Section 5: Film Reviews

5.1 

Please post a short film review of approximately 250 – 500 words in length. You are welcome to upload or make use of the framework provided in Rupert’s class. 

Wasp – Andrea Arnold (2003)

The narrative as engaging towards the audience as it connected with a broad range of people – it relates to similar people to the characters and with people who wouldn’t understand the situation the film covers as they haven’t experienced the storyline. It gives an insight into the lives other people wouldn’t understand. The camera techniques also help the audience understand the characters emotions as the camera is sometimes handheld to represent the unstable family lifestyle and shows extreme close ups onto the main characters faces to reflect this

The title ‘Wasp’ connotes danger and unfortunate events which are seen in the film – the mother figure sees the wasp on the curtain in the kitchen which represents an insight into the future as something dangerous or a twist of events is yet to come for the family. The danger is the wasp crawling into her youngest son’s mouth causing him to cry and experience pain, this is the consequence of her actions of poor parenting and gives the title an underlining meaning.

The film’s target audience would be aimed towards both genders from 16 to 30 years of age. This is because the film covers a topic in which younger people wouldn’t understand of a single young mother who is erratic and but also an emotional and confused individual who is trying to provide for herself and her children in ways some people wouldn’t understand and may cause her judgement.

5.2 

Please post a review of a feature film production of your choice (British or World cinema). Make sure to comment on the narrative structure, as well as sound, camera, lighting and editing choices.

Shaun of the dead

Shaun of the Dead was directed by Edgar Wright and starred Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Lucy Davis and Kate Ashfield. This is a British comedy feature film which has been loved since 2004 by people of large demographic and has been watched and remembered by their wide range of audiences since its release.

The basis of the narrative is one character, Shaun, breaks up with his girlfriend, Liz, as she grown fed up of him choosing between her and the pub. Shaun and his best friend, Ed, gets drunk at the local pub, The Winchester. They wake up the next day, hung over and realise their town has been taken over by zombies and their mission is to save themselves and their friends and family by going to…The Winchester, of course and why? – ‘Because it’s a pub, it’s safe, it’s secure’

I enjoyed the cinematography as the film uses medium close ups and comedy to avoid the characters problems by simply closing curtains with the mob of zombies behind them or turning off the lights and pulling the blinds down. It also uses a clever technique of introducing an object like a telephone  to distract the audience and character by placing it in front of the characters face while their still talking or to stop them talking, but without showing who is holding the object. The object is brought in from the left of shot, held out until it is taken by another character or been told to be removed and then can become the subject of that scene. For example Shaun is telling a younger co-worker that he is not allowed to make personal phone calls at work until a hand holding a phone enters the shot and the person who isn’t seen tells him ‘It’s your dad’ to Shaun replies ‘He’s not my dad, he’s my stepdad’.

The editing adds to the comedy in this scene as Shaun explains the plan to Ed about how they will hide out until they ‘wait for this too all blow over’. The plan is visually shown to the audience and helps the audience get an insight of how the Shaun thinks in crisis situations; it shows how calm and straightforward the film is supposed to be although something will eventually happen to make the plan unable to work.

Foley artist was used to re-create the sound effects of the bodies and characters being hit by baseball bats, the noise of the car as it hits the zombies and glasses smashing in the final fight scene. The sound effects are important to a film which features blood and zombies despite its genre as it can boost the comedy factor because it’s more exaggerated and the effects can then be more spectacular.

Overall, this is one of the favourite films due to these factors, the comedy and clever script which were perfect for the characters. I recommend this film to anyone between 16-25 who hasn’t experienced an Edgar Wright production.

Section 4: Technical Skills

Script submission: Script writing – ‘Mum’s warning’

4.1 

What are the resources required for your film production (think about equipment, props, actors, location etc) 

THE END Emer Daly Script

Copy of SPAGHETTI by MACY TRIEU-DINGLE[4][1]

It’s about having a powerful script or production as from this, a good director who has a background in that specific genre could be considered and the right crew is called in to help with production. Certain crew members, who can, for example, choose the right camera angles and a lighting designer to create the right atmosphere for the shoot. It’s important to have a strong crew who is dedicated to the job and wants to be there.   

4.2 

What is your key role and what are the skills and equipment required to fulfil it?

