Release Forms (templates)

Here are the release forms I will get the actors I'm using in my film to sign, I also have a seperate one for the childrens parents to sign, as they will be under the age of sixteen.

MINOR APPEARANCE RELEASE

Working Title: ___________________________________________ (the “Film”)

Person Appearing: ________________________________________________

Parent or Guardian: _______________________________________________

Production Date(s): _______________________________________________

Production Location(s): ____________________________________________

As parent or guardian of ______________________________________ , I authorize

_______________________________________________ Producer,

successors, assigns, and designees to record his/her name, likeness, image, voice, sound e

interview and performance on film, tape, or otherwise (the "Recording"), edit such Recording

as Producer may desire, and incorporate such Recording into the Film, any versions of the Film

and all related materials thereof, including but not limited to promotion and advertising

materials. It is understood and agreed that Producer shall retain final editorial, artist, and

technical control of the Film and the content of the Film. Producer may use, and authorize

others to use, the Film, any portions thereof and the Recording in all markets, manner, formats

and media, whether now known or hereafter developed, throughout the world, in perpetuity.

Producer, and Producer’s successors and assigns, shall own all right, title and interest, including

the copyright, in and to the Film, including the Recording and related materials, to be used

and disposed of, without limitation, as Producer shall in Producer’s sole discretion determine.

I represent, as parent or guardian of ___________________________________, we shall

both be bound by the terms of this Appearance Release.

Signature of Minor: ______________________________________________________

Signature of Parent or Guardian: ____________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________

City: __________________________________Postcode:__________

Telephone: _____________________

E-Mail: ____________________________________________

Date: __________________________

APPEARANCE RELEASE

Film (Working Title): __________________________________ (the “Film”)

Person Appearing: ________________________________________________

Production Date(s): _______________________________________________

Production Location(s): ____________________________________________

I authorize____________________________________________ (“Producer”), successors, assigns, and designees to record my name, likeness, image, voice, sound

e

Recording as Producer may desire, and incorporate such Recording into the Film, any versions

of the Film and all related materials thereof, including but not limited to promotion and

advertising materials. It is understood and agreed that Producer shall retain final editorial,

artistic, and technical control of the Film and the content of the Film. Producer may use, and

authorize others to use, the Film, any portions thereof and the Recording in all markets,

manner, formats and media, whether now known or hereafter developed, throughout the

world, in perpetuity. Producer, and Producer’s successors and assigns, shall own all right, title

and interest, including the copyright, in and to the Film, including the Recording and related

materials, to be used and disposed of, without limitation, as Producer shall in Producer’s sole

discretion determine.

Signature: ________________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________

City: ____________________________ Potcode:__________

Telephone: _________________________________

E-Mail: _____________________________________

Date: ______________________ffects, interview and performance on film, tape, or otherwise (the "Recording"), edit suchffects,

Plan: Deadlines

30th November: Finish StoryBoard
5th December: Contact the drama group, and find male actor to play my lead role.
8th December: Find three children that fit my Character Profiles.
10th December: Props and locations are sorted.
12th December: Assure scripts, props, locations and actors etc. are all in place and ready to go.
15th December: Begin filming scenes

COMPLETE ALL BY 15TH JANUARY 2012.

Ideal Characters:

Below are some character profiles, describing their characteristics and what I would like them to appear as, although in my short film the audience won't actually see any of the characters, only certain features, this is to help build up suspence and leave the audience guessing...

Barry: Barry is a middle aged man, in his 50's, who however looks a lot older than what he is, due to his ill health and bad hygiene. He is slightly overweight, and has got greyish hair, and pasty skin. Barry is married with no children, but is now a widower, due to his wife dying of mysterious causes. He loves going fishing, cooking and has an obsession with the afterlife and cannibalism. Barry now lives alone in a 3 bedroom house, with his pet cat, Theo. He does not work full time, however he does some mechanic jobs in his garden for his friends, however he isn't fully licenced to do so, meaning he does not have much respect for the law. Barry is not a people’s person, and keeps himself to himself, and has no other family, except from his mother, who is in a care home, at the age of 98. He has no contact with her anymore.

