What we have left to do

1. Finish off editing on Final Cut Express - we need to add titles into the sequence and check that it all flows properly and is believable and doesn't confuse the audience in any way. We also need to add the music to our clip and mute all of the different images making it a silent piece. 
2. Create surveys for peer analysis - when we show our clip for the first time we need to have it analysed by people in our group to tell us whether they believe it and would want to see the rest of the movie; we need to think about what questions we are going to include in this questionaire.
3. Re-edit the film - after having the peer analysis questionaires back and looking at the criticisms we recieve the film will most probably need some tweaking. This will result in going back to Final Cut Express and changing different aspects of our opening sequence.

Editing our sequence.

To begin with, editing was really easy and didn't involve much work for me personally as I was just offering opinions to Anna and Lucy who were doing all the technical stuff. We got on really well as a group and didn't disagree at all on what we thought we needed to do and where different clips should go in order to make the film as good as we could. However, today I was the only one in and may have struggled a bit not only with the editing software but with not having other people's opinion on what I was doing as it isn't only my grade we're working for and I didn't want to let them down. Furthermore, I had never used Final Cut Express before and struggled a bit with all the different buttons and things that I had to use. I also somehow managed to put the first bit of text onto the sequence which was very difficult as I started off not having a clue with what to do even to move clips onto a timeline and so I felt very proud when I managed to add the text onto the end. Now all that is left to do is the final tweaks to the clips and putting titles on it - an aim I think very easily done when we come back from half term.

Filming of Our Sequence.

We filmed the sequence today, so it is now ready to be edited and put together to create the final thing before peer analysis.

The filming only took about an hour and a half and we got all the footage that we needed. However, whilst filming we encountered some problems:

1. House set up: because Anna was a stalker, we had to find a way to make sure she was seen by the audience but not obvious to the main characters, Teddy and Mandy. This was hard as there was no bushes around the window so Anna had to angle herself at the side of the window so that she could 'stalk' the couple in the front room. 
2. When filming the murder scene outside, we had a man come up to us and start yelling expletives and threatening to call the police on us. We handled this by walking away and leaving the situation, however when we walked back that way to leave home he followed us for a part of the way. However, no harm was done except for a man in New Malden hating us. 

Overall, the filming was very successful and as a group we are really proud of what we created. We also took some photographs of the filming in process!

<---Lucy and Catherine setting up the camera outside the house, preparing to film the establishing shot of the location.

<---Lucy and Catherine having problems with the camera by the looks of things!

 <---A photo of our friend Perry's house where we shot our opening sequence.

<---Anna in role playing 'the stalker' spying on Ted and Victim Mandy.

<---Preparing to shoot a scene with Mandy and Ted.

<---Perry and Lucy getting into role, ready to be filmed.

<---The cast, Perry Vazquez, Lucy Findlater and Anna Wylde, all friends in real life however this is certainly not the case in the film!

<---Catherine did the majority of filming the sequences.

Meeting 3 - Storyboarding/Planning

This week we spent our lessons on creating the storyboard which will direct us on the day of filming, and we decided we would film on sunday the 29th of January. We discussed where we would film we decided to film at our friend Perry Vazquez's house, Perry is also playing the character of Ted in the opening.
We concluded that during filming we will take photographs of; the location, props, costumes, characters, a group photo and the filming in action.

Meeting 2 - Week 2 Planning

In the second week of planning our sequence we continued brainstorming potential concepts and fortunately we all agreed on an idea. We decided our opening would be set in the 80's era and we would show this through appropriate costumes, makeup and music. We agreed our storyline would focus on a jealous stalker who watches the boy she obsessed over through his frontroom window and she sees him with his girlfriend. She waits for the girlfriend to leave, follows her, and kills her with an axe.

So far our planning had gone well, all 3 of us work well together and listen to each others ideas without disgarding them or laughing at them. When Lucy proposed this idea we all put our own ideas into it and adapted it to its final concept.

Meeting 1

Before we could begin planning or filming anything we had to discuss ideas such as what genre our opening would be, what style we would use, when and where it is set, who is going to be in it, and most importantly what the storyline would be.

We immediately decided that our genre was going to be horror, however this eventually changed to thriller rather than horror. We were keen to so a victorian style film by using costumes and victorian settings, however we decided that is would not be viable as we do not have the budget, time or expertise to be able to make this idea a reality.

Prop List and Costumes for Opening Sequence

Prop List/Costumes

1. An Axe: used for the murder of Mandy by the Stalker. 
2. Fake Blood/Ketchup: used to create the blood coming from Mandy's body after the murder has taken place.
3. 'Alcoholic' Beverages: drinks that appear to be alcohol (but actually aren't) to set the mood that they are a couple having a nice night in together.
4.  80s music: sets the era, creates the mood of what is happening within the frame. 
5. Stalkers costume: long black coat, black jeans, black Dr Martens and a black top so she is camoflaged when she is peering through the window. 
6. Mandy's costume: a polka dot dress, denim jacket, Dr Martens, bright make-up (lots of blusher, bright eye make-up, bright lipstick) Big hair and hair accesories, fingerless gloves. These will all give the 80's feel as these were worn in that era.
7. Teddy's costume: Hawiian shirt, shorts, boot, big hair. 
8. 80's music. Sussudio by Phil Collins.