Representation in our film

In our film we have challenged forms of representation with the major challenge being the representation of gender. In most psychological thrillers gender is represented with the men being the villains and the women always seen as victims. However, our film challenges these forms with the first half of our film the male being portrayed as a victim with his ex girlfriend primarily the villain. In particular the scene where Alex tries to find out where Melissa is by asking her female friends, in this scene the females hold a lot of power over Alex by not telling him anything and just basically telling him to move on which makes him look submissive. At the end of the film the roles reverse and comply with the representations in a psycho thriller with Melissa seen lying dead beside Alex who is alive. This shows that he has murdered her and is the bad guy after all.

Target audience for our film

We decided as a group that our film will be targeted towards a more male target audience. The reasons for this are that men like to try and work out things for themselves, whereas women tend to give up more easily when it comes to finding out what is going on. This film will be aimed towards middle aged men rather than men below the age of 18 as most psychological thrillers are. This is because our film does contain a narrative that has a psychological issue that younger viewers may find disturbing. This does not mean that we would put a certificate of 18 on our film though; our film would be given a certificate of 15 because the material is not overly explicit. Also with our main protagonist being male this straight away relates to a male target audience in terms of men being able to relate to it. Men would also being a target audience for our film because they like that element of surprise and the twist that our psychological thriller conveys.   

Shot Scripts

Once we all came to a decision of what the films narrative was going to be we could then produce our shot scripts. We all have produced our shot scripts for our individual scenes and below are the shot scripts for my scenes. 

Rough Version

Our group have made a scratch version of our film in order to get a sense of how the film is going to pan out. We used people within the group as this was only a rough version and done all of the filming around the school. The main purpose of this rough version is to see how the different shots and sequences will look together in terms of continuity. This also gives us a chance to see if any shots would be better in certain scenes so it gives us a chance to produce a better film. This scratch version will also give us an idea of how long each of the sections are and determine how much time approximately we can have on our own sections. With us as a group creating a rough version I think it was a great decision because it is very beneficial in terms of improving our chances of producing a better film.    

Outline of final decision

As a group we have come to a conclusion that our film will be based on the theme of obsession with a man who cannot come to terms with the fact that he and his girlfriend are no longer an item. Our film will have the genre codes and will follow conventions of a psychologogical thriller. Our film will be split up into nine different scenes with the duration going to be at least five minutes long. We have decided the scenes are:

1)     The first scene will be an answer phone where you will hear a number of messages from Alex to Melissa (Ex-Girlfriend) about them trying to arrange a get together with Alex becoming very angry.

2)      The second scene is going to be where the protagonist (Alex) will be at his house just slouching around. There will be a number of different edits showing this with Alex being in different positions and doing different things such as checking his phone, eating etc.

3)      This scene will be again in his house with him trying to write the perfect letter for Melissa.

4)      The next scene will be him delivering a letter at Melissa’s house with a number of edits from inside the house looking at the letter box. The different edits will show all the letters piling up to show she is not responding to him.

5)      The fifth scene will be Alex trying to get Melissa’s friends to tell him where he can find Melissa. They respond in a negative way by not telling him anything and telling him to move on.

6)      This scene will be set in a local park where Alex has sent Melissa a message to meet him but she never turns up leaving Alex very angry and annoyed.

7)      The seventh scene will be the scene where Alex meets up with his best mate in order to gain some good advice. This will be set in a pub garden with them sitting on a bench.

8)      The penultimate scene will be a number of shots that show Alex on the computer with him on a social network looking up Melissa.

9)      The last scene will be in Alex’s house with him sitting on a chair with a slow pan revealing the death of Melissa with her body laying on the floor beside Alex. 
  

