Research and planning for my short film

Location - The location within my film will be very simplistic, the majority of the short film will be set in a normal house, with some aspects taking part outside the house. In a short film, it is key to keep the storyline to one location as if you include many different locations you are making the plot to difficult to follow. The fact it is being filmed in a house highlights how it is a simple yet effective storyline.

Props - The props I will be using in my film will be:
Two cars - The two cars in my short film will be used in two different aspects, one will show characters arriving to the location whereas the second car will show one of the characters frantically driving away from the location, thus being a part of the narrative.
Gun - The gun will be used as part of the narrative, the gun highlights how it is an action/thriller film as many films within this genre would feature a gun at some point.

Poker set - The narrative is based around a game of poker so it is obvious that a poker set will be a key prop within my film.





Actors/Actresses - In my short film I will be using three actors, within a short film it is very rare that you'll see more than two or three actors. The actors in my short film will be:
Sister - I used my sister as an actor as she has had previous experience of filming for a short film, also the age of the characters in my film is all around the 20-30 range, and as a result of this my sister fits into the criteria. Also, within my storyline a women character was key as even though she isn't on screen a lot she is a part of the main narrative.
Sisters boyfriend - I chose to use my sisters boyfriend as he has the 'look' which I wanted my main characters to have. The two main characters in my film will be two men, who both have the 'look' I was going for. Tom (my sisters boyfriend) has a beard, wears stretchers and due to being a teacher regularly wears smart clothing, which in a poker game is what we expect.
Alex Haines - Similarly to my sisters boyfriend, Alex has a beard and has slicked back hair in the short film which is typical of a poker film. However, the fact he isn't dressed as 'smartly' as Tom, we can see the slight difference in the two characters.

Costume - The costume in my short film is overall very smart as it is a poker game which is being played for a lot of money, the two men in the film are both wearing suits which signifies how they are in the 'upper class' of society. Even though the women character in my film isn't dressed as 'well' as the two men, it is still clear she is part of the higher end of society due to the costume she is wearing, including a fur coat.

Dialogue - In my short film I have used dialogue however I have used a small amount of dialogue as the main part of my film will be the action as the action highlights the story more than the dialogue. The majority of the dialogue in my film is poker jargon, highlighting how the topic of the narrative is a poker game. The problems I have faced when making my short film is the use of the accent, the accent I was looking for an American 'gangster' accent however the 'brummie' accent gets in the way of this.

Blumler and Katz (1970) Uses and Gratification Theory

What is the theory?

Blumler and Katz's uses and gratification theory is an approach to understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs. UGT is an audience centred approach to understanding mass communication.

Users and gratifications theory was an important shift in the study of how audiences interacted with texts and was developed by Blumler and Katz is 1974. Through a series of interviews with viewers, they identified four broad needs that were fulfilled by the viewers of television. 

• Diversion - A form of escape or release from everyday pressures.
• Personal relationships - Companionship through identification with television characters and sociability through discussion about television with other people.
• Personal identity - The ability to compare one's own life with the characters and situations portrayed and explore individual problems and perspectives. 
• Surveillance - Information about "what's going on in the world".

Other uses and gratifications research developed models about how viewers use quiz shows for four main gratifications:

• Self rating - See how well I do.
• Social interaction - Watching/sharing/competing with others.
• Excitement - To see who wins and what they win.
• Education - As a source of knowledge.

Second practice film

James' Second film from Bishop Walsh on Vimeo.

Creating our practice film

As a practice for our final film, we made a practice film whilst in school with basic scripts we were given, overall we created two films:

Film 1 - Film 1 was a simple storyline with one character handing an object to the second character, however when creating the film we was given a range of shots to use. We was also told that zooms were not allowed, we was only able to use one camera movement.



Finished Film from Bishop Walsh on Vimeo.

I started off my short film with a low shot of character one walking down the stairs, this highlights how character one has the power as they are holding the object which needs to be passed on. However, the fact character one started off high but comes down to the level of the camera shows how the object is soon to be passed on, thus leading to them not having the power anymore.

With the continuous narrative, the next key shot within the practice film was the birds eye view shot of the object, the fact that both characters are out of the shot with only the object in shot highlights how the object is they key part of the short film. The use of a birds eye view shot is very effective as it enables us to get a good idea of the key aspect of the narrative, it also allows us to see a lot of the surroundings.

To end the film, I used a long shot to show character two walking off with the object, the long shot ensures that the audience are able to see the surroundings of the character, which can play a key role within the film. The use of a long shot may also signify that the film is coming to an end, as in this case the key part of the narrative has already happened, and the fact character two is walking off shows it is soon to end.

Genres ideas from James Johnson

Analysing film trailers (2)

Apocolypto

• Costume/make up - Most films within the 21st century are set within towns and cities with all the characters wearing 'normal' clothes, whereas in Apocolypto the characters make up and costume is completely niche. Niche target audiences can be a good and bad thing, but in this situation I think this is effective.

• Camera/Editing - The use of jump cuts and establishing shots within the trailer give a clear insight to the film and the location of the film, however it is not giving away too much information on the film. When creating a trailer I think it is key that you do not give away too much of the story line as this means the audience will not come to see your film after seeing the trailer, the overall task of the trailer is to get the audience to go and watch the film.

