Visual Scene Analysis
The video above is a quite explanation about one peculiar scene, which is about their body language, the way the camera is angled and to keep the audience question on who has the power within their meeting and who doesn't, as Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling have an unusual mutual relationship throughout the movie but especially in this scene as nearer to the end their positions change and you can tell that the relationship has changed very much.
At the beginning Clarice is shown at a low angle, first explaining that she does not and probably will not hold the power in the conversation as her whole aim is to get Hannibal Lecter to look over a survey. She seems very wooden in this scene by looking at the body language you can tell she's very fearful (nervous) that's why the camera 'looks down on her'. The setting behind is dark to set the mood that this isn't a happy place nor a happy conversation, which makes sense as to why the two of them try to hold power as both a equally smart but Clarice is the one who wants something from Hannibal then making her the weaker person of the conversation.
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Hannibal tells Clarice to sit (0:42), making her even lower than before, while he stands right towards the glass, almost as if he's done it on purpose to seem more threatening and in control. As you can see Clarice looks slightly off camera while Hannibal looks straight, this shows that we are in Clarice's point of view as we are seeing what she sees. It's clever how she only looks off a bit but straight away gets you to understand that the camera wouldn't obviously be there in a real situation and that Hannibal is slightly off as well.
While Clarice has a a wider shot, which gets you to see everything behind her (the walls, the chair and radiator) as we aren't getting her facial expressions but more how she sits and her body language to explain that she feels uncomfortable, while Hannibal has a close-up, getting every feature of his face, especially since he's looking straight at the camera, he plays a 'scary' character in the film so by looking straight at the audience he shows that side of 'evil' to act threatening. Though the point of view changes quite quickly and if you weren't really paying attention when watching the film you wouldn't spot it, as it's such a simple effect having Hannibal looking off camera (1:18) and she's looking towards the camera in his point of view. It's also clever how the camera follows exactly where the character would be looking, as before Clarice looks at Hannibal she looks slightly around his prison cell, it's a quick action but it lets the audience know they're seeing everything from Clarice's eyes. |
Then you have the parallel edit, showing two similar actions but of different people. It also shows a lot more of the location, seeing how simple Hannibal's cell is but with person drawings and a mirror, as it's clear that he looks after himself very well. Showing his posture as serious and very powerful with arms behind his back, all learning this from one way a camera has been angled. While Clarice walks away quite slowly as if she's keeping herself professional, asking as if she has no fear from the conversation or the place she's in. Which is a completely different take from when she walks away the second time ( much faster and further away from the passing cells). The camera is angled low down when Clarice walks away, because if it was higher you wouldn't get the view of her walking all the way to the end as if you filmed at a mid shot or close-up because you'd have to follow on rather than filming random things.
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This ending scene of the two finally beginning a mutual relationship, rather than having one person with a high angle and another with a low to show who's in control. They're both positioned next to each other giving eye contact and are shown at a low angle to say that no one is trying to control and that they're both quite powerful. As if they're equal to each other and that they will now help each other out (mostly Hannibal helping Clarice). Overall it's a much different atmosphere than the controlling looks and body language they both tried to reach power.
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Inception had a lot more about switching from one location to another using the same characters but also the way the camera angle would change, follow or move when emotions would change or when destruction followed. Throughout the camera shows what is important within a scene and sound is also placed to also show importance. At times it's very fast paced in one location but quite slow in another. What is clever that within the dream, there's an orangey filter that is used (almost as if it was used to help the audience understand that this isn't the reality) while the real world was a much blander colour with natural lighting, instead of the harsh orange lights.
The scene starts off with both characters's looking at each other (0:02) and having low angles, just like the 'Silence of the lambs' there is no one in control of this scene. However as the tension builds, the facial expressions turn different as so does the camera angles to slowly show who's becoming more powerful in the scene.
As the second shot of Leo, he looks as if he's lost the control as the camera only shoots his face and the way his hand is up in defeat. His angle stays low, while everyone else's goes higher or closer. |
In this scene it shows one location of a man being shot, which is a close up. He then falls and he is immediately in the next scene. It uses parallel editing, which means the same character is in two different locations, but doing the same actions. In the first location he closes his eyes and in the second he is opening them. Therefore, the scenes connect without being associated and you can pick up the fact he's in a dream. The 'dream world' has a dark setting with dark lighting to show its not reality, while the real world is a lot brighter with natural lighting.
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This scene uses shaky camera. Because the building is falling apart, not only do they use dust falling from the ceiling and walls coming down, they use this technique to make the audience feel they are part of the scene. By having the camera moving at a fast pace, following the character, it adds to the intensity. It makes the audience feel that something is coming, or anything could happen at any time. As the character is running, the camera follows at a wider angle to show more of the scene and the destruction. This lets the audience know the character is coming out of the dream like state.
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The building is still crumbling and even though there is supposed to be a lot of background noise, you can clearly hear the paper being ripped. This shows it's an important part of the movie and the camera zooms in to ensure the audience knows to pay attention to this particular scene. The main character had a separate piece of paper, the same affect was used where the paper could be heard over the sound of the destruction of the room. The text on the paper was large to show it was a vital part of the movie.
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Slow motion is used for this scene and many different camera angles to create tension for the audience. The scene starts at a wide shot, which is when the slow motion starts and shows every single feature of his face. His eyes were closed but and he looked asleep and you followed it until he hits the bath water. This is the way of waking him up because he is in danger. Then a parallel edit shows him in the dream world, where water is flooding from the walls which is bringing the two scenes together by water. He is awake in the dream world but has to killed in this world to get back to reality. When in the dream world, it first shows him looking scared because of the amount of water coming in then it pans to a wide shot which shows everything in the scene in dim lighting. You then see the outline of his figure, which is silhouetted which makes you concentrate on everything else around him that is happening. It also makes the scene aesthetically pleasing.
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Fight Club is all about having dark settings to add to the genre of the film, which is a sort of thriller as it's violent and can extremely serious at times. The way sound effects are filmed for the movie is clever and the attention to detail is extremely important, even though it has dialogue the sound effects are still tested and made sure they sound realistic. When having no dialogue, having the sound effects is crucial as it makes up for the loss of words.
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In the movie the visual stand out using colourful lighting in dark scenes, simple lighting in others and water (rain) to reflect the lighting. A lot of foley sound effects are used for simple things that the audience would think are natural sounds.Usually the dialogue is the only thing that would be recorded at the time of filming as the director doesn't need to worry about background noses as the foley sound effects will be put into the film later.
At (1:26-1:49) they use an example of the party scene in the Social Network movie, where the nightclub music and chatting is put in after but the actors have to shout when recording dialogue to give the illusion that they are actually in a nightclub. It's easier to re-record dialogue when background sounds aren't important, there's no worry and no distraction for the actors. |
In the video the guys talks about how realistic the fight scenes are. He says an example of a movie having unrealistic punching sounds, for example fist hitting body is 'Die Hard'. Meaning the sounds are not believable. For the sound effects in Fight Club they first used a CD borrowed from the library to see if this would be suitable. It didn't work so they then tried wrapping cling film around celery, then splitting it in half to sound like bones breaking. They then mixed it with the sound effects of punching chicken carcasses with chestnuts inside.
Testing and trying different ways of creating a realistic is hard but very useful once you get it spot on, as your sounds should sound so natural that the audience don't realise it wasn't actually filmed on the set. |
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Short Film Analysis
Erin Brockovich is an unlikely lawyer, where the majority of people have no faith in her due to how she dresses, her appearance and how she talks. It's based on a true story, a single mother just trying to make a living for her kids but actually finding a job that she's good at and tries to show people what she is capable of, as she's very determined and passionate. The sort of character we want in our short film, someone who really cares and tries hard, since our character really cares and wants to make a change with Climate Change, the same determination Erin has for becoming a lawyer.
The locations used are quite boring, there is no where in the film that has an exciting location that is full of colour. Even though I personally find the shot of the building quite aesthetic in a sense that the green leaves and blue sky really makes the building look nicer. It shows that the locations aren't really that important and memorable, but the type of job (lawyer) is always known for people having bland offices and clothing, showing they're all about work and don't focus on appearance as such.
The colours used are brown, beige and black, shows the seriousness and work environment. That they're not up for change and all have to look the same as they mean business. That's why I think Erin struggles a lot in the beginning because she doesn't find into this environment and that they don't find her hardworking loosely based on how she dresses and that she's not bland like all the location settings. |
Within the film there are lots of close-ups, extreme close-ups, wide shots, mid shots, etc. Each shot is used to show something that the audience needs to look at, either having a close-up to show the main focus on one thing or a wide shot to show a whole scene, to see someone's actions. For example when Erin is looking through the paperwork, it shows the amount she goes through and sets the scene of it being a very busy environment (busy in the sense of it being overcrowded with paper) that every scene I've screenshotted shows relevance to how important these files are and who's looking at them, setting the scenes to also show that this is what a lawyers meeting would look like.
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Now this is a close-up (extreme close-up) of the paper work, showing this is key for the audience to see. Slowly moving the camera across so they can actually read the text as it's important to the film. Or when Erin searches through the files, since we can't read what's on them, the text isn't important but knowing about the files being there is important. We want to do the same thing for our short film production, having extreme close-ups on the letter written, to show key words/sentences that give the audience more information about the story.
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The camera follows Erin's emotion using mid shots. So not only does the audience see part of the location, as it's not exciting enough to get the audience to lose focus on Erin. It allows us to see her emotions and how she's feeling without even listening to the dialogue. When Erin starts to cough, the camera continues to follow her on her way down to cough, this is done in one smooth movement so the audience's focus remains on her and goes straight back into the conversation she's having. I think that kind of camera movement is good but can be quite hard if it doesn't look smooth enough and is quite shaky.
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Erin isn't a typical lawyer, the way her character comes off as somewhat relax, as if she feels comfortable to be herself. That she doesn't judge others so why should someone judge her. Her fashion sense is a lot more colourful and doesn't fit this lawyer stereotype. That it shows she's a lot more interesting as she's the person who stands out in the room but also let's the audience know she is the outcast and that no one else looks like her within the office. This inspired us in creating a character who isn't believed in by society based on how they look, that these people are actually out there to make a difference and doesn't matter how they look, if they have passion then we as a society should allow them to do what they dream of.
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There are lots of over-the-shoulder shots, this shows that the audience are looking through someone else's perspective of either another character or a setting. Since we only slightly see the corner of someone's shoulder or head, it allows us to know who is looking at who and let's the scene feel more real since you feel as if you're in that scene, talking or listening to that other person. I like the over-the-shoulder shot since it's a nice and easy way of showing something through someone else's eyes, bringing the audience more into it.
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'Refuge' is about a young Syrian women struggling to stay in America, after an internet virus was believed to have been created by a Syrian possibly living in America, now she struggles not getting deported. There is a few dialogue scenes but the majority are of her face showing her emotions and the pain she has to go through as we slowly learn about her life in America and how differently everyone is treated. This strongly relates to our short film idea as it's about current issues and is predicting how the future is actually going to be like.
The short film is set in the future, since it released 6 years ago it's crazy how they've predicted how the future will be like since 2020 is only next year. Having the date in a small text at the bottom is such a simple way of allowing the audience to know what year it is, since it also shows what the future could be like, with minor technology changes. The setting is quite normal, as if it wants to keep the realism side of it all, no bright colours are used which makes it quite bland but also no extreme use of dark colours. Overall making all very serious.
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The colour scheme of the room is mostly beige, once again showing how it's meant to be about serious issues rather than worrying about the brightness of colours. The only thing I see often is her orange bag, which is the only colour she really wears, it's personal and allows the audience to remember it's her as she holds this same item.
Everyone in this scene look angered, worried and confused, you can tell that something important is taking placed and who has authority over the other. Since everyone is seated quite close together while the people working for the government sits opposite, though this time they haven't used camera angles to show who has the power, since the camera is low down on her behalf and she's sitting quite high up, whilst they sit lower down with the camera angle looking straight down onto them. The only way I see power is from the amount of space the people from the Government get compared to those finding out if they're being deported since the virus blame are on the Syrian citizens moved to America. |
Even though it's set in the future, it's seems like everything is going back in time (setting in the old ways) as American citizens sit on one side of the bus and anyone who's from another country has to sit in a split section. This shows that the divide between who's born in America and who's not has worsen. That they cannot sit among others who are American. I think it's such a simple scene put in place and the use of showing the small border really relates to current issues now, even with the whole Trump situation with him wanting to build a wall to keep foreigners 'out', this is like a small start to that occurring by having this wall between the two on the bus.
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The scenes when she's at work or at home uses a darker tone, to show her real side of her emotions. She seems like she keeps up a strong appearance when around others despite with everything going on, so when she's alone in her room or at work, you only really see the shape of her rather than seeing her face more. Her body movements explain more than what she says. As no matter where she goes she can't get away from the worry of being deported. I feel they've done this, to also show the living and working conditions she's in, as if she's just trying to make a new life out her but thee dark tones show the worry that follows her, I also find the window scene quite aesthetic as the outside it light but her figure is dark and the way she sits shows that's she's not happy and we don't even get to see her face.
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This being the ending scene to the whole production, throughout it's quite sad as the audience feel bad for the one character who's story we follow but they you realise that she's one of many people who are effected by the threat of being deported and that there are people out there trying to live a new and happy life. It's so different because of all the emotions shown, it's happier as everyone is smiling and the kids are playing around. They've done this to make the audience feel bad for the others too, showing that they're just trying to live a new life in America and that they're not threatening, so it's confusing to why being deported is really pushed onto them.
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This scene shows her in an large empty room, as if she's waiting for someone (she is) though it makes her look so small within the room. Once again it's quite a bland mise-en-scene but it's to show the seriousness of the whole production, that she's only just one person in this large country and she's seen as vulnerable, I like the way they've done this because it allows the audience to feel sorry for the character and let's them have this sort of connection to her as they see her as someone who's quite 'small' even though she's obviously trying to seem strong for others.
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Music Video Analysis
I think 'Why'd you only call me when you're high?' by the Arctic Monkeys, has a lot of elements we want to use in our own production idea, thinking a lot about costumes, camerawork and some of the editing skills that really 'changes up' the video, adding a bit more excitement. What I'm looking for in this video that will inspire me for our own production is the camera angles and movements, lighting used (as that sets tone), how the plot develops, the setting and changes of location, the decor used, how the character himself acts and the props used which plays an important role in the music video as it explains more about the character and his aims for the video. The video itself is inappropriate at times but I chose to ignore those parts as I really thought the video was very fitting for our genre.
We first start off at a pub/bar, where a young man is introduced with a group of friends. The clever part is that I know he is the main singer of the band but he doesn't actually do any lip syncing and the song instead is played in the background as if the pub is playing it, this is done to have the audience unconsciously listen to the music as their attention is diverted more to what is happening within the video. The scene starts off at a bar with friends, then the majority video is filmed on the street where a vary of camera angles are used as there are lots of quick things happening. For example it pans out wide when he begins walking down the street, camera would then turn harshly to quickly show a random person, I've noticed that the majority of people on the street are male and they're all giving off looks towards the character, it could be all in his head but it could also show how rough the area is as not only does the location look as if it's not a nice area (because of the type of shows, the overcrowded amount of store signs) but how 'shady' all the men look, this made me think about when Jermaine and I discussed the party scene we want to do in our production and that we should have our main character walk back through the house (once he kills his lover) and have the feeling of everyone watching him, lots of close-up of different people's reactions, to make him look fearful and guilty as he feels everyone is judging him.
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His performance is to show that he isn't in a good way, not only does the camera sway side to side but he follows on to show that he is dizzy, mostly likely drunk (and high, a hint in the song title). By looking off camera and widening his eyes, it adds to the effect that he doesn't know what's going on around him and that's why he begins to have hallucinations about the girl. In the second gif it shows that he repeatedly blinks, a way of adjusting his eyes as he feels he's going crazy imaging Stephanie in crazy situations.
The only colourful lighting is the street lights behind, from shop signs, street lamps and traffic lights, it's not very powerful lighting because the song is so relaxed, for example you'd have brighter and more intense lighting if you were at a nightclub but since he's going from a low-key lighting pub to the same outside on the streets. For our production, having the dark concept of the main character wearing dark clothes makes him seem uncertain because he doesn't know what's happening since he's having so many hallucinations. Instead we want our character to take lots of drugs and alcohol then hallucinate about killing his love interest giving him nightmares leading up to feeling guilty. I think if we use colour lighting (like the neon red that's just before the bathroom) it could represent an emotion, such as having red could mean either anger or blood, while also having green could mean jealousy. We may take the time to think about our lighting for the party scene in our own production. |
The clock starts to melt down into a sad face, having the 10 and 2 come closer as eyes and the clock hands as the mouth, maybe this is to represent how he feels and how he's feeling since he can't stop texting and thinking about this one girl. It's the second sign (apart from the mirror) that he's having hallucinations. Then when he redirects his eyes somewhere else it becomes a double vision since he's 'so out of it' that he's eye aren't at the same pace as his brain. He looks the clock before and it melt into a smiley face, this is when he first messages Stephanie asking if she's up, before he goes to the bathroom, I think this radiates confidence, as if he's happy and knows that she's up and he's awaiting her reply. But obviously that soon changes when he drinks more and she doesn't reply, his mood changing very fast.
There's another double mirror vision when he walks into the bathroom, he splashes his face probably to try and wake himself up (snap himself out of the hallucinations) but there is his reflection appearing around the sides of him, to either show how bad the hallucinations are becoming or that he's watching himself (maybe judging). |
Having the phone is a good way to help the audience understand more about the narrative, he uses quite a lot throughout the video and shows that he's constantly texting this girl called Stephanie, which you don't actually see her until the end. It gets you to understand that he's texting her a lot while drunk and isn't getting any replies. It's clever how the camera pans out more so the message can pop up on the screen to show what he's typing rather than having a close-up of the actual screen because it can be hard to read as the camera is quite shaky as it follows his movements.
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More and more his hallucinations become extreme, where he imagines weird situations and conversations. You can tell when something isn't real but how random it is or the way the camera becomes blurred. The first picture shows a random guy jumping down from a building and running off over a car and over a fence, the main character just stands there and stares. The camera stays behind the main character as we watch from his point of view of the man running.
Then later on he falls over, he first feels as if he's sinking into the ground (as you can see his arms slowly push into the floor) the man who originally was standing beside the wall is now in front of him, his words are slurred and to the main character he's very blurred but because the camera angle is a close-up of the stranger's hand, it lets you know that what you're seeing is what the main character is seeing. |
When doing our focus group, American Psycho was recommended to us, because of the gory and dark concept it had but every setting was bland with colours of white, grey and beige. This is the sort of 'theme' we want, using lots of colour (rather than just white, etc) making the surrounding quite 'positive' but have a much darker narrative behind. The clip I put was the morning routine, I thought that it was just a simple scene but comes off as extremely creepy and clever how it gives you shivers.
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The setting in the office and apartment are bland, having just white and grey around, not much character. Having small photos in a large room which don't actually fill the room, very boring and aren't personal (meaning no photos of people). Which you would think describes the character's personality but does the opposite, this is why the film was such a good inspiration for us, as you want a setting that is simple or in our case is quite fun but in reality something much darker happens, which is shocking and surprising.
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The amount of close-ups used in the film is really effective as the character's emotions change quite frequently, giving you an idea to just how 'crazy' he is. There's a part in the movie, where the detective is asking about a missing person called 'Paul Alan' who was murdered by Patrick Bateman (the main character) you can see how he's trying to act confident but in reality he's extremely nervous, if you ignore what he's saying and focus on the camera angle you can see the way his mouth falls into a smile but not his eyes.
Then the pan from a wide shot to a close-up near the end, this is such a terrifying scene because of how serious he looks and by making his hair slicked back, you can see more facial features. Close-ups are one of my favourite camera angles because even though they don't show the whole scene, they tell you more about emotions and show great detail of how someone looks. I will definitely use this in our production because I want to capture the judgement looks and the guilt in the main character's eyes. |
The morning routine was one of the best scenes within the movie, as it was so specific on what he does everyone morning. This also shows that the character likes to do things his way and in an organised order. The first photo is a clever shot, throughout the movie you see scenes of him checking himself out in reflections, this shows he thinks of himself as quite good-looking and probably is quite cocky. But there's also another side to when he looks in the photo, he looks awfully creepy and frightening as the stereotypical villain look as half his face is hidden within the dark. I also believe the photo of the girl is a reference with the obsession with woman (and sleeping with them) to then murdering them, also a hint to what he does in the movie later on.
The part where he takes his face mask off, I think represents the 'mask' he wears around others and than the other he wears in front of his victims. Almost showing that he's hiding his real self and by peeling the mask, he reveals what he's actually like. |
I think the wide shots used tell the audience a lot about what's going on in the scene but also a lot about the character. The first photo showing him relaxing on his sofa in his office, right here you can tell he's quite high up within the company, by the way he owns these luxuries but also how he puts his shoes up on the white, that he's smoking, wearing sunglasses (which is unprofessional) and sitting as if he's at home. This makes you think he's still quite cocky and I noticed that he hardly does any work when the work scenes are filmed, as if he finds himself to important to actually do anything (no fear of getting in trouble) the same way he feels when he murders someone.
The second photo shows the body sitting in blood while he sits across it smoking a cigarette. I like the idea of not actually seeing the gory part of the murder but getting the idea of it when showing a body sitting in their own blood, it's easy to follow. |
Telling a story with no dialogue
This video explains how to create a short film without having dialogue, by giving quick tips on how to do it. Here are the tips and steps to follow:
For our production, we want to use a lot of visuals to explain why the character's motive is to get change the world and help stop Global Warming. By showing lots of litter, electric devices, etc in our short film and then having lots of colourful lights and the pigmented blood. Having a simple structure where the narrative isn't too complicated so the audience can understand, so it's easy to pick up. We can't have just have one character in our short film because the rules for the competition states that there should be two or more, making it a little harder for us (challenging us). I would rather have more than one location for our short film because I think it'll keep it interesting as the character will be moving their feet (moving around), while I think we could potentially only film in one location for the music video but that really depends on if we want to carry on to another location when he's leaving the crime scene.Throughout both of our ideas involve completing a task, to either help stop climate change or to leave a murder. We need to think more about what our characters will wear, maybe to show their personality or the time they're living in (maybe making it quite 90s looking in the music video).
- 100% Visuals
- Simple Structure
- Limiting a character's lines is easier if there is only one character throughout
- One location
- Getting them off their feet
- Moving around
- Completing a task
- Costume and set tells you more about the character
- Create empathy (if you want it to be more dramatic)
For our production, we want to use a lot of visuals to explain why the character's motive is to get change the world and help stop Global Warming. By showing lots of litter, electric devices, etc in our short film and then having lots of colourful lights and the pigmented blood. Having a simple structure where the narrative isn't too complicated so the audience can understand, so it's easy to pick up. We can't have just have one character in our short film because the rules for the competition states that there should be two or more, making it a little harder for us (challenging us). I would rather have more than one location for our short film because I think it'll keep it interesting as the character will be moving their feet (moving around), while I think we could potentially only film in one location for the music video but that really depends on if we want to carry on to another location when he's leaving the crime scene.Throughout both of our ideas involve completing a task, to either help stop climate change or to leave a murder. We need to think more about what our characters will wear, maybe to show their personality or the time they're living in (maybe making it quite 90s looking in the music video).
This is a short film that involves no dialogue, about a man who's obviously working long hours and is left alone.
The colour tone around the office is mostly white and grey, very bland colours which shows that who ever is the character within the production, is either a bland/boring person and has a regular office job. There's low lighting and no windows at all to bring in natural lighting. It explains why the character looks so depressed because the work space he's in isn't as exciting. The character looks as if he's been left alone, maybe doing over-time as no one else is seem at all in the production (more of a 'one-man-show') you have no idea what time it is, expect looking at the clock (which says three) but that could be early morning or late afternoon, which could explain the tiredness look on his face. He probably hates his job because not only does the setting show that's it's a dead-end job (the lack of life and excitement) but also the constant frown on his face and the bags under his eyes to show tiredness. At 0:16, he rolls his eyes and kicks the machine copier, this shows obvious annoyance and that he's slowly losing his patience.
The way he's dressed also tells you a lot more about him and they way he feels towards the job. His top button is undone, he's loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeve, I think to show that's he's stressed and that is trying to get some 'air' to release the stress within the tight (small) office he's currently working in. His clothes are just as boring and bland as the office, to show that he blends in perfectly with the setting. You know it's an average job with bad pay because he's not in a fancy suit and doesn't really look after himself.
Within the next 30 seconds, the sound of the black hole appears. It sounds quite electric to me, as if it's got a lot of energy inside and that it's very powerful. It's obviously supernatural, something that's not from this world because of the sound it makes, you can't really think of what objects were used to create this sound making it very ominous. I think the sound represents the unknown and how scary it can be, as we think of the darkness as mysterious and people can be very frightened by what could be there. If you don't know what's there, then you don't know the dangers it could lead you, in his case it's being trapped in the safe.
At 2:18, he gets trapped in the safe. I do feel bad for the character because you can tell he hates his job and that he probably needed the money to live a life he's always wanted, the fact he was left alone probably to work over-time which I guess he won't get paid for explains why he wanted to take the money so badly. But I do think he shouldn't of acted so greedy, then he wouldn't be in this mess. And we have no idea what could happen to him, he could be stuck in there all weekend or for a few hours.
He didn't really need to say anything to make me feel bad for him, I just do because of the way he acted, the way he carried himself and his facial expressions. I know he was desperate because he looked so lost and bored, he wasn't happy and as soon as he took the chocolate bar out of the vending machine, I knew then he was a lot happier even if his plan was not the right thing to do.
The colour tone around the office is mostly white and grey, very bland colours which shows that who ever is the character within the production, is either a bland/boring person and has a regular office job. There's low lighting and no windows at all to bring in natural lighting. It explains why the character looks so depressed because the work space he's in isn't as exciting. The character looks as if he's been left alone, maybe doing over-time as no one else is seem at all in the production (more of a 'one-man-show') you have no idea what time it is, expect looking at the clock (which says three) but that could be early morning or late afternoon, which could explain the tiredness look on his face. He probably hates his job because not only does the setting show that's it's a dead-end job (the lack of life and excitement) but also the constant frown on his face and the bags under his eyes to show tiredness. At 0:16, he rolls his eyes and kicks the machine copier, this shows obvious annoyance and that he's slowly losing his patience.
The way he's dressed also tells you a lot more about him and they way he feels towards the job. His top button is undone, he's loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeve, I think to show that's he's stressed and that is trying to get some 'air' to release the stress within the tight (small) office he's currently working in. His clothes are just as boring and bland as the office, to show that he blends in perfectly with the setting. You know it's an average job with bad pay because he's not in a fancy suit and doesn't really look after himself.
Within the next 30 seconds, the sound of the black hole appears. It sounds quite electric to me, as if it's got a lot of energy inside and that it's very powerful. It's obviously supernatural, something that's not from this world because of the sound it makes, you can't really think of what objects were used to create this sound making it very ominous. I think the sound represents the unknown and how scary it can be, as we think of the darkness as mysterious and people can be very frightened by what could be there. If you don't know what's there, then you don't know the dangers it could lead you, in his case it's being trapped in the safe.
At 2:18, he gets trapped in the safe. I do feel bad for the character because you can tell he hates his job and that he probably needed the money to live a life he's always wanted, the fact he was left alone probably to work over-time which I guess he won't get paid for explains why he wanted to take the money so badly. But I do think he shouldn't of acted so greedy, then he wouldn't be in this mess. And we have no idea what could happen to him, he could be stuck in there all weekend or for a few hours.
He didn't really need to say anything to make me feel bad for him, I just do because of the way he acted, the way he carried himself and his facial expressions. I know he was desperate because he looked so lost and bored, he wasn't happy and as soon as he took the chocolate bar out of the vending machine, I knew then he was a lot happier even if his plan was not the right thing to do.
This short film has no dialogue either, where a young boy is playing in the streets and comes across a shop that sits a doll that looks exactly like him, his curiosity increases putting him in a lot of danger. The time of year is winter, since his clothes show that he's wrapped up worth with a jumper, thick coat, gloves and a scarf. It's also snowing which is a big hint to telling the season. I think it's set in Russia, because they have lots of snow especially in the winter but also on the setting of quite a rural area (a mini village). The character is happy at the start, he's playing around in the snow, you can see he has a smile on his face. He then writes his name on the wall, which introduces the name of the film and lets the audience know who he is.
At 1:30, there is a lot of use of foley sounds which makes the film seem more realistic even though it's an animation. So when he walks through the snow, you can tell that the sound effect probably wasn't actually boots walking through snow but someone had to combine a collection of sounds to create it, the same with his hands when he drags them across the window and the loud footsteps he makes to allow us to know that he's moving through. All this is when he's trying to look through the window of the shop, even though its small foley sounds, they're still just as effective.
The music sounds quite upbeat around the beginning, which allows us to know he's happy and just playing around by himself in snow but switches to a lower tone because the intensity of the danger he is now in as soon as he spots the look-a-like doll. You can tell it's not safe for him since the music goes lower, you don't even have to watch what's happening to understand that he shouldn't go through the door.
I feel bad for the little boy because he's just by himself and playing alone, even though he looks happy, he's very unsafe and could easily be led to danger, which is exactly how the story ends. He's just curious and his eye got caught by the doll, showing the mystery and magic of the shop. Though he was getting a little too cocky and should have known that he wasn't in a good situation.
Having the doll represents the creepiness of the short film, despite having a lot of colour within the concept is very different. For example, in 'The Black Hole' it has a dark concept and uses dark and bland colours to create that atmosphere, whilst 'Alma' uses bright colours to create an unsettling dark concept (the same sort of technique was used in 'American Psycho'). Creating an unbalanced effect that works really well.
At 1:30, there is a lot of use of foley sounds which makes the film seem more realistic even though it's an animation. So when he walks through the snow, you can tell that the sound effect probably wasn't actually boots walking through snow but someone had to combine a collection of sounds to create it, the same with his hands when he drags them across the window and the loud footsteps he makes to allow us to know that he's moving through. All this is when he's trying to look through the window of the shop, even though its small foley sounds, they're still just as effective.
The music sounds quite upbeat around the beginning, which allows us to know he's happy and just playing around by himself in snow but switches to a lower tone because the intensity of the danger he is now in as soon as he spots the look-a-like doll. You can tell it's not safe for him since the music goes lower, you don't even have to watch what's happening to understand that he shouldn't go through the door.
I feel bad for the little boy because he's just by himself and playing alone, even though he looks happy, he's very unsafe and could easily be led to danger, which is exactly how the story ends. He's just curious and his eye got caught by the doll, showing the mystery and magic of the shop. Though he was getting a little too cocky and should have known that he wasn't in a good situation.
Having the doll represents the creepiness of the short film, despite having a lot of colour within the concept is very different. For example, in 'The Black Hole' it has a dark concept and uses dark and bland colours to create that atmosphere, whilst 'Alma' uses bright colours to create an unsettling dark concept (the same sort of technique was used in 'American Psycho'). Creating an unbalanced effect that works really well.
'Same Love' is a music video about the struggles a young male has to go through when he is in love with someone of the same gender. It shows his life and how he goes from birth to death, and the changes he goes through throughout. At the beginning the nurse is wearing blue gloves and pink uniform, I think this represents genders and that you don't know what gender the baby will be and it's also the stereotypical gender for love productions (male and female) as this music video completely changes that perspective. The main character is mixed race, his mother being white and his father being brown and his partner (who's seen later on is white) it shows that the poor boy will have difficulties living in America as a mixed race homosexual and the whole message of the music video is that it shouldn't be a problem and that love is love.
At 1:05, the camera is quite shaky and films a young boy from a distance, it also looks 'blurry' as such which I think represents as it being old footage and shows that this was a memory looked back on. The colours around are still all bright, the trees, grass and flowers still bright to show the happiness and the fun of their childhood.
At 1:32, the colour scheme changes, everyone's a lot older and the colours aren't as bright as they were when he was child. It shows a bunch of friends together in a circle playing spin the bottle, the colours are quite bland and dark but doesn't have to mean he's unhappy, could simply show that he's getting old and that life isn't always as bright and colourful but also allows the audience to know the change in atmosphere. It hasn't got to the love side of the narrative as it's still introducing the character as you watch him grow and discover himself.
The boys later on meet at night, the main character was going through a tough time and needed to be with him as comfort. They meet late to show that they're hiding and their relationship has to be kept a secret, that if they met when it was light outside people could of seen them and they wouldn't want to be judged by society.
At 2:37, we see the set design for the main character's parent's house, the house is quite old fashioned. Also as if it was someone's Grandma's house, this could represent the parents are stuck in their old ways and are from an older generation where loving someone of the same gender was not excepted.
Then finally at 5:20 it shows two males, holding hands while one of them is resting in a hospital bed. It shows their hands and their wedding rings, obviously you know it's the two main characters as they've been together for a very long time. Sadly it looks as if it an end to a life and that the music video shows their whole journey even up to death. Whilst 0:31 shows his parents holding hands, the same closeness and the fact they've been together for a long time. Instead it was the beginning of a new life. Overall both couples seemed just as in love as the other, that they both shared equal love.
At 1:05, the camera is quite shaky and films a young boy from a distance, it also looks 'blurry' as such which I think represents as it being old footage and shows that this was a memory looked back on. The colours around are still all bright, the trees, grass and flowers still bright to show the happiness and the fun of their childhood.
At 1:32, the colour scheme changes, everyone's a lot older and the colours aren't as bright as they were when he was child. It shows a bunch of friends together in a circle playing spin the bottle, the colours are quite bland and dark but doesn't have to mean he's unhappy, could simply show that he's getting old and that life isn't always as bright and colourful but also allows the audience to know the change in atmosphere. It hasn't got to the love side of the narrative as it's still introducing the character as you watch him grow and discover himself.
The boys later on meet at night, the main character was going through a tough time and needed to be with him as comfort. They meet late to show that they're hiding and their relationship has to be kept a secret, that if they met when it was light outside people could of seen them and they wouldn't want to be judged by society.
At 2:37, we see the set design for the main character's parent's house, the house is quite old fashioned. Also as if it was someone's Grandma's house, this could represent the parents are stuck in their old ways and are from an older generation where loving someone of the same gender was not excepted.
Then finally at 5:20 it shows two males, holding hands while one of them is resting in a hospital bed. It shows their hands and their wedding rings, obviously you know it's the two main characters as they've been together for a very long time. Sadly it looks as if it an end to a life and that the music video shows their whole journey even up to death. Whilst 0:31 shows his parents holding hands, the same closeness and the fact they've been together for a long time. Instead it was the beginning of a new life. Overall both couples seemed just as in love as the other, that they both shared equal love.
Narrative Structure
MEMORY 2.0 | Short Film from Dugan O'Neal on Vimeo. |
This short film, Memory 2.0, uses Todorv method but also has a non-linear narrative rather than a linear where everything happens in an order. It starts of with a woman and man lying in a bed, a normal sort of couple (from what you could tell in the opening). Though you can tell this is the future as he comes out of this 'memory' into the real world which isn't as peaceful as his memory world. He goes back and forth throughout to the memory and reality, sometimes at points it's quite confusing for the audience to whether or not if its real or just the machine he's plugged into. This is when the equilibrium starts, where he's content with this life of going back to his memories of the good times. Though this changes when disruption occurs, when he's being physically harmed by the memory and everything starts overlapping with new parts which aren't part of his memory, allowing us to know their is more to the story and what happened between the couple.Then Recognition happens and he see's that everything is not right since he's in a problem that doesn't allow to see the rest of what happens to the girl and that maybe someone is trying to reach out to him to tell him something, maybe the girl from the memory. Now he knows something isn't right, it's time for him to take action and 'repair' the situation. By figuring out he needs to find this guy that will help him get what he wants, which is to see the girl again without the disruption. Finding the guy's address and confronting the situation, resulting in getting a chip put into his neck which allows him to stay within the memory and go whether he wants. Overall it creates a new equilibrium that he can start his dream life of being with her.
The memories are flashbacks and are constantly shown throughout to show the non-linear narrative of the back and forth effect, each time learning more and more about the characters, even though the memory starts the same way, it doesn't end the same.
The memories are flashbacks and are constantly shown throughout to show the non-linear narrative of the back and forth effect, each time learning more and more about the characters, even though the memory starts the same way, it doesn't end the same.
