Thursday, 15 December 2011

Sound track

For the end of my sequence when Barry is left alone in the alley there will be no dialouge so I am going to put a sound track over it. Here is the song I have chosen to use.


This is Dietro Casa by Ludovico Einaudi and it was taken from the soundtrack of This is England, a film that is set in a similar time to mine and is of a similar genre. I think this a very powerful song and it will reflect the time and the struggles Barry is going through. I wont be using the whole track I will just use a certain cutting from the track to fit the video it will be going over.


Location update

I am no longer filming in the oringal place that i planned to as it was too far away. I am not filming in the old town near the old fruit markets. It looks very similar to my original location and has very similar mis-en-scene. It also has more back alleys and big abandoned warehouses so I think it will look better, it is also closer which makes it look a lot easier for both me and my actors.

Updated aims and context

My aim is to create an extended sequence from an imagined feature called ‘The Debt’. I am filming the scene where Barry leaves his house and goes to meet the Loan Shark for a ‘business’ meeting. The purpose of this sequence is to show my target audience just how hard times were and what people would go through for some money. My imagined feature will be of the social realist genre also with aspects of crime. I will achieve this by using the genres codes and conventions. I will be aiming to make the audience sympathise for Barry and I want to them to be able to understand the situation he is in and understand how hard times are. I also want to be able to make the audience feel scared for Barry and want them to be able to feel how powerful the loan shark is. I will achieve this by using high angle shots to make Barry look small and vulnerable and low angle shots to make the loan shark look tall and dominant, I want to make it so the audience know he is clearly the one in charge.
As my extended sequence is of the Social Realism genre I have looked at the work of Ken Loach, and a massive influence for me was the scene in ‘Raining Stones’ where the loan shark turns up at Bobs house.  I like the use of cinematography and editing in Ken Loach’s films and I aim to produce my film using similar techniques.
For my extended sequence I will be taking on the role of director, producer, editor and cinematographer. The target audience for my extended sequence will be more of a niche audience targeting fans of the social realist genre. I also think this will appeal to more of an older audience aged 25 and above because they will be able to relate to it in some sense.  According to YouTube, ‘Raining Stones’ by Ken Loach is popular among males, aged 35 – 64, this would class as a niche audience opposed to a mainstream audience of 16 – 24. I think it is popular among males of those ages as teenagers and younger males may find it boring because rather than concentrating on special effects and action, it concentrates on real life situations, using the strength of plot, dialogue and characterisation to make its points.

Update

Unfortunately I wasnt able to film on the scheduled date and have again rescheduled for Saturday the 17th of December. If the weather is good and everything else goes to plan I will defintiely be filming on this date. I am filming the conversation between Barry and the loan shark.

Friday, 2 December 2011

Update

In my film I am thinking about using a voice over for when Barry is walking to meet the loan shark. The voice over will explain why he is in the mess he is and what is going through his mind at the time. I think this could work really well and would make everything clear, especially as I am only film a sequence of the whole film as people wont have seen anything before my sequence and wont know what is happening.

Thursday, 1 December 2011

Storyboard









Filming

I had scheduled to film on Sunday the 4th of December but Karim Skalli, the loan shark, is unable to make it so i have had to reschedule to Sunday the 11th of December. On this day I will be filming down on the old fishing docks and I will schedule to film at home at a later date.

