Romance

Romance films are romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theaters and on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters and the journey that their genuinely strong, true and pure romantic love takes them through dating, courtship or marriage. Romance films make the romantic love story or the search for strong and pure love and romance the main plot focus. 

The Conventions of Romance:

The Prezi below explains the Romance Genre Conventions

Pros/Cons of a Romance Short Film:
Pros:

• The storyline is very short and straight to the point.
• There tends to be a lot of complex camera angles to fit as much impressive camera work into the short amount of time.

Cons:

• Less storyline's and background information.
• The audience may be left on a cliffhanger- negative for some viewers experience.
• The audience can't connect with the characters or storyline because there isn't enough time for the whole past story etc. 

Textual Analysis of Vicky & Sam:

The title of the short romance film, Vicky & Sam was made by Nuno Rocha. Sanberg and he uploaded it on his Vimeo account three years ago (in August 2010). Watch the embedded short film below:

Plot Synopsis:
A young man and woman catches eyes across a video store and immediately there seems to be a chemistry there and all just by chance. Alternatively maybe he was there only because he had already seen it and was looking for a way to make his first move? Maybe the whole reason he is hiring films at all is to make an impression on her and maybe he doesn't even watch them? The story follows three aspiring writers sitting in a diner and bounce ideas around the lives of their characters before finding their story is actually happening between Vicky & Sam. After realising this the story turns horribly wrong.

Micro Analysis:
The beginning starts with an establishing shot of the DVD store to set the scene with very slow music to create a relaxed and romantic setting. We start by seeing the main characters with many close ups to make it clear they are the main characters and help the audience start to connect with them. After we see extreme close ups of Vicky’s eyes meeting Sam’s across aisles of DVDs in the video store, it’s only right that they should bump hips and—after a whirlwind romance of riverside walks and cute notes—fall in love. That’s the generic formula. Predictable, functional, and stuffed to bursting with romanticism, to pull audiences heart strings every time. The music very clearly helps to make the tension and feelings between the characters obvious. This helps to make the audience understand the feelings of the main characters.
But not everything is as simple as first it seems. There is a quick cut to the writers of Vicky and Sam, plotting the story in a sleepy diner, there are medium shots to also establish these characters. They spice it up, stir in some conflict and add more drama.
They enjoy taking control of their characters lives. After all, it’s only fiction, until they realise. They believe they aren't harming anyone, but the writers get more than they bargained for when their characters take on a life of their own. After this very clever storyline, Vicky and Sam leads me questioning my own storytelling, what if there are identical characters to what you think are made-up plots and narratives. How do the stories we tell as storytellers affect us as human beings?
Multi-layered and self-aware, this is a short to watch and rewatch. Watch carefully for hints of a love story within a love story. Writer and Director Nuno Rocha deserves every one of the 21 awards this film has received. Vicky and Sam is storytelling at its best.

AN EXAMPLE TREATMENT FOR THE PACKAGE:

If I was constructing a short, five minute film, the intended audience would be all females. A Post Office is the location where a young, attractive female is attempting to send a package but the box is too small. The queue is very long and the line off older couples are becoming stubborn. The Post Office Assistant is very unsociable and doesn't assist. The young male behind intrudes to help. She goes very red in the face as her package contains a small bear that is being sent to her Sister in Australia. She finds this embarrassing  He then is also sending a package to a relative in Australia coisiently on the same street. They send their items combined. The story ends when we seem them leave the Post Office and talking about there common lives that they knew nothing about. The theme is Shyness and Love. A bear and package are objects that plays a part in the story. The final fade must be a slow simple fade to credits.

Short Film Recreation

This task included recreating the short film " Get Off My Land".
The short film is below:


Get Off My Land from Douglas Ray on Vimeo.


