NEW PLANNING

NEW PLAN:

As you know I have restarted my coursework. I have decided to create a new idea. Firstly I went back to the short films I have previously reviewed on this page, for inspiration. 

ELEMENTS OF THE SHORT FILMS I WILL ADAPT:

• OVER: I like how the narrative is slowly unveiled to the viewer so they have to piece it together. The theme of mystery and investigation has always really interested me. As seen in Over, the use of a surprise ending is extremely effective in having a long term impact on the viewer which is what I aim to achieve.

• THE ARRIVAL: I love the use of voiceover in this short to portray the characters inner emotion. This whole short film is narrated by voiceovers and this is how the narrative is propelled. I don't want to create a film entirely based off of voiceovers like Arrival, but I want to play around with the addition of voiceovers to add integral parts to my plot.

OTHER INSPIRATION:

• One TV series which has always entertained me is CSI: New York. I watched one particular episode about a 'compass killer' who left a compass at the scene of every murder he commits. I am thinking of adapting this idea into having a killer who has a distinctive calling card. I was playing around with the idea of a rose or some sort o object which could be misinterpreted as a gift.

• I love the overall aesthetic look of the film American Beauty directed by Sam Mendes (1999). I read in an interview that he tried to include an element of the colour red in all scenes to pull his entire film together. He uses incredible visuals to portray emotions and the sensuality of the scenes going on. It creates a aesthetic for the film which is carried throughout and therefore you can see Sam Mendes' stamp on it. I want to be able to show a distinct aesthetic style in my film.

• The entire film noir period of film is also an influence for me. I love the use of character types, especially the stereotypical role of the femme fatale. The femme fatale character was developed in the post ww2 era in the 1940's and was based off of the pessimism and suspicious the war had caused in society. It was also said to be based off the male fear of female liberation and power. Despite disagreeing with the nature of the character, I appreciate how many iconic films were made during this era. I love the aesthetics such as the intricate plots, dark atmospheres and dramatic rising of tension to climax. I want to use some of these elements but put a modern twist on them. Such as having my female character appear weak at the start but by the end, she is the strong female lead.

DISASTER!

DISASTER!

I completed the full planing and filming process for my film. Unfortunately during filming, no audio was recorded by the camera so I was unable to use any of that footage. This of course meant I had no coursework to hand in. I was faced with two options, re film my screenplay or start fresh. As I was not feeling very confident about my idea, I decided to write a new and improved screenplay. I want to feel confident in my idea throughout the process so I can do it to the best of my ability. 

Soooooo....

The process starts again :)

PLANNING!

PLANNING MY FILM:

LOG LINE:

From our talk with Ryd Cook, we learnt about how useful log lines are. They are a useful way of coming up with a simple plot before you are bogged down by complicated plots. For my short film this is my log line:

'A young girl suffers from paranoia after a traumatic experience with an ex-boyfriend which leaves her feeling constantly watched'

THE THREE ACT STRUCTURE:

For my film I have decided to take elements from Todorov's three act structure. My film will be in achronological order. I want to include flash backs which throw off the time line. As previously said, I was interested in how The Ellington Kid used a cyclical narrative. I want my film to start and finish in a similar way. As i am creating a short film, the separation between the three acts is not as clear as in a feature length film as the tempo of the narrative is so much faster. 

When applying my film to the three act structure this is how it would fit: 

ACT 1:

• You are introduced to the main character of the film called Natalie
• You see her " equilibrium" in the way she goes about her life feeling constantly watched and paranoid.
• The inciting incident is when you see a figure following her into a cafe
• The figure will be in all black to make the viewer question whether the figure is real or a figment of her imagination.

ACT 2:

• Act 2 contains a flashback in which you see Natalie walking down the street being followed and being bombarded by text messages from an ex boyfriend
• The viewer sees that in the past she has had a stalker and that this is why she suffers in the present day.

ACT 3:

• Act 3 will be where Natalie decides to confront her demons and stand up to this mysterious figure
• At the end of the film Natalie will walk back to the light of her house and away from her demons.

CINEMATIC IDEAS:

Before drafting my script I want to explore different cinematic elements I can include such as specifics about micro elements

• As seen in many Wes Anderson films, the use of a wide angle shot can distort the surroundings of your frame and make your character seem small. I want to look into how to do this as I want to portray the fragility of my character at the start of my film. This will show how she feels isolated.

• Another cinematic element I want to include is the use of extreme close ups to show characters emotions. As my film has the overall theme of being watched, I want to pay close attention to my characters eyes and the emotions they hold.

• As seen in the film Cleo from 5 to 7, the use of jump cuts can create a feeling of monotony and repetition in characters actions. It is also a stylistically interesting form of editing which I would love to try. I would include the jump cuts in the first act to show how this feeling of being watched has been happening for a very long time.

• From the short film The Ellington Kid, I want to include a cyclical narrative structure where there are the same montage of shots at the start and end of the film to pull it all together. This makes the viewer ask questions at the start which are hopefully answered by the end.
  

AIMS AND INTENTIONS:

Over the course of this project, I aim to:

• Learn more practical filming skills as I have never done any filming 
• I want my film to have a lasting impact on the viewer so they are able to feel the anxiety my character feels
• I want to use interesting camerawork such as the wide angle shot Wes Anderson uses to make my film distinguishable from others I have seen
• I want to use interesting music in order to convey emotions to the viewer and create the mood for the scene

FIRST DRAFT - FINAL SCRIPT

FINALLY I HAVE A DRAFT!

  

    

    

   

    

THE THREE ACT STRUCTURE

TODOROV'S THREE ACT STRUCTURE

When creating my short film, I will have to decide whether I accept or reject a traditional three act structure.

BACKGROUND TO THE THREE ACT STRUCTURE:

• Tzvetan Todorov was a Bulgarian structuralist linguist who came up with the three act structure
• He said that all stories follow the same loose structure from beginning to end 
• The three act structure follows a chronological narrative

WHAT ARE THE THREE ACTS:

-ACT 1: EQUILIBRIUM

• Act 1 is the setup of the films natural order where all opposing forces are in balance
• Characters are introduced 
• During the first act an inciting incident may occur which challenges the equilibrium and gets the story going (when doing research, the placement of the inciting incident differed between act 1 and act 2)

-ACT 2: DISRUPTION

• Act 2 is where the tension starts to rise until you reach the climactic point of the film
• This is usually where the confrontation between 'good' and 'evil' takes place

-ACT 3: NEW EQUILIBRIUM

• This is where the 'evil' in the film is conquered and a resolution takes place
• This may return the film to the equilibrium introduced at the start or it may introduce the viewer to a new and improved equilibrium

EXAMPLE OF THE THREE ACT STRUCTURE:

To better understand the three act structure, I decided to look for examples in some of my favourite films:

Kings of Summer:

-Act 1: Joe lives at home with his dad where they struggle to see eye to eye as Joe starts growing up

-Inciting incident: Joe decides to run away with his friends and live in the woods

-Act 2: Tension rises between Joe and his friend as they both like the same girl. This leads to one of them running back to civilisation and the other one being bitten by a snake.

-climax: The argument between Joe and his friend/snakebite 

-Act 3: Joe and his friend make up in the hospital and the film ends with the two friends being driven home by their parents and the house they built just remaining in the woods.