Helena DPM Creative Media
Ideas:
1. Camera that when takes pictures, the people get trapped in the photograph. A detective thinks its a serial killer but its the work of the supernatural.
2. Colour-blind person finds a support group where he meets a boy, his world is changed. [use light and colour to express his emotions]
3. A family discriminates a man in the hospital elevator to later find out that he is the donor for their child when they get to the doctor.
After sitting down with several people, I interviewed them to pitch my 3 main ideas and see where it goes from there. One of my ideas was the most successful therefore I decided to make a Facebook page for it so that I would have feedback and get more of an understanding of what the audience wants to see, and therefore get feedback on a larger scale. Another thing I would also like to incorporate is a poll on twitter. I chose this because it is very popular as its one of the newest features twitter has at the moment. For the Facebook page I want to make sure it is eye-catching, and that it asks as many questions so that the audience will be as engage as possible. I also want to make sure to incorporate every feedback and ideas so that I will have a target audience.
Final Major Project
As I decided to do a Thriller I would have to look at films to inspire me with the idea of my short film. The five films I've decided to go with are Silence of the Lambs, Delicatessen and Se7en. These will help me find inspiration for style, acting, costumes, locations and narrative.
Secondary research
Primary research
Synopsis:
1. Detective Peters, whom takes his job very seriously finds a case he wants to solve. The case is about a camera that takes pictures and people disappear, he thinks its a serial killer or a kidnapper, what he doesn't know is that its the work of the supernatural.
2. Tom is a boy with colour-blindness who finds it hard to fit in. After finding a support group online, he meets a girl who finally understands him, his world is changed, but is hers?
3. Lucy is a little girl who needs an operation, on the way there herself and her mum and dad encounter a man in the lift, they tell her not to talk to the man although he isn't doing any harm and discriminate him. When they get to the doctor, the man is there, when they ask for him to leave, the doctor explains how he is the donor for the operation.
After sharing my ideas with my audience in a form of a survey I got much feedback. Originally I was going to go with my idea about a colour blind person who finds a support group online and makes a friends where when they meet, he could see colours again as if they were soulmates but since his friend couldn't see colour again, he would be left alone and everything would turn black and white again. But after much feedback, I decided to that the majority of my audience enjoys my detective idea much more. Out of any film genres the most selected were thriller and adventure. As the audience wants this idea more than any other I decided that I would focus around it.
My audience is mostly males, but it is quite mixed in-between males and females. The protagonist my audience chose would be a male, but female was a very close second. The detective which will be the protagonist will be a male. I also decided that it would be complicated to make the audience understand that there will be supernatural experiences happening, therefore I'm going to remove the supernatural element and add a serial killer. The short film is aimed to be 6-7 minutes long as it is the appropriate timespan. In my other idea I was going to focus more on the look of the film and make it look cinematic but the audience wanted this idea instead, they also chose and also chose that the plot is more important. The acting style is also going to be natural as well as the lighting. As it's a thriller I'm going to make the lighting a bit darker for more effect.
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I also started a Facebook page and I have 11 likes on the first few days. I will be using this as a social media platform to engage my audience to find out what changes I should make for my short film. I will also get feedback and take their ideas into my short film. All the pictures on my page were taken by me. Since I only have a brief idea, I thought it would be appropriate to ask questions and then take pictures and make the website around the audience rather than the audience around the website. I was worried about making a Facebook page because of my lack of friends on Facebook but as its getting a lot of likes I will make sure to keep them interested for the rest of this project.
Rationale:
In the last year I have learned many things to do with media and film. One of the most exciting and learnable experiences this year was using a 16 mm Steinbeck, it was interesting seeing how they used to edit back then and how times have changed. It was an interesting experience overall but made me realize how much I had missed the normal editing softwares. Video installation is something I explored and learned about as its not something I knew anything about. I explored how to take film and turn it in to art and have one main concept for people to interpret. Another thing I learned is how important audience is and how much it improves your concepts. Not only is it getting another perspective, but its also about who is going to see it, therefore it's not too much about the creator but the audience aswell. Editing is something I've developed over this year. I've focused on the sound and the lighting more than I have before and the videos I edit are more polished. One of the things I have really enjoyed making was my logo. It helped me develop more of an understanding with photoshop and after effects. I have learned a lot more and developed many more skills than I did last year, this made me understand the concept and pre-production.
Week 1:
Ideas
Week 2:
Ideas & Planning
Poster:
Trailer and movie:
Idea: A detective mystery short film and its 2 point of views, this guy who wakes up one day and can't eat anything because he feels sick and eats a human body and then there's also this detective who comes across this and can never find out what happens because there is never enough evidence.
Genre: Thriller
Target audience: 15 to 25 year old males mostly because that is the major demographics that I got from my survey. I decided to change it as it was 15 to 19 but since 20-24 is also high in the demographics I decided to have it ranging from 15-25 as the 10 years seem reasonable.
Ideas
thriller
detective tries to solve a murder
audience idea
the audience gave an idea that i will mix into my own about a confused cannibal, and because my idea involves an investigator that may work together
comedy aspect?
Comedy was one of the highest genres after Adventure and Thriller I decided to make the 2 main characters roommates, maybe include dark comedy aspects?
