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.

When I created the first draft of my storyboard, I came across this video explaining the different formats of letterboxes. I really like the idea of using a letterbox, because I can avoid scaling all my footage on Adobe Premiere Pro, which makes it difficult as it changes the size of the shot, and I can have full control of the videos position underneath. Additionally, I was given a pack of various formats of letterboxes from John, which I am going to use to overlay onto my footage, using Adobe After Effects.

While I was researching about the use of a letterbox. I came across this video explaining the different aspect rations in film-making. I learnt that aspect ratios are used as they can connote and denote numerous things. Though they contribute to the overall aesthetic value (often used to achieve a "cinematic look"), aspect ratio can be used as a subliminal tool in the storytelling of the film. For example, wider aspect ratios tend to appear more dramatic and . Conversely, narrower aspect ratios tend to feel more intimate, but this varies between the genre of the film.

In Reflection, I plan to shoot most of the scenes in a narrow aspect ratio as it will make the audience feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable. I will use 16:9 or 4:3 as this will contribute to the "closed-in" feeling, which in turn will make the audience feel anxious, and thus help convey what the genre of the film is - a psychological thriller. As the final scene ends with the camera panning up - revealing the female character as she would appear in the beginning of the film - I plan to shoot this in the widescreen cinema standard as it will immerse the audience into the environment of the film, and therefore make them want to continue watching the film.

This is the first draft of my storyboard, which explains what type of camera shot, angle and movement is used. This slideshow will also explain what will be happening in each shot:

CHANGES I HAVE MADE

After creating the first draft of my screenplay, I added a few more shots as it seemed too short. To help me visualise what my entire film opening would appear, I created an animatic for my final storyboard. An animatic is an animated storyboard and it enables the audience to get a glimpse of what the film would turn out. To create my animatic, I took a photo of each shot from my storyboard using CamScanner and used Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, rather than iMovie. This is because it is quicker and easier to create videos, and export the file. 

Previously, I made a twitter poll and got people to help me decide on a title for my film opening. However, after creating my final storyboard and animatic, I realised that Anonymous did not match the sequence. Therefore, I changed it to Reflection because in the story the female character "sees" herself in the wallpaper, and her actions reflect the shadow she sees.

CONCLUSION

Creating an animatic has allowed me to get an insight on the basic premise of my film opening, so that flaws in it may be highlighted and how certain aspects could be improved. As well as this, I made sure to include my production logo animation together with the photos from the storyboard, so it gives me a clearer idea on what my film opening would look, and also enables me to see if it exceeds two minutes or not. I think that creating an animatic is extremely useful because it allowed me to rearrange and organise the shots from my storyboard without having to re-draw them again. Another advantage of creating an animatic is that it is quick, effective and a cheaper alternative to tell a story without having to spend excessive time (and money) creating a film and have the outcome of it to be unsatisfactory.