Completed Short Film
I feel that the short film that we created had many successful parts but also had many flaws. The success I believe outweighed the flaws but if there were time to add in a few more shots and edit the script a little I think this would have helped.
Aesthetically the film had a few flaws. The brightness looked good for the film as a whole when being watched on the editing screens, however when transferred to a different medium and watched on a projector, certain scenes were way to dark. This could have been fixed in a number of ways if we had have anticipated this flaw, we could have re-shot the scenes or we could have experimented with brightness and contrast and curves to get a colour and light that would work for us.
The film was created to a professional standard and was technically sound. The edits and effects used were all contributing to enhancing the films success. In the "fear" scenes this is particularly evident (see below). The sound levels and content were created to professional standards and audience and purpose were always kept in mind whilst working with these parts of the film.
During research and pre-production of short film, we noted that there were no particular codes and conventions of a short film. The only distinction from normal film is the length. Short films adopt genre and the codes and conventions of that particular genre, just as a feature length film does. Our film adhered to the many codes and conventions of the drama genre. The film tries to build up tension by making the main character attractive to the audience. This gives a sort of interaction with the audience which is what we were looking for during pre-production stages. We tried to also build up the tension with shots such as the flashbacks when Sean is looking in the mirror. I believe that the technique that we used to show the “fear” scenes worked really well in showing a distinction between reality and the imagination. By using flickering images the audience are forced to concentrate on the scenes which helped us to further get across our message. Within the genre of Drama, many films use techniques such as the above to make sure that the audience has some kind of emotion for the characters as without a connection between the two, the Drama will not work.
I feel that I played a major role in the group. During pre-production stages I helped a lot with the production of the shot list, props list, production schedule, writing up the locations and collating the data our group produced. I set up a Google Document which allowed us all to work on the same document on the same time, thus we could keep track of a time scale and of what we still needed to do.
Influences
We took many influences for the production of our film. Going through the various stages in our production timeline brought on new and different inlfuences.
The first influence was during inspiration week, we spent most of the time not really taking the week very seriously but I believe that it did actually really help us. We tried, during the week, to make up the most bizzare stories that we could which meant us really thinking outside of the box. This in turn put us in a certain state of mind whilst thinking of the ideas for our actual film. We tried to think of ideas that were weird and different, and were much more than an easy watch. We wanted a complex storyline and I think that during inspiration week we learnt how to go about developing one such storyline.
Another influence was actually a film we had created before. The music video for ASBO had a certain visual style that whilst creating the film we grew to love. The fear scenes are heavily influenced by this music video. I think that this was almost a natural influence more than a direct one. I believe that as a filmmaker you develop your own style and quirks, I think that as a group we have developed our own visual style.
The visual style of the film ‘Bouncer’ really influenced what I wanted to show in ‘Confined’. The use of light and dark to show a difference in characters and scenes is also used in the short film ‘Bouncer’. Our short film also concentrates on flicking between time, which I was greatly influenced by the use of time in ‘Bouncer’. The protagonist is telling his tale, much like how Sean in our film is showing us his tale.
Audience
A short film doesn’t have to relate to the audience in the same way as a feature length film does. For instance because of the niche audience that short films are generally aimed at, they can be more experimental and avante-garde than standard feature lengths. Most short film viewers are well educated in the world of film and spend a lot of time deconstructing the narratives and composition. For this reason a short film can be much more complex than a feature length. It is a specialist type of film in the most part.
Confined interacts with the audience on many different levels. On way that the short film targets it’s audience is through the protagonist’s age. Sean is a young man who is very troubled, this is easy to relate to for most teenagers as during a stage in their lives when hormones are raging there are numerous strange emotions running through their minds. The film confronts one of the growing problems today in the streets of London. Mugging is a big part of being a teenager in London today, not saying that everone does is, but certainly that it affects everyone. The film shows how a young teenager might deal with the mugging and confronts some of the slightly more major effects such as trauma.
We used music in the film to draw the attention to the character. The music builds up as the audience is taken through Sean’s various imagination sequences but then brought back to a slow when the film finishes. The audience is helped along the journey by the layering of the music and this also helps to carry the film through any lesser interesting parts.
The cutting between the current and imagination sequences was purposely designed to attract the audience and wake them up to the scene that is about to be shown. Sound is also used here to pull in the audience. The ‘fear’ sequences are designed to be edgy and require a lot of concentration. The scenes are also easily related to as they show obvious fears or phobias that many people will be able to relate to.