 

Idea for my part of film

As we have chosen to divide the film up into nine different scenes this means we will be in charge of three scenes each. I have chosen three scenes in which I believe will show many of the skills that I have learnt over my time studying media. The first scene I will be shooting will be a scene where the main protagonist has chosen to go to his ex girlfriend’s house to leave a letter. The scene will also show the amount of letters that have not been opened with consistent shots of letters piled up near the door. These shots will last and least 3 seconds each with fades to show significant time has passed. The second scene I will be directing is a scene where the protagonist is met up with his best mate in order for some good advice. This scene will be set in a pub garden with them sitting on a bench having a conversation with each other. I will use a consistent amount of over the shoulder shots in this scene as it will be appropriate as they will be just talking to each other. I will also use some different shots such as two shots and slightly dominant ones to vary out the shots. The third scene I will be filming is a scene that the protagonist is waiting at a local park for his girlfriend to turn up. You will see him waiting there and becoming agitated because of no sighting of her. I will use a range of shots in this scene to show how annoyed he starts to become. I believe that these scenes are a great choice and will allow me to show my creativeness in terms of the psychological breakdown he is going through.

Idea of Narrative Structure

The narrative structure is basically the order of events in which something occurs and the point of view from which the events of the story are revealed. With discussing ideas for the narrative structure of our film in the previous meeting we have decided to display the film in chronological order. This means the film will be shown with everything happening in sequence starting with the events that have happened earliest to the events that happened last. The events in the film will obviously be on different days and we will show that time has passed by using fades; this will instantly show the audience that significant time has passed. At the beginning of the film we as a group have decided to show the protagonist to straight away introduce the mood and atmosphere of the life he is leading. For the duration of the film we have chosen to bring the protagonist into conflict (looking for ex girlfriend and harassing her friends) which will disturb the equilibrium. As the protagonist is becoming isolated the audience will then start to sympathise with him during the conflict. For the ending we have decided to have a resolution that ends with the protagonist dealing with the conflict. The film will be seen from the protagonist’s point of view as the story revolves around him.      

Pre- Production Meeting

As a group we have decided to hold a production meeting to sort out who is doing what and simply what is going to happen. We have decided as a group to take individual responsibility with having different parts of the film to produce and direct ourselves. We decided to split the film up into nine chapters with each person having three each as there are three in the group. In a film the location is very important so we decided on the best ones that would be appropriate. We also started deciding what actors we were going to need for the different scenes. Towards the end of the meeting we created a filming timetable which had what days we were going to be shooting what scenes we were doing. We also included information about meeting time and places as well which made everything more organised. It was very important as group to hold a meeting like this as it was very important for everyone in the group to know exactly what is going to happen over the duration of the project.

Short Film Research - Spin

This film has been cleverly constructed together with the subject of a DJ who is in the city to cure and rebuild everything in terms of saving people’s lives. The producer’s intentions for this film were to show you and make you aware that every little thing in life appertains with everything else. This film has been distributed to many film festivals with its implied audience being the film industry as this film is in the form of a showcase. With the film being shown at the different festivals, the people involved hope to get positive feedback about their work in terms of acting, camera work etc. The people involved with the film will then hope that it opens the door for new opportunities for them to progress in something more of a higher standard. The setting for this film is in the city which is needed in order for the film to work. This is where the different events happen in for the DJ to fix. This film would not exactly work if it was set in the countryside as there would not be much activity. Whereas the city has a lot more people in where there different actions affect other people and especially their lives in this film.

The film has a very high energy beat soundtrack which goes with the theme of the film as DJ decks are involved. The soundtrack throughout the film changes to different tempo’s to comply with the narrative of the film. Also the soundtrack corresponds with the speed of what things happen on screen. When the DJ is working hard at correcting everything the speed and volume increases to show this. The only main character in the film is the DJ which you see throughout the film, he controls everybody’s actions in the film to save their lives. The DJ towards the end does become quite impatient with having to correct everything but does keep doing it. I expect the film to have a certification of a 12 because of the moderate violence involved in the film. I do not think it would be suitable for anybody under the age of twelve to watch this film.    

