Handmade Steadi-cam - Carla

As we want to mirror the feel of a dog when he finds the package, we've created a mock steadi-cam with the help of Andy and some gaffer tape. We will use this by holding the tripod upside down and walking with it, near to the ground. This should give the effect of being at a dog's eye level and seeing what the dog 'Sammie' can see, from so low down. We felt this would be interesting because it will give a different shot with an unique perspective and gives the audience a new viewpoint.

Handmade Steadi-cam

Holiday Filming Times

As we have to postpone filming due to the weather, we have taken the decision to film over the Christmas Holidays. We have discussed times that we are all free and this is what we have come up with.

Filming Times

• Thursday 27th - 11am onwards
• Saturday 29th - 11am onwards
• Monday 31st - 11 am onwards

We've rented out all the equipment we need and we hope to finish filming over these days during the holidays, then when we return in January we shall be ready to edit.

Shoot cancelled due to weather - Carla

Unfortunately today we were very unlucky, as about 20 minutes before we were going to leave to go and film at the South Downs, it decided to rain very hard! This meant we couldn't go filming as we didn't want to have a mix of shots in the dry and then the rain, plus the equipment would have got very wet. This setback has now pushed us further behind and filming during the holidays may need to be an option. We've learnt we have to plan more carefully and look at weather reports in advance as there are such risks with filming outside!

Shooting in the Car-Park - Carla

Today we were filming on top of the beacon. We achieved all the entrance shots of both the car and the Motorbike pulling in. However the entrance shots took a lot longer than we thought as we shot a lot of angles. This does now mean we are behind schedule. Tomorrow we shall shoot the actual handover of the package when the two men meet.

Here are a few photos of us in the car park, while we are shooting both the Motorbike and car driving in separately and parking.
We also did an extreme long shot of James driving along the road and pulling in with a slight pan.

This is the boys setting up the camera to do a close up of Harrison parking.

Here we are doing the extreme long shot of James riding along the main road.

In action doing a high angle long shot as Harrison pulls in.

Here both James and myself are setting up the camera and the GoPro for when Harrison pulls in.

James is setting up a low angle shot of where Harrison will go past.

Filming a Medium shot as Harrison then James comes in to the car-park.

From today, we have learnt that we will have to be more organised with working out how long each part will take. We underestimated how long it would take to do each shot and over 2 hours we didn't get enough footage to move on. This means tomorrow we will have to return and carry on from when the boys arrive on their vehicles. 

Also in picture 4, you can see we had both the GoPro on the car and the camera on the ground. We had to shoot this once on the GoPro, then remove it before we filmed it on the HD camera, as we didn't want the audience to be able to see the GoPro on the car as this would make it look very amateur.

Shooting yesterday with the GoPro - Carla

Yesterday we filmed just with the the GoPro on Harrison's car to show the journey up to the South Downs. We tried quite a few angles to give us a variety in shot choice when editing. 

Here the GoPro has been attached with string for extra protection.

This shot focuses on a low angle of the car where the wheel arch can be seen and a unique view point is achieved.

This shot where it is stuck on to the boot gives a shot of the whole of the inside of the car.

Here the sucker is placed on the front bonnet where the Camera can record through the glass and the audience can see Harrison driving.

With the GoPro we are lucky enough to be able to get a really different viewpoint on driving and it makes the journey look much more interesting. As the GoPro can literally be placed anywhere securely, we can make normally very tricky shots, into completely versatile shots that are easy to set up and look really effective. The fish eye lens also creates a sort of distortion which works really well with our story-line and creates a sense of ambiguity.

The one disadvantage of filming with a GoPro that we learnt, is that it is annoying to get a lot of different shots as we have to keep stopping then starting again and driving for a while then stopping again to change the angle. Also the battery life isn't that great, but all the positives of using such a unique camera massively outweigh these minor blips!

Go Pro Shots - Harrison

Here are three of the go pro shots we are going to be using in our final piece, obviously on the second one the music wont be there and it will be cut shorter, when I rendered it on my home PC it went a bit weird and was longer than I expected. We also have a lot more footage and we are going to film some more angles of driving, here are just three.

The first one is just above the wheel arch, the second one is from the inside of the car, facing the back of my head creating enigma as we don't know who I am or what I am doing and the third one is from the outside of my car facing in on me looking suspicious.

View them on YouTube for better quality.

