Magazine & Poster Research

Colours:

In particular I found that colours used in posters/magazines indicate what gender they are aimed at. For instance pink is typically known as a very femanine colour and this will aim the piece of media towards a more female market - this would be true for males if the main colour were blue. Colour also indicated the theme of the media form. If the poster was about a horror film for example the colours were more often than not kept very dark and in contrast they were lighter if the film were a comedy for instance. The colours used also had particular meaning, if the magazine article were about love or marriage red was often a main colour theme throughout, which is a shade particularly associated with romance.

Text:

The font varied according to which gender the magazine/poster was aimed at. For males it tended to be very plain and standard where as for females it was often slightly more flowy and letters were more pronounced.The size of text was also important as it indicated certain words/phrases which were important. For example the title of a film, its date of release and the names  of world famous actors were often in bigger text on a poster in order to attract people's attention.

Language:

For magazines/posters aimed at a younger audience vocabularly, sentence structure and punctuation were kept minimal and very simple. For those who are middle class citizens the tone was more structured with complex sentences yet still without any hugely long complicated words, in order to cater to the everyday average person. For those of a higher status language was more formal with substantially longer characters.

Content:
The content for the posters was kept minimal, only the key information was included, this being because people only tend to glance at a poster and prefer not to have lots of text. For magazines however they contained more text content, although mainstream ones less so than higher status ones.

Images:
Posters were mostly filled up with images in order to attract the eye. If it was a poster advertising a film sometimes popular actors/actresses were used which would hopefully intregue the audience into coming and watching. Magazines contained images too, depending on what the topic was related to. Magazines considered to be for a higher educated audience tended to have less or smaller images than those for a mainstream audience which were bigger and often overlapped a double spread.

Positioning:

For posters the images tended to be in the middle of the paper as the focus. For magazines the images were small and put to one side for high status ones, whereas for a mainstream audience the pictures were situated in the middle and there was usually more than one and of a poorer quality.

Props

Similarly to the issue of costumes,  as my Short Film is a Documentary I am not going to be using any props. Any objects which are captured in my Documentary will already be visible, I won't deliberately place them there. This is because Documentaries are true to real life, if I was to use props and put them in certain places this wouldn't be truly representing a real life situation as the props don't fit with the natural setting. The only objects which could be considered props which I am are photos of my Nan when she was younger, in order to document how the clothes we wear have changed throughout generations/time.

Costumes

Definition:
A style of dress, including garments, accessories, and hairstyles, typical of a certain country, period or profession.

As I am doing a Documentary short film, I am not going to choose costumes for my characters. Documentaries are incredibly realistic and represent real life. As they're non-fictional I am allowing my interviewees to wear what they wish. I want the audience to grasp a true concept of what my characters are like and an individuals appearance strongly reflects what they're like as a person, so in order to gather an idea of what my characters are really like, I want them to wear want they want to. Especially as two of my characters I am interviewing when they're at work, seeing them in their uniforms and work etire I think would be really good. I want my documentary to be as realistic as possible and me choosing what my characters wore would be false and not truely reflect the characters properly.

Filming #3

Today I did some filming at a clinic called 'Skin.' Below is all the footage I filmed UNEDITED. Once I have interviewed all my characters I will then edit my Documentary all together.

Here is another video of me talking about how I felt the filming went today;

Magazine Review Research

Definition:
A magazine is a publication which contains a combination of articles, photographs and advertisements that is published every week/month and anual subscribtions are often available. Reviews are commonly seen in magazines however are also published in other media forms. A review is when an individual considers something in order to make changes to it, given an opinion on it or to study it. Reviews can be made about a variety of different things from films to the latest albums. They're usually given ratings from the reviewer out of 5.

Audience:
Most commonly those who read film reviews have a profound interest in films. They enjoy going to see the latest ones out therefore read about the reviews in order to chose which ones they will best enjoy. Primarily, these people tend to be higher status. They deliberately go out to seek information on their topic of intersest (film). The audience for reviews also depends on what sort of magazine/newspaper the review is in. If it is in a magazine that is specifically designed to cater for film enthusiasts

Facts:
UK magazine industry is worth 2.8bn - 49% market share
Over 3,200 consumer magazines are published in the UK
Nearly 9/10 UK adults read magazines every year
Nearly 1.4bn consumer magazines are sold in the UK each year
Advertisers spend nearly £800m per year with consumer magazines

Among some of the most popular magazines include: Supermarket magazines such as, Tesco Magazine, Asda Magazine and Sainsbury's Mag. Magazines which in form the public of the most recent television programmes/radio shows such as, What's On TV, TV Choice and Radio Times. Plus general gossip magazines such as, OK!, Hello!, Chat and Heat.

This is because all the magazines above cater to a wide market. Whether male or female and regarldess of age a massive proportion of the population will do their weekly food shop in one of the leading supermarket, Tesco, Asda or Sainburys. Bar the minority, almost everyone watches/listens to TV or radio and majorit of our culture love to the latest gossip about celebrities. Magazines specifically written about reviews are not within this leading market therefore their sales are not so high.

Examples:

One example of a magazine that looks at film reviews and that has been successful is Empire Magazine. It is a British publication, originally issued in July 1989, with a copy being produced per calander month. It's the best film magazine selling in Britain, outselling its nearest market rival, Total Film by over two-to-one. The magazine has some regular features such as film news, previews and reviews, however it also has some unique features for its readers. Each issue has a Top 10 Feature List which chooses the top ten examples of something film related, i.e. Top 10 Best Chase Scenes.Reades are encouraged to write in and state whether they agree/disagree with the choices that have been made. It is these regular features combined with something unique and different for its audience which play a big part in making the magazine have such a high revenue today.

Storyboard

Today I have done a storyboard of shots I am going to get when shooting my Documentary. I'm not very good at drawing and I wanted to ensure that my storyboard looked clear so that when filming I would be able to tell what I meant. I therefore printed out pictures from the internet and put them on my storyboard and wrote descriptions of each shot underneath. I included the shot distance I would use for each scene, i.e. extreme close up, close up, cut in, long distance, how long each scene would be approximately, who's in the scene, props (if any) and other relevant information.

Here's a video of me creating my Storyboard;

Poster Examples

As my Short Film is in a Documentary Genre I have been researching some posters which advertise Documentary Films.

Here are some below;

Michel Jackson 'This Is It'
This Film poster is really simple the background is very plain. The text itself is also very simple, a ordinary font is used which is clear to read and in a black colour. The main thing we look at when we see the poster is Michael jackson. He is standing in the centre and is a large image. This is obviously because the film is fundamentally based around him. We're also drawn to him immediately by the colour he is. He stands out because the rest of the poster is very simplistic whereas he is in lots of different colours. The poster enables us to discover what the film will be show casing by the position Michael Jackson is standing in, as well as what is pictured on his clothing. We can tell that the film will be about Michael Jackson and essentially, him performing. The colour the background is the colour we picture when someone is referring to heaven, or equally, it could be seen as the colour of a grave stone. This tells us the film is documenting Michael Jackson's life performing prior to his death. I think this poster is really successful in what it does. It uses very little text as people do not want to see lots of text on a poster, neither will they have the time to read the information on it as often people just give them a quick glance. The text tells us the essential information, what the film is called and when it is realised, but the imaginary and colours used tell us about what the film is about.

From looking at this poster I have learn't there are other ways of expressing to an audience what a film is about without having to use massive amounts of text. Visual imagery is all that is needed sometimes.

Justin Bieber 'Never Say Never'
This film poster is quite similar to Michael Jacksons. As the film documents Justin Bieber's life he is the main image that you can see. Aside from that all you can see is the name of the film as well as the date which is its out. This was all that could be seen by Michael Jackson's poster too. The difference is that Michael Jackson's conveyed a hidden meaning, whereas Justin Bieber'd doesn't. It is very much just advertising the fact he has brought a film out and it is up to the audience to come and see it in order to discover what it is actually about. This could be a good technique to use as Justin Bieber has millions of fans around the world, therefore he probably has a strong enough fan base in order to advertise in this way - his name is enough to make them want to watch it.

From looking at this poster I have learn't you should have a big imagine for fronting the poster showing who/what it is about, however for mine it should not be as prominent as Justin Biebers and it would not be enough for me to just have the time and date situated on it. This is a good technique for someone as famous as Justin to use but as no one I have used in my documentary is famous around the world, this wouldn't work for my film poster.

'No Impact Man'
I particularly liked this Film poster because it seemes really life like and genuine. Again it didn't include a lot of text, but unlike the advertisement for Michael Jacksons film and Justin Biebers it contains more than just one image. On the forefront is an image of a presu

Filming #1

Today I went to film Thirla (My Nana) and here is a picture of her below on the day of filming;

To start with I briefed her on what my Documentary is about, told her the questions I wished to ask her and asked if she had any photos of what she looked like when she was younger. This is because I felt it would be affective to show viewers how people from her generation used to dress.
We had a couple of run throughs before we did the final interview. I deliberately didn't want to have too many pratice runs because I feel in an interview it is best to get an individuals inital response, this prevents them over thinking their answer.
When I edit my documentary together I actually think she is going to be the last character to be seen, but as she was the first charcter to become available I have shooted her first.
I ensured I took the relevant equipment with me, including;

