Final Casting Decision

Our final casting decision is…

·         Ben Seager as John Craig (the protagonist)

Insert casting vid

 

We decided to choose Ben as we felt that he had good camera presence and has had previous acting experience. He responded well to what we asked during the audition. As a group we decided that he had the right look for the role due to his younger age.

·         Dom Light as the mercenary (the antagonist)

Insert casting vid

We decided to choose Dom as we thought that he had the right look for the character. He is around the same age as Ben and therefore the fight scene would be even. Additionally it is more realistic as it seems more like they would be in the same agency.

Michael and Tom

Audience Figures and Popular Films within the Action Genre

1.       Avatar

Grossed - $760,507,625 (USA)

2.       The Avengers

Grossed - $623,357,910 (USA)

3.       The Dark Knight

Grossed - $534,858,444 (USA)

4.       Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

Grossed - $475,456,382 (USA)

5.       Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

Grossed - $460,935,665 (USA)

6.       The Dark Knight Rises

Grossed -$448,139,099 (USA)

7.       Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Grossed - $423,315,815 (USA)

8.       Iron Man 3

Grossed - $408,992,272 (USA)

9.       Spider Man

Grossed – $403,706,375 (USA)

10.    Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Grossing - $402,111,870 (USA)

Tom and Michael

Film diary

The day started with all the crew arriving at Tom's house as it was close to the set. We had the actors turn up around 15 minuets later so we could have everything sorted out and ready to go. We split the equipment up into each section - camera, sound and other. We also set out all of the props and extra parts to the costumes, such as the balaclava and tactical vests. The actors turned up in the clothes they would be wearing for the shoot as we had pre-arranged this with them.

Here you can see that Michael, our Director also helped with things like lighting. As we were unable to light the scenes, we decided to use a reflective bounce. We only used this in a few shots but it helped to light the shots nicely.



 

Here you can see that Tom, our D.P and Dom, one of our actors, are listening to Michael as he is telling Dom what he wants him to do. Michael was telling Tom what shot type it is and if there is a specific movement required, as he had the shot list. We decided to use a slate at the start of each take. We did this for a few reasons. One reason we used the slate at the start was so it would be easier to sync up the audio in post. we did this as we were recording sound separately. Another reason we used a slate was so that we could find the right scene and take in the editing program. If we hadn't done this, we would have had to scrub through lots of footage to find the right clip. 

Here you can see our DP, Tom, Sound Engineer, Nathan, and our slate assistant, Amy, preparing for a shot. Nathan is getting the best quality audio he can by using a boom pole. This allowed him to get the microphone directly over the action. using a boom pole means that it can stay just out of frame. At the start of each take, Amy will read out what scene, shot and take we are filming, to aid matching clips to audio in post.

Here is an example of how we started each of our takes. Our DP, Tom, tells people that the camera is rolling, Nathan tells people the sound is rolling and then Amy reads the slate. Once this has all taken place and our Director, Michael, is happy, he will then say action. The scene will then play out how it has been practiced.

Here we can see our DP, Tom, and our Sound Engineer, Nathan, discussing the 'edge of frame'. Tom is telling Nathan how low he can go with the mic on the boom pole before he enters the frame. This is important as we do not want the mic to come into frame during a shot but we want t.

Here you can see our Michael listening back to the last recording to make sure he was happy with it. This is because Nathan and Michael had a particular style of sound in mind that they wanted to capture. Michael checked back each shot to make sure he was happy with what had been recorded.

 

Here we see Tom getting his framing right for one of the first shots. This is the second shot in the opening, in which our protagonist, John, calls the agency. Tom decided to use a shoulder rig for this shot as it meant he could get a more natural looking shot which would follow our actor, Ben, to his spot. Using a tripod would have taken more time to set up.

Tom

Group Discoveries of Title Timelines or the genre

As a group we have learnt that…

·         There are more sub-roles than we have initially thought.

 

·         Placement of the names are important, if done incorrectly they can distracting.

 

·         Transitions between names are important to keep the audience’s attention.

 

·         Order of the titles are critical for example the director is normally at the end of the title sequence.

 

·         Each title is only shown around for 4-5 seconds. Exceptions to this may include title of film or important crew/cast members.

 

·         Normally the title will only be shown up to 45 seconds into the film.

 

·         Font size may change depending on what is the title is (e.g. title of film or important cast/crew members).

 

·         Song artists may also be mentioned in the titles (Quantum of Solace and Back to the Future).

 

·         Actors that play main characters will be mentioned first.

 

Tom and Michael

Institution Logo Research

At the beginning of a film the institution that made it will show a short logo or animation that highlight the name of their company. There are two types of intuitions in the film industry. Independent film companies that make independent films aimed at a niche audience and normally have less funding and mainstream companies that make big blockbuster films that are aimed at a wide mainstream audience. Sometimes during the beginning of a film you can tell by the animation or image if the company is mainstream or independent. Usually mainstream companies will have big animations and add "flare" to their logo using bright colours that catch the audiences eye. Whereas independent companies tend to have animations with dull colours. This is the usually but there are exceptions to this. Here are some examples of logos...

