Unit 2: Creating Suspense

 TASK 1: Research

Research Methods

 For this project, I mainly used Google, Wikipedia, and Amazon to assist my research. These are all commonly used research methods, but they do have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to conducting research for a film.

 Google is a powerful tool for quickly finding a wide range of information on a topic. It can be especially useful for finding general things such as potential filming locations and the weather forecast for the days that you wish to be filming. However, the vast amount of information available on Google can also make it difficult to find the most relevant and reliable sources.

 Wikipedia is a good place to start when researching a topic, as it provides a general overview and background information. It can be a useful tool for understanding the historical context of the film you're making. For me, it mainly came in handy when researching topics related to Bram Stoker's 'Dracula', which was originally the main inspiration for the film. However, it's important to keep in mind that Wikipedia is a user-edited platform and the information may not be 100% accurate.

 Amazon can be a useful tool when researching a film, particularly when it comes to finding books and other media related to the film's topic or genre in which you are aiming for. It can also be used to research the sales and critical reception of similar films that may have inspired your current project, which has the possibility to be able to foreshadow the reception of your own film. It was especially useful for me when researching potential items of clothing for costumes. However, it's not an ideal tool for research on film production as a whole.

 Overall, each of these research methods has its own strengths and weaknesses, and it's important to use a combination of sources to ensure the most accurate and reliable information. The impact of the research methods on a film would depend on the specific research question, and the type of information required.

Primary VS Secondary Research

 Primary research is research that is conducted first-hand, by the person or organization that plans to use the information. It is original research and is conducted to address a specific problem or question. Examples of primary research include surveys, interviews, and experiments. 

 Secondary research, on the other hand, is research that has already been conducted by someone else. It is research that has been previously published and is used to gather the information that has already been collected. Examples of secondary research include literature reviews and studies that have been previously published.

 An example of my use of primary research was during casting when I asked crew members (who knew the actors more than I did) who they thought suited which role the most, and also who they thought we shouldn't cast at all. Primary research came in handy for the kinds of questions that I couldn't just ask Google.

 However, most of the research I conducted was secondary, as most of my research was spent on the internet. For example, I did a lot of research on Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' and the history of Whitby Abbey, a filming location I was most keen to go to. My original intent was to weave these things into the story, but due to other changes down the line, that didn't really come to fruition. I think the most useful source of research was actually Google Maps, as it made it so easy to scope out appropriate filming locations around Whitby and even see approximately how long it would take to walk from place to place, which was very useful for scheduling.

 In summary, primary research is original research that is conducted to answer specific questions and secondary research is research that uses already published information to gather new insights.

Production Diary

 UPDATE 28/09/22 - Immediately the idea of filming at the abbey intrigued me. I had the idea of the antagonist of the story wearing a porcelain mask to conceal what is underneath, and have that mystery be one of the points of suspense. When researching things like that on Amazon, we accidentally stumbled upon a black lace head mask, and I just felt attached to it immediately. There is just something so haunting about the look of it. Now my idea of the character still wears the porcelain mask, but wears the black lace head mask over the top of it, in an attempt for the character to conceal that they are wearing a mask.

 UPDATE 04/10/22 - I have to research costumes for the film. I have created a mood board for each character's costume.

 UPDATE 05/10/22 - Today we did a lesson on lighting and colour:

    Lighting Types

•  Frontal Lighting (When the light source is placed in front of the subject. Commonly used for portraits or to emphasise an object or subject.)
•  Sidelight (When the light source is placed on either side of the subject. Commonly used to create a sense of mystery.)
•  Backlighting (When the light source is placed behind the subject. Commonly used to introduce a superior character without revealing their identity.)
•  Underlighting (When the light source is placed underneath the subject and shines upwards. Commonly used to create feelings of fear, curiosity or awe.)
•  Top Lighting (When the light source is placed above the subject and shines downwards. Commonly used to create feelings of awe, pride or dominance.)

    Quality of Lighting

•  Hard/Harsh Lighting (Sharp shadows and high contrast. Commonly used to create a dramatic and intense atmosphere.)
•  Soft/Diffused Lighting (Little or no shadows and low contrast. Commonly used to create a romantic, dreamlike or magical atmosphere.)

    Source of Lighting

•  High-key Lighting (Creates low contrast - soft/diffused lighting. Commonly used in beauty shots.)
•  Low-key Lighting (Creates high contrast - hard/harsh lighting. Commonly used to create a sense of mystery and/or drama.)
•  Key Lighting (The main source of light in a scene. Usually the brightest and creates shadows. Commonly used to emphasise the subject.)
•  Fill Light (Used to 'fill in' shadows in a shot. Secondary to the key light. Commonly used to create less contrast.)

    Colour

•  Warm Lighting (Creates yellow or orange tones. Commonly used to create a warmer and happy feeling.)
•  Cool Lighting (Creates blue tones. Commonly used to create a cold, gloomy and lonely atmosphere.)
•  White Lighting (Uses white light - there are no coloured tones. Doesn't evoke strong emotions, but overuse of whit light can seem overpowering and confronting.)
•  Coloured Lighting (Tinted lighting with any colour. Different colours can set different moods, For example, red lighting can seem romantic or dangerous.)

 UPDATE 10/10/22 - I have been researching filming locations. The filming locations that I hope will be available when we go to Whitby are: Whitby Abbey, Pannett Park, Church Lane, Larpool Lane, and Larpool Wood.

 UPDATE 19/10/22 - Today we did a lesson on the colour theory:

 Different colours evoke different emotions and atmospheres. Directors can utilise this to be able to send a visual message:

Red

• Danger
• Evil
• Love
• Pain
• Power
• Lust
• Passion
• Desire
• Violence
• Death

Orange

• Happiness
• Joy
• Warmth
• Energy
• Spontaneous
• Creativity
• Enthusiasm
• Extroversion

Yellow

• Happiness
• Joy
• Unnaturalness
• Melancholy
• Caution
• Intellect
• Honour
• Loyalty

Green

• Unnaturalness
• Unease
• Nature
• Balance
• Rebirth
• Life
• Sickly

Blue

• Masculinity
• Coldness
• Sadness
• Depression
• Responsibility
• Calm
• Commitment
• Honesty
• Serenity

Purple

• Power
• Royalty
• Quality
• Magic
• Wisdom
• Spiritualty
• Mystery
• Wealth

Pink

• Femininity
• Love
• Friendship
• Harmony
• Passion
• Nurture
• Fake

TASK 2: Design

 UPDATE 28/09/22 - We brainstormed a lot of ideas and it got my creative juices flowing. So, I went straight home and wrote a screenplay based on what I see for this film. I've named the film 'Yours Truly' or 'Dear Diary', and it is about a deaf boy who makes an unforgettable encounter with a supernatural/demonic/vampire-like being. We were told we can't have very much dialogue at all, so I thought the main character being deaf could be a good way to make that make sense. And the vampire thing, I just felt like if we didn't make something along those lines at Whitby of all places, it would just be a massively missed opportunity. I've sent it to the Teams group chat that we made, so I'm just waiting to hear their thoughts.

 UPDATE 04/10/22 - The screenplay has been seen. Kane suggested that the final scene be cut out, but I'm a little reluctant as I thought it was an important scene. For example, the scene was going to take place at the Whitby Abbey, and it was important to me that we got to film there. But if it really comes to it, I will end up having to cut it out, but I will still find an excuse to film at the abbey. If the scene is cut, I decided a more appropriate title would be 'The Favour', as with the scene cut, the focus of the film lands more on the lady returning Josh's favour, rather than the entire diary scenario.

 UPDATE 10/10/22 - More changes have been made to the screenplay in order to account for the extra actors that we now have.

 UPDATE 18/10/22 - A final draft of the screenplay has finally been produced, and just in time for the actors to be able to see it. Edits needed to be made to the original screenplay in order to keep the story concise and clear, as well as a few scenes being rewritten to further suit the filming locations at our disposal. The character 'Josh' has now been renamed 'John'. This change was made because there is someone in the group whose name is Josh, and so it kept causing confusion when referring to the character. The character 'The Lady' has now been renamed 'Lilith'. This change was made in order to give Lilith her own identity. I chose the name specifically for its deeper meanings. Lilith, meaning "belonging to the night," comes from the Akkadian word lilîtu, the feminine form of a word meaning "demon" or "spirit." In Mesopotamian mythology, Lilith was the first wife of Adam who was ultimately banished from the Garden of Eden for her disobedience.

TASK 3: Planning

 UPDATE 28/09/22 - We ended up with assigned roles, and we also planned dates that things needed to be done by, such as a casting call. I volunteered as editor and costume manager, and I'm hopefully going to end up as the writer too, given how much effort I put into that "draft" screenplay for this film.

 UPDATE 04/10/22 - We've been told that actors are being chosen for us, so it turns out there is now no need for a casting call or auditions. I have to create a mood board to give an idea of what I see in terms of the characters' costumes.

 UPDATE 17/10/22 - I am now the assigned director. Over the next week I'm going to primarily work on making sure the actors know what they are doing, I just hope that they make a 7habit of checking Teams. I also hope that we can plan a rehearsal session of some kind, as all roles are more physical than what you'd usually find. It's less about learning lines and more about learning movements. Even if the rehearsal session only means having the lead roles be there, then that'll be fine. 

 UPDATE 18/10/22 - We met with most of the actors, but not all, as some were absent. For the ones that weren't absent, they now know their roles. All actors have been given access to the screenplay, I just hope everyone reads it.

 UPDATE 19/10/22 - I have organised getting a makeup artist to work on the lead actress. I have also obtained a plain face mask, which I'm hoping will be painted to look like a cracked porcelain mask. I have also changed the filming location for scene 2 from Pannett Park to the YHA Whitby Abbey Hostel.

 UPDATE 31/10/22 - Today we put together most of the equipment we need for the trip. I have also informed the actors of the costumes they need, as most of them will supply their own costume. They have tomorrow off, so they should be able to put a small amount of time aside to put their outfits together. The mask didn't end up getting painted, so instead I've cut the jaw off and will ask the makeup students to spice it up a little bit instead. 

Cast & Crew

Screenplay by Alex Temperley

Storyboard by Megan Boyes

Schedule by Alex Temperley

12:30 pm - Scene 2 (Hostel)

1:30 pm - Scene 5 (Larpool Wood)

4 pm - Scene 3 (Church Lane)

4:40 pm - Scene 4 (Larpool Lane)

5 pm - Scene 1 (Whitby Abbey)

TASK 4: Production

 Before the trip, I asked every actor to make sure they bring an umbrella, as the forecast was showing rain all afternoon, and I wanted to make sure that the actors and the equipment stayed dry. However, only one actor brought an umbrella, though luckily there wasn't as much rain as anticipated in the end.

 When we got there, my immediate plan was to film scene 2 first whilst Sienna got her makeup done, as this scene only needed to take place outside of the hostel. But, the batteries for the cameras needed to be charged, which stalled our time by a lot. Sienna had her makeup finished before we even began filming. By the time we got around to filming, changes in the weather were already pretty evident, as it was already cold, windy, and the entire sky was wrapped in a sheet of clouds. We ended up without a shot list as the filmmaker whose job it was had forgotten to do it. This meant that when I had to go and sort out Sienna's costume with her, I had to leave the others to film the scene, but because there was no shot list, they kind of made it up as they went along. I only ended up with one salvageable shot for that scene. It was also around this time that I found out that some actors were uncomfortable with the idea of travelling far to get to filming locations, which led to me starting to rethink locations. 

 Next, we were burdened with the news that the Abbey was to close at 2:30 due to increasingly high winds, which meant we were left with less time to film there than we planned, and it meant the schedule needed to be changed around a little. We went to the Abbey as soon as we could and began filming scene 1. It ended up being so windy that Sienna's hat kept coming off her head, but luckily it came with a strap to go under her chin so it didn't go very far. Originally, Sienna was meant to wear the mask for this scene. The original plan was to do the reveal scene with her before anything else, which was because the makeup would get ruined under the mask. However, we didn't have time to do scene 5 before scene 1 as the Abbey was closing soon. So to preserve the makeup, we just did away with the mask for this scene, and the scene works pretty well without it anyways. I didn't get all the shots I wanted for this scene, as we were short on time because other groups needed to use the Abbey before it closed. 

 It got to 3pm and we were all finally able to settle down into our rooms. The problem with that was; my entire crew scattered and disappeared all over the hostel when that happened. This led to nothing getting done for about 1 or 2 hours because I was in two minds as to what to do. I wanted to get the film done, but I also wanted everyone to settle into their rooms and enjoy the trip as much as possible, and I worried that I may get on everyone's bad side if I tried to take that from them. So time ticked by, and the sky began getting darker by the second, and as we were soon to find out... Windier. 

 We desperately needed to film the reveal in scene 5. My plan was to do the reveal, then get the mask on, then do scenes 3 and 4, and finally get back to scene 5 to finish the rest of the scene. The reason I was doing it in this way was to try and balance the whole mask reveal issue, while also being really aware of continuity in terms of the darkness outside. I didn't was scene 4 to be darker than scene 5. There was also the fact the camera quality isn't that great as it gets darker outside. That was why I planned to do scene 5 when it was much brighter, as I could try a day-for-night technique in post. But of course, everything got derailed the minute we arrived, unfortunately. If this is all hard to understand, then I've at least done a good job of portraying the absolute chaos that the project was becoming, and the gripes and complaints coming from a few actors weren't helping one bit. 

 Speaking of which, some of these complaints led to relocating filming locations to places much more local, as I mentioned earlier. Scene 3 was relocated to a small alley/passage right next to that, scene 4 was scrapped entirely by this point, and I had been told that there is a wooded patch of land which would be good for scene 5 (which I will now begin to start referring to as scene 4), which also turned out to be right next to the new location for scene 3. But even when I thought I had finally found a solution to one of the many hurdles I had to face, that solution was - to put it bluntly - the devil in disguise, pretty much. I came to this conclusion because it wasn't until I got there that I realised that, while it used to be a wooded patch of land, now it's just a plain old patch of grass, with a nauseating view of the town. By this point, I was beginning to lose hope and patience, with the fantasy of what this movie could have been now slipping from my fingers, and the sun wasn't getting any higher. I considered filming the next day, but the reception from some actors to that news was so sour, I half expected to see rotten fruit flying towards me. This was because a lot of them had already made the plan that they were going to utilise the next day as a shopping trip.

 So, I decided to try and march on. I gathered the crew and the actors, and we all marched out into the elements to try and complete this damn film, except half of the actors were walking the wrong way, and the wind was so loud that no one could hear me. We all eventually made it to the not-so-wooded filming location for scene 4... And that's when the dread started to roll in. As I looked around, people stood with their hands in their pockets, their hair being slicked back by the gale force winds as they complained mercilessly (some more than others). I could barely see where I was going for the majority of this, because no matter where I turned, my hair became my sworn enemy. And it doesn't help that Sienna's hair kept making contact with the blood makeup on her face, not only ruining the makeup, but also causing her hair to get stuck together in thick clumps. Might I also add, the camera quality sucked so bad because of how dark it was, and we had no means of lighting because our 'lighting technician' did nothing but wander off all day. I don't think I saw them with any sort of equipment in their hand once, nevermind a light source. But anyway, they would have had a tough time trying to stand up a panel in that weather anyway. Hundreds of pounds most likely diving straight into that river, as we were quite close to a cliff here. It was nothing short of a nightmare, and to add a little bit more into the mix, our lead actor was nowhere to be seen in all of this. Luckily, one of the crew went to go and get him, which took about 10 minutes, and then the actor finally appeared. But guess what... He came without a prop that I thought I made absolutely clear was crucial to this very scene, or any scene that this character is in for that matter. However, the issue is not all on this one actor in particular, as most actors didn't even glance at anything posted in the group chat. 

 To go and get the actor's prop, I decided to go with him. I felt I needed to tell someone in that hostel how much of a disaster this has become. My patience wearing thin, my film falling apart right in front of me, and my entire cast and crew resorted to a bunch of penguins, waddling about in the wind on a hill. I stand voiceless against this. These are my peers, whom I respect very much. I didn't want to boss them about and reign them in like a group of wild animals, I just wanted them to listen. And it didn't help that all of the wind and whining was drowning out my voice anyways. I came into the hostel and sat down. I remember thinking "You'd be mad if you think a film is going to get finished out in that". I told Kane, and by that point, I was just mentally destroyed by it all. There was no other way, and I had to come to terms with the fact that it needed to be done the next day instead. Everyone was told to come back inside, and now because of the way that some people responded to that news, it felt like they were making it my fault. Later on, I had people telling me some of them were angry, but no one cares about how I felt. If they were angry, then how do you think I felt? Some people made it about themselves that day, and I hope to never work with them again. 

 Having now interrupted everyone's shopping plans for the next day, I was now at a loss as to what to do for the story. This moment called for some serious changes to the script, as we could no longer pack the things into the story that I wanted, due to the restricted filming time that I was to face the next day. We still needed to do the reveal that night, otherwise Sienna's makeup would seem as though it got done for nothing that day. The thing was; I dreaded the idea of going back outside, and filming the end part of a scene out in that weather just wouldn't make sense for continuity reasons, as the rest of the scene would be shot in the more pleasant weather the next day. Kelly suggested that the mask reveal be done inside and that the hostel could serve as a creepy old house that Sienna's character goes back to after scene 4. That way, the reveal is now part of a new scene that is shot inside, instead of being tacked on at the end of a scene being shot outside (which was a domain strictly off-limits for the rest of the night). So I was finally approached with a good and possible solution to the never-ending problems occurring. We did a new reveal shot inside the house with Sienna, and we decided to do the rest of the hostel shots the next day. But now more needed to be done to the story to now fit the new concept. It needed to be compacted and simplified, in order for a somewhat sensical story to come out at the end of all of this. In the end, it was decided that scenes 3 and 4 were to be merged into one, with the scene to be filmed all at scene 3's filming location. The brutality was removed, complicated stage directions were removed, and the interactions between Sienna and William were made much simpler. I then went on to enjoy the rest of my night, and brace myself for what the next day may have to offer... 

 In a turn of fate, the next day went relatively to plan. When we went to go and film scene 3, other than having more issues with the same few actors which stalled everyone's, it was all good from what I can recall. At least compared to the hell I've just written about. Actually... Except for what we thought was a heavy bump on the head, turned out to be a mild conclusion which ended up causing amnesia for the victim. Long story short - an actor had an accident and suffered a nasty hit on the head, with the repercussions of that dragging out into the following weekend. I'm pretty sure he's fine now though. Other than that, the lack of shot list still required a lot of thinking on our feet, but it got done, which is what became most important at this point. Once we finished that scene, the actors were able to quit moaning and go shopping. Except for Sienna, who stuck around so we could film the rest of the shots around the hostel. I still needed her to record the two voiceovers. I rewrote the voiceovers to fit with the new story that we were telling, which was quite far from where we began. I thought it was a good idea to wait until Monday at college to record them... I was wrong. 

 We went home (obviously), and I edited what we had of the film over the weekend. The film was done, except it was without the voiceovers. The film had to be 100% completed by the upcoming Friday, but I thought I had plenty of time. Monday came, but Sienna was needed for auditions for an upcoming stage performance. Tuesday came, but Sienna was needed for callbacks. I wasn't able to do it with her on Wednesday because I had to have an operation, so I had to trust the two second-years in my crew to be able to do it without me. I didn't like the idea of this, as I wanted to be there to direct Sienna. My fix for this was to try and do it on Thursday when I was in, but for some reason, they were told it must be done on Wednesday (it turns out I wouldn't be on Thursday anyway due to healing from the operation, which I hadn't thought about I guess). I also knew that the two second-years are awful when it comes to checking Teams, like at all. They did record the voiceovers, but they didn't send them to me. I tried sending multiple messages to let them know they needed to send them over. It was Thursday, and I had no replies. I was stranded at home without all the necessary stuff to finish the film before the next day. The voiceovers were important too. It wasn't like I could just go without them. So instead... I ended up recording the voiceovers myself - with myself. I credited myself in the cast as the narrator, and fortunately, it all works nicely. I also needed to a poster, but again, I was stranded at home, with no way of getting any actors to do anything for it. However, the costume of Sienna's character belonged to me. So, I dressed up as the character, took a few photos, and voilà. So now it can act like a fun fact about the film, that it's actually me in the poster!

The Making of 'The Favour'

The Poster by Alex Temperley

The Trailer by Alex Temperley

The Film

The Poster (Colour Version) by Alex Temperley

The Film (Colour Version)

TASK 5: Evaluation

What Went Wrong

•  Extreme rewrites needed to happen, causing the story to be slightly more shallow than intended
•  A lot of actors were uncooperative
•  We didn't get to film at all the locations that I wanted
•  The awful weather got in the way of a lot of things
•  Some filmmakers were not doing their jobs
•  I ended up with no shot list, making the shooting process even more difficult than it already was
•  The abbey closed way sooner than we hoped
•  Some actors didn't even know their roles, even though I tried to drill this information into them as much as possible
•  I ended up stranded at home with none of Sienna's voiceovers, but the deadline for the film being tomorrow

What Went Well

•  The actors all suited their roles well
•  The film was completed in the end, even after all our troubles
•  The overall tone of the film is exactly what I wanted
•  I got to know and work with actors who I had not ever spoken to before
•  I enjoyed being away and staying at the hostel
•  I got a few compliments for my voice acting in the film, even though it wasn't meant to even happen

What Have I Learned

•  The weather can be your best and worst enemy
•  A backup plan is always necessary
•  I hope to never work with some actors again
•  Filming at a specific location is a fun endeavour
•  A scary amount of actors will never check Teams or even read the screenplay
•  MOST IMPORTANT: The quality of your work as a director hangs on the balance of whether everyone else involved is 1) capable of what you're asking of them and 2) is willing to put the same effort in as you.

What I Should Improve On

•  Managing my expectations of other students
•  Making sure all necessary pre-production paperwork is completed

 Overall, I'm really thankful for the creative journey I have been able to embark on, and as much as it was a nightmare, I would definitely do it all over again. It's also so crazy just thinking of what my initial idea was, and how much it's completely morphed into something else. It began as a romantic thriller, that was much more closely inspired by Dracula, but then it ended as a strangely unsettling yet beautiful personification for 'Karma' in a way. Which is not something you've never heard of, but the film sure acts like it is. What once was a story with all-sorts going on, is now a simple tale of "what goes around, comes around"...