Reflective Analysis

The Creative project, as part of Film studies coursework, was to create a three to five minute short film or short sequence for a film. For my film studies coursework I created a five minute long title sequence from an imaginary film called ‘Miss Fitted’. I have chosen to create a title sequence as I believe that a title sequence of a film and the first couple of minutes is important to an audience in keeping interest in a whole film. My sequence shows footage which would feature right across the rest of the full length film and I believe that by showing an audience previews of action from the whole film will keep the audiences attention and keep them asking questions, especially when the climax and finale of the film is shown without any real explanation to answer why what happens, happens.
Although with the option to work in a group throughout planning, I planned, produced, directed, filmed and edited my sequence as an individual, with the help of actors to play the characters in the sequence.
(All evidence of planning and preparation can be found on my blog, jennifilmstudies.blogspot.co.uk.)
(NOTE: Antagonist - Tristy, Protagonist - The Gang)


I set myself four main aims when planning my film, which are as follows:

1. Using my understanding of the Social Realist drama genre, I will use the conventions to create a shocking and emotional sequence that will leave an imprint on audiences after seeing the sequence.
2. To create a relatable protagonist character (Tristy) that the audience can warm to so that at the climax of the sequence the audience will be sitting on the edge of their seats due to the bond that I hope to create between the audience and the character.
3. In the same effect as aim number two, the audience should feel how Tristy feels towards the gang at all times. E.g. When she is betrayed by the gang, the audience should feel betrayed by the gang.
4. To create a sequence suitable for a mainstream audience.

My first aim drives the other aims to be achievable and without the first aim being achieved to some extent, I believe that the other aims are unachievable. This is because a social realist drama is based on shock value which is created by true-to-life characters, mise-en-scene, cinematography or narrative that the audience will relate to. To the same effect the shocking cinema element of Social Realist Drama genre is also a distinct convention from the Drama genre however, this genre consists of disruptions in the narrative that are unrealistic in comparison to real life events unlike social realist dramas. Films that have the drama genre usually feature true-to-life characters in, usually unrealistic, situations which are shocking and the narrative will be based on a fight/development morally, emotionally etc. that an individual or small/large groups have to struggle with. The plot will be based on how they arise better from the situation, examples of such films are ‘The Day After Tomorrow‘ and ‘Independence Day‘ which are apocalyptic blockbuster Science Fiction dramas that feature both character development and the planet’s struggle against the threat of life on earth, and although the narrative is unrealistic, the characters and decisions they make are plausible so the audience can relate to the characters rather than relating to the apocalyptic events themselves.
 A social realist drama still follows the same drama conventions however, themes in narrative and disruptions will be much less significant and will only effect small groups of characters rather than, for example, the whole planet. The Social Realist drama features convincing battles in realistic characters lives such as relevant political issues, crime, drugs issues etc. and will be closer to home for an audience compared to some Drama films. A social realist drama tends to be very documentary-like in the cinematography, the hand-held camera is used frequently throughout scenes especially when a dramatic event has happened and the audience becomes part of the action which is achieved by using many eye-level angles, continuous shots and some over shoulder shots, these types of camera work and edits allow the audience to feel part of the action rather than just a spectator from afar or an audience member. Social realist dramas are effective when it comes to creating shock and making an audience uncomfortable because of the realistic characters, mise-en-scene, narrative, and the in-action edits and shots used to create documentary style footage. If an audience is engrossed in a piece of cinema and believes in the characters or narrative of the film, the shock and drama of the film will be more effective and will evoke the directors desired response. It is this response I wanted to see in those who watch my film, to find themselves rooting for the protagonist and wishing that her inevitable fate may not happen.
The cinematography of my sequence a vital part of getting the right spectator response. The POV shots in my sequence allows the audience to understand the reasons behind the protagonists desperation. POV shots become the up most importance as I wanted to use montage as a technique to show that the protagonist is almost walking back through time as she makes the choice to end her life, so in effect similar to her life ‘flashing before her eyes‘. The POV shots which are shown are specifically focusing on what the audience will assume are Tristy‘s social group, and this will then provide possible reasoning behind why she is making the decision to end her life. A key scene in my film is after Tristy leaves her own house to go to a venue in which a significant party had taken place in her past, when the gang were part of her life. The idea of her walking through the house and observing her surroundings, remembering episodes from the party, linked with the montages of POV shots of walking around socialising and drinking at a party represent the idea of her ‘walking through her past’. I used match on action shots in the film and graphic matches when editing so that the POV/flashback shots can be associated, without confusing the audience, with the present shots. To reiterate that the POV shots and flashbacks are in the past, I lowered the colour saturation in the footage to almost gray scale, but the colour red can still be identified in these shots to show that there is danger and negativity in Tristy’s past. The use of red is a significant part of mise-en-scene and film language in film when suggesting danger and negativity.
In my sequence, after a montage of memories, Tristy leaves the venue abruptly to then be seen walking to a cold seaside setting which shows she had made her decision. Preferably, a higher exposure and a high saturation of colour would have been ideal on the footage which is set in present time as the contrast of the effects edited on the past/present would reiterate the oppression Tristy felt when with the gang however, I had to film most of the outdoor (present time) shots during unanticipated weather conditions and therefore, this created a very dark and grey filter on the footage which is similar to the colour editing on the flashbacks meaning a definite contrast is not achieved how I planned. Despite this minor set-back I found that the cold and dismal conditions reflected how Tristy felt at that point in the sequence. Rainy conditions and dull mise-en-scene are some themes which are used to reflect depression and negativity in a film plot, and although these conditions became an effective addition to the mise-en-scene in my sequence, I hadn’t planned to use the weather as a device to portray a sense of desperation because the climate is something I cannot control.

In order to gather spectator feed back I provided questionnaires to people of a slightly a varied age to be completed during and after watching the film. The original feedback questionnaires were filled in by three people aged seventeen and eighteen and consisted of one male and two females. After they had watched the film and I studied their feedback and I realised the questions I had given were not quite suitable to help me come to a conclusion whether I fulfilled my aims as they were too vague and most of the questions were not relevant to my aims. I therefore recreated a new and slightly longer questionnaire which consisted of some vague questions based around spectatorship but I also included a number of questions specifically to relating to my aims.
The outcome of my questionnaires in relation to the effectiveness of cinematography and conventions of the Social Realist Drama showed that the techniques I used were effective in creating shock and emotion as a majority of the audience said they felt sad, emotional and sorry for the protagonist, and one spectator mentioned to me that the sequence almost made her cry due to the techniques I had used in my film to create emotion. In addition to the emotion evoked in my audience, many of them did mention that they noticed the cinematography used in the sequence however, all failed to make the link between the emotion and the cinematography so I can only assume that I have not achieved my first aim to the extend that I intended. This is because I aimed to use the conventions from the Social Realist Drama genre to evoke emotion and a key convention in the genre is the cinematography. I could assume that the editing was only subtle in evoking emotion and creating certain effects which could help add to what a spectator may feel whilst watching a clip as noticing the cinematography too much could draw attention away from the plot however, I was hoping this would have been picked up by an audience member to prove the effect the cinematography had on achieving my aim but because this evidence doesn’t exist I can conclude that I have only achieved my first aim to a point of creating the effect I wanted by using the social realist drama conventions however, the narrative and characters must have been a large contribute to this rather than the cinematography although, I cannot deny that many of my audience commented on how much they enjoyed the use of montage, POV and how the sound track linked perfectly to the footage and edits. I have achieved my first aim however, I would have liked to come to this conclusion based on more evidence.

