I have now uploaded the full video for my one-minute short film.The full video somehow did not upload fully onto YouTube before I left for Easterbreak as I left the video to publish auomatically after processing - I believe I uploaded a small scene instead of the whole production. This has now been resolved. Also, a clearer twist needed to added in production.
Issues
As I spoke of before in my main evaluation report. My team and I faced several issues, which all three members were responsible for.
Firstly, I did not attend the first scene shooting as it was scheduled at a time that conflicted with another of my lessons, Maths. Therefore, my teammates had shot the scene in my absence. I had missed several days for specific reasons which I had explained and apologized to my group for - as I know my absence can create a domino effect of prolongation or incompleteness of production. It was fairly decided, that my team place Tommy's script into production only because I was a liability at times for attending certain days.
Secondly, the pre-production wasn't completed to its fullest. Several production documents had not been attempted or completed which resulted in my team having to restart pre-production and scrap recorded footage. All three members, myself, Roopa and Tommy were responsible for each 1 incomplete pre-production document.
Thirdly, teammates had not carefully planned for production as a day was wasted searching for a place to shoot, which should have been decided and planned prior to the shoot. All crew & talent were present and equipment available for the completion of the rest of the production - however, it all went to waste resulting in no footage being recorded, money wasted on travel, wasted use of equipment and hours of wasted time.
Conclusion & Resolution
As I have spoken on before - I missed certain things which resulted in slight confusion. I could improve on this by trying my very best to attend, even when I'm feeling very ill. However, I always informed my crew before hand and explained the reasons. I take full responsibility for my abscense which is unprofessional in the professional-media world/sector.
I do wish my teammates would admit that they didn't diligently plan certain things out or complete pre-production before a deadline. Also, certain members weren't vocal or didn't communicate. This can be resolved next time, by actually communicating with the whole group.
There are three main things I've learned after planning, shooting and editing my first professional short film. Firstly, and most importnatnly - communication is key. Make sure you conversate with your production team so you all know what needs to be done and so that everbody knows there roles and what will take place, when, where and why. Lack of communication will result in unfinished prep work, confusion and prolonging of planning or shooting. The second thing I've learned is that you should be organised and prepared by a certain deadline; this is done by completing all pre-production requirements and keeping ahead of all work that needs completion. Myself and crew memebers had not completed certain pre-production requirements which resulted in us having to push back our shooting scheldule and having to re-do some parts of work. Lastly, I learned to listen to all crew members as this can be a way of advancing in production work. Other people may have better ideas and/or advice which my benefit the production and members in a great way. Not listening or selfishly dismissing memebers will create tension and negative creative differences.
My team and I had several problems (around six issues) with the whole process of production. Not all were solved in the way it should have - but we eventually found a way through to pull of the production. I now know and 100% believe this could have all been resolved with much more communication. Talking and explaining allows others to know how things will run and most probably run smoothly.
Main Body
The shooting schedule was almost perfectly made - however, it sometimes conflicted with lesson times. Other than that, it was realistic and completable as most shooting times were after an early morning lesson - which left us with hours to shoot our production.
The storyboard was made a little late - however, when it was produced, it was clear to depict what was going on - until the end; as the twist was slightly unclear. However, I believe my team members and I can produce a better storyboard next time with a much more advanced illustration.
The shot list was well thought out and produced with a wide-enough variety of shot types, angles, scenes and actions which were all appropriate for my 1-minute short Thriller film.
My short film was shot almost-entirely shot in a nearby woods/park, local to my sixth form. Therefore, my team didn't seek for permission to shoot in this location - however, our back-up locations required permission. The woods were pretty quite as there was hardly any people or animals there. It was far from machine objects (building crane, cars, etc.) and the weather wasn't breezy creating wind-blowing-noises. Therefore, my team and I had no problems with interfering sounds. However, my short film was supposed to be shot at a later time of day, meanwhile we shot in midday which caught bright sunshine. This can be resolved by shooting at a later time or adding a gloomy colour grading to the lighting edit on final cut, which is then added to my footage.
My team added a male actor to the production, named Trevor. He was skillful at acting and made our production look professional. Roopa, played a dead character in the production - although she was good, she moved in several takes. Next time, we could add another actor/actress to the production who is skillful at acting or Roopa could just 'rehearse playing dead' before shooting.
Everyone in my production team responsibly took on their roles eventually - creating a seemingly professional short film.
