HIT LIST draft

Production Log week 7

This week me and my partner done a mix of production and post production. In one of our locations which is the library, we were unaware of the closing times and once we set everything up we found out we had only 15 minutes left before the library closes. So in that time we had to quickly rush through and do 8 shots of filming within that time. This proved to be a challenge, however we just managed to do what was needed although more time was needed to check everything is ok. We also had to do some re-shooting of the park scene as my teacher commented more facial expression is needed to create more impact on the lead and only character to fully show his anger.

Another issue with filming in the park scenes were the use of handheld, because it was difficult to keep it steady and maintain whilst following the character. To solve this issue my partner and i decided to use a monopod to create more static and less jumpy shots. This is very useful as it makes the camera easier to control and more static. This allowed the film to run more smoothly at the time of editing.

Also for the library scenes the character speaks through a voiceover and this was recorded through a voice memo on my iphone. There was a small issue with getting the character's voice right to match on screen. It was difficult to say the lines whilst retaining the emotions felt by the character. In the end we got there by practicing with my voice to suit the style of the film, which didnt take up too much time.

Call Sheet 3

Date and time:  Wed 20 March 5:00pm

Location: Morrab Gardens + South Park

Script scene shot number: 10, 12, 14, 16-22
Cast: Muhammad Rahman
Props: Camera, tripod, monopod, hoodie, jeans, trainers

Reminders: None

Production Log week 6

I have found a few issues with my production this week. The weather is constantly changing this week as there were cases of snow, rain and sun at different intervals. after we filmed one of our scenes, we had a look and realised one or two shots were not perfect and we will need to go re-shoot them which will be on a different day and it may be a problem if the weather looks different between the shots. Another issue was trying to film in Goodmayes library, as me and my partner went there one day, but there was no space for us to film, because there were too many people there. this is a problem, because it is a public place for everyone so we don't know when it will be free. We came to a decision if next time we film and there is no space in Goodmayes library again, then we will re-locate to a person's house and film the same scene in a bedroom/study room. I was also introduced to using a new program on the mac to create graphics called 'LiveType' for my film. This took a while getting used to as it was a bit challenging to use some of the special effects to make my titles look effective.

Call Sheet 2

Date and time:  Mon 18 March 4:00pm

Location: Goodmayes Library + South Park

Script scene shot number: 16-22, 25-28, 30-33, 35
Cast: Muhammad Rahman
Props: Camera, tripod, t-shirt, glasses, jeans, trainers, laptop

Reminders: Get the seat in the top right hand corner of library.

Production Log week 5

An issue I have faced this week is finding the right location for my opening sequence. Me and my partner have been through many different possible locations for where we can film that represents the nature of our film. There was an issue in finding a house to film in as neither mine or my partner's house was accessible for filming, because it doesn't represent a typical BSR location. We then resolved the problem by asking a friend to use their house as a set for our film. We also had difficulties in choosing the film title, because we need to pick the right words to fit in the context of our film. Eventually we came up with a title after looking for synonyms that represent some of the themes present in my film. Also the shooting script was done in microsoft office excel and we didnt know how to post this onto blogger, until I found a way to upload by saving it as a pdf.

Production Schedule

Call Sheet 1

Date and time:  Wed 13 March 4:30pm

Location: Street, Morrab Gardens and South Park

Script scene shot number: 8-22
Cast: Muhammad Rahman
Props: Camera, tripod, hoodie, jeans, trainers, bag

Reminders: none

 

Location Reccies

Open publication - Free publishing - More as levels

Shooting Script

Open publication - Free publishing

The Treatment

Title-

Me and my partner decided on a title for our film which is "Hit List". We came to this title from looking at synonyms of different words and we felt "Hit List" was the best title that represents our storyline. We chose this because it connotes some themes and aspects in our film such as violence which represents the protagonist as his actions lead to a negative outcome. This title is conventional to the British Social Realism genre, because it depicts the negative themes which are commonly seen in BSR films. Also this title only has 2 syllables which keeps in the convention with most BSR Films as they dont have many syllables in their film titles. This title appeals to my target audience, because it sounds thrilling and this intrigues them to find out more about the film.

