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Research

Festivals

From the website below I was able to discover the following film festivals.

https://filmfreeway.com/

Out On Film, Atlanta's LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Film Festival - It is one of the leading LGBT film festivals in the United States. Location: Atlanta Deadline: July 5, 2018 Regular Deadline. July 19, 2018 Late Deadline. August 24, 2018 Notification Date. September 27 – October 7, 2018 Event Date.

LGBT The New Renaissance Film Festival (Amsterdam, NL) - The festival's focus is on the ARTIST, on the STORY and on building a COMMUNITY of inspiring storytellers. It screens mainly short films, but from now on will start to accept features as well. Location: Amsterdam Deadline: June 21, 2018 JUNE DEADLINE. July 24, 2018 JULY DEADLINE. August 27, 2018 AUGUST DEADLINE. September 18, 2018 SEPTEMBER DEADLINE. October 21, 2018 OCTOBER DEADLINE. November 24, 2018 REGULAR DEADLINE. December 14, 2018 FINAL DEADLINE. December 28, 2018 FAST TRACK DEADLINE. January 8, 2019 Notification Date. February 28 – March 3, 2019 Event Date.

Oslo/Fusion International Film Festival - Previously known as Oslo Skeive Filmer LGBT Film Festival, Oslo/Fusion was founded in 1990 and is one of Norway's longest-running film festivals. It is still the largest festival dedicated to promoting equality and education through entertainment, with film screenings, discussions and related events. Location: Norway Deadline: June 30, 2018 Regular Deadline. August 15, 2018 Notification Date. September 19 – 23, 2018 Event Date.

Queerbee LGBT Film Festival - Queerbee is set up by filmmakers to curate queer short films and show them to new audiences in a fun and informative way. Location: London, UK Deadline: June 30, 2018 Late Deadline. August 18, 2018 Notification Date. September 14, 2018 Event Date.

The Voiceless International Film Festival California - This festival focuses on showing films for change, for the people, for social justice, people of color, LGBT, race, class, gender, underrepresented communities. Location: California Deadline: August 5, 2018 Late Deadline. September 16, 2018 Extended Deadline. October 31, 2018 Notification Date. November 17 – 18, 2018 Event Date.

The Queen City Film Festival (QCFF) - Has been running for 7 years Location: Cumberland, United States Deadline: June 30, 2018 Regular Deadline. July 31, 2018 Late Deadline. September 2, 2018 Notification Date. October 4 – 7, 2018 Event Date.

International queer film festival Merlinka - For seven days they have been screening short, documentary and featured LGBT-themed films. Location: Belgrade Serbia Deadline: September 1, 2018 Regular Deadline. October 7, 2018 Notification Date. December 6 – 12, 2018 Event Date.

NewFest: New York’s LGBT Film Festival - It is an annual celebration of the year’s best LGBT films from the U.S. and abroad Location: New York, United States Deadline: June 22, 2018 Regular Deadline. July 6, 2018 Late Deadline. August 3, 2018 Extended Deadline. September 28, 2018 Notification Date. October 24 – 30, 2018 Event Date.

The VERACRUZ SHORT FILM FESTIVAL - It is accepting short films related to LGBT. Location: Veracruz, Mexico Deadline: June 20, 2018 Late. July 15, 2018 Extended. August 14, 2018 Final. August 18, 2018 Notification Date. August 23 – 26, 2018 Event Date.

Cannes Short Film Festival - It is accepting short films related to LGBT. Location: Cannes, France Deadline: July 13, 2018 Late Deadline. July 27, 2018 Extended Deadline. August 3, 2018 Notification Date. September 6 – 9, 2018 Event Date.

Flatpack Film Festival

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dissertationprepartion · 7 years ago

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Liam’s Experimental Film Analysis

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dissertationprepartion · 7 years ago

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Reshoot Film Analysis

The inspiration for the 1st scene came straight from the first scene of ‘Little Miss Sunshine’. In the film, the little girl wants to be like the beauty pageants she sees on the TV and the first scene of the film reflects that perfectly. The reflection on her glasses of the pageant show tells the audience already that she wants to become them. Just like the opening of this film, I wanted to do the same as it is the same concept. Sam wants to be inside the dresses that models are wearing on TV.

I shot the fashion photo shoot he is watching on TV last year for a fashion student and I thought it works quite nicely with my film. Shot of the eyes is positioned diagonally to have a center frame. This communicates that he is the main character in the film. By just showing his eyes, the audience is left to guess his gender. Rule of third is used to attract audience’s attention to his eyes that are falling on the points of interest on the top right and bottom left. Leading lines are used for his facial features such as eyebrows, nose, and fingers pointing at the eyes. Eyes represent dreams and aspiration of the character.

Throughout the whole scene, he is drinking alcohol suggesting that he is an alcoholic who likes to spend lots of time alone watching TV. An introvert. The scene is lit using ambient light coming from the window above that is creating beautiful catchlights in the subject’s eyes. The shadows created on the edges of the subject are helping to isolate him from the white background. The scene was shot in the late evening so the light was going as we were shooting the scene. It is evident from the different shots as it goes darker. Leading lines are used to lead the audience to the subject’s eyes with his hands as he is drinking alcohol, his nose and eyebrows, his dark coloured eyes are contrasting from his light coloured skin.

On a wide shot, his environment is shown to the audience that gives them his lifestyle and personality with the pink guitar, suggesting that he has feminine traits. Colour of his t-shirt represent how he is feeling. Blue represents a sense of conservatism. Also, the act of feeling blue. That’s why Sam is wearing blue throughout most of the film. Leading lines from the edge of the wall in the background, diagonal guitar and the edge of the bed all lead the audience to the main subject.

Rule of thirds is used on the shot below to compose Sam on the left. The bottle is close to the middle of the frame to suggest he is thinking about the alcohol and he is craving more as it is finished. Without it, he feels restless even if he tries to resist it. Leading lines are used from his arm going to his head and how he is sitting to lead the audience to the main subject.

On the medium shot on the right, the bottle is in the center frame to show that alcohol controls his life. In the foreground, there is a lot of mess suggesting that the mess doesn’t bother him that much and he doesn’t take care of himself. Leading lines are used from the walls in the background, the edge of the bed and the mess in the foreground are leading the audience to the main subject, the bottle.

The scene starts with people arguing in the car and it is unknown to the audience who it is. Establishing shot is outside the shop to let the audience know that it’s a new scene and where it is taking place. Leading lines are used to lead the audience to the main subject in the foreground at the start of the shot using the vertical and horizontal lines of the shop. The car frame also leads the audience to the main subject. Rule of thirds is also used to lead the audience to the main subject on the left.

As the main subject goes out the car, a shopper comes out the shop and looks at the main subject. This indicates that the public wants to know what’s going on but not really caring that much as he walks away. Rule of thirds is used to frame the shop door where the main subject will be going to lead the audience where the action will be happening. Outdoor light was used to light this shot; however, it was tough because the sun kept coming and overexposed shot. So, we had to wait for the clouds to cover the sun and shoot quickly while it was still exposed properly. I used 4-6 ND Filters to expose the shot well.

The shot is using the rule of thirds to compose the main subject on the point of interest on the right side of the rule of thirds. Diagonal lines are used to lead the audience to the main subject. Leading lines are also used from the objects on the shop that is leading horizontally, vertically and diagonally to lead the audience to the main subject. Ambient light was used to light the whole scene in the shop.

Rule of third is used to compose the shot, leading the audience to the main subject on the left and showing what the subject is interested in on the right. Leading lines are used to create diagonals in the foreground and in front of the subject to lead the audience to the main subject. The subject is looked down to reflect his state of mind as he really needs to buy the alcohol.

Rule of thirds works perfectly to compose the two subjects in the foreground and in focus by having one on the top left and one on the bottom right. The size of the bottle suggests that Sam is on a budget, therefore, getting a smaller bottle compare to the one he was drinking.

