MIND REWIND

A short film by: Lauren Knappett

In what ways does my film develop or challenge forms and conventions of

real film?

GENREFor my film I chose the Of Art House.

ANALYSING ART HOUSE CONVENTIONSIn order to gain a larger understanding of art house conventions I analysed a selection of art house films that I felt would be of a similar nature to my own film.

Through analysing these films I discovered that almost all ideas I had for my film were possible

as all art house films I analysed used conventions in order to break or subvert them

to show the message they wish to portray.For example the use of screen effects in Fear

and Loathing in Las Vegas explore the effects of LSD, allowing the viewer to see the drug effects

that the character is experiencing.

I realised that I was able to experiment with various camera angles, lighting, sounds and effects in order to express what I wished to express in my film as breaking the conventions of typical film was acceptable to do.When creating my story board I was unaware of how creative I could be with my ideas, therefore this task allowed me to get a better understanding of what I was able to do.

Through my primary research I was able to gain a larger understanding of the genre specific conventions when creating an Art House film. In order to create my film and make it successfully it was necessary that I conducted research in to conventions of film as my own personal knowledge was not enough. Gaining an understanding of conventions and how they can be followed or broken allowed me to express my creativity through my story board and shot list as my idea’s were able to develop through my new understanding. Gaining knowledge of camera angles, sound and lighting was also very necessary when filming as it was important that my film looked professional.

Due to my larger understanding of genre specific conventions it meant I was able to either follow or subvert these conventions in my own film. The use of subverting typical conventions of film allowed me to do more than entertain my audience as I felt I had a message I wanted to portray through the use of film. Gaining a larger understanding of film conventions allowed me to do this.

BREAKING CONVENTIONS

FOLLOWING CONVENTIONS

When looking at the conventions of art house cinema I learnt that when portraying a message to the audience there are very few conventions to follow as it is a very creative process where anything is possible.Throughout my film I explored the use of colour effects to portray emotion in my characters. I used the tint effect on top of the black and white effect as it made the picture slightly darker, reflecting the tension and uncertainty of the scene.

I felt as though the use of a black and white effect expressed the uncomfortable feeling that the character has at this current moment. The use of effects on screen was something that I noticed very much when analysing current films as a way of expressing a characters emotion or mental state.

These effects were also used to show the deterioration of the characters mental state due to the choices she has made. This

is something I felt would be expressed best through effects rather than speech or actions.

When creating my film I knew I wanted the important moments of the film to be in reverse at the end as a visual way of reversing time, however before analysing Art House I was unaware of whether this could fit conventions.After understanding that it was the idea of playing parts of my film in reverse that allowed it to become Art House by breaking conventions, I began playing around with time and speed. I discovered that I was able to speed up or slow down clips in my film, this fitted very well with sections of my film as it was used to show the effects of the drugs taken, similar to the effects used in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Through the use of effects I was able to follow Art House conventions of allowing the viewer to understand the characters emotion/state of mind by what is shown on screen. This effect used on a long shot of a door allows the viewer to see through the eyes of the character and get a larger understanding of what mental state they are currently in.

The effect chosen gives a very blurred image to reflect the distorted mind set that the character is currently facing.

How effective is the combination

of your main product and

ancillary task?

Film Poster Before creating my own film poster I conducted research in to other art house film posters. This allowed me to get a greater understanding of how the film has been portrayed in to a poster in order to allow the viewer to understand the genre of the film by looking at the poster.

I gained a larger understanding on the camera angle of the picture as it is important that the image reflects the genre of the film. Through this I was able to plan the costumes of the characters and the pose I would use to reflect my film.

When analysing this poster I made close attention to the simplicity of the picture and the use of colour covering the majority of the image. This reflects the art house genre by breaking conventions, therefore making the viewer instantly aware of the genre.

