Recce

1) Actors:
As you can see from our redrafts, we were originally only supposed to have one actor and that was the female protagonist who was being sentenced for which craft. This was to be played by Maeve Ramsey. However, when we got the film downloaded and were ready to edit, we realised that there wasn't enough character development and so, the storyline was suffering. Therefore, we decided to include an extra character as a counterpoint. This character in to be the antagonist of sorts and will be a male who is getting ready to join the mob that will sentence or harm the protagonist.
When we realised we needed to refilm, the original actors were no longer avoidable and so we had to seek both another protagonist and another antagonist:
Protagonist: Emer o'Kane,  Female, 17 Years old
The protagonist needs to look innocent and vulnerable and so we picked Emer as she is small and slight.

Antagonist: Adam O'Loan, Male, 18 years old
The antagonist needed to look normal, as though part of the mass hysteria, but also slightly more menacing in comparison to the protagonist.

2) Location:
Originally, the location was to be in Bangor, which was situated an hour outside of Belfast. We made many trips to our location and mapped out the exact track that the protagonist would use to run along. After filming, we realised that modern buildings could be seen which weren't accurate in conjunction with period dramas. As well as this, we knew that due to time restraints and transport issues, we would have to change our location. therefore, we settled for 'Lagan towpath', which includes vast areas of woodland and absolutely no modern influences. This was accessible as it was only a fifteen minute drive from Belfast.
Below are pictures of our original shooting location:

Below are pictures of our new shooting location:

3) Costume:
We had already organised our costume for the protagonist and it will stay exactly the same as it is in keeping with the codes and conventions of the costume of Ireland in the 1700s. This costume included:
-Lace up boots
-A knitted shawl
-A floor length skirt
-A plain black t-shirt
-Minimal makeup
-Hair in plats as shown in the tutorial
-possible bonnet

The antagonists' costume is less formal as we only ever see his face and his gads. Therefore, all we need is something very minimal that will blend in with the background, Like a black T-shirt. His hair and make-up will be natural.

4) Props and miscellaneous:
- Scripts for all of the actors and the production team

- The conviction letter, which will be written in old calligraphy and a teabag will be used to stain the paper
- Hair, makeup, costume
- Eyedropper so that the protagonist can cry
- tripod
- Cannon Camera
- Soil/ FX to dirty the protagonist's finger nails as she falls
- A wooden stick, with cloth wrapped around the top. ie. our torch flame.
 - A bucket of water
- A lighter/ Matches
-We had a bottle of vodka with the intent of using it for lighter fuel, however, when we did the test run with the matches and the lighters, we must have spent around an hour trying to light it. It actually extinguished the matches instead of anything. we included this in our redrafts.

understanding the roles in our group

Obviously because this is a working media production, we need to assign ourselves specialised roles within our group to avoid confusion in the production process. This will be deciphered according to our strengths and weaknesses and therefore, the subjects we do in school. Below is a 'slideshare' I made of the necessary roles within our group:

Roles in film from Ellie Wildman

Soundtrack

After analysing a couple of soundtracks from various period dramas, I have gathered a general idea of what a period drama soundtrack usually consists of:

1) There is usually a minimalist piano accompaniment.
2) In moments of dramatic tension there is usually fast piano arpeggios accompanied heavily by strings.
3) the music is usually very light and slow especially in scenes shot outside.
4) usually the music is used to describe the emotion of the scene, for example in a scene permeated by anger it would be minor piano music with heavy minor strings or with minor keys for sadness.
5) As our film is strongly in connection with Irish heritage, we may sample some ancient Irish traditional music in order to show representation.
6) There is normally no voice and seeings as we are trying to record our own music, we will stay clear of voice as it's hard to record accurately and often lessens the value of the movie.

Below are some sound cloud ideas of what we would ideally like in our soundtrack:

Hair and makeup

Below is a video tutorial showing hair and makeup:


Makeup in the 18th century consisted mostly of a white powder. Having a white face was synonymous with being pure and trustworthy.
This is the general look of portraits of upper class women in the 18th century. They all are unnaturally white and this look would have been created by the painter as at the time it represented being well off and pure.
Our character however, is lower class and would not have worn the typical white powder of the era.

Audience feedback

Below is a blank copy of the questionnaire that we gave out to people to find out what their expectations for the period drama opening sequence was and their opinions of period dramas and the sub-genres within historical period dramas. This helped us to understand what people were expecting to see compared to what we were planning to film. It also helped us to understand how different audiences will look for different elements in period dramas and will be attracted to different characters, story lines and setting. We also looked to see which of the films that we ourselves had analysed had been viewed by the people answering the questionnaire.
By doing this, we were able to have an insight into what makes a good historical period drama stand out from other historical period dramas and which sub-genres are the most popular.


