Wednesday 15 March 2017

Sound Brainstorm:


Overall, we concluded that we wanted the sound to be of the Jazz genre because that will allow it to be quite seductive and classy. However, we want to find a soundtrack that can create suspense and can be suggestive of the dark attributes that the protagonist has. We need to be careful in picking our soundtrack to be certain that it is copyright free.

Changes made to the narrative:

Changes made to narrative:

After discussing as a group about the difficulty we have had shooting the ending scenes. We have decided to change the narrative of the title sequence and the location. We had previously wanted the title sequence to show the lead female and the male victim going to a bar where they will share drinks and she will spike his. We had tried to set up two locations as a bar, due to us being under age and unable to film in an actual bar. However, both times were unsuccessful for numerous reasons whether it being the ability of the camera, the lighting or the Mise-en Scene. Therefore we have opted to change the narrative.


We will once again be using Maddie Hodge's house to film in. However, this time it wont be set up as a bar, it will be used as the protagonist's home. She will initially take him into the kitchen where she will pour and spike his drink, then he will be lured upstairs where he become disorientated and die. The location is quite colourful but it is still sophisticated and the sizes of the rooms will be good to work with. As well as this, the house is quite open and the kitchen has window panels in the ceiling. Therefore, we will be able to shoot using high- key naturalistic lighting.


Death Scene shoot 2



The Props we used:



We re-shot using the Drama Room in the Art Department. It was quite a low lit room with black walls. We set up a table against the wall and covered it with a red table cloth because it is a suggestive colour. it was originally creased so we had to iron it. Although, this didn't get rid of all of the creases it was still an improvement.
                                                                                    

The Mise-En-Scene was more conventional of the genre. It resembled a bar type setting. Although, the lighting was difficult to work with since it  appeared uneven despite us using two light box's on either side of the camera. In addition to this, the light would reflect off the black wall, which created nice shadows. However, it was disturbing and became the main focus in the shot. There were still problems with the Mise-En-Scene because there were white specks on the wall, which were quite distracting. As well as this, the props were not as realistic as they could be. To specify the drink in the glasses was water. Where as, it should be a drink that represents something an adult would drink in a bar, such as wine or whiskey.                                                        

Production Log:

Location: Drama room:
Who: Maddie H, Niamh, Maddie B, Kelly and Kaan
Equipment: DSLR and Tri-Pod, Two light box's
Costume & Make-up: Black Dress with lace straps, Black dress with cut out dress, fishnets, Black heels, Red lipstick.
Navy blue  suit, checked shirt, navy blue tie, black work shoes.
Props: A wine glass, Whiskey glass, A pipit, Blackcurrant juice, A synthetic flower, Wallet and business card, red table cloth, a table.
Purpose: shoots victims death scene
Duration: 2 hours.

This shoot was the hardest so far. It took a long time to set up and although we tried to make-do with the equipment that we had and make the most of the time we had to shoot in this location. It just wasn't successful and it became really hard to frame the shots so that the identity's were concealed.


Death Scene shoot 1:

Our first attempt at shooting the death scene was shot at Maddie Hodges house. We had set it up to be some kind of Restaurant/Bar. We had flowery stools and the table had a flower design on them. This was to indicate the theme of the Wolf's bane. However, it didn't come across this way. It was still successful in some ways, such as the camera angles, the lighting and positioning. The high-key lighting helped to make everything look quite slick and the costumes were contrasted nicely against the white walls and flooring.



However, the Mise-en-Scene didn't work, as it wasn't suggestive of the genre since it resembled two people going to the cafĂ© during the day, instead of two adults meeting for drinks of an evening. Overall, this resulted in it lacking tension and narrative enigma. We used Kaan Gunduz as the Male Victim as he fit the character description well and his performance was successful within the shots. However, everything will need be re-shot once we decide on a different location that will create a more sophisticated setting.



Test footage:


Production Log

Location: Maddie H's house
Who: Maddie H, Niamh and Kaan
Equipment: DSLR and Tri-Pod
Costume & Make-up: Black Dress with lace straps, Black dress with cut out dress, fishnets, Black heels, Red lipstick.
Navy blue  suit, blue and white checked shirt, Navy blue tie, black work shoes.
Props: Two whiskey glasses, A pipit, Blackcurrant juice, A synthetic flower, A table and two stools
Purpose: Victims death scene
Duration: 2 hours.

We spent a short amount of time setting up the room and moving furniture. In attempt to create a bar type of setting. However, it didn't come across this way. We worked rapidly and successfully as Me and Maddie H learned the ropes of Cinematography since Maddie B couldn't attend this shoot.

Budget:

The budget that we have decided on is $40 million. This could be seen as quite high in comparson to budgets in this genre. However, we feel it would be necessary since the Actors that we have playing the roles have a lot of star power. The location of the film is New York and the lead protagonist lives in a high end apartment which would cost a lot to rent out. Not to mention, the prices of props and costumes that will be needed.

Cast:




Mother/"Mrs. Cloutier" - Sharon Stone
Because of Sharon's age, she could fulfil the motherly role for our film. Also, because of her role in Basic Instincts (1992), she has been linked to this genre before and would reprise the role of her mother well.









Father/"Mr. Cloutier" - Tom Hanks
We chose Tom Hanks due to his previous fatherly roles in films such as Forrest Gump (1994) and much more serious-toned films such as The Da Vinci Code (2006), Tom Hanks understanding of both genres would lead to an entertaining performance in Woman's Bane.







Female lead/"Violet Cloutier" - Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot is a rising star, with her role in Batman VS Superman (2016) and her upcoming role as Wonder Woman in (2017). Also, she is beautiful, which would make it easy for her victims to fall in love with her.









Detective - Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman has played many detective roles before, for example in Se7en (1995). He is known for being a serious actor and reprises the roles well.









Victim - Adam Gregory
Adam Gregory is a relatively attractive man who would fit the role well of being murdered, due to the fact Violet attracts good looking men. Adam is also an upcoming star, having featured in films like 17 Again (2009).

Audience Profile

the mirror scene

For this shoot we had to buy a mirror, since none of us already had one that would work in the scene. Due to it being brand new the white frame was a lot cleaner compared to the white screen and showed the difference in two colours. However, this should be able to be corrected when editing. While this shot is going to be have the black and white effect on  it, we are still planning on isolating the colour of the name (Gal Gadot) that will be written.


The mirror scene has been the hardest scene to shoot so far. This is because we had to create a white background for around the mirror but also for in the reflection of the mirror. As well as this, it was extremely difficult for Maddie Brownlow (the cinematographer) to film from the angle that we wanted, without her being visible in the reflection of the mirror.


Previously, we had tested out how we wanted the name to be written and we came to the decision that Kelly's handwriting was the best suited. Therefore, in the shot we had most of the name already written and I just had to finish of writing the T. This helped to keep my interaction with the mirror quite short so that once I exit the scene, the time in which the camera is still focused on the mirror can be lengthened, without becoming boring, to make sure the actors name is made prominent.


Production Log:

Location: Media Room
Who: Maddie H, Maddie B, Niamh, Kelly
Equipment: DSLR, Steady Cam, White screen, White backdrop, Two light box's
Costume: Black dress with lace straps, black fishnets
Props: red lipstick, Mirror, table, white A4 paper
Purpose: Shoot mirror scene
Duration: 2 hours

It was extremely difficult to set this shot up, especially since there was another group shooting in the room at the same time. As well as this, the DSLR that we were using was broken, which meant that we couldn't watch back any of the footage until it was uploaded onto the computer. Therefore, it was really difficult to know when to stop filming.

Typography for Mirror Scene

Ahead of shooting the mirror scene, we practiced each writing the actors name in lipstick to decide which handwriting would best suit the character. we decided upon Kelly's handwriting because it is quite stylised but also sophisticated. We used purple lipstick when practicing writing the name. However, when it is actually shot we are planning on using dark red lipstick for the connotations that red conveys such as lust and danger. Which, is an accurate way to represent the protagonist.

The style of writing we decided on:

Tuesday 14 March 2017

Feedback

After our first screening of the Title sequence, we received feedback from our age group. we hadn't yet included sound. Therefore, it was made clear by the other groups how vital the sound was for the title sequence as a way to set the mood and tone. It was really prominent how tedious the shots became when they lacked a soundtrack to help emphasise them.
The use of the black and white effect was an aspect that worked really well and seemed to be visually pleasing as a successful element in the sequence. However, we  as a group we had decided upon isolating certain colours within the black and white shots to make them prominent because the colours such as red and purple resemble significant themes within the sequence.

The pace of the shots was picked up on as a negative. We had experimented beforehand with slowing down certain shots. However, when we viewed it on a larger scale it became more clear that some of the shots had been slowed down too much. Therefore, the pace of the sequence is something that we will need to be improve upon. Since there are many scenes that need to be included still, I think that once these are filmed added in the timeline. It will help us to judge the pace of the title sequence a lot better.



Monday 13 March 2017

First Screening


This is the first draft that we showed to the class, there are many gaps and it only includes the shots in front of the white screen. Moreover, there are many changes needed within length and the timings of the shots.