The film poster for 'I can do bad all by myself' stood out to me as although I have not seen the film, I feel as though this poster says a lot about the film. The use of the glasses being broken over her face gives us a negative perception of events in the film, or possibly suggesting a broken person. This is something I wish to use in my own poster in order to show a change in person from the girl before she meets the boy in comparison to after.The extreme close up causes the character to appear vulnerable, which is what the girl in my film will be, therefore the use of the close up and broken glasses fits perfectly with my film poster. The professional impression of the woman is shown through her hair and makeup. This being similar to my film as the girl begins looking very smart showing a large comparison to what she looks like in the end of the film, therefore for my poster i would include her face when she is looking very smart, however still incorporating the broken glasses.

When creating my own poster I conducted many drafts in the process, including sketches and Photoshop edits. This gave me an insight in to what I was able to do when creating my real poster, understanding the conventions of an art house film poster allowed me to become very flexible when creating my own.

Focusing largely on the position of the camera and the characters was important for me as it was crucial that the poster had close links with the film. This is something I felt would be done through the angle of the camera and the pose of the characters, giving an instant impression of what the film is about.

Creating many drafts meant I was able to experiment with different film titles and fonts. In this process I had the idea of calling my film ‘Mind Rewind’ and discovered a font that I felt fit my poster well.

I practiced with different camera angles including one or two characters in the picture, in these drafts I have included two characters, whereas in my final poster I chose to include one as I felt it indicated the importance of her role in the film, making the viewer aware of what to expect from my film.

My final posterMy final poster includes idea’s that I have gained through my poster analysis and drafts.When creating my final poster I focused particularly on the feature article photo as I felt that is what is the main selling point for the poster to sell the film. It was important it reflected the genre of my film and gave some sense of what the film is about. I included the same text font as my double page spread and film titles to give a clear link between all three. When choosing the pose I would like the character in my poster to do I tried many different types as I felt it was important I had the right image being portrayed. The use of a high angle shot reflects the innocence and vulnerability of the character, something that is shown throughout the film. I chose to not have the photograph taking up the whole page as I felt it reflected the art house genre of breaking typical conventions.

Film Double Page SpreadWhen creating my double page spread review on my film it was crucial that I analysed others as I was very aware that this double page spread would be very different from a music magazine double page spread.

As I was writing a review on my own film it meant I was able to create the feeling portrayed by the review. I included a theme of black and white to link with my poster and the font used in my film, this allowed a continuing flow between all of my work.

Writing a review on my own film allowed me to express the deeper meanings behind my choices when creating the film. I saw this as a very creative task as I was writing critically and professionally about my own production, therefore it was important for me to get other peoples opinions on the film before I began writing the review.I felt it was important to get others opinions on the camera angles, story line and choice of casting as it meant when writing my review I was not biased to my own opinion.

My final double page spread

I felt the final product of my double page spread was a very good reflection of my

film. The use of a black and white lay out reflected the simplicity of my film as

although it is slightly surrealist there is a very simple message behind it, it also

reflects the art house genre. I chose to include a short interview to give a very

direct and intimate feel to the review, however remaining professional

throughout. I also personally felt that for an art house film that is slightly surrealist it is

very important to get the directors perspective on the film as I feel with my film

certain scenes can be very much down to interpretation. The choice of pictures I felt

gave a perfect representation of the film as it shows the clear difference in mind set that the character goes through linking with the

title and making the viewer wanting to know more.

Audience feedback

In order to gain a larger understanding of my demographic and what they would like to see in an art house film I began with a survey including questions on what would be included in the film.I felt as though getting answers from the audience of my film would give me a better understanding of what is expected of an art house film. These answers helped me to structure my film specifically to my demographic. It also helped me as I had many idea’s and was unsure on what would work best, therefore having my demographic help me to make these decisions it meant I was able to be very specific when filming and editing my film. This survey allowed me to gain

quantitative data, this meant I had a large sample of specific results that could be directly applied to my film.

My audience survey allowed me to answer questions that I was not completely sure on, for example how surreal I would make my film. Due to 81% of my demographic saying they would like it to be surreal it meant I was able to express characters emotion and mental state through effects, such as this black and white effect used. Due to the choice of my film including a surreal nature it also allowed me to break conventions, meaning I was able to be very creative in my work.

