Sorry, the song clip and video clips did not work on the powerpoint, I have uploaded them below to be watched and listened too.




Ghostpocalypse - The Call Song

I presented my film to a large group of 16-17 year olds and asked them to fill out a feedback form.
These were the questions on my sheet:

1. Do you feel the clip was an effective opening to a Thriller film?
If yes, what aspects made it effective?
If no, what made it ineffective

2. Was the soundtrack successful in creating an eerie atmosphere?
Yes
No
Partially

3. Did the soundtrack suit the film?
Yes
No
Partially

Can you say why?

4. Did you understand what was happening within the films at all times, or was it sometimes confusing?

5. Do you think the flashing images at the end were a good addition to the film?
If yes, why?
If no, why?

6. Can you state 2 aspects/additions I could change/make to improve the film as a whole?

I recieved many responses and nearly all of them were very positive.

Some of the most common aspects people enjoyed were:
- The flickering images (they created suspense and an eerie atmosphere)
- The music was very good at building tension
- The soundtrack was subtle and not overused
- The camera angles were very good at creating suspense
- The opening was confusing, but in a way that added to the overall atmosphere, and it leaves you on a cliffhanger.

Overall I think people enjoyed my film as mostly all of the feedback was positive, and I only recieved one or two comments about how I could improve it, so therefore they must have thought that it was successful in being the opening to a thriller film.

When planning my film, I had a brief idea of what style of music I wanted to use within the dream sequence. I wanted to find a piece of royalty free music that was eerie, rhythmic and suspense filled to automatically gain the audiences attention from the start.
After much searching on many royalty free music websites, I came across a series of songs called "Ghostpocalypse". Every single song had its strong points, but the one that suited my original plan and the dream scene was called "The Call". I tested it with my film, and it suited it perfectly.

Next, I found that the sound I recorded from the camera had a constant fuzz noise that I wanted to remove. I achieved this with "Audacity" (Read the "Editing" section for how I did this).

I also wanted a drone for later in the film when the boy originally witnesses the back door opening, and then hearing the knock at the front door. I found some drones on www.sounddogs.com and used these within my scene. I also found a noise that raised up to build tension. I used this noise at the end of the dream scene and at the very end when the pictures are flashing.

I decided to film in the areas I chose before I made the storyboard of my film. I visited the field/road I would use for the "Dream" scene at the beginning and planned the shots there. I decided to use this area because it is usually very quiet, the trees/bushes had lost most of their leaves, and you could see far into the distance. All these aspects added to the eerieness and mysteriousness of the opening scene.

I decided my house was a suitable setting for what I had planned for the next part of the opening. I also used it for ease of access and that I could film when I was ready. I practised some of the shots before I filmed them so that when it came to film, I was able to get straight on to filming. I also planned to film at night.

This is where my next problem arised. I was originally going to use my friend in my film, however, when it came to the day of filming, he was unable to help me. So instead, I used myself in my film and asked my sister to assist me with the filming. I chose to do this because I wanted to keep to my schedule, and I was unaware of any other days I was free to film.
I decided to use a boy in the opening sequence because I wanted to gain more of an audience reaction by going against the traditional use of females as victims.