Anciliary Tasks: Film Review

Many student films focus on everyday life and maybe at first you could think that about The Day The World Went Wrong but this ordinary day is about to take a turn for the unexpected.

What TDTWWW lacks in polish it makes up for with constant action and intrigue by mixing many elements from popular science fiction films together to make a roller coaster ride of action, story twists and exposition. The special effects are far from perfect but director Chris Browne's ambition shows through. The sheer amount that has been crammed into this five minute mini movie is a true achievement considering the amount of custom made content that has been required for it. As a director he has made a huge effort to co-ordinate the many resources required for the film's setting and characters, there is no element of the film that he has not been fully involved with from set design to character animation.

Chris has also thought carefully about casting and the acting is very high quality throughout; from the friendly nature of Alistair Browne to the slightly nerdy Nate Winger. Chris has taken care matching each voice to their character. But it's not just human casting that has been well thought out, the choice of cars has been made to match the character that drives them. Thomas's diminutive Mini Cooper represents his vulnerability when pitched against the intimidating jet black Dodge Charger that acts to represent the system bearing down on him in the final chase sequence.

Despite being released later than anticipated this film is well worth the wait, the breakneck pace means that you will never want for action. Although not as well finished as some of his earlier projects, the effort that has been put into it shines though.

Main Task: Film

Here is the main short film.

Anciliary Tasks: Film Poster

The first version of my film poster is complete:



Are there any improvements that I can make?

Status Update

I will be coming into school later today to give you the film, the poster should be done as well.

Status Update

After some unfortunate delays and technical problems, the film should be ready for monday evening, 7th of october as well as the anciliary tasks.

From Mrs S

Thanks!

What is Garrys Mod?

Garrys Mod is the game engine I use to film the footage for my movie. It has a lot of tools and capabilities which make it ideal for film making.

Here is the main site for it, there are news updates and more information there and some other notable examples of work done in the game. I am planning to post my video here when it's finished.

From Mrs S continued!

Forgot to say - don't forget to post your ancilliary tasks as well.

From Mrs S

I like this, it's effective. The backing track works well. Only one question, what's 'Garrys mod?" I'm really looking forward to seeing your final product now.

Progress Report: Models and Animation

The 1969 Dodge Charger model is now complete and ready to use in the film. Here are some short test shots of it in action:



The model for Thomas is also ready, it now has most of the necessary animations but I can add more as I go along.

I have also found an excellent site that has very cheap royalty free music and sound effects: http://www.audionetworkplc.com/ One song I am interested in currently is 'Get me out of here' which has a repetitiveness which I think would suit Thomas's repetitive life in the beginning of the film. It would create a sense of predictability which would surprise the audience when suddenly accidents start to happen around him.

I will now start doing the necessary faceposer work to get all of the current dialogue lip-synced.

From Mrs S

'S good stuff Chris. I'm looking forward to seeing what you've filmed. Don't forget the ancilliary tasks. They shouldn't take you too long.

Story Changes and Progress

I have decided that Thomas will not have a car in the beginning of the film, he will start out by walking to work instead. This will be much simpler to set up and film, it will also make him appear more vulnerable when the 'accident' occurs.

He will steal a car when he goes down to the car park to make his escape. All other events will still occur unchanged.

I have almost finished getting all of the models and sets ready for the film so I should be ready to start filming on monday next week. Hopefully I will post some test videos before then.

from Mrs S

High five Chris! Looking good.

From Miss D,
These pictures look very professional and give a sense of realism to the project. Keep up the good work. What colour is the car going to be- think how the colour of it could have associated connotations.

Modeling progress: 1969 Dodge Charger

This model of a 1969 Dodge Charger is one of the cars which will feature in the film as mentioned in my faceposer test. The actual model itself is now complete but I still need to apply textures (2D images applyed to the 3D geometry) and rig the model ready for animations. I hope that this will be finished in a week. Here are some images.

From Mrs S

I really like this! It's fun and really shows how much effort you're putting into this project. The lip syncing seems to be coming on well.

Tool Testing: Faceposer and Hammer

I have been testing the Faceposer and Hammer tools which will be used in the final film and I have prepared a test video which is also a youtube subscriber announcement. This video shows how faceposer can manipulate and animate an NPC in the source engine for the purposes of making a film.



Link to Dodge Charger model progress thread here.

From Mrs S

I really like what you've done. It's got your usual witty trademark! One comment though, you might want to reduce what Anonymous tells your main guy. I think there's a danger of there being too much exposition in his speeches. Try making Anonymous more enigmatic, say less and just hint at what's going on. Perhaps if you did this, the viewer would have the uncomfortable feeling that Anonymous is actually messing with the main guy's head...
Great stuff so far Chris.

