😀 Welcome to my Research and Planning page! This page exhibits all of the milestones that I took to produce my short film! Sit back, relax and enjoy! 😀
Key:
Blue Text - Primary Research
Purple Text - Secondary Research
Orange Text - Planning
Red Text - Changes
Green Text - Developments
Turquoise Text - Applications
Guess who's back?! After the disgrace that was my year 12 media blog, I'm back and I'm ready to set the record straight. Lazy was an understatement of my blog last year. This year, I'm going all out!
My research and planning page will include a mixture of: emotional breakdowns, illness' (you'll see what I mean later into this blog), rage, stress, teamwork, failure, success, progression and just having a good time. So you're in for a treat! :)
The task at hand:
The task for my G324 project is to produce a five minute short film, which is capable of depicting a clear structure with high standards. My research and planning page will clearly highlight all of the steps I took to produce my film!
I will conduct primary research whilst browsing secondary sources to reinforce/ falsify my decisions. Whilst simultaneously demonstrating a high level of communication/ teamwork with my group in order to produce the best possible short film for you!
Lesson 1: 11th September 2017.Green Text - Developments
Turquoise Text - Applications
I'm Back!!!!!!!!!!
My research and planning page will include a mixture of: emotional breakdowns, illness' (you'll see what I mean later into this blog), rage, stress, teamwork, failure, success, progression and just having a good time. So you're in for a treat! :)
The task at hand:
The task for my G324 project is to produce a five minute short film, which is capable of depicting a clear structure with high standards. My research and planning page will clearly highlight all of the steps I took to produce my film!
I will conduct primary research whilst browsing secondary sources to reinforce/ falsify my decisions. Whilst simultaneously demonstrating a high level of communication/ teamwork with my group in order to produce the best possible short film for you!
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| Meme constructed by yours truly :) |
Today within this lesson, I was allocated into my group for my A level Media Studies coursework (G324) that I will be working upon for the next few months.
Once allocated into my group, myself and my paired candidates in-cooperated and combined our powers in order to generate potential ideas for our short film. As well as individually, criticising past candidates blogs and reviewing past A-level short films.
Intro:
The candidates within my group are: myself (Joe Squibb), Molly Blake and Anna Smith. I will be working alongside these lovely individuals during this project in order to produce a short film. We will be communicating regularly during this time period so that the film that we produce is at it's best possible standard for you! I will probably have numerous breakdowns during this process, however, the outcome will definitely be worth the stress. 👀
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| An actual representation of me mentally preparing myself for the stress I'm about to endure. |
Blog criticisms:
For the first half of the lesson, we worked individually in which each of us criticised a blog from last years candidates. I will use the strengths and weaknesses that I identified in the candidates blog/ material as a blueprint for my blog, in which I will utilise my findings and use it to my own advantage.
The image below displays my brief review of the past candidates blog:
As you can see, I mentioned the fact that the candidates blog is very organised and structured clearly which saves the reader a proportionally large amount of time piecing the information together, areas are very clear with a wide range of vocabulary and media terminology present in the stimulus.
However, a criticism of the candidates blog is that it was very plain and boring in which I identified many beefy paragraphs, which provokes a negative response from the reader. Also, if I'm going to be honest, the lack of colouring and creativity used began to slowly melt my soul, in order to engage the reader, the candidate should have delved deeper and thought more creatively, rather than using text to explain everything.
A-level Media Studies short film reviews:
After we completed our first assigned task, we then proceeded to watch some A-level Media films on YouTube for inspiration, each of us individually critiqued their work and discussed our findings after we had analysed it. We watched three short films: "Choice", "Blue" and "Zika".
Choice:
"Choice" was the first A-level media short film that I analysed, I personally believe that "Choice" was a very proficient short film, my reasoning for this is explained through the following.
The cinematography used within this short film was eye-catching and precise in which a wide range of shots were depicted within the stimulus. The relevance of the numerous POV shots (holding the prop - gun) broke the fourth wall, which reflects to the realism of the short film. As a result of this, the cinematography appropriately displayed shots that were effective, whilst simultaneously enhancing the full potential of the mise-en-scene (iconographies) in order to accumulate tension and to intrigue the audience.
The editing techniques used within this short film were advanced and professional in which each shot integrated into another perfectly, this enhanced the overall effect that is induced on the audience as the continuity was clearly displayed. The iconographies used were appropriately tailored around the decided genre, this suggests that "Choice" conformed and obeyed highly to the codes and conventions of the action genre in order to enhance the overall effect on the audience.
The narrative was a little ambiguous at the start, however, it soon became clear to me that the equilibrium had already been broken as the protagonist has been abruptly into placed into a somewhat threatening situation, this suggests that a possible narrative theory that these candidates used was: an Enigma code or a Levi-Strauss.
Blue:
"Blue" was the second A-level short film that I analysed, personally, I believe that "Blue" was the weakest out of the trio that I exhibited during my research. My reasoning for this is explained through the following:
For an A-level short film that has claimed to have obtained an A* in their works, the narrative/plot was extremely predictable and cliché. This was exemplified through the event that the equilibrium would have broken as a result of the protagonists boyfriend being a domestic abuser/ murderer as all romantics typically follow a similar sequence - they're all duplicates and lack originality in which they promote similar messages.
Additionally, the cinematography captured was appalling: the camera began to shake on an often occurrence in which the audio setup was quite poor. I can imply this as an unappealing fuzzy sound was exemplified within the background, in which this sound was scattered throughout the entirety of the films exhibition.
Unfortunately, the majority of this film was a bore... However, towards the end, tension was vastly accumulated in which the candidates actually managed to wake me from my slumber in which "Blue" drastically ended with a climax that striked me out of nowhere...
I can identify that the candidates decided to implement an "open structure" narrative theory as there was no clear answer on if the protagonists boyfriend actually murdered the damsel in distress protagonist. Therefore, the ending is entitled to be discussed between the audience (interpretation of the audience.)
Zika:
However, a criticism of the candidates blog is that it was very plain and boring in which I identified many beefy paragraphs, which provokes a negative response from the reader. Also, if I'm going to be honest, the lack of colouring and creativity used began to slowly melt my soul, in order to engage the reader, the candidate should have delved deeper and thought more creatively, rather than using text to explain everything.
A-level Media Studies short film reviews:
After we completed our first assigned task, we then proceeded to watch some A-level Media films on YouTube for inspiration, each of us individually critiqued their work and discussed our findings after we had analysed it. We watched three short films: "Choice", "Blue" and "Zika".
Choice:
The cinematography used within this short film was eye-catching and precise in which a wide range of shots were depicted within the stimulus. The relevance of the numerous POV shots (holding the prop - gun) broke the fourth wall, which reflects to the realism of the short film. As a result of this, the cinematography appropriately displayed shots that were effective, whilst simultaneously enhancing the full potential of the mise-en-scene (iconographies) in order to accumulate tension and to intrigue the audience.
The editing techniques used within this short film were advanced and professional in which each shot integrated into another perfectly, this enhanced the overall effect that is induced on the audience as the continuity was clearly displayed. The iconographies used were appropriately tailored around the decided genre, this suggests that "Choice" conformed and obeyed highly to the codes and conventions of the action genre in order to enhance the overall effect on the audience.
The narrative was a little ambiguous at the start, however, it soon became clear to me that the equilibrium had already been broken as the protagonist has been abruptly into placed into a somewhat threatening situation, this suggests that a possible narrative theory that these candidates used was: an Enigma code or a Levi-Strauss.
Blue:
"Blue" was the second A-level short film that I analysed, personally, I believe that "Blue" was the weakest out of the trio that I exhibited during my research. My reasoning for this is explained through the following:
For an A-level short film that has claimed to have obtained an A* in their works, the narrative/plot was extremely predictable and cliché. This was exemplified through the event that the equilibrium would have broken as a result of the protagonists boyfriend being a domestic abuser/ murderer as all romantics typically follow a similar sequence - they're all duplicates and lack originality in which they promote similar messages.
Additionally, the cinematography captured was appalling: the camera began to shake on an often occurrence in which the audio setup was quite poor. I can imply this as an unappealing fuzzy sound was exemplified within the background, in which this sound was scattered throughout the entirety of the films exhibition.
Unfortunately, the majority of this film was a bore... However, towards the end, tension was vastly accumulated in which the candidates actually managed to wake me from my slumber in which "Blue" drastically ended with a climax that striked me out of nowhere...
I can identify that the candidates decided to implement an "open structure" narrative theory as there was no clear answer on if the protagonists boyfriend actually murdered the damsel in distress protagonist. Therefore, the ending is entitled to be discussed between the audience (interpretation of the audience.)
Zika:
"Zika" was the final A-level short film that I analysed, I personally believe that "Zika" was the strongest film out of the trio that I exhibited, my reasoning for this is explained through the following:
Firstly, the plot of "Zika" was reinforced through a strong narrative which captivated me fully the second I pressed the play button. The narrative was blueprinted around a true story (the Zika virus) which emphasises the dangers of the Zika virus and the utter destruction it can enforce upon humanity itself. As this virus is an actual medical dilemma, it sheds light on the matter in which the audience are introduced the symptoms of the Zika virus through powerful dialogue and convincing cinematography. As well as the gorgeous landscapes (settings) used within this short film - emphasises dedication.
"Zika" wields a flexible narrative in which it appeals to virtually all demographic and psychographic groups due to it's simplistic plot yet captivating iconographies used. Though the Zika virus is a complicated concept to understand, the candidates catered a complicated narrative to a low band demographic group in which it can be understood on a macro perspective by all audiences.
The editing techniques used within "Zika" contributed to the effects accumulated from the narrative and the cinematography. I have noticed a trend within the cinematography and narrative techniques, both elements seem to conform and obey highly to the codes and conventions of the thriller genre. This can be inferred through the climax situated towards the end of the clip and the "clear structure" narrative theory used which enables the audience to interpret the ending however they wish.
However, these candidates decided to use secondary footage (news clip shots) which acquires a somewhat cliché appearance. As a result, this can be interpreted as "lazy" and "unimaginative" as it hints upon the audience that the candidates were too lazy to directly capture their own footage of a recreated news scene.
Firstly, the plot of "Zika" was reinforced through a strong narrative which captivated me fully the second I pressed the play button. The narrative was blueprinted around a true story (the Zika virus) which emphasises the dangers of the Zika virus and the utter destruction it can enforce upon humanity itself. As this virus is an actual medical dilemma, it sheds light on the matter in which the audience are introduced the symptoms of the Zika virus through powerful dialogue and convincing cinematography. As well as the gorgeous landscapes (settings) used within this short film - emphasises dedication.
"Zika" wields a flexible narrative in which it appeals to virtually all demographic and psychographic groups due to it's simplistic plot yet captivating iconographies used. Though the Zika virus is a complicated concept to understand, the candidates catered a complicated narrative to a low band demographic group in which it can be understood on a macro perspective by all audiences.
The editing techniques used within "Zika" contributed to the effects accumulated from the narrative and the cinematography. I have noticed a trend within the cinematography and narrative techniques, both elements seem to conform and obey highly to the codes and conventions of the thriller genre. This can be inferred through the climax situated towards the end of the clip and the "clear structure" narrative theory used which enables the audience to interpret the ending however they wish.
However, these candidates decided to use secondary footage (news clip shots) which acquires a somewhat cliché appearance. As a result, this can be interpreted as "lazy" and "unimaginative" as it hints upon the audience that the candidates were too lazy to directly capture their own footage of a recreated news scene.
Narrative Construction:
For the final proportion of the lesson, we began to discuss potential ideas for our short film such as a potential: narrative, plot and genre, whilst still embedding and considering what we found through analysing past A level short films. The ideas that we discussed are depicted onto this brainstorm below:
As you can see from the brainstorm located above, we discussed some interesting concepts for our narrative: from Satanist/ Societal cults to an outbreak of a disease which can modify its own genetic code in order to enforce utter destruction upon humanity. The ideas that we have discussed are fairly interesting in which the outcome would be successful in it's own way for both of the concepts mentioned.
However, as a Sociology student, I suggested that our narrative can be tailored around a cult as they are stereotypically conveyed as secretive by mainstream broadcasting channels. This would have acted as a perfect concept for a mystery genre narrative. Furthermore, this narrative is extremely versatile in which it would appeal and intrigue a wide range of demographic and psychographic groups as it is a societal dilemma that encourages the drive of curiosity/ the desire to uncover secrets.
However, through some discussion, we noticed that the disease outbreak concept would be more intriguing, this can be exemplified through directly analysing "Zika".
"Zika" instantly grabbed my attention through an abrupt opening sequence which threw the narrative directly at the audience from the jump. It hugely reflected mundane realism as the dilemmas presented were realistic in which industrialised healthcare units have to face these dilemmas on a daily basis - the rapid movement of the media (news scenes) encouraged the chaos.
As a result of cliché narrative ideas, we delved deeper in order to find a narrative that connotes a deeper meaning, this resulted in our next idea:
However, as a Sociology student, I suggested that our narrative can be tailored around a cult as they are stereotypically conveyed as secretive by mainstream broadcasting channels. This would have acted as a perfect concept for a mystery genre narrative. Furthermore, this narrative is extremely versatile in which it would appeal and intrigue a wide range of demographic and psychographic groups as it is a societal dilemma that encourages the drive of curiosity/ the desire to uncover secrets.
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| The well-known cult of "Scientology" is usually conveyed as extremely secretive by mainstream American broadcasting channels. |
"Zika" instantly grabbed my attention through an abrupt opening sequence which threw the narrative directly at the audience from the jump. It hugely reflected mundane realism as the dilemmas presented were realistic in which industrialised healthcare units have to face these dilemmas on a daily basis - the rapid movement of the media (news scenes) encouraged the chaos.
However, this was not the strongest narrative that we discussed!
As a result of cliché narrative ideas, we delved deeper in order to find a narrative that connotes a deeper meaning, this resulted in our next idea:
The brainstorm depicted above exemplifies the strongest idea that we discussed, we used Anna's idea of a mirror dimension as a basis in which we forged developed ideas around thus concept. At this moment in time, we have only planned a raw layout, so apologies for the vagueness and the lack of detail. This narrative will be developed upon within lesson 2!
Narrative: Draft 1
Basically, the female protagonist within this short film is being watched through mirrors by an anonymous force in which they track her every move. She wields an uncontrollable amount of power which threatens their existence. As a result, she is kidnapped in which she is traumatised and lacks physical power. She abruptly wakes up in hospital in which the trauma that she had experienced stimulates amnesia - (yes, this is cliché but allow me to explain) in which she has forgotten every single milestone of her life.
When she returns home, all of the mirrors in her household are locked away in the basement, which she can only gain access to through a key. However, when she greets fellow civilians in the street, her trauma begins to stimulate flashbacks/ mirrored dimensions. Throughout the duration of the film, her flashbacks become more frequent in which her memory begins to slowly flood back - the purpose of the mirrors are revealed to her through the flashbacks in which she ventures into the other dimension through a portal (other side of the mirror.)
(Within lesson 2, we established some drastic changes to the narrative.)
Lesson 2: 18th September 2017.Wow that intense! 😫 Today, within this lesson we discussed our narrative in more detail in which established some tweaks and developments to our basic narrative that we constructed in the previous lesson. Our aim for this lesson was provide closure on the narrative and specify the reasoning for our choices. The image below shows what we got up to:
Narrative Description:
I have contextualised our progression into an animation/ cartoon. Please listen carefully to the dialogue as it indicates the ideas have that been developed/ changed upon from our first draft. I apologise for my year 7 equivalent drawing skills :)
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RANDOM TIMEOUT!
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"The hair is frazzled!"
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Our narrative is a little bit similar to when Gemma Collins thought that she saw a ghost in the Celebrity Big Brother house. However, this time, the ghost is real! Well.. It's not a ghost, it's a gatekeeper... You get the gist. 🤣
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We will utilise the concept of the door in which it will be used to convey an aspect of mystery and anonymity in order to fulfil the codes and conventions of the Mystery and Psychological genre. The door will be continuously exposed to the audience throughout of the duration of the film through close ups (teasing the audience) in order to stimulate the movement of audience interpretation/ curiosity - this forge's a relation to the open structure narrative theory (open interpretation.)
Genre:
Mystery:
We have decided to use the mystery genre as a forefront genre for our film as the entirety of the narrative is tailored around solving interlinked mysteries. For example: the exploration into the origins of the gatekeepers and what they want from the protagonist. As well as, the plot-twist that reveals the truth about the protagonists grandmother - protagonists grandmother is the founder and an elder of the gatekeepers.
I prefer to liken our narrative to a jigsaw puzzle in which the protagonist is piecing each event together in order to detect who/ what is responsible for the abnormal events that she is experiencing (etc, the nightmares.) This will provide some closure behind the origins/ backbone of the narrative.
The effect of the nightmare scene will be enhanced through the cooperation of the psychological genres codes and conventions. The combination of these aspects will captivate the audience further into the narrative in which the audience will live the life of the protagonist directly through her direct lens.
This will assist us in forming a degree of directly addressing the audience in a corresponding strategy that the candidates of "Choice" used to address the audience.
Psychological
We have decided to use the psychological genre as the other forefront genre for our film as there are many events within the narrative (such as the nightmares) which have an impact on the protagonists psychological health in which her perception of reality is slightly altered. As a result of this, she begins to live her life in a false reality, which is manifested with delusions and abnormal events which stimulate overly exaggerated/ aggressive behaviour.
She develops these abnormal traits through a combination of sleep deprivation in which the nightmares are being stimulated through the necklace that she obtained from her grandmothers sacred box. This interferes with the functioning of her brain and as a result she depicts negative responses to everyday life, in which the wrath of the human mind is enforced upon her.
This forges a relation to "Zika", however, though the candidates of "Zika" targeted physical health. We collectively targeted psychological health in which we will depict that in some cases the power of the mind is more substantial/ influential in comparison to the power of the body - falsifying the narrative of "Zika".
Lesson 3: 22nd September 2017.
Another lesson completed! Today within this lesson, we decided upon the sub-genres that we are going to use for our short film. For the final proportion of the lesson, we slightly touched upon settings, specifically regarding the nightmare scene, we ensured that the setting appointed for this scene utilised the codes and conventions of the thriller sub-genre.
Sub-Genres:
After numerous arguments and debates, we have consolidated all of our ideas and as a result have advanced towards the conclusion that the sub-genres of our short film are:
*drumroll*
Thriller, Fantasy and Sci-Fi!
During this lesson, we vaguely discussed all three of these sub-genres and applied them to the context of my production - I then placed my ideas into a PowerPoint, which is depicted underneath the image.
My reasoning for this is displayed in this Prezi PowerPoint:https://prezi.com/fk35ammr0b6l/sub-genres/ <--- Click it.
Potential Setting: THIS SETTING MADE IT TO THE FINAL CUT!
Now that the base of my film has been solidified, myself and my fellow candidates can now fabricate around these concepts. For the final proportion of this lesson, we subtly touched on a potential setting that we could use for the nightmare scene.
Setting 1: Nightmare Scene
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| Angle 2 |
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| Angle 1 |
The images displayed above are angles of the setting we discussed for the nightmare scene. During this scene, the protagonist will slowly walk down this passageway. The combination of quick cuts/ close ups along with the low-key lighting will accumulate tension and suspension and as a result enhance the effects of the mystery genre onto the audience.
This scene will embed codes and conventions of virtually all of our selected sub-genres as the effect impacted on the audience is detrimental within this scene as it is an essential scene/ occurrence within the narrative.
We felt this setting was appropriate for this scene as the passageway is relatively breadth in length, with doors located on both ends of the passageway which gives us the freedom of choice of what room we would like to act as the "hidden room" - flexibility of filming as a result of the ideal layout for the scene.
Mise-en-Scene:
In preparation for the nightmare scene, we are planning on purchasing some blue/white LED lights from our allocated budget in which we will place these lights behind the "mysterious" door in order to hint to the audience that some form of supernatural power is lurking behind it - (the portal connecting the material world to the mirror dimension.) - this will result in a bright vision emerging from the bottom of the door.
The key that the protagonist has obtained will be carved and shaped corresponding to the symbol of the gatekeepers, the connotation will be revealed during the nightmare scene in which a gatekeeper will rise the palm of their hand towards the camera in which the symbol of the gatekeepers will be shown to be imprinted into their palm, the protagonist will then grasp tightly at her necklace to hint towards the audience that the necklace belongs to the gatekeepers.
Anna has drawn a rough sketch of the necklace:
(The gatekeeper spoken in the previous paragraph has been revealed and confirmed as Elek Abaven!)
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this lesson as I have been sick over the weekend and have still not fully recovered... 😷💀 However, I have contacted my group and have they have informed me what they discussed in class and the tasks I have to complete, as well as some secondary research that I have completed individually at home. 😁
Narrative, Genre and Audience Theories:
The images below display my individual research for the narrative, audience and genre theories, the chosen theories are shown below my research:
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Narrative Theory Research
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- Binary Opposition
- Equilibrium
- Clear Structure
- Character Roles
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Genre Theory Research
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- Encoding theory
- Contemporary theory
- Pleasure theory
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| Audience Theory Research |
- Reception Theory
- Effects Model
- Hypodermic Model
- Gratifications Model
Chosen Narrative Theories:
Levi-Strauss:
The Levi-Strauss narrative theory proposes that binary opposition can unconsciously appear within a shot in order to distinguish a difference between "good and evil" or "realistic and unrealistic" - the themes desired to be presented within the shot. This narrative theory is quite versatile and as a result is applicable to a large amount of genres and narratives.
We decided to use implement the Levi-Strauss theory into our narrative as it can be used to distinguish the different between "reality" and the "nightmare". As well as, being used to distinguish the difference between "reality" and the "mirror dimension" - provides closure and assists the audience in understanding the narrative easier through the basic denotations/ connotations provided.
Enigma Code:
The Enigma Code narrative theory proposes that the consumer expects a puzzle/ mystery to be present within the narrative/ film. As a result of this the audience are captivated and engaged to consume the entirety of the film and are therefore are encouraged by human curiosity to figure put the narrative - acts in a drug-like processes (addicting).
