Dear Moderator...

Dear Moderator,

My name is Alexa Rusakoff and this is my blog;  it contains all of the work undertaken as part of the G321 AS Foundation Portfolio Unit within the OCR GCE course in Media Studies.

I chose to work independently using the genre of 'Pastiche' - which I adopted as a mixture of several genres, e.g. action, comedy, indie etc.

The project has lasted approximately 6 months, commencing in September 2013 and finishing in March/April 2014.

I hope you enjoy my work and find my film opening entertaining.

Please use the navigation bar on the left hand side of the page in order to access my work, as organised into the seven stages, Audience Research (including progression tasks), Planning, Camera Work, Sound, Titles Research, Editing and Evaluation. There is also a link to the St Mary's School Blog Hub.

My 2 minute film opening

Here is my 2 minute film opening: 'Philip Reads a Book'...

Evaluation Task 7

During the creation of my film opening, I referred to the skills I learnt during the filming of my preliminary task in September.

At the start of the course I was taught the basics of camera work, including the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot. When filming my 2 minute opening, I tried to remember to use what I had learnt, in addition to using panning, tracking, long shots and framing my shots.

When I started in September I had no knowledge of many of these techniques, but in the time between the two projects completion I taught my self many by reading camera and filming guides, and of course watching films.

When I came to filming my 2 minute opening, I thought about the 3 techniques from September. I decided to firmly stick to match on action throughout (apart from the shots in which the intention was to not know where things had come from), and to insert at least one moment of shot reverse shot. The 180 degree rule however, I was not so worried about. I was told that during a running sequence, it was not necessary to obey this rule, as the running could take the camera anywhere and to stick to it would constrict the angles and shots of the film.

I tried to not frame the shots with too much headroom, but I had also learnt from September that you don't want too little either, or you are at risk of cutting out the heads or faces of the actors as they move throughout the shot.

I tried to include a range of shots including close-ups, which I had never attempted before but I feel were successful.

When the time came to edit, I was told both times to make sure the way I edited added meaning and pace to the film, which I kept in mind as I did so.

In conclusion, I feel what I learnt during my preliminary task formed the stepping stones for me to develop new ideas and to discover new techniques from the basis of 'shot reverse shot', 'match on action', and the '180 degree rule'.

Evaluation Task 6

Evaluation Task 6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Evaluation Task 5

I've chosen to annotate this shot of my film opening as there are so many aspects that can be delved deeper into in relation to similar films of the genre:

1. The background for the shot is a forest setting, which traditionally adds a feel of magic to a film.

2. The actor on the left is dressed as a typical teenager, much in the same style of Scott Pilgrim and other lead teenage males of indie films.

3. The hierarchy of the shot is unusual as the focus and the power lies in the young girl in the centre. This arrangement is very similar to most posters and group shots in 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'.

4. The red book is the main 'eye-catching' object in the shot. Most of the important or dangerous objects in an indie or pastiche film are red, such as Scott's red electric guitar or the uniforms of the rival skate team in 'Whip It'.

5. The way the actors look into the camera breaks the 4th wall and gives the feel that there may be other dimensions, as there are in 'The World's End' and similar films.

6. There are no written words or signs of where they might be, giving the potential for them to be anywhere in the world. This opens them up to be in any country, or being able to move through places, as Ramona Flowers does in 'Scott Pilgrim'.

Evaluation Task 4

Here is my presentation on identifying my ideal audience member to watch my film opening...

Evaluation Task 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product?

 While the film's production company is responsible for raising the neccessary fnds, it also has the task of finding a suitable media institution to get the product in theatres. My chosen genre being far from mainstream I feel would be more likely to attract smaller independent film companies to handle distribution, such as Miramax Films.



Miramax Films is an indepenedent film company known for distributing foreign and indie films both accross the USA and internationally. This film company has distributed films of a similar genre to mine such as 'Adventureland', from which I took much inspiration.