Storyboard

This animated storyboard will help me to time scenes and plan camera angles and actions in the scenes.



Not all of the sound is final and there are certain camera angles that will probably be changed in the final film. There is also a mistake at 0:48 where the debris is falling from the sky instead of from a crane, this is because I drew that frame of the storyboard while I was following a slightly different script to the final version. Despite this the reaction of Thomas and the camera angles will be the same just with a crane above the buildings.

I will now commence construction on the film. I need to learn how to properly use the tools available to me to make certain scenes, this includes: Faceposer and Hammer, these tools will be used to control the virtual actors and construct the locations respectively. I will be following a number of tutorials in order to learn how to utilise the full potential of this software and I will post test videos to show my progress.

Script - Second Draft

Foreword: I have shortened certain areas of the script and removed certain events to make it more streamlined in order to fit more easily into the five minute time constraint. I have also added and edited a few parts to make the story seem a bit more plausable.

INT.THOMAS'S HOME.MORNING

THOMAS'S alarm clock rings and its radio turns on, THOMAS wakes up and gets out of bed.

RADIO ANNOUNCER

Hello there river city, it's 7:30 and it's looking to be a lovely Monday morning.

INT.THOMAS'S CAR.MORNING

THOMAS is driving through the city in his car. He looks around, nothing new, everything is perfectly normal. He listens to the radio.

INT.THOMAS'S OFFICE.MIDDAY

THOMAS is working at his desk.

INT.OFFICE CAFFETERIA.MIDDAY

THOMAS is eating lunch with co-workers.

INT.THOMAS'S BEDROOM.NIGHT

THOMAS goes to bed.

-

INT.THOMAS'S HOME.MORNING

THOMAS'S alarm clock rings and its radio turns on, THOMAS wakes up and gets out of bed.

RADIO ANNOUNCER

Hello there river city, it's 7:30 and it's looking to be a lovely Monday morning.

EXT.CITY.DAY

THOMAS is driving through the city in his car.

INT.THOMAS'S CAR.DAY

THOMAS listens to the radio. He looks into an alley as he is driving by and sees several dustbins and skips hovering in midair.

THOMAS

(incredulously)

What?

A truck passes in front of the alley, when THOMAS looks again all of the bins and skips are now in their normal places.

THOMAS shakes his head in disbelief, he isn't sure what he just saw.

THOMAS

Bloody hell, I'm loosing my mind.

THOMAS continues to drive along.

EXT.ROAD.DAY

Suddenly a pallet of bricks and other building material fall out of the sky in front of THOMAS'S car. THOMAS brakes to a halt and gets out of the car to investigate. THOMAS looks up and sees a crane working on a nearby building, the cable had snapped.

INT.THOMAS'S OFFICE.MIDDAY

THOMAS is working at his desk.

Other people in the office are working and walking around.

BARRY walks up to THOMAS.

BARRY
I heard about the accident, are you ok?

THOMAS
Yeah I'm fine, I wish management were as sympathetic; I've still got to do all this work. I'm really behind.

BARRY
Ok well, we're off to the cafeteria. I'll bring you back something.

THOMAS
Thanks

A few minutes pass, everyone has left the office.

THOMAS receives a message on his computer and reads it.

ANONYMOUS

Thomas get out of there now, you are in danger!

THOMAS looks at the message, confused.

THOMAS

(Shouts across the office)

Barry is this you?

THOMAS gets up to look at BARRY'S desk but can't see him, he looks around but he can't see anyone else in the office.

THOMAS looks out of the window to see a helicopter diving out of control towards the building.

ANONYMOUS
Run damn it!

THOMAS runs for the exit.

The Helicopter crashes into the office, ripping everything to shreds.

INT.HALLWAY.MIDDAY

THOMAS runs from the office as it explodes and down the hallway.

THOMAS'S mobile phone rings, THOMAS answers.

ANONYMOUS
Get to the elevator and go down to the parking lot.

THOMAS enters the elevator and presses the button to go down to the basement car park.

INT.ELEVATOR.MIDDAY

THOMAS
What the hell is going on?

ANONYMOUS
Alright listen carefully, the world you are currently in is not real. You and everyone in this city have been trapped in a computer simulation as part of an experiment into human decision making and brain chemistry. All your actions and reactions are recorded. Everything you hear, see and do reduced to nothing but data. It's the largest and most thorough experiment into human society ever made. Behavioral patterns, municipal services, emergency response, hell even your individual reactions to advertisements, everything!

