Location - Research & Planning

For our opening film scene, we wanted a woodland / forest location because it is what you'd expect in an thriller / action film. Our whole opening scene is set in the woods so we wanted a large enough area of woodland to film in. The opening is also comprised of many different shots in and around the woods so we needed a big area to make the audience feel as if we were really in the middle of the woods.

The location we chose to film our opening scene in is Ashtead Common. This is because it suited our film and was convenient for everyone to get to. As winter was nearly approaching, much of the trees and plants has lost their leaves the location looked less green, and looked more brown and muddy. This would be okay for us as it still represent the thriller genre we are hoping to achieve. Also, when it comes to post-production editing, we can adjust the curves in our clips to make the scenery look darker, spookier and more like an action thriller.


Our Filming Location




Images of Our Location

The Alliance - StoryBoard Animatic

Final StoryBoards

These are our final storyboards. These will help us when it comes to filming and editing and is the foundation for our film. When it come to edit our film, we may not exactly follow the storyboard as we might make small changes here and there to improve our film and make it more appealing.

Color Correction & Grading Tutorials - Research & Planning

These two videos above show me how to color correct and color grade, and how the color grading can change a shot to make it suit almost anything. The first video shows how to color grace where as the second video talks to us about the impact of color grading. Although the first video shows us how to color grade in Final Cut Pro, I will be using Adobe After Effects and Sony Vegas Pro to color grade in. The color grading tools in each program will all work in roughly the same ways.

Color correction and color grading are two different things.
Color correcting is what is done to the image or footage to make sure that the color match up - black are black in the shot and whites are white in the shot.
Color grading is altering the RGB (Red Green Blue) channels in a shot to enhance its appearance and make it suit the scenery and genre.


My Color Correction and Grading Examples
Below are several images of the same thing - each have been edited to suit a different mood and genre. This shows how color correcting and grading an image or shot will convey a different message and mood to the audience. I did the color grading for these in Photoshop by using the Levels and Curves adjustment tools to change the color scheme in each image.

Original Image

Cold / Winter

Dawn / Sunset

Sunny

Horror / Night Time

Vibrant / Cinematic Look

Font Titles - Research & Planning

When analyzing film fonts and titles for our film, we noticed that nearly all titles for action and thriller films were written in bold caps to make it stand out. Nearly all titles used a sans serif font as appose to a serif or decorative font because it made the title larger, more appealing and it suited the action, thriller and adventure genre.

For out film title we wanted it to stand out but also have a worn out texture to it as it connoted to an action themed film. It also makes the title look less plane and more visually appealing to look at. All of these images were created in the photo editing program - Adobe Photoshop.

Below are all the choices of fonts that we intended to use for out film title. The images on the left are the solid, unedited, fonts. On the right are all the edited fonts with a worn out texture.

Gungsuh

Gill Sans MT Ext Condensed Bold

Stencil

Poplar Std

TW Cen MT

Final Film Title

The image above is our final film title. We liked the look of the 'Poplar Std' font however we changed the worn-out-look to something more visually appealing. The previous texture didn't look like a worn-out or scratched surface so we changed to get the look we wanted.

Opening Scene Script

Scene opens with characters running across woodlands.  Then the two protagonists come across an antagonist who appears out of the bushes to the left of the screen, which results into shooting in which the antagonist dies. They continue running and start walking out of the woods. Then a sniper is taking aim at two men who have come to a halt, believing they have escaped danger.

Shonam: "Keep your eyes open"
(Turns his head to face Cameron)

Cameron: "It’s okay, I’ve got this!"
(Looks back at Shonam)

Shonam: "SNIPER!! GET DOWN!!"
(Pointing in the direction of the sniper)

(Cameron gets shot and falls to the floor to his death)

Shonam looks around and starts firing at the other antagonists, then gets shot once in the shoulder which causes him to fall to the floor. He then carries on firing which leads to him getting shot again. The antagonists form a circle which surrounds him, and then he gets knocked unconscious by antagonist. This causes him to be knocked out causing it to lead to the title of the film - ‘THE ALLIANCE’.

Muzzle Flash Tutorial - Research & Planning

As we are intending on creating an action, thriller or horror film, we will most likely be using prop guns and weapons. When we edit together our film I will need to composite in muzzle flashes on each gun to make shooting scenes, if we have any,  look realistic and true to the film genre type.

This tutorial from YouTube will help me edit in muzzle flashes as it shows us how to do it within the same video composting software that we'll be using - Adobe After Effects.

Editing Software of Choice

When it comes to editing, there are two types of editing programs - video compositing and video editing.

Video Compositing
Video compositing is combining different visual elements into a clip to make an object appear as if its in the scene.

Video compositing software's are very powerful when dealing with motion graphics and compositing. Some of these softwares costs 1000's of pounds such as The Foundry's Nuke. We, for obvious reasons, cannot use Nuke but it is considered one of the most powerful composting tools right now. Nuke is outstanding for it 3D compositing capability and is used for by big movies sets, such as World War Z, Avatar, Gravity, Tron: Legacy, Iron Man II, Transformers, District 9 and a lot more. Other good compositing programs include Adobe After Effects and Autodesk Combustion. For our scenes that require any visual elements, such as muzzle flash, we will be using Adobe After Effects as it is a professional program that can easily be used by anyone.

Video Editing
Video editing is just putting clips and sound together to create a video.

There are many video editing programs that we could use, some better than others. Examples of some of the best video editing software are Adobe Premiere Pro, Media Composer, Sony Vegas Pro and Final Cut Pro. However for us, we had a choice between either Sony Vegas Pro 13 or Adobe Premiere Elements 10. These two programs some the most popular editing programs but in the end, we decided to use Sony Vegas Pro as we had more experience with the program meaning we could achieve a better opening film than if we had done it it Premiere Elements.

Final Editing Software of Choice
Our editing software of choice is Adobe After Effects and Sony Vegas Pro. For any shots that require different visual elements, such as muzzle flash, explosions and blood, we will use After Effects CS6 and for the general editing for the opening film, we will be using Sony Vegas Pro 13.

Soundtrack Research

When we researched soundtracks for our opening film, we wanted a fast paced and up beat track to match the fast pace of our thriller / action opening film.

Epic Action Music
by Ross Bugden



The loud bass rumbles at the start of this soundtrack are used to create suspense and really suits the thriller genre well. The fast pace and loud drums nearer the end also hint towards an action chase or fighting scene. We may use this track, either to create suspense at the start of the opening or use the faster paced drums during out fighting / shooting scenes in our film.


Epic Trailer Music
by Ross Bugden



This Epic Trailer Music soundtrack fits a thriller genre well. The pace of this soundtrack is also fast enough for an action film, like ours, but it doesn’t suit a shooting scene. This may mean we can’t use this in our opening because much if it contains shooting sequences. We could use it nearer the end of the opening scene where there is less/no shooting but well have to play around with other tracks to see which best fits.


Prelude and Action
by Kevin MacLeod



This soundtrack sounds as if it will be very good for shooting and action scenes. The fast beat of the drums and bass instruments in the background suit this genre, and will make scenes in the opening feel more true to an action scene. If the music is done correctly, them the audience will feel as if they are in the scene and will be immersed in the film.


Finger Music - Ultra
by Mattia Turzo & Jacopo Cicatiello



Ultra starts off quiet, with a fast beat and piano key every so often. The start of this soundtrack could be used to build up suspense but after around 45 seconds, it changes to more of a fast paced action theme.


Kreis
by King James



This piece by King James doesn’t seem it will fit out genre, thriller action, and style for our film opening. This soundtrack sound starts off as if something bad or tragic has just happened. Our opening film starts off with fast pace action that requires a fast beat/sound track over the background however Kreis doesn’t have that fast feel to it so we will probably not use it. We could maybe use it later on in the opening when one of the protagonists sadly dies.


Royal Pursuit
by King James



This fast paced orchestra music sound good for a suspense fast pace, chasing scene. This could suit our opening however we wanted a little more bass and impact from the soundtrack to make the audience feel as if it’s more of an action film.


Mechanolith
by Kevin MacLeod



Mechanolith has an eerie / action feel to it. This eerie track could be used in our opening film when something bad happens or is about to happen, however most of the shots in our opening will be shooting scenes meaning it will not suit it very well.


Clash Defiant
by Kevin MacLeod



Clash Defiant doesn’t seem like it’s made for a fast pace action thriller like ours. It sounds more like it’s for a horror/thriller with a hit of action. Just like Mechanolith, it will not suit our shooting scenes so we’ll most likely not use this track.


Volatile Reaction
by Kevin MacLeod



Volatile Reaction sound very thrilling and a fast throughout. During the start, it creates suspense as it sound like something huge is about to take place – like a big fighting scene or explosions. Although this sound track suits our thriller and action genre, it portrays a big fighting scene that will happen further into a film, not in the opening film sequence. This is the reason why we’ll not be using this in our opening.

(All these tracks above are non-copyrighted and royalty free)

Soundtrack Credits:
- King James
          Blog Spot - kingjamesroyaltyfreemusic.blogspot.com
          Sound Cloud - soundcloud.com/kingjamesroyaltyfree

- Mattia Turzo
          Sound Cloud - soundcloud.com/mattia-turzo-1

- Kevin MacLeod
          Sound Cloud - soundcloud.com/kevin-9-1

- Ross Bugden
          YouTube - youtube.com/channel/UCQKGLOK2FqmVgVwYferltKQ
          Sound Cloud - soundcloud.com/rossbugden

- Non-Copyright and Royalty Free Sites
          Incompetech - incompetech.com

Mood Board

By creating a mood board, we will be able to know what could potentially be in our opening film.

There in this image we can see silhouette of people in the army. Our film opening could contain characters who are from the army or something similar.

The image above is from Ashtead Common. This type of forest / woodland location could be one that we will film in as we intend on creating a film that is similar to an action film. As forest environment will be good as its what you'd expect in that genre.

Our antagonists in our films might wear balaclavas as they connote danger and evil. This could be a good way of letting the audience know who the protagonists and antagonists are.

This image of a pistol could be one of numerous weapons that could be used in our film. A pistol, gun or any dangerous weapon will connote an action, thriller and/or a horror film.

Jurassic World

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpdMVuUvkkI

[0:05]

Here in this shot we see a long shot of a modern looking yacht heading towards an extremely large island. This shot of the island makes it seems isolated from the outer world since it is in the middle of the ocean. The endless sea, as it stretches beyond the horizon, also adds to the effect of the island seeming so isolated. The lighting used in this scene is very sunny which suggests that is it set around midday in the summer. When we see more of the large island, it is very dark and green, suggesting that the island is scary and most parts of it are a mystery - conforming to the thriller genre type. This shot was also an aerial shot as it was taken from the air and the cameras pans to the right as the yacht heads towards the island. We can hear the dietetic sound of the sea, and we can also the seagulls however there aren’t any in the shot. This could be ambient sound that has been added in by the editors on post-protection to make the audience feel as if they were actually at sea. Above all these sound, there is a non-diegetic orchestra soundtrack playing in the background. This is usually a hint that towards an action, adventure and thriller movie as many films in this genre usually start with an orchestra or their theme tune is orchestra such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones.

[0:15 and 0:16]

Eye line match is used for these two shots. They show us a medium shot of two boys and then a medium shot of a female. In the shot of the two boys we aren’t shown or nothing is said about who they are. But if you look closely at what the girl is holding, it is a small card with the two boy’s names on it – Zach and Gray Mitchell. This tells the audience that they are brother and also implies they are important characters in the film. At the start we are also told the name of the place, Isla Nublar, in form of a non-diegetic voice over. This voice sounded if is it came from a microphone else where in the shot.  Within these shots we can see hundreds of people on the dock, heading towards the island. The mass amount of people, the microphone voice over and banner poles suggest that this is set in a large theme park on an island. Through mise-en-scène, we can analyse the costume of the characters and all the people at the resort. As nearly everybody is wearing shorts, sunhats, sunglasses and t-shirts, we can tell that this is set on a not day, maybe in the summer. The lighting also suggests that it is set during the summer because it is a high key lighting, and everything is bright and the scene used warm colours.

[0:32 and 0:39]

In this shot we see the camera aimed towards the two boys then it tile up to show us a long shot of a futuristic train along the hill side. Then is the next shot we see the two boys in the train. From this shot we can see that the train is made from mostly glass. This suggests that Jurassic World is set in the future as it contains more modern vehicles.

[1:26 and 1:30]

In this first shot, we see an excited child run towards the doors. Then as he opens it, the camera dollies past his shoulder and we are shown a wide angle extreme long shot of the resort. The moment the kid opens the doors and the comers moves past him, the orchestra music suddenly becomes louder, making this shot look epic and spectacular. As we get an aerial shot of the resort, we see things such as a large lake, thousands of people walking around and a huge pyramid shaped building in then center. Nearer the end of the aerial shot, it heads towards a small building just outside of the populated area.

[1:50 and 2:05]

Here in this medium shot we see a woman talking to herself as she travels down an elevator/lift. Her plain white dress and even hair suggests she has a lot of authority there and is a key person in the film. After she finishes talking to herself, the lift door open and we are shown a close up shot of her face as she says “Welcome to Jurassic World”.

Questionnaire and Feedback

We carried out a questionnaire as part of our Media research and planning to see who our target audience is and their likes and dislikes towards different film. Altogether we surveyed 20 people to give ourselves a good starting point and our film will have to appeal towards them.

Below are the 10 questions we asked the participants along with a purple bar chart to make it easier to visualize and compare the feedback.

1) How old are you?

2) Are you Male or Female?

3) What is your favourite genre?

4) What would you expect in a thriller film?

5) What would you expect in an action film?

6) What would you expect in a horror film?

7) What location will suit a thriller film?

8) What location will suit an action film?

9) What location will suit a horror film?

10) Which of these film titles is most appealing?

From our Questionnaire and Feedback for our film we have learnt that most of our target audiences are males, aged around 15 - 17 with a few being older and younger. This means that we should aim to make a film that might have a age certificate rating of around 15, or maybe even a 12, so that it can be viewed by a larger target audience. Also from our primary research we have learnt that majority of people who we surveyed prefer to watch a thriller and action movie. This means that we should also make our film an action or thriller genre to appeal to the target audience.

As we initially planned on making either an action, thriller or horror film - six of our questions asked the participants were 'what would you expect in a thriller, action and horror film?' and 'what location will suit a thriller, action and horror film?'. This was so that we can get an all around idea, and the target audiences expectations for each of these genres.

Last of all we asked the participants which of the four film titles seems most appealing to them. The top two titles are 'LOST' and 'The Alliance'. Even though these were the top two choices, 'The Alliance' had nearly double the votes as 'LOST'. This shows us that our film should be called 'The Alliance' as this is the most popular and could also fall under an action and thriller film.