http://charlesstooke.wix.com/backhandfilm
CS.
Wednesday, 7 May 2014
Monday, 5 May 2014
Sunday, 30 March 2014
EVALUATION 1
In what ways does your
media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products?
USE:
USE:
Our trailer combines
a mix of genres that can be identified as a sports documentary infused with
British urban drama qualities. We incorporated a linear three-act structure
commonly used for many trailers and other narrative theory , which consists of establishing
character or situation, the second act presenting a conflict that needs to be
resolved, and then the final montage increasing tension before the reveal of
the title.
In terms of aesthetics, there were no post-production effects in order to achieve a realistic ‘feel’ like other documentaries, despite influence from the surrealist, 'dream-like' qualities of "The Act of Killing".
Sound was a significant factor in determining the mood established by our documentary. Similar texts usually have vocal-less non-diegetic soundtracks, and we incorporated two songs to demonstrate a progression in pace and mood of the trailer- the first one being a driving yet sparse and ambient piece of post-dubstep composition, the second a bass-heavy percussive number, with a jaunty swing to it and layered with emotive synthesizers and ‘trappy’ hats – as a way of engaging the audience’s emotion through dynamic shifts. Our choice of audio was influence by the type of music listened to by our teenage subjects, and so can another way for the audience to interact with characters by gaining a sense of the way they soundtrack their own lives. This auditory device can also be seen in the trailer “Dogtown and Z-Boys”, which layers a contemporary ‘surf rock’ soundtrack that would been popular at the time of the 1970s Californian skateboard culture subject matter.
For location, we took inspiration from "China Heavyweight" by showcasing establishing shots of local areas the characters inhabited in order to familiarise the audience to how unique the setting of South London can be in terms of cultural and architectural diversity. This is similar to the fact that rural China would also be a niche setting to Western audiences, and thus follows the conventions of introducing location before narrative.
We took further influence from "China Heavyweight" in terms of using 'writerly' subtitling to encourage the audience to interpret important plot points through an open reading. Where the documentary pinpoints setting and activity, we replicated that.
CHALLENGE:
In terms of aesthetics, there were no post-production effects in order to achieve a realistic ‘feel’ like other documentaries, despite influence from the surrealist, 'dream-like' qualities of "The Act of Killing".
Sound was a significant factor in determining the mood established by our documentary. Similar texts usually have vocal-less non-diegetic soundtracks, and we incorporated two songs to demonstrate a progression in pace and mood of the trailer- the first one being a driving yet sparse and ambient piece of post-dubstep composition, the second a bass-heavy percussive number, with a jaunty swing to it and layered with emotive synthesizers and ‘trappy’ hats – as a way of engaging the audience’s emotion through dynamic shifts. Our choice of audio was influence by the type of music listened to by our teenage subjects, and so can another way for the audience to interact with characters by gaining a sense of the way they soundtrack their own lives. This auditory device can also be seen in the trailer “Dogtown and Z-Boys”, which layers a contemporary ‘surf rock’ soundtrack that would been popular at the time of the 1970s Californian skateboard culture subject matter.
For location, we took inspiration from "China Heavyweight" by showcasing establishing shots of local areas the characters inhabited in order to familiarise the audience to how unique the setting of South London can be in terms of cultural and architectural diversity. This is similar to the fact that rural China would also be a niche setting to Western audiences, and thus follows the conventions of introducing location before narrative.
We took further influence from "China Heavyweight" in terms of using 'writerly' subtitling to encourage the audience to interpret important plot points through an open reading. Where the documentary pinpoints setting and activity, we replicated that.
CHALLENGE:
We aimed to subvert
the audience’s expectations of representations of young people by exposing
their prejudices with a set of enigma codes presented during the first third of
the trailer. These included shots of young men in open spaces such as parks and
urban streets, dressed in stereotypically familiar ‘youth’ clothing such as
hoodies and snapbacks; deliberately worn to evoke connotations of wayward
lifestyles and youthful misconduct. In fact, with the suggestion of a
mysterious new ‘hobby’ young people were indulging in via on-screen titling – a
common technique in documentaries to introduce a story that is less clear in
narrative that a fictional piece – expecting some of the audience to assume it
was some sort of dubious drug-dealing venture.