THOMAS looks across the elevator to see an advert for a soft drink.

THOMAS

(distressed)

This is sick! We're people, not bloody lab rats! There's no way this can be real!

ANONYMOUS
Don't kid yourself Thomas, you've seen it; the mistakes, the repetitiveness. It's the same day of your life just played over and over. It’s nothing but a simulation being run for the benefit of scientists and billionaire investors.

THOMAS
So why the hell are they trying to kill me?

ANONYMOUS
The system is entirely self governing. When it saw that you doubted the reality of this simulation it tried to delete you before you infected others with your knowledge. Now that you know it's not real the system won't stop until you're destroyed.

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY

THOMAS drives out of the car park.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

THOMAS
So how the hell do I get out?

ANONYMOUS
I’ve hacked an exit point into the simulation; it’s in a deserted industrial zone so less of the systems run time is dedicated to scanning that area. The exit point will allow you to leave the system safely. The dangerous part is actually getting there; the system can change small details of the world without the inhabitants knowing in order to keep them under control. Just accidents, any observer will simply see it as fate, perhaps an act of god… well they’re half right.

THOMAS
Save the philosophy for when I’m free, where do I go?

ANONYMOUS
Just follow the road straight ahead for – Wait stop the car!

THOMAS
What, what is it?

ANONYMOUS
Stop now!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY

Just ahead of THOMAS’S car a billboard falls from its mountings onto the road, THOMAS narrowly avoids it and drives on.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

ANONYMOUS
See, anything can happen.
(Pause)
Oh shit!

THOMAS
What now?

ANONYMOUS
The system has issued a sentinel to terminate you, it must have realised I was helping you escape.

THOMAS
Can I still get to the exit point?

ANONYMOUS
Yes but you’ve got to be quick, now that the system is aware of my influence it will try to sever my connection to the system and remove the exit point. Damn the sentinel is just a few seconds behind you, put your foot down!

THOMAS looks behind to see a black car closing in on him fast.

ANONYMOUS
Ok go left now!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY

THOMAS swerves the car across traffic into a side road. The sentinel’s car is forced to stay on the main road.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

THOMAS
(Optimistically)
I think I lost him.

ANONYMOUS
Hold on, he’s coming from the alley.

The car explodes out of an alleyway sending litter and debris flying.

ANONYMOUS
Go! Go!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY

THOMAS accelerates away with the sentinel in hot pursuit. THOMAS and the sentinel dodge through traffic.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

ANONYMOUS
He’s gaining on you!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY

The sentinel comes alongside THOMAS and starts to sideswipe him almost crashing him head on into another vehicle.

THOMAS fights back and knocks the sentinel’s car into a drainage canal next to the road.

THOMAS breathes a sigh of relief believing he has escaped his attacker.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

ANONYMOUS
Watch out!

The sentinel jumps out of the canal and sideswipes THOMAS’S car again, flipping it over. The sentinel crashes and is apparently killed.

ANONYMOUS
Thomas! Get up now, move!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY

THOMAS gets out of the wrecked car and runs as fast as he can.

ANONYMOUS
Ok it’s just down this alley. Open the door at the end and we will handle the rest.

THOMAS
Ok

Behind THOMAS a loud crash is heard and he sees a large truck smashing through cars and road furniture heading directly for him.

ANONYMOUS
Quick run!

THOMAS approaches the door.

ANONYMOUS
Shit they’ve found me, they’ve destroyed –

The phone goes dead.

THOMAS opens the door but there is nothing but a brick wall behind it.

He looks behind to see the truck bearing down on him.

THOMAS braces himself. There is a bone shaking crash, then silence.

-

INT.THOMAS'S HOME.MORNING

THOMAS'S alarm clock rings and its radio turns on, THOMAS looks around in disbelief.

RADIO ANNOUNCER
Hello there river city, it's 7:30 and it's looking to be a lovely Monday morning.

From Mrs S

This is fun. I'm a bit concerned about the amount of exposition in the script. Artistically, it might be better to find a way around this to make the action less wordy.

Script - The Day The World Went Wrong

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY People are running in fear, trying to escape the city. THOMAS collapses and goes unconscious.

INT.THOMAS'S HOME.MORNING

THOMAS'S alarm clock rings and its radio turns on, THOMAS realizes he was dreaming and gets up.

RADIO ANNOUNCER

Hello there river city, it's 7:30 and it's looking to be a lovely Monday morning.

INT.THOMAS'S CAR.MORNING

THOMAS is driving through the city in his car. He looks around, nothing new, everything is perfectly normal. He listens to the radio.

