Editing - the addition of audio.

Today I added the audio to my short film first edit. I did this using the program Garageband. For my first edit I have simply lifted the audio from my animatic and placed it over my short film. However, the animatic is shorter than my first edit. In order to compensate I added in some more music to the soundtrack. The final soundtrack will be composed by a very talented musician friend of mine.

The audio on Garageband when on my animatic.

I also had to change the timings as the scenes have ended up at different lengths to those in the animatic. I expected this, although the storyboard and animatic is a good guide to film by it is highly unlikely that the shots were every going to be identical to those planned. This is the same for the dialogue.

The ambience at the start and end of the film (set in the coffee shop) is really jumpy as it is the audio that accompanies each individual shot. What I need to do is get one long track of ambience sound to replace it with. To do this I will visit a coffee shop and just let my camera role. Then in final cut I can isolate the audio from the visuals and place it over the film, replacing the existing audio.

The addition of audio means I have finished my first edit!

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. 

Production schedule & risk assessment

A production schedule will help the filming run as smoothly as possible. I will guide me through filming and reduce the chance of me forgetting anything I need. I find it extremely useful know what I am doing and when I am doing it.

Here is my proposed production schedule:

I am lucky in that I have access to all of my locations more or less when ever I want and need them. The owner of So Bar (my cafe location) was more than happy for me to film in his establishment at any time. The other locations are public places. I will need to be careful when in the day I choose to film at the train station for the sign scene as it may be very busy. I don't want strangers walking into frame so it will be better to avoid rush hour. My actors are aware of the schedule and are available for filming on these dates.

What props do I still need to buy?
Coffee - I can buy this on the day from the cafe
Signs - I need to buy A3 white card and make these signs. This is a priority and needs to be done soon.
Popcorn - This is for the characters to have in shot 38, as one would when watching a film.
The KFC  - I will buy this on the day of filming, Olivia needs to eat it after-all.

The other props I have access to.

Risk Assessment

I have to do a risk assessment of my film to make sure neither I, my actors or the public are at risk. I can only see three scenes in my short film where there is a genuine risk of anyone getting hurt.

With careful planning and taking precautions none of these scenes should pose a problem.

Vomit shot test

During one of the scenes in my short film the two main characters are spinning round, holding onto each others hands in a typically romantic fashion. The female character's expression changes and she vomits onto the main character. (It wont be real vomit, I will make up some fake mixture with the same appearance.) The scene consists of point of view shots from each of the characters, and consequently as the female character vomits onto the male she will be vomiting towards the camera. I need to protect my camera from the mixture whilst it is projected towards it. To do this I have come up with a plan. 

I have got a clear sheet of perspex plastic to place in front of my camera, this way the fake vomit will hit the plastic rather than my camera. This, however, could pose a few problems:

1. How am I going to keep it in front of the camera?
I can just hold it in place. The camera will be set on a tripod to steady the shot anyway. Once the record button is presses I will have my hand free to hold the plastic in place. But, thinking about it my other actor Jacob who will not be in this shot will be around, he can hold it in place for me so I can work the camera.

2. What will it look like on screen?
I was worried that the shine from the plastic would show up on the shot. There was no way of knowing if it would with out trying it. So I took some test shots.

Without plastic                                                                   With Plastic

The differences between the two shots are minimal. I can see a slight shine on the shot with the plastic in front of the camera but it is hardly noticeable. It is also worth considering that these photos where take inside under artificial light, the scene will be filmed outside so the light will be different and be less reflected by the plastic. Also the shot will only last three seconds in the film, I think the audience will be focusing on the action if the shot rather than anything else that may or may not be noticeable.

My next task in relation to this shot is to test out some fake vomit to see what looks best on camera. What fun...

Method acting

The main characters in my film, during the daydream sequence, need to act like they are madly in love with each other. My two main actors, Jacob and Olivia, don't know each other all that well. In order to make their on screen relationship look authentic and believable to the audience, I felt it was important for them to get to know each other before filming. So, Me and all three of my actors went out for dinner.

It was really useful to both me and the actors. We know a lot more about each other now which will undoubtedly make the filming process easier. It is vital that the performance is believable and I have complete faith that each of my actors will perform fantastically.

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.

Producing the animatic

Now I have finished the story board I can produce the animatic. I have taken photographs of each shot then uploaded them into iMovie. After going through each clip, changing the duration and any camera movement I needed to add the voice over. The main character is the only character with dialogue in my film so this was straight forward. I got my leading actor, Jacob, to say his lines as I recorded them on Garage Band. After importing the voice over onto iMovie I had to trim each clip and place it over the correct shots.

Trimming audio in iMovie. 

I still need to add music to my animatic before it is finished. It will be a rough idea of what I wan't the music to be as it isn't finished yet and won't be until after filming.

My animatic is in the process of it's creation.

Actors

I haven't given any of my characters names, this was a concious decision rather than laziness. None of the characters are referred to by their names within the narrative. This is because all of the characters are strangers to each other. I like that is doesn't matter what their names are, it connotes that the situation featured could happen to anyone.

Jacob Barrel
Jacob will be playing the main character in my short film. I have chosen Jacob as my main actor for several reasons. Firstly he has the exact look I am aiming for in my character: sweet, likeable and generally a nice person. Jacob takes media at A2 and studied it last year and for GCSE so he understands what goes in to making a film. He is a very talented film maker and will be able to understand what I am trying to achieve when shooting. We have done some practices of the types of things he would need to do (i.e. fall over, certain facial expressions) and he can do them all brilliantly. On top of this, due to his media experience I know he won't let me down with filming as he understands the importance of this project. In the past I have had actors drop out at the last minute or plain forgot we had scheduled to film. His costume will consist of a checked shirt over a character t-shirt, showing he is both smart but casual.

Olivia Lewis
Olivia is playing the female love interest of Jacobs character. This is a big role, it relies solely on acting as no dialogue is used to help convey meaning. When I created this character I imagined Olivia portraying her and was overjoyed when she expressed interest in the project. Her image is perfect for the role, not typical she is beautifully unique. Her slightly ginger hair and long eyelashes will entice Jacobs character. Olivia is a very talented actress, studying drama at A level and GCSE means she has experience in the field. I watched her AS performance and was quite frankly blown away by her acting ability. She also studied media at GCSE and AS so, like Jacob, she understands the film making process and the importance of commitment to the film. I will pretty much leave the costume up to Olivia, I have explained the character to her and trust her completely. He usual style isn't at all far off what I want the character to dress like anyway.

Harry Boulter
Harry has a wide portfolio of past acting experience. I have seen him perform in several shows including Twelfth Night, his AS drama performance piece and a comedy murder mystery play. He has also starred in a short video I made in the past along with Olivia. He is a very talented actor and it's a shame his character has so little screen time. However I am sure he will make the part of the other male character his own. Him and Olivia have a good relationship on screen, this is important as they interact for such a short time on screen but it needs to look and feel like they are really getting along. Again Harry looks like the character I want to portray, similar to Jacob he looks like an everyday person. I have yet to decide on this characters costume. I want him to look similar to Jacobs character, so maybe a patterned shirt. It's important that the character appear similar, this highlights that Jacobs character had a chance with her, he was just to slow.

The Script

I have written the script for my short film. The whole document is here:
Script


I used a program called Celtx to write my script. I used it last year in my AS project and found it really helpful, especially with the layout. The only downside is exporting the file as it is not a widely used format I can't access it on other computers that don't have the software.  The script shows the shot type, transition, action and dialogue I will give this to my actors before I start filming so they have a good idea of what they have to do and say in each shot, of course I will instruct them in more detail when filming.

My script may change later. I am giving a certain amount of creative licence to my actors. This way the dialogue and scenes will look more natural. If the dialogue doesn't work or doesn't sound right during recording I will change it.

Story Boarding - Shots 76-91

My story board is finished! The final section of my story board is set back in the coffee shop, it ends my narrative and rather unconventionally introduces a new character. Usually characters that disrupt the story are built up and, as antagonists have more of a background. However I feel the background of this character isn't important. If there is any message in my film it is don't waste time, the point is that this random fellow has beaten the protagonist to the post because he was day dreaming. There is no struggle, no battle, just a realistic occurrence.

The remaining shots show what happens when he returns from the day dream.

The first shot mirrors the shot that transitioned into the day dream sequence, but now in reverse. The camera pans downwards as his eyes do the same. This symbolises the action returning from his imagination back into reality. He then proceeds to walk over to her, all the time the non diegetic voice over (his thoughts) is talking about their perfect relationship and how it amazing it will be.