Costume Ideas - Carla

As James is going to be attending a party he shall be wearing smart clothes. However as he will be riding a Motorbike he shall be dressed in his Bike leathers for protection. As our short film is a modern representation of young adults, this means that we shall be dressed in typical clothes, as we want the characters to be easy to relate to. So Harrison will for example just be wearing jeans and a hoodie. Myself, as the dog walker will just be wearing leggings , a coat and wellies as these shoes are stereotypical of dog walkers as they suit the terrain.

 

We want our film to represent a social realist genre as much as possible, so the costume needs to be quite neutral and not stand out as anything too 'different' so that it distracts from the narrative.

Prezi of the last few days of filming - Carla

Here is a Prezi of our filming schedule over the next few days. This will help us to keep organised and focused to keep within the time limit.

Health and Safety - Carla

Health and Safety is a very important aspect when filming as we are placing ourselves in a different environment while concentrating on the camera and getting the right shot. This could lead to us being distracted and perhaps not concentrating as well as we should on our surroundings leading to an accident. This link here is to the BBC Film Network on FilmMaking, and it gives an example of a possible risk.

As we will be filming with a GoPro during 2 vehicle journeys, we will have to make sure the GoPro is securely fitted to the Motorbike and Car not only with the suction mechanism but also with string on Jame's bike to ensure it defintely will not fall off, in the event of the sucker loosening. We also will set up the GoPro in a safe and secure environment before we leave, and when we want to change the place of the camera we will pull in to a safe place off the main roads.

James will be sure to wear all his protective leathers, helmet, gloves and boots to keep safe whilst riding on his Motorbike. We will also be careful not to distract Harrison while he is driving in the car, if we are in the back filming.

The GoPro Suction device

As we are filming on the downs in a car park so we will have to park in a sensible place, so we're not in the way of any other people wanting to park there. We also will be on uneven terrain and will have to look out for potential tripping hazards. Additionally, we will be at the top of the Downs, which is very windy so we shall make sure we dress appropiately.

We also will have to check the weather before we go as we don't want poor lighting ruining our shots, and because we don't want it to be in the rain.

For our props we use a package. This is just going to be an empty box wrapped up so if we drop it it won't break. We will also be sure to carry a first aid kit in Harrison's car just in case of any accidents.

Go Pro Test Shots

The shots that we will use for our actual film will be better quality and we will have a mount so it will be much more steady.

Animated film synopsis - James Ely

A link to our Film Sinopsis

Location Pictures

Carla walking dog shot here.



where james rides to, and pulls up to meet harrison
 

Surrounding area of meet up.

 



Entrance to car park

Initial Group Decisions

Genre/Style: The genre we have chosen is thriller/comedy and performed in a naturalistic style. It has elements of thrilling action but mainly based on the idea of comedy which is revealed at the end. It is a short film with an unexpected light-hearted end.  

Representation: We decided to use a motorbike rider and car driver. Both males look like they are involved in a very dubious deal where a package is handed over. Instantly the audience will stereotypically view the characters as dodgy and being involved in something bad. The Dog Walker is female and finds the package and she is seen as the innocent person that just finds the present.

Target Audience: For our film we have decided to target a wide range of people between 15-30 and both female and male. As the genre is very broad, anyone could watch this understand it.

Mise en scene will help to make the characters to look more ambiguous. We can use the isolated setting to make it look suspicious and we can also put them in costumes such as suits that make the audience question why they are dressed like that.

Sound

As we will be having minimal dialogue we will be using a lot of sound, edited in afterwards. Also because we are using GoPro, sound often gets disorted by the wind and isn't in the best quality so we will have to foley in diegetic sounds of the Motorbike and Car. Using Foley, helps to give really clear , clarified sound. For Foley sounds we shall be using GarageBand on the Mac's.
For non-diegetic sound such as music, we will use royalty free music found on websites such as Incompotech. http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/

Recording Equipment

GoPro Hero 2

• The Go Pro is a piece of equipment that is used for many angles that are not normally able to achieve with normal cameras. It comes with a special mount that you can attach to any place you want. For our short film we are going to use the Go Pro Harrison's car and James' bike. For James' bike it is going to be used on his helmet and on the various fairings of his bike.
• The Go Pro comes with a suction mount that we will use to attach it to the car and bike.
• This is a video that James has recorded to test out his Go Pro on his bike here.
• Here are a few videos that I have found on YouTube that are what we want to try;
• On the front of the bike with the camera looking at Jame's face.
• On the back of the bike facing James' back. 'Tail Cam'.
• Another shot of the cam being on the front of the bike looking at James' face.
• This is 17 different angles on a motorcycle.
• Here are a few videos of car angles that we want to try;
• Here is one from inside the car on the back shelf facing out the front windscreen.
• On the dashboard facing the driver.
• Mounted from the sun roof, not being able to see the driver maintaining enigma.
• Here are also a few more Go Pro mounts for a car.