Period Drama Questionnaire

Please circle your answer.

1.     What is your gender?

             Male                    Female                


2.     How old are you?

                          12- 15     16- 19     20- 25     26- 34     35+


3.     What is your favourite Historical Period genre?

             Comedy     Horror     Romance     Thriller     Mystery
           
              War     Fiction     Drama     Musical     Fantasy     Documentary
 
              Other:………………………


4.     What draws you to a Historical Period Drama?

         Acting      Plots     Characters     Storyline     The Title     Hero Vs. Villain
 
         Setting     Education about specific period     Depends which film it is


5.     Write in order from most to least important, the importance of these elements in a Historical Period Drama.

          Setting     Props     Costume     Make-up     Lighting     Sound

          1:…………     2:…………     3:…………     4:…………     5:…………     6:…………


6.     How do you expect to feel from watching the opening sequence of our Period Drama?

          To be informed     To be interested     To be excited     To be intrigued
       
          To want to find out more     To be unresponsive     To be confused



7.     What is your favourite Period Drama and why? If you don’t have one, why not?
                                 ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
                                 ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
                                 ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
                                 ……………………………………………………………………………………………….


8.     What qualities make a good Historical Period Drama?

                     ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
                     ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
                     ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
                     ……………………………………………………………………………………………….


9.     Which of the following films that we have analysed have you watched?

                      Witchfinder General     Jane Eyre     Pride and Prejudice

                  Pearl Habor     Narnia     The Duchess     Mother Joan of the Angels
             

                   The New World     The King’s Speech

A focus group video showing feedback and reactions:

Research into the 1700s (A history lesson)

Below is a basic timeline from the 18th century leading up to the events that we will convey and hence, giving us some more insight to the times: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)
1700s
The Battle of Poltava in 1709 turned the Russian Empire into a European power.
1700-1721: Great Northern War between Tsarist Russia and the Swedish Empire
1701: Kingdom of Prussia declared under King Frederick I
1701: Ashanti Empire is formed under Osei Kofi Tutu I
1701–1714: War of the Spanish Succession was a conflict which involved most of Europe.
1701–1702: The Daily Courant and The Norwich Post becomes the first daily newspapers in England.
1702: Forty-seven Ronin attack Kira Yoshinaka and then commit seppuku in Japan.
1702–1715: Camisard Rebellion in France.
1703: Saint Petersburg founded by Peter the Great. Russian capital until 1918.
1703–1711: The Rákóczi Uprising against the Habsburg Monarchy.
1704: End of Japan's Genroku period.
1704: First Javanese War of Succession
1705: Handel's first opera, Almira, premieres.
1706: War of the Spanish Succession: French troops defeated at the Battles of Ramilies and Turin.
1706: The first English-language edition of The Arabian Nights is published.
1707: Act of Union passed merging the Scottish and the English Parliaments, thus establishing the Kingdom of Great Britain.[8]
1707: After Aurangzeb's death, the Mughal Empire enters a long decline and the Maratha Empire slowly replaces it.
1707: Mount Fuji erupts in Japan for first time since 1700.
1707: War of 27 years between the Marathas and Mughals ends in India.
1708: The Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies and English Company Trading to the East Indies merged to form the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies.
1708–1709: Famine kills one-third of East Prussia's population.
1709: Great Frost of 1709, coldest winter in 500 years.
1709: Hotaki dynasty founded in Afghanistan.
1709: Charles XII of Sweden flees to Ottoman Empire after Peter I of Russia defeats his army at the Battle of Poltava.

1710s
1710: The world's first copyright legislation, Britain's Statute of Anne, becomes effective
1710-1711: Ottoman Empire fights Russia in the Russo-Turkish War

Obviously the world and all of Europe's historical context will influence what is happening in Ireland at the time... (http://classroom.synonym.com/life-poor-irish-1700s-13171.html)

Historical Summary 
Ireland - Early 1700's
The century opens with the death of King William III of England and Scotland in 1702. His legacy in Ireland is a Protestant Nation where his supporters in the religious battles of the last decade are now in the ascendancy, and his Catholic opponents are the targets of marginalization and penalization. The Irish parliament is also under William's thumb, and they must disavow themselves of Catholic doctrines. For their allegiance to Catholic King James II, the Irish Catholics were disarmed, their bishops banished. Penal laws were introduced to strengthened the position of the English Protestants in power, and reduce the Irish Catholics to impotent servants.

