Task I Part 1 - Costume Shots

Costume Ideas:

Hitman

Grey Jacket

For the character of my unnamed hitman I have decided I would like to portray him in a smart, yet casual manner. Therefore, I thought a smart, grey suit jacket with a casual grey jumper would be best suited for my idea of the hitman.

Grey Jumper

Dr. James

For the character of Dr. James I wanted to dress him in similar attire to the hitman, however I wanted to contrast the colours of their clothing yet make them similar by choosing grey for the hitman and black for the Doctor. This way it subtly hints to the viewer that they are similar characters with similar motives.

Black Suit Jacket

Black Jumper

 Overall I believe the costumes I chose worked well to represent the characters, their motivations and background.

Task G - Storyboard

I decided to print off a template to use as my storyboard,(http://alessandrougodotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/storyboard-template-1-85.jpg.)
This process helped me immensley to visual my film and allowed me to further my ideas without the worry of losing ideas.

Task I Part 2 - Costume selection and reasoning

I dressed the hitman character in a casual suit jacket with a t-shirt beneath to represent his seriousness of the situation yet I wanted to present him as the conventional 'cool guy' hitman.
I decided to dress the character Dr James in dark, smart clothing. I thought the colour black would foreshadow his evil side and also sway the audience into believing his is a guilty man. However, by the end the audience cannot decide whether he lied to get himself out of the situation or told the truth to escape also. I believe this addition of ambiguity to the plot creates a more interesting and arresting narrative.

Daniel Hayes as The Hitman

 I believe I achieved the desired effect, he appears very casual and laid back but ominous and evil when he needs to be. Also, I believe this 'look' allows his deception to become more understandable.

Paul M as Dr. James

Dr James appears to be a wealthy doctor. However, his face, dark clothing and lighting present his character as ominous and untrustworthy.

Actors - Who and how I found them?

The two actors I chose for the role of the Hitman and Dr. James were Daniel Hayes and Paul M, respectively.

I believe I chose the right actors for the role, especially Daniel Hayes who completely loved the role and enjoyed every moment he was on screen
Paul M also very surprised me, his professionalism on set allowed me to wrap up filming with two hours. This process could have lasted a lot longer without both of their concentration and focus.

I found these two actors by posting an advert on StarNow (www.starnow.co.uk/). I advertised the type of character which they would be playing, along with a short summary of the plot and other miscellaneous details such as payment and location. Then the actors chose which of the characters they would like to audition for and apply. I received around 9 applications all together, of these 9 I narrowed the selection down to 4 and eventually chose Paul M and Daniel Hayes. 
Overall, I could not have found the actors which I did without StarNow, the website is simple and easy to use and can help transform your amateur film into a professional-looking, well-acted piece of work.

My change from music video to short film

One major reason why I decided to switch from the music video specification to the short film specification was because I knew how difficult a music video could be, and how much more freedom as a filmmaker that I could have making a short film.

Therefore, some of my earlier blogs appear to be tailored towards the music video specification.

 In the end, I am extremely happy with the outcome and I believe that the switch of specifications was the right choice for me.

Short Film Inspiration #1: Spider

Spider is a brilliant Australian produced short film directed by Nash Edgerton. The atmosphere and story are creepy and thought provoking and the ending is one of the most shocking revelations I've ever seen in a short film. The dark humour that resonates throughout the short film is perfectly balanced between the sombre moments which all work together to creating a truly exceptional piece of work.

From Spider I tried to replicate the humour, without making it seem as a complete comedy.

Three Finished Ancillary Texts

Preparations - a short film

Preparations - Billboard Movie Poster. Made using Adobe Photoshop.

Preparations - Double-Spread Magazine Review Page - Based Upon Empire Magazine.

Task M - Camera Movement Practice Shots

I didn't have access to a tripod whilst practising my shots. Also, this was only a rough practice in order to gather a few ideas of the angles and types of shots I could use.

Task J - Location Shots

My chosen location is in my back garden. I chose this location because of its confined spaces and ease of access.

Task O - Original Images Before Manipulation

Portrait Poster Before Manipulation

For this picture I had to crop the sides and manipulate the image so it would fill a whole portrait poster.

Landscape Poster Before Manipulation

This picture needed no cropping due to it being used for a landscape poster.

Task H - Script

Link to script on Google Drive:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwp23wh6KwhISUFkU1I5VDhiT2s/view?usp=sharing

Task P - Drafts with Feedback

 Feedback of DRAFT poster and magazine review

POSTER DRAFT - Made using Adobe Photoshop

 Feedback:
1.) Preparations title too small
2.) Perhaps switch actors names around
3.) Credit block has invisible line blocking the top of the text
4.) No colour correction of image

Task F Part 2 of 2 - Poster

I created this draft using Photoshop. I thought it would be easier for me to create a draft using this format, instead of drawing one. Due to the fact that my computer skills are better than my drawing skills. Also, I believe this will allow me to more closely understand what poster I want to produce.

Task F Part 1 - Draft of Magazine Review

The magazine review page I used as inspiration comes from Empire magazine.

Original:

My draft:

I wanted to draw inspiration without seeming like I simply copied Empires style. I believe I have altered enough details to be an homage yet can stand on its own. Having this draft allows me to completely understand the desired layout of my magazine review once I get onto Photoshop.

I believe a simplisitic design and a light-hearted tone allows for complete enjoyment of a review.

Task B - Planning of Music

Task B – Planning of Music

I will strive to create all the music which I possibly can. However, there will be moments where I'll have to incorporate some royalty free music.

Soundtrack:

Introduction music: dark, ominous piano melody with subtle drum beats underneath the piano track.

https://freesound.org/people/zagi2/sounds/240157/

Beginning to middle: I want the music to slow down in the dialogue heavy sections, eventually becoming silent. 

Middle to end: Music begins to quicken up until the finale when the music climaxes off.

https://freesound.org/people/are16ocean/sounds/144981/

Sound will be layered appropriately to create a multi-layered soundtrack with depth.

Diegetic Sounds:

Sound effects I will need:

1      1.)    Gun cocking – I will source this sound effect from either the prop gun or the internet.

https://freesound.org/people/SmartWentCody/sounds/179011/

2      2.)    Gun click – I will source this sound effect from either the prop gun or the internet.

https://freesound.org/people/knova/sounds/170272/

3      3.)    Light switch on/off – I will film this sound effect myself.

https://freesound.org/people/StevenBrown/sounds/128439/

Non-Diegetic Sounds:

1      4.)    Suspenseful sound will be added beneath the soundtrack to create an atmosphere fitting to the plot.

https://freesound.org/people/Toivo161/sounds/266009/

NOTE: ALL SOUNDS ARE ROYALTY FREE