Actors and character elements for film opening

Actors and character elements for film opening

I have found a volunteer actor who is willing to star as the police officer in my film opening. This actor will do most of the acting in the opening. As well as this, I will be using a female child actor for the innocent who is accidentally killed by the officer. Additionally, I will use a female adult for the wife of the man who is a victim of his domestic abuse.

Below is evidence that I have organised my actor through email (censored for privacy reasons)

In terms of how the character of the officer should be presented by the actor, I have created a Slideshare to list the character elements about the character

Character elements of the police officer from samuelpilsworth

Below is a Spicynodes used to show how I would like the audience to respond to each character element

Considering representing Disability in film opening

Considering representing Disability in film opening

After coming to the end of planning my film opening, I have considered using disability in my film opening as a means of showing the worsening state of the officer's mental ability. Before deciding to do this, I will choose to do some out of place and last minute research about how disability is represented in media. I have chosen to not use an extract from a piece of media that is the genre of Thriller as there are few examples that do not give a clear example of how disability is exactly represented. Instead, I would like to look at an extract from the TV show "Glee" and how disability is represented for the character of Artie who is bound to a wheelchair.

The link to this extract is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKxyZYeEO_4

The link to this analysis on Slideshare is:

Representation of diability in glee from samuelpilsworth

After analysing this extract, I have come to the conclusion that I will not represent disability directly in my film opening. Some inference of mental disability could be taken from the officer’s decline in mental state. I have chosen to do this because I feel that disability like being wheelchair bound would make the profession of a officer working in the street seem unrealistic and would not fit into the actions of the character. I will however, consider representing disability in my A2 music video project after realising the strong connotations that can be made from including disability in a piece of media. 

Storyboard for film opening

Storyboard for film opening

Below is the storyboard for my film opening broken up into scenes: B, C, D Intro and D Song. Scene A's actual storyboard has not been included as that is only dialogue over matching text and so does not require a storyboard but does have a shot reference page for each line.

Total number of shots (using storyboard)= 45 shots
Total length time (using storyboard)= 85 3/4 sec= 1 min 15 3/4 sec

Real estimate of total number of shots= 48-50
Real estimate of total time (Considering addition of Scene A and other shots)= 110 sec= 1min 50 sec

Editing for film opening

Editing for film opening

In my film opening, I will not use many effects due to me wanting to make the opening seem as realistic as possible and feel that the implementation of some effects may detract from this feeling. I will be relying quite heavily on practical effects where I am actually filming with real props like using an actual car for shots in scene B. A lot of shots will have inferred effects like the addition of sound effects like a gunshot sound without showing the muzzle flash. Most shots will only have been cut and not had many extra effects added to them. However, I will add some color effects to brighten and darken certain shots.
I will include standard cuts in my opening that are done in chronological order with continuity editing. This will help to show the order of events in a clear and logical manner as the shots are of the audience looking onto the character and not taken from the perspective of the character. I that was done instead, the who events would be presented in a different order due to him experiencing this downfall and so is unable to properly keep track of which events happened when.

Shooting schedule for film opening

Shooting schedule for film opening

Here is a list of all the dates that I will be filming. A more in depth plan can be found on each filing report for each date that I filmed on.

1. 11th November 2015
2. 22th November
3. 24th November
4. 25 November
5. 6th December
6. 8th December
7. 9th December
8. 17th December

Filming locations for film opening

Filming locations for film opening

For my film opening, my set will be the exterior and interior of my home. Both of these locations allow for me to use lighting appropriately and also have a strong Thriller 'feeling' with the vast and ominous feeling in the exterior location and the dark and recessive feeling in the interior location.

Scene B and C will mostly be shot at this location which are the shots where the officer gets the dispatched from the 911 call and him on scene looking for the shooter and killing the child. Although these different scenes are set in different locations, I am shooting in the same area and location but will use trick photography to make them appear like different locations. I will film against the building itself for scene C but will film around the brick wall area for scene B.

 Here is the interior dining room used for some of the interior shots of the song like of the gun and badge, the drinking, taking drugs and the shot of the family division page.

Music/sound for film opening

Music/sound for film opening

For music in my film opening, I am using the song "Great Day Today". I decided to use a remixed version of the song and edit the song down myself to cut out the opening to the song and some of the middle lyrics to shorten down the song.

Here is the link for the original remixed version of "Great Day Today": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmoPrwIgoy8

For the song used in the film opening, I will be using this edited version of the song:

The reason I chose to use this song is because of the cryptic lyrics that have strong metaphorical meaning which is common in Thrillers as films of that genre use vagueness and hidden meanings as a way of telling the story. The accompanying and matching use in this song helps to emphasise the genre of Thriller in this opening. The deep base of the singer in the lyrics also helps to show the officer's downfall in this opening by not using uplifting and positive sounding lyrics. The beat of the song and accompanying use of instruments also help to show the fast speed of this downfall that is not too fast but definitely allows time to show the sped of this character's development.

From a filming standpoint, each line of the lyrics allows for a single shot each which means that I will not be cutting between shots too often (with each shot during the song averaging around 2-3 seconds) but will cut enough to show the fast development of the character without me having to film a vast amount of shots.

I did not use the original version of the song and instead chose the remixed version because the original does not have any distinct elements of the genre of Thriller.

The reason that I have cut the song down from the original remixed version (2:54) down to a shorter version (1:19) is mainly because I would like to build the narrative before using this song with other scenes and so that would not be possible if using the original remixed song. I also did this because I felt that some of the lyrics failed to present the Thriller of genre so I kept the lyrics that did do this. I may cut this shorter version down again depending on the real length of the other scenes and how the fit together to create this penning. If I did cut the song down, I will most likely cut out the opening (or at least shorten it) as I feel that it is quite long and that I do not have the shots to fill the full 20 seconds. 

Below is proof that I emailed Domino Records requesting to use the remixed version of "Great Day Today"

During scene D,  only the music will be able to be heard. However, during the other scenes; there will be diegetic sound present.

Costume/props and hidden secrets for film opening

Costumes/props for film opening

For the props in my film opening, I have a hard rubber training handgun that will act as the police officer's weapon that he will use to mistakenly use to shoot a child. This will also serve as this character's inspiration for his domestic violence. Another prop is the officer's police badge that adds authority to the character and stands as a sign that he is a respected member of the community.



Another prop is the police badge which represents this officer's authority and power that has been given to him as he acts as a public servant to defend and help people. This also acts as a memory of his past and shows how much he has fallen from this turn of events and downfall after killing this innocent.





For the costumes in my film opening, I have a tactical vest that the officer will wear when responding to the call about the shooting. This vest holds important police equipment like a radio and allows him to be recognized as a police officer. This vest also shows his preparation for a shootout as the officer is wearing a tactical vest which is designed for such events.

For my 'easter eggs' or hidden secrets, I had a poster that would have been on the wall in Scene C. This poster reads "Look for the light"which is a reference to the video game 'The Last of Us' where this line is part of the slogan for the anti-government group 'The Fireflies'. This line matches and fits this opening perfectly as it is a warning to the police officer about what will happen and that he should look for a way to prevent this downfall from happening. As he walks past and ignores this warning (as he is more focused on responding to this 911 call) he destines himself for what will happen. Sadly, I was unable to use this prop in my film opening as I had to cut out the shot where this poster was present as the take was too long and messed up the pacing of the scene that needed a greater sense of urgency.

I also used the prop of a coffee cup used by the officer to show his boredom and he stands leaning against his car waiting to be called out to respond to a situation. This prop changed to a beer bottle later on in the film opening to show the development in the officer's downfall from coffee to alcohol.







Another prop that I used was cigarettes. I considered using real cigarettes but decided against it based on the high cost/danger of doing so and for moral reasons of not wanting to support the tobacco industry. Instead, I sourced some fake cigarettes off of the internet and used them instead to show the development of poor choices made by the officer that is a part of his eventual downfall.




To show the audience what has happened and to give them greater context as to why the officer's downfall begins, I created a front page to a newspaper using a newspaper generator website online. Here is a link to the website that I used http://www.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp
Below is the contents of the front page that I entered in on the website (the rest of the article was automatically filled with other pieces of writing in the other columns)

"An unidentified officer of the LAPD shot and killed an 8 year old girl this last Monday after responding to reports of shooting at an undisclosed household in the LA area. The officer was freed from police custody and is currently under review based on their actions. The call that the officer was responding to was reports of shooting and a suspected home invasion that led to this officer responding to the call and subsequently shooting an 8 year old girl. Police have refused to release the 911 calls made by victims of this situation as well as refusing to release body cam footage of the officer. The officer was described as "unstable" and is suspected by many to still be dangerous. The 8 year old girl's parents released a post on social media regarding this event as a "tragedy" and that this officer "should face the death penalty for their actions"."

