Audience Feedback on Draft 4

I asked a group of people to watch the forth draft of my short film to see what comments they had. Here is the feedback I received:

• I liked all of it
• It looked professional
• The texting looked good because you could tell who was saying what
• The lighting is really effective
• The acting is good
• The face over the top of the text scene is really effective
• The flashback works really well

At the same time my teacher was watching and these were the comments she gave: 

• I like the close up of the feet as she walks around the corner
• I like the way her loneliness is highlighted by the time of year
• I think the music you have chosen compliments the piece well
• I think the shadow of Emily's face works  really well
• The timing of the music is spot on - when Emily appears it stops etc.
• I like the way the focus changes to Emily when she is trying to say sorry
• I like the way the texts get bigger as if more desperate in the second text scene
• The lip syncing works really well in the conversation scene
• I like the change to jolly music at the end

Main Task - Short Film - Draft 4

In this draft I have changed the font and text technique on the title page so that it now looks more like a conventional silent film title page or inter-title. I have done this because I wanted my film to reference an original silent film whilst still keeping the modern twists I have added.

Main Task - Short Film - Draft 3

This is the almost completed version of my short film. 

I have decided to change the name to 'Stick Up for Me' because the two characters weren't really 'Penfriends' any more due to the plot changes. I feel that 'Stick Up For Me' is more suitable.

I am now going to add the finishing touches by refining the fonts I use and adding some more title screens etc.

Main Task - Short Film - Draft 2

This is my second draft of my short film. As you can see I have now added music but there are still some parts I need to edit.

Firstly, in the first walking part I need to neaten up my editing as Kyra sometimes retraces her steps when the angle changes.

Secondly, I need to make Emily's silhouette clearer as several people have commented that she looks like a man which defies my reasons for adding it in the first place. Also, one comment I got was that it isn't clear they are meeting for the first time so I'm going  to change the texts to make this more explcit.

Finally, I found that my happy piece of music didn't fit with the music I have used for the rest of the film so I have found a possible replacement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5aZQw8449c

I have decided to use guitar music because when trying out other options guitar ones sounded better than piano.

Editing Log - Entry 3

Footage Layering

I have now edited Chloe's silhouette over 'text scene 1' to eliminate any confusion this could have caused with regard to the identity of Lauren's friend.

I have done this by layering footage of Chloe on top of the footage of Lauren texting and then altering the saturation to make it a silhouette.

Music

I have also been looking to music I could use to convey different moods as this is a key part of making my film understandable. Here are my favourite examples of the ones I looked at.

Sad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Am4cHMBKM

This piece is a sad song that I think will be good for the opening scene and the scenes where Lauren is blanking Chloe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9haTFoGcvk

This could be another sad piece that I could use although this may be better for the second park scene where the music doesn't have to be as sad because they make up.

Happy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4kjC0jAM9U

This piece sounds relatively happy and I think it will be good to use in 'text scene 1.' I want happier music here because I want to show the transition between her being sad or annoyed in the first scene and happy to be talking to her friend in the second. I may use this piece again in the last scene where they walk into the common room together but I might choose a different piece.

Main Task - Short Film - Draft 1

 

This is my film as it stands. As you can see from watching it there are still a few sections which I would like to re-film or places where I want to add footage. I have already completed the filming for these sections and intend to edit them in in the next few weeks. There are also a few sections where I have some more editing to complete. For example, 'text scene 1' where I intend to make the gender of the person she is texting clearer by editing a translucent silhouette over the footage of the conversation. I also intend to replicate this effect on my poster.

Audience Feedback

I have also decided to get some audience feedback at this point because now is the time to find out if there is anything my audience thinks I could add.

In the questionnaire I asked questions about the areas that I don't feel I can fully judge because I am too familiar with the plot.

What are your overall impressions?

Pretty cool

I liked the flash back in the park scene
 

In scene 1 who do you look at?

The bullies and then Kyra
 

Is text scene 1 too long?

No but you don’t know who is talking.
 

How could I make it more obvious that Kyra is speaking first?

Put the names on or move the text for Kyra next to her
 

Could you understand what was going on in conversation scene?

Yes, and I liked the effect
 

Do you like the music I have chosen at the moment?

Yes

Editing Log - Entry 2

Colour Correction

The camera that I have been using makes the colours of the footage really vibrant. As an artistic person I love seeing the bright colours that are produced as a result but unfortunately this doesn't always fit with the mood I am trying to convey. Since I am now producing a modern day silent film I am having to find ways of conveying the mood through alternative roots to narration and dialogue. The expressions on the actors faces is obviously a big clue but things such as what music you use and the colours of the footage also play a big part in the mood conveyed.

When I filmed the opening scene (Common room scene 1) it was a sunny day and so the colours came out really bright but the mood I want to convey at this point is of loneliness and isolation. To solve the juxtaposition this created, between the action going on and the colours used, I used colour correction to bring the brighter tones down giving the scene a more depressive feel.

colour of original footage

colour after I altered the saturation

To keep the continuity in my film I have made sure that every time I want to portray this mood I have used the same levels of saturation.

Filters

As I mentioned in a previous post one of the conventions of silent films I want to replicate in my film is the use of black and white. When silent films first came out they were completely black and white because colour technology hadn't yet been invented but I don't intend to use this technique throughout my film. My reasons for this are that it would defy what I said above about dulling the tones to create a sad mood and enhancing them for a happy one but also because I like the idea of mixing old and new together. This same mixture of old and new was used in the short silent film 'Colour Shift.'

Colour Shift

Here the creator has set out to make a silent film and has probably looked at the conventions like I have. However, they have played on the conventions modernising it by indicating the shift from an original black and white silent film to a modern day coloured silent film by implying that the characters can also see the change. I won't be using the black and white filter and colour in this way as my characters won't be affected by the change in colour but the idea behind using both to modernise a piece whilst still hinting towards it roots is my incentive for keeping with this convention.

I am going to use the  black and white filter in the climactic scene of the film. This is 'Park Scene 2' where the two friends meet so that Chloe can explain her actions to Lauren. Using complete black and white as opposed to just really dull colours here gives this scene more emotional effect which is why I have chosen this location for this effect.



original colour of footage

black and white filter


Other Influences

Sherlock

The hit TV series Sherlock frequently uses text graphics in episodes to illustrate text messages being sent or Sherlock's thought patterns.

Indicates what Sherlock is deducing from this evidence

Hit TV show Sherlock uses text graphics to show texts being sent and received 

I have also used this technique in several scenes of my film partly because I remembered how effective it was in Sherlock but also because I originally filmed the texts coming in on the phone but the camera was reflected in the screen and it was a really long and boring scene.

This is an article talking about this interesting use of text graphics. 

http://iheartsubtitles.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/sherlock-storytelling-through-visual-text/

In a similar way the show often layers information over the footage behind it as Sherlock is thinking. 

Map layered over the footage of Sherlock

Files layered over the footage of Sherlock

I intend to use a similar technique in my film in 'Text Scene 1.' Currently the audience gets the impression that the person she is texting is male so to solve this ambiguity I am going to layer a faded silhouette of Chloe over the footage of Lauren texting. This will show the audience that Lauren's friend is a girl but not who she is. I chose to do this instead of using a split screen because I want the audience to discover the identity of Lauren's 'text friend' at the same time as she does. 

Readings

My audience feedback has shown me that there are ways of reading my film that I hadn't thought about when coming up with the idea. For example, when showing my film to my target audience several people asked me if the person the main character was texting was going to be an old man pretending to be a teenage girl. It was the amount of people commenting this that prompted me to put the silhouette of the friend on-top of the footage of the main character texting on the bench.

This made me think more about the different readings of my film.

The preferred reading is that this girl who gets bullied has one best friend who she's never met but it turns out is one of the bullies so she stops talking to her and then they make up and have a happy ending.

One oppositional reading of my film could be that there's not enough dialogue in it. Obviously I have made the conscious decision to omit this and so haven't 'failed' in this way but if you prefer films with a lot of dialogue in then you would be within your rights to read my film in this way.

Editing Log - Entry 1

Text Graphics

My film has two scenes where the main characters, Lauren and Chloe, converse via text. My original idea was to film the phone screen as Lauren received the texts but I had to discard this idea when I realised you could see the camera reflected in the screen. To solve this problem I have decided to add the texts over the footage so that I can control the speed in which the texts are sent and received. The effect will be similar to in the hit TV series Sherlock where the same technique is used in this way. (See my post Other Influences) 

However, this isn’t the only way I intend to use text graphics in my film. During the editing process I found that the second park scene seemed to jar as it was the only scene where there was any dialogue. For this reason I am going to mute the sound on the scene and add the text separately. After completing my textual analysis of a silent film and identifying the conventions I said that I intended to use Intertitles as seen in many original silent films but when I put this into practice I found it hard to make it flow as seamlessly as I wanted it to. To solve both of these problems I have used the text effect 'racking focus' to write key parts of what they say over the footage. The overall affect is slightly confusing but I like this because when you are apologising to someone you tend to bable and this confusion replicates that. 

I feel the impact will be greater if the only sound is emotional non-diegetic music that sets the mood so I am pleased with this development.

Influential Silent Film

Cook Papa Cook

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OITJxh51z3Q

‘Cook Papa Cook’ is a short silent film from 1928. It is a comedy and it follows the Jenkins in their morning routine. After a brief water fight between Mr and Mrs Jenkins it is decided that Mr Jenkins will make breakfast this morning. He goes in the kitchen and quickly becomes apparent that he has absolutely no idea what he is doing. He can’t work the toaster and ends up putting it in the oven which causes a fire. At the same time he burns the bacon which also sets on fire and he ends up sitting in the burning pan. The films ends with him having resorted to tinned food that didn’t involve cooking. Whilst all of this is happening in the kitchen his wife is eating all sorts of sweet treats in her bed and ends up making herself sick as he brings her the breakfast he has just had great trouble making. Angry, he pretends to threaten her with a knife but it turns out it is his pipe which his wife secretly knows. For this reason as he leaves for work she throws the bowl of cold food he’s just given her at his back and the film ends. 

The aren't any similarities between the action in this film and my film but I intend to use other techniques from the film which can be seen in my post 'Silent Film Conventions'

Silent Film Conventions

Silent Films

Now that I am eliminating all dialogue from my production it has become a modern day silent film. Because of this I have decided to use some of the conventions of traditional silent films in my project. To identify this I am going to complete a textual analysis of the 1928 silent film 'Cook Papa Cook.'

