Storyboarding Process

Having now officially drafted my script (which will be posted once finalised) I have now started storyboarding for my short film. Having done this before for my coursework last year 'Black Sands' I have pretty good idea as to what I am doing. However, I did come across this interesting video which I thought was a lot of use:

The Silmarillion

[ Maedhros and Maglor (or perhaps Fingon) ]

Recently I bought 'The Silmarillion' which I have been dying to read after I read 'Lord of the Rings' when I was twelve. It is very intriguing with all the backstory to everything that happened to the elves starting at the beginning of time with the creation of Middle Earth by Iluvatar and then surging through the betrayal and the lifetime of the elves, the creation of Man and entire history of Middle Earth.

I took the book on holiday with me and by the time the week was out I was more than a third way through. It intrigued me as Tolkien took the idea of Light and Dark Elves from Norse Mythology and transformed the idea of being light and dark to elves that have seen the light and those that have not. In this way I suppose I saw a similarity between my ideas that are in 'Halfbreed' as the Woodland Queen is supposed to be seen as a Dark Elf having not accepted modern ways (as mentioned briefly in a previous post).

As you may know, I love the 'Lord of the Rings' series and a lot of inspiration for the style and design of the nymphs has come from the elves. I therefor began looking at elven cosplay for further inspiration for the nymphs ranging from their style to their mannerisms. Elves are known to be exceptionally graceful, one with nature and extremely intelligent. I wish to weave this into the fibres of the nymphs in my coursework.

[ Thingol ]

I'm still very interested in having the character of the Woodland Queen wear a crown or some form of headpiece. Therefor I began looking into the design of characters (via cosplay) such as Thingol, Feanor, the seven sons of Feanor (Maedhros, Maglor, Celegorm, Caranthir, Curufin, Amras and Amrod), and many other High Elves (Gil-Galad, Galadriel etc.). Some I discovered to have woven bands of metal similar to crowns (as seen in the picture above with Maedhros and Maglor) whilst others had branches (i.e. Thranduil) or even antlers (see picture to the right of Thingol). I noted that only characters of great importance or high ranking seem to wear these sort of headpieces such as Maedhros or Thingol whilst elves such as Tauriel in 'The Hobbit' films is never seen with any such headpiece and even Legolas is never seen with anything worn upon his brow until late in 'The Return of the King'. This made me think that having the Woodland Queen wear a headpiece was even more vital to her character's power.

[ Thranduil and the Queen of Mirkwood ]

After having done further research into the appearance of the elves as inspiration for the nymphs, I then decided to attempt to design the Woodland Queen's headpiece. I looked at numerous designs ranging from plain woven bands to nature based and more extravagant pieces (such as the ones to the left). I came to the conclusion that I wanted the Woodland Queen's crown to be made from rough twigs that exaggerate her nature based heritage and her dark nature. Having looked further into the design, I decided that that I would like to create a Thranduil-like style headpiece that seems jagged and perhaps even darker and creepier than that worn by Thranduil in 'The Hobbit' films.

Audience Expectations

Recently, I asked members of my target audience what they expect or would like to have included in my short film, 'Halfbreed'. I asked them the following questions:

- Would you expect a female villain in a fantasy genre short film?

- What do you stereotypically think of about a fantasy villain?

- What would you expect from the hero of a fantasy film?

- Would expect the film to have an anti-hero?

- Does it concern you that I am not planning on using elements of magic in my short film?

Would you expect a female villain in a fantasy genre short film?
In regards to the results of this question I got an answer which was 50/50. Half of the members of my target audience answered that they did not expect to see a female villain in a fantasy film, although one stated that even though they did not expect to see a female villain in a fantasy film it is a new concept that is used in modern day films and it would be an interesting addition to a fantasy film. On the other side, some mentioned that female villains are already part of the fantasy film culture such as the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz and the White Queen (aka Jadis) in the Chronicles of Narnia. Another mentioned that female villains or dark characters are definitely part of fantasy films, mentioning that evil queens and strict female rulers are in many fantasy films. However, they did later mention that most female villains use their sex to do it or to get away with it, such as the Red Woman from the HBO television series Game of Thrones.

What do you stereotypically think of about a fantasy villain?
In regards to a stereotypical fantasy villain many of the answers were very similar. My target audience told me that they would expect an evil wizard, a demon, or an evil orc king (alike to Sauron/Mairon in Lord of the Rings) that wants to rule them all. One stated that she expected a villains with a "really dark, painful or cruel backstory" and another just plainly stated that the villain would be "green" - whether that's in reference to their ruling ability or the fact that they might actually be green. Interestingly it was also mentioned by another that to stereotypically expect something from a fantasy villain depends on their gender. She stated that normally a female villain is regarded as "sexy" and usually uses weapons such as poisons such as the Seele Queen in The Mortal Instruments. However, when she compared it to a male villain she stated that he would be an "evil psychopath" usually with a "master plan and the belief that he infallible".

What would you expect from the hero of a fantasy film?
Again the answers were pretty predictable for a fantasy hero. Some suggest a prince or connection to royalty who makes wrong decisions and learns from his mistakes or a nobody, someone who's pretty useless who happens to stumbled into an adventure (Frodo from Lord of the Rings for instance). But one of my target audience also went very deep into this answer, stating that she expected a white male hero aged between 15 and 30 who uses his authority of being a white male to overcome a "creepy psychopath" before the hero defeats villains and rides valiantly away, or is rewarded by the woman.

Would you expect the film to have an anti-hero?
Similar to the first question I asked my target audience, this question got a 50/50 response. Half answered that they would not expect an anti-hero in a fantasy film but were "willing to see a film with one" and another said that "it would be different". Others were more borderline saying that they might expect to see an anti-hero in films with it becoming a more interesting aspect of modern films such as Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy. Whilst others clearly stated that if there was an anti-hero in the film then that person would have the role as the traitor or a deus ex machina. 

Does it concern you that I am not planning on using elements of magic in my short film?
One of my target audience answered this question in stating that they were "not entirely" concerned that the film would not contain elements of magic. They stated that they liked how the film will be in the fantasy genre and that it "doesn't have the full magical element" which normally overpowers films whilst another stated that magic was implied by using the nymphs as they are mythical creatures. The rest of my target audience answered that not using elements of magic did not concern them at all, with one stating that "not all fantasy is about magic".

An Insight Into Nymphs

This idea of the nymphs being part of my short film was not only taken from my love of the elves in Tolkien's novels but also from the Greek Mythology of the nymphs.

Different from the goddesses in Greek Mythology, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who control and shape nature, bound to one particular place. Interestingly the Ancient Greek belief in nymphs survived in many parts of Greece into the early years of the twentieth century. This had a large impact on the development of my story due to the perhaps lingering belief in such stories.

Nymphs are supposedly meant to isolate themselves from human interaction but were known to encounter lone travellers or be seen dancing or bathing in a stream or pool. The nymphs seemingly had mystical abilities with some being known to appear in a whirlwind. An encounter with a nymph for humans was also considered dangerous as it could bring dumbness, besotted infatuation, madness or stroke. Nymphs were also believed to kidnap children which can be seen in other mythology as the job of fairies or pixies.

However, nymphs are most commonly thought of as water spirits. This therefor led me to look into more detail at dryads which are woodland spirits or woodland nymphs. The word "dryad" comes from the word "drys" meaning oak and dryads are specifically associated with being the nymphs of oak trees. The oak is associated as the tree of England and therefor fits in well with my coursework being set in England. They were considered to be very shy creatures, except around the goddess Artemis.

There are very little modern interpretations of dryads in fiction or in filmography aside from their role in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' where they are seen various parts of the story by Lucy Pevensie.

Flashbacks

I am interested in using the aspect of flashbacks during some of the scenes - especially when Melodie and Sienna are imprisoned.

One particular flashback I would like to focus on is the punishment of Melodie and Sienna's father. This would preferably occur during Melodie's monologue:

"And what has my family ever done for me! They abandoned me to rot in the forest, framed as a traitor and spy after our father left for the modern world. Do you really think that because we share the same blood that I should have felt something? I don’t even know you. I was unaware of your existence until the Woodland Queen spoke to me of you and issued me to track you down...Our father defied her rule and she tortured him. He escaped and she doesn’t know how. She’s been trying to get me to tell for years. I have no idea what he did. He left before I could talk, leaving my mother to raise me on her own. "

I would like to present Melodie and Sienna's father (aka the Darkened One) as a cloaked figure as neither Melodie or Sienna knew their father and he is therefor a mystery to both of them. However, similar to the image of the dark nymph above, I would like the audience to be able to see his hands which I am planning to be covered in blood.

