule Update

In a previous post, I uploaded my production schedule about what would be happen over the coming weeks so this update is to basically comment on if I have progressed according to plan. Unfortunately, in terms of filming, it has not gone according to schedule due to certain actors not being able to make it due to other commitments so the half term week off will be dedicated to picking up the filming that will be needed and shoots that have to be re-planned. This time has not been wasted however as it has allowed me to improve on some aspects of my planning.

After the previous test footage gathered (still needs some more editing but delayed due to a few problems in terms of footage that is usable to show the basic intentions of my trailer), it showed some problems with my original idea as I was originally shooting only the pieces needed for the trailer which while saves time overall, it brings a lot more potential problems as in no leeway in usable footage, higher chance of continuity problems etc. so now I am doing it in full scenes so I have a lot more workable footage and allows a greater chance for the narrative to work. I have all the scene scripts in rough form which are being posted on my blog with brief comments on the point of the particular scene and potential problems, the neat copies are being typed up and posted so any cast and crew can look at them if needed. Also, my storyboards needed improving after the rewrite of my trailer so I'm doing a set for each scene and one for the general order the trailer will go in. They will posted soon as I have finished the scene one storyboards to a standard I'm happy with while the others are still being finished off.

In terms of actual design work, the intended photo shoot that was scheduled to take place on Wednesday 12th did actually go ahead and we got some very useful photos thanks the Director  of Photography, Rachel Fairbairn who I greatly appreciate for taking the time to bring her camera and take the shots. Also a thank you to Stephanie Cubello and Craig Mullen, my main actors who also took time out from their busy schedules to help with the shots needed for my magazine and film poster. Without these people, it wouldn't have been as a great success. So with these photos, it has allowed me to work on some possible designs for the design part of my task which I'll be posting when its in a presentable state. I will also post some of the photos on my blog to show which ones I'll be using for the magazine and the posters.

So in all, the planning is almost finished ready for the half term filming with some work going into the design tasks if there is a sudden change in my schedule where filming can't be done like if I'm at home and don't have access to the materials or programmes to do the rest of the planning. Just a few finishing touches are needed to storyboards and scripts before being posted as I would rather have them to a high standard before posting as it takes time to scan them all so completed copies are more efficient then uploading them all. Other pieces of work will be uploaded rough as they act as guidelines for the neat version and show how they have progressed.

Final Project Planning - Script Scene 3 - Timely Rescue (Rough Copy)

This is the rough copy for the 3rd full scene that will be used for my trailer by using select parts. Its the scene where we see Matt introduced for the first time who rescues Rose from Dacrual. I do know that is says its the 4th scene as it was the 4th written yet I took out a scene since it didn't add much to the over all project. The point of this scene is to give the audience a quick glance of Matt, the other protagonist of the trailer, and portray him as different to Dacrual to show the two different sides to vampirisim. It will use the scenes of Matt's stabbing of Dacrual and his rescue to help show that the two characters trust each other within the trailer. A problem is that it has is that it's not very action based which helps give the trailer weight and more exciting but later scenes have more and some extra shots could be added to help fill out the trailer.

So in all, there is little that needs to be changed just some possible dialogue shortened and a few extra scenes to help increase the action so we can see more elements of them being supernatural entities and fit in with current vampire film trailers. In some of my old storyboards, there was originally going to be a fight scene between Matt and Dacrual but I removed it due to the potential difficulty of filming it. However, I could shot brief segments of it so I can edit them together and make it look like there was a brutal fight which ends the same way with the vervain-coated knife. Example could be like scene of Matt taking a swipe at Dacrual, flash to white then another scene of possibly Dacrual picking Matt up by the throat etc. then after Matt is beaten by the much stronger Dacrual, the knife scene happens with Matt grabbing Rose and running off.

Final Project Planning - Script Scene 2 - 1st Encounter (Rough Copy)

Here is the rough version of my script for Scene 2 - 1st Encounter. This scene deals with Rose encountering her first vampire, Ryan Dacrual, who is the main antagonist in the film. We see elements of what these type of vampires are like compared to the current generation of vampires, instead of the hapless romantic, Dacrual is nothing more then a sadistic killer. In the scene, he dispatches two agents in the space of a few seconds like breaking the seconds neck with little effort and also he plays games with Rose, taunting her and disappearing and reappearing to show that he is in fact a supernatural creature who can easily survive a gunshot wound. For the trailer, its mainly uses the scenes of Dacrual disappearing and his killings of the other agents to help connote the vampire in this case as a much more terrifying being compared to the current outlook, as it is my intention for this trailer to go back to the original horror roots and portray vampires as not creatures trying to play human but instead the perfect predator, one who clan blend into their environment, who are stronger and faster then anything else on the earth and only hunger for one thing, human blood.

