My Short Film Review

: Final Short Film Review

 



Evaluation

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

 

I noticed when watching this short film that it uses lots of close up shots, especially of the man's face. I liked this idea as it creates a relationship between the character and the audience, and the audience gets to know what the character is feeling. I have used some close ups when showing the money. I did this to show that my main character doesn't have a lot of money, and I used it at the start to introduce what the character was like. The mid shots in my film I use to show the main character's every day life and her routine during the day.

 Memories:

  Also in my short film, I have used non-diagetic sound to introduce the film along with the title sequence. The music builds up suspense, as the film is light-hearted, but also has a fairly serious message. When looking at other short films, I found that a lot of them have background music to reflect the mood of the film. I didn't want to use too much sound in my film because I didn't think too much was needed. So for most of my film, there is just diagetic sound. The short film Strangers follows a similar convention of having minimal dialogue. This is an unusual convention but in this case, we are able to understand the characters just by watching what happens to them. This is something that I wanted to do in my own short film as I wanted to challenge the conventions. My film follows a narrative structure with a beginning, middle and end. The beginning being her every day life and how she struggles with everything, the middle buying the lottery ticket and spending lots of money, and the end being where she realise she has gone wrong and wants to go back to her previous life. I think that my short film supports forms and conventions of real media products by the use of camera,the non-diagetic sound, and the narrative structure and the ways the character is presented. It challenges these forms and conventions by not using lots of sound. The props used in the film are used to reflect the main character. The envelope with the rent money is meant to show just how much she is struggling in life. The shots of the small handfulls of money are meant to reinforce this and show that something in her life needs to change. Another key prop is the lottery ticket which is the thing that changes everything in the film.

The length of my short film is around 4 minutes long. This supports another convention of short films as most of them are no longer than 10 minutes, with some sometimes being more than that. My short film carries one simple idea throughout. Normal films often have multiple storylines going on, but short films normally don't as this would over-complicate them. I have gone with this idea and had one idea, with one main character to follow.

 

2.How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

 

I think the nature of my ancillary products works well with the way my film works. I think the short film works with the poster as I have used a lottery ticket that has been ripped in half to reflect the two different lives shown in the film. I think that the audience will be able to understand the nature of the film from the poster and so it gives them a clue as to what my film is about. I decided on the name of my film when designing my poster. - "Reality Cheque". The colours used on my poster are a mixture. At the bottom of the background, it is plain white to show that the character's normal life is plain and nothing exciting happens. At the top of the background, it is a dark blue colour which is reflecting her new life to show that things are now happening but they take a turn for the worst. I have used brighter colours like pink, orange and purple to appeal to the audience of young teenage girls. Similarly, I have used these colours in my short film review. I think the review describes well how my film works. I have included a summary of the plot to introduce the film, and some opinions from people who have seen the film and what they liked about it. I have used what I have researched on other short film reviews in order to do this.

One image that is used throughout all 3 parts of the coursework, is the use of the lottery ticket. In the film it is used as the main turning point in the film, or the disequillibrium. As it is the most important feature, I have used an image of a lottery ticket on my review to show this. I have also used it on my poster but I have edited it so it is ripped in half, to give the audience a clue as to what could happen in the film. It encourages the audience to guess what might happen. This is the main concept which links all 3 products together.

 

 

3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

 

I found it useful to see what the feedback of the audience would be, as I had asked them about my ideas before I had made the products, and I wanted to see if their opinions had changed or stayed the same. During the early stages in audience feedback, I proposed 3 simple ideas where I got the audience to vote which one they liked best. The most popular choice was idea number 3 where I then went on to develop further ideas for it. I then asked the same people about my further ideas where I asked for people's opinions, and asked whether there were any points I could add or develop further. This was useful as audience is one of the most important factors in the making of the film, and so I needed to ask them the kind of thing they would want to see. As well as this, I conducted a questionnaire just to get a general idea of the kind of short films people would want to see. This was useful as it helped me to start constructing my original ideas.