My second aim was to make the protagonist realistic and appealing for the audience to relate to her and to feel how she does. Unfortunately, the audience feedback mainly focused on their confusion of who the protagonist was and why she found herself in such a state of helplessness. One person commented that they believed some viewers may not understand what is going on without the background knowledge she had been given about the narrative and characters pre-viewing the film and this comment reflected throughout the feedback. Many people stated that they were confused as to what was going on until the climax of the sequence and when asked to explain what they understood about the film, they had a completely different perspective of who the gang where, what effect they had on the protagonist and why she killed herself. Many thought the protagonist killed herself out of grief due to the loss of her friends (the gang in the film) and many suggested showing more shots of the gang being nasty to the protagonist rather than the protagonist merely stood observing them would allow better understanding. However, some feedback did mention that the use of cinematography (mainly in the edits) helping push the narrative and allow the audience relate with the protagonist and feel the sorrow she did, even if they were confused about some of the reasons behind events in the film. Although this confusion may seem negative and may reflect badly on my sequence, I believe that the fact that there was some misunderstandings about the characters and narrative upon reflection is irrelevant as the audience enjoyed many aspects of the sequence and generally all round enjoyed viewing my sequence. Many stated that the film could stand on it’s own with individual interpretations without it being a weakness.
I believe that despite the misunderstanding of the narrative and the relationship of the gang and the protagonist is irrelevant, and when gathering the statistics from the questionnaires it is clear that spectators did relate with the protagonist well and feel she was a realistic and effective character to the audience.

Unfortunately, a relationship between the gang and the protagonist was not built as desired and therefore, my third aim was not achieved. With the confusion in the audience of the narrative, the audience is unable to feel the spite they should have felt when the protagonist died, but instead may have related to the gang or felt nothing at all as most believed the gang were not bad people due to the way I had failed to portray the gang correctly. No one mentioned any emotion or key opinions evoked about gang apart from the commonly used phrase “Typical Teenagers”. They felt that the protagonist was an outcast and a loner who wouldn’t join in rather than the intended message of the gang pushing her out or luring her into a world of destruction. This misinterpretation of characters, and character relationship, meant the audience couldn’t relate to how Tristy is feeling towards the gang before her death. So although the audience felt sorrow towards the gang, they also felt this towards the gang do to the assumption something had happened to them.

A mainstream audience is an audience between the ages of 15-25 and many films created are aimed at this audience. This is because audiences of this age regularly attend cinema and are open to new film, whether it be blockbuster or niche films. My film was aimed at the younger bracket of the mainstream audience (15-19) as the realistic characters and simple plot were based on popular TV themes (such as abuse, fast lifestyles, working class people etc.) which are also aimed at teenagers. My audience gave my sequence (if turned into a feature length film) the 15 classification but some mentioned that a 12 classification would be more appropriate for the sequence due to the lack of inappropriate material. I believe that either classification would still fit my film into the mainstream category as it would be suitable for 15-19 year olds. It was clear from my audience feedback forms which age groups enjoyed different aspects of my sequence. Generally those aged 17-18 enjoyed the narrative, characters and the way it was presented, however those aged 20+ enjoyed the sequence for the way it the footage was presented and the way it was edited, rather than the narrative or the characters as it was clear that the film was too young for them.

Overall I am please with the final cut of my sequence. I believe that the edits really make the film effective as title sequence and audience feedback showed that the majority would carry on watching the film if it was created. This means that I have achieved an aim that I set myself to create an effective sequence, and therefore I am over-joyed with the successfulness of my sequence. If I could change anything I would have given myself much more time in editing my sequence so I could re-shoot and make sure there is no confusion of who the gang are and why Tristy commits suicide by adding shots of Tristy being bullied by the gang and having a hard time. But putting this aside I am confident that I created an effective sequence and achieved the more important aims I had set myself.

Word Count: 2655

MISS FITTED film technique statistics (Incl. Film Edits, Shots, Camera Movement and Camera Angle).

Whilst planning my evaluation I found that gathering different techniques that I've used in the filming and editing process of creating MISS FITTED very helpful in understanding what effects certain techniques create and how important specific edits/camera work may be in creating the different effects over others. Gathering these statistics also help me reflect on techniques which may have been a more effective option if I had the ability to re-film some footage.

