The Tempore Exitus title sequence was entirely created by me and Alfie using nothing but Adobe After Effects. The weird effects in the title sequence were created by text being twister and duplicated many times so it created almost like a vortex. Then we added light rays onto it so it made it look even more weird and very Sci fi esque. The 3D pyramids at the start were created using the particle generator in Adobe After Effects and then changing their properties so that they swirl and making a portal style animation. We also created the lightning in after effects by using the advanced lighting tool and animating the lighting by changing its values and properties.
We also created the theme tune ourselves using Garageband on my Ipad as it is easy to use and effective for creating tunes you want to create. Also it was a very simple process creating each instrument track by simply putting together beats and rhythms that fit. As a result we created the official Tempore Exitus soundtrack which is unique to our film and used nowhere else instead of just using a copyright free track.
Just before we sorted out filming our first shots of our short film we had to change our actors explained in another post. Because of this we had to change thr costumes of our actors and chose to stick to very similiar costumes as we wanted our characters to be relatable and 'normal' teens. Due to a lack of time we simply asked our actors to show us several costume pairings that they owned and we chose the most 'normal' teen costumes for both actors.
Me and Alfie have been having filming problems due to cancellation of filming dates. Our cast and ourselves have a tight schedule and have been struggling to find time to film and it is made increasingly more difficult when our cast has priorities in Musical Theatre. Me and Alfie are working together currently to find a date and time we are all available to film.
Here is a test shot for a very similar shot where we want a past Bridie meeting a future Bridie. We achieved this by placing two clips onto each other and then masking the top layer with a simple box over it so that the two clips look like they in the same shot. The line where both clips connect looks very rough so we adjusted the brightness and contrast to make it more seamless.
Me and Alfie wanted a futuristic and time bending feeling to our film so we wanted to make a very weird and abstract title sequence to fit the atmosphere of this movie so for our first test for a title sequence we had the words Tempore Exitus swirling round and round to form into one big title with the electricity zapping down the X. The electricity is key to this film as it will be the way time travel is shown.
For location me and Alfie have been searching across local areas such as Middleton Cheney, Farthinghoe and Kings sutton. We have decided to film the scenes where Bridie is crying in Alfie's bedroom as we have enough room to fit lighting and cameras to film the very upsetting scenes.
To film the majority of our film we needed an isolated road where we would could cross and make it believable that Ella didn't see a car coming and the car would be able to go fast enough to kill Ella. For these scenes we are going to use Farthinghoe as it has a street which is perfectly isolated and has a field right next to it as well as an old looking park which will to the aesthetic of our film. Below is a 3D interactive view of our location where you can view our location. (The road it shows is the way you go and we will continue to walk through the passage besides the park
For our film we want to have modern and casual clothes as we want this to be a modern film and we don't want our characters to look particularly unique from any other teenager their age. For Bridie's character we want a winter jacket and for Ella's character the same but of course we want a bit of differentiation.
For Bridie we want this coat as it will be clearly a cold day in winter and this will keep her warm when filming and also it would be common sense for a teen to wear a thick coat in the winter. Also she will wear casual jeans and boots similar to the picture above.
For Ella we want a much more casual thinner coat. Showing that she would sacrifice warmth for fashion in the winter which will reflect her character more. Ella will also wear casual jeans.
We will be using a whole range of special effects.
Firstly we need a special effect for Ella getting ran over so for this i will be following this video to help me create the effect of Ella being hit.
We also wanted a cool effect where we physically show the energy and anger flow through her body so i'm going to edit this same effect but going up Bridies arm when she starts to turn evil or when she needs to time travel.
We also wanted to create a similar effect in the eyes but a little more concentrated on the eyes dilating and the lightning or other types of energy flow through her eyes.
We want to use a few props for our short film as we need to make the ways we kill off Ella brutal and realistic so firstly we need fake blood for showing the gun wound or stab wound. The blood of course will make this more realistic and slightly gory.
We will also be using a fake gun in a very small scene where Ella is shot and blood splatters from her head in a silhouette style shot. The camera will then pan across a gun and show a shooter in the distance when Bridies character runs towards the killer.
We also need Ella to be stabbed in the back in another silhouette style shot as theres more of a black outline of Ella and then an arm driving a knife in the back of her. We can use a retractable knife so we can show the deadly blade but it will simply retract back and not hurt Ella.
