Class Feedback Reflection

This is the feedback we got for our first opening sequence draft.

From this feedback, our group understood that our opening sequence was confusing to watch at certain points. There were two comments which stated that the bedroom shot was too long which could be fixed by shortening the scene and creating jump cuts. The title sequence was received negatively as they were said to be too long and not suited to our genre. This could be fixed by shortening every individual title, and using a different font conveying a more horror feel. The titles could also be spread out as the scenes play instead of having all the titles before the scenes start. Two comments stated that they did not understand the argument scene; we may have to remove the scene. Our use of make up was received with two positive comments. Our light bulb shot with sound bridge was received very well. Our soundtrack to the opening scene was said to be good.    

In the future we should aim to have a better layout of our opening sequence and make sure that the scenes are understandable. This will ensure that our audience understands the story and will therefore feel more immersed  

Mise-en-scene - Makeup - Main Character's Injury

This Emaze presentation shows the steps I took and the difficulties I faced to create the main character's injury in our horror genre opening sequence.

Mise-en-scene - Makeup - Experimenting

For shots 17 and 24, the main character's arm cut must be seen. I experimented with acrylic paint in order to create a realistic cut which our group could possible use in the opening sequence.

My first try (closest to wrist) was not as expected because I used too much black paint at the start which did not allow the red paint to be bright enough and unrealistic to be blood. Although I tried to fix this by compensating with lighter colours, the shadowy black paint would not disappear. I was not pleased with this first try because I rushed through too quickly and was not detailed enough.  

On my second try (below first) I firstly outlined the shape of the scar in black leaving some small spaces near the middle to make the cut look fresh. The brightness of the red came out much better this second time because I added layer by layer, firstly creating a light base of red, then adding more red in some places and making it darker in others. I painted the darker red in the very corners of the cut, creating depth. Lastly, I added some very small splashes of red on the empty spaces on the black outline, to give the impression that blood was leaking out onto the rest of the skin.
I am quite happy with the result of the second try, but I believe it still could be much more realistic with more practice and using other products. 

Equipment bookings

After creating our group's shooting schedule, we sent an e-mail to book the needed equipment. This help ensure that we would have all the equipment needed on the dates we want. Sending one e-mail with all of our dates also ensured that we do not forget to book equipment later on.

Shooting schedule

Location shot

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This location will be used in shot number 23 and shot number 24. This location is appropriate because the shots show the main character waking up. Therefore, a bed is needed to convey the idea of waking up after a nightmare. It also shows that it is during night time, instead of the character waking up in a unusual place which could make the audience assume that they were napping.

 

This location  will be used in shot number 3 and shot number 4. I think this location is very good for these scenes because the amount of space gives a feeling of emptiness and the fluorescent lights give off a cold atmosphere. Filming the location from this angle also makes it very symmetrical and therefore attracts the eye more. This angle also creates depth to the location since it is a corridor.   

"Dark Nightmare" Animatic Improvements

Casting

Storyboard

These three pages are our storyboard. Our storyboard includes all of our scenes, types of sound, type of camera shot/camera movement. This storyboard is useful as it is our group's plan which we follow to make our opening sequence. It also allows us to present ideas more clearly and spot mistakes more easily.


 

Costume list

Production Ident "Black Crow Productions"

We decided to create a new production ident for our film, as we felt that our first one was unprofessional due to a wide mix of different images. It did not suit our opening sequence as it was too complex. Our new production ident is much simpler and creates a more professional start to our opening sequence.    

Props list

This table shows what props will be used, on which shots they will be used, and where we will acquire them.

Opening sequence possible sound effects

 

Order of titles and names

The following titles will be in the following order:

LIONSGATE PRESENTS
A BLACK CROW PRODUCTION FILM
GABIE RAJENDRAM
MORGAN KELLMAN
SHANNON AMARASEKARA
DARK NIGHTMARE
CASTING BY JOHN SNOW
MUSIC BY WALTER WALLS
COSTUME BY ABIGAIL CRUTZ
EDITED BY GENE CALMER
WRITTEN BY FRANK JOHNSON
PRODUCED BY ECHO

Our opening sequence will have the order of titles. This is a consistent order as the editor, producers,  actors, and title are all included in the title sequence. It is important for the title to be at the end of the opening sequence because it communicates to the audience that this is the end of the opening sequence, and therefore the audience will be introduced to the film more evidently. 

Planning the animatic

Our group included all our ideas onto a piece of paper, which is the one below. This helped our group be more organised and arrange our thoughts more clearly. It also allowed us to remember all our ideas. From this point, we made some changes but mainly stuck to the our points. 

Target Audience

 

 

Production Ident

Our group has to create production ident which reflects our genre. These are sketches to illustrate the idea of the production ident "Black Crow". A crow was chosen because they often symbolise death, a bad omen, and dark magic. This helps us communicate to the audience that the film will be a horror genre before the film begins.

Idea feedback

Our group presented the initial idea of the film to other people, and these are some of the feedback for our group to reflect on.

The audience feedback allowed our group to see many plot holes in our idea, and made us realise that we had not thought through the plot enough.  Our idea did not convey the genre enough, therefore the audience saw it as more of a thriller or supernatural. The main character sounds more masculine and needs more personality traits to engage the audience. Overall the character's name was liked but the audience suggested more horror scenes such as ghost possessions or hauntings to make the  film more exciting.

25 Word Pitch

"A young woman finds herself in a situation she cannot escape from. She tried to run away from her predictions however there is no escape".

100 Word Sysnopsis

This 100 word synopsis will help to have a clearer idea of the plot and helps to organise the work.

"A young woman called Fai has a terrible unforgettable nightmare. She wakes up to find it was nothing but little did she know that the nightmare was actually a prediction. Her prediction had a mixture of several disturbing cries and images. She tries to run away from this nightmare and tries to find solutions. She slowly starts to lose her friends as they start to disappear one by one. A body part from the each victim is delivered to the door and Fai finds her self opening the door to her best friend's finger."