Mythologies of Violence eBook – Codes and Conventions in the Action

Mythologies of Violence in Postmodern Media (eBook)

I wanted to get more ideas on what i should do in my imagination sequences. This book ‘Mythologies of Violence in Postmodern Media’ has lots of useful tips and tricks on the Action genre.

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This is saying that male audiences prefer a more masculine film than a feminine film. This is interesting because I thought that men would prefer a woman in movies. This work the opposite if it was a woman audience, they prefer more feminine movies rather than masculine. If i was making a romantic comedy short film I would have most of my characters and the main character female as women prefer this. With this information, I am going to make my action scenes have a male in throughout, as the Action genre is more related to men.

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This is saying that physical strength and dexterity is common in Action films. This is interesting to me because I didn’t no that most Action films had these things in them. This is related to the other paragraph above how Action films have a target audience as men because we look up to strong powerful male protagonists and we want to be like them, that’s why we watch these movies. I am going to follow this information by having a strong powerful male protagonist in m short film. However, because my short film is a comedy action i might flip the table and have the complete opposite. Have a small scrawny main character but make him do cool things like in the stereotypical Action films. This will also make the Comedy side of my short film shine with the Action genre.

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This saying that you should view Action Films as serious and real. This is because if you do this you will enjoy the movie a lot more because Action Films tend to be visually pleasing to look at and be impossible to do in real life. This is enjoyable for a lot of people because they know that they will never be able to perform like the characters in the movies that’s why Action Films are really popular. I am now going to reflect back on my previous blogs so that i can go back to them and take all my research and link it to my planning stages once i get to them.

ref:

Sharrett, C. (2000). Mythologies of violence in postmodern media. Detroit, Mich.: Wayne State Univ. Press.

CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS – Short Film inspiration

This short film relates to my idea as this short film takes place in a prison sell throughout the whole thing. My short film is going to be in an office environment throughout the real scenes. What i really like about this short film is the foreshadowing at the start leading you to the big twist at the end (Where you see the match box shaking and then puts it in his draw). This is done in big blockbuster film just on a bigger scale. I really like it when directors do this because the viewer will brush this clip off because it doesn’t seem impotent at the time but then you remember it at the end which makes you remember it from before. I wont to implement this into my short film however i must mind map some ideas down and come up with something. This is because the idea must be unique and something no one else has thought of before.

This is has helped me go more in-depth into my time travel. Having my main interviewee go back in time at the end of the short film to then revisit the question he is being asked so that he gets as many attempts to answer the questions correctly (so he can get the job). I would have right at the start of the short film my actor laughing as it he as said something funny in his previous attempt to get the job. This effect is also in this VFX short film where the man realised that he caused this big accident and not the woman in the sports car:

(I am not sure if this is understandable but i no this will work, plus it fits well with my imagination sequence. This is because these imagination sequences could have been true and it will make the viewer wonder if they were)

The editing techniques, used in the hand segment of the film, are very slow which create mystery and suspense. I want to use this in my short film, probably at the end when there is a big effect or a shocking scene. Also the way there is a sudden ending in the narrative, I want to do this in my short film because this is what sets them out from the rest.

I can also base my main big effect at the end of this short film. With my realistic the gore is within it I now feel like my idea is coming along quite well i just need to look into the codes and convention so that i can tie my time-travel cliff hanger into my short film.

‘Face to Face’ eBook – Developed Research from Codes and Conventions in the Comedy genre

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From my Codes and Conventions the data shows that in the Comedy genre there is a lot about how comedy is funny and why people find it funny. The comedy i want to show in my short film is going to be visual and a lot of fateful expressions and body language.

With this in mind I wanted to find some information about facial expressions and acting. His is because in my project the acting is going to be the hardest part of this project because I don’t have control over 2 different people. This book ‘Face to Face’ is going to help me understand how to use factual expressions as this is going to be the main sours of comedy through my short film in the interview segment.

Chapter 3 (P29-): Introducing the Language of the Face

Facial expressions are used a lot in comedy and action films because it helps create a certain mod in a scene. This research will help me in my project because it is heavily focused on these two genres.

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This interested me because in my script blog I talk about how character over views are effective. With these two things combined i will be able to tell how exact I want my actors to feel. This is because the Character over view will give then an understanding on how the character is over all and the facial expression insights will let then no there current mood and how they feel in a certain theme. I am talking about this because in my short film the two characters in the interview segments are going to clash to create comedy and if they don’t it just wont be funny.

This part of the text is describing how certain action effect peoples emotions. This will be useful to me as there are going to be some scenes where characters must react to them in a certain way.

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The examples here are inspiring me to have a character do something that is shocking and to then have another character react to his reaction. I am going to use this research in my short film because I think I can use this in a comedy sense. where a character does something shocking and then the other character is amazed but confused at the same time, reacting to his action. So having my interviewer look shocked after being told something amazing by the interviewee is going to be fun and the interviewer is grumpy and very rarely gets surprised.

I now feel like there is something missing in my short film. I have a basic concept down but i need something else. Most short films have something unique to them i just need to figure out something for mine. I need to talk a look at some short films to come up with a unique idea for myself. So I am now going to look at some contextual analysis to gain inspiration for my short film.

Ref: Jones, T. and Patmore, C. (2012). Get started in short filmmaking. London: Apple.

Week 3 Reflection + Developed idea

So far I have developed my idea to a basic level with some detail. I am going to be creating an Action and Comedy short film that is going to be heavily based on visuals to make the viewers laugh. I also know that i must have 4 to 5 imagination sequences as this should fill up the 5-minute time frame. With this, i must have a different reaction from the interviewer.

In my short film, there are going to be the two main characters, The Interviewer and The Interviewee. The Interviewer is going to be quite grumpy and lazy. The Interviewee is going to be nervous but pleased to be there. Also, he wants to impress The Interviewer by giving him the best answers he possibly can think of. While he does this his mind will drift off to think of what he is going to say. as the imagination sequence in happaning, he is going to be telling the interviewer what he is thinking about. However, there is going to be a time-travelling aspect right at the end so it makes the audience think that these things he was imagining could have been real.

The two main characters are going to have very different personalities. The interviewer is going to be grumpy and has a lazy attitude. The interviewee is going to be happy and enthusiastic. I found this out because in my rush hour blog having two characters that clash can make it really easy and funny to make jokes up. So I must now do some research on how my characters should react to each other and how i can make the short film imagination scenes look like there are in an action scene.

This is where i am so far with my idea… Its all well and good having a basic idea down but i don’t know how to get my actors to act. I now need t do some research on facial expressions so i no how to direct my actors. this will also help me when developing my Codes and Conventions research about the Comedy genre. This is because i need to get this step right as facial expressions or what makes comedy nowadays.

‘Getting Started In Short Film Making’ – Script Layout Research

I wanted to find out some more about film making and script layout. So I decided to go to my local liberty and have a look if i could find any tips on how to make my short film better.

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I found this book on film making and it reminded me of the books I found online. However, there was no way of reading them online as you had to pay for them.

Writing Advice

An interesting tip that these states are that ”write scenes that interest you”. This is clever because you should write the most interesting scenes first then once you have all the good ones then script a full scrip and other scenes around them. This is what makes good moves turn great. When planning my scenes and scrip i am going to start off with the funny action scenes then write the interview to cater to that. This will make my short film stand out from them all because ill working backwards, in a good way.

Mind Mapping

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Mind mapping is another thing mentioned in this book. This can help you when working around your interesting scenes. You can put them somewhere in the mind map and think of ideas to work with those scenes. The example shown is a boy meeting a girl, I could replace that with the interview and add scenes around that with some dialogue.

Step Outline

Creating a step outline will be beneficial to my story as it helps develop my script later on. It will be a lot easier to have his as a reference, instead of creating the script straight away.

This is an example of a step outline. It has the scene, or in my case shot, and it has a brief description of what is going to be on the screen. I am going to use this but change it from scenes to shots as i am creating a short film and not a full one. This method is mainly for big movies but i am still going to use it as it will help me organize things.

Character OverView

This is to help if you have a large list of character and you need to quickly refresh your memory on what the character’s personality is like and how they react to other characters. This will be useful for me when i show my Actors what character they are playing. This is because they will instantly know how that character feels and acts at all times.

Script

Here is a clear script that is structured really well so that none of my actors gets confused. I will refer back to this blog when i create my script as there is a lot of useful information here that i can use. I must not do another reflection on how my idea is developing.

Ref:

Jones, T. and Patmore, C. (2012). Get started in short filmmaking. London: Apple.

Discussing Codes and Conventions for Action and Comedy

Action film codes and conventions

”Here’s a little bit on the history behind Action films. ” The words ‘Action film’ was first recognized as adventure films in the 1920s and 1930s. The 1940s and the 1950s saw ”action” in a new form through war and cowboy movies. Action movies are quite popular nowadays. Some of the more well-known actors of the genre are Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Chuck Norris, Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford. Some hybrids of the action genre are ‘Action Comedy’, ‘Action/Adventure Drama’, and ‘Action Adventure Sci-Fi”.

An action film with a fast-moving plot, usually containing scenes of violence, it is a film genre in which one or more heroes are put into a series of challenges that typically include physical threats, extended fight scenes, violence, and frantic chases. In my short film i am going to have the main character that has these imagination the hero and the interviewer the villein.

Characters/villain/hero is the main protagonist, always the hero controls the action. The villain, often a rich millionaire or ex-military, usually has an accent that sounds menacing(For example in the movies Silva and Sky-fall) Sometimes hides their identity and usually has a female companion. This is what most action movies have however i am going to change some things around when it comes to creating my short film. My characters are going to be goofy and close to real life as it is going to be a Comedy Action.

Comedy film codes and conventions

”In a modern sense, comedy refers to any discourse or work generally intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, television, film, stand-up comedy, or any other medium of entertainment. The origins of the term are found in Ancient Greece. In the Athenian democracy, the public opinion of voters was influenced by the political satire performed by the comic poets at the theaters. The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a dramatic performance which pits two groups or societies against each other in an amusing agon or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides as a “Society of Youth” and a Society of the Old.A revised view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions that pose obstacles to his hopes. In this struggle, the youth is understood to be constrained by his lack of social authority, and is left with little choice but to take recourse in ruses which engender very dramatic irony which provokes laughter.”

Comedy films will occur in bright places, this is normally in a location that is known for social events. You can also make a location part of a joke which helps put the viewer in the scene with the characters. I am going to stick to this when planning my short film because I think this will be a good addition to it.

The camera work used in comedies looks natural and close to real life. This is because if it looks close to real life people will find the film more enjoyable. The camera work might change around in when i start doing some action shots. But most of them will link to the comedy genre.

The sound is also a good way to improve the comedy genre. The diegetic sound like dialogue needs to be clear to make sure it will be laughed at. Non-diegetic sound is also impotent, edited sound can be used to place emphasis on certain scenes. The sound that enhances comedy will also help the action genre in a way.

My understanding and application I could definitely add sounds into my short film that do both (example an explosion going off and then a goofy character making a cheesy Arnold Sch quote). There’s the explosion for the action genre and the cheese comment for the comedy genre.

Lighting is also leading to the camera work. The lighting is commonly bright or natural as this creates a realistic environment. Bright and happy colours are used to show that the scene is happy, or shoot in the daylight at the peak time. However, Lighting is similar to sound as Action Lighting can merge into Comedy lighting if that makes sense. For example, you could have lighting with high contrast but still, keep the comedy aspect with facial expression and body language. I want to add this aspect to my short film. So if i have a scene where a guy gets shot for no reason i could then have the next shot of the shooter shrugging his shoulders as if nothing happened.

My understanding and application The person that is dead represents action and the characters facial expressions is the comedy aspect. This would probably be in one of the flashbacks not in the interview part because the flashbacks aren’t going to be real but the interview is.

