COSTUME

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE - WEEK 1

This is our production schedule that we have decided to create to ensure that we stay organised throughout this project. It is showing us a breakdown of what we will need to complete at what date to stay on top of things. Today we began planning our idea and starting our rough sketches of the storyboard.



STORYBOARD

Made with Storyboard That
Made with Storyboard That
Made with Storyboard That
Made with Storyboard That

ROUGH SKETCHES OF STORYBOARD

Here is a rough sketch of our storyboard where we quickly put our ideas down on paper to help us understand the plot.

NARRATIVE THEORY

Todorov's Theory of Narrative
Suggested that conventional narratives are structured in 5 stages:

1. A state of equilibrium at the outset
2. A disruption of the equilibrium by some action
3. A recognition that disruption has occurred
4. An attempt to repair the disruption
5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium

Equilibrium - state of well being and normality between the protagonists
Disequilibrium - well being is disrupted by an outside force and has to fought to return back to the normal state of new equilibrium
New Equilibrium - the outer force is deferred and a new state of well being has been acquired

Barthes' Theory of Narrative
Barthes' said that: a text had no beginning, that it is reversible, we can gain access to it by many entrances, it can be indeterminable. Barthes then narrowed down this to Five Codes which can be present in any narrative:

• The Action Code - resolution is produced through action e.g. battle
• The Enigma Code - where tension is built up and audience left questioning
• The Symbolie Code - new meaning comes from conflicts/opposing ideas
• The Cultural Code - looks at the audience's wider cultural knowledge/mortality/ideology
• The Semantie Code - story has an additional meaning/underlying connotation

Straus's Theory of Narrative
Straus suggested the theory of 'binary opposites', where two qualities or subjects are direct opposites of each other. Essentially one thing can only be defined where its opposite is also present. This theory helps reveal the underlying themes and symbolism in many media texts:

• Good vs. Evil
• Hero vs. Villain
• Weak vs. Strength
• Domestic vs. Savage
• Inside society vs. Outside society

Propp's Theory of Narrative
Suggested that characters took the role of narrative "spheres of action" or a function. Stating 7 main character types:

• The Hero (seeks something)
• The Villain (opposes the hero)
• The Donor (provides an object to the hero)
• The Helper (aids hero in his quest)
• The Princess (reward for hero and requires protection from the villain)
• The Dispatcher (sends the hero on a task)
• The False Hero (appears to be good but reveals he is bad)

I think that Barthes' Narrative Theory works with my short film more than the other Theory's. This is because it does not describe the way in which a plot plays out, rather it list certain features which tend to crop up in films. Our film will include many enigma codes as the build up is why the boy is all alone. The film doesn't really lead to a resolution as the end does not resolve anything, it just clears up what is going on. We will include Semantie throughout as there will be hints as to why he is alone in the film. The film will show British culture through settings which are recognised to be British, such as the side of a main road a park and a lake.

HISTORY OF THE DRAMA GENRE

Early years (1940's)-
In the early years of film there were mostly pantomime styled melodrama in silent films.


1950's-
There was a rise on well-known dramatic actors such as Montgomery Clift, Glenn Ford, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe were notable dramatric actors. Dramatic Films focused on character relationships and development.

1960's-
The 1960s brought politically driven dramas focusing on war.

1970's-
Modern dramatic directors made some of their first films.

1980's-
Dramatic film put emphasis on highly emotional themes.

1990's-
Crime dramas.


20th Century-
20th century to modern day the drama genre has expanded dramatically with an increase in demand of drama films.

GENRE RESEARCH

For our short film we have used Drama as the genre as we thought it was most appropriate for what we wanted to create. To further my knowledge and help create a good example of a dramatic short film I looked into some of the codes and conventions of the genre.

Drama films are serious presentations or stories with settings or life situations that portray realistic characters in conflict with either themselves, others, or forces of nature. It usually shows us human beings at their best, worst and everything in-between.
This genre can be paired with other genres such as comedy, tragedy, action etc. It is based on real life situations and based on real people.

Sub-Genres of Drama:
Crime Drama- generally follows a character involved in criminal activity or law enforcement and the justice/legal system.
Historical Drama- films that focus on dramatic events in history.
Comedy Drama- uses an equal balance of humour and serious content.
Melodrama- uses plots that appeal to the heightened emotions of the audience. These films often put the character in danger to appeal to the emotions of the audience.
Romantic Dram- dwells on the element of romantic love.

Our short film doesn't really fit into any of the sub-genres due to this we will ensure that we use conventions from the broader genre of Drama to make it obvious to the audience what film they're watching.

Common Conventions of Drama:

• Exhibits real life situations with realistic characters, settings and stories
• Portrays journeys of character development
• Intense social interaction
• Purpose of a dramatic story line is to move the audience emotionally
• Heart of drama is the conflict
• Conflicts include inner/outer realistic struggles (struggle, difficulty, pain)
• Audience can relate to the characters
• Structured with climaxes and anti climaxes to keep the audience emotionally attached and the tension on-going
• A form of realisation at the end

SHORT FILM QUESTIONNAIRE: EVALUATION

My results showed me that most people are familiar with the short film industry they are not as commercial as feature films and so that whys not everyone is aware of them. The results also showed me that everyone had different opinions on what the purpose of a short film was. There isn't a specific purpose for short films as they tend to deal with issues and moral dilemmas more than on a story and characters. The questionnaire also showed that most people said drama was their favourite genre for short films. This was good as our genre for our short film is drama. As well as this the majority of people also said short films should end with a twist which we are going to attempt to do. My results may not be as valid as they could be as I haven't got a varied test group, they are all around the same age. To get a better result in future questionnaires I will try to give them to people with different ages, genders etc.

TARGET AUDIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE: RESULTS

TARGET AUDIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE

SCREENPLAY

INT. Characters house- morning

Blank screen

Underwater noise can be heard and deep breath, characters eyes open

Fade in:

 

Gets out of bed and walks to the window and looks out

HARVEY (V.O):

Another day, I guess I’m used to being alone now.

 

Walks away from the window and looks down on the floor he then picks up the dirty clothes

HARVEY (V.O):

It has been a while after all. Where is everyone? Why am I here?

 

Goes downstairs to the kitchen, goes to the cupboard and gets out sweets, crisps, chocolate etc. and makes ‘breakfast’

HARVEY (V.O):

Obviously I miss my family.

EXT. Walks out the house and closes the door and walks down the road, waves at next door neighbour she walks straight passed him as if he wasn’t there

HARVEY (V.O):

You get bored being alone. I’m trying to find things to do to occupy myself

EXT. Walks over to his car and just stares at it for a while

HARVEY (V.O):

I remember the first time I started driving. Passing my test was the best day

Open car door and water comes out, he is still just standing there

HARVEY (V.O):

 

The car is always filled with water now. I don’t understand why

EXT. Sitting on the swings in the park

HARVEY (V.O):

Sometimes I walk for days. Try out new things to pass the time.

Finds a football on the floor and kicks it

INT. Walks back into the house

Starts playing with a pack of cards plays with a pack of cards

HARVEY (V.O):

How did I get here? How did it happen?

Picks up a toy car and starts playing with it, he then drops it in a glass of water

Blank screen, he then wakes up confused

HARVEY (V.O):

Weird stuff keeps happening. Flowers by my bed, I don’t know how that happened. My clothes folded up in a pile. Had to get some air

EXT. Walks out of the house again and walks to the park

HARVEY (V.O):

Thought I’d go to the park

Sits back on the swing and looks around

HARVEY (V.O):

Everyone’s gone

INT. Walks back home and walks into his house. Walks into the kitchen

HARVEY (V.O):

This is the 56^th day I’ve been alone now

Newspaper article flashes up.

Fades to black