Filming Sessions

To start off the filming for our opening scene we wanted to make sure that we followed the filming schedule which meant that we needed to follow the storyboard. The first shots we filmed were the parts with the friends of the main character. We found these shots easier to film first as we could get it over and done with and also so when it came to editing we could find it easier. The second shots we filmed were the ones in the alleyway. These shots were quite complicated to shot as we had planned on shooting so many different ones. We made sure we followed the storyboard so after each shot we would check the storyboard and find out what we had to do next. This made things a little easier as we had some structure to what we needed to film and when. When it came to filming the feet, we decided that we would get those shots done before any other shot was done. So we filmed my feet first. We then filmed the friends feet, but we ended up not using those shots as we had to cut down the opening scene. Before filming the actual shots we did some test shots to make sure the camera was positioned in the right place and also to make sure the shot looked good and interesting. We then carried on filming the rest of the opening scene. We made sure to film the shots with the fake blood after anything else we had to film without the blood. This is because we knew that the top I was wearing was going to have fake blood put on it, and it wouldn't stay clean. After getting feedback from the first draft of the opening scene we filmed some more shots in the school grounds to show the murderer a bit more than we originally see her.

Audience Feedback

After uploading and sharing our first draft of the opening scene we found that the audience feedback was both positive and negative.

Positive

• The audience liked our credits at the end as they hadn't seen it been done before and also they thought it was quite interesting to watch. 
• The audience also liked the different shots we used to show different parts of the opening scene. 
• They enjoyed the music and thought it fitted well with our genre and they thought it made the scene more intense. 
• They also enjoyed the way we had showed our title of the film and the way the font looked. 
• They also liked the plot of the opening scene and they liked the setting. 

Negative

• The audience thought the opening scene was too long and needed to be cut down as they lost interest half way. 
• They also thought that some of the cuts needed to be removed or changed to make the scene more interesting. 
• The plot of the story needed to be shown a bit clearer as well as some of the audience felt it was a bit unclear and weren't sure of what the opening scene was about. 

With the feedback we collected from the public, we decided to add and delete a few things in our opening scene. We deleted a few shots which were used to show different events, but also we shortened the scene down to make it short and snappy. We then added a few new shots in our opening scene of the murderer so the audience can grow a relationship with the murderer. We also added a voice over as we thought it would be effective and also the audience might find it more interesting to watch. Also we felt it would make the plot and the story clearer, which means the audience would understand our opening scene.

Creating | Props

When thinking about the different types of props we would need for our opening scene we came up with a list of different props that would be useful.

Phone

We used multiple phones in our opening scene when filming certain shots. For the beginning part we used two phones. The phone that Victoria was holding to show the text message and also another phone off camera to text the phone on camera. We used a smart phone as we felt it would link in with the gender and the stereotypical view of teenagers in the modern day times. 

We then used a phone when I'm walking down the alleyway. We used another smart phone as again we felt it would suit the stereotypical teenager image. We used a phone down the alleyway as, from our own experience, we knew teenagers look at their phone on the way home when they are alone. We also thought it would be effective to use a phone so it would be easier when the murderer eventually takes her phone.

Finally, we used a phone at the end when my character has been stabbed by the murderer, and the murderer takes the phone. We stuck with the smart phone as we knew thats what a stereotypical teenager would own.

Bag

We used one bag for the main character to hang over her shoulder while walking home. This is because we wanted it to look like she had just come from school or from a friends house, and usually a stereotypical teenager would always carry a bag around with them.

Skateboard

This prop wasn't actually seen on the camera in any of our shots, but we did use it when filming a certain shot. We used the skateboard to show the shot of the feet walking down the alleyway. We placed the camera onto the skateboard, we tied a scarf onto the end of the skateboard, we started rolling on the camera and we then moved the skateboard along with the feet to make the shot effective. 

Fake Knife

We used this prop to show that the murderer was going stab the main character and something bad was going to happen. We found this fake knife in the shop and we bought it. 

Fake Blood

As well as the fake knife, we purchased the fake blood along with the fake knife. We did this to add to the effect that the main character had been stabbed. We placed the fake blood onto the knife and onto the main characters side so add to the effect.

