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1. After looking through the footage from day 1 of production I have determined which takes
are best from the scenes I have filmed.
The first shot (scene 2, shot 1) was filmed with handheld movement, getting closer towards
the chapel as the character walked. It also starts facing towards the ground to create the idea
that the person has just turned the camera on and began walking. This shot is suitable to be
used in my film because it purposefully looks non-professional, compared to regular horror
films which are filmed smoothly in order to immerse the audience. My film was shot in a
way that constantly reminds them it is found footage; I believe that this technique will
effectively convey the genre. The second shot is a wide shot with panning, moving from the
right of the chapel to the left, revealing the criminal character and zooming in on them as
they walk away (drawing the audience's attention towards this character and signifying their
importance). This shot was deemed suitable because it once again has the amateur feeling
you'd expect from this genre, while also conveying the plot line effectively. Even though
members of the public are visible in the first few seconds, I can edit that out in Premier Pro. I
filmed this scene with the high-key natural lighting that would match the time of day during
the story, over the course of the film the lighting changes to establish a timeline.
I also filmed the fourth scene that day, which consisted of two shots. The mise-en-scene of
this scene deliberately reveals multiple gravestones in natural/high-key lighting, creating a
theme of death while also following the timeline of the story. The first is a long shot with
panning movement. I chose this movement because it puts the audience in the character’s
position, creating the feeling that they are hiding from the criminal and watching them pass
by. The camera going in and out of focus slightly was one of the rings that make this take the
best, I like how it gradually reveals the criminal after passing by the tree and adds a bit of
tension to the shot. Along with the gravestones, the camera movement and focus within this
scene create suspense within the audience (which is typical of the horror genre). Finally, the
second shot took a large number of takes to get right. The main issue being the pause the
character is supposed to take before turning, I had to work with the actor to perfect this
section. I think this specific take is appropriate for my film because I like how it focuses on
the gravestone and then reveals the villain. This associates the villain with death, creating
suspense within the audience. Furthermore, I like how it zooms in on the character and
pauses because it allows me to edit in a 'crash' in the footage.
The audio for both of these scenes will need to be edited in Premiere Pro to reduce the
ambient sound.