Below we can some images of locations that me and my group were thinking of filming in. Here we can see the streets of Norwich which is the best location in terms of suitability for the film but also regarding travel time and cost. I really like this idea of the criminals running through these streets dodging through crowds and back-alleyways.




This is the underpass below the roundabout on St Stephens, Norwich. This location is ideal for this rather creepy and urban feel to the film. It is here that we will film the ending scene of the silhouette and Tom A looking back over to Tom C who is getting caught. I was thinking of perhaps including a slow motion shot here that quickly gets faster with lens blur to show more of the settings and the art on the walls. An establishing shot could also be used either above or actually inside the underpass to capture a sense of where the characters are. The underpass is also rather enclosed and exhibits lots of pathways with is symbolic of the choices the criminals take within the story and is a good cliff hanger for the film opening. However. when filming we must consider the levels of light down there and perhaps use editing on after effects to fully brighten the scene somewhat.

Furthermore, we must also think about the weather when filming as a majority of our filming is set outside which means our camera equipment could get wet. Although this wouldn't really affect us visually it would definitely make the filming more challenging and would need to be avoided at all costs. To do this we will have to check the weather conditions on sites such as "BBC weather" that will give us reliable information regarding the upcoming weather. However, the dates will have to set weeks in advance due to actor commitments meaning we cannot easily change days just for the weather. In addition, we could also try and film extra footage on days when it is not bad weather conditions on separate days and then edit them in later on in the process.

                                                              Final Locations 
We will use the same locations as previously planned, this is because they will be effective in creating the right atmosphere we need in our opening scene. We will be able to use camera shots effectively in the different spaces, the tight claustrophobic setting of the basement and the open, largely populated streets of Norwich. 

The settings will help us construct mise-en-scene due to the objects in the frame and all the different components that will add to it.

We also have backups for alternative locations if these are not appropriate on the day of filming or we have changed our mind since the initial idea.

This is the another area we found in Norwich near Ber street by John lewis. We thought this would be ideal for the scene where both Tom and Charlie are seen running out of the mall. This is also the area where we will film the slow motion effect. One of the reasons I like this particular shot is because of the contrast between industrial, urban city life and the slightly older and quirky houses and church in the background.  I also liked how the sun shone over the trees which makes it all the more eery, suggesting that the chase is happening in a dangerous area.

                         
       
                          Satellite view of the location we want to film for the slo motion shot.

Whilst walking around Norwich we found this little alleyway which we thought would be ideal for a high paced chase scene. I was interested by the rather angular, almost intimidating architecture which would be most appropriate for our film. I also liked how the light shone from outside, hinting on Tom as he runs into enclosed space which could signify the end of the scene and the chase. 

Action Scene: Norwich- alleyways and quiet streets, the underpass 
Shot from the underpass. The street art down there would look great for our final film as tom runs past each piece. There is also some body outlines in the centre which we will use where Tom is seen spiralling, not knowing which direction to take. This was coincidental but I think it will really work in the final outcome.

The alleyways are narrow and quite dark, meaning that our criminal would choose them to run through, trying to remain unseen. They aren't too busy however sparsely populated meaning that we might film the odd person here and there. As well as the streets and the alleyways, the underpass is also a very dark, impressive part of the city which we can use to our advantage. I feel like the light and the graffiti will be effective in what we want to achieve and will add to the atmosphere we hope to create from the film. It will also give the impression of being trapped.

Interrogation Scene: Wymondham High Academy- Basement, dark and damp 

The basement is stinky, dark and very impressionable. The light from the small grate in the ground creates effective shadows on the walls, using our torch, the shadow of objects and people will project, giving a spooky effect. We wanted to create a very claustrophobic, uncomfortable atmosphere to give the audience a feel of what it would actually be like. 