Another possible flashback I am considering is one during the last scene when Melodie kills the Woodland Queen. However I am not quite sure this would work with the flashback on the screen. Instead I think it would be very effective if Melodie hears her mother's begging and pleading voice in the background whilst she stands above the Woodland Queen. I also think it would be very effective to have the voices stop as soon as the Woodland Queen is dead.

Studying Elven Portrayals - Tolkien

One of the most famous portrayals of elves is in the film adaptations of Tolkien's novels varying from 'The Hobbit" trilogy to the 'Lord of The Rings' trilogy. Therefore, when I started to design the characters of the nymphs, I immediately had a look at the best place to start: Peter Jackson's interpretation. Again some elements which I think I can see in the Woodland Queen have possibly come from the Elvenking, Thranduil. She is bitter and has actually pulled her own people away from the world. I also really like all the different types of concept art and interpretations in the art provided throughout the clip. This hopefully should help me design the nymphs as a species on their own and also help me cast the actresses for the roles.

I think it was very interesting in designing the attitudes of the characters. Although this is part of finding an actor who can get into the personality of the character, I think this is also very important for the basis of character design in the fantasy genre. Another element which I love that I have already mentioned in my blog is the aspect of Thranduil's crown. I like the idea of having the Woodland Queen wearing a crown that highlights her superiority as well as cruel nature. This could possibly take inspiration from two of the most famous crowns/helmets in the interpretations of Tolkien's novels: Sauron's spiky helmet and Thranduil's branch root-like crown.

After having looked at Thranduil and Legolas, I decided to look at the other elf from 'The Hobbit' called Tauriel, who stimulated the love triangle in the film between Legolas, Tauriel and the dwarf, Kili.

I am aiming to follow Tolkien's ideas of developing a race of almost super-human creatures as the nymphs (taking inspiration from Tolkien's elves instead of the small elves and fairies that has become part of children's literature). I believe this might add more a sense of realism to the characters as well as perhaps a creepy element to them as they are more human-like and increasingly more powerful. The interesting ideas of Tolkien towards the Light Elves and Dark Elves will also hopefully be seen in the portrayal of the nymphs in 'Halfbreed', differing between the characters of the Woodland Queen with her bitter and manipulative personality and Melodie with her obedient and perhaps earthy personality. I also took a lot of inspiration from this video extract for the strong female characters and the develop of nature of the nymphs.

Studying Elven Portrayals - Nuada

For inspiration to design the characters of the nymphs in 'Halfbreed' I have been taking a lot of inspiration from the fantasy species of elves.

I firstly looked at the portrayal of Prince Nuada from the film 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'. I took a lot of inspiration for my cosplay at comic-con this year from the representation of Nuada and hoped that perhaps I could take some from him for my coursework this year as well. Although the only elves met in the short film are female I like the idea of adding a surreal darkness to the Woodland Queen. Alike to Nuada she has a dislike towards humanity and similarly isn't the kindest soul either. I think it would be very interesting to experiment with dark makeup for the Woodland Queen, especially around her eyes and lips.

Background Info

If you have read my previous blog on my coursework for my short film opening 'Black Sands', then you will probably know that I tend to write a long backstory to go with the entire plot of the short film I am about to produce. This is the background info for the plot line of 'Halfbreed'.

The background information surrounding the plot revolves around the characters of Melodie and Sienna. The nymphs or woodland folk are led by a single line of royal blood taking it's roots all the way to the first ever woodland folk. After the passing of the Woodland King his crown fell to his eldest heir and only son, Melodie and Sienna's father. However, he broke the woodland law after he fell in love with a mortal woman. He was framed as a traitor by his own people and his younger sister became the Woodland Queen. She punished her brother brutally until he escaped, enraging his sister. In attempt to punish her brother further, the Woodland Queen took her niece, Melodie as her prisoner when Melodie was still a child. She punished Melodie until the girl obeyed her every command and Melodie's mother attempted to escape and find Melodie's father. Also framed as a traitor, Melodie's mother was executed on the spot in front of Melodie herself.

