AS Media Studies

Name: Emma Grenier 

Our class's task was to recreate the opening sequence of the film Submarine. We had to do this by casting an actor, find locations, record footage and edit it using Adobe Premier Pro. I worked with one of my classmates on this project, called Abbey Hunter. 



Cast

Finding someone to play Oliver Tate appeared to be a challenge for me and Abbey, but we were lucky to find someone to fit the role at such short notice. To begin with, Abbey wondered whether she should ask her friend Dan to play the role. However, after some consideration we both thought that Dan looked too old to play a 13 year old boy as he has a beard. Our next option was our friend called Adam Barratt. At first he was interested, but a few days before filming he backed out. With the deadline approaching, me and Abbey asked our other friend Adam Bate-Weldon. Luckily, he was willing to take the part. We also felt that Adam looked like Oliver Tate and therefore we were glad that we inquired him. Adam Barratt was still happy to record the monologue. This saved us time as he attends the same school as us (unlike Adam BW) so he could record the monologue in school hours. Even though that the audience does not necessarily know how the actor sounds, we felt as though Adam B's voice matched well with Adam BW's appearance.


Location

Finding a location to film the bedroom shots in was not too difficult. Adam Barratt was happy for me and Abbey to film inside his bedroom and we liked it how his bed was against a window. However, unlike Oliver Tate's bedroom, Adam's is not particularly cluttered. Therefore, I tried to make use of the few objects/posters he had around his bedroom by taking close up shots of them.  The outside shots were more difficult and stressful to plan as we had limited time. This meant that we could not afford a trip to the coast and take establishing shots similarly to the ones shown in the Sumbarine opening. We managed to take some sunset shots over fields one evening, which turned out to look quite impressive. However, we made a significant yet easily avoidable mistake - we filmed all of the scenic shots without a large tripod. This meant that the shots we took were rather shaky. Me and Abbey hope to avoid doing this again in the future as shaky shots can affect the overall outcome/quality of a film. 

Storyboarding

Me and Abbey felt as though we didn't need a storyboard for this task, as we had the original Submarine opening to reference our shots/camera angles from. In addition, we looked at the duration of particular shots and how many scenic shots were included. This meant on the day of filming, we didn't need to sit and mess around with counting shots or counting the lengths of shots when we could be filming instead.

Filming

Me and Abbey started by filming the bedroom scenes one weekday after school. We used my camera to take all of the shots as it results in taking high quality outcomes. It was a little bit stressful at the beginning because I have never used my camera for filming before so it took a while for me to work out how to. Once I did, I took slow panorama shots of Adam B's bedroom in order to replicate the original opening. Taking them at a slow speed helped us to not run out of objects to show, as Adam's room is not cluttered like Oliver Tate's. When it came to filming Adam BW as the character, it was crucial for us to get the shot lengths accurate in relation to the film opening's. We tried these shots a few times so that when it came to editing we had a few options to work with. Me and Abbey decided to move physically closer to Adam as zooming in may have decreased the shots' quality. 

By the time we got round to filming the scenic shots, light was fading so we had to work quickly. Luckily, that evening was clear and sunny so we walked to the nearest fields to take some beautiful sunset shots. Despite that we could not access the coast and there are not many things in Wymondham to take dissimilar pictures of, we managed to take a few different shots in varied positions as the sky darkened and the sunset changed tones. Unfortunately, our shots did not look as professional as the film's because we did not use a tripod. Abbey knew we needed roughly 8 shots to be true to the original, so when Abbey needed to go home I took some more whilst walking back home. 

Editing

Editing was rather a time consuming process, as neither me nor Abbey had had any experience with Adobe Premiere. However, once we understood the basics of cropping and inserting shots, it did not take us too long to put together our recreation of the Submarine opening. We began with creating credit inserts. Abbey helped with judging colours and positioning and I wrote the content and decided which font to use. It was our aim to make our credit inserts as similar to the film's as much as possible. This was the longest process of the editing operation as we had to make sure they had the same time scales as the actual video clips, as well as cutting them down with the razor tool. Abbey tried to use the stabilising took on some of the shots, but this made the clip seem like a still image and it did not look right. The most difficult task of the editing process was sorting out sound. All panning clips were muted to remove any camera movement/noise. We had to make sure the monologue fit with the right clip. Luckily, it just fit the length of the panning shot of the character. The start of the song involved the ticks, which Abbey had to try and match to the close ups of Adam BW. This proved to be extremely difficult. It was also extremely difficult to adjust the song to fit with the time sequences of some clips. 

Evaluation

Me and Abbey managed to film everything we needed in one evening, and I feel as though we took the shots efficiently despite having limited time. Therefore, we were happy with how things went in the time we had. We both know that there is room for improvement if we have more time for future tasks. We certainly feel as though the absence of a tall tripod affected our video's professionalism. Additionally, the sound and timings needed to be improved. But we are both pleased with our choice of cast and the shots we took in our location.

Filming day 1: Monday 15th February 2015

Filming Day 2: Thursday 25th February 

In my film opening, my characters will be wearing the following costumes for certain scenes:

Scene 1: Phone call scene - Casual clothing

Polly: Green Turtleneck top, blue jeans, glasses

I feel as though these choice of clothes & colours reflects Polly's persona and her interests and exposes her creative style. The plainness of her overall outfit resembles Polly's innocence and purity, as well as not following the latest fashion trends and being girly. 

Millie: T-Shirt, skater skirt, tights

Millie's fashion sense is a typical teenager style. This assists the realism of my film opening as I want my characters to be dressed in common outfits, yet at the same time I want their costumes to reflect their personalities. Therefore, I decided to dress Millie in a ordinary manner as Millie is a character who has nothing exactly original about her. 

Scene 2: Polly and Liam's date - Smart Wear

Polly: Dress, leather jacket, Dr Martens

As Polly is going on a date, I thought it is necessary for her to wear something more fancy for a special occasion. Therefore, I feel as though wearing a dress is a good option. I am not fussy about the design of the dress and I will choose from a selection at Charlotte's house when it comes to shooting. I also think that it would be good for Polly to wear a leather Jacket and Dr Martens. This will help to preserve the disclosure of her persona and indie clothing style, yet still looking nicely dressed at the same time. It is important for both of the characters in this scene to not over dress, as it only a first date at a pub between teenagers. 

Liam: Blazer, red checkered shirt, jeans

Liam will also be dressed smartly for this occasion. His costume will also help to create a sense of romance as its smartness will show he is being serious about this date. His red checkered shirt, on the other hand, will help to create a casual setting in between the two characters also. It can also be mentioned that the colour of his shirt foreshadows the happenings towards the end of the opening, as if he is being signified as danger. 


Scene 3: The break in

Millie: Hoodie, jeans, mask (not compulsory) 

Millie will be wearing rather casual clothes for the robbery, as if she was wearing something too stereotypical then it would be obvious she is a robber. Local people nearby may assume she is just a member of the household. However, a hoodie is vital to be worn for this scene as it can easily shadow her face. As I would prefer  not to buy a mask for this occasion, it depends whether if any of the cast members own a mask. If so, Millie can wear one for this scene. However, its use depends on what the mask is portraying.  If it is something too outrageous then it may look more suspicious that Millie is breaking into a household.

How am I sourcing these?

All these costumes will be sourced from the actors' own wardrobes.

Character casting

Millie Prescott

Zoé Desgland 













Issy Evans 













I feel as though Zoe and Issy would both suit the role of Millie Prescott. They have both had prior acting experience before as they both did GCSE Drama.  Therefore, I think that they will be better at acting as Millie in the burglar scene than someone who has never acted, as it is important they act sly and cautious. 

Final actress for Millie Prescott  - Zoe Desgland

By Zoe going through the script, I could instantly tell she would be great for the role. She was fantastic at revealing Millie's emotions through the ways she presented her body language and the tone of her voice. I feel as though Zoé suited the appearance of Millie Prescott more accurately. As Issy does not attend the same school as me and is often busy, it was challenging to find a time when Issy could run through the script. Additionally, Issy is also on holiday around the period of time I need to film my opening, which makes availability a lot more difficult to plan.

Polly Edwards

Charlotte Bennett












Maria Louise Page













Yasmin Briddon













I decided to choose these three actors to audition for Polly Edward's role as I feel as though they would all be able to capture Polly's persona through the script. She is a enthusiastic and sweet character, yet she is also naive. I also chose these 3 people as I think that they physically suit Polly's role, yet I feel as though they all relate to her in different ways. For instance, Charlotte's appearance is exactly how I imagined Polly to look like, Maria is how I imagined Polly to speak/come across, And Yasmin's body language/facial expressions reflect Polly's shyness. 

