Filming the Hospital Scene

This was the scene I was definitely the most worried about filming because it was the most complex as it required full costumes, makeup and props. We filmed in a disabled toilet after school as it had white tiled walls and a hospital bed we could use. I went straight there after my final lesson to set up the camera; I adjusted the white balance so the colouring of the footage is natural and I set the ISO to 400 so the image was bright and clear. Then I attached the camera to the tripod and set it up very low down to get the angle I'd envisioned for the first shot.

Once this was all done I moved the camera out of the way and spun the hospital bed around in the room to give us as much space around it as possible. The white tiles on the walls started about halfway down the room and the other half of the walls were painted yellow. I had to make sure that the camera would only film the white parts to make the setting look as clinical as possible. As I'd imagined, space was tight so we had to squish everything to the back of the room to create enough space to film. This means we put all our bags and equipment behind the camera creating what looked like a tiny explosion but which left the side of the room we were filming in totally clear. It was a very bizarre setup!

Once the set looked as I wanted we started on Lucy's makeup.

We wanted her to look as though she'd been attacked to such an extent that she was having to have her heart restarted. Without any professional training or makeup I was quite nervous about doing this. I'd practised on myself at home so I knew I could create something that looked quite realistic but transferring that onto someone else was a challenge. Luckily, one of my friends playing a surgeon helped me with the makeup and between us we gave Lucy a black eye, a severe head injury, a bleeding nose, a split lip and a bruise in the shape of a hand around her neck. I was every happy with how this turned out! However when we set up to film I realised her arms and legs were unharmed, therefore we put a bruise and a cut on each one to make it more naturalistic. We also made her knuckles bloody as if she'd tried to protect herself.

Once this was done I handed out the white coats, mouth masks and rubber gloves to denote the professions of the extras. Then we put the defibrillator on top of a small dustbin which one of my extras stood in from of to mask. This meant it could be reached easily but didn't take up room on the operating table with Lucy.

I set the camera up and, as I'm muting the sound to either use diegetic sound, voiceover or music, I talked them through the situation, slowly building up the tension up until the use of the defibrillator. I played around with the position and angle of the camera in order to get the shot looking up at the table but not underneath it. This use of levels will make the audience feel small and helpless in this stressful situation. I really like the angle I eventually used, I think it makes it clear to the audience where the scene is taking place whilst maintaining that bright white look I'd imagined. I also like the fact that we can see the faces of the surgeons as the mouth masks look really effective on camera and will really help the audience denote the location of the situation.
We did this a few times to make sure I had enough footage to use then we moved onto the next stage.

This was looking at Lucy's feet and legs. The slow progression of the camera up the patient's body will help build tension up to the final shot where the identity of the character is revealed. All the shots above the body were much more difficult than the original one on the floor because I had to try and hold the camera steady. I did it with this shot by keeping the camera on the tripod and resting the legs of the tripod just below my chest to help steady the camera. I think this worked pretty well but there is a slight shudder as the defibrillator is used however, after reviewing the footage, I've decided I quite like this as it reflects the tensions and uncertainties in the situation and will link nicely into the handheld style of the flashbacks.

The next shot was of Lucy's torso. This was more difficult to film as I had to stand at the side of the table and try to lean over her body to get the shot however, I think I did manage to keep the camera relatively steady. These are exceptionally short shots as well so any movement of the camera won't be very noticeable because there is very little time for the audience to adjust to the rapid scene changes.

Finally we did the close up of Lucy's face. This was the most difficult one to do and the only way I could actually get the shot was to be up on the table with Lucy to enable me to hold the camera directly above her face. It was very difficult for her to do because she had to open her eyes and sit up towards the camera in very quick succession before her vision had really adjusted. This meant she found it difficult to judge how far to sit up without head butting the camera. We did a lot of practices and, in the end, I just filmed them all because it varied from time to time if she'd judge it right. I have a lot of takes but I'm very glad because there are a few which worked really well that I'm happy with. Just like the other shots, when she has the defibrillator used on her the camera shudders but, again, I actually like the effect this gives, as the franticness of the scene is exaggerated by the deteriorating camera stillness.

