Divine Intervention - Draft 3

Just made some minor tweaks to the volume and pacing

Plumtree

Stephen, this second draft looks really good. The extra footage of the scenes in the corridor really add to the 'Mockumentary' style you are going for. I agree that the background 'chatter' at the start could do with being a bit quieter but it does add to the realism of the office scene.

Divine Intervention - Draft 2

Plumtree

Stephen, well done on the first draft of your Mockumentary. It has some very funny and very clever moments in it that really capture the style you are trying to create. Keep a check on your continuity when you are filming the sections to be edited in. Are your characters going to be in the same clothes for these or will it look more like these scenes were filmed at a later date?

Divine Intervention - Draft 1

JONES

Impressive detail in your posters, location ideas and individual scenes Stephen. Keep up the good work.

I think the mug looks fantastic and works very well as a water into wine clip - I look forward to seeing more of the filming!

Water into Wine Test

I had to think of a practical way to pull off the water turning into wine as I didn't want to do it in post-production. I came up with the idea of filling the bottom of a opaque mug with a cordial (e.g. Ribena) and have the water in a transparent jug to show the difference between what was being poured and what was appearing in the mug. I tested it out a few times and this was the result:

Film Poster Creation

The idea for my film poster came from the famous scene from The Office in which Gareth's stapler is put in the jelly. The stapler had his name written on in tipex. I thought this would make a good poster as it was something we're familiar with but then seems strange due to who's name is on.

After buying the stapler and tipex, I wrote on "J. CHRIST". This adds a certain professionalism to the stapler as Jesus is in a place of power in the short. Once it had set, I placed the stapler onto a large white piece of card and positioned a light slightly behind me. I took many photos trying to get an angle and position of the stapler that made it obvious what it was but also allowed you to read the name. The photos were shot in a RAW format. I eventually settled on this one:

I exported this photo to Lightroom and edited. I wanted the background to be a stark white so that all focus would be drawn in to the stapler and title of the film. I also wanted to remove the WHSmith logo. This is what it came out as:

I then needed to add necessary information. Because the poster is very minimalistic I didn't want to put too much. I decided on the title, actors' names, release date, website and director credit. The font I used was American Typewriter as it fits with the style of the movie. This is the finished product:

Film Poster Ideas

I decided to make two poster ideas, one based on the 'film stills/close-ups' and one based on the 'conceptual' ideas.

For my first design, I decided to make the poster very minimalistic. All of the focus is on the stapler and the name 'J. CHRIST' written in tipex would intrigue people and make them want to know more. It gives a clear idea of what the film is about with giving away too much.

For my second design, I featured a picture of Jesus in his office. This is a photo from the film, and so it gives an accurate representation of what it will be like. Jesus is recognisable and paired with the title of the film, you can start to get an idea of what the film will be about.

Shooting Schedule 1

We are filming the scenes within Jesus' Office all day on Saturday 4th November 2017. We will be using the Headteacher's office at Edgbarrow School.

The date that we are shooting the corridor scenes is yet to be decided.

Location Scouting

Test Shots

I did some practise shots to test both how the camera works, but also the sound quality. It also gave Philip Fletcher (Peter) the chance to rehearse a few scenes. The camera I used was a Pentax K-S2.

I didn't have access to the location so I worked with what I had in a classroom. The first scene I practised was when Peter realises that he's being fired. This scene was slightly harder as it involves two actors yet I only had access to one. I also shot it as one long take even though I will splice many takes together when it comes to the actual finished film.



The second scene I tried was the first talking head which I did outside a cupboard.



The camera was easy to hold but still got a bit too shaky as I was trying to both read the script and film. When it comes to my actual filming, I need to make sure I get as much light as possible in order to reduce the graininess of the footage. I may also attach an external microphone just so the sound quality is that much better.

Magazine Page Mockup

JONES

Fantastic work Stephen! You have worked hard and produced some fantastic research. Your casting looks good and I am excited to see how the items referenced in the budget will add to your short film. You have uploaded some really good short film analysis that will hopefully enable you to think about ways of editing and creating impact through your own product. I'm also impressed that you have started to think about film reviews in magazines and film posters. Keep up the good research work.

The next step may be to upload about establishing shots, location and make sure you have an up to date schedule for getting the required footage.

Budget

Here I'm budgeting everything that I bought specifically for the film. It came out to more than I was originally anticipating but hopefully everything will be worth the purchase.

