Shoot 2

Shoot Two completed. Putting aside the minor HR difficulties, such as getting a text at three in the morning saying that they wont be able to film today. Which I managed to sidestep, just - as I managed to pull in a favour to get a similar role fitting actor to fill the part. The second shoot was succesful, as I managed to compile all of the shots I needed from today.



I also managed to stick to my schedule which I had constructed to minimise filming casualties and to also organise different shots. Which resulted in not filming the scenes in a linear order but in a way that reduced the waiting times and kept continuity. This means I will have to sort out the shots during post production but this isn't an issue.






I feel that I've learnt from my first initial shoot and have since taken a more direct approach to directing; this was much easier thanks to myself knowing what shots I wanted to get, as seen by the above image. I feel that directing possibly wasn't my strong point seeing as last year we did our short film project as a group and I was able to take a behind the scenes role, in the sence I did a lot of the editing and shot construction but was with another person when directing our shooting.

Ancillary Text: Film Poster Mock

Title: The title will consist of... the title of my film which at the moment is "cloudy skies" but I am undecided. Im not sure if this will be the final title because ultimately I want something relative and memorable, "cloudy skies" doesnt currently fulfill this for myself at this point. Coexisting in this area will be the main actors name at the top of the page, if it was a famous actor then his name would be the first thing people read, however in my case my actor isn't famous but I am treating the film as if he is a recognisable actor.

Main Image Body: The main image for my film poster will be something along the lines of the main characters face, with a dull, whitened background of the forest to juxtapose the clarity and colour in the main characters face. This is to hint towards the plot, in the sense he dies and comes back in a sort of limbo, ghost phase.

Furthermore a close up shot allows the audience to understand what sort of character the film has. A distant, questioning look will be on his face.

Film Information: This section will contain information such as the film company and release date etc.

This film poster shows me that these aspects and sections can be blurred for aesthetic and practical reasons to create an appealing and quick/easy poster to read.

Shoot 1 Rough Cut

I've changed my main actor since this shoot but I thought it would be worthwhile to put together a rough edit of the clips together to get feedback and see where I need to improve. 

*Feedback - how to improve* 

Shoot 1

The first scene I shot was from about halfway through the film. The shop scene, this was because I wanted to get it done and out of the way as I didn't want to make the owners wait around since I achieved permission awhile ago.
Unfortunately the location was covered in snow - but seeing as I was unsure whether the snow would be staying indefinitely I decided to give it a shot nevertheless. If the snow is here throughout the short film it shouldn't affect the continuity. Thus the next shoots will need to be fairly soon.

The filming went reasonably well, however I discovered a serious flaw - I can't direct very well. I need to voice myself more to gain more control - it seems this concept doesn't come naturally, seeing as I do feel much more comfortable in the editing suite. To improve upon this I'm going to have to make sure I know what I'm doing 100% before I head off to shoot a scene. This way I will be able to take control of the shots with more confidence.

I've decided to change my main actor because of reliability issues in the sense I can work better with the other actor I will use and he is more readily available to film during my time frames. Furthermore he is older and fits the role more accurately in terms of his look. In real life he works as a internet designer, hopefully this will dispel some of the student film affects.

Furthermore throughout the process of the first shoot I felt I rushed myself and the actors - taking too few retakes of each shot and generally not taking my time and getting the best out of myself. To improve in this aspect I have to worry less about taking up too much time and just get the work done to the highest standard I know I can achieve.

I'm going to edit together this scene and post it in the next post, I will go through some feedback so I can progress on where I went wrong and what I need to do to improve. Hopefully this has provided me with a valuable learning experience I can move forward from.

Film Posters, Codes and Conventions

Short Film Posters
The Dark Knight
The colour scheme used is eye catching because it is predominately just dark blue, black and red, which has resulted in a image that draws the eye to the centre. The batman icon emblazoned in fire creates a interesting disposition against the background and thus stands out. Due to this intelligent use of colour the poster becomes easily recognisable because of its different colour scheme.

The poster is shot at a low angle, with Batman standing tall. This connotes power as Batman is standing strong above the viewer, furthermore this effect is amplified through the use of the contrasting background. Through the chaos and destruction he stands tall and powerful, the batman icon burning behind him exemplifies his dominance of the shot. As a result, the image provides a empowering portrait of the protagonist. The poster seeks to draw the viewers eye in whilst connoting positive and relative meanings of the narrative.

The font inside the poster is sans serif bold text which could be connoting strength and power whilst dennotes a clean and easy text to read for people passing by. The title is positioned towards the bottom of the poster and is in white to stand out against the dark background. The light beams coming from behind the batsign also draw attention to the title whilst relating to the way the symbol is beamed out by a giant light in the narrative. The title is also in a slight 3D which brings attention towards the name which is of importance to stick in peoples minds.

Black Out
The main focus of the image is the protagonist centralised in the frame. This draws the viewers attention into his situation. The camera is at profile with the character but is positioned close to the ground. This connotes desperation and weakness, both relevant to the plot. Furthermore the use of a black and white colour scheme connotes an emotional situation and this is reinforced by the expression of the character.

The background is out of focus and predominately dark which further directs the attention to the protagonist. Furthermore it connotes that he is alone and his expression will lead viewers to think he is scared or confused. This infact ties in with the plot of the film as he is unsure of his surroundings and why is he laying next to a dead girl when he awakes from a black out.

The serif font is unusual as it looks slightly out of place with the film genre and poster as a whole. This may be an intention of the creator as it coincides with the plot of the film. The font is made to stand out with a white glow however the inside is dark which makes it harder to read. Possibly making the audience look harder into the poster to read the title. However whether that is a desirable effect I am undecided.

I'm Not There

The poster is using strong contrasting colours of black and white, which is similar to Black Out in that sense; the character is almost a silhouette which brings the viewers into the poster as they can see some details on his face.
However the side on portrait of the protagonist smoking gives a different affect on the audience. The smoking and pensieve expression connotes a thoughtful and slick persona whilst the colour scheme dennotes a bleak and boring tone.

The font is in bold sans serif text which makes it easy to read and the white is contrasting heavily against the black background, furthermore the positioning of the text is in the bottom right corner which is interesting as it will be the last thing viewers will read after looking at the text in the head. The affect of this is that the audience will read the actors names and see that they are all playing one role and then read the title.


Short films Conventions:
. Title positioned either at the top or bottom of the page in a font that will stand out and be easy to read. This is often in a clear contrasting colour.
. Colour schemes relative to narrative. Can be used to contrast varying colours to bring attention into an image or character/title.
. Scene represented in poster often relative to plot of film.
. Strong colours can be used to define empty spaces with meaning.
General Analysis:
Image: Short films and mainstream film posters both share similarities and differences, however they both seek to advertise their film in a relative and smart way. Some of the film posters seem to build upon plot relative to the narrative and build a poster that is interesting or mysterious so as to draw in viewers. This is more common with short films and art house type mainstream films.
Another popular style within film posters is to create an image based around just the protagonist or a few important characters and set them within a narrative derived scene. This is often used more towards the drama, action or thriller genre.

Font: Relative to narrative and context of poster whilst attempting to provide a clear way to stick the title in peoples minds.

Colour: Colour schemes are often used to either bring out an individual aspect of a film poster or to create an interesting poster to catch peoples eyes.

Ancillary Texts

•a poster for the film.
•a film magazine review page featuring the film.

Organizing Filming and Actors

Haydn Morgans: Thursday 9:30-12:20, Saturday 9:30 - 6:00, Sunday 9:30 - 600
Tom Urquart:Thursday 9:30 - 12:20, Saturday 9:30 - 6:00, Sunday 9:30 - 6:00
Andy Gryzstar:Thursday 9:30 - 12:20, Saturday 9:30 - 6:00, Sunday 9:30 - 6:00

Animatic

My animated storyboard:

Feedback:
-Quite confusing, hard to understand whats going on.
-Lack of shots
-Not enough thought going into use of shots and effect they can give.

Due to this feedback i am able to see where i am falling down, unfortunately I struggled getting the images and sequences from my head onto paper and hopefully it will be an easier transition into film.
The lack of shots was perhaps a element of laziness in the sense one shot or two, in my head related to others that I didn't even draw it - this would probably explain why it was difficult to understand what was going on.
I need to spend more time on what shots I am going to take and why, so to fulfill this I will need to write down the thoughts and emotions want the audience to feel for that scene. I think this will enable me to better structure the shots I take instead of just taking them from a continuity perspective.

Letter of Permission

This is the letter I used to ask whether I could film at the Denham Country Park location, I tried to keep the letter formal and simple so as not to complicate the reader:

31st October 2010
Letter of Permission

Email: Lewpu68@hotmail.co.uk
Home Phone: 01895 835112
Mobile Phone: 07904 732413

I am a student at the Chalfonts Community College sixth form and I am currently studying media at A2 level. I would like to film at your location as part of my coursework project to create a short film.

Filming would not damage or change anything and any adjustments will be corrected. The filming process would only take a small amount of your time and I would appreciate it highly if I could use the premises.

Ideally this would take place during an off peak time to avoid any disruption to your regular proceedings. If you accept me to film here I am able to discuss when you would be available to let me begin.

Any queries or questions don’t hesitate to contact me.

Regards
Lewis Underwood

Extra's for Storyboard

Few more shots needed.

Studios and Credit Order

Studio Name: Side Head Studios presents
Production Company: A Network Jungle production...

(Studio Name)
(Production Company Name)
(Producer Name) a ... film
Starring (Protagonist)
(Film Title)

So the opening credits will read:

Side Head Studios Presents...
A Network Jungle production...
A Lewis Underwood Film...
Starring Haydn Morgans
The Grim, Grey Sky

End Credits:
Director
Editor
Actors (in order of appearance)
Casting by (Me)
Music (source)
Set Location (Me)
Thanks To...

Set Location

Lake & Forest Scenes:
Locations:
Black Park - Lake, Camera, Explore Scenes
Denham County Park - Shop & Toilets

Shop:

Cast List

Protagonist: Haydn Morgans
Helper: Daniel Parslow
Mother: Melanie Chapman
Child: Adam Parslow (potentially)
Man on mobile: Tom Urquart
Shopkeeper: Adil Chowdry (potentially)
Extras:

Casting and Title Name

Casting Roles:
Protagonist: Artistic Character, teenage student. Defined facial features. Almost insensitive to the environment and others - only a slight undertone.
Helper: Young teenage student, tracksuit etc - not common or lower class character but not of same role to protagonist, jogger etc.
Mother: Motherly Figure.
Child: Young child, boy or female - frustrating and irritating kid etc.
Man on Mobile: Smart Person, businessman or student.
Shopkeeper: Typical shopkeeper, of indian race perhaps as it a stereotype which would be easy to portray to the audience his role.
Extras: Normal People.

Title:
Water - Source of death, everywhere - Required to live.
Ghost - misty, unclear - murky, fear, scary, unknown, other side, limbo, half way - cloudy
Life - Vibrant, warm, movement - tingle. Interactions - people social, talking.

Possible Titles:
Murky Water
Cloudy Sky
Damp Clothes
(dont want to reveal ghost "flashback")

Chosen "The Grim, Grey Sky" some scenes of cloudy sky to be included when relevant in showing characters confusion (reflection in lake/graphic match to first scene/shot) - grey = grim limbo/lifeless
Grey = dull - dead.

Storyboard

The storyboard process is essential as it allows me to plan out every shot, this avoids the problem of being unsure when filming it also lets me plan ahead so that when i address the filming shot list i can organize the process e.g. shooting different scenes in the same location whilst avoiding confusion.
My storyboard:

Art House and Target Audience

Art house is the definition of a genre of film which has an intellectual audience base with a niche audience. An art house film can contain a variety of elements from other genres, furthermore the narrative of the film focuses around the directors thought train which allows the film to explore different film techniques and creativity.
Often an art house film will usually focus on the thoughts and dreams of characters rather than portraying a traditional goal-driven plot, which will often try to relate to some aspect of human nature to continue to engage the audience.

My target audience is anyone that will appreciate an art house film as I intend to create a short film which revolves around a characters revelation of limbo/death.

Editing Style

Art House Style edit:
I would like to incorporate a fast paced editing style at some points throughout my short film. I got the idea for this watching shaun of the dead, where the protagonists quickly assemble themselves to prepare to fight zombies.
The effect is an art house stylised, quick montage which links shots with some psychological meaning and if done well can be visually appealing whilst conveying continuity and/or meaning quickly.

Short Film Idea

Plot: Following a young male that slips and drowns in a lake whilst taking shots for his art/school etc. I feel this section of the plot is the least dimensional in regards to depth, the "slipping into the water and drowning" is pretty loose and may need some improvement so the audience doesn't become emotionally disconnected to the onscreen action.

Throughout the short film I will use a montage of shots back and forth to the 'real life' and 'limbo' in which the character carries on with his normal routines. Perhaps to execute this successfully a distinct editing effect such as a slow misty fade will help the transition. That said I don't want it to be too obvious or dragged out so I will have to experiment and conduct some research to get the effect I desire.

The protagonist (art student) feels real things and can interact with environment, shots designed to not show that the protagonist is dead. A hypothetical situation occurs as "real and happening' but turns surreal. Mum sees the dead child but ignores the "ghost" protagonist. At the end of the short film, after credits there is a short montage of where the ghost has been. Hopefully this acts as a sort of tie up which may hint for audiences to re watch the film.

I developed my idea by brainstorming on paper, I played around with some ideals and plots then when i had my basic idea outlined, i took it into a scene construction. The whole process has helped me to form my idea and gradually build it up. Furthermore my storyboard was influenced by ideas I picked up whilst not actively thinking about it and they just came to me.

However I worry that perhaps I have made it too complicated or difficult for myself to create a succinct and easy to digest short film. To challenge this thought I applied Todorov's narrative theory to my story-line to see whether I comply with these conventions or go against them.

Source: I found a well summarized blog post on Todorov's Narrative Theory and I have decided to follow this similar approach of review: http://merrynbrodiea2.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/todorovs-narrative-theory/

• Stage 1 – Equilibrium   

- This is the on going situation before anything actually happens

• Stage 2a – Disruption

- This is the event that starts the story going and must be resolved

• Stage 2b – Recognition of Disruption

- This is where the characters realise that there is a problem and try to deal with it (often making the situation more complicated)

• Stage 2c – Attempt to repair disruption

-  This is where the damage of the disruption is realised and measures are taken to deal with it

• Stage 3 – Resolution

- This is where the story is concluded by returning to a new kind of equilibrium (different to where the story began)

Stage 1, 2b) My story quite literally plunges rapidly into the "disruption" stage. This goes against the narrative theory as I have bypassed the equilibrium stage. I didn't think to include anything before this, I may look into creating a short scene (30 seconds) of establishing the protagonists role in a peaceful way. e.g. taking pictures of flowers etc. 

Stage 2b, 2c) The story-line cuts back and forth in time/limbo between the protagonist drowning and the ghost going on about his life as if nothing has changed. It is definitely hard to define the line in-between the two but this is my desired affect of ambiguity. Attempts to repair the disruption are undertaken in a slightly abstract way and perhaps subvert typical conventions of narrative in this sense. 

Stage 3) Essentially, the story doesn't wrap things up, however it does end with the protagonist relatively content but his mother distraught. This decision was made to not leave the viewers with any guilt and furthermore the character is fairly disengaged with viewers throughout which enables the story to end fairly sadly without causing distress. In regards to the narrative theory a new sense of equilibrium is created which coincides with Todorov's theory of narrative.

Conducting this analysis is beneficial for me as it helps me to outline what I want to do with my film whilst allowing me to potentially change the order of things that might not work well for the sake of making it easy to watch from the audience's perspective. 

 The brainstorming and scene construction:

Music/Editing: Subvert typical death conventions. Perhaps use happy sounds in worst possible places. (mother seeing dead/missing son.)
I did a character development sheet which helped me to structure the idea and plot however I since have moved away from the sheet:

Mood Setting

Old disc player, sets odd, unnerving tone if mixed with dark scenes.

First 18 seconds is interesting film "style" but it seems this video achieved this by accident.

Take those first few seconds and take that into rest of film. Film style is a possibility (handheld camera style)

Video:

Rico Cluster

Essentially a Rico cluster is a stem of thoughts designed to use both sides of our brain together to make a more effective creation and linking of ideas process.
We use the right side of our brain to create new ideas and thoughts and then the left side sorts and analyses the clusters to put them into order and outline a text or plot.
My Rico cluster regarding some idea stems I had:

Effective use of lighting

Lighting is a key element directly required for good film making, as it is essential in providing the best detail for the camera's. Lighting can also be used to provide mood to the piece, casting shadows over the actors face can be efficient in providing to characters persona's or mood. Shadows are also a great way to bring out the three dimensions in a set, in contrast bad lighting direction can lead to very flat and boring scenes.

Furthermore considering the light levels when filming is important as I discovered during AS media, in which we planned to shoot a night scene and we ended up having roughly 10 minutes of good light at 5pm, with footage afterwards becoming very grainy and almost unusable.

When directing lighting it requires some thought and consideration to provide verisimilitude for the audience, such as using soft key low angle lighting to create the feeling that the sun is setting. Perhaps framing a light source to provide a shadow on a wasll as if the light was entering from a window are some things that if approached correctly can give a scene a better sense of realism and cinematic effect.

Dark/Night time scenes.
Scenes that may need to be shot in the dark can be shot midday as this provides good lighting and is required to pick up the details and definitions on camera. The scene can then be edited post-production to reduce the lighting levels which provides a night time tone to the sequence.

Audience Research Results

These are my results from my questionnaire.
I decided to use both qualitative and quantitative methods for my audience research as I feel they both have benefits.
One criticism of my research is that it is generally limited to my peer group age range which may limit the variety of my feedback.
The major theme I feel that I've gathered from my research is that Art House is a good genre to class my short film as it seems to be a versatile and unique genre.

Constructing my research

For my final audience research I will essentially take the best from the quantative and qualitative methods to produce a questionnaire that can gather a variety of data which I can use to influence my short film developed and further ideas.

From quantative I will be keeping the aspect of separating boys and girls, as well as age groups. I will also introduce a few of the first questions to specify the type of viewer they are, such questions would perhaps be like why they watch films for social; hobby reasons etc.
I will have to gather a wide variety of answers and hopefully this will lead to being able to derive what my specific audience want from when they watch short films and feature film genres.

Quantative Research

We carried out some quantitative research on audience viewing habits and pleasures, the questionnaire was purely yes and no answers.
One of the downsides of this type of research is that I found that because of the very basic answer given being yes or no, it limited the specificity of the results, however a positive is that it did allow reliable straightforward data to analyse.

I realised that this type of research works best with really specific questions to find whether the audience dislike or enjoy something specific, and it still maintains to be a great way to get data which can be generalisable to a larger audience.

Unfortunately this method limits the value of opinion from the audience I'm researching. Also because all questions required a yes/no answer it may have produced superficial results because people cant put anything more to the point such as if they would engage with films differnetly depending on their social, personal situation.

I also forgot to account for male and female sets of data so I wouldnt have mixed up both genders results as well as not specifying age groups, which is something I will have to remember for next time.

Qualitative Research

I started some qualitative research in the aim to find an affective way to gather specific and relevant results on my audience viewing pleasures and habits.
In this research the answers given were more specific and written by the individuals so it means I'm getting a much more detailed response.

The benefits of qualitative research is that it gives more depth and detail to the results because it records the feelings and behaviour of the audience. Furthermore it encourages people to be more truthful with their answers.

The downside of this method is that it is alot more time consuming because you have to wait for the participants to fill out longer answers which can reduce the amount of people studied. Due to the specific answers this method means the results arent as easy to generalise and can make it hard to make a clear cut decision between two groups.

Short Film Analysis: Overview

From my analysis of short films, initially they focus on the visual or audio concepts very heavily - use of dialogue is minimal if any. This it seems allows the audience to really absorb the other components of the short film as well as enjoying the story telling process with the more exciting forms of portraying information.
Some of the short films I analysed used a plot twist towards the end to tie up the story in a neat cut or to change what was thought all along, which I believed when executed well was a great feeling for the audience to finish with. I.e Lovefield, INSiDE.
The short film has to convey meaning with every shot and must use the majority of aspects that belong to cinematography to tell the story. This enhances the experience and stops the audience from becoming bored, this way also saves time wasted on pointless continuity shots, perhaps following a character through their house, unless it is of relevance.

Short films are in essence miniture feature films and although they dont have to have any real solid plot to follow throughout narrative is key in retaining that a message of any form is put across to the audience. The Black Hole for example starts with a tired man's daily job routine; the character is not formally introduced but is built up as the short film progresses. His greed is apparent through his actions and the short is effective because it demonstrates quickly and effectively how to engage a short storyline. Furthermore it does so without spending time on aspects feature films would engage with such as drawn out character development or a thick plot.

Short Film Analysis 5

Title:
"Lovefield"'s title sequence is effective because it sets the tone for the short film. The title is superimposed over an establishing high angle long shot, which instantly brings the audience into the location of the film. The music accompanies this from the start of the film, which instantly sets the mood with the edgy high pitch piano. The serif text is very clean cut and provides a very sombre effect when faded in and out. The binary opposition between the word love and the mood setting is interesting as it draws the audience into the narrative.

Overall:
Mise en scene: The aspects of mise en scene within "Lovefield" creates the basis for the audience which is used to bring them into the initial dark mood, which remains until the penultimate moments of the short film. Images of blood and scattered objects are used to represent the vestiges of a violent scene; the location itself which is a wheat field symbolises isolation due to stereotypically being situated in the countryside. These aspects when used in conjunction bring the audience to think that a lady has been abducted, raped or brutally assaulted. However this meaning is solidified with the musical score and editing which is combines aspects of both location and whats onscreen to create the final grim tone.
The short film uses iconic signifiers to bring forth a desired meaning to its audience; the crow representing evil or dark times, the creaking sign connoting an abandoned area. The dishevelled antagonist is wearing clothes reminiscent of typical American farmers of a lower level of hygiene. A close up tracking shot is used to reveal various aspects of his character to the audience - a tattoo of a skull and his unkempt hair connotes a sense of mental instability or a violent nature.

Sound: Non diagetic musical score is used to great effect to raise and dip (0:35-0:41) suspense. The use of constant eerie and iconic sounds such as the creaking sign (0:49-0:58) and the crowing bird (1:00-1:03), help portray a sinister meaning to the audience swiftly. Moreover a crescendo is used when the knife comes stabbing down (2:16) which consequently jolts the audience into a minor state of shock.
Other diagetic sounds where used which also gave meaning, the phone sounding out of signal (1:30-1:37) denotes that the phone is in an out of use area and furthermore connotes that the victim is helpless and stranded. This was reinforced through the non diagetic moaning and groaning of the victim alongside the succeeding images of obvious distress and blood.
Moreover verisimilatude is enforced through the diagetic rustling of the wheat field, this also enhances the feeling of desolation for the audience.

Camera/editing: The camera angles used where very selective in providing the audience direct information, which led to the audience using stereotypes and what information they did have to bring together the supposed plot. A variety of angles also kept the audience interested on the short film as well as letting them divulge into the plot which enabled them to create their own meanings. Close up shots really help to convey meaning in the "killers" face (3:20-3:23) this shot shows a fear in his eyes. The effect of this is that the audience link his fear to regret of what the audience think he has done. This is closely linked with the mise en scene of the crow which symbolised evil at that point.
The editing of the short film helped carve a tone for the audience, the long held tracking shots (1:29-2:04) bring the audience into the films depths as they follow closely. This helps to build suspense and really arouses the interest and curiosity of the viewers. Furthermore the colour of the picture onscreen which was altered post production also adds to the tone of the film, the dark grey film quality portrays a dismal scene in which a grim murder has occurred. However when the light is increased and the bright sunshine is brought onscreen the mood is instantly lifted, this effect is heightened when accompanied with the joyfull music.

End product: The short film brings the audience through a variety of emotions which leaves them feeling good at the end due to the suspected situation being totally reversed. The short film is a great example of how music and editing can conjure up a totally different mood for the audience.

Short Film Analysis 4

Title:
The title sequence in this film is very short and merged with the opening scene, the title is simply superimposed in a white colour over the initial mid shot of the protagonist in bed. The serif font is informal and just states the name of the short without holding much symbolic meaning other than the inferred meaning from the actual title.

Overall:
Mise en scene: The location of the protagonists house is iconic to working/middle class people on the outskirts of a city. The furnishings are basic but adequate and the front door has the look of a ground floor city apartment. This provides the audience the information that the man is just an average guy and sets up the narrative of the story. The dual narrative is portrayed through split screen and represents two versions of one mans reality (one lucky, one unlucky).
When the protagonist gets mugged (0:42-0:47) the thief is wearing very common clothing iconic to the lower class, tracksuit bottoms and other sports clothing.

Sound: Diagetic sound of the alarm clock is a typical way to start a short film. Brings the audience into recognition to the start of a new day. Verisimilitude is also maintained through the use of background cars driving, this is also used as a sound bridge to connect the different locations. (0:32-1:19) The sound bridge linked a total of 3 locations together. Non diagetic music and sound effects are used to implement a sense of fun to the short, the soundtrack itself is quite upbeat and lighthearted. Small sounds are used to bring across a humorous effect to the film (0:22-0:24) the non diagetic smashing sound gives the impression of him crashing around his room. Towards the end of the short (1:14) the music is stopped abruptly in time with the slap which adds a clean cut effect to the end of the short film. Unrealistic sounds of the two worlds connecting (0:58-0:59)(1:04-1:06) further reinforce the humour of the piece as well as creating a twist to the short as it breaks the audience's belief of the two worlds being separated.

Camera/editing: The dual narrative was imposed cleverly as the two worlds where visually represented by the split screen, with both events happening simultaneously. The film still maintained an ability to be watched easily due to the similar positioning of the character which allowed the audience to focuse more on the interesting right side of the screen. However the editing style gave a unique edge to the storyline.
A majority of close shots and mid shots where used to focus onto the actions of the man and what was happening in his immediate surrounding. This didnt let the audience focus much on his enviroment and more so on what was happening to the unlucky and lucky realities. The variety of camera angles wasnt high as it was kept generally around the mid section of the protagonist and upwards, the shots where relatively simple in regards to how the camera was positioned.

End product: The simple yet original idea created a very fun and interesting short film, the fact that the audience had the ability to compare realities allows for multiple viewings without boredom. The camera work was simple which allowed the audience to focus on the narrative which was the main drawing point to the film. However a more diverse variety of camera angles may have added to the overall experience.

Short Film Analysis 3

Title:
The title sequence opens a black background with the letters that make up "INSiDE" spreading out from the centre, this already reflects the nature of the story as it is about someone struggling with split personality disorder. To accompany this there is also the sound of whispers and an a few eerie piano keys being played. The sequence quickly fades into the opening scene. The title sequence lasted no longer than 10 seconds which keeps the pace quick and allows the short film to progress.

Overall:
Mise en scene: The locations and set of the mental hospital is well built up as it allows the audience into the claustrophobic padded cell, the long dark hallways and medical wards. The scenery provides a very ominous tone, this is created from the use of spotlighting in which long shadows are cast through the hallway. Lighting is used to good effect to add great depth to the short, the flickering light bulbs denote towards representing the location as a run down hospital and could connote to the protagonists depressing instability of his personal health.

Sound: Non diagetic and diagetic whispering and various voices are used to portray the narrative of the short film as it helps to introduce the what the protagonist is suffering with. The use of a non diagetic news reporter talking about split personality disorder (0:43-0:47) gives direct information to the audience without wasting time and could furthermore suggest a supposed back story to the character as the audience could be lead to think hes done something bad to have been on the news.
Diagetic talking and shouting is used (2:16-2:25) to present the internal struggle of the protagonist and his inability to take control directly with his own persona.

Camera/editing: There is not a tracking shot or quick cut following the protagonists every movement through every door - the film cuts to different rooms to save time and also means every shot has relevance or provides meaning in some form.
Whilst the camera was tracking him being taken to the doctor (0:48-1:01) the camera was panning and tilting to provide information to the audience about his multiple personalities. This directly introduces more of his problem and quickly establishes to the audience how the narrative of the film works. (visual representations of his personalities)

End product: The short film encapsulates the personal breakthrough plot, with a twist. The appeal to the audience is the overused personal struggle however the clever twist towards the end, which subverts typical conventions of a happy ending allows the short film to remain unique. What is also good about the short film is the way the multiple personalities are all exagerations of typical human traits, anger, apologetic, innocence, humour and depressive.

Short Film Analysis 2

Title:
The title sequence begins slowly with the production company and the directors names fading in. The comic serif text is very plain and boring set against a black background. However this does set the pace of the short film, being quite slow and dramatic whilst also connoting seclusion and fear with the simple black and white. Although the text and the titles themselves are boring, the director has included an establishing long shot of the location: underground train station. The shot is well composed with the trains headlights appearing in the distance and entering into the foreground and flying past, it further adds to the secluded and slightly ominous tone. The non-diagetic drumming is used to create a slight unease for the audience as it doesn't quite fit with the location and helps to build for the later narrative of the film.

Overall:
Mise en scene: The scene's location on the train is quite a vulnerable place for one person due to it being secluded from the mainstream population. Furthermore the amount of people, other than the two protagonists, on the train are sparse and few. The first protagonist is of slightly brown skin and is wearing casual clothing. He is portrayed to be Jewish when he takes his place on the train, he reveals his neckless of the Jewish star. The second protagonist is also of brown skin, however through the use of shot reverse shots of glaring looks it infers he is of a different religion. The white Nazi men are stereotypically depicted. They have shaven heads and have various signs regarding the Nazi party such as the sprayed on Nazi sign. The obvious hostility is apparent straight away as they march confidently towards the two men and surround them.

Sound:Verisimilitude, diagetic spray cans and shaking etc - train running along the tracks and rumblings. Constant level of realism.
No dialogue used, this helps the audience to soak up the other elements the directors present to portray the story.
whispering sounds are used when the Nazi's enter this provides an uneasy and scary tone for the audience. The Groaning and Grunting sound also implemented, further reinforces the tense and fearsome atmosphere. The first protagonists phone rings and sets of a traditional Jewish ring tone which then he scattily searches to silence it. The use of this tone allows the audience to relate themselves as they can then imagine themselves how scared he is to frantically stop the ring tone. This is also prolonged to create a tense dramatic scene.

Camera/editing: Long shots were used to set the scene with the train flying past, and close ups were often used to show facial expressions. The religious divide is apparent with the use of shot reverse shot of the two men giving each other unwelcoming looks.
However the two protagonists were both framed towards the left of the screen whilst the Nazi's were framed towards the right of the screen which could denote from the traditional Nazi regime which was founded from far right politics. Far right politics being based around extreme supremacism. It also provides the audience a clear definition between the protagonists and the antagonists.
The editing cuts were often prolonged to create dramatic tension, especially when it involved the Nazi's antagonists surrounding the two men.

