Editing

Claudia and I have started editing the footage that we filmed on the days of our shooting schedule. We have included cuts, transitions and cropping of shots and music. Above is a quick film coverage of the first bits of movie editing.

Music

Music

Claudia and I wanted to find some music to put into our film that wasn’t copyright. This was because it would be expensive to use a copyright product if we weren’t able to get consent from the music production company to use it on our film for no fee. This would also mean having to explore the contact information would may be hard to find and having to wait for a reply which we may never have got in the time limit that we had.

If we were producing the film on a large scale, then this would obviously be a factor we would consider.

We researched into finding music on YouTube and came across a track that didn’t require copyright. Lots of people were commenting, explaining their interest and the user was happy to let others use it. We downloaded the track and have used it over our film, adjusting it to fit into the scenes. The music starts off with an eerie piano tune being repeated, with the volume being deliberately lowered when the character is speaking. When the door slams shut, the scenes get more fast-paced so we cut the music so that the lower tune at a quicker and scarier pace was playing.

To keep the creepy atmosphere sustained throughout the film, we cut out the part of the track with major chords that have a lighter happier tune.  

Desmond's

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxlgw08dgss

The clip above is the first episode of the first season of 'Desmond's', broadcast in 1989. The episode begins with the opening credits, showing footage of black slaves in black and white, implying it was a long time ago, and then modern clips of black and white people friendly communicating, indicating positive relationships between both ethnicities and symbolising the equality that both races have, conveying that racism is a recent topic that has stopped being an issue.

In the actual show, one of the black character's is seen reading The Sun newspaper and Desmond tells them he doesn't want the newspaper in his shop as 'it blames black people for so many things', suggesting that racism was still an issue back then whereas now, the media doesn't portray that particular ethnicity as a negative race anymore, suggesting that in the past 20-30 years, opinions on ethnicity and representation has changed from being negative to more positive as there less negative topics in the media nowadays.

The accent that the characters have is a lot more distinct in the programme then the black ethnicity in London has nowadays, suggesting that the African culture was a recent migrant to the area if they still use dialect and have big relations to their home region.

Below is text from some online articles talking about ethnicity in the show:

Worrell was keen to show that prejudice existed not just between broad ethnic groups, but also within them While Matthew was the frequent butt of jokes from the West Indian characters, particularly Porkpie and Desmond, he was always keen to point out the strength of African history with his regular interjection "There's an old African saying"

“I started Desmond’s when I was 23-years-old, I’m now a middle aged man and I have to say there have been advances in this country. I’ve seen the younger generation get on in society, it is very different from when I was younger, but the one thing that hasn’t changed, which is a real shame, is the fact that we are still saying there is nothing out there that represents us.”

Francis also says that the community is losing out on the battle for the audience because when a predominantly black programme is put together, it is not given the support it needs to be successful or the scripts are written by white writers.

Storyboard

Below is a corresponding storyboard for the script showing hand-drawn images on each camera shot with annotations below each picture. The images were hand-drawn as we couldn't arrange a set date to collect images instead. The shots should match up with the ones on the script and although they are basic, should clearly represent each shot.

Shooting Schedule

It was hard to arrange days that everyone could meet and film, considering our limited time and everyone else's priorities such as work, school and extra curricular activities. We managed to arrange on Tuesday, to start filming Becky's main section, with her acting as 'alive', a scene which also features Jamie as the dark figure. On Sunday, Lauren is available to do make up for Becky's dead look so we will film the flashbacks on this day. Below is a copy of our shooting schedule listing our equipment, times and people needed on what day. We forgot to add in flowers for the equipment needed which will be included in the film.

Costume/ Hair and Make up

Costume
Costume isn't very extravagant in our film opening but will need a lot of consideration. Because our plot is in the present time and in a general family setting, the costume will just be 'everyday'. We have chosen pyjamas, a dressing gown and slippers because we are filming at night, so want to make the costume realistic for the conditions. Also, these types of garments are simple and basic so are easily recognisable and memorable, making it easier for the audience to distinguish characters throughout the flashbacks. The dressing gown will need pockets to keep the phone in. We also need a necklace for the girl to fiddle with when she is nervous and feature in a flashback.

Hair and Make up

The images around show the type of effect that Claudia and I want our character to have in her dead state. Cuts, bruises and scarring will create an abused look and that she is in a poor weak position. We think having a make up artist will help achieve this look and make the film opening seem more realistic and illustrate our ideas further.

Script

Below is our script with basic directions and labels for our camera shots. There is not a lot of speech but the movement and perception that the audience has on the film is important so Claudia and I wanted to be sure of what we were doing, not only to make sure the film looks right but also so that we can be organized on the day of filming to reduce time loss and to make it easier and clear to the cast and crew.