Post 21: Production Report

Whilst filming my group and I kept a record the filming process and any alterations made.

Post 20: Ancillary Task 2 - Film Reviews

After the release of a film many of them are reviewed by different kinds of publications, for example, magazines, online reviews and newspapers. I have looked at different style of film reviews in order to distinguish the conventions used in the majority of magazines. I will then use what I have learnt to write and present my own review of Behind Blue Eyes.

The first review I looked at was in Empire magazine and it was about Cosmopolis. 

  

 

Some of the conventions in this film review that I picked out were that the review itself and how it is written in a conversation style and isn’t overly serious about what its writing. This jokey style is continued with the description of what’s being shown in the picture. The picture is the main thing that the eye is drawn to as it features the main character, who is also a well-known actor. At the end of the review there is an overall opinion of the film and a ranking out of 5 stars which would be what most readers would focus on and use to make their decision about seeing the film.

The second review I looked at was from Sight and Sound which was also about Cosmopolis. I decided to look at the same film in a different magazine as it would show me the different ways in presenting and reviewing one thing rather that looking at a different film that may be in a different genre, have a different target audience or not have the same kind of reaction about it.

 

The main thing I noticed about this review was its more serious style of reviewing than Empire Magazine. Sight and Sound is a film review magazine aimed at a different kind of audience than Empire whose audience are perhaps younger or less serious about the film industry and just want to enjoy reading about the latest films.

For my own review I have decided to follow the style of Empire Magazine because the layout is more appealing to the eye and the photo is larger so entices readers through not just the subject of the article. Empire Magazine also has a wider audience as it is a friendlier publication whereas Sight and Sound is aimed at a more niche market.

 

Above is the design for my layout of Behind Blue Eyes review, I have tried to base it as much on Empire magazine as possible keeping the title of the film bold, four columns of writing, a large image taken from the film and similar boarders. I shall keep the title bold so it grabs the attention of the reader, keep the verdict as this can often affect a readers opinion especially the star rating. I have made my image the focus of the review as I believe this often interests the reader and entices them to read the review,  I however have included a lot of writing as I believe this will convince the reader to go and watch the film.

Post 19: Ancillary Task 1 - Postcards

Film posters and postcards are commonly used by studios to help advertise their films to a wide range of people that may not learn about it in any other way.

Hollywood posters are conventionally large and eye catching using the large budgets that they have been given. They often the well-known actor or actress in the centre because the studios know that they have a large fan base and so will attract audiences. Along with an image of a well-known actor there will often by the names of all the larger and better-known actors names to entice more people. As well as this the title is central to the poster and in promoting the film so is always in bold and in an obvious place so people can see what the film is called just by glancing at the poster.

Below is a picture of the poster of the film The Dark Knight (2008), I have annotated it to show some of the different techniques used to grab the audience’s attention and techniques that give the audience information about the film:

  

British posters are typically different to American ones; however, there are a few British posters that have the characteristics of American posters. An example of this is the Les Miserables (2012) film poster which can be seen below.

A British film that takes a different approach is This Is England (2006). As seen there is a dominating photo but that is of all the characters not just one main one, the title of the film grabs the audiences' attention first due to it being bold and big. Along with this it shows some successes of the film, that could potentially help persuade potential viewers to go and watch it. The picture below shows how I annotated this film poster, highlighting the techniques:

 

 

Short films don’t tend to have posters to advertise them but rather post cards. Postcards are considered a more direct technique when targeting short film audiences.

Conventionally short film postcards consist of a dominating photo on the front that is related to the film, but also eye catching, and on the back there is a bit more information. This information could include the names of the people involved in making the film and the distribution company’s’ that helped in promoting the film, it may also include a website that the audience can go onto to find out more information. These are two postcards that I have annotated to show some on the conventions used in promoting short films.

Divine

On A Life's Edge

However even though most short films use postcards to advertise and sell their film to the audience, we have decided to create a poster for Behind Blue Eyes. Below is my rough plan of what I think our poster should look like.

 

Post 18: Pre-production Documentation

To show the use of different media I have done this post on Prezi which also makes it simpler to understand and see the different sections.

Post 17: Job Roles Research

To gain a better understanding of the different job roles in the film industry which we would have to fill in our group, I have carried out research into what each one consists of. Knowing what the roles consist of will make it easier to divide them up between us with regards to our skills. As well as this, knowing the different job roles and knowing who is responsible for them will help our group work together efficiently. I looked at a website which listed the different roles in film making and what they consisted of.

-Producer: producers are an important part of the production office; they have overall control of every aspect of a film’s production. They bring together the screenwriters, director, cast, the finances and production team and are responsible for all these elements and consequently the successfulness of the film.

- Director: after the producer the director has one of the most important jobs within the direction department. The director is in charge of interpreting the script, developing what shots are going to be used (this is done through the use of a storyboard), directing actors and crew and making important decisions concerning the film.  There are other roles within the direction department such as assistant directors and runners; however, the director is the principle role.