How does the setting you are planning on using help construct a mise-en scene?
As mentioned before, I will have little control over the mise-en scene in the public places we intend to film in Norwich. However, I feel through our location research, we have chosen places that immediately fit our intended mise-en scene regardless. By doing this we could rely on these areas to film upon on the filming day with the worry of bringing added props or stage set on the bus. many of the places we chose such as the "underpass gallery" remain quirky and interesting on a daily basis which I think  will add to the realism of our cinematography. Alternatively, we will have to think about the mise-en scene for the boiler room scene. We will have to consider the placement of objects to suggest that someone had been living there for some time. For example, I intend to use old rags, wine bottles and books in the room. Opening the book pages to hint on someone reading, disposed of bottles and red paint could be splattered on the wall to suggest on blood? All these props will really add to the affect of the mise- en scene, creating a more dramatic and tense opening scene.

To conclude I believe that the locations that we have chosen to film are ideal for the style of film we want to achieve. We have a diverse range of outside shots, and darker, inside shots to give some contrast and variety to our shots. We have also thought about how, as the film progresses, our chase draws to end in more cramped and darker locations (this mirrors the very beginning pan shot in the basement) to notify our audience that the sequence is coming to a close.

10:22

What did you learn during your preliminary task that you want to avoid/implement/develop upon in your actual coursework?

From filming our preliminary task I have significantly developed new skills and really learnt upon how to overcome issues whilst directing, filming and editing. One of the main problems with our initial pre-lim task was the rather unsteadiness of the footage. This was mainly due to the faulty mounting system on the tripod that didn't allow us to connect the camera to the tripod securely. At that point in time, we had little first hand experience of how to operate a camera besides from thinking of an idea and editing. In our preliminary group we had no time to plan ahead which resulted in things like having to bring a charger for the camera as it cut out half way through filming but also other things like the order of events. This is something I really want to avoid in our real coursework final sequence. By planning our film weeks in advance we can concentrate on the main concept but also other important values such as filming dates, props, and the weather. I will also complete some more editing development myself, perhaps practising idents that could potentially be used for the first scene. In our final clip I would also like to become a little more familiar with editing audio. We will most likely use a music recording studio to record any music or dialogue in our clip for a higher quality grade of sound as opposed to merely relying the sound input device on the cam corder. I can remember we had issues regarding sound outside due to weather conditions - this is something i have learnt since as we can dumb the diagetic sound in after to give the same impression. I could also invest in clip on mics for our actors to speak into whilst filming to give a more realistic and better sound. This would also mean we would avoid audio and footage mismatch later in the editing side. In relation, I would like to use a higher end camera such as a DSLR for 1080p footage. This will mean we can capture a greater level of detail but ultimately mean our final outcome will be more professional. 

Our preliminary:
 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6MOJQ2P-4koWWJ3OVRoTTJ5eHM/view

08:09

Final cut:



For this task we were first given a list of qualities that we thought were most important to us. These were:

• editing, 
• find a cast, 
• filming
• think of an idea/plot.

I chose editing as I found this the most easy and entertaining part of making the film. Other people from the class obviously chose different things due to their personal preference, they were then assigned different roles depending on their choice.  We were given full responsibility to come up with the ideas, find the cast, film the clip and then finally edit it all in one hour!
This was rather challenging as it meant I had to use footage that I had never seen before, with a plot that I did not know about, to quickly edit the footage to a decent short film. The editing meant I could freely manipulate the video but this then meant there was some pressure on me to edit it to the preference of everyone involved. Keeping this in mind, I used adobe premiere pro to help aid the editing of the clip as it was reasonably reliable and easy to add effects/overlays that would ultimately make the footage a little more professional. I also used other sites like you tube converter to convert video files to mp4 songs. I actually used the song "sound of silence" by simon and Garfunkel which matched the genre of the film accurately. Throughout the editing process I used techniques that I had learnt from previous editing to make the film of a better quality. This involved, using fading, adding text, changing the colour scheme black and white and also changing sound volume. These effect were all rather quick to do but they are not to the standard I would have liked had I made it on my own. Furthermore, the black and white effect really makes the film more serious and gives a somewhat melancholic mood to the film which is relevant to the style I was after.

