Before I went out on location to begin filming ,I had to find actors to take part. I had to use the social media site Facebook to make some arrangements with a someone from my media class. I have taken screen shots of the conversation which you can view below:
Last year for my AS film studies I directed my first short film entitled The Trail. I thought it would be valuable for me to look at what worked and what was not as effective when planning my next short film,this time for Media studies. For instance , I have now started filming for Illusion,my second film,and have challenged myself by writing a script for it,something that I never made for The Trail. Ive also decided to this year add more sound effects instead of having one long piece of non diagetic music.
Looking back on this piece of work , I can see the flaws. It is often too simple to be a silent film , and this may have stopped the audience engaging with it.Weather was also a factor that may have affected the end product. It was often raining , so I was forced to rearrange the shoot on several occasions. I think that I have learnt from my mistakes this year as I am going to check the weather reports online to determine what time I will begin filming.With this film , I found it hard to arrange a certain time me and my actor could meet as we both had busy timetables at college.To remedy this this year , I will plan ahead in advance. Finally , the other problem was that I did not take enough footage , so I had to to go and film extra on another day.
As part of my time management , I filled in a checklist of what I had completed on my blog and what I still needed to complete. After I had completed this , my teacher filled in a separate sheet , giving me feedback on the quality of the work through the use of red , yellow and green colours.
As you can see, I have made progress on both my film poster and magazine review page by including the conventions of what makes them appealing to an audience. For example, Ive tried to avoid having blank space on my poster and covered it with as much content as possible.This was difficult , as I also needed to make the eye in the centre the main point of interest. As I have found out in my research , that some people are influenced by the critics comments on a poster , so I have tried to add some here.
With my review , I found that I had to keep the page concise and easy to navigate. I attempted to make the end product seem professional and have much in common with contemporary film magazines on sale.
After beginning my filming , I started the editing process on Premier Pro. I added some sound effects and music to build suspense. I had to arrange the clips I had taken and delete the ones that I didn't need. I think that editing is as important as filming as films are often not shot in the order of the storyline. I added special effects to keep the audience engaged and intrigued by dragging them onto the timeline.You will notice that the clips have spaces between them as these are for additional shots that I plan to film on another day. I think that the I have progressed since last years AS film because I have had time ego practice using the editing software and have gotten familiar with the technology.
Below are my updated film poster and magazine review page. I have tried to make both products look realistic and professional. Before I created these products , I took inspiration from film magazine such as Empire and other successful thriller posters.
Before we went out to shoot our short films and trailers , the class decided it would be useful to practise the skills we had learnt through filming and editing. We were given a story which we had to follow, so I learnt how to take a concept from paper to film. After the shoot , I edited the footage so it was easy to understand what was happening. The narrative we were given involved a text message that was sent to the protagonist , which took him by surprise. The team were not too worried about the overall the storyline , but practicing our skills we have learnt in our two years of studying media. I believe that this task gave us some much needed practice with Premier Pro.We found using the program initially difficult , but gradually became familiar with the editing software.
Below is the first draft for my film script,which is unfinished because I will be making a second when it is closer to the filming day.Ive also made a few errors too-the writing does not make sense in places so I will need to amend this by the time I start filming :
Bradley
BroughtonFilm script
STARRING:
Richard Broughton, Jack Morgan
DIRECTED
BY: Bradley Broughton
[POV SHOT LOOKING DOWN OF CHARACTER RUNNING]
PAUL:
“HELLO?”
PHILLIP:
“HI PAUL.ITS PHILLIP? SUPRISED THEY HAVENT CAUGHT YOU YET”
PAUL:OH
ITS SO GOOD TO HEAR YOU
PHILLIP:YEAH
YOU TOO.NEARLY WHOLE SECTOR HAS BEEN STAMPED NOW.
PAUL:OUR
LIVES ARE JUST TELEVISION SHOWS NOW TO ENTERTIAIN THE GOVERNMENT.
PHILLLIP:YEAH
THE PRESIDENT HAS ISSUED EVERYONE WHO GETS STAMPED WITH A GUN TO
“PATROL”WITH.THAT MEANS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO ESCAPED –LIKE YOURSELF.
PAUL:WHAT
DO YOU MEAN BY STAMPED?
PHILLIP:THEY
WATCH YOU DIRECTLY FROM THE TOWER.WHERE ARE YOU?
PAUL:NOT
QUITE SURE.I THINK IM IN SOUTH DISTRICT
PHILLIP:BUT
IT’S THE RAVENS THAT ARE THE REAL PROBLEM
PAUL:TELL
ME ABOUT IT.THEIR WATCHING EVERYWHERE FOR ESCAPPES
PHILLIP:KEEP
TO THE SHADOWS,THE RAVENS ARE HUNGRY THIS TIME OF DAY
PHILLIP:SOUTH
DISTRICT!OH IM SORRY.SO SORRY.
PAUL:WHAT
DO YOU MEAN?
PHILLIP:IVE.BEEN.PROMOTED.I
HAD TOPROTECT MY FAMILY.THEY WHERE YOU
ARE NOW!RUN!
PAUL:OH
GOD TRAITOR[DROPS PHONE]HES REVEALED MY LOCATION
THE
ANTAGONIST:THANK YOU PHILLIP, BUT YOU DID NOT HAVE TO BETRAY YOUR FRIEND AFTER
ALL.HES ALREADY BEEN TAKEN CARE OF!
PAUL:[LOOKING
DOWN AT HAND]GASP!
THE
ANTAGONIST:I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE[CAMERA ZOOMS ON EYE TATOO IN CENTRE OF HAND) PAUL:HOW
DID THIS HAPPEN?
THE
ANTAGONIST:SOMETHING BEGINNING WITH S.
PAUL:I
WAS NEVER STAMPED! ITS IMPOSSIBLE!
THE ANATGONIST:DO
YOU GIVE UP YET?THE ANSWER TO THE RIDDLE WAS SLEEPING. YOU WERE STAMPED WHILST
YOU WERE ASLEEP!
ANTAGONIST:ENJOY
YOUR LAST MOMENTS BEFORE THE RAVENS FIND YOU!(SOUND EFFECT OF GUN FIRE)
PHILLIP:RUN!
END-PHONE
RINGING SOUND EFFECT. Filmskills-how to write a script
This video explains some key tips on how to write a script which I found very valuable when constructing my own product.
As I recorded my audience feedback , I found that action was the most popular genre with my target audience and they also thought it should be filmed in an "urban environment", such as a city. Furthermore, I thought I would be unable to make a decent action short film because there was a lack of budget. Using the feedback I decided to record most of the footage outside. I think the video proves that young people don't have much knowledge about Short films possibly because they are not marketed at a bigger audience , like the recent blockbuster. Additionally , I found that the cinema was still very popular , despite having competition with online streaming services such as Netflix.
I looked at the marking criteria for my blog and gave myself a grade, which I thought it would be
awarded by an examiner. I looked through all the points and evaluated whether or not I had achieved them. It will be interesting to see how close my mark is to that of my teacher. I think that it will be helpful to mark my own blog before the teacher as it is giving me practice with assessing work.It allows me to judge my own blog and see how I can amend it.
An important part of my planning is that I need to decided the day to begin filming.This can be difficult since the British weather has a reputation for being unpredictable.Because of this, I thought it would be a good idea to browse the internet and see what day was the best weather wise to start producing the film.
I found that by using Survey monkey , I had a better idea of what the public thought about the short film medium. My results show that most people have seen a short film, so that it is made me more positive about the work I was doing.Strangely , I was surprised that most thought music was the most popular aspect of short films and do I decided to take a longer amount of time choosing the score and sound effects. I wondered what the most popular genre of film would be , but audiences seems to prefer a mix.Finally , most people seem to consume films through television.
There is an even number of people who both enjoy and don't like short films. This result surprised me as An overwhelming amount of people had experienced the short film form.Maybe this is to do with the shorts advertised at the beginning of the main feature , like Disney often do.
These results show that animation is very popular in short film.I don't think that live action short films are in the publics consciousness as much as the likes of animation , which is more popular as families often watch these together.
surprisingly, twice the number of people I asked seem to think music is the key component in a short film.As a direct result of this , I decided to spend a longer time period choosing the score and sound effects as it seems to be key to their success.
Here , there seems to be no genre that is more popular than the others.I have decided to choose my own genre as they seem to be equally popular.
Most people find it easier to watch films through television , probably because it costs less and is more accessible.What this shows me is that people generally would not go out their way to see a short film.
This is the first draft of my film poster to promote my film which I created using photoshop. It took me a while to get everything to scale and in the correct place. I decided to use a red text as it was striking and contrasted well with the yellow background. I attempted to include the conventions that make a successful poster , including a tagline, seeing is believing, and credits below the title.These images are the development of my poster at different stages.I attempted to keep the main image as simplistic as possible , in order to ensure it was not overpopulated with images that overwhelm the audience.
I will be shooting my film around my neighborhood. I can't think of many health and safety risks mainly because most of the film wont have much action involved.To minimize any risks I will make sure the environment around us is safe and the crew are fine.The weather may affect the quality of the film, so I will just have to plan in advance and check the weather forecast.To do this , I am going to check BBC weather on the internet or watch a television broadcast before I leave. I think that I will save the film from appearing unprofessional , as it is hard to shoot a film in the heavy rain.The natural lighting will effect the footage because it is unpredictable and can make the film look different to what I planned. I do not need any permission to shoot where I have planned.The film will look totally different when i shoot the material , as I am going to edit it so it is in black and white.
There is the issue of other people in the frame, but these shots will be retaken in order to get them
perfect. I am currently having difficulty arranging my two actors to meet at the same place an time , so have decided to change my script to suit this issue.The film will now feature each main actor in two separate locations , taking on a mobile phone.This plot device allowed me to avoid making the film feel rushed. When Filming , I am aware that traffic may become an issue , because my film is supposed to feel isolated. Maybe I will need to go at an earlier or later time so I do not shoot during rush hour , as the film will lose this effect. The isolation and loneliness are key themes in the film and if the area is busy , this effect will be lost.
Below are some thriller films that have inspired me in the past and influenced my own product- Strangers on a train(Alfred Hitchcock,1951)
This Hitchcock film was the first thriller film I watched. It begins with two men meeting on a train.They begin talking , and one comes up with the idea of murdering the other wife and father.One of the men becomes obsessed with the idea , whereas the other does not want to go through with the plan.
The Usual Suspects(Bryan Singer,1995)
I thought that this was a very interesting film because it seemed to have a simple plot up until the ending in which everything is turned on its head.This film inspired me because I loved the twist ending as it took me completely by surprise despite being so obvious when watching the film again.
Misery(Rob Reiner,1990)
I think that this was a successful thriller because it got me hooked throughout , despite very little actually happening on screen. The tension slowly builds to a shocking climax. The performances are perfect and convince you that this is actually happening.It does everything that a thriller should do - keep you on the edge of your seat and be completely unpredictable.
How will this influence my own short film?
When I watch these film they all had one thing in common -they kept you on the edge of your seat.I want to create a similar effect so that my audience are mesmerized and excited to see what happens next.Each also had a prominent villain, such as Cathy Bates and Kevin Spacey's characters,that seemed to create a problem that may or not be resolved in the climax.I adopted the black and white effect from Strangers on a train in my own film as I wanted it to have a film noir aspect.
For part of my research , I designed a questionnaire on Survey monkey in an attempt to find out what my audience knew wanted from a short film. When I completed this online , I uploaded the survey on Facebook so I could get some results.These results will be uploaded shortly. The questions I asked- Do you enjoy watching short films? Have you ever seen a short film? Can you remember any short films you have enjoyed? What do you think makes a successful short film? What genre are you interested in? How do you usually watch films? Why did I choose these questions? I chose these questions because I thought they would be helpful in understanding what is interesting about a short film and what creates audience interest.I wanted to know what the most popular short films were so I could take inspiration for my own.It was proved that Disney shorts , including Tangled ever after and Toy story, were favorites. I think this is maybe to do with the fact that Disney screens these shorts before the feature at a multiplex.I also found out that audiences generally felt that music was key in making a short successful.I think that this is because it can create emotion , from sadness to happiness.I decided to spend a longer period of time focusing on my score in order to please this large audience. During my research , I saw that television was popular way of viewing films.I think this is because it is easier to access and mostly cheaper than going to the cinemas. Overall , the general opinion I got was that many had seen shorts , but not a diverse range.
Below I have created another flat plan for my second ancillary task and some examples of review pages from the like of Empire and Total Film. This relates to my product as it presents the first stage of the review pages development.
This review page has a main image and a strikingly bold title
This page has two slightly smaller reviews and additional information such as the running time for the audience
I like the style of this page because it is simple to navigate and easy to understand
Rationale
I have planned to use light colors that are not to bright or distracting to use on my double page spread. The main reason for this is that the central focus should be on the main image in the foreground.The main image will feature a still of the closing shot , an eye overlooking the city.This eye was meant to be a metaphor for the totalitarian government, who have full control over the residents within this world I have created. I have decided to write an article for the double page spread that includes lots of puns and humor. One issue with my previous work was that I did not re read my work and as a result it was lacking in good grammar and punctuation.I intend to check my work regularly to ensure that this does not repeat itself.Also , This year I will take care with positioning text and columns as I want it to be as ordered and easy to understand as possible. I will follow the conventions of Empire and Total Film without mimicking them as I want this to be an original product. I think at AS level, the main flaw of my double page spread was that it looked to plain and had a lack of originality in its design, so I intend to improve on that here. I also intend to add an additional information section on the page giving a glimpse of the actors, genre and synopsis , similarly to some of Empire or Total films works.
Before I started the making process of my poster , I decided to complete a flat plan.This gave me some guidance when I was finding it difficult to make. Also, I had this to refer to if I was unsure what to include in the poster. It allowed me to structure my ancillary task.
Rationale
For my poster I wanted a striking main image that was unusual.The majority of the poster will be mysterious , keeping in with the thriller genre. I took inspiration for this from the works of Salvador Dali and the early art deco pieces. I drew upon the Art Deco style often as the film is a throwback to earlier films and i wanted to deliver the past styles into the future with my ancillary taskIn the end I decided that the title should also be of a larger proportion as it has to be clear to the audience what the film is called. The masthead and title is Illusion , a title that is ambitious but also intriguing. I decided on a yellow , blue and red color scheme as they contrasted well with each other and were not too overpowering. I also decided to have poster conventions such as critics review , a tagline and actors names to make it look as professional as possible. For my BBFC rating , I decided upon making the film a 12A as it has similarities with The Hunger Games franchise-it has some disturbing material , but does not have the bad language or violence to warrant making it a 15.
Here are my actors , Jack and Richard. I chose these actors because I thought that they would be good in the roles. I am glad that I chose these actors as they gave good performances and it shows in the final product. Before I shot the film with the actors I made sure that they were confident and knew what they had to do. They play friends Phillip and Paul , who are trapped in a totalitarian society with no way to escape.
For my poster reconstruction I decided to choose 127 hours as I thought that it was a good example of the genre and was not difficult to complete in photoshop. I tried to make the reconstruction as close as possible to the original but this did prove difficult as the rock climber shadow was hard to to get correct.It was also hard to find a photograph of the cliff edges as every one is unique and different. One of the other major problems I had to overcome was making the text similar to that of the original poster because there are so many sizes and fonts to choose from.I decided to complete this reconstruction as I needed to practice on photoshop because I would soon be making my own poster. I found it a challenging task as the technology had a tendency to glitch. I had to work around this and ensure that it did not detract from the quality of the reconstruction. Here is the trailer for the poster I constructed:
Before I choose my main font for my films title I did some research int some different styles-
I like this font because it stands out and suits the thriller genre
I definitely think this font is poor because my film is not a romance
This font has an rough , rigid style.My film is gritty , so I think this could be applied to my poster
In the end , I chose to pick this font because it is uneven and unuaul , exactly what my film is aiming to be.The red and blue work well together as a color scheme.I decided to have it in capitals to leave an impression on the audience.I found it difficult to choose the font , but I am happy with this example as i think it suits my product perfectly.
