Vlog Update 2

Here's a little vlog update on where we are up to so far with the production of our short film.

My Distribution Company - Sundance Institute

After a lot of thinking we decided to use the Sundance Institute as our distribution company. This is due to the fact that they have had a lot of experience working with new, young filmmakers in the short film industry. We have also chosen them as our distribution company as Sundance work very closely with other very successful companies such as iTunes, Netflix and Youtube, which are major streaming sites where short films can be found. The Sundance Institute frequently use a lot of social media such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, which have a huge, worldwide audience to them. This means if they distribute our short film we could gain a much wider target audience and contribute the success of our short film in the end.

Update of Production Schedule 4

We are approaching the final deadline of our package consisting of a short film, film poster and a film review. Throughout the past few weeks we have been on schedule with the tasks we have had to complete and have continued to keep on track with the production of our film. We have finished all filming and re-takes of the footage needed for our short film, which means I must now focus on finishing my poster and review for the film. Over the next week I will be completing the final drafts of these and begin my evaluation questions.

Vlog Update 1

Here is another quick vlog update on one of the issues that has occurred throughout the production stage and how we are going to resolve it.

Rough Cut Feedback

This is all of the feedback we had received from our rough cut of our short film 'Decisions'. The audience all managed to successfully understand the genre of the film, which is part of the Drama genre. The audience seemed to like the editing effects that we decided to include throughout, especially the title sequence at the beginning of the film. Some of the improvements we could make from this feedback is to add a voiceover over the clips, which is what we are planning to do over the next few weeks. Also, due to the film not being entirely finished yet the storyline comes across as quite confusing so we will be completing the film process soon to make the narrative clearer throughout. Overall, we were given a Level 3 for our rough cut and once we have made all our improvements and finished our short film we are hoping to gain a Level 4 towards the end.

Decisions - Rough Cut

This is our first draft of our short film 'Decisions', which was edited by one of my other group members. We decided to use this version as the editing looks much more professional and includes many of the features we had discussed during the production stages. I really like the institution logo at the beginning of the film as it looks very realistic and fits in well with the style of the film. However, I did not agree with editing of the main title of the film as I did not think it portrayed the genre clearly and accurately. To improve our first draft we will add in the new titles and credits sequence and will have all of the finished clips needed for our short film.

Titles and Credits - Trial

Opening Titles 

End Credits

I made these titles and credits by using a software programme called 'Wondershare Filmora'. The programme allows you to have access to a free online trial and experiment with all of the features. Within the trial I managed to successfully edit and complete these title and credit sequence for my short film. However, as it was only a free trial I could not download them without the company logo appearing throughout. This is due to the fact as we are only a small independent film company we do not have a large budget and cannot afford the full access to the software, which means we are unable to use it for the titles and credits in our short film. Due to the small budget we have for our short film, we have had to continue using softwares such as WeVideo and Adobe Premiere Pro to create the title and credit sequence within our film.

Sound Research - Voiceover

After researching into the different types of sounds that are used within short films, I was really inspired by the use of a voiceover in the film 'Thomas'. The use of a voiceover throughout is very effective as it tells the story directly towards the audience, rather than having a range of different sounds, which can become quite confusing and they can distract the audience from the narrative. Within the short film 'Thomas' the tone of the voiceover appears to the audience as very calming and friendly, which can attract the audience's attention throughout. It allows them to create a personal relationship with the voice heard within the clips, which is due to the fact that the audience wants a voice that sounds authentic and genuine to them. A voiceover can be very powerful as it can create certain emotions towards a character within the film. For example, in 'Thomas' the tone of the voiceover creates a feeling of sadness and sympathy for the boy along with the soundtrack heard in the background of the piece. We have chosen to create a similar atmosphere within our own short film as it fits well with the genre of the film, which is a drama. Our voiceover artist will be recorded by the original character of Edward as we want it to appear as realistic as possible throughout.

Changes to Script

Example of a Promotional Package

This is an example of a promotional package for the award winning short film 'ReMoved'. The film is an emotional story that follows a young girl who is taken from her home and placed into foster care as a result of domestic violence. The film was created to bring awareness, encourage, and be useful in foster parent training, and raising up foster parents. The short film gained such a large audience and success that eventually the producers released a sequel to it. The second film 'ReMoved Part 2' continues to focus on the young girl in foster care, whilst exploring the perspectives on the adults involved within the case. The second film was funded through a very successful campaign, which has led the short film to go viral and gain a huge audience across the world. This is the poster from the first film, which includes the an image of the main character that reveals who the film is going to be focused on throughout. The tagline "I am unseen unloved unheard unwanted" also highlights some of the themes that are shown in the film and it can reflect the genre of the film, which is a drama. The poster also includes the awards that it has won and the credits are located at the bottom of the image.
Another part of the promotional package is a film review, which is similar to what I will creating in my own promotion.The film review overall is very positive towards the short film and praises it throughout the review by using certain language, which can persuade the audience to view it. The review mentions the names of the people involved within the film including directors, producers and actors. This can allow the reader to recognise and create a personal relationship with the film. The film review goes on to talk about all of the festivals and awards that the film was involved in, which portrays the film as very successful. The review includes visuals from the film itself and there is even a link to a full version of the film towards the end. I have decided to analyse this example of a promotional package as it has had a lot of success through the making of it up until the film was released. The film poster and review include a lot of elements that I am hoping to include in my own promotion, which will hopefully lead to a successful outcome for my short film.

Click the link below to watch ReMoved.
https://youtu.be/lOeQUwdAjE0

My Film Review Layout

This is the layout of my film review template, which is part of my promotional package. I decided to follow this layout as it has a similar design to other views found within the magazine Empire. I thought it would be appropriate to follow this design as I am exhibiting my film review within Empire. By using a similar design this will allow me to successfully attract my target audience and eventually gain an even larger audience altogether. I included feature such as the title of the magazine and the website where you can find the reviews as they are on the conventions of a film review. I also decided to recreate many of the graphics found within the reviews that are published in Empire as this is another convention. I am going to write my review using a columned layout as it is the most common style of writing within film reviews, especially within the Empire magazine. Other features that are going to be included in my film review will be a rating of the film to give the audience an overall quality of the film without having to read the entire article. I am also going to include an image of my main character Edward in my review as it gives an insight into who the film is mainly going to be focused on throughout. Finally, towards the end of my review I will be adding a small comment on where the film will be screened later on, which will be at the Sundance Film Festival as they are our distributors.

Film Review Text

Structure of a Film Review

1. INTRODUCTION

This should give a small overview of the characters and the synopsis of the film. Within the introduction it can also sum up the reviewer's overall opinion about the film. This allows the readers to form their own judgement on the film without reading the entire review.

2. MAIN BODY

This is usually made up of two paragraphs, with the first paragraph describing the plot and the action, whilst informing the reader which actors play each role. Within the main body it can also include analysis of the film, in terms of the director, cinematography, sounds and special effects. The reviewer can balance the positive and negative aspects throughout the film here.

3.CONCLUSION

Within the conclusion of the film review it can tell the reader when the film will be released and sometimes even where it can be found. Towards the end of a film review, this is also where the reader can find the reviewer's overall opinion of the film and whether they think it is worth watching or not.

A Day at The Guardian

Last week our teacher organised a trip to visit The Guardian's office in London,which gave us the oppurtnuity to practice writing a feature article for their newspaper. Our feature article was based on our own opnions of a particular topic,which meant we had to be honest and truthful throughout. This visit to The Guardian gave me a better understanding of the style and tone of our film review that we will be creating. It also allowed me an insight into the design and layout of the film review as the article was similar to the overall layout of a film review, including headings, straplines and graphics. As a feature artcile is mainly based on personal opinions this is similar to what you would find in a film review as the reviewer gives their own verdict on the film. Lastly, as the feature article was based in The Guardian the language included had to be quite formal and intellectual due to its target audience. Overall, this trip has really helped me by giving me experience into some of the important elements that I could use within my own film review.

Film Review Layout - Empire Magazine

This is a film review taken from the Empire magazine, which I have annotated in order to see what types of things I should include and think about when creating my own film review. As I have chosen the Empire magazine to include my film review within I am going to follow a similar structure to the example above. I am going to only create a single page for my film review as it is going to be written about a short film, which don't usually have a double page spread in magazines. I am going to include many of these elements within my own film review to make it as realistic as possible and successfully achieve my target audience.

Film Review Analysis

Empire Magazine

Sight and Sound Magazine