Short film - research and planning

Film Pitch

Film Title – Vamparactive            
Tagline - ‘Nightmares aren’t only in your sleep.’

Genre/s – Horror / Thriller               
Characters: Spike

                     Yunus

                     Kyle

                     Sophie

Storyline

After enjoying a spine-chilling horror movie at the cinema, three young teens travel back home on foot late at night, whilst the presence of a rumoured vampire lurks dangerously amongst the darkness.

Use of Camera

We incorporate a variety of camera shots, angles and movements during the film to make the intense action seem very thrilling horrifying to the audience, and the calmer bits of the by using basic uses of the camera.

Editing

We will be using appropriate fonts and colours for our titles to generate the typical horror movie conventions, have a few transitions during the film and also use different cut speeds to differentiate from the fast paced scenes to the slower paced scenes.

Sound

The soundtrack to the film we will look to ideally suit the horror genre, in whatever genre of music we find. A narrative voice over might be included as well as background music.

Mise-en-scene

Our use of locations will be slightly limited mainly based on the fact that every scene will be filmed outside on the streets, there will be the use of a few props which are vastly significant in the film – they all have a purpose to play – the street lights will provide us with the lighting because it will be filmed in the evening and the costumes of which the characters will wear are relatively dull in colours, (especially the villain’s clothing) but are quite conventional to the genre.

Audience feedback - Pitch

The feedback we received from the audience on our pitch was generally positive and constructive. They admired our title and our tag line, and they also liked the vampire concept. However, they did ask us questions concerning the narrative, and the mise-en-scene and we had answers for each question;

“It seems like there’s a lot going on in the narrative. How are you going to manage fitting everything into 5 minutes?”

We explained to them that, on paper it may have seemed that there was a great deal of events happening in the narrative, but that in actual fact it was going to be compressed so that it would all fit into the limited time of 5 minutes.

“Filming at night would create lighting issues. How will you deal with this?”

We explained that along with the streets lamps as the lighting, we would also alter the camera settings to enhance how much light the lenses would let through.

“How are you going to acquire the correct props for this horror genre?”

The filming process started in October and so we explained to them that this is the month when Halloween was being advertised. So we were going to use this to our advantage to buy vampire teeth, broom sticks etc. from stores who soled Halloween props.

“Which locations are you planning to film at?”

We originally planned to film in the Leyton area but then there were issues we couldn’t compromise with at the time, so we opted to film at Yani Hadjisavvas’ – Spike – neighbourhood located in Ilford, where the streets were less crowded and the alleyway looked better, to film our disruption.

Our film idea was given the thumbs up and so we were driven with confidence to go on and film our production.

 

Film Proposal

Production Company – Red Mist Productions        
Director - Floyd Konde

Production Crew – The group                                  
Working Title – Vamparactive

Medium/ Format:  HD Film                                      

Duration: 5 minutes

Synopsis

After enjoying a spine-chilling horror movie at the cinema, three young teens travel back home on foot late at night, whilst the presence of a rumoured vampire lurks dangerously amongst the darkness.

Description of content

After enjoying a spine-chilling vampire horror movie at the cinema,three young teens; Kyle, Yunus and Sophie travel back home on foot late at night whilst alarming rumours suggesting an infectious vampire, lurking dangerously behind the back streets at night lives amongst them - he goes by the name of Spike.

As they live in different directions, Sophie separates from the boys as they carry on down the same road. The rumours around town and the movie fill her mind with intense paranoia. Suddenly, as she is walking she is grabbed by an unknown figure into the shadows. She screams so loudly it alarms the two others, who come rushing back in the same direction to investigate. To their horror they discover Sophie on the ground being mauled by Spike. They become in great danger themselves once Spike discovers their presence - an intense chase sequence follows. Once they lose Spike around the corner, they take cover behind a vehicle whilst Spike eagerly searches for them. It’s all so unfortunate for them when Kyle’s phone goes off, completely blowing their cover. Another terrifying wave erupts as Spike discovers them behind the vehicle. In an attempt to flee the scene, Kyle is caught and bitten - Yunus looks on in horror. As he panics, he discovers a wooden broom on the wall beside him. Grabbing the broom he snaps it over his leg and uses it as a wooden stake to kill Spike through the heart.

An emotional ending begins - Yunus stabs Kyle to prevent his Vamparactive nature to manifest, in order to protecting themselves as well as everybody else. It appears that this nightmare around town is finally over, but unbeknown to Yunus is the vampire within Sophie.

Purpose

The purpose of our film is to entertain our audience by performing typical horror conventions, which are based around giving the audience numerous frights – we want them to feel the thrill, the horror and even the emotional manipulation from the tragedy occurring at the end. Our film could send out a message about the dangers of walking the streets late at night alone – vampires are not likely to terrorise a person, but never the less it is showing the vulnerability to bad people lurking the street corners. By making the female character the first person to be victimized is seen as a stereotype, that women are seen to be a tad more vulnerable than men, who in this film are represented as ‘survivors’.

Target audience

Our target audience are working class young people from the ages of 15–21, who mainly enjoy watching horror/ thriller productions such as; The Twilight films, Let Me In, 30 Days of Night etc. and maybe even series successes such as; True Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Vampire Diaries, Being Human etc. Anyone from any age group is free to watch this type of film, but this particular age group is related to the fact that it is a film which features a teenage cast.

Film Treatment

Production Company - Red Mist Productions         
Director - Floyd Konde

Production Crew - The group                                   
Working Title - Vamparactive

Resources;

·         Equipment – A digital HD camera, a tripod, a microphone and an SD card.

·         Medium/ Format – HD Film

·         Facilities – Apple PC and the edit suite.

Description of narrative structure and use of film language

Structure/ form – the film is told through a linear narrative - it doesn’t feature any flashbacks of any sort, just a series of events which happen in one night. Our film is a single strand narrative because it focuses on three different characters, who are put through the same storyline.  It also has an open narrative because of the way in ends - Sophie becoming a vampire herself – this ultimately opens a door for a possible sequel. The villain’s identity is held from the audience for a certain period of time, which makes it restricted information.

Mise-en-scene;

·    Setting/ locations – we are going to be filming outside of Westfield Stratford city, and on neighbourhood roads where there are less people who walk the streets, which will help us to portray that typical convention of the isolation and vulnerability imposed on the characters – so ultimately moving from a safer, more crowded area to a silent area.

·    Props – we will be using a wooden broom (as a wooden stake) used by Yunus, a handbag in Sophie’s possession and a crucifix chain which will be in Kyle’s possession.

·    Lighting – since the film will be filmed in the evening, the street lights will provide the lighting, and the possible use of a torch light in addition for particular scenes - so, the audience can expect low-key lighting because of the darkness of the evening. We might use under lighting to incorporate the typical horror film convention, which represents the villain’s evilness. We may also have back lighting which will create the silhouette effect on the characters – this is another convention of the horror genre, which signifies evilness and darkness etc.

·    Costumes – the character of Spike will be dressed entirely in black; a black hoody, black jeans and black trainers, which is very conventional to the classic villain dress colour code e.g. western films. The other characters will have a bit more colour about their costumes but it will still remain relatively dull. For Sophie, she will be wearing a jacket, a scarf, gloves, jeans and boots/ shoes. Yunus will be wearing a woolly hat, a hoody, jeans and trainers, which will be what Kyle wears as well apart from the woolly hat.

·    Body language & Facial expressions – types of body language would include; relaxed, alert, stiff, weak, etc. The types of facial expressions may include; scared, confused, shocked during the disruption etc.

Use of Camera

In the film we’ll have advanced camera shots and movements to create a dramatic effect during the intense period of the film, and of course when the film is at a calmer pace we will incorporate basic uses of the camera. In detail, we will use shot types such as; P.O.V. shot, close-up shot, two shot, over the shoulder, mid-shot and long shot. Camera angles such as; low angle shot, worm’s eye view shot and high angle shot, then some camera movements consisting of a pan, tilt, tracking, hand-held and zoom.           

Editing

·    Cutting – The basic shot/reverse shot sequence will be utilized during the conversational bits of the film between characters, there will eye-line match areas as well e.g. as Kyle and Yunus are running from Spike, Yunus looks off-screen at an object, which we then cut to the wooden broom that he is looking at. We will also use cross cutting and parallel editing e.g. as the Kyle and Yunus are walking on by themselves, we show Sophie by herself who is then grabbed by Spike (unbeknown to the audience, who are not aware of his identity yet).

·    Transitions – We’ll have short takes of course to make room for a variety of camera shots. We will fade-in for the beginning of the film to set the scenery for the audience and black-out straight after Sophie eyes suddenly open at the end, which creates the that sharpness about it all. The slow motion effect might also be used during the film for the scene when Yunus stabs Spike through the heart with the stake.

·    Titles/ Credits – There will be titles over the pictures and we’ll edit the name of the film, making it bloody to emphasise that there is definitely some bloodshed in this film. The other titles will be in a font that suits the horror convention and preferably been in red. The credit titles at the end will also be in red.

Sound

·    Soundtrack – We will choose our film’s theme song to relate to the whole nature of the film, creating an uneasy atmosphere – it might be a rock song which will portray the vibe of teenagers in danger. During the film itself, there will be non-diegetic incidental music to be in tune with the intense action.

·    In addition, there could be the use of a narrative voice-over from the character of Yunus – the survivor who lives to tell the tale – but we would like to use this only at each ends of the film and not throughout the whole production. We’re planning on having Yunus introduce the story; stating the names of all the characters to inform the audience first-hand, and stating his emotion towards the events which happened to him – so effectively, he is looking back on these events and telling the audience, like a bedtime story. Sound effects may also be included, e.g. the sound of the stake piercing Spike’s chest.

     Screenplay

   EXT. THE STREETS – NIGHT

   Narration voice-over from YUNUS commences.

