Production Set Up Reflection Blog

What did you do each day of production?

We recorded over the course of 2 days in total which meant that we had a lot of extra time left to work on editing and our evaluation. On the first day of our production stage we focused on setting up
the lighting (using box lights and spot lights) and filming the flash back section of our opening sequence. This was a very significant part of our filming as this gave an insight into the audience on why exactly the main character also protagonist (Alicia) acts in the way that she does. The second day we managed to film the scene where Alicia was taped to a chair and answering questions from the video tape recording. This took us around 3 and a half hours to achieve the clips that we wanted. Overall we filmed over 25 clips but only use around 9 of them.

What went well filming as a group?
We were extremely organised as a group in terms of sticking to our self made deadlines and prioritising. Every time we met up we set specific deadlines depending on the tasks that needed to completed for the following day. We kept up to date with our weekly task allocations sheets from week 1 to week 18. This meant that we could have a clear structure for every week before the week had actually begun. This prevented time wasting and make our work ethic more effective.

What difficulties did you have filming as a group?

As a group we faced several difficulties during the production of our thriller opening sequence. We feel as though the biggest hurdle we had to face is arranging a time suitable for our cast members to come in and start film. The time at which we are doing this Unit is a time for exams across the nation and just because we as group finished our exams somewhat earlier than others does not mean that others do . While we were trying to arrange a time for our cast members to come in a lot of the members were busy doing revision or things associated with school work. Not all cast members were from our school as well which meant we had to bring visitors into the school at a time that was suitable for them as well as suitable for us, the teacher supervising and other cast members. At times when we did manage2 to bring everyone together the media room 66 was being used for another lesson meaning that we had to reschedule and delay filming another day or so until an appropriate time slot was found.

How did you overcome these difficulties?

we tried several strategies to find a way to overcome this obstacle one which included creating a group chat on the Whatsapp application. This was the most effective as we were able to continuously talk to all crew and cast members and one point rather than individually messaging the. This also meant that cast members were able to contact us 24/7 to enable us to ask any questions regarding the script or dress code before the actual recording of the thriller opening sequence . Many of our cast members used this as an opportunity to talk to other cast embers and compromise a suitable time that we could all start filming.

What happens next for your group?

 

We felt as though this thriller opening sequence was highly successful due to the fact that we work

extremely well together as a team. After producing this piece of material we have  really expanded our knowledge on the codes and conventions of the thriller genre in particular the sub-genre of psychological thrillers. Soon after we finish finalising and submitting our work we aim to produce more content within the sector of film and radio over the course of the year. Even though initially we struggled with this unit due to the fact we had no previous experience in recording in such a way that gives meaning whilst complying with the thriller codes and conventions.