The target audience for short films is very small, this mainly due to the subject matter that short films output. Unlike big hollywood block busters that appeal to a mass market e.i. James Bond, short films present a message to challenge beliefs and face issues like mental health or human greed forcing the audience to think. Short films are 90% of the time made by small independent film makers as an outlet to show their talent. The short film genre doesn't really follow any basic conventions unlike other genres such as action which have manly conventions some of these being, big budget high action entertainment, heavy use of CGI and special FX to create a hight action film.
A typical action film is die hard:
Ive watched loads of short films and the only convention i can see is the delivering of a message, for example 'black Button'.
The film like many others challenges human greed, the main character has the choice to push a button and get £10m or leave, the catch is if he takes the money someone will die. He pushes the button and he is the one who dies, he could of just left the room and lived but because of his gre proberly ed he dies. This is a typical short film.
I believe that the target audience for short films would mainly be media students and people who are involved in the creative world. If i wasn't a media student i probably wouldn't even bother to watch the short films available.
Because the films have such a small target audience there isn't an opportunity for them to be shown in big cinemas, the only outlet they have apart from the internet is film festivals, most major countries have them according to www.britfilms.com major hollywood blockbusters are shown at the festival along-side short films, the most famous would have to be canes. Film makers win various awards for their work.
Monday 28 September 2009
Tuesday 22 September 2009
what's up dog?
Just a little post to keep you all updated with manflicks progress, we have nearly finished story boreding and hope to start filming on saturday (26th).
We are still to decide the characters but we hope to cover this in the next few leessons.
Here's podcast number 3 but our first for A2
We are still to decide the characters but we hope to cover this in the next few leessons.
Here's podcast number 3 but our first for A2
Sunday 20 September 2009
Location hunting
On saturday we spent the day looking for locations to shoot our film. We need an office, bedroom, kitchen , coffee shop and an out side area for a car to be parked.
We first went to FM global which is a small office complex in windsor, we couldn't get internal shots due to it being the weekend. We were able to get some out side shots:
We also visited my Dads office in Stains, although it was the weeked we could still get in. We all agreed that we would defo be using the office for the interior shot as the office was perfect.
We also require our character who is a very successful business to be seen getting into and driving a car, we have 3 cars in the running, Sam's dad's car, a Landrover Discovery HSE.
My dad's car, a Mercedes c class AMG.
Finally my mum's car, a Mercedes CLK.
We also use mine or Joe's bedrooms.
Joe's:
Mine (excuse the boxes I was ment to move house this week, but the move has been delayed) :
We went to windsor and spoke to all the managers of the local coffee shops, we also sent them a letter.
We have decided to use Joe's kitchen as its modern and the right size.
http://s687.photobucket.com/albums/vv240/Manflick/Location%20Hunting%20for%20ManFlick%203/?action=view¤t=445f2665.pbw
We first went to FM global which is a small office complex in windsor, we couldn't get internal shots due to it being the weekend. We were able to get some out side shots:
We also visited my Dads office in Stains, although it was the weeked we could still get in. We all agreed that we would defo be using the office for the interior shot as the office was perfect.
We also require our character who is a very successful business to be seen getting into and driving a car, we have 3 cars in the running, Sam's dad's car, a Landrover Discovery HSE.
My dad's car, a Mercedes c class AMG.
Finally my mum's car, a Mercedes CLK.
We also use mine or Joe's bedrooms.
Joe's:
Mine (excuse the boxes I was ment to move house this week, but the move has been delayed) :
We went to windsor and spoke to all the managers of the local coffee shops, we also sent them a letter.
We have decided to use Joe's kitchen as its modern and the right size.
http://s687.photobucket.com/albums/vv240/Manflick/Location%20Hunting%20for%20ManFlick%203/?action=view¤t=445f2665.pbw
Friday 18 September 2009
Sunday 13 September 2009
textual analysis of a short film.
I have chosen a short film called The black hole by Diamond Dugs.
The black hole is a comedy about a tired and depressed looking office worker, who is photo copying documents, this reinforces the idea that he is a boring office worker carrying out mundane tasks. The photocopier seems to stop working so the man gives it a kick, a page is printed but what is it? A black circle on a piece of paper, a black hole. The film depicts the human races greed that we always want more, but will it pay off?
The film starts with an establishing shot of the office this obviously shows its set in an office, the colour pallet is very drab and grey denoting the depressing scenery. This shot is similar to a shot seen in action films such as batman which challenges the conventions of a comedy. The cinematic shot also seems to contradict the drab scenery off the office as it creates a feel of high action when its just an office. After this shot the way the rest off the film is shot has the feel of a TV advert but for some reason it seems to work. From the off you can see the man is bored and tired, he lazily taps buttons on the photocopier the photocopier stops working. The man kicks it and it prints out a piece of paper with a black circle on it. He dismisses it and put it on the table next to him, the scene so far doesn't appear to stick to any convention of a comedy. The man carries on photocopying, he picks up his drink, drinks it and puts in on the table on top of the paper, the cup disappears the man looks around confused and a slight comedic element is added. The man studies the paper looking around as if he's done something wrong, he reaches inside and pulls the cup back out. The scene still has the advert feel which helps give the film an edge.
Now the comedy starts to kick in, the man walks over to a vending machine puts the paper on the glass and reaches in side and palls out a chocolate bar, is this the first showing off his greed he has used this gift to steal. The man then sets his eyes on a room that says KEEP OUT he uses the black hole to get into the room, the man is pushing the boundaries, this creates suspense as you don't know what he will do next and how far he will push it. The man is in the room and pow there is a safe, the audience already know what he will do. He places the paper on the safe reaches inside and pulls out a wad of money, how greedy will he be? he reaches in 5 more times and on the 6th he finds nothing so he decides to go in. As he passes into the safe the paper falls off trapping him inside, the audience is left with the sound of tapping as the picture fades to black.
The film is very creative and supports the view that humans are greedy and are never satisfied, the man had the chocolate but he wanted more, he got into the locked room but again he wanted more and finally he could of stopped at 1 wad of money but is greedy and this is his down fall. I believe the film sticks to some conventions of a comedy, the characters lack of personality he is similar to Mr Bean and his cheeky stealing of a chocolate bar in its self is funny. The story line how ever is not funny, it has a dark hidden engender suggesting that mans greediness will be our down fall, this is very true as can been seen in the modern world, wars are started for oil. the film throws up hundreds of question about the human race. Overall The black hole is a very creative and thought provoking film unseen in most comedies.
The black hole is a comedy about a tired and depressed looking office worker, who is photo copying documents, this reinforces the idea that he is a boring office worker carrying out mundane tasks. The photocopier seems to stop working so the man gives it a kick, a page is printed but what is it? A black circle on a piece of paper, a black hole. The film depicts the human races greed that we always want more, but will it pay off?
The film starts with an establishing shot of the office this obviously shows its set in an office, the colour pallet is very drab and grey denoting the depressing scenery. This shot is similar to a shot seen in action films such as batman which challenges the conventions of a comedy. The cinematic shot also seems to contradict the drab scenery off the office as it creates a feel of high action when its just an office. After this shot the way the rest off the film is shot has the feel of a TV advert but for some reason it seems to work. From the off you can see the man is bored and tired, he lazily taps buttons on the photocopier the photocopier stops working. The man kicks it and it prints out a piece of paper with a black circle on it. He dismisses it and put it on the table next to him, the scene so far doesn't appear to stick to any convention of a comedy. The man carries on photocopying, he picks up his drink, drinks it and puts in on the table on top of the paper, the cup disappears the man looks around confused and a slight comedic element is added. The man studies the paper looking around as if he's done something wrong, he reaches inside and pulls the cup back out. The scene still has the advert feel which helps give the film an edge.
Now the comedy starts to kick in, the man walks over to a vending machine puts the paper on the glass and reaches in side and palls out a chocolate bar, is this the first showing off his greed he has used this gift to steal. The man then sets his eyes on a room that says KEEP OUT he uses the black hole to get into the room, the man is pushing the boundaries, this creates suspense as you don't know what he will do next and how far he will push it. The man is in the room and pow there is a safe, the audience already know what he will do. He places the paper on the safe reaches inside and pulls out a wad of money, how greedy will he be? he reaches in 5 more times and on the 6th he finds nothing so he decides to go in. As he passes into the safe the paper falls off trapping him inside, the audience is left with the sound of tapping as the picture fades to black.
The film is very creative and supports the view that humans are greedy and are never satisfied, the man had the chocolate but he wanted more, he got into the locked room but again he wanted more and finally he could of stopped at 1 wad of money but is greedy and this is his down fall. I believe the film sticks to some conventions of a comedy, the characters lack of personality he is similar to Mr Bean and his cheeky stealing of a chocolate bar in its self is funny. The story line how ever is not funny, it has a dark hidden engender suggesting that mans greediness will be our down fall, this is very true as can been seen in the modern world, wars are started for oil. the film throws up hundreds of question about the human race. Overall The black hole is a very creative and thought provoking film unseen in most comedies.
Friday 4 September 2009
Guess who's back, back again Manflicks back tell a friend!
After the success of AS I have decide to carry on and do A2. This year my group and I hope to shoot a short film. Over the next week will come up with initial idea and a detailed synopsis. Lets hope this year is as good as last year....
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