Just as he approaches where she is sitting the second male character comes in and perches on her table, presumably flirting with her. The protagonist can't believe his eyes. A medium long shot from between the two shows the protagonists reaction, he exits to the left of the shot. He exits the coffee shop kicking a cup on the ground saying that he never really liked her anyway.

The last piece of dialogue could be taken in one of two ways. It's kind of a comment on the frivolity of his daydream and how it was just that: a daydream. It could also be interpreted as him kidding himself and trying to convince himself that he wasn't and isn't in love with her. I like the first interpretation more but it is down to the audiences personal interpretations.

What's next?
I need to now write the script. This will be given to my actors to prepare themselves for the roles and as a rough instruction to what they have to do. This will also be how I decide on the dialogue as I have not yet finalised my ideas.

Story Boarding - Shots 21-77

This is the bulk of my film, these shots are the daydream sequence. It consists of 6 separate scenes all fabricated in the main characters imagination. I chose these scenarios based on rom-com research and audience feed back. They are:

                                                                                                              Scenario 1

• The two characters run towards each other in a field in slow motion. Arms outstretched ready to embrace each other. As they draw closer the male character trips and falls flat on his face in front of her. 
• Why? This is a classic convention of the romantic comedy genre; two characters running towards each other, usually is a corn field, and when they meet in the middle they hug and the man spins the woman around. Instead I have changed the ending to parody the situation.  

                                Scenario 2

• The camera tracks from left to right. They are sitting together on a sofa watching a horror film. He is hiding behind a cushion scared whilst she sits beside him unfazed by the film. 
• Why? This was rated quite well in my audience research as how highly it would likely to be seen. It's playing on the convention that women are scared of horror films; men often comfort the female when watching films. So this is a simple case of role reversal. 

                           Scenario 3

• The two characters are in a park, hand in hand they spin around. Point of view shots will be used to show each characters face as seen from the others perspective. I will film them by getting the actors to hold the camera as they spin, this way the head will stay steady in the shot but the background will spin. The woman look concerned and proceed to vomit in the others face.

• Why? The whole spinning scene has been associated with the genre for ages. The first time I thought of this film premise this is something I wanted to include. I hadn't however thought about how to end this scene. It was suggested to me the someone could vomit on the other. I think this is a perfect twist on the scenario, I asked my actors if they would mind performing this before I was set on the idea but they are happy to do it (or so they say). 

                          Scenario 4

• The next scene is of a dinner date. She is waiting at home, the table set with candles and napkins: a posh, romantic set up. The main character comes into the house with a bucket of chicken and places it on the table. He tucks his napkin into his collar and takes a carefully selected piece of chicken from the bucket and onto his plate using the cutlery. Meanwhile she eats the chicken in a medieval fashion, ripping the meat from the bone with her teeth. The bones pile up on her plate and she drinks the gravy. The guy sheepishly looks up from his plate at her. 
• Why? I wanted to do a dinner date scene and it rated well in my audience feedback. I thought about the classic Lady and the Tramp scene and though about how to change it.This is the scenario I ended up with. I like the role reversal again: you would expect this behaviour from him (if at all) rather than her). 

                                   Scenario 5

• Set at a train station, each character is on an opposite platform. The male has lots of signs, he reveals them one at a time. They say (separated by commas showing sign changes): "Hello, I have a question, Would you, make me, the happiest man alive, (at this point she expects a proposal) Will you..., lend me £6?, I need it for a taxi, and maybe a twix."
• Why? This is a parody of a scene from Love Actually (2003, Richard Curtis). Instead of a cute confession of love as it is in the film he misleads her into thinking he is going to propose then asks her for this scene, it may be my favourite. 

Here is the scene form Love Actually (2003, Curtis) that I am parodying in the above scenario. 

                         Scenario 6

• This is a split screen shot, each of the two characters walks into their shot. They each look at their phone as it goes off. An extra walks past and picks up the partition between them revealing they are in the same location. 
• Why? This scene is like breaking the fourth wall, it directly addresses an editing convention of romantic comedies. Split screens are often used and initially I was going to feature one as part of another scene. However this is just using a convention rather than exploiting to create a parody situation. Hence, this scene was created. 

An example of the split screen technique in the romantic comedy film Pillow Talk (1959, Gordon)

I have very clear images of each of these scenes in my mind, I just hope I can convert these to images on the screen. Storyboarding them has definitely made me more confident, before I hadn't worked out exactly what each scene would comprise of but now it's down on paper I feel better about it all. I haven't yet decided on shot timings too much, I have a rough idea for each but this will become clearer when producing my animatic. 

What's next?

I need to finish my storyboard. All I have left to do is the scene when the main character returns from his daydream. Following this I need to produce a script. Although there is no diegetic dialogue within the scene I do need to think about what I wan't the voice over to consist of. Then I need to produce the animatic. 

Story boarding - Shots 10-20

My story board is well under way now. It's a very time consuming process but it's a vital part of creating a quality film. These shots are still, like the previous 9, set in the coffee shop location. They depict the male character looking round the cafe, at the woman and beginning to make assumptions about her leading on to the daydream.

They start with him bringing his book in front of his face and sneakily scanning the room from behind it. As this happens his inner monologue will appear as a non diegetic voice over, he will say something along the lines of "Just a quick scan of the room to see who's abo-hello. Who's that? I haven't seen her before." (although the script isn't written yet this is roughly what he will say).

Hiding behind his book he notices her hair (in a point of view shot) and comments that she is pretty, followed by her clothes and he comments she is stylish. He then see's her book, it's the same one he is reading, he takes this as a sign that they are meant to be together. The film cuts to a long shot of the female character, the guy comments how she is perfect for him. This prompts the daydream segment of the film.

He is behind his book...

... and hides when he thinks she is looking at him. 

The next part of my short film to storyboard is the daydream segment.

Story boarding - Shots 1-9

It's this time of year again. Let the story boarding begin. We started yesterday and so far I have done the opening segment where the main character walks in up until the start of the day dream. I just wanted to talk about shots 1 to 9 today due to the editing technique I plan to use with these shots.

Shot 1 is an establishing shot, the main character comes in and looks around before moving off to approach the counter. Now, between shots 2 to 9 I want to use a rapid cutting technique similar to that used in Hot Fuzz in one of the later scenes. I found a good example of this technique to better explain what I would like to create.

These fast paced shots in my sequence consist of:

• Shot 2: The main character stepping up to the counter
• Shot 3: A close up of his face as he is looking at the menu board. 
• Shot 4: A medium shot of the menu board. This is following the shot/reverse shot continuity technique.  
• Shot 5: Back to shot 3 but with him pointing at the board (signalling what he wants)
• Shot 6: An aerial shot of the counter. The drink and money are exchanged. 
• Shot 7: A medium long shot, the guy turns round and looks side to side for a seat.
• Shot 8: A point of view shot from his perspective looking for a seat.
• Shot 9: He sits at a eat and pulls out his book. 

Each of these shots will be short and quickly cut together, like the example video above. This enables me to show necessary action without it taking up the time. Over this shots there is no dialogue or soundtrack, only diegetic ambience sound from within the coffee shop . 

Audience Research - Focus Group

As well as my questionnaires I have conducted a focus group with five members of my target audience. Here is the recording, they were a bit giggly.

What did I ask them?
What book could the women be reading?
Answers I got

• Something classical/romantic - Atonement, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility - I like this idea but I'm not sure what a mans response would be to this. It fits with the genre but in terms of the narrative it doesn't quite make sense. 
• Something philosophical - This would make the woman intriguing yes but what is a philosophical book? It also needs to be recognised by the audience so a quite famous book would be needed. 
• Something the man would be interested in - A Batman comic - This is a really good idea, maybe not a batman comic as this seem childish and represents her as so (which I don't want). But, a book that appeals to the man would make him assume they would be a perfect match. 
• The same book that he is reading - This is even better than the last idea. This will help the audience understand where the main character is coming from when he is thinking about her. It suggests that they actually are similar and a perfect match. 
• Sherlock Holmes, The Hobbit, Lord Of The Rings - These are good ideas for the book, I think I will go with Lord Of The Rings as it is an absolute classic that the audience should definitely recognise.

I have chosen to go with Lord Of The Rings as it will appeal to the male character, I will also have him reading the same book for the reasons listed above. 

Does he need a motive for being in the coffee?
Answers I got

• It's part of his daily routine - This is a good reason for him being there. It is a believable and relatable situation. 
• He always see's her there and today has plucked up the courage to talk to her - As the other members of my focus group pointed out this makes the character appear as a bit of a stalker. But this still isn't an unreasonable concept. 

I like the idea that it is part of his routine but today something has disrupted this causing him to daydream. However it does make the main character come across as impulsive but on the other hand in the other scenario surely he would already of thought about asking her on a date, prompting this fantastic relationship. For this reason his visit will be part of his daily routine. 

Do you have any ideas of romantic situations I could feature?
Answers I got

• Running through corn fields into each others arms - This is a really good idea that I had completely overlooked. I would love to include it but the only problem (and it's quite a big one) is the time of year. All of the crops have already been harvested. 
• Lady and the Tramp-esqe spaghetti eating - I like this and will definitely use it in the dinner date scene I was already planning. 
• Running in the rain - This is also a good one, getting caught in the rain is often featured in romantic films and would be a perfect scenario. I would need to think of a twist though. Also if it doesn't rain when I have access to my actors I can't do it. 
• Watching a movie but him being really scared - I had already thought about this. Hearing it from my focus group is fantastic and makes me think I should definitely include it. 
• A falling leaf landing on their hands - Although romantic this would be incredibly hard to create. Leaves don't fall straight, the camera angles would be hard to perfect and the shots would be difficult to co-ordinate. For these reasons I will leave out this scenario. 
• Giving her flowers - A simple, sweet romantic gesture I will work it into another scenario to impact upon the parody aspect. 

I have been looking for more ideas and these are some really good concepts for scenes. I will include numbers 2, 4, 6 and hopefully 3. 

What should the second male character do when he reaches to woman?
Answers I got

• The other guy could have the same book as well - This was a really funny idea and fits the comedy I am trying to create. The other members of the focus group also found it funny which makes me think it would be a good thing to include (seeing as my target audience likes it). It could come across as too cheesy though, I haven't decided. 
• He could just go and sit with her - This was what I was thinking initially but I don't think it sends a clear enough message to the audience, they might be confused as to what has happened. 
• The waiter could bring her something that he bought for her - I'm note sure on this. Coffee shops don't tend to have waiters. The kind that dose have waiters isn't the kind of coffee shop these characters would go to. 

I will need to think more about this one, maybe I will ask some more people what they think. 

Audience Profile

My short film will appeal to different people due to the different aspects of the narrative. I think it will appeal to some people (i.e females and fans of romantic comedies) due to the aspects of love, romance and the idea of the perfect relationship. Equally I think it will appeal to another group of people (i.e. Males and people critical of romantic comedies) because of the comedy aspect and how my film pokes fun at the genre. 

Here are two typical examples of my target audience:

Importance of Audience research - The questionnaire

Audience research will prove really useful for me in terms of appealing to my target audience by tailoring the film and also with ideas of what to include. For instance one of the genres my film pulls from heavily is romantic comedy, I am by no means a fan of this genre. Along with my own research it will be useful to see what other people think and would like to see.

I am distributing a questionnaire to people within my target audience to gain more of an insight into what they want to see in a short film. Here it is: First audience research
 

Question 1 & 2: Age and Gender
These questions are to clarify that the opinions in the questionnaire are those of my target audience. Also it will help identify if a particular group of people (for example of the same age) don't like the idea completely, helping me narrow down my target audience.

Question 3: What are the initial thoughts to my story?
Here I outline my the premise of my film to see the initial reactions. This will tell me if I have the right target audience and basically, what they think of my film.

Question 4: Rating classic Rom-Com situations 
I have stated five scenarios that I think I could make humorous by either over doing it or reversing character expectations. I have asked the audience to rate the scenarios in order of how much they would like to see them in the film (1 being high, 5 is low). The five are:

• A dinner date
• A picnic
• Walking out of the cinema
• Watching a movie on the sofa
• In the park, on the sings

This will help me prioritise, so if I don't have time for them all I know which to definitely include. 

Question 5: What other things do you associate with romantic comedies? 

Again, because I am not to accustom to the conventions of rom-coms along with preforming my own research into the conventions it will be useful to find out what my target audience associates with the genre. This will allow me to appeal the my audience all the more, and will also make the parody aspect more prominent. My aim is for audience to identify the situations within my film and recognise the connection to the romantic comedy genre.

