Production photos

During production, I have been taking some photos to create a portfolio of the production process and these are just a small minority of the pictures taken which are a preview of how myself and Blaine work on set and how we go from ideas to film.

This is a make shift dolly that I spontaneously thought of one evening, I combined the wheels of this small trolly with some toy car track to make the ride smooth and the shot smooth when we wanted a pan shot of the protagonist in the final scene.

In the end the dolly didn't work on the track because it kept coming off, but we tried it without the track and it worked well. As it was raining i had brought many umbrellas and we were shooting under one of them because we really needed to capture the last scene. We got some very good shots but we are going to have to re-shoot because the lighting changed very quickly which made many shots impossible to film.

This is just an action shot of Blaine filming the classroom scene, it shows SLR camera that we are using. (Got you Blaine) (It also makes it look like your wearing nail varnish)

This is Blaine explaining the scene to the actors and extras in the classroom, he is explaining the shots we are using and then we had a run-through of the script.

This is a picture to give a sense of the scene, but it also act as a continuity image because whilst filming they had to leave and enter the room many times to acquire many different shots and in order to have great continuity I had to record we everyone was sitting.

Finally this is just a picture of the shot list that Blaine create after we had a brainstorm of ideas for each scene. This was an efficient way to record the shots that we had captured and needed to film but whilst we were getting these shot both myself and Blaine were coming up with new shots which we thought would look good at the time and we got many extra shots on each scene that we were filming.

If you want to view Blaine's post on-set organization it shows all of the different shot lists that we used and how we organized each day of filming.

On set organization Blaine's blog

Throughout the production process on set organization has been key in making sure that every thing runs smoothly to a certain extent that is manageable. Because we cannot control the weather some dates which we planned to shoot or even tried, have had to be prospered or re-shot due to the weather, but umbrellas where always on had because myself and Blaine had a contingency plan for if such circumstances occurred.

Blaine has made sure that all technical equipment was working and charged before each day of shooting as well as the shot lists that we defiantly wanted to get but could then be added to on the day if we thought a specific shot would look good and our creativity took over.

To view Blaine's post on our on set organization follow the link below:

On set organization

Penumbra, Short review construction

After Blaine analyzed the results to the questionnaire that we created. I have a great understanding of the content that is needed within our review as well as the layout that people mostly desire. Blaine originally created a potential layout for our magazine but since then we have been discussing the layout and I have researched a lot into the language used within the Empire magazine which can be found within my post Film review analysis as well as the typical layout that is used including unique elements and their demographics.

With images from the actual film, the film release date and a clearly defined rating of the film all ranking in the top answers of our questionnaire, these elements will defiantly be included. Results also showed, two other popular selections were comparisons to other films and an unbiased perspective, which myself and Blaine may include.

These elements both within the content of our review and concerning the layout have been created below in the ongoing construction of our review:

This is my initial drawing of the layout used within Empire magazine with the elements that they use upon most of their review pages. For example the black lines to give the sense of a boarder upon the top and the bottom, this is also achieved with the dots that they use to break up each review and use them as a border around each review and images. Empire also use yellow lines/boxes at the start of each small review with the vital film information next to it that the reader desires.

It is easy to re-create the black boxes as they are black, but all the other elements that are included within the page have to be researched. I have done lots of research into the Fonts that they use, the text size, the colouring of the dark green titles and the colouring of the dark yellow boxes. I searched multiple websites, read multiple back pages of different empire magazines but there is no reference to the colours and fonts that they use. This was initial very annoying but I played around upon Microsoft Publisher and tried to re-create the colours that are used and tried to find the nearest font.

Here is a picture of the stereotypical Empire magazine layout of a review review page used for smaller multiple reviews which I based my drawing on above:

After researching and then trying to mimic the nearest possible colours and fonts I began to construct our review page which would be a new feature promoting short films and a competition to enter.

Above is a picture showing the creation of our film review page and I was trying to re-create the elements that are used. I created the black line/box which is used as a visual border on the page and defines the layout.

Empire is sponsored by Jameson and they are their main sponsor which usually cover new features that are introduced to the magazine. Because myself and Blaine are creating this review page based on a new feature introduction I thought it would be very professional to include their sponsors logo and gives the review a sense of continuity alongside the other visual elements that are included.

After finding the Sponsors logo and recreating the visual boarder, I started to design the page layout from an existing page but changing the elements and the content. I am trying to re-create the colour scheme that is used with a very dark green/blue as the titles and sub-titles with the lines acting as boarders and the dark yellow with the review information boxes.

