Promoting is the key !

Having finished filming and editing my film, I had to create to pieces of promotional material for it, a poster and a review.
This meant that I had to research the posters and reviews of other films in the same genre.

I can here voices . . .

but the mouths aren't moving!
After the first screening I realised that I had to deal once again withthe sound.
I had to correct some of the previous over-dubbing as it was too obvious! To do this I had to watch extremely carefully and i some cases split the dialogue and move it apart.
i'vegottogoandmeetamate would become ... I've got to go and meet -- a mate. to get this right took a lot of of effort and a lot of zooming into the page, so i was viewing what was happening by the millisecond.
Finally i had solved it ... kinda... i now wonder why I didn't shoot in quieter more predictable locations.
I also had to work with some of the musics sound levels. . .slightly.

The audience is here ...

so feel the fear.





After working on our films for so long, we had the terrifying prospect of showing our film to an actual audience. This is a very important part of all film making from amateur to professional but it is still really scary.

The first people to watch my film was my classmates and my friends, and they all gave audience feedback.
I found from this audience feedback that people found the film a bit hard to follow and this was mainly due to sound (in several ways). The Liverpudlian accent of the actors, the volume of the music, the volume of background noise (wind) and the quality of the over dubbing. This meant that I had to re edit the film to make it easier to follow, to begin with I took down the levels of the music in some places and also the background noise. I then had to edit the over dubbed sound so that is matched with the actors movements more, I did however, decided that I couldn't change the accents of the actors and that the accent was actually important to the story. I also found that the dialogue was easier to understand now all the other problems had been dealt with.

As that audience feedback was both biased and not from my target audience, I decided to upload my newly edited film onto Vimeo, see the responses here.

vimeo.com/8771384

I felt that both of these people where knowledgeable in the topic of film making. I was quite happy with their comments, but thought that a lot of the changes they suggested were quite high level and would have been quite difficult for me to deal with as I don't have for example specialist skills in sound editing - this would be something I could change if I was working on a professional short film.

I then got further feedback from Will, a director/editor that came into school. He helped me edit my shots so that the film had a better rhythm. He also gave me several ideas to 'try out' and explained that when editing a film you often have to experiment to see if things will work or make sense. He said I should put footage of Liverpool at the beggining of the film, I tried this but when I did it completly broke up the current rhythm of the film and completly changed the tone. I also felt as it was only five minutes long that to introduce the city would take away from the main focus the relationship between the characters.

The sound will kill me !!

Now I have the dialouge and the music I had to make it work on my film. I had problems !!


With music !
I had to make the sound levels work for the different areas, and the transition be seamless. I could not have the score covering the dialouge. There were also some moments were i wanted the main sound to be the score but I didn't want a sudden change.

With dialouge!

As I had recorded the dialouge to over-dubb I had to then put it over the film. This was very difficult as I had to fit the dialouge to the mouth movements. In some cases I did not have enough dialouge, in this instance I had to repeat the same recorded dialouge more than once. There was also the challenge of removing the original dialouge, that could sometimes be heard, almost like a shadow of the sound.

Ack Ack Ack Sound !!

So as I already said I was going to isolate the sound so that I could hear the dialouge. Unfortunatlye the backgroud noise was so strong, that some of the dialouge could not be saved!! oh no!!

I made the descision to over-dubb it !! Once again as my actors are in Liverpool I had to call them up and request this. I sent them a script and a copy of the film so that they could see the mouth movements they need to emulate. They then recorded it and e-mailed it to me.

I had some problems because the sound was in the wrong format, but fortunatley I managed to change it so it was usuable.

Music ...

As we have to produce orginal music for our film, I have asked my dad (who is a musician) to create music for my film.

I gave him a copy of my film, and then watching it we decieded what type of music I would work well.

We decided to have a piece that sounded like a childrens music box. I indicated the points were I wanted certain elements to change, for example when Jay leaves Sam in the road, and when the sunset is revealed.

He then organised torecord the sound with his friend Simon who is a Flautist, once they had recorded it, they mixed it and then e-mailed it to me.

He had made 3 songs, all different so i had a choice, I ended up using all of them to get different moods throughout the film!!

The new edit !!

Having done new fottage and re-uploading at a better quality, I have once again started to edit. It was a lot easier this time as I had the rough edit to work from - and I was able to better the mistakes I had made and produce a better quality film.

My only problem this time is with sound, there is a great deal of background noise. To deal with this I am going to take the isolated audio to the music deparment and they are going to 'clean it up!' This will involve changing frequency volumes.

Before I isolate the sound I have to make sure that the film represnts my final edit as if I make changes it will be impossible to sink the sound back up !!

I will then have the problem of voices when nobody is visually talking !!

Some new footage.

I went back to Crosby Beach and could finally (and to the releif of my actors) shout 'Thats a wrap!'

I was pleased with the footage, though the sunset wasn't as nice as on the windy day. However, as the actors were in better moods and there were no injuries I managed to film some extra footage of them playing on the beach. This footage could maybe be played along side the credits.

The problems ...

From watching the rough edit I can see some immediate problems that need to be dealt with.

The quality is awful, to deal with this I am going to have to completly upload it and re-edit it. This will obviously quite take a bit off time. Also in this editing process some of the shots have to be reversed so not to brake the 180 degree rule.

Another problem is the scene on the beach at Crosby. It is meant to flow seamlessly from the location at Hale to the beach. Due to the wind this cannot happen. I also feel that this scene needs more dialouge and explanation for what is going on. I have decided therefore to re-shoot the last scene.

The rough edit.

Now I had all my footage I decided to do a rough edit. I uploaded it ... as last time and began to edit. I edited the scenes together with the help of my storyboard.

Here is the Rough edit with no sound.

[upload video]

Filming (Day 2) !

The feeling among the actors was not great after the fun filled adventures of the first shooting day and principal cast member Arthur (aged 8) realised the power of the phrase 'I'm not doing the film unless...'.

Due to the disaster of the battery dying I had to add going back to Crosby beach into todays filming schedule. Once again we had to be there for sunset.
I managed to film the scenes on Fulwood park and Aigburth Road with relative ease but then after a slight break we returned to Crosby for sunset. The train journey was usful as I re-shot the stuff in the train station and on the train.

Once on Crosby beach the luck of the day seemed to change yes there was a beautiful sunset and amazing sandy spectacles but the wind was so intense it was difficult to stand. The part of the scene in the sand dunes had to be moved to the beach due to a mini 'sandstorm'. Arthur once again effected as he emerged from the sandune his whole face covered in sand. I managed to just about get the shots I needed and I we went home.

Filming (Day 1) !

This day of filming did not go very well. I started late due to issues with the actors (there were tears). My plan was immediately killed.

We started at about 1pm 3 hours later than anticipated but managed to catch up with ourselves by about 4pm (through shear hard work). Then when filming the scene at the station ( a runing scene) Arthur dropped a large rock on his foot. Filming that scene had to be scraped. I then tryed to film the train stuff as it was all sitting down but Arthur was too tired and too upset to co-operate.

We did, however, manage to make it to Crosby beach with spirits slightly higher. We were running slightly late and for the first time I truley appriciated the phrase 'We're losing light!' but fortunatley as we crossed the sand dunes we were presented with a beautiful sunset. Then ...

the video camera batery died ... if looks could kill.

Arthur then proceeded to cut his hand open on a broken wine bottle on the beach. The day ended as it had started - with tears.

Organisaton !!

I had 2 days to film in Liverpool and I had to plan what I would film each day.

Day 1

10am-11am
Bus scenes (on way to next location)
Actors needed, John and Arthur.
Props. None.

11am-12am
Speke scene.
Actors needed, John and Arthur
Props. Paper package.

1pm-2.30pm
Hale scene.
Actors needed, John and Arthur
Props. None.

3.30pm-4.30pm
Train station and train scenes. (on train to next location)
Actors needed, John and Arthur.
Props. None.

5pm-6pm
Crosby Scene. (Sunset)
Actors needed, John and Arthur.
Props. Paper, Camera.

