Shoot Day

8:50 AM

Our group met in our usual classroom to get everything we needed that was not in the Studio already. We gathered the boots that Katie had brought and I suggested to print out two copies of both the script and the storyboard in case we needed them.

9:20 AM

We got into the studio with everything arranged. We saw the final set and greeted some of our actors who had already arrived. Louisa had to take a look at the script so I provided her with one of the copies. We decided where our hand made props, passports and tickets were going to be located in the room and Katie made the bed —an important detail—. 

While Myles went to the French classrooms to look for Andrey, the only actor who was missing from the cast, I proceeded to  refresh Luke's memory and explain him the choreography and the correlation between the character's speech and their action. I moved around the set and demonstrated him in detail how everything was thought to be carried out.

9:40 AM

Our main actors, Callum and Louisa, started warming up and practicing their lines in a relaxed way while our group set the camera and started deciding what we wanted to include in the frame and what we didn't. Everyone got into their costumes and took positions. Ellis was in charge of the sound, while Emma was holding a white light just behind the bed, on the right hand side of the camera, so that Louisa could be seen better while she was hiding under. Myles went behind the set and so did Andrey and Said, waiting for our instructions on timing. Paul turned out the Studio lights and we finally got to see the actual lightning of the sequence, It was dim but not too dark, with pink and yellow lights coming out from the windows.  The whole scene looked far more compelling.

9:55

We started running over the scene to get into grips with it, without filming yet. Callum and Louisa seemed to work well together, which was such a relief. At first, they sticked too much to the script, but we told them to get off it and be more natural. By that time, Luke had assigned me the post of director and I was more than happy to accept it after all the previous work I had done to make the shoot day possible. I told the actors what they could improve and controlled the timing, as well as their way of moving and behaviour.

We encountered some problems with the Russians because they rushed into the room when it was their turn to appear and they had to wait twice as much as they did, but Myles and I eventually sorted it out. Some corrections had to be made regarding the use of espace and position of props.

10:45 AM

After running the scene for about ten times, we had to give the actors and ourselves a good rest of twenty minutes to unwind and come back to the Studio with renewed energy.

11:05 AM

We did one last general rehearsal and then started recording. We still had to solve the problem of Callum's death and the fake blood effect. However, Luke called Henry to make sure we could do that afterwards during the editing process, and he said there wouldn't be any problems at all with a pack that he had downloaded. To add some realism to go with the effect, we got hold of some fake blood and placed it in a bowl next to Louisa's under the bed position. She had to take some with her right hand and put some drops in her face so that when Callum collapsed, she reacted by turning and we could see that he had splashed her in the mean time. 

This idea made the process longer because, each time there was a conflict —the cables of the Studio could be seen behind the door, Callum fell in an artificial way and didn't seem dead, one of the actors forgot their lines...), Louisa had to clean her hands and face from a substance that was quite difficult to remove.

The screenplay, by that point, had become merely an inspiration and that made the sequence much better. We added details like the extremists in the end checking the passports around the room and discovering that there were two instead of one, which made them aware of the fact that there was probably someone under the bed.

In the end, we came up with some beautiful takes and the last one is bound to work perfectly with some colour grading and sound effects.

12:45 AM

By this time, we were done filming. We told Callum and Louisa that we didn't require them any longer and thanked them for being so collaborative and quick at obeying instructions and suggesting better ways of doing certain things. There was a break for lunch that everyone deserved. 

2:30 PM

There was a meeting in the Studio again, this time only with the Russians, because we wanted to get extra sounds on the spot to include them in the background in the parts of the sequence when the couple is still hiding without knowing what's going to happen and also to add some pleonastic sounds from time to time.

3:00 PM

We went up to Hurtwood to get some ambiance noise from the corridors, the toilets and furniture moving. It was difficult because, almost everywhere, there was someone having a conversation in their room or music playing. Luke joined us from time to time and helped us use the microphone to capture the sounds better and shut the ones that were ruining the filming as much as possible. We didn't get all the effects that we intended to, but Luke told us to wait until we had everything cut and edited to see if we were actually missing anything that couldn't be arranged with a program.

3:30 PM

Everything was finally done. We cleared up our costumes and props from the Studio and asked Paul if he needed any additional help. I felt and still feel utterly satisfied with how the thriller sequence looks like at the moment thanks to our effort and creativity. I would like to thank Luke especially because of all his professional support.

Storyboard

After so much time and effort, I have finished our storyboard. It was tricky to do it because most of our sequence is going to be filmed continuously, so there weren't any real changes in angle or major movements. However, I think that I did a clear account of everything that we want to show and how we want to show it overall. I have tried to include many details of the set design, as well as the most relevant actors' changes of position. The storyboard also made me reflect on issues like lighting; Luke maintains that we should have a window somewhere in the set to give more clues to the audience about where is the action taking place. The glowy reflection of the snow in the parquet flooring would certainly be effective.

