Research into actors/actresses

Last year we in cooperated 8 characters into our script. Initially, this was a brilliant idea as our whole concept appeared more adventurous, and helped the whole film appear more authentic.

However, when it came to filming, we have severe reliability issues as none of the initial cast that we hoped would act, were no longer available and we had an extremely tight schedule. Subsequently, this meant that we had to use several characters twice throughout the film, and had to try to disguise each actor to appear as a new character.\

This year, we tried to build our story with as little characters as possible, without letting it limit us to any story-lines that we would want to develop. Now we are at a point where we are starting to consider potential actors and actresses that could play the characters in the film.

For this, each character needs to meet certain criteria (However, as it is now.. we have to try and prioritize features that we would like, due to availability)

For Luke, we need characters that..

• Are able to drive as there are driving scenes
• Needs to have a confident voice as he will be narrating
• Able to act
• Someone who isn't afraid to be affectionate with female character in initial scene

For Nicole, we need a character that..

• Looks sweet and innocent
• Isn't afraid to become affectionate with Luke
• Is able to give as convincing crying scene

For Melissa, we need a character that is..

• Able to look evil/hard
• Is able to talk face-to-face on a camera

At the moment, our thought for the male character is Daniel Stammers/Andrew Kerr from our group. This is due to not wanting to rely on our friends from last year who let us down, and we both have similar ideas about how we want the film to be like.

For the females, we would like Lucy Royds, Nicola Bamforth, Kirsten Barman, Alica Whitehouse, Aimee Tindall to play either the female characters (which we will have to discuss with each of them)

So at the moment, it would appear that we have a potential, reliable male and a whole selection of females.

Research into Bedroom/Front Door Scene

On Friday, as a group we sat down and researched some potential ideas into where would be the best place to film the first two scenes of the film.

We decided that each location must meet certain criteria...

• The bathroom must be large enough to get a side shot of the sink/mirror
• The stairs of the house should lead directly to the front door

After a long debate about how we could film each shot, we drew pictures of our own houses to help illustrate the advantages and disadvantages that we would have with each

We think that John's house (bottom right), may be the best for the Bathroom scene as there is ample spare there.

We think that Kirsten's house (top right), would be the best for the stairs/front door scene as she is the only one where the stairs lead directly to the front door.

This is not a final decision. But we think we should start thinking about potential filming locations, as opposed to leaving it too late and rushing important decisions.

Costumes

Because our film is set in present day, costumes are not that hard to plan.

Luke is travelling and so he should be wearing something simple but comfy. Probably jeans, a hoody and some trainers.

In the scenes that include Nicole we see her at home around the house. And so she may not be wearing anything fancy. The film is also set in the Autumn/Winter time, so she would be wearing something warm such as a thick jumper. In the last scene it would be symbolistic for her to wear an item of black clothing, as a mark of respect to Luke.

Mel needs to be wearing something instantly reconisable such as a bright pink top etc. She would also be wearing something comfy and simple like Luke, as she is travelling too. When we first see her she is wheeling her suitcase behind her and this could maybe also be a instantly reconisable colour too.

Short Film Analysis

I have chosen to review a short film called ‘Gone Goodbye’ which I found on Youtube, it is a professional short film only lasting just under 5 minutes and comes from production company session7media. Although the video hasn’t had a huge amount of views on Youtube it was created for the Film Racing Grand Prix in 2009 which challenges people to ‘create a highly stylistic short film in under 100 hours. The film won first place and picked up multiple awards.

The film revolves around a very simple idea, it only contains one character a middle aged male who drives to a lake. The most important factor in the film is the narration that goes on throughout, it starts with the line ‘Dear Katherine, I’m leaving you.’ So straight away we assume this is a a man talking to his wife probably in the form of a letter.

The opening shot is an establishing shot, it shows a car from the rear driving away from the camera on a rather empty country road. The shot begins to crane up and above the car so the camera is now giving a birds eye perspective on the car. The narration continues and the audience gets a good idea that the male narrator will be the one driving the car, music plays throughout the film in the background, it is a quiet, calming piano peace which adds to the calming feel of the film. The music matches the environment perfectly, the quiet country roads, a lonely car and very soothing music.

As the shot is tracking the car from above, on the lane of the road the title of the film is written, this is a very subtle way of putting the title in without having to seperate it from the film in a seperate shot. The narration is about how he is leaving his wife and he is telling her why and that he should have done it years ago, he has a deep, soothing voice that again fits with the calming feel of the film. The audience concentrates more on what he is saying and his voice manages to keep your attention and keep you listening. The shot continues to crane above it, slowly moving behind the car a little then returning further above and slowly wavering left and right along the lane of the road. The shot gives the feel that he is driving a long distance and has probably been travelling for a while.

55 seconds into the film the same shot is still being used, the car begins to get further away from the camera but then it pulls off the road and into a car park. The camera pans road still showing the car from a height using the same shot. One thing we notice here is that the camera is moving around a little more almost as if it was in a floating motion, it moves up and down, left and right slightly as well as moving further and closer away from the car. Also at the same time as this is happening the narrator is talking about there being ‘strings attached’ which doesn’t become clear until later on in the film. A man exits the car and the camera, still on the first shot moves around behind him just like it was the car and cranes around in the floating motion as it follows him walking.

After 1 minute 40 seconds the shot finally changes. I have always thought that you need to use a lot of shots with a wide variety, cut together quite quickly to keep an audience interested. Thats why I find this film very impressive because it manages to keep the audiences attention for so long even though it has only used one shot. This is mainly due to the narration throughout as well as the music and the beautiful looking environment. The shot it cuts to is again a very wide angle extreme long shot establishing that the man is walking on a lakeside moving towards the lake. Like the other shot it is again a craning shot, as it starts by showing the man at a distance, it moves closer and starts to crane upwards like before. This shot however goes over the man and then continues on showing the ground from above before going over the water and fading very smoothly to the next shot.

