Since the test shoot we have finished editing our rough cut (which can also be seen on our group blog).

I think our rough cut went very well as it showed us that we were doing right and what we needed to change about our actual shoot and edit. After we finished editing, we realised that there were a few mistakes in our storyboard/shot order, and we now know what we need to change, such as the pacing issues and the lack of movement from our main character.

We have scheduled our actual shoot for this Sunday. This time we are going to use more lights and shoot some extra footage that we have all agreed on.

Our Test Shoot

On Saturday our test shoot went really well. We all turned up on time, and Francis and Nico arrived later to help us and stand in as actors. We ended up playing a small part each because we wanted a range of people to try and best represent what the real footage would look like. Raef brought some of his lights and we experimented with filters to give the room a sci-fi style blue tint, which I think really made the mise-en-scene more interesting and more filmic.

We each managed to shoot a fairly equal amount of shots and I took on an organisational role and kept track of what shots we had done.

The set design went really well. We heavily dressed the desk area and covered the wall with posters which made the set look completely different. I think that the wires we used to decorate with completed the set as they fit in so well with the theme. We ended up covering Jeng's bedroom window with bin bags to block out more light, which made the lighting we had really look impressive, and we'll probably do this again for our actual shoot.

Just an update:

In the past few days, we've drawn out all of our shots into a storyboard, photographed them, and made our animatic. Today we finished the animatic off by doing a few last bits of editing and adding titles. I did a lot of editing work and also played around with the music to try and fit the sequence. I'm very happy with the track we've chosen. It sounds believably filmic and has a really good swift pace to it. Parts of the music also sound quite electronic, and I've noticed that these parts match really well with shots of typing.

Tomorrow (Friday) we are picking up our equipment and taking it to Jeng's house - our set. We are going to then try some set design in preparation for our test shoot tomorrow.

So, since our last meeting our idea has improved considerably.
I think that our new idea has a much clearer sense of genre, and has a much more believable storyline.
I'm also happy with our new ending to the sequence: the rookie hacker pulls out his earphones to hear insistent, heavy banging on his door. The audience wonders who it is; could it be the same people that just took out his boss? This sense of enigma makes sure that the sequence finishes on a suspenseful tone, hopefully working to make the audience want to continue watching.

So, after our pitch, we now have a new idea to consider, which changes the main narrative but still includes the main genre/themes/settings and possibly characters. This new concept sounds a lot simpler and easier to manage. In my view, a simpler narrative means more time left to use creatively rather than trying to cram in a complex story.

Some ideas:

• We should establish some clear binary opposites between our 'boss hacker' and our 'rookie hacker'. I think that making the rookie hacker seem quite innocent/vulnerable will allow the audience to warm to him and make them want him to succeed throughout the story.
• In contrast to our previous concept, this sounds like it could be more of an indie film, possibly with a stronger thriller genre rather than action.
• With the range of hackers required for the sequence, I think that it is important to include a few female hackers in order to supply some female appeal and to subvert the stereotype of the 'teenage nerdy boy'.
• Jeng mentioned including a bit of humour to give the film more of a teenage audience appeal. I think this is a good idea, though the acting must be good, otherwise the audience will not suspend their disbelief and the sequence will not be nearly as effective.

That's all for now. Our group will be meeting tomorrow morning to finalise our new concept and sort out some of the details.

Feedback and Responses

After our pitch last week we got some teacher feedback, which I have a few ideas/responses to.

1. Setting too small for a struggle/fight scene: A simple punch to the face (rather than a lengthy struggle), knocking the Hacker out will be much quicker and much more suited to the setting.
2. Setting too difficult to dress up: I believe that our setting can be sorted out fine: all that needs to be moved is a few posters, and the wardrobe/cupboards can be covered up with some dark material. I really don't think we have a problem here.
3. The gunshot is a little unrealistic: I agree. This was originally included so that we could use the special effects, though (as said above) I think that the Agent just knocking the Hacker out with a punch will be much more realistic, not to mention much simpler.
4. Too much narrative for 2 mins: Looking back, I agree. My idea is that we base the entire 2 mins around the Hacker uncovering some information, maybe sending an email. Maybe the Agent just over complicates things. On the other hand, maybe we need a second character in order to create a conflict and a good/bad binary opposite.
5. We need to do some extra research into titles and the effects for the hacking sequence. 
6. Ditto with music.
7. The general film plot needs to be revised, and a clear plot structure decided: When coming up with our plot, we may have got a little carried away. I think if we just come up with a very simple narrative, with very clear good/bad characters, things will be much simpler.

Just sorted out all the design/layout of our group blog, playing along with the 'hacking' theme.

I'm back!

Ready to work on our opening sequence. After missing school due to illness I have caught up with the other members of my group during our meeting today. We have developed a really good concept and an interesting narrative that will be fun to play around with.

Today we discussed the basic overall narrative of the opening sequence and decided on setting and main character. We all agreed on our preferred actors and we are coming up with some good ideas.