I'm back! We are now starting a new piece of coursework, G324. This piece of coursework is about creating a short film, with a beginning middle and end, as opposed to last year where it was just a film opening. This will also include two ancillary tasks which in our case will be a film poster and a written film review, which I'm looking forward too. Just like last year i will be documenting my journey showing my research and planning, production process and the final product, ill be taking you with be each step of the way, so sit back and enjoy the journey.
These are just a few ideas we came up with at the start of the lesson, one thing we really liked was the idea of the protagonist suffering from some sort of mental illness such as PTSD. We clearly haven't finalised our narrative these are just a few potential ideas. We then Began to discuss what we wanted our genre to be and we very quickly came to the conclusion that it was going to be a Drama. With the two sub genres being War and Psychological. We began to individually research into products which would influence us and this is what we came up with
American Sniper -
There is one scene in particular which stuck out to me in American Sniper, it is the BBQ scene, in this the main character stares blankly into a TV screen, ignoring the environment around him and is being drowned by the sounds of war which we can't control, such as gun shots, screaming, and explosions. Because of this he goes to the family dog and tries to exterminate it. I thought it was very powerful because it shows even in such a friendly environment people who suffer from PTSD are very much effected from it and how their traumatic experiences will always haunt them. Anyways here is the
clip.
*13/12/16* (theorist)
Looking back at my influences for my short film, i started to notice things i picked up from theorists, firstly the majority of films my category have Todorov's theory put into practice. In the film American sniper the equilibrium of the film becomes disrupted, and equilibrium is only restored when the main character has passed away, it made me actually think how theorists help develop films and how it has also benefitted ours.
clip.
*13/12/16* (theorist)
Looking back at my influences for my short film, i started to notice things i picked up from theorists, firstly the majority of films my category have Todorov's theory put into practice. In the film American sniper the equilibrium of the film becomes disrupted, and equilibrium is only restored when the main character has passed away, it made me actually think how theorists help develop films and how it has also benefitted ours.
Short Film about PTSD
I wanted to look at various examples of PTSD, not just from hollywood blockbusters. So i researched on the internet and stumbled across a short film about a soldier who suffers from PTSD. I wasn't a very big fan of this short film. The acting wasn't very convincing at all and the tone of the film didn't seem as dark as you'd expect, it didn't seem like it showed truly and plainly how horrible it is to suffer from PTSD. However there were good things to it, for example the opening scene when the protagonist is staring out of his window, just like american sniper it has a great effect in showing how at the most simplest times it can effect people.Interview with a PTSD sufferer -
This was a very interesting clip it wasn't the 'dogs instincts' which stuck out to me it was more what the war veteran was saying to the interviewer, he would talk about how he would in his sleep 'beat his wife' without even realising. This really stood out to me and made me think, i thought the idea of he male protagonist beating his wife subconsciously would be a good addition to our narrative.
8 mile intro -
I know what your thinking, 8 mile? what on earth has a film with eminem rapping got to do with PTSD and warfare. Well don't forget that we do have one main genre. Drama. I really liked the opening of this film simply because of the conventions, the mise-en-scene was very effective, it was very dark and cold, it had a very similar feeling to what i wanted my film to have, additionally it was only focused on one person which is what we intend for our drama to include. Even though there is no relation with 8 Mile and our Short film and its ideas, the conventions of the clip inspired me to use this as a influence.
I wanted to really get a grasp of what PTSD actually was, I've always had a rough idea, but i wanted to enhance and strengthen my knowledge on it so we have a better idea of how to make our short film convincing and successful.
I started off with the definition, and also found out that not only war veteran can suffer from PTSD, but also people who have been attacked or anyone who has experienced an event which has traumatised them.
People with PTSD are very likely to experience flashbacks of their traumatic experiences. This will be a really good idea for us as it will be good in showing why he is the way he is and why he has done what he has done ( kill his wife).
Additional symptoms to PTSD are . . .
