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: