TASK 7: Role Allocation & TASK 9: Casting

ROLE	PERSON
Producer(s)	Sam Bowles Joe Hinton Connor Hanlon
Director	Joe Hinton
Cinematographer & Camera Operator	Joe Hinton
Writer	Connor Hanlon
Actor(s)	Reiss Hall Connor Hanlon
Editor(s)	Joe Hinton Sam Bowles
Production Manager	Sam Bowles
Costume Designer	Connor Hanlon

TASK 6: Storyboard

TASK 5: Script

TASK 4: Audience Profiling

The genre of our short film is a thriller, and so we have decided that the film should be viewed by people who are over the age of 18. This is because it contains themes that would not be suitable for a passive audience, as we would not like a hypodermic needle type effect to occur in which the viewer emulates the actions of the killer. Our film is aimed at active audiences, as they will watch it to gratify their needs and will want to gain a thrill from it.

All media products are made to be consumed by an audience. Our media product targets a very niche market of people interested in short films. There is a small community, particularly on Vimeo, that watch and comment on short films, and many are showcased on websites such as Short of the Week. As this audience is usually adults who are interested in/work in this industry, they will fit our target audience well.

Our film is most likely to be accessed from the internet, as this is where most short films are showcased. A popular site for short films is vimeo, as you can post HD footage and no quality is lost. As a result, many filmmakers or people interested in filmmaking will visit this site to view the content and give their views. This means that it is likely that our film will be viewed by other filmmakers, rather than people seeking a thrill.

Many creators of short films use their work to try and move into creating feature length films. They will create shorts to show what they are capable of. A good example of this is Andrea Arnold, who created short films such as wasp which were successful, and she then moved on to creating a feature length film, Fish Tank. This shows that the audience can be the movie studios searching for new talent or fresh ideas.

TASK 3: Short Film Ideas

Here is a mind-map of some of the ideas we came up with for our short film. Before we make a decision, however, we need to consider whether we have a location in mind, and also whether we have the props and costumes required. Therefore, we need to do further research into each idea.

TASK 2: Lady Gaga "Paparazzi" - Music Video Analysis

Paparazzi's music video was released in 2009 and directed by Jonas Åkerlund. It is a combination of both performance and narrative, but also it contains elements of an abstract music video. In the opening shots we see Gaga in bed with her boyfriend. We can see clearly that she is wearing Dior rings, and this is to promote the brand that creates a lot of her costumes. She is wearing white and black. The white could represent innocence and purity, whilst the black could represent death or power.

This next shot is one of the abstract shots of the video, as she is falling into spirals of black and white, which look like an optical illusion. This could connote that the boyfriend has an illusion of power, and that despite knocking Gaga off the balcony, she remains in control. This is also shown by the way she is falling, as she changes her positioning so it is almost like a dance.

The shot of her in a wheelchair shows a purple carpet. This is known to represent royalty and this is reinforced by the Limo and her butlers. She has gone from wearing white to majority black now and while this could represent a loss of goodness, it could also symbolise that she is regaining power. She is also wearing a red neck brace which has a hospital cross on it. It is made to look like a fashion accessory and the only way we can tell it is a neck brace is the cross and her position. She is almost glamorising death.

The next shot is a cross-cut and shows Gaga fully recovered sitting on a gold couch. The gold could again show wealth and royalty. We also see that Gaga is breaking the fourth wall by looking directly at the camera. Whilst this is unusual in a narrative based music video, it is unsurprising as this music video combines narrative with performance, which is why the majority of her acting is done whilst dancing and singing. She is wearing a lightning bolt earring as she has in several of her costumes and it could show that she wants it to become iconic, so that the viewer will think of Lady Gaga when they see it.

The next shot is part of several shots of maids that are displayed dead. They all wear a combination of black and white which links directly to Gaga at the beginning and show both innocence and death. The colour scheme of the bathroom is very striking as it is a combination of black and red. The red symbolises blood and whilst there isn't actual blood in the shot, it looks graphic, and maybe a deeper meaning to this is that there is little meaning behind the suspected murder.

