storyboard

presentation of ideas and information

George Romero's zombie films

George Romero's films were the first to adopt the modern style of zombie, he began to use the idea of the films being survival movies and how only a few people survive from the disaster and the end of civilisation with carnivorous monster that eat humans.  With Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead, this is taken a stage further as we see Romero bases his next two movies entirely on Wyndham’s theme of differing ways of how people survive and organise society after organisation breaks down to give a range of views of the survivor, this also helps for the audience to connect to some characters differently and can also add suspense and a sense of diversity towards the survivors.

Props for filming

Props for my final production

All of my props I will use are safe and will be kept safe and out of view when we are not filming. I have numerous Airsoft replica firearms which my actors can use for my final production film, I want to incorporate weapons as they show that there will be conflict within the film and also having weapons has connotations with them such as; something/someone needs protecting, there will be some form of conflict and that something will need resolving through violence.

Knife- I have a prop rubber knife that one of my actors will have, to show that there may be some close conflict between the survivor and the zombie which adds tension and suspense within the film.

Guns- The guns that i will be using are all Airsoft imitation firearms so they do not cause any harm to any individual as they will not be loaded. I will ensure that when we are not filming the guns are out of view of any passer by so that they do not get alarmed by thinking that they are real firearms. By using these props it means that my final production will look realistic and will have a good impact on the audience. By using guns it conforms to the zombie thriller genre as in almost all zombie thriller films contain a gun or some form of weapon which shows there will be the need to resolve an issue with lethal actions. I will use larger guns as they are seen as more threatening, they also have an intimidating look towards them meaning that they will give a tense atmosphere to the film opening.

Pistol

2 Assault Rifles that may be used

I also have a pyrotechnic sound emitter which i could possibly use but would have to think of where to incorporate it into my film opening, i would also have to ask the farm manager if i would be allowed to detonate the pyrotechnic as there are offices on site and i wouldn't want to cause any alarm or startle the livestock which is also at the filming location.

casting

Within my media product I only had one main member to cast, which was Mark French, he played the lead antagonist within my media product.

I chose to cast Mark (my father) as I thought that it would make my media product more realistic by having an older actor instead of a teenager as it would look more authentic as a majority of zombie thriller/horror products have older actors compared to younger ones. also the character that he was playing was an individual who was experienced in combat, this would not have been practical for a teenager. I think that by having an older actor it also allowed my product to be more relatable to an older population as well because it is not just portraying a younger generation which would attract a younger audience.

My preliminary task

This is the task in which i tested out camera shots and angles and turned them into a continuous film short.

Information and permission about filming location(s)

I will be filming a majority of my film at a farm called Greatworth Hall which is just outside of the village of Greatworth, I have gained permission to film here verbally by asking the manager of the farm if it was possible to shoot my film at their farm. I chose to film at a farm as it is in a secluded area where i will not be disturbed, I will need to conduct a risk assessment of this area for my actors.

Website to the farm: http://www.greatworthhall.com/

The rest of my film will be shot either at my house or my grandfathers so I can operate the camera without any interaction from the public.

treatment

action- In my film there will be a lot of action as the story contains a lot of fighting and action with the zombies and survivors.

themes- The themes within my film are horror, thriller and the sub-genre which is zombie.

narrative structures- The narrative structure of my film is going to be linear as this is most popular within zombie/horror thrillers

characters- In my film opening the characters I will have will be survivors and a zombie.

settings- The setting of my film is in Post-apocalyptic England in which almost all of the population is a zombie or is dead.

mise en scene- I will use editing to create a darker effect and other various effects to add affect to my production, hopefully making it appeal more to the audience.

camera work- I will use a variety of shots and shot lengths so that the audience can get a sense of the surrounding, allowing them to understand the story and location.

editing- I will use a variety of edits such as fades, jump cuts and long cuts to show a difference in atmosphere and to add suspense and different effects