Emma Phillips Foundation Production

When it came to filming our thriller, everything was relatively straightforward and pretty compliant to the main idea and plan we first had. However, filming during the snowy weather meant that acting was made difficult due to the -5 degree temperatures and therefore we had to stop filming and return home to put more layers on, in fear that the final acting appearance would not be convincing or professional.

Due to filming being started at around 9:30am, lighting was almost perfect and we were able to gain some very effective shots that, despite the cold weather, worked well with the snow on the ground. The snow also, when looking back at the footage, made the scene look yet more creepy and scar, adding to the overall atmosphere we first desired when planning the story line for our thriller.

The actors, despite the cold weather however, were very professional and often added their own input and ideas to what we could improve on and the range of shots we could include in order to improve the effectivity of our opening. They followed direction easily and often elaborated on given topics which overall improved the scene we had just filmed.

On the other hand, we did have issues with the battery life of our camera and therefore were rushed at some points to get the shot we needed quickly- adding to the stress and pressure on the actors to perform adequately. This did not matter however when we returned to Richard Powell's house in order to film the first scene of our opening as we were able to charge the camera and use it at the same time; therefore not loosing any time.

Creating props, such as the noticeboard covered in pictures of the victim (Aimee Hunt) and getting photo's we had taken that day of the scene and alledged rape scene off a memory stick also took up quite a lot of time when we were limited due to my partner, Nathan Roe having work at half past four. However, spending time on such things had a very positive outcome and added to the overall image and atmosphere we wanted to create.

By managing to film all in one day, we were able to eliminate many continuity errors, however we did have to watch this certain problem after returning home for more layers; by putting smaller layers under the coats/shirts etc that our actors were wearing.

Overall, I believe the filming of our thriller went very well and we were able to create the atmosphere we first intended too. We managed to chose actors that not only had performance knowledge, but also great media and filming knowledge as they are also media students, making them more dynamic and useful to us.