Rule of thirds is used to lead the audience to the main subject by having the subject on the left of frame with the camera on her eye level. Leading lines are used by creating the diagonal lines using the shelves on left and right. The shot is composed well by having the three subjects on the frame. In the foreground, Sam is listening to Rose. The subject in focus is Rose talking to Sam and inviting him for a drink in her house. In the background, the shopkeeper is trying to come in between to interrupt them while they are talking.

On the right, the audience is put in Rose’s eye level to suggest that Sam feels comfortable with rose as he continues talking to her throughout the scene. Leading lines are used from the shelves on the left and right to lead the audience to the main subject. By having Rose in a bright coloured pink jumper, it shows that she is brightening his blue life.

Shots of Sam sitting in the park throughout the scene shows that he is reflecting what happens in the shop scene and trying to make the decision of accepting Rose’s invitation. Lots of negative space is used to compose the shots to communicate loneliness to the audience.

Sam comes in an unknown wilderness as he walks through the door, portrayed using houseplants in the foreground. Leading lines are used to grab audience’s attention to the main subject by using the doorframe and the fairy lights on the left pointing straight at him.

The shot on the right uses the rule of thirds to bring audience’s attention to the main subject. By having people in the foreground, it gives the audience a sense of space. The lamp in the middle of the frame is used to communicate how distant Sam is to the person he is talking to as his introverted self-doesn’t feel comfortable to go closer to her. Leading lines from the objects around the subject such as the vertical wall, lamp, curtains and fairy lights lead the audience to the main subject. By having the background dark, the subject stands out more to make it easier for the audience to focus on the main subject. A lamp in the middle is giving a beautiful edge light to both subjects. This also helps to separate the subject from the foreground.

The subject is contrasted from the white background as she is wearing dark clothing, Leading lines are used from the shelf and the edges of the sofa to lead the audience to the main subject. Sam in the foreground is also creating leading lines from his stripy t-shirt to lead the audience to Ketsia. She is center framed to allow the audience to acknowledge her as a key character in the film. Edge light on the right side of her face makes her face pop from the shadows.

The series of close-up cuts makes the audience feel Sam’s excitement as Rose is walking in the room. The use of 135mm lens creates beautiful bokeh in the background to create a detailed shot of the main subject. Beautiful rim light on the edges of Sam’s face is created using the lights from the right, however, the audience is made to think it is coming from the fairy lights at the back by framing them on the right. Catchlights on Sam’s eyes allow the audience to focus on his eyes. Almost silhouette look of Rose creates a great contrast from the bright background to make her pop. This allows the audience to focus on the main subject.

Extreme close-up and close-up shots are used on Sam while Ketsia and Rose are talking to each other. It shows Sam’s feeling of being left out and not knowing anyone in the party except Rose, however, she is busy talking to her friend. On Sam’s close-ups, catchlights are used to grab audience’s attention to them. Lamp at the back helps the subject to pop out of the background by creating a rim light on the edge of his face. On Sam’s face close-ups, he is center framed to show his feeling of being out of place. Leading lines are also used by using the objects in the background such as Bokeh lights and the lamp to lead the audience to the main subject. On the shots where he is on the left side of the frame is to give the audience a sense of perspective of who he is looking at.

The two-shot of Rose and Ketsia further elaborates to the audience of Sam’s significance. Hair light is used on Ketsia from the left using the lamp to make her pop from the background to attract the audience to the main subject. Rule of thirds is also used to compose the two characters to guide the audience. Leading lines are used with edges of sofa going horizontally and the window in the background to lead the audience to the main subject.

Quadrant framing is used to frame the two characters separately in their own frame to suggest the uncomfortable news that Ketsia is about to give to Rose. Ketsia is made to pop from the background by using the lam in the background to lead the audience to the main subject. Leading lines from the curtains in the background and the lamp is used to lead the audience to the main subject. Rim light is used around the left side of Rose’s face to make her face pop from the background. The curtains and the shelf in the background are creating leading lines to guide the audience to the main subject.