I posted my short film on Twitter to see what people thought of it. A lot of people said they liked the idea behind it and that it was something they would probably want to watch. People said they liked the way the main character was presented and how they acted out the life of having no money and being on their own with their problems. Others said that they would liked to have seen more of the life of the main character winning the lottery to see just how much it had changed her as a person, and that they didn't think there was enough content. The main thing I learnt from posting the film on Twitter was that I should have included more content so that people could properly understand what was going on.

I also showed my short film to the same people I gave my ideas questionnaire to. Some people said the main thing that they liked about it was the actual story behind it. They also said that I should have included more so that they could follow the story easily without having to try and guess what was happening. They said they liked my use of camera work and that the variety of camera shots and angles worked well with what I was trying to show in my film. I also showed the same people my poster and review. Good points about my review were that I used a good range of colours that would appeal well to the audience. They also said I described the plot well and that the description I used fitted well. One thing they said I should improve was the way I presented it, that I should use a different layout because they didn't think the one I had used worked very well. They liked the design of my poster because of the 'split in the lottery ticket' idea. They also liked the idea behind my colour scheme. One thing they said would be better, would be to have some still images of the main character from the film in both the review and the poster.

 

4. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Planning stage: I used Youtube in order to carry out research into music videos, trailers and short films. I did this so that I could see how other media products had been designed so that I could use these ideas for my own products. Youtube was useful to use as it helped me to find products to compare with each other, and to see the differences in genre and conventions of real media products. I used Google images to search for different designs of short film reviews and posters. This was a quick and easy way of finding what I needed to and I was able to write about what I had found. These sites made the planning stage much easier. While finding out what the audience thought of my ideas, I used Google Maps so that I could use pictures of my locations to support my explanations of my locations.

Construction stage: I used again Google images for pictures that I nearly included in my short film. This wasn't something that I used in the end while making my film as I already had some footage that I could use instead. I used Photoshop in order to make my poster. This was good as it didn't take very long for me to make, and there are lots of tools that can be used which are more advanced, and make what you are trying to do look more professional. I used Publisher to design my review. I found this quite straight forward as it's something that I've used lots in the past. To make my actual film, I used Final Cut Pro. We used this as it is a more advanced programme for making films or any other video.  I found this harder to use as I had never used it before. I was able to use the basics of it well to put my clips together, although I did need some help in order to use it properly.

Evaluation: For my evaluation, I used social networking sites like Twitter in order to gain audience feedback. I used Twitter because it has now become a lot more popular, and I didn't want to restrict who saw the film. This was a straight forward way of gaining feedback as it is something that I use on a daily basis.

 

My Short Film Poster

I designed my short film poster on Photoshop. For the background, I have used a plain white colour towards the bottom, and a murky, dark blue colour towards the top of the poster. I have done this to represent the two seperate lives of the main character. The white showing how her life was in the beginning of not having a lot of money and being on her own. The dark blue represents her life of winning the lottery, but then it all going wrong and her changing who she is as a person.
The main focus point of the poster is the lottery ticket which has been ripped in half. This represents the point in which she realises that things in her life are getting worse because of her winning the money, and when she decides that she wants to go back to how her life was before. I thought doing this was a good idea as it gives the audience an idea of what kind of genre the film is and whether what happens is good or bad.
I decided on the name 'Reality Cheque' for my film. The word cheque meaning the £1 million that Sarah has won and the word reality showing how she realised how much things have gone wrong and that she wants her 'real' life back.

 

 

I have used pink fonts for the title and the date as my target audience is for girls around the age of 14 and 15. I think that these brighter colours would appeal more to them instead of darker colours.

 

This is one of the idea's I came up with for my poster. I decided not to go with this idea as I thought that my final idea worked better along with my film.

 

 

I designed it to show the two seperate lives of my main character which contrast each other. In the first half she is alone and carrying a bag of shopping. In the second half she is being showered with money. I added the caption " Living 2 seperate lives" to give the audience an idea as to what the film is about. At the bottom is the date of which the film is released.

