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LAURA SOUTER

CANDIDATE NUMBER 1860

CLAREMONT FAN COURT SCHOOL 64680 

My production team included: Tallulah Duffy 1823 and Fia Brown 1804

My brief: A film opening task: to create the titles and opening of a new fiction film, lasting a maximum of 2 minutes. The title of our film is ‘Cynic’, a horror film centring a paranormal event. In our film opening we explore how our protagonist is haunted by the ghost of her older sister, brought to her through the magic of a Ouija board. As the action unfolds, we come to realise that the spirit is not friendly. Instead, the spirit is evil and intimidating – coming to teach her sister a ‘lesson’.

Finished product

 

 

Camera work: As I was a minor character with very little screen time, I spent a lot of the time behind the camera. This gave me the opportunity to experiment with various angles and shot types. I had to use a range of techniques to achieve our end goal. For example, filming in the woods I used handheld camera work to achieve a shaky effect. Whereas in other shots (such as the protagonist’s home) I used a tripod so the camera is stationary. I enjoyed this role to further develop my skills and become comfortable with camera work.

Directing: The directing of our film opening as a group effort. We all gave our input as we were always working together for each scene which was really helpful as we gathered our creative ideas. We planned beforehand what we would do however we normally adapted the idea while we were on set. We often found inspiration in the moment. The directing of the film opening was very enjoyable because we collated our ideas and were all really involved in the process.

Editing:  We completed our editing on IMovie and Final Cut Pro. Tallulah Duffy took a big role as the main editor for she felt it was something she could execute successfully. Fia and myself helped by offering advice on background sounds, coloured effects, the ordering of clips and which ones to keep. We all came together to combine our ideas to create the best result. We found this handy to make sure the final product ran smoothly. We met challenges of having differing ideas which we eventually had to overcome to achieve our fullest potential.

REFINEMENTS

13th April: first day of filming and the editing of these shots.

On this day we went out to film the opening of our film. We made refinements including reshooting certain shots such as reaction shots if they weren't centred or the facial expression 

could've been executed better to give a more petrified look. The most significant reaction shot in this scene is when Mary see's her sister's demon standing only a few feet away from her. 

In post production, originally we did not have non-diegetic sound. However, on reflection we refined this idea and  added non-diegetic sound of eerie music to Mary's reaction and this was more successful in highlighting the frightening climax of 'Cynic.' When editing, we over-layed eerie non-diegetic music and gradually increased the volume of the sound. This refinement allowed for this moment to be very dramatic and striking. 

We had to think of refinements for our location, characters and costumes too. Emilia's dress was central to our discussion, but we eventually decided on a mid length white dress covered in mud and dirt. Originally we considered a black dress, but we eventually collectively decided that white connotes a ghostly figure. 

We filmed the beginning bedroom scene where Kate and Mary discuss the ouija board in Tallulah's bedroom which originally we planned to film outside. However, we believed the bedroom was more convincing in presenting Mary's life, setting herself and her friend (who I played). In our local woods, we experimented with different camera angles and different set locations within the forest itself. We believed the woods as a location was perfect in reflecting the scary, frightening character of Emilia through the mise-en-scene. 

 The stereotypes of the 'dark woods' emphasises the creepy atmosphere and foreshadows Mary's torment to follow.  

CHANGES

Film Concept 

Out of our various changes, the concept is a very important one. Our original film concept involved our protagonist Mary being picked up in an Uber where the the Uber driver is threatening and frightens Mary. However, after sitting down and reflecting on our idea we decided this concept could've been improved: more creative and unique. With the lack of us being able to drive being a key factor hindering our idea we began to brainstorm new ideas. 

We wanted to include a supernatural element into our film and make it a thriller/ horror film. We considered a Ouija board which we decided to keep and used as a feature for our film for this is how Emilia's ghost was summoned. We incorporated this into our new film idea where Mary is being visited by the ghost of her dead sister Emilia. We could explore this more easily and film in the woods and at Tallulah's house instead of filming inside a moving car which we found may be harder to film and execute. 

REFLECTIONS

1st July 2021 Final filming day and reflections 

On this day, we filmed our final scenes of the film opening including the graveyard scene and the end at Tallulah's house. On reflection, I believe we worked together well. As a filming team, we were able to utilise all of our ideas together. We adapted to alterations and changes well and managed to compromise on our ideas. As I was mainly behind the camera, I directed most of the final scenes and directed my groupmates in the process.  For example, for some scenes we found that the depth of field was not right and we therefore as a group changed this. We spent careful time thinking and considering different shots: long shots, over the shoulder shots, etc, to make our opening interesting.

On the whole, I believe throughout this planning and filming process we worked together to compromise ideas and create an exciting, intriguing film opening which would make somebody want to watch on. I believe our film is engrossing and gripping because of the meaning of the content we created and the way we have utilised our skills to our advantage. 

EDITS

Post-production edits 

Using IMovie, we made made final edits to each scene to create a more professional look. We spent time carefully choosing which scenes to use. 

