Due to other people's commitments and numerous people changing groups, I have decided to come back to the group I worked with last year. After moving back into the group and discussing with everyone, we have decided to take a different approach to our roles within the team for this A2 project. Last year I was the director, Chloe was the editor, Karlene was the scriptwriter and Paige was the storyboard artist. This year however we have decided to split the film into four sections and each take responsibility for our own part. Although we all enjoyed our roles last year, we feel that by taking on all of the roles will give us an opportunity to gain experience in different areas of media production and our ideas as an individual will be more prominent.
Monday 17 January 2011
Film 4- Spin
The film “Spin” directed by Jamin Winans shows a DJ in a crowded area, controlling the actions around him. It seems as though he is a God-like figure. The intention of the director was to show that every decision that people make in life connect with other decisions and events that are made by other people. As the film has been distributed through the media of the internet on websites such as www.youtube.com and has been shown at numerous film festivals. These methods of distribution allow the film to reach a wide range of people, especially the implied target audience of the film industry. The film is a showcase film, meaning that everyone involved in making the film, from the actors to the production team, can display their talents. The key character in the film is the male who plays the DJ. His character is the one who holds all the power and the focus on the film is directly on him. The location of the city block is key to the storyline as it is a natural setting for strangers to come into contact with each other in the way that they do in the narrative. The soundtrack is very effective in the film as the narrative centres around the DJ and the use of his music and equipment to affect the actions around him. I found the film very enjoyable and the narrative was easy to understand. As there is no dialogue in the piece the issue of language is not a problem regarding certification. Neither is the use of sex, drugs or extreme violence. The scene in which someone is hit by a car would mean the potential certificate for the film would not be more than a 12.
Film 3- Chicken A la Carte
The primary subject of the film “Chicken a la Carte” is poverty. It is clear the intention of the producer is to give the audience an understanding and insight into the lives of those less fortunate. The distribution of this film is through the internet, and as it is a cause film the implied target audience is anyone who has access to the film as the producer is trying to get the subject, or cause, of the film to reach as many people as possible. The key character of the film is the worker in the restaurant as you follow the poverty of his family. The setting of the fast food restaurant and the small village where he lives casts a large contrast in regards to each other, reflecting the narrative of poverty. The slow soundtrack creates a sympathetic air to the film and allows the audience to watch the drama/documentary and draw their own conclusions to what they see. Although the film creates a harsh sense of reality the certification would not be very high, perhaps a PG, as the film does not cover any of the issues the BBFC finds worrying, such as sex or violence.
Chicken a la Carte; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1bOteXhwrw
Film 2- Signs
The film “Signs” is a very enjoyable short film. The basic narrative of the film is a story of two people falling in love through the use of signs. The soundtrack was very important throughout the film as there is very little dialogue and the main subject of the film is the level of communication. The film has been recognised with awards at the Cannes Film Festival as well as being distributed on the internet. The film is a showcase film which allows everyone involved in the making of the film can display their talents. The film focuses on two main actors which play two office workers in different buildings who eventually fall in love. The setting of two offices across the road from each other allows a barrier through which they cannot communicate through dialogue which reflects the key subject to the film. I would say that a very likely certificate for Signs would be a PG as no major issues are raised regarding the limits from the BBFC.
Film 1- Lovefield
My Idea
By looking at different themes and styles of short films and considering various aspects of film such as dialogue, setting, sound and special effects, I have come up with my own idea for a short film. The film would focus on the condition of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after an individual is exposed to an event that can cause psychological trauma. There are a number of symptoms of PTSD the most common being flashbacks, difficulty sleeping and hyper vigilance. The main subject of the film would be the development of PTSD in an ex soldier who has been frequently exposed to war. I would keep the film very simple, using just one main male actor and one main setting, just an empty room. For the majority of the film, the character would sit in the room and speak of his memories and experiences in the army and back at home. Throughout the film it would become more apparent that he is becoming more agitated and uncomfortable. I have considered using special effects in the film, such as super imposition. I would use this to show people rushing around the character, perhaps backwards, as if the world around him is in rewind. I also considered using scenes of war zones and his family, although he is alone in the room. This would highlight the anxiousness and flash backs he is experiencing. The film would end with the character experiencing a breakdown, brought on by his own thoughts and memories. The purpose of the film would be to mediate to the audience how PTSD can affect individuals and how damaging it can be.
Certification
There are 7 classification categories used by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). These are;
- U- Universal - Can be viewed by anyone
- PG- Parental Guidance
- 12A/ 12- Not to be viewed by anyone under the age of 12
- 15- Not to be viewed by anyone under the age of 15
- 18- Not to be viewed by anyone under the age of 18
- Not to be viewed by anyone under the age of 18. Only to be viewed in restricted cinemas and sold in licensed sex shops.
Different certifications are used for censorship and to control the concerns of the BBFC and the public. Some people think that the film is made and the certification is given afterwards. However, a certification is chosen and then aimed for as the film is made, this way; there is room for change within the range of certificates. There are a number of concerns over censorship and certification. The most destructive of these concerns to be imitation. Over recent years there have been a number of reports that children and adults alike have tried to imitate actions and events they have seen on television, video games and films. The most memorable of all of these is “The Jamie Bulger case” where two young boys snatched a toddler from a shopping centre and tortured him until he died after watching a film from the “Chucky” franchise. A film tends to be rated 18 to avoid imitation if excessive use of weapons and/or violence that is seen as pleasurable or results in a positive outcome is used. Suicide is also a matter that presents cause of worry about imitation and would also lead to the film being rated an 18. The level of nudity and sex within a film can also affect the certificate. If the level of nudity is natural, such as breastfeeding, there are no rules however if nudity and simulated sex are linked, the certification is put as a 15 or 18, however if the sex being shown is real, the film is immediately an 18R. Language holds a great power in society so any film with swearing in it would be a 12. The number of times swearing occurs in a film then increases the rating. Any use of the word “C***” would raise the certification immediately to an 18. The use of drugs in films is also a factor which would raise the certification. Any film that glamorises that act of drug taking would be certified an 18 as there is a worry of imitation.
