Wednesday, 30 January 2013

Still Crazy Trailer: Storyboard



Here is a trailer for the film 'Still Crazy' that is the same sort of thing as what I am doing for my storyboard. It is similar in the way that the film and my storyboard are both based on the story type 'The gift taken away'. However in Still Crazy they all quit the band and try to get back together, Still Crazy is a comedy and therefore will be more funny then it is facing life problems. Whereas my storyboard tackles a more serious issue about drugs and alcohol tearing the band apart.

Storyboard story type

Film Studies
Storyboard story type:

The narrative theory that I will be using in my storyboard is Syd Fields three act theory. Act 1 will establish the film and signal the direction of the film and what will go wrong. Act 2 is the confrontation where the protagonist will face a series of challenges that they will have to over come. Finally Act 3 is where all the plots and sub-plots are resolved and there is a happy ending.

Act 1 will introduce my characters and hint at what will happen in the film. For example it will firstly show the band at their prime doing really well. However as the story progresses it will start to show problems arising and show the direction of which the film will head towards.

Act 2 will be the confrontation. This is where the band starts to fall apart and they start fighting resulting in the band almost ending. The protagonist will then face challenges in order to bring the band back together and continue their dreams.

Act 3 will be where the band are back together and play better than they ever had done before with the help of Joe after he has faced challenges along the way. This will then mean that all plots and sub-plots will be resolved and leave the story with a happy ending.

The story type that I am using for my storyboard is 'The gift taken away'. The gift that is being taken away being the bands skill and ability to work together that is taken away when members of the band give in to drugs and alcohol.


Storyboard Genre

Film Studies Storyboard Genre

The genre that I have chosen to do for my storyboard is drama. I have chosen drama as my genre because I have had the idea for my storyboard for a while and the drama genre is best suited for my film sequence.

Key iconography of drama includes real life issues that the characters must deal with. This is done in drama films by telling the story as a journey and always ends with a happy ending to satisfy the audience. These drama story lines are also realistic so that the audience can understand and relate to the characters and become emotionally involved with the characters.

Conventions of Drama can include Film Noir, happy endings, realistic story lines, violence and a journey through the film. Film Noir is often the focus of the problem/issue in the film. For example in my film sequence alcohol is a major part of my story and will be the focus of my film as it is the issue/problem in my story.

Updated Storyboard Synopsis


Film Studies
Storyboard Planning and Synopsis

Genre – Drama
Story Type – The Gift Taken Away
Codes and Conventions – Dark lighting, night life
Protagonists – The band: Jake (The Lead Guitarist), Kyle (The Drummer), Austin (The Vocalist), Joe (The Bassist) and Matt (The Rhythm Guitarist).
Antagonists – Alcohol and Drugs

Synopsis
A band from the UK, start to make it big and decide that it would be best for their career if they move to the States to gain a larger fan base. After months of touring they finally get there and become a widely known band in their particular scene. However this leads to pressure on the band to keep their fame and skills but when Kyle and Joe give in to the influence of drugs and alcohol the band start to gain a bad reputation and lose their respect from across the music industry. This is what the gift taken away is in my story, their skill individually and in a band. They must face tough decisions in order to pursue their dreams. The main plot twist is when Jake and Austin start arguing and get into a fight which results in Joe taking Jakes side and Kyle and Matt taking Austin’s side. This is where in the story I think I will start my storyboard, as it will tell the tale of how the band manage to battle death and pull their act together and gain back the skills they once had in order to continue living the dream in their band without having to kick out any of the band members and regain respect from around the music industry.

I have been influenced by many things while planning my storyboard. For example I would have to say that my main influence was the band Asking Alexandria. Their self-destructive lifestyles inspired me to tell my tale of a band falling apart due to these issues and what they must do to keep going as a band.


This is a trailer that I have found for a the band 'Asking Alexandria's short film which tackles this issues of drugs and alcohol in a band and therefore strongly relates to my storyboard. This short film was a massive influence on me while planning out my storyboard so I thought that it would be a good idea to share it on my blog.

Thursday, 24 January 2013


Film Studies

Storyboard Planning and Synopsis

Genre – Drama

Story Type – The Gift Taken Away

Codes and Conventions – Dark lighting, night life

Protagonists – The band: Jake (The Lead Guitarist), Kyle (The Drummer), Austin (The Vocalist), Joe (The Bassist) and Matt (The Rhythm Guitarist).

Antagonists – Alcohol and Drugs

Synopsis

My story board story is going to be about a heavy metal band that becomes famous. However due to the amount of fame that they receive at their young age Kyle and Joe become addicted to alcohol and drugs. This leaves the band with a difficult decision of what they can do to continue their dreams in their band.

The band from the UK, start to make it big and decide that it would be best for their career if they move to the States to gain a larger fan base. After months of touring they finally get there and become a widely known band in their particular scene. However this leads to pressure on the band to keep their fame and skills but when Kyle and Joe give in to the influence of drugs and alcohol the band start to gain a bad reputation and lose their respect from across the music industry. This is what the gift taken away is in my story, their skill individually and in a band. They must face tough decisions in order to pursue their dreams. This is where in the story I think I will start my storyboard, as it will tell the tale of how the band manage to battle death and pull their act together and gain back the skills they once had in order to continue living the dream in their band without having to kick out any of the band members and regain respect from around the music industry.

I have been influenced by many things while planning my storyboard. For example I would have to say that my main influence was the band Asking Alexandria. Their self-destructive lifestyles inspired me to tell my tale of a band falling apart due to these issues and what they must do to keep going as a band.

Thursday, 17 January 2013

Coursework Brief

Task:

Students are required to create a film sequence that demonstrates how the micro features of film construct meaning. This is to be completed in three parts.

1. Aims and context: A clarification of the aims and context of the sequence.

2. Film sequence: (40 marks) The film sequence will be an extract from a longer film that the student will develop. the emphasis will be on visual communication rather than dialogue.

A photographed storyboard will have a maximum of 25 shots. There can be up to five found (and credited) images.

3. Reflective analysis: (750 words) (10 marks): The reflective analysis should select key micro features of the sequences and discuss how they make meaning and aim to provoke responses in audiences. This is to be done as a continuous piece of writing and can be supported by illustrative material.