Sony HD Handycam

• The Sony HD Handycam is the camera that is given to us by the college that we use for the majority of our filming. It has stunning quality and is fairly easy to use, easy white balance and has manual focus changing which is a neat feature.
• We are going to use a standard tripod to record with and make it steady and we are also going to use a steadycam to get some smooth moving footage, especially going to be used for the dog walker and the dog.

Lighting

We will be mostly using LED lighting like this one.

This works in cohesion with natural lighting to provide a well lit shot for the camera. Also it can be used to focus on a subject or object of importance to highlight their/its presence in the shot.




We will also use reflectors as they are very easy to use and bounce light at certain subjects or objects.

Location

We are going to do the majority of our filming at Ditchling Beacon and the surrounding roads. The exchange of the package is going to take place at Ditchling Beacon and all of our Go Pro shots and establishing shots are going to be done on the roads leading and around the Beacon.

The circular car park is where the exchange is going to take place.

The roads highlighted in green are the ones that we are going to record James and Harrison driving on and get the establishing shots of the scene.

More photos of the location are to follow.

Script

For our Short Film, we want to use minimal dialogue as we found last year this worked very effectively. We found this minimised making it sound amateur. Also we liked using music and foley sound as it made it sound more professsional and polished.

There will be an exchange of words when the gift is passed over from Harrison to James along the lines of;
'Have you got the package?'
'Yes, have you got the money?'
*Hands over money and in return gets package/gift*
'Cheers'
Also then when Carla is walking the dog, she will call her dog back when he goes to sniff the package and then she will be shocked. For example she may say
'Ooh what have you found Sammie?' Then pick it up and open it and say 'Oh my god!'
This is just a rough draft though as we will decide properly when we are filming and decide what dialogue works best.

Props List

The package for Harrison to hand to James.

This is the car that Harrison will be driving in the short film.

 

 

 

This is the Bike that James will be riding in the film.

Short Film Inspiration

 For our Short Film we are lucky enough to have a GoPro (kindly lent to us by James) that we want to film with. As we are having the meet up and handover at the top of the South Downs we thought it would be a nice touch to show the journey there. We want to show James journey there and as he would be riding a Motorbike we looked on YouTube for inspiration of Motorbike GoPro journeys.

This is a short clip we found on YouTube and we really like the positioning of the GoPro on the helmet and makes the audience feel very involved in the action, almost as if they are riding the bike themselves.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XehwAuZLfYY

We also wanted to show Harrison's journey as well with the GoPro camera so that both Characters methods of transport could be shown up until the point where they meet. We searched Car journeys with GoPro on YouTube to get more ideas to use. We found lots of unique viewpoints the camera can be placed and where the best visuals are given from.

This short test clip from a car, gave us lots to work with as a lot of different shots are used. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1d1Tf7qX6M

Allocation of Roles

Character receiving package - played by James Ely

Character giving package - played by Harrison Blake

Dog Walker - Carla Purchas

Person bound up in boot - Isaac Hodgkin

We will all be taking it in turns to film and will all be organising our props and costume together.

Synopsis

Synopsis - 'The Package'

Two unnamed men meet at the top of the South Downs. One travels by motorcycle and one travels by car. They meet in a car park and an inconspicuous handover takes place. One character hands over money in return for a ambiguous looking package. However in a rush to leave, he doesn't do his bag up properly and his package flies out of the bag on to the car park ground. No one see's as the other man has already left. However a dog notices the package on the floor and goes over to sniff it. The innocent dog owner goes over and see's the package. She picks it up and curiosity gets the better of her and she opens it. As she opens it a look of pure shock crosses her face. 
Meanwhile the character on the motorcycle reaches a house with a happy birthday banner. He knocks on the door and opens his bag to find the package then realises it's missing just as the door opens... 

James - 4 short film (4)

Film Title: Support 

Director: Borkur Sigþórsson

Date of Production: 2008

Watched on: www.youtube.com

Summary of Film: A man in hospital tries to take his own life by turning off his support machines, but accidentally turns off the machine on the man next to him

Representation

• I think this film represents those who suffer from dpression. The film involves highlighted issues such as suicide, and murder. Finally, the film has it's own representation of a hospital (or so I assume).
• I'd say the genre of the film is Thriller. This is because of the attempted suicide, the murder, and the mise en scene of the hospital. The colours seem simple, the room looks dull yet scary, and the man looks rough. This can represents depression in my eyes
• The main character is a stereotypical representation of someone with depression. The man next to him (who he accidentally kills) represents the family of a suicide. The main man didn't think about him and how it would effect others around him. The man looks depressed, this is due to his appearance facial expressions. 

