Evaluation 1

Evaluation 1

Title
I chose my title to not be integrated with the shots of the film opening, but to be placed in white in front of a black screen with the Garamond font, as I felt that it was a font that was simple enough so that it would not make the film seem like a wacky comedy, but was still slick, and had the feel of a more intense, dark movie, which suited the dark comedy genre of this particular film. It also gives a memorable shot of the title so that the audience can then relate the title to the film as the plot unfolds. I chose to name my film Gidon because the film is about my protagonist’s inner struggle more than being about the people around him. I took inspiration from the film Snatch, another dark comedy and a film I drew from, when trying to find a suitable title, and felt that titles that are punchy and short like this can grab the attention of an audience. 

Costumes and Props
When deciding on my protagonists costume, I initially decided that a beanie seemed appropriate. This is because the character of Gidon is meant to be rebellious, and beanies are stereotypically worn on scruffy, teenage delinquents. The first time we see Gidon he is wearing a casual jumper, yet he shivers in the cold having underprepared for the weather, demonstrating the disorganised characteristic he possesses. In his second scene he wears a t-shirt, as he is indoors. It also creates the feeling that the protagonist feels relaxed and calm. After being called by 'Will' he puts his jacket and beanie back on, the beanie (that hides his head) being a symbol of his hidden emotions and feelings.

Camera work and editing

I edited my opening sequence using Adobe Premiere, as I felt more comfortable using that than the two other applications available (Final cut and iMovie) The editing for my piece was particularly long and strenuous, as the continuity of the shots when put together was poor. This is due to the filming process, where I was constantly wary of the sun setting, therefore I was not able to retake as many shots as I would have liked to. This lead to me not being able to film an Ideal shot with no mistakes for every scene. As well as this, my actors could only film on very particular days, making it difficult to begin filming in the early hours of the day. This meant I spent hours working to try and find the perfect way to match clips. When filming, I decided I would not use the camera's microphone, as it would have picked up background noise and it is not as audible as an external voice recorder. I used an external microphone in my schools media lab, where there was no background noise. This meant that although I would have to spend more hours editing and syncing the voiceover with the videos, the film would sound more slick, and all background noise would be eliminated. However, even though I used voiceovers, I used a de-crackler so that I wouldn't have any rustling whatsoever.



When filming, I enjoyed using a shoulder mount, as it gave me the ability to film tracking shots which were far more steady than in films I have previously made. I also used close ups often, as I feel they're particularly useful when conveying a characters feelings, or in my case showing a characters lack in feelings. When editing I decided to change my films opening shot, as originally the opening shot was Gidon laying down on his bed, although the plot seemed unclear. Once I repositioned my shots, I found that the opening sequence made more sense and was more fluent than before. When I began creating the voiceover, I quickly noticed that my script was far too short. This meant that after the first draft was completed, I added a new voiceover, that gave the audience more information about the situation, and was less bland then it previously had been.

Story
The film begins with the protagonist, Gidon, sitting in the park when his friend asks him about the past week in which he hadn't seen any of his friends. To this, Gidon replies by telling the story of his week. He starts by saying how he killed his father, however, this is explained further on in the film. He then tells his friend how he was called by 'Will' who was willing to share drugs with him if he would return the favour by helping him out of some sort of difficult situation. Gidon finds out it is to go with him as extra 'muscle' in case he is attacked when executing a high value drug deal. Gidon accepts, although when they arrive he finds out that Will never had enough money to pay the full price, and he says that Gidon can be taken as collateral until he can come up with enough. Gidon is furious that he is forced to carry out menial tasks in his job in the criminal network and he decides that he's not putting up with it. Gidon begins to form his own sense of morality after watching the men around him torturing innocents and beating up strangers and after a day, Gidon decides to task himself with the suicide mission of killing the head of the agency. He mindlessly storms to the head of the agency office and stabs and kills the mastermind behind the company. He somehow manages to escape with his life, but is now on the run. He goes directly to Reece's, who decides to help Gidon escape, although when Reece breaks his arm when trying to escape, Gidon faces his pursuers, accepting his inevitable death. After death, Gidon was remembered as a hero, at least to those who knew him well.

How the opening sets up the plot

Gidon's monotone responses and rude attitude towards Reece at the very start of the film gives us an instant showing of Gidons personality at the start of the film. The camera is handheld, creating an edgy, jittery feeling, that matches the dark humour of the dialogue. I deliberately let the conversation run on past the initial cut to black, creating further disorientation, and adding emphasis to the line ‘you wouldn’t believe it if I told you’, which sets up an expectation in the viewer for what’s to come. Gidon remains sulky and seemingly depressed through the start of the film, but his sense of morality wavers throughout the film opening, foreshadowing to the audience how he is lost and confused, and is therefore easily influenced. I used four different angles of the actor lying on his bed. This also creates an unsettling feeling, stopping us relaxing into something familiar. This again matches the startling creepiness of what we are listening to. Gidons scene of watching a Nazi film is added to express how at the start of the film, Gidon is unaffected by the prospect of murder and cruelty. I chose to make the film being watched by Gidon a grainier stock, to heighten the contrast between the savage fight, and the oversaturated colours and calmness of the bedroom. This is further implied by his calm tone when telling Reece that he had killed his father. Gidon's hesitant reaction when bringing up Will's name tells the audience how he is not close friends with him and is not keen on meeting up with him. This foreshadows that Will's character is a villain or at least is disliked by the protagonist. Gidon at first speaks as though he doesn't want to be anything to do with Will, although at the mention of cannabis, he changes his mind, conveying the huge influence drugs or other material gains have over his decisions. Leading up to the final scene, I deliberately cut from black to the close-up of the joint being lit, to heighten the power and effect of that moment and ended it on a point of tension, where like the character, we want to know what comes next.

How the opening suggests Genre
The genre of my film is a dark comedy. This is suggested first in the opening sequence through the choice of music (an upbeat, pop-like tune), as although it could make the film deem like a comedy, the atmosphere throughout the opening clearly implies that there is a more intense feel to the film. At the start of the voiceover, Gidon tells Reece that he killed his step-father, however he speaks of it as if its nothing out of the ordinary. This is to express to the audience how death is not taken very seriously in the film and while there's dark events to the film, they're approached with subtle humour and the lightness of a comedy.