The Final film was finished a good while ago, though we could not upload it to You Tube due to a copy right issue concerning the music in use. Since then we created a similar song just so we could upload it to You Tube without this issue. The drafts, obviously, also included the original song, though we have edited them so that they contain our own song. Below is the finished film and drafts:
FINAL FILM
Our Final Video features a large number of cuts from scenes in the drafts and a form change as we were originally making a trailer. The other drafts felt to us more like Opening Sequences anyway, but they were just too long so they needed streamlining.
DRAFT 1
Our first draft was the most like an extended trailer, using bits to draw in the audience and ultimately ending with the cliffhanger of the 'who done it?' style question. It featured the shortest conversation which our end result actually is built around. We liked it, but it didn't quite fit the brief and still needed tweaking so we moved on.
DRAFT 2
The second draft was more streamlined, and tweaked slightly, but wasn't majorly different from the first. It featured a longer conversation with some lines that were cut for the final version which was actually longer still. It wasn't until the final cut when it became exactly 2 minutes in length and so much as an opening sequence as it is now.
In our production, we chose to use a number of different vehicles for different effects. The audience sees this first car in the first scene of our production. It is used, as the scene is in semi darkness and the whole car is not fully visible, to seem as if it is the Morris Minor from the original Murder case. Due to this semi darkness, we did not need to obtain an older vehicle as the curved, tall shape of the Picasso is reminiscent of the Minor's shape.
Mercedes C220
The second vehicle is a Mercedes C220, an executive, saloon style car that is associated with the higher classes and those from the upper socio economic bands which were the groups we wished to represent. This car belonged to Mark Glenn, our Pathologist, so the vehicle works well for the person it is linked to.
Due to the fact that the piece of music we used in our film is only available for use for education, we could not upload any versions of the film that featured it to the internet. This posed a problem as we needed to do so to link it to our blogs. To remedy this, we made You Tube friendly versions with music we had made ourselves. We made the song so that it was in the same key and chord sequence as You Don't Know so that it would hold the same exophoric reference as we still wanted to convey. So that we could do so quickly and partly so that we could experiment in music making, we used the iPad's Garageband App. We used only Guitar so that it kept the retro feel of the original and didn't sound like a cheesey remake, just to avoid Copyright. The Chord sequences was C-Am-Dm-G, just like the original. Most songs feature this same chord structure, if not sequence so we are not infringing on the rights of EMI who own the song. Overlaying over this chord sequence, we added arpeggio's so that the song was embellished and not boring.
When filming, we didn't have the budget nor the compatible camera for an external microphone or boom to boost sound quality and sensitivity. This meant that some wind and background noise was picked up during some scenes. To fix this we used the audio enveloping feature in Final Cut - though it can also be done in most other major editors - and masked this with a creepy soundscape over the top. The effect is that you can choose exactly when the volume is heightened or lowered throughout the clip. In the picture to the right you can see that some nodes are higher than others; this signifies the volume being louder or quieter at that segment of the clip.
Due to a fault of our own, this scene originally had the obvious shadow of the tripod over the bonnet of the car. Luckily, the shot also contained a segment where one of the characters walked infront of the camera in such a way that the shadow was covered by another. We masked this over the finished clip to make it seem as if the shadow were something such as a bin or at least something out of shot and less obvious than the tripod. Creation Process
To create the desired effect, we first placed the original clip on the main storyline and then found a freeze from earlier in the clip where the shadow was obstructed. We then proceeded to use a third party plugin called 'RT 8 Point Matte' which allowed us to mask around the wanted shadow so that it was the only thing visible on the secondary timeline. We were able to add a considerable amount of blur to the edges so that the effect was undetectable if not outlined to the audience. We should have realised and re-filmed quicker, though the effect was so easy to reproduce that it was quicker to do so.
