The film we have produced concerns the threads and links that bind us together in everyday life. Though the journey the film follows is ostensibly an every day occurrence, it is the way in which the story is told that the film holds itself up as a concept piece.
In terms of theme, there are three important aspects to the film that run in parallel that we hope to get across to our audience. The first is the tenuous threads and links that bind people together in every day life, the second is the colour red and the positive aspects of life that can be represented by the colour. We have chosen a shade of red that we feel is very bright and vibrant, partly because of the way it looks on screen, to emphasise the transitions and links between each new character, and partly because it matches the bright and summery mood we want to convey. The third theme works in conjunction with the red. Following tutorial conversations we came to the conclusion that red is very British, as are the locations and props we've used throughout the film, the third theme we want to convey then, is a feeling of "Britishness".
The film begins with our young male protagonist, a man of about nineteen or twenty, getting ready to leave his house in the morning, putting on his clothes and walking outside. As he reaches his garden gate, a woman brushes past him with a red bag, which then becomes the focus using a close up track of the bag as the woman walks. She clears shot and we see a man emerge from a red telephone box behind her and drop his red lighter. The action then drops to floor level and a woman with bright red shoes walks past the lighter to a man who then picks up a big red box, walks to camera and blacks out the lens. The next shot is one of him walking away from camera and sitting on a bench next to our protagonist from the beginning of the film, reading a paper. The protagonist then folds up his paper, stands up and hails a bus. The action fades out and back in again to a shot of him getting off the same bus. This is a point of view shot of a man outside a chip shop putting red ketchup on his chips. The protagonist is then crossed by a cyclist wearing a red jumper who we then follow down the street until he brakes sharply to avoid hitting a runner wearing red shorts and a red Ipod shuffle on his arm. He runs for several second, then looks to his left at a woman in a red dress posting a letter. The letter instantly drops through its receiver's letter box which we view as a point of view. He walks past the envelope on the floor and out of his door, he looks down at his car keys as he walks to his vehicle and looks up as a bright red car speeds past from right to left. The camera is sent into a spin (whip pan) and lands on a no entry sign in a new location. We tilt down to a photographer in a red hat taking pictures of a couple on a bench. A man with a red phone walks in front of shot and we hear the conversation he is having with the man on the other end. The man answering the phone is leaning out of his window in a terrace house in a red jacket. He sees our protagonist approach his door, hangs up his phone and goes to let him in.
Our film is essentially a more conceptual piece than it is continuous in an editing sense. We use each transition and each new character as a way of changing location. These location changes are deliberate and dissimilar enough to look that way. The sound emphasises the urban and suburban noises around our characters as well as using acoustic guitar music to keep the audience interested and to help convey our lighthearted and summery theme.
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Final week of post production
Our second section of filming was completed this weekend which should add some length to the final cut. The sound aspect of the piece is coming along as we've now added some acoustic guitar music to it to emphasise the lighthearted, summery mood we want to convey. Picture editing is all but complete and we now have a title.
Timeline for the final film
1. Opens with a static shot of red wall. Main character walks left to right into the shot. He starts getting ready. Camera pans down to the bed as he sits down. Pan up to him standing and then walking out of the shot. Sound of door slamming.
2. On the stairs, as he walks down he puts his red t-shirt on. Shot from the bottom of the stairs, he walks down into the camera and blacks out.
3. Cut to him outside his house stood still, hesitating or putting on sunglasses etc. Female with red bag walks past lens, with the red bag filling the screen.
4. Keep following the bag with a tracking shot, until the camera stops, she walks out of frame and we see a guy emerging from a telephone box, lighting a cigarette. He drops the lighter on the floor.
5. Cut to floor level shot of the lighter on the pavement. Woman in red shoes walks past, and the camera follows her feet walking down the street.
6. After a few seconds we see a box on the floor. When the feet pass, the camera follows the man picking up the box, back to normal height.
7. Man with box is walking away from the camera and sits beside our main protagonist from the beginning of the film on a bench. Protagonist, who had been reading a newspaper, then gets up and hails a bus. Fade to black.
8. Fade in. Camera follows the main character getting off the bus. Cut to a POV shot from inside a ‘chip shop’ looking at the man get off the bus. It then looks down at his chips and squirts ketchup on them. He leaves the shop.
