Pockets - Short Film

“Pockets” – Short Film

 

The set up of the film “Pockets” is about a poor man at the end of his rope, unable to provide or the woman he loves. As a result he decides to rob a stranger in order to get a good meal.

The reason I chose this particular film is because of the unique and clever storyline. I liked the fact that the creator of this film has turned a real life situation such as theft/robbing and has turned it into a unique and ironic situation.

In the opening scene of “Pockets” it opens with an explosive non diagetic sound with the film titles in bold white capital letters appearing. I found this technique interesting because it grips the audience straight away because of the unexpected powerful sound. There is also an off-screen voiceover of the troubled man communicating about his problems suggesting he is directly trying to communicate with the audience. This is a unique technique because it has used a variety of communication skills instead of just the man speaking to himself. A quirky element of the film which I found interesting is the scene where the troubled man is about rob another man who is a complete stranger in order to eat well. The real quirkiness o the scene is that he threatens and also searches him with a sharp knife, so as he invades the victim’s pockets he finds himself mysteriously entering his own pocket which i found very “quirky and anxious. A non diagetic soft tune quickly plays to signify something “out o this world” has occurred.



This technique is very creative and clever because this situation would not happen in real life and has creatively turned a serious real situation into an “ironic” and mysterious turn of events. I also admire the fact the film title plays an important role in the film, the camera use in the film is effective especially when the victim attempts to punch the troubled man and as he approaches him a freeze fast paced camera motion happens. This camera technique is very effective because it used to show the intense scene between the two characters.  I also found the way the cut-away scenes were presented, the type of cut-away shots have been used as a “blend” and “continuous” Example of this in the film is when  the victim opens his coat in an emerged and powerful way then simultaneously  the camera transfers to the troubled man eagerly running from him. I also liked the fight scene between the two characters because it wasn’t fought in the clichéd type of way, instead it was two rivals fighting each other using their “pockets” which again emphasises the quirkiness and powerfulness pockets can be. I admire the fact that simple unnoticed things such as pockets can be protagonist and can play an important role in a fantasy human life. Another quirky and interesting moment in the film is when the victim is threatening a woman with a sharp knife without thim being in contact with her. I find this technique ambitious because it is unique and really grips the audience to find out how that shot has been made. The close ups  used are very precise and intense, example of this is when the victim has found out that he has eaten heat pockets which could potentially kill him, therefore a quick cut into his face show his emotions due to the consequences. This film ends  in the same explosive non diagetic sound it opened with, this shows consistency and creativeness and that the creator has put thought to this film.     

                                          

Storyboard

Question 7

Pre – production – During the preliminary task I decided that we should have our opening scene in a house, we all agreed because it contrasted with our film. We decided to film at Leanne’s house who was a member of our group because she lived close to the school, until we realised she was going to Amsterdam for an exchange programme. This was a problem we encountered because we had to find a backup location. This was a big problem because we couldn’t film in my house or Grace because of the distance away from the school. The solution was resolved because Leanne came back in time for the main task. The key lesson learnt was that in the future I should always have in mind of a backup location just in case. During the prelim task we needed cast to act in our opening scene. I suggested we needed at least 6 cast preferably 3 males and 3 females. A Problem encountered because some of our cast were also acting in other groups so we had to find a way of fixing the problem. In our main task I organised the time and day that our cast would be available, this was effective for us because it meant that our cast would act for us on this certain day and time and also at the meantime be filming with another group. At the end we managed to have our 6 casts. The key lesson learnt is that I should be organised and construct my actors and be aware of the time and day they will be available. Production- As a group we decided that weather would pay an important role in our film because some of the shots were shot outside. If the weather was bad we would have to leave out the shot because of the surface and the camera. In the main task I decided that we should beforehand check the weather for that day and see the if it was okay to carry on the outside shot. Luckily the weather was decent and we could still carry on our shot outside. The key lesson learnt was that to be prepared and to be organised instead of waiting for things to occur then trying to fix it. The variety of shots were a problem during the prelim ask because of the location it was set in. for instance in our opening scene we wanted to start it with an establishing shot of a bedroom. This could not happen because the bedroom was too small and we could hardly fit the camera in. In the main task I decided that we should change the variety of shot and instead do a wide shot. This worked well and was actually theoretical better than having to do an establishing shot. The lesson I learnt was to be creative and also have other alternatives if things didn’t go to plan. For our prelim task we needed equipment’s to merge in with the shots we needed. We needed equipment such as paper, mugs, pens, kitchen appliances etc. There were slight problems because we couldn’t purchase the items or did not own them. In the main task I used my initiative and bought some equipment’s such as an alarm clock and pens to help bring realism to the opening scene and make it look more convincing. The lesson learnt here was to use my initiative and be aware and to also take actions. Timing was very important because we had to finish each shot at a certain time. This was because we used the location in one of my group’s house so we had to finish on time to pack up all the camera equipment and bring it back to the media department. In the main task we had a better story board so we could easily be aware of how long each shot would take. This made things much easier for us and in the end all our shots met the deadline. Post production& feedback In the prelim we didn’t know much about sound like whether it should have been copyright free or not, but in the main task we knew what websites to download the copyright free sounds from. The key lesson learnt was by listening and learning from our teachers and being knowledgeable. The feedback given to us in the prelim were not taken into action. Some of us were not listening to the feedback or did not understand how to improve the work. But in the main task we took the feedbacks more seriously. We incorporated feedback from Stewart, our media supporter who gave us important feedback which everyone took serious and also improved in their work. Stewart also gave us feedback about music choices because some sounds did not fit in with the match-on action so we took the constructed criticism and chose the right sound. In the prelim task we was doing stuff without thinking and jumping into conclusions with a lot of faults and errors. This feedback was vital because there were some errors like the camera shots, sound and continuity that we didn’t recognise but adjusted it and made it better.

Question 5

Our opening sequence starts with me playing the character of Jamal (the protagonist). The opening sequence starts with the main film title “The Aduntura” in his bedroom with a slow action sound playing in the background throughout the opening sequence. We chose to start it with the bedroom because audiences will familiarise with the setting and also because it also marks a beginning a of a story Titles of the film Production appear. Next an alarm will go off with a close up of the time which symbolises that he is late for whatever he is going to do. He then wakes up looking tired and miserable, (film titles appear with the director’s name). He then walks down the stairs with a cut in to his feet; this has been used to help the audience feel part of his journey. (Film titles appear on the side of the stairs to make it look interesting and as a group we found it effective. The next scene in the opening sequence is when Jamal is in the bathroom and he stares at the mirror checking him self. During this, character film titles appear on the mirror. He then goes up to his room to get changed for work, again film titles appear on the side of the wardrobe to add more style to it. He then opens a secret case containing a ring which obviously means something to him because as he is doing that he checks if anyone is watching him. After he has chose on what he is going to wear he goes to the kitchen to make breakfast. As he turns the kettle on and opens the cupboard to find sugar, film titles appear on the side of the cupboard with titles of the sound editor. He then looks at his watch, there is a close up of his watch symbolising how late he is, then a close up of his facial expressions to show how serious the situation is. He then drops the mug he is holding and it smashes the on the floor with edited sound of the glass smashing which make it very effective and brings realism to the scene. He rushes outside showing a long shot of his house and neighbourhood, film titles appear on top of his house. The last scene of the opening scene is set in his workplace, his colleagues are in a boardroom meeting and discussing on what actions to take. Jamal fashionably late rushes in to the meeting and apologises. A mid shot is used for this shot, with film titles appearing near the side of the actors/actress playing the work colleagues. He then sits down on his chair with an over the shoulder shot. The themes we have chosen to attract the audience is by following the codes and conventions of action adventure films such as the type of sound, camera shots, editing and props which are essential in helping engage and relate tot the audience. Other films which have also addressed similar themes are “Spiderman, Avenger Assemble, and Hulk. These films are very similar in contrast with themes because they both share similar storylines, characters e.g. Hero’s and Villains which all link to key themes in action adventure films.

Question 4

The target audience for my film are teenagers aged between 13- 17. The main gender for our target audience are males, the reason why this is directly targeted at males is because through our research males were most dominant at watching action adventure films compared to females. This is because males enjoy watching people being in conflict with each other and also to feel the adrenalin the actors are feeling. As our film is action adventure the audience will expect we meet all the themes of codes and conventions included in action adventure such as Secret gadgets e.g. guns, ropes and knives and superhuman powers. We have also included codes and conventions such as a busy location/ setting this is because there are more chances of crimes happening in a mass crowd and location. We have also included characters such as the superhero, villain and damsel in distress who awaits for the superhero to rescue her from the villain, this is very cliché but through our hard work of research these are the conventions included in action adventure films. Our film will attract our main audience because it includes all the key themes they would expect from our genre. Also because we have an interesting story line so the audience can relate and show emotional tension towards our film. In addition to our genre our target audience would be interested in watching films such as Spiderman, Rush Hour, Pirates of the Caribbean and Fast and Furious 5 because they all fit into the category of action adventure and also because of the intense storylines.

Question 2

Question 2 – How does your opening scene represent particular social groups? The social group this film is directed at are teenagers preferably aged between 13 and onwards. This is because our genre is action adventure and to find the right target audience we researched the most popular social groups for action adventure films. The key character in my film is a 21 year old man named Jamal. Jamal is a normal guy whose occupation is computer science salesman. Jamal loves anything involving around computers and yet he still lives with his family. Jamal is tall, lean figure far from the ‘muscular’ bulky type. Jamal’s life begins to change as he lives a double life which he has to keep as a secret to protect his identity. A mighty ring which has been passed through the family hereditary. Jamal finds this special ring which gave him super powers and wore it whenever trouble occurred. This special job for Jamal was very important because back in primary school Jamal was a bit of a nerd, he wore tight skinny jeans and really geeky glasses. He would get bullied because of his appearance and his strange personality, but what was brave about him was that he kept it all in and never retaliated to the remarks. So this was a prefect motive for him to boost his confidence and show a contrast between his normal personality and him being a superhero. The sound used in the opening sequence portrays Jamal’s character as someone who laid-back and lazy, but at the same time there is an urge of suspense and mystery to him. The lighting of the camera is low-key which suggest that Jamal the protagonist is dull and boring and maybe show he is a moody character. The opening sequence to Rush Hour 3 starts with the main character Chris Tucker who is supposed to a traffic warden but instead is too busy listening and dancing that he is unaware that cars are crashing against each other because he is not doing his job right. This opening sequence is very different from our group because in the other opening sequence they have opened it with what the target audience would expect from the film which is comedy/action. On the other hand our opening sequence does not give away much from the character as supposed to the film. This is to make the audience anxious and eager to see what will happen next. Another opening sequence that our film can relate to is Spiderman. This is because in the opening sequence of Spiderman it also shows a normal guy doing what he does regularly before he goes to work then ends up finding he has superhuman powers. BATMAN is also another film which is similar because both characters attributes are weak and both personalities are not as strong until they become superheroes when they are positive role models and have a stronger characteristics. We chose our cast accordingly to our story. A scene in our opening sequence there is a board room meeting where we needed at least 6 actors/actress to be involved. We varied this by choosing at least 3 boys and 3 girls to make the boardroom meeting equal and more realistic. We directed our cast to act normal and not over the top just like you would behave in an important boardroom meeting. We were looking for our cast to be reliable, dedicated and focused. Our cast were much focused and did everything we asked them to do. They also pitched in some ideas for how to improve the shot and also positioning e.g. the positioning of the table and cameras which our group found very helpful.

Question 1

The genre of our film is action adventure. We have followed the conventions of action adventure through character, narrative, sound and mise en scene. Character: We followed the conventions of action adventure film through character by developing our character as being a geeky character then oppositely when he turns in to a superhero he becomes confident and strong. This is also similar to the film “Superman” because he’s character is a geeky anxious character then changes into a more dominant character. Narrative: We stuck to the codes and conventions of a narrative of an action adventure film. We followed this by having a clichéd story line of a normal guy who lives a double life as a regular guy/girl then having to keep his secret identity of being a superhero. Sound: We used a parallel action sound to contrast with our opening scene. We used this particular sound because it followed the codes and convention and blended in with our opening scene. Other films such as “Spiderman” have also started with an upbeat action sound to blend in with the genre of the film. Mise en scene: We developed our forms of codes and convention with setting by opening the scene in a bedroom; we chose to start with a bedroom because we thought it would be a way of engaging with the audience because of the setting. We also used props that would feature in action adventure films. In our opening scene we used a secret ring that our character would use to become a superhero which followed the codes and conventions of the genre. We also used facial expressions that you would see in our genre. For example in our opening scene there was an important facial expression to suggest tension or suspense which you would always expect in action adventure films. We also used low-key lighting to calm the mood and bring some kind of tension that the audience would feel. We also challenged props being used because we did not use guns, knives, ropes or any super gadgets that would have been used in action adventure films. Pirates of the Caribbean is an action adventure film that used a lot of props such guns, knives etc. that our opening scene did not use.