Target Audience
the target audience would be mostly 15 to 20 year old males as they are the demographics I have to most responses from
The movie focuses a lot on a an investigator who has Hannibal Lecter in a jail cell so she can get information about another criminal. It focuses a lot on the investigation aswell as the crime and it uses a lot of dark scenes which I'd like to include in my short film. As seen in the trailer the actor's lines are acted out slowly for effect of suspense aswell as the music and the lighting. The acting is very professional and very serious as it is a thriller and the crime as serious as possible. The costumes are mostly as normal as it can be for a thriller. The detective has their own attire which shows their role as professional higher power character. And the criminal wears a more laid back attire to show lack of professionalism which links to why they are who they are. The locations vary because of the investigation and therefore sets in jail, where one of the criminals are and everywhere in between where there are clues. The usage of shot types and angles vary as the investigation plays out. The style of the film is mostly thriller and suspense.
The poster is very iconic, Clarice, the main character is in black and white, this shows purity and innocence. Her eyes are red which shows what she has seen or her views on what she knows. The moth has a skull design on it to show death. The name 'silence of the lambs' shows that the lamb is the victim and the criminal, the silence is shown by the moth on her mouth. The poster is just of her face which is very vague and it has significance because the story has a plot twist and its very disturbing.
The moth also represents the criminal as it is shutting her up and its also representing death as it has the skull design on it.
The poster is very eye-catching and uncomfortable to look at. The font of the title is quite uneven to show the unstability of the film and to show it isn't normal. The pig has significance because 'delicatessen' is a place where they sell food and other types of meat. This is significant because the movie is set in post apocalyptic french revolution and there is no food to an extreme extent where they have to result eating human flesh as if its normal. The title and pig are a orange/ yellowish colour which is the colour correcting of the film itself but the colour signifies illness or even a prize as if the meat is something to be worshipped therefore it is as important as they make it. The red background is something that stands out a lot and it suggests made things such as danger, love and mostly blood as the main plot of the movie is murder and cannibalism. It is simple because of the context in which is meant to be hidden throughout.
Delicatessen is a post-apocalyptic future after the french revolution where there is no food so they have to live off eating people. This is something I wanted to research about because it has an eery aspect to it aswell as the cannibalism aspect. The colour correction is also something that is very intriguing as it makes the film seem uncomfortable to watch. The sound and music rises suspense which is essential for a thriller. The costumes are carefully chosen as it is set in the past. They all have different clothing and designs to differentiate the characters and to show how each character is like. the locations are mostly just one but it is set in various different rooms of the apartments they live in and the underground as there is another storyline added to the main narrative. The acting is not as serious as Silence of the lambs as they seem to over react at times and exaggerate expressions on their faces and adds some comedry making it a dark comedy that includes dark and thriller genres such as cannibalism.
The title is also in red which mostly suggests blood and danger. The key colours in this poster are white, black and red/orange which represent the dark and light side of the investigation and the dangers that come with it and the blood and murder that happened. The woman on the poster is Clarice the main character who is a detective in midst of an investigation to find a criminal, by using Hannibal Lector to lead her the way. She looks pale in the poster, this may suggest that she is dead or a corpse and there's a moth on her because she is a corpse.
The moth is also a metaphor for the Serial Killer Buffalo Bill because he has moths in his basement. Caterpillars turn into butterflies or in this case moths and Bill wants to transform into a woman which is why the moth is on a woman who is the protagonist investigator who tries to find out what happened.
Week 3:
Secondary research
Project Concept:
I'm going to spend my first week exploring ideas and genres and what I will plan throughout the 8 weeks. It will mostly be involved around a thriller genre. I will need to find good costumes to provide for my actors, such as investigator and the suspects which will probably be mostly casual outfits. The criminal will be a cannibal which means I'll need some sort of meat to show that it is flesh.I'll also use watermelon for when they are eating and food coloring to make it seem like blood. The main focus will be different shot types to for the specific genre because the plot will be important, but I also want to incorporate lighting and colour grading so that it gives a cinematic feel so that I can work on some cinematography. One of my struggles has always been the music, therefore I want to make sure I don't leave anything out and make it so that it fits the final piece. To improve my photoshop skills even better I want to make the title of the short film on there, so that it is original and it goes with the genre which is thriller so it looks professional rather than a random font.
Week
1- Ideas
2- Primary Research
3- Secondary Research
4- Pre- Production
5- Production
6- Editing
7- Poster
I will make up at least 3 ideas and make synopsis for all of them so I can make sure I have the right one. Making sure I vary the genres and ideas so they won't be too similar to each other.
What I need to do
What I have done
I need to research posters and movies similar to my idea. Finding the film I want and making sure I have talked about the acting, style, narrative and costumes aswell as the title, font, colours and images on the poster.
I need to work on character profiles, a script, shotlist, location report and everything in the aspect of making up the narrative and planning to film it. I will also need to make sure I have everything I need.
Make sure I follow the shotlist I made and film everything needed 2 or 3 times for each shot so that there is enough for the editing. I also need to make sure that all the lighting and style of acting is done to the say I had planned. In this week I will also be producing my own piece of music for the short film.
Edit the film with my own style making sure it is polished. I will also use colour correction to add cinematic affect to my film and to make it more suspenseful. I will also use my logo at the beginning to make my short film look as professional as possible.
Finish editing and polishing the edit, exporting and uploading it on youtube. When making poster I will design my own font for the title of the film and take the picture that I want for the short film and add it to the poster. Adding colours I think will be correct for the poster.
8- Evaluation
I will make a survey and get information so I can set on an idea. I will have 10 questions to help me get the demographics and the ideas my audience wants. I also would like to make a Facebook page so that I could have contact with my audience and know what they want to see.
After showcasing my short film followed by Q&A session where I will be getting feedback from everyone who watched my film I will be evaluating it and making sure I have talked about week one all the way through week eight, I will also make sure to use media words and talk about the things I did right, wrong and what things I would've changed if I were to do this again. Then annotate the poster with media knowledge and write a similar evaluation for it.
