Final Animatic Edit

This is our final animatic, which includes our commentary over the top.

Initial prop ideas; cigarette

We plan to use the cigarette throughout the short film, to connect characters to each other and increase drama at certain points. For example; the fact that she smokes is going to be a big part of her identity, therefore when we see the ECU of her feet whilst she is grabbed in the street and the cigarette drops to the floor, this will enhance the effects of what has just happened. This will also be reinforced as when it drops to the floor, it will be unfinished which enhances the impact on the audience. Also, when filming scenes of Charlie in the car, the fact that he lights up a cigarette could be to connect the two characters in this way.

However, there are some issues we have to be aware of when filming, for example continuity is key film and it could be easy for aspects of out continuity to slip up due to the smoking of the cigarette and therefore length of it in different shots, etc.

Synopsis and ideas

For the most part, our short film is going to be following the life of a girl who is played by Dani, in her daily routine. We will see her coming in from a night out and carrying out her morning routine the next day, typical tasks such as eating breakfast, brushing teeth, etc will become fast paced in post production in order to manipulate the amount of time that has passed, also with the use of close up clock work.

She will begin her day as normal, walking down the street but will get grabbed and shoved into the boot of a car, which creates engima for the audience and for the onscreen character due to the lack of identity. We are planning to focus on the hidden identity aspect whilst in the car for example; ECU of eyes in rear view mirror, feet on pedals to create a sense of speed, etc.

Both the audience and the character have no idea of the final location, however the plot and camera work used will cause questions to be raised about what we believe might happen. However, we will find out at the end of the film that this kidnap was to the location of a surprise party for her, which will add comedic aspects at the end of the film. In order to achieve the effects of a party without having to plan and hold one, we could use the opening of a door with props such as banners and balloons and use non-deigetic sound to convey the party.

Lighting

No additional lighting is to be added, maybe as a prop in the background for the closing scene of the short film (fairy lights) but apart from as a prop the lighting should be 100% natural lights, this makes it more believable as its on a budget and not a holiday production. we want it to seem as believeable as possible, there for natural light is needed as its mostly outdoors.

Sound

All sound in the short film is real,we have not planned for any foley or FX, however it is always difficult to tell at this early stage and we will have to re-evauluate the situation after filming as for the moment in our plan everything is diegetic, but you never know, there are millions of sounds available that we could add post production that may enhance the effects of out film. We will have to wait and see.

We are not going to have any dialogue in our film, just the non- deigetic soundtrack until at the end when it comes to the 'Surprise!' I think this will add to the effect of our film with the lack of dialogue until the very end.

Props

list of props include:

- ciggerettes
- car
- toothbrush
- cerial
- blindfold
- balloons

vague as they sound, they are all essential to our short film and will be of great benefit to our production work.

Location details

as far as location is concerned we are again ahead of the game, we have already planned the location, the house dani will be returning to is charlies actual house portrayed as danis, and we will shoot a large portion of the short in cooksbridge, a quite village with little chance of distraction, and no one to offend with camera work unlike filmiong in a busy town like haywrds heatgh. for the hostage sequence we will be filming down malthouse way as the long drive and little action down there will be perfect for us to get the shots we need. the car sequence will be shot down beachwood lane as again it is perfect for what we need, quite and little chance of distraction, aswell as perfect scenery.

(images of locations are to follow)

Roles

Dani and I will both have completely even roles, both of us are acting, doing camera work and editing, so there is no one with an advantage, both of us have a completely equal role. both of us have also taken a completly equal role in creating the animatic and the initial research.

Animatic film (no description)

Already, we have filmed the animatic, something for next lesson will be to record over this and edit it as our final version, including timings, locations, shots types, and commentary. 

by Dani and Charlie.

Short film research, Archie by Dani

Archie http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/2346/archie
Daniel John Williams
Virgin Media Shorts

Archie is a film about a young boy who desperately wants to but a bow and arrow, he works hard to earn the money and throughout the seasons visits the shop to gaze at his desired toy, he finally saves up enough money, however some things are more important.

Certain themes of desire are explored yet Athrough the eyes of a young boy, his decision at the end of the film is surprising at his age, that he understands themes and issues of giving and he clearly knows the opposite between what it means to want something and to need something.


Representation

-  The homeless man perched outside the toy shop is present throughout the film and each of the seasons, which is especially effective when we see the clearly difference between social class; rich and poor, shown through aspects of mise en scene such as props like the umbrella.

-  The representation of social class is significant in this film achieving the right effect, it is not just a lower class family juxtaposed against the homeless man, it is an upper middle class mother and son, shown through the use of costume such as the mothers flower dress and his woolen sweatshirt. This reinforces the dramatic difference between the two main characters, the young boy and the homeless man and therefore creates an automatic distance between the two characters, however even as a young child we see him break this distance. Even at that age he somewhat understands the basic principles of social class and can quite literally see the effect it has on others and the state in which some people are forced to live. 

-  Right from the start of the film when the young boy first see's the homeless man, we can see a sense of pain on his face as he stares into the man's eyes, he understands him and see's something in him that you would perhaps not expect a child to see. His complete lack of selfishness at the end reinforces ideas of how mature he is for his age and his character development is evident, this is not a stereotype of a typical young boy, breaking the stereotypes makes this a positive representation.

Narrative

-  The film is structured by seasons which is relatively uncommon for a short film due to the length of time available, however works well as it is possible to convey the sense of time that has passed in just a two minute short film. The story is constructed in chronological order, as we see the months past we also see the development in character, as well as the weather which is a key indicator in portraying seasons.

-  Towards the end of the film, we see the young boy staring less into the toy shop window and more into the eyes of the homeless man, these shots reinforce his gradual understanding until his actions at the end of the film.

-  The repetition of costume is significant to the outcome of the story, as it shows how far the young boy has come, for example the first time we see him in his Robin Hood style costume, it is when he first see's and decides he wants the toy; the start of his journey and when he goes back to buy it, a whole year has passed and the change in him is reinforced.


Genre

-  On Virgin Media Shorts, this film is categorised as family, yet it is not clear what the true genre of this film is, as once again it has aspects of many different genres such as drama, although all in all there isn't really one. The film resists being categorised into a specific genre due to the fact that it is a short film and it is hard to capture a genre in such a short space of time.

Audience

-  The demographic, as with the genre for this short film is not clear, due to the fact that it has a wide target audience, as I believe this film can be enjoyed by anyone that watches it, no matter what the age or gender. Obviously, the older you are, the more you are able to fully, understand the main themes explored, yet overall everyone has the capability to enjoy this film. 

-  It is obvious why the audience would be pleased by this film due to the cute young boy and the good nature and kindness that he shows towards the homeless man, not only that but he also shows a great amount of modesty, as he gives his money when the man is asleep, he doesn't even want any thanks, just believes that this man is more deserving and needs the money a lot more than he does, giving the story the ability to please such a wide demographic. 



Media Language

-  The structure of the film would not be possible without the use of mise en scene and therefore plays a key part in the representation of character and time. Props such as the umbrella and the costume wore by each of the characters makes differentiation between season clear, however the homeless man never changes his clothes no matter what season. He isn't able to have an umbrella, the only aspect of his character that changes across the seasons is his mood, made apparent by his guitar and facial expression in the summer.

-  The time period in which this film is set is apparent through the use of costume, props and location, however explores very modern ideas and issues throughout, creating a sense of contrast which is one of the reasons it is so successful. 

-  Even with the lack of dialogue, an awful lot is communicated to the audience through the use of non- diegetic sound, camera work and props for example. The non-diegetic soundtrack is relatively high pitched and conveys a sense of the child's innocence and lack of understanding yet throughout the film, we see the young boy 'Archie' break these conventions. 


- The use of camera angles, shots and movement is key in achieving the desired outcome of this film, for example the use of an eye line match helps to convey Archie's desire for this bow and arrow, it reinforces how much he wants it, that and how hard he has worked for the money, combine to add to the effect of the ending. The slow zoom also reinforces and adds to this desired outcome and effect it has on the audience. As well as this, the use of a shot reverse shot is used to convey the way he looks at the homeless man and the connection they have without any dialogue.


Themes, Issues and Ideologies

- The main theme running throughout this short film is desire, a young child's desire for a new toy, such a desire as this would appear uncontrollable especially to a child. He has worked hard and saved up every last penny until finally he has enough money for his bow and arrow yet when he decides to give his money to the homeless man instead, it shows his knowledge and understanding of the difference between want and need; this is an issue explored throughout this film.