Film surveyAfter finishing my film I created a selection of open questions that I asked an audience of 10 people who I felt fitted my demographic. The questions included:

What was good or bad about my film? What would you expect

from an art house film? Do you feel my film followed the typical conventions of an art house film?

Do you feel as though the effects used expressed the characters emotion further than the use of

camera angles and sound?

These results have allowed me to get a greater understanding of what effect my film gives to an audience. As this is my first film I have created it

was important for me to get an understanding of what others thought. Questions I asked were

specifically about the art house genre and how I have followed or broken these conventions, I felt it was a main topic I wanted feedback on as I had

spent a lot of time on planning and researching conventions therefore I wanted to make sure my

film had the correct effect.Through these questions I gained qualitative data

which allowed me to get very detailed results. I felt this was important to do as I wanted honest

feed back that was very specific to my film. These answers shall be taken on board when creating

my next film as I am now aware of what I did and did not do correctly.

For me personally, getting direct feed back from my demographic was very important as my film

was created to show to others, therefore it is important to take on any criticism that they had.

MyFilm survey results

USE OF MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES

Research in to film

The use of media technologies allowed me to not only analyse feature films, but to research other short films through social networking websites such as youtube and vvevo.

With access to these websites it meant I was able to analyse other short films to get a larger understanding of the typical conventions of a short film in comparison to a feature length film. This is something I would only be able to do through the use of media technologies.

When researching other film posters and double page spreads I was able to have access to a variety of old and new posters, allowing me to understand the conventions of a poster however also understand the genre specific conventions as I could focus mainly on art house. This was made accessible through google.

The use of technology meant I was able to process my survey results to give me specific figures. This helped me when applying these results to my film as I had a clear understanding of what the results said.

PlanningWhen planning my film I created a shot list and story board. These gave me a specific selection of things to follow when filming and editing.

When planning what effects I would use, adobe premier allowed me to upload clips and add and take away different effects, allowing me to test them out to see what ones would fit best. The use of the camera allowed me to film as many shots as I needed which could then easily be uploaded to adobe premiere where I was able to experiment.

Using photoshop meant I was able to upload sketches that I had scanned and add text to experiment with what would look best where. This was very important as it allowed me to get a better understanding of the conventions and apply them to my own work in order for it to look realistic.

ConstructionAdobe premiere allowed me to experiment widely with my film as I was able to add effects and adjust clips as much as I wanted yet I was also able to easily reverse this. This allowed me to experiment with the order of my film in the editing stage.

Due to parts of my film being played in reverse, technology played a very large part in the story of my film as this would not have been able to happen if it were not for adobe premiere. The tools that allowed me to play clips in reverse also allowed me to adjust the speed of the clip, something I have used throughout my film.

ConstructionThe use of a light weight hand held camera allowed me to be experimental with my camera angles as anything was possible. Being able to film shots many times meant I could get the perfect angle each time, this is something I felt was very important. Due to the camera I used having a lot of memory I was also able to film slightly before and after the shot which allowed me to get the perfect stop and start for each clip. This easily accessible technology was perfect for filming my film as it meant I was able to delete clips on the spot and upload them easily to a computer.

Using photoshop for both my double page spread and poster allowed me to use the same font throughout and the same layout when necessary. Photoshop allowed me to upload and delete as many pictures as I wanted, meaning I could chose and place the picture that I felt suited my poster and double page spread best.

EvaluationThe use of technology meant I was able to burn my film to a disk, therefore making it easy for me to show my film to others. Due to current modern technology I am also able to upload my film to social networking websites such as Facebook and Youtube to gain others opinions, something that is very important for me as getting feedback will help me in the future.

Being able to show others my film meant I was able to conduct my survey on what my audience thought of my film. Without the easy accessibility of showing my film to others this would not have been able to happen. Getting feedback straight from my demographic was important for me as it meant I would find out what worked well or what I could have done differently.

MIND REWINDA short film by Lauren Knappett

Candidate number: 7175