Drafts

Film Article

Poster

Production Diary - Study of Sound

As last time didn't go so well, I've been looking into sound recording and how I could improve it next time.

This video was one of the helpful things that helped me understand more about how sound works and is recorded and is well worth a watch.

As part of the BFI film academy course I've been doing, I attended a lecture on sound recording which was also very informative. Here are a couple pages of notes I drew up. As you can tell by the noughts and crosses, three hours with no toilet break was a little too long!

Sound quality can make or break a short film so it's important to get it right.

Rushes Log

Rushes Log

I find logging the takes really beneficial when it comes to editing - a text description of which shots are effective and the best means choosing footage is much easier.

Shooting review

I should have made a silent movie.

Having arranged a date for my cast and booked the equipment I thought I would need, we made our way to our set straight after school.

While I wasn't expecting to have everything shot in this session, I had planned to bank a few key shots, meaning I could begin editing a bare bones version of my video and work out what cutaways (or B-roll footage) I needed to pick up the second time.

Unfortunately, despite bringing a shot-gun microphone, the sound quality meant the majority of my footage is unusable. It picked up a lot of the ambient sound (chatter, the noises from behind the counter ect) but that was at the expense of the actor's dialogue. You can even hear myself calling 'action' better than the actors talking.

Last Saturday as part of the BFI film academy, I worked as the sound recorder on a separate short film shoot which involved me taking the microphone into my hand, put on the headphones and listen intently for any discrepancies in the audio quality. For the majority of this shoot it meant me lying on the floor trying to stay out of frame. It's looking likely that I'm going to need someone to take this role for the reshoot, perhaps using a boom mic which will mean another addition to the crew.

However, it wasn't all bad - if I were to look at this shoot as a trial or a camera rehersal, it means that next time should be more efficient.

Dapper.



Raw Footage

Twenty minutes worth of unedited raw footage. I recommend you don't watch with headphones.

Actor Styling - Graham

What the characters wear can often be as important as the actor or the script in terms of creating a character. As the structure of my script takes place over three days, I wanted to develop a few different outfits for Graham that were consistent and representative of his character.

Day One?

This outfit is very simple, using a jacket with a tie, shirt and trousers. The simple design is representative of the character - with the top button done up on his shirt and a very subdued colour scheme while not being completely bland.

Day Two?

Here you can see my conscious decision to introduce colour to the character's outfit, with a red-ish cardigan and a red tie. In order to differentiate the outfit between the days, I've changed the jacket. I do like the appearance of this outfit, but I think I'd want to change the shirt.

Day Three

Blue! This is one of the bigger changes in costume, introducing a new shirt, new tie and a jumper as well as a return to the jacket from day one. The unbuttoned top of his shirt is a nice reference to his new optimistic outlook - not needing to be so uppity and refined. Out of all of them this is my favourite of his appearances due to the colour and overall appearance.

Actor Release form

This actor release form serves as a contractual agreement to allow my useage of the actor's image in the short and related materials as well as their commitment to reshoots.

Shooting coming!

Production is moving rapidly now, with a initial shooting date of the 17th of Novemeber. While I'd have liked to have shot it a month or so earlier, the reality of coordinating actors, equipment and the location meant I had to be flexible. In order to make sure the shoot is as efficient as possible, I've drawn up a shot list and a storyboard which will hopefully means I have a reference of what to shoot.

 On the admin side, I'm getting my actors to sign a model release form, so they can allow my useage of their image and everything I shoot as well as a commitment to make an effort for reshoots. There is a similar one for the location that I'll need to get the manager of the coffee shop to sign - essentially my promising not to knock any doors down.

I'm having my lead actor over on Wednesday to play dress-up. While we both have an idea of what we want the character to wear and look like, this costume planning will help us be specific and give me as director an understanding of what colours I will be working with. I've done a lot of exploration of colour imagery, something I'll go into more detail after the shoot.

Image Progression

Props List

Following on from the breakdown, I'm going into the props list in a bit more detail, looking at two pieces that might be elusive.

