Risk Assessment

Location/Setting: Inside, outside and around McColl's Convenience Store, Redcar. This location has a number of advantages as it adds some authenticity to our film and looks more professional; rather than being filmed within college.

Risk: Tripping over certain objects inside and outside (e.g. bollards, signs, products within the shop, people etc.)

How to prevent: Mark out the route the actor will be taking before they take it; make sure there are no objects that they could potentially trip over or run into; be careful. 

Risk: Going on to the road when there is an oncoming vehicle, as the location is near a road. 

How to prevent: Again mark out the route and be sure that there are no vehicles approaching when cast and crew are on the road.

Risk: The actor on the bike could crash etc.

How to prevent: Again, mark out the route. Make sure there are no oncoming vehicles or people as the actor or bystanders could get injured if there is an unexpected collision. 

Risk: A misunderstanding in the convenience store.

How to prevent: Let the employees within the store aware of the filming and gain their consent and let customers know so that they don't mistake the armed robbery scene for an actual armed robbery and make a rash decision.

Feedback Video

After presenting our film pitch we recorded ourselves responding to the feedback we received after. We reviewed the feedback; explaining how it would help us possibly improve our film in any way and how it could help us with certain things that we were not entirely sure on.


 

Actors, Crew and Location

To prepare for our film we listed the specifications needed for the film. These include the roles needed (film crew and actors) and the possible locations for our film. The list can be seen below:
Actors:
Main Character- Kai Perkins
Grim Reaper- Benjamin Jones
Armed Robber- Benjamin Jones
Extras- Friends, Family etc.

Crew:
Director- Cole Robinson, Kai Perkins
Writer- Cole Robinson, Kai Perkins
Editing- Cole Robinson, Kai Perkins, Charlotte
Music Production- Charlotte
FX- Cole Robinson

Location:
Redcar:

• McColls on Laburnum Road
• Borough Road Store on Borough Road

Film Pitch

Before starting to film our short film, we had to present a film pitch to our class so we could gain feedback from them. This could help us potentially improve our ideas that we have so far and it can help us on certain aspects that we are not totally sure about (e.g. the name of the main character and the title of our film). We recorded our film pitch which I have embedded from YouTube. It can be seen below:

Camera Angles, Movements & Shots

In our group, we made a number of films that clearly showed certain cinematography techniques. We then edited the film on Windows Live Movie Maker; putting all the separate films together, merging the connected techniques and adding music. The techniques we covered include:

• Worm's eye shot
• Tilt
• Pan
• High Angle Shot
• Tracking
• Shot-Reverse-Shot
• Arc Shot
• Handheld
• Eye-line Match
• Graphic Match
• Match-on-Action
• Cross-Cutting
• Trombone Shot
• Frame-within-a-Frame
• Time Compression

The finished, edited film can be seen embedded from YouTube below:

Short Movie Storyboard

For the opening scene of our short film we created a storyboard using post-it notes. We included the shot types, camera angles and what occurs in the scene. We then took pictures of the post-it notes, individually and created a film on Moviemaker. This film was then uploaded to YouTube, which I embedded. This can be seen below:

The Importance of Genre

Barthes Codes Applied To The Radio Trailer

I am going to evaluate my radio trailer and apply Barthes codes to each of the following:

• Narration
• Music
• Sound Effects

Narration:

We used a large amount of narration throughout our radio trailer and within two of Barthes codes are featured: hermeneutic and referential. Firstly, the hermeneutic code is used when you can hear the narrator saying "coming this fall". This would create an enigma as the audience would want to know more. Secondly, the referential codes can be found when well-known film District 9 and well-known actor Sam Worthington are mentioned. This would intrigue the audience as they may be a fan of that particular film and/or actor.

Music:

The music used in my radio trailer shows the symbolic code. It does this as it signifies immediately what genre the film would be; and this is thriller/sci-fi/horror. The chosen music shows this as it has an eerie, spine-tingling feel to it. The audience may be fearful of the music, but the chill they would receive from it would definitely make them want to see the film.

Sound Effects:

I feel that the sound effects I chose to feature within my radio trailer are very affective and are crucial as they portray a number of Barthes codes. First of all, the howling of the wolves shows both symbolic and hermeneutic codes as wolves usually symbolise danger and violence; plus the audience may begin to question whether this sound is used to show that the character could be in peril within the film. Hermeneutic codes are used again with the classic creaking door sound, and the opening of the door, plus the weird, unearthly sounding noise at the end of the trailer. All three of these are referential as they portray sound effects of a typical sci-fi thriller. Finally, the sound of a male panting as he seems to be out of breath. This creates an enigma as the audience will be wondering why: Could he be running from something? Thus the hermeneutic code is present. As well as the proairetic code as he could be possibly being chased by the wolves.

