Titles and credits

Unlike last years coursework project this short film features a narrative in its entirety.  The conventions of opening sequences are very clear cut but short film conventions are a bit more ambiguous  Take opening titles for example. Right back at the start of this project I did 5 textual analysis's of existing short films, the titles in these all had differences.  

Easy Reader - Just the film title

3x3 - Director followed by film title

Leeroy Jenkins - Director followed by contextual information. Lines appear after each other.

And then the title. 

The other two films, It's a Dogs Life and Trolleycide had no titles at the beginning.

As there is no set convention I can do which ever I like. I was planning to not have any titles at the start of my film but I may experiment using the program Live Type to create some over layed titles. This is something I will try, put into my first edit and then (depending on feedback) polish and perfect for my final edit. 

Similarly with credits I have a lot of freedom regarding both presentation and what to include. I don't think I have to include them at all if I don't want to. Last year we didn't need credits as there was no real ending (as it was an opening sequence it is presumed a feature length film would follow). I will try out some different layouts, fonts, sizes, timings etc. to see what works. My initial thought is to have really fast credits, each page on the screen for merely a second before moving on. This would be accompanied by a jaunty tune. Here is a (very) rough idea of what I will aim for. 

Car shot test

Now I have decided not to do the soup/vomiting scene I needed something to replace it with. I have decided to run Jacobs character over with a car. I did some research on how to create this effect and here a short video on Vimeo showing hints and tips on how to film using a car.

Drive-by Shooting: Using Your Car to Make Better Videos from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.

The effect I want to re-create is at 3:04 in the above video. In order to make it look like the character is bring hit by the car there are several steps to take:

1. Film the footage

The action is filmed backwards. Have the actor laying on the bonnet of the car as it reverses down the road. As the car passes past the camera the actor needs to roll of the bonnet into a standing position. 

2. Reverse the footage

Using editing software you can reverse the footage, this way it looks like the character is being hit by the car rather than him rolling off of it. 

3. Speed up the footage

The filming was done at a slow speed to not harm the actor. So now, you can speed up the footage to make it look like it was happening at high speed.

Here is my own attempt at this effect:

I was pleased with how this looks, however there are a few things I will do differently next time:

• Have the character talking or doing an action rather than just standing in the road - this makes it more realistic. 
• Make sure the actor starts (ends when filming) in the centre of the shot - This makes the shot look more proffesional. 
• Ensure the car ends (starts when filming) completely off shot - The stopping distance of the car would not be that short if the car was actually travelling at great speed. Therefore the car needs to end off screen to make it look as realistic as possible. 

Idea changes

I have decided to substitute one of my scenes. This, regretfully, is the soup scene. During shots 39-58 the two main characters spin around before the female character vomits on the male. My very lovely actors had agreed to this (amazingly) and I was starting testing fake vomit.

I set everything up, the plastic was in front of the camera to protect it, the first fake vomit batch was ready. This vomit took the form of Heinz farmers market seven vegetable soup. The time came. I spat the soup at the perspex sheet. It was disgusting and I will probably never eat vegetable soup again. I don't think I can ask my actors to do this. Not only that, it just didn't look very good. The footage was bad, it didn't look like I was sick, it looked like a spat soup all over the floor. For these reasons I will no longer be including this in my film.




Instead, the couple will still spin but the female will loosen her grip. The male will walk backwards into a road whilst trying to regain his balance (after all he would be rather dizzy after spinning). Just as he steps into the road he will be hit by a car. Don't panic, this effect will be created through the magic of cinema. Jacob will (probably) be unhurt by the 'stunt'. This shot will look much more effective than the soup idea would have. However it does give the films tone a rather dark turn, I think I would need to counteract this afterwards. For this reason I think the following shot will be Jacobs character standing up, his glasses askew as he brushes himself off. A slightly low angle shot from in side the car shows his reaction to being hit (he swears at the driver). This will conform to comedy conventions, few comedies have characters being mowed down by vehicles. Unless it is a cartoon, but as you may have noticed my film isn't.

Split screen test

For one of my scenes within the day dream sequence of my short film I aim to create the illusion of a split screen editing effect. The main character and his love interest are either side of the split supposedly in two separate locations. They proceed to do things in unison, such as take a sip of a drink. A third person then comes in and physically picks up the partition revealing it is just a trick of forced perspective. I need this shot to look like two separate shots placed next to each other during editing. But in reality it is one shot with a physical partition within the scene.

For the partition I have decided to use a piece of pipe. After a lengthy search in B&Q I found some guttering that would more than do the job, and at £3.99 it was within my budget. It was quite a challenge to get the pipe to stand upright when filming but weighing down the bottom with a full two litre bottle works fine. For less that five pounds I'd say it looks rather good.

I had to make the two sides of the split screen look sufficiently different to fool the audience into thinking it is actually two different locations. To achieve this I need to dress the two sides of the set in contrast to each other. To do this I used a blanket with the corner folded over. The blanket should spill over to the other side of the partition but this way it looks like two separate locations. In order to make this more effective I will add more props to each side, of course I will also have my actors (the main character and his love interest) on either side.

I am so pleased with how this test has worked out. I was not sure how this would look on screen but I am more than happy with the effect created. The next shot I need to test is the spinning scene where in the female character vomits on the main character.

Music tests

I have been thinking about the type of music I am going to use for my short film. After taking the audience research questionnaires into consideration I have decided to only use music during the daydream segment of my film.

I want the soundtrack to be light and uplifting and after listening to lots of music for inspiration I stumbled across this on my iPod: Mr Blue Sky by the Electric Light Orchestra

In particular the start of the song before the lyrics kick in. I really like the upbeat rhythm and repetitive simplicity of the tune. I'm not going to include any lyrics to my music as this will prove too bigger task for me. This track, I can shut my eyes with it on in the background and imagine exactly how I want my film to be. It fits so well, it's a real shame I can't use it. I need to create something inspired by it. I plan to keep my music simple and I'll hopefully be able to create a score fitting to the visuals.

To do this I will be using Garage Band as I lack the ability to play any instruments myself. There is still a long while until the music needs to be ready but I have been doing some tests on the software and I'm pretty pleased with what I've produced.

Here is a piece of Heart and Soul by Frank Loesser I recreated using the Garage Band app. It took me a while but I am pleased with how it sounds:

I have started creating a track for my film, here is what I have so far.

It is by no means finished yet, just me playing on the software to familiarise myself with it. I think my music being composed on Garage Band is definitely a possibility. In the past I have just used pre-set tunes on Garage Band but using the instrument features is proving  a lot more pleasing to the ear.

Initial film poster designs

 Now I have analysed some existing film posters I am aware of the conventions. I have been thinking about what I want my poster to be. I definitely want it to comply to the general conventions of film posters, for example having the billing block at the bottom, title the largest and so on.  As for the image/s I have by no means made up my mind but I have some thoughts. These are some sketches depicting my first ideas for my own film poster. 

Poster 1

The background to this poster (which I have not drawn, you'll understand when you see my drawing ability featured in the animatic) will be the coffee shop location out of focus. The foreground (drawn) will be in focus. The picture on the cup, the thought bubble with a heart in it, links to the premise of the main character imagining a romance. 

+ Conventions of film posters are filled, the billing block, actor names, tagline and release date are featured

+ It sets the scene for the film showing the location

- I don't know how it will look with the out of focus background. Even if it was in focus it may look too busy

- Not conventional of the rom-com genre 

Poster 2

This posters image is more conventional, it features the main character behind his book looking upwards at the title. The background will be plain white, as it is in so many romantic comedy film posters. The image (although it won't be) could almost be one featured in the film, giving a true representation.

+I like how it represents the story
+ Follows conventions of both genre and film posters
+Shows the main character to the audience

- Isn't it just complying to a cliché  I think I need to either stay away from the cliché or completely mock it.
- I don't think the text placement is right. It may end up cluttering the poster.
- The thought bubble might be hard to distinguish from the white background without making it look cartoon-like

Poster 3 

This poster is a bit like that of the film Rubber I analysed in an earlier post. It's minimal style is something I really like. The text surrounding the logo in the middle was inspired by the Starbucks logo of the mermaid in a circle surrounded by the corporation name. Again I would use a white background for this poster to keep it simple and pleasing to look at.

+ I think the logo is clever and will look really good
+ Really simplistic, I feel this reflects the short film genre

- Could look boring and rather bare
-Not much room for text such as reviews. A it is now It unbalances the poster but I don't want anything else on the cup.



Where to go from here?
I need to ask my target audience which one they prefer. I could also take some photo's and mock up some rough posters to see how practical each idea is and if I would be able to make each one how I plan for it to look.

Initial Ideas Part 5

My final idea is rather more serious than the others. It centres around a subject I have had first hand experiences of and I feel I could make a really worthwhile film that could help people understand it.

5. Quirks of OCD

Genre: Drama

The idea in a sentence - A woman with OCD explains her daily life to her therapist.

The film would start with the main character entering a therapists office. The therapist asks how she is and the patient sits down and says "I'm...well, it's tough" (or something along those lines).
A montage would begin depicting the situations the woman is describing as a voice over on top of the visuals.  This would show how she is misunderstood and highlight many peoples ignorance or misconceptions of Obsessive compulsive disorder.

Possible situations in the montage

• Main character not being able to shake someone's hand. The other character thinks she is just being rude. 
• Washing her hands a lot. 
• Using anti-bacterial gel to enable her to use things (like door handles for instance).
• Having a cup of tea from the same mug at the same time every day -A daily ritual where she becomes distressed if she can't do it. 
• Having labelled tooth brushes, one for each day. 
• Having a bowl of mixed cereal but sorting each component into groups.
• Keeping things on her desk straight. 
• Taking prescribed medication whilst she explains that she doesn't think it helps.
• People telling her to pull herself together

The end of the film would feature no resolution reflecting that there is no cure. The main character would just be sitting in the chair, still with the therapist and say something like "And it's just really hard, I'm so tired..." before the screen fades to black.   

Character representation 

The main character - Its important the she is presented as a usual person with no outstanding differences from anyone else apart from her behaviour in the montage. This is due to the nature of the disorder - the symptoms aren't clear. This is why so much stigma surrounds the disorder; people don't understand it because they can't see it. 

Possible problems 

• The biggest problem would probably be me. I think throughout the process any criticism received may come across a bit personal making it hard for me to focus on the film from a media point of view rather than a personal one. 

Initial Ideas Part 4

I came up with this idea over the holidays, the inspiration comes from watching my Mum knitting. She seems to be knitting in all of her spare time.

4. The life of  Knit-aholic

Genre: Mockumentary

The Idea - The main character is a knitting enthusiast who devotes hours of her day to the craft. The mockumentary will follow a her life from day to day and how her addiction effects her. Lots of  metaphors to other obsessions would be made by the voice over. The five minute film would feature several situations such as:

• The main character at a wool shop looking into the window, or visiting a wool stall on the local market. As she does this the voice over will refer to the stall holder as her 'supplier'. 
• She would talk to the camera/interviewer as she visits a weekly 'Knit and natter' group where she meets with other knitters. The group would be late and she'd start to worry with increasing intensity. 
• Undercover cameras would catch her looking in the windows of wool shops and looking at knitted items people are wearing as they walk past. 
• The film crew visits her house and she has knitted things every where - seat covers, blankets, jumpers and tea cosys among other things. She will tell the camera how her family loves her knitting, but interviews with family members would reveal the extent of her obsession. 
• In the end her family stages an intervention.                   

Character representation

 The main character - She would be a middle aged woman who's interests include only knitting. To convey this the mis-en-scene would reflect her hobby. For example she would wear knitted clothes and have knitting things (such as balls of wool and needles) laying around the house in abundance. Her demeanor would be fairly relaxed and her attitude would be that she doesn't have an obsession with knitting, she treats it as a healthy hobby. 

Her Family - These characters would be at their wits end with the main characters knitting. She could have a daughter that is bullied at school because she only wears knitted clothes. There could also be a husband that is really worried about her growing obsession. 

Potential problems

• Finding an actress that is the right age to portray the lead character could be difficult. I know lots of talented actors but they are all a similar age to me. 

Initial Ideas Part 3

This is my third idea and stands out by a long shot in my mind. I think it has the potential to make a really sweet and funny short film.

3. Coffee shop daydream

Genre: Romance - It will have a romantic theme throughout
           Comedy - The film will feature a comedic twist at the end
           Spoof - I want to produce a parody of situations in and conventions of romantic films.

