Sam's Blog

Time Narrative Equilibrium - A boy is sitting at school, willing the clock to move faster.  Disruption - He bumps into a girl in school and she knocks the books out of his hand. Recognition - He marries a girl and has a kid with her. Attempts to Repair - He tries not to let life pass him by. New Equilibrium - An old man is sitting in his living room, willing the clock to move slower. Lighting The film uses natural lighting as it is set outside and is set in the day time. The lighting is dull because it is a cloudy day. Character Expression The boy is looking at the clock with a bored expression on his face. His body is completely turned towards the clock, showing that he is solely focused on that, counting down the seconds.  Costume, Hair and Makeup To show that he is now an old man, they used makeup to gray his hair.  Setting The film is set in a classroom/computer lab in a school. Throughout the film it moves through the boys life, going to a churchyard and college and ...

 The task was to create a short film in the style of a montage. A montage is a series of jump cuts, used to progress time, spliced together to make a whole sequence.  This was my film: My time in lockdown was not great. I developed an illness which made it hard to concentrate and I got really sick. Sometimes all I could do was lie on the floor. This film is a snippet into an average day in lockdown for me. 

 - Lots of cross cutting as the film is mostly naturalistic and features dialogue. In the scene between Aaron and Alex, it cross cuts between the two of them as they speak.  - Smash cut when Aaron wakes up from his nightmare. It cuts from a black screen with a quiet voiceover to Aaron suddenly waking up, afraid and breathing heavily. This creates a contrast from the dream and we see how much he is haunted by guilt.  - Match cut when Aaron is looking at a photograph to the scene coming to life, the action matching the still image and continuing from that. Aaron and Leo are laughing together and then we cut to the flashback of them laughing together as Aaron remembers it.  - Match on action when Aaron roles over in bed to face the ceiling, he is on his side and then it's a continuous motion as he turns to face up, the camera moving from the side to above. We can see his facial expressions clearly.  - Jump cut between Aaron happy and dancing to him crying on the fl...

Score As I am a music student, I would compose my own score to accompany the film. Using a range of synthesizers, I would create a typical horror/thriller score. It adds suspense and tension, the moody tones and minor key mirroring the guilt of the protagonist. At the very end, a more upbeat and happy feeling piece of music would play, as the weight of the guilt has finally been released and he has done the right thing by turning himself in.  Diegetic Sound - Footsteps through mud and on gravel  - Music that Aaron is listening to (Believe by The Night Society - This is my brother's band and so it wouldn't have any copyright issues)  - Water running from the sink - Dialogue between Aaron and Leo, Aaron and Alex, and Aaron on the phone  - The sound of the knife 

 "I think it's such an interesting idea and I would 100% go and watch that film as I like the fact that we get to watch the character deal with the guilt and the remorse he is feeling about what he has done, and I think that is very interesting. The only thing I would say is, if I heard the title, I wouldn't be sure whether I would want to watch it - but I would look into what the film was about and once I had heard the description I would 100% want to watch it. I also like the idea because the psychological aspects that the character goes through with the guilt, and especially since I love psychology! I also really like the fact that the argument isn't revealed to the audience as it makes us think into what could have caused a murder. And, I also like the fact that even though the character has done such an awful thing, due to the remorse, we get to watch when he turns himself into the police and reports the murder."  - Katy, 18, female 

 Prop List - Big knife for when Aaron is stabbing Leo  - Picture frame with photo of Leo and Aaron - Beer bottle for when Aaron is drinking  - Phone for when Aaron is listening to Leo's voicemail 

 Aaron's Costume - He is a teenage boy on his gap year so his clothes are casual and typical for his age  - He is only a year older than I am so I can use clothes already in my wardrobe  - He will wear a hoodie and jeans throughout the entire film. The hoodie is symbolic of how he is more reserved and introverted, wanting to hide away in his hood and baggy clothes - In the flashback the hoodie will be yellow in order to show how his life was brighter when Leo was alive and having fun with him - In the opening scene he will be wearing a red hoodie to match the blood and the anger he feels - For the rest of the film he will be wearing a black hoodie as he is filled with guilt and regret  Leo's Costume  - He is also a teenage boy and so his clothing is similar to Aaron's  - His colours would be more neutral so a blue or grey as he is innocent in this  Makeup  - I would use black eyeshadow under Aaron's eyes to demonstrate how tired he is as he's been...

  Film Setting - Winter (More of an ominous feel which conforms to the horror genre) - December/January  - 2000s (contemporary) Scene One  - Forrest (Deserted place) - Day time (Characters will be seen in natural light) Scene Two  - Bathroom (only place in my house with a sink and mirror) Scene Three - Bedroom ( use my room because it's big) Scene Four  - Bedroom Scene Five  - Bedroom  Scene Six - Street (Use the road outside my house as it is deserted) Scene Seven  - Garden (due to restrictions, joint scenes must be outside) Scene Eight  - Forest (use a nearby public footpath) Scene Nine   - Kitchen (where the phone is)

  Toast - One Minute Comedy Short Film Recreation 

 

Character list Aaron - Aaron is the protagonist, so he needs a strong and confident actor to hold the audiences' attention - He is 19 years old and so I want an actor between the ages of 16-20 - I'm having him played by me as I believe that I am capable since I take A Level drama and am hoping to go to drama school. I have ten years of acting experience under my belt  - The most important idea to get across in the film is his struggle and inner turmoil. He cannot forgive himself and is haunted by his guilt Leo - Leo is the best friend and victim - He is also 19 - He has a small speaking part and appears in a few scenes  - I have chosen a student who is in my A Level drama class. He has appeared in a previous short film of mine, so I know that he is a capable actor  Alex - Alex is the girlfriend of Leo - She is featured in one scene  - She is also 19  - I have chosen a student in my music class and a friend of mine as she would have good chemistry with me and the...

Scene One - Opening Black screen VOICEOVER When I was nineteen, I decided to kill my best friend FOREST (Cut to AARON with a knife. He stabs down and blood splatters his face) VOICEOVER (CONT’D) Some people might say I’m crazy, and they’re probably right (Back to AARON stabbing an unknown figure. He stops, falling back and dropping the knife as realisation dawns on his face. He runs) Scene Two - The mirror BATHROOM (AARON staggers into the bathroom, covered in blood and shaking violently. He looks pale and sick. He goes over to the sink and places a hand on either side, looking down and breathing heavily. He looks up slowly, seeing that his face is splattered with blood. He stares at his reflection, disgusted with himself. He puts a hand to his mouth, noticing that it too is covered in red. He begins to frantically scrub at his hands, Lady Macbeth style. When he is unsuccessful, he moves to sit on the closed toilet seat, completely losing all composure) Scene Th...

 

Best Make-up  The award goes to Slap  This is a very important part of mise-en -scene for this film. Connor enjoys experimenting with make-up and wearing dresses.   This is seen as a stereotypical thing for homosexual men to do, even though it is just a stereotype and a lot of heterosexual men wear make-up. Connor’s love for make-up and dresses is no indication of his sexuality, so all it shows to the audience is that he hides this part of himself away and that the standards of life have caused him to live in shame.    Best Costume   The award goes to Echo    Although the costumes are simple, they do a good job of getting the story across. The main character is wearing school uniform to give an indication of her young age and where she may have just come from. It also means that people are more likely to help her in the street. She is wearing a hoodie over the top and her uniform is a bit messy, suggesting that she doesn’t care so much about ...