Short film review

This is the first short film that I found to watch, and the first one that I enjoyed the most when watching different ones, I feel this sort of fits in with what I am doing for my script and trailer, The main character likes to spend her time alone, although she may not be going through the hard struggles that my character is going through, I think the feel I get from this short film is what I feel when reading my script. Also the pace of the story goes well with my script, the pace that mine would be filmed in is quite slow with not so many jump cuts and the story that I wanted to tell is quite a sad one. The tone of the film is what I want to try and go for, I was trying to get quite a dull tone to my story because if I was to go for a bright tone then it would not go along with my story, so the tone of this film fits quite well. When I was researching this is what I wanted, from the start I was hoping to do quite an emotional story line. Watching 'Alone Time' has really helped me to see what I want to achieve from my script when It comes to filming my trailer and editing it together.

Even though this short film isnt really about what my story is about, there is still a sense of loss like there is in mine, the sense of lost is very different, as mine is a lost loved one who is no longer around and this short film is the loss of a relationship, I still get the same feeling. The main character describes everything he misses and we see what he misses the most. And even though there is no sense of depression I still feel that my story can relate to this one in many different ways. The way that the story is written is similar to mine is ways, there is a sense on loneliness and loss and that is exactly what I wanted to create with my script.

This short film 'Fireflies' relates to my script the most I believe, I feel this because the film is all about depression, the main character is talking about how she really feels and how she tried to get help, and even though in the end she took her own life she tried to get the help she needed. With Charlotte, she is on the verge of wanting to end her own life, but she gets the help she needs in time before anything can happen. When watching this short film, I feel this connects most to my script, this is how I want to feel when reading over my script, the feeling I get when I watch this short film, sadness, but hopeful that the main character gets helps.

I watched many more short films, but I feel these three connected most, they are all very different but portray the same thing, loss and sadness and that is what I wanted my script to bring, the sense of sadness and loss.

Camera Workshops

In the very first camera workshop that was lead by Fergus, we were introduced to the Sony EX cameras, these types of cameras are industry standard so I was excited to learn about them. I had never used these cameras before, I had always used DSLR cameras in the past so I was excited to see what these types of cameras could do differently.

At first glance I thought these cameras would be quite complicated with all the different buttons that are on it, however, Fergus showed us how to work our way around the cameras and I soon learned that the camera was not as bad as I thought it would be.

We were shown how to do different shots with the cameras and then we were given the task to recreate these shots, the first one that we did was the pull focus, what we had to do for this was have two subjects in the same shot and have the first subject on focus and slowly pull the focus to the second subject while pulling the first subject out of focus.

In the second, Fergus went into more detail about how we work the cameras, we were shown how to use the Zebra and Peaking options, these are both there to help us with focusing. Within this session we also went through the white balance, we were shown how to change the balance and how to store a white balance if we needed to change it, we were shown that if you had someone hold up a white piece of paper in front of the camera, you can correct the lighting in white balance and then you can store it in either A or B so you are ready to start filming.

We were given the task to film somebody walking towards a chair and sitting down, we were to do this using multiple shots but making sure we use the 180 degree rule so we only film on one side so it makes it easier to edit together and does not confuse the audience once the edit is complete. Doing this task, I learned how to control a camera better and I learned that using multiple shots was better than using less, you have more to edit together and makes things more interesting to the audience with different shots.

In another workshop we were given the task where we all switched roles, there was to be two actors, a mic operator and a director, we each took turns in switching roles, we had to film a short script in 4-5 different shots and edit them together.

From all the workshops I have learned so much, I though I knew things about filming, but from going to all these different workshops I learned more than i thought I would, I thought when I first saw the cameras that I wouldnt be able to work my way around them but now I feel a lot more confident in them and feel that I can use them now to my best ability. There is still so much more that i can learn from the cameras and I feel I will learn more about them when I start to use them more and more.