Another scene that didn't make the final cut was the PCI character walking past a bus depot as the voice over details the finding of the murder weapon on the backset of a bus. For this scene, we wanted one of the shots to be a side along track as he walked which would, if we had the budget, usually involve using a dolly. We, instead, had to walk alongside him holding the camera using an onset effect and use a post production effect to finish the effect. Creation Process First, we filmed with the tripod still attached and outstretched to steady the camera. This worked wonders as it pulled the camera downwards and reduced the sway side to side which would usually arrise. Secondly, we used an effect called 'Warp Stabalise' in Adobe After Effects to fix the small amount of sway that was picked up in filming.
Throughout the film beginning, a recurring element is that of a picture evidence style wall, which illustrates the connection between the old and new murder while the voice over speaks parallel to it. We made the whole wall as one image on Photoshop at a large dimension size so that it could be zoomed in on and panned around while preserving quality. Final Cut was used to do this where we used simple keyframing to move the image around. Below is the image of the full wall which is in our draft clearly and in the background of the title in the final film:
Our film originally features a morphing scene from a print out of a picture of James Hanratty, our presumed antagonist, to another image of him on a wall; adapting the graphic matching technique where one merely fades into the other.
Creation Process
To create the morph effect we used an application called Morph Age Pro; it is a shareware piece of software that does cost £99.99, however it produces some really good effects such as the one in our drafts. To achieve the desired effect, the user creates a path on one image which is then replicated on the other. By rearranging these to tell the programme where the original point has no moved to, the in between frames are created. The more points created, the smoother the end result will be. We really liked this morph and felt it showed off our shot choice and technical skills well, though when it came to cutting down to two minutes it just was not relevant enough to keep.
The opening clip consists of a character stood underneath a lamppost as a car approaches. We first filmed this scene in the dark though the lighting meant that any detail was lost entirely. We resulted to filming the scene again in dusk to gain more detail. The above clip is a composited clip of the raw footage and the edited. The raw is blue and the edited is black and white. Creation Process - Camera Before filming, we implemented a great technique for filming 'Night for Day'. This can be achieved by setting the light function to 'Tungsten' and lowering the exposure to the lowest the camera offers. This, effectively, takes less light into the shutter and gives the clip the blue tinge of night. Creation Process - Final Cut Pro X Once the shots had been filmed we found that the shot being so blue would not be so convincing and also, as a juxtaposition with the Tarantinoesque titles for it to be Film Noire. We completely desaturated the clips, before lowering the exposure and upping the contrast. Furthermore, we masked around the character and lightened the clip so that it gave the impression that the lamp post above him was on.
The 'August 1961' title was the first thing we created, already having the vision for what we wanted and not needing any footage to create it. By the time we made the 'DEADMAN' title, we refined the process and i believe it looks a little better than the first, but I am proud of both. Creation Process
The blood splatter is laid over the top of the text it needs to be applied to and the 'TrkMat' option is changed to Alpha trackmatte for the blood splatter layer. We repeated this for three blood splatters and placed a fourth over the top on the last sequence as the mess of the splatter is very effective. The first set of blood splatters I had to make as I could not find the ones I used in the second video clip. They were made by using a white paint splatter clip which I masked a bloody texture too before using the method above. I am quite happy with this effect as it has a Tarantino feel who happens to be one of my favourite Directors and the contrast between Film Noire and this is very punchy.
An important scene in our production is the final scene before the title where the PCI is informed by the Pathologist that the case is not as clean cut as first thought and the DNA results have been tampered with. This scene we wanted to film in a Hospital as the mise-en-scene would be perfect for such a scenario. Obviously, however, on the tight schedule and resources, this would not be possible. When we decided we wanted to film in a Hospital corridor, I set out to design some relevant signs that would be found in the Hospital. They can be found below:
Hospital signs typically found in hallways
Name Plaques to convey who resides in the room
An extra Poster to make the office seem more legitimate
A sign not seen on film, but was tacked to the wall to the right of the room we used.
Composition
We used a variety of techniques to produce the signs above, below are a few steps showing how they were created. Directional Sign
We added this bevel effect to each individual section of the main sign so that it would look as if it were actually bevelled on metal as opposed to simply printed on paper. We found that a flat, raised inner bevel as these are the kind of effects metal shows when it has been embossed. I was very happy with the effect though I believe the final sign may not have been the right size. This could however merely be because I know it's fake as others believe it looks incredibly reallistic.
Name Plaque
It took a number of effects using trial and improvement to create the name plaque, below are some of the most important and useful:
To the inner text, we added noise to make the sign look a little warn and expensive, as it could be etched in some form of impure stone. This small change adds validity to the plaque and breaks up the solid black colour of the text.
The inset emboss was probably one of the most significant effects as it gives it the overall etched effect, making it 3D and tricking the eye of the viewer into seeing depth. This was an effect we wanted to create mostly with the first two signs as both are seen fairly close up and if not, focussed upon fairly tightly. If they did not look 3D, the effect would be broken and they would be nowhere as impressive.
Finally, we added a slight gaussian blur to the entire text on the plaque to make it seem less sharp and, again, more worn. This enforces the sometimes rough chiselled effect that can be seen on some real plaques.
An accidental, but helpful fact was that the directional sign was dented slightly after printing; originally we thought this would hinder our film, though it actually now looks as though the sign is worn from age, giving an even more authentic look.
Feedback
After our audience saw this scene in the film, the general consensus was that we had done very well in recreating a hospital hall way; most viewers have actually been shocked to find that we did not actually film in a hospital and in fact used my living room.
For use in our production, we really wanted to use the song 'You don't know' by Helen Shapiro. The reason for this is that it was number one for three weeks running in August 1961 which means it serves as a very subtle, but clever intertextual reference as the beginning of our film is set at this time. To acquire the use of this music, we first had to contact the owners and correspond to reach an agreement.
The company that now owns the song is EMI Records whom we contacted to see if we could acquire rights for the song. We first rang the company's UK branch, assuming it would be difficult to get hold of them via email quickly and it would be easy to see how plausible the use of the song would be. We were directed to someone who said that email would be better and that he would like to correspond with us that way from then on. He preliminarily said that the chances were high that we would be able to use the song.
Our correspondence with this member of EMI is below: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello, I am the student who just rang regarding the use of Helen Shapiro's You Don't know for my AS Level Media Production. If you could reply with written permission that would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks a lot for your help,
Ross Freeman ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Ross,
It appears this song is owned by Lorna Music Co Ltd for the publishing side. You may have been looking for EMI Records, who may own the recording. I would suggest you contact Jessica for this- 'REMOVED FOR PRIVACY'.
Thank you very much for the reply; I will contact her from now on.
Thanks a lot for your time,
Ross -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We then proceeded to email the new EMI representative to request permission: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Miss. Barlow,
I am writing to enquire about the use of a song owned by Lorna Music Co Ltd in my AS level Media Production and was informed by a member of your publishing team that I should contact you for permission. The song in question is You Don't Know by Helen Shapiro and I guarantee that it will be used entirely for non-profit and educational use and if necessary we can provide you with our online e-Portfolio's to prove it's use.
Thank you for getting in contact to use Helen Shapiro “You Don’t Know” in your media production. So that I can process your request can you please answer the questions in red below?
SCHOOL/UNIVERSITY: To which school or university is your project to be submitted for marking?
PROJECT: What is the name of your project?
RECORDING & ARTIST: “You Don’t Know” performed by Helen Shapiro
DURATION AND NATURE OF USE:How much of the recording do you require? (e.g. 30 secs, 1 min, full duration of the recording) Will the recording be used solely in the background accompanying visual images?
MEDIA:Is the use purely for marking purposes?
TERRITORY:Is it solely UK for which you need rights?
TERM:How long do you require the rights? 6 months, 1 year?
COMMENCEMENT DATE:When do you require the rights from?
PROJECT SYNOPSIS (Please supply visuals if available):
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further queries.
PROJECT: AS Level Media Production - Trailer for own film creation
RECORDING & ARTIST: “You Don’t Know” performed by Helen Shapiro
DURATION AND NATURE OF USE:One minute - Shall be featured in the background as an intertextual reference due to the film being set in August 1961 when it was a number 1 hit.
MEDIA:Purely for marking and educational, though it will be posted on You Tube so that it can be linked to our Portfolio's for moderation.
TERRITORY:It shall be posted on You Tube so I assume we will need rights for all that can view it, if that is possible?
TERM:Once it has been uploaded to You Tube we had not planned to remove it so if it's possible we'd like the rights as long as possible if not indefinitely?
COMMENCEMENT DATE:Though it will not be uploaded today, I'm not aware entirely when the finishing date of the project will be, so if possible commencement date would be from your acceptance today or when that is.
PROJECT SYNOPSIS (Please supply visuals if available): The project is for our coursework and is to create a film trailer for a thriller. Our film is about a copycat of the A6 Murderer from 1961; to enforce this we show at the opening of the trailer snippets of the original murder with Helen Shapiro's song playing in the background as if from a car radio to set the time period. I'm afraid the film isn't shot yet though I have attached the storyboard that the music will be applied to. I'd like to add that we would be perfectly happy to link to EMI and/or a link to buy the song in the description and plan to give complete credit in the credits and description.
Thank you very much for your time, I hope you can grant us the use of the song.
Please accept this email as confirmation that EMI Records Limited ("EMI") has no objection to your request to use up to 1 minute of “You Don’t Know” by Helen Shapiro (the "Artist") as you have described solely in connection with your school coursework, PROVIDED that at all times:
(i) Your school coursework is not exploited commercially in any way and is not used in any sort of commercial context;
(ii) Your use of the sound recording referred to above in your school coursework is in no way derogatory towards EMI, its affiliates or the Artist;
(iii) Your school coursework is in no way derogatory towards EMI, its affiliates or the Artist;
(iv) You only use the sound recording referred to above in the manner that you have described for 1 year from the date of this email and solely within the UK; and
(v) The Artist or their management do not at any time after the date of this email raise objections to your use of the sound recording in your school coursework.
This was great and now meant that we would have cover to use the song for marking, but cannot upload it to You Tube for linking to this blog. For that reason, we will need to record a song, similar to 'You don't know' for use in the online version.
Though since I began this blog my partner and I have been setting out to create a trailer, certain events have resulted in us altering our brief. During the post-production segment of our overall production we acquired a number of feedback from our Audience. When shown bits of what was then a Trailer, we received these comments:
Audience Member 1: "I really like the shots and filters, though I think it's possible you're giving away too much of the storyline."
Audience Member 2: "The footage is perfect, but I think for a Trailer it lacks pace and really looks like the opening sequence of a film."
Audience Member 3: "I love the storyline, but most trailers don't reveal as much which could be a real downside."
Due to this unanimous feedback we attempted to find out if we could adapt our brief to fit the project we then wished to create. We found that it would be possible to fit the new brief as another brief provided by OCR is the first 2-minutes of a Thriller Film including titles. With minor edits from that point onwards, we succeeded in creating the film we wished to create the first time around. The two drafts and final film will be found in posts higher up. We were informed this change of brief would be justified if we added one detailed analysis of an opening scene as conventions are very similar.
A second prop needed for our production is a murder weapon which, to conform with our storyline, must be a gun. Due to the fact we needed to use a realistic looking firearm, it was necessary for us to read up on UK law regarding imitation and toy firearms. The legislation we regarded can be found here:
"The Violent Crime Reduction Act, amongst other things, amends firearms legislation to ban the
manufacture, import and sale of realistic imitations and prohibits the sale of any imitation firearm
(whether or not it is realistic) to persons under the age of 18 years. Longer sentences have been
introduced for the possession of an imitation firearm in a public place without reasonable excuse. "
This small excerpt details that we, both, could not obtain a realistic looking firearm ourselves, but also, that we would find it difficult locating one as cheap as they once cost. Once we have a realistic prop, also, we have to go to certain measures to ensure when we use it in public, any people in the vicinity are aware that it is not real and that we only had it for filming purposes.
What we resided to do was to buy a child's toy that followed UK Law and to alter it ourselves. The gun we used was a blue, plastic gun from Poundworld. To alter it, we dissembled it so that we could remove the orange plug that all toy firearms must contain and to paint it with black plastikote paint. The end result is below:
Only one scene in our film requires we film in public with the gun so when filming these shots we will ensure that we assure any members of the public in the vicinity are aware that we are filming with a fake firearm. In addition, we will need to film as quickly as possible.
