Some Girls is a TV comedy based around 4 female sixth formers and their daily lives.
There are 4 main characters that each have their own distinct personality. These personalities are purposely exaggerated for comedic reasons, but they have some level of truth to them as the characters are made to be somewhat relatable to the people watching the show.
The main character archetypes are the ‘dumb one’, the ‘angry one’, the ‘sarcastic one’ and the ‘responsible one’. Although the characters can fit easily into these categories, they still have a level of depth towards them that is shown as the show progresses. Some Girls shows the home lives of each individual, that contrasts and compliments each character to their personality outside of their house.
The main character begins with trouble at home as her father is practically ignoring her and having a child with her P.E. teacher. While this is mainly for comedic reasons, it gives a reasonable method to have the character angry at her father which then sets up a plot device for the main character to stay at all of her friends’ houses, therefore showing off each of their home lives.
The show is set on an estate, so each character is from a lower/working class family. This builds the idea that each character has completely different aspirations in life. One of them wants to finish sixth form and go to university in order to be successful; another is referred to as a future prisoner and the other main characters are unsure about their future, which I feel a lot of the shows target audience is able to relate to.
Black Mirror is a British anthology show that shows the dark side of technology (the name is a reference to how a screen becomes a 'black mirror' as it is turned off).
Since Black Mirror is an anthology show, only a few episodes show examples of youth culture: -Season 2 Episode 3: The Waldo Moment -Season 3 Episode 1: Nosedive -Season 3 Episode 2: Playtest
The Waldo Moment
The Waldo Moment is based around a failed comedian who voices a cartoon bear named Waldo gets mixed up in politics as the Shows’ executives want Waldo to run for Office
-This episode is especially relevant today as Donald Trump won the Presidency this year (this episode aired in February of 2013, whereas Donald Trump announced his campaign for president in June 2015).
-The Waldo moment features a small example of British youth culture where it is mentioned that Waldo is gaining traction from young voters. It is mentioned in the episode that the amount of young people that are voting is the highest it has ever been. This fits with the Hebdige theory of youth where they are very limited to being either trouble or fun, this representation is clearly trouble as the youth are voting a cartoon character to become the Prime Minister of the UK.
-It also fits well with the Cohen theory of Moral Panic, this is because the youth are ‘trying to express themselves in a way that adults have not seen before’ by rebelling against the establishment by voting for Waldo. The Waldo moment also contrasts the Acland theory of the state trying to ‘control’ the youth, this episode shows the youth rebelling against this theory.
Nosedive
-This future is controlled by an app that lets people give others a rating out of 5 stars, and provides a very detailed view of youth culture.
-This episode aligns itself with Acland’s theory of control. This is because of the app being a form of control by the state as this episode essentially replaces social classes with ratings i.e. only people with a certain rating can have certain jobs or houses. Acland’s theory of control blends well with this episode because the rating system stops people from disobeying the state as people with ratings below a 2 are essentially outcast from society.
-This episode also lends itself to the Gramsci theory where he describes the impact social classes have on the representation of youth as the ‘lower’ social classes (low ratings) are shown in a much more negative manner and are unable to to have the same lifestyle as middle/upper class people (mid and high ratings).
Playtest
Playtest is set around a young adult who leaves his home and family after his father dies (from complications due to Alzheimer's disease) in order to go traveling .
-This is the main example of youth culture, and it is a more negative representation of youth as it therefore relates to the Hebdige theory of youth culture as this youth is represented as trouble rather than fun as he abandons his family rather than helping them deal with their loss; however, this also links with Giroux’s theory of youth culture as he describes them as an ‘empty category’ that adults do not understand, this implies that he left his family in order to deal with his loss in his own way.
In my opinion, I believe that youth culture films will not change all that much from now on. This is because I cannot see there being any ground breaking changes to how youth are portrayed in the media. What I mean by this is that the media and people have become used to/desensitized to almost anything that the media can throw at them. For example, Grange Hill was aired in 1978 and featured themes of racism, drugs, rape and pregnancy; at the time, this was very taboo and rare to be seen on television, but as time progressed, people have become much more used to seeing this type of stuff on TV and in movies. This is why I believe that the portrayal of youth in the media will not change much in the future as people are much more used to seeing extreme portrayals of life on the TV now. This could however lead to TV story lines and characters becoming over saturated and overused which will lead to people becoming bored, leading to an eventual change in the way youth culture is represented in TV.
The only way that I can see the portrayal of youth culture in TV/cinema changing is if life itself changed drastically, but I believe that life and experiences in school will remain relatively similar to what it is now. For example, in Grange Hill, there were problems with racism in the story line, but in a modern society, this is much less prevalent (although it still happens), whereas in a modern society people are much more inclusive of others (depending on location).
