Post 7

In post 6 I produced a visual image reinforcing how to make a “good” short film. Within this image I elaborated upon the “Step Outline” which is said to be a good way in which you can check that you have no slack in your film. The step outline includes developing one sentence that summarises what happens throughout the whole of your short, an explanation of what is revealed that is significant to the plot, an account of what is revealed and that is significant to the audiences understanding of the character, finally there needs to be the question raised as to whether there are any indications of a specific theme or genre.

Post 7 mainly consisted of preparation for the making of my script for my short film. This involved making a character profile and discussing briefly my intentional plot outline. Furthermore within post 8 you will receive an insight as to whether i have stuck to my original ideas and how i have developed them.

Planning for my script was one of the hardest aspects to the pre-production work. As a class we generally had a tendency to watch heavy social realist films, with this in mind our teacher recommended we watched “Signs”. The film draws attention to a simpler, yet effective message. As a short film “Signs” did very well at the Schweppes short film festival, and drew in a larger more mature audience. “Signs” encouraged me to focus on a subject that will have an effect with the audience and won’t necessarily be predictable. With this in mind, i aim to leave audiences in confusion – and encourage them to wonder what really is going to happen next! When we were watching the short film our class teacher occasionally paused the viewing and asked us to guess what we think we happen throughout the remainder of the film, with this in mind it left our imaginations to conclude the story. As the film ended, the majority of us had different ideas as to who we presumed it would conclude. This had a great affect on the audience, and i hope to achieve this in my short film.

"SIGNS"

When planning for my script I made a rough outline of notes and indicated 6 vital points that helped to shape my basic plot line. I was encouraged by my class teacher to focus primarily on the world in which my character will live in, my main character themselves and the problem that will occur during my short film. Once all that information was processed I needed then to work out a want, need and obligation for my character. This planning then led me to develop my script.

Character Profile's

JAYNEY RAY: 

Character Jayney Ray has recently moved from Liverpool to where she is now. Audiences become aware of this when she tells opposing character via MSN. Jayney Ray suffered from an ongoing eating disorder; her parents took it within themselves to moe the whole family to Watford, where they are now. Jayney Ray left her boyfriend in Liverpool, and was hoping for a brand new start. The past still very much is Jayney Ray’s present and haunts her. Her family are seen to be overprotective, but out of the kindness in their hearts. The impact the eating disorder had on the character will appear to be very much overwhelming and will ultimately affect the whole of the short films narrative. As an audience you never once hear Jayney Ray admit to having the eating disorder, nor do you hear her talk about it. The only references made are when her dad implies they left the past behind them for a specific reason, as well as Jayney Ray looking at magazines paying particular attention to skinny celebrities. As the tension rises in the film, this becomes a lot clearer. As the film begins the character will appear to be a threat to next door neighbour Rachel, but as the filming concludes you are left suspicious of the both girls stability. I chose Jayney Ray to be 17 years of age, in my opinion that is the year where girls are vulnerable and emotional.

RACHEL:

My Second character profile is of the other protagonist Rachel. Rachel differs significantly from Jayney Ray, and this is noticeable from the beginning of the short film. Rachel is seen to be always unhappy, implications come from the fact that she has broken up with her long term boyfriend. Rachel has a poor attitude and is disrespectful to her Mother the majority of the time. Not only is Rachel arrogant, she is noticeably quite confident in the way she speaks about Jayney Ray, before she even knows her direcently. The ending of the film is focused on Rachel’s choice of actions and as an audience I intend for them to generally make assumptions on her decisions and whether she does in fact own up and tell Jayney Ray. Jayney ray lives with her brother, mother and father and is also similarly to Rachel 16 years of age. The character of Jayney Ray is very distant from the audience, she doesn’t have much to say or do and as the director of the short film I intend on making her extremely suspicious and intriguing. With this distance in mind, it is very obvious that as soon as she is presented to the audience they will almost straight away justify an opinion upon her. The only time as an audience we see the two characters meeting is when Jayney Ray knocks on Rachel’s front door, the majority of the shaping of characters is through individual actions and the conversation they have over the computers.

Plot Outline
The film begins with a focus on the character of Rachel and her constantly negative attitude towards near enough all attributes in life. Rachel is seen at home wither her Mother present in the house; prior to the filming there are implications of a previous family row. Being in such a negative mood, Rachel is seen sitting on her bedroom on her own, her parents are downstairs and with the music blaring there are constantly raised voices. Rachel makes no attempt to move to make an effort to talk to her Mum who is calling her. After Rachel leaving her bedroom she is then seen downstairs in her kitchen, after mooching around in the kitchen and observing a note her Mother has left her, Rachel looks outside and observes the family moving into the house next door. After implications of a “happy” life for Jayney Ray, Rachel takes it out on the note her Mother has left her and slams it on the kitchen side and storms out of the kitchen. At this point in the narrative, audiences are aware that Rachel feels nothing more than jealousy for former protagonist Jayney Ray.

After all the actions being directly from Rachel’s perspective, the camera focus moves to Jayney Ray who is in the process of moving into her house next door. Jayney Ray has a brother and lives with both her Mother and Father, they all are seen to be laughing and joking around whilst moving boxes from the car into the house. Soon after helping out, Rachel moves to her bedroom where she sits at her bedroom desk with her laptop open… After logging onto MSN and talking to a “stranger” about moving to the area, we begin to become aware that this plot line could develop! After a change in houses, audiences are then aware that the girls are in fact talking to each other, with this in mind it will set the audience’s mind racing includes the questions of what will happen next between both girls.

As the plot concludes, Rachel becomes aware that they are in fact talking to each other, and makes an attempt to apologise to her neighbour. As an audience we are not aware of weather she does in fact own up to her bitching, or leaves it. Rachel is last seen at Jayney Ray’s front door. Through muttered words and a nervous temperament Rachel shows a sense that she has personally done something wrong. But, with this in mind we are questioned that, due to her previously shown personality, will she have the guts to own up for what she has done? The last image audiences see is Jayney Ray sitting on her bed tearing up magazines with her music exceptionally loud. Due to this, there are indications that Rachel has in fact told Jayney Ray what has happened and it has affected her in the sense that she is now looking at the images of celebraties again.

Different Theories:
Further research led us to develop an understanding on a variety of theories. Todorv focuses on films that have specifically three main parts to them. An equilibrium, a disequilibrium and a new equilibrium. His ideas were shown through the example of Goldilocks and the three bears. At the start of the story everything is going well and all characters appear to be happy, as the film develops into the second part, a problem is at hand. In this case, the problem of course was Goldilocks herself. As the film concludes the tone appears to be happy again, but with a noticeable change. Characters have changed or developed and they are coping with a new sort of happiness - not identical to the happiness they all felt at the foundation of the story.