Black Swan - Inspiration

Black Swan (2010), Directed By Darren Aronofsky

This scene from Black Swan inspired us when thinking about what shots to use during the beginning dance sequence. I really liked how the camera focuses on the characters face so we can see all her emotions during the performance, we are going to take inspiration from this and have a few close-ups of Sophie while she is dancing to show her determination and passion for dance. The other thing I really liked about this sequence is the way the camera spins round as if we are the character dancing, this is a clever way to draw the audience into the film and adds a sense of realism to the film.

Wasp - Inspiration

Wasp (2003), Directed by Andrea Arnold

We took lots of inspiration from the short film wasp as this film is full of hand-held camera movement and has a phenomenal sense of realism to it. All throughout the film the camera was hand-held, this drew me right into the action and made me follow the story of the character closely. We hope to use hand-held camera work within the second part of our film to make it edgy and more realistic, we want the audience to draw a strong parallel between Sophie and her two different lives. The use of sound within Wasp also adds to the realism, they use diegetic sound all throughout the film, after watching Wasp we are going to consider just using just diegetic sound within the second part of the film again to add to the realism of the film but also to draw the audience in to the action and get them to follow the character and her actions closely.  

Fish Tank - Inspiration

Fish Tank (2009), Directed by Andrea Arnold

After watching the film 'Fish Tank' during our media lessons at school we decided to try and re-create some of the shots which we enjoyed watching. Three of the scenes we hope to take inspiration from are below.

Medium shot of Mia is looking out of her window. I really enjoyed this sequence as we really get to see the characters venerability. The shot is peaceful, with Mia gazing out the window wondering about her life. Before this we see a sun flare and the light streaming through the window onto the characters face. I really liked the peacefulness of this shot and the simplicity. We hope to try and re-create this shot with our character Sophie to show the binary opposite between her 'normal' life and her 'night' life.


Tracking, Hand-Held shot of Mia walking down the road. This is the another scene which stood out to me. The sense of realism within this shot was effective. We felt like we were following Mia on the other side of the road, walking with her. I really liked the hand-held camera work as this made the film more realistic and edgy. We hope to follow Sophie down the street using this hand-held camera technique as we want to draw the audience into the action and symbolize Sophie's current mixed up mental state and venerability.

We will be using fragmentation during the first sequence of our film where Sophie is dancing. Within Fish Tank Arnold uses lots of these shots to depict Mia as a vulnerable young girl who struggles with her identity. These types of shots are interesting and shall add a sense of mystery to our film.

Andrea Arnold - Director

As the director of our film I have decided to do some research into other directors whose work I enjoy. At school we have been watching Fish Tank and also the short film Wasp, both directed by Andrea Arnold. I really enjoyed both films and have been looking into the different film techniques Arnold uses.

Andrea Arnold's films are of the social realism genre.
Social Realist films focus on the raw reality of everyday life.

Techniques
Within Arnold's films she uses lots of hand-held camera work, this helps draw the audience into the action and also gives the film a sense of realism, we will be using this technique within our film to give the sense of distortion and also to add realism. Arnold also uses lots of binary opposites within her films (especially Fish Tank), she uses lots of nature shots which can be compared with Mia and her sink estate life. These binary opposites help the audience to understand the difference between her two 'lives', within our production we will be using opposites between Sophie's 'ballet' life and her 'night' life.

Fish Tank 

Ken Loach - Director

We have learnt a little bit about Ken Loach during our media lessons and I was inspired to do even more when I found out that he focuses on portraying 'British Realism' in his films. Within our production we also hope to add a certain realist element which is why I think it is beneficial for me to research Ken Loach.

Ken Loach was born in 1939 in Warwickshire, Kent. His most famous works include, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, KES, Sweet Sixteen and Bread & Roses.

All his films focus on gritty British life and come under the category of social realism. Some of his most famous work covers the topics of Homelessness and Child Abuse. Ken Loach prefers to use unknown talent who have had some of the life experience of the characters they portray within his films rather than employing Hollywood actors, I feel that by doing this he adds realism to his films as the characters really come alive. Loach is often said to have not given the actors the full script so as they can respond to situations in the narrative naturally. Due to this Loach's work has been described as 'naturalistic' and I feel that his films do give off this feeling due to the realistic atmospheres and characters that feature within them. Within our production we hope to create natural scenes and atmospheres just like Loach has managed to achieve in so many of his films.

Loach once said, referring to the 1948 film Bicycle Thieves, "It made me realise that cinema could be about ordinary people and their dilemmas. It wasn't a film about stars, or riches or absurd adventures." Loach set out to create films which were very different to the normal blockbusters which dominate cinema. I admire Ken Loach's directing style and would love to create an edgy film which depicts real life, just like his productions.

My Role

The main roles I will take within our production are:

• Director
• Editor

Roles and Responsibilities

I will be in charge of directing the shots and making sure that the scenes are correct, making sure people and props are in the right place and over-seeing the project.
I will also be in charge of editing our product, cutting down the footage and making it fit together, adding in effects and transitions.

Directing and editing will be my main roles, however, I will also be doing some of the sound for our production and I will have to film some of our production due to one of our locations being a girl's toilet which means Jack will be unable to film this section.

Target Audience - Audience Profile

The audience we are aiming to target are the 16 - 24 year olds, this is because we feel they are mature enough to understand the concepts shown within our film and maybe even relate to some of the issues shown. Below is a member of our typical target audience. 

This is Abigail Jones, she is 20 years of age.

She currently lives in Brighton and is in her second year at Brighton university. She studies TV production and cinematography. In her spare time she enjoys reading and watching films, her favorite film genres are romance and drama. Her all time favorite film is The Notebook and her favorite book is Romeo and Juliet. Outside of education Abigail enjoys spending time with her friends, going shopping and to the cinema, she is a big fan of the Twilight saga. Abigail also enjoys going to concerts and her favorite music artists include Ellie Goulding, Ed Sheeran and Katy Perry.

Shot List Draft Two

Here is the second draft of the shot list which I have written.

We decided to change the shot list as we found some of the shots to be to obvious. For example, we got rid of the close-up shot of Sophie turning off the light. We figured that the audience would know she turns out the light without showing them. We also changed the shot list as we got rid of the character Evanna.


-- FIRST SCENE -- Dance Studio
Close up of fragments of Sophie's body, she is listening to music loudly.
Camera is still in dance studio, Sophie is in corridor and turns on light. We see the light stream through the glass door. Establishing shot.
Close up/tracking of Sophie's feet walking to studio.
Close up of Sophie, waist down, walking through door.
Close up of door closing --FILM NAME HERE--
Close up of specific parts of Sophie's body, stretching.
Camera pans up to Sophie starting to dance. --Music Starts-- 
*Various dance shots* *Collaged together to symbolize ellipse of time*
Long shot of Sophie walking out of room.
Scene suddenly cuts.

-- SCENE TWO -- Sophie's Bedroom

--Classical Music fades into being played on a CD Player--
Medium shot of Sophie turning off the radio.
Medium close up of Sophie's face looking out window, sun flare.
Point of view shot of sky.
Medium shot of Sophie turning on the CD Player and raising her arm ballet like.
Long shot of Sophie taking off her ballet shoes.
Close up of Sophie putting them in her ballet box.
Medium shot of Sophie looking at baby photo.
Close up of Sophie putting photo in pocket.

Medium close up of Sophie looking in mirror and putting make-up on. (behind view)
Medium close up of Sophie's face, her still putting make-up on. (Front view)
Scene dramatically cuts to next street scene.

-- SCENE THREE -- Street

-- Music Speeds up, starts getting quicker --
Cuts to shot of Sophie's feet walking down street (jump cuts/animation)

Medium shot of Sophie drinking from alcohol bottle
Close up of Sophie buying drugs from man (jump cuts/animation)
*Various street shots TBD included here*

Long shot of Sophie walking into toilets. (jump cuts/animation)

-- SCENE FOUR-- Public Toilets

Close up of Sophie splashing face with water and looking at herself in mirror.

Camera pans backwards as toilet door shuts.
-- Music dramatically stops --
*Credits appear on back of door*

Script Draft Two

Here is the second draft of our script written up by Jack.

Scene 1 - Ballet Studio

The short film begins with an establishing shot of the dance studio. There is complete darkness to begin with, until Sophie switches on a light in the corridor outside of the studio. Light filters in. We hear the diagetic sound of her footsteps as she walks. The camera cuts to the corridor. There is an over the shoulder shot which depicts Sophie walking down the hallway. We hear the the tinny sound of modern music blasting from her headphones and she struts. She opens the door to the dance studio and slams it shut, where the name of the film - 'Flight' appears. When she enters the studio the lighting is low, the only source of light coming from the door. The light which is pouring in is unnatural. We see Sophie's silhouette as she enters the dark studio. We hear the diagetic sound of her sighing. It then cuts to show her stretching, preparing to dance. The use of fragmentation shows the confusion of Sophie's identity, and emphasises the fact that she is torn between completely different lifestyles. Seeing parts of her body adds to the enigma which surrounds her character. The ballet shoes which she is wearing allows the audience to know that she is an aspiring ballet dancer. The camera then pans upwards to show Sophie dancing. The non-diegetic music then begins to play. As she dances the camera follows the movements of her limbs. This shots will primarily be close ups. Throughout her dance routine, she pauses and looks at herself in the mirror. The close up allows the audience to see her determination to dance, yet the conflict in her lifestyle. After this is a collage of her dancing. As the shots progress they show an ellipsis of time. The scene ends with Sophie turning off the lights and exiting. 

Scene 2 - Sophie's Bedroom

The classical music is replaced by music coming out of Sophie's radio. There is a close up of Sophie turning the radio off. The camera then shows Sophie looking out of the window. There is then a Point of View shot, and the Sun causes a lens flare. Sophie then puts some ballet music on and practises some basic movements. These are, again, mainly fragmented, close up, shots. A long shot follow, which shows Sophie taking off her ballet shoes. There is a close up of her putting them in her 'Ballet Box'. Sophie takes out a photo of her as a child with her mother and slips it into her pocket. There is a medium close up of Sophie putting on make-up in her mirror, from the back. It cuts to another medium close up to show her putting the make up on from the front. She blinks and turns to leave, satisfied with her image.

Scene 3 - The Street

The first shot is a low angle. The camera remains stationary as Sophie walks down a dimly lit street. The camera cuts to a close up of her walking with a bottle in her hand. Another close up follows showing Sophie drinking from it. Several jump cuts follow as she walks down the street, symbolising her detachment. The camera cuts to a long shot, showing her walk down an alleyway. Sophie purchases drugs from a silhouetted drug dealer - this is shown by a mid shot, and then a close up of the drug itself. Sophie's hands are shown by many close ups in this scene - a parallel to the fragmentation shown earlier in the short film. There is no dialogue between the two characters. More jump cuts follow as Sophie walks into public toilets.

Scene 4 - The Toilets

The final scene opens with a close up of Sophie's feet as she walks into the toilets. The toilets are dimly lit, yet brighter than outside, and have a 'gritty' feel to them - a completely different atmosphere from the one shown in the dance studio. There is a mid shot of Sophie splashing her face with water. There is a mid shot of the photograph of her falling out of her pocket, followed by a close up of the photograph. There is a shaky, over the shoulder tracking shot as it follows Sophie walking into one of the cubicles. The hand-held camera effect makes the audience feel uneasy, yet it also involves them into the narrative. The are more jump cuts which are placed closely together, creating an almost animation effect, showing how uneasy she is about making this decision. The door slams shut with a loud bang and the film ends.

Film Classification

• There are five different age ratings for films in the UK, these are...

= ''Suitable for All''

A 'U' film should be suitable for audiences ages four years or older. 'U' films should be set within a positive moral and the film should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.

= ''General Viewing''

Some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A 'PG' film should not disturb a child ages around eight or older. Parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger children.

Both symbols mean the same thing, the material is only suitable for those aged 12 and over. Works classified as these may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them. The 12A category exists only for cinema films, nobody younger than 12 may see a 12A film unless accompanied by an adult. An adult may take a younger child if they feel that it will be suitable for them. The 12 symbol exists only for video works.

The above symbol means that no persons younger than 15 can see or rent this film. Films which are 15s often contain drug taking but must not promote of encourage drug use. Horror may also be used but must not be sadistic or sexualised. There may also be constant use of strong language and sexual activity may be portrayed but without strong detail.

The above symbol means that no persons younger than 18 can see or rent this film. Films that are 18 often have strong themes that run throughout and are unsuitable for anybody under the age of 18.



Flight
Getting our film classification right is key. We must not isolate our audience by making the rating too high but also must not expose younger children to scenes which may upset them.
We have decided that our film rating will be a 15.
Our target audience is 16 - 24 year olds, for this reason we want our film to be a 15 certificate. The reason our film is a 15 and not any lower is because our production contains the mild theme of drugs which may be inappropriate for younger viewers. Our production is not of the 18 clarification because it does not promote or glamorise the use of drugs.

Target Audience

I have done some research into who the target audience for our film would be. I firstly researched productions similar to mine looked at their film classifications and thought about who their target audience is.

Fish Tank

Film Classification: 15

Target Audience: I would say that the target audience for Fish Tank would be primarily teenagers to young adults. I feel they would appreciate and understand the underlying themes in Fish Tank. Teenagers may also relate to Mia as she herself is just a teenager and they also may also empathize with her troubles and situation. Fish Tank had a restricted release meaning that it was only available in a few cinemas, this caused Fish Tank to only appeal to specialist audiences as it was not widely promoted.

