Thursday, 12 May 2016

Wednesday, 4 May 2016

The Furious Three - Film

The Furious Three from Driven Films on Vimeo.

Saturday, 19 March 2016

Saturday, 12 March 2016

Thursday, 10 March 2016

Actor List:

We will be needing three actors, skin colour does not matter as the west was a hot pot of various nationalities. The actors can be of any gender however we will most likely opt for three male characters.

The two men fleeing will have to act in a panic fashion, frightened and anxious, they know at any point their lives could end unless they finish this task and flee. This thinking should be in the actors mind at all times and should be represented through their actions.

Their dialogue as they are the only two characters to speak should be a colloquial texan accent with many slurred words and should represent their most likely uneducated background. Their frightened disposition should also be shown through their dialogue with their tone of voice showing clear distress. The two main men we were thinking of playing these characters are Naoise Brownlee and Emmett Dorrian.

The Third man will walk with purpose in a quiet and stoic fashion, from the way he walks its clear that he's confident in his abilities and feels that he is in no real danger. The actor should keep in mind this fact when he plays the third man in order to create the image of a stoic professional.

The third man does not speak at all, he should remain silent throughout the film and his motions should be controlled and planned. No unnecessary movements. The third man will be played by Michael Klonzakus.

Prop List:

1. The number one item we need is a typical western firearm, I've opted for the classic revolver which is famously used in many westerns such as "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" and "A Fistful Of Dollars". The make i have selected seems to be the best quality when compared to others on the market while also allowing us to insert caps in order to make a gunshot sound once the lever is pulled. One slight issue is the orange safety cap on the gun that may ruin the immersion when watching the film how ever, with luck, the cap should be removable or we could even paint over the familiar orange colouring.

Name:

Peterkin UK Ltd 8 Shot Large Cowboy Gun

2. The next item we need to purchase is actual caps for the prop revolver in order to make the familiar "BANG" noise associated with this weapon. This will create a visual effect of smoke making the gunshot seem much more realistic. However unless the gunshot sound its self is noticeable when we edit it, we will have to place our own audio clips on a gunshot over them in order to get a much more satisfying signature "BANG!"

Name:

8 Shot Caps - 25 rings per card

3. The second last prop we require is a brown sack bag which the two men will be running with and frantically trying to bury. I've opted for a small brown vegetable bag as it best fits the western setting, an old sack woven together which looks very loose and ragged.

Name:

Nutley's 20 x 30 cm 8.9 oz Grade Small Hessian Sacks

4. The final item we need for the film is a shovel which the two fleeing men will be holding in order to dig a hole to bury the brown sac.

Silverline GT36 Swan-Neck Shovel, 1300 mm

Location and Costume Research - The Furious Three

Costume Research

It is important that we ensure that the two characters first shown are not presented as heroes, as it is safe to assume that they were involved in a misdeed in order to get the bounty in the first place. It is assumed that these characters are not high ranking, but rather the opposite, they are lowly criminals. However, in saying this, it is important that they are distinguished quite easily from the anonymous assailant, as he is shown to be better dressed, clearly of a higher class than those he is following. It is important for us, then, that he is distinguishable from the others upon first glance, which is completely influenced by the clothing which he wears.

Headwear

As was typical of the time setting, all characters will be wearing a hat, Stetson-style. Some examples of possible hats are included below.

Facewear

As in true Western style, we wanted to outfit our assailant with a bandana, to obscure a large portion of his face.

Coats/Outerwear

Location research

Newcastle

Newcastle, Co. Down, is a small Town off the Coast of the Irish Sea at the base of the Mourne Mountains. The mountains have numerous suitable locations to film in, including forest trails, disused quarries (interesting rock formations), and other interesting landscape features such as lakes, ponds, and clearings.

Pro	Con
Rural and secluded - no danger of passing cars, modern buildings, etc breaking continuity	Long journey times put pressure on our filming times, and require a deal of organization
Property restrictions are not an issue. No permission needed to film.	Most decent locations are out of the way - hiking is required

Lady Dixon’s

Lady Dixon’s is a local public park located in South Belfast, covering almost 130 acres (0.53 km2) and is accessible from the Upper Malone Road. It includes meadows, woodland, riverside fields, formal rose gardens, a walled garden and a Japanese garden, as well as many walks.

Pro	Con
Close proximity - easy to reach for all of crew	The park is easy to film in. There are numerous quiet and natural places to film
Cheap location. Walking distance from houses.	Lady Dixon’s is less than ideal. We would much rather film in Newcastle or another rural area.

Crawfordsburn

With two excellent beaches, spectacular scenery and views across Belfast Lough, tranquil walks through peaceful meadows and wooded glens and a stunning waterfall, Crawfordsburn Country Park provides a relaxing natural retreat.

Crawfordsburn is a forest park in the Southern end of Antrim. It features two beaches, a forest, glens and meadows. It is an ideal place for us to film. Approach by train is cheap (<£5 for return tickets), the area is great to film in and features all the scenery we need while still being local enough for our entire crew.