In this scene Lucy screams as she sits up towards the camera. She did this in the takes but, because I didn't have a microphone, I'm not sure how this turned out. Therefore, when I upload the footage to the computer I'll test the sound and, if it's not clear enough, I'll mute it and use a voiceover scream.

This is definitely the most complicated section of my film opening and it took us around two and a half hours to film. I am very pleased with how everything looked on camera because, no matter how much planning I did, I just couldn't truly imagine how it'd come together. I thought it was very effective and the location and the props all came together to make a hospital setting better than I could've hoped for in a school disabled bathroom. Therefore I am happy with my footage and am looking forward to the editing process.

Sourcing a Location for the Operating Theatre

After many location scouts I have finally found a place to film my operating theatre. I looked around several possible sets including the school art rooms with white pull down backgrounds and Ilkley Coronation Hospital however, the art rooms were not big enough and didn't have a hospital bed and the hospital wouldn't allow me to film on their premises. Therefore I continued to look and have found a room with white tiled walls and a hospital bed - it is actually in our school disabled bathroom.
 I had a lot of worries about filming in here, space is most definitely still a big one however, the lighting isn't bad and I can borrow lights from the art department to get the bright, white light I'd imagined. I'm going to have to use strategic camera angles to disguise the true location of the scene but, to an outsider, I think I can get the setup to look like a hospital.

Re-shootng Flashback Three

I decided not to re-shoot flashback three because on the only day I had to film it, it rained. Therefore we couldn't go up running on the moors as the ground was treacherously muddy and the shot would definitely have been even more jerky than before. This was not a priority and I was happy with the beginning of the original footage so this is what I'm going to use in my opening.

Re-shooting Flashback Two

After re-shooting the opening scene we came straight back to my house to re-film flashback two. I pulled the curtains on and got a collection of lamps from various rooms in the house to get more light into the shot whilst keeping it warm and naturalistic. I also increased my ISO to 400 to let more light into the lens. Then I adjusted my white balance to fully artificial light and got the pre-recorded news report set up on the living room TV.

Me and Lucy did a few practices with the tracking shot to get the speed and camera position right and then we started to film. I used manual focus again to have Lucy in focus at the start but then, when she walks out of shot, I do a push focus to make the image on the TV clear, indicating that this is important and what the audience should be focussed on.

We encountered the same problems as before, trying to time the walk with the video, but we managed to get the shot much faster the second time around because we had a better idea of how to tackle the problem and had more practice from the previous shoot.

Re-shooting the Opening Scene

Re-filming this was much more simple than the initial shoot and went very smoothly. I arrived early as my previous class had finished so I got to the location and immediately started adjusting the lighting. Unfortunately it was a very grey day so the natural light wasn't as good as I'd have hoped but I still did everything I could to let what there was in. I opened every blind in all the rooms and positioned my camera so Lucy and Alannah would be facing into the light. I also turned on the main lights to get in as much light as possible because in my previous shot there had been some noise on the wall behind them which I wanted to eradicate. I then had to adjust my white balance to incorporate both the natural and artificial light. I kept a low ISO (100) because I'd managed to let a lot of light into the set.

I then set the camera up on my tripod to get a steady, static shot.

When Lucy and Alannah arrived we went back over Alannah's lines which, luckily, she could remember from the previous week. I got them sat in the correct position, huddled in a corner connoting their vulnerability and how they'er trapped in the traumatising situation. I also kept in the blue door from the previous shot because I liked the sad, cold connotations of the colour. Once they were positioned in the shot correctly I plugged the microphone into the camera and wedged it between Alannah and Lucy's legs with it pointing at Alannah's face in order to pick up her voice. It was successfully hidden from view.

Then we did a few takes to make sure the final footage was right. I had some practices with the manual focus again to make sure the final shot was clear and I had to reintroduce my hand signals so Alannah's lines were delivered slow enough to have the effect I wanted. I also had to re-do a few shots because she kept moving her legs and I wanted everything to be very still in the shot, almost like the characters are in the eye of a storm, suspended in disbelief.
I also had Lucy put her head in her hand because this further connoted her despair at the loss of her parents.