I am certainly satisfied with the work I have done, especially because I haven't had any actual help and it was my first complete storyboard to plan and illustrate. See it for yourselves! 

Elena, Ellis, Myles and Emma Storyboard from Katie Emily

Preliminary Task (Shooting)

This week, we have been given a scene with a simple storyboard which made it possible for us to be quite original due to the various options to shoot it. Nevertheless, it required at least five different shots to make it effective and realistic: 

• A wide short first. It is always safer to do this in the beginning because if an unexpected issue makes the rest of the filming difficult, at least we can tell the story. (1)
• An over-the-shoulder shot from one of the characters' back and vice versa. (2,3)
• A close-up of one of the characters' face and vice versa. (4,5)

I was in a group with Celine, Emma and Adri and we were assigned the studio as the venue where we would record the scene. We were extremely lucky because we already had a set prepared as a consequence! Adri and I soon got in charge of the technical aspects of the sequence, assembling the tripod and camera as we had been taught some days ago: meanwhile, Celine and Emma went on learning the script, though in the end they decided to be spontaneous and read the actual pages in front of the camera... Not that I didn't object, but one gets tired of fighting with a group of people who are not willing to work. So yes, the acting could have been taken much more seriously so it wouldn't involve as much work as it is going to require in the editing process. We are definitely going to see the storyboard through the screen, and the actresses laughing a couple of time though, no matter how much we crop the frames. 

On the other hand, I am very satisfied with the job that Adri and I did. We performed our task with the utmost efficiency, recalling all the pieces of advice that Matt and Paul had given us about the use of the cameras. We carefully planned the order in which we were going to get the different shots and, each time we changed position, we focused the camera as we had been taught previously. Moreover, we extended or lowered the tripod depending on which person or object we were going to film to make it look smoother, and we used the appropriate terminology to get everyone prepared for a new shot. 

We did all the shots that were compulsory for the actual completion of the task in 10-15 minutes, and then we decided to explore a bit further during the time we had left —half of it—. We did close shots of the door, a piece of furniture which appears both in the beginning and in the ending of the short sequence so it conveys a feeling of familiarity but also of the superficiality of the action that takes place inside the room. We also carried out the scene from the floor, recording the pieces of script being torn by Celine and stepped on as well —more drama—. 

At all times, we respected the 180 degree rule, which establishes an imaginary line between the characters in a dialogue that we shouln't cross, and we tried to encourage our actresses to match their actions each time we recorded the whole scene again from a different angle. Honestly, I don't know what we will encounter when we have to edit this, but I hope that we can achieve continuity throughout the whole video as well as getting a funny result, at least.

My biggest regret is not having played a bit with the lines and transformed the basic story into a gripping one with some effort and creativity. I heard that many other groups came up with brilliant ideas for their tasks even though we all have the same storyboard. Themes as varied as pregnancy came along the way, in fact, thanks to the versatile lines that we were given. I have learnt, anyway, that I need to be more firm next time we film and implement energy and work ethic among my peers. 

Another important lesson that I took out from this practice was that, in any media text, people in front and behind the camera have to work with coordination and cooperation in order to get a good result, while before shooting the Preliminary Task I thought that actors and the rest of the crew, other than the director and producer, would barely talk during the process of making a film. Communication is key!

First Studio Lesson

It was such a relief to hear that we were finally going to the studio and we would have our first experience with the Black Magic Mini URSA cameras which are available in Hurtwood House. At first, we gathered around the central espace of the room and Matt showed us how to bubble the tripod and place the camera on top, as well as fit in the lense. I found it very useful to learn about the procedure of assembling the camera and the tripod because in previous works I had done, I had difficulty doing so due to my lack of guidance. 

Once explained, it surprised me how basic the operation was: we just had to press a button and slide the camera through a group of small rails. We also turned a wheel around so that it stayed in that position without moving. This meant that there was no further risk of dropping the camera unless we tripped with the tripod. Furthermore, we made some arrangements with the handles that made the tripod pan and tilt to reduce the danger of damaging the camera. 

Afterwards, we were shown that we had to place a yellow bubble in one of the sides of the camera in the middle of the frame so that the image was recorded correctly. Then, we got the hang of focusing the camera. First, we had to zoom in the maximum possible and turn on the wheel until we saw the image as clear as it could be, and then zoom out and the job was done. If what you are filming is a person, it is important to know that the best reference is their eye. 

