Student Sample - VCE Media Unit 3&4
Codes & Conventions
symbolic codes
Setting
mise-en-scene
Acting
Colour
Technical Codes
camera techniques
lighting
editing
sound
lighting is an aspect of film that i attempted to use in my year 11 film with out any prior knowledge nor experiences. and it did not come out the way i intended, however after this failure i researched how to use's a basic three light setup and how to shoot in low natural light. so i will have a better understanding of how to use lighting to my advantage with both high key and low key light.
i will be using premiere pro cc to edit this film. editing is going to be the most important aspect to achieve the cinematic effect , as i will need to slow down the footage, and colour gradient the footage to change the mood and atmosphere, i will also need to cut and cross faded the footage to the beat of the backing track. other editing techniques i intend to use.
camera moverment
• Zoom
• Pan
• Tilt
• Dolly
• Pedestal
• Truck
https://blog.storyblocks.com/tutorials/7-basic-camera-movements/
camera techniques overall in crucial to create a final cinematic feel. To insure that i achieve this effect i will be vey particular with my shoots. i intend to shoot on a 25mm lens for its depth of field, for me focus pulling in going to be the most difficult task, as with this lens it is hard to keep the subject in focus when they are moving. how ever i may be able to fix this problem if i have having a external focus pull, our if i shoot on a different lens
camera angles
• Aerial shot
• Establishing shot
• Close up (CU)
• Extreme close up (XCU)
• mid shot (MS)
• dolly zoom (seen in jaws)
• over the shoulder
• low angle shot
• high angle shot
• long shot
https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/12-most-popular-camera-shots-actors-should-know/
i intend to experiment with extreme close ups (XCU) of facial movements such as a filming an eye blink. i will also what to test a dolly zoom as this is something i have never done before, and this camera technique may prove useful in establishing suspense and or fear in the characters. i believe establishing shots are extremely import as they determine where the film is taking places. i have an idea where i will have my mid shots, high and low angles to be perception with the rule of thirds. and finally to achieve that cinematic feel i will but using a slow motion Aerial shot
Basic editing techniques
• Cutting
• Cutaway
• Fade to black
• Cut to black
• Slow motion
• Time laps
• Fade in
• Fade out
• Eye line match
• Montage
Dissolve
https://www.learner.org/exhibits/cinema/editing2.html
another area i wish to experiment with is green screening and key masking my footage in premiere pro, as this is an area where i have had some experiences from my year 11 media music video however i believe this is an areas where i think i can further develop my skills even more. to achieve a better quality and more realistic green screen effect
an idea i had for lighting with my short film is to use the three light set up, to inshore that the actor are fully visible, how ever if i am shooting a scene that requires suspense i can us just the key light and backlight to cast a shadow over the actors faces. https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/basic-light-placements/
sound is an important element of any film as it plays with the audiences emotions, as sound can set the scene, buy adding fast paced music it could mean that there is a suspense for action scene taking places or if the music is slow and drown out this could indicate sadness or depression that the character is going through. sound puts the audiences into the emotion of the scene http://thecinematheque.ca/education/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/LanguageofFilm07.pdf
For my media film i would like to incorporate Shepard Tone which is an auditory illusion which tricks your brain into perceiving a constant ascending tone. it creates this sound of rising tension as the Shepard tone is a favourite of Christopher Nolan and can be seen though out his work, heard in a number of his films including Inception, Dunkirk and dark night
Hans Zimmers scoure for dunkirk
colour is an important element that will portray the mood of my entire film as it is visual storytelling , as colour or the lake of can have such an impact in the film as the audiences unconcisley symbolics different colours with different emotions or objects. an example of this would be red, being symbolic of passion, anger, or love all strong emotions, where by blue is symbolic of more calm emotions. https://www.customfitonline.com/news/2015/7/6/film-as-inspiration-for-colour-palettes/
colour grading and colour correction is an area that i wish to explore in my experiments. is is an element that i believe will greatly improve the atheistic quality to insure a cinematic look. i wish to experiment with greens and blues
the mise-en-scene is everything in frame this includes the Actor, the costumes, set or location, colour, props and lighting it is important to have the mise-en-scene consistent with the time of the film , for example you wouldn't have a iPhone being used in a 1920s gagster film http://www.elementsofcinema.com/directing/mise-en-scene-in-films/
good acting is essential to compel the narrative forward , as if the actors don't engage with the audience it can take the quality of the hold film down, however with actor that can convey emotion well and fit the role you intended. it can really drive the story forward, as the audiences becomes emotional invested in the characters.