• Notebook/Journal

Miranda has a notebook that Graham looks inside. I have a fair-trade leather bound notebook that might use, alternatively I'll invest in a moleskine notebook. Both of these are well made and personal It's important that the audience can easily believe that Miranda has spent a lot of time writing in the notebook so I'll need to do some production design and fill it with text!

• Coffee and Coffee cups

Coffee is an important part of the story, used as a visual signifier for establishing characters. What this does mean is that there needs a consistent supply of coffee for shooting with! I might have to beg the coffee shop I'm shooting in for discount coffee or alternatively bring my own supply...

Production Diary - Researching

Lately I've turned my focus in Media studies to looking at existing products and working out what works and what doesn't. Doing this hopefully will help me understand how to make a short film that works with existing conventions as well as being well done.

As seen in my Research into Director's post, one director I've looked at it Spike Jonze and his work. I saw Where the Wild Things Are soon after its release and loved it for its beautiful and unique visuals as well as a very touching and emotive story. Looking back over it recently made me want to explore his other works which lead me to watch his latest feature Her, another fantastic, innovative film.

This has certainly influenced my ideas visually - suggesting a tone and 'style' to emulate while shooting, which I'll explore more in an upcoming post.

Production Diary - The Benefit of Hindsight

Back in Easter, a couple friends and I entered a national competition to create a short film in the science fiction genre in the space of forty-eight hours. We were given the title ('Strange Attractor') a prop (A black box - to be opened but we couldn't see what was inside) and a line of dialouge that had to be included.

The end result is below.

I'm proud of what we created in that time and I feel the story worked really well for the format.

Looking forwards to comencing production of the next short film I will make, I've decided it's worth looking back to examine what worked well and what didn't.

The first thing that I would have done differently is adjusting the exposure - everything is a lot brighter than I'd have liked. I do know now how to do that properly and will definitely be able to fix it for Brew.

Also, I'd like to place a focus on developing the frame compisition -  having to deal with actors of very different hieghts resulted in a few odd angles, as well as a total disregard of the rule of thirds - the technique that suggests that there are places to objects of interest to make the frame more aesthetically pleasing.

During directing, the main thing I'll take away is that it's good to do as many takes as possible, and keep in mind how it will be edited. Using only one camera meant that I had to get the actors to repeat the majority of the takes in order to enable succesful editing. What I'd like to be able to work on next time is making the final product look 'fluid' and less choppy, which can be achieved by having more takes to choose between and monitoring the actor's movements. The 'choppy' editing is evident earlier on in this video where we were doing shorter takes - later on we moved to longer ones, and I feel that did work better.

One other thing that I am proud of is the variation of shots - there is a wide range presented, with a purpose. I especially like the low angle shot with the box in focus and the two characters arguing in the background (1:37). We even desaturated the shot in Premier in order to make it look different and stand out from the other shots.

Making Strange Attractor was great fun and a great experience and I'm glad to have done it, as it has given me some pointers to make my final product short film as good as possible.



Moodboard

Brew - In Pictures

 

To better articulate my visions for the tone and style of my short film, I've developed a moodboard consiting of inspirations and styles.

 

Included is a still from Amelie (2001, Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet), two paintings - Nighthawks by Edward Hopper and The All Night Cafe by Vincent Van Gough. These were included because they represent the tone and mood I want to emulate as well as being consistent with the colours.

 

The Jacket is likely to be worn by my main actor and the images of coffee shops are there to help my in my search for a location.

 

Finally, The Smiley Face stressballs and the quote both encapsulate the themes within the story of being happy and having a positive outlook.



Conventions of a Short Film

Shot List

Coming straight after the storyboard and animatic is an example of a shot-list. I'll be taking this onto set so I know how to set up the camera, I've even colour coded it so I can work out which shots are repeated regularly.

 

Shot list

 

Audience Research, Script Survey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5S5PTKC

(Have a go at my survey while you're here!)

 



Having a script means that I can get a rough idea of what the audience will think of the film before all the fiddly, difficult stuff. For example, if people really hate the ending, then I can act on that before I shoot.

 

It's also helpful to have it read by many people so if there's elements that are unexplained, then I can redraft and not have a short film with unintentional unanswered questions.

Directors Research

Storyboard and Animatic

I've produced a storyboard for the opening and closing sequences of my short film, in order to make shooting as efficient as possible. I've also turned it into an animatic, showing what the final product could resemble.

