Initial prop ideas- Whole group- Different contributions

Adam- Camera
We all agreed that we would like to use my home webcam as a prop as it has a light which turns on when it shows something is being filmed. I also like the look of the camera as it looks quite nice in general. We will be using Jacobs laptop camera as this has good quality so this camera will primerily be a prop.

Initial idea update- Adam

We have developed our idea into having one main character instead of 3 or 4 characters. It is a lone character in isolation who we could  lead the audience to believe could be committing a criminal activity.


This idea is only an idea as we are trying out other ideas which we also like at the moment.

Audience feedback on story ideas, proposed characters and scenes - Eve

During our initial ideas several people we questioned about our idea to do with a dramatic twist and several characters being included in this idea however; after thinking it through as a group and discussing it with our two teachers we have decided to use a different idea. Most of the people we asked, parents, friends and teachers thought the first idea might not work so well; by having a lot of characters it may get confusing they pointed out and by having to film in Brighton it may make things difficult with arranging filming times with the group because of us having work schedules and other college work to complete. 


We have decided to go with a second idea that was put together last week, after all contributing to the spider diagram and note taking process when first thinking up the idea we have no worked out a suitable and what we hope to be successful short film. After again asking parents, friends, other media students and teachers we have come up with a list of pros and cons they have given us to make sure we can work on to improve before the mistakes are made:
Pro's of the new idea 

• If filmed and completed well, many thought the film sounded witty and entertaining
• Many really liked the idea of having him doing a video blog
• By having the shots of him during his real life it will emphasise the fact of loneliness and the audience will sympathise with him, getting them more involved with the film
• Not having so many characters will be less confusing
• The film will be fairly easy to film therefore, it will hopefully have a good outcome as a successful short film and piece of Media A2 coursework

Con's of the new idea 

• Getting the main actor to look genuinely sad/happy at the appropriate times will be hard therefore, the group must work hard to find a suitable actor
• Using a correct webcam that will allow us to capture the detail and successful footage we need for our film

Notes, images, links on initial research into short film promotion - Jacob

I will be looking into how the creators of short films advertise their work and how it goes from being an unseen piece to a famous and even career changing piece. 
While researching into promotion and advertising of short films I came across many different websites which promote short films some from big producers and some from smaller producers and not all ways professional work. There are many websites that are used only for short films such as Virgin Media Shorts and many others, these websites seem to show the winners of short film awards and appear to be best made films in terms of visual and audio filming.
In most of the websites I have looked at the only way the film appears to be promoted online is through actually being able to watch it there and then this is a highly different way of showing films in comparison to feature films released in cinema. In this German website it is clear that they promote films using short reviews and write-ups either by the creator of the film or of their own opinion of the films. This way can make the audience feel more attached to the director of the film and will also give them a better interest into how and why the film was made.  
In this website it actually tells you how to promote your films and how you can gain the interest of film producers and make them see your film. It also allows you to create a profile for others to view and comment on your films and works. This is a great way to push your film forward and seems to allow you to become part of the system to progress in to higher stages of film making. It has a homepage which people can use to update audiences on viewings of their films and if they are going to or and announced for a award.
 

Outline script - Adam

I have been looking at a few scripts from movies from http://www.simplyscripts.com/ and have noticed a few features i'm going to take on board to our script to make it as clear as I possibly can. For example in this script from the film 'Inception' we can see that key characters, actions and locations are in bold to bring emphasis to the cast. Other pieces of information are not in bold which aren't key words but are still important for informing the producers of the film. We don't need to use this technique but I think I'll just make note that key characters must be involved and clearly present.



Outline script
1.Blank screen with music over the top.

2. Close up of web cam - light on web cam switches on.

3. Cuts to main characters room. Shallow depth of field of ticking clock with main character in background out of focus. Main character (Scott) is walking around in back ground performing various activities. Scene will have time lapse elements to it and we can see this reflected in clock.

4.Mid shot of Scott sitting at computer facing web cam. He is out of focus initially but 'tweaks' the web cam to bring himself into focus.