Ronald Barthes proposed that there were 5 codes present within this theory:
- Hermeneutic Code
- Proairetic Code
- Semantic Code
- Symbolic Code
- Referential Code
We have decided to implement this narrative theory into our short film as the narrative is modified around interlinked mysteries that have to be solved in order for the protagonist and the audience to figure out the purpose of our short film. These mysteries are accumulated throughout the duration of the film in which the revealing of one mystery, results into the emerging of another mystery which must be solved - mysteries transition into each other.
Open Structure
The Open Structure narrative theory proposes that there is no clear end within the narrative in which the climax accumulated over the duration of the film is usually left out in the open for audience interpretation. This opens up for opportunities such as sequels/ prequels if the original film published has established a high success rate.
We have decided to implement this narrative theory into our short film as my short film ends in a cliff hanger in which the audience are open to interpret the material in whatever way they propose - (possible interpretations are depicted below):
1) Christina may have successfully entered the portal in which she is now roaming the mirror dimension.
2) The final nightmare may be forever-lasting in which Christina is now trapped in her slumber for eternity (supports idea of Victorian sacred belief mentioned in narrative references.)
3) This may have been the final nightmare for Christina in which the curse has now been lifted.
4) Christina may have died through entering the portal and as a result have encountered her grandmother in the afterlife.
Chosen Genre Theory:
Jane Feuer:
The genre theory put forward by Jane Feuer proposes that genre is constantly evolving and changing in which it is difficult to pinpoint specific ideologies/ codes and conventions that are associated with a certain genre. Furthermore, she argues that genre is a never-ending process in which it is integrated and muddled in time. Genre attempts to remain on top of current trends/ associations, as a result of this, genre is progressively becoming harder to identify.
We have decided to use this genre theory as we experienced difficulties in identifying a specific genre to use for our film during the planning process. During this gruelling process, we had encountered problems when identifying specific sub-genres to use. We discovered that there was a substantial amount of overlap in which the concept of the mirror dimension overlapped with the iconographies of the Sci-fi and Fantasy sub-genres. As well as, the idea of repetitive nightmares which overlapped with iconographies of the Fantasy and Thriller sub-genres.
As a result of this, we had decided to use three sub-genres for our film as we experienced extreme difficulty when attempting to pinpoint a specific sub-genre.
Chosen Audience Theory:
Reception Theory:
The Reception audience theory proposes that media texts are encoded with meaning/ contextualisation and are later decoded by the audience in which they can establish a judgement to which if they agree with the message from the film or not. The audience are able to interpret the text in whatever way that they wish, this is typically encouraged through cultural backgrounds.
There are 3 types of decoding according to this theory:
- Dominant - The audience decode the message and agree with it.
- Negotiated - The audience decode the message and can either accept, reject or refine the message.
- Oppositional - The audience decode the message and disagree with it.
Character Profiles:
For the second half of the lesson, my group engaged in creating the character profiles, they are displayed below:
Christina Rune (Protagonist): Rune translated to German means "secret."
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| As you can tell from that awkward smile she's loving life. 😄 |
Name: Christina Rune
Role: Protagonist
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Status: Alive
Occupation: Admin Assistant
Nationality: English/Dutch
Hair Colour: Brown
Mental Stability: Unstable
Conditions: Experiences severe nightmares
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Family Background: Raised with divorced parents
Educational Background: Attended state schools, did not attend university.
Goals: Wants to own her own business
Religion: Atheist
Secrets: Wields a magical necklace
Laura Rune (Protagonists mother):
Role: Protagonists Mother
Gender: Female
Age: 45
Status: Alive
Occupation: Business Owner
Nationality: English/ Dutch
Hair Colour: Dirty Blonde
Mental Stability: Stable
Conditions: None
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Family Background: Raised by a loving family, gave birth to a daughter
Educational Background: Home-schooled, did attend university
Goals: Wants to expand her business
Religion: Atheist
Secrets: Hide "weird" shaped necklace from daughter
Fenna Rune (Grandmother): Fenna translated to Dutch means guardian of piece.
Name: Fenna Rune
Role: Grandmother
Gender: Female
Age: 75
Status: Deceased
Occupation by day: Scarf embroider
Occupation by night: Gatekeeper council elder
Nationality: Dutch
Hair Colour: N/A
Mental Stability: Genius
Conditions: None
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Family Background: Gave birth to a daughter, has a granddaughter
Educational Background: Home-schooled, attended university.
Goals: Maintain harmony between material and mirror dimension
Religion: N/A
Secrets: High council elder
Elek Abaven (Grandmothers friend): Elek translated to Hungarian means defender.
Name: Elek Abaven
Role: Grandmothers friend
Gender: ??
Age: 68
Status: Deceased in reality, alive in the realm of nightmares
Occupation: Gatekeeper (defender of the portal)
Nationality: Hungarian
Hair Colour: Black
Mental Stability: Stable
Power: Master of mind control/ nightmares
Conditions: None
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Family Background: N/A
Educational Background: N/A
Goals: Defend the portal at all costs
Religion: N/A
Secrets: None
Character Research:
Christina Rune (the protagonist) is a product of a unique mystery/ thriller film created in 2009 - Christina acquires traits that are similar to the protagonist within the film "Coraline".
Elek Abaven (the Gatekeeper present in the nightmare scenes) is the product of a unique mystery/ thriller film created in 2004 - Elek acquires traits that are similar to the antagonist within the film "The Grudge"
Coraline: Henry Selick,2009
Christina acquires traits that are similar to the protagonist within the film "Coraline". Both protagonists wield the characteristic of curiosity in which they both discover a sacred/ holy item - Coraline discovers a buttoned key, whereas, Christina discovers a gatekeeper key which enables both characters to travel between the two different worlds/ parallel dimensions.
(Coraline Trailer)
The creatures on the other side of the portal have occupied buttons for eyes in which they attempt to persuade Coraline to stay so that they can kidnap her and needle buttons into her eye-sockets. These creatures are exact replicates of her parents, however, they are the antagonists in which they first of all come across as "kind" and "warm-hearted" but eventually become aggressive and assertive.
As an adventurous young protagonist, Coraline manages to escape the grasp of the "evil family" in which she restores piece and harmony within the equilibrium.
Every event that occurs within Coraline, acquires a strong interlinked connection with Christina as both characters obtain a key (which resembles the theme of the "other world" in the narrative). This enables the protagonists to gain access to another world/ parallel dimension. Both "antagonists" want to obtain something from the protagonist, the evil family want Caroline's eyes and the Gatekeepers want Christina's necklace that she has obtained from her grandmothers box.
Also, both films display a strong connection between the family - Caroline has lost her parents and as a result possess the task of attempting to find them, Christina has grown up with divorced parents in which her grandmother has recently passed away.
Furthermore, both films end in a cliff hanger/ plot twist in which the ending of Caroline consists in the "Evil Mothers" hand climbing out of the wishing well (open structure ending.) In comparison, to the ending of my film in which Christina can be seen hesitantly opening the door that occupies the portal to the mirror dimension.
The Grudge: Takashi Shimizu, 2004
Elek acquires traits that are similar to the antagonist present within the film "The Grudge". Firstly, both "antagonists" are supernatural creatures and inflict fear upon their victims through a curse. Though the curse within "The Gatekeepers" can be lifted through returning the "GK" key to it's sacred box. The curse within "The Grudge" cannot be lifted and operates in a disease-like fashion through locking onto a victim and attaching onto other victims once the previous victim has been killed.
Both antagonists are regarded to as legends/ myths within their narratives and are often feared as a result of this! This fulfils the codes and conventions of the fantasy sub-genre as though these supernatural creatures do not physically exist, they manage to inflict fear upon their victims and the audience through a contribution of thriller and psychological iconographies such as nightmares/ hallucinations/ high paced transitions.
Furthermore, as you can see below, both characters are sharing similar attires (mise-en-scene)! I have printed out and annotated their physical similarities and differences which is depicted to you below!
I'm going to have to release my inner Gok Wan in order to analyse these outfits, so here we go! :)
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| Elek (Annotations) |
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| The Grudge (Annotations) |
Narrative References:
Our narrative was inspired and shaped around Anna's ideas in her notebook - these ideas motivated and encouraged group discussion around the concept of a mirror dimension/ parallel world. This resulted in establishing an idea that the protagonist is being watched through mirrors in a CCTV-like manner.
(We did not go forward this this idea!)
The origins of our ideas were influenced through the Victorian sacred belief that once an individual has passed away, their soul will be trapped away within the mirrors of their household for eternity. This would only occur if all of the mirrors within their household were not covered at the time of their passing.
As a result of this, we discussed these ideas further in which we modified the narrative around a chain of events that are suitable and appropriate for filming. Whilst we constructed our narrative, we considered all of our references/ inspirations that we have previously accomplished during class.
Roles:
Potential roles were discussed during this lesson, we have decided that the roles will switch around corresponding to the task at hand, however, head roles are exemplified below:
Me (Joe): Editor and Director.
Molly: Actress and Camerawoman.
Anna: Actress and Producer.
Like I mentioned previously, these allocated roles are not solidified, they will switch around (we will all contribute to filming and editing.)
Applying my knowledge from last year, I will construct a treatment for my short film - the capacity and length of a treatment fluctuates depending on the style of the treatment (TV drama/ Hollywood film.) It is typically used to "sell" the film, therefore, the treatment must be captivating in which it gives the reader an accurate perception of the events occurring within the narrative.
Individual Treatment: Constructed by yours truly :)
The shot seems to display the remnants of what appears to be an isolated, abandoned household. Through the door window, two subtle figures emerge from the darkness in which they begin to approach the door in a leisured yet elegant manner. One of the slender looking figures appears to reach out and clutch to the door handle tightly, which results in the door propelling open at such force.
As the light abruptly flickers onwards, the identities of these anonymous figures are revealed. It's Christina Rune and her mother Laura Rune moving into Fenna Runes previous household. Within a few minutes, the hallway is littered with boxes in which the two women decided to eliminate their fatigue through having an early night sleep.
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It's the next morning, in which this scene is stimulated through the thumps of Christina's feet contacting eagerly with the stairway. She is dressed in a suit, in which she is ready to depart for her journey to work, she appears to be in a rush.
Christina is seen staring into the white vortex of her computer screen preparing to write her fifth document of letters, whilst the pile of work on her right hand side remain sentinel, spiralling upwards towards the pinnacle of her desktop. As the day comes to an end, she begins to take a majestic stroll home.
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Christina is seen staring into the white vortex of her computer screen preparing to write her fifth document of letters, whilst the pile of work on her right hand side remain sentinel, spiralling upwards towards the pinnacle of her desktop. As the day comes to an end, she begins to take a majestic stroll home.
On Christina's return, Laura Rune is scavenging through the old rusty boxes that have accommodated in the household for what it appears, centuries. Laura forced her daughter to contribute to this process, in which they can be seen simultaneously sorting boxes and discussing about Christina's grandmother. Ironically, Christina encounters a strange shaped key within one of the boxes, this it wields the initials 'G' and 'K' and has a pristine glow. Christina saw this ancient accessory as significant, and as a result, kept it for herself. Through hours of sorting boxes, both women decided enough was enough and as result fleeted to their bedrooms.
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The supernatural creature located at the margins of the hallway resembled the the figure of what appears to be Fenna;'s friend, Elek. This creature began to slowly elevate it's hand towards Christina, once the pinnacle was reached, it began to open it's palm in which two letters were displayed on the palm of it's hand. "G.K"! Within less than a second, the creature had vanished.
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For the upcoming weeks following this event , Christina gradually becomes extremely fatigued in which she displays extreme frustration/ unnecessary aggressive behaviour as a result of the never-ending nightmares. However, there is one final nightmare to go, who knows what horrors it might entail?
Lesson 5: 2nd October 2017. Another lesson in the bag! Well, it seems like my disease has spread. Unfortunately, Molly was unable to attend this lesson as she was sick. 💫 That means that we were knocked down to two candidates: myself and Anna. However, we combined forces and powered through this lesson in which we tackled audiences!
During this lesson, we discussed and have provided answers on audience, in which we have utilised our ideas and have decided what demographic/ psychographic group that we're going to target and the age certificate that we are going to attach to our short film.
Furthermore, yours truly is going to conduct primary research which will be modified around our targeted demographic and psychographic group in order to reinforce/ falsify our explanations for choosing a specific audience group to target.
Demographics:
Demographic information is used within media marketing in order to identify essential variables of the audience sample such as: age, gender, race and occupation. These variables are then devised into clear stratified categories, these categories are referred to as "bands" in which each band acquires traits which correspond to the demographic information of the target audience - each band has been allocated a code from "A" to "E".
Each code represents a band of the demographic table:
- Band A - Higher Management
- Band B - Middle Management
- Band C1 - White Collar Jobs: Office Workers
- Band C2 - Blue Collar Jobs: Skilled Manual Workers, Plumbers
- Band D - Semi Skilled/ Unskilled Manual Workers
- Band E - Unemployed: Students, Pensioners
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| Planning from class |
We have chosen to target Band E, more specifically, students. This is because the short film has been constructed by students (ourselves), which forges a relation to the audience. Myself and my group are within the same age range as the audience sample. Therefore, I have direct knowledge on what appeals to my target audience - we can use this to our advantage.
Also, Christina has recently graduated from sixth form/ college in the context of our film, which establishes another link to the audience. The audience are either at the very pinnacle of their education or have just gradated from education along with Christina. Christina has also begun to participate within the working world in which she has recently provided her labour to the economy (provided her labour) - this relates to a "casual worker" which is another variable which accumulates E Band.
However, a limitation that we encountered when discussing a potential demographic band to target is that is that the majority of audiences within the E band lack the educational/ logical skills that are required in order to figure out the narrative - this contradicts our choice of targeting band E. Our film is scattered with interlinked mysteries that must be solved in order to figure out the narrative, this has acted as a flaw in our discussion.
Overall, the positives outweigh the negatives which is why we have ultimately chosen to target Band E for our demographic band.
Psychographics:
Psychographic information is used within media marketing in order to identify essential psychological traits of the target audience such as: personality, lifestyle, interests, eating habits, aspirations etc.
These variables are then devised into clear stratified categories in order to form a psychographic group. The entirety of the product should appeal to the target audience through fulfilling their psychological needs: bands that appeal to the chosen psychographic should be used in order to captivate the audience further into the denotations/ iconographies exhibited.
For example: the iconographies within a thriller film appeal to explorers as a result of the high-paced movement of the shots which accumulate tension and excitement, this influences the audiences' reaction whilst they experience the climax that is established within a thriller.
Levels of Psychographics:
- Aspirers
- Succeeders
- Resigned
- Explorers
- Strugglers
- Reformers
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| Psychographic research during class. |
We have chosen to target explorers as they seek discovery and adventure in which they are the psychographic group that are most likely to fall victim to curiosity - Christina is victim of this in which she seeks closure/ discovery behind the nightmares/ locked door located in her household. This develops into a mystery, in which Christina desires to solve her mysteries, this is stimulated and encouraged through the drive of curiosity - she acquires traits which relate to an explorer.
Through the action of Christina adopting relatable/ similar traits to the explorer psychographic, it captivates the audience further into the narrative as the actions that Christina depicts are similar to what the audience would do if they was in the same situation (living the film through Christina's eyes), as a result, Christina's identity is substantially more convincing to this psychographic.
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We have also chosen to target reformers as they seek enlightenment and acquire the drive to fulfil liberalism, in which they have the desire to live without any restrictions/ barriers. The audience of this psychographic tend to equip similar traits that are often associated with the explorer psychographic (sense of discovery/ exploration). However, reformers seek escapism in which they want to breakaway from mainstream society and deliberately marginise themselves to establish liberalism/ freedom.
Age Certificate:
Attaching age certificates to a film/ programme is essential within 21st Century film making as it indicates if the material displayed is harmful/ damaging to the audience. Especially when targeting sensitive audience groups such as children/ infants which are vulnerable to explicit/ violent content as they are likely to find it distressing or imitate the actions performed within a film (influencing actions.)
Children are easily influenced and as a result are likely to conform to the roles of a "superhero" or "superior" figure, therefore, putting their safety in danger through replicating daring scenes that are often established in films.
Myself and Anna have decided that the 12A age certificate is an appropriate age certificate for our film. Though we desire to expand upon our target audience wherever possible, we figured that a PG and a U certificate would not be suitable for our film. This is because the demographic/psychographic groups occupied within these age certificates simply would not understand the narrative (too complex/ lack logical skills required.)
A 12A age certificate enables the producers to use some moderate anti-social iconographies such as: drugs, violence, psychological threat and inappropriate language. However, it cannot be present in large quantities - if anti-social iconographies become a common occurrence within the plot, then the producers will have to consider using a stricter age certificate: 15 or 18.
We have decided to use the 12A age certificate as moderate psychological threat/ violence is depicted within our short film. However, the anti-social iconographies displayed are appropriate in order to captivate the audience into the narrative and to contribute to the codes and conventions of the psychological genre/ thriller sub-genre. The nightmares involved within the plot are not traumatic enough for a 15, they are mild, so 12A is a suitable certificate.
We decided target 12A and not 12 as audiences that are under the age of 12 can still consume the film as long as they're accompanied by an adult. The accompanied adult acquires the ability to decide if the film is appropriate for their child/ sibling/ friend to consume. Furthermore, the adult that has accompanied the child can assist the child in solving/ figuring out the narrative, this acts as situational social support - narrative can be understood by all.
A 12A age certificate enables the producers to use some moderate anti-social iconographies such as: drugs, violence, psychological threat and inappropriate language. However, it cannot be present in large quantities - if anti-social iconographies become a common occurrence within the plot, then the producers will have to consider using a stricter age certificate: 15 or 18.
We have decided to use the 12A age certificate as moderate psychological threat/ violence is depicted within our short film. However, the anti-social iconographies displayed are appropriate in order to captivate the audience into the narrative and to contribute to the codes and conventions of the psychological genre/ thriller sub-genre. The nightmares involved within the plot are not traumatic enough for a 15, they are mild, so 12A is a suitable certificate.
We decided target 12A and not 12 as audiences that are under the age of 12 can still consume the film as long as they're accompanied by an adult. The accompanied adult acquires the ability to decide if the film is appropriate for their child/ sibling/ friend to consume. Furthermore, the adult that has accompanied the child can assist the child in solving/ figuring out the narrative, this acts as situational social support - narrative can be understood by all.
This is the area of the coursework which stresses me out the most, conducting research... 😢 Using the skills that I have acquired from psychology, I will conduct research using two appropriate methods of obtaining empirical data which reinforces/ challenges my decisions of choosing our chosen demographics and psychographics.
I will directly obtain this data through using primary research - an advantage of using primary research is that the research conducted can be modified around what the researcher wants to investigate.
Myself and my group will conduct a structured interview in order to obtain qualitative data. I will individually conduct a questionnaire in order to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data (both open and closed questions will be present within the material.) The data will be compared/ displayed in an appropriate graph once I have finished my research.
Structured Interview:
As a group, we have decided to conduct a structured interview in order to obtain qualitative data which challenges/ reinforces our decisions in choosing band E as our chosen demographic group, and explorers/ reformers as our chosen psychographic groups.
We will interview a maximum of four participants in which all participants will be exposed to the same questions. The participants interviewed must fulfil the criteria in which it is essential that they belong to the E band which occupies in the demographic table, and participants must either be a explorer or a reformer in order to obtain data that is relevant to what we are investigating.
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| Here is an image of the questions that will be asked to the participant, apologies for the messy handwriting. :) |
We will record the participants' responses through either voice-note or camera -> voice-note will be used to obtain the footage only if the participant wishes to keep their identity hidden. Yours truly will then edit this footage using the software iMovie - during this process I will ensure that the answers can be clearly heard in which the continuity flows freely through the transition from each interview.
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| Here is an image of one of our interviews occurring - shout out to Anna for taking the photo. |
The edited outcome of our interviews are displayed below:
Questionnaire:
Individually, I will conduct a questionnaire in which the questions asked will be modified around my area of research. Through conducting this questionnaire, I will obtain quantitative data (numerical data), I would not have obtained this type of data previously in my structured interview as interviews only enable the investigator to obtain qualitative data.
I will implement both open and closed questions into my questionnaire so that I can obtain both qualitative and quantitative data, questionnaires are substantially more flexible than interviews as they can be distributed quickly to a large sample, and they can obtain both levels of data.
I can then display my quantitative data into an appropriate graph. An appropriate graphical display in this scenario is a bar chart as the data obtained is discrete, therefore, there must be a space between the bars to exemplify this. If my data obtained was continuous, then a histogram would have been an appropriate graphical display.
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| This image distinguishes the difference between bar charts and histograms. |
As quantitative data is easier to analyse than qualitative data, I can easily analyse and consolidate my results and draw possible conclusions about how explorers/ reformers feel towards films that have similar plots/ narratives to ours (other mystery/ psychological films.)
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As you can see from my questionnaire, I have avoided using leading questions/ ambiguous questions as they may have impacted the validity of my results. Leading questions influence the participant to answer the question in a certain way as they suggest a desired answer, whereas, ambiguous questions can either be vague or interpreted differently which results in numerous responses that are not relevant to the question itself.
Display of Data: Questionnaire Results!
Question 1:
- 20% of the participants answered Mystery.
- 20% of the participants answered Psychological.
- 20% of the participants answered Thriller.
- 10% of the participants answered Sci-fi.
- 10% of the participants answered Fantasy.
- 10% of the participants answered Other.
Question 3:
- 90% of the participants answered Yes.
- 10% of the participants answered No.
Question 4:
- 50% of the participants answered Yes.
- 50% of the participants answered No.
Question 5:
- 70% of the participants answered Yes.
- 30% of the participants answered No.
Question 6:
- 90% of the participants answered Yes.
- 10% of the participants answered No.
Question 7:
- 30% of the participants answered Adventurous.
- 10% of the participants answered Free.
- 0% of the participants answered Boring. (Not surprised there.)