Brew Storyboard

Production Diary - Planning and Production

I’ve set myself a target of having Brew shot by the last week in October, allowing plenty of time for editing, reshoots or pickups.

To make this a reality, I’ve been working on planning the shoot extensively, as well as looking for actors to play the parts – I will be holding an audition to work out which of the actors I’m considering will be best for the role. I have currently narrowed it down to three actors who could bring something to the role of Graham, afterwards I will look at casting Miranda.
For a limited shoot, being as efficient as possible is important to make the use of the time so I have been detailing what needs to be shot in the form of a storyboard. Drawing isn’t my area of expertise so it took a bit of research to comfort myself that my anatomically incorrect scribbles are acceptable – specifically I looked at Ben Wheatley’s storyboards for the two episodes of Doctor Who he directed.

Doctor Who - Deep Breath, 2014

Set hunting has also been a task that’s proving difficult – two coffee shops I was looking at shooting in closed within two weeks of each other leaving to keep looking. I have found that independent coffee shops are more likely to be flexible as opposed to chains such as Costa or Café Nero as they have different agendas. A coffee-shop crawl through London is being planned, although I would prefer to keep it local as it means getting the cast, equipment and crew around is easier.

 I'm also continuing my aim to watch short films regularly and features once a week in order to note their construction. Recently, after being impressed by Spike Jonze's music videos I've watched Where the Wild Things Are which was a brilliant watch and impressivley made. What I've seen of his portfolio, I can see his 'style' emerging with soft visuals and bittersweet stories and this is likely to have an influence on my work.

Narrative Analysis

Applying narrative theory to my short film has allowed me to explore ways to effectively tell the story I want to tell using the medium of film, as well as looking at which ways it is conventional.

Work that I admire

Having mentioned a small number of short films I've enjoyed in an earlier post, here I'm going to talk about some different ones that I have watched since, and discuss the influences that have appeared in my script and may come across during shooting.

I'm Here - 2010 (dir. Spike Jonze)

While it boils down to a very simple love story between two robots, presentation is key here. The script is touching, polarising but ultimately conventional and plays many similar tropes straight which in a postmodern world can be appreciated.

Jonze presents a robot, Sheldon (played by Andrew Garfield in his natural english accent) who is lonely and unfulfilled with his life as a second class citizen. World building is quick and efficient with Jonze introducing the prejudice and lack of care for robots in the opening scene as Sheldon sees a robot broken in half in a car accident lying in the road getting no attention.

The love story here is effective with a sweet and moving relationship presented between Sheldon and Francesca. Sheldon's life and happiness is improved, with Francesca bringing joy into his life - encapsulated in a single moment where Sheldon returns home to find numerous paper-mache Mice constructed. She is bring art into his life!

The polarising aspect occurs in the climax where after Francesca, after being increasingly irreponsible and self-destructive has most of her body destroyed. Sheldon then gives his entire body for her, leaving just a head. While this seems to be intended to be sweet and uplifting, I just found Sheldon a bit pitiable.

That being said, for a short running time, Spike Jonze's result of combining love with a bit of science-fiction for such a short running time serves as a masterclass of introducing elements and dealing with changes in characters.

My short film, Brew, tells the story of someone realising that they're not happy and is offered a chance to change that. While the running length is likely to be a sixth of the length of I'm Here, having seen this film has shown me some storytelling options as well as giving me a huge influence in regards to cinematography.

The Script

You can read the script here.

Production Diary: I wrote a script!

It’s important to have a good script when making a film as it’s near impossible to make a good film out a bad script. From a business point of view, the script is usually what sells a film to get it into production, especially for a short film. This is why it is crucial to make the script as best as it can be - with developed characters and a structured story that utilises the medium effectively. Film is also a visual medium so it is also necessary to convey as much as possible through visuals.

The script I have written that I plan to shoot and produce is a drama which tells the story of a grumpy man who is happy in is misery until a new perspective changes things. It’s set in a coffee shop over the course of three days and features only two speaking roles - which will make the shooting quick and efficient as opposed to having to organise cast and crew to get to a variety of different locations. Furthermore, for this story more locations are not necessary so it will allow me to tell a concise and effective story.

