Factory Girl Texual Analysis

Feature Trailer of Factory Girl

Factory Girl is a feature length film based on real life accounts on the last years of a young woman's (Edie Sedgwick) life in the 60's who was closely associated with Andy Warhol. Although the setting, dates and basic themes of the film does not resemble the themes, settings and dates of my own film, some parts of the narrative in the film are extremely similar. The main narrative follows a girl who sets out on the New York art scene hoping to make something of herself and after being introduced to Andy Warhol, her life becomes successful and becomes Warhols new 'Superstar'. Her life seemingly couldn't get any better until Andy refuses to pay her for her contributions to his work and her life of partying, drug taking and thoughtless spending makes her homeless, funding her drug addiction from what she can scrape from her father and accountant and eventually causes the end of her life. Edie's life is very similar to my main character's, Tristy's, life. Tristy goes through events through the narrative of my film which are alike to Edie Sedgewick's, for example 'The Gang' is parallel to Andy Warhol as the anagonist and eventually the source that causes the end of the protagonists life (Tristy and Edie).

Here is a diagram to show the comparisons of narrative from the two films:

New and Improved screen play

Here is an example of the improved and simpler copy of my screen play. I find that it will be easier to follow and due to not having a complicated colour co-ordinated key to follow, I can easily read through the new screen play in detail with no time wasting on what colour means what. Another reason the screen play is improved is that when writing and planning my film is that it is simple to scan through the screen play, as it reads similarly to a script, and I can edit it with no complications of colour co-ordination and a disorganised layout. I will be using this new template to write the rest of my screen play.

A draft of story board

Here is a draft of half of the story board for my film sequence, drawn in pencil with little details to do with mise-en-scene, it has been created in order for me to be able to faguely see what my sequence could potentially look like. I need to add more scenes to the sequence and create more cinematics within my film to create an effective title sequence which will impact the audience within the first 3-4 minutes of the film if the audience were to watch the full feature length version of my film.

1st Scene Screen Play

Here is a draft of the script for the first scene including details of the shots. Because my sequence has no speech, I will be producing two types different scripts as during the time of creating this draft I realised two scripts would be necessary in order to organise filming and producing effectively. The first will consist of actions and narrative which the audience will see and the second will consist of director notes on mise-en-scene, shot timing, sound and other important details I will require when recording and editing my film.

Tristy's Costume

Tristy's costume before meeting the gang 



A plain white T-shirts





Plain Deinim shorts



Child-like vintage trainers

Tristy's costume when having met the gang and building friendships with them

Bright pink t-shirt





Bright blue shorts




Bright and colourful women's shoes



Tristy's Costume before taking her life

Plain black T-shirt



Plain grey shorts



Plain black flat shoes

Details

Tristys costume at the begining of the film portrays a child-like image. Her costume will be plain at first to show the lack of excitement in her life, however if the film was to be directed and created as a feature-length film, throughout the film Tristy's costume will become brighter and more mature as she is drawn closer to the group, but when the group is revealed as a criminal terror-creating gang Tristy's costume will become darker, as if in mourning. Over-all, Tristy's costume should portray her relevence in the group. For example at first she dresses plainly and anonymously as she hasn't yet met the group, but as she becomes more involved in the group her clothes become more colourful due to the 'colour' the group is bringing to her life.



'Miss Fitted'

Prop List

• Bottles of Beer
• Car
• Cigarettes

Note: For my chosen film sequence the props will not be sigificant to the narrative as yet since the sequence is the title sequence. Because of this I will not be using many props with the exception of mise-en-scene and costume props.

Charcters

Tristy

Age: 15

M/F: Female

Important Characteristics/info: The Protagonist. Tristy is an outcast who has never found life easy either socially or in her family life. I have used Chelsea to play Tristy because she is a normal teenager who comes from a similar background to what Tristy would have if she wasn't just a character in a film. With a relatable personality, I feel that an audience would believe that Tristy is a real character when played by Chelsea and would become more emotionally connected.
(Played by Chelsea Boyer)

Main gang members:

Mojo
Age: 19
M/F: Male
Important Characteristics/info: Antagonist. Mojo has been rejected all his life and hense then moved from America, leaving his whole life behind. He then founded the ganag in which Tristy joins later on. Mojo is a sociopath who uses his 'friends' for gain in most ways. Ross's dark features (such as his hair and eye colour) can portray a darker character, and his un-kept facial hair displays the idea that he doesn't care much about a neat appearence, just like the character Mojo.

(Played by Ross Carden)

Shann

Age: 18

M/F: Female

Important Characteristics/info: Mojo's 'hench woman'. She is madly in love with Mojo and would do anything for him in order to please him. However, although she would do anything for Mojo, she doesn't show the same sort of commitment to anyone else and she put's on a hard shell. Shann is not a person to be messed with due to her short temper and impatient nature.
(Played by Hanna Moore)         

Story type

The Story type which fits my film according to Phil Parker's The Art and Science of Screenwriting (1999) is 'The Rites of Passage'. This is when the character reconises that she has reached the next 'age' of her life and attempts to learn what she needs to know to adapt to this new age. She tries to act as if she as already aquired the necessary knowledge and fails. She then encounters a challege which requires her to reach beuond what she has already achieved. Her success reflects her maturation into the new phase of her life.

Texual Analysis 'Girl, interrupted'

 Dramatic scene from 'Girl, interrupted'

In this scene Suesanna finds Daisy's body hanging in the bathroom the morning after being invited to stay in Daisy's home for the night because Suesanna and Lisa have escaped from a female insane asilum. Daisy had recently been distcharged from the same place a few weeks before, after being 'cured'. Daisy has killed herself due to being tormented by a jealous Lisa the evening before. This scene has a realistic shock value and really grab the audience emotionally, in the same way 'This Is England' does. Throughout the film, Suesanna in an easily relatable character as her past is pretty normal for a young woman in the 60's and even now in the 21st century, so when Suesanna experiences extreme emotion, we can feel it too. So in this scene, for example, when Susanna is calling Daisy's name, the audience can feel the same anxiousness building as she searches the house, that Suesanna would be feeling at the time.

This Is England Trailer

Here is a trailer that portrays the style in which 'This is England' is filmed and directed. The setting, chracters, costume and camera work all create a realist essence. Almost like a window into a childs life in the late 1970's early 80's. This is England makes use of the 'documentary' style of films, just like I hope to re-create in my film. If I was to create the feature-length version of my film I would use This is England and films similar to it as templates for my own, 

i.e.

Todorov Structure (Narrative)

Synopsis

A troubled young teenager called Tristy is having a hard time in life. Being bullied at school, troubled at home and having no social aspect of her life, she is close to tipping over the edge. However, when she comes across a young group of misfits in her neighbourhood, her future seems brighter. After being invited to join them on some of their outings, despite being cautious at first, Tristy accepts with nothing to lose and after some persuasion  joins in with their drug-taking activities. Tristy finally feels accepted and happy in what they describe themselves as, "Your new family". Soon afterwards, Tristy's old troubles seem to be disappearing as her tormentors at school inexplicably back off and giving her no trouble and strangely enough, after a few weeks, even her family seemed to be leaving her to do what she wanted. Unknown to Tristy, her new group of friends were known as misfits for more reasons that the way they dress. They are a cult group of young adults who torment and threaten surrounding neighbourhoods. Tristy soon finds out the harsh reality of being part of this gang and as the truth eventually unfolds, she is given the task of 'collecting' money from strangers to fund the groups drug habits. Soon she becomes a slave to the group in many reasons more than just  collecting money. In comparison to the bullying and loneliness she has experienced in the past, they're childs play. Tristy finally found the lifestyle which would really tip her over the edge, and she decides to take her own life.

