Sunday, 30 October 2016
Script
Short Film Script:
Scene one: The main character (Alessandro) is new to the sixth form as well as the country as he has just moved from America and meets Josh in his first week.
Alessandro (A): Hi, sorry, could you show me where the math department is?
Josh (J): Yes sure, it’s just down the end of the corridor.
A: Thanks, I’m Alessandro by the way, I’m new.
J: I kind of guessed that from the accent, I take it your American.
A: Yes, I’m still just getting used to everything
J: I can imagine. Actually I’m going into Birmingham on the weekend to the football, you should come, and you can see some of the city then.
A: Great I love football
Josh hands Alessandro his address on a piece of paper
J: Alright there’s my address then, just come round on Saturday morning and we’ll get the train in.
Scene Two: Alessandro meets Josh for breakfast before going to Birmingham.
J: Alright mate, have you eaten yet?
A: No not had chance to be honest
J: No worries we’ve got plenty. Have you had crumpets before?
(Cuts to Alessandro’s sub conscious)
A: (looking confused) What are crumpets, maybe it’s a type of cereal?
(Cuts back to reality)
A: You know what, I haven’t.
J: Oh, well trust me they’re good
A: Ok then I’ll give them a go
Alessandro bites into a crumpet
(Cuts to sub conscious)
A: (Exaggerated) What is it, is it toast, is it pancakes, I don’t know it’s just weird, is it even a breakfast? (sighs) The things I’d do for a pop tart right now (shakes head).
(Cuts back to reality)
A: They’re not too bad you know.
J: well come on, eat up otherwise we’ll miss the train.
Scene Three: Alessandro and Josh arrive at the football stadium in the afternoon and get some lunch before going to the stands.
There is a shot of Villa Park before cutting to inside the ground.
A: So what do you normally do before the game them?
J: normally just have a couple of drinks and a Balti pie.
A: (Laughs) What?
J: Just wait there.
Josh walks away as the screen fades out
The screen then fades in
J: This is what I’m on about.
Alessandro stares blankly at the pie
(Cuts to sub conscious)
A: (Angry and confused) curry. In a pie. Honestly the British go to far sometimes. (Pause and shake head) I would kill for a corndog right now.
(Cuts to reality)
J: Do you want one then?
A: No, no I’m good, I’m still full from breakfast actually.
Josh takes a sip of beer before acknowledging Alessandro.
J: Ok, if you want anything let me know.
Alessandro’s jaw drops and he is speechless
Josh see’s this and reacts accordingly.
J: What?
A: Dude your underage you can’t drink that. What if someone see’s
J: Oh of course its 21 to drink in America, it’s ok its 18 over here.
(Cuts to sub conscious)
A: This place is starting to grow on me (nods head in approval). I guess the British have some sense after all.
(Cuts to reality)
A: Oh ok then, so who is your favourite quarterback?
J: (Laughter) What? Shall we go up to the stands then?
A: Yes might as well.
Alessandro walks out of the bathroom and up the stairs where he realises he is at a football match rather than an American football match.
(Cuts to sub conscious)
A: (Deeply unsettled) Seriously. I mean seriously it’s not football it’s soccer so call it soccer. Still it could have been worse, it could have been a cricket match.
(Cuts to reality) and the scene fades out.
Scene Four: As its bonfire night Alessandro decides to join Josh in what he thinks will be fireworks, similar to the fourth of July but is in fact mistaken when he see’s a bonfire being set and no fireworks in sight.
J: Oh I forgot to say, its bonfire night today, it’s a bit of a big tradition here, your welcome to stay for a bit if you like.
A: Ok, what do you do on bonfire night?
J: It’s a bit similar to the Fourth of July with all the fireworks but we have big bonfires as well.
A: Sounds good then
Both walk into the garden where there is fire burning away
(Cuts to sub conscious)
A: Ok the fireworks might not be as good as at home but the big fires and marshmallows I can get used to. In fact this place is starting to grow on me (nods head)
Fade out to black. End of film.
Friday, 28 October 2016
analysing modern family
Modern Family is a sitcom but has elements of a documentary as it often has the characters speaking directly to the camera.
For the analysis it is hard to find a short film in this style that has elements of a documentary so therefore we will use a TV series and implicate the codes and conventions of this as well as the conventions of a short film.
We decided to use this style of film because we are documenting the life of an American in Britain and by having them directly give their views to the camera will have the best effect.
