Thursday, 11 November 2010

How I will oppose these rules

I plan to oppose a few of these conventions of both genres, as I want to create a short film that is not generic and will allow me to express myself whilst demonstrating creativity and showing techincal skill. I have been careful to only break the convention where appropriate and doing so in the way that I feel will make our film most effective.
The main conventions I will oppose are;
The use of a female main character, instead we will use a male. Males are viewed as stereotypically strong, both mentally and physcially so by using a male and going against stereotype, we can create a much more emotive effect, as depiciting someone expected to be strong as frail and vulnerable will be much more effective. I also want to use a male because I don't agree with the traditional stereotype of women being weak, and I want to make a point that both sexes can perform either emotive position.
Instead of secrecy, our film will work off the idea of exposition, as though the audience is gaining an insight into someones life

TO BE FINISHED

Rules of my genre - Drama

Following up from my previous post, I have also researched the conventions of the Drama genre demonstrating my prior awareness, as I may wish to oppose them in our short film.

Narrative conventions-
-Traumatic event/s, life struggles, crime, alcoholism etc. These issues provide the 'drama' by provoking emotion and in essence telling someones story, allowing the audience to empathise. Used in 'Fish Tank', 'Changeling'
-The narrative often contains elements that will upset and disturb, such as details of crime, abuse or poverty or medical illness. All of which can cause controversy as they may be uncomfortable to watch and are typically taboo subjects. Used in films such as 'My Sisters Keeper', 'The Lovely Bones' and 'Fish Tank'
- Main character is often well developed, has a real sense of depth and depicts a broad range of emotion, so the audience really get to know this person and therefore feel effected by what happens to them. The lead character can often be innovative or investigative depending on the narrative. Used in 'Changeling' and 'The Lovely Bones' etc
- Relationships between characters are often well developed, whether in a positive or negative way so they have some real connection to the people around them, therefore giving their own character a real background and sense of heritage. Used in 'About a Girl', 'My Sisters Keeper' and 'The Lovely Bones'.

 

Mise-en-scene conventions -
- Mise-en-scene relates very carefully to the location and the characters, i.e. if set in a home, the mise-en-scene will be personal objects relating to that character or if set in an outside location, the area the character is in will show signs of their culture or have reference to them. Used in 'My Sisters Keeper'
- Costume is kept simplistic yet personalised, the character will be wearing everyday simple clothing yet that matches their personality or culture, such as tracksuit bottoms or a cardigan. This allows the character to be expressive, without being extroverted or extreme. Used in 'Fish Tank'
- The lighting tends to go from extremities, gloomy and foreboding in moments of sadness and grief, to bright, clean artificial in moments of confusion almost a sci-fi affect and to gentle and warming in moments of joy, allowing the audience to see the mood that is being created, and provoke a stronger reaction from them. Used in 'Changeling'

Cinematography conventions -
- Two shots/ group shots are often used to allow the audience to see the relationship between the characters, and how they play off one another for example the sharing of bad news. By being able to see the relationship between the characters, the audience will have a lot more provoked emotion, because it can be used to make latter events seem even more tragic, for example the relationship between a parent and child can be used to make a tragic accident seem much more unnecessary and distressing. Used in 'The Lovely Bones', 'Moulin Rogue' and 'Titanic'.
- Close-up shots are used to portray strong emotion from the characters, distress, pure anguish or someone who is completely distraught. Quite uncomfortable for the audience to see. Used in 'Changeling' and 'The Boy In the Stripped Pyjamas'
- Panning, this can be used to enhance the emotion created by the actor, for example panning side to side swiftly can suggest frantic, desperation etc. Used in 'Changling'

 

Editing conventions -
- Continuity editing, used in most dramas because the narrative is so important, so its usually kept as simple and basic as possible to keep attention on the action and create a stronger sense of realism, which in turn makes it much more emotive for the audience because its so realistic. This editing can also create the effect of the audience being an extra character, again making them more involved and affected by the film. Used in 'Fish Tank', 'Changeling'
- Cuts on dialogue, used to create the sense of realism as it follows the natural flow of the conversation, making the audience feel involved. The dialogue is very important within a drama because it often progresses the narrative, so the audience attention is solely on this and they concentrate more on what is being said through involvement and simplicity. Used in all of the above dramas I have mentioned.

Wednesday, 10 November 2010

Rules of my genre - Thriller

The genre we have decided to create our short film about is a combination of drama and thriller so I have researched the conventions of each genre. The typical conventions for Thriller are shown below;

Thriller -
Narrative conventions -
-A complex narrative, with twists and turns to keep the audience guessing, used in films such as 'The Secret Window' that allow the audience to be stimulated through unravelling a mystery
-Prying on the weak and vulnerable, usually a female main character and often involving children, used in 'The Others' that allow the audience to emphathise, and make the whole situation seem much more unjustified
-Not very visual, work more pyschologically, ties in with the complex narrative as they stimulate the audience and make them really think, used in 'Dark Water'
- Suspense created throughout, the feeling as though something is going to happen any minute that leaves the audience on the edge of their seats and keeps them gripped, used in 'The Ring'
- A terrifying event such as a murder, or paranormal activity etc immediately creating an eerie atmosphere, sometimes an event that needs investigation, used in films such as 'The Others' 'Scream' and 'The Ring'
- Red herrings, commonly used to mis-lead the audience creating greater impact when they realise the truth, used in 'Scream'
- Secrecy, the feeling that all is not as it seems, often veneers are used to hide a characters past, or a traumatic event etc used in 'The Others'

    Scream 3

Mise-en-scene conventions -
- Isolated locations, the characters are often situated in areas of little population, leaving the feeling that no one is around to help, used in 'The Shining'
- Iconic imagery, items such as mirrors that are thought of as 'portals to another world', weaponary such as knives, guns etc that create the implication of torture or abuse, used in films such as 'The Others', 'The Shining'
- Characters costume is kept relatively basic depending on the role they play, red herrings may be dressed in an obvious extrovert style to draw attention to them, whilst the main character will wear basic simplistic clothing that sometimes reflects an age younger than they are to create sympathy. Used in 'Donnie Darko'

Cinematography conventions -
- Often shots are used looking directly at characters from a hidden area, creates the feeling of being watched or stalked and makes the audience feel uncomfortable. Used in 'The Others'
- Group shots are used showing the character in the foreground, with something sinister only the audience can see in the background, creates the impression of naviety and puts the audience in a position where they know more than the character. Used in 'The Ring'
- Shallow depth of field can be used to enhance the background, making the foreboading threat prominant, and the weak, vulnerable character appear even more in danger and insignificant
- Tracking, often used in a chasing sequence to give the audience the impression they are being hunted down, creating fear and panic. Used in 'The Shining'

 

Editing conventions -
- Quick cuts between the character and the danger they are approaching cuts on action, allows us to see their expression and think what must be running through their minds, as well as elongating the scene and building tension. Used in 'The Others'
- Quick jumpy cuts to different aspects of a terrfying scene, allows the audience to see the terror from all angles and almost creates a realistic view. Used in 'The Ring'
- Continutiy editing during conversation, cut on dialogue, this subtle editing during conversations makes the sequence appear much more natural, and tends to be used during conversation bewteen two characters in thrillers because every conversation is key to the narrative, so this natural effect is much more realistic and frightening. Used in 'The Shining', 'The Others', 'The Ring', 'The Secret Window' etc











Creative filmaking

These are the rules of classic film making, that I will need to understand in order to produce my short film. Once the rules have been understood, I can then if I chose oppose them.

1. Know the rules of your genre and follow them, e.g. consider lighting and mise-en-scene for horror, creativity starts as a rule following exercise. Follow technical codes and principles of classic filmaking - beginning, middle and end, continuity editing, 180 degree rule, cut on action.

2. Break the rules if appropriate, challenging generic conventions, you must know the rules before you break them - creatively intelligent, substitution exercises e.g. in gangster use female instead of male, substitute a murder weapon - instead of knife or gun use pen or bag, use counterpoint sound instead of parallel.

