Pre-Production: Production Log 4

Really looked in to target audiences this week and got some really good research down in the form of Vox Pox. Luckily our results matched up with what we'd planned so far, after analysing our Vox Pox we were happy to write up our treatment in confidence that we were targeting the right audience.

The institutions that are involved in making BSR films are all targeted to roughly the same audience. So our production company being Film4, we'll be sticking to their ethos and ideologies.

This week we also picked a soundtrack to play underneath our main monologue. It's going to be a track by my friend Reece (ReeceA) who makes his own deep house modestep music. He's started a label with a friend called HLFPIN and they've given me full permission to use their track on our production.

It could possibly be this track called "Censorsh*it"

"Censorsh*t" by -Ree¢e∆ -

Pre-Production: Production Log 3

 This week we focused on Titles... Knowing that a big chunk of the marks are for titles we knew we'd have to do something special. The titles we'd seen in previous productions weren't great, a lot of them just used standard fonts in white against black backgrounds... We saw this as a massive waste. Huge! So we started thinking about it and quickly got the idea of writing the titles in a graffiti typography.

We were happy with that but it needed a little more so we decided to surround the titles with drug paraphernalia. Things like bunches of pills, crushed up sugar in little bags, cigarettes etc. 

Rocks of MDMA. We will use either rock salt of pop rocks (candy).

Little baggy of MDMA powder. Again salt or pop rocks but crushed up.






Cocaine and a rolled £20 note. We will use icing sugar.

Cigarettes. We will use cigarettes, simply.

By using graffiti we are communicating the themes of squatting and raving. By using drug images we're also communicating the main theme of drugs, which also goes with squatting and raving. 

I'm going to try animating these images on the titles. I've got a pretty good idea of how to do it, by creating layers on Final Cut Express but I'll do some preliminary tests on this to check it's possible. 

Also this week we concreted the conventions of an opening sequence and learnt exactly what needs to be put in them and what should be kept out. We're going to set down the main themes in our opening sequence, not giving too much plot away but letting the audience know the tone and style of the film from the very start. A little enigma would be quite good also, we'll think more on that later.

Pre-Production: Production Log (Week 2)

This week we learnt about what makes a British social realist film.


Mise-en-scene.

So basically it uses average "everyday" looking people. Not stunning "Hollywood" looking people.
Theres a lot of on location shooting, as for the real life, gritty feel; as apprised to expensive man made sets all filmed in film studios.
Another thing that stood out was the detailed costumes. It was really convicting that the people shown were part of a certain group/era... Like in "This is England" where the skinheads wear check, Ben Sherman shirts, braces and Dr Martens.

Camera Work

Very minimal, there isn't budget for huge expensive camera rigs for excessive movement. This is good for BSR because its more true to life, the raw, rough and ready footage feel.

There's a lot of "arty" angles. Creating shots that if made in to stills would look like art. This is similar of the composition and framing of these shots which add to this artistic effect.

Editing

Again, very basic. A lot of continuity editing. Keeps it realistic and steers it away from any high concept.





I'll take from this the detailed costume and basic style of editing and camera movement. And will look to create some interesting shot compositions.

Pre-Production: 5 Part Narrative Structure

This is our 5 Part Narrative following McKee's theory

Pre-Production: Daily Call Sheet

This is our call sheet for the 13th of March

Pre-Production: Titles

Titles

For our titles we have commissioned a friend to write all of them out in a typical graffiti style, such as the one shown below. However ours will be much clearer. To show these we will be scattering drug paraphernalia around them and taking photos. These are two main themes of our film and we're very happy that out titles will be communicating them strongly.

List of Titles:

1. HalfOunce Presents 
2. A MainFilm Production 
3. Directed by David Salisbury
4. Starring James McRoy
5. Elliot Saunders
6. Harry O'Connor
7. And introducing Ross Garside
8. Music By ReecaA
9. "Title Of The Film" TBC

Pre-Production: Recci Shots

Recci Shots

This is a typical location of an abandoned building in Crystal Palace where a squat rave would take place. This is somewhere we may record.

This is what a rave would look like inside. This rave is quite a big one and therefore has a lot of expensive decor and lighting. Such as the big arch on the main stage and big flame lights.