Radio Trailer

To create my radio trailer, I used the software 'Garageband'. Which was a software that was unknown to me; however, I became well acquainted with it after a short period of time and had an enjoyable experience on the software. For the trailer, I based it on the Outsider task. However, I changed the narrative to a suited genre, the chosen genre being Sci-Fi. The radio trailer can be seen/heard below, as I have embedded it through SoundCloud:

Audience Questionnaire on Film

Audience Theories:


Two-Step Flow Theory-

• First introduced by Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson and Hazel Gaudet in 1944.
• Is the passing of information from 'Opinion Leaders' to the media and individuals. Opinion Leaders pay attention to mass media and receive information and then they pass on their own interpretations in addition to the actual media content.

Uses and Gratifications-

• More focus on the audience instead of the actual message itself, what people do with media and not what it does to people; how people interpret media into their own lives, how people use the media to fill their needs and wants.
• Blulmer and Katz say media user seeks a source which meets both the wants and needs of the user: 4 needs: Diversion, Personal Relationships, Surveillance, and Personal Identity.

Reception Theory:

• The idea that when a producer constructs a text or narrative for example, they encode it with hidden messages that they wish to convey to the audience
• There are 3 types of ways in which the audience can then take the hidden message: Dominant (fully shares the text), Negotiated (partly shares the text) and Oppositional (rejects it).

Lost Narrative Analysis

For this task I am going to analyse the opening sequence to the first ever episode of Lost, the episode being called 'Pilot'. I am going to analyse it using Roland Barthes five narrative codes. The opening sequence can be seen below:


Hermeneutic (enigma)-Why has the man awoken in the jungle?  Why is he important? Is he aware of why this is? Why does he have cuts on his face? Why does he have a bottle of vodka with him? Why is the dog there? Is the dog part of his imagination? Why does he start running through the jungle? Where is he running to?  Why are we shown the shoe in the tree? Does this symbolise something?


Proairetic (action)- As the audience would be very confused during this opening sequence. There is a slight sense of direction shown towards the end. As the character starts frantically running through the jungle; this suggest that it is definite that something of great significance is going to happen next and this will give the audience a greater understanding of what has occurred or what is currently occurring. As the character has awoken in the jungle and is disorientated, confused and physically injured the audience could make a reasonable guess that the character is running towards the reason he is in the jungle, i.e. some wreckage as the show is called 'Lost' maybe he is stranded there. Also as the scene ends we are shown a shoe in a tree, which could be another sign that something is going to happen next or perhaps it is important that we are shown that as it may be significant later. The music and the intense running scene again show that something is going to happen next as they build up tension.


Semantic- The lighting shows that the place that the character may be 'evil' as it is a particularly dark place as low-key lighting is used. The extreme close up of the man's eye shows that he will be a predominantly a key character and may be one of the main characters; as it allows the audience to engage with him and share his emotions as we see what he sees. The editing shows the character's fear as it shows constant quick eye line matches as he keeps looking around. The non diegetic use of the eerie music shows the intensity and the danger of the scene. The character's body language and clothing shows that he is not supposed to be in the jungle as he stumbles through the jungle not knowing where he is going; plus he is wearing a suit which would not be worn in a jungle.


Symbolic- The conventional use of 'good vs. evil' or 'light vs. dark' is used in this opening sequence. As the jungle is portrayed as a dark, mysterious place and the man is wearing a white shirt, which symbolises that his character is good.


Referential- There are no referential codes within this opening sequence that I am aware of.

Roland Barthes 5 Codes

Roland Barthes was born in France on 12 November 1915 and died on 26 March 1980. He was a linguistic, literary theorist and philosopher. He had five codes that have been written into narrative. These are:

1. The Hermeneutic Code (HER) or 'Enigma Code'- mystery-keeps the audience guessing up until the final scene.
2. The Proairetic Code (ACT) or 'Action Code' also builds tension by indicating that something else is going to happen, this will make the audience guess what is going to happen next. The Hermeneutic Code and the Proairetic Code work together to develop the story's tension and keep the reader interested.
3. Semantic Code (SEM). This code refers to the connotation within a story that gives additional meaning to the basic meaning.
4. Symbolic Code (SYM). Similar to Semantic Code but acts at a wider level, organising semantic meanings into broader and deeper sets of meaning. This is done by the use of opposing and conflicting ideas.
5. Cultural Code (REF). Anything that is similar to us through a culture, setting or environment. This typically involves either science or religion.