3. Plan the film - script, storyboard, mise-en-scene, planning allows for creative revision. Produce a short film script in industry format - five pages, one page of script equals on minute of film time. Audition actors and film them, plan shots in a sketched format and later photograph them, appoint director, production designer, editor. Mise en scene - maintain continuity - particularly weather, shoot outdoor scenes together.

4. Narrative short film, protagonist characters have emotional goal, adventure, sense of enigma, moments of conflict, resolution.

5. Personality - the best creative work has a sense of identity, a signature i.e film what you know, pay homage to a key text that has influenced your film

6. Team - use people suited to their roles, choose the best and audition, screening your film before the final edit, note down audience feedback.

Photography skills 2

I have learnt about the manual setting on a digital camera, and how to alter the different settings to achieve the effect I want, which is important when photographing an image for our poster.

Shutter speed:
The shutter speed is essentially the speed of the shutter process, how long it takes to open and close measured in either tenths or hundredths of a second. The shutter speed determines how much light is let into an image, and therefore how well your photograph is lit so it can be useful in different circumstances as there is no 'correct setting'. If your shooting a picture in an area of very little light, the shutter speed would be slower allowing more light into the image, and vice versa because in a well lit area you wouldn't need to let as much light in. The shutter speed is altered by a dial near the top of the camera, the model we used had a maximum shutter speed of 1 4000's of a second so would be used in extremely bright areas. The minimum setting for shutter speed is called bulb, which allows the camera user to hold down the shutter button for as long as they wish, however it nearly always produces a blurry image. Shutter speed will be important when photographing images for our poster as I now understand how I can alter it depending on the strength of the light source and the tone I wish to create.

F stop - appiture:
This is essentially a mechanism inside the camera that opens and closes depending on how much light is in the area, so it adjusts accordingly like the human eye to the light source, allowing a certain amount in. To alter this function I would hold down the + and - buttons on the camera whilst turning the dial, the bigger the number the smaller the appiture and less light that gets through. The camera we used had a maximum setting of 32, and a minimum of 5. This will be useful because if for example we shoot in an extremely bright area, I know how to control how much light is let into the camera so it won't be overpowering and vice versa, allowing me to create the mood I want for our images.

ISO:
These are the light cells at the back of the camera, and their sensitivity is controllable by going on menu/iso sensitivity settings. The higher the sensitivity, the lighter the image will become. The settings for iso are:
100 - Very rarely used, good for controlled studio portraits because of time constraints and the controlled environment.
200 - Provides an average sensitivity, used in good weather and interiors
400- Quite sensitive to the light and therefore the image can become grainy at this point
800 + 1600- separate settings that will again increase the sensitivity and therefore are very likely to be grainy
High1 - The highest setting for iso on the camera we used, roughly the equivalent of 3200 (doubles each time), will always give a grainy picture and is good for achieving a rough, vintage or raw style image.

Photography skills 1

As part of our course we are also being shown photography settings, and how to adjust them on manual mode to achieve the effect we desire. The first thing I have learnt is the different types of photography shot, that will be useful when considering the positioning of my subjects when making our film poster, as different shots portray different meanings, evoking different thoughts and emotions from our audience as well as being used to establish certain facts.

Extreme wide shot:
Also known as a telephoto shot, this shot encompasses a whole area and therefore is not suitable for most average interiors, instead being used in wide open landscapes to show the full surrounding, where the subject is not visible. Often used as an establishing shot.

Extreme Wide Shot

Very wide shot:
A very wide shot can also be used as an establishing shot, as its slightly closer than an extreme wide shot yet the subject is still only just visible.

Very Wide Shot

Wide shot:
The subject takes up the full frame, nearly touching the top and bottom of the image but not quite as this could look uncomfortable. Its as close as possible to the subject without cutting off any part of him.

Wide Shot

Mid shot:
This shot is usually from the torso upwards, and replicates a natural conversation level where viewing the legs is insignificant. It allows the audience to see the subject in detail, but with room for body language and slight gestures, as well as being able to see the surrounding area. The most commonly used shot, its useful for delivering information.

Mid Shot

Mid close-up:
The medium close-up is halfway between a mid shot and a close-up, usually fitting in no more than two people as it allows the viewer to see the subject clearly, usually from around the upper arms and upward.

Medium Close Up

Close-up:
A close-up shot is where a certain feature of the subject takes up most of the frame, usually their face to portray the emotion and mood of the image.

Close Up

Extreme close-up
Shows high definition details of the subject, usually the face focusing on an area such as the eyes. Used to show emotion in very dramatic scenes, such as depicting deep emotional pain.

Extreme Close Up

A lot of these shots relate directly to camera shots when filming, and have the same reasoning behind them so by revising these shots I can apply a variety of them to my film, and use the most appropriate ones for my digital photography and editing. A slight difference is the names of the first few shots, as in photography its called an extreme wide shot, and for filming extreme long shot so I will use the correct terminology depending on the media I am discussing or using.

Photoshop skills

During our course we are being taught how to use photoshop effectively and professionally, in order to help us create the required elements to go with our short film; movie poster and review page. Here I have demonstrated the skills I have acquired so far and the tools I have learnt to use in each of the three lessons we have had.

Text tool:I have been shown how to use this tool and the effects that can be created with it. Firstly through using this tool you can adjust basic features of your text, such as the font, size and colour allowing me to create the desired effect when adding text to my poster or review page. With sizing I also know how to manipulate certain letters within the text making them different colours or each letter a different size, which I may chose to do so for emphasis or effect. I also know how to add effects to the text, such as embossing the text to give a 3D effect and make it appear standing off the page or how to add a 'glow' behind the whole text or certain letters, which would be useful for drawing attention to key words or phrases. The spacing of the characters is another thing I have been taught, allowing certain characters to be further apart or closer together than others. Finally in terms of text I also know how to manipulate the texts alignment, whether I chose to make it vertical, horizontal etc.

Burn tool:
The burn tool gradually darkens certain parts of the image, by clicking and dragging in small motions I can effectively add shadow or gradual darken to one part of the picture rather than putting an effect on the whole image. This will allow me to make my image look more realistic, by perhaps adding dark contours to peoples faces or creating an eerie effect on parts of the image. I have also learnt how to adjust the level of the burn tool, so I can alter how dark and how opaque the colour is, as well as how big the area is I cover by changing the size of the burn tool.

Variation tool:I have learnt how to use the variation tool, which will allow me to alter the colour balance of the image through its tones, so I can choose my levels of shadow, highlight and mid-tone. This will allow me to create my desired effect on the image, possibly with high levels of shadow for a dark, depressive atmosphere or with highlights to add emphasis. The mid-tones will mean I can balance out the effects if I don't want a harsh contrast, creating a much more realistic and natural effect. On the variation tool I also know how to saturate or de-saturate the colour balance of the image, saturation enhancing the colours and desaturation washing out the image and drawing out the colours so I can ensure my poster or review page is as effective as possible.

Sponge tool:The sponge tool gradually desaturates the image, but instead of altering the whole image it is used by hand to individually desaturate certain parts, which I could use for a faded effect on key features of my poster/ review page. Much like the burn tool, I know how to alter how much area I cover by changing the size of the sponge tool as well as changing how opaque and bold it is, so I can create a very subtle de-saturation or very obvious de-saturation depending on my preference.

Dodge tool:The dodge tool has the opposite effect of the burn tool, in that it allows me to lighten certain parts of the image, so I could create very natural gentle highlights. It works in the same way as the sponge in that it doesn't alter the whole image which would be very useful for creating a realistic effect, as I could add light to the image where my light source is coming from, therefore making the lighting look very natural and simplistic. I could also use it for emphasis on certain parts of my image, such as a persons face. I have been taught how to customise this tool also, altering the size of the area it covers as well as the opacity.