Although the genre is not as conventionally defined as 'comedy' or 'action', the audiece and fan base is incredibly large. This being the case, I would consider approaching Universal or Lionsgate; two larger film companies that helped make the indie hits 'Scott Pilgrim Vs the World' and 'Whip It' the successes they were.



The Film Distributor's Association has stated that the most frequent film goers happen to be teenagers and young adults due to their enthusiasm and high consumption of today's media. My film is aimed at an audience aged 16-25, so this statistic suits my chosen genre, and would help in the pursuit of a film company or distributor, such as Carzon which, as a distributor and cinema owner, automatically ensures that my film will get shown in theatres. Plus 'Carzon Home Cinema', which allows viewers to watch films online the same day they are out in the cinemas.

 

Evaluation Task 2

 

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

 

 

 

My media product is based around one small social group - young, awkward teenagers. I chose this group in particular as through its representation, the characters go on to represent other themes. For instance, the characters are alone in the woods - this fits in with the stereotype that awkward teens prefer to be away from other people; by making the forest the location where the action takes place, the stereotype then mixes with the cinematic trope of magic and unknown power residing in a natural setting such as this.

The characters are dressed simply, with no bright colours or flashy designs or labels. The idea of teenagers wanting the newest and the most fashionable clothing better suits the characters of a chick flick than an action-comedy. This then represents more of their character, as often in films writers like to introduce red herrings and obscure characters that do not draw attention at first but later turn out to be vital to the plot. In order to further represent the social group to which my characters belong, I decided to give them a look of insignificance; if you saw them in the street, nothing would draw your attention to them at all. Classically teens of this social group prefer to go unnoticed.

In this shot especially, the order in which I placed the characters echoes both a filmic stereotype and defies a social one. Teenagers in this social group are often classed as 'different'. This perfectly suits my film, and I used this idea when arranging the shot - by having the two older, taller, and more menacing looking characters either side and the small, less threatening one in the centre, the arrangement creates an unusual hierarchy of unusual human beings. In a different social group - perhaps of more popular teenagers, the largest/prettiest, most powerful member of the group would take the centre. As for the filmic stereotype, to represent the social group of 'nerds', 'chief nerd' is often the one you do not expect. However, in films such as these there is often more unity in the social group from the start, so not distinct leader is set in stone.

Evaluation Task 1 - 9 Shot Analysis

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? 

Shot 1 -

For my production company logo, I really liked the concept of the MGM 'roaring lion', but I wanted something a little quirkier to suit my chosen genre. When we were filming the last of the shots, we noticed a cat watching us from a window and I saw an opportunity to get my lion into my film. Fortunately he decided to yawn for us and now he is my own MGM 'esque' mascot. 

 

Shot 2 - 

Here I wanted to apply two of the key aspects of 'indie' film openings:

1. Set up an enigma that will later be discovered/resolved/defeated

2. Establish an equilibrium by showing ordinary objects in an ordinary setting (e.g. teenage jeans and trainers)

 

Shot 3 -

For this project I wanted to obey the convention of having the credit for a particular actor show up on screen when said actor is present for the principle characters. I also wanted to again show the mundane and ordinary aspects of the world the audience is viewing.

Shot 4 -

In this shot I wanted to introduce the second character, but not his surroundings. It is apparent he is outside, as is the first character, but I didn't want to show the distance between the two, meaning I can put that to better effect later on.

 

Shot 5 - 

I wanted this shot to be the first time the audience gets a sense of something out of the ordinary going on, so by having the character open the book on that specific double page reading something suspicious I felt it would take the rest of the film off in a different direction, as is the norm with other films of this genre.

     

Shot 6 - 

Here I used close up to allow time for the second character to come closer without the audience's knowledge. I also wanted to have some 'irregular' shots to better suit the conventions of the genre and to give those watching a better feel of what kind of film this is.

Shot 7 - 

Here I wanted to show a full scope of where the previous events had taken place. Where the first character came from, where the second hid, where the first moved to and where the second ran away are all visible in this shot. I also wanted to introduce the third character before you saw her as she is also an enigma, and so I wanted to give the audience a hint of what's to come and build anticipation. 

 

Shot 8 - 

Here I wanted to defy camera convention and add a few shots that do not agree with the 180 degree rule etc., as in may chase scenes and similar films (from which I took my inspiration) they take several different and illogical angles and compile them to make a faster moving, more visually interesting piece. I also wanted a shot of both actors running at the same time, to show the chase more clearly. 

 

Shot 9 -

In this shot I wanted to build up the suspense, and make a bigger moment of the book changing hands. I wanted the tension to mount and the audience to get a sense of danger, especially as a young girl is handing the book over, making it seem she is as dangerous as the book.

Shot 10 -

By having this as my last shot, I wanted to establish a hierarchy as they do in many films of this genre. I wanted to make clear the fact that the girl is the head if the operation and the other two are more like henchmen in comparison. 

Sound

This is my chosen background music for my 2 minute film opening.

Le Weekend

This weekend, I happened to watch 'Le Weekend' with my parents, staring Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan .

We didn't actually make it to the end of the film after stopping midway at my mum's request. I didn't particularly mind cutting the film short as I had lost interest after about 20 minutes, but she explained her reasoning was this:

The dreary grey colours and back-lit rooms the film were shot in made the whole story dull and made it seem slow moving. It had an air of lethargy about it, and the lack of non-diegetic sound  in places where there was a dire need for it made it painful to try and concentrate. After stopping, my mum told me that on the 'love film' website who had sent her the film, there was a review from the one other person who had ordered it - completely trashing it.

I  thought there seemed to be very long shots, and the camera stayed still for much of the time. It also stayed a long way away from the actors, and often looked from the darkness into a lit room. For a film that was supposed to be watching a British couple try to harness the romance of Paris to fix their marriage, the mise-en-scene was very dull and grey. The imperial suite the couple stay in appears drained, possibly due to a camera filter. Large expanses of cobbled grey road backed with white clouds and the plain clothes of the actors made it genuinely hard to keep interested in what the film had to say.

We will never know how 'Le weekend' ended or if the couple saved their marriage, but Paris seemed extremely unromantic  throughout their stay.

Audience Research...

Inside the actors' studio...

Disney Case Study - Frozen

Disney's latest animated adventure 'Frozen' is inspired by the much loved tale 'The Snow Queen' by Hans Christen Andersen. The film portrays the relationship of two princesses - one with magical ice powers, one without. After revealing her powers to her people by accident, princess Elsa flees in shame - unaware that her emotions have unleashed an eternal winter on her kingdom. It is up to her sister Anna to find her and stop the plight of the villagers.

Hans Christen Andersen's classic children's tale has been revamped; the classic German fairy story altered for an American audience, complete with a more elegant choice of names: (Gurda, Bulda and Kai become Anna, Elsa and Kristoff).

Production Companies: 

Walt Disney Animation Studios
Walt Disney Pictures

Producers:

John Lasseter
Peter Del Vecho

Distributors: 

B&H Distribution
Feelgood Entertainment
Legend Cinemas
Forum Hungary
United International Pictures
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Walt Disney Studios Japan
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Finland
Zon Audiovisuais

Directors:

Chris Buck
Jennifer Lee

Writers:

Jennifer Lee
Shane Morris
Chris Buck
Hans Christen Andersen (fairy tale)
Dean Wellins

Box Office

Budget:

 $150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

 $67,391,326 (USA) (29 November 2013)

Gross:

 $399,877,967 (USA) (18 April 2014)

Frozen is the highest grossing animated film ever created.

Several Easter Eggs were placed throughout the film for the audience to find, such as Vanellope's car from 'Wreck It Ralph' and Rapunzel and Eugene from 'Tangled', as well as an anagram using the character's names: 'Hans' 'Kristoff' 'Anna' 'Sven' - Hans Christen Anderson, and published these online to attract a wider audience.

The Nintendo DS game was released in November 2013, before the film was released in the USA. The price is considerably less before the film comes out and the company knows it will be a success, after which the price goes up depending on the reception of the animation by the audience.

Disney and Frozen websites allowed access to trailers, cast interviews, character interviews, games, sneak previews, and songs. The songs 'Let It Go' and 'Do you wanna build a snowman?' were released before the film came out along with the piece of animation that goes with it. These were then available to purchase on iTunes as well as being promoted on Facebook walls and other social networks.

My Film Opening

Inspired by other films in the Pastiche genre, I plan to create a film opening that both conforms to the conventions of the title, and has some unconventional aspects to it.

I want to show the teen film genre convention of 'friendship and unity'. The characters will be to some extent a team and work together from the start to show they are for the same cause. I plan to base the focus of the film around one significant object - probably a book. In this genre there is often an object of great power, e.g. the one ring in the lord of the rings. The book will have a similar power and value, but by having young people fighting for it I intend to almost mock the fellowship that fights for the ring. In this way my film opening will have a slightly juvenile feel due to the fact that teenagers are in a laughably serious setting. There will be a chase scene, as this is a strict convention from which I refuse to break. It shows both the power of the object and the determination of the characters and a multitude of shots can be used so I intend to include one.

Editorial Business

Today, after extensive trial and error where slow motion is concerned, I have edited 1 minute and 48 seconds of film.
Several shots have gone unused and have been harvested of usable sections of footage, but I believe those I have used I have managed to arrange in a way that complies to the laws of continuity and displays a variety of techniques.

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

Recently I watched the Coen Brothers' 2000 Crime-Comedy 'Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?'

This film follows the journey of 3 escaped convicts (chained together) in search of a treasure that has 4 days before being lost forever at the bottom of a lake. They are pursued by the law, swindled by crooks and seduced by sirens before coming to a holy realization.

The film is set in 1930's Mississippi, a land portrayed as one of racism, sexism and corruption. There are many religious references in this film, including a mass river baptism in which two of the three heroes decide to join the crowd. They are told when the minister holds them in the water that all their past sins have been resolved and that they have a clean slate. They are overjoyed and beg their leader Everett (George Clooney) to do the same but he refuses. In this way he is presented as the voice of disbelief and hostility in the film.

When the trio make their way down the road with their chains, they are forced to walk in a certain order. Once the chains have been removed, they are still seen walking in this order as the camera follows them down the track or moves slowly on a dolly before them. In this way with their few possessions and stripped prison clothing, familiarity is all they have and this is clear in the way these shots are filmed.

At many points the three men manage to get themselves a car, and the camera rest on the hood or through the open window as they drive along. Another religious reference is brought forth from this when they reach a crossroads. The camera gives a tilted bird's eye view of where the four roads meet, letting the audience see the men approach and slow down to decide where to go. They see a young black man standing at the crossroads with guitar. The camera stands between them showing the divide which was effective. Everett asks the man what he was doing standing out in the middle of nowhere, and his reply was that he waited out an the crossroads all night, waiting for the devil. When he appeared, he was white, and he gave him a tainted gift of musical prowess. This shows how religious the characters are, and that they have faith in something no matter what the status.

This point is again proved when the black man is kidnapped by the KKK, a prominent racist extremist group in the South at the time. The trio go in for a rescue mission and the camera shows from a distance the elaborate marching the men performed in their white cloaks. I see this as a laughable addition to the film as this is a harmless part of what they did and nobody else would see it, not in the KKK. This must have taken a lot of practice and the fact the grown men would organize this kind of display for no one but themselves when they have such twisted, despicable beliefs came across as comically pathetic. The camera gave bird's eye view shots of the marching, the huge wooden cross, the noose and the heroes in quick succession, changing almost silently. When the boys set the cross in fire, the camera follows the flame from the bottom to the top of the structure, illuminating the shot.