Shots - No. Of Times Used

Extreme Wide Shot: 1

Very WS: 2

WS: 11

Mid Shot: 8

Medium Close-up: 9

Close-up: 1

Extreme Close-up: 2

Cut Away: 1

Cut in: 2

Two Shot: 0

Over Shoulder Shot: 2

Noddy Shot: 0 

POV Shot: 27

Weather Shot: 0

Shot(s) Not used: Weather Shot, Two Shot, Noddy Shot.

Shot(s) Used the most: POV Shot (27)

Shot(s)Used the least: Extreme Shot (1), Cut Away (1), Close-up (1)

Camera Movement - No. Of Times Used

Crab (Tracking): 6

Dolly (Tracking): 0

Follow: 1

Pan: 0

Pedestal: 0

Tilt: 0

Track: 0

Zoom: 0

Camera Movement(s) Not used: Dolly, Pan, Pedestal, Tilt, Track, Zoom.
Camera Movement(s) Used the most: Crab (6)

Camera Movement(s) Used the Least: Follow (1)

Camera Angle - No. Of Times Used

Eye Level: 62

High Angle: 4

Low Angle: 4

Birds Eye: 0

Dutch Tilt: 0

Camera Angle(s) Not used: Birds Eye, Dutch Tilt

Camera Angle(s) Used the most: Eye Level (62)

Camera Angle(s) Used the least: Birds Eye (4), Low Angle (4)

Film Edit - No. Of Times Used

Cut: 44

Continuity Editing: 11

Cross Cutting: 1

Dissolve: 0

Eye Line Match: 2

Fade: 27

Iris: 0

Jump Cut: 10

Match on Action: 19

Montage: 4

Sequence Shot: 0

Shot/Reverse Shot: 0

Wipe: 0

Jitter Effect: 3

Graphic Match: 7

Film Edit(s) Not used: Iris, Jump Cut, Sequence Shot, Shot/Reverse Shot, Wipe.

Film Edits(s) Used the Most: Cut (44), Fade (27)

Film Edits (s) Used the Least: Cross Cutting (1), Eyeline Match (2).

Summary

Using the glossary of film language terms, I managed to establish the main shots/edits/camera work that I could have possibly featured in my film from the glossary and made a tally, whilst watching the film, of each technique I had used.
When just looking at the 'most used' techniques from the four categories and a major trend is the used of the standard 'default' shots/edits/camera work which really portrays no obvious reason for use apart from the allow the narrative to continue seamlessly and smoothly. When it comes to the camera angles and camera movements, I believe that I did not need many more techniques other than Tracking and Eye Level angle unless I was trying to portray specific meaning in the film as I intended to use edits and the narrative and cinematography to push any messages/meaning to the audience. Therefore I've only used a still camera, only a small amount of tracking and mainly eye level angles.

Questionaire Result Statistics

Number of questionnaires filled out: 6 (3 original questionnaires + 3 improved questionnaires)


Age/gender of those who filled out questionnaire:
Male- 2
Female - 4


10-14 - 0
15-25 - 5
25+ - 1



1. Initial thoughts of how the film was presented:


Positive
Editing: 5
Cinematography: 6 
Characters: 3
Mise-en-scene: 3
Narrative: 4
Soundtrack/sound effects: 5
Other comments: Generally the term 'fitted together well' is used in most questionnaires relating to editing, the characters, the narrative and the soundtrack.


Negative
Editing: 0
Cinematography: 0
Characters: 0
Mise-en-scene: 0
Narrative: 0
Other comments: It seemed that without the editing done how it was, the narrative would have been hard to understand.




2. Did you find any part of the film hard to understand/follow (In the story line/how it was presented)?


Editing: 0
Cinematography: 0
Characters: 1
Mise-en-scene: 0
Narrative: 4
Other comments: One person commented that the narrative wasn't too confusing as the cinematography was effective in pushing the narrative. Generally those who watched the film were confused as to why the protagonist kills herself as the sequence is unclear (apart from that is it something to do with her friends).


2 a). If so, what would you change to make the film easier to understand/follow?