Casper: Casper is a school boy, aged 14. He is the oldest of all three of the children, and is best friends with Jessica, and Benny. Benny is his cousin and Jessica is his next door neighbour, and they all go to school together. Casper loves playing football, and lives with his mother and father and younger brother Sid, who is eight years old. Casper is quite mature for his age, and is trusted by many people.

Benny: Benny goes to school with Casper and is his cousin. Benny is 13 years old, and loves mountain biking. He lives with his mother, and is the only child, and looks up to Casper as a role model. Benny can be quite naughty sometimes, but is also a very caring boy. He has dark, curly brown hair, and dark eyes.

Jessica: Jess is the same age as Benny, and lives with both her parents, and has an older sister and younger brother. Jessica loves playing with her friends and singing, and is part of the school choir. It was Jessica's idea to go Christmas Carolling as the school encouraged them to get into the Christmas spirit, so with the parents’ permission to stay on their street, she persuaded both Benny and Casper to join her. Jessica is a very innocent and sweet girl.

Video explaining our ideas...

Audience Research

This is my Audience Research, which i carried out using a video camera, and asking a selective few people certain questions, based around short films, and my selected genre. I believe the research went quite successfully, as we got some good, helpful answers and gathered key information which could improve our production work.

Questions we asked included:

-Do you know what a Short Film is?

-If you were to watch a short film, what is more likely to engage your attention?

-What genre would you most likely choose to watch?

-When watching a short film would you like to be force-fed the information, or be kept guessing?

-Are shots and angles in a film important in building up tension?

-Range of ages important in a short film?

-Do you enjoy films with twists involved, and why?

-Do you like films with definite endings, or ones which make you ask questions?

-Are you a fan of crossing mediums with visual, e.g. like animations with live action?

We had a range of responses, which again was interesting to see, and how different things are important within a film to different people.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YoLufe13l0

Story Board

The Script for my Short Film...

Monday, 14 November 2011

The Script for my Short Film...

“SILENT NIGHT”
By
Nicole Rance
Fade in:
EXT. House on a small street. Night -

(Benny, Casper AND Jessica are looking up at a middle aged, working class women, Jackie)


                         Benny -

                         Thanks


(Benny, Casper and Jessica are walking away cheerfully from the house. They are looking at the coins they just received from Jackie, with a happy expression on their faces)


EXT.  – Dimly Lit Street. Night


                         Casper –

She was nice (they all laugh). So what have you asked for, for     Christmas?

INT. KITCHEN. Night -
(Old, Dirty kitchen, sweeping shot shows the kitchen being dimly lit with old wax candles, there is meat boards, knives and cooking tools on the work surfaces. There is blood on the walls and also on the work tops, with slabs of meat on the side and in a boiling pot. There are a few old, faded photographs on the side with a picture of an old lady, which the old man, Barry looks at a number of times and smiles sweetly. He grunts and sniffs the meat, and begins stirring the boiling pot of meat.)



EXT. Dark Street. Night –
(Benny, Casper and Jessica are still walking along the dark street. Jessica bends down to tie her shoe lace up as Benny and Casper remain walking ahead. Jessica feels a sudden breeze upon her face and turns round. A howling noise can be heard. Jessica quickly finishes tying her lace and runs to catch up with Benny and Casper.)



INT. Kitchen. Night –
(Barry’s face begins to sweat, as it trickles down his forehead. He licks his lips and his eye’s gleam with excitement. The candles are gradually melting and the wax spills onto the sides.

     
                        Barry –

                      That’s better.

(He sniffs the boiling meat in the pan, and looks up at his cat and smiles. The cat is perched on the work top. Barry then grabs a rolling pin and starts whacking the slab of meat with it, bits of blood and flesh fly everywhere. The radio suddenly tunes in and the Christmas song, ‘Silent Night’ begins to play. He starts to sing and whistle along with the radio as he remains playing with the meat and adding herbs and spices to it.)


EXT. Dark Street. Night –
(Benny, Casper and Jessica are now walking along a gravel drive towards an old, dark house.)


INT. Kitchen. Night –
Doorbell rings. Barry slowly raises his head; with a smirk expression on his face.

                        Barry

                    – More Visitors?


(Barry rushes to the dirty sink and washes the blood off his hands; he then takes his apron off over his head and rushes over to a cupboard which he then pulls open. Children’s toys and belongings such as a wrist watch and a toy car are shown within the cupboard. Barry glances at the objects and quickly flings his apron into the cupboard and rushes towards the kitchen door whilst wiping sweat off his face and trying to straighten out his clothes and hair.  