There is a lot of useful information here however if i need to refer back to this it is here for me to do so. I now need to have a look at some script layouts and just some tips and tricks on how to create one. This is because i have never created a short film that has dialogue in it so I just get this part correct so that my actors don’t have any problems when reading my script.

Ref:

Henderson, J. (1993) Comic Hero versus Political Elite pp. 307–19 in Sommerstein, A.H.; S. Halliwell; J. Henderson; B. Zimmerman, eds. (1993). Tragedy, Comedy and the Polis. Bari: Levante Editori. (Anatomy of Criticism, 1957) Marteinson, 2006

“Action Top rated Most Viewed – AllMovie”. Allrovi.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-21.

Rainer, Peter (June 27, 1993). “FILM COMMENT : Endangered Species : The American action-fantasy epic is in danger of becoming terminally musclebound and knuckle-headed”. The Los Angeles Times.

Reflection on Blogs

Losses – Playlist

In my Losses Blog I’ve watched to the muzzle flashes tutorial made by Ryan Conley (a professional filmmaker) and he walks through the VFX used throughout his short film. I have written a basic instructions guide so that when it comes to the post-production i won’t need any help with the effects. This is because in my project there is going to be a scene evolving guns being fired. Knowing this research It will be easy for me to implement the effects in post-production because I will reflect back to this blog.

Questionnaire

I did some primary research on what people like about the Action and Comedy genre and i found out a lot of useful information about my target audience. They like gore but not over the top like the saw movies, the colours must also be cinematic. I am going to be using this in my imaginations as this will be related to the action genre. I also found out how many jokes there should be and how the joke is told. This is telling me that i mustn’t have joke being told all the way through the short film as this can get annoying to watch. They also want the jokes to be realistic so that people can relate to them more. I will do this when the imagination scenes cut back to the interview room. I can have awkward silence and drag it out because we can all relate to being in an awkward interview.

Rush hour doc

From my questionnaire research, I had a look at the Rush Hour film and doc because this is exactly what my audience likes. I did some research, watched the film again and watch the documentary on how they made the film. I found out that in comedy’s it’s useful to have two characters that are completely different. This is because the two personalities can bounce off each other. So I am going to make my two main characters react in a realistic and funny way by having a boring character and an enthusiastic character.

I now need to have a look at some Codes and Conventions for Action and Comedy. I just need to get an idea of what it is and how it works. Then learn about how to write scripts because i haven’t created a short film that as dialogue yet throughout out all my years of learning media.

What ‘Film Production’ do I need?

I needed some film production ideas so that i can use these with my clashing two main characters.

What i understand Film making as:

After doing some research on film making I have learned that with most film nowadays there are 3 main aspects of making a film.

These include pre-production This would be the planning stage of me making my work here i decide who to use within my film and what locations and times these shots are going to be taken even what the shots are themselves. This also includes a production schedule so you would have a deadline that your going to try to meet so there will be a release date and also you would put everything you’re going to do in time order so you keep on track with what you should be doing on certain days. In this section, you should properly know what locations you would want to film in before it comes to the production stage.

the second aspect of film making is production arguably the most important step this is the actual practical side of things like test shots and the actual film itself. There will be lots of second takes and maybe even more just to make sure I capture the emotions that I want to. This also helps if I want to get different angles of shots without the cameras seeing each other for example I might have a camera on the characters back or fro a distance then I want to get a close up of the characters to face to capture his facial expressions. The main parts of this section are to stick to the budget and schedule and to remember that communication is key.

The last stage is the evaluation or post-production this means making sure I understand my feedback and I work to improve it to help make the film more successful. This step also includes the editing stage after the shoot to review what’s been filmed.

Here is what Film Production In more detail and how i am going to apply it to my short film:

Development

The first one being the very beginning of your project. ”The start of a project varies, but generally will begin with the development of a script, be that an existing script, a book, a brief story outline. Development may also start with a Director and/or Writer pitching an idea to a Producer.” So when starting my project I need to do develop my idea. Which i am really close into completing. Then i will need to start my script and work on my directing and writing skills, which is also something i am really good. So everything looks good with level one.