YUNUS

  Until now, I still haven’t recovered from what happened. We had no idea what was lurking around the corner. I never imagined my life turning out this way, but i guess nightmares aren’t only in your sleep. After that, things would never be the same again.

  KYLE, YUNUS and SOPHIE walk and come to a halt – it is quiet with barely anybody else around.

YUNUS

That film was epic!

KYLE

Yeah man. Best horror film I’ve seen in ages.

SOPHIE

I didn’t like it.

KYLE

Hey, can you imagine all that stuff happening in reality?

SOPHIE

Excuse me, I have to walk home alone you know!

YUNUS

   I heard there’s been some dumb rumour going around about a vampire who lives around here somewhere.

KYLE

   Yeah I heard about that too – his name’s Spike. Apparently he ate a woman around here last week... (Turning to Sophie) You could be next Sophie.

SOPHIE

Don’t say things like that!

YUNUS

  Don’t listen to him you’ll be fine it’s just a stupid rumour. Everybody knows vampire's don't exist.

SOPHIE

 Yeah, I guess you’re right. If anything happens to me Kyle, you’ll regret what you’ve said!

YUNUS

   If you're scared, we could walk you home if you want?

SOPHIE

      No it's okay, you guys go on.    

YUNUS

  Alright then, take care.

KYLE

  Bye Sophie.

   SOPHIE walks on alone through the alleyway until she is grabbed by an unknown individual (SPIKE). She screams loud enough to alarm the others. KYLE and YUNUS look back in alarm.

YUNUS

(Looking at KYLE)

Was that Sophie?!

  SOPHIE screams again and they both rush back in the same direction. SPIKE is mauling her on the ground. KYLE and YUNUS arrive at the scene.

KYLE

(Standing in horror)

Sophie!!

  SPIKE turns his attention onto them (introduction of character). He shoots up immediately and stares them down. In seconds he ventures dangerously towards them - a chase sequence follows. They evade SPIKE around the corner and seek cover behind a wall whilst he eagerly searches for them. During this sequence, KYLE’s phone rings which completely blows their cover. SPIKE is back on the attack and launches KYLE into the wall, before they can even flee the scene.

KYLE

Yunus, help me!! (SPIKE bites him) Aargh!!

   YUNUS panics but on the wall is a wooden broom which snaps over his knee and uses it as a stake. He rushes back in aid of KYLE with the stake in his hand.

YUNUS

Aargh!!

(Stabs SPIKE through his back)

   SPIKE lets out a hiss and finally dies. They push him aside.

KYLE

I’m hurt man, he got me!

(Clutching his bleeding neck)

YUNUS

Let me see.

KYLE

(Reveals the bite on his neck)

I’m not gonna make it am I?

YUNUS

Don’t worry, I got you man. Let’s get you out here.

(Helping him to his feet)

   With KYLE in his grasp, YUNUS helps him across the road. When they reach an opening he carefully settles him down against a wall.

YUNUS

Ok just take it easy yeah, I’m gonna call for help.

(Taking out his phone)

KYLE

    Ah man, this is all my fault... all that stuff I said before... Sophie. This is just like the movie. I guess she was right – I’d regret what I said – now I’m paying the price! She’s dead and it’s all down to me!

YUNUS

Shut up! I can’t think straight.

   There is a momentary pause. YUNUS begins to dial a number on his phone.

KYLE

Who are you calling?

YUNUS

  A mate – he’s got a ride, he’ll drive us to his place to get you treated. If I call an ambulance they’ll ask questions about the body.

(Putting the phone to his ear)

KYLE

I don’t think anyone can help me – this is major... man I feel strange.

YUNUS

Just keep calm and breathe.

KYLE

Bruv, I think it’s happening to me.

YUNUS

What is?

KYLE

The transformation.

YUNUS

What are you chatting about?

KYLE

It’s just like the movie.

YUNUS

Will you stop with that crap! That’s got nothing to do with this!

   KYLE’s teeth grow into fangs.

KYLE

Aargh!!

(Feeling pain)

YUNUS

What is it??!

KYLE

It’s happening! It’s really happening!

YUNUS

(Drops the phone in horror)

Bloody hell!!

KYLE

Kill me Yunus!

YUNUS

What??!

KYLE

Grab the stake and stab me – You’ve got to do it!

YUNUS

How can I just kill you?! You’re my best mate!

KYLE

   I’ll be your worst nightmare if you don’t kill me with that stake! Now do it!

YUNUS

(Slowly picking up the stake)

But Kyle...

KYLE

Just do it Yunus!

   YUNUS is slowly raising the stake over his head.

KYLE

Do it!!

   YUNUS finally stabs him through the heart. He leaves the stake in KYLE’s chest and runs away into the distance.

   Narrative voice-over from YUNUS commences again.

YUNUS

  I’ll never forget that night, but for all the wrong reasons. I wished we’d never gone to see that film... (FADES TO: SOPHIE lying on the ground) I guess in her own way, Sophie was right.

