Things I Learn from My As Year

Our film production last year was called 'Hunting for Matt' (Last years Blog)
I have learnt a lot since last year.


General improvements from last year:

1. Since last year make up, set dressing and more realistic costumes all have improved
2. Recording sound, (last year we used the standard camera mike, this year we used a boom mike on a boom poll)
3. I worked faster, having a much better idea of what to do, i was able to work faster than last year, being able to complete work without as much help as last year.
4. Acting, i think that acting has improved, not by far but it is still better.
5. Editing, Editing is much easier this year, again through having a better idea of what needed to be done and how to do it, this helped in the planning stages and also it gives time for us to experiment.
6. Organisation, last year we were very unorganised, this year we have a set strategic plan of what to film where and deadline for blog work (set by ourselves)
7. Camera work, I have a better idea of how to construct shots, last year we had some problems with lack of shot types, we also had to re-do a lot of scenes, so far this year we haven't had to re-do any of the scenes.

Improvements from AS Production

My Original AS film production, filmed in 2010 was called "Karma Police". At that time I was in a different AS level group from Oliver and Joseph.

Since my previous production I feel that i've vastly improved in many areas.This time the film includes a lot more detailed work that was previously lacking in the other production.  


1. One area that i feel has greatly improvement is timekeeping. While filming Karma police, we found ourselves running out of time,this was due to spending too long planning what we would be filming ,and researching into our ideas. With Duplicate we have completed filming , before all the other groups within our class and made great progress, but without sacrificing time spent on planning detail. 



2. With "Duplicate" we had agreed within the first few weeks a clear and definitive plot and theme idea ,that we have retained. With Karma police we changed our minds a number of times before settling on a solid idea this was mainly due to the fact we did not know what was expected from the work. However with "Duplicate" we have a greater focus on the idea which is solid.


3. Another aspect that has improved is the sound recording. For the AS production we had no sound recording equipment except the microphone that was in the camera. With the A2 production we are using a boom microphone.


4. Scripting and acting has also improved. With my AS production the scripting was quickly put together, most of the script contained broken words and phrases.In "Duplicate"we have remedied this with full conversations taking place throughout.
One of the problems we had was telling the story,and conveying its slightly complicated message to the audience. After filming we though that much of this content was lost ,and many people did not understand the plot correctly. With" Duplicate" the story is not linear like in "Karma Police", and will have a more unconventional approach to the narrative.To assist with this, we have used subtle clues to tell the audience the story, without giving too much away. By doing this we hope that the audience will not be too confused with the narrative of duplicate, and by the end of the film they will have a clear idea of what the plot was.


5. Organisation. I have already said timekeeping has greatly improved.The same can be said as regards organisation.
Last year we were very unorganized ,and as i have said we started filming late as it took us too long dealing with preliminary activities  before filming. This year we have set out a organised strategic plan of, what to film, where to film it, and deadlines for work.


6. Camera work and shots. This year camera work has also greatly improved, this is due in the main part to the type of camera that we have been using, which is the Sony HDV 1000. This model is superior to the previous camera we used. It brings better quality footage. Also the shots used have greater variety than, before and are more innovative and interesting. In my previous AS production we were required, to re-film and cut large sections of the film again, at he last minute.At a point when we were running out of time, this brought about more pressure and contributed to a less than perfect  final product. This year we have not had to re-film any scenes so far, and it is likely that we will finish filming well before the deadline. 

What I learned from AS

These are some points of which I learned from last year's experiences to do and not to do again:

• Be aware of editing pace. I didn't consider this last year.
• Make sure that all potential problems are thought through during the pre-production, not in post-production. Last year we had to re-film when the editing was well on its way.
• Rhythmic editing is a great effect. Last year we successfully achieved some good rhythmic editing techniques.
• Make sure that not every shot is static - As this makes it very boring. Last year all our shots were static!
• Do not edit sound or music too loud; It becomes distorted. Last year our music was turned up too loud and was distorted.
• Use a boom mic! Last year we did not use one.
• Watch the white balance and focus whilst filming... They both change frequently!
• Do not be afraid to film too much... It is better to have more footage than not enough.
• Practice makes perfect! Practice with filming and editing on shots that may be difficult.
• Dialogue must be heard!
• Have a variety of shots from different angles and distances, it will look professional. Last year we had no variation in shots really...

BBFC Film Classification

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) have legal guidelines that films must obey in context of who is allowed to watch them.


Details of classifications are as follows:


U - Universal (Suitable for all).
PG - Parental Guidence (All can watch with parental guidance.
12A - those under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.


The specific guide lines for the 12A certificate are below:


- Language is only allowed at a moderate level only.


- Misuse in drugs must be infrequent.


- Nudity is allowed but in a sexual context must be brief and discreet.


- Only moderate violence is allowed. No violence should be glamorised or imitative.

- Sexual content should be brief and discreet. Sexual references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers.

- Mature themes are suitable but not beyond the range of young teenagers.
Classification of our film:
Our film contains no language or use of drugs, nor are there any scenes of nudity or sexual content. The violence in our film will be only aggressive attitudes and a scene where guards drag a man out of the room.
This does not exceed any of the 12a guidelines therefore makes it suitable for a 12A certificate.

Film Analysis on "CLONE"

The film begins with slow, menacing, non-diagetic music and some text about DNA which immediately establishes that the genre of the film is a science-fiction and the music already creates tension in the first ten seconds which gives it the thrill factor, establishing the genre of this short film as a science-fiction thriller (Similar to our film).



The opening scene fades in with an extreme long shot of a futuristic city establishing the time period in which the film is set in and it zooms in slowly to someone hanging from what looks like a huge crane which shows that the character is straight away in deep distress. The non-diagetic background music picks up and is very techno to reflect the time period the film is set in.

An extreme close up shot on the character as he is struggling to climb back up the tower which gives a clear outline of the character's feelings of the situation.









A different character then appears at an extreme low angle shot showing the dominance of the character who is not in peril. This shows us the power that this character has in the moment, similarly, the character in peril is filmed from an extreme high angle shot showing the helplessness he has in the situation.

The long shot of them both positioned in their places shows the contrast between them because they are played by the same actor which suggests that one of them (or both) is a clone and creates a feeling of wondering what would really happen in that situation. The dominant character bends down and reaches out his hand and the inferior character reaches his out to accept false aid, however, the dominant character wants a possession of his instead.

The fast pace of editing after the character has injected himself with an unknown substance reflects what he feels like in his either changing state or state of pain. The shot where he stamps on the camera is a point of view shot of the character hanging down from the tower and as his foot comes down in slow motion (tension building) the shock of him falling grips the audience.




Then there is an extreme long shot of the character in peril falling to his death and the other character stood tall watching what looks like intentley. The background music fades quiet and the sound of a wind is heard to reflect his fall giving the audience the sense of lengthy fall. As tension is reduced after a huge climax, the pace of editing between shots slows down.

The shot where we can see the back of the character who kicked the other man off shows that someone is behind him and as he turns he sees the man he has just pushed off at his safe level which suggests he is not a normal human.

The title of the film comes up in big text so that we can see that this is the title of the film, and also the title mirrors upside down suggesting that it is a film to do with clones.

Analysis of short film

The opening scene shows a woman waking up in a room, when she gets up to look around the shot changes from a close up, to a medium shot. At this point the non-diegetic sound also starts ,it sounds menacing and increases in volume as the tension builds, and the woman moves toward ,and looks into the mirror. This gives the film an atmosphere of thrill and suspense, establishing the film so far, as a thriller.

The woman then takes off her robe, and uses it to protect her hand as she smashes the mirror, at this point the non-diegetic music increases and peaks. The sound of the smash also seems to be louder than the normal diegetic sound. 

The Shot we see after she smashes the mirror, is a point of view shot ,shown quickly with her picking up a shard of the mirror to look at the back of her neck. The shot changes to the front to show the audience what she sees in the mirror reflection. This is the point that the film is established as a scientific fiction film, with the audience seeing what appears to be a bar code on the back of her heck.

The audience is then shown this in more detail with a close up shot of the back of her neck. At this point the tension of the music also increases as we are shown this scene. The shot then changes to an extreme close up of the subjects face to show her feelings of the situation. We then jump to a close up shot of her sitting down and looking puzzled as her head turns to look at the wall  markers(supposedly to signifying days) come into focus.


