Post 17: Post- Production Report

After we have filmed each scene we then put it onto the edit suite and logged which parts that we have filmed we want to capture and use in our short film. We made a table and logged in which parts we would use in our short film. This helps us when editing and capturing because it makes it quicker for us to know what parts we are using and what parts we do not need. We have done this for everything we have filmed. This is our table...

After we made this table we captured the parts that we needed and this was easier because we was more prepared and organised of which parts we are were going to use and which parts we did not need. After we had captured all of the parts that we needed we then started to edit the footage we had. We made a rough cut of all of the footage that we needed first and after this we would be able to go back to parts and make them better. We went scene by scene and we looked at the footage we had and we cut parts off because some was not needed because we needed to make sure that each scene followed through to the next correctly and the way that we wanted it to. By doing a rough cut we was able to see if we was happy with what we had filmed and whether each scene worked well. We felt that we had to re-film one scene because when we watched it back on the edit suit we all agreed that it was not the look that we was going for and it is the scene where Billy walks out of his house. We felt that the lighting was too strong and this is not the style that we wanted to go for because we wanted it to be natural lighting but we also wanted it to be dull lighting. We wanted to use the style of French New Wave films and we wanted this because we feel that the use of natural lighting is good for showing the emotions of the character and this was very important for our short film.

We have decided to use jump cuts and cut parts out and this is breaking the continuity of the film but we think that it looks very effective as we wanted to make the scenes when he is running feel more fast and rushed because we wanted to try and show how the boy is feeling and we wanted this to look rushed because the boy just wants to run away from everything and he cannot seem to get away and this is what we are trying to make the audience feel and I feel that by using jump cuts in the right places will help us get the effect off the the audience. I feel that the use of jump cuts is very effective in our short film because we are trying to create a style of our own and by doing this on certain places of the running scene we feel that it looks very effective and get the message across to the audience and this is what we wanted to achieve. We took a lot of time on this part of the editing. We had some issues with the last scene because it was very hard to film because the camera was moving a lot and we struggled to find on shot that was better than the others. We have decided to go for a style which will break the continuity conventions when it is the running scenes.

After we had cut the scenes and were happy with the way that our short film was looking we decided to look at the effects we could use on the lighting. We did not want to use and artificial lighting throughout our short film and we stuck by this because we wanted it to look natural and we feel that the use of natural lighting can be very effective as we are able to show the emotions of the character more easily and this will be more effective and have more of an effect on the audience of what is going on. In the first scene when Billy is under the stairs we are showing this as him dreaming about it because he is so lonely in that place and he is dreaming about it and he doesn't want to go back to it. On this scene we have drained the colours and we have made them very dark and we have done this because we want to try and portray him dreaming about it so we thought that this would look effective. We haven't made it too dark but wanted to show that this scene is darker than the rest of the scenes. On the scene where Billy is running through the doors and up the stairs when we originally filmed that scene it was very dark because of the light being drawn in from outside as we was facing the light so we have made this scene lighter slightly because it was difficult to see what was happening within the scene. This was also the case in the scene of Billy's mum on the phone in the car and we wanted to make it clear to the audience what was happening and felt that it was necessary to add in more light in these circumstances.

We have also made the sound levels the same and we have had to work hard on the scenes when the drowning noise comes in because it gets louder we have had to carefully put the sound levels right and make sure that the noise fits together and that it works well. This is the part when Billy is running up the stairs and when the drowning gets louder and we had to work out the sound levels to make sure that they went well with what was happening in the scene.

Post 16: Production Report

 

Wednesday 7th March
On our first day of filming we filmed scene 6 which is the classroom scene of when Billy is late. We show the teacher already doing the register as Billy walks in half way through. We show Billy walking through the door and his uniform is is slightly scruffy trying to show that he was late and did not have time to present himself as he should be. When Billy walks through the door Billy has a big school bag on his shoulder and is holding a folder. When he walks into the classroom the teacher tells him off and he then walks to his seat. When filming this scene we filmed it over the shoulder of the teacher and this went well. We had some issues of the teacher talking when the door was being shut but we did the shot again so we could hear everything which she was saying. The next shot we did was from a different position and showing the teacher sitting at her desk when Billy comes in. This shot has some issues with the lighting from the window behind her. We was lucky as the class that we filmed were very well behaved and this made it a lot easier for us to film as we could get it done quicker.

Wednesday 7th March
We decided to film after school for this scene as we needed it to be quiet around the area of filming and we decided that this was the est time to film. We filmed the scenes when Billy is sitting under the stairs this I in scene 1, 5 and 8. As I had the role of the director I had to make sure that the actor knew what he was doing and what dialogue he had and when he had to say it. We has to make decisions together to how we wanted his uniform to look and what we wanted him to do when he was sitting down. We had some issues with lighting from the windows on the door. We did not want these scenes to have bright lighting as we wanted to show that Billy felt alone and sad and we thought that dull lighting would help us achieve this. Due to the lighting we had to wait until the sun went in to get the lighting we wanted. Also we had some noise from classrooms and doors around the area due to students staying behind after school. Overall, we successfully filmed the scenes that we wanted to all in one session and we was happy with the way that it went.

Friday 9th March
We was lucky to get permission to take the actor we are using out of one of his lessons. We took this time to film him walking out of his house and down the alleyway and walking to school scene. When we down down to this location we did not consider the times of the primary school and the time that we went down there was the primary school lunch time. We decided that we could work around the background noise when editing. We also had some issues of lighting as the day we filmed it was very cloudy and this made our shot very bright and this is not what we wanted. When filming it went very well and we was happy with the way it turned out.

Monday 12th March

We filmed this scene in the morning and this is the scene of Billy's mum talking on the phone to the teacher when she is getting into her car. We filmed in the car park at the back of the school as we wanted to show that she was Busy at work and did not want it to look like a school. We used on of the teachers from school and her car for this scene. We also had issues with the lighting with this scene as it was also very cloudy and the sky was very bright but we changed the settings on the camera and this made a big difference and helped us. We had 4 different shots within this scene and it took a lot of preparation for each one to make sure that it was right and why we wanted. One of the shots two members of our group had to sit in the back of the car and film from behind, the back of the car was very small so this was a bit difficult to make sure it went right.

Monday 12th March
We had to film again after schools we needed to make sure that there was no students walking around as we needed the corridors to be clear for us to film. This scene was Billy running up the stair and along the corridor. We had to use a dolly for this part of filming as we needed to track Billy running. This piece of equipment helped us very much as we were able to get the shot to be very smooth and this is what we were trying to achieve. We was very happy with the way this session went as we got if done quite quickly.
This is a video of when we was filming the tracking shot of Billy running down the corridor...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0kTMcXB7j0&feature=relmfu

Tuesday 20th March
We had to film after school hours for this part of filming because we could not risk students being around because this may cause an accident. We filmed the scene when Billy running across the school field to the hedge and to get the tracking shot for this scene we had to use a car and film from out of the car of Billy running behind it. This was harder than we thought it would be because we found it difficult to place the camera in a position where it would not move and we would get a good shot of Billy running across the field. We had to film this part a couple of times as we wanted to make sure that it looked good. This part was inspired by a French New Wave film that we watched in class which was called 400 Blows. At the end of this film it shows a boy running along a road and finally reaching a beach and when he gets to the sea he has no where else to run and this is what we are trying to show in our short film that when the boy reaches the hedge on the field he doesn't know what else to do because he has no where else to run. At the end of this part we have got the character Billy to walk from the hedge and walk towards the camera and on this part of the short film we are going to have a freeze frame ending and this is also inspired by the film which we watched in class. We want to try and capture the emotions and feelings that he has and how lonely he is and we think that this will be a very effective ending.

The other scene which we filmed was the scene when Billy and the teacher are talking in the quad and when Billy runs away from the teacher. For this scene we filmed from different angles. Firstly, we show Billy from a high angle shot which we filmed in the three storey block and this was effective as we was able to show more than just Billy in the shot and not just focus on him as we wanted to show the location and also the teacher in the shot with him. We had to film a long shot of Billy running across the school grounds and we had to be careful where we placed the camera as it was very sunny and we had to consider the angle of the camera and think about whether the sun would effect the shot. With this filming session the main concern was the weather and the sun was out and this caused us problems with where to place the camera and how the sun would effect our shot but we worked as a group about different places where we could film from and we worked it out and this was no longer a problem.


