#71 Planning: Maybe extras aren't that bad ?

    Hey everyone, today I will be talking about how we will have some extra help from some other fellow A Level media studies kids that aren't from our class to help us out with our two trailers. 

    So… after looking over our script (if you’ve actually seen it), it’s pretty clear we can’t pull this whole thing off with just the people in our group. Like, we’re ambitious, but we’re not superheroes. Some scenes literally need extra hands, and honestly, that’s where our friends come in.

    Maddie was the first one to jump on the idea. She immediately started thinking about who we could bring in that would actually add something to the project instead of just standing around. That’s how she ended up recruiting Sebastian and Kelly, and honestly, they’re kind of perfect for what we need.

    Sebastian is one of those people who just naturally knows how to handle a camera. He’s super steady, he understands angles without overthinking it, and he’s just good at making shots look clean. It’s one thing to plan a shot on paper, but it’s another thing to have someone who can actually execute it without the camera shaking like we’re filming an earthquake. So having him around is going to make our lives so much easier.

    And then there’s Kelly. I swear, she’s basically an artist with makeup. She can make someone look creepy, tired, injured, mysterious, whatever we need. For our film, where the vibe is already kind of unsettling, having someone who can actually create that look instead of us trying to figure it out last minute is a lifesaver. She just gets it.

    Bringing them in makes the whole project feel more real, like we’re actually building something bigger than just a class assignment. It’s kind of exciting knowing we have people who want to help and who actually bring something unique to the table.

    We’re definitely going to talk more about this once we get closer to filming, because that’s when everything is going to get chaotic in the best way. So yeah… stay tuned, because this is just the beginning.

#70 Planning: Through the Camera’s Eye

    Hey everyone, today I will be talking about how when I first started the whole media studies Cambridge course in AS Level I didn't know anything about cameras and how there's angles and shots in film and how they all mean something and give a meaning. Now know the importance of all that and knowing that this makes any type of film better I try my best to use it with me team.

Before I get into the shots we’re using, here’s a video that helped me understand camera angles way better:

    When we started planning out our trailer, I didn’t realize how much camera angles actually shape the whole vibe of a scene. I always knew they mattered, but once we started breaking everything down, it hit me how much each angle changes the way the audience sees the moment. So, I’ve been paying way more attention to the shots we’re choosing and why they fit what we’re trying to show.

    One thing I’ve been thinking about a lot is close ups. They’re honestly so good for showing emotion without having to do too much. When something intense is happening, a close‑up just makes it feel way more personal. I like using them for moments where the audience is supposed to focus on someone’s reaction or when something important is revealed. It just pulls you in.

Close up shot:

    Then there’s wide shots, which are basically the opposite but still super useful. I love how they show the whole space and make the character look small or isolated when the scene calls for it. For our project, wide shots help set the mood and show the environment, especially in the creepier parts. It gives the audience a second to take everything in before things get tense again.

Wide shot:

    And of course, over the shoulder shots. These are honestly so underrated. They make conversations feel more natural and help the audience see things from a character’s point of view without it being a full POV shot. I like using them when two characters are talking or when someone is watching something important happen. It adds this subtle tension, especially if the person in the foreground is reacting to something the audience hasn’t fully seen yet.

Over the shoulder shot:

    Moreover, planning out these angles has made me realize how much thought goes into every single shot. It’s not just about pointing the camera at something it’s about choosing the angle that actually tells the story the way we want it to feel. I’m glad we took the time to break everything down because now the trailer feels way more intentional.

Source:

50+ Types of Camera Shots, Angles, and Techniques

#69 Planning: The Audio Breakdown

    Hey everyone, today I will be talking about how I’ve been spending time looking at the sound for my project, and it’s honestly wild how much audio can change the whole mood of a scene. I didn’t realize how many tiny choices go into making something feel right until I started digging into it again. Since it’s been a while, I felt a little out of practice with timing and figuring out where certain sounds should go.

    To get back into the flow, I watched a bunch of videos on sound design and how other creators use audio to shape their projects. Seeing different examples really opened up new ideas for me and helped me think about how I want the sound in my own film to come across. It definitely gave me fresh inspiration for my project for me to tell my group members.

    Watching this video honestly opened up a whole new world of sound ideas for my project. The creator shows how tiny audio details things you barely even notice at first can completely shift the mood of a scene. It gave me so many ideas for how I can make certain moments in my trailer feel way more tense and unsettling.

    The creepy tones and subtle noises they demonstrated would fit perfectly in the parts of my film where the audience is supposed to feel on edge. For example, in the moment where I disappear in the trailer, adding sounds like the ones in this video would make that scene hit so much harder. It really showed me how sound can take a suspenseful moment and make it feel even more intense.

    Overall, this video helped me think differently about how I want to use audio not just as background noise, but as something that actually shapes the emotion of the scene.

    To start off, this video ended up being one of the most helpful ones I’ve watched. It really showed me how much sound can completely change the feeling of a scene. Seeing the difference between a clip with no audio and the same clip with full sound design made everything make so much more sense to me. It helped me understand how to use sound in my own project and gave me a way clearer idea of how I want to build the atmosphere in my trailer.