Experimenting With Narrative: Crime Story

• 1-Crime Committed-Disruption in equilibrium
• 2-Crime Discovered-Disruption recognised
• 3-Crime Investigated-Attempt to restore equilibrium
• 4-Crime Solved-Attempt to restore equilibrium
• 5-Perpetrator Caught-Equilibrium restored

For this task we used acting skills and the use of different camera angles, shots and the use of props. Our plot consisted of a character purposely littering and another character trying to arrest him of this crime; which he succeeds in doing.
Our images can be seen below:

1. Crime Committed:

2.Crime Discovered:

3. Crime Investigated:

4. Crime Solved:

5. Perpetrator Caught:

In our crime story, we chose to portray the story in chronological order, the most commonly used type of modular narrative. However, we could have chose to shown our story in another way. We could have used flashbacks or flash-forwards to show an anachronic modular narrative, which is a narrative that is not shown in the correct order; for example, Pulp Fiction. We could have used the forking-path narrative modular which shows the different possible outcomes that could have happened due to a slight change within the story; for example, Groundhog Day. Also, we could have used split-screen, which would be showing two linked scenes from different perspectives.

30 Second Bunny Task

Tzvetan Todorov:


Was born in Bulgaria in 1963, however, decided to move to France in 1963. He is an author and theorist; his media theory is well received within Media studies. It is as follows:

• 1-State of equilibrium.
• 2-Disruption of equilibrium.
• 3-Disruption has been recognised.
• 4-Attempt to repair the damage caused.
• 5-Restoration of new equilibrium-'happy ending'.

Vladimir Propp:




Was born in Russia in 1895 and was a theorist who analysed the basic plot elements of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest narrative components. He did this by constructing a theory, which is well known in the media world. His theory stated that pretty much all stories include 7 typical characters. These are:

• 1-The Villain.
• 2-The Donor (prepares hero or gives them a magical object)
• 3-The Helper (helps hero on their quest)
• 4-The Princess (hero's love interest, usually needs saving)
• 5-The False Hero (perceived as a good character at the start, however shows true evil side at the end)
• 6-The Dispatcher (sends the hero off on their quest)
• 7- The Hero.

The 30 second bunny film I chose to watch was Star Wars. For this film both of these theories apply well. You can find this film below:

Todorov:

• State of equilibrium- In Tatooine, nothing happening.
• Disruption of equilibrium- Alderaan destroyed by the Death Star.
• Disruption has been recognised- Obi-Wan realises 'disturbance in the force'.
• Attempt to repair the damage caused- Going inside the death star.
• Restoration of new equilibrium- Destroying the death star.

Propp:

• The Villain- Darth Vader.
• The Donor- Obi-Wan.
• The Helper- Han Solo/Chewbacca.
• The Princess- Princess Leia.
• The False Hero- Darth Vader.
• The Dispatcher- Obi-Wan.
• The Hero- Luke Skywalker.

Task 5: Film Reviews

The full length feature film I have chosen to do some research on based on different reviews is: Donnie Darko.

The reviews I have chosen to feature for this film are from IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes and The Guardian.

 Firstly, one of the best websites for film info, IMDB, gave Donnie Darko an averaged out score of 8.1/10 after over 400,00 people voted and is ranked #195 in IMDB's top 250 films of all time. One of the most popular reviews out of the thousands given on IMDB is that of user 'ready__break'. They gave the film an incredible review giving it 10 stars out of 10. This user gives all positives and no negatives; as they praise the film's hybrid genre, narrative, characters and its director. Labelling it a 'thought provoking masterpiece'.

The second review I have chosen is from a well established movie review website Rotten Tomatoes. They gave the film an averaged out percentage rating of 85%. One of the users spoke mainly highly about the film; giving much praise to Jake Gyllenhaal's portrayal of Donnie Darko and the twisted plot.

Across the Hall Film Review:

If you're looking for a psychological thriller that will boggle 

your mind in under 30 minutes, then Across the Hall is definitely the short film for you. Alex Merkin tells us the deranged tale of betrayal between two friends; as paranoid Terry discuses his problems over the phone with friend, Julian. However, there is an ironic twist. The lighting complements the telephone call scene as it truly portrays Terry as the dark, disturbed character he is shown as within the short. The actors do an incredible job of convincing us that we are apart of the drama as every single one of us are on the edge of our seats as we witness this dangerously intense short film. Alex Merkin does a good job of pulling off a true 'make you think' piece of film. However, as shocking and impacting the end is, I feel as if it goes too quick due to its suddenness. As it is not the clearest of endings. Nevertheless, an all round good short. I would recommend. 8/10.

Judging the Theories

Task 4: The Outsider

Across The Hall

Today, we looked at the short, Thriller, film Across The Hall. We also, looked at how the genre, Thriller is represented within film. It is shown through the building in suspense which can be visual (low-key lighting, setting etc.) or non-visual (dramatic music etc.). It is also shown through chiaroscuro (characters silhouetted), enigma (a mystery within the plot), a shark bite (the opening of the narrative) and more. We evaluated the short Across the Hall and compared the full length film poster to the short length film's. The short film's was taken from a still of the film as this would have saved money and still makes the poster effective. As the audience immediately knows that the films genre is Thriller. As one character is shown to be hiding from another, this builds suspense. The full length film's poster had higher production values and was better quality in every aspect.