We wanted to cast two main actresses for our film so we chose the most experienced actors that we know.
Bridie will be portraying the main protagonist "Sarah Smith".
Bridie is an experienced actress as she has played key roles in theatre productions for the school such as the main character in Hairspray. She is in enthusiastic and is able to portray a girl who is loving and can act emotional on command so she is perfect for the role of Sarah as we need a natural character which is pushed under certain circumstances. Also she will be able to transport us to our locations as she is able to drive with her own car.
Ella is a great actor with a range of acting abilities which will allow us to have a good range of emotions portrayed throughout our short as we want to play on the emotional side for a fair amount of the short. She does musical theatre so she is experienced with acting and will make a great Beth for our short film.
I will be playing Jack because this role is very minimal and needs no context as Jack is simply the boyfriend of Bridies character Sarah. We will be using Jack in one single scene with one line of dialogue so we felt casting was not need for this as we can use me for such a short scene.
Here is our complete script for Tempore Exitus. We completed a first draft in a week but wanted to edit using camera shots annotated across our script so we don't have to be so specific as we may find better opportunities when filming.
For our film we will be using a Nikon D3200 which is my own camera so we do not need to book this out. This camera has 1080p resolution so it will be perfect for our film. I have three spare batteries so we will be able to film for long periods of time. It will sometimes be handheld for action scenes for dramatic scenes or scenes where the camera is needed to move fluidly. We will be using a basic tripod to keep our shots steady.
We will also be using lightning for our indoor scenes as we want to light our actress perfectly to fit the tone and mood of the scene. We will be using reflectors to bounce off more natural light by using the natural light in the room and the lighting rig to bounce of the strong light to defuse the strong beaming light on our actress. Two lights will be used one facing the ceiling so we get a good natural lightbulb lighting but better quality and more evenly lit. The other light will be facing a reflector which will bounce onto the actress balancing the light and imitating the natural light from outside and the lights from the ceiling.
Ever lost somebody? Do anything to turn back time? Eighteen year old Sarah Smith was given the chance to turn back the clock but it soon becomes clear that nothings is as it truly seems.
Me and Alfie wanted a font which would be futuristic and also modern looking. Me and Alfie asked five people from our target audience and they voted all on the first font Star Avenue as it is modern and futuristic looking. Below are all of the fonts we wanted and we have all decided Star Avenue is the best fitting for the atmosphere of our short film.
Starts immediately with the death of a teenage girl in
a car crash. Her best friend is able to time travel and uses that power to
go back in time to change the past and save her. As she saves her from the car
crash her friend still dies. This keeps on happening over and over and soon
finds out that she cant save her best friend because its her who is killing her
using her time travel ability which is the huge plot twist. We will show a flashback of her killing her in
different ways in the end.
The first born is a sci fi short film which seems to be set in the future as the mise en scene shows bright lights and futuristic technology which suggests the future. It is also established that this is set in a hospital due to the futuristic hospital bed and the doctor stood by her bed side. Everything feels very grimey and rusty but also parts of futuristic technology immediately setting the location. Most futuristic or sci fi short films use bright white lights and futuristic props such as lasers and holograms so this short film fits into the general conventions for the sci fi genre. Protagonists are not very clear in this as at the end the woman who seems to be the protagonist but ends up very neutral towards the end split between being the protagonist and antagonist. There is however a clear antagonist as the man in the black hood kills one of the doctors as soon as he enters. Murder is clearly the first clear sign of this man being an antagonist but also the mise en scene suggests strongly that this guy is a force of evil as he has the classic bad guy cape and also mouthpiece covering his face. The black robe is a clear sign of an antagonist in the conventions of a sci fi film, for example Darth Vader from Star wars. As for the supposed protagonist, she is wearing a pure white costume as she is a patient at this futuristic hospital but being in all white or even bright clothing usually suggests in sci fi films that this person is a protagonist or at least with good intentions whereas evil or people with bad intentions dress in darker clothes. Also in the mise en scene a much more subtle thing in this short film is the use of the colour purple as the colour purple represents many things such as power mystery and magic which fits perfectly in this short film as the magical energy used by both the bad guy and the woman is purple. The woman's hair even turns purple by the end of the short film. The colour purple is always present in this short as it is the key component which links it all together as this shows the two main characters that they are siblings and it is also her eye colour, hair colour and the colour of the magical energy. So purple is used in this film to emphasise the magic and energy which is present in a lot of sci fi films.
Camera is used in this short film to create intrigue as a lot of the first few shots are of close ups of this very odd mystical looking and also creepy silhouette of this person emerging from a shroud of smoke leaving the audience confused and also interested to find out who or what this is. The camera was used by getting an establishing shot of the chamber full of smoke and extreme close ups of the persons hands and shoulders but not showing any key defining features. The camera again is used to create intrigue as it focuses in and out as we are seeing the world through this womans eyes. The confusing and intriguing atmosphere of the short film is usually a key element to the genre of sci fi as sci fi is meant to be far fetched and different to our world so there are always going to be confusing things that we don't understand fully at first sight. There are a lot of pans in this short as it is meant to be all static constantly as the plot is always moving and the camera like the story needs to keep on going forward.
Sound in Sci fi is key as it is used so much in films such as sound effects soundtracks and incidental music used to add a tense or intriguing atmosphere. Immediately we have non diagetic sound effects for the eerie chamber. The audience are given the sense that this chamber of smoke is evil or just very dangerous. This implies that the thing inside is dangerous or evil too which weirdly enough is a foreshadowing of future events. The short starts with a light and soft non diagetic score over it until the main antagonist enters as it then turns dark and eerie which empthasises this guy is evil and a lot of the time with the usual sci fi conventions the score is used to show the audience who is evil and who is good. A good example of this is Darth Vader from Star wars as he enters there is a thundering dark tune to show his power and dangerous powers.
Editing in this short film is used very well as it uses special effects heavily which is extremely common in sci fi films as sci fi thrives on special effects to put us into other worlds using green screen or blue screen. It incorporates the colour purple once again in the magical energy effect which is used to attack people so it is used by the antagonist in this film but it also used to defend as the woman uses her magical powers to freeze the knives and hospital equipment mid air. So editing is used a lot in this short to empthasise the sci fi element. The editing in general is slow to start with as it gets the audience to listen in as the dialogue is key here but when the antagonist enters the editing gets faster as it is more action packed using quick cut shots to increase the tense and rapid atmosphere of the magical fight.
Target Audience
The genre of this film is family adventure as this film is a very family friendly film and is of course about this dogs and boys adventure for something. The narrative is about a dog who was owned and brought up by this guy in the army but this man dies and the dog goes to his little brother and they seem to be suspicious of the army guys old friends and go on an adventure. The audience for this movie will be for families at is a film about a family adventure as it is not violent and no strong language. The plot is quite family friendly as it is an adventure with a boy and his dog.
Mise en scene
The setting is first set in a war zone where this dog is clearly owned by a man who is involved in the army so sets up a lot of the narrative in the first few shots. The props used are guns to further show that this is firstly set in the army. As the trailer progresses a lot more modern family props are used in the family home and bikes are used as they are the typical means of transport for the age of the boy. Costumes used are very basic as it is set in a modern day family home so nothing is too unique apart from the military uniform which further emphasises the army dog.
Camera
There are a range of close ups medium shots and long shots. There are establishing shots of the family home and the battlegrounds to show the audience where it is set. Close ups are used to empthasise the characters dialogue as it is essential to the main plot. A lot of long shots are used for establishing location such as the funeral scene and when the kids go biking. Long shots are also used to show the huge drop on the edge where the kid is about to fall off to show the threat of this drop scaring the audience.
Sound
There is a non diagetic incidental music to set the sad tone of the trailer to start with but once the emotions pick back up to energetic again the music is then switched to a non diagetic soundtrack which is the song "I bet my life" by Imagine Dragons which is used to give the second half of the trailer a really inspirational feeling as these kids adventure with this dog max. A lot of diagetic explosions are also used in the start of the trailer to empthasise the explosion that killed the kids brother.
Editing
The trailers editing starts slow but as the tragic events emotions pass the editing becomes quicker as the inspirational soundtrack kicks in so the editing keeps up with the emotions the audience are feeling. There are cross cuts from the warzone to the family home using skype from the laptop. Also the titles are iconography as the titles have a silouthette of the dog inside them.
