storyboard for my film opening (corsework)

 

5 film analysis (picture) (coursework research)

First idea list for first 2 mins and the rest of the film plot (corsework)

Big Fish film reviewed!

 

Big Fish Reviewed!

I've had high hopes for this movie since I found out it was A Tim Burton Movie. After all, most of the Tim Burton movies I've seen have been really wonderful. To say the least, Big Fish did not disappoint me.

The story by no means complex or suspenseful it was simple enough to allow the viewer to really take in the fantasy and mythology in Edward Bloom's tales. It didn't need a surprise ending or secret identities to make this film enjoyable. Rather, it was the simplicity and universal nature of the story that made it interesting.

While some people have mentioned that the film can seem choppy at times, I didn't see this at all. The transition seemed smooth and logical, and while sometimes I found myself wishing for more scenes of younger Edward Bloom, I never felt bored by any of the movie. Nothing seemed to 'drag'.

I was also quite impressed with the quality of acting in nearly the entire cast. Billy Crudup didn't really hit his stride until the end, but he was tolerable through the first three-quarters of the movie. Albert Finney did a great job of portraying a lion on his last legs, bigger than his body but unable to show it. Jessica Lange was amazing and added the emotional oomph that Billy Crudup often failed to provide. And while Ewan McGregor's role was not particularly difficult, at no point did he overplay the character, and his accent (to my ear anyway) never slipped.

Big Fish definitely had the Tim Burton touch in its scenery. The colours were great and the weather was dull for Elder Bloom's time or bright for Younger Bloom . It matched the mood perfectly, and everywhere you looked (especially in Bloom the Younger's timeframe) there was something else to marvel at. Tim Burton fans will not be disappointed.

 

Mindmap of comedy for my opening 2 mins of a film (Coursework REAL)

The first of many...

Comedy Film Idea mind map

Creating & Pitching A film Idea (Coursework Practise)

 

 

THE 20

Planning, Creating and pitching....

 

Planning

 

So me and my group of 3 were given 4 cards with 2 names a genre and a prop. The idea was that we had to create a movie idea that included all 4 of theses cards.

 

Our Cards were as follows:

 

1. Horror
2. a knife
3. Jane
4. Jake (27)

With these cards we then brainstormed ideas with each other about what we could possibly do with them. We first attacked setting, There were a few ideas here and there for setting but we eventually decided on a call centre in a very tall building. This gives the feeling of isolation and no escape. And is perfect for a horror film as the people working there can be held captive without any contact to the outside world.

 

The next part to challenge was the characters Jane and Jake. We had to answer numerous questions like Who are these people? why are they here? and how do they know each other? The obvious choice was that they both worked there so we went with that. But we thought it was a bit too simple to do it like that so we changed it to it being James 1st day at work and Jake was showing her the ropes of the business.

 

Our final card that we had to include was a knife. This couldn't have been any easier for us because with our category being horror a knife was a piece of cake. We quickly decided that the knife would be a weapon used to kill a character in the film.

 

So what actually happens then? (Creating)

Now that we knew what we were working with we had to flesh it out. We eventually came up with the 20...

 

Jake is giving Jane her tour of the office when the stumble upon a cupboard with a puddle of blood under it. They open it to see A dead body (The boss) And run in fear to warn the others. There are as you guessed it, 20 workers at the call centre. They are greeted by a voice coming from the tannoy saying "What happened to your boss will happen to you if you don't do as I say. I have disabled all communication in and out of the office and just in case any of you want to become a hero I have rigged the building with C4. I want this office of 20 to be reduced to and office of 10. you have 24 hours. If not ill do it. Have fun, and do try not to get hurt "

 

With this announcement the office in in shock and they all become extremely paranoid wit one another. The decide to have a meeting to see what to do until one worker kills 3 people in a rampage and gets himself killed in the process. The voice comes back and simply says "Six more hurry up...." So at this point the whole office gets a reality check that this is happening and people are killing each other. It then becomes a standoff until that night when they wake up and see they only have 10 people left in the office and 4 more dead bodies. Nobody knows who did it or how but they are dead.

 

 

The voice comes back that day and says. "What if I told you all I am one of you 10?" The workers all then think that its a lie but in the back of their head they believe it. This is then shown to be true as the killing carry's on without anyone knowing it 2 more people are dead. the tannoy returns "That was me"

 

That night the voice comes back "There are 4 guns on jamies desk, whoever wants them they are there for you. If I were you I would get them. This creates a 4 vs 4 situation and one team eventually kills the other but one dies in the process. So there are 3 left.

 

2 people discover Craig's office draws have plans to kill everyone and they realise he was the killer. And Craig it the other one out of the remaining 3 and he is confronted and its a 2vs1 situation but Craig is one step ahead and has already poisoned them both allegedly. They can help but believe it and kill themselves as Craig says it would be a painful death by the poison to the  hang them self's and one slits their neck (The knife)

 

 

Finally Craig commits suicide by blowing up the whole building and taking out the city area around it.

 

 

 

So know you know how we came up with he ideas, here's how we pitched it... (Pitching)

 

1st things first plan, plan PLAN!

 

we had to plan The pitch before hand if not it would not be to the best of its ability and without it being its best we would have less chance of people liking it.

 

Next we designated parts of the pitch to each other so one explained what the idea is in brief, they would just tell the story by saying the main idea and a rough plot with pics and storyboards.

 

The next person explained a why we thought it would be a good film. Some of the reasons where:

 

1. its an original story line
2. there's a gap in the market for this film
3. its believable
4. its something the viewer is trying to work out while watching

And this was to persuade the people who we are pitching to agree that the film is a good idea. And really just to list all the pros about it.

 

We then explained how we came up with the ideas in the film and why we chose each part, For example the tannoy because it creates mystery and suspense. This would give the people to who we were pitching to an incite on how the ideas were created and what our thought process behind them was.

 

The next person was there ready to answer any questions that they had and tried to explain the answers as best as they can. This is an important role as by not knowing how to answer a questing might show us as looking like we don't even understand our of film idea. So it was vital that all questions are answered as best as possible to convince people we are confident with out ideas.

 

Finally we would ask the people to who we were pitching to what there thoughts were and if they are interested. We would then get a reply and progress from that...

 

Along the pitch we would have a slide show with storyboards and pics and draw ups of the ideas as we spoke so the people to who we were pitching to didn't get bored and had something that they could visually see.

 

But before all of the previously listed things you need above all, the main thing in the pitching process is teamwork. As a unprofessional pitch is usually one where the pitchers look unorganised and cannot cooperate because anyone who can pitch a film has no hope in getting noticed and becoming successful with it. Remember teamwork is key!

 

 

 

And that's it... from start to the end of pitching how we made the film ideas and how it was presented. Hope this helps any of you out there wondering how to create a film idea and what to do next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOP 10 Most Essential Film Crew Members

Ever wondered what all those names at the end of the film whizzing up the screen meant? or who they are and what they do?

well In this Post ill be showing you some of the most important crew members and what they actually do.

 

TOP 10 Most Essential Film Crew Members!

George Lucas, A very successful
film producer.

 

 

 

The Producer This is a hard role to define because there are so many different aspects to being a producer and each Producer is different (especially when it comes to making a short film). But, put simply, film Producers prepare and then supervise the making of a film before presenting the product to a financing entity or a film distributor

 

 

 

The Production Managers
 Association (PMA)
 

 

Production Manager – organises everything and everyone on set. Production Managers are the key to any smooth running production. Production Management calls on a variety of skills from budgeting and scheduling to managing crews.

 

 

 

 

 

Film shooting on location in
Downtown Los Angeles

Location Manager – The location manager is a member of the film crew responsible for the finding and securing locations to be used, obtaining all needed fire, police and other governmental permits, and coordinating the logistics involved for the production to successfully complete its necessary work. They are also the face of the production to the community and responsible for addressing the issues that may arise due to the production's impact on the community.

A modern way that film is edited

Editor – film or video editor are responsible for assembling recorded raw material into a finished product that's suitable for broadcasting. The material may include camera footage, dialogue, sound effects, graphics and special effects. This is a key role in the post-production process and their skills can determine the quality and delivery of the final product.

An example of costume and
 make-up put to good use

Costume Designer – designs, purchases, and manages costumes
Hair/Makeup Designer – designs, and usually executes, hair and makeup

A camera operator at work

 The camera operator- they are responsible for physically operating the camera and maintaining composition and camera angles throughout a given scene or shot. In narrative filmmaking, the camera operator will collaborate with the director, director of photography, actors and crew to make technical and creative decisions.

Combined boom operator/mixer
 holding in a rest position.

The boom operator- They are the assistant of the production sound mixer. The principal responsibility of the boom operator is microphone placement, usually using a boom pole (or "fishpole") with a microphone attached to the end, their aim being to hold the microphone as close to the actors or action as possible without allowing the microphone or boom to enter the camera's frame.

A sound mixer mixing real time audio

sound mixer- They are responsible for recording all sound on set during the filmmaking or television production they can be used for later inclusion in the finished product, or for reference to be used by the sound designers or sound effects editors. This requires choice and deployment of microphones, choice of recording media, and mixing of audio signals in real time.


10)..... you don't need a 10 with these nine roles you can make a fantastic film already. the 10th and 11th and 12th etc... are all just add-ons and if you don't need them DONT HAVE THEM!

 

And there you have it! All the important roles in film making. JOB DONE. If you pardon the pun

The Top 10 Most Important Camera Shots And Angles

 

 

 The Shots and the affects that they create...



 
 

Example of a Close Up

Close Up
A shot that keeps only the face full in the frame. Perhaps the most important building block in cinematic storytelling.           

 

 



Example of a High Angle Shot

High Angle Shot
A shot looking down on a character or subject often isolating them in the frame. Nothing says Billy No Mates like a good old high angle shot.           

 

Example of a Low angle shot

                                       Low Angle Shot

 

A shot looking up at a character or subject often making them look bigger in the frame. It can make everyone look heroic and/or dominant. Also good for making cities look empty.           

 

 

Example of Long Shot

 

 

Long Shot Aka Wide Shot

A shot that depicts an entire character or object from head to foot. Not as long as an establishing shot. Aka a wide shot.     

 

 

 

Example of a Medium Shot

 

 Medium Shot
The shot that utilizes the most common framing in movies, shows less than a long shot, more than a close-up. Obviously.           

 

 

Example of the Over the shoulder shot

Over-The-Shoulder Shot

A shot where the camera is positioned behind one subject's shoulder, usually during a conversation. It implies a connection between the speakers as opposed to the single shot that suggests distance.

Example of a Pan Shot

 Pan Shot
A shot where the camera moves continuously right to left or left to right. An abbreviation of "panning". Turns up a lot in car chases and on You've Been Framed (worth £250 if they use the clip).

 

Example of a POV shot

 

POV shot
A shot that depicts the point of view of a character so that we see exactly what they see. Often used in Horror cinema to see the world through a killer's eyes.           

 

 

                                                        Tilt
A shot where the camera moves continuously Up to Down or Down To Up. A vertical panning shot. A tilt to the sky is traditionally a last shot in a movie.           

 

 

Example of a Tracking shot

Tracking Shot
A shot that follows a subject be it from behind or alongside or in front of the subject. Not as clumsy or random as a panning shot, an elegant shot for a more civilized age. Beloved by Stanley Kubrick, Andrei Tarkovsky, Terence Davies, Paul Thomas Anderson.           

 

 

 

And When I say 10 shots well I really mean 11, but who can miss out the...

 

THE MONEY SHOT

A shot that is expensive to shoot but deemed worth it for its potential to wow, startle and generate interest. This is the best shot ever. simple.       

 

 

 

 

 

And there you have it. my version of the top 10 (11...) movie shots you can use. Just watch any film, any film you like and I guarantee you will find at least 1 of all these shots in it. Well go on... what are you waiting for? Go see for yourself!!!