   Sophie’s eyes suddenly open (she is the new vampire).

E

Shot List

  

	Shot description	Shot type & camera angle	Sound
1	The camera travels forwards along the ground for a while – tilted downwards - and then moves up from the floor where the title was shown to being a straight on view of the characters walking away from it.	Type: long shot     Angle: canted angle	Diegetic: ominous wind      Non-diegetic: voice over
2	The camera is at the feet of the actors showing them walk and then come to a stop, their voices can still be heard as they walk.	Type: close up               Angle: eye line framing	Diegetic: ominous wind      Non-diegetic: voice over
3	Sophie separates from the two others.	Type: mid-long shot                Angle: eye line framing	Diegetic: ominous wind      Non-diegetic: voice over
4	Shot of the guys as they start talking about the film as the girl walks off in the background and walks around the corner. The camera then tracks the boys from the front as they start walking, still talking about the film.	Type: mid-long shot               Angle: eye line framing	Diegetic: sound of voices      Non-diagetic: none
5	Sophie, as the camera also tracks her from the front view, as she starts to shiver.	Type: mid-long shot                  Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: emphasised sound of wind and her breaths      Non-diagetic: none
6	She bites her lip in anxiety.	Type: extreme close up               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: her heartbeats getting faster and breath       Non-diagetic: none
7	Her eyes as she looks around.	Type: extreme close up                   Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: her heartbeats getting faster and breath      Non-diagetic: none
8	The camera returns to her as she continues to shiver and starts to walk faster and faster.	Type: mid-long shot                   Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: heartbeats and the sound of a twig snapping at the end of the shot.      Non-diagetic: none
9	She turns around thinking she’s heard something.	Type: mid-long shot               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: sound of vampire pouncing and of her as she gasps      Non-diagetic: none
10	She turns back around with the camera back in front of her, she walks forward for a while but then is grabbed out of view by the vampire.	Type: mid-long shot               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: sound of vampire pouncing and of her as she gasps      Non-diagetic: none
11	Her screams continue and reach the two boys as they stop their conversation and turn around in shock.	Type: close up, zoom               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: sound of screams and the boys dialogue      Non-diagetic: none
12	The camera is placed on the floor with the boys running into view, in the direction away from the camera.	Type: mid long shot              Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: sound of dialogue       Non-diagetic: none
13	The boys run around the corner and come to a halt in shock, as an unknown individual crouches over Sophie’s body.	Type: long shot             Angle: low angle	Diagetic: emphasised sound of breathing      Non-diagetic: none
14	They see a person perched over the body of Sophie and blood all over the pavement.	Type: extreme long shot, over the shoulder shot.             Angle: slight low angle.	Diagetic: subtle sound of growling      Non-diagetic: none
15	The vampire hears their heartbeats. The vampire’s ear is shown.	Type: extreme close up.                Angle: straight shot	Diagetic: sound of emphasised heartbeats       Non-diagetic: none
16	The vampires face is shown as he turns to look at his next prey. His smile turns into something that resembles a monstrous smile.	Type: close up             Angle: slight low angle	Diagetic: none      Non-diagetic: none
17	The two boys’ facial expressions are shown.	Type: mid-close up               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: none       Non-diagetic: none
18	Spike begins to come at the boys. This is shown by him running at the boys.	Type: mid-close up               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: none      Non-diagetic: none
19	They turn around and run back the way that they came.	Type: long shot               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: vampires scream is heard in the background       Non-diagetic: quiet upbeat music starts to play in the background
20	They turn the corner and keep going all the way down the road at an equal pace.	Type: extreme long shot               Angle: camera pans at eye line view	Diagetic: enhanced sounds of breaths      Non-diagetic: music
21	Music continues. Kyle and Yunus ran past the camera first, at a 45 degree view from their front. Spike ran pasts a few seconds afterwards.	Type: extreme long shot        Angle: still camera at eye line view	Diagetic: enhanced sounds of breaths     Non-diagetic: music
22	Music continues. The camera is placed from a distance as the chase continues (sideways view).	Type: extreme long shot        Angle: still camera at eye line view	Diagetic: enhanced sounds of breaths      Non-diagetic: music
23	The camera is placed in front of the characters at a distance as they are running towards and then past it.	Type: extreme long shot               Angle: camera pans at eye line view	Diagetic: enhanced sounds of breaths     Non-diagetic: music
24	Worms eye view of the three characters running over the camera.	Type: extreme close up shot        Angle: still camera on the ground.	Diagetic: enhanced sounds of breaths      Non-diagetic: music
25	The camera is set around the corner as the boys come running into view, they come around the corner, momentarily losing spike.	Type: extreme long shot        Angle: still camera at eye line view	Diagetic: enhanced sounds of breaths     Non-diagetic: music
26	The two boys seek refuge behind a car. They turn back around the corner of the car and see the vampire in the background but he does not see them. The boys turn back and pant, then Kyle’s phone goes off and he rummages in his pockets for it. At this point the vampire notices and runs in their direction.	Type: they are tracked with a mid long shot.               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: diagetic sound of the phone call and sound of Yunus hitting Kyle after hearing it, And some muttering.      Non-diagetic: music stops when speech starts
27	They start to run again but Kyle trips over and he’s left behind.	Type: mid-long shot of the lower half of their bodies from the side.              Angle: straight shot	Diagetic: sound of Kyle thumping the ground and Yunus' footsteps      Non-diagetic: music restarts
28	Camera is placed in front of Kyle as he begins to get up. We can see the vampire behind him.	Type: close up       Angle: straight shot	Diagetic: sound of Kyle getting dragged along the pavement      Non-diagetic: music
29	The vampire knocks Kyle down and gets on top of him. The camera is at a low angle facing up at them, we cannot see the cushion.	Type: long shot taken over the vampires shoulder.                    Angle: low angle	Diagetic: sound of Kyle hitting the floor       Non-diagetic: none
30	Yunus comes to a stop, tired.	Type: long shot               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: sound of Yunus panting          Non-diagetic: low music
31	He turns around.	Type: mid-long shot                Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: Sound of him panting and his heart beat           Non-diagetic: low music
32	He sees that Kyle is on the floor struggling with the vampire.	Type: extreme long shot               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: ominous wind, Kyle in the background          Non-diagetic: low music
