SCRIPT POST!

 Hey!, so here I am, I'm finally making the long-awaited script post, I put a lot into this script. So here's me showing my work off and explaining some of the plot details as we go along.

In this scene, Luca (the name of the syndicate leader) enters his office uninvitedly and questions him regarding the status of the shipment, Draco lets him know that the shipment will be arriving in a week, Luca becomes infuriated and tells Draco that his business is at risk of complete collapse, as well threatening to execute him if the shipment doesn't fall through. Draco becomes stumbled by this and is shaken beyond belief. 

                                            

Leading up to this scene, Draco enters the office and sees all his gang members beaten up, supposedly due to the other syndicate, Draco climbs over his gang members to see the status of his ARs, he opens the box to see no weapons, just an empty box. Due to this, he rages at the members of the gang since it was their task to have the ARs on the go. Now, he hints that he may walk away from the business and that he may not even be alive to see the world much longer. 

Leading up to this scene, Draco goes back to his office where he sees Luca sitting in his chair, and they take him out to an empty field where he'll be executed. Before his eventual death, he takes one last drink, looks up at the sky, and has a little goodbye monologue. After kneeling down to what seemingly is a shot to the head death, a member who betrays Luca shoots him instead and lets him go, sparing his life since another syndicate contacted him stating that there's a job for Draco in which he'll be contacted. After Draco walks away, the camera points to a blank sky and fades to the title. 

So yeah, that's the story. I love the little arc the character Draco goes through, and I like my plot twist ending quite a bit. I cannot wait to finally start filming this coming Sunday. 

Social Media

 Hey!, I'm not sure if I ever mentioned the idea of possibly creating social media for my short film, but I went ahead and did it. I just made an account on Instagram for my short film "Demise Of Man", and I will be using it as my main platform for all content about my piece. 

Here is the first post of the Instagram, I made the profile picture my official title card because it seemed to be the most fitting for my taste, and since I see many other social media pages based on productions utilize either a shot of a character or the logo. I feel like my logo gives off the clean, simplistic look that represents the costuming of the characters as well as blending into the aesthetic Instagram post vibe. 

For my next posts, I plan to upload certain shots of my short film as I'm in the filming process, it would give my audience a gist of what the film will look like visually as well as show them glimpses of what they're going to expect when viewing my film. Here's an account that I researched when planning the layout of my Instagram page. 

Yes, it's another peaky blinder reference, I know (I love this show so much), anyways, I enjoy how they post stills of characters as well as iconic clips from their production, which increases engagement with their target audiences as well as attracts new ones, making this a successful Instagram page due to it's wide following and reputation as a show. 

Sooner or Later, I'll make an update of my Instagram page when everything is all said and done, there will be many more posts to come!

Title!

Hey! so I've finally come up with a name for my short film! I think I teased it in previous posts, but I never officially announced it.

The title is "Demise of Man"

I think the title works perfectly with the story, it provides a metaphorical symbol as well as clearly states what the film will showcase, the demise of a man. Draco is a man who the audiences witness a man in a great sense of distress and loss of direction, ultimately, it's the business he's in which eventually leads to his ultimate dismay.  I've figured out what the title will look like as well. Here's a canva screenshot of how the title card would look. 

I think this fits with the atmosphere of my story quite well (I would send a zoomed-in version of the title but Blogger not letting me) anyway I do think this is the perfect style for what I'm going for. Black and white are the most prevalent colors during the production, also the story just doesn't give reason to show off any exuberant colors for the title. I'm liking how it is right now, although I may make some tweaks in the future, I think it works as a solid title card. 

All in All, the title of "Demise of Man" fits my project perfectly and adds a metaphorical and literal sense to the story which I really like. 

Confirmed Cast (So Far)

Ok, so if you've been following my blog so far, you'll know that my production contains a big cast, most of whom will not have spoken lines but will still be present on screen, having an impact on the overall impetus of the story being told. 

First up, It's me! 

I will be playing the main protagonist of my short film, Draco, I've played a character in I think all the films I've produced in my aice media class, and this will be trend will be continued as I'm embarking on my last film in the class. This role is a HUGE acting job, which is something I'm heavily looking forward towards. The success of the short film is contingent on my performance as Draco, so I'll make sure that it's a role to remember. 

Second, my cinematographer, Alex Duque!

This is my cinematographer, Alex Duque, he has a GREAT background in film as he's a prominent member of CBTV and he has two Emmys to his name. I'm so glad that I got to do my cinematography with him as I know he'll help me get some great shots. 

Third, we have our Thommy, Logan Handley! 

