Monday, 20 January 2020

PLANNING: INTERVIEWING OUR CHARACTERS

Open source HERE


For my character in my film opening entitled *********,  we decided to interview our protagonist in order to develop his character further.
We were inspired by an article written by Charlie Sierra about building the back story to film characters in which he quoted from Riding the Alligator, a book written by Pen Densham, an Academy Award nominated filmmaker.
In one of the chapters in the book, he provides a check list of questions every writer and director should ask of themselves when they are developing their characters. The purpose of this is to outline a deep understanding of your characters for both the actors and director, and for motivating your character’s choices or actions.

My Character Interview

(Example) As my film opening features only one character in a world without anyone else, we decided that rather than a questionnaire interview, we would use a video diary of our character asking himself and answering the questions as if he is communicating through the camera to anyone who might find it, which is a creative way to handle the questionnaire whilst still keeping with the solitary theme of the opening...(video interview + script follows)
(Example) One of my central characters is a young girl, we have decided to compose a series of exchanges that she made using What's App with her friend in which she confides her worries about her sister. Her friend asks her a series of questions about her state of mind... (screenshots of What's App exchanges follow)
(Example) Our protagonist is a senior police officer who is struggling with his job (meeting targets; pleasing a critical boss) and his family (his daughter challenges him and he questions his ability to relate to her). He is interviewed by a police psychiatrist after the incident when he knocks down a teenager on his bike.

Friday, 17 January 2020

CRR 1

CREATIVE CRITICAL REFLECTION 1: How does your film opening represent social groups or issues?
    • First identify the social groups featured and present them visually (eg in Pinterest). Roles and jobs?
    • The focus is on how they are represented: stereotypes? anti-stereotypes? What are they like? Gender, status, age? Use any of the audience profile categories if relevant.
    • Identify the issues in your film opening: recent 'issues' have included artificial intelligence, people smuggling, bullying, kidnapping, art theft, online fraud. How are they presented in your production?

    Start this element of CCR1 for this weekend's prep.
    Post on your CCR1 PAGE (not the blog roll).
    First, place your Pinterest with your different character types, then issues.
    Below, write a bit about the use of stereotypes, anti-stereotypes and so on.
    If you also 'hot seated' or interviewed a characters add it here, with a bit of an explanation.

    Under the issues Pinterest. explain  why these issues are topical / relevant to your target audience.Explain how your film opening presents them: in a positive / negative light? Through what kind of camera work? Lighting and editing?

    NEED HELP? LOOK HERE on our blog for examples of the end result and "How to embed Pinterest'