Joe Wescott

Frightfest Project Evaluation

Throughout the project my main role was that of Production Manager. It
was my job to ensure that everyone in the group completed the tasks set
to the best of their ability, and to ensure we kept on top of our work, so
that we could complete the final product by the deadline given to us. I also
helped edit a version of the film we shot, as well as completing various
pieces of the pre-production paperwork, such as both the script and
shooting script.
I believe I completed all my jobs to the best of my ability, to help ensure
that the production ran smoothly. All of the pre-production paperwork I
was given to do was completed well ahead of going to our filming location,
and I ensured that this was the same of the rest of my group through my
role as production manager. My main role in Whitby was to ensure that the
shoot stayed on schedule, and that the group worked efficiently and
followed the planning to maintain this schedule. This effort was challenged
slightly when we decided to change the location of our shoot. Originally we
were going to film in some fields, however we decided that the area
wasnt very visually interesting, and to ensure our film looked as good as it
could, we changed locations to film throughout Whitby. Specifically, we
filmed in the town centre and on the pier, however we did use some of our
original location.
Changing location was a challenge, as it meant that we had to work faster
than we had originally intended to. In the field location, it was very
remote, and there wouldnt have been many people around whilst we were
filming. However filming in the actual town meant we were against the
clock, as people came to work and shop. This was a positive of our getting
out early (7am) to film, as we had just enough time to finish filming before
there were too many people around. Furthermore, some of the shots we
had storyboarded had to be changed slightly, though this was just a case
of adapting to the environment. For example, we had planned a shot
where the main character walks over a small hill, and sees various masks
lying at the bottom. Filming in the streets this wasnt possible, however we
managed to adapt, and instead of a hill, we used a set of stairs instead.
Adapting to the change in location however was a group effort, with each
individual having significant input into how we could film scenes
differently.
The shoot offered many other challenges as well. Up near Whitby Abbey,
the wind was significantly strong, which in turn was a persistent problem
throughout our shots. This provided some issues when we were editing our
shoot, as we had to ensure we turned the volume down so the wind wasnt
so strong, however not so much, that we couldnt hear any of the ambient
sound. The wind was a problem that wasnt as noticeable in the streets, as
we were shielded by buildings, but again showed up when filming on the
pier. It was more of an issue here, as we wanted to be able to hear the
sounds of the footsteps as the protagonist was running, however we
managed to balance the sound so that nothing was too overpowering.
There were some other minor problems whilst shooting, however through
working together we were able to find some good solutions. One such

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problem was ensuring the masks we were using did not blow away.
Because we had originally intended to shoot in a field, we had brought
tent pegs to hold the mask strings in the ground. However through the
change of location this was no longer possible and therefore we had to
scavenge for some heavy rocks to hold them in place. The result of this
can be seen in the pier scene, where all of the masks on the ground are
held in place by rocks. However we had to ensure the rocks were well
hidden under the masks, to ensure it wasnt noticeable to the public.
Overall the problems we faced when shooting did not affect the final
product much at all. The persistent wind was an annoyance that we would
have rather not had to deal with, however through editing we were able to
ensure that it was not something that was prominent throughout the film.
The time constraints we faced actually helped push us to work much more
efficiently than we might have, and as a result I believe the end product
looked much better for it. The main problem we faced during the preproduction stage was acquiring all of the props we needed for the shoot,
as the masks were surprisingly difficult to find. However we managed to
get them before we left for Whitby, and the rest of the pre-production
stage went fairly smoothly.
The post-production stage also presented very few problems. We worked
efficiently as a team to ensure the film appeared as we both envisioned,
and that all the feedback we were given was well utilised. The feedback
from our fellow classmates was actually an extremely helpful process.
Everyone else identified many problems that we had initially overlooked,
however through them saying so, we were able to improve the final edit of

our film vastly.

The above image shows a part of the editing process that was affected by
the feedback we gained from the rest of the group. With our initial edit,
the sound was the worst part of our film. The whispers that were supposed
to get more frantic and unsettling towards the end of the film, instead
were very slow paced, and dragged on too long. From the feedback we
gained, we decided to overlap a lot of the voices, which gave them a
much more distorted sound, and quickened the pace.
The group worked very effectively together throughout all stages of the
project. There were very few absences throughout the project, I myself
was absent on one day, and only two other people were absent for an
afternoon. However anyone who was absent managed to catch up on their
work, and as a result, helped to ensure their paperwork was completed by
the deadline. We also managed to spread the workload evenly, to ensure

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nobody had more work than any of the others. We all completed our
individual tasks in our own time, which meant during lessons we could
focus on the group tasks. We did this so that we could help each other
with the more difficult tasks, and devoted more time to these, as many of
them were necessary to take with us to Whitby, so we had to ensure these
had priority over say, the blog work which could be done at anytime, even
after Whitby.
As a result, all the pre-production work was completed before we left for
Whitby, and we even managed to practice filming our scenes. This proved
invaluable when actually in Whitby, as the people on camera already knew
how they had to have the camera set up, and I, being the actor in the film,
knew in advance how I should do certain actions. This once again meant
that whilst in Whitby, we were able to work efficiently to get the job done.
The planning stage of our production went extremely well. We ensured
that before we went to Whitby, we had all of the storyboards, scripts, call
shoots and location recces, plus any other paperwork we needed
complete. We then ensured we had multiple photocopies of the paperwork
so that everyone had access to it at all times. The storyboarding was
particularly helpful, as we ensured they were very detailed, so we knew
exactly what to do with a shot. For example if we were doing an extreme
long shot, we already had planned on the storyboards what I as the actor
was doing, as well as how the camera needed to be set up, which meant
we just had to follow what it said on the sheet. This was another time
where the practice film was useful, as the storyboards could be made
more useful, such as length of each shot, through what we had already
filmed.
Again, having such detailed planning ensured that the production moved
along quickly, even with the changes we made. We had made sure all the
paperwork had been improved before we left for Whitby so it was as
detailed as it could be. In particular, the Call Sheets were improved, so
that we had a clear detailed list of everyone and everything we needed on
the day of the shoot. Prior to the improvements they were somewhat
vague, but by improving them, it made it much easier on the day to tick
off everything we had, and we were then confident that there was nothing
that we had forgotten.
We were actually quite away ahead of our production schedule for the
shoot. We had initially planned to spend the entire Thursday morning
filming, and then do additional sound recording in the afternoon. However
because our planning was so detailed, we managed to complete filming
within a couple of ours, whilst also doing the sound recordings at the same
time. Because of this it meant we were under a lot less pressure to get the
work done, and could spend time reviewing our footage to decide whether
there was anything we needed to redo. In the end we decided there was
only one shot that needed filming again, and because it was just a close
up shot of a phone, with only grass in the background, we were able to
reshoot it when we returned to college. Because of all this we were easily
able to meet the deadlines.
Throughout our time in Whitby, we were able to film everything that we
required. Because of the change in location, we were in a much more

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confined space, which actually forced us to have a wider variety of shots.
During planning, we had storyboarded quite a large amount of Extreme
Long Shots and Long Shots, however due to the narrow nature of several
of the streets, this didnt work as well, and the film actually turned out
better because of this. Furthermore, the camera work itself was really
quite steady, and we tried to minimise how much we had to move it, in
order for the film to look clean, and avoid drawing attention to the camera
work from the audience. In fact the only time moving the camera was
necessary, was during the Point of View Shots, which helped give the
scene a more frantic feel.
Filming early in the morning meant that lighting was not an issue. Being
early morning meant that it was light, so the camera could actually pick up
what was happening, however the lighting was still rather subdued so that
it still fit in with the horror theme. Filming early morning turned out to be a
wise idea, for as the day went on, the clouds broke off and it was actually
quite bright, which would have set the wrong tone for a horror, and we
likely would have had to mess with the picture in post-production.
As mentioned previously, we tried to cut down on the amount of times we
moved the camera. This was a good idea, as I believe that the scenes in
which the camera moves are some of the worst in the film. The beginning
scene is a great example of this. As the camera pans, to show the scenery
and the character in shot, the pace at which the camera moves isnt
consistent. At times in this scene, the camera will be moving slow, and
then suddenly speed up, which makes the camera jerk. I also believe that
the camera is panning a bit too fast in this scene, which makes it difficult
for the audience to appreciate the scenery.
The aforementioned phone scene is also not as good as it could be.
Because we filmed it at a different time and location, the lighting is a lot
brighter, so breaks continuity with the other scenes in the sequence.
However, this is a problem that could be easily fixed in post-production,
through darkening the scene slightly, so that it is somewhat in line with
the others.
The final edit is very different from our original intentions, however this is
more in terms of location, than what the core idea of the film was. The
idea of the whispers and the masks was something that was built up too
much more gradually in our initial planning of the film. For example, when
we see the first mask in the film, this was always going to be the first
scene we see one. Though we did not intend to start the whispers that
early. However I think it was a good idea to do this, as it immediately
establishes to the audience that the masks and whispers are linked, rather
than introducing the whispers later, and risking the audience being
confused and therefore distracted as to why the first mask sighting wasnt
accompanied by a whisper.

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Audio track 2 in the above image shows the frequency with which we used
whispers in the beginning of the film. Initially there had only been one or
two before the scenes in the streets, however we decided we needed to
establish much more quickly, that all the masks and whispers were linked.
The pier running scene was also something new that we added in to the
film. Originally we had intended to do a similar idea; however there would
have been static shots of the protagonist running. In order to increase the
variety of shots that we had in the film, we instead decided to use a POV
shot for this scene. This helped to make the ending of the film feel more
frantic and tense, and acted as a sort of climax to everything that had
come before in the film. This was better than our original idea, which while
being good, wasnt as tense and felt rather slow in comparison.
We had somewhat of an overhaul of the Killer character. In the original
idea, we were going to have him stood in the background and attempt to
blur him out. When attempting to do this however, we discovered we
werent very good at it, and it was more of an annoyance than anything
else. Therefore we still decided to have the killer in the background,
however not blurred out. This still conveyed the sense of mystery that we
were aiming for with the blur, as our protagonist never sees the killer, but
also gave you a greater sense of what the character actually looked like,
and hopefully the costume would scare the audience.
In terms of editing, I believe we did a good job to ensure that we
maintained continuity throughout our film. For the most part continuity
within the scenes werent a big issue, as each shot carried onto another,
but in a slightly different location. This meant having props in the same
place or position within a scene wasnt too important. The key scene
where this was important, was when the protagonist takes the phone out
his pocket, we cut to a close up, then cut back to him placing the phone
back in his pocket. At this point we had to ensure the phone was in the
correct hand, to ensure we maintained the continuity between the
sequences.

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This image gives some insight into how we had to edit our film together
for it to work. It was important for us to get the length of each shot in the
phone scene just right, in order to maintain continuity. This meant a lot of
lengthening and shortening the clips, and we had to move the Text clip
around a lot, so that it was onscreen long enough for the audience to read
it.
Also during editing, we slightly darkened the colour in each scene, just to
further connote the idea of horror, and generally make the film appear
more atmospheric, as a brighter colour palette would have retracted from
the effectiveness of the film. In order to further increase the moody
atmosphere, we added music to the film. We picked a slow, somewhat
mournful song to connote the idea of sadness and horror, coupled with
atmospheric sound, such as the wind, which helps to ground the film in a
sense of realism.
Above all of that, we also added the whisper sounds that were part of the
core idea of our film. These were the most important aspects of the sound
to get right, so we prioritised getting these correct above anything else. As
they were supposed to get more frequent as the film went on, we realised
that the sound clips were too long and slow, which ultimately ruined the
pace of the film. Therefore, we made the decision to overlap a lot of the
voices towards the end of the film. This not only helped with the length of
the voices, but also gave them a good effect, which added to the overall
creepiness of the scenes.
Overall I believe I was very effective in the role of Production Manager.
Initially it was a role I wasnt comfortable with, and didnt think I could be
an effective leader, however as the project went on I gained more
confidence. I managed to coordinate the team to ensure we all had work
to complete, and that we completed it on time. Time management was
another strength of mine throughout the project. The time we were in
Whitby I thought would be too limited, and we would have to rush our
work, however due to our meticulous planning I was able to keep on track,
which is something that was reflected in the pre and post-production
stages.
In future projects I still think there is room for me to improve my ability to
work on a team. I need to ensure I work on my communication skills, in
order to be able to communicate effectively with a team, and make sure I
get my own ideas across, whilst also listening to others. I also need to
ensure that I manage my own workload just as well as others. One issue I

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had at the very start of the project was being behind on the group tasks I
had been assigned, as I gave myself several slightly more challenging
tasks. Therefore I need to ensure I spread the workload slightly more
evenly in the future, and ensure I maintain my time management skills,
which are typically my strongest.