Day 2.

11am-12am
Fulwood Park Scenes.
Actors needed, John, Arthur and Tania.
Props. None.

12am-12.30pm
Aigburth Road Scenes.
Actors needed, John.
Props. None.

1pm - onwards
Any other corrections.

I also had to think about what my characters would be wearing on these days. I had to think about continuity when shooting, so i decided to come up with a costume for my cast. These costumes would also betray what my characters are like. I have done some drawings of possibilities for each character.

Jay

Sam

In the first pictures both Sam and Jay are quite 'scaly', I feel that this would be an overload of the Liverpudlian stereotype. I also think as an audience you may judge the characters because they are rough and therefore, not pay attention or follow the story.

The second picture shows a posher version of Jay and Sam. I thought that the story would not really work, as although the relationship may be difficult between the father and son if Jay had loads of money he might deal with the problem in a different way. He also defiantly wouldn't go to a housing estate to pick up a present.

I thought the third most nutural costume was the best. It allowed both characters to be seen as characters and not just as stereotypes. This is more enjoyable for the audience as they feel that they are finding something out about these people. These characters are more relatable and it could be the untold story of your friend, neighbour or relative.

A recki !

To try and grasp the feelings and usability of the planned locations in my film, I decided to do a recki and actually go visit some places (all of which in Liverpool).

To being with I went to Crosby beach - this is where the Anthony Gormley statues are. This creates a very interesting location as there is not only natural beauty (sand dunes, sandy beach, sea views and amazing sunsets) there is the surreal nature of over 50 men standing completely still at random points.

I then visited Hale Lighthouse, this lighthouse is on the shore of the river Mersey and is no longer active as a lighthouse but as a home. The area itself is very desolate few people and quite a creepy atmosphere. There is a long winding path to the lighthouse, and then paths along the shore of the Mersey. Across the river you can also see several power plants, this adds even more danger to the setting.

I also wanted another threatening location. I chose a run down area of Speke (Liverpool). It is a council estate but what I thought was most interesting about it was the bored up flats above the parade of shops, and then some shops in dis-use. I liked this as you have the feeling that not much can survive there. I found the location to have even more depth as it backs onto Liverpool airport meaning that planes can be seen taking off and there is odd technology in the background.

The script !

Above is the Script for Across the Water. After knowing what I wanted to write in my script. I then had to find out the conventions of scripts. After researching on the internet, I discovered the style that the script had to be in, including the font and the size. I then had to learn what information was nessesary to put into the script e.g. EXT. BEACH (for example).

The treatment ...

Across the water

The Characters
JAY is a man in his early 40’s, as a first appearance he looks quite rough. We see him in his role a father, it is obvious from his actions that he is not very good with kids and doesn’t even connect with his own child. He is irresponsible from the first time we meet him (he is running late) and this leads the audience to have little trust for him.
SAM is Jays 8 year old son; he is dressed quite smartly and therefore contrasts Jay’s character. He clearly does not get on with Jay and does not really want to spend time with him. For his age he appears to be quite intelligent, he is well behaved especially considering some of the situations he is put in.
ADELLE is Sam’s mother she doesn’t have a big role in the film but she impacts heavily on Sam’s personality and actions. She and Sam are very close.

Locations
Will film around Liverpool and will show the iconic Liverpool waterfront. Main setting for the film will be in an area of Speke; this area is very run down and has parades of shops that are boarded up. Speke also has a very interesting element that Liverpool airport is right behind it meaning there will be a great backdrop. My next location is Hale Lighthouse this lies at the end of a very remote path, from it you can see the river Mersey and many industrial areas (factories) across the water. I will then move to Crosby Beach this location has beautiful sand dunes that will change the tone of the film but also is the place of the Antony Gormley statues.