#68 Planning: Story Board for Full trailer

    Hey everyone, today I will be talking about the story board for the full trailer for that our team planned out and that I drew for us. We made sure to plan it out as detailed as possible to show off a structure we wanted to follow while we film. Of course, we have are scripts and locations, but we also want to have a visual diagram of it all for when we film. It's the same thing we did for the teaser!

Full Trailer Story Board:

    The way our teaser plays out is pretty wild. It opens with investigators trying to piece together a fifth murder connected to this masked figure. After that, there’s a moment where I break the news to Madison that her fingerprints showed up on a piece of evidence, which immediately makes everything feel way more serious. Then someone steps forward and tells me what they saw about the masked man, and that’s when it hits me that all these little clues actually connect. Later, I pull up some security footage, but the video starts glitching right when it looks like it’s about to show something important. Eventually, I end up face‑to‑face with the masked man while trying to help a hostage. The last thing the hostage says is, “He never left the fire,” which leaves everything hanging in the air.

    These are the moments my group and I really want to bring to life. I feel like they give the audience enough to understand the situation without giving away too much. With how clearly we’ve mapped everything out, I’m confident the trailer will make sense and still leave people curious.

    We’re almost done planning everything, and I’m honestly so excited to see it all come together. My group and I have been putting so much effort into every detail because we want the trailer to feel intentional and polished. The storyboard has been a huge help in keeping us organized and making sure we stay focused on what we want to show.

#67 Planning: Story Board for Teaser trailer

    Hey everyone, today I will be talking about the story board for the teaser trailer for that our team planned out and that Ethan Sanchez drew for us. We made sure to plan it out as detailed as possible to show off a structure we wanted to follow while we film. Of course, we have are scripts and locations, but we also want to have a visual diagram of it all for when we film. 

Teaser Trailer Story Board:

    Breaking everything down shot‑by‑shot has honestly made the teaser trailer so much easier to understand. Seeing each moment in order helped us figure out the angles, the pacing, and how we want everything to transition. Instead of trying to keep the whole thing in our heads, the storyboard keeps us focused and lets us actually see what we’re aiming for. It’s made us way more organized and has definitely saved us a ton of time.

    The teaser itself is going to give people a really strong first look at the film. Starting with the mask on the ground, completely in focus, immediately sets the tone. Then cutting to the driveway with the tape across it hints that something serious happened there and that it’s under investigation.

    Overall, the storyboard pulls out the main moments we want to highlight and makes it clear what the audience is supposed to take away from the teaser.

#66 Planning: The Last Rewrite

    Hey everyone, today I will be talking about how we finally finished our script, and it kicks off with a flashlight revealing a creepy mask in the dark.

Trailer 1:

An outside voice says:

 "Detective I think you've missed something..." (automatically creepy in my opinion)

Next, it cuts to fast-paced scenes that create suspense such as, a door slamming shut and the masked villain standing at the end of the hallway. Then footsteps are heard in a cold and empty hallway while someone runs past me suddenly however, I was unable to tell who it was.  Then a masked appears over her shoulder quickly to jump scare the audience. 

Madison: "We closed this case. We were wrong."

Then my character is looking at the cases until suddenly a wooden mask slip under her door. 

Then a whisper for the masked man;

Ethan: "You should've saved us..." in a whisper

Trailer 2: 

Starts off with a street of a neighborhood. 

Voice over: "There is an investigation for the 5th murder to find the masked man called The Hallow Man."

Next, cuts to a scene where Madison is at her desk and I walk in

Me: "Your fingerprints are on the evidence"

Madison: "What! Well, someone must have put them there."

Next Investigation with the witness:

Witness: "He used to watch us from the windows."

Madison finds a clue on the floor. The lights begin to flicker. The masked man is watching from outside. Lights begin to flicker. 

Madison: "These clues aren't random. They are targeted at me!"

To continue, Madison is on her computer when she finds security footage of the masked villain from 10 years ago, complete with a time stamp. The footage keeps glitching, adding to the suspense.

In the next scene, Madison is shoved against a wall by the killer. Her partner, Gaby (me), is with her, but then Gaby’s (me) flashlight suddenly goes out. The room goes completely dark, and when the light flickers back on, Gaby (me) has disappeared. Madison fights back, pushing the killer to the floor and ripping off his mask only to realize it’s actually one of his hostages.

Madison: “Who is making you do this?” 

Hostage: “He never left the fire.”

#65 Planning: On Site

    Hey everyone, today I will be talking about planning out where we were going to film ended up being one of the harder things to figure out so quickly. Since we’re filming across four days, we wanted locations that weren’t too far away. That way, if we need to redo a scene, we don’t have to waste time driving back and forth.

    Deering Estate works because thrillers often use isolated, natural settings to build suspense. The mise‑en‑scène of trees and water at night makes the audience feel uneasy, which fits the genre. Maddy remembered back to her AS level project when she filmed at Deering Estate, it has tons of trees and at night it feels really mysterious, so that could work. Another idea she had was using a nearby marina. It’s surrounded by nature, so it looks like we’re in some secluded area even though we’re really not.

