Editing the footage

Once we had finished filming we had to edit on a computer to get our end product. For this we used a programme called Las Vegas movie studio 9.0. Overall we had around ten minutes of footage when our opening sequences had to be around two and a half minutes. This obviously meant that we had to cut alot of the footage and in some cases even elements of the story's plot to keep withing the time limit. First of all we decided that the very beginning scene, with the black screen and the girls voice, could be cut as it simply took up valuale time space and simply didnt add much to the zombie apocalypse theme that we were striving for. Many of the shots that we had were of high quality however felt that they whent on far to long and so we simply cut them down, keeping crucial actions in but leaving out the unecessary. This made the film run smoother.


When it came to the zombie chase part of the sequence we had to think how to make it seem fast and pacey. To do this we cut long parts of the zombies or dan running into shorter clips, which played one after the other gives the impression of speed. We had to completely cut the first appearance of the zombies, when they are huddled and about to run, as we felt that the shot looked to corny and also the downside of seeing traffic in the background. I feel that the shot offered little to the overall scene. At the very end of the chase scene we see Dan fall to the ground and clutch at the grass, we put this shot in slow motion and faded it out to the movie title. I feel that by doing this it adds alot more dread into the scene, with the message of inescapable death.

We als edited the music and sound in the scene. We muted most of the sound from the actual footage as it featured far too much sound of passing traffic. We did however leave some sounds in such as the noise of the chain on the fence and dan jumping over the gate. I think that hearing these sounds highlights how empty the streets are and how isolated he is. We added the music and were very pleased with how well it fit, however there was a problem as we thought the second song started too suddenly and we needed something to set it off. We incorperated a zombie scream as dan looks up and starts to run to make it clear what dan was running from and also as an introduction to the song. The fast paced music fits very well with the chase and it also fades out simultaniously to the last shot.


I personally felt that the scene we had was a good one however something was missing. It needed to be darker and more mysterious. I had watched a number of films for inspiration and desided to use a method used in many films such as The Dark knight and The Legend of sleepy hollow. The colour balance of the scene can be changed to make it brighter or darker. We lowered the brightness to make the film seem very grey and therefore more dismal and hopeless. Overall im very happy with how we edited our film opening sequence and feel that it has been a great success.

Characterisation and props

Our main character was a teenage boy played by Dan. We purposly didnt give away his name in the opening sequence as it made him more isolated from the audiance, just like he is isolated from humanity in this zombie post apocalptic world. We made him wear warm clothes as he is sleeping outside and a bag, full of food and other essentials. We made him look nervous and on edge throughout the scene.

We needed to get a largish group of people to be zombies in our scene. We recruited 7 friends and fellow media students to play these roles. They wore ripped and old clothes and messed their hair up. We also made fake blood from water, flour, coffee and red food colouring which we put on their clothes and faces. Since we were working to a very tight budget (there pretty much wasnt one) we had to make do with what we already had and what we could make. We told them to move fast, yet awkwardly to portray the rage-infested zombies. I personally feel that they did a great job at performing as zombies and have contributed to our media peice greatly.

Soundtrack

For our soundtrack we thought about what music would fit with the mood of each shot. For the duration of the first half of the scene we will be using the beginning of a Bring me the Horizon song 'The sadness will never end" as it shows how isolated the boy character is, and how deserted the surrounding setting is. Lastly when the zombies attack, the music switches to another song by Bring me the Horizon 'Death Breath' which has a high tempo and highlights the intensity of the chase.

Film opening synopsis

1. The scene begins with a black screen, we hear a girls voice saying 'I dont want to die' gradually getting louder untill it reaches a scream and the camera switches to an extreme close up of an eye opening suddenly to the sound of an alarm on a watch..
2. We see a close up of the watch on a wrist, which is then turned off by a shaking hand.
3. Long shot of a teenage boy curled up in the corner of what appears to be an old bus stop. He slowly and cautiously gets up.
4. Medium side shot of him exiting the bus stop, slow music begins (showing isolation)
5. The Boy walks down the road and we see a shot of him walking past an old long abandoned pub. This shot shows how he is alone in the world. Music continues.
6. Low shot of boy walking past, we dont see the upper part of his body.
7. Walks past another bus stop, we see a newspaper page on the glass, with the headline 'The dead continue to rise'. This shot makes it clear to the audience of the films genre; Zombie horror.
8. Long shot of boy climbing over a gate and walking down a public footpath into fields.
9. Three seperate shots of the boy walking through a field, each shot shows him further away from the camera.
10. Camera positioned behind a dead body, we see the boy approach from a distance and stop.
11. Over the shoulder shot, over boys shoulder looking at body.The slow music stops and he whispers "shit". He then hears a loud screech from behind him and quickly turns around.
12. We see a head on long shot of a number of zombies running towards the camera.
13. Mid shot of boy, he shouts "Oh Shit!", turns and runs. At this point fast paced music begins.
14. The following shots are fast paced and switch quickly between the boy and zombies running, highlighting the intensity of the chase.
15. We then have a low shot with the boy tripping and thus bringing him into the shot on the ground. He clutches at the ground as we see zombies getting closer behind him.
16. The scene fades to black, where we hear 'i dont want to die', as at the start, and a scream as the film title 'Death Breath' is shown.

Story Board for film opening

This week we worked on a story board showing our final idea for the film opening. The basic plot outline of the scene is that we see a teenage boy surviving in a deserted village. We learn through a newspaper headline that 'The Dead Continue To Rise', making us draw the conclusion that this is a zombie film. The teenage boy walks through a field when he comes to a wall with a dead body on it. He is then chased through the field by the 'undead' who have tracked him down. The scene ends with the boy tripping and falling to the ground, upon which the scene ends.


Here is a picture of the final story board

Film location

Today me and my partner Dan went to try and find a location to shoot our film opening. Unfortunately we could'nt look for as long as we wanted due to weather conditions however we did find somewhere that is suitable. The location had to be romote, away from busy roads and have open spaces for alot of movement. We first went to Glinton park but decided that this location would not be best as it is right next to a road and potentially have people there when we are trying to film.

Secondly we went a little way out of glinton down a public footpath with fields on either side. The location also has a small concreted area with a defaced wall on it, this could easily be worked into the scene. The public footpath is also very long, making it perfect for our 'chase'. Unfotunately the photos that we took of the location are not great quality as it was snowing/raining when we took them.

Existing zombie apocalypse film research - 28 days later and Shaun of the dead

To gain a better idea of how the zombie apocalypse genre works i bought the film 28 days later from http://www.amazon.com/. The film was directed by Danny Boyle and released in 2002. The plot depicts the breakdown of society following the accidental outbreak of the highly contagious 'rage' virus and focuses on four individuals who struggle to survive against those infected with the 'rage' virus in a desolate and isolated Britain. The film focuses more on the troubles of those who are not infected with 'rage' rather than those who are; something i will keep in mind when creating the film opening. Another source of inspiration i took from the film is how the zombies or infected are shown. In classic zombie movies the creatures are sluggish and dim witted, wheras those in 28 days later appear to rely more on speed and overall anamalystic anger. The infected's appearance is similar to that of the humans except for alot of excess blood around the face and their eyes glow a bright red, making them appear menacing. Overall i enjoyed the film and feel enlightened alot more on the zombie apocalypse genre.

Another zombie film that i have recently watched is shaun of the dead. The film follows the basic principles of a zombie survival situation however incorparates the comedy genre into it. The two main characters Ed and Shaun find themselves in many comical situations involving zombies, however there is still a certain amount of menace to the scenes.

The zombies in the film act alot differently to thos in 28 weeks later. They are slower, dumber and only killed by removing the head or destroying the brain. Personally i prefer the faster, more lethal type of zombies that were used in 28 days later. Despite the film being a success and me fully enjoying it i dont think we will incorparate the comedy genre into our film opening. I feel that doing a traditional zombie apocalypse is the best way to go.