Screenplay

(Barry is zipping up his coat and getting ready to leave the house, we see him walk through the door and it fades to black. We then see Barry walk to meet the loan shark. Dialogue starts on shot 13)
(Loan shark adjusts tie)
Loan shark: well well well, nice to see you Barry
(cut to high angle shot of Barry, this makes him look vulnerable)
Barry: now then, wish I could I say it was nice to see you
(cut to close up of loan shark with an angry stern look in his face)
Loan shark: So, you got my money?
(cut to a medium two shot)
Barry: N n no but…
LS: No buts! I told you I wanted it today!
(cut to an over the shoulder shot of the loan shark looking at Barry)
Barry: I know, im sorry, I just need a little more time
(pans around to an over the shoulder shot of Barry looking at the loan shark)
LS: Im an important person and don’t have a little more time!
(cut to an extreme long shot of both of them and the camera zooms in)
Barry: look, I know, I nearly have it, I have but I just need a few more days, please!
LS:  as you may have guessed, I am not a very reasonable man and I do not like to be messed around. I told you I wanted the money today, so I expected you to give it me it today!
Barry: im sorry, just a few more days, I will have it!
(cut to a low angle shot of the loan shark, this makes him look dominant as he is the dominant character in the conversation)
LS: a few more days isn’t fucking good enough! And how do you expect me to trust you?! You’ve already let me down once and do I not take kindly to being let down! I don’t think you realise what I am actually capable of!
(cut to a close up of Barry looking extremely worried)
Barry:  just give me one more day, ive told you ill fucking have it! I promise, please!
(cut to a close up of the loan shark)
LS: okay, listen to me. I’ll make an exception this once, you have 48 hours and if I do not have the money when I come to meet you again, you will be in shit, deep shit. And I can’t 9promise you will walk away, you understand?!
(half way through above dialogue cut to an over the shoulder shot of Barry looking at the loan shark)
(cut to a medium shot of Barry)
Barry:  thank you thank you! I won’t let you down, I promise!
(cut to a medium two shot)
LS: I should hope not, but there is one catch…
Barry:  oh god, what?
LS: I want a £100 extra for you fucking me about!
Barry: How the fuck am I supposed to get an extra £100 if I can’t even get the first lot of money!
(cut to a close up of the loan shark)
LS: I don’t care how you get it, just get it!
(cut to a close up of Barry)
Barry: Oh for fuck sake!
(cut to a two shot)
LS: I’ll see you in two days Barry
Barry: yeah, see ya
(Loan Shark now leaves and Barry is stood alone)
Barry: fucks sake!
(Barry holds his head and sighs then bangs his fist against the wall in frustration the shot then fades to black and the next shot is Barry at home)

Thursday, 24 November 2011

Scipt

Loan shark: well well well, nice to see you Barry
Barry: now then, wish I could I say it was nice to see you
Loan shark: So, you got my money?
Barry: N n no but…
LS: No buts! I told you I wanted it today!
Barry: I know, im sorry, I just need a little more time
LS: Im an important person and don’t have a little more time!
Barry: look, I know, I nearly have it, I have but I just need a few more days, please!
LS:  as you may have guessed, I am not a very reasonable man and I do not like to be messed around. I told you I wanted the money today, so I expected you to give it me it today!
Barry: im sorry, just a few more days, I will have it!
LS: a few more days isn’t fucking good enough! And how do you expect me to trust you?! You’ve already let me down once and do I not take kindly to being let down! I don’t think you realise what I am actually capable of!
Barry:  just give me one more day, ive told you ill fucking have it! I promise, please!
LS: okay, listen to me. I’ll make an exception this once, you have 48 hours and if I do not have the money when I come to meet you again, you will be in shit, deep shit. And I can’t promise you will walk away, you understand?!
Barry:  thank you thank you! I won’t let you down, I promise!
LS: I should hope not, but there is one catch…
Barry:  oh god, what?
LS: I want a £100 extra for you fucking me around!
Barry: How the fuck am I supposed to get an extra £100 if I can’t even get the first lot of money!
LS: I don’t care how you get it, just get it!
Barry: Oh for fuck sake!
LS: I’ll see you in two days Barry
Barry: yeah, see ya
Barry: fucks sake!


Although I have written a script I am only using it for a base for my actors to follow and I will allow them to improvise or change bits if they feel the need to do so

Friday, 4 November 2011

Story type

The story type of my developed sequence is 'The debt that must be repaid' - The character wants something or someone and becomes aware that something or some is available which will possilby give him/her what she wants - at a price. The character agrees to pay the price later and pursues his/her orignial desire. The character attempts to avoid ssetting the debt but is finally confronted by the debtor and the debt is repaid

Characters

 my sequence will only involve two characters, the protagonist, Barry Clark, who will be played by my close friend Michael Uney and the antagonist, the loan shark who will be played by another close friend Karim Skalli. I believe with only two characters it will be a lot easier for me to make my sequence as I will not have to rely on a large number of people to always turn up and be on time etc.

Props

I will not be using many props in my sequence as the two characters will be mainly talking. Stereotypically the loan shark may be carrying a gun if he’s that type of man but I won’t be using a gun as I won’t be able to get my hands on a fake one that looks real enough.

Location

I will be shooting my sequence down on the old fish docks. I think this is a good place to film as it is all run down and abandoned and looks the type of place a dangerous man would tell someone to meet him if he was going to be up to no good, as no one would be around to see.
I will also be filming some of it in my girlfriends nanas house and is it has an old 'social realist' look to it.

