Equipment List

Because I was making the film on a budget of £0, I had to be very conservative with the equipment used;

Camera - Samsung S7 Edge
I will be using this phone to film my footage because it has a highly detailed camera on it, capable of filming up to 4k footage - UHD. I won't film in 4k, due to concerns about file sizes and the processing power needed to actually edit. I will be filming in 1920 x 1080 and editing in 1020 x 800, to give the film a more cinematic feel.

Tripod & Attachments
The tripod I have chosen is quite simplistic, whilst allowing for a good height and also allows you to level out the shot before filming; something I will use in order to get level shots. As I will be shooting on the S7 Edge, I have purchased a tripod attachment which allows for the phone to be attached to the tripod; this attachment was quite cheap, but is easy to use and quite lightweight, meaning I can carry it with me when going to film in Hopwas. For handheld shots, I will still have the attachment on the phone, but will use it as a handle, of sorts, meaning that I can hold the phone without obstructing the camera.

Microphone 
The in-built microphone of my phone records lots of white noise and unwanted background noise and so I will be using an external microphone which records much clearer audio whilst also not recording the background noise. This is something we tried to do with an iPad for our AS level work, but didn't do well. This time round, I will have someone to hold the microphone just out of shot so it is as close to the actor as possible, ensuring good quality.

Clapperboard
Because of the external microphone, I will be using a clapperboard so that it is easy to sync up the recorded with the footage. After clapping the board, I will also read out the name of the shot and take, making it easier to tell which video goes with which audio clip in post production. 


Other props
I will need to bring a pillow/blanket or some other form of cushioning to the shoot when Daisy has been kidnapped. This will allow the actor to throw the phone she is using on the floor without damaging it. I will also need a blanket which I can place on the floor when Daisy wakes up. This is to prevent the actor lying on any broken glass or other potentially harmful objects. The blanket should be dark so that it's not too obvious on-screen. In order to make the table in the house messy, I will use random trash from around the house. This is not something that needs to be planned.

Shot lists / Lighting test

In my production, I will be employing two different styles of filming, one for inside the house and one for outside.

Inside

Inside the house, shots will be wide, with lots of space around the characters. This helps the viewer feel comfortable and relate to the characters more. To reflect this, the lighting will be bright and soft. In post-production, I will colour grade the shots inside to have an orange tinge to them to give them a more homely feel.

Outside 

Whilst outside the house, I will shoot in an entirely different way, almost completely opposite to inside the house. The shots will be close up and uncomfortable, in order to put the viewer on edge. This restricts the viewers eyesight, therefore adding an element of mystery. The lighting will be dark, and shadows will be exaggerated, along with the colour grading having a colder, blue tint. This is in stark contrast with the warm orange glow from inside the house. The effect of this will hopefully be that the viewer feels how Daisy is feeling, both when inside and out.  

Risk Assessment

Google Docs Link

Copyright Clearances

In my film, I plan to use mostly royalty-free assets, including music and sound effects, apart from my end credits song, which is going to be 'For the Damaged Coda' by Blonde Redhead, which is not royalty free, meaning that I had to send an email to the company who owns the rights for it in order to request permission to use it;

"I am writing to request permission to use the song “For the Damaged Coda” in a short film I am creating for my A-Level coursework. This is for educational use only and will not be distributed or used commercially."

This email covers everything that it needs to in a short and effective way and will be sent to Sony Records - reception.enquiries@sonymusic.com

Production Schedule

Pre-Production;

September;

 - Research and planning

 - Pitch

October;

 - Screenplay

 - Storyboard

 - Poster design

Production;

November;

 - Begin filming

December;

 - Continue filming

 - Create Poster

January

 - Finish filming

Post-production;

November;

 - Begin editing

December/January;

 - Finish editing

 - Film review page

I reached each one of these targets on time and stuck to the schedule well.

Location Scouting

One of the biggest issues I faced with this project was the location where Daisy was kept. It look me a long time to finally settle on a location, and when I eventually did, it was just a few days before filming.




Garage
My initial idea was to clear out my garage and film in there, but when it came to it, the garage was too dark/small to be able to film in. My test footage came out as grainy and you could hardly make out what was on screen. This, combined with the fact that I would have to spend an entire weekend clearing it out and refilling it again, meant that the location wouldn't be suitable.


After the garage, it took me a while to find another location to film in. I considered changing the plot so Daisy could be outside, on the street or even just locked inside a normal room. After all of these ideas failed, I came to the conclusion that I would have to find an abandoned building to film in. After doing some research, I found three small buildings in Hopwas Woods that were perfect for the film.


Hopwas Woods
When we visited these buildings in Hopwas Woods, it was about an hour walk away from the closest car park, which was a red flag immediately. I wouldn't be able to film at night here because of the long walk; it would be dangerous to do in the dark. This wasn't the be-all and end-all, however, because I realised I could film in the evening and colour grade the film to look like it was filmed later in the night. At the location, there were three buildings, the first had bricks missing from the wall, meaning that too much light was coming in, the second was filled with junk and the third was fine, and so I decided that we could film in this one.


The other locations featured in the film I already had planned out in my head months before filming. The house they are in is my own house, and the street Daisy is walking in when she gets kidnapped is a short drive away from my house.

Storyboards

Google Docs Link