A. Rationale
The short film that I made is called The Wrath of Camilla. My group decided to use Jenna F.'s treatment and transform it into something entertaining. The plot is about a young girl who mischievously pulls a few pranks on a bully at school who has been picking on her classmate that is very nice to her. We wanted to do this film because we wanted to highlight the scene in Amelie when she performs little pranks on the grocer to teach him a lesson. We experimented with comedy, suspense, extreme close-ups, and creative music. I would say that the targeted audience is teenagers or young adults. I think the film was a good idea because it is a classic story about giving an antagonist justice for a wrong doing and we were just trying to modernize that idea.
B. Commentary
1. My area of responsibility was the production designer and editor. I was responsible for how each scene looked and omitted unnecessary objects in the shots. I had to make sure the actors' wardrobe were perfect and that their make-up was done right. I had to ensure that there was enough lighting to shoot in and that the continuity is maintained throughout. As editor, I had to eliminate the unwanted footage, put all shots in chronological order, add transitions, create titles, and add music.
2. Problems that arose in my area was the challenge of keeping unwanted objects away from the shots. It was either people in the shots, or backpacks. Another challenge was making sure that the actors wore the same clothing to school because we filmed on many different days and I had to make sure continuity was maintained.
3. To solve those problems, I had to physically remove the objects from the shots and tell people to move away from the camera. I had to constantly remind the actors to bring their wardrobe.
4. The biggest problem that arose during the film process was relying on the actors to actually show up to film. We had an actor bailing on us because of an illness and we had trouble finding a replacement. We also lost some footage that was filmed earlier and had difficulty cooperating with the actors' schedules.
5. To solve these problems, we had to find a quick replacement, and luckily we found two people from our classes to play the bully and the victim. There was no way around the lost footage problem, so we were forced to shoot the scene again, but fortunately with the practice we nailed it. The days that the actors were available were told to us and we compromised the days that we would film the movie.
6. Critical Evaluation of Finished Product
Script/Narrative/Story
a. The film develops a clear story around a character that moves from 3 Acts: the setup, maze and feeling by giving the main character a motive for taking revenge on a bully at school. The protagonist, Camilla is very reserved and when her only potential friend is harassed by a bully her personality switches and she becomes evil, but with good intentions. She pulls three pranks on the bully to ruin his day and everything combined creates a suspenseful, yet humorous story.
b. The film is based on the theme of giving the antagonist a taste of his own medicine for causing misfortunes for others. It is a way for the protagonist to bring justice and bring others happiness.
c. I do think that the actions and lines are "in character" and is appropriate to the motivation and personality of the protagonist because Camilla performs all the pranks on the bully for the intention of helping out another boy that is nice to her. Her actions are sneaky and sly, things that are necessary for an anonymous prankster. Her quiet and timid "Bye" contrasts her confident "Daniel Afeaki" announcement.
d. There is more action than dialogue in this film because "there is no need to say it when you can show it". The times that the characters are talking are for understanding purposes only and instances that move the plot along or turns the plot in a different direction. The remaining of the film consists of Camilla pulling pranks on the bully and embarrassing him to the point that he will never bully her friend again.
e. The climax was very unique because it was the biggest prank that Camilla pulls that ultimately breaks the bully and makes him realize that when he messes with others, he gets messed back. The climax is effective in showing the protagonist and boy's victory.
Acting/ Casting
a. All three actors are appropriate for the personalities and physical attributes of the characters they played. Camilla is small and cute and effectively manipulates the audience into thinking that she couldn't possibly be so mischievous, yet she is. Daniel, playing the bully, is tall and large in stature, perfect for playing a bully at school. His voice is deep and his impression gives people the sense that he is dark. Jeremy, the victim of the bully has braces and a nerdy voice, suiting for a boy that is often picked on.
b. Two out of three actors were able to lose themselves in their characters, but the last was unable to do so, because he was merely acting out the role. It seemed that he either didn't have enough experience acting or didn't take the assignment seriously. Either way, his performance was no Oscar approved, but simply average. The other two were able to commit to their characters and be them, losing touch of their own selves. They were able to convince the crew that they were the actual people we initially envisioned.
c. The talent gestures are meaningful and appropriate to the close up medium of television because the actors' performance was disciplined, poised, and stylized.
d.The dialogue remained semi intelligible during the shooting process, but it was still clear. We had to re-record one voice over, but it was due to construction noises.
