Plot: Mind MapBrainstorming the plot allowed us to come up with many ideas for our short film such as: -The locations the scenes will be filmed in. -The props that will be used and its purpose -Overall highlights of the short film Doing a mind map allowed us to plan our storyline in preparation for our storyboards and script so we have a base to work up from. Brainstorming the planning and construction allowed us to:
-Write out our characters and who's they'll be played by -Write down which films inspired us most and why. -How these meaning will communicate to the audience. - Also showcases our film genre.
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Created using Visme. Free Online Presentation Software. How we made our logoOriginally we had the idea to have the font in an indie style font as we thought it would compliment our genre and generally compliment our short film idea as indie style font can be seen as foreign language and as our short film is based on a migrant it would make sense with our theme. Sophia and I thought that we should have an image in the centre of our logo but we weren't sure as to what the should be. I then thought that the image should be of phoenix as phoenix wings spread so far and are such powerful creatures that we thought would look best holding up the initials of 'Rising Phoenix Production'.We thought that we should have an image in the centre of our logo but we weren't sure as to what the should be. I then thought that the image should be of phoenix as a phoenix can represent that someone has arisen from flames as a winner, beating all life challenges and defeating hard times. Therefore, a phoenix is a symbol of rebirth and we thought this was a good message to represent our production company and make us stand out as a brand. We thought that the phoenix logo would look best with the wings holding up the initials 'Rising Phoenix Productions' (our production company name) as it separates us from others and clearly shows our brand. I made a quick sketch and thought about potential colours and came up with the design above. Next step was to try and make it... The image on the left is a scratch idea we came up with before transferring it over to Motion to then edit it with Final Cut Pro. Script Writing Examples of real media scripts Based on the actual case files of one of the most intriguing unsolved crimes in the nation's history, Zodiac is a thriller from David Fincher, director of "Seven" and "Fight Club." From this script I have learnt that you need to clearly state on your script where the scene takes place and on a separate line what happens and directions for the characters. Gone Girl is a docudrama film which is based on a wife who goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary which causes her husband to become a prime suspect in the investigation. From this script i learnt that it is important to state the location of the scene as actions units of action will reflect upon the location they're in. How will you use these analysis to influence your own script? Through analysing these scripts I have found that it is virtue to include page numbers as an actor will need to know what page to go back to when they're either rehearsing or to revise their script. without page numbers actors and even the writer will get confused and finding where the right scene is may be time consuming as well as frustrating if all actors are unable to find the same page. This applies books as well. When writing my own script I will ensure there are page numbers on each page so when auditioning cast members and finalists the process will be much easier on the director and themselves. In addition, it is important to have a narrative and the stage directions. This is important for actors especially because they'll know exactly what they're suppose to do in the environment they're in. This also outlines the basics of what they're suppose to be doing in the scene. For instance, if right before a line it says (mumbles) the actor will be expected to mumble their line.On the director's side this process is much easier as the director knows what he is looking for in the actor simply by looking at stage directions and narratives to compare each actor from the best to the worst audition. When writing my own script I will make sure there is a narrative if necessary as this adds on the overall effect in the deliverance of the lines and how it will come across to the audience. I have also found that it is important to put my short film into three acts which is known as the Three-act structure. The first act which is known for establishing the introduction which is the opening scene which exposes the main character, their purpose and the world they live in. Then the confrontation which also is also referred to as the 'rising action' is typically the midpoint of a film which usually results in a anxious tension build up brought upon the protagonists by the antagonist. This second act creates a higher sense of awareness of who they are and what they are capable of, in order to deal with their predicament, which in turn changes who they are. In terms of Adah this is the boiling point. the final one which is usually referred to as the 'crisis' or 'resolution' is very important as it leaves a huge or no impact on the audience. this can be described as the final message. this act usually is the climax of the scene or sequence in which the main tensions of the story are brought to their most intense point and the dramatic question answered. For Adah this was her climax. Theory that applies to your script? Our ScriptFirst draft:Official Script:What is a storyboard? A storyboard is a sequence of drawings, typically with some directions and dialogue, representing the shots planned for a film or television production. Before Sophia and I made our storyboard we look at many well known film storyboards. Inspirations Gone with the Wind (1939) Director:Victor Fleming Storyboard Artist: William Cameron Menzies Epic Civil War drama focuses on the life of petulant southern belle Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh). Starting