33	Yunus looks around for anything that would help.	Type: long shot               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: ominous wind          Non-diagetic: low music
34	He sees a wooden broom in front of a house.	Type: long shot of the house with the broom in clear view               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: ominous wind          Non-diagetic: low music
35	The vampire bites Kyle.	Type: close up of Kyle and the vampire’s heads from the tops. As they struggle           Angle: straight shot	Diagetic: Kyle’s scream of pain.       Non-diagetic: sound of the fangs going into the flesh
36	Yunus runs out of the gateway with the wooden broom in hand. He then turns his head to the left, in the direction of Kyle. He grabs the broom so it’s horizontal in both of his hands.	Type: long shot               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: none          Non-diagetic: low music
37	Point of view shot as he looks down to his hands and the wooden broom.	Type: mid-long shot               Angle: camera tilts downwards	Diagetic: none              Non-diagetic: quiet music
38	Yunus breaks the broom on his knee, dropping half and looking at the sharper end of the broom still in his hands; that resembles a wooden stake.	Type: long shot               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: sound of the broom snapping          Non-diagetic: quiet music
39	He takes the stake and starts running towards Kyle and the vampire.	Type: extreme long shot              Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: none              Non-diagetic: quiet music
40	He comes screaming and starts to thrust the steak through the vampire’s heart.	Type: long shot              Angle: high angle, looking up at Yunus as he comes up behind the vampire	Diagetic: sound of shouting and enhanced footsteps            Non-diagetic: none
41	The stabbing is not seen but heard and blood splatters across Kyle’s face.	Type: close up of Kyle’s face as he looks away and blood splatters on him                 Angle: bird’s eye view	Diagetic: none               Non-diagetic: sound of the stabbing and blood splattering is edited in after
42	Yunus pulls the body off Kyle and Kyle sits down opposite him.	Type: long shot                Angle: over the shoulder shot.	Diagetic: sound of Yunus heaving and puffing.               Non-diagetic: quiet music, stops once Kyle sits down.
43	Yunus gets up and goes over to pick up Kyle	Type: Dolly shot around 180 degrees.               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: enhanced breathing sounds       Non-diagetic: none
44	They walk down the road together with the camera behind them.	Type: slight low angle as Kyle is being lifted but then the camera tilts upwards as they walk on.               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: sound of breaths.       Non-diagetic: music starts up again quietly.
45	Kyle as he begins to collapse in Yunus’s arms.	Type: close up of Kyle.	Diagetic: sound of Younis heaving and puffing.          Non-diagetic: quiet music, dramatic sound when the collapsing starts and the music stops
46	Yunus steadies him down	Type: big mid shot            Angle: low angled camera looking down on them	Diagetic: sound of Yunus heaving and puffing.          Non-diagetic: none
47	They both sit down for a moment facing each other and panting. Then Kyle begins to feel pain as his transformation has started to take place. He puts his head into his hands.	Type: long shot from the side                Angle: eye line framing, camera moves slowly from Younis to Kyle	Diagetic: Kyle’s cries of agony         Non-diagetic: quiet music
48	Kyle’s head emerges from his hands. Yunus moves in to help him but then drops back in surprise seeing Kyle’s eyes and teeth. He moves towards the original vampire’s body and removes the stake.	Type: Kyle’s point of view show with his hands leaving the camera and showing Younis’s reaction               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: none         Non-diagetic: quiet music, sound of the stake coming back out
49	Kyle feels around his face and body suspiciously, he then feels his new grown teeth and immediately his face goes into distraught.	Type: small mid-shot, camera moves up and down his body tracking his hands               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: none       Non-diagetic: none
50	Kyle calms down again and looks towards Younis who is now standing above him holding the weapon.	Type: long shot                Angle: eye line framing from the side	Diagetic: none        Non-diagetic: none
51	The two boys converse.	Type: mid shot             Angle: high angle	Diagetic: none              Non-diagetic: none
52	Yunus looks down at him in also remorse.	Type: mid shot                Angle: high angle	Diagetic: none        Non-diagetic: none
53	They talk for a bit longer, Yunus returns standing over Kyle with the stake in hand.	Type: mid-long shot             Angle: low angle on Kyle	Diagetic: sound of the dialogue       Non-diagetic: none
54	Yunus takes one step closer to Kyle with the stake in hand.	Type: mid-long shot               Angle: high angle	Diagetic: none         Non-diagetic: none
55	Kyle Flinches.	Type: close up               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: none           Non-diagetic: none
56	They both stab the stake into Kyle at the same time. Their faces aren’t shown but just their torso’s and their arms.	Type: mid-long shot.              Angle: hand held camera	Diagetic: sound of dialogue             Non-diagetic:  none
57	Kyle’s facial expression is shown as he droops onto Yunus’s shoulder, slowly becoming motionless. His eyes return to normal.	Type: close up               Angle: over the shoulder shot	Diagetic: sound of dialogue             Non-diagetic: none
58	Kyle drops to the floor and the stake slips out of him, still in Yunus’s hand. A thump on the ground is heard.	Type: mid long shot from the side                   Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: the thump Kyle makes with the floor               Non-diagetic: none
59	Yunus stares at the blood covered stake.	Type: point of view shot of Yunus looking down at his hand with the stake in it. Mid-close up                 Angle: bird’s eye view	Diagetic: none             Non-diagetic: none
60	A close up of Kyle’s facial expressions.	Type: small mid shot               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: sound of Yunus’s voice              Non-diagetic: quiet music
61	He kicks the wall and throws away the stake. Then puts his head in his hands to cry.	Type: long shot                   Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: sound of his foot on the wall and the stake hitting the floor               Non-diagetic: quiet music
62	He takes one last look at Kyle and the vampire on the floor after wiping his tears.	Type: long shot               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: sound of his sleeves rubbing his face         Non-diagetic: none
63	He starts walking away while limping. As he moves further away the camera fades into darkness. The words ‘staring Sakib as Yunus appear on the screen.	Type: extreme long shot               Angle: eye line framing	Diagetic: none              Non-diagetic: quiet music
64	The screen fades to black and the rest of the credits are shown.
65	Camera hovers over the body of Sophie and once it reaches the face Sophie’s eyes pop to life and her jaw opens. She has become the next vampire. Then the screen cuts to black as Sophie lets out a sinister hissing sound.	Type: big mid shot                 Angle: bird’s eye view	Diagetic: none  Non-diagetic: sinister background music is playing
66	The words to be continued are shown in the same font as the title, just a little smaller.

