EDITING: THE SCENES SO FAR- LIBRARY SCENES AND 1ST GETTING READY ATTEMPT

EDITING: THE SCENES SO FAR.

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This is a Calameo showing all the scenes we have edited so far.

PLANNING: RISK ASSESMENTS.

Today I looked into the possible risk assessments presented by filming at our chosen locations:

1. We could crash on the way to our locations.
2. The heavy machinery could fall on us or damage/break. 
3. We could trip or harm ourselves walking up to location. 
4. Burning ourselves on the electric lights. 
5. Tripping over extention cables and other wires.
6. Check no one had any allergies before going into Amber's house. 

PLANNING: UPDATING MY TRELLO

Today I updated my Trello once again to keep on top of what I still need to do and what I have done.

CONSTRUCTION:FEEDBACK DATE SCENE 1ST ATTEMPT

Today we filmed the scene set in the restaurant. We wanted it to have an outside look to it and so we set up a table and chairs in Ambers back garden as we felt as a location this could work better than a location at our school. We used an establishing shot in order to show the setting. We then used a series of shot reverse shots to show the conversation between Aggies character and 'the player'. We chose to use over the shoulder shots so that the audience could clearly see the eagerness and excitement on Aggies face and the bordem and reluctance on the players face.

 After we filmed a short scene whereby the couple say goodbye to one another we used a wide shot to show the full body language of the characters to give the audience and incite into the characters relationship.

As we were filming outside this presented it own problems. When we started the filming it was light out and so our footage starts of with good lighting, being bright and visible. Although as time progressed it got very dark quickly and by the final scene it is hard to make out the footage. We did like what we filmed but we discussed perhaps filming it all in one time frame so that the scene doesn't start of bright and end up dark. So we have decided to go back to our original setting of the outside area we have at school, as there we have access to proper tables with lights surrounding the area. We will still film the same shot types and angles but we will just change location.

CONSTRUCTION:FILMING AND EDITING THE READING SCENE

Today we filmed the scene where we show Aggie reading the book she has just gotten from the library. Amber filmed whilst I directed and Aggie acted. We wanted to experiment with the idea of time and make it seem as if a lot of time was passing but we only show this in a shot that last around 30 seconds. We did this by using a crane angle and a 360 degree shot. We placed Aggie on a chair and had her flick through the pages of the book as Amber circled around her filming her, from a high angle. The end result proved effective as it seemed as if hours had gone by and that the character was encompassed solely by the book.

Although after looking back over the footage on the computer we found the image looked grainy and out of focus, as the lighting was not strong enough. We felt that what we had filmed, did produce the desired effect but was not up to the quality we wanted and so we have decided to re film this section of footage, using artificial lighting.

So we decided to take an alternate approach and new style of filming where we took a series of pictures, and then played them back sped up, all together, creating a stop motion sequence, showing the time change by having Aggie yawn and put on a dressing gown as time progressed. This looked effective as it communicated to the audience the time change and how wrapped up Aggie is in the book. This is a YouTube video showing the final result:

CONSTRUCTION/ EDITING: FILMING AND EDITING THE LIBRARY SCENES

I have created a VISME to display the work we did filming and editing the library scenes.

CONSTRUCTION: FILMING THE BEDROOM SCENE 1ST ATTEMPT

Today we decided to start filming for our short film. We chose to start by filming the bedroom scenes as we had access to the location. We chose to try and incorporate as many camera angles and shot types as possible, as in these scenes we had the option to experiment a lot more. We started with a close up pan from left to right, showing off the range of makeup and finally having an over the shoulder shot showing Aggie's reflection in the mirror using a powder brush. This shot was effective, as it gives the audience the characters perspective and shows her desire.

The second scene we filmed we had a low angle shot looking up onto aggies face as well as her reflection in the mirror, of her putting on lipstick. Although when looking back at the footage of this we found that the shot looked quite dark in terms of lighting and so we were unsure whether or not to use it. Although the shot did look effective as it shows that the character is dressing up, hinting to the fact she is making an effort for this boy.

Lastly we filmed the scene in which we have an over the shoulder shot showing Aggie's phone start to ring, we then have an establishing shot, with a pan from left to right showing her walk over to her bed and then lie down whilst on the phone. We then have a crane shot showing Aggie looking at the post it notes she has collected as well as her library card. This shot was effective as it encompassed both the main character and what she was talking about making a direct link between the two.