There a number of things that certification can influence regarding film. As well as limiting audience access to the film it can affect the theme and the narrative in relation to what you can and can not show. If the narrative calls for a scene of violence then the production team will have to decide whether the scene is actually necessary and if so, then the certificate must be raised. Certification can also affect the audience’s pleasures. If a film doesn’t contain any violence or weapons and that is what a member of the audience wants to see then they will not watch the film for example, this means that viewing figures may drop. Certification is a boundary that can affect the creativity in regards to film making. Ideas and thoughts must be kept within the restraints of the certificate; if these restraints are broken then the certificate must be reapplied as something more suitable.
Research into short films
There are three noticeable differences between mainstream cinematic films and short films, these are;
- Length of film (time)
- Amount of dialogue
- Number of characters
A mainstream film is typically around 120minutes long, whereas a short film typically lasts between 1-15minutes. The amount of dialogue in a short film is noticeably less than that of a mainstream film. The same goes for the number of characters. Although there are these differences, mainstream and short films have many similarities. All films have a narrative structure of exposition/climax/resolution, characters, (though these may be animals or inanimate objects, not necessarily people), genres, themes and a soundtrack.
Short films tend to focus on two types of structure, showcase or cause.
A showcase film gives everyone involved, from directors to actors, a chance to showcase their talent. A “Cause” film is based on a topic or subject the director feels particularly passionate about, for example, poverty or animal cruelty. “Cause” films are made to make the audience think about the particular topic and somehow act upon what they have seen. “Cause” films also demonstrate people’s views and morals on a particular subject; they tend to gravitate towards short film form because the viewer is able to understand and perceive more information and be more affected by the intensity of the text in a short film than they are in a longer, mainstream film. It has also been said that “short films are to mainstream films as poetry is to a novel.”
The History of Short Films and the Film Industry
Before 1910, all films were deemed as “short”. Over the years technology improved drastically and film makers were able to fit a lot more film onto a celluloid reel than they were in previous years, enabling the films to be longer. It has been said that the first film ever produced was a 20 second moving image of a train. When it was first shown in cinemas, the audience were afraid of the images, believing that the train was moving towards them. Going to the cinema and watching moving images was a new experience for the public. Early short films tended to favour the genres of comedy, animation and even the news. In the early days of cinema, when film companies were fighting to get there products shown in cinemas, two films would be shown. First would be the “B” movie, which would only be 60 minutes long and then straight after the “A” movie of 120 minutes would be screened. The film making industry expanded rapidly along with technological advancements. This allowed competition within the industry to form and soon there were many studios, production companies and distributors fighting to be the best in the business. As film technology developed, so did the language, structure and images of film. Films started being made all over the world featuring different languages and cultures. Numerous genres and sub-genres also began to appear, ranging from romantic comedies to science fiction. The audience began to gain knowledge and experience from the many genres of film and the growth of technology and support from the audience has made the film industry, from short films to feature films, into a multi- million pound industry.
Creativity
The term creativity means to use your imagination to develop new and original ideas, particularly in an artistic context. Creativity is no unlimited however as we are limited by the form of what we are given. There can be rules given against the form of ones creativity, such as time. In a film making context, with just a few weeks to make a film it is relatively easy to create a short film, but if we were given months or even years we could branch out into creating a feature film. Within a specific genre of film it can be difficult to be creative as you run the risk of copying another film or moving so far away from the genre it is unrecognisable. The audience for creativity can be difficult to cater for as well. Their expectations can effect what you are trying to create. It is difficult to distinguish whether it is easier to be creative by yourself or in a group. There are positives and negatives for both. When working on your own you are not compromising or trying to connect ideas together like you would when working in a group, however on your own it can be difficult to develop and expand your ideas. There are many factors that limit creativity, once all of these are taking into account and you know your boundaries it is easier to understand how difficult it is to create something unique.
Roles
For our AS media project I was the director, Chloe was the editor, Karlene was the scriptwriter and Paige was the Storyboard artist. As much as I enjoyed working with the group, I have decided to change who i work with for this A2 project. I feel that it will allow me to gain more experience in a different role and create a film with other ideas to give it a different feel than what our previous film had.
Review of AS Project
For our AS media studies project, we were asked to make the opening two minutes of a film, complete with opening titles. Our group chose to create a horror musical which we called “Jack the Ripper”. My role in the making of the film was as director. Overall, the film was a great success, and after many hours of planning, filming and editing, we were very happy with the finished product. All of us in the group achieved high grades and are very proud of our film. Although we worked well together as a team, I think that we have learnt a lot from making our first project. We now know that more planning needs to be done to make the filming process more effective. We could have improved our planning by discussing more as a group and writing things down in a more organised way. Also I think we all need to be more confident in our abilities as we were worried that the film wouldn’t turn out as well as it did. I think we managed the time we were given well and we were able to hand in the project before the deadline.
Brief
A2 Media Studies;
Brief 10; A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or animation, or a combination of the two, together with two of the following three options:
- A poster for the film
- A radio trailer for the film
- A film magazine review page. Featuring the film
For our AS media studies project we were asked to create the opening two minutes of a film, complete with opening titles. I feel that this A2 project will help develop my understanding and knowledge of different aspects of the media and will help broaden the range of my creativity.
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