I have finally finished storyboarding! Yikes, it's taken me ages and I'm not even going to start on how many pieces of paper I have used overall. Anyway it is finished and this is it:
Saturday, 5 November 2016
'Halfbreed' Storyboard
The storyboarding process for my short film has taken a lot longer than I expected. I started it over the summer break and have now only just finished converting it into video form. Although it has been a long process I wanted to make sure that the piece was perfect due to the issues I had last year after I did not stick to my storyboard as I had not put in enough detail about the shots
I have finally finished storyboarding! Yikes, it's taken me ages and I'm not even going to start on how many pieces of paper I have used overall. Anyway it is finished and this is it:
I have finally finished storyboarding! Yikes, it's taken me ages and I'm not even going to start on how many pieces of paper I have used overall. Anyway it is finished and this is it:
Tuesday, 4 October 2016
Harry Potter Trip 2016
Last week on Thursday 29 September 2016, my media group joined with the art, business studies and ICT classes to go to the Warner Bros. studio tour of the 'Making of Harry Potter'. It was really enjoyable experience.
Whilst there we were given a talk on marketing and the promotion of films which was very interesting. The speaker explained how they use different methods ranging from newspaper adds to fan events such as film premieres and Comic-Con. It was also very interesting how they appeal to the audience for the film. It was explained to us that the posters for 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1' portrayed different characters so that they appealed to a wider audience. For example, there were posters of different characters like the one to the right of this text of the character Bellatrix Lestrange which would have appealed to the fans of the Death Eaters whereas the poster below would have appealed to all Dobby fans.
Not only did we have a talk on marketing and promotion of the Harry Potter films but we also learnt about the prosthetics and props used during the making of the film. For instance, the prosthetics for Fenrir Greyback - a Death Eater who is a werewolf - were made from squirrel and goat hair. An odd combination! We were also allowed to see the actual costumes worn by the cast during the films. We started by looking at Umbridge's pink dresses which gradually got brighter and pinker as her character gained more power. We also saw the goblin and house-elf prosthetics which were eventually worn by small adults and children, changing their identities completely with facial prosthetics. As well as this we got to see the cloak that Voldemort wears in the final battle scene of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1'. It was very interesting to learn that throughout the films, Voldemort's cloak started as being an extremely dark shade of green but as the films progressed and the horcruxes were destroyed, his cloak got lighter in material. They also designed the material of the cloak to be rough on the edges of the cloak which meant that the material would catch in the wind easier and give it a smokey, weightless look as if it had a life of it's own.
Although I had already been on the tour before, I enjoyed the tour. There were at least three or four new exhibits which were all very interesting such as the scene in the clip below.
In the exhibit, Nagini was shown slithering across the table, about to strike at the woman hanging above the table. It also had the costumes and props of the characters placed on mannequins to create a complete idea of what scene it had come from, making it very effective.
Overall, I found the costume design one of the most interesting parts of the trip. The unique aspects of each character's appearance was heavily emphasised on and I will definitely be considering this for my short film.
Not only did we have a talk on marketing and promotion of the Harry Potter films but we also learnt about the prosthetics and props used during the making of the film. For instance, the prosthetics for Fenrir Greyback - a Death Eater who is a werewolf - were made from squirrel and goat hair. An odd combination! We were also allowed to see the actual costumes worn by the cast during the films. We started by looking at Umbridge's pink dresses which gradually got brighter and pinker as her character gained more power. We also saw the goblin and house-elf prosthetics which were eventually worn by small adults and children, changing their identities completely with facial prosthetics. As well as this we got to see the cloak that Voldemort wears in the final battle scene of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1'. It was very interesting to learn that throughout the films, Voldemort's cloak started as being an extremely dark shade of green but as the films progressed and the horcruxes were destroyed, his cloak got lighter in material. They also designed the material of the cloak to be rough on the edges of the cloak which meant that the material would catch in the wind easier and give it a smokey, weightless look as if it had a life of it's own.
Although I had already been on the tour before, I enjoyed the tour. There were at least three or four new exhibits which were all very interesting such as the scene in the clip below.
In the exhibit, Nagini was shown slithering across the table, about to strike at the woman hanging above the table. It also had the costumes and props of the characters placed on mannequins to create a complete idea of what scene it had come from, making it very effective.
Overall, I found the costume design one of the most interesting parts of the trip. The unique aspects of each character's appearance was heavily emphasised on and I will definitely be considering this for my short film.
Friday, 30 September 2016
'Halfbreed' or 'Anachronism'?
Currently I am debating between two names for my short film. I originally named my short film 'Halfbreed' due to the nickname given to one of the protagonists, Sienna as well as the fact that it portrays the story of the two protagonists: Melodie, a nymph in the modern world and Sienna, a half nymph half human who causes bedlam in the forest kingdom of the nymphs. An example that explains the word 'halfbreed' in a modern film is the word 'mudblood' from J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter series. A 'mudblood' is a wizard/witch born to normal parents and this has similarities to Sienna as only one of her parents was a nymph.
However, the other title I am considering is 'Anachronism'. The word anachronism means a thing a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned. This fits the idea of the nymphs perfectly as they are from a time long forgotten (all information about this can be found on my blog post here) but are still part of modern culture. This would be very apt for my film because it could either represent how the nymphs are out of place in the modern world or that Sienna is out of place in the Woodland Realm.
However, the other title I am considering is 'Anachronism'. The word anachronism means a thing a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned. This fits the idea of the nymphs perfectly as they are from a time long forgotten (all information about this can be found on my blog post here) but are still part of modern culture. This would be very apt for my film because it could either represent how the nymphs are out of place in the modern world or that Sienna is out of place in the Woodland Realm.