Overall I am happy with how the re-shoot went and I felt more in control of the process the second time round as I had a better idea of how to achieve what I wanted with the shot more effectively.

Reviewing my Footage

After reviewing my footage I have decided to re-shoot the opening scene because the sound needs to be clearer. I am going to do this by using a microphone to pick up Alannah's voice which will improve the quality.

I am also going to redo flashback two because I am very concerned about the lighting so I am going to use more lamps and increase my ISO in oder to improve the image quality.

I am happy with flashback one, I am going to mute the clip and have soundtrack under it so the sound doesn't matter and I am happy with the white balance. Therefore I am going to leave this scene as it is.

I might re-shoot the running clip using a piece of equipment to minimise the movements of the camera. However, this is not a priority and I may leave the clip as it is because the opening section would work well as the final, frantic flashback.

Storyboard

Filming the News Report

This was actually the first scene of my opening which I filmed and it went very smoothly. I started by setting up the green screen in our media classroom where there is a lot of natural light. Then I got a tripod and set up the camera to make sure the picture was steady.

I checked the white balance to make sure the colour was right and ensured the shot was in focus. Then we asked someone to hold a microphone up to the bottom of the desk, just out of shot, to make sure the dialogue was clearly picked up. This made the report seem more realistic and ensured the content of the report can be heard in the film opening.

Then we did several takes to get the tone of the news report right.

After it was filmed we uploaded it to final cut where we added a news background to the green screen. Then we searched online to find a news soundtrack to play underneath the dialogue, downloaded it and inputted it into final cut.

I am really happy with the final product, it looks very realistic so will work well when it's filmed on Emma's TV.

Filming the Third Flashback

This scene was definitely more difficult to film than I had anticipated. Unfortunately it had rained torrentially the night before we filmed so when we arrived on location the ground was exceptionally muddy. This meant running without falling over became a bigger challenge than I had imagined.

I checked the white balance to ensure the colouring of the shot was correct and adjusted the focus so Lucy was clear in front of me. 

My first attempt of running and filming was not very successful. When I reviewed the footage I saw that, after the first few steps, the only thing I'd successfully managed to capture on camera was the sky. Therefore we had to film this scene over and over whilst I tried to concentrate on keeping the camera relatively steady but, most importantly, actually pointing at Lucy. 

As a result these shots have come out exceptionally jerky. This is what I wanted because I wanted to create a sense of extreme panic as if the camera is the murderer and she is running for her life. It is supposed to be very natural, a little like 'The Blair Witch Project', and the uncontrolled movement of the camera makes the audience feel more uncomfortable, like the situation is truly out of control.

However, I'm a little concerned that the shots are, in fact, too jerky so I'll have to wait to see the footage on a bigger screen before I can decide whether or not to reshoot.

If I was to use this shot I would only use the first couple of seconds, stopping before she reaches the tree. This is because the actual flashback only needs to be really short and this section of the footage is the most steady and where Lucy is the most in focus.

Filming the Second Flashback

This was the most difficult flashback to film and is the scene I am most concerned about. I wanted the light in this shot to be very dark and had Lucy wearing dark clothes to exaggerate the change in mood from the first flashback. We shot this in my living room which has long 'redish' curtains which could connote love but, partnered with the dimmer light, connote more danger and death. I also wanted to make sure to capture the pictures on the wall, the first one being immediately when she walks in and the second one in the background when she's watching the TV. This is because it helps achieve a higher level of verisimilitude as it gives the appearance of a personalised, lived-in home and the pictures also have a base colour of red helping to create an inescapable darker atmosphere connoting current love yet foreshadowing upcoming tragedy. This links to the news report which Emma is watching about another death near her home and darkens the mood of the opening, connoting a sinister storyline.

This, like my other flashbacks, is filmed handheld to make the flashbacks more personal. It also made it easier to film as the camera had to follow Lucy through a doorway and round to face a TV screen.