                       

                        Barry –

                        Coming!


EXT. Outside Barry’s House. Night -
(Casper, Jessica and Benny all look up at an old wooden door, which has cobwebs in the corner and a couple of candles in the small windows either side. Casper looks at Benny and Jessica with a slight hesitation.)


INT. Kitchen. Night -
(Barry walks out of the kitchen door, slowly pulling it shut as he leaves.)


EXT. Outside Barry’s House. Night –
(The front door opens. Casper, Benny and Jessica look up at Barry, who is smiling back at them.)


                Benny, Casper & Jessica – (SINGING)

         Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way….

(Barry is looking down at the three children, Benny, Casper and Jessica and see’s their three faces singing joyfully.)


EXT. Outside Barry’s house. Night –
(The camera moves further away from the house and rises above them , where we can still see Barry and hear the children singing ‘Jingle Bells’ faintly in the background. Barry feels his front, then back pockets for change with a dazzled and disappointed look on his face then opens out his arm, and ushers them into his house, Benny, Casper and Jessica each look at each other, an give an approving nod. One by one they all enter the house, with Barry holding the door open for them. As they all disappear inside, Barry stretches out his arm for the door, with a very happy expression on his face. He slams the door shut)

The shot fades out. The tune of ‘Silent Night’ is being whistled slowly by Barry.

END.

Use of Sound

Using sound in any film is more technical and important as people actually think. With both diegetic and non diegetic sounds, it plays such a huge role in building up suspense or creating a specific mood and ambience, and it can give the audience something that can't necessarily be done just by showing something on screen.

Non diegetic Sounds are practically always used in most genres, with many using an opening soundtrack to introduce you to characters/scenery etc. Again this music is usually chosen very carefully as it wants to make the audience feel a certain emotion as you watch the selected scenes, e.g. uplifting, happy music containing lyrics = relaxed, comfortable and excited OR slow, sudden music without lyrics = trouble, tense and on edge.

In my Short Film, 'Silent Night' I am not 100% certain that I will definitely use non diegetic sound, however i am considering using a quiet instrumental song within in the background just to build up tension, and give the audience the feeling that something bad may be approaching. I am however going to be using Diegetic Sound throughout my short film. Although I am not using much speech, there will be a lot of action which will create a range of sounds, and there will be a radio used within the main scene. All these types of sounds make my short film more realistic and engages the audiences attention without distraction.

Examples of Non Diegetic Sound, within the Horror genre:

'Jaws' is one of the most iconic soundtracks of all time, with the simple two notes (mirroring the shark's heartbeat) that increasingly intensified the horror and suspense leading up to their deaths.





'Physco' is such a famous, well-known horror film, produced by Hitchcock and Herrmann, the piece of music used in the 'shower scene' is extremely iconic, and is almost always recognisable to many. The music being very high pitch and hypnotic almost, resembles the trauma and horror that is being experienced, not to mention definitely makes the heart beat faster!


Example of Diegetic Sound:



'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' presents the perfect horror scene, by using the chainsaw as the main, lethal murder weapon. As soon as you hear the chainsaw being fired up, the audience become tense and terrified as to who is going to be murdered next!

'The Grudge' originally a Japanese Horror Film, but was remade in America, uses an extremely distinctive Diegetic sound. The noise which the Grudge makes is very distinctive, and you immediately are aware that the Grudge is within the scene. This again causes huge tension and nerves among the audience, as you link the sounds to a murder.

Use of Narration

The main purpose of narration is to tell a story through a series of events. This is a very important and
significant aspect of any story or film, as it's the main thing that draws the audience into it. It can be used in many different formats, but the typical 'voice-over' is the most common of these, and is usually used as a non-diegetic sound, however it has been known in some cases for films to play around with this, and use different methods of narration, such as using the actors in a freeze frame shot to tell the story.

Narration has become very popular over-time, and has been used in a range of Medias, including music videos- the famous Michael Jackson video, 'Thriller' and also TV Series- Desperate Housewives.
Vincent Price an actor known for his work on horror films does the narration, including the evil laugh at the end of the video, which made the video even more unique and interesting, as this was a rather new thing to do in music videos in 1980's.