Above is a picture of the ongoing construction of the review page and both myself and Blaine are currently writing reviews in order for me to then try and fit everything on the page in a neat and orderly fashion and overall making our review look exactly like it is a new feature within the Empire magazine because this is where our review is featured. It is very hard to find out the actual font and text size that empire use as well as the colour schemes but i am trying to re-create them as much as possible.

When to final review is finished and the layout is perfect I will post a link below which you can follow to view our final product of the subsidiary task, creating a review:

Short flashback/dream sequence edit

Throughout our short film the protagonist selflessly takes pain away from others but is then acquires it himself. This is done through the process of him touching someone in pain both emotionally and physically. Myself and Blaine wanted to create a short sequence that could progressively play each time he touched someone in need and took the pain away. We wanted the sequence to be very symbolic and we both were inspired by many of David Lynch films with his weird and wacky symbolic signifiers that are both visual interesting but important to the narrative. We wanted to re-create a very visually stunning piece but very realistic and intriguing creating the effect upon the audience that we desired also adding to the narrative and the symbolism it possesses.

After we filmed the footage i was really excited to get home and play around with the software effects trying to make a sequence that could be useable or at least act as a point which we could both add to in the future editing process.

I wanted to add a sound effect of the protagonist entering and exiting this trance state which is shown within his thoughts through the use of this footage. I tried to recored this on my iphone which was fit for purpose at the time because there was no other sound recording equipment available but now our school has purchased a boom so it will be easier, clearer and better quality once we have recorded the sound on that.

Below is a video of my voice just trying to re-create this existing of a dream like state.

Creating sound effects from Tom palmer on Vimeo.

When i was editing the footage i was playing around with the effects that were available, changing the huge and saturation, changing the colour scheme whilst adding key frames to the footage and overall i think for a first attempt the footage looked awesome and the sound added works well. But for our final product a lot more tweaking will take place with better sound and a lot smoother transition between live footage and this footage adding to the whole effect it has on the audience and will make them ask questions into what the footage is symbolizing.

To view the clip of the short dream sequence/flashback watch the video below:

Short flashback/dream sequence from Tom palmer on Vimeo.

Narrative theory

Walter Fisher introduced the concept on Narrative theory in 1960 and it explored how humans communicate and then receive.

He believed that everything could be divided into two universal paradigms, which are particular arrangments of related elements. The first categorization was:

Rational World Paradigm:

• People are rational
• People make decisions based on arguments
• Rationality is determined by how much we know and how well we argue
• The world is a set of puzzles that we can solve through rational analysis

The second paradigm was:

Narrative Paradigm

• People are essentially storytellers
• Stories are found on history, biography, culture and character
• Narrative rationality is determined by the coherence and fidelity of our stories

This model of human communication within which human beings as individuals take complex information and establish it into a form of narrative categorizes humans as what Fisher believes to be "Storytelling animals" exchanging messages with each other which are then judged and exchanged by others depending on their values and beliefs.

This is a very complex way to look at narrative theory and Fishers theory goes into extreme depth which I believed to be less important for a short film because very complex narrative structure cannot be established within the five minutes that our film lasts. I also thought that a more classical narrative system did not apply to our film due to the fact that our structure is not in chronological order which means it doesn't fit in with the conventions of a, equilibrium, disequilibrium and a resolution/equilibrium narrative structure which was introduced by Tzvetan Torodov which suggests that the story starts with a status quo and then there is an event that disrupts order, and then moral order is restored.

Certain Narrative theorists have argued that all stories fit into at least one of the following story types. Most movies use a combination of these plots:

Achilles: The fatal flaw that leads to the destruction of the previously flawless individual heroine. This plot line is also the basis of most whodunit flicks with the fatal flaw belonging to a criminal, not the cop.

Candide: The indomitable hero who cannot be put down, this narrative structure is often found in franchise flicks.

Cinderella: The dream-come-true scenario where virtue is rewarded in the end. some examples of these could be shrek, my big fat greek wedding.

Faust: The selling-your-soul-to-the-devil motif where fate eventually catches up with you.

Orpheus: The gift that is taken away - this could take the form of the tragedy of the loss, or journey that follows the loss.

Romeo and Juliet: Self-explanatory. Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy finds girl again, or doesn't.

Circe: The spider and the fly, the innocent and the victim.

Tristan: Triangles - Man loves women but third party intervenes.

In my opinion our film fits into three of these story types: Faust, he takes on other people pain but this eventually become his own downfall. Orpheus, we follow his journey of selflessness which results in the tragedy of the loss of himself. Circe, he is both the innocent and the victim as his selflessness makes him the victim of others pain.

