Rough Cut Feedback and Changes I Would Make

Planning – Feedback from Rough Cut

After creating the rough cut I showed to various peers of multiple ages to see what the feedback would be.

Positives

• Sound is intense
• Good title font
• Titles appear in and out in time
• Door shift focus is good
• Theme clearly established
• Production logo is brilliant
• Interesting character established
• Intriguing plot and would want to watch on to find out more
• Steady camera work but shaky in places to heighten the intensity
• Good mise-en-scene and props

Negatives

• "Audio quality is a little poor"

This feedback is vital to me as it allows me to now focus much more on the audio rather than the visuals of film opening, I can spend a great deal of time editing the sound on the clips to make the diagetic sound more appealing and less harsh to the ears

• "The exposure on some shots is too dark"

With this feedback I can now go back and use the editing software to change the brightness and exposure on the shots to make them look in the best light as possible without it looking artificial

• "The acting is not the best quality"

This feedback is useful to me in the future but I cannot change the actor at this time, as production for the opening titles has wrapped. The actor was proficient enough to complete the task in hand but after this feedback I did re-edit some clips to cut out parts where the actor was not the best.

• "Potentially too many intertitles"

This feedback is valid as there are quite a few intertitles in my film opening, I did remove some intertitles and I will go back and remove a few more to make the narrative flow more. However I do feel the intertitles allow it to be more intense and suspenseful as they break up the shocking revelations seen on screen.

• "Costume for the main actor is a little off"

In hindsight the top half of the costume for the character did not have as much thought put into it as the bottom half with black trousers and smart shoes. The character is supposed to be more casual as he is the detective vising the scene of the crime before he officially should, but it is perhaps a little too casual. This feedback will allow me to critique my opening more easily in the evaluation.

• "Needs to have some kind of underlying soundtrack"

This feedback it very useful to me as it shows that the audience wants what I was planning to include, the film opening does need a subtle soundtrack that is slow when the character is exploring but picks up in intensity for the cuts to black and the title. I will create and add a soundtrack using online software in order to make the film opening as suspenseful as possible.

Location Shots

Audience Feedback from Film Treatments

Research – Focus Group

I spoke to 2 focus groups and pitched them the idea of my film using my film treatment 1. The first group consisted of similar ages, 16-17. The second group consisted more of university students, ages from 19-23.

First Group Feedback

• Positives
• “sounds like an exciting concept”
• Liked the suspense that builds up throughout the film
• Seems to have a lot of interesting characters
• "the twist is well placed and makes the film interesting"
• Exiting and fast paced at times, and more slowed down and methodical in others
• "A more exciting take on detective stories"
• The sort of film that they would enjoy to watch
• Negatives
• Seems to draw a great deal of “influence from other films”
• Confusing narrative potentially, would have to be very clear to the audience
• Very hard to film a suspenseful opening that would keep the audience hooked
• Perhaps too generic, not really original
• “Not a film I would be interested in watching” – 16 year old female
• Not too innovative, potential to get bored at some point during the film
• "Seems very stereotypical and full of stock characters"

Second Group Feedback

• Positives
• Genre that is popular and mainstream
• The idea of intertwining stories is more interesting
• The plot is interesting and a "new take on the classic mystery story"
• Exciting premise and has a "good twist" at the end that would have kept the audience guessing
• Pacing of the film is good, some fast paced action interlaced with slower more calmed down scenes
• Good concept that "peaks my interest"
• Easy to relate to as the characters are regular people
• Negatives
• Perhaps too simplistic
• “hard to pull off”
• Draws too much influence from popular detective tropes and programs
• Seems too "Agatha Christie"
• Potential to be sometimes boring as the plot would be hard to string out into a feature length film
• The opening will "find it hard to build suspense" and get the audience hooked
• The title of the film does not excite me
• Not new or original, it’s been done before

Changes to make after Focus Groups

I kept in mind the positive feedback about intertwining storylines and making it fast paced and a different take on a detective/mystery movie. The main negatives seem to focus on the plot and the pacing of the film which is not that much of my concern as I am only making the film opening. however some people in the focus groups pointed out that the opening could find it difficult to build suspense and hook the audience, this means that I need to take extra care in building up suspense in my opening as this will what will make the audience want to see more. The positive feedback is good as some members mention how they find the plot interesting and a new take, this inspires me to produce a high quality film opening that will do justice to the praise that the film treatment has received. The focus groups were useful in making me understand that careful thought was needed to plan out my film rather than a fleeting idea.