06:58

This is the first script for the opening. To complete this we used "google docs" as a way of typing and collaboratively editing the script across everyone. The site also allowed us to type at the same time and edit together, this meant making decisions was a lot easier; avoiding the need to constantly correct ourselves individually. In addition, the site gave us the ability to make notes along the side of the script so others could add extra ideas like things such as camera positions and editing. For the actual layout of the script, I ensured that it was kept need but also easy to read as I had to consider the cast must be able to read it. To do this, I used italics for the stage directions and regular typeface for the dialogue. I have also noted characters names and put in brackets what is actually happening to compliment that text.

20:00

Plot outline of current idea for the film opening and where and the film as a whole would go if you were to make the full film.

Essentially, the idea revolves around this chase scene which is the main focus of the entire scene. The reason I have chosen a chase is because this is fast-paced and would keep the audience entertained throughout as opposed to films with little action. However, the initial couple of seconds is the interrogation scene where we are introduced to one of our villains/criminals. The frame is pitch black for at least one second before a light is switched on. This could be flickering and seemingly artificial-not a candlelight to tell the audience we are in the 21st century. The entire scene will be black and white as to add to the suspicious atmosphere of the scene but also to signify that we are in the present. Our villain is seen sitting on a chair or stool in the centre of the room, he is blindfolded (either duct tape or bag over his head) and is tied up with rope, his hands behind his back. From here, there will be several medium/extreme close-ups of the face and hands, revealing a closer look at the bruises and cuts on the skin (we will need to use make-up for this to add the bruises). There will then be a short exchange between our villain and another man. At first we cannot see this man but after hearing his deep, rough cockney accent the man steps out of the dark and confronts the prisoner. He is wearing a long, black trench coat and hat with badges on to show he is of status and a member of the police force.
The camera then fades or splits to the chase scene where another villain is seen running down the street and through alleyways. He holds a suspicious looking brown briefcase that is battered, his hand firmly gripped on the handle to show it is of particular importance. This scene will last for quite a long time with intermittent titles or text overlays in the bottom right of the frame. This criminal then quickly throws the briefcase over to the secondary criminal before getting caught (he turns down an alleyway and is confronted by a security guard). The other man then takes the case and runs off. We follow him for a period of time using some long shots to get an overall perspective of the location and setting. We then fade back into the interrogation scene where the man is now shouting. He opens the suitcase that is on the table. It is empty. The suitcase has obviously been switched which leads the interrogator to raise his gun (after effect here) and the it cuts out and the title is seen as an animation.

UPDATED:
Our original idea-

We first discussed having two vigilante characters attempting to find the briefcase stolen by two criminals. The film would be about their capture of one of the criminals and their fight to gain knowledge of, first, the whereabouts of the case, then, to retrieve it. What is in the briefcase would remain unknown, however it would be made clear that it is of vital importance they get it out of the hands of the criminals. After much effort and danger they are finally able to secure it and prevail over the threat.

What would have been in the opening-

The opening would have been a chase scene. It would begin with an image of a person’s feet, running towards the camera. Then it would switch to a crowd of people in a city, amongst which, is the leader of the two vigilantes, clearly looking for someone. It then cuts to the criminal running with a briefcase. The vigilante then spots him and gestures to his co-worker. The chase ensues and just as the criminal is caught he passes the case to his co-worker.

Our final idea-

We decided to edit our original idea so we could maintain the criteria of an opening rather than giving too much of the story away. So we decided to cut the ‘criminal’s’ co-worker and rather than labelling them as criminal and vigilante, leave it for the audience to decide. The rest of the story remained the same apart from changes to the opening and rather than a briefcase it is information they want.

What will be in the opening-

We will start with a pan of the first room in the basement before doing a match on action shot of the two interrogators entering the second room. Then, after each question, the leader will hit the interrogated person and it will cut to the chase scene. It will end with the interrogated running into the underground passages, looking behind him and thinking he’s got away, only to turn around and be face to face with the second interrogator, the first standing behind him.

03:05

Initial ideas- Running scene- Guy on his mobile phone talking to his accomplice at the train station
( camera flits from each character showing the journey) On a mission to smuggle things out of the country.

