Permission Received

I have been given permission to film at Derwent Reservoir. This is important as I do not want anyone to confront me about and cause a problem. As I have mentioned in the previous post, you don't necessarily need filming permission if it is an area open to the public.

Permission Email Sent

I have found a useful website on 'how to get permission to film in a public place' by Sean Malone. The first point he makes is not to ask for filming permission, although this is risky it's unlikely that anyone will stop you. And if they do, you should move on and film somewhere else. Malone says that in the UK there are no laws to prevent anyone filming on public streets.

Not asking for permission is a risk that I am not willing to take. Even though it is a public area I have still asked for permission to prevent any problems while filming.

Here's a screenshot of the email that I sent.

Permissions

I am going to send emails asking for permission to film in these locations so that there aren't any problems when filming.

Script

I have created a script to give to the cast and crew to help them understand what goes on in the scenes. By using the 12-point Courier font I have made the script look more professional. This allows me to recognise how long the opening sequence will last as each page is typically one minute long.

Storyboard DRAFT

Storyboard

(Opening sequence)

I have created a storyboard as part of pre-production to make it easier for cast and crew to visualise what the media product will look like and I will use this to keep track of what scenes I need to film. This will also keep me organised during post-production when editing to create the desired colour for each scenes. I have added a time in each box to show an estimate of how long I want that particular scene to last. 

Film Treatment/Proposal DRAFT

This film treatment will help pitch my idea and present my project by describing what the media product is about.
Image: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Anston+Brook+Primary+School/@53.3511726,-1.2209154,643m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x48799f87d25d1c95:0x30a354e3a088e763!8m2!3d53.3521665!4d-1.2201616

Budget Breakdown

I have created a budget breakdown to help me manage my budget and keep me from overspending. I made it in Excel so I could easily add up totals avoiding human error and make it look professional. The estimated total is what the production would cost me however, I can use a lot of the equipment that I need free of charge as it is available at my school. I have calculated a total of 20 hours on set and this will be all I need as I am making an opening sequence for the community project.

Source of finance

Having looked at the different types of finance I have decided that crowd funding would be best as it is a not for profit product and you don't give the money back. Local authority/ Public investment is another source of finance I am considering as this is a local project.

The Idea

I wanted to come up with an original idea without being influenced by media I have watched so, I took the first word on a random page of a book. I did this three times and the words I got were: mind, photography and real. From those three words I created an original story line fitting in with my chosen genre.
Here's a rough idea of what I'm planning to produce:

Opening Sequence Analysis: Baby Driver

The second film opening sequence I have decided to analyse is Baby Driver. It's very different to typical films as Edgar Wright created a film where the sound has been synchronised with the camera shots to give it a cinematic feel. The film follows the two different lifestyles lead by Baby, whose hearing is partially impaired because of a car accident he was involved in when he was younger. He works as a getaway driver for his boss, Doc, and he is also portrayed as a caring regular guy who looks after Joseph, his deaf foster parent. But just as he thinks he's finished and can have his life back Doc gives him one more job with violently unstable criminals which put him and Debora, his love interest, in danger.

The film begins with a wide shot from a low angle of a regular street only using muted cool tones to emphasise the bright red car which pulls up in front of the camera forcing a close up shot of the wheel. Already the main characters are easy to distinguish from each other with their colour coordinated outfits which become clearer later on. The  film introduces each character one by one with the beat of the music Baby plays into his earphones. This is followed by a series of pan shots as the three walk into the bank wearing sunglasses and bandanas to hide their identities. As they disappear into the bank the camera cuts to Baby dancing and singing to his upbeat music which suggests he is just a kid and emphasises the contrast between him and the professional criminals suggesting that he doesn't belong in the group.

This cheerful atmosphere quickly comes to an end when a police car rides past with its sirens on and the music fades out. We then see Baby's point of view as he looks at the chaos inside the ban. The music in the background is suppressed by the screams within the bank showing Baby has lost focus on the music. As a shot gets fired the music returns to it's normal upbeat rhythm and Baby twitches as though he feels uncomfortable further emphasising that he's not used to violence and doesn't belong with the criminals.

