Images for his Nightmare in the first scene

I want these images to show what he lived through and what he has to re-live all the time, the events that caused his PTSD to start.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

How does PTSD start?
PTSD can start after any traumatic event. A traumatic event is one where we can see that we are in danger, our life is threatened, or where we see other people dying or being injured. Some typical traumatic events would be:

serious road accidents
military combat
violent personal assault (sexual assault, rape, physical attack, abuse, robbery, mugging)
being taken hostage
terrorist attack
being a prisoner-of-war
natural or man-made disasters
being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

When does PTSD start?
The symptoms of PTSD can start after a delay of weeks, or even months. They usually appear within 6 months of a traumatic event.

What does PTSD feel like?
Many people feel grief-stricken, depressed, anxious, guilty and angry after a traumatic experience. As well as these understandable emotional reactions, there are three main types of symptoms produced by such an experience:

1. Flashbacks & Nightmares
You find yourself re-living the event, again and again. This can happen both as a "flashback" in the day, and as nightmares when you are asleep. These can be so realistic that it feels as though you are living through the experience all over again. You see it in your mind, but may also feel the emotions and physical sensations of what happened - fear, sweating, smells, sounds, pain.

Ordinary things can trigger off flashbacks. For instance, if you had a car crash in the rain, a rainy day might start a flashback.

2. Avoidance & Numbing
It can be just too upsetting to re-live your experience over and over again. So you distract yourself. You keep your mind busy by losing yourself in a hobby, working very hard, or spending your time absorbed in crossword or jigsaw puzzles. You avoid places and people that remind you of the trauma, and try not to talk about it.

You may deal with the pain of your feelings by trying to feel nothing at all - by becoming emotionally numb. You communicate less with other people, who then find it hard to live or work with you.

3. Being "On Guard"
You find that you stay alert all the time, as if you are looking out for danger. You can't relax. This is called "hypervigilance". You feel anxious and find it hard to sleep. Other people will notice that you are jumpy and irritable.

Other Symptoms
Emotional reactions to stress are often accompanied by:

muscle aches and pains
diarrhoea
irregular heartbeats
headaches
feelings of panic and fear
depression
drinking too much alcohol
using drugs (including painkillers).

What can interfere with getting better?
You may find that other people will:

not let you talk about it
avoid you
be angry with you
think of you as weak
blame you

These are all ways in which other people protect themselves from thinking about gruesome or horrifying events. It won't help you because it doesn't give you the chance to talk over what has happened to you.

You may not be able to talk easily about it. A traumatic event can put you into a trance-like state which makes the situation seem unreal or bewildering. It is harder to deal with if you can't remember what happened, can't put it into words, or can't make sense of it.

Magazine layout for review

I prefer the 'Watchmen' review as it is more bold and colourful, attracting the audience to read it. It also uses more pictures, and at the bottom inlcudes a piece in the style of the comic books that the content of the film originates from. The 'Twilight' review seems to have more depth as the there is more text, though readers may not want to read this full review as it appears quite long. However, Twilight has a huge fan base and as many people would be anitcipating this film, the review must include all the information that they relish.

I don't think my review could be that long, as it is only a short film, and they differ from feature length film in their audience and content. My review will include atleast one picture and be short in lenght but with language that will make the audience intrigued to watch the film.

How does my short film link to the review and poster?

Both posters and reviews help promote the film and try to persuade its audience to go see it in cinemas. The posters enable audiences to get a feel for the film, its a chance to 'big up' the film, this can be done using the star actors (their names or pictures) or by portraying the film through a picture that would captivate them and persuade them to go see it. The review gives the audience an opinion of the film, which if they are a frequent reader of the particular magazine, they will go by. It should include good and bad points about the film, a rating, but it should not completly give the film away for there to still be a element of curiosity.

Image / font / typography etc. research

Films always have their own font/ typography, an image that sets them for that film, especially if there is a sequal to the film, for instance the 'James Bond' films and the 007 logo.

As my coursework is not a war film, but a film about a war soldier and his family, I think finding the right typography is harder. I want my font to be bold but quite plain and simple to keep with the theme of the film.

I chose to use 'Orator Std' on Photoshop for the title, as I though this was simple and yet still effective with the straight lettering conveying the serioussness of the topic and the boldness to make it stand out.

Storyboard and Script

Storyboards:

[ Click on images to enlarge ]

This is my first storyboard for the first of my short film. I was unsure of the title and so called it 'A strange return', though I prefer 'A long way from home'.


The film starts with a clip from the news talking about the war in afghanistan, however I was unable to get it straight from the BBC and so I changed to shot to an over the shoulder shot of Helen watching the news on Youtube. The three images are those I chose for the 'dream sequence'.
I didn't put in the title shot with the loud gasp as I was unsure where to put it, but when editing, I chose to put it after the 'dream sequence' as I thought that is where it would be most effective.

I decided what music to use after having filmed the scenes, as I could then use iMovie to see what went well with what I had created.

I added the 'memory reel' before he shoots himself, to show the times when he was happy. I chose to do this when editing as I had footage which I had to not used and thought it would work well. I also added stills when Ryan is talking to emphasise his point.

I decided to end the film with Helen crying for Ryan and then slowing fading out to the end credits; the fade representing death.

Ryan and Helen's scene in bed:

Ryan is shaking in bed after having had flashbacks.
Helen: Shh placing her hand on his chest
Go back to sleep honey, It was just a dream

This scene will be in early morning, so I want soft ambient lighting coming from the window in the bedroom to create that morning mist.

On the stairs:

Ryan is sitting on the top of the stairs, Helen walks over the join him
Helen: Placing her hand on his shoulder
I know it's hard Ryan, but you will get through this
Ryan: How do you know that? You don't know what I've been through...
Stop trying to fix me!
Helen storms off down the stairs

The lightin for this scene will be soft and ambient, coming from the window overlooking the top of the stairs. This will then create a fill light to the side of Ryan, creating a soft shadow on the other half of his face.

Helen's interview:

Helen is at the kitchen table, with a cup of tea
Helen: We've been together since high school.
He proposed to me in Rome, it was so romantic
and ofcourse I said yes!
He was so sweet at first, everything was perfect
but then after year of being married, he told me
he was going to joing the army...
Starting to become upset
It was hell without him, but when he finally
came home, everything changed...

The lighting for this scene will be ambient , incident light from the sun flooding in through the window.

Jack's interview:
Jack is drinking beer, having just stepped out the pub
Jack: He won't come out with the lads anymore.
He just stays in and sits on his arse all day
watching TV, I don't even know if he switches the TV
on! I know he's been through a lot, we've all scene
it on the news, and god knows it was worse actually
being there, but isolating himself is not going to help
him. I feel sorry for Helen, must be worse than when
he was away and I bet there's no sex in that marriage.
I..I just, I just feel sorry for both of them!

This scene will take place outside in the night time, the lighting will be incident light from the artificial lighting outside the pub and from the light posts on the street nearby.

Ryan's monologue :

'This is fucking shit. I can't close my eyes without reliving every little aspect of my time out there. I'm all alone...
They can't understand what I'm going through. Therapy won't work, I'm too deep into this now.
I want my life back...I want Helen! Oh Helen...
I can't even fuck my wife!
She's not happy and nor am I. '

For this scene, Ryan will be alone in a dark room only using ambient lighting to create a morose atmosphere, perhaps later editing the colour temperature. This will be a fill light, as the light will come from windows on only one side of the room.

Example of a Short film - documentary

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork/A39561023



Tashtastic

Tessa Morgan
average rating from 7 members

documentary 2007 London 3 min

Published 06 Mar 09

An insight into the mind of a debut competitor at the 2007 Biannual World Beard and Moustache Championships.

I think because the competition is so unsual, it makes the documentary more intriging.

I would not have my film to be a complete documentary as, unless it is a very interesting subject matter, I don't think it could entertain an audience for the full length of time, I think adding the drama genre, makes it more interesting.

FilmGuru Short Film Review

John T. Woods stars as a man despertately trying to win back the affection of his ex-girlfriend in 'I F*cking Hate You'. (Sabi Pictures, 2008) Directed by: Zak ForsmanWritten by: Zak ForsmanStarring: Marion Kerr and John T. WoodsRated Running time: 9 min. FilmGuru's Rating : 9 out of 10.

When I started to watch the short film by director Zak Forsman, I imagined all types of sophomoric angst that could be behind a film called I F*cking Hate You. The title seemed pulled from the notebook of a first year student who thinks "offensive" is synonymous with "edgy." Nevertheless, I grit my teeth and watched it; waiting for the spew of expletives that I was sure would follow.

Instead, I found a soft, nervous drama. A man (John T. Woods) is trying in the most clumsy way to reunite with his ex-girlfriend (Marion Kerr). The moment seems lifted from real life. He brings her a box of their things, offering her the chance to rummage through these mementos before he turns them over to charity. However, the one item she wants – a coffee mug – isn't in the collection. If she wants it, she needs to come by his apartment.
The short film took less time to watch than it will take me to write this review, but it was polished. The improvised script came across as genuine, even if it stumbled at times. The camerawork made the most of light and shadows in the half-lit apartment. And the acting was often inspired. There is a moment when Kerr's eyes shift ever-so-slightly, and it's as if she's telegraphing every thought in her head.

The film is Dogme95 certified, meaning that it follows the rules of the group's manifesto. Essentially, this means that the filmmaker works on location and avoids the trappings of post-production, striving for purity in film. According to the film's official website, IFHY broke a few of the rules but "proudly reflects the spirit of Dogme95 and its raw, minimalist esthetic."
Forsman does a lot with very little. He gets some great performances out of the actors and builds a short film that is worth a few minutes of your time. The entire thing is a joy to watch. I loved it, which says a lot considering the title.

http://www.filmguru.net/shorts/2008/080601.html*

I like the fact that this review was written in a more personal way, though depending on how reliable the author is, it could hinder the film, if audiences usually don't agree with his point of view. I don't think that I would write my review in the same style, though it does show a review of a short film.

Empire Online Magazine review + Poster

500 Days of Summer (12A)

Plot

Tom (Gordon Levitt) falls in love with Summer (Deschanel) but things don't go quite according to the romantic dream he has in mind.

Review

(500) Days Of Summer is the cinematic equivalent of a song. If you want to get specific, it’s the cinematic equivalent of a Belle And Sebastian song: self-consciously quirky, certainly, but wry, winning and full of irresistible hooks.

What (500) Days feels like is a compilation of conversations and bits that would fall through the gaps in a traditional rom-com. Eschewing meet-cutes (this couple meet boringly at work) and last-gasp dashes to the airport, it is a film about the thrill of realising the girl you fancy loves the same band (in this case, The Smiths), the joy of making trips to Ikea magical adventures or the hollowness of going out on dates when you’re still pining for your ex. Yet, like a warm ’n’ fuzzy Memento, it scoots through these moments in a fizzy, random discontinuity, butting the good times against the painful memories, gaining emotional mileage as each informs the other.

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber’s sparky, ingeniously structured screenplay is given maximum pizzazz by pop promo director Webb, throwing in a joyous dance number to celebrate Tom’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) first night with Summer (Zooey Deschanel) or a clever splitscreen to show the expectation vs. the reality when Tom tries to woo Summer back. Not all of it works — an omniscient narrator is introduced then forgotten about, Tom has a wise-acre kid sister (Chloë Moretz) doing the Wisdom Beyond Her Years thing — but there is so much beguiling playfulness that, if something falls flat, there is always a great Han Solo gag or Fellini parody just around the corner.

Standing up for the foolishly romantic, the charming Gordon-Levitt registers every ounce of hope, joy and angst beneath his geeky demeanour. In the guardedly romantic camp, Deschanel has done the enigmatic space cadet before — see Yes Man and Gigantic — but gives it a melancholy twist. It is, perhaps, ultimately too smart-aleck to have real emotional wallop. You wish that the film would give Summer the same TLC it lavishes on Tom, and the film has a last-gasp gag that feels pat at the end of something that previously felt something like love itself: gloriously unpredictable, effortlessly fresh and, at its best, leaves you high as a kite.

Verdict

Perfectly played, simultaneously serious and light, endlessly inventive, this is a strong contender for the most original date movie of the year. (Terrific) stuff.

I think this review was well written as it picks out moments in the film that stand out and intrigue the audience. The use of language such as "fizzy" and "sparky" makes the film appear very light and funny, which people can pick out and then decide if that is the sort of film they enjoy. It includes films that Deschanel has already been in, so that people who liked those films may be more inclined to watch this one too. I think I will use these successfull elements in my review, though the genre is not the same, I will try to convey the mood of the film through the language.

This is the movie poster for the film. It shows the two main actor's names at the top of the poster on either side, perhaps reflecting their equal parts in the story. There is then presumably 500 pictures of 'Summer' the character with a blue tint, making up the sky with a sun right behind the title and Tom's character at the bottom sitting on colourless grass. There is a tagline: 'This is not a love story, This is a story about love'.

I think this poster works well, as it embodies the title of the film; using the pictures of summer to create a summer sky and sun. I would like to try to this for my poster, though perhaps a bit more subtle.

Logistics

Actors - James Kennedy, Rebecca Askwith, Lewis Page, Luisa Di Maria

Props - Gun

Location - Hitchin - bedroom - a double dedroom in my house as it is a neutral colour and I like the lighting that comes in from the window onto the bed.
Living room? Kitchen?

Character Profile :

Actor Name : James Kennedy

Character Name: Ryan Rutherford

D.O.B: 12.07.84

Occupation : Soldier

Ryan is a soldier married to Helen, living in the little town of Newberry'. He was a very lively man; he enjoyed socialising and played various different sports. He was working as a sport coach , when he decided to go to the army. After 4 years of the army, Ryan Rutherford returns to his awaiting wife as a changed man and not for the better.

I chose James to play the role of Ryan as he appears to have the build of a soldier and also looks older then he is, aswell as being a good actor.

Actor name: Rebeccas Askwith Luisa Di Maria (Rebecca was enable to do it)
Character name: Helen Rutherford
D.O.B: 26.04.(85/86)

Occupation: Social Worker

She is a 'small town' girl, and doesn't need much. She enjoys working with children, and has a delicate personality, though she also enjoys having a laugh and going out socialising. Helen and Ryan have known each other for years and have always dated on and off, untill they finally married. They were happy when to Helen's despair, a year later Ryan was off putting his life on the line.

Actor name: Lewis Page

Character Name: Jack Page
D.O.B: 08.03.86

Occupation: Mechanics

Jack is a very close friend of Ryan's; they were in school together and have always lived near each other. Throughout Ryan's absence, he feels obliged to look after Helen.

Target Audience

No film is for everyone. Each film has a target audience. A target audience is defined primarily by gender and age range. Additional elements include socioeconomic status, rural or urban, race, family status, theatre goers or not, and special interests. These interests can include anything from political leanings to religion or the particular subject matter of the film, such as running (Saint Ralph), visual art (Pollock) and human rights (Hotel Rwanda).Typically, age ranges break down as follows:

-Kids 5-11 and mums
-Tween 11-14
-Teen 13-16
-17-21
-18-24 and 18-34
-25-54
-54+

The 18-24 and 18-34 range makes up the largest movie-going segment, the core of big audiences and stiff competition.

There are potential marketable elements or hooks that can attract a specific audience, though not all hooks apply to every film.

Genre Each genre such as comedy, action, thriller and romantic comedy attracts different audiences and those audiences can be further fragmented. The genre of my piece is a docudrama; a fictional documentary with aspects of drama.
Concept In comming up with the concept of my short, I thought of real life events and thought of Afghansitan and the situation there, then remembered videos I watched in Pyschology of past soldiers not being able to sleep and never being able to live down their experience. I thought of 'Shawshank Redemption' for the idea of Ryan killing himself, when the character in the film is released from prison and hangs himself.
Tone The tone of the film is quite sad, showing the 'reality' of coming back to a 'normal' life after having spent years in a state of war.

Attractiveness of the protagonist to the audience I don't know if the audience will highly indentify with the protagonist, perhaps on a similar level, whereby they have lived through something which they now cannot live down. I think the audience will be able to get emotionally attached, and feel sorry for the soldier and ofcourse his wife.
Subject matter The film being a docudrama will bring home the subject matter in a different way, than a feature length film.

Other marketable elements could be Additional elements, this includes hooks such as the music used, Special interests or Source material.

Short films are different from normal comercial feature films, and may be more popular amongst young film makers, as shorts are cheaper and easier to make, usually don't take very long to produce, and their brevity makes shorts more likely to be watched by financial backers and others who want some demonstration of a filmmaker's ability (or, conversely, the format allows for more experimentation since most of them are unlikely to be seen by a wide audience). If my short was to be uploaded onto the internet on a site like YouTube, this may attract a larger audience it can then be advertised on serveral internet site with links to the film on YouTube. This would also then show the amount of 'hits' it has, and if this number reachers a vast amount, it could then attract people of the industry to take interest.

I think my target audience is the core audience of the ages 18 to 34, as this is only a short film, which may attract more people and it involves a current issue that some people are passionate about, or may know of someone in the army also.

Film Title Ideas

'A strange return' I
'Long way from home' IIIII III
'Urban Warfare' III

Audience feedback:
I asked my fellow students in one of my classes to chose between the 3 choices, and 'Long way from home' has the highest vote.