Storyboard

Production Schedule

    Production Company - Red Mist Productions    

    Date - 13/10/11

    Director - Floyd Konde 

    Crew: Shazia Hawa

    Mizgin Sarica

    Floyd Kondé

    Sakib Mozumder

 

Pre-production	Details of Activities	Date
Pitch	A brief outline on how the film will look and sound.	15/09/11
Proposal	Detailed description of the narrative, the target audience and the purpose.	16/09/11
Treatment	Detailed description of the narrative structure, mise-en-scene and the use of camera.	16/09/11
Audience profile	A detailed description of male and female audiences relating to our genre.	15/09/11
Resources for mise-en-scene	Detailed description concerning costumes, props, lighting, hair, make-up and locations.	15/09/11
Textual analysis	Analysis of individual films.	29/09/11
Screenplay	A detailed description of characters’ quotes, behaviour and screen activity.	30/09/11
Shot list	Detailed list of shot types, angles, description of sound and action within a shot.	29/09/11
Recce report	Detailed explanation concerning visual presentations of chosen filming locations.	06/10/11
Risk assessment	Detailed description of possible risks during filming.	04/11/11
Storyboard	Visual presentation of each shot in the film.	06/10/11
Titles and credits	Names of production body and personnel responsible for each production task.	07/10/11

 

Production	Details of Activities	Date
Filming	Introduction to the disruption.	16/10/11
Editing	Shots.	17/10/11
Filming	The entire disruption.	18/10/11
Editing	Shots.	19/10/11
Editing	Shots.	20/10/11
Editing	Shots.	21/10/11
Filming	The new equilibrium.	22/10/11
Filming	Any re-filming to be done.	23/10/11

 

Post-production	Details of activities	Date
Log and transfer	Transferring digital film data from SD card into PC, ready for editing.	24/10/11
Rough cut	First cut of short film.	4/11/11
Audience response	Detailed audience feedback documents.	4/11/11
Soundtrack preparation	Collecting and adding soundtrack material to production during editing process.	21/11/11
Graphics preparation	Adding graphic texts, effects to production during editing process.	26/11/11
Second cut	Second cut of short film	25/11/11
Final cut	Final cut of short film, including soundtrack and titles.	09/12/11

Audience reaction - First rough cut

On the first deadline for the film, we showed our first rough cut to the class and recieved constructive feedback on what they felt so far. After looking through the audience reaction sheets we found that the audience identified three main issues (that kept recurring in the reaction sheets) and therefore needed to be rectified:

Suggest three improvements to make the film better

1.     ‘There are consistency issues involving the time of day.’

We rectified this obvious problem by reshooting the shots that were filmed in the dark to filming it in the day.

2.     ‘You need to use shot-reverse-shot sequences for dialogue segments.’

In the first scene we were failed to shoot both perspectives of over the shoulder shots and this is where the criticism came from. So, we corrected this problem by filming from both sides, showing all three character’s faces in the shot.

3.     ‘The sound levels need to be consistent.’

During filming, we had issues with vehicles passing by as we were shooting dialogue segments and this hampered the level in which the audience could hear the character’s speaking. So we made sure there were no vehicles passing by as the dialogue was happening.

 

1.     The film contains a variety of shot sizes/ angles

2.     The camera is steady where appropriate

3.     Shots are well framed

4.     The mise-en-scene selected is appropriate

5.     Appropriate transitions have been used

6.     Sound levels are consistent and audible in the film

7. Titles have been used appropriately

8. The film makes sense

 

9.     The film belongs to which genre?

10.    What would you rate the film so far?

Risk Assessment

Hazard	Who might be harmed and how	Precautions taken to prevent this	How effective were these precautions
Wooden stake prop	Sharp edges might pierce actors during the filming of the fight sequence.	The stabbing scenes were implied through shots instead of being acted out.	No one was cut or bruised by the wooden stake prop during the filming process.
Rain & slippery surfaces	Actors could slip during the filming of the chase sequence.	We ceased filming and went indoors when it rained.	No one slipped, tripped or got wet during the filming process.
Camera equipment	The equipment might be damaged by the rain, or someone might trip over or get hurt with the tripod by accident.	The tripod was left to the side whilst not in use and we kept an umbrella over the camera whenever it drizzled.	The camera equipment we loaned remained undamaged and was returned in the same condition it was lent out in.
Spiky objects on the road	They may pierce into an actor’s feet or trip them over. The actors could themselves on these objects.	We did a risk assessment of every location before we filmed, removing any sharp or unwanted objects out of the way by hand.	No injury was caused throughout the filming process by any object we found at the location. We returned everything to its rightful place once we were done.
Contact lenses	These may have irritated the eyes of the actors. They could also have slipped out of the actor’s eyes during filming.	We were careful whilst wearing the contact lenses and only gave them to the actors with experience wearing them.	During the whole filming process we received no irritation in any of the actors’ eyes a first aid kit was present just in case.
Vampire teeth	The actors may feel discomfort whilst wearing them and the plastic might cut their gums.	We made sure the actors had simple or no lines while the teeth were in.	No one experienced any mild discomfort whilst working with the fang props.
Fight sequence	The actors may accidently hurt each other during the filming of the scene.	We choreographed throws into the action instead of hand to hand combat as this would minimize the potential risk.	One actor hurt their back but there was no bruising present. Besides that there were no injuries.

Recce Report

Audience reaction - Final Cut

For our final cut of the film, we generally received positive feedback from audience on various levels. They agreed that the narrative made sense and that the editing was made appropriate in correspondence to the action. However of course, there were still some issues which the audience raised.

When asked how we could improve our production, the audience raised the following suggestions;

“The lighting could be better.”

This was an issue we found difficult to deal with throughout this entire production process, because we followed the vampire convention of filming at night. During filming, we tried our best to film the action under street lights, which would act as our lighting, but even that wasn’t enough when we looked back on the action during the post-production – editing process. So, to deal with this issue we enhanced the screen brightness in the colour correction function of Final Cut Pro. This was successful.

“Add music and sound effects to the action to generate a much more convincing atmosphere.”

This was an obvious improvement to be made but because we ran out of time at the time of showing everyone our production, it wasn’t possible. The extension allowed us to finally add some sound effects and soundtrack to our film. This made a massive difference to our production.

“Reduce the length of the chase sequence.”

The chase sequence was an exciting and thrilling part of the film for the audience but it did drag on and become repetitive, so looked at the shots that could be sacrificed from the final cut and did what we had to do.

“Add close up shots to the characters during the first shot-reverse-shot sequence.”

The conversation sequence at the start of the film only had two types of shots, and this was a negative aspect about that shot-reverse-shot. The audience thought it would be more effective to add in some close ups of each character at some point during the conversation, especially when characters said things of high significance in relation to the coming events. We tried re-filming and adding new shots but when we tried importing these to Final Cut Pro, the SD card turned was corrupt and so we couldn’t make the improvements allocated and therefore were forced to keep on with what we had.

