Director Chioce

Our latest assignment for our next project is to recreate scenes from a chosen director to last for seven minutes. We are to recreate these scenes using our own style of film making rather than just copying how the director originally directed the film. Therefore, we are given free reign to film the scenes in whatever style we wish as long as the overall plot within these scenes is coherent and that the themes stay the same throughout.

For my project, I have decided to choose the director John Glen. John Glen is most notable for his work on several James Bond films as well as directing the most amount of his own Bond films spanning from the mid-Roger Moore era all the way through the Timothy Dalton era of the series. John Glen has also worked on several other notable, successful and highly praised films such as Orson Welles's 'The Third Man' and Richard Donner's 'Superman'.



I decided to choose John Glen as my director choice as I am familiar with his works and I believe that he has a certain cinematic style, both through uses of motifs throughout most of his films and themes that occur throughout.

If I was to do scenes from one of his James Bond films, I would have to recreate some quieter scenes as I would not be capable of filming any big action at my current level of film making, therefore there would be no stunts and certainly high octane action being filmed. I will also have to have an appropriate cast to fill certain roles.

Musketeers TV Series Review

Musketeers is yet another adaption of the famous yet overly told tale featuring the famed protectors of France. The original tale tells of how three musketeers fight against evil forces to protect their royalty. Later on in the tale, a young edition steps in to become the fourth Musketeers, giving the title name 'The Three Musketeers' some question.

BBC's adaption is no different to all of the other thousand Hollywood remakes of the story. Three musketeers fight against an oppressive insider from the government and the blank space being the fourth musketeer is quickly filled during the very first episode. It is all very much the same but in a more abbreviated manner. However, something that does differentiate this series from Hollywood machine is a cast of British actors. Yes, the setting for the series is Paris but British accents in this setting appear to blend better than the sounds of American actors mostly trying to sound British or sometimes not even bothering at all.

But is the series any good? Surprisingly, yes.

When someone thinks of the BBC, images of people complaining about levels of violence or suitability for British television may come into that person's mind. This, however, is not the case. While some shows like Doctor Who have metaphorically died from a poor screenwriter who doesn't understand the simple concept of what the show is supposed to be about, slowly changing the show into an overly politically correct mess suitable now only for small children, Musketeers delivers what people actually want.

The stories are deep. The characters are very well developed without any sense of over-baring, not making any one character more important than the other. The merry band of musketeers all have their own time in the spotlight, each having moments of pure character building, highlighting potential flaws and character development continues as the series goes on. And where would great protagonists be without an array of despicable antagonists. The main villain changes in each season. The first is the Cardinal, played beautifully by Peter Capaldi before Moffatt could ruin him, a scheming criminal who wishes to gain power by getting rid of his king. The second is a Spaniard spy, plotting from inside the French government and the third is an Assassin who will stop at nothing until all of his foes are dead. Great actors performing for great characters.

The themes carried throughout the series convey a sense of justice, not only for the purposes of the characters but also justice in the fact that proper storytelling is being made here. Also the themes are very reminiscent of current social affairs, such as examples of a positive outlook towards female empowerment and having freedom beyond the rule of tyrants.

The visual style helps in keeping with the time setting and some great cinematography, although admittedly somber in comparison to a big Hollywood blockbuster, keep the pace running at break-neck speed to allow for an hour of excitement.

And then we come to the music. Throughout, the score is in keeping with the time setting: using wood instruments, string instruments and heavy war drums. The real highlight in music, however, is the main theme for the show itself. It truly allows for audience to become settled into the excitement.

Overall, the show might be very 'tongue-and-cheek' in the way it is presented to audiences but with enough great character development, deep stories, relevant modern themes and intriguing and exciting cinematography and sound, BBC's Musketeers is some fantastic evening drama.

Final Evaluation:

After finally finishing the editing process of my final two minute trailer, here is my evaluation on the experience, highlighting my strengths, weaknesses and improvements made and yet to be made in future projects.

Firstly, I was thankful that I did have enough footage to actually last for two minutes as this was a slight concern during the filming process. Use of titles against a black background was also helpful in lengthening the trailer to reach the required two minutes.

Editing the footage itself together was rather simple enough. I was able to easily put the footage together to create a cohesive, if still unpolished, story together using what I had captured. However, during this time, I did notice that some of the actions between shots did not match with the next shots, causing trouble with visual continuity. To overcome this, I was able to switch around certain shots at a later date after gaining feedback on  how I can allow the story to make more sense. In the end, I feel that all of the shots match up perfectly without any missteps in continuity.

Another problem which had arisen from the shooting process was the change in weather, meaning a change in lighting between various shots in the trailer, also disrupting continuity. However, after learning how to properly use the colour correction tools, I was able to match the lighting and colour of each shot. This also allowed me to brighten the picture in certain areas where the actor's faces could not be seen very well. There are one or two particular shots that I do feel don't match the colour of the shot immediately after or before but I did the best job that I could to match them up with the best of my ability.

Sound also proved troublesome. the very first shot was a longer take which I wanted t use as much of as possible. however, there was a loud knocking of the camera in my hands during one part of it. to overcome this, I was able to access the individual sound levels and tweak them so that the knocking sound was absent.

Because we were shooting near to a busy road, here are faint noises of passing traffic throughout the trailer. However, this problem was partly fixed due to the microphone we were using having a cover which muffled any unwanted sounds in the distance, meaning that the traffic is not as loud as it would have been otherwise.

One problem which I couldn't fix for a very long time was the music in the background. I wanted my trailer music to resemble the ambiance of a thriller, used for creating tension for an event which will happen near the end of the trailer. I sampled several royalty free tracks but non seemed to work. A one point I even thought about re-editing the whole trailer to better compliment the soundtrack but I decided against this. Instead, I tried using the same trailer music which I had used for my trailer for the short film 'Soft'. It seemed to fit in quite well with the actions on screen and minor tweaks to the timing of the shots meant that they would compliment each other during moments of higher and lower tension. I added a faint boom sound towards the end of the trailer to cut away from he climax and present the title. I wish that the transition between the soundtrack and the boom sound was a bit smoother but I am still happy with the end result.

One major problem I have with the trailer and the footage that was shot is the fact that sometimes the actors are smiling when they are not supposed to be. I could have overcome this by doing reshoots but instead I tried to cut out as of of it during the editing process. I know now that I must leave consideration for reshoots in the future.

Other aspects of the trailer that I am happy with are:
-Use of a black and white filter to represent a a flashback.
-Uses of fades between shots, signifying a different time and giving the trailer a more cinematic quality.
-Using colour correction to give the picture a more cinematic style.

Aspects I would like to improve during further projects:
-Checking each shot during the filming.
-Using a wider variety of shots.
-Allow more consideration for reshoots if necessary.

However, I am happy with how the final film has turned out to be despite its problems.

I have also reacted upon feedback of my screenplay so I could improve it further. Here are some changes I have made which have hopefully improved my screenplay:

-There is now a prologue to the main story:
A criticism that came up with my first draft was that I has telling the audience what had happened in the past without actually showing them. This time I have included an entirely new sequence in which the events told by the characters in the original draft are actually being performed an shown for the audience o see for themselves.

