Evaluation for 'Oblivious'

Audience Feedback Survey

As apart of submitting our final cut, our group decided to produce a survey which asks our audience questions on what they have seen. These questions will come to help us during our evaluation as they will determine whether or not we successfully achieved what we had intended to achieve with 'Oblivious'. Our group member 'Aayush Joshi' created the survey which audience members can fill out through his blog. 

'Screenshots of the survey' 

'Screenshots of the survey'

Oblivious (Final Cut)

Here it is, the final cut of 'Oblivious'. Within this cut of the project it contains an amalgamation of the various ideas brought to us after different screenings and test audiences. The most noticeable change made to the final cut is the change in music; we as a group felt that this choice favours over the original choice as it fits in more with the thriller genre. In addition, we've decided to cut out the last shot of the bag and leave the sequence with Joseph's glare as it leaves the a sense of ambiguity. Another reason for this decision was the notion that our original drafts spoon fed the audiences too much exposition; where as this cut allows enough for the audiences to follow along with our story, yet still being thrilled by it's ambiguous messages and ideas.

We have also changed the font size of all the credit due to the fact that they seemed to distract the audience's attention away from whatever was happening in the shot. In addition to the placement of the credits as some appeared in places that covered important visuals within the frame.

The final fix we made to this cut was the decrease in the level of the soundtrack as Joseph's father calls him to go to school; this was an issue in previous draft that some of the dialogue seemed unclear. But all these aspects have been emended and have lead to produce a cut that I am most certainly proud of.

Oblivious (4th Draft)

This is the 4th draft of 'Oblivious' which contains the finalised edit of the threat video; which is near to what the final cut going to appear with it's finished visual look. However regarding the final improvements needed to finalise the product we need to finish the placements of the credits; after this draft we have decided on the final placements of the credits as some we too big in size and covered aspects of the shot. Another part of our project that has finally been finalised is the song selection that is a thrilling score used for thriller films/games. This track will provide the edgy tone and thrill to the audience that we wanted to convey.

I'am very excited to see our project finally draw to a close and witness it in all it's glory.

4th Editing Session

As our project is close to complete, it's to to add the final touches to the sequence. Within this session,  I wanted to have a rough look at what the credits would look in there places within the clip; another aspect of the project I had to address was how to cut out the shot of our actor walking to the class door. In order to make up for the seven seconds spared after removing that shot, we have decided to include the production name just before the title appears. This then takes off a few seconds, in order to entirely untiles the remaining couple of seconds, we just prolonged a few shots within the school scene. Fortunately the decision to extend the duration of a few shots allows the audience to view those shots without it either cutting too short or over staying it's welcome.

Another Noticeable difference to the sequence is the finalised edit of the threat message at the start of the clip. Not only by including the 'streaming' icon in the corner of the frame ; but also altering the aspect ratio of the shot. This helps not only indicate the home-made quality of the threat video intending to be off a camcorder; but also to focus the audience's attention on the subject as he is entered and there is minimal view of the room behind him. The reason for this decision what made was due to the frequent comment made by audiences stating the temptation to glare at the space behind the actor instead of the actor himself.

As apart of this edit we have also included the credits of the various crew members. This draft was meant to show how in which they will appear. But soon will finalise the placements of the credits and also the need to possibly add or remove some if need be.

'Updated edit of the shot'

'Previous edit of the shot'

Oblivious (3rd Draft)

With the 3rd draft of 'Oblivious' it contains the shots from the re-shoot after our group received feedback on our project. After this stage, we can finally begin to finish off the visuals by colour grading the sequence and by adding credits.

The issues our group currently face with our project is to find a replacement song for the 'bomb assembly' sequence as it needs to feel more atmospheric instead of the issue with the current track that seems to distract audience as it is too up beat. 

Another issue with the sound that must be addressed it the ticking off the bomb towards the end of the sequence; in the next draft it will be much more subtle. Within the next draft we've decided to cut out the moment the classmate looks down at the bag; this decision of cutting it out was made to make the audience think more for themselves as we've realised over the previous draft that we're in fact spoon feeding our audience what is happening in the sequence. 

3rd Editing Session

Within this session, my goal was to approach the sequence with the teacher's feedbacks as a main target to meet with the new draft of 'Oblivious'; by focusing my full attention towards the last portion of the sequence that is taken within a school.

My main issue was figuring out how I can trim the shot of our actor walking toward the door without much impact on the timing of the project.This was because during the screening,our teachers had a huge complaint with the lighting within the frame but also with the overall necessity to include it; asking us does it add anything? what is the reason for this shot? Our group then collectively realised that there was no real reason to include it.

'Shot of the actor approaching the class door'

Later on I have decided to keep it in the sequence for the sake of this new draft, as our group have not entirely agreed on how we'll make up for the 7 seconds spared if the shot is removed. I then simply focused on replacing the classroom footage with the updated shots. The updated shots consist of a wide view of the class instead of the camera pushing away; as seen in the first and second draft.

This decision was made because the wide shot is far more simple and has the more view within it's frame allowing the action of Joseph walking to his desk and sitting down a lot cleaner and smoother.

Another new alteration made to the edit is changing a shot during the bomb assembly sequence; this close-up shot was of our actor's mouth saying a line of dialogue but due to the poor framing made it difficult for audiences to see what is in the frame, therefore effecting the viewing experience and taking the audience out of the experience.

'Original shot used in the previous drafts'

In this original shot, the subject moved too much and then lead to his mouth appearing out of frame where the audience can't see. This made the clarity of the scene ineffective and drawing the attention of the audience away from the scene.

'Replacement shot of the actor'

During the various shooting sections of the 'bomb assembly' sequence, we had taken many takes of the same shot which in this case was a huge benefactor as we had a range of replacement shots to choose from. Eventually we had chosen to use this shot as the subject's mouth is placed where we wanted it to be; whilst the lighting is still partially lit but just enough for audiences to see without it being a distraction. 

Re-shoots (Responding to feedback)

As apart of our group responding to the feedback from our teachers, a scene within our project had to be re-shot in order to include the improvements our teachers had addressed.

'Shot from the re-shoot'

During the re-shoots the changes we made to the school scene was that we have removed the shot of Joseph walking up to the door in order to spare a few more seconds on new ideas. Instead of the camera pushing out as the actor walking into the classroom; the camera remains stationary with a wide view of the classroom. Another change is that our group member "Jamie Gerrish" was unable to reprise his brief cameo as a fellow background student but was replaced by a friend "Matthew Bainbridge". The new idea that we have decided to include within the sequence is that after Joseph concludes his interaction with his classmate; Matthew's character will then begin to hear the faint ticking sound coming from his bag.

As we re-edit the project to include these new ideas, we'll then see whether or not they add any beneficial change to the sequence.

Feedback after the test screening

Recently our group had shown our media teachers the 2nd draft of 'Oblivious' in order to not only show them what we have been currently working; but most importantly gain feedback in order to improve our project before deadline.

Overall they were very pleased with the position our group are currently in and are equally impressed with the current execution of the project regarding the technical aspects of lighting; in addition to the relevant themes and ideas that merge well in the thriller genre also addressing present issues in today's society. However there were some comments that both teachers stated during the screening regarding the soundtrack and camera movement used within 'Oblivious'.

Issues surrounding the soundtrack was that they felt has it wasn't relevant to the genre and didn't add much edge to the sequence. It ultimately caused them to be pulled from the fictional world we created as they were distracted by the nature of the soundtrack.
Another issue with draft was primarily to do with the the camera movement with in the school sequence towards the end of the piece; this issue was because of the un-nessasary need to pan shots and push-out shots that have no real purpose to the telling of the story.

Regarding the feedback, our group have decided that in order to improve our project and learn from the comments; we need to re-shoot the school scene in order to execute the scene with more relevant camera placement. In relation to the soundtrack, our group is going into more depth and research into what soundtrack is appropriate for our project.

Oblivious (2nd Draft)

This is the 2nd draft of 'Oblivious' which contains primarily footage from the re-shoots including Joseph's interaction with his fellow classmate. The current state of the project regarding editing is near to complete. As the director and editor of the project, I have put together what I had envisioned for the project's execution and tone regarding the cinematography and the pacing of the sequence.  