INT.THOMAS'S OFFICE.MIDDAY

THOMAS is working at his desk.

INT.THOMAS'S KITCHEN.NIGHT

THOMAS is making a microwave dinner.

INT.THOMAS'S BEDROOM.NIGHT

THOMAS goes to bed.

-

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY The army is trying to contain the virus. People are running in fear, trying to escape the city. THOMAS collapses and goes unconscious.

INT.THOMAS'S HOME.MORNING

THOMAS'S alarm clock rings and its radio turns on, THOMAS realizes he was dreaming and gets up.

RADIO ANNOUNCER

Hello there river city, it's 7:30 and it's looking to be a lovely Monday morning.

EXT.CITY.DAY THOMAS is driving through the city in his car.

INT.THOMAS'S CAR.DAY

THOMAS listens to the radio. He looks into an alley as he is driving by and sees several dustbins and skips circling through the air.

THOMAS

(incredulously)

What?

A truck passes in front of the alley, when THOMAS looks again all of the bins and skips are now in their normal places.

THOMAS shakes his head in disbelief, he is sure of what he just saw.

THOMAS

Bloody hell, I'm loosing my mind.

THOMAS continues to drive along.

EXT.ROAD.DAY

Suddenly several bins and skips fall out of the sky in front of THOMAS'S car. THOMAS brakes to a halt and THOMAS gets out of the car to investigate. THOMAS looks up and sees a crane on the building across the road; he assumes that the debris must have come from there.

INT.THOMAS'S OFFICE.MIDDAY

THOMAS is working at his desk.

Other people in the office are working and walking to the cafeteria.

THOMAS receives a message on his computer and reads it.

ANONYMOUS

Thomas get out of there now, you are in danger!

THOMAS looks at the message, confused.

THOMAS

(Shouts across the office)

Barry is this you?

THOMAS gets up to look into BARRY'S cubicle but can't see him, he looks around but he can't see anyone else in the office.

THOMAS looks at the computer.

ANONYMOUS Run damn it!

THOMAS looks out of the window to see a helicopter diving out of control towards the building.

THOMAS runs for the exit.

The Helicopter crashes into the office, ripping everything to shreds.

INT.HALLWAY.MIDDAY

THOMAS runs from the office as it explodes and down the hallway to the elevator.

THOMAS enters the elevator and presses the button to go down to the basement car park.

INT.LIFT.MIDDAY

THOMAS'S mobile phone rings, THOMAS answers.

THOMAS Alright what the hell is going on?

ANONYMOUS Listen carefully, the world you are currently in is not real. You and everyone in this city have been trapped in a computer simulation as part of an experiment into human decision making and brain chemistry. You and ten million other people, all your actions and reactions are recorded. Everything you hear, see and do reduced to nothing but data. It's the largest and most thorough experiment into human society ever made. Behavioral patterns, municipal services, emergency response, hell even your individual reactions to advertisements, everything!

THOMAS looks across the elevator to see an advert for a soft drink.

THOMAS

(distressed)

This is sick! We're people, not bloody lab rats! There's no way this can be real!

ANONYMOUS
Don't kid yourself Thomas, you've seen it; the mistakes, the repetitiveness. It's the same day of your life just played over and over. It’s nothing but a simulation being run for the benefit of scientists and billionaire investors.

THOMAS
So why the hell are they trying to kill me?

ANONYMOUS
The system is entirely self governing; there are too many people to be monitored by human staff. When it saw that you doubted the reality of this simulation it tried to delete you before you infected others with your knowledge. Now that you know it's not real it won't stop.

THOMAS
(Exasperated)
How did this happen? You can't just make a whole city's worth of people just vanish!

ANONYMOUS

The entire population of the city was killed by the outbreak of a deadly virus; there were no survivors... at least that's what everyone on the outside thinks.

THOMAS

what the hell are you talking about?

ANONYMOUS

It's a cover up for the experiment, the outbreak was real but no one was killed, the virus simply put everyone into a coma. You were all taken to this research facility and your memories of the outbreak removed, however you remember it don't you. Those dreams every night, they are very real.

The elevator reaches the basement car park; THOMAS runs to his car and drives out.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

THOMAS
So how the hell do I get out?

ANONYMOUS
I’ve hacked an exit point into the simulation; it’s in a deserted industrial zone so less of the systems run time is dedicated to scanning that area. The exit point will allow you to leave the system safely. The dangerous part is actually getting there; the system can change small details of the world without the inhabitants knowing in order to keep them under control. Just accidents, any observer will simply see it as fate, perhaps an act of god… well they’re half right.

