Planning

 PLANNING

Planning for a short film like this will include a lot of document and testing. Being a startup filmmaker means having to learn the techniques of what works visually and what doesn’t. It doesn’t always come naturally and there are several hurdles along the way. For those wanting to make sure they take the right approach and continue to develop a meaningful strategy, it’s important, to begin with, the right approach, I need to test certain equipment out early to really understand what will be best for my short.

BRAINSTORMING IDEAS FOR MY SHORT FILM

I spoke about various ideas on my ideas page. However, it took some time to really get the idea. I will look at a website and link it to my planning development and how I took influence from tips.

1.  Develop short movie ideas that are simple. 

Ask yourself: How many characters on average are in your short film story ideas? How complex is the plot? How visual is the story?

For me this something I need to critically consider. I am taking inspiration from directors such as Guy Ritchie who have a lot of character development in their films and I am only allowing myself to have a maximum of 20 minutes worth of film. Whereas feature film concepts often benefit from complex storylines and characters, short film ideas do not. I have so little time in a short to set up the characters and story that if the idea is overly complicated the audience will tune out.

To start off with, I created a treatment to help me develop my idea. 

2.  Develop short movie ideas that are no longer than 20 minutes. 

Piggybacking off the first point, I need to consider long is my short script idea likely to be? If I have multiple characters, locations and plot lines, this is likely to bloat the eventual page count.

My first draft is now done and here it is to view :

DRAFT 2

I realised that there was a flaw in my script and story that wouldn't have made sense for the audience. Throughout the short when it comes back to Ricky and  Danny talking they are near the boot of the car which is supposed to have the civilian in it. However, when we go back into the past he manages to escape ( the civilian) therefore it wouldn't make sense to have him in the boot because he escaped.

This is what was changed instead of '' Danny walks up to Ray who proceeds to open the boot''.

A short film can be anything from fifteen seconds to forty-five minutes in length. I need to make sure my short film script is as short as possible but also will keep the audience engaged because the shorter the short, the less costly it will be to produce and less time consuming,  I know I shouldn't rush it, however, keeping in mind of research I need to make sure I have a plan of action of what needs to be done.

I have created a time schedule to make sure I able myself to have time to work on each segment of my project. 

The March schedule is the start of my project. Here is my plan and how I should go about it. Research, planning and ideas are almost all together because that will help me solidify my idea. Within planning, this is creating script drafts, Storyboards and other production documents. 

The April schedule is vital towards really building the foundations of my research. Doing my planning first allows me to make changes to the script and storyboards. Towards the end of April, I look to start filming however this could be done earlier if possible. My research is a pinnacle part of my project that should be given a reasonable amount of time. 

The May schedule will consist of filming, editing, evaluation/feedback and checking over all work to make sure there are no missing bits. Editing will require some time so I am allowing over half of a week to get that done.

To conclude the schedules, it is only estimations and what I aspire to happen. Things can happen however i believe I have created a schedule that is flexible and fair. 

As well as production documents I have also taken out equipment to try so I know how well it can be done on set.

Of course, digital technology frees up filmmakers, yet time still costs money, so does feeding a hungry crew. If you shoot too fast your short film might end up looking amateurish. It has to be cheap but shouldn’t LOOK cheap! Plus, if you want to get your short into a festival, then keep it to no more than ten minutes, which is usually 7-8 pages maximum. 

3.  Develop short film ideas that are cheap to shoot. 

I do not have a budget at all technically for this project, I am lucky enough to have access to good equipment that I can use and I have already developed a list of what I may potentially need in terms of equipment.

The reason why this list in some areas states ''potential'' is because I am not sure whether to use my FUJI FILM XT-200 or the colleges Panasonic camera. The Fuji will give me more quality as it is 4K. Shooting 4K doesn't just give you better video quality but it also allows for more flexibility when editing, such as the ability to crop and zoom. This is something I need to decide soon as it determines what I bring on set.

To utilise the best of both cameras I had tested each in terms of quality. Pre-planning was key as it help me finalise the best equipment and techniques that I could use.

To further my development of this project I have produced multiple RECCE forms which will help me finalise where I am filming and if they are the correct locations.

I will go by script order.

This is where the vast majority of the film will be shot, this is where Ray will recite the story back to Danny. Not in this exact location as higher up has more light coming through. However, it is perfect for what I am aiming to use. The use of lights may be needed and we will take them with us. Linking back to my research I spoke about how many gangster films use desolate locations to create a sense of tension but also to emphasise the stereotypical gangster theme.

This location is only for one specific scene.  I am trying to keep many of the shooting locations on campus so we do not have to travel far considering coronavirus. The car park will be used for one specific scene where Bonnet Bill's name is explained.

Nearby this location,I seek to find out if I could film in the cafe. The cafe is a very dull location which can really add to the film aesthetic that i am trying to convey. 

The use of actors will be people that I know so this will help me a lot. I have already spoken to the actors to make sure they are comfortable starring in my project. 

I also need to consider coronavirus and using people that are in my bubble will allow me to be more flexible with what I want to film.

Many of the best short film ideas are based on simple moments in a person’s life that ends with a twist, shocking the audience in some way. This isn’t to say all short film ideas should develop in this way, but it’s definitely worth considering in order to make it memorable. 

As a filmmaker, the more planning you do ahead of time, the more prepared you will be to handle things on set and once ket element in making a film is creating a storyboard. You may come across obstacles during production and be forced to re-imagine your shot and creating storyboards will help you decide what is best.

the key thing I need to remember is that don’t let the storyboards inhibit you. Leave room for inspiration. As I mentioned above, not all Director use storyboards and some Directors only use storyboards for action sequences or major set pieces. I am not a good drawer at all but I still wanted to create a storyboard to help me expand my vision of how this film will look. Instead, I created storyboards that had words on it instead.

Letter to the council enquiring about filming in the Lynn area :

FULL TREATMENT: