The document discusses research and experiments conducted for a short film project about a depressed teenager. A survey found that the target 16-24 demographic enjoys dark films with twists and ambiguous endings. Research on popular short films showed that live action dramatic films are most viewed. Experiments with camera techniques, editing, sound, and music were conducted to inspire the final project. Challenges included finding actors and recording original sound effects. Overall the experiments helped develop skills for telling stories concisely and setting the right mood through visuals and music.

1. STAGE 2
RESEARCH +
EXPERIMENTS
Rhys Sadler-Scott

2.  You MUST conduct a questionnaire/survey/interview or a combination of all three.
Summarise this and add in any other primary research you feel is appropriate
I created a survey on SurveyMonkey, which I have made available to every student
on my course. This should help me get some feedback to the age range I am aiming
for (16-24).

4. Based on the opinions of those who took my survey, my target
audience (16-24 year olds) enjoy pretty dark films, with twists
and/or ambiguous ending, that can be interpreted in multiple
different ways.
None of those who took the survey are bothered by dark themes,
this will work in my favor, as I was hoping to explore the effects of
depression and trauma on a teenager, similar in age to my target
audience.
This is to make my film more relatable, there will not be any fantasy
elements in it. But it will be shot using intense angles and out of
focus shots, to emphasize the isolation and intensity of a
depressed teenager.

5.  Research viewing figures, sales figures, demographic and psychographic info.
Look up article, features or stories related to your potential audience
 I have watched a large number of short films on several different websites and
media sources. Based on the comments and feedback that was available to view
on each film. The demographic of 16-24 year olds, enjoy films that feature
unexpected elements, plot twists, ambiguous endings etc.
 The most viewed short films are actually animated shorts. But the most popular
live action films tend to be dramatic. Many viewers find the message of a short
film more cutting and easier to understand when it is delivered in a shorter
timespan. This makes the 60 second goal of my film ideal for getting the message
across in a way my audience will appreciate and enjoy.

6. My target audience will be 16-24 year olds. Because of this, the main focus of my
film will be on a character who fits within that age range, and the relatable problems
he faces. Depression, anxiety, and other common afflictions of 16-24 year olds
today.
Usually, the demographic I have picked favours comedy as the strongest element in
their film. For my film, I have chosen to feature drama as the driving force behind it.
I don’t think this change will affect the interest in my film too greatly however, as the
issues faced in the film will be relatable, especially to the demographic I am catering
to.

7.  My film will not involve any inappropriate content like drinking, drug use and
swearing. It will however, feature a teenager dealing with the concept of
depression and suicide. These themes, while not inappropriate in the strictest
sense, are still mature and can be difficult for some viewers to handle. Therefore I
will aim for a PG rating.
 I would like to tackle the issues surrounding teen suicide and isolation. These
themes, while sometimes controversial in the way they are handled, are not
particularly graphic in the manner I intend to show them. Which means that my
film will be perfectly appropriate for 16-24 year olds, as it deals with relatable
issues for this particular age group.

8.  Research potential production techniques you might want to use
or feel would be most appropriate – these can be related to
camera, editing, story, sound, etc
 You should look at a minimum of 3 related products in your
research.
 You should collect clips/still images/how to guides/etc that might
help you. When watching scenes from films, etc you could also
ask potential target audience what they think.
 You will need to add extra slides!
 With each technique you should assess whether you can use it or
how you might employ or why you may want to disregard it
completely

9. This short film is one minute long, like
the brief of my film requires, which will
make it useful to use as an inspiration
for compressing a story into a few short
seconds.
shot with very intense close ups, to
display the uneasiness of the
characters. There is no music
throughout the whole film, this
immediately gives the impression of
seriousness and drama.
These techniques might be useful for
making my film, the close up shots will
be excellent for showing the inner
turmoil and intense nature of the main
character.
The use of silence to convey the
tone of the film might also be a
good technique to use.

10. This Netflix series deals with the
emotional impact of suicide in the
ones closest to a young teenage girl.
It’s exploration of the teenage
psyche during times of stress and
anxiety will be a useful inspiration for
writing the behaviour and
mannerisms of the main character of
Unfocused.
The show is story driven, with a huge emphasis on
the consequences of bullying and isolation on a
teenage girl. While these aspects are considerably
downplayed in my film, they are still present and
this show will be a good study into the dynamics of
teenage interaction.

11. I have chosen the track named
“Time” On the Inception
soundtrack as my main inspiration
for music. The sound is extremely
repetitive in its tune, but the
volume, acoustics and instruments
are all so fluid, that it never
becomes boring.
The song changes tone multiple
times, starting out sombre, then
hopeful, triumphant, and finally,
sad. It shows how the tone of the
music can set the tone for a film.
The music in my film will be very
important, as without words, it will
serve as an indication of the main
character’s mood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxabL
A7UQ9k

12. EXPERIMENTS
Camera/Editing/Audio Experiments
Be prepared to add extra slides

13. It took longer than expected to film our
experiments, due to an unexpected number of
rewrites, but the final product was well thought
out, the erratic nature of the film lent itself well
to changing the scenes when necessary. We
filmed with a combination of tripod and hand
held shots. All of the scenes were shot in the
same location at York College. We originally
had a scene of the main character walking
down a long corridor, which we had to cut for
pacing reasons, as well as it not fitting with the
tone of the rest of the film.

14. The focus on a singular character,
going through a day in their life, is a
good way to tell a story in a short film.
So my short film will feature a focus
on just one main character and his
day to day life.
While this film has a heavy emphasis
on comedy, it shouldn’t be too difficult
to translate the techniques and
angles used into a more dramatic
medium.

15. I edited my experiment using PremirePro, I got rid of any and all audio recorded in the short
film and replaced it with a soundtrack of my own choosing, to better suit the tone and style of
the film. There were lots of different takes of the same scenes, which gave me a lot of
footage to work with. Thanks to this, I was able to mix and match the best stuff together, to
create a smooth, well put together short film. I also used a light filter on some shots, to make
sure there weren’t too many inconsistencies in the cinematography of the experiment

16. After learning some techniques to change the
lighting and overall look of a film, I will put these
to good effect when creating my final piece. That
of a black and white dramatic tale, with a heavy
emphasis on unfocused scenes. After working
on this production, I feel more capable of
creating the look I want for my short film.

17. For the audio of my experiment, I was
sadly unable to record any original
sound effects to use. I did however,
procure a good soundtrack of royalty
free songs to give the film its identity. It
starts with a light, country song, played
on a guitar. To give the impression of
the innocence and curiosity of the main
character, then rapidly transitions into a
rock song, as his movements become
more erratic, then back to a wackier
country song, to show the ever
changing tone of the film as he follows
a piece of string. The song switches to
a triumphant piano riff as the lift is
opened with the key, before being
drowned out by another rock song, as
the film reveals what was inside.

18. This project has taught me how the right music
can make or break a scene. The soundtrack
has a language of its own, that can go very well
with the right scene. If I can find the right music
to play during my own short film, it will enhance
the quality by a considerable amount. Sound
effects will be difficult to record, but since the
script calls for them to be muffled anyway, it
shouldn’t make too much of a difference.

19. It won’t take too long to film my project, as it will all be shot
here at York College, props will be minimal, the only one
needed is the analog clock, so cost should not be an issue
either. It might however, be difficult to find actors for the film,
as it requires a fair few amount of people to appear in shot
and in the background, and an actress to play the kind
woman must be found. There is no particular order I need to
shoot in, however, it is wise to film the green screen shots
first, so that they will be out of the way for later. I will only
need a camera and a tripods my equipment, which I will
book out for enough time to film.