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.