- 20% of the participants answered Lazy.
- 40% of the participants answered Independent.
- 0% of the participants answered Seek Discovery.
Question 8:
- 90% of the participants answered Yes.
- 10% of the participants answered No.
Question 9:
- 70% of the participants answered Yes.
- 30% of the participants answered No.
Question 10:
- 70% of the participants answered Yes.
- 30% of the participants answered No.
- 90% of the participants answered Yes.
- 10% of the participants answered No.
Results Discussion:
Within this video, I have identified flaws within my research and have reflected upon them!
Lesson 6: 16th October 2017
During this lesson, the stress got real, in which my stress levels elevated from a solid 100 to 10000000! Today, we covered material from the name of our film/ production company, to the prop list, shopping budget and settings.
For us, this lesson was a real eye-opener, in which we noticed that hard work alone will not get us through this coursework. We must consider and embed creativity within our work when we are exhibiting our ideas in order to deviate away from what is considered as "generic".
Name of Film/ Name of Production Company:
For the first proportion of this lesson, we tackled and discussed potential film names and production names. Our discussions are depicted within the video that is shown below:
As you can clearly identify from our discussions, we decided to seize forward with the "The Gatekeepers" as our film name. Referencing to our discussions, I suggested this because "The Gatekeepers" portrays the Gatekeepers in an organisational context which specifies their relevance within the narrative - an organisation which desires to abolish deviant acts between the material and mirror dimension.
I can reference this back to "Zika", the candidates who produced "Zika" named it this way in order to directly inform the audience of what the narrative is going to entail, therefore, enabling the audience to decide if the narrative will appeal to the individual or not.
The production name that we have decided to go forward with is "Benadurtke Productions"! Benadurtke translated into English means stress. The reasoning for choosing a Dutch production name is because the protagonist (and her family) acquire a Dutch heritage, therefore, we believe that we would reference the protagonists origins in order to tighten up the interlinked mysteries which accommodate within our production. Furthermore, our chosen demographic/ psychographic group that we have decided to target experience stress on a frequent occasion, as well as ourselves.
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| Oh yes, I did not mention that Christina (the protagonist) frequently experiences stress and fatigue during the narrative! Therefore, our production logo references the codes and conventions of the psychological genre through using the theme of stress as a template! This enables the audience group to identify themselves with the protagonist as both samples frequently experience stress. |
Secondly, we constructed a prop list so that we can clearly distinguish what props we need to acquire in order to carry out our filming. However, we noticed that some props that will be used, etc. LED Lights will have to be purchased.
This implies that will have to invest money from our allocated budget into this prop in order to purchase it and use it within "The Gatekeeper". This monetary transition will be monitored regularly in order to identify how much money we have remaining within our budget.
The GK Glove is also an important prop within our production. This prop is present within the nightmare scene. We believed that this prop was appropriate as Elek's identity would initially be kept hidden/ restricted during this scene. Therefore, we had to formulate a method/ technique in addressing the Gatekeepers without actually revealing Elek/s identity - so we came to the conclusion of writing in the symbol of the GK Key in permanent marker on the glove.
This implies that will have to invest money from our allocated budget into this prop in order to purchase it and use it within "The Gatekeeper". This monetary transition will be monitored regularly in order to identify how much money we have remaining within our budget.
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| Prop 1: The "GK Key" |
The GK key is the most important prop within our production. We can utilise this prop in order to provide a deeper explanation into the narrative as the GK will be associated with the Gatekeepers. This prop is used consistently throughout our production in order to assist the audience in understanding our narrative along with the messages/ mysteries that must be solved within it.
For the majority of our film, this prop will be fastened around Christina's neck in order to signify that the Gatekeepers are following and watching her at all times.
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| Prop 2 - The Articles |
The article's are also an important prop within our production. The series of articles depicted above provide a sufficient amount of background information behind the Gatekeepers and Fenna's work as the elder of the Gatekeepers. Anna has also in-cooperated some paint/ rips into the articles in order to signify the age/ significance of these articles and the historical context that they acquire.
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| Prop 3 - Boxes |
The boxes are a series of props which are less significant in terms of understanding our narrative. We have decided to use boxes in order to signify to the audience that Christina and Laura have moved into their grandmothers household.
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| Prop 4 - The "GK Glove" |
Shopping List:
The shopping list is a continuation from the prop list! As we have not already constructed a shopping list, we decided to construct one during todays lesson!
We have been allocated a strict shopping budget of £50, in which we cannot exceed this value otherwise we will simply run out of money to produce our short film. Therefore, in order to avoid this, we will blueprint our investments around our filming budget in order to maintain our purchases, this is an essential rule that we MUST stick to!
We have been allocated a strict shopping budget of £50, in which we cannot exceed this value otherwise we will simply run out of money to produce our short film. Therefore, in order to avoid this, we will blueprint our investments around our filming budget in order to maintain our purchases, this is an essential rule that we MUST stick to!
Settings:
During our own time, we decided to venture out into the outside world and capture some photos for our settings. Thus far, we have only referenced to one of our chosen settings (depicted in lesson 3). Therefore, we decided to kill two birds with one stone and finish off capturing photos for our chosen settings today!
Setting 2: Household
The images displayed above will act as the setting for the household scene within our film, this will be the first scene depicted to the audience. During this scene, Christina and her mother (Laura) will enter their new household which previously belonged to Christina's grandmother Fenna Rune, who is unknowingly the founder and an elder of the gatekeepers.
We believed that this setting was appropriate for this scene as the hallway is lengthy/spacious (flexible) and therefore grants us the ability to exert/ play around with the cinematography (positon of shots) in order to capture the perfect shot. As a result, this enhances the effect of the shots/ sequence!
An example of an effective angle that we can possibly use is "Angle 3" displayed above: this angle was captured underneath the stairway in order to raise the impression that the protagonist and her mother are being watched through the eyes of a supernatural phenomenon.
I can cross reference this to "Choice" as the candidates who constructed "Choice" exploited the cinematography in order to convey that the protagonist was being watched/ followed by an unknown manifested presence.
Setting 3: Office/Workplace
The images displayed above will act as the setting for Christina's workplace/ Office scene. We believe that this is an appropriate setting for the workplace scene as iconographies (/ props) that are typically presented with the industrialised workplace are depicted within the image: colleagues, computers, documents, printing technology etc. - Realistic/ ideal working environment.
During our own time, we decided to venture out into the outside world and capture some photos for our settings. Thus far, we have only referenced to one of our chosen settings (depicted in lesson 3). Therefore, we decided to kill two birds with one stone and finish off capturing photos for our chosen settings today!
Setting 2: Household
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| Angle 1 |
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| Angle 2 |
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| Angle 3 |
We believed that this setting was appropriate for this scene as the hallway is lengthy/spacious (flexible) and therefore grants us the ability to exert/ play around with the cinematography (positon of shots) in order to capture the perfect shot. As a result, this enhances the effect of the shots/ sequence!
An example of an effective angle that we can possibly use is "Angle 3" displayed above: this angle was captured underneath the stairway in order to raise the impression that the protagonist and her mother are being watched through the eyes of a supernatural phenomenon.
I can cross reference this to "Choice" as the candidates who constructed "Choice" exploited the cinematography in order to convey that the protagonist was being watched/ followed by an unknown manifested presence.
Setting 3: Office/Workplace
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| Angle 2 |
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| Angle 1 |
Therefore, we can easily tailor/ manipulate the iconographies and props within the setting around the genre(s) in order to enhance the effect/ storytelling of the narrative upon the audience. These scenes gradually expose Christina's developing frustration/ moodiness over the duration of the nightmares - interaction with colleagues become more abrupt/ snappy.
Setting 4: Bench/ Field
images displayed above will act as the setting for when Christina engages into a personal conversation with Elek (Fenna's friend) before his passing which is depicted later into the short film. Both characters will be sitting on either bench 1 or bench 2 (shown above) depending on which bench is more suitable on the day of recording as bench 1 may be occupied. Therefore, bench 2 will be used as an alternative.
This conversation will reveal spoilers/ hints into the narrative which will guide the audience in understanding the plot in more detail - Elek will reveal essential information about the gatekeepers and their significance along with some background information on Fenna.
The images depicted above are in-depth angles of the nightmare scene. We decided to use this setting as it is a suitable bedroom for the protagonist, our explanation for this follows:
We decided that we can exploit "Angle 1" (shown above) in which we can incorporate a Canted shot/ Birdseye view shot in order to stimulate the accumulation of the climax which will result in Christina approaching the suspicious door that is tempted towards the audience throughout the duration of "The Gatekeeper" through close ups/ extreme close ups.
"Angle 2" emphasises the emptiness of the room (lack of furniture), which connotes and clearly displays how open and vulnerable the protagonist is to a supernatural phenomenon. We can encourage the effectiveness of this angle through incorporating a wide shot/ establishing shot in which the barren/ abandonment of the room can be conveyed and enhanced to the audience. This integrates perfectly into the treatment as it fits the description of the household: (barren/ isolated.)
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| Bench 1 (Apologies, the can of red bull photobombed the photo!) |
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| Bench 2 |
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| Image of field |
This conversation will reveal spoilers/ hints into the narrative which will guide the audience in understanding the plot in more detail - Elek will reveal essential information about the gatekeepers and their significance along with some background information on Fenna.
We believed that this setting was appropriate for this scene as it is very radiant and bright whilst dressed with a beautiful view which corresponds to the theme of life and growth which appeals to the aspirers psychographic group.
I stated that the aesthetics of our settings were lacking, therefore, we decided that we would use a setting that was breadth in greenery/ vegetation in order to enhance the mise-en-scene aspect of our film. I believe that this setting is successful in fulfilling this as a wide range of vegetation and colours are present within the image, so I can conclude that this setting is effective.
Setting 5: Nightmare scene (Continuation.)
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| Angle 1 |
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| Angle 2 |
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| Angle 3 |
We decided that we can exploit "Angle 1" (shown above) in which we can incorporate a Canted shot/ Birdseye view shot in order to stimulate the accumulation of the climax which will result in Christina approaching the suspicious door that is tempted towards the audience throughout the duration of "The Gatekeeper" through close ups/ extreme close ups.
"Angle 2" emphasises the emptiness of the room (lack of furniture), which connotes and clearly displays how open and vulnerable the protagonist is to a supernatural phenomenon. We can encourage the effectiveness of this angle through incorporating a wide shot/ establishing shot in which the barren/ abandonment of the room can be conveyed and enhanced to the audience. This integrates perfectly into the treatment as it fits the description of the household: (barren/ isolated.)
Lesson 7: 3rd November 2017
I'm back after a short break and I'm ready to ROCK AND ROLL! During my week off, I have been working alongside my faves: Anna and Molly in order to progress with the completion of our script! Anna has been kind enough to create the script in which I will utilise and individually annotate the script in order to construct a subjective/ individual storyboard.
Once each of us have created our individual/ subjective storyboards (first draft), we will then proceed to create a collective storyboard (as a group) which will ultimately operate as our final draft for our storyboard. Once we have completed our collective storyboard (final storyboard draft), we will individually construct a shot list which will exhibit all of the essential shots within our film. And with that, ALL OF OUR PLANNING WILL BE COMPLETE! :)
Script: Draft 1
The images depicted below show to you the script for our film. I have individually annotated the script in order to indicate what shots will be imported where! - I will use these annotations as a guide for when I create my individual storyboard so that it makes life much easier for me!
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| Page 2 |
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| Page 3 |
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| Page 4 |
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| Page 5 |
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| Page 6 |
As you can see, I have clearly annotated Anna's script in different colours which correspond to a specific element on the mark scheme. Purple ink refers to shots/ description, Pink ink refers to scene changes/ transitions and orange ink refers to the music used (whether it's diegetic, ambient etc.)
The image depicted below indicates my assessment of Anna's script. I have indicated strengths (which are presented in green ink) and limitations (which are presented in red ink.) I will present my feedback to Anna in which she can improve upon her draft in order to enhance the effectiveness of her script!
Storyboard: Draft 1
Before I dive into this, I would just like to mention that this storyboard took me a week to construct. That's what you call determination! :)
My individual storyboard depicted in the video shown below is a rough draft of the ultimate collective storyboard which will be recreated as a group. As you can see, I have terribly drawn a rough recreation of what will be occurring within the shot and I have provided a brief explanation of the shot used and what action is being established within the shot.
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| Storyboard Page 1 |
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| Storyboard Page 2 |
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| Storyboard Page 3 |
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| Storyboard Page 4 |
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| Storyboard Page 5 |
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| Storyboard Page 6 |
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| Storyboard Page 7 |
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| Storyboard Page 8 |
Storyboard Review/ Reflection:
After constructing my storyboard, I decided to ask some explorers/ reformers to review my storyboard and indicate some strengths and weakness of it. From these reviews, I reflected upon my work - During the construction of my collective storyboard, I will ensure that the weaknesses will be minimised.
Shot List: Draft 1!
During my Shot list, I will outline and briefly explain the shots that we have decided to use during our production. This is only a first draft, so the pattern/ shots that make it to the final cut will most likely will change overtime!
Opening scene:
- Long Shot: Christina and Laura approaching the door.
- Close up: Close up on Door Handle.
- Low Angle/ Close up: Christina and Laura's footsteps walking into the hallway.
- Long Shot: Christina and Laura walking into the hallway with their belongings in tact.
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- Close up: Christina descending the stairway in her work clothes.
Office Scene: Day 1
- Tracking Shot: Christina walking into the distance from the cameras perspective.
- Close up: Christina walking into work - focal point on her feet/ footsteps.
- Wide Shot: Christina organising her work space/ work desk.
- Close up: Paperwork abruptly landing onto Christina's work desk which has been placed by her boss.
- Close up: Christina on the phone.
- Over The Shoulder: Christina on her laptop sorting work documents/ emails.
- Close up: Christina appearing to look drained.
- Tracking Shot: Christina departing her workplace in order to embark on her journey home.
Household Scene:
- Over the Shoulder: Christina walking through the door.
- POV Shot: Laura talking to Christina - "Help me organise these boxes".
- Close up: Christina equipping a box and lifting it upwards.
- Tracking Shot: Christina and Laura navigating the stairway with the boxes in hand.
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- POV Shot: From the "GK" Key's perspective in which Christina grabs and stairs at the camera.
- Medium Shot: Pull Focus on the "GK" Key.
- Over the Shoulder: Christina reading the news article which she found in the box.
- Close up: Christina appears confused.
- Two-Shot: Laura interrupts Christina's moment of confusion which causes her to become shocked.
- Medium Shot: Christina quickly places the article back into the box which she found it in.
Bedroom Scene:
- Tracking Shot: Christina navigating stairway into her room.
- Wide Shot: Christina walking towards the camera which resembles the bed.
- Long Shot: Christina getting into bed.
Nightmare Scene: 1
- Dolly Shot: Christina abruptly waking up during the night.
- Wide shot: Christina facing the hallway.
- POV Shot: Gatekeeper/ Ekek is facing Christina (Similarly to the shot I previously referenced in the grudge.)
*************
- Close up: Christina abruptly waking up after her disturbing nightmare.
Office Scene: Day 2
- Tracking shot: Christina walking to work.
- Series of Close Ups/ Quick Cuts: emphasises Christina's frustration at work.
- Tracking Shot: Christina abruptly leaving her workplace.
Conversation Scene:
- Wide Shot: Christina approaching Elek at the bench.
- Shot Reverse-Shot: This entire scene is a shot reverse-shot in which mysteries that are embedded within the plot are revealed.
Nightmare Scene: 2
- BLACKOUT.
- Tracking shot - Christina walking down the murky hallway (facing Elek/ The Gatekeeper)
- Close up - on GK key.
- POV Shot - Christina moving ever-so closer to the door.
- Close up - Christina's hand reaching out to the door handle.
- FINAL BLACKOUT.
This is only the first draft of my shot list, I will construct another draft later into my research and planning in order to indicate any changes in the sequence/ narrative.
Lesson 8: 6th November 2017:
UPDATE! During this lesson, I can confirm that we started filming for our production "The Gatekeepers". This marks the official date of which we began to capture footage for our film. Thus far, filming seems to be going good, through we have to reshoot some shots, the majority of filming today was successful. Also, I will reveal to you the "GK" key (prop) that Anna created herself, I'm just going to say, it is pretty amazing.
Gatekeeper Key:
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| DRAFT |
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| FINAL PRODUCT - The amazing "GK" key that Anna created :) |
Above depicts the "GK" key that Anna created, I have no idea how she constructed it but she did not disappoint! This prop is the most essential as it is present in virtually all of the scenes within our production. It does not just acquire physical significance, it acquires symbolic significance as it is responsible for the nightmares/ transportation of humans between the material world and the mirror dimension - therefore, it accommodates a meaning that is narrative specific.
Anna honestly did an amazing job when constructing the "GK" key! As you can see, the final product (indicated on the right) establishes a high resemblance to the draft of the "GK" key (indicated on the left.) Therefore, as the key acquires a mystical/ highly metallic appearance which reinforces the codes and conventions of our chosen genres/ psychographic groups, I can conclude that the "GK" key is an effective iconography/ prop of our production "The Gatekeepers".
Lesson 9: 17th November 2017
Let's just say, that this lesson was a jam-packed lesson. For the first quarter of the lesson (which equates to 15 minutes), we planned and discussed future filming dates for the: nightmare scenes, household scenes and office scenes. As my friend (who plays the role of "Christina") is occupied/ busy all week, we are left with no other option but to postpone filming until next week. However, we was able to capture footage for the household scene!
Within the final proportion of this lesson, we edited the footage that we captured in the reshoot and began to discuss ideas for our production logo. We brainstormed and transferred appropriate logo designs which corresponded to the name of our production company. We was able to identify the design that was most suitable to use as our production logo which is depicted later on in the lesson.
Changes within editing software's!
During today's lesson, we was alerted that we would not be using iMovie as our primary editing software. In fact, we would be using a brand new software called "Final Cut Pro" which we have never used before and are unaware of. However, "Final Cut Pro" acquires a larger pool of editing techniques which we can use to enhance the quality of our production! Therefore, it was a wise decision to transition over to "Final Cut Pro".
Final Cut Pro will enable us to remould our production into a more professional and successful product! Through replacing iMovie with Final Cut Pro, we are able to access more diverse editing components which will elevate the quality of our product. A broadened option of editing components will enable me to modify the footage around the chosen genres/ sub-genres of our film. This will be established through implementing CGI which will contribute towards the effect induced upon the audience.
Production Logo:
During this lesson we also decided upon the production logo that we will use to represent our production company! It is essential that our final design of our production logo correlates to our production name which is "Benadurkte Productions"! This translates to "stressed" in Dutch (Our production name is referenced previously within my blog!)
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| Before we constructed our design, we brainstormed concepts which acquire a relationship to stress. We then used this as a template when formulating our production logo designs! |
Therefore, when discussing potential designs, we had to ensure that it resembles a stimuli which demonstrates/ relates to stress! Our potential designs are depicted below:
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| The return of my terrible drawing skills! |
As you can see, we constructed 6 designs which we believed would act as a suitable production logo for our production company "Benadurtke Productions". The sample of logos that we constructed demonstrate stress in their own way: from a frying brain to a tidal wave!
However, we ultimately decided to go forward with the tidal wave design as we perceived it to be unique and vibrant design which demonstrates stress through the ability to completely fatigue an individual and recklessly/ violently drown the victim in a lack of motivation/ free-will to continue.
Though the meaning of our production logo is a tad dark, the design is vibrant which juxtaposes its meaning (draws some light on the matter). As a result, this deviates our logo away from other production logos with a similar meaning which increases the likelihood that the chosen demo/psychographic groups will acknowledge our production logo over fellow rival logos.
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| Here it is, In all it's glory! :) |
In order for us to even capture the footage for our short film, it is essential that we obtain our shooting equipment! The equipment we will be using during production is depicted below:
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1) Memory Card. It is essential that we obtained a Memory Card so that all of our footage can be safely stored onto a reliable device which can be used at any moment in time as it does not require any charging. We will import our footage onto the Mac via the assistance of the Memory card which will enable us to access and edit the footage that we captured.
2) Camera. It is essential that we have obtained a Camera so that we can capture the footage for our film. The camera we will be using to shoot during this project is the Canon EOS 700D! We believe that this camera is appropriate as the focusing can be easily adjusted which enables us to capture higher quality shots. Also, the actual size of the camera itself is not too much of a problem as it is relatively small so it is easier to carry around.
3) Tripod. It is essential that we have obtained a Tripod so that we can capture sturdy shots which ultimately have a greater impact on the audience - enhance the performance/ continuity of the film. Furthermore, nothing is more satisfying than a aesthetically pleasing shot which is perfectly positioned, the Tripod will assist us in establishing this!
4) Microphone. It is essential that we have obtained a Microphone so that dialogue can be detected within shots/ scenes that require it! The Rode Videomic Pro (our chosen microphone) works through plugging the cable into the site allocated on the camera, a switch should then be pressed which results in a green light flashing on the microphone (if set up correctly).
Costumes:
During this section, I will show to you the costumes that we decided to use within our production. I will also provide an explanation behind why we decided to use those specific costumes.
During this section, I will show to you the costumes that we decided to use within our production. I will also provide an explanation behind why we decided to use those specific costumes.
Christina:
Elek:
Elek is a mysterious character within our film who highly interlinks with the codes and conventions of the mystery/ psychological genres. Therefore, we decided custom Elek's costume around the principle of embedding a phantom/ ghastly look. We established this through incorporating a mixture of monochrome colours such as black and white in order to hide Elek's identity/ inhibit the audience from formulating a judgment on Elek's personality. The white colours are used to symbolise the peace/ purity of the gatekeepers.
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| Christina outfit 1 - Everyday Clothes |
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| Christina outfit 2 - Pyjamas |
Christina is a fairly normal young adult. Therefore, we chose to customise her outfits on the principle of looking generic/ simple/ bland. Unlike other characters, none of Christina's outfits take upon a design which is "original" or "recognisable" to our genre:- unlike Elek's costume(s) which are very unique and recognisable to our production.
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| Elek Outfit 2 - Nightmare |
Lesson 10: 20th November 2017
During this lesson, we returned to previous areas of our research that we vaguely covered! This consisted of: a narrative comparison(s) and a full explanation of our narrative but with a creative twist. Over the weekend, I reflected over my blog and suggested to my group that we need to develop upon the weaker areas of our blogs which are scattered throughout our research and planning. And guess what? That's exactly what we did!
Narrative Comparison:
We compared our narrative to similar existing narratives, whether they were huge Hollywood blockbusters, or whether they were small-budget independent films. We formulated the comparisons that we identified into a mega-brainstorm in which we recorded ourselves writing our findings onto the whiteboard, this was captured in a time lapse motion! Our findings are shown below!
During this lesson, we returned to previous areas of our research that we vaguely covered! This consisted of: a narrative comparison(s) and a full explanation of our narrative but with a creative twist. Over the weekend, I reflected over my blog and suggested to my group that we need to develop upon the weaker areas of our blogs which are scattered throughout our research and planning. And guess what? That's exactly what we did!
Narrative Comparison:
We compared our narrative to similar existing narratives, whether they were huge Hollywood blockbusters, or whether they were small-budget independent films. We formulated the comparisons that we identified into a mega-brainstorm in which we recorded ourselves writing our findings onto the whiteboard, this was captured in a time lapse motion! Our findings are shown below!
Though this video is only 30 seconds long, it took a straight 5 minutes to capture...
The 4 existing narratives that acquired a similar narrative to our hit "The Gatekeepers" are: Coraline, Inception, Stranger Things and Coherence. Distinguishes/ links to our narrative are illustrated within the time lapse and a zoomed up/ close up version is displayed to you within the images below!
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| 1. Coraline. (Links to Coraline were demonstrated previously in my blog) |
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| 2. Coraline and Inception. |
Also, both films utilise the concept of dreams and embed the delusional context of dreams in order to fulfil the codes and conventions of the psychological genre. These experiences from the dreams continue to have a psychological impact on the protagonist within both films. This is demonstrated through abnormal events and faulty perceptions - mirror maze (Inception) encounter with the gatekeeper/ fatigue/ impact on behaviour. (The Gatekeepers).
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| 3. Stranger Things and Coherence. |
"Stranger Things" (2016) is a contemporary American series which is distributed by Netflix. This original TV drama has been considered as highly successful with an astounding 96% of google users enjoying this show! Similarly to "The Gatekeepers", "Stranger Things" utilises the concept of a parallel world/ dimension, this implies that the narratives are instantly correlated. Also, supernatural creatures manifest within the parallel dimension(s) for both films in which their value is emphasised through their presence in a desired/ unknown dimension.
"Coherence" (2013) is a Sci-fi, Thriller film in which the plot is centred around interlinked mysteries which must be figured out in order to establish the true purpose of the narrative! This relates highly to "The Gatekeepers" as Christina experiences abnormal events which act as mysteries that must be pieced together in a puzzle-like format in order to figure out the true value of the narrative.
This film also illustrates the codes and conventions of the psychological genre (though it is not accommodate within the psychological theme)! This further reinforces the successes of pairing the thriller and psychological genre together in order to exert an effect upon the audience.
This film also illustrates the codes and conventions of the psychological genre (though it is not accommodate within the psychological theme)! This further reinforces the successes of pairing the thriller and psychological genre together in order to exert an effect upon the audience.
Narrative Explanation:
In order to provide you (the reader) with some clarity on the narrative of our production, "The Gatekeepers". Myself and Anna decided to kindly produce a short YET CRINGE video on our narrative. I would like to introduce you to, "Smith's Media Revision After-school!"
Lesson 11: 15th December 2017
Where do I even start, todays lesson was an absolute NIGHTMARE! Allow me to explain, our main goal for this lesson was to begin editing our footage that we had captured from filming day: 2 and 3. I proceeded to import all of our footage from the memory card onto Final Cut Pro ready to edit. However, I quickly noticed a correlation within the footage. AROUND 95% OF THE FOOTAGE THAT WE CAPTURED WAS UNFOCUSED.
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| Meme construed by yours truly during this time of panic! |
I was honestly on the verge of recreating Britney Spears' mental breakdown in 2007. Words cannot describe how stressed I was at this moment in time (I'm so dramatic).
Therefore, as we could not edit during this double lesson, we decided to review the blurry footage that we had already captured - this resulted in a major change! We also researched into potential soundtracks that we could use for the office scene(s) and the nightmare scene(s).
CHANGE!
I suggested to my group that we scrap the idea of the montage, my reasoning for this is depicted below.
We decided to scrap the montage idea for the following reasons:
- Was time consuming.
- Repetitive.
- Difficult to edit (post-production) - This directly concerned me as I am the head editor.
- Caused a slight confusion when attempting to understand the narrative.
- Boring - fails to captivate the audience.
- Unoriginal - used in many other thriller films.
- Irrelevant - did not benefit the narrative at all.
Molly and Anna also agreed with my idea that we should cut the montage scenes. Therefore, through removing the montage scenes, we have freed up additional time to fixate on the office scene which is ultimately more important! The office scene has also received some major changes as we can now invest more time into it! The screenshot below (from our media WhatsApp group chat) depicts the formulation of the new and updated office scene(s)!
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| Here we are discussing potential changes to the office scene! |
Basically, the office scene will consist of two days. The first day will show Christina going about her office work normally in which she will be conveyed as being in a somewhat happy/ relaxed mood - the first office day will occur BEFORE the first nightmare!
However, on the second office day, the Gatekeeper (Elek) will begin to traumatise/ play mind tricks on Christina within her workplace - this will occur in a hallucination type fashion. Before you ask, no Christina is not a schizophrenic, she is just experiencing hallucinations/ delusions which are the result of her fatigue!
This merges in perfectly with the codes and conventions of the psychological genre! Therefore, unlike the hallucination scenes, these scenes actually reference the genres and utilise the codes and conventions of these genres in order to inflict an effect upon the audience. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the second office day will occur AFTER the first nightmare!
However, on the second office day, the Gatekeeper (Elek) will begin to traumatise/ play mind tricks on Christina within her workplace - this will occur in a hallucination type fashion. Before you ask, no Christina is not a schizophrenic, she is just experiencing hallucinations/ delusions which are the result of her fatigue!
This merges in perfectly with the codes and conventions of the psychological genre! Therefore, unlike the hallucination scenes, these scenes actually reference the genres and utilise the codes and conventions of these genres in order to inflict an effect upon the audience. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the second office day will occur AFTER the first nightmare!
Lesson 12: 15th January 2018:
HAPPY NEW YEAR! (I know this is a bit late) :)
Well, we have only been back for a week and we have already encountered a huge issue with our film. Over the past week, myself and Molly have been editing the footage that we had captured over the Christmas Holiday's and unfortunately I do not bring great news.
We have to reshoot the entirety of our production as it lacks an understandable plot/ narrative. As a result, our task is to minimise the complexity of our original plot so that it is easier to follow! The following section of my research and planning is centred around CHANGE!
Draft 1 of "The Gatekeepers":
During this lesson, I burned the conversation scene over from iMovie onto the Mac that we have frequently been using to edit (Mac 7) in order to implement the conversation scene into our sequence on Final Cut Pro - I then exported our film from Final Cut Pro and uploaded it onto YouTube.
Thus far into the editing phase, we did not manage to implement the soundtrack/ transitions into the sequence as we was not able to progress very far into the editing as it was terminated before we had the opportunity to get our hands dirty with the footage itself.
Also, we have gained a negative reaction from our peers in which their productions seem much stronger than ours at this moment in time! Its not that our narrative is weak, it is the fact that we haven't performed it very well, which is a vital ingredient that we will take into consideration when reshooting our production.
Here were some general reactions from our peers:
- "It's too repetitive".
- "The dialogue is fuzzy at times".
- "Some of the scenes drag out too long".
- "There's a lack of continuity".
- "It's so confusing".
- "You need to make some events more obvious".
- "It's too GCSE".
- "It doesn't relate to your genres at all in some sections".
- "There's no need for the same shots to be used twice."
- "The vigorous cutting is so off-putting."
So, we have reflected upon our audience feedback and have decided to move forward with a significantly more solid idea of presenting our narrative! We have constructed a brand new script (which is stronger than our previous one). Also, we have slightly changed our characters around as our previous protagonist didn't want to participant within our production anymore. As well as some major changes to the plot/ locations/ mise-en-scene etc.
Plot Changes
I will start by indicating vital plot changes within our production. All of these changes are depicted within the mind map located below which include everything you need to know about the final draft of our narrative. However, I have explained two major changes below the mind map.
This is a brand new location and has been implemented to replace the office scenes, and the conversation scene with Elek. Therefore, the content within this scene will replace the content that was previously located within the scenes/ settings that have been cut!
However, the new library scene will have it's own original twist in order to spice up the updated plot! During this scene, Christina has departed from her house and has arrived at the Library in order to discover more information regarding her Grandmother, Fenna Rune. The library seem have to acquired articles regarding the tales of "The Gatekeepers" and Fenna Runes (Christina's grandmothers) involvement in the cult.
SO YES, THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT SCENE IN TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING THE NARRATIVE!
Updated Character Profiles:
So, my friend who volunteered to play the role of "Christina" within our production "The Gatekeepers", has had to withdraw from her role as she has managed to fall behind on her Art coursework. As a result, we have had to switch the characters around, here are our updated character profiles!
Christina: Molly has volunteered to play the role of "Christina".
Name: Christina Rune
Role: Protagonist
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Status: Alive
Occupation: Admin Assistant
Nationality: English/Dutch
Hair Colour: Dirty Blonde
Mental Stability: Unstable
Conditions: Experiences random nightmares
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Family Background: Raised with divorced parents
Educational Background: Attended state schools, did not attend university.
Goals: Wants to own her own business
Religion: Atheist
Secrets: Great at solving puzzles
Laura: My mother has volunteered to play the role of "Laura".
Name: Laura Rune
Role: Protagonists Mother
Gender: Female
Age: 45
Status: Alive
Occupation: Business Owner
Nationality: English/ Dutch
Hair Colour: Dirty Blonde
Mental Stability: Stable
Conditions: None
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Family Background: Raised by a loving family, gave birth to a daughter
Educational Background: Home-schooled, did attend university
Goals: Wants to expand her business
Religion: Atheist
Secrets: Christina must not know about the existence of the Gatekeepers!
"ELEK" HAS ALSO BEEN REMOVED AND INSTEAD HAS BEEN REPLACED BY "THE LIBRARIAN"
Updated Script: Draft 2
As the plot has experienced some pretty drastic changes, it would only make sense to construct a new script which is updated and takes on board the limitations/ downfalls of our previous script. Our new script is depicted below:
Shot list: Draft 2!
As mentioned previously in my research and planning page, I will be returning to my shot list when myself and my group are certain on the final series of shots that we will be using for our short film, "The Gatekeepers". It's clear to say that the plot has changed significantly from my previous draft of my shot list, however, this time I'm going to correct any mistakes/ misinterpretations that you may have!
Plot Changes
I will start by indicating vital plot changes within our production. All of these changes are depicted within the mind map located below which include everything you need to know about the final draft of our narrative. However, I have explained two major changes below the mind map.
New Setting: The Library!
As you can see, we have decided to remove the office scenes and the conversation scene with Elek in the park. This was because both scenes wasted a large amount of time and the office scenes were very repetitive. They have been replaced by a new scene which occurs within the library - this has been deemed the "Library Scene".
The nightmare scene has also experienced some changes. Instead of Christina coming face-to-face with a Gatekeeper (Elek), we figured that the nightmare scene would be more effective if we implemented a series of fast paced/ rapid-fire shots which focused on vital iconographies which appeared throughout our film. For example, the shine of Fenna downstairs/ the door, this again will save time so that our film does not exceed the 5 minute limit!
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| The final Draft of our narrative. |
The nightmare scene has also experienced some changes. Instead of Christina coming face-to-face with a Gatekeeper (Elek), we figured that the nightmare scene would be more effective if we implemented a series of fast paced/ rapid-fire shots which focused on vital iconographies which appeared throughout our film. For example, the shine of Fenna downstairs/ the door, this again will save time so that our film does not exceed the 5 minute limit!
This is a brand new location and has been implemented to replace the office scenes, and the conversation scene with Elek. Therefore, the content within this scene will replace the content that was previously located within the scenes/ settings that have been cut!
However, the new library scene will have it's own original twist in order to spice up the updated plot! During this scene, Christina has departed from her house and has arrived at the Library in order to discover more information regarding her Grandmother, Fenna Rune. The library seem have to acquired articles regarding the tales of "The Gatekeepers" and Fenna Runes (Christina's grandmothers) involvement in the cult.
SO YES, THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT SCENE IN TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING THE NARRATIVE!
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| Image: Library |
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| Image: Inside the Library |
However, before we could film within the library, we had to get granted entry/ approval from the library director. In behalf of our group, Anna contacted the director of the local library in which she requested permission for us to film within the facility. The director ultimately granted access for us to film within the library, our evidence is depicted below.
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| Evidence: 1st Page |
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| Evidence: 2nd Page |
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| Evidence: 3rd Page |
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| Evidence: 4th Page |
Updated Character Profiles:
So, my friend who volunteered to play the role of "Christina" within our production "The Gatekeepers", has had to withdraw from her role as she has managed to fall behind on her Art coursework. As a result, we have had to switch the characters around, here are our updated character profiles!
Christina: Molly has volunteered to play the role of "Christina".
Name: Christina Rune
Role: Protagonist
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Status: Alive
Occupation: Admin Assistant
Nationality: English/Dutch
Hair Colour: Dirty Blonde
Mental Stability: Unstable
Conditions: Experiences random nightmares
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Family Background: Raised with divorced parents
Educational Background: Attended state schools, did not attend university.
Goals: Wants to own her own business
Religion: Atheist
Secrets: Great at solving puzzles
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| Additional Information about Christina! |
Name: Laura Rune
Role: Protagonists Mother
Gender: Female
Age: 45
Status: Alive
Occupation: Business Owner
Nationality: English/ Dutch
Hair Colour: Dirty Blonde
Mental Stability: Stable
Conditions: None
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Family Background: Raised by a loving family, gave birth to a daughter
Educational Background: Home-schooled, did attend university
Goals: Wants to expand her business
Religion: Atheist
Secrets: Christina must not know about the existence of the Gatekeepers!
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| Additional information about Laura! |
The Librarian: Anna has now volunteered to play the role of "the librarian"!
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| This character will give Christina the newspaper articles regarding her grandmother, Fenna. |
As the plot has experienced some pretty drastic changes, it would only make sense to construct a new script which is updated and takes on board the limitations/ downfalls of our previous script. Our new script is depicted below:
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| Page 1 |
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| Page 2 |
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| Page 3 |
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| Page 4 |
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| Page 5 |
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| Page 6 |
Sure, the running order of our script may not exactly match the sequence our final product, but we will use it as a template/ plan when reshooting this week. We felt that creating a new script was appropriate as our old script was extremely outdated and included many scenes which have been cut as a result of our plot change.
Shot list: Draft 2!
As mentioned previously in my research and planning page, I will be returning to my shot list when myself and my group are certain on the final series of shots that we will be using for our short film, "The Gatekeepers". It's clear to say that the plot has changed significantly from my previous draft of my shot list, however, this time I'm going to correct any mistakes/ misinterpretations that you may have!
Opening Scene:
- Series of Panning Shots: Pans of the rooms in the household whilst the credits roll over these shots - Pan of the living room, kitchen and Christina's bedroom.
-Long Shot: Focusing on the locked door at the end of the hallway (credits still rolling.)
-Wide Shot: Christina opening and walking through the front door with her belongings in hand.
- POV Shot/ High Angle: Christina's POV looking down at the shrine on the coffee table.
- POV Shot: Another POV of Laura talking Christina on the opposing side of the hallway.
***********
- High Angle: Facing Christina navigating the stairway - camera will be positioned at the top of the stairway looking down at her.
- Tracking Shot: Following Christina walking down the hallway and into her bedroom.
- Wide Shot: Camera will be placed on the opposing side of Christina's bed in which she places her belongings on the bed.
- Panning Shot: Christina lowers herself an sits on the edge of the bed in which a loud bang can be heard by which the camera pans to the fallen box on the opposing side of the room.
- Close up: Christina obtains the "GK Key" in which she is inspecting it through hovering it in the air and examining it at all angles.
- Long Shot: Christina attempts to unlock the locked door at the end of the hallway but fails.
First Nightmare Scene:
- Long Shot: Shows Christina getting into bed and contently snuggling herself in the covers.
- NIGHTMARE CLOSE UPS: A series of climatic nightmare shots - synchronised with non-diegetic high pitched music.
Post-First Nightmare:
- Wide Shot: Christina reaches over in order to switch her activated alarm off. (Pull Focus on the alarm).
- High Angle: Christina walking towards the front door in order to depart from her house.
***********
- Tracking Shot: Christina walking along the pathway whilst three "Strangers" repeat dialogue which is familiar to Christina. For example, "Fenna Lives", "Open it" (referring to the locked door) and "The Gatekeepers" which is to the name of Christina's grandmothers cult.
Household Scene:
- Long Shot: Christina walking through the door appearing drained.
- Tracking Shot: Christina walks across the shot, yelling "Mum!"
- POV Shot: Christina's POV glazing at the shrine of her grandmother.
- Shot-Reverse-Shot: Conversation between Christina and her mother, Laura.Vital information is referred here in this conversation which is extremely relevant to the plot. (This scene replaced the conversation scene with Elek).
Second Nightmare Scene:
- Long Shot: Shows Christina getting into bed and laying contently in the covers.
- NIGHTMARE CLOSE UPS: A series of climatic nightmare shots - synchronised with non-diegetic high pitched music.
- Reaction Cut: Christina reaching out towards the camera in fear from the nightmare that she just experienced.
Library Scene:
- Tracking Shot: Shows Christina walking into the library, walking throughout the isles and walking out of the escalator.
- POV Shot - Christina's POV scrolling throughout the books which are hung up on the book shelf.
- Shot-Reverse-Shot: Christina requesting the remains of her grandmothers articles in a conversation with the librarian in a bid to uncover the secrets of her family.
- Tracking Shot: Christina walking into the distance.
- High Angle: Christina unfolding the articles and spreading them out along the table.
- POV shot: Christina reading the contents of the article
- Reaction Cut: Christina's reaction to the contents embedded within the article.
Ending Scene: Household Scene
- Wide Shot: Shows Christina arriving home from her journey at the library.
- POV Shot: Christina's POV glazing at her grandmother shrine - lit candle conveys a warm effect.
- Tracking Shot: Shows Christina removing her coat and walking up the stairway.
- Over the Shoulder Shot: Shows Christina staring at the locked door from the end of the hallway.
- POV Shot: Christina looking at the key in the palm of her hand.
- Tracking Shot: Shows Christina navigating the hallway with the "GK" Key in hand.
- Close Up: Shows Christina looking into the locked room.
BLACKOUT
Music/ Soundtrack:
I haven't yet touched on music within my blog as this is an area that we have been quite unsure on for a while now! Originally, Anna's little sister was going to compose an original piece of music for us to use within our film (as she can play the Piano).
However, this hasn't quite gone to plan, so instead we have decided to research into non-copyrighted music that we could use which is appropriate for our film! The publishers have requested to be credited for their compositions, so we will reference their names during our ancillary tasks (the film poster) and the credits.
1) Opening Scene Soundtrack:
For this scene, we wanted to go for a warm soundtrack that screams family-friendly/ happiness. As a result, we came across a soundtrack on Bensound which was composed with a piano. It conveys a soft effect in which the synchrony of the music would fit perfectly with the affect that we want to impose on the audience.
Bensound: A new Beginning:
2) Nightmare Scene Soundtrack:
It is essential that the soundtrack within the nightmare scene is the most powerful/ successful in reflecting our genres (and sub-genres) as it is going to have the largest impact on the audience. We decided to seek out a soundtrack which took upon a subtle approach in accumulating tension. We ultimately encountered a soundtrack which correlated perfectly with the scene and the effect that we wanted to create!
Freesound: Nightmare Piano Loop Stair: https://freesound.org/people/stair/sounds/129278/
Though we could have used a more bubbly/ jolly soundtrack (asynchronous sound) in order to demonstrate binary opposition, we believe that this would not have been effective in establishing the effect that we wanted to create! Also, we did not choose binary opposition as our chosen narrative theory for our film. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to use a bubbly soundtrack when it is not appropriate!
3) Library Scene/ Household Scene Soundtrack:
For the Library Scene, I wanted to go for a relaxed composition which captivates the audience into the relaxation of the scene - exaggerates the tranquillity of the scene. As a result, we encountered this soundtrack which I believe is an adequate soundtrack in maintaining a calm/ serene atmosphere.
However, we did not use this soundtrack for the library scene alone, we also decided to use this composition for the household scenes as we believed that it contributed the relaxed atmosphere that we wanted to create.
This soundtrack also dwells some light on the slightly dark narrative, in which this soundtrack alters the representation of the gatekeepers to be innocent, in contrast to the frightening representations of them depicted in the nightmare scenes.
This soundtrack also dwells some light on the slightly dark narrative, in which this soundtrack alters the representation of the gatekeepers to be innocent, in contrast to the frightening representations of them depicted in the nightmare scenes.
4) "Climax" Soundtrack:
The "climax" soundtrack (indicated when Christina finds the Key in the Household scene) is not actually a soundtrack, it is a combination of sound effects that have already been provided by Final Cut Pro.
Myself, Molly and Anna came to a conclusion that the sound effects that I merged together, contributed to the conventions of our chosen genres (abrupt change in soundtrack arises awareness/ attention of the audience which provokes a mystery-esque effect).
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| (This Shot). |
Research and Planning Complete!
The Final Outcome:
The time is finally here! After all of the stress that I have endured, our short film, "The Gatekeepers", is finally complete! Sit back, grab some popcorn, and enjoy!
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