The camera angles are much more diverse in Delicatessen as it goes through a lot of angles to show who is higher and lower in power, the close ups also helps the audience to understand the meaning of some things. Such as why they act so strange when they speak about food and why some people are not around anymore. The characters all seem to be nice and normal which is why it's not as disturbing as it could be. The reason why I chose this film is because it mostly links to the fact that my film has a cannibal, I wanted to see how the characters would act as that is their diet. As they seem normal I wanted to make my character as normal as possible. Another things I wanted to include in my film from this movie is the sound, not only is there many different sounds but also really good music which I want to get inspiration from as it is a dark film.
Evaluation:
For my evaluation I will be talking about what I have achieved each week and what I need to work on next, I will also be talking about what I need to improve on every task. I'll make sure to use media knowledge into my evaluations and use media words. I decided I'm going to be using audio instead of writing it down so I can keep my work more organized and also would like to expand on the resources I can use. As I set myself a timetable for what I have to do each week I will also be adding the audio files next to them so that they are organized and easy to go through. The audio files evaluations are very convenient for this part of my project. I would also use every week's evaluation to look what I have missed or done wrong so I can improve on the week after.
After thinking carefully about my idea I decided the comedy aspect wouldn't work with my initial idea, but on a idea of its own. The idea will be thriller with no dark comedy aspects.
Poster:
Trailer and movie:
The pig is also a metaphor for everyone who is eating the meat. They are shown as if they are the pigs because they are eating anything that is being fed to them and they will be eaten eventually, as if the butcher is the farmer who is feeding them but they will be eaten. It could also mean that they are being fed to that they will be at the ideal weigh so they can kill them to feed more people. It is unsettling to look at as you couldn't possibly imagine what happens until you watch the film.
Poster:
Trailer and movie:
Se7en is detective film about a serial killer who commits murders about the 7 deadly sins. There is also two investigators who are trying to solve the case. They come across very gruesome and gory crime scenes which leads them to the next one. I like the style of this film as its very dark and its similar acting style to silence of the lambs, the costume is also very similar except for the crime scenes, the props is something I'd like to incorporate into my short film as I will want it to be gory in the sense so that the audience knows what is happening. The locations are also significant as the serial killer is doing the murders according to the sin and therefore the location can be very specific. The detectives are something I want to include in my detective character, combining them both to make one. I chose this film to research because of the lighting. I want to include the same style of lighting to incorporate in my short film. The style seems to be dark and to increase suspense and keep the mood low.
The poster has a lot on it because it's an eventful narrative. The protagonists which are both investigators are both at the front look at the audience, this could symbolise that they are looking at the audience to teach them a lesson about the 7 deadly sins and they're almost judging you as if you committed one of those sins. There are also the 7 deadly sins going down being crossed out one by one, as that could be either the serial killer crossing people out when they kill them because of the sins or the investigators finding out the crimes and crossing them out. The title seven is in a really simple font which stands out because its the only word in white apart from the actors' names. The background is also mainly yellow. This has significance and the colour yellow symbolises sickness, which is either the serial killer's mental health or the feeling the detectives and audience feel when they encounter a new crime scene. The poster also has an effect so that it look worn out and scratched out and old.
The sins are in a specific order as it is the order in which the serial killer murders and how they find it. They seem to be ticked off very clearly in the first one as if it was ticked off confidently, but by the last one you can barely see the red line going across the word, this could mean that the detectives were confident at first about the investigation and now that they have seen everything it has pretty much scarred them.
It could also be the serial killer getting fore and worse as he kills each person for the sin.
Detective:
20-30 year old (mid 20s but looks older, about 30)
male
serious and takes job seriously
maybe alcoholic?
(he's seen a lot of things)
is weirded out by some things but he's seen a lot so blood doesn't bother him
they are mature and assertive (stereotypical detective)
cares more about the investigation than family
has beard and styled hair
wears trousers/jeans with white shirt and a suit or jacket
Serial Killer/Cannibal
Genres:
I would like to explore more genres and concepts to attempt creating different styles of films. I also would like to work on the cinematic aspect of film aswell as the narrative. Another thing I want to explore is the use of mise en scene and have a wider range of it in my film so that it can have a variety of development on my skills. Making sure I have all that and also many different types of shots.
doesn't want to hurt anyone
normal looking guy
seems like and is nice
not actually a bad guy
hungry and confused
doesn't realize what is happening
doesn't ever meet the detective in the film (2 POV film)
is nice person but changes into cannibal interntionally
wears sweater and jeans also looks about the same age as the detective
Coming up with a narrative has been a challenge as I keep trying to change the story. As my ideas developed I realized that I could make the narrative simpler. I decided to not have a beginning, middle and end but start from the middle and work to the end, or maybe not even have an ending and make it so the investigation is an ongoing thing that will take years to resolve. As it is 6 minutes to 8 minutes long I decided to have lines to explain the narrative and let it play out like a real investigation. I will also not have many actors as its very inconvenient and might get in the way of how I want the story to play out. I will also consider adding a documentary stylee element to the short film, by making a reenactment of what happened to a victim to show how the detective thinks it played out so the audience sees what happened instead of just being told what happened.
Locations:
Budget:
House where the office will be. This is important because this is the place where you most see the detective as he is looking for clues from everything he has collected so far. This is all significant as it is a metaphor for how he feels. He feels trapped and wants to solve the case but he can't.
Parking lot where the crime scene will be, use chalk to make an outline of a person, also blood. This is another important place where the crime scene happens and its important because its another clue that the detective doesn't have and you see the 'serial killer' close by leaving the audience stunned because of how close it is, making it ironic which gives a reaction from the audience.