Short film research, coasting - by Dani

Coasting.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX2OzvixVp4

Director: Federico Forcolini

Virgin Media Shorts/ YouTube

The Tivo award winner 2011 and the winner of the Smalls under 5min shorts competition 2011. He was also selected for the Cannes Short Film Corner 2011, and each of these awards was for his short film; coasting.

Synopsis: This film is about two old friends that go for their weekly walk to get to the top of the hill, when there they eye up the local surfers with their binoculars.

This short film interested me due to the dramatic use of stereotypes from the audience and how these stereotypes can change your view on the film or add aspects of comedy to the film.

Representation

The use of stereotypes in this short film is what causes it to become slightly comedic. It is due to stereotypes that we assume the two old ladies are hiking to the perfect spot to bird watch, and in fact it is quite the opposite. This causes surprise in the audience which is possibly one of the main factors for the comedic values of the film, which without stereotypes would not have been possible.

Narrative

The chronology is linear as it flows from the beginning to end with the events in the order that they happen, however we don’t know what the film is about until the very end. In contrast to the short film ‘Goodbye, Mr Bojangles’ which tells the audience what is happening/ has happened at the very start of the film, however in the film ‘Coasting’ there are aspects of the storytelling of the film that are non-linear, for example the key event is not mentioned until the end. This is what creates comedy, as the build-up to the end of the film greatly suggests what the film is about, however right at the end, goes a completely different way with it altogether.

Genre

There is no obvious genre to the short film, as the nature of the film only becomes comedic at the end of the film, therefore it is hard to categorise it as comedy, because there is not enough of it. Aspects of Rick Altman’s theory were present in this short film and the ideas about semantic and syntactic codes are used. In the film ‘coasting’ the use of iconography, for example the old ladies with their binoculars and dialogue is used to build up the idea that something else is going to happen and will be unexpected by the audience. However it does not follow the common narrative features, present in most films of the same genre, perhaps because there is no clear genre. There are no typical plot developments either, was the opposite of what we expect, happens.

Audience

This film was the Tivo award winner for 2011 which there are articles about on the website I found it: Virgin Media Shorts. He was also the winner of the Smalls under 5min shorts competition for 2011. It was selected for the Cannes short film corner 2011, and also won the award for best female character, each of these awards have been in the same year too.

Media Language

The use of an eyeline match is effective when we see the unveiling of the unexpected. We see this shot of the two ladies, with the use of depth of field and this is the last time for us still to think they are going birdwatching. All the suspsense of the hike has built up about what they are going to go and watch and now we are about to find out what it was. The effect of the second part of the eyeline match is made more effective by the creative use of props. This shot is edited with post production work to create the feel as if it is a point of view shot, with us looking out of the binoculars. 

Short film research, Goodbye Mr Bojangles- by Dani

Goodbye, Mr Bojangles. http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/3596/goodbye-mr-bojangles

Director: Ximon

Virgin Media Shorts

Synopsis: This short film is about two young children talking, brother and sister, after the death of their pet hamster and both contemplate the subject of death.

I found this film interesting, as two young children discuss a relatively adult subject, which is conveyed to the audience in a creative form; through the voice of a child. The relationship between the brother and sister also captivated me, as he comforts her.

Representation

Stereotyping: When the young girl is listing different animals when she asks who dies, they are very much stereotypical ‘girly’ and cute animals, for example; ponies and doggies. The way in which she says and pronounces these also develops these ideas further, as she relates to them as ‘doggies’ and ‘birdies’, in a very much childish and girly manner. In some contexts this is a negative representation of young girls, however it is used in order to emphasise some of her girly, ‘cutie’ aspects, which without the film would not have the same effect. These stereotypes reinforce their childish ways and the fact that they are normal children and so enhance their somewhat depressing conversation about death. One of the main aspects of this film is the juxtaposition between the two; the innocent young children and the topic of conversation; death.  

Narrative

The chronology of the film is linear, from the start where they are talking about flushing the hamster down the toilet until the end, when they do it. Between this is a quite loving conversation between siblings, as it is clear the older brother is there for his sister who doesn’t quite understand however by the end of the film she does. The main basis of the conversation is the young girl asking what happens when the animals die, where the hamster will go after he has been flushed away. The ending of the film answers this main question in a quirky and unrealistic way. We see the flushing of the toilet from the perspective of the hamster; we then see the hamster floating around in space in some kind of bubble. Although, this is not the answer to the sister’s question, I believe it is capturing what she likes to think would happen to Mr Bojangles after he is flushed away, due to the childish nature of the ending, it could well be her thoughts.

Genre

This short film is categorised as a drama on the Virgin Media Shorts website, which fits the content of the whole film, as to the children, the death of the hamster is a tragedy, however it clearly has a sense of comedic value towards the end, shown by the hamster floating in space. Therefore, the film can be classed as a hybrid due to its mixture and crossover of genres.

Audience

I believe that this film is capable of a vast audience, for example teenagers and adults will find the humour in it, whereas young children may perhaps be able to relate to it. To some extent, anybody that watches this film no matter what age may be able to relate to the topic of the story, as everybody would have lost a pet at some point in their life. The fact that people can relate to a film is a big factor in how they are pleased by this short film.

Media Language

The non diagetic soundtrack that is played throughout the film is used to create the mood and atmosphere of it, which in this case was serious and upsetting and the soundtrack mirrors that.  This point of view shot is placed towards the end of the film, where Mr Bojangles is being flushed down the toilet. We can tell that is the shot, by the worms eye view suggesting we are a lot smaller and lower down than he is. This is effective, when portraying the childish thoughts about what happens when you die, because in order to see what happens to him we must first be in his point of view to understand the relevance.

Themes, Issues and Ideologies

The main issue discussed is death and due to the context of the situation, two children talking about it, it becomes creative. Death is also the underlying theme throughout the film.

"Dream Girl" Charlie

Narrative & Genre:

-       In terms of narrative, we see a sequence happen from start to finish, it is in continuity order. Women gets on the metro, sits next to guy, falls asleep. No use of sequence variation.

-       The plot is very simple and easy to understand, and that tied with the man’s expression when he decides to get back on the metro may suggests that this use of plot could be described a cute.

-       The linear chronology of the short film also helps the impact of the film come along, this may be one of the reasons why the film won a TIVO award.

-       As it is a short film, it is harder for theory’s to become evident. For example toderovs narrative theory of equilibrium, disruption repay, equilibrium is harder to apply, however in Dream Girl, the equilibrium would be him happily sitting on the metro, the disruption would be her falling asleep, then the struggle to repair the disruption would be him getting back on the metro, and final equilibrium would be when she is asleep on his shoulder again. This works well as it does mean you can apply the theory to this short.

Representation:

-       The social groups relevant in this film would be normal civilians (using public transport) as this situation may be similar to something experienced or a common occurrence on the metro, as people will be able to relate to this it also shows social realism this is signified with a close up to show her fatigue.

-       Key genres in the film are hard to apply directly however if I had to narrow it down to one it would be a romance, just because this issue occurring in the sequence relates to love, and caring for others therefore romance is the only suitable genre to categories this film into.

-       Apply representation to the female character we are able to place her into a stereotype as to her situation, she is on the metro and tired, it’s late. By extension because of this we are able to assume that she is a normal woman, coming home from either work or a night out, seeing friends, and she falls asleep on the metro. None of the characters in this short are represented in a negative OR positive way, very neutral representations.

-       The expected audience will have shaped the representation of the film, as a boy and a girl, one seeking comfort, one feeling uncomfortable so naturally the outcome will be a romance, also a clue in the double meaning title of the short “Dream girl” referring to the love of one’s life and because she is asleep.

Audience:

-       This short film was located on virgin media shorts.com so the expected audience would be people who take an interest in short film screening and production, because the website is well in the top percentage for short film’s and would be the place of the main screening.

-       The audience would be pleased with the film, especially the female audience as it arises a situation of which the male character is left to leave a decision and of course it is a bit cheesy love story, however this works for the female audience, him making the conscious decision to leave her asleep with no one’s shoulder would make females no angry but perhaps think “typical men” however him choosing to return and miss his stop to give her a shoulder to sleep on would redress the balance.

-       As far as I could find, the film has been screened on virgin media shorts and YouTube but nowhere else. However the film has won a TIVO award which is an independent awards scheme created by virgin rewarding unique and inspiring films for all things from camera work to plot.

-       Alice Sea bright, the director, producer and filmmaker all in one, perhaps a contributing factor as to why she won the TIVO award. In terms of information about her, we know very little about her, and she has no information on IMBD or on Virgin media shorts itself, even her film on the website says “genre: other”.

Media Language:

-       The screen grab represents two emotions, as previously mentioned the two emotions felt, she is seeking comfort, and he is feeling uncomfortable. In the grab we can see a lot, high key lighting, mid angle shot to show the main features of both characters. And (not clear from the image) diegetic sound throughout. We can denote the feeling of coldness and tiredness as everyone is wearing coats and she is snuggled up on his should seeking comfort and rest, perhaps at first this is not what he is looking for due to his expression in the screen grab, however in the end we know he does enjoy her company.

-       In terms of editing there are really very few things to comment on, the only editing clear is a couple of jumps from inside to outside of the train. In terms of camera movement we can see a hand held camera, which could connote busyness and a cramped situation on a train, and represents realism, even as a spectator we would feel more involved because of the hand held camera rather than a stable tripod camera.

-       Possible connotation of the situation would lead to the audience assuming it is late, and cold, and people just want to get home, as well as the polite minding your own business and personal space rule of public behaviour which she seems to break. Loneliness and opportunism is represented as well during the film because he goes far out of his way to make sure she is comfy again showing the audience that he cares and perhaps a relationship could occur from this.

Short film research - TIME (by Dani)

TIME

Kris Dayne 2012
Virgin Media Shorts

TIME explores the different people in a Café and their reactions when a suicide bomber reveals himself. The seconds tick until detonation and we see the reactions of each individual, who are from different walks and stages of life in this life changing situation.

Due to the fact that there is no dialogue throughout the short film, camera shots and angles are key as well as the use of slow motion which is why I find it so interesting and creative.

     Representation

-     The café is the only location in the short film, giving it importance in the representation of characters, as it allows for each of these social groups to be used for example; stereotypical representations of the builders, achieved through the use of costume and props. However the group of women are shown having a gossip which in some ways is a negative representation.

-     There are many social groups present in the film, each with relevance to the impact on the audience and to the emotion of the suicide bomber.

-     Social groups present are: A group of friends, builders, and a group of women chatting, a couple, and a family with a child.

    
     

     The waitress is the most important character in this film, shown by the many shots of her compared to the rest of the café who are just shown briefly. She if focused on a lot in the film and with a variety of shot types such as close up. I think she may represent his guilty conscience, shown through the shot reverse shot with her and him, allowing for dramatic reaction in the close up shots of their facial expression. In the shot reverse shot, the shots are mirrored in proportion and composition, yet his is an extreme close up instead of just close up, however this reinforces a connection between them, perhaps that she is his guilty conscience.

     Narrative

     The chronology of the narrative is linear to a certain extent throughout the short film; however, the use of a faded clock over the first shot of a man’s feet walking, conveys this idea of time and counting down as relevant from the offset. This shot creates dramatic effect for the audience as we question what the meaning of this could be, it is clearly of significance as it is in slow motion.

-    The plot is a key aspect in the way the audience percieves the story, as if it wasn't in this chronological order, it would perhaps be difficult to understanding, however the organisation of story events adds suspense, for example the foreshadowing of the clock at the start of the film.  

-     The closure of the film is highly significant as we do not see the outcome of the events in the story, did he or did he not set off the bomb? Leaving unanswered questions and creating an enigma creates an air of mystery in the film. Due to the fact that many of the characters in the cafe for example; the waitress could have been constructed as his guilty consciene, it raises questions; did he listen to his conscience or did he go through with it anyway?

     The film ends with an extreme close up of the waitress saying something to him, yet due to the lack of deigetic sound, we do not know what she has said. Whatever she says however causes him to smirk and trigger a flashback and the film ends, leading the audience to believe that whatever she said had a positive effect on his decision, reinforcing her role has his guilty conscience.




