Thursday 30 September 2010

Influences


 When we were deciding on our film we had numerous different influences, which helped us to come up with the idea of our short film. There films include "Shaun of the Dead" and "Scary Movie". Shaun of the dead provided us with the genre of a "zombie" theme whilst Scary movie provided us with the basis of a comical output and from that we could successfully builds on those ideas. The characters in "Shaun of the Dead" will partially be used, particularly their characteristics.


In "Scary movie" we disagree with the stance they take of using already filmed characters and are simply using the comical aspects that they use, however creating are own individual. We believe that the comical aspects are underated in this film and they are more focused on who the "Scary" individual is, however we would like to reverse this and place more emphasis. If not all on the comical aspects.


"Shaun of the Dead" is another key influence for our film. The genre of our film is also very similar to that of "Shaun of the Dead" as its based on humans turning into Zombies, however in our case its just one person. In addition to this our characters are also based around the characters from this film. "Ed" will be rein acted in our film as the lazy, messy character, similar to "Ed".


Other influences include:

Our potential target audience for our film will be 15+ however we believe it will be primarily targeted at teenagers because of its comical and humorous nature and don’t think its suitable for children because they may not understand the concept that the wife of Luke (main character) wont know what is happening and only he does. In additton to this an older audience will understand the realism of the film such as the everyday tasks that everyone has to do.

Tuesday 28 September 2010

Short FIlm

“Black Button” is a short film that is about an individual who has to make a serious decision. It begins with 2 quotes from the bible and to a degree shows the seriousness of the situation, backed up by the bleak music in the background to add to the tenseness and distress of the situation. The individual behind the desk is seen to be in control of the situation directly from the beginning with camera directly pointed at him, leaning forward to show his power. The music is also repeated for the same effect and to show the situation isn’t changing and that the man who has the choice is being pressured into a situation he doesn’t want to be in.
The camera work within the film is very simple often using medium shots whilst the editing is simple shot/reverse shots, which does make sense due to there low budget of just $200. These shots remain until about half way through when it starts to get “heated up” and the man behind the desk begins to demand an answer. When this happens the camera begins to get closer to the man and his facial expression are very serious. In addition to this the man who has the choices is being pressured into pushing the “Black Button” and the man behind the desk remains calm at all times and is very smartly dressed so he is seen to be a believable individual.
When he stands up just before he is about to push the button there are quick reverse shots between the man behind the desk and the button. As he pushes it the viewers the music gets louder and the tension within the room is built, and straight after he pushes it there is a period of time were everyone is left too wonder what has happened. However then the twist happens and we found out he is already dead. The camera shots become quick again, the music sharpens and the blood begins to drip down his face to give the first impression of how he died.
Once the flashback occurs there is the crash noise, which is seen to be cheaply done, however is understandable due to their low budget and this tells the audience the context of the situation and why this is occurring, and as the blood keeps dripping down his face and as the music gets quicker too symbolize the mans insecurity, the story to who the man is and what he’s doing becomes more apparent.
Overall i think that “Black Button” is a good film and it shows that within a short period of time you are able to convey important messages and impact viewers, and because it may not be the most action film or the most lively it still remains interesting due to the constant enigma of the situation as the viewers are always left wondering what is happening.

Thursday 16 September 2010

A2 Film Idea

We have now completely decided we would like to do a short film and we now believe that we have an idea to use. In addition to the film we have decided to do a poster and a cover for a film magazine. We chose to do a short film because we felt we could learn more and enhance are camerawork skills and also believed that with the experience gained during AS are editing skills can be positively enhanced. I personally feel that this film can also go numerous ways to leave the viewer thinking and has the opportunity for it to end with numerous endings. In addition it will enhance our special effect skills when he gets hit by the car and also our observations and ideas for the mise en scene will have to be carefully chosen.

For our idea we have decided to do a zombie rom-com. The story itself is based around a male character who gets hit by a car and on his return home to his wife is shocked to find he has in fact turned into a zombie, however with his zombie instincts slowly coming through, how long will his relationship last?

