Small changes to the script and possible filming changes

Filming is planning to go ahead this Saturday, as I have managed to get the actors to agree on times. However, I have had to make a few changes to the script to cater these changes. It's nothing massive, and it doesn't really change the plot of the film in a significant way, but they had to be made.

The first change is that Nathan is going to get changed before they go out on their walk. I have been un-able to acquire the costume that I had wanted Nathan to wear throughout the film, the dressing gown, so that costume will only be appearing in the first scene. (I have decided to film the first scene later on, possibly after Christmas.) While this is annoying because I wanted him to have that costume for the entire duration of the film, there isn't much I can do about this unless I re-shoot. The other change is regarding the dialogue, which doesn't quite fit with the new actor I have.

I have ordered the Grim Reaper's costume, however it's meant to arrive Friday. In the worst case scenario that it is late, I'll be left without a costume for my Grim Reaper, which is crucial to his image. If this is the case, I'll shoot the scenes as planned and use them as test footage. Test footage is better than no footage. My actor did send an audition with a Grim Reaper costume, so I may use that for the test footage, so it may be salvageable.

Reflective Comment:
I feel like filming is becoming much more likely now that we're approaching the first filming date. I've got my actors sorted, which was my biggest worry. The script is ready, costumes are some-what ready, and I have a plan. 

Similar Posters

My good friend Jude sent me a link yesterday, which shows how off movie poster cliches. There is a whole section about posters that feature benches. Here is the link : http://voguesugar.com/movie-posters/

Here are all the posters that they say fit the cliche.

This image alone is really helpful in understanding the conventions of the typical bench poster. I can see the typical conventions, such as typography and fonts. When it comes to designing my poster, I feel that this will be very helpful.

Reflective Comment:
Pretty happy that I've found this page, as it's going to be very helpful when designing my poster. You can already see a clear trend with these posters, and I now can decide if it's going to be conventional or not. 

Organising Actors

Organising my actors has been very difficult. Due to the fact that all the communication is having to be done through email. I had four actors willing to play the Grim Reaper, and two actors willing to play Nathan.

The Grim Reaper

Ben Mansfield

Ben Mansfield fit the role of the Grim Reaper very well, and I was quite eager to work with him. However due to his religious stand point, he could not continue on with the project. I sent him four emails. 

Andy Turner

Andrew was my number one choice for the role of the Grim Reaper. His showreel was impressive and I thought he would of fit the character well. However, despite interest in the film, Andy had to drop out due to a busy calendar over the time I was needing to film. I sent him seven emails.

Peter Long

Peter Long is the actor I have chosen to play the role of the Grim Reaper. He sent me an video audition and I was really happy with it, and I think he'll fit the role nicely. I'm looking forward to working with him. I've sent him over twenty emails.

Ronan Lumb

Ronan originally applied for the role of the Grim Reaper. He sent me a video audition and I liked it quite a lot, however I chose to go with Peter Long. However due to a change of circumstances, I have decided to ask Ronan if he is interested in playing the role of Nathan. I'm still waiting on a reply, but I'm sure he'll be interested. I have sent him over twenty emails so far.

Nathan

Joshua Gould

Joshua was my first choice for Nathan. I actually sent the listing hoping that he would respond. He was really interested in the film, and I thought he was going to be in it. Then he never replied, and it's been over a month now and I still haven't heard anything. It's a shame. I sent Josh five emails.

Jack Galer

Jack Galer was my second choice for the role of Nathan, however he's made things a little bit difficult. I had to change my filming dates for him and he is no longer responding. Because of this, I have decided to uncast him. I have sent Jack over twenty emails.

Reflective Comment:

Working with actors has been hard. I think the actual filming will also be difficult. But I know that the payoff will be worth it. Also, it's experience that I am going to need if I am going to work in media.

Storyboards and shot list

In preparation for filming soon I have started storyboarding and made a shot list. I've made my storyboard using post it notes as it makes it very easily to re-order the narrative. Below I have attached a picture of my storyboard for the first thirty seconds on the short film.

Creative Typography (Part 1)

I've been starting to use tutorials online to help improve my photoshop skills for when I make my poster. I was really interested in layering photo into text, so that's what I learnt to do. Below is what I learnt how to do.

I'm pretty happy with what I learnt how to do. I done four examples. The water and fire examples were very simple and quite easy. I think it's a nice effect, especially the water one.

I wanted to try something that was recognizable. I decided to do The Walking Dead, as it's a very popular show and you can be quite imaginative with the typography. For the first one, I decided on a simple cover, with the show's recognizable zombies.

For the second Walking Dead one, I tried to be more unique. The recent season six finale was a crucial part of the story, and one of the most memorable from the comics. It ended on a cliff hanger where you didn't know who died. I decided to have the four main characters who people were thought going to die in the text. Rick, the leader, Glenn the fan favorite, Abraham the most likely candidate, and Maggie, the wife of Glenn.

I think the typography is quite effective and I really like it. It's not perfect, but I did get it done in around ten minutes. Overall, I'm quite happy with I've learnt.

Reflective Comment:
I'm very happy with I've learnt, and I feel that I'm becoming more experienced with Photoshop as a whole. Over the next few weeks I'm going to try do more of these, learning more skills as I go along. If I do enough of this, when it comes to making my actual poster, I'll have enough experience to make a professional looking poster. 

Filming Dates

I was originally planning to film my short film over the weekend, on the 26th and the 27th. However, due to my actors being unavailable for these dates, I've had to move things around. We're now planning to film on the 3rd and the 4th of December. If for whatever reason this doesn't go to plan, I have two back up actors however if things do not go to plan.

Instead, I am going to use this weekend to get some test footage. I'm going to go to my location, film some footage and then test the sound and lighting. I imagine I'll have more control of this in my house, so testing the footage outside will be very important.

If I am unable to film on new dates, I'm going to have to push it back another week. I'd rather this not happen, as I need to get filming out of the way as soon as I can. My plan is having the majority of filming done by the end of December, and then the ancillary tasks done by the end of January. This will give me February to make sure everything is finished to a good quality.

Reflective Comment:
Getting close to the end of term, I did start to panic a bit when my actors said they couldn't film. However I've worked my way round it and hopefully everything we'll be going to plan. I knew I'd likely encounter problems like this when I decided to find actors instead of using friends, but I'm hoping the pay-off will be worth it.

Gender representation

In my short film there are only two characters, both of which are male. There are no female characters that feature in the film at any point. Therefore, I have to only discuss male representation.

General Representation
Males in film are often represented as being in charge. They're strong, brave, attractive and smart. They're who the audience roots for and normally most relatable, due to conventional films aiming for a white male audience. Sometimes the man might doubt himself, but by the end of the film he's sure of himself, and able to save the day or get the girl. The younger men are normally more full of life and optimistic, while the older men may come across more fed up or wise. One of the most crucial aspects of a male character however, is that they always seem to be in control.

Nathan
Nathan really isn't a conventional male is my film. He doesn't have to save anyone, he isn't trying to woo some girl and he isn't trying to make his life better. He's trying to accept his death. He also isn't very confident or strong, instead he comes across a bit nervous and weak. I have chosen to go down this route because I wanted a character that was a bit different. Most films would have a man try fight for his life, bargain some way out, but Nathan slowly comes to accept it.

Death
The Grim Reaper in my short film is portrayed as a man. However, like Nathan, he isn't all that conventional. He's in a better position that Nathan, but he still doesn't know much and doesn't have much control over the situation. He is just doing his job. He's just an average guy, who's job just happens to be guiding the dead to the afterlife. He isn't in his prime, he doesn't come across overly strong or smart, he's just a guy.

Conclusion
Most films take an average man and turn him into some sort of hero, defying the odds and always coming out on top. This is where my film is different. Both the male characters just accept the way things are, and come across as more relatable characters. I chose to do it this way because it would make the characters seem more realistic and therefore are easier to relate to.

Reflective Comment:
I'm not really challenging gender stereotypes all that much with my short film. While my two characters are conventional, they aren't truly challenging gender representation. They're still men and they're still the central characters of the film. If there were any female characters in the short film, I probably could challenge gender stereotypes. However, I chose to have two male characters. 

Typography

Typography is a very important yet overlooked part of both poster and magazine design. Different fonts can say different things about a poster, and the size of text can indicate how important it is compared to other parts of the text. The colour has to match the backdrop and contrast it well. Meeting all this criteria at times can be quite difficult. Therefore I'm going to break down the typography for both my magazine article and film poster.

Magazine article
For my magazine article, I'm going to have two main bodies of text. The title and the article itself. Most magazines actually one of seven different fonts for articles. These are Helvetica, Trajan, Garamond, Futura, Bodoni, Bickham Script Pro and Frutiger. For my article itself I think I'll be using one of these fonts, whichever one goes best with the title.

The font size for the article itself will be probably be around 11/12, and with black colouring. This is the standard for the articles and it's because it works so well.

For the title, many magazines actually have their own font. Vouge and Empire both have their own fonts. However, magazines that do not have their own font often use big, bold texts like Impact or Hallosans. Depending on what tone I go with for the article will be the deciding factor on which of these two fonts I use.

The title will be extremely large and bold, making sure that it catches the eye and stands out as the title.

Film Poster
Film posters use typography to draw attention to the eye of anyone they can. The typography will also fit in with the tone of film. Some posters use unique and exciting typography to entice an audience in, while others will go for the simple, bold eye catching titles.

Considering that my poster is going to use the rule of thirds, having a large of the poster being mostly empty, it would seem that my title typography is going to large and simple. Again, I am considering fonts such as Hallosans and variations of Impact. My tagline will most likely be the same font but just with a smaller size.

Reflective Comment:
I'm starting to feel like that I have a good idea of what's going on with my poster and magazine article now. I think for the time being that I can leave them both aside so that I can focus on main production. I'm aiming to have all the filming done before the end of December, leaving me all of January to edit it, and to work on my poster and magazine article. 

Sound, lighting and continuity

Above is a presentation about sound, lighting and continuity. In it I go through why each of these elements are important and how I feel about them.

Reflective Comment:
Reflecting on what I'm worried about I think is quite important. One of my teachers also spoke to me for a while and helped me think of some solutions to some of the problems I think I face.

Magazine article and poster breakdowns

I have created a presentation on breaking down magazine articles and posters. I've looked at the core concepts of the designs to try influence and improve my own ideas.


In the final slide you can find another draft of my poster. It's a little bit more clearer on my ideas but it still needs work. I have attached it below.

Reflective Comment:

I have a better understand on how to improve my poster now. I need to add more information such as actors and cast, and also possibly add some quotes about the film. I also need to work on the rule of thirds.

Planning magazine article

So above is a very very very rough draft of the layout I want for my magazine article. Taking inspiration from magazines like Empire, which I spent about twenty minutes reading through, I have decided I want tot ry replicate the type of articles they have.

The poster is going to have the Grim Reaper and Nathan sitting on the bench, looking at each other confused. I want to have the same backdrop for the article. Where it says text several times, I want the photo's background to be the sky\ground\ but slowly fading out to a whitey grey colour. In the middle, where it says photo, I want Nathan and the Grim Reaper looking at each other.\

The next step I am going to take for this task is to take a rough photo so that I can insert it in and show what I want to have, and to decide what I am going to write in the boxes. I'm hoping to have this done by the end of next week. With this I can start to create a better looking draft.

Reflective Comment:
I'm now making slow progress towards both of my ancillary tasks. I'm getting there with the poster, and now I have a good idea of what I want for my magazine article, which is what I'm worrying about more. However, I'm starting to feel more reassured and relaxed about both the ancillary tasks.

Semiotics

Above is a slide about the technical codes of the film-making. Understanding this and being able to discuss it will not only help with my exam later on in the year, but it will also help me create a better short film.

Mise En Scene
Location
My short film features three main locations, each which represent a different part of Nathan's acceptance of his death. The first scene is set in Nathan's house, where the kitchen is a mess and it's poorly lit. This is meant to show that Nathan hasn't really got the best life, and that he's in no position to be ready to change.

The next location is in the forest, which is the middle of the film. This is Nathan in the open, while he is used to the confines of his house. However the forest is still secluded and represents how Nathan isn't quite ready to come out into the open and accept his death.

The final area is on the hill, which is where Nathan finally accepts that he's dead. The location is open and it's going to be bright, which represents Nathan's acceptance of what is to come next.

Dressing Props
As mentioned above there are several things that I want in scene one to have to set the scene. I want to have all the surfaces be covered in crumbs and stains, the washing up to be piled up and for the blinds to be drawn.

Costumes
I have two costumes which both represent different things that I have thought through quite a bit. The first is the more obvious, which is the Grim Reaper's costume. It's a costume that is so easily recognised, everyone knows the Grim Reaper. His costume is very clear, however Nathan, even with this clear evidence, cannot first accept the situation.

Nathan throughout the short film is wearing his dressing gown. This is meant to represent how Nathan is just so unprepared for his death. He isn't even ready for the occasion. Walking around in his dressing gown is meant to make him look slightly pathetic, while still making the audience feel bad for him.

Reflective Comment
My short film is full of symbolism, mainly due to the clear theme of death and acceptance. I'm hoping to fill my film with different pieces of symbolism and to encourage several different rewatches of my short film.

Equipment list

Above you can find a slide on the equipment that I will be needing. I have covered everything I believe I need for the filming and editing process, but if I do have to add anything the slide will be automatically updated.

Reflective Comment:
Knowing what equipment I am going to need for the filming process is obviously crucial to sort out before I begin filming. This is just one of the tasks on my to do list that I have now completed.

Task list for filming

I'm planning to hopefully film all of my short film over one weekend, the 25th and the 26th of November. I have a list of things that I need to accomplish before the filming, so I have decided to create a to do list to keep on top of anything.

So in no particular order, here are my tasks that relate to filming.

• Finalise my actors
• Test footage at the locations, looking for sounds that will needed to be edited out.
• Order the costumes
• Gather an equipment list
• Assemble a small crew

Reflective Comment:

Making sure that I can keep on top of everything is crucial to making sure that filming goes smoothly. My time management so far has been quite good so I'm hoping that this short task list will help continue with keeping up. 

Assessment Criteria

Level 4 16–20 marks

• Planning and research evidence will be complete and detailed;
• There is excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience;
• There is excellent organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props;
• There is excellent work on shot-lists, layouts, drafting, scripting or story-boarding;
• There is an excellent level of care in the presentation of the research and planning;
• Time management is excellent.

To achieve a level 4 in my short film which is what I aiming for, I will need to meet all of these targets. So far I believe that I am on track.

Poster planning

While the short film is the most important part of the coursework, the two ancillary tasks are also important. For the poster, I know what I want. You can find where I explain this in this post. I am planning to take the photo for the poster when I film the scene that the poster is replicating.

I'm hoping to take several shots of the same scene from different distances and different angles so that I can decide later which one to use. I'm wanting to use a very simple and bold text, something like Impact. Below I have attached some indie movie posters that I can draw inspiration from.



Reflective Comment:
The main reason for this blog post was to make sure that I know what I am doing for this ancillary task. I have to make sure that I don't get so caught up in making the short film that I actually forget to complete the ancillary tasks.