Character profile - Eloise Robertson

Name: Eloise Robertson
Age: 22
Sister of Hollie Robertson
Eloise has blonde hair and blue eyes.

Eloise is a new character we have decided to incorporate into our film, to use instead of 'Hollies dad'. We have decided to do this to ease the filming process, as the character who was going to play "Hollies dad' wasn't going to be available on the allocated filming days. We feel as though this character will still fulfil the role we're wanting to have in our film, and in turn will make sure our film has enough background and realism.

Genre Research - Typical Characters

Typical Characters used in thriller films:
There are a number of characteristics typically used in thriller films to make the film enjoyable.

 

The typical 'bad guy' in a thriller film is a male character usually with underlying issues such as childhood abuse or have been through trauma at a young age who appears to be a nice guy until the film begins to unravel the story. They are almost always seen as kind and sweet to draw in their victim.

However as thriller films have gotten better throughout the years the conventions of thriller films have change and some thriller films have the antagonist as a woman, which makes for an interesting storyline as they appear sweet and innocent at first this is scene in recent films like The Roommate which drew inspiration from the 1992 thriller, Single White Female and Awake.

Awake goes against all the conventions of a thriller as the bad guy is a female and the victim is a man.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The female character is typically the victim which is one of two type of girls depending on what the story is about in the thriller film.

The first type of girl is one who is a loner girl with little friends. This is so its easier for the bad guy to get her as no one will be around her. This is seen in a number of films like

The other type of protagonist is a pretty (usually blonde) girl who is popular and is helped by other characters usually her friends, to be saved. The usual plot with this type of character is where the 'bad guy' has a particular reason to kidnap this kind of person e.g. like in the film The Call

 

The detectives in thrillers are usually haunted by old cases that haven't been solved or gone wrong. Typically a missing child/women that was never found which plays on their mind still hindering the case they are solving in the thriller film. They more than likely still carry the victims picture in his wallet.

The loved up couple who are usually all over each other when something bad is about to happen, they are typically away from the action, isolated themselves from the group or other characters so that when something has happened like a murder, they either don't know what is happening or are the first to be killed as they are typically preoccupied with each other they are oblivious to their surroundings. These typical characters has an impact on the audience as they are shouting in frustration of what dangers is to come. These characters are seen in Snakes on a Plane and Friday the 13th.

 

 

The loved up couple in snakes on a plane are oblivious to the fact that deadly venomous snakes are in the toilet room and the toilet itself as they are to enthralled with each other, that they die.

 

 

 

 

 

Possible Film Distributors

 



StudioCanal UK

 

 

 

 

StudioCanal is a UK film distributor releasing Independent films like The Bling Ring and thriller film End of Watch. Most of the films StudioCanal UK release are in the genre of comedy, horror, thriller and crime/action which means our film will fit in with the films they have previously released.

 

 

 

 

 

As our film is a short film the best distributor for our 5 minute film would be one that specialises in distributing short films, which is why Future Shorts would be an ideal distributor for us. Future Shorts is a short film label based in London and was founded in 2003 and opened a DVD distribution division in 2007 which means they are a relatively new company meaning there is a bigger opportunity for them to choose to distribute our film. Future Shorts also organise a monthly short film festival, Future Shorts ONE that screens short films which would be the perfect way for us to get our film recognised.

 

 

 

Non-Diegetic sound to use on time lapse

On our time lapse we will use Non Diegetic sound over the top. To create the desired effect we will need something slow and moving this gives a good impression of a lonely, in her own world feeling we are wanting to create for Hollie for example...

Although this isn't Royalty Free it gives us a base idea to work from.

Here is another example of a non royalty free song example, once we have these basis to work on i think it will be easier to find a good, moving royalty free example

Tricky Shots - Time lapse

Throughout our short film we have 2 tricky shots one being a split screen and the other a time lapse. We are wanting to do our time lapse via video and not stills. We first found inspiration from the following video...

The video gives the exact effect we want to achieve although we believe this video was done via a green screen as the girls are moving whilst filming. This will be a tricky shot for us as the character Hollie 'Megan' will have to sit still for a while (approximately 10 minutes) which when speeded up will give us around 2 minutes of actual footage which we will cut down to about 10 seconds.

Here is another video which has given us inspiration and we believe they have video rather than stills to create this effect..

This also in places shows something still such as buildings and statues which in our film would be megan, they have sped everything up however looks as though the stills are not moving and as if everything around them are going so busy. In this particular video they have used a non diagetic soundtrack, which adds to the fast pace.

As this is a tricky shot we also need to research how to achieve this effect when we are using final cut express, here is a video to demonstrate how...

Although this video is on final cut pro it gives a rough idea how to create the 'rushed effect' which is desired. I don't think creating this will be too difficult as we have researched it well plus we have previous experience with final cut express.

Why did we chose to use a time lapse? We as a group decided to use a time lapse as we think it will give a really great effect when Hollie is waiting for Ethan. It will portray as if the world is going by her while she is invisible and lonely. Our short film takes Hollie on a journey where she at the beginning is lonely and quiet, Ethan then gets Hollie to break out of her shell and starts to become more confident, then when Ethan denies her the world comes crashing back down to earth when she realises she is lonely and that no one does want her, this we feel is a why a time lapse will be effective.

Certificate 18 Research

Click here to go to Certificate 18 Prezi

 

Possible independent film producers

Warp Films is an independent film production company based in Sheffield & London, UK. Warp Films breakout success came with Shane Meadows’ This Is England, the story of Shaun, a boy who is adopted by a local skinhead gang after his father is killed in the Falklands war. Since its release in early 2007 it has gained many awards .

Warp produce films through a variety of genres, ranging from action to comedy. This is a list of films that they have produced:

Film poster research

The Call

The main colours of the poster is red which gives a sense of danger and fits in with the genre of film. The title is in a plain font suggesting the film has a simple plot which is easy to follow. The map covering her face suggests that the films is an adventure type film where the film takes twist and turns throughout. It also shows that the film isn't just based in a call centre, it shows they move around. 

The film bases its poster on Halle Berry, a well known actress who will attract an audience. Halle is looking straight into the camera with a straight face, she looks scared or in shock like she doesn't know what to do this suggests in the film she is faced with decisions or situations that are hard to deal with.

 

The Conjuring

The conjuring poster tries to attract an audience by showing that the director is the same from Saw and Insidious showing that the films are similar and if they enjoyed the other two then they would enjoy this also. The dark, eerie room fits in with the horror genre and the image of a girl in the corner of the room suggests that at some point in the film there is isolation.

The image of a creepy doll looking into the camera gives an impression that the doll has some significance to the plot and that the film is based on something supernatural as the doll looks like the living thing in the poster as it looks animated and the girl sat in the chair seems motionless. The black marks on the wall could suggest that something supernatural is lurking in the room, it also looks like it is gathering towards the girl like it is trying to take something from her, like her mind or body.

Under the title there is a tagline which says 'based on the true case files of the warrens' this will either scare people into watching the film or interest people as it shows the film is based on some true evidence. It is known that a film becomes more scarier when the audience know the film is based on true events as it creates a sense of reality where the things that happen in the film can happen to anyone in real life which will make more people want to watch it.

 

Conventions of film posters

They background is typically black and dark for thriller films

For a thriller film there is a single dominant image, in the centre of the poster whereas if it was an action film they get most of the cast in like Avengers Assemble

Film Poster Essentials

Making a great and memorable poster is key to the marketing campaign of a film if the film poster is dull and uninteresting then that will effect the success of the film and it's overall grossing. Film posters are one of the cheapest and most effective ways to gain interest for a film, as they can be put up on walls, advertisements and buses for all to see.
To make the best poster the key elements needed are:

The image - The foundation of the poster is an image that illustrates the central theme of the movie. The image should be memorable and the meaning of the image and film should be easy to grasp and understand. It should also be an image which has a flat plane or colour on some part to allow the title to stand out against the picture.

Title - The title is key to the selling of the film as if there was no title no-one would know what film they are looking at. The title should be bold, easy on the eye and the main text on the poster. Some films however like to opt to put casts name the same size as the title if there is a famous actor/actress in the film. The design of this is they put the actors name bigger than the title particularly if the film has little money to put towards the marketing campaign so the film uses the actors popularity to gain interest. 




The expendables use the casts name to attract their audience.

Tagline - A poster generally has a tagline to draw people in and show what sort of film it is. The tagline is a short teaser of what is to come and is usually something memorable. It should be a smaller and different font from the title.




Additional Credits - Most posters include the people who were essential to making the film like the director, producer and composer as well as the film company and movie studio. This is normally used when for example the director is well known for making other films that gained a large amount of audiences so they write 'from the director of _____ and _____' which allows them to attract more people as it is more likely people who have seen and enjoyed the other two films will want to see this film as well.

Additional Details - Most posters include the time of release or 'coming soon' to generate interest. They also add the sound system used particularly if its something like IMAX as it is a relatively new. This is also the same with films in 3D. In a squashed font additional cast and crew are added, the URL for the movie's website, copyright notice and award information.

