DOORS

Short Film Notes: 

 

Toast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV9HnITo2C0 

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• Character is at home wanting toast for breakfast – establishing character and goal 

• Toaster isn’t working – obstacle  

• Tries making toast with different appliances – trying to resolve the problem 

• Toaster wasn’t plugged in – resolved  

• Uses zooms to build tension 

• Simple structure of setting, problem, resolved 

• 100% visual 

 

Analysis: 

One major shot used in the short film, ‘Toast’, by Aaron Moloney is the close-up shot. A close-up is used with most movements of the actor or objects to communicate the movement and action such as pulling bread out of the plastic and putting it in the toaster to make it clear to the viewer but also the fast movements and cuts makes it seem playful – as a comedy is meant to be. However, ‘Toast’ opens with a medium shot to introduce the scene and character.  

 The camera directions are to show every single step of his actions from ferociously pressing the toaster down to showing the shocked face of the toaster finally turning on. Due to having no dialogue in the film, this is necessary is it makes the viewer understand the emotion and actions without being told explicitly.  

 The setting communicates that the character is at home in his kitchen making breakfast - inferred by the yawn at the beginning. This has an effect as it makes the viewer feel at home and it also feels relatable – which is good for a comedy as if they relate, they’ll reminisce on memories they have of similar situations.  

It uses linear storytelling as it starts with him trying to make toast and reaching the obstacle that the toaster ‘isn’t working’ and goes to resolve the problem by making toast with different appliances such as a lighter, the oven and a hairdryer. This then leads to it all being resolved by him finding the switch and turning it, on which finishes the film in an orderly manner. This makes it very clear to the viewer of the story.  

The music used in this short film is joyful which communicates that this film is very light-hearted. This notifies the viewer and allows them to understand the atmosphere this short film is trying to present through visual storytelling due to there being no dialogue. There is no change of music however, the texture builds throughout the middle of the film which adds meaning to the actions he’s doing and then the music slows and thins again as he resolves his problem. This helps the viewer understand that the ending is near and the resolve to the obstacle is being shown very soon.  

The lighting used is from a ceiling light in a kitchen and that has been used because it conveys the feeling of being at home to the viewer. This again helps with the effect of feeling relatable.  

The editing includes zoom ins towards the end of the short film to build the tension and communicate the realisation that the switch is off where the toaster is plugged in. This gives an effect of understanding to the viewer and makes it clear to them what has just occurred.  

The character is wearing pyjamas which suggests to the viewer that it is early morning, and he has just woken up. This also lets the viewer know why he might have mistaken that the toaster wasn’t on. 

 

Writer’s Block: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQbVBeBbXWI 

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• Character is a writer – Established character 

• Writer’s block – Obstacle 

• Listens to music to imagine a story – trying to resolve the problem 

• Finds a song which imagines the story she wants to write – resolved and the goal 

• Uses extreme close-ups to show her actions with the record player and her imagination by zooming in on her eyes 

 

Analysis: 

Like the short film ‘Toast’ by Aaron Moloney, ‘Writer’s Block’ by Henry Croston uses extreme close-ups to show her actions with the record player and to show her eyes as she travels through her imagination with the music. However, when the scene changes to what she imagines with the music, a wide or medium shot is used to show the setting that she is thinking of. These shots help communicate the narrative to the viewer and to show what’s going on in her mind without explicitly telling them.  

The camera directions are to follow the characters movements and the objects she is moving to clearly show the actions and the relevance of them. For example, as the camera follows the character in putting music on, it shows the character taking the vinyl out of the sleeve, to then placing it on the record player than moving that needle onto the record player. This is because of no dialogue being present so everything needs to be shown and not heard.  

The setting is in a home office with a typewriter and a record player behind it. This conveys to the viewer that the character must take her writing serious due to it having its own dedicated room in her house. This also makes the viewer feel at home due to the main location being in a house. However other locations are shown where the character is in a field, a bathroom, and a park as different music is playing the background to communicate the character’s imagination to the viewer.  

The structure isn’t exactly linear due to the switching scenes towards the middle of the film from imagination to reality however it is clear the way the story develops and the obstacle and goal as it is still in order of what is shown which is very helpful to the viewer.  

The sound is an important part of the short film ‘Writer’s Block’. This is due to the music helping resolve the obstacle of the film (which is writer’s block) to expand the character’s mind and think of a story plot. Each music chosen represents the scene she is imagining. For example, when western music comes on, the character is dressed as a cowboy and when sad music comes on, she’s crying the shower eating ice cream. The music chosen helps portray the character’s imagination to the viewer and allows them to understand her thought process in an implicit way. 

The lighting used is from inside a home using ceiling lights and natural lighting from the window which gives it this neutral yet warm tone to the short film – almost making the viewer feel at home. This also doesn’t oversaturate or under saturate the lighting of the film, making it aesthetically pleasing to the viewer. 

Sound effects were added when the vinyl discs were being swapped to add a light-hearted value to the short film, ‘Writer’s Block’. There was also another sound effect added of a gunshot when she aimed a gun towards the camera with a quick jump cut back to reality. This communicates that the loud gunshot woke her up from her own imagination as an alarm to quickly change the song as it doesn’t give the right idea for the story she wants to write. Furthermore, the last piece of music she listens to fades into reality, notifying the viewer that this is the music that’s inspiring her to write her next piece and she is no longer in writer’s block.  

The character is dressed quite formally for being at home which suggests that the character is quite posh and modern yet also hard-working. This allows the audience to understand and get to know the character a lot more despite the short film only being a minute long and there being no dialogue. The character is wearing glasses and takes them off when frustrated. This signifies to the viewer that she is discontinuing her work for the moment due to not being able to write anything. The typewriter prop suggests that the character is a traditional writer and prefers authentic methods of creativity, hence the record player and vinyl’s as well.  

 

TRAIN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PSly2-HNjg

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• 2 Characters are shown sitting opposite on a train – Establishing characters 

• The woman looks through the sleeping guys wallet trying to be quiet as she seems as she is going to steal something – obstacle  

• Instead of stealing money as the viewers might infer before it is shown, she steals a voucher for a burger place – goal 

 

Analysis: 

A medium shot is used to introduce the 2 characters to the viewer and to show the actions of both. For example, the woman is sitting there looking out the window and the man is sleeping in his chair opposite her. This lets the viewer know that it is important to know the man is sleeping while she is awake. It then cuts to an extreme close-up of the man’s mouth as he sleeps to notify the viewer that he is in a deep sleep. The extreme close-up of his wallet is also important as it lets the viewer know that the wallet is an important object to this story. An extreme close-up is used again at the end to show the viewers a comedic plot twist. The shot shows what she stole out of the man’s wallet to see it was only just a voucher despite a lot of money being in the wallet.  

The 180-degree rule is being used at the beginning of the short film to help the viewers understand the perspective of where the two characters are sitting. The camera follows the woman’s actions as she rummages through the wallet and when she stops herself and investigates the wallet, the camera pans up to show the woman’s reaction. This lets the viewers know she has just found something of her interest.  

The setting is of a booth with a table between the two characters on a train. Another location includes at a station just off the train as the woman exits leaving with what she stole. 

The narrative is told with a linear structure which makes it easy for the viewer to understand and follow the story. This is because if it wasn’t told in a linear structure, the story would be too confusing to understand.  

The sound used in this short film is dramatic and in a minor key. This already notifies the viewer that something bad is happening or going to happen. Also, the constant sound of the man snoring across from the woman notifies the viewer he is asleep and has not awoken despite the woman rummaging through his personal property: his wallet.  

The lighting on the train is a mix of train lights and natural lighting from the window however, mainly natural lighting. This gives an authentic feel to the short film and has probably been used due to the small budget they had to shoot this.  

The editing techniques in the film include a shot reverse shot and matching on action. This creates a perfect flow through the film and doesn’t seem jarring to the viewer, making it aesthetically pleasing to watch. 

Both characters are dressed in casual clothes to match the casual setting of a train. The props in the film are all that you would take to go outside – such as a wallet. This just helps build the narrative for the viewer.  

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3 Main ideas for my “What If?” 1-minute short film 

 

Idea 1: What if doors could open by themselves? (Dog edition) 

Strengths – I can successfully gather the shots and seem that the door is opening by itself easily and efficiently. I also won’t need any actors as I can act in as the character myself due to their only being one character. Won’t need any locations other than my house. 

Weaknesses – Might be hard to keep my dog still in the same place while taking the final shot. It also might be challenging to act by myself due to lack of confidence in that field. Might be difficult to create the props I visualise.  

Opportunities – Opportunity to show the growth of camera work, idea generation and editing skills. 

Threats – Need to film when alone due to noise and space. I also need to do it before Christmas, or I’ll be unable to film it at home which gives me limited time. I need to build my time management skills to fit around work and social. 

  

Idea 2: What if doors could open by themselves? (Stupid Edition) 

Strengths – I also won’t need any actors as I can act in as the character myself due to their only being one character. Won’t need any locations other than my house. 

Weaknesses – Due to lack of confidence, it might be challenging to act by myself. Might be difficult to create the props I visualise. Might be harder to get the shots I need. Will be hard to efficiently and easily open the door. 

Opportunities – Opportunity to show the growth of camera work, idea generation and editing skills. 

Threats – Need to film when alone due to noise and space. I also need to do it before Christmas, or I’ll be unable to film it at home which gives me limited time. I need to build my time management skills to fit around work and social. 

 

Idea 3: What if doors could open by themselves? (Scary Edition) 

Strengths – I can successfully seem that the door is opening by itself easily and efficiently. Won’t need any locations other than my house. Shots will be easier to take 

Weaknesses – Due to lack of confidence, it might be challenging to act by myself. Might be difficult to create the props I visualise. Will need another actor. 

Opportunities – Opportunity to show the growth of camera work, idea generation and editing skills. 

Threats – Need to film when alone due to noise and space. I also need to do it before Christmas, or I’ll be unable to film it at home which gives me limited time. I need to build my time management skills to fit around work and social. 

 

Main Idea – Horror Comedy 

 

Character: Person at home on games 

Location: Home  

Goal: Figure out what is opening the door 

Problem: Door keeps opening 

Solution: Wait for the door to open again with protection 

Twist: Just my dog 

 

Plan B: Door keeps opening, stop the door from opening by blocking it - Comedy 

Plan C: Act like there’s a twist but someone is behind me anyway – Horror 

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Inspiration:

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Toast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV9HnITo2C0 

 

I am using the short film “Toast” as my example to take inspiration from. This due to the use of music, camera directions and multiple different shots which help tell the narrative. One major shot used in the short film, ‘Toast’, by Aaron Moloney is the close-up shot. A close-up is used with most movements of the actor or objects to communicate the movement and action such as pulling bread out of the plastic and putting it in the toaster to make it clear to the viewer but also the fast movements and cuts makes it seem playful – as a comedy is meant to be. The camera directions are to show every single step of his actions from ferociously pressing the toaster down to showing the shocked face of the toaster finally turning on. Due to having no dialogue in the film, this is necessary is it makes the viewer understand the emotion and actions without being told explicitly. The music used in this short film is joyful which communicates that this film is very light-hearted. This notifies the viewer and allows them to understand the atmosphere this short film is trying to present through visual storytelling due to there being no dialogue. There is no change of music however, the texture builds throughout the middle of the film which adds meaning to the actions he’s doing and then the music slows and thins again as he resolves his problem. This helps the viewer understand that the ending is near and the resolve to the obstacle is being shown very soon. All of these characteristics defined form together to create a high-quality short film with a successful and easy to understand story despite not being explicitly told what is going on. As I’m creating a horror comedy film, I am going to take inspiration on how the music affects the atmosphere and the quick, playful shots to still accentuate that it is light-hearted.  

