First Draft of my Short Film Poster

I was reasonably pleased with my first draft of my short film poster. I really like the overall colours I used for it because it makes the character in it stand out and a clear comparison of the two emotions can be clearly seen. I was also pleased with the text that I used and how well it stood out against the black background.

The nose and the mouth are really my only issue with this. The hair lines up perfectly which is good because it makes the audience believe that it is the same image. The nose and mouth on the other hand does not. I am not to worried about the mouth because the different emotion should change the mouth but I believe that the nose could be lined up more effectively.

I may have to take the pictures of the characters two emotions again in order to make the nose line up better.

Tagline of my Short Film

In order to encourage people to watch my short film I thought it would be a good idea to include a tag line on both my poster and magazine review. My tag line needed to stand out in order to encourage people to actually watch the film.

First thoughts -

"Two men, one house, two personalities"
I was not very convinced with this tag line. This is because I want the audience to be surprised by the ending and this tag line gives away that they are two different people and not just the same person on different days.

"Make you're own choices?"
I thought this tag line was reasonably good. This is good because the two characters make their own personality choices and the short film is meant to put across the message that if you are happy more activities can be achieved and more can be gained from being happy. On the other hand I do not think that this tag line would be able to grab the audience and encourage them to watch the short film.

"How many people are the same?"
I thought this tag line was very good. This is because it really leaves the audience wondering what it actually means which should therefore encourage them to actually watch the short film therefore making it a success.

Overall I think that "How many people are the same?" is the best tag line for my short film. This is because it is mysterious which should encourage people to watch my short film and I believe it suits the plot of my short film.

Fonts for Poster

My short film is a drama. This means that I would prefer to have quite a basic but bold, clear font on my poster. I research a great deal of fonts but narrowed it down to just a few.
























My favourite font for the title is Charlemagne STD. This is because it is very clear and draws the reader in so they will immediately aware of the short films name. I also think that the fonts use of capitals is very effective and will be very beneficial in my poster.

Name Ideas for Short Film

Connected - I think this is a good, strong name for my short film. This is because it relates the two characters in the short film together and makes the audience aware that there is a connection. It is short and to the point which is good and should encourage people to watch the film.

Brothers - This is also a possible name for my short film. In the short film the characters are going to brother because they are the same person which means that in order for the audience to follow the plot easily they would need to know this. On the other hand I think this name might give too much away before watching the film. This is because the audience should think that the two people are the same until the end of the film but with this name they would be lead to think that they are brother from the start. This therefore means that the shock at the end would not be as effective.

Emotion - This title is also a possible because both characters each possess different emotions depending on their attitude. Even though this is a related name the audience might be lead to believe that it is a romance short film instead of a drama.

Overall I think that Connected would suit my short film the best because it supports the plot and with a name like this I think that people would be encouraged to watch it.

Poster Template

I kept to the codes and conventions of a movie poster when constructing my template. I did this by having a main image centered in the frame, a bold, clear title on the page and other information present on the page such as the tagline.

I wanted to have the background either blurred or just one colour in order to ensure the main focus is the main image.

Magazine Review Template

When constructing my magazine review template I kept to the common codes and conventions. I did this by having a main image which dominates the page. I also included a secondary image, a bold, clear title, a tagline and a star rating at the end of the review. From my research I found out that some reviews had extra information about the film such as details about the director, actors, length, plot etc so I thought it was best to include this in my review.

Codes And Conventions Of Short Film Posters

Cashback

This award winning, film follows the antics of the staff at a supermarket during the night shift. It is unequalled for originality, artistic quality and execution.

The film poster has a very basic design and layout. The audience is drawn to the woman who dominates the poster. Her clothes are pulled down but her naked body is covered by the title of the film. This is very effective because it makes the audience wonder why she is in this situation. She has a very plain facial expression which looks as if she is unaware of the fact that her clothes are pulled down.

The background is blurred to draw the audiences attention to the character but the background can still be established as a supermarket which is built further by the character holding a shopping basket. This makes the audience wonder why she is half naked in a supermarket which makes them interested in the film therefore it should encourage them to watch it.

The title is of a dark red colour and stretches across the whole poster. This immediately makes the audience aware of the films name and gives the audience a slight clue as to what the film may be about.



For The Birds

This short film is about a group of snooty birds roosting on a telephone wire who get what they deserve when a happy, larger bird drops in.

The movie has quite an innocent look to it which gives the audience a good idea of the films genre and age group. Vast amounts of blue has been used to give the poster a bright and happy effect to it. At the top of the poster there is the production company's name, this is very clear but does not dominate the page. The title of the film takes up a vast amounts of space and is very clear. This is good because it immediately tells the audience the title of the short film and gives them a good idea of the plot, genre etc. The main image is at the bottom of the poster and is of a number of small birds and one big one. This shows the nature of the film and highlights the characters in it.

Overall the poster gives a clear indication of the genre of the short film and who the short film is aimed at. This is done mostly by the use of images and bright colours.



The Lethal Innocents

This short film is about Rita, a 15 year old girl, who is relentlessly bullied by the queen bees. But when they kill her cat, they go one step too far.

This poster has a main image of the protagonist which dominates the page and is centered in the frame. It shows a girl with an unhappy and menacing look on her face which leads the audience to believe that she is up to something. The background is blurred in order to make the audience focus on the girl. This is a very effective technique which was also used in the 'Cashback' poster.

The title of the short film is positioned towards the bottom of the page and is in quite scruffy, white writing. This leads the audience to believe that the protagonist is of a lower class because of the untidy writing. This supports the stereotype that lower class people are quite untidy. This could be developed further by audiences thinking that violence could be involved. This gives the short film quite a negative image and shows a thriller genre. At the bottom of the page there are more details about the short film which gives audiences more information about the film.

Overall the poster is quite clear about the genre because of the style of writing used and the look of the protagonist.



From my research I believe that I should use appropriate colours in my film poster in order to make the audience aware of the genre and the nature of the film. I also believe that I should use one main image of the protagonist with maybe a blurred background to focus the audiences attention on the character. I believe the name of the short film should be bold and clear and a suitable font should be used to match the genre. I could also include other details about the film such as the main actors name, production company etc.

First Thoughts on Film Poster

I came across two movie posters from the films 'Due Date' and 'The Dark Knight'. I looked at these because they both focused on one character which I think I should do in mine because my short film is mostly made up of one actor/character. The 'Due Date' poster in particular inspired me the most because from the characters facial expressions the audience can see that he is not happy and this is what I want to portray in my poster. Also the taglines in the poster "If there's a hell, I'm already in it" and "Leave your comfort zone" supports the idea that he is not happy which leads me to believe that I should be considering an appropriate tagline for my short film.



I also came across a second poster from 'The Dark Knight' and a poster from 'Face/Off'. These two inspired me because they both represent two characters but in one poster symbolising a link between them. In 'The Dark Knight' poster the outline of 'Batman' is seen but with the 'Jokers' smile which shows two character in one which is good because it shows a connection and sort of keeps the audience guessing that is going to happen. In the 'Face/Off' poster one of the characters face is on the others face. This also shows a clear connection of the two characters. This is what I want to do in my short film because even though I have the same actor in both the happy and unhappy day they possess different personalities which I will need to portray in my poster.

Codes and Conventions of a Film Magazine Review

Machete Magazine Review

The first magazine review I analysed was 'Machete' by Empire magazine. The main feature of the review was a massive picture dominating the page and taking up most of the A3 spread. This was of the protagonist on a motorcycle with a machine gun. There is also a secondary image showing another character (Lindsay Lohan). The main purpose of both images is to attract the audience and to encourage them to read the article. I think this is quite effective because the two images symbolising women and violence would attract a great deal of people but mostly men. The images also give the audience a greater knowledge of the genre of the film. In this case the audience would assume the film is of a action genre.

The name of the film is in bold and capitals which is good because it clearly shows what the article is about. Beneath this there is the tagline of the film which is meant to give the reader a greater knowledge of what the film is about. The film review also further details of the film such as the release date, certificate, director, cast, running time and plot. This is good because the audience can decide whether they want to continue reading the review just by reading the first few lines. After this there is the main article which has a highlighted quote from it which is inserted to entice readers to actually read the review. The two page article ends with the writers verdict of the film and gives it a star rating.



Let Me In Magazine Review

This film review is also by Empire magazine. It is very similar to the previous review. The only difference was that there was not a secondary image. The primary image informs the audience that the film may be of a horror genre because the girl in the image has blood running down her face.



Up Magazine Review

This magazine review is from Total Film magazine unlike the previous two which were from Empire magazine. It has many of the features that the other reviews had but has a different layout and some of the features are different. The main image still dominates the article but takes up one A4 page unlike the other two which spreads across two A4 pages. This article uses a graph to express a review of all the different stages/chapters of the film which is good because it shows how detailed the review is.



Conclusion
To conclude I believe that my magazine review should include many features including a main image, maybe a secondary image (but not necessary), an overall rating of the film, a clear title, tagline and an overview of the film. My review will have to be quite detailed and take up vast amounts of space on the double page spread in order to attract readers and encourage them to read the review.

Animatic Feedback

After presenting my animatic to the class I had quite a lot of feedback. One comment was that it may be beneficial for me to favour the happy side. This would be good because it would give a more clearer contrast of the two sides. It would also encourage the audience to watch on because more activities are happening on the positive day. I think this will be reflected in my actual film because more sounds will be present on the positive day which means that his would most likely overpower the negative day.

Another comment was that I could have the positive sounds coming out of one side of the speakers/headphones and negative sounds coming out of the other side. This would be very effective but I think it would divide up the two days and not show a very clear contrast of them. It would also sort of make them into two different films which I am not aiming for.

A further comment was that some of my timing were not very effective. I agree with this because in the middle of the day I have not included many shots and it seemed to go by quite quickly in comparison to the rest of the day. I also did not include many shots of the characters traveling. This can be achieved by adding more shots when filming and by many adding a clock but speeded up in order to show the passing of time.

A final comment was that I could include some more shots towards the end of my film in order to tie the two days into one. This could be achieved by merging both screens into one maybe as they are going up the stairs or looking in the mirror.

Split Screen Research

In order to be able to complete my short film effectively I needed to find out how to split the screen in Adobe Premiere Pro CS3. I needed to do this because a large majority of my short film is in split screen in order to show the contrast between the two characters.

I researched this on the internet. The source I used is shown below -

http://www.heron-productions.com/4-splitscreen.html

Animatic Evaluation

I am very pleased with the outcome of my third and final draft of my animatic. This is because I have used vast amounts of sound effects in order to ensure the anmatic is easy to follow and to give it a greater sense of timing which should help me dramatically when filming and editing the real version of my short film.

I have used a wide range of different shots and angles to ensure the audience is draw into the film. I have also included vast amounts of arrows in my draws, which I included into my animatic. I did this in order to get a better understanding of what the characters and the camera is going to do at different points of the film. Such as if the character was going to move to the right or if the camera was going to zoom out.

Why I changed the ending

I changed the ending of my short film. I changed it from a robber trying to enter the house of the happy person and the robber actually entering the unhappy persons house and robbing it to the happy person coming back from his date and then cleaning up after the unhappy person. I did this in order to, in some ways, shock the audience because throughout the short film they are lead to believe that these two characters are not related and maybe in some sort of parallel universe. I also thought that it would be best to only use a single screen towards the end of the short film in order to show the connection between the two characters.

I also thought that to introduce a new character, the robber, literally minutes before the short film ended would not be very effective and would not really interest the audience.

Final Animatic (Ending Changed)

Animatic Second Draft

Animatic Sound Effects

In order to improve my animatic I will need to add more sound effects to give myself a better image of what my final product will be like and to give me a better idea of timings.

I will need to add sound effects such as a door opening and closing and the dog barking for example. I will need to do this by downloading vast amounts of sounds off the internet then inserting them into my animatic.

I will download the sounds from the website, http://www.freesfx.co.uk/. I will get my sounds from this site because it has huge amounts of sounds clips which can be downloaded quickly and easily. It is also free to download the sounds.

Shooting Schedule

I will need to start shooting as soon as possible. This is to ensure I will have enough time to ensure all filming is completed to the very best of standards.

I think the best idea is to film the characters on different days. I am going to do this because even though I will have to go to the same locations on two separate occasions it is the best way because even though it is the same character they will have to wear different clothes and their hair will have to be different in order to show the different moods of the characters.

I will start by filming the happy day. This is because the weather will only get worse as the year goes on and I will require quite good weather on my happy day to show the characters mood through the weather. This therefore means that I will have to film the unhappy day on quite a dull day. This should show a clear contrast of the difference in mood of the characters.

Location Analysis

House 1

This is one of the houses which I am considering using for my short film. The opening scene will be filmed in the bedroom because it consists of the protagonist getting up. The last scene will also be filmed here because it consists of the protagonist going to bed. I believe this is a good location because it shows a typical young adults bedroom with film posters and shows that he is still living with his parents until he can get enough money to afford to move out. This bedroom is also quite spacious which is good for filming because the protagonist will be able to fit into the frame well.


This house will be quite good for filming the character going down the stairs and out the door which will be required at many points throughout my short film. This is because the hallway is a reasonable size which means that the camera will be able to be positioned so the protagonist and other characters can fit nicely into the frame.

This is the driveway of this house. It is a good size which is very good because tracking of the protagonist going jogging in the morning can be framed well and the protagonist getting in the car can be shot very effectively. There is a window nearby the front door which is good because this means that the protagonist on the unhappy day will be able to climb through this because he forgets his key. Long shots can also be used of the characters coming out and going into the house which is important in my short film.

House 2

This is the bedroom of the second house. It is of a reasonable size but I do not think it would be a good place to film. This is because the protagonist gets up and goes to the bathroom in my short film and this location requires him to go round a corner which means the camera would be quite challenging to position. The scene of the protagonist looking out the window and phoning the police on the happy day may also be a challenge because the bed is positioned in front of the window unlike the other house.