The camera angles, music and distanced shots create a film that feels dated and gives an onlooker's view of the goings on.

 

Fargo

This weekend I also happened to watch Fargo, the 1996 Crime-Thriller directed by the Coen brothers.

The story tells of Jerry Lundegaard who decides to pay two thugs to kidnap his wife with the promise of sharing the 80,000 dollar ransom 50-50. Things go wrong and the thugs end up killing 3 innocent bystanders: a police ranger and a couple on vacation. They decide they want the full $80,000 and refuse to give his wife back otherwise. This is on top of the bank and car dealerships demanding money from Lundegaard. The heroine of the story is Marge Gunderson - the heavily pregnant, coffee drinking police officer.

I believe the Coen brothers added the character of Marge to bring a lightness and comedic relief to the story. Coen brothers films are very rarely without a stock character like Marge, but she seems to embody the 'American Spirit' of doing what's right (along with eating fast food for nearly every meal).

The shots of the snow in Fargo, North Dakota gave the film a feel of isolation, as in these shots all you can see is white. One point I noticed was that the snow was always immaculately clean (apart from the blood). There were tire tracks but no dirt or mud was present. This gave the film an almost farcical feel, as if the little town of Fargo was in fact unreal.
At one point Lundegaard is looking around in the snow. The camera all of a sudden becomes his point of view and pans around back and forth standing in one spot, showing that the expanse of a barbed wire fence on the left is exactly the same as the stretch to the right, making it seem like a never ending road.

Many times the camera ends up in the passenger seat of a car, even if both seats are occupied by characters. The swapping out of characters for cameras give the shots a more personal feel, as if the audience is sitting across from Marge or Shep (the Native American crooked garage worker). The camera spends a lot of time following cars, in the back of cars, on the front of cars and once on the floor of the car. It gives the audience the sense that in Fargo this is the only way to get around. Cars are a key theme in the film, with Lundegaard working at a car dealership, Shep at a garage, the crooks steal a car and Marge with her police brawler.

Fargo North Dakota is supposedly the home of  the giant Paul Bunyan, and his pet Babe the blue Ox. The directors use this symbolism by adding a huge statue of Bunyan at the entrance to the town, as if he looks on to all the crime and judges, silently and still. The camera has to pan up to look at his face, which is terrifying in the dark and quiet of the snowy night.This harmless statue is one of the shots that makes the audience the most uneasy, which shows how much power an inanimate object has when put in the right setting. As well as this, the characters converge at the dive bar 'The Blue Ox', a reference to Babe. This again adds to the farcical feel of the town and shows that the people of Fargo stick at home, as if all the corruption stays and festers in Fargo.

I found the use of cars, the magical imagery of Bunyan and Babe and the camera angles in the cars, snow and bars all contributed to the mount of tension, remorse at the death and the love for Marge elicited by the Coen brothers in this film.

In the end, Carl (Steve Buscemi) the corrupt murderer returns to the town to hide over $1,000,000 in the snow before returning to his accomplice and he never goes back for it (he never leaves their hide out again). The Coen brothers began the film with 'Based on a true story, as the events happened', and never told the audience what happened to the money in the end, and it was said that a Japanese woman actually flew to America, traveled to Fargo, North Dakota to try and find the money and died trying.

Byzantium

This weekend I watched the 2012 Fantasy-Horror Byzantium, directed by Neil Jordan.
This film told the story of a 200 year old mother and daughter fleeing from the law in a historic seaside town. The film is full of flashbacks - filtered making them look grainy and blurry, the edges fading leaving the center clear. These flashbacks often dated back to Georgian England, where the grey beaches give the shots an aged look - but the brothel was richer in colour which made the shot feel claustrophobic and gave you fear for the character entering the place.
The audience meets the character of the mother (Gemma Arterton) when she is a young 16 year old girl working in the beaches. Her clothing throughout the flashbacks seem progress in a time line. At first, a simple soft pink dress with many shawls on her waist and a head-dress against the cold. Second, when she is sent to work at the brothel, a slim Burgundy dress with little embellishment. Finally, once she has become a vampire, an elaborate blue silk dress patterned with white flowers and bordered with lace and long draping sleeves. This I believe shows her progression towards the dark/unholy side, and by the end it is as if the devil has rewarded her transformation by dressing her in finery as legends tell. It is eye catching and noticeable, making the audience aware which works well.
Many of the shots show death and destruction in the background (when the protagonists kill or are discovered, they douse the scene of the crime in fuel and strike a match), making the actors stand out in the foreground, often walking away from the blaze against the crowd  which highlights the mundane nature the task holds for them, which I found very effective.
Much of the action took place through glass, often clouded of stained. It gave the victims a less graphic ending which made it easier to watch and any dialogue was muffled. This was eerie in the sense that anyone else in the building (in one case a hospital) would not have heard if there was a cry for help.
The shots were also quite long, as many times characters are traced up a rock face, falling and stumbling before reaching the top. The lack of music and the mention of the curse on the rock builds the tension and suspense.
Overall I found the use of diegetic sound (mostly piano playing), the use of glass, the faded flashbacks and the violent background action worked well together to produce an effective fantasy-horror that spared no one.

 

Scripting

When thinking about scripting, I decided from the off I didn't want a lot of dialogue.

When I considered who I'd give lines to, I immediately thought of Maia. Her character is the smallest and visually the must vulnerable and in my view, lines mean power. By giving her the most lines I want to show who is in charge and who has the best understanding of what is going on. I want her character to have a kind of 'puppet master' feel, as most mystery character do in films of this genre.

 I want to keep the plot quite vague throughout seeing as this is only the first 2 minutes of  the film and I don't want to give too much away - so by keeping the dialogue slightly mysterious I aim to add in diegetic sound without revealing anything vital.

I have also decided I am not adding a voice over. I feel it would be a bad idea to try and add both diegetic and non-diegetic dialogue. Also, the voices would have to be very different and I don't know who I would have speaking that isn't in the shots - I think this would complicate my use of software I am not confident with yet, and so I feel it is the right decision to drop the idea.

Storyboard

 

MY STORYBOARD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I understand that not all aspects of this plan will be possible, but I believe this effectively portrays the majority of the shots and techniques I wish to achieve in my film opening.

 

 

Props

So far I have only decided on two props.

The first is a book. This I have decided to be the mysterious object and the focus of the film opening. The cover is flexible and bright red. I opted for a flexible cover rather than a hard-back, as hard-backs tend to bounce more when dropped if you hit a corner or an angle. The flexible cover doesn't make as much noise either, and the colour is eye-catching and vibrant. Red is the colour associated with danger and warning - an apt theme for my opening. 

The second prop is Philip's backpack. I feel I would like to have to bag as there are some ideas I have for the character to put the book inside it and for Nick to run off with it in the bag. For an alternate ending (if my initial idea doesn't work out), I am thinking maybe Nick opens the bag after running off with it and the bag is empty. He finishes running to Maia and she is already sitting on a tree reading it. This works in relation to a shot I plan to include at the beginning, of the book dropping into the shot from above without showing how it fell.

Costumes

For my costumes, I feel colour is important.

Conventionally within the genre, the colour a character is wearing suggests something about their personality. With this in mind, I have decided that the downtrodden hero (played by Philip) should wear greys and blacks to personify his mood.

The costume of the little girl character (played by Maia) I feel should not be what springs to mind when you think of the character. She has a darker personality than what the audience might think when they see her, so maybe a pretty skirt and jumper in dark colours. I am also thinking of adding bunchies to her hair and tying them with bows of red ribbon to match the book I've decided to use. This will connect the girl with the object which is the desired effect.

