"To All Who Would Be Victims" (2007) - Synopsis, Aims and Evaluation

8/8/2019 "To All Who Would Be Victims" (2007) - Synopsis, Aims and Evaluation

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Ryan Lewis [email protected] www.razzlewis.com

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aIMS/rATIONALE It is my intention to make a short film which will appeal to my target

audience of ‘the mySpace generation’ - 15-24 year old, middle class people

from middle class households, particularly students with broadband Internet

access who spend a large amount of time online, particularly making use of

social networking facilities (e.g. Bebo, Faceparty) as this is where the film

would be made avaliable. To this end I aim to include many references to

this culture and actors within this age range in order to make relating to them

easier.

I will attempt to draw upon a lot of techniques and conventions

learned in the studies of world cinema within my product. Firstly I intend to

make use of montage which is found in Soviet Cinema – particularly in a

rhythmic and intellectual sense. I am also planning on using typage as I feel

by leaving the characters unnamed it will make them more relatable to the

audience.

It is also my wish to draw from German expressionism in making sure

the audience are fully aware they are watching a film in order to ensure that

the meaning within it aren’t lost, but actively considered, and I also wish to

keep the dialogue as minimal as possible, particularly as the films of the

period in question were largely silent.

As I have decided to go without dialogue for the most part, and

coupled with the fact that I am undertaking every job within the production of

the project, I have decided to go without a formal script and direct on the day

from a storyboard in a loose improvisational style. I am hoping that this will

assist in my conveying to the performers what I want from them within each

scene, although I understand it may be more time consuming and lead to

more takes being needed before I get exactly what I desire. However, I

believe this more organic approach will lead to a better product, especially

with some of the inexperienced actors used.

I also understand that by undertaking the film as a solo project there

will be a great deal more work for me to do, however I am hoping that some






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eVALUATION Overall, audience reception regarding my film was positive among the

target audience in college, particularly regarding the sound editing and

cinematography as people commented that the non-diegetic music matched

the pictures very well, and others mentioned how they liked the camerawork

in the sunset and hanging scenes in particular. The editing was also

complimented, especially time-lapse effect for the sunrise/sunset sequence.

However, there were areas of the project that could have been

improved, most importantly in organisation and planning. Where time

management wasn’t a major issue, a number of re-shoots were required in

order to ensure that the film ran smoothly because I forgot to film shots I

required on the day, and other dates had to be abandoned because I didn’t

remind the actors to bring the clothes they were wearing for previous shoots,

ruining continuity. I have learnt therefore that better planning is necessary

prior to shooting, it would be beneficial to ensure a shooting

script/storyboard is on location and that clothing/props should be left in

charge of a trustworthy team member if not under myself.

Other planned scenes had to be reworked or cut completely due to

them being over-ambitious for a micro-budget movie, specifically a scene

requiring a dozen actors in a town centre and a scene set in a pub which

required permission I was unable to obtain.

I also believe personally that the film was a success in drawing from

the approaches mentioned in the aims/rationale section. I feel that the story

highlights potential issues regarding the growth of websites on which people

can upload their own content, as well as the attitudes of modern youths,

despite its exaggerated nature not matching that of social realism.

An expressionist influence is also felt through plot that is very over the

top in the traditions of its over-acting and sets and also in the framing of the

sunset scene with its lack of parallel lines. However, the strongest

expressionist influence is in the verfremsdung as the under-cranking and

time-lapse effects remind the viewer that they are watching a film and a

construct, as do the quick cuts, particularly to the dividing cells and bacteria.




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These cuts are also an example of intellectual montage, with the

viewer making the link between bacteria spread and the spread of the videos

on the Internet, something drawn from Soviet cinema. I also attempted to

use typage by leaving the character unnamed and not establishing any depthto those who viewed the accident/video, although the use of shots in which

you can clearly see their faces means this was not done in a way which

mirrors its style exactly.

The use of a closed white door at the beginning, representing rejection

in love, as opposed to the open door at the end with a bright light coming

through, representing an inviting passage and surrender, was a nod to

Freudian dream theory, as was the use of the colour purple to represent hurtand exaggerated expression although this may not have been fully

appreciated by the target audience.

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"To All Who Would Be Victims" (2007) - Synopsis, Aims and Evaluation