Photoshop Workshop : Exploring The Use of Grids...
Photoshop Workshop : Exploring The Manipulation of Images...
James has returned (we can't off scared him to much last year!), to help expand our knowledge of computer software. Last year we learnt about editing and post-production using the software 'After Effects', this time we have focused on Photoshop, as for our ancillary task we must create a film poster and review page, photoshop therefore is a key element in the completion of these tasks. I personally had a little insight into photoshop before we started, as last year James taught me a bit about how to create a transparent background to objects and move them so you could create a final image using a range of smaller images, as I needed this skill to create my beachut-sea gull ident image (so I didn't feel I was going into the task completely blindness just slightly).
We were focusing on completing our own "creature" inspired by the botanical-artwork-heroes image. We were set the task of choosing our own base image (I chose a mushroom), our own set of crazy eyes, and any other features we thought our "creature" needed in order to create an impacting effect - I went for the "cute creature" look than scary! Once we had formed our basic image, we then had to develop a knowledge in changing and manipulating colours and saturation, in order to stop the image from looking like lots of different elements pulled together (even thought in fact that is what it was!). Once we were happy with our final image, we started to focus on adding text (which is a crucial aspect to creating the review), we learnt how to create a word path, in which the text follows the line (example = round the image in a circle) or goes around in the image (example = when a box a is formed by the lines).
We were focusing on completing our own "creature" inspired by the botanical-artwork-heroes image. We were set the task of choosing our own base image (I chose a mushroom), our own set of crazy eyes, and any other features we thought our "creature" needed in order to create an impacting effect - I went for the "cute creature" look than scary! Once we had formed our basic image, we then had to develop a knowledge in changing and manipulating colours and saturation, in order to stop the image from looking like lots of different elements pulled together (even thought in fact that is what it was!). Once we were happy with our final image, we started to focus on adding text (which is a crucial aspect to creating the review), we learnt how to create a word path, in which the text follows the line (example = round the image in a circle) or goes around in the image (example = when a box a is formed by the lines). 
Here is an photo collage of the different processes involved in creating my "cute creature" :
(insert image of photo collage)
Five Key Steps to a Low Budget Film...
Unfortunately I am not a millionaire or have a partnership with a successful American production company, so I have been doing some research on the key elements to a successful low budget short film. As in a previous post I commented on what makes a good short film, I found on the Raindance film festival website five key steps to a successful low budget film (perfect for seaside productions, as we are defiantly a low budget production company!)
1. Draft a creative, engaging script : This goes without saying one of the most important ingredients to any successful film is a quality script, therefore meaning the script is the most critical aspect to the success of a low budget film. In order to have a successful script it must be creative as well as original. It is the script that on low budget films carries the film from start to finish, as unlike professional high budget films there is not the funds to have elaborate sets or extraordinary special effects, therefore it must be the most creative element that keeps the audience interested throughout the development of the story. An example of how a script can be the source of a successful film is black a white film 'Clerks', the script was written by Kevin Smith and had a budget of $27,575 and made a gross of over £3million
2. A Visionary Director : The most successful films are ones which have a director who is willing to take risks, innovative and knows what it takes to create a quality film. An example of this is the successful 'Blair Witch Project' which was co-wrote and directed by Daniel Myrick and Edurado Sanchez, the success was down to the successful director role of managing and directing the creative elements
3. Resourceful Production : With limited funds the only way to ensure success for a low budget film is to have an imaginative and creative production team (most of the common roles to filmaking however is carried out by the director because of the lack of funds to have a full production team). An example of a resourceful production is 'Clerks', Kevin Smith filmed almost the entirety of the film in the convient store where he worked, he worked around the issue of not being able to stimulate day scenes as he filmed at night by closing the shutters and incorporating this into the story line. In order to cut costs low budget films may also conduct post-production in the home of the producer as this means that a production office is not needed
4. Unknown Actors : The most successful films are those that cast relatively unknown actors (which is great news for low budget films). The reason for this is because there is no association to the other work that the actors have been in therefore making it easier (as well as cheaper) for the director to deliver a clear depiction of the unfolding events in the story. For example in 'The Blaire Witch Project' Daniel Myrick and Edurado Sanchez casted actors with little or no acting experience, this was so they could create a sense of realism allowing the portrayal of a documentary
5. Marketing : Success to any film especially those on a low budget is marketing. In 'The Blair Witch Project', the success was the direct result of the innovative way the producers carried out the tasks. Initial buzz for the film was carried out on a website that was created a year before the film was even released. More interest was gained through TV and radio advertising, and prior to the release of the film the actors were not allowed to make public appearances in order to make it is as authentic as possible. This in turn meant that a gross of over £248million was gained from the film.
1. Draft a creative, engaging script : This goes without saying one of the most important ingredients to any successful film is a quality script, therefore meaning the script is the most critical aspect to the success of a low budget film. In order to have a successful script it must be creative as well as original. It is the script that on low budget films carries the film from start to finish, as unlike professional high budget films there is not the funds to have elaborate sets or extraordinary special effects, therefore it must be the most creative element that keeps the audience interested throughout the development of the story. An example of how a script can be the source of a successful film is black a white film 'Clerks', the script was written by Kevin Smith and had a budget of $27,575 and made a gross of over £3million
2. A Visionary Director : The most successful films are ones which have a director who is willing to take risks, innovative and knows what it takes to create a quality film. An example of this is the successful 'Blair Witch Project' which was co-wrote and directed by Daniel Myrick and Edurado Sanchez, the success was down to the successful director role of managing and directing the creative elements
3. Resourceful Production : With limited funds the only way to ensure success for a low budget film is to have an imaginative and creative production team (most of the common roles to filmaking however is carried out by the director because of the lack of funds to have a full production team). An example of a resourceful production is 'Clerks', Kevin Smith filmed almost the entirety of the film in the convient store where he worked, he worked around the issue of not being able to stimulate day scenes as he filmed at night by closing the shutters and incorporating this into the story line. In order to cut costs low budget films may also conduct post-production in the home of the producer as this means that a production office is not needed
4. Unknown Actors : The most successful films are those that cast relatively unknown actors (which is great news for low budget films). The reason for this is because there is no association to the other work that the actors have been in therefore making it easier (as well as cheaper) for the director to deliver a clear depiction of the unfolding events in the story. For example in 'The Blaire Witch Project' Daniel Myrick and Edurado Sanchez casted actors with little or no acting experience, this was so they could create a sense of realism allowing the portrayal of a documentary
5. Marketing : Success to any film especially those on a low budget is marketing. In 'The Blair Witch Project', the success was the direct result of the innovative way the producers carried out the tasks. Initial buzz for the film was carried out on a website that was created a year before the film was even released. More interest was gained through TV and radio advertising, and prior to the release of the film the actors were not allowed to make public appearances in order to make it is as authentic as possible. This in turn meant that a gross of over £248million was gained from the film. Exploring The Criteria of a Good Short Film...
The creation of a good short film cannot be based on set rules as the interpretation of a good short film is all based on the subjective views of the audience. However when an exhibitor reviews short films in order to develop an understanding of what is successful or not, the exhibitors may looks towards certain criteria's:
- An exciting and original idea = a purely original idea is hard to come by however a basic subject matter, can be used in a variety of ways demonstrating the matter from a different angle or with the use of a different technique, by researching lots of different short films leading trends can be identified, therefore a successful short film would be one that rather than following a cliched idea, develops its own twist and original aspect to a certain subject matter
- A strong script = the key element to a narrative-based short film is a good script, therefore many short films are let down by a weak, overwritten or underdeveloped script, strong scripts are those that have been developed and reviewed by the target audience, feedback received and taken into account before the actual production of the film therefore resulting the creation of a good short film
- Good acting = strong films created by local film makers will be one's that have recruited up and coming actors who are searching to make there names known, this recruition could of been done by advertising on message boards of film making communities, therefore not only is the filmmaker gaining great actors but also advertising the film via another Internet connection
- High production values = a good digital produced film will be one that has always applied the basic production values used to create any film. Many low budget short films are let down by the poor sound, lighting, camera work and editing, however by ensuring the values are applied a good low budget film is accessible and affordable for all to create
- Making it short = the longer the short film, the less chance of capturing the viewers attention therefore a successful short film that is popular amongst distributors and buyers are very short films as they are easier to programme and in turn can be sold to a range of multi-platforms (example = online, mobiles and VOD). Evidence has also shown that on Film Network the average time a view watches a film for is four minutes, and no film longer than thirty minutes are accepted by film festivals.
- A strong beginning = a film that grabs the attention of the audience from the very first shot is an exemplar of a good short film, an unsuccessful short film therefore is one that has not pique the audiences interest within the first two minutes
- Exciting new techniques and styles = an average plot can be made intriguing by a new technique or style, this could be anything from a new kind of animation, camera work or art direction, therefore a successful and good short film is one that exhibits the exploration of the director and in turn the development of their own unique style
The Concepts of a Short Film...