Video camera


This is obviously so I could record the footage

Digital camera

So I could take any relevant photo's of props/actors and to perhaps record some footage on this camera too in order to film shots at various angles

Tripod

In Documentaries shots aren't always very steady so I didn't want to use a tripod all the time, however during the interview I felt a tripod was essential

Realease form

This was so I could get My Nan to sign to say she agreed to be used in my Short Film and that she gave permission for her house to be filmed as well

Script

This I took so I could remember all the questions I wanted to ask her

Storyboard

So I could remember all the shots I wanted to get at different angles, in order to make the Documentary more interesting and varied

Below is the footage I took of the day of filming. It has not yet been edited at all, I will do this once I have intereview the remaining 4 people.

Audience Profile

I have decided to start thinking about the type of audience to aim my Documentary at.

From my audience research, people recommended I aim my Short Film girls who were teenagers to young adults.

I have therefore decided to aim my Short Film at females between the ages of 16-25. 

Here is a video profile of a typical audience member;

Filming Dates

Now that I have got my characters, locations and script sorted I decided it was about time I started filming.

From previous experience, I decided this year I would arrange dates when I am going to film characters quite a while in advance. This is because last year I found arranging to meet people was very difficult and people seemed to always have something going on. I have managed to contact all my characters over this past week and asked them when they will be available, I have arranged to meet the following people on the below dates;

Beth:
Alice:
Thirla (Nana): Sunday 27th November
Victoria: Saturday 3rd December
Dr Clibbon: Saturday 10th December

Script

Now I have thought of all my characters and they have agreed to be featured in my Documentary and completed my Location Research, I have written a drafted script. As I am interviewing people I have not included their reponses as I cannot predict what they're going to say. I have however, written questions that I am going to ask them which is useful as I have prepared them well in advance.
My script is not set in stone and it may change depending on the circumstances on the day of filming. I most likely will not edit my film in the exact order the characters appear in the script either. Nevertheless, when I film my interviewees I can take a copy of the script with me each time so I know what I want to ask them.

Nowadays  we’re bombarded with thousands of images of perfectly  airbrushed models. Within the UK a massive(x) magazines are issued monthly, with majority picturing people who are conventionally good looking, who not appear to have any flaws with their appearance. The truth is, this is completely untrue, everybody has issues with the way they look. Nobody has perfectly smooth skin, a totally symmetrical face, or a body shape that is 100% defined and toned. The media has started to create an unrealistic ideal for the average person to attempt to conform to. This means, plastic surgery is on the increase, people are becoming increasingly worried about the way they look and eating disorders such as anorexia are becoming more common, particularly in young girls.

My aim in this documentary is to discover whether the media really are to blame for people doubting the way they look, why surgery is becoming more popular and if it really is necessary for us to be critical of our own appearances well as others.

EXTERIOR SHOT: OUTSIDE ALICES HOUSE

First of all, I’m off to meet Alice. Alice is 18 and has suffered from anorexia. I was first introduced to Alice last year when she was suffering from the disease. I noticed she was incredibly thin but because I’d never know her any differently, assumed that was her natural build. After she was diagnosed and began increasing in weight I realised just how thin she was and now she is at a healthy weight I can see just what a dangerous weight she got to. Now she looks really healthy and definitely seems a lot happier with in herself. I hope to find out whether seeing images of extremely slender models contributed to Alice feeling as though she needed to lose weight.

RINGS DOORBELL

ALICE OPENS DOOR

ALICE: Hello

JENNA: Hello

DOOR CLOSES SHUT

JENNA AND ALICE SEATED IN ROOM WHERE INTERVIEW WILL COMMENSE

JENNA: First of all you’re looking really well and healthy, so congratulations for getting as far as you have.

ALICE:

JENNA: Obviously you’ve been on a long journey to get to where you are today, how old were you when you started feeling as though you needed to lose weight?

ALICE:

JENNA: Do you remember what triggered you into thinking that you need to be thinner?

ALICE:

JENNA: In your opinion do you think the media are to blame in any way for sudden decrease in weight?

ALICE:

JENNA: Do you feel the media have a certain amount of responsibility not to use models that are too thin and to use people that are a healthy weight?

ALICE:

JENNA: Do you think using models that are a healthy weight will prevent people from being diagnosed with eating disorders?

ALICE:

JENNA: Do you feel society in general is becoming more obsessed with people’s appearances?

ALICE:

JENNA: Well thank you for telling us your story Alice and we’re really glad that you’re back to being healthy and much happier.

EXTERIOR SHOT: OUTSIDE ALICES HOME

JENNA: It was really intriguing to hear Alice’s story, from what she said it seems….

NEW DAY#

EXTERIOR SHOT: OUTSIDE CLINIC

JENNA: Having met Alice and learnt about her story, I want to meet someone whose profession is to improve people’s body image and self-esteem. So I’ve arrived here at (x) clinic which specialises in lazar treatment for those that want to remove any excess hair on their bodies. My mum has had treatment here for a couple of years now so I’m hoping to talk to the lady that is responsible for her treatment, Victoria. The clinic also has a plastic surgeon consultant Mr(x). He is the same consultant who I spoke to before I had my ears pinned back and I want to discuss with him today the possibility of me having my nose done when I turn 18 next year, but I also want to find out why he thinks plastic surgery figures are higher than ever.

INTERIOR SHOT: INSIDE CLINIC

SHAKES HANDS WITH VICTORIA

ENTERS TREATMENT ROOM 1

FOOTAGE SHOWN OF MY MUM HAVING TREATMENT

JENNA: How long have you been conducting lazar treatment on patients?

VICTORIA:

JENNA: Do you see a difference in patients once they’ve started having treatment?

VICTORIA:

JENNA: What do you think makes patients come to the clinic?

VICTORIA:

JENNA: Do you think cosmetic procedures are necessary?

VICTORIA:

JENNA: Would you ever have any treatments done yourself?

VICTORIA:

JENNA: Do you think the media and advertisement influence how people feel about their appearance?

ENTERS TREATMENT ROOM 2

CONSULTANT: Hi Jenna, come in and take a seat.

SITS DOWN

CONSTUTANT: What can I do for you today?

JENNA: I have always hated my nose and wanted to change it so I would like to discuss with you the options of what I could have done

CONSTULTANT:

JENNA: Could you give me an idea roughly of how much the operation is likely to cost?

CONSTULTANT:

JENNA: Do you find plastic surgery is on the increase?

CONSTULTANT:

JENNA: What do you think contributes to people wanting to have plastic surgery, do you think the media are partially to blame?

CONSTULTANT:

JENNA: What age would you say is most popular for people having cosmetic procedures?

CONSTULTANT:

JENNA:

CONSTULTANT:

SHAKES HAND WITH THE CONSTULTANT AND EXISTS THE ROOM

JENNA:

NEW DAY#

IN THE KITCHEN MAKING A CUP OF TEA

JENNA: Today I am going to drive over to my nans. She’s now 74 and I really want to find out what people’s opinions were on appearance when she was growing up. Our society was really different when she was younger and magazines weren’t readily available for people to buy. This might help indicate whether or not the media play a contribution in to how we feel about ourselves.

IN THE CAR

JENNA: I’m quite excited to speak to my nan about this today. Obviously she knows I’ve had plastic surgery in the past and she’s always supported my decision to change the way I look, but I’m not sure whether this is because I’m her granddaughter and she’ll support me in whatever I decide to do, or if she actually feels that plastic surgery is acceptable.

RINGS DOOR BELL

DOOR OPENS

GREETS NANA

SEATED IN THE CONVERSATORY

JENNA: Were people worried about what they looked like when you were younger?

NANA: 

JENNA: As you didn’t always have a television do you think the introduction of tv has influenced the way people feel about how they look?

NANA:

JENNA: What sort of clothes did people wear when you were growing up?

NANA:

JENNA: Do you think now clothing has become more provocative our society is becoming more and more superficial?

NANA:

JENNA: What’s the main thing you think is different about society nowadays compared to when you were growing up?

NANA:

JENNA: Do you agree with people having plastic surgery or do you think they should just accept the way they are?

NANA:

JENNA: Do you think people used to be judged much more on their personality back then?

NANA:

SAYS GOODBYE TO NANA AND GETS BACK INTO THE CAR

JENNA: From what she said, things used to be very different. Obviously it’s an advantage growing up in the era that I am in as we have far more commodities than they did years ago, but from what she said, our society has become so false nowadays. Nobody seemed to be worried or interested about someone’s appearance, if they liked the person that was all that mattered. I’m not speaking for everyone, but in general terms it seems nowadays if someone’s considered to be good looking then they’re automatically well liked. Whereas someone could be the nicest person but if they’re not considered very good looking then they aren’t very liked by piers.

Location Research

This past week I have been doing location research for where I am going to film my Short Documentary Film.

Release Forms

All my characters have signed a Release Form which states they're happy to be filmed for my production.

Beth:

Alice:

Thirla (Nana):

Victoria:

Dr Clibbon:

Character Profiles

Now they've all stated they are happy to take part in my media, I have produced pictures of each of my characters along with a paragaph on each of them explaining why I wish to use them in my Short Film.
Beth:
I have chosen Beth to be in my Documentary because she was born with a birth mark half way down her body. People said they wanted to see people that were conscious about their body image and Beth is self conscious about the way she looks. I want people to realise that although she may not look exactly like the everyday person she is still just the same as everyone else and shouldn't be treated any differently. I hope to hear about how she feels about her appearance and what her opinion is on people changing the way they look, does she think its pointless or does she support others changing their appearance?
                                             
Alice:
I have chosen Alice because 3 people mentioned the fact they would be interested in seeing someone who had an eating disorder and not long ago Alice unfortunately suffered from anorexia. I hope to gain an insight into what exactly made Alice stop eating and get her take on plastic surgery.
                                             
Thirla (Nana):
I chose my Nana because she is from an older generation and I want to figure out whether people were less worried about their appearances when she was younger. They didn't use to where such provocative clothing as people do nowadays and tv wasn't introduced for a while, did these two factors change the way people felt about their appearances?

                                           

Victoria:

I chose Victoria because shes a lady at a clinic who performs lazar hair removal. Someone mentioned they'd like to see someone featured who is responsible for changing someones appearance and although it is not hugely invasive, lazar hair removal is still cosmetic. I want to find out how having treatment effects patients and why she considers it to be a worthwhile treatment.

Dr Clibbon:
I have chose Dr Clibbon because he is a plastic surgery consultant and performs opersations on patients too and someone in my audience research specifially mentioned that having a plastic surgeon would be good. I want to find out from him why he thinks plastic sugery is on the increase, the pros/cons to having surgery, the most popular procedures and whether he considers the media to have an influence on an individuals decision to have plastic surgery in the first place.

Appointment Conformation

Today I received a letter through the post to say my consultation had been confirmed.
Here are the details of the letter;
Overall view:

Close up for content:

A booklet of prices for treatments was also included:

Confirming Characters

My audience research has enabled me to think of some possible character that would be good to use in my Documentary Film. I have 5 people in mind. 2 of which are friends of mine, 1 is a relative and the remaining 2 are employed in the cosmetic industry.

Today, I want to ask these people if they are happy to take part in my media coursework so I can confirm them as my characters. If they do not wish to take part then this will give me plenty of time to think of other people which I may be able to use.

I saw Beth and Alice at Sixth Form earlier on so I was able to ask them in person if they would participate, both of them agreed.
I emailed my Nana as soon as I got home an she replied around 20 minutes later saying she would be more than happy to be involved.
Finally, I rang the remaining characters. I was a bit nervous about ringing them as I wasn't sure what they were going to say. They work at the Sk:n clinic in Norwich and both of them also said they were ok with being filmed. When on the phone to them I decided to book a plastic sugery consultation so that I would know the date of filming well in advance.

Overall I am really happy that all the characters I wanted have agreed to help me with my A2 production.

Documentary Audience Research

Now I have decided to do a Documentary instead of my first initial idea I figured I needed to do some audience research. When I did my survey last month I didn't really mention Documentaries and no questions on there were aimed at that Genre. Although some of the questions I asked in that survey can still help me create my new idea, I decided to do some Audience Research based on Documentaries specifically. My research is not very in depth due to the fact I have already completed some audience research and I want to start getting on with actually filming my piece instead of concentrating souley on researching. This is also due to the fact time is very limited.
This time round I decided to film some people in my class, rather than post surveys around my estate. I felt people might be reluctant to fill in another survey, plus survey answers can sometimes be quite restricting. Furthermore, filming people giving answers is much more engaging for an audience, also, it was easier and less time consuming because it was in a lesson and the people used were readily available.
Here is my latest Research video below;

From this Audience Research I learnt:

- Majority of people watch documentaries

- People watch documentaries based on whether they're interested in the topic they're about and what a individual likes totally depends upon the person themselves

- It was equal between the amount of people who wanted a TV Presenter and who wanted a voice over, so I don't think it matters either one I decide to use

- Most people would be interested in watching a documentary on a persons body image, girls more so than boys however

- My documentary should be aimed at teenage girls, probably the 17-20 year old category which was in my original survey

- Generally people wanted to see extreme cases of people that looked very different. Someone with an eating disordered seemed to be popular and one person suggested a plastic surgeon which I really like the idea of.

Mood Board

Today I went out and brought 'Look' Magazine. I wanted to create a Mood Board from the kinds of images and phrases that the magazine used, in order to see whether they would have a positive or negative effect on the consumer.

Here is my Mood Board below;

 The magazine contained a lot of skinny/attractive women such as Cheryl Cole. It had an awful lot of negative pharses, such as 'Ugly.' People were also rated on their appearance in the magazine 'Hot or not?' and 'Rated or Slated?' The most signifiant thing I found was an advertisement for a breast englargement. If you look at the top right of my Mood Board there's a quote which states ''I've had my boobs done, but everyone notices my smile.' Lastly, it contained many beauty products such as anti-aging creams, hair prodcuts, toning sirums and nail varnishes. It is clear to see that the magazine concerntrated on people's image and its quite shocking that all this is just featured in one magazine. This has made me realise that doing my Documentary on body image is definitely a worth while topic to look into.

New Idea

I have now come up with a new idea for my Short Film which will be in a Documentary Genre.

The Video below explains;

Documentary Practice

As I have now decided to do a Documentary Film I decided it would be a good idea for me to have ago at shooting one as it is something completely different to what I have done before. I decided to use my time efficiently in class and produce a documentary about the teachers/pupils at Wymondham High.
Here is my Documentary;


Outcome:
From today I learn't that I definitely want to do a documentary for my five minute Short Film. I need to chose a topic I am interested in personally, otherwise I will probaly find creating the film quite tedious. I also learn't that I will need to find quite a few people to interview as that is what worked well when filming this today.

Documentary Overview

Definition:
A film of TV program/film presenting the facts about a person or event.

Background:
The Box Office has noticed the documentary film genre has become increasingly more successful over the years. Documentaries tend to have much lower budgets than dramatic narrative films, which make them more appealing to film companies.
Documentary films have expanded in the past 20 years. Modern documentaries have some overlap with television forms, with the development of ''reality television''

Examples:
Documentary Film's have developed over the years, they're many different factual programs/films about a variety of difficult topics available for people to watch.

Documentary Programs;
 1.'Extradinary People/Body Shock
These programmes air on channel four. They are about unusual people that are different to the conventional person, i.e. The tallest person in the world. As an audience people often become in grossed in watching these types of shows because they're intrigued to hear about peoples lives which are different to their own. In terms of how they cope day to day, what caused them to be that way and their own personal feelings about the way they are.
2. The World's Strictest Parents/Cherry Healeys Parenting Dilema's
These programmes are aired on BBC 3. They look at different ways to parent a child, giving advice to parents on how to parent their own children.

Outcome:
Of course I am not going to do a documentary programme, but I figured I could base my Documentary Film around one of these ideas that has been explored in one of the above tv shows.

Change of Idea

Having looked back at my initial idea, I like it and can imagine doing it for my Short Film, however part of me really wants to do a documentary style film. I love watching documentaries on television and am hoping to study Documentary Production at University. I think its really important you produce a Short Film in a topic which you're interested in, therefore I am considering coming up with an idea in a documentary style.

My Idea

Re

Animation

Today I have decided to look at some animation. It is something I wanted to have a look at and research because I feel it is an interesting area with in Media I have yet to explore and I may decide to use it in my Short Film.

Definition:
The techniques used in the production of aminated cartoons.

Types:

There are a wide range of different types of amination, but since I do not need to go in to great depth, I am just going to research the main ones. These are; Cel Amination, Stop Amination and Computre Amination.

Cel Amination:

Refers to traditional amination via using a set of hand drawings. Various pictures are drawn which gradually process slightly one after the other. The drawings that have been made are then traced on to a transparent sheet, which is known as 'A Cel' and acts as a medium for drawing frames. An outline of the images is drawn and are coloured on the back of the cel. This technique is effective and by combining characters and backgrounds enables the aminator to save time. Previous drawings can also be placed over the backgrounds or Cel. When doing this, as it can save previous aminations the same picture does not need to be drawn again. Having background means lighting and shading are needed for a longer period of time. After this, the camera is then used to photograph the drawings that have been made. In totday's society, this type of amination is made more appealing by combining the drawings with matching sound effects, music and association of timing for each effect.

Stop Amination:

Technique which is used to enable objects to move on their own. Simarly to Cel Amination, images are drawn in various positions and photographed. Films such as King Kong are aminated using stop motion.

Computer Amination:

The latest technique which includes 2D and 3D amination. This helps to enhance hand-drawn characters and make them appear more realistic compared to Cel Amination and Stop Amination.

Examples:
Monster's Ink and King Kong are examples of films which have been sucessful in using amination. In the image above of King Kong it is evidant the amination team have made the gorilla look incredibly realistic this particular shot of the animal looking down on actress Nicole Kidman really emphersises the size of the gorilla compared to her.

Here is a video of Stop Motion we looked at in class. I love this, I think it's so clever. I like how everything is done in the same place (on a double bed) yet various different things happen to the people and things surrounding them. If I was to do stop motion I would probably do something which kept in the same location. This video proves things being on the same set can work and it is obviously easier to keep everything in the same place.

