Evaluation of Mini Brief

In comparison to the story board, our mini brief turned out relatively similar. This is a strength as is shows that very few things went wrong. However due to the circumstances we was unable to include parts of our mise-en-scene, for example the fire and the tent. This was due to us using a public park where we did not have permission. To overcome this we could have used private property such as a garden or field with the owners permission. Despite these step backs we were still able to stick closely to the script with a minor change to

[Morgan: Brilliant.. the fire is going out.

Sam: You better go and get some more firewood then.]
into a discussion where they have get firewood for the first time.

For our main brief we should try to previously plan when we will film according to weather, land permission etc. so that we do not have this same problem.

Another weakness of our mini brief is that our original 180 degree camera angle did not go right. We went over the line so that we filmed behind the characters. This would have disorientated the audience so we removed it and only used one angle as we did not film more angles. In the main brief we now know that we should film more than one angle in case something goes wrong again. It is important that we use relevant camera angles that fit the horror genre and the 180 degree rule is important for horror as we can see both parts of a conversation/encounter with two characters. If we do not learn how to film the 180 degree rule properly then we will be unable to use it in our mini brief which could be a threat to our overall mark.

In our mini brief, where we had filmed only with a camera and no microphone, the background noises change between each shot which removes the realism and fluidity from the piece. The differences of pitch could have been removed/ improved by adding sound effects of forest/ insect noises over the top however this could have obscured the sound of dialogue. However, the sound effects that we have used work well as they have been put in places that does not have dialogue, and when the character Morgan walks up to the tree the music builds tension and mystery as there is a long wait to see what he is looking at. The non-diegetic sound works well as it includes the noise of a dog. This is horror iconography as this usually symbolises that there is disruption in the setting i.e the murderer (hooded figure). We could replicate this idea in the main brief to create more suspense and make sure that it fits in perfectly to the horror genre.

Furthermore, we could have improved the camera angles whilst filming. The close ups (head shots), in my opinion, are too close to the face. This can make the audience feel to close or have an invasion of privacy. We was unable to fix this during the editing process, therefore when filming the main brief we need to make sure that the camera angles are all correct and will fit in to a fluid scene. We can do this by filming at different distances from the face. Similarly to the camera angles, in the future we need to improve the placement of the characters. In our mini brief the characters are not always centred in the frame. This means that it looks like the characters are not always sitting in the same place and could possibly confuse the audience. In order to improve this we could use a grid on the camera screen when we film, if we are unable to do this then we would have to make sure that it is as centred as possible or purposely have asymmetric frames.


The location that we used, I thought, was quite effective as it looked isolated and empty which you would typically find in horror films. However, the time at which we filmed it was very dark so we could not see any of the background when the characters are talking. In the future we need to make sure that we film at a suitable time where we can see all of the mise-en-scene. When filming we had to use out phone cameras so that we was able to see the characters and trees. On the other hand, this could be seen as a positive as the black background could give the audience a sense of abandonment or danger as we are unaware of what is behind. As props we used fake blood to put on the tree. This was a strength as it is key iconography in the horror genre and was very realistic. This hopefully would make the audience feel on edge and worried about what has happened.