In my own short film, I am not planning on including any narrative, as I believe my idea is pretty straight forward, and easy to follow, so if I did include narrative I think it would over complicate things too much, and distract the viewers. However I do think that narrative suits my chosen genre very well, (horror) as it gives it an eerie presence and can emphasise the horror involved.

Different styles of Magazine Reviews...

Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by 'Bauer Consumer Media.' It is the biggest selling film magazine in Britain, and consistently out-sells most of it's major rivals, with features including film reviews, best sellers, news, blogs, videos etc...

Total Film is another British film magazine published thirteen times a year by 'Future Publishing.' This also includes a number of film-reviews, features and news.

I'm comparing both magazine reviews on the new sci-fi, action film, 'In Time' featuring stars such as Justin Timberlake, Cillian Murphey and Olivia Wilde, and is directed by Andrew Niccol. The first review I looked at was in Empire Magazine(http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=137316) which initially I found to be quite short but sweet, and got straight to the point. It included a short summary of the plot, then went on to the review, and finally to the verdict. This makes it simple and easy to understand and follow, which is suitable for people who don't want to read loads, and also leaves room for them to come up with their own opinions. The review side of the article was also short, but quite blunt and made it clear as to what the writer thought about the film, "handles the action well and has a credible lead in Timberlake" and again didn't give to much away.  Then finally it features a very short verdict, consisting of three lines, "Interesting ideas and howling anger at the 1 percent drive the first half, but the Bonnie and Clyde styling's of the second feel a little rushed and strangely out of sync." This rounds off the review with a brief summary of what they believe the film has achieved. The article also shows a star rating, film details, such as Director, and Certificate and also shows pictures which draws in your attention, and gives you even more of a feel as to what the film is about, where in this case is an action short.

The second review which features in Total Film (http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/in-time) is more detailed and plays out the plot a bit more. Again it features a review, a verdict and a star rating like Empire's review, but the writing style is a lot different, and I believe it's easier to understand. The review plays out the pros and cons, and the performance of the actors, which gives people an understanding of the film as a whole, "the performances are just as insubstantial. Timberlake doesn’t embarrass himself, but he’s not exactly a rugged, wrong-side-of-the-tracks action hero, while Seyfried and co drift between underwritten and insipid". It also features a number if rhetorical questions, which leaves readers questioning it themselves, and wanting to see the film so they can also understand what the writer is saying. The verdict is very short but sums his opinion up well, and the action shot picture again gives readers an insight into what will show on their screens.

I think the ultimate difference between each review, is that Empire is a lot shorter, and snappier and aims more at someone who wants to read a quick, short review and gets an understanding of their opinion in the first couple of lines, whereas Total Film review is more detailed and let's you think about what the film is about and how it plays out.

Who reads Reviews?

Film Reviews are their to be read by anyone who wants too see someone's critical opinion about a certain film, whether it's a drama, horror or action. There are many types of people who read reviews, most commonly those who are known as 'film-buffs', these are people that have a profound interest in films and all the aspects that go into creating them. This type of audience are usually the first to see a new film released, so therefore want an insight into what film critics think about it, before they can go and judge it themselves. These type of people are usually of a higher class status, and will maybe read a specific newspaper or magazine, which again can determine on who is reading reviews, as some magazines are specifically designed for a certain catergory, such as music magazines, or film magazines.

Does a bad review ruin the film chances?

A film review is done to provide the public with an analysis and evaluation of a particular motion picture. In general they can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass media outlets. Film reviews can also appear online, for example 'Rotten Tomatoes' and 'Metacritic' which are both popular film review websites. 

Filmgoers use reviews to help them determine whether to view a particular film. It has been claimed that positive reviews have been known to spark some interest in films, however negative criticism can also do the opposite and push people away from seeing a particular film. I believe that certain types of people listen to reviews, whereas others, mainly in my age group would decide to see a film depending on the advertising. I think the main type of people who really take in a review are the true film buffs, however this usually wouldn't change their attitude on seeing a film, as they like to make there own critical opinion on it. I think the majority of people go to see a film based on 'word of mouth' from their friends. This could also be seen as a review, through the case of somebody giving a film a positive or negative feedback to their peers, which again could determine whether people would view a film or not, I also believe this has more of an impact than maybe a review you read in a magazine, as a magazine is more general, and less personal, whereas if it is a review coming from your friend, it's more likely to be personal.  I personally don't usually read reviews of films before i see them, however if I do read a review, it never really puts me off seeing the film, as if it's a film I really want to see, then i will see it no matter what. The only time a review effects my opinions on a film, is if the review is really good, in which case just makes me more eager to see that film. So i believe the majority of people will watch a film whether it has a bad or good review, simply because they want to see it, and judge it themselves.