List of things I need:
-Clothes:
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trousers - £12 x2
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shirt - £5 x2
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suit - £35
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hoodie/cardigan - £15
-Props:
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Chalk £0.40
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watermelon £2
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meat £4
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food coloring £2
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fake blood £5
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apple juice (will be the bourbon) £1
-Equipment:
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camera - own
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tripod - own
The detective character is a stereotypical investigator who is invested in their job and is very serious about what he is doing. He is in his mid 20s and is very mature and looks older than he is. He will be seen with alcohol through the film. He is a good investigator but this case is getting to him so much that he has given up on his family and normal life so that he can solve this.
The woods. This place is important to the storyline as the audience has a sense of suspense. They feel like they are finally going to get an explanation or a clue but it leads to nowhere which leaves the audience feeling like the detective does, making them sympathies with him.
Ideas developed:
Scene 1 idea:
Detective is in his office looking at his files and drinking, he gets a phone call, faintly hear the call while the camera is panning one this files and desk. Hear a woman on the phone being worried, he ends the phone call.
Scene 2 idea:
Cannibal is by the fridge, has no control and starts eating flesh from inside the fridge (prop with food coloring) he starts crying on the floor.
Scene 3 idea:
Detective at parking lot is trying to find out what happened. Enters crime scene (chalk outline on the floor) he asks the person where the remains of the body is. He says at forensics. He gets closer to the blood and picks it up, smells it and notices more blood further away from the crime scene, he find hope that maybe he is closer to solving the case, and follows the trail. Nearby the cannibal is walking away from the shop and walking to his house the opposite way from where the trail is heading. As the detective follows it he realizes the trail followed to the woods where the foxes lived and has nothing to do with the crime scene.
Scene 4 idea:
The cannibal who the detective thinks is a serial killer, is now in his home, writing a letter about his situation. He either wants to be caught or die because he doesn't want to hurt anyone, the motive is unclear and is left for the audience to interpret. He then leaves it on the table and walks out the door.
Scene 5 idea:
The detective is looking at the forensics file and doesn't fine any leads, he drinks more and becomes angry throwing everything everywhere to sit down with his hands on his head. The phone rings. The end.
The ending is left to be interpreted by the audience.
Sound - I will be making my own sound aswell as music so that it suits the narrative and keeps up the suspense. I will start it around the same time as the filming starts. I want it to start quite intense as the start of the film is the middle. I want it to be mysterious. I also want it to end on an eerie sound when the detective is going insane because he'll never solve the investigations.
Lighting - I will make sure to have a dark setting whenever both characters are indoors, when they are outside it will have natural lighting. I want it to start off lighter than it ends but the start will already be dark. This is because I want the story to get darker and darker as the audience discovers what is happening in the narrative. I want the audience to be in the same point of view as the characters to make them feel uncomfortable. I will also be colour grading so it looks a bit more blueish to make it seem like a low mood. If it doesn't fit in with the blue, I will try colour grading it yellow to make it seem sickly and uncomfortable. This would make it look more cinematic and it will also have an affect on the audience, which I'm hoping would be unsettling.
Script
The scripts were only made for 2 scenes as the others don't have any dialogue. I decided to add some lines as it has been something I haven't incorporated much in my work and I want to develop the sound in my films.
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I posted a question asking if my audience had any ideas to see if I would get any responses. I got 2 responses and one of them developed my ideas further which really helps to understand what the audience want to see. I then combined an idea that someone gave me in the comments with one of my original ideas that a lot of people voted for.
A detective mystery short film and its 2 point of views, this guy who wakes up one day and can't eat anything because he feels sick and eats a human body and then there's also this detective who comes across this and can never find out what happens because there is never enough evidence. The film starts off already in the middle of the investigation and ends with the detective never figuring it out.
I have feedback about my idea and therefore decided to stick with it. I'm also still going to make the 2 point of views but focus more on the detective. I have positive feedback overall and as Patricia stated I need to work on my time so that I have everything ready for filming.
I made a survey so I could find out what my audience would like the poster to be like. I decided to ask questions about the title of the short film, colours, what images they would like to see...etc
I specifically asked these questions in order to estimate what my audience and a wider audience would want to see. These things also included how I would advertise it. Since I won't actually be advertising I still theoretically asked the question to see what would happen if I had the audience answer so I would know what I would do if I had the resources, connections and money to do so.
I got varied responses but there were main questions which stood out and got a lot of the same responses. This will determine how my movie poster will be like thus following what my audience is suggesting.
This character is mostly clueless, possibly schizsofranic, he gets a random urge to eat human flesh but isn't serial killer or want to kill anyone. He is a normal guy who is just confused of what is happening most of the time.
I decided to use these items as they are clothing for the cast, and props I will need for things such as the apple juice for the bourbon, the watermelon will be used as the meat they will eat with the foo colouring and the fake blood will be used multiple times and the meat to make the shot just before the character eats the meat to show that is meat but instead the actor will be eating watermelon. The chalk will be used to outline a fake body outline where I will place fake blood and watermelon bits so that it looks like flesh.
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Click on the image
Click on the image
For my poster primary research I decided to make a survey as my last survey helped me understand what my audience wants. My first question I described what the film would be about and what the name should be. I am glad my audience chose 'Absence of notion' as its also my favourite among the others. I also got some feedback regarding other options for the name.
I decided these responses didn't really fit what the film is about and I decided to go for the most voted.
For my second question I asked what colours I should incorporate, as it was a multiple answered question the 3 highest colours would the what I'm going to incorporate in my poster. The 3 most popular colours were black, red and white. I then asked what they would like to see in the poster. As my audience wants both characters in the poster I decided I would go with that but also a still from the movie of each character as that was also one of the most requested images. Another question is what should be in the background of the poster; the post popular vote was woods which seem like it would work well in this kind of colour scheme.
For the title there were 2 options which were red and intense and white and simple. The best one seems to be white and simple and therefore works with the colour scheme, image and background. As for when the film should be released Autumn won by a long shot as it fits well with the thriller genre. The age I mostly got responses from were 15-19 year olds which makes the gore easier as the audience will be appropriate for the genre I'm going for. The gender turned out to be mostly balanced although females was a bit higher. As it was mostly balanced there is not much I can do to change it so fits both genders as it's a thriller. The tagline is something that makes up the movie and therefore I made 3 that most make sense.
My personal favourite is the one that got the lowest but luckily my second favourite was the most highest voted. Therefore I will make the tagline: 'Some things aren't meant to be solved' as it sums up the film pretty well and its still mysterious and holds suspense. My last question is how I would advertise my poster if I were to advertise it. I wrote most responses which all got a lot of feedback especially a side of a bus which is the best way to advertise as everyone sees it. One thing I forgot to put down and that my audience wrote was social media. As I have positive responses and an idea of what my audience wants I will make sure to execute those terms and make sure to incorporate every feedback into my poster.
Character profiles:
I chose this film as the lighting is something I want to incorporate in my film. The idea of certain colours for a specific scene makes the style of the movie more interesting and the colours have meanings therefore it makes the audience more intrigued. It also encourages what is happening in the scene and makes more sense there more you think about the colour's meanings. This film's colours are mostly red, yellow and green which represent passion, youth and ... These are very helpful to understand the characters and the plot of the film aswell as making it aesthetically pleasing while watching the film. Another The lighting also stays the same throughout the movie as it is consistent to keep the colours. This is what I would like to do in my film as I think the lighting should be consistent as it's a thriller and also have colours for different scenes.
Trailer and movie:
Focus: Lighting & Colour
Trailer and movie:
Focus: Costumes & Props
Costumes and props isn't something I thought much about this short film as it is a thriller short film and thought the costumes would be casual. What I didn't think was what the audience would want to see and the representation of the characters that the costume would reflect on. I decided to pick this to help me and inspire me with the costumes. As they are also investigators it would only make sense to pick out different things to help me understand how the characters would dress. I also chose this as the props seem to be very useful. I would need props such as fake blood to show the audience what is happening in the scene. As they use advanced production to make the prop I decided I would be making my own props too such as the leftover corps and the meat that the cannibal will be shown to be eating.
Detective Peters has been on a case for months, the longest case he's taken to solve. Without enough evidence Peters tries to solve an investigation that cannot be solved because the evidence is being eaten by a cannibal who doesn't understand himself.
Storyboard
Shotlist
Location Report
Poster research
Looking off into the distance - makes audience wonder
Frowned eyebrows makes it seem
like something bad has happened
Black background shows the film is dark and mysterious
The light shows that he is in a dark place and it implies it is bad
You can see the credits but they aren't too obvious
White and simple font with markings around to show the damage of something
The tagline is red and eye catching but also not taking up too much space
The date of release is red and eye-catching aswell - reminds the audience when it is
This poster is very dark so it already gives off the impression that is going to be a dark film. The actor which is Leonardo DiCaprio is staring off into the distance and you can't tell what he's looking at, this gives the audience suspense because nobody knows what he's looking at. This facial expression with his frowned eyebrows looking into the distance can also suggest suspicion also encouraging the fact that it is a thriller. He is also holding a lighted match to represent he is in the dark. In the poster you can't tell what the film is about but in the movie it could represent that he is in a dark place or his mind is a dark place. The title is white and very simple which is something I want to incorporate in my poster. This gives off the impression of professionalism and the simplicity as well as the 'ink' rubbing off the title is alarming and gives off the title as being old or ruined which gives off tension as it seems like something bad is going to happen or has happened. The tagline is in red which is something I also want to do in my poster. This enhances the tagline and also is bold and eye-catching so the audience really thinks about it so that they can go and watch the film and briefly know what it is about. The date of release is also in red which is another thing they should be looking out, this is done so that the audience remembers as the red is very eye catching in this poster as everything else is really dark. The credits are visible but not so that you can only see the credits and are also in the sea which is the background. The background seems to be an island, it is surrounded by dark water and then as it goes up to the actor is turns black. This enhances the name which is Shutter Island and also makes it so that we can see where the location of the movie is going to be in.
Cloudy and smoke who's the affect of the wars and the colours yellow represents sickness and weakness
The four main characters are shown and the main actor Tom Hanks is in the middle at the front
The credits are visible because the background is black at the bottom
The black background is also the ground the soldier is standing on
There is no capital letters making the importance of characters confusing
White and simple font, also the word saving is in bold
This poster can tell a lot about the movie which is a war movie about world war one. The poster shows four soldiers, that suggests that they are the main characters and that Tom Hanks, the actor in the middle at the front is the main character. I would like to add that to my film poster as it shows who is the main character but also add the other character behind him to show that he'll never find him. The background seems to be smoke and clouds which represents the destruction of the war. The bottom is mostly black to accompany the white font of the title and credits. The title is all white and simple with the word 'saving' in bold. This enhances that word and makes the audience wonder if they save private Ryan s the name of the movie is very self explanatory. The tagline is also in white and it is 'the mission is a man' which is also suggested in the title. The credits are white which works well with the back background that is the floor the soldier is standing on. One thing I have noticed about this poster is the lack of capital letters which makes me wonder if that has meaning to the film. As not even the name is in capital letters it shows that they are not seen as important as they are soldiers that are going to die for their country, this shows how they are treated and how they among themselves think that they are important as they should be. This related back to the title which is the fact they are saving private Ryan which means no man gets left behind.