physical techniques actors use to fully exploit there body to drive out there emotion
• Movement & gait
• Body language
• Gestures
• Facial expressions
• Vocal delivery, projected, accent influences, pitch, timbre tone, pace & emphasis on specific words and phrases
acting is going to be a very important element in my film. as in order for the audiences to be engaged, i am going to need actors who can emphasis there emotions, currently i don't know many actors who can play the roles i intend, but i will be looking for actors at universities and acting schools who will be able to help.
Acting terminology - https://actinginlondon.co.uk/acting-dictionary/
the setting or location tends to be the hardest thing to sources as there are very few places you can film an abandon warhouse or an intersteller spaces ship. as building my own sets or green screen is still an opinion as filming on location can make it hard to control the elements, however i am most likely going to film on location as i am restricted with a zero budget or with a green screen.
the setting in an important part of the film as it is the largest aspected of the mise-en-scene and it is where the actors interact. it can also set the mood and drive the narrative forward with a basic time and places layout, witch the audiences can automatically recognizer's. https://collegefilmandmediastudies.com/mise-en-scene-2/
setting very much connects with mise-en-scene
Free music ideas
if i was to source and create my own music i would use garage band as this is the most accessible music software i have have.
freesounds
There is a wide range of sound effects not as good quality,
audioblock
need to sign in not sure how to download music
soundbible
have to pay to download sound bible not going to use
youtube audio liberty - royalty free
there is a wide selection of sound effects and music that would work very will for my film
experiment idea's
experiment 1 match the movement of the camera to the moving character in frame
experiment 2 create a Shepard tone in garage band , test different frequencies,
experiment 3 create fluent and seamless transitions , that use objects in the room to do so, for example focusing on a glass for the transition being someone looking out a glass window
experiment 4 test out all school microphones devices lav's and boom mic , to see what works better in three different stages close up (1m away from the camera) mid range (5 m away ) and long from (10m + away)
experiment 5 try dollying shots, and tracking shots following the character. front view and back view.
experiment 6 use a scripted dialogue between two character in a bland room to test different audio and camera movement
experiment 7 film different locations urban and natural environments , then colour grade the footage to portray different feeling
experiment 8 film a one minute view and then in the editing process edit three different ways .
experiment 9 have one continuous long shot, using a stabilizer to follow the character around, try to match the movement to the beat of the song.
experiment 10 create an Edgar Wright style jump cut montage
influences screenwritering
nightcrawler - directed by dan gilory
sympathetic character, jake Gyllenhaal plays a character named Lou bloom,
Lou's character is not nice or moral flawless to be sympathetic. In order for the the audience to connect to his deeper, hopes dreams and characteristics ,
When creating a sympathetic character is easy to up with one- dimensional collection of moral, nice boring character traits instead of an actual character.
empathy- the ability to understand and share the feelings of others
Dan makes the audience feel empathy towards Lou even though he is not following any moral conventions and is perceived as an anti - villain ,
We empathize with this character when we understand his motives behind their actions, when despite disagreeing with Lou's choices we understand why he made them.