20th Century Fox (Mainstream)


















Universal (Mainstream)













Paramount (Mainstream)
















Film4 (Independent)




















Working Title Films (Independent)

Strike (Independent)













Michael

Filming Schedule

Scene and actors needed	Time and location
Scene 1 - Ben	Sunday 15th March 2015 – 2:30pm Field
Scene 2 – Ben and Dom	Sunday 15th March 2015 – 11am Field/Farm Complex
Scene 3 – Ben and Dom	Sunday 15th March 2015 – 3pm Farm Complex

Tom and Michael

Target Audience Moodboard

 

Our target audience to 15 to 35 because this is the age range that watches action movies generally. Additionally we are making our film within the 15 certificate criteria. This means that all of our target audience will be able to see it. 

 

Tom and Michael



Final Decision for Logo

Final Decision for Logo

We have decided to use my logo since we have agreed that it highlights our institution best. We all think it is simple and both shows the name of our institution and a memorable logo.

 

In the final version of our logo we have added sound since when asking people about it they said it would be better with sound. So we have added both a zooming in sound as well as a emu sound to make the logo seem more professional and therefore of a better quality.

 

 

Michael

Why we chose the Action Thriller Genre

We chose the action thriller genre because we’ve seen many action thriller films and have an idea about generic conventions featured in films in this genre. For example:

·         Car Chases

·         Explosions

·         Gunfights

·         Tough/manly Protagonist

Although these would be impractical to recreate, most of these are not necessarily shown in the film openings since film openings tend to give the audience an idea of genre and where the film is set.

When deciding on the genre we took into account that we had to find a suitable location. We already had a location in mind for the action thriller genre which had a large influence on our decision.

Storylines of action thriller films are often very similar. Some common storylines include:

·         Revenge

·         Escape

·         Assassination

·         Oppression

·         Kidnap

Our storyline would fall under ‘Escape’, but this will not be expanded on very much because this is the opening first two minutes of the film.

Michael and Nathan

Script

INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY

 

Ext. FIELD

 

Establishing shot of field to show where they are. John is on the phone calling the agency to tell them that he has the package and is at the DZ (Drop zone).

 

BEN

“The package is secure, I’m at the DZ”

 

VOICE ON PHONE

“It’s a set-up!”

 

John hears gun shots over the phone and drops the phone.                       

 

EXT. INSIDE THE COMPOUND

 

Dom gets a phone call from the agency telling him that plans have changed and that his new mission is to kill John.

 

Agency Voice Over

“You have authorisation for code 6”

 

Dom

“Copy that”

Ext. FIELD/OPENING TO COMPOUND.

John starts to walk off as the camera pulls focus to show cracked phone in foreground with the title on it. 

 

EXT. INSIDE THE COMPOUND

Dom is standing there with his rifle waiting to take out John and recover the package.

Ext. OPENING TO COMPOUND.

John takes out his gun as he moves up into position against a wall. He takes a quick look over the wall and then pull a suppressor out of one of his pouches on his vest. He then screws the suppressor and then cocks the gun.

EXT. INSIDE THE COMPOUND

Dom is waiting for Ben to arrive and is slowly walking (few steps) and looking around, he takes a slight look at his rifle and makes a good grip on the hand grip.

EXT. INSIDE THE COMPOUND

 

John starts to make his way through the compound checking corners and sweeping the area as he goes.

EXT. INSIDE THE COMPOUND

Dom is in the compound facing away from the entrance. John drops his bag down and moves into position and puts the gun to the back of Dom’s head.

Ben

“Drop it”

Dom looks lightly to the right and puts the gun on the floor. He then whilst spinning, swings his right arm down knocking the gun out of John’s hand. John’s body follows the way of the gun and bends over to the left. Dom the throws a right hook and hits John in the face causing John to step back one step. Dom follows with a left jab to the stomach. John stumbles back and Dom advances. John is bent over and takes in a deep breath. Dom then goes to throw another right hook and John blocks it and returns it with a right jab. Dom stumbles back. When he gathers himself he sees John coming at him and John grabs Dom and tackles him to the ground. Dom cracks his head on the floor.

EXT. INSIDE THE COMPOUND

Dom is lying on the floor with a pool of blood, as John picks up his bag and gun and walks off.

The end

 

Tom

Animatic Storyboard

This is our animatic storyboard. We did it so that we knew exactly where the shots would be alongside the music.

Nathan

Auditions

We started our auditions as planned (First of March), but one of our auditions could no take place since the potential actor was unavailable so we auditioned him separately. Each audition was asked the standard questions (name and age) and was asked to read some lines from the script.

The following videos are the auditions that took place as planned on the first of March:

Amy Petts

Jon Petts

Ben Seager

Dom Light

The following audition of Nick Frost took place on the third of March:

Michael, Tom and Nathan

25 word film brief

John Craig is out to prove his innocence after the agency that raised him turned on him. Using his training, he endeavours to stay alive.