The sitcom modern family follows the lives of a father and his two children as well as the ever-growing families they have. During the scenes it will cut at multiple times in the episode to a selected character talking directly to the camera. They will address or explain a situation in different ways, it may be through less obvious conventions such as confessing to doing something or blaming another character. It has never explained that these scenes are actually reality and that they are filmed. They could quite simply be the characters subconscious dealing with a situation as well as their imagination.
Like any other TV programme it will use a range of shots and camera angles in the scenes but in the direct interview scene the camera is always still and central to the scene. It also fits with the idea of ours as it is telling the story of a person’s life, although ours being a short film will be a small ‘slice of life’ but in a similar way the life events will provoke a different reaction to the main character in which his reactions may produce an element of comedy, but can equally create drama.
short film research 2: connect
Connect:
The narrative is linear in this short film but at the same time it does have elements of a non linear film. It is linear because there is a clear beginning middle and end but at the same time there are dream sequences in this short film where it completely leaves the narrative behind. the story is that the main character is on her way home in rush hour on a busy bus and despite the world being an antis-social, silent place she connects with someone before the man she connects with gets off at his stop. However the dream sequences leave the narrative and focus on other characters and their feelings, one being the expression of a man on his way home having to stand up on the bus and when he looks at the woman on the seat the main character imagines him shooting her with a pistol and taking her seat, this reflects peoples attitude to other members of the public as people think this could be possible. Then at the end of the film she sees everybody on the bus dancing which reflects her mood as she has found somebody in the public who she can connect with and who isn't antisocial.
The sound used in the film is a combination of classical music and pop music but there are no lyrics to the music and relies on the acoustics of the music to create tension. The music is only heard by the main character as the music is playing from her headphones. The titles that are used are on a red background which is with reference to the location as it is filmed entirely on a bus which in most cities are red so the red background tells the audience that it is set on a bus. As well as this the text is white so against the background it makes the text pop and stand out but also suggests that it is set in England as it uses the colours of the fag as the colours for the titles.
There is no dialogue in this film because its aim is to show that people are disconnected in the public and will go out of their way to ignore others and their presence. Therefore peoples actions speak volumes in this short film as what they do is more important than what they say, for example the ending has a dance sequence which expresses the main characters emotions instead of her expressing herself through speech.
The mise-en-scene used in this short film support the idea of the public turning into an antisocial society. This can be shown through the use of headphones by the main character as they show that she wants to be disconnected from the rest of the world and defines the idea of antisocial behaviour. Then there is the gun used in the scene where the man in the suit shoots the woman on the seat. This again is used to show the antisocial nature of people by showing aggression to the public. This creates tension in the film as it gives the audience anxiety until it becomes clear that it is a dream sequence.
The sound used is all diegetic sound as it is all from the perspective of the main character who can hear the music through her headphones. The gunshot would be classed as non-diegetic sound because nobody hears it due to it being the main characters dream, although from her perspective the sound is diegetic as she can clearly hear the gunshot. The only other sound used in the film is also diegetic as it is the sound of the bus moving off and traveling, it is diegetic sound as it is something every character is aware of and can hear.
In terms of editing the film mainly uses continuity editing because its a very simplistic plot that requires very little editing to the film. However having said that sound would need to be edited because the gunshot for the scene where the woman is shot would have been added in after. In the same scene it is not obvious that make-up has been used to look like blood so there is also the possibility that special effects were used to create the effect of blood in that scene.
In the first scene there is no establishing shot of the scene but instead there is an extreme close up of a woman who is the main character and this is done to make us assume that she is the leading role. After a cut we see a shot reverse shot where we see the main character in a close up from a different angle cut to a point of view shot of the corner of a bus shelter and the bus headlights before cutting back to the woman. This is used to show the scene and to let the audience know what the rest of the film will be set on (the bus). For these camera angles the camera is hand held so it makes it seem as if we are seeing the story through the eyes of another character which is effective as it makes the
audience feel as if they are part of the film.
After this there is a mid shot of the main character waiting to get onto the bus as the doors open and it constantly cuts between the image of her from the drivers point of view and from outside of the bus. This is used to give two images, the first from inside the bus, that life is often a cruel and unfair thing based on the fact she is barged and pushed past and then the image from the outside shows her acceptance and her passive aggressive nature.
When the film moves onto the bus there are another series of shots, all from the main characters point of view, the first is a mid shot of a man and the mid shots pan between the two characters multiple times before moving on. This suggests to the audience that this is the connection that is being referred to in the title. Then there is a high angled close up of a man sitting down looking glum which is used to show the hostility and negativity that we face in the public but the angle suggests that we should also look down at them and condemn them for their negativity and ignore those people in society. After this there is a long shot of a woman sat at the back corner of the bus on her own. The image that is trying to be shown here is made more effective by the fact that there are peoples bodies in the way because it is showing the empty seats around her and that people have got to a point where they are so anti-social they won't sit next to others. Finally it uses a mid shot of the three people in front of the previous shot which focuses on their statue like body positions and facial expressions which is showing the fact that people have become affectionless to others over time based on the attitudes we have when living in cities.
The narrative is linear in this short film but at the same time it does have elements of a non linear film. It is linear because there is a clear beginning middle and end but at the same time there are dream sequences in this short film where it completely leaves the narrative behind. the story is that the main character is on her way home in rush hour on a busy bus and despite the world being an antis-social, silent place she connects with someone before the man she connects with gets off at his stop. However the dream sequences leave the narrative and focus on other characters and their feelings, one being the expression of a man on his way home having to stand up on the bus and when he looks at the woman on the seat the main character imagines him shooting her with a pistol and taking her seat, this reflects peoples attitude to other members of the public as people think this could be possible. Then at the end of the film she sees everybody on the bus dancing which reflects her mood as she has found somebody in the public who she can connect with and who isn't antisocial.
The sound used in the film is a combination of classical music and pop music but there are no lyrics to the music and relies on the acoustics of the music to create tension. The music is only heard by the main character as the music is playing from her headphones. The titles that are used are on a red background which is with reference to the location as it is filmed entirely on a bus which in most cities are red so the red background tells the audience that it is set on a bus. As well as this the text is white so against the background it makes the text pop and stand out but also suggests that it is set in England as it uses the colours of the fag as the colours for the titles.
There is no dialogue in this film because its aim is to show that people are disconnected in the public and will go out of their way to ignore others and their presence. Therefore peoples actions speak volumes in this short film as what they do is more important than what they say, for example the ending has a dance sequence which expresses the main characters emotions instead of her expressing herself through speech.
The mise-en-scene used in this short film support the idea of the public turning into an antisocial society. This can be shown through the use of headphones by the main character as they show that she wants to be disconnected from the rest of the world and defines the idea of antisocial behaviour. Then there is the gun used in the scene where the man in the suit shoots the woman on the seat. This again is used to show the antisocial nature of people by showing aggression to the public. This creates tension in the film as it gives the audience anxiety until it becomes clear that it is a dream sequence.
The sound used is all diegetic sound as it is all from the perspective of the main character who can hear the music through her headphones. The gunshot would be classed as non-diegetic sound because nobody hears it due to it being the main characters dream, although from her perspective the sound is diegetic as she can clearly hear the gunshot. The only other sound used in the film is also diegetic as it is the sound of the bus moving off and traveling, it is diegetic sound as it is something every character is aware of and can hear.
In terms of editing the film mainly uses continuity editing because its a very simplistic plot that requires very little editing to the film. However having said that sound would need to be edited because the gunshot for the scene where the woman is shot would have been added in after. In the same scene it is not obvious that make-up has been used to look like blood so there is also the possibility that special effects were used to create the effect of blood in that scene.
In the first scene there is no establishing shot of the scene but instead there is an extreme close up of a woman who is the main character and this is done to make us assume that she is the leading role. After a cut we see a shot reverse shot where we see the main character in a close up from a different angle cut to a point of view shot of the corner of a bus shelter and the bus headlights before cutting back to the woman. This is used to show the scene and to let the audience know what the rest of the film will be set on (the bus). For these camera angles the camera is hand held so it makes it seem as if we are seeing the story through the eyes of another character which is effective as it makes the
audience feel as if they are part of the film.
After this there is a mid shot of the main character waiting to get onto the bus as the doors open and it constantly cuts between the image of her from the drivers point of view and from outside of the bus. This is used to give two images, the first from inside the bus, that life is often a cruel and unfair thing based on the fact she is barged and pushed past and then the image from the outside shows her acceptance and her passive aggressive nature.
When the film moves onto the bus there are another series of shots, all from the main characters point of view, the first is a mid shot of a man and the mid shots pan between the two characters multiple times before moving on. This suggests to the audience that this is the connection that is being referred to in the title. Then there is a high angled close up of a man sitting down looking glum which is used to show the hostility and negativity that we face in the public but the angle suggests that we should also look down at them and condemn them for their negativity and ignore those people in society. After this there is a long shot of a woman sat at the back corner of the bus on her own. The image that is trying to be shown here is made more effective by the fact that there are peoples bodies in the way because it is showing the empty seats around her and that people have got to a point where they are so anti-social they won't sit next to others. Finally it uses a mid shot of the three people in front of the previous shot which focuses on their statue like body positions and facial expressions which is showing the fact that people have become affectionless to others over time based on the attitudes we have when living in cities.
Thursday, 27 October 2016
Short film research 1: Standby
Standby:
The short film standby uses a linear narrative from beginning, middle to end as it tells the story of two police officers in the role of 'beat cops' starting from when they two officers are first put together as partners following through to the day one of the officers gets a promotion and leaves, while also showing what it is like for her ex partner after she leaves. In the beginning the two are tense and awkward and bond at irregular intervals while in the middle they have bonded and it is evident there is almost a father daughter connection between the pair as they seem to become inseparable before the ending where the younger officer takes a promotion and her older partner has to start this process all over again.
The titles are in white and come towards the beginning with police lights flashing against a black background as it fades to white. The credits at the end are the same as a black background is lit by red and blue police sirens and this makes the white text stand out on the screen. The music used in the film is used as irony because the film is about police officers who deal with crime yet the music that is used rap music which is stereotyped as being associated with crime so by using it in a film with police officers it breaks the stereotype while also adding a sense of comedy to the film.
The dialogue in the film is not used often and the film often has periods where actions are used or the silence of the film builds tension between the characters. In most cases dialogue is not necessarily vital because there is no explanation for what is going on in the scenes and the actions can explain the scene better in many cases. The scenes that involve more dialogue are when secondary characters are used as the two main characters will be in conversation with the criminals in the back of the car.
In the film there is only one camera angle used, it is all shot from the perspective of a dash cam in the police car so be only see the two main characters at in the two front seats of the vehicle. This is effective as it shows the growth of two characters through one perspective, allowing the audience to see their growth as friends in one scene in which they are closest to each other for the most of the time.
The mise-en-scene used generally depicts the police force, for example one main part is the body vests that have police written across them, this is clothing 'beat cops' have to wear while on duty and therefore tells the audience what branch of the police the two are part of. Another example would be the handcuffs on of the secondary characters as this shows again that they are part of law enforcement and have authority over members of the public. This is important to reinforce because the film is very effective in showing the friendship grow that the audience actually forget that they are police officers which is a major part of the storyline. Coffee cups are another important part of the film as it is one of the first things that the pair bond over and is referenced in the end when the older officer has to learn to get along with his new partner. It is also effective because it fits well with the police stereotype as to the general public people see the police as being stereotyped for eating donuts and drinking coffee so this fits with the image of the police that many people already have.
The sound used in the film is all diegetic as the rap music used in the film itself is part of the scene as the characters are aware of it and know that is coming from the radio. As well as this the only other source of sound are the police sirens which again are diegetic as they are part of the scene and the officers are consciously aware of them. However the sound itself for this would have likely been added after the production rather than actually being recorded in time with the scene.
In terms of the editing the film only uses cuts between the scenes for continuity within the film as it is very basic footage that requires little or no editing of the scene itself. The only other editing is used in the title sequence and end credits as the title screen fades to white and also adds the red and blue filters to act as flashing lights while the same effects are used on the post film credits.
The short film standby uses a linear narrative from beginning, middle to end as it tells the story of two police officers in the role of 'beat cops' starting from when they two officers are first put together as partners following through to the day one of the officers gets a promotion and leaves, while also showing what it is like for her ex partner after she leaves. In the beginning the two are tense and awkward and bond at irregular intervals while in the middle they have bonded and it is evident there is almost a father daughter connection between the pair as they seem to become inseparable before the ending where the younger officer takes a promotion and her older partner has to start this process all over again.
The titles are in white and come towards the beginning with police lights flashing against a black background as it fades to white. The credits at the end are the same as a black background is lit by red and blue police sirens and this makes the white text stand out on the screen. The music used in the film is used as irony because the film is about police officers who deal with crime yet the music that is used rap music which is stereotyped as being associated with crime so by using it in a film with police officers it breaks the stereotype while also adding a sense of comedy to the film.
