Five Stone of Lead-Short of the Week

https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2015/12/08/five-stone-of-lead/

Five Stone of Lead is the short film made by JustSoLondon. This film conveys the positive attitude of a young aspiring Jockey. His small stature is counter weighted with five stone of lead so he is able to ride in the competitions his ability allows him to do.

The film is shot using natural colour and clever graphic matches. The browns and greens mix well into a saturated look to the film, conveying the triumph over adversity. This further enforces the integral feeling of reality and how the young boy is shaping his own future. The colours in the still are of a blue hue which is what I am conveying in my short film. This will have a similar effect on my audience, allowing them to stand with the protagonist's view.

The screenshot I have taken is a prime example of how the cinematographer is using framing to allow the spectator  to connect with the boy. We understand his relationship with horses and how this passion is driving him forward.

I have taken influence from this short film due to the strong narrative and the mesmerizing images. When I begin shooting tomorrow I will emulate the energy captured by these shots to drive the narrative forward.

THE SECRET WORLD OF FOLEY - FISHERMAN'S CABIN

When discussing with my teacher my use of Foley sound for the kicking of the ball, she recommended the short clips from The Secret World of Foley. Initial reaction when watching the clip was admiration, particularly in how the Foley artists where able to make the sounds they wanted. The timing of the sound effects was impressive, which got me thinking about Foley for my sounds as well.

For my short film I intend to use different sounds of the football and how to create more impact with them. The spectator will be able to engage in the visuals more and

MGS Targets

Targets

• Go out and shoot photos which are linked to locations (annotations)
• storyboard is linked to my screenplay
•  get some digital shots which are linked to the storyboard
• create an animatic
• research copyright free sound  
• record foley sound (DONE)
• Secret World of Foley Sound

Lighting: Bedroom

Post production: Lighting setup

 

Playing on the Memento inspiration, I decided to create a cool, cold image for my protagonist because of the turmoil in her head. Because the black and white in Memento allows for it's cynical feel, I am using cold lights to produce the same effect.

I used my brother as a subject to pratice my lighting technique on, allowing me to see the light I had to work with and the probalms I could use to fix this.

How I got the look

 

Step one: Natural lighting

Beforehand I set up the shot with a light on. There where three major problems with this shot:

• The subject isn't defined from the background, causing the image to be flat
• there is a shadow on the right hand side of his face that darkens out his left eye
• Although the hoodie and purple wall contrast well, the subjects skin tone blend into the background

 I liked the way the shadow created a pensive mood on Joshua's face, but I didn't want the shadow to drown out his features and cause unnecessary shadow. I did like the lamplight above because it gave a cynical feel to the subject, however the negatives outwieghted the positives.

Step Two: Defining the subject

 I knew I would have to build the image up step by step to create the effect I wanted. I turned off the light so I could build up from the darkness. This helped me stage the lighting I wanted through the lens and how to get the right atmosphere from the image.

To achieve this look I added a LED torch behind on a table. This was my back light so Joshua could be defined from the wall.What struck me was how cold the blue was. It gave the atmosphere a deep colour that I wasn't expecting, but allowed there to be emotion and depth at the same time.

 

 

Image: I placed the camera in the corner to add an interesting angle off the wall to soften the light

Image: The light was bounced light to define Joshua from the wall

 Image: I used a simple blue torch to seperate the subject from the background

Step Three: Filling out dark shadows

I used my reflector to bounce the light onto Joshua's right hand side of his face. By doing so I was able to define him but the effect left the subject with a heavy shadow, much like the one before I set up lighting. To fix this I added my iPod light to the shot to make the shadow softer.

 

Image: POV of the reflector            Image: I bounced the light off      Image: I added an iPod light to

                                                         the reflector to soften the light      solve the issue of the shadow

What I have learnt:

• Defining the subject is a great way to add depth and make my shoot look more professional
• Different types of lighting can effect the way my image looks to the spectator
• Using simple everyday items can enhance my films look 

Next time:

• Arrange dates for shooting 
• prepare outside lighting 

Locations for shooting

Locations for Shooting

Place: 
Bedroom (Scene: Steph talks herself into trailing for the club)

Where:
At home. The location is controlled and I plan to use lighting to create an atmosphere. I want the scene to feel as if Steph must decide to press on, but the darkness surrounding her demonstrates to pressures she is up against.

Place

Park (Scene: Steph's training sessions)

Where

Worth. This is a local area which I deigned in mind for the films opening. 

Place

Gravel Road (Steph training)

Where

Worth. This shot will add atmosphere to the film and also convey Stephanie's changing attitude to the adversity she is facing.

Place

Stairs (Scene: Steph sees the team playing without her)

Where

School. This allows the spectator to see Steph's isolation as well, connecting with her emotion and understanding her ambition to get into the club.

Place

Astro turf (Scene: Finale/Climax)

Where

School. This ground is where the tension has risen to. I am intending to not only depic the team as a formiddable force but the ground they train on a sacred area.

Place

Hallway (Steph is pushed and shoved)

Where 

School. This hints at the other problems Steph is having to deal with, but because we are only showing extracts of this we can feel her torment as she cannot tell anyone about it. Her responce to the abuse conveys her character as one who i

Story boarding-Experimenting with Different Shots

Story Boarding- Experimenting with Different Shots 

Aim: To experiment with shot styles without using a camera
Why: This is a technique used to save time and money during production. This means I can focus more on getting an emotion out of my actors rather than focusing on setups.
 

This shot is inspired by the idea of objects being bigger

 in frame meaning something to the protagonist. To convey Stephanie being overwhelmed by the situation she is in I have placed a trophy from her previous club looming over her. This gives a sense of foreboding to her room, almost like her subconscious.

I hand drew the shots and would focus on the proportions of the items in the frame. This is to inform the spectator where Stephanie is in this world and how she is feeling or being seen by society. The outside shot (left) is the second isolation shot used and the shot before the title. It gives gravitas to the performance of Stephanie and binds the opening together into one package.

The shot after the Main Title throws this isolation motion back into the spectator's mind. This conveys to them that the protagonist is still alone even though she is comforted by all of her possessions. I hope to invigorate a feeling of sadness for Steph as the audience wonder what will happen next.

 I would set the storyboards out side by side to determine their continuity or impact. This was helpful because I could alter the position of the shots and see what impact I could have when switching the shots around or in different positions.
At some points I had to remove shots completely or change their timings in order to tell the mood I wanted. I found that having a mixture of shots and levels helped gives the film depth in its universe and make the characters in it feel realistic.

Overall I felt this way of story boarding was extremely helpful to me because it allowed me to create more with the little amount I had. I will continue experimenting with this whilst thinking how to create the mood I saw in the 'Pictures that Inspired Me' Blog post.

Overall I have learnt:

• Moving the pictures around is a great way to experiment without wasting time or money
• I can simply change or alter shots with ease



Checklist for next week:

• To take photos using the football field as an eye line for my shots
• Think about how I can direct the football players while still getting the best from my story. (This will involve knowing exactly what type of shots I want so the girl's only have to do the movement three times, for example. This will stop them getting bored and loosing interest)