On 30/11/17 I will be meeting with a potential cast member (HOMELESS MAN) and the owner of my preferable location. If he is up for taking on a role I hope to arrange a date of filming with him and pass this on to my other cast members. I will also use this weekend to try find an actor for the role of CRYING GIRl, and take headshot of the actors.
8/12/17 - Dennis agreed to play HOMELESS MAN, and the location is secured.
Thursday, 30 November 2017
Monday, 27 November 2017
Location
I shortlisted 3 possible sets for the short film, scouting each location before deciding on where to set majority of the film.
In dark comedies, quirkey behaviour/events are often in contrast with a seemingly 'normal' setting, hence the premise for my location ...
A description of the ideal location; A semi-detached house, with a garden and windows. Quiet neighbourhood, local, accessible.
Location 2
I spoke to the owner and scouted the house, but due to the location I will not be filming here; its quite far to travel for the cast and myself. Furthermore the house would preferably by semi-detached.
I will be using the interior of this house for some scenes, it's my house so no need to travel, and I wrote the script with my home in mind. However it is not easy accessible for the cast and having scouted the street (shots below) it is far too remote, and scenic - so all exterior scenes will be shot elsewhere.
In dark comedies, quirkey behaviour/events are often in contrast with a seemingly 'normal' setting, hence the premise for my location ...
A description of the ideal location; A semi-detached house, with a garden and windows. Quiet neighbourhood, local, accessible.
Location 1
Location 2
I spoke to the owner and scouted the house, but due to the location I will not be filming here; its quite far to travel for the cast and myself. Furthermore the house would preferably by semi-detached.
Location 3
I will be using the interior of this house for some scenes, it's my house so no need to travel, and I wrote the script with my home in mind. However it is not easy accessible for the cast and having scouted the street (shots below) it is far too remote, and scenic - so all exterior scenes will be shot elsewhere.
27/11/17
"I've currently got your R+P mark as 17/20. This reflects a well written and insightful body of work which I would describe and very proficient and in places, excellent. I feel that you could have covered the technical elements in your descriptions of films from the genre in more depth.
Your screenplay is challenging and inventive and I think if you pull it off, will be a great little oddity! And after your fantasy film last year, I'm don't doubt that you will."
To get this mark to a shinning standard I'll be going through my work on genre, and adding in some technical elements, such as shot types, and editing conventions within dark comedy.
I have since addressed this, putting technical analysis into my post on Fargo.
"This is a great post Amy, clearly established primary and secondary TA based on well founded information, well done."
Woohoo! No work needed there clearly! Well done to me :)
Your screenplay is challenging and inventive and I think if you pull it off, will be a great little oddity! And after your fantasy film last year, I'm don't doubt that you will."
To get this mark to a shinning standard I'll be going through my work on genre, and adding in some technical elements, such as shot types, and editing conventions within dark comedy.
I have since addressed this, putting technical analysis into my post on Fargo.
Woohoo! No work needed there clearly! Well done to me :)
Monday, 20 November 2017
Characters and cast
HALLIAM - William Spence
As my brother, William will be incredibly easy to use. He is eager to play a part, having starred in my film opening last year.
Costume
His character will wear; A blue long sleeved T shirt, underneath a red short sleeved T shirt, black skinny jeans, and pumps.
KEVIN - Matty Firth
I met Matty through a Facebook page for filmmakers. It’s a risk working with a stranger in that you cannot known their ability/ skill level, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. Below are screenshots from my conversations with Matty in preparation for production.
Costume
Very smart, but odd. A waistcoat and shirt done to the top with no tie. I think I can source this costume through friends/family. Needed; Shirt, smart trousers and shoes, tank top/ waistcoat.
Having rang Kevin, he has volunteered to source his own costume.
Kevin has OCD, a mental disorder where people feel the need to check things repeatedly, perform certain routines repeatedly ("rituals"), or have certain thoughts repeatedly. People are unable to control their thoughts or activities for more than a short period of time. Dark comedy is not unfamiliar with mental health or disability, with representation (good and bad) in League of Gentlemen and Psychoville.
HOMELESS MAN - Denis Spence
Below is a sketch I have drawn up to show my idea for this character's atheistic (completed before finding an actor).
Costume
This nameless character will wear an assembly of torn, scatty clothing. A scruffy shirt (with subtle blue and red stripes), emphasising his delusion through the haphazard way in which it is has being fastened.
I visited Denis in person to ask him to act in this short film, I followed up our meeting with this email.
Needed for costume; Over sized scruffy fleece, scruffy T shirt, hat, Hiking boots (unlaced). Dennis has added some nice touches to this costume - he purposely buttoned his shirt wrong, to enhance the portrayal of his inept character.
POLICE OFFICER - Michelle Spence
As a family member, Michelle will be easy to use.
I am hoping to rent a costume for this character from West Yorkshire Playhouse.
Unfortunately the playhouse did not stock the suitable sized police costume, and so today I will visit Jay's Fancy dress shop in search of a costume. I have rang them to ask about stock, and they conformed they stock a suitable costume.
Unfortunately the playhouse did not stock the suitable sized police costume, and so today I will visit Jay's Fancy dress shop in search of a costume. I have rang them to ask about stock, and they conformed they stock a suitable costume.
LIZARD
Not exactly cast but there are things to be taken into consideration when working with animals. To make sure my use of animals complied with regulations I acquired the RSPCA's guidelines.
Particularly when working with reptiles, it is important they stay warm; reptiles can't be out of their enclosure for long periods of time (causing complications with travelling), and can not be outside in cold temperatures. This means we will have to adapt some of our filming locations.
There are risks when working with animals, for example, they might poo on the costumes.
Monday, 13 November 2017
Storyboard
Inspiring my own story board, below is an extract from dark comedy series, Fargo.
To draw the shots in my storyboard I used adobe draw and adobe capture, (applications shown in screen shot below). Not only is this incredibly easy to use, I can access my shots from any device, and produce scalable vector images. I've worked previously with this application, however picked up further information from the video below. I will combine and order each shot using a free, celtx application.
Below is my storyboard, I will be using this as a rough guide whilst filming.
To draw the shots in my storyboard I used adobe draw and adobe capture, (applications shown in screen shot below). Not only is this incredibly easy to use, I can access my shots from any device, and produce scalable vector images. I've worked previously with this application, however picked up further information from the video below. I will combine and order each shot using a free, celtx application.
Below is my storyboard, I will be using this as a rough guide whilst filming.
Tuesday, 7 November 2017
Fargo
A 1996 British-American black comedy crime film written, produced, edited, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It’s grotesque and comedic - a brilliantly quirky dark comedy.
A reoccurring element of the film is the vast blank landscapes. Like other dark comedies, location is used to reflect a character's situation - here Fargo is a subordinate member of society, helpless, and discompose. The symbolism of a small man made vehicle amongst an overpowering setting portrays this well.
In an obvious contrast, minimal lighting is used to suggest danger.
The Coen’s use stunning long shots to create space, and momentum. See this tracking shot below.
Tension is created through the use of slowly paced shots; In one slowly paced scene, strewn homely items are shown in a montage of POV shots (point of view), portraying to characters weakness and fear.
In a comedic way, the Coen's juxtapose diegetic and non diegetic sound to directly contrast the dark elements within the narrative with the normality of a 1980's American life. In a scene where a woman is kidnapped from her own home, a monotonous TV commentary clashes with the woman's scream and the sound of smashing glass. This is underlined by Burwell's sinister score. This use of sound reflects a reoccurring element within dark comedy - carnage and chaos amongst the mundane.
The soundtrack (by Carter Burwell) is very effective. The sparse, fiddle lead score explores Scandinavian folk music. Despite the comedic nature of the film, Burwell used his soundtrack to create as a stern, morbid atmosphere.
"The scene is Minnesota and North Dakota in a winter whiteout, and the exaggerated cheerfulness of the characters only makes the situation more lonely and hopeless. I wanted to contrast the smallness of their humanity with the endless white landscape by playing them with fragile solo instruments: harp, celesta, and hardanger fiddle. The hardanger - native to Scandinavia - is a fiddle with sympathetic strings that add a shimmering glowing drone to the played notes."
The film was a great success, with a budget of $70 million the film made $60.6 million at the box office.
A reoccurring element of the film is the vast blank landscapes. Like other dark comedies, location is used to reflect a character's situation - here Fargo is a subordinate member of society, helpless, and discompose. The symbolism of a small man made vehicle amongst an overpowering setting portrays this well.
In an obvious contrast, minimal lighting is used to suggest danger.
The Coen’s use stunning long shots to create space, and momentum. See this tracking shot below.
Tension is created through the use of slowly paced shots; In one slowly paced scene, strewn homely items are shown in a montage of POV shots (point of view), portraying to characters weakness and fear.
In a comedic way, the Coen's juxtapose diegetic and non diegetic sound to directly contrast the dark elements within the narrative with the normality of a 1980's American life. In a scene where a woman is kidnapped from her own home, a monotonous TV commentary clashes with the woman's scream and the sound of smashing glass. This is underlined by Burwell's sinister score. This use of sound reflects a reoccurring element within dark comedy - carnage and chaos amongst the mundane.
The soundtrack (by Carter Burwell) is very effective. The sparse, fiddle lead score explores Scandinavian folk music. Despite the comedic nature of the film, Burwell used his soundtrack to create as a stern, morbid atmosphere.
"The scene is Minnesota and North Dakota in a winter whiteout, and the exaggerated cheerfulness of the characters only makes the situation more lonely and hopeless. I wanted to contrast the smallness of their humanity with the endless white landscape by playing them with fragile solo instruments: harp, celesta, and hardanger fiddle. The hardanger - native to Scandinavia - is a fiddle with sympathetic strings that add a shimmering glowing drone to the played notes."
"... I found a folk tune that had become a hymn called "The Lost Sheep." Its title was perfect for Bill Macy's character, but its soulful sadness was perfect for the film as a whole, so I expanded on it using a film-noir orchestration. It became the opening music for the film." - Carter
Stark, hollow soundtracks, such as this one are a convention within dark comedy, contributing to the ominous narratives.
The film was a great success, with a budget of $70 million the film made $60.6 million at the box office.
Wednesday, 1 November 2017
Publicity
Below is the Facebook page for Inside No.9. They have used this to promote individual episodes and update fans on upcoming series' and cast, etc. I will base the content and structure of my page from this one.
I have used Facebook to cast hunt, and so far had two responses for the part of Kevin, and an offer to compose for the film/ free access to original music as a soundtrack. I posted in a group called "Northern Film makers", a group with over 5300 members, below is my post.
Through this I have met an actor interested in playing the role of Kevin.
Following the pre production of my short film I will be posting updates to a Facebook page. So far I have used the page to distribute a survey on dark comedy.
I have now further used my Facebook page to publish the news of actor conformations, stages in production etc, subsequently summoning a larger audience.
Like inside No.9 I will be releasing promotional images throughout production (e.g. below)
I have also posted behind the scenes type posts, and regularly update the page profile and header picture.
In addition to Facebook, I have used Twitter to promote my page, as users of one often commit to both sites.
Whilst experimenting with my poster title I stumbled on this, and thought it would make a pretty sweet Facebook header, so I went ahead and uploaded it.
I have used Facebook to cast hunt, and so far had two responses for the part of Kevin, and an offer to compose for the film/ free access to original music as a soundtrack. I posted in a group called "Northern Film makers", a group with over 5300 members, below is my post.
Through this I have met an actor interested in playing the role of Kevin.
Following the pre production of my short film I will be posting updates to a Facebook page. So far I have used the page to distribute a survey on dark comedy.
I have now further used my Facebook page to publish the news of actor conformations, stages in production etc, subsequently summoning a larger audience.
Like inside No.9 I will be releasing promotional images throughout production (e.g. below)
I have also posted behind the scenes type posts, and regularly update the page profile and header picture.
In addition to Facebook, I have used Twitter to promote my page, as users of one often commit to both sites.
Whilst experimenting with my poster title I stumbled on this, and thought it would make a pretty sweet Facebook header, so I went ahead and uploaded it.
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