PLANNING: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS ON NARRATIVE

I have decided to present my research as a YuDu, it is presented so that on one side of the book shows the different theorists ideas and theories, and opposite to this is how their theories apply to my own short film. I have also incorporated screen shots displaying images of my short film which illustrate the theories and ideas.

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Online Publishing from YUDU

My initial Research

VLADIMIR PROPPS 

 Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp was a Soviet folklorist and scholar who analysed the basic plot components of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest irreducible narrative elements.

Propp suggested that every narrative has eight different character types, such as:

The Villain - Fights the hero

The dispatcher –one who sends the hero out, and makes the villain’s evil known

The (magical) helper –the sidekick who accompanies and helps out the hero

The Princess or the prize – the reward for the hero, what he is trying to save or acquire, usually to the villains dismay.  

Her father – gives the task to the hero and identifies the false hero.

The donor – prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object

The hero or victim/seeker hero – reacts to the donor, weds the princess.

False hero – takes credit for the hero’s actions, or try’s to marry the princess. 

 Where short films differ from full-length feature films, obviously in the length but also they have a twist so characters are not always who you think they are there roles may shift in the course or the narrative a hero might turn out to be a villain or vice versa. This is true in our film as the characters are not what they seem at first. 

There are likely to be a short range of characters in a short film like mine and so it’s unlikely to find the range of characters, as in Propps complex plots. My short film for example has four: the hero, the Villain, the princess/prize and the false hero. 

Propps theory  is useful to us, as we have clearly have distinguished character profiles. Although in our film we reverse the roles in the audiences eyes making the original hero into the Villain. At first the audience see "the player", appearing to leave love notes scattered around a library for 'the princess', attempting to lure her in, but this is soon exposed as false when the reveal of the real hero. This play on roles is effective in a short film as the audience do not have long enough to form a connection to a character. 

The main advantage of having very clear cut roles in a short film is that audiences need to grasp the character very quickly within the first minute but they characters cannot afford to be over simplistic because that might mean sacrificing the chance for enigma or the twist.

LEVI STRAUSS:

Drama is about conflict.

opposites can be equally powerfull-creates the tension 

the interest of the powerful forces that clash 

all naratives could be reduced down to binary opposites
hero vs villain

conflict propels all narrative 

conflict can only end with resolution 

This applies to us in our film as there is the conflict between who is the nice guy and who deserves the beautiful girl. Although we do not directly have the 'nice guy' and the 'player', have direct conflict with one another, but the clash is highlighted upon with the 'player' taking credit for the 'nice guys' notes, as well as him changing his personality on the date with the 'princess' and becoming rude.  

As we have to come to a conclusion of this conflict, the reveal of the true and worthy 'nice guy' is revealed, to both the audience and the girl herself.

ROLAND BARTHES

Has created five different code, but I have looked into two that have links and parallels that would work with my short film and short films in genural. 

 

 Hermeneutic code- CSI solving idea getting clues hasn't been explain fully needs solving resolving all links all loose ends need tying up mystery unraveled to make satisfied audience. What drives narrative our desire to see the mystery explained. 

Proairetic code- domino effect this leads on to this which causes this. Explains plots which are a series of linked events where an action leads to another action.  The audience is curious about the result of each event what is going to happen as a result of what just happened. 

 Our film has a proairetic code, as each scene effects what happens in the next. It does this in terms of character relationship, setting and how the audience feel about a certain idea or character.

TODOROV

Equilibrium status quo things as they are stable 

then something happens- dis equilibrium unbalance someone corrupts something else state of confusion.

have to deal with the problem- acknowledgment

resolve the problem -Resolution

 New equilibrium 

PLANNING: RECCE LIBRARY LOCATION 2

After a struggle to get the public library in Esher to work for us, we decided that we should look for an alternative option to film in and so we decided to use the library we have on site at school, as we found it would be more convenient and we would have more freedom using this new location. It works well for us as it is true to the mise en scene we would like. Also the library is laid out in a way that we can use tracking shots and pans. This works well for us when we show the protagonist female following a "trail" of sticky notes around the library. Another positive for using this library is that we can provide our own lights in order to ensure we have the best quality footage possible and everything is clearly visible to an audience.

PLANNING: UPDATING MY TRELLO

Today I updated my Trello by moving across what I needed to do into the doing column and what I was doing into the Done column.

RESEARCH:JOINING FUTURE LEARN (COURSE ON SHORT FILM)

Today I joined the short course, 'future learn'. By joining future learn, this meant that I could gain a deeper and broader look into short films and the professional short film industry. The course gives examples of actual current short films and analyses them. Because the course is open to anyone there is a lot of information coming from all different perspectives and opinions.

RESEARCH: SNAPCHAT CASEY NEISTAT

I have made a SLIDESHARE to display my research on Casey Neistat and Snapchat. 

RESEARCH: RADIO TRAILERS SUPERMAN

The radio trailer opens with, 'Sooner than you think you'll believe a man can fly'- which is the tag line of the film itself, mixed with the introduction of recognisable theme tune from Superman. 

The trailer then entices the audience in by building up tension and expectation for what they will say next, "nothing you have ever seen, heard or imagined, will ever prepare you for this reality, Superman..."

The music fits with narration as when narration pauses the soundtrack is amplified. 

The narrator then addresses a target audience directly, 'Superman is now the film' this attracts a fan base that already have a liking for Superman through the comics. As well as addressing a large audience of young people interested in comics and superheroes. 

The idea of a modern look and a spectacle is suggested through, 'awesome technology of modern film' this makes it sound new and exciting.  As well as it would intrigue an audience thats interested in the effects and visual amazes. 

The trailer draws to a close with the Directional information, familiarising the audience with the creators of the film: 'Alexander Salcon presents a Richard Donner production'.  

The last information the audience hear is the vital information they need to actually view the film. The narrator says, 'certificate A, now at six west end and selected suburban cinemas'. This leaves the audience with the information they need and is a good marketing technique. 

See the trailer here

RESEARCH: STAR WARS RADIO TRAILER

• This radio trailer opens with sci fi sound effects of light sabers. This instantly sets the theme and genre of the film as sic-fi fantasy. 

• 7 seconds in the narration starts introducing the name of the film, "Star wars", the voice is made dramatic and distorted in order to convey the genre, sic-fi. 

•  "is great family entertainment", sets a target audience and indicates early on who the film is appropriate for. 

• "still showing on the giant screen at the dominion, Tottenham court road", indicates to an audience that the film has already been showing for a while, suggesting it is good enough to still be showing to audiences. It also gives clear indication as to where it is being shown, in order for audience to go and see it. 

• In the closing of the trailer, the narrator gives the information of, "certificate U", this provides the audience with all the information required to see the film.

• The trailer finishes with the films tag line: "May the force be with you", the final selling point of the film.  

• To subside the radio trailer, an alien/robot sound effect plays out, this sound is from the actual film, giving the audience a taster, showing off new technologies from the film.

See the trailer here

RESEARCH: JAWS 2 RADIO TRAILER

The trailer open with the recognizable theme tune of Jaws, as this film is a sequel it all ready had a market audience, who will relate to the tune as soon as first heard. This helps to signify genre as the music builds starting off quiet and slow and then building until finally reaching a crescendo. This sets the genre as action and adventure, instantly telling the audience what to expect from the rest of the trailer and film.

 The first section of narrating comes in almost instantaneously with, 'The legend continues'. This tells to the listener that the film is obviously a sequel, it also conveys a genre and theme of action and adventure as the word 'legend' is normally associated with people going on adventures.  The introduction of dialogue taken from the actual film begins around 3 seconds into the trailer, with "That's a shark", this gives the listener a taste of what to expect from the actual film, as well as giving away a few memorable or important moments from the film that would entice an audience in.

The trailer finishes with the narrator telling all the vital information about the film such as where and when it is being shown, 'in the west end and all over London NOW' and the rating it has been appointed, 'certificate A'.

See the trailer here

RESEARCH: RADIO TRAILERS

Today we looked into radio trailers for films using the 1970s radio adverts for cult movies. This is a very rich resource which displays many radio adverts. Most have a clear formulaic structure:

Introductory soundtrack with key sound codes that not only signal genre but also can be a recognisable sound that signify a particular film.

Followed by sound and dialogue from the actual film, this hints to the plot and provides a taster for the audience. This section usually contains dialogue which does not need visuals to back them up. It is usually fairly simple and only 15 seconds long.

Finally the trailer concludes with information about when the film is released, where it will be screening and what rating the film has been awarded. This leaves the listener with the important information required to go and see the film and is usually delivered within the last 8 seconds of the trailer.

RESEARCH: TARGET AUDIENCE RESEARCH

I have made a picktochart to display the information I acquired about target audience.

RESEARCH: FILM POSTERS

To illustrate my research on both blockbuster film posters and short film posters, I have created a Visme.

RESEARCH: SHORT FILM POSTER COLD

Today we researched short film posters for the short films we had previously researched.

