Conclusion of Planning

After accumulating all the information from my research section, surveys, vox-pops & exploration into the thriller genre. I'm now ready to shoot my opening sequence. I've written a stroyboard and shot-list and researched into acting, costume and locations as well as finding suitable actors to play the parts I require.

I'm filming in early January and plan to edit between January and February. I am going to film several fillers and out-takes while on location in case of any unforeseen problems I face in the editing studio. I'm taking 1x HD Camera, 1x Tripod, 1x Clapper Board and 2x Battery Lights & Stands. I think this equipment will be sufficient for me to complete filming in the locations chosen and get the shots I intend to shoot. I'm also going to take my shot list on location to keep a track through of shots and ensure I've captured everything.

Through my planning and research stage I have learnt a great deal about Final Cut Pro X so that when I have finished filming I will be able to suitably edit my movie. I have also managed to create a tester ident and title ideas graphically so that when shooting I have a clear understanding of the genre, what I'm trying to achieve and how best to do it.

Hopefully filming will go well!

Storyboard

Group Practice of Sound & Lighting

We used a basic script (unsuccessfully acted), battery lights and boom mic to practice how light looks in  certain situations.

Time Management

All the filming is going to be done over a two-day period at the start of January just after new year, most likely the 2nd & 3rd. This will allow one days filming in the dance studio and another in the alleyway (two main locations).

The filming in house (Name's bedroom), will be done in my house in the spare room, which is plain but  can be decorated, I plan on putting up a few simple posters and personalisations such as 'good luck' cards and pink bed sheets.

• 2nd January; filming in Dance Studio from 3-6pm. With all equipment and 'Ballet Girls' including Anya (Name).
• 3rd January; filming in alleyway 5-7pm. With all equipment, Theo Beck, 'Teenagers' & Anya (Name). 
• 8th January; filming at Alleyn's School in classroom with 'teenagers', student extras (can acquire on the day) and Anya (Name). 3.45-5pm. 
• 8th January; filming at Alleyn's School, Junior School Gate Entrance, with 'Teenagers' and Anya (Name). 

Reccee

Recce of key locations, shot using my friend as a replacement for the main character. Only needed to test dark locations with lights etc to ensure everything is prepared for filming days.

Tester Ident & Titles

I created this using effects on Final Cut ProX and a stop-motion animation that I created using a simple drawing, photographed and then made negative on Final Cut to give the white effect shown above.
I don't plan on using this as my actual ident because little thought went into the drawing and creation of it, but it does capture the eery/scary feel I'm going for. The idea of someone scratching out the title with a scalpel.

The ink droplets at the back are a filler, supplied by Final Cut that I feel fits well with the ident theme and adds effectiveness in the background. I plan on creating a more visual sketch but still using stop motion, having 'HH Productions' scratched over the opening of the film.

TITLES PLANNING:

• I plan on using shot 11-13 (found on shot list) to display the title, it's whilst Name is waking up and we get a sense that today is the day things will change in her life, which is why I've chosen to put the title in at this time. 
• The ident will come at the beginning of the film, with the balletic music required, being played over the top of the graphics.
• The ident will then fade to black and shot 1 will fade in from the black.
• I plan on using stop motion to draw my title and ident so that they coordinate with each other and then use stop motion to film it, creating a sketchy look. 
• The Director's name and name of lead actor, during shot 14-21 in the same scratched style as the other title sequences and ident. 

Out of the above graphic titles available on FinalCut ProX, I prefer the first one, I may etch in some Ballet shoes in the same scratched style that the title is in.
This film also shows the layered over effect of having the title play over the film as we see the action unfold. However I have chosen points in the opening where little is happening so that the titles don't distract from the actual film.

Sound

Non-diegetic sound is anything that isn't recorded during the filming period; sound that is added during editing.

For my film I plan on using completely non-diegetic sound as to avoid background noise (we are filming on a busy street) and to avoid any poor acting or ill-fitting voice to character match. Instead of using dialogue, I'm going to use 'mood music' for dramatic effect, to aid the story in a more subtle way than obvious dialogue, explaining the situation.

My plan is to use typically 'ballet' music, classical piano and at points orchestral pieces to build dramatic tension. I'm going to use several different tracks to distinguish obvious sections of the film, morning and night for example.

Here are some examples of tracks I enjoy and think would be appropriate for the film, however due to the copyrighting issues places by these tracks, I'm going to try and find a copyright-free editions of the kind of music I'd like.

I like this piece and think it would be appropriate for when Name wakes up using alarm bell and during montage of her at school to her leaving dance lesson at the end of the day (before she meets Teenagers).


I think this style of piece for the opening sequence


This is also possible music for the opening sequence up until Name falls asleep.