In terms of potential changes or problems, its mainly down to the fact if I can get sufficient actors for the extras needed since while they have very small parts, if they aren't convincing in their roles it will dampen the over all effect of the trailer but since it will likely not have their dialogue, it can easily be managed. Also the vanishing act part and the shooting have to be filmed the right way to capture the effect in the most realistic way possible as where the camera is placed is vital to make it look professional and convincing. I will do a separate post of effects I want to recreate for my trailer but while it may not be a vampire style show, the effect will be relevant.



Final Project Planning - Script Scene 1 - An Undignified Meeting

Here is the final version for scene 1 of my project. In essence, it would be the opening scene of the film if it was all filmed as it briefly gives a glimpse to one character and opens it for the other main character, Rose. In terms of the trailer, it would use parts from this not reveal characters but short scenes of the vicious nature of Dacrual as he kills the informant so its used to help build tension and fear within the trailer as the audience will see short snippets of Dacrual liking blood from his fingers, tearing out the man's throat before stopping on his own blood stained mouth. It really gives the trailer the much needed fear and quick shocks that belong to the traditional horror genre and also hint at the character in terms of role within the trailer. Another thing it does is allow for the contrast to be seen with the character Matt who is much more controlled, since he is joint protagonist within the story, from the way he quickly disables Dacrual long enough to get Rose to safety. It allows for us, the audience, to see how while Dacrual is much stronger but is much more reckless and uncontrolled while Matt is cold, but calculating since he knows he can't beat Dacrual in a head on fight so plans ahead and uses a vervain-soaked blade which is weak to vampires, established in my "lore".

Final Project Planning - Script (Rough Copy)

Here are several pages from my rough script for my project. I am writing out the full scenes of the ones I intend to use for my trailer so the shots look a lot more fluid when edited together and also allow me more potential shots to use, making it much easier to construct this limited narrative a trailer has whilst retaining some form of enigma. This script is generally a rough scene 2 where Rose encounters Dacrual, getting a glimpse into this unknown, supernatural world but it is a little incoherent and doesn't fit well at parts (evident by the annotations around the page) so I am going over it and making some much needed improvements ready for the actual filming soon. I plan to extend the scene in areas, mainly the conversation between Rose and Dacrual like adding some more supernatural elements (suddenly appearing behind her shoulder and back again) to help build up the tension and also connote that the genre is supernatural horror. The ending however, is being kept in as its a perfect way to possibly end the trailer with, the somewhat creepy line as it focuses on his crooked smile and black eyes before leaping towards the camera.

The death of the agent is also being kept in as it adds to the horror and suspense whilst also showing off the supernatural nature of the character by when he grabs the first agent by the neck, off camera people will help lift him up to make it look like he is stronger then humans and makes the impact of having his neck broken as he drops to the ground much more powerful and dramatic.

Final Project Planning - Production Schedule

Here is my current production schedule for my project to do with the actual filming for the required scenes. It will likely change when confirmation from needed actors is in as it relies on them when filming is done so, if it is changed this post will be updated with a new production schedule. It crosses this week and the next two which is half term, the main filming time while the weekend scheduled ones are sort of tests to see if it works so tweaks can be made if needed and also if anything goes on the two week filming, at least I have some footage already as a contingency.

Final Project Planning - Health and Safety

For my project, I have two main areas for filming. The first is the garages near a street in Framwellgate, it helps paint the scene of the a back alley in Queen's, New York from the suburban feel that Framwellgate has, adding to the verisimilitude of the setting and project.

In terms of the actors, there is little health and safety risk to them since its an open area and is not abandoned. Yet the one problem is the planned scene where Matt would run in from the roof, leap off and land in front of Dacrual in an effort to capture the supernatural effect of the vampire characters. The obvious problem is that is the roof stable enough to support the actor and will the owner of the particular garage allow us to do such a thing so I will need to look closer at the safety of the area whilst try to obtain permission to use it in such a way. Also with it being so close to other houses, when filming takes place I will have to make sure the surrounding people would not mind filming taking place and to clean up afterwards since it is a public place. Signs would be a good idea to put up near the area to warn people that filming is happening so they don't wander into the area and aren't potentially injured if for example fake blood happens to hit them from the blood shooter. In all, its a very safe area for the actors and crew so filming should go of without any major health and safety issues. Noise however, may be a problem. Due to it being an area where many people live, the noise limit can't be too high, especially if filmed later in the day so when filming here, extra planning must be made to ensure that no excessive noise is made.

The other area is some back fields in Framwellgate that lead to some dense woodland. Obviously, more health safety issues can arise when filming woodland but when I did my location scouting, I made sure to pick more open areas or footpaths within the woods so that they are much safer for the cast and crew.

These locations are mainly used from when Matt saves Rose and takes her somewhere safe from Dacrual and explains a few things to her (less in the trailer so not everything is given away) and also for the flashback scene of Dacrual killing Celina which we see but not the reason why so it gives Rose the reason to work with Matt and hunt down Dacrual. Health and safety wise, there is not major problems just the obvious ones like falling down any hills, hitting trees etc. So again its a reasonable safe place to film and any possible problems from noise is less here as its an open area so any potential problems with noise limits are much less strict then compared to the above area.