A close-up and extreme close-up is used to allow the audience feel Rose’s emotions. Also, she is portrayed to feel alone and she has no one at this moment to go back to. Rembrandt lighting is used to make the subject flattering to the audience. Bokeh in the background created using 135mm lens are creating leading lines to lead the audience to the main subject. Rule of third is also used to lead the audience to the main subject placed on the left of frame.

Leading lines are used vertically and horizontally from the edge of the wall to the objects on the shelf to lead the audience to the main subject. Leading lines are also created using Sam and Ketsia to lead the audience to Rose. Rose is made to look small compared to the other characters to reflect her feeling after the news Ketsia told her. Rim lighting is used on Sam and the bottle to make it pop from the background.

On a wide shot, Leading lines are used to portray Sam and Ketsia with a blank space on the right to suggest that the life of the party is gone by using the curtains in the background, the sofa, and the lamp. Rule of thirds is also used to lead the audience to Sam as he is in the left section. Ketsia is placed in the center of the frame to suggest that she is the reason for Rose to leave the party. The lamp behind Sam leads the audience to Sam straight away as the audience are drawn to the bright part of the frame.

Rule of thirds is used to portray Rose in the bathroom as she is reflecting on herself in front of the mirror. By framing her in the mirror, frame within a frame is created to trap her visually, reflecting her internal feeling of being trapped in a cycle of the trust being broken constantly. Diagonal and vertical leading lines are used from the tiles of the left and the white cupboard in the foreground to lead the audience to the main subject.

Rose is framed within a frame; however, A glimmer of light is allowing her to come out of the frame to the light as she is being amused by looking at Sam trying on the dress. Leading lines are used using Sam’s hand in the foreground pointing straight at Rose. Rule of thirds is also used to frame Rose on the left side of the frame.

Leading lines are used using the photos in the background to lead the audience to Sam. The reflection of the mirror is also leading the audience straight to Sam as he gets caught red-handed. Rule of thirds is used to lead the audience to the main subject on the right. The significance of wearing white is to indicate Sam in his purest form as he is being himself for the first time in front of someone.

Rule of thirds is used to frame both characters on the left and right. Leading lines are used on Sam using the fairy lights in the background to lead the audience to the main subject. Rim lighting is used on Sam created using the fairy lights in the background to isolate him from the background. Leading lines are also used on Rose using the diagonal make-up brush and the vertical wallpaper in the background to lead the audience to the main subject.

Rule of thirds is used to compose the characters. Leading lines are used using the bed frame going to both characters to lead the audience. The red heart pillow in the middle of the character signifies that they are understanding each other and getting close to one another.

Almost silhouette look makes Sam pop from the white background, just allowing the light to fall on his lips. Leading lines created using bokeh and bed frame in the background are helping lead the audience to the main character. As Rose is putting lipstick on Sam’s lips, she is creating leading lines too to lead the audience to him. Rule of thirds is used to portray Sam on the left.

The series of shots below are used as a montage to show Sam and Rose having fun together in Rose’s room. This section has lots of moving shots to portray their excitement and energy as they are putting their past aside and enjoying themselves at the moment.

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dissertationprepartion · 7 years ago

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Collaborations

Liam - Experimental

I had lots of fun working with Liam on his project. It was something I haven’t done before but he needed a camera operator so I agreed to help him. We lit most of the scenes with just 1 Dedo Light.

Alishah - Azadi

Alishah also needed a camera operator so I agreed to help. We shot some things outdoor in Mosely Road. It was tricky as it was a sunny day so everything was overexposed. I had to use 4-6 ND filters to balance the exposure. The other shoot was in the studio with a dancer. We did a 3 point lighting setup in Studio B, Green Screen, with a black backdrop and black carpet. It worked perfectly. Below is a little screenshot of the studio scene.

Nadeem

Shooting with Nadeem as a camera operator was like in a war zone because it was no shot list or storyboard to see to follow as a reference. We made all the shots on the spot depending on what is happening and the character movement. I was working with him on the 1st day of shooting. He wanted an indoor lighting setup in a mental asylum with people watching the TV. We had Arri light on the ceiling so it spreads everywhere evenly with a soft lighting setup.

Megan - Edith

We went to Wales for a weekend to shoot this film. My role on this project was the Gaffer. So I was working with the cinematographer to understand what lighting setup he wanted and do it on the shooting days. I also worked as production photographer.

Some pictures I took on the production days are in the link below.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YTEIxpxSgS5KlztTTu5ti5_Cp-3eHXs8

Lalit - Cancer Documentary

Asher - Colourblind

I was working as a camera operator, so I had to work with the cinematographer to know the angles and types of lenses he has planned with the storyboard.

Some pictures I took on the production days are in the link below.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SynEd0KqMke96cab4auXjMB4_wZanlC7

On Colourblind and Edith, I was also credited on IMDB for my work.

2weekstomakeit - Trinity

Working with Trinity on her project to make a music video was great as I got a chance to work with a real client.

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Colour Palette

Films have different colour palettes to suit their story and visual style. Below is an image that perfectly describes colour palette of some films from animation to live action.

For my film, Matt suggested an urban look would be perfect. I found out that urban look means an industrial look. The film will be a lot less saturated with the huge emphasis on grey tones, keeping the contrast in the mids but making the shadows darker where necessary. This is perfect to represent Sam’s state of mind and his lifestyle. An introverted drunk guy whose life is dull and not much is going on.

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Can improve...

1. Plan every shot that you will do on the day of shooting before.

2. Figure out the dialogues before the shoot instead of improvising, so you know whats coming next and what kind of shots can be done for it.

3. Organise your equipment before the shoot such as lights to give depth to the scenes.

4. Keep a cool head even when people are trying to rush you to get the scene done.

5. Never compromise any shots or scenes. I was going to not do a whole park scene but I am glad I did.

6. Check the equipment before the shoot so that everything is working properly. Things such as booking broken XLR cable and Tascam can be a massive problem.

7. Give yourself deadlines to edit to prevent you from being lazy while editing. I was taking too long to edit the film.

8. Cast better actors from the start so the reshoot is not needed.

9. Understand the characters of the film better to help you cast for the actors.

10. Always be sure about what you are doing so that others will have confidence in you too as a director.

Analysis of the Film is below. Please enjoy the read.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FlgBovAnq_BPj7yH2Uai6-sZaEty8Toe

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ADR and cleaning the sound

I was forced to do ADR for the shop scene as the sound quality was really bad. This is because of the refrigerator being on in the shop. We couldn’t ask to turn it off as the shop was open for the regular customers. So I asked Josh and Alishah for a quick ADR session that took 15-20 minutes each. To get the sound for the shopkeeper, I asked him to record it on his phone as he was unable to come for the ADR sessions because of family commitments. The phones these days record sound perfectly so it was okay to have that in the film.

On the filming days, we had a damaged XLR cable that created a constant sound. I realised this while I was editing the film. To prevent this, I cleaned the sound by learning how to on Youtube. Also Andy, the sound technician, also helped me understand editing sound better. He was the one who suggested me to ADR the sound for the shop scene.

youtube

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Editing Stage

This was a very long process for me as I like to take time while I am editing. There were lots of trials and experiment with scenes like the shop and park scene as I couldn’t decide if I should keep them separate or not. This is because of those scenes not relating to each other. I did 2 versions to see how they look. I prefer the one where it is blended together to show Sam in the Park thinking about the shop scene. I asked others and some said they are better as separate scenes.

Below is a link to the different versions of the film I tried before getting to the final version.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Zdb4iaKo9VVqP7BHBqjBBebrxvLEsyeM

Making a list such as an image below is very helpful to improve the edit. After having tutorials, I would make a list to remind me what I need to amend to make the edit better.