Development- 

Starts in interrogation? Police officer asks questions about the diamonds...
Start to hear running...Fades from black and white > colour or other way round. ( Goes back in time to before he got caught)

Running through the city- on pavement, streets, alleyways- on the phone 'texts' or 'calls' people along the route ( all on the phone to each other) Diamond is passed discretely from person to person. See the train leaving the station- UNKNOWN as to whether it has left or not

Final idea- 

• Interrogator starts off asking questions ( small dark room with a tiny window and a chair in the middle).
• The suspect is sitting on the chair with his arms tied behind his back ( spotlight on his face, making him feel uncomfortable). ( paper bag pulled off his head). Suspect starts to speak...as he looks up at interrogator we start to hear the sounds of someone running.

The sound gets louder and louder and eventually it fades to a different scene. Camera focuses on a man running through alleyways and streets, then, he discreetly passes a diamond to another character, slipping it into his pocket. The other character gets away... Cuts back to the Interrogation and the colour comes back? (Shows that it is present time). Interrogator- 'Go on...', then it cuts to the main titles.

Essentially, the idea revolves around this chase scene which is the main focus of the entire scene. The reason I have chosen a chase is because this is fast-paced and would keep the audience entertained throughout as opposed to films with little action. However, the initial couple of seconds is the interrogation scene where we are introduced to one of our villains/criminals. The frame is pitch black for at least one second before a light is switched on. This could be flickering and seemingly artificial-not a candlelight to tell the audience we are in the 21st century. The entire scene will be black and white as to add to the suspicious atmosphere of the scene but also to signify that we are in the present. Our villain is seen sitting on a chair or stool in the centre of the room, he is blindfolded (either duct tape or bag over his head) and is tied up with rope, his hands behind his back. From here, there will be several medium/extreme close-ups of the face and hands, revealing a closer look at the bruises and cuts on the skin (we will need to use make-up for this to add the bruises). There will then be a short exchange between our villain and another man. At first we cannot see this man but after hearing his deep, rough cockney accent the man steps out of the dark and confronts the prisoner. He is wearing a long, black trench coat and hat with badges on to show he is of status and a member of the police force. 

The camera then fades or splits to the chase scene where another villain is seen running down the street and through alleyways. He holds a suspicious looking brown briefcase that is battered, his hand firmly gripped on the handle to show it is of particular importance. This scene will last for quite a long time with intermittent titles or text overlays in the bottom right of the frame. This criminal then quickly throws the briefcase over to the secondary criminal before getting caught (he turns down an alleyway and is confronted by a security guard). The other man then takes the case and runs off. We follow him for a period of time using some long shots to get an overall perspective of the location and setting. We then fade back into the interrogation scene where the man is now shouting. He opens the suitcase that is on the table. It is empty. The suitcase has obviously been switched which leads the interrogator to raise his gun (after effect here) and the it cuts out and the title is seen as an animation.

 Mood board and plan-

Casting-

• Tom Coath
• Charlie Fraser
• Laura English

Setting-

Norwich- alleyways and quiet streets, the underpass ( go to moodboard)



 
















What time of day? 
We will probably film in the day time as this is the most convenient time for all of our cast members. This will also allow for sufficient light that we can use to our advantage whilst filming. However, some parts of the film will need to be edited as to make the scene darker and appear more like the evening/night.

Music-

'Nothing left to say' by Imagine Dragons

I must also consider copyright free music in my opening sequence. I have used sites such as "bensound" and "incompetech".  These allow me to find completely copyright free sounds which were appropriate for each scene. For example, more slow tempo music will be used (quieter pitch) in the interrogation room but the chase scene would use more fast-paced action styled music.

Costume-
For the costumes of our cast we must consider what would be most suitable, especially considering our film genre is action. Both the villains will be dressed in all-black suits with a white shirt and sunglasses. This will make them stand out from the other people in the film but also suggest that they are of a particular importance as opposed to if they were just dressed in casual clothes. For the interrogator, he will wear a long black trench coat, a bowler hat, and boots. The boots will be worn so we can hear the footsteps (we could manually make this sound on a table or similar surface up to a mic).