We carried out a quick survey of twenty 16-17 year olds and found some interesting facts about what a cross-section of our target audience might think of our film. The general response was that the film worked in many ways but the main storyline required a bit more attention to grasp it properly. This was something we had come to expect whilst editing the film.
Another thing that came out of the survey was that most of our audience was able to relate to Sean in some way. We had various comments about the different ways in which they related to them which included feeling sorry for him, and feeling similar emotions to him. This was the response we really hoped for as it was this complexity that we really strived to achieve with our short. The film was made to induce many different emotions and relate with each member of the audience individually rather than being a simple character.
Distribution
The film has already been uploaded to the popular video streaming websites YouTube and Vimeo. This will generate some knowledge of the films content but without any advertisement it will likely be lost in the mountains of videos uploaded every day to these sites. The popular networking sites Facebook and MySpace are a good place to get some free advertisement, a sort of online word of mouth. It is the perfect way to get the film noticed before submission to a festival. Rather than uploading the actual video to social networking sites, I believe that it would be a better idea to link to either the YouTube or Vimeo pages. Probably the YouTube page as it is a more popular site and more people have accounts to comment post their opinions on the video. The reason for not actually uploading the video to say Facebook is that if the video is only hosted on one or two sites it will be much easier to keep note of how many people are watching and if everyone is sent to one place to watch it, it will go up in the ranks of the particular site.
The film is also to be sent to the BBC Film Network, this is a great website where filmmakers can upload their short films and try to gain some recognition. There are obviously specifications that we will have to make sure that the film adheres to but after submission the film will go through testing in the BBC and hopefully make the cut.
We are to send the film to the Encounters film festival. This is another great place to gain some recognition and is a highly regarded film festival to studios and filmmakers alike. Due to lack of current funds we cannot submit the film straight away but can do so very soon. Again we might have to spend some time making sure that the film adheres to the regulations of the festival.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Friday, 5 February 2010
About a Girl
About a Girl is a British short film directed by Geoff Boyle and written by Julie Rutterford.
First of the name "About a Girl" is a play on the title "About a Boy" and stresses the oppostition to the mainstream cinema.
The film follows the path of an innocent young girl that has had to grow up too quickly. The text message style opening sequence lets the audience know straight away the target audience and the themes that might be present in the film. The young girl is pictured dancing which shows her age and then juxtaposed with images of her swearing and such. The camera pans out to reveal her true age to be about 12-13 and the audience feels a sense of hurt that is portrayed through the walls and trapped feel of the film.
The girls father seems not to care about her and isn't providing for her, financially and otherwise. The audience feels a resentment of the father.
During all of the outdoor scenes, prothetic falasy is used to highlight the themes in the film as the weather is dark and dingy. This also compliments the surrounding areas.
At the end of the film, the girl is pictured throwing her dead baby into the river, the baby reaches gating in the river and this is suggesting the entrapment of her own life. The girl is stuck in a council estate when she longs to be in the comforts of a large home with a loving family and have a popstar career.
Bibliography:
1. Julie Rutterford. (2010). About a Girl. Available: http://www.gboyle.co.uk/aag%20qt.HTM. Last accessed 5th February 2010.
First of the name "About a Girl" is a play on the title "About a Boy" and stresses the oppostition to the mainstream cinema.
The film follows the path of an innocent young girl that has had to grow up too quickly. The text message style opening sequence lets the audience know straight away the target audience and the themes that might be present in the film. The young girl is pictured dancing which shows her age and then juxtaposed with images of her swearing and such. The camera pans out to reveal her true age to be about 12-13 and the audience feels a sense of hurt that is portrayed through the walls and trapped feel of the film.
The girls father seems not to care about her and isn't providing for her, financially and otherwise. The audience feels a resentment of the father.
During all of the outdoor scenes, prothetic falasy is used to highlight the themes in the film as the weather is dark and dingy. This also compliments the surrounding areas.
At the end of the film, the girl is pictured throwing her dead baby into the river, the baby reaches gating in the river and this is suggesting the entrapment of her own life. The girl is stuck in a council estate when she longs to be in the comforts of a large home with a loving family and have a popstar career.
Bibliography:
1. Julie Rutterford. (2010). About a Girl. Available: http://www.gboyle.co.uk/aag%20qt.HTM. Last accessed 5th February 2010.
The BBC Film Network
The BBC Film Network has become a central point for British Short Films. They showcase over 300 British short films and are constantly looking for new talent. Just from one glance at the website you can tell that the audience they are trying to attract is young filmmakers and young people in general. The accessibility of all of the information in the website is key to this, young people want things very quickly nowadays, the BBC have catered to this by creating a highly efficient website.
The website accepts submissions so anyone can attempt to get their films shown in the massive site. However to maintain a certain level of quality within the site they must undergo some quite strict procedures to choose which films make the cut. A full list of what one must do to prep their film for the site can be found at http://www.live.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/submit/
Filmmaking guides are incorporated into the site which come as a massive help and also might hint at the quality that the network expect for the site. If a film is rejected from the site then maybe here would be a good place to go in terms of re-cutting etc.. The pages can be found at http://www.live.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/
BBC have on offer a brilliant selection of links and info on film festivals and pretty much anything related to the short film industry. They offer a whole section dedicated to the members of the site where you can browse profiles and films, this could come in handy when looking for cast or crew members for help with your own short films. You can find the network portal at http://www.live.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/
Finally the BBC have well networked the site with managed accounts on Facebook and other social networking websites, this enables the younger generation to access the site through the sites they already use and is a very professional move from the BBC.
Bibliography:
1. BBC. (2010). Film Network. Available: http://www.live.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/. Last accessed 5th February 2010.
The website accepts submissions so anyone can attempt to get their films shown in the massive site. However to maintain a certain level of quality within the site they must undergo some quite strict procedures to choose which films make the cut. A full list of what one must do to prep their film for the site can be found at http://www.live.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/submit/
Filmmaking guides are incorporated into the site which come as a massive help and also might hint at the quality that the network expect for the site. If a film is rejected from the site then maybe here would be a good place to go in terms of re-cutting etc.. The pages can be found at http://www.live.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/
BBC have on offer a brilliant selection of links and info on film festivals and pretty much anything related to the short film industry. They offer a whole section dedicated to the members of the site where you can browse profiles and films, this could come in handy when looking for cast or crew members for help with your own short films. You can find the network portal at http://www.live.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/
Finally the BBC have well networked the site with managed accounts on Facebook and other social networking websites, this enables the younger generation to access the site through the sites they already use and is a very professional move from the BBC.
Bibliography:
1. BBC. (2010). Film Network. Available: http://www.live.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/. Last accessed 5th February 2010.
Video Activism
Typically political, video activism is when a group of people get together with the same views on a subject and use video to expose the bad points about these issues. Famous examples are animal testing and war. Since a boom in technology happened, video activism has become much more popular. With the cheap price tags on tiny cameras people can film things they shouldn't with relative ease and can expose this footage on sites like YouTube and Metacafe. Video activism is an extreme way to expose the truth about hidden or little known topics and shed the truth on many governmental failures and operations.
From the Video Activist Network
"The VAN is an informal association of activists and politically conscious artists using video to support social, economic and environmental justice campaigns."
The VAN website features many manuals and data that can be obtained to help with the production of activist videos and how to go about making them.
http://www.videoactivism.org/resource.html
Video Activism came about in the 60's with the introduction of the portapak (the first small video recorder), finally people had a way to sneak video cameras into places that they shouldn't be in and expose the facts about certain things.
With the online video community ever growing, video activist films have become ever more popular, it is so easy to find videos that shock and appall yet also change someone's view. Many people are against the idea of video activism and call on rights for privacy, but the activists will do whatever they can to prove to the world that they are right and if a shocking video is what it takes, then so be it.
Bibliography:
1. Video Activist Network. (2010). Resources. Available: http://www.videoactivism.org/resource.html. Last accessed 5th February 2010.
From the Video Activist Network
"The VAN is an informal association of activists and politically conscious artists using video to support social, economic and environmental justice campaigns."
The VAN website features many manuals and data that can be obtained to help with the production of activist videos and how to go about making them.
http://www.videoactivism.org/resource.html
Video Activism came about in the 60's with the introduction of the portapak (the first small video recorder), finally people had a way to sneak video cameras into places that they shouldn't be in and expose the facts about certain things.
With the online video community ever growing, video activist films have become ever more popular, it is so easy to find videos that shock and appall yet also change someone's view. Many people are against the idea of video activism and call on rights for privacy, but the activists will do whatever they can to prove to the world that they are right and if a shocking video is what it takes, then so be it.
Bibliography:
1. Video Activist Network. (2010). Resources. Available: http://www.videoactivism.org/resource.html. Last accessed 5th February 2010.
Coffee Shorts
Coffee Shorts is an independent film company that specialise in all aspects of short film production, distribution and exhibition. They search the web for the best quality short films to display on their website. They list narrative, music, documentary, animation, experimental, comedy and trailers as the categories that they show.
"You won't find funny cat videos or fat kids dancing here, but you will find film festival quality, award winning independet short filmmaking. We invite the best short filmmakers to screen with us and help them gain audiences for their work. You can watch every film free of charge and without membership either by browsing the thumbnails or sitting back and letting the various web channel playlists run. Please feel free to post any of our short films or music videos onto your friends, Myspaces, Facebooks and blogs; share a little art with the world, and tell it Coffee Shorts sent you."
"Coffee Shorts is an independent short film channel showing off exceptional work from some of our friends and discovered from surfing around the web.
We spread the films around a bunch of online channels for people to come across and hopefully spend a little time with, experiencing a world where the guy doesn't always get the girl, evil sometimes overcomes good and things generally don't follow the same weary scripts."
These two quotes show off Coffee Shorts message to the public. They also show the type of film they search for, often things that one wouldn't find in a mainstream cinema or website. This shows that Coffee Shorts look to find new up and coming directors rather than ones that have a name for themselves already.
The company is professional and modern, utilising other websites such as Bebo and Blinkx to advertise their service and effectively creating online portals in many parts of the web. This shows an understanding of the web and one would assume they know what they are talking about when it comes to film too. If they had a shoddy website then maybe the audience would be less interested in the films they were offering.
Bibliography:
1. Coffee Shorts. (2010). About. Available: http://www.coffeeshorts.co.uk/about.html. Last accessed 5th February 2010.
"You won't find funny cat videos or fat kids dancing here, but you will find film festival quality, award winning independet short filmmaking. We invite the best short filmmakers to screen with us and help them gain audiences for their work. You can watch every film free of charge and without membership either by browsing the thumbnails or sitting back and letting the various web channel playlists run. Please feel free to post any of our short films or music videos onto your friends, Myspaces, Facebooks and blogs; share a little art with the world, and tell it Coffee Shorts sent you."
"Coffee Shorts is an independent short film channel showing off exceptional work from some of our friends and discovered from surfing around the web.
We spread the films around a bunch of online channels for people to come across and hopefully spend a little time with, experiencing a world where the guy doesn't always get the girl, evil sometimes overcomes good and things generally don't follow the same weary scripts."
These two quotes show off Coffee Shorts message to the public. They also show the type of film they search for, often things that one wouldn't find in a mainstream cinema or website. This shows that Coffee Shorts look to find new up and coming directors rather than ones that have a name for themselves already.
The company is professional and modern, utilising other websites such as Bebo and Blinkx to advertise their service and effectively creating online portals in many parts of the web. This shows an understanding of the web and one would assume they know what they are talking about when it comes to film too. If they had a shoddy website then maybe the audience would be less interested in the films they were offering.
Bibliography:
1. Coffee Shorts. (2010). About. Available: http://www.coffeeshorts.co.uk/about.html. Last accessed 5th February 2010.
Film Festivals
Film festivals are the perfect way to get noticed as a film director, actor or screenplay writer. The exhibition of short films at film festivals is a known route for scouts looking for new talent for Hollywood. As it is rare to see short film exhibited to the public anywhere else apart from online, film festivals are a great opportunity and one that is needed within the film industry.
The process of getting a film shown at a film festival is one that differs from festival to festival. There are however many things that don't differ. Things such as the entry requirements are usually similar and the legal conditions are almost always the same. One example is that to enter your film, you absolutely must have "artistic property". This is documentation that everyone and everything in the film has been accounted for and the people involved allow for the film to be copyright to you. This is why you often see labels covering brand names etc.. Multinationals are generally against small time film makers from using their products in films because if they are shown in a bad light it could have a negative effect on the company.
The table above shows the differences between three different short film festivals and some data about them.
The process of getting a film shown at a film festival is one that differs from festival to festival. There are however many things that don't differ. Things such as the entry requirements are usually similar and the legal conditions are almost always the same. One example is that to enter your film, you absolutely must have "artistic property". This is documentation that everyone and everything in the film has been accounted for and the people involved allow for the film to be copyright to you. This is why you often see labels covering brand names etc.. Multinationals are generally against small time film makers from using their products in films because if they are shown in a bad light it could have a negative effect on the company.
| Encounters | LFFS | RSS | |
| When Did They Start? | 1995 – Brief Encounters | 2003 – The Halloween Short Film Festival – 2008 LFFS. | 1998-Rushes Soho Shorts |
| When DO They Take Place? | Bristol – November | 11 Venues all over London. 8-17 Jan 2010 | 10 day festival 21st-31st July |
| What Awards & Catergories Are there? | International Jury Award South West Jury Award DepicT! Awards Film Club Teenage Jury Award Best British Award UK Film Council Award Cartoon d’Or Nominations Online Audience Award 4mations International Newcomer in Animation Award South West Screen Audience Award Film Club Child Jury Award Animation/Action Nahemi/Kodak prize for Creative Film making Cinematography | UK FILM COUNCIL AWARD for best Film of the Festival
Shooting People Comedy Award Current TV Documentary Award East End Film Festival Award Time Out Award for Best London Film Sci-Fi London Award for Best Horror Film Wallflower Press Award for Best Experimental Film | The international category The long form category The documentary category The animation category The best new-comer category Music video category The broadcast design category |
| How To Enter? | Can be sent via DVD or www.yousendit.com | Unavailable information as festival has just finished | 15 pound per film. Submit via uploads or DVD Post |
| What Kind Of Film Do You Need To Apply | Wide range of genres because the wide range of awards. | Wide range of genres because the wide range of awards. | Wide range of genres because the wide range of awards. |
| How Big Is The Festival? Sponsorship? Event? | Huge amount of sponsors including big companies etc. that suggests it is big scale. | Over 200 screenings. 6000 tickets sold. | 1200 professional & amateur filmmakers 140 films in final selections. |
The table above shows the differences between three different short film festivals and some data about them.
"Bouncer"
The short film bouncer concentrates on the story of a British bouncer. As the story unfolds the audience is introduced to a number of emotions that are all due to carefully planned production techniques.
Lighting is used to highlight the bouncer's image and hide the punters in the queue. This suggests that the bouncers are a target for the punters as is later revealed in the film.
The film plays on time in that when the bouncer is training in the gym he is telling a story that happened. We later find out that the gym is a prison gym and realise why he is in prison.
The voiceover in the piece is in a way the main asset. It is the gruff London accent that helps to stress the nature of the story. Ray Winstone voices the part perfectly and engages the audience with the story. The script tells the story in a way that relates to the working class and suggests a target audience.
The location of the club suggests a nasty run down area where one might expect trouble. This is shown with the bad street lighting, shouting and arguing and the positioning of the club. When the bouncer runs after the killers the audience is shown a wider view of the surroundings and so more assumptions can be made about the area. Another factor that might make the audience feel uneasy or expectant of trouble is the speech. The bouncer is constantly talking about being vunerable and about the likeliness of someone "coming back for you" when you are on your way home. Things like this keep the audience involved in the film and provide a personal feeling that the audience might have experienced, feeling unsafe when you are alone.
Bibliography:
1. Michael Baig Clifford . (2002). Bouncer. Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-6s_iD1r9c. Last accessed 5th February 2010.
Lighting is used to highlight the bouncer's image and hide the punters in the queue. This suggests that the bouncers are a target for the punters as is later revealed in the film.
The film plays on time in that when the bouncer is training in the gym he is telling a story that happened. We later find out that the gym is a prison gym and realise why he is in prison.
The voiceover in the piece is in a way the main asset. It is the gruff London accent that helps to stress the nature of the story. Ray Winstone voices the part perfectly and engages the audience with the story. The script tells the story in a way that relates to the working class and suggests a target audience.
The location of the club suggests a nasty run down area where one might expect trouble. This is shown with the bad street lighting, shouting and arguing and the positioning of the club. When the bouncer runs after the killers the audience is shown a wider view of the surroundings and so more assumptions can be made about the area. Another factor that might make the audience feel uneasy or expectant of trouble is the speech. The bouncer is constantly talking about being vunerable and about the likeliness of someone "coming back for you" when you are on your way home. Things like this keep the audience involved in the film and provide a personal feeling that the audience might have experienced, feeling unsafe when you are alone.
Bibliography:
1. Michael Baig Clifford . (2002). Bouncer. Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-6s_iD1r9c. Last accessed 5th February 2010.
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