Emily Wilson 5247: February 2012

Tuesday, 28 February 2012

Main Task- Pitch Feedback

Overall my pitch went well. It was generally accepted that my idea would work when translated into an actual project. However there were some general improvements suggested:

Give the character of 'the man' a name and dialogue
Change some lines of Farah's as they didn't go with the rest of the film
Give the film more of an ending as it just seemed to stop
Use a variety of basic shots rather than focus on a few cinematic shots to make it look visually interesting.
Make the male character more intimidating and powerful rather than passive

Based on these suggestions I make changes accordingly:

I gave 'the man' the name of John and gave him dialogue
I cut down Farah's lines and made the script into more of a conversation rather than Farah just speaking at 'the man'
I chose to end the film with John raising a gun to Farah's head and him shooting her out of shot
I decided to use differentiations of basic shots when filming the simple speaking parts of the script
By giving John dialogue it opened up better characterisation and he was therefore able to become a more of an important character,

Main Task- Pitch

I chose to set my pitch as a simple, quick paced and sharp presentation because I felt it reflected the atmosphere of the film and it would provoke the same reaction from my audience.

I set the slides as they would appear in the film, this was to create the same feelings as they would get when watching for my film. By doing this, the feedback I gained would be useful for the construction and editing of my film.

By mentioning details such as my ideas for lighting and setting the scene I felt the audience would be more interesting in how I would go about making the films and they would be able to comment into more- such as suggestions on how they would light it etc.

Using the image of the bloodstain set up the theme for my film and I would due able to gauge the reaction from the audience as it is a key feature for creating not only suspense but the final twist at the end of the film.

Although the image used on the presentation is not of the actress I intended on using for the film, I thought it would be useful if the audience were able to properly visualise the type of actress, the shot and the atmosphere I had in mind for the film.

Introducing the man (later given the name of John) was important for establish characters and character relationships in the film and the importance of them.

I start the characterisation process of Farah in the presentation by giving her a back story that is important in the film.

It was key that the flashbacks were mentioned in the presentation as they play an important role in the story-telling aspects of the film.

I chose to revel the emotional change of Farah to the audience as they were able to see the character change and the impact of such a change.

Showing the reveal to the audience, I felt it would be important in order to gauge reaction and would open up suggestions as it is a key part of the film.

I felt a brief explanation into the plot would generate feedback into the ways of portraying such explanations in the film, it would also allow for changes and improvements in the structure and storytelling.

Giving the audience an insight into who I was intending to aim my film at would allow them to think from the perspective of my target audience, therefore making the feedback more audience- orientated.

Giving examples of shots I had in mind would generate suggestions into more shots I could use for the film or possible improvements or changes of shots I had planned to use.

I gave examples of dialogue in order for the audience to understand the style of writing I was using and they would be able to create the character of Farah better for themselves.

The tagline was used in order to create the style of advertising I was planning on using.

Thursday, 23 February 2012

Main Task- Costumes

I chose to have Farah wear a long white blouse as he main outfit in Compulsion, the look is inspired by Angelina Jolie in Mr and Mrs Smith. The long white blouse outfit is often used in such films, not only because it creates a sexy, effortless look but because it suggests power and dominance. Giving the actress the appearance of wearing a mans shirt suggests a lot about her character to the audience, why is she wearing it? What was she doing before she was wearing it? Whose shirt is it? The look has a slightly comical edge to it; taking something often symbolising success, work, business and male dominated corporate professionalism and turning it into the opposite- a laid back, sexy outfit worn by a powerful, confidant and domineering woman.

The purpose of the costume was to suggest that Farah had been in the hotel room some time before John arrived, she had made herself comfortable. It also creates the question- where did she get the shirt from? Setting up for the twist at the end of the film.
Farah also wears a black dress in the film, I decided to have her wear the dress in the flashback of her killing a businessman as it suggests that she uses her sexuality as a weapon. The dress is dainty but dark- this reflects Farah as a character.

I made the decision for all the men in the film to wear suits. Suits are commonly used in thriller films as they suggest that the men are powerful and take things seriously.
John is the owner of a large criminal organisation- he wears a suit as a sign of wealth, status and power. Nate wears a suit without a tie- this suggests that although he is powerful, his work is hands on, he is of lesser rank than John. The business man wears a suit to quickly connote his profession, and suggests a reason as to why he is Farah's target.

The blood stained shirts were important for the characterisation in the film, they also posed questions for the audience.
At first the audience assumes that Farah's wounds are from John as he is the only person in the room at he time she is introduced, making the twist at the end more of a shock. Farah ignores her bloody wound, suggesting that she is used to pain or she has accepted she is going to die. This says a lot about her as a character, as well as suggesting her line of work.
The blood shirt is important when revealing Nate- not only does it show that Farah has killed him but that he caused the wound to Farah.

The shirts were both mens shirts bought for the purpose of the film. I cut a a straight line through the sides of both the shirts to show a knife wound, I then used the back of a spoon to apply fake blood to the shirts and let it dry over night to ensure as little mess as possible when it came to filming.