The First Reflective Main Exercise Entry.

The main exercise has begun and initially it is a very different setting to the previous Preliminary exercise. This projects is a lot more involved demanding more work than previously anticipated.
The preliminary exercise was a lot easier for us to produce as the requirement criteria was not as high, following the brief which said; "Character entering a room crossing it, sitting down and exchanging several lines of dialogue." The production did not have to be integrated with high amounts of detail, as long as we followed the continuity aspect. For the first project - preliminary exercise, the group work very well together, roles were assigned quickly and preparation for the preliminary task was essential for success. Having just started the main exercise at the beginning of the week the initial shock of the percentage work/preparation required is quite high, however it was not completely overwhelming as i knew that the main exercise was going to be much larger than the preliminary, bigger project, therefore more work require to achieve it.
Intentionally we are producing the opening sequence of a film, which has proven to be quite challenging. Especially as many of us believed that the ideas we were generating were very much reflective of a trailer, which is not what the brief states. “Main task: the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.” Initially for the preliminary exercise our group decided on the production theme relatively quickly, what we have found that with the main exercise our ideas have had to be developed and altered to level everyone in the groups intentions. The decision was made to produce a 'Zombie Movie' which as the brief states was original, new and fictional. As a group we felt that following codes and conventions of previous zombie films we wanted to attract the target audience, but of our own age, so using actor and actresses we are friends with who are willing to participate. Additionally i have had contact with a friend who is currently studying Music BTEC and he has said he would help develop and produce original non-copy protected music for our production.
Paper work is taking a lot longer than anticipated, initially i felt the production papers would be brisk like the preliminary exercise however there is a lot more that has to be taken in to account. The production has to last for at least 2 minutes and the general requirement of shots in correlation to vocals and script writing, it will take longer than i first thought. Especially as there has to be between 3-4 minutes of recorded footage for cropping down and editing.
Prior to the main exercise the preliminary task was filmed and produced in college which meant that it was accessible and everyone was within the grounds to create the production. However in the preliminary task there was a communication error which meant a member of the team was left out, however the problem has been amended for the main exercise and we hope that the production will run smoothly.
I have my concerns that the production may go wrong and end up with the production of a comedy, which will not be beneficial to my grades, that is why there will be an alternative plan 'B' to fall back on. 9Decision have yet to be made however initial ideas are being analysed)
With consideration to the S.W.O.T there will inevitably be problems that we will have to overcome. Firstly our location is set in Grove Field - Portland, myself and Phillip Howarth are new to Portland, therefore travel and navigation will be entrusted to Deanna Stevens and Holli Bash for their knowledge of the area. Secondly we are filming outside, hills, wooded area the whole place is prone to health and safety issues which void and restrict our actions. Other minor possibilities are such as us using fake blood to produce gore scenes (however with it being a 15 we are not allowed to stress the emphasis of pain or suffering)
on lookers may believe us to be actually harming each other and therefore the local police must be informed incase of phone calls. Working out doors is a natural hazard and therefore extra care must be taken in to account during the production. However the most unpredictable hazard is weather, estimates for the day can roughly show how the weather will pan out however it could potentially be bad, causing sufficient aggravation. The call sheet is scheduled for filming to be done on the 17th of March 2010 and that is when we intend to film it.
I feel that during the production of the preliminary task i took a very dominant role in telling the group how things should be done, for this one i intent to follow suit however be far more suggestive and hear people out. I think that i felt compelled to produce a brilliant production but i know that this can only be achieved if i work with my team and not on my own.

Relevant Trailers (Inspiration):

Zombieland: