Brief
Important key facts about the Brief The rain dance festival runs from the 19th of September to the 30th. It's a festival for animation, short films, documentaries and music videos. For this task our work has to be completed by Friday 2nd March 2018.The short films have to be under 45 minutes to be acceptable and classed as a short film. They have a quality of narrative and production value within the film. The fine print for this task is that you have to produce your own idea and not take inspiration from any other forms of media. The film must not suggest any use of drug use or abusing drugs and finally it can't have unnecessary or excessive bad language within the film. From this information gathered I can defer that my short film needs to be respectful and keep in mind the age of those watching my final product, nothing of explicit nature. Another key thing to keep in mind is that everything has to be original and my own generated ideas, otherwise the storyline is cheating and wasn't created by myself. |
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Research
What is Schizophrenia?Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that affects about one percent of the population. Schizophrenia causes symptoms such as delusion, hallucination, trouble with thinking and concentration, and lack of motivation. However, when these symptoms are treated, most people with schizophrenia will greatly improve. There is many speculation on what Schizophrenia actually means, it doesn't mean split personality or multiple-personality. Most people with schizophrenia are not dangerous or violent. They are also are not homeless nor do they live in hospital. Most people with schizophrenia live wit family, in group homes or on their own.
Doctors often describe schizophrenia as a type of psychosis. This means the person may not always be able to distinguish their own thoughts and ideas from reality. They get their fantasies confused with reality, meaning they may believe they can do things in which the real world they cannot. Harvard Reference
Ranna Parekh. (2017). What is Schizophrenia?. Available: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/schizophrenia/what-is-schizophrenia. Last accessed 22nd January 2018. N/A. (N/A). Schizophrenia. Available: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/schizophrenia/. Last accessed 22nd January 2018. N/A. (2017). Schizophrenia. Available: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/schizophrenia/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIssXyzdzt2AIVaLftCh2jcAGREAAYASAAEgJ4bPD_BwE#.Wmb6Nrp2uUk. Last accessed 23rd January 2018. N/A. (2017). About Schizophrenia. Available: https://sardaa.org/resources/about-schizophrenia/. Last accessed 23rd January 2018. This is a short film which was made by a film maker, its about schizophrenia and it illustrates the different symptoms involved with Schizophrenia such as paranoia and thinking the TV is talking to you. I think this short film is a good example on how I want to base my short film. |
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
This YouTube video is a discussion about people who have experienced Schizophrenia. The different things in which they have experienced have been: being in their own world, not wanting to talk to anyone, TV's and radios talking to them, paranoia and medication making them drowsy.
Facts about Schizophrenia
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Codes and Conventions- Short Films
One of the main difference between short films and features films is the length of them, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science a short film is ' an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits'.
Why make a short film? Short films are very common for those who are starting out within the industry, it allows the aspiring film makers to create a portfolio which can be shown to get work. It can also highlight your flaws in film making and allow you to improve as a creator. Due to creating a full feature film needing a higher budget it's more money saving to create a smaller short film. Harvard Reference N/A. (2017). What is the Difference between Short Films and Feature Length Films?. Available: http://www.sheffieldav.com/education/short-films-vs-feature-length-films. Last accessed 24th January 2018. |
Characters
In short films there tends to be no more then two to three main character. This is because there is usually not enough time within a short film for there to be character development for each character and not enough time to give each character a back story. Due to there being minimal characters within the film this will allow the audience to be able to relate and connect to the character easier in a shorter period. A Twist Generally, most short films engage a form of twist in their storyline. This is mainly to make the film more engaging and to stand out. As just filming a short film and trying to get everything said in such a short amount of time can be quite boring and not as interesting to watch visually. A twist stands out and will be remembered. Low Budget Short films typically tend to have a low budget. This is due to the fact that most short film directors independently fund the film. They tend to keep their budget low by only using two or three locations and make the storyline accessible to film. Short films tend to cost little anyway purely down to the length of the film. Storyline Short films tend to take a everyday situation that the audience can relate to and then create a twist in the plot. This allows the viewer to connect to the film as well as being interested and entertained by it. The simpler the idea, the easier it will be to film and produce, overall this may work better in making the film more effective for the audience watching it. Todorov’s Theory Todorov's theory of equilibrium is often applied to most short films. This is that equilibrium means everything is normal. Disequilibrium is when a problem occurs, and new equilibrium is when a problem is solved, and everything is back to normal however a change is noticeable. This is typically used within short films, to structure them successfully and thus be more effective on screen. Harvard Reference Scott Kirchgaesser . (2013). Sep 9 Codes and Conventions of short films . Available: http://scott96k.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/codes-and-conventions-of-short-films.html. Last accessed 25th January 2018. |
Codes and Conventions- Psychological thriller
Psychological Thrillers
This is a popular sub-genre of thrillers which is focused mainly on the characters and their development. It often has traits of the mystery and drama genre alongside of the typical traits of the thriller genre. Characters and no longer reliant on physical strength within the genre, now they have to rely on their mental resources to overcome their enemies. Themes within this genre
With Psychological thrillers the conflict is through the mind, skills and wit of the main character rather then fighting physically in thrillers. The characters are now slightly more important to the film then the plot itself. Elements of drama, mystery and horror are usually in Psychological thrillers due to the film empathies on motivation and the mind. In the films there are life and death situations which the characters are placed within, certainly nearer to the end of the film (climax), but this could involve death or danger to the mind. In the end of the film the motives and intentions with in are more important then the technical aspects of how a crime is done.
Harvard Reference n/a. (2012). Elements of the psychological thriller. Available: https://hunterswritings.com/2012/10/12/elements-of-the-psychological-thriller-mystery-suspense-andor-crime-fiction-genres/. Last accessed 23rd Jan 2018. |
Codes and Conventions
These are the typical features found within a psychological thriller film. For example low level lighting will be expected, this is when there is minimal lights used within the shots to enable shadows to be created. This also can create element of fear amongst the audience because the atmosphere has negative connotations. Another typical element found within the films are quick edits and change in camera angles, this increases the feeling of shock and fear within the film. This is often used within significant scenes in order to draw attention to the important moments within the narrative. You are also expected to hear eerie music playing in the background of the film which creates high tension, in contrast to this the use of silence may be explored by the film maker to create more tension and allow the audience to anticipate the scare which will occur. A narrative structure element could be the use of flashbacks, this is scene regularly in psychological thrillers in order to show past moment which inflict the narrative. This gives the audience an insight into why the character are the way the are. The film may be colour corrected to black and white to make the shots appear more dramatic and intense, this also increases the effectiveness of shadows. Harvard Reference Lynette. (2012). Codes and Conventions of a Psycological Thriller.Available: http://thrillerstudies.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/conventions-of-psychological-thriller.html. Last accessed 22nd January . 1. You need to have a good story. Thrillers want to be thrilled. A common element in thrillers is that the protagonist will fall victim to someone else’s scheme and get stuck in a moment of dread. There is a common theme of death and rebirth, these themes are commonly used as it helps the storyline to develop 2. There is always an underdog as the main protagonist , you need to do this as we need our characters to have something to lose. The protagonist gives the story character. Give him baggage and emotional complexity. 3. Multiple points of view can give you great range in a thriller. They allow you inside the heads of many characters, which can build more dramatic tension and irony. 4. Begin the film with an action sequence to illustrate straight away that this is a thriller film 5. Fast pace, short duration clips to keep the film upbeat and fast moving which entices the audience more Harvard Reference Admin. (2008). 10 Basic Ingredients of a Successful Thriller. Available: http://www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-conferencesevents/qp7-migration-maui/10-basic-ingredients-of-a-successful-thriller. Last accessed 24th January 2018. |
Primary Research
I created a survey on the website Survey monkey asking question about the codes and conventions of short films and the genre of my short film: psychological thriller. The questions asked were asking peoples views on the matter and what different people thought of different topics.