Final Project Planning - Costumes and Props

For my project, in term of costumes they need to suit the personality of the characters as mentioned in earlier posts.

Rose is a detective/FBI agent so her outfit needs to reflect this, like office attire (white shirt, trousers, jacket like possible blazer or formal jacket) so its practical for work in the field and also if an office. This instantly connotes her as serious with her job and also represents her as a stronger character and female protagonist as to be in this job it requires great strength and will with other outstanding qualities so it goes against the usual connotations of females being the victims in this horror genre. Props needed for the character personally are her badge to identify her as a detective/FBI agent and a prop gun used to defend herself from her encounter with Dacrual so during days of filming when Stephanie as Rose is needed, these props must be present.

Matt is the other protagonist within the trailer and is tasked with protecting Rose. In earlier posts, the character is described as more archaic in appearance due to him being alive for so long and plagued by the years of violence he used to commit with Dacrual. So his appearance is much more heavy in nature and deliberately contrasts Dacrual's from his thick, leather biker jacket and heavy, unpolished boots, all of which connotes how he has grown tired from trying to resist the violent side of his nature every single day and that he wants to distance himself from Dacrual's elegant appearance and homicidal nature. Props for this character include mainly the fangs to signify him as a vampire along with the make up to fit in with the codes and conventions of typical vampire appearance. The character will also possible possess a fake knife in the scene where he rescues Rose from Dacrual, depending on the final outcome of the scene in planning.

Dacrual is the antagonist and is after Rose for a ritual which requires her sacrifice (this will not be shown in the trailer so it doesn't give the entire plot away). His costume is the opposite of Matt's. Modern, elegant from the fine leather jacket and shirt with polished shoes which allows him to blend into society a lot easier. All so he can kill with greater ease. This character fully relishes in his violent side, killing out of pure enjoyment as seen in the scene with Rose when "he admits to getting carried away". This costume is used to connote him as having aged with the years a lot more pleasantly then Matt has, enjoying each new century with twisted glee as it gives him something new to try out in terms of clothes and humans. Props for this character are similar to Matt, fangs and make up to connote them as vampires but with Dacrual getting shot, the blood shooter is needed for this character to simulate the gunshot wound.

The extras needed are Victim 1 who is dressed in simple clothes (white shirt etc. old clothes basically to allow the use of fake blood without too many problems) to connote him as simply a lowly informant for Dacrual before being savaged by the vampire. The agents needed follow the same costume as Rose since they are all in the same profession so share the same uniform, props such as guns will not be needed due to them mostly getting killed by Dacrual before hand.

A special case goes to the character Celina, the twin sister of Rose who appears in a flashback sequence. The same actor can be used but will require a different look to distinguish them from each other so like hair tied up instead of down, more casual outfit etc. Since we discover that she is in fact a vampire and means Dacrual can't use her for the sacrifice,  he kills her as she is now useless to him. So she will need a set of fangs as well and make up too but somewhat more subtle since she has been turned recently.

Here are the costume and props sheets needed by each character in each current scene so they have an idea of what the costume they need. I have left it open to freedom of choice so they can wear something that they are comfortable with so they look more natural then if wearing something that doesn't look like it fits the actor.

Final Project - Planning

To help ensure my final project runs smoothly, I will be producing certain pieces of documentation to make sure each part is planned and finalised so that each part of filming or design work goes as originally planned and avoids any contingency plans that will be set up in case this unfortunately happens. The documentation will consist of this elements:

• Production Schedule
• Prop Sheets
• Costume Sheets
• Call Sheets
• Clearance for actors/locations/music
• Booking Sheets resources/venues
• Meetings with cast/crew
• Contingency plans
• Risk Assessments/Health and Safety
• Location log sheets
• Edit Decision log sheets
• Storyboards
• Completed Production Script/Scenario
• Personal Comments/Logs
• Pitch - (Completed)
• Treatment - (Completed)

When one is completed, I will update this post with a sign next to which one is currently completed.

Design Task - Poster Idea Update

Here is another image to illustrate the idea I have for the 3 poster for my main characters. The image below tries to convey the idea for the background with the red tint and faded images from other parts of the trailer like scenes between characters, still of a particular one etc. Again, its a rough design due to me not having the new pictures and still I want since I need to film the desired scenes and get photos retaken but it still shows how it may look in the future once I've also upgraded my skills on Photoshop to achieve the affect I truly want.

The central character the poster belongs to will be placed in the middle, done in black and white to be contrasted against the background so they are clear and it also fits in with the colour scheme established as the main scheme along each piece of media. A quote will also be displayed belonging to that character to help convey the role they have within the film (protagonist, antagonist etc.) which will be done in the journal style handwriting scene on the magazine which is used as the main title font to keep them linked with the branding established earlier and make it like each piece fits together fluidly.