Our narrative is very post-modern with the story originating from a video game, it not being in chronological order and it leaves lots to the imagination of the consumers making the connections right or wrong. Lots of shots are used that are inspired from many different films and some of our visual effects are also inspired by certain directors such as david lynch and shane Meadows. But overall we are creating this film in the way that we want to make it using our own creative talents.

To view a very detailed presentation on many different Narrative theorists follow the link below:

Narrative theories

Poster production Blaine's blog

Here is a post that links to Blaine's blog concerning the construction of our film poster. Our initial idea for the poster did not turn out how we wanted it to look but Blaine has provided a picture of it and explained why we came to a joint decision to put our creative brains together once again and create some new ideas. I did some drawings of some new potential posters which I have shown within another post titled out with the old and in with the new.

Blaine explains the process which he took in the creation of our poster on Adobe Photoshop and the inspiration it originated from.

To view the post follow the link below:
http://blainekenneallya2media.blogspot.com/2011/02/poster-production.html

Out with the old and in with the new and improved poster

Both myself and Blaine discussed the film poster and after Blaine created a mock up of our initial poster idea which overall looked extremely unprofessional and did not in anyway shape or form get the audiences attention for the right reasons, apart from, that looks so rubbish I will point and laugh.
Blaine was unhappy with the outcome and decided to share his thoughts with me over the phone because I hadn't seen it yet. I trusted his judgement and he told me a new idea he had so after a long discussion (good thing I'm on contract) I said I would draw up some mocks of the new poster idea and below are two ideas that I envisioned from Blaine's explanation.


We then meet up the next morning for our three hours of media and exchanged more ideas. Blaine then set about the construction of our final poster with me on the sideline offering assistance and feedback, both positive and negative which we then discussed and compromised on certain features. Overall the poster looks great and I am happy that our first idea didn't work because I think that our new and improved version is much more interesting. Not only this but after reading the analysis of our qualitative questionnaire which wasn't available on the construction of our first poster, the three main features that our target audience wanted the poster to include were an eye-catching image, image of the main character and a catchy tag-line. Out of the three I think we have included a catchy image in the sense of the title, the layout of the multiple Penumbra titles with the images behind them are very eye-catching in my opinion but I will create a small feedback session for people to comment on the poster to finalize my oppinion. we also included a picture of the main character but not only this we included the forth most favorite answer within our questionnaire, which was a sense of mystery. This is also included because you cannot she the face of the main protagonist, even more than that, you do not know who or what his relationship is to the film is. His face can be seen within one of the Penumbra titles, but this still adds a sense of mystery because myself and Blaine know this but a random consumer of the poster will not. We didn't include a catchy tag-line because however much we tried to think of one which was ambiguous but not cheesy we couldn't decide on a final one. An idea was 'I can help you' but we decided that we wouldn't include this or any tag line because it is very risky in the form of being judged and criticized.

The last inclusion within the poster was the names of the main actors and directors upon the poster at the bottom which Blaine researched and found a font online which was very similar to the actual movie font that is used but free of charge. He found and installed a font called 'Rothman' which looked very authentic and works well upon the poster.

To view the all most finished poster with just some minor adjustments the poster is provided below:

Call sheet

A call sheet is a list of actors who will be required on set for each day's shooting as well as the preparation that needs to take place in order to make sure the production process runs smoothly.

We are shooting on around 6 separate days if everything goes according to plan and this is the call sheet that we have been using whilst filming and in preparation for upcoming filming dates.

The dates that I have included are not set in stone, this is due to the fact that we are not paying our friends to participate within our film, they are giving up their time out of the kindness of their hearts so in return we are mainly working around what days best suit them and which days they are available together when needed.

A call sheet can be simple or it can be very, very detailed. Our call sheet does not need to be overcomplicated like for example a feature length film call sheet with hundreds of actors needed each day, vast amounts of camera equipment, lighting equipment, wiring, sets, explosives..... You get the point. Our call sheet is laid out in a very simple two column design that includes all the information needed. To view our call sheet, which may have amendments if filming dates change follow the link below:

Google Docs call sheet

Quantitative feedback analysis Blaine's blog

Both Blaine and I constructed a questionnaire to acquire information about potential consumers demographics which will help us to understand where we could advertise our short film, but as well as just finding out about their demographics we asked very guided questions about our subsidiary products, which would then help us within the construction process of both our poster and review. After analyzing the questionnaire results, the graphs show specific elements that consumers want to be included within these subsidiary products.

Blaine has provided some evidence of the results and analyzed what we have concluded from them.

To view Blaine's post follow the link below:
http://blainekenneallya2media.blogspot.com/2011/02/quantitative-audience-research-analysis.html