Evaluation

Goals set for production (The Brief)

Starting off this production, the way I went about it was to create more challenge to my writing skills in the hopes to
allowing my potential to reach a longer storyline with more complexity within the writing process, so I feel more prepared
and confident for writing my screenplay in my FMP. In the past year or so, I was only writing shorter productions, maximum
of 5 minutes that it lasted. I found that I wasn’t confident with my writing skills to progress to a longer form production and
I have come to realise that this will be my downfall during my FMP if I do not act upon it. So, I took this production as an
opportunity to help develop my skills as I watched longer forms of productions such as longer feature films to gain an idea
of how I could last a story to create complexity. The brief we were set was to create a production that didn’t have any
dialogue. So, I thought about how words usually define how we feel and all that was taken away from the production. So,
my thinking was to utilise how I could use lighting, colour grading and even the sound design to replace that, create feeling
in the production. Because there was a time that silent films were an era, I thought about how modern day would interpret
that. With the film series, a Quiet Place, I watched it during a time when I was stuck with idea generation. My mind
immediately thought about the worst possible situation that a person could be in specifically being when you are younger.
Leaving home for the first time? Moving Out? As the audience I would be showcasing my film to, we are in a that time of
realising that life is scary. So, I made a film about that. Our minds directly lead to what is the worst thing that could possibly
happen to us. Nearing the time of death and what would cause that. Growing up, I was directly impacted with home
invasions left, right, and centre. Friends, Neighbours, Family members experiencing this. One happening almost every
week. My experience was when I was younger which scarred me for the rest of my life. I couldn’t be in the house by myself.
When I talked to my friend Erin about her experience even so happening when she was a few years older than me from my
experience, she still had the similar feeling of being terrified since anything can happen, and by that you can die essentially.
She talked about how she wanted the film to show that you can be strong, it makes you stronger as a person.

I thought about the narrative of this thriller I could write and what I thought would make it better as a story. Having a
parallel narrative or a way of creating sympathy or depth to the characters storyline. This film was a metaphor for how we
think we cannot handle the matters of life. I wanted this film to show in fact we can. So having the idea of creating the
nostalgia in the beginning, understanding that we are leaving that nostalgia behind. Memory like feeling of the beach,
playing with crayons, markers. I dragged it out as long as I could to keep the audience peaceful. Since that is what childhood
should feel like despite what I went through. Then we hit the main part of the film of being trapped in the home invasion.
That is what disrupts the peace we should have been feeling. The reason I chose this idea to fit with the theme of having no
dialogue as the brief, or theme is the best way to show being alone and experiencing this certain experience that is quite
terrifying. If the character was home alone, like her usual day to day life since finishing A-Levels, it disrupts the peace,
creating the climax and relating to the three-act structure of creating a storyline.

As these series of projects have been based on how to meet the target audience and genre, I wanted to explore the genre
of thriller since it is quite new to me in terms of how to write tension within a script. How do you meet psychological side
but also the intense physical side (what is happening physically. Both of which are quite important since you need to have
that balance. That was one of the biggest challenges I faced within this project. Delving yourself into the world of the film
and being consumed with tension but not making it cringy or a cliché type of thriller. Even similarly writing a film with
teenage actors that doesn’t have the skills like professionals. How do you make it authentic to an audience that has seen so
many thriller films, that sometimes traits have been copied numerous times before? I wanted to write a film for an
audience that feel like they cannot handle life right now. This is the audience that feels like every single event happening to
them is quite groundbreaking, but they know they can handle it. Even relating the idea that the character is moving to
university sooner is obviously something that my audience of teenagers aged 18, would be going through in some form.