Question 6: Which of these titles do you think is best?
I have several ideas for the title of my short film but I am not sure which to go with so I decided to ask the people that matter: my audience. Here were the options:

1. Coffee shop daydream
2. One fine coffee break
3. What could be

I did have a specific thought process behind each one:

Coffee shop daydream - This was what I originally called this film in the idea stage to help me remember what it included and not get in confused with my other ideas. It was like a little code name for me: It was set in a coffee shop and the main character daydreams - and that is how I remembered it. I thought I would come up with a completely new title but then I thought: Well, what is wrong with that? I understand it's not at all perfect but I was interested to see what other people thought of it. 

One fine coffee break - This title is a take on the title of the film One Fine Day (Michael Hoffman, 1996). I like the idea of the title being a parody as well as the subjects in the film. So I researched some rom-coms and found One fine day, and simply substituted "fine day" for "coffee Break" to make it relevant to my film.

What could be - This one is simply based on the premise of the film. When it comes down to it it's about  a guy missing out on what could have been. He could have had that lovely relationship if he hadn't of spent too long thinking about it enabling another guy to get there first. This is a more literal take on the narrative whereas the denotations suggest he wouldn't have had that anyway because this type of love that is so often portrayed in movies may be perceived as non-existent. 

I look forward to collecting in my data particularly for this question and seeing which comes out on top. 

Question 7: What clothes should the main character wear?

This comes down to how he is represented, would the audience want him to be professional or casual? From clothing the audience will make assumptions of what type of person he is and I needed to find out what would appeal to my target audience. 

Question 8: What type of instruments would you expect to hear in the daydream?

As I said before composing and music in general definitely isn't my strong point. To help me get the music right I asked my target audience what they would expect and like to hear. The music during the daydream sequence will help identify that what is presented isn't reality. I gave four options and asked people to circle the one they would most expect.

                                  -Piano        -Acoustic guitar        -Violins        -Woodwind

The answer to this will give me a good starting point for the composition.

Question 9: Should there be music playing all the time, or just during the montage?

Again, I wanted to find out what my audience would prefer. It doesn't make a big difference in my eyes as long as the music during the day dream part reflects the fact it isn't real.

Question 10:  At the ending, should the other male character be someone the girl already knows or a stranger like the main character? 
This decision is probably down to personal preference and doesn't really change the story or the narrative too much. However, once again I still wanted to find out what the target audience would prefer to see happen. 

Question 11: Would it be better in your opinion to have the guys thoughts vocalised or keep the film dialogue free?
I really like the idea of making a film with no dialogue. I think it takes more skill to do and convey everything you want without any speech and also adds a more professional tone to it. Also I don't have access to the best equipment to have dialogue in the film, the microphone on my camera is adequate but by no means amazing and I don't own or have the funds for an external one. But if dialogue will make my film better and more accessible for the audience it is something I will definitely include it.

Question 12: How could the woman appear mysterious or intriguing?

 This is similar to question seven in that it is about representation of characters. I need to know how I could make her appeal to the main character. I am thinking a long the line of what is she doing: reading? Writing? Drawing? And if any of those what? This is important as it is how the main character will make assumptions of her and form his opinion leading him to daydream about her and him together.

After collecting in these questionable I will collate and analysis the data to deduct what changes I need to make and what to include in my short film.  

The chosen one!

The idea I have decided to go with idea 3 - coffee shop daydream. Its the concept I think I can do the best, I have access to appropriate locations and actors suited to the roll. I really like the idea of the parody aspects, especially of the romantic comedy genre as I feel it is so over done and contains so many cliches. I need to think about the idea in relation to the 5 theoretic concepts in order to make it more 3 dimensional.


1. Genre

My short film idea encompasses several genres. It is parody of the romantic-comedy genre. The set up (the male main character walking into the cafe, seeing the girl) will be all serious with no hint of comedy. Only when the daydream sequence of the film starts will to parody aspect come in. It will be a montage of classic rom-com situations but either ridiculous, over the top or with the characters in the opposite roles to what would be expected. For example, the couple will be curled up on the sofa together watching a sad film but the male will be cuddling a cushion in tears rather than the female. This plays with the audiences expectations and turns the romantic-comedy conventions upside down nd creating the comedy aspect.

2. Narrative

I explained my idea in an earlier post (Initial Ideas Part 3) and the order of events is quite simple, however I have not yet decided the order of the montage scenarios.

The film will take this structure:

The first minute and a half will be in the cafe establishing the location and the situation. It would start with the main character entering the cafe, maybe an establishing shot of the exterior. He would walk through, and order a drink. Whilst waiting for his beverage me will see the girl, this is when the inner monologue will start. He will proceed to sit down away from the woman and steal glimpses of her. Commenting in his head about her appearance and the conclusions he can draw from it, i.e from what she is reading, her shoes and so on. The camera will then pan upwards and with a white fade transition shift to the next segment of the film. 

Between 1.30 and 4 minutes will be the main characters imagination. This is when the parodies of the romantic comedy will appear. I have yet to decide which ones will feature and hope to gain insight through my audience research. The visuals will be accompanied by non-diegetic soundtrack. 

The final minute will feature the main character returning from his imagination and deciding (communicated through the voiceover of his inner monolouge) to go and approach the woman. However, as he gets closer another male character gets to her first and sits down. The main character changes direction as if he planned to walk the other way all along, he curses under his breath possibly saying "not again" before leaving the cafe. 

3. Audience

My target audience will be both men and women aged between 16 to 25. I feel this age may be able to relate to the main character as at that age love and relationships are more relevant than before and a lot of people after this age tend to be in a relationship. Everyone in that age gap has been single and either known or seen some one they find attractive and maybe never acted on it, thus can relate to the feelings of the main character. It's important that they don't take pity on him, I don't want the audience to feel sorry for him too much because the tone of the film is quite light hearted. I think my short film would appeal to both genders, females because of the romantic comedy connection, rom-coms have a mostly female audience. Similarly I think it will appeal to males because of the parody aspect, making fun of films they may see as silly and unrealistic. 

4. Representation

   

The three characters in my film need to be presented in a particular way to create a persona to the audience. This way they can make the assumptions I want them to. It's important to get this right because with a short film I don't have the luxury of time to tell back story of the characters my self. 

The main character

He is a likeable person, an average guy. Not unintelligent, sweet and innocent. I need to convey this at near enough first glance. To do this will be difficult, but not impossible. The first thing the audience will make assumptions on is how he looks. The characters costume will probably be just every day clothes, perhaps a patterned shirt over tee shirt. I'd like him to wear glasses, straight away hinting at imperfection and vulnerability. His inner monologue will reveal more about his personality and this will need to be well written. It will hint at his self doubting nature, he will assume (at first) that he wouldn't have a chance with her or that she won't like him. I think this is something most people particularly the target audience could relate to.  

The love interest

She will be intriguing to both the main character and the audience. Quirky isn't the right word to describe the look I want this character to have, I want her to be different. Striking. The actress I have in mind has the most wonderful slightly curled hair, long eyelashes and just an overall beautifully interesting way about her. This is exactly what I want my character to be. She will be first seen sitting in the corner of the coffee shop on her own reading a book. I have yet to decide what book but it will be complex, most likely a classic. What ever it is the man will comment on it through his thoughts. 

The second man

It's wrong to call him the antagonist as he doesn't consciously ruin our characters plan and he doesn't mean to. It's just the main characters bad fortune, he spent too long day dreaming and someone had the same idea. Because of this he will be presented fairly similarly to the main character in terms of looks. He is just an average guy in everyday clothes. Not much more will be revealed about this character because the film isn't about him. 

5. Editing

I have several ideas for editing and sound and so on. For example when the day dream montage starts, I want to signify this clearly. I plan to use the same technique uses in the short film 'Easy Reader' which I analysed in a earlier post. The main character looks upwards, the camera then pans upwards and fades to white. The subsequent shot will fade from white signifying these images aren't reality. Also this is when there will either be a change in music or the only music of the sequence will start.

I have yet to decide on the music, I have been playing around on the program Garage Band to get a feel for it and it has great potential. But, composing is by no means my strong point. As it stands I may ask my friend Arabella if she can compose something for me. She is the incredibly talented musician that composed the soundtrack for my AS media project, an opening sequence to a film. 

The next step is audience research, but to do this I need to better identify my target audience...