In the tute we screened a short film called Rolling – a film made in Film-TV1 a few years ago.
In 300 words or less describe what you thought worked or didn’t. At this stage we don’t expect you to have a great deal of film knowledge or language. Don’t be afraid to use your own words. Things you could talk about – script, casting, timing, camera movement, location. You may not remember much detail, if so, it could be helpful to talk about your first impressions, after all this is what most of us are left with after one viewing.

To be honest, at the beginning of the film, I did not quite understand what the film is about, what is the storyline and what is the message they are trying to convey. I think that the script could be change a little to make the film better. The camera movement was good, however the framing was a little bit weird in my opinion.

The light and location was good, the tone matches the story line and the sound was great. I couldn’t remember much detail but I guess that was my first impression towards the film.

Select from one of the readings, up to but not including Week 5, and briefly describe two points that you have taken from it. Points that excite you, something that was completely new to you.

-Listening

Listening is a very important part for sound designing. A sound designer must be sensitive to all sound, the more you are aware of sound the better you will be able to articulate the literal and aesthetic sonic requirements of a production.

-Sight and Hearing

Image and sound must not support each other, but must work each in turn through a sort of relay. A sound must never come to the rescue of an image, nor an image to the rescue of a sound. What is for the eye must not duplicate what is for the ear.

In the film Clown Train how does sound contribute to the atmosphere of this film? Describe what you heard? Can you make reference to another genre film and how they utilise sound to create tension and a unique filmic space?

I think the sound that was used in the film “Clown Train” was excellent. The sound was recorded nicely to the ideal level and the sound effects that were used in the film create a certain scary atmosphere that completes what is being presented on screen. I like the sound effects of the stopping train to start off the film, it creates a kind of anxiety to a sense of obscurity that are much needed in the film. The setting of the film is pretty simply, two cast, and one old train, however with the touch of the sound and sound effects, I think it’s a key point to its success.
I recently watched SAW VII, and I realized that the sound that were being used in the film are very much non-diegetic sound. It creates a very uncertainty atmosphere to surprise the audiences. The music that were used combined with what is showing on the screen tends to create a “horror” tension.

The points that I’ve got away from week 2’s reading, slogans for the screen writer’s wall is that when you think that  “You’ve got a beginning but you don’t have end, then you’re mistaken, because you don’t have the right beginning.” Because in movies, what is said may make little impression. Because what matters the most is what is going to happen next, it reminds to always bring new point of attack to the audiences when you’re plotting out my stories, make sure to twist around just before the movie ends, to create the kind of unexpected, but good ending. “What is happening now is apt to be less dramatically interesting that what or may or may not happen next”.

Apart from that, another point that interests me is that, screenplay is structure, structure, structure. Even if you are blazing your own plot path, it doesn’t hurt to have a road map to fall back on. It’s important to create your story based on the three act structure. From the everyday normal world, to the problem, climax, hopeless, and finally to some strange things happen for some hope. That’s basically how all movies nowadays are plotted.

Here are some of the key points that i’ve taken away from Jasmine’s lecture.

Screenwriting is telling stories, a very particular form of stories, unlike novel or short stories,

How is it different:

-time-based writing

-a plan not a finished art work.

-favours the exterior over the interior

-expensive to produce- inhibits experimentation

Screenplats follow a more ngid set of rules

-Protagonist vs antagonist

-Active protagonist

-Journey based plot

-3 act structure

Screenwritter as GOD

-you create, world, characters, plot/story, a beginning, middles and end.

“A story is a chain of reactions to an unusual event”

It’s not like real life because real life is boring.

Let’s call this the problem

(the red riding hood)

A problem/ event is outside your everyday event

We cant use everyday story to create our story, taking everyday event and adding problem to it.

The protagonist (character) has to be affected by the event

Plot mechanics

-change of reactions: this is a cause of effects (how you build your plot)

-a chain of reactions

Your problem needs to cause conflict

-the main reason why people watch TV. Conflict is KEY

Characters

Protagonist- main character

Antagonist- who is opposing the main character

Make your character interesting

-easy way to do it is make them want something real bad

-the  have bad things happen to them

Have them do unexpected things

-would you expect a monk to commit murder, etc. etc.

Film character work “better” if they are larger than life

-make them really bold, more interesting to write, have your character act out

Where to start?

You cant wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.

Get proactive

-make a list of the films you love who and why

-think of some everyday events and add problems

-targeted brainstorming- give yourself a constraint to write to genre is a good one.

Create a scenario

-start with puzzle and write out of it

-take character

-add want

-add problem

Our imaginations are reactive (something in the world around us provokes in us a response that demands a story) and associative reminds us of something else, which reminds us of something else.

But is it any good?

-ask yourself

-is my character real but unusual

-does my idea contain a problem

-does that problem matter for my character

-can I see this working as a film

Tips

-keep it simple

-stick to 1-3 speaking part

-use one locale

-beware of flashback and fractured time frames

-ending become more mportants

Getting it on the page

-2 step process

story ideas, story outline

Story idea

-simple description of your story

-gives us the starting event

-indicates genre

Story outline (selling points, can be really detailed)

-who’s story it is

-what is the problem

-how do they go about solving it

-provides the outcome

-thematic concerns

Basically, one of the most interesting point that she pointed out is that, when you’re trying to write a story, make sure its different from your everyday lives, because REAL LIFE ARE BORING, oh well, most of ’em are..because there is no super heros, super powers or perfect guy in real life.

Normally, in a story, there is always three act structures, which are Act I: Setup, Act II: Confrontation and Act III: Resolution. However, today, the 3-act structure is a very old maxim widely adhered to in storytelling and fiction writing. Normally, the movies from Hollywood, they all have a happy ending, but for some films, they do not follow with the three act structures, which is not to have an ending, they just leave in an ambiguous way and making the audiences to imagine the ending that they wanted.