Behind the Scenes

This is the behind-the-scenes of our documentary project. The presentation was created by Tisha and Panji.

Filming Schedule

Here is our filming schedule that has been created by our team member Tisha.

The Final Bell: Thirteen Seconds

A Level Media Studies Documentary

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Date: Tuesday, 26 August 2025 

Location: School Field + School Hallway 

Scene / Scene Number: 

• 1 - 4 → Students in their usual day at school without the bomb
• 6 → 911 voice over phone calls
• Drone Shot of the school 

People / Actor: 

• Other students as background character

Things needed: 

• Camera
• Drone
• School bags
• Paper Plane 

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Date: Thursday, 28 August 2025

Location: Classroom

Scene / Scene Number: 

• Interviews of the student & teacher 
• Drone shot of the school 

People: 

• Main student 
• Teacher
• Students 

Things needed: ( + Prop) 

• Camera
• Phone
• Drone
• Books
• Computer
• Pen & book / Stationary → represents student 

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Date: Monday, 1 September 2025 

Location: Classroom

Scene / Scene Number: 

• Interviews of the student and detective

People: 

• Main student
• Detective 

Things needed: 

• Camera
• Phone

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(Extra scene, only if needed) 

Date: Tuesday, 2 September 2025 

Location: Classroom 

Scene / Scene Number: 

• Additional scenes (students everyday life, empty footage) 
• Interview (Retake if needed) 
• Drone shot 

People: 

• Students

Things needed: 

• Camera
• Drone
• School bags 
• Phone

Location Scout

The location scout below contains risk assessments done before shooting. The document was researched and written by Kenneth (me) and Tisha.

Script

Here is our groups script that Kristine created and with the help from Tisha and Panji to insert it in the template.

Storyboard

Here is our group's storyboard which was written and drawn by Tisha. 

Before the making of this storyboard, we gathered as a team to discuss ideas and then compile them below:

With those ideas in mind, we created a draft of the plotline which acts as a guide for the creation of the storyboard.

Using this guide, we were then able to create a detail storyboard. 

This style of storyboard was good as it has details of each shot, but it was very time consuming. So we decided to do a much simpler version for the rest of our storyboard. 

Additional notes: From the storyboard, shot 17 shows real footage of a photograph that was taken before the documentary timeline. Where shot 23 and 24 are stage footage, including shot 8 and 9. 

Reflection: Looking back, I think a group discussion before creating the storyboard really helped in making sure every member of our team was in the same page with each other. It also really helped that we kept track of the ideas we mentioned on a document, a draft of our documentary's intro plotline. Meanwhile, the storyboard itself helped visualise our combined ideas, which will help us prepare for the filming.

Statement of Intent

This is our initial idea for our project.

Sub-genre (crime)
Mass Murder	Mass murder means it may affect a lot of people / a majority which makes it interesting to talk about as we can talk about the correlation between the people who died in the crime scene and the bomber itself.
Topic
School bombing
Primary Target Audience
Demographic Teenagers to young adult (15-25), can be in high school or even a university student	Reason Because not only the documentary will be majorly focused on bombing, but also talks about the school environment itself that creates these types of events from happening which will make them most likely to be interested as well these people are familiar with school setting which can stand out more.
Psychographic Interest in plot twist / shock factor  True Crime Analysis	Reason The plot of the documentary story contains a plot twist of who the bomber is which will be good for people who enjoy plot twists as these people would want to be more engaged emotionally. The documentary itself will contain real footage and a complex story line of the situation which with a true crime audience who enjoys analysis would suit this as this will make them curious and wanting to know what happened and who did it.
Message (Dominant Reading)
Do not trust anyone around you.	This message talks about how the most unexpected people who may be someone you know have another side of them that you don't know at all. This explains it is better to be cautious because we don't know what will happen.
Characters
Students / Teachers Detectives Police
Representations (groups, places, events)
Groups: Student, Detectives (authority), School counselor (Teacher)  Places: School environment Events: School bombing	Reason The documentary represents students as the groups because the students will be the main focus of this documentary as the plot twist of the main story is the student who made this school bombing happen.  A school counselor is the closest to an adult that is close to students, as they are the ones who would ask and try to understand students. By having the school counselor to be represented in this documentary it shows the awareness of teachers with students actions and attitude but sometimes a teacher doesn’t know a full story or what has made them change. The detectives or an authority gives an outside perspective that does not only talk about the victims but also the suspects from this documentary. This shows how even if it happens at school it becomes a more serious matter that the impact has affected a wider community.  The school environment helps in making the story to be more believable as it happens at a school. The school as well symbolises a place where it is safe and full of life because there are a lot of children but with this context it will be a very big contrast. This also allows our audience group may feel a sense of relatability as they know the feeling of being in a classroom which can make them feel more emotional about it.  This documentary represents the event of school attacks which specifically talks about school bombing, where it shows how the event has escalated to something that was up until it was too much.
What will be the hook? (The mystery that keeps audiences watching)
The person wasn’t someone that the audience would expect, no signs that the person would actually be the one bombing as the person was the complete opposite of what a bomber would do.

