Ella, Kieran, Chesky and Charlies' Advanced Portfolio Blog

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Camera Work:

In short films, a lot of focus pulls and CU's are used to highlight certain objects, emotions or characters as because these films are short, they need to fit as much into the short amount of time as possible, meaning that the important factors need to be clearly focused on.

During the research and planning stages, whilst looking at short films, I found many camera shots that I wanted to incorporate into my own short film. In the short film 'La Boca Del Leon' an ECU is used which I then recreated in my short film- 'The man then appears again in an ECU where we see his face in closer detail,
showing the bloodshot eyes and the sweat'. The use of the extreme closeness to the characters face made the shot seem obscure and put me, as the audience, on edge, creating tension.

Another short film we were interested in, from the website 'Short of the Week' was 'Day Break'. Here, the camera work is used to show different perceptions between adults and children. The use of high

and low angles are used in Day Break to show the different levels of power between the two generations, something we wanted to again incorporate in our work.

In 'Autumn', many CU's and focus pulls are used to show Rosies facial expressions. This is because I wanted to really capture her sadness and to portray to the audience that this was the main factor as to why she escapes to the woods.

As in 'La Boca del Leon', I took the ECU shot that I liked and created a shot similar to that in my own short film. The obscured close up meant that Rosie's facial expressions were highlighted even more and with the non diegetic sound of the parents arguing underneath it added tension and puts the audience on edge, feeling sorry for Rosie, an emotion I wanted to create at the beginning of the short film.

We also copied and interpreted the camera work used in the short film 'Day Break'. When Rosie is listening to her parents arguing and looking sad, we used a high angled shot to show how small and powerless her parents arguing makes her feel and how she feels there is nothing she can do about it. However, when we filmed in the woods, I tried to keep the camera angles at her height or lower to show that in the woods she feels powerful, strong and important, something she doesn't feel at home. This is shown in the shot when she has her eyes squeezed shut at her level and then opens them and looks towards the trees and sky at a low angle.

We used many long shots when in the woods to show the beauty of the woods and the scenery and to show the contrast between the bedrooms scenes that are enclosed and almost claustraphobic through the CU and the ECU to the spaciousness and the freedom of the longer shots in the woods.

Sound:

A lot of non diegetic music instead of diegetic music is used in short films as the budgets are lower than that of a high end film. The non diegetic music creates more realism, meaning that vision and hearing is manipulated into making the audience think and feel the correct emotions.

However, sound tracks and effects are used to set scenes, just like they do in full scale production films as it allows the audience to be engaged into the 'film experience'.

In 'Autumn' I added a sound track throughout the film- The Lake, by the RHODES. I feel this soundtrack works really well with the film and the lyrics have a powerful meaning behind them, which relate to the film. In the beginning scene, I used a song called Nocturne, however, as I wanted the music to be sad and miserable, I chose the song in a minor key to sound eerie.

However, as there isn't any talking, I didn't want it to look, sound or feel like a music video, therefore, I chose 3 different tracks which are used through the film just to add different emotions to fit the image on screen.

In hindsight, I feel that the lack of talking is a mistake and if I were to do this projection again, I would definitely add in more dialogue. I feel that dialogue wasn't used as there was a rush to get the project finished.

The only non-diegetic music I use is the sound of her parents arguing. The beauty of a short film though, it that dialogue is not always needed as the narration helps to tell the story- this is why I focused so much on making sure the shots were clear.

Mise en Scene:

Mise en Scene is used a lot in short films as it helps to set scenes, portray characters and make the film is general more realisitc.

The foreshadowing of the direction of the story line, shown through weather is one of the main conventions. Pathetic Fallacy is clearly seen in the short film 'Explosions' where the dark grey clouds, the rain and strikes of lightening are used to convey to the audience that the story isn't going to happy and light but dark, dangerous and mysterious.

Another mise en scene convention is makeup and costumes. In La Boca Del Leon, make up is clearly used to portray the short films genre (a horror) and the events that are taking place. His pale skin and bloodshot and bagged eyes make him look scary and tired, relating to the main conventions of horror
films.