Curve tool:The curve tool alters the colour balance of the image, but instead of doing so through shadows highlights and mid tones light the variation tool, this tool modifies the colour balance in the three colour colour spectrum (red, green and blue). I have been taught how to alter the individual balance of each of these colours, so for example I could give the whole image more of a reddish tint, creating a foreboding image. This tool also alters the overall brightness and contrast of whole image, as its depicted in a small graph image, the original starting point as a diagonal line. To change the brightness and contrast I have learnt to simply drag the center line upwards or downwards or dragging individual ends of the line, manipulating its position and creating the curve which will allow me to find the most effective contrast and tone depending on the look I am trying to create.

Clone tool:
I have been shown how to use the clone tool for editing the image, as it appears as a small shape that you fill with whatever colour or aspect of the image as you wish my hovering and clicking. Once it has been filled other parts of the image can be covered with it by clicking where you wish to cover, so this is very good for airbrushing as you would find a sample of the skin, then cover a blemish i.e. spot with it. It will also allow me to edit out objects from my image, allowing me to make an image look more simplistic or realistic.

Magic wand tool:I have taught how to use the magic wand tool, which allows you to remove large sections of the background simply by clicking. Once you've clicked a section will be highlighted with dashes which can then easily be deleted. This will allow me to quickly and easily clear certain parts of the image I don't want and allow me to create the effect I desire.


Lasso tool:The final tool I have been taught to use is the lasso tool, which allows you to remove parts of the image by clicking closely around the object you wish to removes edges, thus creating the same highlighted section which can easily be deleted. The lasso tool works in the same way as the magic wand yet it allows you to remove whole objects that are not of the same colour, e.g. removing a person from an image. Its effective for removing small details however will leave a large gap so for a more natural and realistic effect I will in most cases use the clone tool for removing things from my image, the lasso for cropping out items to go onto my image. 
Layers:
I have also been taught about layers, and how to use them appropriately. I know the importance of creating a new layer for each new element added to my image, which is important because then should I change my mind, or make a mistake I can just delete that individual layer with the change on it rather than erasing the whole image and starting again, so it will save the changes and effects I have added and do like. I can also choose to view certain layers, so I can see my image with anything I've done on it individually or choose certain effects I wish to see. This will allow me to scrutinise my image and ensure I am doing what I think looks most professional and effective. I also know how to duplicate my layers, so I can create clones of certain layers, allowing me to try out different effects on the exact same image so I can see what looks best. Finally I know how to move the layers accordingly so that the features of my image are positioned in the way I want them, for example I can move my text on top of an image, or put part of the image behind etc.

Monday, 8 November 2010

Propp theory

Vladimir Propp's theory focuses on characters rather than narrative, and it defines the typical character roles we can expect to find within a narrative. Studying this theory is relevant because I will be able to identify the characters I am or are planning to use within my short film as well as identifying character roles in other short films. Propps theory states the following typical characters;

The hero/ protagonist
The villain/ antagonist
The donor (assists the hero by providing an object)
The dispatcher (sends the hero on his way)
The false hero (falsely assuming the role of the protagonist)
The princess and her father (the term used for someone who provides the hero with the task or goal)

I have applied this theory to 'Fish Tank', the trailer for the film being below;


Protagonist -
The protagonist is Mia, the young girl who is seeking to be free of her lifestyle that she is trapped in through no fault of her own

Antagonist -
Mia's mother could be viewed as an antagonist, as she actively tries to prevent Mia from moving forward and causes her much distress

The donor -
The donor would be Mia's mothers boyfriend, who tries to defend Mia and provides her with affection

The dispatcher -
The dispatcher could be the young boy from the caravan park, as he provides Mia with a metaphorical object, friendship that enables her to become motivated to move forward, sending her on her way

The false hero -
The false hero would also be Mia's mothers boyfriend, because he is seemingly helping Mia yet at the same time manipulating and deceiving her

The princess/ princesses father -
The person who provides Mia with a task would be society as a whole, as Mia is trapped in her lifestyle with the challenge of escaping her inevitable fate.

