Film Budget

Before making the film we discussed props and costumes as we needed to make the film as cheaply as possible.

We managed to find costumes and props at home meaning we didn't need to spend money on more. We used a dress which Olivia already had.The dress was plain white (as we wanted) and it fitted the time period perfectly. We also saved money on the props by using a rake which Chloe had at home.

Another way we saved money was by using the schools cameras and macs. This meant we didn't need to rent or buy our own equipment.

In the industry we would've had to hire help i.e. directors, producers, editors and make up/costume designers. As we did all of this within the group we didn't need to pay anybody else.

Universal studios

I recently went to Universals in Florida. I liked how they had several rides based on stories and characters we all know for example, the hulk, Harry Potter, Spiderman, Simpsons, Shrek, The mummy and Jaws. Universal have two separate parks: Universal studios and Universals islands of adventure.


Universal studios
I personally thought this park was aimed for young adults/adults. The park had rides such as Shrek 4D, the mummy, the simpsons, Jaws, the terminator, Hollywood rip ride rocket, and twister.

Hollywood's rip ride rocket is a roller coaster. The small touches they have added to this ride has made it one of the best roller coasters ever. When you get onto the ride, you have to chose the music you're going to listen to during the roller coaster and when the rides over you can buy a video of you on the ride.
I like the way this park has brought to life some of the best films of all time. They made each ride very individual creating an unforgettable experience.

Universal Islands of adventure
This park is probably aimed for the children. It has the spiderman, the hulk, harry potter land, cat in the hat rides and Jurassic park.

Harry Potter land was amazing. They built Diagon alley which has Olivanders, Zonkos, Honeydukes, Dervish and Banges and many more Harry Potter favourites. My favourite part was where they built a ride inside hogwarts and you got to look around hogwarts whilst you queued. 


The rides
Universal have used characters from films in which they have made. For example they made 'The mummy returns' in 2001, co-production in Alphaville. They also made Jurassic park 111 (2002) and The hulk (2003). By making rides based on characters and films they are promoting their films and if people had never seen them they might. This would also increase merchandise sales as people may buy a t shirt or keyring after the ride.

Filming sessions

We went filming on Monday the 7th March and Thursday 10th March. We filmed it in 2 filming sessions. We decided to split it into 2 shorter filming sessions instead of 1 long one. This was because we needed a specific type of lighting and filming before or after this lighting would ruin continuity. In the 2 filming sessions we managed to film most of it however when we looked back on it we recognised a few continuity errors and a few gaps in the story.

Since then we have edited half of it and chose the music. The music we chose was eery and scarey and set the scene. We have planned a few editing sessions during the week as we have a week until the whole opening is due in.

Wednesday 23rd March

Today in the lesson we began to edit our opening. We chose to do a few long clips and then gradually change to lots of short clips. The use of lots of long clips adds tension to the scene.

We also chose the music we are going to use. We looked for Eery music to fit the mood of the scene. We found a cover of "what I've done" by linkin park. Were not using the original as it is copy righted. We really liked this however we thought it might have been abit too happy and opted for a different song instead.

2nd February 2011

In the lesson on Friday 28th January we filmed some footage of a film opening. We did this so that we could practice using the Mac books before using them to make our final pieces. 

Its the opening of what's probably going to be an action film, although the story could change. In the beginning you saw a girl take a phone call, saying an address. You then see the girl kill someone.

We filmed this opening in class, it took about an hour and a half to plan and film. We used actors and crew members from our class. The opening should be about a minute long. 

In today's lesson we used the Mac books to edit the raw footage. So far it took longer to edit than film. This has shown us how long it would take to edit and film our final piece in scale to this.

Our actor - Olivia

The actress we are using is Olivia. We decided to use her as she's a good actress and fits the part well. Also as she would already be on set it would be easier to use her than relying on someone else. 


We have found a dress for her which is white, and has pleats across the front. This type of dress would have been worn in the era our film is going to be set in. She would be barefoot so we wouldn't need shoes or anything for her. 


We're going to keep the make up natural with foundation and a small amount of mascara. This is because they wouldn't have worn a lot of make up in this time. Her hair is going to be either down with a bow or in ponytails with bows. 

The orphanage - Opening scenes

The orphanage is a Spanish thriller we watched the opening of in class.  The film which was made in 2007. It was directed by Juan Antonio Bayona. I'm now going to analyse a few shots I thought was effective and why. 

The opening shot is of a girl who's playing games. You see the silhouette of her against a tree on a bright spring background. The backgrounds bright and creates a happy atmosphere although all may not be as it seems. This sets a false sense of security to the audience.

The scarecrow you see in the opening scene is important. You see it in the garden in the beginning however later on you see it on the child (like in the photo on the left). 

You see a close up of the phone in the opening sequence as it rings. You then see a close up of the adoption papers, that say "Laura" is being adopted. Weary music is playing creating an unnerving atmosphere. This tells the audience nothing good will come from what's happening. 

The woman who took the phone call then walks outside where the children are playing. The games the children are playing show their innocence. The children are playing "it". When Laura becomes "it" they use a cut shot. This is effective as its almost as if the games are over and she's it. 

I also liked the way the opening credits were displayed. They were written across old wallpaper and they then used a child's hand to rip the wallpaper and reveal another name on newer wallpaper. This hints at what is going to happen later in the film i.e. Laura returns back to the orphanage when she's older and re-opens it. Although it hints at whats going to happen later in the film it doesn't give it all away which is good.