Genre

-   Although there is no clear genre in the film, as in short films it can be difficult to identify genre due to the length of the film, causing there to be aspects of many; for example areas of mystery, drama and thriller are present in the film. The enigmatic style of the film allows for their to be a sense of mystery and even thriller aspects. The drama is created through the use of characters in the cafe, as it is a normal everyday situation, turning bad and the genre of thriller is shown in the theme of the film. The theme of suicide and terrorism are explored heavily in this film which I believe would come into the category of a thriller. These genres cross over a lot for example there is an enigmatic quality to the thriller themes in this film; why has he chosen to end his life and that of several others in the cafe?

-    Genre theories such as that of Rick Altman are not relevant to this short film as there is no categorised genre, however aspects of Steve Neal's are significant in the reasons behind the film content. One area of his theory is that, genre is linked to their time and place in history, and says that film is reflective of the culture when it was made. A fine example of this is in Japan in the 50's, the monster Godzilla was created, after the atomic bomb had it, therefore the film explores the events that have/ are taking place and reflects some of these ideas in film. Steve Neal also believes that not only does film reflect cultural ideas but instead shapes them as well, which is difficult for a short film to do, however if this was a feature length blockbuster film, it would achieve that effect of shaping the values of time.

-    This theory is quite clearly relevant to my chosen film of study, as it captures aspects of our modern culture such as terrorism. Terrorism is a huge and serious problem in our society today and this film explores aspects of this, however concentrates on thoughts and feelings on the bomber at the time, why he chose this path of life and the reactions of others around him that it would also effect. This is backed up by John Fiske's theory that genre films 'embody the crucial ideological concerns of the times in which they were popular.' An example of one of these crucial ideological concerns that holds relevance today is terrorism which is explored in this short film.


Audience

-   Although this film has not won any awards it is shown across a range of places, as well as being shown on Virgin Media Shorts, it can also be watched on Youtube and Vimeo, perhaps giving an insight into it's target audience.

-    Like most other short films, the audience is widely internet based, therefore audiences must be internet users, maybe on a regular basis. This short film has a wide target audience due to it's widely explored themes and issues, providing for a wide demographic. I think that this targets spoecifically male Media students at either College or Univiersity or people that are interested in Media, as I dont believe there are age restrictions in the demographic of this film. Due to the themes and issues discussed I beleive that the psychographic is vital due to particular attitudes and perhaps cultures of the audience, some people may find this short film offensive as it portrays certain aspects of stereotype in the main male character.

    Media Language

    -    Due to the lack of dialogue throughout the short film, camera work and mise en scene
           are especially important in showing elements of character and the development of 
           themes. 

    -     Mise en scene is used to carefully construct each of the characters in the film such as
          the waitress, builders and of course the suicide bomber. Costume and props are 
          significant in constructing character and therefore exploring the different types of people
          present in the cafe, all from different walks of life, yet all in the same same situation at
          this moment in time.

    -    Each of these different characters are seen through the perspective of the suicide
         bomber, and the shots represent what he is looking at/ seeing, each of these shots are
         seen in slow motion, adding suspense to the film. He is looking around the cafe perhaps
         with regret to the situation he has got himself into, he is contemplating his decision and
         the outcome to each of these people if he makes the wrong choice. This is apparent due
         to the movement of the camera, it is shaky, presumably achieved with hand held.

    -    The significance of the young girl is clearly shown in this shot through the use of depth of
          field, for example she is shot in a shallow depth of field, giving the effect that she is the
          only person in the room as everyone else is blurred out perhaps because they are not as
          significant to his final decision. The shot is relatively long, reinforcing the importance of
          this character.

    Themes, Issues and Ideologies

    -   There is a few main themes and issues explore in this short film, terrorism and suicide
         shown clearly through the use of the main character; the suicide bomber. His emotion and
         feeling in his last minutes are clearly explored; his anxiousness is conveyed through
         camera shot, as well as mise en scene, for example he begins to sweat profusly conveying
         his anguish to the audience and the other people present in the cafe.

    -    This film deals directly with ideologies; although not dominant, in modern society such as
         terrorism, which due to the Media is so talked about and explored. However, this film
         explores the representation of the suicide bomber and not the aftermath, shown clearly by
         lack of closure at the end of the film. Showing more the importance and emotion of the
         character and their reasons behind it.