Progression from Storyboard

Progression from Storyboard

In the initial idea stage of our project, I drafted a storyboard depicting the shots and angles we wanted to use when filming our teaser trailer. Prior to drawing the storyboard, we visited the various locations in order to grasp the aesthetic and cinematic effect of each said location. Now that we have filmed and edited our teaser trailer we are able to review our media text against the initial storyboard to reflect on the changes we made.

Above is the storyboard I created before we starting filming our teaser trailer. Listed below are the changes we made to each shot.

• Shot #1: We decided to keep this shot as our establishing shot as we felt it served as an apt initiation of the teaser trailer's urban setting. Upon arrival at the pier, we came across a pair of young boys on bicycles. We asked permission for them to appear in our film, and instructed them to cycle towards the camera. We timed the shot against a backdrop of fleeting birds as we felt they acted as a symbol of freedom as well as adding an aesthetic quality to our trailer opening.
• Shot #2: We filmed this shot, however placed it later on in the teaser trailer to adhere better to the narrative. We filmed this shot in a gym where we were able to change the lighting - we wanted to experiment with gender and colour thus we lit the shot with florescent pink lighting to contrast the feminine colouring with the masculine image of boxing. Furthermore, whereas the storyboard noted that we should capture the diegetic sound of boxing gloves impacting on the punchbag, when we arrived at the gym there was loud music which obscured our microphone and interfered with the sound. To resolve this we actually found a boxing sound online and layered over the video footage carefully in order to make it seem diegetic rather than non-diegetic.
• Shot #3: We liked the prospect of having a montage of backwards tracking shots to reflect the longevity of our protagonist's run. We filmed this by mounting the camera onto the dashboard of a car and slowly reversing with our actor running towards us with a blank expression.
• Shot #4: In our storyboard we didn't specify which locations we would use for the graphic match of our protagonist's head in his hands. We ended up filming him both at the gym and at home in the bath. We did this to reflect our character's inner struggle: the first shot of his head in hands appears to be an action driven by exhaustion after boxing - a masculine stereotype - and the second shot of his head in his hands in the bathtub appears to be driven more by emotional exhausted and trauma. This epitomises the characterisation of our protagonist as we wanted to depict how he presents himself to society in comparison to how he feels internally. The graphic match blurs the lines between expressions of 'masculine' exhaustion and 'emotional' exhaustion.
• Shot #5: We included a vertical panning shot of the view from the pier but we removed the star rating as felt this did not sit well with our genre of social realism. Instead, we included a simple review.
• Shot #6: We kept this shot intact, shooting the running feet against a graffiti-covered wall
• Shots #9 and #10: We shot these indoors, using an underwater camera to film the blood droplets. We also included a very brief shot of a bloodied razor blade. Although subtle, when coupled together these shots are reminiscent of self-harm.
• Shot #11: We travelled to Margate, Kent to film this shot.
• Shot #12: We chose to shoot our protagonist in a shopping centre using a time lapse. We kept our protagonist still while people moved around him. We wanted to depict the sense of isolation felt by our character as even when he is in a busy setting he feels alone.
• Shot #13: We decided to frame our protagonist sitting on a bench, through the metal bars to symbolise entrapment.
• Shot #15: We filmed this scene in Margate with our protagonist running towards the camera. We kept the symmetry intact.
• Shot #16: We actually chose to remove this shot as we felt we could focus more on subtle symbolism rather than explicit symbols of archetypal masculinity.
• Shot #18: We did shoot this scene, however we didn't end the sequence with it. We chose to end the sequence with a shot of our protagonist against the sea.

The Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds

When shooting scenes for our film opening, we wanted to maximise the effectiveness of each and every shot. The rule of thirds is a theory devised to ensure that each shot is appealing to the eye, while maintaining its symmetry and balance. The rule of thirds applies both within photography and film.

Above shows an image composed with the rule of thirds.

The theory is based on scientific research that the human eye automatically and subconsciously gravitates to an insertion point when an image is split into thirds. The theory also states that the main focus and interest of the shot should be situation in the first and second thirds of the shot. The focus of the image can be placed on the right or left hand side, however it must remain within only the two thirds. This is demonstrated in the image above, with the building located within the right hand two-thirds.

Shown above is a still from our film. As you can see, the railings and the line between water and line align with the horizontal thirds. Vertically we wanted to keep our shot symmetrical for aesthetic value so we kept our protagonist central rather than framing him in the left or right third.

