Weekly Production Log

Weekly Production Log

Week One:

In the first week, I practiced the many shot types that are used commonly in TV shows and films, so I could get used to the way in which they are filmed. I was taught the 180 degree rule, which allowed my work to look a lot more professional.

Week Two:

In the second week we had to shoot another video of someone opening a door. In this video we had to show someone walking to a door, a close up of the door handle, them opening the door and then walking through. This was to extend my abilities conceding various camera angles within one movement that normally wouldn't be noticed in films and TV shows to due their subtlety.

Walk Three:

This week I created my opening titles with audio. The genre I chose was horror, so the music included was scary, and the text and movements of the text on and off the screen were also edited in a creepy manner. I was quite content with what I had created, due to the fact that it did look vaguely professional.

Week Four:

This week, my main priority was to establish what the storyline of my horror film was going to be, out of the three options I had come up with. To decide, I asked on the social networking site, Facebook, which of the stories were better, and the majority of people that responded decided that they liked my original story, in which the protagonist, 'Maisy', moves into a town with her family and boyfriend. However, they did not know prior to moving in that every month, each full moon, a citizen goes missing. At first, it's her curiosity that gives her the incentive to try and figure out what is happening to these people, but soon she notices that there is a pattern within the disappearances of the people, and realises that her boyfriend is in possible danger. The story follows her trying to figure out what is going on and who or what is taking the people, as well as trying to keep her boyfriend safe, before he too, is taken.

Also, I practiced using some of the shots that I intended to use in the final piece of my film opening, to see if they fit the genre of horror correctly. Due to their slowness, they all seemed quite eerie, which is what I was aiming for overall.

Week Five:

After finding out what story seemed the best to film by asking on Facebook, I then needed to come up with a title for it. I set up a survey on my blog for my peers to answer, and after waiting a while, I came back to the survey to find out the results. The question, asking 'which of the following titles sounds best for my story', received the majority of votes saying 'Full Moon'. My other choices were Midnight, Moonlight, Out of the Dark and Maisy.

With the knowledge of what my film will be called, I proceeded to create a certificate with an age rating of 15, and I also created my logo for my company 'Green Field Productions'. The logo was made on the programme 'After Effects', and it features the name of the company fading into and out of a dark, raining background.

In Week Six, I plan to have a location scouting sheet, along with photographs of where I plan to film my opening sequence.

Week Six:

This week I was able to carry out what I had intended to do at the end of week five, by going out and taking photographs of the streets, woods and driveways in which I planned to film, along with writing about them. I also managed to make sure that the actors I intended to use in my short film were available over the Christmas holidays, which is when I plan to film. In Week 7, I should be planning to complete an animatic using the same actors and same location as I will be using in the finished overall film.

Week Seven:

This week I completed an animatic to plan for my final film opening, using the same actors and the same location as I planned to use for the film. I think this went very well, for I was able to get an idea of how my actors will be able to comply to the rules of the making of the movie, as well as the location and its practicality. In week eight I intend to make my final plans before I actually make my film opening.