Visual effect - Snow - Jack and Mia

Seeing as we want to create a 'Christmassy' effect we think it would be appropriate to have some shots involving snow. However, obviously we cannot predict the weather and so therefore we will be creating our own snow within visual effects.
Here are some examples that we have researched of the type of snow effect that we would like to create:

House Location-Frankie and Ella

The exterior of the house.
This is going to be featured in our film numerous times, to give an idea of the setting and to portray parts of our narrative. We decided to use this particular location as we thought it looked quite traditional, which is key to our narrative.

The Living Room.

This will be the main room in which most of our shots will take place. This is where the key event will happen. Once again, we thought this room had the traditional feel that would create the right tone for our film. We will be adding some of our own Christmas decorations to this room as we want it to look really over the top, and will also be putting the Christmas tree next to the t.v, so that it is in a key position.






Christmas Tree.

This is obviously a key feature to our film as the theme of our narrative is Christmas! We will be using this prop in a number of shots. We plan to move it into the living room (see above).



The Dining Room.

We will be using this room for out final scene, where the family will be having Christmas dinner and our final twist is revealed.  We thought that this would be a good room to use as it has a big dining table that we plan to fill up with Christmas food and have the family sitting around, creating the ideal Christmas image.

Test Shots- Ella and Jack

Here is a sequence that we filmed, primarily so that we could test out the snow effect, however we were also able to test the cropping of 2:35 that we will be placing on the film. We feel that this crop gives the film a much more cinematic look. Additionally, we also feel that changing the colour balance to a more 'cold' feel will give the scene a much more realistic effect. Below are some examples in which we adapted the colour balance, framing and cropping that we wish to be apparent within our film.

With colour correction
No crop filter

 

Close up shot
With colour correction
With crop filter - 2:35



 

 

 



Mise en Scene- Mia and Jack

In order to emphasise the Christmas theme, we think using the typical colours of; green, red, gold, and silver, would be particuarly effective in signifying the event and the mise en scene around Christmas. We want to ensure that these colours are in most of the shots so the theme of christmas is conveyed throughout the film.

 

This image is obviously very Christmassy and We think it is important that the theme is emphasised as much as possible as it also reflects the family's thoughts and feelings towards the event - which are evidently positive. The young girl, in particular, is very excited for christmas up until the event of 'Santa' kissing the mother. We want to ensure that her positive attitude towards Christmas is portrayed throughout the film so the shock of the kiss shared between the mum and 'Santa' is dramatic and shocking for the child.

Screen grabs- Frankie and Ella

below is a screen grab from a short film found on the website Vimeo, a website that features short videos and short films, entitled 'Happy holidays'. This shot particularly intrigued us due to the set up of the room and the lighting. firstly the layout of the room instantly tells the audience that it is Christmas, due to the key props, such as Christmas tree, Christmas lights, stockings and the presents. We intend to use similar props and layout in our living room of our setting. The lighting in this shot almost makes the scene look magical, this links with the theme of christmas as it is known to be a magical season.

Also in this film i have taken a few screen grabs of a sequence that i thought was a nice idea, that portrayed the young boys excitement for christmas morning. This is represented by his body language as he runs out of his room, slides and runs down the stairs in excitement.

 Again we liked the mise en scene of this scene, the little details of tinsel around the stair case ect. the lighting in this also looks like they have used a orange filter over the main lights to create a warmth to the room. the young boys outfit also portrays christmas with the colour of red on his pyjamas, it also represents the young boys age.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

 Another film found on Vimeo, entitled Snowglobe, has some nice examples of shallow depth of field using snowglobes. Below is the shot we intend to use the insperation taken from the taken sceen grabs.

This is an example of how shallow we would like our depth of field in the shot below.

 

Animatic - Mia, Jack, Frankie and Ella

Animatic with voiceover

Silent animatic

Soundtrack Ideas- Mia and Jack

We have looked at a number of different soundtracks which we would like to include in our film as both diegetic and non-deigetic sound. We have decided that we would want multiple soundtracks in order to fit in with the different contexts.

One example that we have found is a soundtrack called 'All The Family Together'.

http://francescodandrea.bandcamp.com/track/all-the-family-together

We think this would be appropriate for the opening sequence of the film, which includes the opening shot of the house, and introduces the family who are initially decorating the Christmas tree. We feel this would be apparent because the sequence is very gradual and up-beat which is parallel to the soundtrack.

Another example is a a song by Mantovani & His Orchestra which is a cover of Jingle Bells:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-8NHPasVlo

We would also like to include a traditional Christmas song which will be well known to a wide audience as we would like to emphasise the traditional Christmas events so that the spectator will be able to relate. However to create a more modern twist to the sequence we would like to use the traditional songs but covered by a modern artist.
Here are some examples of the covers:

This is a collection of different royalty free Christmas music. We think that some of the songs would be good to use over our short film as they are upbeat, and create the right mood for our narrative.

Camera Equipment- Jack, Ella and Frankie

Canon 550D

We will be using our own camera to film throughout the short. We have chosen to do so, as this camera is very high quality as it is extremely high resolution giving a more realistic image. The camera is also lightweight and therefore travel friendly, this is important as we will need to carry it from different locations.

We will also be using a tripod to help steady our camera in some scenes. However most of the film will be shot handheld

Accompanying the camera we will be using the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Lens. we have chosen to use this lense as it delivers sharp images and produces produces a very effective shallow depth of field. Shallow depth of field will be useful as it will allow the spectator to focus on the specific subject that we have chosen to focus on. However the problem with this lens is that it is 50mm meaning that it is very cropped (zoomed in) which will limit the amount that we will be able to have differentiating shots. 


As well as this, we will also be using the Sigma 30mm f/1.4. This lens will allow us to shoot well in low light which will be essential for the night time shots within our film, for example the night shots when the daughter and mother visit the Christmas market. Additionally this lens can also produce very shallow depth of field, more than the Canon 50mm as it goes down to an F stop of 1.4 which will allow the spectator to focus on the subject even more. Seeing as the lens is also 30mm this means that it is not as cropped (zoomed in) as the 50mm and this will give us a lot more flexibility within differentiating the different types of shots. 

First Ideas on Sound- Frankie and Ella

In our short film we have minimal dialogue, therefore our audience will be relying on the diegetic and non diegetic sound, that will be produced in editing, to set the mood. To produce our non diegetic foleys we will be using the programme Garage-band, on the Mac computers. As for the non diegetic Christmas music throughout the film we hope to produce a few, however we may take a few off of the website 'Incompitech', these are non copyrighted music soundtracks - some of the soundtracks may also be diegetic as the character may be listening to them on the buildup of Christmas.

Experiment- Advent Calander Shot- Frankie and Ella

In our film we plan to incorporate an advent calender as it is a key part of traditional Christmas. Originally, we had planned to buy an old-fashioned wooden advent calender,as it would look more traditional.

However, we realised that this would be expensive to buy, and difficult to film as we wanted to create a really interesting shot. So we then decided that we would use a more basic advent calender, that we plan to buy from a supermarket.


To create the shot, we are going to cut into the advent calender, and film from behind it, therefore we will be able to create the image of Jennifer opening the window and will be able to see her from inside the calender.


Here Are The Test Shots: Mia is acting as Jennifer, and the paper is acting as the advent calender. The camera will be behind the calender, looking at Jennifer through the window.

Lighting- Frankie and Ella and Mia

We will be using LED lighting, for the effect of natural lighting and to provide a well lit shot for the shoot. We have experimented with different filters to give the appearance of different lighting.

We will be using our own studio light kit for a more accurate colour representation, it allows us to repositioning the lights in location, height or angle.

Above we have an experiement of the yellow filter- we wont be using this filter as it tends to age the film for a more sepia effect.

Above we have the yellow and orange fliter combined, this creates a very strong 'orangey' effect, that is possibly too bright for our film, and we want a softer tone of warmth.

Here we have used a purple filter, this makes the scene look colder. We may use this filter when we shoot the scene with the young girl at the window, to show the change of the weather which represents the days going by.

This is an example of the red filter, we will be using this in when shooting, as it gives a subtle yet very effective warmth to the shot, and adds to the 'Christmassy' feel of our story.

Costume Ideas- Frankie and Ella

Costume Decisions

 

 

Our film features 3 main characters:

• Mother
• Father
• Jennifer

The costumes for these characters will be fairly normal, as we want to portray social realism in our film.


Mother:
The mother will be wearing causal clothes, typical for a woman in her thirties. She will probably be dressed in jeans and a top for most of the film, however she will also need winter clothes for the 'market scene'.






 Jennifer:

Jennifer will be wearing a range of costumes throughout the film. For example on Christmas evening, she will be wearing a cute onesie, and in the market scene, she will be wearing warm clothes as we will be filming her mother wrapping her up.









Father:
We will be needing a father Christmas outfit for the father character. Below is a screen grab of us buying the full set.

Key Concepts Of Our Narrative - Frankie and Ella

Representation:
In our film we will be representing age, as our narrative features a young girl and her parents. We will be attempting to portray a traditional representation, as we want to emphasis the traditional elements of the Christmas season. However, our film also features modern representations, as at the end of the narrative, the young girl finds out that father Christmas isn't real. Overall, our film highlights the traditional feel of Christmas and the build up to Christmas day, and then shows a modern twist on the 'perfect christmas'.

Genre:
Our short film resists being put into a genre category, however it does have elements of social realism. We will attempt to portray this through different features of mise en scene; for example, the costumes that we plan to use will be realistic to the characters (see costume post). Furthermore, we will be using camera shots such as close up's to show our characters, and long shots to establish our location, all to highlight the realism of our narrative. I think that the realistic nature of our film will make it more appealing, as it allows the audience to connect with the characters and the story, as it is believable.

Audience:
The target audience for our short film will be a range of different ages, as older people will be able to relate to the parent characters, however younger children (aged 10+) can relate to the young girl. Although young children will not be able to watch the film as they will still believe in Father Christmas and our narrative may upset them.

Narrative:
Our narrative will be linear, to keep the plot clear and easy to understand, as there is a lot going on. You can apply Todorov's theory to our narrative, as there is an equilibrium, when the girl is looking forward to Christmas and enjoying the festive season, then the disruption when she see's her mother and father Christmas exchanging a kiss and a watch, but finally a new equilibrium, as she see's the watch on her father, and realises that it was her dad all along. Levi Strauss narrative theory can also be applied as our film shows binary oppositions, as the mother and also the father are considered 'good', however father christmas becomes to be considered 'evil' as he is seen kissing the mum, but then we find out that father christmas and the father are the same so they are both considered to be 'good' again.

Media Language:
We plan to use tracking shots and long shots to show the setting of a homely, christmassy house. One interesting technique we plan to use, is filming from behind an advent calender, and filming the young girl from inside it. We will be using a filter over the lights to create a warmer tone, therefore emphasising the Christmas feel.

Risk Assessment - Ella and Frankie

We will be discussing the activities to be taken, hazards and risks we may encounter. We aim to overcome the following hazards with a safety brief before hand so that all the students and actors are aware of the possible dangers which will enable them to take more care.

Walking to and from filming location;

• Traffic- Being knocked down
• Uneven Paths- Slip/Trip/Fall
• Other Pedestrians- Bumping into others and fall

We must be especially careful with our young actor, make sure she is always being looked after and behaving safely.

Filming in the car;

• Must wear seat belts.
• Be aware of pedestrians around whilst the car is moving.
• The driver must also have a valid driving licence.
• The driver will not be filming, no distractions.
• if we are using lighting within the car we must make sure it docent dazzle the driver or any passers by.

Filming equipment;

• Theft- Continual awareness.
• Keep young actor away from all equipment.
• we will be using a tripod, when we do so we must ensure we place it in a suitable place and that we don't trip over it.

Short Film Synopsis - Jack, Ella, Mia, Frankie

The narrative is based on a young girl’s excitement and emotions during the build up to Christmas. She will be enjoying the traditional Christmas events with her family, as Christmas day gets closer. By Christmas Eve, she is extremely excited and struggling to get to sleep. Whilst lying in bed, she hears a noise coming from downstairs, and sneaks to the banister in hope of seeing Santa. However, to her surprise she witnesses her mother and whom she thinks is Santa, eating the treats under the tree, swapping gifts (a watch) and sharing a kiss. In shock, she runs back to bed and attempts to get to sleep.

Christmas morning has arrived, and the girl does not feel much excitement following the night’s events. Her parents call her downstairs to open her presents from Santa, however she looks at them in disgust.  Christmas lunch comes, and she is still not happy. However, as her father reaches for his drink, she notices that he is wearing the same watch that her mother gave Santa the previous evening. She looks confused, and shouts “SANTA??”.

Location, Jennifer's room - Mia

We have decided to use my (Mia Foden) room because we have access to it any time and is a typically 'girly' room which would not need much changing in order to create it into a 6 year old's bedroom besides from taking my photos down and a few other belongings which suggest it is a teenager's room. The desk especially will have to be rearranged and as will my Audrey Hepburn canvas as a 6 year old would not necessarily have that on her wall. We will make a decision as a group, however, as it is important that we agree on how we would like to rearrange my belongings in order to create the most realistic mise en scene as possible. In order to create this mise en scene we would need plenty of props such as toys which I can also provide. It also has plenty of space to set up the tripod and plenty of space for other equipment such as lighting etc so we believed my room was the best location to film in.