 My key role on set was on the first shoot with ‘The End’. I was given the role of Camera operator and really loved this responsibility. I was using a film camera which has been used in the industry and was taught how to set it up a few days before in the camera and lighting workshop. Cinematography has been my favourite thing to contribute to during film production and having a chance to work with the equipment and a cinematographer was a very privileged experience. It also meant a lot to receive positive feedback and being told I had an eye for the camera. 

What is your supporting role and what are the skills and equipment required to fulfil it?

 My supporting role was being a boom op on the third film, ‘Spaghetti’. I really enjoyed this role as well as I worked with a sound recordist/boom op who has been on professional shoots and she has taught me so much about the sound department in general. I found this very useful as I had not worked with sound before and saw it as another opportunity to gain a skill instead of seeing it as working outside of my comfort zone. I hope to take on the skills I had learned a put them to more uses in the future.

Post production supporting role: Behind the scenes editor

Spaghetti – Behind the Scenes (password: BFISHOW)

4.3 

How do you feel you performed your roles on set? What were your strengths and what were any challenges you faced? 

I feel like I performed well in both roles and especially liked being the camera op, this was down to the workshops, the tutors and being on set.  I tried to make the shots my own but had guidelines from the directors about how they wanted it to look. I was happy with the final outcomes captured and felt they were important to the film, for example, the emotions in the characters faces and her hand motions.   

How do you think your skills and knowledge developed in this role? Give examples 

My knowledge in cinematography, lighting and sound has improved as I can see how shots can be changed to have a bigger impact on different perspectives. Before the course, I didn’t know about the different lights used or how to put a boom-mic together but now I know and have been using this knowledge to impact my work in my course at college.

4.5 

Following completion of the Film Academy, please give examples of film production skills that you would like to develop. Did you have any particular strengths or weaknesses on the course? 

Although it’s not my strong point at all, I would have liked to work on directing. I saw how amazingly well the other crew members directed in my groups on both films and how they controlled the set and made the films their own. I have skills with the technical side of film production and just wished I could have been confident enough to take on a different role like directing.

Section 3 : Working Relationships

3.1 

Why is teamwork important when working on a film production?

 Teamwork is very important when working with different people and ones you’ve probably never worked with before. Not everyone is going to like working with the people who aren’t comfortable around but its a part of the job, meeting new people creates new contacts who may help you in the future. It’s good to have a strong communication with them as the production would have a deadline to finish by and this can’t be disrupted by unprofessional behaviour. When working with people who have the same ambitions and interests as you, it shouldn’t be hard to get along with them and work for a few weeks or months as you’re all there for the same thing: experience, doing what you enjoy and having fun while doing it.

 

How did you develop good working relationships with your crew members? Give examples

Fostering a good working relationship with crew members is important as you’d have to work with them for a long period of time. This would be to talk to them about their interests in the media industry, their past work and whereabouts they are located so you could possible work with them again.

Whilst at the academy, our group bonded really well in terms of working together and meeting outside of our hours. On the first day, no one had met before and no one said much to each other until the afternoon as we had lunch together after the morning session to help the communication. This helped as by the end of our first day, we knew our roles and who were working with and everyone was completely fine with it. We helped each other and worked hard to produce the films in three days, in post production, we watched each other’s work and gave advice on how to improve specific parts of it, none was taken as criticism, only support and encouragement.

Were there any problems you needed to overcome? Give examples

There weren’t any problems during any stages of production although during the first shoots on ‘The End’, it wasn’t looking as we envisaged it so we had to improvise and adapted as we went along to convey the story but stay true to the script. We wanted the scene to look realistic to create the perception of a doctor’s office and to trick the audience when the conversation was in fact a couple breaking up in a cafe. We also needed a waiter to show the audience that the scene is based in a cafe; this character was played our cinematographer, Jonathan Harvey. It was a last minute decision but with the editing in post production, it worked perfectly.

3.2 

What qualities are needed to work well with others on a film production?

Be aware of what you can do and how others are feeling when under pressure and try not to make it worse. Being able to communicate and have a strong working relationship with crew members. It’s important as personal issues can’t impact the work as everyone needs to give their best performance. Being on time as everyone else had made the effort to be time and this will hold up the production schedule and will upset other crew members.

Debrief minutes (The End): Debrief minutes The End

Debrief minutes (Spaghetti): Debrief Notes Spaghetti 29.10.17

Production meeting report: BFI Production Meeting Summary Oct 17

Behind the scenes (The End): The End – Behind the Scenes

Behind the scenes (Spaghetti): Spaghetti – Behind the Scenes

Section 2: Professional Development

2.1 

Please upload or summarise the crew test you did with Rupert

Role Allocations Spaghetti

Role Allocations The End

BFI POST PRODUCTION SCHEDULE

A 1^st AD is an assistant director; they are the main person a runner goes to for assistance and ensure that the film crew are ready for the shoot by calling out ‘action’. The camera operator can be a crew themselves or one person for a smaller production. They decide on how a scene should be filmed in order to capture the emotions or a certain event. E.g.: close up during an emotional scene or depth of field when a subject needs to be focused on. Storyboards are given to the camera op to give them a rough idea of what is wanted by the director. A Foley artist is someone who creates the sound effects for a scene using different objects, for example: they may re-create the noise of a horse walking on a stoned path using coconut shells. A scriptwriter is a person or team of people who write a script for a production, this is done during the pre-production stage of making a film. An editor(s) is the person or team who puts the production together and includes the special effects, colour corrects, syncs the audio with the visuals and transitions. The editing stage is very important as it adds to how the audience views the production, for example, in Edgar Wright’s ‘Hot Fuzz’, they made Nicolas’ journey from the city to the ‘quiet’ village interesting and funny in the way it was edited, it was shown as a montage through time, showing the time difference using light and dark and the different Nokia phones and Taxi’s from two towns.  I feel like these roles are the main key to make a successful short film.

 

2.2

 Describe the structure and interrelationships of the production department. You can use a diagram or similar if you wish 

One of the most important lessons to learn when working with other people in the industry is to respect them, especially when working with people who have more experience, a higher title and who are more qualified then you. When starting out, you need to work very hard and do the job properly to earn the respect off of others. To put this bluntly, as a runner, the job is to help the crew when needed and not to bother the very important people with the issues you face as they are not interested. Problems are to be dealt outside of production stages and only to the first AD if they aren’t busy, although being a first AD is a very busy and tiring job. It’s very hard to gain respect and to be liked but if the job is done properly then this shouldn’t be a problem, although being a runner, trainee or spark is one of the lowest ranking jobs and it takes years to move up in the hierarchy. Directors, producers, CEO’s and designers are at the very top and will only knowledge a lower ranking worker when they are needed. The middle level workers are the reporters, publicists, program coordinator and copywriters and the lowest level is the runners, sparks, assistant photographers, sound mixers etc. Some jobs are still higher than other in the lower level of media jobs.

2.3 

Describe at least 2 potential progression routes into the film industry (e.g. university, apprenticeships, entry level work, film festivals etc)

There are many ways of achieving success in the industry, many people think they need to attend sixth from then go to university to earn a degree, although this is very impressive, it doesn’t prepare you for a practical lifestyle which the industry is looking for. You need a strong understanding about how the industry works, how professional and responsible you need to be and being able to talk to people who have already achieved success. Is a very good starting point and should be encouraged.

Attending film festivals not only supports young screen writers and film-makers but allows you to meet the people who make it happen and this could be an advantage to yourself. Asking for their email or work telephone number gives you a contact to someone who can help you get work experience or possible freelance work on set.

Going to university to gain these skills are advised as well although after university, everyone starts off at the same point. There is a hierarchy to the importance of jobs in the media industry and even with a degree, runners, loggers and sparks end up at the bottom and still stay there for a few years until the work picks up, it’s very competitive.

Personally, I would advice apprenticeships or entry level work as a strong starting point as this gives you the insight which is needed to start professionally. You are taught how to always stay focused and enjoy your work whilst you do this.

What do you plan to do when the academy is finished?

When the course is finished, I will carry on taking on more opportunities within the media industry as I know this is definitely what I want to do in the future as a career but at the moment I’m focusing on how I need to get there. I’m on call with a runner’s agency and I’m hoping that this can lead me onto bigger and better things and give me the opportunity to meet other people in the industry who may refer me to other production companies, if I impress them.

In the summer of 2018, I would have finished my Media Production diploma and I have a place with Ravensbourne University so my plan is to carry with what I am doing and try and apply for as many small jobs for now until I know what part of film production I want to focus on full time in the future. It will also give me time to improve on skills like editing a sound. Having the chance to produce the films with the film academy has brought out my confidence and has encouraged me to carry on with film production as it’s something I know I can be successful in one day, as well as being something I really enjoy, from pre-production through to the post production stage.

 

Briefly describe the job of one of your tutors, and what they have done in their career

During a sound workshop, my group worked with a sound recordist, Carine Koleilat. She told us about her work in the industry for the past 10 years and has worked on many films since taking part in a filmmaking course at the London Film academy. I really enjoyed working with all the tutors but Carine stands out as she really helped me to understand something I had not worked with before and made it enjoyable to well as informative. Sound is now something I may consider in the future but at the moment, it is something that I want to improve my skills in.

2.4 

What is the wider creative media sector? (think about music, costume, advertising, animation, theatre, games etc)

The wider creative media sector is every type of department in the industry coming together and producing something amazing.  This includes: the film and television companies, the costume departments, hair and makeup, the digital advertising and marketing communication, radio broadcasting, animation and VFX.

 

Explain how film production connects to the wider creative media sector

Television and film are the most recognised sectors in the industry but all other sectors support and contribute, this is important for the livelihood of crew members and the people involved the acting and performing. Set design, special effects and design contribute by making the production possible are supporting roles to fulfil the creative media sector. The internet is a huge positive factor to this sector overall, to film, TV and has also been beneficial to the advertising and marketing sector as it’s a very demanding industry.

 

Section 1: Film Industry

1.1

What is it like working in the film industry?

 The industry is very competitive and knowing people who work within can be very useful as they know who is trustworthy, hard-working and who can benefit in the production company, certain strengths within individuals can be recognised as well which may be to some use. It can be difficult to find work in the film industry after finishing education as experience is required although 55% of young people achieve this, even starting as a runner is a start. It’s difficult and can be time consuming but very rewarding once final cuts are finished.

Give 10 examples of qualities you need to work in the film industry

1. To be organised – organisation is key, especially as a director or 1^st It’s their job to make sure that the actors are in the correct place at the right time, to keep the crew and set under control and to make sure filming doesn’t run over time. Organising: documentations for permissions to shoot, call sheets, locations to film and hiring actors who are reliable is all very important and if these are not organised properly, things may go wrong, and the filming may fall behind schedule.
2. Be firm – making friends with the crew is not the priority of someone like an AD, the crew and actors will not take this person seriously if they are too lenient with what happens on set, this keeps everyone focussed on the shoot and encourages everyone to finish on time.
3. Having respect for crew – being polite is important as well as being firm, this gains the respect of people on set and can help to get shoots completed.
4. To network – being sociable will help to get to know people in the industry and possible lead to getting involved in newer, bigger projects and changing roles into a more important one. (from a runner to an assistant)
5. To be punctual – late crew members cannot be trusted, and the job could be lost due to this. Everyone on set must be on time to every shoot to get the project finished on time.
6. Communication – crew members must have strong communication skills to know how the scene is going to be formatted and to make sure things are no repeated or missed out.
7. To be open minded – the ability to change ideas to certain things can work in different way to make it easier to shoot or so something isn’t as time consuming. There may be a more creative way of doing a scene.
8. Handling pressure – being able to work under pressure, keeping calm and having an alternative can be difficult, especially when the crew needs to stay professional and make sure the actors are not concerned or stressed as it could affect their performance.
9. Motivation – having a scene of positivity and ambition can keep the crew happy and can bring out an actor’s best performance.
10. Staying alert – the job can be tiring but staying alert is preferred than missing a detail and not giving the best performance.

***The links below may help if you need more info after your masterclass with Rupert:

Useful for job roles and progression as well as information about the industry
http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/film/about_the_industry

Good introduction to working in the industry
https://www.reed.co.uk/career-advice/how-to-get-a-job-in-the-film-industry/

Further articles:
10 commandments of film making
Seven arts of working in film
Essential personal traits of filmmakers
Top 10 qualities of a great filmmaker

1.2 

Why is time management important in the film industry? 

• Time management is important as it helps a shoot to run smoother and creates a stress-free environment for the crew to work with positive mind sets.
• Punctuality is important as it can cost for use of certain locations and actors to be used. It also proves that you can trust worthy and dedicated to the job when the crew turn up on time.
• Planning and taking time to check that all scenes have been filmed and that everyone is happy with what has been done is crucial as some things may change on the day of shooting as the director may not like the look of a certain set or lighting so giving extra time for alterations to be made is important.