Costume

 I want Barry Clark to be wearing a scruffy pair of jeans and a dirty jumper or a t shirt, so he looks like a stereltypical lower class unemployed man, and the loan shark will be wearing a smart shirt and trousers to show he’s all about business. 



Thursday, 3 November 2011

Inspirational film clips

My extended sequence was influenced by the scene in 'Raining Stones' by Ken Loach when the loan shark goes to Bob's house to collect his money but Bob wasn't there and his wife had no idea about it all.

Unfortunately I couldn't find the exact scene I wanted.



This is a Social Realsim short film that I found on YouTube which a student had made. It has a very similar storyline to mine and is something I can look to for bits of inspiration. The video has a good use of music and I am now considering using music in my video as it can work very well if used properly.


This is England is a fantastic Social Realist film from the director Shane Meadows. It doesnt have a similar storyline to mine but is set in the same place, northern england, duing the time Thatcher was prime minister and I think it is a great film to look for inspiration.



Kes is another fantastic Social Realist film from director Ken Loach. It doesnt have a storyline like mine but it is set in a similar time period and is a great film for inspiration for the Social Realist genre.

Update

I am curently in the proccess of storyboarding my extended sequence. Once I have finished I will make my animatic and I will crack on with filming.

In my developed sequence I will be stearing away from really fancy camera shots and fancy editing and keep it fairly straight forward to keep it more social realist as if I were to use fancy camera shots and editing it wouldnt look 'real' as such.

Still images representing Social Realism






 I believe these are all images that represent the Social Realist genre really well. They all show working class or unemployed people in a run down, industrial northern Britain, which is fantastic as in my film I will be filming in a run down area in northern Britain and it is about an unemployed man.


Friday, 21 October 2011

Target Audience

The target audience for my extended sequence will be more of a niche audience targeting fans of the social realist genre. I also think this will appeal to more of an older audience aged 25 and above because they will be able to relate to it in some sense.  According to YouTube, ‘Raining Stones’ by Ken Loach, which was an inspiration for my developed sequence is popular among males, aged 35 – 64, this would class as a niche audience opposed to a mainstream audience. I think it is popular among males of that ages as teenagers and younger males may find it boring as there isn’t loads of action and special effects.

YouTube statistics

These are the YouTube statistics for the trailer for Ken Loach's 'Raining Stones'. As I am also making a social realist film, inspired by the work of Ken Loach, my developed sequence would have very similar statistics.


Total views: 2,780


Ratings: 9Comments: 7Favourites: 5
Likes: 9
Dislikes: 0

Significant discovery events

Date Event Views
A
12/01/2011First featured video view 97
B
12/01/2011First referral from related video – Ken Loach - EXCLUSIVE - "Route Irish" Trailer 86
C
12/01/2011First referral from – http://www.google.co.uk/ 72
D
12/01/2011First referral from YouTube search – riff raff ken loach 66
E
11/01/2011First referral from YouTube search – raining stones 198
F
10/01/2011First referral from YouTube search – ken loach riff raff 49
G
09/01/2011First referral from YouTube search – ken loach 117
H
08/01/2011First referral from YouTube search – ken loach films 61
I
07/01/2011First view from a mobile device 168
J
07/01/2011First referral from a subscriber module 143
This video is most popular in:

More
Less

 

 

Audiences

This video is most popular with:

Gender Age
Male 45-54
Male 55-64
Male 35-44

Friday, 7 October 2011

Aims and context

My aim is to create an extended sequence from an imagined feature called ‘The Debt’. I am filming the scene where Barry leaves his house and goes to meet the Loan Shark for a ‘business’ meeting. The purpose of this sequence is to show  my target audience just how hard times were and what people would go through for some money My imagined feature will be of the social realist genre also with aspects of crime. I will achieve this by using the genres codes and conventions. I will be aiming to make the audience sympathise for Barry and I want to them to be able to understand the situation he is in and understand how hard times are. I also want to be able to make the audience feel scared for Barry and want them to be able to feel how powerful the loan shark is. I will achieve this by using high angle shots to make Barry look small and vulnerable and low angle shots to make the loan shark look tall and dominant, I want to make it so the audience know he is clearly the one in charge.
For my extended sequence I will be taking on the role of director, producer, editor and cinematographer. The target audience for my extended sequence will be more of a niche audience targeting fans of the social realist genre. I also think this will appeal to more of an older audience aged 25 and above because they will be able to relate to it in some sense.  According to YouTube, ‘Raining Stones’ by Ken Loach, which was an inspiration for my developed sequence is popular among males, aged 35 – 64, this would class as a niche audience opposed to a mainstream audience. I think it is popular among males of that ages as teenagers and younger males may find it boring as there isn’t loads of action and special effects.

Thursday, 6 October 2011

Narative structure

Protagonist: Barry Clark
Antagonist: Loan Shark
Disruption: Barry Clark becomes unemployed and needs to earn some money.

Quest: Barry starts to find ways to earn money.
Resolution: He manages to get some money, but he borrowed from a loan shark and this can only end bad.  

Thursday, 29 September 2011

which part of my film I am filming

I will be filming Barry leaving his house and going to meet the Loan Shark. I will also be filming them both speaking and sorting out 'business' problems.

Synopsis


1984 in Britain and Margaret Thatcher is prime minister. The poor are poorer, the rich are richer and unemployment is through the roof.  Barry Clark has just lost his job and has hit an all-time low; he lives in a damp rented council flat and rarely sees his son who lives with his ex-wife. He needs to start getting some sort of income or just enough in his pocket so he can pay his rent but getting a job is not going to happen any time soon. Although he really doesn’t want to and knows it may end badly Barry goes to see a loan shark. At first the loan shark seems like a decent man and loans Barry an adequate amount of money. However, when it comes to Barry paying the money back the loan shark isn’t so reasonable. Obviously Barry cannot pay back the loan shark, or at least all at once, he just needs time but the loan shark wants it all at once, and Barry has 48 hours to get the money to him.  The loan shark then calls Barry and arranges to meet him down at the old fishing docks for a ‘business’ meeting. Barry goes to meet him, but doesn’t have the money, luckily and unbelievably Barry manages to talk his way out of it and gets his repayment time extended, and in the end gets the money that he owes.  

Friday, 23 September 2011

genre conventions

Social realist films try to be as ‘real’ as possible. They tend to steer away from really fancy cinematography and special effects to keep the film as ‘real’ as they can. Ken Loach, for example, who is a social realist director, uses less known or unknown actors and only gives them the script for the scene they are filming on the day so they don’t know what will happen, thus creating a ‘real’ feel as their emotions and responses will be real as they didn’t know what was coming and a lot of improvisation was needed, again giving it a more ‘real’ feel to it.
Social realist films often involve the working class and tackle problems which are going on the world such as unemployment. Such films are generally set in the north of England in council estates and grimy pubs. The characters nearly always have a very strong ‘common’ accent.
My film extract however will also have some conventions of the crime genre. Crime films tend to focus more on the criminal opposed to the police officers and glorify the rise and fall of the criminal. Within the crime genre you would expect to see at least one of, if not several or all of the following; serial killers/murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, heists and double-crosses.  Crime films are more then often set in the big city, or underground clubs and dark alley ways away from the police and other civilians. Film gangsters are usually materialistic, street-smart and self-destructive. A significant plot within a crime film would be a rivalry with another criminal. The gangsters or criminals Success is often measured in material goods – flashy cars, expensive clothes, and mansions.
Vary rarely does the criminal get caught or end up dead, and if they do get arrested they will most probably end up finding their way out of prison. They are also often set during the night time as a criminal wouldn’t work during the day as it would be too easy for them to be caught. Sometimes big heists such as bank robberies may take place during the day while the bank is open.

Thursday, 22 September 2011

Update

The genre of the extract from a film I am making will be social realist, I was inspired by the work of Ken Loach after watching a few clips from 'Raining Stones'. Although, my film extract will also have conventions of the crime/gangster genre as I am using the story type 'the debt that must be repaid'. The part of the film I am shooting will involve an unemployed man whos in debt meeting with the loan shark, but I want to make it different to the typical 'man gets in debt, cant repay it then gets beat up' so im still in the process of writing the synopsis but I do have the majority of it written so I will have that finished this week. I want to film my extract on the old fishing docks as its all run down and abandoned and looks the type of place for dodgey goings on. I have ideas of what I want characters and costumes etc to be like and as soon as I have written the synopsis I will start writing the script.

Friday, 16 September 2011

Brief

Develop an extended sequence from an imagined feature