    Using houses is practical, but it limits suspense. That’s why we thought about school hallways the bright lights and empty mise‑en‑scène create tension in a different way.

This is the Black Point Marina:

This mise‑en‑scène is effective because the natural low‑key lighting makes the audience expect danger.

This is Deering Estate:

You can tell the place is surrounded by water and trees, and once it gets dark it creates a really mysterious vibe for the audience.

    We all agreed these spots work best for filming since they’re close by and easy to get to. we picked them because they fit thriller conventions, affect the audience, and balance practical production needs.

    Compared to the marina, the hallways feel less natural but more controlled. If we had more time, we’d explore abandoned spaces, but these choices balance practicality and suspense.

    Finding these spots was harder than expected, but it made us more creative with what we had.

#64 Planning: Scene Breakdown

    Hey everyone, today I will be talking about how our plot goes. Maddy is the main character, and she’s playing an investigator who’s trying to figure out all these break‑ins and missing reports that keep leading back to this MASKED villain. As she starts digging, she notices clues popping up in the disappearances. At first, she’s confused, but then it starts feeling repetitive, almost like the clues are being left on purpose for her to find.

    Then things get intense. Her partner finds another clue, but before she can even explain it, the lights shut off. When they flicker back on, I’m gone.... like completely disappeared......and the only thing left behind is my flashlight on the floor. Maddy goes into shock, super scared and confused, and that’s when she starts suspecting the masked villain even more.

    Later, Maddy finally comes face‑to‑face with the masked figure. She knocks him down and pulls the mask off, but instead of some cold villain, it’s actually a hostage who’s shaking and terrified. She asks him who’s behind all of this, and he says, “He never left the fire.” Maddy is confused until she remembers a past case where a man supposedly died in a fire years ago. Turns out… he never did.

    That’s the full plot we’re using to plan how our trailers will be split. It ends on a big cliffhanger, which makes it even more exciting. Honestly, coming up with this together has been so fun, and it’s just the beginning of what we’re building.

    The reason as to why Ethan and I picked Madison to me the main role it because she has the best voice for serious roles and or thriller ones. Her voice is very creepy and straight to the point and she does not laugh she very serious in her roles unlike Ethan and I that laugh at everything. 

#63 Planning: Cast Match

    Hey everyone, today I will be talking about breaking down how we figured out the roles for our project. Since there’s only three of us, we wanted to make sure each person had a part that really fits them. We thought back to our synergy project to help us decide, and we agreed it would be more fun if all of us acted so the trailer feels complete and everyone gets involved in the storyline.

    Of course, filming isn’t just about acting. We still need someone on the camera, people to handle props, and help with costumes and makeup. Since we can’t do all of that ourselves while we’re in front of the camera, we asked a few friends to jump in and cover those jobs so we can stay focused on performing.

    As for the actual roles: Maddy taking on the officer because she can keep a serious tone in scenes, which makes her perfect for that character. Ethan is playing the masked villain, which works really well for him since the mask adds drama without him needing to show emotion. I am going to be the victim because I'm great at reacting to what’s happening in the moment instead of being the one driving the action. Hopefully I can keep a straight face while we’re filming because I always laugh because I get camera shy lol. 

-  For the video: I came across this video on YouTube that’s been super helpful for me as I get ready for my role. Since I’m playing such a big part in our trailer, I want my reactions and emotions to feel real instead of forced. What I like about this video is that it shows how to stop stressing over every single line and just let your body respond naturally in the moment. Watching it makes me feel more confident that I can bring the character to life without overthinking everything.

#62 Planning: Crew Scheduling

     Hey everyone, today I will be talking about scheduling between my teammates for this project, which are Madison Velazquez and Ethan Sanchez. We decided to sit in class and talk about it all together, but sadly I had my big brother’s and sister’s internship the day Ethan and Maddy were discussing it, so I had to be followed up, and they had to check in with me via text message. I have work, Maddy is cheer captain, and we have school and other stressful things in life going on, so scheduling in the best way possible was how we could organize everything to make sure it works out on time perfectly and meets the deadline. Not only the deadline, but we also want to finish early so we have time for editing and reshoots if needed. We just want to make sure we have time left over to make changes if we have to. Madison and I were in the same group last time for AS, and we didn’t have time for any fixing, so we do not want to make the same mistake all over again.

    We set aside four whole days just for filming, which honestly feels like a big deal because it means we don’t have to rush and can actually take our time to make the film the way we want it. Starting early was something we all agreed on, especially after last year when we were scrambling at the end. None of us want to go through that again, so this time we’re making sure we’re ahead of things.

    For me, the biggest thing is staying on top of the schedule and having a plan ready, so we don’t run into little problems that could’ve been avoided. The dates we picked give us plenty of space to redo shots or fix things if we need to, which I think will make the final film way better.

    To me honestly, just having this schedule already makes me feel less stressed. Last year I was worried about running out of time, but now I feel way more prepared, and I’m actually excited to start filming instead of stressing about deadlines.

This is the schedule that works for all of the best, and we all made it on Canva, mainly everything we make is on Canva because it's the most easiest platforms for everything well at least for me:

This is what we have so far!