Aims and context

              Aims

• The genre for my film is social realist drama. Films such as Girl, Interrupted (James Mangold) and This Is England have influenced my ideas for my film due to the intimate relationship with the characters and harsh realism it portrays. I hope to give my audience a peak into what could be someone’s real experiences in life and to shock the audience, leaving them thinking about the plot for weeks after seeing the film.
• The Protagonist, Tristy, will be an adverage 15/16 year old girl who has all the troubles that any 15/16 year old would have. The audience would be able to relate to Tristy in most parts of the film as everyone will have been through something Tristy goes through in the film. I hope to make Tristy a character who everyone wants to catch a break, and throughout the film, I hope to achieve the sense of love for Tristy. This is because at the end of the film, Tristy will have died and the more the audience feel heart broken by this, the better effect it will have. Almost like losing someone that isn't just a character in a film.
• The antagnonists, the misfit gang, should be seen as the saviours of Tristys life throughout the film, and almost as loved at Tristy. However, by Climax of the film, the audience should feel a betrayal and hate for the gang as they eventualluy ruin Tristys life.
• The audience that my film is aimed at is the 15-25 year olds and would be given a 15 certificate, as this is my own age group and is a much more variable and open minded audience. The group of people the film would appeal to would mainly be students and more specifically students that lead an alternative lifestyle as the film will consist of drug taking and other rather anti-social activities that other audiences would not enjoy, for example the 60+ audiences would rather see a happy ending rather than the ending my film would give (the death of the main character built up from a solemn existence). In the industry, a film aimed at this aged of audience will bring in bigger profits, will be easier to market as word of mouth is something that tends to give certain films a good name, and therefore more interest, and will generally do well when brought to DVD after cinema.

Context

• I will be creating the title sequence for my Social Realist Drama film called “Miss-fited”. Although I am only creating a the title sequence, I hope within three-five minutes I can really show my audience where the film may take them by using relevant music, short ‘clips’ from what would be the whole film to partly show the audience what is to come, and to shock the audience by giving the ending of the film at the end of the title sequence, just when the plot should start. If I were to create the entire feature-length film, the narrative would explain why the main character took her own life, and all will become clear by the end of the film when the first scene (shown at the end of the title sequence) would be re-played.
• I will be the director, technician (including camera work) and editor for my film.
• I found an issue from my previous film is the technical side, such as lighting, sound and acting skill.

Drama - Film Genre conventions

The film genre that my sequence will be from will be a 'Drama'. More specifically, a social realist drama. Films like 'This Is England', 'The Full Monty' and 'Kidulthood' fall into the category of 'Drama' and 'Social Realism'. Directors such as Ken Loach ('Raining Stones') also create social realism in their films and it can usually be shocking and make audiences uneasy. I will be using this realism approach to shock my audience.

The conventions of drama is usually a dramatic storyline, which can touch an audience in numerous ways. Drama can be used in many different story types, and usually consists of a struggle of the protagonist. Drama's don't tend to be comic but can have comedic tendencies ('The Full Monty'). A Drama works well if it consists of an epic struggle, sometimes a struggle of the entire human race in films such as 'The Day After Tomorrow' and 'Independence Day' however social realist dramas tend to be an individual/small groups struggle against less significant and realistic battles against crime, drugs etc. which is the conventions I will be using in the Drama genre for my sequence. The drama genre usually uses realistic characters and home-life until a more unrealistic/rare disruption takes place in the characters lives. The drama genre links well to the Romantic genre  and the Historical genre rather than Action or Syfy. 

I found these websites:

http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/3080/Film-Genres.html

http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html

helpful in my research of the drama genre conventions.