After robbing the bank this quickly turns into a chase scene where Baby shows off his unusually good driving skills. The music is accompanied by the sounds of the car engines and police sirens. This continues the well edited sound which make it pleasing for the audience to watch. The chase scene continues for about three minutes before the titles sequence starts.

In comparison, this opening sequence grabs the viewers’ attention from the beginning whereas Hidden Figures is more relaxed and introduces character Katherine Johnson using a series of flashbacks into her school life. Baby Driver uses many cuts of actions scenes and as Hidden Figures is a historical drama the shots are longer.

Screenshots from: http://moviescreenshots.blogspot.com/2018/03/baby-driver-2017-part-1.html

Opening Sequence Analysis: Hidden Figures

As part of my research, I am going to analyse the opening sequence to Hidden Figures and Baby Driver. The beginning of a film is very important, as it has to be entertaining for the viewer to be interested and want to watch it further. The colour palette, mise-en-scene, shot types, etc. all play a part in making the film interesting to watch. Hopefully, this analysis will give me a couple ideas of what to do for my own opening sequence.

Hidden Figures is a historical drama based on true events on the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The film follows the lives of three African-American women Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson working for NASA. This film uses Todorov’s narrative theory which create an interesting structure. The film consists of various ups and downs these female mathematicians faced, such as the gender and racial divide that existed in society back then.

Hidden figures begins with a flashback to when Katherine was a young girl. The producer has done this to give the audience some context to be able to understand the scenes that follow. Katherine was given a place at a higher education and got taken on early due to her incredible potential. This introduction to the protagonist’s childhood is shown in a slight sepia tone suggesting it is in the past. The producer conforms to the geek stereotype as Katherine wears glasses however, he breaks stereotypes by having three African-American female protagonists.

The hue changes to the current time of 1961 with a pan into an establishing shot. The sepia tone fades and we see a broken down car. The characters are set up almost immediately with the wide camera shot showing Dorothy trying to fix the car, Katherine daydreaming and Mary standing on the other side of the screen irritated by the situation. Suddenly, a police car is seen in the distance. The three women seem nervous signifying they don’t belong there setting the tone for the civil rights movement and what black women endured at the time. As the white male police officer walks up to the three women a close up shot shows his hand on the baton suggesting he’s quick to judge and does not trust them. However, when he finds out they work for NASA he quickly becomes friendly representing the importance of the space race to the entire country. This leads to the police officer offering them an escort to NASA.

In conclusion, the use of a flashback at the beginning fills in the audience on important information without distracting from the current time and helps get to the point quicker. The different colour palettes help indicate the different time zones effectively. I will now compare this opening sequence to Baby Driver which will hopefully give me some ideas of what to do for my production.
Screenshots from http://moviescreenshots.blogspot.com/2018/01/hidden-figures-2016-part-1.html

Genre Analysis

Comedy:

Strengths: It doesn't need any props. All it needs is a funny script.
Weaknesses: It is usually hard to make as the script has to be funny. Also some people don't find comedy very realistic because of all the humour.
Opportunities: It can improve the audiences happiness.
Threats: Even if the media is funny for some it won't be funny for all of the audience as it might not be to everyone's 'taste'.

Action:

Strengths: Because of the continuous action it keeps the audience interested if it has a well made script. 
Weaknesses: It can be difficult to create convincing SFX.
Opportunities: It is a popular genre so you would have a large audience.
Threats: It can promote violence.

Thriller:

Strengths: It usually has an interesting storyline if scripted well.
Weaknesses: Thriller can cause health problems especially for young children.
Opportunities: Making a thriller would provide the chance to use different lighting and camera techniques.
Threats: Filming would be difficult; if dangerous looking props are used the public may call the police.

Having analysed these three genres I've decided to film a thriller because I want to make an engaging short clip in which my audience will enjoy the storyline.

Action Plan

I have created this action plan to help me stay on track with my planning and make sure I don't miss any important parts from the pre-production. I went through all the documentation I need in order to produce a short clip and I put them in the order I intend to complete them. With this action plan the outcome, of my pre-production project, will be successful.