Compared to the other house I believe that it would be quite challenging to film in. Even though shooting the protagonist going to the bathroom and going out and coming in the door could be filmed effectively, the hall away is quite small which means that the camera would not be able to capture the protagonist going up the stairs as well as the other house.



This is the driveway for this house. Filming would be successful in the driveway because long shots can be used in order to show the characters entering and coming out of the house. Shots of the protagonist getting in and out of the car would be quite easy to do because of the size of the driveway. There is also a window close to the front door which would be good to film the protagonist climbing through on the unhappy day.

This is a image of the houses living room. The protagonist would climb through the window in this room in order to get into the house. This may be a problem because the sofa is positioned right by the window. This could be overcome by moving the sofa. The window in the other house leads to a rather empty space which would be good when filming. But on the other hand the main character could fall over the sofa to build on the fact that he is having a bad day. This will be where the protagonist will be spending most of his evening watching television on the first day. This would be quite good to film because it is a fairly big room which means a wide variety of shots and camera angles can be used.

This is the dining room of the second house. This is where the protagonist and the girl will be having dinner. It is a fairly big room which means that filming would be quite successful because a variety of angles can be used and the characters will easily fit into the frame.




Overall
Overall I believe that house number two would be best for filming. Even though it has some potential filming problems I believe they can be overcome. I also believe that a larger variety of shots can be achieved by filming here therefore making my short a greater success than filming at the other house.

Other locations
This is a picture of a car park in Uxbridge where the protagonist can park in order to show the comparison between the parking on the good day and the parking on the bad day. I chose this car park because it is of a reasonable size which means long shots can be used to clearly show the parking.


This is a image of an area located in Uxbridge where I thought it would be good have have shots of the protagonist walking to work.I thought this because the area is very spacious which means the character can fit in the frame and a variety of shots can be used.



This is a image of the cinema located in Gerrards Cross. I chose this cinema because it is easy to access and long shots can be used of the characters going to the cinema because the entrance is outside unlike other cinemas which tend to be located in a shopping centre.

Second Character

My second character in my short film will be a girl who my protagonist meets whilst at work.She will go round his house later in the day and then will go to the cinema with him. The protagonist will then walk her home after the cinema.

I chose Rachel Shea for this role. This is because she is a very happy person who I think can portray the role of the protagonists date on the happy day extremely well. Rachel will also suit the role well because she has completed a drama course which means she has some good acting experience which should contribute well to my short film.

Protagonist Analysis

The main character in my short film that will play the person in both the happy and unhappy setting will be David Green. I chose this person because my short film is based on an average person doing average activities such as going to work, going to the cinema. This therefore meant that I needed a fairly average person to fulfill the role of the protagonist in my short film. David is quite tall and of an average build. He will be able to complete all of the activities planned successfully and to good standards. I also chose this person because I believe he will be able to show the emotion greatly through facial expressions and body language because he has studied drama.

These pictures show how facial expressions can be used in order to make the audience aware of whether the character is having a good or bad day because my short film relies on this in order to be successful. I aim to use vast amounts of facial expressions throughout the film to ensure the message of the film is clearly presented to the audience.

Where did my idea come from?

My idea came from the film 'Groundhog Day'. This is because this film shows how the protagonist has to relive the same day over and over again until he gets it right. In my short film I want to express a similar message which is that you should be happy because being sad or unhappy does not get you far in life. I want to show that if you are happy and outgoing good things will happen to you and if you are unhappy bad things may happen to you and you will live a boring life.

Storyboard Analysis

I am reasonably happy with my storyboard because it clearly shows what is going to happen in my short film and when. It gives me a good, clear understanding of what each character will need to do in each shot and where they will need to be in the frame.

I used my shot list as a guideline when completing my storyboard. I changed and added a few shots because I thought it would improve the short film and make the audience more interested therefore drawing them in. My storyboard could be improved by ensuring my drawings are more accurate in order to give the audience a better and more clear understanding of what is going on. I could also add a few more shots in order to improve on this even more.

Animatic First Draft

This is my animatic first draft. It includes a few sound effects including the alarm clock and doorbell sound. I have also added a few transitions in order to show how I want the short film to flow.

I am relatively pleased with my first draft because it gives me a good understanding of the timings of each shot and clearly shows me the order of shots. I could improve this by adding non diegetic sound such as background music in order draw the audience in. This would be challenging though because I have to find a piece of music which suits both moods of the two characters in the short film.

Media Storyboard

Media Storyboard

View more presentations from Stevenjones15.

Split Screen Videos

I completed some research into split screening. I did this by searching YouTube in order to find videos that have used split screens. I found out that I can either do my filming landscape or portrait because they are both successful ways of doing so. It has also encouraged me to start thinking about the sound of my short film. I could either have parts of sound from both characters at different times or just have music all the way through.

Props Brainstorm

First Draft of Shot List

1.) Split screen – CU of two clocks both ringing at the same time with the left side of the screen with a bright background and the right with a dark background. (3 seconds)
2.) Split screen – Shot of the same person in bed but one is happy and one is sad. CU or MS in order to show facial expression and to set location. (3 – 5 seconds)
3.) Split screen – MS of character getting up. One gets up quite rapidly and stretches and the other gets up slowly, which leads to a pan of them going out of the bedroom door (5 – 6 seconds).
4.) Split screen - MS of both characters coming out of their room (shot from the other side of the bedroom door) and a pan of them going into the bathroom. CS of them coming out of the bathroom straight away both in jogging outfit. (6 seconds)
5.) Split screen – MS of characters shot from the side on coming down the stairs one happy, full of life, other slowly coming down the stairs. (3 – 4 seconds)
6.) Split screen – MS of the character on the left bending down stroking the dog and when he gets up sees his keys which he puts in his pocket. Character on the right ignores the dog and both go out to the porch where they put on their shoes. (5 seconds)
7.) Split screen – LS from outside the house showing both the characters leaving the house and shutting the door behind them. Zoom out of the character as they come towards the camera and then jog down the road. (8 -10 seconds)
8.) Split screen – LS/MS of characters running along the pavement in which they originally ran down in the previous shot and a zoom of them approaching front door where the left character reaches in his pocket and gets his keys and immediately opens the door and enters the house (6 seconds). The right character checks pockets for keys but has not got them so looks for a way to get in and opening fully a downstairs window.
9.) Split screen – Character on the left shot from the far end of the house entering the house and approaching the camera which leads him into the kitchen (zoom out) Pouring fruit smoothie into glass and drinking it (eating fruit if more time is needed to balance out other clip). Other person climbing through window and the tripping up. (7 seconds)
10.) Split screen – Person on left shot moving away from camera and the camera zooms to follow him. Person on right shot approaching room door. (3 seconds)
11.) Split screen – MS of both character meeting in the hallway and going up the stairs. (2 – 4 seconds)
12.) Split screen – Shot from the top of the stairs showing both characters coming up the stairs and a pan of them going into the bathroom. CS of them both coming out of the bathroom with the one on the right dressed really smart and the one on the left dressed casual smart. (4seconds)
13.) Split screen -Shot of both characters going downstairs picking up car keys and going out the door. (3- 4 seconds)
14.) Split screen - MS of both characters getting in the car starting it and starting to pull out. (4 seconds)
15.) Split screen - LS of both characters pulling up in car park space. One on the left parks in a space and one on the right parks in two spaces. (6 seconds)
16.) Split screen –LS/MS of both characters walking to their work one happy and one not. (10 – 20 seconds)
17.) Split screen – MS of characters arriving at work and one of the left greets all work colleagues and the other one not saying anything. (5 – 8 seconds)
18.) Split screen – MS/CU of the characters at work one having a positive attitude and the other one not very happy. Positive character gets talking to a girl and they exchange numbers. (20 – 25 seconds)
19.) Split screen – Characters go for lunch. Character on the left goes to nice place to eat (texts girl whilst eating – arranging a date) and person on the right eats in fast food place. (15 seconds)
20.) Split screen - MS coming back from lunch and getting back to work. (5 – 8 seconds)
21.) Split screen –CU of watch or clock both reading five o’clock. (3 seconds)
22.) Split screen – LS/MS of characters going back to the car the positive one getting in the car and driving off whilst other character finds a ticket on his car for parking in two spaces. (6 seconds)
23.) Split screen –MS arriving home and going into the house. Negative character not closing door correctly. (6-9 seconds)
24.) Split screen – MS The positive character is making a healthy meal whilst the negative one is having a ready meal and sits on the sofa watching TV. (10 – 20 seconds)
25.) Split screen – Door bell ringing and positive one going to answer the door and greeting woman who he met at work. Negative one eating ready meal on sofa and watching TV. (20 seconds)
26.) Split screen – MS of positive character serving dinner and eating it, laughing and talking to girl. Negative one eating ready meal on sofa and watching TV. (20 seconds)
27.) Split screen – MS positive character and girl finishing food and pan of them going to the front door and putting their jackets on. Negative one eating ready meal on sofa and watching TV. (20 seconds)
28.) Split screen – LS from outside the house of positive character and girl coming out the house and walking down the road. Negative one on sofa watching TV. (8 seconds)
29.) Split screen – LS of cinema with positive character and girl walking into the shot and into the cinema. Negative one on the sofa not looking happy. (5 – 7 seconds) Fade at end.
30.) Split screen – LS (camera still in same position than in the last shot) of positive character and girl walking out of the cinema and walking down the road. Other character asleep on the sofa. (5 – 10 seconds)
31.) Split screen – LS/MS of positive character taking girl home and saying goodbye and then walking home himself. Other character asleep on the sofa (20 seconds)
32.) Split Screen – LS of positive character entering drive and entering house. Other character asleep on the sofa (10 seconds)
33.) Split screen – CU of positive character locking door. Other character asleep on the sofa (3 seconds)
34.) Split screen – MS of positive character going upstairs. Other character asleep on the sofa (4 seconds)
35.) Split screen – Pan of positive character coming up the stairs and into bathroom. CS of them coming out the bathroom in evening wear and going into room. Other character asleep on the sofa (6 seconds)
36.) Split screen – MS positive character getting into bed. Other character asleep on the sofa. (3 – 4 seconds)
37.) Split screen – MS of a man dressed in black approaching house and a zoom of him trying to open the door. (6 seconds)
38.) Split screen – CU of both characters reaction when they hear the man trying to get in the house. (3 -4 seconds)
39.) Split screen – MS of positive character hears the man trying to get into the house and looks out the window and calls the police. MS of the robber entering the house and starting to have a look around. (8 seconds)
40.) Negative screen pushes positive screen out of the frame. POV of the man looking around the house and emptying stuff into his bag. (5 -10 seconds)
41.) MS of man leaving the house with a bag full of stuff. (4 seconds)
42.) Positive side pushing negative side back for split screen – CU of both characters asleep – fade out. (5 seconds)

Day and Night Split Screen Short Film

'Day and Night' is one of Pixar's latest short films which was show at the beginning of 'Toy Story 3'. It is about two characters called Day and Night. Inside Day is a day scene with a sun in the center, and inside Night is a night scene with a moon in the center. Whatever goes on inside of Day or Night expresses normal events that occur within a day or night and these events links with emotions that the characters Day or Night express.

This film inspired me and encouraged me to use split screen because this short film shows very clearly the contrast between the two character in which I want to achieve in my short film.

Change of idea

My original idea has changed slightly. Instead of having the same character in two different days I am going to have the same character both in the same day but one will be happy which will result in good things happening to him and the other one will be sad resulting in bad things happening to him. I am going to use split screen in order to clearly show the contrast between the two days.

For example both in both the days the character will be going jogging. On the happy day he will be going quite fast and from facial expressions the audience will see that he is happy that he is up and about. On the sad day the character will be going quite slowly and from the facial expressions the audience will see that he is not very happy being up and cannot be bothered.

Initial Ideas on Locations

In my short film I will need to use a variety of locations. For the dull day I will just need one location which is a house. This is because the protagonist does not go out and just does stuff around the house. This can be easily arranged by completing the filming for this section at my own house or the protagonist house. On the other hand the fun day will need quite a variety of locations. A cinema and shopping centre will be needed. This can easily be found and filmed at. My first thoughts are going to Uxbridge to complete this. This is because they have vast amounts of shops in Uxbridge and an Odeon cinema and I am also very familiar with the area. The protagonist will require to go round a friends house. This will be relatively easy to do because all that is needed is a house which can either be mine or protagonists depending on the house for the dull day. A restaurant may be required if I chose to have the protagonist eat out with some friends. This locations can easily be found in Uxbridge or around the local area. The protagonist will be completing running and cycling exercises which can be set around the local area which means this will be relatively easy to travel to.

Activity Ideas For Both Days

Final Idea

For my final idea I have decided that I am going to have a comparison of two days. One of these days will consist of the main character doing boring and dull activities such as going on the computer, laying in bed etc and the second day will consist of the main character doing fun things like socialising, cycling etc. I chose to do this idea because I though it was unique and achievable. I also believe that this short film will help to put the message across that you should not stay at home and do boring activities and that you should go out and live your life.

How To Tell When A Relationship Is Over In 90 Seconds Analysis

How To Tell When A Relationship Is Over In 90 Seconds is by Tony Roche. I found this short film on the BBC Film Network. The description/tagline of the short film is - 'Boy meets girl. Boy gets girl. Girl gets sick of boy. Boy gets sick of girl. Big Fight. The End.'

M.E.S.
The short film is set in a kitchen setting which shows that the people in the film have a basic life and are a typical couple. When the couple are first shown on screen the man is wearing jeans and a white shirt and the woman is wearing a blue top. This shows that they are not rich and hold very basic lives. Throughout the short film their clothes turn to darker colours are the relationship comes to an end. The man ends up wearing a dressing gown showing how he feelings and is also showing that he he is going through a rough patch in his life because of the break-up. This short film contains a few comical moments including the man trying to cheer the woman up and her punching him back. This shows that the woman is not happy in the relationship and the man is trying to make things better. The man tries to get the spark back in their relationship but the woman is sick when the man tries to kiss him. This shows that the woman does not want to be in this relationship. When the couple finds a dead pigeon this is a sign that it shows the death of their relationship.

