Audience Research (Post 7)

Feedback from my audience research led me to change my idea for the setting and elements of the plot. Initially my short film was going to be set in a more rural setting, I was leaning towards long countryside roads, fields and forests, however the feedback I received influenced me to give the film a more realistic setting as to better enforce the realism of the film. I also changed my antagonistic force within the film, changing the main 'villain' to a mugger as to enhance the realism.

Script (not finished) (Post 8)

Script

 

Characters (Post 10)

 Characters

Friend 1, Friend 2 and The Mugger 

Profile's

Friend 1 - A young man (late teens/early twenties) from a working class background, easily frustrated due to his socioeconomic circumstances, he lives pay check to pay check and is fretful of quitting due to the fact he doesn't want to be out of work due the risk it poses.

Friend 2 - A young man (late teens/early twenties) from a more middle/upper class background, more chill and calm due to his comfortable socioeconomic circumstances, he has no worries about work and lives a comfortable a life and so is ignorant and unknowledgeable about the problem his friend faces.                    

Final Setting (Post 9)

 The 4 settings within my film are a bedroom, a roadside, a park and an estate.

For my bedroom I will use a bedroom in my house as thee are easy to access and film in.

For the roadside, any roadside would work but I would go for one with little traffic as that would interrupt the audio of the film so a less used road would be more convenient.

For the park, I would use of the parks in village I live in, there's 4 available meaning if one is being used by other people I would have back up locations to fall back to. Below are photos of 3 of the 4 parks.

For the estate I will use the estates in Mulbarton, including Larkrise, Blueberry Road, the estate behind the Co-op and Oakley Park. I would use the estate with the least amount of foot fall and traffic as to best film the video uninterrupted. 

The time of day for the film will be implied to be the afternoon, this will be implied through the dialogue as one of the characters has just got off work and so the film will be shot in the afternoon to add to the realism and it's generally more convenient to filming the afternoon as the people working on it would be more active.

The season of the film is unimportant to the plot or meaning so will just be the same season as t=when the film is shot.

The decade/era for the film will be modern day and it makes the initial situation of the film more relatable which in turn strengthens the message of the film due to the audience having amore personal connection or relatability to the events.

The reason I want to create these setting is that they add to the realism of the film, and the more realistic the film is and appears to be, the more relatable it can be to an audience member as it can reflects their lives or similar events. 

The setting will also create more realistic mise-en-scene, due to the outdoor locations there will be natural lighting to add to the realism and the costume, props, hair and makeup will be reflective of the environment and so also add to the realism.

The realistic setting adds to the drama genre as it would serve to make the drama more realistic.

Final Idea Pitch (Post 6)

 

Production Diary 1 (Post 5)

 Idea

Why do I want to make the short film, what purpose will it serve?

• I want my short film to present a political message, the myth of choice for the working classes in capitalism and the fim will present this message through dialogue and allegory.
• The reason I want to do this is for the purpose of educating the audience and attempting to disprove the freedom of choice that the working class has under capitalist systems.

Location

There are 4 primary locations within my short film, the bedrooms, the park and the estate

• The bedrooms will have to look distinctly different to further represent the class divide, this will be done through the mise-en-scene.
• The park will be one of the parks in the estate behind the Co-operative Food in Mulbarton, this is a relatively medium sized park and so should be spaced out enough to film in without being interrupted but also adding realistic and diegetic background noise.
• The estate will be the estate behind the Co-operative Food in Mulbarton

Inspirations from previous films

• I plan to make my film quite dialogue heavy, this is taken primarily from Skinny Jeans as the dialogue drives that narrative, similarly to how it drives this one and sets up the main main message of the film.         
• I'll have the opposite focus on aesthetic when compared to the student short film "Anniversary", which used to flashy editing to increase the focus on aesthetic effect, whereas my short film focuses more on narrative and the message and so the editing will be more naturalistic to keep the focus on dialogue and not aesthetic.

Where have I been all your life + Spider

 

Short Film Idea and Plan (Post 4)

Narrative

Plot 

• Opens with a phone call, Friend 1 got off work and wants to meet at a park, the other agrees, both of the interior of their houses are shown, Friend 2 is warned. 
• Friend 1 is at the park (that is in an estate) waiting, the Friend 2 arrives and they make some small talk and decide to go on a walk further into the estate.
• On their walk Friend 1 starts complaining about his work, how the CEO does nothing but reaps the most benefits, Friend 2 tells him to just quit his job and this starts an argument - Friend 1 lives - this argument is a commentary of the state of the working class how capitalism is unethical.
• The argument ends with Friend 1 running up ahead, further into the estate.. Friend 2 catches up and they go to argue again but they are ambushed by a mugger with a knife.
• The 2 plead for the mugger to just leave them but it doesn't work, then Friend 2 pushes Friend 1 at the mugger however Friend 1 is pushed into the knife and Friend 2 just runs away looks back and see's the mugger frantically searching and finding nothing and then continues to run.
• This is a commentary on both how the working class don't have true freedom and free choice under capitalism as well as the fact that the rich will use the poor to make themselves better off, symbolised by Friend 2 sacrificing Friend 1.

Micro Elements

Mise-En-Scene

• Setting - Bedrooms (scene 1), Park (scene 2), Estate (scenes 3 and 4) - naturalistic locations that aren't very flashy, they're more plain, this adds the the realism
• Lighting - Use natural lighting - bedroom lights for indoor scene and the sun for outdoor scenes - this will add to the realism of the start of the film which will strengthen the message the film is trying to get across.
• Costume - make the clothing look working class for Friend 1 and make Friend 2 look a little better off to reflect the ignorance of his friends struggle and strengthen the allegory of the ignorance of the upper classes and bourgeois.
• Character Expression and Movement - 2 characters - both supposed to be fairly young - Friend 1 should be more angry or have more angst while Friend 2 has to be more relaxed and condescending to further show the class divide and the ignorance of the bourgeois towards the proletariat.

Cinematography

• Primarily comprised of medium shots, however I currently plan to use close ups, tracking shots and long shots, these will be used to increase the realism of the film by putting more focus onto the dialogue instead of the aesthetics, this engages the audience more with the message than the spectacle.

Editing

• Use a variety of different edits however don't over edit and make the action to confusing and overcut, this makes the film more focused on realism and being naturalistic, this would engage the audience more with the message than the aesthetic.

Sound

• Use the sound picked up when filming - diegetic sound throughout the short film
• This will be done to further the realism and out more focus on the message.

Macro Elements

Narrative

• Linear Narrative - no flashbacks, completely chronological narrative.
• Allegory - The film is an allegory to how for the working class, there is no free choice under capitalism and how the upper classes will sacrifice the poor for their betterment.
• Ellipsis - break between the argument and when Friend 2 catches back up.
• Restricted Narrative Viewpoint - The film will be from the characters point of view and the audience will have the same information from them as they get it.
• Claude Levi-Strauss' Binary Opposites - wealth/poverty - there is a clear wealth divide between the 2 main character to exemplify the ignorance of the wealthier classes to the working class.
• Todorov's Theory of Narrative Equilibrium - equilibrium being the friends meeting up, the disruption being the argument between the friends, the recognition will be the ambush of the mugger, the repair will be friend 2 sacrificing friend 1 to get out, the new equilibrium will be friend 2 escaping.

Genre

• The genre of the short film will be drama, the seriousness and realism of the drama allows the message of the film to be more easy to understand.

Representation

• The two character of the film will be shown to be a representation of class, Friend 1 being of the working class and coming off as a bit more rough and shown to be living a bit worse to the more upper class Friend 2, who will be more relaxed and shown to be more privileged and ignorant of Friend 1's problems, representing how the upper classes can be ignorant of the difficulty of being working class.

Audience

• The film won't aim towards a specific audience but the primary purpose is to educate an audience through the allegory presented by the short film.

3 Student Short Films (Post 2)

 Student Short Film 1 - THE IDEA

 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPOJ4i2BGGI&ab_channel=WymondhamHighFilmStudies)

Micro Elements

Mise-En-Scene

• Setting - the only setting is a classroom, establishing the protagonist is a student doing work.
• Lighting - the film makes use of 'natural lighting' only using the lights already present in the classroom, making the film more realistic
• Costume - The student is seen wearing a suit, reinforcing the establishment of the character as a student and makes the film more realistic.
• Character expression and movement - the protagonist is shown to be annoyed and struggling when trying to do the work and once they figure it out they become a lot more active and are shown to be happier

Sound

• It is  not made clear whether the ticking of the clock is a diegetic sound or not, regardless of this, it is used to signify the concentration and mood of the protagonist, trying their best to get the work done.
• The diegetic music then used is to show the happiness of the student now that they've completed their work and then is shifted to use for comedy as their mood spirals down when their work is taken.

Cinematography

• The film primarily uses medium and close up shots to best display the mood of the protagonist by giving lots of shots of their face.

Editing

• The short film has pretty basic editing, using mostly regular cuts with a few jump cuts to keep the film flowing at a good pace.

Macro Elements

Narrative

• The short film follows a linear narrative, it's in complete chronological order with no flashbacks.
• The film follows Todorov's theory of narrative equilibrium, the equilibrium being the work in the classroom, the disruption being their work not being good enough and they have to continue working while everyone else leaves, the recognition being the teacher said his work wasn't good enough, the repair is working a lot harder to get the work done, and the new equilibrium is their work getting accidently thrown away.

Genre

• The genre of this film seems to be a comedy as signified by the end when the work is comically thrown away and it is played off like a joke.

Student Short Film 2 - The Delivery

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap9PTYleYqE&ab_channel=FinnSheridan)

Micro Elements

Mise-En-Scene

• Setting - the short film takes place both within the protagonists house and outside in the street, this is meant to show the protagonists agoraphobia.
• Lighting - the short film uses natural lighting and darkness to accentuate the fear of the character as well as add to the realism of their phobia.
• Character expression and movement - the main character's expression and movement are quite slow and anxious and he looks very uncomfortable and scared, this goes very far to show the severity of his agoraphobia as well as making the audience sympathetic to his struggle.

Cinematography

• The short films makes use of primarily close ups and wide shots to exemplify the main characters agoraphobia, the close up showing the extreme uncomfortability and fear of being in the open space where escape may be difficult and the wide shots showing the feeling of fear by being in such a large and open space.
• To further display the protagonists agoraphobia the director makes use of making shots less focused to show the uncomfortability and fear of leaving the house.

Editing

• The short film uses pretty standard editing, however there is some areas used to accentuate the uncomfortability and fear, such as the twisting and turning of the camera when outside.

Sound

• The score across the short film reflects the protagonists mood, when he's safe and indoors the score is calm and as his situation worsens and he knows he has to leave the score begins to get louder and overcome the diegetic sound to display his fear.
• There is also an overlay of heavy breathing throughout the short film, this displays his fear and anxiety.

Macro Elements

Narrative

• The film follows and linear narrative, all in chronological order and no flashbacks, and meks uses of ellipses when waiting for the pizza.
• The film follows Todorov's theory of narrative equilibrium, the equilibrium being when he orders pizza, the disruption being when it appears that the pizza is delivered to the wrong house (this is simultaneous to the recognition as he observes this event), the repair being going outside and crossing the street to get the pizza and the new equilibrium is the revelation that it wasn't his pizza and that his has just arrived.

Genre

• The genre of the short film is a drama, evidenced by the serious tone throughout the short film, this makes the message of the film (spreading awareness of agoraphobia) more serious and reaffirms the importance of what people who suffer go through.

Representation

• This film is representation for people who suffer from agoraphobia and spreading awareness from what they go through on a daily basis.

Audience

• This short film doesn't cater towards a certain audience however the intention of the film is to educate the audience of people who suffer from agoraphobia in a dramatic way.

Student Short Film 3 - The Anniversary

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ySJm9MHDak&ab_channel=LouisJones)

Micro Elements

Mise-En-Scene

• Setting - The setting of the short film are the main character bedroom, his car, the grave and his girlfriends house, these settings go to increase the aesthetic effects of the film by having wide variety of environments as well as putting lot's of things into a short amount of time to increase the panic of getting the present.
• Lighting - The short film seems to use natural lighting, using sunlight and the lights in the bedroom, this adds to relatability and realism of a situation like this.
• Props - the primary prop of the short film is the flowers, as they are the driving force of the plot as they are the anniversary gift the main character is hastily trying to get.
• Character expression and movement - the 4 main instances of a focus on character expression and movement are when he looks shocked and worried when he realises he forge his girlfriends anniversary, his annoyance that the shop where he could get a gift was closed, the sorrow of taking flowers from a grave and the look of defeat when he finds out that day wasn't the anniversary. All these instances serve to make the main character more relatable.

Cinematography

• The majority of the shots are close ups to get a better view of the characters expressions to increase the reliability and emotion of the short film.
• The film uses a zoom for shock value and comedic effect when the character believes it is his girlfriends anniversary.

Editing

• The clear primary focus of the short film is the editing, which is very stylish and fast to build the aesthetic effect of the short fil and to move the narrative along at quite a fast pace.
• The film uses a variety of editing methods to increase aesthetic effect and make the narrative fast paced, these methods are primarily a large use of whip pans and montages to greatly increase the speed of of the short film and greatly increase the aesthetic effect to capture the audiences attention and keep them engaged.

Sound

• The short film primarily uses diegetic sound (the dialogue, background noise, etc) to increase the realism and relatability of the short film as they make the environment more realistic.
• The use of narration clearly establishes the narrative and the story taking place.
• The use of sound effects add to the shock and comedy of what's happening at guides the audiences emotions.

Macro Elements

Narrative

• The film follows a linear narrative as well as following Todorov's theory of narrative equilibrium, the equilibrium being the main character waking up in the morning, the disruption being the feeling he's forgotten something, the recognition is him realising that it's his anniversary with his girlfriend, the attempt to repair being going to the shop for a gift but it's close, the repair being him taking flowers from his dad's grave as a gift instead and the new equilibrium being that the anniversary is actually tomorrow.

Why are there short films? (Post 3)

 Why are there short films?

What is the point of them? - Short films can be produced for a variety of reasons, could be for education, entertainment, to express a creative vision, for a profit, to win an award, to push a political/social/cultural agenda or they could be produced to get good grades, it ultimately depends on the person making it.

Who makes them? - Anyone with the right resources can produce a short film, and in the modern era the basic only resource to produce a short film is a phone, a phone can record, pick up sound and edit. Short films are smaller projects so don't require studios, large amounts of people, big budgets and so on.

Who is in them? - Anyone can feature in a short film.

How and where are they exhibited? - Short films are primarily uploaded to websites such as YouTube where they can access a much wider audience, they are also shown at events such as film festivals.They can also be viewed on various streaming services.

Has this always been the case? - When film was first made and popularised the majority of films were short films however this was due to a lack of technology at the time of production.

Who watches short films? - Anyone with access to the websites, streaming services and festivals can watch short films and the primary audiences for short films are incredibly diverse from film to film.

Short Film Power Point (Post 1)

This  is the link to the power point I completed covering the short films.

Vlog

Mid Point Practical

This is my practical piece for my mid point, based off the stimulus of a person waiting for someone to arrive, their thoughts change

Get off my Land - Recreation

Get off my Land - recreation

Mise en scene

Prop - the prop used in the short film is a gun, this prop is used to create shock and fear in the audience when the farmer first appears with the weapon and then kills the couple with it. The prop gun we used was an air rifle as an alternative to the shotgun used in the actual short film.

Costume - In this short film there are 3 different characters - for the first two characters: the couple going for a walk; the costumes are not too important. They are wearing simple basic clothes suitable for walking but not too outdoorsy, the man has white trainers on that are extremely muddy whilst the woman has walking boots showing she is more prepared and perhaps a keener walker. The landowner looks like quite a traditional farmer or hunter with a farmer’s cap and boots, he looks quite wealthy.
All of them are wearing light jackets.



Setting - We were originally gong to be shooting our creation of ‘Get off My Land’ in Swardeston. We chose this location as our setting because it is a rural and desolate area in the countryside, obviously a very fitting setting for our recreation of ‘Get off My Land’. Also, as the setting is very deserted, the sound of traffic and the public will not be a problem and not disrupt our video. Moreover, not only is this location rural, it closely resembles the setting of ‘Get off My Land’ as it contains numerous trees, fields and foliage just like the video. However due to bad weather on the day of the shoot we had to change locations to the Tiffy in Wymondham which is similar to Swardeston and so was suitable for the shoot.

Passing the ball

In this video we used editing to pass a ball over a number of locations, this is the link to the video:                  https://youtu.be/c5jpQxm1ZSo

Meaning Scene

I’m this scene we created a meaning, the meaning of our scene was unrequited love

Bus stop

In this short film we condensed one hour into one minute in a situation where someone missed the bus and has to wait for the next one

1 minute short films

In a group of 4 we made 2 short films that were a minute in length, prior to this we watched 4 short films, these were Script, Trapped, Run and Shutter and we were to base our films of these

Cuts and Editing

Cuts and Editing

Over the Christmas holidays I experimented with camera shots, angled and movements (cinematography) with the aim of producing a small sequence for each of the following cuts: Match in action, cross cut, jump cut, match cut, dissolve, invisible cut, L-cut and J-cut

Gold Rush scene recreation

This my edit of the recreation of the scene where the Lone prospector tricks Hank Curtis into giving him food, drink and shelter.