Shooting Schedule by Alexis Phillips-Ogle

This is the first version of our shooting schedule. When going over film, we realised there were certain shots that had to be redone. However, it was hard to find time suitable for all crew and talent.
With the amount of shots that had to be redone, we decided to re-film all inside shots and a few of the outdoor ones.





This is the schedule for our re-shoot. After the decision to change locations, I had to recreate a suitable schedule that would work for all crew and talent. All inside shots were filmed on a Wednesday evening with the outdoor pick-up shots filmed the following Saturday.

Script by Alexis Phillips-Ogle

This is the first version of the script. It was an example of the first idea we had. The script didn't seem believable at all and the language was too novel like. We decided to think of a new storyline. We still wanted to follow our themes and decided to write a new script. 


The following is the later version of the script. The story line changed as did the names of our characters. We wanted to simplify the language and story line. The amount of dialogue was decreased in the second script as we wanted to focus on creating awkwardness and tension between the couple.

Blindside Studios Logo by Brooke van de Water

FP Concept

Half-Hearted:

Title: There was a huge verbal brainstorm as we searched for titles for our film. We wanted to find something that related to the cold nature of the relationship between our two main characters. We also wanted a title that related in some way to love or lack of love. Other words that came up included: Irresolution, Doubt, Two-Faced, Unfaithful

Half-Hearted seemed the most appropriate because it would cover many of the themes our movie would incorporate as a whole. Neither Madalene nor Kieran loved the other whole-heartedly as one of them always seemed to be putting the other down. For Madalene, power was exerted through emotional abuse while Kieran, though made out to be weak, eventually exerts his power through physical action and it shows in his mental state. The word half-hearted means having or showing little enthusiasm. We want to create a tense atmosphere in our film that shows neither party is really fully into the relationship.

Conventions:

• Weapon: Our weapon of choice is a knife. Knifes represent danger and uncertainty and in our case it will also represent a certain ‘cut’ between sane and insane of our main character, Michael.
• Close up shots: Used for showing detail and emphasizing certain aspects of the film. e.g reactions, emotions - fear and anger, knife
• Gender roles - Who’s more dominant?: Our male lead will start off as the ‘weakest link’. Bossed around by his girlfriend, he is made to feel small. She abuses him emotionally and being fed up, he turns the abuse to physical.
• Night setting and low key lighting: Most thriller films are filmed in dark settings. We decided to have our film set during the night to emphasizes a type of lurking darkness. In one way, it refers not only to the encompassing darkness surrounding the two ‘lovers’ but the darkness that is building up inside Michael, our male lead.
• Monologue: Many thriller openings incorporate diegetic sound in the form of a voice over. It is usually separate from the story. A narration or back story of what is happened. We have decided to use it in the form of an internal monologue. We wanted to create a certain vibe that alludes to the insanity of Michael.
• Open setting: Our open setting in the middle of our sequence diverts from the typical opening sequences of thriller films. A lot of the time, thriller film openings will show confinement and lack of space as if the character has no other options. Ours instead is in an open space which will leave our audience in a state of ambiguity.
• Quick cuts: In a majority of Thriller films, the antagonist of the fim is often only seen for a few seconds and is separated with quick cuts. This is in attempt to hide their identities for later in the film. Our sequence will divert this convention as both our protagonist and antagonist switch roles in the eyes of the audience and both are almost always in plain view.
• High and low angle shots: High angle shots are used to make the object seem small. In the beginning of the sequence, we will have Michael in a series of high angle shots to make him look small and our final shot will be a low angle shot of him He will grow to become an overbearing tower.

Plot Synopsis:

Michael is making dinner in the kitchen while Madalene is painting her nails. Michael cuts his finger and drops knife onto the floor, sparking a reaction from Madalene. In her fury, Madalene spills her nail polish on the table and blames Michael for it, and continues her rave at Michael. In his frustration, Michael interrupts her and calmly invites her for a walk. The pair walk through the forest, barely saying anything, but screaming in their thoughts. Michael, convincing himself he has had enough of Madalene’s abuse, pushes her onto the ground; now him turning into a villain, and staring down at her with evil intent. The scene then flashes back to the couple arguing in the house, revealing to the viewer that the previous scene was all in Michael’s mind. The scene replays in a similar way, in a series of flashbacks, except the viewer sees shots they didn’t see before, revealing Michael’s “dark side.” The scene then ends on Michael pushing Madalene over, a similar shot from earlier, leaving the viewer with a flood of questions, including “is Michael going to harm Madalene?.”