Graphics: Idents & Titles

http://idents.tv/blog/2008/05/18/the-idents-of-cinema-the-big-six-studios/

The top six production companies, 'Warner Brothers', 'Columbia', 'Disney', 'Universal', 'Fox Searchlight' & 'Paramount' are known by their idents, often remembered as 'the large statue' (Columbia), 'WB' or 'Princess Castle'. These idents are pivotal in the companies branding, you remember a company by it's ident and how it represents itself.


 


Therefore it's very important that an ident represents the kind of production you are, what specific genre you deal with and roughly an idea of the scale of the forthcoming film. Idents that are on an epic scale, like 'Universal'; who have the huge word wrapped around the globe, tells us that this is a large budget film and we should expect A/B list actors, excellent quality and CGI etc. One of the most interesting things is how the idents can become part of the film, for instance above the three idents are all totally different but are similar in style because of the effects added on top for this specific film.

Opposingly, smaller scale, more 'indie' idents such as 'Pathe' & 'Film4' who make lower budget, often more 'naturalistic' scale films. Good examples of these kind of films are 'Submarine' & 'The Seventh Seal.'
My film is a small scale, low budget film and is therefore a more 'indie' type of ident, similar to some student made ones below, possibly made using stop motion or simple graphics.




I like the graphics used in a previous case study on 'Orphan' 2009. The title credits are similar to an idea that I had for my ident, using a 'scalpel' effect to etch the words onto the screen as if a sinister character was carving them into a tree or onto a desk.

My company name is 'HH' which stands for Hancock House Productions. I plan to have the HH etched over the screen as the first few shots play, succeeded by "élève', the title of the film. 

After looking at several more generic TV idents I think using the letters as a kind of window into another world seems like an excellent idea. The idea that the company will take you somewhere else... Similar to BBC2 and how it uses the '2' to show insights into other worlds. 

Costume Pictures

TEENAGERS:TEENAGERS:

Dark, pastel colours. Shaggy hair, smoking, drinking. Baggy, oversized jackets and clothes. 

'DREAM SEQUENCE' BALLET GIRL:

Less typically ballerina, still plain black, but with flowing black chiffon to create flowing effect and more extreme make up, dark cheek bones. 

TYPICAL BALLET GIRLS:

Plain, black leotard with pink pointe shoes, white tights & hair in tight buns. Minimal make-up.  

Costume

Ballet Girls:

• Black leotard
• Pink ballet tights
• Pink pointe shoes
• Hair in tight bun with net & pins
• Little make-up

Teenage Girls:

• Hair down, in loose pony tail, plats or pigtails
• Oversized Jackets 
• Casual shoes, platforms if possible 
• All piercings in and obvious
• Tight jeans or trousers/Skirt or shorts
• One or two girls should have a hoodie
• Medium make up, eye and face only, no lipstick

Teenage Boys:

• Any style of hair, generally messy
• Casual shoes, platforms if possible
• Chinos, skinny jeans or trackies
• Plain t-shirt or shirt
• No make-up

At School/Sixth Form:

• Boys & Girls dressed as they would for a formal interview
• Suit for boys and smart top and skirt/trousers for girls with a jacket

Name:

1. Ballet Clothes: same as other ballet girls.
2. When walking home from dance school adds hoodie and trackies to her ballet outfit, plain trainers.
3. At school, wearing smart interview wear, same as others. 

Shot List

Actors

I'm using several actors to play extras, there are two groups of actors that I'm going to use: ballet girls and teenagers. 

The ballet girls will consist of girls, similar height to Name, six girls including Name and all obviously well trained and good at ballet. I've found the ideal five girls at my dance school where we will be filming the scene, therefore the girls will be able to stay behind after their normal lessons finish to film.
Their names are:
-Nandy Harris (14)
-Regan Orr (14)
-Beth Wood (16)
-Emily Boxell (16)
-Natasha Chu (12)

The Teenagers group will consist of a wider variety of actors, to contrast from the strict formality of the ballet class. I'm trying to find as larger diversity in ethnicity, race and body shape as possible.
The actors I've chosen:
-Cecy Bullard (16)
-Francesca Forristal (16)
-Harry White (16)
-Oscar North (16)
-Tom Glenister (16)
-Lizzie Grice (15)
-Millie Isaac (17)
-Calypso April (16)

Name needs to be very elegant looking, thin, relatively short with flowing blonde hair. As typically 'ballerina' as is possible. Defined bone structure and good standard of ballet.

I've chosen Anya Taylor-Joy (16) to play the role as I think she's perfect for it and is a trained dancer herself.

Actors Photos from Harry Hancock

These are my ideas for the kind of exercises the Ballerina's will be doing, both young & old.

Locations