Location Scout & Risk Assessment

This blog contains the location scout and risk assessment for our documentary project.

This blog was researched and written by Kenneth (me) and Tisha.

Regents Classroom
Location Link:	Regents Secondary School
Events in scene:	School bombing, CCTV footage from the event, Interview
Pros of location:	No outside interruption, protection from weather conditions, has the props that are needed in this documentary (tables, chairs, whiteboard).
Cons of location:	Might be hard to get private access, lightings may be bad as the lights are mostly from the lightbulb only, Students or teachers might walk in while we’re shooting
Alternatives:	There are many classrooms that have adjustable lighting that will match our scene. The school has a lot of classrooms as well so we can switch classes if it's occupied.
Risk Assessment
Potential hazards:	Bags on the floor and chairs +  tables in the way
Evaluate risks:	while shooting actors / during recording we may stumble across the bags and bump into chairs and tables
Control measures:	We’ll shoot after school, so hopefully less students will be around by then. We will also have someone to secure the area before we start shooting so it limits the chances of people to come into the room. We will also clear the space of the tables so it removes the hazards of stumbling over and bumping into things.
Responsibility:	We will have someone take turns or when they are not going to be doing anything during the shoot to stay outside making sure no one will come in, or anyone from outside to be making any loud noises that can be heard until inside the room.
Time frame:	We will have the one who's responsible for their turn to be outside of the classroom before a shoot is happening.
Other notes:	Ask for permission before hand to teacher who was using the classroom so there won't be any disturbance while using the classroom

Regents Field
Location Link:	Regents Secondary School
Events in scene:	Shows students having fun and feeling safe at school, shows student running away for safety from cctv footage, stage footage of school
Pros of location:	Large space of area that can hold a lot of people at once,
Cons of location:	Students and teachers might walk into our shot unknowingly. Also, the field is used for various sports, even after school.
Alternatives:	If the field is used for sport, we can record parts of footage in the hallways at school. We could also ask permission from people who are doing sport whether we can record them for the documentary.
Risk Assessment
Potential hazards:	Bumps on the field, potential rain (slippery)
Evaluate risks:	Bumps can make people trip and hurt themselves, especially for people who will be the one recording with the camera might trip over and we will have to re-do the shot again. Rain can also ruin our shot as using our equipment in the rain will break it, after the rain as well can make the field slippery which will not be safe at all.
Control measures:	As the location has bumps on the field, there are parts of the field that are stable where we could record there. When the location is exactly where the bumps are we will ask our actors as well as ourselves to be careful and not do the action too fast that gives the chances of falling. The rain itself has no control measure on that as if it did rain we will just need to record another section of the documentary and change the day to record on the field on another day.
Responsibility:	The one who will be responsible is one of our team members that will be doing the shooting schedule as they will make sure whether the location will be available and even safe to do it. They are responsible to check with the weather app to have a heads up, where if it is supposed to rain we will change the day and postpone our shooting schedule.
Time frame:	Before the shoot we as a team will find the perfect location and make sure how severe the risks are whether it is still possible or we can't do it at all.
Other notes:

Research

Documentary Opening 1: Worst Roommate Ever
Before You Watch
Look only at the thumbnail and title. What are your expectations for the documentary? What are the connotations of the image, font, colour, or title? What do you expect to see or hear in the opening?	It’s going to be about crime. Black background, serious bold font, looks like a mugshot. The woman in the picture wears no makeup and looks worn out. Reenactment of the crimes performed, and what the victims have to say about it.
After You Watch
Who is the target audience? Why do you think so? Give one example of each and explain the meaning: Camera: Mise-en-scène: Editing: Sound:	Older teens and adults, because of the mature theme introduced in the intro which discusses about violence. Camera: Tracking. In the very first scene, the camera follows a woman walking in front of a house. Mise-en-scène: House’s door being the only thing lit up in the darkness of the night. Makes the audience focus on the door. Editing: Jump cuts. To give the audience more visual information so they can have a better idea of the series’ theme and plot. Intense music throughout. Puts the audience in the right mood. Sound: Intense music over the reenactment scenes.
Would you continue watching? Why/Why not?	Probably. It’s not the theme that really interests me since I prefer bigger-sized bombing, but I might give it a go if I feel like it.