For the first question of my survey, asking questions about short films, the genre psychological thriller and schizophrenia I asked 'What things do you expect to see in a psychological thriller?'. Due to this being an open question I got a mixed response with my question, for example one person responded with 'Intrigue, twists, unique perspectives and memorable ending' this identifies with people what people believe is in a psychological thriller, so when I make one I will add in these elements in order for it to be successful and follow the genre correctly. Another person responded 'Dark storyline covering mental and emotions of a protagonist' this basically is saying to give that psychological feel we need to show elements of mental thinking and decisions making within my short film. Overall, these results make it clear in what I should add in the short film in order to follow everyone's expectations. |
The second question I asked within my survey was 'What do you think is the most important for a psychological thriller?'. I got a mixed response for this result which shows to me that many things are key in the making a psychological thriller. The joint highest result was storyline and script which both had 40% of people chose as the most important element of it. Adding to this, the second highest was the script with 20% of people chose. And lastly was music which 0% of people voted for. From these results I can defer that in order for my short film to be a success I need to focus on the structure of the entire thing, basically what I want to be done in the best formatted way. |
The third question within the survey was 'How much do you know about Schizophrenia?' the result were varied yet were more leaning towards not knowing anything rather then knowing. The highest result was 'a bit' in which 60% of people put down as their answer. As the second highest it was joint between 'Not much' and 'Not at all' with both having 20% people voting for each. These results are interesting to me because my entire short film is based around Schizophrenia and because nobody in my survey completely knew anything about it, this means my short film can education other on this mental illness and hopefully helps to get rid of the negative stigma surrounding the illness. |
The fourth question states 'How long do you think a short film should be?', I got a varied response for this question in particular due to many having different views on the length of a short film. This results show that the joint highest times suggested were 1-5 minutes and 16-20 minutes both with 40% of people filling out the survey. The second highest result was 6-10 minutes long with 20%. All the other options got 0%. From these results I can defer that my short film should be under 10 minutes long, this is because most people going for 1-5 minutes and 6-10 minutes. This is because after this amount of time the audience may lose interest and not be as engaged in the film and overall make lose the impact of its ending. |
For the fifth question asked within my survey the question was 'How many characters would you expect to be in a Psychological thriller?'. For this question I received a mixed response. The highest response was two and four which both had 40% of people voting for in the survey. The second highest result on the survey was 1 which had 20%. From these results I can defer that in order for my short film to be a success I need to have a small cast within the film. This will stop the film from getting too confusing and allow the characters to development. In order for the film to be effective it needs minimal characters as you don't have long within the film to share things about the characters and allow the audience to understand. |
Analysing Videos
PropsIn this short film there are a lot of props used in order to show meaning and act as a transition into another scene. For example there is a scene when our main character is staring at a playing card in his room. This acts as a transition into a flashback of him and his brother. This McGuffin allows us as an audience to see our main characters emotional connection to his brother. We can defer the constant pain experienced by the main character as every little thing reminds him of his brother and has memory linking to it. As an audience we empathise with his character as we understand how bad his mental health has reached.
Again, coins are used as another prop which transitions our main character into a flashback with his brother. The movement of the coins being thrown works effectively in linking the two scenes together and we can see the connection between the two moments. Everything reminds him of his brother. Colour correcting has also been used within the scene, before the transition the scene has cold blue toned colours and wen it transitions into the flashback the scene becomes warmer and more yellow toned. This is used to show the emotional difference between each scene, we can defer how happy our main character was with his brother. Another prop used within the film are pills within a wooden box. The pills signify our main characters control, if he takes the pills he will never see his brother again, the denial of taking his pills shows that he is not mentally capable of getting over his brothers death. He would rather sacrifice his mental health then being with his brother once again.
The storyline is about a boy called Evan dealing with the death of his brother, his mental health is on the line due to his refusal of taking pills. The narrative hints that he has some form of Schizophrenia or PTSD because he keeps hallucinating and seeing his brother, this illustrates that he is dealing with something bigger then grief and sadness. His mum is busy working and really only has his sister to look after him. These screenshots are from the short film the first screenshot is the view in which his sister is looking out onto, showing Evan talking to himself. The dark colours illustrate the raw harsh truth of the situation. The second screenshot shows what Evan sees, him and his brother play fighting, the light colour in the video shows the happiness and dream like feel insinuated by this clip.
I believe they did this in order to shine a light on mental health and show the harshness and the raw truth behind this issue. It helps in getting rid of the negative stigma surrounding this topic. There's a narrative structure elements within the short film for example the use of flashbacks are used effectively to inform the audience about the past and why the characters are the way they are. W can understand the sadness Evan's character is enduring due to the connection he has with his brother. LightingThis film has low key lighting through out it which goes against the typical conventions of a psychological thriller and what you expect to see. This is because the director/film maker is trying to subvert the audience from believing that something bad is happening within the film, they want you to believe everything is normal and a boy is just having flashbacks of his brother before he died. Yet, this intensifies the twist at the end of the film when as an audience you realise that they aren't memories the boy thinks his brother is still here and he is pretending he is. The use of high key lighting subdues this and hides all the bad that will happen, it creates an element of shock at the end. However, to show that something sad and monotonous is happening within the film it has been colour corrected to be dull grey shades and with an undertone of blue. This allows the audience to distinguish this isn't going to be a happy film. Yet, the bright high key lighting signifies light and happiness which is trying to be presented as the normality within the film.
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LocationThis is a screenshot from the short film 'Images', this is from the opening sequence within the film where there are jump cuts of the boy making himself food. The whole film is located within a modern minimalistic house. This is because the narrative is based around family who is coping with the death of their brother/son. The house appears empty with only crucial items in it for example a table, yet the items in which personalise the house are missing. This gives off negative connotations surrounding the idea of family and love, from this we can indicate this is a broken household. Also, the walls and the furniture are all dull shades of grey which indicate the emotion of sadness and emptiness, from this I can defer this house is no longer a home it is just a house. The film being shot in the house sets the scene by illustrating that this character has a mundane boring life due to being anti-social and not wanting to leave his home. It also allows us an audience to understand the narrative, there are family issues and we are going to set the scene where it all happens. We can see the impact of the brother/sons death in the household by having an insight into the characters home lives. The fact the film isn't shot completely in low key lighting suggests that nothing too dark or sinister will occur in the film. It shows that the family is recovering and are out of the darkest stages of grief, we can defer there is still sadness within the household because the shots taken aren't very bright or full of colour, due to colour corrections. As an audience we can understand that nothing horrific will occur in the film and this shows something bad has already happened.
CostumeOur main character Evan is wearing a casual outfit, hoodie, T-shirt and shorts, this illustrates that he is not planning to go anywhere fancy or even leave the area of his house. This indicates he may not be socially capable for leaving the safety of his home and where his brother lives. His outfit also illustrates he doesn't take care in his appearance due to not wearing the most fashionable clothes and basic items. The dull washed out colour of his clothes signifies his emotions and how he is switched off from the outside world, we can see that his character is sad and dull constantly. His clothes illustrate to the audience straight away his characters emotions and how he feels. This means as an audience from the beginning we could work out the narrative.
Evan's sister is wearing a well put together formal outfit, blouse and waist coat, this is mainly because her character works and has a full time job. This contrasts with Evan's character, this allows us ot understand that her character has coped better with the death in the family and how she is moving on from the situation. She obviously takes care in her appearance due to her clothes looking nice and ironed and clean, we can defer that she has expected the death in the family. The dark waist coat indicates her mature tastes and shows she is older then Evan and has taken the role of the 'mum' in their relationship. |
Second Analysis
In the short film 'Depth' a typewriter was used as the main prop, this was used when the main character typed up messages upon it. I found this prop disturbing and eerie, this is due to the characters denial of modern technology. A typewriter being used is very unusual in the modern world, yet this character still uses one. This makes the audience question his intentions and question why he is using this device. The low level lighting used within shots with the typewriter makes the typewriter look more dramatic and helps to build tension within the short film.
Another prop used with the film is a knife. The knife works as McGuffin for the plot of the film, the knife is the murder weapon and helps to drive the plot. Knives has connotations of fighting, death and killing, thus us seeing the knife as an audience we understand that someone is going to be killed within the film. The sound effects of the knife being sharpened and taken out of its leather case add to tension within the scene and thus making it clear the knife will bring evil to the film. |
LocationThe short film 'Depth' is set in a wooded area, which appears to be in the middle of nowhere. The house shown in the screenshot is deserted and alone in the mist of fields and trees. The darkness of the surrounding forest has connotations of evil which foreshadows the events in the book. The location is very eerie and abandoned which suggests to the audience that something bad will happen or has happened, in a way it foreshadows the destruction of the place. The tall trees surrounding the house signify the entrapment of the house and those occupying it, this creates negative connotations which highlights the themes within psychological thriller. Dramatic horror music plays alongside the establishing shots of the area, this allows the audience to make the link between the fearful sounds and location. We begin to feel on edge and tense whenever we see this location.
The second location shown within the film is inside the house where the ‘type writer’ types up messages at his desk. The room has low key lighting which indicates something eerie or evil will take place or happen in this location. The minimalistic/ emptiness of the room has connotations of neglect and makes us believe the area may have been abandoned, this sets the short films narrative up and gives an eerie vibe to the audience watching it. The use of close ups within the scene gives an unnerving view of the room and makes us as an audience feel cautious about it, hinting that something dark will take place. The final location shown in the short film is the lake, in which the murder scene takes place. The dark murky water creates a negative atmosphere as we can defer something bad will happen within the water. The colour black represents evil and darkness, so by going into the water you are being consumed by evil. The film maker purposely plays a tense soundtrack over the scene, we realise the lake is a bad place to be. This can work as a useful tool in engaging the audience as they may know something the characters don’t. This allows tension to be built via the audience as they become protective over the characters within the water and want them to be safe yet can’t do anything about it. Low level lighting is used within the shot to make the scene more dramatic and dark for those watching it, thus building more tension. Costume The type writers outfit is light and bright, he is wearing a white shirt and cream coloured shorts. This outfit appears smart and clean, this indicates that the typewriter is an organised and together person. Or this could illustrate he cares about his appearance or that his character cares about others perception of him. The colour white, which he is wearing, has connotations of brightness and happiness, this signifies the together and happy side he has. Yet, this is contrasted later as the type writer gains another conscious in which is a murderer. This could show his innocence in the beginning which quickly disappears. The fact that his clothes are together, and his shirt is tucked into his shorts also illustrates how he is conforming to society rules and in some way follows the crowd (is not a rebel). A long shot is used to show off the entirety of his outfit on camera and thus allow the audience to make a perception of him.
The second character within the short film is only in the film briefly, it is the girl who is drowned in the water. In her first appearance she is dripping wet wearing a black dress. The colour black has connotations of evil and trouble, this could signify the girls character. As an audience we don't want to trust her character as she appears evil and non-relatable in the scene. Due to her dripping wet with water this foreshadows later on in the film when the type writer guy drowns the girl. This fits the usual image of the genre of psychological thriller due to the twists and disturbing nature of the scene. We can understand that something is stand out and different with this character. When the girl is in shot there is low level lighting, to match her dark outfit, this builds tension and makes the audience cautious about this girl. |
Narrative
This short film is about a murder which takes place is an abandoned countryside, I believe this is a good narrative storyline for a Psychological thriller due to it having some of the common conventions presented in them e.g. murder and mystery elements. The short film follows a linear narrative, moving from beginning to middle then to end, this is done to make sure the audience follow alongside the storyline and it gives them the same amount of information as the characters do. This means they can watch alongside with the characters, thus making them align with specific characters and get more engaged into the film. From my research of psychological thriller films the conflict comes from the individual and inside their mind, this short film lives up to this convention as the main character appears to have split personality disorder, where he becomes to versions of himself.
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Lighting
Low key lighting is used throughout the film. This is used because it is a typical convention of the Psychological thriller genre and must be used in order to create tension and make moments within the film eerie and displeasing for the audience watching. By using low key lighting it helps in developing tension as many know that bad things happen when its darker, because of it the film maker has manipulated this into making the audience feel scared and nervous for what's going to happen within the film. Low key lighting is understood by many as stating that something bad is happening or going to happen within the film so by using it the audience already know what to expect and may get scared because thy know something bad is going to happen.