Tricky Shots - Split Screen

In our film we want to use a variety of tricky shots one of them being a split screen.

We would like to use it when Hollie is trying to get in touch with Ethan as on one side we want to see Hollie on the phone ringing Ethan and next to that we want to see Ethan decline the call. When deciding what shots to use for this specific scene as a group we had all seen and enjoyed Kill Bill and remembered that they had used a split screen in their film, and this is where we first found inspiration to use a split screen.

 

 

This clip shows exactly how we would like to do it in our film. Kill Bill is a thriller/action film and uses the split screen to show what is happening to two different characters. The use of a split screen helps to keep the pace of a thriller film fast as it shows you what the separate characters are doing but showing this at the time doesn't make the film longer. It prepares the audience that in some way the women in the bed is linked to the women getting ready with the needles, as the woman lays in bed the music is eerie and when the screen splits the music becomes more fast paced and louder indicating something is to happen.

 

 

 

The shots show the opposite between the two women as the woman laying in bed is helpless and vulnerable and the other woman being able to move around shows she is superior.

 

 

 

 

 

It then pans up the woman's arm in bed at the same time as seeing a needle being prepared to indicate the needle is intended for the helpless woman.

 

 

 The last split screen is of the woman in beds eye being closed, suggesting she is asleep/unconscious or knocked out, the other shot is of the woman with a eye patch on showing she is possibly blind in one eye which is the opposite to the women in bed.

 

 

 

In the clip above it starts off as a long shot which gets smaller as the other shot slides in, to split the screen in half, if we want to start off with Hollie ringing the phone we will need to leave space to the right of Hollie so that when Ethans shot slides in, it doesn't cover any of Hollie up.

 

 

 

 

To enable we can do this tricky shot we have to find out how to do it on final cut express. Although this video shows us how to split the screen into 3 shots instead of 2 it stills helps us to understand how to do the desired effect we want.
 

 

Here is a different version of how to do a split screen on Final Cut Express which is a shorter description and is more relevant to us as we only intend to use 2 shots.

 

 

Shot List

Ethan & Hollie

Day 1
Ethan - Hi... How are you?
Hollie - Fine thanks, you?
Ethan - Ye i'm good :)

Day 2
Hollie - Never guess what ... I've got a new phone, text my new number 07743576634
Ethan - Guess who
Hollie - No idea ;)

Day 3
Hollie - Had a good day at work?
Ethan - Missed you, meet up soon?
Hollie - Yeee :) Where?
Ethan - I'll let you know

Day 4
Hollie - How about a meet up in town tomorrow?
Ethan - Mine instead?
Hollie - Maybe after
Ethan - Dunno. I'm going now. Bye.

Possible mainstream distributor

Twentieth Century Fox is one of the six major American film studios as of 2011. Located in the Century City area of Los Angeles, just west of Beverly Hills, the studio used to be a subsidiary of News Corporation, but now it's currently a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.
The company was founded on May 31, 1935, as the result of the merger of Fox Film Corporation, founded by William Fox in 1915, and Twentieth Century Pictures, founded in 1933 by Darryl F. Zanuck and Joseph M. Schenck.
20th Century Fox has distributed various commercially successful film series, including Star Wars, Ice Age, X-Men, Die Hard, Planet of the Apes, Fantastic Four, Alien and Predator. Its clear TCF have a wide variety of genres when it comes to distributing films, but quite a lot are linked with action films.
I think they'd be a perfect mainstream distributor for our film as they're a well know company, who distribute similar films.

Filming Schedule

These are the days we are available
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday

These are the days our external actors are available
Tuesday (after 4:30pm)
Wednesday

This is our schedule 
Tuesday the 19th November - Megan's house (indoor scenes) - 12pm onwards
Wednesday the 20th November - Darton and Town - 12pm onwards

We chose to film this early to ensure that if any issues occur we can re-film. Another issue which we came across was megan's hair... Megan is changing her hair colour on the 29th of November which would be a huge downfall in continuity.

Progress Report

So far we have...
looked at similar film posters
researched viral adds
risk assessment
chosen a film name
What we will do in the next couple of weeks...
make a film schedule
complete shot list
start filming

Character costumes

Ethan

On our outdoor scenes, Ethan will be wearing casual wear (such as jeans and a t-shirt and trainers) yet darker clothes than most people to look more mysterious and to add the the feeling of the scene to make him look scarier. He will also be wearing a big coat because of the weather. 

Hollie 

Hollie is being filmed in multiple scenes at different times and so will need various different outfits. We will keep a running theme of casual wear through the filming to keep a sense of realism and so that viewers can relate to her. Outfits will mainly be jeans, tops and leggings. Again, in outside scenes Hollie will be wearing a coat because of the cold weather.