Furthermore, I also don’t believe that there are many other ‘taboo’ subjects to portray on TV anymore that will surprise anyone or that will totally change the media’s portrayal of youths. On the other hand, I would like to see a wider range of personalities/examples of youth culture in order to differentiate from the conventional Hebdige theory of youths being either trouble or fun.
‘The Inbetweeners 2’ is a movie is a continuation of the series (3 seasons) and a direct sequel to the first movie, which is based around a small group of 4 friends who are all around the age of 19-20. The film/series is often referenced as one of the best and most relatable representations of youth culture in the media. The reason the Inbetweeners is so relatable is because it accurately portrays experiences that almost every teenager/student can relate to; albeit a much more exaggerated version. The Inbetweeners 2 definitely links well to the Hebdige theory of youth culture, Hebdige described youth as fitting into two categories, trouble or fun. This movie portrays youth as much more fun than trouble (although there is occasionally examples of trouble, but it is more or less used to exaggerate the ‘fun’).
Youth culture films tend to place teenagers/young people into groups (similar to the Hebdige theory), this is because it makes the film a lot easier to make and more enjoyable to watch. Youth culture films are, more often than not, about ‘hoodie cinema’, gang culture and crime or they are about the awkward and funny experiences that teenagers might go through during their life (i.e. portraying relatable and entertaining experiences). This relates to the Giroux theory that the media portrays youth in an ‘empty category’ that adults simply do not understand and the adults that write the show/movie therefore just ‘plonk’ their own ideas of what youth culture is onto an empty space (the characters). This could perhaps be why youth are portrayed in a much more ‘blanket’ fashion rather than as individuals. This means that youths are portrayed as either criminals or as complete fools rather than as individuals with complex lifestyles and personalities. However, if the Inbetweeners had not been a much more exaggerated the movie would not have been as entertaining because the life of most students isn’t as ‘extreme’ as that of the Inbetweeners movie because most student’s lives are about going to school and having a part time job. Portraying youths in this way are almost a necessity when it comes to cinema as it is what is the most interesting to watch.
‘Fast
Girls’ is a film about a team of Olympic sprinters that are brought together to
participate in the 4 by 100m relay team. The film is centred around two main
characters, Shania and Lisa. Shania’s character is based in a lower class area
of London. She lives with her sister and her aunt in a flat. Shania’s mother
passed away and her father is not featured in the movie at all. In contrast,
Lisa is a wealthy, upper class athlete that has trained her whole life, due to
her father being a past Olympian. This is where Shania and Lisa contrast at first,
as they are both on completely different sides of the spectrum in terms of
wealth, but their similarities are quickly shown when the movie displays both
of the girls’ determination to be an athlete.
‘Fast
Girls’ displays youth culture in a much more positive light than the likes of
films such as ‘My Brother the Devil’ or older films such as ‘A Taste of Honey’.
‘Fast Girls’ shows the journey of a poor/lower class girl trying to become an
Olympic athlete; this contrasts to films such as ‘A Taste of Honey’ because the
main character isn’t presented with a problem, they have a goal to reach which
follows with some problems, whereas ‘A Taste of Honey’ presents the main
character with a problem and the film entails her journey of dealing with her
problem.
‘My Brother the Devil’ is a film set around the gangland of London; it is based around a family (more specifically two brothers) of British Arabs and the gang that the oldest son (late 20’s) is in. The film tackles multiple prejudices at once as the movie focuses on gang culture, youth culture, religion and homosexuality. The film does a good job of humanizing the two main brothers in the film by immediately showing how the older brother (Rash) wants his younger brother (Mo) to go on from school and do better things with his good GCSE results; which defies the regular stereotype of ‘hoodies’ being unintelligent.
The film highlights how Rash is only in the gang in order to provide a better life for Mo and his family by actively trying to stop Mo from being around other gang members and sneaking money into his mother’s purse; the film also shows how hard it is for these ‘hoodies’ or lower class people to get proper jobs to provide for themselves, as one of the former gang members goes to a job interview and is laughed out the building for not having any references. The film therefore does a good job of representing how hard it can be for these people to find a proper job and therefore subverts the stereotype that ‘hoodies’ choose not to go to a proper job and that it is their choice to live a life of crime. The film also tackles the subject of sexuality as Rash discovers that he is a homosexuality; Mo later finds out about this and is so ashamed that he would rather tell people that his brother is a terrorist. This really emphasizes how awful the homophobia is on the streets of London; the homophobia escalates to the point of Rash’s former gang setting him up by telling him to go kill a rival gang leader in order for the gang to stop talking to Mo (again showing Rash’s willingness to care for his brother), but it is actually a ploy to kill him because of his sexuality. The film is telling the audience that many gang members are unwillingly in a position that they cannot get out of, and the film really highlights how easy it can be for someone to be manipulated into joining. The film also helps the audience empathize with Rash by including his homosexuality, which shows how hard life can be for lower class citizens, the film is therefore trying to change people’s stereotypical opinion on ‘hoodies’ and youths.