with her idyllic on a sprawling plantation, the film traces her survival through the tragic history of the South during the Civil War and Reconstruction, and her tangled love affairs with Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) and Rhett Butler (Clark Gable). Spider-Man 2 (2004) Director: Sam Raimi Artist: Jim Brykit The summary of this film is when a failed nuclear fusion experiment results in an explosion that kills his wife, Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) is transformed into Dr. Octopus, a cyborg with deadly metal tentacles. Doc Ock blames Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) for the accident and seeks revenge. Meanwhile, Spidey's alter ego, Peter Parker, faces fading powers and self-doubt. Complicating matters are his best friend's (James Franco) hatred for Spider-Man and his true love's (Kirsten Dunst) sudden engagement to another man. Jurassic Park (1993) Director: Steven Spielberg StoryboardArtist: David Lowery The summary of this film is the one and only Steven Spielberg's massive blockbuster, paleontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) are among a select group chosen to tour an island theme park populated by dinosaurs created from prehistoric DNA. While the park's mastermind, billionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), assures everyone that the facility is safe, they find out otherwise when various ferocious predators break free and go on the hunt. Our Storyboard
How you came up with the film name? Initially we thought the film name should give away the story line but not too much as we would want the audience to be captivated the moment they see the opening. This gave us many suggestions on what and where to look at for good movie ideas. I then had the idea that the film name should be the main characters name as this will make the audience think ' This must be about her life' or 'I wonder why the film is named after her'. Before I went forward with this idea I looked at films that were named after individuals based on the lives on the individuals. How did you gather information to finalising the film name choices? First name suggestions? We thought to make the process easier for ourselves and people we would interview, researching african names would be much easier as our initial idea was for the name to be an obvious hint as to what the film will be based on. As our main character is a migrant from african it would make sense to have the film name be either her first name or full name. So we researched many african names and their meaning that we could put together to form a first name and surname so the people being interviewed can decide whether it should just be 'Adah','Abimbola' or 'Adah Abimbola'. www.babble.com/baby-names/african-names/ Last name suggestions? The Deciding Factor...... Conclusion This was a controversial topic as all three film name suggestions have different ways of representing the film. Adah ended up having the most votes however there wasn't much different in results. Most people said that Adah was either 'short' 'snappy' or 'catchy' whereas people who voted Abimbola said it represents her 'heritage' or simply has much more of a deeper meaning. My partner and I took these responses into consideration and combined them with our own opinions and research then concluded Adah would be the best choice to go with as we would want our film name to attract the audience and let the film explain itself not let the title confuse them or give away too much before they even watch the short film which I felt like the other name suggestions could possibly do. Adah = Name of our short film.
AUDITIONS POSTER In order for us to know which cast members to use we decided to hosts auditions. I made this poster so people knew what steps to follow . Those who were successful were given details on where the auditions were held and what exactly to had to bring. those final actresses chosen were given a section of the script to read with a pair. This would then allow my co-director and I to differentiate each cast member from each other so we would know which role suites who best. We wanted to give all young females an opportunity to showcase their talent as we are a production running in a low budget we cannot proceed with hiring well known actresses as this will require an increase in our budget my co-director and I decided the best way is to look at the passion the audition participates bring to the floor and through the script. This will give us an inside on how connect these individuals are for the characters they're auditioning for. Audition Cast: Headshots Ebun Serena Akinade Nathali Herrara Malika Robinson Kate Allen Sophia Tamen Miss Badham Suzy Okereyke Julie-anne McCarthy Maisie Williams Nicole Koslov Phoebe Clachar Becky Omoregie The Auditioning Process The Final Cast Name: Aisha Jalloh Age: 18 Gender: Female Height: 5ft6 Ethnicity: Black British Ethnic Origin: Black African (Nigeria) Selected for the role of Adah Summary of Adah: Adah is a young bubbly venerable Nigerian girl who has recently immigrated to the UK. She is finding it hard to fit in her new school and make friends, and is missing her culture as well as her family back home. Why this actress was chosen for the role? We believed becky suited this role because she had similarities to the character of Becky one of them commonly being the fact that they're both Nigerian. She is also Nigerian herself and the cultural aspect comes naturally to her, this would therefore seem a lot more natural and not forced and helps make the docudrama seem real and current. We want becky to show the audience that it is okay to open up to someone as little things as such can have a huge effect swell as relief on someone's life. Whereas bottling up emotions can only lead to putting ones life at risk as no one would be aware to help. How becky will show this to the audience will be through her intense facial expressions,body language and daily routine. The audience will acknowledge her emotional wreck and will be able to empathise with her.Becky may represent all immigrants in the UK who find it hard to integrate and feel isolated and alone. This short film may draw this audience in as they will be able to connect with the character through experience and there treatment upon arriving to the UK. Name: Nicole Koslov Age: 18 Gender: Female Height: 5ft8 Ethnicity: White British Ethnic Origin: Russian Selected for the role of Cathy Summary of Cathy: Cathy is a well liked young student within the school. However Cathy tends to fall under the bad influence of others. She is nice at the start and eventually her true colours are slowly revealed towards the end of the short film. She represents females who should speak up yet never do and the consequences suffered because of not using your voice where it is due. We believed Nicole would be best suited for this role as she has similarities to the description of Cathy in terms of looks. My co- director and I thought it was best if Cathy was a blonde white girl due to the stereotypes made about blondes being stupid and vulnerable we thought that Cathy would of been better off blonde as the audience will understand the character more as Nicole will be able to represent this stereotype of blonde girls following the influence of others. Name: Suzy Okereyke Age: 17 Ethnicity: Black British Ethnic origin: Black African (Nigeria) Selected for the role of Brittany Summary of Brittany: Brittany is a young female who comes across as intimidating as she is seen as a bully in the eyes of other students. She tends to judge and pick on other students for the way they act as well as the way they dress. She can be seen as the leader of her group. My co director and I thought Suzy would represent the character of Brittany best as she knows how to put on a mean front. She also can pull off mean facial expressions. This will enable her to connect with the character of Brittany as this will highlight the similarities. Brittany represents females who think it is okay to pick on others without there being a severe consequence behind those actions. We believed Suzy will help get the point 'Bullying is never okay' across as we believe she will create a big response from the audience in this way. Name: Nathali Herrara Age: 17 Height: 5ft8 Ethnicity: Hispanic British Ethnic Origin: Equadorian Selected for the role Nikki Summary of Nikki: Nikki is rude, self-centred and ignorant. Nikki is an abrupt immature student who comes across as careless about her future as she is seen to be a bully who has no aware of consequences that could be brought upon her is she is not careful. Nikki represents attractive young females who think they're superior to others and treat others as if they're below them. We believed Nathali will be able to open the eyes of females similar to her character as females like Nikki need to understand that not everything is about looks and that people should remain humble. We selected Nathali for this role as we believe that she will connect to the character as she herself has personal experience that she can relate and connect to in order to get to the audience and make them feel some form of hatred towards her as she is partially the reason for the tragedy at the end of the short film. Name: Maisie Williams Age: 17 Height: 5ft6 Ethnicity: Mixed/British Ethnic Origin: White British/Mixed British Selected for the role Brooke Brooke is portrayed a someone who has not got a mind of her own. a follower to put in simpler terms. originally my co directer and I pictured Brooke being a mix race girl. Maisie out of all the cast members was selected as she show cased her raw talents in her audition and she really showed that she can be a real mean girl. We believe Maisie will be able to show the audience that in life you should have a mind of your own and do what is best for you and not follow the crowd as this may not always be the right path. Maisie represents young females who are smart enough to know there rights from wrongs but choose to do wrong things anyway. In this short film we believe Maisie will convey why this is detrimental to her future. Name: Miss Badham Age: 27 Gender: Female Ethnicity: White British Ethnic Origin: British Selected for the role of Miss White Summary of Miss White She is charismatic, friendly and approachable. She sometimes tries to hard to get students to talk to each other which makes some of the shy ones (Adah) uncomfortable. Adah after previous experience t prior schools does not like to be made the centre of attention and Miss White prides herself in doing this to all her students as she thinks it makes them feel special. We thought Miss Balham has similarities to the character and would be able to represent Miss White the way we imagined. She is also an English Teacher in real life and is very bubbly and charismatic as Miss White's character description, therefore, we thought she would be a good fit for our teacher. We wanted this character to be relatable and realistic to the audience a 'typical friendly English teacher'. Miss White will show this through her facial expressions and her body language the audience will be able to stereotype this teacher within the first few seconds of her appearance in the film. We intend this short film to show people how school life really is for bullied kids and how even the friendliest of teachers can be oblivious to what is really happening. In order for the cast to familiarise themselves with each other my partner and I thought it was best to create a group chat on WhatsApp as this is convenient for cast members to get to know one another and discuss when filming can fit into everyone's schedule. We had to work round, when our locations were free to use, when our actors were available as they would have to take time off work. The group chat was a good way of communicating with everyone involved in the production of our film as this way we knew everyone had received the messages and they could ask us questions or inform us on anything we should know. This was ideal for my partner and I as questions about any arising issues can be asked and resolved which will allow our cast members to gain trust amongst each other.
CANTEEN SCENE: ONLY OPTION Canteen scenes tend to add a sense of realism to a film based in a secondary school as a break is what most students look forward to, this adds onto young pupils daily lives. A scene in the canteen would simply be more authentic as viewers would easily understand what Adah is going through during this time period since pupils witness this everyday in their school lives. This was our final and only option since we felt like this canteen is very much simple like any other school canteen. We did not want anything that may look too colourful or too dull as that would not look realistic enough to be a usually secondary school canteen. Hence why we chose this one since it is simple. CLASSROOM: OPTION 1 This classroom is quite narrow and more intimate. This can mean the action can be more intense and focused as the actors would be much closer to each other. This could make situations either a whole lot better or a whole lot worse. This also can showcase ones work visually rather than written. this may give Adah an opportunity to either showcase her skills or show how she is not used to high technology. FINAL CHOICE We decided that this room would be the best choice for Adah to take the pills in as it is very narrow with restricted vision which will be beneficial to shots like close ups and medium shots. CLASSROOM SCENE: OPTION 2 Many things take place in a classroom, many things that teachers are either aware or unaware of. For our short film a classroom was one way to show the audience how Adah hasn't been able to adapt to a british culture. Things like this take place in a day to day life hence why it is important that a classroom scene is used in our short film as segments taking place in a classroom are completely relatable. CLASSROOM SCENE: OPTION 3 This classroom is similar to option 1 however this one has a completely different seating arrange meant which is more welcoming for groups. Because Adah joins the school alone she has not got a friendship group so this classroom may add more social awkwardness onto Adah's school life as she finds it difficult to fit in. CORRIDOR SCENE: OPTION 1 Corridor scenes can be very intimidating as you could be walking and people are judging you or you could simply be having a conversation with a friend whilst walking to lesson or going for break. This corridor is straight forward and quite narrow which could either be used for blocking or passing someone. This corridor could be used for when Adah runs into an isolation room as this corridor seems quite and less of a hang out. BOTH OPTIONS ARE GOING TO BE USED IN THE SHORT FILM. CORRIDOR SCENE: OPTION 2 Corridor scenes can be very intimidating as you could be walking and people are judging you or you could simply be having a conversation with a friend whilst walking to lesson or going for break. This second corridor option is prolonged at narrow. This could be used to create tension and awkwardness between characters. This corridor scene could be used when ahah is barged into by one of the mean girls. BOTH OPTIONS ARE GOING TO BE USED IN THE SHORT FILM. Both of these corridors will provide the same vision for the viewers, the pan will be clear, both corridor lengths are equivalent. OUTDOOR SCENE: OPTION 1 This scene will be used to highlight the school day to day atmosphere as students teachers etc will be passing by. Many things tend to take place outside school grounds. Discussions, arguments or laughter which take place outside so teachers are unaware, this scene is used right after the canteen scene with Adah and the mean girls. this is used to generally give the audience a sense of realism. FINAL CHOICE This scenery will be perfect for an establishing shot to convey the school environment as well as a time lapse to give the viewers that sense of day to day school life. INTERVIEW/SECLUDED ROOM: This locations ideal for the counselling/interview scene between Adah and her councellor. this room is very small and compact which allows the scene to be more intimate and creates more tension for the audience and the character themselves. this location reflects how the character adah is feeling isolated and secluded from everybody else in school and outside. it is important for me to ensure the audience has a full understanding on whats going on in Adah's life and how the scenery may conform to it.
FINAL CHOICE This room is narrow and would be especially beneficial to a two shot as this room will be used when Adah goes into a room to gather her self along with her emotions shortly followed by her teacher. This room would also adhere to a medium shot to not only establish the scene but from the actors hips upwards so facial as well body expressions are clear. |
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November 2017
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