THOMAS
Save the philosophy for when I’m free, where do I go?

ANONYMOUS
Just follow the road straight ahead for – Wait stop the car!

THOMAS
What, what is it?

ANONYMOUS
Stop now!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY

Just ahead of THOMAS’S car a billboard falls from its mountings onto the road, THOMAS narrowly avoids it and drives on.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

ANONYMOUS

See, anything can happen. (Pause) Oh shit!

THOMAS
What now?

ANONYMOUS
The system has issued a sentinel to terminate you, it must have realised I was helping you escape.

THOMAS
Can I still get to the exit point?

ANONYMOUS
Yes but you’ve got to be quick, now that the system is aware of my influence it will try to sever my connection to the system and remove the exit point. Damn the sentinel is a few seconds behind you, put your foot down!

THOMAS looks behind to see a black car closing in on him fast.

ANONYMOUS
Ok go left now!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY
THOMAS swerves the car across traffic into the side road. The sentinel’s car is forced to stay on the main road.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

THOMAS
(Optimistically)
I think I lost him.

ANONYMOUS
Hold on, he’s coming from the alley.

The car explodes out of an alleyway sending litter and debris flying.

ANONYMOUS
Go! Go!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY
THOMAS accelerates away with the sentinel in hot pursuit. THOMAS and the sentinel dodge through traffic.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

ANONYMOUS
He’s gaining on you!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY
The sentinel comes alongside THOMAS and starts to sideswipe him. THOMAS fights back and knocks the sentinel’s car into a drainage canal next to the road. THOMAS breathes a sigh of relief believing he has escaped his attacker.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

ANONYMOUS
Watch out!

The sentinel jumps out of the canal and sideswipes THOMAS’S car again, flipping it over. The sentinel crashes and is apparently killed.

ANONYMOUS
Thomas! Get up now, move!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY
THOMAS gets out of the wrecked car and runs as fast as he can.

ANONYMOUS
Ok it’s just down this street. Open the door at the end and we will handle the rest, I have a man on the inside who will get you out of there.

THOMAS
Ok

Behind THOMAS a loud crash is heard and he sees a large truck smashing through cars and road furniture heading directly for him.

ANONYMOUS
Quick run!

THOMAS approaches the door.

ANONYMOUS
Shit they’ve found me, they’ve destroyed –

The phone goes dead.

THOMAS opens the door to see nothing but a brick wall behind it. He looks behind to see the truck bearing down on him. THOMAS braces himself. There is a bone shaking crash, then silence.

-

INT.THOMAS'S HOME.MORNING

THOMAS'S alarm clock rings and its radio turns on, THOMAS looks around in disbelief.

RADIO ANNOUNCER Hello there river city, it's 7:30 and it's looking to be a lovely Monday morning.

From Mrs S

I'm very impressed with your work Chris, it's detailed and thorough. Clear commitment to the task. Keep this up.

Story Choice

I need to make a decision on which story is most realistically possible taking in to consideration my time constraints and how much extra content I need to make in order to finish the film to an acceptable standard.

The dead don't die easy:

• Will not require many new sets, however they will have to be made specifically for this film. I am still learning the hammer world editor and so this could be a challenge, especially to make the maps look good and atmospheric.
• Would not require many new models or reskins, I am already almost finished making the car model and there are already many fitting reskins for actor models which could easily replace the default ones and give my film a better look.
• This film may need some new custom animations for the actors which I would need to make myself, I have already practiced animations and so I think that this could be a fairly easy and quick task.
• The story has great potential but I can see where it could be more suited to the full length film genre, however I think that with a few tweaks it could be a very good short film story. It has a lot of tense moments and would have a very unusual story which I personally have never seen in a short film before, there is also a good twist ending.

The day the world went wrong:

• This will require a lot of sets but many could be taken from existing maps, however this could make the use of faceposer (NPC control software) much harder to use if the map is not made specifically to work with the scene. I may however be able to get the original source files from the creators which would allow me to use a fully built map and then add my own elements.
• This film could require a lot of new models, there are many available already which could fulfil the needs of the film.
• This film would look better with custom animations for certain scenes but it would be possible to use stop motion posing for certain actor movements, in certain situations this could actually benefit the style of the film.
• I think that this story lends itself very well to the short film genre and with a few tweaks could be very good. As long as I don't try to fit in too much it shouldn't feel bloated and if Thomas's revelation is left right until the end it will make for an excellent twist ending.

Overall I believe that The day the world went wrong is the best choice for my media studies coursework this year, however I believe that The dead don't die easy would be good to keep as a possible story for a later project as I believe that it has got a lot of potential once I have a better understanding of the hammer world editor.

Ideas

The dead don't die easy:

A vicious murderer is killed in a violent shootout with the police, his car is impounded but shortly afterwards it goes missing, the police suspect trophy hunters of stealing the car and soon the case is forgotten. But shortly afterwards there are reports of hit and run killings in the city and the description matches the car that went missing before. One night a woman is walking home when she encounters it and a furious chase ensues, she must use every last advantage she has over her pursuer to survive. But she will realise that her seemingly inescapable pursuer is in fact machine and not man.

The day the world went wrong:

Thomas is a normal man with a normal career, however he is not going to have a normal day. As he is travelling to work he starts to notice strange goings on and interesting objects appear seemingly at random. Things take a bad turn when the very laws of physics are randomly turned on their head, amid the destruction Thomas manages to survive only to find that the world he knew before is not only gone but it never existed in the first place, he is in fact just a computer generated test subject being simulated in a computer game. Now that he is aware of his real existence, Thomas must escape the simulation before he is deleted.

Wheels:

Jason drake is a race driver who's aggression saw him banned from the track, he receives a proposition from a crime syndicate talent scout who is looking for a driver. Jason eventually works his way up the ranks and becomes a notorious car thief and getaway driver. During one unfortunate heist his crew is lead into a trap and most are killed in the ensuing firefight. Jason escapes but his Career is finished and is being hunted by his enemies and old friends. He decides to take a final drive in his car before the end.

How Research Will Inform Planning

My short film will:

• be animated.
• be aimed at an audience between 16 and 25 years of age.
• be approximately 5 minutes long (excluding credits).
• have a concise story which will not go off on tangents, there will be no subplots.
• have little dialogue and more of a focus on sound and music.
• be fast paced and have a twist ending.
• be atmospheric and have interesting settings.
• be distributed over the Internet.

My film poster will:

• feature the main character/antagonist and the main setting for the film.
• be relevant to the film.
• show the characters as they are in the film.
• feature the title of the film and a tag line.
• have actor and studio information on it.
• include website links.
• include a release date.
• hint at the theme of the film but not give away details.

My film review will:

• have easily seen ratings, titles and summaries.
• have links to relevant articles which may be of benefit to the reader.
• compare the film with similar ones and also with the directors previous works.
• not spoil the story.
• talk about the director of the film and their history and the problems they have faced on the project.
• have a short summary for people who want to get the idea of the film quickly without reading the whole review.
• analyse the style in which the story is told.
• analyse the filming style and camera work.
• talk about the characters and themes in the film.
• finally summarise the reviewers thoughts on the film.

Excellent work so far Chris, move on to planning now as this is thorough and detailed. Miss D.

the film review is well understood in terms of layout and content but have a look at the language and try and say where this review was found and the target audince of that medium.

Real Media Artifacts - Film Review

I have decided to analyse a review from 'Channel 4 film' for the film District 9.

Real Media Artifacts - Short Films: Lovefield

The film starts very slowly with an establisher shot to show the audience the location of the scene. The sky is grey and depressing and is drawing colour from the landscape, this coupled with the eerie music creates an uncomfortable atmosphere. There are many slow panning shots which build tension in unison with the music as it grows louder. The setting is a corn field and the thick crop could be used as a hiding place, since the viewer can't see what is going on their imagination will start to come up with ideas for what could be happening and this is quite often more unnerving than anything in the film, the audience are in effect scaring themselves and this is a common technique used in horror films.

The camera pans up to see an old dilapidated sign squeaking in the wind, this makes the setting seem less hospitable and more dangerous. There is also a crow perched on the sign, since this bird is quite often associated with death this will start to build tension in the audience. The rust on the sign is a form of decay, the crow represents death and the audience may suspect that a dead or dying person may be seen soon.

The sound of an unconnected phone can be heard out of shot and this will confirm for the viewer that something is wrong. The phone is revealed lying in the field, as the camera tracks back the contents of a handbag can be seen lying on the ground. A strained cry can be heard, the audience's first assumption will be that the woman is in trouble and this will make them feel fear for her well being. The woman's hand claws at the ground and the crying grows louder, a bloody cloth is revealed as well. Now the audience will assume that the woman is being tortured or worse and fear will be at it's most powerful. The camera eventually tracks down as far as the woman's foot, the painful cries are more strained than before and the woman's movement becomes slower and less powerful. Eventually she falls silent and a hand drives a knife into the ground, this is accompanied by a loud orchestral climax. The sudden violence of this movement and sound will shock the audience.

A medium shot of the hand shows blood and as the camera tilts up tattoos, the man is quite muscular and is covered in dirt and oil. He looks threatening to the audience and as he stands up the raven starts to squawk at him, since the raven represents death it insinuates that the man has killed the woman. The man seems to be puzzled and later slightly intimidated by the raven which makes him appear to feel guilt, further implying that he killed the woman. The man's appearance and the music that accompanies his actions is used to make him appear as a bad guy.

The man frantically runs away from the woman to the roadside where a car is parked, he looks inside the car to find a blanket. His actions appear desperate and rushed due to shock, further exhibiting guilty behaviour. The raven follows him to the car and continues to squawk at him, the shots are filmed in a handheld fashion and cut faster than before to make it appear that he is being watched.

He runs back to the woman with the blanket which he apparently prepares to cover the woman with, a low angle shot is used to show the action from her perspective. However it is finally revealed that the blanket is for the woman's baby and that her cries of pain were from the labour. As the baby is revealed the music becomes more upbeat and positive and the picture becomes brighter and more colourful, new life is breathed into the scene by the new life of the baby. As all is revealed any misgivings about the man are wiped away as the audience can see that he was trying to help the woman all along.

Real Media Artifacts - Short Films: Replay

We are immediately dropped into the action as the film begins, the scene is shown as a barren wasteland and a sandstorm is starting. Lana is running to the bunker as fast as she can and her breathing is fast, this builds tension and fear, it also helps to make her seem more vulnerable and human which makes her more relatable to by the audience. As the airlock cycles we see that she is wearing a gas mask, this shows us the danger of the world outside which helps to explain later events and depresses the audience by showing them the sorry state the world is in.

The scene shifts to a medium shot of a tape player in the desert which begins to play a sad song, as it does the title 'Replay' writes itself into the sand. The music and setting again helps to establish the mood of the film which is very downbeat.

A long shot of Lana inside the bunker shows the audience what everyday life is like for her, the darkness and lack of activity shows how depressing life in this post apocalyptic world is like. She enters her living quarters where we see Theo for the first time, his friendly greeting and boyish nature helps to brighten up the scene and gives the viewer hope that better things will come later. Lana shows her latest haul of valuable objects to Theo including a tape player and switches it on, the sound of children playing fills the room. He tries to listen to some more of the recording but Lana takes it away since she needs it undamaged in order to sell it. Theo is annoyed at not being allowed to listen and asks if he can accompany Lana on her next trip but she won't allow him since he is too young. This shows us life from Theo's point of view and illustrates how bored he is by the confines of the bunker.

During the conversation between Lana and Theo most shots are medium or close ups which are used to show the emotions of the characters, allowing the audience to better understand them. There is also a low drone of air filtration equipment throughout the scenes which adds to the atmosphere of the bunker, showing how dependent the humans are on the surviving technology in order to survive themselves. Theo also has an artificial leg, this shows the audience how vulnerable he is, making them fearful for his well being.

As Theo goes to bed he takes one last look at the tape player and some downbeat non-diagetic music plays, this tells the audience that he still feels unhappy about not being able to listen to it more. The non-diagetic music becomes diagetic music playing from a radio as the scene changes to the morning which keeps the scene transition smooth. Lana finds that Theo has left the bunker and sets off after him. We see Theo outside an abandoned town in the desert, the echoing wind coupled with the downbeat music makes the scene very upsetting. The harsh sun has bleached colour from the landscape and the lack of life completes the vision of total destruction which adds to the depressing atmosphere. Theo plays the tape and sounds from the past are injected in to the present, he looks around trying to find a source but all he finds are ruins which adds to the feeling of loss the viewer feels.

Theo eventually ends up at a school and listens to the sounds of children playing. As he listens the sounds seem to come to life, the music also becomes more positive and uplifting. Spectral children can be seen playing, they are imbued with a colourful haze which breathes life into the surroundings. Lana is trying to find Theo in the town which reminds the audience of the danger he is in. Theo sees his reflection in a broken window and the music becomes darker once again, with him wearing his gas mask he looks very strange to the colourful children. He decides to take of his mask and breathes in the air, after nothing happens to him the audience feels relieved. As he drops the mask his artificial leg repairs itself and the world around him changes to that of the past. The ensuing crescendo of colour is joined by equally uplifting music, the lack of danger and the abundance of life fools the audience into thinking all is well. Almost immediately afterwards Lana arrives and finds Theo lying in the yard, most of the colour has left the scene and the music has become sombre. This sudden change will shock the audience after the happiness of the previous scene.

