Post 2b - IDEAS

Below is a Prezi, showing some of the visual inspirations I have looked at for script ideas, along with photos is some writing about why I like the inspiration and how I think it could work in a short film.

I use the website tumblr on a daily basis, and from posts on this site, I have taken inspiration for short films. Below are some links of posts which I have taken ideas from, below the links is a short description of what I took from the post.

http://liamdryden.tumblr.com/post/54094733797/wired-infornography-via-show

This post is of a short comic, telling the story of a young girl and her vivid imagination. Whilst dialogue appears to swamp the comic, there is a balance between image and dialogue which makes this story nice, the smaller panels with less writing almost make this short film like. 

Whilst it would be unlikely we could make anything like this, I like the idea of a solitude character with a big imagination, who is happy no matter what. Also the happy ending.

http://charlie-in-a-beanie.tumblr.com/post/53140438032/look-at-pluto-pluto-you-will-always-be-invited

1. Puns

2. Pluto

I like puns and I like the concept of a story revolving around a character who, due to a pun, is left out of society, or due to ridicule is. I also think it's a good idea for out short story to have a short and snappy plot, or a plot in which the audience is already present in from the start, so starting part-way through the story, or have a plot which the audience is familiar with.

http://1los.tumblr.com/post/52047649172/hold-close-ingridtan

The artist of this comic used no dialogue to tell the story of a raindrop and a flame of fire, instead using eyes and body language to reflect the character's emotions. In relation to short films, I think that if body language is used to the extent of this comic, then the film wouldn't need dialogue, it would need sound, but no speech from the characters.

http://justan0therwallflower.tumblr.com/post/52803462364/tsunde-red-oppa-strider-style

The website of Omegle is a great place to get idea for short stories, this post shows how two stranges can come up with an idea and work with it very quickly and make a short story. I'd love to incorporate this idea into our film, not as in zombies, but the fact it's straight to the point. For research, I may us the website to come up with some ideas by 'Role-playing' this kind of situation with people on it.

EXAMPLES OF LOG LINES

1. Whilst the world begins to lose memories, one by one. A sole teenager begins to learn things about the world they never knew.
2.He just wanted a bucket. Why wouldn't anyone give him one?
3. An old man discovers he suddenly has turned invisible.

From the above log lines, I took the first to improve upon and flesh out a script plan for it, below is what I did.

Post 2: How to write a good short film script?

WEBSITE - The notes below with correspond to the numbered sections of the website.

1. Remember the essentials!
2. Care about the subject of the film, don't write about something you'll lose interest in.
   WHAT TO THINK ABOUT:
   - What is a story?
   - Is your story compelling to an audience?
   - Is it coherent?
   - Is it a recognisable genre?
   - Fresh perspective to old stories?
   - What emotions are you trying to provoke?
   - Is the tone and genre of the film consistent throughout?
3. Think about your story! Where you want to go with it. As our short film is limited to up to 5 minutes long, how will we structure the plot to fit within the time? Make sure it's coherent and formatted in a way that can be read and understood.
4. How to improve a script, focus on: Structure, dialogue, formatting and script writing.
   To write a great character:
   - Look at the world through their POV.
   - Make them distinct, different from other people/characters.
   - Make the character fit into the genre of the film, comedy would generally make the character happy.
   - Have a character going on a journey, either literal or metaphorical.
5. PLAN BEFORE WRITING!
   Do something significant that'll keep the audience interested.
   Don't get 'bogged down' with back story, nor try too hard to get a story going.
   Make sure you're aware of where you want the story to go!
6. Remember to surprise and engage the audience, don't drift the story off into a boring one.
   Figure out the most appropriate way for your character to get through conflict/ a journey, and make it fit the GENRE.
7. REMEMBER THE AUDIENCE!
   Conclude the story without letting it fizzle out without resolution.
   Figure out what kind of effect you want the ending to have on the audience.
8. 'Ask yourself these questions of every scene you plan to write:
   1. What effect does this scene have on the character within the moment?
   2. What effect does it have on the subsequent events of the story?
   3. What impact does i have on the world of the story?
   4. What else is going on below the surface and beyond the text?' (Taken from the website)
   Juxtaposition is crucial.
   Shows conflict and tension
   Shows dilemmas and decisions
   Each scene has a unique role in the story and each are different.
9. Dialogue is not just what characters say, it's about how they express it - Also what is not said is just as important.
   No two character's dialogues will be the same, each character will have their own way of speaking.
   Can effect the consequences of a film.
10. KEEP RE-WRITING, YOU'LL ALWAYS FINE SOMETHING YOU CAN CHANGE!
    But don't do it within a short time span, leave it for a while so you come back with a fresh mind.
    Scripts need to be ready to be read, all scripts will change during the actual filming, improv by actors, director changes etc.