The media has a large impact on society, usually through film and TV. Both film and TV represent youth culture in positive and, mainly, negative ways. Because media influences society on such a large scale, the medias representation of youth culture often changes people’s perception of youth, or different groups of people. Because the media tends to represent youth groups in a more negative manner, this usually creates the idea that ‘youths’ are more violent, rude, dangerous and always misbehaving; even if that is not the case.
For example, the film ‘Quadrophenia’ portrays youths as violent criminals, this is emphasized when the main character is involved in a large riot that is instigated by younger people; this can create further disdain for youth culture. This disdain/fear for youth culture that can be created by films like Quadrophenia can create panic on a fairly large scale; this is Stanley Cohen’s theory of ‘Moral Panic’ which is a feeling of fear that is spread among a large number of people that some evil threatens the well-being of a society. A Dictionary of Sociology defines a moral panic as ‘the process of arousing social concern over an issue – usually the work of moral entrepreneurs and the mass media’. This is a strong link to films like Quadrophenia as they can create/change people’s opinion of youth culture to the point of creating mass (exaggerated) fear; this links to the theory of moral panic as it was described as the media (film/TV) creating and spreading fear.
The media has a wider affect than just youth culture. For example, the media affects people’s perception of other groups of people, like lower class people. In film and TV, the lower class (and often youths) are usually portrayed as ignorant, violent and uneducated criminals; film and TV usually have the lower class wear similar clothes like hoodies, which has now become a staple of lower class criminals in media.
Film began to portray youths in a negative way during the 1950’s with films such as ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ and ‘The Wild One’. This practically created a new genre of film as youth culture films started to become much more popular and mainstream, whereas now they have become the norm in film and TV, especially in British film and TV where there tend to be a lot more youth culture films like ‘My Brother the Devil’ and ‘Kidulthood’. As youth culture films became more of the norm outside of the 50’s, we saw releases like ‘A Taste of Honey’ which is the story of an unmarried plain young girl who becomes pregnant by a black sailor then befriends a homosexual; this was far against the norm during the sixties which was still a very sensitive period as black people and homosexual people were still heavily discriminated against. This film therefore could create a very negative opinion of youth culture because it was so far against what was accepted in society, which could therefore create a very bad perception of youths.
Sound is a hugely important aspect of modern films, whether it is noticed or not. Sound in film can actively shape a scene and how the viewer interprets it.
The first major feature of film sound is rhythm. Rhythm holds a beat, pace or tempo and it is most recognizable in music rather than other diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. For example:
In this scene, the Jaws theme plays and gradually increases in tempo as Jaws gets closer to its victim. This has a recognizable rhythm that progressively gets faster and in turn, builds tension. However, rhythm is not only featured in music, it is also heavily used in dialogue, particularly speeches. For example, this scene from Independence day features the President making a speech; the actor speaks in a rhythm that keeps the audience captivated as it is not one, long, monotone speech with no pauses. The pauses in the speech actively add to the rhythm, making the speech much more captivating.
Fidelity
Fidelity of sound is also a hugely important aspect of sound in movies. Fidelity is how faithful a sound is to its 'supposed' source. For example, if the movie shows a gun being fired, it should be accompanied by the sound of a gun being fired. However, lack of fidelity is sometimes used on purpose whilst still being able to add to the movie. For example, in war movies, techniques are often used that have an explosion go off which creates a loud ringing sound. This ringing sound then consumes any other sound onscreen, this cleverly puts the viewer into the mind of the characters on screen as the viewer is able to tell that the character cannot hear anything even though there should clearly be other types of sound in the background.
Contrapuntal and Parallel sound
Parallel sound is where a sound matches what is happening on screen (in both physicality and tone) similar to the Jaws video.
However, Contrapuntal sound is where the sound does not match what is happening on screen and therefore gives off a completely different feel and tone for the viewer. For example, this scene from Reservoir Dogs, where a character is being tortured, but the music playing is completely opposite to the tone of the scene, this is very jarring to the viewer, which makes them feel especially uncomfortable.
Synchronous and Asynchronous sound
Synchronous sound is simply where the sound matches up with what is happening on screen, for example, dialogue between two characters where the sound is synced with their lips moving.
However, asynchronous sound is deliberately out of sync with the video. This can be used (and is often used) in things like flashbacks as it creates a much more dramatic and eerie tone for the viewer.
Volume
Volume is how loud a quiet the sound within a scene is. Sudden and dramatic changes in volume are often used in horror films to scare the viewer. For example, this scene from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, features a very sudden change in volume and pitch which is used to scare the viewer . This use of sound is especially effective as there is a long stretch in which the film is very quiet, which builds tension.
There are two main types of lighting, Hard and Soft. How somebody uses these types of lighting can drastically change the overall mood of a scene and the shape of the subjects within that scene.