In order to create my own successful short film, I have firstly been exploring the concept of short film from looking at the basic criteria to seeing how it is professionally defined within the industry. Catherine Des Forges states that a short film is "spare economic narratives, interesting storytelling, well structured work which draw in the audience quickly" whilst as Gareth Evans stated that "short films are long films that end earlier. A good idea, succinctly, less is more". Short films have a number of contrasting elements to feature length films, below is a table I have constructed comparing a short film against a feature film :
DEFINED BY LENGTH
Gareth Evans stated that "short films are long films that end earlier", this would indicate that it is the length of time that defines a short film, in order to be classified a short film in must be less than 40 minutes, and Gareth Evans indicates that a short film need to imply more than is possible to be screened in their limited time. We are creating a short film which is 5 minutes long, this would be dubbed as a 'micro short'. There are festivals that specifically exhibit very short films, such as 'The International Festival of Very Shorts' (a film festival based in Paris, which exhibit movies that last 3 minutes or less) and 'The International One-Minute Film Festival' which has since 2006 presented and promoted a collection on one-minute films
DEFINED BY CONTENT
Gareth Evans stated that the best short film are "crystalline creations of precise, prismatic intensity", therefore similar to how Catherine Des Forges states that a short film is "..well structured work which draw in the audience quickly" and Dave Sproxton stated that a short film is "a good idea, succinctly told. Less is more". Therefore a short film is an effective realisation of one particular idea, it is the essence of their creators imagination told in a snippet. In summary a short film can be defined by how their content is well structured, in order to intensely engage the audience in one particular creative idea.
DEFINED BY FORM
Short films have the ability to be both fiction (my personal short film is a fictional drama) and non-fiction (may short films are of a documentary genre). Short films can be recognised as multifarious as they come in a variety of forms and functions. This flexibility, is seen as a great aspect to short films, they are experimental and able to cross the boundaries of formulaic of film production and create a thought provoking production
DEFINED BY MEANS OF PRODUCTION
The term 'short film' can be an inclusive one that refers to all short sequences of moving images, furthermore short films in this definition might be produced by the use of a diverse range of technologies rather than being short purely on film stock
DEFINED BY CREATIVITY
Short film is associated with alternative filmaking, both in terms of its content and freedom of expression. Away from the constraint of industrial production, high fiance and the need to tailor a film to the expectations of the audience present in a feature film, those who make short film have an ability to retain creative control
|
FEATURE FILMS
|
SHORT FILMS
|
|
Must be 80 minutes or more, the
majority of feature films last between 90 and 210 minutes long
|
Must be less than 40 minutes to be classified
a short film, but many last from 5 to 10 minutes
|
|
High budget : Pirates of the Caribbean
: At worlds end (2007) is ranked as the most expensive film production with a
budget of $300 million
|
As made by independent filmmakers short
films often are low budget (or in our case no budget at all)
|
|
Professional
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Amateur
|
|
Mainstream, usually exhibited multiplex
cinemas such as ‘The Odeon’
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Alternative, usually exhibited at independent
cinemas such as ‘Cinema City’
|
|
Formulaic
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Experiential (Such a surrealism short
films)
|
|
Widely distributed
|
Commonly distributed through the
Internet, such as BBC film networks and virgin media shorts
|
|
Mass audience
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Niche audience
|
|
Large “Hollywood” cast
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Small casts (for example when we
reproduced ‘My Beast Friend’ there was only three cast members)
|
|
High levels of special effects in
order to create a “wow” reaction
|
More focus on engrossing the audience
through the plot of the film, rather than creating an out of this world
experience
|
DEFINED BY LENGTH
Gareth Evans stated that "short films are long films that end earlier", this would indicate that it is the length of time that defines a short film, in order to be classified a short film in must be less than 40 minutes, and Gareth Evans indicates that a short film need to imply more than is possible to be screened in their limited time. We are creating a short film which is 5 minutes long, this would be dubbed as a 'micro short'. There are festivals that specifically exhibit very short films, such as 'The International Festival of Very Shorts' (a film festival based in Paris, which exhibit movies that last 3 minutes or less) and 'The International One-Minute Film Festival' which has since 2006 presented and promoted a collection on one-minute films
DEFINED BY CONTENT
Gareth Evans stated that the best short film are "crystalline creations of precise, prismatic intensity", therefore similar to how Catherine Des Forges states that a short film is "..well structured work which draw in the audience quickly" and Dave Sproxton stated that a short film is "a good idea, succinctly told. Less is more". Therefore a short film is an effective realisation of one particular idea, it is the essence of their creators imagination told in a snippet. In summary a short film can be defined by how their content is well structured, in order to intensely engage the audience in one particular creative idea.
DEFINED BY FORM
Short films have the ability to be both fiction (my personal short film is a fictional drama) and non-fiction (may short films are of a documentary genre). Short films can be recognised as multifarious as they come in a variety of forms and functions. This flexibility, is seen as a great aspect to short films, they are experimental and able to cross the boundaries of formulaic of film production and create a thought provoking production
DEFINED BY MEANS OF PRODUCTION
The term 'short film' can be an inclusive one that refers to all short sequences of moving images, furthermore short films in this definition might be produced by the use of a diverse range of technologies rather than being short purely on film stock
DEFINED BY CREATIVITY
Short film is associated with alternative filmaking, both in terms of its content and freedom of expression. Away from the constraint of industrial production, high fiance and the need to tailor a film to the expectations of the audience present in a feature film, those who make short film have an ability to retain creative control
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