Poster

Just for fun but also for inspiration I created a film poster of our film.

Pitch

Restitution is the exciting story of a not so distant, not so impossible, dystopian future. The greed and selfishness of the rich and powerful ran the world its economy and its people into the ground. Massive uproar broke out overthrowing officials and authorities and sending them into hiding. Now only those who are willing to kill and assault to get what they want own the streets and all decent examples of humanity are suppressed. However, there is hope an organisation, a gang of vigilante’s lead by their leader, known as ‘V’, plan to restore the world back to the way it was with a few minor improvements, their primary objective to be the world’s Restitution.

In the pitch we will go into detail about:

The films narrative,

Characters - who they are and what they plan to do,

 The plots vision - where it would go,

And our choice of costume and props to portray different themes and feelings.

We will also discuss key editing techniques to be used including our use of colour correction that will be used all the way through the film to make every shot darker and more sinister to never lose the vibe of the dystopian future.

Finally we will discuss exactly what we want to achieve and what we might do if we had a bigger budget.

Shot List

RESTITUTION (Working Title)

Shot List

[Establishing shot]Shot of scenic bridge in local park.

[Slight panning shot]Kids running around having fun.

[Close up] Trickling water down stream.

[Extreme (Re-)Establishing shot] Massive clearing from afar.

[(Re-)Establishing shot] Man kneeling on plastic, opposing man                                standing and facing him.

[Extreme close up, High Angle] John’s face focal point between eyes.

[Extreme close up, High Angle] John’s hand bound by zip-ties.

[Extreme close up, High Angle] John’s mouth covered by duct-tape.

[Fast pan POV, Low Angle] Clearing from John’s perspective.

[Mid-shot] ‘V’s torso and above, looking upward from ground.

[Extreme close up, from side] ‘V’s lips as he speaks John’s name.

[Extreme close up, from side] ‘V’ swallowing deeply.

[OtS, Low Angle] John looking at ‘V’ as he draws a book.

[Extreme close up, High Angle] John’s eyes.

[POV, Low Angle] John’s perspective ‘V’s lower region, as ‘V’ kneels to his           eye level.

[Two-shot, from side] John and ‘V’ stand (and kneel) off.

[Close up, High Angle] ‘V’ turning pages of the book.

[Extreme close up, High Angle]John’s name in book in 'V's hand.

[Close up, match on action] ‘V’ looking up to eye-level with John.

[Close up] ‘V’ ripping duct-tape off John.

[Close up, from side] John spitting at ‘V’

[Mid shot, low angle] ‘V’ wiping spit off face swinging at John.

[Mid shot, match on action] John getting hit across face.

[Close up, High angle] Blood hitting plastic.

[Mid shot] ‘V’ Monologue of allegations.

[Mid-Close up shot] John responding.

[Mid-shot] ‘V’ standing up turning to other gang member drawing gun.

[Mid-shot from other side] Turning to member, holding gun up.

[Long shot] Other member shaking head.

[Close up] ‘V’ shrugging and turning to John to create an [OtS shot]

[Mid-shot] John shouting at ‘V’

[Mid-shot] ‘V’ Responding and turning around.

[Extreme wide shot] ‘V’ turning quickly and shooting John who falls                     forward.

[OtS to Close up] ‘V’ commanding other member to clear up the mess.

[END TITLE ROLLS]

Film-Edit Schedule

Filming to start on the 8th of December.

After filming is complete, any re-shoots are done and we are happy with the film we have, all editing is planned to be done in a week. Keeping to this tight schedule will mean if anything does go wrong we have breathing room to make a few more edits before it's release. This week of editing is due to start on the 15th of December. Some changes may apply closer to the time as re-shoots may take longer than expected or from some unforeseen circumstances.

Titles Plan

Music Plan

I wish I could say more for our music plan however I think the exclusion of music from our scene will be half of what makes it. I decided to exclude music from the beginning of the scene as it will emphasize the sense of isolation especially since the typically louder shots will be of running water will come just before, with the allowance of dialogue and sound effects. Some music will be added along with some sound effects - to exaggerate actions e.g. cocking gun will have a effect post filming, as will things like the clearing of a characters throat, ripping of duct-tape all diegetic sounds and the raw sound from the scene at time of filming.
One piece of music I definitely wish to be used is a piece is a very eerie composition that I see as suitable for the monologue expressing how the world got turned up-side-down and perfect especially if it's a voice over. 
Name of track: "Right Behind You" It was produced by Kevin Mac Leod who makes royalty music and is licensed under creative commons as long as he is given credit this will be added at the end for legal purposes.
"Right Behind You" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) 
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Script

RESTITUITION (Working Title)

Script

‘V’ [Main Character][Voice Over]: The world is obsessed with power, only problem is to have power you need money, and to have money you need assets. A popular asset among the rich is oil, but eventually the oil wells ran dry.

