PRELIMINARY TASK

This is our preliminary task which has enabled us to practice filming, editing and creating
a voice over for the first time. It has highlighted that the areas have done well are editing and
filming. This means that the areas that we need to work on are our opening titles, credit
sequence and also the quality of our voiceover.

ADOBE AND PHOTOSHOP TUTORIALS

Having had a small introductory workshop about how to use photoshop, we decided to take matters into our own hands and develop these essential skills ourselves. To help us do so, we took to the internet to find some online tutorials about the basics of photoshop.

A video that I found particularly useful is the one linked below. It talks briefly about the essential skills of photoshop, and reinforced what we already knew having taking part in a workshop.

We then went on to watch part 2 of the video series. This was also very useful as they went into slightly more depth about the different effects that we could use and actually put into practise in our work.

To consolidate our knowledge, we put these skills to the test by having a go at editing for ourselves.

PHOTOSHOP PRACTICE

We decided to look at Photoshop for future use within our poster and magazine cover. We played around with some of the tools so that we could remove a background and insert a picture of someone onto another background. The previews can be seen below, included are the before and after images.

In order to do this we had to open up a picture of someone, we then used the cropping tool to get rid of any excess background that we wouldn’t be using a lot of space on the computer when it was to be saved. From this we used the quick select tool. Using this we could ‘trim’ around the photograph of the person in order to get rid of any excess background. We could make it very accurate by zooming in and out of the picture. If we went wrong slightly it made it easy to retrieve the bit we cut out by either clicking undo, or by using the ALT key.

We then had to open a new background, this would open in a new tab. The cut out of the person could then be transferred over to the new background by dragging in onto the new tab. We could also resize it by using the select button and dragging the corners of the image.

This then created a layer, it move the image around we needed to unlock the layer therefore we clicked the lock on the side of the screen and it unlocked it so that we could move the image.

We then saved it to the web so that we could save the new image that we had created.

LOCATION EVALUATION - PROS AND CONS OF EACH LOCATION

Throughout the month of November as a group we have been researching potential locations we may use as our settings in our film trailer. The main 3 settings we decided we needed was a train station, a store and a house. Below we will discuss the pros and cons of each location we researched and decide on the final 3 locations we will use out of the options researched.

Train stations:

Stoneleigh Station vs. London Waterloo Station

Stoneleigh Station:

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
Close and convenient to use, allowing us to take more shots at this location (this would help us to produce a high quality piece of work as we have more than 1 type of shot.)	During the time we would be filming (December/ January) weather conditions will probably not be the best. We will need to be weary and careful when filming along the tracks (greater risk of danger).
Previously used this location in AS year 12 Media Studies, so we know when the best times are to film and we would be confident in knowing we can gain easy permission to the station again.	Being aware of commuters, as a group we wouldn’t want to impact anyone's day to day routine.
Quieter station, will allow us to capture shots showing the main female protagonist Clio in isolation. This will potentially reflect how she is feeling.	Employees leave at around 11 AM so if anything serious was to happen there would potentially be no one around.

London Waterloo Station:

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
The amount of commuters may work as a benefit as we could capture shots of the main female protagonist Clio walking away with a suitcase through a crowd of commuters. Ultimately being forgotten.	Extremely busy as it is a station which connects so many routes. During the time period we hope to film (December) it will be packed with commuters and people wanting to go Christmas shopping.
A well known and recognised station. Potential viewers would recognise this iconic station and be able to relate to it in a personal way.	Much harder to request and get approved access to film in and around the station. This could limit how much space we are allowed to use and how much time we could spend filming shots.
Large base of employees working at London Waterloo so if anything was to happen (eg. dangerous) we would be able to deal with the situation safely.	A much further and inconvenient train journey to get to the station. Could use this travel time elsewhere eg. capture more shots.

In conclusion we have chosen to use Stoneleigh Station, although London Waterloo has many strengths we believe Stoneleigh will be more suited within our trailer. Our main reasoning is that we believe we will be more able to capture an array of shots, especially ones of Clio in isolation. This will allow for the narrative to become more believable. We will also feel less pressure potentially because if time and travel as it is close and convenient to use.

Stores:

Sainsburys vs. The Cooperative vs. Dorking Road Stores

Sainsburys:

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
Well known and recognised supermarket chain. This recognisable brand would help to make the film relatable to our target viewers.	It becomes dark very quickly during the winter months and their is limited lighting around Sainsbury's, so we would need to potentially bring additional lighting to use.
There is a large car park area and a large space for filming without harassing or disturbing customers of Sainsbury’s. This additional pathway space will allow us to find the right angle to film at, allowing the shot to be of a higher quality.	Limited car parking time (3 hours). This seems like a long time but we would need to take a number of shots from different angles, position actors and provide lighting/ props. We will have to direct throughout, all of these jobs can kill time.
Should have resources available for our main actress to buy in one shot eg. Tinfoil, paper towels.	Extremely busy supermarket, especially during the winter season. Would need to be respectful of customers.

The cooperative:

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
Well known and recognised supermarket chain. This recognisable brand would help to make the film relatable to our target viewers.	Lack of car parking space. This would be crucial for us as we would be staying and using the area for a longer period of time. We would also need to take shots of the babysitter parked up, so without a clear parking space this would be very difficult.
Local and convenient to two members in our group.	Limited lighting around the store during the time we hope to film. We would need to supply additional lighting.
Should have resources available for our main actress to buy in one shot eg. Tinfoil, paper towels.	Busy store, we would need to be respectful of customers.

Dorking Road Stores:

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
No car parking bays  but a wide area outside the front of the shop which would be available for us to use to park cars.	The lack of a recognisable brand may affect how relatable the trailer is to our target audience.
One member in our group is a regular customer of Dorking Road Stores. This works as an advantage for us because we have a relationship with the owners we may be able to request and accept permission to use the store.	As Dorking Store being a smaller corner shop the majority of them are strict on how many teenagers use the store at once. This restriction may limit us taking shots of Clio walking out with products bought. As it is smaller, we could also be an annoyance to other customers.
The store is close and convenient to one of our houses making it easily accessible.	Limited lighting around the store during the time we hope to film. We would need to supply additional lighting.

In conclusion we have chosen to use Sainsbury’s as our store setting. Although The Cooperative and Dorking Road Stores have many advantages, we believe Sainsbury’s is the best option. This is because we would capture the best shots here as it has the largest car parking space and pathway for Clio to walk down. It has all the resources available we would need to buy and capture Clio walking away with them. Another benefit is that Sainsbury’s is a recognisable and relatable brand for our target audience.

House:

We have only researched one house and it's one of our own hence why there is no need for a comparison. We choose one of our houses as it is easy and suitable to use. Houses are very conventional and similar hence why we have chosen to use one of our own as we want to reflect that Clio has a similar standard of living as us.  

LOCATION RESEARCH AND RISK ASSESSMENT - COOPERATIVE - KINGSTON ROAD (EWELL)

We may potentially use the store the cooperative located along Kingston Road, Ewell. We would use this setting as it would reflect and portray moments in our trailer when Clio would be collecting the resources to trash her ex boyfriends car.

We would like to use the cooperative as it is convenient and close to where we live. Using a location which is closer to our homes will enable us to spend more time gathering shots we could use. The more shots we gather, the higher quality our trailer could be. This is because if we are put under a time limit of filming in a certain location, it may be hard to reschedule the re -taking of any scenes.

We thought the Cooperative would be an ideal setting as it is a smaller store than Sainsbury's which would be ideal. As regular customers we have a personal daily encounter with the staff and owners so they would hopefully be okay with us filming outside the store. Another benefit of using the cooperative is that we wouldn’t have to carry all the equipment to far as it is closer than Sainsbury’s. There is also car park spaces available, however it is limited. We also liked the idea of filming outside the Cooperative as their is well lit street lights along the pavement and outside the store. This would make things a lot easier for us as we wouldn’t have to provide additional lighting during darker hours of filming.

However the Cooperative lacks a large car parking facility and a short hourly stay unlike Sainsburys. This would make it difficult for us to potentially capture all the shots we need and the limited space may affect the quality of the shot.  

Risk assessment:

Some areas we need to be cautious about when filming outside the Cooperative is the fact it is located along a busy main road. There is also limited pavement space for filming so we need to be weary of how much space we are using as we do not want to disturb the general public.