Certification Update: PG

While drafting my final script, I realised that this short film doesn't need a 12 rating. Use of language isn't as necessary as I thought it would be: I thought it would add something in tense moments or to emphasise something in Alfie and Jack's conversation, but in reality it just didn't fit.

Therefore I want the certification for the film to be PG, though of course, as previously mentioned in my other certification post, this short film is not targeted at a younger audience, that PG films are usually associated with.

After looking at this definition on the BBFC website, I am certain that this is the most appropriate certificate for the film.
The page includes several categories that go into more detail on why a film may be given this certificate, and I can guarantee that my film does not have any drug use, sex, discrimination, nudity, language or violence, and contains very little, if any, threat or potentially dangerous imitable behaviour.

Script v.2

Animatic

Here is the animatic for my short film, using images from my storyboard drawings. I have tried to make each shot the approximate length that it will be in the final cut.

I have used some of my own diegetic sound (at the train station and the opening dialogue), as well as the typing sound effect that come with the editing software, to give a rough idea on the ambient sound for each scene. 

In addition to this I have used several tracks from soundtracks composed by Thomas Newman that fit with the tone of each scene, fade in and out exactly how I want them to and are cut to the correct duration to, again, get a feel for what my soundtrack will sound like when friend Eliza composes it especially for the short film.

The tracks I have used are:

American Beauty:

Angela Undress

Blood Red

Any Other Name

A Series of Unfortunate Events:

The Baudelaire Children

Storyboard

Font ideas

Below is my prezi showing my research for fonts for the film, which will be really important as I plan to use the same fonts for my my poster ancillary task as well.

I have analysed the fonts from the title cards of short films I have already looked at, and then researched similar fonts in a website called dafont.com.

For the moment I have used the default film title 'photobooth' (a name I'm still deciding on) to see how each font would look with the same word.

The final font(s) will be decided when I have some footage from my film to experiment with. 

                      

motif of my short film: old and new technology

Both old and new technology will be used in my film- Jack uses an old home video camera to film Rachel, they both use a photobooth which produces an analogue version of a photograph that he keeps in his room, and Jack uses a computer and social media sites to try to find Rachel years later. Old technology is associated with Rachel, a memory in the past that is held in analogue form: it seems much more nostalgic, like the way you feel when you look at old photographs of past holidays with family and friends. Without her, this feeling is not there- Jack uses social media to find her, and even checks his smartphone briefly when he gets to the station. This use of digital technology is often a much less personal form of communication as it can instead just isolate us from the people right in front of us, which is shown when Jack is transfixed by his screen and barely looks at his friend Alfie walks into the room. 

Location recce- the station

This is a short video I shot on location at the station that I am hoping to use for scenes 2, 3 and 5.

You can see the photobooth in the corner of the room that will be the recurring motif in the film. 

I particularly like that the colours in the station are cool toned and stark, with a mixture of natural and strip light. The waiting area with the screens is particularly bright, while the tunnel that takes you up to the platform (1:27) is much darker, so I think I will use this when Rachel walks away with Liam at the end, leaving Jack in the bright white waiting room. 

Shot influences

Here is a short video I edited showing specifically scenes from feature length/short films that I am particularly inspired by for certain scenes, conversations and shots in my short film.

I have included parts from the first draft of my script alongside the clip from the film in order to show the style, tone, and camerawork my short film will be inspired by.

Shotlist

Costumes

Characters

Rachel

Rachel is the female protagonist in the short film. She was in a relationship with Jack for about a year before they left school, and subsequently decided afterwards to cut off all communication from him. We never find out why this is.

In the past, Rachel is seen to be really happy in her relationship, there is no sign that she would want to end it. She was the more confident of the two, and slightly more dominant in the relationship.

When we see Rachel in the present, she is clearly shocked about seeing Jack again, and looks slightly guilty. She seems to be happy in her new relationship but now the roles have reversed- she is the slightly more submissive one while Liam is more extroverted.

Jack

Jack is the male protagonist. After Rachel cut off all contact with him six months ago, completely vanishing both on and offline, and he has tried to find her ever since.

Jack now has an internship in the city, but feels empty without Rachel. He has supportive friends, like his housemate Alfie, but they haven't been able to get through to him yet.

There was never any closure for Jack at the end of the relationship, so despite the sad ending, there is still a sense that now he can finally move on with his life.

Alfie

Alfie has lived with Jack since they left school, and have been good friends for years. He's seen Jack go through the whole relationship and the change in him since Rachel left. Alfie is kind and compassionate, and genuinely wants Jack to get over Rachel and move on with his life.

Liam

Liam is Rachel's new boyfriend that Jack meets at the end of the short film. He's a bit more controlling in their relationship, and doesn't have any idea who Jack is when he meets him so doesn't register how awkward their meeting is. He's interested in photography and feels that he will get more work in Sydney, so he encourages Rachel to come along as she has 'no ties' left here at home.