Research - Locations

 

 






The first location I used for my opening sequence was my bedroom. I felt as if this was a suitable location for my character as he is a teenage male, like myself. The scence shows my character waking up and getting ready to leave for the drug deal. I thought this would be the most appropriate place to film my scene as some of the items I already own made for good props (ie. Record Player).
There were little interruptions during filming; however lighting was an inital difficulty. The light in my room created a orange tint, so instead I drew my blinds which created a good natural light. My main protagonist lives very close to me, so travelling was not an issue in this session of filming.

Following this, the character heads down my stairs and into the porch. A natural light through the transluscent door windows was created which allowed for good visibility. There is an additional shot later in the scene which shows Liam leaving the hosue through the front door seen in the picture.

The next shot shows Liam heading over to the far counter to find 'Miramax' spelt out using flour and 'Film4 Productions' on a scrumpled piece of paper. I used the spotlights and natural light in the kitchen to create the best visiblity. I felt as if this whole sequence linked to the genre quite well because it follows an average teenager carrying out his daily routine before leaving the house. I thought it created a sense of relatability for the target audience of teenage males.

The final location I used was a car park in Durham City Centre. I felt as if this was an ideal location because it realted well with my genre and the theme of youth and drugs. Filming here wasn't a problem as there were no cars parked, being a Sunday. The only real issue faced was loud background noise such as car and strong wind. Natural lighting was used for this scene since the majority was shot outdoors. Furthermore, the actors were comfortable as there were many shops and cafes surrounding the area.

Filming #1 - 1st Rough Edit

This was the footage I captured from my day of filming, which was riddled with misfortune. This is not the actual beginning of my opening sequence, however, I decided I would film the actual start on a separate day to accommodate my actor's timetable. I plan to fill the silence with non-diegetic music, Made of Stone by The Stone Roses. This music will then decrease in volume whilst the actors are speaking, but will still play. The snow in the edit makes for poor continuity and I plan to correct this when I film this weekend. In addition to this, the strong wind created much difficulty with the audio. Next time I plan to record the audio on my iPhone then match it with the clip. I also recognise some issues with audio transitions; the background noise cuts heavily, I plan to combat this issue through decreasing the audio of the various noises. The end of the clip shows one of the actors extend his arm to commence the exchange, this was the point in which my camera's battery died. I was able to capture some remaining footage on my phone, albeit to a very poor standard.

Filming #1

Had a bit of a disastrous day with filming today. Me and 3 of my friends got the bus into Durham City Center; we found that the place I wanted to film, the abandoned palladium, had been boarded up. Luckily I had a second location in mind to film. When we arrived at the location, a car park, it began to snow during filming. The frequent stopping and starting of the snow caused odd continuity in shots. To top it all off, half way through filming the camera I was using ran out of battery and required charge. I then had to improvise and use my phone camera. I plan to go to the same location and film again next week, hopefully without any irritating obstacles.

Research - Call Sheet #1

Research - Script 'Free'

Free

[Shot opens with tracking of main protagonist, Liam, from his foot to head in bed. Liam wakes up and reads a text off Malki, his drug dealer, asking him where he's at as they were supposed to meet for an exchange. Liam then puts The Stone Roses, Made of Stone on his record player whilst he quickly gets ready]

[Action Match of Liam placing the needle on the vinyl]

Liam: Ah, shit I'm late!

[Camera quickly follows Liam downstairs and then into the kitchen where the opening credits are seen. Similar to Napoleon Dynamite, various objects such as phones, flour (cocaine) will spell out the names of crew. Cut to over-the-shoulder high angle shot looking down onto Liam's phone as he scrolls through his texts revealing more names of crew. Liam then exits the house, action match on the door handle and other side of the door]

[Still shots of various alleys/scenery of Durham City, one showing Liam approaching the meet-up location]

[Over-the-shoulder shot behind Malki and Boost as Liam approaches]
[Made of Stone remains in the background, now non-diegetic]

Malki: Where've you been, dick'ead?

Boost: We've been here ages, it's freezing man.

Liam: Alright, alright, I were in bed. Have you got the stuff then?

Malki: 'Course I do. You got the money?

Liam: Wey, whaddya take is for?

Boost: Just give us the money we 'ant got time for this man.

[Made of Stone continues, accompanied by non-diegetic narration]

[Various shots capturing the rest of the drug deal. Action match on the drugs. Long Shot used around a nearby corner]

Liam: I never used to live this sort'uv life. Y'know drugs 'nd that. I used to stick in at school like me mam told 'es to. I were good in every class, even German, and we know how shit that is. But then I got the taste for it. All me mates did it I thought there were no harm in me doing it 'anarl. But then a got addicted. No money left. No education. I were lost. But I found peace in me gear. Just to sit at home and stick some tunes on, y'know. But me addiction... I know it's getting out 'uv hand. But. I. Feel. So. Free.

[Non-diegetic music fades]

[Shot fades to black]

Malki: He's give us fake fuckin' notes! Get 'im Boost.]

[Non-Diegetic gunshot]

Research - Prop List

Props

- Liam's Costume
Harrington Jacket
White T-Shirt
Jeans
- Fraser's Costume
Smart Shirt
Jeans
Trainers
- Luke's Costume
Zipped Up Coat
Tracksuit Bottoms
Trainers
- Record Player & Vinyl
- Small Bag Containing Oregano (to mimic appearance of marijuana)
- Small Bag Containing Flour (to mimic appearance of Cocaine)
- 2 iPhones
- House Keys
- £20 Note

Research - Representation, Audience and Institution

Audience
My title sequence has one main protagonist: a 17 year old male. His role will be teen leading a life of crime and drug abuse. My key demographic will be males in the age range of 15-25. I have chosen this becuase I believe the age of the protagonist, and the entirity of the cast, will mostly appeal to this demographic. I feel as if this audience will be able to sympathize with the protagonist and relate to him. Through my research I have discovered that this is generally the audience age range in 'Coming-of-age British crime flicks'. My protagonist will be represented as a rebellious youth going down a path of crime, as this is seen often in british crime films such as, 'This is England'.
I believe my film would primarily appeal to a British audience as they would be most able to relate to the story/setting. In addittion to this, the terminology/dialect used would appeal mostly to a niche audience because of their understanding of the dialogue, I think this would create a sense of social solidarity with the audience. I feel as if my opening sequence would be accessible to all ethnicities, but primarily White caucasian.

Institution
After doing research on websites such as IMDB and Wikipedia, I have decided my film will be produced by Film4 Productions, who have produced many youth-oriented films such as 'Trainspotting', 'Attack on the Block', 'The Inbetweeners Movie' and 'Gangstar No.1' and are well-known for producing UK-based films. I would like my film to be distributed by Miramax as they are closely linked to many crime films such as, 'Pulp Fiction', 'Reservoir Dogs', 'Gangstars of New York' and 'Trainspotting'. I feel as if these film institutions fit well with the opening sequence I want to create.

Age Certificate
My film would have a 15 certificate as this fits the demographic I'd be aiming for. It would contain drugs and strong language, not suitable for anybody younger.