In post production, we considered the order of our scenes and the diegetic and non-diegetic sound to be used

We made edits to the order of our scenes so that they were chronological in order for viewers to understand that the film opening is the beginning of a narrative, instead of a trailer for example.

 We collaborated speech with non-diegetic music. We edited and changed the sad, melancholy diegetic music to more of sinister music to present the supernatural tones of the film opening. 

We edited the scenes themselves to turn down the saturation from normal to low, in order for the scenes to appear dimmed and create the eerie tone which we were shriving for.

FILM POSTER

Publishing of the 'Cynic' film poster. 

The still image taken from my film opening is a significant moment. It was just before Mary saw the ghost of her possessed sister, Emilia. 

When choosing an image for a film poster it is important that it is from a noteworthy extract off the film. For my choice of genre, horror, it is essential that the poster has a 'fright factor'. This will entice viewers to want to watch the film. 

COSTUME DEVELOPMENT

 

FILMING: HOT SEATING

In this video we asked the actress who plays our protagonist questions about the portray her character: Mary. 

So how would you describe your character Mary? 

How does your character’s role develop throughout the film opening 

Do you think Mary was frightened when she used the ouija board? 

How were you able to connect to the experiences that Mary had to your own if you had not experienced it before 

Can you give us any clues of what happens after the final cliff hanger?

PLANNING: RISK ASSESSMENT

 

	HAZARD TO HEALTH AND SAFETY	RISK POSED AND TO WHOM	LEVEL H/M/L	CONTROL MEASURE TO REDUCE RISK	FURTHER ACTION IS NEEDED TO REDUCE RISK
First aid issues	-          Walking to the local woods	-          potentially could trip over tree stumps or get stung by stinging nettles/ hazard of tripping/ other plants causing obstruction, slips and trips, awkward posture	L	-          Be aware of the surrounding environment and watch out for hazardous plants	-          Have suitable medical equipment nearby
Transport	-       Crossing the road         Traveling in the car from Talullah’s house to the woods.	-        Potential risk of being hit by car – looking the wrong way   -        Risk of car crash when driving in car	M	-       Cross at pedestrian crossings. Look both ways (take caution when crossing). -       Make sure somebody is looking around for uncoming cars.	-        Be cautious when walking/driving to filming location
Weather	Rain -       ­ will make forest floor slippery.     -       Will make clothing and filming equipment (Iphone) wet.	-       All actors Fall over and trip – injury oneself   -       Get cold and sick from wet clothing. Slipping/dropping wet phone and it smashes	L	-       Take caution when walking and wear appropriate clothes incase theres a risk of rain. E.g no cotton.	-       Bring wellies/umbrella. Perhaps first aid kit.
Accommodation eg risk assessment from centre, bedding	No overnight accommodation	NA	L	NA	NA
Major public incident e.g. terrorism	-       Act of terrorism given national threat level – although very low risk.	-       Group could become caught up in a terrorist incident causing injuries or separation – again risk is low	L	-       Stay alert

 

 

PLANNING: CASTING

CYNIC

CASTING

CHARACTER CASTING 

Actor: Talullah Duffy

Inspiration: Elena Gilbert from 'The Vampire Diaries' 

Protagonist - Mary

Mary is the stereotypical teenage girl who is extremely likeable and friendly - but in this case also very vulnerable. We cast Talullah for this role because we felt we could ultise her acting skills, and we took inspiration from Elena Gilbert from Vampire Diaries. Elena is described as  compassionate, empathetic, caring and friendly. She could be very vulnerable and a damsel in distress. So therefore, this fits our character profile very succesfully. After the death of her dear sister Emilia, Mary is mourning her passing and wishes for a way to speak to her. And as the audience comes to realise, it does not go to plan for her.

CYNIC 

CASTING

Antagonist - Emilia (as a ghost)

Actor: Fia Brown 

Inspiration: Samara in 'The Ring' (2002)

Fia will play the character of Emilia - a ghost who is accidentally summonded by her sister Mary. The ghost is a terrifying phantom who appears to want to harm her sister - illustrated through her disturbing image. The ghost is a stereotypical spirit who torments and agonizes through fear. For inspiration, I've chosen Samara from 'The Ring' - a young girl with supernatural gifts who was thrown down a well, and she returns to our physical reality through the cursed tape.

YOURLOGO

Best Friend of Mary - Kate

r: Fia Brown

Actor: Laura Souter 

Inspiration: Lily from 'The Princess Diaries'  

Kate is the best friend of the protagonist. This is a small role, but it is vital nevertheless because Kate is the catalyst for the curse of the Ouija board. We took inspiration from Lily from The Princess Diaires, a stereotypical best friend who is much like the character of Kate - kind and compassionate,perhaps smarter than the main protagonist  Lily is portrayed as intelligent, confident, and socially conscious. 

CCR1

 

2.CREATIVE CRITICAL REFLECTION

 

3. CREATIVE CRITICAL REFLECTION