Primary Research
I sent out a survey for 8 people to complete so that I have more of an understanding of my audience and what they would want from the short film. I asked 5 questions to the selected 8 people.
The first question I asked was what their age was, the results revealed that the majority of those who completed the survey were in the age range of 18-25. With a smaller percentage of the subjects being within the 55-64 age bracket. The second question asked was gender, the majority of the people who have contributed to the survey are male with just over 30% being female. From these findings, I have discovered that most people who will be viewing the film will be within the age bracket of 18-25, also I know that majority of the viewers will be male.
The third question I asked in the questionaire, was referring to the persons referred run time of the short film. They were given the choices between, 1-5 minutes or 6-10 minutes. Over 80% of people said that they would prefer the film to be 6-10 minutes long, the remaining smaller percentage of people said 1-5 minutes would be preferred. Another question asked was if the person would be interested in the concept of the short film, 100% of the people asked said they would be interested in wathcing a short film with the described concept. Therefore, from my findings, the short film will be within the runtime of 6-10 minutes as this is more widely prefered to be the length. In addition, I am now confident that the concept of the film is enough to get people to be interested and watch the film which guarantees the film will get viewership upon release.
The final question I asked was which viewing platform would be prefered upon wathcing the short film, 7 out of the 8 people decided they would want to watch the short film on YouTube, the remaining person chose Vimeo. Due to the wide majority preferring to watch the short film on YouTube, that is the platform in which 'The Lonefret' will be realised on.
I sent an email to S. Craig Zahler, director of 'Bone Tomahawk' (2015) asking for advice as to how to achieve an authentic western look, due to my love for his western 'Bone Tomahawk' starring Kurt Russel I decided that Mr Zahler would be a great person to ask and get some intrigue into directing a western. Mr Zahler wrote back to me and gave some great advice as to how to get an authentic look. S. Craig Zahler said to not think so much of generic westerns, such as chaps, holsters, hats and gallons, but to think about what the characters in your story would want and then make sure you find period-appropriate props and clothing. Mr Zahler then went on to say that, how by looking at old real west photos may make you aware of apparel and items that are not common in a movie but true to the west. I found this advice very helpful and gave me a new insight into selecting the props and outfits for my short film, I will look into real old west photos and see what the people of that period actually used, not what they used in movies.
I sent an email to Julius Friede, the senior colourist on 'O' Brother, Where Art Thou?', asking on how the unique colour pallet was achieved completely in post-production. He kindly replied with an insight into how to achieve the look of the film, he stated that his team isolated the greens to a more burnt out umber type of colour. In wider shots, Friede mentioned that the colours of the trees were set to one shade of brown, whilst the grass and shrubs were set to a slightly different shade so the image didn't look processes. I will try my best to emulate this technique in my final film, this information has been very helpful and has also provided me with a wider understanding of a colourists job.
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In this interview from the BAFTA Guru YouTube channel, Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee shares advice on directing. Upon viewing watching the interview I decided to take notes as Spike gave valuable advice I could use to progress as a director. Spike described his process as to casting a lead role, his process is to try and get the best person to play the role, not particularly a good actor but a person who is good within that role. He also went on to say, you need to utilise all the skill you and your crew have to make the best story you can tell and that there is no such thing as an overnight success. As a final point, Spike Lee talks about how music has a fundamental part of all of his films, he described how music can help tell a story on the same level as dialogue, editing, sound design and cinematography. Spike talking about how much music can make a film, has really hit home about the use of music in 'The Lonefret' as the only time we hear music is when it's diabetic, showing that the characters in the story have to work and play the guitar to play the music. Therefore, when music is the heard in the end it is more satisfying for the audience. This would be because they have observed the conflict the characters have endured throughout the runtime of the short film, leading a musical climax to be a relief and closure to the viewer.
I read a book called "Story" written by Robert McKee. Robert Mckee is a very popular screenwriting lecturer, who has a very in-depth understanding of what makes up a story. I chose to read this book because I believe I need to understand more of the fundamentals of storytelling, before attempting to tell one. “True character is revealed in the choices a human being makes under pressure - the greater the pressure, the deeper the revelation, the truer the choice to the character's essential nature.”, this quote from the book has really resonated with me and I feel the statement is very true and extremely thought-provoking. I believe it is the greatest quote from the entire book, as it focuses on the most fundamental element of a story; character. This has heavily influenced the ending of 'The Lonefret', the final scene of the short film sees the barbaric gunslinger finally lowering his gun, resulting in peace rather than war. He is heavily conflicted, he wants to kill the man for stealing his guitar, but the music the man makes is far too beautiful to be killed. The gunslinger shows his true character by sparing the guitar theif, he shows his passive, caring side.
Hiro Murai, the director of my favourite epsidoe from the TV show 'Atlanta', gave an explanation as to how he went about blocking and telling the story visually. Firstly, Murai explains that using negative space in your framing shows that maybe the character in the shot is hiding something or doesn't have a strong relationship with another character present in the scene. In addition, he went into detail about eyelines, stating that the closer the eyeline is to the lens it conveys the higher the intimacy and stakes of the scene. A final point Hiro Muarai brings up, which is very relevant to 'The Lonefret', is that the most important thing for when including a villainous character in a film is to make the audience feel empathy for them. He explains that a way to do this is to show how the character got into the villainous state they are in, or either shows them getting out of it, therefore the change is more dramatic and the audience could empathise with the characters as they are aware how bad they have been. This is what I intend to do with the character of 'Ed', as towards the end of the story he changes his misanthropic ways and finds love and peace through music, turning the audience's sympathy, knowing that the character is down a very bad evil path, into empathy, understanding that he has changed and is now a better man because of that.
I have decided to look into the editing process due to my discovering that the director should be aware of other aspects of filmmaking as it would help them further understand the film they will be creating. I purchase a book called "In The Blink Of An Eye" by the award-winning editor Walter Murch. The book gives a thoroughly interesting insight into what it is like being an editor in Hollywood, the book focuses on the editing process of both film and digital formats. The main element I took away from the book was that of the "Blink of An Eye" theory, the theory details that the human brain accepts cuts and understands them because we blink in real life. Another point is that when you are editing a conversation, think yourself as the observer of the conversation in real life. When observing a conversation, you don't just look at the person asking all the time you also look across to the other persons reaction. The theory says this is what you should do in editing, as it is all about emotion. The theory also states that maybe humans blink because of emotion, an example was that if someone finished telling a sad story they would blink at the end which signifies their brain is moving on and has finished. This is where you should supposedly end the scene. As a final point, apparently, when actors bring emotion to a roll the editor should pay attention to their blinking habits as when an actor blinks it is usually at a story beat or once they have finished stating
an important point this is when Walter Murch says you should cut. Walter Murch said he has tried himself to watch scenes and to keep close attention to the actors blinking and is able to always pause before they blink, this is what I aspire to be able to do in the future with a lot more understanding and determination. I now have more of an understanding of editing, this is crucial to my development as a director due to the edit being a crucial element in the outcome of a film.
This video goes in-depth about the directing and acting choices made for Paul Thomas Andersons' 'There Will Be Blood'. Anderson stated that actors don't want a lot of discussing their role or endless conversations on set. To avoid those things you take time to do it privately with the script, try not to overtalk it or over think it and leave some mystery to happen. Create a scenario that is quiet, delicate and productive. In addition to this, Paul Thomas Anderson went onto explain that the process of shooting was to shoot and try things before something works. It makes no difference how many takes you do if your curiosity is in the right place you might as well keep re-examining the same moment. The video ends on an interesting quote, "You have to be willing to take risks, as its in those risks that greatness can be found". Before receiving this information, I have been very individual about choices made for the film and have the scenes planned out in my head very clearly. However, these teachings have made me think twice about being controlling over the performances and blocking of the scene. Therefore, I will allow the actors and others to come up with ideas which in the end gives me more choices in the edit as the majority of the takes will be very different and alternate.
Due to my main role in the film being a director, I decided I needed to learn more about the role. I found a small playlist on YouTube called 'Directing Annabelle Creation', by David Sandberg, the director of Annabelle: Creation. Sandberg goes into detail about certain obstacles on set, experiences and gives advice on how to direct a film in general and also goes more into detail about what the director is expected to do on set. I figure this will be very insightful as Sandberg has actually directed a feature film and I believe learning from him will heavily assist me in directing my next short film'The Lonefret'. I made notes when watching all four parts of the playlists. Sandberg goes on to say that the director needs to understand how to communicate to others what you want, be able to express what your vision is. Need to communicate the emotion of the scene, what you want the shot to look like and sound like. All the other people on set are there to help you realise your vision. If you are a collaborative director, you will accept other ideas and bounce back and forth from them to make a better and better thought out film. When talking to the DP, discuss what kind of image you want and what you want it to feel like. Then the DP will be able to translate that into what light, what lens, what gear will be able to accomplish that. As a director, you will be asked many questions, make sure to not let the questions build up. Answer that right away, even if you give the wrong answer it’s fine because you can always solve it on set. A lot of directing is about where the actors are walking to or what action they are doing and when they say their lines. Casting is crucial as you find somebody who can really get into the characters, as you need to solve a lot of technical stuff on set so if the actor understands the acting side then you don’t need to worry about that amongst the many technical things. Work with what feels natural to the actor instead of forcing them into what you have in your head. Usually, on the first take don’t give much direction, let the actors try stuff. If you as a director aren’t happy then change it until you are for the second take.
I have purchased a book called '101 Things I Learnt In Film School', the book has 101 points to are very helpful and insightful. One of the points goes into detail about 'Show, Don't tell', such as characters are better shown than explained and also if you show it rather than tell it, you will leave more screen time for more important things. A second point is called 'Follow The Action', this point details that the camera is the eyes of the audience and the audiences to be as close to the action as possible, you should also allow the audience to have an optimal view by multiple camera movements. A third point is about concealing action such as curiosity is created by not revealing certain plot points to the dance right away. Overall, many of the points in the book have been incredibly crucial to me developing as a director, such as all the points I have listed above are in use in the script of 'The Lonefret' and will most definitely be carried on the final film.
A fundamental element of directing is the technique of blocking. Blocking is working out how the actor moves in relation to the camera. I have decided to watch a tutorial on blocking, as I believe I need to improve my understanding of this key element of directing. Upon watching the video I wrote down a few key points expressed. There are three visuals elements that should be thought of when blocking a scene; space, shapes and lines. Therefore, by visualising these three components you should be able to block a scene in a visually dynamic way that is loaded with subtext. The first element to blocking, space, is all about how the actors move around the location and how the location itself can assist in telling the story in a visual manner. Secondly, shapes, there are three main shapes the circle, square and the triangle. In almost every frame you can find one of those three shapes, circles feel safe, squares create borders and limit characters, triangles are pointy and vicious. Lastly, lines, they tell the viewer where to look and also give off certain character traits that help visually describe a character's emotions. Two more elements of blocking are subtext and contrast. Contrast is a sequence in where the context or location is completely contesting the actions or dialogue being spoken, which can allow for a more impactful and memorable delivery. Contrast can also help to reveal the true story being told. Subtext put simply is what is being said in between the dialogue, the subtext is revealed through a character's physical actions. On a final note, a great way to convey your blocking to other members of the crew is to create a storyboard.
Robert Rodriguez, who made his first film for $7,000 gave a ten-minute film school where he details particular aspects of low-budget filmmaking. One point, Rodriguez brought up was that anything in a film is subjective, including mistakes, one man's mistakes is another man's art. In addition, he went on to state that it is helpful to look at a blank screen and image you are wathcing your movie, visualise it in its entirety; shot for shot, cut for cut. After you have done that, write down all the shots and edits, then go out and get those shots and edit as you saw. I will use this last point most dentally in visualising 'The Lonefret', I believe this point is very helpful in allowing myself to have a better idea of the final film I will be making. It is always good to know what you want.
This video essay details the importance and meaning of when a character is riding a horse. The video explains that in a Western, riding a horse shows masculinity, status and control over nature. The horse is a perfect example to show human kind's control over nature, as horses are very wild and rambunctious yet we are still able to tame and have control over them. Another point brought up in the video is that the horse is an extension of their masterful riders. Therefore, in 'The Lonefret' when the main character has to exchange his horse for the guitar, it shows how much he desires the instrument as he is willing to get rid of his masculinity and power over nature to play music.
After viewing the film 'Crossroads', I decided to research further into the legends of Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil. I stumbled upon this informative YouTube video that details many other musicians that are believed to have sold their souls away for musical talent. In 1713, violinist Giuseppe Tartini dreamt of the devil in his dream, this is where Tartini made a pact for his soul. Tartini said that in the dream he gave the devil a violin, leading the devil to perform a beautiful tune. When Tartini awoke, he attempted to write down the entire song the devil had played, he later went on to say the piece was "So inferior to what I had heard". I find this all very interesting and integral to developing 'The Lonefret'. As a result of my research into the selling of the soul, I have decided to look into acquiring a pocket watch for the film that has the iconic 'rock-on' hand symbol, which also references a pair of devil horns. This pocket watch is a vital part of the script and therefore adding the demonic element into the story, really develops the mysterious feel I want the overall piece to have.
Due to my decision to mimic the look of 'O' Brother, Where Art Thou?', I decided to delve further into the use of colour in film. I found out after wathcing the video that there are three main factors of colours. There is Hue which is basically the colour itself, Saturation that is the intensity of the colour, and Brightness, how light or dark the colour is. Brighter images often seem lively and exciting, however, darker images feel more dramatic and tense. You can select different colours to convey different emotions of the audience or even use colours to give off visuals subtext. The video also states that you can make any colour mean anything, as it is your film and your colour pallet. I have decided to make the entire film based around the same colour pallet, similar to the one of 'O' Brother, Where Art Thou?' because I really think the colour pallet of that film will fit mine very well. I admire the look of the colour pallet and it makes me think of a faded photograph hanging on a wall, and as my film will be a story set in the past, the colours will have the emotion and similar feeling of nostalgia within it. When the character of Ed in 'The Lonefret' finds the guitar and all that happens before, I want all of the colours to be heavily saturated and to an epic scale, however when Ed's guitar gets taken I feel the colours should lower in their saturation to convey the sorrow Ed is experiencing due ot the loss of his belvoed instrument.