Short Film Pitch

Short Film Pitch

Radio Tailer

Radio Trailer Analysis

 

For our radio trailer of The Outsider we concentrated on the genre of horror.

When narrating the trailer we used a sombre tone in order to relate to our chosen genre. At the beginning of our trailer, we added “From the makers of Frankenstein” this is a cultural code as it refers to a popular horror/monster film. Once the music stops the slogan, “Be careful who you hurt” is whispered which creates an enigma.

Throughout our trailer there is a total of 5 music tracks. Together they create a sense of disorientation.  As it progresses, the music heightens and becomes more dramatic. This is an example of an action code. We used the sound effect of someone walking at the start of the trailer. This correlates to the narrative containing the main character walking through the woods at the beginning of our film. However, as the audience doesn’t know whose footsteps they are, it creates an enigma and semantic code.

To improve the trailer we could add more narration to give the audience more information about the film, and add reviews and ratings.

Audience Theories

Uses and Gratifications Theory
This theory focuses on what people get from media rather that the effects that media has on people. This approach suggest that people uses media to fulfil specific gratifications, this being one of the following:
Identify – being able to recognise the product or person in front of you.
Educate – Being able to acquire information, knowledge and understanding.
Entertain – Must provide enjoyment to the consumer, and some form of “escapism”
Social Interaction – The ability for media products to produce a topic of conversation between other people.

Reception Theory
This is the idea that a specific audience type of media is an essential part in understanding the overall meaning and its importance. This theory suggest that when a piece of text/film is produced, it is constructed in a way in which there is a hidden message or meaning.

Two-Step Flow Theory
Hypothesis that was introduced by Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson and Hazel Gaudet.
First, individuals who pay close attention to the mass media and its messages receive the information; they then pass on their own interpretations in addition to the actual media content. Thus influencing the audience.

Hypodermic Syringe Theory
This theory implies that the media has a direct and powerful effect on the audience. It suggest that mass media has the power to "inject" people with a message designed to trigger a desired response. This model expresses the danger with mass media in that the audience is passive and will consume the information being transmitted as there is no other source of information and are unable to escape.

Passive Audiences and Active Audiences
The difference between a passive audience from a active audience is that passive audiences just sit back and absorb the information whereas active audiences participate by questioning and developing their own opinions based on the subject matter.

Film Audience Questionnaire

Crime Narrative

We were given the task of taking photographs that illustrated a crime narrative. The first order is the order that the narrative was intended to be in; the first photograph shows the scene of the murder, the second shows the discovery of the crime, the third shows the investigation of the murder and the fourth, the escape of the murder.

 



 



 








We then had to order the photographs in a order that was not chronological. This order starts with photograph that shows the escape of the murder, the murder scene, investigation of the murder and the discovery of the crime. I believe that this order creates more enigma that the chronological order as the shadow of some one running away makes the audience question why they are running and who they are.



       





Barhtes Five Codes

Roland Barthes was a French literary theorist, philosopher, linguist, critic, and semiotician.
He came up with the theory that they are five codes that are woven into any narrative.

The Hermeneutic (enigma) Code refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained resulting as mystery to the reader.

The Proairetic (Action code) builds tension and indicates that something else is going to happen, which gets the audience guessing what will happen next. Its also used to move the plot forward. This with enigma code work together to hold the viewers interest.

Semantic Code refers to the connotation within the story that gives additional meaning over basic donative meanings of the word.

The Symbolic code is similar to the semantic code but acts at a wider level, organizing semantic meanings into broader and deeper sets of meaning. This is typically done in the use of antithesis, where new meaning arises out of opposing and conflict ideas.

The Cultural Code (REF) this  refers to anything that relates to a common body of knowledge. The cultural codes point to knowledge about the way the world works and is shared by a community or culture.



Above is the opening to season 6 of 24

The enigma Code: Who is the man that is trying to get on the bus? Why is he trying to get on the bus? Who is behind the attacks? How are they going to prevent them from happening?

Action Code: Opening with the news report of the previous attacks indicates something else is about to happen.

Cultural Code: The bus driver doesn't let the man on the bus this could be because in the light of the numerous attacks in different cities and the fact the man is not white and has a foreign accent the driver has taken prejudice and has taken caution, by not letting him on the bus.

Semantic Code: The opening scene is lit with low key lighting, the darkness of the scene reflects the mood and foreshadows what is about to happen. It is clear which characters have more authority in the scene between the politicians due to how they are dressed. The pase of editing increasing once the bomb has gone off as it shows how everyone is reacting to explosion and conveys the chaos that is happening in the clip to the audience.

Symbolic Code: They're is focus on the man who tries to stop the bus and his backpack this is because backpacks have became heavily associated with terrorism. This focus then makes the audience believe  that he is involved with the attacks.

30 second bunny task

Tzvetan Todorov was a philosopher who proposed that all narrative falls into a standard 3 part structure. They begin with equilibrium, where everything is balanced, disequilibrium as something comes along to disrupt that equilibrium, and finally reach a resolution, when equilibriums restored.

Vladimir Propp developed a character theory that indicates there are 7 broad character types that are found in media productions

1. The villain that struggles against the hero.
2. The donor who prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
3. The (magical) helper who helps the hero in the quest.
4. The princess who is the person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative.
5. The false hero who's perceived as good character in beginning but emerges as evil.
6. The dispatcher is the character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.
7. The hero who is a victim/seeker/paladin/winner, reacts to the donor, weds the princess.

This website shows other character theories that can be applied to media.

 

Propp's character theory applies to this clip as there is the hero is the main character who is sent out on a "quest" in this case the quest is to get alcohol. The magical help who helps the hero on their quest is the main characters best friend. The "dispatcher" is also the "princess" as they send the main character off to go and get the alcohol with the promise that if he does, they will get together.
Todorovs theory also applies to the narrative of the clip as it starts with the equilibrium of the characters being at school trying to get an invite to a party, the disequilibrium is when they have to go out and get the alcohol and end up at a strangers house party. Then equilibrium is restored when they get back to the original party.

Creating Shadows

 
  

Here we were experimenting with lighting and photograph. This is the first attempt at creating shadows. Due to the lighting not being very bright, the overall appearance of the shadows isn't very strong. Knowing how to create shadows is useful as it can be used to create an enigma in a narrative and could be applied to a range of genres such as horror and thriller.

Genre

This website shows the winners of best picture at the Oscars, in each decade there is a trend of genre that wins, this shows how over time different genres become popular where as others lose popularity.

The Outsider

The underlined text is the base of the story original base of the story, I then chose to adapt the narrative to fit the horror genre. I then wrote the types of shots that would convey the narrative and its genre.

1. A character is outside in an uninhabited area.
 Shot#1Slow pan up from feet to face, showing character.
 Shot#2 Wide angle of woodland.
2. S/he cannot decide which way to go. Something makes him/her head towards a settlement.
 Shot#3 Close up of eyes franticly looking around
 Shot#4 Abandoned building
 Shot5# Over the shoulder shot of boy walking towards the building, pushing tricycle.
3. S/he sees something that indicates that this settlement is troubled and dangerous but carries on.
 Shot#6 Dark silhouette of someone inside the building.
 Shot#7 Reaction shot of boy.

4. S/he is set upon by a group who mock him/her make sure s/he has no transport and try to make him/her leave.
 Shot#8 Wide angle that shows a group of hooded figures approaching the boy from behind.
 Shot#9 Reaction shot of boy
 Shot#10 Wide angle of the figures running around the boy and tormenting him. Zoom into boys face.
 Shot#11 Tracking of one of the figures picking up the boys tricycle and running off into distance.
 Shot#12 Areal shot showing the other figures following.

Posters

Research

These three short films that all convey different stories in under 30 minutes.



I would rate spin 5/10 as I first liked the story line however I found it got a little repetitive. It is clear that the film is inspired by music, as fast cutting of the man packing up his music equipment was chopped up into small clips creating a rhythm.
I would rate INSiDE 8/10, I liked how the scenes where light, the darkness made the film seem more serious and represented how the man was troubled and helped add tension. The camera also kept cutting to show the whole of the room, showing all of the voices haunting the man.
I would rate Telling Mark 6/10 the lighting at the beginning was bright then at the end the lighting changed. From the beginning of the short film you are viewing the scenario from Mark's point of view then when it is revealed his wife died in a car crash you then view the scene how it is in reality.