Sound
T the beginning of the short film the couple are laughing which shows that they are having a good time and are happy together. There is a cut in mid-laugh which shows the end of the happiness and a change in mood. Clock chimes are used in the film to build tension and to change a sudden change in the story. Non digetic sound is used to show the mood changing throughout the film. A piano is used at the end of the short film to symbolise something bad happening. At the middle/end of the film the woman speaks in a stern voice which shows she is not happy.

Camera
The camera stays in one place throughout the film in order to show the change between the couple more clearly. One of the shots involves the woman standing in front of the man whilst the man is sitting down. This shows that she is in power of the relationship and may not be happy.

Editing
Vast amounts of cut shots are used in order to add a fast pace to the extract and to show a change of time because it shows the change of the characters clothes more clearer than using fades etc. There are fades and cut shots used in order to go from the setting (kitchen) to title on the screen. Vast amounts of titles are used to explain the story and to ensure the audience keeps interested because they have to keep reading the titles. The titles are white on a black background. This is used to make them stand out. Towards the end of the film there is a short clip in black and white which sybolises a dark situation which is the relationship ending.

This short film expressed a message that most relationship do not last for very long.

Qualitative Questionnaire Results

The first question was 'What do you look for in a short film?' I gained vast amounts of information from my survey. All eight of the questionnaires had different answers for the first question. They answers were - fun to watch, entertaining, a good message, keep me interested, a good plot, film that makes me think, action, violence and gore and something that fulfills the functions of a fill length film. This shows that everybody has different expectations for a short film which means it will be quite hard to put all these expectations into my short film.

The second question was 'What is you're favourite genre of film? why?' Out of the eight people questioned horror was the most popular with a total of three votes. This was because they enjoy the way in which people get killed, wonder if they would be scared and like a good scare. This shows that horror may be a good genre to base my short film on because it is popular but may be a challenge to do. The second most popular was action with two votes. This is because action keeps them watching and entertained and is fun to watch. This shows that action is a popular genre. In joint third was adventure, romance and romantic comedy all with just one vote each. Adventure was voted for because the person questioned said it takes you into another world. Romance was voted for because its entertaining and good to watch and romantic comedy was voted for because they like to laugh and do not watch a film to get depressed.

The third question was 'Do you enjoy watching films? why?' Seven out of the eight people asked yes. This is because they said it passes the time, chance to learn new things, escapist, empathic relating occurs, fun, entertaining and can help enlighten a serious topic. This shows that there are many reasons why the people questioned watch films. Only one out of the eight said that they sometimes like to watch films because it keeps them entertained when bored.

The fourth question was 'What is a short film?' This question produced a large amount of different results. These results consisted of a film lasting up to thirty minutes, a film under one hour, a film condensed from longer formats allowing independent film-makers to break into the industry, a film which puts across a message, a film that can be up to twenty minutes in length and a film that gets across the same message as a a full length film in a fraction of the time. This shows that the people questioned all have different opinions of what a short film should contain.

The fifth question was 'Do you like watching fast paced extracts? If yes why?'Out of the eight people question seven of them said that they did enjoy watching fast paced extracts. This was because they keep you entertained, action is the best parts of films, draws you in and keeps you interested, fun to watch, builds suspense and because of the editing, sequencing, post production skills.Only one person questioned did not like fast paced extracts because they do not like being dissatisfied. This tells me that a majority of people enjoy watching fast paced extracts of film and would be good to include this in my short film.

The sixth question was 'Do you like watching films with a meaningful message behind them? why?' Five out of the eight questioned answered yes. Four out of the five said yes because they make you think and one out of the five said yes because they normally give you a lesson to be learnt. Two out of the eight said that they did not like films with a meaningful message behind them because its not necessary and that they watch a film to relax not to think. One out of the eight said that it depends on the film because some films have a bad message. These results tell me that it would be beneficial for me to try to include a meaningful message in my short film because including this seems to be very popular and would attract a greater amount of viewers.

The seventh question was 'What is you're favourite film? why?' This question produced a large variation of answers.The results included Avatar because it has a lot of action and a good plot, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist because it's light hearted, funny, quotable and makes you smile, Pulp Fiction because it broke the mould in narrative structure and *hybridisation, Lord of the Ring because it has a good plot and good action, Indiana Jones films because they are fast paced and have a good plot, Once Upon A Time In America because they have a good plot, P.S. I Love You because it is entertaining and a good romance and The Cube because it has a very good plot.