Final Actress for Polly Edwards - Charlotte Bennett

I strongly feel as though the actress for Polly Edwards had to look as though they would visually match with Liam Chapman's actor. I had to see which actress would look 'good' with Liam's actor, in order for my opening to look more realistic/natural. Because of this, I decided to select Charlotte to play Polly Edwards. I also noticed through the script run though for Polly Edwards, was Charlotte presenting Polly's enthusiasm and innocence better than the other auditions. Availability was also an important factor to consider. Charlotte lives a walking distance from my house so it could be more flexible to film her parts. Yasmin lives a 25 minute drive from Wymondham and she is on holiday during the time period I need to film my film opening, so despite that she would've made a good Polly, she is unavailable to access the shooting schedules. 
Liam Chapman

John Mcilroy (Final actor)














It was hard for me to find a male actor who was willing to play Liam Chapman. This is because I do not have many male friends, so my options on who to cast was limited. If I was incredibly stuck then I would have asked other boys to audition, but John was happy to act as Liam. I also feel as though he suited the role and Liam's name well. John also has lots of availability to it will not be too difficult for him to make shooting schedules. It also took me by surprise when John went through the script and how well he played his part and exposed the Character's voice and emotions.

Characters featuring in my 2 minute opening

Final Locations

Story Board draft

Changes of Script's first draft

• Added more kisses to Liam's message to Polly. This is so that Liam would perceive a more flirtatious and compassionate character towards Polly.
• Added two more sentences to Millie's reaction towards Polly's date with Liam - "Aww I've heard of him through another friend, he's nice!". I did this so that it would be more clear to the audience how Millie knows Liam in the first place.
• Added dialogue of Liam and Polly asking each other how they are feeling, just after they greet each other at Polly's front door

Scene 1: On the Phone

Polly: Oh, by the way! One more thing just before I go...

*slight pause*

Well... I'm going on a date this evening at the Bird in Hand in Wreningham! 

*Slight Pause*

I know right!?

*Slight Pause*

No, no, its not with him! His name is Liam Chapman and I knew him from Tinder! 

Millie: Aww I've heard of him through another friend, he's nice! I'm so happy for you! I hope it goes well! Is this the first time you're meeting him? 

Polly: Yes it is! I'm quite nervous but he's good at holding conversation so I think it will be fine!

Millie: I would be nervous too but I hope it goes as expected!

Polly: Thank you Millie, I'll keep you posted what happens. 

*Message on iPad from Liam asking "Am I still picking you up at 7? Otherwise can you send me your address? xxxxx"*

I need to finish my essay now, so I'll speak to you soon!

Millie: Okay, good luck! Bye!

Polly: Bye! 

Next Scene: Liam rings her doorbell and Polly opens the front door.

Liam & Polly: Hello!  

Liam:  How are you?

Polly: I'm great thank you! How are you?

Liam: Yeah, I'm good thanks! Are you ready to go?

Polly: I think so! Erm.... oh wait! Let me just get the spare keys! 

Liam: Ok! 

*Polly walks off for a minute, comes back with the keys, and closes & locks the front door*

Liam: Why do you need the spare keys?

Polly: My mum will be back from seeing Nan at 9, so I need to leave the spare key underneath the plant plot out for her! 

Liam: Oh ok, fair enough 

*The pair walk through Girl 1's front Garden towards his car*

Next scene: The pair are sitting opposite each other in the restaurant, accompanied with drinks.

*Looking at the menus*

Polly:  So, do you know what you're going to order yet?

Liam: Erm.... I haven't really decided yet... but the Steak Burger sounds nice...

*Camera focuses on his phone behind the menu, he is texting Millie: 

"Her front door keys are underneath the flowerpot outside her front door. Her address is 17 Underway Road, Wreningham, Norfolk, NR16 2AF. Her mum is back in an hour so you need to leave asap."* 

Polly: Oh Yes, that sounds rather nice!

*Millie is then sitting in a car outside Polly's house, looks at the text message again, texts him saying 'I'm here', puts her hoodie up, gets out the car and walks towards her front door and opens it.* 

*'Liam's phone vibrates, he checks his phone to see Millie texting him saying "I'm here". His sense of guilt is shown on camera until he is quickly distracted from Polly asking...*

Polly: Are you okay?

Liam: *smiles* Couldn't be better. 

Filming Day 1: Monday 15th February 2016

What worked/didn't work well?

Overall, filming the phone call and restaurant scenes went well. There was not much that did not work well, except that the tall tripod I borrowed from school was missing its saddle plate and therefore my camera could not be screwed onto it. This did not effect the filming process too much at the beginning as I brought a smaller tripod with me to film on. However, it was not very useful when it came to filming aerial/side profile shots as me holding the camera on the tripod caused it to slightly jiggle. I do to think this affected the quality of some shots to a significant extent but I am concerned whether it will look more noticeable when it comes to the editing process. However, I doubt these particle shots will need to be re-taken and I am aware that it will be a big ask to arrange another day to re-film them. I also came across an issue of my camera not focusing on John in low light in the restaurant. This resulted in some shots looking slightly blurry/out of focus. Apart from this, I feel as though the other shots I took of Charlotte  and Zoe worked well as the lighting made the complexions high quality. 

Everything generally ran smoothly as I filmed shots in one location at a time. This added organisation to managing my time well. There were no disagreements between me and my actors, although Charlotte often misread her lines and got distracted by looking at John's reaction to her acting whilst filming the restaurant scene. However, it was not a major issue and it did not waste too much time. I directed my actors what lines to say and how to say them, and they did what they were told to do. 

I did not make too many changes to my script/characters/costumes whilst filming. However, I did make a few changes to my script last minute as my actors gave me some good suggestions (described on my final script draft post). 

I also used my storyboards to good effect, as I feel as though the shots I took were very similar to how I drew them on my storyboards.

Filming Day 2: Thursday 25th February 2016

What worked/didn't work well? 

Overall, I am very pleased with how smoothly filming went. We all felt relaxed and had no pressure to make each shot accurate the first time round. This is because we did not have a time deadline unlike Day 1, when we had to finish recording the phone scene before our allocated time slot at the restaurant. Everything worked well as planned - filming  these two scenes was not as complex as Day 1. When filming the makeup scene, It was important to make sure that nothing unrealistic was in the background. Unlike the first day, we were also given a tripod that worked and extended to the height we wanted it to be. Without it, I could not have effectively filmed the scene of Zoe getting out of the car. My camera's battery began to die towards the end of the session, but luckily I managed to catch all of the shots I needed. The only trouble I found with filming the burglary scene, was that my camera stubbled to focus in minimal light. This was an issue that occurred last time. However, I managed to overcome this situation by Zoe turning on the light in the car, allowing my camera to focus on her face, and then turn the light off when necessary whilst filming. Nothing needs to be refilmed as I feel as though I captured my storyboard's perception of my opening. 

What did you learn during your preliminary task that you want to avoid/implement/develop upon in your actual coursework?

I learnt what a shot reverse shot was whilst creating my Preliminary task, and I think it is an easy technique to accomplish within my film opening. Additionally, I feel as though the camera angles my group filmed from in our preliminary task were effective - I would like to expand the variation of camera shots/angles in my coursework. However, there are also tactics I learnt from my preliminary task that I would like to avoid in my coursework. For example, I want to finalise my script draft/receive positive feedback for my script draft so the dialogue in my film opening will not bore and disengage my audience. This is because no interesting  dialogue was exchanged between the two characters in my preliminary task. I want to avoid feeling rushed when it comes to casting actors and select those who have had prior acting experience. This is because in my preliminary task it was hard for me and the teacher to remain serious whilst playing our roles. I will also be using a higher quality camera for my film opening in comparison to the film camera our group used to film our preliminary task. Furthermore, I also learnt from my preliminary task that time and preparation is key when creating an impressive video - my group and I had little time to plan and film our preliminary task which resulted it being not as good as it could have been. I want to avoid heading in a similar route in my actual coursework otherwise my marks will be affected.

What ways would your target audience ideally be able to consume your film?

Ideally, I want my audience to feel surprised when they discover that Millie and Liam both sneakily trick Polly. This is because I aim for my film opening to contain techniques (e.g. plot twists and cliff hangers) that may help me achieve high marks. I am also hoping that the ending of my opening would convince my audience to be intrigued in what happens next after Millie breaks into Polly's house and continue watching the film. I also ideally want my target audience to consume my film opening in a way that it shows/reminds them how easy it is for a vulnerable teenager to be tricked in the modern world and to be made part of a dangerous plan. Although some of my viewers may see it as being quite extreme, there's always a possibility of burglary being committed. I am hoping that shooting my actors from different angles and perspectives, as well as finalising a flowing script, will aid the pace of my opening as well as keeping my target audience watching. 