Props-I am unsure at this point as to whether we will actually need many props for our film. Our main focus will be on the sorts of clothes our characters will wear (interrogator will have a long trench coat and victim will most likely wear regular clothes and trainers) but also make-up? 
Props we could use for the boiler/interrogation room: 

• Empty glass and wine bottle
• Open Books 
• Desolate chairs
• Fake Blood paint for walls? 

Lighting-
Camera shots and angles-We will most likely employ the use of smooth pans shots to engage the viewer and allow for a greater perspective of the background and location. We may also use tilt shots although this might not be necessary for the style of film. I can envisage possibly a crab shot, allowing us to see a portion of a scene and adding a sense of realism. 

04:41

For our next task we were given a picture of a character/person at random. We were then told to create a character profile from this image, trying to develop more of a background to their life and the storyline of the sequence.

My character profile:

Name-
Do they have a nickname? If so, what?-
Age-48
Nationality- Romanian/speaks English
Profession-
Marital Status- Single

Setting

We were then given a picture of a particular location that we were to try and incorporate into our own character profile. I was given what looked like a London train station that actually made me rethink the entire plot of the opening sequence. I have also added another character here who works in conjunction with our main character, Bruce Lee. 

Potential location for my final openings sequence. Ideally I would prefer to film in a public place to make the film more believable and of a natural occurrence as opposed to merely filming all in one location or inside. Places such as translations, shopping malls, alleys would be great for a chase scene, allowing the viewer to observe the characters as they run through the crowds.

Genre- Action
Title- Beyond Justice
Character(s)-

• Man in office, middle aged with shirt and tie on.
• Accomplice, skinny looking man with black trench coat and phone in his hand. He is pulling a suspicious looking suitcase behind him. 

Location(s)- Busy Crowded places such as Train stations, City centre, Office.
Plot synopsis-
My idea consists of a man that is seen in his office. This man is middle aged, and is seen sitting at a desk in an empty office on the phone. There will be close up shots of him picking up the phone and then raising it to his ear. He dials a number and speaks to someone but we cannot hear what he is saying just the miming of his lips as music is heard gradually building up. The camera then quickly turns to a panoramic shot of a train station or crowded place where there are several quick-paced shots of another man. This man is quite skinny, young and appears to be holding a suitcase. He look rather suspect due to his black trench coat and bowler hat. He is seen running through the crowd, trying to get somewhere- maybe a train or building. Two security guards are later filmed running after this man, both are in black suits with ties and sunglasses. There intention to kill. The camera fluctuates between the office and the action chase as to build more suspense and ultimately gain the viewer's attention. I could think about having a split screen of them both on the phone

 Are you looking to work as a 1/2/3/4?
I am looking to work in a group of four. This way we can assign different roles to each part of the film and ultimately achieve a better standard of work as opposed to a smaller group. The larger the group also means that the whole process can be tweaked and changed, having different perspectives aid both creativity and overall outcome of the short film.

What genre are you going to make your film in?why? 
The genre of my film will be an action styled theme that I think will work well for my opening scene. The reason I have chosen to do action is because it will be fast-paced due to the running scene and also the interrogation trip


What narrative style are you looking to use?why? 
We are looking to film in a narrative that fluctuates between both present and past. I think this will make the overall scene, despite being only two minutes long, more interesting to watch as opposed to just one time period. The way we will indicate and notify the audience between time frames is by using grayscale for the present and colour for back in time. I think this will be really effective and help give an insight to the style of genre we are after.

How many characters are you looking to use in the film opening? 
We will be using four cast members for our opening scene. The reason we have chosen this many is because wedding want too many as to distract from the actual narrative. By having a smaller amount of actors means, as a group, we will be able to manage our idea much better instead of relying on multiple people that may not be able to make deadlines. We will also use social media. more specifically "Facebook Messenger" as the site allows us to easily create a group chat that everyone can actively contribute to. This will make arrangements considerably easier on filming day.

