Jess Bickford - Production Blog: October 2013

Sunday, 27 October 2013

Ancillary Tasks

Brief

A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or animated or a combination of both, together with two of the following three options

a poster for the film;
a radio trailer for the film;
a film magazine review page featuring the film.

I am going to do a poster and a film magazine review page for my short film.
I choose these two to do because these are the areas I think I can best portray my skills in.
I have had lots of practice in putting a poster together as I did one for my AS work and also one as a preliminary to this A2 coursework. As well as these two, for my drama group I made a poster for our performance of the Grimms Tales.
I also want to do a film magazine review page because in contrast to the poster I have only done this once before, a magazine article advertising a car company.

Script for Bernie the Brave.

Intent

Through this script I want to convey the narrative of the story, I also want the audience to be sympathetic towards the little boy.
Because I want to aim it at a younger audience, by using humour I lighten the mood at the end of the film.
My script could also be interpreted as having a moral that anyone can be a hero.

Characters

Girl
Boy
Bully 1
Bully 2
Bully 3

Plot

A young boys teddy is stolen by three older bullies, a young girl notices them teasing him and tries to help save the teddy. In the young childrens imagination the situation is changed into a fantasy fairytale where the teddy is a baby and the three bullies are a three headed hydra, the boy a knight and the girl a princess. The girl slays the Hydra and saves the teddy and returns it to the boy.

Script

(Boy is alone, playing with his teddy. Three older boys see him and approach him, joking and laughing to each other)

Bully 1: (to young boy) Hey, is that your sisters?

Bully 3: Yeah teddys are for girls, are you a girl?

Boy: (quietly) N-n-no

Bully 2: (to other bullies) I bet he's given it a name.

Bully 1: Here I think it looks like a (snatches teddy from boy, looks at it) Mr. Buttons!

Bully 2: (takes teddy from bully 1 and holds it up above his head)

Boy: (reaching up, still quietly) Please... no!

(All the Bullies laugh and tease, they pass the teddy around. The young boy still quietly asking them to stop and give the teddy back)

Bully 1: (in a mocking baby voice) Oh do you want Mr. Buttons back?

Bully 3: Haha, I think he's gonna cry!

Bully 1: Cry baby

(All the Bullies start teasing and calling names, you see the boy become more scared and recline within himself)

All: Little girl, cry baby, ...

(Around the corner a young girl hears the Bullies, she goes and stands behind them with her arms crossed and a brave face)

Girl: (loudly and confidently but still scared) Give him the teddy back now!

(All the Bullies stop and turn to look at her)

Bully 2: (to other Bullies) Are you kidding me? (to girl) Go home.

Bully 3: (Mockingly) Does your Mummy know where you are?

Girl: (not quite so confidently) Give it back.

Bully 1: Don't be a silly little girl, what could you even do?

(the bully tries to tear off the teddys ear)

Boy: (reaching out) No!

Girl: (with renewed confidence) GIVE. IT. BACK.

(woooooooooooooooooooooooo fantasy time, the boy turns into a knight, the girl turns into a princess, and the three bullies into a three headed hydra and the teddy wrapped up like a baby)

Thursday, 24 October 2013

Short Animation Film Examples

In my short film I want to include some animation. The style I want to do my animation is like an animated paper model.

Roy - this is a clip from a CBBC show which mixes animation and live action.

Shoe - I really like the style of this one and it is how imagine mine looking.

Munro - This roughly drawn style also appeals to me and I think I may do something similar.

Magical Umbrella - This is not how I first imagined my animation looking but I do like the style and I think I will explore it more as another option.