• Sound - The use of sound within this trailer is very simple yet effective, it links in with the naturalistic theme within the film, and the calm music is towards the start of the trailer whereas when you start to see the action the music becomes more upbeat, this signifying the chaotic action within the film. Sound is very important within a trailer as again it gives the audience a clear idea of the type of film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngWBddVNVZs

Analysing film trailers

Taken

Camera:

• Towards the start of the trailer, we see the use of an establishing shot where we can see the location of the film; Paris. By using an establishing shot it engages the audience as we would be questioning why the film is set in France when the characters live in America. Establishing shots are very common within trailers and film as setting the scene is a very important aspect.

• Again, at the start of the trailer, we see the use of many cut shots. The cut shots are very significant as they are all shots of each family member. This highlights to the audience that the family may be a key part to the plot of the film.
• Throughout the whole trailer, medium close up shots are used when the characters are on the screen. The medium/medium close up shots allow us to see the emotion on the face of the characters. This further implying that this is a very emotive film, due to it being about a whole family in distress due to the capture of their daughter.

Sound:

• For the first thirty seconds of the trailer, the music is very upbeat and happy, this linking in with what we can see on the screen, a birthday party. However, when we see the shot of the plane taking off the music straight away turns more serious. The music would turn serious as that plane journey turns out to be a significant part of the film.
• As we see in many trailers, the use of diegetic sound through the narrative is a key part in all trailers. The spoken narrative is used in a trailer as it gives the audience a clear understanding of what the film is about.
• Right at the end of the trailer, the use of non diegetic sound is used; the sound of heavy breathing. Again this gives the audience an idea as to what the film is about. Heavy breathing clearly highlights that this film has action in.
• The heavy breathing at the end of the trailer is a genre clue, along with the multiple camera shots of the guns, car chases and fight scenes. Genre clues are key in a trailer as it is important that the audience are fully aware of the genre of the film.

Mise-en-scene

• The mise-en-scene throughout this film is very minimal. One key thing I picked up on was the costumes; the costumes of the characters are clothes you would expect to see in reality. This may highlight how things such as what happens in this film happens within society today. The normality of the film, for example the costumes and overall location highlight this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ02_Uzf7So

Analysing short films

The Black Hole

Camera

Throughout the first minute of the short film the camera stays very simple, in a medium long shot. However, when the black hole that is printed on the paper comes out of the printer, the camera zooms in, highlighting how the black hole is the subject of the film. When the actor goes to take the piece of paper with the black hole on, we see a close up, this enables us to be able to see the actors facial expressions. Clearly the black hole symbolises something which we as the audience are unaware of, this being an anti-narrative.

Mise-en-scene

Throughout the short film, the mise en scene stays exactly the same as the film is set in one location, with the actors costume staying the exact same. Within short films, this is something we expect as you do not have the time to include a lot of different scenes with changes in costume and location.

Lighting

The lighting within this short film is very different to what we expect as an audience, the lighting throughout stays the same, this highlighting the flow in narrative. The dull lighting represents the story of the short film, which overall is very dull and boring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5_Msrdg3Hk


The Stairway

Camera

As the short film starts, we see the use of an establishing shot, this sets the scene for the whole short film. The camera throughout the short film stays in a medium shot, mainly with the audience being able to see the facial expressions of the character. Towards the end of the film, we see the use of a long shot as this gets in the whole body shot of the actor along with the surrounding, the use of the long shot allows us to see how the character has become distressed.

Mise-en-scene

The mise-en-scene within this film is very simple as it is all set in one location, even though it starts off in a normal hotel, we see how it suddenly changes to a room of stone. However, it then goes straight back to the hotel. The actors outfit throughout the whole film stays the same, this highlights to the audience how everything happened in a short space of time.

Lighting

The lighting at the start of the film starts very bright, signifying how everything at this time was fine. It then quickly goes into dark lighting and stays this way throughout the film. this again highlights how the character is distressed due to not being able to find the ending of the stairs within the hotel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=std0jjpnI78



Peanut Butter Lips

Camera

The film starts off with a medium close up of a book named 'Peanut Butter Lips' this is a direct link to the title, this is a common convention with films and trailers. When the two actors are in conversation, we see a close up along with the camera constantly switching onto the actor who is speaking. Throughout the short film, the majority of film, medium shots are used, medium shots highlight the facial expressions of the actors and give the audience a clear idea as to what is going on within the story.

Mise-en-scene

Throughout the short film, the two actors costumes stay the same, this highlighting how the storyline all happened in one short time period. On a whole, the short film is set on the bench, the only time see a change in location is when the camera goes into the kitchen to get a birds eye view shot of the sandwich,

Lighting

The lighting throughout the short films stays exactly the same, usually lighting shows the mood, however as the lighting stays the same it highlights how the mood throughout this whole film has stayed the same. Also, the use of bright lighting allows a clear more effective film.

Short films research

Todorov's narrative theory:
Equilibrium
Dis-equilibrium
New equilibrium

Mode of address within short films:
Direct address e.g dialogue
Voice over
Written narrative/dialogue

Key words:
Enigma - A narrative device that teases the audience by presenting a puzzle to be solved.
Linear narrative - A plot that moves in a straight line without flashbacks or digression.
Parallel action - A narrative device in which two scenes are observed as happening at the same time by cutting between them.
Anti narrative - Something which deliberately disrupts the flow for effect.

Introduction to the task

LO: To explore the requirements of A2 Media Studies.

For A2 we have been given the option of two tasks, to create a short film or a trailer for a film.

Option 1: A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or animated or a combination of both, together with two of the following three options:

• A poster for the film
• A radio trailer for the film
• A film magazine review page featuring the film

Option 2: A promotion package for a new film, to include a trailer, together with two of the following three options:

• A website homepage for the film
• A film magazine front cover, featuring the film
• A poster for the film