Film Characters

Chris:

Chris is an average British teenager. At age 16, his only concerns are how to have a good time. This is shown in the movie through his attempts to have a friend come to his house while his parents aren't home. This shows a sense of defiance as he is doing something his parents likely wouldn't approve it. Chris is shown as having a stereotypical "Don't Care' attitude, a common feature in many movies featuring teenage characters. While on the phone, he also mentions smoking something, but doesn't specify exactly that. This hints at drug use, which means that Chris could be quite troublesome since he is committing illegal activities in his spare time, simply for his own enjoyment.

Chris is also a very capable person, capable of defending himself in different situations. However, if overcame by fear that something could go wrong, he will likely run from his problems rather than facing them. He is also a skilled musician, owning many different instruments ranging from a keyboard to a guitar, which he likes to display in his room to attempt to impress anyone who comes in.

Visually, Chris is at an average height with a slim build. He dresses simple, often sticking to a T-Shirt and some tracksuit bottoms taking comfort over style. He has a modern haircut, showing that he does follow some style, and follows some of the norms of a teenage boy in his time.

Intruder:

The intruder is a very capable man. He can pick through locks and climb through windows with ease, despite his large stature. For reasons unknown, he breaks into people's homes at night and attempts to murder them. He does so by first breaking in during daytime to study his victim and their personality, then he attempts to sneak around the house until night, where he can commit the attack on someone who is tired and weaker. If seen before then, he will stop at nothing to end their life as soon as he can. Nothing is know about his personality besides from this.

Visually, The Intruder is a 6 foot tall man dressed in jeans, a black hoodie, a black balaclava and brandishing a knife. The knife is his weapon of choice, but he will use his hands if completely necessary. He typically works in black socks and no shoes, to ensure no footprints are left and he makes less noise, allowing him to sneak easier.

Target Audience

Target Audience/USP:
My target audience will be teenagers and young adults. This is because my short film will feature a teenager as the main protagonist. As young people, they may be able to relate to his personality and decisions. Also, horror movies are typically enjoyed more by younger generations, so I should target my film towards them since they're more likely to enjoy the genre. My main selling point would be the independent teenage lead, as they're not too common in many movies, and when they are, they're side characters. This allows me to show a new side to these teenage characters, who are often glossed over as being dependent and unable to do anything on their own.

Film Treatment

There is rather large house in a somewhat fancy looking street. The drive is empty, but the house is not. Inside Is Chris, an average 16 year old boy. Chris is lying on his bed, on the phone to a friend of his who goes by the name of George. Chris has been left home alone, and is looking to capitalize on this. Chris invites George to come to his house,and lets him know that he's home alone. Chris smiles excitedly to himself as he finalizes the plans. Then he hangs up the phone, proclaiming himself to be hungry. With a spring in his step, he hop off his bed and carelessly throws his phone down onto it, then leaves the room and heads downstairs. Chris makes a beeline towards the kitchen, immediately ransacking a cupboard upon entry. Much to his own annoyance, the cupboard is full of meals that must be cooked, and would take actual preparation. Letting out a sigh, Chris hangs his head. He slowly leaves the room, plodding into the hallway. As he turns, he doesn't notice that he isn't home alone after all. This is because there is actually an intruder in his house, hiding on the counter behind his kitchen door. The Intruder holds his breathe as he squats on the counter, a large knife in hand. As Chris walks down the hallway, The Intruder pokes his head from around the door and watches his route. Chris pauses when this happens, as The Intruder creaks loudly atop the counter. Chris' breathing hitches, and he slowly turns back to face the kitchen, only to be greeted with the sight of a large man dressed in black, wearing a balaclava and brandishing a knife. Chris freezes, fear coursing through his body. The Intruder calmly starts to approach Chris, turning the knife in his hand in an attempt to strike further fear. This works, and Chris slowly backs up into his locked front-door. Realising there is nowhere left for him to go, he slides down the wall and falls into a seated position on the floor, his eyes not straying away from The Intruder. Chris' rational thoughts come back through the fear, and he scrambles to his feet, the darts up the stairs, as they are the only place he can go. The Intruder dives around the bannister and barely grabs the ankle of Chris. He starts yanking at him in an attempt to pull him down, but Chris has an iron grip on the bannister and is refusing to let go. Chris starts to violently thrash his captured leg around as much as he can, then successfully freeing his grip. He runs up the stairs as fast as he can, barely evading The Intruder's second attempt to pull his legs out from under him. Chris reaches the top of the stairs, and instinctively dashes into his bedroom and pushes the door to be semi-shut when he enters, hoping it throws The Intruder off and fools him. The Intruder walks up the stairs slowly, taking his time since he knows that he has Chris trapped upstairs with no means of escape. He approaches the door, and opens it with a might kick. The sudden sound was a surprise to Chris, making him jump involuntarily and give his position away. Chris looks across the room from his position of lying on the floor down the side of his bed and makes eye contact with The Intruder. The pair keep the eyes locked, just staring at each other. The stare is broken by The Intruder as he suddenly leaps onto the bed, catching Chris off guard. Chris crawls backwards out of his spot in an attempt to escape, but crawls back into his wardrobe, cornering himself in the process. The Intruder steps off the bed, and comes down to squat in front of Chris. He swings the knife down suddenly, but Chris manages to grab the wrist of The Intruder and block the attack. The Intruder pushes down with power, so much so that Chris has to grab his arm with both hands. Chris manages to push the knife away, then he quickly lets go with one hand and slaps the knife from The Intruder's grip. Chris then lets go entirely and dives under the left arm of The Intruder, getting out of the corner successfully . However, The Intruder is fast to react. He grabs Chris and tackles him to the floor, planting him on his back. In a last ditch effort, The Intruder places both hands on the throat of Chris and starts strangling him, desperate to get the kill in any way possible. Chris gags, losing oxygen quickly under the iron grip on his neck. He tries to pry the hands from his throat but can't manage. Chris turns his head and sees how close he is to his bed, then gets an idea. He places a hand on the side of The Intruder's head and pushes him off him with all of his might. The Intruder topples off of Chris, and collides headfirst into the wooden bed frame. He hits hard, stunning himself in the process. Looking to take advantage of the situation, Chris dives at the knife and gets the handle in his grasp. He gets up onto his knees and looks down at it in his hands, but The Intruder is already back up. He grabs Chris from behind and gets him into a choke hold, looking to finish the job. The Intruder falls onto his back, getting the choke in harder. Chris is pulled backwards, but uses the momentum to his advantage by rolling back out of the grip of The Intruder. Chris quickly jumps on top of The Intruder and drives the knife down into his chest with one blow. Chris breathes heavily, and drop the knife to the floor shocked at what he'd done. He slowly gets to his feet, then mutters "Thank God" to himself. In shock, he goes to leave the room, before he hears another creak. He spins around fast, then sees that where The Intruder once lay, there is an open space. Where the knife was once, is an open space. Chris gasps, then goes to leave quickly. Behind him, the shadow of The Intruder takes up a whole wall, and The Intruder then emerges from the room. Chris looks at the staircase as his only way yo escape, and tries to run to it, but he took too long. the Intruder gets an arm around the neck of Chris and yanks him backwards, then drives the knife into his chest in one fatal blow. He lets go of Chris, who slumps down t the floor lifelessly. The Intruder looks down at him with no emotion, then heads down the stairs and heads straight out of the front door. He succeeded.