Chosen Title:
'Long way from home', I think this is a good title, as it has the literal meaning whereby the soldier has been away from home, but when he returns he is mentally away from home as he is suffereing from post-traumatic stress disorder.

My Short film

After having looked at differnt examples, I decided to make my film both a documentary and a drama, so to be able to convey my narrative through both interviews and shots of their lives.
I wanted a serious issue as I thought the documentary would help in making the narrative seem more realistic. I wanted to look at what is happening in Afghanistan and how that is directly affecting families and the soldiers themselves.

For my Advanced Media Portfolio, I have decided to create a short film of a soldier's return home after years of being away. My film is going to be a docudrama; a drama with aspects of a documentary, such as interviews with the soldier's wife.

First Scene:

The film starts with clips from the news of the war in Afghanistan, which then cuts to different pictures of the war (victims and soldiers) in quick succession. There is then a black out where you then hear a loud gasp. Keeping with the black backdrop, it cuts to the title page. This then fades to a shot of the soldier and his wife in bed, his eyes are wide open, she turns to him to tell him to go back to bed, the camera then pans further to his side of the bed to show him lying on the bed with his gun to the side of him.

Second Scene:

The shot then cuts to an interview with the wife in the kitchen, she is sitting down at table with a cup of tea talking about her husband's return. As she speaks about how he use to be, there are flashbacks of him before the war. The shot shows him laughin and playing around with his wife. (watching a film or something easy to film?)

Third Scene:

There is a shot of the soldier looking lifeless in the living room infront of the television, the shot then arcs to the room where there is a shot of his brother (or some kind of relative) in another interview, talking about how they miss him(...ect)

Fourth Scene:

Monologue from the soldier..."I'm just not happy in the fucking place, these images they haunt me...." (as he speaks either voice over as shots show him and how unhappy he is OR shows him talking into the camera, perhaps at night - like a sort of diary?)

Fith Scene (Final Scene):

Wife wakes up in the morning to find that soldier has killed himself, see her crying. She walks away, not wanting to talk to the camera. Camera drops and cuts to white noise. There is then a picture of the soldier as a final shot.

This is just the first draft of my film, there are some aspects I'm not too sure about which I will have to try out different options.

Examples of Docufiction film

The 2002 – City of God (film) by Fernando Meirelles, Brazil is a good example of a docufiction film. It is based on a true story, adapted by Bráulio Mantovani from the 1997 novel of the same name written by Paulo Lins.

This film documents the life of different characters in the 'city of God', narrated by 'Rocket'. It shows the war between two gangs, and gives us an insight from both sides. I thought this film was well done, and even though it was in "subtitles", it was easy to follow.

Examples of Film Posters

I like this poster for 'The thin red line'. It shows a list of "a-list" actors on the left hand side, such as 'George Clooney' and 'John Travolta', this will instantly attract audiences, as these are highly regarded actors who have a history of good films under their belt. I also like the layout of the soldiers, and the fact you can only see their eyes under their helmet. The tagline 'Every man fights his own war' suggests that this film is much more than just another war film, and that the characters are much more complex. The 'Punisher' poster is much simpler in its' layout and design. 'Vengance has a name' at the top and the skull on the character's chest, reflects an evil theme within this film, along with the black background and the light comming from the top, showing only the top of his head, leaving the rest of him in the shadow; suggesting that this isn't a normal war film, and is perhaps one man, or a group against "the world".

I like this Quentin Tarantino poster for 'Inglorious Basterds', as it isn't too busy; it's simple and effective. The title of the film is engraved into the gun being held by a character the audience cannot see, and therefore it makes them curious as to who it is, rather than showing the stars of the film and relying on that. In a sense, it gives a message that this film is more than the actos (although there other posters with Brad Pitt and his co-stars). It also has a tagline: 'Once upon a time in a Nazi occupied France', this introduces the context of the film. Quentin Tarantino's name is the only one on the poster as he is a famous film director with well known films, such as 'Pulp Fiction' and 'Resevoir Dogs'; this will intice fans of his work to see this film.
'Brothers at War' seems like the 'friendlier' film out of the four, it shows 3 men at the bottom and a merged picture above of 3 boys on swings which hints that this was the 3 men when they were younger. Also merged in the backdrop is the american flag, which suggests that this is a 'american pride' film, of men fighting for their country. The list of actors and name of director are in small print on the right hand side, which shows that they aren't the main attraction of this american film.