The key ides of the short film is a couple who are clearly angry with each other.
The male character is walking behind the female trying to keep up and when he does catch up with girl they are walking together. In the distance a Landrover Defender (4x4 vehicle) pulls up and the couple stop still. The farmer walks towards them, they stop because he doesnt look particularly friendly.The farmer tells them that this isnt a public footpath, however the couple disagree and the woman apologising and says that they will move away and try and find the public footpath. Her partner is clearly already angry, due to not particularly wanting to be in the country side with his girlfriend, starts to argue with the farmer. He asks what makes it his land, they have a heated discussing end up with the farmer telling him that someone years back would have had to fight for the land. Trying to be clever the young man says that he'll fight for it. Little did he know, this was the wrong thing to say. His girlfriend thinks he's being irrational and stupid and tells him to back away. The farmer walks back towards the truck he arrived in. The couple both think that he has surrendered. Almost immediatley the farmer returns to the couple with a  gun, the couple are extremeley panicked and the farmer shoots the young man. The girl is left with blood all over her face in hyserics, the farmer is clearly bothered by her noise. The shot breaks away to a view of the tree's and there is a noise of a gunshot, clearly the girl has been shot. All the audience can see is some birds fleeing the tree's.

Brief Notes about the Short Film

Written and Directed by Douglas Ray. It’s about a young couple's walk in the countryside that leads to a confrontation with the landowner and an unlikely challenge.

One Developed Character

In this short film, although there are quite a few characters- the main developed character is the young male, as the camera tends to be focused on him the most and he has the most dialogue. The short film revolves around his and his girlfriend’s journey but mainly his, she has very little dialogue. We must not forget the farmer who could be also seen as the main character as he is playing an important part and we probably learn the most about him through his dialogue.

Circular Narrative

The circular narrative could be the location as the film finishes in the same place in which it begins- in the countryside.

Catalyst

The catalyst could be the wobbly gate- this wobbly gate helps to foreshadow the death of both the walkers, through the way the gate is dangerously portrayed and gives the idea that maybe you shouldn't cross over the fence into a dangerous situation.

Audience Expectations

The audience expectations are completely turned belly up, as the seemly average farmer pulls out a gun and shoots both the male and female walkers- this was completely unexpected as there was little to suggest that both of them would end up dying.

Character Profiles - ‘Get Off My Land’

Character: Woman

Originally played by: Ruth Wilson

Characteristics: Long brown hair, brown eyes, middle aged.

Costume: Purple rain mac, white t-shirt, grey waterproof-type trousers, walking boots.

Props needed: fake blood

Character: Man

Originally played by: Rafe Spall

Characteristics: Short brown hair, brown eyes, middle aged.

Costume: Black jacket, black t-shirt, jeans with brown belt, converse trainers.

Props needed: N/A

Character: Farmer

Originally played by: Robert Glenister

Characteristics: Grey hair and beard, getting on a bit (maybe 50-65).

Costume: white chequered shirt, with green jumper, dark green jacket, flat cap.

Props needed: Off-road vehicle (green Land Rover Defender), Shotgun, two red shotgun shells.

Mise-en-scene with camera angles:The first introductory establishing shot we see is of a male and a females shoes. The female is wearing walking shoes and the male is wearing some fashionable trainers. From here we see a collection of two shots, which demonstrate that this is a couple, however not so much happy. The woman is seen storming ahead whilst the man is constantly complaining, either in his dialogue or with body language such as the brushing off of mud on his jeans with a deep sigh of annoyance. His 'difficulty' to climb a wooden fence is really his reluctance to carry on with the muddy autumnal walk. The girl friend storming off suggests that the boyfriend have done something wrong previously. We are then introduced to a farmer, however we only know he is a farmer because of how he is stereotypically dressed and material items- tweed hat, Land Rover, green outdoor clothing and a later shotgun. The built up aggression that the boyfriend has is then shown in a medium two shot when he demands to fight for the piece of land that they believe to of trespassed on. The aggressiveness that he shows when unzipping his jacket also stands for his ego to show his patriarchal dominance. An over-the-shoulder shot of the boyfriend then putting his jacket back on after the 'farmer' walks away gives the audience a fake sense that the battle is over, however, the farmer then returns and shoots the boyfriend, leaving the girlfriend shaking in fear and grief. We can see in a close up that blood has splattered onto her face leaving her with more fear. The farmer then saunters off only to swivel round and aim the gun at the woman. We are then situated with a shot of the forest and a gun shot resulting in birds flying out of the trees. A medium shot then shows the farmer continuing ith his previous journey and the two bodies of the couple.


Sound:The sound is all diegetic. There is no music and sounds such as the wind and motor way noise are natural and kept in the film to give situation context. Of course in reality the gun shot noise is not real because it is acting so that is edited in, however, the gun shot is a realistic one in the context, especially when the gun is not in shot and the birds caw and fly away.

Final Cut:

Above is the final cut for our recreation of 'Get Off My Land'.

Evaluation:

Short Film based on a set introduction.

For this task we had to include a set introduction. The introduction had to include a piece of fast food waste being placed in the bin.

Storyboard:
Unfortunately a storyboard was never planned as the time period was short and our planning was very poor. This would be a very important factor when planning my final production.

Location Research:
The locations are all in Norwich. The scenes feature major location like shopping centres and the train station. The scenes must be common as to seem like the characters are living typical lives. The first scene must feature some kind of branding of fast food. The well known brand we chose was a KFC in the centre of Norwich. This choice was mainly due to a friend working there and being available at the time of filming. Other scenes are just open roadways, streets and shops.

Plot Synopsis:
Main introduction: MUST INCLUDE A PIECE OF FAST FOOD WASTE BEING PUT IN A BIN.
There are a new race of mutated animals out to seek revenge on those who eat their kind. The 'Humanimals' were created by a mad scientist who accidently created a mix between humans and animals which went out of control and seek to kill those who eat them. The Humanimals fit into todays society but eventually die out. The scene finishes on a joke element at the Horse Meat Scandal in which horse meat was found in some food products instead of beef. This short film is fundamentally a comedy short.

Final Cut:

The final cut is below.

Improvements:

In the future I must take note to plan much more. For this film we were not given a lot of time meaning planning was very brief. For locations and actors they were left until filming meaning not always could we anticipate the outcome of the plot and professionalism of the actors. This means the overall quality of the film maybe affected.

Short Film Genres

Horror

Horror film is a genre that aims to create a sense of fear, panic, alarm, and dread for the audience. These films are often unsettling and rely on scaring the audience. They include alien invasions, ghosts, gothic horror, comedy, zombies, monsters, nature gone wild, occult, sci-fi, and supernatural. Popular horror movies include The Thing, and Night of the Living Dead.

The Conventions of Horror:

The Powerpoint presentation below explains the Horror Genre Conventions

Pros/Cons of a Horror Short Film:
Pros:

• Fast moving.
• There is always a scare which isn't interrupted or built up and not finished. 
• There is one scare focused on a single thing, e.g. on scary character.
• There is no background storyline.
• The storyline is very short and straight to the point.

Cons:

• Less storyline's and background information.
• The audience may be left on a cliffhanger- negative for some viewers experience.
• The audience can't understand the narrative as easy.
• The audience can't connect with the characters or storyline because there isn't enough time for the whole past story etc. 

Textual Analysis of Lights Out:

The title of the short horror film, Lights Out was made by Swedish filmmaker and animator David F. Sanberg and he uploaded it on his Vimeo account a few months ago in December 2013. Watch the embedded short film below:

Lights Out - Who's There Film Challenge (2013) by David F. Sandberg on Vimeo.

Lights out is a horror short about a woman who is about to go to bed in her room, as she turned off the lights a shadowy figure appears. 
The scene starts with an establishing shot to show the outside of the house, this gives the audience a clear indication of the location but also time of day. By showing the dark exterior we quickly learn that its late evening as its very dark. This helps to add to the effect as a dark evening is more scary and associated with spooky terror happening at night. 
A wide angle is then used to see the only character leaving a room and walking though a hallway, we see the whole of her body and can see most of her surroundings, this helps us to see that she is riding nothing and when the lights are on there is nothing else there.
To emphasise this aspect of only the one character being alone the mise-en-scene of the house is very basic with little props or furniture with a single coat stand and a few pictures in the scene. The characters costume is also very basic and she is seen wearing a nightshirt. This clearly tells the audience she is about to go to bed. This is also developed by the characters movements being lade-back and slow. 
When she is flicking the light switch and notices the extra figure there are two shots used. When she is looking towards the figure an over the shoulder shot is used to help the audience see her perspective and what she is seeing. To contest with this a point of view shot from the figure is used to see her reactions. 
Thinking it was just her imagination she turned on the lights and no one is there, when she flick the switch again, the figure returns. 
As she does it again twice the figure suddenly appears and disappears in front of her and she was shocked. Until this point no non-diagetic sound has been used and to emphasise the jump scare a high pitched minor violin sound is used. This also stands out and shocks us, the audience, to make the shock very evident. Also a brass instrument is heard. This is the sound also helps to show the shock. 
Before this the sound has been basic and all diagetic. The sounds include the doors closing, the womans footsteps and the light switch. 

There is then a very quick cut to her unwrapping thick tape then tapes the switch so the lights are on and went to bed; suddenly she hears noises and creepy footsteps. Lots of very short clips and quick cuts are used to add tension and make it clear another very important scare is about to come.

Scared, she covers herself in her blanket and when her lamp is blinking she just put on the chord properly and the lamp was on. Feeling that it is over she uncovers her head from her blanket and she felt relived, then when she was about to sleep a monstrous looking thing which everyone couldn't tell if it's a girl or long haired boy, shows up and turns the lamp off ending the film.

Overall the use of quick cuts and short clips for editing, clear camera angles to show points of view and reactions, mise-en-scene and screeching sounds help to add tension and make the scares more shocking to help stereotype the horror genre and achieve its purpose of scaring the audience. In this short film it also leaves the audience at a cliff hanger making it even more shocking as the audience don't know what happens next and are left to wonder the characters unfortunate ending.

Treatment for a short in this genre:
The main concept of a short horror film is the build up to the climax whereby the audience will be shocked by the twist to the plot. Key horror conventions will take place to signify the supposed genre and only until the very end will it become clear that the stereotyping of society has allowed the viewer to become caught up in the theme and make the wrong assumptions as to the ending of the piece.
Mostly diagetic sound with some non-diagetic to emphasis shocks/scares and to build tension. To achieve this I would slow and quiet instrumental sound is playing to signify a building of tension, the best instrument for this is string instruments.
All short horror films must include at least one shock/scare which is normally a jump scare, without this they may not be as interesting.
AN EXAMPLE TREATMENT FOR THE MIRROR:
If I was constructing a short, five minute film, the intended audience would be a teenage to middle age group, because they stereotypically enjoy watching horror films more than the older generation and younger people tend to enjoy being scared. The storyline would include a young girl who wakes up to a knocking sound. It sounds like a knock on glass. She pulls the curtain hesitantly to look out the window. There is nothing there. She then slowly looks behind and hears the sound from the mirror. She walks slowly unto the mirror and puts her head against it. The knocking stops and stares straight into the mirror. She thinks she was hearing things and goes back to bed. Camera pans towards the mirror and a scary ghost which looks like a young girl screaming inside the mirror. The scream is very loud. Then quick cut to black.

Progress Video 1

Looking back to go forward

The planning of my AS coursework was fairly good. I felt that the planning was quite in-depth and well structured.
The Positives:

• I used new media technologies in all stages of my coursework. In the construction, I used video editing software ‘Adobe Premier Pro’ to compile and edit my video. Using this software was not easy at first but by the time I’d finished editing the video, I was confident in using the basic features. I used ‘Adobe Flash’ to produce the production titles and main film titles. I am very familiar with what this software has to offer due to using it in GCSE and AS Ict. I used other presentation software like PowerPoint, Prezi and Google Docs to create the plans and research. I used the internet and it’s services like YouTube that offer film introductions that I can analyse using ‘Blogger’. I used ‘Blogger’ to present my work electronically as a blog. This shows that I am capable of using a variety of different new media technologies.
• I used 'Blogger' as an easy way to present, edit and share my coursework including the research and planning. The research and planning probably took the longest to produce and using blogger I could embed videos from YouTube that were secondary clips or my own. The blog was useful to arrange the research and planning because each piece is a separate post on the blog that then can be arranged and linked tougher we their published date and labels.
• The production of my film was fairly effective and I made sure to avoid loss by saving the files regularly and make back-up on an external USB. I also was familiar with the editing software before making my final piece by completing small tasks that helped gain skills in using the software so I knew what to do when creating the final piece.

The Negatives:

• My storyboard was not very clear as it was made by hand using a plain template that I filled in with pencil sketches for each different camera angle and what stage directions and camera angles I was going to use. To improve this I could use an online website or piece of software to create the storyboard with could include using pre-drwan graphics to save time and make them easier to understand, especially if your not as good at art and drawing.

Click here to see my AS Media Studies Blog