Here is another really good video of Stop Motion. Once again, everything is filmed in the same location, this time however, it is based around sticky notes. I especially like how someone has used an usual object but made lots of different pictures out of them. It's a relatively simple concept but has been made into something really intriguing to watch. This makes me realise, stop motion doesn't have to involve people or characters made out of plasticine. Objects you might not even consider may actually be very good to use.

After looking at examples I decided to create my own short clip of Stop Motion;

I really enjoyed trying out animation. This is just a simple idea, but it took a lot of time. This is partly due to the fact I am not experienced in this field, but Stop Motion takes a lot of time regardless. I liked giving it ago, but I don't think I want to base my piece around it. I may use some Stop Motion however if it is fitting with my Short Film, but I wouldn't do it entirely on Stop Motion.

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Practice Film

Although out brief is to produce a Short Film lasting approximately 5 minutes. We decided that it would be a good idea to have some practice shooting a film. We didn't want to create one lasting five minutes because this would take up a considerable amount of time, so we decided to do something similar to what we did last year in AS. We reproduced the start of the film 'Love Actually.' Its been several months since any of us have done some shooting so it really helped refresh our memories. 'Love Actually' is such an iconic film and although this is just the beginning, it really grabs the audience into wanting to watch more. When shooting this we got permission from both Norwich Airport and Chappelfield Shopping Centre. We forgot to bring a tripod on the day, hense why shots are not very steady, but as we were just practicing we didn't see this as a huge problem.

Original;

Our version;

Outcome: Doing this helped me to remember what is required when shooting a film, in terms of equipment, what makes a good opening to a fim as this will still be crucial when shooting our short films and that is important to be prepared and sort out locations/characters prior to shooting.

Short Film Introduction

Definition:
Any film that has a duration longer than 1 minute and shorter than 15 minutes.

Background:
When films just started being produced short films were very common and it wasn't until the 1920s that longer films started becoming more popular. Comedy's, animated cartoons and newsreels were often shown in the cinema's lasting between 5-10 minutes. By the mid 1950s with the rise of television short films were virtually non-existant. Today they are still relatively unknown however have been making a come back with several websites posting them online, as well as DVD's being placed on the market which contain a variety of short films for viewers to watch.

The man above is American actor William Garwood, he starred in many short films lasting only 20 minutes in length.

Audience:
The type of people that tend to watch short films nowadays are those which are film enthusiasts, meaning people which have a keen interest in films. In general speaking terms they tend to be of a higher status and seek thrilling or alternative plot lines compared to main stream films. Short films commonly have an increasingly more complex storyline than longer films and writers/directors often play around with the narrative in order to give the target audience something new and different compared to the average film viewed at the cinema.

Examples:

I particularly liked this short film. I thought it was a good example of how you can take quite a simple idea of a man in a ordinary office attempting to photocopy something end end up creating a really effective idea. This being that this black hole enables him to get to things he otherwise wouldn't be able to reach. It starts off as something minor like a chocolate bar and then progresses on to something far bigger which is lots of money in the save. As well as taking a simple idea and progressing it into something good, the creator also added a comedy moment at the end when the man wasn't able to get out of the save and was subsequently trapped inside. I liked how only one character was needed, a simple location and no dialogue was used to create what in my opinion is a really strong short film.

This is a similar idea to the first example and is also staged in an office. In this one I like how they have used a split screen so you can see the male and the females actions which are in sinc with one another. As an audience you can see by their actions and facial expressions that they really like each other and I especially like the fact this message in conveyed through the use of post-it notes and not through dialogue, as though as the post-its act as a sign to them they should be with one another.

My last example uses a technique which is quite different and one which I have never personally used before. I like how the voiceover tell the story and the fact that drawings are used to animate the storyline rather than real life characters. The drawings are very simply and not particularly fancy but it is still effective because the voice over comes across as very straight to the point and goes through the stages rather quickly so the audience are kept occupied and intrigued. 

Prop Exercise

Today in Media the class was split into groups and each group was given a prop by our class teacher. These included; a broken guitar, a poem, a telephone and a soft cuddly toy.

My group was given the cuddly toy, which was a penguin.

We had to come up with a storyline involving the penguin and then were allowed a double lesson (2 hours) to go out and film our plot that we had come up with. We had to be careful however, to make sure that our plot was suitable to be filmed around Sixth Form as this was the are we were allowed to shoot in.

