Part 2 of the Short Film Rotation Pro Forma

1. STAGE 2
RESEARCH +
EXPERIMENTS
Josh Eastham

2. I made this survey to get results from my class peers on there film preferences:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BNXZ53X
More male people in my
class then females.
Based on the responses
given people only picked
this option to take the
mickey

3. These responses allows me
to tell the age that the
majority of people started to
watch films.
50% of my responses are people
That got into films age 0 to 10. I expected this to be the most common as
most people watch films growing up and have childhood favorites.

4. Surprisingly the majority of people that answered my survey say they
watched 6+ hours of films a week which surprised me as that is quite
allot, however I suppose it depends on the lengths of the specific films in
question.

5. The two most popular film
genres in this list are
action, comedy followed
by adventure and Sci-Fi in
a joint third.

6. Worryingly the most popular
platform for streaming movies
are illegal streaming sites.
This is damaging for the movie
industry as if movies are
mainly streamed for free
online then the industry won’t
profit from it. This was done as
a class survey and if it was
done nationally the results
would probably be quite
different.

7. As you can see most
people had answered
this seriously however
not everyone. It is
starting to annoy me
not seeing serious
answers on my survey
as it makes it harder to
collect and analyze
accurate results.

8. From this you can see that whilst many would watch a horror film
regardless, an equivalent amount would say that it depends on the
synopsis of the film. Psychologically this shows me that the majority of
horror film fans are opinionated and wouldn’t necessarily just watch a film
because it is part the the horror genre

9. This result gives me a slight confidence boost as it tells me that the
majority of people that answered my survey like my idea for my
horror film and would watch the final version. The other result also
tells me that perhaps presenting a completed product to them could
convince them to watch it as maybe the synopsis wasn't enough for
them to be interested.

10.  Viewing Figures for horror Films
Lights Out:
Ouija origins of
evil:

11. Insidious:
IT 2017:

12. Viewing figures for thriller films
American Assassin:
Blade Runner 2049:
Geostorm:

13. Audience Profiles: Horror Films: IT 2017, Insidious
Audience Profiles: Thriller Films: Blade Runner, Air Force One

14.  My primary and Secondary research into the audiences of horror and
thriller films have given me a broad idea of the type of audience that I
am aiming my short film at. In terms of horror films like; IT and insidious,
tend to have a mostly female fan base with more left wing political views
and an annual income of $20,000 to $50,000. Whilst a thriller film like
Blade Runner, and Air Force One have a mostly male fan base with
political views that vary from the mid left wing to the far right. They also
tend to be high earners with annual salaries of $50,000 to $100,000 or
more.
 This has led me to realize that by choosing to produce a horror/thriller
film I am taking on the task of trying to entertain a wide variety of
people. This would be a very exciting and challenging task if this were a
full on professional film production but as this is just a one minuet
amateur production it shouldn’t be as high of a priority as it otherwise
would be.
 As a result of this research I now know my target audience better,
however You.Gov doesn’t really take into account underage people
aged 15-18 that account for a large majority of horror film fans. As a
result this leads me to believe I should be aiming for an age rating and
15+ on my film.

15.  (U) Universal: Discrimination Discriminatory language or behavior is unlikely to be
acceptable unless clearly disapproved of. Drugs References to illegal drugs or drug misuse
must be infrequent and innocuous, or have a clear educational purpose or anti-drug message
suitable for young children. Imitable behavior Potentially dangerous or anti-social behavior
which young children may copy must be clearly disapproved of. No emphasis on realistic or
easily accessible weapons. Language Infrequent use only of very mild bad language. Nudity
Occasional nudity, with no sexual context. Sex Only very mild sexual behavior (for example,
kissing) and references to such behavior. Threat Scary or potentially unsettling sequences
should be mild, brief and unlikely to cause undue anxiety to young children. The outcome
should be reassuring. Violence Violence will generally be very mild. Mild violence may be
acceptable if it is justified by context (for example, comedic, animated, wholly unrealistic).
(PG) Parental Guidance: Discrimination Discriminatory language or behavior is unlikely to be
acceptable unless clearly disapproved of, or in an educational or historical context, or in a particularly
dated work with no likely appeal to children. Discrimination by a character with whom children can
readily identify is unlikely to be acceptable. Drugs References to illegal drugs or drug misuse must be
innocuous or carry a suitable anti-drug message. Imitable behavior No detail of potentially dangerous
behavior which young children are likely to copy, if that behavior is presented as safe or fun. No
glamorization of realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives. No focus on anti-social behavior
which young children are likely to copy. Language Mild bad language only. Aggressive or very frequent
use of mild bad language may result in a work being passed at a higher category. Nudity There may be
nudity with no sexual context. Sex Sexual activity may be implied, but should be discreet and
infrequent. Mild sex references and innuendo only. Threat Frightening sequences or situations where
characters are in danger should not be prolonged or intense. Fantasy settings may be a mitigating
factor. Violence Violence will usually be mild. However there may be moderate violence, without detail,
if justified by its context (for example, history, comedy or fantasy).

16. 12/12A: Drugs Misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorized or give instructional detail. Imitable
behavior No promotion of potentially dangerous behavior which children are likely to copy. No glamorization of realistic or
easily accessible weapons such as knives. No endorsement of anti-social behavior. Language There may be moderate
language. Strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its
frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification. Nudity There may be nudity, but in a sexual
context it must be brief and discreet. Sex Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Moderate sex references
are permitted, but frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable. Threat There may be moderate physical and
psychological threat and horror sequences. Although some scenes may be disturbing, the overall tone should not be. Horror
sequences should not be frequent or sustained. Violence There may be moderate violence but it should not dwell on detail.
There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context.
Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and its depiction must be justified by context.
15: Language: There may be strong language. Very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in
which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual
justification.
Nudity: There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context. There may be nudity in a sexual context
but usually without strong detail.
Sex: Sexual activity may be portrayed, but usually without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual
behavior, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary
purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Threat: There may be strong threat and horror. A sustained focus on sadistic or sexual threat is unlikely to
be acceptable.
Violence : Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are
unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic violence is also unlikely to be acceptable.
There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but the depiction of sexual violence must be discreet and
justified by context.

17. 18: Language There may be strong language. Very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in
which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.
Nudity There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context. There may be nudity in a sexual context
but usually without strong detail.
Sex Sexual activity may be portrayed, but usually without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual
behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary
purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Threat There may be strong threat and horror. A sustained focus on sadistic or sexual threat is unlikely to be acceptable.
Violence Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are
unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic violence is also unlikely to be acceptable.
There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but the depiction of sexual violence must be discreet and
justified by context.
18 Restricted:
material which is in breach of the criminal law, including material judged to be obscene under the current
interpretation of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 (see Annexes)
material (including dialogue) likely to encourage an interest in sexually abusive activity which may
include adults role-playing as non-adults the portrayal of sexual activity which involves real
or apparent lack of consent. Any form of physical restraint which prevents participants from indicating a
withdrawal of consent
the infliction of pain or acts which may cause lasting physical harm, whether real or (in a sexual context)
simulated. Some allowance may be made for moderate, non-abusive, consensual activity
penetration by any object associated with violence or likely to cause physical harm
sexual threats, humiliation or abuse which do not form part of a clearly consenting role-playing game.
Strong physical or verbal abuse, even if consensual, is unlikely to be acceptable These Guidelines will
be applied to the same standard regardless of sexual orientation of the activity portrayed.

18. What I think my film would be rated…
I think my film would possibly be rated a 12. The reason why
I think this is because with the limited equipment and
resources at our disposal it isn’t possible to make our film as
dark and as graphic as it would have to be to be rated
anything higher then a 15. Another limiting factor is that we
are not allowed any dialogue or narration aside from one
specified phrase so that rules out any use of bad language.
Also it isn’t like we have a budget for this film so we can’t
use fake blood or anything, maybe we could use blood
splatter effects that we could overlay in premier of after
effect but I think it is pretty much impossible to have it rated
over a 15 due to the limited resources at our disposal.

19.  In terms of production techniques getting the camera shots correct the first time is
perhaps the most important as you can change a lot in post production but not the
camera shots themselves so it I important to get them right first time as reshoots
might not always be possible.
 I think that camera shots are one of the most important parts of the film, aside
from the obvious that without them there would be no film at all. With camera
shots if you are clever with them you can show and tell so much within a single
shot if is done right. You can also create clever shots and good imagery within a
simple camera shot. In terms of employing into my film I am going for the horror
genre and one thing I want to do if bring the viewer into an intimate experience
with the characters so they will be able to feel what they are feeling and empathise
with them. To do this I will be using shaky camera movements when the
characters are running which would give the impression that the camera man is
also running which allows the audience to immerse themselves further into the
film. I would argue that this is one of the most important things you need to do as a
producer as if the audience doesn’t engage with the characters and plot then they
grow bored and start to dislike a film.

20. Another thing to do with production techniques that we need to consider is our
planning and direction for our filming process. If we go straight into filming
without having a shot list or script with no idea how it will pan out it will just end
up with us making it up on the spot which will mean we end up with a very
disorganised and low quality piece of work which could have been so much
better if we had just planned it out instead of just making it up. It will also allow
us to get more done in a quicker amount of time if we have a plan to follow and
a scheduled deadlines to meet as it would hopefully mean we would be more
organised and focused on our work. Having a shot list to follow is a crucial
must have as it means we have a checklist of everything that needs to be
filmed that we must use to we don’t miss anything out which would cause
issues later if our filming time has run out and we start to begin to edit it. This is
one of the main reasons why we have a contingency form as well as a shot list
and call sheet. These documents make sure we have a schedule to stick to as
well as backup plans if something goes wrong. If we didn’t have these forms
then if issues arise it could have a major effect on the production severely
delaying it.

21. Editing techniques are a big part of how the overall product will look. We will be
using Adobe Premier and After Effects to edit. Fortunately for us there are
many tutorials online on how to achieve different visual effects and editing
styles with this software so it is very easy to learn.

22. There was a planned process we had to go through to create our film. When we first
started this task we were given a shot list on what we had to film to create our film. We
started by looking at our shot list and planning how we were going to film and were. We
also decided it would be a good idea to get to write out a dialogue script to plan out what
we were going to say in the scenes in which we were required to speak instead of
making it up on the spot, therefore we weren't struggling to say things in the film and as
a result it perhaps came across as being more realistic.
We also had to plan out the locations we were going to film in throughout the college.
We eventually decided it would be a cool idea to film some scenes of the college
exterior in a pan shots to use at the start of the film to show were the film was taking
place. We then thought it would look cool to film on the underground level of the college
car park to set the scene as being dark and mysterious however we then decided that it
was two dark and cold to stay outside so we decided to go back inside and film it on a
stairwell.
Once filming was complete we only half an hour left in the day to edit it, we did however
get some time the day after to edit as well which was important because if not we
wouldn’t have managed to complete the edit. I am personally quite happy with the final
product as some of the things I did in the final edit such as having the shot change every
time there was a beat in the music I thought was really good as it looked quite
cinematic.

23.  In terms of what I would incorporate from filming previous projects into
my current one. One things in liked was how I managed to pull focus with
the camera in the Irn-Bru project at the end when Andreas holds up the
Irn-Bru can. When he held it up it was originally out of focus which was
the intention but then I pulled it into focus which blurred out Andreas in
the background. I had seen this effect done before on different film
trailers and videos before so it decided I would try and attempt it here. I
thought it went vey well however as it was on a green screen it didn’t blur
out the background behind Andreas as well like I had hoped it would.
Therefore I would like to try it again in a real world environment just so I
can pull of that effect correctly as I think if I did it would look like a very
visually appealing bit of camera work.
Comparison of
my focus pull
shot

24. Equipment and tools used: To film our test short filmed we used the following equipment
and techniques to create our final video sequence.
-DSLR camera with a 19-35 mm Lens: This was obviously the main piece of equipment
we needed to make this video as having a DSLR camera provides us with the best quality
possible to film our video. As this is a very expensive piece of equipment we had to be
very careful with what we were doing so as to not brake it. Having a decent lens on the
camera was important
-Tripod: This was a very handy piece of equipment as it allows us to have the camera
standing still and executing different pan shots. This is good as if the camera is hand held
it can often be quite shaky and unless this is a deliberate visual style this can be very
frustrating especially if one is trying to apply a visual effect to a video in post production.
-Adobe Premier Pro Mac: This is a very ice piece of software to edit on a mac. I am
used to using Sony Vegas Pro at home to edit so learning a new software and its
keyboard shortcuts was very frustrating however I eventually got the hang of it to the point
were I was able to edit my Irn-Bru project in it.

