Poster Analysis.

The Dark Knight:

Action/Crime/Thriller/Drama

At the bottom of the poster we see the traditional batman call sign, the one used in all the original movies to call batman to help, seeing this socially recognisable signal we know it is a batman film, we then gather that this villain is who batman will go up against. The words “the dark knight” is in a strong and straight white font over the batman sign, although it is not very big we know it is the title of the film. It is in the centre of the poster, in a white font to stand out over all the black and blue behind it and it is in an easy to read font. This white bold font is what is normally used for action films, these types of fonts are used to stand out on top of a havoc scene in the back. Using this font shows there will be action, along with the stereotype that comes with the original batman films.

Looking at this poster for The Dark Night (a batman film) it looks to be like a thriller or horror. We see words in a dripping hand written font in red, this looks like blood which lets the audience assume there will be gore in the film. We also see a person, although blurred we can see he may be a villain; he is dressed in black, and is really pale with jus black smudges for eyes, almost like some sort of ghost. This character is using the blood to draw on the words and a crooked smile over his face. The crooked smile and harmless words show the villain’s personality, the words “why so serious?” could represent that he is sarcastic and funny, but in contrast the crooked smile in blood represents deceitful and merciless villain. Faded into the bottom of the screen we can see a city, this is obviously the city he is attacking or causing havoc.

Kidulthood:

Drama

The background is an image of all the main characters sitting on a wall. It doesn’t show any character personalities, and all the characters are cast under a shadow, this could be hypothetical for the life they live in, it is like being under a giant dark shadow. The location doesn’t really show the audience where the film is set, only slight graffiti on the wall and a few blacked out tower blocks in the background, however we know it is set in the suburbs because of the casual costume the characters wear. On top of the background image is the title of the film “Kidulthood” in a normal bold font. It is white so it stands out on top of the dark background. It also has the films certificate, cast, soundtrack and website. At the top of the poster is a 5 star rating from a magazine with a small comment, complimenting the film, this is in a bold black font, which contrasts with the background behind it. The text is in simple contrasting fonts to be easily seen and read.

Roles.

As I am doing the project by myself I will be doing all the roles myself, I may use help from others such as editing help and music help, but other than this I will be inderpendant.

Camera operator: I will be filming and loading the film onto the computer, making sure everything is in working order and good quality.

Sound operator: I will be in charge of the sound making sure the sound within the film is of good quality and recorded properly.

Director: I have the vision of the film, and I have to make sure it goes perfectly. If not it needs to be of very good quality and as close to perfect as possible. I have to make sure the short film will appeal to my target audience and that it has a positive effect on them.

Cinematographer: I have the responsibilities for the visual design of the film. I will need to use a lot of creative and technical skill to turn a vision into reality.

Storyboard & Script.

Click Here to View Script.
My script includes voice over narration for some parts, this part is in normal font. The internal voices are in italic, this will be said within the story being told.

These are some of the props I will use when filming. The games consel pad will be used to show the realism of the film, just using an everyday item that a teenage boy would use. the knife is also there to show what was used to kill Daniel. Although a prob it is only used in the scene where Nicole takes it from her kitchen, I decided not to use it in the fight scene for health and saftey purposes.

Extras.

These are just a couple of extras for my short film. These two boys are the 17 and 16, they're Daniel's best friends. They would encourage him to fight with Richie, and are there for him when he dies.

Character Profiles.

Richie:

Richie is 18 and from the rough parts of south east London. His lived in the same area all his life, and is often getting into trouble. He isn’t really interested in college or getting a 9-5 job, his more concerned about making money on the street selling stolen goods ECT. He is very bold; he says what he thinks, he doesn’t show fear or regrets and feels he has to be tough for his family and close friends.

Nathan:

Nathan is also 18, he has had the same sort of life living in the same area, he is very similar to Richie in saying what he thinks, however Nathan is very good student and always into his school work, he wants to go university and do very well in life, away from the bad side of London. He also is willing to do a lot for family and friends; he often gets dragged into Richie’s trouble, even when it has nothing to do with him, but he stands by Richie’s side.

Nicole:

Nicole is only 17, she is Richie’s girlfriend. She is an average student, who hardly gets into any trouble not even Richie’s, but once in a while she is dragged in, like in this event. She doesn’t really say what she thinks, can be very naive and she often turns the other cheek not wanting to get involved.

Daniel:

Daniel is 16, he hasn’t lived in this area all his life, only a couple years, but his area before was a really bad one. He has just finished school, and is in his first year of college. He often gets into with both the law and other teenagers around the area. He stands up for himself, always trying to earn respect, and doesn’t care for a lot of people.

Choose A Different Ending Campaign.

Another campaign I have recently found is the ‘choose a different ending’ campaign. It is a playlist of interactive videos on YouTube that allows the viewer to pick what path they go down. For example take the knife or don’t take the knife, go to the fight or go to your friends’ house, ECT. It allows the viewer to see the consequences of their actions if they make the wrong choices. It is a clever way to raise awareness and get the youth involved in the anti-knife crime campaigns. There are over 30 videos, each for a different choice of what to do, and all leading to different outcomes, some good, and some bad.

I know that these videos were a success, and focused on these videos when I was preparing my script, I looked at the body language, the way in which the characters talk and the costume the characters wore. I then enforced similar costumes, body language and “slang” onto my characters and script.

Audio.