Editing: 2
Cinematography: 0
Characters: 4
Mise-en-scene: 0
Narrative: 4
Soundtrack: 0
Other Comments: It is clear that more shots of the main character looking sad BECAUSE of the gang would have made my sequence less confusing. Someone suggested showing the gang being mean to the protagonist would have made the narrative more clear (as most thought the reason for the protagonist killing herself was because she missed her friends for one reason or another).




3. (Old questionnaire) What are your likes/dislikes about the film?


Editing: 3
Cinematography: 1
Characters: 1
Mise-en-scene: 2
Narrative: 2
Soundtrack: 3
Other Comments: People said that a lot of the edits, footage and the soundtrack worked really well together
(No dislikes recorded)


3. (Improved Questionnaire) How effective is the soundtrack for the sequence and what effect do you believe it creates?


Summary of comments:
Questionnaire 1: Good effect, suitable for the sequence
2: Powerful emotional response, especially towards the end
3: Suites sequence perfectly, very effective (however cannot specify what effect), reminds him/her of other film sound tracks in the same genre.


4. (Old Questionnaire)
5. (Improved Questionnaire)
As this is only the title sequence to a film, would you carry on watching the film if it was feature length?


Yes: 6
No: 0
Other Comments: "the ending really encouraged me to want to watch more"
                            "the story line is good as not many films are out like this and it reflects our age + society"
                            "the film was really interesting"
                            "I would like to watch what happened before even though it may not be my sort of film"


4. (Improved Questionnaire) What emotions did you feel whilst watching the film?


Happy: 0
Excitement: 0
Sadness: 111
Pity: 11
Guilt: 0
Other comments: People commented only really commented on the pity and sadness they felt towards the protagonist but some people did mention that the editing and narrative helped provoke these emotions.




-END OF OLD QUESTIONNAIRE-


6. What did you feel towards the gang of people and the protagonist based on watching the sequence?


Questionnaire 1: Typical gang of youths/I feel sorry for her as she has no where to turn
2: Typical teenagers generally having a good time/main character seemed to not what to join in because she was unhappy
3. All good friends/She must have been left out by the gang in one way or another


7. Do you think the edits/cuts/camerawork/cinematography is effective in the sequence?


Yes: 3
No: 0
Other comments: "Camera work great"
                           "All worked well to create the effect of the film. The repeated clip bits were v.clever"


8. What film classification would you give the film:


U: 0
PG: 0
12: 1
12A: 0
15: 111
18: 0
R: 0
Other comments: "I'd only give it a 15 [rather than an 18] as the explicit content wasn't too bad"
                           "[15] maybe a 12 as I don't know if there would be any [explicits] in the full film"


9. Bearing the previous question in mind, what audience do you think the film is aimed at?


Babies (3 months - 6 years): 0
Children (7-11): 0
Young Teenagers (12-14): 2
Older teenagers (15-17): 3
Young Adults (18-25): 1
Adults (26-59): 0
Elderly (60+): 0
Other Comments: "Teenagers would be able to relate to the main character"
                            "It's a message/warning to teenagers"
                            "It isn't a blockbuster and it's certainly aimed at British teenagers like 'This Is England'"
                            "For both genders in the mainstream audience"


Sort summary of results:
Personally I believe, due to the results of the questionnaire, that those who watched my film did enjoy it. The older people that watched it did give the impression that they did enjoy the sequence but it isn't the sort of film they would pay to see as it isn't appealing for an older audience (even over the age of 20).
The footage/edits etc. seemed to be very effective in driving the narrative and the genre was very clear to the audience.
One problem people found is that the actual narrative was not clear in the sequence, and although it wasn't too confusing as everything ties together in the end, the audience had different interpretations of what was going on in the film. As a sequence on it's own I do believe the narrative is unclear HOWEVER this was partially intended as the sequence is the title sequence for an imaginary film and the intention is to give the wrong impression of the gang (as the sequence is a summary of the film in five minutes) and why Tristy kills herself so that the actual film could progress, shock and surprise audiences as they watch the narrative open up and become clear in front of their eyes, similar to a 'twist' as it is beyond the expectations of the audience. However, I have only created the title sequence and for the sake of the enjoyment of those who watch it without the explanation of the intended aim of the title sequence, the footage seems to slightly confuse the audience of why Tristy does kill herself and how it relates to the gang. If I could change this I would make the narrative much more clear so that the audience understands my intended narrative rather than their own slightly inaccurate interpretations of the film.
Over-all I feel that the audience did enjoy the sequence and reacted positively to almost every aspect of the sequence (which includes the narrative and actually noticing the edits in a positive way, because the edits are pretty much the only aspect of my film that I wanted to especially drive the narrative) which some audiences don't even take into account when watching other films.

Final Cut of Sequence FINISHED

This is the final cut of my film. I have added the 'car starting' sound effect into the start of my film and instead of what shot I planned to have (shot 10) at 00:00:32 - 00:00:34 I have inserted a cut I didn't intend to use from my hessle forshore shoot which was part of a 'Tristy contemplating' shot. I believe having the protagonist feature slightly eariler in the film will show the audience that part of what they are watching in the seuqence, beyond this shot, are flashbacks. Although this footage I did not intend on editing into this particular shot, I am happy with the effect it has created.

Audience feedback form improved

Almost completed sequence with soundtrack

This is an up-to-date and almost finished cut of my sequence. The only things I need to finish on my film is adding the sound effect of a car engine starting from 00:00:02 to 00:00:06, and I need to add shot 10 to the sequence (in which at the moment there is a black screen after title 'IN ASSOCIATION WITH WYKE COLLEGE' which then cuts to a party POV). Apart from these minor edits that need to be completed, my film is very nearly finished and I am happy with the standard it is at.

Audience feedback form

Update of filming and editing

With the exception of shot 10 and the engine sound effect from shots 1 and 2, I am at a point in which my film is completed and I believe it will help me achieve the grade I deserve.
One problem I've found with the editing process is how I have underestimated how long the sequence will be in comparison  to the sound track (Machine Gun - Portishead). Initally I predicted that my sequence will be 3:59, with the soundtrack being 4:45. My sequence being this short was a problem I knew I had to deal with when I edited my film but when I came to put the shots together, it was clear that I had under predicted how long the sequence will actually be. This is because many of the shots I preditcted to only be 3-4 seconds long actually turned out to be 6-8 seconds long. These extra seconds that I hadn't taken into account added up to make my overall sequence to be over 6 minutes long which created problems when fitting my soundtrack with my sequence. As a result of my mistake, I've had to cut down a lot of the scenes and even cut some shots (for example shots 3, 7, 8 and 26) that I had intended to use, however after editing my film to the length which I can add the sound track to, I find that my film is actually much more effective as all of the shots actually relate to pushing the narrative and messages that I wanted to come through for the audience when watching the sequence rather than having some shots in the sequence that wern't as effective or relevant as I first thought they would be.
But generally, I am happy with the sequence and I am currently getting audience feedback from people in my class and my peers. Soon I hope to get the film, as it is, on youtube so I may gather feedback from different audiences outside of college.

Second Day of filming Evaluation

5th February 2012


Today was the second day of filming. One huge problem I had to deal with is that on the 4th of February is that there was a downpour of snow which therefore prevented me from shooting a few of the shots I planned on shooting today. These shots included shots 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 30, 47, 48, 49 and 50. However I did manage to film all shots inside the party house (shots 38, 40, 41, 43, 44 and 46), some shot's which the settings were irrelevant to the shots (Shots 35, 36, 58 and 60) and I also filmed most of the outdoor shots which involve Tristy alone and a couple of shots which the gang features in (17a, 17b, 18a, 18b, 18c, 19, 20, 51, 52, 57 and 59). Working around the snow proved a challenge as I had to keep my actors happy and warm to create effective footage but luckily my actors, especially Chelsea, were happy to get involved with any acting and even behind the camera.
Another problem I faced with my filming today was I had to share my main actress with another student which delayed my filming schedule by an hour however this turned out to have no negative effect on any footage, quality or the attitudes of those all taking part.

Shots that were not on schedule to be filmed today are ready to be shot on Tuesday (7th Feb), most of these shots are inside however there are a few shots that need to be filmed outside and due to continuity I hope that the snow will still be visible (although melting) for filming or else the shots that were filmed today will need to be re-shot.

Indoor Shots 'Party House' - Setting Previews

These photographs are of the 'Party House' in the rooms where both the Flashbacks and Flash Forwards are filmed. In the flashbacks, the lights are dimmed and the house is filled with people, the house is colourful and exiting however, in the flash forwards the house is empty and dull which reflects the loneliness and helplessness that Tristy is feeling.

This is the 'drinks room' at the party. In this room, people are kissing, flirting and drinking. The idea of this room is 'purgatory' before opening the door at the opposite side of the room into what represents 'hell'. This reflects the idea of the gang, that they lead Tristy into a living hell in the narrative of the full film.





In the flash-forward, Tristy is not seen walking through this room but instead, walking towards it and out of it into the garage. This is because she had already chosen the gang as her life over her former life and had stepped straight into 'hell' because of this. However, there will be a flashback shot of the party in the 'purgatory' room before Tristy enters through the opposite door into the garage (filmed from inside the garage) which represents the transition.






   

Screen Play Complete including all scenes

New idea for end of sequence

After shot 61 (Title Screen: MISS FITTED) I have decided in order to portray going back in time and to show that the title screen is a flashforward. Straight after shot 61 all of the previous 60 of the previous shots (excluding Title Screens e.g. 'Prodced by...' etc) will be rewound back to shot 1 in a 2-5 second sequence as if travelling back in time. After this sequence shot 62 ("3 Months Earlier") will appear.
This will make it clear that, if I were to create the full feature-length film, that the title sequence is a flashforward and is actually the ending of the film rather than the introduction. This short 'rewind' sequence would then inform audiences that the start of the narrative will start 3-5 minutes into the film.

Anamatic Complete

Here is my completed Anamatic. I found putting the sound track along with the animistic proved helpful with allowing me to really see what my film will look like when it is complete. I am very happy with the way my sequence is looking currently and I can proceed with completing all of my film.

Problems with Anamatic

Unfortunately after scanning through all of my shots onto my laptop and completing creating my Anamatic on Window's Movie Maker, I click on the 'Publish Post' option in order to transfer it onto my blog but unfortunately Windows Movie Maker became unresponsive so therefore I have decided to proceed with my Anamatic at college on the editing suite

Each shot with no detail in order

Here is each shot in order so that we can see how each shot may flow into the next and refer to the shots so we may decide which different transitions work, if scenes or shots are in an effective order and how the sequence may flow.

Completed + updated story board

Here is my completed story board. Complete with all notes of shots to help me film. One problem I found with story boarding in particular are the shots after shot 52 as in that shot/scene Tristy will be looking around whilst every second a POV flashback will cut in for a second and Tristy will come back into shot and this will happen multiple times over about 20 seconds so if I drew every single one of the flashbacks as a shot in my storyboard it would be counter-productive so therefore I have used notes which will allow me to know what I need to film and edit when it comes round to that shot. Although it seem's complicated, in practice it won't be.

Final Draft of Screen Play including sound track choice etc.

First Day of Filming Evalutation

December 31st 2011

On the first day of filming I used a small hand-held camera. This is due to the fact that I was filming one of the POV shot's which appears in Scene 3 and also will appear in shots towards the end of the title sequence as  a montage of events.
I filmed the full gang having a party inside a garage. Character activities include chatting to the camera (Tristy), dancing, drinking, playing pool, interacting with each other in ways such as flirting and just generally a small gathering of young people.
I recorded approx. 30 mins. of footage, all of which was one continuous shot of Tristy walking around a party. I found problems with filming the footage as the party I was recording was actually a real new year's celebration party and those who were drinking were actually drinking alcohol and find it hard to remember they are acting as characters in a film and therefore actors are seen, instead of looking into the camera as if looking at a real person, they are looking at my face whilst I hold the camera (despite instruction to look into the camera lense when interacting with the camera) so what the audience will see on screen will be non of the characters looking directly at Tristy but instead are looking over her shoulder. This makes the POV less authentic and believable.
However there are some positives about filming an authentic party as actors are acting as natural as possible with a camera in presence as they are in a comfortable setting in which they have been in most weekends. Throughout the shots I filmed the characters get progressively more drunk which means that activities I wanted film, such as kissing and dancing, are much more realistic and authentic as opposed to setting up the camera and telling my actors to dance and act natural if they weren't actually at a party and where sober. I know this as I had to cut much of the initial footage of the beginning of party as most actors where sober and were camera-shy so when I asked people to act drunk, it was either too exaggerated to be believable or the actors were not willing to participate in acting the party effectively.

Non-diegetic sound track for Title Sequence

Portishead - Machine Gun

This is my initial idea of the soundtrack for my film. Portishead is a British band from Bristol and the song Machine Gun is used in various British Drama's such as 'Skins' the British series based around a group of teen's in college/6th form. Soundtracks from British films tend to be written/performed by British bands making Machine Gun a suitable soundtrack for my British Realty Drama. The sad repetitive beat and solemn and haunting voice of Beth Gibbons allows a dramatic title sequence and make's the audience feel differently to if the soundtrack was a trashy punk track or even a 80's disco dance track.
However, on one hand the soundtrack may not actually fit to the pace of the sequence as I am using quick shot's and most of these shots will show a group of young people enjoying themselves but, on the other hand the solemn slow pace of the song may contrast perfectly with the sequence showing that although something upbeat and fast paced is being shown, by using a slow repetitive and solemn sound track this could translate that something's are not as how they appear.

The lyrics of the soundtrack portray how the antagonist feels throughout the title sequence and the song would be a theme throughout the film also if the feature film was to be created. The lyrics go at follows:

"I saw a saviour
a saviour come my way
I thought I'd see it
in the cold light of day
but now I realise that I'm
Only for me

if only I could see
You turn myself to me
and recognise the poison in my heart
there is no other place
no one else I face
remedy, we'll agree, is how I feel
here in my reflecting
What more can I say?
for I am guilty
for the voice that I obey
too scared to sacrifice a choice
chosen for me

if only I could see
You turn myself to me
recognise the poison in my heart
there is no other place
no one else I face
The remedy, to agree, is how I feel"

The lyrics portray a realisation of loneliness and that only one final option is left (to take her own life). The reference of a saviour in the first verse represents the gang of misfits that take Tristy in as their own and as part of their group and when the line 'I’m only for me' shows that she has realised who they are.

After selecting this sound track I have come to find that ideas of edits are coming to mind when listening to the sound track and when I'm selecting different edits to try translate to the audience using only cinematography and certain video effects that 'something isn't quite right' in my sequence and that what the audience is being shown is not exactly what it may appear to be. One edit I am keen about using in the final cut of my film is multiple uses of a 'judder' in the video footage, only used in the flashback footage (which will also be saturated of most colour), so that the audience know that they are watch a film when a flashback is played. Also I hope this will show to the audience that something strange is happening to the main character and that her memory is distorted or damaged and 'juddering'. The sound track gave me this idea due to its harsh computerized drum/bass beats which makes up what would be a melody in the track, which sound like a judder, similar to a broken record or a CD skipping when it is unclear or damaged, which gives a really fantastic effect when the flashback footage is added to the sound track.
Generally, although I have my doubts about how the soundtrack will actually fit to the sequence and what messaged I would like an audience to gain from watching the sequence, general feedback from those who have watched the footage with the sound track so far seem to put across that the song is an ideal soundtrack for the title sequence.

Here is an example of the Soundtrack been used in the British Realist Drama. The editing, character and mise-en-scene are very similar to what I will be using in the film which gives be reassurance that Machine Gun will work well in my sequence.

Final Draft of Screen Play - Scenes 1 to 4

This is the final draft of my screen play, scenes 1 to 4 complete. I find them easy to follow, simple and quick to understand and they can be edited and changed without confusion. This allows me to move on with completing the rest of my production.