Finished Project

Full Story Line

Sebastian Fox is an undercover cop. One of the toughest nuts in the box. He is working to unhinge a crime organization led by Max Scarr. All seems to be going well, when he is discovered and his life as he knows it goes down the drain. His strong sense for fighting for good conflicts horribly with his concience and self preservation when Scarr forces him to chose between the fate of the city, and the woman he loves.

What would you chose?

My rough cut version of my introduction sequence...

This is the rough cut of my film. I need to add some sound (and get rid of some sound in other parts). I also want to adjust the effects and possibly reorder/change the credits (for example, I want to change the name of the film). So far I have used almost all of my footage. I think it turned out rather well, other than some of the footage being a bit jolty.

The silence is nice in some points too, and I think the simple sound of the feet improves the overall feel. I want to add music/sound to the first fourty seconds or so of the video, and also at the end. I'm also looking to add some more to the very end of the video, to give an outro, to the intro so to speak.

I need to fix the alignment of the credits with the video as well. (For example, on the scene with the stairs, the credits come in a fraction of a second before the black background comes in.

Three tips for future filming.

1. Never trust your friends' availability schedule. Some people will always let you down.

2. Feel free to have the ability to deviate from the story-board a bit more. It's only a guideline.

3. Keep a level of realism when planning your shots. However, don't be too restrictive/restraining of your own abilities.

My 'picture'.

Everything was picture perfect at the point where I was at my filming location, I had all of my actors and crew in position, and had just hit record. I was sitting on a skateboard, being gently rolled forwards. I had the camera in my hand which was looking at Max (my main character). The rolling motion creating a slow zoom, rather than just using the cameras digital zoom.

It was cold and the weather was perfect for what I wanted to achieve. The location gave the grotty feel I was looking for. The camera worked perfectly and afterwards the results were brilliant.

Credits I'm going to use

The following are the credits (hopefully in order) that I'm going to use for my introduction sequence.

David Cage (Actor)
Birth of Ending (Name of film)
Pippa Heath (Actor)
Donnie Kruger (Actor)
Oliver Waston (Actor)
Blinky Jones (Actor)
Casting by Max Phillips C.S.A. (Casting)
Music by Leon Light-Lopez (Music)
Costume Designer Matthew McAndrews (Costume)
Production Designer Josh Hamilton (Production Design)
Edited by Alexander Matthews.(Editing - Note, says 'Edited', not 'Editor')
Director of Photography Christopher Lite (Photography Director)
Executive Producer Tom Piper (Production)
Dean Walker Co-producer (Production - Note, name and job swap sides)
Produced by Andrew Reefe (Production)
Directed by Xander Whitcombe (Director)

Animatic

This is the animatic I made out of the storyboard I drew. Due to a lack of time (in which I lost the first version of my animatic) I didn't have time to put sound or credits on it. I planned it to start with my Long Road logo and my production company logo. I was then going to place credits on the screen representing how they would appear in the actual sequence. I plan to still do this at some point in the coming weeks.

Mood Board

This is the mood board I created for my film opening sequence.

Gun Prop and Street samples

Below are two pictures I just took of one of the pistols I will be using in the sequence. *Note: It's not real.*

There are some street samples that I want. The top one is just the sort of thing I was looking for. Now I just need to find a street like that with a bench...

Props...

I am looking for a dark figure for my main character. Ideal for this would be a leather jacket/Matrix style trench coat. Dark jeans (possibly black) and black shoes. I will also need a battered wallet, and something that represents a police badge.

For the injured buisness man, I will be needing a suit. I also need to be able to tear up that suit. He may also have a breifcase (to add more mystery to it). As the camera will be slightly far away I won't be putting any blood on him, but just in case I change my mind, the mixture would be: Golden syrup, red food colouring and water.

For the two 'chasers' they should be dressed dark, but fassionably. They should also have a hint of smartness about them, such as a shirt on.

For three of the characters I will also be needing guns. I have two already, and possibly a third, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Issues with filming my sequence:

Nuisances:

- Getting ill would cause me to miss more time from the project.
- Keeping my crew/actors happy and motivated while filming.
- Organising groups of people is suprisingly hard. This may mean that when I come to shoot, I encounter problems.

Minor Concerns:

- How well the people in my crew can act will significantly affect the outcome and overall look of my film.
- The lack of cameras may result in not being able to film as much, or for as long as I would like.
- Weather conditions (such as recent snow) may cause college to be shut for further periods of time, causing us to fall behind.
- When I film, weather conditions on the day/night might change how the film looks when filmed.

Possible major issues:

3 Major Issues:

1: I have to use a gun in a public place. This may be seen as being anti-social or even illegal.

Possible solutions:
- Green screen the man with the gun onto the street.
- Put up signs/posters around different locations (in the vicinity) warning people that filming is in progress.
- Having someone warning people entering the area that filming is in progress and not to be alarmed.
- Use camera shots to suggest a gun , but never actually see it.
- Film the bits with a gun in a far more secluded location.

2: As I'm trying to make the setting of the sequence at night, I need to find a way for the lighting to be correct.

Possible solutions:
- I could film at dawn or dusk and adjust the light levels in editing to make it seem darker. *Dave could probably help me with this.*
- I could film at night and then use a large torch to make the whole area brighter.
- I could green screen the street, however this may look slightly tacky.
- I could find a bench (my setting) that is under a lamp post, so that the scene is lit by the setting.

3: I hope to find a good location to film my sequence. However, it's going to be hard to find exactly what I'm looking for. I fear if I don't, the sequence will look bad.

Possible solutions:
- Green screen the street (again, this would probably look tacky).
- Scout heavily around Cambridge and close areas. *Ask people who live in Cambridge if they know of anywhere such as where I'm looking for*
- Film somewhere that looks similar and then edit in the street.