Now that the shots have been compiled, it's time for co-editor "Jamie Gerrish" and I to collaborate together and work on the remaining editing sessions as he will help me colour-grade the sequence in addition to adding the credits and stylising the font.
We may also decide to make further alterations to the project if we feel it will be beneficial towards the project.

As of this draft, the sequence is coming together very nicely and is close to complete. However their is still some work to be done regarding the colour match within a few shots and the need to include the credits but in time it will be done.

2nd Editing Session

"Preview shot of Joseph assembling the bomb"

As apart of this editing session, my goal was to re-visit the last edit I had made and replace some of the shots with those from the re-shoot. This strategy helpe the sequence remain within the time frame of two minutes whilst allowing for some potential alternation with the duration or placements of particular shots.

"The editing timeline for the bomb assembly"

Within this editing, a lot of work went into the first half of the sequence where Joseph is assembling the bomb. This is because the match on action had to be perfected;since with the 1st draft our group noticed there was a poor degree of accuracy regarding Joseph's match on action.

Another aspect of the opening that was further developed was the threat message directing at the opening of the piece. The most noticeable change made since the first draft is that the subject's voice is much deeper; this had be planned within the development of the project to make the character behind the mask seem far more hidden and unrecognisable as later on the he is finally seen and speaks. The threat video has also been reshot as we shot it in a wider frame to see more of the subject; as apart of this we had also re-recorded the actor's voice to ensure that his performance was in sync with the dialogue.

'Editing timeline for the school sequence"

With the school sequence, the most noticeable change is the inclusion of dialogue between Joseph and his classmate. This idea played as a interesting decision and I believe has improved the sequence as it provided an additional level of tension to the situation and enforces the ambiguous and troubling nature of Joseph.

Our Project Finally Gets a Title!

Our group have finally agreed on a title for our thriller project 'Oblivious' we all feel that this title is perfectly suitable for our project and helps tease the story behind the opening sequence.

The "Oblivious" is 'not aware of or concerned about what is happening around one' this perfectly reflects the character of Joseph; he is an individual is in undermined by those around him and is not aware his true nature. In addition to this, those around him are oblivious to his true intentions.

I am truly satisfied with this choice for the title. Other title suggestions for the project we had were:
-Interloper
-Snake of England
-Joseph

 The issue I felt with those selections where that none of them were captivating or hinting at any aspect to the story.

2nd Day of Re-shoots (Bomb Assembling)

As apart of our plans to re-shoot the bomb assembly sequence, our main priority was to fix the match on action of Joseph's movements and planned the shots the continue those actions.

Another aspect of this sequence we had to replay was the shot used for the opening threat video. In the first draft of our project we used a medium shot; however this unfortunately cropped a small fraction of the subject's forehead which was due to the framing and the fact that the project is presented in an anamorphic aspect ratio. So for the re-shoot, we've decided to shoot the "Threat video" at a wider angle so we can fit as much of the subject as possible.

Behind the scenes (The team re-creating the set)

As apart of the re-shoot, we also had to gather all the props needed to re-create the set exactly as it was before.

After we spent a few hours re-organising the set for shooting, we went forward with production and have successfully captured all the footage we intended on getting whilst achieving what we feel is an improvement on the match on action of the sequence.

We now head on with post-production and assembling the clips together along with the audio.

1st Day of Re-shoots (Late to School)

We began our reshoots by filming the sequence that taken place as the character 'Joseph' is at school and is late for his lesson. 

This shoot was successful as we had learnt from our time shooting this sequence before ; we were aware of what needed to be improved from this sequence and we also knew how we intended on capturing the dialogue between Joseph and his classmate.

A photo from today's shooting (Joseph and his classmate's interaction)

This additional interaction has extended the duration of the scene within the school; this is why we had previously decided to remove the additional shot of Joseph walking through the corridor as it had taken 8 seconds of screen time which now has been filled with this dialogue sequence.