Roland Barthes theory

I have been researching a few theories of film making and structure before creating my own, to enable me to understand the principles behind it, which I feel will ultimately allow me to create a much more slick, professional short film with a better knowledge of film making.
Roland Barthes was a semiotics professor in the 1950s and 1960s who devised his theory on narrative after stating that narrative can be 'unravelled' to reveal potential meanings. His theory states that any narrative can be broken down into five codes or sets of rules , which are as follows;
Action code which refers to the events taking place
Enigma code which refers to the questions raised and answered
Semantic code which refers to the characters and characterisation
Referential code which refers to the information and explanation
Symbolic code which refers to the connotations of signs

I have applied this theory to a scene from 'This is England' as this theory will be something to consider when creating my short film and it also allows me to demonstrate my knowledge and awareness.



Action code:
- Group of young people gathered around a young boy
- Young boy getting hair shaved
- Girls shaving head
- Boys smoking
- Conversation about correct shirt
- Boy is presented with shirt from friends
- Puts shirt on, look complete

Enigma code:
- Shaving of the head - what is the significance in skinhead culture?
- Girls shave why boys smoke - why the women's role?
- New girl sitting with boy - who is she? does she hold any significance?
- Quick cuts to graffiti - what is the significance?
- Friends walking together - where are they going?

Semantic code:
- Girl shaving hair - motherly, kind, dutiful women forming labour task while men watch
- Girl with piercings, dreadlocks etc - outrageous, extroverted, outgoing, unique, expressive
- Boy in pink shirt sitting in center - ring leader, figure of authority he presents gift, friends sitting angled toward him
- Young boy - impressionable, eager to fit in, trusting, easily swayed, loves the attention
- Boy bringing in tea tray - dutiful, emasculated , eager to please, friendly, loyal

Referential code:
- Makeover represents skinhead culture
- Location broken into apartment
- Shoes doc martins, iconic

Symbolic code:
- Graffiti represents rebellion
- Makeover represents a belonging, wanting to belong
- Boy who presents present to young boy represents a male figure of authority, a male figure of respect
- Football on the streets represents playful youth, harmless fun

Saturday, 6 November 2010

Shane Meadows - auteur theory

The auteur theory is from the 1950's era that states a director's film reflects the directors personal creative vision, as if he or she were the main author. It means that each director or good director should have a trademark to their work, something recognisable.
I have decided to apply this theory to Shane Meadows which I feel will allow me to develop an understanding of how he works as well as enable me to ensure that our short film reflects my personal creative vision along with the others in my group as I will understand the auteur theory itself better, this I feel will make our film that touches on taboo subject much more powerful and unique to those social realist films that have already been critically acclaimed.
A few points that I have picked up on that could make Shane Meadows an auteur are his use of occasional comedy, even during serious film 'This is England' there are moments of comedic value, such as the scene where Shaun and his friends hide to scare Gadget as he approaches them, and when Shaun and his mother go shoe shopping and she tries to trick him into buying 'uncool' shoes with the shop assistant. These scene I felt was rather light hearted despite the situation of the vandalism they were committing in scaring Gadget, and its different to other films of this genre because films such as 'Fish Tank' are very much intense throughout, therefore I think occasional comedy could be a recognisable factor for Shane Meadows.
Another point is his storytelling. When I first watched 'This is England' it seemed very simple yet effective, however on the second viewing I discovered it was a lot more of a real story than I first thought, as it really felt like the story wasn't about representing a whole group of people but specifically Shaun. As you see the moments with his mother doing average things such as shoe shopping and eating in cafes that make the character so likable despite his flaws. This I feel could be another point because in Meadows work he really represents the characters themselves, and tells in depth stories.
Thinking of these points has helped me to see where I might find some recognisable factors for my own short film, as I want it to have a trademark that will make it much more effective.