The first idea I had for the script was the opening line of the protagonist’s interior monologue. This came about on a conversation on a camp, discussing the merits of black or white coffee. The phrase “I like the misery” (undoubtedly inspired somewhat by Father Ted) prompted the discussion of what sort of person someone has to be to drink their coffee without any milk or sugar. The ideas of the character were stuck with me the entire hike up the mountain but it was only when I was being dangled precariously down a hole in a glacier above an unknown height, the character of Graham and the basic story of Brew came into existence.

I always enjoy stories about contrasting two characters and exploring the influence someone who is no more than a stranger can have on someone. The creation of Miranda, who was from the offset cheerful, thoughtful and optimistic, was an obvious result of the desire to have a character who was the complete opposite of Graham. The story was a simple one - a grumpy, bitter man would begin to see the world differently.

The first draft was written on paper at the airport a few days after the conception of the idea. For the second draft, written a week later on Celtx there weren’t many changes. Graham had originally been called Jeff but that name never really stuck the same way Graham did. The main changes made were within the layout and wording. The first, rough draft in my notebook was only ever written to be read by me so I had to make sure it appeared professional and easier to be read by the cast and crew.

The ending was changed slightly - the ending that I had written on paper (and that was originally typed up) simply had Graham (then Jeff) sitting at his table with his own notepad and pen as he put some sugar into his coffee. While I did like the visual representation of his ‘sweetening’ with the sugar sachet, I felt it was a little too happy and I wanted to accentuate the bitter sweetness of a lonely man realising he was actually lonely. This made the ending more emotionally resonant and in my opinion much stronger than what was originally written.

The next challenge is to find a location to shoot and cast the characters while working on a shot list and a storyboard. 

Short Film Festivals and Channels

Production Diary - Resource Bank

I have been conducting a ‘resource bank’ for usage in my short film. This is a list of locations, actors, props and techniques I could use to make a high-quality, professional short film. Ideally I wouldn’t need to work backwards from these utilities to develop a story – rather meet halfway with a story that’s decent with a set or location that looks brilliant.
These are some of the Locations I have gathered.

South Quay.

This is an area near Canary Warf. As a location it is visually exciting, looks futuristic and is likely to be very easy to film at on a Sunday when no one is working. At night the lights transform the area into a brightly lit, colourful metropolis. I would consider using this location to tell a smaller, futuristic science fiction story, probably using the ‘ten minutes into the future’ trope to tell an exciting story – possibly exploring what happens to the people that don’t get to work in the big, bright buildings. Being on the other side of London it might be tricky to co-ordinate transporting equipment and actors as often as necessary so that would need to be considered.

Ruislip Lido.

A lot less glamorous than South Quay but that would be the point. Ruislip Lido is a hole of rancid water by an artificial beach with a park that needs just a bit more paint. This idea of urban decay would work with a story about outsiders and outcasts – perhaps a story about two people meeting and their lives changing. This location looks best at night: the lights from the pub across the ‘lake’ offer some beautiful visuals which is important for a film. I wouldn’t be the first person to shoot there either – Cliff Richard made his music video there too!

Woods.

We are lucky to have woods nearby. Not only due to the fact we’re near London where trees are rapidly becoming an endangered species, but they also look really cool to film in. While there is the idea that every student film ever is shot in the woods, it is for good reason as the woods offer an exotic environment with vivid colours and imagery. If I was shooting in the woods I’d want it to be with a story that could only be told in the woods – for example, a fantasy. While typically the budgets for fantasy films are very expensive, the children’s show ‘The Legend of Dick and Dom’ manages to be consistently low budget due to clever story telling techniques in regards to the locations and characters. If I was doing a fantasy in the woods, costumes and props to begin to ‘world build’ would be very important to sustain the suspension of disbelief. The proximity of the location lends itself to camera rehearsals without the actors or full equipment, just preparation of the camera to see how the location looks on frame.

Others.

I have a caravan in Wales which I will be going to in the summer so while it wouldn’t be practical to bring my whole cast and crew up here, there would be an opportunity for acquiring some B-roll footage to enhance something that may have been shot in the woods. For example: mountains, rivers and buildings. This part of Wales looks like its a couple hundred years behind everyone else, anyway.