My team and I had to book to use the college's film equipment due to high usage of them. The camera was charged and checked for our usage for long periods and the lighting equipment and tri-pods were accessible for us also. This allowed us to get on with shooting without any difficulties.
Call sheets were hardly used. However, some team members and I contacted each other for information, availability and other important enquiries.
Conclusion
The production was a success due to good footage and camera work. However, The production could have been excellent. Had I been present more - which I definitely will be next time around and if some team mates spoke up more, communicated and were just so much more vocal with all the team members. This whole process was a great lesson for myself and I hope for others: be organised, communicate, and lastly listen more.
EDL stands for editor's decision litst. There were two scenes for my 1 minute short film therefore I made two bins titled "Forrest" and "Green room" to place each specific part of the footage in its correct section. I have identified the shots as good or bad so I know which ones to use and not to add in the final cut. I also, added the camera angle/shot to make it easier for me to know what kind of shot a singular footage is.
I later exported (Export XML) the footage, saved it to the desktop, then opened and saved it on the software, Microsoft Excel which allows me to share and edit the footage further to my will.
Introduction: I am writing this report to promote my 1 minute short film, 'Trippy'. My short film includes a young male who accepts and digests' a hallucinogenic pill which results in him him blacking out and then imagining he is being chased to death by an unusual man. He awakens from the 'blackout' but the danger seemingly doesn't end. As production manager, I have several responsibilities as I will have organise funding,sourcing, and scheduling to perfectly execute my shirt film. Type of production: My short film will be of a Thriller, genre. It will also include the codes and conventions of a Thriller such as: suspense, mystery and tension. My shurt film will require a relatively small crew as I need: 2x actors, a cameraman, a lighting technician and a editor. However, I will be taking on nearly all of these roles at a given time when shooting the production. I have also written a script for my short film so that my crew will understand my exact vision of how I'd like my short it to be. A storyboard was also made so that my crew can quickly and easily understand how the short film will be.The producer in my team has the responsibility of calling the council of a certain area and receivingpermission to film in your specific pick of location, I have chosen to shoot in Waterloo, London and will have been in contact with Lambeth council and I may have to pay a small fee of to film in my choosing location. I will use professional camera's and LED lights so that my sort film looks refined. Finance: My short film will require so many to be invested into it. Funds for my short film will cover: travel, food, props and (maybe) talent. Talent and crew will have oyster cards that will freely get us from one place to another. However, I will be travelling to a central place which will require a fee of: £7.30 per person. Also, the food budget for the whole crew will be £25 - £30. Lastly, hardly any props are needed for my production, however I have purchased a mask from Amazon which cost: £7.25 To raise money from my production, I could promote needed-investmenton the popular money funding website, 'Kick-Starter'. I'd have to set a goal as to when I'd reach a certain amount of money for my short film to be in production. If I didn't reach my goal before a certain deadline, all the proceedings sent to fund the requirements of my short film would be refunded. If this was a professional feature film I could also, request a loan from the bank to fund my short film and then pay them back meanwhile making a great profit if the film results in being a huge success. Another alternative would be to pitch my idea to investors, if they lent me money, would pay them back after the success and money earnings of the film. My sixth form has cameras, lighting-equipment, tri-pods and an editing suite within the facility which is accessible for students usage. However, if I was a professional production manager for a feature film or company I would have to rent/purchase equipment/facility's. Professional camera: £250+ LED lighting: £50+ Studio hire: £150 Editing suites: £250 Locations: £30+ - thousands Time: Scheduling for production shoot will be planned carefully by my team and I around our availability. Moreover, it will mostly be done after school when some of us have time to do so. We will be strict with managing our time keeping as it is very important to meet deadlines. Missing deadliness can lead to lawsuits and missing out on great opportunities within the professional media industry. Also, many other deadlines for rental on an item (like a camera) and/or place (like an editing suite or green screen studio) may cost the crew much more money. My crew and I will have made a call sheet which will include contact numbers, what will be shot in a scene and what day it will be recorded and finally, directions. In addition a shooting script has been made so that no time is wasted when the time to shoot the production commences, we will know what shots to take and how to take them. Schedules & deadlines: My team will book the usage of camera equipment in my college such as a: camera, tri-pod and LED lighting. We will have to make sure we book them and return them at appropriate times to shoot our production so the our short film is produced and looks professional. My team and I communicate through phone messaging which is how we will organise certain things for our production. Crew & Personnel: I'm going to be doing this production with three other people. I, myself am the director, Tommy is the camera operator, Roopa is the producer and Trevor is our talent (actor). Roopa is very reliable and organised which is why she has job of being a producer. She will handle the location recce, make a call sheet, handling the budget, producing release forms and permission clearances, make a risk assessment, and looking over the script(s) and storyboard. As the director I will control the films artistic and dramatic features, from the