Conventions of iconography and titles

Iconography

Iconography plays a crucial part in film due to the plot device that this offers relating to the fidget spinner.
The science fiction genre as a whole use iconography due to the intrigue that this can create, for example the film Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban (Dir. Alfonso Cuaron, 2004) uses the golden time turner as an important plot device for the part in the story therefore the iconography would act as symbol of importance in the film due to the plot being broken were it not for the specific device. As a result the significance of the relatively minute item could be argued to play a comparison to our own film due to the fidget spinner being an integral turning point in our story; a point of no return.

The time turning sequence in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Titles

The titles of science fiction are particularly prevalent amongst representing the specific subgenre of the film. Within our own film the titles will represent the theme of comedy and science fiction by introducing some key concepts such as the music being electronic.
The film Groundhog Day (Dir. Harold Ramis, 1993), could represent the story in some way due to the time travel aspect and the looping of time.

This sequence shows a relatively normal activity such as waking up however it is later revealed to be one of the most significant points in the movie that represents the re looping of time therefore resembling our own as we also intend to demonstrate this using relatively normal events, eg. playing videogames and eating at the chinese takeaway.










Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

Before we start filming we needed to carry out a risk assessment to ensure that our cast and crew will be protected and we need to carry out a risk assessment for health and safety guidelines in order to film.

Shotpack 1

Shotpack 1

Wednesday afternoon filming equipment
 

Camera and Tripod 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Script (pages 1-2)

 

 

Actor

 

 

 Liam a.k.a Max

Props

Fidget spinner
 

 T.V
 

 

Metal Gear Solid

 

 

Plans for filming

Filming to take place on Wednesdays and weekends due to us all being free.

Ensure the characters are dressed according to the costumes and we bring all the props necessary for the day.

Remember to bring: the camera, tripod and script

If raining, don't film to protect the equipment.

Location:

Goldthorpe

 Manvers

 

 Characters house

Local shop

 Local chinese takeaway.

Conventions of editing and sound

Editing:

Editing in a film is a crucial element of producing an intended effect given by the director. As a result, the fact that our film includes time travel would heavily impact the editing to mainly consist of varied back and forth sessions to represent the different passages of time. This would be used within Premiere Pro and the cutting tool to adjust the length of time of specific clips and rearrange them into an order that demonstrates time rewinding as well as being in its current stasis.

Sound:

Within the sci-fi genre, a large new world of opportunities and experiences can be produced. Therefore, the sound within our film would resemble this by introducing electronic music as the key piece of music. Electronic music is most popular when regarding this specific genre due to the unique aspect that this type of music provides however using non diegetic electronic sounds would also be one of the key aims in developing the films theme. Small electronic type noises for the fidget spinner and the passage of time being in an amongst a plethora of unique electronic audiowaves would hopefully provide the theme of sci fi effectively, essentially deriving the intended theme of time travel being something of great significance.

Script

 

 

 

Possible distributors of our film

Possible distributors for our film

 

 

Altitude is an independent film distribution company that was originally created in May 2012 by Will Clarke. The film company is vertically integrated that focuses on many aspects as well as film distribution such as finance, production and international sales. Altitude's first release was actually pretty successful as their film hit "20 feet from stardom" was the Oscar-winning documentary in 2014 which was then closely followed by their hits, "Fruitvale station" and "Welcome to New York". In 2015 altitude distributed another big film called Amy which followed the story of Amy Winehouse and was released in cinemas on the 3rd of July 2015 in the UK.

 

Arrow films is a multi-form distributor that focuses on distributing both TV series and films and was originally established in 1991. This multi-form distributor is one of the leading independent distributors for world cinemas, arthouse, horrors and classical films. Since arrow films first originated they have worked with many successful directors such as Denys Arcand and Tinto Brass which has helped contribute to their financial and industrial success. Their first ever film distributions was called "Spirits of the dead" which was released to Blu-ray and DVD in November 2010.

 

Vertigo films is a UK film distribution company that was first founded in 2002 by Allan Niblo and James Richardson. Vertigo films ambition was to create and distribute commercially driven independent cinema. Some of their first distributions started around 2004 distributing Lionsgate's production of  "A good woman" and "Pusher 2" directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. These 2 initial distrbutions were a success which overall kick-started their successful mission. One of Vertigo's biggest successes was their production and distribution of their 2010 hit "Monsters" directed by Garreth Edwards. This film was so successful that as well as making a financial success, it also gained many awards such as "Top Independent Films" by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures and "Best Director" by the British Independent Film Awards.

Peccadillo Pictures is a UK film distributor that has won many awards in Art House, World Cinema titles and Gay and Lesbian and was originally founded in 2000. Amongst the years Peccadillo Pictures have worked with well established directors and as a film distribution company has become an overall success. As well as winning awards in the genre's above they also distribute short films and the rereleases of classic titles. Furthermore, in addition to distributing their films to cinemas, they also distribute their films to an array of platforms such as DVD and Blu-ray therefore making a bigger financial income and a bigger industry in film distribution. When distributing their films they distribute them around the worldwide therefore they have become successful enough to be distributing worldwide.

 

Axiom films is an international film distributing company based in London and was first found in 1997. This distribution company is a leading, independent label that brings together a variety of filming activities which has contributed significantly to their large success. This international conglomerate has released many film titles over it's time such as "In a Better World" that was that successful it won an award in 2007 for best actor and "Land of Plenty" directed by the famous Wim Wenders. Over the many years axiom has been around, they have steadily built a reputation for their creativity and they have grown gastronomically since they first started due to this fact and many other factors.

Conventions of subgenres storylines and characters

Our film would consist of primarily time travel therefore regarding the story line and sub genre we would reach the conventions of sci-fi as the fictional element of time is a large factor that plays in most other films inside the genre.

Sub genres resemble different types of connections to the main genre such as: scifi comedy, scifi action and scifi romance.

Regarding our sub genre, SciFi comedy aligns most accurately with our film as the comical story line and character would be intended to produce laughter as the primary emotion.

In addition to this, the character, Maximilian, was formed to represent a more humorous character therefore representing the conventions due to the character playing as a naive figure in the story which is similar to the genre as this would therefore allow the story to become a more integral focus and increase the overall relatability between the film and the audience.

Film Distributor Research

Uk independent film distributors from connorc123

Full Film Treatment

Winner Winner Fidget Spinner – Full Film Treatment

Title:

The title of the film is Winner Winner Fidget Spinner, this is derived from the popular phrase 'winner winner chicken dinner'- a coy play of words to project a humorous outcome.

Duration:

The film will run for approximately 90 minutes, this is the typical running length of many feature films, it is long enough to include a detailed story but not too long as to lose the interest of the audience.

Audience:

The audience of the film we specifically target is young to middle age males, however, the film demographic extends from 15 years old to 50 years old. The audience of the film will enjoy similar genre films, for example, fans of wacky comedy movies will enjoy our film. By falling into multiple genres we extend the potential appeal of our film greatly.

Distributor:

Film distributors play a large role in identifying, marketing and estimating the potential revenue of a film. Many vastly successful films are produced by one of the big six companies; Warner Brothers, Paramount, Disney, Columbia, Universal and 20^th Century Fox. In order to reach a mass market and achieve high box office figures with the film it would be beneficial to distribute it through one of these companies. However, the distribution departments for each company receive masses of potential films yearly making it very difficult to form an agreement. Because of this many independent films have to either be self-distributed, or distributed through smaller companies such as those who are members of the Film Distributors’ Association in the United Kingdom.

Certificate:

Our research suggests our film should be certified universal throughout. Dependent entirely on the end product and the content within it, this could change. A universal certificate gives the film a larger potential audience however the BBFC specify what constitutes each certificate rating and they would have the final say.

Summary:

Max is a man of curiosity. After meandering through a pleasant street he stumbles upon a particularly unique fidget spinner on the ground. With a quick spin and flick, what happens next involves a fascinating number of tales that showcase a jovial and sometimes comical experience delving into the theme of actions and consequences.

Research Into Editing Techniques

Research Into Editing Techniques

When making a short film it is important to gain your audiences attention right from the start of the film as the film only lasts five minutes. Many film makers do this by adding in specific film techniques through editing and other elements. Editing is one of the most important micro elements to focus on due to the fact that if the editing isn't the best it can be there could be some continuity errors such as jump cuts or random inserts of black screens where footage is missing. To ensure our film has the best editing and continuity, I have researched into many editing techniques to ensure that we are successful when editing our film.

The first editing technique I encountered was the 180 degree rule. This rule states that if you film a person from  a specific side of their face then record another person on the same side it will look like they are both talking to the same person. However if you want to convey them talking to each other you film one person from one side of the face and the other person from the other side of their face to ensure that the actors are perceived to be looking at each other.

The second editing technique I encountered was match on action. A match on action is a cut when the actor is transitioning from one position to another. For example if an actor was about to walk up to a bench and sit down the camera would cut when he is about to sit down to gain another angle on the actor. However if this transition is cut at the wrong time, the action performed by the actor can appear to be repeated so the character would look like he is going to sit down twice. To ensure this doesn't happen in our film, we will be precise and efficient in our cuts and re-watch the edits to ensure this break in continuity doesn't happen.

Finally the last beneficial technique we encountered was mimicking a clapperboard sound when filming. We did this so that the sound in our film was matched up with the film footage. We did this in the behind the scene videos especially when we get our main character to make sounds to ensure the sound and the footage is synchronised together.

Unrestricted Narrative Exercise

Unrestricted Narrative

 

Above is a link to our unrestricted narrative exercise that I starred in, directed and edited, with camerawork help from Jonathan and acting help from Armand Lubiks. This exercise, along with the restricted and journey exercises, also help us gain a batter understanding of the power of editing and how it can be used to shape a narrative. In this unrestricted version, Negative Ed can be seen talking on the phone. This time, however, the caller's identity is revealed to be The God Of Hellfire. Quickly becoming distressed and upset, this time it is apparent why, as Negative Ed becomes easily emotional over a seemingly innocent prank phone call The God Of Hellfire pulls. This shows the full extent of the story unlike the restricted version, showing The God Of Hellfire's reactions and dialogue too.

I, again, also used this exercise as a short way to practice some simple editing techniques we will be using in our short film such as the head keying, usage of sound effects and music, as well as unusual shot transitions. This, again, as well as making the exercise as camp as possible, especially so when paired with my and Armand's bad acting and the not so serious tone; just making the whole situation seem ridiculous which is completely the case because of Negative Ed's reaction.

Again, both of these intros were inspired by the intro to this video:

 

Restricted Narrative Exercise

Restricted Narrative

 

Above is a link to our restricted narrative exercise that I starred in, directed and edited, with camerawork help from Jonathan. This exercise, along with the unrestricted and journey exercises, helps us get a batter understanding of the power of editing and how it can be used to shape a narrative. In this restricted version, Negative Ed can be seen talking on the phone but to an unknown caller, quickly becoming distressed and upset, hiding away the information on who is on the other end from the viewer. This leaves the answer open for interpretation and creates mystery/ intrigue.

I also used this exercise as a short way to practice some simple editing techniques we will be using in our short film such as the head keying and possible colour grading. This is as well as making the exercise as camp as possible, especially so when paired with my bad acting, the serious tone, and the inclusion of the 4th wall break ending; just making the whole situation seem ridiculous which (SPOILERS) turns out to be the case in the unrestricted version.  

Both of these intros were inspired by the intro to this video:

 





Conventions of cinematography and setting

Setting:

Our film will be set around an urban area of Bolton Upon Dearne which provides ample opportunity for streets and a typical residential area therefore conveying our protagonist as a regular citizen which serves to fulfil the perception that is intended in our story of the film. Also, the fact that this area can be quite rough may further relate to the type of class the character will portray, which would be the working class introducing a stronger sense of connection with the target audience of similar type people.

Cinematography:

Close up shots will be the primary focus for our cinematography as it would best portray the emotions of our protagonist and the way in which he should act. Furthermore, introducing the conventions of sci-fi as close up shots are quite often used to demonstrate this.

Analysing a short film

Analysing a short film

run from Mat Johns on Vimeo.

https://vimeo.com/52426876

Title of film: Run 

 

Cinematography:

Close ups of the protagonists would demonstrate the claustrophobic nature imposed by the action of the scene therefore possibly foreshadowing the drama that would be about to happen.

Insert shots of leaves may also demonstrate the juxtaposition between the peacefulness and the wrath that would be about to ensue therefore developing a slow pacing within the sequence.

Zoom in shots further the developing action possibly purporting to a sense of alertness or immediate danger which would create a greater emotional depth to the characters due to empathy potentially being produced.

Amateur handheld when action occurs suggests rogue brutality of the scene referring to the extreme levels of shock that it is designed to incur.

Camera stays close consistently leading to the reaction shots being more effective when they occur due to the personable nature induced. 

Mise En Scene

The city landscape may indicate well travelled origins of the protagonist which would therefore provide a greater sense of freedom.

Playground sequences may also produce the perception of innocence possibly as a reason to juxtapose the horrors towards the end.

Sound

Softly spoken voiceover potentially conveys the melancholic atmosphere that it introduces
as a symphony is played over to produce the intended sad tone.  
Furthermore the music peaks at high intensity moments in the film which could therefore purport to increasing the drama.

Title sequence

Minimalistic nature may demonstrate the significance of the drama and how its appeared to be most important.

Spaced out kerning of the letters would also therefore reinforce this element of minimalism.

Monochrome may indicate a sense of tension as the contrasting nature of both colours would possibly show the dual nature between good and evil.

Furthermore the simplicity that it conveys would demonstrate the essence of drama as it postulates a classical theme possibly conveying the need for retrospection.

Editing

The slow pace cutting may indicate the sympathy value that is required with the film and hold a greater sense of poignancy to increase the overall impact of the scenes.

Genre

Drama

Narrative

Linear

Genre Research - Editing and Sound Conventions

Genre Research - Editing and Sound Conventions

Editing and sound both mean a lot to me and to film making a s a whole which is why I want to make sure I get those aspects of our film completely on point. Music will also be used in a Sci-Fi sort of way, as we will probably use some electronic music in some scenes. Maybe some 80's new wave esque tracks for the time rewinding scenes. I already have a lot of experience with both, but that is for another post. On to conventions however, well, one example of editing conventions in Sci-Fi that we will utilize is the passage of time. We will do this by reversing footage to show time moving backwards, as well as speeding the footage up to show time moving faster than normal, something often done in Sci-Fi works, as is the case in Donnie Darko and Source Code. We will also show the effects that rewinding has had afterwards, showing the butterfly effect (how every little action can have bigger consequences) which is a trope often used in films of the genre.

Editing will also be used for the sake of comedy. I am thinking of maybe adding face morphing similar to what they YouTube channel Cow Chop use in their videos to make the character seem even more ridiculous and cartoonish.

However, sound effects, cutting and music will certainly be utilized, for example, the character being cut off when eh thinks he is finally being smart and "figures out why he is where he is" only to be cut off and proven wrong by a dinosaur roar. Music will also be used for comedy, most likely in the intro with the loudness of the news reports piling on top of each other, then smash cutting to goofy or tame music as the main protagonist casually walks down the street, hopefully creating a nice and comedic contrast. For example, something like this:

 I also want a lot of the editing and scenes to be camp and over the top which can be utilized in editing with the right cuts such as cutting just before or after action to emphasise comedic aspects like when the recurring mugger character keeps being accidentally defeated. These have all been used in films such as Hausu, The Pink Panther, Space Balls (which is a Sci-Fi comedy) and The Grand Budapest Hotel, each having comedy as a respective sub genre much like our film

Genre Research - Cinematography and Location Conventions

 

Genre Research - Cinematography and Location Conventions

Our film we will be set around the local area (Goldthorpe/ Bolton Upon Dearne) as these are practical and relevant shooting locations for the film as the main protagonist is just an everyday guy anyway.The setting of Goldthorpe also fits quite well with a lot of events in the film such as the crime due to Goldthorpe's quite high crime rates. A small little town like Goldthorpe isn't a very conventional setting for a typical Sci-Fi film. However, we are not making a typical Sci-Fi film; we are making a comedy fantasy hybrid with Sci-Fi elements similar to the video game Life Is Strange which is set in a typical small town.

The fact that the main character also doesn't prevent any of the crimes from purposely happening and often ignores them also reflects real life in the area quite accurately which is pretty depressing. However, due to this, we're going to try to play it off as comedy while still bringing light to the real world issues, linking to the comedy sub genre of the film.

Cinematography is another subject. We aren't really doing anything typical of the Sci-Fi genre in the cinematography for our film because there aren't that many conventions for it and all the ones that can be said are a big stretch which is why the majority of out there shots will be for the sake of comedy. For example, we will have quite a lot of close ups/ medium close ups to show the exaggerated and goofy reactions he has, as well as the Homer Simpson esque dumb faces he will have.

 

This will also be the case with some of the more wacky shots like the spinning head/ fidget spinner scene transitions and the other Hausu and Evil Dead like shots, particularly close ups.

Props and costumes

Props:

• Fidget Spinner - This device is discovered by the main character and is used to travel back in time.

 



 

Debit Card - Used in our film when our main character wants to withdraw money.

 

 

 

TV - The main character uses this when playing his video game and the TV is also used to present the news broadcast about the fidget spinner.

 

 

Chinese - Main character goes to the Chinese and when being approached by the mugger he throws away his tray and it hits the mugger in the face.

 

 



Costumes:

Black Coat - Wore by mugger.

 

 

 

 

Hat - Wore by mugger