Short film evaluation – BROTHERHOOD

My idea

My short film is in the thriller genre. I made this decision because the thriller genre is a very popular
and engaging genre with our target audience of adults and young adults. I found this information
through research I had done on reputable film websites. Here I found that the thriller genre was the
4th most popular genre in 2020 and the third most popular with 18-20 year old. After finding this
information we began generating ideas.

A4b helped me to analyse the thriller genre down to the micro aspects. This meant that I was able to
implement into the planning and execution of my video making it a conventional thriller film.

The conventions of the thriller genre can be split up into sections; camera angle, shot and
movement, narrative, sound and lastly mise en scene. For example the antagonist will usually be
wearing black or dark clothing as this connotes to mystery and danger, this is clearly represented in
the blockbuster film the departed. Another example of a typical thriller convention would be slow
eerie music in order to create suspence or uncertanty. Silence of the lambs uses this sound
technique very effectively as the audince can feel the tension building

The opening shot of the film is close up of a hand gun being held by a man that cannot be seen then
it fades to black, we have used cinematography here to only focus on the gun, by making the gun the
centre of attention we are foreshadowing danger and violence in the future. I have learnt this
convention of the close up from the film Psycho when the killer uses a knife on his victim in the
shower. Close ups are necessary for thriller films as it allows the audience to focus on the smaller
detail of characters face or prop , we are also making the man hold the gun a mystery which is
convention of the thriller genre. A gun is conventional to thriller films as they are used to support
and develop the story as death is a main theme within the genre. Guns can be seen in films such as
die hard, die hard impacted on our films chase scene, it helped us understand how to build
suspense. We have used a fade to black transition as it fits with the tempo of the music setting the
scene of a thriller film because, black is associated with mystery and the unknown which is why it is
conventional to the genre.

An example of a thriller film I analysed was the short named ‘roadside’. In this film music with a slow
tempo can be heard slowly getting louder throughout until the vulnerable women gets into the car
and it stops, this clear use of sound to build suspense and intrigue for the view tought me to
understand the effect that sound has on a film.

Sound and dialogue are used throughout my film to tell the story and make it clear to the audience
what was happening. Dialogue is important to show the emotion of the character and can be used in
various different ways with different emotions. A dialogue convention of the thriller genre would be
aggressive or violent shouting; we featured this in our film when the younger brother was being
chased for money because it raises the tension for teh viewer as they know how desperate the
chaser is.

Pre production
A2 tasked me with analysing the preproduction process of a block buster film, I chose Harry Potter
and the Philosophers Stone (HPATPS). In this piece I analysed in great depth each step of the
process, how it was used, the cost and how it affected the success of the film. This was especially
insightful when looking at the equipment used, here I researched necessary equipment and why
such as an in-depth understanding camera specs and more. This helped when it came to making my
own short film as I had knowledge of equipment that would improve production quality making my
film a higher standard so we agreed to use the iphone 11 for filming as it has the best technical specs
and was the newest version. It was accessible for filming and it could be easily hid to avoid the risk of
it being stolen it also meant that footage could be easily to backup what we had filmed as we all had
iphones.

While making the pre production for my short film we used a large variety of approaches that
allowed us to view the different elements of my film before filming began. The techniques used in
the preproduction include; idea development, idea mind map, location recce, production schedule,
risk assessment, script, crew roles, paper edit sheet, 8 shot sequence, client note meeting, call
meeting, budget, equipment list, interview video, interview analysis, preliminary evaluation,
storyboard, animated storyboard, proposal and the logo. This amount of preproduction was
required to get a complete overview of all aspects of the short film in order to make it the highest
quality possible.

The preproduction process was started with an

idea mind map. The mind map gave us an
opportunity to brain storm potential ideas that
could be made. We came up with a variety of ideas
with different genres and themes. We decided to
go with the idea named ‘brotherhood’, this was
chosen for many reasons including the genre being
thriller, through research I found that this genre
appeals to our target audience of young adults,
this is because of the suspense and tension that is
built and the adrenaline that comes with it. The
thriller genre also allowed me to use a large
number of the filming techniques that I have learnt
through me studying media, such as. To help inspire the group we decided to do research in our own
time by watching various shows and films from different genres, the film Bad Boys for Life stood out
to us as it was a popular new release that contained many thriller conventions. This inspired me to
make our short film realistic as I found that this
was very thrilling as a viewer.

After deciding on the basic idea of the film we

began developing different aspects of the film
including the narrative, location, lighting,
iconography, the typography and characters. This
made it clear how we were to create thriller
conventions within the film. By making the genre
clear to the target audience they would be
intrigued, we knew this because my research shows me that the thriller genre is very popular
meaning that more people would enjoy the film. This document was helpful in developing our final
idea as we were able to narrow down on what would be effective in different scenes in the film.

To develop the story of Brotherhood we created a 29

slide storyboard with a description beside it. The slide
allowed me to visualise what the scene would look like
and their order in the story. This greatly helped towards
the final idea as we had a clear image of what needed to
be filmed. The description beside the slides included
information on what was occurring in the scene, camera
angles, possible editing techniques, transitions, sound,
lighting and timings. This piece of work was improved as
previously the descriptions were too vague; to fix this we
added specific descriptions relating to each shot and the
scene, this made it so that the genre of thriller was
clearer and easier to capture. This was very beneficial
because when it came time to film the sheet had a
complete description of how the scene should be filmed.
Unfortunately we were unable to for the majority of the
film because of the corona virus outbreak which forced us to self quarantine. We took the
storyboard with us while filming before this we photocopied the storyboard so we each had a copy
as some of our crew were also acting. This was helpful as they could visualise the scene and use it
when they were not acting.

An animated storyboard was created afterwards in order to get a better understanding of how the
final product would look as well as the positioning of characters and props on set. This made sure
that the visual of the shot was perfect for the final shooting of the film. This was shared in our group
chat so we each had a copy which was helpful as we could take it with us to film and it was clearer
than our drawings.

A location recce was created so that we could pin point

the different locations that we would be filming at. This
is an important step as we may need to confirm that we
have permission to film in all of our desired location as
well as the location being an important part of the scene.
For the interview scene that needed to be shot in an
office we confirmed access early on in preproduction
so that we were assured on the location. For this we
had a meeting with the head teacher to make sure
that we could film in school, this was fine as long as
no other student were in the film without permission,
we also had to check with the teachers who’s
classroom it was to arrange a time for filming. The
location recce also highlighted potential safety hazards that
could occur whilst filming at these locations; by evaluating the hazards that each location had we
were able to access each area safely which is important in any production process. Ease of access to
our location was also considered when picking them, this was not an issue as several crew members
had access to cars and all had access to the London buses, the location were not far to travel to for
our group as we had found local destinations with the right setting. The location recce also had a
detailed description of what the location will be used for, this would have made filming much
simpler due to us having a good understanding of what needed to be shot and where. We were
unable to use this however due to all the locations being public areas and we were unable to leave
the house due to self quarantine.

While filming a short film there are many risks

that must be avoided. To identify risk effectively I
created an in depth risk assessment. In the risk
assessment I identified all of the potential risks
involving location, equipment and crew needs,
and the risk level of the hazard; beside this I have
given a detailed description of the control
measures that will be implemented to reduce the
risk level to an acceptable level. Although we
were unable to film all of our scenes due to
corona virus the risk assessment was still
necessary as if a crew member was to get hurt
during the production of the film it could affect
future production as that member may have to recover or if it is serious that may not be able to
continue, if this happen to a main character we would have to reshoot those scenes. This could
affect our relationship with the client because of the delays. Corona virus would have been a risk.

To produce a short film to the highest standard lots of equipment is required. To ensure that we
have all the equipment accounted for an equipment list was made. The list consists of the
equipment, how it will be used, what it looks like and the cost. It is important to include the cost of
the equipment as this will affect the budget. The list included vital equipment including props,
camera equipment and editing software. By preparing the list early we were able to gather
everything we needed so that the production process would be smoother, for example a tripod and
gimbal. Lots of the equipment we had already, this meant that the costs were kept low as we only
had to purchase a few inexpensive props such as masks. Where did we get the equipment, how did
we make sure we got them, the equipment list was helpful as we were able to double check the day
before filming.

All film productions require a production schedule as it provides the client an

understanding of when they can expect to receive a rough cut and the final
version. The production schedule also helps the crew as it gives them a
structured timeline of events that must be completed for example completing
audience research. By having more structure the crew will work towards these
targets and produce the work faster, this will allow us to send and receive
feedback from the client to make the film the best it can. My team and I
followed the schedule well and were working on the filming process however
we were unable to complete filming due to the unforeseen corona virus
outbreak which forced us inside. Production schedule was helpful as we were able to meet deadlines
every week we had a meeting discussing new deadlines so we would not fall behind.

An 8 shot sequence was created in order to

gain a larger variety of shots to use in the
film, by using a large amount of shots it keep
the audience engaged as what they are
seeing is not repetitive. The 8 shot sequences
consists of 8 different examples of shots with
a description of how they can be used in the
film and the effect on the audience. This
would have been helpful during production
and editing as we could have filmed from
multiple angles and transitioned between the
ones that worked best. This helped our
storyboard as it made us consider what shots we should use and what meaning they have to make it
clearer to the audience. For example a shot used form the 8 shot sequence was the low angle shot,
this was put into the opening scene to show that the oldest brother had been put into a place of
power by the end of the film.

The script was important because it reassured the cast member on what they were saying making
their performance more confident and believable. The script was redrafted multiple times to ensure
that the dialogue would fit perfectly with the cinematography. The script was given to cast members
at the beginning of each day of shooting, this gave them time to rehearse and improve.

Production

The production of my short film was going well and as expected, the crew arrived on time and we
were able to film the opening scene with ease. Unfortunately we were forced to stop all future
filming due to the corona virus outbreak which forced us to self isolate at home. This made us
unable to finish the production process and give the client a rough or final cut.

In the short time that I did have to shoot I used my previous and new knowledge that I had learnt to
film the same shot from different and interesting angles, this meant that during editing I would be
able to select the most fitting and conventional shots to put in, by giving myself a variety to work
with I was able to select the very best making the production quality better. This was helpful with my
paper edit sheet as it was already planned and I knew where the shots had to be placed with sound
effects for example in the chase scene I had planned to have a handheld long shot following behind
the gang member chasing Sam.

Throughout the film I used many techniques including mise en scene, iconography, sound and
cinematography. These techniques allowed me to use portray conventions of the thriller genre. The
main prop of the film is a gun. This prop is iconic to the thriller genre as it can be seen in countless
popular thriller movies such as die hard. By using a gun in the film I have given the character in
possession of it power, this makes the character that is being chased vulnerable which is a narrative
convention of the genre also this is seen in films such as the shining. Another significant prop
featured in the film is the mask that the gang leader wears. By not knowing what the character looks
like the audience can only assume, making them more anxious. The use of a mask is also iconic to
the thriller genre as it is used in films such as Hush.

Throughout my film I would have portrayed the genre clearly using the different conventions of the
thriller genre including props, lighting, iconography and more. An example of this would be the
lighting in the film. By setting the film at night it would have made it harder to see fully what is going
on onscreen, this makes the audience nervous as they are unsure of what will happen to the
characters; this is a useful tool for build suspense which is conventional to thrillers as I have learnt
from my A4B film trust me that they do it to hide the as much information as possible to keep the
audience guessing as they know as much as the protagonist.

The lighting would have been the biggest challenge in the production because we were filming
outside meaning we only had a small window of time (when the sun was going down) to shoot and
everything still be visible to the camera. To fix this we were very efficient in the time periods that the
lighting was perfect by researching sunset timings over the filming periods. To ensure that the film
was being produced at a steady pace the crew would have to meet on evenings often; this would not
be a problem had we not been social distancing.

The production process was going smoothly in the beginning as the crew were arriving on time with
the right equipment and a positive attitude. This was until the government confirmed that the UK
were going into quarantine due to corona virus, this meant that we were unable to meet to film as
this could potentially spread the virus further.

The preproduction that my crew had made was very useful as we were sure on certain aspects of the
film that we needed to capture. For example the storyboard was very helpful as it outlined the story
clearly, which meant that when we arrived at the set we were able to begin filming right away. The
location recce was also very helpful because it made sure that the team knew where we would be
filming and what we were filming there. The risk assessment that was made worked well as when we
arrived at the road location we were aware of all potential hazards and everyone was safe. We did
this by rereading the location recce and risk assessment before filming began.

Once filming had been completed we would have transferred the clips we had filmed onto a Mac
computer to begin the editing process. To edit the film I would have used premier pro because it
allows you to position clips very specifically, add transitions and add sound and lighting effects which
I would have used to input thriller conventions into the film. I have used premier pro several times in
the past so I am confident that I would have been able to produce a clean, concise edit. An editing
technique I would have used would be a slow sound ramp, this would have allowed me to slowly
raise the volume of a slow tempo song. This would have increase tension gradually until the music
was very loud and it cut to silence, this is common to see in thriller movies as it effectively builds
suspense up to a release. This would have been pared with the final scene which leaves the audience
wondering what happened to the older brother as he is left distraught and revengeful which are
common emotions portrayed in thriller films.
Analysis of production

The process of the production was going very well as on the first day of filming we had completed a
difficult scene due to the lack of transitions, this required multiple attempts to perfect taking up all
of our daylight time. After this we had a major issue which was corona virus which forced us to stay
indoors and self isolate, this meant that we were unable to meet up to shoot the rest of the short
film. This was a major setback and has forced the film to be incomplete.

The preproduction process of the film went very well as each member of the group was designated
specific tasks; this meant that each person knew what they must research. Once a draft piece of
work had been completed it would be analysed by the rest of the crew to see any potential gaps that
they may have missed, this ensured that all work produced was as accurate as possible. The meeting
and analysis meant that we worked very well as a group and we all knew our idea in and out which
was excellent when it came to filming.

If I were to make another short film I would attempt to make the pre production process as fast as
possible while remaining at a high standard, this would make it so that filming could begin sooner
and could be completed without any potential unforeseen issues such as corona virus affecting the
production. To streamline the preproduction process I would set a schedule on when certain items
had to be completed, this would ensure that my team were always focused on the next goal.