While researching different films, I watched a production of Grease at my old secondary school. This turned out to be a good example of my film as the film is very much based on opposites-attract as Sandy is seen as a ”Good Girl” and Danny is seen as more of “Bad Boy” which is very similar to my idea of introverted girl and extroverted boy. The actress who played Jan in this production (Phoebe Grimes) will also be playing one of the lead roles in the film.
According to secondary research Romantic Comedy or RomCom is the 7th most popular movie genre, so I will being trying to make it more comedic in parts while still maintaining the plot and keeping the story going. Humour plays a crucial role in engaging the audience and creating a memorable and enjoyable viewing experience. By adding comedic moments throughout the film, it will enhance the overall entertainment value while still engaging the audience in the story. The challenge with this lies in striking the right balance between the romance and the comedy. I aim to weave the humour seamlessly into the narrative, making sure it compliments the romantic aspects rather than overpowering them.
When researching different camera techniques, I found the POV Shot which is where the camera represents the perspective of the character showing the audience the events through the actors eyes. I decided against using this because I felt like I didn’t need to show the audiences the characters point of view for them to understand what was happening, but from learning about this it has made me more interested in films from the point of view of the character much like “Lady In The Lake” directed by Robert Montgomery which is all shot from the characters point of view. I also researched the Two Shot and the Reverse Angle techniques for use in my film. The Two Shot is a simple shot used to frame both the actors in a singular frame which shows a balanced view of both of the actors in the shot which allows the audience to observe the actors body language and facial expressions. The Reverse Angle is slightly more complex, by alternating between the 2 actors you can capture the conversation from both of their point of views. I ended up choosing the Reverse Angle in my all my scenes with 2 people talking because I feel like it made the scene seem more dynamic and enhances the back-and-forth dialogue between the characters.
I then researched different types of cameras, which I narrowed down to 2 different choices. It was between a DSLR or a Camcorder and I had to take several things into account such as image quality, design and weight of the camera and the audio capabilities of the cameras. A DSLR was a lot smaller than the camcorder option which would’ve made it much easier for us to transport between shots. However, the camcorders we used (Panasonic 151s) were much better quality than the DSLRs which were available which made the transporting issue less of a problem as I wanted the film to be the best quality it could be. The final issue was the audio which the DSLR didn’t have much customisation when it came to external microphones. On the other hand, the camcorder was much more accessible with external microphones and made it a lot easier to get the microphone set up and ready to use. We did end up having issues with the external microphones where the wires we were given were damaged so we had to use the built in microphone on the camcorder and it was still a good quality microphone compared to the microphone on the DSLR. Taking all of this into account, prioritising the film’s overall quality and considering the audio being the best it can, I opted for the camcorder. Despite the issues with transporting the cameras, its superior video quality and better audio accessibility made it the more suitable choice for Adolescence. I also researched different microphones such as Lavalier Microphones and Shotgun Microphones. I decided to use shotgun microphones for Adolescence because not only are they usually better quality than lavalier but they have less of a chance of ruining a shot by appearing on an actor. Furthermore, the design of shotgun microphones allows me to be able to adjust and monitor the audio much easier than it would be with lavalier.
I then researched different editing techniques. I first researched a montage which is using a series of quick cuts to show the progression of time or to condense a sequence of events. A montage can be used for a number of things much like development of a romantic relationship or showcasing moments of bonding but I used it for showing how a character travels from scene to scene. When researching different editing techniques I was going to use the Spilt-Screen technique which is where you show multiple perspectives or actions simultaneously. I decided against this because I feel as though it would’ve been difficult for the audience to pay attention to both POVs at once. I also thought it would have been too difficult of a technique for me to accomplish with the budget and equipment I had access to. I also watched a video entitled “Shooting a Short Film On A Budget” by Brady Bessette which gave me a very helpful insight into what happens when making a short film including camera techniques, editing techniques and communicating with cast.
I then started to research different RomCom short films. I first watched “Signs” by Patrick Hughes which is a story between a man and woman who both work in different offices who communicate via signs. The film is directed in a way where the 2 actors never speak to each other and only communicate via writing on signs. It also adds little bits of humour throughout the film which is similar to what I did in my film. All of this shows the skill and creativity when it comes to a director like Patrick Hughes and I decided to use some of his camera techniques like the Reverse-Angle. I also watched the film series “Unfriended” watching both films “Unfriended” and “Unfriended: Dark Web”. This whole film is completely shot in a computer which I thought was a really interesting and well executed method of showing the audience how someone would use their computer. I decided to use this to show how because Rose is introverted she most likely wouldn’t go outside to socialise with friends and would instead do it online. Unfriended was directed by a man called Levan Gabriadze, who revolutionised the techniques known as “screen life” or “desktop games”. This allows the audience to witness the events of the film in real-time as one of the main characters Blaire and her friends communicate through video chats, instant messaging and browsing various websites.
Harvard referencing.
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Patrick Hughes – Signs (short film). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qn9g1wvsgM [Accessed 2 Mar. 2023].
[online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXbU47Bi28A [Accessed 15 Mar. 2023]. – Video on how to shoot a short film on a budget.
Society, B. (2021). Grease: Danny and Sandy’s reunion. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSn37dcIA68 [Accessed 15 Mar. 2023]. – The scene which inspired the concept behind the film.
www.youtube.com. (2015). Unfriended (2014) – We’ll Call Them Back Scene (1/10) | Movieclips. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQWMKUF7dvA [Accessed 29 Mar. 2023].
www.youtube.com. (2018). Unfriended: Dark Web – Skull Drilling Scene (2/10) | Movieclips. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QJGkxbb0wE [Accessed 29 Mar. 2023].
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Patrick Hughes – Signs (short film). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qn9g1wvsgM [Accessed 2 Mar. 2023].
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Patrick Hughes – Signs (short film). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qn9g1wvsgM.
Movies, W. (2011). Lady In The Lake – Trailer. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB-PyUSFskI [Accessed 25 Jan. 2022].