Thursday, 3 March 2016

Costume Research

Costume Research

It is important that we ensure that the two characters first shown are not presented as heroes, as it is safe to assume that they were involved

in a misdeed in order to get the bounty in the first place. It is assumed that these characters are not high ranking, but rather the opposite, they are lowly criminals. However, in saying this, it is important that they are distinguished quite easily from the anonymous assailant, as he is shown to be better dressed, clearly of a higher class than those he is following. It is important for us, then, that he is distinguishable from the others upon first glance, which is completely influenced by the clothing which he wears.

Headwear

As was typical of the time setting, all characters will be wearing a hat, Stetson-style. Some examples of possible hats are included below.

Facewear

As in true Western style, we wanted to outfit our assailant with a bandana, to obscure a large portion of his face.

Coats/Outerwear

Wednesday, 3 February 2016

Westerns | Target Audience

1. Who are the target audiences for Westerns? How do films in this genre attract their target audience?

The target audience for Westerns is a very wide market indeed. Due to the vast amount of Westerns produced during the 40s, 50s and 60s, it could be argued that Westerns were produced solely for their time period. However, if that were the case, films like The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Proposition and Slow West simply would not exist. It is, therefore, important to take this into consideration when assessing the target audience for films of the Western genre. The first group of people one would cast their mind to when Westerns come into conversations are males. This is due to the intense Macho-Manliness which is displayed in each of the daring heroes and villains that grace the character lists of many westerns. Men are seen wearing dusters, carrying pistols and riding horses, which all factor into the appeal for males when watching. Westerns are also intended for a more mature audience than that of other film genres. This is due, in part, to the sometimes excessive violence used in the actual film (see Django (1966) ) but mostly it is down to the recurring themes which are present in the genre - High Noon's theme of bravery and duty in the face of adversity, as well as Django Unchained for its themes and graphic depiction of slavery in 1800s America come to mind when thinking of themes present in Western films.

2. What Type of Company Distributes Your Chosen Films?

Two words come to mind when thinking of Distributors of Western films, especially that of those deemed Essential or Classics of the genre - United Artists. United Artists, having many of the major films of the Western Genre under its belt, has distributed such classics as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, High Noon and Unforgiven. It is clear they have a lot of experience dealing with classic Westerns.

However, The Weinstein Company, a break-off company formed by the Weinstein Brothers after leaing Miramax, has continually worked with director Quentin Tarantino, particularly during his "Western Craze" with films like Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight.

3. How have social groups been represented? How does this relate to the Target Audience?
While Westerns may be America's main form of historical expression in film, it does not mean that every Western has glorified the past of the United States. The aforementioned Django Unchained fully indulges in the idea of racial abuse via slavery, a sore subject for most Americans in their country's illustrious past. This would resonate with the audience, particularly that in the UNited States, and would have generated discussion about a subject that is arguably largely ignored. However, it is not just the Black Slaves which are exposed in Westerns. They can also expose the bias and hatred against the Native Americans, "Injuns" as they are often referred to in the films.

4. What are Audience's Expectations of these Films?

The audience's expectations of a Western ultimately comes down to the experiences they have had with the previous films of the genre they have seen. Despite this, however, it is certainly true that Westerns have developed a certain iconography over time. This iconography undoubtedly affects the audience's expectations of the films of the Western Genre.

Tuesday, 26 January 2016

Example of Target Audience | Django Unchained

Django Unchained

1. Look at the target audience for the film and how each film attracted their target audience.

Target Audience

When Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained was released in 2012, it was given an "18" certificate in the UK by the BBFC as a result of the film's graphic scenes and frequent swearing, in particular the repeated use of the "N-word". Hence, it can be deduced that the film was created for those of 18+, which constitutes the majority of the film-viewers in our society. It goes without mention, then, that Tarantino did not create Django Unchained for a childhood and adolescent audience, as such young viewers would find not only the graphic violence and swearing Tarantino is known for unsettling, but would have also been disturbed by the film's subject matter following an escaped slave in 1800s America. Thirdly, the fact that Quentin Tarantino is such a revered filmmaker meant that his devoted fans would have been attracted to watching his latest venture into the director's seat.

How Did It Attract Its Target Audience?

Django Unchained was marketed for what it was, but it was done so in a clever way. As is evident from the first official poster (see below), it marketed itself to those who were prepared to think about what they were watching. This was done by the exclusion of the actual title of the film on the poster, opting instead for a more minimalist design that packed a massive statement. Also, the use of the red on the poster is an allusion to bloodshed and violence, which denotes one of the main themes of the movie. The poster, whilst intentionally leaving the film title out, purposely enhances the director's credit. This would have enticed those established fans of Quentin Tarantino to see the movie.

2. What Type of Company Distributes the Film?

Django Unchained was distributed by The Weinstein Company. This company formed by Bob and Harvery Weinstein in 2005 is known for working alongside Quentin Tarantino's other films from the founding of the company on.