In this era, Catholics are not permitted to vote, marry a Protestant, join the armed forces, bare arms, even for protection, or be educated as Catholics abroad. They make up 70% of the population of around 2 million, yet own only 5% of the land. Farming in Ireland, although overseen by the advantaged English Protestants, is farmed by the greatly disadvantaged Irish Catholics and is woefully inefficient. Protestants can will property to their one eldest son, maintaining the large estate size, whereas Catholics are forced to divide properties among all male heirs and over time their lands shrink into tiny plots. Protestant land owners often live in England, lease their farms to 'squireens' who further subdivide the expensive yet unimproved land to Catholic tenants. There is little incentive to make land improvements as this increases the value and therefore the rent. The result is frequent food production shortfalls. In 1729 Jonathan Swift, Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral and anonymous pamphleteer, publishes "A Modest Proposal" -- a sharp satire of the Irish predicament, suggesting the rich should eat the children of the poor, to the benefit of both parties. His works lead economic criticism from 1713-1745.

The situation is different in the northern province of Ulster. It had already been colonized by Scottish and English Protestants over the last century and faired better than the three southern ones due to its unique linen trade. Linen production, brought by French Huguenot refugees, was an exception in the Irish economy. Due to severe trade restrictions, any commodity that competed with England could not be exported. Linen alone had no significant English producers. As are all provinces of Ireland, Ulster is subject to religious persecutions of her non-Church of England inhabitants. Although her Catholic population had been largely displaced, Scottish Presbyterians are also forced to accept the English Church and many suffer exclusion from civil service and the military from 1704-1718. Although most restrictions are eventually lifted, Presbyterians must still recognize the dominance of the English Church and pay tithes. They call themselves Dissenters and often oppose the Crown.

English Protestant landowners enjoy renewed peace and prosperity, build great mansions and expand their estates. In 1714 the Georgian Era begins when George I takes the throne of the United Kingdom (so called when England swallowed Scotland in 1702). He continues to strengthen the parliament by his disinterest in ruling and over the next few decades, the power of parliamentary government overshadows the monarchy. In 1720, the British parliament passes the Sixth of George I Act allowing it to pass legislation in Ireland without the agreement of the Irish parliament. While Irish Protestants take advantage of their privileged position, some look enviously to the British gentry and yearn for control of their own parliament again.

Housing in the 1700s:

Costume in the 1700s:

Treatment of women in the 1700s:
During the 18th century, the women’s role and work was extremely difficult, exhausting, and society was unappreciative. For poor families, women’s full time job was homemaking. Poor housewives had to cook meals, make clothing, and doctor their family on top of cleaning, making household goods to use and sell, taking care of their animals, maintaining a fire and even tending to the kitchen gardens. Middle class and wealthy women also shared some of these chores in their households, but they often had servants to help them.

Research into witchcraft

• Witchcraft is a term that has been used throughout history, in association with both folklore and religion, such as wicca, the craft and wise craft. Christians do not identify this as a religion however and as the Irish were majorly catholic and protestant in 1710, we can assume that they met the term "witchcraft" with great hostility.
• Historically, people have associated witchcraft with evil and usually have regarded a witch as someone who uses magic to harm others, by causing accidents, illnesses, bad luck, and even death. Some societies believe that witches also use magic for good, performing such actions as casting spells for love, health, and wealth. 
• We assume that the women were victims of society, having their freedom taken away from them as they are shown guilty for something they probably didn't do. Even if they were guilty, we can assume that they were only guilty of practicing the religious and moral beliefs of witch craft, via one of the adjoining religions such as wicca. 
• Wicca includes pagan, folk, and magical rites. Its primary sources are Babylonian, Celtic, Egyptian, ancient Greek, Roman, and Sumerian mythologies and rites, but also borrows from other religions and mythologies, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and the rites of American Indians. Essentially, Wicca is a religion that celebrates the natural world and the seasonal cycles. It acknowledges the Goddess as the feminine side of a deity called God. Witches worship both Goddess and God in various personifications, including ancient gods and goddesses.
• Historically, people have associated witchcraft with evil and usually have regarded a witch as someone who uses magic to harm others, by causing accidents, illnesses, bad luck, and even death. Some societies believe that witches also use magic for good, performing such actions as casting spells for love, health, and wealth.
• There are four major sabbats: Imbolc (February 1), Beltane (April 30), Lugnasadh or Lammas (July 31), and Samhain (October 31). Lugnasadh is a commonly practiced sabbat in Ireland and was recently adapted as a play by Irish playwright Brian Friel (Dancing at Lughnasadh). 
• Early Ireland was heavily associated with paganism until the story of saint Patrick arrived, which told the story of Patrick coming to Ireland to teach the barbaric Irish pagans a religion.
• The witch hunt reached its peak in Europe during the late 1500's and early 1600's. Many victims, who were mostly women, were falsely accused of witchcraft. Many accused witches were tortured until they confessed. Then they faced imprisonment, banishment, or execution. 
• There are a number of recourses leading to the Islandmagee which trial all over the internet. As well as this a number of theses and books have been published recording the events. Below are a few: