matt-gunn

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Creating the Slaps Table

From the start of Slaps I wanted to include a table in the piece, I felt that it would almost be an interesting parody of snooker tables, and would allow the action to take place in a set location, instead of walking around a ring for example. However, what I couldn’t decide on was how the table would work within the film, and whether it would play an important part in the game or not. After I sat down and came up with the rules for the game, I decided that the table would help to maintain order within the slaps games, and would have lines and boundaries—similar to a pitch in conventional sports. After I had decided that I would like the table to have lines, I thought of how this could be presented, and I wanted to do so in a noticeable way.

I felt that by having obvious, bright lines, that it would be obvious which is which, and they could serve as a visual cue to the audience; I felt that by doing this it would hopefully make understanding the various ‘line’ rules easier for those not familiar.

I also had the idea to have two different tables in the piece, a cheaper looking one which would be in the early fights, and a more professional one that would appear in the final rounds of the competition. I wanted to do this because I felt it would help show a development and progression in the scenes with the table alone, it would also make sense within the story, because the two locations wouldn’t have exactly the same table, and one would expect a nicer table at a professional game.

I agreed with the producer that I would source and build the table, with help from my Dad if it was needed. We struggled to find a table that would fit the dimensions, one that was about a person in width, short enough that they could reach across it, and low enough that they could sit at it. After a couple of weeks of searching we were able to find the right sized table at a charity furniture shop in Stockton. I removed the wooden footboard at the bottom to give room to the players’ legs, and other than that, it was exactly what I had been looking for.

For the cheaper table, I scuffed the top of the table up, to make it look as if it had been used well in its time, I felt that this would help the table to look more in place in the earlier gym, and add some character to the piece. For the lines, I went across the table with tape—trying to keep the colours as close as I could to the original design in my notebook. I quickly found that putting all the lines on the table made it too busy, and I felt that it would be best to take away as many of the lines as I could. This made the piece look much nicer, and made the various lines easier to follow by removing most of the clutter.

I was happy with how the early table design came out, I felt that it was close to how my designs were in my notebook, and looked exactly how I expected while writing the piece. I was excited to use it in the film, because I thought that it would work well in the piece.

For the more professional table, I wanted it to resemble a snooker table—this was because it was the only professional sport to use a table that I could think of at the time. I thought that by using that style of design, it would immediately make the piece look a lot more professional, and would hopefully add a finishing touch to the scenes. While I wanted my Dad to apply the lines with a glue gun originally, we felt that it wouldn’t look as good as we would expect, and that we wouldn’t be able to undo it if we went wrong.

So I asked my uncle, who is a tailor and upholsterer by trade, to help design the top of the competition table. He sourced some cheap fabric for the top of the table, a green felt that looked exactly how I had imagined, and said that applying the lines with ribbon across the top would be best, given the material covering the table. Following my notes in my notebook, and taking measurements from the original design of the table, my uncle was able to sew the new cover for the table, which my Dad and I stapled to the body of the table.

(The Professional table in use at the Southlands Leisure Centre) 

To help cover the staples and stitching on the bottom of the table, I applied silver sticky-back plastic to the frame of the table (it was the closest I could find to the aluminium sides of a snooker table without spending a great deal of money). I felt that this would help changed the look of the table completely, and make it look closer in appearance to the tables which had inspired my ideas for the piece.

Once the professional table was complete, I was extremely happy with how it came out, and while I would have liked to put company logos on the table—I tried to print off acrylic versions of the BSA logo I designed, but they didn’t come out as well as I had imagined and I felt that it would be better to remove them altogether—I was content with how the piece looked. I felt that the table did its job, and that it added another layer of polish to the scenes which may not have been present with the original design of the table.

#Level 6 #Major #Table Design #Slaps

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- British Slaps Association Logo Design

The British Slaps Association (BSA) is the fictional company which serves as the governing body for Slaps in Britain. However, because the company will appear throughout the piece, whether that be in letters or on the shorts of the competitors, I felt that it would need a logo to represent it. I felt that by giving the government agency a logo would help to make it seem a larger part of the world, and would help to build the fictional world we are trying to create.

I first made a sketch of what I wanted the logo to look like, I was inspired by the logos which represent other government agencies, such as the Royal Mint, the logo which appears on the parliament website, and the British Heraldry. I felt that by making the logo bear resemblance to these, it would make the governing agency seem very important through the design of its logo alone. So, I experimented with some drawings, and began trying to make a design on Illustrator.

I was lucky, in that I was able to find copyright-free images which represented what I wanted for the piece, including a crown, the British Isles, and laurels to surround the design. I positioned them in a way which appealed to me, but found that something was missing from the design. I decided to experiment with a globe, which I designed using circles, and laid it behind the British Isles. I was happy with this design, and after showing it to the crew, was confident that it had the effect that I had wanted.

While I was happy with the logo, I wanted to include text at the bottom of the design, this would be for when the logo needed a title, or context. A friend was able to send me a font which was similar to those used on British traffic signs, and I felt that it matched the appearance of the logo—and that the familiar font may help the logo to seem more familiar to those looking at it.

I was happy with the final design for the logo, however, there was an issue I hadn’t thought of while designing it, which was when the design would have been transferred onto the shirts which the competitors would wear, that the thin lines of the globe would not show up well, or maybe not at all. I made a version that would be able to appear on the shirts without causing issue, but it ended up not getting used in the end.

I was happy with the look of the piece, and I felt that even by creating something small like this, it added to the world, and would hopefully help to make it seem more complete.

#Level 6 #Final #Logo Design #British Slaps Association #Slaps

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Research Development- Festival Research

I wanted to do this research for a couple of reasons, the first of which was that I wanted to see if there were festivals which Slaps could be entered into—whether that be the screenplay or the film—the second being that I wanted to see what sort of festivals there were, and if there were any which could apply to future projects, if they didn’t apply to Slaps. I also thought that by looking at this, it could help me gauge whether or not Slaps would get a decent reception, or would at least stand a chance of doing so.

 Mock Film Fest

This was the first festival I was able to find, MockFIlmFest, and after looking at it, I thought it would be a good fit for Slaps, since it accepts a lot of mockumentary films. The festival seemed to get a lot of entrants to it, and while it didn’t have a large reward, it seemed as if it would be worth the time to enter it. However, I don’t think the festival is running anymore, since the most recent submission page is for the 2014 festival. I thought this was a shame, since the festival seems as if it would have been a good match for the piece. While it was US based, the submissions were able to be done online, and there wasn’t a cost that I could see. It also wasn’t very strict with the running time, and other features such as that, which I liked because it would have given us greater freedom while entering. I also feel that this may be a newer version of Mockfest, which I will speak about later, which I think closed some time ago, and has returned under a similar name.

 The Online Film Festival (#TOFF)

This festival, as the name implies, is aimed towards online submissions, and as far as I am aware, has the screenings done online as well. This means that the festival accepts entrants from around the world, and after researching it a little bit, gets positive reception around the world. I thought that this would be a great festival to enter, since it accepts comedy pieces, and because the deadlines are each month, which means that we would be free to enter any time of the year. As far as I’m aware, the festival doesn’t cost very much to enter, and because of this, I feel that it would be a good experience to enter something such as this. The festival seems popular, and also has a separate entry section for student films, and while it may be good to enter the normal section, there is still the student area we could have a look into. This is a festival I would like to keep in mind for future projects as well, because I feel that it has a broad range of categories that films can be entered into, and so I think it would be good for us as aspiring filmmakers, given the ease of entering and the profile the festival has.

 The Sham Film Festival

I found that this film festival seemed very good, this is because the festival seems to be accepting of any form of comedy, and accepts false film trailers, as well as mockumentary and spoof films. I thought that this made it great for Slaps, because the film would fit right in with the sort of films that it would usually take. The festival doesn’t appear to be huge, but gets a good reception, and while I couldn’t find any reviews of the festival, it has only been going for a short time and appears to be popular, so it must be alright. It is based in the US, so I don’t think it would be possible to attend, but I think that it may still be something worth applying to. I feel that it is very relevant to Slaps, and could be something we could look into once the piece is finished. Given that it accepts trailers, spoofs and comedies, I think that this is a festival I will keep in mind for future projects, as it could be something we could apply to in the future if we don’t submit Slaps. It seems cheap to submit to as well, which is a positive, and I feel it is something within our means—and budget.

 Mockfest

This was a festival based in California which focussed on mockumentary films, however, it seems that the festival only ran for one year in 2008, so it wouldn’t be something we could apply to. I think that it may have come about a bad time, given that there weren’t as many mainstream mockumentary films at that time, at least not as many as there are now. Despite this, the festival seems as if it would have been something that we could have submitted Slaps to, because it seems so relevant. What does cause concern is that both of the festivals aimed exclusively towards mockumentary films have closed, I think this could be because while the genre is fairly popular, there aren’t as many examples of it as there may be in other genres, so I can’t imagine that either festival had many submissions to it, which is a shame.

 Loco London Comedy Film Festival

This appears to be a fairly large London based festival, and while I haven’t heard of it before, judging by the quality of submissions that it has, as well as the amount it received for the previous year, it seems like a high-profile festival. It is a comedy festival—as the name would imply—and accepts any submissions across the comedy genre. Due to the fact that we would have missed the deadline for this year, I wasn’t able to find any information about submission and how much it would cost (if it does cost), but looking over the submissions for the previous years, it seems like something we could apply to in the future. I think that it is a good festival and seems to support British comedy films, which I think is positive, given the amount of comical, British content that is produced each year. I think this would be a good festival to enter, and could be something we could aim for next year. It is a shame that we couldn’t have entered Slaps, but I am glad this festival has been brought to my attention.

 The Smalls Film Festival

This London based festival is a lot broader than some of the others I have been looking at, and instead of focusing on a certain genre, allows a much greater spectrum of films to be submitted. This is a very interesting film festival, because it seems to have a lot of history in the city, having started as a different festival some time ago, now under a different name has come back, and is very popular with filmmakers. I think that because of the breadth of genres and styles it allows, this is a festival to keep in mind, and given that it is currently accepting submissions, could be one we could look into, if our deadline permits it. I can’t find any prices for the submissions, which makes me feel a lot more confident about us being able to enter it, and makes it seem a lot more viable for us. I think this seems like a good festival, and is definitely one to keep in mind, due to its popularity and the fact that it is UK based.

 Houston Comedy Film Festival

This comedy festival seems like a very good one, and from looking at the website, receives a lot of submissions of a very high quality submissions from across the world. I think that this may be a bit out of our league, given that it seems to get a lot of pieces from professionals, that said, I think that entering something into this festival may allow us to be brought to the attention of these professionals, which could work in our favour. Since the festival accepts comedies, I feel that Slaps would be very relevant for it, and is definitely one that we could look into. The festival also accepts screenplays, so I feel that I would be enter some of my own work into it, which I think would work to my benefit. However, due to the profile of the festival, there is a decent cost to the submissions—for films at the very least—so it would have to be a serious attempt if we were to submit something to this.

 Chicago Comedy Film Festival

Much like the previous festival, this festival is based in the US and is focused around comedy—both in film and screenplays. However, this festival is based in the North of the US, in Chicago; and much like the previous festival, has a hefty price to the submission process (this contest especially). I feel that this would be out of our budget, because even the smallest submission is close to one hundred dollars. I think that this festival is likely intended for higher budget pieces, and would have to be something we plan for during the production process of the piece, and would be something we would have to work the shooting around. While I feel that Slaps would be a good piece to enter into the festival, I feel that it would cost too much to submit to the festival, so I feel that this is a festival we will have to keep in mind for future pieces, and could be something we aspire to enter in the future.

 Screencraft Screenplay Contest

Not a festival, but a contest, which only accepts screenplays. This California based festival appears to have a large following, and is very high-profile—although maybe not to the extent of the last two. I think that this would be one that I could enter on my own, since the contest will only accept screenplays. This contest has a hefty reward, and appears to have a good following, with a high standard of work being submitted. The contest accepts a broad range of screenplays, and would be something which Slaps could be entered to. However, I believe that the deadline for the contest is rather close, and couldn’t be something I would have the time to enter, not to mention, I am unable to find a pricing for submissions, which has deterred me somewhat. I think this is a contest which I will keep in mind for the future, due to the reception it has received, and the quality of what it receives, as I think it could be positive for me as a writer to enter something such as this.

 Tribeca Film Festival

I wanted to try and find a sports film festival, and the best that I could find was this festival, and while I believe it has a section which deals with sports films, these don’t include comedies around the subjects, which I thought was a shame. I am familiar with the festival, and I know that it is an incredibly huge festival which gets plenty of attendees each year, because of this, I know that it isn’t something we could simply just enter, which is a shame. I thought that it would be interesting to try and find something which would appeal to the sports side of Slaps, however, it seems that this is the closest that I would be able to use. I think that the calibre of this festival would mean that we wouldn’t be able to enter it for some time, especially with a piece produced in university, but I think this could be a festival to keep an eye on.

Overall, I feel that I have been able to find some relevant and potentially good festivals that we may be able to enter Slaps, and other pieces into. While I think it is a shame that I wasn’t able to find a decent sports film festival, I think that the comedy festivals I have found are better for the piece anyway. I think that some of these festivals would be great for the piece, and could be something the group could discuss once the piece has been completed. They will certainly be ones which I will keep in mind while writing new pieces, and I think that we would be able to stand a chance of winning some of these. While there are some more professional festivals on this list, and some which demand a high submission cost, they are still within our reach, and should be something that we all aspire to enter. I think this research has helped me to open my eyes and see what is out there for a film like Slaps, and had me think about my future as a filmmaker, and some of the festivals that I may be able to enter in the future.

 Links

http://mockfilmfest.weebly.com/

http://www.theonlinefilmfest.com/

http://shamfilmfestival.com/

http://www.filmfestivals.com/festival/mockfest_the_mockumentary_film_festival

http://locofilmfestival.com/

http://www.thesmalls.com/

https://filmfreeway.com/festival/HoustonComedyFilmFestival

http://www.chicagocomedyfilmfestival.com/

https://screencraft.org/comedy/

https://tribecafilm.com/festival/espn

#Level 6 #Major #Research #Research Development #Slaps

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Production Diary- Week 20- 02/05/16

 This week was spent, mostly, with Richard editing and filming cutaways for Slaps, I also helped out with Bookkeeper, and helped on some of the cutaway shoots for that; as well as the library scene shoot which was held on the fourth. I had a lot of fun this week, and was able to experience some firsts as well, with this being the first time that I had directed a crowd—on the fifth. However, Jodie helped as a 1stAD, this was because I wasn’t confident that I would be able to control a crowd of that scale—although I believe I did quite well.

On the fourth, we did several small scenes which were to fit in various places in each film. First we filmed the beach scene for Slaps, which would be put in the montage scene to add a different location to the piece, I feel this shoot went well and we were able to gather some really good footage. I then helped with some filming outside the Grand, which was for Bookkeeper, as well as the filming which they did at the library in the fashion building. I felt that these went well—although I can’t speak for what the crew thought—but I thought that I was able to help them film some very good footage, in what was a very nice location.

I have also been sat with Richard while he was editing—again, sitting in the room in case I was needed, while working on my work—and from what I have seen, I feel that Richard is doing an amazing job on the edit, having fixed some of the issues that I saw in the footage when watching it back. It has helped me to notice what can be expected of a director, and has given meaning to what Marc De Launay meant when he said that a director has to shoot for the edit. I feel that having seen what Richard has done, and the way that he reacted to some of the footage, that I could have asked for more variety in the shots. I feel that having someone on continuity would have helped this process—although we were only a small group—and having more time at the locations; however, I was given plenty of time at these locations by Jodie, who worked very hard to secure the time that I had. I feel that the issue was not with the amount of time that we had, but me as a director, I could have helped to make the filming process more streamlined and faster, and have captured more footage in the time that we had. However, I have learnt from this, and I know that I could work faster as a director—and I feel that I am faster now, and can work better than I did earlier in the production.

Despite some of my shortcomings as a director, and how I feel that may have affected the edit, I think that what Richard has done looks great. While the edit isn’t finished yet, I think that it is making good progress, and I am excited to see how it turns out in the end.

#Level 6 #Major #Production Diary #Slaps

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Production Diary- Week 19- 25/04/16

This week was spent editing, while Richard worked on the edit for Slaps, I spent the time developing any ideas that I had as well as planning for any of the future or upcoming shoots. I was there to lend Richard a hand if needs be, but I stayed in the background as not to disrupt him. I am very confident with how Richard is creating the edit, and from what he has shown me so far, I am exceptionally happy with what he has done with the footage. I think that once the edit is complete it will be great to watch, my only concern is that I may not have got all the coverage that was needed on the shoot days. While there aren’t any key shots missing from the piece, there were shots which I now feel could use an extra cutaway to help them, or there was a shot which didn’t work as well as I planned in the edit. However, I have learnt from this, and will now plan shots better in the future so that I can properly predict what would be needed for the edit—taking on board Marc De Launay’s advice that a director should always be shooting for the edit (which has never felt more relevant).

There are some shots, such as those in the gym, where I was concerned after the shoot that they may not look how I would have thought, however, the way that Richard has worked with the footage has really done service to those shots and made me feel a lot better about the piece. I am glad that Richard volunteered to edit the piece, although I never doubted his editing talent.

#Level 6 #Major #Production Diary #Slaps

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Shoot Evaluation- Shoot Dates 9 & 10- Cutaways- 04–05/05/16

I decided to include both of these shoots in the same evaluation, since they were both quite quick—and were both cutaways. The first set of filming was to capture some beach scenes for the montage in the film, and the second was for the crowd scenes to cut away to during the larger fights.

I think the shots at the beach went very well, and while it was only a quick shoot, we were able to capture some good footage for the montage, however, we were slightly rushed due to the strict timetable for the day—having to be at another location soon after—this meant that we were only able to get a few shots. We were able to work well with the actors to capture some good footage, and while we weren’t able to get a variety like I would have liked, we were able to get some good shots that will fit. We were also able to film some scenes for the actors—at their request—which they felt would at some personal flare to the piece. I think that while it was a quick shoot, it went very well, and although I wasn’t able to see the camera screen very well, I trust that when Kyle said the footage looked good, that he was right.

Then, the next day, Jodie had arranged for people to come to the studio, this was so we could record some crowd shots for the piece; which would be slotted in the fights scenes of the piece. This was another first for me, directing such a large amount of people—Jodie said that she would act as a 1stAD for me and help to control the people. However, I feel that I did quite well by myself, I was concerned that I wouldn’t have the confidence to control the large amount of people, but I feel that they reacted well to my direction (Jodie did still help sometimes, which I am grateful for). We were able to film some good footage, from what I saw—I was holding a boom pole for most of the filming. But again, I trust Kyle when he said that the footage was good. I think that filming crowd scenes such as these was a new experience, and I feel that it has helped me with my confidence as a director by giving me more experience in a broad range of scenarios. I am grateful to Jodie for being able to set up the shoot, and for our crew being able to work well with each other and efficiently gather the footage we needed, in such a short time—since many of our extras had deadlines the following day. D’Arcy wasn’t able to make the shoot, so Lee stepped in and recorded some very good sound for the piece, which after hearing back, will be good as a bed in the scene—if D’Arcy feels the same way.

Overall, these two days were something different to what I am used to, since I still haven’t done many film shoots such as this—filming cutaways, or re-shoots. I think that it has helped me as a director, and has allowed me to experience a broader range of situations and work with a greater amount of actors.

#Level 6 #Major #Shoot Evaluation #Slaps

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Research Development- Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War (2016, Anthony & Joe Russo) came out during the post-production phase of Slaps, and while the film did have an effect on me, much of what inspired me from the film was too late in the production of the piece to be relevant. However, when Richard and I were talking about the titles for Slaps, I thought of how they were presented in Captain America, and I felt that it would work with our piece.

Richard felt that we should include titles between the rounds of the fights, this would be to better explain which round is which, and I felt that it could help to show progression more easily during the rounds in the final fight. The titles in Captain America appeared immediately as the location was introduced, and the text was bold and white and took up the full width of the screen, I felt that this would match the feel of Slaps, and Richard seemed to agree when I discussed the idea. I felt that the bold text and sudden appearance of the titles would match the impact and speed of the fights, while still working well to introduce each round—I felt that by doing this visually, instead of over dialogue, would be a much more interesting approach as well. I thought this would help to differentiate between the cinematic and documentary segments of the film.

We then spoke about some fonts that we may be able to use for the piece, and we found some that may be suitable on font websites, we discussed the possibility of using some of these—this is because I felt that ‘Impact’ font may not be the best for this effect. But I felt that whichever Richard felt worked best, I would be happy to trust his decision.

#Level 6 #Major #Research #Research Development #Slaps #Captain America #Civil War

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Casting Choices

These are the casting choices made for Slaps, and the reason for why I made them. While I didn’t want to make the decision mine alone (given that there could be production issues due a certain actor for example), these are my own reasons for why I made these choices. Some of these were made from the auditions we held, and some of the others are from different applications for the roles later on. Overall, I was very happy with the casting that we got, and I am grateful for what Jodie was able to find for the piece, and although we didn’t get all the characters we needed from the auditions, Jodie was able to find some great actors for the roles we didn’t manage to get—as well as some of the actors who I had imagined for the role while writing the piece.

 Taylor Ward- Stephen Heanan- Stephen wasn’t who I had imagined for the role, however, he was still a match for what I may have wanted from the character. I felt that—having worked with Stephen before—that we would be able to rely on him to provide a good performance, and that, much like last time, we would be able to count on him to appear at our shoots. I felt that it was this past relationship with the actor that made me feel confident about casting him in the lead role for our piece. I also felt that given Stephen looks athletic, he would be a match for the character, given that Taylor within the piece has a training regime and is athletic by nature.

 Samantha Hunt- Harriot Ghost- We didn’t have an actress appear at the auditions, which meant that Jodie looked other places for possible women to play the role of Sam. Jodie asked Harriot if she would be willing to appear in the film, and she said that she would be interested if she had the time on the days. I knew that Harriot had worked with the course previously, and on more than one occasion, which made me feel confident that she would be able to bring a good performance to the role. While she wasn’t who I had imagined for the role, I felt that she still suited my ideas for the role and I felt that her performance would more than make up for it.

 Stephen Ward- Dennis Baer- When I heard that Den was interested in the role of the father, I was more than happy to let him have the part. This is because I hadn’t worked with Den before, and after being on the same sets as him, and hearing about his level of professionalism while on location, I was excited to have the opportunity. I also felt that he would be perfect for the role, having the proper demeanour and authority that I expected the father to have, not to mention the sense of humour that I felt would work well with this style of film. He still attended the audition, and I still fairly watched any other actors auditioning for the role, but after Den’s delivery of the character, I felt that he was very well suited for the character.

 Mary Ward- Sharon Lidster- I had not worked with Sharon before, and I hadn’t heard very about her from other actors—although I found out later that Stephen had worked with her before. But after speaking to Jodie about her, and the fact that she was excited to work in the role, I felt more confident about it. I felt that she looked how I imagined the character, and that she would be able to deliver the performance that we needed. Jodie assured me that she was local as well, which made me feel better about the chances we would be able to plan easily around her.

 Mark Harrison- Jacob Anderton- Jacob had been an actor I wanted involved in the piece since the beginning. While Harrison hadn’t always been the main antagonist for the piece, I had always wanted Jacob to play the role of one of the competitors, and as the character got larger in my ideas for the piece, I wanted him to take the role. This is because—after having worked with him on Ripper—I knew that Jacob was a talented actor, and would commit himself to the role. I also felt that he would be able to portray the cocky and headstrong League II Champion of Slaps. I had imagined the character to be larger than life, and I felt that Jacob would be able to portray that. Jodie and I approached Jacob at the Ripper screening, and he seemed excited for the piece, and once we started production, he still wanted to play the part, which made me incredibly happy, I was very grateful to Jodie for being able to get hold of him.

 Robbie Smith- Michael Grist- Michael and Stephen both applied for the role, and when auditioning they performed together—each of them playing the other role. I felt that Stephen gave the better performance out of the two, but given their chemistry, I felt that they should have been in a role where they would be given the chance to work off of each other. I felt that Michael was a strong option for the role of Robbie, and since I had worked with him before, I knew that he would be great for the character.

 William Walters- James Campbell- I felt that Walters was a difficult character to cast—this is because we wanted someone who was larger than Stephen—this was to make his first challenge in the film to seem a difficult one to overcome. Where had thought about Gary from Inferno, for example, Jim came forward and said that he would be interested in being in the film. I was happy to cast Jim in the role, because I felt that the energy he would bring to the character would be good for the scene. I also knew that gym had some of his own wrestling equipment, which I thought would add to the outlandishness of the character.

 Referee- Graham Saxon- I wanted Graham to play the role of a referee since I thought to include a referee in the piece, I felt that the energy Graham brings to the role would be welcome and would help to make an otherwise quite uninteresting role within a film to a more memorable one. Jodie contacted Graham, and he agreed to the role straight away, which I was really happy for.

#Level 6 #Major #Slaps #Casting Choices

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Research Development- Cinematic Storytelling

I read this book to try and develop my understanding of cinematic storytelling, I thought this would be able to help me while planning out storyboards and while writing the script, I felt that by having a better understanding of different methods I could use to tell a story visually would help me during these processes. I also thought it would help me while planning out any directing work, and when trying to communicate my ideas. While I am familiar with different methods already, I thought that this might provide some clarity to these different methods, and hopefully allow me to develop the knowledge I already have.

One method which it explained very well was using light to direct the viewer to certain aspects of the scene, however, I felt that many of the examples of this were very heavy-handed, and were too obvious. It included examples such as Citizen Kane (1941, Orson Welles), however, I felt that much of the use in the film wasn’t very subtle. However, the book explained some of the subtle examples of this technique, and included some of the ways which the method can aide the viewer. I think the idea of subtle uses of this technique is something which could work very well, and would be something which I feel could work very well. I think the idea of using light strength to suggest character strength; I think it would be an interesting experiment.

Balance of the frame is another subject that the book spoke about, and I feel that it brought forward some ideas that I had for Slaps earlier in the production. The book spoke about how balance within the frame can suggest balance within the character, or characters. However, breaking that balance will then suggest that there was an event—or accentuate an actual event—that would break that balance. I wanted to include something like this with Slaps, with the fights starting balanced, but they would become in favour of whoever is winning. I thought this would be an interesting concept for the fights, and I felt that with the book explaining an idea for why this method would work on a subconscious level.

Another concept which the book spoke about was the use of lines within a frame, citing Fargo (1996, Joel Coen), as an inspiration for this technique. With lines within the film being used to suggest a crossroads with lines in the snow. This was to suggest both a physical and mental crossroad which the character was at. I felt that this technique can be very interesting, and is something which can help to improve a scene, sometimes offering a reference to a physical and mental obstacle for the character. I think that when lines are used parallel to the flow of a scene, they can help to accentuate a sense of speed and movement to a scene. However, if the action of a scene is at a tangent to these lines presented in the cinematography or design of the shot, they can show struggle or a sense of difficultly, since they will work against the lines presented. While this isn’t a tested theory, this is what I believe, having created a theory from reading that section of the book; I think it would be an interesting experiment. I think that this is a good example of how cinematography can help to assist the flow of a scene, or suggest difficulty.

Another concept which the book spoke of, was the idea that using rectangular shapes can be used to suggest a portal or window into another situation, which could be something as obvious as a door or window, or could purely be representative of these. I thought this was an interesting idea, and could be something which could be used during the fight segments of Slaps, as a rectangular shape could be used to suggest him entering the match—or possibly the mind-set of an athlete.

Something else which was raised in the book was the use of montage, and how that can be used to show the passage of time, I thought that this was obvious—especially compared to some of the other topics discussed within the book—however, the way in which it spoke about montage was interesting. It explained how the montage can be used to develop the scene, and convey different messages in a broad range of ways, from the speed at which it is edited, from the content. I thought this was interesting to read at this sort of level—since I hadn’t read something discussing montage in an academic text—however, in some ways it was similar to the message in the Team America (2004, Trey Parker), song ‘Montage’. I had already wanted to use a montage within Slaps, so this technique wasn’t new to me. However, I did enjoy reading about some of the ways in which montage can be used and how different elements can affect the message of the scene. Something else which they spoke about in the book was the use of split-screen, and how it can be used to suggest simultaneity within a scene, and I thought it could be something integrated into the montage in Slaps. It could be something used to show more than one character doing at the same time—such as Harrison and Taylor training at the same time.

The book also spoke about the use of time in film, and how it could be used to suggest other meanings in its use. One of which was slowing down a scene to suggest more importance to the situation, with the example given being the adrenaline scene in Pulp Fiction (1994, Quentin Tarantino), in which the character Vince has to deliver an adrenaline shot to a character who has overdosed. However, there is a large error for margin with what Vince is doing, which could mean life or death for the other character, so the director chose to slow down the scene. Vince counts to three, but the scene takes far longer than the real time of him counting, to accentuate the importance of this action. I think this is an interesting concept, and has very useful applications within film, I feel this is also used in reverse in many action films—often with countdown timers—where the scene will be sped up, despite the timer, to help accentuate the feeling of speed and urgency.

Something else mentioned in the book is the use of slow motion within scenes, giving Raging Bull (1980, Martin Scorsese), as an example of the use. The writer suggests that slow motion is used to show trauma within a scene; such as when it is used in Raging Bull, and Rocky (1976, John G. Avildsen), to show the fighters receiving powerful hits. This allows the viewer to see the emotion and or trauma in greater detail, and can suggest the slower speed at which the character may see the world while these actions are happening. This is something which I wanted to experiment with in Slaps, and I think that along with the use of speed to accentuate certain feelings within a scene, that these could be used to great effect to help the fight scenes in the film.

Orientation was another topic discussed in the book, in that using different orientation can suggest disorder, rebellion or non-conformity if used a character, or a feeling of other-worldliness if used for a location. I felt that while this is true, and that by changing the angle at which a scene is viewed you can alter the message received by the viewer and literally change their perspective on the scenario, I also believe that it can be used more broadly than mentioned in the book. I believe that it can be used for comedic effect, and is something which Edgar Wright uses to great effect. In films such as Shaun of the Dead (2004, Edgar Wright), in which objects are placed into the frame at angles which wouldn’t often be seen. This can suggest disconnection within a character, or can be used for comedy by having objects enter the screen at non-conventional angles. This is something that I feel can work very well, and would be something I would enjoy experimenting with.

Overall, I felt that this book was very useful, it allowed me to explore theories I felt I already knew, and learn new ideas which I hadn’t had before. I think that it suggested some interesting approaches to cinematic storytelling, which I feel I could to help better myself, both as a director and as a screenwriter. I feel this has helped me to think of ways that subtle imagery can be used to suggest different ideas to the viewer, and ways that can be used at different periods throughout the production.

 Bibliography

VAN SIJLL, J., Cinematic Storytelling, California, Michael Wiese Productions, 2005.

#Level 6 #Major #Cinematic Storytelling #Slaps #Research

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Research Development- The Female Gaze

While female representation is quite low within Slaps, I wanted to read about some of the theories behind the representation of women in television and film, as well as some of the theories behind female viewers, and some of the schools of thought into how different representations within films can affect a female viewer. However, the book then went into detail about female representation in television and film and feminist theories surrounding this representation. I expected that—due to the title—that the book would speak about the opposite of the Male Gaze theory and explain how women view either themselves, or men within a film. The book spoke about how females are portrayed in film and television, but given the publishing date of the book—in 1988—the television shows and films in question are from the 70’s mostly, and many of the feminist theories have either been put into effect, or are somewhat outdated now. I believe this is because female representation in media has got a lot better recently, and there are a greater number of women in key roles within pieces, and as better written characters.

One issue the book spoke about was that women are often used in series which feature two male leads as a way to prove their heterosexuality, and a means to ignore the homosexual undertones of the situations. I feel that this is a valid look at television of the time, with series such as Starsky & Hutch (1975–1979, William Blinn) and T.J. Hooker (1982–1985, Rick Husky). The book continued to speak about how women would often play small roles in these series, and would often be sexualised, and if not would serve as a ‘damsel in distress’ character, or as a love interest. I feel that this is still relevant to some films and television series, but as a rule, this style of character has been slowly removed from media in place or better characters, or at least, those who aren’t as soulless.

It spoke about female orientated series as well, and how those who tried to place women in similar situations to the men, Charlie’s Angels (1976–1981, Ivan Goff & Ben Roberts), or the character of Emma Peel in The Avengers (1961–1969, Sydney Newman). While they were placed in situations which were often given only to men at the time of the series creations, they were still presented with a glamour that was only allowed for female characters. While male characters may become dishevelled, women would maintain glamour throughout the episodes.

I feel that this was right for the time, women were often presented in similar situations to men, but wouldn’t have their female image altered in the process, they would still be given a glamour that only a femmes fatale of years before would have. I feel that while these series were progressive in the treatment of female characters, they were still quite conservative in the representation of those characters. However, I feel that this approach to female characters, while still prevalent in some media, has been combatted recently, and placed female characters in the same situations as male characters. Characters such as Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez, Furious 7), are placed in the same situations as their male counterparts, and are treat in much the same way that I believe characters such as those should be, as a character—regardless of their gender.

While I believe the book has some good issues within it, I believe that much of what is written in it is no longer relevant, as within the almost thirty years since it was written, there has been an increase in positive female representation in films, as well as steps forward for feminism and female representation in the media. While I believe that there are still great lengths to which equal rights and female rights can develop, there have been great bounds in television and media in the recent years. I still feel that the book allows an insightful look into what the landscape of female representation was during that time, and I feel that I have gained a better understanding of what female representation was in television and film, and just how far it has developed over the years. It does disappoint me that after reading this book that I feel Slaps doesn’t assist the representation of female characters, since I didn’t write many into the piece—and we struggled to find female actors to fill the roles. I would have liked to have included more positive female characters (I made the names of the main characters gender neutral so that we could have had performers of any gender in the role), but I feel that I did as best as we were able in the situation.

 Bibliography

GAMMAN, L., and MARSHMENT, M., The Female Gaze, London, The Women’s Press, 1988.  

#Level 6 #Major #Female Gaze #Slaps #Research

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Audition Review

Jodie had organised an audition for all of the projects and had received a lot of feedback from people who were interested in attending, however, in the end we only had seven people turn up for the auditions—with an eighth coming in the following week to have an audition on their own due to scheduling conflicts with the first date. Despite the small amount of numbers, we had some very good actors come to the auditions, and I feel that they went very well.

First was Will, who we had worked with before in the first year, and who James had worked with in the previous year. He was auditioning for Book Keeper, and was going for the role of Luke. I felt that it was his energy which I really enjoyed during the audition, and he brought was I felt was a lot of character to a role which I was concerned may not be properly cast. I think that the level of commitment he put to the role, and the enthusiasm he had during the performance were great, and it really helped me to see that despite not pursuing it professionally, that he is a good actor. I couldn’t think of a part I would give him in my own production, but if there were any he were interested in, I would be comfortable to offer him it. This is because I also know that he is good to work with, having done so in the past.

The next person to audition was Nathan, who had come for the role of Louis in The Takeover, and for Clint in the Book Keeper. While on first appearance he wasn’t what I expected for either role, his performance said otherwise. I felt that he brought a lot of energy to the characters, and with the role of Louis especially—going through the transformation scene—that he acted very well in a role that may make others feel uncomfortable. He explained that he had a past in voice acting, and done so in his spare time, and I feel that this was apparent in his performance, with a lot of emphasis being put on the vocal aspect of the performance. Saying that, the physical side was not lacking. While I couldn’t imagine a role for him in Slaps, I feel that his voice may have a part to play, possibly as one of the announcers in the piece. I felt that while he may not be what I imagined for Louis, that the performance he gave was good, and for Clint, I felt that his accent was very good, but he didn’t have the look which I had expected. Having not worked with him before I am not sure how he will act on a set, but having spoken to him on the way to the studio, he seemed committed, and happy for the chance to work with us.

The next to audition was Paul, who was auditioning for the role of Stephen in Slaps. This was the first person of the day to be auditioning specifically for my film, so I was excited to see how he played the role. One issue was that I knew Dennis was coming later in the day, and he was what I had imagined for the role while writing the piece, so I felt that I was biased to the other actor. Despite this, I wanted to give Paul a fair chance to play the role. I felt that his performance was not as good as I would have liked, and that while he had the voice and tone for the role, it was the delivery which let him down. Paul had admitted that he was not an actor, and simply was interested in the filmmaking process, so I felt better for him having explained his situation, however, I didn’t feel that the role of Stephen was right for him. However, due to his positive attitude, I felt that there could be another role in the piece for him, because it would be a shame to not work with someone which such enthusiasm.

Next, Stephen, Michael and Ken arrived together. These are actors who we have worked with before and before they even began the read-through I knew that there would be a role for them. This is because we have been on multiple films with each actor, and I am familiar with what roles they are good for, and how well they are able to perform. I felt that this would be a good chance to speak to them again, and see how their skills as actors have developed. Stephen and Michael came to read for the roles of Taylor and Robbie in Slaps respectively, Stephen in Book Keeper, and Louis in The Takeover. I was mostly interested in what they were going to do for Slaps. I felt that the chemistry that they both had really worked in the roles of Taylor and Robbie, and that their natural ability to work off of each other came through in the dialogue, and was accentuated because of this. I feel that they added a lot to the roles, and because they worked so well together, I knew that if I were to cast one in one of the roles, that the other would have to take the other role. I felt that Stephen read best for Taylor, having a good personality for the piece, and a voice which suited the role. While Michael gave a great performance as Robbie, with his personality really coming through in the delivery of the lines. I felt that they were both best suited for these roles. I felt that they both read well for Stephen in Book Keeper also, with that same chemistry coming through in their delivery again, however, I felt that Stephen was best suited to playing Stephen. I felt that the both played Louis, with each of their personalities and energies coming to the role, while both providing a different feel to the character, and representing him differently. I felt that either of them would be suited to that role, although I am not sure which Jodie would have preferred. I felt that they both worked well together, as usual, and that they both played the roles they auditioned for well; I hope that I have the chance to work with both of them again.

Ken was auditioning for the role of the grandfather in Book Keeper, and having worked with Ken before on a few projects, I felt that he would have the right voice for the role, although I feel that he doesn’t have the physical presence that Kyle would have liked. I felt that Ken played the role very well, and that his voice was what made the role, with his delivery being what I had expected for the opening of the piece. I think that Ken would be good for the role, especially because of his personality. This is because he is a very confident actor, and has a positive, funny attitude while on set, which I feel would raise the spirits of those on set.

The final person to come to the auditions was Dennis, someone who I hadn’t worked with before, but know those who have. While speaking to Den, I knew why people spoke so highly of him, from his personality alone I felt that he would be right for the part, and that on the day of shoot he would be a pleasure to work with. When it came to reading through the role—Stephen in Slaps—I felt that he was exactly what I had been wanting for the role, since he had been the person I had imagined while writing the piece, and I feel that he lived up to that expectation. I think that he had the presence and voice for the role, and combined with his delivery, I felt that he was exactly what I wanted for the character. For me, it was no question on whether we got Den for the role.

Overall, I felt that these auditions went well, and that I had the opportunity to meet some new actors who were exceptionally talented, and some who I would like to work with in the future. It also allowed me to meet with actors who had been on previous projects, and speak with them again about acting for us. I felt that this was good in of itself, because it gave me a chance to catch up with some talented individuals. I think that I have cast some of the roles that I would have liked to in this audition, despite the female roles still being open. But, I feel that it went well.

#Level 6 #Major #Audition Evaluation #Slaps

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Production Diary- Week 18- 18/04/16

I spent this week further developing my ideas and completing any withstanding paperwork, until Tuesday, where we had the studio session for Slaps, where D’Arcy and I recorded the audio for the announcers who would appear during the fight scenes. We first recorded Dan Whalen who would be the first announcer during Taylor’s first fight with Harrison, that session was finished quite quickly and gave us some time to prepare for when we had Graham Saxon and Martin Smith coming in to be the other two announcers for the final fight. I feel that the recordings went very well, and we were able to record some very good footage. However, I will go into more depth in the specific piece about this shooting day.

We then filmed some footage for Bookkeeper on the beach, where I was helping as a production assistant, I felt that the day went very well, and from what I could see, the footage looked very good. It was a nice opportunity to speak to the actors on the location and see the production from another point of view. I also had fun assisting on the production, which was a nice opportunity.

Then on Thursday, we recorded the second day at the house, which I felt went very well. We were able to record some very good footage and I think that it went well, despite us not being able to record sound on the day because D’Arcy wasn’t available due to illness. However, we recorded sound onto the camera, and we felt that it should be good and if we have to record sound again for the scene, that we would be willing to. I thought that this was a good day, and it was nice to finally record the first scene of the film, so now I think it will help the edit to seem more complete.

Overall, I feel that this week went very well, we were able to record some great footage and worked well as a team to have what I would consider some of the best filming dates that we have had this year. I was able to get a lot of work done this week, both in filming and paperwork, which has left me at the end of this week happy in how the projects are looking.

#Level 6 #Major #Production Diary #Slaps

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Production Diary- Week 17- 11/04/16

Richard started editing with me this week, and I am really happy looking back over the footage, and while there are some small issues with the lighting in some of the scenes (during the first fight with Harrison in the script), I think that the footage looks really nice. I had some idea of what else we needed to film for the piece, and this helped me to see more of the things that we would need for this scene, including a couple of cutaways that I felt would help the flow of the scene. I wanted to know what Richard wanted for the scenes, and wrote those down as well, as well as a very good idea for the montage scene. We spent the week editing, and I think that we have got a good way into the film, and I am glad to say that I am very happy with how it is looking so far.

I always enjoy working with Richard as an editor, and I feel that he has helped to bring a lot of energy to the scene, and helped to streamline it to flow even better than I had originally imagined it. I supervised while he edited the piece, and supplied him with a script and set of storyboards so that he would be able to reference them. I didn’t want to be too overbearing during the editing process, so I sat off to the side and attended to other work whilst Richard edited. I helped with any questions or issues that Richard had, because I felt this was a healthier way to edit, instead of me dictating him.

On Thursday we had some pick-ups for the other shoot dates, which we being filmed in the studio. With the list that Richard and I had wrote, and the scenes that I knew we needed form the shot list, we were able to quickly capture all the footage we needed for that day, Richard had been editing while we did so. I feel this day went really well and we able to capture the rest of the small shots that we needed for the film, and I hope that when the footage is backed up that we will have everything we need. We then went to film for the Bookkeeper, where I was reprises my role of the monster in the woods. While I am not on the production crew for this film, I felt that the shoot went really well, and given that we had been filming for a few hours already, that we were all prepared and energised by the time we got to the woods.

I felt that this week went really well, I was able to watch Richard edit and film pick-ups, which is something I have never had the chance to do before. This was a new experience for me this week, and I have really enjoyed it. I feel that I am becoming more confident with myself as a director, and that I have learnt a lot about the role and some of the additional expectations in this week alone.

#Level 6 #Major #Production Diary #Slaps

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Production Diary- Week 16- 04/04/16

This was the second week of the Easter holidays, so I spent much of it looking back over the filming which we had done the previous week, as well as developing the paperwork which I had been working on, and some ideas which had come about because of the filming. I was now waiting to start editing with Richard the following week at university, because now that we have a greater portion of the film, we will now be able to begin editing properly. We have been discussing the idea of reshoots for some of the scenes which were I the final act of the film, because of difficulties filming at the Southlands Centre, and we are currently looking to film them in the following week.

#Level 6 #Major #Production Diary #Slaps

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Market Research

While first writing Slaps, I wanted to see what market the piece would appeal to, and while I am not sure whether it will be submitted to a festival, or what the future of the piece may be after the deadline, I wanted to see who it may appeal to; or what competition it may have if it were released in public cinemas. This was something of a thought experiment for me, and I thought that it would help me to establish what sort of market the film may appeal to. While I understand that if this were done properly, it would involve surveys and other primary sources, but I thought that since I am only writing the script, that it would be something of an aide to me during this process.

The first example I looked at was the Rocky series (1976, John G. Avildsen), which has, by this time, reached an iconic film status, with many people knowing certain scenes and quotes without ever having seen the film. Not only has the film received Oscars, but it is considered a classic film. I feel that while Slaps is something a parody of the genre, I feel that it will appeal to fans of the genre in the same way that Young Frankenstein (1974, Mel Brooks), appeals to horror fans. I think that the popularity of the sports film genre alone would be in favour of Slaps, and would be something that could help garner attention for the piece.

A modern example of this would be the film Creed (2015, Ryan Coogler), which has been received well—with an 82% rating from metacritic. The film was a box office success as well, showing that the sport genre is still something that still watched and well received by the mainstream. Another example is Southpaw (2015, Antonie Fuqua), which was released earlier in the year. This film received positive praise, as well as being considered a box office, something else which I think attests to the mainstream popularity of the sports genre. However, all of the examples I have found have been of boxing, which appears to be the most successful sport in film, and I feel that since Slaps will be a parody of this, and presented in a way which first alludes to being a boxing film, this could work to its advantage.

I felt that given the positive reception to sports films within the mainstream, this element of Slaps would be well received, and given that the core element of Slaps is a sports parody, it would appeal to this genre. However, the sports aspect of the film is not the only element to Slaps, I feel that the parody side of the film is just as relevant as the sports side of the piece, and this is something that I wanted to research as well.

I feel that parody is a film genre which was most popular in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, with examples such as Hot Shots! (1991, Jim Abrahams), and Scary Movie (2000, Keenan Wayans). As well as earlier examples, such as the works of Mel Brooks. However, I feel that with the decline of parody during the 2000’s has resulted in a lack of films within the genre now, and I feel that while there is a reason that examples of the genre no longer exist, that the lack of these films would be something that could work to the advantage of Slaps. With the interest being put in the idea of Space Balls 2[1], and the false advertising which received positive reception shows that there could be interest in the genre being revived.

I also wanted to look at the mockumentary genre, since it was what I wanted to theme the piece around, and while I also wanted to include non-mockumentary elements to the film, I felt that it would be a draw to the film that it had such a section. I think that mockumentary is a style which seems to feature mostly in comedy (unless the handheld ‘found-footage’ genre often seen in horror is considered to be the same). Many modern examples of the mockumentary genre are works by Sacha Baron Cohen, including Borat (2006, Larry Charles), and The Dictator (2012, Larry Charles), both of which were filmed in a mockumentary style. How they differ from Slaps, is that they work of public reactions and often improvisation. However, I feel that the mockumentary genre is quite well received—as a format—with any issues being often with the content, Bruno (2009, Larry Charles), for example.

With films such as This is Spinal Tap (1984, Rob Riener), having received a cult following, and often praised as being one of the best examples of the genre, I feel that there is a place for mockumentary still within mainstream film. I think that given the genres long established format, and the broad range of subjects and themes can be covered within that format lend themselves well to Slaps, and would still be relevant to a mainstream audience.

I feel that this research has helped me to think about what sort of film Slaps will be, and how it would be received if marketed to a wider audience. I think that while it is a mix of genres, that they are still relevant within pop culture, and I feel it would allow for Slaps—in premise at the very least—to be something which has appeal to a modern audience.

 Bibliography

SCHWERDTFEGER, C., A Spaceballs Sequel? Here’s the Truth, 2016, http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Spaceballs-Sequel-Here-Truth-101067.html

[1] C., SCHWERDTFEGER, A Spaceballs Sequel? Here’s the Truth, 2016, http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Spaceballs-Sequel-Here-Truth-101067.html

#Level 6 #Major #Research #Market Research #Slaps

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Script Development Research

After receiving the feedback from Marc De Launay, and seeing the books and other media which he recommended to us, I thought that it would be best to read through the more relevant pieces to try and better understand what Marc was trying to explain to me through his feedback. I felt that if it was something suggested by Marc then it must be worth a read, given he chose to share it with our group. However, once I started reading through some of the books that he sent to us, I felt that I should develop on the research that I was already doing and find some examples of my own that may assist me further. What I thought would be best would be to choose some books that I may not otherwise have read now, books which spoke about the basics of scriptwriting, and those which explored certain aspects of it.

While I did not find myself above books like those, I felt that maybe they were teaching messages that I didn’t need to hear, having worked on writing for the past three years. However, I felt that by looking at the subject with fresh eyes and a more critical approach, I may be able to learn lessons that I didn’t know otherwise, or refresh myself on those which I had forgot.

In this sheet I will be speaking about the books I read—both those which Marc recommended, and those which I found for myself—and how it affected me and my writing. I will start with the former and speak about the books which were recommended by Marc De Launay.

 10 Simple F*cking Rules for Writing a Great F*cking Screenplay[1]

This was the first book I read which was recommended by Marc, and while writing I don’t often criticise how the book presents the information in it, but I had an issue with this book. I felt that the writing was immature and not very nicely presented, due to an overuse of swearing (evident in the title), with there being a swear word on at least every page. While I have no issue with swearing inherently, I felt that the overuse may it repetitive to read, and really made it a struggle to read through the book. Despite the presumptuous writer however, I felt that the book did provide some useful information. It spoke about the basics of writing, and how although it may seem like very obvious rules, that it is something that is often overlooked and can really negatively affect a script. It then went on to speak about how a scene is presented and developed within the narrative, explaining that often it is the how the scene is constructed that affects how it portrays the story, and that even a good idea can be badly affected by poor structure in a piece. I felt that this affected my own piece, because some of the scenes seemed very weighty in Slaps, and I think that by taking some advice from this book and restructuring the scene to work better with the message I am trying to present will help the piece to read better.

It also spoke about the character, and mentioned that while good characters are a very obvious requirement for a piece, that they are often neglected and no developed to the proper stage they should be. I feel that the writer was trying to explain that many characters are shallow and presented in a very undeveloped way, which can affect not only the perception of the character, but will affect the pacing of the script and how the reader will perceive the script. I thought this was useful advice, because while I do try to develop my own characters as much as I can, it made me think of different ways that I would be able to flesh the characters out, and be able to present them as far more realised creations. I think, overall, the book helped me to realise some lessons which I felt that I had learnt, but had ultimately forgot to use in my own works. I think much of what the writer has to say is very useful information, which can help those looking to start in screenwriting, I just feel that the way he presents that information could be changed, because while it is blunt (which is useful), it isn’t enjoyable to read (for me personally). However, the content was useful and had me thinking about some of the basic lessons I had learnt when I first joined the course and how they are still, if not more, relevant to me now.

 I Could’ve Written A Better Movie Than That![2]  

While this piece doesn’t speak about the writing process, I felt that the way it tackles the script consulting profession, as well as some of the advice it has on the role, really helped me to think more objectively about my own work, and how I would be able to look at my own piece through the eyes of a consultant and critique myself much in the same way that Marc would for a piece. While I feel that it may be too late for me to apply this to my own piece, I think that it will help me in the future to be able to produce a cleaner, more efficient script earlier on in the production process, which would help me to produce a piece more quickly and save time on the writing stage of whatever piece it may be. It made me think to take the opportunity of looking back over my own pieces, as well as some of those who I have worked on before and look at them in a more critical way, and I felt that it was a fun exercise. Not only did it help me to notice the ways I have developed as a writer, but helped me to get in a better frame of mind while looking over the script for a piece. I think this will help me as a producer as well, because if the script is not my own and is presented to me by another member of the crew, I will be able to evaluate the piece better, and hopefully notice any potential flaws earlier in the production.

I think that by reading about the role of a script consultant, and what can be expected of the position has helped put my ideas on scriptwriting—from the perspective of writer and producer—into a more critical frame of mind, which I feel will benefit me more in the future, but will assist me in making any future changes to the current script.

 Batman Writers’ Guidelines

I thought that reading through this document was very interesting, because while I knew that documents such as this were employed for television series with multiple writers, I had never read one. I felt that looking over the document was incredibly interesting for a few reasons, the first of which being that I am a huge fan of the series—having watched it from a young age—so reading the writing bible for it was fun. The second was that I was able to see a working document for such a large scale television series, which gave me some insight into the creation process that went into one of the largest Warner Bros. Animated productions. The other reason was that I was able to see the amount of effort that went into producing such a document and what that would have meant to the writers of the series, since the document spoke about many different aspects of the writing process, from how the episodes should be structured, to how the humour of the series must be delivered.

While I was aware that things like this would have to be established, since many of the writers would share different ideas on how a story should be delivered, or how humour should be written, but it was interesting to see an actual document like this. I found it very informative looking at how the advert breaks should be used for a piece, in that they should present a scenario for the viewer, and while that may not be a life or death situation, it should be something that would keep those watching interested for when the programme comes back on after the break. I think that while this was written about a television programme, it is something that be useful for writing a piece, and could be applied to the three act structure, for example, as a means to keep the story interesting. However, I feel that since I would like to experiment with a television programme formula in the future, seeing how this successful show was presented was an opportunity that I really appreciate.

Something which also interested me was how the character profiles were presented to the writers. They explained the characters’ motivations and how they were linked to the setting, but it was delivered as if they were an actual figure, I felt that a subjective look such as this to a character and how they present themselves is something that a piece would benefit from, because even if the same person creating the characters is the person writing the piece, it could serve as reference. I think that while I have created character profiles on the past, they weren’t to the same level as those presented in this document, and it is something I would like to try and match in the future, because I feel that it would really assist me (or whoever may be working on the script for the piece), to properly establish and develop the character who they are trying to write about.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this document, both as a fan of the series, and as an academic. I feel that it has helped me to better understand what sort of work would go into a professional series, and how the writers of that series are expected to work. I think it has made me think more about how television series are structured, and how that could affect cinema. It has also made me think more about the character creation process, and some of the actions I can take to make sure that I create fleshed out and thought through characters, with enough detail that they could be presented to other writers in much the same way as this series.

 I will now speak about the other books which I researched while trying to develop what I looked at from the books which Marc recommended.

 Making A Good Script Great[3]

The book talks through the creative process of a script from start to finish, beginning with what the opening shot of film should be and how that is presented within the script. I describes that a script should start with an image, that instead of starting the piece with dialogue, there should be poignant image to ease the viewer into the film. This is because—as the book describes—an image is a far gentler introduction to a piece than dialogue, because more often than not, a person will engage their eyes before their ears. I found this to be very interesting because it was not something I had thought about before, and I thought that it could be something I experiment with in my own work, however, I thought that given the nature of Slaps, that this could be something we develop in the edit, instead of in the scripting process. However, now that I am aware of the idea (an idea which I think is based in logic, and is something which makes sense to me), that it will be something I explore more in depth in the future.

An issue I had with the book was how it spoke of the three act structure, which was as if it were a set of rules, instead of guidelines. I felt that this look towards something such as the three act structure was somewhat simple, and given the create nature of the film industry, was a strange position to take. However, the way that it went into depth of how that structure can be used was good to read, and while I believe that a three act structure isn’t needed for a great script, I think that some of the recommendations on how it can be used were insightful. It went into detail about how characters can be used to set the momentum of the scene, and how, within the structure can be used to develop the narrative and scenarios within the script. It went on to describe how, while some films will have many scenes, that they can soon become too brief and too shallow if not used correctly, and that there is a good way to make them work well—something which involves the three act structure and what I spoke of earlier.

They explained that by creating a relationship between the scenes, whether through theme, character or tone, can be extremely useful to help make scenes seem important and relevant to the reader of the script. That by linking even small scenes in a meaningful way can help to improve the flow of a piece and can help to streamline the narrative for the reader. I felt that while this was something I had learnt before, looking at it in this way (as a relationship), was something that helped me to better understand the sort of process I can take to help link scenes in a more meaningful way.

