Font Feedback

I created a survey to get feedback on what font I should use for the title of my short film and during the opening credits. I chose 11 fonts that I could possibly use and then I distributed the surveys amongst some of my classmates for them to tick and hand back to me. The font 'AGENCY FB' won out (Fourth from the top) and I then implemented it into my short film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

PRODUCTION LOG - Prop List

I worked through making a prop list today, a prop list comes in handy when reviewing your work and going back over everything you've done as it allows you to see what different items you used in order to get where you did with the short film.
I went through my video and took a screen shot each time a new prop came into it and then placed the screenshot into paint where I then drew a box around it so the viewer could see what I was referring to I then wrote a small segment about why I chose to implement this prop.

PRODUCTION LOG - Influences of my short film

This post may seem a little like the 'Evidence of Short Films I Admire' post but it differs in many ways. For this task I had to look into what I would need to emulate in my film and how I could possibly achieve that. I had to take note of what films would suit what I am trying to present and see how they present their own messages and engaged with their own audiences. For this I thought of films that I know that have a powerful message behind them and then I asked myself how do these films convey their messages.
This was all very useful as it got me asking questions about films and in turn it helped me to improve my own short film.

Props List

My props are basic household items that almost everyone has and everyone uses on a day to day basis. I chose these items for varying reasons. Some were purely coincidental and other has a deeper underlying meaning.

The mug and the kettle are two items that I selected specifically to use as they are common items that people can naturally relate to. The mug was chosen specifically because I wanted a very plain looking mug without it becoming boring. The moustache on the magazine has recently seen a lot of popularity after being adopted by the fashion movement known as "hipster". Having an identifiable item like this allows the audience to relate to my video far more as they will be able to identify with it.

The newspaper was used in order to juxtapose against the whole idea of the film, most people nowadays would get their news from the internet, the TV or their Smartphone so having this juxtaposition in the film gives a small nod towards the paper print industry.

The phone is used to demonstrate how much of a wasteful society we are; the protagonist has the TV on as background noise and is now on his phone. It is key to the film as it forces the audience to question the ways that they live and how much they have wasted.

The television head itself creates the idea that the protagonist is now consumed y the media and he is now unable to actually save himself. He has gone too far into the world of the media. This prop also makes the audience question their morals and ideals; it causes them to rethink their lives and the way in which they act and how they use their time.

 

Influences of My Short Film

I had a lot of different things that influenced me throughout the preproduction and production phases of my short film. These influences ranged from all sorts of media platforms. The most prominent of which was The Matrix. 

 

The Matrix (1999) came out when I was only three years old, of course I never saw it in the cinemas but when I finally got around to watching it, it became a film that stuck with me for years and years. Even to this very day I find myself looking back fondly on my times viewing the matrix. I can honestly say it is one of my favourite films I have ever seen. The reason why I took heavy influence from the matrix is that it is the tale of a hero that is unlike anyone else. Neo (the film's protagonist) remains completely and utterly isolated. Despite being surrounded by his teammates Neo is isolated in his mind as he surpasses the rest of humanity as he is the chosen one. I wanted to portray this isolation without forcing it too much; therefore I only cast one actor for my short film. 

Another film that I admire for its use of camera and sound is The Hurt Locker (2008). The hurt locker creates an intense atmosphere around the scenes used and I admire this and it has influenced my film as it is what builds the scenes and it sets the audience on edge. I really wanted to replicate this because I felt that if I was able to mimic this then my audience would be more drawn into the film and perhaps they would enjoy it more than they already would. To mimic the hurt locker in my short film I used a mixture of music with several breaks in the music to create an intensified tone that serves to complicate and to excite the audience.

 

Media Theory - Question 1A - Digital Technology

Throughout this year I have used all manner of digital technologies in order to achieve the standard of coursework I deem acceptable. This has been a particularly interesting task as I’ve had to get to grips with new technology that I had previously no experience with and that has been very difficult. Primarily I had to get used to new program packages such as the Adobe Master Suite which features many of the products that professionals would use in industry, for example; Adobe Photoshop CS6 and Adobe Premiere CS6. I had to harness my previous abilities with the older versions of Photoshop in order to get to an ability level where I can easily create a professional looking poster and article. One tool I found very helpful on Photoshop was the magic wand tool because it removes the backgrounds of you photos allowing you to replace it with a new background or to manipulate images. I also used adobe premiere to make my video the best quality it could possibly be, during the re-arrangement of my clips I found that the razor tool came in very handy because it lets you split clips into two with the press of a mouse button. I also used the camera to film my video, it was the first time I have every used a DSLR and I found it very tricky to get to grips with certain elements because it is very tricky. I used the ISO clicker to find the correct ISO for my video in order to make sure that the lighting looked correct.

Media Theory - Question 1A - Creativity

My short film is very creative as it harnesses different ideas and genres in order to present a hidden message to my audience about their media consumption. The idea of the television head prop came to me when browsing the internet, I then adapted it and created it so it was suitable to be worn by my actor with comfort. Creativity was of the up most importance when I was filming as I needed to make sure that the message was brought across accurately and with a good enough focuses to not blur the entire film. I used creativity in my shot variation as well considering I used many close ups and I then started to play around with the focus of my clips. Creativity was especially relevant when I was creating my poster and my article; I had to think up questions that my actor and I could answer in order to make sure the magazine was still interesting.