Bernie the Brave - first cut

This is my first cut of my footage, I haven't added in my animation yet but where there is a empty frame is where I will have a shot of my hydra so you can get an idea of how it will look.

I don't like how it turned out, I think it looks to student made and the quality of the combination of the filming, location, costume and acting makes it seem unprofessional. So I have come up with another idea for a short film which should work better with the resources that I have at my disposal.

I got a focus group together and asked them to write a list of things they liked and things they didn't. Feedback from the group:

Like
The change into fantasy/medieval
The costumes
Range of shots
Sword fighting
Sound Effects
The premise of it
The bullies reaction at the end kept it lighthearted

Dislike
Jump cuts don't flow very well
Script is repetitive
It feels kind of awkward
The young boy playing with a teddy looks a bit odd especially as it then turns into a baby
The background noise in most of the shots is distracting
The teddy into baby was a bit bizarre and fast

Props and Costume

Props

The only prop I need is a teddy for the bullies to throw and to also to be wrapped up as a baby for the princess to save from the hydra.

Costume

The boy in the real world will be wear normal everyday clothes to show he's a boy from modern day. In the fantasy he will turn into a knight, with armour and a helmet. However even though he as dressed as a knight he will be playing the part of the 'damsel in distress', this shows a contrast between his behaviour and his look. I'm  doing this to show that people aren't their stereotypes and many people break the mould, so this shouldn't be asumed of people on how they look.

The girl, simily to the boy, in the real world will be in modern dress to show the time period and to not make her look any more higher status than any of the other characters. In the fantasy she will wear a princess costume and so be the opposite to the boy whose the knight. I have tried to show, through the princess being the one to slay the hydra, female strength so my young impressionable audience can have a good example to use. Also, because of these contrasts to real media I am challenging conventions on the representation of female characters and male characters.

 

For logistics I may use a cloak and a tiara instead but they will give the same effect.

 
 

The costume for my bully characters is blue/green colours so that when they're turned into the hydra the same colours are used. So that you can see that these are the characters from the real world that are the hydra in the fantasy world. This is a colour signifier that alows the audience to see the connection between the two situatutions and to show thats its the same.

Character Research

The Three Bullies

I use the convention of three against one, and of the victim being smaller than the bullies.


The Hydra

A hydra is a creature from the greek myth, it was an ancient serpent-like water monster with lots of heads and for each head that got cut off it grew two more.

This is the style I want to do and how I would like it to look when put with my shot footage.

Animatics

In the pre-production the storyboarding stage amy be followed by simplified mock-ups called "animatics" to give a better idea of how the scene will look and feel with motion and timing. An animatic is a series of still images edited together and displayed in sequence with a rough dialogue and/or rough sound track added to the sequence of still images (usually taken from the storyboard) to test whether the sound and images are working effectively together.

It allows the animators and directors to work out any screenplay, camera positioning, shot list and timing issues that may exist with the current storyboard. Editing the film at the animatic stage can avoid animation of scenes that would be edited out of the film. Animation is usually an expensive process, so there should be a minimum of "deleted scenes" if the film is to be completed within budget.

Often storyboards are animated with simple zooms and pans to simulate camera movement. These animations can be combined with available animatics, sound effects and dialog to create a presentation of how a film could be shot and cut together. Some feature film DVD special features include production animatics.

This is an example of an animatic made for a scene in Iron Man 3 -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiZRuOxiCGw

This is my animatic for my short film -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lliaoad4ikY

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)

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.

Real Short Films Examples

Themes that will be in my short film: swapping roles, girl and boy, young actors, children, bullying, fantasy, hero, evil vs. good, happy ending.

Love is all you need: swapping roles, bullying, young actors

Imagination: fantasy, boys and girl, children

Water Song: evil vs. good, fantasy

Imagination: fantasy, boy, children, hero

I don't want to go back alone: girl and boy, young actors, happy ending

Short Film idea and storyboard.

Storyboard: 

Another idea I had was that I change around the roles of the girl and the boy. So the boy is playing with the teddy and the girl is the one who slays the hydra, but the boy is still dressed as the knight and the girl the princess. This idea challenges stereotypes and breaks away from the cliche knight and damsel in distress. 

Possible Titles

Bernie the Brave

Bella the Brave

Chloe the Courageous

Caty the Courageous