In short, out plot consisted of the following:
A young girl had gone to the shop to buy a cuddly penguin. From then on she doted on the toy and took it everywhere with her. A time after she's brought him, whilst getting something out of her bag she drops him, without realising. The penguin then goes on an adventure by himself and eventually manages to get himself back to her via catching a lift on one of the science technician's trolleys which we managed to borrow. Our script definitely had a comedy element to it we hoped our peers would enjoy.

Here is our video below;

Outcome:

Today's lesson was enjoyable but also had a serious element to it. By doing this we were able to learn how props can be affective within our short films and that no matter what prop you are given you can make a good storyline out of it. It has made me consider what props I may use in my own film production, in terms of how I can use them to convey a particular message.

Character Development

Aim: 

To be able to create/develop more fully rounded characters for G234 production piece; to show a sense of progression from AS to A2 (G325) in terms of character development.

Task 1: We were each given a picture of an individual and were set a task to create a character profile for them, here is the picture of my character below;

Name: Simon Calver

Age: 62

Occupation: Doctor

Ethnicity: White/British

Family: A wife called Sally of whom he has 3 daughters with (two in their thirty's and one in her twenties finishing her final year at uni). He also has 2 grandchildren

Class: High status

Lifestyle: Lives in a large 5 bedroom family home in the countryside which has a immaculate garden and drives an estate

Pets: 1 labrador

Hobbies/Interests: Enjoys being outdoors, going for long walks and birdwatching. As well as this he prides himself in keeping healthy and regularly goes running before work

Personality: Deals with situations very calmly, tends to be a perfectionist, well mannered male who gets on well with everyone he meets

Task 2: We were then instructed to think of what our characters more precious possession would be and how they would react if they had misplaced it.

Most precious possession:

A small chest his elderly mother left to him when she died aged 92. Inside it contains belongings such as family photo's.

Scenario where he can't find the object:

Simon wonders downstairs off to get his usual breakfast of museli. As he walks past his dining room on the way to the kitchen he has a seconds glance to where his most prized possession - his mothers chest, is usually situated. Usually Simon would smile to himself warmly whilst thinking of the memories of his mother, however today the chest was not there. Curious but not one to panic, Simon calmly wonders into the room to investigate further. He is surprised it is not there as he prides himself in taking good care of it and regularly polishes it to keep it look presentable. He esures himself that it could not have possibly been mislocated so continues searching attentively knowing it will only be a short while before he relocates it as he is always organised and has probably just moved it to a saver place.

Task 3: Finally we had to create a script pretending our character had a secret that only they knew about, but they have to reveal the secret to one other character and this other character acts as a block to their desire.

It is  a mid-April spring morning at approximately 10 am. Simon has just parked up his estate in The London Hospital car park where he works. He has his name badge around his neck with a brief case in his left hand. A he's walking to the hospital entrance he sees a fellow collegue, Norman. He smiles and waves as they both exchange friendly gestures.

Simon: ''Morning!''

Norman: ''Morning Simon''

As they walk off in opposite directions, Simon arrives at the hospital doors and politely comes to a standstill in order to let a patient past. The patient smiles pleasingly and says

Patient 1: ''Thank you''

As Simon walks to his office he picks up some patients notes and places a stethoscope around his neck. He quickly scans the notes for information on one of his current patients named Jenny as he enters her hospital room.

Simon: ''Hello Jenny its Dr Caler here i've come to check up on your this morning''

Barely managing a reply Jenny only just plucks up the courage and engery to make a response.

Jenny: ''Morning Doctor''

Dr Calver can see Jenny is deteriorating rapidly and a concerned glare begins to cover his face. Jenny has been a long term patient of Dr Calver's and the two had become very close. Simon quickly dashes out of the room and finds a fellow collegue in a nearby office.

Simon: ''Dr Bennett you've got to help me''

Dr Bennett swivels round on his chair alarmingly so that he's now facing Simon

Dr Bennett: ''Certainly, what ever is the matter?'' 

Simon: ''its a patient'' Simon replied

Dr Bennett: ''Who? and what's wrong with them?''

Simon: ''It's Jenny. I was reading through my notes and realised i've administered her the wrong drug, she's now so weak, i'm worried she might die''

Dr Bennett: ''Which drug did you give her? How much?''

Simon: ''20mg of Morphine''

Dr Bennett: ''With that much it would be kinder to let her pass away, she has a terminal illness and recorrecting your mistake is only going to cause her more pain and suffering''

Outcome:

From today's lesson I learnt how to develop a character from simply seeing an image. By this I mean not only there appearance but their personality and how they would act in certain situations. This has helped me to think of ways that I could develop a character for my own film production and how to start off the process. As well as this I have done some script writing which we are also marked on at A2.

A2 Course

Marks:
Film - 40
Poster - 10
Review - 10
Evaluation - 20