Pre-Production Planning - Opening Ideas - Dilys

We had many ideas as a group for our thriller opening before we reached our finale choice, one of the ideas was to have a very fast paced sequence with lots of short cuts and reckless, speedy music. We thought this would be an effective opening as it would immediately help build suspense and jump straight into the films action. 

The opening shots were going to cut between two sets of people and their story lines, the first was going to be two girls running and the camera following them as they ran through streets of a busy city, jumping across buildings and rail lines and through the backs of shops and alleys. The camera would then cut to four masked men wrecking a house as they search for something and interrogating neighbors for information. 

We decided that getting the shots of the girls running through the city would be very hard to do, as we would have to keep asking people to leave the filming area which would be very difficult in a city and we do not have the necessary equipment to film the girls running and so would be left with very jumpy shots. We also decided that the best thrillers had very spooky openings which left the audience guessing and having this in the opening sequence would give the plot away.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

We thought having four masked men in our opening would be intriguing and help create the tense atmosphere for our opening. However we found that filming four masked men would be very hard task, as we would have to find a time where four available actors could come and film and who would do the job unpaid. After doing some thorough research we still couldn't find enough actors so we decided that this opening wouldn't be feasible.

Pre Production Planning- Props- Fatima

The props we are going to be using;

We are going to be using flowers because Chantelle is going to holding them when she is at the graveyard. Lacey is going to be held hostage and be sitting on the chair tied up and blindfolded. The chips are for the falshback for when Lacey and Chantelle are having fun on the beach.

Pre-Production Planning-Permission from the Church

We contacted the local church to ensure that we were able to film at their graveyard. The Vicar kindly gave us permission to and allowed us to shoot at any grave we choose. This is an image of the graveyard which we have chosen to use.

St Edwards The Confessor

Church Address:
 Father Denis Bradshaw
St. Edward's Vicarage
7 Bramble Gardens
Burgess Hill
West Sussex
RH15 8UQ



Contact:
Tel: 01444 241300
email: contact@stedwardsburgess.co.uk

Filming Risk Asssesment - Dilys

Pre-Production Planning - Health and Safety -Dilys

LOCATION SURVEY

 We have have four different locations in our thriller opening, a graveyard, a beach, a small dark room and a cliff, we chose these locations as we thought they'd have great effect as an opening and create pathetic fallacy.

Directions to location

Burgess Hill Station – The Graveyard

Head northwest on Station Rd/B2113 toward Wolstonbury Way    

               

 At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Church Rd     

               

Continue onto Church Walk               

               

Turn left onto Civic Way      

               

Turn right onto Church Rd

               

Turn left onto Lower Church Rd         

               

Continue onto Royal George Rd       

               

Brighton Station – The Beach

Head south on Terminus Rd/A2010 toward Guildford Rd

Continue to follow A2010

               

Turn left onto Upper Gloucester Rd/A2010       

               

Turn right onto Queen's Rd/A2010     

               

Turn left onto North St/B2066

Continue to follow B2066

Go through 1 roundabout

               

Turn right onto Broad St     

               

Turn left onto Marine Parade/A259

Destination will be on the left

               

Brighton Station – The Cliff

 Head south on Terminus Rd/A2010 toward Guildford Rd

Continue to follow A2010

Turn left onto Junction Rd/A2010

Continue to follow A2010

Turn left onto King's Rd/A259

Continue to follow A259

Go through 3 roundabouts

Turn left onto Lewes Rd/A259

Continue to follow A259

Keep left at the fork

Continue to follow A259

Go through 4 roundabouts

Destination will be on the left

Nearest hospital:

Princess Royal Hospital (Lewes Rd  Lindfield, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 4EX 01444 441881)           

Royal Sussex County Hospital (Eastern Road  Brighton and Hove, Brighton, East Sussex BN2 5BE

           

Police station:

Burgess Hill Police Station (The Brow  Burgess Hill, East Sussex RH15 9BU

0845 607 0999)