Tom

Type of Institution

Emu Productions will be an independent company. Being an independent company will mean that we do not have to use a huge budget to make the film as they do in mainstream Hollywood films.

We want our film to have a gritty look, uncommon in major Hollywood films. This was a large factor in our choice. We feel that the ‘glossy’ look of Hollywood films would not necessarily match the style of our film.

As mentioned above, our budget will be considerably low. As a result of this we will not be able to afford high quality equipment that is commonly used in Hollywood films. Due to this lack of budget and equipment, we will be recording in very limited conditions which would not necessarily be present in higher budget films.

We wish to make Emu Productions like Triune Films since they create low budget independent movies with a low amount of crew. This is very similar to ours. Triune films normally upload their movies online through services like YouTube since this is a free distribution system where small companies can easily get their company known. Additionally Triune films editing style and style of their films in general are much like the films we are trying to make therefore giving Emu Productions and Triune Films similarities.

This of a example of a film Triune Film makes...

 

As evident from the film there style of filming is similar to ours and we want our fight scene to be like there since it is very effective.

Nathan, Tom and Michael

Shot List - In Order of Shots

Order	Scene	Shot	Shot Type	Location	Props	Equipment	Description	Extra Info
1	1	1	Long Shot (Establishing Shot)	Field	Tactical Vest Tactical Holster Pistol Bag	D3200 Camera 18-55mm Lens Manfrotto Tripod	This will the establishing shot of the field with the protagonist (Ben) walking through it.	Foley walking through field.
2	1	2	Mid Shot	Field	Tactical Vest Tactical Holster Pistol Phone	D3200 Camera 18-55mm Lens Shoulder Rig	Ben is on the phone to the agency.	Foley noise of phone dialling.
3	1	3	Mid Shot	Field/Compound Entrance	Tactical Vest Tactical Holster Pistol Phone Bag	D3200 Camera 70-300mm Lens Shoulder Rig	Voice over from phone “It’s a set up”. Ben drops phone.	Phone conversation between ben and agency.
4	2	2	Low Angle Shot	Field/Compound Entrance	Phone	D3200 Camera 18-55mm Lens Shoulder Rig - Stripped	Low Shot of Ben’s feet in background pulling focus to cracked phone in foreground.	Film title on phone.
5	3	2	Close Up	Field/Compound Entrance	Tactical Vest Tactical Holster Pistol Bag	D3200 Camera 70-300mm Lens Shoulder Rig	Close up of Ben putting suppressor on pistol and cocks gun.	Sound of metal screwing Foley of gun cock
6	3	1	Mid/Wide Shot	Field/Compound Entrance	Tactical Vest Tactical Holster Pistol Bag	D3200 Camera 18–55mm Lens Steadicam	John takes out his gun and moves into position against the wall.	Foley of gun being taken out of holster
7	3	4	Mid Shot	Compound	Tactical Vest Tactical Holster Pistol Bag	D3200 Camera 18-55mm Lens Steadicam	John starts to make his way through the compound. As he walks he scans area.	N/A
8	3	6	Mid Shot	Compound	Tactical Vest Tactical Holster Pistol AK-47 Rifle Tactical Vest Bag Balaclava (Black) Fake Blood Fake Rock	D3200 Camera 70-300mm Lens 18-55mm Lens Shoulder Rig Steadicam	Fight Scene	Add all Foley Actors live grunts (make sure overly loud)
9	3	3	Mid/Close Up shot	Compound	AK-47 Rifle Tactical Vest Balaclava (Black)	D3200 Camera 70-300mm Lens Shoulder Rig	Dom is waiting for Ben to arrive whilst checking the area.	N/A
10	2	3	Mid Shot	Compound	AK-47 Rifle Tactical Vest Balaclava (Black)	D3200 Camera 70-300mm Lens Shoulder Rig	Dom is standing with rifle waiting to take out ben and recover package.	N/A
11	3	5	Mid Shot	Compound	Tactical Vest Tactical Holster Pistol Bag	D3200 Camera 70-300mm Lens Shoulder Rig	John starts to make his way through the compound. As he walks he scans area.	Fill shots – cuts between steadicam and rig.
12	2	1	Close Up	Compound	Tactical Vest Phone Balaclava (Black) AK-74 Rifle	D3200 Camera 70-300mm Lens Shoulder Rig	Dom gets phone call to say mission has changed.	Phone conversation between Dom and agency.
13	3	7	Close Up – Wide Dolly Right	Compound	Tactical Vest Tactical Holster Pistol AK-47 Rifle Tactical Vest Bag Balaclava (Black) Fake Blood	D3200 Camera 18-55mm Lens DIY Dolly	Dom is lying on the floor in a pool of blood as Ben walks off with his pistol.	Back up is steadicam reverse and flip in post

Tom and Michael