Infographic
Evaluation
What have you been asked to do?
I was asked to produce a film, music video or documentary which followed the guidelines of no foul language and drug use to be submitted into the rain dance festival. I personally decided on making a short film as I thought this would be the most beneficial in developing my skills. I wanted to improve structuring together a film and the skills needed for it to be successful as I feel I am lagging in this skill. Therefore by doing a short film I will be able to improve this skill and become a more rounded film maker in terms of what I can do and to what standard. I had to make myself a brief to give myself an idea of what I was producing. For example, I needed to know the target audience of the short film I was making and the genre of it as well. This brief would help me in creating a successful short film which would be structured and formatted to fit the codes and conventions of its genres. And overall be acceptable to be submitted to the festival. |
How has writing the brief helped you to finalise your idea?
By writing the brief I felt like this helped me in generating ideas for my short film. I had the idea of my film being about schizophrenic and someone who suffers with severe level of schizophrenia. By writing up about the individual elements in which helped to create the film, such as the genre and the target audience within it, this allowed me to be able to structure the storyline of my entire short film. I was able to understand the particular things I could add in, for example if I was showing my film to a young audience I couldn't have as explicit content where as for a teenage audience this would be appropriate and more engaging for them to watch. In order for my short film to be a success I needed to have a clear idea in what I wanted to produce and how I was going to do so. The brief really made it clear what I had to do and how to start the pre-production planning stage, script writing and making story boards. |
How has analysing videos helped you to understand the genre better?
I analysed two short psychological thriller films which covered different topics, yet both shared similar conventions. I think by analysing the short films this allowed me to put into practice those conventions I had previously researched. For example one convention being that the characters are more important then the plot and the main characters help to drive the plot onwards. The films worked as good examples around psychological thrillers and what to expect from them, I made notes on the ways in which the film makers produced the films. For example from both films I can have seen the use of low level lighting in order to give a more dramatic tense look to the feel. Also, the use of blue in colour correcting the film, the colour blue has conventions of sadness and isolation which is common themes presented in psychological thrillers. Just from analysing these videos I have picked up on this element which I will bring back to my own production and how I create that. Another thing I have learnt from analysing two short films is within the narrative flashbacks are useful in presenting information clearly to the audience, which you with holding for any reason. They give the character more depth and really allow us as an audience to align with them and feel sorry for them, this audience engagement is key for the short film to be success. From example in the short film 'Images' we see scenes which the boy is remembering about his brother. From this we can see how close their relationship was and thus understand how much the impact of his brothers death hurt him. |
What are you using in your production from this analysis?
I have used the two short film videos as a guideline on how to produce my own film. I did this my watching how they structured a psychological thriller short film together, for example they generally have flash backs within the film to show past moment and there is usually a twist at the end of the film. From the analysis from these films I can defer that the music is key to building tension and making the film live up to the Psychological thriller genre. I will definitely add this element to my film, I want to experiment with the use of sound in my production to engage the audience and make them feel tense and scared. |
Idea Discussion
I sat down with a few members of my class and discussed my film to them. I wanted to check with other people to see what they thought about my film or if they had any ideas on how to improve the story further. For example, I told Grace that my ending involved by main character realising their best friend wasn't real. Grace suggested that I should have a more gripping ending which shocks the audience, this is how I generated the idea of the mum being 'killed' in the film which in actual fact was just an hallucination. I changed my script and wrote this into it, by doing this it made my short film more gripping and dark, which follows the themes of psychological thrillers. By doing this it will ensure that my film is one hundred percent flaw proof before I go and film it or worse case scenario it will allow me to bounce my ideas of others and get a better storyline which I prefer. Either way by talking to others it will improve my film as I understand the type of film people are looking for and what they want to get out of the psychological thriller. I generally got positive feedback about my film idea, the biggest caution was being respectful and doing research before making the film in order for it to be realistic and not offensive to those who have the mental health problem schizophrenia. By doing research abut the topic I have become more educated and feel as if I can make a more realistic film based around this mental health problem.
This here is an YouTube video of Grace David and I discussing our films:
This here is an YouTube video of Grace David and I discussing our films: