Monday, 11 May 2015

Company Name Change - Mallard Media

After careful consideration and general feedback from our target audience, we decided to change our production company name which subsequently changed the final outcome of the logo. Our new logo uses the contrasting tones of black & white to create a subtle logo. Black & white also has convention of being classy. Because of this, our new logo has a sense of professionalism to it which further improves its appearance. Also the black & white colour scheme is gender neutral which could appeal to wider audience. "Mallard Media" has an alliteration sound to it so it is more likely to make an impression on new audiences.

Risk Assessment

As part of our  filming process we decided to conduct a "risk assessment" to help with our opening film. Attributes to consider were as followed:


Risk
Consequence
Risk chance
Precautions
Dropping camera while filming
Broken property and inability to film
Low
We will take regular breaks.
Canine interference
Pet dog(s) on set ruins take or post-production sound recording.
High
Ensure the dogs are in another location so they do not provide non-diegetic sound.
Road traffic accidents
Injury
Medium
Take standard road safety precautions when encountering roads.
Falling/tripping
Injury
Low
Be cautious when travelling by foot.
Camera breakage due to wind knocking over tripod
Camera is broken and the product is unable to be filmed. 
Medium
Be vigilant of wind and hold onto tripod and camera at all times..



Filming location:


Weather:

Attempt to shoot on a day where there is light but it is cloudy. Use of pathetic fallacy to reflect mood of film.

Careful not fall into lake:

When shooting scenes that require us to approach the lake in Cuckoo's Hollow, do not stand too close to the edge of the brush. Also be sure to not drop the camera in the lake in filming over the bridge or rails.

Neighbourhoods:

Do not make too much noise to disturb people living in the neighbourhood. 

Beware of traffic:

Don't get hit by a car.

Beware of passer-bys:

Could accidentally get them in the footage without consent.

Alchemy scene:

Be careful not to cut self on equipment.
Don't drop glass bottles/jars.
Beware of any spillages.







Sunday, 10 May 2015

Locations of Filming




This path will be the ideal location for the opening shots and also a shot to incorporate the urban background. The trees around created a good lighting effect that allowed us to shoot without the light being too bright.














This underpass is covered in graffiti making it good to set up an urban, gritty theme. The lighting had to be natural due to lack of lighting tools so we had to film on a particularly cloudy day so the contrast did not cause confusion.














Davids Lane is a very busy roundabout near an industrial park. This could work well as an establishing or filler shot to reinforce the gloomy feel and tone of the product.










Here at this location in Cuckoo's Hollow nature reserve, will be the concluding part of the opening sequence. It is loosely based on Netflix's The Killing to present influences and further reinforce gloominess.












The house on the left is where our group member Harry lives. He had a garage with good lighting and space for the Alchemy scenes. The garage wasn't regularly visited so there would be no sound contamination. 

Wednesday, 6 May 2015

Costume and Props

Costumes & Props Costume Costume: Costumes are the distinctive style of dress/outfits which usually adjure to a certain genre or . A costume can be a particular style of clothing worn to portray the wearer as a character or type of character other than their regular persona at a social event such as a masquerade, a fancy dress party or in a theatre performance. Props Props: A property, commonly shortened to prop (plural: props), is an object used on stage or on screen by actors/actresses during a performance or screen production In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct from the actors, scenery, costumes and electrical equipment. Consumable food items appearing in the production are also considered properties. Costume ideas for our opening scene: Costume for the Alchemist Keenan Black Cloak Black Trousers Black Shoes White T-shirt Props for the Alchemist Vials Jars Cat Herbs Pestle Mortar Rocks Jewels Skull Bunsen Burners/Fire Water Books

Costume for the Jon (Harry) & Pedro (Kieran) Dark coloured jacket Jeans White v-neck Black boots




Preliminary Video

Monday, 19 January 2015

Movie Ratings of Film



We decided that as a group our film mostly fitted the 15 ratings. This contains strong language such as the word "f***" which is present in the themes of terrorism and in terms of the bombs being included in the story.

On the official bbfc website it listed all of the components of a 15 film and if one of these things are included, it will then become a 15 in rating.

The list includes any of the following:
  •   strong violence
  •  frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***').
  •   portrayals of sexual activity
  •   strong verbal references to sex
  •   sexual nudity
  •   brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
  •   discriminatory language or behaviour
  •   drug taking

There are many more points highlighted on the official website: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/15



Monday, 12 January 2015

The Script of Our Film


‘Untitled’
By CakeBox Productions

A bleak city landscape. The camera is following a man walking through the grey streets. He is wearing warm clothing indicating winter. Camera pulls focus in and out changing focus from him and the scenery around.

John(aside)-: I always wanted to be a police detective. I don’t know why.
Cut to next shot. Close-up match on action of Jon brushing past a building.
John(aside)-: Maybe it was the TV shows. The good cop always catching the bad guy and he somehow manages to rescue everyone at the end. Cool story.
                Cut to extreme close up of the Bomb Maker tinkering.
Cut back to John. Low angle shot like the camera is behind a car following the approach of John.
John(aside)-: No. It was a nice thought, though. Maybe one day I’ll get given a case where the killer is some idiot with a clear motive, prints at the scene, the works.
                Cut to extreme close up of the Bomb Maker’s mouth area. He slowly smiles.
                Cut to shot of traffic with muffled car noises allowing the monologue to be heard.
John(aside)-: That would be nice before I retire. That old cliché.
Shot of the back of John. He is looking down at traffic on an overpass. The sound of wind and traffic is muffled.
John(aside)-: Long time until that, unfortunately.
                Cut to two-shot. Another person approaches. It is John’s partner, Pedro La Guerta.
Pedro-: John?
John-: Pedro. What d’you need?
Pedro-: You at the station. Someone’s there claiming that they’ve set up a bomb in the city. They’re asking to speak to you personally.
                Close up of John as he replies.
John-: And here I thought that I could have the morning off.


Cut to main titles.