Comparison to Research of Conventions and Planning

Having understood why I wanted to make this film, and thinking about the brief of no dialogue, I felt that in comparison to
my research, I felt that I had achieved what I wanted to create despite having some challenges to overcome and learn from
through the planning and production process. My research involved looking into thriller films linked to the theme of having
no dialogue specifically I wanted to investigate characters that are younger dealing with the situation. Because my film
deals with a situation that is somewhat unique, there wasn’t many films created about it but that wasn’t my aim when
researching productions. I researched productions that dealt with the type of tension and thriller base that I had
envisioned. What I took from them was how they used anticipation to deal with rising emotions throughout the film. Such
as A Quiet Place, I found that because the characters actions were more based on love and what it could impact you to do, I
found that having the background of my character having the desire of seeking her future, despite having nerves, that is
what drove to needing to get through the situation. Even looking at The Detached film, that film had a significance in
creating that emotion even before the situation happened. The complicated feelings of not knowing what to do but having
that natural instincts that allow you to get through it.
Over the last projects, even till last year, for me, planning has become a lot easier, but this is subjective to what needs to be
done. But knowing what I wanted from this production was a bit easier in a sense since I had the vision before. In the past,
what delayed my project but up to one to two weeks was the fact that I needed to come up with an idea then write the
script. As talked about before, I wanted to improve on my writing skills. Which meant that I needed to be smart with the
way I drew out my story to achieve this thriller with nostalgia added onto it. Because the story is based in one location, I felt
that planning was way easier to organise a day that I needed to use for my filming. Filming in one day I have found that you
need help to move equipment around and make sure that I get all the shots and scenes done. Something I did find that
could have helped with this mission, would be writing a list of shots I needed. I only went off the story boards I had which
was helpful but having it on one or two pages would have been more helpful. I found that because I need to shoot one
significant action but from different angles was difficult to do since I needed to make sure the actor was exact every time I
moved. I could use multiple cameras to fix this issue, however, my camera and the lens I was using, I didn’t have multiple of
them meaning that to create the same aesthetic etc. would be more noticeable since you could clearly see that I am using
different cameras, even matching the white balance, aperture etc. different brands look vastly different. During my
planning, because it was two weeks, both my actors are also doing their projects so they must film their own projects and
film for other people, planning a day where all three of us would be available to film as quite difficult. I didn’t want to leave
it too late as I knew editing was going to take quite a while, including the editing and creation of the mixed media, (which I
will look into later on). I found that also on the day I had booked off to film at my house, my father apparently booked in a
guy to fix the car, so was in and out. This developed the issue of continuity such as the key that was left in the door, when I
thought he took it outside, this is seen below.

In the future for my FMP, a mistake like this can disrupt the viewers’ attention to focus on the mistakes rather than thinking
about the message of the film. It can look like a lower value production which is something I wanted to avoid. So, in the
future even dealing with my dad moving around the house. Even though I did tell him to not be in the rooms we were
filming in, I will next time put up a sign with ‘filming’ written on it to make sure everyone knows we are filming. It can also
make filming be quicker and with less distractions so there for less ways about making these mistakes. Even though with
this film project, we had a few weeks to film and edit, there isn’t enough time to gather more people for crew purposes
since no one has time unfortunately. So, it felt that I had to be producer, director, director of photographer all at once, also
thinking of minor jobs. It can get overwhelming dealing with all these thoughts when trying to do a single scene. So having
Lucas, even though he was a supporting actor, not in many shots, he was there to help with making sure each shot was
done as I instructed him which was helpful. For future even having an assistant can be quite helpful. But I need to make
sure I have everything written down on a few sheets, having a call sheet etc. For my ease of mind, that would have been
helpful. My planning currently was detailed but for my FMP, it needs to be even more detailed to make sure I get every little
detail exact.

One of the things I felt I needed to make sure I get right is the casting of the actors to match the vision I had. As this is
important, I have already worked with many people in my class, so I knew what their abilities were with acting to mimic the
characters desires. I decided to work with Harriot since from what I have seen, her acting in other films are unique, the way
she touches with her emotions, felt more real than anyone else I have worked with in the class. So, during planning and
filming, I made sure that I sat her down and made sure that I described to her the situation of what the character is already
going through, I found that even because the character has a life, and this was a significant life changing moment, even the
idea of experiencing a home invasion was new to Harriot. We had conversations of how to play this character. Another
point to make about casting Harriot was that even the aesthetic of what I wanted the character to be interpreted by the
audience, I wanted that innocence, of Grace, and even being friends with Harriot, I knew she would be able to portray it
well but also create that strength within her to push forward and hide feelings of weakness. In the film, I had moments of
Grace feeling scared, but those moments were specifically important since I wanted to make sure the audience were able
to connect with her. After researching the thriller films, the deaf teenager from A Quiet Place really appealed to me in
terms of how I wanted to see my film’s character. She was emotionally strong, but able to react to what ever is happening.
That was what I wanted Harriot to portray, I even talked about this with her, and after talking about it, I felt more confident
that she was the right person for the role. Even looking back at the audition, she did an incredible job to the point where it
feels so believable. Harriot in any case is also a teenage girl, going through the same experience of moving out. She is also
the audience I was wanting to reach out to. Having the audience see someone like them is essential. Even thinking about
Lucas being the home invader, he is quite tall, and I put him in all black wear to make it seem like he is trying to hide
himself. Having the costume and the way he expressed the character helped to portray the genre. I think if I were to do this
again, I would have rather made it more out of focus when we meet him by the door, I felt that if as an audience, knowing
his features, and doesn’t add the same amount of tension than without it. In an argument, you can say that seeing him as
an audience, he doesn’t look much of a threat, linking him to the idea that we fear things because they don’t make sense
when seeing him makes that scary thing feel not as scary. The entire metaphor can vary.

