Outtakes

Heres a little Outtakes video from our second draft filming at Windsor an Eaton Riverside station.

The Hermeneutic Code

What is the Hermeneutic Code?
The Hermeneutic Code:
"The Hermeneutic Code contains anything in the text that is mysterious or unexplained, usually leading to questions which the reader needs answered"

In a nutshell the Hermeneutic code keeps the veiwer/reader in suspence and leave them on a cliff hanger. This is a great code to include in films and books etc. Infact its an almost vital part to have in films to get the veiwer hooked! When the Hermeneutic code is used it draws people in, it makes them want to watch more or come back for more. It leaves un answered questions and mysteries that keep you glued to the TV. A brilliant example of the Hermeneutic code is the Saw films. There are 7 Saw films which indicates how well the writer has used the Hermeneutic code, especially as having 7 different films is very uncommon they have done an excellent job at keeping the veiwers glued to thier TV screens wanting to know what happens in the next film, by leaving unasnwered questions in the previous films.
This is something we took on board when filmimng our opening to Blackout. We didnt want to give away too much information so the veiwer will be wanting to see what happens next! We leave a few unanswered question like "Why is the guy getting the tramp?, Who is the guy?, What is thier motive?, What has the tramp done?"

Vlog

After filming our second draft for Blackout, we thought we would make a short Vlog during a free lesson myself, Jamie and Ramtin had. Unfortanuly George was in a lesson. Heres the short video blog talking though everything we've done.

Second Draft.

After all the editing was done, we are able to show you our second draft for Blackout, personally i think its a massive improvement from the first draft adding more story into the short opening, also using more varied shots. Have a look for youself!

Editing

when it came to editing Blackout i was'nt much involved. Not because I cant edit or I was'nt allowed but because we had George and Ramtin in the group. both George and Ramtin spend thier spare time editing and posting videos on youtube and are both very experianced and talented at editing videos

So as a group we all thought it would be best to leave George and Ramtin to edit Blackout as we all knew they would do an excellent job at editing. Both George and Ramtin used PC's to edit Blackout, and used other programmes than the popular Mac programme Final Cut that everyone else in the year was using to edit thier videos. Because of this it did mean not a whole lot of editing was done at school, but instead edited at home. Both Rmatin and George were also the masterminds behind the timelapse at the beggining of the sequence, and they both did an excellent job on it.

Re-Shooting

After getting permission from the Station manager, we spent one morning re-filming for Blackout with our new ideas and ways to improve. Adding in new shots, new angles and new twists to improve the story of Blackout. The filming process did take awhile and there was alot of cuts and bits that didnt make the opening. Here's just a few outtakes from our filming. As yuo can see we had alot of fun filming!

Feedback from the 1st Draft

After handing in our first draft and showing it to both our teachers it was clear that much more work was needed to be done. They gave us great constructive feedback for improving our ideas and films. After they saw the first draft they botht hought that there wasnt enought to the story; and it seemed all pretty random. Another majour problem we encountered was the transistion from the station to the school toilets was far too obvious and it broke many rules of continuity. So after getting this feedback we re-grouped and re-thought through the story and came up with some more ideas to improve the idea. We then made another apointment with South west trains to film at the station and again and began improving our film. This time we would add more story into the whole opening and also film the toilet scene at the train station toilets, which would help the flow of continuity massively.

Risk Assessment

When filming at Windsor and Eaton Riverside station there was obviously a fair few risks that were around when we were filming. To make sure we was safe filming at the station we had to fill out a risk assessment sheet that we had to hand in. Also the manager of the station, Frank, also gave us the stations own Risk Assessment before we was allowed to film on the station

The Main Location

The main Location for Blackout is set at Windsor and Eaton riverside station. We specifically chose this location when we first came up with the idea for Blackout. One of the main reasons we orginally chose the Train Station is due to the timelapse we have at the beggining of our opening. We wanted to have the tramp sat there busking away while trains came and went signifying that he has been busking there for a long period of time. The station is very much still in use and therefore very publicly open. We had to therefore write a letter to SouthWest trains asking for permission to film. We was lucky enough to be allowed to film.

Filming at the station obviously brought about some risks when filming. Obviously there will be trains cmoing and going and stay well clear of the platform edge was a majour risk.

Toilet Scene Location 1

In our first draft we decided to film in the Windsor boys school toilets for a number of reasons. We felt that it would be much more flexiable to work in the school toilets after school rather than filming in toilets that were in use to the pulic. So with that in mind, we filmed the second part  of Blackout in the windsor Boys' school toilets for our first draft. These toilets were alot more cleaner aswell making it alot more comfortable to film in. Here are a few location shots.

Location 2 WBS Toilets

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Filming and our 1st draft

After alot of editing from all the filiming we did at southwest trains station (Windsor and Eton riverside) we are able to show you our first draft of our intro to Blackout. We filmed it during the week after school one evening where we were greeted by the station manager, Frank. After a short meeting which included a safty breifing we were able to start filming. We filmed for about 3 hours making sure we got all the right shots that we planned out before hand. After spending a week or so editing this is what we came up with. The equipment we used was a tripod to keep the camera still to hold a steady shot, the camera its self(making sure there was plently of battery life), and the props and mise-en-scene for the opening. Which included me getting changed into our tramp cloths and bringing along a guitar to play! Whilst there we improvised abit, to make sure we made the most of our time filmimng at the station. We stuck to our orginal shot list but also added in a few more!