For my Creative Critical Evaluation, I have used a website called Wix to display all four of my CCE answers. Using Wix has allowed me to experiment with simple html coding and I also learnt how to build a short website. Additionally, it has enabled me to creatively display my responses, without using Prezis or Slideshares, which I have used numerous times in the past.

I have sent out a Google Docs survey to make sure I knew how my film opening would be interpreted my different people. Each person's response will also aid me with my Critical Evaluation.

Previously, I had some issues with uploading my film opening on YouTube, because it made shortened the sides of the video. I did not like this because my opening sequence uses a letterbox, and the fact that the video got cropped on YouTube, made the clip appear smaller than it actually is.

Now that I have come to the end of post-production, I decided to create a questionnaire to send to some people on Facebook and get feedback for my opening sequence. I thought that this would be very useful as their responses will help me with my Critical Evaluation later on.

Gender representation is vital for setting up context in the story line. The representations  of men and women usually allow the audience to figure out who the protagonists and antagonists are.

Sound plays an important role in psychological thriller as it is used to heighten tension and suspense for the audience, because without it psychological thrillers would not have the same effect on its viewers. As well as this, music helps to exemplify specific fragments of the film and make a scene stand out from the others. Since my film opening is going to be psychological thriller, it is going to rely heavily on sound clips.

Before choosing sounds to go for my film opening, I did some research on common sounds used in psychological thrillers. Silence is commonly used as the contrast creates a more intense atmosphere for the audience and the feeling of suspense and the unknown.

Lots of diegetic sounds are used in psychological thrillers, but this is totally dependent on the narrative. Additionally, diegetic sounds are used to show tension and emotion, and this is essential when I make my opening sequence as it creates an eerie atmosphere. Furthermore, I plan to add non-diegetic sound to add to the mysterious and sinister atmosphere.

DIEGETIC	NON-DIEGETIC
• Sobbing • Screaming • Whispering • Banging • Footsteps •  Gunshots	• High-pitched violins • High-pitched string percussion • Low-pitched string percussion • Fast paced music • Slow piano • Drone

When approaching the sound for Reflection, some factors had to be considered. Would the soundtrack compliment my opening sequence, and would it convey any emotions? After looking through countless "scary sound effects" playlists on YouTube, I came across three soundtracks that I will be using for my film opening:





I decided to use these sound clips in my film opening, because the first time I listened to them it gave me goosebumps and I knew these were the perfect choice because it will create a very eerie and ominous atmosphere. Additionally, it was a learning process to know how to properly fit the sound effects; such as a pencil drop, or to clean up audio to making it match for the final cut of the video clip. Below is a (zoomed out) view of the audio timeline section of my second draft. This is to give an overview of how much sound has been used in this film opening:


Since my film opening is a psychological thriller, the small bits of sound are vital in creating the atmosphere and portraying what is going on. Whispering, pencils drops, pencil scratches - they all help add and intensify the atmosphere, further carried by the theme used. To record the diegetic sound, I borrowed a shotgun microphone from class and attached it onto my camera. I thought that by adding the sound of the pencil drop, turning pages and the book abruptly closing, it would add more depth into my opening sequence.

Initially, I wanted to add a voice-over of the female character, but I now think the soundtrack is much more effective and greatly contributes in sending a particular message across to the audience.

Actor: Sabrina, Ali B, Shahryar

Location/s: House (2373/3) - bedroom

The software that I will be using to edit is Adobe Premier Pro, as I am familiar with it since I have used it before. I do not have all the clips yet, but since I was unable to film today (because my actors had to go to Doha), I decided to edit the clips I have so far.

I thought that putting all the clips were quite easy because simple cuts are used between each shot (except for the one-shot clip, where I follow to the back of the female character's head). I also played around with the brightness and contrast of all the clips so that it would match the following shots. This is because I had to place the lamp at different points of the room to get similar lighting to all the shots - they were not the same throughout because they were filmed at different angles. Additionally, the lamp cord is quite short and so I had to make do with the three switch around the room that were all far apart.

Furthermore, I added applied a letterbox to all the clips by simply adding a letterbox overlay above the clips on the timeline. I think this is really effective because is allows me to re-size and re-position any clips that are underneath the letterbox. As well as this, I really like the use a letterbox because it gives my film opening a more cinematic feel, and also makes it looks more professional.


One my first post-production attempt, I managed to put together all the clips very quickly as I had my storyboard to help me know which order the clips go in. For the next time I film, I will need to find a way to stabilise the clip (shown above), because it is a one-take and it is very shaky. Additionally, I need to film the clips of Sabrina and her male counterpart so I can finish putting together all the clips, then add in the credits afterwards.

Here are some improvements and changes I have made:

• I have finally put up the "torn" and distressed wallpaper

 BEFORE

AFTER
© 2015 RICAANGELICAADARLO

I made sure to stick on some white strips of paper onto the "torn" parts of the wallpaper to give an illusion that not all of the paper has come off. Also, I will be scattering some torn white paper on the floor. The thinner tears from the wallpaper illustrates the "claw marks" of the female character.

• I have found a way to do a smooth pan for the shot that shows the wallpaper (as shown above)

Instead of keeping the camera locked-off, I panned to the right to show all of the torn wallpaper so it does not seem as if it is only in one section. This did not really require a dolly, but I simply placed my camera on a sheet of paper to act as a makeshift dolly to easily slide across the floor.