 The first page has the 1st scene and the beginning of the 2nd scene |  The second page of the storyboard has the 3rd and 4th scene |
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 The last page of the storyboard ends with the last 2 scenes |
74 Kynaston avenue
This address will contain the rooms in which the scenes will be set. We will be filming in a bedroom which will also be changed to look like an office. The kitchen will also be used.
Lighting will be darker in some scenes, close curtains when filming. Make sure you white balance and make sure it's not too dark that it turns grainy.
Production
Editing
Evaluation
Evaluation Planning
Week 5:
Planning, Film research & poster
Week 6:
Pre-production
Week 6:
Pre-production
Week 7:
Production
Week 8:
Evaluation
Overall after filming I had around 42 shots to work from. I decided to put everything in and cut shots out from the 8 minutes of footage I put all together. I made sure to not overwhelm the short with too many shots of the murder board although I had a lot of good shots of it. Another thing I made sure to do was cut the scenes so they run smoothly through where it looks continuous. I colour corrected so that it would look more cinematic and so the colours mix together nicely.
The sound was a bit tricky as after I used a sound buffer there are still environmental sounds in the background. I reshot the scene 3 times and the best one with least sound made it to the final cut but there are still problems with the background noises. Although that is a problem the final audio of the character speaking is still as good as I hoped it would be. I also had to make the sound of the dialogue on the phone louder than the music so that you would hear it and understand it. Some of the sound I could not have made during the shoot therefore I had to make a foley and edit over it such as the phone sounds at the beginning.
For the title I decided to go on after effects so that I would make it look more professional and have an animation. Whereas for the credits I made them on premiere adding my name as the director and then the actors and then edited by me. I made them all look the same, with the font and the placing. The music was also something I struggled on at the beginning. As I'm not good at working with music and sounds I made my music from garageband which then I then replaced with another music composition. It was hard to find the right sound because of my limitations from not having the full application. That didn't stop me from making a composition and making it sound right for my short film. I decided to make the title simple and white because of the genre of the film which is thriller. I decided not to add red in the title because I didn't want it to look tacky. I also only had small amounts of blood in my short as I wanted it to be more about the detective and not too much gore. Another thing I had to make sure to do is not only colour correct so the shots look balanced but also make sure the sound isn't grainy which is why I used the denoiser on premiere.
After I finished editing and uploaded my video I also posted it on my Facebook page to see what feedback I would get. I got very good responses about the music and how it kept up the tension of the film to build up suspense so that the thriller genre would come through. One of the things that I noticed could've been improved is the angles so that the audience can see the actor's faces and their emotions. The lighting is something that I was critiqued on as some parts it wasn't dark enough and the sound is something I could've also improved on by recording it again or making sure the music isn't too loud compared to the rest of the audio. Overall I have received good feedback about the plot and the use of mise en scene in the film. The theme and the idea of the film overall got positive feedback as most of my audience understood what it was about and what happened in the film. The tension which was one of the most
For the Production I had to make my own set because I didn't have an office to film in, therefore I took my bed out of my room and I built a desk and put it on its place. I did this because it was convenient as I didn't have a bed yet and therefore could move the mattress easily and build a desk as I also needed one and therefore would work together with the set that I was trying to create. I also made a murder board with cardboard and newspaper, I added as much as I could to make it seem like a murder board and made sure the desk had a lamp to have the lighting as the lights would be off and the room would be dark. I also had to make my own folder as I didn't have one and couldn't get one in time for the filming.
FEEDBACK
important parts of the film was well executed. The lighting could've been better as my ambitions didn't work as of my lack of knowledge with lighting and filming in dark rooms. The lighting outside was also a problem as it was too sunny but it partially is my fault for not reshooting it again so I had the shots I wanted. A thing my audience has also mentioned is the range of shots that made the film as there are long shots, medium shots, close ups, extreme close ups and over the shoulder shots that combined together really bring out the film itself. Apart from that the audio could've been improved on as there were too many background noises.
Risk Assessment
In event
Safety Measures
Possibility
(Low,Med,High)
Level
(Low,Med,High)
Risk
Cast or Crew Injury
Equipment breaking
Starts raining
Actors cancelling
Sound problems
Make sure to have all wired tucked away and no sharp objects near. Also make sure there are no bags on the floor and all equipment is safely stable and floor is dry.
Make sure everything is put away carefully and correctly. Even with setting the equipment up make sure to handle with care and make sure the camera and tripod are steady.
Medium
Medium
High
Low
Low
Medium
High
High
High
Medium
Make sure the weather is checked before the day of filming by checking the news or online.
Make sure there is 1 or more backup actors so that if any problems occur there is someone else to film another day. Also make sure to explain everything so they don't cancel.
Make sure to make a test run beforehand to make sure the sound is okay before filming. Also check after so that you can reshoot it with the right sound.
Make sure to put away everything and have a backup as a phone. Don't panic and shoot again or another day when its fixed.
Put everything away as fast as possible and make sure not to get rain on the equipment then film another day.
Work out which other actor you would use and find another day to film.
Edit it after on premiere or another software. If not reshoot another dat for better sound.
Don't panic as that would cause more chaos, make sure they are okay and get them help if they need medical attention, then remove the thing that made them injure themselves.