There is also a canal nearby that offers some interesting and exciting visuals. At one point in the stretch between Rickmansworth and Harefield there is what looks like the framework of a building that has burnt down with a stuffed Gorilla hanging from it by a noose. I’d love to buy a canal boat and tell the story of someone who lives in a canal boat but sadly that is a bit over-budget for this project.

History of the Short Film

History of the Short Film

Production Diary - Shorts I've seen

As ideas for a short film go there are many I could choose from. I have been making an effort to watch a video on Short of the Week every day for a few months now to work out myself what works well and what doesn't. Some of favourites I have found are:

Do You Believe in the Devil?

A horror that plays with the faustian bargain trope. I like this one because it is brilliantly written but also beautifully shot and edited.

The Black Hole

The best short films are the ones that focus on an idea and leaves you asking questions. This one certainly does and manages to do so without using any dialogue.

We Were Awesome

A seven minute dialogue between two friends which manages to reveal so much more about the two characters' relationship. The story also revolves around a single, beautiful visual which the audience ends up anticipating as much as the characters.

Similiar Product Research - Posters

One of the tasks I will need to complete is creating a poster for my short film. To do this I am looking at other posters that are likely to be similar (in tone and style) to the one I will create.

Another Earth (2011)

Another Earth is an indie sci-fi film about another Earth appearing in the sky. This event is explored through the character of Rhoda who is seen on the poster. The narrative told in the film uses this event as a backdrop to tell a much more human and tragic story which is reflected on this poster.

While Another Earth is a feature, I consider it to be very similar to many short films as it is primarily about two characters and their relationship and doesn't answer every question the audience would have about the new planet. This poster reflects this as it includes the protagonist (played by an unknown, attractive actress) as its main focus with the sci-fi background rooting it in genre.

It is a very simplistic poster, with no credits to director, actors/actresses or companies which is due to its position as an indie film and likely a debut film for the director and cast. To attract its audience (which wouldn't be very mainstream due to its unconventional storytelling choices) it announces its winning of the Sundance Film Festival - a very popular festival for premiering of films in search of distributors. This victory would attract an audience who enjoy films that are good.

Also furthering its simplistic appearance is a very basic colour scheme which consists of mainly blue and whites. Whereas many blockbuster/mainstream movies use garish, bright colours (pretty often blue and orange) to scream for an audience's attention amongst the other loud, bright movie posters, any audience that would see this film would be paying attention to the poster in the first place and likely want to see it for the fact it isn't a loud, bright movie and promises something more thought provoking. 

What I would be likely to take away from this poster is it's ability to convey the nature of the story in such a simple way, using a very basic colourscheme and imagery.

Paperman (2013)

Paperman was a Disney short film shown to audiences before Wreck It Ralph, a feature film. It's an animated film which returns to Disney's 'traditional' 2D animation with a few updated innovations. The film is entirely in black and white - save for the red lipstick seen on the paper airplane. 

Like Another Earth, Paperman focuses on a simplistic image. Paperman doesn't explore its characters as much as Another Earth did which is why the main character isn't shown prominently. It's about what happens to the characters; not who they are.

The famous Disney logo is the only text (aside from the title) on the poster. Disney is an acclaimed studio and including its name guarantees an audience.

What I could take away from this poster is that it isn't necessary to feature your actor prominently on the poster. Although Paperman is an animation, it's likely that the actor who plays the main character wouldn't be seen on the poster anymore than this one: ultimately it depends on the film.

Robot & Frank (2012)

The first thing that strikes me when I look at this poster is that it looks like a romantic comedy yet also completely different. Posters for rom-coms are almost entirely composed of a colour scheme that features reds and whites - the choice here to use yellow makes the poster stand out yet seem familiar.

The plot of Robot & Frank is akin to a romance comedy in some respects - two characters, very different, learn to love each other as they get to know each other. The film soon gets very more unconventional but the initial root in familiarity 'prepares' the audience for what to expect.