Documentary Opening 2: What Jennifer Did
Before You Watch
Look only at the thumbnail and title. What are your expectations for the documentary? What are the connotations of the image, font, colour, or title? What do you expect to see or hear in the opening?	This documentary will be about crime. The title suggests that Jennifer did something, most likely bad. There’s a slightly damaged image of a woman smiling on the left, and on the right is an image of an unhappy woman. The image on the right, also in the same damaged quality, is reddened, suggesting that the woman might have been a victim of a crime, or was the person who committed the crime. Both women in the two pictures might also be the same person. An introduction to who Jennifer is, and what kind of crime had been committed.
After You Watch
Who is the target audience? Why do you think so? Give one example of each and explain the meaning: Camera: Mise-en-scène: Editing: Sound:	Teens and adults. Because of the weight of the theme discussed in this documentary. Camera: Panning from left to right during the shot of her house on that night she made the 911 call. Mise-en-scène: Her house, during which was dark and eerily empty despite Jennifer’s claims on the call. Editing: Jump cuts, from the real footage of Jennifer’s interrogation, to reenactment shots of her house during the 911 call. Sound: Intense music played over the conversation of the 911 call, to put the audience in the moment.
Would you continue watching? Why/Why not?	Yes, I think so. I’m now invested in the story and would love to know if Jennifer’s claims were true or if she had committed the crime herself and was attempting to cover it, as the title of the documentary suggests.

Documentary Opening 3: A Deadly American Marriage
Before You Watch
Look only at the thumbnail and title. What are your expectations for the documentary? What are the connotations of the image, font, colour, or title? What do you expect to see or hear in the opening?	My expectations for this documentary is that it will probably be about the death of someone because of the marriage, and that both the groom and bride are involved in it somehow. The image looks old, suggesting the event took place a long time ago. The font is bold. The colour is dark and mysterious. The title suggests that the marriage caused harm. That they will be showcasing real life footage of the crime and the people involved in it.
After You Watch
Who is the target audience? Why do you think so? Give one example of each and explain the meaning: Camera: Mise-en-scène: Editing: Sound:	Mature teens and adults, because of the theme of this documentary being around crime. Camera: close-up in car. Mise-en-scène: Used black car. Editing: Jump cut from reenactment of the events in 2023 to those in 2015. Sound: Intense music, played over the photos, to prepare the audience for what's to come.
Would you continue watching? Why/Why not?	Probably, I would love to know the motive behind the crime, and whether the husband was truly the victim as was suggested in the ending of the intro.

Documentary Opening 4: The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman
Before You Watch
Look only at the thumbnail and title. What are your expectations for the documentary? What are the connotations of the image, font, colour, or title? What do you expect to see or hear in the opening?	My expectations for this documentary is that it will probably be someone who can influence or control people like a ‘puppet’. The person might be extremely hard to track down. The image consists of a man’s picture pinned to a map on the wall with strings attached to multiple places on the map. The font is simple and straight. The lighting and atmosphere is dark and mysterious. The title suggests that the person can control people like a ‘puppet’. That they will be explaining the type of crime and introduce us to people involved in it.
After You Watch
Who is the target audience? Why do you think so? Give one example of each and explain the meaning: Camera: Mise-en-scène: Editing: Sound:	Mature teens and adults, because of the theme of this documentary being around crime. Camera: close-up of the two people being interviewed Mise-en-scène: Dark room with only a small part of the room being lit, including the two people. Editing: Cuts from the interviewer camera’s POV to shot of the camera itself recording the two people. Sound: Intense music during interview to match the overall atmosphere of the intro.
Would you continue watching? Why/Why not?	Yes, because the intro makes me interested in finding out more about this ‘puppet master’.

Documentary Opening 5: American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing
Before You Watch
Look only at the thumbnail and title. What are your expectations for the documentary? What are the connotations of the image, font, colour, or title? What do you expect to see or hear in the opening?	My expectations for this documentary is that it will probably be someone who can did bombing during a marathon run. The image consists of a man holding a gun at night with smoke and police lights in the background. The font is heavy and bold. The lighting and atmosphere is dark and gritty. The title suggests that the person is probably tracked down by the police and a shootout began. That they will be explaining the type of crime and introduce us to people involved in it.
After You Watch
Who is the target audience? Why do you think so? Give one example of each and explain the meaning: Camera: Mise-en-scène: Editing: Sound:	Mature teens and adults, because of the theme of this documentary being around crime, shooting, and death. Camera: medium shot of the people being interviewed Mise-en-scène: Dimly lit room with police car behind the police who was interviewed. Editing: jump cuts of the real bombing footage to the people interviewed to cover the story with their voice plays throughout the real footage. Sound: Intense music, played over the interview scene and real-life footage, to better convey the weight of the crime and its toll.
Would you continue watching? Why/Why not?	Yes, because the intro is fantastic in showing the bombing event while keeping the mystery intact.