It was difficult to try and control the focus as well as following Lucy's movements and trying to keep the camera relatively steady. As well as this we had to try and coordinate the video of the news I had filmed earlier in the week with Lucy coming into the room at the correct time. This proved difficult as we needed to hear the newsreader's dialogue to give the audience an idea of the plot but it also needed to be playing before she entered the room to make the scene naturalistic. This, again, took a few attempts but, in the end, we got the shot I was after.

I am a little concerned about the lack of light in this scene and if it'll make the picture grainy. I have yet to see the image on a bigger screen but I'm hoping the light won't be too low to get a clear image.

I had to adjust the white balance using a blank piece of paper so the colouring of the image should be natural and not too orange or blue.

I wanted to watch the news over Emma's shoulder to put us in her position, again allowing the audience to sympathise more with her character. It took a while to get the positioning of the camera right from behind Lucy following her in to slightly to the right of her in order to see the image in the TV screen. However, I then wanted us to see her reaction and how scared she was for her and her family's safety, so I had her turn to walk out of the room, pausing a little in front of the camera to give us a side profile of her face. After she'd gone the camera remained resting on the TV screen to hear the rest of the news story. The news reader named the victim, humanising the murders and making the story more real and upsetting. I needed to then focus the camera on the TV so the audience could see the news reader clearly.
I will need to cut the end of the scene because the video ends very abruptly so the cut back to the hospital scene will have to be very swift. This is not a problem though because the transitions needed to be harsh to make the opening scene uncomfortable to watch.

Filming the First Flashback

This scene was very simple to film so it took very little time. I asked my mum to play Emma's mum in the opening so Lucy and I came home from the drama class where we'd shot the opening scene and filmed this flashback straight away. It was daytime so I pulled down the blinds and got a lamp from another room to give the appearance of afternoon/evening when people are generally home from work and school. I picked a lamp with a very warm, yellow light to make the room seem homely and comforting. This should contrast with the harsh, more cool toned lights of the hospital set.
I then had to readjust the white balance using a piece of white paper to ensure the colouring of the shot was right.

I decided that I wanted all the flashbacks to be handheld because it will make them feel more personal therefore connoting that they're from Emma's perspective. It also brings the audience into the scene, making them feel more a part of Emma's world. This will allow them to sympathise with her more and make her situation even more tragic. It also brings them into the story, engaging them in the opening scene and making them more inclined to watch the rest of the film.

 In this shot I positioned the camera from almost over Emma's shoulder but keeping her face well in view because I wanted her happiness to be clearly visible to the audience. This makes the death of her parents even more tragic as we see the how close the relationship was between her and her mum. To show this even more I moved the camera around from the side to the front of her body during one of the takes to show her face more clearly. In some I moved the camera around less. I am going to look at the different levels of movement in the editing process to see which one flows better in the opening.

I had Lucy wearing a white top in this scene to connote her innocence, happiness and comfort in her home environment, her safe haven. This greatly contrasts to her darker outfit and dark lighting in the next flashback as we see the threat of the murderer becoming ever more serious.

Filming my Opening Scene

This scene took a while to film just because of using a younger child however, I'm glad I persisted because I really like the final result. I started by auditioning a few children from the drama class who were old enough to remember the lines. I only got them to say two of the four lines to make the audition process more efficient. Then I watched the clips back and eventually decided on Alannah because of her acting, her ability to remember lines well and because she looked enough like Lucy to be able to play her sister.
Here are the audition tapes:

Once I'd cast Alannah I needed to get permission from her parents to use her on film so, as she's part of Articulate Casting Agency, I asked her agent to email her parents explaining the role and what she's be a part of. They replied saying she was ok to be filmed and used in my media project so the next week we shot the opening scene.

On the day the room I'd initially though of using was too dark and I actually didn't like how it looked on camera. Therefore I used another room in the school I'd had in the back of my mind and it looked so much better on camera. I decided to position Lucy and Alannah next to a blue door against a white wall to get the cool toned colours to connote sadness and loss. We then wrote out Alannah's lines on a piece of paper so she could remember them when we were filming. I asked Lucy to sit with her knees up cradling Alannah for support. This shows their closeness and Emma's desire to protect her sister, a key feature of her personality. The fact that Lucy had her knees up also allowed us to hide Alannah's lines in her lap so she could glance at them if she couldn't remember what to say next.
I wanted the scene to be drawn out and quite slow but initially Alannah was saying her lines very quickly even when I told her to slow down. To prevent this I sat behind the camera doing the manual focus and gave her a thumbs up every time I wanted her to say her line. This took a few attempts because my split concentration sometimes prevented me doing the focus as I'd liked and sometimes Alannah wasn't looking at me to see my signal. However, with a bit of practice we managed to get the shot as I wanted it.

I'd practised doing the manual focus at home before I took it to school to film. To make sure I got it right I first focussed the camera and put a mark on the front so I could see where to twist it to. Then I put it severely out of focus and slowly twisted the focus wheel until I reached the mark where the screen was in focus. I also looked at the screen where things in focus are highlighted in red so I could ensure their faces were in focus by the end of the shot.
I wanted this to happen very slowly as it builds tension and it's frustrating for the audience when they can't see what's going on. It also means they'll have to concentrate hard on the screen to try and figure out what's happening so the gunshot will be more of a shock as they're fully engaged in the action.

I was very happy with the final take, the focus worked well and Alannah's voice sounded very young and innocent which was exactly what I was after. I  am slightly concerned about the background noise because, although the room was totally silent, I still have a background layer of sound which I'm hoping I'll be able to reduce in the editing process.
I like the light and colours in the shot and I tested my white balance against a piece of white paper to ensure my colouring was right. Therefore the shot should look exactly how I'd imagined it which is a very good outcome of the filming.

I filmed this using a tripod to make the shot completely still and clinical and to draw more attention to the action the scene. The static camera allows the audience to completely focus on what's on the screen therefore engaging them and bringing them into the action.

The Presentation I used in my Pitch

For my pitch I decided to use a presentation to give my audience a greater understanding of my idea. I outlined the main points such as ideas for shots, the synopsis, characters, specific props and why my film opening would be a good choice to do. Then I used pictures to make my pitch more visual and interesting but also to help illustrate my ideas and help the audience visualise what my opening might look like.

Overall I found doing a presentation really helpful and I though it made my pitch much more effective. It helped me organise and clarify my ideas and points before I created my speech as it helped me decide what I wanted and needed to say as I organised the scenes slide by slide. This helped me deliver a more detailed and thought through pitch.

Audience Questionnaire and Results

I made a questionnaire which I handed round to people of different age groups in order to get a feel of what genres of film my target audience liked and who had the biggest preference towards crime thrillers. This is the questionnaire I used:

Favourite Genres of each Age Group

This graph clearly shows that crime films are more popular with 26-30 year olds, my secondary target audience. This is closely followed by 16-25 year olds therefore panning into my primary target audience and showing that there is an interest in the age category fro my genre of film. Interestingly, 46-50 year olds also liked the crime genre showing a wider range of ages that may be interested in my film. It also shows that 16-20 year olds enjoy thrillers equally as much as 21-25 year olds and slightly less than 46-50 year olds. This, again, could suggest that my film could reach an even wider audience than I anticipated, however, with my film targeted at a younger audience by using intertextuality relating to teenagers etc the teenage interest will be sparked more than that of the 46-50 year olds. 

How the Preference towards Crime Thrillers differed per Age Group

This graph shows that popularity in crime thrillers increases dramatically between the age groups 11-15 and 16-20. This is good as 16-20 year olds are my primary target audience. The popularity then remains high, again, a good thing as my secondary target audience is 26-30 year olds. This therefore shows that my film has a place in the market with both my primary and secondary target audiences. 

Which Gender watched more Crime Thrillers

Generally, from the people I gave my questionnaires to, crime thrillers were more popular with women than with men. However, although I tried to get an equal number of male and female responses there were actually more girls that filled in the questionnaires than boys. From my previous research I have already seen that the gender of the protagonist tends to correlate with the gender of the audience and, as my protagonist is female, my target audience is, in fact, women and this chart shows that they do have a definite interest in this genre of film.