- Sensations of pain, random panic attacks and sweating
- Alertness
- Lack of concentration
- Anxiety
- Suicidal
- Difficulty to express affection towards loved ones
- Increasing list of phobias
Today to begin the lesson we assigned each other roles. We all spoke about our strength and weaknesses and then came to conclusions, obviously there were friendly clashes as people wanted to do similar things such as camera work or editing. In my previous group my assigned role was camera work, although we soon began to figure out that you don't just stick to one job, this is because EVERYBODY wants a piece of the action, which means that we moved all over the place, for example we would all take turns in trying out different camera shots, or editing techniques. Playing around with lighting etc.
Based on my previous experiences and my groups experiences we all decided to share roles, but with assigning each person an original role.
Endi(me) - Camera\Acting (Pvt. Johnson)
I would say I'm fairly confident acting i haven't got a problem with being in front of a camera so acting works fine for me. Furthermore i really enjoy playing around with the camera experimenting with shots and seeing what looks good and what doesn't, i really enjoyed it last year and am looking forward to doing it again.
Isaiah - Camera\Acting (Alex Anderson)
I haven't had the pleasure of working with Isaiah or even speaking to him. But from what I've seen with his previous AS film he knows how to use a camera and knows what he is doing, so i am looking forward to see what he can do with a camera when things get a bit more tricky.
Ebony - Music
Ebony is a very talented musician, she knows her stuff when it comes to music, its best not to argue with her in this field as she will most likely shut you down, so its best we leave the majority of editing the music to her, for example playing the piano etc.
Nikki - Editing\Acting (As Alex's Wife)
Nikki is a very talented actor, I've acted with her in GCSE and she was really good so i can only begin to imagine what she's like at A level. Furthermore she is a really picky character which means when it comes to editing she will make sure EVERYTHING is perfect before she moves on to the next part.
*UPDATE* We have decided to swap the roles of me and Isaiah, which means ill be taking on the challenging role of the main protagonist, this is because Isaiah only comes to our school when he has media, and there are times where he might not be in due to events at his school etc etc, so we thought it would've been more practical and easier if i was to be the main protagonist.
Narrative -
The movie is about a man named Alex Anderson, he is war veteran who suffers from PTSD. He has been greatly effected by the death of his close friend Pvt. Johnson who died by his side in combat. Alex can't live a normal life like he once had due to these experiences at war. Alex and his wife struggle as Alex isn't the same man he use to e, he is colder, harsher and doesn't show her as much affection anymore. He often takes his anger out on her, but this time it was just too much. He ends up killing his wife all in a rage of anger. None of it was intentional it was just in the heat of the moment. All uncontrollable anger. Alex can't get over what he has done, he can't stop thinking about it all the voices in his head are getting to him, he feels the only way he can try and help him self is by confessing his sins to god.
This is our narrative, our only worry is trying to execute a flashback which will take place (all details will be explained in the treatment of out film), we think it will be hard but do-able, so lets wait and see what we come out with.
*13/12/16*
Our narrative, just like american sniper shows Todorov's theory put into practice, as before the war there was a balance, and after the war Johnson suffered from PTSD which damaged the equilibrium, it seems like equilibrium becomes stored again when his wife passes away, because it seems that finally her life is at peace, depending on how you see it.
*13/12/16*
Our narrative, just like american sniper shows Todorov's theory put into practice, as before the war there was a balance, and after the war Johnson suffered from PTSD which damaged the equilibrium, it seems like equilibrium becomes stored again when his wife passes away, because it seems that finally her life is at peace, depending on how you see it.
Today we were discussing, yes you've guessed it. Locations.
Immediately we all has so many ideas, so many thoughts flying left right and centre. After a while of discussing everything we narrowed down our locations, because some were a little far fetched . . .
Anyways, here are the potential locations were going to use in our film.
London (westminster area) -
House/Flat -
Ahh, home sweet home right? Well in our case not really, we will be using the warmth of a home for the complete opposite reason. We will be using a known and common environment to show domestic violence and murder, a house is also a common convention of a drama, because most of the dramas in peoples lives often effect them in a home so we thought this would also relate to the audience in some way shape and form.
Bridge/Overpass -
I love the idea of using a bridge/Overpass. I think its really good for showing how alone a person is, for example at an overpass, it shows how the whole world is moving, but for one person it isn't, and it really lets you emphasise that, through camera shots (obviously good ones), the amount of possibilities are endless.
Church -
The church is a definite location of ours, one thing i love about the church is that even though its supposed to be a place of worship etc, you could also make them look sinister by taking manipulating camera shots.
Forest - (lone survivor)
We believe this area would be the best place for a war scene mainly because we haven't got access to a wasteland or a destroyed city near by, furthermore i have seen a number of films where there have war scenes taking place in the forest. Furthermore i think filming in a forest means that we could use so many types of camera shots due to its confinement and environment.
Train station -
Train stations, people walking, pacing, moving up and down, trains leaving and coming, announcements. This environment is so packed and always moving, which in my eyes is PERFECT for a time lapse. Furthermore i thought a bit deeper into this, i thought we would be able to use the protagonists PTSD to advantage, for example we could show him experiencing hallucinations in the train, for example as a train goes passed him he could see the reflection of fallen soldier Pvt Johnson, i thought this would be effective and a good idea for showing how Anderson suffers.
*update*
All these locations are locations that my target audience will be familiar with as they are common and relatable.
Lesson 4 - Character Profile's (12/09/16)
This lesson we began our character profiles of me, Isaiah and Nikki, first we done a little brainstorm of the three characters which will feature in the film before we would finalise them . . .
In these brainstorms we just made a broad generalisation about each of the characters, we would talk about their personalities, traits etc, and a background of each the characters, the character profiles (when finalised) will be very helpful for us as actors because it helps us put your self in the mindframe/mindset of that particular character.
Now here i will show you the Finished character profiles of each Alex Anderson, Pvt Johnson and Alex's wife.
Isaiah Jagdeo as Name: Pvt. Johnson
Age: 24
Height:5'7
Nationality: British
Religion: Unknown
Physical appearance: Dark male with dark features
Background: As a child lived alone with his grandmother, both of his parents died in a car crash when he was just 7 years old, he was never bullied but was never involved with anybody
either, he was always alone in school, until he met
Alex Anderson, his one and only friend.
Family: Both parents passed away, Grandmother is
in good health, and Uncle is in prison serving a
12 year jail term for rape.
Nikki Thompson as Name: Alex's Wife
Age: 24
Height: 5'5
Nationality: British
Religion: Catholic
Physical appearance: Light brown hair, light pale skin.
Background: Brought up in a middle class family, with no brothers and sisters, went to a public school where she lived a normal teenager life. She
get anderson when she was 20 years old in a bar.
Ever since then they have been together.
Family: Her mother works as a nurse and her father
had worked as a banker before he died of cancer.
Very distant with other relatives, limited contact.
Endi Kola as Name: Alex Anderson
Age: 24
Height: 5'9
Nationality: British
Religion: Unknown
Physical appearance: Dark features, stocky, Light tanned skin
Background: Grew up in an average family, but as a child suffered in school, he was often bullied by
teachers and students, he didn't perform well
academically, which is why he suffered, school was
made bearable by Johnson, his only friend.
Currently suffered from PTSD as a result of
conflict.
Family: His mother and father both have working
class jobs, his family are old and traditional and
have a strong relationship with even the most
distant relatives.
*update*
These three characters will be very much desired by our target audience, this is because they are interesting characters with fairly interesting traits and story's, especially me the main protagonist who is a very mysterious character and suffers from PTSD, this will make the audience intrigued by him.
*update*
Ebony will also be starring briefly in our film as a pedestrian, this is because due to circumstances, we had to change one of our scenes entirely, so to adjust to this change we decided to add a new scene in which Ebony would have an interaction with Me the main protagonist.
Lesson 5 - Props (21/09/16)
In this lesson we began talking about the props we would like to use and would be useful in our film, the discussion was fairly simple as we mainly agreed on everything we would use except one thing, a gun
(which i will talk about in a minute). So down below is our list where i will explain why we are thinking of using what is listed, so enjoy!!
Army costume and guns -
This one is pretty straight forward, we thought because our main protagonist is a war veteran, the best way to show that would be through a flashback of some sort to show his experiences, and in that flashback you would expect to see a stereotypical war scene, with people in ARMY gear, which is what you will see. Now our only issue with the guns is making it all look realistic with gun shots etc, because we believe it will be difficult to use gunshots and guns at the same time and make it look realistic, we fear that it could damage the realism of the film.
Fake blood - Yeah, its going to get bloody, what do you expect, its war, nothing much we can do. We believe blood would make our scene look a lot more realistic and exciting, everybody loves a bit of blood and action, so why not give the people what they want. That and also its a common convention of war films.
Casual clothing -
Shocker, nobody walks around in mankinis, which means if my main character did, it wouldn't look realistic... sadly
anyways, casual clothing will add to the realism of the film as thats what you'd expect somebody to wear in everyday life.
These are the props we have chosen to use to far, anything else will be added on with a little *update* title.
*UPDATE*
Ladies and gentleman its update time , yes i know very very exciting. The new prop to the list is (drum roll). Water in a vodka bottle... yeah... we wasn't exactly allowed to use real alcohol or cigarettes so we used water in a vodka bottle for the bridge scene. We thought it would be effective to show the protagonist trying to deal with his problems through drinking. 
*update to the update*
We ended up using a cigarette in the war scene, but the protagonist didn't smoke it, it showed how he struggled to light it because he was shook.
*UPDATE*
WOW, i think were spoiling you guys with all these updates, there is another big update which came up towards the end of filming. We used, not a tank, not a apache helicopter, we used a car, yeah.. A whole car, due to circumstances we had to change locations, which means we had to change the way the protagonist dies, which means she dies by getting hit by a car (more information to be told in the treatment section). *update*
All of these props are common codes and conventions of a drama/war film. All of which will be expected by our target audience.
Camera shots and editing techniques
This is possibly one of the most used camera shots, it highlights the actors/actress' emotions which provides crucial information to the audience, as it lets them feel more empathic to the actor. My friend Mr Hitchcock told me that you should tell a story in a cinematic way, i think close ups do this very well.
Worms eye view -
This isn't the most famous of camera shots but i think if used correctly it could work, i think i will use it in our short film, for example to show someone walking by, or to just help set the scene. This shot is very subtle as it focuses only on a small section of the screen.
We could use this in the war scene, it helps set the scene and also shows whats happening very clearly, we could also use this in the train station scene, with a time lapse to go with it to show time passing around the main protagonist
while he is trapped in time.
We were all speaking about this shot, firstly half of us forgot what it was and secondly we think if we use it right it would be very clever, as you can see from the picture it created a distorted view of whats really going on, we were thinking of using this in the war scene or maybe somewhere else to show how his PTSD really effects him, through the use of POV maybe?
Extreme close up - As said by the man him self ' The eyes chico, they never lie' - Tony Montana scarface. He wasn't kidding when he said this, eyes cal tell a lot about what a person is thinking, we could use this in various scenes such as the war scene, confession booth, practically anywhere in the film.
Establishing shot - We will use this shot in a number of scenes to set the scene, to let the audience know where everything is taking place, for example in the war scene it will start off with an establishing shot, so the audience knows whats taking place where.
Editing techniques -
To make our film look very effective i think we need to add in some very good editing techniques.
We would like to use a time lapse because we think it would really fit in with a scene showing the protagonist suffering from a stressful episode, for example we think using it in the bridge scene will be very effective and be pulled off very well.
Flashback Flashback - We would like to use flashbacks to show previous events such as the war scene, we think this will help with the narrative, telling the audience why our protagonist is the way he is.
*update* We are also using flashbacks to show how the relationship use to be and how it begun to deteriorate.
Shot reverse shot -
We are using shot reverse shot in a new scene we have added. In the scene when the protagonist walks into a pedestrian there is a shot reverse shot looking at the protagonists dead friend and the protagonist. This is to show the reactions and emotions running through.
Media Theorists and Theories
I've begun to look at theorists, to see how they can help with our film and to give us and extra ideas to perfect our film. 1. State of equilibrium (everything how it should be).
2. Disequilibrium (disruption of that order by an event.
3. Recognition that disorder has occurred.
4. An attempt to repair the damage of disruption.
5. Return of restoration of a New equilibrium at the end.
Torodov argues that narratives shouldn't be linear, bur circular, i think this is an effective theory as if the structure is linear the film will be monotone and unoriginal. He also believes the disruption of equilibrium should occur outside the social norm. This is something we have tried to do as it is disrupted by somebody suffering from PTSD.
Torodov's theory has told me that narratives shouldn't be linear, they need to have a disequilibrium, something needs to occur within the film, if not the film will lack affect, and be monotone.
Lesson 6 - Storyboard draft (27/09/16)
This lesson we drafted our storyboard so we knew roughly what our film would look like, what shots would be where etc, it is a bit rough and messy because while drawing it we debated about a few things, but here it is.
As mentioned it was a bit messy due to us debating with one another, regarding what order the shots would go in etc, but don't worry guys as this is just a draft.
Lesson 7 - Research into target audience, who are the lucky ones (28/09/16)
Firstly, why are we going to do research on our audience, i mean we can have a general briefing of why we chose it? Wrong, in order for a piece to be successful, you need to find your target audience so you can sculpt your piece around that audience in order for it to be successful. I think the video below explains.
endi12345
This powerpoint shows the questions that were asked in the questionnaires, and with the results i have commented on them showing what they mean to us, the only limitations to this is that a lot of the voters were female between the ages of 13-21, apart from that the results were really helpful in helping us with our target audience.
Audience theorists -
Jeremy Tunstall believes that audiences fall into three different categories
Primary: Audiences who are fully engaged to the Media Product.
Secondary: Audiences are only half engaged with the product.
Tertiary: Audiences have it for background noise, use it to help them with other tasks, limited attention.
Our target is that of a young but intelligent age group, so it can be suggested that younger people tend to easily get distracted due to social media etc, nevertheless our goal is to try encourage primary viewing, and the way we will accomplish this is through our narrative. We have tried to make every scene in our film a puzzle to the story, we have tried to step out of the clique category,this is why we thing a lot of films have secondary viewers, so many films nowadays have such straight forward narratives, we will attract a primary audience by using Jeremy Tunstall's theory by attracting a Primary audience.
Lesson 8 - Storyboard final Draft (04/10/2016)
In this lesson we finalised our storyboards, but instead of drawing everything out, we took pictures and commented underneath each photo,
As you can see above,we have taken pictures of what camera shots we would use in those scenes, we thought this would make our filming process easier, also more neater because I'm a terrible drawer.
The same also applies here.
Treatment -
Alex is in his cold, un used kitchen where he sits collapsed on the floor, cradling the head and body of his pale dead wife. His eyes are sorry and his face screams distraught as he sheds a single tear for his soul mate.
*Update* Due to circumstances we weren't able to film in a kitchen, so what we did was we changed the scene, we done it that Alex is waiting for his wife at her work, and he then runs her over instead of strangling her.
Once transitioned to the train station, Alex is seen standing alone on the opposite side of the platform with a vacant but distressed expression on his face. As a train makes it's way across the tracks we see Johnsons reflection in the train carriage window, as Alex recognizes him, he becomes dazed and confused with worry seeping through his anxious eyes. Then the train sets off along with Johnson distorted reflection.
*Update*
Again, this scene was changed as we wasn't allowed to film in London's underground due to 'security risks', so we done a scene where Alex was seeing Johnson's face in other people.
Suddenly we're transported into the past, Alex and Johnson are in their army uniform as Alex is carrying Johnson's limp body to a near by tree, and shakes his shoulders pleading for him to stay with him. As Alex helplessly tries to save his friend. his corporal demands over the radio that he is to retreat other wise he will most likely become a target himself. This leaves Alex carrying the guilt of his fellow soldiers death for the rest of his haunting life.
In a flash forward, we see Alex standing on top of a bridge surrounded by busy traffic beneath him, as he sips his beer with a vacant look in his eyes. A time lapse of the cars with Alex still in the middle reveals how distorted and muddled his mind really is, and how his PTSD has taken the better of him, leaving him feeling lethargic and purposeless. We will never find out as an audience whether Alex was contemplating taking his life, but as it's open to interpretation, I believe he was, although some of my group members might disagree. Over this time lapse we hear sounds of Alex's wife, Johnson and screams as well as gun shots, these begin to reach an extreme dynamic that mimics what is going on in his troubled mind.
The kitchen scene now takes place, which is another travel back in time. Alex is sat at his kitchen table as his wife tries to grab his attention, but he doesn't respond. As her anger begins to build, all dialogue cuts out and we see her mouthing his name as a ringing is heard, then she smashes his plate and Alex grabs her by the wrist and we are left with the view of the smashed plate on the floor representing their broken marriage, as we hear her scream and her legs then lay lifeless on the floor. She has been murdered by her life long companion whom she tried to help through his secretive mental issues.
A black out then takes place along side Alex speaking to his priest as we then are sown a shot of the church he is confessing in. Alex is vacantly speaking to the priest in the confession box, and after he pleads for forgiveness we see the priest turn into Johnson, reminding Alex how even in Hell he will never be ridden of his mistakes and all of the lives he so unconsciously took.
*Update* We weren't able to film in a confession booth, we even tried to create one but it didn't work, so we thought a narration over flashbacks of Alex and his wife would've worked.
Lesson 9 - Script first draft (11/10/16)
Just like our storyboards, we started the scripts with a draft, this is for obvious reasons, main one being THINGS CHANGE! They always change, so we together wrote out a script which is down below . . .
Yes i know this script isn't exactly hollywood material but as mentioned its a draft, the final draft will be completed soon.
Directors -
Out side of lesson i began looking at directors, i done this because figured it would help because if i can get a rough idea of how the best directors think i could potentially use their ideas to form my short film. Here are a few of the directors I've looked at.
Alfred Hitchcock
Mr Hitchcock is referred to as the 'master of suspense' through our his long successful career he specialised in thrillers horrors and psychological (which is one of our sub-genres). One thing i will always remember from Alfred Hitchcock is to tell the story in a cinematic way, i thought this made a lot of sense, as it would make the film a lot more believable and interesting, he had a subtle approach to telling the story which i think was genius, hence why he is one of the greatest directors to have ever lived.
Here are some of Mr Hitchcock's famous films
- Notorious
- Rear window
- Vertigo
- North by Northwest
- Psycho
- The Birds
The main thing he believed in was to let the camera tell the story and not the actors, which i think is again just genius.
Peter Berg -
Peter Berg is a director i haven't come across before, but i watched a number of his films surprisingly, it seems like he specialises in action/war films for example . . .
- Lone survivor
- Hancock
- Friday Night Lights
- Patriots Day
- Battle Ship
- Deep Water Horizon
Peter Berg is a specialist in films, for example with lone survivor (personal favourite) he tried to make everything as real as possible, furthermore he tried to make you attached to characters so when somebody dies it effects the audience more than usual.
Peter Berg is no Steven Spielberg as his net worth sits at $30 million compared to Steven who has $3 Billion, but Peter Berg films relate a lot to my short film, so i will be using some of his techniques and apply them to our film.
Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood, the king of spaghetti westerns. Also the director of American sniper, a film we have taken many influences from. Clint Eastwood has raked up $375 million during his successful career. His technique is making everything as realistic as possible. Unlike Michael bay, Clint doesn't use thousands of explosions every film to awe 7 year olds. Clint tries to satisfy the audience by making as realistic as possible, simplicity is key. He has directed a number of films such as . . .
- American Sniper
- Million Dollar Baby
- Flags of Our Father
- Space Cowboys
- Blood Work
- Invictus
Acting influences -
I will be playing the part of Alex Anderson, the main protagonist who is a war veteran suffering from PTSD, now in order for me to try and execute the role i need to know how people who suffer from this condition act. I have a brief insight as when i was looking at my genre i had looked at a few pieces about people with PTSD, but i feel like i need to strengthen my knowledge on how they act so the acting process will be made easier for me.
Bradley cooper
Bradley cooper starred in the film 'American sniper' which has been used as a heavy influence for us, the film which was directed by Clint Eastwood (another one of our influences) and was the second highest grossing film of 2014.
Bradley cooper played the role of Chris Kyle, an american hero. In the film it shows how Chris Kyle is scarred from his war experiences and how it effects his domestic life.
*WATCH FROM 00:00 - 01:39*
The things i picked out from this is that even his loved ones arnt eve able to help him even though he has been away from his family for 6 months, he still has alone time and time away from his family.
- Loss of affection
- Emotions tend to fade
- Blank expressions
- Flashbacks
- Lack of control over thoughts
Bradley is also a highly respected actor, and i believe taking influences from him will really benefit me.
Lesson 10 - Music time (18/10/16)
Today we started to discuss what sounds and soundtracks there would be in our film, there were a lot of ideas, but firstly i want to talk about the soundtrack, i thought it was best to do some research into soundtracks and famous composers to help me and my group decide on what soundtrack we will be using for our film.
Something I've always noticed about war films is that the soundtrack is always patriotic, there seems to be a lot of drums and trumpets which mainly contribute to the patriotic feel, I've seen this in two films. Saving private Ryan and American sniper.
This soundtrack produced by Joseph S. Debeasi, it really brings patriotic emotions out of someone as the song is a tribute to a fallen American hero, this soundtrack is very effective but i don't think it is quite what were looking for.
Hymn to the fallen was created by John Williams, possibly one of the most iconic and influential composers in modern history. This soundtrack is similar to the first in the sense that it create a patriotic feeling in its viewer, this is done through the use of the drums and trumpets.
Having looked at war based soundtracks i don't believe it will be suitable for my product, the reason behind this is because my film is not war focused nor is it there to create a patriotic feeling, the feeling i'm trying to create for my audience is one of distraught and sympathy, i don't think by using a war based soundtrack it'll be significant.
This soundtrack is a bit different to the others as it originates from a game "The Last of Us". The soundtrack in the game was Composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, the music in the game is so simple and subtle and really suits it atmosphere, it is used in the game in death scenes, action scenes etc, but are executed perfectly due to its simplicity. This could potentially be of use to us, if not using it we can take the idea of simplicity and for example using a piano and creating our own subtle score as we have a very talented musician *Ebony*.
This so far really has the edge for me, its subtle sad and if used correctly can be very effective the pace is very slow and slowly slowly builds up, i think if we add this into our film it could be absolutely incredibly as i could really picture us using this.
The only thing i don't think will fit in is the main part of the song where the drums build up and the piano gets louder, i think the first section of the song would be ideal for us.
Music is key for the audience, it gives them a real feel of what is going on, and also enhances the scene for them making it all the more convincing. That is why we need to have a very well executed soundtrack.
Music is key for the audience, it gives them a real feel of what is going on, and also enhances the scene for them making it all the more convincing. That is why we need to have a very well executed soundtrack.
Lesson 11 - Production Logos
Hey guys, I'm going to be showing you guys a variety of production logos and i will be evaluating them, to see why they are effective and why they work. I will also be looking at how they can influence me and possibly give me ideas for a production logo of our own. Because as we know all production companies have logos that their target audience is familiar with. We need a Production logo our audience will remember and be engaged too.
Paramount Pictures
Paramount pictures has an iconic production logo, when looking at it it makes it look triumphant and makes the viewer feel good, it looks almost 'wow' it gives the audience a feeling that something good is going to come, this is what Paramount Pictures have tried to do since the beginning days of the company, as their Logo was usually followed by Feel good music.
As mentioned earlier, Paramount pictures have always tried to have that feeling of Triumph, and the feeling of greatness, it seems that different production company try to get their viewers to feel something different.
Walt Disney -
Disney, i can safely presume that disney played a part in everybody's childhood, with magical movies sing along songs which the adults of today can still sing too. But I'm not going to be talking about the films, I'm going to be talking about the production logo.
Makes you feel warm doesn't it, perfection in 33 seconds of footage. The Disney production logo has a magical feeling to it which also contrasts with an exciting finish to excite the audience. It also includes a picture of the famous disney buildings as disney land to try and further relate to its target audience.
Now lets try and take a look at our production company ideas.
Just so you guys know, we hadn't established a company in the early 20th century like the rest of these media conglomerates, but what we have done is try to create one now.
We began brainstorming ideas and then someone came up with the name 'Endeavour' Which means an attempt to do something, now it isn't the most iconic of things in the world, but we still believed it was powerful because it shows us trying hard as a group to create a powerful product, we thought that the picture of it all would be us having our hands in a circle, just like they do in cheesy movies when they are loosing a sport and say ' team' and them win, yeah just like that.. cheesy right?
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