WHAT DOES A HIGH LEVEL 4 BLOG LOOK LIKE AT THIS STAGE?

Take a look at the excellent work on Laura, Mark, Megan and James's blog here http://advancedportfolio201279.blogspot.co.uk/2012_12_01_archive.html

DEADLINE APPROACHING!

Your deadline for filming is approaching fast (tomorrow for the rough cut)! Some of you have had genuine difficulties with meeting this deadline and have alerted us to this. If you think you are likely to have difficulties and haven't discussed them with me, you need to do this asap to avoid a late mark for this stage of the process.
Whilst you are still in this stage, spend some time starting to think about a poster design, and continue to find opportunities to create images for the poster. This is an example of one type of design for Life of Pi, released this week.
Check the list of elements you should have completed by the deadline at the end of term as it appears on notices and in your booklet:

• blog completed to a high standard with varied visual material (images, prezi? moving image, link to social networking? etc etc)
• photos taken for your poster design
• audience feedback presented in an interesting way
• detailed and illustrated discussions of techniques used so far to film, and examples of trial shots or sequences
• examples of real posters that might inspire your design, with notes for explanation using terms for print products (tagline, title etc)

TAKE A STILLS CAMERA WITH YOU ON YOUR SHOOT

Take a camera with you to get some high res images that you can use in your poster, and you can also use to illustrate your filming processIt makes sense to do this while you have your actors with you. Get plenty so that you have a choice, and consider your target audience. Here's a good example of a poster for Sally Potter's film Ginger and Rosa (screened at the recent COSMAT conference some of you attended). Find out more about Sally Potter's filming processes at her website here

HOW TO DO BRILLIANT PRODUCTION WORK!

Have a look at Pete Fraser's blog (Chief Examiner) below, on how to keep on track for top marks! Lots of useful reminders here of what you need to do!
Also, consider entering your film later for the MediaMag awards. MediaMag is available as a print edition in the library.

Untitled from PGCEmedia

VIRGIN MEDIA SHORTS COMPETITION WINNER - ALICE SEABRIGHT FOR 'ROCKET'

If you haven't seen 'Rocket', the film that won the overall Virgin Media Shorts competition, take a look on Virgin.

You should all be embarking on the filming stage now.
Aim to allow time to trial shots and sequences first by visiting the location. Check lighting effects before you go, and consider the battery life of the lights so that this doesn't restrict your filming.
Make sure you have a shooting schedule (on the planning list) and that you are keeping in mind the final deadline for filming (December 20th).
Keep on looking for inspiration in other films, including feature length films. Blog your results and thoughts.
Use a variety of formats to present filming experiences - eg maybe use prezi? embed clips? images? film yourselves discussing choices and decisions? take a tour of your locations? discuss risks in a short filmed clip? etc etc.. Be imaginative!

IF YOU HAVE COMPLETED ALL ITEMS ON CHECKLIST, BELOW, FILMING SHOULD NOW HAVE STARTED

You need to be starting your filming now to allow time for any re-shoots necessary or pick-ups later. You should consider getting some trial shots to test framing and image quality in the edit suite before committing yourselves.

FINAL DEADLINE FOR FILMING IS

Thursday December 20^th 4.10

PLANNING DEADLINE APPROACHING!

PLANNING DEADLINE IS TOMORROW - FRIDAY 30TH NOVEMBER.

USE THE CHECKLIST POSTED BELOW (AND IN BOOKLET TO MAKE SURE YOU'VE COVERED EVERYTHING).

CONTINUING YOUR PLANNING

DEADLINE FOR THIS IS NOVEMBER 30TH. IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT THIS STAGE IS DONE PROPERLY BEFORE YOU START FILMING.
DON'T FORGET TO USE THE CHECKLIST BELOW (IN YOUR BOOKLET):

Pre-Production Checklist – tick off tasks as you complete them

Allocate pre-production roles in the group: location scout; prop ‘buyer’; storyboard artist/s; animatics director; sound designer; lighting designer; screenwriter; camera operator/s; costume, hair and make-up designer and ‘buyer’; posting synopsis and shot list to blog.	Done
Group writes synopsis – about 200 words posted to blog
5 Key Concepts: Genre and style decisions – single genre? Hybrid? Or resist genre category? Will you use established film styles – eg Social Realism or ‘Noir’? Decisions to blog with justification and links to similar real texts if possible (these may be feature length films)
5 Key Concepts: representation – initial ideas about representation of social groups, places and ideas or issues covered by your story, posted to blog
5 Key Concepts: audience – initial ideas about your expected audience – by age, gender and social class. Link to expected viewing platforms for your film (where would it be screened ideally?). Post to blog.
5 Key Concepts: narrative – initial ideas about the structure of the story – linear? Non-linear? Circular? Use narrative theory here – Todorov; Levi-Strauss; Vogler..Post to blog.
5 Key Concepts: media language – initial ideas about film techniques you’d like to use and examples or suggestions posted to blog
Location decisions and photos of selected and rejected locations
Written permission granted for privately owned locations
Storyboard  for all shots, carefully timed to ensure that film lasts 5 mins
Animatic with voice-over commentary
Acting decisions
Health and Safety considerations – recorded and posted to blog
Sound design – initial ideas about sound – soundtrack, foleys, ambient etc and likely issues in locations.
Shooting schedule – plans for the shoot

BEGINNING YOUR PLANNING

We are checking that last night's deadline for research has been met during today, and recording your progress so far on a tracking document which leads towards your final mark.