Filming Schedule

In the process of discussing when and where we were going to film we decided to create a filming schedule. We wanted to film the whole thing on one day so we were guaranteed that the weather would be the same and it was easier for us to get together. We filmed during the October half term and we arranged to film on the Tuesday. We didn't decided on that day whether we were going to film or not depending on the weather because we were all busy during the week and we decided just to choose a date and stick to it. 

When creating how we were going to shoot everything we looked at the storyboard and we decided what parts we wanted to shoot first. We decided to follow the storyboard as it was easier for us to film the shots. When filming the feet shot we decided to film that all at the same time as we felt it would be difficult and very confusing to keep shooting that shot. 

After we had collected feedback from the first draft of the opening scene we all agreed that we had to film some more shots. We didn't have a lot of time to film and also we couldn't go back to that spot and film again because the weather wouldn't be the same, the clothes wouldn't be the same and the deadline was only a few days away. So we decided to film on location - our school grounds. We made sure to film in the parts of the school that didn't look like a school ground and we made sure the positioning of the camera was making the location look like a street or something along those lines.

Never Look Back | Opening Scene Improved

When getting feedback on our first draft of our opening scene we looked at the good and bad feedback so we knew what to change and what to keep the same when creating the final draft. We looked at the positive feedback and took on board what the public liked, and we kept that in the opening scene. We then looked at the negative feedback and took on board what the public didn't like, and we changed it in the opening scene. We also looked at other peoples opening scenes and took on board what they did to make their opening scene effective.

We decided to add a few things into our opening scene that we took from other peoples opening scenes as we thought it would make our opening scene more effective and make the film fit into the horror genre.

In our new opening scene we added basic credits so the viewer could easily see the actresses in our opening scene. We also deleted a few clips that were unnecessary and we added a few new clips that show more of our murderer. We did this to show the audience more about our murderer in the opening scene and also so the audience grows a sort of relationship with the murderer.  We added more transitions so the part when we changed to the murderer being shown would flow better. We also added a voice over to our opening scene because we had seen other people use that technique and we thought it was very effective. So we decided to use a voice over in our opening scene as well. When we added the voice over we felt it made the opening scene more effective and made the scene more tense. The voice over adds to our horror genre option as other films use voice overs to start off their films.

Our new improved opening scene is more intense and it fits into the genre more than the first draft. I'm glad that we added these new techniques and shots as I feel it makes our film more interesting and tense.

Creating | Settings

When thinking about where we wanted our opening scene to be set we wanted the setting to be quite mysterious and we wanted to chose quite a stereotypical horror movie setting. We thought about setting it in a field, but we voted against it as we felt it would be hard to find an empty field to film in and also we didn't think it would suit our plot for the movie. 

We finally decided on setting our opening scene in an alleyway. We chose an alleyway as it's quite stereotypical and also it was a convienent setting that we could easily find near where we all live. When creating the storyboard we didn't really know how to draw our alleyway as we didn't actually know what alleyway we were going to film in. On the day of filming we decided to meet at someone's house and walk around to find some alleyways. We were successful in finding alleyway, but we just didn't know which one to film in. We all decided to filming in the alleyway in our opening scene because it was quiet and also it set out scene very well. 

Our setting helps set the scene well as it is easily identified as a small compact alleyway. It also helps tie in with the stereotypical dangerous alleyway as again it is compact which means that the murderer can either stab someone easily and capture someone.

Creating | Costumes

When thinking about the costumes for the characters in the opening scene we mainly focused on the main characters which are the victim and the murderer. We didn’t really focus on the costumes of the friends as they could just wear their own casual outfit. But we wanted to be a bit more careful and stereotypical with the main character costumes.

Main Character 1 – Becca – Victim

When thinking about what this character could wear, we thought that she should wear something white to show purity and innocence. So her costume is normal jeans, a white top and a jacket of some sort, with converses. We chose these clothing items to make up the costume because we wanted innocence and purity to be shown but also we wanted the stereotypical teenager look to be shown as well. This is why we chose jeans, a jacket and some converses. For the hair, we didn’t worry too much about it, so we decided to keep it plain, simple and basic and have the hair up in a bun. We also had make-up put on her because again we wanted to show a stereotypical teenage girl. We didn’t put a lot of make-up on the character as we wanted her to look natural and not like she is about to go to a party. We kept it natural so the audience wouldn’t think too much of it and they wouldn’t notice it.

Main Character 2 – Nadine – Murderer

When thinking about what this character could wear, we thought that she should wear something black to show danger and evilness. The costume we had for Nadine was black jeans, a black plain top, a black jacket and black converses. We had her wear all black because we thought it made her look mysterious and we also thought she could be identified as the villain easier and her character would be clearer. We kept the hair natural and had her wear it down so we could easily put the hood up on her jacket to add to the mystery. We had her wear a little bit of make-up. Villains don’t wear make-up but we kept to the idea that the character is a girl so we thought adding a touch of make-up would be a good idea. We didn’t put as much make-up on Nadine than we put on my character as we wanted it to be clear that she was the villain and that my character was the victim/damsel.

Extra Characters – Claire and Victoria – Friends

We didn’t really think in depth of what the friends should wear as we felt that they weren’t as important as the main characters and we wanted to put most of our focus on the main characters. However, we had the friends wear minimal make-up, like we did for Nadine, and we also had them wear casual everyday clothing. We didn’t want them to be to eye catching because we didn’t want the audience to be more attracted to the extra characters and not notice the main characters.

Creating | Characters

When thinking about the characters we knew we wanted a stereotypical female and a stereotypical villain. This is so the characters would be identified easily in our opening scene. We thought very carefully about our characters for the opening scene as they needed to be clear so the rest of the movie would be clear and easily understood. We first thought of the main characters which are the victim and the murderer.

Character 1 – Victim

When thinking about how we could portray the victim we thought that it should be played by a female. We thought this because we wanted the character to be shown as weak and unable to save themselves. By having a female play this role we felt it would show weaknesses and fear better than having a male play the role. We wanted this character to be a stereotypical female, as we wanted her to be shown as weak and useless. You could call this character a stereotypical damsel as they are shown as weak like our character. This character is played by me and she is the main character in our film. We wanted a female to be the main character as there are many things you can do with a female in films. If we were to make the entire film we could have experimented with friendship groups and relationships which could have linked in with the murder.

Character 2 – Murderer

When thinking about how we could portray the murderer we thought that it should be played by a male. We thought this because we wanted the character to be shown as powerful and strong. However, we didn’t have any access to a male for our film so we decided to use a female instead. But instead of having a stereotypical female, we decided to have a female that isn’t very stereotypical but she is still a stereotypical villain. When deciding to use a female instead of a male we actually thought it would be a good idea and work out well because they are contrasting characters. Also it could link in well with certain things that could have happened throughout the movie if we were to create the entire thing. This character is played by Nadine and she is another main character in our film.

Character 3 – Friends

When thinking about other characters we could involve in the opening scene, we thought about having friends of the victim shown somewhere in the opening scene. We thought long and hard about when to include them in the opening scene and how many friends we wanted. We went for two friends in the end so the total of the friends would be 3. We also chose a total of 3 friends (the two friends and the victim) because it is known as a stereotypical number of friends, like the “Three Amigos” or the “Three Musketeers”. We wanted the friends to be stereotypical females as well so they would link in well with the victim. We thought that the friends could be walking home from somewhere with Becca and they could leave just before Becca walks down the alleyway. We also thought about what they could talk about and what they could be doing. That’s when the idea of one of the friends having her phone out and the others talking about school work and gossip as that’s what teenage girls talk about. We had Victoria play the friend with her phone out and we had Claire play the friend who is talking to Becca. We had them play the friends because they are quite stereotypical teenage girls.

Opening Scene | Evaluation Part 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

Music

The style of music we used in the opening scene is quite loud and bold music. We used this type of music to build tension in the scene and also to add to the mystery of the scene. When creating the music we wanted to use quite loud and bold instruments such as drums or the bass guitar. We used these type of instruments to add to the tension and to make the viewer feel nervous about the scene. When editing the opening scene I found that without the music it was very dull and not very intense, but when we added the music it sounded interesting and it definitely helped build tension.

Quite a lot of horror films use loud and bold instruments to build tension. If you watched a horror movie on mute it wouldn't be very exciting and you probably wouldn't be scared or nervous. But when you watch it with the sound on, you immediately feel nervous and tense when watching a scene. This is because the music is a big part in making the scene tense and triggering the viewers reactions. With this in mind we wanted to make our soundtrack as bold and tense as possible.

Other film soundtracks that are quite similar to our soundtrack are 'Psycho' and 'Here's Johnny'.