Short Film Research - Inside

This film has been put together very well and is impressive in terms of showing a mental illness. The film is about a man who is locked inside a padded cell because he is mentally ill by having schizophrenia. At the start of the film you hear voices which indicate he is experiencing hallucinations. With the majority of the film you experience his split personality disorder in a room with many different characters. The producer’s intention for this film was to make you aware of someone who is experiencing this illness in order for you realize the capability of schizophrenia. This film is an awareness video that has been distributed to film festivals to also showcase the talents involved. This is also the target audience for this film as they want to show the people at the film festivals what they have produced in order for positive feedback. The film would be suited to an older audience as you would not really expect children to watch or understand what is going on. I would expect this film to be a certification of at least a 12A because it could upset anyone below that age in terms of the narrative. Also this film contains a more mature theme which would not be suitable for anybody younger.

In this film there are a lot of characters with two main characters such the mentally ill person and one of his split personalities. Throughout the film you see the mentally ill person mostly in every shot by seeing him from the very start and in the last shot of the film. This is because the film is based around this person. The other main character is one of his split personalities who is an older lady who is acting as one of the people in charge of the mental hospital in trying to help him. It’s only when you realise that when another person walks in the room and starts to ask him the same questions as the other lady you realise that something is strange. You then find out as an audience that she is actually not real and is in his mind with them saying the line “ I feel fine, doctor” which is the last line of the film. The person who has walked in is the real person in charge of the mental hospital. The other characters in the film are the ones who epitomize his different personalities. The film is set in a mental hospital which you can easily identify as one of the first shots is of the mental guy in a padded cell. When you see this you instantly can tell that there is something seriously wrong with this guy. The only other settings are of him being escorted down a dark corridor and the room where his split personalities take place. The sounds in the film are the ones of the different characters who portray his different personalities and obviously people talking. Throughout the film there is eerie music which corresponds with the freaky settings and actions that takes place. 

Short Film Research - Signs

This film is about a young man whose life is very consistent with him doing the same routine everyday which shows how he is in need of something to spark in his life. This happens when he starts to communicate with a female that has caught his eye through a window of the building he works in. This is the reason why the film is called “signs” because throughout the film they write messages on pieces of paper to communicate with each other from separate buildings. The producer’s intention is to show that you can fall in love with somebody even if you do not directly speak to them. The two key characters in the film are the two that are communicating with each other who portray two office workers that are working in separate buildings. I expect this film to have a target audience of young adults as well as the film industry. This is because this film is in the form of a showcase to show the talent within the film. This film has been highly rated at film festivals with it winning first place at the Cannes film festival. As well this film being distributed to film festivals it can also be seen on the internet.

This film would be expected to be under the category of a U as it does not have any concerns with violence, sex, language what so ever. The film is set in the city with scenes showing a man getting on public transport to work. The film also has the main setting of an office of where the main character works. This is the setting you see the most through the film which indicates that this man could lead a boring life by working in an office every day. Some parts of the film are also set in the man’s home which seems to be a lonely place for him. In the film there is no spoken language that takes place with the communication being written down on paper. The films soundtrack consists of composed music to establish the different moods for the audience. For the first part of the film there is a piano playing which signifies the sadness in this man’s life. When the man meets the woman the music changes to show he is happier after meeting her. Towards the end of the film he notices the woman has gone and music changes dramatically to show his emotion and feeling about it. The soundtrack then changes back to how it was as the woman has not gone after all.     

Short Film Research - Lovefield

After watching this film I was very impressed because the producer’s intention was to trick the audience into thinking that someone was being murdered or tortured when that was not the case at all. It was about a woman giving birth in a corn field with the help of a farmer. At first I certainly did not think this was going to be the case and the producer’s intention worked with a false scare especially seeing a crow at the very beginning of the film. Throughout the film the camera is used very cleverly in restricting the view for the audience with not really giving them enough information to make a decision of what is going on. I would expect an implied target audience for this film to be older adults to a middle aged audience. This film contains scenes that would not really suit a younger audience and that is why I would suggest a certificate of a 12A so they are accompanied by an adult. The film does have scenes with a lady giving birth and implications of murder but they are very brief and not strong enough to have a higher certificate. This short film can be watched on the internet and has been distributed to film festivals in order to showcase the talent involved in the film.

The film has two key characters which are the lady giving birth and the farmer who is their helping her. For the first three quarters of the film you do not actually see the woman who is giving birth which plays a big part in tricking the audience. As an audience you instantly think that the women is being murdered with the camera showing blood stains and a bag laying on the floor with a phone looking like she has been attacked. The other main character (farmer) is first seen looking very guilty and looking about to see if there is anybody about but that’s the trick as he is looking for help.

This film is set in the countryside down a long lonesome road which adds to the distressing fear that they are alone. From first looking and seeing this setting instantaneously as an audience we think that bad things are going to happen because of how deserted it is. Even know the camera is restricted quite a bit at the beginning you can still tell they are in the middle of nowhere. The soundtrack that the film carries is very typical horror material with first of starting with a crow squawking which indicates straights away that something negative is on the horizon. You also hear the phone beeping which tells us that it’s been hung up which adds to the trick that she has been attacked. The most defying sound effect is the lady screaming which instantly tells us that something awful is happening but to be tricked yet again. The music used throughout the short film mainly consists of stringed instruments with high pitched sounds making the film more eerie. In parts of the film the sound gets louder indicating that something bad is about to happen which builds a lot of suspense. When the camera reveals that the woman is actually giving birth the music then changes to signify happiness and relief. The last shot is a slight crane shot with the music becoming louder with the credits appearing.      

Research - Short Films

A short film is a film that is not long enough to be considered a feature film. The modern era short films are occasionally broadcast as filler when a feature film does not fit the standard broadcast schedule. The first ever channel dedicated to short film was “ShortsTV” which broadcasted in France, Belgium, Luxemburg, and Turkey. However, short films must rely mainly on festival exhibition to reach an audience. Short films today are distributed on the internet with certain websites encouraging the submission of user created short films such as YouTube, Vimeo, Openfilm, BritFilms and Newgrounds. These have attracted a large number of artists with sites like the BBC film network focusing on showcasing curated short films. Creating short films is normally the first stage for young film makers but some professional actors and crew still make these short films in order to show expression. The main purpose of these short films most of the time is to showcase your talents by sending them to festivals to be seen.   

Creativity

The creative process has several factors to it such as the genre, when creating a film you will be making a film of a certain genre to act as a template. This template can then be tweaked and adjusted to suit your unique film rather than having the original ideas of that genre. The time when creating a film is a limiting factor because if you do not have enough time before the filming takes place then it does not leave you time to think of good ideas, whereas if you had a lot of time before shooting then you would be able to come up with a more complex narrative. One of the most important factors in the creative process is keeping the audience happy by representing gender, age, class, sexuality and race in way that is expected. When you are working in a group your own idea is not going to be the final one as everybody will want to contribute and put their ideas forward. This means that your own creativity is limited to allow everybody else’s input. If you have had some great experiences in life this opens the door to a very creative film depending on how intense the experiences you have had. When making a short film the budget is not going to be very big so it can restrict creativity because of financial problems. This is because you are not able to purchase something that you maybe wanted for the film so you are limited to a more basic film. If you did want to change something in order for it to look more sophisticated you are able to do so when making a short film because it is very linear. You are able to go back and change things such you do not like. If you wanted to change something in the film after a first time of watching it you would as you could go and edit it again. The creative process does a several factors that limit your creativity but it also has factors that allow you to be more creative than you expected.

Certification

The British board of film classification has classified cinema films since it was set up in 1912. It is an independent, non- governmental body which has classified video's, DVDS since the video recordings act was passed in 1984.

Films need to be certified because they need to be put into advisory and age- related groups to suit the appropriate audience. The BBFC has different categories such as universal (U) which all ages are admitted as there is nothing unsuitable for children. There is parental guidance (PG) which all ages are admitted once again but certain scenes may be unsuitable for children under eight years old. The certificate twelve (12) is not suitable for children under twelve years and (12A) films are usually given a certificate of (12) for the DVD version unless extra material has been added that requires a higher rating. Films with a rating (12A) is admitted for children under the age of twelve if they are accompanied by an adult who is at least eighteen years old. It is generally not recommended that children under twelve years old should watch the film. The rating fifteen (15) means nobody younger than fifteen can watch or buy the film. The certificate eighteen (18) is where only adults are admitted with nobody under the age of 18 being able to watch or buy the film. Then there is also a certificate Rated eighteen (R18) where only adults are admitted and these films can only be shown at licensed cinemas or sold at sex shops.

Before a film is made it is given a certificate to aim for rather than giving it a rating when the film is finished. The BBFC do have many concerns such as violence because if it is portrayed in a way for the audience to enjoy it then the certification will be high. The sooner the violence is resolved in a film it will be given a lower certification. Another concern from the BBFC is sex and nudity, if the sex is simulated then it will be given as (18) but if it has stronger sex references and is real it can go up to a (R18). Nudity can be seen as natural so it has no certification but the more sexually orientated it is the rating can go up. Language is also another main concern and mild language will start off with a certificate of (12). The more stronger and bad language there is the higher certificate it will be given with the word C*** being rated the worst word that can be used in a film. The BBFC are also concerned with drugs being used, if they are actually being taken the film will be given a higher certificate. If drugs are only being shown then the certification will be lowered. A main concern from the BBFC is imitation, when weaponry or dangerous stunts are being shown children could get ideas from it and copy what they have seen. Children could get hold of objects such as knives and imitate what they have seen with their friends. Another concern is discrimination and yet again it shouldn't be shown in a way that it is good to discriminate as it will receive a higher certificate, it can be shown that discrimination occurs.

When giving a film a certificate the narrative is influenced as the story is affected by what you can and can't show. The theme is also affected as it is an option but it has to be socially acceptable otherwise it won't be given a certificate. The films intention is a big influence as it has to be socially agreeable. Keeping the audience happy is also an influence as the emotions will be different according to the certification. A film with a certificate of (18) will have more rated material whereas lower certifications would not be able to show the same content. If you have given your film a certification of (12) and want to show brief nudity then it's ok but the more sexually orientated it is then it will be given a higher certificate. Giving the right certificate to a film is very important in terms of supporting the industry and the public. 

Roles

For last year when producing an opening two minutes of a film my job was the scriptwriter. From doing this job I had a good experience doing this and discovered the importance of having good dialogue as it can define your film. I felt that last year as we only had to produce material that lasted two minutes it wasn't much of a chance to express my scriptwriting, so I have decided to take on the same role as a longer script will be needed.

To ensure that I am prepared for this year's project in terms of my role I will practice writing scripts in a good time before the actual script needs to be written. This gives me a chance to get into the swing of things and be fully prepared to write a good script. In order to make this role a success I will use the internet to research scriptwriting which will hopefully put me on the right track in writing the best script I can. I will also use the school and public library to look at books with key information about the role and the best way to go about it. I could also ask my sister about how to approach the role as she done this project last year and has the experience of a scriptwriter. This also helps with varying out the research as you don't want to always find the information yourself as it helps if you are able to talk to someone who is experienced about the topic your working on. 

I am very confident about taking on this role in a more sophisticated way and believe that I can produce a good script for the film.  

Brief

For my second year of my A level media studies course I have been asked to research and produce a short film. The film needs to last approximately five minutes and we have the choice to produce either a live action or animation. If we wanted we could choose to have a combination of both but whatever we decide it has to be followed with two of the three options below:

• A Film Poster
• A Radio Trailer
• A Film Review (Based on the film we have produced)

From reflecting at my experience of the AS project last year I am very pleased with what I achieved. We had to produce an opening two minutes of a film including titles, as a group we decided to produce a psychological thriller as that genre was of very high interest to us all. In the early stages of the production we as a group carried out research into the genre to give ourselves more of an idea on how we were going to unfold our film. Within the group we all had different roles and my job was the scriptwriter, when filming was taking place however we all contributed to what was going to be said and this is how the group dynamics worked. During the filming we all had an input in to what would be best for the film such as camera shots, camera angles, appropriate settings and how the actors portrayed the role of the characters. From this experience I have learnt a fair amount about film language and how it creates meaning for an audience. I will hope to apply what I have learnt from last year to this year's project but hope to be more organised as planning is crucial to a successful project. From experiences last year the planning is vital and for this year to be successful as a group we will need to ensure that everything is planned in accordance to filming.