Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Film Poster Analysis
As part of my ancillary tasks which make up my complete product I will have to create a poster for my short film, the style I'm leaning toward at the moment for my own poster is double exposure which can be seen in the Episode II and Outsiders posters, while they and the other posters are rather simple I believe it is this simplicity that creates the appeal and creates an intrigue which will draw in an audience. Over the next few posts I will analyse these posters and what makes them good.
Ancillary Products
In addition to the creation of a short film, as part of the A level I have to create two ancillary products, I have chosen a website homepage for my short film and a poster to advertise it.
While the poster should not be too difficult if I take time to analyse and research existing examples, the website may be more difficult as it is rare for a short film to have a dedicated website and so existing examples which may provide pointers or inspiration will be difficult to come across, therefore I will have to plan and do in depth research accordingly.
While the poster should not be too difficult if I take time to analyse and research existing examples, the website may be more difficult as it is rare for a short film to have a dedicated website and so existing examples which may provide pointers or inspiration will be difficult to come across, therefore I will have to plan and do in depth research accordingly.
Thursday, 13 October 2016
Altman's Genre Theory
Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Existing Examples Conclusions
After analysing 3 existing examples of A level short films and watching a number of others I have a solid idea of what is popular and what is not when it comes to the low budget short. With this in mind I can begin to plan my own short film and use the knowledge I have gained to avoid making bad decisions when creating and also to incorporate some aspects of shorts I like into my own.
First are the things I will want to avoid when making my own short, most importantly to me, is to avoid bad writing, while this may seem like a difficult thing to avoid since writing is both very subjective and difficult to change without changing other aspects of a production, by having others proof read or by experimenting with different lines or even different writers I can avoid producing a short film with ineffective or possibly worse, bad dialogue.
I've also seen more than a fair share of camera moves and angles that I want to avoid due to them either being difficult to pull off or just simply bad looking, the most glaringly bad shot type I could use is the 'cupboard' shot, where the camera is placed inside a cupboard or on the other side of a door and the door is opened to reveal the character/subject of the scene. I mostly want to avoid this shot simply because it looks bad, it is incredibly difficult to make it look even decent and it often sullies the tone if not outright making a scene look silly by having a badly made shot.
Another shot I want to avoid is the moving car shot, which seems to be a pinnacle of A level film making, almost every short I watched had this shot and it quickly became tedious as despite many different genres the shot was always incredibly similar, I believe that if I too were to include this shot it would seriously lower the tone of my production.
However I did see aspects I wish to emulate in my own short, for one, the snappy editing of a tense situation in a thriller or action short which heightened tension effectively and kept the pace of a scene up, this could be used effectively in my own short for a similar effect. Secondly the use or angle to portray characters of different levels of power, this clearly signposts the different dynamics between characters and can be a good indication of a characters relative power in a seen and can also help the audience to differentiate between characters and decide who the hero and villain is in a scene.
While the list of positive things I took away from the examples is limited compared to what I want to avoid, it will all contribute towards my own short film as with these notes I can both avoid negative traits and incorporate good traits to create an effective and well made short film that will emulate the best of other short films.
First are the things I will want to avoid when making my own short, most importantly to me, is to avoid bad writing, while this may seem like a difficult thing to avoid since writing is both very subjective and difficult to change without changing other aspects of a production, by having others proof read or by experimenting with different lines or even different writers I can avoid producing a short film with ineffective or possibly worse, bad dialogue.
I've also seen more than a fair share of camera moves and angles that I want to avoid due to them either being difficult to pull off or just simply bad looking, the most glaringly bad shot type I could use is the 'cupboard' shot, where the camera is placed inside a cupboard or on the other side of a door and the door is opened to reveal the character/subject of the scene. I mostly want to avoid this shot simply because it looks bad, it is incredibly difficult to make it look even decent and it often sullies the tone if not outright making a scene look silly by having a badly made shot.
Another shot I want to avoid is the moving car shot, which seems to be a pinnacle of A level film making, almost every short I watched had this shot and it quickly became tedious as despite many different genres the shot was always incredibly similar, I believe that if I too were to include this shot it would seriously lower the tone of my production.
However I did see aspects I wish to emulate in my own short, for one, the snappy editing of a tense situation in a thriller or action short which heightened tension effectively and kept the pace of a scene up, this could be used effectively in my own short for a similar effect. Secondly the use or angle to portray characters of different levels of power, this clearly signposts the different dynamics between characters and can be a good indication of a characters relative power in a seen and can also help the audience to differentiate between characters and decide who the hero and villain is in a scene.
While the list of positive things I took away from the examples is limited compared to what I want to avoid, it will all contribute towards my own short film as with these notes I can both avoid negative traits and incorporate good traits to create an effective and well made short film that will emulate the best of other short films.
Friday, 7 October 2016
Existing Example 3: Choice
Another good example of a short film, this one is, when compared to others on the internet, surprisingly high quality and I will definitely be taking on board some aspects of this product.
Plot:
A boy wakes up, his head covered by a bag. He is held at gunpoint by an unidentified character and asked to choose whether he dies or his girlfriend, a voice over explains how he got there and how he is a hacker who ended up crossing the wrong people, leading himself into his current situation.