Textual Analysis: 

Cook Papa Cook

Camera Angles
Camera angles are very important in 'Cook Papa Cook' and other silent films of the time due to there being no dialogue or audio narration. Silent film actors had to overact facial expressions or actions to truly express what they were feeling or doing. Camera angles are a key tool in helping them express this meaning. Close-ups or extreme close-ups were common because they can explicitly illustrate expressions or actions.

close up of action - man sat in pan on fire

close up of expression - face man pulls when he sits in pan on fire

The other camera shots used are mid-long shots, for instance where the husband and wife are throwing water across the room a mid-long shot is used to show the distance between them, and mid-shots, wife on the phone or husband attempting to cut bread in the kitchen. However these shots are less instrumental to showing exactly what is going on. All of the shots used are very basic as technology wasn't as advanced and so more complicated shots or shooting techniques such as high-angle shots or match-on-action shots would have been harder to execute.

mid-long shot

mid-shot

Editing Techniques
There are very few editing techniques used in this film as they didn't have the digital technology to create fancy effects. However this doesn't mean there aren't any. To start with silent films were filmed in parts just like modern day films and they weren't necessarily filmed in order. This meant that someone had to sit and physically piece together the film. Due to this you wouldn't expect the films to use any transitions but 'Cook Papa Cook' does use one transition right at the end to signify time passing. After we see the husband resorting to tinned food after failing at any other form of breakfast there is a cross dissolve into him fully dressed with his wife's makeshift breakfast on a tray in front of him. This technology will have been advanced for the time which is probably why there is only one transition in the piece.

cross dissolve 

Another common editing technique used in original silent films are Intertitles. This is the term used to describe the black screen that appears with dialogue or key information on it at relevant points in the film and they were created by filming a printed version of the text. Intertitles play a key role in silent films as they make the action explicit to the audience where it was impossible to convey the wanted meaning with out dialogue.

Intertitle

Both of these editing techniques were used in 'Cook Papa Cook' as well as other silent films of the era.

Mise en Scene
In all films mise en scene plays an important part in setting the scene and silent films are no different. In 'Cook Papa Cook' props like the beds and kitchen appliances show us we are in a family home. Also the fact that they are all in their pyjamas and begin the film in bed shows it is the morning.

In 'Cook Papa Cook' props play an important part in creating the overall comedic affect although they will have been used this way in all silent films as it is a way of portraying key information. For example, when the parents are throwing water at each other the little boy comes in from the bathroom carrying a bucket of water and an umbrella. The umbrella makes this scene funnier because it is highlighting the fact that the parents are acting like children and the child is acting more like an adult using a method of protection to avoid getting wet.

The boy carrying the umbrella creates a comedic effect

However, mise en scene can also be used as a way of showing a characters mood. For example, at the end of the kitchen scene the man gets so frustrated with the appliances that he resorts to using unconventional methods especially where opening the tins is concerned. He uses the same large knife he used earlier when cutting the bread so this suggests that the knife is a way of showing his frustration and anger because it is big, sharp and dangerous.

Highlighted - Large knife signifying frustration and anger

Sound
The sound used in this clip has been added when the film was recovered, restored and digitalised for Youtube. Originally the film will have been played in a movie theatre and been accompanied by a live pianist or sometimes an  orchestra. However the music used in the film is typical of silent films. It uses instruments like the organ, brass instruments, wind instruments and percussive instruments, like bells and horns, to create a comedic sound not dissimilar to the instruments and music you may expect to find accompanying an early circus.

The film is accompanied by one continuous piece of music that illustrates the actions taking place. For example, at the beginning when the husband and wife are throwing water at each other the music is light hearted to illustrate the comedic action. The piece then uses more dotted rhythms and syncopation when the husband is annoyed at having to get out of the bath to answer the door. Next, once the husband has decided he will make breakfast and the couple have stopped arguing, the music is relatively calm. Then when he begins tackling the bread by cutting it in totally the wrong way, what sounds like, a trombone takes over the melody making it a lower pitch. This combined with the fact that it becomes faster and more staccato makes it sound clumsy because he doesn't know what he is doing. Then later as everything begins to set on fire high repeated staccato notes and discordant harmony is used to show the danger and panic the fire will have caused. Similar suspense techniques and discord iare used when the wife is being sick and the husband is angry about that fact. Finally the music resumes the same upbeat and light hearted feel it had at the beginning once everything has calmed down again and the film is rounding off. This is also signified by the music slowing down towards the end.

Finally, any sound affects like the alarm clock or the door bell are incorporated into the main score and their sounds are generated by instruments. E.g. bells and a flute trill for the alarm.

What conventions have I deduced from this?

From this textual analysis I have deduced the following conventions of silent films:

• Traditionally black and white mainly due to the era they were first created where colour technology wasn't as advanced although it wasn't non-existent just more complicated. 
• Use of Intertitles in places where the meaning can't be expressed in forms other than dialogue or narration
• All sound is non-diegetic - eg. uses music to drive the action and convey the mood
• Music tends to be one continuous piece with any sound effects incorporated into the main score and generated by instruments
• Use of camera angles, such as close ups, to show important facial expressions or pieces of action. 

I intend to replicate several of these conventions within my film:

• Black and white - there are some scenes in my film where a black and white filter might give a better effect
• Intertitles - I will use this in the second park scene where I am having trouble fitting each piece of dialogue on the screen typed out.
• Non-diegetic sound - Eradicating all dialogue will mean I will have to think carefully about how the music I use conveys the mood intended throughout my film.
• Camera angles - As most of my film was silent already I have already thought carefully about the camera angles I am using and how this helps to convey the mood of my piece.

For more information on silent films see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_film

Filming Log - Entry 4

Re-Filming

I have found that some of the longer scenes in my film tend to drag because I hadn't changed the camera angle in the scene. To solve this problem I have re-filmed these scenes. The first scene I have re-shot for this reason is 'Text Scene 1.' Similar to the way it dragged when I filmed the phone receiving the texts, re-shooting the scene with a straight shot of Lauren sat on the bench (so that I could add the text later) improved the pace of the scene only marginally. I therefore re-filmed the scene again this time from several different angles and it now looks a lot more visually interesting.

There are other shorter sections of the film which could do with being re-shot from different angles as well. For example, at the start of park scene 1 the shot of Lauren walking down corridors was a little long and so I have filmed it from different angles to make it more visually interesting. This has helped improved it and gives it an effect similar to the opening scenes of the film 'Snatch' where the camera tracks the group on the CCTV televisions as they travel around a building.

Snatch

I also intend to re-film the start of 'Park Scene 2'  as the long shot of Lauren walking around the corner is a little bit boring because of its length. To solve this I may not re-film it but instead edit in some shots of Lauren looking excited to break it up a little.

The other scene I intend to re-film is the corridor scene. This isn't because there is a problem with the pace or camera angles but because I feel I could make it flow better. The main issue is that I shot it in parts with only one camera and so it is slightly jarring on the eye. To resolve this I will film it with two cameras to ensure the transitions are less obvious.

Adding Film

After editing the main body of my film I decided there were areas where I could add in some more filming to illustrate more clearly some of the ideas key to the plot.

For example, I am going to add a section between 'Common Room Scene 1' and 'Text Scene 1' of Lauren walking down empty corridors or streets to truly highlight the fact that her pen-friend is her only friend.

Also in 'park scene 1' I am going to add in a flashback to solidly show the audience that Chloe is one of the bullies.

Similarly, at the very end, I will add a short clip of Chloe and Lauren doing a high five and smiling at each other to illustrate the fact they have made up and are best friends. 

Idea Development

When watching my short film as it stands I have found that the dialogue scene appears to jar as it is the only scene with dialogue in it. As a result I have decided to eliminate the dialogue from this scene making my film essentially a modern day silent film.

I intend to do this by filming the two friends clearly talking to each other and then syncing this with text that will appear on the screen. This will add an unusual element to my film whilst making it more cohesive as it will be as though they are still conversing via text even though they are face to face.

I will also add a section at the start of this scene of Lauren walking down corridors etc alone to highlight the fact that her 'pen-friend' is her only friend.

I am also going to slightly change 'text scene 2' to again make my film more cohesive. I will do this by again filming Lauren looking at her phone, as opposed to the phone screen, and then adding the texts over the footage. This means I have now filmed Lauren going to her locker then looking at her phone, where the texts appear on screen, before zooming in to a close-up of her face as she considers whether or not to meet Chloe.

Filming log - Entry 3

Today I managed to film both of the scenes that happen in the park. I slightly changed where I filmed because I thought the place I filmed in the end was more suited to what I wanted it for. Also the script for scene 5 is only a rough guide and so in my actually footage there was room for my talent to improvise.I have now filmed all of my scenes so now I will begin editing and re-shooting if I need to.

Scene 3

The next scene is Lauren waiting on a swing in the park for Chloe to arrive. (mid-long shot of her sitting on the swing looking at her phone) She keeps checking her watch  and looks a little nervous. (close-up of watch face showing the time as 5:00) She then looks up to see her friend walking towards her. (long shot of her friend) The camera then zooms into the friend's face and the audience can see that she is one of the ones bullying the main character. (close up) Chloe looks worried because she knows that the person she enjoys talking to so much is the person she lets be bullied at school. Switches to a close up of the Lauren's face. She looks shocked and hurt. Switches back to a close up of the Chloe as she says "Hi" nervously.  Switches back to Lauren who shakes her head and runs away beginning to cry.

Scene 5

The next scene is Lauren walking around the corner ready to meet the Chloe. (point of view shot)  As she rounds the corner Chloe comes into view and stands up when she sees Lauren coming. Lauren walks straight past and goes to sit on the swing behind Chloe. (mid-long shot) Chloe sits down next to her and begins explaining herself.

C: I'm really sorry (looks over to the main character)

L: Why didn't you tell me? (looking at the ground)

C: Because I didn't think you'd believe me if I suddenly came over and said 'Hi, I'm your pen-friend can I sit with you?' (looks away from the main character and begins twiddling her thumbs whilst looking at the ground)

L: Why didn't you stick up for me? (looks at her sharply before looking away again)

C: I don't know. I wish I had...I know I should have done and I know you probably hate me but I really miss talking to you. You're a really great person and a really good friend. Please let me sit with you. (looks at the main character pleadingly)

L: (main character looks up at bully contemplating.) You know they'll start bullying you too? (close up of main character as she says this)

C: I don't care, we can stand up to them together (close up of bully/friend as she replies)

L: (close up of main character as she smiles) Ok then

(They hug)

Idea Development

After filming the texting scenes on the bench I found that there were several issues with filming the phone screen as the conversation happened. For a start, it took to long for each text to be sent and recieved meaning there was a lot of dead time. I tried to solve this by cutting out the dead time inbetween but because the phone was handheld this meant the footage jumped around a lot because of the changes in position. To solve this I have decided to replace the scene with one of Lauren sitting on the bench texting and I will then put the texts up on screen next to her, as seen in popular TV show 'Sherlock.'