-Omitted the flashbacks:
My original screenplay consisted of flashbacks to a certain event and then going back o the main event before doing another flashback. For this redraft, however, I have decided to make these events entirely in sequence rather than disturbing the main events in the story. Also dialogue has been cut down considerable to get rid of some of the more exposition heavy parts and help the flow of the scenes.

-Changed how the ending is carried out:
Although the moral of the end of my screenplay is still relatively the same-'finding the good in the bad'- I have changed the ending so that certain revelations are a lot more subtle and no longer exposition heavy. The scene is also a lot less cliché (a major problem I'd had with the ending personally) and decisions made by the characters to be a lot less far-fetched.

-Attempted a more consistent tone throughout:
A major problem that was highlighted in my first draft was that the tone was very inconsistent. It was originally supposed to be a serious thriller but had a few moments which appeared to be more comedic. I have changed tone  be more light-hearted than before, with certain characters having more of a sense of humor and having more faults comedic faults. Hopefully this lighter tone does not make the screenplay too comedic.

-Show how characters act/ consistency with character's actions:
My characters are now more consistent in the way in which they act and why they act in that way. my main character's use of language is more consistent without faltering and seeming to turn into a different character entirely I have also shown why my characters do certain things. For example, my char talking to himself is a lot more common throughout the screenplay.

-Omitted certain plot-holes:
Certain plot-holes arose in my original draft concerning why characters could or couldn't perform certain actions. I have improved this by omitting certain plot points which created these plot holes (partly helped by decisions made during the editing process of my actual trailer).

-Changed certain locations:
Certain locations have been changed to make the premise a lot simpler and also to create a bit more consistency between the screenplay and my two minute trailer.

I found it unfortunate that I was given my feedback for my screenplay on the day of shooting piece but I have tried to incorporate the feedback and changes made into the shoot and made through my editing process.

Overall, I have found this entire experience to be rather helpful in filling my knowledge of how to write for, shoot and edit a film properly using a wide range of techniques to fulfil all of my filmmaking goals.

Final Two Minute Trailer Link:

Here is the link to the final two minute trailer I have put on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FJL6V4clKM

TV Theory 9: Crime Drama

Here are notes created during our Ninth TV Theory Session on Crime Drama:

Objectives:
-Analysis of the crime drama genre.
-Codes and conventions of crime drama genre.
-Some possible critical approaches.

The Bill (1983-2010)
-Set in fictional London police station.
-Longest running UK crime drama.
-Originally 12x20mins episodes.
-From 1988-2005, became year-round twice-weekly serial.
-Peak audiences of 11m viewers in 2005 rivalled Coronation Street.

Genre elements to watch for:
Mise en scene:
-real locations or studio?
-authenticity (sets, props, etc.)?

Camera and Sound:
-single or multi-camera?
-visual style?

Narrative and genre conventions:
-realistic characters or stereotypes?
-acting naturalistic or exaggerated.

What is the crime genre?
-Evolved from literary detective fiction.
-In TV often police procedural sub-genre- 'realistic' investigation of a crime by law enforcement teams.
-'Whodunnit' (enigma to be solved)

Crime Drama-Technical conventions:
-editing: chase scenes, montage, flashbacks.
-single camera.
-camera movement- either handheld mockumentary style or Steadicam, dollies, cranes.

Visual devices:
-ECUs for tension or reveal.
-Titled, low and high angles.
-Slow-motion.
-CGI recreation (CSI)
-Graphical text (Sherlock)

Crime genre narrative conventions:
-Episodic series format- typically 60minutes. Usually self-contained closed narratives.
-Repetition- relies on returning central cast (team) and location (police station). Conflicts in policing methods often intrinsic to the drama.

Crime genre- Symbolic conventions:
Lighting- low key.
Many crime dramas use light-dark contrasts in costume, setting and lighting (e.g., use of flashlights)
Authenticity- props, costumes, settings.

Screen Writer Research: Russell T Davies

Russell T Davies:

Russell T Davies is British TV screenwriter born on 27^th April 2016. He has written a wide variety of TV media. Some of Davies’s most notable work include specific episodes of ‘ChuckleVision’, ‘Coronation Street’ as well as exclusively writing series such as ‘Casanova’. Probably one of Davies’s most prominent and best known works is being the lead writer on as well as rebooting ‘Doctor Who’, acting as lead writer from 2005 to 2010.

His first major writing credits are for the show ‘Why Don’t You?’ in which he provides his writing, as well as directing and producing, various episodes between 1985 and 1990. It was a children’s TV show which inspired arts and creativity, creating both educational messages and pure entertainment for children. Already, Russell T Davies has shown his ability to write for the younger demographic; this is something that proved to be a demographic that he would excel in writing for during later years.

‘Dark Season’ ran in 1991 and comprised of six episodes; this series was also written by Russell T Davies. This series also featured Kate Winslet in her first major TV role. This series is aimed towards a slightly older demographic, adolescents. This again, shows that Russell T Davies hasn’t moved on to an adult demographic, still generally writing for a relatively younger audience.

Other writing credits towards shows like 'ChuckleVision' also demonstrate Davies’s strengths in writing for a younger audience, having strong writing skill for humour. His humour carries on towards shows like ‘Coronation Street’, meaning that he is able to incorporate his same writing style, but for a slightly older demographic. Davies wrote a two weak permanent storyline for coronation street in 1996 and gain in 1997 for a straight-to-video release of ‘Coronation Street: Viva Las Vegas!’

From 1997 to 1999, Davies demonstrated his ability to write for much more mature audiences with the crime drama ‘Touching Evil’. The show was about a police officer whose injuries allow him the strange ability to sense criminals. Here Davies demonstrates his affiliation with paranormal themes, another writing style that would feature in a later prominent writing credit.

That prominent writing credit was for the 2005 revival of the classic TV series ‘Doctor Who’. All of Davies’s past writing credits and styles come together during his run of writing the show. Instead of only writing for one specific demographic, Davies wrote the show for several demographics, allowing for more family orientated viewing. This is a writing aspect for the show which was lost after Steven Moffatt eventually took over, leaning towards a demographic for small children.  He incorporates his paranormal influences which were a perfect match for the show. Also, due to the family viewing, some serious scenes are written to be slightly light-hearted to allow for a wider variety of audience to enjoy.

This culmination of work inspires y own writing through handling serious themes without it being too serious for wider audiences or demographics to enjoy. In my own script in fact, I use  similar light hearted tone at times to relieve the tension during the climax of more serious scenes.