In the mortal world, Melodie's father married a mortal woman who bore him another daughter named Sienna. The two sister's existed without ever knowing of the other's existence but when Sienna turned nine their father was murdered by the Woodland Queen's men who learnt of Sienna's existence and set about the path of destruction when it resulted with the Woodland Queen sending Melodie to capture Sienna years later.

My Finalised Idea

Recently I have been debating some different plot lines for my media coursework this year for my short film from the fantasy genre. I have gone through a large amount of different plot lines before my final decision ranging from the point of view of a villainous character, a futuristic fantasy and a possible steampunk storyline as well.

Finally I came to my own plot line. I decided that my previous idea was too ambitious with a large cast and therefor decided to cut down on both cast numbers and the length of the short film in general. I occasionally read modern fantasy novels as well as watch films of the same genre. This aided my inspiration as well as some fantasy and historic films such as Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and Vikings. I also went outside my chosen genre and looked at my inspiration for my previous coursework which took ideas from the television series 'The 100'.

The plot to my short film for my coursework came down to this:

'A teenage girl, Sienna is on the run from her own kind and is captured by a nymph called Melodie who — in turn for her own freedom — must hand in Sienna as an offering to the people of the forest. The Woodland Queen accepts Sienna before returning Melodie to imprisonment, resulting in the two girls escaping.'

Typical Fantasy Synopsis

Stardust

When the dying king of Stormhold throws a ruby into the sky - stating that his successor will be the one who recovers it - the gem hits a star causing them both to fall to Earth. When Tristan sees the star
fall he vows to get it for Victoria who he intends to marry only to find that the star is in fact personified as a woman named Yvaine. Having seen the star fall, three witches search for Yvaine in order to eat her heart to recover their youth. In order to save Yvaine's life, Tristan fights the last remaining witch, Lamia and Yvaine's love for Tristan incinerates Lamia. Tristan is crowned King of Stormhold after discovering his mother is the long-lost princess of Stormhold, Una.

Hellboy: The Golden Army

Prince Nuada went into self-exile after his father destroyed the crown piece that controlled the Golden Army. In the present, Nuada collects the first piece of the crown from an auction in New York, killing everyone at the site by unleashing tooth fairies, and kills his father for the second piece. When his twin sister, Princess Nuala escapes with the final crown piece she hides out at the BPRD
where she meets Agents Hellboy, Liz and Abe Sapien. Nuada tracks down his sister and Nuala hides the final crown piece in one of the Abe's books before Nuada critically wounds Hellboy and kidnaps Nuala, promising her in exchange for the crown piece after realising Abe is in love with Nuala.  The agents travel to Northern Ireland where the Golden Army is situated and Hellboy, having been healed by an Angel of Death, challenges Nuada for the crown as the army awakens who is forced to accept, since Hellboy's father was a Prince of Sheol, the Fallen One, a member of Hell's royal family. Nuala commits suicide to stop her brother due to their mental connection and dies in Abe's arms

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Clary Fray witnesses the death of a man in a nightclub only to discover that no one else can see the murderer. Clary returns home and finds her mother is missing and is attacked by a demon lurking in the house before the murderer, Jace Wayland kills it, revealing that he is a Shadowhunter (half-human half-angel warriors). Learning that the men who took her mother are after the Mortal Cup, Clary meets Shadowhunter siblings Isabelle and Alec Lightwood who help her, Jace and her best friend, Simon hunt down Valentine Morgernstern, a traitor and ex-Shadowhunter. When they meet Magnus Bane in order to restore Clary's memories of the Shadowhunter world, Simon is kidnapped by vampires and the others go after him before being aided by a pack of werewolves. Jace and Clary begin a romantic relationship just before Simon confesses his love for Clary. When the New York Institute falls under attack by demons, Clary and Jace meet Valentine and fight him before he claims that they are both his children leading to Clary pushing Valentine through a portal in the library of the Institute.

The Last Witch Hunter
800 years ago, Kaulder was cursed with eternal life by killing the Queen of the witches. In the present day, he prevents a teenage witch from unintentionally destroying an airplane, working as a witch
hunter for an organization called the Axe and Cross, which aims to keep the truce between humans and witches and either executes or imprisons the witches who break the law. When the priest he works with called Dolan 36 is supposedly killed, Kaulder goes to a witch bar, owned by Chloe and Miranda, to buy a memory spell to help him remember how he died and came back. Chloe eventually agrees to give the spell. During the process of reliving Kaulder's memory, the bar is attacked by Ketola, the witch that cursed 36. He later attacks Chloe at her apartment, though Kaulder saves her. After Miranda is killed by Ketola, Chloe agrees to help Kaulder get what he needs to kill him. Chloe reveals herself to be a dream-walker and frees his mind and the pair escape. They discover that though the Queen's body burned to ash, Kaulder's then Dolan decided to spare her heart in order to save Kaulder from the related pain, meaning that his immortality is tied to the Queen's heart, and if it were to die so would he therefore realising that Ketola's real plan is to revive the Queen. When the Queen escapes into the city after Kaulder kills Ketola, the members of the Witch Council, which is holding the Witches' Prison, are killed and the Queen plans to enact another plague curse using the prisoners as a magical power source. Kuala throws his sword into the Queen, burning her to ash and prepares to kill both the Queen's heart and him; but Chloe dissuades him, promising to stay by his side.


Having looked at all four films I noticed particular elements which seem to reoccur:

- awkward sibling relationships (Jace and Clary, Nuala and Nuada)
- betrayal (Valentine, Nuala/Nuada)
- kidnapping (Simon, Nuala, Yvaine, Una, Dolan 36)

These three elements I plan to be key in my short film: 'Halfbreed'

Main Coursework Introduction

I am now starting to plan for my main piece of coursework for this year. I have decided to do a fantasy short film which I have called 'Halfbreed'. I have almost finished working on the plot and will be posting it shortly.

Preliminary Task Essay

Whilst doing my preliminary task I learnt new skills that I will be able to use later on in my main task of creating a short film. The skills I learnt fall into the categories of pre-production, production and post-production which I will later look at once I have finished my short film and am evaluating my short film and ancillary tasks.


Pre-Production

In order to create my short film I searched for short films that were part of the fantasy genre. I noticed that most short films in the fantasy genre are around half an hour long which is a lot longer than what I am expected to make. I therefore decided to instead take an extract from a fantasy film called 'Hellboy: The Golden Army' which I had recently watched. I was still unsure whether to create a modern fantasy film such as 'The Last Witch Hunter' and 'Hellboy: The Golden Army' or one that is a stereotypical medieval fantasy film such as 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Game of Thrones' and by choosing the extract from 'Hellboy: The Golden Army' I hoped it would help me decide. In regards to this I decided to not focus on the actors I chose as long as I could decide whether I would like to make a short film set in the modern day or attempt to create a medieval filmic universe.

The clip was an extract during which the protagonist Hellboy talks to a new recruit to BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence) and storyboarding was fairly straightforward as it was mainly conversation meaning a lot of over the shoulder shots. Knowing that I had to use a location that had lockers I chose to use the lockers in the sixth form block however I discovered that getting my actors into character was difficult as well as trying to film in an awkward location standing on the stairs to try and film some of it. I decided to use the dialogue from the original clip and found that lip-synching was increasingly difficult even once the actors knew the script. I did it very last minute and learnt that I'd need a lot more preparation to get everything together that I might need to avoid any mistakes or anything going wrong.


Production

During the production process I only filmed each shot once which was not enough as there were small slip ups and I could have structured the shots better. This made me realise that I would have to film each shot the whole way through before repeating it at a different angle until I was happy with it. I knew that I would have to do this when it came to my short film because I was not as happy as I would have liked to be with the preliminary task.

Post-Production
Editing my preliminary task became brief and difficult as I was not happy with the footage I had. This made me realise that I must make sure that I am happy with the shots before finishing filming and that instead of apologising to my actors each time I ask them to do it again or to do it slightly that I should become the director and get what I need done, creating the finished product that I've imagined.

Preliminary Task

In preparation for my second piece of coursework, I filmed my preliminary task yesterday. I chose to film an extract from the fantasy film 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'. I'm not very pleased with how this turned out as I didn't hold the shots long enough. I also encountered some issues with the extract itself and I think I should have chosen a different clip where you could see the two characters talking or actually leave them both without lines. 

Preliminary Task Planning

As I am doing a fantasy film I have chosen to film a short extract from the film 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'. This has been storyboarded and I will be filming this hopefully tomorrow.

[storyboard images]

Game of Thrones || Hunt You Down (S6 Spoilers)

Again, I have been experimenting with new forms of editing movie clips. In this piece I decided to try and surround the movement of the clips themselves towards the beat of the music I used (Hunt You Down by the Hit House ft. Ruby Friedman). I would like the soundtrack that I chose for my short film to match the action of my film and therefor have been experimenting with this sort of technique in editing.

Nine-Frame Analysis Comparison

When comparing the films 'Honorbound' and 'Ranger' I noticed that begin with an establishing shot that is followed by a narration by the protagonist. The start of both films also use a lot of close-ups and shots that follow the characters on some form of journey. A common element in fantasy films is the notion of going on a quest which was also included in both films. Both films also include mysterious figures such as the dark shaman in 'Honorbound' and the elvish woman dancing in the forest in 'Ranger'.

These results led me to the decision that my film will probably involve a quest or a journey of self-discovery (such as what Ranger goes on in 'Ranger') and that I should use elements of mystery in regards to the characters. I also really like the idea of starting with a narration from the protagonist or an important character.

Nine-Frame Analysis - Ranger

Watch the film here.

The next short film I looked at was the film 'Ranger' which was inspired by the original story by J.R.R.Tolkien called Beren and Luthien (which can be found in The Silmarillion). As this was inspired by a piece of fiction by one of the most famous fantasy authors I was not let down when examining the content of this fantasy film.

The first shot similarly to the one in 'Honorbound' sets the scene in a hilly and stereotypical mystical, 'far-over-the-misty-mountains' sort of place (likely filmed in the UK or somewhere like New Zealand) whilst at the same time giving the audience a voiceover which introduces the audience to the protagonist named Ranger. The shot of having Ranger in the landscape suggests that the protagonist might be designed to appear as a mystery himself and it makes the audience feel that his character is distanced and perhaps more difficult to identify with.

The second shot introduces us as the audience to the character of the elvish woman who Ranger falls in love with. The camera focusing only on Ranger instead of the elvish woman makes the audience realise that she will play a key role in the film. This is later seen in the third shot when Ranger is shown leaving her to go on a quest in order to obtain her hand in marriage as a challenge set by the elvish woman's father. This wide shot introduces the audience to the disruption in the plot and lets the audience understand not only the elvish woman's regret for having to bid Ranger farewell but we also understand that the quest is important for Ranger so that he can return for her.

In the fourth shot the audience return to being part of the action when Ranger encounters an orc on his quest. The over the shoulder shot prepares the reader for the threatening dialogue between the characters and also establishes the method Ranger will use in order to take the gem from the dragon. The later close up shot (five) of Ranger holding the jewel lets the audience know that the jewel is what Ranger's quest was all about and that it has almost ended. 

The stereotypical characterisation of the damsel in distress can be seen in shot six as Ranger's love interest as the elvish woman waits with her father. The close up again lets the audience understand the emotions of both characters as well as making the audience realise that the father also has hidden antagonistic qualities.

In the seventh shot Ranger returns as the hero after having been shot, followed by a battle between Ranger and the dragon. The close up of Ranger holding the jewel and the angle used makes the audience feel as though they are watching that action alongside Ranger's love interest which is later changed to Ranger's point of view as seen in the eighth shot when the camera looks down at the corpse of the dragon.

The ninth shot the audience is shown that all has been successful with Ranger gaining the elvish woman's hand in marriage and being accepted by her father as well as surviving loosing his hand in the battle against the dragon.

Nine-Frame Analysis - Honorbound

Watch the film here.

I firstly looked at the short film 'Honorbound' which has a Scandinavian and viking theme to the entire plot, including a dark shaman which is very mystical and fits nicely with my chosen genre.

The first shot sets the scene, giving the audience a voiceover from the point of view of the protagonist and narrator. The dark beginning has the audience curious as to what is going on and is also mildly sinister and creepy when the camera finally shows the narrator's face with blank black eyes. The close ups of the the candles suggest an escape from darkness which could hint to the narrator's suffering after the events that follow in his account of the mysterious traveller and the shots of tomes that the narrator is flicking through makes the audience understand that he is searching for something.

The second shot introduces us as the audience to the figure mentioned in the introduction but also to the narrator in their youth. This helps the audience establish who the protagonist is and makes them feel like they are part of the journey with the protagonist. The wide shot of snow and mountains also sets the scene for where the film is set in a Scandinavian inspired country.

The third shot is part of a sequence of multiple shots portraying the protagonist travelling with a cloaked figure which further sets the scene for the film. The figure remains a mystery even though we as the audience are made to realise that he is significant. This also makes the audience become part of the action, travelling with the protagonist and sharing the same feelings towards the cloaked figure.

In the fourth shot we finally see the face of the cloaked figure, although his eyes are still obscured by his hood. This is something of interest for the audience as they - alike to the protagonist - learn about the cloaked figure's past as being part of a fading society of people. The close up shot of the cloaked figure focuses the action as the figure is placed under a spell and the audience is made to wonder how both characters will escape the danger.

In the fifth shot the audience is introduced to the antagonist of the film: a dark shaman who is set on killing the cloaked figure. The close up of the shaman introduces their role as an antagonist and directs the audiences fear towards him as the camera is positioned to face up at the antagonist as though they are smaller and belittled by him.

The sixth shot introduces the antagonist's weapon of choice after the audience have already witnessed his dark magic. The close up of the morningstar (his spiky weapon on a chain) that is dripping with blood emphasises on the impending threat on both the cloaked figure and the narrator. It also isolates the action as to slow down the pace of the fight sequence and seems to drown out everything else as the audience solely focus on what the antagonist will do next.

In the seventh shot the incident with the antagonist has been resolved and the cloaked figure, now freed from the antagonist's control, promises to help cure the narrator. The close up of the figure pledging to come back with a cure for the narrator (who has just saved his life) emphasises on the truth of his words and also makes the reader realise the importance of this moment in the film.

The eighth shot returns to the narrator sitting amongst his tomes in the darkness and surrounded by candles. The use of a ken-burns shot slowly zooming out from the narrator's desk adds to the mystery and slight creepiness to the elderly character with the black eyes as well as emphasising how truly isolated the character is. Until in the ninth shot when the audience are shown the cloaked figure trudging wearily through the snow towards the old cabin where the narrator resides. The shot similarly zooms out which makes the audience aware that all has been resolved and that it is the end of the film when all fades to black.

History of Short Films

Short films predate feature films by over a decade and have ranged from cartoons, music promotions, student films and amateur cinematography. They can last anything from 15 seconds to 45 minutes. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits".

During the early years of film production, all films were short. This began with the pre 1920s silent era cinematography which was full of short films varying from newsreels to comedy sketches. Feature films began to become increasingly favoured by the major film studious and therefor drove short films into the less favoured and unknown side of film production. This allows filmmakers a greater freedom of expression as they develop their craft. 

Nowadays, few cinemas show any short films other than adverts and trailers - with the exception of some children's films. Short films instead can be found chiefly on television channels and the internet. In the UK, television has been crucial to short films such as the 'Wallace and Gromit' and 'Shaun the Sheep' series which reached enough popularity to qualify for their own films. Whereas, on the internet short films enjoy huge popularity with the infinite range of the internet, especially for short film-makers who can’t afford to distribute their films on DVD. They are also often screened at local, national, or international film festivals and made by independent filmmakers for non profit, either with a low budget or no budget at all. Therefor they are seen to be used by filmmakers to gain experience and/or prove their talent in order to gain funding for future films from private investors, entertainment companies, or film studios.

For many years short films have provided a regular training ground for newcomers to the industry. Many directors have started their road to fame through careers in short films such as Ridley Scott with his short film 'Boy and Bicycle' made in 1965. One of the UK's greatest film practitioners, Humphrey Jennings, worked largely in short film. The UK has a strong tradition of fostering the talent of new filmmakers. The UK is famed for setting up of the London Film School and National Film and Television School and new filmmakers have been in constant training for many years and shorts are the films that usually emerge. However, professional actors and crews still choose to create short films as an alternative form of expression.

DreamWorks Animation and Disney often produce short sequels to include in the DVD release. Also, Warner Brothers often include old animated shorts on the DVDs of classic WB films. In 2010 and 2012 Warner Bros also released new Looney Tunes cartoons before family films.

Short filmmaking is growing in popularity as equipment becomes cheaper. This is because professional cameras are becoming cheaper and free or low costing software is also capable of video editing.