Alone Production Diary

Meeting 1
As soon as we were put into our group we decided what idea we were going to use. We decided by pitching our ideas to each other. We decided that Benjamin and Ben's ideas were too hard as they used a lot of props and we didn't have access to them. We had to be realistic and go with idea we know we could do. We came to the conclusion that Megan's idea was the best as we could do it well and we wouldn't have to buy props. The idea was also very original and will look very good if it is done well.

Meeting 2
We all looked at the film we had chosen and we tweaked the plan. We tweaked the plan so that we were all happy with the idea and we gave it some structure. We changed some of the characters decided who would play them when it came to filming. We thought about the setting and where we could film it. We created a mood board as a group and thought of films that were similar to our idea. We also came up with a title and all agreed that Alone suited the film very well.

Meeting 3
In this lesson we worked on our pitch and then pitched our film to the class. We received feedback from our pitch which I wrote down so we could remember it and take it into consideration when planning our film. We learnt a lot from this feedback and we made some slight changes because of it. The people we were pitching our film to gave us suggestions of shots that we discussed and thought about using.

Meeting 4
In this lesson we looked at and analysed some similar films that inspired us. We analysed the openings of I Am Legend. We looked at the titles and shots they used and got ideas for how we could do things similar. We discussed some of the shots we saw and said what we liked and if we could do the same. Some of the shots in I Am Legend were too hard as they were taken in the air and we do not have the facilities to do similar shots. We also searched for pictures in google images to find pictures that related Alone. We added these pictures to our mood board.

Meeting 5
We carried on with looking at similar films and pictures. We gained more ideas for shots and we looked more into ideas for titles that we could use. We looked at different fonts and colours and also looked at how similar films present their titles. We discussed ways in which we could give the feeling of being alone and make out that everyone had gone. We also discussed how we could present the titles including the fonts and colours.

Meeting 6
We all went off and finished our analysis of similar films and we then got together and looked at the mise-en-scene of 28 days Later. We looked at how we could incorporate some of the mise en scene in our film opening. We also looked at how we could use similar shots and angles to give the theme of being alone. We gained some ideas and drew some of them down so when we make our storyboard we still have them to refer to and use if we think it will work well.

Meeting 7
In this session we did a rough storyboard and told each other what we thought would look good and work well. To start with we put in all of the ideas and cut out some of the bits that weren't very interesting and we were able to prepare our storyboard so that we had several ways that we could film it. This will allow us to film multiple shots and use the best one that gives the right effect and doesn't get boring. We will have to overshoot which is good as we don't have to keep going out to film and will get all of our shots at once.

Meeting 8
In this lesson we did a neat storyboard which we will take with us when we shoot. The neat storyboard will be a refined version of the storyboard that me made before. On the storyboard we are going to write the types of shots and the timings. This will show us what types of shots we want to film and how long we need to film for. While Megan was drawing the storyboard up me and Ben were looking at sound effects and visual effects we could use. We gained some good ideas and learnt how we could present different themes we are going to use.

Meeting 9
In this session we finished off the storyboard and made multiple endings. We made multiple endings so that we could choose the best one when it came to editing. This will ensure that we are happy with the ending and have options when its done. I did a risk assessment and we all thought of ways in which we could avoid hurting ourselves. Now we have made a risk assessment there is a much lower risk of us being injured. This means we will all be safe when we have to film our opening. Making a risk assessment is very important and reduces the risk of us being hurt greatly.

Meeting 10
We took pictures of our storyboard and I wrote out a script for the storyboard. The script I wrote is going to explain our ideas for our storyboard and explaining what is going on. This will be a good way to tell people how our film is going to be presented. I will explain why we chose the types of shots and other aspects of each shot. We also uploaded pictures of us doing our work as we wanted to show how we are all working individually and together to get as much done as possible.

Meeting 11
We researched titles from the same genres and we looked at different fonts we could use in Premiere. We looked at what fonts would be appropriate for our genre and the scene. We looked at how different films use titles use titles in different ways. We also looked at transitions for our titles and how they could appear. This also had to fit with our genre and the scene. We looked at other creative ways titles have been incorporated into scenes and thought about whether we could do something similar.

Meeting 12
In this meeting we edited our storyboard production and put it all together. We made sure that we presented our storyboard imaginatively and clearly so it could be understood. I took pictures of where we are going to film and I made sure it was appropriate and fitted in with the story. I will take pictures of everywhere we are filming. When i am taking these pictures I am going to ensure that it is a safe place to film.

Meeting 13
Today we did separate tasks on our own so that we get a lot done. We set each other tasks so that we were productive as possible. The tasks we tried to accomplish were the prop list, shot list and synopsis planning. These objectives could be completed individually so we were as productive as possible.

Meeting 14
We went to Ben's house to film our first draft. We tried to get as many shots done as possible and we didn't do our shots with costumes. We wanted to get an idea of how our shots would look and if we would need to improve them. We filmed each shot a couple of times so that we could see what looked best and if there were any mistakes we didn't have to go out and film it again.

Meeting 15
We made a poster to promote our film. We took a picture of Megan infront of a greenscreen and edited her infront of a picture of a house. This took a quite a while as we had to smooth out the edges and make it look like she was there. We also found some suitable music. The music fitted very well with the opening with our film. We disscusse as a group if the music was good enough and whether it will fit with the genreand whats going on.

Meeting 16
We went to film our shots and filmed them a couple of times. We filmed them a couple of times so we didn't have to go back and film again. We had to think about continuity and make sure the lighting was good. We made sure that the sound fitted with the scene and there wasn't any background sound.

Meeting 17
We edited all of our shots and added our titles. we added them in a suitable order. We also considered how long they were on screen for. We also ensured that the ttiles were clear on screen and didn't blend in with the background. We also thought about the font and we made sure it convayed the effect we wanted. We also added institions so it looked more proffesional.

Meeting 18
We recieved feedback from our peers and teachers on our rough cut. We gathered up all of the feedback notes we recieved and wrote them up so we knew what we had to change. Getting this feedback showed us what people liked and disliked about our work. This allowed us to make changes so that we could fix things that people don't like.

Meeting 19
We looked at the feedback we received and did some more filming. We re shot some clips as people didn't like them or they were unclear. We had to make the shots look like it was all done in the same day so we had to replicate what the house was like when we filmed previously. This allowed us to prevent conterneity errors.