Post 3: Characterisation

I did some research into what characters are in films and found that every film needs a 'protagonist' and a 'antagonist.'

The protagonist is the main or lead character in a fictional text such as a novel or a film. The character usually ends up in conflict because of the antagonist. Also often known as the 'hero.' An example of this would be Spiderman.

The antagonist is the character or a group of characters that represent the opposition of the protagonist (main character) they often struggle against and compete with the main character. They are also often known as the 'villain.' For example, the Joker in Batman. 

I therefore decided on who the main protagonist and antagonist(s) in my short film idea would be.

“A young boy struggles to come to terms with the death of his father.”

Protagonist – Josh is a seventeen year old male who starts to rebel as a result of the death of his father getting into the wrong crowd at school until he meets Annie, the new girl.

Antagonist – Badly behaved group of boys at Josh’s school.

Questions I would ask the main protagonist, Josh.

1. What was the relationship between you and your father like?
2. What’s your social life like?
3. When was your happiest time?
4. Do you enjoy school?

theoretically i answered these questions explaining in more depth background history of Josh as the protagonist. The answers give some details of Josh that could explain why he behaves in the way that he does. Knowing these answers will help to develop a script around the character and also make him more three dimensional. 

1. My father and I were very close and had been since I was young. He was my best friend and I will always look up to him and hope to one day be like him. 
2. My social life is okay at the moment. I've got a few friends who I enjoy going out with although they seem to want to do things that cause trouble and I don't know how I feel about taking part in. 
3. My happiest time would of had to been just before my Dad died. My family were getting on fine and everyone was happy and that made me happy.
4. I use to enjoy school. I used to get very good grades however, lately I haven't been putting as much effort in and it's causing my grades to slip a bit. 

here i have put a collage together of a few images that would help to describe Josh.

firstly, the clothing he would wear would be seen as stereotypical for a boy of his age and would suggest that he is your normal teenager that doesn't cause trouble.

He lives in an average sized family home in a friendly close-knit village. 

Photographs of family members suggest how Josh is close to his parents and they are a close, loving family.

Being involved in local clubs such as the football team keeps him grounded and out of trouble.

here is a description the antagonist(s) in the film.
they wear dark clothing as they're part of a gang which allows them to cause trouble without being recognised.
They're from a rough estate near where Josh lives but however, go to the same school. On the estate are lot's of council housing and has encouraged a lot of rough families to move there that cause trouble.
The gang participates in a lot of smoking and drinking especially when just out on the street.

Here I have researched two popular films, Harry Potter and Spiderman to show how they have used a protagonist and an antagonist and how they link to each other in the plot.

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Post 2b: Ideas

•A log line is a short one sentence summary of the film which tells you a brief outline of what the film will be

about. 

•They are important as they allow people to know what the film is about before going to see it and if they will

enjoy it or not

There are two main reasons why you need a logline in a film:

1. A logline keeps you focused as you write.  

Having a short logline will keep you on track with your script writing and keep you focused on the important

events that happen. 

•2. You need a logline to sell your screenplay

A logline is important in reaching out to an audience. If your logline sounds exciting and interesting but still not

giving away too much information it is then more likely for an audience to want to go and watch your film. 

I decided to brainstorm my own ideas regarding loglines. I looked at the characters, problem and the

soloution. I also researched the loglines of different popular films.

some websites i found useful when researching loglines
http://www.raindance.org/10-tips-for-writing-loglines/ 
http://www.scriptologist.com/Magazine/Tips/Logline/logline.html 
  

Post 2a:How to write a good short film script?

Here are 8 small steps to focus on in order to create a good short film script.

1. Find a small idea

2. Explore the structure

3. Define your world, character and problem 

4. Beat the problem out

5. Write the first draft

6. Have a critic read it through

7. Write a second draft

8. Write a third draft

Undertaking these 8 points it would help to create a good script. I found these useful as having little script writing experience gave me an idea of where to start and how to go forward. I realised that i needed a small idea which could come from anything from a picture to a personal experience. Then I would have to decide on my characters and have a good overview of what they're like and how they behave. However, I had to make sure that any idea that I decided on would only be 5 minutes long but still an effective script.

http://www.raindance.org/7-rules-for-writing-short-films-2/

From this website I was able to see 7 key steps in writing a short film.

Firstly the shorter the film the better. This is because if it was to be professionally made it would be more cost effective to have a shorter film. Secondly, keep it realistic in what you're able to shoot and the time it would take in order to film and edit. Another rule is to keep it 'Visual' as the film has to be 60% image and 40% sound. The film needs to tell a story and not just be random shoots of random things. This keeps the audience engaged and encourages them to carry on watching with excitment and anticipation. Keeping the audience engaged is also important as it needs to hook in the audience as early as possible. Also, beware of chilches and stereotypes as they can seem repetitive and boring.

A good short film needs an effective log line that is only a sentence long that will straight away pull in an audience and make the want to watch your film. However, not give too much away about exactly what is going to happen but leave the audience guessing.

Another website i used to research was: http://www.wikihow.com/Write-an-Effective-Screenplay-for-a-Short-Film





Post 1 - Researching Existing Short Films Part A

For our coursework we are to produce a short film. Therefore, we watched a short film 'Gas Man' by Lynne Ramsay in order to gain a greater knowledge of short films and the techniques used to produce them effectively. Therefore, I am going to write a textual analysis of the short clip including sound, camera, editing and the mise en scene. Doing this will ensure that I have an insight to the ways that a short film is produced including all the relevant elements that allow a film to be effective and allow me and my group to be successful when producing our own,  

Camera
The camera around the edges of the short is slightly blurred and focused more in the middle. this connotes that the short film is in fact a memory that the young girl is reciting. The camera angle is at the young girls height and focused on her. This suggests how it is her memory and that she is the main focus of the short film. The short film also uses a lot of close-ups, especially during the beginning of the film, including a boy playing with a car and a woman unzipping a suit. Also a close-up is used when the four younger characters meet the close-up's show the two girls and their resemblance that is later revealed that they're sisters.Also the close-ups of the characters faces allow the audience to see their facial expressions and emotions of the scene. For example when the two young girls are fighting we see the confusion and anger on their faces as to why they are sharing their father.

Editing
The film consists of a slow pace edit as it is a memory being revisited by the young girl so the slow pace gives it a sense of realism as it is seen to be in real life time. A slow motion edit of the Father Christmas and a girl dancing during the party scene is used, this edit also gives a sense of a dream or memory being reenacted. The blurred edges around some of the shots show the idea of the film being a dream because it has a main focus which is the action happening and not particularly the things around it and that the girl doesn't remember all of the details as they're 'blurred' out.

Sound
There is diagetic sound of  a Christmas song in the background called 'Let it snow' this reveals the time in which the film is set and that it is perhaps a happy, loving atmosphere. Also dialogue is used at the beginning from the young girl "there's no place like home" which also adds a lot more emphasis on the idea of 'family' and that they're all together at an important time. On the tracks we hear the father and the other Mother speaking to each other however, their conversation is slightly muffled and this suggests that the girl may have possibly not heard everything being said during that conversation therefore enhancing the idea the short film is a memory of her childhood.

Mise en scene
The mise en scene of the house gives us an impression that the film is set in the 1970s because of the theme of the furniture. For example the wallpaper is a brown and yellow abstract pattern which was highly popular during the 70s this gives a sense of realism to the film because its an accurate portrayal of a 70s house. The house seems to be rather chaotic and messy due to them running about and having to take care of the children. This again suggest the 'family' image and that they're a working class family because of the mess and the extra emphasis on family and togetherness. We discover that the film is set at Christmas time because of the boy playing with a toy car in fake snow and because of the party they attend which has a man dressed in a Santa Clause costume and a range of Christmas decorations spread out around the setting. This emphasizes the time period and that the girl can recall moments which happened around a 'happy' season however when revisited she can see that at the time she didn't understand that they weren't such happy times as she expected them to be.