Research and Planning: Script

We decided to keep our script short due to the fact that in our test shoot we had a large amount of dialogue and it didn't sound natural. Therefore we only had 4 lines of dialogue:

Lara: I think we should break up

Michael: What?

Lara: We can still be friends though, right?

Michael: Umm, yeah yeah okay then...

We thought it would be much easier to convey the awkwardness of the situation with a long silence than to have conversation that sounded forced and unnatural. Out old script from the test shoot had about 30 lines of dialogue. We feel that our new sequence is a lot better and one of the reasons for this is the reduced amount of dialogue.

Construction: Editing Techniques

This is how we integrated some of our titles into the sequence. It was done within After Effects.

 

First, we had to open the clip within After Effects. To do this, we placed the clip in our timeline in Premiere, cut it down so that it was the right length and then right-clicked the clip on the timeline and selected ' Replace with After Effects composition'. This is quicker and easier than editing the clip withing After Effects and then exporting it to Premiere because we only had to edit the sections that we were using.

 

We positioned the title where we wanted it to be within the shot to begin with. Then we used a subtract mask, keyframing the mask path frame by frame, to hide the words as the actors walked past them and interacted with them. To make the effect seem more realistic, we feathered out the mask by a couple of pixels so that there wouldn't be such a harsh edge where the text was being cut off.

 

This effect worked quite well and made the titles much more interesting for the viewer. It took a very long time to do. We used the technique for 7 of our titles and for each one we had to go through the clip frame by frame and readjust the mask path. However, we definitely feel it was worth the effort as it greatly improves the sequence and makes it more interesting.

 

Construction: Storyboard And Shootboard For Main Shoot

This is our storyboard for our main shoot.

We included how many shots there were, actors, setting, props and shot type.

The shot type was indicated by the colours of the shot where we used a key:

The shootboard was useful for us, as it allowed us to plan ahead and work out any errors in our narrative, prior to shooting.

While storyboarding, each shot type had its own colour post-it note so we were able to identify where we had too many of one shot type or if there weren't enough shots of a certain type. Using post-it notes was also useful because it was very easy to rearrange shots if we felt that some shots didn't belong where we had put them and we could easily add or remove them as needed. Because we were using post-it notes, not a lot of detail was needed when drawing the shots. We were able to draw each shot very basically and we could then see each one at a glance and easily know which shot was being represented.

Representation: Costumes

There are only two characters in our opening and the setting is very normal so our costumes are not complicated. Michael will be wearing a white polo shirt with a stripy jumper. He will also be wearing jeans with a black belt and brown shoes. Finally, he will have a schoolbag slung over one shoulder as the he is walking back from college.

Lara is wearing black jeans, white converse, a plain t-shirt and a parka. She will also have a bag on her back. She will be wearing earrings and will have makeup on and have her nails painted.
Both of these costumes are fairly typical of teenagers. They are also not particularly attention-grabbing or interesting as they are not the focus of the scene.

 

Fairly simple outfits with schoolbags - 21 Jump Street

Rough Edit From Test Shoot - Video and Reflections

Good Points

• The montage in the first minute is quite interesting and introduces the story and character well
• The song used in the montage creates a suitable atmosphere and isn't copyrighted (because we recorded it)
• While it needs simplifying, the story is clear and fairly interesting
• The continuity was (mostly) very good and the shots flow nicely together
• We have a variety of shot types and lots of camera movement, making the sequence interesting technically

Problems

• We did not record atmos (background sound) so there are some points where the background sound changes
• We took longer than expected to get all of the shots that we needed
• We did not include many titles
• We didn't have any institutional logos at the start of the film
• The acting is not very convincing
• The dialogue is unnatural and the conversation doesn't flow that well
• We tried to cram too much into the two minutes
• We never included the film's title at the end as we couldn't figure out a good way to put it in
• We did not grade it at all so it doesn't look as good as it can
• We never decided on a font so the one used for titles is not what we will be using in the final edit
• The conversation was not very funny
• The sequence was longer than two minutes
• The editing was only rough to avoid wasting time, meaning it doesn't look very professional

Solutions

• Record and use atmos in the final edit
• Organise the shot list better and prepare the set for the shoot in advance
• Include more titles and include the logos for institutions at the start
• Make the script more natural so that the acting doesn't seem forced or awkward
• Simplify the sequence so that it doesn't last longer than two minutes
• Edit the sequence well (i.e. grade it and make the editing in the montage more clean)

What We Have Learnt and Will Change

From this, we decided to keep the main idea of our chosen genre and audience, but potentially make a completely different film opening sequence, because we feel that this one does not reflect what we want.
To do this, we will have to make a new storyboard and devise a new script.
From this we will have to think about the style, camerawork and new actors we will be bringing in because of it.

Test Shoot Reflections

What went well:

• We got some interesting shots that could be possibly be used in the final edit
• We got all of the shots we needed and followed the shot list well
• We became more familiar with the equipment like the camera and lights
• We learned how best to frame shots in confined spaces (ie. Gavin's room)
• We experimented with different ways to light the space and which ways worked the best

Bad points/improvements:

• We had to use two cameras as some shots needed a very wide angle to capture everything. This means that some shots look very different to others
• There were some small continuity issues
• The room got very hot from the lights being on
• Some shots were very hard to get because the space was small
• We stopped using the clapperboard because we were running out of time. This made the editing process harder than it needed to be
• It was very difficult to cover up the skylight and some daylight got through, meaning the lighting varied slightly between shots 

Treatment - How Our Sequence Connotes Genre and Introduces Characters, Settings and Themes

We intend to conform to a typical form of an opening sequence, by establishing genre and introducing characters, settings and themes

Genre

Genre will be introduced through:

• Conventions of an independent, coming-of-age comedy being followed, for example:
• Male Protagonist (Michael)
• Teenage characters (Michael, Tris, Brad, Lara)
• Plot and themes centred around teenage love and teenage angst
• Style of an independent and rom-com film, for example:
• Simple titles
• Natural grading
• Indie, guitar soundtrack

Introduce Character

• Three British teenage friends
• Established through actions (Tris and Louis greet Michael by jumping on his bed)
• Dialogue (supportive, comedic eg. ‘stop crying and get over it’)
• Through costume
• Teenagers will be wearing casual clothes and wearing school bags, suggesting they came from school

Introduces Setting

• London, UK
• Through British accents
• British music references on bedroom wall
• Teenage boy's room
• Through mise-en-scene:
• Unmade bed
• Games console
• Untidy room
• Rock Band Posters
• Guitar
• TV

Introduces Themes

• Themes of teenage angst, self discovery, coming-of-age, young love
• Established through characters and events
• Teenage boy crying over getting dumped
• Established through events within the story
• Characters taking on new challenges and adventures
• Eg. entering a battle of the bands competition

Proposal - Film Narrative

Basic Storyline

Beginning
Michael has been dumped by his girlfriend, Lara, and is trying to come to terms with the breakup.
He is comforted by his friends, Tris and Louis, who try to cheer him up.
They decide that they will enter the battle of the bands competition at school so that Michael can win Lara back.

Middle
When they first play together as a band (Tris, Louis and Michael) they are not very good.
They work at it and improve.
The battle of the bands is soon and they are not sure if they are ready but they continue to improve.
Half of the band pull out and Michael and Tris are left.

End
Michael and Tris perform anyway.
They rock and everyone loves them.
Lara tells Michael that she wants him back but Michael realises how shallow she is and sees the error of his ways.
Instead, he realises it was Tris that he was fighting for all along.


Narrative Theory
We took influence from Todorov's narrative theory, but did not fully conform to a classic narrative pattern.
We will start the film off with disequilibrium, then add a secondary disruption which will then be solved and then end with the conventional 'new equilibrium':

Our Film Opening Sequence's Structure

Reference Point

We took narrative reference from Juno (2007) (Reitman):

'Juno' is a film with a similar narrative to our film opening sequence, starting with Juno finding out she is pregnant - disequilibrium.

Juno (2007)

Juno Narrative Structure