Girl, Interrupted

Film Classification: 15

Target Audience: I feel that the target audience for this production is primarily teenagers. The film narrative is based around nineteen year old Susanna and many audiences comment that one of the films strengths is that ''everybody whose been 19 years old can relate to Susanna'' this means audiences, particularly teenagers, will be influenced to watch this film as the diegesis revolves around an average 19 year old going through issues which many teenagers can relate to.

Black Swan

Film Classification: 15

Target Audience: The audience for Black Swan would be young adults. I feel that this is the target audience due to the complex themes which run throughout the production. Black Swan is a dark and complex film and initially only appealed to a niche audience before it received critical acclaim, now Black Swan has gained greater appeal from audiences who once would never have even considered watching the production.

Sweet Sixteen

Film Classification: 18

Target Audience: The target audience for Ken Loach's Sweet Sixteen is young adults and above, this is confirmed by the film classification of 18. Sweet Sixteen covers issues such as broken family life and crime. These issues may be upsetting for younger views hence why this film is targeted at a more mature audience. 

As you can see from my research above the majority of drama films have a classification of 15 or higher. This is because children under the age of fifteen may not understand and may not be able to grasp the themes which run through the majority of drama productions. Our film will also fall under the 15 category due to the mild use of drugs featured at the end. I also feel that children under fifteen would not be mature enough to understand the concepts we are trying to show within our production. I feel that the films above mostly target teenagers and young adults because they cover situations which are most relevant to that age group, they can empathize with the character and may be familiar with the situations in the narrative. The target audience for our film Flight would be 16 - 24 year olds. Like the films above we also will try to target an audience of teenagers and young adults who may empathize with the main character and the issues she goes through. 

Changes to film after feedback

We have taken into consideration the feedback from our first storyboard feedback and the changes we have decided to made include:

• Getting rid of 'obvious' shots, for example, the turning on of a light switch. We have decided to do this because we feel these shots are unnecessary to have and excluding these shots will make our film flow a lot better.
• We have changed the bedroom scene around and added more to add depth. We decided to do this because we received a lot of comments about how the bedroom scene lacked a point, we decided to add more sequences relating to Sophie and why she has decided to turn to a hedonistic lifestyle.
• Changed the ballet costume of Sophie due to being unable to locate a leotard and ballet shoes.
• Evanna's mum and the dialogue within the first scene. We have decided to get rid of the dialogue within the first scene because we also felt this was unnecessary and would not develop our film narrative.

The Axing of Evanna

We decided to get rid of the character Evanna (Sophie's mum). This is because we felt that our production needed focus on our main character and her emotions and feelings rather than her mothers and because we also struggled to find a suitable actress who could comply with our strict filming schedule. Evanna's scenes will be replaced with Sophie forcing herself to dance and become successful. We also felt that having ''a mother pressure her daughter into a life she doesn't want to lead'' would be too stereotypical and this was picked up within our audience feedback, hopefully by changing this element in our narrative our final production will be more unique and edgy.

First Draft Animatic and Feedback

Below is our first draft photographic storyboard for 'Flight'. By creating this rough storyboard we have gained a feel for the kind of production which we wanted to produce. Doing this exercise helped us envision the shots which would be included within our short film. This was particularly helpful in the scenes with the dance room mirrors, as we got to see where the camera would be positioned to avoid it being in shot. 


Jack took the photos for the storyboard and below I put the photos together and turned them into an animatic, I also added annotations to the video explaining each shot.

We then showed a range of people to gather constructive criticism and opinions.

''After seeing your storyboard I am looking forward to seeing the final product. I'm really interested in your choice of music as I feel that having classical music all through and playing with the tempos/pitch and adding different sounds over the top will be really effective.''
- Alexander Cowan

''I really like that you are going to use animation within your production as I think this will put an interesting twist on the film and make your production more unique. However I think you should consider taking away the dialogue in the ballet scene as the dialogue seems very cliche. Also some of the shots seem a little obvious, such as the turning off the light switch, I don't think you need to show the audience that as they will understand without being shown.''
- Rachel Emery

''Looking at your first draft I really like the idea and the issue explored. Some of the shots (particularly the first one of the light and the corridor) are really effective and interesting. One thing I suggest though is developing the bedroom sequence as at the moment it seems very weak and unnecessary compared to the ballet and street scenes.''
- Mrs Seaman