5. Scott sits in chair looking like he doesn't know what to do. 'Tuesday' in text is in top right of the shot and fades away to show that it is Tuesday when this is happening.

6.  Cuts to Scott in same shot with different clothes to show it is different day. 'Thursday' in text in top right of shot and fades away. Main character is looking bored, still hasn't got anything to say.

7. Cuts to Scott in same shot again with different clothes to show it is different day. 'Saturday' in text in top right of shot and fades away. Scott is looking bored again but doing tasks to occupy himself.

8. Exact same shot as last however it is in the evening and Scott thinks of something to do and this is apparent in his facial expression. He will then speak about his day on tuesday.

9. Cuts to a close up shot of Scott in a park and his dialogue continues into this shot giving narration over the scene. 

10. Cuts to him sitting alone on a bench in the park eating a packed lunch with a long shot. The dialogue also continues over this scene.

11. Cuts to a long shot of the previous scene showing 2 more benches beside him both empty. The dialogue still continuing over scene.

12. Cuts to medium shot of Scott facing webcam again wearing same clothes so it is still Saturday evening. He begins to talk about Thursday.

13. The next shot is him playing a video game on his sofa. Only half of sofa is filmed so we don't know what is in other half. It should be in a medium long shot. Narration is present again over the shot. A pan up may be used here which pans up from the floor to face Scott on the sofa.

14. Cuts to shot revealing all of sofa and Scott is smiling at 2 fish on table on the side of the sofa. He begins to talk to them. Still medium long shot but perhaps in a different angle or place to the previous shot.

15. A cut is made back to the webcam where he precedes to talk about his day on Saturday.

16. Cuts to shot of Scott gardening on his knees with narration over the top describing the context of the situation. This will be in a mid- long shot.

17.Cuts to a shot of Scott mowing a lawn with a house in the background with dialogue continuing over. This may be in a mid-long shot or just a long shot.

18.Returns to Scott facing webcam where he talks about other activities during the week.

19. Dialogue carries over to new scene of Scott at a side of a busy room sitting down seperated from a main group. It is clear to the audience that he is seperated from this group. Mid-long shot to long shot as we need to see the separation between him and the group.

20. Cuts to a shot of Scott in a corridor as we see him walk past a female character called 'Laura' and her friend. Stars with mid-shot as he walks past her and then leads to a close up shot of him bowing his head in a shy manner.

21.Cuts to Scott facing webcam again. He talks about Laura.

22. Cuts to a shot of a carpark with two cars next to eachother. Laura is getting into one and Scott the other.
Scotts eyes are fixed on Laura having a cigarette. This will be a long shot.

23. Moves to a close up of Laura's hand with cigarette in it. Shows a point of view shot from Scott.

24.A quick cut to the cigarette being dropped onto the floor as a close up of it by Lauras foot and being stomped out by her.

25.Cuts to a low angle point of view shot from cigarette looking up toward Scott. Shows Scott peering down at the cigarette.

26. Switches to a long shot of Scott coming out of an offlicense with a packet of cigarettes in his hand.

27.Cuts to shot of Scott facing webcam again. He talks about smoking.

28. Leads to an extreme close up of Scott attempting to smoke a cigarette and he begins to choke.

29.There is a quick cut to mid shot of him choking.

30. Returns to webcam shot of him continuing to talk about smoking and Laura.

31.Returns to a shot of him mowing a lawn but except in a different location the the last with him maybe speaking over the top of shot. Laura is seen in the house at the back of the shot.

32.This leads to a medium-long shot of Laura walking toward him with a tray of refreshments as he continues to mow.

33. It cuts to a shot of Scott noticing Laura and accepting the refreshments with dialogue between them. Mid-long shot and we can have them both in the middle of shot so they can both walk towards the middle to meet.

34.The final shot is both characters back in room with sofa both playing video games with the fish bowl out of focus at front of screen so a deep depth of field is used. A focus switch changes focus toward the fish bowl so it is in focus and a shallow depth of field is used. At the bottom right of the screen the title of the film 'Forgetting Jim' appears.