Story
The story begins with an introduction to all the characters. Jay is hurriedly making his way somewhere we then see that it is to meet Sam and Adelle they are angry that he is running late. When he gets to them we start to understand the dynamic of the family Jay is the dad, but him and Adelle don’t speak and Sam is clearly reluctant to spend the day with him. We then see Sam and Jay waiting at the bus stop there is no conversation and no interaction. Once on the bus Jay says to Sam in a strong scouse accent that he has to meet a mate. Once of the bus we see the characters walking through a really rough neighbourhood, it is then shocking that Jay leaves Sam on the street to go and meet his mate.
We see Jay looking for his mate GARY and finally picking up a package from him, this is very suspicious. Jay is has very odd mannerisms during this sequence. When he gets back to Sam who is now sitting on the floor, he tells him to hurry up and starts walking in front of him. At some points he gets quite angry that Sam isn’t being quicker, you then see them just make a train. When Jay is questioned about where they are going by Sam he states that it is a surprise, Sam responds that he hates surprises.
When they get off the train Jay continues to shout at Sam and rush him. They are now in the Hale Lighthouse location, this is quite intimidating as it is empty and there are signs saying danger. As a viewer you should start to worry slightly for Sam’s safety. Sam is clearly quite worried himself, he questions Jay. After waking down a path they appear over a sand dune. Jay sits down and hands Sam the package, it’s a present (a camera). The lighting is perfect and they are in a beautiful location.

Filmspiration ...

I want to look at some of the films in the social realism genre that are currently being created. I want to take inspiration from shot types, story and general vibe.

I am going to look at British films as Social realism is so based on place. It would be very difficult to create the social realism of America filming in England. It would also almost be a different genre as the way people live around the would and what there realism is, is very diferent. Britain is also not afraid to create films that are gritty and show the true grim edges of some british life.



Andrea Arnold is an Oscar winning director that does just that. Above is the trailer for her current feature film 'Fish Tank' the film focuses on the troubling life of a teenage girl and the problems she faces. Mainly focused on the arrival of her mums boybriend in the house and her dream to be a dancer. Arnold also won an oscar for her 26min short film 'Wasp' (see below). Wasp is set on a housing estate and focuses on the life of a single mum, with 4 young children. She struggles to care for her children with barely enough money to feed them.







Her short film shows the despiration of life and the struggles that people face. It also shows a flawed relationship between parent and child, this is an idea that I might like to tackle.

The relationship between parent and child is a very relatable one for most people, this means it would not be too complicated. With young children it is also very easy to spot the mistakes that parents are making and sympathis with the child. Watching children in uncapable hands is also quite unsettling for an audience as you know that they are so fragile and can be damaged so easily.

This is England by Shane Medows also shows the relationship betweens adults and children. He focuses on the influence they can have and the impact of the childs future.

Thoughts are happening !

I have decided to do an social realist drama. This is a drama that is accessible to create with such a lack of equipment and money. It is also a genre that I know a great deal about and that I can relate with. I also have the oppurtunity to shoot in Liverpool, a great location for social realist.

It also sets a good basis for a simple story I want to tell about someones life. I would like to focus on the idea that change can happen very quickly, a second, an hour, a day.

Lets re-group and start again ?

Now I have decided to re-start my film. I have to once again come up with a idea. I have to address the problems that occured last time so that they don't happen again.

Last time, the story was to complicated and I had lack of budget, actors, effects and support to pull it off.

This time I need to really consider what I want to achieve and if it is infact achievable. Take in to account the actors I can use, locations I can access and a story I will really understand.

I think that the most important thing is to create a simple story that also has depth and meaning that can be portrayed by amature actors in 5 minutes.

The lost dream...

This is the roughish edit of the film that didn't work.

http://vimeo.com/10184496

The dream is over!

I realised that this film didn't transfer very well to film. The story became difficult for an audience to understand.
This was due to lack of planning and preparation when creating the film. I then made the drastic decision to start again !

It's all down to the edit !

Now I have all my footage, I have to edit it.

I uploaded the footage and then began editing on Adobe Premiere (as I had learned to do previously).

I had to edit the scenes together in the correct order so they made sense, I also had to cut out unwanted shots ect.

I also added effects as I had some moments speed up and some slowed down.

It took me about five hours to get to a stage were i could see what the final product would be like. I discovered something ...

The Filming and The Problems !!

I filmed over three days.

Day 1.
I filmed using all my Liverpool actors.
Arthur, Freda and Tony.
I filmed in House, Beechfield Road, Calderstones Park and the waterfront.
This day went well as I got all the footage I needed. I, however, had several problems. Tony refused to learn his lines and then proceeded to ad lib madly, and then corrected and direction I gave. We did manage to solve this and his adlibing was controlled. The main problem of the day was the scene at the waterfront. In this scene Arthur (8) had to let go of a balloon, when I told him this he responded;
'I am absolutely not doing it! Are you joking? I'm not doing it, I'm not doing the film!'
When I said he had to, he burst into tears.
We later came to an agreement that if i tied the balloon to him with invisable string so he could let it go it would appear to fly away but still be attached. Unfortunatly the wind at the waterfront was too strong and the invisable string snapped leading to the balloon flying away and a very upset actor.

Day 2.
Just used Arthur.
I filmed at Fulwood Park, Aigburth Road and the Flat.
This day went a great deal better than the previous. Each shot was filmed quite quickly with limited problems. Though the sadness of the balloon was brought up and Arthur was still a little sensitive. My main problem for the day was getting the lighting right within the flat as I wanted it to be dark with light coming from one side.

Day 3.
Used my only London actor Golly.
Filmed on Holland Park Avenue.
I only filmed for about an hour on this day. It went quite smoothly as I was only trying to achieve quite simple things. The two main issues were Golly had to stand very still infront of a busy road as I wanted to speed the film up in editing. We then had the problem of bursting the balloon in a naturalistic way - this was hard.
Overall, the day went well.

Thats a wrap.

The Locations .

For this film I had several locations.

Beechfield Road.
This was the road used for exterior shots of the house, and the front garden which Arthur lies in. It is a suburban street, it is bright and clean. From seeing it you understand the type of people that live there.

House Int.
I used the Interior of a house for scenes were the little boy goes into the peoples house. The house has lots of clashing fabrics, mirrors, paintings and small statues. These objects show the wealth of the people living there.

Fulwood Park.
This is the road the little boy walks down when he has the ballon. It is very green and the light will shine through the trees to create nice shadows.

Flat Int.
The flat looks a bit run down. There are objects everywhere, it is however quite dark. This location helps to explain why the boy might act the wat he does and how he gets away with it.

Waterfront.
The waterfront is the perfect place for the little boy to let the balloon go, as it is windy. This is also a nice place to shoot as you can see the river and there is a beautiful sky.

Aigburth Road.
Is a main road used to show the little boys journey from the house to his flat.

Holland Park Avenue.
This is the location were the girl finds the baloon. It is contrasting from were the boy let it go as it is a very busy main road. I t is also obviously a different city ... showing the distance the baloon has traveled.

Fancy Dress !

I also thought about the costumes of the characters.

[pics to be uploaded and explained]

How will I approach it ???

I first decided on the exact story and how I would show it through the shots. I told my actors, when they would be needed and what I wanted them to do. I then decided on locations. I really wanted to shoot on the roof of a building in Liverpool town centre but after contacting the building manager I discovered that it wouldn't be possible. I decieded to shoot by the river instead.

These were the main things I thought about before shooting!

The IDEA !!

I came up with several ideas, all of which had to be conveyable with 5 minutes.

IDEA 1
About a meeting of two people. It is seen before the two meet that one of them has done something awful. The other person doesn't know this and a friendship happens, trust begins. The audience, however, can see the danger that the person is in. Maybe set on a train.

IDEA 2
Looking at the impact of being in quarantine. Currently important due to the prominence of swine flu. The main story follows a family who are trapped in a flat for a certain number of days. They find it difficult to cope and some even start hallucinating.

IDEA 3
About a young boy who steals from people. He does it in a very clever way - by sleeping in their front garden when the people find him he is invited in (they are concerned). He leaves taking something of value with him, the people he steals from are left confused. He isn't doing it to be bad, he then lets the valuable item go in a balloon. He hopes someone will find it.