Wednesday, 28 September 2016
Questions Regarding My Film Treatment
What is your main challenge?
I think my main challenge would be getting my whole cast and crew together. During my production of my short film opening 'Black Sands' last year, I found that getting my cast together was exceptionally difficult. I am hoping this time I will be more prepared both in getting my whole team together as well as directing, having had no experience of directing whilst filming 'Black Sands'.
Who is your audience?
I think my film will appeal to a teenagers and young adults. A lot of my inspiration has come from productions such as 'The Shannara Chronicles', 'Merlin' and 'Lord of the Rings' whose ratings range from 12-15 which is an ideal age range for me.
How are you going to deal with the costumes and makeup to create your filmic world?
Costumes and makeup are a major part of my filmic world in my short film. Costume wise, it is proving very interesting to capture the personality and stereotypes of the characters that will be portrayed in the film. Even though some of the costumes have a gothic/medieval sort of theme, I will be using modern clothing in order to create medieval styled costumes. Regarding the makeup of the film, I have always visioned the two protagonists (Sienna and Melodie) as having neutral makeup which didn't make them stand out in society but still somehow highlights their characters.
How long will this film be?
I'm hoping my film with be no more than five minutes long. Although I have a lot of shots planned, the film is quite fast sequenced so it should be ok.
How are you going to film the fight scene?
If you've been reading my blog then you will know that I have recently been studying fight scenes in films and did a whole post on it called: Studying Fight/Action Sequences. I have figured that I will most likely have to film my fight scenes more than once, probably at least three times from different angles, and that it would be useful for my actors to practice the choreography of the sequence before actually filming. This will ensure a better quality fight scene as the actors will then be aware of what they should be doing as well as being in the best interests of the actors so that they do not harm themselves.
My film was well received by the rest of my media group and we are all eager to see how the film develops into my finished product.
I think my main challenge would be getting my whole cast and crew together. During my production of my short film opening 'Black Sands' last year, I found that getting my cast together was exceptionally difficult. I am hoping this time I will be more prepared both in getting my whole team together as well as directing, having had no experience of directing whilst filming 'Black Sands'.
Who is your audience?
I think my film will appeal to a teenagers and young adults. A lot of my inspiration has come from productions such as 'The Shannara Chronicles', 'Merlin' and 'Lord of the Rings' whose ratings range from 12-15 which is an ideal age range for me.How are you going to deal with the costumes and makeup to create your filmic world?
Costumes and makeup are a major part of my filmic world in my short film. Costume wise, it is proving very interesting to capture the personality and stereotypes of the characters that will be portrayed in the film. Even though some of the costumes have a gothic/medieval sort of theme, I will be using modern clothing in order to create medieval styled costumes. Regarding the makeup of the film, I have always visioned the two protagonists (Sienna and Melodie) as having neutral makeup which didn't make them stand out in society but still somehow highlights their characters.
How long will this film be?
I'm hoping my film with be no more than five minutes long. Although I have a lot of shots planned, the film is quite fast sequenced so it should be ok.
How are you going to film the fight scene?
If you've been reading my blog then you will know that I have recently been studying fight scenes in films and did a whole post on it called: Studying Fight/Action Sequences. I have figured that I will most likely have to film my fight scenes more than once, probably at least three times from different angles, and that it would be useful for my actors to practice the choreography of the sequence before actually filming. This will ensure a better quality fight scene as the actors will then be aware of what they should be doing as well as being in the best interests of the actors so that they do not harm themselves.
My film was well received by the rest of my media group and we are all eager to see how the film develops into my finished product.
Tuesday, 27 September 2016
Monday, 26 September 2016
Writing A Film Treatment
As I am currently doing my film treatment for my coursework I decided to actually do some research into film treatments e.g. what a film treatment actually is, what to include etc.
A film treatment is an outline of the original product that is desired to be created.
What to include in a film treatment:
- a short logline
- introduction to protagonists and key characters
- who, what, when, where and why
- Act One in one to three paragraphs (set scene, dramatise main conflicts)
- Act Two in two to six paragraphs (show how conflicts in Act One lead to final crisis)
- Act Three in one to three paragraphs (final conflict and resolution)
Friday, 23 September 2016
Short Film Potential Soundtrack
This is my current potential soundtrack for my final piece. I am slightly concerned that this may be too dark for my original piece, however I have noticed that many fantasy films (especially those set in the modern day) are quite dark or have many gothic-like elements such as the soundtrack to 'The Mortal Instruments'.
I will be asking my class and potential audience as to what they think of this soundtrack to determine what the final product will be like.
I will be asking my class and potential audience as to what they think of this soundtrack to determine what the final product will be like.
Fantasy Opening Titles
After having taken a look at the film opening to 'The Mortal Instruments', I decided that I really liked the idea of having the title appearing during a scene. I still really like the idea of the title being used as a cut between the action of the chase scene I am planning at the beginning of my film however if I added a scene beneath the title alike to what is used in the opening scene above, it would be more based on moving action such as racing through the trees or something. This is only an idea as I may still stick with the idea I currently have of the title being on a blank screen.
I chose to look at this film opening as it has a narration at the beginning of the opening which is similar to what I have planned for my short film 'Halfbreed'. However, I really want the audio to be very clear - alike to Anthony Hopkins' narration in this clip - as the audio wasn't as clear in my previous short film opening.
Combined with elements of the film opening above, I think elements of these clips will be very useful when editing my short film.
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