There is a long shot of Lana kneeling next to Theo which pans slowly down to see the tape player playing the now haunting sounds of children. As the tape finishes all sound and music stops except for the echoing wind.

Chris,
The analysis of your products show a clear focus and understanding of the key codes and conventions. It might be worth analysing the general layout and the effect on the reader and how the central images and colours link to the genre of the films. The posters that you have are for Feature-lenght films. Are there any posters for short films and if so are they different?
Miss D

Real Media Artifacts - Movie Posters

Lord Of War



This poster shows the lead actor Nicolas Cage, he plays arms dealer Yuri Orlov in the film, his role is represented by having his likeness composed entirely from bullets and bullet cases. His solemn expression shows you that this is not an upbeat film which links into the violence and sadness commonly associated with firearms and war. The tagline 'Where there's a will, there's a weapon.' is a play on words and shows the films black comedy elements and Yuri's attitude towards arms. The Billing block information is arranged around the edges of the poster to create an unobtrusive border which draws attention towards the center, the infomation includes a link to a website which has more infomation on the film.

Cloverfield



This poster does not reveal a lot about the story and lures the audience in by teasing them with the very unusual evidence left in the picture. The viewer will wonder what could have caused such damage to the area and this will make them want to watch the film to find out, the only possible clue is the claw like scrapes on the statue of liberty's back which will lead the audience to believe that a monster could be the antagonist.. There is very little infomation on the poster, no names or taglines that could offer an insight to the story which makes it even more mysterious. The imagery of the smoke clogged manhattan skyline is one which will draw even more viewers in due to it's resemblence to the terrorist attacks on the 11th of september.

Product Placement

Short films are usually made by independent film companies so they don't always have distributors, instead many short films are presented by the film makers themselves at film festivals and conventions to large audiences. There are many film festivals around the world which accept work from independent film makers such as: The Edinburgh International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and The Los Angeles Film Fest. Some festivals offer awards and cash prizes to notable works in certain fields. There are some film companies such as Aardman Animation who originally started independently making low budget short films but due to their popularity and unique style they have collaborated with larger companies such as Dreamworks to make bigger budget feature length films including Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

However short films are rarely shown at commercial cinemas except for when they precede a full length feature film, quite a lot of Pixar shorts are shown in this manner. Short films are rarely distributed through mainstream retailers such as HMV except for when they are in compilations, take the Animatrix or Creature Comforts for example. The previously mentioned Pixar shorts are also distributed as DVD extras alongside the full length feature films. There are however some retailers who sell short films, many of which are based on the internet such as Amazon.com and Netflix.com.

The internet is also an easy way for new filmakers to get their work noticed without a distributor. Sites such as youtube allow hosting and viewing of videos and is entirely free to use which makes it a very good place to host early works for a large audience to see and discuss. This method is very low risk and does not require any contracts to be agreed upon and still allows your film to be enjoyed by many people. This is the method I will use when distributing my finished short film.

Chris,
Your questionnaire results show some thoughtful analysis but the results of the last question give quite contrasting answers so you may want to think about asking some more questions or targeting a focus group to try and help you make decisions regarding wether the storyline should be surreal or literal.
Also, ask questions regarding the genre of short films and animation vs real life.

First Questionnaire Results

1) "Are you male or female?". This shows the ratio of male to female questionnaire recipients. 40% of the them are male and 60% are female.

2) "How old are you?". This shows the amount of people of different age groups I asked in my questionnaire, the largest of which was 16 to 25 as many of the people I asked were other students in my class.

3) "Have you ever seen a short film?". These results show that 95% of the people I asked have seen a short film.

4) "If yes, what did you find was different between it and a normal film? (Apart from length)". I got many different responses to this question, here are some things I was able to learn from them:

- People noted that there was only one storyline instead of the many sub plots that feature in longer films.
- There is sometimes less speech than conventional films and more of a focus on music.
- The pacing is faster and there is usually a twist ending that the viewer wasn't expecting.
- There is usually only one scene and one setting for that scene.

5) "Did you enjoy it?". These results show that 90% of the people I asked enjoyed the short film which they saw.

6) "If yes, what did you like about it? If no then what did you dislike about it?". From the responses I got I was able to draw some conclusions:

They found that the atmosphere is greater and the story ideas are really original. They like the fact that the stories don't drag on and that a lot of entertainent was squeezed into a small time span as this allowed them to see the whole film in a single sitting without being interupted.

7) "What do you expect from a short film?". These results show what my questionnaire recipients expect in a short film, they were allowed to choose more than one of the options. 'Unusual or surreal storyline' and 'Concise storyline with no unnecessary filler' are the two most popular categories.