First edit of opening sequence

Location

We originally planned to film our opening sequence at Wollaton Park, but because the children we had asked to be in our film could not get to Wollaton Park, therefore we decided to will at a park close to where they live to make it easy for the. The location we chose had a forest part and park, therefore the location would still work just as well as Wollaton Park.

Mise-En-Scene

We also decided to keep the makeup and clothing on characters simple, as this would make the opening sequence more realistic, as young children don't wear makeup. Or go to the park in dresses. Therefore we made sure the young girl was wearing casual clothes such as jeans, a hoodie, wellies and a coat. We also made sure the mother of the little girl  was wearing casual clothes as well.  

Natural lighting was used throughout the filming. However, when we filmed the scenes in the woods, the lighting was dark, which added to the tension we were trying to create. Thrillers often use dark lighting to create tension. Therefore this scene especially added to the tension. During the editing stages we as a group decided to darken the lighting, as we thought it would create a more airy and tense atmosphere, which is essential for a thriller. 

Sound 

Throughout the filming there were backgrounds such as other children playing on the park, birds, traffic noise. This dieagetic  sound made the opening sequence more realistic. For the non dieagetic sound we decided to use the 'Hex' theme as the music at the start of the sequence, we decided upon this because the music starts of airy and builds with tension throughout. We also thought this was the music that matched our narrative the most. We also used the 'thirteen' theme in our opening scene. We used it towards the end of sequence, when the camera pans down from the side shot of the swing and the audience begin to see footsteps, that is when the music begins. We chose this music because it is a song that can be associated with children due to the fact it is taken from a well known nursery rhyme, as well as being sang by what sounds to be a young girl. This music is quite spooky and airy which along side the footsteps, builds the climax of our opening scene.

 This is the music that starts as the mother character leaves her daughter.

 

 

 

 

 This is the song that starts when the little girl is left on her own at the swings.

 

 

 

 

 

Editing

During the editing stages, we all took it in turns to edit the clips together. We used a number of editing techniques, such as action matches, dissolves. We also changed the colours of the clips to make them look darker to create an airy tension, however we made sure the lighting still looked natural. Towards the end of the sequence when the footsteps begin the shots change to black and white which create a more airy atmosphere which creates tension and suspense for the audience.

Filming

When filming we made a few changes to the story, for example we didnt film the clip where the little girl spins round with the teddy bear. We also filmed the little girl dropping the teddy, we then zoomed into the teddy so audience realised that it had been dropped for the purpose of the story. Later on in the sequence after the footsteps the audience see the little boy the little girl was on the swing with, stood behind her holding the teddy she dropped wearing a gasmask. This shows the audience that something unnatural has happened and creates a tension for the audience when they see that the little girl has become possesed.