Response to Rough Cut Feedback

some of the feedback was useful, and we can understand why people may say the things they did. for example a number of people commented on the 'swing scene' and how it was difficult to understand what was going on. this is probably true but it was incredibly hard to film it as no one was on the camera, both people were in the scene and the tripod was unattended.

however some of the feedback we received we did think was unfair. for example that the titles were amateur compared to footage and the fade outs didn't work. we thought this was unfair because both of these aspects, our grop believed added to the effect. we suppose it is just a matter of opinion.

i think the most important thing now to focus on is to make it more understandable to others.

Filming Schedule

We are going to be filming during half term. We have decided to film -

- On friday 15th & Sat 16th feb
- We are choosing to film in the early evening (dusk) to get a better effect for our thriller


We hope to get all our footage in the 2 days we have planned or filming

Type (based on)

- It isn't very narrative driven because it is slightly more abstract, but not so abstract that you get completely lost.
- We wanted it to be more creepy than gorey (or it would be too horror-ish) which is why we are shooting in a dusky forest.
- It is slightly action based because we include running, strangling and drowning.
- There are only two characters - means people think more about what is happening. [Suspense...again]

Opening Sequence Synopsis

A girl running through a park & wooded area, but is she trying to escape someone or is she trying to catch someone? Various flashbacks are shown throughout... is she the victim... or the killer?



What Happens [Detials]:

It begins by setting the scene and creating suspense because you don't know what is happening at the very start. All you see is a shot of the night sky. It then pans down to a shot of the ground, which is moving under the running feet of the main character. You realise the character is running faster and faster but you don't know why she is running. To add to the suspense there are flashing images which are flashbacks of the girl, but you don't know what they are referring to. She then runs into a wooded area and the suspense is built evenmore, Hopefully with the help of music [added later]. All the different locations shows that she's running for a purpose. The fact that we are having her run through a river shows she is desperate to get away or catch whoever or whatever. The shocked eye at the end shows TERROR & DREAD! The final 'Gasp' leaves you wondering....

Props & Costumes

Costumes:
We want to create the element of suspence and so we are keeping our costumes as casual as possible. We don't want to give away too much of her character by her costume.

For the chasing character we are using dark clothes. Only dark gloves are to be seen during the sequence.

Props:
The area in which we film contains most of the props we need (eg. trees, swings, river)
The extra props which we need to bring are:
- Black bag/hood
- Black Gloves

Shot List

Shot 1 : Shot of night sky (1st person) Fade - 1st set of credits

Shot 2: Credit Shot (1)

Shot 3: Shot of ground (1st person) Fade credit

Shot 4: Credit Shot (2)

Shot 5: [Low-mid] shot of someone running. Dirty/blood stained

Shot 6: [Close-Up] Girls face, looks back, keeps running.

Shot 7: [Close-Up] Swings, girl brushes past they creak & slowly swing

Shot 8: [Flashback] Night. Someone being strangled by swing chains.

Shot 9: Credit Shot (3)

Shot 10: [Long-Shot] girl running through orchard, towards woods.

Shot 11: [Close-Up] Girls feet running across river.

Shot 12: [Flashback] Someone holding someone under water, in a black hood

Shot 13: [Long-Shot] Girl runs past camera

Shot 14: [Mid-Shot] Girl rests on tree

Shot 15: TITLESHOT - 'Dread'

Shot 16: [Extreme Close-Up] Shocked eye expression, Gasp, Blackout

Our Idea, Changed

After thinking carefully about our original idea we decided that running through a forest was slightly to horror-ish and may be quite a common theme. to try and establish the thriller feel we have instead decided to set it in a park/woods, an area which is more recognisable, and better at setting the scene. rather than the forest from the first idea, which could be anywhere and too spooky.

'Face-off' opening scene

we chose the opening of face-off to look at. this is a good opening title sequence because the characters and action are really typical for a thriller film.
you can instantly tell who is the 'goody' and who is the 'baddy'. John Travolta is first seen on a fair ground ride with a young child. whereas Nickolas Cage is first seen as a silhouette, wearing completely black, with dark glasses on.
the best shot i think is when when the audience look right down the barrel of Cage's gun. this puts the audience on edge as it is not a view you usually see in real life. another point this is a good opening is how the scene is set in a fair ground which is usually a place where you feel safe and not the kind of place you get this kind of action. but there is a lot of violence in it which again unnerves the audience.
when the credits start it is on a black background with calming music. however when the scene opens and becomes violent, the music is still slow and calm, which is spooky. at the end of the scene after the murder the horse becomes creepy, a different colour and the music speeds up, this is kind of psychological