9 Cyclist crosses protagonist’s path wearing a red jumper.
10. Cyclist stops at red light, and a runner goes across the crossing with a red ipod armband and red shorts.
11. Cut to a tracking shot beside the runner. He looks over at a woman wearing a red dress. The camera follows his line of sight and focuses on her.
12. The woman continues to walk holding a red envelope which she then proceeds to post.
13. Cut to a doormat inside someone’s hallway. The same red envelope has reached its destination and drops on the mat beside a set of keys. POV shot of a male picking up the keys, walking outside and going to unlock his car. As he is about to get in he looks up and sees a red car passing him. The camera follows this and we use an overexposed spin as a transition.
14. Cut to a photographer taking pictures. The camera follows what he is taking pictures of, a couple on a bench.
15. The couple are kissing, the woman has red lipstick on.
16. A man walks past on a red phone. Cuts to the person at the other end of the phone looking out of a terrace house window. We see the main character walk past the window.
17. The character puts the phone down and answers the door to the main character. Fade to black.
2. On the stairs, as he walks down he puts his red t-shirt on. Shot from the bottom of the stairs, he walks down into the camera and blacks out.
3. Cut to him outside his house stood still, hesitating or putting on sunglasses etc. Female with red bag walks past lens, with the red bag filling the screen.
4. Keep following the bag with a tracking shot, until the camera stops, she walks out of frame and we see a guy emerging from a telephone box, lighting a cigarette. He drops the lighter on the floor.
5. Cut to floor level shot of the lighter on the pavement. Woman in red shoes walks past, and the camera follows her feet walking down the street.
6. After a few seconds we see a box on the floor. When the feet pass, the camera follows the man picking up the box, back to normal height.
7. Man with box is walking away from the camera and sits beside our main protagonist from the beginning of the film on a bench. Protagonist, who had been reading a newspaper, then gets up and hails a bus. Fade to black.
8. Fade in. Camera follows the main character getting off the bus. Cut to a POV shot from inside a ‘chip shop’ looking at the man get off the bus. It then looks down at his chips and squirts ketchup on them. He leaves the shop.
9 Cyclist crosses protagonist’s path wearing a red jumper.
10. Cyclist stops at red light, and a runner goes across the crossing with a red ipod armband and red shorts.
11. Cut to a tracking shot beside the runner. He looks over at a woman wearing a red dress. The camera follows his line of sight and focuses on her.
12. The woman continues to walk holding a red envelope which she then proceeds to post.
13. Cut to a doormat inside someone’s hallway. The same red envelope has reached its destination and drops on the mat beside a set of keys. POV shot of a male picking up the keys, walking outside and going to unlock his car. As he is about to get in he looks up and sees a red car passing him. The camera follows this and we use an overexposed spin as a transition.
14. Cut to a photographer taking pictures. The camera follows what he is taking pictures of, a couple on a bench.
15. The couple are kissing, the woman has red lipstick on.
16. A man walks past on a red phone. Cuts to the person at the other end of the phone looking out of a terrace house window. We see the main character walk past the window.
17. The character puts the phone down and answers the door to the main character. Fade to black.
Influences and Inspiration
Visa advert – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6RGyJirL3g. We want our film to flow in the way the protagonist moves in this advert
Rules of Attraction - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6EPa9Fw3Lk. This sequence shows how we want our scenes to fit together. It’s a brilliant example of a split screen shot that’s as clever as we want our transitions to be
Chemical Brothers music video for “Let forever be”, Directed by Michel Gondry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti4ip8zQyrc. Gondry’s use of transitions to make this video flow is another example, though much advanced, of how we want our film to look from character to character.
The Machinist (starring Christian Bale) is an example of the washed out, de-saturated colour correction effect we considered using for all colours except red in our film.
Evol. A short film by Chris Vincze. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork/A10837848
Lord of War, starring Nicholas Cage. The opening sequence of this film, charting the life of a bullet, from manufacture to use is a good example of how we want our "journey" theme to come across. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RgH5eDbCLU
Sound – Janet Cardiff’s “Missing Voice”
Rules of Attraction - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6EPa9Fw3Lk. This sequence shows how we want our scenes to fit together. It’s a brilliant example of a split screen shot that’s as clever as we want our transitions to be
Chemical Brothers music video for “Let forever be”, Directed by Michel Gondry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti4ip8zQyrc. Gondry’s use of transitions to make this video flow is another example, though much advanced, of how we want our film to look from character to character.
The Machinist (starring Christian Bale) is an example of the washed out, de-saturated colour correction effect we considered using for all colours except red in our film.
Evol. A short film by Chris Vincze. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork/A10837848
Lord of War, starring Nicholas Cage. The opening sequence of this film, charting the life of a bullet, from manufacture to use is a good example of how we want our "journey" theme to come across. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RgH5eDbCLU
Sound – Janet Cardiff’s “Missing Voice”
Monday, 4 May 2009
Jeremy's treatment
A foreign student coming into university who has to work twice harder than others: not only the difficulty of being independence, also the language barrier and the culture shocks. He meets James here who helps him through and they gets along well. Eventually they finish their degree and say good bye to each other, they end this with the same way that they meet - shaking hands.
Camera starts with the main character coming out from the train station. Andreas got on a taxi which takes him to the accommodation. It will show his lack of travelling experience and excitement about new places. He gets settled and after unpacking, he goes to bed with a very tired mood. The next day is shown by him switching the light off then cuts the sun set. He walks to university reception and take the student card, also meets his course mate during the process. James is a very loud, outgoing lad while Andreas is the other way round. Although they cannot have a long conversation but due to curiosity, James keeps putting effort to know him more. This is how the friendship builds, also the time when he starts to pick up the language and the culture. James invites him to a flat welcome party that night and they set a place to meet up, that night Andreas attends but lost his way. He rings and asks for help, this is a funny moment for them to understand each other and eventually James finds him. James is wasted that night so Andreas has to look after him. Then there are loads of shots filming them together: going into university, having lunch, playing football, doing work, partying, etc. These will be shown in a fast phased speed, eventually they finish their degree and Andreas has to go back where he comes from. They shake hands and say good bye in front of the reception, same way when they meet each other. A touching music will play with the scene.
I have decided to use a documentary style to present my idea of journey. There is no dialogue in the film but a lot of actors would be needed instead. Expression of loneliness and hopeless feeling at the beginning will be create with a wide angle shot and dark music, then the plot becomes brighter when his life is getting better - this will show by the lighting and the colour of clothes. Close up shots on facial expression, long shots on the main character and the people around him will be used to help the audience understand more about the situation. There will be some humour points to entertain them also to show the main character is new to the environment.
The film is not aimed for a age range of target audience so it is for all age. Hopefully people will remember those old friends they lost contacts with after watching it.
Camera starts with the main character coming out from the train station. Andreas got on a taxi which takes him to the accommodation. It will show his lack of travelling experience and excitement about new places. He gets settled and after unpacking, he goes to bed with a very tired mood. The next day is shown by him switching the light off then cuts the sun set. He walks to university reception and take the student card, also meets his course mate during the process. James is a very loud, outgoing lad while Andreas is the other way round. Although they cannot have a long conversation but due to curiosity, James keeps putting effort to know him more. This is how the friendship builds, also the time when he starts to pick up the language and the culture. James invites him to a flat welcome party that night and they set a place to meet up, that night Andreas attends but lost his way. He rings and asks for help, this is a funny moment for them to understand each other and eventually James finds him. James is wasted that night so Andreas has to look after him. Then there are loads of shots filming them together: going into university, having lunch, playing football, doing work, partying, etc. These will be shown in a fast phased speed, eventually they finish their degree and Andreas has to go back where he comes from. They shake hands and say good bye in front of the reception, same way when they meet each other. A touching music will play with the scene.
I have decided to use a documentary style to present my idea of journey. There is no dialogue in the film but a lot of actors would be needed instead. Expression of loneliness and hopeless feeling at the beginning will be create with a wide angle shot and dark music, then the plot becomes brighter when his life is getting better - this will show by the lighting and the colour of clothes. Close up shots on facial expression, long shots on the main character and the people around him will be used to help the audience understand more about the situation. There will be some humour points to entertain them also to show the main character is new to the environment.
The film is not aimed for a age range of target audience so it is for all age. Hopefully people will remember those old friends they lost contacts with after watching it.
Saturday, 2 May 2009
Friday, 1 May 2009
Post Production and progress update
All but one scene filmed now, which is going to be finished by tomorrow afternoon. The rough cut of the film so far has been done and the sound isn't far behind it. Just got to put in the new sequences on Tuesday, edit it together and sync the finished sound piece in. Oh and the DVD menus. So not much then.
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