Evaluation
Planning and Primary Research
Firstly I started with some ideas, developed them further and moved on to research which was mostly looking at films with the same genre and comparing the plot, lighting, shot types that I would work on my films. After I picked a specific idea I went ahead and started working on my shotlist but since I didn't do much research I rushed and messed up on the way therefore I picked another idea and worked well from there. I chose 3 movies that I wanted the film to resemble and had inspirations from those. The films were Silence of the Lambs, Delicatessen and Se7en. I chose these because of the way the films are made aswell as the lighting and shot types. As they are all thrillers and all contain a serial killer I picked up some good scenes types from the trailers aswell as the movies which I've watched previously. Another aspect was the shot types where Delicatessen really came through with varying of shots such as pans, low angles and close ups to indicate the characters' statuses. After I looked at some of those films I decided to look at other films in other aspects such as lighting and costumes, in which Amelie and CSI came into factor. Amelie has a specific colour scheme that is impossible to miss, with yellow usually the main colour following green and red being very saturated. I wanted to do the same with other colours. After writing about both the trailer and the poster for each I annotated posters from the movies shutter island and saving private ryan.
Secondary Research
For the secondary research I started off with making a survey with the basic questions and my ideas to find out my demographics and also what my audience wants to see. The results I got were mostly average with my ideas almost tying up. My demographics are males 15 to 25 year olds as the 10 years difference is reasonable. After I got my demographics and my ideas I decided there was more to be done. I started a Facebook page to engage with my audience and find out what they wanted so I could also develop my ideas. I got very good feedback in both pitching ideas and developing them but also getting ideas from the audience. As part of the project I kept the Facebook page running for as long as I could until the film was finished.
Pre-Production
Along with the research still going I started planning. I started with the characters as I wanted to really have their personalities and work with them from there. After figuring out their costumes, personalities and locations in which I would film, the next bit that briefly having a plan of what each scene would look like, developing further I then made a storyboard so I could visualize my ideas and fix some things with the scenes. I then made a shotlist varying in different shots types and times. I had one problem at this point which was the actors, as I didn't have any friends who could act or were available to film at the time of shooting, therefore I decided to contact actors from a website called StarNow. I put up my listing and waited until I had enough actors to cast, I then picked the actors that mostly resembled my characters and then figured out the filming times. One of the actors which was supposedly the detective filmed one day and cancelled the project altogether. I then had to contact another actor which was no problem and the scenes turned out better than previously. Finally I finished pre-production with a location report and a risk assessment showing where I would film and what could happen on the days of filming and how I could overcome it. Thankfully most of those things didn't happen.
Production
For the production of things I had to make my own props. As I didn't have access to an office I decided to make my room into an office for the film. I took out my mattress as I didn't have a bed yet and built a desk. After that I worked on the murder board which I completed using newspaper, paper, pins, string and cardboard. For the full effect o an office I put used printed paper almost everywhere to show chaos in his desk. I put a laptop aswell as a lamp and office supplies so that it would have the effect as needed. As the character is an alcoholic I decided to add a cup of 'whiskey' which was iced tea in a cup with ice, so it would look as if he is drinking. I used two cameras so that I could get the same shot twice for different angles so it would be smoother in post production in editing. I also used them for convenience so that some scenes such as the one where the character pushes the sheets off the desk would be easier to film, keeping most things the same so the editing wouldn't look too different. It is also convenient so that there would only be a few cleanups.
The actors were friendly and got straight to work and didn't get distracted so that we could shoot everything, we shot each scene about 2 or 3 times so that I would have enough to work from. With the two cameras it was easier to get a lot of shots in different angles with the same lighting so that everything would smoothly edit together.
Post-Production
For the editing I threw all of the shots on premiere pro as they were all in chronological order apart from 2 scenes. This made it easy to move it around and cut the scenes out to see which worked together. I cut the shots and smoothed them nicely together so it would go along with the plan I had in mind. One of the scenes I couldn't get done was the scene in which the detective is outside and he finds a path that leads to blood but he can't find any evidence. This was because I didn't manage my time effectively and didn't get the resources I needed for that scene. I also didn't have another actor available which made the scene not make sense and changed it so that the detective checks in with forensics instead. It worked well as the phone call looked realistic. The sound was also something I could've improved on as I didn't check it very well straight after I filmed it. Some of the scenes have a lot of noise in the background and I had to use denoiser to turn it down and have the voice of the actor more clear. The lighting was something that was debatable. Some scenes it worked very well and others it doesn't look as good as it could've been. I colour corrected most scenes on premiere and had them more clear and cinematic. After that I added my logo at the start of the movie, aswell as the title to the end of the movie which I did on after effects making it animated bold in white writing so it is visible and looks professional. I then added the credits of the actor's names, and my name and the roles I fulfilled. The acting was one of the best parts of the film from my perspective as it was smooth and worked well with the plans I had in mind. Aswell as my perspective, my audience's perspective does not differ as they were also impressed. The costumes and props aswell as the mise en scene were something that worked better than expected. The costumes were casual but the detective had to wear a bit more smart to show his status, the actor in which wore the clothes I suggested and it worked well on the final shots. The props also worked well as with he right angles and lighting I was able to make it look realistic and turned out to be the best looking shots. The location was a problem I wish I'd have solved sooner. This is because of the scene outside in which I didn't get to film. It would've been better if I had done it in another location but because I didn't look further into that it didn't work well in my favor.
Film breakdown
The starting credits which was my logo worked well as I am proud of it. After that it starts off with the scene where the detective is looking at files and gets a call. The scene starts with looking around the room, showing the props such as the murder board and the desk in the room which adds to the ambience, it then goes to the character drinking and looking at the files. He then gets a call in which the audio sounds really good aswell and the script worked well. The next scene is the scene where the cannibal opens the fridge door and eat the 'meat' which is watermelon covered in fake blood. I used the props well as it worked effectively and the audience understood what it was, I think if I were to redo it I would've gotten real meat and shot it so that the actor look like he's eating it but cut away so that it looks more realistic.