The correct props and mise en scene will be able to create the right mood and images for the audience. A short film I researched called 'This is Me' really intrigued me with their props that they used as they seemed to fit the storyline and the character particularly well and really helped to guide the storyline and were interesting.

In 'Autumn' the very first shot is looking out of the window. I managed to film it when the wind caught the trees and bushes and the shot looks very bland and grey, foreshadowing the arguing of Autumns parents to follow. The pathetic fallacy is further continued when the sun comes out when she escapes to the woods and finds a necklace.

I used makeup and costume effectively in 'Autumn' too. For example, in the beginning scenes when she is looking sad, she is wearing no makeup, so she looks tired and pale, her hair is simple and her top is grey, meaning the shot looks very lifeless.

When she escapes to the woods, she is wearing makeup, making her look healthy and more colourful, her coat is a deep purple and her hat is a royal blue, these rich colours contrast with the

bedroom scenes and change the emotions in which the audience feel.

As for the setting, we looked around for woods and forests that were pretty enough to film in. We found the 'Beech Estate' located in Hastings, however we couldn't find the right transport to get there so I found a wood (Blunts Wood) near my house and took pictures of it to show my group it, they really liked it and we decided that that would be our shooting location.

For the lighting, in the bedroom scenes, I used two spotlights given to me by our media technicians as well as natural lighting- however, as we filmed during Winter, it got darker a lot quicker so the false lighting was really useful and used at the correct exposure they looked like natural lighting anyway. For the Wardrobe transitions, I put both of the lights in the wardrobe at their full brightness and this helped me to create a 'canvas' for the post production edits that I did later on

during the editing stage.

To show Rosies age and gender before she is shown on screen, I worked really hard in making sure the right props were shown like in 'This is Me'. For example, I filmed the pink and purple heart shaped bunting and the cute photoframes with the pictures of her and her friends in it, I filmed these because they are girly and pretty and are a sterotypical image of a little girls room.

Editing:

In most short films, the editing is fast paced as they have to abide to the time restraint that is normally 5-15 minutes. so cuts and montages are used to ensure no time is wasted in transitions or shots that aren't necessary to the plot.

Shot reverse shot is popular in short films as it is a quick conversation that wastes no time and lets the audience in on the plot. In the short film, 'The Silent Things', there is a shot reverse shot sequence used to show the characters increase in distress.

The use of the quick cuts and the fast pace add a specific impact on the audience- it adds tension.

Lighting and colours of the shots is also used in short films to portray different emotions- ie, low key lighting used for dark, depressing scenes and bright light used for happy, positive shots.

In 'Autumn' there is no diegetic dialogue so no shot reverse shots were used, however, quick cross fades were used for transitions and I went through the shots very carefully, making sure I only used ones that would benefit the story line.

I also played around with the lighting when editing, making sure that there was an atmosphere of low key lighting for the bedroom scenes and that the lighting was brighter and more natural when she was in the woods.

The titling is used on the different aspects of the project throughout, ie, the poster, the film and the review. The font 'Aubrey' was very simplistic and smart and the golden colour fit the theme of 'Autumn' well. During the post production process, I spent a while editing the title to make sure it was exactly right as it would be used as our main brand. I also spent a long amount of time editing the white transition from the bedroom to the woods. This was shown through a 'horizontal shake' (Earthquake), 'brightness' and 'glow'(Light Rays).

We wanted to keep the pace of the film relatively slow because I wanted people to admire the picturesque shots I got in woods, for them to be able to listen carefully to the sound track chosen because the words are really fitting and meaningful and so that the lack of dialogue isn't noticed.

Characterisation:

Due to the length and simplicity of a short film story line, 1-3 main characters are normally introduced as there is not enough time to develop many characters and to create and see their back stories. Short films normally only last long enough to connect to a couple of characters.

In 'Autumn', there is only one main character, which is Autumn. This means that we get to know Autumn and can really relate and empathise with her throughout the film. Other than that, the only other person is Autumn when she is older at the very end of the film. As it is a short film, I decided to keep the plot and characters minimalistic and simplistic, so that the story was easy to follow and watch for the audience.