This shot starts by tilting down a tree stump and then obviously still on the crane panning accross to show the man walking towards the camera, this time the camera is lower, it’s a long shot but from around knee height. As he moves closer the upper half of his body goes off shot and the camera moves along to the right bringing a stick into view. As we see this object the background blurs and the stick comes into focus this shows the audience what it needs to focus on and grabs their attention. As the man reaches the stick, he reaches and grabs it and as he does this he comes into focus as well. This is a very good camera effect that helps to make sure the audience is focusing on the right things and doesn’t miss anything.

Cutting to the next shot it is again an extreme wide angle shot which pans accross to the right as it shows a view looking out at the lake before the man then steps into the shot from the right, infront of the camera, he is looking towards the lake. This again does the technique of bringing specific objects into focus, as he steps in the lake goes out of focus and he is brought into focus keeping our attention on him. The shot then cuts to the front, where we see a close up shot where the audience finally gets to see the man’s face up close. His face shows little emotion although a little sad he looks more calm which goes with the feeling you get throughout the film. He looks down and an eye line match cuts to the ground where we see he was looking down to the ground as he moves the stick along the cracks in the ground.

The next shot used is an interesting shot from the side, the man is right at the side of the shot and as it is a long wide angle shot we can see above him and a large part of the lake. It is in this shot that a yellow balloon floats down. This is again a very clever object to use for many reasons. The fact that it is a bright colour makes it very memorable and makes the audience more likely to remember it after they have watched the film. Also it makes the beginning crane shots make more sense, where the camera seemed to be moving in a floating way the audience now realises this was deliberate and represented the floating motion of the balloon. On the string of the balloon we can see there is a rolled up piece of paper, and the shot cuts to a close up of the mans face from the side before cutting back to the long shot quite quickly as he reaches out to grab the string. He tries to grab it but the balloon moves further away as he reaches out, the next shot shows a close up again of the man’s face but the edge of the balloon is in the left hand side of the shot, he looks and smirks at it as if it was a living thing. Then we see a medium shot from behind showing the man and the balloon side by side which in a way could represent him and his wife who he has left. The narration comes back in with the line ‘Goodbye Katherine’ where we see the close up shot from the front again as the balloon starts to float upwards and away.

A close up shows the paper tied to the string and the stick close to it, these shots are cut a little faster as there is more action happening, we see the man trying to reach the string using the stick he picked up earlier. With the peaceful music still in the background we hear a wind noise and then a bang as the balloon drops down onto the stick and bursts. This is shown by a long shot which allows us to see the whole mans body as he jumps from the loud bang. Eye line matches show close ups of his face looking down to the ground and then cutting to the ground as he bends and picks up the letter. Extreme close ups are used on both the paper as he unrolls it to reveal that it is a letter and then another close up on his face to show his emotion as he reads it, we see a shocked expression as the narration reveals that the letter is the one he had written to his wife and it is the speech we heard at the start of the film. The close ups between the letter and his face keep cutting together as we see he is suprised and a little upset, he then screws up the letter in his hand and we see the medium shot from behind where he has his arm out to the side and he drops the letter. Which gives the audience something to think about. Some people will take it differently than others but I believe that it represents him regretting what he had done and that he won’t leave his wife.

As this cuts to the credits, the calming music continues. The reason I love this film is because it is based around such a simple idea, it doesn’t use a lot of shots and action it keeps things very simple and effective. Every element is very crucial, the scenery, the music, the voice all give a very calm feeling and the way the narration is used to keep the audice interested. Most of all the way it leaves a lasting effect on the audience, it is very thought provocating. Our film has a few similarities in the way that narration is used, narration will play a big role in our film, like the narration was the letter in this short film our narration comes from the video camera he takes on his travels. Hopefully we will be able to produce a pice of film that is as effective as this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17IyGPJuH0g

Short Film Analysis

The film I am going to review named 'The Plan', was written and directed by an individual named Matthew Kalish, who is well known for making short films and commercials for organisations such as Pepsi and Sony. The film was found on YouTube by me and Daniel Stammers, and has won several awards during the two years that it has been online.



The initial shot show a rear shot from an extreme long-shot from the rear window of a moving vehicle scouring the landscape. Subtle music is playing in the background for a brief moment, before the narrator begins to speak. This is very much like how you'd expect an advertisement to be, as the entire atmosphere is established immediatley (which all happens in around the first 5 seconds).



The next scene shows the (presumably) pratagonist packing his belongings into a suitcase. these shots use techniques such as zooming, closeups, panning, tilting and accelerated editing to imply the character is in a hurry, which the dialogue supports. Although the scene alternates between the character being on the mobile phone and not being on the mobile phone, it appears to work very well as it shows the spontaneous decision. The scene ends where 'Claudia', his girlfriend explains that he is "such a fucking child", and that he should leave her. This allows the audience to better understand his reasons for leaving.



We see a very similiar shot the the initial shot, only this time the car appears to be traveling forward as he explains that he is indeed, going to Las Vegas to put all of his money in Red. As the narration continues, we see him singing in the car and beginning to ignore Claudia's telephone calls.



The halting of the narration indicates a change of scene, which is opened by a long establishing shot fading to a notice board where the character is walking to. As a new character is made known, a shot reverse shot sequence is introduced with different types of shots ranging from long-shots to close-ups. An unusual method is that the camera appears to be very jerky, in the sense that it doesn't keep very still (Almost like they filmed it without the use of a tripod). As the character is leaving, he takes a photograph of the girl who doesn't appreciate it. The shots are cleverly edited together, as they cut back and forth rather quickly, but not in an immediatley noticable way. This is particularly apparent when the main character tries to make a swift exit after taking the photograph. A brilliant technique is also used; as the characters exchange conversation.. shots are cut back and forth between the two, but they do not necessarily represent which character is actually speaking. The girl leaves enraged and the character turns away, indicating the end of the scene.