This video shows the different text graphics I could use. I want the graphics I use to be more interesting than it just appearing and then disappearing so here are the more interesting alternative I have found.

Filming Log - Entry 2

Today I managed to film all of the parts to scene 4. This includes both parts to the corridor section, the phone screen and Lauren considering.

Scene 4

When filming this scene I found that my origional idea didn't quite work. For this reason this scene now opens with a shot of Chloe as she shuts her locker. She then turns round and sees Lauren, she smiles at her. (mid-shot) The shot then changes to an over-the-shoulder-shot of Lauren walking past hurridly, deliberately avoiding Chloe. The scene then switches back to Chloe and we see her looking hurt by Lauren ignoring her.

The next part, Lauren considering, now consists of Lauren looking at her phone (mid-close-up) before switching to a close-up of the phone screen showing several messages from Chloe saying:

C: I'm so sorry
C: Please don't ignore me
C: Please, meet me in the park at 4:00 I just want to explain

The scene then ends with a (mid-shot) of Lauren considering whether or not to meet Chloe.

Filming Log - Entry 1

Tuesday 24th September 2013

Today I began my filming and I think I made really good progress. I got a lot done and have scheduled in another time to film with my talent.

What I filmed? 

Scene 1

Opens with a shot of the Lauren (main character) on her own in the common room. She is in the foreground and behind her you can see a group of people looking and laughing. She has an annoyed look on her face, there is then a racking focus as the group leader throws a scrunched up ball of paper at her.  When it hits her the bully says, "Oh sorry, did I hit you, I was aiming for the bin." The way she says it is clearly sarcastic.There is then another racking focus back to the main character looking even more annoyed as she hurriedly picks up her things and leaves the room. The shot tracks her as she leaves and you can hear the group in the back laughing as she goes.

Scene 2

This scene is different from my story board as it now involves a text conversation. For this reason it is a close-up of Lauren's phone screen as she has a text conversation with her friend.

Scene 6

The final scene is Lauren and Chloe walking into the common room together, (mid shot/tracking shot of them walking in) and the bullies looking at the Chloe like she's infected (mid-shot of the bully/friend's old group looking disgusted) and Chloe and Lauren ignore them no longer caring. (mid-shot of them looking over their shoulders, maybe waving mockingly)

 

Next Tuesday (1st October 2013) I intend to film both of the park scenes and possibly the corridor scene depending on how long the park scenes take.

Influential Short Film

Influential short film:

The Desk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_kIyihNd-A

'The Desk' is a short film that follows Peter as he starts a new school. He has yet to make friends and so when he is bored in class he writes on the desk. The next day when he has the same class he finds that someone called Julie has written a message back. This continues for a few days until one day he is in his lesson and the message back appears before his eyes. This shocks him at first but it turns out the desk is some sort of time portal and both of them are in the same room but at different times. He and Julie continue to talk to each other until one day his class gets moved. Things go back to the way they were before and one day, on the way to his new class he drops his folders, a girl comes to help him but no more is said about the encounter. The final scene shows the teacher introducing a new student to the class and he instantly knows she is Julie, she is also the girl who helped him in the corridor. They have finally met.

Although the plot line for my film centers around a different idea there are many similarities between the two. For example:
 

Both show a friendship where the people involved have never 'knowingly' met
 

The friendship in the desk grows as Julie and Peter write messages to each other on the desk.
 

In mine the friendship grows as Chloe and Lauren converse via text. 
 

In both the audience meets the other character at the same time as the main character after having already seen them in another scene
 

In the desk Julie and Peter met in the corridor before they knew each other and we then discover the girl is Julie when she joins his class.
 

In mine Chloe sits with the group who bully Lauren but the audience and Lauren don't discover this until they meet in the park.
 

Both contain very little audible dialogue
 

The desk features conversations almost exclusively written on the desk.
 

Mine shows the conversations through texts with only one scene of dialogue.

Idea development

When thinking of how I am going to film the scenes in my film I encountered some problems with the computer screen scenes. Firstly, I want to make it realistic and it is unlikely that Lauren would be able to access her pen-friend account at school. Secondly I didn't know how to make a fake website that wouldn't look obviously fake and would work properly, so, to solve these problems I have decided that instead, the two computer screen scenes will be replaced with text conversations between the friends. I feel this will also make my film more up-to-date and appealing as texting is a large part of the modern world.

Who will be my talent?

I have encountered several problems when deciding on who my talent will be. Issue 1 is location. Ideally I want to film some sections at my house but I live quite a long way away from school and so it would be hard to get any of the people I would like to be my talent to the location I have in mind. One solution would be to have a family member star in my film or star in it myself but the scenes filmed at home require someone physically moving the camera, which is something I need to do to ensure it is done how I want it. This leaves my only solution to find another location.

Main Character - Lauren: Kyra Summers

Bully/pen-friend - Chloe: Emily Corcoran

Group of bullies: Chloe Ryan, Beth Mullen, Emily Corcoran

I have solved the problem of location by changing the scenes that involved using my house to scenes that I can film at school.

Shooting Schedule

What I need to shoot - in order of appearance 

Scene 1
common room 1

 

Scene 2

walking home/in the computer room

computer screen 1

sitting on the floor/repeated coming through the door

Scene 3

park 1

Scene 4

corridor

computer screen 2

considering

Scene 5

park 2

Scene 6

common room 2

What can I shoot at the same time?

• common room 1 and 2
• corridor
• computer screen 1 and 2
• sitting on floor/in the computer room and considering
• park 1 and 2

Problems I may encounter

I am aware that my schedule can only be a rough guide as due to weather restrictions I may not be able to film outside at the times I want to. I also have to be aware of when my talent are available for filming and take this into account. 

Schedule

23/9 - 4/10/2013
phone 1 and 2
common room 1 and 2 
corridor 
sitting on the bench/considering

1/10/2013
park 1 and park 2

Subsidiary Task Planning

Now that I have storyboarded my film I can begin to consider ideas for my subsidiary tasks. At this stage any idea are only rough as it is likely my film will change over the process however, I feel it will be easier to create my subsidiary tasks when the time comes if I have been thinking about ideas throughout the process. Here are my ideas so far:

Poster

I do have one idea and this is that the main background will be a faded image of Lauren texting. The bottom of the poster will have two silhouetted images on either side of the page. One will be Chloe and one will be Lauren. This will give the impression that they are meeting. The image of Lauren texting will fade into a creamy/white colour and the silhouettes will make a sharp contrast to this background. The title will then be at the top of the page and a tag line or sell line will be between the silhouettes at the bottom.

very rough draft of what my idea would look like

Review Page

As I am unfamiliar with film review pages I will be completing textual analysis of several existing film review pages to find out the conventions and use this information accordingly. From the little I do know I imagine my review page will be similar to my idea for a poster and will use some of the same imagery. I will also draw on the skills I gained at AS which taught me about working in print and about setting out magazine double page spreads.

Storyboard - Pen-friends

Scene 1

Opens with a shot of Lauren (main character) on her own in the common room. She is in the foreground and behind her you can see a group of people looking and laughing. She has an annoyed look on her face, there is then a racking focus as the group leader throws a scrunched up ball of paper at her.  When it hits her the bully says, "Oh sorry, did I hit you, I was aiming for the bin." The way she says it is clearly sarcastic.There is then another racking focus back to the main character looking even more annoyed as she hurriedly picks up her things and leaves the room. The shot tracks her as she leaves and you can hear the group in the back laughing as she goes. The audience can see Chloe (pen-friend/bully) looking clearly uncomfortable at the bullying in the background but the audience and Lauren don't know her true identity yet.

Scene 2

Opens with Lauren walking home and into her house quickly as if in an excited hurry. (mid-long shot of her walking along the street) Once inside she dumps her bag and rushes to her computer. (close up of bag as it is dumped) She presses the on button (close up of her pressing button) and is clearly impatient as it loads. (mid-shot of her next to her computer as it loads) Once it's loaded she starts a conversation with her pen friend...

INSERT PHOTO OF MY HOUSE

(close up of the screen as Lauren opens the programme and types/sends the first message. Close up of screen continues as the conversation ensues)

Lauren (L): Hey :D
Chloe - Cool-chick (C-C): Hey :D
L: What you been up to?
C-C: Not much, school...you?
L: Same...what is the point?
C-C: I know right!?
L: I've been thinking...maybe we should meet up?
C-C: Yeah, why not? :D
L: :D Ok, when?
C-C: How about we meet tomorrow in the park? 4pm?
L: Sounds good to me! :D
C-C: Cool! Can't wait :D
L: Me neither! :D

The scene ends with a circular tracking shot of her sitting talking on her computer having clearly more fun than at school

Scene 3

The next scene is Lauren waiting on a swing in the park for her pen-friend to arrive. (mid-long shot of her sitting on the swing looking at her phone) She keeps checking her watch  and looks a little nervous. (close-up of watch face showing the time as 5:00) She then looks up to see her Chloe walking towards her. (long shot of her friend) The camera then zooms into the Chloe's face and the audience can see that she is one of the ones bullying Lauren. (close up) Chloe looks worried because she knows that the person she enjoys talking to so much is the person she lets be bullied at school. Switches to a close up of the Lauren's face. She looks shocked and hurt. Switches back to a close up of the Chloe as she says "Hi" nervously.  Switches back to Lauren who shakes her head and runs away beginning to cry.

Scene 4

The next scene is in the corridor. Mid-shot of the Lauren walking down the hall. She see's Chloe who smiles at her and Lauren puts her head down and walks off quickly. Audience can see Chloe looking upset over the Lauren's shoulder. It then switches to a close up of a computer screen again and shows a series of messages from the Chloe to the Lauren. Each says a different time during the day.

C: I'm so sorry
C: Please don't ignore me
C: Please, meet me in the park at 4:00 I just want to explain

Switches to a shot of the Lauren looking at the screen and then turning to look at the door considering. (over the shoulder shot)

Scene 5

The next scene is Lauren walking around the corner ready to meet Chloe. (point of view shot)  As she rounds the corner Chloe comes into view and stands up when she sees Lauren coming. Lauren walks straight past and goes to sit on the swing behind Chloe. (mid-long shot) Chloe sits down next to her and begins explaining herself.

C: I'm really sorry (looks over at Lauren)

L: Why didn't you tell me? (looking at the ground)

C: Because I didn't think you'd believe me if I suddenly came over and said 'Hi, I'm your pen-friend can I sit with you?' (looks away from the main character and begins twiddling her thumbs whilst looking at the ground)

L: Why didn't you stick up for me? (looks at her sharply before looking away again)

C: I don't know. I wish I had...I know I should have done and I know you probably hate me but I really miss talking to you. You're a really great person and a really good friend. Please just let me sit with you. (looks at the Lauren pleadingly)

L: (Lauren looks up at Chloe contemplating.) You know they'll start bullying you too? (close up of Lauren as she says this)

C: I don't care, we can stand up to them together (close up of Chloe as she replies)

L: (close up of Lauren as she smiles) Ok then

(They hug)

Scene 6

The final scene is Lauren and Chloe walking into the common room together, (mid shot/tracking shot of them walking in) and the bullies looking at the Chloe like she's infected. (mid-shot of the Chloe's old group looking disgusted) Chloe and Lauren ignore them no longer caring and the scene ends. (mid-shot of them looking over their shoulders, maybe waving mockingly)

To Do List

1. Story board and take photos of locations (photo story board) 13/9/2013
2. Write Script 13/9/2013
3. Think about who my talent is going to be 13/9/2013
4. Write a shooting schedule 13/09/2013
5. Begin filming 16/9/2013
6. Finish filming 30/9/2013

Target Audience Profile

As Pen-friends is a 'teen drama' my target audience is obviously going to be teenagers. Here is an example of an average watcher for my short film.

Gender: Female - I feel that my target audience is more likely be female than male because the way the two female friends make up at the end of the film is more typical of the way girls resolve issues or fallouts and so is more relate-able to teenage girls. 

Age: 14 - 19

Socio-economic grouping: E - In full time education

Social Activities: Watching films/TV, reading, blogging, using social networking sites, listening to music, watching videos/vlogs on Youtube and meeting friends

I think my target audience is most likely to participate in activities along these lines because people participating in these activities will be more likely to come across adverts for my film.

I think that appealing to a younger demographic will help my film's popularity as teenagers are the widest users of new technologies such as social networking sites and Youtube. Appealing to them will mean that they are more likely to come across my film, like it and share their finding with their friends. 

Audience, narrative, representations and genre

Now thatI have decided on an idea for my film I have thought about who my target audience will be, the representations I will convey and the narrative I will use.

Genre:
Teen Drama

Audience:
Teenagers aged between 14 and 19. (See my Target Audience Profile post for a more detailed description.)

Narrative:
My short film will have almost no dialogue so I will mainly set the mood using editing techniques such as colour correction, the addition of non-diegetic sound and through mise en scene and the camera angles I use. For example, close ups to show expression, dull colours to convey a sad mood, sad/happy music etc.

Representations:
The representations I intend to convey will be everyday issues that my target audience (teenagers) might face. The main themes will be bullying, on-line friendships and real friendships. Although these representations are simple I feel they will both interest and help my target audience.

Final idea for my short film

From my initial ideas I have decided to go with the idea 'Pen-friends.'

Pen-friends - Teen Drama

Film about a girl who's best friend is her pen-friend. She doesn't have a very good life at school. She doesn't always get on with everyone and gets bullied but she finds comfort in her pen-friend. Film flashes between her normal rubbish life and her conversations with her pen-friend. (Close ups of computer screen as they type/talk) She talks to her pen-friend about everything and takes it as a chance to completely forget about everything around her. (360 degree pan of her on her computer looking happy, laughing etc. maybe go round twice) Ends up with her inviting her friend to stay with her and her friend agreeing. This film would have very little talking (I would maybe only have bits of dialogue coming through when I'm showing her being sad) It would mainly come through from the on screen conversations and the music.

I have decided to go with this idea because I feel I will find it easier to execute it to the best of my abilities given the equipment and resources I have available to me. 

Ideas for my short film

As I already mentioned, I am going to be creating a short film for my coursework. I have decided this because I feel I can be more creative with my ideas for a short film and make better use of the resources available to me. I have already looked at some of the conventions if short films and I have since been thinking about possible ideas.

Ideas

1. My Life - Comedy

A teenage girl who keeps being unlucky in the most unfortunate situations. For example, she walks into a locker when she see's the guy she likes, she falls up the stairs in front of half the school, she gets pulled along by her dog as he chases a runner etc.

Opens with a flash through her life using really short snippets of footage and jump cuts before it stops on her standing outside school preparing to walk through the door. (possible fish bowl lens effect) This would all happen in the time it takes for her voice over to say "My name is (character's name) and this is my life." The words 'my life' would appear on the screen at the same time as the screen shows her preparing to go into school and the words are said in the voice over.

2. Pen-friends - Teen Drama

Film about a girl who's best friend is her pen-friend. She doesn't have a very good life at school because she doesn't always get on with everyone and gets bullied but she finds comfort in her pen-friend. Film flashes between her normal rubbish life and her conversations with her pen-friend. (Close ups of computer screen as they type/talk) She talks to her pen-friend about everything and takes it as a chance to completely forget about everything around her. (360 degree pan of her on her computer looking happy, laughing etc. maybe go round twice) Ends up with her inviting her friend to stay with her and her friend agreeing. This film would have very little talking (I would maybe only have bits of dialogue coming through when I'm showing her being sad) It would mainly come through from the on screen conversations and the music.

Inspiration

1. My life

This inspiration for 'My life' came after I watched a short film called ‘Love Sick.’ I liked the fact it was a comedy and that it mainly used a voice over. If I made my first idea I would take these two ideas from the film and put them into my own film. 

Love Sick

2. Pen-friends

The inspiration for my pen-friend idea came from the fact that my sister has recently started a correspondence with a pen-friend in China. I was also watching the film ‘The Holiday’ and at one point two of the characters start talking over email and I like the way they filmed them typing with a close up of the computer screen. I will also take inspiration from the short film ‘The Desk.’ Similar to my idea most of the dialogue comes from two of the characters talking on a desk. 

The Desk

Short Film Conventions

Before I decide on an idea for my short film I am going to look into some of the conventions by doing a textual analysis of an existing short film.

Textual Analysis:

Seconds

Camera angles

In 'Seconds' camera angles are used in a range of imaginative ways. For example, the opening sequence is a string of extreme close-ups that clearly set out the main theme.

Extreme close-up of clock - shows it is about seconds

Extreme close-up of tooth brush - shows its morning

Extreme close-up of car keys - shows he's going out 

Close-ups feature quite heavily throughout the film. I think this is because it uses both footage and still photographs in its narrative. Usually when it is showing footage the film is aiming to highlight the intimacy of the two characters relationship and using close-ups enables them to convey this more effectively.

Close-up 

Close -up 

Close-up 

Extreme close-up

I think the producer has chosen to use a large amount of close-ups because they are the best camera angle to use when you want to show a lot of detail.

The other camera angles used in the film are different forms of mid-shot (as shown below) and long shots. These shots are all useful when establishing the scene but they can also be used to highlight a certain feeling, for example, isolation.

Mid-shot - establishes the scene

Low angle mid-shot - again establishes the scene but the higher angle suggests their relationship is stronger

Long-shot - establishes the scene and shows they are happy being the only two together

h
High angle mid-shot - shows they are looking up through the hanging papers

Mise en scene

The use of Mise en scene in 'Seconds,' as in any film, is used to help set the scene. In 'Seconds' it is used specifically to help indicate the passage of time. The narrative follows a relationship as it passes through 1 week to 1 month to 1 year to 1 life time and the scenes or actions taking place have been chosen to highlight this. For example, when the voice over is talking about how many seconds are in a week the footage is of the couple on their first date. We can tell this because they are in a bar and are both dressed nicely.

Mise en scene suggests first date

The second time period being talked about in the voice over is the amount of seconds in a month. Here the footage is of the couple walking through a park. This suggests that their relationship has moved on but not to a serious stage yet.

Mise en scene suggests a relatively new relationship

The third amount of seconds the voice over tells us is the amount of seconds in a year. Now that time is becoming longer it is getting harder to portray so here the director uses a series of photographs of them on holiday to show that they have moved onto that stage in their relationship. This suggests that their relationship has become more serious as they have been away together.

Mise on scene shows that their relationship is more serious

Finally, the last period of time talked about is a lifetime. This will have been hard to portray as they can't gain footage from the future so they have had to find other ways of implying a lifetime spent together. Mise en scene helps them do this here by showing the couple together looking happy and flashing through all the photographs that have previously been shown as well as adding some new ones. This, in turn, suggests they will stay together for a whole life time.

Mise en scene shows the couple are happy so will stay together - the sun setting in this photo also shows that another day has been spent together. 

Editing Techniques

As with any short film 'Seconds' uses transitions to make the film flow more easily. However, 'Seconds' doesn't tend to change the transitions it uses. Since photographs are interspersed between the footage the film uses jump cuts to give the impression that it is flicking through photographs of a person's life.

The one transition that is slightly more imaginative is at the end when the two people on the bench are erased from the picture. Here the people are faded off the bench to give the impression they were never there at all.

Here you can see the couple being faded out

The use of still photographs with the moving image in 'Seconds' is one of the more unique editing techniques used in the film. I say this because throughout the film each of the sections I mentioned in the mise en scene section above combine photographs with moving image to convey the passage of time. Depending on how long is being talked about depends on the amount of photographs. For example, 1 day no photographs used where as 1 year features about 16.

The second more interesting editing technique used in the film is the use of speed. The speed with which the photos are flicked through increases over the course of the lifetime section which again helps to show the passage of time.

The final more unusual use of an editing techniques is the use of rewind. At the end of the film the voice over is talking about how 1 second can make or erase a lifetime and so it rewinds through several of the pieces of footage we have seen before.

Sound

Finally I move onto sound. 'Seconds' uses entirely non-diegetic sound which means it has all been added during the editing process. It uses music to convey the mood but most importantly it uses a voice over. Without the voice over the film wouldn't make sense as it is all about how 1 second could create or erase a lifetime that could have happened. This is portrayed through a man's decision to say "Hi" to girl at a cafe. If he does they stay together forever and if he doesn't he'll never see her again.

The music in the film plays a big part in setting the mood. Although it is most likely only there to make the voice over sound less harsh it still tells the audience that something bad is going to happen just before the lifetime is erased as it modulates to a minor key. This happens when they are back in the cafe. He is just about to say something but then she walks off, effectively erasing their entire lifetime.

Thinking about saying hi

Girl walking off

The final use of non-diagetic sound used in the film is the sound of a ticking clock. At the start and end of the film there is a ticking sound indicating the passing seconds. At the start of the film all the actions a synchronised with the music in that the footage (e.g. the toothbrush I showed in my camera angles section) changes with each tick.

Conventions of a short film:

From this textual analysis I have decided that the conventions of short films are:

• Simple story line - follow one thing (no complicated sub-plots or similar)
• Simple structure - clearly defined beginning middle and end
• Little dialogue - tend to use little/no dialogue or a voice over
• Simple background music in place of dialogue (tends to be classical/piano music with no contradicting melodies)
• Camera work, editing techniques, mise en scene and sound are key to helping convey the mood as there is little dialogue

In my short film I intend to stick to these conventions as far as possible as I want my film to be an authentic short.