MAGAZINE REVIEW: Case Study 1

The reason why I have chosen this page for my case study is because the big title (name of the movie) grabs the audience's attention straight away. The reason for this is because it is big and bold, on top of the page and the first thing the audience will read. Therefore I am definitely going to use the same technique by writing the name of my film in caps lock big and bold on top of the page. The font here is simple with no curly edges because that would be 'too much' etc, which makes it simple and not too-crowded. 

 The column in the far left is something that I want to use too. Here it uses a bright colour which suits to the image, as yellow and orange go good together. The reason why I want to use the same column is because it informs the audience about the most important aspects such as the plot, director, release date and main/famous actors. It is put in the left hand upper corner because again people start reading on from there. The words 'JANUARY 20' and words on the left such as 'released, certificate and director are put in bold to make it look more organised.

The stars on the right hand corner show the rating of the movie. However, I think this should be put on top of the page or in a brighter colour, to draw the audience's attention more. I would personally flick over a film review with a low rating. Yet that might be another reason for them to put it in little: for people to read it and then look at the rating. But the reason why I would put it on top is to inform people up front on whether it is a good movie or not (according to the magazine). 

I really like the 'LOOKCLOSER' part. The reason it is put on the image is to make it look different and outstanding from the text, making the reader wonder what is written. Since some people mind find it difficult to be focussed on a big page of written text, they might start reading that bit first since it looks more eye-catching. The colours used in the round font 'LOOKCLOSER' are colours which are used all over the page, so it does not stand out too much as it grabs enough attention due to the fact that the bright white background contrasts with the darker background of the image. I definitely want to put this on my magazine review. The line around the page makes the page look more professional and organised. If it did not have the line around it, it would make the page look empty since there is so much space between the text and the edge of the paper.The big 'INCINEMAS' written on the left hand top corner grabs the audience's attention due to the white arrow symbol on it. This makes the reader understand immediately that it is a film review, since it talks about 'films playing in the cinemas'. Also this is something I want to use in my film review since it informs the reader about what this article is about, especially if it is in a (e.g.) music magazine where the main focus is not films.

The font used for the review is simple and not curly. This gives the page a relaxed feeling, together with the block letters written in big. The reason for the written text to be in a arial-type font instead of Sherif is because if it was in a curly sherif font, the title and big titles should be the same for it to suit together.

I like the fact that they have put the still image in the middle of the page. This draws the audience's attention to it without making the page too crowded, and there is enough space for text. I want to put my still on the same spot. The image used is an image in action, giving the page an excited atmosphere, as you see them 'at work' to make their movie. This is an image from backstage, however I want to use a still from my movie to give the people a sense of what it is about and what kind of scenes it includes. This image does not give the reader insight of the movie, except for that they are working hard for it. Yet the fact that there is written on it that 'it's a thriller' gives the audience a clue together with the dark background of the set.

Example of Film Poster

This is an example of how I would like my film poster to look like. (Imagine the white lines being a broken mirror) 

PITCH ON MAGAZINE POSTER

FILM POSTER: Case study 3

FILM POSTER: Case study 2

FILM POSTER: Case study 1

THE FINAL DESTINATION

This poster is very similar to the idea I have in my mind. I want mine to be a dark straight forward shot where Mr. Brown looks straight in the camera with a broken mirror texture on it which reflects back on the plot in my short film. 

This portrait of a person is cut in two halves. The top half is a living face with eyebrows, the bottom is a part of a skull. The fact that the eyes are not shown suggests lack of identity, since everyone in the movie dies which means that the person on the poster is about everyone and not only one person. Just like in my movie, where I do not show Mr. Brown's face, I want to use the same technique where I also don't show his face on the poster.

 The scared eyebrows show that there are victims in the movie. The white colour of the girls face and the white writing are perfectly in contrast with the blue-blackish background which make this poster have a simple structure. I like the way the title 'final destination' has a glow to it; this is something which I might consider for my own poster too.

The 'rest in pieces' writing go perfectly with the mirror which is ironic, as it should be 'peace'. However, the fact that the word 'pieces' is used adds an aggressive behaviour to the poster. This shows immediately that the film does not have a happy ending and there is an evil plot. 

Overall; the colours, broken mirror, the skull and the smoke which covers the poster show the audience immediately that this is a thriller/horror film. Together with the horrified look on the women's face it finishes the impression it should give.  

Editing PROGRESS

Since I joined class late and I had problems with my actors I have not had much time to edit. However, I think I finished editing in 4 to 5 lessons. Yet because I have been so focussed, I have not thought about taking pictures/edit my progress.

Second filming session - Vlog 2 + blog

* MY ACTORS *

Albert - Rumeysa - Yasmin

 A PICTURE WITH THE DIRECTOR OF THE SHORT FILM

Albert - Ecesu (me) - Rumeysa

Today we have filmed the birth-giving scene in the TV studio at college. The reason why I chose this place is because it has a white curtain which gives the scene a hospital feeling. We put two tables next to each other with a bedsheet around it to make it look like a bed (since we did not have the chance to put a bed in the TV studio). Rumeysa works at a pharmacist so she used her white jacket to look like a doctor. Yasmin once stole a hospital gown from the hospital so we used that to make her look like a patient. Albert just came casually as always.

Change in script

I have decided to cut this part out of the script:

When I was editing my short film I thought that this would confuse the audience. Also it is irrelevant and adds a fake and strange atmosphere to the film. (To be honest, I also could not manage to make the laugh sound real between the cries of the baby)

The only change I have had to made was taking out this line in the voice over. 

Change of actor

Zelish, who was used to play as MRS. BROWN is not able to attend our filming sessions. Therefore I have found a new actress who is reliable and a close friend; Yasmin. We are going to film the last part of our short film within this week. 

TALENT RELEASE - YASMIN

First filming session - Vlog 1

14/11/2014

We finally have started filming! After having difficulties with actors we managed to take our first shots, however I do not feel completely satisfied with the clips I have since they looked brighter on the camera and very dark, almost black on the computer. :( I will try to fix it, and if I cant we will have to book another appointment. Also since I didn't bring my glasses with me some shots are too blurred or unfocused, which I will have to film over if it won't look good after the editing. I made a little video which I filmed spontaneously and without planning; I didn't even think about editing it in to a vlog, therefore I am sorry for my unclear speech.

Watch in HD!

We had a lot of shots which were only filming Albert's feet, which is why I had to lay awkwardly on the floor to hold the camera. 

TALENT AND LOCATION RELEASE

Zelish is going to play MRS. BROWN and she has agreed on everything. Also I have handed her the script out so she can start memorising the actions, even though she does not have speech. She is a dance student from my college and a very reliable person to work with, which is the reason why I am confident and comfortable about my actors. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Albertas is going to act as MR. BROWN. Albert is a performing arts and dance student and he is as reliable as Zelish, also he has proven me his acting skills and we are both very enthusiast to work together. I have given him the storyboard and script and he has started to look at it already. 

LOCATION RECESS

STORYBOARD

PROPS/COSTUMES/MAKE UP

PROPS AND COSTUMES

Luckily it is almost halloween, which has made it easy for me to find fake blood. I was thinking about making it myself, luckily now I don't have to anymore.

Also I have bought schmink to make Albert look paler. 

[PICTURE] 

RISK ASESSEMENT FORM

CALL SHEET

FINISHED SCRIPT SHORT FILM

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4EUDntRZzt0YUdUQl9razFkWFU/view?usp=sharing

Since for some reason I am not able to embed my PDF file into Blogger, I will put up screenshots. However, by clicking the link above you can access the original PDF file of the script of my short film 'MR. BROWN'. 

TREATMENT

+ The reason why I have chosen to make this short film is because I have written the same scenario as a short story. 

CASE STUDY 1 - 'Inside'

SYNOPSIS OF THE FILM AND THE EXTRACT I HAVE CHOSEN

I have chosen an extract which focuses on the mind of a schizophrenic patient. The fact that there is a plot twist where the female doctor turns out to be a part of the voices in his head emphasizes that although a patient might seem better/healthy, people avoid the fact that not everything might be as how it seems, especially between the lines of mental illnesses. This psychological fact is proves as the majority of the audience would have believed that the woman is a very good doctor. 

HOW ARE THE CHARACTERS REPRESENTED?

The extract is introduced through two workers who seem to be unsympathetic towards the patient since the only words they say to him are an imperative which orders him to stand up. 

Then the narrator is shown very small through a bird eye, which shows that he is vulnerable. The fact that one of the health workers has to pick him up shows his lack of willingness to do anything, which suggests that he might be held in that little dark room against his will. The fact that he is being held in a little room and needs assistance to go to his destination show that he is a mentally ill patient, as if he was to be a criminal he would have been portrayed differently. His face expression remains neutral and he is shown exhausted until the voices in his head kick in and start to control his speech and reactions. 

The characters which are in his head are introduced to the audience while he is walking in the corridor with a lot of mixed voices, which indicate how messed up his head is when they are around. In the doctors office all the characters are represented with different personalities indicated through their appearance, e.g. the little child or the muscular man, and their speech, e.g. the character which claimed everyone to be part of the state and work against the citizens. 

The female doctor is portrayed as a serious individual which helps making the audience think she really is the doctor. However, when the real doctor is introduced, it is obvious that she is imaginary as well, since the patient and his voices are shown in a grey-ish and colorless way, while the real doctor is shown in the most color. Also his way of moving and speaking are more realistic, professional and seem more natural. 

USE OF CAMERA

As said earlier, the short film introduces the narrator in the first bird-eye view shot which indicates how little the main character feels and is seen by the doctors. Also it shows what kind of room he finds himself in, which helps the audience understand immediately that the narrator is a patient in a mental hospital. 

At 0:37 there is a wide shot where the corridor can be seen. Here is shown how dark of a place the hospital is. This indicates the depression the patient goes through. The walk through the corridor introduces the audience to the voices the narrator has in his head. The fact that the camera shifts from left to right benefits the film makers since they only need one continueing shot. 

The fact that the camera turns around the female doctor at 1:10 shows that she is seen as a protagonist and the focus is on her. However, since the patient and all other voices their appearance and gestures are introduced at the same time on screen, the audience will be focussed on the doctors voice but look at the voices. This technique benefits from the fact that the audience will stay interested while the speaker sits still and there is still action going on. 

In the same scene there are a lot of wide shots used which show the location which is a dirty, old, doctor room. Again this shows the environment the patient has to beare. 

However, the wide shot at 1:44 is used to show positions of the characters. There is for example seen that the patient is tied to the chair, which could not be seen fore. This suggests again forms of enjailment. Also the windows are seen in this shot, where is seen that it is bright and green outside. This suggests that, again, the hospital is more like a jail than a mental institution. Grey and colourless compared to the outside world. 

The over the shoulder shot at 2:04 is cleverly used to show what character controlles the patient at that time.

The several close ups of the doctor, for example at 2:10, show the changing facial expressions of the doctor. 

The low angle shot at 2:48 is personally one of my favourite moments of this short film since it shows how he feels like the walls are coming upon him. Also, since the voices are in his head, the characters look imaginative at this point as he is trying to speak for himself. 

Towards the end of the extract, over the shoulder shots during conversation are used for the first time, since it is the first time that they are speaking to eeach other 

Finally, the last shot is a low angle shot. However, this one is different since it shows the dominance of the doctor over the patient, which is in my opinion brilliantly done since she looks superior and big. 


USE OF EDITING

The first thing that is noticeable is the slow cutting rate. This indicates the seriousness of the situation in the movie, also allows the audience to concentrate on the location, scene and characters. However, when a aggressive character starts to speak, the cutting rate speeds up, and when a woman or a child starts to speak it slows down. This is due to the mood that is around at that moment. Also when a lot of voices are speaking at the same time the cutting rate speeds up drastically, which suggests chaos and confusement. An example is the scene at 2:50. 

Shot reverse shot is used when Daniel is speaking to the female doctor. This shows their conversation and focusses the attention on the two trying to speak, although there are a lot of other characters trying to mix in the conversation 

USE OF SOUND

Both diegetic and non diegetic sound is used. The short film starts with a horror sound which tells the audience immediately that it is a controversial and depressing film. The fact that the sound fades to another tone which is softer while the camera starts at blurred and becomes focussed mixes perfectly. However, when Daniel is standing up the sound becomes louder and an echo of children noises starts to fade in. The audience understands immediately that other people are going to be involved. Also this gives it a scary effect. 

A similar technique is used in the Titanic where Rose and Jack are trying to escape out of the dark corridors full of water. Since the scene is dark and scary with lights going on and off, it creates a scary tension. Sounds of lights and electricity are heard at 0:50 to draw the audience's attention to the broken lights. 

The non-diegetic voice over at 0:58 where is said that Daniel suffers from a multiple personality disorder gives the audience context about the short film. Immediately the characters are introduced by the camera but also by non-diegetic sound of rumbling and mixed speech. However, since it is all done voice-over and no one is shown talking, it is clear that they are the personalities he is overpowered by. 

At 2:48 there starts a horror sound again where he remembers the first letter of his name. This draws attention to the scene as an important thing is said and there has started to be a turning point where the patient feels different than before and is not in control anymore. 

Around 3:00 the music starts to become louder as the characters are speaking, again creating tension. However, when the doctor stands up while putting her hands on the table, there is a last bell sound echoing and the music stops. After this, the scene is quiet and the audience will draw more attention as something important is being said.