INITIAL PROPOSAL
Intro - requirements of the brief and the production idea.
Royal Television Society, a British-based educational charity. This serves as an opportunity for us Media students and those aspiring for a role in the industry, as it is an ideal platform in getting a project out there and your name recognized. As an informal brief, we have been asked by request and no formal document has been signed as a form of contract. As Media students we must take into consideration our own precautions, be it paperwork or permission slips, whether it concerns consent or shooting locations. We are under no legal obligation; however, as it is part of our coursework to complete by the end of our term, it is vital we do so as it can lead to a better overall grade. This will also serve as a testament to our discipline when working with other individuals on set and from different areas of work.
Target audience - what information has been provided about the target audience and how has this information helped with your planning?
No real information has been provided other than the 14 and 19 year demographic, as this project is being done by students of similar ages. Furthermore, the short film is of the horror genre, which notoriously goes over well with the teenage target audience. For example, Horror Movie Research by Alex Gilbey offers statistical analysis on the topic, proving that young people are the largest majority that view such films. This makes for a viable film worth showing off at RTS.
Purpose/Aim – What is the purpose of the commission and how has this informed your ideas?
RTS intend to showcase our short film as part of Young People’s Media Festival. This event is, as aforementioned, an opportunity for us Media students (as well as drama students) to showcase our skills in production, editing, among other key areas critical in the developing of a film project. This has done well to inform initial ideas due to the demographic of students ranging between 14-19, as mentioned.
Format – What information has been provided about the format of the production and how have you used this information?
Production format includes shooting locations such as Bede college and Barnes Park, so precautions would have to be made in an effort ensure safety procedures are made. However, speaking of the brief, this of course includes filming and involves practical work and that means the use of equipment, most notably a camera, graciously supplied to us by Bede college themselves.
Content - What information has been provided about the content of the production and how has this informed your ideas?
The content of the production includes the script, which we will be using as the basis of the story. This has informed our ideas by offering a more visual way of implementing our practical when it comes to the actual production of the short film. These are some ideas we had in discussion within the group chat, below.
Style - What ideas do you have for visual style?
Visual style with include an aesthetic 1960s look with black and white to accompany it. We hope to put an emphasis on the color red or blood in general, as well as religious symbols to enforce the Christian imagery of the short film. Because of this, we would have to make sure to take measures that ensure no controversy is made, nor anyone in the audience be offended by the use of such motifs.
STRUCTURING YOUR PITCH
Introduction: Grab the reader’s/viewer/listeners attention – why should they pay attention to your idea?
Dark Days is a spoof supernatural neo-noir film, this idea is on script and in development as both drama and media students of Bede college look forward to showcase it at the RTS awards ceremony.
Target audience - How your ideas appeal to a specific target audience?
The genre is proven to draw in a young demographic of 14-19 year olds, the same as the range of individuals participating in RTS student film showcase. Alex Gibley’s research shows that horror films tend to attract a slightly younger audience, predominantly under 25s. It is said that roughly 42% of horror audiences are women, with 58% being men.With the supernatural elements and youth of the actors, we think this is enough to draw in a crowd.
Purpose - How do your ideas fulfill the purpose of the brief?
The purpose of the brief is fulfilled this way as our own is an informal one, being rather loose in legality and only being that of verbal communication. As showcased, we formed a group chat to hash out and discuss ideas and filming times, as well as meeting locations.
End by briefly summing up why your idea will be successful and why the company should commission your work.
I believe his work should be commissioned as part of RTS awards ceremony for young people because it is a chance for them to test the genre and see if theory and research can be practiced. This way, if it were successful, you could build further upon it and off it’s success, and will in turn inspire other students to showcase their short films at RTS.
PRODUCTION DOCUMENTATION
An informal brief can be as straightforward as a chat over a drink in the pub. A Non/limited documentation. There are no direct contractual agreements discussed or specific requirements outlined. This tends to be undertaken and then fleshed out at a later date; however, given the nature of our brief, no consent forms were signed amongst us. More verbal communication between the client and the company you will be able to understand fully what the client is asking fully.
The following is our cast/crew and the roles:
- Kieran Barker - Director/Actor
- Luke Metcalf - Actor
- Harry Palmer - Actor
- Mattie Orr - Actor/Assistant Director
- Matthew Tulip - Cameraman/Assistant Editor
- Kevin-Lee Middleton - Senior Editor
- Lucy Mclaren - Lighting/Set
A particularly frustrating moment for us, as we had to cancel filming; however, this also serves proof of ideas discussed for out initial filming plans. We would end up not using a Church at all.
Potential film locations that were discussed:
- Bede Campus (office areas and theatre)
- Barnes Park (near the ponds)
- Churches:
- St Mary & St Peter's Church - Address: Springwell Rd, Sunderland SR3 4DY, Phone: 0191 528 3754
- Burn Park Methodist Church - Address: 5 Burn Park Rd, Sunderland SR2 7LS, Phone: 0191 514 2218
- St John's Methodist Church - Address: Ashbrooke Rd, Sunderland SR2 7HQ, Phone: 0191 522 7165
- St Andrew's Church, Roker - Address: 9 Talbot Rd, Sunderland SR6 9PT, Phone: 0191 516 0135
We were officially handed this assignment on the 16th of November 2016, and the following week, on Wednesday, were organized by our lecturers into groups that allocated media students with drama students. When placed in my group I made clear I was fine with whatever we were doing, and as it turned out actors Luke and Harry were eager to write a script to put to film. We had our first official meeting the Wednesday after and discussed what the plans were. We knew Harry and Luke were writing the script; however, this would take until December to complete, and storyboards would have to wait till after editing.