Shane Meadows

Shane Meadows, director of 'This is England' is an inspirational director to me as his work depicts the same rough, harsh reality that I wish to replicate in our own short film. I have been studying his body of work as I feel his target audience will be similar to ours, to see how he appeals and relates to his target audience, and manages to very much show the perspective on society from youths.
Arguably his most successful film, Shane Meadows wrote 'This is England', the film that is the greatest inspiration to me as it contains the stylistic and narrative features I wish to use in our own production, with its gritty, blunt views on society during the 80's. The main character 'Shaun' manages to be both relatable and extreme in his efforts to fit in despite his bereaving over the death of his father. I found an interview with Shane Meadows discussing the inspirations behind his choice of 80's culture and his own personal experiences with it which I feel has enabled to me to develop a greater understanding of the reasoning behind the film, and how I can draw on perhaps not my own personal experiences, but use things I myself find shocking controversial and interesting like Meadows has done, because being young myself I feel I will be able to relate well to others my age.



Ranked 40th in the telegraphs 'most powerful people in British culture', Meadows included scenes that would provoke public debate in this is England, touching on very taboo subjects that our society faces issues with, such as racism and prejudice as shown in the video below. The way Meadows portrays harsh reality is something I wish to replicate in our own film, as its done in a very simplistic yet effective way, letting the actions speak for themselves. I found the video below exceedingly difficult to watch, but I decided to include it on here because it is the appitamy of the emotions I wish to create, it made me feel irritated, angry, distressed but most of all it made a point.

Mood boards

I have created two video mood boards as I felt this was a more interesting way of displaying them, containing images that I feel summarise the two genres I wish to convey. I will refer to these as inspiration.

VIDEOS TO BE UPLOADED

Chosen Genre

Genre
I have decided to combine two genres within our short film as it will primarily be a drama with elements of thriller. I have researched definitions of each genre below and then written my own, explaining what each means to me.
Drama: Drama is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, crime and corruption put the characters in conflict with themselves, others, society and even natural phenomena.
I think the essence of a good drama film is one that portrays a strong sense of realism, through its choice of actors, locations, costumes, props and narratives. Realism enhances the viewing experience for audiences because it allows them to become more involved within the narrative, feeling emotions such as sympathy for the characters. I like drama films that challenge the traditional conventions expected of their genre and that challenge us as viewers because I feel it allows audiences to be mentally stimulated, keeping them interested and involved whilst giving them something to think about when the film is over. Examples of dramas that I feel challenge stereotype are 'Slumdog millionaire', 'The Godfather' and 'Schindler's list'.

Thriller: Thriller is a genre of literature, film and television that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. Thrillers are mostly characterised by an atmosphere of menace, violence, crime and murder by showing society as dark, corrupt and dangerous, though they often feature a happy ending in which the villains are killed or arrested. Thrillers heavily promote on literary devices such as plot twists, red herrings and cliffhangers. They also promote on moods, such as a high level of anticipation, adrenaline rush, arousal, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety and sometimes even terror. The tones in thrillers are usually gritty, slick and lurid.
For me personally, I enjoy psychological thrillers with complex narratives leaving the audience guessing right until the end. I find the use of red herrings very effective because the most obvious suspects within a thriller are the estranged, eccentric and often ostracised characters of whom the narrative is sometimes based around. One of my favourite actors within thriller films is 'Johnny Depp' because he often depicts the crazed lonely main character, in films such as 'Sweeny Todd', 'The secret window' and 'Edward Scissor-Hands'.

Although these are the two main film genres my film will come under, I am going to combine some narrative and stylistic conventions of social realism, as I want to provoke controversy and emotion from my audience, as I believe these are the films that are most important and remembered.

Social Realism

Social realism is a genre that I feel relates to British New wave, as essentially it is the more contemporary version, depicting the gritty issues working class people face but in a much more blunt, vivid way as film making has progressed considerably over the years.
This is a genre I will be able to draw inspiration from when creating our film, as the thing I like about social realism is the blunt, harsh portrayal of reality as I don't like to rose tint.
I found an interesting video on youtube from a BBC series called 'film forever' with celebrities expressing their views on that episodes film genre 'social realism'. The video is posted below.



