Shooting Schedule

You may have seen in my pitch post that I had come up with an example shooting schedule, to demonstrate that I had considered when, where and what things I would shoot together. Today, I'd like to share my revised shooting schedule; the reason for the change includes the availability of the actors, coupled with the fact that I wanted to make sure the actors fully understood the story and their characters, which recently I've been unsure of:

 

Saturday 21th December '13 10am-4pm: Shoot all the outdoor scenes on Milton Fields road (Actors needed: Poulton, Back, O'Reilly).

 Monday 23rd December 10am-12pm: Marriage counsellor scene (Actors needed: Poulton, O'Reilly, Fiona Harnett).

Saturday 28th December 6pm-8pm: Conservatory and bathroom.

Editing and post-production completed over Xmas holidays 2013-2014.

Short Film Analysis #7: "First Light"

A consistent theme in this series, this is another really well-made, style-over-substance short film which has the potential for poetic and insightful interpretations. At just over two minutes long, the film captures the first light of a new day, emphasizing what symbolic connotations a sun represents, a new day, a metaphor for hope. Each film I look at has had some small connection to my own short film, in order to ensure I always have something to learn from; in this case, I loved the cinematography, plus the shots capturing the eyes of the protagonists as they look off-frame, something I aim to do in my own short film. "First Light" can be seen below:

   

 Camera: A common repetition of shot type is the close-up of the children looking upwards in profile; this shot, albeit repeated perhaps too often, helps contribute to the idea of the significance of the first light,what it means and represents to all these children. Asides from this there's quite a lot of variation in shot types, long shots, mid-shots, coupled with extreme close-ups, all of which add to the scope and enchanting nature of the short film.  a zoom is used at one point, intensifying the emotion of the piece. High-angled shots adds to the idea of innocence and naivety,whilst low-angled shots makes us, the audience, feel part of the action. Soft focus in the background adds to the dreamy-like quality of the film. Therefore, the planning of angles and styles of shot contribute to making an effective short. 

Cinematography: A large part of what makes this short film so special is its cinematography. The way in which the film has been shot gives the film a cinematic style that engages the audience. The combination of otherworldly colours and soft focus camera shots adds to the films reflective and emotive tone; the cinematography therefore is really fundamental to a film of this nature, particularly when there's no dialogue or plot, and so the quality of shots captured is key to making this short film a success.

Editing: The lack of edits in this short film and its long shots add to the reflective nature of the short film. No character is given more prevalence; it feels as though the film is trying to say that an entire generation of youth is looking for hope, which reinforces the philosophical message of the film. Editing adds to the ambiguity of the film- the setting and characters constantly changes, and the omission of what the children are looking at for part of the film adds to the mystery of the short film.

Mise-En-Scene: Shots of animals, nature and impoverished children creates a naturalistic tone. The light of the sun is red, which has symbolic connotations of danger, or perhaps love and compassion, which links in with the positive message of the film. The characters are all young, I believe, as it adds to the idea of the younger generations have this opportunity for hope.The mise-en-scene contains a variety of colours and, amongst all the poverty and rubble, creates a sense of vibrancy

Sound: Eerie non-diegetic music complements the slow, melancholy and ferflective tone of the film. Like a film soundtrack, it's an emotive track that encourages thought with its ethereal sound. The lack of diegetic sound reinforces the idea that the purpose of the short film is to be philosophical and reflective, as opposed to film that aims to entertain with dialogue or plot. In this respect, its quite a sophisticated short film.

"First Light" was definitely a moving and thought-provoking short film about the idea of hope, opportunity and faith set amidst the backdrop of poverty. The film showed me the power of cinematography and non-diegetic music, and so in this way I hope to emulate the success of "First Light" in my own short film.

Short Film Analysis #6: "30% (Women and Politics in Sierra Leone)"

Next in my series of short films is an intriguing documentary, told through live action whilst interspersed with some stunning oil-paint animation. The film follows the plight of three women and their fight to improve the position of women in politics in a nation ruled by men. The film's insight and message, coupled with the unique way in which these messages are conveyed, make it a truly fascinating short film to look at; 

Camera: The film uses naturalistic styles of shots in the live action segments to add to the authenticity of the short film, making he audience focus more on the women's message as opposed to the grandeur of the camera angles and cinematography. Examples of this include the shaking camera as one of the woman walks along; it feels personal, as though we as the audience are with them. Close-ups are used to make the audience identify with the women, whereas any shots of men are either mid-shots or long shots. Moreover, the men are often framed in two's or three's, creating the idea that the men adopt this pack mentality.

Cinematography: A possible criticism of the film is the way in which the film possibly looks a bit disjointed in the contrasts between the lush, rich animation and the blandness of the live action. Perhaps this is the point, to bring into harsh focus the realities of the situation the women are in. Indeed, the animation is stunning, the artwork is brilliant, and the slightly surreal style of the animation is really reflective of what memories are often like, snapshots of the past. The animation is a unique form of storytelling, and is also arguably a more effective form of recreation than a badly dramatised Crimewatch-style recreation.

Editing: The film is an attempt to highlight the importance of women's rights, and so perhaps it's unsurprising that the film's director pointedly focuses on women, holding the most prevalence on screen. Seamless transitions between live action and animations creates the idea that Sierra Leone has the potential to be a colorful, vibrant place. The slow nature of cuts adds to the reflective tone of the piece; therefore, editing is significant in the way it adds to the message of the film.

Mise-En-Scene: The mise-en-scene conveys the vibrancy and otherworldly nature of Sierra Leone through the use of animation. The bold primary colours gives the film a level of gravitas, and makes the film more compelling to the viewer. Moreover, the film's mise-en-scene conveys the difficulties the country faces, such as poverty, and also the contrast between the numbers of men and women in parliament. The filmmaker hints at a number of different key issues, which makes the film more of a talking point.

Sound: The dialogue in this film is crucial; there isn't a conventional, linear plot, and so the diegetic words are crucial in conveying ideas and imagery. The woman's words can be seen as non-diegetic when the film goes into flashback, and authentic sound effects such as women and children screaming are used to used to make this imagery all the more clear to the audience. The stories told by this women are fundamentally important, and so sound is a key element in the success of this short film.

This short film conveys key issues, and is an interesting and engaging documentary. Flashbacks are a key element of my short film, and so I've found the route this filmmaker went down very interesting and insightful.

Short Film Analysis #5: "From Dust"

I've chosen this short film to look at as the grainy, black-and-white style of this film draws parallels to my own short film idea. "From Dust"is an epic, animated film that captures the lift-off a rocket ship, juxtaposed by an interesting and reflective non-diegetic poem. The film can be watched below;

Mise-En-Scene: The film uses popular symbolic iconography of space travel, looking as though it was based upon a NASA-like take-off.  Images that resonate with this idea includes the futuristic style of the control room and the spaceman's outfit. Moreover, there is a sense of patriotism in the way in which the film has been crafted; the male spaceman has a hardened facial expression and looks suitably macho, making him appear to be strong and in control. Moreover, the presence of the American flag, coupled with the expensive looking spaceship and equipment, all the reinforce the idea of American superiority. Indeed, the way in which the spaceship flies towards the sun holds some metaphorical resonance, as though anything can be achieved, an idea complemented by the video's rags-to-riches title.

Cinematography: I really enjoyed the stylistic approach of the way in which the film was captured. The grainy style of the film made it appear to look old-fashioned, which perhaps contradicts with the futuristic style of the music. It almost feels like its been shot on Super 8 (which of course it isn't given it's animated), which is kind of similar to the style in which I want my "VHS" section of my short film to look like. The black and white style of the film adds to the melancholic and reflective nature of the short; this allows the orange of the sun o hold even more dramatic weight in the story, to be representative of hope and achievement in an age that's otherwise totally drained of colour. Consequently, the cinematography used in this film is really effective in the way in which it captures the epic and symbolic tone of the film and its underlying message.

Camera: The use of camera angles are also significant in the way it conveys and adds to the overall tone and message of the story. The first shots put the audience into the spaceman's shoes, the long ride up in the lift and the walk down to the spaceship adding to the anticipation and tension as the audience awaits lift-off. An extreme long shot of the rocket creates this idea of scope and magnificence; moreover, tension is reinforced  by the close-ups of the control panels and the spaceman's hardened facial expression. Long shots of the rocket rising up toward the camera, as well as shots of the tail end of the spaceship looking down and the satellite adds to the epic nature of the piece, taking the breath away. The final shot, a long shot from the reverse of the ship as it approaches the sun reinforces the idea of human ambition and determination.

Sound: The futuristic tone of the film is created by the spacey, Daft Punk-style non-diegetic music. The hopeful, ethereal tone of the sound adds to the bittersweet message of the film. The diegetic sound of the rocket enforces the idea that the take-off is momentous, and the ambiguous nature of the non-diegetic words add to a sense of mystery and intrigue.

Editing: The editing gives most prevalence to the astronaut to show his significance as the main character in the short film. Moreover, the lenghty nature of the cuts shows a confidence in how the take-off will be exciting and thrilling, without a load of quick cuts.

"From Dust" was interesting, albeit perhaps lacking in plot. The quality animation, coupled woth well thought out shots make this a breath-taking short film.

Target Audience

"Before"

It's important, in whatever sphere of Media production, to gauge a rough idea of who it is you want to target your product at. To determine a target audience for my short film, I must consider age, gender, ethnicity and occupation. This forces me to get an understanding of who it is that's likely to watch my short film, and so therefore the film's plot, themes as well as mise-en-scene, should all reflect who that target audience is. Consequently, I feel it's pertinent to look at who exactly my target audience is, and why I've chosen this demographic as my primary audience.

 

Age: My target audience in terms of age is between the years 25 to 45. I feel as though the bleak, dark tone of this film makes it appropriate for an older audience. The film's lack of action and violence may put off a teenage audience, but the implication of violence and murder perhaps won't be liked by a traditional, conservative pensioner demographic. Also the fact hat the film is set around a couple makes it more reliable to a middle aged target market. Whilst taking on a film with an older target market than my age may be a challenge, I knew from the off that this wasn't necessarily a teenage film.

 

Gender: Without meaning for this to sound like a cop-out, I genuinely feel this short film should be appropriate for both a male and female demographic. The lack of on-screen violence makes this more suitable for a female audience. However, I don't necessarily think this will be off-putting for a male audience; hopefully, it should be relatable for both men and women, and so therefore should be suitable for both genders.

 

Ethnicity: This film is targeted at a White British audience. The White British cast makes it more identifiable with this target audience, and, so while I firmly believe that any good film could be enjoyed by all ethnicities, in this respect my film is most likely targeted at a White British demographic.

 

Occupation: The complex, hematic nature of this film means that it's likely to be targeted at a more intelligent, wealthy target audience. The film's ambiguous, morally confused nature means that it's a demanding film on the audience's part. Consequently, it's not a film that's targeted at those looking for a popcorn film, and as a result of this, I would say this is a film targeted at those who are ready to think about this film and its message.

My Storyboard!

As part of my presentation I had to create a storyboard, in spite of the fact that I'm terrible at drawing. However, this process was really important in order to bring to life the vision that I have of the short film, portraying the kinds of shots I wish to capture. Moreover, the storyboard forced me to consider the practicalities and logic of my script: how long each shot is going to go on for, how I'm going to transition from one frame to the next through editing etc. Consequently, I felt the production of this storyboard was useful to both myself and the others that I presented my storyboard to, allowing me to present my ideas for the film in a clear and thought-through manner. My storyboard can be found below:

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 7

And Page 8

 In summation, I've the found the story-boarding to process to really be invaluable. It's forced me to look at my script in a more technical, practical context, making me more aware thean ever of sound, editing, camera angles, as well as timing of shots. It'll be great to use the storyboard as a visual aid when it comes down to shooting the film itself, and can act as a means of guidance as I know move into the production stage...

Presentation Pointers...

In order to present my ideas in a way that is clear and easy to understand, I produced a presentation, featuring notes and pointers that ensured my presentation never stalled. Conveying these ideas in a way that was efficient and easy-to-digest was really important to me, and so I'd like to share with you the information and ideas that I relayed to my audience in my presentation:

Plot: 

A suspenseful drama, in the same vein as the likes of Alfred Hitchcock.

"The Before" looks at the events preceding a tragic murder, as opposed to the event itself and the aftermath.

The murderer revolves around a man (Liam O'Reilly) who gets vengeance on his ex-wife (Emily Poulton), who has cheated on him. The film pointedly ends in the seconds before the murder itself, which isn't shown on screen.

The film builds suspense through flashbacks and flash-forwards. This distinction between times is recognised by the way in which the flash-forwards are shot in black-and-white.

Captions are written across the screen (eg. '18 Days Before), making the audience question what is about to happen.

Meaning:

A critique of the way in which the Media over-simplifies crime (ie. the innocent victim and the evil perpetrator).

An emphasis on how film can still be intense and suspenseful without gore, blood and violence, all of which are glorified in popular Media today.

"The Before"; looks at the events preceding the murder, as opposed to the event itself and the aftermath.

Equipment List:

Canon 600D.

Flashlight- used to create moonlight.

Microphone- still needs to be bought.

Tripod.

Camcorder- can be used for VHS-based scene.

Props:

Rose.

Rocking Horse.

Red book that looks like it could be the Bible.

Fake Knife.

Inspirational posters, quotes and images.

Mock-up photos of the couple in happier times.

Location List:

Street: Lovel Road, Chalfont St Peter.

Marriage counsellor office: My living room.

Conservatory: Emily's conservatory.

Bathroom: Emily's bathroom.

Front door: Liam's front door.

Example Shooting Schedule:

Saturday 7th December '13 10am-4pm: Shoot all the outdoor scenes on Lovel road (Actors needed: Poulton, Back, O'Reilly).

Saturday 14th December 10am-12pm: Marriage counsellor scene (Actors needed: Poulton, O'Reilly, Fiona Harnett).

Saturday 14th December 6pm-8pm: Conservatory and bathroom.

Editing and post-production completed over Xmas holidays 2013-2014.