Production Schedule

DAILY PRODUCTION LOG

Project:

“Hotel Hyde” film opening

Day:

Wednesday

Date:

18th January 2016

Production Office:	Young Films	First Shot AM:10		Crew Call: 7:30
				Wrap: 15:00
Locations:	Production Crew:
1) Interior of The Bridge Inn	Executive Producer:	Boulton-Lear
2)  Corridor	Producer:	Ben Young
3) Main function room	Director:	Ben Young
4)	1st Assistant Director:	Ben Young

Shot Number	Description	Audio Notes
1	CU of feet walking down hallway	Silence on set to capture footsteps
2	OTTS of Ed walking down hallway	Silence on set to capture footsteps
3	MS of Ed turning the corner	Silence on set to capture footsteps
4	CU of Ed’s feet walking down hallway	Silence on set to capture footsteps
5	Tracking OTTS of Ed walking to door	Silence on set to capture footsteps
6	Focus shift of the door
7	CU of Ed opening the door	Silence on set to capture door opening
8	LS of Ed walking through function room	Silence on set to capture footsteps
9	LS of Ed running to body	Silence on set to capture footsteps
10	Close Ups of Ed taking items from body
11	OTTS of Ed approaching fireplace
12	CU of Ed taking items from the fireplace
13	LS of Ed walking away from the body	Silence on set to capture footste

EQUIPMENT / TECH NOTES:

Used just one camera and tripod used

Lighting rigs used

CREW / TALENT:                            

POSITION	NAME	TRAVEL	TIME IN	TIME OUT	OVERTIME	EXPLANATION FOR OT
Director	Ben Young	Car	7:30	15:30
Producer	Ben Young	Car	7:30	15:30
DOP	Ben Young	Car	7:30	15:30
Makeup
Wardrobe	Ben Young	Car	7:30	15:30
Talent	Ed Wright	Car	7:30	15:30
Talent	Huw Fenny	Car	7:30	15:30

Ed Wright                                                                              Ben Young

On Set Representative                                                         Production Manager

Risk Assessment

Title of project/experiment/activity – “Hyde Hotel” film opening
Locations of activity The Bridge Inn – Brompton-on-Swale			Start and end dates 2nd January to the 18th February is the period set aside for filming at these locations
Brief description At these locations we will have a crew of 3 people, 1 crew member and 2 actors. We will be utilizing electronic equipment such as DSLR cameras and lighting rigs to record various scenes in and around the locations for a video.
Hazard	Effect	Control measures		Residual risk
Falling Debris	Potential loose ceiling could cause head injuries or other such injuries as debris falls	Only film in downstairs locations as it is the upper ceiling that is potentially loose, check the ceiling before filming and if possible use netting to catch debris		Filming in locations that have been checked for ceiling integrity will greatly reduce the risk
Unstable Flooring	Potential loose floorboards could lead to tripping hazard or leg injuries for cast and crew	Only film in downstairs areas as the flooring is stable, check the floorboards that will be used to film on safely and make sure all cast and crew are aware of the hazard		Minimal risk as the unstable flooring is upstairs and we will not be filming there
Unsafe Electrical components	In some areas of the location there is loose wiring that could lead to electrocution	Avoid filming in any areas that have exposed wires, if that is impossible keep the cast and crew well away from the wires and cordon them off		Reduce the risk if we do not film anywhere near them , if we have to then the cast and crew will be fully aware
Broken Glass	Some rooms are not tidied up and occasional shards of glass could lead to cutting injuries	Every member of cast and crew to wear protective footwear in and around the location, when filming sweep and tidy the area so all hazards are cleaned up		Removes the glass by sweeping it away so the hazard is greatly reduced.
Rusty Nails/Protruding objects	Some doorways have jagged edges and protruding nails which could lead to cuts	Check every doorway that we will use to film for hazards, if we find a hazard we will not use this doorway. First Aid kit on standby to deal with any incidents.		Awareness of this risk and by checking the location will reduce its possibility of causing injury.
Trip Hazards (stairs, steps)	Tripping could lead to injury and bruises, potential concussions	Make sure every cast and crew member is aware of a trip hazard, even potentially mark it out with hazard tape to make it visible.		This risk will be reduced greatly when the cast and crew are aware of it so they will be able to avoid the hazards.

Personal Protective Equipment required Sensible foot wear for when working in wet conditions and potentially unstable flooring

Emergency Instructions & First Aid In the case of an emergency call the emergency contacts we have on the production sheets, basic first aid kit will be at the filming locations and we need to make sure we have the ability to call 999 on a working phone

Any special monitoring required None

This risk assessment should be reviewed if additional risks not covered in this assessment are identified or if there is any reason to indicate that the control measures are insufficient.

Name of Assessor - Ben Young Email: benyoung@gmail.com	Signature – N/A	Date 1st January 2016
Name of Supervisor – Ed Wright	Signature – N/A	Date 1st January 2016

Local Safety Coordinator – Ian Smith	Signature – N/A	Date 2nd January
Departmental Safety Office – Barbara Taylor	Signature – N/A	Date 1st January