Questions for our target audience focus group.

I gathered a group of people who are in the correct age span for my target audience. I asked them questions relating to my film and I also asked them if they had any improvements which could benefit the final outcome of my film. The questions I asked where:

1. Do you think that the narrative is something along the lines of what you would conventionally expect from a horror or a Slasher film?

2. Would this film appeal to the target audience?

3. Please explain your answer.

4. In a horror film, what aspects are important to an opening?

5. After watching the opening to this film would it convince you to continue watching the rest of the film?

6. Would you want to see lots of gore and violence in this film?

7. What elements would you like to see in a Horror/ Slasher film opening?

8. Do you have any suggestions of things to include in our Slasher film opening?

9. Are there any elements of our film opening that you feel we should not include?

10. Whom would you recommend this film to?

11. Why?

Classification post.

For my film my group and I have decided that the classification will be rated 15. We have decided to use this rating because it is the correct age for our audience and the content that we will include in our film. Our target audience range includes people of the age of 15 which means that our target audience will be able to go and watch our film without being too young. Another reason why we chose to have the age rating at 15 is because some elements of our film may be quite gory and violent and the British Board of Film Classification states that in a rated 15 film it is allowed to include some gory elements. After doing my research on the BBFC website I now know what elements and features not to include in my film. In our film we will not include any crude sexual references or any sexual content that is detailed. Although our film is quite gory and violent we will not include any sadistic or sexual threat in the movie. One of the themes in our film is danger however we will not cross the line of including any suicidal, hanging or self harm in our film as these elements would be sending the wrong message to our target audience and would not be appropriate to watch.

Risk assessment

This is a print screen of our risk assessment document.We have thought carefully about the risks that might occur and how dangerous they will be on a scale of 1 being low and 5 being high. We have also decide how we will rectify these risks and make sure we reduce the possibility of them happening. During the filming process if we discover any more risks we will add them into our risk assessment.

Casting

When we went through the casting process the first thing that we thought about is who had experience. We needed to consider who would portray the roles correctly and we as a group thought that experience would help to do this. We thought about who would fit each role well and if their appearance would be good for the character that they would be portraying. An important thing that we considered as a group is whether or not the actors that we picked would take the filming process serious and if they would joke and mess around on set during our filming time. We also thought about whether or not these actors would be reliable and would work well with us when making this opening. Most people our age have jobs so we had to consider whether or not these actors would be committed to the job and would also put the best effort into the job.

After we had selected the actors for our film opening we has to consider availability and whether or not transport would be an issue for them when it comes to filming as some of the actors do not live in the area which we will be filming in.

The Antagonist.

We chose Joe because he has the right build for the antagonist character as conventionally the murders are tall and slim and we felt that Joe was committed to the task and would be reliable when it comes to filming. Joe is also male which fits in with the conventions in a horror film of the antagonist being a male character.

The Drama Queen.

We chose Sophie to be our dram queen and she is an experienced actress and also lives in area meaning that there would not be a transport issue She is also very committed and would be reliable. Sophie would also take this part seriously. Drama queens are stereotypically female which is another reason why we selected Sophie for this role.

The Jock.

We selected mal for this role because he has experience in acting and knows how important this is therefore he would not mess around. He is also reliable and has transport options which means he would be there for filming sessions. We also felt that Mal had the correct appearance for a jock. We think this because he has the right physical build and is attractive which is what a jock is like stereotypically.

The Nerd.

We selected Ed for this role because he fitted the stereotype of a nerd character perfectly and also lives in the location area which means he would be reliable when it comes to arriving and attending on time for filming sessions. Ed also does not have a job which means he will have more free time and will not be tied down to other things making him more committed to our film.

Location Scouting

We travelled to our location to take some pictures and take some tester videos so we could see what our shots would look like. We took some of our characters with us. Due to the location being in Chacombe this would mean that some of our actors and filming crew would have to travel to the location. We needed to consider if it was going to be possible to transport all the equipment there each time we needed to film. Two of our actors live in Chacombe so that enables us to cancel out the concern of them not being able to get to the set when needed. However the other actors would need to rely on public transport or cars which could mean that it could be harder for them to get to location. Public bus is one of the modes of transport which would mean we would have to be extra careful when transporting this equipment as there are other people on the bus increasing the risk of damaged equipment. The area that we chosen to film in is public so we would also need to be aware of people walking. However due to it being a public area we would not need to ask anyone for permission to film in this area.

Lighting

When it comes to filming our opening we need to select a time during the day where the lighting will be perfect for our film opening. We have decided to film during the day with high key lighting as it wont be dark and the audience will be able to see hat is happening and during filming we will be able to see what we are doing. If we film in high key lighting it will make the opening and the narrative look more realistic. It could also show the audience that scary things don't always happen during the night. If we are filming in high key lighting and we would like the visual effect to be darker then when it comes to the editing process we can add filter to make it darker and more ominous which follows the codes and conventions of a Horror and Slasher film. However when we are filming we may decide to film a 3/4 o clock at dusk when it begins to get dark. Filming at this time in the night will create a good effect because some feature will be emphasised with the setting sun.

Props

The weapon.

The prop that we are going to use is going to be a woodcutters axe. We chose this weapon because it is a classic weapon that has been used in old school horror and Slasher films. We though that using this axe would be more unique than using a kitchen knife as they are commonly used in Slasher films. One of the reasons we decided to use an axe is because it is easy to get hold off and would be easy to transport around. Using an axe may also surprise the audience as usually they may expect knives in a Slasher film.

We think that using the axe will also look more threatening as axes are usually used for chopping wood in half- this could foreshadow what might happen to one of the protagonist victims. An axe is also a brutal weapon which could fit in well with the codes and conventions that usually occur in Slasher films. When using an axe it requires a lot of force to use it which could connote that the murderer using it is quite strong. Axes have larger blades than other weapons which could connote that a lot of damage could be done by using this particular weapon.

Art Mask.

We have chosen to use a white art mask as when the antagonist is wearing the mask it could look creepy and ominous which could help build the atmosphere for the audience. The white mask will also make our antagonist look recognisable and will help the audience distinguish the villain from the protagonists. This white make could also act as an icon for our film and could represent our film. The mask is very distinctive therefore using this as our icon could make our film distinctive and recognisable too. When this mask is paired with the antagonist's outfit it may make his appearance look very intimidating and could scare the audience. Using a mask in our films follows the codes and conventions of the sub genre Slasher as in some films like "Scream" a mask is used to scare the protagonists and becomes an icon for the film.