Editing - Sound

Although this is before i added the dialogue, as you can see, all of the green boxes underneath the footage is sound. The one long box is the consistent ambient sound of the distorted piano music played in the background preventing it from being boring with nothing to listen to.  The short little boxes are those that are sound effects that I have added to create a more of an atmosphere for when my target or either oppositional audience watch. Such sound effects include, heart beat, laughing children, the car pulling off and the door slamming shut... These sound effects are essential otherwise if I didn't have them, the film wouldn't be very realistic nor interesting to watch. 

Editing - colour filters

I added the colour filter named "glory" to give the flashbacks a more authentic feel to it. The filters also helped make it clear what is a flash back and what is not to the audience to help give them a better understanding of what is happening. 

Equipment

Bloopers

Short Film "Nina" - Final Draft

This is my final draft of my short film and I feel that I have come a long way considering my first ever draft. I have now added in the voiceover and the storyline is complete and makes much more sense than any of my other drafts would of. I feel as though I have used the auteur theory, as I have a very opinionated film genre and plot. I also think this because it reflects my (as the director) own creative, personal vision of my opinion on bullying. I feel as though no one can just make a short film by watching films, but they need their own creative, diverse individuality about them in order to not only come up with that initial idea but to reach out and actually make it happen. I feel that I as an auteur, have been  very creative by portraying a serious and deep message across to my audience whether they are my target audience (someone who has been bullied or are currently) as they would be an example of personal identity and correlation as they may have that personal link with the protagonist where they could express and share their emotions and feelings as they may not have anyone else to do so to. However, on the other hand, if an oppositional reader was to watch my short film (the one who is the bully or has been in their past) then they may not be influenced whatsoever, or they may walk away feeling impacted but the importance of bullying and affect it has on the person on the other side, so this may leave them with a differs perspective of it all. 

Furthermore, I also feel as though I have included binary oppositions, the theory by Claude Levi-Strauss. Firstly, good vs bad. For example, as part of my circular narrative structure, there is a flashback of the protagonist playing happily with her friends, shortly ted we see her being bullied and picked on by some bullies. This is a clear example of good vs bad as we have the good people in the first flashback and then the bad people who are picking on her in the second flashback. This could also be interpreted as dark vs light and victim vs bully. Another example, is young vs old. For example, at the beginning we see Nina (the protagonist) as a teenager, followed by a long flashback of her past and her childhood where we then establish the plot and storyline. However, at the end we come back to Nina in present tense just like at the beginning, this example of young vs old I think is to help the audience establish what is happening and why her childhood is so significant. 

Lastly, I feel that Todorovs Narrative structure theory plays a very significant part within my short film. For instance, at the beginning we have a new equilibrium where we are establishing what is happening, we presented with a flashback, and then another of her playing with he friends. However, when this flashes forward again we are confronted with this disequilibrium where we are resulted with a problem, and that this little girls (the protagonist, Nina) life isn't so perfect after all... Again we see another flashback of Nina being picked on by some nasty people followed by her mum aggressively handling her and she picks her up from school. In the end, rather than following Todorovs convention, I decided to end it on a new equilibrium but where nothing has been solved and we are resulted with this new atmosphere where we have just discovered that she was, and still is being bullied, but nothing has been done about it. I did this so my audience would be left with this new problem as though they walk away and solve it themselves. I feel that if I did solve the bullying situation within my film then my audience would walk away feeling satisfied that Nina's problems have been solved. So instead, the audience may walk away feeling impacted like most people, bullying does't just come to an end, it is always remembered.


Camera shots...

• I think the opening is very unusual as we see low angle shot looking up at the sky, at the same time we see the titles enrol. I feel that this shot is very significant as i feel that it sets an atmosphere with it being the fist thing we see, it is very calm and subtle portraying how such a small nasty thing said to someone, or being bullied can affect someones life and change it completely. Although my audience may not interpret it like this, I still feel as though it conveys a important message.
• Throughout my short film there is a series of match on action shots. I incorporated these because it helps my film look professional and also helps it flow really well.
• My favourite shot if after the first flashback with Nina sitting on the bench and there is a mid close up of her waist upwards. The actor pays no attention to the camera and simply looks around as though the camera isn't there. This shot really helps capture the innocence and beauty of the character. 
• Tracking shots are used throughout also, from either behind or in front I follow my actors when they're walking. this shot was incredibly difficult without all of the equipment but I included it to help emphasise ageing purpose of the protagonist and that she is in the same location every time we see this shot.
• At the very end there is a close up of Nina's eye. This shot I feel as though it helps capture the innocence again but the longing for freedom felt by the protagonist.

Editing...

• the colour filters on the footage of the three flashbacks are important as I added a 'glory' sort of gleaming filter on to the shots to help imply that it is a flashback of her past, emphasising that it is something that she hasn't been able tout it behind her.
• At the end, when there is a close up of Nina's eye, we see Nina when she was younger in her eye. I did this is the post production stage of my film. As this editing technique is used right at the end I feel that it implies again that she is constantly looking back at her past and how much it has affected her and changed her life.
• I have overlapped text over the footage towards the end when she gets a series of appalling texts. The writing reading what her texts say that she is receiving emphasises her feelings and that us as the audience almost feel as she doe at this stage because we are reading at the same time as she is.

Sound...

• I have used diegetic and ambient sound in the flashbacks, for example, the children laughing, the car door slamming and birds chirping. This helps my film become more realistic as it is natural for us to hear these sounds. 
• Non diegetic sound is used, for example, the music to help set an atmosphere.
• A voiceover is used to help portray the narrative and storyline, also most importantly, the protagonists opinions. 

Mise En Scene...

• As the ageing progresses of the main character, I have her dressed in something different to represent this. For instance, at the beginning where she is at her youngest, she is in school uniform, then a denim jacket and leggings, and then finally skinny jeans and a denim jacket when she is at her oldest.
• Same laceration throughout to emphasise it is the same person as she is in the same place.

Short Film Update

Short Film Draft

Creative Processes