• I feel the issues in this film are adult matters and therefore shape the intended audience. I feel the film is for males aged 18+. I feel it's aimed at men due to the fact ever character in the film is male, making it harder for women to relate to the film.
• The film deals with suicide. Why? I think, to make people think twice about committing suicide and to make them see how their decision can effect those around them. How? By the main character accidentally killing the man next to him, he had no thought about what he was doing, he didn't think about others around him, and how it could effect them. 

Narrative

• Plot - Man attempts to commit suicide but accidentally kills an innocent man instead of himself
• Story - A man in hospital, tries to commit suicide by turning of his life support machine. However he accidentally turns off the wrong machine resulting in the lying next to him dying.
• This film is shot in linear narrative. This builds suspense and surprise by the audience not knowing what will happen, and being left to guess.
•  Todorov's theory cannot be applied to this film. This is because...

1. There is no state of equilibrium 
2. An attempt to repair the disruption (wrong man dies) 
3. There simply are not 5 stages.

• The start of the film is very simple, we know what the man wants to do. However their is a twist at the end. Resulting in no closure and questions being asked about the characters.

Genre

• I can identify Thriller but nothing else. This is due to the actions in the film, e.g death, attempted suicide, depression. 
• Short films tend to experiment with genre, and can create hybrid genre films. This is down to the fact that the directors have little to loose and a lot to gain as short films are usually shot on a low budgets and are not aimed at the general public. therefore meaning short films have less boundaries than blockbusters. It's also a chance for the director and the rest of the team to get noticed and land a big job.
• John Fiske states genre is an "attempt to structure some order into the wide range of texts and meanings that circulate in our culture for the convenience of both the audiences and producers". The structure of this film can be easily identifiable as thriller, guaranteeing an audience. 
• The appeal of using genre codes is because audiences can identify the film, and categorise it. This also makes sure people who enjoy thrillers can recognise it as a thriller and expect certain qualities. Such as the big twist (wrong man dies) and death.

Audience

• Anyone can watch this film due to it being on youtube. People of all ages and both genders can access this film easily. However, I don't feel this film is aimed at everyone. This film is aimed at adults in my opinion. This is because most thrillers (because of the content) have certificates of 18 (some lower). I'd say mostly males watch thrillers, but I'm being stereotypical.
• The film contains many classic Thriller traits, such as death, surprise, and suspense. Therefore the audience will not be disappointed and will have an idea of what to expect, yet still able to wonder and question what might happen.
• The film can be seen on...

1. www.vimeo.com
2. www.youtube.com
3. www.dailymotion.com

All are video sharing sites

• The film has not won any awards but has been nominated for many.
• There is no production company used in this film, just individuals.  

Harrison Short Film Analysis

                   Title: Skirt

            Director: Amanda Boyle

Year Produced: 2011

    Watched on: Virgin Media Shorts

This short film contains two characters living in one flat, one being a male and the other being a female. It would seem that the flat belongs to the male character and the female character has moved in. To me, watching this short makes me think that both the characters share different views on ways to live in a flat, so when one of them is out the other one does something to torment the other, ending up in them being happy with each other.

I liked this short film as it contains no dialogue so a lot is left up to the viewer to decide what’s going on.

Representation:

·         In this short film the social groups of the two characters are different for both. The male character seems to be a working class man who goes to work in the day and then comes back at night to see the female has done something to all his belongings. The other character (the female) appears to be a lower class woman as she just sits around the house whilst the man is out. As you can see in the screenshot below she is anxiously waiting to find out what the man is going to say because she broke his mug earlier in the day.

·         Also, although this man wears a suit and looks to be a hard working gentleman, through mise en scene we can see that he is not living in a very nice area (based on appearance). This suggests to me that the man has looked for a flat mate to add financial support onto the flat that they now both live in.

·         Another representation of the characters is the characteristic of being shy, throughout the whole short film only a few words are said to each other and that is only “hi” and “bye”. Another indication on these two characters being shy is that when she smashed the mug and he realises, he says nothing and just looks annoyed (refer to first screenshot on Skirt).

·         Throughout the film the female character is continually represented as a ‘girly girl’. Only wearing flowery dresses and skirts, even her dressing gown is all flowery. It’s not just her clothes that portray her to be someone who likes colour; all of her belongings are very colourful ^[1]. In comparison, the male characters belongings and clothes are all very bland and plain colours (grey, white and black) ^[2]. I think the males outlook on life somewhat changes halfway through the short film when he wears the female characters bath robe ^[3]. He starts to look a lot happier in the film from then on out.