The gun also needs to feature in a photograph of an evidence bag containing the fire arm; this picture is below. We used a sandwich bag to double as an evidence bag and then edited it to look more convincing:
An important prop needed to make our trailer more convincing is a DNA result certificate proving that the muderer is James Hanratty. To achieve this, Ross and I found examples of DNA certificates online and set out to design our own; below is the word document we created and below that is the printed, assembled version:
Our filming schedule and the fact that we must coincide with adults working hours and school, requires that we leave school during a free period on Friday 23rd November. To achieve this, it entailed acquiring permission from our Vice Principle, Mr. Bernard. Before approaching him, we asked our Media teacher, Mr. Seston to write us up letter giving his own permission. Below is the letter written up on the computer and the printed, signed letter:
Unfortunately, it has arisen again that our replacement actor for the part of 'Historian' is unavailable for the role. As a result of this, Ross and I have decided to remove the role from the film and give the lengthy voice over part to my dad who will be playing the Police Chief Inspector. By doing this, we actually remove a logistical problem of why the PCI would be speaking to a Historian having recognised the similarities in the first place. In addition, with the voice over being spoken by my dad, recording will be a much easier task and can be completed to a higher standard.
As it is quickly approaching time for us to film and edit our production, I believed it would be best to outline entirely our idea and trailer story line as we have only given it in pieces thus far.
Our idea, as aforementioned, is to base our Thriller on a 'copy cat' of the A6 murderer, widely believed to be James Hanratty who has re-enacted the murders to prove a point about DNA. In 1961, the time of the real murders, DNA evidence could not be gathered though now it can. In 2002, James Hanratty, who was hanged for the crime, was 'proved' to be the murderer through DNA evidencing, though some believe he was framed merely to finish the case. This is the point we base our film around; the murderer is proved to be, by DNA, Hanratty though he was hanged 50 years previously so the only solution is that the DNA has been tampered with. To enforce this point, the victim is one of the Pathologists that proved Hanratty guilty, adding an eeriness 'tick-list' ideology through the fact that he is not the only one of the Pathologists to have died in recent times. The murderer, this time, obviously does not agree that Hanratty should have been blamed the first time round. Throughout the trailer, the Police Chief Inspector recounts the previous case, sound bridging over clips of the original case and the similarities now. It is not until the end that we find the DNA proves Hanratty guilty. The film is called, 'Deadman' as a play on words as the original murder happened on Deadman hill and the proved murderer this time round is Hanratty who is a 'Dead man'.
This is a video version of our storyboards that we pieced together and spoke over as a more detailed guide for our full production. We decided creating this would be a great complement to both our actual film and our storyboard offering a greater understanding of our idea to our viewers. The music used in the background is Dvorak by Tom Milsom; originally this was only used to add some backing and content to the video, though after adding it we have decided we like how it fits, so we may incorporate it into the production some how.
Like the script, Ross and I designed a storyboard of the entire Thriller how we envisage it now, though due to it being early stages we can see ourselves having to add and take parts away before the finished film though there will be many similarities and we will attempt to stick to it as best we can. Any differences will be justified in our reviews:
To aid us in our production which is to be created very soon; Ross and I have written a preliminary script which is very subject to change, but which outlines the forms of conversation and voice over we require. The following discourses are the three separate scripts for the three separate scenes they will be used in: Script Key: PCI - Police Chief Inspector FS - Forensic Scientist
Script 1 - Conversation between PCI and FS about victim
FS: One Fatality, one raped and seriously injured, currently in intensive care, though don't expect anything soon. Mark Glenn, we knew him, Pathologist, do you remember? God, third one this month. PCI: Yeeah, right, send your men home; you won't find anything. FS: *Looks puzzled*
Script 2 - Sound Bridge of PCI that runs along most of the trailer
PCI: On the 22nd of August 1961 Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie's car was hijacked off the A6. The hijacker later shot Gregsten before raping and shooting Storie. I think you'll agree, this isn't a homicide... it's a reenactment. Mark, happens to have been one of the Pathologists who resolved the original case in 2002 with DNA evidence, as were the others. The victims car was found abandoned in Ilford the same day, sporting no evidence, whatsoever. Enforcing this, the murder weapon was found by a cleaner on the backseat of a bus, again... no evidence. James Hanratty was the prime suspect throughout the investigation despite such a resounding lack of evidence; he was later hanged after being found guilty.
However... there was always significant evidence that lead towards a second suspect...
Script 3 - Discussion of DNA results between PCI and FS
FS: I have the results of the DNA testing, but you're not going to like it.
PCI: Well?
FS: It seems your murderer is dead... and has been for over fifty years.
Ross and I decided that to efficiently complete our task, we must create an audit and an action plan for the remaining tasks leading up to and including the filming and editing of the production. Below is the plan, detailing the steps we have to complete and the priority of each task.
As a quick update regarding the poll we ran on this blog a little while ago, I would just like to justify our decision after that small piece of audience research.
The result of the poll was that:
Four wished us to make a Psychological Thriller
One wished us to make a Horror Thriller
One wished us to make an Action Thriller
None wished us to make a Detective Thriller
At first glance it may seem that we have gone against Audience research by choosing the form of Thriller that was not chosen by any, though our final idea actually encompasses the best of all that were chosen including our own choice of Detective. Though predominantly Detective, the inclusion of an unexplained twist as a Dead man is ID'd as the killer introduces the Psychological elements. Horror is conveyed as the overarching story is of Death and Mystery; aspects that hold connotations of Horror. Action isn't involved as much, though as it is a Police vs. Criminal style film, it will include scenes of Action.
Once we knew what the beginning of our film entailed, we decided that the best opening would be to have the killer at a distance under a lit lamp post to back light them. To hunt locations, we traveled to a local Village called Little Oakley to find a suitable setting, as we knew there were lamp posts like the ones we needed. Below are the pictures we took:
We decided that the first two images were the better looking ones as they depict exactly what we were thinking and are, themselves, distant from anything else enforcing the desolate and lonely ideology. Below is a mock frame I created using the image to convey my ideas for the opening shot of the trailer:
The figure below the lamp post is the murderer and the two approaching lights are the headlamps of the soon to be hijacked car.
For our film trailer, we require a number of Actors to fulfill roles, some bigger roles than others. As my Dad used to participate in Amateur Theatrics, we chose him to play the main roles. It also helps that one of our Parents is the Actor we need most as he will be the most available. The other role we needed to fill was a Historian who will be speaking the majority of the Trailer. We chose to ask a History teacher at our school to fill the role as he is exactly what we envisaged when designing his scenes. He happily obliged which was a great leap forward for our Pre-Production. Below is a link to a tick list of all of the actors we need that will be updated:
After our Preliminary task, it became time to design a Storyboard for our end Production. As previously stated, we decided to go against the majority demographic and aim our film at a niche audience with an adaptation. This is because our previous films for GCSE etc. were not detailed enough and that we could create a much better trailer for an adaptation or, as we have now chosen, a factually based story. The story of the A6 Murders, which we have chosen to base our film on, begins on the 22nd August 1961 where Michael Gregsten and his Mistress Valerie Storie were hijacked on the A6 and ordered to drive for the entire night before Gregsten was shot and mudered, and Storie was raped then shot. The next morning, Gregsten was found dead with Storie seriously injured next to him. James Hanratty was suspected right up until he was hanged for the crime, though no resounding evidence was ever found. It was only in 2002 that DNA testing proved his guilt, though some believe he was framed just to conclude the case which is the main point we are basing our story on; the copy cat muderer at the end of the trailer will be revealed to be James Hanratty - impossible as he was hanged fifty years ago, making a poignant point about DNA and how it can be tampered with. We plan to play on this DNA point and, respectively, name the film 'DEADMAN'. This is a play on words as 'DEADMAN' clearly conveys the DNA result though it also reflects the original setting which was 'Deadman's Hill'. The original idea storyboard is below:
After the initial storyboard were put down on paper, we drafted the full storyboard indicating main scenes:
