Final Major Project Proposal

Final Major Project Proposal

Name: Eve Chester

Project Title: Revenge

Pathway (Preferred media specialism): Short Film (5-10 minutes)

Section 1: Project Rationale

At the beginning of this year I knew close to nothing about film. Since then I’ve developed camera skills, sound recording skills and editing skills. Also, my knowledge of editing softwares and programs and equipment is all from this year of college. My overall achievements are the four videos I’ve made, along with a podcast. Also, I’ve taken different roles in my productions. I think the skills I’ve developed include, not only my camera and editing skills, but my communication skills, as I find it easier to explain ideas and thoughts easier. I think my time on this course affected my proposal as it encouraged me to have a more in-depth storyline, as I feel more confident that I could achieve a higher level. Also, as I’ve done different roles in production, I can realistically think about different aspects, such as if a camera shot can be achieved, or a certain editing effect.

Section 2a: Project Concept: Individual Scripts

The concept of my short film is two brothers wake up in a forest, and realise it was their parents that put them there on purpose. Their goal is to escape the forest before it’s too late (lack of food/water). However, their parents have put traps along the way to prevent them from getting out as easily as intended. The theme of my story almost has two sides: family, teamwork and trust for the two brothers, so that they get out alive. The other side based on their parents’ view of them: rejection and the loss of trust, after they’ve abandoned their own family. Looking at similar stories will help me develop my idea and script. I anticipate to make a thriller that crosses over to a psychological side, as I want viewers to be on edge, never knowing what will happen next. As the characters feel tricked and deceived I hope for the audience to as well, so they feel the tension and fear that the brothers do.

Section 2b Project Concept: Production Script and Job Roles

The chosen script idea was about someone who wakes up in the forest not remembering why they’re there. When they wake up they see there is someone standing who they didn’t know. The person ends up being their memory, but appears as a physical person. The main job role I have been given is editor for our final edit. I’m also sound assistant and costume master. I plan to make a challenging and successful edit for our group. I want to edit in a way that keeps the audience interested and engaged, and also, as it is important at the end, I want our ‘clues’ along the way to be noticeable for the viewers. For example, doing close-ups of the book, the photo, so that later on the viewer is reminded, not told. Also, as I am sound assistant, and my assistant editor is in charge of sound, I want sound to play a key role in our film. We can do this by adding in voices and sound effects at the start to create a tense atmosphere, as the viewers can hear what’s happening but not see it, which will make them feel uneasy. Also, through sound, I would like to have sound effects bleed in in the end to show the viewer what’s really happening.

Section 3: Evaluation and Reflection

The way I’ll try to record my decision-making and changes to ideas, will be by writing a blog post every week. In this I will try to answer a similar set of questions every week, so I can compare a lot easier than just the start and the end of the project. Answering similar or the same questions will also allow me to explore how much progress I’ve had over time, instead of just saying what I’ve done.

Section 4a: Research Sources and Bibliography for Individual Script

Some questions I will be finding out include:

• What are similar (feature length or short) films that have been made?
• What’s a common structure of short films?
• What was the original story like and how could I incorporate it?

The main source of information I will use to collect information will be various websites online, as they are easily accessible and instant. I will also read about the old, original story of ‘Hansel and Gretel’, which my film idea is heavily based upon. I could also watch films (short or feature length) which are similar, as there have been a few adaptations of the original story.

Section 4b: Research Sources and Bibliography for production research and roles

The main research source I aim to use will be YouTube. I will use this platform to not only watch other short films similar to ours, but to watch things such as tutorials on editing. I will read articles about editing and various editors to try and understand more about the role and what it includes. I will also do this with sound assistant. Some of the main things I want to find out by doing all of this include:

• What type of editing is commonly used in short films?
• What type of style would I want to learn or use?
• What other editors have done similarly?
• What jobs does a sound assistant have to do and what can I learn?

However, I will not just be answering specific questions through my research, I also want to find out how to do certain types of editing and use Premiere Pro efficiently.

Section 5: Individual Action Plan