Group Blog Link

Here is our group blog.

Question One

Question 2

Poster

Other aspects include tagline, a quote from the film, directly suggests a sort of mystery about the film, and clearly evokes the main theme of retrospection from the film, aptly summing up the film in a sentence.

Additionally, there is the production information at the bottom of the poster, advertising the big names of the production to potential audience members and the main actors names at the top, below the tagline, highlighting them and attracting the audience's eye to people who may recognise their names.

Review

 Apart from these aspects, we always use a brief tagline at the beginning of the review as a brief one-sentence introduction to the review and the film itself, enabling it to pique an initial curiosity in readers. Additionally, we studied the general tone and structure of the reviews themselves, particularly Empire and Total Film, the main print magazines, and two websites that use a magazine-review format to get the right approach in how a review deals with a film and markets it to potential readers.

Question 4

This is my Answer to Question 4. I apologise for the poor recording quality. However, because I have done this question too early, I will be updating this post, or reuploading a new Podcast, with a fuller evaluation.

Evaluation - Question 3

Film Poster

Magazine Review

Captain's Log - 16/04

Today, we are making a start on our evaluation. The review was completed and uploaded at the very start of the Easter Holidays. The poster is essentially completed, with only one very minor touch left to do, which unfortunately requires the technical expertise of Jack, who is absent today. However, as soon as he returns, it will be easily and swiftly finished. We have also changed the settings for our final film on YouTube to "unlisted", which while it does not allow random people to view our film, it allows anyone with the URL to view it, so we can begin to gather audience reactions to our film.

Captain's Log - 28/03

In this lesson we took a ruler to an Empire magazine to figure out the lengths for our review. More generally, we have been organising the text of the review into an actual house style and realistic magazine layout.

Review Content

Insert Name Here

Facts

Release date - 

Director - Ed Chappell

Cast - Will Hayman, Ollie Iley, Jon Cook, Chris Fry

Screenwriter - Chris Fry

Running Time - 5 minutes

Certificate - 12

One fight and the many different ways it could have gone.

Another short film from director Ed Chappell, written by Academy Award winning screenwriter Chris Fry, Insert Name Here explores the alternate ways in which a situation can unfold. The short starts with Wesley (Will Hayman) running through a set of snap shots to a face off with Lucas (Ollie Iley). Wesley loses, sorely, and sulks off after his beating. He walks through the streets, dwelling on his loss. He re-imagines the fight over and over, and all the different ways it could have gone, one in which  the fight gets worse, one in which Wesley runs, and so on. Except for a slightly surreal cross-over between reality and Wesley's imagined world at the end, this is most of the film. 

There is a drought of narrative in the short. We know nothing of the characters, their motivations, and the backstory between and behind them. While this may have been a conscious choice, it leaves the film with considerably less emotional weight. The film seems to contrast its structure between very slow monologue as Wesley wanders around doing nothing much in particular and the much more intense fighting between the two. While this does create an effective variation in flow, the contrast really highlights just how much the monologues can drag on.

The camerawork is extremely original, and enforces the abstract and bizarre feel the film is going for. However, the handheld shake can get a little extreme and obscure the actual events of the film. The acting leaves a lot to be desired. There isn't a wealth in characters in the film and the focus on a not particularly well-acted Wesley is only to the film's detriment. The voiceover which holds the film together in terms of narrative works well and is very stylised. It is consciously reminiscent of film noir.

The concept behind the film is strong, although slightly derivative of films such as The Butterfly Effect and Run Lola Run, is still fairly unique in terms of film narratives. Also, such a tight focus around a specific event allows for a more understandable exploration of differing possibilities. However, the film would benefit from limiting itself slightly in its ambition and aiming for something a little more digestible than what it is.


While South Dusk Films is a reasonably experienced production team, with several collaborations previous, Jack Fletcher, on music, is the relative newcomer. However, his work on the titles and music of ... as well as last year's The Unbeliever show that he is by no means the weak link. While conceptually, this is one of the stronger films made by Ed Chappell and Chris Fry, the actual production betrays it as overall a weaker production that may have been anticipated.

Rundown


An imaginative film that runs away with its imagination perhaps too much.

Captain's Log - 22/03

In today's lesson, I have made a start on writing the review. I already have a rough idea of how to structure the content from my previous research into magazine design and layout, and a good idea of the tone to take from my experience with the school experience and my own personal readings of film magazine reviews, particularly Empire.
 We have delegated roles in the ancillary tasks to each of us. Jon and Jack will work on the poster together, I will write the actual content for the view, and Ed will look at possible layouts, and organise my content, together with shots from the film, into a magazine-style review.

Review Progress

This is as far as I have got with the actual content of the review, which is my part of the ancillary tasks. As I write this, Ed is still editing the film our still-untitled film, by the time I have finished writing the content, he should have finished editing and I will email this to him for his to put the content into an actual layout.

I have to admit, it is difficult to review a film that you have written and made from a third-person perspective as well as keeping the same tone and style of the typical reviews.

Final Film

Narrative Flow Chart

Finally explaining the actual structure and narrative of our film. It doesn't look perfect, thanks to being made on Prezi which doesn't easily lead itself to arranging shapes to an aesthetically satisfactory degree. There is supposed to be a Prezi watermark in the bottom left corner, but it is covered up with a black rectangle from Microsoft Paint.

Captain's Log - 14/03

Today, myself and Ed took Will into one of the Mac rooms during a shared free period and we recorded the many voiceovers for his character, Wesley. My role in this was to advise Will on the style we would like him to read his lines in, that sort of detached, film-noir monotone, as well as bearing the relentless criticism of how it was written. I brought the script up on my phone and deleted everything but the lines of voiceover he needed to record, and then gave the phone for him to read out.

Our film is beginning to reach an awkward stage where most of the parts are completed, but not yet put together. This leads to it all being decontextualised and all seeming a bit weird. For example, Will seemed quite confused at most of the lines, but seeing as without the script and with only a cursory explanation during filming, he wasn't entirely sure of the narrative of the film and the voiceover lines, outside of the context of which they appear, just read as even more bizarre. We can expect this will go away once the film has been finalised though.

Revised Script

This is a revised version of the script. We have cut out the ghostly images/premonitions idea, changed the order of some of the scenes and changed the setting for some of them.

EXT. STREETS - MORNING
(Added this scene)
This is the intro/title sequence. Choppy, almost montage style sequence of Will running, intercut with credits.

EXT. PIER - MIDDAY

Two male teenagers face each other, WESLEY and LUCAS. Wesley looks intimidated and is clearly inferior.  Lucas raises a fist. Hits Wesley. He falls.

Wesley lies, face down, on the ground. Lucas walks away, into the distance.

WESLEY (V.O.)

So much for taking the hit like a man...

Wesley places his hands on the ground and pushes up, lifting himself. He pulls his knees up and kneels, leaning back on his legs. He puts his hands to his face, checking for blood or bruises. He picks himself up and takes a few stumbling steps. He bends double and spits blood from his mouth.

WESLEY (V.O.)

Wasn't expecting a hit like that.

Wesley straightens himself up.

WESLEY (V.O.)

At least I'll be left alone now.

(shortened this scene)

EXT. STREET 2 - MIDDAY

WESLEY (V.O.)
 (Moved this line from the end of the previous scene)
Hopefully...

Wesley walks along an urban, rough-looking street, looking around for any people walking by.

WESLEY (V.O.)

You know, when something happens and you make your choices, and then mull over it, and make different choices? (changed word order to make more sense)

He continues walking.

WESLEY (V.O.)

That's the benefit of hindsight. (put these lines together) The French have their own phrase for it. But when they talk about it, it's for laughs.

He turns, and walks towards the door.

WESLEY (V.O.)

My problem still had a punchline.

He looks into his reflection, and touches his face, again checking for cuts and bruises.

WESLEY (V.O)

Not too bad.

EXT. PIER - IMAGINED

(changed this scene to make more sense, the floor on the pier would not be wet enough to allow for slipping)

Two male teenagers face each other, WESLEY and LUCAS. Wesley looks intimidated and is clearly inferior.

Lucas steps forward and throws his punch. Wesley dodges. Lucas struggles to regain his balance. Wesley takes a second's hesitation before running off down the pier.

He turns back. Wesley has ran to the end of the pier. He isn't stopping.

EXT. STREET - IMAGINED

Wesley is hiding, crouched down beside the street. Lucas approaches and stares down at him.

EXT. STREET - REAL

(changed it from standing still to walking to keep the pace up)

Wesley walks past, staring at the place where he saw himself crouched down. Then, he turns off and walks away.

(Cut line here)

EXT. PARK - MIDDAY
(Added a location and action to this scene, was previously just a plan for dialogue)
Wesley sits on a bench, staring out across the bay.

WESLEY (V.O.)

Maybe running wouldn't be so good an idea. (put lines together) There's the regular solution to a fight. Hit first.

There is a young man sitting on a bench to the side of  Wesley's bench. 

WESLEY (V.O.)

Supposed to let them know who you are, what they're dealing with.

The young man gets up and approaches Wesley.

YOUNG MAN

'scuse me mate, you got a light? 

Wesley stares off, almost as if he didn't hear.

WESLEY (V.O.)

I think Lucas already knew what he was dealing with.

