Key Theorys

Research into cocaine used in movies

This is an article I read on the uses of cocaine, this will help me as I plan to have a scene where we see Stacy using drugs.

http://www.businessinsider.com/drugs-and-alcohol-in-movies-2012-4?op=1&IR=T

November Feedback

This is my feedback from my teacher. This is really useful as it will enable me to see my weaknesses and improve on them in order to get higher marks.

Shooting Schedule

These are arranged times I did my filming with my actors. More shooting was done after the last date as I need some re-shoots. The need of re-shoots was made apparent after I started editing my clips as I realised there was continuity problems whilst creating my trailer. the problem to reshoot was overcome by texting my actors and reviewing their availability 

Locations

One of the main locations where my film will be set is a school, this is ideal for me as I am a school student so I plan to use my school which is Plantsbrook in Sutton Coldfield. Below is a picture of my school

Another location I plan to do some filming. This is a bar, I plan to record a scene here where Kelly is in a nightclub partying hard.

Prop List

Substitute for illegal drugs, I plan to research into what substitutes companies normally use. This is to enable my trailer and scenes to look as realistic as possible.

Envelope with 'A Level results'. This is will be used in one of my scenes when we see Stacy opening her results and seeing how well she done.

Dealers number on a piece of paper. This is one of the things that will tempt Stacy into getting drugs. During the scenes we will see her refer back to this many during the scenes.

Mobile phone, to send and receive texts from the dealer. Again this is another temptation factor that will lure Stacy into getting drugs

Key Scenes

This is a list of the key scenes for my film 'Shadow'

1.Stacy collecting her A Level Results, this is the point in which Stacy starts to have faith in herself and her ability to do well in life.

2.Stacy receiving texts of a drug dealer, she resists the temptation to go and buy drugs but Stacy is close to going to meet the dealer

3.Stacy settling into her new classroom when she sees a familiar face walk past her window outside of school, It's her old drug dealer. this makes Stacy feel uneasy and we see a side to Stacy we have never seen

4.One of Stacy's pupils (Played by Lucy Kelleher) is picking up drugs from the David, Stacy is just leaving to get lunch when she sees this exchange happen.

5.We see a group of school students talking in the playground, the student that uses drugs then lets his/her friends know that he/she is going to pick up drugs in his next free. to take at the party.

6.Stacy approaches the pupil after the exchange has happened, She takes the drugs from the student and tells her to get out of her sight before she does something she regrets

7.The that pupil is paranoid, she is expecting to get in trouble with the police or social services but nothing happens

8.Stacy requests for the pupil to come and see her in her class room,  Both the pupil and Stacy are nervous in this meeting. This is when Stacy tells the student that she isn't going to take this issue to the police

9.Stacy gets flashbacks of what she was like on drugs, its exactly how Stacy hates to think of herself but she was always happiest when on drugs

10. Stacy sitting in a class room debating whether to take the drugs or not

10.Stacy contacting the local drug dealer for drugs, they meet

11.We see a dramatic change in Stacy, she was previously someone who took pride in her appearance and after taking drugs we notice her natural routines  start to disappear

Final Trailer Script

This is my final script for my trailer. I have planned for some more dialogue to be in my trailer. For example I am going to include  a voice over of Kelly speaking to her Mother. But scenes like that I am going to have improvised by my actors. To do this I will tell my actors what emotions i want to come across in this scene. I will then start recording. This is a convention of social realism films I identified when doing research into the genre. Improvised scripts allow a lot more emotion to come across in the scene. This is because the scene is based on feelings and not based on them reading a script.

Audience feedback on logo

This is the feedback I got from members of my target audience about my film studio logo. After conducting the research I decided to go with Iconic Studio.

My Production Company Logos

Production company names

Production Company Logo Research

Research Into PostGrad Teacher Training

As Kelly is going to be have just done her degree and just started her PGCE I thought it would be appropriate to do some research into PGCE so it is more accurate, therefore making it more realistic and believable. This meets the genre of the film social realism as its delivering a real life path someone could take so I would like it to be correct.

New Character Profile

Kelly (used to be Stacy)

Unfortunately due to other commitments the actress (Katrina Mcintosh) who was meant to play Stacy now cannot. I have re casted this part and the successful candidate was Temi Adenjii. All of the previous character profile is still the same but it just under the new name of the character 'Kelly Taylor'

Character Profile

Stacy Taylor

Actress:Katrina McIntosh

Age of Actress: 18

Age of Character: 21

Gender: Female

Stacy has just completed her degree at university, She is doing a PGCE at a secondary school in Birmingham. Stacy has many friends but she keeps herself to herself. However when she was doing her a levels Stacy was a party animal and used drugs on nights out, Some would say she was addicted.

Stacy loves her new job at the secondary school and all of her pupils have taken a liking to her. She doesn't like to disappoint her pupils as it leaves her full or sadness. As she is now 21 Stacy feels as if she knows who she is but deep down she doesn't. She only feels like herself when she is on drugs, but of course she can no longer do drugs as she has a professional job, and she doesn't know any dealers which has removed any temptation. Stacy doesn't have a boyfriend, she doesn't feel as if they are relevant 

David 

Actor:Christian Blundell

Age of Actor:16

Age of Character: 17

Gender: Male

David did go through school, but he didn't go on to do any form of further education despite being more than capable of completing them. At school David got into the wrong crowd and got persuaded into selling drugs. at first he was reluctant to do so but then he started getting beaten up by his supplier who was a former best friend of his. Once he started David saw his first lot of money he got and loved it. David is a very money orientated person and doesn't really consider risks.

David doesn't have many friends, His only friend is his boss and he is only friends with him because he is scared of what he can do. David hates the fact money is a motivated person as it has ruined his life. David is a well respected dealer in his local area. Being a dealer hasn't always been easy for David, he has been beaten up, robbed and threatened.

Audience Feedback

Plot for 'Shadow'

There are 2 main characters in this story, Stacy and David. They both come from a similar backgrounds both going through school & sixth form. However there is one difference Stacy passed her a levels and David failed. As a result Stacy went on to go university & is completing her teacher training in secondary school. Stacy witnesses one of her students collecting drugs from a local deal (David). As a teacher she intervenes and takes the drugs from the student but she doesn't’t hand the matter to social services. We then learn that Stacy previously done drugs whilst growing up. Being that close to drugs and she stupidly takes the drugs, rings the dealer again and the vicious circle starts again, Stacy allows this addiction to rule her life, soon after it ruins her career. 

Initial Pitch

Idea 2 & treatment

Idea 1 & Treatment

Illusive

• 18 year old Elle is a school student who has been attending therapy for depression.

• Throughout numerous therapy sessions her therapist asks her 'What makes you happy?' Elle explains about this boy who is the only thing making her life worth living.

• Elle's bonds with her family and friends are slowly breaking due to seeing this boy (Robert).

• Elle constantly is with Robert, missing school and is never at home.

• Still attending therapy Elle is asked the name of her boyfriend (Robert Philiphs). Her therapist finds the name familiar.

• Elle is falling deeper in love and her relationship with Rob is getting more intense.

• The next visit to her therapist, she is shown articles featuring Robert Philiphs showing his death in a tragic accident 3 years previous. Her therapist explains how Elle's brain has created this boy to protect her from loneliness. Elle is shocked.

• Elle is confused and doesn't understand, as a result she is slowly going crazy and mental.

• Due to Elle's fustration, sadness and confused mind she attempts suicide by overdose.

Initial Ideas

Representation in The Experiment (2010)

Weekend 2011 Review and trailer analysis

When doing research into social realism films I came across this film called Weekend. The film was Directed by Tristan Goligher, other films he has produced is The Goob (2014) and Late Bloomers (2011). This film follows the life of Russell (Played by Tom Cullen). He meets a guy called Glen in a gay club after leaving his best friends house party early. Russell and Glen leave the club together. We then see Russell writing about Glen the next in his laptop something which he does after each encounter. Glen and Russell meet again and start to get to know each other better. We then find out that Glen is planning on leaving the next day to attend a 2 year course in Oregon. Later that night the both attended a leaving party for Glen and then go back to Russell's after. They some a joint and get to know each more, Russell admits he keeps a diary of all the guys he's slept with. We then find out that Russell slept with Glens ex (John) who he was madly in love with, thats the main reason why Glen doesn't want a relationship.The next day (day Glen is due to leave) Russell attends his god daughters birthday party but makes a feeble attempt to stay interested, His best friend Jamie manages to persuade Russell to go to the train station to see Glen off. The 2 wait for the train together and talk about how unforgettable the weekend was, They share one last kiss and Glen gives Russell a present which is the recorder Glen used to record Russell for his art project.

From the films website (http://www.weekend-film.com/home) I saw a statement what Trisan Goligher wrote:

"I wanted to tell an honest, intimate and authentic love story. I wanted to express that feeling of both fear and excitement that comes with the possibility of something new. I wanted to watch these two guys slowly fall for one another, fall for each other’s differences almost as if they were uncovering missing pieces of themselves. I wanted to capture those moments that two people share when they truly start to engage with one another, gently focusing in on the struggles at the core of their characters. Russell and Glen are two people navigating through life in very different ways but both are looking for same thing - to find their place within the world around them. They are trying to work out who they are, what they want and how they should define themselves, in private as well as in public. Obviously when dealing with two gay characters many of these issues become especially pertinent and it was important to me that I tried to say something truthful about the complexities of the modern gay experience. However, just as there are many ways to define a person, the same can be said of a film. I hope that rather than narrowing the resonance of the story, the gay context helps to amplify the themes felt at the heart of Weekend - those struggles we all face regardless of sexuality."

In my opinion i think that the directors statement is very clear and shows what he wanted to achieve from directing this 

Trailer Analysis

Cast-

1. Tom Cullen Playing Russell
2. Chris New Playing Glen

Genre-

The genre of Weekend is Social Realism with elements of Romantic Drama. This is a good combination because it keeps the viewer interested in the plot and how the movie is going to end.

How does the trailer target and audience?

This film manages to target a lot of different audiences. I can target th

Sound in the trailer-
this trailer has the presence of diagetic and non diagetic sounds. such as diagetic dialogue where characters are speaking and also non diagictic sounds in the form of voice overs and soundtrack

What does the trailer reveal about the plot?
from watching the trailer you know that someone has been sent to investigate a disappearance in a mental asylum. towards the end of the trailer the shot lengths get shorter which gives the audience a feeling of uneasiness and the tension contained in the movie. This trailer establishes the slight horror side of the film by showing some of the inmates. One of the shots is a a POV shot of an inmates diary saying RUN in capitals which makes us as viewers intrigued as to why he needs to get out of there.