planning- weather check.

Today we are going to film the last montage but first we need to make sure the weather is suitable to film in. I went on metoffice to check todays weather and it is supposed to be quite sunny all day so that should fit in well with our filming. Thankfully it has stopped snowing and there isn't a lot of snow around on the roads so we won't need to look out for any risks.

planning- main opening filmed.

Yesterday we successfully filmed the main part of our opening where our male actor is sat at his desk, thinking about what to write in his article. It was quite hard to remember each shot and film them accurately but we managed it.

Our actor came round to Rachels house Saturday afternoon where we transformed one of her rooms into an office with a desk chair and laptop etc. The mise en scene looked effective to say it wasn't a proper office and I think the audience will be able to understand that it is supposed to be an office.

The only problem with the filming yesterday was because it took us so long the sun went down and the room became darker half way through filming. Maybe we could add in an effect to even out the brightness between each clip or we could add in some sort of clock or writing at the bottom of the screen which emphasises how long it has took him to think of something to write in his article.

Our mise-en-scene fit perfectly with the males attitude, we cluttered up the desk with office equipment and his attitude was pretty confused like he cannot think straight about anything. We had enough space in the 'office' to film from various angles to differentiate the clip. 

Here are some of the photos of the office scene.

planning-animatic.

We finished off our animatic today on Adobe Premiere Pro, it lasts around 1 minute 53 seconds so we may have to extend some of the clips to make it to the full 2 minutes.

Our animatic will help guide us through filming and help us to realise how long each scene needs to roughly and how long we spend on everything.

planning- montage two new location.

As we have changed our montages location, we thought we would take some photographic evidence of our where we are filming. We used a girly bedroom to portray the stereotypical female and it is also where most teenagers spend there day. We added more props such as pillows, photo frames, ornaments and flowers to set the scene, also the room was very tidy which juxtaposes the males desk in the main bit of the opening as it will be rather untidy and things will be cluttered about. This shows how we are representing our social groups. The room was a lot brighter as we also filmed around midday whereas before it was evening time, we added some other lights/lamps to enhance the brightness.

planning- montage two re-shoot.

We decided to film montage two again where his ex girlfriend receives the break up text. When we played back the other clips we realised it was to dark and there wasn't enough scenery to make it look as effective.

The new montage is a lot longer and set in the girls bedroom which makes her look like a typical teenage girl as she is also reading magazine which fits in with the narrative of magazines. In this scene we have more room to film from various places getting in different shots whereas from before we were rather limited with space so we only filmed from mid shot. Also the girl has changed her emotion from being upset to angry/confused, emphasising the word 'WHAT' and she looks into the camera almost giving it a personal feel as if she is talking to the audience.

planning- logistics including risk assessments.

In our opening we realised there may be a few risks we'll have to be aware of. As we are filming outside of McDonalds we may have to ask the owner for their permission first as it will be on their property, otherwise we may get told off for it.

Also, if we are filming in a public place we may catch the number plates of other peoples cars. To resolve this we could try and film when there are no cars about by filming it quite early in the morning.

The weather has been rather bad recently as it has been snowing, so we have decided this will be a risk to our filming. We were meant to film when it was sunny but because of our deadline and poor weather forecast we will not have time to wait until its sunny again. A risk would be our health and safety, as the floor is quite icy and as the actors walk up to McDonalds they may slip.

In our other scenes, there are no serious problems that will affect our filming as it is all indoors in a safe environment so their is nothing that we need to look out for.

planning- target audience.

Our target audience for our film opening is young adults, preferably aged between 15-21 male and female. Our film is intended at young adults so we thought this would be a suitable age range. We haven't included any swearing or sexual references in our film as it isn't suitable for our opening section, however the rest of the film could include some.

We reached our target audience by relating it to everyday situations, the male takes his girlfriend for dinner on their anniversary to McDonalds and he breaks up with his other girlfriend by text. Most of the audience may be able to relate to this from past relationships.

Also our male protagonist is a stereotypically good looking male which draws the female population in, making them want to watch it. And our female protagonist is a stereotypically pretty female which therefore will draw the male population in also. Our opening is also a rom/com and the montages and voice over are meant to be quite funny, hopefully they'll draw the audience in making them interested in the opening.

planning- filming and weather!

We still need to film our first montage and the part were the journalist is sat at his desk, but because our first montage could do with being set when the weather is warm and sunny it'll be quite hard to film with all the bad weather we are having.
Having warm weather sets our scene, the couple are meant to be in love so the sun reflects a happy mood. I don't think this will be possible as the weather has been forecasted as snow all weekend apart from Sunday. We may be able to finish our filming on Sunday depending if our actors are free.

planning- production name completed.