*hybridisation - is a term used to describe a type of media convergence whereby a new mode emerges containing elements of combined media. (Source - http://newmedia.wikia.com/wiki/Hybridization)

Elephants Dream Short Film

This short film inspired me because right from the beginning it draws the reader in by building mystery about who the characters are and where they are.



Source - http://www.niceshorts.com.au/

Quantitative Questionnaire Results

The first question was 'Do you enjoy watching short films?' Five out the eight questioned answered yes whereas only three answered no. This shows that a majority of the people interviewed enjoy watching short films.



The second question was 'Do you enjoy watching short films with a meaningful message behind them?’ All eight people questioned said that they did enjoy this. This shows that I may have to consider having a meaningful message in my short film because one hundred percent of the people questioned enjoy this.



The third question was 'Would you go out of your way to watch a short film?' Only three out of eight people questioned answered yes which means five people questioned answered no. This means that my short film may have to be unique to attract a greater audience and to encourage them to go out of their way to watch my short film.



The fourth question was 'Do you know what a short film is?' Six people answered yes and three people answered no. This shows that a majority of the people questioned knows what a short film is.



The fifth question was 'Do you like watching fast paced extracts of film?' Six people answered yes and only two people answered no. This shows that a majority of people enjoy fast paced extracts of film which means I could consider doing this in my short film.



The sixth question was 'Do you like the drama genre?' Out of the eight questioned, five people said that they did like the drama genre and three said they did not like it. This shows that the drama genre is reasonably popular.



The seventh question was 'Do you like the thriller genre?' All eight people questioned said that they do like the thriller genre. This shows that thriller is more popular than drama and may be beneficial for me to base my short film on the thriller genre.

Questionnaire Results

I asked a total of eight people to fill out both my qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative produced a far greater amount of results than the quantitative questionnaire because all the question were open which means a greater amount of results could be recorded. Even though this look a vast amount more time than asking the quantitative questionnaire it produced better results which means it will help me greatly in my research.

Top Short Films

The Armoire - When a young boy goes missing, his best friend is tormented by the mystery surrounding the disappearance and begins sleeping in his armoire. Through magnificent art direction, Jamie Travis brings us another poignant children’s tale, eerily capturing a young boy’s struggle to hide his secrets.

The Cave - Set in 1961 in the Chilcotin Territory of Western Canada, The Cave recounts the story of a bear hunter who discovers a secret portal to the spirit world. This beautifully crafted film provides a powerful cinematic rendering of an authentic Tsilhqot’in oral story.

Danse Macabre - In haunting deserted spaces, the choreographed erratic motions of a corpse evoke the final spasms of life. Based on a concept by Robert Lepage, Pedro Pires’s exquisitely photographed morbid ballet pushes the traditional dance film to new cinematic heights.

Five Hole: Tales of Hockey Erotica - Five Hole is a swirling animated trip through hockey’s erotic behind-the-scenes world. Cam Christiansen uses his signature stylized animation, developed through motion capture and video mapping, to create a vibrant and bold musical sketch.

Naissances - Naissances examines the ephemeral connection between strangers. When young Camille, who has just had an abortion and is hitchhiking home, meets Pierre, both are compelled to tell lies about their personal lives that are disquieting, but which build a certain hopefulness between them.

Out in that Deep Blue Sea - As a disillusioned middle-aged real estate agent attempts to balance his work with his personal life, he finds that he is unable to do a good job at either one.

Runaway - Award-winning animator Cordell Barker brings us this zany animated tale about a reckless train ride. Gleeful passengers cavort to the jaunty jazz score by Benoît Charest, oblivious to trouble ahead. But when the driver disappears and a madcap scramble for fuel ensues, this careless ride turns darkly funny.

The Spine - Academy Award-winner Chris Landreth employs his signature style to tell the story of Dan and Mary and their broken marriage. Through a co-dependent couples’ support group, they dig deep to rediscover their history and the ties that brought them together in the first place.

La Vie commence / Life Begins - Brothers Joseph and Mathieu rarely interact, but when their home is broken into and their father’s gun stolen, a sequence of actions is set in motion that tests the family’s fabric. Examining the profound bond between brothers, this affecting drama unfolds with subtle and confident precision.

The Short Film Award

The Short Film Award is open to entries from the UK only and provides an opportunity for British filmmakers to demonstrate their skills to the world. This Award encourages the essential growth and development of new talent within the British film industry. Films are only eligible if they have a substantial British contribution in the majority of the following areas: Production Company, Finance, Director, Producer, Writer, principal cast and crew.

Films must be no more than 40 minutes in duration.

http://www.bafta.org/awards/film/film-awards-shorts,145,BA.html

Quantitative Questionnaire