1. Before filming we had to take a number of
things into consideration. We had to make sure
we had the right set, sound, lighting, costumes,
make up, props and setting. All these things
were very significant in making the best postapocalyptic film opening as possible.

2. Make up
• No make up was used on the character as we
wanted her to look pretty rough as she is in an
apocalypse and therefore wouldn’t apply make
up. However we did use mud to muck up her
clothes and make her look she had been
through a rough time. We will also use fake
blood for the man she kills during the opening
as you can see his hand in a POV shot.

3. Sound
•
•
•
•
•
Sound is a key to making a film. Without Sound the film wouldn’t have any drama and tension,
that’s why we though very carefully when deciding upon sound and what sound we could add.
There is a variety of different sound we could included. For example non diegetic sound such as
music and a voice over. At the start of the film we are going to have a news broad cast to inform the
viewer on how the apocalypse started and to set the mood. We are also going to have quiet
mysterious music in the background to give a tense feel to the opening 20 seconds when the
establishing shots are on the screen.
Lots of Diegetic sound will also be used throughout the opening when Abbie is getting ready, for
example fire crackling, banging, striking matches and doors opening. The Diegetic sound will be
recorded separately on a recorder as will the voice over.
Me and Shannon are going to record the news broadcast to inform the reader on the cause of the
crisis. The news report will be in an interview style with Shannon asking me questions about the
vaccinations given to cure the cold. This will be good as it will inform the reader about the story
without giving too much away and also will create enigma with the establishing shots in the
background. We decided to use a news broadcast as it is a convention in post-apocalyptic films. The
music along with this will also create a sense of mystery and the viewer will ask questions and
wonder why there are lots of empty shots with dark music.
In addition instead of it being quiet during the scenes of Abbie getting ready we thought we could
add some other diegetic sound such as the wind outside and occasional footsteps to notify the
viewer that someone may be following her without giving it away.
Overall we have thought carefully about the sound we are adding and picked sound that are
conventions of post-apocalyptic fills such as slow music and wind ect.

4. Lighting.
•
Lighting is key for setting the mood in a post-apocalyptic film. After researching many post-apocalyptic film
openings I have discovered that they usually include low key lighting as this is a convention, therefore we had to
make sure the lighting in my garage was dark however not so dark that you cant see the character and props
properly. Thankfully the lighting was perfect and just gave that dull effect we wanted, however if not we can still
play about with colour grading while editing to get it to how we want it. We also have natural light included in our
opening such as in the establishing shots and the last scene. I have noticed there is a lot of contrast between light
and dark in post-apocalyptic movies during my research therefore I wanted to make sure we implemented this
into our opening. We would like the characters hide out in our opening something like this:
This room if a good example of the type of lighting we are aiming for, we want it dull and misty like this
however with a glimpse of natural light so the viewer can see what's going on as I hate films which are
so dark you cant see the acting.

5. Costumes.
•
•
Costumes are used to make the character fit in with its surroundings and match the genre. As our film opening has the genre
of post-apocalyptic we wanted our character to have scruffy worn out clothes as this would suit the genre because if an
apocalypse where to happen nobody would have nice clean clothes, especially not our character as she is fighting off people
who are trying to kill her and take her supplies.
After doing some research I found most post-apocalyptic clothes are old, tatty and some quite war based as people are
trying to fight to stay alive.
As you can see from this picture the clothes the character
Is wearing in The Book Of Eli are very scruffy and suit
The genre very well, the character also has a rucksack and
A weapon specific to the character.
The other inspiration we got was from the last of us and suited our character very well. Her
costumes is scruffy jeans and a rucksack with a rifle. Because this is a game about an
apocalypse from a girls point of view we thought it would be good to model our character on
this as our film opening is also from a girls point of view.
After inspiration from these characters in post-apocalyptic movies we came up with this for
our costume design:

6. Props.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Many props were used in the making of our film opening. We wanted to use props to make the set look more
realistic and more apocalyptic. We managed to gather most of the props from my garage however I had to make
a leaflet and Shannon brought a rifle. Here are a list of the props and why we used them:
Rifle – we used a rifle because it is a convention for a character in a post-apocalyptic film to have a weapon such
as in I Am Legend and The Book Of Eli. The rifle also suited the character as she has to fight off other survivors
who are hunting for supplies.
Incinerator – the incinerator bin looked really authentic in the set. It is also there for a purpose as Abbie would
have to keep warm during as there wouldn’t be any power supplies or resources.
Mattress – the mattress was good to use as it looked dirty and fitted with the set., it was also used for a bed for
Abbie in her hideout.
Petrol Canisters x2 – the petrol canisters ters are there to make it look like Abbie would go out and collect
liquids to use or drink to keep alive.
Weapons – we had a variety of weapons in the set as it looked like Abbie could defend herself and would also go
out hunting for food and resources.
Antiseptic Spray – The character would need this to disinfect her wounds that she might get when hunting so
she wouldn’t get an infection.
Army Bag – The character would need an army bag to keep weapons and to collect valuables when she is out
savaging.
Wellies – the wellies would be used as it is a suitable for the genre as the character would wear stilettos in the
middle of an apocalypse as she needs to keep her feet warm and dry during the harsh winters.
Battery powered lamp – the lamp would be used so Abbie can see in the dark when she is alone in her hide out.
Kettle – the kettle looks old and authentic on set but it also has a purpose as Abbie would need to have hot
water to cook ect.
Matches – matches would be used to set the fire alight to keep her warm, the prop was also used in a POV shot.
Newspaper – The newspaper would be used to start a fire and insulate her to keep her warm.
Walking Boots- The character would need these as another pair of footwear she could use .
Leaflet - the leaflet is a very important prop as it gives the viewer an insight on how the pandemic started and
makes them ask questions.

7. Mise en Scene
• There are many aspect of mise en scene that I
have covered in the previous slides. However
overall mise en scene is very important in
planning as we need to make sure we have
the right set to make the opening look
convincing and interest the viewer.