The unique selling point of our film is the sheer bizarre nature of our subject matter. Other documentaries such as ‘Ping Pong’ (2012) focus on similarly non-mainstream topics, such as world table-tennis championships for the over-80s. Being a particularly niche subject perhaps works to its advantage, as it means the topic matter is not homogenised enough to attract a certain kind of following, such as men watching sports dramas more than women, but instead alternative enough to be open for anyone’s curious enjoyment.
Our open reading encourages audiences to become active discovering semiotic codes and thus making certain connections, in the vein a small-budget, independent film that intends to impress on the film-festival-going public's consciousness by enticing them with unexpected, 'edgy' subject matter. Furthermore, we chose to not explicitly outline narrative and oversaturate the audience's sense in the style of blockbuster marketing because as an independent documentary, "Back/Hand" requires more subtlety. Our text becomes considerably more writerly during the final montage as we encourage pondering about the fate of the characters, such as whether Chris will succeed as a professional tennis player or whether Robbo’s psychotic edge will destroy everyone else’s ambitions.
The unique selling point of our film is the sheer bizarre nature of our subject matter. Other documentaries such as ‘Ping Pong’ (2012) focus on similarly non-mainstream topics, such as world table-tennis championships for the over-80s. Being a particularly niche subject perhaps works to its advantage, as it means the topic matter is not homogenised enough to attract a certain kind of following, such as men watching sports dramas more than women, but instead alternative enough to be open for anyone’s curious enjoyment.
Our open reading encourages audiences to become active discovering semiotic codes and thus making certain connections, in the vein a small-budget, independent film that intends to impress on the film-festival-going public's consciousness by enticing them with unexpected, 'edgy' subject matter. Furthermore, we chose to not explicitly outline narrative and oversaturate the audience's sense in the style of blockbuster marketing because as an independent documentary, "Back/Hand" requires more subtlety. Our text becomes considerably more writerly during the final montage as we encourage pondering about the fate of the characters, such as whether Chris will succeed as a professional tennis player or whether Robbo’s psychotic edge will destroy everyone else’s ambitions.
The eventual reveal
that the hobby is ‘street’ tennis is only visual and is never explicitly
mentioned in a voice. However we hoped the use of semiotics such as tennis
courts, changing rooms and sports equipment would be enough evidence for the
audience to infer from the open-reading that this was film primarily about
sports, and the characters involved. Thus to provide some sort of understanding
of the social interactions within the piece, we provided anchorage with a
display of binary opposites in terms of the archetypal hero and a villain
characters. The hero appears at the beginning of the trailer – the only
character to speak directly to the camera – and is the main voiceover aside
from the villain, who behaves manically on camera and appears over voice-overs
identifying him as a dubious character. Furthermore, he is the only figure to
behave aggressively throughout the trailer, further anchoring the audience’s
preconception that he will be a volatile and dangerous character. Our
protagonist however, appears aspirational and playful, and hopefully encourages
the audience to take interest in his struggles and eventual outcome. The
opposing ideals presented from both characters – one wishing to be a sporting
champion, the other wanting to destroy everything in his wake – create a
conflict set-up that should interest the reader into discovering more about the
film. This device can be seen in documentary trailer “Undefeated”, where
characters with a variety of socially disruptive issues, such as deceased
parents or anger problems, are briefly introduced and an air of questioning is
left as to whether they will overcome their difficulties. A device used to
increase understanding of the characters is the voice-over, which can pose
questions and draw links, used for narrative effect in our film when one
character states, “I want to improve my game…this isn’t just a hobby anymore”,
which is able to develop the storyline. This can also be seen in “Undefeated”
which is narrated by the football coach protagonist as he weaves around a
plotline that suggests the team are heading towards a daunting championship
competition.
Introduction of character.
SL.
Friday, 21 March 2014
Thursday, 20 March 2014
Sunday, 16 March 2014
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
3rd Day of Filming - 18/01/14
Preparation: To prepare for our second and main day of filming, we created a Facebook group in which we advertised and invited friends to our day of filming and outlined their roles as extras. Some RSVP'd, many did not.
Before the arrival of most of our cast we set up the equipment and organised our travelling equipment bags, making sure to charge our two cameras as previous experience had taught us that technology has its definite limitations.
In order to to achieve maximum output in the shortest possible time schedule, it was agreed that each film-maker would film certain scenes separately, one having the tennis scenes and the other documenting social scenes. We organised the crew into two groups that would participate in either one of these filming sequences, the plan of action conveyed by a written presentation at the start of filming, along with some ideas of themes and characters.
Furthermore in this initial preparation stage, costume was important to establish. There was a descriptive 'street' dress code on the Facebook event, and the cast adhered to this to the best of their abilities. Knowing there might be some limitations, we supplied choice garments in order to maximise their 'street' look, as well as catering to the sports element with gym wear and tennis rackets. When all were assembled and dressed appropriately, we left for Dulwich Park.
Location: We chose Dulwich park because of its close proximity, sense of local community and availability of public facilities such as tennis courts. We were able to use these courts for our full advantage in shooting the sports scenes, as they matched our preconceived ideas of the slightly run-down, definitely not state-of-the-art or moneyed aesthetic. This was a nice contrast to the image of tennis as an exceedingly middle-class pursuit, played in spotless whites upon a freshly manicured astro-turf. Ours we gravelly, grey and bedraggled, but that added to its rough charm.
The social, 'human interest' scenes were shot in and around the Dulwich Picture Gallery grounds, which posses an timelessly beautiful and other-worldly quality that juxtaposed with our motley crew of extras milling about it.
Filming: A key element of filming was the use of candid camera; as a documentary we want our subjects to act as naturally as possible, particularly in a situation they may not be wholly comfortable in, such as filming. Thus many of our 'socialising' shots were recorded unbeknownst to the subjects, and I feel this was pivotal in securing the feeling naturalness and familiarity 'Backhand' achieves. Many of the cast were never even given direct instructions on how to act, and so instead made conversation with their friends to pass the time, yet unknowing using our time well.
SL.
Before the arrival of most of our cast we set up the equipment and organised our travelling equipment bags, making sure to charge our two cameras as previous experience had taught us that technology has its definite limitations.
In order to to achieve maximum output in the shortest possible time schedule, it was agreed that each film-maker would film certain scenes separately, one having the tennis scenes and the other documenting social scenes. We organised the crew into two groups that would participate in either one of these filming sequences, the plan of action conveyed by a written presentation at the start of filming, along with some ideas of themes and characters.
Furthermore in this initial preparation stage, costume was important to establish. There was a descriptive 'street' dress code on the Facebook event, and the cast adhered to this to the best of their abilities. Knowing there might be some limitations, we supplied choice garments in order to maximise their 'street' look, as well as catering to the sports element with gym wear and tennis rackets. When all were assembled and dressed appropriately, we left for Dulwich Park.
Location: We chose Dulwich park because of its close proximity, sense of local community and availability of public facilities such as tennis courts. We were able to use these courts for our full advantage in shooting the sports scenes, as they matched our preconceived ideas of the slightly run-down, definitely not state-of-the-art or moneyed aesthetic. This was a nice contrast to the image of tennis as an exceedingly middle-class pursuit, played in spotless whites upon a freshly manicured astro-turf. Ours we gravelly, grey and bedraggled, but that added to its rough charm.
The social, 'human interest' scenes were shot in and around the Dulwich Picture Gallery grounds, which posses an timelessly beautiful and other-worldly quality that juxtaposed with our motley crew of extras milling about it.
Filming: A key element of filming was the use of candid camera; as a documentary we want our subjects to act as naturally as possible, particularly in a situation they may not be wholly comfortable in, such as filming. Thus many of our 'socialising' shots were recorded unbeknownst to the subjects, and I feel this was pivotal in securing the feeling naturalness and familiarity 'Backhand' achieves. Many of the cast were never even given direct instructions on how to act, and so instead made conversation with their friends to pass the time, yet unknowing using our time well.
SL.
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
2nd Day of Filming - 06/01/14
This day of filming was necessary in capturing location shots and establishing background for 'Backhand', as opposed to excessive character study. In fact, we only had one extra who took on the role of "tennis racket dealer".
The day started off on a slow note; charging cameras and assembling tripods. We then transferred this equipment to Dulwich Park.
Initially, long-distance panning shots were taken of the waterfront, tennis courts and the luscious green fields, intended to be used at the beginning of our trailer.
We also shot the tennis racket dealer exchange scene that could be used as our teaser trailer. This sequence sums up the interchangeable similarities between the conventions of the 'street' youth world and the street tennis world we aim to present.
