Most of you are now ready to shoot or have begun shooting already. To avoid any disappointments and/or lost time whilst on set, it is important that you turn up with a full kit. This should include:

Camera

Microphone

Tripod

Boom pole

Battery (camera) + spares

Clapperboard

Memory cards

Storyboards

Script

Costumes

Props

Map of location

Your kit could also include:

Lights

Extension cords

Masking tape (for taping down electrical cables…health and safety first!) 

You are all now in the full flow of preproduction and are all developing credible ideas within recognisable generic codes and conventions. Some groups are struggling with story-boarding, mainly because you feel you are not strong enough artists. If this applies to you, have a look at this video;

There are other alternatives to drawing your own boards. Storyboard That provides free (albeit limited) access to drag and drop templates that help you produce a neat-looking board within minutes. The downside is that you have to share your work with the internet…although you can remain anonymous.

Congratulations! You have all completed your first submission for Unit 10 / Learning Aim A. In this Learning Aim we have looked at the mechanics of film in both macro and micro detail. We saw how narrative and genre are often structured to deliberately appeal to certain audiences, as well as how the meaning of a film is encoded within the cinematography, mise-en-scene, editing and sound.

Now comes the exciting part…

Learning Aim B concerns itself with the pre-production and production of a short fictional film or film extract. You will be placed into groups of three and you will produce material for a fiction film of a specified genre. This learning aim follows on from Learning Aim A in which you analysed films in order to inform your own film production.

In this Learning Aim, you will need to demonstrate that you can manage the filming process and acquire high-quality footage that is fit for a particular purpose (an identified genre or audience). Because you will be working in groups on film making projects, each member will need to be organised so that every member of the group can have an identifiable scene that they have directed or filmed. Care will need to be taken to achieve this without disrupting the overall style of a film (if two scenes are made in hugely contrasting styles, for example) but it is important that every member of the group has an opportunity to demonstrate their ability in this respect.

This Learning Aim begins with an agreed proposal / treatment to turn into a short film. It is important that I manage and approve the films to be put into production carefully to ensure that they can be measured against a particular purpose or genre, are realistic and that they give sufficient opportunities to each member of the group.

Before filming there are a number of pre-production processes which need completing to ensure a smooth production process. These include;

• a detailed proposal / treatment
• screenplay
• storyboard
• production schedule
• location recce
• production budget

What is a Proposal? 

Once your group have decided on a feasible idea you should be ready to produce a detailed proposal. A proposal (or treatment) is a detailed written document designed to obtain approval and support for the project. It should be written in a clear and engaging language that meets the expectations of media producers.  It should also be approx. one page long.

A proposal should contain the following; a brief synopsis and rationale for the project (including genre); the structure; main characters; specific information regarding audience; influences; budget and schedule; and key personnel. A completed version looks a bit like this;

You can find a blank template of this document on Godalming Online.

Once you have had your proposal approved you are ready to produce a screenplay and storyboard. You are well tutored in the structure of a film screenplays – on the maxim that each page is approx. 1 minutes of screen time, you should be producing between 4 and 5 pages of correctly formatted script.

What is a storyboard?

The important part of a storyboard is the story. It is a way of telling your narrative visually, rather like a cartoon strip. Essentially a storyboard tells the story of your film in small hand-drawn pictures. The great thing is you do not have to be a good artist – photographs and stick men drawings are fine.

The importance of a storyboard is to see how all the shots fit together to tell your narrative before you go out and shoot the video. This is like having a visual script.

It is essential that the storyboard frames match the images you want to use in your film frame for frame in sequential order. It is also important that each frame includes essential written technical information for filming. This should include – shot number; camera framing (CU, ExCU, LS etc.); brief description of the shot; an indication of camera movement (zoom, track, etc.) supported by arrows to indicate the direction. Here is an example;

You will find examples and templates for storyboards on Godalming Online.

What is a Shooting Schedule?

A shooting schedule indicates the total number if days recording that will actually be required to complete the project. Shooting schedule information is assembled to include all major personnel, equipment and locations needed for the entire production.  A completed version looks like this;

Again, you can find a template on Godalming Online.

What is a location recce? 

A good location recce involves finding suitable locations for each scene and logistically working out what the possible problems would be when filming. It is important that you fully explore the location and provide still images as evidence of suitability, as well as a map and detailed location details. Please use this template (also on Godlaming Online).

What is a detailed production budget? 

A production budget indicates all of the costs, regardless of how small, and if unknown, a professional estimate must be made. Please use the template provided.

Diary Blog

As you are producing your pre-production materials and experimenting with production techniques, it is essential that you record your progress on your blog. Keep a daily diary entry of what you have done, what you have learnt and evidence of your decisions and progress.

Good luck folks…I’m looking forward to seeing your creative ideas!

MVP

As promised, here are some simple editing terms which may help you with your analysis. As with the other micro elements, it is worth considering why the director has chosen a particular way of placing one shot next to another; what meaning can be gleamed from this?

Continuity of motion – the flow of action from one shot to the next as it is placed on the screen at the cut point.

Cross-cut – the intercutting of shots from two or more scenes so the fragments of each scene will be presented to the viewers attention alternately

Cut – a simple break / cut from one shot to another shot.

Dissolve – a gradual merging of the end of one shot and beginning of another produced by a fade-out onto a fade-in of equal length.

Fade-in – 1 shot which begins in total darkness and gradually lightens to full brightness.

Fade-out – the opposite of a fade-in.

Montage – a series of related shots which lead the viewer to a desired conclusion (as in, shot A leads to shot B leads to shot C… leads to shot X; shot X being the outcome of the sequence).

Now you are about to start on your formal assessment for Learning Aim A it is important that you select the correct film choices. Ensure that you have TWO films from TWO different genres that are clearly defined by their iconography (e.g Western, Sci-fi, war etc.). Now pick a 3 minute clip from both (beginning, end, key scene etc.)  and use the following criteria to analyse them;

Introduction – introduce your two films. What genres are they? Why did you choose them?

Format & Purpose

Provide some background information on your first film – who made it?

Which studio?

Budget?

Box office success?

Running time?

What is it about?

For what purpose was it made? For what audience was it made (gender, age, sexuality, mainstream, niche etc.) Is it a sequel or part of a franchise?

Description

Briefly describe the sequence – what happens?

Narrative

From which part of the narrative is this scene taken from (disruption/ struggle/ resolution)? How do you know?

Does the scene feature stereotypical characters or stock characters (be sure that you know the difference)?

Does it feature a cause and effect structure in its sequence of storytelling?

How does it tell the story (dialogue, v/o etc.)?

Genre & Mise-en-scene

What is the genre of the film?

How can you tell?

Identify typical generic elements; location / characters / actors / props (iconography) / costumes/ themes /colour / performance / setting / décor etc.

Does the film cater to audience expectations or does it subvert them?

What pleasures does the film offer an the audience? IN THIS SECTION YOU MUST REFER TO OTHER FILMS WITHIN THE GENRE

Link the mise-en-scene to both the genre and how an audience may ‘read’ the scene.

Cinematography – camera movement / framing / position / point-of-view

Lighting – high key / low key / back-lit / side / overhead / under/ natural / use of shadows

Sound – music choices, dialogue, sound effects – diegetic /non-diegetic / parallel or contrapuntal

Editing– does the editing drive the pace of the scene? Does it use straight cuts or fades? Does it create editing patterns – e.g. shot reverse shot.

Last week we studied genre and looked at the various components that make up different genre films. Narrative and genre are often referred to as the macro elements of film; the large, overarching structure that forms the backbone of the work. However, film can also be divided into micro elements which comprise of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound. All of these smaller elements combine to produce meaning and emotion within an audience. This week we will look at how and why directors employ these elements and also use them to help us analyse some short films.

First of all have a look at this scene analysis of the first minute and half of Steve McQueen’s film Shame.

There is no doubt that the level of detail within the analysis is impressive and it successfully finds meaning in McQueen’s use of composition, colour, camera angle, props, lighting and character position.  However, you may have noticed that it also references a number of other directors and films which have influenced the director to use the micro elements in this way. Remember – to become an interesting film-maker it is important to watch, make note and remember techniques used by other film-makers. 

Last week you used flip cameras to frame and construct commonly used shots; I also asked you to think about why you were framing a subject / moving a camera etc. Soon you will be planning your own short films, so it is important that you use the micro elements effectively to help tell your story and communicate the genre of the piece.

I’m happy to report that all of you now have your own blogs up and running – I’m really looking forward to seeing the work you post and I’ve created a ‘best practice’ booklet to help you with this.

WEDNESDAY’S LESSON – 28/9/2016

Some of you will be on the Warner Brothers Harry Potter trip this Wednesday. If you are not on the trip you will still be expected to attend the lesson; please make sure you are there to be registered.

Please complete the following task;

Analyse the opening scene (approx. 5 minutes) from a film of your choice. You must do the following – 

• identify the generic elements of the film that are evident in the extract
• analyse the narrative structure using the terminology and concepts we have looked at in class.
• analyse the micro elements of the scene (cinematography, sound, mise-en-scene) – what is the director trying to say and how is he using micro language to say it?

Approx. 800 words. Remember to use as much detail as you can. Good luck!

Last week we discussed the role of narrative within fiction film and looked at the purpose of different formats and the ways in which different narratives  are structured. I recommended that you watch some of the examples we looked at in class, which include;

Citizen Kane (1940) Dir. Orson Welles

PULP FICTION  (1994) Dir. Quentin Tarantino

CITIZEN KANE (1940) Dir. Orson Welles

BOYHOOD (2014) Dir. Richard Linklater

VICTORIA (2015) Dir. Sebastian Schipper

The first two films are available on e-stream (click on the links). The other two I shall screen as lunchtime supplementary sessions for those of you who are interested.

This week we shall start by looking at GENRE and how it has an impact on different types of fiction film story-telling. Film genres are defined as being categories based on similarities in either the narrative elements or the emotional response to the film (namely, serious, comic, etc.). Most theories of film genre are borrowed from literary genre criticism.

Look at the following quotes about genre by some media theorists and see if you understand what they are saying;

Steve Neale (1980) “Genre is a set of great expectations.”

Rick Altman (1999) “Genre offers audiences a set of pleasures.”

Nicholas Abercrombie (1996) “The boundaries between genres are shifting and becoming more permeable.”

The first two quotes (Neale and Altman) suggest that genre is an unwritten contact between producers and audiences; audiences have a set of expectations surrounding a film (e.g. a sci-fi will perhaps feature space, aliens and galactic battles). It is up to the producers of the film to fulfil audience expectations and deliver associated generic pleasures.

Tom Ryall proposes a theory in which links the film institution, film and audience – suggesting that they are all reliant on each other. The institution produces a film of a certain genre which generates money through audiences buying into the film, and the money generated goes back into the institution to produce more films of that genre. This process will continue until the genre becomes less popular with audiences.

In the third quote (Abercrombie) the theorist highlights how the growing sophistication of film audiences has allowed generic boundaries to shift and create HYBRIDS. A hybrids is a genre that blends themes and elements from two or more different genres – for example Scary Movie (2000) is a slasher-horror- comedy and Cowboys Vs. Aliens (2011) is a sci-fi western.

If you want more background on genre theory read Daniel Chandler’s excellent  An Introduction to Genre Theory. WARNING; it is difficult, but it will provide you with almost everything you will need or want to know about why genre is so important in the study of film and media.

M