Title card, storyboard, script, filming schedule and prop list

Above, you can see our title image for our short film, Backlash. However, we chose not to use this in our film as we did not think that it suited the style of the film.

 Here you can see our storyboard which we made in preparation for making our short film. We tried to include as much detail into them as possible, such as including the style of music we were planning on using in the final product.

 Here we have a detailed script which we originally made when coming up with the idea of our film. It contains a detailed description of what takes place during our sequence and the dialogue that is used.

 This is the filming schedule which we made in preparation of making our short film. We chose times that we convenient for all of our group.

Here is a list of actors, locations, props and sounds which were either used or featured in our short film. We tried to include as much as possible in order to be fully prepared for the filming of our film.

Pre-Task

http://johncotterillasmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/pre-task.html

In this link you can see our pre-task which we completed in order to show our understanding of the shot-reverse-shot technique, along with the 180 degree rule and match on match editing. However, some problems with the pre-task is that some of the character's heads are out of frame so we made sure to take this error in filming into account and to not do this in our short film by taking greater care when filming.

Shot-Reverse-Shot is when a point of interest is shown, followed by the characters reaction, followed by the initial shot again. It is used to display reactions to events etc.

The 180 degree rule. This rule establishes the characters’ position in relation to the frame. Once the 180 degree rule is established it can’t be broken or it will disorientate the audience; unless it is shown to be broken by movement of the camera.

Match on match is the filming of segments which are edited together to form a sequence, rather than filming the whole thing at once from one angle, this helps as you see the film from different angles, and is easier when correcting mistakes than filming the whole sequence again.

This short clip shows each of these techniques.

Intentions and Plan for Short Film

I intend to make a fast paced action thriller for my film.  The film is about a boy whose parents were killed by a secret organisation and after being kidnapped by the same organisation he escapes and begins training so that he can fight them.

The opening section of the film is the boy escaping from the organisation who have captured him and have begun interrogating him. He is inside a small dark room. The initial shot is a wide shot of the room with the boy sat on a chair in the middle next to a dim light. He has his hands tied behind his back. An interrogator then comes into view and begins to beat the boy during which the boy has flashbacks of his parents being killed and him being kidnapped. As the interrogator goes to get a weapon the boy is able to break free from the ropes around his hands, he attacks the interrogator and then escapes.

In the sequence the boy would be established as the main character and we would learn about his past through the use of the flashbacks. The opening sequence would be slow during the present scenes but the flashbacks would be fast paced and quickly edited to give the impression that it is a flashback.

Tense music would be used during the present time scenes to create a sense of danger and props like hammers and other tools would be used as the interrogator’s equipment and it would be shot in a small dark room to create a sense of isolation. Close-ups of the boy will be used quite often in the opening sequence so that he can be easily established as the main characters, also POV shots from his perspective will be used for the same effect.


The film Stormbreaker influenced our plot so we researched it and took many ideas from it. We liked the fast paced editing and action of the film which is what made us look into it.

In this video you can see some examples of the fast paced editing and action themes of Stormbreaker that we hope to implement in our own short film, Backlash.