Characters:

Madalene:

Name meaning- “bitter”

Costume- burgundy shirt with black jeans and black jacket, brought together with black boots.

Kieran:

Name meaning- “dark”

Costume- grey shirt, black jeans, glasses, puffer jacket, black boots

Prop List

• Knife

• Tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Chopping Board
• Nail polish bottle - top coat/water
• Glasses - that can be broken
• Plasters

Practicalities of Filming

Our idea is realistic in the sense that any relationship can have issues and sometimes the depth to which they extend is not externally visible until one of them snaps. Our film won’t include any out of the ordinary locations and have been scouted prior to filming to ensure our vision is realistic.

We will be filming at a classmate's house and a field/forest area that is behind the house.

During the scene where Michael is in the kitchen, he uses a knife. This is a health and safety issue because Michael has to cut vegetables and may cut himself. Another safety issue that we will face is during the shots filmed in the forest/field. There are a few holes in the ground that could be dangerous to the talent and we will ensure they are informed beforehand that they should tread carefully when walking through.

Our interior lighting will be ambient. The kitchen lights are helpful and put just enough light on the subject that we are filming. We took practice shots prior to filming to ensure our lighting would work on the filming day.

Our exterior lighting will be a little more difficult as we are filming at night. We have decided to use an LED camera attachment. We have chosen to use this light because any stronger lights would seem much too artificial. The LED is going to be fastened above the camera to keep it still and constant.

We also want to use a shoulder mount for specific shots. The shoulder mount will be helpful for steady shots as we follow Michael and Madeline through the kitchen as well as while they follow her through the field.

For Saturday there is a percentage chance of rain. We will definitely film our inside shots on time but the outside shots will be very weather dependant. If it rains too hard, we will not film but if there is little rain we will put a plastic bag over the camera and carry it under an umbrella. If Saturday night filming is cancelled, we will move the shooting to a Monday afternoon where there is a smaller percentage chance of rain.

Planning for Half-Hearted

Plot and Script Ideas

Storyboard

 1. This page of the story board establishes the setting. Shots 1&2 are long shots of Kieran and Madalene and make the audience aware of their surrounds and where the characters are in    proportion to one another.

2. Shot 7 and shot 12a we have noticed during the process of filming are quite difficult to shoot, because of the reflection of the glass windows and doors. We have had to mess a lot with the positioning of the lights and camera.

 3. For the outdoor shots, we wanted Madalene to walk through the paddock in the dark, but when we did reccie shots we found this very difficult as it was hard to see the characters and was very pixilated. and have Kieran push her into a muddy puddle. This will create a dramatic sense of the male gender being superior to female.

4. Shot 23 is one of my favourite shots in Half-Hearted as it is very dramatic and creates a very strong sense o tension in ht audience. Because it is shown straight after Kieran pushes Madalene over, the audience automatically assumes that danger is about to follow, and that Madalene is in trouble.

5. Shot 28 of Half-Hearted is one of the hardest shots in this film to shoot. Being the camera operator,  I had to find a way to film the shot with a high, titled angle. I chose to do this shot because of the way the viewer felt while watching it- off balance and uncomfortable. I felt like this would prepare them for the next scene to come. 