[1]

[2]

[3]

·         One more thing it seems to address is the stereotyping of girls being cleaner than boys. In Skirt, the male character is a lot more organised and cleaner than the female character, as shown in two shots, one of the male coming back and seeing all the females clothes thrown everywhere, and then the female coming back and seeing all her possessions neatly piled up

 

·         I like that they have done this as they have gone against a stereotypical generalisation of females being neater and cleaner than males.

Narrative

• The plot is chronological.

• The chronology of the narrative is linear. The effect of this is that the spectator does not know what will happen between these two people in the end. This is effective as it intrigues the spectator with the description being – ‘Two People, one flat.’ If they were to be shown the ending of the two people being close to each other, the film would have no mystery; therefore the spectator may not be intrigued to watch the film.

Audience:

• I found the film in the 2012 shortlist on Virgin Media Shorts. It says ‘Championing undiscovered talent’. This website is for new film developers for people such as students, or just generally people who are interesting in making a career out of film making. Virgin Media Shorts seems to look like a starting point. Therefore, I would expect the audiences of these films to be new film makers looking for inspiration and ideas.

• Age – In my opinion, this film is aimed at students and young adults more than anyone. Of course, anyone can enjoy the film, but I think the mere simplicity of it is aimed at people who would understand it more. Children and young teens may not really understand it and may just pass it off as something they don’t want to see again, but I thought it was a really good short film and I enjoyed it!

• Gender – In my opinion, this film isn’t really set for a gender. Both characters portray different things and I think that both male and female audience can appreciate what the film is showing.

• You can also find the film here - when you click on this the first two opening paragraphs explain

‘Last November we told you about Skirt – a short film directed by the talented Amanda Boyle. The film was commissioned for a feature in InStyle magazine which asked brands to create a short film exploring style. We’re delighted to tell you that the film has been nominated for Best Fashion Film in the Vimeo Film Awards –please vote! The awards ceremony is part of the Vimeo Film Festival, held in New York in June. The judges for the Best Fashion Film are Nicola Formichetti, Nick Knight and Humberto Leon.

·         To my knowledge the film hasn’t won any awards, but the director Amanda Boyle has a few projects she is working on and I will be sure to check them out when she has completed them. And obviously it’s competing in the Virgin Media Shorts contest.

·         Also, here is a link to an interview of Amanda Boyle, on the subject of her short film Skirt.

Genre & Media Language:

• If I had to give this film a genre it would be a Romantic Comedy. A way in which they aim to amuse the spectator is by using stereotypical elements. For example, women are typically known for being indecisive in the morning over what to wear, but also, they are normally clean with their things and tidy up, but in this short film the female left her clothes everywhere to be dealt with by the man of the house. This could be seen as humorous. We are shown this through a low angle shot of the male looking down, slightly to the right of the camera. This is humorous as it is followed by the shot of the clear disorganisation which the female has left in a house which this man owned before and obviously had his own standards. As she had just moved into the flat, you would have thought she would have made some effort to be tidy.

 

• This is immediately followed by 2 shots, similar to the previous, from the female’s point of view. It shows her reaction (low angle shot) she has a very similar facial expression as the male character did then an over the shoulder shot which shows that the man has organised her possessions as a kind or suggestive gesture. I, as a spectator thought this was unexpected as many people would not make the effort to organise someone else’s mess after a day at work. This in my eyes is humorous and makes me want to watch more to see how the female character will react and what will happen to both of them at the end.

• The kind gesture is what Rick Altman calls syntactic code. Gestures of kindness or affection between two people, in films, often lead to a romance. Therefore, as an audience, this is a syntactic code as initial gestures of kindness or affection are often signs which suggest that a film will involve romance.

·         The closing shot of the film is both of them lying on the bed looking happy with one another, this suggests that all the gestures and things that have happened between the two made it correct for us to assume that a romance was brewing between them.

                   Title: The Plotters

            Director: The Guerrier Brothers

Year Produced: 2012

    Watched on: Virgin Media Shorts

‘The Plotters’ is directed by the Guerrier brothers with writer Simon and director Thomas. The short film was produced in 2012. I found short film on Virgin Media Shorts.

In summary, the film is based on the moments when Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament. The film’s description of the synopsis is “Remember, remember… who are you again?” This fits in with the story line as while they’re having their discussion they cannot decide on who is going to ignite the gun powder due to the confusion of which mean is the explosives expert as many of them have the same forename.

Representation

·         We can see straight away in the opening of the film through mise en scene that it is set a long time ago, we can see this from the housing, it looks very dated. Additionally the date is presented in the opening, so as well as us being able to tell that it’s set in the past, it tells us so it’s more clear.

·         Also, a subtitle comes up and displays the sentence ‘London, November 1605’. This is an important message as it tells us that it’s set in London, not everyone knows the story of Guy Fawkes and some people may also not know where the houses of parliament are so it’s good that it’s told us it’s set in London, also as this was set around 400 years ago, London has changed greatly and it’s a cool feature to be able to see what London looked like back then.

·         The group of men look to be somewhere between their 20’s and 30’s. The fact that they are all dressed similarly plays a big role in the comedic part of the film, but it’s also a keen factor in what people in the 17^th century actually dressed like.

·         The main character ‘Guy’ is represented as a dominant male in the film, and seems to appear very controlling, so therefore is the leader of the group.

·         Additionally he also has the most dialogue and is sitting at the head of the table which is presenting him as the important/main character.

·         The other men are portrayed to be rather silly and clueless; it’s as if Guy has gathered an entourage of morons. Between the men, they cannot remember which one of them is the explosives expert, and this is where the comedy ensues.

Narrative

·         The chronology of the film is linear as they eventually come to a decision of who will do the explosives (Guy).

·         The effect of the narrative being linear is that the spectator will want to know who/what is going to happen in the end. This is effective as it intrigues the spectator. The film would not make sense to the spectator if it was non-linear as it would have to explain why/ and how the houses of parliament has been blown up, in which it is doing so with the linear narrative.

Genre

·         The film that they have made is clearly a Comedy. The creators have enforced this genre with the use of stereotypical elements. For example, in the 1600’s the men were all expected to have long hair and beards and moustaches, and in this film some of which are very exaggerated to enhance the stereotypical image. (the man on the right in the screenshot)

·         Another way that comedy is pushed is that the men are all acting seamlessly dumb, and again, stereotypically the education that they received in the 1600’s would not have been very good, and this then pushes the fact that they would not have been very bright to think they were to have gotten away with blowing up the houses of parliament back then.

·         Neale (1980) believed genre relied on the “difference in repetition” – i.e. recognition of familiar elements and in the way those elements might be orchestrated in an unfamiliar fashion or in the way that unfamiliar elements might be introduced.

·         In Neale’s case, this short film fits that theory very well as the genre of the film has been created through a familiar element that we all will know, and has based the humour among 

our knowledge that we already have about the situation. 

 

                                                                          Audience

·         I found this film in the 2012 shortlist on Virgin Media Shorts. It mentions that the films are ‘Championing undiscovered talent’. This is suggesting that the film may well be for new film developers such as students who are interested in not only watching the film, but the development and processes involved with making the film. I feel that although it is on this website, you may also expect others, for example, who are interested in events from history as it is about a large historic event, with a humorous feel to it, which could be quite enjoyable due to the shared knowledge between the film and the audience.

·         For an age range I would say that this film is suited more towards 16+ years old, again, people under the years of 16 will be able to enjoy it but as a generalisation I would say that 16 is a good base year. The film is based on the Guy Fawkes events and I thought it was very amusing, I understood it and enjoyed it throughout. We as an audience, with shared knowledge, already assume what the story is about; set in the 1600’s, main character is called ‘Guy’ (Guy Fawkes) and the conversation topic of explosives. So we as an audience 17+ understand. However, this may not be the same situation with the younger demographic so I feel it is aimed at a teenage audience and above.  Additionally, this film could also suit any gender as an audience.

·         This short film is very new, so therefore is has not been screened anywhere else, however it has been entered to win ‘Virgin Media Shorts 2012 People’s Choice Award.

·         The production company for this short film is the Guerrier brothers - http://guerrierbrothers.com/.  With Simon being the writer and Thomas being the director.

·         The Guerrier brothers’ short films are described as combining strong, character-led storytelling with visually arresting imagery. The result is a perfect blend of intelligent, witty, stylish, drama.

·         Other short films that they have produced are ‘Now Playing’, ‘Rode Trip’ and ‘Revealing Diary’. All of which can be seen here - http://www.irresistiblefilms.com/directors/guerrier-brothers

Media Language

·         I find this shot very interesting as without even showing what has happened in the narrative you can straight away see what has happened. It does not even show Guy trying to detonate the explosives; it jumps straight to him being hung up by his wrists to show that he (in his dumb mind) has failed his master plan. There is also a very clear lighting change, when he was more in power his face was a lot more vibrant, now he is hanging from cuffs he seems to be drained of all energy and enthusiasm.

·         With the use of the zoom into his face, and straight away zooming out in a different location this creates a feeling of the capture being very quick and it has taken no time for him to get caught. This again, draws up the conclusion and representation that he is not very bright.

·         It’s also interesting to look at the fact that there are only ever close ups on 4 of the men, with there being 8 in total. Guy is the main attraction and then the others are merely brushed over.  I think this is evident to further construct the image of all people back in the 1600’s all looking similar and the characters that are shown easily represent the ones that have not been shown.

Title: A Deafening Story

            Director: Matthew Lightstone

Year Produced: 2012

    Watched on: VirginMedia Shorts

Synopsis

Some things given to us we take for granted. We follow a young man named Mike who is ecstatic that he is able to hear, every small noise from the tremble of his feet to the sounds of birds in the sky, blissfully unaware that he will be getting a very stark and harsh reality check. Shot on a Panasonic 371 Edited on FCP Graded on Colour 

  Representation & Media Language

In the short film 'A Deafening Story' the main issue being addressed is the male characters disability, which in this case is deafness. The plot consists of the male temporarily regaining the ability to use his ears whilst taking a trip to the shop.

The first shot we see is a mid shot of the male character in the centre of attention, he is walking inbetween a set of shops in a failry glum looking town, the noise we can hear is all distorted at first but thenhe stops and the distorted noise transforms into what a non-deaf person would be able to hear, in this instance it's a dog barking and the wind whisteling. As well as the diagetic sound we can hear we can also see distortion around the male character, it looks like the film has been shot with a very mild fish eye lens and effects have been added to make us try to feel what he is feeling with his loss of a sense.

As we see and hear that his hearing has returned to normal, the distorted effects and distorted sound have completely disappeared and he is now in touch with all his senses. The film maker makes it easier for us to connect with how he is feeling by the difference in the diagetic sound and clearing up the blurryness. 

This shot is a lot more clear and we can see the look of confusion on his face, this shot is quickly zoomed into his face to let us see a more detailed close up of his shocked expression.

It is made quite clear that he is clutching at his ear as he has regained the ability to hear things again, as this close up shot developes we can see that he is very shocked and confused that he can now hear, looking around frantically as if he doesn't know what to do with himself. The setting and diagetic sounds we can hear back up the social realism that this short film is trying to portray, the film maker is trying to make us feel what a deaf person would be feeling if they had just regained the ability to hear, he is doing this by adding distortion to both the audio and video aspects of the film.

In terms of body language in the short, throughout the film the male character is constantly touching his ears and face, this is backing up the fact that he was previously deaf and is now able to hear normally.

After he realises he can hear again he starts to make his own noises to reinforce the fact that he can hear and to make it clear to himself that he is not just imagining it, from this his facial expression is in complete disbelief, he has no idea how he can hear and is now testing out a whole lot of sounds, he also occasionally makes some quiet laughing sounds which he is then shocked by that he can actually hear.

As the male character comes to terms with his new found ability to hear, we see a mid-long shot of him walking towards a shop with a very fragile step, everything that he is hearing seems to intrigue him and make him exctied, even noises that to people who have normal hearing don't even notice.

As the male character enters the shop door a high pitched, diagetic sound plays that makes the visual aspect of the film distort. The male character shares an eye line match with the female assistant in the shop who is paying no attention to the shop and is just reading a magazine. Whilst in the shop the male character seems to enjoy touching the products as he can hear every noise they make, there is a close up of a chocolate bar and very loud diagetic rustling noises.

As the male character wonders up to the counter to pay for the chocolate bar he talks to the woman and says 6 sentences before the assistant responds. To me, this is interesting as he gets agitated by the woman not responding to him, I'm not sure why she doesn't respond to him but throughout his whole life (considering he has been deaf for a while) people probably have had the same troubles when trying to talk to him, and within 20 seconds he gets angry because someone isn't listening to him. When the woman eventually talks, she shouts to complete his sentense, after shouting the mans hearing appears to disappear, completely vanish and back come the distorted noises he is all so used to hearing.

 

This is the moment the male loses his hearing ability, it is a mid shot and we can clearly see that his facial expression is shocked and upset as he has just lost his ability to hear after only just gaining it.

We can see that the girl is typically lower class from what the she is wearing, her attitude to work, the way she responds to the customer and her job situation.

Narative

 In the film there doesn't appear to be much of a story, all we know is that he suffers from a hearing disability and momentarily gets his hearing back. The short film contains a linear plot, he starts off deaf, becomes able to hear and then returns to being deaf again, although time passes he returns to the state that we first met him in. There seems to be a strong message of appreciating what you have because you may never know when it will disappear, as in this film he regains the ability to hear only to lose it possibly because of a petty outburst of anger at the shopping assistant.

 

Genre

On the page of 'A Deagening Story' on Virgin Media Shorts, the film is labeled as a Drama and I would have to agree with this only because I cannot think of any other genre for this film to fit under, the only thing I could fit it into would be that it could be an advert to raise awareness. Having said this, it is still rather dramatic as there is an absurd event that takes place (him regaining the ability to be able to hear), the genre of drama is further backed up by a little argument taking place which then leads to another important event of him losing his hearing again. Although this doesn't fit in with the normality of TV and Film dramas, it still fits the genre. The film also tries to push the fact that being deaf is not an easy thing and sympothy should be given, also not taking your senses for granted.

Audience

As with the majority of the films of Virgin Media Shorts, the film attracts the age range of 18 to 30. It will attract a whole range of watchers from students to asprining film makers. 

It could also be said that the Audience it's aiming for is one that is needing to be informed about deafness, the film could be used as an advertisement for hearing disabilities or just used to inform people on the difficulties that deaf people face.

This film has not been awarded any awards.

Title: A fter School Then

            Director: Duane Valentino

Year Produced: 2012

    Watched on: Virgin Media Shorts

Synopsis

School can be a tough place at times and for our reluctant hero, it's about to get a lot more tougher. If only he had a help in hand...

Representation & Media Language

From the first shot of the film we see a mid shot of two school boys standing against a wall dressed in their school uniforms, this enables us to have a rough idea of their age straight away. We can also hear their accent which sounds to me like an East London accent, this, along with their clothing and location enables us to make a guess at their class which to me seems to be that they will come from a working class family.

 

This is then followed by the two main characters walking past talking about the fight, this is typical of a working class teenager, also the aggresive attitude talking towards the group of girls telling them to 'shut up' backs up their working class apperance.

In the short we see that neither of the male teens want to fight, this goes against the normalities of media conventions as the male representation is prodominantly stronger and want to fight to prove their worth. I'd say the representations of masculinity and femininity are very modern in this short as the male doesn't fight but the female does. This isn't the normal convention for a film that involves males, females and fighting.

When the male character is actually faced with the fight scene, it is very child like, there are two groups of boys and there are girls chanting 'Fight, fight, fight, fight'. This reinforces the fact that the two boys are still only young and probably shouldn't be fighting. The young male tries to handle the situation in a very traditional way, trying to talk his way out of the fight, trying to avoid the fight. But when this doesn't go to plan his younger(?) sister is the one to step in and break everything up.

 

The main female character in the film challenges the normal conventions as she is the one who ends up in the fight and winning it, this goes against the normal female who conventionally is the one who needs to be rescued, this female portrays traditionally very unladylike attributes which enable her to be the perfect actor for this scene. This scene also has a low angle facing up at the girl who just interupted and put an end to the fight to save her brother, this goes against the normal media conventions as it is showing the female character to be the dominant one, not a male.

The majority of shots in the short are eye level and there is a very long two shot throughout, at first showing the two males preparing for the fight ahead, then at the end to show both the males fighting. There are also a few point of view shots which help the viewer feel emerced in the action.

Narrative

The film contains a linear narrative as it has a start - them talking about the fight, a middle - the confrontation and an end - the actual fight and twist.

Todorov's theory of classic narrative could be easily applied to this fight, the first equilibrium being the build up to the fight, then there is the disruption of the actual fight, followed by the new equilibrium of after the fight when we find out that the sister ended the fight which was unexpected. Also, Claude Levi-Strauss' theory can be applied where  the main character of the male is good and the other male who wants to fight him is the evil villain.

Genre

Stated on the page on Virgin Media Shorts, this film is infact a comedy, and quite rightly so. The unexpected twist at the end backs up the fact that it's a comedy. Before the twist at the end it could be thought to be a drama as there is no comedic value in it, but after the clever ending, with help of the editing and sound we see that the boy wasn't involved in the fight as the sister took charge and ended the fight. Also, the last line that the male character says to the female character was 'I could have had him sis' was very funny and added great comedic value.

Audience

To me this film would appeal to a younger audience than the rest of the films that I have analysed, I think an age range of around 12-17 would appreciate the film most, but of course everyone has their own taste so it could be for anyone. It's easier for people the same age as the characters in the film to relate to what is actually happeneing and the matters and issues raised throughout. It will also appeal to students like myself and potential aspiring film makers may enjoy it.