The post production process

Once filming was finished, we uploaded all of our footage onto the computer. Although the thriller was supposed to be only two minutes, the total footage which we had filmed had come to about an hour, as it included a lot of shots which had been messed up (very common when filming in a public area), as well as lots of alternative shots and multiple takes just to make sure we had everything and there were no mistakes.

My job was to sift through all of this footage and find the most appropriate and effective shots, ignoring duplicated shots and any shots with mistakes. I was extremely glad that we had performed multiple takes of every shot, however; as it meant we did not have to go back and do any filming again.

Our storyboarding played an important role in the editing process as it helped me to put each shot in order without too much hassle. Alongside this, it was also helpful that we had found an appropriate soundtrack for our thriller beforehand. This meant that while editing, I was able to make sure that the stings in the soundtrack coincided with what was happening on screen. This added a lot to the overall atmosphere of the thriller.

We decided that the best way of showing the scenes on public transport without losing the interest of the viewer, was to use fades and dissolves to represent time passing but without having to show every second of him being on the train. We then integrated the credits into the opening minute of the film by fading to black and showing the credits, before fading back to another shot. This creates the illusion of time passing and also adds to the atmosphere of the thriller.

The font used in the credits (courier new) was chosen because it is a regular font similar to that used by a typewriter, for example. This represents the apparant normality of our lead character, which is the idea we were trying to put across with the shots of him getting on the train. We spent a lot of time considering how we should show the credits, as if we had simply slapped some credits over the top without thinking it through, it would have completely ruined the atmosphere of the thriller and made the whole thing look unprofessional.

Continuity is also paramount to creating a believeable scenario within our thriller. Therefore, I had to make sure that Tom's appearance did not change from shot to shot, and also that continuity was maintained with the editing. For example, if there is a cut between two shots where he is walking, it is important that his actions match up so that he doees not appear to 'jump'. Overall, I feel that I achieved this successfully.

Third Day of Filming

Third day of filming

Our third day of filming consisted of shooting at Tom Vales house and at Shenfield station. We shot at the house as it was very deceiving, from the outside it looks well maintained and normal, however the inside contrasts with turned up carpet, abandoned and run down. At the station, we needed shots of him coming out and starting his journey to what the audience should think home.


We left from school early in the morning to have time to film; we had to fit in filming in the house and station. The first shots we got once got to the location were of tom entering the house, however we had some problems with cars and people in the background also when shooting the match on action of the opening of the door, the key kept getting stuck. Apart from this we got a variety of shots to save us from having to come back and re-film, with shots that included panning we got a few takes so that we had a choice to be able to select the best one.

Once inside the house we had to sort out the costumes and placing of the torture scene. We improvised with old phone cables to tie Taylor to a old chandler hook on the ceiling, we then used this to bind his feet and used a tie to gag his mouth. A black plastic bag was placed over his head to give the impression he had been then for a while. To shoot the torture seen we used a mixture of handheld shots, point of view and mid with the tripod. We also had to shoot when Tom entered the room and laid out his torturous devices. We shot this from a different room through a whole in the wall in a low angle shot to show that Tom was in control. We had problems getting this angle as the tripod was to small so we had to improvise and use bits of old tiles and wood to make it higher to tom was in the camera lens.

Once we had completed the shooting at the house we left and made our way to Shenfield station. He we got shots of tom walking through the barriers at the, and then coming out of the station. We again got a variety of shots, changing the angle and the place of shooting to have more to work with. We had to take some multiple shots were work men in bring florescent jackets walked through, this would have been no good as footage as it distracts the viewer away from Tom.




Finally, when all the shooting was completed we made our way back to school, uploaded what we had filmed and started the process of editing.

Second Day of Filming

With the travelling montage complete and edited, we pressed on with the warehouse torture sequence on the 30th March 2010. With all the props summed up together within the briefcase, we travelled to the suburbs of Brentwood to locate the warehouse. With us, was main antagonist actor Tom Vale and torture victim Taylor Gladwin. After a reasonably long walk, we finally located the warehouse, which is positioned within the Brentwood industrial estate.

Informed by others that it was abandoned, we made our way in through a broken window, familiarising ourselves with the surroundings. Primarily, the rooms were excessively dark, making the shooting almost impossible. However, after some time, we found our way into a considerably substantial room, which almost resembled a plane hanger.

Initially, the process was running extremely smooth. High angle establishing shots of the interior had been perfected, and the props we’re fundamentally set out for filming. However, just as Taylor had prepared the costume, law enforcements interrupted the session. They were extremely cooperative and understanding once we had informed them of our perception upon the matter, as well as the job in hand.

They explained to us that under the circumstance of danger, we would not be insured, due to the fact that the establishment was dangerous. They further elaborated by stating that the building was in hiatus of being bought, and if we actually wanted to shoot there, we would have to contact DHL, fill out permission paperwork etc.
Somewhat disheartened about the current situation, our group left the site, along with Tom Vale and Taylor Gladwin, and travelled back to the train station. Under a moment of reflection, we analysed the footage at the warehouse, and decided that the amount of recording was unsatisfactory.

Fundamentally, this dilemma had caused a variety of problems, as we literally had nowhere to shoot the second sequence. Lending us a helping hand once again, Tom Vale offered to lend us his dilapidated house upon Hutton Mount, stating that it was ok to shoot there if we want. So therefore, it appears that we will probably pursue this tangent. Once reflecting upon the matter, it would seem that all the Blog work on warehouses would go to waste, however, as long as the house is spacious and derelict, all the theory work we have done would still be relevant and fundamentally apply.

On the other hand, we could also follow the variable option of contacting DHL and requesting permission for the warehouse usage. However, time is extremely precious. So unless we can extend the deadline, Tom Vale’s house is the only option we have left.

First Day of Filming

Despite the minor hindrance here and there, I feel on the whole that the days shooting was fairly successful. Once sorting out authorization to leave school, the group, as well as Tom Vale (our actor) travelled to Liverpool Street Station, where we planned to shoot the opening minute of our thriller.

Once departing the train, we took our first sequence of shots from the platform, away from the public eye. Encapsulating both examples of match-on-action, and shot reverse shot, the process was running efficiently. Occasionally we did however stray away from our storyboard, as we were lucky enough to catch footage of a train pulling into the platform bay.

However, we reached our first hurdle as the group prepared from a high angle establishing shot of Liverpool Street Station. Before even placing the camera upon the tripod the group was consulted by a Liverpool Street employee, who suggested that we should consult the Liverpool Street information office before shooting. It was here that we were informed that shooting inside Liverpool Street was strictly forbidden, unless prior to the shooting, permission forms were signed. So therefore, we followed a variable tangent, where we took an establishing shot from outside Liverpool Street.

To insure that we had enough footage to stretch out for a complete minute, the group then passed through Stratford Station, merely as a back up in case the Liverpool Street footage was insufficient. We followed the same format to the Liverpool Street storyboard, with slight variations here and there. However, one predominant factor that we faced was the timing for trains. The fact that the vast majority of trains terminate at Liverpool Street meant we could perfect the shot-reverse-shot and match on action. However, the unfortunate train timings at Stratford meant we would have sparse time to take any shot whatsoever, as the platform is more compact, and therefore, more and more people would just walk into the shot.

On our journeys back home, we decided that taking a shot of Tom reading the paper would be an effective idea to ground the thriller and enhance reality. However, thinking that the shot had been taken successfully, it was to our surprise in the editing suite that the sequence had been recorded over, which unfortunately meant that we had to sacrifice a shot.

So, despite the trials and tribulations we faced through our transport montage, I still think we managed to accumulate a reasonable amount of footage in the process. Left now was merely the torture sequence, which proved much more demanding than we hoped…

The Soundtrack

We chose the non diegetic sound extremely carefully. Using the webside www.freeplaymusic.com we listened to many different pieces of music until we found one which suited the mood of our thriller. Eventually, we settled on two separate pieces of music. The first one would be used until the end of the credits and was fairly calm, with stings and changes which could be used to highlight certain points in the film. The second one would be used more as a soundscape to represent a change in mood when our character enters the house, as he suddenly transforms from an ordinary person to a twisted, sadistic torturer.

Here are the two pieces of music we used:

Costume- Following Disposition

Now the rough version of disposition was deemed complete, I began to recall a preceding blog post concerning attire for our antagonist. After careful deliberation, I universally consider that the clothing we clothed Tom in reflects our Hybrid Thriller, as well as the themes and messages we are trying to convey.
As I have already said, we summoned most of our attire influence from Michael Douglas’ fictional character in Falling Dawn, as we are using Tom’s exterior shell as a metaphor, to convey the theme of distrust, and an overall sense of trepidation that hopefully looms throughout the two minute sequence.

To anchor the theme deceiving normality, we supported our initial instincts of the predictable white shirt, black tie and formal trousers. I universally feel this unfolded really well, as his intended image fell between a happy medium that conveyed both normality, as well as a somewhat foreboding, quirky zest that really becomes prominent towards the latter end of the sequence.

However, with this meagre success, we suffered a handful of problems. For example, we devised an idea where Tom loosens his tie at the station. This shot was perfected at Brentwood, however, as our location dramatically changed, the continuity would suffer. Therefore, we had to convey this degeneration as he places the knifes, rolling up his sleeves to commit the deed.

When analysing the social grades (target audience), I genuinely believe the Tom is someone they can relate to. I really think that his angst of the mundane commute is conveyed by his lack of general emotion, even when he reaches the house. This form of firm, ridged Non Verbal Communication, accompanied by his fairly standard shirt, tie and glasses fundamentally grounds the film, conjuring up something that is legitimately believable.

To some extent his attire resembles the fellow inspiration of Jack Torrance from the Shining. However, I feel we have replaced this frenetic role with something more resourceful and practical. The fact Jack’s jumper is red subconsciously symbolises danger merely through mise en scene. However, Tom’s attire if anything symbolises innocence with the white shirt, which once again follows the deceptive route we are trying to convey.

Overall, I think the costume was a complete success, and effectively anchored the intending themes and messages we were trying to propose.

Selecting Actors

After a significant amount of research on character influence, it was now time to decide on an actor that would fit within such requirements. As a week rolled by neither the group nor I could decide on an actor to play the lead antagonist role, until a memory sparked of a friend both Dave and I knew from secondary school.

Initially it all seemed like a fine idea, as he was moderately tall, robust, charismatic, yet could fit within the general public effortlessly. It seemed however after weeks of preparation for props, sound, location etc, that the shooting schedule was almost impossible to fit around the mediocre day at his college. Worried about the deadline for both shooting and editing, we had to swiftly drop the actor, and started frantically searching for someone around Shenfield Sixth that encapsulated the necessary requirements to be in our Thriller.

Literally days before our scheduled first shoot, Tom Vale, from our media class confronted us stating that he wouldn’t mind acting within our two minute Thriller as the main antagonist. Initially, we weren’t exactly sure whether Tom could pull off an image of formality/impulsive madman. However, in hindsight, Tom Vales proposition was a Godsend.

It fundamentally appears from the footage we have managed to preserve so far that he can pull of the formal image really well, which is anchored through the props of the briefcase, glasses, and watch. I have seen him frequently at school with his shirt tucked out, with a skewed tie, so I’m hoping that the subsequent day of shooting will be just as successful as the first.

As well as the leading antagonist, we needed to find someone who could play the torture victim. Our choice was primarily influenced by a fellow group’s finished Thriller product, whereby Taylor Gladwin plays a frenetic, disjointed, down-and-out male, who appears to be psychologically ruined. Influenced greatly by their thriller, we confronted Taylor, requesting similar acting skills within our own thriller. Taylor appeared more than happy to comply, meaning that we shall hopefully utilize this factor within the second torture stint, the following week.

Influence’s for our Torture scene

Within our first two minutes of our film we have an intense torture scene, in an abandoned warehouse. The inspiration behind the scene is from the well-known Franchise film James Bond, Casino Royale (director Martin Campbell 2006).





The scene above is of Bond tied to a chair naked, with a hole cut in the bottom of the chair. As sarcastic chatter takes place between Bond and the antagonist, Bond gets wiped repeatedly on his bottom; this is to not only create sheer violence but adds humour to the scene. Although our torture scene is going to be very different from this and will not contain any dialogue, the idea of infusing vigorous violence on our protagonist will be portrayed. However we shall be implanting the idea of violence into our audience rather than actually showing any violence taking place. We decided to do our scene this way as we believe the power of the imagination is a much more effective way to create an intense atmosphere.

Thriller Name- Disposition

On the cusp of shooting our two minute psychological/thriller, the group contemplated as to what the hybrid should be called. We collectively weighed up two names, deciding which one suited the film most appropriately. We needed a name, which single-handedly provoked audience response through enigmas and mystique. I also feel it had to illustrate the antagonist’s psychological state within film, as he is most definitely the focal point. However, I feel the concrete name we concluded on has an even deeper relevance to the plotline, as it mirrors the antagonist’s views upon the world.

Desolation

Initially, we toyed with the name Desolation; nevertheless, it generally appeared that such a name wouldn’t provoke the audience’s response to such an extent. It did however mirror the antagonist’s degeneration in mind and social status as the thriller progresses, which is an idea I still like. Despite this, it feels too black and white, cliché or even one dimensional.

When you analyse a typical mainstream thriller name, such as Se7en, Marathon Man etc, you notice a growing correlation of ambiguity. Desolation almost seems to answer itself before the audience even watch the film, as images will conjure up in their mind of grim trepidation. As we are trying to deceive our audience through the themes of distrust and normality, a blatant title didn’t mirror these ideas, so after some careful deliberation, we settled on the name Disposition.

Disposition

Initially, I had a sparse understanding of how to define Disposition. I primarily understood it as a balance between two things. However, after some light research, it was to my surprise that it had more than one definition, which one the whole, related back to our psychological/thriller.

Fundamentally, many define disposition as a state of mind- “he has a happy disposition”. Relating back to our thriller, the audience will endeavour to seek out his authentic mood, only to find out the monster he truly is. In this case, the name could be regarded as extremely ambiguous, and possibly generalised to the point where the audience are given a brief insight to the film, but nothing concrete enough to reveal the storyline.

Secondly, one could analyse this polysyllabic word as dispose. The act of getting rid of something is a notion that could effectively provoke audience response, just due to the generalisation- who, where, and why?

Finally, and most prominently, is the final definition I researched. A disposition is a habit, a preparation, a state of readiness, or a tendency to act in a specified way. I found this somewhat profound, and an interesting theory that works alongside our thriller, as when all the elements above are entwined together, they almost create an embodiment of our antagonist. For example, he feels the natural affliction to commute from London (habit, a preparation, a state of readiness), which is evidently a monotonous task; however, it is this mundane lifestyle that may influence him into committing the heinous crimes he does (to act in a specified way). Obviously, this is only one way of evaluating the antagonist’s actions. However, this proves how a mere name can help encourage mystique and suspense within a psychological/thriller, and enveloped around ambiguity and uncertainty, should mirror the chosen genre.

Focus Group

As part of our research, we decided to conduct a focus group, which we filmed. Since we were limited with time, we decided that the best thing to do would be to conduct the focus group with part of our Film Studies class, as well as asking the same questions to people of different age groups outside of school.

Here is the focus group we filmed: