Media Influences

Media Influences for Pre Production.

To get inspired and show in planning how I want my location, props, characters and mise en scene to look, I have decided to research into media and imagery to get a brief idea of how my film will look. 

After researching into the character profiles, I want both my characters to be two complete opposites. To do this I have decided to create a dull, unorganised scenario for the fathers scene, and for the son, he will be living in a clean, OCD kitchen with everything in the right place. 

LOCATION:

1. Taking inspiration from the British TV show 'Shameless' I want the location to look as if it is in a rough council estate with drug dealers hanging around or in a desolated flat. I think this will show that the father lives in a cheap, chaotic area where it wouldn't be safe to have a family. 

As my other character is highly OCD, I want his families house to be absolutely organised and sparkling clean to over highlight how neat and tidy he is.

(Mise-en scene also) In comparison to this, I want the fathers flat to look overly messy and contain alcohol and cigarettes in the kitchen. To do this, I will arrange all the pots in the kitchen overlapping each other as the photo below shows. I'll also spread alcohol over the table and make it very unorganised, this will also allow the son to feel uncomfortable and shocked at how his Dad lives when arriving at his home.

COSTUME:

The father's costume will be inspired by the character Frank Gallagher in the Channel 4 Programme 'Shamless' and Ste Hay in the Channel 4 Programme Hollyoaks.

Frank Gallagher 

Ste Hay

The antagonist will wear tracky bottoms and baggy ripped jeans to represent being lazy and rough around the edges. My character will also have stubble to make him look older.

My second character will be influenced by Jack Whitehall. I want him to look quite clean cut, yet have a cheeky appeal to himself. Jack Whitehall also has quite an innocent look which I think would help develop the OCD, quite character profile further. However, the clothes my character wears will be quite casual such as blue/black jeans and a plain shirt with a black jacket as I want him to be seen as laid back and also not look too old.

PROPS:

I'm going to create a very dis organised and messy mise en scene by using a variety of kitchen utensils and alcoholic beverages such as:

Tea bags, Sambuca bottle, Cider, ripped letters, a lot of cups and plates.

Actor Profiles

Actor Profiles:

For my two main characters, I needed to find 2 young males. Originally, I had chosen a fiend who looked a lot older than he is. He also is quite tall and has facial hair which also made him look older. This particular person would of been perfect for the role of my protagonist, however, due to unforseen circumstances he was unable to take the part of this role.

Luckily, I have another friend who can take the role of my character, Vittorio Falcucci. He is 20 years old and also studies TV Production, he is tall and has dark hair which once again fits the role - however he doesn't look old enough to be my main characters dad which is a down fall however I have to work with what I have.

For the second character, I need someone who looks quite young and dresses casual. For this person, I have chosen Chris Sarmiento, he is a 20 year old male who is also dark, yet not as tall.

Both my chosen actors are very reliable which means we we all be able to work well together. 

Camera Workshop

Camera Workshop

 

For two weeks, we have been working in groups in a camera workshop with Fergus Moloney. Fergus taught us how to use Sony EX Cameras along with all the basics of setting up a camera - for example;

-White balance

-Audio levels

-Focus/auto focus

etc.

 

We also got taught on how to use the buttons on the camera such as 'Peaking' and 'Zebra' to help us get sharp focus, and sort out the colour on our camera.

 



After Fergus taught us how to use the tripod, camera, microphones and lights - we was set a task to practice for a few hours. Throughout the day in our groups we had to set up a camera on a tripod and record a short scene - each of us held a different responsibility in the group. One of us would hold up the Rode microphone, another would work the camera and listen to the sound, another person would sit in the chair and be interviewed by the 4th member of the group. We kept changing roles so that each person would get a chance to get used to each piece of equipment and know how to use it. We also learnt how to use the clip on mic's, however when the Rode mic is placed directly above the actor it can be more beneficial as it picks up sound clearer.

 

Overall, the camera workshop was a huge help - Fergus not only taught us how to use the camera and other equipment, but also told us the different camera angles and shots we should use.

Character Profiles.

Further overview of characters. 

Character 1:

Name: Ben

Age: 18

Occupation: Student

Hobbies & Interests:

Personality: Highly OCD, lives in an overly clean and tidy flat which is dominated by females as he lives with his mum and sisters. The only male in his life is his step dad, Danny. Ben is a quiet teen but very enthusiastic and bubble around friends and family. Ben enjoys playing video games and seeing his friends.

Looks: Dark hair, neat hair and not too tall. Ben has a very casual dress sense and doesn't try to fit in with the crowd.

Character 2:

Name: Rick

Age: 33

Occupation: Unemployed (On the side work/dodgy)

Hobbies & Interests: No occupation, sleezes around not being able to find a starting point to fix his life. Drinks around the clock in his flat by himself, has no real hobbies or interests although back in the day used to play guitar in a band but got involved in drugs and alcohol.

Personality: Very selfish and arrogant. Rude to people he isn't connected with and is very lazy, however deep down wants to change his life around and wants the best for his son.

Looks: Dark hair, stubble and quite tall, wears comfy clothes such as jogger bottoms and when he goes out wears baggy jeans and a hoodie and beanie.

Screenplay: THE MEETING (Draft 1)

Ruby Rogers Screenplay: THE MEETING

NARRATIVE THEORISTS

Tzvetan Todorov.
Todorov suggests that most narratives start off with a state of equilibrium in which life is normal. The normality is then disrupted by an outside force, therefore either a new equilibrium is produced at the end of the narrative or the previous state of equilibrium is resolved. This is called a linear narrative.

Equilibrium > Disequilibrium > New Equilibrium

Roland Barthes: The Hermeneutic Code.

Barthes suggests that when elements in films are unexplained or confusing - it raises enigma and questions for the audience therefore keeping them hooked wanting to know what's happening. Barthes suggests that the audience aren't satisfied until all loose ends have been tied in a film - this is called the Hermeneutic Code. 

Proposed Idea: The Meeting Synopsis

Here is a draft of the synopsis to my story so I am able to start my script based around the ideas I have so far.

''Being told you are adopted on your 18th birthday isn't a typical day to day routine. However a naive teen was told just that. In this modern day drama, emotions and strain is forced upon an impeccable family. Determined to unite with his biological father and desperate for a male figure in his life, he takes it upon himself to achieve this goal. With high expectations on the young boys shoulders, he expects to be greeted with love and care - however his father is the complete opposite of him. How will a bubbly, OCD, happy male react when he meets a arrogant, drug abused male who he thought he would be looking up to?''