Schedule Update: Half Term

Filming Day Vlog

Schedule Update: Week 7

Notifying our actress about filming

Media Equipment Borrowing Form

Schedule Update: Week 6

Textual Analysis: A Social Life (2016)

A wide range of editing techniques was used when producing my short film to enhance the alluring factor of the narrative. Continuity editing was used to make sure there was a flow of the narrative, adding to the realistic aspect of the piece. The continuity takes the audience on the protagonist’s journey of depreciation, allowing them to feel for the character and relate to them via similar emotions and experiences. Stimulated by ‘A Social Life’ (2016), I decided to apply match-on-action and superimposition (e.g. when she throws the book and when the images of her flashbacks are layered over a medium shot of her looking distraught). The match-on-action furthers the continuity and actuality of the short film, while the superimposition allows the audience to get an insight into the mind of the character. From watching ‘A Social Life’, I also engaged with the idea of exhibiting the activity on her phone and incorporated this into my short film. When editing, the messages that the protagonist receives as shown as closeups/extreme closeups rather than being layered over the frame.

Case Study of Distribution: Panic Attack!

'Panic Attack!' (2009) is a short form distributed online by Uruguayan advertising director Federico Alvarez. Being directed and edited by him, Alvarez spent approximately $300 on the hiring of extras for the film to intensify the actuality within the short film. He also constructed the CGI for the film and edited in all sound effects post-production. As the short film was distributed online, it became popular through sharing the product across social media platforms and also by word of mouth. This media product demonstrates the success of distributing a short film online and shows how success can be measured in ways other than money, such as views and likes.

Two-Step Flow of Communication Model

This model conveys the theory that media concepts and products 'flow' from mass media to opinion leaders. These concepts and products then flow from the opinion leaders to their social contacts, thus exposing the media concepts and products to a wider population. The model can only be enforced on the distribution of films online as the convergence of platforms such as social media allow products tobe shared. Alvarez applied this model when distributing his short film. When releasing the film online, the filmmaker received a retweet of his short film on Twitter by music icon Kanye West. Regarding the two-step flow model, West acted as the opinion leader and further promoted the short film by exposing it to over 27 millions of his followers. As this action took place, days after the short film's release Alvarez was acknowledged by high members of the film industry in Hollywood and managed to sign with an agent in Los Angeles, California. Two weeks later, a contract was proposed to the filmmaker for him to work with prestigious director Sam Raimi and Mandate Pictures on a $30 million feature film developed from his idea of an alien invasion. This film would be set in Buenos Aires, Argentina rather than Alvarez' hometown of Montevideo, Uruguay.

Studying this case, I understand that the distribution of a short film online can increase the success of the product. Because of this, I wish to distribute my short film to YouTube. Alvarez' method of distribution has assured me that distributing my short film to this social media platform can generate success for my product and allow it to reach its highest potential. My promotional package will assist this progress.

Rules and Regulations of Copyright in the UK

Copyright is an important subject for filmmakers as they have to source soundtracks made by different companies. Because these tracks are not owned by the filmmaker, they have to find copyright-free music in order to successfully produce their media product. Most filmmakers have small budgets to work with, but some filmmakers actually purchase music under copyright as they are unable to find music that matches their vision for the product. To use a copyrighted product in my short film I would need to credit its creator or where it came from. In short films, this is usually displayed in the ending credits.

Copyright gives people such as filmmakers, writers, musicians etc. the right to legally own their work and be paid for its use. The people have ownership of their products but their material is still available to the public, allowing them to sell and licence their own material and make a living. Copyright encourages individuality.

Creators of products like films, games, music, and books can gain inspiration from other products under copyright but must not display their ideas in the exact same way as these products. This is known as plagiarism. If you were to adapt and develop another person's work under copyright you would seek permission from the owner to do so. This would also allow the work you adapt to be protected by copyright. People may quote other people's work and/or use it for educational purposes, but these are the only exceptions. The use of archived work generally occurs when the creator of the product is not known or unreachable. After a creator's death, the work that they owned under copyright remains this was for 70 years, then it is open for public use.


This is the symbol used to label work under copyright;

Textual Analysis: 2AM: The Smiling Man (2013)

‘2AM: The Smiling Man’ (2013) uses a collection of camera angles and movement to highlight rises in tension throughout the short film. These shots include; medium shots and closeups to examine the character’s emotion and fear, handheld tracking and over-the-shoulder shots of the character for a voyeuristic feel, low-level wide shots to magnify the vast space around the character and focus on the isolating setting, slight high angles to depict inferiority and superiority between the antagonistic pair - conforming to Levi Strauss’ binary oppositions theory, and extreme long shots that illustrate the distance between the two characters. With framing, the smiling man is positioned in the right third of the frame, connoting a mysterious, menacing characteristic. I gained inspiration from these techniques and decided to use a selection of these shots when producing the storyboard for Anything But Social to depict the seclusion she experiences, to concentrate on how she is made inferior by her binary opposites - the cyberbullies, and to make her body language and emotions of sorrow a focal point for the audience.

Filming: Plan for the Day

Prior to filming, we decided to conduct a schedule for the day of filming. We were able to film ourselves going through the filming schedule and explaining what we hope to achieve at certain hours of the day.

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Schedule Update: Week 5

Sound Research

Non-diegetic Music

Organising the sound for our short film, I decided that each flashback should have different soundtracks of different genres, to really distinguish between each flashback and indicate a new day occurring. Besides this, there are also melodic piano tracks on WeVideo, where our short film will be edited, that we can in case we decide to portray more of a mellow feel throughout our short film.

• Pop music

• Indie music

• Indie/rock music

• Slow paced indie/rock

• Slow/pulled back rock

• Abstract pop/rock

• Subtle/relaxed electronic

Some of these tracks can be heard here;

Sound Effects and Foley

Here is a list of sound effects needed to convey actuality within our short film and convince the audience of the protagonist's reality.

• Page turnings

• Phone notification sounds (beeps)

• Phone vibration

• Tapping of phone screen (clicks)

• Atmospheric sound (white noise)

• Muffled music

• Scratch noise

• High frequency noise

• Thump (on wood)

• Screen clicking

• Phone vibration

• Static noise

• Footsteps (on wood)

• Wooden door opening (creak)

• Wooden door closing

• Bottle cap removal

• Movement of pills

• Bottle hitting floor

Samples of a few of these sound effects are present here;


I made a folder on Google Drive to contain these sounds and share them with members of my group for easy access, if each person were to create their own edits of our short film. I will be updating this folder with other sounds that I believe will develop interest in our short film.

Practise shots with our actress

In preparation for our filming day, we took some brief practise shots with our actress to get a feel for the environment we will be filming in and to strengthen the composition of our shots. We applied a mellow soundtrack to this clip to see if the actress' emotions and expressions illustrated the serious and upsetting tone of our short film.

Risk Assessment

My group and I sat down and thought about and problem we could encounter when filming. By doing so, we were able to draw a list of risks that could occur on the filming day, assessing them and finding solutions to the problems.

Camera angle development with practice

We took it upon ourselves to practice filming our short film using available camera equipment. We were able to work out how to use the tripod and dolly to effectively frame our shots and practice our camera angles. Here is a brief video displaying the shots that we were able to shoot.

Schedule Update: Week 4