The next scene is then the one outside where the detective finds a trail of blood and calls forensics. This scene's lighting could've been better as it was outside and the white balancing could've been improved. The sound was mostly the issue. The background noises were the problem, next time I would've reshot the scene and made sure to review the footage so that it would be clearer. After that it's the scene where the cannibal is writing something where its left for the audience to figure out. This scene doesn't show the character's faces very well which is some of the feedback my audience gave me where it was to show the actors's faces more so they can see their emotions. This scene is well executed apart from the shots in which shows the character's true emotions. The last and final scene is the one where the detective goes crazy and throws paper and sheets everywhere and has a mental breakdown. This scene had good lighting and very good shot of the papers flying. One thing I had feedback on was the fact that the ending didn't really have an ending. As some of the audience doesn't understand that it is the point not to have an ending and that the plot is that the detective doesn't solve the case. Even thought that was my plan from the beginning I could've made it have a better ending or make the film a bit longer so that the audience would know more about the plot.
Exhibition
For the presentation of my short film I uploaded it onto Youtube so that it could reach a wider audience. I then showed it to my class and after I showed it I asked questions and was asked questions and I recorded it so that I would look back at the footage and have evidence. I mostly got the same feedback which are to make sure the sound is better, the lighting in some parts should be improved, the props had a good use and that it was effective. One thing that was said was the ending of the film and how it could be longer so the audience understands the plot more which is understandable. I decided then to post it onto my Facebook page so it would reach to a wider audience, after posting I received positive feedback aswell as critiques from most people which helped me understand where I went wrong altogether so I would improve next time and also what I did right so I could keep doing what I did right. Another thing I did was make a poster where I made sure to keep the theme of thriller and annotated the poster. What I would do to reach an even wider range of audience would be to put up that poster anywhere near a cinema, I would also make a poster for the side of a bus so that everyone can see whenever they are out which gives a lot of advertisement. Also as my audience mentioned on my primary research, social media is a great way of advertising it, meaning that I would post my poster, aswell as a trailer anywhere in any social media and it would reach many other people. My target audience is 15 to 25 year old males as it is a thriller and in this genre usually males enjoy more as it has action and dark themes. The demographics would be working class as the higher class wouldn't want to watch it as it is too dark for them, the lower class wouldn't want to watch it as it is not a drama therefore the working class at a wider range of people would want to watch it. Since I have uploaded it onto Youtube I would enable Ads so I would have a trailer of a film similar to mine such as the movie Split, I would have the trailer playing it before my film so the audience that watches my film would watch that film. That would mean that they like the same genre and type of film therefore would get more publicity.
I also added a map so that it would work well with the investigation board and I also added paper and note pads and made sure that the desk would look like a desk in a detective film. I also used two cameras so that I would get many different angle in the same exact shot so that there aren't any out of place shots when I edit my film. I also had two cameras so that I would record 2 things happening at the same time over two shots that I had to take so that it would edit well together and so that we wouldn't keep having to reshoot.
For the pre-production I also had to hire actors which I did in a website called StarNow, I decided to do this because of the lack of actors that I know already. As I had no one available that could act I decided to hire people with some experience who would be interested for experience and having a wider range of ages which could make my film more realistic and engage my audience more. This worked well as I got many responses back and I could pick 2 actors that would fit the perfect role for this short film.
Poster
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Firstly I started off by making the background gradient from white to black as the movie is dark and as it's a thriller it makes the audience realize it is a thriller. I then put the main character which is the detective at the left bottom. I then put the other character on the top right. As they are both stills from the film parts of the bodies are cut out because of the frames. Therefore I decided to put a box in the middle so that it looks like they weren't cut out on purpose. The title 'Absence of notion' was put on the inside of the box in white. I then decided to play around with the tools to make it stand out and make it bolder and
eye catching for the audience so that they would want to see the film. After that I typed out the credits and I had to download a fan too that it looks like the credits from posters and it looks professional. Another thing I added is the tagline for the film. I made all the fonts in white s that it wouldn't be too dark. I then decided to add a still of the storyboard to add colour and contrast to the poster. After that I put 2 boxes at the top with the actor's names in the boxes so it shows who the actors are as the audience may want to watch because of the actors. I decided to make it in black writing as the top is white. Lastly I added my logo next to one of the actors, this helps the audience to recognize my brand and it gives me a bit of a name.
I added boxes with he names of the actors at the top so the audience is aware of the actors and characters.
I added a still of the murder board as the poster was missing pictures and it looks well with the poster.
I then put the tagline of the short in white writing 'Some things aren't meant to be solved' making it stand out and tell the audience a bit about the film.
This is a still from the short, of the cannibal character which makes the audience wonder what the film is about as it's suggesting blood and murder. The red is also really eye catching.
The title is eye catching and simple so its easy to read, it is suitable for the genre and the white suggests its professional.
This shows then the short will come out and makes the audience aware aswell as advertise the film. It is eye-catching but its not taking over the poster
The background is s gradient varying from black to white which shows there is darkness in the story as it is a thriller. It also doesn't make the background too eye catching but it is also not dull.
The logo adds a nice touch as it makes it look professional and it gives the production a name aswell as the film because the audience wouldn't know about me.
This is a still from the short. It is the main character, detective Peters in which is a very important role in the film. This suggest his status as he is on the phone dressed smart and seems to be examining something. It is eye catching as it is a still and the audience may be wondering what is going on and would want to watch the film.
The credits are written in SF movie font which suggests its professional. It is written in white and it had the names of the actors, aswell as the producer, director, writer and film crew.