Locations

This location is going to be used as Dick's House and the park scene.

Storyboard Animation

This is an animation/slideshow of our storyboard it gives a preview of what our shot list is meant to look like.

Shot List

Audience Research

Our target audience for our short film is 16-24. This age group is the main cinema audience and the sort of themes in our film are relevant to this age group. Also, the type of humor would be suitable and understood for this age group.

I think our film would target a similar audience to that of 'The Inbetweeners', 'The Office' and the 'American Pie' films. the elements of our film which create this genre of film are the characters we are using, the style of camerawork, music, the narrative and even the editing. We are following some conventions which the audience should identify but will also be disregarding some of the conventions.

Cast

Dick


Sally

Casting

Star now:

Sound/Music

These are some songs that we think will work well in our film, i have put them into sections and scenes of where we want to put music in.


Titles/opening scene: It's The Little Things We Do by The Zutons - Upbeat, Alternative song

Scene 10/gets soaked: Buttercups by Cajun Dance Party

Scene 12/caught with porn mag and tissues in hand: Amylase by Cajun Dance Party

Props

Dick Mood Board

Sally Mood Board

Scene Breakdown

This is the scene breakdown of our script like I said in the previous post we used celtx to put everything into sections.
With this breakdown I will be giving everyone their jobs so they know what to do when it comes to filming and editing.

Script Most Recent Draft (5th)

This is the 5th draft of our script, we have been working on it for a few weeks now and have received lots of feedback on it. We have taken into account the feedback but we are still deciding and brainstorming on a few parts of our story and narrative.

We used Celtx to write and edit our script. Celtx has been very helpul because it has allowed us to break down each scene into sections: Props, Characters, Sound, Sound FX, Set, Location etc.
This scene breakdown will then enable us to be organised when filming therefore saving time.

Script 1st Draft with changes

Research

We have decided that we will be making a comedy and the style we want to film in is similar to tv programs such as The Office, The Inbetweeners and Curb Your Enthusiasm.


The camera work used in these programs is handheld which gives the impression of reality, it is similar to documentary filming. This style of camerawork is difficult because sometimes there has to be more than camera shooting at the same time, as a lot of the acting is improvised, for continuity reasons. The people in control of the cameras have to be on the same wavelength for example you have to make sure you do not break the 180 degree rule, and be careful not to get a camera in shot, one person may be in charge of the close ups and capturing facial expressions, gestures and reaction whereas the other has to concentrate on wider shots to show locations, other character and to set the scene. Zooming is a big part of this time of filming, the cameras follow the movement of the characters.


The editing is quite basic, a lot of the time one camera is used so the camera does the moving not the editing.


In these styles of filming ambient lighting is used as it gives it a realistic feel.

PRODUCTION MEETING - ROLES

ROLES

Petros

• Producer
• Camera
• Editing
• Music
  
• Scheduling
• Casting

Franklin

• Director
  
• Costume
• Location
  
• Title Sequence

Edward

• Camera
  
• Sound
• Location
• Props
• Casting
• Set Design

Charley

• Editing
• Sound
• Sound FX
• Location
• Casting
• Make-up
• Costume
  

PRODUCTION MEETING

In this meeting we discussed what we have to do and then who is going to each thing, by being organsied we will hopefully have less problems in production.

SCENE LIST 2nd DRAFT

After discuss our first scene list we decided that there were too many pieces of our characters life missing. for example why was he alone on his birthday? Why was he depressed? for this reason we decided to create a comedy and show different stages of his day which led to him being depressed and alone.

We felt that we didn't have a concrete story and that we were trying to imitate a filming technique used in 'LoveField' rather than creating a story of our own.

As we are unsure how some scenes will look when filmed we left a few options for some parts which we will film several outcome and then decide when editing.

This idea may change again as there may still be questions that we cannot answer about our story.

SCENE LIST 1st DRAFT

This is a list of our intentions for each scene. This will help us when we create a shot list and a script as we will know what we want to show in each scene.
This is a 1st draft so we expect there to be changes in our story.

Disconnected (2010) Short Film

When i watched this film i was engaged right to the end. From the begginning it seems like the world has fallen apart, it is similar to I Am Legend which stars Will Smith. People having to kill to stay alive. Then at the end we find out that it is just a drill. The goverment were just trying to find out what would happen if we didnt have access to internet, mobile phones and modern technologies.

Techniques such as quick editing, different lighting styles, costume and make-up made this film have a mysterious feel to it. Conventions from genres such as horror and thriller were used to make sure the audience were engaged.

Inventory - Short Film

One thing that i liked about this short film was the way tension is created and how simple it was. There was only two actors in this experimental film and the storyline is very basic, it is simply about a homeless man who tries to sell jewellery to a woman. The twist to this film is that the jewellery he gets is from the people he asks.

The location used is very conventional of thriller films, a dark alleway which is secluded. The eery music which starts playing even before the film starts emphasizes the idea of mystery and makes the audience immediately think something bad is going to happen.

The camerawork used is quite simple aswell, throughout the dialogue over the shoulder shots are used. When the woman is running away a handheld camera is used to show the emotion of the woman and how she is worried for her life.

The techniques used in the scene where the woman is being followed is the style that I think I should include in my film and use a similar location, mise en scene etc. to create tension and get the audience engaged.

Short Film Idea

The Empty House by: Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951)

http://www.shortstoryarchive.com/b/empty_house.html

This story was found by Ed Bullock, who i am working with to create our short film. The story is mysterious yet interesting and i feel it could enable us to use many film techniques for our film.

When we spoke about this story we came up with the idea of using opposites and genre to create and tense confusing film. The film Lovefield by Mathieu Ratthe starts with conventions used in horror films and as the story unfolds instead of death, there is birth. We want to try and create this same idea. We wrote a short 1st draft script for our idea:

18 year old birthday. Leaves a friends house. Who says "happy birthday mate". Feels like he has been forgotten, no one cares about him.

Camera follows him on the way home makes him think he is being followed.

Various free hand shots on his way home, finds front door a bit open, mess on the floor all lights off . Walks in hears a noise and then a "shoosh" picks up a bat from corner and investigates walks in too open plan kitchen lights turn on and lots of people shout "suprise" . Binary opposites like lovefield (short film).

The next step in developing this story will be discussing how we will shoot it if we choose to meanwhile we will be researching other stories.

Short Stories

The Blind Girl

http://academictips.org/blogs/moral-tale-the-story-of-a-blind-girl/

When I read this story it made me think of how many of us take things for granted. This story gave me an idea to make a film with a message and maybe make the audience realise that they are lucky to even be watching the film.

The Third Option by LeRoy Bohrer

http://www.short-story.net/story.php?s=1558#

This caught my attention from the first paragraph. When you realise that a woman has just shot two people you immediately want to know why she did it. This story is very descriptive and as a result you are able to close your eyes and imagine what is happening.

The twist to the story is how it ends, she takes her own life as she cant bare to turn her self in or run from the law.

The Nightstalker by Ray Cowie

http://www.short-story.net/story.php?s=268

This story is very similar to what i am trying to show in film. This story is a mixture of thriller and comedy. From the begginning right to the end you are made to believe that someone has creeped in to a couples bedroom, after lots of screaming and crying it turned out to be a "bruised and bewildered moth".

When I read this I thought it was a person and I was worried for the people, this is the effect I want to create with my film and get the audience engaged to a point where they feel scared or somehow responsible for someone.

Lucky Short Film - Director Nash Edgerton

This fast paced short action movie,was written, directed and performed by Nash Edgerton. It is a very interesting film because their is no speech or music in it at all. The sounds are all diegetic which engages the audience and gives it a realistic feel to it.

The narrative of this short film is very simple and follows Todorov's theory. The beginning is where the man in the trunk of a car, the close up shots of his bound hands and feet show the situation he is in. These shots build suspense and create mystery. The middle is when he escapes from the back otherwise known as the point of attack or inciting incident. At this point he realizes that there is no-one driving the stereotypical red American saloon. He then jumps on top of the car where the camera arcs around the car. The camera is mainly hand-held and there is lots of movement in the shots. The ending which is when he finally gets in the car and stops it is when the camera become steady and focuses on him, this happens to try and reassure the audience that the danger is over but in fact when watching it you know that there is a twist to it.

LOVEFIELD ( Short Film by Mathieu Ratthe)

Lovefield is about a young woman who is driving and suddenly her water brakes. A farmer on his tractor spots her and begins to help. He uses a knife to cut the umbilical cord, and finds towels from the trunk of her car. After the baby is born the police arrive.

At first there is an eery atmosphere, the dull sky, gloomy looking corn in the fields, the screeching sign and the squarking crow are conventional features of horror films. The close up of a dirty bloody foot with, the persons belongings surrounding it sets the tone.

When the knife is stabbed in to the earth, you immediately think that the person has been murdered. Meanwhile in the background non diegetic music which creates a mysterious, and threatening atmosphere increases the suspisions.

The close ups and quick cuts do not give the audience time to analyse the film closer. The wide shot of the farmer shows us the location. A farmer is a key ingredient in horror films and is used by many, this further ignites the audiences suspisions.

The POV used from the back of the car makes it seem like another person is trapped in the car but it is actually just another angle from which we see him.

Suddenly the picture becomes brighter and the colour more vibrant, the corn reflects the sunlight like a mirror which reflects the magnificent thing that has just happened birth.

Before the baby is held by the farmer there is a bit of silence followed by a fade in of sweet, pure elegant music.

This short film uses conventions and opposites to confuse the audience. As the audience is familiar with genre conventions they immediately think its a horror film.

Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in his native United Kingdom in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood. In 1956 he became an American citizen while remaining a British subject. Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career spanning six decades.


Alfred Hitchcock appeals to me because he makes the audience think about what they are watching. He has a distinctive and recognizable directorial style. The audience is made to understand the cameras movement which a lot of the time will mimic the person's gaze.

When he frames shots he attempts to increase the feeling of fear and empathy. One of the conventions used in his films is the story of fugitives on the run from the law alongside "icy blonde" female characters. I also find the way his endings have twists to them very inriguing and makes me want to immitate his style.

Alfred Hitchcock - Notorious (1946)

Edward Dmytryk

Edward Dmytryk was born in British Columbia, Canada, on 4th September, 1908. After an education at the California Institute of Technology, he became a messenger boy at Paramount Pictures.

Dmytryk became a film editor in 1929 and directed his first film, The Hawk, in 1935. Over the next eight years he directed 23 films. This included Mystery Sea Raider (1940), Her First Romance (1940), Golden Gloves (1940) Secrets of the Lone Wolf (1941) and The Blonde from Singapore (1941).

Dmytryk, who joined the Communist Party in 1944, was involved in making several politically oriented films such as the anti-fascist Hitler's Children (1943). Murder, My Sweet (1944) was a film where he helped to create the genre later known as "film noir". Crossfire (1947) was one of the first Hollywood movies to tackle anti-Semitism, won four Academy Awards.

Blacklisted by the Hollywood studios, he moved to England where he directed two films, The Hidden Room (1949) and Give Us This Day (1949). However, Dmytryk had financial problems as a result of divorcing his first wife. Faced with having to sell his plane and encouraged by his new wife, Dmytryk decided to try to get his name removed from the blacklist.

Dmytryk's first move was to meet with a journalist, Richard English, who specialized in writing anti-communist articles for the American press. With English's help, Dmytryk wrote What Makes a Hollywood Communist? for the Saturday Evening Post (17th May, 1951). This explained how he now completely rejected his communist past.

Edward Dmytryk died in Encino, California, on 1st July, 1999.

The Young Lions (1958), dir. Edward Dmytryk



An interesting think about Edward Dmytryk is his 7 rules of editing.

• "Rule 1: Never make a cut without a positive reason."
• "Rule 2: When undecided about the exact frame to cut on, cut long rather than short."
• "Rule 3: Whenever possible cut 'in movement'."
• "Rule 4: The 'fresh' is preferable to the 'stale'."
• "Rule 5: All scenes should begin and end with continuing action."
• "Rule 6: Cut for proper values rather than proper 'matches'."
• "Rule 7: Substance first—then form."

From watching parts of The Young Lions (1958) it is obvious that he followed them aswell.



The Hollywood Ten - McCarthyism Communist Hunts

Robert Siodmak

Robert Siodmak (8 August 1900 - 10 March 1973) was a German born American film director. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for the series of Hollywood film noirs he made in the 1940s.

On Mark Hellinger's production Swell Guy (1946), for instance, Siodmak was brought in to replace Frank Tuttle only six days after completing work on The Killers.

But his first all-out noir was Phantom Lady (1944). Following the critical success of Phantom Lady, Siodmak directed Christmas Holiday (1944) with Deanna Durbin. And for the first time in Hollywood, his work attained the stylistic and thematic characteristics that are evident in his later noirs.

His black and white stylisations and urban backdrop together with his light and shadow designs formed the basic structure of classic noir films. During Siodmak's tenure, Universal made the most of the noir style, but the capstone was The Killers in 1946. A critical and financial success, it earned Siodmak his only Oscar nomination for direction in Hollywood (his German production The Devil Came at Night (Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam) would be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 1956). Robert Siodmak was considered an actor's director, discovering Burt Lancaster and skillfully directing actresses such as Ava Gardner, Olivia de Havilland, Dorothy McGuire, Yvonne de Carlo, Barbara Stanwyck and Ella Raines.