I have evidence to produce for this, involving the media production group chat we made on Facebook.
As of 01/11/18, we have determined the filming locations to be Bede Campus and Barnes Park, more specifically the men’s changing rooms and the theatre. We have set the changing room in the vain of that of a office area, as the office is meant to be in the location of a church. Thus, we will be getting shots a church to establish scenery. Though we have completed some filming, we have yet to full capture all footage, and will be filming next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Yesterday, we were meant to be shooting; however, one of the actors failed to show, so plans have changed. Prior to this date we have already filmed scenes in the Priest’s Office, two to be exact. We require filming a flashback sequence in the Priest’s office, with scenes in Barnes Park and finally in the theatre of the Arts Academy. Hopefully, filming will be complete next week and ready for editing, which will then leave room to clear up documenting production progress and completion.
On 01/15/18, we shot scenes of flashbacks in the Priest’s office, as well as in the toilet areas of Bede College Art Academy. The following day, we shot scenes in Barnes Park with actors Luke and Harry, Harry’s character replacing Mattie’s due to circumstances. Filming went well and we got some good footage; however, there have been many edits made to the original script and scenes have either been altered or scrapped. All that remains is the scenes to be shot in the theatre. What remains for editing (apart from the clips) is the music and required voiceover for the intro. The voiceover will be provided by Luke, in character, as part of the story. A tascam would be necessary.
On 01/22/18, we shot one of the two scenes required in the theatre. As this is been written we have hit original deadline date; however, the date has been pushed back to the 9th of February and we can book more possible scenes in the theatre for next week. Monday or Tuesday would be ideal so we can complete editing and then start an individual evaluation. In addition to the last scene, we must introduce Harry and Mattie’s characters to one another in a scene, as well as record voice over with Luke in character.
On 01/26/18, we finally completed filming and drastically changed the entire point of the short film. Realizing we were out of time and had poorly managed the structure and logic of the film, our scriptwriters pitched the plan to break the fourth wall at the end of the movie. This finishes up the filming of our movie and now all that remains is the editing.
As of the 01/30/18, we’ve organised clips in the editing process and are looking forward to a finalized product. After this, storyboards will be drawn up and all the groups media students will have compiled their own version of events, evaluating the process and documentation of our film.
On the 01/31/18, all clips were organized for editing and the process was well under way. This has stretched into the following day, and on Thursday the 1st of February, our deadline day, we have the film complete and all documentation gathered.
On the 02/02/18, we had a hiccup with the editing, with Adobe Premiere strangely misplacing edits, clips and messing with the overall structure of the short film. It is infuriating given that Kevin has done a fantastic job of editing thus far. However, we have now successfully solved the issue and converted the film.
Evaluation
When we were first given this assignment on the 16/11/17, I was eager to see which groups we would be placed in and who with, as well as work along with like-minded drama students. I chose the role of editor or cameraman before being given the latter. I was comfortable working in either one of these roles. As for my actual role, I think I performed the best I could given the circumstances. These circumstances included what I found to be a very poor set and shooting location, that being the men’s changing rooms in the Art Academy of Bede College. What was also frustrating was getting into proper position to capture all I could in the scene, and I was unable to use more establishing shots then I would have liked. This makes the scenes somewhat claustrophobic and horribly shot.
Above: Photo of the men’s changing room. Very small and cramped for filming, especially with set and props.
My opinion on the film is simple: it’s bad. In contrast, I did like the script and thought it had potential; however, we could never realize its potential due to poor setting and a need to cut out some of the lines, in order to make due with the time we had. What was worse was that there was one small scene we forgot to shoot that I’m kicking myself over for forgetting. It was the small scene meant to introduce Harry’s character to Mattie’s character. If I was ever that careless then I’d be chewed out and rightly so. But looking back on it now, it makes it all the more better.
You see, we shot the ending as a fourth wall break, with our actors screening the movie and voicing their opinions on it, ending with them looking into the camera. It’s a cop out honestly, but at least it is funny. Plus, our actors acknowledge how bad the movie is, making the lack of cohesion in the film make all the more sense due to criticism. As for the actors themselves, I thought they performed admirably, and although I thought the actual end product was bad, I had a lot of fun filming with them. They are great people and it was cool to see their ideas and performances.
On the topic of the script, the original ending was cut out in favor of the aforementioned swerve ending. The original ending would have included an exorcism as discussed in one of the scenes in the movie. The “demon” (Keiran’s character) would have broken out of his circle and killed all the other character’s present, breaking free. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your opinion of the movie) we did not have sufficient time to shoot this scene, as it would have taken place in the theater, which was frequently booked.
Speaking strictly on paperwork, our work has exclusively been recorded on Google Drive and Blogger, with the exception of storyboards. As aforementioned, due to the nature of our brief, we did not bother to sign consent forms, as we were all mutual in our participation as a cast and crew. As for safety evaluations, no such documents were made; however, precautions were taken as soon as we were on site/set. For example, we would always clear the men’s changing room and survey our boundaries before shooting. In addition, when it came to Barnes Park, we arrived on site and occupied the bridge as soon as, with little use of safety regulations, since we were off campus grounds.
Overall, as much as I think the actual end product was terrible, I had a bit of fun working alongside my classmates and drama students, and this experience I think will serve if I were ever to get on an actual production set with professionals.
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