Developing the Script
In the first stages of production, we began developing Shauna's screen play into a script that would work with a micro budget. Johnny volunteered to work on the original script altering a number of elements that would cause us problems on our small budget. We had to remove both grandparents as their roles were very short and not needed in the short. We also changed the title of the screen play from "Thanks Giving" to "Possessed". The original screen play was set in America hence the name "Thanks Giving". We got rid of the Thanks Giving theme and focused more on the Possessed Doll that haunts the children. After a number of discussions we finished the developed script and began our Pre Production.Shooting Manually on DSLR's
I myself have a DSLR and have enough experience and knowledge to shoot comfortably. This helped me significantly during shooting as I had little to no issue setting up shots with the correct aperture, ISO and shutter speed. As I was capable of shooting without issues, I was able to shoot creatively for not only myself but for the less experienced members of the group such as Lewis and Shauna. I shot Lewis's scenes for him (under his guidance) and helped out with other scenes were I could. I tried my best to use creative shots and lighting such as focus pulls, tracking shots and the basic close ups. I particularly pushed the use of shallow depth of fields, something we were not able to use with the camcorders. I made sue through out the shoots that the cameras aperture was as low as possible; for instance I shot 90% of my scenes with the aperture set at 3.5 on my 18-55mm lens. I often wished I could have used a better lens for the dark scenes as it was difficult to shoot at a consistent exposure. If we had access to a lens with a lower aperture then the dark scenes would have looked less grainy as we had to compensate with a high ISO of around 800 for most of our shots.
Obtaining Adequate Coverage
We had very little issues collecting adequate coverage. When shooting on location at Ellie's house and in W16, we were sometimes rushed with our shots but we were always able to shoot from as many angles and vary those shots effectively. The only issue we found was that the rushed shots had small but noticeable errors that forced us to re-shoot.
Shooting and Editing My Own Sequence
In the Pre Production stages we individually created shot lists and storyboards for the scenes that we would be in charge of shooting. I created around 30 shot variations for my three scenes and prepared my own camera to shoot. When it was my turn to shoot I used my shot list as guidance but mostly my gut instincts when shooting to capture the most creative and professional shot. Setting up the camera was easy as I have enough experience shooting with a DSLR. I have a very good knowledge of shooting in Manual and could alter each shooting setting on the camera to create the shot I wanted to. I was able to shoot a variety of shots effectively using pull focuses, tracking shots and the use of shallow depth of field. I also have experience using the adobe software and found the editing process fairly easy. I was able to comfortably edit the shots together and add a number of aesthetically pleasing elements such as colour correction, fades, dissolves and L cuts.
Mise-en-scene
One of the issues we faced early on, in the pre production stages was finding a location for the house scenes. At first we thought we could shoot at Shauna's house, but due to building going on we had to look elsewhere. Luckily, Ellie was kind enough to let us shoot at her house. In terms of Mise-en-scene, Ellie's house was perfect and very easy to shoot in. The houses large windows allowed plenty of light into the dining room were most of the opening shoots took place. The dinning room itself was very well positioned and gave us more than enough space to shoot. The bedrooms also worked really well and on a whole the location was brilliant. The final couple of scenes were shot in W16 and gave us far more problems. We had to try and create a basement like atmosphere in what is a classroom. We decided that lighting was key and soon found that the studio lights would to bright for the scenes. We decided to close of the blinds and use a couple of desk lamps which created a very spooky dark orange light. We were very clever in making sure that we always shot facing the black wall. We also used a number of props such as boxes and clutter to create a dust ridden basement. The feedback we received was very positive, most of the viewers did not recognize the room to be W16 so on a whole I am very happy about the scenes.