The next scene shows the main character talking to what appears to be a truck driver from a handheld long-shot, apparently asking for for directions to somewhere (a guess would be that it is to a casino, which links back to previous events in the film). A point of view shot (from the new girls perspective) shows her bend down towards the bag, reach out and grab the camera. As the main character notices, he turns around and begins to run. Again, subtle non-diagetic music begins to play. This is due to there not being any narration nor any verbal interaction between the two characters. Several shots throughout the following 10 seconds show many points of view shots, from both the characters perspectives (the girl is infront, and the boy is chasing her demanding that she stops!)



As the boy stops running, it is apparent that he has forgotten something as he holds out his hands (his bag containing his posessions!) He runs back to the unattended bag, and the familiar accelerated editing and closeup shots of him rummaging through the bag, similiar to the second scene. As the runs back to find the girl (a tracking shot follows him with a handheld camera, which then encircles him), it is apparent that she has dissapeared.



A frustrated character throws profanaties into the air, and goes back to his car where he once again ignores a call from his girlfriend. The music becomes more intense, possibly to show the building suspense, the need for him to succeed with the bet that is infront of him.



It is apparent that as the character is traveling, time is passing by. We know this by the various shots, and the fact that it is getting darker. As he arrives at his destination, an extreme long-shot shows a full carpark, with a 'CASINO' sign to the enterance of a building. The narration continues, explaining that he has every intention to continue with the bet.



Various extreme close-ups following for around the following 15 seconds. We hear a lady (presumably an employee of the Casino) as how much he would like to bet, to which he replies that he would like it all. The extreme-closeups appear to be a point of view shot as they are oddly shakey and we see hands, chips, roulette table and the roulette board. The playback then switches to slowmotion as we learn that the result is black 35, no winners. Slow motion in this instance allows the viewer to understand the characters emotion, and is given a couple of extra seconds to embrace the situation. He has lost the bet.



The shot fades to the character, sat at a familiar bench. There is only background sound, no narration, no music and no dialogue. The character is obviously upset. An eyeline match is used as his phone begins to ring. As he picks up the phone, his girlfriend begins to talk asking him to come home. The same medium-closeup shot remains on the character for around 12 seconds. A shot like this is made to make the user question the situation, and why the shot has not changed. As the character notices something, an eyeline match is used to revert back to the notice board from a previous scene in the film which looks apparently the same. However, the camera begins to focus on a picture on the notice board, which after a few seconds appears to be of the main character running. Due to the peculiar composition of the shot (photograph), it is apparent that it was a spontaneous shot.. and little imagination is needed to realise that it was a shot from what the girl had taken during the persuit. Narration begins.





As he removes the pin from the picture and notice board, he studies the picture and turns it over. A closeup of the rear of the picture reads "Now we're even! 404 Pine Rd. Sedona, AZ - Eve". The narrator explains that life is always part of the unexpected (much like the roulette table), finding a new purpose.. a new adventure.. a new love.



The shot cuts to the very opening shot (an extreme long-shot out of the window of the car). This looks exactally like the opening shot, but it's unusual how they put the opening shot there.. as it has no relevance at the start of the film whatsoever.



The shots fade to black, then to white where the credits cut on.

Short Film Analysis

I am going to analyse 'One Of Them Days'

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRvpyZFnaqA

The title sequence is very simple and could show that the film doesnt have a lot of depth but it could also mean that it is purposely trying to make us feel this way. At the start of this film we see a man walking from a point of view shot that turns out to be a girl following, we assume that the man is the main character and the girl is someone he knows. It looks like just a normal walk but as the music starts its gives the feel that not everything is as normal as first appears.

The black and white effect follows the simplicity theme that i mentioned earlier and also fits well with the night time setting. There are many tracking and dolly shots as the camera follows them down the street and then through the house untill they enter the bedroom and close the door behind them. It is left to the viewer to decide what happens between then and the next shot. Looking at the time of day we assume that some time has passed between the man and the the girl entering the bedroom and now the man is walking back home which looks like its towards the end of the day. The cameras tracks with him as he walks towards his house and goes to enter. We see a match on action as when he opens the door the camera cuts to the other side of the door and films him entering and heading upstairs, the film then fades to black we can suggest another point where time has passed.

It then fades back to a wide angled shot of the street that the man lives on, and dissolves to a shot of his house and then to his door, meanwhile more music begins to play giving a more upbeat feel to the film, ths music appears to be non-diagetic but as the camera cuts to the man sitting in his bedroom, we see that he has earphones in and is listening to music and we assume its the music we are hearing. When he takes his earphones out the music stops which enforces what i have just said, he takes the out to respond to his phone and then proceeds to talk to caller. It then fades to black and as it fades back in, we assume that its the next morning which means more time has passed by.

Then we have a sequence of multiple shots all from the same position as the man is looking in the mirror while going through his morning routine of cleaning his teeth ect. Towards the middle of this sequence we see some shots the show he is looking in the mirror through over the shoulder shots of the man. It then fades to black once more and shows them eve more time has passed as it is now night time as we see the man laying on his bed and then responding to his phone, as he answers the phone we see confusing on his face, showing that he may not know who the caller is, he stands up and paces the room and the camera tracks with him.

We then get a short sequence of flash back of the start of the film when the man meets the girl and this time we get a short glimps of what happened inside the roomwhich could imply the caller has something to do with the girl and is telling the man about it. It fades to black again and when it fades out its the next morning as we see the man walking into the bathroom. We see him walk infront of the mirror again with a sequence of mirror shots all from the same angle and we see that there is a deffinate change in his mood he seems to be thinking about something, he seems less self-confident and he acts slower then he did in the last mirror shot sequence, he walks away and goes into his room. The next sequence is very interestingas the man opens the door to his room it shows the viewers what he is looking at, it shows some joint shots, edited with very high contrast to give the feel of confusion, it has a form of shot reverse-shot sequence here between the high contrast edited shot and a close up of the mans face which shows the confusion that he is feeling, he walks back into his room looking scared and confused. It then cuts to a similar shot of the one at the start of the film where he is walking down the street, but this time there is no girl following him, he turns around to see if she is there and then it cuts to a fast paced short sequence of flashbacks of him and the girl after this he turns back and carrys on walking and the films comes to an end with a fade to black.

Initial Questionnairre

1. Are you male or female?

[ ] Male

[ ] Female

2. What age range are you?

[ ] 0-9

[ ] 10-15

[ ] 16-20

[ ] 21-30

[ ] 31-50

[ ] 50+

3. Do you enjoy watching films?

[ ] Yes, I watch them often

[ ] Sometimes, I like to watch films occasionally

[ ] No, I hardly ever watch films

4. What film age rating certificate do you usually watch? (mark all appropriate)

[ ] Uc (Universal children)

[ ] U (Universal)

[ ] PG (Parental guidance)

[ ] 12A (12 Accompanied/Advisory)

[ ] 15

[ ] 18

[ ] R18 (Restricted 18)

5. Do you enjoy genres such as drama's and romance?

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

If yes have you ever seen films such as The notebook, Dear John or Into the wild? (etc)

[ ] Never heard of them/not my kind of film.

[ ] No, heard of them but just never seen them.

[ ] Yes, I've seen a couple.

[ ] I watch allot of films like these.

[ ] I love films like these.

[ ] These are the only kind of films I like to watch.

6. If you don't enjoy films like these, Why?

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________


7. Do you enjoy short films, particulary around five minutes?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No

8. If you enjoy short films where do you usually view them? (Tick all appropriate)
[ ] Internet [ ] Television

[ ] Cinema [ ] Other (state below)

_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

9. Would you watch short films if they were screened more at cinemas or on the TV?
[ ] Yeah I love short films, but they aren't shown enough.
[ ] Yeah if they were on I would occasionally watch them?
[ ] Maybe
[ ] No I have no interest in short films.

10. Would you pay to watch a short film?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No

Film Treatment

Title– Undecided

Duration – 5 Minutes

Audience – Needs adequate research

Suggested Elements – Slow motion, black and white, 'underwater shot'

Synopsis – The initial shot opens with the protagonist, Luke Chapman, apparently drowning. His eyes are closed, subtle soft music is playing, and the entire shot is played in slowmotion. Luke lifts his head up, the music stops. His is simply washing his face in the wash basin in his bathroom.

Luke begins to narrate, explaning that he has always wanted to travel around europe, but he never had the time nor the money to do it. Accelerated editing shots Luke packing vital belongings into a suitcase, obviously getting ready to leave.

As Luke walks over to his girlfriend, Nicole Flowers, we see him fiddle with a video recorder. The shot then cuts to the video recorder (a handheld shot). Luke starts to film hiself, and in turn moves next to his girlfriend where they explain that they will miss each other, and she gives him a kiss to which he returns.

Luke closes the boot to his car as he goes to get in the vehicle, the suitcase goes on the passenger seat. Luke starts the engine and drives away, leaving his girlfriend stood in the road waving to his departure.

The shot then fades to black, and in turn fades to a shot from the handheld camera (On the dashboard, filming him). Luke is explaning that he is just on the '62, and that he'd better stop filming every little details as the spare batteries he has brought wont last too long.

Luke then records himself outside of McDonalds Resturant. He looks at his watch, and begins explaning that he is early for the ship and that he has just called off for a BigMac to help ease the wait.

The next shot is a brief handheld shot of him in the corridoor of the ship. He is excited.

We then see Luke (apparently driving), in his destination. Explaining that his journey has officially begun. He then turns the camera on Melissa Sykes, who is a girl that he had met on the ship. It turns out that Melissa is heading in the exact same direction as Luke, he thought he would help her out from catching the 350 mile train journey she would have to take!

They stop at the top of a mountain, and explain that the view is unbelievable and he wishes that you (Nicole) could see it! 'Mel' is still with him

We see the two driving across the country, and Luke begins to narrate again. He explains that some people never leave their city, which is a shame.. because there is so much to see.

As they are driving down a long derelict road, the shot shows a car parked up with it's bonnet open (apparently broken down). Luke and Melissa stop. First a man walks from the front of the car, and then the next.. both have masks to conceal their identity. Both men reveal weapons, and stand still... strong. Luke and Mel step out of the car, both scared and shaken with their hands in the air. Mel lowers her hands, and walks over to one of the men. Turning round, she puts her arms around one of them and leans her head onto his shoulder.

One of the men walks over the Luke, and hits him around the head with his weapon. We see the shots fading to black and then back (As if Luke is Semi-Concious), he is not on the road anymore but at the side of it. We see the men toss some of Luke's belongings out of the car, and both cars drive away leaving Luke on himself.

The shot fades to black.

As saddening music begins, and slow motion resumes.. we see a man walking his dog discovering the body. The Police Arrive, and check Luke's identity (This scene is over very quickly).

The shot then cuts to Nicole. Sat on the sofa, eating Cereal from a bowl. (Whilst the music is still playing, and in slow motion). She runs to the door (With jump cuts used to edit), and stood there; a Police Officer holding Luke's familiar bag.

