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 About a girl-

About a girl is a short film that depicts the life of a girl, the film is set in the northwest of England. The girl speaks directly to the camera, telling stories about her life that don't seem to link up until the very end, the film also has jumpy editing when it cuts to scenes of her with her dad or mum. We are also shown that the girl can sing very well at the beginning of the film, which leads us to believe this young girl could have a bright future or a career in singing. It is clear that this child is a victim of her upbringing, where her mother is portrayed to be cruel and controlling and her father seems to not care for her, taking her to watch his football matches and ignoring her when he goes to the pub. While the girl is telling the stories of her life, she is walking down a canal with a plastic bag in hand. At the very end of the film the girl throws the bag into the canal, to reveal a small dead child that we can assume she had given birth to.

The setting of this film is quite gloomy, with stereotypical grey British skies, which could be seen to reflect the girl's miserable and dull home life. 

The jumpy editing of the film could also be reflective of how the girl feels about her situation, feeling like her life is in a constant state of chaos or discord. The outfit the girl is wearing also indicates towards the financial situation of the family, as these are the types of clothes that families in poverty would buy and dress their children with.

We are also given shots of the girl enjoying being with her friends, that reminds us that she is still young and really makes the harsh reality of the scenario presented at the end sink in.

The pacing of this film is stereotypical of a short film. Everything before the end moves progressively faster as the films goes on and delivers as much information to us about the girl as possible, before dropping all the anticipation and finally revealing the harrowing secret the girl is trying to hide.

This film delivers it's message about how the conditions people are raised in can drastically effect their lives rather effectively in its short 9 minute run time. By only having a few key characters, the film keeps the focus targeted on the girl, making us emotionally invested with the character. This film is also set in a small area in the UK, which doesn't overload the audience with too many locations. 

No through road-

No through road is a short film that was made by a group of teens in 2009, it is a found footage film with a run time of just about 10 minutes. The film begins like a home video of a group of teens driving around in the early morning and messing around. Eventually the kids come to a tunnel, with a sign that says "no through road", the footage stays normal until the teens begin to see the same sign repeatedly, where they begin to worry that they're going in circles. The narrative is very dialogue driven as the camera footage is dark and grainy.  Eventually one of the boys sees a masked man and this causes the group to flee, speeding away, the group finally think they have made it to safety when they re-enter Stevenage, only to turn the lights off on their car and find themselves right back at the tunnel with a masked killer staring at them.

This film has a fast pace that quickly gets into the story. The film is also broken up in pace by random clips that are sprinkled throughout to make the footage look corrupted and heightens the found footage feel of the film. 

This film is a different genre from about a girl, however, it shares similarities in structure and pace. The film has a definitive ending, this being the boys meeting their demise at the hands of a masked killer. The title card at the beginning of the film also establishes the fate of the boys before the film starts, leaving a curiosity within the audience. 

The film also has jumpy, chaotic editing, with unrelated clips blipping in and out to transition between the events happening in the main chunk of found footage. The genre of this film is horror and it leaves unanswered questions in it's ending, like what caused the roads loop and how the boys end up back there after seemingly escaping. The film has a cast of about 4 characters, however they are introduced and understood more as a group than individual characters, leaving plenty of time to know them and feel empathetic for them when they die at the end.

Finley-

Finley is a longer short film, with a run time of 25 minutes, allowing it to have a total of 6 psychologically defined characters. The story has got 2 separate acts, these being the first half of the film, where three housemates find Finley in the attic of their new house, and Finley comes to life and begins attempting to kill them, although he continues to fail miserably. In the second act, Finley is put back in the attic until the people have their house broken into by 2 burglars, who are then stopped by Finley using the multiple failed methods used earlier in the film. 

   

The longer run time allows for further character development and more characters, as there is more time to dedicate to these. We also see a difference in the pacing of this film compared to the other 2 as it moves slower and takes place over the course of a few months instead of just 1 day. However, the film was only set in 1 location, which it shares in common with the other films. 

The longer run time allows for more set up too, having about 15 minutes dedicated just to the first portion of the film.

The film also ends with an unsatisfying ending, which is unconventional of most films, where there is a definitive ending, instead it ends on somewhat of a cliff hanger, with Finley having put rat poison in the main casts drinks. 

Next I will be doing the planning and preproduction for my own short film idea

Friday the 14th

Treatment, 20/10/2023

Abbie Turton, Ellie Hempsall, Dylan Hayden-Cole, Lewis Paterson 

Logline

 

On Friday the 14^th, teens are hunted by an incompetent killer.

Characters

Matt- a teen that is taking a shortcut through the woods on his way home from college.

Jamie- Another teen that decided to take a stroll through the woods. 

The killer- A person wearing a bunny mask and a hoodie that attempts to kill the teens in various impractical ways.

Synopsis

Multiple Teens are walking through the woods when a masked Killer attempts to murder them, however the teens are unphased by huis attempts at first and write him off as somebody who just got their days mixed up and thought it was Halloween.

The teens eventually get sick of the killer and begin to mock him, by calling him names and laughing at him. In the end the killer becomes frustrated at his continuous failed attempts, eventually throwing a tantrum and storming off.

This film would more than likely be a 12A due to not having any gore or swearing.

The genre this film will be in is more horror comedy, as it will include jumpscare's and other similar imagery, while still being a parody on slasher films. Inspirations for this film are other short films such as scary movie or scream.

Script-

Below I will discuss the different types of lighting that can be used in the video.

Three Point Lighting.

A traditional method for achieving a balanced and aesthetically pleasing look in cinema and photography is three points of illumination (three point lighting). The key light, fill light, and backlight are the three main light sources that are used. 

The shadows that the main light casts are softened by the fill light. It is positioned on the side opposite the primary light and works to equal out the lighting by lowering the contrast on the subject. 

The main topic or subjects are lit from behind by the backlight, which creates depth by separating the main subject from the background. It makes the edges of the subject stand out in a spotlight, giving them depth and dimension. 

You can manage the atmosphere, highlight certain elements, and produce an appealing environment by utilizing three-point lighting.

Chiaroscuro

Using the chiaroscuro lighting technique, dramatic and aesthetically arresting images are produced by manipulating the contrast between light and dark. In order to cast thick shadows and produce a sense of depth and dimension, it requires the use of powerful, directional lighting. 

Chiaroscuro lighting can be used to accentuate certain subjects or elicit a particular mood in your photos. For instance, you might use this approach in portrait photography to emphasize certain face characteristics or evoke a sense of mystery by throwing dramatic shadows. By highlighting the difference between light and shadow. Chiaroscuro lighting can enhance the drama and richness of your subject in still life photography.

You can experiment with various lighting options, including artificial and natural lighting, to get the ideal result. 

HMI lighting 

Pros:

- HMI lights produce a daylight-balanced color temperature, which is great for outdoor shoots or when you want to match natural light.

- They are powerful and provide a high output, making them suitable for large-scale productions or when you need to illuminate a wide area.

- HMI lights have a longer lifespan compared to tungsten lights, reducing the need for frequent bulb replacements.

Cons:

- HMI lights can be more expensive compared to other lighting options, making them less accessible for photographers on a tight budget.

- They require ballasts to operate, which adds to the equipment setup and can be bulky to transport.

- HMI lights may take a few minutes to warm up and reach their full brightness, which can be a drawback if you need immediate lighting adjustments.

Natural lighting

Pros:

natural lighting is a good option for certain short films as it is cheap and regularly available.

 It is easily editable in post production.

Light from the sun looks much more natural if that is what you want to convey.

Cons:

Light may not suit the project and not get across the emotion you want to.

Light will fade at night so having no equipment would put a halt to recording especially in winter.

Objects may bock the light  (such as tree cover) which may make it hard to find the right lighting.

Our Lighting

For our short film we will use natural light as it is accessible for the time of day we will be filming. For a more natural film we feel external lighting is not needed as the light of the sky works for what we are trying to convey. We have other lighting that will be accessible however we feel is it not needed for this project. We can edit the lighting after the film is made and we can alter it in post production.

Contingency plan- 

One of the biggest reasons we needed  a contingency plan was due to possible weather conditions, because we can plan a shoot but we can't predict the weather. In the event of this we would come back another day to reshoot if the weather was too poor e.g. rain, wind etc. Another reason we needed a contingency plan was for unforeseen circumstances such as a crew member can't make it, equipment malfunction and other things such as that, for this we would yet again shoot on a different day.