Only minor issue with today's shoot was that fellow crew member 'Ashley Banger' who played the classmate interacting with Joseph; despite the reminders in advance, Ashley had forgotten to wear the required clothing that he wore in the previous edit, ultimately causing us to prolong the shoot more than scheduled. We had to unnecessarily re-shoot filler shots of the two actors which we intended on re-using from the 1st draft but due to the actor's change of clothing would have jeopardised the continuity of the project. Despite that issue, as we adapted to this unfortunate hiccup and finished with enough time at the end of the shoot to glance at the footage and was certainly satisfied. 

Preparing for the Re-shoots

In order to prepare for the re-shoots, we all had to look at the still we compiled at decided on what definitely needed to be planned.

One of the main issues we faced in the first draft of our sequence was the poorly planned match on action of the main character. Therefore we decided the plan every shot and every movement the actor made in order to ensure a high level of fluidity regarding the
match on action of the scene.

Another issue we faced was the location within the school where we placed the subject walking down a corridor; however this corridor had no effect on the sequence and instead decided to scrap that brief shot and instead cut to the character as he approaches the classroom door.

The most significant change we have made to our project was to include an interaction and dialogue between Joseph and his classmate; which involves Joseph teasing the potential threat he poses to the story.

The Editing List

This is a list that was compiled by our group which contains all the particular parts of our project that must be improved either through post-production or by re-shooting shots.

The way we came to these decisions was by watching the rough-cut all together and picking it apart frame by frame and stating what needs to be improved and how we're going to do it. 

Ultimately this list is going to be helpful when it comes to re-shooting the project but also in the editing room ; this list will help remind us what definitely needs to be done in order to perfect our project.

Thriller Opening (1st Draft)

This is the 1st draft of our edited sequence which only contains the footage without any titles added to the piece. The reason for this edit was to test out the footage that we shot along with anything that may impact the flow of the sequence. What we picked out was that there are in fact many shots that poorly fit with the next ; making for a poor match on action. We also encountered two shots that weren't stable enough which caused difficulty seeing what was happening on screen.

However, we where extremely impressed with the lighting in the sequence which was a successful test; there were also a few shots that we perfectly shot that we had planned from the storyboard. But due to the faults in continuity; caused our group to decide on re-shooting the entire project in order to perfect on what we did well but most importantly learn from this draft and focus on fixing the shots that affected the continuity of the sequence.

Overall I felt that this draft gave us the chance to reflect over our ideas testing what works and doesn't work; allowing us to see how we can improve our project and make it better as we move forward with the project and ensure that the re-shoots reflect on what we've learnt from this draft.

1st Editing Session

'Preview screen from the editing session'

For the first editing session my aim was to at least have a complete draft of our entire sequence that only included the footage itself without the credits or any other visuals added within post-production.

As the director of this project I wanted to approach this editing session with the intentions of taking the footage we had captured throughout the entire course of filming and then edit the sequence to match frame by frame with the animatic. 

'Editing timeline from the rough-cut'

I approached this idea by overlapping the edit I had made for the animatic with the footage for the sequence to ensure that the shots played for the exact amount of time it was intended to last instead of possibly changing the way we planned the sequence to be.

Once the sequence had been assembled, co-editor 'Jamie Gerrish' and I spent a large amount of time playing the sequence repeatedly and analysing our project in order to then see what's the most logical way to handle our project throughout the rest of post-production.

After Jamie and I spent while screening the sequence, we had compiled a list on what needs to be altered within the edit of our sequence; we then came to a conclusion that we must re-shooting the entire sequence. This decision was made after looking at the footage we had already taken and realising what worked and what didn't; then caused us to learn from our first attempt and execute it better in the re-shoots.

Once we all had got together as a group, we all had watched the sequence then Jamie and I explained our thoughts on what we need to change in terms of the editing of the sequence but also explaining why we should re-shoot the entire project. Once the rest of our group had understood our judgement and came to terms with this idea we all collectively agreed on the decision.

2nd Day of Filming

As we had prepared for this day of shoot with the set already organised; we quickly delved into capturing our shots. The 2nd day of shooting consisted with us finishing the remaining moment left to film within our project which was in fact the very opening sequence which involves the actor assembling the bomb in a low light room as he works facing a wall which displays a collage of terrorism.

A look at Aayush Joshi as 'Joseph' at work

As the director of the project, I am delighted to say that today's shoot was an absolute success ; we were able to capture all the shots we needed to deliver our sequence and the cinematography was stunning due to the lighting that helped deliver a sinister tone to the sequence that we intended. 

The overall execution of the sequence we had shot today looks phenomenal and in some cases has surpassed my expectations regarding the mise en scene of the set which was yet again was  supported by the cinematography and the lighting of scene which I thank my director of photography "Jamie Gerrish" for helping me achieve the look I wanted by suggesting alternative camera angles and lighting techniques. I would also thank actor "Aayush Joshi" for delivering the character of Joseph by providing such an ambiguous mentality to the character.

I look forward to entering post-production on our project where my co-editor Jamie Gerrish and myself will assemble the clips and include a musical score to truly refine the execution of our sequence. This will also give us the opportunity to notice aspects of the story that may acquire improvements resulting in potential re-shoots.

Testing Set Pieces 'The Collage'

Once we had put together the props and set pieces needed for the opening sequence. We primarily focused our attention towards the collage in relation to presenting it in a manner that involves arranging it so it looks as it is psychotic yet organised.

In order to achieve this, we began by sticking them on the wall and displayed them as if it were a piece of art scattered like a twisted mural of horrific acts of terrorism.

'Shot Test'

Once we had in fact finished the ensemble of the collage; we then placed the actor within the scene and took a test shot of the set in order to provide the crew an in sight of whether or not it's coming together the way we intend it to which our response was yes in deed it has due to the distinctive match it has with the conceptual art from the storyboard. After the testing, we felt confident and prepared for the shot commencing the following day.

Set Development

Before we shot for the rest of our project in the opening set piece involving the desk and wall collage; our group got together a day before shooting in order to prepare the set ready for the shoot.
As apart of the preparation, we spent a few hours discussing how we want to execute the sequence regarding the scenery of the environment how we want to light the scene in order to help set the tone for the sequence. In addition to this, the discussions help resolve some minor issues regarding narrative relating who the sequence will deliver the subject regarding his involvement in the story.

'Our group discussing and planning the scene'

We began by discussing how the scene is going to play out in order to give our group more clarity in regards to how in fact we should arrange the set in order to tease the story the way we want. We first started off by discussing how we were going to arrange the collage on the wall and all of the other items on his desk.

'Crew commencing preparation for filming'

Once our group had finalised our ideas and reached a collective agreement; we began to prepare the set for shooting the following day in order to save time and to ensure that we have fully prepared ourselves and truly dealt with the pre-production stages of our project.

The collage of Articles

An important set piece within our opening sequence is the collage that the character 'Joseph' has up on his wall ; which is seen throughout the majority of the sequence. The articles are meant to illustrate the themes of the story we are teasing in our opening whilst conveying the subject's immoral intentions. 

The articles have to be related to terrorism; regarding my task in gathering these articles I felt that I had to get various events from different sources stating events. Another form of media I thought would have been interesting to incorporate was various pictures or text symbolising the acts of terrorism.

Once I had gathered these articles and other forms of media, I sent them to my fellow group members which they approved that they each had relevance within our project due to the alarming messages they each illustrate which are related the the themes and ideas we wish to represent in our opening sequence.

Scouting for the 'Collage Set"

Within our sequence, the subject is placed within a low light room where is which he is sitting by a desk facing a wall covered with articles and other forms of media conveying ideas related to terrorism.

Our group got together to scout for rooms within various types of buildings that could fit the visual aesthetics of the scene we've envisioned. 

Location #1

We as a group agreed that this set was not suitable for our scene due to the colour of it's surrounding was not what we intend to scene to look, simply because we want the colour the be warm orange or white in order to portray a convincing environment that would be interconnected with an existing house.

Another issue with this set is that it lacks both electrical power running through the unit and that it doesn't have the primary set pieces of a desk and chair; which to acquire those items would involve a great distance of travel to transport the props to the set and then take away.

Location #2

This location was what we had ultimately decided fitted the concept we had in mind for the scene all from props to lighting; the location has a clean and well kept environment which will help benefit our sequence when attempting to portray the idea that this location is apart of an existing house.

The only minor issue that we have encountered is that in regards to the location, our group much reorganise the layout of the room in order to make way for the desk, props and other set pieces.

1st Day of Filming

Before the end of the term has ended, our team decided to film the last scene within our project which in fact takes place entirely in school. I am delighted to say that it was a successful first day of production in which we had captured all the footage we intended to shoot; the footage looks satisfying and will be edited whilst we wait to continue with the rest of our shooting schedule. 

A look at Aayush Joshi as the lead character 'Joseph'

Regarding today's shoot, after looking back at the shots we'd taken in comparison to the shot list ; we may have to alter the shot list due to change of mind regarding the aesthetics given by the shots simply due to the narrative in which they provided. Since now through the camera technique of not revealing the subject's until he enters the class room.

Location Scouting for the "School"

The Corridor

*INSERT PHOTO

In order to introduce the location within the sequence; the character is seen walking through a corridor. In order to illustrate to the audience that he is in fact placed in side a school, we wanted a corridor that reflects a school and that is why we had chosen this corridor due to the simplicity of its straight path providing us with easy mobility for camera placement and movement.

The Classroom

Within the last 30 seconds of the sequence, the scene takes place within a school so we wanted a classroom which due to its brief time on screen; we wanted a room that audiences would immediately  associate as a classroom due to the use of learning posters and school folders around.

The Shot List

This is the entire shot list for the production of our project; this list will act as a guide but also as a reminder to what in fact we'll need to shoot and capture during the times acquired on location. Within the list it includes specific details regards shot types and duration in order to reminder the creative team on what in required for the shot but also to aid the creation of this story.

The Props List

Due to the fact that we are in deed preparing to shoot our project, we have been compiling a list of all the necessities required for the duration of every sequence within our project. We have listed all the required props and accessories needed for the various moments within the sequence ; this list will help provide our creative team a reminder of what is needed within the project in order to tease the story we want to tell within our thrilling opening sequence.

Coursework Animatic (Final Cut)

This is in fact the final draft of the animatic for our project; this was re-edited with an entirely different song in order to convey the particular tone which our group have agreed that it does embody the gritty yet unsettling vibe we want.

Overall this animatic has provided us with an insight regarding shot duration and the ways in which the sequence will presented.

Character Outfits

Within the opening, the main subject within the sequence will be seen wearing 3 different outfits in order to convey a particular aspect of the character. The character will be played by Aayush Joshi who will in fact wear the different items of clothing when required throughout the production.

Outfit #1

The sequence opens with a home-made video illustrating the subject's intentions to set a bomb of at 12:30 ; within this sequence Aayush will be wearing a black coat,trousers and gloves along side with a halloween scream mask to conceal his face.

 Outfit #2

After that sequence has finished, Aayush is then seen throughout the duration of the piece still wearing black trousers but has removed the jacket and the mask but is wearing a black vest. This outfit will subliminally state that lack of clothes will suggest to the audience that he is in fact in his domain where in which he can feel free to expose himself freely without the need to present himself in way that society deem appropriate.

Outfit #3

As the character is within the school environment, Aayush will be wearing the stereotypical accessories an individual such as himself would be expected to wear. As he is in fact meant to be portraying a male sixth form student; he'll be seen smartly dressed along with glasses in order to camouflage amongst the others.

Coursework Animatic (1st Draft)

Since we had finally finished the storyboard for our project, we decided to compile them together to form the first draft of our animatic. This draft was used not only to visually present our concept to provide our team an idea on the sense of the tone; our main interest was to try a particular song choice and decide from the animatic regarding whether or not we should in fact proceed with that song selection.

The song selection was an opera track which was aspired through our interest to challenge the typical conventions of a traditional thriller opening by including a classical track whilst presenting dark and gritty imagery. However from this draft overall as a team we ultimately decided that the track didn't effectively provide a sense of tension towards the audience; we have therefore decided to go back a choose a far more relevant track and re-edit the animatic till we are happy with the final concept. 

But the animatic is pleasing in regards to how in which the footage will be presented within the sequence; from the next draft of the animatic will give our team another glance at our concept. 

Storyboard for the thriller project