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Party Scene Inspiration

Th Fuzzbox video I worked on the last year was the inspiration for the was the inspiration for the Party Scene in terms of decorating the set. We couldn’t exactly get the set to look like that because most of the prop was with the band but we did our best to make it look like a party. On the day of shooting in the morning, Krishna and I went shopping to buy the props. Some of the things were from our homes and some from the office in uni. It all worked out in the end.

youtube

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Shooting Days

I wanted to get a new camera operator this time as last time it was a problem, especially for the party scene. So I asked Mikolaj as I knew how he works and that I can rely on him to get good shots and in focus. He also brought along Sam too and both of them helped massively to light the party scene. Sam also became an extra for the party scene.

On the days of the shoots, actors were told to improvise the scenes. So, Josh and Alishah discussed the scenes between each other while we were setting up. Once they were happy, they told me how they will play the scenes and I would give them feedback on what works and what not. Josh and Alishah were really good at improvising the scenes and they really embodied the characters as if they were themselves. Most of the times they were just being themselves as the characters in the story are how they really are in their lives.

Having a storyboard on the shooting days was a big help as I was able to go back to it whenever I didn’t know which shot I need to do next. This is something I didn’t have last time.

Party Scene/ Friends Gathering Scene

Call time for the crew was 10 and cast was 11, however, everyone came late 1 by 1. I didn't book any lights for the weekend to light anything for the film. On this day, we broke into Studio B and got the floor lights from there. By 1 PM we were ready to shoot the first shot.

The number of people was not that great compared to last time, so on the day, I decided to make it friends gathering scene instead of the party scene. The master shot took some time to shoot as we were deciding where to shoot it from. This shot was important as I learned last time that it is always good to spend more time getting the master shot so I can cut back to it if the other shots are not working out. We had 2 master shots.

After getting 2-3 shots at the start, we got into the flow of shooting and everything went smoothly. Also, the producer was gone too and there was no one to rush me to get things done. This allowed me to think about the shots instead of just doing it because we need to get a move on. It was a much calmer environment to work in.

Everyone was very helpful and patient and we worked together as a team really well. Some extras had to go early so we did their shots first. We finished filming at 6.30pm so we had to get things out of the uni in 30 min.

Shop Scene

Shop scene was a challenge, especially to get the establishing shot of the shop as it was cloudy and sunny so we kept waiting for the clouds to cover the sun. This is because when it was sunny, it was overexposed. Therefore, we waited for the clouds to cover the sun.

Inside the shop, customers coming in and out of the shop were a problem as we had to wait for them to go. Sometimes they would come in the milled of the shot and sometimes at the start. The sound was a big problem too on the day as the Tascam decided to stop working. We had to plug the XLR cable into the camera. Therefore, the wire was not long enough on some of the shots to get clear sound. The refrigerator in the shop didn't help either as it was so loud and it was overpowering the sound. While looking back at the footage, A sound technician told me that the XLR cable might be broken on the day of shooting as there is a constant static sound, especially on the quiet shots.

The producer was very helpful to get an extra to play a shopkeeper on the day.

Bedroom Scene

In the evening we started shooting the bedroom scene. As we were improvising everything, it was exhausting for the actors to do the same scene again and again for the master shot. This is because the bedroom scene became a long scene. I am glad it did as it gives me the freedom to edit fluidly without compromising anything. As the bedroom scene went on, everyone was getting exhausted and just wanted to go home. The producer was rushing me to get things done quickly which was preventing me from thinking about the shots. This prevented me from not getting enough shots, especially for the start of the scene. I realised this while I was reviewing the footage.

Sam’s Room Scene

I came across the Little Miss Sunshine opening scene and I thought it would be perfect for my film to shoot it that way as my film is also about the main character want to become something that he is watching on the TV. This scene was done fairly quickly as I knew exactly which shots I needed.

Park Scene

2 days after filming, I realised I need something in between Shop and Party scene as it was too fast in the story for the main character to go to the party. I was supposed to do the park scene anyway but time restrictions stopped me from doing the scene. I was thinking I will be okay not to do this scene but I was wrong. I asked Josh for an hour of his time and we did the scene together really quickly as I knew exactly what I wanted. I used quadrant framing technique to show the isolation of Sam’s character making a decision to go to the party.

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