Romantic Narrative Short Film :

Charben Alilio

At… First… Sight.

ProposalFor my A2 practical I have chosen to do a short film along with creating a film poster and a magazine

front cover featuring my short film.The genre I have chosen for my short film is romantic narrative. The film will mostly appeal to female

audiences as romance is typically linked with females. The age will range from teenage girls to middle aged women as they would be the type of audience that would be able to relate to the plot, However I am hoping that even though it is of the romantic genre it will still appeal to the male audiences.

The syllabus expects the film to last approximately 5 minutes so this is the time limit I am planning to take on board, though most short films I have watched for research have lasted approximately 10 minutes.

My short film will be live action although I may do research on making a small title sequence that will include me making animated text done on one of the programs in school as most films have memorable title sequences.

The short film will have a straight forward narrative, so from the very start the audience will be able to follow the story. I think that to make this film enjoyable each point of the story line will have to be clear and obvious as the audience only have 5 minutes to take in the plot.

I will have to record and edit the footage using skills that I learnt when I made my AS film production however I do not need to use any special effects on my film to construct realism as I want it to have an indie film feel to it. I want it to be realistic so that the audience can relate to it. Most short films have very different styles to them so its not critical to compare my work to other short films though I do want to make it look realistic and comparable to real life. Most ‘shorts’ have an unusual theme behind them or they challenge the audience to think. I am planning to base my short film around what I imagine ‘love at first sight’ would be like if ever it was to happen in real life.

For the magazine cover and film poster I will have to research full film productions as most short films do not have a film poster or a magazine cover. I will need it to look authentic and relatable to the genre of my film. It will be part of the marketing of the film so it will need to convey the same style as film so that it will attract the same and target audience.

Short Film: a brief history

“The history of short films began in the 1910s in United States of America. It was the time when films began to have longer editions. The custom in film making was to include a feature followed by a single or more short subjects. These short subjects could be animated cartoons or live action. These short subjects became the first short films but they were not yet called "short films"…It was only in the 1980s that the term "short film" began to be used interchangeably with "short subject". Short subject was the term used for short films in the earlier history of short films. Short films, in the modern age, are contemporary noncommercial motion pictures which are shorter than feature films.” (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/199025/a_brief_history_of_short_films.html)

In the history of short films, the cost of making a short film is a lot less expensive than making a full feature film, thus it is more popular among

amateur film makers and students. It is also a way of showing artistic ideas or thoughts in a way that the audience can comprehend easily and quickly.

For example, my idea for my short film is from what I perceived “love at first sight” would be like if it was to happen in real life.

In some ways I think that short films are a lot better at showing a story line or idea than a full feature film for the fact that it gets to the point much quicker

and yet it is still as enjoyable.

Short Film: the ConventionsThe typical convention of a short film is the limit on the time of the footage. Some short films can be as short as 3

minutes or as long as 45 minutes though the boundary is still very vague from this day and age of film making. Apart from the running time of the film, defining the conventions of short films is almost impossible because there are no precise criteria or unequivocal characteristics that apply to all short films. Though in most cases short films are used to show a topic something full length films usually wouldn’t focus on, such as bad life experiences, for example suicide and other heart wrenching topics. However it isn’t always the case most of the time film makers use short films as a way to express an idea or thought they have had so for most of the time, when it comes to short film making, the sky is the limit in the topics available.

My film is going to be of the romantic narrative therefore I have researched into short films of he romantic genre. Most short films I have researched has had the basic idea of love in them but they have all been expressed in totally different ways. For example “when five fell” a short by Wong Fu Productions express love through inanimate objects and personifies them. Another example is “signs” shown at the Schweepes short film festival, where in the short the protagonists didn’t have any dialogue and the only dialogue heard is from the people around them. I will try to execute the same original perspective of love in my short film in the same level as these two amazing shorts.

Even though I will be trying to make my romantic short original, I will still be using the typical conventions of romance in the film industry such as: - Happy ending- Love story is the most important facet

- Told from point of view of both lovers- Miscommunication-characters hate or don’t know each other, then love each other - Emotional appeal- Strong female characters- Participate in characters’ lives--you’re privy to their inner feelings and thoughts

a short film:

Signs

This short film was created for the Schweppes Short Film Festival and was part of an

advertising campaign to reposition Schweppes as a beverage for sophisticated urban consumers. It was picked up by fans

and posted on YouTube. With over 4 million views, Signs became a huge viral success.

Therefore it was no surprise that the film won a Cyber Lions Gold Award for Viral

Advertising at the 2009 Cannes Festival.

“Where do you find love? If we knew, we all would know where to look.

Sometimes all you need is a sign.”

“Signs: a short film about

communication and love”

“Where do you find love?”

I chose to analyse this short film because I loved the way it doesn’t have any dialogue and the characters speak through “Signs” that they write to each other. It portrayed my idea for my short film extremely well, as I wanted to make a film without dialogue directly from the characters. It also has a small concept of love at first as the male protagonist is attracted to the female protagonist at one glance through the windows of their offices. I also love the image of both characters – how the male protagonist is indifferent and lonesome in his boring work clothes and the female with a quirky 70’s haircut and simple yet appealing work clothes. I love this short film and it gave loads of inspiration for my own film.

Wong Fu Productions:

When five fellA little back story:Wong Fu Productions is a company made by three Chinese-American media college students who started producing short films for their chosen course. They posted their work on YouTube which soon became a international phenomenon, they won awards for their work and are now working on how to expand their production company.

When five fell is a smartly made short film showing five objects which has been personified to show their love for their female owner.

Each object stands for a different sense; the cup for taste/kiss, the glasses for sight, the phone for speech, the scarf for smell and the umbrella for touch. I again chose this short to analyse as there is no dialogue intended in it. Most of the dialogue is done by narration by the objects.

I loved the narration and this also gave me inspiration for my short film, as I wanted no dialogue directly from the characters but wanted some to show their thoughts and feelings. Narration was a great option for this.

The romantic shots used in this shorts are stunning also, the shots of which the female character spends time with her “new” love. The close ups on her face and the long shots of the two characters which is not totally centred frame is such a nice touch and I would love to include such shot in my short film.

Wong Fu Productions:

HK: the one days

Another short that inspired me was also from Wong Fu Productions, it was their ‘HK the one days’ collection which are little love stories in which they filmed in their home city of Hong Kong. They mixed both the American convention of romance with the Asian representative and added subtitles to give it a more legitimate Asian heritage feel to it.I also researched this short for my preliminary work last year as it gave a lot of inspiration for types of shot and the how to get the playful love story without it looking like a romantic comedy.It is beautifully made and the simple shots such as the two shots used for their playful conversation is used to maximum effect.I love the feel of this short and I hope of creating the same effect for my piece. I also hope to achieve a simple yet memorable logo/ title for my film. Since I cannot do this on imovie alone I will have to use another software to make it.

Film poster: the Conventions

When making a film poster, I will have to consider these things;

What are the main colours used in the poster? What do they connote?

What symbols are used in the poster? Do you need audience foreknowledge to decode the symbols?

What are the main figures/objects/background of the poster? Are they represented photographically, graphically, or illustratively?

Are the messages in the poster primarily visual, verbal, or both?

Who do you think is the intended audience for the poster?

Which genre conventions are referred to?

Are "expert witnesses" (ie critics) quoted?

What pleasures (gratifications) are promised by the poster?

How is attention gained (humour, shock, surprise)?

How does the tagline work? (humour, pun, alliteration etc?)

The main purpose of Film/Movie posters is to promote the film in which it shows.

Conventions:-To be eye-catching- to have a focal picture that intrigues my target audience.- a large title that is readable and easy to spot out.- suggestion of romance… both the male and female protagonist in the picture.- a catchy tagline - age certification (?)- release date or coming soon displayed on the poster but not too big (not to overthrow the title).- directors, production company and name of actors on the poster,- logos of production companies (not too eye-catching , should blend with the writing).

Textual analysis:

Film poster

Black and white photo, not common for movie posters, perfect for Independent films or shorts.Makes it more eye-catching because its different.

Big red title, the only colour on the poster, eye-catching and readable. Worn out font like the poster side, goes with the poster. Red connotes romance or danger.

Male and female protagonist in a romantic pose suggest that its going to be a romantic film mostly about them. The male is more dominant in the picture, suggest he is the main protagonist.

Names of the actors that are going to be in the film, mostly famous ones, intrigues the audience.

Production companies and Director placed next to the title. Usually place on the bottom of the poster, different and eye-catching.

Tag line to give a glimpse of what the film is about. Sometimes confusing thus making the audience want to find out more.

Tells the audience when they will be able to see the film.

Textual analysis:

Film posterName of the two protagonist on the poster, the main actors and there for the protagonist.Usually includes other actors included in the film, but this poster has a certain niche audience who knows these actors. Also connotes that the actors have worked on other films together.

Female protagonist dressed stereotypically girly which shows that this will be more of a film aimed at women. She also looks soft and elegant which could connote romance.

Title is bold and readable. The different fonts and colours used adds an extra eye-catching effect. It also separates the words “miss” and “like crazy” mimicking the separation of the characters in the poster.

Male protagonist looks very clean and smart much like the stereotypical male protagonists in chick flicks of whom the female protagonist falls in love with.

Other actors in the film, probably below with the production companies and director because it’s a big cast.

Film magazine:the Conventions

The name of the magazine is clearly displayed on top of the cover.

Eye-catching , bright colours and busy background. Images of famous actors used as a focal point The type of picture represents the type of film which the target

audience will be interested in. The graphics and colours are used to represent the mood for

the magazine.The font, its size, shape and colour are used creatively to

suggest the genre of the film that is issued on the magazine. Cover lines all around the main picture indicating the content

inside the magazine.Price and barcode are displayed usually in the corner to not put

off the audience by the price.

Textual analysis:

Film magazineColour theme:White, yellow, monochrome, red.

Big magazine title so that the audience knows which magazine they are picking up. Usually changed the colour or the style to represent the film it is featuring.

Name of feature film the second largest writing, to attract the target audience, it also shows which film the actors on the front cover will be in.

Cover lines to make the audience feel like their getting more for their money.

Protagonists hugging each other, connotes there will be some sort of love story between them. Facial expression are not happy, which connotes some sort of tragedy in the story of the film which they are in

Cover lines to make the audience feel like their getting more for their money.

Barcode and price are very small so that the audience doesn’t look at the price straight away.

Textual analysis:

Film magazineBig magazine title so that the audience knows which magazine they are picking up. This issue has had its title changed to the colour and the style of the film to represent the type of film kick-ass is, the colour is red which connotes danger this connotation is further developed as the font looks like they have been made by blood splatters

A sneak-peek to the years most prominent films is a cover line no reader can resist.

The title of the feature film is bold and in neon green writing, neon green connotes nuclear waste which can link with the super hero genre of the film.

The protagonist looks beaten up and bloody connoting that the feature film is of the action genre, he is also wearing peculiar clothing much like a super hero like of the cartoons behind him which connotes that it is going to be a super hero movie.

Cover lines to make the audience feel like their getting more for their money. The word “collectors’” suggest importance and value thus it intrigues the audience more.