Wednesday 21st March
On this day we had to re-film a part which we had originally filmed but we was not happy with what it turned out like because the shot was very bright due to the weather and we did not feel that this would work in our short film. It is the scene when Billy walks out of his house and talks to him mum on the phone and walks up to school. We was happy with the way this went second time round as we was also more prepared for what shots we wanted to use. We also found that this day of filming would work well as it was sunny like the day that we had filmed before so we felt that the continuity would be better the second time round and overall, we are very pleased with the way that it turned out.

Post 15: Ancillary Task 2- Film Reviews

I have studied a number of different articles of film reviews which has helped me in my knowledge for when I write a film review for my own short film. I analysed the articles and highlighted the typical conventions which came up in all of them. I also looked for the style of writing which they used and also the layout. All of these things will advance my knowledge for when writing my own film review.

These are some of the articles which I have read and annotated. This film review is from Screen International, this review is for the more sophisticated audience as the layout and also the content are of a formal standard and this is a big step into who this film review is targeting.

This film review is targeting a different audience as the way that this review is written is less formal and more about trying to reach out to the audience by using humour. By using humour is instantly showing a different audience that this is being reached out to.

What I found out from these film review articles:

• Big bold title.
• Star rating
• Throughout the text names of the big stars which are in the film are mentioned frequently.
• At the end there is a 'verdict' and this is the verdict of what the writer thinks about the film.
• The director, writer and other members of the production company are mentioned. 
• A slogan given to the film e.g. Russel Brand goes at it like a rabbit.
• Good and bad points about the film e.g. 'predictable comedy'.
• They give a brief description of what the film is about and a brief outline of the story line. 
• There is a big picture next to the title from the film. 

All of these typical conventions of a film review will help me when writing mine because I can take all of these into account and use them in my film review. It will help me in designing the layout of the review and also what to make bigger such as the title to catch people's eye. The font is very simple and easy to read. The style of writing is different in the articles as in the article for 'Hop' it is a more relaxed style whereas in the article for 'I love you Phillip Morris' the style of writing is more serious.

This is a film review from Sight & Sound magazine.

In this film review there is a big image and the text is layed out in columns. There is also information about the film at the top of the page just under neither the title. The title is very big and bold and this is good because the name of the film will stand out for people reading the magazine. There is a border at the top of the page and this adds some colour to the page which also draws the readers to the article. I like the layout of this article as it has room for a lot of information but there is also a lot of room for an image.


I looked at articles from the news paper such as The Independent.

This film review is different from the ones above as it has a different layout. It has a big title for the film and a big picture like the others but it is set out in paragraphs and does not have a verdict at the end of it. Also it does not have any star rating. The style of writing is serious and explains what the film is about. 

This next review is from the newspaper 'The Guardian' and it is for the same film. Again there is a big title and on this one there is a star rating whereas, in the Independent they did not have this. It talks about the writer and talks about how they thought the film was either good or bad. 

The next article was from this website http://www.filmguru.net/shorts/2008/080601.html  This is a review on a short film.

This is a review for a short film. It has a different layout, it still has the typical conventions such as a big title and a big picture but the picture is in a different place. Under the picture there is some information about the film such as the running time of the film and a brief description of the film. It also included the names of the actors and good and bad points about the film. 

This next article is from a magazine called 'Empire'.

This article shows the typical conventions of the big picture, the big title and it also has a star rating. At the beginning it tells us what the plot of the film is and this lets people know what the film is about. The last part shows us what the verdict of the film is and this is a very short review as it only has two parts to it. 

My thoughts...
I found it very hard to find magazines which reviewed short films and I have looked as different film reviews and I have found that I can use different elements from the Sight & Sound film reviews to make it into a short film review. I will use their typical conventions and this will allow me to use their style of film review and making it into a short film review. I like the style of Sight & Sound as I like the style of writing which they use and also the layout. In their magazines there is two different styles, one is the old layout and the other is the new layout. I am combining these two layouts together as I think that they would work well together for my film review. I will include all of their typical conventions and go for the same style.