Hard lighting is from sources like the sun; hard lighting is usually from a single point light source, which means that all the light is striking the object at the same angle. Since all of the light is created from the same angle, it creates a 'definitive' or a 'hard edge' on the shadows.
Soft light creates a soft shadow on the objects in the scene. This is created by a much broader light source that is coming at multiple angles, it means it creates a soft roll-off of light.
This is how something looks in hard lighting:
Notice the hard, rigid edges of the cowboy's shadow. In contrast, this is how something looks in soft lighting:
In this picture, you can see that the shadow falls in a soft gradient around the edge of the cowboy. This type of soft lighting is commonly used in films like Birdman and The Revenant for example, this is because the lighting gives off a flattering and soft look for the actors. For my short movie, I would personally like to use a much softer lighting as I believe that it sets the tone a lot better in contrast to the harder lighting. However, this will be difficult to achieve without the proper film-making tools like light sources and diffusion panels.
After some more consideration and planning about my short film, I am now able to go into much more detail about what will be in my film.
The film will now start with the main character coming home (from school or work) and quickly rushing past his family, who are in the downstairs living room, in order to go upstairs into his room and play games/use laptop. Either way the main character is going to have headphones on full blast so that the camera can hear the music even though the headphones are on. As time passes, there will be multiple shots from outside the house, eventually getting closer to the house, the shots will be mixed with shots from both inside and outside the house, giving off the feeling that someone or something is watches (the title will imply that it is something rather than a person).
As time has progressed, there is some kind of loud noise downstairs, the main character will go to investigate, but there will be multiple details about the house that have changed since the beginning of the film; I think that it will be a good idea to subtly draw the viewers attention to certain objects in the house as the main character is walking up the stairs, I am going to subtly change things in the environment i.e. slightly tilting paintings. As the character investigates the house, I will use mirrors to build tension. There are multiple areas on the set I have chosen where I am able to angle the camera towards a mirror, but still have the camera out of sight; I think I can use this to play around with tension as I could possibly have objects moving in the mirrors, only to have the camera turn around to show that nothing is there.
Furthermore, the character comes downstairs to find that his family is no longer home and they have left a note to say where they have gone. The note will be similar to this:
I’ve gone off to work and I won’t be back till late… Here's some money towards dinner, order a takeaway if you like….. remember to turn the lights off if you’re not in the room unless you want to pay the electric bill
This note opens up possibilities for moments in the film where I can have lights on before the character even enters the room, even if he turned them off, this will let the viewer know that there is something in the house with the character. The note also leaves an opportunity to have the 'till late' part scratched out, leaving only the 'I won't be back', implying that something has happened to the family; however the note will be scratched out at a later point in the film. The main character goes back upstairs and carries on as usual. The character can here the door then open, thinking it is his family, the main character goes downstairs only to find that the door wide open with the note taped to it. This is where the note is then scratched out, as the character walks around he finds clues that lead him and the viewer that his family never left the house i.e. the cars will still be in the driveway (I will make sure that the viewer knows what cars I have and how many by having the character interact with the before he enters the house) or having the TV still turned on; although I would like to have the TV be turned full blast (on its own) will the main character is checking the house. after a lot of tension building, I will have noises and movement coming from a cupboard and have the main character open it to find that one, there is nothing in there, or two, that his family members are tied up inside it, this will shock the viewer which means they will not expect the immediate jump scare as the camera pans back to the main character to show that there is something behind him. Alternatively, the main character can hear the noise of the garage door opening, so he then goes to investigate, after he then fully opens the door to find that his family is sat at a table in the garage. the character will then be rightly confused as to what they are doing in there. He then might ask a question to his family, but they will not respond and only start to stare at him, then the camera will cut back to the main character to show that there is something behind him, this will be accompanied by a loud audio cue to help scare the viewer.
Tracking shots are moments in films/TV that have the camera follow the object or person that is onscreen, tracking usually have the camera placed on a dolly, which is on-rails, and follows alongside the people/objects on screen.
Tracking shots have become very popular in modern cinematography as evidenced by 3-time Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki. Lubezki has become renown for long, unbroken tracking shots that are featured in his Oscar winning (for cinematography) films Gravity, Birdman and The Revenant. Gravity and The Revenant feature long tracking shots that are eventually broken up by cuts, Birdman however features a tracking shot that is made to look completely unbroken. Lubezki (cinematography), Alejandro G. Iñárritu (director) and the editors achieved this by cleverly disguising cuts with techniques like having the camera briefly covered by scenery or walls, they are also cuts where the camera is taken through dark rooms, eventually reaching pitch black for a short amount of time. This way, they can create cuts while still making the film feel seem less (like a theater performance which was what the director wanted to achieve).
What makes Lubezki's tracking shots different to others is the use of camera techniques and lighting.
