PRODUCTION BLOG

Please keep up to date with your blogs as your production gets under way.

Here are some suggestions;

Synopsis of your ideas Dates for filming Storyboards Shot List
Proposal
Contingency plans
Checklist of costumes, props.
Camera problems
Editing problems
ANY problems & solutions
Who turned up for filming (and who didn’t)

Remember the blog is a great way to communicate within your teams.

Thriller Production

AS THRILLER PRODUCTION PLAN OF ACTION
Term 2
This plan of action has been written so that you can take control and ownership of your own practical production. Everything you need to know about what you should be doing and when for is included below. Please read this sheet carefully and ask if anything is unclear. The deadline dates that have been set for filming are not flexible and are out of the control of your teachers. Remember this is worth 50% of your final grade. Most importantly have fun filming and we look forward to seeing the best AS Thrillers ever produced!

WEEK /DATE AND TUTOR
PLAN OF ACTION

3 Tuesday 18th November (BWi)
Finalising Thriller ideas and presenting them to the rest of the class. Gain positive and constructive criticism. Keep all notes in order to update blog. Gaining, responding and evidencing feedback is a very important marking criteria.

3 Thursday 20th November (HKn)
Shot, costume, props, actors, scripts, finalising filming dates and filling out booking forms. Plan and organise to film whole thriller opening next week from Tuesday onwards. Remember to confirm dates with your actors. Make a note of everyone who is participating (including actors) mobile numbers so you can all keep in contact.

4 Tuesday 25th November (BWi)
2.45pm Collect camera, tripod and tape from classroom. Rest of lesson allocated to film. Remember all filming must be completed by Tuesday 2nd December! No exceptions will be made – do not ask.

4 Thursday 27th November (HKn)
Lesson allocated to film. Attendance is not necessary.

5 Tuesday 2nd December (BWi)
Individual tutorials to review footage. You will be allocated a specific time to attend. Bring your labelled tape with you! You must return your camera and tripod to the media technician’s office (opposite the edit suite) between 1.00 – 2.00pm. Failure to do so will have serious consequences.

5 Thursday 4th December (HKn)
Blogs to be updated with planning and filming stages. Read the guidelines provided for you on the blog’s homepage for further guidance

6 Tuesday 9th December (HKn)
Capturing footage in edit suite

6 Thursday 11th December (HKn)
Capturing footage and starting to edit

7 Tuesday 16th December (BWi)
Edit and blogging


7 Thursday 18th December (HKn)

Edit
(Further edit lesson to follow next term)

Two Weeks To Go

There are now only two weeks left to complete the research and preliminary task sections to your blog. Use the holidays to ensure that all the key areas are covered.

Your Preliminary task will be added to your blogs shortly so keep an eye out for it and ensure that you evaluate the completed task using technical language; what did you learn? How will it inform your approach when planning for the thriller opening?

Well done to all those students who have added multiple posts, many of which make really interesting reading. The ones that work best are those that have included personnal responses to found material, i.e. a film reviews, responses to theory, film analysis. This approach demonstrates an engagement with the material and is evidence of your growing knowledge and understanding of Thriller films. Keep it up.

For those that have yet to post a comment, time is running out. I'm sure you would agree that blogging is prefereable to writting an essay but the rule of a deadline still applies. The more you find out, the more informed and prepared you will be to create your own Thriller Opening - so there is a point to it all!

Have a great holiday and remember that the deadline is the first Tuesday back.

Skills

Just a reminder to you all...
You should also be blogging your developing technical skills and your experiences of filming and editing.
Here are some hints and questions to ask yourselves;

• Which camera are you using?

• Before filming, what checklist would you give yourself?

• Explain your knowledge of camera shot types and angles explaining how these communicate to audiences.

• What is continuity editing?

• Explain the 180 rule. (you could use a diagram or picture...remember it cant be worse than miss williams' drawing!)

• Explain what a 'match on action' is. remember you can use diagrams / drawing etc.

• How did your filming go? Did it happen as planned? Did you have any technical difficulties?

• What have you learnt from the pre-lim filming exercise? If you could do it again, what would you do differently?

• Who did what in the pre-lim?

• How do you feel you performed in your production role?

• What camera / editing skills did you have before you started? What skills have you now got? Are there any more specific or identifiable skills that you will need for your thriller?

  
  

Thriller Research

Once you are up to speed you must start your Thriller Research. The Deadline for the research is Tuesday 4th November (first AS lesson after the holidays).

You must find information from a range of sources (remembering to reference correctly) and use both Primary and Secondary research methods to gain a solid understanding of the Thriller genre, its audience and producers.

Areas to cover:

• Defining the genre
• Sub-genres
• Target Audiences
• Directors
• Actors
• Industry

Up to Speed

During the lesson on Thursday 2nd October you familirised yourself with your groups blog, how to create, edit and delete posts and how to add images and video to your posts. The blog should record your technical and theoretical development throughout your practical.

You have been asked to get your blogs up to speed and to record all your learning so far in terms of your preliminary task and thriller opening analysis. Appropriately title each post and cover one point per post, for example;

• Thriller codes and conventions
• Thriller openings
• Intoduction to the Premlinary Task
• 180 degree rule
• Camera shots
• Camera workshops

Remember to reference all secondary material correctly.

When using images taken from a google search find out the URL of the site that the image orginated from.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Introduction to Thriller Blog

Alongside your preliminary video exercise and the production of your thriller film you must present extended class notes, independent research, production planning and evaluation in the form of a group blog.

Below is a list of basic requirements that each group must include on their blog:

• Ongoing accounts of technical workshops (video/editing) and personal skills development
• Independent research into the thriller genre, target audiences, institutions
• Notes and records on actors, locations, costumes and props
• Pre-Production work including shotlists,scripting, storyboarding, production schedules
• Accounts of filming and evaluation of production roles
• An individual evaluation

Collect evidence (primary and secondary photographs and videos) as you go along and make regular posts at relevant times throughout the production.

Always include your name in each post so that work can be attributed to individuals