Writing Credits:

‘Why Don’t You?’ (Various Episodes, 1985-1990)

‘Breakfast Serials’ (1990)

‘Dark Season’ (1991)

‘Children’s Ward’ (1992-1996)

‘ChuckleVision’ (Three Episodes, 1992)

‘Century Falls’ (1993)

‘Cluedo’ (One Episode, 1993)

‘The House of Windsor’ (1994)

‘Revelations’ (1994-1995)

‘Springhill’ (1996-1997)

‘Damaged Goods’ (1996)

‘Coronation Street: Viva Las Vegas!’ (1997)

‘The Grand’ (1997-1998)

‘Touching Evil’ (1997)

‘Queer as Folk’ (1999-2000)

‘Bob and Rose’ (2001)

‘Linda Green’ (2001)

‘The Second Coming’ (2003)

‘Mine All Mine’ (2004)

‘Casanova’ (2005)

‘Doctor Who’ (2005-2010)

‘Torchwood’ (2006-2011)

‘The Sarah Jane Adventure’ (2007-2011)

‘Wizards vs Aliens’ (2012)

 ‘Old Jack’s Boat’ (2013)

‘Cucumber’ (2015)

‘Banana’ (2015)

‘Damaged Goods’ (2015)

‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (2016)

Shot planning proof:

Here are some pictures of the shot planning script I used when filming my two minutes worth of footage:

I circled whichever lines I was going to be using in the trailer and listed the types of shots I would be using. I also crossed out some lines and wrote down replacement lines in red pen.

I stayed mostly faithful to the screenplay with only minor changes.

My Storyboard:

Here is my story board for my two minute trailer:

Thoughts on my Filming Proccess:

I was able to successfully film two minutes of my ten minute film on location.

The location was a small area underneath a lowered tree which made for a great space to allow a character to be concealed and for a secret meeting to take place. The area around the shooting location also proved to be helpful for several shots such as a character simply walking through and past the main location where the meeting in the narrative would take place with a wooded background which was perfect in terms of my setting.

The basic plot which was covered during this shoot was- Devon receives a job offer in a secluded location; the job is to perform a hit on a man named Baxter. Baxter later arrives but Devon has forgotten his name and has previously lost the picture showing Baxter's face. Baxter investigates him but is shunned away from Devon. Baxter's name is revealed and Devon realises that he is the target. Devon attempts to slash Baxter with a knife while his back is turned but Baxter foils him at the last minute. The last shot features Baxter's open hand approaching the camera (POV of Devon).

Overall, I believe that the shooting process was successful. However, I did run into a few problems:
-Lighting/ weather:
The clouds kept changing at a rapid pace, meaning that certain shots are either brighter or darker than others. As a result of this, continuity will be harder to control. To combat this, I will need to do some corrections through the editing process.
This change in weather also effected how much of a character's face we could see. Sometimes the faces were dimmed so several facial expressions may not be noticed by audiences. Again I will need to make corrections through the editing process.

I look forward to editing my footage. I don't believe that the footage is perfect and perhaps some reshoots would be necessary but I will first work with what I have already got to see if I an create a cohesive trailer that will put to rest some of my problems with certain shots.

Screen Writer Research: Simon J. Ashford

Simon J. Ashford

Simon J. Ashford is a British writer and producer responsible for writing a wide variety of TV shows, although only contributing to certain episodes per series or even at all.

His first writing credit is several episodes of ‘EastEnders’ that were written between 1999 and 2003. Writing 13 episodes in total, Ashford has demonstrated his skill in writing for a soap genre, created for a wider audience demographic.

Ashford further demonstrates his skill for soap opera writing certain episodes for other series such as ‘Holby City’ between 2002 and 2005, ‘The Bill’ (more of a crime soap opera) between 2002-2006) and ‘Waterloo Road’ once in 2012.

He has also written for children’s TV with two episodes of ‘Young Dracula’ in 2014. He has demonstrated his ability to write specifically for a younger demographic with this writing credit.

Another genre that Ashford has been able to tackle is drama for TV. Writing credits such as one episodes of ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ in 2015 and a total of twelve episodes for ‘Musketeers’ during both 2015 and 2016.

Simon J. Ashford seems to only write a certain number of episodes for certain TV shows. This allows him the opportunity to concentrate on the story of each individual episode rather than creating entire, series, worthy story threads such a lead writer of a series might have to. This would inspire me to not try to create a big story thread, allowing me to concentrate on my own concise stories during my screenwriting time.

Writing Credits:

‘EastEnders’ (13 Episodes, 1999-2003)

‘Spine Chillers’ (2003)

‘Twisted Tales’ (2005)

‘Holby City’ (2002-2005)

‘The Bill’ (2002-2006)

‘Robin Hood’ (5 Episodes, 2006-2009)

‘Waterloo Road’ (1 Episode, 2012)

‘Young Dracula’ (2 Episodes, 2014)

‘Jekyll and Hyde’ (1 Episode, 2015)

‘Musketeers’ (12 Episodes, 2015-2016)

TV Theory 8: Soap Opera

Objectives:
-Analysis of the soap as genre.
-Codes and conventions of soap genre.
-Some possible critical approaches.

Genre elements to watch for:
mise en scene-
-How many locations?
-real or studio?
-Communal spaces?

Camera and Sound-
-Single or multi-camera?
-Diegetic or non-diegetic sound?

Narrative and genre conventions?
-Realistic characters or stereotypes?
-Acting naturalistic or exaggerated?

What is soap opera?
-seral melodrama, primarily dealing with family and emotional issues.
-originated in US, aimed at housewife demographic.
-sponsored by detergent companies, hence the name 'soap opera'.

Soap opera- technical conventions
-multi-camera
-limited sets
-diegetic sound

Early soaps transmitted live or recorded 'as live'.

Soap opera narrative conventions:
-Episodic format- Typically 30minutes. Open-ended storylines with episode cliff-hangers (to sustain audience)
-Repetition- relies on stock characters and locations returned to in each episode.

Melodrama? Or soap?
-pathos
-overwrought emotion
-moral polarization
-coincidence and 'deus ex machina'
-sensationalism

British social realism:
Contemporary-realistic settings and character dealing with social issues.
-Drug abuse
-Mental illness
-HIV
-Sexual abuse

Soap opera- Symbolic conventions:
Mise en scene-
-Classic 'social realist'' British soaps rely on communal locus, where disparate characters meet and interact.
-Limited sets offer continuity and audience identification.

Soap Opera Archetypes:
-The matriarch- dramatic centre
-The lothario- sex, propels plot
-The 'victim'- audience empathy
The 'innocent'- corruptible, changes
-The 'bad boy/ girl'- stock villain, agency

TV Theory 7: Sitcom

Vodkas Diaries:

Mise en scene:
-One location- reflection on small, cramped environment
-Written by a female writer, feminine jokes.

Cinematography:
-Close-ups
-Long shots
-Over the shoulder shots

What is genre?
-Type or class of media texts that share common codes and conventions.
-How texts are determined by historical/ social/ political contexts.
-How texts emerge as a commercial product from an industry.
-Genre audience contract with text.

Codes and conventions dominant in deciding the form of a film or TV programme
-Technical (seen)- Camera, Sound, Editing= Narrative.
-Symbolic (unseen)- Mise en scene, Subtext= Context.

What is a sitcom?
-'Sit(uation) com(edy)'- sub-genre of comedy unique to television.
-Typically located within single location (or minimal number of settings)

Sitcom genre- Technical conventions.
Traditional Studio Sitcoms (The Big Bang Theory)
-Multi-camera.
-Edited 'as live'.
-Audience laugh track.
-High-key uniform lighting.

Location sitcoms (Modern Family)
-Single-camera.
-Post-edited.
-No 'live' laugh track.
-'Mockumentary'- style.

Sitcom narrative conventions:
-Episodic series format- typically 30 inutes, closed nattative.
-Repetition- circular narrative to keep characters in comic situation at the story's resolution and feed into further episodes.

Sitcom genre- narrative conventions:
-The comic trap
-the running joke
-The one-liner/ sight gag
-Innuendo and double-entendre
-Irony and sarcasm
-Farce and slapstick
-Parody and satire

The Comic Trap
-The basic premise of a sitcom: physical or emotional situation characters attempt to resolve or escape from.
-Repetition ensures further traps will be encountered.

The Running Joke
-Repeating visual joke or verbal line (often a catchphrase)

The One-Liner and Sight Gag
-Humorous throwaway remark, often observational of a situation or event that has just occurred.
-The Sight Gag is the visual equivalent of the one-liner.

Irony and Sarcasm
-Irony- to express something different from and often opposite to literal meaning.
-Sarcasm-when a person says one thing but means another, or when a literal meaning is contrary to its intended effect.

Farce and Slapstick:
-Farce- highly improbable narrative situations and coincidences with exaggerated physical humour.
-Slapstick- physical comedy, usually incorporating props and elements of comic violence. 

Parody/ Spoof
-Parody mocks or pokes fun at an original work, its subject or through humorous imitation.
-A spoof typically mocks or pokes fun at a genre or style.

Satire
-Similar to parody, but usually with a more angry or polemical intent.
-Often political and targets the elite and bureaucratic.

Sitcom genre- Symbolic conventions:
Mise en scene
-Setting/ location
-Character (costume, makeup, etc)

Screenplay Feedback

I received my feedback for my first draft f the screenplay.

Here are some of the points made:

-I need to make sure that I am showing and not telling- I appeared to have given too much information through dialogue without any actions to prove that what the characters are saying is true.

-Make sure that my characters are consistent- My characters appear to be rather inconsistent with the way in which they speak and the type of language which I use. For example, my main character uses some foul language but the words he uses are inconsistent throughout, some words of which sound too polite for that character.

-Keep a consistent tone throughout the screenplay- The tone of my first draft was very inconsistent. It is meant to be a serious thriller but some events which take place lean more towards something that would happen in a comedy.

-Demonstrate the character's weakness/ why certain actions- I realised that my characters do certain things without any explanation. For example, the main character has a habit of talking to himself, but we only see this once or twice throughout and this can end p confusing readers.

A problem that has arisen with this feedback is that I am shooting on the same day as getting the feedback. However, I shall try to incorporate as many of the improvements that I can when shooting my two minutes worth of footage.

'Soft' Trailer

Here my edited trailer for the short film 'Soft':

I think that this trailer went rather well. I particularly like how I was able to much up certain actions in timing with the music.

To improve I think I could have made more fades to black in between some of the edited clips.

Stranger Things Sound and Editing Notes

Here are my notes which I have created to put into our TV Theory presentation for the Netflix show 'Stranger Things':

Stranger Things sound:

The sound in Stranger things are usually used to accompany dramatic events which occur on screen and within the narrative of the show, putting emphasis on key moments and often reflecting on the emotions felt by certain characters.

For example, the opening scene to the first episode features a presumed scientist running in panic from an unidentified entity. The ambient sound is high pitched but also with a very low droning in the background. The low drone reflects on the danger being brought towards the character on screen while the high pitch ambient sound is a reflection on the character’s alarm and scared emotions.

An quiet ambient soundtrack plays throughout the episode, heightening suspense, allowing audiences to anticipate the eventual climax. At some points, usually before the climax, the sound stops completely, leaving viewers in a subtly uncomfortable position.

The first scene ends with a loud crash, the sound usually used to define the climax. This usually is used as part of a jump scare, a rather generic horror device, which allows audience relief after the climax. However, a negative f this could mean that the viewer is momentarily taken out of the narrative to reflect on their own emotions and so the bond between viewer and film is broken.

A synth soundtrack can also be heard in the background, usually during scenes of dialogue between friends or when some mysterious event is taking place. The soundtrack reflects on the time frame which the show is set, in the 1980 s. The main title also reflects this.

Also sounds from off screen can be heard such as fighting, leaving power of suggestion without explicitly showing the audience what is happening.

Editing:

The editing in the show is rather generic in terms of horror film/ TV show making.

There are shot-react shots, which includes a shot of a character, then something they are looking at/ suddenly appears in front of them, and then showing the characters facial/ vocal reaction to this.

Another form of generic horror editing are in the titles themselves. The font included bears resemblance to Gothic text and has a very close resemblance to the titles included in ‘Halloween’ (Carpenter, 1978).

I have also included video clips to back up my ideas. The picture and sound quality is quite poor due to capturing the footage on a mini video camera.

The Theme from Stranger Things:

TV Theory 6: Documentary watching- 'Making a Murderer' (Netflix, 2015)

Hereare notes taken from TV Theory session on : 27th October 2016

Making a Murderer (Netflix, 2015)
-10 part US documentary series about a miscarriage of justice.

Documentary:
-Unscripted, but often relies on classic narrative structure.
-Employs real people, but often requires directed performance.
-Typically shot handheld, but also often employs classic fixed camera techniques.
-Does not use formal Hollywood mise en scene (but still relies on classical precepts of framing, composition and lighting).

-Documentary in purest sense is filmed observation. A recording or 'document' of reality. Primary for informing rather than escapist entertainment.
-Term first coined by Scottish filmmaker John Grierson (regarded as 'father of British documentary') in 1926.
-Grierson described documentary as 'he creative treatment of reality'.

Documentary formats:
Formal documentary:
-Observational (Excluded)
-Current affairs/factual (Making a Murderer, content driven)
-Polemic (Adam Curtis) Uses documentary form, techniques and conventions to educate, debate and inform content.
Hybrid documentary:
-Reality (benefits street)
-Scripted reality (TOWIE)
-Drama-documentary (Man On Wire, Touching The Void) Uses documentary form, techniques and conventions of entertainment.

'Documentary film is traditionally perceived to be the hybrid offspring of a perennial struggle between forces of objectivity (represented by the 'documents').

Narrative documentary modes:
-Expository- emphasises rhetoric and information. The classic 'voice of God'/current affairs/BBC documentary.
-Observational- classic 'fly on the wall' Typically no voiceover, music or other interventions (Maysles Brothers).
-Participatory- onscreen relationship between filmmaker and subject, usually via interview (Louis Theroux).
-Reflexive- makes viewer aware of filmmaking process. Seeks to challenge our assumptions (Nick Broomfield).
-Poetic- artistic montage-based. rely on expressive editing of sound montage rather than classical continuity.
-Performative- filmmaker is performing in the documentary itself, does not necessarily represent reality.

Critical approaches to documentary:
-Realism
-Mediation and Representation
-Reception Theory
-Ideology
-Documentary and Propaganda- 'Man with a Movie camera' (Vertov,1929)/ 'Olympia' (Riefenstahl's, 1938).

TV Theory 5: Sound

How important is sound?
-Can you have sound without pictures?
-Can you have pictures without sound?

Films that use sound without moving pictures:
-Derek Jarman's Blues (voices over blue screen).
-Chris Marker's La jetee (voices over still photographs)
-Even 'silent' cinema used live musical accompaniment and sound effects.

Function of sound:
-aural narrative (dialogue, voiceover)
-sonic ambience (mood, atmosphere, sound effects)
-emotional or intellectual resonance or dissonance (music)

Key elements of film sound:
-Speech (dialogue or narration)
-Ambient or natural sound
-Sound effects
-Musical score or soundtrack

Use of sound effects:
-Heighten drama-abstract or enhanced effects designed t affect audience perception or emotional state (e.g., audible heartbeats in horror films)
-Simulate reality- ambient background that underscores and reinforces unity of mise en scene and editing (e.g., traffic noise, chatter, room tone)

Aesthetic uses of sound:
-Impressionistic-harmonious sound that evokes a mood, atmosphere or tone.
-Expressionistic-discordant sound that evokes abstract or dark psychological states.
-Asynchronous- sound and visuals are mismatched for dramatic effect.
-Diegetic and non-diegetic.

Diegetic vs non-diegetic sound:
-Diegetic- any sound that is intrinsic to the film space or implied by action (e.g./ character speech, music performance)
-Non-diegetic- any sound that is external to the film space (e.g., voiceover, soundtrack music)

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Dubbing Nicholas Ray's Hollywood film.

Looking for Langston (1989)

'Films are 50 percent visual and 50 percent sound. Sometimes around even overplays the visual'-David Lynch

How important is music?
The Imperial March- Conveys power, villainous, marshal, militaristic.

Music as narrative device:
-Music underscores or accentuates visual narrative, emotion or drama.
-Can create emotional or intellectual resonance or dissonance,
-Use of leitmotifs: a short, recurring musical phrase associated with a particular person, place or idea (e.g., Jaws theme, Darth Vader's march in Star wars).
-Pop songs as commentary/dramatic device: 'When words fail, music speaks' (Hans Christian Andersen)

-How important is the right music?

-Can you use any music regardless of dramatic context?

-Why are some musical soundtracks changed?

Modernism vs Postmodernism
-Modernism- an aesthetic and cultural reaction to classicism, relying on innovations in form, material and techniques to create new modes of rational and progressive expression and representation.
-Broadly ideologically utopian (e.g., Soviet montage)
-Postmodernism- reaction t failure of modernism's objective rationalism. Playfully deconstructs form, fusing disparate elements of high and low culture (usually through homage or pastiche) and meta-reference (intertextuality and self-referentiality).
-Broadly ideologically disruptive (e.g., The Simpsons, Pulp Fiction)

Use of narration:
-First person subjective (monologue or contributors voice: e.g., Jarman's Blue).
-'Voice of God' objective commentary (expository narrative: e.g., classic documentary).
-Conventions of male vs female voices (dominant vs empathetic); RP vs regional (authoritative vs authentic).

19th October 2016: Afternoon session

Here are notes gathered on the 19th October 2016:

Story-boards:

What are story-boards?
-Story-boards are a series of sketches, that used as a planning tool visualise the action of a story unfolds.
-Some are detailed, others are diagrammatical

When are story-boards used?
-Used in all forms of film and TV
-Used at all stages of a production
-Conception- Used o convey the concept for a new project. Far cheaper than test shoots or pilots.
-Pre-production- Enable detailed planning of entire production: sound, production design, camera.
-Production- used in actual production phase as guide for setting up shots on the day/ used as first point of reference.
-Post-production- Use in editing phase to help editor visualise how the director intended a scene or sequence to be constructed.

Story-board styles:
-Graphic-Artistic/ detailed.
-Diagrammatical-Less detailed/ less artistic/ widely used.
-Plan View-Consists of one drawing for each scene, viewed from above, with camera positions, angles listed on it.

Shot description:
-Birds-eye-view/ angel's perspective.
-Extreme long shot (ELS)
-Long Shot (LS)/ Wide Shot (WS)
-Medium Shot (MS)
-Close-up shot (CU)
-Extreme Close-up (ECU)

Camera movement:
-Tilt shot- Tripod/ handheld from a fixed position.
-Crane shot- Fixed position, moving from a height.
-Pan shot-Left to right/ vice-versa.
-Tracking shot.
-Dolly shot.

Camera position:
-Two shot- two characters appearing in the same frame.
-Low angle
-High angle shot
-Over-the-shoulder shot (OTS)

'Contracts' Short Film Review

'Contracts' Short Film Review:

'Contracts' is a short film running at only just over six minutes but still manages to convey it's story within that short space of time. The story involves a meeting in which people have been sent kill someone for money but deception is used and the two 'hit men' try to deceive the other to get the al of the ransom money.  This film also uses blank screens with clever uses of sound to create power of suggestion for the viewer.

This is a good influence for my own short film as I plan to make a trailer which lasts two minutes, therefore I need to successfully convey my story within that short space of time. I probably wont take influence form the blank screen ideas though as text is used to explain certain plot points, creating a 'tell not show' approach to film making which I would like to avoid. Also I am also avoiding te ideas of hit men as well due to the idea being generic . However, the themes of deception do link very well with the themes of my own screenplay/ film.

Premier Pro Workshop 2: 14th October 2016

This workshop included editing a scene shot by professionals to create a cohesive story within the scene.
Certain editing techniques we have learnt are to import video and sound over an existing piece of footage to save time in editing. Also we practiced using a rolling and cutting tools to make sure that the audio and video look and sound natural and also colour correction effects.

Here is my final edited version of the scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcR0iqpEGOY

Or:

I think that this edit was good but some of the audio cues are a bit out of place due to editing mistakes and I feel like the camera does not have much of a rhythm to the change in camera angle/shots.

'Compromised' Short Film Review

'Compromised' Short Film Review:

'Compromised' (Calvin Freer) is a short film found on YouTube about an agent who is caught as an enemy during a hostile meeting and goes on the run.

The ten minute film has a resemblance to the film 'First Blood' in the way in which a man is on the run and has to use his survival skills to stay safe. However, the protagonist is portrayed as being the perfect character who can do anything and everything that he has to do which is something which I feel I should avoid. Having a flawed character would be much more interesting because the task at hand would become more difficult due to their inability to perform certain tasks.

In this respect, the influences gained from this short film would be to do the opposite of what has been done here in terms of characters.
However, I shall take influence from the higher ranking characters as there is an air of deception between characters which causes certain events to take place.

TV Theory 4: Editing

Introduction to television: Texts, contexts and culture:
Editing:

Objectives:
-What editing is and how it serves the narrative.
-Explore different schools and theory of editing.
-Use of editing in cinema television and documentary.

What is editing?
-The assembly of visual material into sequences.
-Constructs a narrative (linear or non-linear).
-Manipulates time (condense, lengthen, flashback, flash forward).
-Juxtaposes ideas and concepts (visual and intellectual).

Do we need editing?
Not necessarily- Andy Warhol Empire State Building Film.

Long take continuous narratives:
Rope (1948): 10 minute takes with 'hidden' edits to join the action.

Russian Ark (2002): 87 minute continuous Steadicam shot.

Creating visual meaning:
-Mise-en-scene and cinematography create implicit meaning within shots.
-Editing creates implicit meaning between shots.

Un Chien Andalou (1929): Surrealist film

If editing creates implicit meaning between shots, what meaning is conveyed by undercutting the following...
-Blossoming flower.
-Raising an obelisk.
-Fireworks.

Four key elements of editing:
-Spatial- the relationship between different spaces and the editors manipulation of them, e.g. cross cutting.
-Temporal- manipulation of time within the film in relation to order, duration and frequency, e.g. montages, dissolves, wipes, fades.
-Rhythmic- manipulation of duration of the shots: accents, beats and the tempo, e.g. action and suspense scenes, jump cuts.
-Graphic- the relationship between pictorial qualities of shots or scenes, e.g. graphic match out.

Why editing is important:
-Creates strong visual narratives from simple script descriptions or unedited rushes.
- The most creative aspect of filmmaking.
-A good editor can make mediocre shots work; a mediocre editor can ruin (or ignore) good shots.
-Shooting ratios have an impact on editing (film is 10:1, documentary 60-100:1)

Two schools of editing theory:
Continuity Editing: Gives the viewer the impression that the action unfolds with spatiotemporal consistency. In most films, logical coherence is achieved by cutting to continuity, which emphasizes smooth transition of time and space.

Soviet montage is where a formal theory and technique where editing serves an ideological place.
Soviet filmmakers showed that film could serve a political education purpose for the betterment of society.
Eisenstien said that montage, especially intellectual montage is an alternative to continuity editing.
Montage is conflict - where new ideas emerge from collisions within the montage sequence.

5 principles of soviet montage:
Metric: Editing which follows a specific tempo, cutting the next shot no matter of action
Rhythmic: similar to metric but allowing for visual continuity from edit to edit
Tonal: uses the emotional meaning of the shot eg: sleeping babies denote peace
Overtone/Associative: a fusion of metric, rhythmic and tonal montage
Intellectual: editing together shots which when combined convey a intellectual or metaphorical meaning

Modern documentary editing:
Evidentiary: Meaning of edits is reinforced by narration or dialogue. shots are often illustrative and usually maintain some visual continuity.
Dynamic editing: In dynamic editing, concepts of matching and continuity rarely apply. Shots are ordered by meaning but not necessarily by their relationship to each other in time or space. A documentary filmmaker photographing a leopard taking down a gazelle can’t ask for a re-take or another angle. Generally, he only gets one shot at one angle. Because of this he will need to string together discontinuous shots to create meaning and tell his story.

TV Theory 3: 13th October 2016

What is camerawork?
-How the camera is used in television and film to serve story, character and action.
-The art of cinematography.
-The primary grammar of visual storytelling.

basic elements of camera work:
-The shot- affects our emotional and psychological relationship with character and setting through composition and speed.
-Movement- affects our emotional and psychological relationship with character and setting through changes in movement.

How do we use shots?
-The basic building blocks of visual grammar.
-The visual equivalent of sentence structure.
-If shots are words, mise en scene is meaning and editing is narrative structure.

The basic shots:
-wide shot- establishes location , setting or character's context in setting.
-medium shot- characters dominate the frame.
-close-up- face or specific object dominates frame
-extreme close-up- one particular focus in frame.

The size of the image is important to the emotion, particularly when you're using hat image to have the audience identify with it- Alfred Hitchcock

Classical framing and composition
-Rule of third- subject placed at aesthetic intersect.

Angle and speed:
-High angle shot (overhead shot, birds eye view)-objective, alienating. diminishes character or subject in frame, emphasising vulnerability or isolation.
-Low angle shot- emphasises character or subject's dominance in frame. Often used for 'hero shots', or menace.
-Dutch/tilt angle-disorientating, creates psychological tension.
-Slow motion/fast motion-alters audience's perceptual or emotional response to dramatic action.

Expressionism:
-Angled shots are a common feature of expressionism, particularly the classic German expressionist film of he 1920s-30s.
-Expressionism presents the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas. Expressionist artists sought to express the meaning of emotional experience rather than physical reality.

Motion and emotion:
Why do we move the camera?
-to heighten action or emotion.
-to convey objective or subjective viewpoints.
-refocus audience's attention within the scene.
-explore or change setting/ environment.

I believe in using camera movement when it helps tell the story more effectively... I think one of the first essentials of the moving camera is that the eye should not be aware of it- Alfred Hitchcock.

Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972)
Use of camera movement to emotionally distance audience from action (murder narrative)

Alienation:
-Hitchcock's use of the reverse crane/ racking shot is an example of alienation effect.
-Alienation is the extent to which one maintains a critical distance from cultural production. the more immersive a piece, the greater the extent to which one is drawn into the fictional piece, often associated with passively experiencing the media.
-Contrastingly an alienated  audience remains removed from the media, critically considering the signs, narrative and so on. This is often considered in relation to artifice, with alienated media not attempting to hide the constructed and artificial nature of the production; showing scaffolding, using minimal staging etc.

Key camera movement techniques:
-pan, tilt and zoom
-handheld/ Steadicam
-dolly/ crane

Filming Halloween (1978):
-heightens action and emotion through subjective POV
-switches between subjective (steadicam) and objective (crane) viewpoints.
-refocuses audience's attention within the scene (movement through set and pans)
-Explores character relation to environment.

Elements of visual style (Bordwell):
-denotative (directing attention)
-expressive (bringing out or magnifying emotional qualities)
-decorative (flourishes or stylistic patterns that are independent or semi-independent of narrative design.
-symbolic functions (invoking abstract concepts).

Use of handheld in documentary:
-Heightens action and emotion (conveys urgency)
-Dynamics of transition (moving from one location to another)
-Places character in context (life on the streets). Authenticity.

Camera workshop: 12th October 2016

This workshop included filming a scene between two people discussing the 180 Rule (see previous post).

We each had a turn in acting, audio and directing. I feel that I was able to successfully direct the actors and choose the appropriate shots for the scenes.

Here is the full edited scene that I shot and directed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIYbiX_znQo

Looking back on this edited piece I realize that I would rather change certain editorial choices which I had made. These include changing the shot to a close-up of a non-speaking character too early and leaving a slight pause at the end of the edited piece.

The final cut of the Chair Scene

Here is finally the edited version of the footage I shot involving the scene with the chair:

CALMING CHAIR:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2FTcQIZ0Wg

Story-telling with Pictures: 180 Rule

Here are notes taken from 'Story-telling with Pictures:180 Rule':

180 Rule:

-Where you position the camera in a scene is where you place the audience in the scene.

-Screen Right and Screen Left: Characters must stay on either screen right and screen left.




Screen right must look towards screen left, screen left must look towards screen right.