Film Synopsis

Working Title: Man In The Night

Film Synopsis:

A teenager called Chris is lying on his bed, on the phone to a friend. Chris plans for his friend to come to his house and hang out, since he is home alone. The plan is made and Chris hangs up the phone. He throws the phone to his side, letting it land on his bed. He hops from his bed and makes his way out of his room, heading downstairs and leaving his phone behind. Chris enters his kitchen and searches through some cupboards in search of food. After looking, he lets out a disappointed sigh and leaves the kitchen. When he turns, he doesn't notice that there is actually an intruder in his house, hiding on the counter behind his kitchen door. Chris makes it to the bottom of the stairs before stopping, convinced he just heard a noise. He turns to face the kitchen, and sees a large men dressed in black, wearing a balaclava and brandishing a knife. In a panic, he falls to the floor and backs up against his front door. The intruder starts coming towards him, increasing gradually in speed. Panicking, Chris scrambles to his feet an goes to rush up the stairs, only for his ankle to be grabbed by The Intruder. He kicks the hand away, then manages to evade a second grabbing attempt. Chris sprints upstairs to his room and looks around, realising that there isn't anywhere to hide. Chris dives across his bed and tries to crouch down along the side furthest from the door, but the Intruder is coming. The Intruder kicks the bedroom door open with force, causing Chris to jump involuntarily and give his position away. The Intruder leaps onto the bed towards Chris, causing him to crawl backwards from his bed, then accidentally corner himself. The Intruder capitalizes and goes in for the kill, but Chris manages to grab the larger mans wrist. It takes both hand, but he manages to hold the knife away and then knock it from his grip. Chris tries to escape again, but the Intruder mounts atop him and starts attempting strangulation. Chris once again manages to fight off by pushing him into his hard bed frame, then lunging at the knife. Chris gets the weapon in hand, yet ends up being caught in a choke from behind. The Intruder pulls Chris backwards, but the momentum allows Chris to break from his grip and end up sat atop The Intruder. As fast as he can, he stabs the knife down into the chest of The Intruder. Exhausted, Chris lets out many breaths before audibly thanking god. HE drops the knife and stand sup. Then limps slowly to leave his bedroom. He looks out of the window and notices it to now be dark outside. He faces his bedroom again slowly, only to notice the knife and the corpse aren't there any more. In a panic, he tries to run. A large shadow emerges from his bedroom, The Intruder is back on his feet. Chris tries to get to the stairs, but is caught from behind and immediately stabbed in the chest, fatally. The Intruder succeeded in his plan.

