Actor Enquiries

NAME: Theresa Greene

AGE: 52

WHY ARE THEY SUITABLE FOR THIS ROLE: I think she s=is suitable for this role as the character she plays is an older character and quite a mysterious person which I think she can play very well. She speaks with great annunciation which is also very suited to the character she plays. She is also quite tall for a woman (5'9) which i thought was great especially for this role.




NAME: Lavonne Dow

AGE: 26

WHY ARE THEY SUITABLE FOR THIS ROLE: I think Lavonne was best suited for this role because I
think she really fits the character description and what I envisioned my lead female role to be.

Target Audience

My target audience is between the ages of 13-25. I am trying to appeal to a wide range of ages as my film is not scary and should appeal to all age groups. I personally don't think people above this age range will enjoy this genre of film.

My film is more of a mystery thriller rather than scary and jumpy but it should appeal to those who like to solve mysteries and get involved with the plot.

Shooting Schedule

Date and Time	Location	Scene	Summary; what was filmed	Cast
14/05/16 - Night	Park	1	Establishing shot of the area and different angles of Lavonne walking	Lavonne
14/05/16 - Night	Park	1	Whole dialogue	Lavonne Theresa
15/05/16 - Night	Park	1	Last scene – Theresa speech	Lavonne Theresa

Individual Analysis 2

THE DEPARTED

The first shot of the film is video footage of a fight between several people in the streets in the midst of what looks like a riot to the audience. The reason it can be assumed this is actual video footage of an event rather than a staged fight for the purpose of the film is the shaky camerawork filming the scene as well as the poor quality of the image making it look like news footage. 

This single 7-second shot to kick off proceedings lets the audience into some very important information very early on. This film is clearly going to be violent. A brawl in the streets between a handful of people as an opener is effective at setting the tone of the film at an early stage, the audience now knows exactly what to expect from the film ahead of them, and this acts as a sort of warning. The fight could also show the chaos that people are capable of causing and this now makes the audience expect a similar sort of chaos from the Irish mob. There is diegetic sound in the back of the scene, background music by The Rolling Stones, this shows the scene is set in the past around the late 60's or early 70's and is showing that the characters might have history with each other. 

The first character we are introduced to is a middle-aged man that seems confident with himself by the way he moves and strolls around. He supplies a brief narration at the beginning of the film that layers his character more efficiently so the audience can see the many aspects of his personality. This builds tension within the audience as they now know they are going to be introduced to some very menacing people. 

In this narration, he uses the racist slur. We can connote that this is a man who is very much of the past, and is yet to move on from the discriminatory past of America into the equality of today's society. It also makes the audience dislike the character from the start, identifying him as the antagonist of the film. To reinforce this the first shot of the character is in darkness with only his outline visible, this is where lighting is essential to make a character mysterious. This darkness carries the connotations of evil and fear which the audience from then on associates with that particular character.

After the opening scenes introductory phase we have an establishing shot of the outside of a bakery. This same shot continues and pans into the bakery, where we see the owner go into the till to hand the antagonist some money as soon as he sees him enter. The dialogue with this scene also identifies the antagonist of being someone who is feared.  The owners false respect for the man despite having to hand over his money without a word shows Mr C is a menacing character who is not to be reckoned with. 

Mr C then turns to a young boy sitting at the counter next to him and addresses him. The audience are also told the boy lives with his grandmother. Now sympathising with this character we are led to believe he is a character of importance to be taking up so much of the shots he is in, so the assumption can be made that this boy is a protagonist. 

Throughout the entirety of this scene the boy is shown in full light whilst Mr C is not once shown fully, always in the shadows which is a key feature of thriller films like this one.  This accomplishes two things. Firstly it differentiates the antagonistic and protagonistic personalities of Mr C and the small boy and highlights Mr C's menacing nature and the boys innocence. It also makes it hard to make out Mr C's face. Therefore, later in the film he does not look the same age as he does in the past-set scene. This is quite clever production work which identifies a solution to the problem that also makes sense thematically.

Genre Conventions

Codes and Conventions a Thriller

What is a thriller?

A thriller usually consists of a battle between the protagonist character and the antagonist, when there is a disruption in the equilibrium. Then the story shows a chain of bad events building tension and suspense for the climax. The aim of the protagonist is to restore justice, while the antagonist seeks to destroy it.

Conventions of a Thriller
• Low key lighting
• Quick cuts
• Shadows
• Tension music
• Changes in the angle of shots
• Diegetic sound of breathing
• Black and white shots
• Montage of shots
• Protagonist is in the mercy of the Antagonist

Characters
• The protagonist is often a brave male who seeks to restore the equilibrium
• The antagonist will have a hidden identity that the audience will uncover as the film progresses. Often the antagonist goes out for revenge from a past event.

Themes of Thriller
• The storyline will be designed so the audience will think that it can happen to them, which will make them feel jumpy and on the edge of their seats.