- Editor: the editor is responsible for assembling raw material into a finished product suitable for the target audience; this is one of the most crucial elements of film making. The material they work with may consist of unedited camera footage, dialogue, sound effects, graphics and special effects. During editing they make sure that the story is put together correctly using the script to achieve a complete film. The editor may be part of a team or many editors who take responsibility for different sections of the film (this ensures a shorter time between filming ending and the film being finished) and they usually work closely with the director to achieve the desired end result.

 
-  Camera: camera crews normally involve people who are the most highly skilled specialists in the entire film crew. These people work with very delicate and expensive equipment. Within a camera department, there are many different jobs such as Camera Operator, 1^st Assistant Camera, 2^nd Assistant Camera, Steadicam Operator and many more. All of these people are responsible for what will ultimately be shown to the audience.

- Lighting: lighting is very important in film making; there is natural lighting (from the sun) but artificial lighting is most commonly used as it can create atmosphere, mood and genre. Jobs within the lighting department include Lighting Technician, Moving Lighting Operator, Director of Photography as well as others.

- Production Sound: sound within a film is extremely important as the dialogue conveys a lot of the storyline and emotion from the characters. Ensuring the dialogue is clear is very complex, as the sound department need to get rid of any unwanted noise and place the microphones in the best places possible. Some jobs within the sound department include the following, Production Sound Mixer, Boom Operator and the Sound Assistant.

- Location Manager: a location managers' main role is to find suitable locations to film and that are close in design to the directors vision. They do a lot of research including calculating the costs of hiring and shooting on the chosen set/location, this role starts before the filming has begun therefore it is busy for them as they have to find the location and be on the set to make sure the location is fine for the director. They also begin negotiations over contracts and fees for the location working within the budget the director gave them. As well as this they have to look after the set once the filming has finished because they need to ensure that the location is securely locked as well as clean before they return it to the owners.

- Art Department: the art department is responsible for making a location suitable for filming as well as being in charge of creating all the props. This department is usually the largest in any film crew and includes people with imagination and a hard work ethic towards creating the appropriate settings. Jobs within the art department consist of; Production designer, Art Director, Set Decorator, Storyboard Artist as well as many others.

All of these departments and roles are crucial when making a film ad there are clear links between the departments and what they do. A director and producer will work together to make sure they are on the same wavelength about what is going to be produced. Then the director will work with all the different departments to make sure they all understand what they are expected to do. Different departments will then work together to make sure they are aiming for the same particular theme or design, for example the lighting department would work with the camera department to make sure the angles are right to get the best effect and the camera department would also work with the editor and director to make sure the best shot is used.

In our group we will be taking on some of the above job titles whilst filming, such as director, boom operator, editor, location manager, as well as a camera operator. The reasons for these being, the director can ensure the filming is running smoothly and that it all gets done and the camera operator can position the camera in order to get the shots required. The boom operator will need to place the boom pole in a suitable place in order to hear the dialogue and the location manager can find the best places for us to film that fit the needs of that scene, they will also be responsible for keeping the filming to schedules and leaving the location the way we found it. The editor will be needed to go through whatever footage the director shoots and edit it and put it together to create a powerful story. There will be several other jobs that members of our group will have to fulfil as well as these for example making sure the actors know which scene we are filming and what they need to have with them.

There may be a few difficulties when it comes to dividing up the jobs within our group as there are only four of us and so we will have to work twice as hard to make sure we get them all done. We also need to make sure that we divide the roles up fairly so one person isn’t given more to do than anyone else. Doing this and working well together should hopefully avoid and jobs left undone or not done well. As well as this we can divide the jobs up according to people’s individual strength so that we are working efficiently together and everyone in the group knows what they are doing. With good communication and cooperation we will be able to create a successful short film.

Post 16: Why make a short film? Who is the target audience?

Why make a short film?

I decided to research into why people make short films. To help me understand why, I looked at two articles from The Telegraph.

The First Article I looked at explained the history of short films and how it was the ‘norm’ for all films to be short because of the minimal technology around and as the technology began to develop in the 1900’s so did the films being made. Short films were made during world war two as a means of propaganda and were a way of communicating between the government and people they would be shown in British cinemas before feature length films. In the 1960’s short film makers were able to branch out into different styles and genres of film an example of this is music videos. The Article finishes by saying that as technology develops the use of short films is, arguably, increasing because Hollywood directors are releasing their own short films on the internet.

This article has been helpful in explaining how short films have changed over the years and the audiences they appeal to. This could be very useful when it comes to picking a target audience for our film.

The Second Article that I looked at focused on ten films that have helped to launch actor’s career’s and set up major studios. The article explains how aspiring young film makers, actors and writers start by working on short films to gain the experience and understanding they need to kick- start their careers in feature films.

Seeing how people who start by creating short films have gone on to create feature length films has given my group and I the incentive to work hard on our short film. Working on short films can give you the foundations to a good career in the film industry, it doesn’t matter how low the budget is or how little help and backing you receive. 

Who is the audience for a short film?

To obtain a better understanding of the kind of audience that watches short films I looked at three different websites and articles.

Slide Share Short Film Target Audience gives information about the demographic and psychographics of the audience of a short film. The demographics are the audience members that watch the short films because they want to see a certain director, actor or receive inspiration for their own short films.

The psychographics can be divided in to three sections in order to differentiate between the different demographics within the short film audience. The three sections are:

-Succeeders: people who like to think they’re in control.

- Aspirers: people who strive for bigger and better things.

- Individuals: people who want to be separate from the crowd, individual thinkers. 

After finding this out I wanted to know how audiences would be able to see the short films that are made and what distribution methods are used. I found that one of the primary ways in which they are distributed is through the use of the internet and websites such as YouTube. However, a lot of film makers distribute their films through a more traditional rout of film festivals. Film festivals mean that there is a greater chance of the film being spotted and having people what to see more from the creators or actors in it.

For short film makers choosing the method by which their film is distributed can affect the kind of audience they receive. Using the internet means that potentially anyone can see it, however, people may not be aware that it has been released without the use of a film festival which may draw larger crowds (audience members), on the other hand if they distribute it through a short film festival it is only going to attract audiences that have an interest in short films.

Film festivals seemed to be a major part of distributing films and promoting them so I looked into the main two short film festivals.

- Short International: this is one of the major short film festivals in world with the biggest short film catalogue. Not only does it show the latest releases but it shows them in any country that has cinema including America and Europe. Short International doesn’t just screen the films it also presents an annual Shorts Film Award every year to recognise the contributions of all the film makers in the short film industry.

- London Short Film Festival: this is another major UK film festival which has been running for over 10years. It screens over 220 films each year from a variety of film makers from across the country.

These are just two of the many short film festivals that happen every year to showcase the newest short films for audiences who enjoy them. I think that the potential target audience for short films are successors who are interested in finding young talented film makers and people that enjoy short films and are interested in the short film industry. These people would be extremely interested in what types of short films are being made and would want to make their own opinion on whether they think they were successful or not.

How are short films distributed?

There are many different genres in short film, just as there are with feature length films, such as Romance, Animation, Drama, Comedy, Action and Horror. According to the internet movie database IMDB Animation is the most popular genre with films such as Tangled Ever After (2012), The Lorax short stories (1972) and Ice Age a Mammoth Christmas (2011).

However as we don’t have the access to the equipment needed to create an animated short film, or the time and skills needed, I found out that the next most popular is films in the Drama genre. This is a great benefit for our group as our film can be classed in the Drama genre because of the realistic story line. This means that we have to make sure that the script doesn’t fall into any other genre such as romance or comedy.

From the research I have carried out and all the films I have looked at I have notice that the duration of a short film ranges from about 5 minutes to 30minutes long. However it depends on the purpose of the film and who has produced it and many film festivals put time limits of about 40-45 minutes maximum of what they will screen. The average time of a successful short film generally tends to be 15-20 minutes which allows time for a storyline to be built up and have depth whilst keeping the audience’s attention and interest.

After researching this and looking at time limits my group and I have decided to make our film between 5 and 10 minutes long. This gives us enough time to have a convincing storyline with a twist or two added in to it presented clearly and without losing the audience’s interest. However we have to make sure that we include demonstrate different techniques often used in short films.

It is also important to structure short films well and evenly with a beginning middle and end, this is referred to as the three act structure. I found this website which gave me helpful information about the Three Act Structure.

Almost all short films are based on a storytelling technique which was first introduced by Aristotle, the three act structure. Aristotle said ‘a beginning, a middle, and an end, and the events of the plot must causally relate to one another as being either necessary or probable. This effects the audience as by having a short film structure inspired by the three act structure they automatically have a clear understanding of what to expect in the sense of; beginning - rough idea of location, main characters and basic plot, middle - a problem has surfaced and the characters try to solve it, end - a conclusion on the problem.’ It is also important that the audience are left asking questions, we hope to do this in our film, in particular with the last line.

Post 15a: Media Language

In class we learnt about the different types of sound design and how we could use them in our own film.

o   Diegetic: this is a sound that other characters would be able to hear.  For example a song on a radio as a character drives down the motorway or someone coughing audibly during a scene.

o   Non-Diegetic: this is a sound that the characters cannot hear and is not part of the world of the story. It includes a musical soundtrack or a voiceover (however this excludes a narration by a character within the story – referred to as an internal monologue and is diegetic).

o   Sound Bridge: a sound bridge is used to ease the transition between shots. They can occur at the beginning of one scene when the sound from the previous scene carries over briefly before the sound from the new scene begins. Alternatively, they can occur at the end of a scene, when the sound from the next scene is heard before the image appears on the screen.

 

o   Motif/ Theme: a motif is a specific sound associated with a character and a theme is a specific sound associated with a film for example the iconic jaws motif is played whenever the shark is coming.

 

o   Foley: a foley artist is a person, who recreates non-computerised sound effects.

 

o   Sound Perspective: determines if the sound is close or distant and whether it is bounced off something (like a wall) and then heard or is heard directly from its source.

o   Wild track: a wild track is re-recorded sound (specific sounds) that you are then able to emphasise for example a fist hitting a table.

o   Atmosphere track: this is a layer of extra backing track to lay over another to allow you to alter background noises.