As the chorus/climax of the song is reached, we see Louise drop to her knees, weaping and screaming. Shots show her taking the bag to a table near the door, and rummage through the bag. Luke begins to narrate once more. The shot cuts to Luke filming himself with the handheld camera. He explains that he might never get a chance to ever tour around Europe, and that he would have regretted not coming.

The camera zooms out to show it on the screen that Nicole is watching.. and then the handheld camera cuts off. The screen fades to black.

20 Word Pitch

There are initial ideas for our 25 word pitch. Obviously they need some reworking, but we have just spent the lesson looking at other short films' pitch and wanted to write down our ideas whilst they were fresh in our mind

Packing his possessions and kissing goodbye to his girlfriend, Luke sets off to travel round Europe. But then he meets a girl who changes life forever.

Traveling around Europe, leaving your loved ones behind is a decision that should not be taken lightly.

Making the decision to go travelling could be a once in a life time opportunity; For Luke Chapman - It will affect the rest of his life.

Original Idea at 2am

At 2am one night, the idea sort of popped into my head (It was a mixture of being aware and being asleep). I got straight up, and scribbled the idea straight down so I could remember it in the morning.. This was it...

Combined Idea #1

Title– Untitled

Duration – 5 Minutes

Audience – Likely to be certificate 12a, but would have to research

Synopsis – The film starts with the main character, Chris, packing up his belongings in a suitcase (This includes things such as laptop, clothes, phone.. etc). The shot then cuts to a black and white handheld shot, where he is joking around with his girlfriend. The two begin to kiss and say their goodbyes. Chris puts the rest of the things into his car, and leaves his girlfriend stood in the road waving.

As Chris is driving, he films himself (again in the same handheld shot, black and white), talking.. Similar shots and interesting locations are chosen to make it appear like he has travelled a long way.

On the side of the road, there is a girl walking in the terrible whether, a walking stick (broken leg perhaps?), and a distinctive pink suitcase. Chris pulls over to the site of the road, and offers her a lift. He offers her some coffee from a flask as she is obviously freezing and wet.

As the journey continues, Chris and the girl becomes closer (Over the span of a couple of days), and they continue to use the handheld camera as a source of him documenting his journey.

Back at the hotel room, Chris is in the shower. The girl is in the bed (presumably naked, under the sheets), and starts to rummage through his things.

As Chris exists the bathroom, in his towel.. he notices she isn't on the bed. Infact, she isn't anywhere.. and he notices that all of his things have gone (His phone, laptop.. and even his handheld camera!). He runs out into the corridoor, but realising he is still in a towerl quickly retracts back to his room. He puts on some clothes, and runs out of the hotel.. only to see her getting into another car (Again, with the crutch and the pink suitcase).

Chris' phone begins to ring.. it is his girlfriend; he cancells the call.

-----------------------------------------

This idea is good because...

• It has a unique storyline
• The handheld camera is unique
• It's an unexpected twist at the end
• It give lots of opportunity for nice shots

We disregarded the idea because...

• We were unable to develop the storyline thoroughly
• There were too many things that couldn't be explained/weren't obvious

Character Profiles

(Will expand on these later when we have more ideas)

Luke Chapman

Luke’s life dream has been to travel around Europe after he finished his studies at university. After receiving a first class honors in sport , his family spared what money they could to help him to achieve his dream. He is a friendly, considerate and hardworking type of person and will always help someone in need. Luke has known his girlfriend Nicole since they were at high school, they have been together ever since and secretly he is a very romantic person; although he would never live it down if his friends found out. After Nicole, his love is for his car. Which he spent a lot of time, money and effort repairing and modifying it. He would be truly devastated if anything where to happen to it.

Nicole Flowers

Nicole is Luke’s long time girlfriend. After being introduced to one another by friends at a party in Year 10 they have been together ever since, some would even say they were made for each other. Nicole herself is a very smart girl; she too is currently studying at university to become a lawyer and has wanted pursue a career in law since she was very young. Traveling is not something Nicole has ever wanted to do, but she understands that this is a dream of Luke's and does not want to stand in his way. She was the one who suggested the idea of a video diary so the two could keep in touch. She will miss him an awful lot while he is away.

Melissa Sykes

A beautiful young woman of around 21 with plenty of charm! Secretly involved with some criminal underworld across Europe. Melissa or ‘Mel’ hitchhikes a lift as she is apparently making her way to Brussels, Belgium to meet her cousin. Luke takes and instant shine to Mel as she reminds him so much of Nicole. Mel is a very quick thinking and devious woman but portrays herself as sweet and innocent. She has a good knowledge of the geography in Belgium and some of the sights to see, she suggests visiting most of the fantastic locations Luke films in his video diary.

What we've learned from last year

These are just little tips and tricks that we have all brought from our experience from last years projects.

Andrew

• Be aware how long you leave each shot on screen, don't leave it too long! Overall, this will make the entire film seem slow and boring.
• Don't underestimate the power of editing. Even if the shots are not brilliant, the editing can drastically improve it!
• Make sure the sound matches correctly. Cutting from one shot to another, you can often hear the changes in sound, and it's terrible!
• You don't always have to change the sound when you change the shot (For example, speech)
• Whilst filming, the shots rarely stand still. They always seem to be dolling, panning, zooming... etc. in some way
• Watching films from festivals such as Cannes and Clermont-Ferrand
• Something iconic really helps! i.e. A rose, or something unordinary

Daniel

• Be careful with camera focus, shots can go out of focus easily with things such as bright colours or objects too close to the camera.
• Be careful when recording sound, recording sound separately is much better as you don't have to be as close to the camera, and also be careful recording sound outside, make sure your not just recording wind!
• Continuity is crucial, little mistakes can look very obvious when watching back, everything must run smoothly, no mistakes such as object disappearing in and out of shots or clothes changing colour in each different shot, mistakes made so easily.
• Don't be afraid to do something, it's always better to get more shots than not have enough, film over and over from different angles to get the best shots, during editing don't be afraid to try effects and cutting shots as everything can always be undone!
• Good music is crucial, music helps to keep an audiences attention and if it fits the film then that is perfect, rhythmic editing is a great thing to do to have your film running smoothly with the action. Don't give your audience a chance to get bored, keep shots short and varied.
• Remember to film at the best quality, and when finalizing the film after editing make sure its the right format, file type and ratio, you don't want a film that doesn't fit the screen, or that plays at low quality, or that has moments that are unrendered.

