Short Film

This is a copy of my media film. This one is of a lower quality than the one I planned to upload. It is also important to note that the voiceover is slightly distorted as a result of the film's compression.

Apart from this however, this is how my short film Beautiful People appears.

Evaluation - Products

I have attached the final version of my film to this post, along with my ancillaries - the poster and the review (which is actually in colour). It is also important to note that the voiceover on the film is slightly distorted - as a result of its compression, which was done to make it suitable for web viewing.

 I am satisfied that my short film and its accompanying ancilliaries are completed to the best of my ability and have evaluated all work in various posts below.



Evaluation

My ancillaries work with my media product mainly because the same image is used in both the review and the poster. I also used the same font for both products. Though this seems trivial, small details like the fonts are acknowledges by viewers, sometimes subconsciously. I wanted to use this to my advantage. It also created a sense of uniformity as both the poster and the review looked smart when in the same font. Also, I included the actors’ names on the posters and added them later on the review. I also named the film ‘Beautiful People: A Short Film’. This made it more memorable, and the fact that I presented ‘A Short Film’ as a subtitle, means that the title appears in an identical fashion on both ancillaries. I wanted to create a sense of uniformity as it ties the products together and makes my ancillaries identifiable to my film.

I wanted to convey parts of the message through my poster and so I used an image which depicted both characters standing at the top of the alleyway in the film. I constructed the costumes and positions that the actors are standing in, in order to represent their personalities through their stances. I did this by having the woman wearing black and white, standing in a closed position. I also had the actor stare towards the camera to create the feeling that the character is staring at the viewer. This makes the viewer feel like the character is staring at only them, and generates interest in the film. I also did research into short film posters and researched posters that went with the short films I had already watched. This was useful as I found that posters are usually implicit and enigmatic, with a single image, title and credits written over it. I chose to include conventions of these posters in mine. I therefore chose to contrast the tramp with the woman in the picture, to emphasise the divide between the two characters. I positioned the tramp leaning casually against the pole at the front of the alleyway, with loose clothing on, staring into the distance. This emphasised the tramps freedom and obviously contrasts between the two characters. The fact that they barely seem to be acknowledging each other beckons questions from the viewer – as I found from my questionnaire. The fact that questions are provoked means interest is generated which, in turn, means that the poster is fulfilling its purpose. The alleyway acts as a sort of ‘no man’s land’ or ‘middle ground’ and is a pivotal part of the plot – hence its inclusion in the poster.

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Evaluation

I decided to include conspicuous similarities between the poster and the review, in order to create a visible link between the two. I used the same image and font so that it was obvious that the two products were related to one another and that they were related to the film. I included the actors’ names as I had on the poster and researched reviews in order to make mine as authentic as possible. I read various magazines from fashion to film magazines in order to gain an insight into the way film reviews are currently presented. I found that most publications divided their reviews into two sections. Most divulged the plot in a few lines and then reviewed the film afterwards. Another common feature was the rating – which can be presented using stars or numbers. I chose to use stars in my review as the rating is clearly visible. I also chose to include a ‘verdict’ section, where the review is summed up. I found this was used in many film magazines. I think that my review looks quite authentic as it uses many features used by actual film reviews. My research also helped me in the construction of the review as well as the actual writing of the review. The use of the image, actors’ names and font is also notable as it links the poster effectively with the review, and in turn, links both ancillary products to the short film.

Other research that I conducted included the research into short films. I did extensive research on both short films and films that had storylines similar to mine e.g. Sliding Doors. I made notes of the conventions of both and considered the different shots, costumes, props, locations etc. I also considered my target audience and found that most short films were aimed at young adults. This is shown, in the films, by the unusual methods of filming, young actors, and use of a message, which is meant to be conveyed to the viewer. My target audience did include young adults, but also aimed to educate people, in general. I therefore used the issue of homelessness, which appeals to everyone, including adults. I also chose to include references to the woman’s job to add to the universal appeal that I wanted the film to have. When I asked people, as part of my questionnaire, about the reasons they viewed the film as successful; one person said that its universal appeal was significant. Others said that the poster and review marketed the film well. I was glad about the positive feedback that I received, as I had researched both thoroughly.

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Evaluation

I had not produced a poster or a review before and so whilst I did not use new technologies, I did experience a few problems when producing them. I had to acquire Microsoft Publisher in order to edit my review at home, as I had to start it at school. I also had to borrow a camera so I could produce a good quality camera shot for my poster. However, these were minor obstacles which I quickly overcame.

The poster shoot took place on the 3^rd October and lasted around 2 hours. There were some problems as it was raining – hence the umbrella in the image. This was one of the flaws of the film as the umbrella isn’t included in the film. Ultimately, I decided that this was only a minor problem as the umbrella was necessary in order to keep the actors and the props dry. I took around 80 photographs on the day and narrowed the choices down with the help of the actors. I eventually decided on the image because of its accurate illustration of the plot of the film.

My review was finished in October and took around 2 weeks to complete. This was because I had to wait for Microsoft Publisher to arrive so I could edit the review at home. This was only a minor problem, however, as I was able to edit the film with the new version of Publisher.

Overall, I am happy with my film as I believe it adheres to the brief and uses and develops short film conventions. Though I challenged some conventions by using a voiceover, I believe it worked well and was suitable for the film, as it was told in hindsight. I did encounter some problems, though I overcame these problems quite quickly. Working alone was a challenge, as I had a lot of responsibility. However, I became used to it, and enjoyed having the freedom to make my own personal decisions. I believe my ancillaries work well with my product as they were well-researched and received positive feedback from my questionnaire. There are some small flaws with the film, but altogether I believe the whole production – including the short film, the poster and review – is effective in fulfilling its purpose.

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Voiceover Script

Voiceover script

Woman - only speaker

[Shot of home] – ‘That was my home’.

[Shot of woman] – ‘That was me’.

[Leaves house] –‘I was late for work on my way to the bus stop’. ‘When I saw the tramp’.

[Shot of tramp].  ‘The irritating tramp who had lingered at that alleyway for some time now. I wondered if she thought she could talk to me, but I carried on anyway’.

[Shot of tramp trying to stop woman] ‘That’s when she grabbed my bag and I told her what I thought of her’.

[Woman shouting at tramp] ‘I said some horrible things, but this I’ll always remember’.

[Woman saying ‘You’re disgusting, you’re vermin!’ in flashback memory’]

[Woman walking briskly] ‘I rushed for the bus after that’

[Approaching bus stop] ‘It was a really important day at work’

[Checks the timetable, consulting phone for time] ‘I checked the time and the timetable twice’.

‘I’d missed the bus’.

‘I couldn’t believe it’.

 [Woman gets visibly angry]

 [Kicks bus shelter frame out of frustration] ‘That hurt’.

[Woman rushes desperately back in the direction she came. She begins to slow. Looks morose]

‘Then I walked off…to work’.

[Shot fades to woman walking with flowery box towards home]

‘A few weeks later, I lost my job. I hadn’t done well there since my encounter with the tramp’.

‘They gave me a stupid flowery stuff for my stuff, and told me to go’.

[Woman returns home, takes off shoes, puts down handbag. Crosses living room, puts box on table, sits down]

‘I was shocked’.

[Shot of box]

‘But all I could think of was the tramp’

[Shot of woman talking to unknown person ‘But you can’t just leave, you can’t just go’].

‘And a few weeks after that, he left me’

[Person leaves house. Woman shouting ‘Come back!’. She opens door and shouts ‘Come back!’ down the road, then gives up].

‘I didn’t run after him, ‘cause I knew it was over’.

[Closes door]

‘Instead, I was alone with my thoughts’.

[Sits down on floor despairingly. Shot zooms out]

‘And again, I thought of the tramp’.

[Fades into next scene of woman leaving house with bags and box]

‘Eventually, I lost my home’.

[Leaves house]

‘Without my job and without him, I couldn’t keep it’.

[Walks up path onto pavement]

‘So I left with my life packed into a couple of bags and that flowery box’.

[Walks up and down street in a confused and indecisive state]

‘And then it dawned on me – I had nowhere to go’

[Crosses road and comes to stand in the middle of crossroads]

‘So I just wandered around, not getting anywhere’.

[Stands in middle of crossroads, turning round, confused].

‘It was then that I remembered the tramp’.

[High angle shot zooms out, showing vulnerability and isolation of woman]

[Fades out, and then in to shot of woman – close up]

 ‘A few months later, and I am homeless with the tramp’.

[Shot of tramp. Then shot of woman and tramp. Tramp hands scarf to woman who takes it, smiling]

‘I’m glad I met her as I see far more than I did before’.

‘There are many beautiful people in this world, and this way I can see them, and I am happy’.

[Shot zooms out showing tramp and woman content on the pavement. Fades out to credits].

Planning - Filming Schedule

Film Schedule

Saturday 25^th September 2010 – Filming: Included shot of tramp and argument, missing bus and establishing shots

Sunday 3^rd October 2010 – Poster shoot, around 80 photographs. Alleyway, various positions. Problems because of weather.

Sunday 5^th November 2010 - Filming – Majority of film shot today. Establishing shots, argument, missing bus, losing job, losing boyfriend, loses house, homeless with the tramp.

Thursday 9^th December – Recording of voiceover

Friday 17^th December – Editing finished. Entire film finished.

[This is a copy of the filming schedule that I adhered to when filming and editing my film]