Drama/Social Realist genre conventions essay

The genre I am using for my sequence is the Drama convention. More specifically a social realist drama. Films that fit into this genre and sub-genre include ‘The Full Monty’, ‘This Is England’ and ‘Raining stones’.
The Drama genre holds specific conventions which stand out between all drama films, whether they are romantic-dramas, social-dramas, period-drams/historic-dramas etc.  The main conventions that appear in most Drama films are realistic characters, setting and story plot, and usually can succeed based on the acting and character development in the plot rather than special effect etc. that typical blockbusters rely on. The characters usually have deep emotional connections with other characters or the setting of the film, for example if a character’s home burnt down, the audience could identify with the distress and deep sadness that the character will portray and usually without the need of any other aspects of film making to drive the plot forward.
The sub-genre Social Realism is usually associated with British films and consequently the genre is referred to as ‘British Social Realist’. Films which fit into this genre are usually documentary-like and give a shocking insight into what seems a very real view into British life, and usually feature working class families/individuals. To add to this realism, actors that are hardly known in the film industry are used and therefore viewers will be able to relate to characters in experience and understanding them as real people, rather than the actor themselves and any other characters that actor may have played. This helps to add to the whole ‘realist’ feel about the film, therefore fitting it in this sub-genre umbrella. Directors such as Ken Loach use improvisation to create the next level of realism in the Social Realism genre. He will give the actors a plot to follow whilst filming scenes but then allows the actors to react each other in order for the plot to flow in the same way it would in real life creating much more realistic character development. A scene in a Ken Loach film ‘Raining Stones’ gives a great example of how improvisation is used, in the scene a Loan shark appears at the main characters, who owes a large sum of money,  and the characters wife and daughter are making treats in the kitchen. The loan shark bursts into the house and shocks the wife before insisting that she gives him the total money that her husband owes or some possessions worth that amount, including her wedding/engagement rings. This scene is shocking and uncomfortable to watch due to the extremely violent and tough nature of the loan shark as he uses aggressive actions such as shouting in her face, confiscating important possessions and threatening to harm her daughter, which is beyond what you would expect to experience normally. What really makes this scene a quality realistic scene is that the actress actually had no idea that the actor that plays the Loan shark would act in this way and therefore genuine shock and emotion, such as hysterical crying, is shown from the actress, and this is an extremely effective tactic used by Ken Loach and many different directors of Social Realist films which creates a very real viewing experience.



Raining Stones Film poster



The genre Drama and sub-genre Social Realism share very similar conventions and therefore complement each other well when used together in films, especially when the shock and emotion value is put into consideration. Films like ‘This Is England’ and especially the spin-off TV 4 part film based on the original film ‘This Is England ‘86’ use the dramatic and realist conventions that you would expect to see in a typical modern British film and more. For example, in the ‘This is England ‘86’ the character named “Loll’s” dad appears back in her life and for unknown reasons to the viewer, Loll becomes angry that he had dared to enter back into her mother and sisters home, especially when he suggests the idea of becoming a family again and that he is a ‘changed man’. The audience soon realises the reasons why Loll is so angry after part 3 of the 4-part film, because soon after Loll threatening her father with violence the audience is put into shock he sexually assaults her and as even then when events unfolds, due to self-defence, she murders him with a blow to the head. Like in ‘Raining Stones’, the shock value unfolds very quickly throughout this scene. Shane Meadows (director of ‘This Is England’ and ‘This is England ’86’) used the same methods as Ken Loach including using actors skill and improvisation in order to create a real viewing experience for his audience, both in the original film and TV film. Shane Meadows, when in the casting process, used young aspiring and unknown actors for his first ‘This Is England’ film which provides unfamiliar actors, and therefore characters, creating this realistic ‘documentary’ feel in the film, which can be described as a ‘fly on the wall’ viewing experience. Meadows even used kids off the street from the area in which the film is set, especially in the case of Thomas Turgoose, who plays the young character Shaun, who was selected for the film whilst he was on the street when he was supposed to be in school. All of this use of unknown characters is an effective way to create realism.

This is England Cast



The characters in ‘This Is England’ act just as we would expect young people to act and this is due to the improvising used in the filming process. Unfortunately in ‘This Is England ‘86’, the actors have clearly had more practice in their acting career and don’t seem to have that same natural feel about them which is found in them original film due to lack of experience in feature-length acting, however they are still realistic and effective characters and they are familiar to old fans of the original film.

Brief

This year I will create a short film/sequence from an imaginary film of my own. I will be investigating genre and stylistics to create themes and narrative in a 3-5 minute clip. I will be using my own original ideas composed from the in-depth research I will be doing in order to make an understandable and interesting short sequence. Specifically I will be researching/partaking in:

• Small scale group work to get together initial ideas and help each other brain-storm together initial plans.
• I will research the genre in which I am interested in using for my short film sequence, which includes watching films of the same/similar genre, researching directors and their work within my specified genre and researching techniques used by different directors and editors.
• I will story board my film to collate the story-line and obtain feedback from my chosen audience on what shots/frame sequences, cinematography and narrative work best for the genre I have chosen.
• I will allocate roles to actors, a camera-man, a director, an editor and (if needed) lighting and sound technician.
• I will find suitable settings for the shots in my film and I will create as many different shots in order to edit my film to the best it can be. 

After gathering all my ideas and having a complete plan of the short film and a team to help me along in the filming/editing process, I can start producing my film.