Identify Target Audience-

My target audience are mainly teenagers around the age of 15-18 and are both male and female, however the males are more dominant. They are interested in films with comedy or action. My film will appeal to them because the main themes my target audience are interested in are things such as:

• Violence

This is a very dominant theme seen in most British Social Realism films. This is something most people can relate to in their lives and tend to be interested in them as it is exciting. As other people of this age do not experience this, they may find it would be quite intriguing to be enlightened on this as this is something they would not be typically informed on.

• Realism

A niche market within this age range which is gradually growing, seems to be into films with verisimilitude. My film will contain this as it is a BSR film. As the audience have stated in this vox pop they like to see films with more realistic and unique storylines.

Technology-

We will not use artificial lighting so it will all be natural. We may add sound effects or produce our own sound for the opening sequence of the film. All source material will be non-copyrighted. We will record all the shots with a HD video camera so the scenes will look better in a higher quality. I will record wild track sounds with a sound recorder to use for my film. One or two shots will be recorded using "CamStudio" which allows the user to record footage from the actual screen. We can use this when we show the protagonist typing on a laptop and instead of using a camera to record what is on the screen, we can use the software. This way we won't have any shaky movements when trying to record with a camera when we can use a professional software to do it for us. All footage will be edited using iMovie, because it is a professional editing software and it is easy to use. There are limits to be able to use some camera language like using a dolly.

Representation- 

The main protagonist is represented as a teenager with no friends. He sees the world in a pessimistic view as has a bad life and wants to inflict his oppression to others so that his life is more equal to them. He wears a casual hoodie with jeans and trainers. The bullies are represented as scavengers who would do any kind of job for easy money and they are not very bright. Jenna is very protective over her sister and is naturally a very sweet person. She will stop at nothing to get revenge on anyone against her family. 

In my film, we won't apply Propp's character types as my film is about verisimilitude and does not follow the representations used in Propp's character theory.

My film will subvert the typical representations seen in many British social realism films, because I want to show new aspects of different people in our society as every person is different. The film will not challenge the typical representations of the British society, but rather the kind that is not usually seen. This way the audience can see further representations of Britain than the typical types you see in other British social realism films.

NARRATIVE -

SUMMARY OF FILM: The film denotes the story of a formerly troubled teen whom strives for recognition within his small community. He goes through the lengths of setting up dangerous scenarios in order for him to save so that he can finally be noticed. However, once love and the truth comes out, things are never the same again.

CONVENTIONS: I will use a select few conventions within my opening sequence. These will be things such as typical British locations to present the working class aspects, inexperienced actors to allow the film to appear as more believable, long takes so that the mundane lifestyle can be connoted and the exploration of serious issues so that the audience can relate/be informed about important things.

OPENING SEQUENCE: The opening sequence will include two scenes; one where the main character is shown runnning from police sirens etc. (this is the ending placed at the beginning). The other scene will be one that is denoted after the running but is chronilogically the beginning of the film. This is where the main character is typing up a diary entry about his current life. This diary entry scene mentions how he is proud of how he is given a lot of recognition for what he does, but he has a secret that he knows that if this is found out, his entire life will be changed immensely.

CONVENTIONS -

• British Location

The locations that will be used within my film will be places such as:

- Dagenham

- Chadwell Heath

Dagenham is a particularly cheap area that is within good reach from my partner and I as we both live close to the area. The location is evidently quite a dirty area and contains a lot of working class people. As well as being a dominantly white ethnic area, the BSR aspect of skin colour can be met there easily.

I am going to be using Chadwell Heath as this an area where we can use a house. As well as being a close location, the area is not exactly the cleanest of places. With this in mind, the scene within my opening where my lead character is running can express this negative outlook very well. This will be great for my film as the realism of the negative outlook can be portrayed believably.

• Inexperienced Actors

The actors within my film will be people that I know personally. This is for two reasons. The first reason is that due to my budget, I will not be able to afford well-known professionals, so must stick to those of a lower affordability. The second reason is that because most BSR films tend not to have many people that are professionally trained and popular, the believable aspect is more apparent. This will be incorporated within my film for the same reasons.

• Long takes

As the time of my shooting may constraint me from taking my time with shooting, the use of long takes can solve this issue. In order to connote the mundane realism and ability of my actors, having longer running takes can help me to achieve this. This is because the longer the take, the less attention a viewer may be paying, and because the actors have to act for an extensive amount of time, it can be easy to depict that they are not exactly Hollywood trained, but are perfect for a British one. This has worked efficiently in many films before, such as This Is England (2006) and Fish Tank (2009). In Fish Tank, the lead actress (Katie Jarvis) did not initially intend to feature within the film, but was discovered at a train station.

• Exploration of serious issues

My film will explore a variety of serious issues. This includes:

-Loneliness

-Family

-Death

As many teens face the negatives of being lonely within a society of people that may not treat you right, this theme can appeal to them as it can be quite relatable. Although the issues do not get too good in the end, it is however a BSR film, somewhere where happiness is not a typical convention.

The family issues explored are things such as protection of younger siblings. The most important female character aims to take good care of her younger sister, and this leads her to sticky and dangerous situations. Many people can again relate to this as the viewers may be in similar situations. Those with younger or maybe older siblings could find that this same thing is happening to them, or maybe it isn't, and they may feel inspired.

Death is a key factor within my film. Although it is not explored throughout much of the narrative, it is apparent at the very end, which is quite impactful. The audience can be quite upset by this or they may find that it is justifiable, so this issue meets the typical conventions of a BSR film.

I will not include any hybrid aspects to the film as I do not want to over complicate the situations. By only having a typical BSR outlook, the serious issues that are explored can be portrayed within a believable portrayal. This can aid the way in which people take the information provided.

STYLE AND ICONOGRAPHY

CAMERA WORK: I will incorporate a small range of shots as I would want the realism aspect to be easily noticeable. The shots that I will use will be:

- Mid shots

- Long shots

- Hand held

- Tilting

The mid shots enable the audience to understand the expressions of the actors, face and body language. As my actors will be inexperienced, having shots that showcase their face will not be very beneficial as this may take away the believability due to their lack of acting, A mid shot is perfect as two aspects can be judged but they may not be done so within a harsh matter, so the believability can still be apparent.

Long shots enable the audience to see the actors body language as well as their surrounding location. I can easily denote props and connote feelings such as anxiety easily by using this type of shot. As it is so far away, facial expressions can not be seen in very much detail, as well as easily incorporatable aspects such as location can, thus helping the verisimilitude to be noticed well.

By using hand held camerawork, the audience can connote that the character is probably in a rush. Due to how these shots tend to be less fixed, the movement of it is quite evident, thus enabling the scene to portray more of a rough image.

To showcase where the scenes are, particularly the library scene, the audience can find out where about the scene is. For this scene in particular, the boy will be at the desk and will have the camera tilt from in front of him so that the audience can see the desk, laptop and him behind this.

EDITING: By adding in a few editing techniques, I can portray a believable aspect of BSR. This will include things such as:

- Long takes

- Short takes

By incorporating the use of long takes within my work, it can be clear to denote to the audience the mundane lifestyle of the characters. This editing style is quite a long lasting one so that can metaphorically connote the uninteresting day-to-day life of the personas.

Short takes will also be quite beneficial as they can help me to increase the tensions that would need to be incorporated. By having this, certain situations, such as the running scene, can be connoted as much more seriously and impactful as there would be a lot of shots, allowing it to increase in apprehension.

COSTUMES/PROPS: This will be an important aspect of the production process. By having particular costumes in my film, the characters can be connoted in a certain light for the audience. These costumes/props would be:

- Hoodies/Tracksuits

- Awards

- Laptop

The hoodies and tracksuits that the characters will be wearing would be useful to connote the lifestyle of the characters. As these characters are of a working class background, having clothing that fits their social status will be great as it can emphasise on the verisimilitude as well. This is a great positive as the audience who watch the film for the realism can have their wants satisfied.

The awards are a crucial prop for the film as this is the mise-en-scene that exemplifies Ben's success. With newspaper articles and more, the fortune of the character can be greatly exemplified, thus aiding the connotations of the storyline.

In order to write his blog entry, Ben needs a laptop. In the opening, and throughout a wide amount of the film, he is typing on his laptop in a library. The laptop is a crucial part of the plot as it enables the entire blog to occur.

SOUND: There will not be much music playing as this is a BSR film that aims to prioritise the realism of the film first, and music may decrease the amount of verisimilitude. However, in terms of sound, there will be:

- Panting/Footsteps

- Typing

- Voiceover

So that the running can be made more believable, having the sound of the footsteps as well as the breathing of the character, the tension can be increased. For the members of the audience that like the realism and tension, they can be quite fond of this, thus being a successful choice.

By including the sounds of the typing, there can be more apparent evidence that Ben is doing this. This emphasises on his actions, therefore helping the verisimilitude to be showcased.

A voiceover will be used whilst Ben is typing so that the audience can understand what is on the screen in greater detail. The audience will be able to get a great comprehension of the current activities.

INSTITUTION

The film that will produce my film will be Film 4. In terms of the niche market of BSR films, this company is quite famous. They have produced many films such as "Looking For Eric (2009)" and "Nowhere Boy (2011)". This will have a great impact on the type of film that I will produce as it will enable me to stick to my initial BSR plans and to showcase this to the correct target audience. As the target market for many BSR films created by Film 4 are of the same market as mine aims for, my film can be quite successful.

The potential distribution of my film can exemplified by the film "Looking For Eric". As this film Ihas the same themes that I have (aspiration, violence etc.) and had made over £1million at the Box Office in the UK, I believe that Film 4 would be able to do the same thing with my film for the reasons of its similarity. The one USP of my film is that it contains younger characters, so the audience can range from youths who are in the situation and adults/elderly people who used to relate.

My film would initially be exhibited at the cinema, but not for a long while. In order to gain as much money as possible, I believe that Film 4 could put this film in the cinema for around a month so that it could be sent to DVD as soon as possible. As oppose to the 2009 film "Fish Tank" which only made a £100k gross after being in the cinema for over four months, I could allow my film to be there for only one, and then make even more income from the DVD asles whilst still being under the hype from the cinema release. This would enable quite a few people to see the film as well as making quite a bit of income.

Narrative Structure

In order to create an opening sequence that will lead on to the rest of the film in a suitable manner, the rest of the film has to actually be planned. With the help of my filming partner, Abir Mohammad, we have decided on the final narrative structure for our British Social Realism film.

EXPOSITION
We are introduced to the main character whom is denoted writing an anonymous blog entry about his life. bullies, near death experiences etc. He mentions how nobody truly cares for his existence, he never got much appreciation and is always ignored. He has another aim of getting the attention of a girl in his class, Jenna. The audience finds out that he is not exactly the smartest student in terms of school grades, and that this is his one true way of finding something that he can gain credit from.

AGENTS OF CHANGE:
Within this section, the audience are presented with scenes of an anonymous call being made. This moment is done only on the side of the bullies so that a sense of tension of created. The bullies are then sent to go after the Antagonist, Jenna's sister. Before this we find out that Jenna is a girl that goes to Ben's school and is very protective over her sister. This is again done from a restricted view, but makes the overall film turn into being omniscient.

CONFLICT COMPLICATION:
Once the bullies get into action, they threaten Jenna's sister with a knife and beat her up. Ben sees this incident, but doesn't get involved and carries on walking. Jenna then finds out about what has happened and wants to get revenge on the bullies.

ELABORATION:
Jenna then realises from one of the bullies than an anonymous caller had set this all up, so she sets a goal of finding out who this anonymous caller is. She then finally gets a moment alone with Ben and thanks him, this then leads them to gain a closer friendship. Ben gets closer to Jenna as he realises she isn't acting herself, because he doesn't know that it was Jenna's sister that got attacked. Jenna then allows Ben to hear her plan for revenge, in which he tells her it's a good plan but does not speak much of the topic. At this point, Jenna and Ben are now dating. One time around Ben's house, Jenna is there. He pops out to make a phone call in which Jenna goes onto his laptop and sees his blog open. She reads some of the things and finds out that he is the anonymous caller. Ben sets up these situations to make others feel oppressed and miserable just like how Ben is. This infuriates her. Once he comes back in, Jenna tries to get it out of him, but he acts casual and expresses no sign of admitting the truth.

CLIMAX & RESOLUTION:
After not finding out the truth directly from her boyfriend, she storms in mid assembly, in front of the entire school and tells everyone, showing them the blog on the projector. After having everyone yell mean things to him about how they can no longer trust him, how shocked they are and how negatively they see him, Ben runs out of the school immediately. Once he gets home he throws his awards the ground, picks up his phone and a £20 note then heads out the door in a rush.
CODA:
Ben then walks out in anger and heads to a park. He then stops by the lake inside the park and watches the view, thinking about what he has done. Then suddenly a gang member appears behind him taking revenge by killing him and leaving him to die. This ends the film on a sad note as the protagonist dies at the end of the scene.

OTHER POINTS TO NOTE:This film will be made from an omniscient perspective as we see views from Ben, the bullies, Jenna and others. This will help to allow the audience to see different perspectives as well as being able to pick up clues that may help them realise who the caller is.
The narrative will contain some form of non-linear movement as the first scene that is presented on the screen will be part of the last scene. This will help the tension to be increased as well as creating an enigma as the audience are unaware of what has just happened. This cut to action technique is also known as a 'smash mouth opening'.
The following themes are all encountered:

Violence
The bullies are set up to do violent things such as knife crime. They must threaten, and in some cases actually do, bad things that may end up getting them into tough situations.

Aspirations
The whole point of this is so that Ben can find a new life. At the start of the film he does have a 'new life' and the audience are shown the transition through his voice over. We then see that this new life has gained him a girlfriend. But then, as a typical BSR convention, the aspirations have all corrupted and he loses everything.

Family
Jenna and her sister connote a close relationship in the film as Jenna is quite protective over her. Also, Jenna risks getting into a lot of trouble in order to save her sister in the future.

Bullying
The people organised by the caller bully others into certain situations, as well as being bribed (a form of bullying) into doing this themselves. This can be a great way to dive into what many people, typically the youthful population, go through.

There are also many typical BSR conventions that my film contains. We explore the typical things such as having fights, rejected dreams, negative family situations and neglected from love.

Production Log week 4

This week I did primary research by interviewing members of my target audience and created a vox pop to show evidence of this. My target audience are mainly teenagers around the age of 16,17 and are both male and female, however the males are more dominant. The main themes my target audience are interested in are violence which is a very dominant theme seen in most British Social Realism films. They also like to see a bit of comedy or action in a film because that grabs their interest. Institutions like Film4 produce films set in urban areas in Britain to show the realistic setting to the audience. They target British niche audiences, because the themes shown in these type of films are not attractive to a typical global mainstream audience. This research will help me in my production, because I know what my target audience wants so i can deliver the film to suit their tastes. I will show the typical issues and representations that happens in real life Britain and make it clear for the audience to see.