Logline

Logline:
An average, home alone teenager is going about his day the way he normally would. However, this all changes when the shapes in the corner of his eye become clearer, and he realizes his isn't as alone as he thought, leading to him being hunted by a masked man who forcibly entered his house.

Magazine Production Planning Learning Aim B

My Rational

My magazine is going to be a music magazine focusing on hip-hop artists and lesser known indie/underground singers. It will have a target audience of teenagers and young adults, ranging from 13 to the mid 20's, but it will be accessible for older readers as-well. I did research to find out wether i should do my magazine in print or digital format, and the majority of people preferred print, so this will be a print magazine in physical form. However, not too many were willing to pay for a magazine, and those who where wouldn't be willing to pay over £3. This means my magazine will only be £1.50, keeping it cheap for teenagers who may not have much money to spend, but ensuring that the magazine still brings in some sort of money in order to keep it running. Most people also showed a preference to magazines having a simple design, almost minimalistic. I will include this as-well, having the cover typically feature just one large image and a tagline, with nothing making it seem crowded. The images used will often be close ups of musicians from the shoulders and above, often looking at the camera. They may stand differently or do a different pose, but each image will be shot similarly. Depending on the style of the artist, the colour will change, but the magazine will typically have bright and vibrant colours, focusing on things like red, green, blue and pink. My research showed the majority preferred their magazines to be colourful, so this will be acceptable and suited to the audience. The artist will also be related to my magazines purpose and be someone that the audience may know, or if they don't, they would be interested in. This ensures that everything fits the target and nothing seems to be out of place or strange.

When shooting photography , I would normally shoot in common everyday locations. This could mean things like city centres, public parks, and places of work. Some people could be shot in front of a green screen and edited to be in a more extravagant location if it fits their style. The shoots would often be inside however, as this allows for extra lights to be used to add a more colourful effect, yet the outside locations are still an option. The equipment will be typical photograph equipment. We will need a camera, tripod and then all that is needed are lights. Any extra props needed for certain shoots are easy to gain access to and will only be bought if required. I am already in possession of a DSLR , tripod and a portable LED light on a stand. This means i wont have to spend any more money on these items unless they are damaged or I need one of higher quality for a certain task. I likely wont need any extra crew as the photos will all be shot by myself, so the crew would only be if friends volunteered to assist me, so there would be no need for any crew pay.

My Pitch

Do you need a new magazine? Of course you do! Do you need a new music magazine with a perfect mix of mainstream and underground artists? Pulse is the magazine for you! This magazine will bring in many music fans, young and old alike. There are not any magazines talking about lesser known artists, so Pulse will become many peoples favourite magazine to hear more about them on. It'll feature reviews, interviews, news and everything necessary for a music magazine, just better! While all ages will be able to enjoy Pulse, our main target audience will be teenagers and young adults. Due to this, we will have a simple yet colourful design, ensuing that the magazine is nice aesthetically and also easy to pick up and understand, making it more accessible to readers. I must admit to drawing inspiration from "Crack Magazine'', so i attached an image below. Pulse is the magazine people need, so give it to them.

The Proposal

My magazine will be a print magazine about music. It will feature a number of different things related to the topic, such as artist interviews, music reviews and news about whats happening in the industry. The only equipment needed besides from a computer to produce the magazine would be photography equipment like cameras and lights, needed for exclusive artist photos or photos from live performances. The camera could cost up to 300 pound, whereas standing lights would be about 30 pound each. To help steady the camera, we could invest in a tripod (roughly 40 pound) or a gamble (roughly 400 pound depending on quality). For the interviews, artists would have to be asked if they are willing to do so and then it would have to be scheduled in advance for a time that is suitable for them. If photos are used for any purpose and they weren't taken by someone who works for the magazine, legal action could be taken if no permission is asked in advance. The photographer or company who own the photo will need to give permission and then have credit given inside the actual magazine. All of the sources will need to be logged also. Alternatively, primary content can be produced exclusive to the magazine, to avoid any issues ands also give a more unique feel.n Of course, all articles in the magazine will be produced by the magazine itself to avoid any issues with plagiarism. All content produced should fir the magazine theme, which is music in this case. For example, this means there shouldn't be anything sports related in the magazine as it isn't what people purchased it to see.

IPSO are the independent press standards association, a group that ensure all magazines follow the editors code. This means they prevent fake news being spread, people stealing others work, invasion of privacy and any discriminatory pieces towards a specific group of people. If the code is not followed, then IPSO can hold the magazine creators to account and even censor their magazine.

Flat Plan Design

Template for front cover.

Template for Two-Page Spread.

I decided to use quite a simple design for both my two page spread and my front cover. This was because my survey results had the majority saying that they preferred simple/minimalistic designs over complex ones.  This is beneficial tho my target audience, since it is primarily young people like teenagers, who will prefer things to not be too complex. They are also specifically designed to look good in print form, which is why the two page spread splits directly down the middle, as this is where the first page will end and the second will start. On my front cover, I'm having everything separate to make the page seem less cluttered and chaotic. This allows for a more aesthetically pleasing page, with everything neatly placed in certain places.

The Treatment

The reason that my Flat Plan Design for my cover looks the way that it does is so that I can keep my vision of a simple front cover. I wanted a large main image covering the whole cover, with a title at the top and one single tagline at the bottom. This prevents the cover being crowded and visually unappealing. The simpler design would work well for the younger audience as it is easier to understand and many wouldn't read every single tagline on the side anyway so they wouldn't serve a purpose. The design would also be a lot nicer and pleasing aesthetically. On the photographs in the magazine, many images will be close ups, maybe from a downward angle. They will be looking at the camera as if they are addressing the reader, adding a personal feel to things. The lighting will be bright and colorful, yet somewhat hazy. this will fit a consistent theme/aesthetic that is used throughout the magazine. The text will be in easy to read font, and will likely be black, or white if the background is a darker colour. The writing the font will be in will be slightly informal to make it more suited to the young audience, but it wont be filled with slang words.

Prepare Content

In my magazine I will likely edit a photo of an existing music artist to use in an article about them and their music. To do this i will crop them from an existing background and put therm onto a more fitting one that matches nicely with my selected colour scheme. I would fix up the image to ensure it isn't pixelated or blurry, and make sure it fits nicely on the page without seeming stretched or shrunk. I will likely use influences from other images to help me decide exactly what I want to do for my colour scheme.

In this collage, there is an image of an existing artist (Kevin Abstract). I have chosen this musician as he fits exactly what my magazine is supposed to feature, since he is an underground rapper/singer who also fits the correct aesthetic. The two images in the top row of my collage are both photos I have taken. The left one has been edited, and the right has not. These images are examples of the type of photos I could use, and the bottom right photo is an example of how I could edit the photos to fit a different colour scheme to how it would if it stayed unedited.

Pre-Production Assignment

1.)   THE REQUIREMENTS OF A MOVING IMAGE PRODUCTION

FINANCING 

To make a movie, financing is crucial. All of the most basic parts of making a film requires money in order to do it. This could be anything ranging from paying people to act in your film. The more prolific the actor, the higher the paycheck will have to be. Crew members (cameramen, makeup artist etc.) will also require to be paid for their work behind the scenes. All the equipment used by aid crew will have to either be hired or paid for, and things like cameras are very expensive. If any damage is caused, then even more money will need to be sent on replacement equipment. The same could be said for props and costumes, which may be less costly, but a lot more may be needed. Also, different sets will need to be paid for, and transport between real life filming areas could be very costly depending on where they are being shot.

There are different ways movies can be financed. One of these is to be funded by a public agency, like National Lottery or being funded by the department of culture. Winning the National Lottery is rather unlikely however, and isn't an easily accessible way to obtain funding.  Creators could also ask for private investors, having people donate money to help the production of the movie if they are interested in it. An example of this is Equity Financing, where investors earn a percentage of ownership to the film, and will therefore profit from the final product. This is good as creators can have very rich people funding they idea, even if they aren't too overly interested in the actual movie. However, there is also crowdfunding, which is funding raised by members of the public with a passion for the idea of the unmade piece. This is also a positive as the movie has fans before its release, who will spend more money in order to see it when it is finished. 

An example of a film with private funding is Blood Simple (1984) by The Coen Brothers (True Grit) who used roughly 65 private investors to help them raise 750 thousand dollars. This allowed them to create their film, which went on to almost make 4 million dollars at the box office, giving them a hefty profit. 

TIMESCALES

In pre-production time management is very important. People working not the movie have lives outside of it, other its personal errands or other jobs to work. This means that not every single crew member will be available everyday, so planning must be made for when all the required crew are needed for something way in advance. Also, equipment that is rented may not be available to be rented at certain times/days due to the rental companies preferences, and the fact that they may have already rented out said equipment. Like most things, movies may have a deadline to be finished by, especially if they're being made by a big production company. This means that if time is wasted and the movie overruns, the budget and crew availability are both affected massively, hindering the production further.

An example of this is "Jaws", which suffered from delay due to the difficulties of shooting at sea. When a shot had to be reset it took many hours, causing 12 hour work days to only have 4 hours of actual filming done. The sea also contributed to damaging equipment like cameras and making crew members sick. The film took 159 days to shoot, way over the 55 day deadline.

FACILITIES

For the pre-production of a movie, it is best to have all equipment needed planned out beforehand, to avoid any last second rushing. It needs to be taken into account wether the equipment is suitable for the scene, or it needs to be replaced with a more advanced/specialist piece of equipment. It also needs to be taken into account wether the equipment should be hired or purchased Hiring is a lot cheaper, but more restricted due to it only being available at certain times and the equipment eventually needs to be moved. Costumes also should be planned ahead to make sure they are all accurate, to avoid any continuity problems in the final movie (Costume parts randomly going missing).