Most Popular Favourite Crime Thrillers

I asked on my questionnaire what people's favourite crime thrillers were and these were the most popular answers. 'The Girl on the Train' was considerably more popular but this may be due to it's release date which was just before I took did this questionnaire. Therefore there was a lot of hype around the film possibly causing the increased interest in this film. 

Specific Shot List

Filming Timetable

Screenplay

1.  INT. POLICE STATION. DAY

EMMA is sat with her SIBLING in the centre of a room. They are huddled together. EMMA is visibly upset.

SIBLING

  Where’s Mummy?

EMMA holds back tears.

Beat

SIBLING

  Emma, where’s she gone?

EMMA takes deep, shaky breaths.

Beat

SIBLING

      Daddy?

Beat

SIBLING

  Has Daddy gone to bring Mummy back?

EMMA hugs her SIBLING closer to her chest, finally letting out a quiet sob.

CUT TO

2.BLACK SCREEN. CREDITS ROLL ON HEART MONITOR.

We hear the diegetic sounds of a hospital and Doctor’s voices.

                              DOCTORS V.O.

Get me a compress on that wound

Pulse rate?

75 beats per minute

Blood pressure?

Dangerously low – 110 over 60

Can we get someone on that?

Temperature?

33 Degrees Celsius

Cold

Injuries?

Acute trauma to the left upper torso, internal bruising and we’ve got an embedded bullet in the left airway, possible risk of infection with a spontaneous pneumotherax, left side.

Pneumothorax?

Collapsed lung

Any head injuries?

Mild

Surgery?

Left hemicolectomy and reconstruction of the large

Intestine

Oh, we’ve got some uneven pupil dilation

Rapid dropping of her blood pressure

Oxygen levels?

Rapidly decreasing

We’ve got a severe cardiac arrest threat

3. INT. HOSPITAL OPERATING THEATRE. DAY.

EMMA is laid on an operating table. The room should be full of DOCTORS, one of which is holding a defibrillator. They are stressed and trying to restart EMMA’S heart. Sound continues through from the credits.

                 

                DOCTORS

           Get me the defibrillator

                  Now!

           Code red, I repeat, code red!

              

            Check that cannula

          I need an anaesthetist now!

           Severe patient lethargy!

            Extensive contusion

                Ready?

                 Yes

  

           One, two, three, hit!

           

                              CUT TO

4. INT. EMMA’S HOUSE. NIGHT.

EMMA is sat with her MUM and DAD enjoying en evening in the house, they are laughing and talking.

                              CUT TO

5. INT. HOSPITAL OPERTAING THEATRE. DAY.

DOCTORS are in the same positions we left them in scene 3. EMMA is still lying on the table.

               DOCTORS

          One, two, three, hit! 

                              CUT TO

6. INT. EMMA’S HOUSE. NIGHT.

EMMA is walking through her house and comes to stand in front of the TV, which we can see over her shoulder.

                         NEWS REPORTER

And our next story this evening, another murder was       discovered by police in the woods outside Heber’s Ghyll, Dreamtown. This is the fourth murder in a line of what now appears to be the work of a serial killer. The police are appealing for anyone with any information to please come forward.

EMMA turns to face the camera looking scared, she breathes deeply then exits the frame whilst the camera remains focussed on the TV.

                         NEWS REPORTER

The victim has been identified as MR PHILIP WALKER of Dreamtown, his wife and family have been informed of his death.

                                                  CUT TO

7. INT. OPERATING THEATRE. DAY.

DOCTORS

Again! One, two, three, hit! 

                                   CUT TO

8. INT. WOODS. DAY.

EMMA’S running through the woods panicked, being followed.

                              CUT TO

9. INT. OPERATING THEATRE. DAY.

EMMA is laid on the operating table with her eyes shut. Her eyes fly open and she sits up bringing her face towards the camera letting out a bloodcurdling scream

  

                              CUT TO

10. BLACK SCREEN. TITLE APPEARS.