Shooting Schedule and evaluation of day of shoot

Garage shots in the studio 10-11.15am. Canteen shots of shooters and selected students 11.30-12.30pm. Shots of a full canteen 12.30-1pm. Lunch for cast and crew 1-2pm. More canteen shots of shooters and selected students 2.30-3.30pm. TV room shots in the studio 3.45-5pm. Between 5-6pm anything else needed to be shot. Our shooting schedule is based around the available times to shoot within the canteen. We have given ourselves enough time to get all the footage needed and extra time just in case.

The Shoot Day

on Monday 18th January my group set out to film our thriller (name changed to Hollow Point). we started the day by having a group discussion about what needed to be done beforehand. The planning for our shoot day was done prior to the actual date. Our shoot day started quite chaoticly as we had a change of cast from Guy Simpson to Alex Gray and not all of our cast members turned up even though they had agreed prior to the shoot day and therefore we had to brief a very large cast of what we expected them to do. Our storyboard turned out to be more of a guideline, as we ended up shooting the whole sequence on six camera phones from different points of view (victims and shooters). We set up three different groups of cast with members of our production team who would film the sequence as if we too were victims. Therefore it was a joint effort as we all were able to film as well as direct our group. The shooters also used camera phones to film their journey through the cafeteria making their way to each group of people, starting downstairs and then one shooter up the front stairs and one using the back stairs so when the thriller is finaly edited the audience will get to see a variety of perspectives. We then rehearsed the whole sequence a few times (without blood) as the whole thing was to be done in one shot where blood would be used because we were pushed for time to clean up the cafeteria, so there was no time for mistakes in our final take. Everything ran smoothly and we got the take we needed. I then also took two shots of the shooters preparing their guns and also their intentions. We also set up a camera at lunchtime to film a full cafeteria in fast track. After the slight panic of the morning the rest of the day ran smoothly, we worked well as a team and followed Matt's instruction and over all completed all the shots we needed.

Cast List, Props List, Floor Plan and Storyboard

For our shooters we used Guy Simpson And Rory Skeoch as they look completely different making them seem ordinary. Guy has dark hair which can convey the darkness of the character. Rory has a shaved head which symbolises the military side of two boys. The rest of our cast is a mixture of male and female students, we chose a selection of people who stereotypically would appear to be a group of friends so that we can sit them together and shoot the closer shots of them being killed however we chose a variety so that they would appear as normal students. Everyone used in the cast were students from Hurtwood House therefore they would be realistic at playing the roles and can relate to the characters.

We are going to hire the weapons, for everything else we will use our own belongings. Guy has army clothing which we will use for the shooters.

Props include: costumes (for shooters) include:

x2 realistic/ fake shotguns x2 camouflage trousers

x2 realistic/ fake pistols x2 black t shirts

x4 amo cartridges for various guns x2 hoodies

zip sports bag (keep weapons in) x2 pairs of trainers

x2 fake grenade

mobile phones

students: their normal clothes

The next step in the pre-production process of creating an opening sequence of a Thriller was to start producing storyboards. A storyboard is a detailed breakdown of the specific technicalities that the production crew must follow whilst shooting. It also provides a clear guide for the editor to construct the sequence as the creator intended it to look and sound. The storyboard therefore details camera, sound, lighting and mise en scene details as well as dictating timing, pace and editing style.

Initially our group finalised the specific shots in sequence order by carefully visualising the sequence and researching existing movies that used a similar filmic style.

location

We have chosen to shoot our sequence in the Hurtwood House School cafeteria to make the sequence more credible as it is actually shot at a school. It will enable us to do wide shots of the full cafeteria at lunchtime and also it is local for the cast and crew so we would not have to leave campus. It has a staircase and tables which are needed for some of our shots. We would be able to use it for free so therefore we will save money. The wide set windows enables us to be able to shoot internally of the external and externally of the internal making our sequence more stylised. The lighting in the cafeteria is appropriate for our sequence and will make it more realistic. However unfortunately we have short slots for shooting in the downstairs area of the cafeteria which puts a strain on our shooting day however we can overcome this issue by being organised and prepared and shooting outside and upstairs when we cannot shoot inside.

Target audience

The target audience we have chosen is 15 and above. The social class is middle class we chose this because it has a complicated story line. It is mainly aimed at the male gender because it is rather graphic and the male sterotype likes a graphic movie.However, because of the content of the sequence and the issues raised, we thought that it may to appeal to older audiences, around 25 and upwards as everyone experiences the fear of terrorist attacks etc. The film plays on the natural human instinct to give things a reason and make sense of things that are apparently senseless and is designed to encourage uncomfortable audience voyeurism. The film asks deep questions about life perhaps questions that everyone asks themselves but would never speak aloud. The film would also show how easy it is for a young person to be influenced to commit a sick and twisted crime, the difference between right and wrong and perhaps the flaws in society today. This shows that everyone over the age of 15 would be able to relate somehow to the film. Therefore our main target audience would perhaps be 15-25 year olds (both male and female) as they would be able to relate best to the plot; however there is no reason to suggest that people older than 25 would not enjoy it and relate to it.

Research sources

Elephant synopsis: Elephant is about two high school students Eric and Alex, two close friends and students in a suburb of Portland who calmly plan and perform a mass execution of their classmates and school administrators in the course of one day. Eric and Alex are ordinary and very much a part of the fabric of the high school and its array of student actions. In fact it’s hard to distinguish them from all the other students. The school is filled with various students discussing each other, playing sports, and learning about Science and Civics. Alex plays classical piano and Eric plays video games and they are interested in seemingly average things. They calmly watch Nazi programs on TV and purchase and demo automatic weaponry that they buy over the Internet. They seem just as ordinary and interesting as any of the other students. They analytically draw up plans for their killing spree, indicating that they have enough bombs and ordinance to last the afternoon. They walk through the school killing their school peers and there is no rescue from the authorities.'Gus Vant Sant, the writer and director, cast teenagers to play the appropriate roles. For the specific shooting scene, the camera cuts between different areas of the school showing people being shot, running, screaming etc. This creates the impression for the audience that the two boys are moving casually around the school. At the start of the sequence there is only digetic sound of people being shot and talking, as the sequence progresses non-digectic music is used to build tension and create fear for the audience but also create a sense of sorrow and pain.

Thriller/Horror Synopsis - "High Score"

High Score- Based on true events, at 12.00pm, on the 10th of October 2010, teacher and student disguise themselves and stroll into the British boarding school, Jacksonville. They then blitz the school canteen and cause minor injuries to also appear as victims. We follow their "normal" lives leading up to the event, the main reason for their actions, and also how they eventually get found out, when a witness builds up the courage to tell the true events of that fatal day.

THE COLUMBINE SHOOTING

The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in an unincorporated area in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and with Littleton's postal code. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12 students and one teacher. They also injured 21 other students directly, and three people were injured while attempting to escape. The pair then committed suicide. It is the fourth-deadliest school massacre in United States history, after the 1927 Bath School disaster, 2007 Virginia Tech massacre and the 1966 University of Texasmassacre, and the deadliest for an American high school.The massacre provoked debate regarding gun control laws, the availability of firearms in the United States, and gun violence involving youths. Much discussion also centered on the nature of high school cliques, subcultures and bullying, as well as the role of violent movies and video games in American society. The shooting also resulted in an increased emphasis on school security, and a moral panic aimed at goth culture, social outcasts, the gun culture, the use of pharmaceutical anti-depressants by teenagers, violent films and music, teenage internet use, and violent video games.