Initial ideas for additional sound - Jamie

Sound is a very important element of a short film, so we need to make sure we get it right. We are going to include a soundtrack for the opening scenes, we will need to sample many different tracks to make sure we find a song that gives the audience an idea of the mood of the film. A soundtrack is an example of non diagetic sound because we cannot see the source it is coming from.
  Diagetic sound is the opposite, when we can see where the sound is coming from in the scene, for example footsteps or doors closing. Seeing as we are producing a short film of a boys everyday life, we will be using alot of diagetic sound in order to make the film have a sense of realism so the audience believe everything that is happening in the scenes. We will be able to use the cameras recording equipment to capture the sounds of the scenes we film anyway, however if there is any unnecessary background noise, or we need a sound to be alot clearer, we may have to record the sounds separately and edit them into the film. This is called foley, and most makers employ foley artists to ensure the most realistic sounds.


I think we should use sound as a way of differentiating the shots between webcam and video camera, this would help give the audience a better idea of the transitions between scenes. As an idea, we could use a sound you may hear from a webcam or camera, this again makes it easier for the audience to understand.





One of the programs we may use to create the soundtrack is called Garageband, we have used Garageband last year and it is a very simple yet very effective way of producing a soundtrack for the film. The program already has a wide variety of sound effects built in which are available to us, however if needed we can always record any sounds we cannot find in the data base. 

Storyboard - Whole group

Our storyboard is currently being done and will be completed by the end of the session (27 Jan)- hopefully with an animatic to illustrate this.

Animatic

Short statements on initial group decisions in each of the areas of assessment - Eve

• The genre and style of our short film that we have decided to work with is a mixture of reality drama and yet including some aspects of comedy to contrast the more serious part of our film. We have decided to do this simply because we all feel this will keep our audience entertained, during our first viewing of 'King Ponce' there were some serious and dramatic aspects of the film which lead us into the idea of having this comparison. Because of the audience we are reaching out to, the comedy will be tame and the same will apply to the serious and dramatic aspects of our short film; by having this we believe it will keep our audience entertained and feeling more involved during the film, keeping them wondering what will be happening next.
• The narrative of our short film we have decided to carry through with an idea of having an isolated, lonely and imaginative teenage boy who doesn't realise how alone he really is. By constantly blogging his days activities which are often elaborated on and exaggerated in some way, however; to show this we will have actual footage of his days at work, college and home life to show his real everyday experiences
• Looking at our potential audiences for this short film, we have come to the conclusion that we would like to aim the film at people ages fifteen and over, this we hope; will give us a wide audience to work with and appeal to. I think the simple comedy aspects will appeal to the younger generation and the more dramatic reality work will appeal to slightly older generations.

Lighting notes - Jamie

Lighting is important because obviously it lights the scene, lights the characters, but can also help create different moods. In our film we will need to try and make the scenes look like they are only lit by natural sources in order to keep the realism. This will mean using the ambient lighting in the room, however we can use red heads if we feel the need to. When we switch to the non web cam shots we could use some different lighting effects, for example use low or high key lighting. 

< Here is an example of high key lighting, it gives off a dreamy effect, good for flashback.

This diagram shows how high key lighting can be created>

We have a few scenes which are meant to show 'what really happens' so some sort of change in lighting may help to portray this.
In our film our character is very lonely, so we could use dull lighting or some sort of filter on the camera or on the lights to make the mood more depressing. Another idea which we have already put into practice is using a large LED light to create the effect that the character is sitting in front of a screen , we have also used an actual computer screen so you can see the reflection in the characters glasses. These are all in order to make sure the audience get a sense of realism when watching the film. 

   The short film 'Conversation Piece' is a good example of the use of natural lighting, and they have probably used lights in order to create the illusion of natural light.

Location Scouting - Jacob

On Thursday 20th of January I traveled to Brighton to 8 -13 Black Lion Street to photograph one of the two buildings, this was the late seventies concrete framed 5-storey office building which has a basement car park. I was allowed to photograph the third and fourth floors which could have been possible locations for the Initial Idea written about by Adam.

The lights that are in place at this location are long strip lights which light the entire room and block away the natural light that enters from the windows either side, to use this space most effectively we would need to bring with us some extra lighting preferably using the million candle torches to provide the side lighting to give the effect of the sun coming through the window.    

Brainstorming Ideas for our Coursework - Jamie

We struggled at first to think up any good ideas, however we had a good session of brainstorming as a group and now have an idea we can go ahead with and develop.
  Jacob knew a very good location in which we could use to create anything we wanted, it was a huge empty office building in Brighton, so had a lot of potential.  However we tried to come up with some could story lines and ideas which would make the best use of the facility we had, but we found that the location restricted us, and therefore we tried to block it out of our minds. This enabled us to think up our main idea which Eve has now posted up. 
 I am very happy with the idea we have and as a group we are now putting together our own ideas for shots, camera angles and different effects we can use while filming. 

Initial idea- Adam

Our first idea is to build up a suspenseful situation much like in King Ponce where we are lead to believe that something bad was going to happen with him dancing but it turned out to be a happy ending.

We could  have two or four people making their way to a quiet location in quite a suspicious manner. We were going to use techniques like making the audience believe they have guns, they were going to commit some criminal activity and just trying to create a sense that they were doing  something wrong. We could achieve  this through use of obscure camera angles not revealing some faces and focusing on certain actions which could look suspicious.

When the characters arrived at the hall we are going to use a lot of shot cuts to build up pace and tension. We could have parallel editing of two people running up stairs and meeting in the hall  but then instead of anything sinister happening they would dress up and dance. All the items we think could be used for malicious reasons would instead be used in the dance which would be a nice ending.

We have ideas where the location was going to be and one that we liked was a large hall in Brighton with windows and columns that Jacob could gain access to via his Dad. This would have been excellent for the impression that the characters in the story wanted to go a hidden location that was large.

This is only our first initial idea because we liked the idea of a twist like in King Ponce so we wanted a film to reflect that.

Idea for our short film - Eve

We have been coming up with ideas for our coursework piece all week however, are struggling to get some good ideas being produced. After being influenced by King Ponce and wanting to go against the normal stereotype of teenagers the group are wanting to come up with a quirky and different idea that will keep our audience interested for the duration of our film.
During the lesson yesterday we came up with the idea of having someone who is creating a video diary on Youtube/vlog and going through their daily or weekly routine and conveying to the audience that they are a typical teenager, always going out, socializing with friends, going to college etc. However, there will be a twist, our character is actually very lonely; he has little friends and rarely goes anywhere. Instead of making this short film sad we intend to make some aspects of it into a comedy and try to keep the audience engaged by keeping them amused. 

These are two examples of video diaries/vlog's that are on Youtube, one is by Cher Lloyd who competed on the 2010 edition of X-factor. The next is one I simply found on Youtube by an American teenager talking about his life in general. 

Cher Lloyd - video diary

Teenager - video diary 

Short Film Research - Jacob

The first film that I looked at was Mixtape by Luke Snellin. It is a short film made in 2009 which makes out  a relationship between a young boy and girl who are next door neighbours. The film was awarded a Virgin Media Shorts 2009  award which was the biggest achievement for Snellin so far in his career, this then lead for Virgin to award Snellin a £30,000 towards his next budget for a virgin film. The film is only two and a half minutes long but manages to bring the audience to an innocence in the main character Ben. I think this is a particularly good short film due to how close the audience feels to the character Ben.

The First Shot from the film.

The first shot in the film is very simple but effective, it is a cassette in a tape player and is spinning round. I like this because in many films the audience first see's an establishing short of a place or person, this differs from that norm and engages the audience in an action straight away. I hope that our group will find an opening shot just as engaging and create an original idea.

Opening Credits

As the film starts the title of the film and the opening credits appear written on the paper casing for a plastic tape holder. This manner of crediting was very interesting because it gave a sense of reality rather than an appearance of floating words. I think that our group should explore our own way of working credits into the start of the film rather than a simple rolling set at the end. 

The next shot is when Ben the boy in the film is listening to music, but the shot is from behind and this seems to create a lot of questions about the character straight away but also makes the audience know that Ben is in his own world while listening to music. This then leads to a quick set of shots in which Ben opens the tape player, then takes the tape out and place's it in his shirt pocket. When doing so it takes Ben two try's to fit the tape in the shirt, I think that this adds a sense of realism to the film by using a small fail to make Ben seem more human.

As the rest of the film plays out you see Ben walk out of his door and down his path, they slowed down the footage so that you can see the pressure and emotion in Ben as he psych's himself out to walk next door. This then leads to a series of shot reverse shot's as a dialogue runs between Ben and Lily's mum (the girl next door).

After this Ben is back in his room and he starts to hear his music playing from next door, the camera then quickly snaps to Lily sitting down, looking up straight at the camera. This sudden change is very clever because the audience get to know her feelings and emotions towards Ben instantly. 

The last shot in the film is very interesting because it gives the impression that the camera is in the wall and shows Ben and Lily leaning against the same wall and both have very clear expressions about the other and both seems to sink into comfortable positions thinking about each other. 






Signs

Signs is a short film created by Publicis Mojo and @RadicalMedia and is about two people working in office towers who communicate to each other by holding signs up to the window's. The first shot in this film is a birds eye view shot above the bed of the main character Jason, you can instantly tell that he is bored and even depressed as he wakes up to a mundane alarm sound. His placement in the bed suggests that he doesn't have a relationship with anyone intimate because of him lying in the centre of a bed made for two. 




As the story progress's we start to feel sorry for Jason because of the loneliness we see in his life. There is a scene when he is standing on an escalator and he glances up at a woman but then quickly nods his head down to look away from her giving the audience the impression that he isn't very confident but is always looking for someone. This is a key point to the film as it is this confidence that grows as the story unfolds. 

By showing Jason in shots where he is doing his job the audience realise that he doesn't enjoy his work and he does it in such a sequence it seems that he doesn't even need to think about what he is doing. Also it shows him in a meeting where his boss tells a joke and the rest of the people there break into laughter, the director has broken Jason away from this group by making him look gormless and unaware of what has been said around him therefore splitting him away from the work group. 

When it seems as if Jason is at his most bored moment at work you seem him glance out the window to see Stacy working in the building opposite, when she notices him looking she writes a note saying "Take a photo" which causes Jason to panic and feel bad for staring at her, this then proceeds to her laughing and writing "I'm Kidding!". From this point on there is a constant back and fourth of them writing each other notes and as this part starts to progress the pace of shots and action quickens with happy fast pace music. 

Later in the film Jason is considering asking to meet in person but when he finally goes to ask her she isn't there and then seemingly falls back into the same depressive state as to which he started. He stays like this for a short part of the film until the music starts to build up anticipation which then lead to the reappearance of Stacy and then their first meeting. The entire film doesn't use any dialogue for either of the main characters but still manages to keep the audience engaged and interested in the story, this was done by using specific shots which can tell a lot about a characters personality. As the film ends the last shot is a long distance shot of the met between them and of Stacy lifting up a note saying "Hi" but written in a love heart, this reaches to the audience's emotions and creates a sense of happiness that leaves with them.

This is the short film Signs.

Sign Language

Sign Language is a short film which was winner of the Virgin Media Shorts 2010 and is the story of Ben who holds a sign for a living and loves his job, unfortunately it is his last day. The film starts with Ben's voice talking about his job and the audience can instantly tell from his tone that he enjoys his job. The first shot we see is an extreme close up of Ben looking forward on a bus. Ben's dialogue is narrating over images of his getting of the bus and proceeding to his work place. As this happens gentle music is playing but is mixed in with foley sound of a busy London street. As we hear Ben speaking in a happy mood we also see him looking as if he is hiding behind the pole for his sign as he walks past a woman handing out leaflets, this is the first thought the audience gets that Ben may have hidden feelings for this woman. 

The film continues using mainly close up shots of Ben standing at his corner holding up his golf sign, as this happens he starts to talk about the other people holding up signs and calls them his colleagues naming them one by one and shouts to the first who fails to react, this then leaving a puzzled but still happy look on Ben's face. Then he starts to talk about the girl handing out leaflets and states that he cannot talk to her due to union rules, this is then followed by his face looking sad and him saying its a pity that he cannot talk to her. These frames are all dub with music which seems to stay on an upbeat with Ben even thought he is clearly upset by the lack of response from his colleague and not being able to talk to Anya. This contrast keeps the audience slightly confused as to how he can be so happy even though he has every right to be saddened by these things. 

You hear a watch alarm go off and Ben looks down and turns it off he then proceeds to look around as if waiting for something, he tells us that his shift is over and that he expected a goodbye from his colleagues and then decides that they must be too busy (which they clearly aren't). At this point the audience starts to feel a lot of sympathy for Ben because of how enthusiastic he is and his work mates don't bother for him. As he starts to put his pole down a loud whistle is heard and Ben turns to see his colleagues turn their signs round saying bye and they will miss him but most of all telling him to go and talk to Anya. At this point his mood and that of the audiences is brought to a high point and the last shot of Ben in the street is him looking towards Anya with a confident look on his face leaving the audience to decide what happens to themselves. 

As the credits roll there are small shorts of Ben starting his new job as a pilot who leaves signs in the sky pointing to the golf sale he used to point to. Also there are shots of Anya looking up at him as he fly's over Oxford street. 

The Black Hole

The short film called 'The Black Hole' was a very well made short which tells the story of a man for is bored of his work and then suddenly surprised by a big black spot which prints of of a photocopier, and turns out to be able to void objects so he can push his hand through. He thinks quickly how to use it to his advantage and steals a chocolate bar from a vending machine, his thoughts then turn much greater and become those of creed, he proceeds to breaking into a room with a safe and then stealing a large amount of money but in doing so he accidentally locks himself in the safe.

I liked the opening shot for this film because of the way it links to the story, being as the title appears out of a hole and gives the impression that the audience is travelling through it into the office of this man.

I really liked this shot in the film because of the way it gave the audience the feeling of being part of the hole and gave a perspective to the gap the hole creates. I would love to get shots in our film that give off the same type of perspective to make the audience believe that they are actually there rather then just over viewing a situation.

 These are the two shots in the film that made me think about the possibility of using special effects to create a better story and film overall I feel that before I was keeping my ideas a little too restricted and didn't expand enough on them.  

In all I thought that black hole was a very cleverly made film in the way it quickly built up it character and the main idea and then progressed to a very surprising ending which left the audience asking questions but in a way that lets them decide what happens to this unfortunate character.  

OMG

OMG is a short film made in 2009 and is the story of a young man Malcolm who is desperately trying to receive a text after sending some one a message asking for forgiveness. As his story progresses he try more and more places to gain signal including walking up to a signal mast but still fails to get signal. When his reply final comes through he is surprised and it makes him jump accidently causing him to push his phone into a bucket of water and therefore breaking it.

I thought that this shot had a great effect on the audience and made me feel like Malcolm was preying to the mast as if his whole world relied on this one text. The way the light appears on this shot is very clever and give the impression of a heavenly power over the character. This was then taken down due to the lack of signal created by the mission to stand by the mast. 

   

I particularly liked this shot because of the way it cross fades to a close up of the phone and the answer to the text. This is a very good technique to use because of the effect it creates with the water, this is because of how water flows and this cross fade manages to capture the movement of the water. I would like to try and use cross fades in our film to the same high standard and this could create a nice transition with in our work.

I really like the film OMG because of the way it told you alot about the character and what he is feeling but also manages to do so with out any dialoge or direct text about the character.