Brighton Police Station (John St Brighton and Hove 0845 607 0999)

Newhaven Police Station (South Road Newhaven East Sussex BN9 9QJ)

Local taxi firm:

Burgess Hill Taxis (York House, 13A Station Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 9DE)

Coastline Cabs (22 High Street  Newhaven, BN9 9PD 01273 512 222)

Brighton and Hove Taxis (86 Goldstone Villas Brighton and Hove, East Sussex

01273 202 020)

Train station:

Burgess Hill Station (Burgess Hill RH15 9DG 0845 127 292)

Brighton Station (Queens Road  Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 3XP 0845 127 2920)

Seaford Railway Station (Seaford)

Bus link:

Royal George Road

Marine Parade

Eastbourne Road

What technical facilities are there?

i.e. Power, storage, enough space for equipment necessary to shoot certain set ups etc.

Many of our chosen locations are outside and in public places, making it slightly harder as there are fewer facilities for us to use when setting up our equipment and doing our actresses hair and make up however we shall be creative and bring plenty of umbrellas and coats in case the weather changes, making sure we still get our great shots.

We are going to have to rely heavily on natural lighting in the outside shots as there will be no where we can use for electricity and so won't be able to make big use of any artificial lighting We shall have to carry the equipment with us but this shouldn't be too difficult as we only have a couple of props and only ever one or two characters in the shots. We shall have plenty of space for filming as most shots are outside and in rural locations.

Cast & Crew facilities:

i.e. dressing and waiting areas, catering facilities, toilet facilities etc.

Graveyard Scene: we shall use Lisa's house for changing and fixing the hair and make up, we shall also use the local deli for food for our actresses.

Beach Scene: There are public toilets only ten minutes from our location for filming so hair and make up shall be carried out in them and we shall provide our actresses and film crew with lunch and refreshments at lunch

Cliff Scene: This will probably be the hardest scene to do, as the nearest facilities are a twenty minute walk away, however we shall do the hair and make up beforehand and luckily with only one clothing change it shouldn't prove to be too hard the local animal research center has a public toilet which we shall use also.

Shed Scene: We have found a small empty room in one of our crew's house which is perfect for getting the shots for our kidnap scene, it also means we shall have dressing, catering and toilet facilities all available to use

Environmental factors that may affect the location:

Many of the locations we are filming in our outside, so if there is heavy rain on the day of filming we will wait for it to stop or post-pone filming. However the rain could help to create some pathetic fallacy in our opening so we are taking umbrella's and tarpaulin so if we want to we can experiment with the rain and get some interesting shots.

Our scene on the beach may also turn out to be difficult to film as there may be the general public around but hopefully we will be able to get a few good shots without interruptions.

Filming the scene in the graveyard may prove to a challenge as we will have to get permission to film in it and permission to film a grave if we are not able to we will have to re-think our choice of location.  

Health and safety are there any implications that may apply to this location

A couple of our shots are filmed on the edge of a cliff; this will be tricky to film especially as it is such a dangerous location but we have managed to find a way to make it look  like cliff edge where in fact our actor is a couple of metres back.

FILM TITLE:

LENGTH: Approximately three minutes

GROUP: Dilys, Lisa and Fatima

SHOOT DATES: 1^st and 2^nd of March

LOCATIONS: Graveyard, Cliff, Beach, Empty room

CREW: 

(With mobile numbers)

 Dilys Latham: 075283475502

Lisa Walden: 07900585280

Fatima Hussain: 07811319148

CAST:

(With mobile numbers)

 Bronwen Latham:07769704360

Leah Walden: 0781068466

CAMERA EQUIPMENT:

• Camera
• Tripod
• Steady Cam

LIGHTING EQUIPMENT:

• Portable Light
• Bright light

WARDROBE:

• Long black coat
• Black Trousers
• Denim Jackets
• Blue Skirts
• Ripped White T-shirt
• Ripped jeans

PROPS:

• Bunch of fresh flowers
• Plate of chips
• Skateboard
• Chair

Approximate Time needed for each shot:

Our shots will be between five to 15 seconds long

Pre-Production Planning- Ideas- Fatima

Another way we could of started the opening scene could of been with a person in a bathtub with pills next to them deciding whether or not to take the pills. A flash forward before this actually has happened. The last shot we see he/she putting themselves under the water with the pills on the floor.

We could of decided to have he/she with a knife cutting themself but we didn't want to have it to gory so pills would of been easier to do becuase you wouldn't know what the person decided. Did they take it or did they not?

Pre-Production Planning- List of Roles- Lisa Walden

Director: Dilys, Lisa and Fatima.
Prop Acquisition: Fatima.
Location Scout: Dilys and Lisa.
Sound Designer: Dilys, Lisa and Fatima.
Script Writter: Fatima.
Costume: Dilys.
Hair and Make-up Designer: Lisa.
Camera Operators: Dilys, Lisa and Fatima.

Pre-Production Planning - Hair and Makeup Ideas - Dilys

In our opening we have two characters and four different locations, so there are many costume and hair and makeup changes. We have chosen specific looks to help to build context and give clues to the story plot, it also helps to convey our characters backgrounds and history.

In the first shot of Chantelle, her make up is going to be quite natural with a little bit of smudged black eyeliner to make her look sad and that she can't be bothered to look after herself anymore anymore. Her hair is going to be quite messy and wind swept to show that she is tired and depressed.

When Chantelle goes up to the cliff we want to have her hair very messy and greasy to show that she is isolated and show that she has changed and become wild.
















For our first flashback to when Chantelle and Lacey are younger and happy we want them to have very natural simple make up  to convey that they are young and innocent.














Chantelle and Lacey willl also have neat hair to show they take pride in their appearnce and have the time to beautify themselves. It also helps to create a strong contrast to the other shots of them in the future.
















The flashback to when Lacey is trapped is very important so we need her makeup to be prodominant and show her pain and suffering. We are going to use dark eye shadow and smudge it round the outer corners of her eyes to show that she has been crying and that she's been tormented.
















When Lacey is trapped we will have her hair all messed up and brushed with a back comb effect to show the struggle when she was kidnapped. It will also help to create a dark mood as it shows her desperation to escape.

Pre-Production Planning- Costume Ideas- Fatima

In our first flashback this is what the girls are wearing.

                                             Chantelle                                                                          Lacey

This is what Chantelle is wearing in the graveyard shots which is casual while Lacey is wearing this when she is trapped.

Pre-Production Planning-Story Ideas- Lisa Walden

As a group we each came up with various ideas which could be used as a possiable opening. One of the ideas that we could use would be to have the first few opening seconds set in a dark, oldened room in which a young teenage girl will be sat alone, with her facial expressions relecting how she feels-scared and distort.  


The scene will then cut to another girl, who happens to be sitting in a boat, edging closer towards the discion of taking her life. These two young girls are close friends who have fallen out over some money issues and has therefore left one of them taken captive by some men. The second girl can't bear the meer thought of the death of her friend so she decides to take her life. 

The very end of the opening sequence will be a close of shot of the empty boat, symbolising that she has jumped out-ripples of water will surround the boat, making it clear to the audience as to what has happened. 

Pre-Production Planning- Hair and Make-Up- Fatima

We have decided for the characters to have their hair down when they are in black and white because we don't want to show you their faces because we want to keep their identity a mystery but you will be able to see their faces at the end of the opening. They will be wearing quite a bit of make up and hoop earrings because we are trying to get cross that they are strong and that they don't listen to anyone.

Pre-Production Planning-Location Ideas- Lisa Walden

For another one of our Locations, we have decided to shoot in Burgess Hill Burial Ground-a large, modern grave site. This is where the first few minutes of the opening will be shot. It will show one of our female characters walking and placing flowers onto the grave, representing the loss of her dear friend. 


