Thursday 30 September 2010

Film Review - How To Cope With Rejection

How to cope with rejection.

This short film is called how to cope with rejection. It is about a man named Adam who has been dumped by his girl friend Danielle. After failing to win the love of his life back, he find out that she already moved on with a bloke name Bradley. As a last resort to win back her heart from the clutches of Bradley. Adam hires a ninja to take down the competition. The genre if this short film is comic-drama.

The script is very well written; it is a very simple story and is easy to understand. The film ends with an unexpected twist that leaves the audience laughing. The film does not start of with a hook as the actors are talking normally. The main actor Chris Waitt plays Adam the lovesick man on a mission to win his girlfriend back. The film is very interesting and engages the audience with its comedy.

Throughout the film the ninja does not say a word which was very interesting way of entertaining the audience as they are left with an air of secrecy and mystery. The conflict is developed slowly throughout the film. The film is clearly targeted for young teen; however it may contain some inappropriate behaviour that may not be suitable for them. The certificate of the film seems like 12 rated. The film is produced by dogtooth media productions and is also associated with channel 4 ideas-factory.

Chris Waitt was the director as well as the main actor in the film. His acting as excellent and played a huge part in engaging the audience attention. His acting helps the audience sympathies for the character. The main actor’s voice in the film is very quiet and timid. This immediately informs the audiences that the character weak and will not be able to make stand on his own, he will need outside help if he was going to get Danielle back. The director makes the audience love the Adam by making him sarcastic and funny.

We can also tell that the characters are all working class people due the clothes they wear and the place they live. Working class people are represent as unstable people. This is shown when Adam hires ninja to beat Bradley up. The Scottish accent used by the actors in the film helps the audience now where the film is set. Strong languages are used in film. The film is set in city. This is obvious to the audience as they are shown a scene, which takes place at an underground station.

The scene begins with a black screen. The words “Channel 4's ideas factory presents” is shown in white font colour, whilst in the background the audience can hear a girl picking up phone and answering. A camera shot of a couple in picture frame is shown. This shot immediately tells us who the people talking on the phone are. The phone conversation straight away informs the audience that the two people on the phone a former couple that have recently broken up. This scene is vital as it immediately gets to the point about what the film is based on. It also makes sure that the audience don't get confused. The phone call tell them that the character Adam wants to get back together with his ex, While she refuses and insist that he does not come over.

Regardless of what she says, he still goes over there. A Half naked girl opens the door. This girl is presumably his ex-girlfriend. We can see that women are portrayed as a sex symbol and do not care about other people’s feelings. This immediately makes the audience resent her. This is shown when she tells him that she doesn't love him. Over the shoulder shot is used when Adam sees his ex and her boyfriend kissing. This is significant as the audience can see things from Adams point of view and helps them understand how he is feeling. It also allows them to be sympathetic towards his character.

Props are also very important in helping the audience understand the characters mood. The green door may reflect Adams jealousy and may foreshadow events to come, which are due to jealousy. Adam uses comedy in the film as an attempt to lighten the situation. The film challenges the convention in comedic drama film. Usually the guy ends up having the girl. However this is not the case in the film.

The film is set in many places such Adams flat, the front door of Danielle house, the café and the tube station. All the setting helps enhance the film and makes it more realistic. The different mise en scenes used are very crucial as the audience will be bored of seeing the same setting over and over again. Changing the setting has helped captivate the audience attention.

Near the end of the film, Adam is sitting at café. Although we don’t see the weather the audience can tell that the atmosphere is glum and depressing. This informs the audience of Adams mood, which is depressed and anxious.

Natural lighting is used when the filming taking place outdoors to make the film look more realistic. Ambient lighting is used inside the flat. The curtains are slightly closed to give the room a little bit of darkness. This allows the film to be more realistic and also allow the audiences to see the characters properly. Non-diegetic sounds is mostly played during the time when no one is speaking, this helps to establish the mood of the film. Diegetic sound is also used, this can be seen when we hear music from the TV. This helps to making the film more genuine.

The film ends with a twist, which leaves the audience in laughter. Adam finds out that the ninja has stolen his girl. This has an impact to the audience as the protagonist loses out to an unlikely character in the film. We then see Adam on the phone hiring a samurai. Behind him is a poster with the word the 'Greatest challenge'. The audience are left many unanswered question such as will history will repeat its self? Will he finally win his girlfriend back? Will the ninja be his greatest challenge?

Overall the film was interesting and funny. It managed to keep the audience entertained. The actor preformed perfectly and was able to make the audience feel some kind of emotion toward each character. The storyline allowed people to understand what not to do while coping with rejection.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p005f7db -the short film: how to cope with rejection

Sunday 26 September 2010

IMDb: Internet Movies Database

IMDb stand for Internet Movie Database and is an online database. It was launched on October 17, 1990. In 1998 Amazon.com bought its rights. The website has many uses such as informing people about films which are soon be released in the UK.