Physical Props needed whilst filming:

• 1 Plant Pot to put outside Polly's front door
• 2 Copies of Bird in Hand's menus
• 2 glasses of drink (the actors can decide what to drink whilst at the restaurant)
• A camera (for filming)
• A tripod(for filming)

Costumes needed whilst filming:

• Polly's everyday outfit: Turtleneck top, jeans 
• Millie's everyday outfit: T - Shirt, Skater skirt, tights
• Liam's date outfit: Smart wear - Blazer, checkered Jacket, Jeans
• Polly's Date outfit - dress, leather jacket, Dr Martens 
• Millie's burglar outfit: Hoodie, jeans, mask (the appearance of the mask does not matter as it only needed to hide her identity) 

Accessories needed whilst filming:

• 3x mobile phones - They all need to look different as if they are separately owned by  the 3 characters.
• Spare Keys - preferably belonging to the owner of the house, so Millie will be able to unlock the property's front door. 
• Make up e.g. mascara, foundation, blusher, lipstick, eyebrow pencil etc. Makeup will be needed in my opening as I will be filming Polly getting ready/putting on makeup. 
• 1 iPad - This will be used so a message notification from Liam can appear whilst Polly is writing an essay on her laptop
• 1 Laptop - This will be used by Polly for writing an essay whilst on the phone to Millie 
• 1 Rucksack - This will be used and worn by Millie when she breaks into Polly's house. 

Day 1 Filming: Monday 15th February 2016

• Filming at Charlotte's house: 1:30PM - 4:15PM
• Filming at the Bird in Hand restaurant: 4:30PM - 5:45PM 
• Scenes filmed/completed: The phone call between Polly and Millie, Polly and Liam's date

For my film opening, I only needed 2 locations - inside/outside a house and in a restaurant. I am using both interior and exterior locations to suit the atmosphere of the scenes and to creature diversity within my opening. Finding a house to film would be rather simple as I would only have to ask one of my female actors if I could film inside two rooms and outside their front door. Finding a back up house location would not be too difficult to find as I am happy to film within my own house. However, to find a place to film inside a restaurant is a more complex strategy. This is because I would need to contact one of the managers to ask permission to film within their premises. 

I wanted to find a restaurant/bar that would be easy for my actors to reach. I searched 'restaurants in Wymondham' in a search engine and I gathered names & contact details: 

The Green Dragon, Wymondham

- One of the oldest pubs in the Country 
- Food stock is sourced from local meat, fruit and vegetable suppliers
- Friendly service is assured 

Opening hours: 

- Monday - Thursday: 12:00 - 23:00
- Friday - Saturday: 12:00 - Midnight
- Sunday: 12:00 - 22:30

Contact details:

Phone: (01953) 607907
Address: Green Dragon, 6 Church Street,Wymondham, Norfolk, NR18 0PH

The Railway Station Cafe, Wymondham

Opening hours: 

- Open Everday Except Tuesdays from 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM (Fridays & Saturday until 9:30PM)

Contact Details: 

Phone: (01953) 606433
Address: Station Bristo, Station approach, Wymondham, Norfolk, NR18 OJZ 
Email: stationbistrowymondham@btconnect.com

The Feathers, Wymondham

• Offers 3 regular types of beers: Adnams Southworld Bitter, Fuller's London Pride, Greene King Abbot
• Possibly has the best beer garden in Wymondham 
• Records of the Feathers existing date back to the 18th century - an excellent example of a cosy market town local

Contact Details: 
Address: The Feathers, 13 Town Green, Wymondham, Norfolk NR18 0PN
Phone: (01953) 605675

Opening times 

- Monday - Thursday: 1:00AM - 2:30 PM, 7:00PM - 11:30PM
- Friday: 11:00AM - 2:30PM, 6:00PM - Midnight
- Saturday: 11:00AM - 2:30PM, 7:00PM - Midnight
- Sunday: 12:00PM - 2:30PM, 7:00PM - 10:30PM

Robert Kett Pub, Wymondham

Address: The Robert Kett, Wymondham, NR18 OHH 
Phone Number: (01953) 602957

Bird in Hand (Wreningham)

I selected these locations as they are all appropriate for the atmosphere I am aiming to achieve in my opening. They are all suitable places for a date between two young people and they are not too fancy/expensive, otherwise that would be unrealistic and more suited for older couples. The decor and compositions within the restaurants are also clean and pleasant as I have visited all of them before. My actors would be able to access these locations as well as one of our houses as we all go to Wymondham High School/I do not live too far away from any of my friends. 

Weather conditions are also an important factor to consider when it comes to location to film in - however, the conditions of the weather do not really matter within my opening. This is because the majority of my film opening is based inside. The only scenes when I will be filming outside is when my character Millie breaks into Polly's house, and when Liam picks up Polly and they walk to his car. The time of the day when I film is what matters more as I need to film those scenes when it is dark outside. This adds more realism to my opening and it's script as it is common for dates and robberies to happen in the evening. The time of the day is also an important factor that affects the availability of my actors as they may not be free in the evenings of scheduled filming days.