25.  In terms of elements of my experiments that I will use in my production, It is
possible I will be using a green screen in some parts of my video as I did in my
Irn-Bru project. The reason for this is if we can’t film in the classroom if there are
people working in there for whatever reason then I will come in and take photos of
the classroom from different angles to I can recreate the scene on a green
screen.
 We will also be experimenting with pholey techniques which means not utilizing
the camera audio and instead sourcing audio from other locations either from the
internet or going out and finding objects to create sound with and recording it
ourselves.
 One final things that I did in my experiments that I will incorporate into the final
project is using the premier pro Chroma Key effect to overlay video effects that
are on a green background from stock footage on YouTube. We did this in the
short film we previously produced to get practice using the camera before we did
our Irn-Bru project. It wasn’t really a short film, more like a collection of clips
edited together. It is just the way I edited it I turned it into a horror flick. I will be
doing similar things in my short film as I want a ghost effect on it, I found one on
YouTube against a green background and if I Chroma key out the green
background the effect will be overlaid onto my video.


26. For most of the video footage in my short film. I will not be utilizing the onboard
microphone audio of the camera. The reason for this is to mainly eliminate
background noise that may be heard when filming inside college and especially
when filming outside. Another big issue I may have filming outside with the camera
audio is that the weather is unpredictable and storm Caroline is currently at its height
so as as result it is really windy outside. Because of this I will use pholey techniques
that we practiced before in a session were we took a scene from the film Shaun of
The Dead, muted it and added our own sound effects on by going around college
and finding our own things to record the sound from and add it onto the scene. We
also sourced some sounds from the internet which is what ill also be doing.
In terms of music I have 2 options. One would be sourcing music of the internet as
long as it is non copyright. Another would be using garage band to create my own
piece of music. Due to the time constraints however and my limited experience in
using garage band I think it would be better for me to source some non copyright
music of the internet as otherwise I may run out of time to get everything complete if I
am trying to figure out garage band and create a decent piece of music at the same
time.

27. As previously stated I will be including pholey techniques
for the sound. I will also take into account audio editing
techniques such as L cut and J cutting. I will defiantly try
and use this at some point within my film as if done in the
right way it can a very effective scene transition.
I would like to find some sort of unsettling alarm sound or
creepy sound effect to use during the final scene to make
everything seem very unnatural and paranormal. In my
mind this would fit really well together with scary music
and flickering lights. My ideal goal is to have a genuine
jump scare moment which will jump the audience as this is
a good way to release tension if it has been building up for
a while.

28.  One thing I keep mentioning as I am very aware of it is the time constraint we have on
producing this film. I don’t just mean that the length of the film has to stay within one
minuet with leeway for credits. I mean the actual time we have to film, edit and produce
this film and then do an evaluation. We only have two weeks to do this so everything has
to be organised and micromanaged as best it possibly can in order to make sure that we
keep to a schedule and nothing goes wrong. If something does go wrong we will have a
backup plan so that it does not effect the production in a major way.
 In terms of cost constraints, in this specific production that should not be an issue as we
will be using the college equipment, filming in a public place in and around college as well
as using our own property for props. The only costs that this production might have are
non direct ones such as food for the cast and crew and travel fairs to travel to and from
college. This however isn’t really related to production as this is money that people would
spend everyday even if they weren't producing a film so really there are virtually no cost
constraints on this production at all.
 Technical issues are the most likely possible cause of constrains on this project. These
issues could range from general hardware failure on the equipment such as the camera or
the Mac’s we will be using to edit. Or a software error that causes corruption of deletion of
video files on the SD card or a software failure on the Mac that means our film won’t
render out of premier or after effects properly.
 These issues are generally why we have a contingency document to show we have
planned in advance for these issues arising and have backup options if necessary.