This video has allowed me to see what it is about social realism audiences enjoy which will be useful for creating my own short film as I agreed with many of their perceptions, about enjoying being challenged, irritated and often distressed yet a sense of satisfaction from the strong reality portrayal.

British new wave

This British New Wave is an era of film making that I have been researching, as I feel it holds relevance to the effect I want to achieve when producing our own film.
The British New Wave is essentially a trend in British film making that began in the late 1950's early 60's. They are commonly referred to as 'kitchen sink dramas' because they focus on the reality of life for working class people, particularly in the north of England with films such as 'Saturday night Sunday morning'. These dramas focus on the gritty, everyday difficulties of average people which relates to our own short film because our idea is based on representing an average boy from a working class family and the troubles he encounters. The British New Wave predominately focuses on the issues that society upheld, that create a situation for the characters, through no fault of their own, where they are stuck in a rigid mould unable to move out of their class division, the 'ideal' lifestyle already laid out for them regardless of intelligence or determination. Films such as 'Saturday night Sunday morning' began to depict something very unheard of, dissatisfaction with the system and a desire to break free which relates to our own short film, as our protagonist is in denial, seemingly leading a happy successful life but instead trapped by the situations around him.
In comparison to today's film making, British new wave is very mild as now, nothing is off limits. I feel this is an interesting comparison because it so clearly shows the progression of society that I want to portray in our film, as it seems that as freedom grows, society's guidelines shrink and so therefore rebellion is ultimately supported, as can be noticed between the two films 'Saturday night Sunday morning' and 'This is England'.
Below is a 'Saturday night Sunday morning' film poster:

One play that provoked controversy and is an example of British new wave that I have been reading, is John Osbornes 'Look back in anger' written in just one month in 1956. When first published many didn't like the harsh reality portrayed through this piece, and possibly found it exceedingly difficult to accept the realistic, unfulfilled fate of many working class people unable to break the mould society created for them. 'Look back in anger' focuses on a love triangle revolving around 'Jimmy', a lower middle working class man who is eager to be free of exactly what is expected of him, and instead achieve what he wants to do. This play was considered shocking at the time because it spoke very bluntly of the lifestyle troubles, one particular memorable quote being when Jimmy says unaware of Alison's pregnancy; “If only something—something would happen to you, and wake you out of your beauty sleep! If you could have a child, and it would die. Let it grow, let a recognisable human face emerge from that little mass of India rubber and wrinkles. Please—if only I could watch you face that. I wonder if you might even become a recognisable human being yourself. But I doubt it.”. Life was very much rose tinted during this era, so it was unheard of to talk of such issues in such an abrupt, blunt manner.
Howard Brenton, writing in the Independent newspaper at the time of Osborne's death in 1994, said, “When somebody breaks the mould so comprehensively it's difficult to describe what it feels like”.
Below is a scene from the 1989 adaption of 'Look back in anger' that demonstrates the difficulties that were portrayed.





Initial genre ideas

Based on my previous research and interests, I have made a chart of possible genres our group may wish use when creating my short film, to ensure I am fully exploring all my available options.

SPIDER DIAGRAM SCANNED IN

Film review page analysis 'Spiderman 2'

Here I have analysed some of the technical and stylistic features used in the review page 'Spiderman 2' which I feel will help me when designing and creating our own review page.


One of the first features I noticed was the even divided between image and copy, as the image is neither predominately more or less than the accompanying text. This could reflect the balance between the actual film; of narrative and visual effect, suggesting that both combined enhance the film rather than one or the other, which means readers flicking through this magazine at a glance develop an understanding of the film immediately. This is something I feel is very important because ultimately, a review page can be a form of advertising your film so with a well presented page you can sell your vision to readers who may not have heard of the film.
The image itself has been chosen to summarise the best features and emotions of the film, excitement, adventure, danger and mystery all portrayed through use of background, the impending danger of the metal machinery and the iconic character himself, spiderman. Spiderman is the main focus of the image because he is as said before an iconic hero, that will provide a guaranteed audience of people who have seen the previous film, read the comics, own the memorabilia etc.

TO BE FINISHED