Today we completed our production name on Adobe Flash CS3, we've added effects to it to make it look entertaining. This is a picture of our finished production name:

planning- production name change.

We didn't really think our old production name 'F & R Productions' was effective enough so we decided to change it. We think the new name is a lot more creative and fits better with the genre sort of. This is only a rough copy and may change again.

planning- second day of filming.

Yesterday we filmed our opening titles on the magazines. It didn't take us long as we only had to film the names on them but it was quite hard to get it in the middle of the shot and make sure it wasn't blurry. Also because we are not using the editing software (Adobe Flash CS3) it is harder to film the magazines on the wall with the lighting as it isn't as clear. We managed to get a number of shots so we can choose the ones we like the best and we can also vary them when we edit them today on Serif Movie Plus.
We took some photo evidence of us filming the opening titles and some pictures of the magazines we used:

planning- first day of filming.

Today we completed our first bit of filming. We filmed the second montage where the girlfriend had been dumped by text. We took various shots so we could choose from a range of them, this helped us decide which shot looked more effective. We was originally filming it in our actresses conservatory but that didnt go to plan so we had to change it to just be against a plain wall in Rachels kitchen. The filming went successfully and we will begin to film more of our opening tomorrow after school.

planning- titles.

For our opening sequence we decided to do our titles on magazine covers which we created on Publisher, because it relates to the journalist narrative, we have done 4 covers each with 2 titles on it each. We've included the director, producer, hair and costume, editor, production designer, screenplay and the cast. We will stick them on the wall of the journalists office and film them before the film starts. These are previews of 2 of our magazines:

planning- weather forecast updated.

We looked at the weather forecast again today for Sunday when we will be filming outside, and it says there will be light rain. We may be able to finish off our opening sequence if it doesn't rain all day. However if it does we will have to reschedule when we will be filming the outdoor piece.

planning- weather forecast.

Today we looked on MetOffice for the upcoming weeks weather forecast so we know when we can film our opening sequence. We are filming Wednesday and Thursday inside so we don't really need to rely on the weather as much. Whereas on Sunday we will be filming outside so we will need to check the weather forecast again tomorrow.

planning- research on after effects.

We didn't really have much knowledge on how to use adobe after effects so we thought it would be best to research it and watch videos of how to do title sequences and what we need to do to make our title sequence look effective.

planning- film title.

We also came up with our film name today! yay:)
We have decided to call it 'The Writer' which fits with our narrative as it is about a journalist for a magazine and it also fits in with the romantic genre.

planning- production name.

Today we made a rough copy of our production name. We did it on Adobe Flash CS3 Professional and it is roughly around 2 and a half seconds so it won't take up much of our time limit.

planning- moodboard.

Here is a moodboard which sums up our opening sequence...

planning- costumes for our opening.

This glog shows the costumes that we will be using in our opening and what they connote from each character.

planning- mise-en-scene & props.

For our opening we will need a number of props in the scenes, they will only be basic props but will help give the audience an idea of what job the male has and where he is. In the first part when the main character is at his desk we will need a number of props to help set the scene and give it a more office type feel. We will be using-                                                    



Pencil Case, containing stationary for the journalist.

Printer, looks like the journalist works at home too.

His phone, technical convergence? on his phone as well as the laptop.

A laptop which the main character will be writing his article on.

A lamp which sets the time, if we decide to turn it on could be shown as nighttime, otherwise it sets the scene and can also be used as extra lighting.

planning- rough soundtrack ideas.

Me and Rachel went on jamendo.com to look for songs which fit in with our rom/com genre. We have decided we will need two or three songs in the first part and montages and a few sound effects for our opening titles.

The song we use in the first part where the main character is sat at his desk will need to be gentle so it isn't overpowering the monologue which is being played at the same time. As our opening is supposed to be quite quirky we think the song in the background will also have to be quite 'quirky' and 'indie' which most rom/coms use anyway in their films.

The sound effects used in our opening titles will have to be a sort of typing sound for when each title comes up and something which makes our film name effective. Something catchy will draw the audience in and hopefully make them want to watch it more. We also need the sound of an email for when Dave receives the email from Kate, to outline the fact that he has an email.

Some of the music clips we looked at and thought we could use for our film opening are;
You Are You- Fall Walk Run

Hard Times- Neon Bicycles

Faded War- Josh Woodward

These are only rough ideas and may change throughout our planning.

planning- recce shots of our location.

We are using three different locations for our opening sequence. We have taken a few photos of the locations we will be filming in, so we can get a visual idea of our setting and give us a more realistic idea to what it will be like when filming.