Magazine Film Review - Analysis

Short Film Poster - Analysis

Casting

As there are only two characters in my short film, I will only require two actors: One to play Peter and one to play Jesus.

To play Peter, I have Philip Fletcher. Philip is very good at playing the naive, fresh face. He has a young face and has had experience playing such character in shows like Chicago and Greece. He has experience in both GCSE and A Level drama however this will be his first time working in front of the camera.

To play Jesus, I have Elliot Paisley. Elliot has a look of knowledge and importance and can show dominance in a scene without painting himself in a bad light. While not having as much experience as Philip, he has proven that he can play the role convincingly and has a good understanding of the type of film. As with Philip, this will be his first time working in front of the camera.

                                      

These two actors both know each other and can play off of each other's strengths well which is why I believe that these are the two best people for the roles. Both have good comedic timing and seem like obvious choices for the characters.

Short Film Analysis - Operator

The short film Operator follows the job of a phone operator for the fire department as she deals with an incident.

This film is fairly dark with only the computer screens to light the room. This helps create the sense of danger and isolation which the film focuses on. The entire film is shot in long still shots of a woman on the phone to a victim in a burning house. There is very minimal camera movement or different angles and shots to make sure that all the focus is on the dialogue.

At the beginning of the film, the camera pans passed many different phone operators and you catch snippets of their conversations which helps quickly establish to the viewer the setting and situation. Once it gets to the Scottish woman, it stays focused on her for the rest of the film.

There isn't a lot of sound apart from the phone operator, the woman on the other end and any noises from her end of the phone. The one use of non-deigetic sound is when it appears like Gemma has died and there are long drawn out strings to create suspense until it immediatly cuts off when it's revealed that she's alive.

Once the phone cuts out when Gemma is saved, there is just silence for a few seconds while Laura sits there to process everything that's just happened before going straight back in with the line "Hello Fire Service, can you tell us your address please?". This is extremely effective as it shows the intensity of every single phone call and how strong the phone operators have to be.

Short Film Analysis - Lifted

The short film Lifted is an animated short played before the Pixar film Ratatouille. The film is a comedy and follows an alien taking its abduction test.

The film starts off at a cottage on a plains. There is silence and you can here crickets chirping until all of a sudden a white light blasts through the window and you see a UFO. This sudden change quickly sets up the premise of the film as an alien abduction is an idea shown throughout many stories and things in pop culture. As the human gets lifted and carried towards the window slowly, the non-diegetic background music is has a heavy slow drum beat with lots of strings. The piece builds up suspense as the man is carried by getting faster, louder and higher but is suddenly cut off when the man misses the window.

The film then cuts to the UFO where a rare weedy looking alien is struggling and failing to abduct the man. The instructor is huge and the complete opposite of the little alien which instantly asserts his dominance. His obvious note taking makes the student intimidated. The intimidation also comes from the comedically large control panel with no marks as well as the large empty room the exam is being taken in.

There is no dialogue at all in the film so everything has to be shown obviously. It makes it easier as the situation is a parody of driving tests which is something that people are very familiar with. People are able to relate to the alien despite it being such an unrealistic concept.

Short Film Analysis - Sign Language

The short film Sign Language is a mockumentary short film focusing on the lives of sign holders. The film has a light tone and is slightly comedic.

The film focuses on Ben, a "Static outdoor information technician", who has his last day of work before his promotion. The premise of the film is comedic as the way Ben talks about his job make sit seem like a highly skilled professional job. He uses language such as "Work mates", "Degree in urban semiotics", "Work experience" and "non-union" which shows how seriously he takes his work. It's very clearly something he loves. The non-diegetic background music also helps show this, as the acoustic guitar and vocals create a warmth about the job. All of this juxtaposes with what you are seeing: Everyone is wrapped up tightly from the cold, people have umbrellas and all of Ben's colleagues look miserable.

The camera is never still and is constantly moving to create the sense of it being filmed for a documentary. It never has the whole scene in focus and will switch focus during a take. The character of Ben only ever talks directly to the character as he goes through his daily work routine. The fact that this is the only dialogue in the film makes it feel a lot more personal and feels like more of a glimpse into this man's life.

Propp's Narrative Theory

In this slideshow I talk about the Narrative Theory of Vladimir Propp and whether Divine Intervention follows this structure or not.

Plumtree

Stephen, there is a fantastic amount of work that has gone into this blog so far and your ideas are really coming together nicely. Don't forget to post some analyses of short films so that you can show codes and conventions of this genre and where you may conform or challenge these conventions.

Costume

These are the costumes needed for the two characters in the film. They are mostly basic office wear but both have slight hints towards the biblical characters.

Prop List

All the props that I need for my short film. A lot of these props are in the background and used to help  with the Mise-en-Secne.

Storyboard

After my third draft, I decided to draw out my storyboard to get a better idea of the different camera angles and framing throughout to keep the film visually interesting. I drew these out individually and then scanned them in.

Script - Third Draft

After a while, I did another revision of my script. Other than a few touch ups, I mainly wanted to focus on the characters and flesh them out a bit more in the short space of time. I also added a title page.

Script - Second Draft

I later revised my script. I wanted to improve the formatting, as well as making the story more coherent and allowing the jokes to land better. I also decided on a name for the film: 'Divine Intervention' which has connotations with Jesus as well as being set at a work intervention.

Script - First Draft

I decided to write my script on a software called Celtix for Mac. This was my first time writing a screenplay so it the formatting was not entirely correct.

Notebook

I decided to jot down lots of notes and ideas relating to my idea of biblical characters in an office environment. This ranged from office lingo to background information about the characters.

It reads:

Commonly asked questions

-       Which job do you enjoy most/least?

-       Job satisfaction & role alignment

-       What kind of professional development or training opportunities interest you?

-       What motivates you to get your job done?

-       What can I do to make your job even more enjoyable?

-       What do you most like about working for this company?

Leadership Effectiveness

-       What attributes do you think makes a good leader and who displays these?

-       If you were leading this organisation, what would you do differently?

-       How do you like to receive feedback on your work?

-       If a new leader was to start tomorrow what advice on leading a team would you give them?

-       What can we do to improve our employer/management communication?

Feeling Valued

-       Do you prefer private or public recognition?

-       What type of career growth is most important to you?

Work Environment

-       How & when do you do your best work?

-       What are the ideal working conditions for you to be most productive?

-       What are your biggest obstacles to getting your work done?

-       What tools/tech would make your job easier?

-       What do you appreciate most about our workplace?

Office Buzzwords

-       Singing from the same hymn sheet

-       Blue sky thinking

-       Think outside the box

-       Touch base

-       Close of play

-       Going forward

-       No brainer

-       Action that

-       Drill down

-       Thought shower

-       Flogging a dead horse

-       Hot desking

-       On my radar

-       Joined up thinking

-       Bring to the table

-       Punch a puppy

-       Run this up the flagpole

-       Cracking the whip

-       Moving the goal posts

-       EOP (End of play)

-       Working fingers to the bone

-       Game changer

-       It’s not rocket science

-       Hit the ground running

-       Ping

-       Low hanging fruit

-       Strategic staircase

-       Park something

-       COB (Close of business)

-       Reinventing the wheel

-       Dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s

-       Best practices

-       Al desko

-       Put something on the back burner

-       Pick it up and run with it

-       Play hard ball

-       This idea has legs

-       Synergy

-       I’m swamped

-       Win-win

-       Look under the bonnet

-       Quick and dirty

-       Peel the onion

-       Out of the loop

-       Wow factor

-       Helicopter view

-       Elevator pitch

St Peter

-       Also known as Simon Peter

-       Apostle of the apostles

-       First pope

-       Often represented holding keys and a book representing the gospel

-       Fisherman

-       Keys of Heaven

-       Rooster

-       Crucified upside down

-       Buried in St Peter’s basilica in the Vatican

-       Brother called Andrew – Also an apostle

-       He denied Jesus three times and the rooster crowed

-       Crucified by Nero in Rome

-       Became a preacher after Jesus died

-       Crucified upside down because he didn’t believe he was worthy to be crucified the same way as Jesus

-       His name means Rock or stone

-       Jesus changed his name to Peter

-       ‘Fishers of Men’

-       Witnessed walking on water

-       At last supper, Peter refused to let Jesus wash his feet

-       Cut off ear of servant of high priest when Jesus was arrested – Jesus healed – last miracle

-       Matthew 16:13 – 19 Rock dialogue: Peter is rock on which the new church will built

-       Jesus gave him keys to heaven in same passage

-       Peter is the exemplar of little faith – ‘Ye of little faith’

-       Peter is the first to go into the empty tomb

Pearly Gates

-       Informal name for Gateway to Heaven

-       Comes from Revelations, 12 gates with 12 pearls

-       Modern image: Set of large gates in the clouds guarded by St Peter

-       Those denied by Peter sent into Hell

-       In some versions Peter looks at names in a book