Lubezki uses mostly hand-held camera's for his more recent movies (Knight of Cups, The Revenant, Birdman and Children of Men) as opposed to the usual standard of having the camera placed on an on-rails dolly, this gives both more and less freedom to the cinematographer and the actors as every scene has to be meticulously planned out to perfection, but the camera is not limited to a dolly as it is handheld. The use of these types of tracking shots gives off a surreal vibe to the viewer, making them feel much more involved in the scene, like in Birdman, or a part of the action, like in The Revenant.
Lubezki prefers to use much more natural lighting and a wide angle lens. Lubezki tends to use two different types of lighting, one where the shadow-side faces the camera and the other is (side-lighting) where it is split right down the middle of the actors face; for both of these techniques, he uses very soft and diffused lighting (often under multiple layers of diffusion), this gives the actors an extremely flattering and shadow-less look. In exterior shots, Lubezki loves landscaped, sunsets, sunrises and shots that are back-lit from the sun. Recently, most of his movies have exteriors that are almost completely natural lighting (like The Revenant) which can make it very difficult to film, but the payoff is worth it as the shots are much more pleasing to look at and they can achieve some beautiful shots.
For example, this scene (and every scene) in The Revenant was shot with completely natural light, which shows off some beautiful shots whilst also making the viewer extremely close to the action.
Most horror films tend to have very similar cinematography, this is because it is known to work and give off the proper desired effect on the audience. However, since I want my film to be a blend of more 'common' horror movies and the different type of horror films like 'It Follows' and 'The Witch'.
I am going to base my cinematography and camera shots off of DP's like Roger Deakins (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Prisoners, No Country For Old Men and Sicario) and and Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman, The Revenant, Children of Men and Gravity). The reason I am basing my camera shots off of the work of these people is because of the work on their films. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is one of my favourite films and the cinematography is a major reason for that. Take the train robbery scene for example, Roger Deakins even said himself that this was one of his favourite scenes he had filmed. In the scene the train slowly arrives, and it appears as a tiny little light source way in the distance, flickering through the trees and creating a strobing effect on the faces of the gang as they wait. Gradually, it grows and grows and grows, and the whole forest through which the train is travelling is slowly lit up by this one light on the train. Finally, it comes to a halt at the spot where the gang are waiting, and an immense cloud of steam envelops Jesse James, who is standing in front of the train. It's a very expressionistic scene: there are only really two light sources, one being the little oil lamp that Jesse is holding at the beginning, and the second being the light on the train.
Secondly, Emmanuel Lubezki has also created some of my favourite scenes and has been the director of photography for some of my personal favourite films. Lubezki's speciality seems to be unbroken tracking shots, this came to its peak with 'Birdman' where the whole film was made to look like one, long, unbroken tracking shot to give off the feel of of real life theatre performance (which was the plot of the film), the shots were broken up by clever camera work and timing, but the actors had to perform for long periods of time without a break. Some of my most favoured scenes from 'Children of Men' have been the 'car scene' and the 'miracle cease fire' (although they are much more effective with context of seeing the film) as they are beautifully shot and choreographed.
I would like to blend these two cinematographers' styles together during my film. I would like to study Roger Deakins' work to find out how he achieves the style, lighting and quality of his shots; I would also like to have one or two tracking shots in the duration of my film, I believe that this blend of camera shots can achieve a high standard of film and create a great atmosphere.
Short Film for media - 5 mins Horror/Thriller Aiming for a sense of atmosphere that is created by films such as ‘It Follows’ and ‘The Witch’.
The title I have decided to go with was ‘It Watches’ (blatantly based off of ‘It Follows’), but this may be changed at any time. The reason I have decided to go with this tile is because the main character is going to be ‘watched’ through the beginning of the film, until the viewer finally catches a glimpse of ‘it’.
I am going to start the film with the main character finding out he is home alone by a note let by his parents/family. The note will say something along the line of:
I’ve gone off to work and I won’t be back till late… Heres some money towards dinner, order a takeaway if you like….. remember to turn the lights off if you’re not in the room unless you want to pay the electric bill
After the character discovers he can order a takeaway, I believe it would be appropriate for the main character to do something funny/goofy in order to relax the viewer; similar to ’Ticklemonster’ where it starts with a much more relaxed tone before the horror actually starts.
The next few scenes will be of the character doing whatever while he is home alone. However, as scenes progress the camera shots will change from being inside the house, to outside the, giving the implication that someone/something is watching the main character, the shots from outside the house will slowly start to get closer the the character before eventually being inside the house again.
I think it would also be good to play around with mirrors in the house as I believe that it can create some nice practical effects i.e. have ‘it’ viewable in a mirror that the main character isn’t looking at, only to have the camera turn around to have ‘it’ not actually be there. I am hoping that these types of methods will be able to create a sense of tension and unease. After a while the character will start to move about the house as he feels unsettled, this is where the character will find the note that was left for him taped to the wall. The note will read the same, but have words crossed out of it, for example:
I’ve gone off to work and I won’t be back till late.
giving off the implication that ‘it’ has done something with the main characters family. I want this short film to play on tropes and cliche's of the horror genre, and I feel that this kind of thing gives off the type of ridiculous and cheesy atmosphere of similar films.