                                                In 2027 the world’s last oil well did exactly that. Panic followed and Anarchy broke out among the people, protesting against their leaders, the rich who had told them it was going to be okay whilst they hoarded their money in off-shore accounts and gave nothing back.

                                                Now the world is left behind without, trust, without humanity and without justice.

                                               

                         [In park leading up to execution]

                                               

               Johnathan Crouch, I’ve heard a lot about you. Not all good, I have to say, got down ‘here’ you like to fiddle with innocent little kids.

                               ***Crouch grins***

               I have here 3 accounts of rape, murder, 7 accounts of sexual assault, 2 accounts of sexual harassment and 5 accounts of paedophilia. Yet here we are, catching you strolling round the park scouting out your next victim. 15 years ago you’d be locked away for life; in some countries you’d get the death sentence. Ever since the rich (all the lawyers and judges) ran away into hiding, however, predators like you have been able to take advantage.

               ***Rips duct tape off Crouch, Crouch spits in ‘V’s face***

Crouch [Antagonist]: PISS OFF!

              

***‘V’ responds by hitting Crouch with hilt of gun***

‘V’ [Main Character]: No, no, no, see me and the rest of my gang. We’re not like the kind hearted people of the world. If anything we’re more like you.

Crouch [Antagonist]: Shut up, you can’t do anything to me, you know who my father is? He is so stinking rich, he could buy out one of your own men to stab you in the back. You lay a finger on me and you’re a dead man.

‘V’ [Main Character]: Oh shut up! Right let’s get on with it.

                        ***Looks to other gang member***

               You sure you don’t want to take this one?

               ***Member shakes head***

               Alright then more fun for me…

               ***Cocks gun and aims it at Crouch's head, clears throat***

               Johnathan Crouch, you are being charged with multiple accounts of; sexual harassment, assault, murder, rape and pedophilia. Failure by the current justice system in place has resulted in our involvement in this case. We have deemed your actions crimes against humanity and therefore you have been assigned a suitable punishment.

               Johnathan Crouch, do you have any last words?

Crouch [Antagonist]: Please no I’m an innocent man like you *humorously*.

‘V’ [Main Character]:      I’m no innocent man.

                            ***Shoots Crouch***

Camera Movement of Locations

Unfortunately working under constraints for this task and the seemingly inflexible nature of our actors schedule while also working in a two man group we were unable to take shots of where actors may be in the film, like in video-boarding (a video storyboard). I was however able to get a few shots of the main location showing off it's surrounding and places where we can achieve other shots planned in our storyboard.

Props List

List of the Props needed:

Gun, Subject to how covert location is. Will trade gun for closed fist in final piece if seems necessary. 

Plastic sheet with stones/weights

A rock for kids to throw

Bowl of water

Zip Ties

Duct Tape

Propaganda posters

Photos Of Location

Our first location is a local park, with lots of space and multiple big empty fields, suitable for our piece. It is important to keep in mind mise en scene when picking the exact location and the angles we can film from as we want to try not to include houses or dog bins in the background that might take away from the piece. Luckily the fields we intend to use aren't very popular especially in the time of year we are filming. This means we don't need to worry about civilians walking past as much as we might have to in a more popular location or in the middle of a more popular season i.e spring or summer.

Our second location, is a little more perfect for the effect we want and the needs of our location, the only problem is the passing traffic will make recording audio on scene fairly difficult and we are yet to hear back from the land owner as to whether we can film for the week, though it does look promising given the land hasn't been used in years. We must take more caution on this location as to not hurt ourselves as the land is a little more 'tricky'.

Story Board

Mood Board

Costume Plan

Preferable costume collated by my partner in this project, we decided on each piece of costume, to represent their archetype in the world of our final piece. We have acquired the costume for both the main character and the girl, but the costume of John Savil is subject to change before filming.

