Pre-production
INDEX
(You can press on the titles, to go to their respective sections :D)
2. Conclusion
3. Final drafts
- script
- consent form
- call sheet
- storyboard
4. Layouts/ formats
5. Film's major task
My short film's research, specifically :-
My short film's genre is a psychotic thriller. I had to not only watch movies/ short films of my respective genre but also loads of love stories and tragedies, in order to completely understand where I was going with my whole SF's (short film) concept as well as what I wanted my final product to look like at the end of it all. I had to understand what a combination of moods, aesthetics and settings would look like all together, but also keep in mind that it must all look very subtle, realistic and put together, not interfering with my storyline. My decision finally felt right when I knew exacly what I wanted my SF to look like.
1. Jumper is a thriller short film that is almost tje perfect example fo r the use of build up in a piece of media. It has a short and precise storyline and portrays it with absolute simplicity
The aesthetic is very boring but does have a look and feel to it. That is, loads of greens, greys, blacks and nudes have been used, thsi clearly conveys a message of what we humans cold oridinary and called 'unhappening'. Thus, implying that the events that occur in 'jumper' are in fact things that happen in day to day life.
Almost all of the shots are close ups and extreme close ups
There are a good use of diagetic sounds but they are all foley sounds and not from the original shoot. There are background-backing music, probably with the intention of creating anxiety in viewers
I have finally come to a conclusion, of all the styles and techniques that I'm going to include in my short film, media product.
For:
angles and shots - I want to use loads of establishing shots, that is full and extreme shots as well as loads of extreme close ups, to create immense depth and mood in all my scenes. Also medium shots, during impact scenes and moments.
aesthetics and mise en scene - In my whole short film, I wanted to have loads of casual settings rather than, genre specific genres. However, I have added a good amount of duration with the background being green areas, that is woods and small jungle areas that are rustic and authentic to my storyline. Otherwise almost the whole short film is at indoor house areas and and socializing areas.
Sounds - As far as sounds are concerned, I want a majority of diegetic sounds. The diegetic sounds should be loud, with the motive of creating great impact in viewers. So far I haven't decided whether I will be using non-diegetic sounds. However, there is one particular scene that is in an narration format, for which I'm working with someone to create the background music for it.
Dialogues - After watching tons of short films, I came to the conclusion that 'a good short film is that, that doesn't have any dialogues.' I understood after loads of research that, this saying is such because a short film is unique due to its duration and it's short time, forcing consumers to remain their focus. I did however want to use dialogues to convey depth through word play. Since, my short film is of such a strong and sensitive topic, I wanted it to have no room for interpretation and so I found it necessary to add dialogues to make sure my stoy's message was met.
Editing and transitions - According to me, simplicity is key. I don't want to overdo my short film rather its storyline, with unnecessary complex editing. That's why I decided to go with a more simpler technique of editing. However, albeit I do want to explore and experiment on transitions and scene joiners.
Fair script :-
(press on any of the bottles of pickle to see the pdf of my final script)
Since I had quite a good amount of experience in script writing by now, I didn't feel too stressed and went ahead and wrote my final script but the first one for my new storyline in one seating. I did give my script to sir to give a well assesed answer and only after his approval did I carry on with all of my work.
I had initially also written a fair script for my first story :
(press on the icon on the right to see my previous script)
CAST CAST CAST
Now came the main part for my short film, 'cast selection'. I was excited for this, initially my idea was to ask an actual couple to act for my short film but then I felt that it would be a little chaotic and time taking so instead I went ahead and casted two idividul people for my first and second lead.
Samyuktha Darira
Samyuktha plays Sam, the lead character. I knew her because she was a mutual of mine but I just knew she'd be the perfect match for my short film. I wanted someone bold but most of all someone who could learn to adapt witha constantly unsetteling settings. So, that the audience understand that my lead is person who can change the way she acts constantly.
Rahul Kumar
Rahul is a good friend of mine, a man I'd describe as caring, considerate and charismatic. He's someone I felt is fit for the role because he is easy going and that was exactly what my cahracter is like in the short film. His role also didn't require any dialogues and I felt that Rahul would be able to bring justice to the character just with his actions alone.