How are Short films consumed?

Short Films have a very diverse market

Short Films have a rather diverse market, even though they can be very versatile, they don't have the same 'must-see' factor that feature films have. Film networks such as the BBC, and short film festivals all feature theses short film, and support and develop the talent of those who produce them, and give them some recognition. Having these networks and festivals support the short film industry, it produces new talent, meaning for those who do enjoy watching a short film, they're still getting a range, even if it is relatively smaller than the bigger film markets.

Shorts are occasionally broadcasted as a filler, when the film is to long for it's time slot, again giving them recognition. However Short films are slowly but rapidly growing in popularity, as many see it as a chance to break out into the film making industry, as it's a huge amount cheaper to produce a short, with a lot less equipment needed. They are also very easy to access, with many on You tube, which is a great way to get your film noticed, with over 100 million viewers every day. However much publicity is given to short films they will never be a world wide phenomenon, which is exactly why they can push the boundaries, and experiment a lot more.

Below is a short film created by Zax Short, called 'Bad Eggs'

My Idea's so far...

I have had some thoughts about what I want to do for my final project, for creating a short film, which have been inspired by more dramatic, and serious short films that I viewed on the BBC Film Network.

Firstly I came up with an idea for a short horror. It starts with an old-ish man, with a lot of hair, pale skin, cuts on his body, and rather plump. He is wearing old styled clothing, with grey trousers, and a tight white shirt tucked into his trousers. He has an apron over his clothes, with two front pockets, with cutting utensils in them. His apron is really dirty, splattered with what looks like blood. You see him walking around in his small-ish, dimly light kitchen, with a few candles planted around the room with jars of meat on the shelves. He slaps down a big slab of meat onto the work surface, he starts hitting it with a rolling pin. Then you see a close up of him grinding the meat through a mincer. Then adding salt and chopping more meat. A radio is playing faintly in the background, and he starts singing along to the Christmas carol 'Silent Night' and looks at his cat which is perched on the window seal. He carries on with his meat cutting, and begins to sniff it, we then see more close ups of his mouth, licking his lips, then his eyes, gleaming, his forehead sweating as he wipes it with the back of his hand. Then the doorbell rings. He looks up at the door, and smirks, and shouts out merrily, 'Just a minute'. He quickly pulls his apron up over his head, and opens a drawer, where we get a glimpse of children’s shoes, a watch, a football and other belonging of children, and he throws his apron into the drawer. He wipes his face with a napkin, and heads towards the front door, pulling the kitchen door slightly closed behind him. As he opens the front door, there is a group of 3 small children, who begin to sing the Christmas carol, 'Silent Night'. From a distance we see the old man smile, and he opens his door wide, and opens out his arms in a welcoming gesture, and ushers them inside his house as he tells them he has some change on the kitchen table, as they walk in, he takes a quick look out the door, to check there's nobody with them, and slams the door shut behind him.

My second idea is more of a serious topic focusing around neglect and abuse. My initial inspiration for this idea came from the short film, 'The Sofa' written by Marcus Shepherd, however this is based more on a comedy, but is still focused around children accidently breaking things, and dreading their parents finding out.

It's about a young boy who is crying in his room, sitting against his bedroom door, covering his ears with his hands. We then see a flashback shot, of the young boy (roughly aged around 8) dropping a glass on the kitchen floor in slow motion, hence the reason why he's crying. It then goes back to the present, and we see the boy on his bedroom floor suddenly look up to the lens on the camera, as we hear someone coming from outside. The boy knows he's in big trouble for breaking the glass. A close up shot of feet walking towards the front door of the house then appears. The shots then continuously cut between the boy, clearly getting more distressed and the feet getting closer. We then see a hand shot of a person putting a key into the door, but then the person drops them. They pick the keys up again, and enter through the door. The door swings open from the inside, and we see the feet step into the house. We see another side angle of the boy sitting against the door, trying to keep it shut. Still focusing on the boy, we hear the person standing on the broken glass, and yelling violently. The camera then fades on the boy's face, as a tear strolls down his eyes.

This idea is of a more serious topic, which if I do decide to carry out in creating, would have to be done carefully and properly to ensure that it isn't offensive towards anybody, and that it's to make more people aware of child neglect and abuse.

Exercise Tasks

Documentary:
Our first task was to be split into groups, and we were given a certain style in which we needed to create a short film with, which for us was 'documentary' which I was happy with, as I have always wanted to look into the style of documentary, as it's something I'm quite keen and interested in. In our groups we then had a limited amount of time to begin filming in this style, and we were not allowed to edit either. So we decided to do a documentary about life at a High School, from both the teachers and students point of views. This worked well, as we had quite a lot of comedy involved within the film. This task has definitely made me consider doing my short film in this style, as I really enjoyed creating it.

The Smiths:
We were given a task to choose a song title from the band, 'The Smiths', which we had to then create a short film based around that title. Our title was ' There is a light that never goes out' which we choose as we thought we could come up with quite a number of ideas based around it. We decided to go down the horror route, in which we had a setting of an underground dungeon, where someone was being held against their will their. The story was about a student at a school was missing from her class, however her best friend saw her earlier on that day, as she goes to investigate where she could be, another male student 'tries' to help her, however his intentions of helping her weren't necessarily true. As he takes her down some stairs, which he states he was sure he saw the missing girl go down, he pushes her into the underground dungeon, where the other girl is laying. As he slams the door shut behind him, and everyone goes home, the light in the dungeon never goes out. This emphasises that everybody else will carry on with their normal day, unaware of these girls being locked away.

Telephone:
In class we were grouped up and give an object, which in our case was a telephone. We were then told we had to create a short film, based around and including the object given (telephone) without using any editing programme after, meaning everything had to be in order. After brainstorming a few ideas, we decided to base our short film around mysterious phone calls. The story involved a young female initially at her work place, receiving strange call on her phone, which she believe could just be prank calls or somebody messing around. However when she leaves her work place, she again gets a call on her mobile phone, when she begins to talk to this caller. However she is unaware that the mysterious caller is watching her every move and begins to scare the female character. She hangs up on the phone call, and starts to walk home, where suddenly someone come's up behind her and pulls her to the ground. The scene ends with the female lying dead on the ground, with the telephone cord wrapped around her neck.

Short Films that have inspired me...

About Girl: (First film from UK version of Cinema16 DVD.)
When I first watched this short film it left a huge impact on me, and for shock value it definitely succeeded! It's a 9 minute short film directed by Brian Percival, and in 2001 won a Bafta Award for Best Short Film, along with many others. The film opens with a silhouette, against a sky-line of clouds on a field of a girl singing and dancing to the Britney Spears song, 'Stronger'. It then abruptly cuts to a close-up of the girl talking with a strong Manchester accent to the camera. She is walking along a canal with a backdrop of Manchester's Industrial landscape, talking non-stop about stardom, and mixing statements with random quotes from her parents, and talking about her life. We learn about her relationship with her dad, frustration with her mum and her desires to be a famous singer, in the band that she created with her friends, which is pretty typical for a 13 year old girl to talk about.

Her monologue is interrupted quite often with a range of shots of her with her family and dad, on a bench singing, watching her dad play football and on the back of the bus singing Britney songs with her friends. As the girl remains walking along the canal, the girl's stories become more underlain by an uncomfortable feeling that her experiences don't match her flippant retelling of her everyday life, and we get gradual hints that about her family troubles, poverty and domestic violence. It eventually leads to her light hearted story telling, turning into a shocking scene that reveals her throwing a plastic bag into the canal, stating that she has become "good at hiding things." The shocking reality of this film really hits the audience hard at how these experiences are so brutal and realistic. The Director has managed to create a Short Film which has moved thousands of people, even 10 years after releasing it. You can tell there's been a lot of detail put in, with coming up with the best back-drops, choosing the costumes, her strong accent and the connection with the lyrics she's singing from the Britney Spears song, 'Stronger' and even though we get an understanding of her broken home and sad life, you could never prepare yourself for the ending.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p00fwg9h (Click to play 'Playground')