Logan is a good friend of mine who I worked with in my last media, which was the movie trailer. We have a great connection on set and on camera, and I know he'll always be there to record. He only has a few lines as Draco really is the pinnacle of attention, but he still has a job to do. 

Lastly, I'm yet to gather all the guys I need for the production, I have three as of right now, I need three or four more, I'll be able to find them and when I do I'll make a blog post about that entire group of gang members. As for now, this will do. 

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Props Part 2

 Now, I said the last time I discussed blogs that I've probably decided on what I'm purchasing, in all honesty, I'm not really too sure, I haven't decided on whether I'm purchasing the actual prop gun or a nerf gun, and I haven't decided on if I'm buying herbal cigs or just borrowing my friends. 

This is a prop that I know for sure that I will be using in this production. Actually, I'll use a picture of me drinking out of one for a performance. 

Dewey in Legally Blonde

The point is, I plan to use a beer bottle for my production, feel like drinking is an essential part of Draco's life, and it's a very common thing in many gangster films in which the leading man always has some sort of alcohol impulse. I can definitely see myself placing it on the character's office table. 

The other prop I'll be using is an envelope, which will have a letter from Draco's mom, the letter has much text, but it zooms in on the words "Come back. I'm waiting for you", as these are his mother's words as he reveals it after the beating of his men by the other gang. The "Come back" is a slight reference to the movie atonement, in which a love letter is written with the words "Come back. I'm waiting for you" multiple times. 

The letter will look like this, nothing too complicated. 

For now, that's all I have to say regarding the props, these are the most important ones that will for sure be in use for my production. 

Confirmed Props!

 Hey! so, I realized I never did any prop list or confirmed props that I will be using for the production of my short film. Here are some of the props that I've ordered and expected to receive soon. 

Now I'll get probably the most jarring one out of the way first...

So originally, I was looking at this one since it looks as identical as a real gun could be, and it would be pretty effective for my project: only thing is that it's $20 without shipping, so I'm not really sure If I'll buy it. However, I do have an alternative...

My friend told me the idea of having a nerf gun and PAINTING it black! I was astounded because I genuinely do think that it's a great idea. It wouldn't be too noticeable as well since it's being shown from mostly wide shots. The only negative aspect of it is that it may not look as real as the first option, and I don't really have anything superficial, but we'll see in the upcoming days what my decision will end up being.

Another Prop I'm sure will be in use is fake herbal cigarettes, I'm still not sure if I'll end up using them but...

I'm not entirely sure If I'll be purchasing this, as I am unsure if my teacher would allow me to utilize for the making of a film, honestly, I don't think my parents would even approve of me using this for a film so it's very on the edge if I actually end up getting this or not. I really want the smoke to be a part of the product as it just feels so much more real, and I have cool cinematography ideas I could play with in utilizing this technique. 

To be honest, even if my teacher doesn't approve of herbal cigarettes, I could always use fake ones that I'll get from a friend or whatnot, which will probably be the safest and cheapest option. Me, I do want to have the real smoke appear in the film though, it just feels so much more realistic.

Anyways, I'll continue the prop usage discussion in part 2, as there's a lot to reveal in the prop department of my production. 

                                                                           

                                                

More Short Film Research

 So, the script is nearly done, there will probably be some slight changes in dialogue, but a script blog post will be coming up soon. 

For now, I did some more research on short films, particularly ones that have to do with gang violence or living in an unsatisfactory, inhumane environment. There were two I watched that I really enjoyed, and I think I can take some inspiration from them, especially the first one that I'll discuss now. 

This short film sends a very clear and strong message about the living conditions of suburban families compared to those in the hood. It focuses on the life of the same person but in two different lives, one is a smart and fun boy with a loving family while the other follows a boy in a dangerous household as his father is correlated with gang-related activities and they live in a hood area. The ending of the film displays a message of one trying to get out of the hood lifestyle while the other is entering it. Overall, the film is very well made due to its great direction and writing, assisted by great editing. For inspiration, I really liked the coloration used when showing the hood lifestyle and how demeaning it looks compared to a regular, middle-class lifestyle. I definitely feel as if I'll incorporate this element into my short film.

This short film (entitled SECOND CHANCE) is about a teenager coming out of juvenile detention, in this film, he meets up with his friend and drags him into the Latino gang lifestyle. The night of a meetup, his friend is fatally shot in a drive-by seemingly by a rival gang. The audience sees the boy grieve as his friend's death was initially caused by him. After, the gang leader provides him a second chance to walk away if this life isn't for him. What I enjoy about this short film are the quick editing techniques and the mise-en-scene, it shows the horrifying details of this gang very well. I intend to utilize these intricate details to make my short film really encapsulate the environment my character Draco is in. 

