Story Telling Unit: My Film

Here is the finished film for my short movie starring Mark Cooper and Chris Sarmiento entitled, "The Meeting".


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPMt7rcoeUg

Story Telling Unit: Creating The Trailer

I have finished the trailer for my short film titled "The Meeting". The editing was something I found really easy to do because the way it was filmed was so straightforward. When I started Final Cut, I found it really easy to deal with because of the workshops I have been attending in the last six-seven weeks. When editing I only ran into one major problem which was the length of the film, I had to cut off 37 seconds which meant that I could not include up to the part where Tony tells Sid the revelation that he knows about the affair. Other then this I found the editing really easy to adjust too.

Story Telling Unit: Filming A Trailer Or The First Two Minutes?

In the past week I have decided to film the first two minutes of my film rather than a trailer. The reason I decided to do this is because I thought ending it with Tony telling Sid he knows about the affair is such an important character moment that kind of sums up where the story is going.

I also think that the first two minutes helps to explain to the audience what the film is about just as much as filming a trailer would do.

Story Telling Unit: Filming My Script

On Thursday I filmed the first two minutes needed for my short film, using the interior location of my student accommodation. It seemed ideal to use this location because of the intimate setting it gives for the two main characters. The main advantage of using this location was that I could film it at any hours without being worried about the place closing or it getting too dar.

In my original script, the story was more focused on Tony's acting career whereas now it is more about his anger at Sid having the affair with his wife.

Story Telling Unit: Production Casting

The Meeting

These are the actors I have chosen to play the roles of Tony and Sid.

I have chosen Chris because he is a great actor and good at playing emotional characters.

I have also picked Mark for the role of Sid the manager. I chose him because he has a cocky charismatic personality that is quite similar to Sid. He has also had experience playing shady characters in the past.

Story Telling Unit: Film Planning and Re-Booking

Although I was not able to film on the original day that I intended, I have since re-booked a camera and am planning to film on Thursday the 21st. To prepare for this I have been watching film editing tutorials and looking up useful tips through YouTube.

Should anything go wrong in the proceedings of filming in my current location of the student building I have decided to have as a backup a plan to use the UCA building site as I may be able to film in the Student lounge. The benefits of filming here include the scenery being a bit more realistic looking. The negatives of filming here include the background noise from other people that might jar with the sound on the film slightly. Also I would have to be very careful choosing the right time to film.

Storytelling Unit: Inspiration for the character's of Sid and Tony..

When it came to conceiving of Sid and Tony's characters, I used a couple of people as influences to help with their personalities, all of them from the 1950's. When it came to deciding what type of nature Sid was going to be I thought of Colonel Tom Parker, who was the well-known manager of Elvis Presley for many years. Like Sid, "The Colonel" (as he liked to be called) was someone who did a lot to further his clients career but he could also be quite ruthless and made a lot of shady deals through ruthless tactics behind Elvis's back. 

(Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis, 1955)

The characters names and parts of the personalities of Tony and Sid were developed when I thought about sitcom writer's Galton and Simpson (The people behind Steptoe and Son) and their long running 1950's-1960's TV and Radio show, Hancock's half hour. The main characters were portrayed by Tony Hancock and Sid James. (best remembered for the Carry On films) They used their own names but they were playing exaggerated caricatures of themselves for the most part. Tony's character on the show was a down on his luck comedian trying to hit the big time. This is similar to how my character is trying to get back his former fame except he has already achieved success in the past. Sid James's character was a close friend of Tony's who usually tried conning him with his money making schemes every week. This is not dissimilar to how my character of Sid is a close confident of Tony but he also is quite a shady person.

(Sid James and Tony Hancock, 1957)

Storytelling Unit: Shooting My New Trailer!

Tomorrow morning I will be collecting my camera from Maidstone and will gear up to start filming on the Saturday. Rather than filming the first two minutes I thought it would be more interesting to shoot a trailer as I the revamped storyline lends itself to an interesting series of character moments and reveals. The location shooting will take place in Chatham, Kent where it will be filmed in a student room set up too look like it came straight out of the 1950's. I think the parts of the script I include will lend itself to allowing the audience to understand what the storyline and the characters of Tony the celebrity and Sid the manager are all about. It will end with the final confrontation as Tony reveals he knows about Sid's affair with his ex-wife.

 

Story Telling Unit: Working On A Script Re-draft

I am currently gearing up to start work on my project which I should start working on this Friday. I recently received feedback for my first draft of my script and decided to start editing it to
 any suggestions made by Simon.

Working on my redraft I decided that some changes had to be made if I wanted to give the script a better resolution or twist. I realised it would be much more interesting to change the plot to create conflict between Sid and Tony. To do this i've decided to have the plot still revolve around Sid trying to revive Tony's career but i've changed the reason for his career downfall. Instead of Tony becoming an alcoholic due to his wife's death he will instead have started drinking after he finds out Sid had an affair with his ex-wife. Sid is not aware of this, and berates Tony for his drinking habits not realising he is the reason he started drinking in the first place.

Influences On My Story Idea

Just in case you were wondering, the current background picture is of movie icon James Dean. He famously was a rising star who had completed just three films by the time of his death in a car accident at the age of 24.

One of the influences/inspirations when coming up with my movie idea was a film he starred in titled "Rebel Without A Cause". It is one of the earliest examples of a modern "teen" film ala "The Breakfast Club" and "American Pie" however it takes itself much more seriously. Filmed in 1955 it clearly represents the time period it was made in but it is also very much before its time. The time
period as well as the realistic approach to its younger characters helped when constructing the characterisation of Tony and how he reacts to authority figures. (His manager, Sid in this case)

James Dean's character Jim is very troubled emotionally but he hides it behind a cool, relaxed demeanor. I thought it was interesting when watching how many sides their were to his character. I thought this aspect of his personality would be perfect to morph into part of Tony's persona.

You can watch a trailer for "Rebel Without A Cause" below...                                     

Story Telling Unit: "The Meeting" - Characters and Location

CAST OF CHARACTERS


TONY: The protagonist is a former alcoholic who is bitter about his fading stardom in the entertainment industry. He has a demeanour that is calm and cool to everyone who meets the celebrity side to him but behind closed doors he is a cold and angry man. He is only in his mid-late 20’s but he carries himself in a way that makes him seem far beyond his years. His personality is such that he has been entirely dependent on other people (his former wife, his manager) to take care of him.
TONY’S MANAGER (SID): Sid is quite young and cocky but he is already a major entity in the entertainment world as a manager for several film and TV stars of the period. He is credited with giving Tony is first major coup in show business when he got him a contract with a recording company. As much as he wants to look forward to new ideas he also has quite a conservative mind-set when it comes to managing his clients. He is around the same age as Tony but much wiser and more experienced than he is.
LOCATION
Tony’s bar room will be the main location for this screenplay, I felt this was an appropriate choice considering his struggles with drinking and because of the setting being in the mid-late 1950’s which means that a small set can be constructed to appear as if it is a part of that time period including vintage looking items such as particular brands such as Jack Daniels and through the use of old Vinyl records.

My Chosen Idea For "The Meeting"

For my 10 minute story titled "The Meeting" I decided to portray a Drama set in the mid-late 1950's, I feel this gives it a unique twist as well as through my idea to film in Black and White imagery.

A washed up singer and actor named Tony has been struggling to gain back the stardom and wealth that he received in years previous, when he was one of the biggest stars around, selling millions of records and starring in feature films. Beneath his calm and cool demeanor,  Tony is actually a demanding and obnoxious alcoholic struggling with the one last chance he's been given to resurrect his career.
This last chance is to feature in a film that his manager (named Sid) is trying to convince him to accept his offer for the role as one of the leading actors.

Tony and Sid meet up in the bar room at Tony’s house and discuss the situation with the movie deal. Tony is reluctant to agree to the offer because he hasn't been in the public eye for quite a long time. Sid discusses Tony’s lack of self-respect and falling stature to a man who is becoming increasingly cold and aggressive to his manager. Sid changes the subject and tries to get Tony to talk about why he would let go of his career in the first place. The audience then finds out that he started drinking because of a tragedy in his life four years previously when his wife in a car crash and he couldn't cope as he was totally dependent on her.

The Change in Tony's Character:

Tony has the realisation at the end that he can’t change the past and his deceased wife would be more disappointed in how he’s turned out and would want him to move on. The film ends with Tony making a call to the movie producers as the screen fades to black. 

A Short Pitch Of The Film Subject - "Soft" by Simon Ellis

A rocky relationship between a father and son is put to the test when a gang of violent bully's disrupt their lives and challenge their masculinity.

Car Crash News Story - In 25 Words.

A dangerous crime has taken place on the streets of London. Will Gary be able to live his life knowing that he has taken someone else's?

Source of material - The Guardian - Page 13

Introduction Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GuRVkS_nhI