The exposure was the next concept we were taught about. It is what controls the amount of light that influences the frame, and the blue wheel through which you manage the different lumonosity is not very cleverly placed; it is right next to the button that makes the lenses come off the camera, which makes the situation really risky. The ISO, another of the three pilars of photography, is basically how sensible is the camera to the light. The default setting is 400, something which is not bound to be changed because it is the best measurement for the Black Magic camera and, simply, there is no need to do it. We also looked at the Shutter Angle, which should be kept at 180 degrees to achieve a normal effect when an action takes place. However, if you want it to be sharper (i.e. a recording of an Olympic performance) you need to lower it down. Finally, the White Balance establishes the colours of what we are filming. In an indoor location, it should revolve around 3000-3200, while outside, the ideal setting would be from 5600 to 6600 depending in the place and time; WB is measured in K (Absolute 0).

To conclude the lesson, Matt made us participate in a group challenge: we needed to detatch the camera from the tripod, remove the battery, and put everything in their specific boxes before the others did it, as well as arranging all the material again and making sure the camera was focused and with the right settings from the ones I just explained. Unfortunately, my group didn't win! Anyway, I learnt no much from the lesson thanks to the attentive guidance we were given by Matt and Paul. Now I can say, without doubt, that I am able to use Black Magic technology effectively.

Tipping Point (review)

During Friday's class, we have been working in groups to make comments on a thriller which is called Tipping Point. It takes place in a basement with low key lightning, which makes us feel that something suspicious is taking place there. Within the first seconds, we are shown a scene where a young man is leaning with blood on his face. The gesture he makes shows fear; he is terrified and this obviously makes us want to understand why he feels this way and what is going on. The scene is dark, which contributes to an uncomfortably morbid setting. We can see blood on the boy's face. It forshadows that the boy is hurting somone or is being hurt himself. Before the boy's face is shown, we have also seen a knife on the groud, which implies that violence will be involved.  

Afterwards, we are showed a man who seems quite relaxed; he is eating popcorn in a sofa. On the contrary, the boy who is facing the task of killing the girl looks devasted. The man in the sofa starts to force the boy to finish his job and, although at this point we are unsure about the plot yet, we can assume it is some sort of a sick game. 

Then, he crumbles and, with a fake paternal tone, the arrogant-looking man who is eating popcorn tries to cheer him up while he asks for a gun. Soon, the apprentice is dead and the camera lets us have a glimpse of the scientists writing things down in their notebooks. After that, it is the turn of a second boy. It is implied that the process is going to continue until all the young killers-to-be die or one of them actually murders the girl and there is a change. That is part of the tension the thriller builds: will the next boy manage to kill her?

 

As the scene evolves, we  start to perceive what the thriller is about: a Chinese experiment is being carried out. It consists of young men being casted to kill an actress who gets paid to pretend that she is a victim.

We know about the story thanks to the visual support and the clever angles through which we can see the characters: the actress, the prospective killer/s, the watcher who is checking the experiment while he ironically picks at some popcorn, and the Chinese scientists, viewing everything from a window fitted in one of the walls of the basement.

  

                            

Tension is all over the place since the first second, in fact. At first we feel pity for the girl thanks to her dramatic gestures of fear and desperation. Then we jump in our sits while the watcher kills the apprentice in cold blood. Finally, we wonder what will happen. The reigning obscurity and the close shots of the faces of the characters add up to the feeling of insecurity and strain that we are already experiencing. The sound effects (gun shots, steps) or even the lack of them (the initial roaring silence) enhance the scene. The lighting, as well as keeping the scene dark as we already mentioned, give a sence of industrialised space and some blue and red lights are intelligently used to make the actors glow and see their gestures with more precision.

The acting really stands out in this opening scene. It is what makes us feel sympathy or disgust towards the different characters, as well as the script, of course. It seems so easy to worry about the girl and then blame her for being just an actress and making suffer the apprentices who believe that the are being asked to kill a real victim. It is also effortless to be implicated with the young men and to detest utterly the watcher who assassinates without emotion.

In this thriller sequence, it could even be argued that the actors are the strongest part. However, we can still find all the elements of a sequence: it is clearly shown by a wide shot that the location is a basement. Moreover, the use of sound is effective: having a white noise at the start with no real sound makes the piece interesting as you wonder what is going to happen next and expect a climax. The scene, although it seems to present the stereotypical pretty damsel in distress,  is full of dark humour and fear, and nothing is what it looks like.

The idea of this deadly "X Factor" strikes me as a very original and effective one which keeps us on the edge of our seats. The thriller is left on a cliff hanger which can even manage to frustrate some of the most eager viewers. As the last character comes in, his aura of mystery certainly creates expectations. Will he be the protagonist? The tone and language suggest that the rest of the movie is going to involve a good amount of action, murders and betrayals. 

Having contemplated the aforementioned facts, we regard "Tipping Point" as a remarkable work which achieves what any opening sequence should do: engage the viewer and make them eager to continue watching.