• The short film Cold, It was developed by Ryerson University Media Department.

• I found was released straight to Vimeo and so I assumed it did not have a print film poster. After searching for the film poster, I came across the film's twitter page, in which their profile picture seemed to resemble that of a film poster.

• On the films website they have posted a teaser trailer, which gives a quick snippet of the film. It gives a incite into the genre and the style of the film. 

• The poster uses dark blue and green colours, to suggest a sad or dramatic genre and plot. The image is of a city scape, Toronto, where the film is set. The image is not crisp and clear as you would except instead it is foggy and dismal. It appears to have water droplets over it, in order to suggest rain or snow thus reinforcing the title of Cold. The title itself is fairly bold and plain and does not seem to invite the viewer in, this is cleverly done in order to convey the theme and idea of the film. After viewing this poster the viewer is left feeling frosty and ominous.  

RESEARCH: HIGH MAINTENANCE FILM POSTER

This film poster has many useful and interesting qualities. They used a screenshot from the actual film which shows an extreme close up of the leading females face. By using actual footage from the film this allows the audience a taste of the film and could entice them to want to se it. 

The lighting used in the poster highlights her face and makes her seem glowing, and beautiful. The extreme close up gives the viewer a clear and insightful look into her thoughts and intentions as you can clearly see her facial expression, she looks somewhat upset, torn and menacing. 

This is done deliberately to attract both a male and female audience as women could relate to the women and see that she is one of the main focuses of the film. The male audience would be drawn in by the woman beauty and be intrigued to find out more about what she's doing. 

RESEARCH: FILM POSTER FOR THE CRUSH

The crush did not seem to have a film poster, although I found this screenshot which displays a scene from the actual film as well as the title of the film. The shot displays the main concept of the film, the young boy gazing lovingly at his teacher. The lighting in this shot is dream like and loving by being bright. This is done deliberately to position the child as innocent and naive. The poster is effective in portraying the genre of the film, as it has a soft look and uses neutral colours. The title itself is effective as it is as if a child has written it with a piece of chalk.

RESEARCH: FILM POSTER FOR FILL ME IN

The Fill Me In print poster, conveys the genre of the film as well as an idea into the plot line. It is a fairly simple design which highlights the three main characters of the film. The text itself is cleverly designed to look as if it had been filled in with colour, linking it too the title,"fill me in". The poster also incorporates a slogan, "Would you give him a second chance?", the tag line signifies the plot well as it tells the viewer that something is going to go wrong.  By having a central male character with two females either side of him suggests a sense of conflict or unfaithfulness. The target audience is young adults, this is made apparent by the young actors and their costumes, as they are wearing modern day 

RESEARCH: TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILE

We decided to make a Target Audience profile to ensure that we know exactly the type of audience we are hoping to attract with our short film. We thought about possible ancillary products our target audience would use or be interested in, ranging from electronics to books an other movies.

RESEARCH:RECCE FINDING A RESTAURANT LOCATION

Today we went in search of a possible location to set our restaurant scene we wanted somewhere that would allow enough space to film but still have the mise en scene of a restaurant. We chose to select the round bench like tables, found outside the dining hall at our school. We decided that we could dress the tables up to look a lot fancier and more convincing, we could do this with table cloths, candles and cutlery. 

This shot shows a close up of the table we will be using.

This is a shot taken from a window above the table, it shows a possible camera angles we could use. 

This shot shows a possible camera angle which encompasses two tables, reinforcing the idea of a restaurant.

RESEARCH: RECCE FINDING A LIBRARY

Today I went down into Esher to explore possible venues to stage our library in. I inquired about possibly using the local library to film in.

The reason I liked this library was because it was well lit, whereas our school library is fairly dark and we would have to use artificial lighting in order to get a decent shot. The layout of the library was also highly effective as we wanted to have shots whereby you see the "nice guy", hiding around corners and watching the girl. The library was laid out with a somewhat open plan flooring which would work well for establishing shots and setting the mise en scene. It also had a selection of little carrels and cut off sections which we could film the more quiet and intimate moments.

The inside of the library showing the front desk.

The layout of the shelves, showing possibilities for a selection of camera shots. 

The outside of the library in Esher, showing the signposts and car park.

