Se7en

On Wednesday's lesson we watched Se7en which is a crime/thriller/pyschological genre film. It was really interesting for our group as we have explored these genres for our two minute opening.
Throughout the film we all kept pointing out the use of camera angles and what that might mean for the upcoming scenes. Overall it was a little jumpy but I found the concept very enticing and enjoyed this type of genre

Heathrow

We're alive!
After finally arriving at Heathrow after a rather long tube journey, we were all feeling very apprehensive and a little anxious of how this would turn out. Sticking to the plan, we headed straight to Costa coffee where we sat and gathered our thoughts.
We managed get bar seats over looking the arrivals so here we sat, casually as possible, trying to figure out the best way to get shots of Anna. Although we had shots in mind before we went, we knew that once we got to the terminal we'd simply have to see what was available to us, so it was all very much a game of luck.
Once we got going, we were determined not to have to return, so we all repeatedly took shots of Anna from different angles. Towards the end, we were noticing a few suspecting looks from costa staff, although this isn't surprising as we all definitely stood out amongst what seemed like only travelling business men and women. However we left feeling confident that we had got what we wanted and rather pleased that no one had stopped us, reminding each other that the airport is only a short element of our film opening so not to get too hung up on what we did and didn't get.
Towards the end of the evening we definitely were all eager to leave the terminal, as we felt we'd been there too long and were starting to get a little worried. To record the footage I found using my iphone better, as I felt it did not look so out of place and I could simply be on my phone, rather than potentially recording someone. However when I was shooting Anna coming down an escalator, two pilots did ask if I was taking pictures of them, luckily nothing else was said.
All in all, a good beginning to our many filming shoots!

Doing our English Literature and essay writing on the tube!

Heathrow success

Tube Vlog

Preparing for take off..

Tomorrow we finally travel to Heathrow for our most dreaded shots! (that is if were even lucky enough to get them!) I think were all feeling the stress tomorrow! Having put it off for long enough, finally we all put our foot down and are dragging one another all the way to Heathrow on the Piccadilly Line from school. Were definitely finding it hard to schedule each other around filming, especially that all of them involve travelling up to London, which felt like such a good idea at the beginning! If we manage to get some decent footage tomorrow, I think we'll all definitely have renewed enthusiasm for our concept, if not then we'll all cry. Hopefully we don't get attacked by scary security people and end up on the news..

Our new inspiration

When we were discussing the idea of a spy/action genre for our film opening,'Salt' and 'Mr & Mrs Smith' definitely were the first two films that we were inspired by

Perfecting the concept

Finally managed to get our long awaited vlog onto YouTube and onto our blogs! During last fridays lesson, I think we all felt as though our two minute opening had lost its spark. After rather a stressful morning trying to figure how we could incorporate some sort of story base rather than just simply travelling throughout London, we came up with a 'Salt' inspired idea, based on the transition from quirky traveler to spy

Initial Pitch

Story boarding

Today we thought we'd story board all of the locations we plan to use. It's particularly important that we do this because a lot of our filming is in central London, so preparation is key. We're finding it particularly difficult to schedule filming times that we can all meet, as we all seem to have jobs and school work. It seems our beloved, relaxing Sundays are definitely going to suffer.

Concept Vlog

Brainstorming

These are just the notes that we made yesterday during our concept brainstorming/little meeting in Starbucks. Rachel cleverly thought to actually bring a pen and paper, unlike the rest of us. We just spent the afternoon jotting down pointers, genres and any props that popped into our heads, in order to go from there. Overall it was a very successful afternoon, particularly as we had the vision of us just talking the whole way through the brainstorming, it seems our group definitely knows when to just get down to work, which is always good.

Possible filming locations

Yesterday our group finalised a few possible filming locations that we would like to incorporate within our film. We definitely want to take of advantage of living in a central location. From very early on we liked the idea of possibly filming from within the London eye, the plan would be for two to go up and two to stay down, doing whatever various actions we decided. We just feel that this shot (if successful and planned thoroughly) would add effect and depth to our film. We are still in the early stages of preparation and therefore perhaps ultimately we will not use one or two of these locations, although at present these are definitely strong contenders. It is clear from our locations we've chosen that the film involves a sense of travel, using this we want to create quick sharp movements, creating a fast pace and tension. Although these locations involve us travelling a lot in order to achieve the shots, we are definitely committed and therefore shall power through.