The scene then changes to a view of the room from a CCTV camera (a shot that we hope to be able to replicate our own production) this scene in particular outlines the isolation that the character faces.  
There are then a montage of shots of the main character trying to find her way out of the room from here, doing exercises, to a shot of the tallied wall, to a shot from the CCTV.  There are  shots of food being passed though the door. Some of the sections here are sped up in a time-lapse. During this montage the music increases in tempo, with  more aggressive sounds such as a drum beat.  

This Sequence then stops abruptly as the main character seems to have figured something out. Also at this point the music fades into the background. 

The Woman then gets up and moves the bed to the wall, two shots are edited together here, a medium shot, and a long shot of the room.
Once she opens the hatch in the wall, we change to a close up shot of her face that slowly pans out to reveal some sort of futuristic weapon.

In the next sequence she powers up the weapon using it to blast a portal hole in both walls of the cell. Special effects and editing are then used in the following shots to make it appear as if she has put her hand though the port. This sequence has little or no music in it. One shot in particular that shows the expert editing in this sequence when the main character runs though one portal and comes out of another in one long shot.A guard opens the door and the main character attempts to escape.

Running down a corridor and using the portal gun to outsmart the guards. This running section is seen though a tracking shot behind the main character for the majority of this scene. The high tempo music also starts again in this scene after the opening of the door by the guard. 

The next sequence is shot in the stair well, here a point of view shot is used to give the audience a view of the top and bottom of the stairs. The main character uses the portal gun to jump from the bottom of the stairs to the top. The audience see the main character enter the portal at the bottom and then the camera pans up to show the main character again at the top of the of the stairs. The camera also pans down again quickly, to show the guard coming up the stairs, this heightens the tension of the scene as the appearance of the guard leads the audience to feel that the unknown enemy within the building, are now alerted and more guards are now in pursuit of the main character.

She appears on the Roof with the guards close behind, following her in a tracking shot. When the guards also burst though the door, the sound of the music increases to emphasize the immediate danger to the  main character. The next scene is her jumping off of the roof and using the portal gun to jump to the next building. The jumping scene is shown though a long shot from the ground giving the audience a perspective of how high the fall is, and the characters direction of movement. 

Once reaching the other building the character pauses for a moment. The camera focuses on her face to reveal the emotions of relief she is feeling from having escaped the prison and the guards. At this point the music from the start of the film is played again.

The final shot is of the main character approaching what appears to be the view into the distance a city scape and freedom, but it is however an image projected on the wall and reveals that the main character has not in fact escaped.
Here the camera starts at a medium shot from behind the main character tracking to the right and then transitioning from one room to the next. Behind the wall is  a room in a facility or prison the camera keeps tracking till it reaches the shadow of a box, it then fades to black. The credits start soon after(with a futuristic font) and with the credit music soon after that. 

 

Short Film: Portal No Escape

Film Research: Similar Titles

This opening sequence resembles what we have in mind and hope to emulate for the film we are producing.  The opening sequence  contains top secret documents and is a similar concept to what we hope to accomplish. With documents moving past while the credits are introduced. 


Our title sequence will contain similar elements and themes introducing important information on the nature of the film and origin of the clone.

Title Screen Research

The clip shown is similar to what we want to achieve in our film with the title sequence. The documents on the background show establishing features that the audience may need to know and we want to do the same with the opening credits over the action, which a small test has been added as a prototype.

Genre Research: Sci-fi

Sci-fi films are often  visionary and imaginative complete with heroes, aliens, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable settings, fantastic places, great dark and shadowy villains, futuristic technology, unknown and unknowable forces, and extraordinary monsters, either created by mad scientists or by nuclear havoc.  

They are sometimes an offshoot of fantasy films. 

Or they share some similarities with action/adventure films.

Science fiction often expresses the potential of technology to destroy humankind, and overlaps easily with horror films.

Over time Science fiction often becomes Science fact ,for example the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne tells of Captain Nemo and his submarine the Nautilus, powered by a strange new fuel (Nuclear?). At the time the book was written in 1870 the story was purely science fiction however many of the ideas in the book are now fact such as submarines and electric power as well as hydroplaning to control submarines. Another Example is the The First Men in the Moon by HG Wells, though much of the story is fiction the idea of traveling to the moon was thought impossible at the time. 
         
In science fiction the issue of cloning or the creation of life has been prominent. often seen in many different forms in films and books. One of the first examples of this is most likely the story of Frankenstein by Mary Shelly published in 1818 it was first turned into a  popular film in the 1930s. In the story Doctor Frankenstein creates a monster by using electricity. In some ways this is similar to the story we will be creating with a Mad scientist creating clones.

Another Story and film that our production is similar to is that of" Blade Runner" (1982). Based on the Book "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", both of these stories have many similarities to what we are producing. In Blade Runner there is the Creation of replicants indistinguishable from humans and produced by the Tyrell Corporation.  This story of large corporations becoming involved in the the creation of life, is very similar to the plot of our production.

Another Film that has given inspiration to our plot is the film The Island (2005). The film directed by Micheal Bay is based on many similar films from the past. In the film Ewan McGregor is inside a containment facility  Like all of the inhabitants of the facility  he hopes to  go to the 'The Island'  reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet. He soon discovers however that this is a lie and that he and the other inhabitants are clones, and that their body parts are to be harvested to prolong the lives of their human genetic templates. He then sets out to escape from the facility.

Many of the films mentioned happen in what is called a  dystopian future, the direct opposite of a utopia in which everything is perfect. In these dystopian  futures the films concentrate on the the sole protagonist, and the actions of those around them, to give a feeling of empathy with the audience. That they themselves are actually there ,and these could be the things that they would potentially  experience in these situations. Many of these novels and films where written in the 20th century. At the start of the century these type of themes were not common, however after the first and second world war, and following the expansion of the cinematography industry, and the escalation of scientific advancement throughout the world. Stories based around these themes became more commonplace. Advancements in technology such as the atomic bomb, which made possible destruction of the whole of mankind a fact ,made these themes much more plausible.

 

Film Treatment

Duration:

5 Minute full film.

Audience:

The target audience for our film would be between the ages of 12+ and more appealing to males rather than females because of the science fiction content, however the thrilling aspect of the film may also apply to females. It cannot be viewed by anyone younger than 12 so that rules out young people, Older people (60+) may not find it interesting as it is very technological and pushes the boundaries of science, something that is often unappealing to the older generation. The main body of the target audience with some exceptions would come from people aged from 12-40 mainly because of the elements within the film of science fiction.

Summary:

A businessman has created an identical clone for the purposes of organ harvesting, the clone is the first successful specimen in a series of experiments, now these 'test trials' are over the businessman wants to 'get rid of' the clone for he is no longer needed, the clone escapes but later decides to confront the businessman towards the climax of the film the businessman and the clone meet and have a confrontation, then one of them is dragged away by the businessman's security....

Stand out points:

the idea of cloning and it's morality

Its full of Action and thrilling scenes

Unpredictable plot/storyline

Originally made

Film Treatment

Title

Duplicate


Audience
The main target group for the film will be 12 to 25 year old audience, which represents a wide spectrum, but the one which  will be the most likely to watch a Sci-fi film such as ours. The certificate for the film will be a 12A as the plot may be too complex for children younger.
It will contain some moderate violence that will not be glamorised. The film will also have no swearing.
By making the film a 12A this allows for children younger than 12 to be accompanied by adults which will mean the issue of the complex plot may be ruled out.      
The gender that we will target will be a mainly male audience as statistically a male audience will be more likely to watch a sci-fi film however this of course does not rule out a significant female audience for the film.

Duration

The full film will last around 5 minutes including the title sequence and the credits this is due to the restrictions on the working limits that we can film.


Summary
The Film will be a Sc-fi,thriller/action film set in the a similar vain to Blade Runner but will also share similarity’s to chase sequences in high octane action films such as the Bourne series. The film will revolve a main theme of a clone (him being a clone will be unknown to the audience at the time and will only be implied to the audience) trying to find his creator. While this is happening we will be introduced to how he was created and escaped though a series of flash backs.Although the audience will understand why he is running, at the same time that the main character realises the reason himself . The film end will showing him confronting his creator, with a twist that only the audience and the main character will understand.