Finally, for the second boy (played by Nick) I would like to colour-coordinate his costume with that of the little girl character. In which case I'm feeling dark blues and blacks - possibly sweatshirts for the both of them to show unity. Maybe a hoodie for this character so I can get a shot of him flipping his hood up to give the audience a hint of his character.

Certificate Ratings

 Suitable for All - U stands for Universal; suitable for all audiences aged 4 years and over. Very mild language can be expected along with minimal amounts of violence, sexual content (innuendo).
Parental Guidance - PG (Parental Guidance) films are suitable for most children aged 8 years and older. PG films may prove upsetting to smaller children and so it is up to the parents to consider what content their children can be exposed to. Mild bad language and innuendo may be expected
.
Cinema Release suitable for 12 years and over - Anyone aged 12 and over can attend a showing of this film unaccompanied by an adult (over 18). An adult my bring a smaller child, but it is not recommended as some content might prove upsetting.
 
Video Release suitable for 12 years and over - 12 is a certificate exclusively for Videos, DVDs and Blu-rays, whereas 12A certificate is guidance for Cinema goers. Moderate violence, verbal sex references and infrequent strong language to be expected.
 
Suitable only for 15 years and over - Contains frequent strong language, Strong violence, Portrayals of sexual activity, Strong verbal references to sex, Nudity and Drug Taking.
 
Suitable only for Adults - No-one younger than 18 is allowed to view this film in a cinema or rent a copy. Very strong violence, Frequent strong language, Strong Portrayals of sexual activity, Scenes of strong horror and sexual violence, Strong blood and gore and discriminatory language and behavior featured.
 
Adult Works for licensed premises only - A special category, legally restricted primarily for explicit works involving adults.

 The BBFC are changing the way they classify films. Music videos are now being scrutinised and classified along with films, looking for explicit content, language and violence. These have previously been accessible to everyone and can be deemed inappropriate for children and younger audiences.

Locations

For my locations I have chosen:

1. The roof over Costa Coffee in Gerrards Cross
2. Gerrards Cross Common
3. The Gerrards Cross Woods and Pond

For the running I will use various streets and link them together to make one straight path from the roof to the woods.

Actors and Organisation

This post is about my choice of actors and my organisational skills.

At the moment I have a total of three characters to cast:

1. Boy 1 - protagonist. Finds the focus object and fights to keep it safe. Should look average and non-threatening. He is an outsider and should dress as such. Must also look fairly juvenile and be good at running for the purpose of the chase scene. 

For this part I have cast Philip George.

Philip George: age - 16, year 12, fairly tall, non-threatening, fast runner.

     2. Boy 2 - henchman. Works for the girl to steal the object and keep it safe whilst also uniting all the                    characters. Must be fairly tall, have the ability to look distance, defensive and slightly menacing. Must            be a good runner. Less juvenile than Boy 1. 

For this part I have cast Nick Thomas.

Nick Thomas: age - 17, year 12, taller than Philip, has acted before, faster than Philip. 

   3. Girl - antagonist/protagonist. Young girl that knows something about the object the other characters do          not. Must be small, non-threatening but not the traditional idea of little girl. 

For this part I have cast Maia Briggs.

Maia Briggs: age - 11, year 6, much smaller than the boys, suits the part very well.

As for organisation; I feel the key aspects I need to focus on will be: communication with my actors on subjects such as shooting days and costume suggestions, making sure I have all of the equipment necessary to be able to get on with filming, and taking precautions like bringing an umbrella, muck boots etc for the forest shots. 

Collage

Here is the collage of film snapshots and title images I have compiled to represent as a whole the film genre I am basing my film opening around. I call it: PASTICHE. 

Risk Assessment

For my risk assessment, I have here noted the key potential hazards that may prove dangerous when filming my 2 minute opening. These include: Falling and slipping, cuts, grazes and possible broken bones (Stairs). As well as this I have mentioned the precautions I will take to avoid injuries.