PLANNING: THINKING ABOUT THE WRITING STICKY NOTES

Today we brainstormed possible notes and sayings we could use on our sticky notes, that the nice guy leaves behind for the girl. We decided to make them short and sweet, so as not to distract from the main plot line and to ensure the audience would be able to have enough time to read them. Here is a selection we came up with:

• "Shall I compare thee to a summers day"
• "you have beautiful eyes"
• "You make time stand still"
• "Pretty as a picture" 
• "can you feel the chemistry"
• "Ma belle" 

We decided that we would place the sticky notes deliberately onto books they related to in order to show a connection. For example we placed "Can you feel the chemistry", onto a chemistry textbook; as well as placing "Pretty as a picture", onto an art book. We found that by doing this it made the notes seem clever and original. This also positions the male character as thoughtful and intelligent, qualities the protagonist is looking for in a man. 

PLANNING: STORYBOARD

Today we created an official storyboard, in order that we could map out the different scenes we wanted to film as well as where we needed to film and who is needed. This helps us to determine the plot line and ensure that the story makes sense and incorporates the codes and conventions of short films such as a plot twist. This also helps us to generate our call sheets to maintain our organisation. 

PLANNING:CREATING A ROUGH STORYBOARD

Today we decided to make a rough outline of a storyboard for our short film 'checkout'. We wanted to work out a general outline as to what we wanted to feature on the film. We came up with characters, a plot twist and an ending. This helped us to create a proper storyboard with a lot more detail.

PLANNING: SHOT LIST

This is our Shot list it shows clearly each seperate scene we need to film as well as what we need, who we need and any other sound or sound effects required. The shot list is helpful in organising us and ensuring that we have and film all we need to.

RESEARCH: DIRECTORS LABEL AND CINEMA 16

Directors label is a series of DVD's, which include short film's, music videos and video art. It is a series that combines the works of directors Chris Cunningham, Spike Jonze and Michael Gondry and showcases there works.

This is a unique and alternative way from film festivals to commend and show off shorts films. As opposed to film festivals with a DVD an audience is able to watch the film over and over again, and have a physical copy for themselves. This is seen as a better platform for short film directors and proves there work to be of a high standard and quality.

Cinema 16 is another DVD, which director Luke Morris compiled a selection of British, European and American directors work. The DVD sold more than 5,000 copies in the first 12 months showing the huge success and popularity that it had. 

RESEARCH: SHORT FILM FESTIVALS

The London Short Film Festival (9th-18th January 2015) offers the opportunity to "see the UK's best short films".

Film making is promoted strongly through film festivals with invitation to anyone to submit there own entries of work. There is a summer fundraiser which is backed by social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, which helps to raise awareness to ensure that the festival remains running as the websites blog post explains:   

• "LSFF Artistic Director Philip Ilson chats about the forthcoming fundraiser event and looks at how the Festival has managed to survive over twelve years."

 




































Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival, is the UK's leading short film and animation festival. It is 
Watershed's annual event which brings together film makers and industry professionals. Over 2,000 films are submitted each year, and the curatorial group selects around 200 to screen in competition during the festival. Funding mostly comes from a wide range of local, national and international sponsors, such as the BFI, The National Lottery Fund, Briston City Council and Media Programme.

This is a great way of getting your work noticed as it is a famous and prestigious film festival. If your work is deemed good enough it can feature on the official website, thus promoting your work to a larger audience. 

RESEARCH: LIFE IN THE DAY RIDLEY SCOTT

As part of our research into the short film genre, we studied Ridley Scott's Life in a Day  
(dir. Kevin McDonald, 2011) from an artistic and institutional point of view.

• This is an excellent example of a crowd sourced film. It is made from a collection of video clips made by the general public from all around the world, on one single day, 24 July 2010. It shows what people do from sunrise to sunset, featuring every aspect of normal life for many different types of people. 

• This film highlights on the trend of consumers as producers. This type of film would not have be able to have been made 10 or so years ago as people did not have the knowledge or the technology to be able to film and contribute there own footage, for a project like this. Film editor Joe Walker said that the film "couldn't have been made without technology. Ten years ago it would've been impossible."
•  For Michael Wesch, this illustrates what he calls "Participatory Culture" as he explains in this video.

• 
   
•  This shorts films distribution methods were fairly unconventional as the film was put onto YouTube free of charge for everybody to be able to watch. The film also had conventional P&A film posters on display in order to advertise it to a larger audience.
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• This film illustrates convergence, the coming together of a variety of technologies. And it highlights upon the technological advances of the modern day, that the web 2.0 has allowed. Macdonald explained that YouTube "allowed us to tap into a pre-existing community of people around the world and to have a means of distributing information about the film and then receiving people's 'dailies.'