Every time characters change position, camera needs to create another 180 Rule.

-Make sure the characters are seen physically changing sides.
-Alternate solution: Move the camera to visually allow the audience to see the change of sides.


The story so far:
-'What's the point of writing a beautifully structured script, with all the right technical points in it, if the writer does not believe in it?'
-Every idea starts with a blank page.
-Where can ideas come from?
-Anywhere.
-Filter and sift ideas. Test which you feel ae the strongest, which has 'legs'? idea gives you the strongest gut reaction?
-Is it dramatic? Can I dramatize it in a series of events?
The key elements to think about when developing your idea:
-The theme, what is your story really about?
-Characters, wo are these people. Not just names.
-The goal. What is it your protagonist wants? And what will happen if they get it?
-What is the problem to overcome, and how will your protagonist overcome it?
-What is the change of affairs.
-You have an idea for your story.
-Know characters.
-Know the setting.
-Know the goal.
-Know the ending.

The Next Step:
-Structure
-Shooting plans
-Trailer or opening two minutes??
-Find your cast
-Find locations.
-Find your crew.
-Plan your shoot: shot list/ production design/ schedule/ testing
-Risk assessment
-BOOK YOUR KIT!!
-

Steve Coombes Session 3: Beginning, Middle and End.

Here are notes gathered from Steve Coombes session 2:

Begining, middle and end:

Plot- Order of events.

Story- ‘Cacthing the order of events’

All characters should have 'buts'/flaws.

Same with stories: It is the 'but' that gives significance/story to the plot.

-Dramatic Irony

-'What kind of patient does a doctor make?'

-'What kind of funeral would an undertaker have?'

The moment:

-An epiphany

-The turning point

-The beginning, middle and end

-Should come like an 'eye opener'

Sod's Law:

-When everything goes wrong.

-'The only stupid question is one which you don't ask'

Contradiction to what the character says.

Audience= American President

-Wants to know what nobody else knows

-Wants to be ahead of time

Own film:

Opening:
-Have I tested my opening for 'buts' and choices?

-After the opening, I need my character to make choices?

Opening: Get the audience's attention

-Big

-Bold

-Arresting

-Conflict

Middle: Needs to be bigger

- Bolder, even more conflict.

-Materially changes the story

-Rotate the story, revelation

-Give new significance to what the audience is looking at

-Make audiences see the story in a different light
Ending:
-See the final dramatic choice being made
-The more ironies you an show in your ending, the better

Golden Rule:
-Count your moments.
-Make sure to have moments that are memorable and make us believe 'that's a moment!'.
-See the moments in our heads.
-Moments are the most important thing we do in a screenplay.
-'A good film has 5 or 6 moments'-William Goldman.

Screenplay Idea Pitch Updated -Andrew Ayres

Feedback from previous pitch:

-How can I build the world/ convince the audience of the world and setting?

-How do I let the audience know that the two characters are spies?
-Are they actually spies?
-Could deceit the audience into thinking that the characters are spies when they actually are not.

-I have a beginning and end; I need to make sure that I have a clear idea of events in the middle of the film.

-Why does the Devon want to kill Baxter?

-Is a forest a secluded enough location?

Title:
Talking to Death

Genre: Thriller

25 Word Pitch:
Thriller where the protagonist comes across and converses with a strange individual, not knowing they will be their killer.

(19 Words)

Characters: Note that all characters are gender neutral for the purposes of this pitch.
Baxter-
Well mannered, dressed in casual clothing. They are seemingly nothing out of the ordinary.

Character arch: Baxter retains their well mannered persona until suspicions start to arise and they eventually turn on their suspected killer and become more vicious.

Devon-
Scruffy, suspicious and slightly insane. Has bad manners and is unable to completely hid the fact that he is out to kill.

Character arch: Believing they have one over on Baxter, Devon becomes cocky and completely gives the game away. After Baxter acts more viciously, Devon's act is dropped and soon become a cowering wimp.

Unknown Character:
A mysterious figure who gives Devon a picture of Baxter, promising to pay a ransom for Baxter's death.

Locations:

Alcove leading into a forest-

Quiet and secluded where no one would be able to see or hear them talk and the eventual threats that would be made.

Dark Room:
Filled only with a table and tow chairs. A secluded room where a secret meeting can take place.


Story:
Baxter walks down a path down a field and eventually into a small alcove leading into a forest. Baxter sees Devon talking to them self and approaches. Devon is caught off guard when Baxter starts to talk to them, becoming nervous for reasons unknown to both Baxter and the audience. The two start to talk as Baxter offers to help Devon, seeing that they are obviously under stress. During this time, Devon is constantly trying to hide something behind their back which  neither Baxter nor the viewer see.

Baxter eventually gives up on trying to help Devon, who starts talking nonsensical and Baxter starts to walk away. At this point, Devon starts to try moving slowly towards Baxter, finally revealing to the audience what Devon had behind their back, a knife.

Cut to a dark room with a table and two chairs with Devon on one side and a mysterious character on the other ( a flashback ). The mysterious character gives Devon piece of paper with a picture not seen by the audience ( it is a picture of Baxter ). Devon ad the mysterious character contemplate terms of payment for a job that the mysterious character proposes. They shake hands.

Cut back to present day and Devon is about to stab Baxter in the back. Baxter hears the crunch of leaves directly behind and turns just in time to miss the knife and swiftly take down Devon. Baxter interrogates Devon by the scruff of a collar and Devon hastily gives Baxter the piece of paper with the picture. The audience see through Baxter's eyes that it is in fact a picture of Baxter. After more interrogation, Baxter reveals a police badge from his pocket and places Devon under arrest.


Moral: What goes around comes around.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Premier Pro editing workshop: 7th October 2016

This session included a full introduction to the Premier Pro editing software which is an editing program used by several professionals in the Television industry.

We were all given some unedited footage of a what would become an advert/ mini documentary about coffee and the workers in Uganda. We were also instructed on how to use keyboard shortcuts to make faster progression with the editing process. Although i found this useful, for the moment, I still find that I am more comfortable using the mouse.

During the editing process, we had to tell a story through both visual and audio. i struggled particularly on matching the pieces of vioce-over audio to create a story but thankfully worked out a reasonable order in the end. all that was left to do was match up visual to adio which I found slightly easier.

The order of which I used visually was:
-Opening titles
-Map of Uganda
-Picking of coffee beans
-Grinding of coffee beans
-Roasting the coffee beans
-Drinking the now made coffee
-Zoom out of map of Uganda
-Company logo at the end.

Doing this visually helped to tell the story of the working process of how the coffee is created from square one.

After this session I feel that, after some more practice with the editing and the keyboard shortcuts, I will be confident enough to use Premier Pro on a regular editing basis.

Camera Workshop 2: 5th October 2016

In this camera workshop we were given a small tutorial on how to use the white balance and other filters to create a certain image. This could be done manually or by choosing a certain filter from the menu on the camera.

Doing this enables the recorded digital film to retain a certain style or 'look' to its image.

For example, at one particular time when we were recording, the image being captured from the camera had a green tint to it due to the lack of lighting in the room we were filming in. We targeted a white piece of paper and set the white balance switch to give the image a more natural look without the green tint.

We were also given a tutorial on how to increase and decrease the brightness or darkness of the image using the different shutter speeds. The lower the shutter speed, the darker the image.

I found this segment of the session particularly helpful as I now know how to confidently change the look of my recorded films for better quality.


The second part of this session included recording footage for ourselves using what we have learnt. The scenario we were given was 'someone sitting on a chair'.

When creating this scenario on film, I tried to use several different creative shots. One which I thought worked well was a low-angled shot of a chair in the foreground and a person in the background staring at the chair. I used focus to switch focus between the person and the chair to symbolize that the chair is the person's goal.

Other creative shots I included were a shot of the person's fist clenching. I positioned the camera so that the chair was perceptively in his hand as he clenched it, emphasizing his goal of getting to the chair.

The entire scene was directed as a  comedy (although I fear it may not come across as so when the film has been edited together, plus comedy is subjective) with the protagonist conveying a serious expression on his face during his journey towards the chair, showing that he has some serious intent, but then sits down calmly as if nothing happened. In hindsight  I do not think this was the best choice of genre to film because it didn't really make much sense in the context of what little story there was.

A particular shot which I had trouble with was a zoom on the protagonist's face once they had sat down on the chair. My first idea was to shoot it from a mid shot and then zoom in on the protagonist's face using the zoom button on the camera. However, I had trouble with the focus on the camera as, whenever I zoom in, I had to also control the focus so that I don't get a blurred image which I unfortunately kept getting wrong.

In time, though, I was given advice on not trying to achieve this shot at all. Because I was filming the shot handheld, zooming in on a handheld camera would increase and highlight how shaky the image will be and would not look very good at all. I was given advice on using a movement where I swoop the camera up to the protagonist's face but only if I felt confident enough to do this. I tried the shot a couple of times but didn't think I got the right effect due to my inexperience with this type of shot. I later decided on just using a separate close-up on the protagonist's face from a different angle to which the protagonist turns towards the camera, smiles and nod's their head.

Although I had trouble with certain shots, I believe that I was successful in my experimentation of shots and lighting to create a certain style.

An edited version of the footage will be on another blog soon.

'Soft' Short Film Review

'Soft' Short Film Review:

'Soft' tells the story of a child who has been bullied by a gang and is evidently traumatised by the event. However, as soon as his father runs into this same gang, he finds that he too is also afraid of the gang and unable to fight back for himself.

In the short fifteen minute period of watching this short film, I get a sense of who the two victims of the story are and how they have been a=effected in the past. The father is suggested to have a bad history with gangs or bullies and is unable to protect himself even during adulthood.

This fact would also put a lot of weight on the son as he would usually want to look up to his parental figure for help but cannot find any due to his father's own fears.

The story is about redemption, both for the sons revenge on the gang but also for the son to show his father that they need to take matters into their own hands and not to succumb to their fears.

This short film will influence my work in terms of the redemption theme. My protagonist is someone who is unable to properly fend for them self in a world that appears not to care about them and must make a powerful decision that could change their fate for the rest of their life, ensuring that they make the right decision in the end.

Session with Steve Coombes 2:

Here are notes made on 3rd October 2016

DIALOGUE:

Things you shouldn't do:
-Pointless dialogue/filler.
-Make dialogue on the nose (characters rarely say exactly how they feel).
-Make dialogue too formal.
-use character's name too often.
-Have different talk in the same way/ rhythm, accent-even if in same community (each character needs their own different voice).
-Use unspeakable dialogue.
-Be too grammatical.
-Make the dialogue too real.
-Use long speeches.

Not everything has to be dialogue- Use an entire range of expression: Actions/body language.

Dialogue that contradicts actions is great

Beware of accents
-Write different languages in English.
-Forced accents are rubbish-show actions.

Don't give information in dialogue:
-Show, don't tell.
-Use metaphors.

If characters say something they truly believe in:
-Character is telling the audience about that character.
-Being shown who a character is.

People talk in contradictions:
-Reticence
-Evasion
-Denial
-'I'm not in love' - They are actually in love - In denial.

Dialogue should not be what it appears to be about.

Different characters would have different expletives.
-People speak in rhythm
-Dialogue reflects the rhythm of a character's life.

Come in such that the first line of dialogue grips the audience:
-Humour

Anger is particularly good at being expressed through words




CHARACTERS:

You should know the characters in your script as well as you now your friends.
-Only interested on characters when they fail.
-All characters should begin with failure.
-Characters should be flawed people who fall short of their estimations of themselves.
-'Pride comes before a fall'.
-God characters are under some oppression/ conflict/ obstacle.

Tells are about characters giving themselves away ideally in a visual sense but they do not know that they are giving themselves away.

A drama is when all of the characters are right:
-Make your characters right.

Backstory describes your character external.
-What is interesting is not what the character has done, but what they will do next.


Three Characters:
-Monsters
-Existential Heroine
-

29th September Contextual/theory Studies Part 2:

Here are notes from Part 2 on the 29th September 2016:

Umberto Eco:
Semiotics writer.

SAS Embassy Siege (1980):
First time the SAS were photographed, public.

Contextual/theory studies 29th September 2016

Here are notes collected during the theory session on the 29th September 2016:

Introduction to Television:
Texts, Contexts & Culture
MISE EN SCENE

Objectives:
-Intro to concept of mise en scene.
-How and why we use mise en scene.
-Understanding and interpreting mise en scene (semiotics).

What is mise en scene?
-Can be defined as 'what is in the scene' or visual frame.
-The visual aspect of storytelling in film and television.

What are the key elements of mise en scene?
-Costume
-Props
-Body Language
-Scenery/Location/Setting-Production Design
-Lighting.

Setting- the environment in which the story takes place (genre-sci-fi, western, etc)
Costume/makeup- what the visual look of characters conveys (e.g., good vs bad)
Lighting- how it affects setting and character (e.g., shadows for villains and thrillers)

Interpreting mise ene scene:
-How we read mise ene scene depends on our interpretation of visual codes, signs and symbols.
ne:

Context and mise en scene:
-How we interpret or decode elements of mise en scene also depends on cultural context.
-The communication test- changing the use or an element of the sign to see how this effects interpretation.

Context and mise ene scene:
-Star Wars and The Matrix are both Hollywood SF/fantasy genre inspired by Asian culture.
-Star Wars adheres to classical western (costumes, colour coding).
-Matrix takes inspiration from Asian film (roles reversal).

Youtuber- Philip DeFranco:

-Constructed set emulates 'geek' bedroom.
-Clothing signifies 'blue collar' authenticity.









Mise en scene in drama:
-Setting- Film & TV drama classically used studio sets.
-Costume/ makeup- designed as character-specific.
-Lighting-Classically high key designed.
-Staging- Director-specific.

Mise en scene in documentary:
-Setting- Classically uses 'real' locations.
-Costume/makeup- Typically authentic, but can be directed.
-Lighting- traditionally 'natural', but often artificial/designed.
-Staging- Typically 'natural', but often director-specific.