I worked with my sister in getting her to understand the storyline and I spoke to her about making the audience empathise with her and her situation- one that happens everyday all round the world. I hot seated her and asked her how she wanted to represent this character and her feelings to the audience and Rosie said that she wanted to show a really big contrast in the change of sad to happy emotions from the bedroom scenes to the woods.

So, in the bedroom scenes, Rosie pulls overly sad facial expressions and sighs a lot, showing a sadness with an underlying feel of impatientness- she doesnt want to put up with her parents and their arguing any longer. The overly dramatic facial expressions work really well in the film, especially with the sad, emotional music and the rough and aggressive contrast of the parents arguing underneath. However, in the wood scenes, her smiling and the skipping reiterates the idea that she is still just a small child and that this is her escape, a massie weight off her shoulders.

Genre Conventions:

In many films, different props, costumes, makeup, settings, characters etc are used to explore and convey a specific theme and genre. For example, the short film I researched called 'Love Field' is a thriller as thriller conventions such as the knife, the blood, the torn clothes, the raven and the pathetic fallacy are used to create suspense and tension.

Our film, with the transitions to a 'dream like world' puts our short film in the fantasy/adventure genre as the wardrobe and the idea of her travelling to an imaginary place is fictional.

However, with the serious themes and problems involved, like the clearly aggressive and drunken Father and the arguments she hears, 'Autumn' contains a dramatic quality too as many people deal with similar problems in their day to day life making our film realistic, meaning that our film could contain the genre of drama too.

Themes and Issues:

Themes vary in short films as much as they do in full length cinema, this is due to the time constrictions, meaning themes have to be explored in more concise ways.

During the research and planning stages, we also had to look at and explore different film theorists and their theories of genre, for example, Levi Strauss and his theory of binary opposites in film storylines.

In 'Autumn' themes of good vs evil are shown, with the arguing of the parents being the evil and the escaping to the woods and the necklace being the good. This follows Strausses theory of binary opposites with her home life being confrontational and scary and the woods being peaceful and happy.

The idea of fantasy and supernatural are also themes that are explored, as the audience, they are never told that the woods she escapes to is real or just a figment of her imagination, the only proof they have is at the very end of the film, with the necklace, leaving the story line on a bit of a cliff hanger.

The idea of exploration is also seen through 'Autumn' as Autumn is inquisitive and interested in exploring and discovering new things. Bravery is a theme within this as she wanders round the woods on her own.

Film Posters:

Main Conventions of a Short Film Poster:

Main Image- Normally the main character(s), narrative elements, film location etc.
Title- The name of the film, most often the biggest image on the poster.
Tagline/slogan- Quote from film, hints at the plot, introduces narrative.
Ratings- Stars from 1-5 to show how good the film is, rated by film review critics.
Billing Block- Company involvement with the film.
Age Certification- The rated age for the audience, a film for all ages, without sex, strobe lighting and violence, a film is normally a PG.
Release Date- The date in which the film is available to buy.

This is my film poster for 'Autumn'. The main image is of a narrative element which is the necklace as this is a pivotal moment in the film. I also thought the image was interesting as it has no link to the title.

The title is definitely the biggest component on my poster. I chose the title to be in gold to match the colours of Autumn, with the background being a greeny/golden hue. The font used is plain and simplistic and is matching to the titling in our short film.

The tagline used lets the audience in on the events to follow, they can see that the plot is going to be fantastical and is the story of someone trying to escape their harsh reality.

The 5 star ratings are positive to create a positive buzz about our short film and are on both sides of the poster to show that it is recommended by many professional film critics. I chose to have 'The Metro' critic our film as that is a newspaper read by many, all different ages, showing that the film is child and adult friendly. I also chose 'Little White Lies' as they are an internationally distributed company, meaning that people from around the world, not only the UK, will want to have a look.

The billing block at the bottom of the poster is normally over looked by audiences, but it includes who was involved in the creation and production of the film. On my poster, it states who acted, who filmed, who edited, who designed, who produced the music and the location.