John

• Background research into the genre and the audience of our film is crucial and can affect how and what we film.
• Finding the right locations for the films is important since it helps sets the tone of the film and can also add to the emotions that we are trying to get across to the viewer.
• Editing takes time, so we must leave ourselves enough time after we have finished filming to edit the film to its potential.
• Practice with the camera is useful experience, it can make or break a film if the quality of the shots is not up to standard. Also getting use to all the cameras features will be helpful towards filming.
• Getting the right characters for the film and giving them appropriate backgrounds will helps towards the viewers staying interested and being able to connect with the characters in the films.

Kirsten

• Good sound is key, the film will not be as good when the audience cant hear what you are saying!
• Practice makes perfect. Unless you have super actors, theres a good chance that you'll have to go over the drama more than once. And its crucial that the director knows what she's doing before hand!
• A good set makes for a good film. Carefully thought out locations make a world of difference, its nice to film somewhere no-one has before and to be alittle different.
• Dare to explore a different genre. Dont just stick to the same old genre's everyone else film. Try ones that may be more complicated to shoot, its more fun working on the project that way.
• Have a variety of shots from different angles and distances, your film will just look so much more professional.

FireFly Media - Logo

I have created our film production logo. We wanted something that looked professional, and not cartoony as we wanted the entire film to feel truly authentic.

The resources used to create this logo were...


http://www.dafont.com/sketch-block.font - Courtesy of DaFont.com


Firefly Image that was turned I turned into a Vector via Adobe Photoshop

Our logo is as follows:

My Original Idea

Stellar

An original screenplay by Kirsten Barman

A short story film to last a duration of around 5 minutes centred around one young female character and her downfall; Stellar Lewis, a young, beautiful and talented actress and singer on Broadway in 1930’s America, striving to make the transition from stage to screen. The film will feature a non-linear narrative in order to communicate her story, also using flashbacks and voice-over narratives, which are common to the Film Noir genre. With Stellar being a film noir, it will be shot in black and white; this will create a dark mood in the film, and also to achieve a more serious tone. Hopefully having a female character as the main character will attract some female viewers, but the crime undertones in the film will attract males too.

Her story is told in the first person, but the following events have already happened. She is in her apartment in New York; probably a penthouse suite with views of the Manhattan skyline. Alone. Drinking. Her voice-over introduces herself to the audience, yet she is not speaking in the picture. She would be tastefully dressed in a long flowing dress and expensive jewellery, showing she has wealth and power. The first flashback occurs, she is successful and well-known. A budding big screen queen, envisaged to win many awards, walking down a centre aisle of a theatre packed full of people, clapping, cheering, giving standing ovations. Stellar herself is radiant, glossy dark brown curls, perfect skin tone, and ruby red lips. She is beaming, as she walks down the aisle, thanking people as she goes along. She reaches the stage and with such grace glides across to the podium and accepts her award.

The scene changes and we are now in a smoke filled bar, jazz music from a live band can be heard, this is obviously the after party. She is dancing and generally having a good time, all eyes are on the beautiful Stellar Lewis. When at the bar receive another drink, a handsome man approaches her from the background, they chat and spend the evening together. The last we see is a shot of them kissing. This man’s name is Jesse Jackson.

Now back to the original scene with Stellar in her apartment, everything is still the same, but she looks a little dishevelled, hairs are out of place, her makeup not as perfect. The voice-over continues, she tells her story.

Another flashback, she and Jesse are having a quiet dinner in an exclusive restaurant; they have been dating for quite some time now. But she is totally unaware of who he really is, a criminal from the New York underworld. She speaks of a part in an up and coming film she is auditioning for that would launch her film career, possibly even nominating her for an Oscar. Jesse looks thoughtful for a moment.

The scene changes and she is on the telephone, receiving the good news she has won the part. Another scene change and she is now at home after a day of filming, Jesse returns home, looking very scruffy and untidy with bruises and cuts across his face. He tells Stellar he was mugged for his wallet. Yet another scene change and Stellar is on the phone again, this time talking to Jesse, she has not seen him for weeks, he tells her he is busy at work.

Back again to the original scene, Stellar looks even more untidy, it is obvious she has drunk a lot, her clothes seem to hang from her, she does not look as radiant as she once did. She has in her hand a newspaper, with the front page facing up; a picture of Jesse Jackson dominates the front page, “ALLEDGED CRIMINAL BOSS ACCUSED OF MULTIPLE MURDERS”.

Stellars’ film work is finished and it is coming up to Oscar nomination time. There is an article in the news about the producer of the film, badmouthing Stellar, saying she should never get an Oscar and is a bad actress. Jesse is furious. A few days later the producer mysteriously disappears. Stellar is questioned by the police. A photo is released in the papers of a man looking a lot like Jesse, linking him to the murder, and several others. A photograph in the early morning paper shows one of Jesse and Stellar, above showing the same headline as the one Stellar had in the previous scene. “ALLEDGED CRIMINAL BOSS ACCUSED OF MULTIPLE MURDERS”. Unaware to the photograph, the two go out in public. Jesse is shot dead in the street. Leaving Stellar crying by his side.

Back to the original scene for one final time, more than ever now she looks untidy, her hair in no style, make up streaming down her face, casually smoking a cigarette. Her voice over tells the rest of the story, she was questioned by the police, and charged with having something to do with the murder of the film producer, and faced a spell in jail, having lost the love of her life and her freedom she insists there is nothing else for her. She picks up the gun, she loads the barrel. Blackout

Research Into 5 Minute Films

In some of the 5 minute films i have watched on Youtube that are made by other students of similar age i have found that in most of these films its not a standard title sequence as the films start with film footage rather than the title sequence. They have a start of film footage to establish the setting of the film and then add the title sequence to enforce that, for example a film starts with someone crying which establishes the film as a sad film and then they add a title sequence that reflects that mood to add to the setting. Credits to the film usually are added at the end of the film or during the opening film sequence as it will be out of the way and not interfere with the telling of the story.

In most 5 minute films they try to get the setting of the story in as soon as they can without rushing it. These are 5 minute films in the whole so they must include a beginning, a middle and an end but as this is fairly difficult given the amount of time to do it in most 5 minute films i have seen tend to have a 'cliff-hanger' ending which leaves the viewer wanting more to find out what happens to the characters or the progression of the story if the film was gripping enough to keep the viewer wanting to watch the film.

Another common thing to do in short films is to keep the idea simple. Most short films are based around a simple idea common with the genre, for example in a horror short the idea would be a conventional theme you often relate with horror, like a murderer stalking someone. Although the idea may be simple or the theme is something you associate with the genre, short films usually focus on keeping the audience interested by using a twist in the story at the end, also by focusing on different shot types and effects, using many different things is a way of showcasing talent and using effects etc. that maybe wouldn't work for a full feature film but look great in a short film.

Due to the legth of these films they are typically very low budget with only a one or two main characters and a short script, usually 5 pages as the one minute = one page is normally in use. Characters are usually introduced in the start of the film and are usually quite brief as the viewer may find out more about them as the film progresses eg their background, role in the film ect.

Short films overall have become a lot more popular in recent years, this is due to the fact we have more places to view them. Before we were limited to where we could see short films, they are very rarely shown on tv, now with the internet it is a lot easier to see short films. Youtube especially means anyone can upload their short films. Organisations have started to encourage more professional short films, websites such as virgin media shorts give prizes for the best short film each year. The UK film council showcases good short films before screenings of films at smaller specialist cinemas. Awards are given for the best short films at most major awards and festivals. Short films are becoming a lot more popular and they are looking a lot more professional much like feature films.

http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/

My original Idea

Title– Untitled

Duration – 5 Minutes

Audience – Likely to be certificate 15 due to content, but would have to research more

Suggested Elements – Unique shots and end links to beginning

Synopsis – The opening scene show the protagonist, underwater - in slow motion, appeaing like he is drowning. In the distance, we hear an unrecognisable voice... the character acknowledges the voice, whihc becomes clearer; "Jason.. Jason... Jason!".

Jason wakes up in his bed, wide eyed staring straight ahead. It was a dream, however the voice still continues. The camera pans to the left, to which we see a television. The camera slowly dollies into the TV screen, where we see a man sat at a desk, smartly dressed. "Jason.. Jason, it's time to leave. Your time has begun.. the clock is ticking".

Jason quickly gets out of bed, a little startled it would seem. He progressed downstairs, and begins to get ready to leave in a hurry (puts on his belt, shoes, clothes.. etcetera). We notice he has a gun, but this is very subtle as to not to raise suspision (to the audience). He leaves through the door, and gets into his car, and leaves rather eratically.

As he is driving along a coutry road, we see character number two, whom is dressed in contrasting colours to what Jason has on, plus a mask to hide his face. As he turns around, he sees that the car has already stopped (rather awkwardly in the middle of the road with the door still open), and he begins to run. Fast paced music begins, and the two characters begin a short chase across some unknown terrirory.

Eventually, the chase ends when Jason loses the masked man. He gets out his gun, and begins to point it around just incase he is to spot the man. Suddently, the man jumps out from behind and puts a chloroform rag over Jasons mouth/nose, who quickly passes out. The screen fades to black.

Shots are done, showing Jason drifting in and out of conciousness.. as he is taken to an unfamiliar building, and subsequently an unknown room. The lights are turned on, flicking (Like those lights that are tubed), and we see Jason bound by the hands and feet.

The original shot (low, high-angled) shows Jason in the same position.. drowning. Again, we begin to hear "Jason.. Jason" just like before. Only this time when he wakes up, it's simply the TV that he had left on when he went to sleep.. and some unrelated program is playing.


-----------------------------------------

I like this idea because..

• It loops around, linking the ending to the beginning
• It has ample room to allow a whole array of different shots
• There is some unique ideas and shots that I could imagine
• Although the 'it was a dream' is unoriginal, it still works

This idea has since been disregarded because...

• The storyline simply isn't strong enough
• It's similar to last years project
• We don't want to have a film related to weapons/crime/murder
• It *is* still a "It was all a dream" storyline, which isn't going to work

Relevant/Similar Films

Find a couple of films (Or Youtube videos) and put them into a post (Description of the film, explain how it relates to ours..) Illustrate with video or image and add it to the appropriate post

Andy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76L5jAeRZoU -- they have some epic car shots
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OGX8iYBBCE&feature=related - Brilliant this

Danny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdCGIw4D3ug - another short film based around a very simple idea, but containing great shots, especially car shots.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17IyGPJuH0g&feature=related - sweet film, with a calming soundtrack and some nice shots. Not that relevant to ours, although it contains a narration much like what we want to achieve with our film.

My Original Idea

Title-Untitled

Duration-5 Minutes

Rating-15, due to strong violence.

Target audience-Teenage audience, aged 15-20 interested in horror/thriller

Synopsis-The film starts at a crime scene, a house with police crime scene tape around it, the main character a police investigator, smartly dressed in a suit. As he arrives and looks around the crime scene we get to see what really happened.
As the investigator stands and looks at the house we see the first flashback, a young female owned the house she looks outside her window to the same place where the investigator would have been, to see a strange man looking towards the house, although startled she shuts the curtains and returns to what she was doing.
Then the investigator moves up to the house and to the entrance where we see the door has been kicked in and the lock broken. A flashback reveals the hearing a knock on the door, she asks who it is and tells him to leave but he starts banging the door and kicking it in, eventually it breaks open and we see the face of the man which reveals he is wearing a mask.
Moving into the house the investigator finds broken picture frames on the floor, where the woman was pinned up against the wall before managing to get away and run towards the kitchen.
In the kitchen we see a knife on the floor covered in blood it leads a trail towards a cupboard. In side the investigator finds the body.
A final flashback reveals the man grabbing a knife in the kitchen and stabbing the woman before dragging her to the cupboard, as he shuts the door and walks away he removes his mask to which we see that he is actually the police investigator, cutting back to the present the man walks away from his house with a smile on his face and gets into his car, where we see the mask on his passenger seat.

Alternative ending:
As the fight in the kitchen happens, it is cut so we cannot tell who has been stabbed, we don't see any faces and then just see the feet as they are dragged towards the cupboard. Cutting back to the present the investigator opens the cupboard door to reveal the masked mans body.

Suggested Elements-flashbacks, allow a more in depth view of the story to the audience.

Rhythmic editing, music that matches what is happening in the film.

Match on action as the flashbacks match where the investigator was, eg looking at the house a shot such as a tilt down to the investigators feet, cut to the flashback starting with a tilt up from the masked mans feet.

Original Ideas

Title – Watch Your Back

Duration – 5 Minutes

Audience – Adults (since rating is likely to be an 18). Male adults mainly that like more action thrillers.

Suggested Elements – Twists, interesting action sequences and leads the viewer into thinking about things.

Synopsis – Jack Rousseau is walking down a street while opening an envelope, he pulls out the document that turns out to be a dossier with a picture of a man and all his information spread out across the sheet, while he is reading the papers, two men appear behind him. Jack senses he is being followed and carries on walking while putting the dossier back in the envelope and placing it in his pocket. Two more men walk around a corner a few feet in front of him and he stops his pacing. The two behind him stop abruptly right behind him and there is a tense moment while Jack is thinking what to do. He notices an alleyway next to him and starts to run down it with the four men in pursuit.

A well-dressed man walks into his office while talking on the phone, he sits down at his desk and finishes his conversation, then places his phone on his desk. His desk is covered with papers and photos of Jack Rousseau. His phone starts ringing and he answers, Jack is on the other end of the phone, “If you are looking for me, I’m outside.” The gentlemen spins his head round to look out of his fourth floor window, seeing Jack in the parking lot with the 4 men who were chasing him, on the floor unconscious. Jack hangs up the phone and drops it on one of the men. Jack notices a bin cart with mops and bin liners and some dark blue overalls. A sudden smile stretches across his face.

The suited man jumps out of his chair and grabs some security personnel on his way out of his office. The three men walk speedily to the main entrance where he hoped to see Jack. A bin-man slowly walks down the same corridor with his head down and a cap placed low on his forehead, trying not to look at the disgusting rubbish in the open bin liner. He gladly lets himself into the office that was left unlocked. The bin-man throws his hat off across the room revealing that he is Jack Rousseau. He quickly grabs all the paperwork and photos of himself and screws them up in his pocket to discard later. He starts searching through the draws in the desk and finds a file that reads ‘Classified – Jack Rousseau’ he places the file inside his overalls and leaves the office.

As he closes the door and turns round he looks down the corridor and sees the well-dressed man and his security escort walking towards him. They see each other as Jack starts running in the opposite direction and the other men follow without hesitating. They storm out the building and the chase carries on down the street. Jack turns a corner and the pursuers follow and they stop after the corner, as Jack is nowhere to be seen. ‘No!!’ the well dressed man shouts and turns to angrily head back to the main office building, as he gets to his office he stumbles in and slouches onto his chair as a gun is put to his head and a file slammed down onto the desk, ‘What is this?’ Jack asks, ‘Its your whole life…Jack, why don’t you take a read?’ Jack lowers his gun and picks up the file and opens it to read, just then the file rushes towards his face and Jack passes out. He wakes up in the office sat in the chair and is dressed in a suit, he stands up and walks out, a woman walks past him and says ‘Morning Mr. Rousseau’.

Our first blogpost.

Andrew Kerr: I am currently studying Media Studies, Information Communication Technology, English Language and Business studies at A2 at Barnsley College. I'm very excited and enthusiastic about my second year studying this course, and hope to suceed just as much as I did last year, with regards to exam results and final finished 2 minute film!



Daniel Stammers: I am also studying Media Studies, Information Communication Technology, English Language and Business Studies all at A2 level at Barnsley College. After last years course I am looking forward to this year as I enjoyed creating a 2 minute film introduction and researching all the things for that. Hopefully with hard work we will be able to produce a very successful project.



John Jones: I am currently studying Media Studies, IT and Business, all at A2 at Barnsley College. I am looking forward to be doing my second year on this course as I enjoy producing short films and doing all the work involved in doing so eg research into other films in the genre, research into props and characters ect, this year i will be hoping to succeed like i did last year and to produce a high standard 5 minute film for our project.

Kirsten Barman: This year should be a challenge, but I am looking forward to putting our project into action. Being new to the group it could be tough (as well as being the only girl!) but I get along with the rest of the group well outside of our Media class. So I am not anticipating any problems. I too am studying Business Studies and ICT alongside Media. From last year I feel that my strengths are my planning and research skills, and hopefully this will benefit the group.