LOCATIONS

Before a movie can be shot, a location for the shooting must be decided. The best thing to do is to identify and recess, meaning you visit the location personally to scout it out, seeing its current state for yourself. This is because if you've only seen photos of the location, they could have been outdated and the locations appearance may have changed since. Also, appearing in person allows for a risk assessment to be done, to prevent any potential accidents while filming. Another thing to be planned beforehand is the availability of the location, as this can differ based on a variety of things ranging from bad weather, how much it costs across the year, and wether or not other people are hiring it out.

PERSONNEL

Before beginning production, all personnel must be selected. This includes all the extras that are to be used in background scenes or play minor speaking roles. This means that a lot of people need to be selected, which is time consuming and also costly as all extras still require pay. On top of this, all specific crew members like cameramen and editors need to be selected, and they need to be skilled in this line of work for the film to come out well. Any extra crew like stunt men and fight choreographers are required based on the movie genre, so they may need to be selected too. 

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

Before filming, one of the most important things that is needed is a script. Every movie needs a script, so that it isn't an incoherent mess. Without one nobody would know what to say, what actions to perform or even where to stand. To make things clearer, a storyboard could also be used as its an easy to follow draw-up of each shot in the scene, which helps the cameramen and editors just as much as it helps the cast members. If anything from existing movies is needed (Scenes shown on TV's) then permission needs to be asked from people who worked on that piece for permission, and the same goes for copyrighted music. Using these without permission can result is many legal issues, so it's best to ask.

CODES OF PRACTICE AND REGULATIONS

What codes of practice or regulations are important when planning pre-production?  Consider the importance of extensive health and safety procedures, the importance of checking and obtaining permissions regarding copyrighted material, and the involvement of trade unions.  Why are effective and robust procedures here vital and what could be the problems if they are not?

When filming, it is very important to follow rules and regulations. This means following health and safety rules such as risk assessments is necessary, to avoid any possible injuries during filming. Things like hygiene regulations for any food onset are also important, as crew members getting sick could majorly halt production. Everyone should be treated well, both verbally and physically, to avoid any fights or arguments onset.

2.)   THE FORMATS FOR PRE-PRODUCTION PROCESS

THE PROPOSAL

A proposal is essentially the overall premise of a movie. It features the overall plot, the narrative structure, the target audience and information of the characters. This is used to see if anyone would be interested in helping with/backing the project based on its concept, and to also see if everything would work well. It is essentially the starting point for any movie.

SCRIPTING: MASTER SCENE SCRIPT

A master scene script is the industry standard script, as it is designed to be easy and accessible. This makes it easy for anyone to read, even if they may suffer from any potential learning difficulties. This script features both dialogue and description, making the story easier to follow than if it was just all dialogue. This script is split into the blocks of dialogue for the performers, a narrative description and then scene headings. This makes it easier for every member of staff to follow what is happening, and makes the script clearer when shown to investors. The scene-headings are called "Sluglines" and talk about the scene location, the time it occurs, and the interior/exterior in the scene. The narrative description begins after the scene heading, and i just the telling of the story as it happens. It should be descriptive and clear so that everyone can follow it easily, and act out accordingly. Nothing that cant be seen or heard should be mentioned, it should only be based on picture and sound as anything else would be pointless for a script and a waste of time to write out.

Commonly, one page on an MSS equals one minute of screen time is means pagers are typically 120 pages, for 2 hours worth of content. This means that however long a scene is, then it should be described well enough to take up that many pages.

Dialogue blocks consist of three different sections. This is the character name, wryly and then the dialogue. A wryly is what shows the way a line should be pronounced, depending on the emotion of the character. This is to make characters seem more natural and realistic. Names are in upper case, wrylies in lower case and dialogue in normal sentence case. Additionally, all font is commonly in size 12.

SCRIPTING: SHOOTING SCRIPT

These are scripts that are used during the production and he;p to shoot the movie. These feature things like transitions, camera angles and scene numbers, making them more friendly for the people editing the movie together. These scripts are not used for investors, just the crew and cast, so it will feature information specifically geared towards them, hence the camera angles. These can be hard to read for people not familiar with what goes into pre-production, hence the existence of the simpler MSS to use for pitches.

STORYBOARDING

Scripts can be converted into storyboards. Storyboards are essentially screenplays, complete with images of each different shot. This really helps camera workers with when to start and stop recording, and what angle to do it in. This helps to see if there would be any issues with doing certain things as-well, since its an exact plan of how everything should look when finished. They can also help in seeing how much it may cost to shoot scenes, based on location and how long each shot should actually be. This is very good to know in advance as it helps fight against chances of going over budget.

SHOOTING SCHEDULES

A shooting schedule is essentially a plan of when things are going to be shot. Different shots will be filmed on different days, depending on the locations of these shots, the equipment needed on them and what staff is available on this day of shooting. This is to ensure everything runs smoothly to ensure everything is finished on time and without stretching the budget.

OTHER PAPERWORK

What types of paperwork may be used to collect together key information?  What type of information may they contain?

One necessary paperwork is permission from owners of land and specific buildings that may needed to film. Without permission, a lot of commotion could be caused and it could potentially lead to legal problems. There should also be documents of the risk assessments that were carried out.