The audience is forced to look at the world in a different way. to not see Lou as a vindictive sociopath but rather a lost man seeking aspiration and fulfillment,
Breaking Bad pilot - director Vince Gilligan
The breaking bad pilot follows the traditional set up, being with a teaser to get the audience hooked followed by Act one , Act two, Act three and Act four, that show the character development of Walt
The teaser, opens with Walter, wearing nothing but a gas mask and his white dirty stranded underwear, he clenches wheel of the RV driving recklessly through desert, a look of dread and fear is cast over him as he is overwhelmed by his situation. Walter looks back to reveal two dead bodies in the back of the r v laying in a brown sludge witch is a concoction of chemicals and blood. Unable to control RV Walter crashes. Walter quickly jumps out of the rv from the adrenaline, he rips the gas mask, gasping for air, walter gather his composure. He pulls about a gun and starts down the road ready to shoot the first cop he sees,- end of teaser
Act One,Breaking Bad is a show that is heavily centered by the protagonist, 'Walter White' it is his growth, change and decisions that drive everything that happens, every thing is depicted from his view. In the opening Act Vince Gilligan uses the ' day in the life ' technique to allow the audiences to understand were Walter is reasons for his actions, we see that Walter is a chemistry teacher, we understand that his job is not exciting or rewarding, later we find Walt works part time at a car wash. which he finds partially embarassing, we meet his pregnant wife Skyler and his crippled son JR. The audience learns that Walter has a dull romantic and family life. and final we get introduced to uncle Hank DEA who's job holds a ever- present threat that shadows over Walt for the rest of the show,
Act two Walter repetitive day is challenged when he collapses, as this is the beginning of the show and the beginning Walt's journey. We learn that Walt has developed lung cancer, and this act as a catalyst for the rest of the show. Walt is faced with is own mortality, the reality that he feels he has wasted his life. Walt takes up Hanks offer of ride alone to a drug bust from act one. Here Walter learns more about the meth business and comes into contact with a former student ' Jessy Pinkmen '
Act Three We see in this act that Walter desires begin to out weigh his fears. He steals lab equipment, and withdraws all his savings to buy an RV, it is Act three that we see Walt gain power and acting out in ways that of see unnatural to the previous walt would have felt fear walt know feels power. (Walter is changing)
Act Four the final act bring full circle and connects all the dots that explain what we saw in the opening teaser. as we learn that Walter excels in the drug world further busting his ego, the audience has an understanding of where the show would be going, and it you wonder what is going to happen in the next episode
Having a fast paced opening that keeps the audiences on the edge of their seat. If i was setting up a action hero or unexpected event where the audience does not know how or why things are going wrong. and for the film to go full circle and all questions to be answered at the end of the film. i would most like open it like this
the script to the pilot
Act one show how powerless Walt is. as his diplomatic and passive, as his intelligence is underminded by the people around him, We see that Walt is a person who seeks control and purpose but lacks s
having the protagonist being powerless at the begin of the film and then grows and developed purpose in there life might be a idea worth exploring.
The protagonist's life is turned upside - down when X happens so they decide to do Y
It is in act two that we learn the premise. A high school chemistry teacher finds out that he has terminal cancer and decides to cook meth in order to support his family
i think following this concept that X effects Y would be a good places to start with my character development
Walter likes the feeling of taking risks
creator Lessons from the Screenplay
I have chosen is film, as I feel this would be the most beneficial form to depict my concept as my protagonist’s actions, motives and characteristics, need to be explored in a more visual manner. Film allows me to control the structure of time within the films world, meaning I will be able to create flashbacks, and flash forwards, allowing the audiences to be filled in with key information outside the linear timeline. I also find it important for the characters to have conflict and for the characters to have a cause and effect relationship. witch i can accomplish with video.
Camera style influence
Follow that character with camera movement allows the audience to feel more connected to the character. It is also seen in all of David Fincher's films. This technique is seen in Fight Club, Seven and Gone Girl. Have the camera make the exact direction and velocity of the moving character in the frame. This locks you into the behavior of the character.
