A young photographer goes to the forest to take pictures and while doing so he notices a mysterious figure/masked being in some of the photos he had taken. After doing some research on rumours about the forest he had visited, he revisits the forest only to find out that the rumours. We then watch as the young photographer tries to escape this masked being he had encountered in the forest.
- Decided which roles we were to take in the production of our short film
- We took a look at the feedback that we had received for our film treatment pitch and decided to go with our second idea. We also went over how we could improved the idea and improve character development for certain characters, while keeping the film simple and easy to carry out/produce.
- We talked about specific characteristic that our ators should have and began deciding who could be possible actors for our short film.
- We started to create our storyboard and discuss what shots are to be used in certain scenes.
- We also conducted more research into how scripts are commonly written and based our script off our storyboard.
- We then decided on two possible locations to use and started doing risk assessments and call sheets to analyse what can go wrong when filming and decide when we should start.
Through our audience feedback, we have found out that...
- Our first film idea which is a drama is overcomplicated and may be too hard to carry out. This is due to the fact that the locations (Westfield shopping centre) that we had planned to use may be inconvenient as we would would have to get permission every time we want to use it. As well as that, we were told that our first idea seems very detailed and because of this, the film may end up being too long.
- The audience preferred our second idea which is a thriller, as it seems more interesting and easier to carry out and produce.
- The audience thought that one of our characters needed to be developed and that they don't know too much about the character from what we have said in our pitch.
Our group will take this into consideration when developing our final idea.
Target Audience:
- This film is targeted towards more of a older audience which consists of people who 15 and older. This is due to the fact that the film shows a lot of violence and gory scenes. Also, it is of the Horror/thriller genre and films of this genre tend to be targeted towards an older audience.
Characters:
In this film we see 2 characters, a murderer and his girlfriend.
Synopsis:
This film follows the story of a man who one day finds this strange marking on his arm. Ever since this had happened, the man had been going into a state where he would kidnap people and murder them after taking them to a location which is unknown, even to himself. This short film shows him as he discovers he had kidnapped his girlfriend and tries to help her escape from his evil persona. However, he only has 5 minutes to do so.
Camera Techniques:
Example 1: Wide shot/Establishing shot
This shot was used to set the scene and introduce the main location that the short is filmed at.
Example 2: Close Up
This shot was used to show the character's facial expression and clarify her emotions for the audience.
Example 3: Close Up
This shot was used to show the character's facial expression and clarify her emotions for the audience.
Example 4: XCU
An XCU was used as the object featured in the shot is significant to the scene. In this case, it emphasises and lets the audience know that the main character is a killer. This particular shot, helps create an eerie mood/atmosphere. Editing:
At the start of the film cutaways were used to cut in and out of shots of our main character as he is seen running and things such as the title screen and screens showing featured actors. The cutting rate was generally quite fast at the start of the film as we watch the man running towards the location where he had kept his hostage. Also, the cutting rate was generally quite fast throughout the entire film as the film focuses on the hostage's escape and the fast cutting rate gives us a sense of urgency. As well as that, the film also features montages of clips which show things such as the man's past and articles on his killings. Furthermore, the film also uses visual effects to blur the screen during scenes showing flashbacks.
Sound:
The film starts off with non-diabetic sound as we hear the main character narrating over shots of himself. Also, we hear a lot of diegetic sound in the form of ambient sound and the voice of characters in the film. The ambient sound is very important in this film as it creates suspense. In this film we here absent sound as we are shown the location it was filmed at from the outside and we hear nothing but the sound of crickets. This suggests that no one else is around and creates suspense as any sudden loud sounds may surprise the audience during a thriller. Furthermore, we hear a lot of non-diabetic sound such as stings, which is used to create suspense.
Mise-en-Scene:
Lighting: The lighting in this film is generally quite dark. This adds to the eerie mood created by the combination off effects, sound and lighting.
Location: There are two main locations used in this film which are:
- A field/woods/mountain side
- A room
Costume and Props:
- The murderer:
The murderer is shown holding a knife. This was done to make it clear that this man is a murderer to the audience. As well as that, he is also seen wearing a coat covered in blood which also adds to the idea of him being a murderer. Many props were also used as part of the location to add to the idea of him being a murderer such as old newspapers showing articles of killings he was responsible for.
- The murderer's girlfriend/Victim:
The murderer's girlfriend/the victim is shown wearing casual clothes. However, she is covered in blood and is shown chained to a chair with tape over her mouth. This emphasises that she has been kidnapped and is being held hostage.
What I liked about the film/What techniques would I like to use:
- I like how the film uses a fast cutting rate to create suspense and I plan to use this technique in my short film.
- I like how the film makes use of ambient sound that can be heard from the location used to create an eerie and strange mood and I plan to use this in my short film.
This film is targeted towards a more older audience (starting from young adults - older people / 15+) as it shows us the darker side to to human behaviour.
--> The film features scenes involving violence, robbery and rape.
Number of characters:
We see 4 main characters in the film, but we do also see many other actors who play the police, and passengers on the bus. The 4 main actors are...
- The bus Driver
- A young man / passenger
- Robber (1)
- Robber (2)
Narrative Structure: Linear
Synopsis:
Bus 44 follows the story of a female bus driver and her passengers who encounter two robbers on their bus journey.
The film starts off with a shot showing a young man who happens to be stuck on a highway, and luckily enough, he sees a bus come by. After he had got on the bus, they continued their journey. However, along the way, they encounter two robbers who decide to not only rob the valuables of every person on the bus, but also rape the female bus driver in the fields by the highway. At this point every, passenger on the bus was pressed up against the window contemplating over whether or not to go and help her. In the end, the only passenger who had the courage to go and help her was the young man she had let on the bus earlier. Once, he got to where she was, he was unable to save her and got injured in the process. Later, after the two robbers had gone, the bus driver and the young man who tried to help her headed back to the bus. However, once they had got there, the bus driver immediately told the young man to get off. We then see a close up of the young man's face as he asks why he wasn't allowed back on when he was the only person to help her. But he receives no reply and the bus driver drives off into the distance. Later on, after the young man had managed to hitch I ride to the nearest town and on the way, he sees policemen surrounding an area where a car accident had happened. He soon finds out that everyone on the bus, including the bus driver was dead and come to a realisation that it was the bus he had just been kicked off that crashed. The film then ends with a close up of the young mans face as the smiles.
Camera Techniques:
Examples:
Example 1: Extreme-long shot / establishing shot
This shot was used to set the scene and show where majority of the short film takes place.
Example 2: Long/Wide shot of young man and bus.
The use of a long shot allowed us to see the young man's entire body, meaning we can see his clothing and body language. Through this we are able to tell (through his body language) that he is very desperate in this situation.
Example 3: Mid shot of passengers as they look through the bus windows.
This shot was used as it allowed us to see the actions and body language of the passengers on the bus.
This was done to emphasise how cold hearted these passengers are as they are just sitting back and watching as the bus driver gets raped.
Example 4: XCU of car accessory
This shot was used as the prop shown in the shot is significant to the scene and the film itself. It plays a big part in the film and as shown in the following screenshot where we see a wide shot of a police man holding up the accessory as evidence from the car crash that had happened later on.
Editing:
The film starts off showing a young man on the side of a highway, but cutaways were used to change the focus of the scene and switch between shots of an incoming bus and the young man. As well as that, cuts were also used to switch between scenes. Generally throughout the film, the cutting rate was quite slow. However, it changes and speeds up towards the end when see the police acting very urgently at a car crash site.
Sound:
This film's sound mostly consists of diegetic sound in the form of dialogue. This was done to help the audience have more of an understanding of the storyline and what was going on in each scene. However towards the end we do hear some non-diegetic sound. As we were introduced to the police later on in the film, we hear fast paced music playing in the background. This was done to add to the mood and emphasise how urgent the situation was for the policemen.
Mise-en-scene:
Lighting:
The lighting in the film was good and was generally quite bright. It was very consistent and there wasn't a scene that looked out of place.
Location:
The film was shot in Hong Kong and the main location were..
- The inside of a bus
- A highway
- A field
Costume and Props:
During the film we see that 2 of the main characters, the bus driver and the young man are wearing every day clothes. However, the two robbers that they had encountered were wearing suits and carrying knives. This shows us that they have more power over the other characters as they are carrying weapons. Also, the fact that they are carrying weapons tells us that they are represented as criminals.
What I liked about the film/What ideas would I take into consideration when creating my own short film?
- I liked how camera techniques were used to clarify what was going on and emphasise certain representations of characters in the film. I plan on doing the same by using techniques such as Close Ups as my main short film idea is a Thriller, and it also heavily relies on clarifying the emotion of characters in order to set the mood.
Date: 6 March 2014 Number of Characters:2 (Main Characters)
Target Audience: People of all ages Synopsis:
The film gift is a live action drama about a boy who had lived his life resenting his dad. They had both lived their lives in poverty and there was never a time where they both had extra money to spend on their selves. Unlike every other kid, the boy never did get much pocket money. Any extra money the boy were to receive from his dad would go towards what his dad called 'tax'. A few years later when the boy had had grown up, and he decided to move out of his house. He promised himself that he would live a better life than his dad. However, his attitude towards his dad soon changed when his dad died and he found out his true intentions. - He had found out that what his dad had called 'tax' when he was a child, simply meant donations to charity. He came to a realisation that his dad had in fact been helping out charities throughout his entire life, giving every bit of extra money he earned to people who needed it. After finding out that his dad weren't purposely keeping his family in poverty, the boy decides to live every day of his life how his dad would have wanted to.
Camera Techniques:
Examples: Example 1: Wide shot of Father and Son
The use of a wide shot allowed us to see the boy and his fathers entire body. This not only allows us to see their clothing and props, but it also allowed us to see their body language. In this particular shot, we can see that the father is very hardworking and we can also see that the son doesn't take too much interest in his fathers work. This shot was used to show us the contrast in the personalities and attitudes of the two characters.
This shot also used many other techniques such as shadow depth of field, and it also has good composition.
Example 2: XCU of a note
An XCU was used as this particular prop was significant to the scene and it plays a big part in the film overall.
Example 3: Close Up of son's face
A close up was used in this shot as it allowed us to see the emotion given off by the boy's facial expression.
Example 4: Over the shoulder shot of dad as he talks to his son.
This shot (along with the use of a shot reverse shot) was used to show an interaction/conversation between the son and his dad, from the son's point of view.
Editing:
Many editing techniques were used throughout the film. At the start of the film we see a montage being used showing many short clips of the boy's father as he completes work for his many jobs. This was done to show and emphasise how hard working he is. As well as that, since this film featured a lot of dialogue, many shot reverse shots were used to show interaction between characters. In addition, cuts were used to switch between scenes and cutaways were used to change the focus of scenes.
Sound:
The film uses a lot of non-diegetic sound in the form of a backing track. This was done to make the audience feel more sympathetic towards the characters. One of the most noticeable form of non-diegetic sound that we hear at the very start of the film is a narrators commentary made by the main character himself. As well as that, diegetic sound is used in the form of dialogue. This all was used as it was relevant to the scene and it gives the audience a better understanding of what is going on in the film. Mise-en-scene:
Lighting:
- The lighting throughout the film was very good. At the start of the film, during the scenes showing the boy as he grew up, the lighting was quite dark which added to the mood and complimented the shots showing how miserable the boy felt.
- The lighting was much brighter towards the end of the film as we see the older version of the boy go out more and find out about the good deeds his dad had done.
Location:
- The film was shot in Singapore, however the main locations used were, an apartment, an office and a charity building.
Costume/Clothing:
- During the boy's childhood we se both him and his dad wearing the same clothes. This suggests that they are poor and give us the impression that they do not have the money to buy new clothes. We also, see the father dressed in many different costumes at some point during the film. This suggests that he is a very hard worker as we see him wearing many different work uniforms.
What I like about the film/ What ideas would I take into consideration when producing my own film?
- I like how different editing techniques such as montages and jump cuts to show different actions. Similarly I will also be using editing techniques such as jump cuts to switch between scenes featuring different characters.
Date: 2013 - Published on YouTube On February 11, 2014
Genre: Slice Of Life
Target Audience:
This film is targeted towards all age groups as it delivers a general message about how you should treat others. It tells a story that I believe people of all ages should find interesting and enjoyable.
Number of characters: 3
- Homeless man/ vagabond
- Rich man
- Rich man's girlfriend
Narrative Structure: Linear
Camera Techniques:
The film uses a wide variety of camera techniques in order to capture and emphasise elements of each character such as power and status.
Examples:
Example 1: Wide shot of vagabond
The use of a long shot allowed us to see the vagabond's entire body and therefore the clothes is wearing. In this shot he is shown wearing old, and dirty clothes. This was done to give the audience a better idea of who this character is.
Example 2: Mid shot of vagabond
In this shot we can see the vagabond as he pushes a shopping trolly which hold his belongings. The use of a mid shot allows us to so the kind of clothing he is wearing, as well as any props he may have been carrying. In this particular shot, we can see that the vagabond is pushing along a shopping trolly full of his belongings which suggests and gives the audience the idea that he is a vagabond (person who wanders from place to place without a job or home).
Example 3: Mid shot of rich man in his car
The use of a mid shot allowed us to see what kind of clothes the man featured in the shot is wearing. This was done to give the audience an idea of what this man is like. In this shot, the man is shown to be wearing a suit and sunglasses, which suggests that he is quite well-off.
Example 4: Birds Eye View of the rich man in his car and the vagabond.
This shot, shows the rich man who is well dressed in his convertible as he drives up to a poorly dressed vagabond who is crossing the road. A Birds Eye View shot was used as it allows the audience to see a clear contrast between the two characters.
Editing:
The film starts off with with many shots which use cross cutting to show the three characters featured in the film as they start their day. As well as that, this film features a lot of dialogue and there for a lot of editing was done when it came to showing interactions between people such as cutaways and shot reverse shots.
Sound:
The film starts off with non-diegetic sound (a backing track). This was done as we were shown the rich man as he travelled through the city in his car. Soon after we hear more non-diegetic sound in the form of a the slow and sad backing track. This was done as we are introduced to the vagabond in order to add to the mood and make us feel more sympathetic towards him.
Later on in the film, diegetic sound was used in the form of dialogue. This was done as the dialogue used was relevant to the scene and helped the audience understand what was going on.
In addition, the film also ends with non-diegetic sound in the form of a backing track. This was done as the lyrics to the song actually fit with what had just happened in the previous scene - the music complimented the footage and added to the mood.
Synopsis:
The short film One Man's Loss follows the story of a vagabond who is mistreated by a rich man he had ran into while travelling. Soon after this had happened, karma had struck and the rich man ended up losing a set of expensive clothes, his girlfriend and his car to the vagabond.
Mise-en-scene: How characters are represented through mis-en-scene
The characters in the film can be represented/split into two groups; the rich and the poor. This is shown in many different ways throughout the film. One way in which we can tell this is through costume/clothing. The vagabond is seen wearing old, ripped and dirty clothes which suggests that he is poor, and the girlfriend of the wealthy man is seen wearing a very cheap and simple dress.
Another way in which we can tell how characters are represented is through the use of location. Throughout the film, there was not one point where we see the vagabond inside a building, let alone a home or shelter.
As well as that, we can also tell how the characters are represented through the use of props in the film. For example, at the start of the film, the vagabond is shown to be pushing along a shopping trolly filled with what we can assume are his belongings. This suggests that he is poor as he is literally travelling with everything he owns in a single trolly.
Lighting:
The lighting in this short film was very good and the lighting used in each scene matched/suited the camera shot or location so there weren't any shots that looked out of place. However I did expect to see a bigger difference in lighting when showing the rich man and the vagabond in order to emphasise on how different they are in terms of status.
What do I like about the film? / What ideas can I take?
- I like the way in which they used different camera shots, e.g. Birds Eye View to show the contrast between characters. In my short film(idea 3) I plan to use similar techniques such as a split screen in order to show a contrast between my characters.
- I also like the idea itself and how it delivered a message to the audience. I plan on doing the same by making use of extreme close ups and props to do so.
The film starts off showing two boys as they walk home together. It then cuts to one of the boys(boy1) as he sits in front of his computer at home. We are then shown a shot of the computer screen as he receives a message from the friend(boy2) he was seen with earlier, asking to meet up with him at a forest to investigate a rumour he had heard.
The camera then cuts to a shot of the two boys as they look towards the woods ahead. The two then walk into the woods/forest and soon stop to take a rest and look around. But suddenly, they hear a noise/(or) see a mysterious figure far behind them and start to run out of fear. The two eventually split up. The camera then follows boy1 as he runs and stops to rest. We then see a CU of him as he's up against a tree and breathing heavily. Suddenly, he is grabbed and pulled aside out of the camera shot and the camera then cuts to a shot showing the two boys hiding. ---> (It was his friend who grabbed him am pulled him away. We then see the boys hide for a moment - at this point it is completely silent.
The film then ends with a shot of the two boys getting grabbed and pulled back. The screen then blacks out and transitions into the credits.
Through the use of a split screen, we watch two completely different men as they go throughout their daily routines. On one side is a gold digger and on the other is an unemployed man.
Coincidentally, the unemployed man and the gold digger's rich girlfriend meet during the day and during the time they spent together, the unemployed man had acted like a complete gentleman. Later, the two men eventually cross paths and meet (This is where the split screen comes to an end).
