Due to being so busy with assessments I haven't had the time to add posts but fear not, I am now going to update you on everything that has happened over the last few weeks.
Looking further into the characters of a film we discussed how much you should know about their past when directing them. The answer is THE MORE THE BETTER. The more you know about your characters past can help you understand why they are doing what they are doing in the present. A lot of this can be done by the actors so that they can create the right reactions to the situations their character has to face. Creating their history can go back as far as the required for the film and will improve the actors knowledge in the story.
I didn't realise how important this step was in the story building process until I had to create a story for a character from a script. Creating events from their past allowed me to understand what is happening and how their character should deal with it from their point of view.
Another key point in creating a believable character is having a talented actor. when casting for the role in any film a director has a lot to think about to find the perfect actor for the part. You should take note of these things...
1. actors ability
2. Are they right for the part?
3. Ability to work together- how well will they take direction?
You should remember that you will have to spend a lot of time with them so having someone that you can easily get along with is definitely a plus.

After being selected to direct an onslate music video I am able to put a lot of the things I have learnt into practise.
More posts up soon.

week 7.

Character objectives

This week in class we concentrated on the characters and their objectives in a script.
when breaking down a script you should make sure you know everything about the characters and their motivation to overcome the obstacles they must face.
the characters objectives in a script are broken down into...
super objective: the life goal of the character.
overall objective: Their objective in the story.
scene objective: their intention in the scene.
unit objective: their goal in the unit (Beat).

Using the example from the previous post Chris's unit objectives can be separated into the two units.
unit 1:
C: to be agitated
              Enraged
              Annoyed
Unit 2:
C: to Confront
         Interrogate
         Accuse

Deciding what you want the character to do is the easy part; its finding the best word to describe their objective that can be difficult. It is very important to find the right word to tell the actors so that they can portray the character in the best way.

week 6.

This week we continued to look intro breaking down a script. It is very important that a script is broken down enough, so that the director is familiar with the scene and how to instruct the actors.
A scene can be broken down into scene action and unit action.
Each scene will have its own story action (scene action). this is the psychological actions of the characters.
A scene can then be broken into unit actions. This is when the emotion of the character changes in the scene. Each time this happens the scene can be broken down into beats.

An example is...
Chris walks into the classroom, looks around then throws his pen down and leaves the room.
scene action: Chris is Fuming about the accusation.
fuming- the action word
Unit action:
unit 1. Chris is fuming about the accusation.
unit 2. He storms out to interrogate the accuser.

Although it can be difficult to separate a scene into a scene action and unit actions it can be very helpful during production to be able describe the emotion of the beat to the actors accurately.

week 4.

breaking down a script

This week in class we discussed the steps that a director should take to understand and break down a script.
 The first thing a director has to do when they get a script is to read it several times. It may seem obvious but you should know the script inside out and back to front so that you can visualise it accurately.
You then have to imagine it. creating the film in your head allows you to avoid the technical aspect and concentrate entirely on the creative side. It can also help with...

• visualising the characters- what drives them
• the 'feel' of the film
• sound
• VFX
• Theme
• moral Premise
• possible location/era

You can then turn it into a shot list that conveys the emotions and themes of the scene.
breaking down a script proved to be a lot more difficult than I expected as everything has to be thought out very thoroughly to avoid doubts about the story later on.

week 3.

Short films

Why make a short film?
Being a student making short films give me a chance to experiment with different genres and gain experience in different areas of film to find out what interests me. It can also help build my profile and increase my presence in the film industry. Other reasons people make short films are..

• Budget: although some short films are still expensive; they require less crew and could  then allow more money spent on other things.
• profitable: If a short film is well made and marketed it can earn a profit.
• Accessible: Short films are now a lot more accessible to an audience through blogs and websites such as youtube.
• To show the idea: in some cases people will make a short film to show production companies with the hope of turning the idea into a feature film. creating a short film first will help get across the theme and characters of the film better while giving them a taste of what you can do.
•  To tell a story! Having a story to tell should be a good enough reason to make a short film.

week 2.

Themes

A theme of a movie is the moral or message that the director is trying to get across.
Every movie has one, some more obvious than others and it connects the audience with the film.
The theme of a film can be told in one sentence describing the physical and psychological arcs of the main characters.
A theme of a film can be written as...

vice leads to defeat
virtue leads to success

e.g. Realisation of Betrayal leads to loyalty.

Week 1.

What qualities does a director need to possess?

A director’s responsibility is to oversee majority of the creative aspects of a film. They turn the script into a vision and from then guide the crew and actors into bringing it to life.  Even though a director makes a lot of creative decisions they should remain level headed and take other ideas into consideration. A director with a big ego is shown no respect and will often cause tension, effecting the film and future films (or lack of).

So what qualities does a successful director need to posses?

*Creative

*Attention to detail

*Confident

*Communication skills

*Enthusiastic

* The ability to turn words into a vision

*Open minded

* Passionate

* Focused