The dialogue in the film is not used often and the film often has periods where actions are used or the silence of the film builds tension between the characters. In most cases dialogue is not necessarily vital because there is no explanation for what is going on in the scenes and the actions can explain the scene better in many cases. The scenes that involve more dialogue are when secondary characters are used as the two main characters will be in conversation with the criminals in the back of the car.
In the film there is only one camera angle used, it is all shot from the perspective of a dash cam in the police car so be only see the two main characters at in the two front seats of the vehicle. This is effective as it shows the growth of two characters through one perspective, allowing the audience to see their growth as friends in one scene in which they are closest to each other for the most of the time.
The mise-en-scene used generally depicts the police force, for example one main part is the body vests that have police written across them, this is clothing 'beat cops' have to wear while on duty and therefore tells the audience what branch of the police the two are part of. Another example would be the handcuffs on of the secondary characters as this shows again that they are part of law enforcement and have authority over members of the public. This is important to reinforce because the film is very effective in showing the friendship grow that the audience actually forget that they are police officers which is a major part of the storyline. Coffee cups are another important part of the film as it is one of the first things that the pair bond over and is referenced in the end when the older officer has to learn to get along with his new partner. It is also effective because it fits well with the police stereotype as to the general public people see the police as being stereotyped for eating donuts and drinking coffee so this fits with the image of the police that many people already have.
The sound used in the film is all diegetic as the rap music used in the film itself is part of the scene as the characters are aware of it and know that is coming from the radio. As well as this the only other source of sound are the police sirens which again are diegetic as they are part of the scene and the officers are consciously aware of them. However the sound itself for this would have likely been added after the production rather than actually being recorded in time with the scene.
In terms of the editing the film only uses cuts between the scenes for continuity within the film as it is very basic footage that requires little or no editing of the scene itself. The only other editing is used in the title sequence and end credits as the title screen fades to white and also adds the red and blue filters to act as flashing lights while the same effects are used on the post film credits.
Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Changing my production
Changing music video to short film:
After discussing my synopsis in class it became apparent that my idea for a music video would better suit the role of a short film. However the image I had for a music video was clear but I could not fit that idea and image to a song. Due to this I concluded that I should use a short film to present my ideas. Although while another member of the class gave their pitch I could imagine more scenes for their synopsis than I could for mine so we decided to collaborate on one idea as it seemed most logical as we both felt we could develop the idea of an Americans conflicting view with Britain easier in a short film.
Due to this the analysis and research has now changed to focus more on a short film rather than a music video. Despite this we did initially feel that we could use a documentary to show this culture clash but we then came to the realisation that Alessandro, who I collaborated with and is also the main character because of his American background, has lived in England for a year and if we were to follow his day to day life it would be more consistent with a normal English persons. Therefore we needed to use scenarios and exaggerate the differences between cultures to show our message, because of this the film would have to be scripted and therefore wouldn’t fit the concept of a documentary which is real life and unscripted so instead we came to the conclusion to use a short film.
Monday, 17 October 2016
music video synopsis
Synopsis: music video
Life torn apart by bad decisions, crime seemingly the only option. It becomes a dark, lonely life when you can’t bear to look at who you’ve become. A life of crime in this world is seen as a failure and in this world that will be punished with the consequences deserving of the crimes committed.
Is it possible to turn around this life? Is it too late? Once a person is drawn into that life it is hard to get out of. It is possible but usually it is not a happy ending.
The music video itself will be non-linear but still follow the events of one character and the main event that changed their life and how they got to that stage in the first place. The inspiration for the style of video is from the director Quentin Tarantino, mainly his deconstruction of the normal sequence of film with a beginning middle and end, often changing the sequence to put the end at the start and use the rest of the film to explain the beginning. The idea of my video is to see the consequences of crime first and then see how people get to that stage in life in the first place.
Friday, 14 October 2016
Initial target audience: music video
Target Audience: Music video
The target audience of my music video is going to be teenagers and young adults aged between 18 and 21 because this video should have an influence on them more so than the older generation. At the ages specified young people are more vulnerable as they have important life choices to make at that stage in their lives and the idea of my music video is to steer them away from a life as a criminal by showing the dark consequences of that world that up until now the youth of today have been sheltered from.
It may have some relevance to an older generation as they may see it as something to reinforce the upbringing of their children and therefore teach them about how to protect and steer their children in the right direction.
The dark theme of this video would make it unsuitable for young children under the age of 11 as the video will show some violence as a deterrent but to children under this age that connotation may not be understood properly.
Monday, 10 October 2016
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