The idea - A guy will walk into a coffee shop and sit down. Across the room he sees a beautiful girl similar in age. The camera pans upwards into a white transition to the next shot. He daydreams, imagining what it would be like if they were dating. This segment of the film would be a montage of situations featuring the pair, these could include things like:

• The couple having dinner - sitting opposite each other, sharing dinner and going for the same thing. 
• A walk in the park - feeding ducks and such things. I want to do a piece here where they are spinning round and use point of view shots to show their faces. 
• Watching a film cuddled up on the sofa - The man hiding behind a cushion at a scary instance of the film. 
• On swings - Children waiting in a line beside the swing for a go whilst the couple oblivious to the children are smiling and laughing on the swing.  

He returns from his imagination and musters up the courage to go over and talk to her. As he approaches her realises whilst he was deliberating whether to go over and doubting himself another man has already got there first. The main character swiftly changes direction and leaves the cafe.

Character representation

The man - He will be a typical teenage/young adult. He may come across as a kind of hopeless romantic but predominately he will be a nervous, self doubting character. For example he will be unsure about going over to the girl and hesitant to act, hence at first he just imagines what could happen.  This could be presented with an inner monologue communicating his thoughts to the audience. 

The girl - A beautiful intelligent woman, quite reserved just sitting out of the way in the corner of the cafe and could go unnoticed. She will be reading a book, minding her own business only becoming aware that the man is looking at her when they momentarily exchange a glance. Her character needs to have an air of mystery about her, to intrigue both the male character and the audience. The male character could communicate his opinions of her building a a picture of what she is like by what she is doing, wearing, drinking etc. 

The other man - He will not be a dislikeable character despite him disrupting the main characters actions, instead he will just heighten the commiseration felt for the main character. 

Possible Problems

• Regarding locations I presume I will need to get permission form the owner of the coffee shop to film there. I haven't had to do this before and I'm not sure how easy to find an establishment that will let me film will be.  

Initial Ideas Part 2

I now have several ideas for my short film but I'm not sure any of them are developed enough to span 5 minutes and still be interesting. Here is another one of my ideas (and note these titles are for reference, the finished product would be called something completely different).

The inspiration for this idea came from... Brian Griffin and Peep Show.

2. The inner mind of my dog (Dog/Peep Show/Family Guy)

Genre: Comedy

Basically, the idea is a day in the life of a dog. However, the video becomes more interesting and unique is how I plan to present this. My idea is telling the story of a dogs daily routine but in a way similar to the techniques of Peep show - this involves lots of point of view shots and using inner monologues.

Character representation
The Dog -  The dog will have a similar demeanour to the character of Brian in Family Guy. For example Brian holds extremely complex views regarding subjects such as politics and yet when he sees his reflection in the mirror he believes it's another dog. So he will be really intelligent but still hold the personality and interests of a dog, this will be expressed through the dogs inner monologue, actions and attitudes.

The owner/s - The dog would live with its owners. These characters will be totally oblivious to the dogs intelligence and treat him like a typical pet, for example talking to him in a simplified fashion and in a playful tone.

Possible problems:

• The saying "never work with children or animals" exists for a reason. Getting the dog to do what I want to do could be challenging. 
• I might be way off the mark and what I think comes across as funny might not to other people.  

This was one of my earlier ideas and I have gone through phases of liking and not liking it. I'm still not sure about it at the minute. I don't think I will use this idea for my final film. 

Initial Ideas Part 1

At this very early point in the process I find my head full of ideas, at several points in the day I think about this project. This series of post will be about my initial thoughts and ideas for possible subjects for my short film.

1. Point of view imaginary friend

Some one is talking to another person, but this person is the camera (so it's a point of view shot). These characters go throughout their day like normal, just doing things that friends do, so such as going for coffee or seeing a film.

As these characters go throughout their day anyone who walks past looks at the first character strangely, perhaps throwing hurtful remarks (their nature will become clear in a second).

At the end of the film the camera stops acting as the point of view for the second character and pans round to reveal that there is no second character, only a figment of the first characters imagination.

Potential problems

• The message could be hard to convey, it may not come across that the person is talking to an imaginary friend. 
• It could be boring, because the main idea falls at the end of the narrative.