I wanted to use background music to fill in the gaps of silence, so I decided to use a Dubstep instrumental. I asked a friend who makes music to make me a couple of Dubstep instrumentals, and then I would pick the best for my short film. Dubstep is a genre of electro dance music; it has heavy baselines and, which can contain sudden changes in the beat but not a big change as it is mainly a repetitive clip of music. Dubstep has become popular with the younger generation in the UK over the last year, this is one of the main reasons I decided to use this type of music. Another reason I used it is because it has these heavy baselines which can be very strong and overpowering on an audience, this may help my short film to be similar. Dubstep is easily manipulated and I can use it for certain parts when relevant. However when the victim is stabbed I want to cut the music altogether. This will allow the audience to focus on what is happening; the images will be dramatic, big and tell all so the music doesn’t have to.

MediaCW-Soundfile(DUB) by KWG2965

Other audio sounds I am going to use will be the voice over in certain parts where speech from the characters is not needed. For example at the beginning the girl will start by saying “it’s a normal day”, it will then flash back to her day starting, however she won’t be talking but a voice over from her as she tells her story can be heard. This will happen for the other characters as well, with their flashback and story. During the short film the characters will talk, but not that much. Most of the sound will be non-diegetic. They may be some diegetic sound such as police sirens, shouting, crying, prison doors slamming ECT. But not much will actually be within the story.

Target Audience Profiles.

Hi my name is Amie, I’m 18 and leave in Thamesmead, south east London, I’m currently studying my A-Levels at college. I love to listen to music such as funky house, soulful house, dub-step, RnB, and pop, on the radio or on CDs I buy or download. I normally just wear casual clothes, nothing glamorous, I shop in New Look, Riverisland, Primark, H&M, down the Highstreet, ECT. I like going out with friends, whether it’s partying, at a sleep over, going shopping, or just going to the cinema. I watch loads of different types of films; action, comedy, horror, thriller, romantic, anything with a good storyline. Although I haven’t lived in London long, I call it home, I want to go university here and study biology, to then become a career woman.

Hey, I’m Phraser, I’ve lived in Deptford all my life, born and raised in south east London. It isn’t the nicest area but you learn to live with it. I’m 18, just finished college and taking a gap year, to work and do other things. Music is part of my daily routine, I listen to rap, hip-hop, RnB, bashment, reggae, ECT. But I do also listen to alot of UK music like funky house, grime, garage, dub-step. I like action, comedy and thriller/horror, although sometimes I can be a softy and watch a romantic. I’m really family orientated so I do often spend time with my family and close friends. My main hobbies are playing football and getting involved with the production of music; I like to keep my-self busy and off the streets, although it isn't always that easy.

Hi im Peter. I’ve lived in loads of different parts of London, you could say I’m very street smart. When I was younger I used to get into a lot of trouble but things have changed. I now study at college and I’m hoping to go to uni once I’ve done my A-Levels. I listen to loads of types of music, from rap, RnB and Hip hop, to Funky, bashment and basline. I enjoy action films the most, but I won’t say no to a comedy or horror film. I’m currently working, but when I’m not working or studying, I like being with friends and my family.

Setting, Costume & Target Audience

It will be set in the south of London, in an area that does actually suffer from a lot of youth crime similar to what my film is trying to show. Easily recognised settings will be used such as little shops and a block of flats. Filming will take place inside homes but mainly outside. I have chosen these settings because I believe that children in similar areas will be able to relate to what is happening, it will also only really appeal to those around these areas. I will also use an interview room as a prison interview room, as it will be very hard for me to get into a prison to actually record for my film.

The characters will be wearing everyday clothing. The main character Richie may wear the more stereotypical clothing such as a hooded jumper, baggy jeans or jogging bottoms trainers. Nathan however will dress similar, a jumper (hoodless) jeans and trainers. This makes him look a little smarter than thuggish friend Nathan, but still shows that they are from the same area, in the same social class, similar taste, ECT. Nicole will wear very casual but fashionable clothes, such as leggings or jeans with a top. These costumes show that the teenagers are current and that it is set in the present. Costume colours and style can also show a personality, an example would be Nicole’s casual costume. She is wearing whatever is popular with others at the time, this shows that she doesn’t really like to stand out and she doesn’t mind following what others are doing in different aspects of life, not just clothes.

Most of the costume and props belonged to the actors themselves, as it was just everyday urban wear, however I did need to buy and borrow some costume. Such as the overalls which I borrowed from one of the college’s departments, and handcuffs that I got online/from a nearby pound shop. I also used my own x-box pad to create the illusion that the character was playing a game in one scene.

My target audience is both males and females from 14-18, it will mostly appeal to London youths, as the film is about them and the situation they my get into. However although not a main audience, I would also like it to appeal to parents with teenage children, as they may be unaware of things that happen today concerning youths. As I said this isn’t my main audience but it would be satisfying to know that it is raising a lot of awareness to those that live in the areas with youth crime.

Synopsis.

My short film is based on a campaign for joint enterprise and knife crime. It will have three main characters Richie, the boy who stabs someone. Richie’s girlfriend, Nicole and Richie’s friend, Nathan. There will be other characters such as the victim and extras around, ECT.

Richie has given his girlfriend a knife to hold for him. He texts her to ask her to bring it out when she comes to meet him. And she does so. He also calls his friend to come meet him, but his friend doesn’t know about the knife. Later they meet the a boy who has had trouble with Richie before, the knife gets pulled out as a scare, after waving it around Richie actually uses it, but neither his friend or girlfriend tried to stop him. And they all ran together.

We then see all three characters in prison for the same crime. Murder. Even though only one person stabbed the victim, the others are guilty by association.

Brainstorms For Ideas.