Short Film Research - Jamie

The Black Hole


This short film uses some very interesting camera tricks and cuts in order to fool the audience into thinking their is a black hole in a piece of paper. I think it is a very clever idea, and the editing has made it very believable. I like the way they have managed to make the office look so dull and boring by using a filter, this gives the shots a grey tinge. There are no bright colours which could suggest happiness and motivation. They have also used many medium to long shots to show the open space around the main character, this is to build on the feeling of loneliness, which again shows boredom and how he must be feeling fed-up. 
  He discovers a black circle, which turns out to be a hole that he can put his hand through, this fills him with excitement and in the end greed gets the better of him. However, as he is discovering how the black hole works, some very clever camera work and use of continuity editing gives the illusion that things can pass through the paper. 
  Also the good thing about this short film when looking at what is practical and what we can achieve when creating our own is that it is relatively simple. The film uses basic props, an office building, a piece of paper and the use of a sound effect (aswell as the clever cuts) in order to create the film. So the film has given me some inspiration as to how professional we can make our short film. 

  Here is an example of how a prop has been used in order to create a simple illusion.


You can also see from this screen shot how grey the shot is, due to the filter.




Here we see a close up, which there are few of in the film, it is used because we now see a change in his emotions as he becomes more and more excited and intrigued by his discovery.





From this screen shot we can see where lighting has been used effectively in order to create a more sinister tone, as the man is almost taken over by his new evil plan to use the black hole to take money from a safe. Throughout the film we slowly see how this mans ambitions slowly grow as he discovers just how useful the black hole is. This contrasts with what we see at the very beginning, a man who looks very unmotivated.  

Goodbye Mr Snuggles


This film by Jonathan Hopkins has many interesting different camera angles in order to make a certain scene feel frantic and out of control. The film is about two upper class old men, who live in the countryside, that want to do some painting out in a field. Relatively simple, until Mr Snuggles, a crazed psycho clown, decides to invade their peaceful normal activity. 
  When we see the two old men, many medium to long shots are used to show their surroundings, it also creates the impression that the two men are very calm, and that they often meet up to go for a bit of painting, and that nothing unusual is going to happen. 

Here is an example of one of many medium to long shots used to show the two men and where they live. Mise en scene is important, they are both dressed in clothes suited to go out and walk in the countryside, the house is very grand and old, and the car is very formal and practical. Its not a sports car or and old banger. 

The men begin to trek across the countryside to find the perfect spot for their paintings, still many long shots are used to show the surroundings, and to also give the impression that they are on their own, nothing else is around them, therefore the audience to not expect anybody else to intrude. 


The music at this point is very classical, we can hear some violins softly playing in the background, again keeping the feeling that everyone and everything is calm, and nothing is going to happen. We suddenly cut to a shot of a road, the music has stopped, and all we can hear is a car driving up through the gears, sounding rather fast. It then cuts back again to the two men walking across another field, and another long shot is used, almost to show that they are still safe. 

Here is the shot of the road, it doesn't give any idea to the audience as to where the car is, but as the audience can hear a car, it shows that the car is probably going to come into view at some point. However it doesnt, not yet. 

It cuts again to the road, but now we see the car come into view, the car is swerving left to right, and we can see from the screen shot that it is on the grass verge. This gives the sense of a lack of control.






A sequence of very fast cuts between many close ups begins of who is inside the car and what is inside the car. First we see this mans face, he has something in his mouth, and we see his face is painted. At this point we hear the man laughling, I believe it to be an evil laugh. 

The audience now sees its first sign of danger, a gun. We now know this man is dangerous, aswell as being out of control, and dressed as a clown. From the shots from outside the car, we can see that the car is traveling in the countryside, therefore the audience links the car to being in the same place or area as the two old men painting. 




The car drives into the field in which the two men are painting. Only one of them acknowledges the car. A great long shot is used to show the differences between the crazy man dressed as a clown, and the two upper class old men. This is a great way to show conflict, as we now know that something is going to happen. We see that the crazy man has a gun, and he starts shooting at the two men, but one of the old men gets out his own gun from his paint box and shoots him dead. Again this is stereotypical in short films, there is a twist that the audience doesn't expect. And it is also very funny, the films genre is a comedy, so it shows that in 5 minutes that a comedy can be done.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p00593g0

Shelf Life


This film is by Charles Hendley and was made in the year 2000. At first we see a bedroom from a shot from above, so its overlooking the room. This is so the audience can clearly see that it is a normal bedroom, theres nothing peculiar about it. I think a filter has been used, because the shot is very dull and grey, aswell as the room being very colourless aswell. There is also music to accompany the shot, which is a very low drowning sound. This creates some tension, and makes you feel uneasy when watching. 
  We see a man come into the room, he's a man who looks to be around 40 years old, wearing very casual clothes. So nothing unusual can be seen, even though you feel you should be looking out for something to happen. The camera stays fixed above the room, still looking down, again adding to the feeling that you are supposed to be observing something, and from the music, it seems it will be something bad. 