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Questionnaire Ideas 

 

• Make a flow diagram with different questions relating to the genres to see which genre people enjoy most. Record what answer is chosen by the person and tally the number of answers and present them in a bar graph.  

• Ask people which they prefer out of the different endings and record the answers with a tally chart and finalise the answers by neatly setting them out in a bar graph. 

• Create an online questionnaire using google docs or social media asking them which storyline they prefer by giving a brief description/synopsis of each movie idea and set out the results in a bar graph. Recorded using a tally chart. 

 

Final Idea: 

The questionnaire will consist of 3 descriptions of each idea and the person answering the questionnaire will have to choose the idea which intrigues them the most. They will then be told the strengths and weaknesses of the synopsis they have chosen and will be asked if they would like to change their vote or keep it.  

 

Questionnaire: 

 

I have 1 main idea with 3 different endings. Which out of these synopsis’ sound the most interesting to you? 

1. Just trying to get on with their night, the character finds that their door keeps opening. They’ve checked everything and everywhere and can’t find anything. Until it comes to the third time, the character waits impatiently yet guarded. The door opens to reveal a dog.  

Strengths - I can successfully gather the shots and seem that the door is opening by itself easily and efficiently. I also won’t need any actors as I can act in as the character myself due to their only being one character. Won’t need any locations other than my house. 

Weaknesses – Might be hard to keep my dog still in the same place while taking the final shot. It also might be challenging to act by myself due to lack of confidence in that field. Might be difficult to create the props I visualise. 

1. Just trying to get on with their night, the character finds that their door keeps opening. They’ve checked everything and everywhere and can’t find anything. The character starts to build a block in front of the door, so it doesn’t keep opening however before the film cuts, the door opens again and moves the block easily.  

Strengths – I also won’t need any actors as I can act in as the character myself due to their only being one character. Won’t need any locations other than my house. 

Weaknesses – Due to lack of confidence, it might be challenging to act by myself. Might be difficult to create the props I visualise. Might be harder to get the shots I need. Will be hard to efficiently and easily open the door. 

1. Just trying to get on with their night, the character finds that their door keeps opening. They’ve checked everything and everywhere and can’t find anything. The character closes the door and continues with what they were doing, but it opens again. The character repeats the actions from the first time and then the door opens again, while going to walk out, something behind the character grabs them and pulls them down which ends the film.  

Strengths – I can successfully seem that the door is opening by itself easily and efficiently. Won’t need any locations other than my house. Shots will be easier to take 

Weaknesses – Due to lack of confidence, it might be challenging to act by myself. Might be difficult to create the props I visualise. Will need another actor. 

All results will be recorded and put into a bar graph. I will be asking the people in my college class as it is efficient and the target audience, I am aiming to make the short film for.  

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Questionnaire Results:

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As the feedback clearly states, most people believe that the horror/comedy ending. I agree with the feedback and will continue ahead with that idea.  

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Media Research 

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Scenario:  

Just trying to get on with their night, the character finds that their door keeps opening. They’ve checked everything and everywhere and can’t find anything. Until it comes to the third time, the character waits impatiently yet guarded. The door opens to reveal their dog. 

 

Production Requirements: 

1. Location: My house.  

1. Props: Cardboard to make a shield and sword, dog toys to subtly leave around and a dog bowl. 

1. Actors: None except from me and my dog. 

1. Equipment: Camera and tripod.  

 

Skills Requirement: 

• Patience  

• Camera skills 

• Editing skills 

• Knowledge with lighting 

• Willingness to learn 

• Resilience  

 

Areas of Research: 

 

I would need to carry out research on how to present a horror with comedy twists. I will need to research what music will be more effective to help portray the atmosphere and what lighting will lead me to be successful when shooting my short film. I would like to explore framing and composition when recording this short film as well as sound such as added sound effects and music. To complete this research, I will look at other films with a similar genre to my idea and take inspiration from there work and create my own style with it.  