I decided to do idea number IDEA 3 as I thought it was the most resonable with by buget (none) and limited actors (family and friends). I also thought it was the most original of the ideas.

Its all about the ideas ...

Now we have got to start working on our own short film. We can work in groups but I have chosen to work alone.

To begin a 'brainstorm' for ideas I watched lots of short films on BBC's film network. This gave me loads of ideas some I found boring and some I really enjoyed. It allowed me to establish what makes a short film good for me. For example thought provoking, interesting locations, light and relevent but limited dialog (if any).

I then also looked at the film making 'Guide' on the website.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork/Filmmakersguide
What struck me as most important at this stage was an original idea, so I got thinking...

The practise is over ...

Here is our final horror product!!

http://vimeo.com/10183900

Edit me !

We uploaded are footage from our short horror. We did this by plugging the camera into the computer using the firewire connection, then using Adobe Premiere we captured the video onto the computer.

We were then ready to edit. As this was the first time we had used this editing program we had a lot to learn. We experimented with speeding up and slowing down footage and adding different effects. We found that the film looked better with less complicated effects. We also had to add titles and music using the same program.

It was at this point that we discovered that we had to use original music for our short film. As most of us aren't musicains this was going to be a challenge.

We're all a little bit scared . . . ?

We have decided as a class that we want to create short films opposed to documentaries or trailers. We found that would be easier as people who anted to do documentaries or trailers could create short films about there topic. We also thought that Documentaries could be difficult as some people did not have a theme they were passionate about - it would also be difficult without the use of archive footage and music. Trailers were also abandoned as creating a convincing trailer would be difficult and such a great deal of shots are needed.

To get ready for shooting are film and to learn the basics of filming and editing we have been split into small groups and have to make a very short horror sequence.My group consisted of me, kelly and Anita. We used a lesson to film so only had the school as our location, we also didn't have actors so Anita and Kelly starred in it.

To begin with we has to think of an idea, we decided for it to be about a girl who is alone in the school and is getting followed and eventually attacked. It took us about an hour to film we used a varaity of shots. We had some porblems as because it was so short there was no time for long panning shots or long establishing shots - everything had to be quick. We also struggled with the ending as we had no props, we couldn't see her be attacked. This was solved when we edited.

Document me !!

We also have an option of making a documentary.If I was goig to make a documetary I think I would have to make it about Liverpool, the city which I am from. To research this I have looked at some documetaries based around thecity and the people within the city. I find that all of them are provoking and address different aspects of the city. I would be particularly interseted in documenting My Liverpool, or the music in the city. Here are some documetaries I could draw ideas from.

Let me capture your imagination!

We also had the option to make a trailer as part of our film production. I decided to look at some trailers, so I could understand what I would need to achieve if I took on this task.



Above is the trailer for Donnie Darko!
The trailer obviously gives an idea of what the film is about and introduces the characters. As this film has an undefinable genre, and the trailer has to attract people to it, therefore show the audience something they recognise... meaning the trailer has similarities to that of a horror genre.
The trailer itself it compossed completely of shots from the film - lots of them. It, however, does not give the story away but shows the audience a clear outline of the main character Donnie.



Above is the trailer from eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
This trailer is very different to that of Donnie Darko. It combines shots from the film with an advert for Lacuna Inc this leads the view to wanting to know more. The advert for Lacuna Inc shows a very important part of the film but the storyline isn't really shown at all. This advert just introduces the concept and then the actors and shows you the style of the film. The shots of the film used are very short unlike in some trailers were whole conversations are heard. I think this trailer is succesful as in manages to show the film but in a very simplified way... this may draw a larger audience (it's not too complex).



Above the trailer for The Royal Tenenbaums!
As I have seen both Donnie Darko and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I thought I should look at a trailer for a film I haven't seen. As, if I create a trailer nobody will have seen the film.
I thought this tralier was succesful as it clearly introduced each character and there position in the story. It also gave a clear view of what was going to happen in the film, but didn't show you the outcome of the situation established in the trailer. This lead me to want to watch it, not only to find out more about the interesting characters but also see the progression in the story. The trailer itself was held together and directed by a naration, this made it easier to understand.

Overall if I was to make a trailer I would first of all have to think about my idea as a whole for a film and then establish how I would convey that to the audience. It is also very important that trailers have a draw, that make the audience want to watch the film - you can make a really bad film look good with the right trailer. It is also important to show that your film is different to any film that you have seen before and not just copy a trailer (you, however must not forget about conventions).

I think creating a trailer would be quite difficult as they are usually about editing a large amount of footage into something short, not creating limited footage and trying to give the overview of a long piece. You also need lots of shots in different locations and times as films don't usually occur in the same day.

The World of Short films ...

Certainly not a Fairytale

"Directed by: Vivi Friedman
A lovely, but lonely woman exhausts the superficial dating merry-go-round with gorgeous, but boring and shallow men. She decides to invert her unsuccessful method by dating the ugly office janitor, assuming that a plain wrapper holds a beautiful treasure. When she discovers that the plain wrapper janitor is ugly inside and out – she kills him and puts him in her bathtub. At last she has the perfect date."

http://content.foxsearchlight.com/searchlab/node/617

I liked the whole style of this film, it had quite an eerie and surreal tone ... that eventually lead up to the od twist at the end. Every scene showed some sort of perfection visually but what was being shown through the story was quite oppoiste - this contrast was interesting and something I might consider. The lighting throughout was great changing from quite dark threatening lightening to bright lighting that added to the theme of fake-ness. I thought the film was edited well especially at the end as Adele killed Leo, each edit was seperated by a black shot, with each cut the shot angle changed and the shots got closer and closer together adding a dramatic effect.

I also liked the story as it was relativly simple but achieved in quite a complex and controlled manner. The story also reminded me of the poem 'Porphyrias Lover' this gave we the idea to create a story or theme from a poem??

Porphyrias Lover
"The rain set early in tonight,
The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops down for spite,
And did its worst to vex the lake:
I listened with heart fit to break.
When glided in Porphyria; straight
She shut the cold out and the storm,
And kneeled and made the cheerless grate
Blaze up, and all the cottage warm;
Which done, she rose, and from her form
Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl,
And laid her soiled gloves by, untied
Her hat and let the damp hair fall,
And, last, she sat down by my side
And called me. When no voice replied,
She put my arm about her waist,
And made her smooth white shoulder bare,
And all her yellow hair displaced,
And, stooping, made my cheek lie there,
And spread, o'er all, her yellow hair,
Murmuring how she loved me — she
Too weak, for all her heart's endeavor,
To set its struggling passion free
From pride, and vainer ties dissever,
And give herself to me forever.
But passion sometimes would prevail,
Nor could tonight's gay feast restrain
A sudden thought of one so pale
For love of her, and all in vain:
So, she was come through wind and rain.
Be sure I looked up at her eyes
Happy and proud; at last I knew
Porphyria worshiped me: surprise
Made my heart swell, and still it grew
While I debated what to do.
That moment she was mine, mine, fair,
Perfectly pure and good: I found
A thing to do, and all her hair
In one long yellow string I wound
Three times her little throat around,
And strangled her. No pain felt she;
I am quite sure she felt no pain.
As a shut bud that holds a bee,
I warily oped her lids: again
Laughed the blue eyes without a stain.
And I untightened next the tress
About her neck; her cheek once more
Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss:
I propped her head up as before,
Only, this time my shoulder bore
Her head, which droops upon it still:
The smiling rosy little head,
So glad it has its utmost will,
That all it scorned at once is fled,
And I, its love, am gained instead!
Porphyria's love: she guessed not how
Her darling one wish would be heard.
And thus we sit together now,
And all night long we have not stirred,
And yet God has not said a word! "

Stand by ...

For our A2 coursework we have to create either a short film, documentary or a trailer !! To complete any of these tasks we need to plan, analyse and evaluate, in order to end up with the best possible product.
To begin I am going to roam the internet for some short films, trailers and documentries that capture my imagination an inspire me to create something equally as good.