Short Film Practice

To begin thinking about the short film or trailer that we are going to make for our final project we were given the task to work in groups to create a mini short film as a practice to get used to using all of the equipment. We were set a narrative to use as the plot and also added some of our own ideas onto the end.

The Narrative
The main narrative was already given to us. It was of a girl in a room who goes into a day dream about walking down a corridor and entering a room, She then meets someone in the room. After this she comes out of the day dream. This was the narrative we were given and then as a group we decided to add an extra bit. When the girl comes out of the day dream she goes back to work and then sees the person she saw in the day dream standing at the door. This is how it ends.


Camera
We needed to include a variety of camera shots to practice for our final project. Also we had to use appropriate shots to compliment the narrative which made us choose our camera shots more carefully.

This is an example of a medium shot from our short film. We used this at different points in the short film as it a good shot size to get enough in the shot without it being too zoomed in. In this frame we can see what is happening clearly and the unnecessary parts of the shot aren't included.

Here we have used a long shot to get the full effect on the corridor. This allows us to see the person walking down the corridor. As the camera was static at this point in the film the character gets closer to the camera as she walks around the corner which adds a good effect.

Here we have used a medium close up in the conversation that was had in the room. This enables us to focus on the character who is speaking. We also used reverse shots when the conversation was happening so we can see the character who is talking.

This is an example of an extreme close up in our film. This is of the main character's eyes as they look to the door and see the other person there. This shot adds a lot of emphasis to what she is looking at as we can only see her eyes change direction and look to the door in the shot. I think the use of this shot separates the use of medium and medium close up shots.

Here the other character is seen at the door and is shown with a low angle. This gives the character power showing their importance in the narrative. The camera pans up to this shot from the floor which adds more suspense as to who will be at the door and makes the end shot when we see the character have even more impact.

Our final shot was a high angle shot of this character again. This contrasts to the previous low angle shot and shows less power. The idea of this character having less power is emphasised by her turning away at the end and not wanting to see the other character.

Editing
Using Adobe Elements I worked on editing the clips filmed for this short film. The software wasn't the best in what it provided editing wise so I didn't change that much. I cut some of the clips down to make them flow better and to cut out any unwanted footage that wasn't needed in the film. As well as this I edited the final clip to fade to black at the end of the film signifying a complete end to the narrative. Then I put in the rolling credits with all of our names at the end. However I didn't like the theme provided by the software so I don't think it is best to use to provide a professional finish.

How will this help me...
Doing this practice short film in preparation has been very helpful to ensure that I have enough knowledge for when I film the final project. It was my first time using any editing software for a film so I think it was a necessary task and it allowed me to explore the different options provided by the software. I now know how to cut footage down and use different edits for clips and transitions. This will come in very useful when I have filmed my final project and come to edit my footage.

Short Film Practice

Katie Jess LUCY from Bishop Walsh on Vimeo.

Propp: Character Type and Function

Propp

In 1928 Vladimir Propp suggested that there are only ever a limited number of character types in a story and each had their own purpose. He came up with main character types that feature in stories. These were:

• Hero - This is the central protagonist of the narrative who is shown at the front and has some kind of task to undertake in return for a reward. They are traditionally male (e.g. Fireman Sam) but can be female in more modern narratives (e.g. Mulan).
• Heroine/Princess - This character acts as the reward for the hero after succeeding in the quest. In stereotypical narratives that are older the heroine is a passive princess and is female (e.g. Daphne in Scooby Doo) however in modern narratives the heroine is seen to become a more feisty and active person (e.g. Jasmine in Aladdin).
• Villain - This character seeks power, glory and wealth and works to prevent the hero form completing their task and so present a genuine threat to them. Occasionally they can be after the heroine for themselves. They can be male (e.g. Car in Lion King) or female (e.g. Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians).
• Donor/Mentor - This character provides the hero with useful and important information and equipment to help him or her in completing the quest. They are shown to be wise and can sometimes have special powers but they need the hero to complete the quest (e.g. Shredder in Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles).
• Helper - This is the side kick for the hero and accompanies them throughout their task (e.g. Jess the Cat in Postman Pat).

Modern Narratives

I think Propp's ideas surrounding characters works for a lot of older and more traditional stories and narratives, however I think that in a lot of modern day narratives the character types are used a lot more loosely. In films today many other different types of characters have been introduced into plots and the idea of a hero saving a heroine/princess has become less common. Films from the last 20/30 years also stray from Propp's character types e.g. Pulp Fiction (1994) and The Breakfast Club (1985).

Codes and Conventions in the Horror Genre