I have set myself out a template of what I want my film review to look like:

I want my film review to look like this because it is layed out very clearly and this is what I want because it makes it easier for the readers to look at and read. It includes everything which I have found out from researching other articles. This layout is based on the style of Sight & Sound and I will include a lot of information in this layout and I think that this is a good style to present my short film review.

This is the text that is in my short film review:

Dumped is a new short film which will make your heart melt. The Kings Langley Production influenced by The French New Wave captures the emotions which can go through a young boys mind.

Dumped shows a lonely school boy who is alone, longing for a relationship with his mother. Billy (Rewan Harper) struggles to get through his days at school and finds a comfort place under the stairs. One day Billy cannot handle things anymore and he runs but has no-where to go.

The short film reflects what some children go through this on a day to day basis. The storyline of the short film has an advantage of conveying the wide range of emotions Billy faces. As a result this creates a connection between the audience and Billy.

In the scenes where Billy runs there, is a deep sound which gets louder and louder the further he runs. This increasing sound could be misconceived and make the audience question what is going on and what is about to happen, consequently this may not be understood by the audience.

Chloe Taylor, the sound designer said “We were trying to show the noise which is going on in his head and trying to draw the audience in to think about what is going to happen next.”. The running scene was influenced by Truffaut’s 400 Blows which is the New French Wave style. This scene was inspired by this film as it also shows a scene of a boy running and is very effective in the way it is showing the emotions that the boy is feeling.

If an emotional film is what you are after this is a must see. Becky Trimmer who worked the camera has captured this brilliantly, enabling the audience to truly understand what Billy is going through. Billy’s mother (Jane Wright) plays an excellent part in showing a mother who is more interested in her job more that her son. Furthermore this portrays what happens in some people’s life’s in which their jobs over run their family life.

The director Lauren Phillips shows Billy sitting under the stairs and this is a key aspect in the film as it represents Billy’s comfort place to sit and every child has their own comfort place. Harper shows a really good representation of how a child may handle a situation like this one and shows how this can affect a child’s everyday life and what they have to go through just to get through one day.

The lighting within this short film captures the essence of the emotions and difficult relationships children may have as it is all natural lighting contrasting the French New Wave style and the modern way. There are some parts which will make you question what is going on. However, this short film has its own style and breaks away from conventions but works in its own individual way.

If an emotional roller coaster is what you are after this is the one for you to go and see. Throughout the film there is a constant connection with Billy and this connection will make you want to watch it again.

This is my first draft of the film review. I have layed this out on Microsoft word and when I have done my final draft I will format it on Adobe Photo Shop. I have critically assessed the short film which me and my group have produced. I have used the Sight & Sound film reviews to help me write my own film review and when I format my work I will lay it out like the Sight & Sound film reviews.

This is my final film review and I have done this on Photo Shop. I have done it on this software as it is easier to get the layout correct and all of the conventions that are needed for the film review. I have used the style of Sight & Sound film reviews but I have changed elements of it as Sight & Sound do not produce short film reviews. I have used different elements from an older version of Sight & Sound and combined it with the new style. I have changed parts of it to fit in with a short film review such as the border around the top I have used the same style but I have also added in by saying it is a 'Short Film Review'. I have used an orange band at the top to have a catchy title. I have layed the film review like the one in the magazine and I have also laid out the information about the short film in the same way. I have included logos at the bottom of the page to show different film festivals as advertisement. I have used an image from the short film and cut around him using Photo Shop and have blurred around the image so that it blends in more with the text.

Post 14: Ancillary Task 1- Postcards

Big budget films such as Hollywood films have film posters to advertise their film. There are typical conventions on these posters and these are ways of tying to advertise and promote their film. On a film poster the conventions are:

• A dominating picture/ characters which is a 'top billing approach'.
• The cast names, these are usually at the top of the poster.
• The name of the film, this is usually placed in either the lower or upper third. The font is a very important aspect.
• Some films will have a slogan.
• They will advertise the release date of the film.
• Will show the awards and endorsements which they have got for the film to try and promote how well the film has done.
• At the bottom of the poster in a smaller font there will be names of the production companies, director, producers and the executive producer.
  This is an example of a Hollywood film poster..

This is an example of a British film poster..

All of these conventions on a film poster all contribute to the promotion of the film and to try and make their audience go and see it. The examples above of the Hollywood film poster and the British film poster have the same conventions. Big films such as these have the same conventions as they are trying to promote their film to attract their audience.

Short films and postcards
Short films may find it hard to market their films as they do not have a big audience such as films from Hollywood. Short films have to find different ways to approach their audience such as the Internet. Another way which short films might promote their short film is by using  postcards. Postcards can be more direct to their audience and also they can be picked up and passed around. Postcards are an easier way for short film producers to market and promote their film.
Postcards are a way of marketing a short film and this is a better way of doing this because short films are not as popular with a big audience and are mainly targeted towards art students. By using a postcard for marketing purposes this allows it to reach more of the audience that these short films are targeted to. If you was to use a poster for a short film it would not be seen in the same way as a poster from companies such as Hollywood as short films are produced on a low budget and would not have the same look and the same effect as a poster which has had a high budget.
Here are some examples of short film postcards..

 The back of the postcard
-On the top left it says the name of the short film. Just below the name of the film it tells us who the writer and the director is. It also tells us who is starring in the short film.
-On the bottom left hand corner it tells us the names of the people involved in the production of the short film.
-On the top right hand corner, there is a space for you to put a stamp.
-The bottom right corner shows a logo of the film company.
The front of the postcard
-There is a big picture which covers the whole of the front of the postcard. The main character is slightly more to the front and slightly bigger.
-The title of the film is at the top of the postcard and it is in a font that will stand out and be remembered.
-At the bottom there is also a slogan and this is catchy for people to remember and this will help promote their short film.

The Back of the postcard

- They have the title very big and bold.
-It has the synopsis of the film and this is along the top.
- The page is split up into two and on the left hand side it tells us who the cast is and on the right hand side it tells us about the production team.
- At the bottom it has logos for other companies such as sponsors.
- On the right hand side of the page it has a place for the stamp and the year of when the film was released.

The front of the postcard
- There is a big image of a location from the film.
-At the bottom of the page is the title and this is bold and big so it stands out.
- There are smaller images down the left hand side from the film.
- On the images there has been an effect put on it and this makes it look different and stand out more.


From looking at two different postcards I have compared them and looked for the similarities and the differences. I have looked at the typical conventions which are used for a postcard.

Postcards are a good idea for promoting short films because short films do not have as big of an audience and this will be and easier way of targeting them. For our short film I have drawn drafts of two ideas which I have for a postcard for our short film. I have drawn out a front and a back for the postcard and this is what I have come up with...

This is my first idea for the postcard. I have got a close up of Billy and it is in the last scene when he stops at the hedge on the field because he has realised he has no where else to go. I have made the image very big and in the background it will be the hedge but I will make it blurred so the focus is on the image of Billy and also the text. I have got the title big to stand out and also got the slogan which our group has decided on at the bottom of the postcard. 

This is my design for the back of the postcard. I have got all of the information about the short film on the back and I have also laid it out as a postcard would be laid out. I have got the title of the film and also the names of the production company. I also have room for people to write on and also I have split it up in to two sides and this is the typical style of a postcard.

This is my second design for the front of the postcard. I have shown the main character with his back to the camera and I have shown him standing in front of the hedge because this is a very important part of the short film as it represents the fact that he has no where else to go.

I have annotated my thoughts of why I have designed this for the front of my postcard.

This is the back of the postcard and I have annotated my thoughts. 

This is the second design for the front of my postcard and I have annotated my thoughts about the design. 

This is the front of my postcard.

This is the back of my postcard.

I am very happy with the way that my postcard has turned out. I like the front of the postcard as it is very bright and it focuses on Billy and the background is blurred out. I also like the title, this is the writing of the actor which we used as we wanted to give it the effect of a child has written it. I have also done the same on the back of the postcard. I really like the way the image on the back of the postcard is faint but you can also see it very clearly at the same time.