Pre-Production

For the second step, it says that pre-production will come next. ”This is the phase where you would narrow down the options of the production. It is where all the planning takes place before the camera rolls and sets the overall vision of the project. Pre-production also includes working out the shoot location and casting. The Producer will now hire a Line Manager or Production Manager to create the schedule and budget for the film.” With this in mind, i will have to create storyboards of my favourite scenes, test shots, shortlists, location recces, risk assessments and call sheets. When i have done this i might have problems that i faced through the test shots so i must fix these before going into my short film production.

Production

For the third step, it goes to the production stage. This is the hardest part for some people as if you don’t have your mindset set on the project the production stage will fall apart. This is what i found out from an independent film making eBook by Josef Steiff. ”Production officially begins when you roll cameras or start what is called principal photography, the period of time when the main scenes of the film are shot. The primary responsibility during this phase is to capture the actors’ performances on camera and to get the film ‘in the can’ or shot”. With this in mind, i must film the hardest scenes of my short film first like the interview as this is the one that takes the most time to set up. Then once this has been filmed I can then start my effect after it. ”In the productions where the director and producer roles are performed by separate people, this is the one phase of production where the director is in charge, through the producer has to keep tabs on the schedule and budget to make sure that there are enough resources to finish the film.” This is very useful when creating a big film that is 1-hour plus long however my short film will be no longer than 5 mins so I will be able to do all the scheduling and budgeting for my film. I would prefer to do this as well as this allows me to have full control over my short film.

Post-Production

This is the fun part for me as I really enjoy editing. It is always good though to get an idea from other sources, like this one. ”This stage starts when principal photography ends, but they may overlap. The bulk of post-production consists of reviewing the footage and assembling the movie – editing. There will be contributions as required from Visual Effects (VFX), Music and Sound Design. The picture will now be locked and delivery elements will be created. Further information on Post Production can be found later on in Week 1 of the course.” The Visual Effect is going to be the most tedious part as this takes the most time to edit. My effect will hopefully be taken from other peoples effects so that I can follow how they did it and put my own twist to it for my short film.

Who will I need to create my short film?

”Some shorts made with a few friends can go on to win awards at festivals, giving the filmmakers a calling card to use as they navigate their way into the industry. Short films shot by established filmmakers use their contacts to pull together a crew. Goodwill and the knowledge that the shoot will be run properly are often a draw for the professional crew.”

They are exactly right. With my short film, I will not be spending hardly any money on the short film because i want to see how far i can take this short film whilst it is free. I am going to be filming it with ”a few friends” because actors can be expensive and it takes time casing everyone. It just makes things easier and cheaper.

The knowledge side of things will be all me. The audio recording, camera work, directing, set designer ext… will be all me. This is because i want my short film to have a little help as possible involved with other people. I wish i could act in my short film however if i get a cameraman I will be worried if they keep messing the shot up. I would prefer to do all the work as i don’t have to worry about anything going wrong if i give someone a job. I would prefer the person to make a mistake would be me as i can develop from my mistakes and work on them to become better.

How much experience will i need to create my short film?

”None! If you are picking up a camera for the first time, working on your own short film project, or offering to do some floor running for a student production, short films are the industry training ground for professionals and newcomers alike. If you want to make films and call yourself a ‘filmmaker’ you are going to need to come up with the goods. You can film it on your mobile phone, you can borrow or hire the kit, what matters are the clarity of your ideas and how you use film as the medium to convey them. So get to it, and go create!”

I do have quite a bit of experience but here it says that if i have a good story I can create something special. However, i am lucky because i do have access to good equipment from my college that i can hire out so there won’t be anything to worry about. As long as I have a solid plan that will work alls i need to do is follow that plan and everything will work out fine. If i do face any problems i will make sure to blog about them and how I overcame it.