Wesley's hand dives into his pocket for the lighter. He pulls it out and the lighter catches his eye. 

WESLEY (V.O.)

It would have been worth a try.

The young man twitches impatiently. Wesley stares into the reflection in the side of the lighter.

WESLEY (V.O.)

Second chances are never worth much.

EXT. PIER - MIDDAY

Two male teenagers face each other, WESLEY and LUCAS. Wesley looks intimidated and is clearly inferior.

Lucas steps forward, clenching a fist. Wesley's hand darts up to his face. Wesley steps back, almost in shock at his own movement. Lucas drops immediately. He lies, motionless on the ground.

(cut scene here - we removed the ghostly visions idea.)

EXT. OVERVIEW - MIDDAY

Wesley leans against a wall, yet again looking out over a view of the seafront.

WESLEY (V.O.)

I'm sure we could have worked something out. (put lines together) Like stopping a train by asking nicely. Something says I got off easy the way things went.

Wesley takes his phone out of his pocket and stares into its reflective screen.

EXT. PIER - MIDDAY

(moved this scene to earlier in the film)

Two male teenagers face each other, WESLEY and LUCAS. Wesley looks intimidated and is clearly inferior.

Lucas steps forward and raises a fist. He pauses. A phone rings in his pocket. His hand dives down into his pocket. He turns away from Wesley and raises the phone to his ear. His face drops.

He talks on the phone and gets visibly aggravated. He starts gesturing wildly.

(cut scene short)

EXT. CAR PARK - MIDDAY

An empty car park, with only a few cars parked around, by no means full.

WESLEY (V.O.)

Problem solved, you think.

Wesley enters the car park, and begins walking across.

WESLEY (V.O.)

Take a hit, be a martyr, and it's end of the story.

The camera cuts and reveals Wesley walks towards an old car that doesn't seem too well-maintained. There is a person, not clearly seen, sitting in the driver's seat.

WESLEY (V.O.)

Every story's got an epilogue.

Wesley walks up to the car and begins leaning down into the driver's side window. 

WESLEY (V.O.)

The hit's got consequences, reverberations.

He begins to have a conversation with the unseen person in the car.

WESLEY (V.O.)

Doesn't everything?

Wesley's head turns, and he notices the car's wing mirror, catching his reflection. He stares into it, thoughtfully.

EXT. PIER

Two male teenagers face each other, WESLEY and LUCAS. Wesley looks intimidated and is clearly inferior.

Wesley raises his hands up. He says something. He begs. Lucas steps forward and throws a punch. Wesley hits the floor. 

(cut extra information out)

EXT. STAIRS - MIDDAY
(original script was too long, too complicated and began to repeat ideas, so we removed much of the later part of the film)

A dilapidated looking set of stairs, steep and narrow. Wesley slowly walks up.

WESLEY (V.O.)

Talking about stories, I wonder what his was. (put lines together) Troubled young man like that.

Wesley carries on climbing the stairs. 

WESLEY (V.O.)

Makes you think, (put lines together) but I'm glad he got to work out his frustrations on my face... I'll just think of it as charity work.

Wesley looks down at the ground, notices a piece of a broken mirror lying on the ground. He picks it up, rotating it into his hand, watching the reflection shift. He stares into it, before throwing it down the stairs.

EXT. SEAFRONT - MIDDAY
(changed the last pier scene from a fight, to simply shots of a chase)
An imagined scene. Wesley runs, and Lucas chases close behind.

(Cut scene here)

EXT. STAIRS - MIDDAY

(ending shortened)
The piece of broken mirror lies on the ground. Reflected in it, two figures run past.

WESLEY (V.O)

Definitely should have done something.

Captain's Log - 14/02

Today, we organised the first cut of the film, structuring it properly after some effort and stress. Ed will render the film over the half term.

Captain's Log - 12/02

Over the weekend, we filmed the last few scenes. We have now completed all of the filming. However, Will (Wesley) did forget part of his costume, which may have disastrous consequences for continuity. I also graced the film with my acting abilities.

As a result of the filming, and changes we had to make because of practicality issues, I will have to rewrite the script, especially the voiceovers. Luckily, only the cut of the film with sound is due for the end of this week, so I have extra time for this.

I will also continue work on writing the review as the ancillary task. This is difficult however, because I was responsible for writing the film, so its difficult to pretend to have an opinion other than my own, and it is still unfinished, so difficult to review.

Cotton Stones Analysis - Narrative, Character and Dialogue

Captain's Log - 05/02

Over the weekend we managed to do some more filming, despite a short time allowance. We are left with only3 scenes left to film.
Also, I managed to finish the voiceover analysis of narrative, characterisation and dialogue in our chosen short film, Cotton Stones.