 

Give at least 4 examples of good time management skills

• Plan ahead – consider things which could delay filming time, so shooting doesn’t overrun.
• Having actors on call so a day of filming isn’t wasted if an actor is unable to arrive on set on a certain day.
• Make a timetable of what needs to be completed and when it needs to be finished by, stick to it so nothing is missed and so nothing is repeated.
• Prioritises the jobs so the most important ones are finished first, this gives time to complete it properly, so the smaller jobs can be done quickly.

***please upload the call sheets for your two shoots, and any other production documentation (schedules etc)

BFI Academy CALLSHEET SPAGHETTI 29 Oct
BFI Academy CALLSHEET The End 26 Oct

1.3 

Describe the key aspects of health and safety when working on film productions 

Health and safety of crew members and especially guests or actors must be taken into careful consideration. A film studio is supposed to be a lively environment and worrying about the safety of everyone on set will make the atmosphere very dull. It will limit the creativity if health and safety was thought about for everything.

Describe at least 3 health and safety considerations for your own film

• Creating a risk assessment stating the risk, the consequences and solutions to that issue is helpful for the crew to know what to do and how to resolve a problem if it occurs. Having copies of the risk assessment is various departments (sound, camera and lighting crew, directors) could be useful to save looking for one in case of an emergency, it’s also a time saver if the crew is on a tight schedule.
• Looking after your own equipment, for example: the sound crew have lots of cables and electricals to consider when shooting. The boom operator and sound mixer need to make sure the cables are altogether, tidy and taped up when they aren’t in use. When shooting, it’s important to tape the cables to the floor so no one trips over them as it could cause other equipment to be broken if its knocked over and to inform the crew around the sound equipment to take careful when walking around set.
• To ensure the crew is wearing suitable clothing whilst on set, this includes: flat shoes, so no open toe shoes. If anything is dropped it won’t be damaging the skin itself and will cause a smaller amount of damage. Wearing something which fits properly, this saves the clothing to get caught on parts of equipment and prevents its breaking.
• Having food and drink on set isn’t ideal as if it is dropped, it can be a slipping hazard, equipment being carried could be broken if its damaged due to being dropped by someone slipping over. All spillages are to be cleaned up to save this from happening as everything on set is expensive (including actors) and every film has a budget and money being spent on equipment being replaced isn’t ideal when the budget needs to cover everything used on set.
• Props like candles being lit for continuity reasons might become a hazard if they aren’t blown out before everyone leaves the set for breaks or lunch.

***please upload the risk assessments for both your shoots

BFI Academy Risk Assessment SPAGHETTI 29 Oct
BFI Academy Risk Assessment THE END 26 Oct

1.4 & 1.5 

***please summarise or upload the copyright information you learned in your first editing class with Tom

Why does copyright law exist?

Certain videos or audio is owned, and you’ll need to use copyright work to get permission to use them. The process can be expensive and take a lot of time, especially when it’s for a film. The law gives the creator of something artistic, musical or drama the right to use their work in the ways they wish to use it.

What kind of work is covered by copyright?

 The laws protect any work from poetry, scripts, art pieces to soundtracks, videos and music video footage. The owner must agree for their work to be used in ways which aren’t they own, if they don’t allow their work to be used for someone else’s work and its used anyway, that’s breaking the copyright laws.

What might happen if you were to use copyrighted material in your film?

All permissions are needed from all copyright owners and to quote the original authors name in the credits of the film would be beneficial and appreciated by the owner.

How can you make sure not to infringe copyright law in your film?

To avoid infringement, similarities mustn’t be seen if something is used without permission. Permissions can be denied. In film, the personality or names of characters can be similar to people in real life, creators must file for permissions if they want to use a character who reminds the audience of a celebrity image.

How has copyright law affected your film production?

The laws affect the film as soundtracks or other pieces of footage may be used to support or explain further about a segment in the film. The script has to be looked over to ensure that the storyline doesn’t involved any traits of other narratives or real-life events.

***You might also find the following links useful to complete this section:

http://copyrightuser.org/filmmaker/ 

https://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p01_uk_copyright_law