The title of the newspaper is: The Daily LA Times
The title of this article is: Killer Cop Slaughters Young Girl of 8

The original intended date on the newspaper was Friday, October 15, 1999. However, this was not possible as the website did not allow for the date to be changed. The reason that I choose this date was because it was the release date of the 1999 film 'Fight Club' who's genre matched my products genre of Thriller and acted as an 'easter egg' in my product. Instead, I used the name Tyler Durden as the author who is a character in the film 'Fight Club'.

Script and screenplay for film opening

Script for film opening

Below is the Prezi for my screenplay and script for my film opening, I have presented it in this way so that the order of events are clearer to the reader

Below is a Spicynodes used to summarise what happens in each scene

Media timetable

Below is a timetable for the dates that I will keep to finish this project. I have used these dates as I feel confident that I will be able to meet them and may even excel them and be more efficient than I expected. Please note: some posts may be uploaded on dates that do not coincide with the dates below based on the fact that the post had been completed but not uploaded on the date it was completed and kept as a draft until it was uploaded.

Date	Task	Notes
Friday 30th October 2015	Screenplay fully completed	Done on time
Friday 6th November 2015	Storyboarded fully completed	Done on time
Friday 13th November 2015	Confirmed actor agreement, locations and props	Done on time
Friday 13th November 2015	Planning finished (final date)	Finished on 11th November 2015(early)
Friday 13th November 2015	Start filming film opening	Started on 11th November 2015 (early)
Thursday 17th December 2015	Finished filming and completed necessary reshoots (final date) and started editing	Done on time
Friday  1st January 2016	Film opening finished (edited)	Done on time (uploaded on blog on 7th January 2016)

Film synopsis and overview of film opening

Film synopsis, overview of film opening and thoughts about the opening

I will now begin planning my film opening. After having researched the genre of Thriller, I am confident that I would like my film opening to be the genre of Thriller.

 In this opening, the events will occur in chronological order and will start with a 911 call with a woman reporting a shooting. The woman who is on the phone reports that everybody has been shot and that she is wounded. The woman then drops the phone (indicating her death). Then the opening will feature a police officer who receives the dispatch call and then leaves to respond to the shooting. Then the officer arrives on scene. He finds clues to the shooting and then sees a shadow pass in front of him. Thinking it is the shooter, he shoots at the shadow but then realises that he has killed an innocent instead. Then the song "Great Day Today" begins to play and a sort of montage begins which shows the officer's downfall into drinking, drugs and violence. The end of the opening wraps up this downfall by the end of the song.

If I were to continue the film past the opening, I would probably have the rest of the film be a sort of "on the run" film where the ex-officer is being chased by the police and has to uncover who the shooter was that caused his downfall. As many Thrillers feature a twist by the end of the film, I would probably have a twist in this film that shows that the officer was actually the shooter with multiple personality disorder and that he started shooting. Then, he responded to the call of the shooting as a police officer where he is looking for himself to stop.

In my opening, the message that I would like to convey is the weak nature of this character and how his mistake led to the breakdown of his emotions which made him violent and as bad as the criminals that he made a vow to stop. This weak nature element is quite obviously subverting the stereotype of male behaviour when looked at from a wide view. However, the representation of this character in the opening will show him as quite strong in his actions in this chaotic situation that is occurring around him and that he is not actually physically weak, but is mentally so. This representation is enforcing the stereotype of males when immediately viewed and will take an analysis by the viewer to fully understand how this character is in fact weak.

I am using a male actor based on availability but almost did use a female actress to film. This mental approach of mine was open to using either gender to film with and so I feel that my representation of this character is not affected by which actor I worked with and that no element of sexism was present in this decision.

I feel that my approach to domestic abuse, drug abuse, innocent people killed and general violence is being done appropriately and that these elements are not represented as positive things and instead things that bring negative events and situations into a person's life.