Going back to Gaga's recovery, she is now wearing what looks like armor. This could represent her being very vulnerable at this stage and damaged by what her boyfriend has done. However the fact that she has four men circling her shows that she still has power and is still popular. She is using crutches but is also dancing which is a conflict and connotes that perhaps the injuries had less damage than originally seemed or were made out to be.

The transition effect to finish the scene is of dollars but with Gaga's face on. This again shows her power and wealth and also control. This transition could symbolise her recovery and rise to power again. However, by the transition used, it could also show that she is being consumed by greed and wealth and that may foreshadow that she is going to take revenge on her boyfriend now that she has returned to power.

This shot is of another maid but this time there is what appears to be blood. It could also be make up, however, as it is very dark like the makeup on her face. She could be wearing the makeup as a mask to protect herself from the superficial society she is in, and this has been exposed and left her damaged. The makeup as a representation of blood also has deeper meanings in itself, as it could show that the makeup is making these maids vulnerable and in danger of being exploited.

This shot is another cross cut to a dead maid and this one is more significant than the others, as the blood is gold. This is very powerful as it shows wealth, but also glamour. This could be Lady Gaga showing that these maids have had their lives taken from them too soon and they are lives that matter. The camera positioning is very prominent, as it is high angle and an extreme long shot. This is to emphasize the height of the fall to the viewer.

 When the maid goes to the table of drinks, we see Gaga's boyfriend looking up from his newspaper to her direction. This tells the viewer that he is the one that is causing these deaths and that he is treating them like objects. Alternatively, as the maid that looks exactly like the one featured in all of the death sequences, it could show that Gaga is exaggerating  the evils that this man has done and plans to poison him to protect them from what he is capable of. The boyfriend is wearing an eye-patch which covers up one of his eyes. This is used earlier with Lady Gaga as well as she covers one eye with sunglasses but leaves the other revealed. It could be a link to the eye of Horus, the 'all seeing eye' and is used to give them power.

When Gaga goes to get the poison, the shot is an exact replica of the one which showed the maid at the table earlier on. This has deeper meanings as it could show that she is just as vulnerable as the maids. The maid has now disappeared and it almost shows that Lady Gaga is protecting them from her boyfriend. Lady Gaga is wearing a Mickey Mouse themed costume, and while this could represent her childish behavior, it could also be used to show how she is not taken seriously by her boyfriend and is unimportant. The fact that the costume is yellow could suggest what she is doing is cowardly, and that she is doing it for fame rather than for good. She is also wearing large sunglasses which almost suggests she is hiding behind them. This can be used similarly to the make up earlier and could be to protect herself from the boyfriend who could exploit her.

TASK 2: Movie Poster Research

Upon researching trends in modern movie posters, I found out that the colour scheme of using teal and orange is very popular and common. This is because of the basic colour theory that shows that opposites on the colour wheel attract and compliment each other. This is used for many films in the modern day across a variety of different genres. For example, it was used in action films such as Mad Max Fury Road and Iron Man 3, whilst also being used for comedies such as Vacation, and animated movies such as Epic. This is done for marketing reasons as these colours grab the audiences attention.



I do not think using teal and orange would be appropriate for our thriller, as it is too bright and may not get the message of fear that we want to portray. However, we may experiment with other opposites on the colour wheel to determine which colours would help our poster stand out. This may be difficult in the genre of a Thriller, as most posters are majority black, therefore we may only use one colour from the colour wheel rather than two.


Another theme that I discovered is the use of the actors head pasted onto the poster. This is usually with a significant location of the film on the bottom half of the poster. A reason for doing this is to use an actor, or well known character's popularity with the audience to help promote their film.

 Pirates of the Caribbean's posters all follow the same style, with the four main characters on the top half of the posters, and the significant event/location on the bottom half. This is used as the audience will associate the film series with the protagonist Jack Sparrow, therefore they use him to market the movie. Another example is the GoldenEye poster, which, like Pirates of the Caribbean, uses James Bond's popularity and significance to grab the attention of the audience. The face of Pierce Brosnan is the largest segment of the poster as this is what the audience should be drawn to first. An action sequence is also shown in the bottom half along with the title of the film.


 For both The Fifth Element and Last Knights, as these aren't part of a film franchise, they use this method in a different way. Both Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman are a list actors, and therefore the company uses their faces to market their production. Fans of the actors will associate them with the good movies they have been in and this encourages them to go and see other movies they are in. Interestingly, both Morgan Freeman and Clive Owen are the same size in the Last Knights poster, while Bruce Willis is significantly larger than his co-stars on The Fifth Element Poster. This may be because they were less recognizable at the time, and attention didn't want to be taken from Bruce Willis. Alternatively, like in Pirates of the Caribbean, the sizes could correlate with the significance of the character's role in the film.

TASK 2: Film Poster Analysis

As we have to produce print artifacts along side our short film, I did some research behind some of the common conventions of film posters.

The reason behind a film poster is to advertise the film. Therefore, many different techniques are used to catch the viewers attention and to entice them into watching the film. Looking back at older film posters, it was evident that the film posters were not photographs but rather artist drawings. One particular example is Star Wars (1977), which was an artist drawing of the film.

More common now though is film posters that contain photographs and are edited using image manipulation software. An example of a film which fits our Thriller genre is 'Unknown'. The first denotation I picked out was the text. Both the title and the tagline are in large font, which immediately draws attention to them. While it is less common that the tagline is as large as the title, in this example the text is opaque, and so the title still stands out. What is also noticeable is that the 'un' in 'unknown' is also opaque. This could be a hint at the plot of the film, and may foreshadow his struggle to find his identity. Above the title, which is still a large font, is the name of the actor who plays the protagonist, Liam Neeson. Liam Neeson is a well-known international actor, and so using his pedigree, the filmmakers can encourage his fans to watch this movie.

As well as the text. over half of the poster is taken up by Liam Neeson's character. This makes it clear to the viewer that he is the protagonist, and the focus of the film. What is unclear, however, is the antagonist, as he is not present in the poster. This could be because it would spoil the plot or it may be that Liam Neeson is almost playing both the protagonist and the antagonist without his character realising, which is possible as a key theme in the film is that he loses his memory. The photo of Neeson is also manipulated to show distortion, which almost emulates technology, and could show that it is a piece of technology that has caused the memory loss.

The poster contains a teal tint. I researched the meanings behind teal and found that it was associated with restoration. This makes sense as the plot of the film is his desire to remember everything he has forgotten. Despite this, a lot of the teal is consumed by harsh black shadows which could connote the issues he must overcome in order to achieve his goal. Black is also linked to mystery and could emphasize that his mind is consumed by confusion.

The text at the very bottom of the page highlights the date that the film is released. This is included in every film poster as it is crucial information for the viewer, as it details when they can watch the film, and the target of the poster is to persuade people to watch the film. Also included in a much smaller font, which contains details of actors, directors and the studio that was involved in the film. This is present on all posters and is a convention.

TASK 2: Lady Gaga "Bad Romance" - Music Video Analysis

Bad Romance's music video was directed by Francis Lawrence and shot in Los Angeles. The opening shot of this music video is an establishing shot. This displays everyone involved in the production. This makes it almost seem like a play, where all of the actors are displayed, and makes the viewer aware of the fictionality of it. This suggests that to Gaga this video is almost a form of art. Also in this shot is the great dane that also appears in the 'Paparazzi' music video. While the dog represents power, it also represents obedience, and could show that Lady Gaga is dominating everyone else in the room.

