Interim Reflection/ Evaluation

29th January- 

Due to my memory card being corrupted I had to problem solve; the technician snatched my footage and burned it onto a disc. This has made me behind schedule but I have now accessed all my footage and uploaded it onto I-movie, therefore I am beginning the editing process. With three weeks remaining on the deadline I need to edited my footage and include credits within the film. 

I also need to create a poster for my film which I have prepared for by analysing existing posters to create a better understanding of movie posters which I will incorporate into my own. Along with a magazine review I will analyse reviews of short films so I can create a suitable review of my own film that appeals to my target audience. 

Strengths- I am improving my ability to problem solve and manage, I have captured all my footage, I have a good understanding of movie poster conventions so I am clear on what i want to create.


Weaknesses-

I did not stick to my time plan as when I was due to film I had to reschedule as one of my actors was unavailable and my footage had been corrupted when I tried to upload it onto the system. Also due to both of my actors having full time jobs meant I had a restricted time I could use them within my film. The prop of the gun in my film also created trouble as I was able to only find a toy replica that was bright green as toymakers are not allowed to make realistic guns in realistic colours :I would have to have a gun licence to have one. My film is going to be black and white, I ultimately had to take pictures of the gun in black and white which proved positive as the colour was suitable for my film. 

Outcomes/Opportunity-

An advantage of my production was my Dad agreed to star in the main role of my film and gave me permission to film in his house and garage as the main settings of my film.  This meant my character fit the age range of the mob film genre. 

The opportunities of the production is I have free periods which allow me to work on the editing process and the resources are avaliable at the same time, although i may have to share the room with other groups. 

Threats/Targets -

One threat of the opportunity of working within my free periods is that the room may not be available, and I also have other lessons to complete work for. 

My targets are:

• To complete the first editing process of my film making it ready for peer assessment/ focus group by Friday this week to show to a focus group over the week
• I need to plan my focus group, I will use vimeo and facebook to distribute my first version and perhaps survey monkey to get feedback 
• Create mock up posters for my film for audience feedback by Wednesday 5th February 
• Write a review for my film

Beginining of Editing

I have completed all of my filming and have tried to upload my footage onto Imovie but there has been a problem with the memory card that contains all my footage. I have had to postpone the editing process until Friday.

In the meantime I will continue research into magazine articles in which I can place my film review and analyse movie posters to create a better understanding when I create my own.

Timeline of Production

I have 6 weeks left for productions
you need to plan time carefully:
complete a detailed timeline to ensure you meet the deadline - here is an example; 

Week beginning 6th January - (exam week) filming / Photography tasks/ Uploads of footage / making animation rostrum/characters

Week beginning 13th January - editing and creation of raw footage / editing to complete the first' Cut'/ animating sequences

Week beginning 20th January - drafts of posters / collections of images for posters/ magazines

Week beginning 27th January - focus group work / re-editing / reshoots / construction of sound

Week beginning 3rd February - construction of sound / titles / final edits of films

Week beginning 10th February - exhibition and distribution of 'first cut' of final films shared on digital/social networks for the purpose of focus group feedback - use surveys/ questionnaires and allow time for feedback / work on ancillary layout/drafts

Week beginning 17th February = Half term - complete focus group research / complete Blogs / plan final improvements to productions in response to the feedback

Deadline for completed Research & Planning Blogs and First Drafts of Productions is the 28th February (Friday after half term)

Shooting Schedule

Due to one of my actors not being available I had to push back the filming of my short film to next weekend where I will shoot the remaining footage listed above.

Production of My Film

Lighting 

Within my film I need to capture a good amount of light as cameras need light to create a 'clean' image which makes it easier for people to view what is happening. I can create good light with not just hardware lights, torches or lamps I can use the sun too as it's more powerful than all the listed before, as I will be shooting inside for most of my film I will need to create as much light as possible. Light comes in different colour temperatures with incandescent bulbs they measure at 2,700K (Kelvin) which notably have a yellow tint, sunlight measures at 6,500K has a more blue tint and to mix these two tints in the same scene would look wrong. You can set "white balance" a camera to adjust to the colour of the light. Light can also be modified to suit your needs:

• Hard light produces distinct shadows 
• You can diffuse it for a more flattering look
• You can use a reflective surface to bounce light where you need it
• "Barn doors" on light stands are used to shape light 
• You can also use coloured "gels" to change the colour of the light

An important aspect of lighting is the three-point lighting technique which is the ideal way to light a subject. The 'key' light does the substantial amount of the work, with a second less powerful 'fill' light fills in any shadows, and then use a 'back' light to illuminate any edges and increase dimension. I will take in account all of these facts when filming my own film and try incorporate them within my production. 

Sound

When recording on a camera it is essential to create good audio or sound. One way of doing this is to buy a microphone called a 'shotgun mic' which picks up sound wherever it goes or if I filmed with a more advanced camera it might have audio level bars which measure the input I would have to measure the levels so they wouldn't go too high or too low. As I am filming without these there are a few things I can do to ensure I have good sound I can record 5 seconds before and 5 seconds after a take to make sure I have filmed the entire sequence, I will turn anything that makes a noise off, I have to make sure my actors are speaking loudly and clearly I can ensure this by keeping the camera close to pick up the audio, I will have to be aware of the weather conditions also as if it is windy it can affect my sound. If I want to re-record any audio I have to do it in the same location so I have the same background noise and ambient sound, I could also use a quiet room so the new audio can be layered into the film without it sounding different or out of place. 

Foley (Sound Effects) 

To create sound effects for my short film I would have to create them in the appropriate environment and these will be done in post-production to enhance the audio quality. Foley art plays a very important role within a production as it can go unnoticed by the audience as it can create a sense of reality in a scene. It is important to note also that props in movies have different sounds to their real life counterparts than they do in the finished product, Foley art is created within a film as without it the film can feel very quiet and uncomfortable.

Mise-en-scene

Costume- I chose the costumes of my characters carefully to make them feel realistic instead of exaggerated as I want to show my audience there can be more real people to the mob genre than shown in popular culture, my main character is a mob boss and is not wearing the typical short sleeved polo shirts with expensive jewelry instead he is wearing a long sleeved jumper and jeans, I am breaking the conventions of the typical look of criminal figures but I have chosen to do this as my character has changed his lifestyle and no longer lives the rich life and wants to integrate himself into society without being stereotyped. My other character will be wearing a grubby white vest with black trousers and white socks as I want his appearance to serve as a visual metaphor of him being stripped of all possessions and is now a prisoner therefore having to look as though he is robbed of all personality.

Set Design- In the first sequence the hallway of the main characters house is shown I have used the prop of a past photograph of my Dad to show the character in his past lifestyle, after this establishing I will shown the character in his kitchen cleaning his dishes I have chosen my Dads kitchen for this scene and the look of his house shows it as a normal family house which juxtaposes the traits and past of my character. The last set and the most prominent is my Dad's garage as this is where the prisoner is being held. The things my Dad keeps placed inside are stacked to the sides and I will have the prisoner centered in the middle around these to make it seem his past is rising against him.

Film stock- I am planning my film to be in black & white as I feel it will create the correct atmosphere of mystery and grittiness of the crime genre. I also want it to be filmed in fine-grain as it brings a great attention to detail.

Character Placement- As the second character is a prisoner I will place him in the middle of the set to show he has placed himself in the middle of a horrible situation, he will also be restrained and seated for the entire film which will make him lower than the main character this is to show he is powerless to the situation and as the main character is higher this will show he has more dominance over his prisoner.

Location Photos

Below are the location photos on where I plan to film my short film:

This is the outside of my Dad's house in which I will film my short film.















This is the hallway which is the first thing that will be shown in the film, it is clean with only pictures on the walls which is want I want as it shows my character is very neat and I will use one of the photographs as an exhibition of his past self.

This is the kitchen where the main character will stand and wash his  dishes, this again shows he is a neat person but I will show in his attitude since changing his lifestyle he has come to enjoy the most ordinary of task of everyday life.













This is the outside of the garage.

 These photos show the inside of the garage where the secondary character will be held prisoner, he will be centered in the middle surrounded by the things the main character belongs. At the moment my Dad keeps his bikes in the garage I will move them to the back and bring some items to make it seem the main character keeps things from his past in the garage to literally lock away his old life.

The Difference Between an Animatic and a Storyboard

Storyboard Definition- A sequence of drawings, typically with some directions and dialogue, representing the shots planned for a film or television production.

This method is used to show a shot for shot telling of the film so the director and crew know what to shot and how to do it and this is an effective way to tell the story for all involved to understand. 

Animatic Definition- A preliminary version of a film, produced by shooting successive section of a storyboard and adding a soundtrack 

This method is used to show how the production will come together and ultimately look. 


This is my film presented as a storyboard: 

Character Profiles/Cast

                                                                       

Robin Watson as Wise Guy 1 

I have chosen my Dad as my main character. I feel with some work I can make him fit the build and image of an aged criminal.

The character is an aged Mob Boss in his 50's who has escaped his old lifestyle of crime and corruption, the only thing keeping him in touch with the real world and easing him into a society not built on crime, was his son. Throughout his life he has looked after his son financially and emotionally. But his son was killed in a drug deal gone wrong. He frantically searched the streets to find his son's killer and resorts to his criminal ways. His presence is intimidating and his approach is stern and cryptic as he toys with his victims before revealing his true intentions.

My film is a pastiche which is a post-modern term of homage in which to pay respect to another media piece and I have chosen to do this by fusing my character with others such as:

The Man with No Name (Clint Eastwood) in Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Western/ "Dollars" Trilogy:

I have chosen to incorporate this character within my own as throughout the "Dollars" trilogy the character remains constant with the characteristics as being quiet, gruff and an eccentric stranger with a strong but unorthodox sense of justice. My character will have these characteristics and show mannerisms expressed by this character but will homage him respectively. Another reason I have chosen this character is that my plot, although it being within the gangster genre, shadows plots expressed in the western genre.


Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) in The Sopranos:

Tony is the main protagonist in the show. He was a crime boss situated in New Jersey and the show follows his encounters and conflicts with other criminals. The reason I am incorporating this character into my own is because he is different to on screen gangsters as he is a sympathetic character and is a devoted father, but can be aggressive and ruthless when trying to get what he wants. These are the characteristics I am going to incorporate within my main character to homage Tony Soprano respectively.

Jimmy Conway & Sam 'Ace' Rothstein - (Robert De Niro) in Goodfellas & Casino:

With this chosen character I'm not going to directly homage them, the way I will do this is by having my character having a dominating presence. My film will satire these characters as they can be seen as stereotypical 'gangsters' and I am going to spin this trope around and show that gangsters aren't all "hard men", similar to The Sopranos.

Jack Ackers as Wise Guy 2 

I have chosen my friend to play the character with him in mind when I created the character as he fits the build and image.

The character was good friends with the main character's son he was a bad influence as he was a regular drug taker and introduced Wise Guy 1's son to the criminal underworld. He is a petty thug who sells his own 'products' on the streets. One day taking Wise Guy 1's son to collect a new batch of 'product' the deal went wrong and resulted in Wise Guy 1's son being killed, after the failed deal he went into hiding knowing the death of Wise Guy 1's son people would be looking for him but was eventually captured and held captive in the garage of Wise Guy 1's garage to be 'made a example of '.

The character is a direct homage to:

Marvin Nash (Kirk Baltz) in Reservoir Dogs: 

My character serves as a visual homage from the way he is tied and the way he will sit, the difference between them is the character of Marvin Nash is a police officer and my character is a petty criminal. Although different in hierarchy construction the one aspect that links them is that the characters within the respected films look down on them as their inferiors.

My Chosen Genre