Problems we faced

Initially, we had planned to do it in a previously decided location. However, due to many changes to the plot during the planning process, we did not feel that our location we had chosen was suitable for our thriller, as it did not fit in with any of the story line. We then had to think of where was available that could play host to our filming. This was seen as a minor hitch which we overcame quickly.


A similar problem we faced was the actors. As we were a full-boy group, this reduced the character variety in which we could perform. Unfortunately, our plot involved a female character. This meant that we had to find an external actor to play the female part, as all the other female members of our class were busy in creating their own thriller opening. We had difficulties with the female actor in finding time to come and film, and also there was the issue of transport as our chosen location was in a village a bit out in the countryside, which meant it was slightly difficult to get to. This was one of our major problems, as without the female character, the amount that we could film was extremely limited.


Thirdly, the props involved posed a problem. As we had violent scenes in our thriller opening, health and safety became an issue. We had to show a knife in one of the scenes, and it was difficult to create a killing scene in which we could hide the knife but make it still seem effective. To overcome this problem, we filmed from behind the attacker and we broke the handle off the same knife, so the viewers saw the attacker plunge the knife handle into the female character, with presumably the knife still attached. 


Another problem we faced with props was the blood capsules that were used to show the victim dying. They posed a problem with the female actor, as she found it difficult to spit them out correctly to create and effective killing scene. We did not know how to overcome this, and we hoped that through trial and error, we would be able to produce some footage that was efficient. 


Also, editing became a problem that we faced. We originally wanted to use effects that were available on iMovie HD, but the Mac laptop that we were using to edit our final thriller did not have this software, neither could it be downloaded. This posed a problem as we had to use basic editing software to edit music and video aspects of the film. We overcame this by importing various effects that were a necessity in our production, but otherwise we would just manage with what we had at hand, which turned out to be quite effective. 


By working in a group without having any qualms or annoyances with one another, we managed the produce our final thriller without any human problems, and any problems that we faced were mainly technical, which were generally quite easy to solve. On top of this, the fact that we thoroughly enjoyed filming meant that we did not create any problems out of exasperation.