Post 1d - Job Roles

JOB ROLES RESEARCH

What does each job/department do?

• Direction - Director is responsible for the creative vision, style and choices of the film. Is backed up by the Assistant Director to make decisions. Script Supervisor keeps an eye on continuity and the how the film will need to be edited. Runners are general supporters and having basic duties for all production departments.
• Camera - The Director of Photography is the 'photographic heart' of the film, they provide the input on the style and look of the film and tell the Director what can and can't be done. The Script Supervisor will also work with the camera department to ensure that continuity editing is being performed correctly and there is no breaking of the rules within film [rule of thirds, 180 degree etc]. The main camera operator will have an assistant to help move and set up the camera, multiple cameras will require multiple cameras. All the camera operators shoot the film. All of the technical aspects of camera-work are given specific jobs, such as crane and steadycam operator if required.
• Lighting - The Director of Photography again is the head of this department, as they have the say in how lighting is placed to give a tone to a shot. Technicians for all types of lighting are on hand to move and set up lights for each shot and a Gaffer leads these technicians, along with a Best-Boy (Assistant Chief Lighting Technician).
• Production Sound - Records all the sound on set and ensures all dialogue is recorded. Sound mixers ensure that all the recorded sound is clear and will have assistants to help out. Boom mic operators will be the ones who hold the microphones for each shot and ensure that the sound is recorded.
• Art Department - Contains the largest number of people in a department. This department is the one which creates the sets and will consist of a Production Designer, Art Director [along with assistant and stand-by art directors], Researchers, Graphic Designers, Concept Artists etc to ensure that the set is made precisely to the film and is thoroughly researched before making.

Post 1c - Why make a short film?

After looking at this website http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-life/7593291/The-long-history-of-short-films.html I made bullet points about why short films are made.

• Films started short due to the primitive technology. Audiences were happy so see a few seconds of film for the novelty of it.
• Short films are often more artistic and are picked up because of this. Popularity of short films has never 'waned among visual artists.
• The fact that short films were pushes aside by big major films meant that short film festivals were made to showcase films which wouldn't otherwise be seen. Also the introduction of 'YouTube' meant that short film-makers could get their work online and seen by a wide audience.
• Short films are perfect for the online age and community. Users demand short, snappy videos and short films produce this.
• Word of mouth and social media, as stated above, benefit the short film industry and can create viral videos.
• Short film making is much cheaper, easier to make and distribute [online] and viewer ship is easier to come by.

Post 1b- Researching Existing Short Films

Texual Analysis of two other short films of my own choosing

Short Film - 'Cargo' - GENRE: Horror (Zombie)

CAMERA

• As the father begins to 'turn' into a zombie, the camera fazes around the outside, matching how he feels; tiredness, confusion, fear. This faze also is emphasised by the shaking of the camera especially the repeated shots of the ground with the camera shaking and running.
• The camera deliberately cuts out features of the whole shot to create and air of confusion, after the father used the pen to write on his arm, we aren't shown exactly what he's written. When he picks up the flesh (or meat) and places it in a bag, we aren't shown it to a full extent, so the audience is not aware of what he is using it for.

EDITING

• The quick transition cuts between shorts emphasis' the father character's struggle, as he takes his daughter around and tried to find objects to help aid her after he turns, it creates a fast pace.
• Similarly to above, the transitions between shots after the father turn into a zombie slows down dramatically. The pace slows matching the movements of the father.

SOUND

• The panting sounds when the camera is shown to be running add to the dramatic genre of the movie, it also shows the audience that the father character is STILL human and hasn't become a zombie yet, however after he turns, the sounds become groans, rather than pants. The slow paced shot of the bag of flesh/meat is the first instant where panting is replaced with groans, as we are shown the father has finally turned.
• The sound of the gunshot at the end is a key aspect in relation to the film. The echo and sheer volume of the shot suggests it was from a long distance even before we are shown where it was from. Also, the fact that after the shot is fired the characters whom are still human are not ambushed by zombies, who from texts and other films are suggested to react quickly to sudden noise, emphasises the idea of loneliness and how empty the world is within the film.
• There is no full dialogue in this film, except for the occasional word from the rather and the panting/groans of the zombies, it gives the film a real sense of emptiness.

M-E-S

• The scene in which the father enters a children's birthday party which has been deserted emphasis' the theme is disillusion and loneliness  the party has been ended suddenly, the food still there whilst the area is a slight mess. It also introduces what I view as a plot point, the balloon, as without the balloon the baby would have continued crying and the father, after he turned, would have noticed her more, and also at the end when the father pops the balloon, humans are then aware of him and he is killed, thus saving the baby.
• The make-up/costumes for this short film are well done, the zombie make-up, the white contact lenses, the very obvious veins and the generally rotting skin add to this film, the bite at the start also does this.

Short Film - 'The Tea Chronicles' - GENRE: Psychological horror comedy

(The film cannot be embeded due to the maker of the film not allowing an embedding link)
CAMERA

• At the start, the conversation between Chris and Charlie consists of over the shoulder shots which hold the non talking character to the side, however this breaks the 180 degree ruling, as Chris is shown to be on the right side of Charlie, but is shown on the left of the over the shoulder shot from behind Chris. This is not a bad feature, at it places the audience within each character's position more, as we are closer to the characters.

EDITING

• The shot in which Khyan's finger moves across a 'tea chart' there is a focus change from one side to the other, this emphasis' the plot point of the sugar he uses, as the amount of sugar on the chart is highlighted through the soft focus.
• The 'tea-bag Charlie scene' a green screen was used. In a behind the scenes video, we are shown this. The editing of the scene is mixed with the non green scene shots, one of the key parts being when the tea-bag Charlie is picked up, the editing adds to the psychological sense of the film as he's in more of a sharp focus throughout the scene in comparison to the rest of the shots.

SOUND

• The headphone music that Charlie is listening too changes depending on how the headphones are placed, when he takes them off to talk, to Khyan, the music looses it's clarity and becomes muffled.
• Similarly to this, when Charlie has the headphones on and Khyan talks to him, the speech is muffled until the headphones begin to slip off his head.

M-E-S

• The lighting of the film is dark, this incorporates the typical horror film and the dark creepy aspect of psychological films.

Post 1 - Researching Existing Short Films

For this post we were shown a short film, 'Gasman' by Lynne Ramsay. We were then told to analyse it to break down the film and  provide us with methods which we could use in our own short films.

As per instructions, I produced a 'texual analysis' (analysis of the content of the film) split up into FOUR categories, these categories were then seperatly analysed as I watched the film:

CAMERA

• Placement of camera matches that of the main child's height, confirming that the perspective is from the young girl's perspective.
• Panning and tilting was used to show the adults, with high angles to produce the effect of looking up.
• Wide shots followed close-ups, this showed the location of the railway track in comparison to the child.
• Hand-hand camera shots created a 'home-movie' types of shots, at one point, a child waves into the camera, also can be interpretted towards the contruction of memories of the event.
• Empty space around the children when they're alone, suggesting that there is a seperation between the adults and children.
• At the start, adults' faces aren't shown, cuts off heads and matches the height of the main child.
• The close up of the boy at the start connotes that the main character will be him, however the focus on the girl at the start places her as the narrator.
• The depth of the field in relation to the focus often changes the audience's view of the characters, during the conversation between the father character and the other woman, whilst the main girl and her brother talk, the depth of view is around her, with faded surrounds.

EDITING

• Focus changes were used throughout transitioning between characters whom where speaking and props.
• There was also an aperture effect around the edge of some of the shots, creating somewhat of a vignette style to the shots (this may have been done post-filming too), this emphasis' the POV of the young girl, fazed memories as if she doesn't remember parts.
• The cuts between the adults and the children appear to be slightly forced. The close up from the children to the adults matches how the children look, as the main girl looks towards the other woman, there is a close up of her face.
• Somewhat parallel cuts are used, as both groups of three walk off at the end, there is a cut from one to the other of them doing the same thing, suggesting a seperation from the narration.
• Slow motion appears in this film, as the main girls sees the other girl sit on her dad's lap, hinting at the idea of the film being a memory, showing the effect of the narrator on the film.
• The editing of shots during the scene where the main girl fights with the other girl incases in pace.

SOUND

• The majority of the sounds in this film are diegetic without any editing, such as the clacking of the shoes on the ground in the house as the girl dances, and the pouring and grinding of the sugar at the start.
• However, there is also an edited part of this, as the slow-motion effects the narrator, the diegetic Christmas music in the background fades as it is ignored by the girl and her focus changes to her dad.
• The entire opening uses diegetic noises, such as the tapping of the shoes to create a homely scenery, other noises included the rustling of plastic, drinking of a drink and smoking.
• The accent of the characters was Scottish, specifically it seems to be around the area of Glasgow. At times this dialouge is muffled and the audience is unable to make out what adults are saying. The dialouge of the young girl is also slightly muffled when she begins to fight with the other girl.
• Ambiant sounds are everywhere in this film, during the pub scene there are clinking of glasses etc, to construct the setting and mis-en-scene.
• Through-out the film we hear Christmas music whereever the characters would be able to hear the music, as the main girl enters the pub, the volume and clarity of the music changes in relation to where she is.
• The dialouge of the main girl quoting the Wizard of Oz, 'There's no place like home', connotates that the film will be about family.
• The dialouge of the father when he speaks to the other woman is muffled until money it mentioned, adding to the poverty idea.

MIS-EN-SCENE

• The location at the start appears to be that of a working class family, set in the 1970, evident from the wallpaper and furniture designs. The house also appears to be slightly unclean or at least somewhat dirty, as the mother doesn't pay mind to the son pouring sugar out onto the countertop; this emphasis the stereotypical working class home that experiences poverty. The door does not properly close when the mother shuts it, suggesting a lack of security and money (as it would have been fixed)
• The lighting of the house is generally light, however as the children leave, there is a distinct lack of light, as the mother is shrouded in shadow, as the shot pans, and we see the mother again her face is again cut off by the reflection of the light outside on the window.
• The costumes and make-up make all of the characters, before and after the pub scene, gaunt and are washed out, muted. This is except for the main girl, her outfit consists of a white dress and bright yellow tights, however these are still muted. In addition to this, even in the pub, where the scenery becomes brighter and full of colour, all characters bar the girl and the Santa character still have clothing which is muted in comparison to the rest of the scene.
• When the two girls hold hands, I noticed that their skin appeared to be a muted grey toned, rather than a healthy pink. This could be to emphasis that these characters are in poverty.
• In the first train track scene, the audience is shown that the area is deserted, the rusted train, the overgrown weeds on the track and the pre-industrial era buildings in the background, this also emphasis the poverty aspect.
• Through-out the film, there is imagery that relates to Christmas; the boy at the start is pouring salt to represents snow; during the pub scene there are balloons and other features which represent Christmas.
• In the pub, there were no women present, it was only men and the children, except for the barmaid.
• The body language of the girls at the start suggests that they're happy, as they begin to laugh as they run, however, at the end this changes as the main girl clenches onto the other one's hand to hurt it.
• The costumes of the parents consist of dark browns and black, although all of the characters have formal dress except for the main girl's brother, as he is wearing a hoodie.