All in All, I really enjoy watching these short films, I somehow almost get new ideas every time I view one. 

Representation

 The representation of gangsters in the film is pretty much the same for most productions. They're seen as psychotic, violent, abusive, and guilty of committing heinous acts, but they get away with it every time. I'm going, to be honest; my production encompasses a lot of these traits. Not fully though, I intend to incorporate things not typically in use for gangster genre films.

To put things into context, here's a picture that displays some classic representations of gangsters in media. 

I'm definitely keeping the overuse of Cigarettes and the clothing, hair, and aesthetics. One thing I am changing though is the characterization of the characters themselves. In many gangster films, the main character or supporting characters are often seen as psychotic or mentally deranged in some way. Draco isn't like that, pretty sure most audiences will understand where he's coming from and can infer the reasoning for his reactions and general disparities.  I don't really know what type of character I would compare Draco to, as there isn't too much complexity displayed in this short film due to the run time. 

All in All, I am putting many of the stereotypes in place, the representation is pretty similar to what audiences are used to seeing in the gangster genre. I'm just aiming for a little higher sense of dramedy element as well as humane characterization.

Short Film Title + Potential Font

 So, after a long period of delay on this topic, I have finally come up with a title for the short film that I'm making, and it's called                                                                
                                                                   Demise of Man. 

I think this phrase is perfect for my film: my story follows Draco (the protagonist) as he discovers the terrors of the business, he's in and how these experiences are leading up to his ultimate demise: death. The "OF MAN" serves well to the character since he'll be communicating many masculine traits as well as all the other actions in the story having a similar feel. There was a time when I was thinking of placing a metaphor for demise or a not-so-abundant title meaning but I wanted to keep it straightforward. I think the title of "Demise of Man", quite literally informs the audience of what they're going to experience. 

As for the design of the title, I am still a bit undecided on what direction I want to approach, here are some examples I've come up with on Canva. 

I'm pretty stuck between these two, the first one is a lot more bold and gritty while feeling more aggressive and loud. However, the second one adds that sense of dramatic simplicity, a feeling of normality in which something can go wrong any minute. There are positives and negatives to both title fonts. All in All, I might be having a potential discussion with my teacher on which font to choose and even if I have to consider another font further. 

Again, there are some decisions to be made....

Print Component Research

 

 

This is the postcard from the film "Barking Water", the film is a drama/indie. The film portrays a road trip by a dying man and his former lover across Oklahoma to visit friends and family, including his daughter and granddaughter in Wewoka, the capital of the Seminole Nation. The design captures the aura of the story very well, as well as evokes pathos from audiences. The inclusion of the won awards is a great addition too, adding to the credibility of the piece, additionally supporting the logos appeal. For inspiration purposes, I'm now thinking about inferring a great deal of my stories in the postcard, rather than a symbolic message. 

 

 

This was a postcard from the film "Compartment No. 6", it seems to be a horizontal postcard, and it looks like it contains more information than the typical vertical card. The official synopsis is described as when "As a train weaves its way up to the arctic circle, two strangers share a journey that will change their perspective on life", this card seems to reflect the protagonist sort of hanging her head on the arch of the window. The image represents the story in a definitive-symbolic way. The character is leaving home and her placing her head and eyes towards the outside world indicates some sort of progression in life, as if the character is starting anew. All in All, this makes me wonder if I should do a symbolic postcard that represents my story but not in a sullen way, not really sure what to decide on. 

Screenplay Beginning and Teacher Talk

 Hey! so I said in the last post that I'll introduce my screenplay and here I am! I started writing out the first page of the screenplay and I'm currently finished with it. Additionally, I had a talk with my Media Studies A Level professor, and she said I need to change some of the core of the story to lead up to the character's ultimate dismay. 

Here are some screenshots of the first page of my script. 

The chaotic opening I referenced in my other blogs is referred to here, I intend to execute it as written, but I do need to fix the formatting of the first monologue though. The second screenshot consists of the scene in which Thomas brings one of his gang members into his office and he explains to him the importance of shipping the delivery on time, this scene is going to show his first signs of distress and the mention of an opposing crime syndicate that's expecting much from this association. 