Cinematography of a thriller
• There will be a lot of close ups and extreme close ups of the protagonist character, this is often to show their emotions, also it can be used to focus on props to aid the narrative.
• The shots of the antagonistic character will be cut quickly and will aim to hide their identity, e.g. A shot of the back of them, a low key shot, the silhouette, or shadow of the character.

Editing of a Thriller
The director will include lots of jump cuts because there will be things happening that the audience is unaware of but is essential for the film to make sense. Cross cutting is a key point in editing as it is used to build suspense which is essential for a thriller. Continues editing is used to help the audience understand the film better.

 Sound in a Thriller
• Music is essential in any film to understand the mood of the characters and hint at a significant part in the film. In a thriller, it adds suspense and tension. It will often start at a slow paves and the then build up to make the shots more dramatic for the audience.

Mise en scene
• The location is important for the film because it help the audience establish the theme.
• Lighting is often low key
• Costumes- antagonist usually be in dark clothes if you see them. Protagonist will be in ordinary everyday clothes
• Composition
• Make up and hair styles
• Acting

Shot Types Film

Here is a link to my shot types video;

https://youtu.be/wqPhYteZETk

Preliminary Film

This is the link to my preliminary film;

 https://youtu.be/xD4Xcg2sAak

Evaluation

EVALUATION

Here is the link to my final film; http://youtu.be/u8BKln6XWfI

This evaluation is an in depth, detailed essay of what I've learnt throughout this process, including camera techniques, sound, mise-en-scene and editing. The task at hand was to make a short film of what ever genre we preferred, researching different elements and components needed to make this short film as effective as possible. I looked at key media terminology such as L.I.A.R which stands for language, institution, audience and representation. I researched into this further and found that it is crucial to know the different aspects to appeal to your audience.

As a class, we studied different opening sequences whilst analysing them and picking each key part out and thinking about what techniques were used to make it effective and suited to that particular audience. One of the opening sequences we studied was Memento. This is a thriller film which used particular techniques such as spaced out typography (text) and quite cold colours to connote deeper meanings, for example the text format is spaced showing that the protagonist suffers from a memory problem and that he is quite a cold, nonchalant character. We also focused on the transitions of the text and the sound. When analysing this opening sequence, we focused on two types of sound which was; digetic and non-diegetic.  The non-diegetic sound was the voice overs and these are used to make it more effective and grip the audiences attention. They can also connote deeper meanings such as the character could be thinking about something very deep and contemplating his actions which would be ironic as he suffers from a mental problem.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Gender/Sex - Although in my opening sequence, my main protagonist faces are hidden, I've chosen a strong female lead for one of my characters who in the film is nicknamed "Rookie". The film is called ENDGAME, so there is quite a lot of chess game references which I've chosen to use also. I've called my character "Rookie" after the rook which is a chess piece which is often referred to as a "heavy" or "major" piece in the game, it is also considered to be developed from a chariot which shows that this particular piece in the game is seen to be fast, strong and significant, and this is exactly what Rookie is in the film. I've chosen to do this because frequently in thriller films, wo
men and girls are portrayed as weak and very vulnerable so I took this opportunity to make a strong female role to show that not only male characters can be brave and "defeat" evil.

In on of my scenes, there is a confrontation between the two characters. I used a high angle shot when Rookie was standing up for herself. This shot type shows power and dominance which is what I tried to show throughout. I chose to make Rookie a head strong female lead, to switch up gender stereotypes which a often used in mass media - portraying women as fragile and often quite "damsel in distress" like, which made me decide to make Rookie the opposite which is brave to defy the conventions of female protagonists being so weak.

My target audience is definitely teenagers to young adults as the typical age group to watch these types of films is aged 13 to 25 and as I am this age group so it puts me at an advantage to consider what people my age would find appealing and gripping. Rookie is also meant to be portrayed in this age group which could make her a character more people can relate to rather than an older audience. Also the costume I used on Rookie is just an average red hoodie, as this colour connotes power, and jeans.

Angela McRobbie's gender stereotypes theory applies here well. McRobbie shows how women in the media industry are portrayed as weak and quite submissive towards men. She recognises that women are often given traditional domestic roles such as a mother or a carer which result in women being given this nurturing and weak demeanour. This is why Rookie is such a strong female role as I do not portray her as any of the traits above but I portray her as a dominant woman.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media and why?

Film distribution is a process which usually comes after making and producing a film, which involves selling the film to a specific target audience. At the start of this, the studio producing the film would make an agreement with a distribution company. The company would then decide on the amount of copies/prints the movie should have. They would then negotiate deals with several theatres, to try and get their film shown.

There is a noticeable difference between Major budget and Independent distribution companies. The key difference is the budget the films are given for distribution. Therefore major budget films from major companies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Tangled and Avengers can reach out to bigger named consumers to get television ad appearances and A-List endorsement. However since my film would be an independent film I won’t have the resources for these opportunities, this does not mean there are not ways to distribute my film effectively.

I would like my film to be distributed by Aristan Entertainment as I like the way they promote certain films such as, “The Blair Witch Project” which was shown at the Sundance film festival in 1999, and festival flyers were given out, asking if anyone had any information on the whereabouts of the “missing” students, which referred to the students in the film. This interactive approach created massive buzz and excitement for the film as the distributors gave the illusion that the film was based on true events, making the film seem more authentic and life like for the audience. As a result of this I would strongly consider having Aristan Entertainment as my Distribution Company as I find their distribution style innovative, effective and exciting.

Who would the audience be for your media product and why?

As I stated earlier, my desired audience would be between the ages of 13 to 25 as I feel this age range is more suited to this genre of film. The age gap is quite wide as I feel some of the older viewers may be able to comprehend some of the deeper meanings in the film and find it more interesting and to their style. My audience would also mainly be white and middle class as they are the kinds of people to not only watch this type of film but also star in it. My film would also be aimed at those who are quite intelligent as my film would have a "who dunnit" theme running throughout, so the more intellectual viewers have something to sink their teeth into and really get involved.

My film would not cater to a specific gender but I used a strong female lead which might appeal to other females of the targeted age group as there isn't a lot of films in the market with a strong female lead alone.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Whilst creating my opening sequence, I learnt a variety of things which helped me when actually filming. As it was only a short film, I filmed it on my iPhone 6s with a tripod and steady hands. The camera quality on my iPhone is extremely good and takes very similar high quality footage to a handheld camera. I found using my phone it was easier to hold with a steady hand and easier to focus, the only problem was the tracking shots and establishing shots is what I struggled with.

I used two different types of software to edit my film which were iMovie and Adobe Premier Pro. I prefer to used Premier Pro as it is on a larger interface which makes it easier to edit the cuts. It also had a wider variety of features which gave me an opportunity to get creative, innovative and unique with my creation. Premier Pro was also useful for typography transitions and other effects which I could play around with to see which is best suited for my film.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Well, firstly, during the preliminary task I didn't prepare a storyboard to visualise what would happen in the scene. I have developed in my ability to use the advanced software such as Photoshop and Premier Pro. Not only have my technical skills developed but my planning and organisation skills have grown as I was able to prepare properly for the final piece. Aside from all those skills, I feel like I have developed in analysing opening sequences and seeing ways how to attract and keep my target audience gripped to my film.

With a wider scope of freedom, I feel like during this final task I had more freedom whereas the preliminary task I wasn't able to choose the location in depth so it may have looked out of place.

In conclusion, I feel I have really developed since the preliminary task in all the ways possible such as in using the software, organisation and preparation skills.

Moodboard

Filming Risk Assessment

This is a list of things that need to be considered when making a film

Hazards	Control
Security and personal safety	Have an adult/guardian nearby. Have a fall back plan and emergency contact.
Theft of equipment/ broken equipment	Be careful with all the stuff and make sure it all stays intact.
Injuries from passing vehicles and cyclists	When off camera, wear high visibility jackets if near traffic.
Slips, trips and falls	Be vigilant, and observe the surroundings
Obstruction of footpath	Avoid working in the middle or the edge of pathways, forcing the public to walk in the road.
Noisy or disruptive distractions of the public	Increase distance from traffic to reduce disruptions and noise levels
Don’t stray onto private property	Obey highway code and if needed to go on private property, get permission.

Treatment

A treatment is a brief overall summary of what my short film will be about.

My film is called ENDGAME, I chose this name because it means "the final stage of a game, when only a few pieces remain."  I also thought that the meaning of this word would be a good plot/storyline for my film.

So, we start off with a mysterious character wearing a hoodie, who could be a potential protagonist but their face will remain hidden in my opening sequence. The setting of my film is on the streets of Edmonton to give my film a kind of realistic feel. This character comes across someone they know but this person's face also remains in the shadows.

I have chosen to leave the characters faces out to create mystery which usually comes when watching thriller films like what I'm trying to create. I also want my viewers to be left hanging in suspense, creating an enigma which may leave them asking questions and wanting to see more.

Location Scouting

This is where I will film.

One scene will take place in this alleyway, this is a street in Edmonton called Bridge Rd.










And this is where the other scene will take place. This is actually another alleyway but I will only use thee street leading to the alley. This street is called Bardot Close.











I think these locations are suitable for my film because they provide quite eerie lighting at night and they are also very suitable for the style of film I'm trying to create.

Media Techniques: Filming Language

"ACTION" said by the director.

"?" said by the actor.

"ROLLING" said by the camera operator to start record.

"CUT" said by director.

Storyboards

This is the storyboard for my short film.