The filming process day 4

Date: Friday 15th December 2017

Time: 14:00-15:00
Moments filmed: Further research, Escape, CCTV
Personnel needed: Matthew Herriott (Camera/director/Christopher), Evie Brookes-Payne (Producer/Mya Brown)
Props: none
Equipment: Camera, Tripod

Having realised that further changes needed to be made to our Trailer further filming days were necessary in order to bring our Trailer up to its full potential.

The first half that we needed to film would allow for a wider range of angles that could be included (including an over the shoulder shot), although we did incur a slight complication in trying to capture a shot that required the camera to focus on the computer screen itself so as to show just how many files there are. It was interesting filming at this point because, whereas before we didn't want to film any moments that were too long because we were conscious of the fact that a trailer would have shorter shots, this time we had to make sure that the shots we took were long enough so that there would be sufficient material to play with in the editing stages.

As part of the second scene that we tried to film we wanted to include a shot that looked like it was being recorded by a CCTV camera. In order to achieve this effect we needed the camera to be filming in black and white. Because, in the editing stage the idea was that the scene would roughly transition from the colour to the CCTV, we were conscious of the fact that we needed to reenact the same sequence twice so that said transition could be relatively seamless.

The Trailer script (additions)

As part of making further changes to the trailer it became necessary to write an additional piece of film script so that we knew what exactly we wanted to do when it came to film the additional footage that we were going to need. Thankfully, because we only had a further four scenes to add it was not necessary to rewrite the entirety of the script.


Here is the link to the modified script.

The Trailer shot list (additions)

As part of making further changes to the trailer it became necessary to construct an additional shot list so that we could better plan the details of filming the extra shots that we wanted to include in our trailer. Thankfully, because we only had a further four scenes to add it was not necessary to rewrite the entirety of the shot list.


Here is a link to the additional shot list

Further Changes

After we had presented the second draft it was suggested that we work to make further changes to the Trailer because, although the amount of cutting work that we had done was impressive, it would still be necessary to make changes because the trailer felt as though it was taken from the opening to the film and was only setting up for the rest - the last thing that we wanted it to feel like. It was thought that the best way to change it would be to add more scenes after Mya first discovers the existence of a hidden secret so that we can increase the gradual buildup of tension that starts when Mya first enters the secret laboratories and discovers her file in the first place.

Second Draft

Having made the required changes to the Trailer, I can now present the Second Draft of our Trailer for the film Subject 984:

Making Changes

After reviewing the first draft of our trailer we realised that there were some changes that needed to be made before we published it final form, and of these there were 3 key changes:

1) Length

We needed to cut down on Trailer length - the original trailer was 2:59, far too long given that standard length of a trailer is 2:00-2:30 in length. This created a serious problem, because the primary purpose of the Trailer (put simply) is to whet the appetite of our audience. One a trailer gets too long (caused by either showing the audience too much or having moments of the trailer drag out too long) it begins to feel more like an extract from the film rather than a trailer.
In order to rectify this I went back to the trailer and cut down on any moments that felt like they lasted too long. This was difficult to do in some places because Silvia Brown's dialogue had specific requirements both as to where it needed to fit and how long we needed it to last. Nevertheless, I was able to cut down on portions that were too long so that the different bits of the film that we tease in the trailer felt more like moments than extracts from different scenes. Once all of the changes had been made, the length of the trailer went from 2:59 all the way down to 2:19 (right where we'd want it to be).

2) The textual information

Within the second half of the trailer we give a bit of a tease as to what the film's going to be like/going to be about using text that is split into four different lines. This text needs to fit several criteria:
a) it needs to make the film seem more exciting tense so that they are more likely to want to see it
b) it needs to be long enough and reveal enough to whet the appetite but no more than that
c) it needs to be on screen long enough to read, but not so long that it feels like it drags or that it overpowers the audience

After discussing it with Evie we changed the original title text which read:

"When something looks too good...and even if things are looking hopeful...asking "what if?" ... may not be such a bad idea."