Tuesday 14 September 2010

Short Film Analysis

This is a short film that I will be using as an example to our film. The film itself is called "The End" and is a short 2-minute film.  In this clip they use good mise en scene to highlight the mood, particularly with their use of lighting and also with their use of camera work, often changing the shots and camera techniques.

The film is shown below

It is also shown on the "BBC Film Network" as shown below


1. What genre is it and how is this made apparent through the Key Concepts?

The genre of this film varies, at first it can be seen to be a bit of a drama, with that of a hard working individual, within a dark room, however this begins too change when he spins the globe and it turns into somewhat of a comedy as he when he changes the position he goes to that particularly place, symbolized with the change in external noise and lighting. However it can be seen in two different views, one that its sad that a "tragedy" can be occurring at the same time in the other part of the world, or it can be seen to be a comedy with a bit of a twist on just simply turning the globe and then dropping it to symbolize "The End" of the world.

2. How does the narrative work?

"The End" is a linear narrative. It begins with a an individual who appears to be working had on a piece of paper, however finds out that he has the ability to change his setting with the turn of the globe. The whole mood changes, his facial expressions change from one of seriousness to nervousness and uncertainty. The reader is left confused to why this has happened the first time and therefore leaves an enigma for the viewers. However the second time this occurs it is much more apparent that it is the turn in the globe that is causing the change of lighting and external sound. In particular as he knocks the globe off the table it is cut leaving us unsure about whether that is therefore "the end" of the world.

3. Write something about the technical aspects of the film (camera angles, framing; composition, editing, mise-en-scene, music and sound effects) etc?

In this film they use various technical aspects. In the film they use numerous camera angles. Within the film they predominantly use medium shots as shown below. These shots help to show a majority of the objects in the room, in particular him and the globe, which shows, helps to show the difference when he does turn the globe. They also use close ups, when the room darkens to show the mans shock and that he is nervous and unsure about what to expect, by using these shots it helps us to see the characters facial expressions in more detail.  One shot, which is used at the beginning of the film, is a high angle over the shoulder shot

In addition to the camera angles, they also use mise en scene to set the scene; with the man dressed up in a suit it shows him as a professional individual and potentially respectful. With the high angle shot it shows what he is working on of which it does seem quite complex. The lighting is a key aspect in this film because it changes when the globe moves position the lighting goes down to symbolize a change in location and this is corroborated with the mans facial expressions of shock and horror.

Regarding the sound there is very little, only using non-dietetic sound with ambulances and crashes to suggest other things happening on the other side of the world. And in terms of the editing they maintain the continuity and because there is only 1 person they do not use reverse shots and its only ever shot is on the man himself.

The title is also quite effective with the simple bold title to highlight the simplicity of the film and to state a simple fact.




4. In what ways does the media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of its genre?

This film's genre is a comedy, however it is challenged on numerous occasions within the film. Directly from the opening shot the dark room and straight facial expression at first tell us that this is not a comedy and this is continues as the plot deepens and he turns the globe and the room darkens too suggest the matter is very serious. However as he keeps turning the globe you can begin to see the comical aspects as hears the noises from other places in the world. But this can be seen to be a serious matter to highlight the problems in the world with the siren noises and therefore the story line is dependent on the viewer’s point of view and standpoint. As he drops the globe the comical aspects partially diminish were it is left on an enigma. In conclusion the film can be seen as more of a "black" comedy.

5. What do you like about the text?

In this text I particular like the use of the enigma at the beginning to leave the viewer unsure about what has occurred and this allows us to act as though we are in the actors shows, as he too is unsure about what has occurred. In addition too this I like the change in lighting as it changes the mood, and highlights issues in the world and also other aspects in the world at the same time. Lastly, I like the use of the abrupt ending leaving the reader to come up with his or her own view on what happened. Was it "the end" or was it a big change in positioning. It leaves possibilities for the film to be extended as it leaves options open