Target Audience
The genre of this film trailer is Sci fi which can have many sub genres such as horror, thriller, action adventure, comedy and many others as Sci fi is such a huge genre. Target audience for this film is for teens and sci fi fans such as young adults. This film is family friendly as there is no bad language or at least minor bad language. This is more of an adventure sci fi so is very good for teens and young adults.
Mise en scene
The setting is immediately established as being a part space adventure but also primarily on Mars where this man is left behind. Props are always a huge feature in Sci fi films as usually the props have to look like advanced technology or futuristic. In The Martian trailer there are a lot of spacesuits and also a base on mars where they must survive which immeditalely tells the audience where he is and that the technology is helping him to survive. The costumes are really unique and look futuristic but not too distant from our modern astronaut suits. Everything is coloured very red so i think that empthasises the red planet that he is surviving on.
Camera
There are a lot of long shots in this trailer for effect. The reason for this is to show the vast expanse of space and this huge planet the spaceman is surviving on. The base has a lot of close ups or medium shots in the trailer to show it is kind of cramped and the astronauts living there have no luxury of space and empthasises the fact he is surviving. There are also close ups in the space shuttle which also show the claustrophobic conditions. Tracking is also used to show the audience the landscape of mars and really explore the planet.
Sound
In this trailer there are a lot of non diagetic special effects as a lot of the sounds are for advanced technology which we wouldnt have the technology to create the sounds for so a lot of non diagetic sounds are put into this trailer to give a futuristic feel and a lot of non diagetic sounds are used for the storm and explosions. Also non diagetic incidental music is used to raise tension to when there are storms and the crew is in danger. Later on in the trailer there is a non diagetic soundtrack which is used to be inspirational and uplifting making the audience happy and wanting the spaceman to survive.
Editing
The editing is slow to begin with as the narrative is explained through the narrative. Also there are bursts of quick editing to create an atmosphere of sudden danger on this planet. Later on the trailers editing starts to get faster as the tension rises and the soundtrack rises building loads of tension and excitement for the audience.
Target Audience
The genre of this film trailer is the superhero movie genre which combines mostly action adventure and sometimes fantasy. This films target audience is for young adult and older teens as it is a very explicit and foul language film as Deadpool is an antihero based for that audience. Deadpool is riddled with foul language and adult humour causing offence to a lot of people.
Mise en scene
The setting for the film is in America as this is where most typical superhero movies are set and the huge cities and buildings show the audience all around this danger there are buildings and people in danger as most superhero movies end with a huge battle ending in a lot of chaos. Fake weapons and maybe some real weapons are used in this trailer to show to the audience immediately there is a threat and going to be a lot of violence in this film which is a key area why some people watch superhero movies. Costumes are very fantasy esque as Deadpool is in a dark red suit with weapons attached to him showing he is very powerful and always combat ready which interests the audience as the audience now knows that deadpool himself will be fighting a lot and saving the world which is also a key feature in typical superhero movies. Even though the costumes are meant to be fantasy esque the colour and the detail put into them are used to make these bizarre superheros out of comics look like they would actually fit into our world using darker colours and more practical and simplistic costumes.
Camera
In this trailer a lot of the shots are either long shots medium shots or close ups as the long shots are used for establishing shots so that the audience can tell where the movie is filmed and mainly medium shots and close ups for showing characters and empthasising the importance of these characters. The long shots are also used for showing a lot of the action sequences in the film such as the car rolling and the gunmen pointing at Deadpool. There are tracks and zooms in very fast shots of action sequences such as the track across the gun to the man holding it.
Sound
There is a non diagetic soundtrack which plays over most of the trailer which is a very urban hip hop style score which is meant add a comedic effect to the trailer and shows the audience the film is not to be taken too seriously as this is also implied in visual gags throughout the trailer. There are a lot of soundbridges across the trailer as well as incidental music which raises tension and shows the main threats of the film as it plays as the character shows up implying the threat. A lot of the dialogue is meant to be very comedic showing the audience it is also a sub genre for comedy. There is diagetic sounds also in the trailer as on the bridge the car rolls and frightens a lot of people as gunmen arrive at the scene.
