Finished Product
Please find our film, Desperate Measures at this link
Evaluation of Desperate Measures
In the beginning of September 2008 we were given a brief in relation to our coursework, it stated the requirements for the completion of both our preliminary and main task (to be completed afterwards), since the briefing I have been keeping a production log split into weekly sessions of my reflections and each piece of work and includes evidence of each step we took in order to complete our preliminary task, for example our audition posters, story boards and training sessions in Photoshop, this can be found on kimriw.wordpress.com.
In order to complete this item of coursework, we would have to choose between film and print, which both consisted of advantages and disadvantages which influenced my final decision. From the beginning I was drawn to filming as it seemed that I would of been able to express myself creatively, entertain people and learn many new skills, whereas print seemed to be the same as tasks we had completed in secondary school for English coursework therefore I wouldn’t have been learning new skills, just developing those I already have. Due to this I chose film, we were instructed by our teacher to form a group as the task was too much for one person to complete individually, from this advice I grouped together with three other people in my media class whom all were interested in creating a film also.
As a group we looked at the brief in more detail, it stated that we would have to film and edit a character opening a door and crossing a room then sitting down and exchanging dialogue with another character, whilst doing this we would also have to ensure that the film obeyed continuity rules, such as; the characters wearing the same clothes, make-up and hair styles also having the same extras would be crucial, when reflecting on this as a group it appeared to be easy to follow however when it came to filming we did experience difficulty with our extras and some actors but we managed to film around these barriers and use them to our advantage. Another rule we were to follow was the 180 degree rule; this meant that we were only allowed to film on one side of our characters, otherwise this would have left our audience confused and unsure of what’s happening in the film.
We then began to think of ideas that we could adapt to fit this criteria (the evidence for this is posted in my first production log), our favourite ideas included a police interrogation , an affair being discovered and a speed dating event, looking back retrospectively I think I would have preferred to of made the affair situation instead, although this would have used many complex techniques when it came to editing to portray time passing, however in the end we collectively chose speed dating.
The story line for our film would involve an upper class lady, whom we named Jennifer due to the formal connotations it creates, and she attends a speed dating event as a last resort, the reason we chose this scene for her as she appears to look out of place creating a juxtaposition, many people wouldn’t expect to see someone of that class speed dating. She would begin the evening in the toilets adjusting her make-up and looking nervous about what she has let herself in for, she would then leave the toilets and enter the Brasserie, as she looks around, she would notice an attractive man called Brett, which she immediately goes to sit with, however she is pushed out of the way by Laura and as a result has to sit with our sleazy man, Wayne, we chose this name as it doesn’t make the audience think of the best type of man and this is the image we wanted to create with the help of body language, costume and speech. After seeing that Wayne has the only free table in the venue Jennifer would have to sit with him and this is when they exchange conversation, from this it is clear Wayne is only at speed dating to get one thing and Jennifer doesn’t respond to this advances, instead she leaves the table after he touches her leg as she cannot put up with him.
We chose this storyline as it is entertaining and we could of used a lot of reaction shots, editing techniques to show time passing, we can clearly represent the characters and most of all it meets the brief.
As part of our research we created a presentation we could show our class peers and receive feedback and opinions on our work, this presentation consisted of our three main creative ideas, we told them what each scene would involve and the storyline and basics of a script. Members of our class then commented on each, they said that the affair situation resembled an episode from Eastenders, we then considered this point and out ruled this option as we wanted to create a film that would make people laugh and was original, not many comments were made on the police interrogation idea, although it gave us the chance to use good filming and editing techniques like quick cuts to build tension and high camera angles to show vulnerability and authority of the other person, but in the end we chose the speed dating concept as we thought we would be able to make it of a comedic genre and it would easily fulfil the criteria of the brief.
The next step of our research involved watching date scenes on YouTube from sex and the city and 40 year old virgin as it features a speed dating event, although it’s not in the same style as we intended ours to be, it still gave us ideas on what type of shots we could use and displayed humour which we could apply to ours. We also looked at websites about body language, so we could portray our characters personalities clearer to our audience (which we had decided would be women in their twenties and up), with the information we found out about body language we could also show better reactions from each character. Later on in the task Christina and I researched into the colours our characters would wear and the connotations this would create, this helped us to show representation of the characters class and physical appearance.
After completion of this research we then began to receive vital training on software we would have to use in order to complete the task, this involved learning how to use Photoshop- evidence of this is recorded in my production log and on my blog, we were also shown three point lighting and how to use all the equipment, at first the idea of using equipment we had no prior knowledge of, it seemed quiet intimidating but with a bit of practice and reassurance, we gradually became more confident when handling it.
Whilst receiving training we were also working on the completion of our script and story board, on the story boards which can be found in my production log, I had to draw each shot out and write the movements of the camera, what type of shot it’d be, diegetic sounds that could be heard in the scene and what each character will say during the scene. I believe I fill in these sheets clearly as they were easy to follow when it came to filming as they were filled in correctly and there was no need to look elsewhere for information we needed when filming. For the script we all came up with a draft each of what we felt the characters should say, we did this so we’d have a variety of lines to choose from and we could see what suits the characters best, finally we chose to use some lines from Rosie’s and Christina’s as well as the opening lines which we had already decided upon as a group. We decided that Wayne should speak in a repulsive manner and come across as obnoxious, therefore we chose sleazy chat up lines- which he would think are funny and work but Jennifer would be put off by, we made Jennifer speak standard English and formally towards Wayne, this also shows a difference/ incompatibility between them.
Story Board
After the completion of the training, storyboards and the script to a good standard we were able to start filming, however in order to do this we needed to acquire actors so we held auditions in the college, the week before we put up posters displaying the details of where it’d be held and what genre of film it’d be, we thought as it was at such short notice in which we put the posters up that we wouldn’t get many auditionees, however we were very surprised as there were thirteen auditionees, this was fortunate for us as it meant we’d have a good selection of actors to choose from. We did experience slight difficulties when choosing the actor for Brett as we felt that none of the actors fitted the characterisation that we wanted for our film. We then decided that we would ask one of our friends if he would like the part, and he accepted, we also offered parts as extras to the unsuccessful auditionees.
As all the preparations for filming were ready, we had to ensure that the Brasserie was free the days we wanted to film and that our actors could make it to, the Brasserie had to fill in a location release form and I had to fill in a risk assessment form so that we could see what dangers our actors could possibly encounter, we then set dates we intended to film and informed our actors or when they would be required. During our first session of filming we only needed Rosy as we were filming the first scene were she’s in the toilets, this was an over the shoulder shot and as the toilets are full of mirrors we had to stand inside a cubical so the camera wouldn’t be seen in shot, we also made sure that there was realistic sounds in the toilets like it flushing and a tap running, we had to film this many times until we got it right and we then filmed the door to the Brasserie opening which was a close up of Jennifer’s hand , it was surprising how complex this shot was, as we had to have the hand positioned correctly, Jennifer opening the door but not to quickly, it was also quiet difficult when it came to editing the bridge between this shot and her walking through the Brasserie, as we had to make it flow and ensure that the door opened and closed at the same time in each shot.
We then had to skip filming in the order we planned as we had issues with our extras and actors, due to illness and lack of commitment to the task, therefore we had to find a new actor to be Brett, whom I did, but he changed his mind at the last minute. This could of potentially jeopardised our film, but with the advice of our tutor, as a group we decided it would of been for the best to cut the part involving Brett and Laura out of the film, instead of finding a new actor, the reason for this was because we already had a story without those characters and they just added some extra action to the film. So instead we filmed the scenes where Jennifer walks into the Brasserie, which we did from the view point of Wayne as he wasn’t available for filming that day, we also filmed the conversation scene from each side of the character, Elliott was the camera man and Rosie was the sound technician, Christina was a waitress to make the scene look more realistic and i made sure that we were filming in accordance to our storyboard and made sure the setting looked realistic. We also filmed the under the table medium close up of Wayne touching Jennifer’s leg, however for this scene I was the camera person.
Wayne and Jennifer
Whilst filming we did encounter many problems from our un-cooperative actors, unavailable extras and actors changing their mind to the Brasserie not being available, however i feel we have managed to get the footage we needed in order to meet the brief. Once we had the footage we then began editing, which Elliott had been trained on how to use final cut pro, therefore this didn’t prove to problematic, in fact we had more trouble thinking of a name for the production- which we stumbled upon incidentally in conversation, as a group we were talking about what to put on the blurb for the DVD cover and Rosie mentioned that Jennifer goes to desperate measures and as a result of this, that became the name of the film.
When the finished product was burnt to disc, we created a questionnaire to get the opinions of our peers, we asked open and closed questions so we could get a bit of extra information or a definite answer. We asked questions about continuity, the actors and the film, such as the best part and what could be improved. A minority commented on the different extras, which was one of the issues we came across however we decided this could of been used to our advantage, to make the situation more real as at speed dating you change dates when the bell rings, people also said to improve it, we should of improved the picture quality and sounds as when i was on sound i didn’t hold the microphone near enough the characters. Personally I agree with this, as when reviewing the film, it is hard to hear the actors speaking over the background noise and also I noticed there is a slight lighting difference between when Jennifer enters the room and when she has a conversation with Wayne, however I found that the film is quiet funny and the leg shot made our peers laugh, I believe we met the brief and if we had had better more reliable actors then the story would have been better however the film is satisfactory and meets the brief. Also if I were to make it again I would try to film outside college hours as then all our actors would be available, possibly made it a bit longer as it is over fairly quickly.
From the skills and lessons we have learnt from making this film, in our main task we are going to consider booking the equipment more in advance or supplying our own, using minimal characters and extras, also using a higher picture resolution so the quality is clearer and make sure that the actors can be heard before we finalise the film.
I think the type of institution that would distribute our media form would be a film company like universal studios as it creates many films of this genre successfully, if our film was a full length feature movie it would resemble ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ by universal studios as it is also comedic, however our film is more desirable to women unlike ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ I also feel that it is mainly the DVD cover which sells the film to our audience as it looks sophisticated and the blurb describes the film in an attractive way, which makes the audience want to watch it, they may also be attracted to it because of it creates connotations of a potentially funny film and comedy is a very popular genre.
Screen Shot
Story Board P2
Personal Release Form
Personal Release Form
Our main actors also had to fill in personal release forms, to say they were allowed to be filmed, the one shown on the left was filled in by Rosy O’Donnell, Charlie Clark also had to fill one of these in.
Location Release Forms
Brasserie
For each location we had to obtain permission to film, in order to do this the manager of the location and I had to fill in a location release form. The form consisted of the dates we would require the location, how long for and a signature of the manager. The one for the Brasserie is shown to the left.
Risk Assessment Forms for the Brasserie
Risk Assessment Form
As Producer, i had to fill in much paper work, firstly risk assessment forms, which indicated what types of risks were apparent in each filming location and if any were serve, how we would deal with them.
The completed one for the brasserie is shown on the left and below
Risk Assessment Form page 2
Audition Posters for Desperate Measures
23rd October 2008
23rd October 2008
Production Log Entry Two
23rd October 2008
Stage One: The team separated off into pairs, Rosie and Elliott began to create the posters for the recruitment of our actors whilst Christina and I began to think about the outfits our actors should wear.
Stage Two: Christina and I began to think about which colours our characters should wear; we looked on www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html for the common connotations for certain colours.
We decided that Jennifer should dress in a black pencil skirt, with a white blouse as this creates a formal look and the audience will see her as an intelligent woman, also according to the website mentioned before, black symbolises elegance and power and we chose white because of the juxta position of her cleanliness of appearance compared to Wayne’s repulsive personality.
We decided that Wayne should come across as a ‘sleazy’ man, who hasn’t got the cleanest of appearances. To create this appearance, we would like Wayne to wear ‘scummy’ trainers, old jeans and a red-orange top as the website said that this colour creates connotations of pleasure, domination and thirst for action, and we really thought these were characterizations of Wayne.
For Brett, our good looking male character, we decided he should dress in a fairly stylish way, we thought he should wear a navy cardigan and shirt. This is because the colour blue is masculine and the white of the shirt shows that he is a good guy, especially when compared to Wayne (Who as previously mentioned will be clothed in dark colours).
We then decided that Laura should be dressed in a red dress as she will stand out from the extras and she also represents danger and desire- as she is dangerous to Jennifer as she came between her and her preferred speed dating partner.
Stage Three: We began to think about our desired visible appearance of each of these characters and the fine details of their attire, such as the accessories and specific make up.
As we wanted Jennifer to appear intelligent and immaculately dressed, we decided that preferably she should be brunette as it is a possible connotation that brunette women are clever, also we think she should have her nails painted a formal colour as this shows the audience that she can afford little extras to treat herself, this is also reflected in the colour of her accessories, which we chose should be purple as they symbolise independence; from the beginning she is shown as independent- she goes speed dating on her own.
After some thought we decided that our ‘sleazy’ man should wear a gold chain as it shows he appears as a bit of a ‘geezer’ and preferably slicked back hair of any colour as we decided this isn’t a very attractive style. We also decided that he should have his wallet and cigarettes on the table as a statement as he believes this makes him more desirable to ladies.
Brett should be agreeably attractive (by the group) and have a friendly approachable look too and Laura should be equally as attractive as Jennifer and maybe have short hair of any colour.
When thinking about our character’s costumes we also had to think of items most people would own, as we couldn’t go out and buy the clothes for them, if they didn’t have the exact items we wanted it won’t cause to much of a problem as it is easy to work around it and work with our actors to find a costume that still fits the characterization and the actor owns.
Stage Four: On the 6th of November we had a training session with Brendan the on-site professional camera man. First of all we were shown how to get the tripod ready for use. We learnt how to make it taller or shorter and how to make sure it’s secure; we were then shown how to attach the camera to the top so that it wouldn’t fall off or get damaged. Afterwards we were showed how to put the camera in different angles by moving the balance on the tripod and also how to do pans by moving the leaver and how to attach the microphone and the technique for recording sound. With this knowledge, Elliott chose to become our camera man. After this session we all now feel comfortable with using the cameras, however I feel with more practice we will not need as much advice and feel even more confident when using the equipment. A few weeks before this we had a session with Renier about how to operate the 3-point lighting system, he taught us the names of the lights and where to position them (in a triangle around the subject), however this session was brief and I’m not entirely sure if I feel confident using all the lights so if we require them for our film we will need further advice and instruction on how to use them.
Stage Five: Auditions. 13th November we held auditions for our film in the college, we had a good result with 13 auditionees, after much discussion we decided that Rosy was going to become Jennifer because of her reactions to the way Wayne spoke, Charlie would be Wayne as he has the right look and mannerisms when he was acting and Gemma would be Laura as we felt she was a stronger actor than Becky and she would suit the role of Laura more, however from the auditions we didn’t find a Brett, therefore we asked a friend if he would like the part, and a few days later Craig agreed to the part; once we informed all our actors we decided it was time to begin filming, also all the people who didn’t get a main part, we offered them parts as extras.
We were very happy to get so many auditionees as we all thought that no one would pay attention to the posters, it is also useful that our friends got their friends to audition, however the only flaw we found was that not many females auditions therefore we had less selection to choose from.
Stage Six: November 20th we filmed our first scene- the toilets. We picked up the equipment and set up in the college toilets, while Rosy (Jennifer) got into costume and had her hair and makeup done by Christina, once she was ready, we as a group discussed where to position the camera so it wouldn’t be visible in the mirror, also we thought about the sounds we would need to make it realistic and ran through what we wanted Rosy to do. We then booked the Brasserie for Monday and Thursday the next week from 4-5 so we could film the next scenes. And whilst doing this we filmed the part where Jennifer opens the door to the Brasserie.
This filming was successful and realistic, it was surprising how many times we had to get her to do the scene until we found the right one, we also found this when filming her opening the door as it took many attempts to get the right hand positioning.
On Monday we were unable to film because two members of the team weren’t in due to illness therefore Rosie and I decided it was best not to film instead we informed the Brasserie we wanted to change dates to the Thursday and Monday after. Thursday 27th we collected the equipment and set up in the Brasserie with realistic features like glasses and table pieces, we then began to film the scene of conversation between Jennifer and Wayne, Elliott was the camera man, and Rosie was the sound technician, I watched and made sure everything was going as the group wanted, then I swapped to monitor sound as Rosie had to leave early and Christina was a waitress (we did this so the scenario would look even more realistic). Firstly we filmed over Jennifer’s shoulder with the microphone nearest to Wayne, and then we swapped sides, obeying the 180 degree rule. We did this so that we could then edit the bits we want and the conversation flows naturally and we didn’t have to keep moving the equipment from behind one character to the other.
This piece of filming was also successful as it went as intended and we had fun along the way, the only issue was not having enough extras therefore we had to make sure the ones we had were sat in the shot when required.
The second time we chose to film was the 1st of December, we planned to do the scene were Jennifer walks in and see Brett and then is pushed by Laura, however this wasn’t possible as Gemma who was playing Laura was ill and the person playing Brett hadn’t been very co-operative so I asked my friend to do it, but he changed his mind at the last minute, therefore we had to film round this and decided we’d leave that scene until the end and due to this we have decided in the main task to use minimal actors and extras and make sure that they are available when they say they are. Instead during that filming session we had to film the scene were Wayne touches Jennifer’s leg under the table, we set up the table as they were before and made sure our actors were wearing the same clothing, then we positioned the camera so that it would look under the table at Jennifer’s leg, our actors then said their lines. After this session we began to think whether we’d be able to complete filming in time for the due date and as a result of this we decided with the help of Renier that it was best that we cut out the scene including Laura and Brett, although this would mean we wouldn’t have the right desired outcome, we would have a complete item of coursework that made sense.
Screen Shot
Screen Shot
Desperate Measures DVD Cover
11th December
On this day we finished all editing, and burned the film to a DVD, we also made the DVD cover, however we still haven’t decided on an image for the front but we do have a really good blurb written by Christina. After watching the film we made up questionnaire for our classmates to fill out in our next lesson, we did this so that we can get their opinions and we can take the criticisms and general comments on board and apply them to our main task. I then had to fill in the camera shot sheet after watching the film through.
17th December
In this session we held a focus group. We got ten of our class peers together to watch the film and get some feedback and their opinions, therefore we could take these into consideration when we make our next film. From the questionnaires we found that everyone understood the concept of the film, however a few people didn’t think we chose good actors. Many people found the expressions of the actors and their personalities and the humour we injected into the script, their favourite part. It was also commented on that people noticed that we had different extra, which we were afraid of, however it was only a minority that noticed this. They also said that the sound of the two actors couldn’t be heard.
When taking these comments into consideration, I think in our next film we should either edit it so that our characters are louder or that we hold the microphone closer to the actor, ensure that we have the same extras each time we film or use minimal actors and clearer resolution
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