The book speaks often about the Hero’s Journey, and much of what it described is linked to Joseph Campbell’s ideas. I feel that while much of what the book tries to communicate shares many similarities with the Hero’s Journey, it develops quite well on these ideas and presents them in a way which is easier to digest then in Campbell’s work. I think that the way it suggests possible objects that could serve as a catalyst for the adventure and how that can be better integrated into the piece is very interesting, and has given me some ideas for future works. However, I feel that while the Hero’s Journey is relevant to a lot of pieces, it isn’t as much of a template for Slaps, then simply guidelines for some instances.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, I felt that while it tackled what may be considered simple subjects, it did so in a refreshing way that developed on many of these concepts. While I feel that how it speaks about the Hero’s Journey and three act structure is somewhat linear, it develops on many ideas for how they could be utilised within a piece. I think this was an interesting book, and offered some very intelligent ideas on scriptwriting, which have left me with a lot to think about for future projects.

 Alternative Scriptwriting[4]

The book starts by speaking about the three act structure, and other ways that a writer is able to structure a story, and it explains that while the three act structure is something which is often used in mainstream films, it is something that should be used as a guideline. This is because, as it describes, there are plenty of examples of films which don’t use the structure which have went on to gain success, many of which are considered to be mainstream films, Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994), for example. It also lists some of the different techniques which can be used to tell a story within a script, one of which stood out to me, which was that the characters within the piece can address the camera, and while this is something that wouldn’t be considered mainstream, it involves the audience in a different way. By mentioning them, it is believed, that they are more directly involved in the narrative, and that by being treat in a way similar to a documentary, that they are more open to suggestions within the world. I thought this was interesting to read, given how I chose to write Slaps (especially when thinking about my idea to have the piece in just a mockumentary style), and I think that exploring the psychological side of decisions such as that is an interesting route to take; and would be something I would like to explore further.

I thought that this was very interesting to think about, and I felt it was a shame that the book didn’t explore other styles of filmmaking in such a way. It made me think about some of the ways that the watcher could be involved in a piece, and how I would be able to convey this in the script. I thought this may serve as an interesting experiment in the future.

I felt that the book spoke about genre in a very interesting way, saying that while certain things decide a genre, that it is only certainly objects within the script that change to reflect this, those being:

·         Nature of the protagonist

·         Nature of the antagonist

·         Shape of the dramatic action

·         Catalytic event

·         Resolution

·         Narrative style

·         Narrative shape

·         Tone

This reminded me of several lessons that I had learnt in the past, making me think back to symbolism within films and how that can be reflected within a script, as well as some of the experiments with genre that we have taken part in over the course of my years at the university. I felt that it was strange that genre could be described in so few changes, but I felt that it was interesting to see it in that way. I feel that I haven’t explored genre very much within these past few years, and it is something that I would like to experiment with over the coming years, because I feel it would help me develop as a writer. While this wasn’t relevant to what I was reading these books for, in a hope to develop my understanding in a way that would help me to write a script, I felt that it has given me a lot to think about as a writer, and some of the ways that I would be able to test myself, and my skills.

Overall, I felt that this book was very interesting, and it tackled a lot about writing and the many different styles that it can take on. I felt that while I haven’t had the opportunity to speak in length about what was within this book, I have been able to speak about the key lessons which I learnt. I think that much of it has affected me in a positive way that will help the current project, but there has been much which I will be able to experiment with in the future.

 Script Magic[5]

The final book which I read was interesting, but I felt that it may have been the least relevant due to the stage that Slaps was in by this point. The book spoke mostly about the creative process, character designing and develop in particular, about ways that a writer could better understand their characters and develop the world. The first of which spoke about a technique which could be used to further develop characters, and is something that we have practiced in university to some extent. To pretend to almost be a spy with one of your own characters to create a profile on them which could be used as a reference for when you are writing them, however, after reading the document wrote about Batman: The Animated Series (Warner Bros. Animation, 1992–1995), I felt that it gave a better overview on the creative process. One piece of advice it gave, which I thought was interesting, was that—when creating a script—one should not think of what may be considered the proper or right way to do so. That by ignoring the rules of mainstream filmmaking while coming up with ideas for a piece you can better nurture the idea and create something which would stand out.

I felt that this book was a good read, and while it didn’t offer as much for me to think about as some of the other books, I felt that it gave me some interesting ideas and allowed me to think of the creation process as a far more natural process, and was something that would help me in the future while creating new concepts.

Overall, I felt that doing this research development was incredibly useful for me, it gave me the chance to not only properly think about the feedback which Marc De Launay gave me, but gave me the opportunity to approach scriptwriting from a fresh perspective and learn what I had already learnt, again. I think that by doing so I have been able to remind myself of some of the simple lessons I learnt years ago, and made myself think on how important they are to the creative process. I feel that the recommendations given to me by Marc were extremely relevant, and along with the feedback I was given, will allow me to properly respond and develop Slaps into the script that Marc believes it can be. I feel that I have learnt a lot by doing this research, and I feel confident about my progression as a scriptwriter in the future, and how I will be able to utilise the lessons I have learnt.

 Bibliography

DANCYGER, K., RUSH, J., Alternative Scriptwriting, New York, Focal Press, 2013.

D’VARI, M., Script Magic, California, McNaughton & Gunn, 2000.

RYDALL, D., I Could’ve Written A Better Movie Than That!, California, McNaughton & Gunn, 2005.

SERGER, L., Making A Good Script Great, California, Samuel French Trader, 1994.

SMITH, D., A., 10 Simple F*cking Rules For Writing A Great F*cking Screenplay, USA, Damn Good idea Productions, 2011.

Batman: The Animated Series Writers’ Bible, 2009.

[1] D., A., SMITH, 10 Simple F*cking Rules for Writing A Great F*cking Screenplay, California, Damn Good Idea Productions, 2011.

[2] D., RYDALL, I Could’ve Written A Better Movie Than That!, California, McNaughton & Gunn, 2005.

[3] L., SEGER, Making A Good Script Great, California, Samuel French Trade, 1994.

[4] K., DANCYGER, & J., RUSH, Alternative Scriptwriting, New York, Focal Press, 2013.

[5] M., D’VARI, Script Magic, California, McNaughton & Gunn, 2000.

#Level 6 #Major #Scriptwriting #Research #Slaps

[matt-gunn]

Level 6 FMP- Slaps- Shoot Evaluation- Shoot Date #8- 21/04/16

An issue we had on the day was that D’Arcy wasn’t able to attend due to health issues which had the night before, this meant that since we didn’t have any of the recording equipment with us—other than a microphone—and with Jacob not available on the day due to another film, that we weren’t able to record any sound on the day. However, we felt that the sound recorded from the camera may be alright for what we needed, due to the fact that we were filming documentary footage. However, I feel that while the sound will be useable, it may not be as good as it should be, but I don’t feel that anyone is to blame for this.

Despite the initial setback on the day, we had a successful day, starting with the amount of time that we had on the day. This was because while we needed Harriet and Stephen on the day, we also had some footage of just Stephen to record and had four hours with him before Harriet was to arrive on set. This meant that we could afford a relaxed morning, and we were able to record all the footage we needed from Stephen, with time to spare for a generous break before Harriet arrived. Once Harriet arrived we had to press on, because we didn’t have long before Stephen had to leave, which meant that while we weren’t rushing, we didn’t have the freedom that we had earlier that day.

However, I feel that despite us only having one redhead—due to what I believe was a double-booking issue we were only made aware of the day before—we made the best of what we had and lit it as well as we could with so few lights. While I feel that we could have done with more, and that maybe the footage isn’t as clean as some of the earlier segments that we filmed, it still looked nice and is a credit to Kyle’s ability to light a scene. I think that the actors gave a good performance, however, Harriet didn’t appear as confident as she did before, but I felt that it suited what I would have liked for the character. I think we were able to record some very good footage on this day, and that the actors were able to add some personal flair to the roles.

I think this was a successful day—despite the issues we had over the day—and we were all able to work well together to gather all the footage we needed from the day to the best of our ability. I think it is days like these which are a testament to the crews ability to work well with each other when the conditions aren’t as planned, and I feel this will be reflected in the quality of the footage.

#Level 6 #Major #Shoot Evaluation #Slaps