i would like to experiment with this form of camera work
omniscient point of view - the story is told through more than one perspective
limited point of view - follows the story through the eyes of the protagonist, so the audience see what the protagonist sees or knows what the protagonist knows
comedy narrative (idea 1)
The Genres I wish to explore comedy and high school drama.I intend to create out of these Genres,a lighthearted teen short film that involves the protagonist making idiotic choices in the name of social fame, in whichhe never quiteachieves
The themes play an important role in rendering the character’s intention. The themeof acceptance, as it is the only reason our protagonist, acceptedthe challenges of acquiring the alcohol, as it was his attempt of obtaining acceptanceinto a particular social scene to whichhe has been denied several times in the past. Another theme is what goesaround comes around. As the story structure is circular,the motives and actions the protagonist makes at the beginning of the film come back and bit him at the end
audiences engagement It is always crucial to know your audience as different demographics are engaged to different things. This short film is created for young people between the ages of 16 to 21. The engagement techniques I am intending to use are a quick,fast based story plot and a sound track that works with the shot cuts to the beat of the sound. This makes the film feel more like a music video rather than a long slow-paced film.I feel this age group of young adults would prefer this fast-paced style as it makes the audience feel like a music video.A good example of this effect is ‘Baby Driver’, as this film plays the scene to the music, which works very well. Another way I thought of engaging the audience was having the premise and objective of the film of acquiring alcohol, and as they try to find different ways of gaining the alcohol, they lose sight of the ramifications of their actions. I feel that the audience can relate to the objective of acquiring alcohol as many young adults can relate to similar experiences or can see it as something that happens. I want the audience to see the plot of the film to be believable so that the audience can see themselves in the situation. I feel the best way to engage your audiences is to create a story that is out there but still relative to the lives of the audiences.
The protagonist is trying to run away from a man (who at this point remains a mystery). This inter scene is played in slow motion and as this is occurring the protagonist is narrating over, talking about how he got into the situation. Flashback to 12-hours prior,the protagonist has just been invited to his crush’s party but under one condition, he must supply the alcohol for the party. In his flustered,emotional state, he agrees with the condition. At this point he is not comprehending how he will acquire the alcohol, he is just star struck by her beauty rather that listening to what she is saying. It is only later when he leaves,he realised the gravity of what he has just agreed to. Our protagonist is not the most popular or most sociable person in the world, let alone his school. He is considered socially awkward by many of his peers.The protagonist becomes confused as to what he will do so he makes is first mistake.He texts his two best friends and his only friends, to help him find way to get the alcohol for the party. Only one problem,these two friends are the most irresponsible and crazy guys and,like the protagonist,they are socially awkward.
The three friends begin to consider hypothetical situations where they would be able to get the alcohol. One said they should use a fake ID. Another said,“Raid your dads liquor cabinet.” Each one of these ideas is presented is a hypothetical flash forward of them attempting to try these ideas but each concept is shown to fail in a disastrous way. In the example of the fake ID,we seen the protagonist with arms full of bottles and he shows the shopkeeper hisID, which was just a piece of paper with his face drawn on. The idea didn’t work, so the three guys keep coming up with ideas which get more and more outlandish and stupid, As the protagonist is getting more and more worried, as time is not his friend, he is still determined to get to this party no matter what it takes. The three friends are walking down the street,the protagonist and one friend have given up thinking of different ways, as all their ideas have resulted in failure but one of them is still very adamant that he will come up with the solution. The others are sick of him and tell him to give up, as the odds are stacked up against them. However, as they are having this conversation, they see one of their neighbours drive up into their driveway,open the boot and inside was a carton of beer. The neighbour goes inside leaving the beer exposed in the back of their car. The protagonist sees that this is a perfect opportunity and,as he is contemplating whether or not he will do the moral thing and leave the beer, out of nowhere, his friend,who has no moral respect, walks up suspiciously and grabs the carton.However,the neighbour had spotted him and starts yelling, He becomes freaked and runs arms full with the carton. The other friends begin to run with him, as the man begins to chase them. For the protagonist,this is a slight excitement as he has left his comfort zone, and he is experiencing something edgy and out of the norm.As they turns a few corners, they lose the man. This comes as a sigh of relief and they begin to proceed to the party. The protagonist is high on his excitement this point as they enter the party. He is immersed in the party’s atmosphere. For the protagonist and his two friends,this was a feeling that they had never experienced before and they were soaking it in. The protagonist’s crush comes up to him to thank him, as she never thought he would ever be able to pull it off. He puts the carton on the table and takes out one of the cans, the protagonist is preparing to open the can, everyone is shouting his name,egging him on, and as he is opening the can, the film goes into slow motion. You hear and see the opening of the can in slow motion, through the hum of the people around him yelling his eye turns to the door, where he sees that man from whom he stole the beer. He has burst into the room with anger and eyes fixated onto the protagonist. This is how the film began, as the audiences is all caught up. The man jumps over the couch and pushes though people,throwing food and drink into the air. The protagonist tries to get away but is grabbed by this guy. The can he was holding falls out of his hand and in slow motion hits the ground. The man death stares the protagonist and picks up his carton and walks out the door without saying a word. People are shocked and confused to what just happened and the protagonist begins to think that he blew it.Cut to black to reveal the next school day,it is the first day back after the incident and the protagonist is not sure what to expect.
Storyline
actors
a am going to need to hire actors who look like the can still be in high school, if i can find anyone at acting schools I can always use class mates, as they can look the part.
to find actors i will see if i can get in contract with students studying drama at Melbourne uni or JMC as i know people studying there
The roles i will need fiiled
• protagonist (male)
• friend one (male)
• friend two (male)
• protagonists crush (female)
• 2x crush’s friends (female)
• crazy old man (male)
• 20 extras for party scene
location sourcing.
• suburban street
• school grounds
• party house
• cutaway locations
locations are not going to be that hard to find as i have i good idea where i will be able to shoot. probably the hardiest location to shoot at is the parity house because that reuse getting all the extras on set and still having time to shoot the scene.
experimental concept
James is is stuck doing the same job day in and day out. His life is a constant loop,every day he walks past a billboard that says 'anything is possible' He breaks out of the cycle and does what he wants
At the opening of the film the protagonist is self obbsessed and money hungry. Tthroughout the film he goes on a journey of self discovery, and ends with the protagonist being a changed person
A highly intelligent high school student who uses his heightened understanding of his world around him, He expresses to his teacher how pointless our human desires can be and defines life in pure rational terms. The short film ends will the camera dollying back to reveal that the past monologue was his attempt to get out of detention,
There was a terrible accident that left Adam with a brain abrism a memory loss where his brain resets every 24 hours, Adam has to live his life again and again every 24 hours
"How do emotions sway our actions" This documentary explores the concept of why some people are successful and why others struggle with depression,
Following the life of 3 very different VCE students, the intention of this documentary is to show how these students overcome the hardest year of their life.
sound i want the music to be up beet and exciting ' and example of this style of music would be the opening song to Thor Ragnorok, i know i won't be able to get the right to this song but i may be able to find something similar or make my own sound track.
camera equipment need:
• camera slider
• dolly wheels
• tripod
• stablizer
• shoulder rig
• camera cage
• focus pull
• panasonic Lumix g7
costume The protagonist would be wearing slightly dorky and nerdy clothes , but still manages to look trendy and fresh
so of the equipment i do not own but i can socures from people who have access to them.
i want to be able to create stabilised footage without relying on a tripod. Going to test out different ways of creating this effect. got in mind using a shoulder rig or weight stabiliser.
narrative (idea 2)
theme concepts
Following the protagonist through a journey of self-discovery
How time is manipulated as a result of our growing distracted culture
How social media influences our every move
How our lake of motivation can stop us from achieving what we truly desire?
Money has become the icon of happiness, as our socially has been compiled too disassociate happiness with anything that is not marital good’s.
We have allowed our self be become isolated from the rest of the world. Trapped in our own self-deprecation.
The repetitive life we lead. Day in day out a never ending loop.
Future technology that is misused
A heightened understanding of ones purpose.
feedback
Miss Elijah - (media teacher)
Jake Moore (fellow media student)
Mr Piotti
i need to further explore and evaluate who my audiences is. what demographics my film would be best suited to .
need to be more specific to who my audiences is
need to develop a more compelling ending to my film
need to write a comedic script that keeps the audiences captivated and intrigued
i need to find actor who can play teenage roles
need to think about camera and lighting equipment
an autobiography of the protagonist were by he narrates and recounts all the mistakes and ill fortunes that have occurred in his life as he reconciles with the fact that his life has been an endless spiral of missed opportunities that had lead him on the wrong path.
the protagonist is a scruffy unkept man siting at the bus stop, telling his life story to passes by. however his deeply philosophical view on the world. is only met with rejection and disgust as people don't look past his physical looks, all he wants to do is teach the next generation .
an idea i had to start the short film is by portraying the protagonist as a young man who appears to be full of life, from his perspective the whole world ovals around him.
the second stage is the protagonist as an adult he feels that he has seen his life sub pass him, as he has never had the guts to step out of his confort zone, there for he feels that he is in an endless repetitive loop where by all the happiness and excitement in life has been lost. the audiences is left wounded what happen.
this concept centred around the idea of regret as the story follows the protagonist narrating his life, as he goes through the stages of life from adlacents to adulthood as the protagonist looks back at his life and how his life was deeply effected by his inability to except change he regrets the decision he had made. like the girl he never talked to or the job he never went for. the corrosive nature of time and how we all grow old. are some of the key themes in this narrative.
the protagonist story follows a cause and effect structure
the third stage is were the audiences finds out what happen in the protagonist life, as we see him in his late 40 talking to a uninterested teenager about life at the bus stop. about the importances of making good decisions, how ever the teenager ignorant to knowledge as he disregards what the man had just told him, shrugging it off. The film ends with the teenager getting up to head to the bus. leaving the protagonist alone this is intended to drive out sympathy from the audiences. a number of seconds go by until a new people comes and sits at the bus stop. the protagonist begins to talk to them and cut to credits, this ending allows the audiences to understand that this is not in fact the first the the protagonist has done this and his is on a constant loop, never moving from the bus stop always saying the same things.
i like the idea that it is a constant loop, and how the protagonist is still leaving a receptive life, even though he has tried to break free from it. as repetition is part of our human nature
i discussed this idea with some people and they liked the concept of how the protagonist can never escape that he fears, his lack of control with the choices he makes.
when we were having this discussion an idea was brought to light, what would it be like if the audiences didn't know who the protagonist was until the end of the film, what i mean by this is to have all the life event be narrate in third person, like his is talking about society rather than an individual,and only as the film is ending does is the monologe get more personal. so this allows the audiences to get a misleading depiction of who this film is about so when we finally reveal the protagonist as a somewhat homeless old man sitting at a bus stop, it would come as some shock.
I want this short film to be thought provoking as it expores ideas and concepts that can be confronting for some people, my inspiration for furthering my knowledge in this area, is the British series turned Netflix original black mirror, as that show stretches the line of what technology can be capable of in the near future. and how it can deeply effected and confront or human senses of ethics as all the episodes involve the protagonist making an unethical dession, in order to save them selfs or others.
locations are not going to be that hard to find as i have i good idea where i will be able to shoot. probably the hardiest location to shoot are scenes that invole extras because it is harder shoot with more people on set and still having time to shoot the scene
i want to be able to create stabilised footage without relying on a tripod. Going to test out different ways of creating this effect. got in mind using a shoulder rig or weight stabiliser.
• camera slider
• dolly wheels
• tripod
• stablizer
• shoulder rig
• camera cage
• focus pull
• panasonic Lumix g7
the equipment i do not own but i can socures from people who have access to them.
music i would like to experiment with this type of music, however it may not fit.
Feedback
Sarah Elijah (media teacher)
What colour pallette will you be looking to use in your film?
Include a copy of your audition notice in your final folio if you are using universities etc.
Note down some potential locations for your shoot.
Can't see anything about your intended target audience
the colour palette i intend to create changes from vibrant reds and greens, to sad dark blues. as the protagonist character progress. as as the audiences understands motives and desires.
click to edit
click to edit