Furthermore, when I was thinking of locations, I knew that because there is so much choreography within the actions of the
actors, I needed space, however because of the limited time frame, my only thought was to use my own house as I have a
bigger layout specifically within the bedroom for the actor to move around in to which the scene can capture the actor’s
emotions and movements. Having learnt over the last year or so about how to pick the right locations, in the end, I really
liked the use of the location, but it would have been better if I had specifically designed the room to suit the character more
specifically. My room is beach related decor which does link to idea of the beginning and seeing the beach all the time. The
character arguably likes the beach and that is what ties her to the nostalgia, thus making it even more difficult to leave
‘childhood’. Linking with this, let’s look into the prop sourcing side of the planning process. I knew I wanted a knife. Usually
in thriller films, this is where I wanted to make it obviously look like she is carrying a knife to defend herself. I found this
silver knife which I thought that it would work as it is big enough to seem obvious. However, this did concern the health and
safety side of it. I didn’t make Harriot hold it when not needed and I made sure the actors I had were trusted so there
weren’t any health concerns, or the knife being mistreated. Putting these concerns into place helped to make set
environment much easier to handle since everyone was aware.

A huge part of my idea and the research falling behind it was looking into doing mixed media VFX to give a rich, authentic
feel. I looked up the process of completing it but what I found was that there wasn’t a specific sequence I wanted to copy,
so that was what made it fun for myself to experiment with. I loved that it put me back to my GCSE art years I went for
a look of using markers and paint to mimic the idea of kids playing with art supplies. That was something every kid did at
some point. After trying it out, I felt that I realised that I have endless possibilities as to how I could use this. Even thinking
about my FMP, paired with music it can be quite emotional. With the production side of it, I experimented with making it
last more frames, making it feel smoother, where using less frames made it feel choppier. When I take this on again for my
FMP, I am going to make sure that I do longer sections of the video since I felt it being quite quick. Quicker than I had hoped
but since only had a limited time, I realised that it could take long to do. Because I know how to do it, it will go quicker next
time so I am happy I took this challenge on now.

Production Strengths and Weaknesses (Including Feedback)

After submitting my film and trailer for the world to see… I gained feedback in a different way as to how I would usually
complete it. In the past I would send out a survey, but I never saw the best results from it. Purely because I was sending it
out to teenagers and people wanting to take the piss since it felt ‘too long to fill out’. So, I decided to do something
different. After getting a list of people I needed to send my film to, I added them to an email and said that they can type out
any feedback they had on their minds. I felt this way, I got better feedback which I find is way more of a productive use of
my time. The responses came from the audience I wanted to target. From the responses, I got comments about different
aspects of the film and ways I could have made it better. Even out of the responses, I found that they would have been able
to connect with the film which shows that the film did its job. Looking into the first thing responses have commented on,
was the title sequence. Having just discussed the production side of it, below the responses received indicated that it was
useful.

‘Your title sequence is lovely and is really effective. I love the film grain overlay and the footage within the old tv thing.
Did you film this footage?’

‘The opening scene was AMAZING, really incredible, the effort and time you put into this is evident, but it was so
fantastic that the rest of the production felt mute. The opening scene was nostalgic and was perfectly cohesive with the
chosen song. However, this nostalgic and admirable opening scene felt like it belonged to a different production. Rather
than an attempted break-in, it should have been a coming of age, road trip or even Mouring film.’

‘I really like the opening sequence and the camera shot throughout the film. I do think with the opening credits should
be on the shots instead of a black screen as it cuts very quickly and harshly from the shots to black - and I think doing will
have a better effect’.

As a summary of the responses received, there was comments in multiple parts of the production that edits into how
aspects of the film affected them. Most responses indicated that the idea of the opening credits was perfect, and the
production side of it was useful but some felt that it was not clearly linkable to the thriller aspect of the production. My aim
was to make the audience in the beginning feel really calm, to the point that when the home invasion erupts, they were
shocked. In my opinion, I felt that if they didn’t expect that, then my idea worked. However even linking to the comment of
having no black screen, that would have been better to have done since it doesn’t switch from light to dark instantly. On my
part, aesthetically, it didn’t fit. That small detail in the aesthetic side of it needs to be picked up on so for future, I will pay
attention more. With this obviously there will be audience members that do not understand the film. So, I am taking this
criticism of not seeing the desires for the characters, with a grain of salt. In my eyes I found that it was clear, but in some
cases their will be misunderstanding. Even for future with writing, I need to make it more clear in the beginning in terms of
setting up the audience to understand the characters with this it will include having the locations reflect what they need to
have more detail. Since my bedroom is beachy theme, I thought this would be enough, but I think I need to think even
deeper about the way certain actions can be interpreted. I had one comment that stated that they couldn’t understand the
where the noise was coming from in the beginning shots, then further understanding when we see the window. I think this
could have been interpreted in this way because there could have been a lack of establishing the scene. I should have
thought more in depth as to how I could set up the shots in a creative way to make this confusion less noticeable. I could
have had the shot of the house outside and of the road which is something very important. I knew that I wanted to create
ambiance so having a mild sound of traffic, and things going on outside. I layered these sounds and put a low pass filter
onto it to create this more cinematic feel.

Even the audience noticing the tension appeals to me in terms of understanding that the way I played out the ambiance,
and music was a perfect it to achieving the tension goal. I also received multiple comments that the music was a perfect
pick within the production. I found that I had been pickier with the music I chose as it is crucial to achieve the feeling you
want. Repeating the one ambiance of the song throughout, returned the viewer to the place where it felt calm, but I felt it
didn’t make it annoying as an audience viewer since it wasn’t the hook that was repeated.

However, the side of the editing process I wanted to make progress on as an editor was the colour grading. One of the
comments I received was the fact that the colour grading was quite overexposed in certain areas when there were darker
areas of the subject, so there was difficulty seeing certain details. This is where even lighting needs to play apart. I still don’t
think I have mastered this type of lighting of lighting certain areas of the room where there is darkness. For my FMP this is
going to be a major focus in my research and test shoots. Making sure that within the colour grading process, focusing on
masking would make the outcome much better. I haven’t yet learnt how to mask but that should have been a focus in my
research in terms of how to create darkness in controllable areas of the screen. Furthermore, a key mistake looking back at
the film, was the part below where my shadow can be seen.
‘I think it should be dark when filming this as it would feel more like a thriller.’

Above is a comment that would mess up my idea of the storyline. I specifically chose to do in within the day since home
invasions usually happen within the day at least from my experience and experiences I know of. Yet this goes against the
idea of the genre since scary things like this are portrayed in the evening, when it is dark. Which would have helped to
make the thriller side of it more on the lines of a thriller. I think an establishing shot of the driveway with no cars could have
helped this in terms of showing that the house is empty. So, it is more attractive for a criminal to break in. Even thinking
further within the thriller genre, the convention of my film using ‘the shakiness of the camera as it makes me feel like
more on the edge of my seat and wanting to know what’s going on next.’ I decided to make it this way since it really
appeals this rough look. I have found that over all my projects, I decide to use movement vs. not moving the camera. One of
the experiences we had as we were filming on the day of filming the main thriller part of the film, I asked Harriot to bring
her gimble, but with the weight of the lens I borrowed from Charlie, the gimble wasn’t able to handle it. So, I couldn’t use
it. I was very gutted about it but in future, I am going to test things like this during test shoots so that I don’t make Harriot
travel a long way with a heavy gimble. As you can tell, I felt very bad about that

One of the things I wrote in my script was the fact that I wanted a flashback when Grace got shot. Essentially what had
happened was that I took too long to figure out how I wanted the flashback to be, that I ran out of time to submit my
production. So, I had to leave it out. Ideally, I should have fitted that space, but I just didn’t have time to edit everything in a
short time span. Next time during my FMP, I need to plan out more time to edit, and ideally make a plan as to when I am
going to edit certain parts of the film so that I have balanced time frames.

Promotional Materials (Trailer)

To promote the film, I created a trailer that allowed me to promote my film. Having posted the film on YouTube with
making sure to include in the headline key words such as ‘trailer’ and ‘thriller’, this has made the ability to move through
the algorithm which in return has retained more views. Below is a screenshot of the analytics since posting it.
As I have found that social media is the best way to promote my work at the level I am at, I have looked at YouTube Studio
to understand further the analytics. For the trailer as seen above, I found that more people are retaining half the time of
the trailer, which is just enough for them to get an understanding as to what the film is about. This is widely important since
they know what the film is about and can decide whether to watch it or not. However, so far even looking at the number of
views the main film has, being over 600 views in a week is incredible at my level. This is why social media promotion is
important. To reach my audience and even new audiences who can benefit from this from hopefully.

Self- Evaluation and Goals set for production.

After completing this project, I feel more confident as to the approach I am going to take for my FMP in which will create a
better film in the end. Overall, with this project, there are basic skills that I feel I have become better at in terms of the way
I planned, and even thinking about the aesthetic of the film I wanted. Areas such as lighting or thinking about the sequence
of the shots I have found need more detail thinking. This project both challenged me but also allowed me to reach a bit
further as to what I thought I was capable of. I found this through the writing of the film. How I structured the storyline to
achieve a Hitchcock like thriller feel. Overall, feedback from in person and written, all over, were positive which I am happy
to hear.