e. The talent pacing and energy level of the actors were maintained throughout the shooting by giving them time to get into character and practice. They were completely professional and most of them were reliable. They were enthusiastic about their first appearance in a short film and that really helped them out. Some just have a knack for acting and the acting was not a problem for them.
f. The costumes are appropriate for the time period and setting because the story is set at school in the present. The actors just had to dress like normal, but be a completely different person. T-shirts, jeans, tank tops, sneakers, jackets, and flip flops were the clothing they wore.
g. The wardrobe/costumes do provide adequate visual separation between scene elements and fall within limitations of the medium's brightness range. It stands out but are not too distracting from the action in each scene. The only time that the wardrobe does not fall within limitations of the medium's brightness range is during the scene when the bully is about to slip on the banana peel. However, it was still appropriate because we were trying to create a suspenseful and chilling mood using dark lighting.
h. Make up was only used on the protagonist, Camilla. It held up equally well during her long and close up shots. Nothing too glamorous, just foundation and lip gloss and she was good to go.
Edit/FX, Techniques or Concepts
a. The style of the title is appropriate for the nature of the production because the grungy and cracked font depicts the semi-evilness of the main character once she performs one prank after another.
b.The title does give enough time for the audience to read it, but it could have remained on screen for a few seconds longer for the audience to fully react to the title.
c. All the cuts and transitions are motivated and in harmony with the pace and nature of the subject matter. A lot of quick cuts and match action shots are used in the film, keeping up with Camilla as she ruins the bully's day.
d. The visual perspective is maintained throughout and the camera remains on one side of the 180 degree line. The camera only switches angles and we try not to confuse the audience.
e. Fade in/ fade out transitions were used to transition from one scene to the next, so the audience knows that another scene is taking place in a different location or time.
f. The shot selection does follow what the audience expects, wants, or needs to see at each moment. For example, when Camilla sneaks into the office announce that the bully's ballet recital has been rescheduled, we expect to see Daniel in the next shot looking embarrassed. And the next shot we expect to see the victim of the bully and Camilla smiling in satisfaction, which we do include in the film.
g. Technical and general continuity jump cuts have not been avoided in the film. It is difficult to keep each scene exactly as it is after each shot. During the shooting process, actors made mistakes, which was hard to correct in the editing, and actors that were suppose to be in a shot in the far background was not available during that time. One keen example is when Camilla is walking down the hallway and the bully and his victim is suppose to be there, but they are not. It is very obvious as Camilla is walking nearer and nearer, but hopefully the audience does not notice.
h. The editing is smooth to the point that the film is dynamic and interesting. I especially love the match action cuts during the classroom and library scene. The most difficult edit to do is Camilla's wink towards the audience in the very end. As she links on to Jeremy (victim, preparing to skip down the hallway, the moment has to be right for her to turn around to wink.
i. Each scene is long enough for the audience to have sufficient amount of time to grasp the information. Each shot lasts at minimum of a couple of seconds and it is held long enough for people to generate the right emotion.
Sound FX/ Score
a. The type of music chosen is appropriate for the production because it compliments the action that is happening in the scene. Fast, loud, or upbeat music is used during suspenseful or happy scenes. Slow or dragging music is used during depressing or lonely scenes.
b. The music is always loud enough to hear, but not too loud as to draw attention to itself or interfere with the intelligibility of the dialogue (it is usually not present during dialogues).
c. The audio is very clear in all scenes, except the bullying scene where in editing the volume had to be raised.
Cinematography
a. A variety of camera operations were used throughout the shooting of the film. Especially common was panning, extreme close-ups, zooming, different camera angles, and loose framing. The camera movements are smooth so they don't draw attention to themselves. The cinematographer made sure to give the actors enough head room and space to move around.
Production Design/Mis En Scene
a. The set design is appropriate to the time period of the film because it is set in the present at a high school. A set was not created, the film was shot on location.
b. The location is usually bright enough for each shot, having access to natural light sources or florescent lights indoors. There is sufficient key, fill and back illumination in all performance areas to render needed visual separation, depth, and detail. The locations are occasionally to loud, even for ambiance. The ambiance can usually distract from the content of the scenes and interfere with the dialogue.
Overall, the film was a success to me. It may not be what my group and I envisioned from the beginning, but it still works. I'm especially proud of the actors/actresses and plot. I hope that others enjoy the film as much as I do.
