R+P Post 15: Our filming location, set design and props

Our sets all had different roles to fulfil and so we dressed each set in such a way that in conjunction with the props each role would be effectively fulfilled.

We had 3 sets -  Laith's house, a forest and a classroom:

Laith's House:
This was the antagonist's home and therefore we wanted to create a sinister atmosphere whilst making sure it was still easily recognisable to the audience as a house.

Set Design: We cleaned up the space we were shooting in which involved moving around tables and things off the stairs in order to make Laith the clear focus in the shots as well as making the shoot seem more professional. Additionally, we kept Laith's curtains closed when shooting as we found that  when we didn't do that the lighting would often affect the quality of our shots and disrupt the sinister atmosphere. Finally, we made sure to have a rug on the floor and a CD rack in the background as both are easily identifiable features of a house.

Props: There were only a few props in this set but all had a big part to play. We put cushions on the sofa to connote a more homely feel and allow the audience to engage and relate better. We also used a phone and laptop as props in order to better illustrate the story and also make the sequence in this setting more relatable to the audience.

The Forest:
This was the set in which we recorded the bits of the news report which were shot outdoors. We needed an isolated area that was away from any sounds that could potentially interfere and ruin the immersion for the audience e.g. cars/kids screaming.

Set Design: There was no set design in place for the forest as we wanted as natural a look as possible to make it seem as realistic as possible to the audience.

Props: We had a microphone which the news reporter used as this is conventional of real life news reports and therefore would be what the audience expect. This microphone also later contributed to the sinister atmosphere as it ended up being the only thing left of the news reporter following her disappearance.

The Classroom:
This was the set we used for the newsroom in which the news anchor presented from, therefore quite a bit of set design was needed to create this image.

Set Design: To make the setting look more professional - as is what you would expect - we moved a lot of the tables and chairs out of the way and also faced the camera towards a window to the next room. In the end we had one chair and one table, whilst through the window you could see what became our 'newsroom' in which we had people working to add a sense of realism.

Props: We had a set of notes and a laptop on the table as having watched real news reports this was conventional of the news anchor's table. Therefore, it would be easier for the audience to engage and immerse themselves in our film opening. We also had our news anchor wearing a lapel microphone and an earpiece wire in order to make his interaction with the news reporter in the field more obvious and more believable.