I decided not to put an age certification on my poster as I know that my target audience is for all ages and I didn't want that to be restricted.

I also didn't add a release date, as, in honesty, I couldn't find anywhere to put it on my poster that would look professional and would fit with the themes of Autumn!

Little White Lies (LWL):

Little White Lies is an internationally distributed movie magazine, published by London-based media company, TCOLondon.

AUDIENCE:

LWL appeals to a very niche market and upholds a simple yet specific style of layout and language that remains consistent and as professional as ever through each issue, with the only change being the film in which they review. The main audience for this magazine is really anyone who is passionate about media and films in general for example; film critiques, journalists, film makers etc.

LAYOUT CONVENTIONS:

Screen Capture/Still image from the film at the top of the review page to illustrate and show the audience what the film is about or entails. The image is always the biggest component on LWL review pages and almost always has rounded edges.
The title of the film that the magazine is reviewing in bold and a large font number- usually (INSERT FONT NUMBER) and is the same font and size as the titling in the film so that it is recognisable.
Three subtitles directly below the title in the middle of the page, reading: 'Directed by:', 'Starring:' and 'Released'.
Three Ratings out of 5 given for the film, captioned, 'Anticipation', 'Enjoyment' and 'In Retrospect'.
Two and a half/3 Columns are normally for the review text.
The start of every paragraph is indented and the page number is always seen on the bottom left hand side of the page.

Structure of Review:

Brief Introduction
History of film
Overview of film
Personal Opinion
Rating System

LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS:

Around 400/500 words long, with many adjectives and complex nouns and sentences used to make the review exciting and educational.
Avoid giving away any spoilers so as not to ruin the film plot for anyone who hasn't already seen it.
The use of quirky language should be used throughout to make it different and unique from other movie magazine reviews.
Formal language should be used and direct address, so the audience are being spoken too, get a deeper insight into and feel part of the review.

How effective is the combination of your main product and your ancillary tasks?

(This part of my review could not be completed before the draft is due in as the film review has not yet been uploaded to Blogger.)

SCRIPT:

I feel that our short film, film poster and (film review) all linked in well together. The use of the identical titling throughout means that our main product and ancillary task combine together and are seen as the same products, meaning they are viewed as the being made by the same company and will be recognised. The film poster works well with the short film and is also completely unique and creative on their own.

The poster is the advertisement for our film, so we would need to make sure our products were used in positive lights so they represent our film well and seen and viewed in the right ways to advertise to our target audience. However, as we don't have a specific target audience and the film can be viewed by people of all ages, our advertisement isn't limited, ie, we can use billboards, the internet, bus shelters, cinemas which show short films. Also, short film festivals would be a good place to advertise our film as everyone who attends would already be interested in our product and we would receive postive and negative critisim which would help us to improve our film.

For our poster, I have created an autumnal feel (to match that of the title) through the use of the natural colours, such as the green and gold writing and the green and brown background- the blurred woods show the audience that the film is related to the woods, linking to the idea of Autumn too. Our poster is very ambiguous, the picture of the necklace gives nothing about the plot away, however, the titling and the image help the audience to understand what the film contains. The simplicity of the necklace, woods and titling means that anyone would be able to understand and then, later on, recognise our poster, people would see the woods and feel familiar to it. 'Autumm' also relates to problems of the world, like the idea of no one being active, going out and exploring and coming off technology anymore, aspects that are seen throughout our short film. From first glance, I was worried that my poster would give too little away, making it boring- however, afeter getting some feedback from classmates and teachers, I was told that the professional image and the use of the natural colours made the poster interesting and thematic. The shot of the necklace made them interested in the storyline and they wanted to find out how this was linked to the plot. My first draft of the film showed pictures of Rosie in a collage effect, however, I felt like the layout looked clumsy and that it gave too much of the film away.

Audience Feedback:

I uploaded my finalised poster to Blogger and asked all my facebook friends to comment postive and negative critism on it. The feedback I got was really useful, with the main problem being that the sun obscures some of the writing.