The viewer will then start to see ‘it’ more around the house, until one final jump scare, similar to the end of ‘Ticklemonster’.
For Halloween, Channel 4 released a series of short horror films called ‘Fright Bites’. These films provide as perfect inspiration for my short film. The Fright Bite that inspired me the most is the ‘Ticklemonster’. I am using this film for a basis of my short film because it achieved everything that I want to achieve with my short film.
‘Ticklemonster’ is only set in one room of a house and only has two character (three if you include the ticklemonster), this provides a perfect basis for me as filming in one general location (one solitary room, or more likely a house) minimises the chances of things going wrong during production. For example, my previous film was going to be about hitchhikers, which meant that I would have needed actors that were able to both drive and act at the same time, but I would have also struggled a lot with lighting and continuity (as the film would have had to take place late at night for the roads to be empty); the film would have also taken place in multiple locations, making it much harder to do reshoots and would have taken a lot longer to film as we would have had to spend hours perfecting every take.
However, my short film is now only going to be set in a house, therefore minimising risks with continuity problems and resolving the issue of reshoots as they can be done at any time. The problems with filming on a small scale is space issues (which the ‘Ticklemonster’ dealt with very well’ and creating a scary atmosphere in a place that isn’t necessarily scary as it’s only a house, this is why it could prove to be rather difficult to create an eerie atmosphere. This is another reason that ‘Ticklemonster’ is a great piece to base my film off of because they manage to perfectly create a scary atmosphere in a very small room. One reason I believe that ‘Ticklemonster’ is so successful in being scary is the fact that it plays on childhood memories/fears as the idea of a ticklemonster is not at all scary on paper, but the way that the film executes it is perfect with the acting and the practical effects (hands over the main characters body).
Due to problems with scheduling of the filming, the actors that were supposed to appear in my short film are now unable to. Therefore I have had to completely change the story and the genre of my short film.
I believe that it would be a smart idea to go with the horror genre as opposed the Black Comedy I had planned previously. This is because comedy (and especially a blend of comedy and drama) can be very hard to pull off without skilled actors. My previous short film was going to be a dialogue based black comedy which would have required precise comedic timing and expression; furthermore, due to the film being mainly two characters sat in a car together, the whole film depended entirely on the ability of the actors.
This is why I believe it is a much smarter idea to move forward with the horror genre as, in the past, it has proved that horror can be achieved with a very small cast and a very small budget. For example, Paranormal activity was made with a $15,000 budget, but managed to make a gross profit of $107,917,283.
Since films like ‘The Blair Witch Project’ have proved that horror can be achieved with a very small budget and a very small cast of characters; and since small, independent films like this have proved to be highly profitable as they have such a small budget, it has created a phenomenon with horror films constantly being released and making millions in profit.
However, while I chose the horror genre because it has proved to be ‘easy’ in the past, with certain tactics that can be used to create simple scares out of the audience, I will not be fully basing my film of of these types of horror films. I have chosen to base my films of Horror films such as ‘The Witch’, ‘The Badabook’ and ‘It Follows’. I have chosen these three films because they do not follow the conventional stereotypes of most horror films that rely on jump scares to provoke a reaction out of the audience; because most jump scares are not actually ‘scary’. I believe that these jump scares aren’t necessarily scary because 9 times out of 10, the audience tends to laugh afterwards in a moment of relief, whereas films like ‘It Follows’ and ‘The Witch’ isn’t necessarily a film where the viewer gets a moment of relief as the film creates a constant sense of tension for the viewer without relieving that with a jump scare to take all of the actual pressure out of the situation.
This is why I have chosen to have my film create a constant feel of tension for the viewer without relying on multiple jump scares. However, due to the fact that my film will only be around the 5 minute mark, I believe that it would be best to include 1 or 2 ‘big’ scares to provoke a reaction out of the audience as long, tension-building films such as ‘It Follows’ are able to do so because of their run time (1 hour 40 minutes), but a short film would not be able to create and maintain the same atmosphere as well as a feature length film.
'Bronson' (directed by Nicolas Winding Refn) is a biopic about Charles Arthur "Charlie" Salvador (better known as Charles Bronson and born Michael Gordon "Mickey" Peterson) who is known as 'Britain's most violent prisoner'. The film stars Tom Hardy as Charles Bronson, and displays his time in and out of prison.
The reason this film is inspiration to me is because it deals with some very serious situations, but manages to make light and comedy out of them. For example, there is a scene where Bronson is sent to a psychiatric unit and the film display's many different mental disabilities that people suffer with, but the film manages to make the viewer laugh but also heavily disturbed at what is happening. Nicolas Winding Refn also manages to get the viewer to support Bronson throughout the film, despite the crimes he commits. The film also inspires me by its use of camera shots. most of the film is set inside a prison, therefore the camera is used in a way to make the viewer feel a sense of claustrophobia and makes them feel strapped, similar to Bronson. This is a similar feel that I want the viewers of my short film to have.