Experimenting with the use of shadows

We experimented with the lighting to add effect and genre. For example, a shadow might represent the genre of horror. Below are our pictures of the shadows.

Task 3: Genre Research

Task 2: Comparing Genre Posters

George Lucas in Love:

From looking at the poster of George Lucas in Love, I can see that it is a mix of Star Wars and Shakespeare in Love. Therefore, this short film is most likely to be a parody/rom-com/sci-fi. This hybrid genre would appeal to a varied more broad audience due to the amount of different genres featured.

 

George Lucas in Love is a mix of Star Wars and Shakespeare in Love, which I have shown above. Usually genres influence their audience. However, in sci-fi films, the audience influences the film, or at least the way it is promoted. For example, sci-fi/fantasy/adventure films that are targeted at a younger audience always have similar posters. These posters usually feature the majority of the main characters as heads. This advertises all the characters and the younger audience would be drawn in by this as their favourite character could be on the poster, or perhaps a character they like the look of. For example, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter etc.. However, these types of films that are aimed at an older target audience do not do this. Their posters usually consist of one main, bold image that would easily attract or maybe even confuse the reader. An example of this that I have included above is District 9 (which is, ironically, based on a short film). Other examples include: Cloverfield, Avatar, Aliens etc. Feature-film sci-fi posters are perhaps more professional and bold; however, short film ones are maybe a bit more imaginative and creative. As feature-film posters are aiming to get a point across. Other types of posters include fan-made posters. I have featured a Star Wars fan-made poster above, that is trying to show a Star Wars film based in the future. These types of posters are always very creative, are effective and are sometimes humorous. 

I'm Here:

From looking at the poster of I'm Here I can tell that this short film is most likely a drama/romance. As the poster itself looks rather sad and it gives me an idea that the plot is rather emotional and depressing.

I have compared the poster of I'm Here to the rom-com film posters of P.S. I Love You, When Harry Met Sally and Before Sunrise. One thing I have noticed from dramatic/romantic-comedy films is that in pretty much all of their posters two characters are shown together, usually a male and a female. This is used to attract their target audience, which is done very successfully. Their target audience is mainly consisted of females; the idea of romance, intimacy, 'love' and heartbreak engages with them and attracts them towards the film. The poster of I'm Here shows me that short film rom-coms may be a little more dramatic and may not include the cliché 'happy ending'. The bold title seems to be a cry for a help; plus the two characters seem to be looking upset, giving off this depressed vibe. However, full-length feature films mainly do the opposite to this as they usually have a disruption in the equilibrium; which is usually always restored as the audience get there much desired happy ending. This shows that short films are more creative and risky than the typical generic full-length feature film.

Across the Hall:

 From looking at the poster of Across the Hall I can assume that this short film is most likely a drama/thriller; as there is a main figure who looks like he is either in danger or is about to participate in a dangerous task. Also, there is another figure included, the blurred out, silhouette-like figure. This character may be pursuing the main character or may be pursued by the main character.

 



I have compared the poster of the short films Across the Hall to the posters of the full-length feature film version of Across the Hall, 1408, Shutter Island and Memento. One thing all of these productions have in common is that they are all films from the genre of thriller/mystery/drama. All of these type of film posters include a main figure/figures and usually have some mystery about them. Usually including a statement or a rhetorical question that will make the audience want to find out more. These posters are mainly dark and consist of colours that represent danger (i.e. red). The mystery featured within these posters suggests that there is a high possibility of a shocking twist occurring towards the end of the film. However, the short film edition of Across the Hall's poster is much different to the full-length films as it is a normal picture and isn't in a studio or hasn't really been edited. Also, there are not many effects used. For example, the darkness. This could be due to low production costs. Nevertheless, the poster would still have the audience thinking as it is a bit mysterious.

Task 1: Short Film Research

Introduction

Hello I am Kai and I have set up this blog to show the development of a short film; as I will be producing one throughout the next year.

In lesson we watched three examples of short films, these are: Spin, Inside and Telling Mark.
Spin



I thought the concept for spin was quite humorous and ironic and the idea was quite creative. However, I felt, towards the end, that it got perhaps too repetitive and a bit predictable. Good use of cinematography. 6/10


Inside

 

Good, original idea, has a good, clever plotline with a shocking twist. Had a good use of cinematography, mise en scene, editing and sound. 8/10


Telling Mark




Good story and camera use. However, the plot was pretty predictable and some actors were better than others. 6/10