Post 6: Dragons Den

Here is the link     

Stimulus based ideas process:

 Here is the original stimulus with questions and answers: 

Here is the idea/plan from the stimulus.

Where have you been all my life + Spider short film:

 Where have you been all my life:

Spider

Post 5 production diary 1:

Here are some filming locations for my short film:

The setting for my short film will be my house because in my short film, my protagonist with dementia resides in his house after accidentally leaving the hospital. Thus, this is a fitting location. Also, I have old furniture and chairs to show that Michael very much still lives in the past in his mind. 

STORY PLAN IDEA:

This is the structure I have used to plan my film. I think it's a simple yet effective way to craft a story/short film idea. 

Student shorts films: Post 2

 Student short film 1: the idea

Mise-en-scene: 

Setting: The first shot establishes the setting which we can see is a school and introduces the protagonist, a student doing work.

Lighting: Natural lighting which makes it more realistic. 

Costume: The protagonist is wearing a uniform which establishes the setting which is a school and that he is indeed a student. 

Character expression and movement: The students facial expressions show that he is annoyed and struggling to complete his work. However, once he completes his work he jumps around excitedly showing that he's happy to have completed the work. This shows he struggles with work based on his reactions and expressions.

Sound: The sound of a ticking clock is used and could be interpreted as either diegetic or non-diegetic. The clock constantly ticking shows how pressed for time the protagonist is. Also, we hear the protagonists uplifting music playing through his earphones once he has completed the work which reflects his emotions and how happy he is at this moment. 

Cinematography: Mostly shot with a stationary camera with a wide shot to make the protagonist the primary focus. They use shot reverse shot when he was engaged with the teacher which develops the relationship between the two. Later, jump-cuts are used for comic effect as well as to show how much time has passed while he's working on his paper.

Macro elements; 

Genre: The short film has an array of mildly comical moments, thus I think the genre is comedy above all else.

Narrative: A classroom comedy about a student struggling to complete his work on time.

Characters: Student, Teacher and other students as backgrounds.

Short film 2: "Ava" short film

Setting: The film opens with a boy sitting at a computer in the library. Thus, this introduces our protagonist and that he is possibly rather nerdy hence why he's in a library.

Lighting: The natural lighting in the library is used which makes the film more realistic.

Costume: The protagonist is seen wearing a yellow shirt with a tie and glasses. This formal attire suggests the protagonist has a job or is a bit of a 'geek' so to say. Thus, the use of costume says a lot about the main character.

Character expression: The protagonist maintains a very dull and disinterested expression whilst on a date. This shows that he's more focused on his beloved Macintosh than his date and that he sees his computer as his main priority. Later on, he scrunches up his face and sobs as he despairingly watches somebody unplug his computer. Thus, this illustrates the extreme and unhealthy emotional attachment he has to old Macintosh. 

Sound: Non-diegetic music plays which has a sad tone. This reflects our protagonist's emotions as we seem him watch his computer die. Thus, the use of non-diegetic sounds helps illustrate how much this computer means to him. Also, the diegetic sounds such as when his date is talking to him, is played in slow motion and sounds all distorted. Therefore, this emphasises the lack of interest the protagonist has for what she is saying and that he'd rather be on his beloved computer instead.

Cinematography: When the protagonist is on his computer, a friend comes over to talk to him. However, this is shot so that neither of their heads are in frame, emphasising how unimportant the friend is to the protagonist and that the only face he wants to see is the computers. Thus, already emphasising how obsessed he is with his Macintosh. Furthermore, the camera zooms in on the new replacement PC to show to add emphasis on what is unfortunately replacing our protagonist's beloved Macintosh. Moreover, the zoom makes the reveal of the new computer all the more shocking.

Macro elements:

Genre: Drama - this short film has several dramatic and tense moments which makes me feel like this short film is a drama above all else.

Narrative: A man accidentally falls in love with his out of date Macintosh and later struggles to maintain romantic connections with other people.

Characters: Steven (our protagonist), his date and his unnamed friend.

Short film 3: "Break-In"

Mis-en-scene:

Setting: The Short film opens with shot displaying a modern/contemporary apartment whilst also establishing our protagonist who is on the phone. Thus, this not only establishes thera/setting but our protagonist too. 

Lighting: The short film relies on the lighting from props in the setting e.g. lamps and lights, so the short film is actually rather dark. As a result, this adds a very realistic feel to the short film and illustrates that it's late at night.

Costume: Heather, our protagonist, wears casual clothes implying that she has no motive to go out and that she wants to comfortably relax. However, the men who break into her house, appear wearing all black and balaclava. Thus, this implies that they're bad and want to conceal their identity which further implies that they're antagonists.

Character expression and movement: When the men break into Heather's house, Heather recoils in fear by running away and holding her mouth while breathing heavily. Therefore, this emphasises how truly terrified she is by the men and that she is full on panicking. Later on, when Heather shoots one of the robbers, we see her fall back in shock and and drop the gun whilst she breathes heavily and uncontrollably. Therefore, her expression and movement here exhibit how surprised and shocked Heather is by her actions and that shooting someone has instantly traumatised her. 

Sound: At the beginning, the use of diegetic sounds suggest that she is watching TV and that she is talking to somebody on the phone. Also, the use of a loud 'thud' sound is used, which implies that someone is breaking in the house. Furthermore, this establishes the thriller/horror genre. Additionally, the lack of non-diegetic sounds make the short film feel more realistic which in my opinion, makes it all the more scary and immersive. However, non-diegetic sounds such as tense music is used towards the end to further illustrate how tense and serious the daunting situation truly is. 

Cinematography: At the beginning, the camera slowly pans around the apartment to establish the setting and our protagonist. Throughout the short film, the camera tracks Heather and focuses solely on her facial expressions to show her truly petrified and scared she is. Later, the camera focuses on Heather before quickly panning clockwise to a robber. This highlights how close the antagonist is to heather and that she is heavily in danger.

Macro elements: 

Genre: The genre is a thriller because the short film is fast paced and filled with conflict and tension that propels us as an audience and keeps us on the edge our seat because we are so immersed. 

Narrative: A young woman called Heather is watching TV in her home alone before realising that two men have broke in and Heather must decide whether to hide or fend for herself.

Characters: Heather (our protagonist) and the two robbers who are our antagonists.