The IMDb website informs people about movies and TV shows, it give information such episode guides, plot, Cast, review, rating etc. IMDb viewers can watch TV clips and latest trailer of upcoming movies and released movies. They also upload stills (pictures).

One of IMDb features is to look up thousands of movies and find out everything about them such as the cast, the crew, certificate of the movie, genre, filming location, distributor, country etc. They also provide reviews for the film and give film recommendation and allow people find out fun facts about the film or TV show such as Trivia, Goofs (mistakes made in the film) and Memorable quotes.

Overall IMDb provides people to get access to information which is related to:

  • Movies
  • Television shows
  • Actors or Actress
  • Production crew personnel
  • Video games,
  • Fictional characters featured in a movie.

The source of this information is from wikipedia.

Results From Our Target Audience Servey

Wednesday 22 September 2010

Audience research/survey

Click here to take survey

Our group has created a questionnaire, so that we can find out more about our target audience. We then copied the link and posted it in varies social networking site such as bebo and facebook. we also sent the link to our hotmail contact.

Monday 20 September 2010

British Board of Film Classification

BBFC stands for British Board of Film Classification. It is an independent, non-governmental organisation which responsible for classifying films within the United Kingdom. They are an experienced regulator for film, video/DVD and video games. BBFC main aim is to helps to protect young viewers and society from viewing unsuitable content while allowing adults to have freedom of choice.

The BBFC currently issues the following certificates.


'Universal'
Suitable for all
. Film with the certificate ‘U’ should be suitable for viewer aged four years and over. An Example of a 'U' certified film is 'Finding Nemo'.


'Parental Guidance'
Some scenes may not be suitable for young children under the age of 8. Unaccompanied children of any age are allowed to watch. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger children. An Example of a 'PG' certified film is'Hocus Pocus'.


'12A'
Some film maybe unsuitable for under 12s. Children under 12 are only admitted if they are accompanied by an adult during the film. An Example of a '12A' certified film is 'The boy in striped pajamas'.


'12'
Suitable only for 12 years and over. Children younger than 12 can not rent or buy a 12 rated DVD, Blu-ray Disc or video game. An Example of a '12' certified film is Titanic.


'15'
Suitable only for people 15 years and over. No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ rated film in a cinema or rent or buy a ‘15’ rated DVD or games. An Example of a '12A' certified film is Big momma's house.


'18'
Suitable only for adults No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. An Example of a '18' certified film is saw

This research is very relevant to us as it informed us what certificate our film will fall under. Our group decided that our film will be PG rated.

Source:
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Board_of_Film_Classification

what is needed for our film

Numero Uno - ‘One Man War’

Locations:

  • Bedroom
  • Bathroom
  • Gym
  • Streets - travelling scene
  • Classroom

Costume:

  • Pyjamas
  • Gym clothes – e.g. tracksuits, top etc.
  • Suit – smart, work attire
  • School uniform – students in classroom

Props:

  • Teddy bear
  • Alarm clock
  • Boxing set
  • Rucksack
  • Paper planes and paper balls

Actors/actresses:

  • A main character – male actor
  • Class of students

Sunday 19 September 2010

Genre: Drama Powerpoint

I have researched on drama (genre) so that I can understand more about what drama films contained. During this research, I found out how our group could challenge the conventions found in a typical drama film. This research has helped a lot as I now have better understanding of what our film should include.

Genre: Drama
View more presentations from CFGSSufiaB.

Saturday 18 September 2010

Planning our script

I have researched on drama (genre) so that I can understand more about what drama films contained. During this research, I found out how our group could challenge the conventions found in a typical drama film. This research has helped a lot as I now have better understanding of what our film should include. Our groups aim was to produce a draft film script that will interest our target audience. In order to produce an interesting 5 minute film, our group decided that we should keep the script simple, so that it will not get too complicated for the audience.

While creating our script I learnt about the key ingredients needed to make an interesting script. For example it is vital to open up a film with a hook that draws the audience in. Also interesting characters will also help make a film interesting and engage the audience attention. Our group also thought about the different ways to end our film .e.g. happy ending or a sad ending, cliff hanger or twist.

As group we decided that our protagonist will hardly speak. The action will speak louder then words. This is vital as it will help us grip the audience attention. We also discussed about the setting of the film and tried to figure out how we were going have access of the place needed to make out film more interesting.

In our group we discussed about the plot of our film. We also thought of a name for our film “One Man War”. Our film will be about a teacher preparing for battle against his student, who are not as innocent as they seem.