Playground: This is a thriller which is 9 minutes long, based on a man who picks up a hitchhiker, wh happens to be a young girl. As the awkrawdness builds in the car we find out more about the man's past and what his intenetion really are. Directed by Mark Kuczewski, he manages to create a chilling story, which leaves you on the edge of your seat, guessing what's going to happen, and just when you think it's all over, a huge twist occurs, giving it a shock factor and a sense of comedy. The editing of the short film was also done really well, as they managed to create the right setting and mood which fitted the genre. The lighting and the angles, especially when it cuts back to the main character talking about his past childhood, really give a sense of horror and lack of ease, as the shadow casts over his body, and the angle of his face makes him look very dominant. I truly believe that Mark Kuczewski has managed to create a sucesfull and chilling horror, which grabs your attetion and draws you into the film.

The Black Hole: (Directed by Philip Sansom and Olly Williams)

Black Hole is also a very successful short film which won First Prize Winner in the Virgin Media Short Film competition in 2008. It's about a sleep deprived office worker and then greed gets the better of him. This short film immediately draws your attention in as we see a close up of the characters face looking very gaunt, and sleepy. The camera shots are very fast paced and the lighting is rather dim and bland, which is typical for an office. When we get the first shot of the 'Black Hole' it's very bold and takes up the whole screen, making it obvious to us that it will be a main focus. The angles of the film change rapidly, from above to down below in the bin, again making us focus on the worker. The film is kept very sharp and quick, making it engaging and not become boring. The humorous ending is a really good finish for the short film, as it's unexpected and also displays a message of greed. I think the fast-paced shots and range of angles used makes this short film very worth-while watching, and with the great storyline, makes it very unique and one to remember.

Difficulties in creating a Short Film...

Creating a Short Film can be challenging when trying to fit your whole storyline into a couple of minutes. Short Films use the same structure and story telling techniques as longer films, the difference is that turning points (the direction of the film takes a sudden turn) and elements such as rising and falling action are quicker. You also have to be certain your idea is worth doing, as you only have a certain amount of limited time to draw people into it, so it needs to be spot on, and worth sharing with other people.

Dialogue is also a major factor in short films, as this can take up a considerable amount of time, so being selective with shots and speech parts is important if you don't want your film to drag on. I will need to take all this in to consideration when creating my short film and try to make it as exciting and engaging as possible.

What is a Short Film?

A short film is a film that isn't long eough to be considered a feautre film. The Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits." Longer films were rare before the 1920's, so length based catergories had little meaning, however now this has changed, although we do still get shorts within mainstream comerical distribution. 'Pixar' for eample has screened shorts alongside its feautre films, so has Disney, in 2007 they produced the 'Goofy' short 'How to Hook up Your Home Theater.'
Short Films are a typial first stage for new film-makers, as they are cheaper to create and can make a big impact if done correctly.

Successful Poster Campaigns

Film poster campaigns exist not only to promote the film but also promote the genre the themes and the characters involved. Harry potters film campaign had a variety of film posters with different characters in each poster; this is a good way to attract a wide range of audiences as different characters have different fan bases, meaning some characters may influence more people to watch a film than others.

Twilight is another film campaign, which has been very successful. It’s obvious that the two characters on the poster are glorified, and gives us an immediate sense of what's going on in the film, as we see a boy who is a vampire, and an innocent looking young girl. There's also a slogan on the top left hand corner, and more details towards the bottom of the poster, showing the release date in bold writing.

Common conventions of the Film Poster

Film Posters are a vital aspect for the promotion of any film during its marketing process. They attract audiences because they are a major form of visual communication. The main forms and conventions of a film poster include:
- A bold, large title to show the name of the film, and to attract the attention of viewers, so they are aware of the name of the film.
- A central image of either characters, or an object which symbolises the film.
-Contrasting colours, so the poster stands out and again attracts people's eyes.
-The names of the main character, to show the audience who is acting in their film, and to express how popular their film is/could be, due to the famous actors and actresses who are in it, this could also draw more fans in, if they really like that particular actor.

The way a poster is constructed and utilized is really important in ensuring that you drawing the right attention to your film. For example, if you’re promoting a horror film, you wouldn’t want the font to be bubbly, and welcoming, with bright pastel colours, otherwise your film is rather likely to be perceived incorrectly.
When I design my own poster for my short film, I will ensure that all the conventions fit in with my genre, and I will carefully consider what colours and types of font to use.

What influences do Film Posters have?

They're striking works of advertising art, but do they actually serve a purpose? Film Posters used to be everywhere, on bus stops, walls, doors etc. However recently they have been decreasing, with the amount of people now who look online, the need for them aren’t as relevant any more. Although some would disagree, posters can really influence people's decision to look further into a seeing a film, or deciding whether or not it's for you. It's also a way of giving the public an insight into the film, without giving too much away, which the web and adverts have been previously criticized for. Also not all people watch a huge amount of T.V so a poster could be their first realisation of a new film. Other's however could claim that movie posters show a film in a cheap light, which on the other side could put people off seeing a film. I personally like seeing film posters, as it excites me and makes me more aware of the new films coming out.

Fim Posters in Popular Culture

There are a number of images, which today we would immediately recognise, whether it’s a symbol, a pop group, an iconic figure or a film. Film Posters are a way of advertising your movie to the world, however sometimes they can capture people's attention, and be printed again and again onto tops, covers, wall posters etc. Some of the most famous and well known movie posters are quite a few years old, but still today we recognise it and it becomes something iconic to us.

'Jaws' for example is a world-wide bestselling film, with the iconic Great white shark. This poster has the classic image of the massive Great White shark, about to strike the midnight swimmer in the film's opening sequence. This poster has sold for thousands of pounds in today's market.

Another iconic film poster is the horror 'Alien' which was released in 1971. The artwork of this poster has been coolly designed, with a hint of the horror that is lurking around. The egg at the centre of the poster, suggests something is going to appear soon, with the green tones of colour cracking out, giving the poster an eerie tone, as well as the striking opening title sequence.

Film Posters

'The Dark Knight'
The first two poster I looked at were from the film 'The Dark Knight', which were both dark and mysterious, and gave off a very eerie vibe. Considering the majority of film posters, they were also rather scary for public viewing, but definitely caused you to be engaged and drawn into it. The other obvious thing about the posters is that they have little relevance to the actual main character of the film, Batman, especially the one on the left, where the only thing connection the poster to Batman is the small logo at the bottom, faded behind the title. However apart from that, the poster is filled with the Joker, and a faded dark mist. The body language of the Joker suggests he is rather dominant and a dangerous character, dressed in all black, and out of focus, making his hands the only thing clear enough to see, showing the use of pathetic fallacy, again enhancing the horror aspect. The only use of colour on the poster is the bright, red smile and the smeared writing of 'Why so serious?' Which again makes us think of horror and gore, as the red looks like blood. This poster experiments with the stereotypes of an everyday hero film, with very little resemblance to the logo and showing a much more dark, 'horror' feel to it, this enables them to draw in a whole new audience which may not necessarily watch a hero film, such as Batman. The Second poster on the right, is a little more sinister, showing more resemblance to the Batman film, with the outline of his costume, this is more likely to draw in the traditional Batman fans. However we are still getting a hint of the Joker, with a pack of cards scrawled out in the background with the Joker logo on them, emphasising the importance of this character, and also giving us a hint of what the plot may endure. I believe both the posters are succefsful in drawing in an audience, especially those who may not usually be interested in this style of genre. They are both extremely effective and leave you eager to see the film.

'Confessions of a Shopaholic'
The second poster I looked at was the teenage drama film, 'Confessions of a Shopaholic, which in comparison to 'The Dark Knight' is a lot more lighter, colourful and welcoming. With a plain white background, our full attention goes straight to the female character holding numerous brightly coloured shopping bags. Immediatley it's obvious this film is focusing on the female audience! Her bright, pink clothing and accessories express every girl's dream as she holds six expensive looking shopping bags, and her surprised/guilty expression on her face, is something we all can attach ourselves to, after spending too much money shopping. The film title is also rather bold, in a bright red shade, and the word 'Shopaholic' enhanced, again drawing in a certain audience. There's also a sentence at the bottom of the poster, giving people a hint as to what the film could be about, and already giving the viewers a slight insight into her personality.
This poster is definitley effective in drawing in a certain audience, and embraces a light-hearted, funny chick-flick film, which people will warm to seeing.