Edit Plan

Some of the editing will be done in class, or in the school using their facilities, however we have to abide to a plan and sometimes we may want to use it when we can't. Luckily I have a strong spec'ed computer at home, equipped with Adobe Premiere Pro(The same software the schools computers use.) For this reason I will also take the responsibility to do a lot of the editing at home. I will try to communicate with my partner as much as possible, as to make sure the edits are going in the direction he wants and also make sure my editing is up to scratch.

I have some editing knowledge from experience making short videos for the website YouTube. Although I trust my editing is of a decent standard, however, I will be looking up more information to increase the quality of my editing and create a more professional looking final piece. To do this I will teach myself through guides and tutorials on the internet as well as maybe reading a few books.
It would be nice to plan exactly what edits I want to do but my editing techniques involve having a vague idea of what I want, then playing around to see what works best.

To list all the editing effects I will/may use will take forever so I shall list a few definite effects.

Text-overlays, as mentioned in the titles plan will be added above video clips and to include names and titles.

Color correction, to give a more eerie vibe I will take out some of the brighter colors like red, orange and yellow to bring out the blues and greens creating a murkier looking scene.

Example Before:

Example After:

One of the most notable sources for editing knowledge is the YouTube channel 'Indy Mogul', though now discontinued the channel database continues to have hours of high quality content for the less professional video editor.

Narrative Structure

After long discussion, we decided to have the opening of the movie start at the beginning of the story, or a little bit before the main narrative that is the movie. The episodic and circular narratives seemed to be a bit overdone and wouldn't add to our piece.
The narrative of our piece is to involve a not too distant dystopian-esque future, a world polluted and torn by the greed of politicians producing a new reality frighteningly to our own. Due to the greed of politicians and those of higher class, without wealth you are without security. Only officials and those who can pay for it have the luxury of police or any form of "Justice". This leave the criminals running the streets, the court and juries. The people put behind bars are best known for their charitable acts and not for any real crime. However there is hope. A new gang arises to restore justice in the name of freedom, equality and God. They take restoring the old world into their own hands.
The opening scene will be a clip of the leader of the gang and an accomplice, executing a criminal. An establishing shot of a big field, a man bound by cable-ties, kneeling in plastic sheeting, his impending execution is all too obvious. The leader of the gang kneels down and recites the crimes he has committed. Rape, murder and pedophilia make it onto the list and the man will be punished for his crimes. As a judge would the gang leader convicts the criminal and lays out his sentence... Death. The screen cuts to black and the title roles. RESTITUTION.

Risk Assessment

Initial Planning

During this task me and my partner drafted ideas of what our film could be about. We proposed some ideas we had already and agreed on my idea of an execution but developed it into the idea that the protagonist is the executioner and not the one being executed. More talking took place and we came up with the idea that the gangsters work as a vigilante squad, men of honour. Much like the Yakuza of Japan they take things into their own hands to deliver justice that a dystopian government no longer applies. We drafted a few shots and a basic story board and .Alex it the working title of 'Restitution'.

Preliminary

Continuity task to involve continuity editing, a shot-reverse shot and abide the 180 degree rule.

Analysis of film opening task

Reservoir Dogs

Lock, Stock and Two Flaming Barrels

The Godfather

What I have learnt:

From this task I have learnt a lot about what kind of opening scene I want to go for but also how many variations of creating a great opening there are. Whether you go for a heavy dialogue part or more action involved opening it can always be interesting. One this I have also noticed by watching the rest of these films is that the opening scene is very good at setting the pace for the rest of the film, I should definitely take this into consideration when making my final construction.

Inspiration and Influences

From creating this slideshow I have realized a lot about the films and other influences that I like and that inspire me. Most of these sources are somehow grounded to reality, with the exception of maybe one, but all have some sense of realism that it could happen and that it is not unreasonable to expect it to. They take on quite a dark and maybe cynical view on of the world but only to highlight the beauty of everything that isn't bad and dark. Most of the influences seen are also probably most praised for their realism the realistic relationships and dialogue. I will take all of these points in mind and will be able to reflect on them when my final piece inevitably reflects what I have said here.

Research into a Gangster Sub-Genre (Crime/Thriller)

Styles and Influences

 Conclusion

From this and my research on Tarantino I have learnt that costume is everything and I have to get it right, I definitely prefer the professional gangster look and will definitely try to incorporate that into my final piece. Looking at all these different style however I think I will incorporate less of the typical American, big coat and fedora, look and aim more for the black/grey suit and tie.

Research a Director: Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino Research

Target Audience and the BBFC

What is the BBFC?

Taken from their website:"All classification decisions are based on the BBFC’s published and regularly updated Guidelines. The Guidelines are the product of extensive public consultation, research and the accumulated experience of the BBFC over many years. They reflect current views on film, DVD and video game regulation."

Here is a link to their website for their rating process: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/education-resources/student-guide/rating-process

In terms of gangster films most ratings are around the 18 to 15 age rating permitting a decent amount of violence, sex and drug use however modern films and the film industry aim to get their certifications much lower hitting the golden 12A certification to reach a mass audience and turn over more money. However in terms of my own piece I'll be aiming for the higher certification as going for a more niche audience means you can better focus on certain aspects and draw in more of one audience rather than a few of every audience.

My Target Audience

Voki of my target audience:



Transcript:
"Hey, I'm John Smith. I am 21 years old. I love film, especially organised crime and gangster. I am a big fan of British gangster film, but I like films with more professional criminals, less rough and tumble, more organised and refined. Everyone loves a bit of action and violence, me included. Though, if the action isn't accompanied by a good story and rich characters. I tend to not like the movie at all. I like original ideas and methods. Something, niche. Something, hip. Finally, for the opening of a film, action is good, but very abstract and original openings grab my attention."

Gathering more data

Although this voki is a "pretty good" representation of my target audience I will also send out a survey asking people what they want from a film opening what specifically they like about certain films and how they feel about certain ideas.

Survey:

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Producers and Distributors

In conclusion I think if I were to create my own piece and have any of the companies help me to produce and distribute my work, for a gangster piece, Warner Bros. are a definite pick up they dominated the scene for a long time and are still growing to this date. If an audience member were to see my film on a poster having the Warner Bros. name would definitely help persuade them to watch my production. I also think involvement with PolyGram Filmed productions and Bad Hat Harry would be good, producing a British film and then the connections to distribute it afterwards. Also it would help get the actors and producers from across England into making the final piece. Credits to these producers may appear at the beginning of my film. PolyGram and Warner Bros. for sure but Bad Hat Harry will be subject to what genre I go for and whether fans of Bad Hat Harry would think it does the brand justice and properly represents what they are known for.

Gangster Film Conventions

Gangster/Crime Film Conventions

The Godfather Opening
Goodfellas Opening
Reservoir Dogs Opening
Pulp Fiction Opening
The Departed Opening

What I have learnt...

From this I have been inspired to make sure I include key elements in my final piece, and that costume and mise en scene is never to be ignored or less thought of in my film especially an opening sequence. Certain conventions I definitely want to include and others I'd rather miss out on. Inspiration from Tarantino's films have told me the opening scene can be very abstract from the main story but I do want to make it clear to my audience they are watching a gangster film to begin with and the opening sequence will show, maybe, some sort of motive, relationship or desire of a character/ characters.

Task 10 Evaluating Students Work

Luke's Final Construction:

WWW (What Went Well) :

Good music choice and shots really set the scene well, costumes were used effectively to portray each character giving a brief idea of their class, their importance and their role in the piece. Editing was up to a good standard and helped create the ambiance that was desired.

EBI (Even Better If) :

Although the music chosen was very well picked out the pace of the piece changes but the music doesn't go with it. When their is a murder happening the same music was playing as two guys walking down the street. Some vocals were done post production which was really good but the audio balancing meant at time the music was much louder than the narration so you couldn't hear properly what the narration was talking about.

Louise's Final Construction:

WWW (What Went Well) :

Opening shots created an amazing scene, good lighting, varied shot types and good locations made this piece seems really good. Costume was well picked out and with the other aspects of this piece built up a really good mystery setting.

EBI (Even Better If) :

As mentioned in the table, mise en scene involved a modern phone in a scene that had been built up to be quite dated. From the initial shots of an old clock and all wooden surfaces, the big house and other sets featured




Joel's Final Construction:


WWW (What Went Well) :

Some really good camera shots made this piece really come together, audio quality is also pretty good, low background noise achieving probably one of the best audio qualities out of the student final constructions. Creative use of titles and captions to bring out the feeling the director desired.

EBI (Even Better If) :

Clips didn't drag out for so long giving more variety in shot types and camera shots, low level lighting produces graining and this should be avoided in future.




James' Final Construction:

WWW (What Went Well) :

Some amazing camera shots to make this film really stand out, the opening titles use creative environments and really utilise shot types to deliver each title or caption in an interesting way. The dialogue was well scripted and the lighting was the best out of all the students work I have looked at.

EBI (Even Better If) :

There is a fight scene that was evidently filmed on a rainy day, this usually wouldn't be a problem bu the scene is set in a public car park that leads to outside resulting in horrific background noise, that, crossed with the fact the scene last just way too long makes it almost unbearable to watch and brings such a promising piece down.

What I Have Learnt

From this task I have learnt that lighting and sound are of pinnacle importance as if they are of low quality it can bring down your whole construction. Also the use of creative titles can instantly engross a person into your piece and that music, if suitable, completes a scene. Finally I should be careful as to how my final product comes across, if there is one scene that ruins it, no matter how dear it is to my heart I should either re-shoot it to get rid of the problem or not include it at all as it can completely destroy an opening scene.

Narrative Structure Theory Task - Claude Levi-Strauss' Binary Oppositions + What I have Learnt

Binary Oppositions

Bi(meaning two) and Oppositions(a little more self explanatory), Claude Levi-Strauss' theory states that in terms of a film's theme there are massive similarities in the dilemmas and how they derive from a fundamental opposition of ideas or motives.

Your basic examples of your binary-opposites are;

Good vs Evil,
Black vs White,
Boy vs Girl,
Peace vs War,
Civilised vs Savage,
Democracy vs Dictatorship,
First world vs Third world,
Domestic vs foreign/alien,
Articulate vs inarticulate ,
Young vs Old,
Man vs Nature,
Protagonist vs antagonist,
Action vs inaction,
Motivator vs observer,
Empowered vs victim ,
Man vs Woman,
Good looking vs Ugly,
Strong vs weak,
Decisive vs indecisive,
East vs West,
Humanity vs technology,
Ignorance vs wisdom

Claude Levi-Strauss basically stated that these binary conflicts are the basis for most of the conflict in films and the central climax of a films narrative revolves around these binary oppositions.

In gangster films particularly we tend to see;

The, Good vs Evil,

the, Power vs Weak,

the Crime vs Justice oppositions.

What I Have Learnt

From this task I have gained insight into three awesome theories about film, but what I have learnt that is more valuable to my final piece is how to use these theories to deliver certain messages, invoke certain feelings or contradict the theories to give the opposite effect. I feel I will take inspiration from all these theories but mostly use them to help plan out and create a story for my final construction to be based on.

Narrative Structure Theory Task - Vladimir Propp's 8 Character Types

Vladimir Propp's 8 Character Types

What if I told you that all your favorite characters can be categorised under just eight character types and definitions, well mostly...

The following are your eight character types:

Meet the "HERO":
Our protagonist. Due to wed the princess, reacts to the donor, to defeat the villain.

Meet the "VILLAIN":
Our antagonist. Will fight the hero, he/she usually fights for the other 'team','side', 'power' or 'cause'.

















Meet the "FALSE HERO":
Takes credit for heroes actions or tries to marry the princess figure.

Meet the "DONOR":
Prepares the hero or gives the hero some (magical) object.*Cough*Batmobile/Tank*Cough*.

Meet the "DISPATCHER":
Makes the villain known and sends the hero to defeat him.

Meet the "PRINCESS":

the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. The hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess. Sometimes it doesn't always end this way but you get the point.

Meet the "HELPER":

Helps the hero on the quest to defeat the villain.

Meet the "PRINCESS' FATHER":

Gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, and marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father cannot be clearly distinguished.

As demonstrated above these eight character types can be applied to movies, no matter the setting or how abstract some of the 'Characters' may be; Maybe using Gotham as the father figure was a bit of a stretch :P.

These character types can also be applied to gangster films however I think the idea is flawed by people and especially modern characters are a lot more real and complex, everyone has their motives for different reasons and will do different things to resolve their problems. Take 'The Godfather' for example its not particularly easy to define a character as the villain or hero, not everyone's motives are exactly morally pleasing. Much like Todorov's theory Propp's eight character types are very good as broad, vague categories but can't always be applied.