Camera angles/shot types- The hangover 2 and Taken 2

Extreme Wide Shot (Establishing shot)

This is an extreme wide shot from The Hangover 2. It is to set location and show where the film may take place at this point.
I could use this in my film at the very beginning to highlight where the story is going to take place. I could show an establishing shot of the house and the street that she lives in.

Wide Shot/Long Shot

This is an example of a wide shot/long shot. You can see the full body of the character and sometimes it is used to introduce new characters to a film, so you get a full idea of how they look, how they dress, etc.
I may use this in my short film to show the wedding dress of my main character, as this is a sigficant costume that signifies a lot about what it going to happen in the film.

Medium Close Up

This is a medium close up. You get a closer look into more detail of the character, and it can highlight a certain expression/emotion. However, you can still see some of the setting in the background.
I could use this when my main character reads the letter about her husband, to capture the emotion on her face and emphasise her feelings.

Two Shot

This is a two shot, which is any two characters in a shot. It is to show conversation and interaction between characters. You can also tell the relationship between the characters by their proximity from each other and how they act around each other.
During the proposal scene in my film, I could use a two shot to esablish the personal distance between the characters to show how close their relationship is.

Extreme Close Up

This is an example of an extreme close up. It draws the audience closer to the story and gives them more detail about a certain character/prop etc. 

I would like to include a few close ups in my film, especially when she goes to open the front door to recieve the letter, as this would bring the audience closer and give more dramatic effect.

Over the shoulder 

An over the shoulder shot draws the audience closer in to the action and we catch a glimpse of what the character is seeing, with them still in the shot. 

When the bride to be is trying on her wedding dress to show her friends, I could use an over the shoulder shot, to make sure she is still in the frame but to also catch a glimse of the reactions of her friends.

Midshot

A mid shot is when we see half of the character. This enables us to see more of the characters facial expressions but still allows us to see extra detail, like the clothing and the setting around the character. 

I think I will be using a lot of midshots throughout my film so that the audience is able to see the expression on the character's face as well as the action and the costume they are wearing.

Low Angle

This is an example of a low angle shot. This is when the camera looks up at a character or object, to imply that a character is powerless or inferior to another character.

There isn't a point in the film where any of the characters are made to feel inferior, however when the main character finds outs the news about her husband I could use a low angle shot looking up at her from the letter.  

High Angle

A high angle shot implies that a character is looking down on another character, implying superiority and authority and makes the other character look vulnerable. 

Similar to the low angle, there won't be a point in my film where any of the characters feel inferior or superior. But I could use a high angle shot when she

falls to the ground and is overcome with emotion, to show her vulnerability at this point in the film.

POV (Point of View)

A POV shot shows a closer look into the action, in the point of view of one of the characters. We are able to see exactly what they are seeing and this makes the storyline more realistic. The audience feel a stronger sense of involvement and are even able to be put in the position of the character themselves. 

I think I would like to use a POV shot in my film because I like how it lets the audience see the action from the characters eyes. I could use this camera angle when she is looking back over her fiance's belongings, so the audience can feel the same emotion that she feels.

Poster props and costume

For my poster, I wanted my model to wear a wedding dress and be holding the letter she receives about the death of her fiance.

I borrowed a wedding dress from a family friend, featured below:

I then created a letter, which was actually blank, but made sure that there was a visible army crest on the top to be seen in my photographs, in order to hint at the plot: 

Poster Photographs

For my film poster, I wanted an image of a woman wearing a wedding dress. I wanted it to be quite darkly lit and simple, with her facial expression hinting at the storyline.
I went to a studio to achieve this and I am going to decide between the four following photographs:

I like the lighting and positioning of this photograph and it was one of my favorites at the start. However, I think that the facial expression is not what I want for a drama genre and the letter is not very prominent in this one.

I do like this photograph, but for a drama, I feel like the lighting is too high key and bright, when it should be a lot darker and more shadowy. I also have to consider whether not having an eye level match is effective or not.

This photograph is my favourite and I think it will be the one I end up using. I like the variety of lighting and how the letter is prominent in her hands. Her facial expression doesn't give too much away but hints at the plot, as well as the army crest being on show. 

Again, I like this photograph but I feel the lighting too bright again and the eye level match worries me as I think her facing the audience would be a lot more effective. 

I got the inspiration for the first three images from a photograph I had found on google. I then put it on my poster that I've been busy making to see if it looked professional and attractive and I was happy with the result. So, I decided to try using the same position and layout: 

Below is the kind of studio I used in order to take these photographs: 

Updated Script

I have decided to change my script in certain places because I wasn't entirely happy with what I originally had. Also, I intended on getting a wedding dress shop as one of my locations, unfortunately I was unable to do this in the end as the owner of the shop had other commitments. I have altered that scene in particular to keep it as similar as it was, in a different location.
Here is my updated version:

Fade in:

EXT. House - Daytime

Establishing shot of a house in a quiet street, just at the sun is coming up.

We see where the main character lives.

Fade to:

INT. Bedroom – Daytime

GRACE is a young girl, maybe in her twenties, who is currently living alone as a result of her husband-to-be working for the army in Afghanistan. She is planning a wedding for when he returns.

GRACE is sleeping when her alarm wakes her up. She turns it off, stretches and lies staring at her ceiling.

She wakes up and turns off her alarm.
She rolls over and stretches and lies down for a short time.
She then gets up and puts on her slippers and dressing gown and leaves the room.
We see a photograph of her with a man in a frame beside her bed.

Cut to:

INT. Living Room – Day

GRACE is sitting texting her friends and watching TV in the living room, while drinking tea. She is arranging for them so visit her house and see her try on her wedding dress.

She is sitting on one of the couches in her living room, with her feet up.
She is drinking tea out of a mug, with the tv on in the background.
She is on her phone and is texting a friend.
We see the conversation between the two.
She smiles and the scene ends.

Fade to:

EXT. Car – Day
INT. Inside the car

GRACE is sitting in the car outside of her house after she has just been to pick up her wedding dress. She is excited, but a little bit sad at the fact her fiancé isn’t at home waiting for her.

She taps her fingers on the steering wheel.
She picks up her purse out of her bag and opens it to look at another photo of the man in the frame, her fiancé’ and she smiles. She then gets out of her car with her dress and goes into her house.

Fade to:

INT. House - Day

GRACE’S friend JULIE and her mother KAROLINE sit excitedly waiting for her to show them her dress. They drink champagne and giggle together. GRACE enters the room and they go quiet. They stand up, stunned.

JULIE and KAROLINE sit together on a couch.
They are chatting and giggling, while drinking champagne.
GRACE enters the room from the dressing room, wearing a wedding dress.
JULIE and KAROLINE stand up, looking emotional

Dissolve to:

INT. – Living room – Day

GRACE is getting on with her housework, sweeping the floor when there is a knock at the door. She stops what she is doing and goes to answer it.

She is sweeping the floor in her living room
She hears a knock at the door and looks up
She goes to leave the room to answer it

Cut to:

INT. – Hallway/Front Door – DAY

GRACE goes to answer the door and sees that there is a man dressed in an army outfit. She is immediately confused and concerned. We do not see the face of this man, just his body from the shoulders down. He hands her a letter and she closes the door. Once she reads it, she becomes aware of the fact that her fiancé has died at war and naturally, she breaks down.
She walks towards the door and sees the man in uniform. She has a confused facial expression. She opens the door and we see the man standing there. He gives her a letter and she takes it before closing the door.
She reads the letter and then throws it on the ground. She then starts to cry and slides down the wall until she is sitting down on the floor.
We see a photograph on the wall of her boyfriend again.
She sits with her head in her hands.

Cut to:

INT. – Bedroom – Early Evening

GRACE has just read the letter and is still distraught and finding it hard to come to terms with what has happened. She goes into her bedroom and looking in his wardrobe, and ends up clinging on to his clothes. She stares sadly at her wedding ring and goes to sit down in front of her mirror.

She walks into her bedroom and towards the wardrobe. She opens it and runs her hands along the clothes. She then clings to the clothes.
She then walks away, towards her bed and sits down, looking into the mirror.
She then stares at the engagement ring on her finger and then closes her eyes

Dissolve to:

INT. – Living room – Evening (Flashback
EXT. – Garden – Night (Flashback)
INT. – Bedroom – Evening (Present)

GRACE has a flash back of her wedding proposal. It is her and her boyfriend in a garden, with lights and a small table and wine. She sees him get on one knee with the ring again. Quick cuts back to her face every so often, in her bedroom, as she smiles, sadly with her eyes closed. 

GRACE and JAMES are walk into the living room and they are smiling and laughing. He puts a blind fold on her and starts leading her out of the door. [Cuts back to her in her bedroom looking down, sad]
 We see all the lights and how the garden is decorated first.
JAMES then directs her to a table where he pulls out the chair for her to sit down.
[Cuts back to her when she is sitting in her bedroom with her eyes closed]
He then gets down on one knee and pulls out a ring.
[Back to her sitting in her bedroom, with her eyes closed]
She smiles and indicates a ‘yes’. They hug and are both smiling and happy, JAMES then sits down and they end up holding hands on the table.
[Back to her in her bedroom, eyes closed, emphasis on her holding her own hand]
They sit on the table talking to each other and appreciating the ring

Fade to:

INT. Bedroom – Evening

GRACE goes to have a lie down, but on his side of the bed. She clutches his pillow and then rolls over to retrieve the photograph of them by the bed. She clutches it and closes her eyes.

She goes to her bed and lies down and we see the empty side of the bed.
She rolls over and stares at the empty space.
She moves and lies on his side, staring at the photograph by the bed.
She picks up the photograph and stares at it.
She lies back, clutching the photograph and closes her eyes

ALL THE WAY THROUGH, NON-DIEGETIC INTRUMENTAL MUSIC WILL BE PLAYING, CHANGING DEPENDING ON THE TONE OF THE SCENE AND WHAT IS HAPPENING.
THERE WILL BE NO LOUD SPEECH OR CONVERSATION.
THERE WILL BE VERY QUIET DIEGETIC BACKGROUND SOUND AT CERTAIN POINTS, ALONG WITH THE NON-DIEGETIC SOUND.

When she beings to read the letter, the music will lower in volume but in the background we will hear the sound of gunshots and explosions.

I.E:
ALARM CLOCK
TELEVISION
TRAFFIC ?
GIGGLING
KNOCK AT THE DOOR

Article Survey Graphs

Click here to see the graphs I made to show my audience feedback!

I also created some graphs on the results of my article survey so I could clearly see the feedback of my audience and consider their opinions in my work. I gave out my surveys and once I got them back with feedback, I made graphs to clearly see which direction I should go in and was able to clearly see the views of my target audience.
I will make sure that I closely consider the feedback that my audience have given me about my double page spread article for my film. It is important to ask for feedback from the potential target audience, so that I can produce work that they expect they will enjoy and engage with themselves. For example, I have found that more people found that a film review had the power to influence whether they would see a film or not, so I will consider this and make sure that I use a lot of persuasive language and techniques and create a positive sounding article.
Also, more people said rather than just text or just image based, they preferred a mixture of the two for a magazine article. Because of this, I am considering doing a page of a few images, and then an article on the other, with text and images dotted around.
Most people said they would prefer to read an article that was simple and straight to the point as they found this easier to digest, than an impressive sounding article. I will definitely take this into consideration and be sure to use a very friendly, informal and digestible tone when writing my article.

Poster Graphs

Click here to see the graphs for my poster survey!

After getting the results back from my audience about what they would like to see on my poster, I created some graphs to tie up all of the information I got so that I could take on board their thoughts and opinions.
I found that the majority of people said that the image on the poster should be the main focus point and that it is what attracts them to the poster the most rather than any of the text. Baring this in mind, I will be sure to make the focus point of my poster, the image, and make sure that it is attractive and eye catching. Similarly, the audience prefer to see a poster that is image based rather than text based, so I'll make sure I don't include the most necessary pieces of text on the poster.
The audience said that the colour scheme that would suit the genre and style of the film best would be dark colours like black and white, rather than bright colours. I assumed this myself any way, but I will definitely be using this kind of colour scheme as my audience agree that it fits well with the style. I may also include some green and brown colours, and include a bit of camouflage style to match the narrative.

Script feedback from teacher and peers

I got some feedback on my script from my teacher and also from a friend. Both gave me advice on how to improve my script and different ideas and directions to consider when filming:

There were two pages of my script that contained feedback. I had a one to one with the teacher for extra feedback and advice where we considered the idea of using a voiceover from the male actor throughout rather than it being silent with instrumental music.

The feedback from my friend was:
1. Remember to use characters names when they are first mentioned
2. Give extra detail (e.g. What the photo is) just for reference when finding/using props
3. Think of appropriate shot types

Setting and Location

As one of my locations is in bridal shop, I wanted to film in a real one to make it realistic. To do this, I had to contact a few shops and eventually got a reply from one saying they would be able to help.

I got a reply from two companies, one of which said that I had to contact them at a later date as their manager wasn't in at the moment. The other said that she was able to help:

The email reads:

Hi Megan

I'm sure we'd be able to help you. The shop is usually closed on a Monday, so that would be best for us. What exactly do you want to do?

Kind Regards

June

Amore Brides 

Character Profiles

I decided to create some character profiles to show the type of people my characters are and give some background information about their lifestyle to go along with the narrative. I have chosen to only create profiles for the two main characters, and not the characters with very small  roles.

Grace Smith

Name: Grace Smith

Age: Mid twenties (25)

Occupation: Teacher

Grace Smith is a young woman in her mid twenties who is a teacher and lives in the north east of England.

She lives in a small, ordinary house, with her boyfriend. 

As he is in the army, she spends a lot of time alone in her home, and has to be as independent as she can.

She has no children but is currently planning a wedding after being proposed to just at the start of the Christmas period. 

 

B.C Carter

Name: Bradley Carter

Age: 26

Occupation: Soldier 
 Bradley Carter is a 26 year old man from the North East of England. He usually lives with his girlfriend and wife-to-be, Grace. 

He proposed to her at the start of the Christmas period, by lighting up the garden with fairy lights. 

He was recently deployed to Afghanistan, where he will spend the next few months fighting. 

Being at war, he leaves his girlfriend behind to look after their home. 

Storyboards

A storyboard is a visual representation of what the film will look like. Each shot needs to be planned for before it can be filmed. 

The storyboard will be annotated with information like the location of the scene, how many actors are needed in the shot, props, vehicles and costumes, the shot types and angles you will be using and the reasons why. 

Certain details need to be considered like any necessary movements made by actors or vehicles in a frame and what direction that would be. Any camera movement to add motion in a shot. Is there need for an special lighting in the frame, remembering that lighting affects the mood you're trying to convey. You also need to consider any special effects needed for the film, and you must decide whether or not a special effects person needs to be hired. Special effects can include things like computer-generated effects and explosions etc. 

Asking my actors