 

 : My final Short Film Poster

 



 

 



Characters In My Film

In my short film, there is one main character Sarah, her friend, and the homeless person.
Sarah is an 18 year old girl. She is a very quiet person and spends most of her time alone in her flat. She doesn't have many friends and tries to deal with problems on her own, even though sometimes it can be hard. She has a lot of money problems and finds it hard to keep up with her rent, and often can't afford to buy clothes or food, only some at a time.She decides that she's had enough and buys a lottery ticket; something that she wouldn't normally do. During the film she changes character and decides she doesn't want to be that person anymore. The money has changed her and how she see's her life. She ends up not really caring about other people and spends all her time thinking about what she's going to do with the money. She ends up falling out with the friends she does have and so realises that she wants to go back to her old self again.
Sarah's friends in the film are the one's who make her realise where she's gone wrong. They are always phoning her up and asking for money. They are only there for her and not her money.
Sarah also see's a homeless person and decides to give them money. Later on she receives a letter from them which also makes her realise what she's done wrong. The homeless person acts as the helper in the film, as they help her to decide what she really wants. Eventually, Sarah listens to what the homeless person and her friends have said, and goes back to how she was before.

  

 

http://www.thelondonfilmreview.com/short-films/short-film-review-the-guest/

This is a review of a short film called The Guest. While looking into short film reviews I've found that when describing the films, they use lots of words like "ambitious" "mystifying" "surreal" "thought-provoking". These are used to draw the audience into the film. These words are exaggerating what the film is like to make it sound appealing to the audience. Film reviews also include the names of the characters as well as a summary of the plot and why they like the film themselves. This review was found on a website that is especially for short films. This means that the people reading the review understand the concepts used in short films and the language used in the review is directed at them.

Short Film Poster Analysis

 : Waiting Room

The design of this poster is quite simple. It has the main character as the main focus point on the poster. He looks quite vulnerable and scared, maybe suggesting that he is the victim in the film. He is looking at the clock in the background. The clock and the title of the film "Waiting Room" suggests that the film could have a drama or thriller genre, and is about solving something or finding something and only having a short amount of time to do it. I think that the film is mainly aimed at young males probably around the age of 13-16. The main character looks like he could be a similar age. The font used for the title and the date is quite simple and it is white on a black background. The black makes it seem more threatening and it makes the title stand out so people will notice it. The poster also includes the names of the actors featuring in the film. This is something that is found on most film posters and it makes it look more professional. There is also a star rating from The Times, showing that the film has been seen and reviewed by others. It suggests that they want people to know how successful the film has been, for example, "Excellent". At the bottom of the poster are the company logo's used in the film. This is also something you would expect to see on film posters and it makes it look more professional. Posters tend to use enigma codes to try and encourage the audience to guess what might happen in a film. In this case, the code would be the clock and the title of the film. The audience will be left wondering who is waiting? What are they waiting for? What is going to happen to them? They give big clues as to what might happen.

I have looked at another example of a short film poster to see what kind of things people use to create their posters. This one is a simple design but it gets the message across to the audience of what the film is about and to appeal to the audience.

Short Film Poster Focus Group

I showed a group of 11-17 boys and girls 2 posters advertising short films. All the people who took part had knowledge of the media-related concepts. I asked them what they liked and didn't like about each one and asked them to come to a decision on which one they preferred.

 Poster 1:Terminated

For this poster, the girls liked the special effects that were used to create the background. They said that it looked very professional and like something they would expect to see for films. The boys liked the colours that were used and it made it look more scary and threatening. They liked how the crosword idea had been used for the film title. They also liked how the character was facing the otherway as it reflected the mood of the film. The thing that the girls didn't like so much was that they thought it appealed more to a male audience because of the colour and the main character being a male, and that they probably wouldn't go and watch it because they didn't find it very exciting.

  Poster 2: Beating Hearts

The girls said that this poster appealed more to them as there is a girl on the poster. They said they could relate more to a character if they were the same gender as them. The colour red they said they liked as it stood out to them and has connotations of love and friendship. The boys said that the poster didn't really appeal to them. They said that they preferred something with a bit of action and excitement and  that this poster didn't have that. They said that it looked like it was an emotional film and that it appealed more to girls.

In conclusion, the boys chose the Terminated and the girls chose the Beating Hearts poster, so there was a divided opinion among the group. This shows that people tend to vote for the one that appeals to their own gender,with the main character being the same gender as them. My own short film is targeted mainly for females so I will use colours such purple, pink and blue so it appeals to them more.