script, to the camera shot angles and movements, and to the talents actions within the production. My creativity will be emphasised within the short film from my vision with the inputs of my team. Tommy knows how to handle the camera very well and finally Trevor is great acting who is willing to work in our production for free. In the professional world of media: A camera man would cost £250+ for the day A director and producer would start from £100+ An actor may cost £80+ Facilities: My college allows me to use facilities such as an editing suit and green screen room for free, as long as I make an appointment to use it. We have the usage of final cut, logic pro x and all camera equipment. An editing suite would cost from £500+ if I did not have the support from my college. Final cut allows footage to be edited to an artistic standard, logic pro x allows audio to be manipulated to anyones will and a green room is used to edit the background of talent in front. Materials: Clearance for certain clips/videos and audio is needed so that no copyright is involved. If a company, radio station, advertisement, film production or television production uses a private media (audio /video) they will have to pay a sum of money to the owner of the media. I will not be using a private media in my short film. Contributors: The talent in my production is working for free however, I would have to pay a reasonable fee for a talent in my production in the professional world of media. The talent in production will have to sign a release form so that there's proof he is allowing himself to be seen in the production. Locations: Our production will be shot in the woods. We have sent permission forms to our back-up locations in case we want to shoot in a more public environment. The location, the woods has a dark and sinister feel to it which will add suspense and mystery to my short film - (fulfilling a thrillers codes and conventions). The producer, Roopa will have visited the locations (as well as I have) taken photos, made a risk assessment and location recce. You have to choose wisely when picking out a location to film as some places may cost a lot of money to film there and there are some limitations such as: far distance which may tire the crew, is the place relative to the plot to make the film interesting, will the weather and lighting be suitable for shooting and are there any risks like: theft and a dangerous environment. Codes of practise: As previously covered, I will need permission to shoot in a certain location by calling up the council of which the location is in and receiving clearance (permission form), I will also need proof that the talent in my production has accepted to showing his physical state (release form), clearance for any copyright material, if I were to use it (pay a fee for usage or freely receive permission). I would also need to show to the council proof of knowledge of health and safety for the public and crew in my production. I need to make sure people will be safe when shooting my short film, hence why a health and safety assessment is produced. Also, the BBFC will look over my film and see if the material is appropriate enough to designate it into a certain certificate section. My short film will be classed as a 12a as there is two peril scenes and one violent scene - mature but not too graphic. Conclusion: Pre-production is don so that shooting a production will be easy for team and talent involved and so that everything goes to how the people in-charge had versioned. Refernces: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification http://ctkmedial3shortfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/18-codes-of-practice-and-regulation.html
Introduction:
I am writing this report to promote my 1 minute short film, 'Trippy'. My short film includes a young male who accepts and digests' a hallucinogenic pill which results in him him blacking out and then imagining he is being chased to death by an unusual man. He awakens from the 'blackout' but the danger seemingly doesn't end. As production manager, I have several responsibilities as I will have orginise funing,sourcing, aand skeduling to perfectly execute my shurt film. Type of production: My short film will be of a Thriller, genre. It wuill also include the codes and conventionz of a Thiller such as: suspsense, myztery and tenshun. My shurt film will reqire a relatively small crew as I need: 2x actors, a cameraman, a lighting technichan and a editor. However, I will be taking on nearly all of these roles at a given time when shooting the prouduction. I have also written a script for my short film so that my crew will understand my exact vision of how I'd like my short it to be. A storyboard was also made so that my crew can quickly and easily understand how the short film will be.The producr within my team has the esponsibility of calling the councuil of a certain area and recieveingpermission to film in your specific pick of location, I have chosen to shoot in Waterloo, London and will have been in contact with Lambeth council and I may have to pay a small fee of to film in my chosin location. I will use professional camera's and LED lights so that my sort film looks refined. Finance: My short film will require so many to be invzted into it. Funds for my short film will cover: travel, food, props and (maybe) talent. Talent and crew will have oyster cards that will freely get us from one place to another. However, I will be travelling to a central place which will rekwire a fee of: £7.30 per person. Also, the food budget for the whole crew will be £25 - £30. Lastly, hardly any props are needed for my production, however I have purchased a mask from Amazon which cost: £7.25
To raise money fro my production, I could promote needed-investmen' on the popular money fuding website, 'Kick-Starter'. I'd have to set a goal as to when I'd reach a certain amount of money for my short film to be in production. If I didn't reach my goal before a certain deadline, all the proceedings sent to fund the requiremnts of my short film would be refunded. If this was a professional feature film I could also, request a loan from the bank to fund my short film and then pay them back meanwhile making a great profit if the film results in being a huge success. Another alternative would be to pitch my idea to investorz, if they lent me money, would pay them back after the success and money earnings of the film.