Joel and Ethan Coen are two directors known for films such as Fargo, No Country For Old Men, Burn After Reading and The Big Lebowski.
The 'Shot, Reverse Shot' is a method that is used during dialogue where two (or more) camera's are placed opposite each other so the camera gives both views of a conversation. Most films use this as a simple method to record dialogue, but the Coen brothers have their own distinct style of the common shot, reverse shot. This video describes the distinct way that the Coen brothers film dialogue. The Coen brothers film dialogue in an original way by placing the camera inside the space of the conversation so each of the characters get separate shots, whereas most other films place the camera behind one of the actors; for example, like Paul Greengrass who places the camera behind the shoulder of one of the actors on a long lens, so that the viewer feels like their spying. The Coen's and Roger Deakins however, use a wide lens whilst closer to the character to give off a sense of presence to the viewer. I want to use a similar method in my short film, the Coen's style of the simple shot, reverse shot can be used very effectively in small spaces like a car, which most of my film will be shot in. This type of shot can also be used for a dynamic combination of both drama and comedy. As the video states, Comedy typically uses a long shot, whereas close-ups are reserved for drama, in order to show the face.
Because most/a large majority of the film will take place in a car, it can be much more difficult to do physical comedy (due to the reduced space). This is why I have used this scene from Joel and Ethan Coen's 'Burn After Reading' as heavy inspiration for the type of comedy I would like to strive for as it manages to master physical comedy while being enclosed into the space of a small car.
This scene from Burn After Reading is one of my favorite scenes from any Coen movie, this is purely because of the acting and the characters (the scene is much better if the viewer has watched the rest of the film, as to see the characters motivations and personalities develop) rather than the script itself. Although their are a few lines in the scene that are funny, most of the comedy is down to the performances of Brad Pitt and John Malkovich. The comedy first starts with the use of props, Brad Pitt arrives on a bicycle while on a bicycle and wearing a safety helmet (these are explained earlier on in the film with the main character being an fitness obsessed idiot) which is funny due to the serious nature of the conversation that the two characters are going to have. The visual comedy is carried on when Brad Pitt enters the car and imitates Malkovich by squinting. The real comedy of the scene is within the inflection of both Brad Pitt and John Malkovich. The way that each of them deliver their lines is what makes the scene funny. This will be very hard to achieve in my short film, which is why I will be using this scene as a frame of reference.
Hitchhikers is a Black Comedy inspired by other dark comedy films such as:
In Bruges - Black Comedy The Lobster - Very Dark Comedy Shaun of The Dead - Comedy, Action, Zombie The World's End - Comedy, Action Hot Fuzz - Comedy, Action, Crime This is the End - Comedy Bronson - Comedy, Crime, Biography Four Lions - Comedy, Crime, Drama The Grand Budapest Hotel - Comedy
The link that all of these films have is that they all make light of very dark or serious subjects. Four Lions, for example, is a film about a group of terrorists that plan to perform a suicide bombing during the London marathon; despite the very dark and serious nature of the film subject, the movie manages to create a very funny atmosphere with original and entertaining characters that the viewer is somehow able to sympathies with even though they plan to commit a horrible act. Bronson is very similar to this as it gets the viewer to empathize with a violent, psychotic criminal, but also manages to be funny and entertaining.
In Bruges is also a Black Comedy that has two assassins escape to hide in Bruges and tackles subjects like suicide and the murder of a child; whilst also managing to be funny. This is the exact type of comedy I want to achieve.
Hitchhikers is also inspired by films like Hot Fuzz and The Grand Budapest Hotel because of the directors' very distinct style of comedy; Edgar Wright and Wes Anderson are both very good at visual comedy, which can be hard to achieve. This is inspiration to me because I would like a blend of both visual comedy and comedy through dialogue. The difficulty in this is understanding what makes something funny, laughing at something is easy to understand, but understanding why something makes you laugh is extremely difficult as it can be hard to clarify what makes something funny.
Horror/Comedy/Dark Comedy Aiming for a blend of both visual comedy and dialogue comedy; inspired by directors like Wes Anderson and Edgar Wright.
Possible Names:
Hitchhikers
Hitchhikers guide to murdering
Rough Synopsis:
Two serial killers. Serial Killer 1: a serial killer who's signature kill is to pick up a hitchhiker, drive them to a remote place and murder's them. Serial Killer 2: a serial killer who's signature kill is to be a hitchhiker and murder the person who is driving them. Start with a news broadcast, newspaper article or website... stories about these two serial killers (possibly the news thinks that its only one serial killer) in order to set up the story. Follow with Serial Killer 2 practicing how he is going to kill his victim, also practicing the one-liners he is going to use [have a short montage of him awkwardly trying to decide on a on-liner and a murder weapon] Serial Killer 1 picks up Serial Killer 2 with the goal of killing him/her, but both quickly realize that they both have the same goal.