 

I have looked what people think of these 2 posters in order to get an idea of the kind of thing I should include in my own poster. I will use colours that appeal to my target audience and also a picture that represents what my film is about.

Props In My Short Film

These are some of the key props that have been used in my short film to help show meaning.

 

 

 : Rent Money Letter

 

This is shown towards the beginning of the film where Sarah is still in her normal every day life. This is used to illustrate the harsh world she is living in of not always having a lot of or enough money. She is not always able to pay the rent and she is always getting pestered for it. But this is all about to change when she wins the lottery...

 

 : Lottery List

 

After winning the lottery, Sarah creates a 'Lottery List' which is a starting point for how she intends to spend her money. While she is on the phone to the first friend asking for money for her own rent, she ticks this off on her list. After doing this she intends on buying a new phone and booking a holiday. This is used as it is something she thought she would never have.

 : Letter from the Homeless Woman

 

After she has lived in a dream world about how she wants to spend her winnings, Sarah recieves a letter  from the homeless woman she met in the park. The letter thanks her for the money but then goes on to say why she should think about not going to too many extremes or spending money for the sake of it. Instead she should make sure she thinks about what she's doing and remember that there are others that aren't as lucky as she is. This is a key point in the film as it also gets the audience to think a bit too.

 

 

 : Lottery Ticket

 

This also plays a significant part in the film. It is the thing that is meant to change her life for the better, but instead it does the opposite. At the end of the film she screws it up as an indication that she no longer wants the flash lifestyle and that she would rather live her old lifestyle as she was happier in that time.

 

 : Money

 

This is the thing in the film that determines the kind of life that Sarah has. It is something that the audience can decide if it's a good or a bad thing and they can see what Sarah chooses to do with her money in the end. It creates a message for the audience as well as the main character.

 

I started getting my props together and filming my footage during the February half term on 22/2/13. This was one of the only days which my main character was available to film. I re-filmed other areas of my films a couple of weeks later in case there was anything else I wanted to add. On this day I filmed all of the footage at my house, which I tried to make look more like a flat. I filmed down my roads and the streets around my road. I did this as I wanted my film to be filmed in an every day setting and also because it was easier to film. My locations represent the every day life of my main character to show that she lives a fairly normal life.

Short Film Review - On Your Own

 

 

This short film starts off with the company logo and some non-diagetic sound to introduce the film. The sound represents how powerful the film is as there is an important message that they want people to recognise and listen to. It starts off with a voice over from the main character who introduces himself and what he is like. The title of the film then comes on and then we see some of the narrative as an example of what he is trying to say to the audience. When he is talking to his friends in the corridoor, the non-diagetic music seems quite threatening and suspicious. This acts as a warning that something bad might happen if he goes along with what they tell him to do. The extreme close ups of the man's face also act as warning signs as they are quite intimidating and threatening. Towards the end of the film, the voice over appears again, but this time, it is talking about how he will change the way he is and that he has learnt not to say "yes" all of the time.

 

I found this short film interesting because of how meaning was conveyed throughout. I liked how a voice over was used to create the narrative and how the exaples used helped to demonstrate this. I want my short film to be similar in the way that it helps to get meaning across, but not being too obvious about it. I think this short film is good in the way that it does this.

Short Film Poster Ideas

   


Most of the examples I've found for short film posters often use a simple design to represent their short film. Often with a plain background, a picture of the character within the film, and maybe some additional pictures to represent the film. They also have the date of which the film will be released and some of the actors/actresses names. The example above of the film Terminated uses lots of special effects to create an effective poster. The colours used in the poster refelect the mood of the film and this is something that I want to do in my own poster. Another thing that I have noticed about film posters, is that they often have enigma codes. In the example above of "Terminated", it brings up the question of, who is the main character? What is being terminated?

 For my short film poster, I will use Photoshop, and I want to have a divide down the middle to show the two different sides of Sarah's life. I wanted to design it so a lottery ticket was ripped in half to show the two sides of her life and also how she tears it up or gets rid of it at the end of the film.

     

 



Script

Scene 1: Sound of counting out money
Diagetic sound

Scene 2: Sound of her walking down the road
Diagetic sound of outside

Scene 3: Diagetic sound

Scene 4: Sad sound effects

Scene 5: Diagetic sound of outside

Scene 6: Diagetic sound

Scene 7: Diagetic sound

Scene 8: Fantasy world
Lots of various non-diagetic sounds

Scene 9: Diagetic sounds

Scene 10: Diagetic sound, phone rings

Scene 11: 2 way conversation
Sarah: Hello?
Friend1: Hey! Heard about your big win on Saturday!
Sarah: I know can you believe it?
Friend1: Yeah 1 million. You're so lucky! Erm listen, I've got a bit of a stiuation with the rent going on. I've had the rent collecter at the door again.
Sarah: Oh he hasn't has he?
*She ticks off pay rent on her list*
Friend1: Yeah, I don't suppose you could lend me a bit of cash could you, just until I get sorted out?
Sarah: But....
Friend1: I'll pay you back every penny I promise!

Scene 12: Out walking and sees tramp
Diagetic sound

Scene 13: Diagetic sound of phone ringing

Scene 14: 2 way conversation
Sarah: Hello?
Friend 2: Hi! Sarah?
Sarah: If you're going to ask for money just let me sort out something first
Friend 2: Well yeah, I only need £200. It's my dad's birthday and he wants a new TV, except, I don;t have enough.
Sarah: Wow! He doesn't want much does he!
Friend 2: Says you with your million.
Sarah: Err I won that you know.
Friend 2: Right, well anyway I'll pop over later and see you, bye!

Scene 15: 2 way conversation
Sarah: Hello?
Friend 1: I don't know who you think you are! Just cos you got lucky on the lottery it doesn't mean you're any better than the rest of us!
Sarah: I'm sorry?! What have people been saying?
Friend 1: That rent money, it was only a little bit, you could easily afford that. Remember when you were in trouble just last week?
Sarah: I'm sorry ok?
Friend 1: Look, all I'm saying is, just don't change who you are, just cos you didn't have a lot of money before, it doesn't make you a bad person. Don't let money change you, you're fine the way you are.

Scene 16: Non-diagetic sound

Scene 17: Bumps into friend
Friend 3: Hey! I was just wondering if I could borrow just £20, I need to pay my rent next week.
Sarah: You know what, you may as well just have all of it. I don't want this money anymore it's caused enough problems, I just don't need it.
Friend 3: Why? You can do anything with money, why would you give it up?
Sarah: Because, I don't need people like you hassling me all the time "Can I have this? Can I have that?" It does my head in!
Friend 3: Look, just calm down ok. Why don't you just keep the money, do something useful with it!
Sarah: You know what, that's a good idea! I'll go and use it on someone who will actually appreciate it!

Scene 18: Non-diagetic sound

Story Board

• The main character is counting out her money in her hand (£4-£5). This is a close up shot of her hand and is filmed outside so there may be some diagetic sounds.

• It then cuts to her putting money in her pocket and walking to the shop to buy a few things she needs. This is a mid shot and still possibly some diagetic sounds.

• It then fades into a shot of her walking back from the shop carrying a bag of shopping down the road to her house. The bag could split and her shopping falls out. This is done as a mid shot still with some diagetic sound.

• Scene then fades into her walking downstairs and into the hallway to pick up the post. She then opens it. This is a mid shot but then a mid close up, with some diagetic sound.

• The rent collecter knocks on the door. She doesn't have the money to give to him.

• She then looks through and reads the letter and she finds out she has lost her job. There is a close up of her letter and her face. There may be some sad, down beat music, The scene then fades out.

• In the next scene, it shows her walking into the shop again. This time she buys a lottery ticket. This is a mid shot of her walking in the shop. There is some diagetic sound and then it cuts to the next scene.
• She is walking out of the shop with the lottery ticket in her hand. This is a mid shot which pans when she is walking. There is diagetic sound and then cuts to the next scene.

• Next she is checking her numbers on her laptop. She finds out she has won a big amount of money. There is a close up of her face and the lottery ticket, with diagetic sound.

• She then celebrates the amount of money she's won. She gets up and jumps around the room screaming. There may be some upbeat music and then the scene fades out.

• It fades in to the fantasy world. There is a selcetion of various clips. These include her being proposed to, her living in a big house and her throwing her money up in the air and being happy. There are lots of various sounds including upbeat and happy music. There will be lots of special effects.

• Next, the "back to reality" scene, where she realises she's been dreaming. There is a close up of her face and then it zooms out to her holding the ticket. It then cuts to the next scene.

• She is sat on the sofa as her phone is ringing. She walks out the room to answer it. This is done as a mid shot of her, walks past the camera and out the door. There is non-diagetic sound of her phone ringing in the background.

• There is ow a 2 way conversation between her and her friend on the phone. It keeps cutting between her and her friend. She puts the phone down after she asks to borrow some money.

• When she is out walking she spots a tramp who has no food or money. She gives them £10 for some food. It is a mid shot of her down the street. We can't hear the conversation, we can just see her giving them the money. The tramp gives her something in return.

• It cuts to her walking down the road past the tramp, and then her phone rings. The camera is walking backwards as she is walking, There is diagetic sound of her walking and talking. It then cuts to the 2 way conversation.

• She has now stopped walking and is having a 2 way conversation with another friend who is asking her for money. This is a mid close up of her leaning against a wall. This conversation lasts a fairly long time. The conversation ends and the scene fades out then in to the next scene.

• She is sat at home and then her phone rings again, this time it's the 1st friend. She is complaining about how selfish she's been since she got the money. This is a mid shot before. It then cuts to a 2 way conversation, and then cuts to the next scene.

• There is a close up of a letter that has come in the post about helping out homeless people. There is a close up of her looking at the letter, and there is non-diagetic sound (sad music). The scene then fades out as she looks at the envelope with the money in.#

• She then is out walking to the shop and then bumps into another friend, who then asks for some money. She tells her she can have it all as she doesn't want it any more. This is a mid shot.The scene fades out as they walk past each other.

• When she gets back home she picks up the lottery ticket and tears it up. She then reaches out to some family photo's and a letter from the tramp. The camera pans down the letter. She then picks up her old bag and the letter and walks out.

• The last sequence is a selection of photo's of her helping out the tramp and other homeless people. The sequence could have some non-diagetic sound and then fades out at the end.

Film Review Research

 I have researched some general short film reviews to get an idea of how they are set out and what's included in them.
This is a review of the film Due Date.



This review includes an explanation of how the star ratings work, details about the cast and other people involved, the title of the film and certificate, information about other reviews and other films. Also an advert for a magazine subscription, a picture from the film, a short summary of the plot and the review itself. The review refers to the actors/characters, their opinion on what parts of the film they like and sometimes what they don't like. They do this by describing the characters and some of the action in the film, and they also compare it to other films they have seen. I have noticed that film reviews are often found on film websites, and that films that are reviewed are being recommended for an audience that are likely to watch it, or that they have watched similar films. Reviews are kept simple as they shouldn't give too much away about a film, as they need to keep the audience guessing throughout, so that they will actually go and watch it.

I want my short film review to be of a similar layout to this. There isn't too much writing but I would probably include more pictures to make it look more interesting.

Short Film Review Ideas

Film reviews will normally be found in lots of magazines, the genre of film reviews will depend on the type of magazine it is. They can be found on TV programmes, newspapers, or websites such as IMDB and on Youtube. My short film will be designed to go on a double page/page and a half of a magazine especially for short films. It will target the general audience who are interested in short films.

I want my short film review to include pictures used from my film to show the different camera shots and movements. I will use them as a story board to show the progression of my short film. I also want to include "ratings" from different people and a comment so that people can see what other people think of the film. I will need to outline the storyline as this is something that you would normally find on a review, but I wouldn't go into too much detail as it may put the readers off, so it only needs to be a short description. Another idea is including who I recommend to watch the film and who would enjoy watching it. I would do this by sating what the genre of the film is so it targets that particular audience.

I am going to look at some previous film and short film reviews to see if I can pick up any ideas for my own review.