Preliminary Task 2: Concept by Brooke van de Water

 Atychiphobia

 (fear of failure)

Target Audience: Teenagers

Conventions:

Character: Main character will be a nervous girl, constantly displaying a miserable attitude, dancer/or singer, dressed in dark clothing - but not black navy? self doubt and conflict within her to know if she is good enough or not

Villain that lurks in the shadows, face will never be seen completely covered with a hoodie or not seen until the end of the film. Represents the typical villain that lurks in the darkness and works from behind the scenes

Close up shots: Can create anxiety and confrontation. Show detail. Example: Sweat on the girls face, body movement

Eerie and suspenseful atmosphere brought by both non diegetic and diegetic sound. Diegetic sound will be most important because it will let the audience hear what the actors hear - examples: heavy breathing of villain behind the scenes and dancer, music that goes with dance - Non-diegetic sound - crash - at the end of sequence before title flashes across the screen to show that something significant to the film has begun

Mirror - Girl stares into the mirror and it reflects how she feels inside, who she really is

Non diegetic music - drums and guitars with long pauses that create suspense

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Plot Synopsis

The opening will begin with a sequence of different scenes that will later be important in the film - The sanctuary (stage and audience)  backstage, bathroom, pathway - high angles, low angles, panning
Main Character - Sasha 1 - walking toward the sanctuary where her sanctuary will be - long shot, no camera movement

She’ll be on the phone, close up when she says “But what if I fail?”

Cuts to black screen where the title will be presented

When the title fades, we cut to a mid shot of Sasha 1 behind a curtain

Close ups on certain features of her - sweaty hands, face again

• Voice heard in background “Sasha Peters? Sasha?”

Camera tracks her feet as she walks on stage

Camera Pans from in front of stage watching as she walks to the centre

Spotlights are placed directly on her and the judges are submersed in darkness

Camera shows Sasha 1’s point of view as she stands on stage looking out to the empty stadium - heavy breathing heard (diegetic)

P.O.V of Sasha 2 backstage as S1 introduces herself

camera pans around curtain and we see S2 backstage

Low angle shot of S1 dancing - Lights and music cuts off and everything goes black

Lights in bathroom flicker on/off - effects edited over the top

Shot 1 - Side on

Shot 2 - Over the shoulder into the mirror as she looks up and sees her own face then fades to black

Bathroom scene mirror girl with jumper looks up and sees herself

cuts off --- credits

CHARACTERS AND NAMES

Ballerina: Sasha 1 on stage (S1) (Zoe Harris? Lizzy?)

Costume:

• Ballerina dress (light)
• Tutu
• Point shoes
• Hair in bun

Relationships with other characters:

S2:  S1 is the “light” version of Sasha Pieterse. S1 is ignoring S2 and effectively pushing her to back, shoving her out of the spotlight, out of her mind, and into the dark- literally.

Purpose: Sasha 1 is the good dancer and the girl who is “stealing the show”. She is in the spotlight and she has been selected to audition for a top dance academy, yet nervous about her performance not being good enough. She is doubting herself and her abilities as we see in the film as she turns out to be her own worst enemy.

Girl in hoodie: Sasha 2 (S2) (same girl)

• Hoodie
• Dark clothes

Relationships with characters:

S1: S2 is crouching behind the curtain, trying to sabotage S1’s performance. S2 represents her self doubt and her own fears and failures and therefore is escence criticizing herself and fighting a battle in her mind.

Purpose: S2 is the “dark” version of Sasha. She represents her doubts and her fears. S2 is the insecure side of Sasha and is actually the side of her we see come out during the phone call when she asks “but what if i fail?”

Judges:

• 3 of them

• Clipboard
• Formal attire

Relationship with Sasha:

They are assessing and judging Sasha's performance to see whether or not she is good enough for the dance school. They are now another element of criticism in Sasha’s world, making her feel closed in and nervous about being in the spotlight.

Purpose: They are assessing and judging Sasha's performance to see whether or not she is good enough for the dance school.

COSTUMES AND PROPS LIST

Sasha 1: Ballet skirt and tutu to represent her “fitting the role” and “playing the part” of the ballerina. It represents the pristine nature and character of Sasha 1 and by having her be a ballerina, who have every single strand of hair and move perfect and nothing is out of place, it shows us how she puts forward a mask of being perfect and having it all together: whereas actually, revealed at the end, we see that this is not the case.

By the end, Sasha 1 and 2 form into 1 Sasha, and as explained above, we see that this whole time she was the one sabotaging herself. Sasha’s hair is let loose and becomes ruffled and crazy, representing her mind- chaotic and a mess, and her make up is smudged from tears to show her distress and brokenness.

Foundation Portfolio Storyboard 1 by Brooke van de Water