If you have each posted research on at least 4 short films, you're ready to start planning from TODAY.

USE THE CHECKLIST AND ADVICE IN YOUR BOOKLET TO START THE PLANNING PROCESS, AND KEEP CHECKING THIS LIST BEFORE THE DEADLINE ON NOVEMBER 30TH. 

RESEARCH SHOULD STILL CONTINUE AS YOU LOOK FOR INSPIRATION AND CONTINUE TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE SHORT FILM FORM.

SHORT FILM RESEARCH 2012 - DEADLINE MONDAY NOVEMBER 19TH

RESEARCH DEADLINE APPROACHING!

RE-READ THE ADVICE ON THIS BELOW AND DO YOUR BEST TO POST DETAILED NOTES ON AT LEAST 4 FILMS EACH.

Analyse each of the remaining short films using the following format:

Provide a heading with the name of the film, the director, the date of production, and where you found and watched it.

Summarise the story of the film in a few lines.

Explain briefly why you chose this film - what do you find interesting, creative, or exciting about it?

Make notes on the following aspects of the 5 concepts, PLUS additional notes on themes and issues conveyed by the film..

Representation

·   explain which social groups are relevant for the film, and add any issues or places that might also be represented in an interesting way

·   identify the genre/s or styles used as this may influence representation (eg social realism)

·   choose some characters to discuss in depth in relation to representation. Consider and explain the use of any stereotyping. Are these positive or negative representations, and why would they be so?

·   consider whether the expected audience for the film has shaped the representations in the film.

·   does the film deal with issues? If so, how and why?

·   Provide detailed evidence throughout, using screen grabs

Aim to use terms: stereotyping, representation, ideology, collective group, femininity, masculinity, traditional, modern, social groups

Narrative

·   discuss the use of plot and story in the film and how they relate to each other. Explain the effect of this on the spectator

·   discuss the chronology of the narrative. Is it linear or not? Why and to what effect?

·   Apply narrative theories appropriately from your notes on narrative (eg Todorov). Revise these theories in your notes, or on moodle and explain what you learn about the reasons behind the structure of the narrative from applying theories of narrative to each film.

·   consider the beginning and ending of the film, applying theories of narrative and considering the impact of each.

Aim to use terms: linear, non-linear, circular, chronology, closure

Genre

·   consider and explain what genres, if any, are identifiable in the film

·   explain how short films typically use genre

·   apply genre theory appropriately - eg Neale, Altman, Fiske, Buckingham

·   consider the appeal of using any genre codes and conventions, and the impact of the way they are used in the short film

·   Where no specific genre is identifiable, do not categorise it as ‘drama’ - there is no such genre in the academic study of this topic - the film may resist being categorised in terms of genre, and you need to explain how and why this might be

·   Terms to use: repetition; variation; economies of genre; codes; conventions; syntactic; semantic; ideology/ideological

Audience

·   using the platform (website etc) where you found the film as a guide, suggest who might be expected to watch the film, using proper demographic and psychographic descriptions or categories

·   consider how that audience may be pleased by the film

·   find out where else this film has been screened (try a search in google) and comment on any specific features of this platform (eg how was it categorised?)

·   find out whether the film has won any awards, and the nature of that award

·   find out about the director, and production company if there is one. Copy the company logo where relevant, and research the company using google and/or IMDB.

·   Terms to use: demographic; psychographic; age; gender; male; female; social class; representation; collective identity

Media Language

·   select specific shots or sequences to discuss in detail, where you find the techniques used for style or form are particularly creative or interesting. How do these techniques communicate meaning or generate a response? Barthes Action and Enigma codes may be relevant, or Altman on syntactic and semantic codes.

·   This is where you can really spend time on the creative elements of the film – interesting camera work, creative use of mise en scene, clever editing, interesting sound design… etc.

·   This is where you discuss the connotations of the elements of the film – eg details of mise en scene used to construct character.

·   Terms to use: terms for shot sizes, angles, movement and depth of field or focus;  terms for aspects of mise en scene (eg lighting terms such as low key, high key, back light etc);  terms for editing (eg continuity terms; parallel cutting; montage etc etc); terms for sound (eg diegetic, non-diegetic, ambient, parallel, contrapuntal etc)

THEMES AND ISSUES, AND IDEOLOGIES

You need to add notes on these for the films you have researched.

·        What does the film seem to be about?

·        Does it raise any social issues?

·        What themes does it deal with? Are these typical of short films? How are these different to mainstream feature length films?

·        Does the film deal directly with any dominant ideologies in modern society? How does it represent them?

For all of the films you discuss, you MUST insert screen grabs as illustration for your points, but don’t be tempted to simply describe the images – this will not constitute research into the short film format.