more filming problems

I found out the other day that another one of my actors will be unavailable for filming. On top of this he was one of my main actors. So now I have 3 of my main actors to replace. I have a few ideas for who I'm going to replace them with.

started filming

I finally started filming. However it is unlikely to be part of the main video as I filmed it as a second possible opening. When I get to editing I intend to make 2 versions with the 2 different openings and find out which my audience prefer.

risk assessment

Organisation	De Aston School	Risk-Assessment number	1
Project	Dead at 17	Name	Tom easden
		Assistants	Jack robinson
Date Assessed	26-09-11	Locations	Willingham woods, my living room.

Risk Assessment

What hazards have been identified?	What are the potential injuries or damage? Severity (1, 2 or 3)	What measures have been taken to prevent injury or damage?	Number of people at risk	Who is responsible for action?	R
					A
					G
Electrical Equipment	Tripping or falling (1)	Check equipment is not faulty Keep away from water
Running	Tripping or falling (1)	Make sure pathways are clear of dangers		me
Cricket bat	Someone might get hit (1)	Make sure people are at a safe distance away from filming		me
Cup of tea	People may get burned if spilled (1)	People have been given mats to rest mugs on		me

filming problems

I supposedly had 2 people able to do make up. We didn't have one on the day of filming as expected but when I asked if the other person was all sorted ready to do make up I was informed that actually they didn't know how to do it. Therefore no filming took place. I now have the problem in which two of my main actors and one of my main locations are now unable to film or be in the film. So I now need 2 new actors and a new location similar to the previous one.

Conventions of a zombie film

C - Character

M - mise en scene

I - iconography

N - Narrative

T - Themes

S - Sound

c - The typical characters found in zombie films tend to be pretty tough characters. People who have probably lost someone close to them to zombies. Some often find new love with someone they survived with. A lot of characters tend to be male with one or two females who sometimes get into trouble only to be saved at the last minute.

m - Costumes tend to be ripped, torn, damaged and bloody. Lighting will often be low to add atmosphere and allow zombies to jump out of the shadows. Make up for zombies tends to be greyish make up to make the zombies look more pale and less live. Props used tend to be guns, sports bats, swords and cars are used quite a lot as well. The setting for zombie films tends to be a desolate worlds post zombie apocalypse. Or the film will start with a regular environment that succumbs to a zombie apocalypse a little way in. most zombie films take place in cities, although they're exceptions.

I - iconography used in zombie films usually revolves around blood. Blood around the mouth tends to indicate that person is a zombie. Bloody hand prints on t-shirts suggest the person wearing it was attacked by a zombie. And houses with broken doors and bloody hand prints on doors wall or windows suggest the house did or still does have zombies inside.

n - The narrative of a zombie films tends to be the story of a person's, or a group of people's fight to survive the horrors of a zombie apocalypse. There a two ways a zombie film tends to go.

1. The world is still normal and functioning in much the same way as before. And then zombies start attacking and all hell breaks loose. the main characters then have to survive in the new world until they either all die or finally make it to a safe location at which point everything starts going well for them.

2. The film starts in a post apocalyptic future in a world already overrun with zombies. We will probably see a single character who has survived on their own until the point we see them. They then meet a fellow survivor or group of survivors and they all decide to try and survive together whilst making their way to safety.

t - The themes of a zombie film are the little sub-stories that often pop up. The sorts of themes you are likely to get are the main characters trying to find out how to kill the zombies. Another classic is the suffering the main character has to go through when confronted with the zombie of a loved one and the pain of having to kill them. Another one that is seen a lot is the chasing of a character by zombies and the character being saved at the last minute. one of the most common is seeing a main character as they struggle to come to terms with the new world they have found themselves in. these are the sort of themes that are often seen in zombie films.

s - The typical sort of sound used in zombie films will be very fast and tense when a character is confronted with a zombie. Or slow and nervous kind of sounds. The first is used to create a sense of terror that the main character is in serious and immediate danger, whereas the second is used to create a more built up atmosphere in a way that the audience is expecting a zombie to pop out but still scares them when it does.

clips and trailers from professional zombie films

http://youtu.be/8LUzJAsa-gg (unable to embed)

http://youtu.be/78glhXo9Jgg

film name

When I first considered a zombie film, the nest and most appropriate name I could think of was "dead at 17". However, during the research phase I discovered the existence of film that already had that title and another one in production.

Therefore, instead, I have decided on the title, "17 and dead".

storyboard

These storyboards go in order and go through the whole film. They will not be exact as some scenes will be removed and some other scenes will be added. The main shots from these storyboards that I want to use no matter what are:

• the 4th and 5th shots on the last storyboard
• the 1st and 2nd shots of the 3rd storyboard
• the last shot of the first storyboard and the whole second storyboard

The first story board starts with the flashbacks/memories of the two characters lives before the world ended. It the changes to the two running through the woods. Whilst running the two meets up by chance and decide to continue on together.