Production Quality:
While there are a few minor issues with background elements of some scenes, overall this short is incredibly high quality and the time and effort spent on this short is obvious. Firstly the composition of the shots fits the directors desired atmosphere well, in framing, movement (or lack thereof) and editing (colour correction, etc.), the framing and movement keeps the short flowing nicely and coherently while the lighting and the editing that compliments it gives the right tone for this genre of short. The dialogue, for the most part, is believable and well written, flows well and is easily understood but not tacky. Costume and props are minimal but this adds to the short and this simplicity surprisingly works in it's favour because it keeps it believable. The one downside that takes away from this short is the music, at times it is too loud and drowns out dialogue and at others it doesn't fit the shot or doesn't flow well with the cuts and transitions, this gives the impression that audio was an afterthought for the director rather than something to be used alongside the visuals, like many believe it should be.
While there are a few minor issues with background elements of some scenes, overall this short is incredibly high quality and the time and effort spent on this short is obvious. Firstly the composition of the shots fits the directors desired atmosphere well, in framing, movement (or lack thereof) and editing (colour correction, etc.), the framing and movement keeps the short flowing nicely and coherently while the lighting and the editing that compliments it gives the right tone for this genre of short. The dialogue, for the most part, is believable and well written, flows well and is easily understood but not tacky. Costume and props are minimal but this adds to the short and this simplicity surprisingly works in it's favour because it keeps it believable. The one downside that takes away from this short is the music, at times it is too loud and drowns out dialogue and at others it doesn't fit the shot or doesn't flow well with the cuts and transitions, this gives the impression that audio was an afterthought for the director rather than something to be used alongside the visuals, like many believe it should be.
Lessons Learnt:
When it comes to producing my own short I will definitely be taking pointers from this short, especially with the way it is filmed and the shots are organised and set up. While the genre of the short I want to produce isn't the same as this one, many of the techniques and stylistic choices that this director has used can also be used in the production of my own short.
When it comes to producing my own short I will definitely be taking pointers from this short, especially with the way it is filmed and the shots are organised and set up. While the genre of the short I want to produce isn't the same as this one, many of the techniques and stylistic choices that this director has used can also be used in the production of my own short.
Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Existing Example 2: Nowhere Avenue
This A grade short film, while low on action and any movement whatsoever, is a good example of the use of dialogue and the importance of writing in the production of a short film.
Plot:
Two men prepare to kill a hostage but the executioner is indecisive and the two argue, resulting in the death of both the hostage and one of the men.
Production Quality:
While the camerawork is rather basic, it does have a nice enough variety of shots to keep the short fluid and well paced. The costuming works well, the two men faithfully recreate their inspiration with their outfits. The use of props works well in this short, bagging the head of the hostage places emphasis on the ruthlessness of the killers and works well to juxtapose the incompetence of them showcased later on, the prop pistol is also made to seem quite real unlike in many student shorts in which obvious toy guns aren't covered up or alter to seem real. The real quality of this short comes from the writing, the interaction between the two men seems honest and believable to that of two work colleagues and it is well written enough that despite some bad delivery the lines come off as being a good quality and sometimes humorous, as was intentioned. The interaction between the hostage also seems believable and is well written and humorous and the power dynamic is well realised and is portrayed well by the lead actor.
Lessons Learnt:
While the small scale of the product and it's use of a single location isn't something I want to replicate there are elements of this short I do want to take pointers from, most obviously the writing and how to pace it. Dialogue is going to be a vital part of my short and this short gives a good example of how pacing and writing can be used to take a rather plain concept and make it something more, elevating it to that A level.
While the small scale of the product and it's use of a single location isn't something I want to replicate there are elements of this short I do want to take pointers from, most obviously the writing and how to pace it. Dialogue is going to be a vital part of my short and this short gives a good example of how pacing and writing can be used to take a rather plain concept and make it something more, elevating it to that A level.
Existing Example 1: Pathogen
This short film which was given an A grade has both positive and negative elements, some of which I will want to both incorporate and avoid incorporating into my own short film.
Plot:
A young man returns home after a trip to find his town deserted. He tries to contact his parents but fails, he goes to bed and wakes the next morning, still alone. He leaves his house and finds a crashed car and a zombie which chases him, the short then ends.
Production Quality:
The camerawork of the product is fairly generic for a student short film and it is fairly obvious that they included as many angles and shot types as possible in order to get the highest mark possible. However there are a few more interesting shots that I may replicate in my own short. The costuming is rather bland but works in the context of the product and the make up for the zombie is rather low quality which takes away from any intended horror the director wanted to produce. There is minimal use of props in the product but those that are used add a subtle level of quality that adds to the overall experience. The locations used are rather generic and stereotypical of student films including what is assumed to be the directors house and the street in front. However the creation of the car crash is fairly well presented and looks good enough for the budget and expected quality level of this type of product.
Lessons Learnt:
This short film does a few things fairly well, quite a few of the camera angles work and create a good atmosphere for the intended genre and the timing works despite tight constraints set by the course. The car accident they created also works on their budget and while it's unlikely I'll have such an event in my product it proves that what would be assumed to be larger budget effects can look good and work in a low budget short. It should be noted however that there is minimal dialogue in the short and as such I can't learn much about that aspect from this example.
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