Sanjoy Kumar Das
Finally for the inspector in my short film, I casted my father because I felt the role needed a person who could be straight forward in the way they talk. So, my father is indeed the right fit for the inspector role in my short film.
Consent form :-
(only the layout)
I actually had a clear idea of what the consent form should look like as I had done the same for last year as well and thus didn't have any trouble making one for my short film. The consent form has to be to the point and crisp, I prefer my consent form short. last year the template I had created was honestly convenient and straight forward. So, I used it as a reference and made my consent form for my cast of my short film.
For the sake of formality, I sent a consent form to all my cast membersto make sure I had their consent.
Call sheet:-
(only the layout)
This is a clear view of how my call sheet, rather any basic call sheet would look
MAJOR TASK :-
1 . What might the camera need to focus on to convey meaning to narrate the story?
I wanted there to be no room for interpretation but room for assumptions—very predictable assumptions. Thus, scenes shot in close-ups and full shots seem the most appropriate. In the beginning, I wanted to create familiarity with my lead, so I went ahead and focused primarily on Sam (the lead star). I gave complete focus to her during the first and second scenes, not only by focusing the camera on her but also by making her the only one in the set, using bright (white and yellow) lighting, and using her voice and thoughts as narration. These aspects help the audience understand that Sam is the lead and that she is indecisive, given the editing technique and portrayal of mise en scène. The second scene also conveys the same as before, however, with the addition of Sam's love interest being introduced. For her love interest, Dhruv (the second lead), I only want to take close-ups of his features because I want Dhruv to seem mysterious to the audience. Even the close-ups are such that only his innocence and spirit are shown, that is, a close-up of his smile and one of his eyes. The camera work is such that the audience understands that Dhruv is charming (as described in the background narration) and loving, as well as making Sam feel special. The third scene then has more medium shots and wide full shots; this is to convey that all the actions shown are as they seem, that is, every single shot is straight forward. The transitions used throughout are 'cuts' because I want them to make my short film look clean and not dragged. The third scene helps the audience understand the context of the short film, which is Sam's boyfriend going missing. The shots are recorded in a monotonous order to emphasize the continuation of the storyline. My idea as a director and cinematographer is to convey my idea thoroughly to the audience; thus, I use the help of character perspective through the narration of a chain of events by Sam, with the visuals being the respective events taking place. The fourth scene then uses majority medium close-ups and close-ups with the intention of viewers looking at what Sam is seeing, her POV alone. This helps the audience understand the flow of the film at the same pace as the characters. My intention was to use smaller elements to bring everything together. 'It's always the small pieces that make the big picture', keeping this in mind, I want to try to focus on the smaller details in order to perfect my story-telling power through my short film for the audience.
2 . What sound effects will be audible whilst each visual image is displayed?
In the first scene, we hear sweet harmonies and higher keys throughout, and in the background, there will be a narration of the lead establishing to the audience how she feels about the way her life is. This background music continues throughout the second scene as well, with more ambition and nostalgia. However, the narration has a slight twist to it; towards the end of the second scene, the narration sounds more dreamy compared to the narration of the first scene. The third scene has more diegetic sounds, as I feel the need for the audience's attention to be there throughout the main plot narration. The fourth scene then has an equal amount of diegetic and non-diegetic music because, with the repetition in narration about the plot, I felt a thrilling yet soothing soundtrack in the background would really spark light in my audience's experience of watching the short film as a whole as well as just the end alone, as most become restless towards the end. There is also a lead theme, which is basically the main audio that I use to create the branding for my short film. The lead theme is used multiple times throughout the short film, almost creating a soundtrack for my lead alone. After which, there is room for diegetic sound as the main dialogue runs through the background of the fourth scene. The diegetic sound is quickly accompanied by non-diegetic sounds, which are the background music for the same dialogue in the third scene but from a different POV, which is the excitement of my lead as she speaks to her father. The music this time in the background of the narration is more bold and attractive in terms of storytelling perspectives. This music gradually gets louder and more felt, building an obvious mood of confidence in my lead's character. The credits then have the lead theme as all the names roll down, and that's all. Music is one of the main aspects I rely on because, as I truly believe, what people hear really elevates the visual they see.