I should do a small reflection on some of my blogs so that i can add these elements into my short film in a way that make everything look seamless.

Ref:

Steiff, Josef (2005). The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Independent Filmmaking. Alpha Books. pp. 26–28.

FutureLearn. (2019). The seven stages of film production – Film Production. [online] Available at: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/film-production/0/steps/12304.

Myfirstjobinfilm.co.uk. (2019). My first job in film: How do I make a short film?. [online] Available at: https://www.myfirstjobinfilm.co.uk/short-films.html.

Process, T. (2019). The Beginner’s Guide to the Filmmaking Process. [online] Student Resources. Available at: https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/the-beginners-guide-to-the-filmmaking-process/

Hajare, A. (2019). what are the three stages of filmmaking. [online] Films to Films. Available at: http://filmstofilms.com/3-stages-of-filmmaking-video-production-in-film-pre-production-production-post-production/

Clashing Personalities – (Rush Hour Doc)

Action Comedy movies like Rush Hour Franchise, Jump Street Franchise and The Other Guys fit my target audience. This is because in my questionnaire people liked funny action comedy’s that look dramatic and have close to realistic jokes. These movies fit my target audience so I decided to look into why they are such good movies all around.

Rush Hour Franchise Documentary:

Website: ”All three films center on a pair of police detectives: Hong Kong Police Force Chief Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) and LAPD Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker), both of whom go on a series of misadventures often involving corrupt crime figures in Hong Kong and Los Angeles. The films were released theatrically between 1998 and 2007, attaining commercial success, and incorporate elements of martial arts, humour, and the buddy cop sub-genre.”

The concept is already funny a Black Detective, with wild personality, teams up with a Chines Inspector, can’t speak English very well, and is incredibly good at mixed martial arts. Chris Tucker really makes this movie for me because the way he reacts to Jackie Chan makes things so much funnier because he doesn’t know what he is talking about. Having two characters that are completely different make an action comedy movie. When i create my short film I am going to add this in my two main characters. In my case, the interviewer is going to be boared and unenthusiastic and the interviewee is going to be over the top and normal.

Knowing this information about and applying it to my two main characters i must get some film production idea so that i can apply that to my characters.

Audiance feedback – Action and Comedy genres

I created a questionnaire asking people different questions about what the Action and Comedy genres. The data is from a wide range of people, this is so my data will not be biased. This data will help me get an idea on what people want to see in my short film/skit because when i follow the info i have collected i will then ab able to make a short film that everyone will like. This will help me decide on how my two main characters to respond to each other.

Question 1:

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In this question, I wanted to find out how much gore people preferred in Action movies. The results were surprising to me as I thought people would have wanted a lot of gore. However, the majority of people liked gore but not too much as that might turn the Action genre into a Thriller or Horror. With this data, I will make the short film/skit have gore in it but not too graphic so that the viewers don’t feel scared.

Question 2:

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I didn’t know what to expect when writing this question. I Would have chosen 3 if i was given this question as I like Comedy’s but would not like there to be a joke every 5 seconds. The majority of people agreed with me as they to prefer jokes in comedy’s every so often. However thinking about this because it is a short film/skit I might have to make the jokes quite frequency to keep the viewers interested, although I won’t go overboard with them. These jokes don’t have to be spoken it can be anything from facial expressions to anything physical. will be keeping this in mind when planning the project

Question 3:

These options had images to them however don’t show in the screenshot. Cinematic got the most votes and realistic came close. With this in mind, i am going to make the interview look realistic and have the flashbacks/memories look cinematic. This will also enhance the comedy and action genre.

Question 4:

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The results from this question whereas I expected. Comedy movies are funnier if they are close to real life. This is because a lot more people can relate to the situation or joke that has been said or performed.

Question 5:

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No one answered this question which was upsetting but it was optional.

i know now that my audience would like my imagination sequences to be gory. I also now that my audience would like my two main characters to be realistic and relatable. So I am going to look at a film or documentary about two personalities that bounce of each other as i must have this in my short film as this is what is going to make the comedy aspect shine.