British Drama - Skins

Skins

Skins is a British television drama which aired on E4, it ran from 2007 through till 2013. The series had been co written by Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain. The series focus's on the lives of British teenagers in Bristol, through their two years at sixth form. The storylines behind the show have portrayed real people and real problems that teens face everyday in their lives, they have made it seem like the real world with dysfunctional families, mental illnesses such as bi-polar and eating disorders, sexuality, bullying and substance abuse. Throughout each episode they have focused on a particular character and the struggles that they face within their life - these episodes are named after that particular featured character. 

over the 6 years that the show ran for, it proved to be a typical on going drama series that typically replaced it primary character every couple of years. In 2009 there was talk of Skins, however, the film never did happen, instead a seventh and final series was broadcasted in 2013, this season featured some of the original cast from the 2007 - 2010 series. 

The show had expanded over to America where they made a North American remake, which aired on MTV in 2011, however this ended after one series after advertisers abandoned the series in response to low ratings.

When the show aired, I found that i quite enjoyed the show because I was able to relate to the show in some ways, and I was within the same age range as the cast that was portrayed on the show. I would watch the show whenever it aired, I felt as though I could connect with some of the characters, this does not really happen when watching a TV series, but I felt as though the show was real, it shows real problems that we all go through everyday, and other shows, even though some of them portray things that we all go through, Skins when in depth with all these prblems. 

I feel this show connects with my script because in the show they show portrays real life problems, such as depression and how they try and get through all this everyday, and in my script Charlotte is facing depression and trying to find her way through. The two relate in a way because the cast of Skins are facing everything with what they go through. One character, Effy is facing depression and goes to seek help from a therapist and and another character, Liv goes to seek help because of a death of a friend, this connects to my script because Charlotte is trying to seek help for depression and a death in the family. 

Pre Production - Casting

Casting for my trailer was not easy, before I had started to film I had all my cast complete, I had found the people to play the characters, however, when it finally came to me filming I a lot of my actors dropped out.

I had planned to use my housemates and people from the university, however when it came to filming I found that the dates I planned they were busy with their own deadlines, so I opted in using people form the course to be in my film.

Next time I cast for a film, I will make sure that I plan my filming way in advance so I know i can rely on my actors and so that I can make sure that they are not busy around the times I want to film.

Screenwriters

Screenwriters 

Screenwriters are people who write scripts for films and television shows. Just about anyone can be a screenwriter if they know how to write a script. This is how some of the most known script writers started out with regular jobs while trying to write scripts on the side. Today a lot of screenwriters also produce and direct their own work, other screenwriters are also known actors, Ben Affleck for exam

Karen McCullah 
Karen is an american screenwriter and novelist. She was born in the Phillippines where her father had been assigned with the united states navy. She grew up in new jersey and graduated from Indian Hills High School. As a high school student, she had kept a diary called '10 things I hate about Anthony' who was her boyfriend at the time, which let to the title of her 1999 film '10 things I hate about you'.

After 10 things I hate about you became a massive film in the industry, Karen went on to write a screenplay called 'Legally Blonde' in 2001 which was a screen adaption from Amanda Brown's novel, and later in 2006 she wrote She's the Man, a screen adaption of William Shakespeare's play 'Twelfth Night, or What You Will'.

Here is the opening scene of 10 things I hate about you, this in a way links to my story, although in many ways different because the main character has locked herself away from love where my character has locked herself away from feeling happy.

Robert Rodat
Robert was born in 1953 in New Hampshire, USA, he is known to be a writer and producer. He is most known for his work 'Saving Private Ryan' which was made in 1998, 'Thor: The Dark Night' made in 2013 and 'The Patriot' made in 2000.

This is the opening scene for Saving Private Ryan, even though this film is not about someone feeling lost in the world, the character Ryan is lost and people have to try and find him and help him, this in a way links to my story because Charlotte is lost in the world and people want to try and help her so she can find herself yet again.

I like the story telling that Robert Rodak uses, he has done so many different styles of writing, from Saving Private Ryan, which is an action/drama to Thor which is an action/adventure/fantasy, even though Rodak does different styles of writing, he has a consistency to stick with mostly action.

Aline Brosh McKenna 
Aline was born in France but moved to New Jersey with her family, after this she moved to New York to try and seek a job in publishing. While working in New York she did some freelance writing week. A script that she wrote during a six week course screenwriting at New York University, this helped her to get an agent, after this she moved to Los Angeles where she saw many of her screenplays produced.

Aline's first screenplay was in 1999, however she was only a co-writer, this was for Three to Tango, it wasn't until 2006 that she was the main writer on The Devil Wears Prada, and then in 2011 with I Don't Know How She Does It, that she was the writer and executive producer.

This is the fist page from the script The Devil Wears Prada.

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Another screenwriter that I did look into but decided not to use was Shonda Rhimes, I felt that her work went well along with my script, the way her stories flow through and the concept behind her scripts, mostly the show Grey's Anatomy, but in the end i decided not to use her, I wanted to research deeper into people who I would not have thought to research instead of using a screen writer that I already knew about.

Storyboard

Storyboard

Here is the storyboard i created for my trailer, I will use this as a guideline when it comes to filming, this is just a quick rough sketch that I created, I didnt want the storyboard to be too detailed as I did not follow it exactly as shown, but I tried to show the types of shots that I will be using. 

Pre Production - Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment 

Location:-

Within the time that I had booked my camera I did not have enough time to apply to get permission for my location, however I was only filming around the UCA rochester campus, near the park and the street behind my house. I was using these locations because they were quiet and easy access to film.

UCA Rochester Campus: I was using this location to film the top of the hill, making it look like the actress was a top a cliff.

Standing at the edge of the hill - need to be careful not to fall down the hill when filming, actress and myself could have fallen and hurt ourselves, also needed to be careful with the camera not to drop it down the hill as would potentially break the camera. 

The rain - The rain is not so much a hazard for myself or the actress, more the equipment that I was using, although the rain could cause a someone to slip, but I could prevent this by making sure my actress does not run near the edge of the hill and make sure that I do not run with the equipment. To stop the equipment from getting wet I will need to make sure that I check the weather before filming, and if it does start to rain when I am filming, I will need to make sure that I get it all done before the rain gets heavy.

Park: I will be using this location to film the meeting between Charlotte and her mother, this is the first time Charlotte sees her mum in 10 years.

Kids playing in the park - I need to make sure that I do not film children when they are in the park without parents permission, of I do not have permission I need to make sure that I shoot away from the park. 

Highstreet: I will need to use this location to film Charlotte running down the street away from the therapists office.

People on the street - I will need to make sure that people know that I am filming and to make sure that I do not get them in the shot unless they have said that they do not mind. I will need to make sire that my actress does not run into anybody. 

Camera equipment - I need to make sure that I do not leave the equipment lying around when filming, I need to make sure that I can see it at all times so nobody can take anything. 

Living room: This location will be used to film the phone call between Charlotte and her mother.

cables - There will be cables lying around the living room so I need to make sure that they are out of the way and pushed to the side so nobody trips over them causing any physical harm to themselves. 

Script feedback

Script Feedback 

After handing in my script, I was given my feedback from Steve Coombes. On the feedback I was told that there was good premise, however the treatment of the story was too static, I had not added in enough twists to the story and the ending lacked significance. The amount of flashbacks that I had added to the story should not have been in there, it would just confuse the audience and reader.

I had also added to much dialogue, a lot of it was repetitive so I need to remove a lot of it as it is not needed, there is a lot of action that happens off screen so I need to change that in my script and change the phone call scenes so that the characters interact on screen so the action is happening on screen. 

I realise now that I need to make all these changes to the script, I will need to add more twists into the script and more drama, I feel myself that it didn't turn out the way that I would have liked.