Title Brainstorm

Title Brainstorm

We wanted our title to reflect our genre. We conducted an initial brainstorm of ideas and themes we could incorporate into our title. We thought that the idea of Tunnel Vision could reflect the idea of being trapped in a fixed path or mindset as a result of social constructs. One member of our group suggested the idea of using boxing imagery to also reflect being 'boxed in', to reflect the two sides of masculinity - tough aggression coupled with trapped isolation. We wanted our title to be short, snappy and natural, indicative of our genre. Eventually, we settled on "Quicksand" as we felt that its connotations of sinking and inescapability were telling of our genre.

FINAL TITLE - QUICKSAND

Cinematography Inspirations

Cinematography Inspirations

Below is a mind-map I created showing different cinematographic inspirations I took from various film and television pieces I have watched. I focused on camera angles, colour and general framing techniques.

The research that inspired me the most was the colours used by Jean-Pierre Juenet in Amelie. The emotions depicted in Machado's work are so beautifully replicated throughout the film. The warm colours, dark reds and browns have a very similar tone to the work of Machado.

We could try and replicate this if we opt for an arthouse style by researching artists we like and noting their colour schemes and visual styles.

Masculine vs Feminine Stereotypes

Masculine vs Feminine Stereotypes

We wanted our film to portray the realities of masculinity behind the facades of social constructs. Our film touches on the life of our protagonist – to the exterior world he is socially ‘normal’ (masculine, tough, aggressive) however alone he suffers with mental illness. With suicide being the biggest single killer of young men in the UK, we felt that this was an extremely prevalent issue in today’s society. We hope that our protagonist serves as a relatable character for male audiences, as well as highlighting social injustices. 

Our film needs to portray the protagonist as a three-dimensional character. His external ‘masculine’ self will be portrayed through the use of masculine imagery – for example shots of him boxing to depict the violent way in which men are ‘taught’ to express their emotions, rather than by talking about them. His internal self will be depicted with shots suggestive of mental health struggles.

Masculinity symbolism survey

Masculinity - Survey Monkey

Once we had agreed on the theme of masculinity, we immediately began the process of research. We had to discover what the common aspects of a masculinity film were, as well as what possible symbols could represent masculinity as a theme. We decided we wanted to approach the theme of masculinity in various different angles, so, although we will be conforming to the stereotype of a male figure being empowered and strong, we will also explore subverting this stereotype and discussing how mental health in males can often be cloaked by the stereotypical idea they are expected to conform to.

We carried out a survey to see what symboled the audience would relate masculinity to: Create your own user feedback survey

Location scouting 3

Erith park

As part of our theme of masculinity, we aimed to present the male character as isolated and alone. Therefore we seemed to find a large open area in which the character would feel small. We found this local park which generally always seems very empty and thought it was worth considering. The open green space is also surrounded by blocks of flats which is complimentary to the gritty urban feel we aim to produce in out trailer. Furthermore, next to the green field is a small park which also has potential to be a filming location as again, it  is usually empty creating an image of isolation. 

Positives of this location:

• Large open space
• Surrounding mise en scene works well
• In near to a leisure centre so access to toilets if needed during a long filming day
• Good mise en scene 
• Is a close location so is easily access able to re-film if needed
• No permission is needed to film there
• There is a park near the location which is another filming option

Negatives of this location:

• Natural light is being used which can vary a lot
• The wind/rain may be unpredictable 
• As it is a public place, passers by may effect the shots as they may not seem continuous if different people are in the backgrounds of each shot

Filming ideas

Week begining 6th November - Filming ideas

Highstreet time lapse shot- Location Bexleyheath
Underwater shot in the bath - using a GoPro
Razor cut shot, placing razor on the side shot, blood droplet shot, oil and food colouring in water
Masculine symbolism- boxing gloves on bed, shots of army toys being knocked over
Working out shots
Cafe with friends, camera transition as someone passes the camera and his friends disappear 
Friends walking slow motion towards camera
Camera in car passing by capturing character alone
Main character walking past in Thamesmead estate 

Storyboard

Storyboard

Before we start filming, I decided to draft a brief storyboard displaying the shots we want to film. We have visited some of the locations to help draw the locations somewhat accurately.

Masculine Images

We initially decided to discuss symbols that represent masculinity. We realised that the symbols that have connotations of the masculine are far more abrupt and obvious than symbols of femininity.

Imagery surrounding sport such as football or rugby is used to convey stereotypically masculine ideas of teamwork and competitiveness.

Masculine images of violence are also recurrent in sequences focussed on gender, for example images of boxing, fighting or arguing. Men's relationships with other men are shown as far less compassionate than female relationships.

In our piece we want to subvert the common symbols of masculinity to portray a more fragile male psyche. For example, we want to utilise cinematographic technique to create a sense of isolation, loneliness and unease.