Updates and Changes to Script and Screenplay

I wished to update and make changes to my trailer, including taking the text message scene out, so to leave it a mystery as to why the five teenagers are in detention and cutting out the video of the party, where Percy was to have beer poured over him by Jessica. I therefore had to update my screenplay and script to show these updates in the process of my trailer.

Updated Screenplay

Updated When in Darkness Script

These are the updated script and screenplay to my trailer, When In Darkness. These updates includes changing the video and phone scene at the very beginning of the trailer to a time-lapse, in order to show the mundane, equilibrium of the school's day to day life. I also took out the dialogue with the five teenagers talking to one another, positioned in a circle and several other scenes in order to cut down the time of the trailer, otherwise it would be over three minutes long and I wish for this to remain around the two minute mark.

Editing Software Research

During the filming of my trailer, I thought about what I would actually edit my trailer on. In order to choose a software, I thought about how accessible the software was and secondly how it would make my trailer to its best quality.

• Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker is a free of charge video editing software, part of the Windows Essentials package. It's simplistic, easy to use and you only need to drag and select what you wish to add in your video. It's easy to add musical soundtracks, captions and credits and processing the video is easy to follow and you can upload straight to YouTube. This software would be ideal but for a professional looking trailer, in turns of editing and special effects, may not be a the best software to use but I will consider it for cutting clips down.

• Sony Vegas

Sony Vegas is a paid programme for editing software that makes video editing (colour correction, etc) easier and would be excellent way to make my videos appear much more 'professional' looking simply through the colouring used. I have used it before in the past and makes trimming and editing videos much simpler and is something that I have considered a lot for editing my trailer.

• iMovie

iMovie is a free software for Apple products that allows you to edit, trim videos and additionally to follow templates to create a much realistic trailer for films. This is another software I have considered though only will be effective when editing and trimming and not for elements such as colouring and text effects.

• Adobe After Effects

Finally Adobe After Effects is a programme that is notorious for brilliant after editing effects. This will give me a chance to create sinister looking texts, though through watching tutorials on YouTube in order to understand how to do so. This will also add a lot of time in terms of editing but will be very effective to add to my trailer.

Based on this analysis, I now am able to think more about the different options I have in terms of the editing and overall look of my trailer. It will allow for me to be more creative when I consider which software I will use to edit.

Production Log #8

This scene was filmed in a house setting, since it was the Christmas holidays but I choose to use a blank background to still convey a school setting. This lighting a little poor and the shadow from the ceiling light doesn't add to the shot and I may have to fix this during editing.

Coren Vincet: "This type of behaviour is unacceptable at Rosewood Academy. Detention."

This is a scene where the killer is in the shadows, evidently holding a weapon. I quite liked this shot because the identity of the killer is completely concealed. This will be the last production log, I feel as though I have enough shots for my trailer to be the length I went it to be and has effective shots, camera angles and action scenes to make it successful.

Production Log #7

This was the last few shots that I could film in school, since the end of term was fast approaching. Here I shot the scene of Finn running away down a hallway, where he has to dodge a table. This dodging of the table was purely spontaneous but I really liked the overall effect of it and decided to keep in it.

I also added this shot of Finn and Percy looking through the glass in a door. This shot I feel could be used in my trailer as a sort of scene of 'unity' between two characters and to show them both working together.

Production Log #6

I decided to film the scene of Finn hiding in the library, I decided to not use the weapon in this scene because a) I would not have been able to show the blood on the floor, since it may have stained b) I wanted the idea of the weapons being exclusive to the killer and in retrospect, students would not have access to guns.

Here is the scene with the killer and Jessica. You can see a weapon in the killer's hand (which is the needle) though this is unclear, due to the darkness of the scene, though I like this effective because the mystery of the weapon is just as effective as the mystery of the killer's identity.

Production Log #5

I filmed several different scenes, including the parts where Veronica is seen washing her face in a bathroom, where Percy and Veronica enter through a door. I will be editing these shots in the Post-Production stage to appear less lighter and much more dark.

Veronica Calder: "I wonder where he is."
Percy Swanfield: "I don't know."

I added a shot of Finn Lester falling over, clearly after running. This is rather conventional of gripping trailers - clumsy characters - and I felt as though this was an interesting aspect to add to Finn's character.

Production Log #4

I filmed the scenes that included Brandon, who is the actor that plays Percy in my trailer. The background is slightly different to the previous background in the other characters shots due to several posters on the wall being moved and the room being arranged.

Percy Swanfield: "I didn't mean to do it."

I then filmed the shots of Percy being approached from behind by the mysterious figure of the killer and also the over the shoulder shots of Percy reading. I may have to dim the lighting when I later edit the trailer so to convey night time and darkness.

Production Log #3

I filmed the office scenes with four out of five of the main characters (the actor of Percy Swanfield being absent for that day) and I will have to film with Percy's character later on 

Veronica Calder: "I didn't mean for it to happen. Obviously I tried to stop it."

Jessica Brookes: "Oh come on, Billie had it coming."

Billie White: "Jessica had it coming".

Finn Lester: [ROLLS EYES] "This is ridiculous".

I got a few takes of each of the characters lines and I made sure that each character was filmed in exactly the same position, to give the impression that they are talking to the same person, but clearly at different times.

Production Log #2

These quick shots were generally very spontaneous, many running a scenes that I did not originally plan on filming were filmed, showing Jessica and Billie both running away and Billie even kicking her way through a door. I filmed all of these using an iPhone 6, which at first I was worried (mostly about how the quality would turn out) and the videos turned out to be of a surprising qualities.

Jessica Brooke's character

Jessica running down a set of stairs

I felt this shot will be extremely effective within my trailer, as it's a high angel shot from behind Jessica and shows her running down a set of stairs, it will leave the audience wondering who or what she may be running from.

Billie White's character running away

Billie kicking a door

Billie's character kicking the door was very spontaneous but I realised it was a kick-ass move that only Billie White could make. I decided to re-film this short scene several times before I got a shot that I really liked and will include in my finalised trailer.

Production Log #1

My first day of filming included several time lapses. These were admittedly spontaneous and may or may not be included in the final version of my trailer but I may choose to include. I filmed one of a sunset (to connote day changing into night) and a school as students walk around during lesson change. These will allow for my trailer to have a much faster pace.

Time lapse of sun set

Time lapse of school

I also filmed the beginning of the trailer, where I used a 'selfie stick' to film a phone receiving a text message from a high angle.

Text message received from Michelle

I may need to re-film as the camera is unsteady and the text message isn't exactly what I wanted, instead I wanted to receive "Have you seen this video?" (shocked emoji) *VIDEO LINK* so I will re-film this later on.