Shotlist

Film Regulations And Certifications

My film will likely be rated 12 on the BBCFC rating scale as there is no/ little violence or gore used that may upset the viewer, there will only be the use of suspense and psychological effects that will create the emotion of fear within the viewer. Im also using no drugs, sexual, or graphical scenes. There will be the presence of a knife being used as a prop however it won't be used to inflict harm upon anyone.

There may be slight gore used towards the end when the victim is killed, however as mentioned previously this will not be shown to the viewer.

Also, with my film being a short film it means it will be produced on a very little budget so there wont be any exotic props used that would create to much fear for the audience. Short films tend to have nice audiences and will only be shown at specific short film festivals where this audience gathers. An alternative way of them being viewed is through online viewing platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo. Subsequently, this makes them very hard to regulate who watches them, to counteract this I may be able to place age restrictions on the video prior to being viewed and when this isn't possible; display the age rating certificate before the film begins,.

What I've Learnt From My Music Video

Music video knowledge from 09loweja

Film Network- Film Making Guide

I was sent a link to a film making guide on the BBC website about how to make a good short film.

Reading the website has helped me decide on my final film idea by telling me what to do and what to avoid. To avoid involve: using friends who aren't talented actors in my film as apparently one bad actor can ruin a film considerably, thankfully, lots of my friends study drama and performing arts so I have no worries there.

I was also told to avoid clichés as it will ruin the film and make it predictable and subsequently boring. So, I have used original ideas of my own anyway and I said in my pitch that I would avoid clichés such as jump scares like they did in the paranormal activities. However, one interesting piece of advice I found was: even if you are using an unoriginal idea, try looking at it from a different perspective and use the idea to tell your version of events rather than recreate the original directors story, by doing this you could possibly end up with a completely different narrative altogether.

When it comes to script writing for short films, its harder because you no time/ have to develop your characters quickly and condense your story. Short films are ruined by over written/ under developed scripts all the time. Once the script is written, I've been told to ask strangers and friends. I can do this by posting my script on social media sites etc and ask friends in person. I've been told to ask strangers as well as friends as friends may be to scared to give constructive feedback, in case of offending me.

I've also been put at ease on my target viewers, as the article tells that audiences are mostly subjective and only appeal to a certain niche over a mass audience.

Another and perhaps the most important piece of advice on the website, is that short films have to grab the audiences attention from the start, I've taken this on board and consequently changed my film idea. I had originally intended on having a gradual build up however my new idea opens on a high to capture the audience then gradually build up again to its final climax.

Male Gaze Theory- Lara Croft

 

The Male Gaze theory states that most women in media are viewed through the eyes of a heterosexual male. The camera emphasises parts of the female body that appeal to the straight boys. For instance, Tomb Raiders' Lara Croft shot to fame for her sexual appeal; despite being a game creation and not real. During some interviews, Toby Gard has also claimed that he changed the character from male to female because he decided that if he had to stare at the character's backside for hours on end while designing and playtesting the game, it might as well be an attractive female backside—although this is assumed to be a joke on the part of Gard, poking fun at the attention Lara was receiving for her sex appeal and had little if any actual sway into the final decision to make Lara a woman.     
 There was even a 'nude raider' where Lara would lose her clothes and play the game naked, this was developed by fans and admirers of Lara, the game was never officially acknowledged by the original developers of Tomb Raider but proves that the Male Gaze theory is right.
There was even a film made based on the character of Lara Croft. Lara was played by well known Hollywood actress: Angelina Jolie. Jolie is well known for being extremely attractive and sexy, therefore being a perfect match for the role that's famed for the same thing.
We see Jolie wearing the same attire as Croft: Short shorts, tight crop top, high boots and gun holsters.
This could be argued as sexist by some people however, its simply reinforcing the male gaze theory that some women enjoy being looked at and found to be sexually appealing: such as beauty pageants and models. It can also be argued that males are represented in the same way; to be sexually appealing to females and homo/ bisexual males. Examples of these are characters such as James Bond: famed for being attractive and sleeping with lots of women.




In the video clip above, we see through the use of various close up camera angles of Lara how she is being sexualised. Such as when she opens her legs to avoid being hit by the robot. The scene wouldn't have been remembered or be as appealing to audiences if she was wearing loose trousers that hid all body features. There's also the clip where she reloads her guns; the camera is actually getting the audience to focus on her hips and breasts. There's also a mid shot scene that focus's in on her guns however the shot actually reveals the fact that she's wearing short shorts and enlightens the audience on her toned thigh muscles.

The kindest Cut- Carol Vernallis

Carol Vernallis' theory states that there is difference in film/ editing, role of editing in narrative, meaning and continuity also how image and sound are synchronised, and how editing reflects the music.


Continuity editing


Broken edits to draw attention to the screen and what is happening.


Edits


Allowed to draw attention to themselves deliberately to be interesting. E.g. Special effects.


Jump cuts


Used a lot to speed things up


Master Shot


Also known as the base track, gives the video structure.


Camera


Usually moves in time with the music to give more rhythm.






In The Heavys' Cant Play Dead music video, we see a lot of broken edits being used with some clips having a black and white filter over them and others having a quite rustic look. This draws attention to the screen as it gives the appearance of two stories being told instead of just one. This is also helped by the fact that the video is of little figurines and therefore made by stop motion animation.


We also see interesting effects such as writing across the screen, this draws the viewers attention in as they have to concentrate to read the writing. This however goes against the theory as the writing isn't the lyrics to the song so the viewer has to some what 'zone out' to read the writing and by doing so isn't listening to the song.


The song is quite powerful and has heavy beat to it which makes it difficult for the camera to move in time with the rhythm all the way through, however there is also a violin in the background and the camera does move in time with that. The camera gently pans and tracks in time with the violin to create the smooth rhythm feel.