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Research: 

Look at successful short films with a similar genre to mine.

 

“The Keys” – BlueDog Films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGX0wVIqeUM 

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“The Keys” is a 1-minute short horror/comedy film which depicts the same atmosphere as a horror with the unbalanced and jumpy camera movement as it follows the victim, the moody lighting and the thrilling music however you can tell it’s not meant to be scary by the outfit the murderer is wearing. The mise en scene and the climax of the joke brings the light-hearted and playful ambience that a comedy requires to be effective. However, for the climax of the joke to be successful, they had to effectively create the build-up. For this they started the film as a horror would start and carried on completing the techniques that are characteristics of a horror film – such as the unbalanced and jumpy camera movement and the thrilling music.  

I can take inspiration from this short film and follow the same routine by creating an exhilarating build up by making the viewer think it is a horror film to reveal the payoff at the end of the film. I can also take inspiration on the way they portray the qualities of horror which will add to my research: this can include the lighting and music they used to effectively pull off the horror genre. I can also analyse the way they move the camera and how they apply their shots. I will use shots which cut quickly to build suspension and if I victim is moving, follow the character with the camera behind them.  

Research what music will be effective in my film. 

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“The Keys” – BlueDog Films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGX0wVIqeUM 

“The Exorcist Theme” - L0VED0CT0R1 The Exorcist Theme - YouTube

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“The Keys” uses dramatic music in a minor key to construct suspense and tension. This is a key part of horror as music helps create a creepy and dark atmosphere which makes it scarier than it usually would be. Some horror music has an unusual time signature (such as the Exorcist which has a 7/4-time signature) to create a feeling of uneasiness and a feeling of being unbalanced. It makes the viewer feel that something’s not right which reflects on the atmosphere of the film. The instruments normally used in horror music are usually orchestral instruments – such as violins, pianos, organs, cellos, etc. Yet, when the comedic payoff appears, the creepy music bluntly stops and creates almost an awkward feel. This creates an atmosphere to the viewer that the whole plot has gone wrong and it’s comedic, achieving what they wanted to make. 

I can take inspiration from the research I have done and create or find horror music that will be effective for the film I’m trying to create. I can identify the key characteristics of horror film music and incorporate them into my own music and add it to create a better atmosphere for my film and the viewer: such as including the instruments stated and using a minor key scale. I can also take their idea of abruptly cutting the music to get the awkward and comedic ambience for the viewer.  

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Ask my target audience on their opinions. 

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During the questionnaire which I completed, I asked my target audience why they selected the horror/comedy idea rather than the others. This allows me to understand what intrigues my target audience and what to create for this project or future projects. The questionnaires results ending up being heavily favoured to the horror/comedy idea with some votes for horror. When asked why, my target audience stated that it was the most interesting and had the better ending. They also stated that due to needing another actor to create the horror genre short film, it would be tough to complete and that using my dog for the horror/comedy film would be more effective.  

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Experiment with different lighting techniques to achieve the best lighting.  

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Due to filming the short film in my house, I will need to experiment on how to achieve the best lighting possible for my film while at the same time, accomplishing the murky atmosphere that I’m trying to create. I can do this by trying out different lights and moving them into different positions in the set that I’m using and see which lighting is effective.  

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I completed this by using the lighting I was using for my film and seeing which brightness of lighting and where the lights need to go to achieve the brightness I was looking for. In the pictures below, you can see the two lights in their positions which were used for the first shot of the character sitting in the chair with the viewer viewing the computer screen and silhouette of the chair. 

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Synopsis:

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Just trying to get on with their night, the character finds that their door keeps opening while they’re playing games on their computer. They’ve checked everything and everywhere and can’t find anything. Until it comes to the third time, the door slowly opens to reveal the culprit. The character wants to figure out what or who keeps opening their door. Their obstacle is that they can’t find what keeps opening their door despite looking in different rooms so to overcome the obstacle, the character creates a defence and waits till the door opens again to catch the culprit.  

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Target Audience:

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My target audience for this film will be for children over the age of 12 due to the horror characteristics of the film however, I would consider my college class (who’s ages range from 16-25) would enjoy the short film as well.

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Treatment:

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The film starts with an establishing shot of the house that the character is in, showing a purple lighted room so it’s clear to the audience which room the character is located in. It cuts to the character playing games on their computer. The shot is behind the character for about 2 seconds then it’s cut to a shot where you can see their face and the door slowly open behind them. The door slams against the bookshelf and creates a loud noise, making the character jump. The character gets up out of their chair and walks over to the door and takes a quick look down the stairs and then enters their room again and closes the door quietly. They return to their chair and carry-on gaming. The door opens again, creating the same noise as it hits against the bookshelf. The character stands up again and walks towards the door. This time the character looks down the stairs, across the hallway, into the bathroom and the living room. After seeing nothing the character goes back and takes a cardboard box and starts crafting something. It cuts to multiple shots of the character cutting, sticking and taping carboard to another. It then cuts to a long shot of the character holding a cardboard sword and shield in a defensive stance. It cuts to a clock ticking and then to the door creaking open. It cuts to an extreme close-up of the characters eyes as they slowly look down. It then cuts to the dog sitting there panting. It cuts to black.  

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Project Timetable:

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A table showing the date of activities, who is in charge of the activities and their needs.

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Mood Board:

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Key Personnel:

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Due to being the only person working on this project, I am the only person on the key personnel.

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Recce:

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Health and Safety:

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Storyboard:

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Contingency Plan:

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If I am unable to shoot the day as planned, whether that is due to illness or unexpected plans, I will reshoot the day after.

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If I am unable to shoot in the location as planned, which will be due to unexpected visitors, I will wait until the visitors leave before I continue filming to stop background noise and stop people who aren’t consenting to be in the short film from being on camera.

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If my equipment is faulty, I will notify my tutors and discuss with them the next steps whether that’s borrowing different equipment or fixing the current equipment I am using.

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During the production of my short film, I used a Canon EOS 5D Mark II to record my scenes, small lighting and a zoom recorder to gather the sound effects in case the audio in the film was poor. It took roughly 2 and a half hours to film it all as I came across technical barriers. To gather the sound effects efficiently, after gathering a draft edit of my film, I sent it to myself so I can refer back to the film and see how long I'll need the sound to last so it doesn't look displaced. I made sure to continue all my actions throughout each shot so I can create matching on action in the edit to make it continuous and therefore aesthetically pleasing to the viewer. 

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In the editing process, I made sure to gather all my shots that I needed first and put them in order, making sure to trim them down to match the next action I started in the previous shot to allow it to flow throughout the short film. I then saved that draft so I could gather my sound effects and then continued after creating them at home. I then added my sound effects and reviewed it. I realized after gathering some second opinions that the tension build=up at the end wasn't enough as I would have liked so I changed that by making the door open in slow motion and adding a sound effect which has a purpose to build suspense. After I was happy with the final product, I added a title and end credits to complete the film.

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Evaluation

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My project was a short film representing a paranoid teenager who’s home alone. Their bedroom door keeps opening while they are trying to casually play videogames on their computer. It shows the teenager timidly searching around their house for the culprit yet unable to find any signs of an intruder. They return to their bedroom and make a cardboard sword and shield as a defense and waits for the door to reopen. The door slowly opens as the tension builds to reveal the planned comedy twist. It was just their dog.

 

I hoped that this short film would help me improve my idea generating, camerawork and editing skills which I believe it did. I was hoping to communicate my improvement through the higher quality production as well as the harder editing techniques I demonstrated in the final product which I also believe I did.

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In my project, I planned to use different shot types and lighting that was difficult to work with to set myself a challenge. I also planned to use trickier editing skills to bring my film to life like slow motion and quick cuts to build tension. I implemented these ideas originally in my storyboard and fully produced them when filming and editing. However, I wish I used more close-ups so I could fully build the tension and atmosphere I was trying to convey.

I believe I was very successful in conveying my ideas as my storyboard was practically the same as my short film except for the initial scene which I was unable to do due to the dark lighting I was unable to solve. I also managed to show my editing skills and independent work as I worked on this project by myself.

 

Target Audience Evaluation:

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Person 1: James George

Strengths: Cinematography and the usage of different shots.

Weaknesses: Lighting

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Person 2: Phoebe Howell

Strengths: Plot twist ending and interesting storyline.

Weaknesses: Lighting but enjoys the atmosphere the lighting creates.

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Person 3: Kitty Lloyd-Barlow

Strengths: Good storyline and good camera work.

Weaknesses: Nothing.

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Person 4: Evie Morriss

Strengths: Great camera work.

Weaknesses: Nothing, it’s great.

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Person 5: Hallum Oliver

Strengths: Stable camera work, good shot types and unique audio.

Weaknesses: Walked into the door frame.

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My Own Strengths and Weaknesses:

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One strength of my short film is the simple yet original idea that I generated. Rather than taking full inspiration from a short film I researched during the pre-production phase, I took inspiration from multiple films at once while thinking of the resources and people around me to create an idea that I know I would be able to complete easily yet would also be a challenge. Another strength is  the editing of my film. As editing is the path I would most likely want to go down in the future, I would like to think it’s my strongest skill when it comes to film production. In my opinion, the editing really brought my film to life, and it made me realise I have actually produced the film I had visioned when first generating ideas for it. It brought out the tension yet also the comedy which will hopefully reach the viewer to make the film enjoyable and memorable. The third and final strength of my film is the lighting. Despite it not being completely perfect, I believe I done well to keep it continuous yet light enough to see what’s going on even though it was a challenge to film at night with little lighting. I was very proud of my improvisation skills and research skills when it came to lighting up the shot and believe I done well.

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One weakness of my short film is the unfocused shots that I have in my short film. Next time I film a scene or film I will make sure the camera I definitely in focus rather than risking it and expecting it to auto focus as I believe it ruined the high production value I was trying to achieve. Another weakness is the lighting not being perfectly continuous throughout. As it switches to the shot where I turn the main source of light on in my bedroom, it doesn’t have the same lighting as other scenes and it seems brighter than it should be. If I could change it, I would turn down or remove the key light I had shining to lighten the scene, so it seems a bit more continuous and won’t look as outstanding as it is. The third weakness of my short film is the length of it. I unfortunately went over the time limit of the film by 10-15 seconds which if I were to do as a freelance or job in the future, it would be unable to be accepted due to them only having a certain amount of time they can have it. Next time I will keep an eye on how long my film is and make sure I’m not going over the stated time limit.

 

Barriers and Improvements:

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During filming, I faced having to improvise with lighting as one of my lights didn’t have a stand due to the unavailability of one, so I had to create and manage different ideas on how to solve the problem. Some examples of me overcoming this problem were finding a different and suitable location for the light such as leaning up against a pillow on my bed, balancing on top of the camera and bookshelf and holding it myself up above where I’m filming. I also was using a new camera that I received from a family member for Christmas and had to learn how to use the camera for filming prior to filming the short film. I overcame this problem by quickly researching the camera for its functions and properties and where to find them to create the film I visioned.

I would improve the focusing of the camera so I can produce a higher quality film and also, I would hopefully use a microphone (if I am able to get one) so I can have high quality sound as well. I would also improve my time management and make my film to the time limit, so I don’t have to go over. I believe I would also ask for more help next time and not be focused on losing that independence because I still am working by myself however, it will be better as I’ll have a second or even a third opinion which could be incredibly beneficial.

 

Overall, I believe I was successful in recreating my vision of the short film I imagined and generated however I learnt that working with others so you can get the high-excellence production as well as them multiple opinions would have really helped me out. I also now know the features and how to get around my camera so hopefully it should come out focused and better-quality next time.

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