Here is an example of the overhead shot used, and you can see how dull the lighting is in the shot. 










The man sets up all his tools he needs to put up a shelf. His behaviour suggests he has some sort of OCD, because of the way he lays out his tools in a neat fashion. This gives off some kind of psychotic vibe. He also puts on a mask, masks are linked with the thriller genre as a stereotypical prop, so we start to see conventions of a thriller. But, as he starts to drill the holes in the wall to put up the shelf, there is a moment where you think, maybe he is just innocently putting up a shelf? 
 We then see a close up of an old man, blood starts to drip out of his mouth, as he then falls against the arm of the chair, and reveals the drill hole which is obviously from the man putting up a shelf. This is good use of continuity, as the two rooms could have been filmed in different locations, hoever we are lead to believe they are directly next door. 




On the left, is a good example of depth of field. We can see he is in focus whereas the screws are not.




http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p004thbd



Signs


I really like this short film because the storyline and idea behind it is really simple, yet its very effective. I have seen this in many of the short films I have seen, it seems the more simple the better, but its the effect the film has on the audience in such a short time thats important. 
  The use of mise en scene in signs is very good, because the film is set in an every day working environment, in an office building, so attention to detail with mise en scene is important because this achieves the sense of realism in the film. As the audience you can generally believe that the characters in the film work in the office, and it does not look fake or set-up. The two characters are wearing the stereotypical office worker type clothes, he's wearing a shirt and tie, and she is wearing shirts, jumpers, knee length skirts which are very formal. This completes the whole everyday office workers image and setting to make sure the audience really believe everything they see is really happening or has happened. 

  
Here is an example of how mise en scene shows how formal and boring their lives were before they met, and now we see them breaking away among others going about their daily routines.




The most interesting thing about Signs is the fact that their is very little or no diagetic sound throughout the film. The film relies on non diagetic sound in the form of a soundtrack to create tension and alter the mood, this is quite a hard thing to get right, and I believe the producers have got it perfect. The main character in the film is a man who is all alone at first, he seems unhappy, so to get this across to the audience a very solum downbeat soundtrack is used. As the man finds this woman, who is also an office worker, and finds himself having a connection with someone, the music begins to gradually rise in tempo, as he becomes more and more excited about the prospect of meeting her. It is a great example of how a film doesn't have to include dialog in order to portray feelings or emotion. It shows just how powerful the use of mise en scene and sound are. 
  I would like our short film to include these characteristics, I hope we can develop an idea that is different and interesting in order to capture the audience in such a short period.

King Ponce


King ponce again is another good example of how short films tackle typical stereotypes, and try to make the film very different in order to receive the audiences' attention. For example we see a group of young teenage boys, who are up to no good, and do not wish to conform to anything they deem as 'uncool' in this case ballroom dancing, realise that it isn't so bad, and end up taking part in the class. This turns what the audience think is going to happen on its head, a surprise alternative ending to that of which the audience have made up in their heads. This backs up what I have said, I really think that in a short film, a twist is needed. 
  What I like about the camera work in King Ponce, is that it makes you think you are with the teenage boys, because they use many tracking shots, and the shot reverse shots are broken up with pans around the group of boys, almost like you are sitting with them. 
  I also like the editing in King Ponce, for example they use a nice fade in and out of two different shots, its used to show the character is dreaming about a girl from his dance class, and is very effective. I think I should take fades into consideration when creating our film. 

  
  
Here is an example of the fade being used in the film. You can make out two different people in the shot in different places. 














This screen shot is from when Robbo joins the gang and where I think the shot reverse shots and pans make you feel like you are with them. Very effective.