For the Oxford International film festival, we were asked to plan and

produce either a short film between 20-30 minutes or a stop motion

animation that runs for 3-5 minutes. Either production could be any
genre or style we wanted; we had to fully research our chosen genre and
media of the production we had to do, using both primary and secondary
research that would enable us to include the appropriate conventions of
our chosen genre, which would ultimately please the target audience for
the film or animation. Other aspects of the research included location
recces (finding appropriate filming locations) Lighting research/sourcing
and surveying people.
I chose to do a short film because I felt like a live action film would be
more enjoyable and a more creative option to produce to compliment my
chosen genre and target audience. I originally planned to do a
Horror/Slasher movie. This is because horror movies entice the audience
and allow them to escape their happy realities to explore a world where
the unimaginable is plausible. Of all horror movies, I am an avid fan of
Slasher movies. They involve lots of gore/graphic scenes which some
viewers find satisfying. Another reason why I chose slasher movies was
because they can include abstract concepts, and commonly include a
strong female lead, a convention that breaks stereotypes of traditional
female roles.
I began planning by researching methods and conventions used in
Slasher movies. I searched on authoritative websites for examples of
conventions used in top Slasher movies such as Scream and Halloween.
I also sent a survey out to students in my class, asking them to elaborate
their understanding of slasher movies and the concepts surrounding them.
I then began to research my target audience. As horror movies are
generally unsuitable for younger children due to sensitive content used in
them, I first excluded children under the age of 12. I then viewed the age
ratings posted for other major slasher movies, which are posted on iMDB. I
found that most of the age ratings given were between 15-18 rated,
therefore I concurred that teenagers above the age of 15 and young
adults were suitable to be elected as my target audience. I also sent
another survey using SurveyMonkey to my class colleagues. Included in
this survey was questions that asked whether or not certain
images/aspects of horror movies were suitable for viewers below and
above the ages of my specified target audience. I also asked what they
would expect to see from movies directed at people aged 15-25. Many
replies reported that a modern day technological slasher would be an
ideal film to produce for my target audience. Because of this research, I
concluded that my slasher would be set in 2016. This means that I was
able to arrange my mise-en-scene with more ease and the risk of out-ofplace props would be minimal. After this, I went to gather my location
recces. As mine is set in 2016, I decided that a houses/college grounds

would be ideal, as it can be based around students living in the

technological age. I took photos and compiled them so that I would have a
better idea of how my filming would pan out. After this, I outlined my idea
using Todorovs theory, I produced an equilibrium, disruption, recognition,
attempt to repair and a new equilibrium in my plot. Following this, I
created characters using the principles of Propp theory. I Then wrote
character profiles that developed characters that had traits, tendencies
and reasons for their actions. This would have made the roles easier to act
as the actors would be able to gain an understanding of why their
character does what they do. After this, I wrote my final script in the
correct format. I annotated it, giving stage directions, lighting and camera
advisories. However, due to my actors cancelling on the days of filming, I
was unable to film my planned production, which meant I had to move on
to my contingency plan.
Extract of my production brief:

I believe I sufficiently researched my topic. I gathered sufficient

information to have a developed understanding of my genre and subgenre, and to understand that a live action short film would be better than
a stop motion animation due to an animations lack of realism and
believability; live action allows the viewer to believe that what they are
seeing could happen to them, whereas animations are stylised and do not
appear to be feasible in real life. I could have extensively shot location
recces for each scene which would have meant that I would know exactly
how filming would be done and how each scene would be orchestrated,
but because it is a modern day movie the locations did not need to be
altered or extensively planned thus my location recce was sufficient.
However, I only roughly researched my contingency plan. As it was still a
horror movie many of the conventions and principles were the same for
both my original plan and my contingency plan. I should have researched

my contingency production as much as I did for my original plan. In

addition to this, I did not fully utilise the results of my surveys and primary
research to alter and tailor my production to my target audience.
I did plan sufficiently to shoot my film. My character profiles were detailed
which would have allowed my actors to understand their characters and
portray them well. My outline/idea was concise and helped me write my
script with ease and detail. The script I wrote was comprised of all the
necessary elements that let me visualise exactly how my film would have
panned out. However, I should have planned for my actors shooting days;
many became unavailable therefore I should have appointed understudies
and back-up actors in the case that they were unavailable. Despite this,
the planning for my contingency plan was sufficient for me to shoot
immediately. The only exception is that my script lacked depth. Because I
did not expect to use my contingency plan, I paid less attention to it, I
only wrote a brief script which limited the efficiency of filming but I
persevered and completed filming.
When I originally attempted to film I was unable to gather the cast as
many actors became unavailable during the filming period. This meant
that I could not film using my original script I did not have enough cast
members for it. To overcome this, I used my contingency script, which
required less cast members. Another issue was that some of the locations
where I originally intended to film were being used, which I did not
account for in my plan. Instead I substituted some locations so that I could
film as much as possible with minimal restriction. I also waited until the
locations became vacant, then filmed without compromise. My script was
fairly restrictive, as I used my contingency script which was not as
thoroughly planned as my original script. This meant that it took longer to
film because I had to write parts of it as I was filming. I overcame this by
using some ad-lib and improvisation. Thanks to my actors, this was not a
major issue and had a reduced effect on the final product of my
production.
My lighting was how I expected it to be in my plan. There were some
scenes that were shot outside, which I planned to be shot using warmer,
yet darker lighting. Thanks to carefully selecting the appropriate time to
film, I achieved natural lighting that was appropriate to my genre horror.
This screenshot was shot in the later afternoon it creates an eerie
ambience that, paired with my Foley sounds of barren land/crows
squawking, foreboded the sinister fate of the main character, Max.

In addition to this, inside shots were filmed using 2-point lighting. It

created a dark environment but my actors were still visible which is what I
intended.

This screenshot shows a character, Dom, in disbelief of the result of the Tarot
cards. The primary source of lighting is apparant from the left of the screen, yet
his complete face is visible, due to softer secondary lighting illuminating the rest
of his face. This makes the scene look intense, whilst the viewer is able to clearly
see Dom expression. Overall the lighting was a success, it clearly portrayed the
horror genre and made my film more tense/scary. To improve my lighting next
time I could try to use 3 point lighting to add more depth to my scenes.

The mise-en-scene was not a problem for my production, as it was set in 2016
when it was filmed. Despite this, I used props that established the characters,
such as college lanyard to convey to the viewer that Max and Dom are students.
My sound was effective. I used Foley sounds to build tension in scary scenes. In
addition to this, I used a selection of horror-themed ambient music tracks
throughout my production to create scenes that produce a tense and morbid
atmosphere. Furthermore, I used music tracks that are clich horror tracks to
consolidate the genre.
I believe that my camera work was satisfactory in my production. There are some
pieces of work that I am particularly pleased with, such as this pull focus.

I solely used manual focus so that I could personalise the depth of field to suit
my requirements and to help transmit fear to the viewer. However, in some
scenes where it was required I did not fully focus on the target of the frame,
which caused a blurred shot. However, because my production is a horror film it
appeared as though the blur was intentional in some scenes, to my advantage:

My narrative largely suited my genre. The character Dom finds a set of

Tarot cards, which are foreboded to have sinister nature this is a
common occurrence in horror/supernatural movies, which helps establish
the genre of my movie early on. The narrative also follows a build up to
the climax of the movie through supernatural occurrences and events, and
eventually the climax which shows the death of Max by supernatural

cause. This follows my horror genre because it includes jump-scares, and

Dom and Max must face trials and tribulations because of the cards evil
origins.
In production I learnt how to perform a pull focus this is where the focus
is adjusted to reveal what lies beyond the original focus. I used it to give a
someone is watching you feel to my film, which worked excellently. I also
increased my understanding of 2-point lighting. This is using two sources
of light to produce more natural and professionally styled lighting. Other
editing skills I honed were basic introductions, colour correction to reduce
over-exposure.
I did submit my final, edited piece on time but not my pre-production,
script and other work. This was because I hit my contingency plan and
only had two days to prepare, film, edit and submit, therefore I was
rushing and was unable to upload it on time. To prevent this in the future I
will plan my contingency more thoroughly.