3.)   THE FUNCTIONS OF PRE-PRODUCTION

When preparing a script, it is expected that they go through numerous drafts, showing a change over time as ideas change. It should always be the strongest possible script in the final piece, as theres no way to change it after its finished filming. Professional script editors can be consulted to see any potential errors, such as certain things not quite making sense. Multiple writers can work on one script as-well, allowing it to have numerous insights and ideas all put forward, allowing for a more compelling script to be written. During production, certain locations can be reconsidered and then replaced with a more suitable or safer location, likewise, props and costumes may be changed during production, due to quality issues or idea changes. The changing of ideas allows for a comparison between old ideas and new, to see if the change would even be for the better or not. This is why a lot of costumes have concept art and drafts, to see what idea would suit the situation best.

4.)   THE PURPOSE OF PRE-PRODUCTION

The purpose of pre-production is so everything goes smoothly once the actual production begins. This includes how it goes legally (laws and regulations of staff treatment) and in terms of the shooting. Other legal requirements could be health and safety paperwork, permissions to film on owned locations, permission to use copyrighted images and sounds, and pay for everyone involved. There will need to be public liability in place, meaning responsibility will be taken if a member of the public is harmed by your filming. Without any of these in place, you could suffer from fines, being sued, and even have your whole project legally shut down.

Pre-production also helps plan the movie around the set target audience. This means it needs to be made age appropriate, also when it is rated by the BBFC it isn't rated different to how it was intended. For example, if someone was making a children's movie but had it feature inappropriate language and violence, it would be rated too high for any child to see, making it completely miss the mark. 

Assignment One

Comedy Codes And Conventions

Comedy movies commonly follow a set theme, that isn't too hard to notice. They can seem quite formulaic in some instances, using a lot of different cliches. For my comparison, I chose to do Shaun Of The Dead and Pineapple Express, in order to compare the conventions used in two action comedies that were shot in different countries and in different years. Using these movies, I will look to identify the common conventions used in their genre.

Reference One

Shaun Of The Dead

The establishing shot to the movie Shaun Of The Dead shows the setting to be a pub. This is expected from a comedy movie as they will commonly use social places that many viewers will likely have visited before in their life, due to the movie being an 18, and being marketed at adults. This creates a sense of comfort to the audience as the setting is familiar and also seems natural, thus humanising the characters and making them feel more realistic. Realistic characters make them overall more likeable, instead of just being perfect and one note. Comedy characters are commonly flawed, and the majority of characters in Shaun Of The Dead are flawed. The titular character, Shaun, is immature and lazy. These flaws are used commonly in comedy films worldwide, to make a relatable character that can use their flaw to be humorous also. Shaun is shown as flawed from the beginning, as his girlfriend Liz is addressing his flaws to him and complaining how he won't take their relationship more seriously. This allows the audience to see the character like a real person, making him more likeable and thus easier to laugh with in-jokes later in the movie. The scene allows viewers to focus on the dialogue by only using Diegetic sounds, having music playing in the actual bar instead of being added over the top. This is used commonly in comedy movies, but non-diegetic is used commonly as well. The use of diegetic sounds makes the setting in the scene more realistic and feel more welcoming as a whole.

Pineapple Express

In Pineapple Express, the first time we see the main character Dale is when he is driving his car around the streets of California. This scene has Dale listening to the radio, which is playing Electric Avenue by Eddie Grant. This is a diegetic sound, but it flows into non-diegetic when showing Dale doing his job, which is shown alongside the driving scene. This helps to keep the music flowing no matter what is being shown, something that not many movies do, making this outside of the expected codes and conventions of a comedy movie. This scene features a lot of fast cuts, making the movie seem energetic. There is even use of speed-up and slow-motion techniques, making things move faster so that the audience does not grow bored. The use of the slow motion was used almost in a way that mocks action movies, as Dale threw on a large laboratory coat. Dale uses many one-liners and insults during his job as a Process Server. The use of these lines is to make Dale seem as likeable as possible quite early in the movie, by having him seem humorous and carefree. However, Dale is only shown as a flawed character when he is back in his car, talking on the phone about his relationship with a high school girl. While legal, many would perhaps frown upon this, once again showing the use of a flawed main character, even if the flaw is very different and perhaps greater. While a risk is taken using such a topic, it opens up a lot of potential dark humour, something the target audience of people 15 and above will likely be looking for. 

Reference Two

Shaun Of The Dead

The movie centres around Shaun and his group, a common theme in comedy movies. Many of them follow a theme of one or two main characters with recurring side characters, something Shaun Of The Dead uses as well. This allows there to be another different personalities and motivations for the audience relate to, while also allowing characters to play off of each-other for comedic effect. The main character Shaun commonly does this with his best friend named Ed. The character Ed follows a common archetype used in Comedy films by being a typically unintelligent man. This is mainly played for jokes and different types of comedy. Ed could be considered a sort of Binary Opposite to Shaun. Shaun is employed, and Ed is not. This is one of many differences between the pair, and it doubles to show how much lazier Ed is shown that Shaun as he also shows no intentions of getting a job. Ed is also presented as being dirty and messy, whereas Shaun is shown at-least making himself presentable and tidying up after himself. Even though they share a lot of similarities, Shaun is still intelligent. The binary opposites theory of Levi Strauss is that two-man characters in a book or film with have opposing personalities, and that is very much the case here, except in comedies it is played for laughs. Shaun and Ed have disagreements throughout the movie, with Shaun often being more ethical and Ed just thinking of himself. While the two are ultimately still friends, they still share conflict. Ed's immaturity and idiocy also get Shaun and the rest of the group into trouble, most notably a scene in which he uses a very loud slot machine while the group hide in the bar, surrounded by zombies. 

Pineapple Express

In Pineapple Express, the two main characters are the aforementioned Dale and his drug dealer Saul. When they are first shown together, Dale is wearing a suit whereas Saul is in his pyjamas, and sat in his messy and small apartment. By appearance alone, the pair are already opposites, due to the difference in clothing and their overall presentation of themselves. Dale looks like a typical working man, whereas Saul looks like a slacker, and overall doesn't have an inviting look about him. While interacting with each-other, Dale comes off as quite awkward whereas Saul is pushy and excitable, almost as if he's desperate for Dale to like him. These behaviours make the character fit into being an opposite to Dale, therefore fitting this usual trope of main comedy characters. The duo in this movie also has a conflict between each other, leading to disagreements and arguments, yet they ultimately come out of it is as strong friends, stronger than they were earlier in the movie. This is used very often in "Buddy" comedies, as part of a larger message of friendship. This wasn't particularly used in Shaun Of The Dead, giving an example of when a movie acts outside of its usual conventions and what would generally be expected of the movie. 

Reference Three

Shaun Of The Dead

Many props that are used in Shaun Of The Dead are very expected and typical to the genre of the movie. Since the main setting of the movie is a pub, many characters consume alcohol throughout the movie. This allows the characters to further seem relatable and realistic. The alcohol use is also an adult theme, making it fit for the target adult audience. The movie also has use of a shotgun, firearms are a common thing in many comedies, specifically the action blends. The weapon is used in part of the Chekhov's Gun theory, having it shown earlier in the movie and having characters question if it actually works. Later in the movie, the gun is successfully used to save the characters lives in a very violent manner, another strong adult theme. 

Pineapple Express

In Pineapple Express, the two main characters commonly use marijuana throughout. This is a strong adult theme, making it suited to its target audience. It also sets up jokes surrounding the prop, making it appeal to fans of "Stoner Comedies" as well as an average audience. Drug use is used commonly throughout comedies, helping this movie fit with its common codes and conventions.

Narrative Theory

Both of these movies follow Todorov's Equilibrium theory, which states that all movies start with an Equilibrium, where everything is normal for the characters. However, there is then a disruption, changing the normal life. After recognition of the disruption, there is an attempt to repair the damage which then comes full circle to the forming of the New Equilibrium. 

Shaun Of The Dead

In Shaun Of The Dead, the Equilibrium is that everything is normal and Shaun gets by just hanging out with best friend Ed. The disruption is a disease that is causing people to die and then come back to life as Zombies. The characters realise when they are attacked and then warned by different news outlets, and they attempt to repair the situation by hiding out in a pub until the government does something about the outbreak. New Equilibrium is found when the army shows up and clear out all Zombies, and Shaun gets back with his girlfriend and moves in with her in a New Equilibrium.

Pineapple Express

In the movie Pineapple Express, the Equilibrium is main character Dale just going through life by doing his job and doing a lot of drugs to have a good time. However a disruption comes when he witnessed the murder of a crime boss, and the murderer sees that he has witnessed it. He recognizes it as an issue when people are sent to track him down, so he and his drug dealer Saul go on the run. They soon try to repair the situation by engaging in a large gunfight with the crime organization, establishing a New Equilibrium when they’ve defeated the criminals and left somewhat unscathed.

Superhero Movies Codes And Conventions

Superhero movies, while popular, are considered to be very formulaic, cliché and oftentimes generic. They follow a lot of the same premises and many are even shot the same. To talk about the common codes and conventions that are used within the Superhero genre, I will talk about two films. One film is The Avengers and the other is Guardians Of The Galaxy.

Reference One

The Avengers

The movie The Avengers is set primarily in Manhattan, New York City. Many different superhero movies are set in popular American cities, New York being a very common one. This is done as many viewers of the movies will be familiar with the cities and all of the different tourist attractions that could be featured, which often get damaged or destroyed in the movies. Use of settings that audiences are familiar with makes the property damage seem more important, as they are familiar with its significance. For example, if the Statue Of Liberty were to be damaged in one of these movies, it would have a much larger effect than damage to a small house as people are familiar with it. The familiarity also adds a sense of comfort during some scenes, as they can relate to what may be happening. The setting also fits the target audience of the movie, which is a family film. This is because the setting doesn’t have anything inappropriate for any younger viewers, whereas if it was set in a pub, it wouldn’t fit the demographic. In the movie, Manhattan is the location of the “Avengers Headquarters”. Headquarters are a common thing in Superhero movies, even if they’re something more subtle like Spider-Man’s Bedroom, used in “Spider-Man: Homecoming”. 

Guardians Of The Galaxy

In Guardians Of The Galaxy, there are many different settings ranging from space, fictional planets and even Earth. This shows that Guardians Of The Galaxy follows a consistent theme by using Earth but also shows many common Sci-Fi elements with its use of outer space. This is common in some superhero movies, but less common than other settings, especially for the heroes to be here. The headquarters for the Guardians is a spaceship as-well, fitting with the setting and keeping things consistent whilst also subverting expectations from what the audience might have thought they would use. The space setting works well for this movie as Guardians is aimed at a slightly older demographic, or just more hardcore Marvel fans in general due to the featured heroes obscurity before the movie was made. This allows them to show off different complex settings without worry about younger audience members being confused.

Reference Two

The Avengers

In The Avengers, there is strong binary opposites at play. The main one is the team of heroes vs the movies main villain, Loki. Loki is cited as a “God Of Mischief” and is a very evil and brooding character. When compared to the positive and good-willed heroes, he is very different. This allowed ye audience to distinguish different morals, and root for the heroes easier. Commonly in hero movies, there is a personal connection between the hero and the villain. One Avenger is Thor, the “God Of Thunder” and the brother of Loki. This allows a more personal feud to be at play, and it makes the motives of the villain more believable, thus making him easier to dislike. The villain having a personal problem with a beloved hero makes the audience feel more involved as well, since things feel like they’re on a more realistic level. 

Guardians Of The Galaxy

In this movie, the main binary opposites are between the actual heroes. Each character comes together almost accidentally, with the two main heroes even against each-other at the start, but they then come together to form the team. The team are visually very opposing to each other as well. The leader is a white male human, his love interest is a green female alien. There is also a muscular alien man, an intelligent genetically modified raccoon and a living tree. These characters are all very eye-catching due to them all having an immensely unique look, making them all very distinguishable. Nobody looks generic, which sets this apart from the common codes and conventions of superhero characters just wearing a mask and a cape with a spandex outfit. The villain is visually an opposite in the movie as well, as he wears large black armor and has a dark blue skin. He appears very dark and his pallet isn’t very broad, especially when in comparison to the colorful and vibrant heroes. This is something common, as it helps the villain to be easily distinguishable from a still image alone. The personal connection between the heroes and the villain in this movie is that the villain, Ronan, killed the family of the muscular alien, Drax. Drax is presented as a lovable and funny character, so him having a personal feud with the villain will make him hated by audiences and also make the heroes easier to get behind.

Reference Three

The Avengers

Props used in this movie revolve strongly around different gadgets or fantasy style weapons. For example, a particularly famous prop in the movie would be the shield of the character Captain America. The shield is a weapon made of a metal from space that makes it indestructible. This gadget/weapon fits perfectly into the common codes and conventions of this genre, as it fits in both fantasy and sci-fi, which have a lot borrowed from them to make Superhero movies. The same could be said for Thor’s magical hammer that enables him to fly and also shoots lightning.

Guardians Of The Galaxy

In this movie, the props are more Sci-Fi based, due to the space setting. One of the main heroes, Star Lord, commonly uses many futuristic gadgets. He uses laser blasters as his weapon of choice and regularly flies around via use of rockets on his shoes. While in space he has a protective oxygen mask also. These gadgets fit the sub-genre of the film very much, and also the overall superhero genre by being an item that doesn’t exist in real life, making the person wielding the gadgets seem important and unique.

Narrative Structure

The Avengers
The Avengers (italics) follows the Todorov Narrative theory as well. The Equilibrium is when the powerful energy source known as the Tesseract is safe in hands of the government. Disruption comes when Loki steals the power source from said government. The realization is when Loki uses the energy source to open a portal that beams alien armies to Manhattan and starts wreaking havoc. An attempt to repair the situation is made by forming the superhero team of The Avengers to face off with Loki, defeat him and his alien forces and then get the energy source back. They succeed and form a new Equilibrium by having the Tesseract placed safely back where it came from and Loki is sent to his home planet to be held imprisoned. The plot also uses the Tesseract as a MacGuffin, since the entire plot revolves around who is in possession of the item, and the movie ends when it is safely back into the heroes possession.

Guardians Of The Galaxy

This movie also follows Todorovs Narrative, making this very common in this superhero genre. The Equilibrium is Star Lord traveling the galaxy and commuting theft, having fun along the way. However, when he steals an item known as an Infinity Stone, a disruption is caused as many villains, namely Ronan, attempt to stop Star Lord and retrieve the item for themselves. Star Lord is joined by his new team, The Guardians Of The Galaxy, who help him defeat Ronan to repair the problem, and then they start a new Equilibrium by passing the stone to an intergalactic government known as the Nova Corps. The use of the stone is once again a MacGuffin, having the whole plot point revolve around this item.