photoshoot

Photoshoot 

1. The Protagonist that'll be showing up on the first page of the print will be the focal hero of the creation itself - La Sombra. This will give the open door for the character to be showcased successfully notwithstanding the film/creation he really stars in itself. 
2. I would like the main character have his back towards the camera while holding his syringe on double page spread.
3.  The content page will consist of a series of props used in the film for example the masks.

Run Lola Run

Lola (Franka Potente) receives a phone call from her boyfriend, Manni. (Moritz Bleibtreii) Manni accidentally leaves a bag carrying $100 000 on a train, which is picked up by a homeless man. This leaves Manni in quite a predicament. He is supposed to deliver the money to a gangster by noon, if he fails, then he is likely to be killed. Lola has twenty- minutes to save his boyfriend. Twenty short minutes to somehow find the money and get it to him.

Run Lola Run is a film you expect to see at a Independent film festival, or in a Professor's office at a film school. In no way do I mean that in a negative way, I mean not to intend that the film is of a lower standard with lower production values, rather that the film is a beautifully mastered technical film that uses every filmmaking technique in the book. It is refreshing to see a film like this in the midst of the commercialised, dry-cut, 'traditional' filmmaking that we see on the silver screen so regularly.

As stated before, the film attempts to use a wide range of filmmaking techniques to help get the director's meaning and vision across to the audience. Some of these include speed-up, instant replay, black and white, and even animation in some parts.

Pre-production

1. Shot list:

• Long shot - La Sombra with his side to the camera (full body shot)
• Medium shot - La Sombra holding the mask he uses in the party scene
• Close-up - La Sombra wearing the mask (only having half of his face visible)
• Long shot - protagonist drinking from a hip flask (full body shot)
• Medium shot - shadow with a briefcase next to it
• Close-up - showing La Sombra with his fingers on his tie as he undoes it, perhaps with a splatter of blood on his shirt
• Medium shot - La Sombra holding a briefcase with both hands
• Medium shot - La Sombra sitting down with a hip flask in his hand and briefcase placed in front of him
• Close-up - syringe in protagonist's hands
• Medium shot - protagonist proceeding to kill his supposed target with the syringe his hand, as if it is captured just a moment before he gets killed
• Long shot- of the La Sombra leaving the party agitated 
• Over the shoulder- of La Sombre pulling out his picture of the real victim
• Close up- on the picture showing it was the wrong person
• long shot- of La Sombra leaving and walking away
• Long shot- of the cartel boss finding out about what La Sombra did

     5. Costume, props and make-up:

• Syringe
• Alcohol bottle
• Hip flask
• Suit
• Tie
• White shirt
• Briefcase
• Mask

     6. One of the things I'll be doing to ensure everything is prepared for the actual photoshoot is            talk to both the person being cast as La Sombra and also the unintended victim to make it            clear when they need to be coming to the classroom for the photoshoot. Not only this but I'll          have to make sure we have all the props necessary such as the hip flask and mask to                  deliver on the planned shots as I envisaged them to have been taken.

Tuesday, 5 January 2016

Pre-production

Pre-production

Project schedule

(To be completed once the group has discussed availability)

Mise-en-scene

Casting details

• Khalid Abdillahi – will be doing La Sombra’s voiceovers as he’s had sufficient experience in actually speaking Spanish. Not only this, but he'll also be the unintended victim that ends up getting killed by our main protagonist at the mask party
• Mamduh Adan – will be acting as La Sombra since he too, has had previous experience but this time in the area of acting with other media productions
• Mr Halsey – could potentially be cast to perform as the cartel boss to make the film appear more authentic
• Deepak Marok - will be cast as the bouncer for the mask party by the lecture theatre doors
• Callum's dad - will be cast as the taxi driver for the cab scene
• Range of people from Year 12 - a range of people from the year will be cast as the partygoers at the masquerade

Location scouting with photographs

• Grand Union Canal – While we had originally planned for our setting to make use of Brighton Pier as a primary location for the film, we considered things like timing issues and weather and realised that going to the nearby canal would be a much more viable option. Not only is it more local, but it’s also a location that has many aspects to it that could help in making our film come across to viewers in the exact way we want it to e.g. the more murky tinge to the water could help contribute to the darker undertones the production is supposed to have.

• Drama studio – this location will be used for the party scene to take place in where La Sombra plans to take out his target discussed with him by the cartel boss (Don Javier). It would make for an effective setting for this to take place in as with the studio being quite large, if presented well enough with different props, it could pass off for being the location of a party.

• (Outside) lecture theatre – this location will be used for the scene that involves La Sombra’s interactions with the bouncer at the door of the party since the completely opaque double doors of the lecture theatre, look like something you might see at the entrance of a (private) party.

Props

• (Fake) phone – will be used by La Sombra to communicate to the cartel boss
• Briefcase – contains the details about the target La Sombra is pursuing
• Hip flask - contains the alcohol La Sombra constantly consumes
• Masks – the party is a ‘masquerade,’ so each of the attendees will be shown wearing masks
• Syringe – will be used by La Sombra to take out the target
• Target details – sheet of paper that’ll be found in the briefcase detailing the characters of the target

Costume and make-up

• La Sombra – will be wearing somewhat of an ‘ill-fitting’ suit with undone buttons on his shirt just as a way of suggesting his more unkempt and rough nature being drunk a lot of the time 
• Partygoers – casual shirt and trousers 
• Incorrect target – may have to use make-up as a way of showing his pain while succumbing to the lethal effects of the injection

Lighting 

• Natural light – will be used during the canal scene just due to the fact that it takes places in an outdoor setting 
• Low-key lighting – will be used in the party scene as way of making the location look all-the-more glamorous as well as mysterious

La Haine

Reminiscent of Costas-Gavras' film Z with its fast fire dialog and staccato rhythms, La Haine (Hate) coordinated by 28 year-old Mathieu Kassovitz, is an enthusiastic take a gander at racial pressures at a Paris lodging venture. Despite the fact that medication managing, urban rot, and police fierceness have been appeared in movies some time recently, seldom have they had the feeling of essentialness and direness appeared in La Haine. 

Three companions from various ethnic foundations live in the Bluebell lodging ventures on the edges of Paris. This is not the Paris of travel leaflets or movies like Amelie, however a forlorn urban scene, brutal and dismal with lodging extends that look as though they could be in any enormous city on the planet. Vinz (Vincent Cassel), is a common laborers Jew; (Hubert Kounde), the most clever and self-intelligent of the three, is an African boxer; and (Said Taghmaoui), an Arab from North Africa is more youthful however generally as disillusioned. 

The film portrays their wrath against the police whom they see as oppressors. Underestimated financially and politically, without occupations, folks who mind, or seek after the future, the boulevards are their home and they are open focuses for police who are appeared as merciless and supremacist. In one startling scene, a veteran cop insults and physically manhandle Said and Hubert while preparing a tenderfoot cop. The new kid on the block can just look on and shake his head in dismay.

MEST2: Film pitch and audience focus group

Title and tagline:  La Sombra

‘I’ll pay for the mistakes I’ve made, but not with my life’

Topic from brief (e.g. Modern-noir, Urban Life etc.):

Modern-noir

Genre (and sub-genre if applicable): Crime

Logline – one sentence that sums up the film and hooks people in (25 words or fewer):

A fatal mistake proves to be the game changer, and now it’s the hitman with the target on his back.

Other successful films that are similar to yours:

Sicario, Agent 47, red,

Narrative structure for full 30-minute film – what happens and in what order (max 100 words)

Takes shot of vodka, and kills people on hit list- to emphasise drinking problem (in Mexico).

Also in secret relationship with Cartel bosses daughter.

Learns of accountant taking bribe from police to sell out the cartel and go on the run to Europe.

(3 minute extract)

After failed mission, using skills acquired over time to stay on the run and stay in the shadows from the cartel whilst fighting against ‘demons’ (drinking problem).

La Sombra meets with secret lover, Cartel bosses daughter but still isn’t aware of this. Plans to run away with her and is ready, waiting on boat to ‘disappear’ for good and waiting for Maria to come. After waiting for hours Don Javier comes on to the boat with his entourage and holding his daughter at gun point. La sombre realises and must choose which one of them dies.

Main protagonist, their desires, the conflicts they encounter etc.:

La Sombra-the shadow. Money is irrelevant, to a man who takes so much. The thrill is the drive and the money is the bonus. ‘Silent’ protagonist doesn’t talk throughout film but has independent narrative and thoughts in his head.

Other characters and their role/audience appeal:

Don Javier Sanchez - Cartel boss who orders the killings of his enemies.

Accomplice to Don Javier - Eduardo Sanchez-loyal to a fault –cousin to Don Javier

Victim (intended)  Arne Schafer – Angered cartel boss, Former cartel accountant

Maria Angel - Daughter of Don Javier  but took mother's name

Target audience for your film (age, gender, social class, interests etc.):

Young adults 18-45, middle class, people who travel-

The three-minute extract you will make and where it would appear in the film:

This will appear just after the beginning scenes in Mexico.

La Sombra waiting on beach in England and picks up phone buried on the beach, Don Javier on phone giving orders about next kill-accountant. Breaks phone and throws into the sea.

Heads to location to pick up tools and more information about next kill.

Heads to location of kill and realises it is a mask party, don Javier is also attending the party.

La Sombra kills wrong person by mistake and accountant gets away and now La Sombra goes on the run.

BBFC

The BBFC is brief about all the films that have been published and what we have also rated. The director of BBFC had said that their has been a large number of increase in the amount of people that are wanting to make new films but don't have their facilities. 

A film is rated depending on what is included on the film. Sometimes, people may rate the film in groups but sometimes it is done individually which is also known as 'solo viewing'. For example, if a bad language has been used, then the film may be rated 12 or above.

The Dark Knight was rated 12A, this was very controversial as many believed that this rating was way to low. This is the case due to the violence generated in this film. 12A guidelines allow moderate violence as long as it can be justified by the context. However, many people thought that the dark knight should have been a 15 age rating or even 18.

In 15 rated film 

1. Strong violence
2. Frequent strong Language
3. Portrayals of sexual activity
4. Strong verbal references to sex
5. Sexual Nudity
6. Brief scene of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
7. Discriminatory language or behavior
8. Drug Taking

we would  really like to work on a type of Modern noir, in the style of a 60's detective black and white movie. This would be really interesting to work with, as we can play around with the plot line very easily and also manipulate the tone in terms of serious or comedic. If we were to go with a serious tone, we could go down the direction of something loosely based around the style of Sin City which is basically a movie which shows modern noir very well and also helps to emphasise the style of a comic book graphic novel.

If we were able to work with this idea we could actually very easily work with a variety of the topics and utilise the different topics into one, such as urban life/secret/friendship and maybe even romance. I think this will have to depend greatly on our overall idea of the plot line.

In terms of the plot line, we can work on the detective narrative and create something that I believe will leave the audience amazed, this will have to be done by creating a variety of enigma codes and eventually through the big reveal we can have a huge plot twist. I think this would work very well in terms our general idea of secrets which helps to link with the detective narrative, and generally becomes a mystery, thriller or who-dun-it type of movie.