Audience Profile


Male

Vishal Palmar is a 15 – 18 year old Asian male student studying; Media Studies, Maths and Sociology, and lives in the Leyton area of the Waltham Forest borough with his family. He only enjoys watching comedy, adventure, horror and thriller films with his friends twice a month. His taste in music is mainly Hip-Hop and R&B, but he also likes to listen to little bit of Rock. He usually watches TV series – sitcoms and TV Dramas – and goes out to play cricket with friends in his spare, on the weekends.

Age range;

15 – 18 years old

Occupation/socio-economic grade;

Student, from a working class social background

Gender;

Male

Ethnicity;

British Asian

Genre of films enjoyed;

·        Adventure

·        Comedy

·        Sci-Fi

·        Drama
·        Action

How regularly do they watch films and how they consume them?

They’d usually watch films at least twice a month, mainly by going to the cinema (of course) and also through portable devices as well such as;

·        iPods

·        Internet

·        iPhones

Types of music they may like and method of consumption;

·        Rock

·        Hip-Hop

·        R&B
·        Dubstep

They’d consume music through;

·        MP3 players

·        iPods

·        Mobile phones (e.g. iPhones)

Favourite TV shows;

·        The Vampire Diaries

·        True Blood

·        Buffy the Vampire Slayer

·        Being Human

Where they might go shopping for clothes;

·        Sports Direct

·        Blue Inc

·        Top Man

·        JD Sports

·        Footasylum

·        Burtons

·        Nike Town

What they like doing in their spare time;

·        Cricket

·        Football

·        Online socializing (e.g. Facebook, Twitter etc.)

·        Watching TV

·        Playing video games

·        Listening to music


Female

Danielle Lawrence is another 15 – 18 year old female student, who is current employed at McDonalds. She is of British nationality who also lives in the Leyton area. She studies English, Sociology and Politics. She mainly enjoys watching comedies, romances and horrors, and goes to the cinema once a month with her friends. She listens to Rock, Hip-Hop, R&B, House music and she usually watches TV series and soap operas. In her spare time, she likes to go out partying and clubbing on the weekends.

Age range;

15 – 18 years old

Occupation/socio-economic grade;

Student, from a working class social background

Gender;

Female

Ethnicity;

British Caribbean

Genre of films enjoyed;

·        Adventure

·        Comedy

·        Romance

·        Drama

·        Horror

How regularly do they watch films and how they consume them?

They’d usually watch films at least once a month, mainly by going to the cinema (of course) and also through portable devices as well such as;

·        iPods

·        Internet

·        iPhones

Types of music they may like and method of consumption;

·        Rock

·        Hip-Hop

·        R&B

·        House

·        Pop

·        Indie

They’d consume music through;

·        MP3 players

·        iPods

·        Mobile phones (e.g. iPhones)

Favourite TV shows;

·        Friends

·        Hollyoaks

·        True Blood

·        The Killing

·        Being Human

·        Scrubs

·        The Big Bang Theory

Where they might go shopping for clothes;

·        Forever 21

·        Primark

·        Blue Inc

·        Zara

·        Top Shop

What they like doing in their spare time;

·        Clubbing

·        Online socializing (e.g. Facebook, Twitter etc.)

·        Watching TV

·        Listening to music

Resources for Mise-en-scene

The Locations;

·   Walthamstow, Queens road Cemetery – We placed this location on the list because it was perfect in terms of its relation with our horror/thriller genre, in terms of it being a cemetery where supernatural happenings tend to occur. It was our original location choice.

     As you can see above the cemetery creates a perfect mood for the storyline of our film. We found that there were two problems with this choice; firstly, the cemetery was on a main road which will lead to traffic. Secondly, it is placed right opposite a school, even though we were fond of this location we would have to time our shooting depending on when there will not be many people on the street.

·      Leyton – This was our second location choice that we discussed and it was the one we agreed to shoot our film, but for the lighting issues we’d seem to have. Leyton has a well lighten narrow alleyway that would be where the disruption would have taken place, but the neighbourhood wasn’t very ideal for us in the end.

·     Ilford – We chose this location because there was an alleyway and empty street nearby this made it easier for our team to make our way to the set. However, there was one problem which should have been seen to before we started shooting. Whilst shooting we noticed that the street we had chosen to film some of the scenes in was very busy. This problem caused the production to become quite time consuming. So we had to wait until very late to start filming.

Props;

•     One prop that we will have to bring with us is the broom which is used to kill the vampire.

•      A mobile phone, this is used to distract the vampire in the film.

•      Fake vampire teeth, for both Kyle and Spike.

Hair and make-up;

•       Ketchup will be used to represent the fake blood.

•    The costume would be casual jeans, hooded jumpers and trainers. Spike    would wear an all black attire.

Lighting;

    We have chosen to use street lights, this will be good as it allows the audience to acknowledge that the movie is set at night. For backup we will also be using torches in case we are in the need of more light.