As for the teacher talk, she suggested including a fragment of my story to properly show my protagonist's "life-threatening" circumstance and how it ultimately leads to his suicide. She isn't the biggest fan of the suicide plotline, but she told me it'll be effective if I genuinely show one disastrous reason that the character would end his life over. Additionally, she said to keep the story simple and coherent with the 5-minute time span, she doesn't want to me to set it up as a full-length feature film. Therefore, I'm describing all the events that take place in the short film towards the main character, since he's the thematic symbol and main focus of the story. 

Soon, I should update this blog with the first completed script of my short film. 

Short Film Research

 Ok, so I'm starting up the screenplay for my short film, which will be later displayed in the next blog post. Before, I wanted to share two short films I've recently watched to show where I'm drawing some inspiration from. 

The first short film I watched was actually one I came across years ago, I remember it being very good and now that I'm producing a short film myself, I truly understand the brilliance of which this was made. 

PAPERS PLEASE, 2018, directed by Nikita Ordynskivy

This short film is so freaking good, it captured the essence of how difficult to pass a certain checkpoint beyond the line of a European state, especially in a time of war. The directing, cinematography, acting, and score choice are phenomenal here. The way you can tell so much about each character just from a single border checkpoint is truly inspiring, and the way the film ends is something I want to look into as well. The intimacy captured between these close-up shots and the continued use of shot-reverse-shot really keeps the audience engaged, also something I would like to implement in my work. 

Although this short wasn't particularly my genre, it definitely showed a great way to execute certain elements of the short film. Moving on, here's another short I watched that resembles my genre. 

The Game, Written and directed by Micheal Cuni 

This short film executes the Mafia genre quite well. The element of the story with the main character being an alcoholic, the gangster vibe being created by the darkness of the shots, and the personas of the characters assisted by great writing and acting all tie up to create a good short film. I do feel like a little bit too much was put into this seven-minute creation as the story never felt abundantly clear, which is something I want to avoid. Overall, there are definitely things here that I appreciate and may use for my film as well. 

Group Meeting

 In class today, we had our group meeting where the teacher splits the class into about 6 groups and we discussed the current status of our project, my group shared some clever stories, with each group/individual having unique ideas that I genuinely can't wait to see. One of my friends is doing a satire comedy on computer use and the other is doing a documentary on the theater tech/backstage aspect of performance: can't wait to see those. 

As for my input, I shared my idea and story with the team, and they seemed rather intrigued and surprised by it. I don't think they were expecting me to do a gangster-related short film lol. I did share with them a big dilemma I had though, and it was the way to end my film. Should I take the character on a sort of redemption journey, or do I kill the character off so I could clearly communicate the message of my film? They chose the ladder, they thought that option was clear since the first option doesn't really come off well, with the themes and such. 

The Group from Media

Additionally, another shooting location problem was solved. If you've been catching up with the blog, you'll know that my opening shot is set in a warehouse (where the gang is based), but my issue was that I didn't know what warehouse I would use to film: since I didn't have knowledge on one. Luckily, my friend Logan from another group overheard the conversation and found a place called "Edy's Ice Cream" in Weston, they have a warehouse that I could use to shoot. 

The warehouse of Edy's Ice Cream in Weston

This solves a BIG problem as I was unsure where I would find a warehouse to shoot in. I'm not a big fan of the yellow colors but I'll try not to have a trace of them in the shot, but this is a very promising shooting location. 

Costumes + Main Character Introduction

 For the mafia/gangster genre, a typical range of costumes is used in nearly every fictional screen depiction of these stories. Am I going to come on here and say I'm going to break the cliche and introduce a new approach to the gangster costume aura? Nope. Let's be honest, the tuxedos, suits, ties, and slicked-back hair, is literally the perfect depiction of a gangster story, it is so freaking cool. 

So that's the route I'm going to follow, most of my cast will look like the typical gangster. For reference for those who live under a rock, here are some examples of what I mean. 

Reservoir Dogs, Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Yeah, you get the idea, this should be what most of my cast will look like, I may have one dude wearing something completely ridiculous though, we'll wait and see. 

For starters, I wanted to establish the look and brief description of my main character, his name is going to be Draco, sounds sick I know, but he will be the leader of the gang, he'll oversee the operations as well as be the guy in the center of the story, and before you ask, I'm playing Draco, will be a very fun role indeed.

I'm basing the look of Draco on one of my beloved characters in fiction, Thomas Shelby from Peaky Blinders, I think he's the perfect character to lay off for this film as he deals with many themes and hurdles associated with the gangster genre. 

Thomas Shelby, Peaky Blinders

A long coat and an inside buttoned-up shirt and tie, not the hat obviously, but a more dominant and leadership role fits this character well. The rest of the cast will have tuxedos and black pants, while Draco will have a long coat. It's perfect.