97% (Short film) from Ben Brand on Vimeo. |
This short film uses linear narrative, very different from 'Memory 2.0'. As everything happens one after the other. It's a love story about a dating app which tells you if you've got a soulmate and how far they're from you, as it's now your mission to go find them. The equilibrium is when the main character see's he's got 97% match with someone near by, as he's travelling on the train meaning they're in the tight space together. He's now trying to figure out from the description that's provided below when matched, looking at the multiple women on the train, not knowing someone is looking for him too. This is then disrupted when she's gotten off the train, as the distant between them increasing, putting him into a panic. Then recognition, when he's racing around and see's the distance is decreasing meaning he's getting closer to her, boarding onto another train. Though it all goes wrong again before it gets better, when he thinks she gets off the train, not then realising it could of been a certain woman who you see throughout. The last hope he has is gone, until the numbers start decreasing again as the new equilibrium occurs when he looks off at the distant as the numbers go down. We never know what happens at the end but allows the audience make up their own ending and if it was her or not.
The equilibrium in 'Stop' starts with two boys hanging out together at night after their baseball practice. They spend some time chatting but it's obvious the main character is just a quiet boy and rarely talks. They both go to the shops, buying snacks and eating them before saying their goodbyes and going off home in separate directions. Making the main character now alone. The disruption occurs when he's walking home and two police officers notice him, asking him to stop and asking him question also asking for ID. He hasn't done anything to create this disruption, merely by walking home it get's him stopped, most likely because of his skin colour. He hasn't been violent and stays calm throughout as they check through his pockets and bag. The recognition is when he knows he's got drugs in his bags but by staying calm he won't get any attention from the police to look further into his bag. Hoping they don't find it, they release him and allow him to go home. Once he gets home he repairs the situation by quietly making his way into the bathroom to dispose the drugs into the toilet, preventing for him to get into that situation again and to not get caught, as that is the final new equilibrium of getting rid of the problem and preventing for the situation to get worst.
The dark atmosphere and the use of low lighting is good in our production if we are trying to portray as something as bad or dangerous. The video explains the problems of a teen who get's stop only because of the colour of his skin and that the drugs are an issue but that unfairness of being stop is also.
The dark atmosphere and the use of low lighting is good in our production if we are trying to portray as something as bad or dangerous. The video explains the problems of a teen who get's stop only because of the colour of his skin and that the drugs are an issue but that unfairness of being stop is also.
For 'Dear Tom' it doesn't use the normal equilibrium structure, it's more about flashbacks of happy memories even though the dialogue is a lot different. It's a letter from an old lover who has left the character named Tom. Instead of going from one problem to solving it and a new story is made, it starts off with the problem of the girl leaving and the letter is her goodbye. It has the back and forth effect where it shows the couple being together and happy then her alone where the setting is a lot darker, to show that she has left. Throughout it shows the dates and times together, the letter coming back to explaining that she did enjoy those times. You could understand the narrative without having dialogue. The use of showing the darker scenes of her near the cliff and the aeroplane constantly leaving showing someone is going. Then their dates together, explaining that something happened to the couple and someone has parted ways. Though the occurring things is from the beginning when the plane is leaving and closer to the end when he shows the plane leaving once again to keep in mind that they've left and the whole short film is about their memories together, not the time they're spending now.
Characters
Propps Theory is what you would typically have within any sort of production, this could be having a hero, villain and a 'Princess', helps build a story. Most of the time, it's very stereotypical in who plays what roles. You either stick with the 'usual' or break the norm. You also have characters who help push the story along, either by helping the hero or creating a division in their path. Propps Theory is very important to have in my productions because it will help build my own story by having someone who creates a problem and for another to fix it, it's easier for the audience to understand who plays who by giving obvious hints.
Thriller:
Stereotypically a thriller would have a villain, princess and most of the time a hero. A villain would be someone who creates the problem for a strong reason or just out of pure evil as you don't always get the background story to a villain. They have a dark motive and would hurt anyone to satisfy their needs. They tend to be quite creepy characters but can be done in a suitable way, which tricks the audience and other characters into thinking they're a good person or that they're not capable of hurting others. The villain doesn't always have to be someone who's seen as physically fit and could be someone you don't expect but that's not the case in stereotypical thrillers. Most of the time the villain would wear dark or bland clothing, to show the emotionless side of them.
The victim is usually the Princess, they're a vulnerable character who needs to be saved by a hero. Usually they're quite weak characters who you don't believe can make it alone, stereotypically they put pretty and blonde girls as the Princess. They're very feminine. Whilst the hero is similar in ways to the villain, as they're physically strong but they need to be strong to be able to defeat a villain. A thriller doesn't always tend to have a hero, since they narrative could stay dark throughout (for example 'American Psycho') but the hero is always shown as strong, they're determined and powerful as they're the ones saving others.
Stereotypically a thriller would have a villain, princess and most of the time a hero. A villain would be someone who creates the problem for a strong reason or just out of pure evil as you don't always get the background story to a villain. They have a dark motive and would hurt anyone to satisfy their needs. They tend to be quite creepy characters but can be done in a suitable way, which tricks the audience and other characters into thinking they're a good person or that they're not capable of hurting others. The villain doesn't always have to be someone who's seen as physically fit and could be someone you don't expect but that's not the case in stereotypical thrillers. Most of the time the villain would wear dark or bland clothing, to show the emotionless side of them.
The victim is usually the Princess, they're a vulnerable character who needs to be saved by a hero. Usually they're quite weak characters who you don't believe can make it alone, stereotypically they put pretty and blonde girls as the Princess. They're very feminine. Whilst the hero is similar in ways to the villain, as they're physically strong but they need to be strong to be able to defeat a villain. A thriller doesn't always tend to have a hero, since they narrative could stay dark throughout (for example 'American Psycho') but the hero is always shown as strong, they're determined and powerful as they're the ones saving others.
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Political Drama:
The hero figure usually goes through a tough time to get to their end goal. They're quite timid, even though they do have a voice and want to speak out to spread their message, they're way too shy. They're friendly, kind and caring towards others, despite failing a few times they're still positive and are very passionate. They seem quite weak but have a strong goal, people don't believe in them and don't think they're capable. This can also be shown by how they carry themselves, having someone who slouches a lot can show shyness while someone who sits tall and proudly can show confidence.
The villain of a political drama tends to be someone who doesn't want the hero to reach their goal, to show they're against them and don't agree with the changes they want. They would usually wear darker clothing to let the audience know they're a villain as wearing something that's lighter can be confusing and sends mix messages. They will do anything to prevent the hero from doing what's right. They don't need to be someone who's physically fit but looks as if they have more power than the hero, a bigger build.
The hero figure usually goes through a tough time to get to their end goal. They're quite timid, even though they do have a voice and want to speak out to spread their message, they're way too shy. They're friendly, kind and caring towards others, despite failing a few times they're still positive and are very passionate. They seem quite weak but have a strong goal, people don't believe in them and don't think they're capable. This can also be shown by how they carry themselves, having someone who slouches a lot can show shyness while someone who sits tall and proudly can show confidence.
The villain of a political drama tends to be someone who doesn't want the hero to reach their goal, to show they're against them and don't agree with the changes they want. They would usually wear darker clothing to let the audience know they're a villain as wearing something that's lighter can be confusing and sends mix messages. They will do anything to prevent the hero from doing what's right. They don't need to be someone who's physically fit but looks as if they have more power than the hero, a bigger build.
Locations
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For this production, the majority of the film is in a house but also in an office. You would think it was an ordinary house but the way the colour of both the house and office represents something that is quite depressing since there are no bright colours, it just seems gloomy. Even when he's on top of the building (where I honestly thought he'd jump) the sky seemed bland and as if it was going to rain, to once again show that the narrative won't be happy without looking at the character's facial expressions or hearing any dialogue.
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In this production everything is filmed outdoors, where it shows loneliness and that they feel small (especially when the train goes by) to show they don't feel significant. It has very visually pleasing locations, having the sunsets (with the changing of colour sky) to just simply standing on a train track, they've made their production nice to look at and is very artistic in a way. The production was about mental health and that dealing with it alone shouldn't be the way, they've used their settings well to describe this, even though the views are nice, there can always be a deeper meaning towards something.
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Stereotypical Thriller Locations
The sort of location we need for the music video is somewhere for the murder, the party and confession. When looking at houses we need one that will fit in quite a lot of people, with a garden and side alleyway (which is where the murder will take place). My house seemed to be the better option since it is close to where the actors's live, it's easier for both Jermaine and I to get too (since I live there already!) The reason my house would be the best fit is the side, there is enough room to film a murder scene and also allow us to get some really cool shots (maybe even using their shadows rather than just them), there's no light at the side but we can easily use a camera light topper to just brighten up a certain amount of space. Though it won't look as elegant as the other locations I looked at since they are obviously rich show houses, which we'd most likely have to pay to film in. I found these locations on a website Jermaine found his, we both have different ideas on where we'd want to film our music video but overall have similar ideas as to why we'd want to film there. I looked at 'Art House' in Beaconsfield which is very close to High Wycombe, is would be easy for some of the actors to get too depending if they can drive or get a lift, I think for others they'd struggle for buses. I think the kitchen within the house is extremely large and would fit loads of extras, it also fits in well with the upper class look, though I don't think we'd have enough people to invite to fill the room, as we have a limited budget on how much we'd spend too. The front door would be perfect walkway as a grand entrance for the psycho character, though we'd struggle putting decorations up since it isn't our property. The 'Lichfield' house for the confession scene does give the look that the owner has a lot of money but the 'Bell House' is a lot emptier but larger, giving a feeling that no one else lives there and personally I think it would add to the character's psycho persona. 'Hughenden Park' is quite a peaceful and nice place, I have been quite a lot on dog walks so I know the area very well. It's a large part of land and has fields but also woodland areas that would actually look creepy at night, though it is hilly and would be quite a walk to get to the woods especially in the dark and would be hard to find a flat surface for the burying scene. You'd also have to watch out for the wildlife around there, especially the cows as they can be dangerous if you frighten them. I've never personally been to Oaks Woods but it is a large space and is close to High Wycombe, there are loads of trees which would be perfect at night to make it even darker and creepier. Though we'd all have to drive there and it would depend on where we decide to film the rest of the production too.
Stereotypical Political/Environmental Locations
The 'Barbican' apartment in London doesn't give a comfy feeling but is very tidy and would have plenty of lighting. It's not too busy with things just lying around which adds the then tidiness. The sofa is in a place that I think is perfect, maybe we could film a scene with the character sitting right in the middle and looking towards the camera, very similar to the idea we have in the confession scene in our music video. The kitchen behind has a large table so we could film the letter writing scenes all on there. In 'Newington', it has a much more comfy feeling and also looks very neat and tidy which allows the audience to understand that the girl does care about her home adding to the fact she cares about the planet too. Though I have looked to see if we could potentially film at my sister's flat, since it shows the character isn't from a wealthy upbringing and lives in a comfortable size home. There is enough room to film the letter scenes and she also lives near the main road and petrol station which I think we could add to the production showing that the character in her day to day life she breaths in that kind of air. The other two houses are just like the music video houses and we would probably have to pay quite a lot to film there and we don't really have that budget but it is good for future references.'Trafalgar Square' is a extremely busy place, where a lot of transport, people and noise will be. It'll show the craziness of London and hopefully get the audience to understand that there is a ton of air pollution there and that places like London are a massive cause of climate change. Depending if we time everything right, we might be able to catch the protest that will be happening within our filming week. 'West Wycombe' is a very nice and small farm area, it has a peaceful village within and would be a completely different from the London life. We could show what healthy living is like and how climate change could ruin places like this.
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One video is the normal footage filmed using the different filters on the camera but until they're edited, there isn't much of a difference. Using colour correction helps give off the mood of a production, it not only allows people to recognise the location but the tone of colour will show the atmosphere and how the audience should be feeling when they're watching. The first clip, fluorescent colour was used, making the location seem more read, people either refer red as anger or love. Day light is the second colour correction, this could be to make a scene more 'aesthetic' as it makes everything more sharpened, it really makes black lines bolder. Cloudy sets either a thriller or sad tone, as it takes away the natural sunlight and is replaced with a greener/grey look, making the mood a lower one. Though depending where the location is because in the second clip of 'cloudy' the grass behind is very bright whilst anything in the shadows is darker, when using cloudy, you need to think about your location to create that mood.