Presentation

Here is the presentation we used for visual stimulus during the pitch for our film opening:

ABSS productions

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Post by Alex, Bayo, Sam & Shona ☺☻

Location shots

Here are some of the photographs taken when scouting out Daniel's house.

These pictures are of possible shots we will use for the opening sequence, since our credits will be written on everyday objects, like on the side of his shoe. Here we were exploring the size of the shot, and the tilt of the shoe, to make the shot look realistic rather than stilted.

Here was a possible high tilt we're going to use for another name from the credits, we're planning for the actor to take down the cereal box to reveal another with the name written on it. However, from this picture, there isn't enough light so we may have to alter that when it comes to filming.

Here is one of our more ambitious shots, filming Daniel through the mirror at a tilt, rather than straight on. We had some problems organising the location of the camera for this shot because we couldn't have the camera reflected in the mirror, although we've now sorted out that problem by filming at an angle. This is also a form of establishing shot, but also another credit name will be in the shot, written on the mirror.

post by Shona ☺

explanation of shots- group 5

SHOT 1:
The close up/ cutaway shot of the alarm clock is used to automatically introduce the audience the time and begins the link between the playing diegetic music which slowly transforms to non diegetic.

SHOT 2:
The aerial shot links in with the opening credit using a pillowcase to emphasise the originality, thus also keeping the audience interested.

SHOT 3:
The close up is of Daniel staring back at the camera - which is meant to be a mirror, identifying with the audience that he is getting ready for something in the bathroom with the fact of him brushing his teeth.

SHOT 4:
The mid-shot of Daniel begins with a view of his legs then a telephoto zoom of his footwear/shoes while he is putting them on linking in the credit sequence.

SHOT 5:
The text message on the mobile phone is again purposely used as mise-en-scene to indicate that this is a teen genre with the inclusion of the props we use.

SHOT 6:
The mid panning shot is used to identify the location where the audience sees Daniel’s relation with the props they know that that is his house.

SHOT 7:
The camera in the cupboard creates a confined special feeling and the combinations of shapes focus on the main character to identify with the audience that he is basically boxed up.

SHOT 8:
The transition from the cupboard to the school locker creates a continuous mood and atmosphere but set in another location. This is done to portray the persistence of Daniel always being a target, of victimization.

SHOT 9:
We use the over the shoulder shot to continue the alienation effect, alluring a sympathetic feeling between the audience and our main character. Daniel.

SHOT 10,11,12:
These are the flashback stages of Daniel being bullied, psychologically, to build awareness to the audience of what’s happening. Theses methods of bullying we use here are, his drink getting spiked, multiple pictures of him along the college walls and his clothes being replaced with children’s clothes and because he has nothing else he has to wear them.

SHOT 13:
Once maintaining the audience’s awareness of what has happened/happening, we purposely want Daniel to close the locker door to show the ending of his life of bullying and leaves the audience in a cliff hanger/enigma, initially it being the end of the shot!

SHOT 14:
Continuing the originality of our credit sequence we had to put the title on the locker, then using the camera to focuses in on it setting the atmosphere for the audience.

post by Sam Kitondo

Shooting Schedule >D

Here is the main part of our shooting schedule, although some of the dates are still TBC and it's still open to improvement apon further discussion with our Actor:



















post by Shona ☺

Additional Research :)

Since we are making a Teen film which explores teen issues we decided to do a survey asking our intended audience (teenagers, 15+) about their thoughts and their prefrences. We asked approximately 30 people in our sixth form common room to fill out our survey:

Two thirds of people asked watched many teen films, and the remainder still watched Teen movies, although less frequently. When asked if they'd rather prefer comedy or thriller, most circled comedy, although almost all confessed that 'It would depend on their mood'. However despite this when asked would a film focusing on teenage issues be improved using aspects of thriller or comedy; the vast majority said that it would be improved by the thriller treatment, and one volunteer stated "If it was comedy, it would be sickeningly cheesy" and most disliked films which revolved around teenage problems.
These results supported our main idea for our film opening. We will be making a film focusing on bullying and teenage issues, although we will be making it more dynamic and interesting by using concepts from psychological thrillers. Our target audience is also interested in Teen movies, and this gives us an incentive to stick with this genre.


post by Alex, Bayo, Sam & Shona ☻

Story Board <3

This is an outline of the general story in story board form, and also a collection of different shots/techniques we plan to use, and their effects.



















(click on image to enlarge)

post by Shona ☻

Actors, Locations, Props & Costumes

We are using Daniel Chapman as our main actor. Not only is he enthusiastic, but he's willing and he's available at the same times as us: period 3&4 on a tuesday and period 2 on a friday.
Daniel fits our original plan for the main character; 16/17, white, average teenager. Being 5'8'' with brown hair and eyes, he is a generic character, which makes sure the audience don't presume there is a racial or physical reason he's getting bullied. The more normal he is the more the audience relate to him, and the more potent the anti-bullying message is.

We have more than one location for our film opening. The main location will be the locker room in the sixth form block (room 005) in which will be filmed the bullying scene, where we get our first taste of the psychological torture he has to live through. The stark grey and bright artificial lighting give an eerie surreal feeling to the scene, which only enhances the disturbing nature of the discovery of the dead bird. It's also easily accessible, and empty during lesson time.

The other location is Daniel's house, where the film titles and very beginning is filmed. Because the opening sequence is supposed to create an atmosphere of normality and familiarity, filming this in a place Daniel is used to allows him to relax, and makes his acting more natural, and helps to further immerse the audience. Also, it being a teenagers room and house, aids in asserting the Teen film genre.



The costumes we are going to use in our film opening will be Daniel's everyday clothes, usually a striped longsleeves and skinny black jeans. We will use this because they are common clothes, easy to obtain and worn by modern teenagers. this will again affirm the Teen film genre, making Daniel recognisable as an average teenager, someone the audience can relate to.

At one point in the script, the main character's clothing gets switched with that of a small child, another aspect of the psychological bullying part of the film. These clothes will drastically differ from Daniel's normal clothing, being much smaller in size and brightly coloured to emphasise the cruelty of switching the clothes, but also the main character's humiliation in having to wear them.


Throughout the opening there is a variety of different props including a pillow with 'AB§ Productions' printed on it, a mirror, a mobile phone, a cereal box and a pair of trainers. These items will all be used in the beginning to show the opening titles, the names being written on these items as the main character picks them up and uses them as he gets ready. Names will be written in soap on the mirror as the main character brushes his teeth, typed into the mobile as he sends a text, drawn onto the side of his shoe as he bends down to lace them up and written on the side of the cereal box. This allows us to utilise the full two minutes whilst still including unique titles.
The main prop during our opening sequence will be a dead bird, although not a real one because of hygiene and moral issues. This prop is incredibly important because it not only marks a major change in mood, but also it symbolises the pain the main character has gone through, and it epitomises all the bullying he has had to endure. we don't yet have this prop, although it has come to our attention that the art department has a model dead bird we could use, which we will enquire about ASAP. If we cannot use that model, another option is to make one, and we already have a member who has volunteered to do so.

post by Alex, Bayo, Sam & Shona ☺