Practice Journey

Click here to go to our Practice Journey

Sequence 1 - Practice Journey from shannon guthrie on Vimeo.

Possible production logos

Production Logo idea

Production Logo Idea

Similar film - Catfish

Catfish
How is the film similar
The male in the film is Nev who is supposedly talking online to a young woman called Megan. They become friends and begin an online relationship just like Ethan and Hollie. In the film Nev tries to meet up with Megan who makes up various excuses to not meet up, just like Ethan.

How is it different
In Catfish, Megan turns out to be Angela her mother, when Nev finds out this he still keeps in contact with her and they become friends where as in our film the story isn't a happy ending as Ethan turns out to be a kidnapper.

Possible Hair/Makeup/Clothing Ideas

Hollie
Hair: Blonde, straight, fringe clipped with a bobby pin, very practical and neat, blonde to try and fit in with the crowd
Makeup: Minimal makeup throughout, however when she is ready to go on her date with Ethan we see Hollie 'dolled up'.
Clothing: Cute little tea, skater dress with tights and dolly shoes. Reserved and not daring to match Hollies Personality

Hollies Dad
Hair: N/A
Makeup: N/A
Clothing: Work clothes, showing he is supporting Hollie (his only family) by going to work and earning them a living.

Ethan
Hair: Dark, short styled hair.
Makeup: N/A
Clothing: Navy parka coat, skinny jeans, converse. (Not that we really see Ethan)

Possible Title Names

Imposter

Like Strangers

Like a Curs...or

Final Request

Deleted

One Click Away

Low Profile

Possible Distributor For Our Film

Entertainment Film Distributors would be an ideal distributor for our film as they are UK Based an a leader in their field of work, which is independent films. Entertainment film's doesn't seem to have a particular genre of film as they have ranged from Lord Of The Rings to Hairspray therefore are quite flexible, not only are they that but also successful, which is something we would look for in a distributor. 

Film Poster Research - Easier With Practice

Easier with practice also gives the audience a relatively good idea what the film is about from the poster. Only a phone and a with what seems to be a lonely, slightly worried male. The man looks just like any other average man, suggesting that he probably is down on his luck, not any richer than the average person and just lives a normal day to day life. The phone however must play a huge part in the film as it is the only other object in the poster. The male is laid on a bed next to the phone which is unusual as you would normally see another person in the place of the phone, this suggests that the male has some sort of relationship with the phone, or whoever is on the other end of the line. The text is simple and basic adding to the feel of the average male.

Film Poster Research - Catfish

 The film poster for Catfish gives enough insight as to what the film is about however doesn't reveal all. The image only reveals half of the faces suggesting one or both of them are hiding something and not completely being them selves. The title of the movie is in a well recognized social media font, with the blue back ground and white text, giving the viewer an even more in depth insight into what the film may be about. To confirm that the film has something to do with Facebook, online, computers etc there is a mouse cursor on the what is made to be 'screen'. Adding to the effect of a 'screen' like cover the image is slightly pixelated as it would be on a computer screen.

Risk Assessment

Possible locations

 One of our locations is set in Darton, near the railway station. We chose this location, because from some angles the street looks like any other harmless street where nothing could go wrong, giving the viewer and character a sense of security, then at other angles it shows a dark, dingy tunnel which could be seen as scary. This tunnel is where the kidnapping will take place.

Our main filming is going to take place 2 Mayfield, Monk Bretton in Barnsley. This will be shown as 'Hollies' house. Inside shots of the house and a photo storyboard will be shot later on.

A scene in our film will take place in a busy town centre. We're going to create a time lapse over a space of 10 minutes with the main subject standing in the same place, where the world is carrying on moving around of her. Complications we could see with this shot will be members of the public who may not want to be on our film and will refuse to be filmed.

Similar Film - The Call

The Call
How is the film similar
The male character that kidnaps the man is unknown throughout the film, you never see his full face until the very end.
The victim is a teenage girl, who is kidnapped from a quiet area and is bundled into the boot of the car.
The male character is seen to have committed kidnapping and killing before as at the beginning of The Call we see the same man kidnap and kill another young girl which is the same as our film as we see Ethan delete Hollie as a friend and add someone else suggesting he is about to commit the crime again.

How is it different
The call differs from our film as the main characters are the call centre worker (Halle Berry) and the young girl kidnapped, whereas we just focus on one character, with minor characters. The call also allows us to realise why the man wants to kidnap young girls as he has a childhood issue that led him to do what he has done, however in our film we don't know why Ethan chooses to kidnap girls.