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.