 She is wearing razor blade glasses that cover her eyes.  As this is a dangerous combination, it could be used to emphasize how strong she is. These glasses hide her eyes but her pupils are revealed and this almost shows that she is hiding a lot of her personality, and this is similar to the plot of the video as the other females force her to change with the use of alcohol/drugs. She wore sunglasses in "Paparazzi" and these also hide her eyes.

 The lighting changes drastically for the initial shots of the pods. The lights are gold and this links directly to Lady Gaga who wore gold in the establishing shot. The gold portrays royalty and wealth and gives Gaga control and power. This is emphasized with the light as it shows that her control is radiating across the room. This is a similar theme to that in 'Paparazzi' as this also portrays royalty through the gold coloured furniture and blood.

The pods themselves are similar to lots of sci-fi films in which the pods represent the people are in a hibernation-like state. There are seven pods and this could have religious connotations, as they could symbolize the seven deadly sins. This tells the audience that they should expect danger from those who leave the pods. Another religious connotation is that Gaga's pod contains in red the word 'monster' with a cross. This could represent the devil and could be foreshadowing the person she will become, as later on she goes from wearing white to wearing red.

This shot shows that Gaga is vulnerable as the lens used makes her eyes seem large. This creates an effect as it makes it easier for the viewer to pick up her emotions and makes her look lost. She also looks directly into the camera, breaking the fourth wall, which shows that she is almost asking the viewer for help. A similar shot is used in the 'Paparazzi' music video when Gaga is knocked off the balcony, and is used to portray the same emotions, as it shows that she is helpless.

We again see another reference to animals when a bald cat is displayed. As Gaga's dancing and manor is similar to that of a cat, the viewer will assume that it represents her. The cat is bald and it could show that her shield and protection is gone, but in contrast it could show that we are witnessing the real version of her. The cat has gold teeth, and gold is used for male characters and Gaga at the beginning. This could be the first indication that she is going to develop control and power of the male characters. Whilst animal symbolism wasn't as prominent in the 'Paparazzi' music video, there was still shots of a dog that appeared. Unlike a cat, dogs are known to be mans best friend and is therefore used to denote the relationship with Gaga and the men as being one of control. This same dog does appear in this music video, but only in the establishing shot.

For the shots of the laptops, we first see the back of it which displays the Beats logo, as well as headphones on one of them. This is clear product placement and is used to promote Beats. After further research, I noticed that Lady Gaga partnered with Beats to produce a special set of headphones, and this placement may be used to benefit both parties in terms of the sales of the product. A similar move was done in the 'Paparazzi' music video, as Gaga promoted Dior.

 The next shot of Gaga is powerful as she has orbiting discs on her costume. This emphasizes her desire to be center of attention and highlights her change in character from lying down at the beginning and seeming week, to standing up and being powerful. What helps this is the camera angle, which is a low angle. Also, she is wearing heels to increase her height, showing that she wants to have power over others.

 One thing that was noticeable from the dance routine itself was the similarity between Gaga's dancing and that of Michael Jackson. She is almost emulating his dancing from Thriller and this could tell the audience that she is inspired by his revolutionary music videos and success, and that she hopes her videos will be as popular. The rigid movements also help to convey that Gaga has been repossessed by the drugs that she has been forced to consume. Gaga has also changed from wearing white to wearing red, which is commonly associated with danger, and could be used to foreshadow what Gaga is going to do.

This shot is a low angle shot that shows Gaga wearing a dress made out of a bear. This could be used to give her power, as bears are strong. This again shows Gaga's transition after being forced to take the drink, and the viewer now foreshadows that she will gain power and control. Lady Gaga is wearing white which is the same colour as the background, which could indicate to the viewer that the male does not see her as a threat and almost looks straight passed her.

The last shot is very powerful, as it shows the outcome of Lady Gaga's actions. We see on the left is a skeleton and we can assume this is of the man she was seducing earlier on. The fact that only a skeleton remains could be Gaga's way of telling the viewer that he had no soul or heart, and is in some ways an attempt to justify her actions. The bed itself is burnt which is the aftermath of the fire that was seen earlier in the music video. We see sparks coming from Gaga still which could connote that she is still in a volatile state and has not concluded her acts of revenge.

Mr Judge Feedback

After our one to one tutorial on the 02/07/15, it was evident that you are making steady progress for your research and planning, unfortunately there are still some outstanding tasks that need to rectify as soon as possible. Please refer to the SMART targets that we set up previously and have them completed for my next session.

TASK 2: Covers

This first cover is of a game, Batman Arkham Asylum. The first thing you will notice is Batman. He is the main protagonist of the game and so it is conventional that he is centered, so that all attention is brought to him. Rocksteady will have done this because Batman is an iconic character with a big history, and therefore he will be instantly recognisable when on the shelf, and will draw attention to the game.

The background shows Gotham at night. To avoid Batman blending into the background, the moon is placed very low down and large. This is also where the title is. The  Batman logo is placed with the text and this shows that the moon in the background could actually be a representation of the bat symbol, and the fact that he is turned away from it shows that the adventure he is going to undertake may challenge him psychologically and his beliefs.

At the bottom of the front cover we see the various logo's of those who have developed the game.  These are placed at the front page because these companies, particularly Warner Bros. and DC are well known to the consumer and therefore they could be used to help sell the game. Also, we see the ESRB rating at the bottom right of the screen. The text is as large as the Batman logo, and this is because this rating is important and needs to be clear so that those below the designated age do not buy the game. The header of the game features the platform that the game is for. This also large because the viewers need to ensure that they buy the game for the right platform otherwise they will be unable to play it.

The back cover contrasts greatly to the front cover, as this features the antagonist, The Joker. His face appears to be in a TV screen, and this may show that he is difficult to reach in the game. Outside of the TV, there is a spray can in his hand. This highlights that he is a villainous character as spray painting is vandalism.

The cover is split in half, with the bottom half featuring lots of technical information about the game. We again see the ESRB rating, however it is larger here, as it also reveals details of the content that the game contains, such as 'Blood' and 'Mild Language'. We also see the system requirements of the game as, unlike consoles, some PC's may not be able to run the game successfully. Below the barcode, we see warning text. This is in orange and has a warning symbol to draw attention to it.

This next cover is of Bob Dylan's album 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'. On front cover (right) we see the cover is dominated by a picture of Bob Dylan and what looks like his girlfriend walking down a road in a city. This links to a lyric in the first song of the album 'Blowin' in the Wind', where it says
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
This could connote that this album is about Bob going on a journey, but doesn't necessarily know where, which is shown by the fact that he is looking to the ground rather than ahead, despite being in a road.

In the background, we see a Volkswagen camper van. This vehicle is often associated with Hippies, and the time of this album's release coincided with the development of the Hippie movement in the United States. Bob Dylan's music is known to be popular amongst these people and perhaps the addition is to help to market the album.

The title of the album is above Bob's head, with his name being red and the rest being brown. This is because Bob Dylan was very popular and wanted to sell himself as a musician so that he would be remembered for future releases.  At the bottom left and bottom right, we see the names of the songs the album contains. This is very unusual for an album, as the song list is usually on the back, however it allows the person viewing the CD to see what songs are on the album easily to see if they want to purchase it.

On the back cover, we see another picture of Bob and his girlfriend, but this time he is pointing at something and they are both looking at it. We do not see what he is pointing at, and this again could connote Dylan's belief that we don't know what is ahead. Both the front and the back have a yellow tint from the sun and it adds a warm feeling to it and sends across the message of peace.

We again see the title of the album, but this time it is a lighter colour as it is displayed in front of the building, and so needs to stand out. The song list is displayed again to follow the basic structure of an album back cover, as this is where the person viewing the album will first look to find the list of songs. We see at the bottom of the album the logo's of companies that were involved in the production of the album, as they can use this to gain a reputation and recognition for future music ventures.