Problems encountered with Selecting a location

      One of the major problems our group encountered before we even started filming was choosing a location to film in. We were originally going to film in Sawston as it had a park and a street which were both ideal to film in as they suited the proposed locations our film was going to be based in. However, our group was unable to meet in Sawston as we couldn't all meet at the same time, and it would have been a struggle for some members of the groups to get there. We then decided to film in cambridge, but, due to the nature of our film, we felt that cambridge would have been to busy to get the shots we needed as our film was supposed to be quite isolated. We eventually found a nearby park which we could film in and a street nearby that we could film on.

Film Titles

      The title of a film is very important, as it is one of the first pieces of information that commonly reflects the film's narrative, characters and/or location.
      It is an important piece of information which must be thoroughly considered. We therefore chose a varied selection of titles, and presented them to a focus group for detailed responses.

      As our thriller's sub genre is crime, we needed to encapsulate this, such that it is immediately recognizable to the audience.

Our original title ideas were the following:

• Playground Mafia
• Sleepless
• Restless
• Playground

      After several hours of elaborate discussion we concluded that the title of our film shall hence forth be known as 'Playground'. We felt it was suitably eerie, as well as being representative of a our setting. It also reflects childhood innocence which merged in well with the portray of the young girl's character.

Atmospheric Background Music

     We needed background music that would add to the atmosphere, while not overwhelming the on-screen action with excessive melodic features. We therefore concluded to use ambient music, to add to the eerie atmosphere -- free from the subconscious judgements of key.
      The music is originally from a pre-set theme on the Nexus plugin. We then proceeded to record several bars, convert it to an mp3 format, then upload it to final cut and our visual footage.  

Changes made due to feedback (Rough Cut 2)

      After the feedback we were given, we made some minor changes to our work to conform to the criticism, these changes included things such as dividing the first shot into multiple shots, this was achieved through adding different angled shots to further emphasise Steve's tossing and turning. Next, we added short flashes of the dream, during the shots of Steve's restless sleep. This was effective in creating a smoother and more gradual transition into the dream.

      Also, successfully added filters to the shots within the dream sequence, to give a more dream look, this is done through fading the edges of the shots, giving them a dark tinge. And by distorting the image, it assists in creating the surreal and abnormal environment of a dream.

Rough Cut two

Armar's Feedback on Rough Cut Two

Edit in swing shots, during the opening sleeping man sequence -- To develop a more gradual transition into the dream environment. For example, a brief shot of the swing before the actual dream begins.

Add customisable filters (effects) per shot to emphasis the distinction between the 'real' sleeping man sequence, and the dream sequence.

Add shots of running during the longer running sequence to keep it exciting and keep the energy in the build up of the moment to keep the audience in suspense.

Overall Armar said it was a good piece of work and only these minor changes had to be made. He also said we could play around with transitions used in shots

Rough Cut -- Feedback (57-U2)

       There are many different interesting shots but the scene the shots are showing drag on a bit and could use a bit more variety or action.

We couldn’t really tell what genre it was but as an opening sequence it really sets the scene for what the audience should expect for the rest of the film.

       There was so much ambient noise and some clips were louder than others which doesn’t show consistency. When the gate shuts it makes the audience jump but it could close quietly showing that the person who took the girl is quiet and doesn’t want to be seen? Also the swing shot after the gate is silent to be given a shot with loud ambient noise.

       There isn’t really any transition between the shots it just goes straight from one to the other.

       We really liked when the sings looked double, it was a really good effect and also when the girl drops the bear. The scenes leading up to this though drags on and we felt a bit board.