Pre-Production
This is any technology I used during the research and planning stage, before filming.
01
Web based activity
Amazon: We used this platform to search for a variety of props. For example, we bought a wooden bat and a magnifying glass. Other products showed up during the search that we also considered as an option. This was a quick and easy alternative to going out to the shops especially in the current circumstance of Covid.
eBay: This website was also used to search for props. This was useful as we discovered bundle deals e.g a selection of jars. Given we had a low budget it was crucial to buy cheaper products, which eBay offers. However, there was a more limited choice and not always instantly available like amazon. Sometimes with ebay you have to wait for an auction.
Google: This was our most commonly used search engine as I found it to be the most user-friendly platform. We used this in many ways such as searching for: props, movies of the same genre, research and background into psychopaths, other opening sequences. In many cases, this lead me to Youtube.
News websites: Via google, we found various news stories about psychopaths such as Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, Fred West. The most common news sources I used were BBC News and The Sun. this gave us a deeper understanding behind the individuals.
Youtube: I felt that Youtube offered a significant range of content that helped us create a larger understanding behind psychopaths and the making of an opening sequence. On Youtube, I searched: different filming techniques and how to use a Black Magic Arrie Alexa, how to make fake blood realistic, different opening sequences, how to make the trophy jars look authentic, and how to edit on Adobe Premium pro. There is quite a range of content quality as anyone across the world can upload a video.
Netflix/Prime videos: I researched films and their opening sequences in our same genre of horror/ psychological thriller. This provided me with a vision of what the end product might look like. I could analyze the different lighting, sound, mise-en-scene, and camera techniques. in particular, I was drawn by 'the chronicles of Spiderwick 'seven' and 'Halloween's opening sequences. I felt they created a similar atmosphere and intention that we were trying to achieve in our own. In both of the platforms, the ability to search via genre e.g psychological thriller made it easy to use. The also gave me the facility to select similar movies.
The Art Of The Title: We used this platform to specifically look at opening sequence titles. When scrolling through existing titles I thought how crucial the titles are at conveying a message and supporting the action in the frame.
02
Mobile Phones
The iPhone 11 was the primary hardware device used during the pre-production phase.
Practical workshops: I captured some of the knowledge of the workshops, about how to use the cameras and how to edit on Adobe Premium pro, by videoing them and watching them back on my iPhone. This meant that I could recap my learnings before the shoot day.
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Taking pictures of props: This was an essential way to communicate with the team, sharing photos of the props I found at home, charity shops, school, and online. This was an efficient way of pre informing the teams and saving time on the day. We also took a picture of the actor's moving hand to see what it would like on camera.
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Teams/Facetime: We used this technology to communicate amongst ourselves, especially during Covid 19 lockdown. We used this partucalully in the early stages to share ideas, views and individual updates.
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iMovie: At home, I tested some filming techniques such as panning, close-ups, and birds-eye view to see how some of the props would look and the different perspectives of the items. I also played around with different moody, atmospheric non-diagetic sounds, to see what would work best.
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03
Apps
What's app= This was my main communication tool with Doug, the actor. We discussed timings, costume, location, and any concerns he had. As the actor has a busy schedule it gave us a chance to communicate at any point in time, quickly. Whereas, face-to-face communication alone would have been more difficult. One example is when he took a picture of his red flannel shirt to see if this was an appropriate attire. By using whats app frequently it kept myself and the actor engaged throughout the process.
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Snapchat = We set up a group chat on Snapchat to use for various purposes. This was our main technological communication tool for sharing ideas, sharing photos of props, organizing meetings and timings, and sharing concerns. This was also important so we could keep a comprehensive log that we could refer back to at any time.
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Teams= This was particularly useful during lockdown so that we could have face-to-face contact during the early developmental stage. This was used much less once we started attending lessons together.
04
Editing
Another primary hardware used for pre-production was a Mac Book Air which enabled me to use various computer software. This included:
Imovie:
I tested and trialed a few techniques of editing via iMovie with a practice sequence made on my laptop.
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Adobe Premium Pro:
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The software we used to edit our opening sequence was a program called Adobe Premium Pro, which I had not used before. Therefore, over half term, I decided to watch some Youtube tutorials to familiarise myself with Adobe before getting into the post-production stage. I also attended several workshops to training and experience using the software.
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