Unlike the other posters, the actors names are featured prominently here. While none of the cast would be able to draw an audience in on their own merits, the combination of "That guy from X-Men" and "The girl from Armageddon" would also help root the audience in familiarity.

The main character - Frank - is played by an unknown actor. The quoted review would help ease any potential audience that may be on the fence about seeing a movie starring an actor who may be awful. The review praises the actor's ability and with the Sundance credit marks the movie as something distinctive.

This is undeniably a poster for a feature film with a larger cast than a short film could deal with however the initial, primary image of Frank and his Robot is brilliant in it's simplicity, with the yellow bringing a focus to that.

Similar Product Research - Main Task

Eager to understand what it is in a film that makes it significant and covey meaning, I looked to what some have considered one of the greatest movies of all time - certainly one of the most significant ones for the genre. Knowing how meaning is conveyed will help embed meaning in my own video.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly Meaning Alysis

Ciaran Davis - ‘The Huge Snooze’ Exploration

To make the best possible short film, it is necessary to see what has come before to develop knowledge of the medium - You have to be able to know the rules before you can be break them.

I’m looking at a previous piece of coursework - a short film called ‘The Huge Snooze’.

The Huge Snooze - Ciaran Davis from Haydon Media on Vimeo.

The film comes across as an authentic homage and ribbing of the film noir genre as it plays with the tropes of the ‘femme fatale’ and the sleazy private detective.

Opening with a beautifully appropriate soundtrack and title card, the film’s progression into opening credits reminiscent of those included at the start of many film noir movies the viewer could be fooled into believing this is simply another entry in the genre. 

However, by the time the protagonist declares proudly that he is ‘a dick’ the humour and affection for the genre is seen.

This is continued with the visuals. The atmospheric opening shot of Mr Mallow lighting a cigarette surrounded by darkness sets a precedent for the rest of the film which thankfully is consistent.

While there does seem to be a necessity to accommodate the pre-written monologue - with a few shots that linger a little too long while the narrator describes what he and the viewers can see - the humour is ever present lighting the noir tone.

With great lighting, set design and cinematography The Huge Snooze fits comfortably amongst other film noir movies.

Looking at his ancillary tasks, what I appreciate most is the acceptance (and embracement) of the film’s existence as a short film with no attempt of presenting it as a feature. I would consider that to be a fallacy as the distribution and viewing of short films is completely different to features.

This is why Ciaran has chosen one of his reviews on his poster to be by Sight and Sound as opposed to Empire which would not regularly review a short film.

The main focus on the poster is a still from the short film which has been edited slightly. The visual of a man looking through a window surprised fits in well with the film noir genre and definitely would encourage someone who saw it to enquire more. The use of a single frame as the main image is likely something I will do for my poster too.

The review page looks effective as if it was from a magazine. The choice to focus on the actor’s career as opposed to a review presents it as a film that already has a presence in the reader’s mind, with the writer referencing made up events to create that illusion.

Looking at the work Ciaran has done for his Media Coursework has definitely helped me put thought and consideration into making a high-quality short film with accompanying tasks that appear genuine and consistent.

Production Diary - Introduction to the Course

The Coursework for A2 Media Studies focuses on producing a piece of Media. We have been given a series of briefs which outline the different types we can do - these vary from a music video to pages of a newspaper - and they are all very exciting.

The one I am going to complete this year is the creation of a short film in its entirety. I love the medium of film and earlier in this year took part in a screenwriting course run by the BFI based in Newcastle upon Tyne where the participants were guided in the development of a five page script for a short film which I really enjoyed and I'm looking forwards to doing this as part of my A2 course. Learning how to shoot and edit the video is also something I'm excited about learning to do.

What would come with this is creating a poster to promote the film, a radio trailer for the film and a page in a film magazine featuring a review. These tasks are also something I'm looking forwards to doing. An upcoming post will focus on analysis of posters that are similar to my film - a mix of feature films with a similar tone to something I might create and other short films. A radio trailer would be interesting as film is such a visual medium to strip a vital part of the product and still trying to promote it will be a challenge.  I listen to a lot of Audio Plays so I have a bit of knowledge of what will and won't work on radio.

The development of my short film and the other tasks will be chronicled on this blog from start to finish and I can't wait to see the end result.