FMP

Evaluation

By Liam Harman

Your intentions - What did you intend on making?

When I first found out that for our final major project we could create any type of
production we wanted I instantly knew what I wanted to create which was a one shot short
film. A few months back I went to the cinema to watch 1917 which was a war film and that
was one continuous shot. I was so inspired about the techniques used in that film that I
desperately wanted to create something similar. I started brainstorming ideas even when
we were completing the previous unit. I decided to base my final idea off the 1917 film but
not so I plagiarized it. When the Final Major project came around I came up with a final idea
as well as the backups as well. My first backup idea was a factual programme on an isolated
patient during the coronavirus pandemic. This documentary would follow the life of Joe
Stanger (my cousin) as he dealt with the changes and sacrifices he must make while being
isolated. I would be presenting the documentary with a cameraman following me around.
He would be living and working on our family farm so we would follow his daily life. This
would’ve been fun to film as it would have shown a range of creativity and would’ve have
shown an innovative FMP idea. This was always going to be a backup idea as there were a
lot of complications that I would’ve had to bear in mind. Also, due to the Coronavirus I
would’ve never have thought of this idea. My second backup idea would’ve been another
Factual Programme and it would’ve been about the life of Ben Harman. Ben is my brother
and it would’ve been about the trauma he went through and how he always needs constant
care. This idea was originally intended for my year 2 FMP but again because of the corona
virus I decided to bring this idea as a backup as I knew it would be something I could film. I
would have interviews with my Mum and Dad and the carers who look after him. For my
main idea, I wanted to make a one shot short film that lasted between 10 and 15 minutes.
Looking at 1917 I decided to have two main characters and a villain.


Also, I wanted to use my farm as my main location as there is a lot of open space and it is
private land which meant I could be as creative as I like. After brainstorming ideas, I decided
that the storyline would be two friends searching for their missing friend while being hunted
by a terrifying psychopath. The message behind the short film is to always trust your friends
and to stick by them when they need you the most. The reason I wanted the film to be one
continuous shot was because I wanted the apprehension of the film to build as the narrative
developed. I also wanted the audience to feel like they were at the setting of the characters
feeling the nerves and tension, my film at the end of the day is a thriller and I wanted the
audience to experience the thrill of the film. I planned on filming my FMP with a Gimbal to
have a stabilizing effect on the camera and the reason I wanted this was because I wanted
the production to look professional and if the camera was hand held it would look cheap
and not as attractive. I realized that filming a one continuous shot would take a long time to
film but I made sure I put the effort into making the production possible.


How did you use your findings from my research to help plan your
production?

I already knew what my main idea was when I got to my research. I was going to research as
much as I could into short films and how I could improve my planning of my production. I
knew I had to put more effort into my research after my previous units which was where I
had let myself down before. Before doing any research, I looked at the research structure
that was put on the vibe website. This was recommended and I decided to follow the
structure as it would help me when analyzing the two short films I chose. The structure in a
simple form was describing what I could see, analyzing which was how the audience can
digest the information they are given, evaluating which was what worked well and how it
could be improved and synthesizing which was how the analysis would help me for my
production and how I could communicate my ideas.


Before analyzing my short films, I considered different aspects of research relating to short
films. I considered the codes and conventions of short films which included characters and
twists. Codes and Conventions are what one might consider aligning a typical trait with a
typical movie genre and an example would be a jump scare being in a horror movie. In the
character code, I looked at a PowerPoint, which I Harvard referenced, and found out that in
a short film that the more characters you have the longer your film must be. My short film
would consist of three characters and I estimated it would last a total of 8 minutes. This was
a perfect estimation as per the short film PowerPoint, a film with three character should last
about ten minutes. This finding from my research helped me plan my production as I
originally wanted my short film to last 15 minutes. I’m glad I changed it as my film would
have dragged on and the audience would have lost interest quickly. I also talked about the
Todorov theory which says that a short film should consist of 8 characters to work. I
personally do not agree with this theory and I explained why using the regular film The Grey
starring Liam Neeson. I explained the storyline of the grey which was about a group of
survivors being hunted by wolves. If I had 7 characters in my film like the grey has then my
film could not last 8 minutes due to timing furthermore the film would be rushed and there
would be no flow and little anticipation. My research helped my planning in this instance as
I did consider having a group of teenagers but due to the one-shot idea and the timing I had
to change and looking back I’m glad I did.

To continue I reviewed the equilibrium theory which was presented by Tzveten Todorov as
well. The equilibrium theory basically means that a story has a certain structure of having a
good start and bad middle and a good ending. He believed that all films should follow the
same narrative. I decide to talk about a film that follows this narrative and how my film does
not follow this narrative. The film I decide to support this theory with was Kong Skull Island.
Kong Skull island is about a group of scientists and soldiers who are exploring the land that
God did not finish creation. The story starts with the group just having fun exploring the
land but then the disequilibrium happens when Kong Attacks them. They must fight their
way out and the new equilibrium is the survivors making out. This film supports Todorov’s
theory and in for this type of action/thriller it works. However, for my short film this theory
isn’t supported as there is no new equilibrium. The story is left on a cliffhanger as the
psycho attacks Chris and the film ends. The audience do not know who survives at the end
and this means there is no new equilibrium. My research into the equilibrium theory helped
my planning as I originally planned for the villain to get killed but then I realized that I
wanted to branch out of the norm and have an ending that leaves the audience confused
rather than satisfied I want them to want to know what happened rather than see it on
screen.

After this I researched into two short films that I wanted to analyze. I decided to analyze a
short film called suitcase and a short film called Exposed. Suitcase is a one continuous short
film whereas Exposed is multiple shots. I decide to analyze two different ideas so I could
compare them but also show how they would help me in my production. The short film
suitcase is literally as it sounds, it’s about a suitcase. The camera follows the suitcase as its
passed on between different characters. The camera makes the suitcase the main subject of
the film. It lasts about a minute and there is no dialogue. Fortunately, the lack of dialogue
isn’t a problem as it has such a simple narrative. I Analyzed the different Codes and
Conventions of the film talking about Mise en scene to start with. I followed the structure I
originally mentioned that was there to help me. I described what I saw which was a suitcase
being passed on during a windy day in a town. I explained that the camera was following the
suitcase continuously representing it the journey it was embarking. This was my analysis as
it was helpful for the audience to understand what was happening. I finished Mise en scene
with explaining how I would use this concept in my short film saying my camera would
follow the characters as they embarked on their journey but the setting would be different
as mine was a field in the countryside.

Carrying on, I investigated into a video which explained cool and unique ways that you can
use a gimbal. For my production using a gimbal was essential as it would help the stability of
the camerawork and I wanted stability to show that my production looked crisp and
professional. Some of the gimbal movements shown in the video wouldn’t be helpful for my
production but there was one that was and that was the Fly through shot which is basically
when the camera is pushed through a small open space like a car window. This shot helped
me as it was one I could use for my production when the camera pushes through the front
door of the house giving a close-up of the characters. Using this research would’ve helped
me make my gimbal shots more creative and appealing.



Why would my production meet the needs of my target audience?

When I set out this project I knew that my target audience had to be specific. I knew that my
production would not be appealing to children aged 10 or below as there would’ve been
swearing and a violent theme throughout. As much as I wanted to leave my audience on the
edge of their seat I thought that would’ve been too far. I also would’ve given a viewer
discretion message at the beginning to warn the audience. This production would’ve met
the target audience of between 13 and 25 because it has young characters and a lot of
violence, this is what I intended from the beginning and it would’ve met the male target
audience more as there are no female characters and the film would’ve been scary and
tense (I’m not stereotyping). Another reason why I think that a 13-25-year-old target
audience would be intended would be because there is a certain message behind the film
that I think younger viewers would not understand. The message as that friendship is one of
the most important things in the world and that you should stick by them no matter what.
This message would’ve been showed when Chris decides that he and Sam should split off
but then regrets this decision as Sam gets attacked and he can’t do anything about it.
Continuing, my props and costumes would have also appealed to this target audience as
they are scary and frightening. The boys would’ve discovered two animal skulls along the
way which would’ve added to the apprehension and therefore be less appealing to
someone outside of the target audience. To support this the villain would also have dressed
up in a black cape and a scary Halloween mask and we would have seen a close-up of this
character when he would’ve jumped Chris from behind at the end.


What codes and conventions did you plan into your production?

I planned as many codes and conventions as I could into my production as wanted to make
my production professional. The genre of my short film would’ve been a thriller which
meant I planned as much as I could around it. The main code and convention I wanted to
use was a jump scare as everyone knows thrillers and horrors would be useless without
them. But mine wasn’t a horror so I couldn’t just let loose with the jump scares as my
production would’ve been about suspense rather than being scary. I considered when
would be the best time to implement a jump scare and I decided on it being right at the end
to shock and confuse the audience. The jump scare would’ve been the villain jumping out
on Chris as he is searching the cabin trying to kill the villain and trying to find his friend Olly.
I didn’t want a happy ending with Chris killing the villain and finding his friend but I still
could’ve used jump scare here as well.

I considered the typical codes and conventions of a thriller film and tried to use them in my
own way. For starters, I thought about the location and the Mise en scene. Now usually you
would consider a horror film to be in a dark location like a house or a forest because those
locations add tension and make the audience scared. I decided that an open field would be
my best option as I knew I had access to one and there’s hardly any people around. The
open field would have been perfect for filming this as I want the scene to be quiet and then
for the scene to burst into life when Sam gets attacked. The other location would’ve been
the cabin where the villain is hiding. Now the field was a less stereotypical of a horror
convention but the cabin expresses the horror theme as it dark, gloomy and scary. The cabin
would’ve been abandoned next to a dark haunted woodland area adding to the suspense.
Also with the codes and conventions I considered the costumes which was also a part of the
mise en scene. When considering a thriller film in general a lot of the time the bad character
has some sort of costume on that represents their status and character. This could be
someone wearing a disguise or even a suit. In my production, I would have had conventional
clothing that would fit a thriller genre. MY two main characters, Chris and Sam, would’ve
worn typical teenager clothing which is hoodie and jeans and the villain would’ve worn a
mask and a black cape to show off that he doesn’t want his identity shown and he wants to
be viewed as a scary person. I think if I had branched out from the typical codes and
conventions of a thriller my short film wouldn’t have made sense as the film is all about
mystery and if my villain had shown his identity then the mystery part of the film would’ve
been challenged by the audience.

How effective do you feel planning materials are? Could they be
used for someone else to create the production? If not what could
be improved?

Due to the coronavirus, I did not have as much planning material as I wanted but I wrote as
much as I could to a decent quality. I knew I needed to plan a lot for this type of project as
there was a lot to cover but I managed to cover it. On my LO3 page I started out my
planning by writing my character profiles. I only did profiles for Sam and Chris as the villain
did not have a backstory as we do not know his identity. I discussed the backstory of Sam
first explain he was a Caucasian male who would be wearing blue jeans and a black jumper
in the film. His main trait is that he is down to earth and empathetic and this is shown when
he sacrifices himself for Chris. I also explained the character of Chris who wears similar
clothes to Sam in the production. The main trait of Chris is that he is clever and very forward
thinking. He stays calm under pressure. In the short film, he would’ve shown his thinking
skills by splitting the two friends up in the main field, this later turns out to secure Sam’s
fate, although Chris decides to help Sam instead of going after the villain. Character profiles
help the audience understand how the characters would’ve acted in the film based off their
personalities.

Considering more of my planning I completed location recces of the locations I would’ve
used. My first Recce was of Chris’s house which would’ve been the first location of the film.
Chris lives on a farm in a countryside. I talked about the lighting which was weather
dependent and controllable from the switch. I talked about a hazard which would have been
the step-in front of the door. The next location would’ve been the main field which is where
most of the film would’ve taken place. I discussed about the sound saying the only noise I
would get would’ve been pedestrians walking past on the public footpath and birds
tweeting. The main hazards of the location would’ve been stinging nettles on the ground
but I would’ve made sure to avoid them. Lastly the final location would’ve been the cabin
when the attack happens and when Chris is searching for Olly. The lighting for the cabin
would have been perfect as the sunlight glare would increase the tension and give it a more
“Abandoned Vibe”. Also, a sound effect that would have been implemented was the
creaking floor effect which would also add to the apprehension. I made a props list and a
crew list in my planning too. In my props list I listed all the props I would’ve needed for my
production and explained why I needed them and when I would’ve needed them and
example of a prop I would’ve used was a pig skull. I though adding a skull would tell us more
about the villain and how he likes to mess with people. I knew how to get a hold of the pig
skull and for all the props I would’ve needed them all on the same day as it would’ve been
one continuous shot. For my Crew list, I added all the crew members including the actors
and the cameramen. I explained their role and what date they were needed. An example
was the actor Bertie Wallace who would’ve played Sam and he would’ve been needed on
the 23rd may which was when I would’ve been filming. I also mentioned Tom Stuart who
would’ve been the behind the scenes cameraman and he again would’ve been needed on
the 23rd as well. My script was also made as I needed to have dialogue in m film as it
wouldn’t have made sense. I designed my script in the right format and added music when it
would’ve been edited in and a sound effect when it was needed. The dialogue does slow up
at the end as its just Chris on his own but that’s when the music builds. My storyboard had
drawings about how I would have filmed my production. I drew the pictures to scale
depending on the camera angle so if the scene had a close-up shot the size of the image
would be larger. The close shot drawing is Chris picking up Olly’s jumper and discovering an
animal skull. I made 4 storyboards and uploaded them.

I believe that someone could look at my planning and can create the production but it
would take time to understand. I believe that my storyboard, although it is stick figures, is
clear and shows a specific camera angle and my props list conveys where they should put
the props depending on the timeframe and location. This film is made to be one shot so I
would have to explain the possible worst case scenarios to the person but I believe that they
could produce a professional looking production.

What were your strengths and weaknesses of the work I
completed?

I believe that I had a lot of strengths when it came to my FMP work. I believe my main
strength was my research stage. I decided to do more research than I had in my previous
work by talking about more aspects of a production. My production idea was a short film so
I covered as much as I could in short film analysis. Instead of just mentioning my two short
films analysis I decided to consider different videos such as how to create a short film and
some helpful tips on how to brainstorm ideas and plan productions. This video helped me
understand more about short films in general and my analysis of the video showed I had put
effort into research. Another similar scenario to this was when I research into unique
Gimbal movements. This type of work was not mentioned on the revised brief we were
given but I decided that I needed to consider Gimbals further as I wanted to have as much
practice with it so my production looked as clean as possible. This once again portrayed that
I was putting the effort into work that wasn’t compulsory but would help me on a personal
level.

I think a weakness of my work overall was my context work. During the context part of the
work I wasn’t sure what I was doing because that was at the start of the coronavirus
pandemic but I still followed the brief as best I could. The reason this page was a weakness
was because I didn’t complete this page to its deadline sufficiently. My teacher James
pointed out that I need to create my brief with my production idea and create my
bibliography. I managed to rectify this but it was way past its deadline. I need to be better at
completing work to its deadline as it will be something that holds me back in life if I don’t
sort it.





What area do you feel you need to improve on in the second year?

I feel that I need to improve on a couple of things in year 2. I believe that I need to improve
my analysis of my research no matter what production it is. I need to follow the guidelines
of the research to help me improve and get to a better standard. Say I was creating an
advert in the second year and I was analyzing two different adverts I need to talk about the
codes and conventions in greater detail. I could be discussing the location or the message
behind the advert but I would still need to synthesis the information properly not just say
what I see. In my radio drama, my research let me down on my work as It was too basic and
this is something I am determined to change in the second year. Another thing I need to
improve is the quality of some of my planning. For my planning for my FMP I found out my
script was not originally in the right format. Luckily James pointed this out to me and I
changed it but this was a mistake that wasn’t needed in my work. Also, he said that I didn’t
create enough location recces and that I missed one out. Although this again wasn’t a
massive problem James mentioned that I need to cut out sloppiness in my work as it lets
down the areas in which I excel. I admit sometimes I take the easy option or I cut corners on
the boring work like the research stage of the unit. I do however think that in my FMP
research I have covered as much research as possible giving a structured analysis with even
non-compulsory work included. These little things being erased out of my work and my
work should be distinction standard by the end of year 2.