Production (Filming): Day 1

During our first filming day, as the weather was good and not raining, also having the relevant equipment and actors, we decided to start on the external shots. We filmed the very first scene where Danny bikes over to Thomas' house for the sleepover. This being down the road of Overthorpe. As the main character which was acted by my fellow film partner Jimmy, I filmed the shots for the start. 


The equipment we used were a Nikon D3300, the Magnus tripod and a GoPro 3. We firstly did a few long shots of me coming into frame from the distance just to introduce the scene and familiarise the surroundings for the audience, then we moved to do more mid shots to learn more about the character and introduce him properly. 

Me filming one of the hand held shots for the scenes.

This was used through focus shifting and linear editing. For these shot we just used the camera and the tripod, however for some shots to make the camera appear more shaky we used the camera handheld to add an effect of realism. 

We attempting early evening (around 5pm) to film the scene of Thomas and Danny running away from the stalker, this was a sort of feel session where we deciding on the available lighting and the different shots in which would be effective. However from this we learnt that it wouldn't be successful and so we need to film earlier, and maybe order a filming light from school to us just in case of lack of lighting.

Here are some test shots we did today: 

(Not all the shots, however most of the important shots we kept and worth showing.)

Planning: Classification

Although our short film is based on the horror/thriller genre, we have decided to introduce the rating of 15 for the short film. Although horror/thriller films and conventionally an 18, our film doesn't hold the characteristics to be an 18. Due to the short bits of sensitive nature in our short film we have decided to have a classification age of 15 because the content of the narrative would be more suited towards an older audience as the trailer contains themes of abuse and violence. But what are the classifications?


Film Classifications:

What does U mean?
What does PG mean?
What's the difference between 12A and 12?
What does the 15 symbol mean?
Are there any limits on what sort of theme a work can have at 15?
What does the 18 symbol mean?
Are there any limits on what sort of theme a work can have at 18?

The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. However, it is impossible to predict what might upset a particular child, especially at this lower end of the category range.

PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older. Parents should consider whether the content may upset younger, or more sensitive, children.

The 12A requires an adult to accompany any child under 12 seeing a 12A film at the cinema. This is enforced by cinema staff and a cinema may lose its license if adult accompaniment is not enforced for children under 12 admitted to a 12A film. Accompanied viewing cannot be enforced in the home, so the 12 certificate remains for DVD/Blu-ray, rather than the 12A. The 12 is also a simpler system for retailers. It means they cannot sell or rent the item unless the customer is over the age of 12.

No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a 15 rated video. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age.

No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy / rent an 18 rated video. No 18 rated works are suitable for children.

No theme is prohibited at 18. Adults are free to choose their own entertainment provided the material is not illegal or potentially harmful, so it is possible some themes tackled at 18 may be offensive even to some adult viewers.

Planning: Target Audience

From our research into the thriller/horror genre, films conventionally include elements of suspense, unnaturalness and a sense of vulnarability. They create a feeling of anxiety and suspense when watching the short film, however as our short film contains a narrative that subverts the horror/thriller genre slightly we thought that it would be appropriate to develop the stereotypical target audience. Therefore our proposed primary target audience will be adults aged around 15 -30 who are both female and male. This is because some of the a scene of violence and general scariness may not be suited to a younger audience as they could be either psychologically harmed or disturbed by these scenes. 


Also it may not appeal to an older audience due to the older generation may not enjoy the feeling of suspense and vulnerability. Although stereo typically the genre has a more older-generation based audience.

In order for us to target our teenage based audience, we have decided to cast actors that are a similar age to our target audience. This is because the audience will easily be able to relate towards the characters themselves, it will give the short film a sense of realism as it will highlight a realistic experience. Also making sure that the content of the film matches personal cultures of teens, the theme within our narrative is something that can occur to people at any age making it a realistic theme that may can relate to.

After researching into the BBFC Certificates and their individual contents, both Jimmy and I have come to a mutual decision that our short film will be classified as a '15'. This is because the content we are including isn't suitable for children/teenagers under the age of 15. Our film includes:

• Violence
• Use of dangerous weapon
• Inclusion of a psychopath

These fall into the category of '15'. After making this decision, this means we need to ensure that we keep to the content included in the category, to keep it suitable for our target audience. Therefore, we need to make sure we don't include any content linking to the 18 BBFC certificate i.e. strong blood and gore and strong horror, which our film could easily lead to. However we plan to not include any sort of blood shown or any strong graphic gore.