Group : Location Reccie- Wilderness Woods

Where did we go?
On the 5th December we went to Wilderness Woods in Hadlow down. The woods is a conventional location for a horror film and we are considering using the woods as our location for our horror opening.

What was the purpose?
The purpose of going to wilderness woods was to practice our location reccie skills.
We had to risk asses the location in preparation for the main AS filming task. We did this by singling out what risks there were that affected the crew's safety and health and any possible hazards we could spot while filming in that specific location. Also we went so we could practice our filming skills. We were set the task to film a preliminary task where two characters were walking home through the woods and there had to be a 'presence', which meant the characters felt as if they were being followed. However the story behind the 'presence' is never revealed to the audience. This way we could practice all of our filmaking techniques such as camera shots and angles, panning, character blocking, mise en scene and much more. As well we went so we could potentially see if this was a location we could use for our final task.  Finally We will be using the footage we collected from wilderness wood to practice and experiment with our editing. This way we can see what editing techniques work and look best and this will help us decide how we will edit out final horror opening sequence.

What did we do?
-Before we started filming we had to decide a few details that allowed us to create our story, for instance we needed to decide on a sub-genre. We chose psychological horror because the characters in the clip never see the creature that's after them, they just hear noises and assume something is there. We also planned out the main storyline which we could adapt or change which would better suit our exact location we were going to choose when we arrived.
-We then filled out a call sheet to ensure we had all of our groups contact details. This meant that if separated we could easily get in contact. Also we noted down what equipment and materials we had and what we would be using for shooting. This included props such as a mobile phone and our equipment which was a tri-pod camera and dolly.
- Next we went out into the woods and filled out a risk assessment sheet to ensure that we had thought about all possible risks before shooting so neither ourselves nor the equipment would be damaged, for example we needed to think about roots in the ground and make sure we were careful where we stepped and also the weather, so if it rained we would have to cover the equipment. 
-We then spend about half an hour walking through the woods to chose a specific location that seemed to create a spooky feeling and was ideal location that fitted with our storyline. The location we used was in an opening in the woods with a stream and a bridge running over the stream. It also had a few shelters made out of sticks and twigs which we decided would add a vulnerability to one of our characters, if they used it as a shelter. We then took some pictures to record and secure the location.
-We then started to write out the order of our shots, what angles we would use and the distance of the camera from the subject in frame, ie CU, MS, ELS. We also wrote down what dialogue would need to be spoken. As we didn't have much time we wrote down our main shots and most important notes, for a larger shoot we obviously would take more time and care over this section to ensure that we had created a clear list of shots and order.
-Once our main storyboard was complete we started to film. We used a tri-pod to achieve sleek pans for our establishing shot and for our running scene. Also it was used for a 360 degree pan and any shots that were stationary. It ensure that our shots were balanced and looked professional. We also used a dolly, we hadn't used one before and we wanted to experiment with it and create an interesting shot. 
- Using our equipment we recorded a variety of shots for example: ECU shot, MS, CU shot,  pan shot, establishing shot, tracking shot, 360 pan, low angle shot, high angle shot and POV shot. We also included dialogue in our sequence to portray our specific narrative and during the shooting we decide to use a mobile phone as a prop.
- We shot most of our shots in chronological order as this was the best way to ensure we kept continuity. It meant our actors would look the same and it lowered the risk of lighting change or background noise change. Also it was just simpler to shoot chronologically as we had to move around our chosen location. 
-We then decided to record any diegetic sound such as rustling noises and running noises.
-As we had some extra time after filming everything we looked through our footage and assessed what we had filmed. If we noticed anything that we thought stuck out and could be improved we did some re-filming. 
- We then still had a few minutes spare so shot a few extra shots this meant we had more angles to choose from  when editing. 

What worked ?
During filming, different aspects worked better then others. For example:
- when Laurel shouted, the woods created echoes creating an unexpected sense that she was completely alone. 
-The location also created an eerie atmosphere due to the trees obscuring views and creating shadows.
- The location was very isolated which was an advantage in many ways: it created a gloomy atmosphere, was useful when creating continuity as there were no pedestrians to accidently appear in shots and when recording sound as there was no background noise.
- Our equipment that we had worked very well, our pans were smooth, our stationary shots were still and the dolly created a nice affect.
- Our time management was very good as we left time to re shoot anything and this meant that we made sure we left with all the shots we needed.

What didn't work?
-A problem that occurred was when the diegetic sound didn't record as well as we wanted it to. However to overcome this we separately recorded any diegetic sound that we thought we needed. 
-The wind created difficulties when trying to create continuity of sound because it would be dissimilar in each shot. 
-The fact that we were in the woods meant that the floor was very uneven so sometimes it was difficult to place the tri pod and creating a straight frame was a task.
-Lighting would change in some of our shots due to the natural light changing.
- Due to the fact we didn't have enough time to fully plan our storyboard it meant that sometimes we had to improvise. Planning fully would have meant we could have planned more angles and maybe have been more creative with certain shots.



Happy faces after a hard days work

Some intense storyboard planning before the shoot

location reccie

Our call sheet

We used the call sheet to ensure we had all contact details of all members of our group. This meant that if we needed to locate any member we easily could. We listed what all of the equipment that we using. This mean we new exactly what equipment we had and it was easier to keep track of what we had and didn't have. The risk assessment made us aware of our surroundings and meant that we were alert at any risks around us at all times.

Risk Assessment sheet 2

Risk Assessment sheet 1