The shots will be taken very carefully, just short snippets of her feet as she walks forward and images of her back, keeping her identity hidden. This location is very quite, which is perfect as we aimed for her to be alone in a silent surronding-This portrays her emotions as she is left feeling alone by the death of her friend. 

Pre-production Planning- Storyboard-Lisa, Dilys and Fatima

This is the video of our storyboard-It shows all the shots and length that they are going to be. We put in a vast amount of detail into our drawings, showing the costume, settings and any props needed. Dilys did the voice over on the video, explaining all the reasons as to why we used certain shots and locations. 

Pre-production Planning - Costume - Dilys

In our thriller opening there are only two characters but both with very significant qualities and costume was a very important aspect to get right as it helps to introduce the characters and give context for the thriller. The first character (Chantelle) will be dressed in tatty, dirty trousers and a long coat to show her working class background it will also show that she isn't wealthy and that she has been doing something hard and mucky. She will also be wearing trainers to show that she does tiring things. Our first flashback of Chantelle and Lacey will show them when they are younger in these few shots, they will be dressed in skirts to show that they've dressed up as they are having the day out. They appear to be happy in these shots so clothing will be in bright colours so help to set the mood of what it was like back then and create a strong contrast. The next flashback is to when Lacey is trapped she will be wearing black trousers and white shirt to show that she is smart and older but as her clothes will be are ripped open and splattered in mud and blood it will help convey her entrapment and struggle.

 In the first couple of shots we have Chantelle in the present day, she will be wearing a long black coat  and trousers

When the first flash back happens we will have both characters in denim jackets and skirts

In the flashback we will have the girls in small blue skirts

Location 3 - Cliff Edge - Dilys

Our third chosen  location for filming is going to be a cliff edge, we have decided to use this setting as it will help to convey the isolation of our character, it is also a very rural setting which contrasts with the other two settings in our opening suggesting that nothing is certain in our thriller. It also represents present day and having such a simplistic setting will work smoothly with the flashbacks as it won't be confusing as to which is the past and present as it will be clearly shown that this is our character walking and reflecting (the flashbacks will also be done in black and white to help show that they are just a distant memory). It will also help build tension as the audience will see her walking to the edge and be sitting in suspense as will want to know what she is going to do and whether she may or may not jump.

Pre-Production Planning-Location Ideas- Lisa Walden

In our opening, we have decided to include various flashbacks, one of which will be shot on Brighton Beach. These shots will just be short snippets of the main female characters spending time togeather. We have chosen to edit this flashback scene in Black and White to create more a mystery and give more effect on the audience-It also makes it more clear that this is a flashback and having it shot in slow motion with a black and white feel creates more tension on the audience. 

Pre-Production Planning- Script- Lisa Walden

As the opening of our thriller doesn't really contain much character speech, however there is still sound from the characters. As there isn't any main conversational speech it isn't necessary for us to create a script. 


During the first part of our opening there is a shot of the two friends on the pier laughing and having fun together. Here you hear them cheering and enjoying themselves, however there is still no speech. Also towards the end, there is a shot of a trapped girl-you hear her deeply breathing and letting out small screeches, again no scripted speech. 


We decided on not using a written script purely because it has a bigger effect on the audience-It doesn't give the plot of the story away with the speech of the characters, it keeps the viewers guessing as to what might happen next. 

Pre-production Planning - Synopsis of our thriller - Dilys

Our film is based on the lives of two friends, Lacey and Chantelle and their lives as they get involved in dangerous drug dealing. Chantelle's boyfriend gets the girls delivering and collecting and at first everything seems fun and exciting but as they become more and more involved they soon realize they are trapped by the gang. Lacey manages to escape the gang and falls in love with a policeman who helps her to reform her life and together they plan to bring down the gang. However when the gang find out, they seek revenge which ends with the death of Lacey. Chantelle feels guilty as she told the gang the whereabouts of Lacey and is now trapped by the gang herself and so ends up killing herself. The plot is full of betrayal, revenge and guilt the perfect ingredients for a good thriller.