SL.
The day started off on a slow note; charging cameras and assembling tripods. We then transferred this equipment to Dulwich Park.
Initially, long-distance panning shots were taken of the waterfront, tennis courts and the luscious green fields, intended to be used at the beginning of our trailer.
We also shot the tennis racket dealer exchange scene that could be used as our teaser trailer. This sequence sums up the interchangeable similarities between the conventions of the 'street' youth world and the street tennis world we aim to present.
SL.
Monday, 13 January 2014
1st Day of Filming - 20/12/13
All the cast and crew were arranged to arrive at my house for 11 AM, although admittedly we were not ready to film by at least midday. We first checked that all of our filming equipment was in order, checking the boom, directional microphone, camera, tripod, dolly wheels, micro-track and all the appropriate headphones and cables. After all of this was done we had to make sure that we had effectively collated all the necessary provisions, costumes and props for the scenes we hoped to shoot. This all consisted mainly of hats, coats and tennis rackets. Our actors arrived appropriately dressed for the shoot but also took to some costume enhancements.
Once we were ready we made our way towards the estate in Dulwich which we had planned to use as our first location. The walk was not too long and we were able to share the load of the equipment between many hands so one could hardly describe it as gruelling. Upon arrival at the estate, we set up our first shot which is of Chris (Tom Hemington) standing beneath an underpass giving an interview on how he is struggling and so are many of his peers in the high pressure situation that they have found themselves in. Unfortunately an irate woman made us move from that particular area of public land and so we resumed filming soon after across the road, continuing on with Chris' interview. After this we filmed Robbo's (James Wilson) interview and then Carl's (Ranya El Refaey), both fairly near by due to convenience but also due to the area fitting our style and tone so seamlessly.
We continued to experiment with our character depictions, particularly Chris, for example switching from the initial, full-frontal camera long-shot we were using for his interview in the underpass to a side-on mid-shot as he leant against a brick wall, eventually zooming in for close-up. This felt like we were exploring multiple 'sides' of our character, as well as getting to grips with camera angling on a practical level.
During these interviews we used to boom pole to help us record sound on the micro-track, and having previously never used such advanced sound equipment we had to repeat several shots over in order make sure we had completed the task. Issues with wind interference were corrected.
CS & SL.
Friday, 3 January 2014
Film Title: Plan
FONT
The font used for this title is HeadLineA found on Final Cut Pro. The stylisation of the font reflects duality of the themes presented in the film, with the juxtaposition of lower and upper case fonts, and their contrasting spacing and size.
NAME
According to Wikipedia, a backhand move in tennis: "Because the player's dominant hand "pulls" into the shot, the backhand generally lacks the power and consistency of the forehand, and is usually considered more difficult to master. However, the two-handed backhand provides more stability and power for the shot, and is increasingly used in the modern game. Beginner and club-level players often have difficulty hitting a backhand, and junior players may have trouble making the shot if they are not strong enough to hit it. Many advanced players still have a significantly better forehand than backhand, and many strategies in tennis aim to exploit this weakness."
The idea of backhand acts as a metaphor, as the kids are not professional tennis players in any capacity, although some may secretly dream to be. In relation to their background, they are disadvantaged as players, and there are more struggles when it comes to mastering to the game, but if one of them was to overcome these obstacles and master the game, then it would be considered a triumph. In the end, many of the kids are on different paths, but for some tennis may be the one to follow.
SL.
Ident Influences
They are a New York-based studio producing independent films and documentaries and, according to the Zeitgeist website: "Bringing quality foreign and independent feature films and documentaries to American screens since 1988". Six Zeitgeist films have been nominated for Academy Awards and one (Nowhere In Africa) has won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Their films have been honored by festivals throughout the world with Grand Prizes at Cannes, Berlin, Sundance and IFDA in Amsterdam. In an ideal world we would model our own production company on Zeitgeist.
The style of their ident has a more 'retro' feel than an overly technological one, with its handwriting-style design, which gives the impression that they are a laid-back independent studio, producing films and documentaries similar to ours.
The style of their ident has a more 'retro' feel than an overly technological one, with its handwriting-style design, which gives the impression that they are a laid-back independent studio, producing films and documentaries similar to ours.
('Examined Life' Documentary Produced by Zeitgest)
SL.
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