01:09

Is Big Fish a narrative driven by the strength and depth of the characters...or is a strong narrative within which the characters simply fit?



Tim burton's film, Big Fish is both a narrative driven story but also one that is made more interesting by the exaggeration and imaginative structure of characters. The story revolves around the life of Edward Bloom and the recalling of events that took place in his life. Furthermore, the film fluctuates between the present, where we are introduced to a rather ordinary family drama style to a completely fantasy storyline where characters exhibit majestic and inhumanly acts that are obviously hyperbolic illusions or exaggerations of real people. Big Fish relies upon this distant and rather vague relationship between both father (Edward) and son (Will) in the hope of restoring friendship and to ultimately realise his fathers success. Will and his wife are expecting a baby and have come to Will's parents house after news that Edward is terminally ill. The son, however, is resentful of his father and is unable to believe his stories because he has heard them so many times that he deems them untrue and so labels his father as a "fake". The story finally ends after the completion of Edwards telling of his life and the progression of his illness. Edward is then taken into hospital where he continues to hallucinate and imagines what his death would be like. This scene is particularly emotional and we gage an understanding that the son has changed opinion of his father and finally realises that Edwards life was just  an extreme fantasy made true by the telling of the story and the enthusiasm of the stories. Edward then dies and the funeral scene takes place where all the characters seen throughout the story are made visible as ordinary people. For example, the giant is just tall not massive like a giant would be and Amos Calloway (the circus-man) was just very short and looked like a werewolf. The ceremony takes place and events that have happened develop the narrative of the story and the entire film begins to make sense.







Firstly, the characters seen throughout the film are obviously fantasy. Without these interesting and seemingly mysterious characters  the film would not be half as effective nor encourage us to watch on. As the name suggests, "Big "Fish" is a metaphor in itself; hinting on the genre of film before viewers even begin watching. As Edward explains, he is a "big fish living in a small pond" which suggests that Edward is someone of complete ambition which develops this message that things are always much better told differently and dramatized as reality is not as intriguing or exciting; this is an obvious message that Tim Burton is trying to get across.
Additionally, as the story progresses we are introduced to each character at different points of Edward's life. The chronological characters appearance within each part are crucial  to the effect on Edward as they help progress a certain scene or point in his life and help him establish connections e.g. Jenny as a little girl and as a senior character later on.
Edward often retells the stories to every small detail and really builds each scene up vividly which is portrayed fantastically regarding the visual effects and scenery on stage. However, perhaps one reason, he may be exaggerating, to begin with, could perhaps be when he told his stories to Will as a child. At this point Will would have believed him but later began to falsely believe that they were true but in actual fact, his father was merely emphasising his life a fraction to help please his son and explain the successful life he had.




Moreover, Burton also focuses on the narrative of the film, looking closely into the order of events and the effect of this. This narrative is driven by both Edward Bloom but also the rest of the characters to build a background story and ultimately make it seem more believable. This is particularly apparent as Bloom appears as a primary figure, at the start we understand that he is extremely popular and is well-known around his town for the things he has done. Conversely, characters such as Karl and Norther Winslow are slightly more subtly introduced. Their character profile is not as important as Edward's but there background story is interesting, Norther is ironically appalling at writing poems but is known as a famous poet. This idea suggests that Tim Burton has put a lot effort into the personality and thought of each character which only gives the film more diversity as a whole but also makes the narrative flow better. Even the death scene is an exaggeration which only adds to the raw enthusiasm Edward has to his stories, an enthusiasm that Will Bloom understands at the very end where he chooses to play along with his fathers dream one final time.





To conclude, I think the film "Big Fish" is a character-driven narrative based on the fact that it revolves mainly around Edward Bloom and his life events. When you consider the storyline, the characters help propel the narrative therefore giving more depth and reality to an otherwise complete fantasy. The characters do not simply fit in with the story and real time and effort has been paid to bring this idea forward as each character makes an emotional connection with the audience, distinctively adding detail and purpose to the events that follow.

03:32