My sixth form has cameras, lighting-equipmet, tri-pods and an editing suite within the facility which is accessable for students usage. However, if I was a professional production manager for a feature film or company I would have to rent/purchase equipment/facilityzz.
Professional camera: £250+
LED lighting: £50+
Studio hire: £150
Editing suites: £250
Locations: £30+ - thousands
Time: Scheduling for production shoot will be planned carefully by my team and I around our availability. Moreover, it will mostly be done after school when some of us have time to do so. We will be strict with managing our time keeping as it is very important to meet deadlines. Missing deadliness can lead to lawsuits and missing out on great oppurtuneaties within the professioanal media industry. Also, many other deadlines for rental on an item (like a camera) and/or place (like an editing suite or green screen studio) may cost the crew much more money. My crew and I will have made a call sheet which will include contact numbers, what will be shot in a scene and what day it will be recorded and finally, directions. In addition a shooting script has been made so that no time is wasted when the time to shoot the production commences, we will know what shots to take and how to take dem. Scheldules & deadlines: My team will book the uasge of camera equipment in my college such as a: camera, tri-pod and LED lighting. We will have to make sure we book them and return them at appropriate times to shoot our production so the our short film is produced and looks professional. My team and I communicate through phone messaging which is how we will organise certain things for our production. Crew & Persanel: I'm going to be doing this production with three other people. I, myself am the director, Tommy is the camera operator, Roopa is the producter and Trevor is our talent (actor). Roopa is very reliable and organised which is why she has job of being a producer. She will handle the location recce, make a call sheet, handling the budget, producing release forms and permission clearances, make a risk assesssment, and looking over the script(s) and storyboard. As the director I will control the films artistic and dramatic features, from the scipt, to the camera shot angles and movements, and to the talents actions within the production. My creativity will be emphasised within the short film from my vision with the inputs of my team. Tommy knows how to handle the camera very well and finally Trevor is great acting who is willing to work in our production for free. In the professional world of media: A camera man would cost £250+ for the day A director and producer would start from £100+ An actor may cost £80+ Facilities: My college allows me to use facilities such as an editing suit and green screen room for free, as long as I make an appointment to use it. We have the usage of final cut, logic pro x and all camera equpiment. An editing suite would cost from £500+ if I did not have the support from my college. Final cut allows footage to be edited to an artistic standard, logic pro x allows audio to be manipulated to anyone's will and a green room is used to edit the background of talent in front. Materials: Clearance for certain clips/videos and audio is needed so that no copyright is involved. If a company, radio station, advertisemnt, film production or television production uses a private media (audio /video) they will have to pay a sum of money to the owner of the media. I will not be using a priavte media in my short film. Contributors: The tealent in my production is working for free however, I would have to pay a reasonable fee for a talent in my production in the professional world of media. The talent in production will have to sign a release form so that therez proof he is allowing himself to be seen in the production. Locations: Our production will be shot in the woods. We have sent permission forms to our back-up locationz in case we want to shoot in a more public environemnt. The location, the woods has a dark and sinister feel to it which will add suspense and mystery to my short film - (fulfiling a thrillers codes and conventions). The producer, Roopa will have visitited the locations (as well as I have) taken photos, made a risk assessment and loction recce. You have to choose wisely when piciking out a locatio to film as some places may cost a lot of money to film there and there are some limitations such as: far distance which may tire the crew, is the place relative to the plot to make the film interesting, will the weather and lighting be suitable for shooting and are there any risks like: theft and a dangerous environment.
Codes of practice: As previously covered, I will need permission to shoot in a certain location by calling up the council of which the location is in and recieving clearance (pemission form), I will also need proof that the talent in my production has accpeted to showing his physical state (release form), clearance for any copyright material, if I were to use it (pay a fee for usage or freely recieve perimission). I would also need to show to the council proof of knoweledge of health and safety for the public and crew in my production. I need to make sure people will be safe when shooting my short film, hence why a health and safety assessment is produced. Also, the BBFC will look over my film and see if the material is appropriate enough to designate it into a certain certificate section. My short film will be classed as a 12a as there is two peril scenes and one violent scene - mature but not too graphic. Conclusion: Pre-prodiuction is don so that shooting a production will be easy for team and talent involved and so that everthing goes to how the people in charge had visioned.
**This is my shot list for my teams production. I have annontated most of the shots (why I have used them). This will benfit those who may be unaware.**
EXT. CHISELHURST WOODS - EVENING, DUSK
1. close up: Detective enters the scene with chilling feeling, almost as if being watched. (5 seconds)
2. close up/mid shot: Shot changes as the Detective walks from the back into the Murder scene, unknowing what will behold. (5 seconds)
3. establishing shot: A grisly shot of the terrain as the detective is in the middle of the gloomy woods, emphasising his vulnerability . (5 seconds)
4. depth of field: a spider is shown dangling in the woods, this will sybolise evilness - which awaits the detective. (10 seconds)
5. mid shot: The detective walking closer and closer to the dead the body, which creates a tense but suspicious feel about the area. (5 seconds)
6. long shot: The detective looks around his surrounding in slight-disbelief. (and/or clues). (3 seconds)
7. low angle: of detectives facial expression and body to show the shock and disbelief of a murdered student as he crouches down to inspect her body for clues. Only dry blood around her body and a purseis found. (5 seconds)
8. high angle: We then follow up the shot looking down at the murdered Student in fear of what is to come. (5 seconds)
9. close up/Depth of field: We have a very clever close up which is faded of the deceased Students Purse then the shot becomes clear with the background disappearing and the purse becoming visible to the audience. (10 seconds)
10. close up: of the detective picking up the deceased students ID which contains a blood splat. (8 seconds)
11. long shot: The shot changes to a long shot of our detective with a paranoid state as he soon realizes the Student was killed almost moments ago. (5 seconds)
12. mid shot: The detective calls the Police commissioner to report a dead body. (5 seconds) INT. MYSTERIOUS ENVIRONMENT (GREEN SCREEN) - EVENING
13. close up: The commissioner answers the phone call he's recieving from the detective. (5 seconds)
14. extreme close up: recieving information that the detective has discovered another body. (5 seconds)
15. mid shot: detective ends the call and portrays and worrying and troubled facial expression. (5 seconds)
EXT. CHISELHURST WOODS - EVENING
16. low angle/depth of field: man with a hard, wooden item covered in fresh blood slowly and steathily approaches the detective who is still inspecting the young female's corpes. (7 seconds)
17. close up/depth of field: the detectives is straining hard at the dead females wallet meanwhile crouching and thinking hard. The dangerous man with the wooden item is shown slowly apporaching the detective. The detective is completely unaware. (5 seconds)
18. high angle: the detective is crouching and still inspecting the dead body until he suddenly acknowledges, someone's behind him, which makes him turn his head around. The man with the wooden item smashes the object over the detectives head leading him to die. (10 seconds)
19. close up/eye-level shot: the detectives face is shown with blood over his head, this reveals that he is officially dead. (5 seconds)
20. close up/depth of field: the killer drops the wooden item covered in blood, this will reveals that he's not proud at what he has just done. (3 seconds)
21. close up: the killer's face is revealed and it turns out to be the commissioner. He begins to sob with regret. (7 seconds)
Using only one lighting
Dull location - will create suspense and mystery
Straight down on a surface will enlighten a subjects face
Lighting beaming down on a table enlightens face of a subject
Black sheet of cloth will absorb the light and make a subjects face darker in lighting-tone
A bright White cloth will further enlighten a subjects face therefore
Day For Night
De-saturate
Decrease iOS level
Include White balancing
Don't include/film the sky
In my short film, only one prop was needed. An eerie/terrifying mask. I have purchased a sinister pig mask of Amazon as a scary human mask was not for available to order. Moreover, a pig mask will be better for my production as it will emphasise the hallucination, Josh is having in the film. A humanly-sinister-pig dressed in a deathly black suit is much more bizarre and strange which is needed to boost the intensity of the hallucination scene.
The prop cost me: £7.25 which is great as my budget was £20. I may messily paint red upon the mask to make the mask look bloody, deathly and even more sinister.
-Characters
Centred on a young strong girl
Mixture of young male and female characters who seem drained and weak
Boy and girl form strong low-key romantic relationship
Youths have to battle to the deaths
-Themes
Youths can over come anything if they put there mind to it
Divergent
-Characters
Strong young female character must over come tasks forced on her
Youths want to be free but adults are evil
-Themes
Open up about being gay
Females can be independent and strong without a man
Overcome tasks and rise up to challenges
Be brave
Growing up and becoming an adult is hard
The miseries and environmental-destructive things we do today will
The Maze Runner
-Characters
Focused on a brave male, but still has a female accomplice who is strong (they both form a low-key romantic relationship)
Yes, some horror films are passed at this category. Moderate physical and psychological threat is permitted at 12 or 12A as long as horror sequences are not too frequent or sustained and the overall tone is not disturbing.
What about other issues like imitable behaviour or drugs at 12A or 12?
Dangerous behaviour (for example hanging and suicide) may be present in 12A or 12 works but will not dwell on detail which could be copied or present those activities in a manner that children are likely to copy.
Anti-social behaviour should not be endorsed.
There may be infrequent sight of drugs misuse in a 12A or a 12 but the portrayal should not be glamorised or provide instructional detail.
Conclusion: I highlighted two of those paragraphs on film regulation as my film will most probably be registered as a 12A for the reasons that it may contain mild drug usagae but does not promote or glamourise the usgage - if anything it is foreshadowed. Also, horrors are quite similar to Thrillers in several aspects ( tense non-digetic music, extreme surprise, etc.) The guidlines of a 12A film states Horrors can be regulated this certificate if it has mild violence and infrequent Horror/Thriller sequences which applies to my short film as it only has one mild violent scene. _______________________________________________________________________________ ARTICLE:http://encounters-festival.org.uk/call-to-submit/
Encounters Festival is the UK’s leading short film and animation festival. The festival discovers, supports and develops new talent in filmmaking, providing a platform and meeting place for emerging and established filmmakers from around the world.
• Submissions are open to short films from every genre including animation, documentary, drama, experimental, music or artist film.
• Films must have been completed after 1st January 2015.
• Films must be no longer than 30 minutes including credits.
• Encounters Festival does not require any premiere status.
• If the original language of dialogue in the film is not English, the preview and screening copy must be subtitled in English.
• All films must be available in 35mm print or DCP file for screening at the festival. The Festival can create a DCP file for you from a Pro-Res file for a fee.
Conclusion: I highlighted several parts of this article as I reach the requirements to enter a film festial to submit my creative proudce for investors to view. It could be a way for me to get my name known within a small part of the film industry.
Conclusion: IMDB allows me to view feature films and view info on it such as: the plot (summary), box office profit, budget, ratings, reviews, awards, actors & behind the scene staff, etc. In the photo above is one of the inspirations for my short film.
Conclusion: A kickstarter allows you to promote and recieve funds for a business idea or project online. It allows people all around the world to invest in one's idea. This is what I would do if I wasn't able to purchase equipment/props for my short film.
Conclusion: My short film will be uploaded onto youtube so that people around the globe can free watch and enjoy my production. Also, it could get noticed by someone in a high position within a film/media industry.
The purpose of this pitch proposal is to promote and justify the
production of my short film, 'Trippy'. My production will be a Thriller aimed
at a mature audience most probably above the age of 18 year old's as the production will have a message only a refined audience will discover buy thinking about what is trying to be told. Moreover, youths under the age of 18 like to be entertained with a simple production, instead of a complex one with a meaning. Lastly, at the end of the production, it will have an open-ending, open for the audience's interpretation of what happened, what is trying to be told and what the result of the production is.
1.)
The real world influence for my production
is from an article and from a soap opera production.
I thought about my pitch idea as I read a
recent article on a man who had a hallucination which led him to kill someone
close to home, his mother. Hallucinations can obviously be very dangerous and
harming on account of how visually, realistic the visions are. I was also
convinced to push the pitch into a real production as something similar to this
subject (hallucinating) premiered on TV on 7/1/2016 on the popular soap opera,
Eastenders. Stacey, is a main character on the show, Eastenders who suffers
from bipolar. After a series of mind-bothering complications overthrown her
several people want to take her baby away from her, a man falsely claiming he's
her brother and her relative passes away - she runs away seeking for escape
only for her begin to hallucinate. As, she gets in the cab she has a
hallucinogenic vision of her dead relative (Charlie) telling her she should go
back home. She does so as that's what her mind is telling her.
The feature film which influenced my film
pitch was the award-winning film, Limitless, 2011. The reviews for this unique
film were very positive as it has a 7.4/10 rating on IMDB with comments
applauding the film such as; "Limitless takes you on a ride...
and that's not an exaggeration. The computer graphics create a glimpse into
what it would actually feel like to be a "super-you." The writers
also did a great job of creating a character that from the start... pretty much
charms your pants off."
3.)
The budget
of this film was $27 million which is equivalent to £18.7 million.
The film grossed $18.9 million (£13 million) on its first weekend
of preeminence. It later made a high profit at the box office for $161.8
million which is equivalent to £112.1 million. This film was a major
success as it profited more than FOUR times the sum of the budget. Kick-starters usually
rely on the financial help of the public who would donate to make the film
become a released production. Also, financial investors can donate
to kick-starters to help the film to be produced.
It is not recorded as to how this film received finance for the
budget.
4.)
Limitless
is the feature film which has inspired my pitch idea for my short film, it's
age rated PG-13 (U.S) which is equivalent to a 12A or 12 (U.K). It's one of the
best age restrictions as it restricts hardcore adult themes but allows mature
themes. Any person's under the age of 12 requires a adult to accompany
them. 12's restrict any person's under the age of 12 to view the film at
the cinema. This allows all ages above the age of 12 accessible to
view the film which will invite a large audience to view it (adolescents, young
adults, adults and elders). The BBFC and OFOCOM would regulate my production as a 12A as it
doesn't violate their term and conditions of labeling a film 12A.
5.)
To write a good script for a short film I needed the main keys, which are to: have an exciting and original idea, make it short and
have a strong beginning. These are all very important as an original idea
catches the viewer's interest as they the story line is new and unique to them
which will want them to see how the plot plays out. Moreover, as this is a
short film, it can't be long and tedious otherwise it defeats the purpose of
short film - to quickly entertain or make the audience think. Lastly, a strong
beginning is key as it will be the reason why a viewer continues to watch the
short film or want to watch the film.
Male takes drugs bought of from a drug
dealer and uses them in a public place.
Hook: He blacks out and then awakes to
notice a creepy man in a mask looking at him who then begins to chase him.
Twist: As the creepy man catches the drug
abuser he gets ready to kill him with a weapon... then the hallucination/flash
forward ends. The man declines the drugs and walks away, however, as he walks
away with his back towards the dealer... The creepy man is behind him.
2.)
The location of my short film will be set
in the vibrant, local plaza of Waterloo, in London. I will need to call up and
request the BBFC (British Board film Commission) if it would be okay to film in the
public location.
3.)
My budget for my short film will be low as
not many props are needed and film-production equipment will be supplied by my
sixth form.
-Props budget - £20 (Mask and small weapon)
-Travel - £15 (Train)
-Food - £25 (Enough for four people)
-Facilities & Camera Kit - Free (Supplied in sixth form)
4.)
The USP for my film is that my film is
slightly similar to the popular film: Limitless and not many popular films have
been made like this one within 5 years (only Lucy). Also, the chase scene
between the creepy man and drug abuser will be quite adrenaline-pumping with
will deliver satisfaction to Thriller-genre-lovers. Moreover, the USP is the message of the production, that abusing drugs can lead to wild hallucinations/paranoid delusions so avoid and deny the usage of it.
5.)
My short film will be uploaded to YouTube
so anyone around the world is free to watch my production and this should be
fine as long as don't you any copyright music. It will also be sent to a film
festival organization as this may appeal to mature adults who are seeking to
appreciate creative and new productions.
6.)
Secondary research has led me to find out
that a mixed age group of people from both genders enjoy to watch
"low-core" Thrillers with moderate violence and a lack of anything
graphic. This was discovered by viewing the commentators-profile's upon the
videos on the 'Thrillers-playlist' on YouTube'. However, as said before my
target audience is for a mature audience
After reading the brief and viewing the playlist of short films recommended on the blog I have come to the decision that I will produce a Thriller, genre short film. This will include a single-strand appearance in the production and a non-linear narrative, with mostly flashbacks to reveal the the plot of the film while an event is taking place which will create great suspense. It would also, be realistic as I plan to make slightly a psychological thriller.
Mood Board:
This will be my pitch for the one minute short film. The genre of this film will be a Thriller which will include a tense plot.
The name of my short film is called "Trippy". There will be two characters: Josh and Creepy man. It will take place in the present day, at daytime and in a busy public environment - preferably Waterloo as it is nice area filled with a busy environment, but there is also, slightly deserted environments to record certain scenes that require a lack people. The key pointer of the film will be the effects of drug abuse. Josh, 17 will be the male who decides to experiment with a new drug and will suffer the consequences of a crazy delusion. The Creepy man, age unknown will be the unreal killer in Josh's dream chasing him down and trying kill him. ____________________________________________________________________ The production will begin with a master shot showing the environment in which the plot takes place in, it will also have Josh and the drug dealer included in the scene. Josh will take the drug (a small pill - sweet) and question the dealer with a 'confirmation-needing' voice: "You're sure this isn't too strong?" To which the dealer replies "Of course not man, they will just make you feel... err... alive!" As soon as the dealer replies to Josh with that answer, he falls upon the ground as the effect of the drug kicks in and takes its toll on him. A rapid heartbeat sound will then play on account to this action (this effect will be added using final cut and creates a sense of thrill to the audience). The screen then fades to a black screen (this is to show that time has passed by as he has fell unconscious due to the powerful drug). Josh awakes - the black screen ends. He's looking scruffy and is standing in the middle of a busy plaza/walk way (in Waterloo, London). He feels strange and begins to quickly examine his body while still standing in the middle of the busy environment with people walking past him not caring at all. Josh then begins to look around as he doesn't know what to do with the strange feel he has. He's also confused as to where he is and what's going. This is until he spots a creepy looking figure a few meters away from him starring directly at him (the male will have a creepy mask on his face and will be dressed in a smart suit). The Creepy man then begins to walk to Josh, which makes him feel endangered, so he begins to run for his life meanwhile the Creepy man picks up pace and begins to chase him to death. As a short running scene takes place of Josh trying to escape the reach of the Creepy man he trips up and the Creepy man pulls out a weapon an gets ready to to attack terrified, Josh. Just as the weapon is about to strike Josh. The scene swiftly cuts back to a previous scene. *IT WAS ALL A VISION (FLASH FORWARD*. Josh is about to take the drug from the dealer. But after the vision of the terrifying hallucinogen he declines the drug and walks away. TWIST: As Josh walks away with his back to the dealer the dealer appears to be the Creepy man in the scene (electrifying, eerie tune plays). End.
________________________________________________________________________________
Target Audience (Research):
The research I have indulged in has lead me to believe that Thrillers are targeted at young adults (male and female) and of any demographic of people. Perhaps, this is because young ages of people seek to be energized by a thrilling plot and amazed by suspense/mystery. Psychological thrillers are most enjoyed over other types of Thrillers which is why my production will include this type of genre. Also, during my target audience research I noticed that from the
short horror film playlist, the Thriller genre of short films generate and
attract a larger audience than the horror genres. This is revealed in the large
number of views and likes in the short film, The Black Hole | Future Shots. For
this reason I am creating a Thriller. Thrillers and Horrors share the same
conventions: sinister music, electrifying music, low key lighting, suspense and
mystery. However, many of the viewer’s of horror productions commented the same
complaint; that the script of a horror film is much more intense and
interesting than the actual film of it. This is in contrast to Thrillers as a
visual interpretation of a script is highly electrifying as the audience can easily
imagine themselves in the same situation as the character(s). The key factors
of making a horror is to scare the audience, if this objective is failed the
reviewer may dislike the production, whereas thrillers seek to create suspense
and drama for the audience – thriller seem much more easier to perform through
alternative techniques like non-linear structure.
Pre-production requirements:
Finance - For my production I will not need much money at all (little to nothing) as my sixth form has materials and production essentials already provided for it's students. Also, travelling will not cost me and my team a penny as we will have a free bus pass ready for our use.
Timescale - Scheduling for production shoot will be planned carefully by my team and I around our availability. Moreover, it will mostly be done after school when some of us have time to do so. We will be strict with managing our time keeping as it is very important to meet deadlines.
Personnel - I will need director to make sure the production goes to plan and in the vision it was set to be like. Also, a cameraman to shoot the production. An editor to add style, add interesting effects and improve the footage to my liking. (I will participate in the roles previously listed). Also, actors/talent would be chosen from the drama department in my sixth form. I will most probably need 1-2 actors.
Materials - I will not need much materials as my sixth form will provide me with most of what I need: camera, lights, tri-pod, final cut and logic pro.
Location: I will not need clearance from authority to film in public location as my film, plot takes place in a college (sixth form). It will be in a classroom. I will have to alert teachers and students that I will be using the room after school.
