Pre-production Planning - special effects

Special effects

In our film opening, we are going to be using two main special effects to help give the film a general mise en scene that will help to create the mood/ feel that we are intending. The two special effects we are going to be using will be adding a low-key filter on to the footage at the end (as explained in the lighting section). And the other main effect we will be using will be fake blood. We are going to use the fake blood to put onto the male character (antagonist) as this will help the characters representation, due to the fact that blood is usually associated with the icon of danger, pain, and sometimes even death. This helps to give the character a more threatening feel, which will also mean the audience can easily establish between the antagonist and protagonist, and establish the dynamics in the relationship between the two.

We are going to be using the blood in a small amount on the male character. The blood can vary on places on the male, varying from a splatter on the hand, and a splatter on the clothing. This means it isn’t over the top and make our genre fall over into the slasher genre, but it means there’s is enough for us to represent the feel of danger with the character.

The way we are going to create the special effect would be by following a step-by-step tutorial off YouTube, similar to the following:

Pre-production Planning - Classification

The classification we are going for with our film is 15. this is down to two reasons. firstly, we noticed that a common theme amongst films of the genre is they all tend to be 15/18. so we knew we had to choose one of the two, and upon looking into the requirements of the certifications, we all came to an agreement that 15 would be the most appropriate for ours.

Planning: Lighting

Lighting

The lighting we are planning to use is natural daylight. This would mean that we are required to do all filming before 4:00 due to the time of year, meaning that it’ll be dark by 5:00 and start getting dark at 4:00.

We wanted to go for low key lighting in our opening to fit the codes and conventions of openings on this genre, but due to the technical equipment required for the lighting, it will be too hard for us to carry out successfully, as we would most likely not be able to see anything on the camera. So as a way around this we have decided to film in full daylight so everything is visible and clear on the camera, but in the editing staged, ass a dark filter to help fit the conventional themes of the horror / thriller genre

Planning: Costume (male)

The male character (antagonist)

The males costume we are hoping to create will include mostly dark colours, majority being black. By having the character wearing all black, the audience can easily distinguish who in the opening is the protagonist and who is the antagonist. This is due to the colour being associated with mystery and some what, as the innocence of light colours is kept to a minimal. 

Planning: Casting

For the casting of our film, we didn't have to do too much, with there only being two characters in our opening. Firstly we began casting for the female (Protagonist). We decided to look for a female who could represent innocence. usually associated with innocence would be small blonde teenage girl. after various searching around the school, we have chosen a girl that we feel that will be serious with the filming and not treat it as a joke, as well as being reliable that we can feel comfortable they will adhere to all filming times. the actors name is Leah.

For the male casting (antagonist) we come to a joint conclusion that i should do the acting. this will not cause much of an issue with the filming because the male is in only in a quarter of a shot, so i will still be able to partake in the filming of the other shots. one of the other reasons is that we found i fit the profile of the ideal character we are hoping to represent.

Planning: Costume (Female)

The female character (innocent)

The characters costume we are hoping to create will involve mostly pale colours, as this will give the audience the connotation of innocence so they can straight away interpret the characters position in the opening. We went for the more stereotypical 16 year old Female clothing choice as this will make the opening feel more realistic to the audience, in return inducing fear in the viewer as it shows it can happen closer to home, with the primary target audience of the film being teenagers.

The First item of clothing will be this pull&bear fluffy jumper. this is ideal as it fits the pale mise en scene that we were going for, but it is also stereotypical of a teenager which is ideal for what we are trying to represent.

The next item of clothing has been chosen for similar reasons as the jumper, it is stereotypical of the age group, but it is also pale to help represent the innocent feel we are trying to give the character.

The footwear we are going to clothe our character in will be basic timberlands. This is for two reasons, one being that it if seen as 'fashionable' amongst female teenagers, but more so as they are boots, which means that is fits the location we are choosing, with it being a country road and fields, an it can also help the actor with grip, we we have less falling over.

The final item is an accessory. the colour of it is white which helps to finish off the pale theme, but it is also practical for the time of year meaning that we can give our opening scene a more realistic feel to it.

Planning: Props

Props

The opening scene that we are creating means that the rise en scene doesn't require a number of props. However one prop that may be ideal could be the use of fake blood. the fake blood can be splattered on the antagonists costume, as this will help to create a more dangerous mise end scene for the male character as blood usually connotes to violence that the audience can associate with danger.
We will find out how to create the fake blood by simply using a youtube tutorial as there are hundreds of options, and it should also be quick, cheap and easy.