We realised that this text is not gripping enough for the audience and would likely not feel too exciting to them so, after discussing what we could change it to and some tweaking on the phrasing we came up with:

"When trying to escape your demons...sometimes you run blindly...because darkness has a habit...of hiding in plain sight."

3) The ending

As with any trailer one of the things that people typically do with something that is horrifying or plot twisting is that they will hint and tease as to what is going on but what they won't do is give the game away and we realised that the end of the trailer does exactly that: give too much away.
What we therefore did to rectify this was to cut out a chunk of the last sequence such that instead of giving Mya Brown a whole dramatic reveal speech she just tells Christopher that there is something they need to talk about and that is it.

The first draft of Subject 984

Once the whole editing together procedure (both the Visuals and the Audio) had been completed we can now present the first draft to the Trailer for our film Subject 984. It may be that we need to go back and refine elements of the trailer as getting it right the first time is a rare case:

Editing the Trailer

Once all of our footage had been recorded we could begin to edit together said footage so as to produce that which we had planned out back in October. This came in several stages with different things to consider along the way:

1) What to use

Once all the footage that we would need had been recorded it was time to gather it all together and decide what to use, how to use and how much of it to use. In all likelihood we would end up using easily on about 25-35% at most of what we had originally recorded because the important thing to make sure that we had done was to hint at what the film would be about and to hint at the different characters and how they fit into the plot of the film. The bank that we had (or a portion of it at least because there were a couple dozen files) looked something like this once they had been imported:

As you can see here the process of putting it all together is already underway, the green bars at the top representing those clips that have been 'favourited' as the ones that we were going to use. The orange bars show how much of that clip we ended up actually using within the trailer.

2) Adding sound effects/soundtrack

As well as moving around the moments of footage that we were going to want to use we also needed to  move around the sound effects and soundtrack to make sure that they were all placed in the places that the needed to go so that everything was in sync and felt 'right' when it would be presented to a viewer. This in particular was finicky business as some elements of sound had demands in terms of precisely where they needed to fit and how long they needed to last (whilst at the same time trying to use only what was necessary out the different pieces of footage).

As you can see here there are a variety of different tracks that need to play simultaneously fitting together whilst at the same time not overwhelming each other so that you can hear both together working in sync rather than against each other.

3) Text and Transitions

Within the trailer we needed to add elements of text for the titles, in particular playing to different conventions such as company titles, something that we could take from the AS coursework so that we could play to the idea of 'from the makers of'; textual information and plot hints that fit in with the theme of the overall tag-line for the film; actor/actress credits to sell the film using the 'big names' that would be featured therein. In doing so we needed to make sure that this clear and spaced out evenly to create the desired effect whilst also not overpowering the footage too much or dragging the trailer out.


We could also play with transitions here, which were important to show changes in the narrative, and

my favourite that we were able to use was the circle in and out at the point where Mya discovers a secret being hidden by the Trory Anwir institute for mental health, as this out represent an eye opening to a previous moment in the medical room and understanding that she had been correct all along when she thought that suspicious was going on.




4) An end to the process

Once the whole editing procedure had been completed the full length (of the first draft) was 2:59 seconds in length. The amount of footage used relative to how much had been recorded was a small ration indeed but to see all of our hard work in one place that fit together such as this does was a momentous event. We were aware, however, that it was very likely that this would not quite be the finished product and that additional chop and changes were likely to be required before the process reached its conclusion.

Acquiring the audio

As part of putting together the Trailer we needed to add soundtrack as this is crucial for both creating an atmosphere and also building excitement - if a trailer lacks a memorable soundtrack then it will not be quite so successful as soundtrack evokes something within the viewer which makes it seem that much more appealing.

The first thing that I needed was to find a suitable website from which I could source soundtrack - as someone who does not have access to an orchestra ready to play whatever I demand of them I could either pull something that already existed (by asking the owners permission to use what is by copyright theirs) or I could find royalty free music that is open for anyone to use. Given that I found them to be a good source of soundtrack from previous projects I headed straight for Free Music Archive to find the soundtrack that I desired. In looking for tracks I needed:

1) something mournful and sad for the beginning
2) something darker and more disturbed for the moments in which Mya would freak out
3) Something sad yet hopeful for Mya's initial moments inside the Trory Anwir institute for mental health
4) Something momentous yet suspicious for the moments of discovery
5) and back to something else that was mournful and sad for the ending

Once I had found them I could look through their vast archive and find what it was that I needed. I felt that the titles for some of the songs were oddly very appropriate for their roles - for example, the track used for the opening is called "nothing lasts forever", or for the moments of discover is called "hidden castle" (Mya might not discover a castle but her discovery is still something hidden in its own way).

Now that job was done it was time to edit together the soundtrack and it turned out that this was not as simple as I first assumed it was going to be - I originally thought that all I would need to do was to put the soundtrack in where I needed it to go. As it turned out iMovie was very much all or nothing so I would need a second piece of software in order to put the final soundtrack together.

This piece of software was to be Audacity, which is specifically designed to edit together sound files to create new music and it was very useful. Using this had a few steps to it:

1) Inserting all of the audio into the program, when I had done so it looked like this:

As you can see this initially is not immediately a viable soundtrack to use because all 5 different tracks (all taken from Free Music archive, the original sounds and sound effects were added separately to the ambiance soundtracks that I was editing together here) will overlap and drown each other out.

2) Lining up the sound

As opposed to having different tracks overlap, I wanted to time the start and finish of each track so that they follow on from each other whilst beginning at the appropriate time in the trailer to create their desired effects. In order to make sure that this was done right I needed to check their exact start times on the trailer and then listen to the Audacity file whilst watching the iMovie file to see if they line up correctly - given that it was two different machines this was very awkward but it worked well enough:

Once the job was done - and it looked something like this when it was (see below) - I was ready to transfer the finished product onto iMovie  - it fit together exactly as intended and, though perhaps some of the cuts are a little jumpy from track to track, its exactly what we needed in order to create the desired effect. 

The filming process day 3

Date: Friday 1st December 2017
Time: 14:00-15:00
Moments filmed: New friend, Ending
Personnel needed: Matthew Herriott (Camera/director/Christopher), Evie Brookes-Payne (Producer/Mya Brown)
Props: none
Equipment: Camera, Tripod

The final shots that we had to film were the shots which included my character, Christopher. These were some more challenging shots to film because both myself and Evie needed to appear in the shot at the same time meaning that, with nobody there to act as cameraman/woman we had to improvise slightly making timing of the shots absolutely critical.
In the end, we realised that by leaving a gap at the beginning and the end of every shot it would make it easy to edit out the beginning and the end leaving us with the desired footage to use for the trailer. Though this isn't the commonly established method with which one would expect to film shots it was more effective than it sounded because it meant that we had to cooperate in order to make it work otherwise the shots we were trying to pull off would almost certainly fail - leading us to waste less time on irrelevant details and more time working on what had to be done. 

The filming process day 2 (extra)

Date: Wednesday 22nd November 2017
Time: 13:40-13:50pm
Moments filmed: Dialogue
Personnel needed: Matthew Herriott (Camera/director), Evie Brookes-Payne (Producer/Mya Brown),             Emma Hillier (Silvia Brown)
Props: none
Equipment: Camera, Tripod

Recording this particular element of the trailer was very interesting as it was the complete reverse of a lot of the filming that we had done so far: as opposed to filming for the visuals (and removing the audio) we were filming for the sound (and removing the visuals). Because audio is very difficult to perfect I was of the thinking that this particular job would take a long time to get right. The most important thing to get right in the filming of the dialogue was the deliberate pauses and the enunciation of certain words so that the appropriate amount of emotion cut through to the audience. As it turned out, this was actually quite a simple fix.

The filming process day 2 (part 3)

Date: Wednesday 22nd November 2017
Time: 16:00pm - 17:00pm
Moments filmed: Off Limits/Discovery
Personnel needed: Matthew Herriott (Camera/director), Evie Brookes-Payne (Producer/Mya Brown), Kim Wright (Dr Goodwin)
Props: Keep out sign, Mya's file
Equipment: Camera, Tripod

As the last thing that we filmed on this particular day, there were many complications to trying to work out how to put together Mya's investigation.

The main consideration was how much of the corridor we needed Mya to walk down, and realised that in reality the audience does not know how long said corridor is and therefore all we needed was for her to walk up the stairs and then she could pretty much be at the doors already.

The most difficult thing though would have to be working out when DR Goodwin should have to walk out of the office and down the corridor that is on the other side as where she would be starting from was out of sight and earshot for us to be able to give her an idea of when to go. In the end, we had to use timing so that I had approximately 15 seconds to get to the camera and press record before DR Goodwin would walk out of the office and down the corridor. As we knew that it was perfectly feasible to edit out any bits of that particular shot that we didn't want, it didn't matter if the shot lasted too long early on because we didn't have to keep it.

When it came to filming the second half in which Mya would discover her file this was more complicated because we needed to make sure that the audience could have a chance to very clearly read Mya's file tag as well as her expression when she finds out what is going on at the Institute. This was where we had to make a crucial change, as opposed to having that moment be as two shots - one in which she opens the cabinet and another in which she reacts to her discovery - we had to add a middle shot which would allow the audience to get a close up shot of the file so that her tag could very clearly be read.

The filming process day 2 (part 2)

Date: Wednesday 29th November 2017
Time: 13:55-14:40pm
Moments filmed: Therapy 1 & Decision
Personnel needed: Matthew Herriott (Camera/director), Evie Brookes-Payne (Producer/Mya Brown), Emma Hillier (Silvia Brown), Shannon Reading (Dr L Church)
Props: Dr L Church counselling room sign
Equipment: Camera, Tripod

As what was potentially our longest filming session of all of them, the therapy shots proved to be more of a challenge than we had originally expected and this was a for a few different reasons. 

The important idea that we wanted to convey in this scene is that Mya has to go through Therapy following her accident, therapy which doesn't seem to be very effective as Mya is very unresponsive to DR L Church's (her therapist's) approach. 

The reason as to why this was so complicated is because we needed to try and catch a lot of body language seeing as the physical sound from these shots was going to be removed at the editing stage meaning that although we could get different characters to speak the kind of lines that they might have said in the event that we would be keeping the sound they were going to have to exaggerate the way that they were saying it by shifting around or by opening themselves up to make it clear that something had been said. In some places we can clearly see that DR L Church is talking as we are close enough to see her lips moving but at other times this was not quite so easy. 

The other chief consideration that we were going to have to make was what lighting to use, and this was because Mya (who is supposed to be very downcast) was wearing white in a white room meaning that only her hair looked the way that she should be feeling. What we ended up doing was a take with the lights on and a take with the lights off so that in the second version at least we had less lighting and Mya doesn't appear to be quite as bright as she did in the original. Having taken so many different attempts at some of the shots it left us with some serious considerations that we were going to need to make when it would eventually come to the editing stages.

The filming process day 2 (part 1)

Date: Wednesday 29th November 2017
Time: 11:00am-12:00pm
Moments filmed: Opening
Personnel needed: Matthew Herriott (Camera/director), Evie Brookes-Payne (Producer/Mya Brown)
Props: Family Photo
Equipment: Camera, Tripod

The first shot for today would be the shot which we will use to open up our trailer, in which Mya is seen in her living room presumably talking to her mother, Silvia. The focus in this shot however, as opposed to being on the conversation between those two characters is on a photo of Mya when she was a small child and this illustrates that there was a time in Mya's life when everything was normal, safe and happy. 

In order to pull this particular shot off - as we would need a camera which allows the user to set the focus manually - would require the use of a different camera to the one that we used for the rest of the filming. The camera that we used (on the left in the picture) was much bigger and harder to handle than the standard one that we have used for the rest of our filming and so required more practice but we were able to work out how to create the effect that we wanted (and a very beautiful effect it was indeed).

Unlike some of the other shots that we have taken throughout the production of the trailer, this one was very different in style because it didn't have any set moments in which something would physically happen, this was more of an establishing shot to contrast with what was to come next as well as to effect an origin point in Silvia's dialogue (though she is not explicitly shown here) so that the rest of her speech would make more sense.