Camera
Looking back at the final copy of "Possessed" I have mixed views on some of the scenes. For most of the scenes the majority of the framing and focal lengths worked really well, however I feel we let ourselves down a little with some of the shots being out of focus, shaky or just unnecessary. These few errors let down the scenes on occasions and have frustrated us a little. Negatives aside, we also shot some very effective scenes. I especially like a number of shots including Johnny's mirror shot, my pull focus on the lamp and the tracking shot of Lewis walking out of the house. Looking back we should have been far more creative with our shots and shown off our talent a little better. We were more interested in finishing in time and worrying about the settings on the camera that we lost our creative touch. However we did show moments of real quality that reflect what we are really capable of. The suspense that we created in the final scene and then the last shot of the doll appearing was very well received by the audience so overall I'm content with our short. We found some issues with the exposure of the dark shots. We found ourselves having to compensate with a higher ISO which created an ugly grainy effect on some shots. This is very disappointing to see and something that we will most defiantly re-shoot.
Editing & Sound
Throughout the editing stages of production, we all individually took turns at editing. I feel as though for a group with limited experience in editing to a high level, we learnt a number of new skills, such as: L cutting, colour correcting, effective use of artificial sounds and creating titles/credits. Our use of sound helped create a very suspenseful atmosphere which is highlighted in the final shot of the doll appearing. The build up of creepy sound that cuts to silence and then the sudden scream of the doll made myself jump as well as the audience. The only issue with the sound is that its inconsistent in areas and it can be a little overly loud in certain scenes.
Conclusion
The final scene of our short, worked far better than I first thought it would. I was pleasantly surprised by the final outcome and the feedback/response from the audience as the doll appeared was very positive as it seemed to scare a number of people. The audio in that scene was so suspenseful that it alone was enough to make me jump. The darkness of some of the shots caused us the most issues. We found ourselves having to compensate with a high grainy ISO due to the darkness. The grainy look of the shots looks awful, and so we tried adding lights but the outcome never seemed to be as good it should have. We were rather disappointed with these shots but we had no choice but to include them in the final copy as the structure of the shorts narrative would become confusing and jumpy. Over the process of pre-production to editing the final copy, I have learnt to be far more prepared when shooting on location. We were far to laid back on our first couple of shoots which left us rushing shoots later on. The fact that we weren't able to re-shoot some scenes that were very disappointing, meant that some of shots in the final copy look rushed and unprofessional. We should have been stricter with ourselves in terms of time management as we often went back to location spending 30 minuted of our allocated 2 hours re-shooting shots that were either underexposed or shaky. If we were able to start a fresh, then I would defiantly look at alternate locations for the dark basement scenes as W16 was far to difficult to shoot in for a number of reasons such the temperature of the room and the lack of mise-en-scene. I would also look at using a different lens, one that give us a shallower depth of field such as a prime lens. The lens would not only give us a very cinematic,professional look, but it would also allow us to shoot better in the dark rooms. The larger aperture or low F stop number such as 1.4 would mean that we would have to compensate less with the ISO. The less we have to compensate with the ISO, the better the overall image will look.
Feedback
Feedback from Ellie:
Possessed
Overall, this is a competent piece of film making which demonstrates an adequate level of skill in video production. Grades are subject to moderation from Sean but I believe that all group members who were here to plan, film and edit will achieve at least a M for the video but some will get higher as they put more work into the video. This is by far the best piece of video work you have all worked on, so well done!
Specific comments made at screening:
• There are some very long takes which need to be shortened / tightened.
• There are inconsistencies in sound levels and some sound comes in or cuts out jarringly.
• Some lovely acting but Mikey, why have you got gum when trying to deliver dialogue?!
• The music is too loud over dialogue in places.
• There are lighting inconsistencies.
• Another angle is needed on the Ouija board to show it moving and the characters watching it move.
• Not seeing enough skill in DSLR use and there is very little evidence of shallow focus / pulling focus etc.
• The jump audio at the end is slightly too loud.
Feedback from Sean:
• Titles at the end poor and sound disappears.
• Feels Unfinished (Credits).
• Some scenes need more shot variety.
• Good, creepy face at the end.
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