Actor: Sabrina

Location/s: House (2373/3) - bedroom

Yesterday, I started filming with my main actress, Sabrina, and we managed to get all of the shots done in this shooting session, except for the ones including the male counterpart.

Actor: -


Location/s: House (2373/3) - bedroom

Last week, I filmed the opening shots of my film that included only set and props. I managed to film most of the shots, except for the shot that whip pans to reveal a shadow next to the female character's bed.

Following my shooting schedule, I dedicated my first filming session to only the shots including the props and set. By doing this, it would give me time to set up the room and see if I needed to alter and any shots or add/remove props and set.

To show our knowledge and understanding of how editing can enhance the meaning of our film, we had to create a short video using 5 different examples of cuts and transitions.

A recce is a pre-filming visit to a location to figure out it's suitability for shooting, including evaluation of any potential lighting or sound issues. Before I proceed with filming, I had to investigate and source possible locations for filming, compiling recce reports for the settings. 

As my film opening a psychological thriller, it is based around a sombre and realistic concept. This means that the people I have cast relates to the characters they will be playing.

To make the production process easier, I created a shooting schedule to help me plan which days I will be filming and when I will need my actors. Surprisingly, it was difficult to find days we could all get together and film, because most of the scenes in my opening will be filmed during night time.

To put it simply, a shot list helps in the planning and filming - it ensures that all the necessary shots are filmed to avoid missing out key scenes of the film. The video below shows us how to effectively organise and create our shot list:

To enhance our understanding about VFX, tracking and compositing, we were tasked to create the flare scene using the footage and tutorial provided. The video below teaches how to make the flare scene, for the project:

The storyboard I have drawn outlines the main plot of my opening sequence. However, when filming, I will consider alternate shots so when I arrive the post-production stage, I will have a variety of clips to choose from. While doing this, I have also considered possible locations - all the scenes will be filmed in a small room, with only a bed, desk and a table.

Breaking down a script is an essential process in film-making as it helps to determine and list out every single element needed to prepare and schedule the production of a film. After finalising our screenplays, our class had a task to highlight/colour-code our script. We watched this video to give us a better understanding on the process of a script breakdown:

To put our screenwriting into practice, we were given the first three pages of Emma Donoghue's novel called Room and our challenge was to create a short screenplay based on the extract we were given.

I think it is very difficult to envision a film without a script, as it is the base of what appears onscreen. So, as part of pre-production, I wrote a screenplay as it gives me a clearer picture of what I have to do when I start filming. I am also aware that some parts of the screenplay may be refined or removed, but this depends on how it goes down during the production.

For my final media product, I have drawn inspiration from the following opening titles of the psychological thriller genre. The two videos rely heavily on sound to build up the atmosphere and set the mood of the film.

For my opening sequence, I have decided to base it on a short story called The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. I have written out the plan of the original story, but I have altered the beginning and the ending of it. Writing out the story outline has given me a clearer idea on what important things I will need to include in my opening, without giving away too many details about the plot.

Continuing from my previous post, I have created a presentation using Google Slides and have analysed another film opening of the psychological thriller genre to aid me with my own opening sequence.

As I have settled for a psychological thriller, I have done some research on this specific genre. I have analysed different thriller film openings to give me a clearer idea on the various techniques, effects and styles they incorporate. This will be very helpful to draw inspiration from for my film opening, and from there I can gather what the connotations for this specific genre are. I have also chosen these particular film openings as they subtly reveal things about the protagonist/antagonist and this is what I aim to do for my media product.

I feel that choosing a genre is perhaps one of the most difficult parts in the coursework, because within the two minutes that I have, I will have to represent and engage the audience with my favoured genre. Below I have created a list of genre/sub-genres that I am thinking on working with, and have considered the pros and cons of each of them:

After reading our criteria, and doing research on various film openings, I have listed down some goals I'd like to achieve by the end of my coursework. These are the three main aims that will guide me with throughout my planning, filming, as well as the post-production processes:

Continuing from my previous post, this is what we did during our filming process.

FILMING

Before we started filming, Sublah and I spent a couple of minutes putting makeup on John G to make him appear like an old man. Sublah used face paint to create wrinkles and deep eye bags, and I put talcum powder on John's hair to make him look older. After preparing our character, we proceeded to film in the sixth form common room - the current location.

TASK

Write a short scene, using the following as an outline. Try not to rely too much on dialogue but aim to create narrative interest.

- Character 1 is already in a room

- Character 2 enters

- They have a very brief interaction in which Character 1 gives Character 2 an object

- Character 2 leaves.

For this project, we had to create an animated production logo for our upcoming film opening. Here were some of the tips we had to bear in mind  for making a good logo animation:

- Think about what the company stands for, and how to portray this in the animation
- Don't give to much away. Make the viewer want to see more, the reveal the logo piece-by-piece.
- Keep it under 10 seconds. The shorter, the better.
- Most intros end with a black background. It's not a rule, if you want to keep it consistent with the industry, it's a good idea.
- Spend time building a quality sound design. Bad sound can ruin any good visual.

For our project, we had to choose a sub-genre of horror and complete a case study on at least 4 films, focusing on conventions and essential technical elements. Furthermore, we had to research carefully on the production, distribution and marketing of each film. I decided to do my case study on psychological/thrillers, specifically on the films: Black Swan, Orphan, Se7en (Seven) and The Silence of the Lambs.