'Psycho'

The piece of music from this film is very famous and well-known. It starts off with screeching noises and it ends up dipping in and out of the soundtrack. The type of instruments that have been used are string instruments such as the violin. This soundtrack is similar to our soundtrack because the same instruments have been used, and also they have similar tunes. Our soundtrack has a bigger variety of tunes, where as this soundtrack is more straight forward and basic as it uses the same instruments and has the same sort of tune to it throughout the whole thing. I like this soundtrack because although it is quite basic and they only use one instrument it is still very tense and makes the scene that little bit more scary.

'Here's Johnny'

The piece of music from this film isn't as famous as the other one but the same type of tune is used in quite a few horror movies. The soundtrack is very screechy and high pitched but it builds a lot of tension in the scene. The instruments in this soundtrack are mainly violins but there a few sound effects in it as well. This soundtrack is similar to our soundtrack because the same instruments have been used and also they have very similar tunes. Our soundtrack is made out of a few more instruments but this soundtrack and our soundtrack are similar as they use the same type of instruments in the same way.

Characters - Costumes, Sets and Props

We didn't use a lot of props in our opening scene but we did use a phone, a bag, a fake knife, and fake blood. We used them because we needed to show someone being stabbed also we used phones to make the teenage girl stereotype effect. We filmed outside on a street and in an alleyway because we wanted to build tension and make it into a mystery type scene. The costumes we used were casual everyday wear. Also for the murderer we wanted her to wear all black to emphasise the fact that she was a murderer.

The different characters we had were: Teenage girl - quite stereotypical and the person that gets murdered. 

Murderer - stereotypical villain wearing all black

Two teenage girls - stereotypical teenagers. 

Opening Scene | Evaluation Part 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our target audience are teenagers and adults but mainly young adults. A teenagers interest in films is a variety of different genres. A teenage boy would be interested in action movies, disaster movies, horror movies and comedy movies. A teenage girl would be interested in romantic movies, chick flicks, possibly action movies, comedy movies, fantasy movies and possibly horror movies, depending on the personality of the person. An adults interest in films is a little more restricted as they know what genres they think are boring and what genres they think are interesting. A man would be interested in comedy movies, action movies, disaster movies and horror movies. A woman would be interested in comedy movies, chick flicks, romantic movies, fantasy movies, action movies (depending on the personality) and possibly horror movies (again depending on the personality).

When deciding on what age to target the film at we created a target audience questionnaire which we gave to people of different ages to see what type of movies they like to watch. We put questions that link to the different genres of movies like; What is your favourite movie genre that you like to watch?

After having the questionnaire filled out by a variety of different genders and age groups we came up with what target age we were going to use. The results showed that teenagers enjoy watching horror movies as they like the tension and they like getting scared. Some teenagers said, however, that they don't usually like watching horror movies because they scare them, so we had to think carefully about that. More adults said that they find horror movies entertaining and they enjoy watching them because they like getting scared and they like feeling tense.

From the results of the questionnaire, we found that teenagers and adults like to watch horror movies, which is why our target audience is teenagers and adults.

Creating | Font

When choosing a font style to use for our film title, we looked on a website called “dafont.com”. We used this website because we had used it before and also we knew that we would be able to find a horror type font that we could use.

We looked at many different fonts when choosing a final font as we wanted to make sure that we found the right one. We tried out many different fonts with the title of our film, ‘Never Look Back’, to see which one suited it best.

We finally decided on a font called ‘face your fears’. We liked this font because we thought it looked like blood and we also thought it looked quite scary. There were many fonts that had the same type of style as this font but we chose this one as we thought it looked the best out of all of the ones we tried out. When thinking about the font before we knew we wanted a font that looked like blood or looked quite scary and it had to tie in with our opening scene plot. When we saw this font we knew it would work as it was what we wanted and also it tied in with our plot very well.

We put the text on a powerpoint slide and decided that we needed to change the colour of it. It was originally black and we felt that it was dull and boring. We wanted the title to be a bold colour but not too bright and not too dark. We agreed on the dark red colour as we felt it looked more like blood. Once the colour was sorted out, we had to decide on how we wanted to lay the text out. We decided that layering the text would look better so we put 'Never' at the top, 'Look' in the middle and 'Back' at the bottom. Also to make it more scary and to make it link in with the horror genre, we decided to put blood behind it and make the background black so the text would stand out more.