1 mentions that he is going to kill 2, 2 then replies saying he was going to the same. Both laugh and they start talking. 1 recognizes 2 from the news and proclaims that he is a huge fan of him. 2 then says 1's killer nickname, they both have a laugh and get to talking. [dialogue humor, they both recall their favorite kills and talk about what they have in common: both exchange emails/business card at the end or something along those lines]
Wes Anderson is a Director of films such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom and The Fantastic Mr Fox. Wes Anderson is known for his distinct visual style.
This video describes what is so unique about Wes Anderson as a director. The video emphasizes Anderson's visual themes and style; it also talks about the actors that he uses and how they impact the scenes he films.
Visual Style
The video explains why Wes Anderson's visual style is so recognizable and unique. Anderson explains how he wants his sets to look 2 dimensional or flat because Anderson said that he always wanted to work in the theater. Additionally, Anderson draws similarities with theater by his use of long takes (usually tracking shots) where actors have to perform for a longer of period of time; Anderson likes this method as he feel it gets the best out of his actors as they are challenged by the difficulty of performing for extended periods of time without cuts; Anderson said that he '"likes to see the actors play the scene through".
Wes Anderson typically has the main focus of the scene in the exact middle of the frame, this is another unique method that Anderson uses; usually, the main focus is placed slightly to the left or right of the middle as to match the viewers eye line, but Anderson places the focus in the middle so that the viewer has to concentrate on the middle.
The main purpose of our opening sequence was to mainly portray social divides and stereotypes. The two stereotypes we mainly wanted to highlight is people's perception of upper class people vs lower class people; we mainly emphasized this through exaggerating these stereotypes and using them to make it obvious to the viewer. We chose not to use dialogue so that we could try to emphasize these stereotypes based on purely looks and the characters actions alone; because of this, we had to make sure that the characters 'looked the part' so that it would be clear what we were trying to achieve. The characters costumes were inspired by what most people would assume that upper class and lower class citizens would wear . For our typical 'lower class' character, we had him wear very basic and plain (non-designer) clothes; a plain jacket, simple jeans and inexpensive shoes as to not draw too much attention which suits both the story and the character himself. For the typical 'upper class' character, we had him wear a formal jacket along with a shirt and tie and formal boots in order to give off a rich businessman vibe to the viewer; we also had the rich businessman carry a formal bag/briefcase, which we drew a lot of attention to (by using tracking shots on only the bag to make sure that the viewer knew it would be an important aspect of the story) to highlight the businessman vibe we were going for.
Areas of Success
I believe that we succeeded in highlighting every main point we wanted to. The main points we wanted to highlight were the stereotypical look of upper class vs lower class people and the viewers opinion on them, we also wanted to create a sense of mystery surrounding the briefcase by highlighting how important it was from the very beginning of the opening sequence. We also wanted to create a cliffhanger to draw the viewer in and make them want a continuation of the story.
I believe we succeeded in highlighting the stereotypes by the costumes and the actions that the characters made. For example, the lower class character is in very plain and cheap clothes whereas the upper class character is in a formal jacket, shirt, tie, trousers and formal boots; I believe that we succeeded in this area because we made it very clear to the viewer what we were going for.
I believe we also succeeded in making the viewer know that the briefcase was important before the twist was shown. We drew attention to the briefcase by focusing on it during the build up, especially when we used a long tracking shot of the briefcase to highlight its importance.
I also believe we succeeded in creating a sense of mystery at the end of the opening sequence making the viewer want to see more; we did this by leaving the opening sequence on a cliffhanger.
Areas for Improvement
We could have improved the sound of the opening sequence. I feel that the soundtrack ruined the tone of the opening sequence because t felt cheap and didn't really give off the right vibe. I believe that the opening sequence would have been greatly improved if we had used natural sounds or a much more subtle song to give off a much more subtle and eerie vibe.
The opening sequence could have also been a bit longer as the original was only 1:30, whereas it would have been much better if the opening sequence was around the 2:00 mark.
I believe that one of the worst aspects of the opening sequence is definitely the lighting; it is too bright for the type of atmosphere we were going for. I think we should have waited until it was slightly darker as that would have created a much scarier and mysterious feel to the opening sequence.
Audience Feedback
The feedback we received after we had some people watch the opening sequence was rather mixed. Many agreed on aspects that I had established we thought we did well i.e. the costumes and the intriguing story, but they also had complaints about the short length and the lack of any dialogue or proper characters as there is no talking in the opening sequence or proper character development; the only moment that has any character development is where one of the main characters finds a file about them in a strangers bag. Although we wanted to give off a mystery vibe, I do not think we translated or executed the idea very well, which is something that I am looking to improve on in A2