Robert Siodmak - Phantom Lady

Robert Siodmak - THE KILLERS (Restaurant scene after intro)

Complete autobiography of Robert Siodmak

FILM STYLES

Cinéma Vérité

Cinéma Vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combines natural techniques with stylistic cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects.

Cinéma vérité involves interaction between the filmmaker and the subject. Some argue that the obvious presence of the filmmaker and camera was seen by most cinéma vérité filmmakers as the best way to reveal the truth in cinema.

Pierre Perrault sets situations up, and then films it, for example in Pour la suite du monde where he asked old people to fish for whale. The result is not a documentary about whale fishing; it is about memory and lineage. In this sense cinéma vérité is concerned with anthropological cinema, and with the social and political implications of what is captured on film. How a filmmaker shoots a film, what is being filmed, what to do with what was filmed, and how that film will be presented to an audience, all were very important for filmmakers of the time.

PIERRE PERRAULT - POUR LA SUITE DU MONDE



Avant-Garde

"Avant-garde" is a word from the French, meaning "ahead of the crowd." In contemporary English, we'd say it's on the "cutting edge."

Avant-garde film makers experiment with new ideas and techniques which may not make sense and sh

Film Noir

Film noir ,'Black film', is used to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas from around the early 1940's to the late 1950's.

The term film noir was first applied to Hollywood movies by French critic Nino Frank in 1946.

Cinema historians and critics defined the noir canon in retrospect; before the notion was widely adopted in the 1970s, many of the classic film noirs were referred to as melodramas. The question of whether film noir qualifies as a distinct genre is a matter of ongoing debate among people today.ock the audience. An avant-garde film is a way of the filmmaker being able to express themselves to the world.

Some avant-garde films are called "experimental, " a term popularized by David Curtis in Experimental Cinema (New York: Delta, 1971), in the sense that the films may be experiments to explore how the camera can emulate and/or enhance human visual perception.

ROBERT SIODMAK - PHANTOM LADY

French New Wave

French New Wave was influenced in the late 1950's and 1960's by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Filmmaker's experimented with editing, narratives and visual style.

The New Wave (French: La Nouvelle Vague) was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced byItalian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Although never a formally organized movement, the New Wave filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of classical cinematic form and their spirit of youthful iconoclasm and is an example of European art cinema. Many also engaged in their work with the social and political upheavals of the era, making their radical experiments with editing, visual style and narrative part of a general break with the conservative paradigm.

The movies featured long tracking shots (like the famous traffic jam sequence in Godard's 1967 film Week End). Many of the French New Wave films were produced on tight budgets; often shot in a friend's apartment or yard, using the director's friends as the cast and crew.

Directors were also forced to improvise with equipment (for example, using a shopping cart for tracking shots).

The cost of film was becoming a major concern,for example, in Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless (À bout de souffle), after being told the film was too long and he had to cut it down to one hour and a half he decided (on the suggestion of Jean - Pierre Melville) to remove several scenes from the feature using jump cuts, as they were filmed in one long take.

Parts that didn't work were simply cut from the middle of the take, a practical decision and also a purposeful stylistic one.

JEAN LUC GODARD - WEEKEND 1967

DOGME 95

Dogme 95 is sub genre of the avant garde style of filmmaking which started in 1995 by the Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg. The 10 rules define this style:

The rules of Dogme:

1. Filming must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in. If a particular prop is necessary for the story. a location must be chosen where this prop is to be found.

2. The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. Music must not be used unless it occurs within the scene being filmed, i.e diegetic sound.

3. The camera must be a hand- held camera. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted. the film must not take place where the camera is standing; filming must take place where the action takes place.

4. The film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable (if there is too little light for exposure the scene must be cut or a single lamp be attached to the camera).

5. Optical work and filters are forbidden.

6. The film must not contain superficial action (murders, weapons, etc. must not occur.)

7. Temporal and geographical alienation are forbidden (that is to say that the film takes place here and now).

8. Genre movies are not acceptable.

9. The final picture must be transferred to the Academy 35mm film, with an aspect ratio of 4:3, that is not widescreen. Originally , the requirement was that the film had to be filmed on Academy 35mm film, but the rule was relaxed to allow low-budget productions.)

10. The director must not be credited.