Location

Prior to our filming, I thought it would be a good idea to get some images of the location that will be used in our film opening. I decided to film a short, 4-5 second long, point of view shot at the location at the same time of day that we will be filming, as there is a good chance the lighting will be similar.

Dead Man's Shoes by Shane Meadows

For inspiration and research for our film, it was recommended that we watch Dead Man's Shoes directed by Shane Meadows. I have to say, I don't think I have ever reacted to a film this way. I was gripped throughout the whole thing and despite being absorbed by the narrative, I couldn't help but sit in wonder at the amazing use of camera, effects and lighting that are used in the film. The use of continuous, hand-held shots really grabbed the audience into the action, and I was particularly intrigued by the parts where the characters discover the bodies of their friends, as the use of camera work here makes the audience feel like they are one of the thugs, and you get a similar reaction to the characters when they discover their friends.

Another thing that I loved about the film was how they used a black and white effect when the clip was of a flashback, as it made it clear that it is not present time, and distinguishes it from the other shots of present day. 

For me, one of the key elements of this film was the soundtrack. Music composed by Calexio, with the use of accordion gave a really chilling effect to the film, and I had to immediately download the album as soon as I had finished watching the film. 

The narrative of the film, an ex soldier returning for revenge, has a similar plot line to our film, and by watching the film, I have now got some great ideas on how to create a chilling and intense atmosphere. For example, I would love to use a continuous hand-held shot when Tim is in the house, as this would create a lot of tension for the audience.  

Mood Board for Film

This is the mood board for our film idea. As you can see, it is without a title, but the plot for the entire story and the pros and cons which we can add to overtime are on the board. As the genre, social-realism, is not really linked with war, we decided to incorporate something associated with war into the board, hence the camouflage design. We have also included a couple of ideas for potential frames of the opening, which have been included in our storyboard which is currently in progress.  

We are having a problem with the title of the film as we want to avoid one word titles, which are easy to come up with. We have come up with a couple of ideas but we are still unsure of all of them. Some of our potential ideas are:
- WAR IS HOME
- HOME IS WAR
- HOME IS WHERE THE WAR IS

Once we have decided on a title we will include it in the board. Until then, the film is unnamed. 

Film Review: Submarine by Richard Ayoade

Second Coursework Idea

In our coursework groups we were coming up with ideas for our final piece and came up with two very different ideas. This is the synopsis for our second idea:

Tim is an ex-soldier. After returning from war his first intention is to be welcomed by his sister. So he can kill her.
     2 years earlier Tim was deployed to Afghanistan. His first year of war sees him struggle with the day to day life of being a soldier. He befriends an experienced american soldier, Alex, who helps him come to terms with the idea of killing. Tim flourishes into the brave, intelligent, well-esteemed soldier he has always wanted to be. However, a turn of events, involving the death of Alex, leaves Tim cold and desperate to seek revenge. His mind-set changes into a military machine, and doesn't let anything get in his way. That is, everything, except the thought of home. The distraction of home and the weakness of family causes Tim to fall into the trap of craziness, as his determination to kill gets the better of him. He gets sent home after not following orders due to his craziness and he returns home to destroy the one thing that stops him being the machine-like monster he has become. His family. 

First Coursework Idea

In our coursework groups we were coming up with ideas for our final piece and came up with two very different ideas. This is the synopsis for our first idea:

Guy is "16" and socially awkward. For some reason he can't seem to fit into society. We follow the struggles of Guy's life as he encounters bullies, girls, school and also, the fact that Guy can't grow old. A life-long family curse which prevents all members from his family ageing has followed Guy in his life for the past 32 years. Having gone through secondary school so many times, you'd think he'd got the hang of this whole school-malarky, but not being able to stay in the same place for too long has fed his pessimism, and Guy refuses to get attached to anything or anyone. Until he meets Poppy. Unable to ignore the chemistry between them, and the newfound popularity Guy has gained, he is faced with the tricky decision between telling Poppy about the curse, or leaving the life he loves behind. 

Preliminary Task

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSNMpkbrc0Y&feature=youtu.be

Click Here For First Preliminary Brief