The start of the film will be set in an office like location where the character is sat at his desk writing his article. The 'office' will be made up of furniture from home and props so it looks more like a study for the main character.

Our first montage will be set outside a local McDonalds, because we are outside and will be filming on the public footpath we won't need to ask for any permission from the owners of the restaurant. Being outside it will also show the audience that they didn't even manage to make it inside the restaurant on their 'date'.

 Our second montage will be filmed in our chosen actors conservatory where she will receive the text from the main character. We will be filming at night which will create a dark mood upon the character which will portray her emotions as being upset and lonely. At this point because we are filming the character as a close up it will be very personal touch on the audience giving them an idea of her feelings.

planning- film opening storyboard.

We created a storyboard of what is going to happen in our opening. It will help us guide our way through filming and gives us an idea of what camera angles and shots to use.

planning- opening sequence scene 2.

Scene 2 – Montage One, McDonalds

This will be shot on location, at a local McDonalds.

Providing we arrive to the ‘set’ early enough, the location will be pretty quiet and not at all busy – perfect for us to be able to film well.

The lead male and his ex-girlfriend will be in this scene.
He will be wearing jeans, a shirt and perhaps trainers – this will connote his laid back feel towards this relationship, as this is further represented by his choice of restaurant.

She will be wearing a pretty day dress and flat shoes. Her hair will be curled and styled into a smart and attractive style and her make up simple but pretty - symbolising her femininity and showing the effort she made for the date.
Natural lighting will be used, we will plan to film this scene on a sunny day as it will help to create a happy mood that’s often shown in romantic comedies, and also the sunshine will connote jolliness – happy/humorous – fitting with the comedic effect? Having a happy/natural lighting will also create the effect of a memory, something he is reminiscing on. Even if it isn't a 'good' memory.

Script:

*as the couple are walking along towards McDonalds

Chloe: I’m so excited; it’s so lovely of you to take me out on our anniversary!

Dave: *laughs slightly* don’t worry about it! It’s our three year anniversary; of course we have to celebrate a little bit!

Chloe: *smiles at him and then looks up at the restaurant, her face drops and she looks angry* McDonalds?! Please tell me you’re joking! You’re taking me here, on our anniversary?!

Dave: *starts to look uncomfortable and uneasy. Stutters a little* I, I err…

Chloe: *huffs and storms off with the look of disgust on her face*

planning- opening sequence scene 1.

Scene 1 – Opening Scene (to be filmed after the monologue has been recorded, for timing reasons)

Monologue is playing...

Main character is sat at his desk. He is working on an idea for his ‘article’. He is talking the audience through basic things, such as his name, what he’s doing, where he works. All the things the audience need to know to get the gist of what is happening within the scene.The scene will be quite relaxed, almost welcoming to the viewers, natural lighting and neutral colours. His desk will be pretty cluttered, reflecting his thoughts/emotions at this time. There’ll be a few magazine covers pinned onto the wall and scattered around – ones he may have helped edit or whatever. A picture frame with his favourite football team in perhaps, a cup of coffee, a cup full of stationary, a laptop..
He will be wearing his smart clothes from work. A pair of smart trousers and a white shirt, slightly unbuttoned to connote his stress and despair. Also this shows how he can be quite ‘hopeless’ and ‘careless’.

Monologue:

I suppose I should blame myself for my lack of good relationships. I’m the one who messes things up, 99% of the time. I mean, not all have been bad; I’ve not always been the bad guy. I’ve had my fair share of loonies and cheats for ex-girlfriends, just as much as the next guy.

But the majority of my relationships? I’ve messed them up.

My names Dave and I’m an intern journalist. I left uni last year, and since then I’ve been working for one of the biggest women’s magazine companies in the country. It’s my dream job, being the only man in the office has its perks I guess, but it’s been my dream to work here for ever. The thing is, I’ve been asked by my really hot boss to write an article about my various relationship experiences, to entertain the women readers.

If it’s enough, it’ll get published, and I will get a full time contract with the company – no pressure at all right?

The only problem is I’m struggling to find someone to write about.

Like I said, I’ve had many relationships, but I guess not many of them are…

*trails off on this line as his thoughts are disrupted by his idea*

(Excited): Wait! I could write about Chloe, my recent ex. Yeah we dated for a year…

*montage clip begins*

(Almost uncomfortable after remembering what happened): Nah, better not…

There’s always Alice? Ah no, I dumped her by text…

*montage clip two begins*

(In despair): I am honestly doomed!

*email comes through from Kate, he looks up and smiles – sort of an eureka moment*

I’ve never dated her before, but Kate’s hot, smart and pretty fun. I suppose it could work… (Sound of wonder in his voice as it trails off slightly)

*Opening title sequence will run*