Elements

There will be some shots that will make the film stand out more than other productions, particularly the ending. For example we have the same person on screen at the same time. We will also have a wipe that shows the main character on one side of the wall and the people who are chasing him on the other side.    
The plot of the film will also be unconventional compared to standard films ,and will have a none liner plot, similar to the film vantage point and will construct the story through a number of different flashbacks running along side the main film.

Film Treatment

Title

"Duplicate"

Duration

5 minutes, including title sequence and production logo.

Audience

The audience will be for people who enjoy watching science-fiction films for age 12 and over, generally males because statistically males enjoy science-fiction films more than females, however the gender would remain rather mixed. Children under the age of 12 will be able to watch the film if accompanied by a parent/guardian/other responsible adult.

Sypnosis

A greedy businessman has created a prototype clone for the testing of organ transplant. The clone finds out about this and escapes from the businessman. There are flashbacks about how he makes his way to places. He decides to go back and confront the businessman and heads back still being chased. There is a confrontation which results in good for one, bad for another...

Suggested Elements

- Interesting plot

- Thrilling chase scenes

- A moving story for survival

- Large audience potential

- Originally made

Genre Research

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities or in our film the idea of cloning. Exploring the consequences of scientific innovations is one purpose of science fiction, making it a "literature of ideas".

Fiction is a genre where the narrative that creatively deals with entire or parts of events and aspects within the film that are imaginary rather than factual.

Sci-Fi Thriller Research

Thriller

There are all kinds of thrillers:

<- Spy thriller

Action-adventure thriller ->


















<- Medical thriller

Police thriller ->

<- Romantic thriller

Historical thriller ->

<- Political thriller


Religious thriller ->

<- Military thriller

New variations are constantly being invented.

The stand-out in a thriller is the intensity of emotion, excitement and breathlessness it creates, designed to generate thrill.


"If a thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job!"







Science-Fiction


Science Fiction is a genre that is mainly fictional due to many factors such as the setting, the time, the characters, the technology, the ideas and the abnormality.

Science fiction films may include one or more of the following factors:




<- Futuristic science and technology

- Abnormal characters (Aliens, mutants, androids, robots, clones, etc.) ->

<- Future settings

Time and space travel ->

<- Paranormal activities






















Science fiction stories tend to obviously break the laws of physics and replace them with extraordinary imaginations. However, not all science fiction films break the laws of physics, for example, human cloning is possible to an extent yet it is strictly illegal and considered utterly immoral.






Our film consists of a scientifically created human clone escaping from men who attempt to terminate him and he is seen to have the free will and the understanding to decide himself to confront his double (The man identical to him) It is purely science fiction because it would not happen in the 'real world', however, there is a chase all the way through the film which creates thrill and tension drawing the genre classification to a conclusion of it being a Science-Fiction Thriller.

SciFi Film Research: Blade Runner

The themes and context of the film" Blade Runner" are very similar to the production that we are creating. Blade runner also shares many similar moral conundrums ,such as the ethical aspects of cloning ,and the wider effect on society. The Film also deals with the hunting down of a clone much like Blade Runner.
A number of scenes in Blade Runner gave inspiration to a host of ideas in our film. Here I will discuss the similarity between our film idea and the plot of Blade Runner.

Blade Runner is based on the Book" Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep". In the Blade Runner universe replicants are created by the Tyrell Corporation.They are indistinguishable from humans in almost every way. 

In the film Deckard played by Harrison Ford is a blade runner, tasked with hunting down and terminating replicants. In the film that we are producing there is in fact a story quite similar to this, with the clone that escaped being hunted down by guards from the cooperation that created him.Though from a different point of view a similar message is portrayed of the hunted and the hunter, as will be shown in a number of escape and running sequences.














Both films also deal with one of the characters trying to find meaning in their life. In blade runner this is Roy Batty played by Rutger Hauer. However in our film it is the main character Alpha the clone that is trying to find out why he was created ,and this leads him to a confrontation with his creator in much the same way the replicants in the film confront Dr.  Tyrell (Joe Turkel).