Film Evaluation

The whole process of this project has been enjoyable yet stressful and challenging at some points however, looking at the final film it has all been worth it. When we came together as a group to begin this task, I was certainly appreshensive in the begining because as a group we did not know how to use final cut express, nor did we understand how the camera worked and the variety of angles and movements which should be included. This has been a trial and process for us all, yet I think we have come up with a convincing thriller and the shots, music and titles used are effective in creating the thriller genre.
Everything in the two minute film has been carefully thought out for example, research went into finding a production company which has been the label for big blockbuster thriller films and we wanted to keep this convention.
My favourite scene is at the very beginning where a girl walks past in slow motion. This starts the film off by the audience thinking the main story is about her, however, it has nothing to do with her. Then a quick zoom in takes place onto a missing poster, and the zoom carries on right to footage of the missing girl's eyes. Following the zoom of the girl's eyes the camera zooms back out but to find the girl in a cold and dark cellar. This is the part I am most pleased with as this idea came to us all very late in the stage, yet it fits in perfectly and is a real contrast from bright day light to almost total darkness. Contrast in the lighting highlights the predicament the girl is in and also the danger in which she faces.
The end scene of the girl walking through the park I feel is a strong scene as we used a hand held camera behind the tree, and this was to represent the kiddnapper hiding and having a shifty and uneasy nature as he cannot stand still.
The dim light in the cellar adds to the horror element within our film as it allows the audience only to the glimmer in Daisy's eyes when the camera jumps to a close up shot of her face. Having added a close up, in my opinion I think worked really well as we could see the vunerablilty in her eyes and the scared and lost look she would have felt from being in that situation.
When using the point of view shot it added variety and also gave the audience an idea that she was very dazed and also that there was nothing in the room with her until the kiddnapper entered.
All the diaologue, vocie overs, and music was added to create tension to the scene. Without the music the scene would not have a build up or points to show the audience when tension was becoming greater. Both pieces of music used add drama and suspense to the film and as the titles appeared the music was very low and built up adding even more tension as though something dramatic was about to happen. The sound at the end where Daisy is walking was just the noise of a windy day, yet by using the natural sounds helped give an eerie feeling. With this sound and an image where Daisy is all alone with no one around would make the audience think Daisy is vulnerable as no one would be around to hear her or save her if something were to occur.
At the very last minute we added a news report in, this became very effective because when the image of the woman reporting faded to a black screen the dialogue continued, this implies the case is still on going. When Daisy has a flash back to the time when she was in the park we decided to have this in black and white, the reasoning for this was to show we have gone back in time.
One part I would have changed is possibly having a wider variety of angles of Daisy in the cellar, this is to give the audience a better idea of Daisy's surrounding. However, by not doing this it would come later in the film as we would not want to give to much away at the very beginning.
To conclude, I am very pleased with the final film opening as we all worked hard in creating a good opening, with shot variety and keeping conventions of a thriller.
Our film did not challenge any coventions of this particular genre. We kept the coventions throughout such as tension music and low key lighting to make the scene mysterious.
Our film represents a particular social group. This would be young girls, as girls are seen as vulnerable and as the girl is young and walking the dog alone it sets the scene for something bad to happen. This is because in today's society, girls are warned about making sure they are not alone or in what could be a dangerous situation.
Our film would be a Hollywood film much like 'Taken' or 'Kiss the Girl' if we were able to. This is due to the fact we used Unviersal which is a very well known and respected and is a production company which supports big blockbuster films.
Our audience would be available for those 15 years and older to view, however would appeal to both genders and of an age of 15 - 30. This is because girls in their teenage years could relate to this girl in the sense when they may be alone or feel vulnerable.
I think this film attracts an audience because of the gripping nature of the two minute opening. The opening is builds tension, sets the scene and also throws the audience into thinking the first girl shown is the main character. These are all things which keep the audience intrigued and when a zoom in goes towards the missing girl poster it makes the audience wonder what has happened to her.
Producing this product has been a challenge however a rewarding one. When it came to the technical side of producing, as a group we learnt together how to use the computer programmes and cameras to our advantage. After a few sessions of learning we were able to set the camera up on the tripod and know how to best position the camera. With the computer programme all our knowledge has grown as I personally feel able to work on editing the film without guidance.
When looking back at our preliminary task it is very clear to see we were lacking in shot variety and with time and experience, this has expanded greatly because when looking at the variety of shots in our final film opening we have used alot more than in the prelimiary. Also our knowledge of using final cut express was better after just learning on the prelimiary task. We would do more indepth things when editing and cutting. This benefited us as the final film looked more professional than the preliminary task.

DAISY - final film opening

Update on Music

Further searching needed to be done to find the second piece of music which was copyright free because the first song we found could not be used. The first song still stands as the 'quinns song begins'. The second song is now Dark walk. Dark Walk is very similar to War lord however Dark Walk is copyright free.

Setting for filming

In our two minutes of filming there were three settings used. They were Gillingham park, a cellar and a corner of a street.
The first scene in the film takes place on the street corner and this is where a missing poster comes into view as someone walks past. We instantly think the film will focus on the woman walking however a zoom in goes towards the poster. This setting is good as it does not immediately show the film will be horror as the scene is very quiet and also the audience could relate to this part. 
The second scene is in the cellar, and the cellar is small, dim in light, and very run down. By having the scene in a cellar is very realistic as the girl is being kept in horrible conditions. By having the  dim light and run down look of the cellar it creates tension which is what the group wanted to portray anyway as our genre is thriller. 
The third scene is of gillingham park where Daisy is walking her dog. This is a very realistic setting and in a natural environment for Daisy. From a park scene we do not suspect she will be taken as when we think of a park it is a fun and safe area for young children to play in. 

Music

Music is a vital part of any film, however for our film it was important the music built up tension, suspension and also represented the overall mood of the film. We decided on two different songs to be played. The first song was from a royalty free music website.
The first song is quins song begins: Quinns Song-The Dance Begins.mp3

The second song is lord of war however we found that this song was not copy right free so we needed to search for a similar song which we would be able to use.

Creating music on Garage Band is still an option however this is very time consuming. This would be our last resort if we could not find a similar song which is copyright free.

Finding a Title

An important part of the process was to come up with a suitable and fitting title name for our film. As a group we brain stormed ideas of titles. Some of the title ideas included, Unknown, Daisy, Dazed, Daze and Missing. After a long discussion we decided to go with the title Daze. This title was later changed to Daisy. Once having feedback on the title 'Daze' we released 'Daisy would be more fitting and appropriate. With feedback it became apparent that a person would be in 'a daze' and having daze on its own could mean to many things, which may confuse the audience. Other names that we discussed were left as some titles were already titles of films made and others were ones not everyone was in total agreement on. 

Shot Variety

When filming a variety of shots our group found this a tricky part as when we first began to plan we did not discuss what angles and movements of the camera would work and be necessary. Once the first lot of filming in the cellar had been done we then got feedback and from this feedback it was very clear we did not have a lot of shot variety. From then on any other filming session we done we all planned what angles would look good and we also had many takes on the same scene from different angles.
Shots such as close ups were used to show tense in the girls face as she is in the cellar frightened, mid shots and long shots to show the whole body.
Low and high angle shots were also used along with zoom ins and outs. With the zooms this was done in slow motion to create tension to the scene.
We filmed part of the scene in a part and in this scene was a girl walking her dog. This involved an establishing shot and a pan movement.