The second storyboard and onwards shows their journey together and the ways they survived, where they survived. The shots and scenes in these storyboards alternate between shots of them travelling and shots of them camping and resting.

props

sword - this sword is a blunt bladed training sword that will be used as a weapon by one of the main characters. this was purchased from bladesandbows.co.uk

gun

gun

  gun
These guns are nerf foam bullet guns purchased from various stores including Argos and Tesco

blood covered shirt

This shirt was a cheap plain white shirt bought at Tesco which i then altered. i did this by flicking paint at it and covering my hand in paint and dragging it across the shirt. Doing this made it seems like blood had not only been splattered onto the shirt but that perhaps zombies had grabbed the shirt at a time

 home made gun belt

due to the desire for a "average person" style of survival i was going for i wanted to make the gun belt look like something that was cheap and home made. To do this, i took the strap from an old laptop bag, made some cardboard tubes and used masking tape to attach them to each other.

planning

I have sorted most of my actors. All I need is a few more to play random zombies.

I have looked at make up techniques for creating the zombies and have someone to do the make up

Making up actor

I have ideas for most of my props.

Props

I have a script sorted that only needs to be typed up and formatted.

I have my locations and I am almost ready to film.

research

This video has good effects, such as the blood splat effects and the blurring from the "exhaustion". The music, although there isn't much, it is appropriate for the scenario. It also helps set up a good atmosphere the in and out of focus creates a good feeling of fear. The story isn't explained very well though so it’s hard to tell exactly what is happening at times or why it is happening. The colouring is good and helps convey the sense that his is a post apocalyptic world.

Camera - camera shots alternate between still shots and handheld shots. The handheld shots give off a good sense of danger.

Lighting - the lighting is very bright, more than normal. This could be some kind of hint to the cause of the zombies in the film or could be a choice in editing to dazzle the audience.

Action - a lot of shooting towards the zombies. A few scenes of the zombies physically attacking the characters.

Editing - a lot of the editing is well thought and comes together quite smoothly. The film looks quite professional. The titles are a little basic but are also thought out and contain all the important info.

Mise-en-scene - a lot of effort and time seems to have been given to the design and making of costumes. The acting is quite realistic and at times almost seems real. The props also look convincing and the blood could pass as real blood.

 

This video is pretty poor. The blood is unconvincing. A lot of scenes have way too much camera shake. The cuts between takes are jumpy and the music although, appropriate, is added in poorly. The titles are also very basic

The music, actors and editing don't do a very good job at conveying a sense of fear and gives off more of a comedy vibe.

Camera - a lot of the camera use looks very amateur and appear to have had little effort put in to them. Some shots have a huge amount of camera shake which makes it hard to tell what is happening.

Lighting - lighting seems to have had little thought. Some shots have too much light and some have too little making things hard to see.

Action - there is plenty of action in the film, such as chase scenes, shooting zombies and being mauled by the zombies.

Editing - the editing isn’t very good either. The music for the film is good and some effort seems to have been put into choosing it. But the way it’s edited in makes it seems random and out of place.

Mise-en-scene - the blood used in the film looks very unrealistic. The actors don’t act very zombie like, more like possessed people. There are cases where you can’t hear what the characters are saying. The props look somewhat realistic apart from the "sniper rifle".

 

The lead actor is mainly good except for his reaction to shooting his "girlfriend". Other than that good music. Good editing and a good story. It’s easy to understand what is happening. The effects like the gunshot and the flies around the corpse are done very well. The location is good and the small size of the corridors works in favour of the movie.

Camera - the shots taken in this seems to be well thought out and planned. The shots are steady and look good. One or two shots that were taken in smaller spaces means you can’t see a lot of what’s happening.

Lighting - the lighting in the building, although a bit dark sometimes, works really well. Not only does it mimic the sot of lighting you would see in a building like that but it also helps build atmosphere and creates a sense of fear.

Action - there isn’t much action in this film. The main action takes place in the shots shown on the TV at the start. Other than that the only action seems to be the lead character shooting the zombie at the end.

Editing - a lot of the good things about this film come in with the editing. The effects look good, including the corpse in the hallway, the flies around that corpse and the gunshot effects. The music is also edited in well and also creates a good atmosphere.

Mise-en-scene - the costumes I this film seems realistic and look like the sort of outfits people would typically wear. The acting, for the majority is good but there are one or two bits that could have been improved, for example, the women's death and the reaction of the man to this. The blood looked somewhat realistic though could have been better. The setting of the film (apartment) was a good choice as the layout of the building and small corridors gave the opportunity for a lot of good shots