Editing
The editing is very slow to start with as there are many dissolves transitioning shots to one another until Deadpool becomes a hero in the trailer and once the hero is established the editing suddenly gets faster and faster as action sequences like the car rolling make the editing really quickly cut to each other making the action seem a lot more violent. There are also a lot of match on action with Deadpool kicking and punching in the car as each kick and punch lead to another kick or punch making the scene feel more brutal but also quite comedic. The titles Deadpool are blood red which sort of shows the iconography of Deadpool as he is a funny but also brutal violent superhero.
I have decided that i am going to choose Sci Fi as the genre for my short film as i believe i can pull off a good Sci fi short film with a range of special effects, sound effects and complicated narrative but also keeping the audiences attention with the narrative. I believe i can create with Alfie a sci fi short film that keeps the conventions of most sci fi shorts and also break some conventuions to keep the story interesting and unique. I know that Sci fi isnt a genre which is chosen a lot for short films as they are typically seen as too complicated for the time given and also too expensive for special effects and props but i think me and Alfie can use the materials around us such as after effects and premier pro to create good special effects and sound making our short look good and not poorly made. I think with sci fi also we have much more creativity for our story and not restricted to any type of normal scene as with sci fi we can bend the rules of reality and make anything we want so it gives us more freedom in our narrative to tell a good story which interests our audience.
The first short film i will be analyzing will be 'Stealing Time'. It starts off with a basic production team and a simple title. It then has an establishing shot tracking down to where the action will take place. The short film starts off with a mysterious event where a dog teleports into a pool out of nowhere this immediately sets the tone of the short film showing the audience that this film is very confusing and going to be abstract. Special effects are used effectively but not constant or major special effects. All characters are set up immediately and the audience jump straight into the action. The editing is quite slow so it doesn't make everything so rapid confusing the audience as it already has a complicated narrative. Sound is used with the special effects really well and everything is set out in a world just like ours making it able to us but also elements of the future which i think is a key element in most sci fi shorts. The short starts off establishing the characters and starts with a mystery setting the sci fi tone. Time travel always goes wrong in time travel movies and this is the exciting part of the story for the audience as it makes them wrap their head around the time travel element.
The second short film i will be analysing is "ARI" which is a french sci fi short film which is set in a futuristic world but only shows one location which is a sleek bright apartment which immediately gives it this futuristic atmosphere. Everything still feels familiar making it relatable and we understand this is a world similar to ours we are the introduced to a character in the shape of a robotic sphere which has a personality. This is the futuristic technology which to us doesn't seem too far away. As the short goes in starts to all go wrong and technology seems to win which is a key element in a lot of sci fi shorts and even films. The titles show up a few minutes into the short and are stylised to the ARI sphere interface which is blue static. Sound is used beautifully once again for special effects and i think this also a key part into making a good sci fi film as sound is a real seller for a good effect and sci fi films you need good effects.
The third short film i will be analysing will be "Immersion" which is a beautifully futuristic short film set in the future world and has many special effects such as holograms and futuristic technology. To pull off futuristic sci fi short films technology is absolutely essential to show the audience that this world is advanced as technology is how we measure development. The editing speed is fast as it is meant to be tense and action packed. A lot of locations are used in this short which is breaking the usual code of short films as most short films in general stick to one location and keep many things limited to the length of the short film. Sound is again used with the special effects to pull them off convincingly.
In conclusion i have found that from these Sci fi short films that they all involve futuristic technology but keep the world familiar so the audience isnt too confused and understands what time period it is from the technology being used. Editing is sometimes slow to get the audience to a good pace to understand but keep the story interesting. Sound is used in essential places such as special effects and music scores making things feel interesting or any emotion the film wants the audience to feel. Technology wins is the usual outcome of these shorts as humans aren't as advanced as these bits of technology.
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits". The term featurette originally applied to a film longer than a short subject, but shorter than a standard feature film.
The increasingly rare term short subject means approximately the same thing. An industry term, it carries more of an assumption that the film is shown as part of a presentation along with a feature film. Short is an abbreviation for either term. Short films are often screened at local, national, or international film festivals and made by independent filmmakers for non profit, either with a low budget or no budget at all. They are usually funded by film grants, non profit organizations, sponsor, or personal funds. Short films are generally used by filmmakers to gain experience and/or prove their talent in order to gain funding for future films from private investors, entertainment companies, or film studios.