End product: The short film presents an interesting notion, the religious men only work well together when confronting a common enemy. This could insinuate that the religious divide is unnecessary and pointless however the two characters still do not verbally thank each other. This connotes that they still don't want to mix.

Short Film Analysis

Title:
The film's title sequence starts with a black background and sans serif font title fading in to the centre of the screen. The style of the font has a comic book effect which reflects the narrative of the story, being humorous and imaginative.
This is swiftly followed by a smooth transition to the opening scene which appears through zoom through a hole, similar to looking into a keyhole. This is a possible reverse angle from the end product of the film being that things are put into this "black hole" constantly by the protagonist.
The entire title sequence is over quickly but it allows the audience to know that the short film is put together well as the first impression is that its quick and stylish.

Overall:
Mise en scene: The colour of the film is very grey which would of been added post production. This lets the audience know that the protagonists enviroment is very depressing, which is mirrored in close up shots of his miserable facial expressions.
The lighting in the scene is good as it provides a very clean image whilst providing depth to the set, with clear foreground and background details and objects. The verisimilatude of the piece is high and allows audience members to relate to the film.

Sound: Great use of verisimilitude, continuous sound bridge with the office sounds - non diagetic sounds of the fax machine and phone machines whirring. No verbal dialogue used at all which allows the audience to focus on the character being built up using the interesting visuals - it also doesnt slow the pace down. Diagetic sound has been used effectively with the sound of chocolate bar wrapping and chewing; along with multiple paper flapping.

The "black hole": The black hole is almost personified when a POV shot is used looking at the protagonist. There is an interesting reverberating sound that is used when the film refers to the object, creates depth and interest into object/almost gives it a power; which reinforces the personification.

Camera/editing: Variety of camera angles keeps the narrative pace moving quickly - narrative is not slow. The protaganist uses hole to discover its power by stealing a chocolate bar, then greed grips hold. Quick and snappy cuts - the variety of angles used is great as it allows the audience to get sucked into the mans life as he goes about a boring office day, the abundance of different angles keeps the audience from boredom and doesnt allow them to predict. The protagonist is centralised throughout the short which means he is the focus of the audience throughout. This is reinforced by the camera focus on him in the foreground and the background being out of focus. The editing is quick paced with no shot being held for longer than 4 seconds which adds to the shorts quick pace.

End product: Its a fun and interesting short film. Doesn't have to uncover some great misdemeanor of mankind just plays with greed concept - everyday people often may think about, what if... etc.

Changing my Brief

Short Film

"A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or animation or a combination of both, together with:

a poster for the film
a film magazine review page featuring the film"

I've decided to change my brief to short film for a few reasons, firstly since choosing the advertising brief i had come up with a very basic idea, a lord of the rings style, epic tennis game; promoting tennis rackets. Although at the time I was enthusiastic for the project I've started speaking to some friends and playing around with other ideas. Short film started to sound more appealing due to the freedom I could have with it and the wider creativity in telling a story.
I've started to watch a few short films and they turned out to be quite a bit different to what i expected.In essence it was like a tiny film with just the "best bits" included. Even though I may have been able to be creative with advertising since choosing it I didnt feel 100% committed and I think I can challenge myself more with the short film brief.

Advert Analysis

Budweiser "Designate A Driver"
http://www.tellyads.com/show_movie.php?filename=TA11193

(brief deconstruction)
-promoting positive social influence to sort out a designated driver, thus leading to peer approval.
-Underlying promoting the beer because of the positive image being created
-Humorous advert which will engage the audience, humour is a strong medium when executed well. (relatable to majority) plays also on the fact people want to start trends, which could relate to Budweiser giving this ability. Or at least this underlying desire is related to Budweiser's beer.
-American comedian, portly man; preconception that he cant dance. He dances quite well.

Chosen Brief

Advertising

"An advertising package for a new product or service, to include two TV advertisements, together with a TV programme sponsorship sequence and a radio advertisement."

I have chosen advertising because I think I can be creative with it and recently I've seen adverts on television which afterwards I think that because of its creativity and the obvious difference to normal adverts im accustomed to, I'ts captured my attention and thoughts about it for a period of time afterwards.

The ability that these adverts engaged me into their product got me interested, I wanted to see if I could replicate this effect. Advertising might be a possible career path for the future and I think I could be really creative with the project if I put enough time and thought into it.

I need to start researching effective advertising techniques to gain a deeper knowledge of it, ill start by searching the internet for adverts I think are effective and try to dissect them through my blog.